#I really hope they can recover it somehow but…..agh

[passionpeachy]

I accidentally deleted my main blog 😔

#text #artists on tumblr #I really hope they can recover it somehow but…..agh #I kinda doubt it honestly #I used to be passionpeachy btw

[mayariviolet]

TEMPERANCE - W.I.P

Reader x Jean Kirstein Fic

ft. Jean, Sasha and the Reader

chapter title: The Queen of Wands.

summary: A party scene where the Reader and Jean meet.

a/n: Hi… I’m finally uploading a WIP for my fic. I’ve been really all over the place with moving amongst other things. So it’s been really difficult to pick a section that I’m okay sharing with. Anyways, I hope this doesn’t give too much away☹️. Also the song I’ve been listening to while writing from Jeans POV. (See the end for more notes)

✧˖°.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ✧˖°. ✧˖°.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ✧˖°. ✧˖°.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ✧˖°

… Sasha is completely unaware of his presence and Jean finds himself unintentionally eavesdropping on her conversation with a stranger.

“He’s not a bad guy, he’s just made a couple of mistakes that’s all! We all do.” You say, playing with your thumbs before picking at the dry skin, “Just, trust me okay?”

“I guess, but I don’t think what he did was a small ‘oopsie’” Sasha says reluctantly, her brows raising a little before taking a long drag of her dab pen, “I mean, if this is what he’s like when you’re dating- fuck I need to pee- imagine how he’ll be in a relationship.”

“It’s going to be fine, it’s just casual right now.”

“Do you want it to be ‘just casual’ though?”

“Well, no- but I mean- I’m okay with whatever.”

Sasha hums and offers you a drag and she dances a little in her seat. Accepting the gracious offer, you take a long pull.

“Hmm, okay! Well as long as you’re enjoying yourself that’s all that matters to me.”

“Thanks Sasha,” you say smiling, “I mean he’s so hot so I’m definitely enjoying myself heh.”

Sasha rolls her eyes before bursting into a fit of giggles and you join her.

“I’m serious! Don’t laugh!” Your eyes widening in a joking plea which only makes Sasha laugh harder. “He’s hot to me! At least the hottest guy I’ve ever met in this-”

“Hey,” Jean’s crisp yet booming voice causes you and Sasha to jolt from your conversation. “Sorry I just got your text.”

“Jean-boy!” Sasha screeches, greeting him with a hug, “You made it!”

Jean returns the embrace while exchanging pleasantries with Sasha.

“Oh! It completely slipped my mind, but Jean this is my roommate! I don’t think you’ve met her since she’s always so busy.”

“I make time for you though!”

Woah.

To say Jean was enthralled would be a understatement. Somehow all other noises, and blaring lights seemed to fade when you smile. After giving a small wave, you offer a handshake and introduce yourself.

“Uhm- is Jean-boy your government name?”

“No thank God. It’s just Jean.”

“No last name? That’s kinda cool.”

“Well- I-uh” he stammers over his words, “It’s Kirstein.” before he can even comprehend how to recover he asks, “I can give it to you if you’d like?”

You fucking idiot he thinks to himself.

“Tempting,” you reply, stifling a chuckle, “but I’m seeing someone right now.”

Jean’s head feels like it’s spinning right now and he hasn’t even had a drop of alcohol yet. It doesn’t help that Sasha is shaking and sweating like a sinner in church from his peripheral.

“Agh! I can’t take it!” Sasha interjects, “Can you hold this? I have to break the seal.” She pouts shoving the half-full can into your hands before making a bee line to the bathroom.

“Do you want me to come?” Your offer futile as Sasha is long out of ear shot. Jean mentally curses Sasha’s tiny bladder for leaving him with a beautiful stranger, “Oop, guess not.”

He raises his eyebrows, giving you an apologetic shrug and you laugh.

“So, are you guys in the same program?” You ask, taking a sip from your Soju bottle. Jean watches intently as a bit of alcohol dribbles from the side of your lip. The back of his neck starting to feel hot.

(chapter continues-)

✧˖°.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ✧˖°. ✧˖°.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ✧˖°. ✧˖°.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ✧˖°

a/n: As I am about to post this I fear people will literally see me only writing about drugs and alcohol and you wouldn’t be wrong but there’s more to the story I SWEAR!!😭 An honourable mention to another song that inspires a lot of Jeans Character Development (?Storyline?).

If anyone wants to beta read and also hold me accountable so I can FINISH WRITING THIS PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! I KNOW MY FRIENDS ARE SICK OF MEEEEE🥲 there’s so much more that i want to include because this fic is very important to me🥹✨🫶🏼.

as always- any feedback is appreciated. mwah!

- disclaimer -

📹please note that all of this is subject to change as my story is currently growing with me. thank you for your continued patience!✨🌙

══════════════════

© Please do not copy or replicate my work. Inspiration is appreciated, but credit properly! ♡

#temperance fic wip #temperance fic📹⚖️ #aot college au #modern au aot #jean kirstein x reader #jean kirstein #aot x reader #current wip #aot modern au #attack on titan #Jean Kirstein is silly goofy in this #he’s so weezer coded in this fic bye #someone hold me accountable #not me also forcing song recommendations on y’all again💀 #mv.writing📝

[ceiling-painted-white]

hi i love your hcs (tw i guess) could you write some about sal having a s/o who somehow got into an hard drug addiction and hides it from everyone but then he findes out and they think he'll leave them. (totally okay if you're not comfy with that) :)

heyy thank you sm! hope you enjoy

disclaimer - i've never had experiences with drug addiction, so i apologize if some of the stuff is inaccurate. hc’s are gonna be under the “keep reading” to avoid anyone getting triggered by scrolling past :))

CONTENT WARNING: depictions of drug addiction, drug use, and depression. please read with caution!

sal with a s/o thats struggling witn drug addiction - gn!reader

✧ you didn't really know how it started

✧ or even how it got so bad

✧ turning to drugs while going through many different struggles mentally

✧ once you started, it was hard to stop

✧ it's hard to admit you have a problem, though that is the first step to recovery

✧ you didn't want any of your friends or your boyfriend to know, scared they would look down on you or leave you

✧ it felt like you were trapped, wanting to stop but not knowing how and feeling awful about hiding something like this from the people you care about

✧ when he finds out, it seriously feels like a part of him just dies 

✧ he feels so bad about not noticing sooner and letting it get so bad, unfortunately kinda blames himself for some of it

✧ confronts you about it after finding out 

✧ hugs you a ton, comforts tf out of you

✧ if you wanna talk abt it, he’ll definitely listen

✧ vent and rant as much as you want, he’s there :)

✧ tries his best to help you recover 

✧ if you feel like you need to go/want to go to rehab, he’d support you 100%

✧ he’s there with you for any hospital visits if you go 

✧ if we just pretend that he can drive for a minute

✧ he would drive you to any therapy sessions if you go to therapy

✧ on the ride to my counseling session today, my mom stopped to get me mcdonalds as breakfast 

✧ but like seriously imagine getting food with sal on the ride over there and eating it in the parking lot and talking and aGH i simp for this man

✧ celebrates your recovery milestones with you, he’s very proud :))

✧ ye he’s insanely proud of you and your recovery and tells u as often as possible 

✧ in conclusion sal is literally the greatest.

#sally face x y/n #sal fisher x y/n #sal fisher x reader #sally face x reader

[thepixelelf]

the recovery files - ksm

intro.txt / hanjisung.mp3 / now playing: kimseungmin.mp3 / hwanghyunjin.mp3 / leefelix.mp3 / yangjeongin.mp3 / leeminho.mp3 / seochangbin.mp3 / bangchan.mp3 

I just start? Okay… 

What do I… what do I talk about?

Alright.

Um… hey. It’s Seungmin. You probably knew that already, though…

I haven’t said hi to you in a while. I kind of miss the feeling.

…

Do you? Miss the feeling, I mean.

I guess you wouldn’t… I don’t blame you.

… 

How are you nowadays? I know you probably don’t want to hear that from me, especially after— 

Well, you know.

Either way, I think I’d feel better knowing you’re okay. I still wonder sometimes — how you’re doing, if you’ve recovered. That kind of thing. Is that selfish of me?

That was always my problem, I guess.

Being too selfish.

…

Um… 

I’m doing fine. As fine as a person can be, really.

I remember how that was our code word. I’d come over, say I was fine, and you’d do that thing with your hand on my back. Your hands were always really warm. I never figured out how.

So yeah. I’m fine.

Just fine.

I broke up with Hyojung— 

Sorry, what was that?

Oh.

I guess… even though I just broke up with Hyojung…

This is the person I need to send a message to, you know?

I can start over, if you want. I don’t have much to say to Hyojung, though.

No? Okay, I’ll just— um. I’ll keep going.

Anyhow… I broke up with Hyojung.

It’s — heh — it’s actually kind of funny. You wouldn’t believe it, but…

She cheated on me.

Ironic, isn’t it? Must have been karma. Knowing you, you’d probably call it poetic justice.

…

Who would’ve thought? The girl I cheated on you with…

…

Back then, and I don’t know if you knew this, but I really thought you were overreacting. It was just one kiss, I thought. One kiss at a stupid party that shouldn’t have mattered to you as much as it did, because you should’ve trusted me or whatever.

But… seeing Hyojung with that guy…

It really fucking hurt.

…

Did you feel that way? When I… 

Nevermind. I know.

…

I remember, um, back when we first got together all those years ago, we made this… list. Hyunjun called us crazy and overly organized for making a never-do list. He said no one started dating with set rules like that, especially not rules we taped to our locker doors.

You wrote “cheating” nice and big at the top of yours.

You told me you wouldn’t tolerate anything like that. You pounded that idea into my head from the beginning.

I don’t know why I…

…

One time, the list fell off my locker. I guess the tape loosened somehow, and I accidentally stepped on it. There was this huge rip, but I spent the next five minutes taping it back together.

It’s not like I forgot about the never-dos… I guess I just… stopped caring.

Sorry.

I know that’s not the only thing I should be saying sorry for, but I really want to say sorry for that. For not caring and yet… stringing you on like I did.

Hyojung was this… this shiny new thing, and you were… well you weren’t getting old or anything, but…

Agh, I can’t think of the words.

…

Sorry for not saying sorry. Back then.

I realize now that all I did was defend myself that night. I didn’t even apologize.

Sorry.

…

I hope— I hope you’re doing better than fine. 

Hyunjun tells me you are, but, I don’t know, I feel like he’s lying to me, sometimes. I don’t think he’d tell me if you were having a hard time.

He probably knows I’d be an idiot and try to find you… try to make you feel better when… 

When you hate me now. 

…

That one time, when we saw each other on 111th street… you avoided my eyes so quickly. 

Does it still hurt that much? Seeing me?

…

Is it selfish to want you to look at me again?

…

… 

Yesterday, Hyunjun — um, he said you and he have been...

Is he… does… does he treat you right?

Is it stupid for me to ask that?

Sorry— 

Could you pass me that water bottle?

Thanks.

I know it’s stupid of me to get jealous after I did something like that.

I keep thinking ‘I could treat you better,’ but… I didn’t.

Isn’t that crazy?

…

I hope you’re happy.

And I don’t mean that in a bad way… you deserve to be happy after everything I put you through.

Hyunjun is a great guy.

…

…

I’m fine.

Just fine.

#stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids x reader #kim seungmin x reader #skz scenarios #skz imagines #skz x reader #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #.100

[jangmi-latte]

❞𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞... ❝

➻ content: cute little hedgehogs and a pouty dorm leader!

➻ warnings: extra diabetes!

➻ comments: diamond and clover..good job..

➵ this has actually been in my fridge for quite a while now, might as well cook it. this was supposed to be my first meal but, i must admit i got lazy. well here you go! a baby riddle!

It was Saturday. Saturday morning, to be precise. The students could finally rest and calm down from the tons of requirements the teachers would always bombard them with. Except, Heartslabyul. The dormitory founded on the severity of the queen was not having the rest they wanted.

Especially Riddle.

The wailing redheaded boy was having a tantrum in Trey's arms, the taller male bouncing the younger as he waited for Cater with those tarts. Somehow, the strict dorm leader had turned into a toddler. The cause? A simple error during alchemy class.

Floyd has broke a vile of an unfinished potion which sent the liquid to fly everywhere. Mostly hitting Riddle at some point. Everyone was unaffected, yet Crewel was having doubts unto why there wasn't any outcome from the potion.

Until Trey went to Riddle's room, worrying since Riddle does not usual get up this late in the morning. Hence, seeing the naked little baby that now replaced the prefect's bed.

"Shhhh... It's okay,” soothed the obviously worried Trey.

He has taken care of his younger siblings before, surely this isn’t a hard task. He has gotten small clothes and dressed him up in a pajama onesie. Yet, he was wrong. Riddle isn’t calming down at all. They tried giving him toys–probably all came from Sam’s shop along with the clothes–yet he just threw them away. Ace made it worst by pinching the young boy’s cheeks and teasing him a lot. That’s how Trappola ended up kicked out from the dorm again. Deuce volunteered on alerting Professor Divus about what happened and he hasn’t come back yet.

Just luckily enough, Riddle’s magic hasn’t gone bonkers. 

“Let’s head outside.” The vice prefect picked up a ball to keep Riddle distracted before heading outside to the Rose Maze. Students stared in either in awe, surprise, or just simply stared dumbfounded at the sight of Riddle. Yes, he was adorable indeed.

Upon arriving at the Rose Maze, little Riddle was placed on a blanket, that Trey had some students lay out for him, still whimpering and hiccuping from his small tantrum, “Agh...” Trey scratched the back of his head before sitting beside him. Riddle was looking around with those big teary eyes of him, as if he was getting accustomed to new surroundings. The taller male sighed and wiped the toddler’s wet cheeks, “What am I supposed to do now?” he mumbled to himself as he looked around the maze.

At least Riddle had calmed down now. All was heard from him were little hiccups, sniffles, and...giggling. Trey looked over and the sight made him smile and chuckle. A hedgehog has found its way to the blanket and Riddle finally found a small playmate. The pink hedgehog waddled around him while he clapped his hands and giggled loudly. He looked so happy. His small chubby hands carried the hedgehog, cooing and babbling to it like he was trying to say something.

Then a click of a camera was heard.

“Awwww!” Cater cooed as he gave Trey the box of tarts before crawling over to Riddle. This boy is WAY different from the Riddle they all knew. Cute, giggly, cuddly, you name it, that was this Riddle, “You–” Cater carried the young boy and placed him on his lap, took the hedgehog in the other as it squirmed, “are so cute! Though I do hope you don’t remember all of this. I don’t want my head chopped off,” chuckled the third year.

Riddle whined as his eyes stayed glued on the little creature on Cater’s palms. He made grabby hands while babbling, “Hedgie...!” he babbled and kicked his legs around. Cater’s lips formed into an ‘o’ before handing the hedgehog to the little kid, though still keeping a hold of it. Riddle was back to his happy little self again as he patted the hedgehog, “Trey can he stay like this forever?!” squealed Cater.

“I don’t think so,” Trey responded with a chuckle

It was already evening, and Deuce still wasn’t back. Trey and Cater were already tired of taking care of Riddle. Why? He was very stubborn and wanted to rummage the pantry full of sweets. Against the rules? Definitely. They’re hoping he wouldn’t remember ANYTHING.

“Riddle, please just eat it.”

Cater scratched his head while Trey tried to feed Riddle his dinner. It was pumpkin pasta, made by the vice dorm leader himself, “Come on Riddle,” he groaned. Little boy was being stubborn, pushing away Trey’s hand and yelling a small, ‘no’. Why? He wanted macaroons. Cater was waving a small bunny plushie in front of Riddle but it wasn’t working, “Look at the bunny, Riddle!” he sang. Riddle took the bunny, hugging in tightly in his arms before Trey shoved the spoon in his mouth.

With a big angry pout, Riddle chewed on pasta while attempting to give Trey a glare. It was too cute that Cater took a picture of it. 

“Trey-senpai!” Deuce called as he ran inside Heartslabyul’s dining area.

“You’re finally back.”

“I’m sorry. I had to help Professor Crewel with the ingredients while he checked on the other students who were splashed with the potion. It was just Riddle-senpai who turned into a baby.” Deuce gave the bottled liquid to the third year. “He needs to drink the whole potion to work though,” he whispered since Riddle was staring at him with those cute big silver eyes of his.

“He doesn’t even want the pasta. How are we going to feed him that?” Cater interjected as he carried the little toddler that’s still staring at Deuce. 

“Bring Ace in to distract him?”

“No that’ll make him angry and he’ll cry again. I’m too tired to deal with two kids.”

“Ah!” Cater realized. “There’s milk in the fridge. Maybe we can pour the potion in a bottle? That wouldn’t ruin the potion’s mixture right?” 

Trey nodded, too tired to even think, “Let’s feed it to him once bed time comes. Deuce, once we’re in Riddle’s room, bring Ace in. Thank you for your help.” Trey placed the leftover food on the sink. He’ll deal with it later. 

Riddle babbled, pointed at Deuce while squishing the bunny in his hand. The first year awkwardly waved at his prefect while Cater grinned, “Do you want to carry him Deuce-chan?” Cater walked over to the male, making the younger to immediately shake his head, “N-No thanks Cater-senpai!” He dashed away.

Shrugging, Cater looked over at Trey, “So...”

“Bath time?”

“Please make it easy, Riddle...”

“Op wit chu ed! (off with your head)”

“That was so cute!!! Say it again!”

“Don't! Just be thankful his magic didn't work!”

A wet floor, two wet third-year students, and a calm Riddle.

Remember when Trey pleaded for Riddle to be calm during bath time? It didn’t go exactly as the third year wanted it to be.

Once Riddle was in the tub, it was like every single thing was new to him. He was fascinated and always wanted to touch it. He surely was quiet when he was placed in the tub. Well-behaved and patiently waiting for the two to do whatever they plan to do to him. Until he felt water did start splashing his arms up and down. He was giggling and squealing that Cater had to hold his arms down. Trey was already drenched, his glasses were already left on the sink, and was the one to clean him up.

Rubber duckies and the loofah were Riddle’s distraction since he loves dipping them under water. He would whine when the loofah runs out of bubbles, he tried eating one, and Trey would have to squeeze some liquid soap on it before he starts crying again.

If Riddle’s doing this on purpose, they would beg for him to just use his unique magic on them than letting them suffer this babysitting job.

Once they were done bathing him, Cater dried him off, Riddle’s still holding the loofah, and zoomed into his bedroom. Deuce had volunteered with the milk and potion. He was able to mix it in a bottle and taste tested it, it tasted the same. “Okay now you’re dressed.” Trey had dressed Riddle up in his sleep clothes this time and not pajama onesies. No one wants to hear their recovered dorm leader yelling first thing in the morning just because he’s naked, right?

It looked so big on him that Riddle flapped his arms and giggled. Another photo for Cater’s gallery, “Now–” Trey placed Riddle under the sheets, the bunny plushie beside him, and the little boy snuggled and yawned. “time for bed, Riddle.”

Deuce gave the bottle and Riddle’s lips latched around the nipple as he eagerly sucked. All three students watched as his eyes slowly drooped down until it was completely shut.

How relieved they are.

Once the bottle was empty, Cater took it as they all prepared to hide away all the baby stuff they bought, “Let’s just hope it works...”

The next morning came. 8:00 am.

Trey had got up, and almost immediately, dashed to Riddle’s room. As he entered, a relieved sigh was heard from him as he leaned on the door frame.

“What day is it Trey?”

“Sunday.”

“What?!”

Ah, finally, he’s back! 

Trey walked over to seventeen-year-old prefect and sat on his bed, “You don’t remember?” “Remember what exactly?!” 

He doesn’t remember a thing. Riddle was overly confused, but he didn’t feel entirely odd. What happened really? Was he asleep the whole day yesterday?! His thoughts were running wild and Trey just snickered, “Yes, you were asleep the whole day. We were worried about you.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up then?!”

“We tried. It might’ve been the potion that Floyd dropped.”

“That leech–!”

“Don’t worry. It’s handled already. Come, I’ll prepare breakfast. You need to recover.”

It’s best he doesn’t know about a thing.

Everything went smoothly that morning. Trey made sure not a single student spoke about Saturday’s events. Cater would hide his phone and Deuce kept his mouth shut. Riddle was back to normal, which means everything will be as well. The two babysitters were relieved that they can finally rest.

But they forgot one thing as the doors of Heartslabyul were slammed open.

“Ah! You’re not a baby anymore!” Ace yelled.

#twisted wonderland #disney #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland scenarios #night raven college #twst #riddle rosehearts #trey clover #ace trappola #deuce spade #cater diamond #heartslabyul #pomefiore #ignihyde #savanaclaw #scarabia #diasomnia #octavinelle #vil schoenheit #idia shroud #leona kingscholar #kalim al asim #malleus draconia #azul ashengrotto

[fancifulwhump]

i'm LIVING for your jaskier fics omg!! would you be at all interested in writing a prompt where Jaskier is riding Roach because he's not feeling well, but Geralt doesn't realize how bad the fever really is until he falls off? (if that's not interesting or too specific, I can try again! no pressure to write this!)

anonymous asked:  would LOVE to see a sick Jaskier with a cold while they’re traveling, and how Geralt would treat him being feverish and sniffly/how Jaskier would complain lol

AN:   absolutely! so sorry this took a hot second, but here you guys go  ---  hope you enjoy!  ;)

The language of Jaskier is above all a loud one... but just as subtle as any beast’s dialect, filled with intricacies and rhythms that Geralt cannot help taking note of the more he listens. It’s really not the same thing, of course. Non-speaking monsters really can’t use their words; they have no way to express how they feel, except by eating you. Jaskier hasn’t tried to do that. Yet. (Sometimes the way he eyes Geralt in the bath leaves him feeling the day’s not far off.) 

To the contrary — if anything, Jaskier is too verbal. He doesn’t know how to shut up.

Getting used to this took longer than Geralt would have liked. It also demanded considerably more patience than he realized he had. Somehow, staking out a monster’s lair for days in complete silence is bearable... but Sitting through one of Jaskier’s endless rambles is asking too much. Even Witchers can only endure so much.

“Do you ever shut up?” Geralt demanded one day, cutting off the motor-mouthed fool in the middle of another tangent.

Jaskier blinked at him, as though seriously considering the question, then shrugged. “Not a talent of mine, really.”

Miraculously, he did, for a moment. Despite all his instincts screaming to the contrary, Geralt nearly allowed himself to believe his outburst had worked... until Jaskier steppes on a twig, just a bit too loudly, then said, “I was asked the very same thing in bed not too long ago, actually, by this glorious milkmaid — granted, her accent was too thick to make out a word, so she might have been asking me to pass her my ruddy lute, who knows. But she was very enthusiastic —“

And that started him up all over again. Damn the gods.

In spite of it all, Geralt would be lying if he claimed to hate Jaskier’s blathering too much. Sometimes it’s... unique, not being constantly surrounded by silence. He wouldn’t call it nice, not be a long shot, but... it isn’t altogether unpleasant. Jaskier can make for entertaining company in his better moods, and he does keep things interesting. A routine pack of wargs can turn into a colorful job, so long as Jaskier is along to elaborate on it later. Geralt doubts he cuts such a striking figure “swinging his sword to the leaping beast’s belly”, as Jaskier’s latest gig claims, but...

Sometimes, it is nice not to be surrounded by silence. Even if that means putting up with Jaskier’s mouth more than he would like.

Case in point:

“Geralt.” A whine, then a cough, then a passionate sniffle. “Can we slow down? Please? I’ve asked thrice already —“

Four times. Geralt’s been counting. 

Gritting his teeth, he urges Roach a bit faster, conscious of the sound of struggling bard trailing a bit behind him. Jaskier makes no effort to be discreet when he moves, so Geralt can hear everything in perfect detail. The crunch of twigs beneath his heavy feet; the strain of his breaths, a bit more labored than they should be, a bit more congested; the way his chest rattles when he launches into another coughing fit. Even with a nasty cold, Jaskier’s loud.

“Just because I can’t catch it,” says Geralt once the latest fit has passed, “doesn't mean you need to cough on me.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’ll be sure to aim my dying gasps towards the wilderness next time.” Backtalk is a talent Jaskier can’t help himself honing, even sick as a dog. His brows, foreword with childish petulance, draw even tighter together as he wraps both arms around himself, hunching in. A shiver courses through him; Geralt distinctly hears the rattle of chattering teeth. The second Jaskier catches his eyes lingering, however, he plays up his misery for the perceived audience, pouting and wiping at his face. Geralt rolls his eyes, looking away.

Geralt understands the patterns of many beasts, but Jaskier’s language was one of the easiest to learn. The Law of Jaskier: as long as he’s talking, he’s fine. 

And he hasn’t stopped talking since early this morning. No, not talking — complaining. Gods help him, Jaskier hasn’t stopped complaining.

He still stubbornly follows Geralt out on the road, however; in spite of his red nose and phelmgy cough, Jaskier refuses to be left behind. It wouldn’t be the first time he chose to linger in a particular village which Geralt went on ahead, but Jaskier insisted the last one one didn’t appeal to him — “Everyone looks half-starved there. No wonder, the food tastes like shit. At midnight I half-expect them all to gather into a mob, hunt down the nearest visiting bard, and fry him on a spit. I have just enough meat on my bones, Geralt, but I wouldn’t be tasty —“

That rant devolved into a coughing fit that left Jaskier doubled over on the side of the road for five minutes, gasping and heaving. Geralt actually had to stop and wait for him. By the time Jaskier recovered, raising himself shakily up from his knees on the dirt road, he looked a mess. His face was bright red, tears lingering at the corners of his eyes; his chest still heaved. That was the moment any sensible person would have turned back… but Jaskier simply steeled himself and carried on.

Fool of a bard, Geralt thinks now, listening to Jaskier’s heavy footsteps behind them. He’s lagging, slowing them both down. His scent has picked up something unfamiliar, an edge of sour sweetness that can only be a fever. At least he’s walking on his own… but he’s not walking fast, is the thing, and they have to walk fast if they want to reach the next town before nightfall. As it is, the prospect looks doubtful; Jaskier has slowed them enough already.

“As soon as we find a bed, I’m collapsing in it —“ Jaskier pauses to sniff again, and clear a hoarse throat. “Then not getting out for a year. A year, Geralt. You’ll have to — drag me by my feet or something.”

“Something,” Geralt agrees, his mind flashing to images of swords and steel. Oh, he’d get the damned bard out of bed.

The trail gets rougher as they make their way further into the mountains. Even Geralt stumbles in places, and he’s built for this sort of travel. He’s wearing the boots for it.  Jaskier is distinctly neither of these things. As Geralt’s must focus more of his attention on their way forward, he almost misses what’s going on behind him — the harshness of his companion’s breaths growing more and more labored, the way Jaskier’s coughs pick up force and frequency, the times he must stop — physically stop — to sneeze or hack his lungs out. Geralt tries to ignore it. He really does. But the fact that he almost manages, for about fifteen minutes, is what alerts him to a much more alarming fact.

Jaskier has stopped complaining.

As soon as Geralt realizes this, he jerks to a halt on the trail. Roach follows his lead… but Jaskier, his head down, doesn’t notice. Instead, he walks straight into Roach’s backside, nearly toppling off his feet. 

“Agh — damn it, Geralt.” Even his indignation sounds listless. “Give a man warning next time, will you?”

“How,” asks Geralt, through gritted teeth, “do you feel?”

Jaskier blinks, appearing to weigh the likelihood that his companion is genuinely concerned or just annoyed. Whatever he decides, he isn’t wrong. Instead of offering an answer, he makes an inarticulate ‘hmm-mmm’, shrugging his shoulders. Geralt’s hard gaze bores into him. Jaskier shrinks under it. After a moment, the pressure grows too much; he breaks. “My head is pounding, to be honest. Feels… dizzy. I don’t know. It’s cold out here.”

“You have a fever,” Geralt observes. 

Jaskier raises his eyebrows, then laughs softly, like he’s not surprised. “Right, yep, that makes sense. Figures you know me better than I do…”

He breaks off into another fit of coughing, which leaves his entire body quaking. Geralt has to actually grab his shoulder to steady him, just in case Jaskier should tumble over. As soon as he’s regained some kind of composure, though, Jaskier pulls away.

“I’ll be fine.” This time, there isn’t a trace of whine in his voice; he isn’t scraping the barrel for pity, but being deadly serious. “Not too long to the next village anyways, is it? I can make it.”

Geralt eyes him for a long moment, weighing the likelihood of getting there in a reasonable amount of time with Jaskier lagging behind. It’s not good. They’ve been making poor time as it is, because he’s had to slow his pace for the damned bard, but Geralt would prefer not to camp along the road overnight. (Because he doesn’t feel like sleeping on hard ground; not because Jaskier in his current state needs a warm bath and bed. Absolutely not.)

He sighs through his teeth. “Get on the horse.”

“What?”

Either Jaskier’s fever is high enough that he can no longer comprehend the common tongue, or he really is an idiot. “The horse,” Geralt emphasizes, patting Roach’s hindquarters in preemptive apology. “If you ride her, we may make it to the nearest village before nightfall.”

This is the one and only time Geralt has ever offered his precious horse; Jaskier knows this, as well as he knows this chance will never come around again. Maybe he’s just an opportunist. Maybe the promise of a roof over his head is that tempting. Either way, Jaskier doesn’t weigh his options for long before doing the sensible thing and getting on the damn horse.

Roach whinnies, making her displeasure at the entire situation clear. Jaskier isn’t helping matters, a dead weight on her back. The horse stamps her hooves, shuffling in dismay, but a look from Geralt chastises her. For the moment, getting the bard out of the woods will have to be more important than her dignity.

No, Geralt doesn’t like it either. One look at Jaskier’s face, though — the hollow-eyed pallor, and the distance, as though he’s drifted out to sea already — reminds him why it is necessary.

This time around, they are able to set a much faster pace. Roach keeps up, just as Geralt knew she would, even carrying the burden that is Jaskier. The sick man doesn’t help his case; rather than ride, Jaskier has both arms braces against Roach’s neck, clearly focused on just keeping his balance. There’s a precarious list to his posture which Geralt keeps an eye on, but he doesn’t actually fall; every time it seems like he might, he rights himself, and a new dawn of clarity rises over his face. It lasts only a moment, of course, before fading away… but it’s something.

It isn’t long before the woods begin to thin out. Geralt tracks their location by the trees, and by the hues of purple and gold beginning to blend together on the horizon. They haven’t far to go, and enough time to do it. Unless they run into any roaming monsters on the way…

He takes his eyes off Jaskier, and there’s the mistake. He forgets. When Jaskier was complaining, at least he was present; by airing his grievances he ensured that he could not be ignored. This quiet Jaskier is a foreign one, and Geralt isn’t used to him. So, he makes a mistake. He looks away, and doesn’t look back… until a gruesome thud echoes from behind him.

Geralt stops dead in his tracks. Roach lets out a distressed whinny. Jaskier says nothing at all.

“Fuck!” Geralt hisses, rushing back to the bard’s crumpled body. Face-down in the dirt, Jaskier makes no attempt to pull himself up. When Geralt hauls him upright with both hands on his shoulders, Jaskier groans, head lolling against his own chest. 

Mud stains his cheeks, and a bruise is sure to form where he hit the ground hard. Even when Geralt seizes his face, though — and damn it, he’s on fire, worse than Geralt thought — Jaskier proves incapable of focusing. An incoherent murmur passes through parted lips. It does exactly nothing to alleviate Geralt’s minor panic.

“Jaskier! Wake up!” Is he even asleep? Geralt can’t tell. “Say something!”

He means it, and the realization comes as an icy shock — never did he imagine he’d ever miss the bard’s incessant prattling. Yet in the sudden absence of Jaskier’s voice, silence rings louder than ever, and it’s smothering Geralt to death. He should have seen this, should have known, should have realized, damn it —

“Jaskier,” he hisses, hauling his companion to his feet. The full weight of Jaskier’s limp body melts against his own. When Jaskier’s burning forehead falls against Geralt’s shoulder, he shrugs, trying to rouse him… but nothing does the job. Even when Geralt, grumbling furiously, is forced to haul Jaskier back up onto Roach and leap up after him, the fever permits Jaskier to do little more than melt against him. His head lolls, eyes half-open and staring into nothing. Worse than it all, he is completely silent.

For once in his life, Geralt misses the damned bard’s complaining.

#the witcher #sickfic #jaskier #taylortut

[alpacaparkaseok]

Okay-what the heck do I even say about Ivy??? Well, 1. It was amazing 😭😭😭 2. So many feelings all over the place, honestly. Angst, cuteness, all the things. 3. Jungkook is DAN-GER-OUS in this fic...not that he’s not in real life/always, but the whole “get outta my way” vibes at the gala, and his smirk and cockiness (“what color dress are you wearing?” “I’ll take care of everything. Including Hoseok.”, anyone??? Excuse me while I go die.) 4. This whole story gave me like Phantom of the Opera/Pride and Prejudice vibes, even though it’s in modern day...if that even makes any sense at all. Which all of these things are right up my alley (you know this with my Jin book of soulmates story-speaking of, we have come so far since then! Haha). 5. Hobi was SO CREEPY at the end!! Like, I don’t even know what I thought he was gonna do...but the menacing calm, and the whole, “I didn’t know Jungkook was so good with words” bit. AGH. 6. Galaxies in JK’s eyes will always get me. 🥺 7. Even though he was kinda creepily pining after her for forever lol. 8. Thank you for making this such a long, detailed story-you definitely didn’t have to!! Although you say you could make a series out of it, you could definitely find ways to include the rest of the boys, just saying 👀👀 (can you imagine, like JK takes over for Hobi, and then somehow like Jin and Yoongi come into the picture as a tag team, part of an art theft ring?? Or like people who forge paintings?? I need to stop before I get more carried away). All this to say, Ivy is wonderful, 💯, and I appreciate you!

P.S. Sorry I took way longer than normal to read/send in an ask, I’ve been recovering from my second COVID vaccine (yay for your first one! 🎉)

P.P.S. Jungkook is always dangerous, but this is extra dangerous Jungkook.

Gahhhh I’ve died and come back to life. Ivy literally threw so many emotions at me, and I was so CONFLICTED because I was writing The Pact at the same time 😂😂 which has a VERY different vibe hahaha

I hope you’re feeling better!! Don’t worry, you’re never obligated to send in an ask! It’s always a pleasant surprise to see you in my inbox! 💕

OK YESSS WE TRULY SHARE A BRAINCELL I was actually jamming out to Tchaikovsky (maybe that’s where the Phantom vibes come from? lol but that may also be because the boys are low-key stalkers in this) AND the Pride & Prejudice soundtrack while writing this!! 

Awww we really have come so far since that lil soulmate request 🥺🥺

Oh my gosh ok so I’ve been DYING to write Hobi like that for the longest time lol. Like, every time I see those videos of him being super serious and watching the boys dance, I get such intense Hoseok vibes. so I had a heyday with this haha

This seriously was so much fun to write! Honestly, you have the BEST ideas. Like, I swear, you’ve fueled half of my masterlist at this point lol so I really am so happy that you share your ideas with me and trust me enough to carry them out and not screw everything up! 

akdlfjslakdfj don’t tempt me 😈 😈 that could seriously be such a blast to write hahaha

Thank you for reading 🥺 nowwww I’m gonna get back to finishing up tomorrow’s update 😏 you’re an absolute gem! 💕

ps after writing so many soft JK things, it was so fun to let the boy run wild lol

ups how dare you send that gif. I refuse to suffer alone. WE’RE GOING DOWN TOGETHER!!

#delacyrose224 #b:asks #ivy

[brokasteltranslations]

Fate/Requiem: Chapter 8

Dusk was closing in.

Other incidents, big and small, had occurred around the outskirts of the Colosseum, and the heart of the city had been effectively paralysed with the temporary absence of the municipal administration AI, causing accidents all across Akihabara. However, the communication and transport networks were recovering, and governmental and medical institutions were returning to full functionality with all possible haste.

-

At long last we exited the Colosseum. An enormous crowd milled about the exterior. News of the tragedy had finally reached families and friends of spectators through the municipal information network, and they had come en mass in search of their loved ones. Some screamed the names of missing family members. Others wept and wailed for those already lost.

After the ferocious battle inside, the outside wall looked to be only moments away from collapsing. Black and yellow tape had been strung up to keep people away.

“You know, I have this weird feeling I just saw him back there.” Karin looked around suspiciously.

“Who's him? Kuchime?”

Karin nodded hesitantly. That wasn't like her.

“Only for a second, though. Might have been imagining things.”

“Maybe he came to see if we were okay? Guess that's still kind of weird.”

Karin's carefree laugh was enough to set me at ease.

“Speaking of missing people...” I scanned the sea of people around me. “Oh, there he is.”

The boy stood alone in the middle of the crowd, straining his ears to hear their cries and sobs as though listening to music. I recalled his face before as he asked me what “death” meant. It looked to me as though he were hoping to find an answer.

To see him standing silent amid a sea of human grief, with his golden scarf fluttering in the twilight sun, he hardly seemed a creature of this world.

-

Nzambi had spoken of an expanding kingdom of the dead.

Death was no stranger to us. It had always lived hand-in-hand with us. In this city, it had simply been ushered from the stage, covered over and hidden away. Sometimes its eyes had been covered by my hands, sometimes by those of the municipal administration AI, and sometimes by Chitose's porcelain fingertips.

“Chitose?”

I looked my grandmother dead in the eyes as I asked.

“That black dog... The Servant. You know what it is, don't you?”

I could make as many theories as I pleased as an outsider, but what really mattered was that it had called me by name, and had some kind of acquaintance with Chitose.

“You reacted when Pran mentioned it, and you didn't hesitate to attack it with your stakes. You know what it is, and you knew about what was going to happen here today.”

She didn't answer me. Neither did Lucius, now dressed once more in his modern attire; he furrowed his brow sadly, but said nothing. No matter how dear he was to me, in that moment his silence left me furious.

-

Eventually she spoke, but it was not to answer my question. She had ignored me. Again.

“There's something I need to tell you, Erice, now that Caren can't.”

I tensed. Nothing ever came from her but misfortune.

“It's about the child she entrusted you with. I'm going to take care of him from now on.”

What? Whatever I had expected, it wasn't that. I shuddered at the request.

How much was she going to take from me? She had taken my work, the boy, Caren... Even my parents, she had stolen. I had no intention of going along with her wishes any longer.

“I refuse.”

Her face didn't falter for a moment. Apparently she had been expecting as much.

“But I doubt you'll respect that anyway, will you?”

“I suppose I won't.”

She glanced to the boy standing some distance away. I moved to block her way.

“Ms. Fujimura didn't just charge me with taking care of him. She also asked me to discover what I could about his identity.”

“That doesn't matter any more either.”

I shook my head. “But it does. I think I've found an answer.”

“I see. It looks like you don't have any intention of doing this the easy way.” Her Command Seals flared to life on the backs of her hands - the symbols of the Stigmata, and tokens of a piety willing to subject her own body to the pain of crucifixion. And she called out to her Servant.

“Lucius.”

Surely she doesn't mean to...? Her Servant hadn't moved. He stood still, eyes downcast, as though he hadn't even heard.

“Lucius.”

Chitose called to him again, in a kindly voice that made my blood run cold.

“Please, Lucius... Don't do it...”

I sprinted for the child, but I was too late. Before his Master's Command Seal could flare brighter, he began to move, mechanically, robotically. He manifested his spear...

And hurled it at Pran with pinpont accuracy.

----

The clash of colliding metal rang out like breaking ice, and Lucius' Holy Lance spun high into the twilight sky.

There he stood, in front of Pran, in the space I had been trying so hard to reach: Galahad, stripped of his armour and down to his shirt. He held his sword high and horizontal, staring down Longinus as he interposed himself between the centurion and his prey.

“You could've run and left Koharu to Nzambi, but you didn't. Consider this a debt repaid, Reaper girl. Though I'm not sure you’ll thank me for it.”

The spinning lance returned to earth once more, bound for the earth directly in front of Galahad. The knight snatched it from the air a split second before it hit the ground and tossed it back to a dumbfounded Longinus' feet.

“Maybe the Sword of the Strange Hangings doesn't look like much, but sadly for you, the shepherd boy it belonged to ended up king of Israel.” Galahad's voice was haughty. “You won't find many holy relics more sacred.”

“I see. The sword of David, then.”

“And no other. They say no armour can stand before the Holy Lance, but this sword might be able to get in a stinging word or two. As you just saw.” Galahad chuckled as he returned his blade to its sheath.

Koharu!

The girl in question had been returning to our group after receiving first aid. She strolled over to silently take her place by her Servant's side. Her face was twisted in a pained grimace, but I saw no hint of surprise at Galahad's actions. She had been watching my argument with Chitose from the beginning.

“Or well, who knows? Perhaps you expected me to stop you from the first.”

Longinus remained silent. I glared at Chitose. Finally she relented, and with a sigh her Command Seals dimmed.

She called out to Koharu as she stalked past. “Get well soon, Riedenflaus. Your strength will be needed soon enough.”

“O-Of course.” Koharu paled. She couldn't even look her in the eye.

With that, Chitose and Longinus left the Colosseum behind.

-

I needed to thank Koharu and Galahad somehow. I even thought up a plan to invite Karin and Kouyou and go to a juice stand together, but before I could...

“Urgh... Agh!”

Searing agony assailed me. I grabbed my burning arm and grimaced. This was not the pain brought on by the evil spirits; it was something I had never felt before.

Before I knew it, Pran was standing in front of me. He opened his mouth solemnly.

-

“I... ask... you...”

-

He spoke directly to me, and only to me, in the same broken English as when we had first met.

-

“Are... you... my... Master?”

-

Heat and agony raced down my arm, tracing mana pathways into my body... and at long last a Command Seal, the symbol of the contract I had dreamed of since the day I was born, flowered into being on the back of my hand.

Like a tiny knight, he took that hand in his own, and gazed up at me serenely.

I was smiling. Perhaps I was crying, too.

“You really have come from far away, haven't you?”

“Very far.”

“I know who you are now. You're Voyager. A lonely little Servant who travels the stars.”

My words never left my mouth, but he heard and nodded regardless. “I’m glad. Finally we've met, Erice.”

Here and now I swear...

I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell.

“It’s okay. Let’s destroy this world. Let’s finish this war.”

Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you submit to this will and this reason...

I pledge my fate to your guiding light.

“Your wish and what I have lost are the same. We’ll watch right to the end, together.”

----

“The Holy Grail War... is not yet over.” The light in Ms. Fujimura's eyes dimmed even as she spoke.

“Do you wish to fight, Erice? Or perhaps...”

I wished, hard - to hurl myself into the battle for the Holy Grail, and to bring it to its end.

Ms. Fujimura looked up at me with sadness in her eyes.

“I see. In that case, Erice, I have one last request for you. If you choose to fight...”

-

“Go to Fuyuki.”

To be continued

#Fate/Requiem #fate #translation #light novel

[jeminy3]

Blind Roy - Office Woes

This was meant to be part of a series of more Blind Roy drabbles, titled and focused on things like being back in the office, conversations with each individual team member, talking grimly of the future with Grumman, etc. But all my writing juice went into other stories (like the Elicia story, The Things We Carry), so they never really came together. This is just leftovers. 

Features: Blind Character PoV, insecurities, workarounds for disabilities, Team Mustang being supportive like a good team should.

Read on Google Docs

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Disclaimers:

- Realistically, Roy would be forced to retire from the military because of his blindness, but I didn't double-check that until I'd written out most of this because I'm PRETTY sure that in Brotherhood, he says something about continuing to pursue his goals despite his blindness. But whatever, it's an AU.

- I know Braille wouldn't exist in the FMA verse, or would go under a different name, but whatever.

Also, here’s another Roy doodle.

--

Roy's first day back in the office was difficult - much more difficult than he imagined.

He spent the majority of the day shuffling slowly around rooms with arms outstretched, running into walls, knocking things over, feeling his way around doorways and chairs and tables, much like - well, a blind man. He would've laughed at himself, if not for the quiet shame and anger that gripped him.

And a strange sort of denial did, too. Years from now, he'd look back on these days and realize that his biggest mistake was thinking he could somehow function exactly like he used to and therefore not become a burden to those around him. Because the worst parts of it all were his constant, stubborn refusals to accept help, even from his own squadron.

It takes him almost two weeks before he finally relents to using a cane at everyone's suggestion, after growing incredibly tired of crushing his nose, bumping his head, stubbing his fingers and toes, and wounding his pride in front of other officials while navigating their offices.

The sounds of people snickering softly behind his back hurt more than all his bumps and bruises combined. He expects them to multiply upon starting use of his cane, but to his surprise, they don't, and eventually stop altogether.

He gets a reason why when he offhandedly comments on it one day, as he's getting ready to head home for the evening.

"Another day done, I suppose. Almost surprised I'm still in one piece."

He hears a questioning sound from Riza. "How do you mean, sir?"

"Well, besides surviving the day without hurting myself for once-" He gestures with his cane. " -I haven't heard any, shall we say, disrespectful sounds from anyone in my vicinity. Maybe they're finally wise enough to hold their snickering for when I leave the room."

Riza makes an odd sound, as if holding back a laugh herself. "Well I wouldn't say that, sir..."

"...Hm?"

There's a shifting of fabric from Riza's uniform, as if she were lifting an arm to adjust her collar.

"Just between us, sir, if it eases you... myself and the others may be responsible for that. I've done my best to shut down any potential disrespect towards you during our meetings, and Fuery's encouraged us to take problem folk aside and give them, as he says, 'a good talking-to' about your condition."

There's a lightening in her voice, as if she's smiling. "And it looks like our efforts have paid off."

Roy was silent for a good few seconds, gaping a bit. He was... shocked, a little, that his squadron would go so out of their way for his comfort, even his pride.

Eventually, he'd learn to stop being so surprised.

--

Progress on paperwork nearly came to a complete halt during his first few days.

Unable to read, Roy had asked Riza to read the forms aloud to him before he signed them, but that method quickly proved to be inefficient. Not only was listening to Riza's droning voice a battle to stay conscious by the end of the day, but the strain on her soon proved to be too much.

"-and so, as per the order of Colonel Roy Musta- Agh. Ack." Riza chokes, then breaks down into a coughing fit.

"...Lieutenant? Are you alright?" Roy asks, snapping out of his boredom.

It takes a few seconds before she's recovered enough to respond, and when she does, her voice is still noticeably rough. "I'm- Urgh- I'm sorry sir, but I don't think this will work. I'm losing my voice," she says hoarsely.

Roy does his best to stave off a surge of panic. These forms need to get done. "Er- Well... Then uh, bring Falman in to take over until you recover, Lieutenant."

He hears her sigh softly. "Apologies again, but I have to disagree, sir. Falman has his own duties and can't spend all his time reading to you. Same for the others."

"...Besides, he's not even here today," she adds. "He's out on reconnaissance, remember?"

Roy sighs deeply, sinking into his desk and rubbing his temples. "...I'd forgotten. Sorry, Lieutenant. It's just- the meetings, the forms- it all blends together sometimes. You know."

Riza makes a "hm" noise in agreement, but nothing else. An awkward silence falls, and Roy can imagine her staring him down accusingly, since she'd already suggested a better alternative earlier today, but Roy had refused it, as usual.

At this point he was just delaying the inevitable. He lets out a long, loud groan of defeat. "Fine, fine. I'll stop putting it off. I'll try to learn that 'brell' language you told me about."

"It's called Braille, sir."

He waves a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes... And we'll have to reprint everything with that special paper... Ugh, the print department's going to moan at me, I just know it."

"I should hope not. Not when their Colonel has a disability that needs accommodation."

Disability. Roy flinches a little at the word, associating it with years of well-meaning but nonetheless other-ing societal norms. Nursing homes, therapy wards, parking spaces and public seating set aside and marked with garishly-colored signs.

"Er- Can you... not call it that, Lieutenant? It's not disabling, just ah- challenging, that's all," he says.

He hears her sigh again, and the sound of her uniform shifting, then feels her hand on his shoulder. Her voice is soft, perhaps softer than intended from her hoarseness, but there's something undeniably sincere in it.

"Roy, please... it's alright."

Her voice is closer to him now, and Roy can imagine her leaning down with a small, gentle smile near his face, offering tender support against his bull-headed stubbornness that masked a deep, all-consuming shame inside him. It eases him, a little.

Roy breathes out slowly, relieving a tension in his shoulders he hadn't noticed was there.

"I... I'll try, Riza. Thank you."

--

Luckily for everyone, the Braille system works out better than expected.

Frustrated with the amount of time it took to reprint everything traditionally, Roy, in his usual manner, came up with the brilliant idea of using Alchemy to convert them instead.

It takes some time and convincing to the higher-ups, but eventually, with the help of Major Armstrong and a few other alchemists, Roy creates a new and fairly simple system. All one has to do is place a stack of documents, along with a small amount of extra wood chips, in an array that instantly thickens the paper and raises the correct pattern of bumps, both for letters and lines to write into.

Then it's arranged for a specialized alchemist to be tasked with learning braille, translating documents, then recreating them using this process.

It turns out to be quite a bit faster and more efficient than traditional printing methods, since mistakes happened rarely compared to the sometimes-unwieldy machines, and in turn, this significantly cuts down on costs from maintenance and wasted paper.

East Headquarters’ Treasurer and Senior Accountants commend him for the idea and its execution, and begin sharing the idea with the officials at every other military office. Soon there’s talk about installing a similar system in every printing facility throughout Central City, even the country beyond, potentially opening up a significant breakthrough in readership for the similarly-disabled.

Roy was just happy he could finally fill out his paperwork by himself with little issue, but he’s certainly not above claiming it as another of his many impressive achievements.

As for writing out new documents himself, the solution was more simple. He has Riza bring in a typewriter to type his words as he says them aloud to her, and uses a ruler to keep his signatures straight on the plain, non-textured paper. Then the proofs are brought to the printers to reproduce as proper forms.

--

It took time - a long time - but eventually, Roy forms a mental map of not only his office, but of his personal apartment, the surrounding hallways and rooms of the apartment building, the whole interior of East Headquarters, and everywhere else he frequented on his daily routine, largely helped by his memory of what they looked like before he lost his sight - and by his squadron, of course.

Eventually, he also learns to stave off the irrational fear that things could be switched around without him knowing, that doorways and furniture would change position for no reason, and he didn't have to feel and re-feel everything every other day just to make sure. Slowly, he learns to trust himself and his connection to this dark world that was familiar, but at the same time strange and terrifying.

And of course, his squadron would never be so discourteous as to move something in his office without telling him.

#roy mustang #fma #blind!roy #riza hawkeye #team mustang #jeminy3 art #jeminy writes

[mortallycoldmagazine]

Fic Recs!

So apparently it’s fanfic appreciation day? In celebration, here are some of my favourite fanfics- all MCU. I love them with my entire heart. READ THEM ALL!  :D (mostly stucky and stony, fyi) 

THIS IS IN COMPLETELY RANDOM ORDER. 

1) https://archiveofourown.org/works/13817463/chapters/31774497 - this is the only post-CACW ‘make-up’ fic that seems hella realistic and makes me actually forgive Steve. 114k

2) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14317536/chapters/33037362 - in which Bucky can turn into a white wolf, and how that affects the MCU’s natural pattern. 141k

3) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14910729/chapters/34537617 - In which Steve is Hades and Toni (fem!Tony) is Persephone. I love powerful, dark!Toni. It’s so beautiful. 41k

4) https://archiveofourown.org/series/41492 - If you want to cry like a baby, read this. AU where Tony comes back from Afghanistan and is diagnosed with cancer. SO DAMN POWERFUL. I’ve only read it once because it makes me Feel So Strongly agh. 290k

5) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7123282 - the first crack fic on this list! Teacher!AU in which Bucky and Steve are teachers at school who are infamous for their hatred for each other... and no-one knows they’re secretly married. Shoutout to @lesbiandanbeau​ for introducing it to me, it’s SO MUCH FUN. 18k

6) https://archiveofourown.org/series/582637 - incomplete series but it’s SO GOOD. In which HYDRA doesn’t give Bucky the serum- instead, they turn him into a sex demon. Contains a LOT of dub-con/non-con but it’s so damn good. 336k

7) https://archiveofourown.org/works/6606808/chapters/15115414 - powerful Fem!Tony (toni) makes me * feel things *. Pants things. Because she’s so badass, goddamn woman. (aka: the MCU...if Tony was actually Toni). 

8) https://archiveofourown.org/works/16176539/chapters/37798343 - even more fem!Tony. But this time, Toni has some ancient bloodlines to back her up. (vampire-ish, Addams family inspired Toni). Toni could bash my kneecaps in and I’d say thank you. 

9) https://archiveofourown.org/works/13640571/chapters/31325814 - in which Bucky is an (illegal) necromancer and Steve is the SHIELD agent that catches him in the act. But in a sudden change of heart, Steve lets Bucky go... and their relationship evolves from there :D

10) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18347003 -honestly, I’m surprised this is the first Soulmate!AU on here because I’m SUCH. A. SUCKER. For soulmate AUs. Steve/Bucky/Tony, with ‘writing on skin = I can see it on my skin’ soulmate AU. Beautiful. Captures Tony’s character really, really well. Damn. 30k

11) https://archiveofourown.org/works/1614746/chapters/3439820 - OH MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD. I’ve always wondered what would happen if Bucky came back from CA:TWS and was completely and utterly compliant, and Steve didn’t realize just *how* deep it went. This answers that question. SO GOOD. 102k

12) https://archiveofourown.org/works/12823671/chapters/29276760 - in which Bucky’s mask is nailed to his face... but Steve saves the Winter Soldier anyway. It’s amazing. Goddamn. Read it. 71k

13) https://archiveofourown.org/works/8504761/chapters/19490446 - in which Steve is Death. Yes, Death. But Bucky is still Bucky. AKA: The story of how Bucky and Death somehow fall in love. 16k

14) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7469145/chapters/16973895 - IF YOU LIKE WHUMP, THIS IS 426K OF THE BEST WHUMP I’VE EVER READ. There basically isn’t a single moment when someone isn’t being punched, stabbed, whipped, starved, something. In which Steve and Tony are abducted by aliens and sold into a slave mining camp.  I love it with my whole-ass heart. 426k

15) https://archiveofourown.org/works/16295684 - one of the shortest fics on this list, but it makes me cry + feel hella empowered + fall deeper in love with Steve Rogers every time I read in. Aka- six times Steve was aggressively pro-choice. READ IT. 5k

16) https://archiveofourown.org/works/11779137/chapters/26559057 - you know how everyone reads a book in their lifetime that literally changes who they are as a person? This is that book, for me. It is so beautifully written, incredibly powerful, respectful, introspective, philosophical... I could literally rant about it all day. Wow. In which Steve Rogers and his Howling Commandos liberate a concentration camp; their mission? The rescue and rehabilitation of prisoners experimented on by Arnim Zola, among them, a man named Bucky. SO. AMAZING. 47k

17) https://archiveofourown.org/works/16204610 - crack at it’s finest. In which a Very Stoic Winter Soldier has a secret boyfriend. That none of his teammates know about. (spoiler alert: it’s modern!Steve). And his teammates * might * be under the impression that he’s actually a dog.  17k

18) https://archiveofourown.org/works/3476579 - OH FUCK. This fic makes me cry faster, and more, than any other fic I’ve ever read. Literally- 8k, and I cry at *least * three times every single time I read it. I don’t even know why- it’s just so, incredibly, absolutely bittersweet. I love it. Read it.  In which post-CATWS Bucky has a lot of brain damage, and is making his way through life despite it. Wow. 8k

19) https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838204/chapters/26720631 - in which Steve jumped after Bucky, and HYDRA acquired two Assets. SEE IT’S SO GOOD EVEN THE SUMMARY IS AMAZING. WOAH. SO GOOD. 55K

20) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7271731/chapters/16511242 - In which HYDRA kidnaps five-year-old Tony Stark, and raises him as ‘The Mechanic’. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from becoming IronMan. Or an Avenger. 54k

21)  https://archiveofourown.org/works/16457597/chapters/38540813 - SO GOOD. I’m a sucker for healing/recovering fics, but who cares. Amazing. Steve/Bucky

22) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18787102/chapters/44573662 - 3K OF AMAZINGNESS THAT’S INCOMPLETE AND MAKES ME WANT TO TEAR MY HAIR OUT. SO GOOD. SO GOOD. HOW IS IT SO GOOD. WTF. Irondad.... but not. Aka, Peter Parker travels through the multiverse to try and find Tony Stark. But instead, he finds someone with the same face.... whose name is Robert Downey Junior? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH 3K

23) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14772824/chapters/34165730 - this makes me feel. So Soft. You don’t understand. If you want 93k of Steve fretting about nothing and Bucky being confused yet adorable, this is for you. I love it with my entire heart. 93k. 

24) https://archiveofourown.org/works/349478 - WHY DOES NO-ONE TALK ABOUT THIS FIC. In which Tony gets amnesia, and starts forgetting things. And people. and Steve. 43k 

25) https://archiveofourown.org/works/12912708/chapters/29501541 - CRACK AT IT’S FINEST. I love this so much. Tony comes out as Ironman, and the entire world goes ‘yeah, right. no.’ It evolves from there... I’ve literally been ON THE FLOOR IN TEARS from laughter from this fic. I love it. Winteriron. 19k. 

26) https://archiveofourown.org/works/15878580/chapters/36997887 - another AMAZING crack fic. The metaphors are hilarious. You don’t understand how much I love this fic. It’s more than, like, Bucky loves plums. I LOVE IT. 44k 

27) https://archiveofourown.org/series/597010 - modern!bucky + cap!Steve. Bucky is the sassiest person ever and i love him for it. Read this series. You won’t regret it. 33k 

28) https://archiveofourown.org/works/15555630 - Why am I such a sucker for crack fics. 4k. steve/bucky. I love it. read it. it’ll take 5 minutes and your day will be So Much Better. 4k

29) https://archiveofourown.org/series/1021446 - lmao. In which a Very Stoic Winter Soldier has a secret boyfriend. (spoiler alert: it’s Steve). “BUT WAIT!” I hear you say. “Didn’t you already rec this fic? Wasn’t that #17?” and I reply “YOU FOOLS! I LOVE THIS TROPE SO MUCH I’M RECCING TWO FICS OF IT BECAUSE IT OWNS MY ENTIRE HEART!” and then you read them both. 2k. 

30) https://archiveofourown.org/works/13414524 - in which a Very Drunk modern!Bucky is dared by the modern!Howling Commandoes to ask this guy in a bar for a piggy back ride. Spoiler: the guy is cap!Steve. crack. the best group-chat fic I’ve ever read. 2k 

31) https://archiveofourown.org/works/2741975/chapters/6146123 - if you want the longest, most exhaustive breakdown of Stucky ever, this is your fic. 731k ( YES 731K) OF AMAZING METAPHORS, emotions, and so. much. pining. I love it. 731k. 

32)  https://archiveofourown.org/series/426577 - Post-CATWS. Bucky is addicted to heroine. and has adopted two children. What else is new? 131k

33) https://archiveofourown.org/works/10720710/chapters/23753940 - if you haven’t read Celestial Navigation, can you actually call yourself part of the MCU fandom? It’s. So good. I’m in awe. Always makes me cry lmao. 210k

34) https://archiveofourown.org/series/195689 jesus christ this is good and emotional and heartfelt and sincere and funny and just the best thing ever read IT. Post-CATWS. Bucky’s new mission: protect Steve Rogers. Now, if only Steve was aware of this fact, and would stop looking for him. 264k.

35) https://archiveofourown.org/series/429256 - * claps hands * UNDERAPPRECIATED FIC TIME. In which post-CATWS Bucky is taking down Hydra, recovering, listening to music, and.... has a psychic connection with a spaceship? Okay then.

36) https://archiveofourown.org/series/1120239 - so damn good. In which Peter Stark is abducted at 6 years old by HYDRA, and trained to be the infamous Black Spider assassin. What happens when, ten years later, Ironman captures him? 139k

37) https://archiveofourown.org/series/780747 - the most well-written, in character MJ I’ve ever read. MJ/Peter. I love it with my entire heart. They’re so cute. 

If I had to pick a top 5, though, they would be: 35, 33, 32, 23, and 34. (see corresponding list numbers) Perhaps. Choosing that was like choosing a favourite child ohmygod. Really, just read all the fics. 

Hope this helped you find some new fics to read! Happy reading, and have a great Fanfic Appreciation Day! 

______

Here I’m tagging a bunch of people who I follow and are into the MCU that I think might like this. Sorry if this is annoying. 

@petersbenjamin @pepperony3000 @antifastark @sleepyrhodey @sapphirestark @mariahiill @vanddyne @spideyjlaw @magunahstark @iron--spider @proof-tony-stark-has-a-heart @stevebuckyfics @hufflebucky @rescuetony @tropicalcap @fucking-hell-sebastian-stan  @fuckyeahblackwidow @sabrecmcstonyficrecs @nacho-bucky @jaamesbbarnes @ironfamjam @underoosstark @yellowdistress @lesbiandanbeau @musings-on-bucky-barnes @the-ss-horniest-book-club @fysebastianstan @siriuslypersea @omg-just-peachy @tonystarkd @cptniron @sad-stark @antifastark @caroldanverts @sleepytony @madasthesea @serumsteve @incorrect-spiderson @kentuckybarnes @evanstar @holostark

________

Feel free to tag anyone else you think might enjoy this! :D 

#fanfic appreciation day #fic rec #rec #fanfic #MCU #stucky #stony

[dannyphandump]

Dancing Around the Truth pt. 4

(Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | to be continued) (Read on AO3 | FFN)

Summary: The last thing Valerie wanted was to get caught up in Paulina’s plot to ask Phantom to the winter formal.  Unfortunately Paulina’s made sure she doesn’t have a choice.  Meanwhile, Danny just wants to finish his Algebra quiz.  For @phantombreadproject for the Christmas Truce 2018.

Other Notes: Finally back around to updating this!  I’m hoping to only have one chapter left after this one.

Today 4:27 AM

I’m sorry

That text hadn’t left Valerie’s mind since she’d read it upon waking up this morning.  Just two words from Danny, no context.  Of course, it wasn’t that hard to guess; he had to be apologizing for lying about dating her.  But 4:27 AM?  He should’ve been asleep, not worrying about something as dumb as that.  It didn’t matter if Paulina thought that Phantom wanted to date her, so long as she didn’t connect him to Danny.

She hiked her backpack up higher on her shoulder as she stepped off the bus and headed towards the courtyard.  It was always tempting to take her board instead of the smelly, packed deathtrap, but she only risked that when she was running seriously late.  After this whole fiasco with Paulina, she might not even be able to do it then.

If she’d flown here though, she might’ve had more time to talk to Danny before first period.  If he was even here yet… which he wasn’t, she realized after a quick scan of the area.  Sam leaned against a tree and chatted with Tucker, but there was no sign of their other friend.  Alarm bells went off.  What if Danny hadn’t been apologizing for what he’d said? What if he’d gotten caught in a ghost fight and he’d gotten hurt, or –

Or I’m completely overreacting, she thought, mentally rolling her eyes at herself.  She might not be used to Danny Fenton throwing himself into danger, but she knew Phantom was tough.  He wasn’t going to get himself hurt that easily.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when an incorporeal hand tapped her on the shoulder.  She spun, ready to summon her suit and blast whatever ghost had snuck up on her – when the wispy outline of Phantom faded into view.

“Sorry,” he said quickly.  “Can you cover me?”

It took a few seconds for her shocked system to recover enough to answer.

“I –  uh, sure.”

He grinned, an eerie look when his teeth somehow seemed more solid than the rest of him.  Then he touched down and stood behind her.  White rings split from his middle, leaving behind a perfectly human-looking Danny Fenton.  She gasped faintly.  She’d seen half-ghosts transform before, but never so close.  She could physically feel Phantom’s cold aura disappear as he changed back into the form of her friend.

She frowned as a thought occurred to her.

“Do you do that often?  Change in public like that?”

“Well, yeah, I guess.” He shrugged, far too nonchalant for someone whose secret identity could’ve just been blown.  “Only when no one’s looking, though.”

She scanned the courtyard.  It was true; everyone was busy chatting with their friends, but still.  She’d never risk her secret like that.

“You should still be careful,” she admonished.  “Especially around me. I don’t think Paulina’s going to just let me go now that she thinks you like me.”

“Oh.”  His cheeks reddened as he rubbed his neck.  “I really didn’t think that one through.”

She couldn’t argue with that.  She couldn’t blame him either, though; Paulina probably wouldn’t have left him alone for anything less.  The other girl had hardly let him go even after that.

“It’s fine.  I can handle her.”  She shrugged, trying to keep her voice casual as she asked, “So, that’s all it was?  Not thinking?”

“No!”  He said quickly, holding out his hands.  “I mean – yes, but – agh.  I’m really sorry, Val.  I didn’t mean to ask you like that.”

Her heart sped up.  Embarrassment still stained his face pink, but she cracked a smile.

“So how did you mean to ask me?”

His eyes widened.  “I didn’t – wait, did you want me to?”

Did she?  On one hand, her situation was too complicated for a dating life.  On the other hand, she had really liked Danny.  If it hadn’t been for the ghost hunting, she would’ve gone out with him forever ago.  She’d thought that was too dangerous to drag him into.  How ironic, she almost snorted.

“Nevermind,” he answered, kicking at the snow with the toe of his sneaker.  “It’s fine.  I shouldn’t have – you just barely found out who I am.  It wasn’t right to ask now.”

In spite of his words, she could see the light drain from his blue eyes as his shoulders drooped.  He really wore his heart on his sleeve – unlike with the A-listers, she’d never have to worry about where she stood with him.

“...I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally said with a small smile.  He looked up, lips pursed and eyebrows drawn together.

“What do you mean–?”

She lightly smacked his arm.  “Lighten up.  You’re not supposed to be the serious one.”

She could see the memory hit him, bringing a grin back to his face.

“So–”

“Shh, you didn’t even let me answer.”  She raised a finger and tried to hide the tight nervousness in her chest.  “One date, Fenton.”

His grin filled his whole face.  “Really?”

Like she could’ve said no to that face.  She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed it.

“Yeah, really.  Just not to the dance, I wouldn’t want Paulina to–”

“You wouldn’t want me to what?”

Valerie saw Danny jump before she fully processed the voice. Of course.  Paulina just had to show up right behind her.  She turned slowly, not about to show weakness.

“Uh…” Danny’s face went redder than it had already been.  

“None of your business,” Valerie curtly told the other girl, before Danny could make up a lie that would get them both in even deeper trouble.

“Uh, when you’re talking about me it is my business.”  Paulina put her hands on her hips.  The bell rang for them to go to class, but she didn’t show any sign of budging.  In the distance, Sam and Tucker sent the three of them a worried glance, but Danny subtly nodded at them to go inside.  Valerie wondered what lengths those two would go to get Paulina off Danny’s back, if necessary.

Must be nice, she thought.  Having friends you can count on.

Well, now Danny was counting on her.  Unfortunately, her mind was just as blank as his.  

“I was just, uh, wondering if anyone had asked you to the dance,” Danny ended up saying before she could come up with anything.  To his credit, it was a believable enough story.  There were a million other boys at school who must be asking the same question.

Paulina’s face instantly hardened.  “That’s none of your business, loser.”

“Hey,” Valerie said.  “You don’t have to talk to him like that.”

“And I don’t have to talk to you at all, Gray.  Unless you want me to let slip something you’ll regret.”  Her voice barely tremored, betraying that she wasn’t as put together as she appeared.  Danny’s comment had hit her harder than Valerie had realized.  Either she was still bitter about being rejected in general, or she really had liked Phantom that much.  It was even weirder to consider now that she knew who Phantom was.

“Calm down, Paulina,” she said.  She couldn’t blame her for still being upset.  She could blame her for taking it out on her, but that wouldn't help right now.  “Let’s just get to class.”

She stood stiffly for a moment like she might argue, but finally spun on her heel and stalked off towards the school.

“That was… weird,” Danny said softly, in case Paulina could still hear them.  “I’ve never seen her so…”

“Upset?”  Valerie volunteered when he fished for the word.

“I was going to say mean, but… I really hurt her, didn’t I.”  He sighed. “You’d think I’d feel better after how many times she turned me down, but it still sucks.”

“You can’t make everyone happy.  I’m sure she’ll get over it soon.”  She hoisted her backpack higher up on her shoulders.  “Come on, neither of us can afford to be late to Tetslaff’s class again.”

He smiled a little.  “Race ya?”

She snorted.  “What are we, five?”

“You’re wasting time, Val!”  He said as he ran off towards the school, his purple backpack barely slowing him down.  She just laughed and raced behind.

XXX

It didn’t make sense.  None of it did.  But she hadn’t misheard — Valerie had agreed to go on a date with Fenton.  And she’d tried to cover it up, both of them had.  Maybe she shouldn’t have confronted them about it, but she was just so —

“Ugh!”  She squeezed her makeup brush so hard it almost snapped.  She’d resorted to hiding out in a storage closet and doing her makeup by her hand mirror and the flashlight of her phone; the bathroom was too risky right now.  She didn’t want to run into Valerie or even Star, not like… not like this.  But with enough work, she could cover up the redness around her eyes.  The redness that was rapidly returning as she fought to hold the water back.

She hadn’t meant to cry.  She didn’t cry; she’d trained herself better than that.  Even if Phantom was the only boy she’d ever liked, what did it matter?  Her papa would eventually have her marry some more prestigious man anyway, whether she wanted to or not.  Even if it meant sleeping with a man she would never, could never be attracted to.  Because — and only now would she finally admit it to herself — she wasn’t attracted to anyone.

But that wouldn’t have mattered to Phantom.  He was a ghost; he couldn’t, wouldn’t want her for her body, right?  So they could have been together forever and he never would have done what her last boyfriend had tried to do, what she was so afraid would happen again —

Stupid, useless gasping sounds leaked from her lips.  Tears smeared her half-done makeup down her face.  Useless.  She shouldn’t be skipping first period anyway, but at this rate she’d have to skip second too before she could pull herself back together.  And all over a stupid — a stupid boy!  She was the one who was supposed to have this effect on people, not the other way around.

But it wasn’t just the rejection that had gotten to her.  Valerie was going to turn down Phantom — and to go out with Fenton, of all people.  That meant she had another chance, right?  Phantom would be crushed, and then…

...That wasn’t what Paulina wanted.

She wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve, for once forgetting about the mascara and foundation that would end up smeared there.  She’d never expected to feel like this… to feel sorry.  She’d done to Phantom what so many boys had tried to do to her: push and push until she finally relented.  She’d tried first to persuade and then to force herself into Phantom’s good graces.  But it didn’t work.

“I’m just a loser too now, huh?”  She whispered to herself, smiling a little as she sniffed.  

It was then that the door slammed open, flooding the storage closet with blue light.  The significance of that didn’t register; she was too preoccupied with the girl standing in the doorway.  Shock morphed into panic.

“Get out!”  Paulina practically snarled at Valerie.

“How was I supposed to know this closet was taken?”  She snapped back, shoving the door shut.  “I just need a place to change and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Valerie jumped into the air, her hoverboard sprouting from the soles of her shoes.  Despite her anger at the girl, she couldn’t help gasping in amazement as the suit slid over her.  If only Paulina had a suit like that, she could hide her puffy eyes with no problem.

“Wait a sec — did the ghost already come through here?”  Valerie asked. Paulina hadn’t even realized there was a ghost attack, though that explained the blue light outside.  The dark storage closet lacked the warning lights on the inside, apparently.

“Just get out, Gray,” Paulina repeated, hating the way her voice snagged.

“You’re… not planning to corner Phantom in here, are you?”  She asked dubiously.  Paulina let out a barking laugh, one she would’ve hated if she’d had the energy to care.

“What, you think he’s going to come looking for me?  After that?  And you think I want to see me like this?”  Paulina gestured to herself vaguely.  “You’re supposed to be the bright one, Val.”

Besides, even if she’d wanted to, how would she get him to come into a storage closet of all places?  The accusation didn’t even make sense.

“Then, why are you…?  Are you alright?”

Paulina sniffed; of all the people to see her like this, why did it have to be her?

“Doesn’t matter.  Go fight your stupid ghost, Gray.”

“I…” There was a long pause, and then Valerie’s board powered down, her suit retracting as she landed gracefully on the tile floor.  “I think I’ll let Phantom take care of it.”

This day just kept getting better and better.

“Oh, great.  Now you’d rather take out your anger on me than on the ghosts, huh? Is that it?”  Paulina scowled.  The phone flashlight barely illuminated Valerie’s face, but she didn’t seem to be scowling back… for once.

“No, I was just… worried about you, actually.”  Valerie took a seat on the ground next to Paulina.  “You took yesterday harder than I thought.”

“I’m over it,” she lied.  Valerie raised her eyebrows, but Paulina didn’t have to back down.  What could Valerie do, make her talk about it? ...Then again, Valerie was the only one she could talk to about this.  She was the only one who knew about her rejection.  If Valerie wanted to listen… would it hurt?  Paulina still knew her secret; Valerie couldn’t use anything Paulina told her against her.

“Paulina, I haven’t seen anyone cry this much since Dash lost the championship game last year,” Valerie said in that half-joking, half-deadpan tone Paulina hadn’t heard in so long.  It had been the perfect way to make fun of the boys without them catching on, and it had also been Valerie’s go-to method to cheer Paulina up.  In spite of everything, she hadn’t forgotten.  It was enough to make Paulina laugh just a little.

“He totally didn’t think we would notice, too.”  Paulina smiled.  “He tried to pass it off as ‘manly face sweat,’ remember?”

“Like I could forget that.”  Valerie chuckled; it echoed in the small space.  “This must sound rich coming from me, but… you don’t have to be like Dash.  It’s okay to cry.”

“You’re right.  You wouldn’t cry if you were me,” she said lowly, the moment of reminiscence broken.  “You’d be out there punching that boy in the face if he hurt you.  I guess you’ll probably end up punching him anyway, since you turned him down to go out with Fenton.”

Valerie’s dark eyes widened.  “You — you heard that?”

“Please, Val, I’m not stupid.  You two weren’t exactly being subtle.”

Valerie frowned at that, looking away.  “Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting eavesdroppers either.  You’re making it really hard for me to like you, you know that?”

“Then why are you trying?”  Paulina asked, not sure if she meant it sarcastically or sincerely.  Valerie held grudges; that was common knowledge.  By the time Paulina had realized the damage she’d done to the other girl, it had been too late to save their tenuous friendship.  Or at least, that’s what she’d assumed.

Valerie folded her legs under her, deliberately picking specks of dust off of her skirt.

“I guess because… I’ve ruined enough friendships by jumping to conclusions about people,” she admitted.  “I always thought you were just into Phantom because he was strong and pretty.”

“Handsome,” Paulina corrected; Valerie rolled her eyes, though her cheeks seemed a bit brighter in the dim light.

“Fine, handsome.  Anyway, I guess I didn’t realize you… actually cared.  Do you actually care?”

That was the last question Paulina expected to get called out on.  If it was about any other boy, it would’ve been easy to answer.

“...I did,” she admitted quietly, rolling her makeup brush between her fingers.  “I just… didn’t show it in the right way.  I acted like the entitled brat everyone thinks I am.”

Valerie nodded.  Paulina hadn’t wanted the girl to agree with her, but what could she expect?  

“Maybe that’s what it’s like to be in love.” She sighed.  “I guess I could handle not feeling that again.”

“It’s not like Phantom was your only shot at love, Paulina,” Valerie pointed out.  “You’re only seventeen.”

Paulina shook her head.  “Easy for you to say, Gray.  I’m… not like most other girls.  And not just because I’m unfairly beautiful.”

Valerie rolled her eyes.  “Then what is it?”

She debated whether or not it was worth sharing.  It would be a big risk, a potential disaster if her secret got out.  If all the boys found out she was off the menu, she could kiss the A-List goodbye.

But Valerie had already lived through that. Partly due to her unsettling vendetta against ghosts – but, in large part because of Paulina pushing her aside.  Maybe… if Valerie was willing, now was as good a time as any to start rebuilding their bridge.

“I don’t… I don’t really like boys,” Paulina mumbled.

Valerie blinked.  “Really?  So you’re like–”

“I’m not a lesbian,” Paulina grumbled, though she should’ve expected that.  “I don’t like anyone.  I meant it when I said the ghost boy was the only one I’d had a crush on.”

Valerie was silent for a while.  Too long.  Paulina was used to keeping others waiting, not the other way around.

“You can’t tell anyone, Gray,” she warned when the silence dragged on.  “Or your secret is as good as out.”

“Wha– why would I do that?  It’s none of my business if you like anyone or not.  I was just thinking about how it explained a lot.”

“Really?”  Paulina’s brow furrowed.  “Is it that obvious?”

“No, just – you never really seemed to understand why boys followed you around all the time.  You only talked about boys when someone else brought it up first, or if you wanted something out of them.  And Star and I were usually pretty sure you were lying about who you had crushes on when we were younger.”

“You – wait, you knew?”  Paulina gaped.  All this time, she’d been trying to cover it up, and –

“I didn’t know.  I probably wouldn’t have even guessed, honestly.”  Valerie stretched her legs back out.  “I don’t go sticking my nose into other people’s business.”

“Uh-huh.  Like you didn’t just come in here to bother me?”

“I was just trying to help,” Valerie held up her palms.  “But if you want, I can go now.  I’m still curious how you ended up getting a crush on Phantom considering all that, but that’s up to you if you want to talk or not.  I just want you to know that we don’t have to fight anymore.  I’m tired of holding grudges, especially over something like this.”

Valerie… didn’t care.  Not in a bad way, she just – she wasn’t like the gossipping A-Listers anymore.  It didn’t matter to her who Paulina liked or didn’t like.  It was such a foreign concept to Paulina, finding out a secret and not even considering using it.

“I guess we both have better things to do, huh?”  Paulina smiled sincerely. “I can’t explain entirely how I ended up crushing on Phantom… I think it’s because I knew he wouldn’t use me for my body, you know?  Since he’s dead and all.  I don’t think ghosts can do that, you know, physically.”  She shrugged.  “I didn’t expect to fall for him so hard.  I… wasn’t really thinking straight.  Especially when I was with you two last night, Val, I’m – sorry.”

“Huh.  So you do have a heart somewhere in there.”  Valerie punched her shoulder lightly.  She wasn’t one to be super sappy; that was enough for Paulina to know she was forgiven.  “We all make mistakes, Paulina.  Trust me on that one.”

“Is that your way of saying you’re sorry too?”

“I guess you could say that.”  She chuckled.  “I think we’ll both be sorry if we don’t haul our butts back to class soon, though.”

“Yeah–”

But before either of them could stand from the closet floor, a translucent figure came flying through the wall.

“Phantom?”  Paulina gasped.  Regardless of what she’d said, she couldn’t help her heart speeding up.  He was here, he was back, was he here to see her–?

“Paulina?”  He gaped back, his green eyes lighting up the room.  “Valerie?  What are you two– nevermind, sorry, I’m just gonna find a different closet.”

He was gone as quickly as he’d come, leaving Paulina blinking in confusion.

“Closet?  Why would Phantom be looking for a closet?”  She asked Valerie, who shrugged and dodged her eyes.

“Beats me.  Maybe he needed a mop to clean up some of the damage from the ghost fight, who knows.”

“Huh…”

Paulina followed Valerie’s lead in sneaking back out of the storage closet, forgetting that she hadn’t finished reapplying her make-up.  Whatever, she now had a bigger issue to deal with.

The last thing Valerie had told her had been a blatant lie.

#dancing around the truth #tali writes #valerie gray #danny fenton #danny phantom #paulina sanchez #let's hope the read more link works this time #phanfiction

[ask-secretagentsquad]

Sacrifice

Romeo got nowhere with the Leader, and eventually opened the door and left him alone. He left it open behind him and left the Leader visible, just so he could see his work. Jesse was the first to notice him.

"Damn, Romeo. Feel better?" Jesse snarked to Romeo who chuckled and wiped his hands on his pants.

"Quite. If anyone else would like to take a go, he's all yours," he offered.

"Maybe later. Any more and he might die on us." Jesse studied the beaten Leader from a distance, surprised that he still showed no emotion.

"So, anything?"

"Lukas is still on the phone with Reginald. They're... Trying. Not only is it hard talking to the secret service, but the connection is also really bad in here and it's land-line so, the keep breaking up and having to re-call.”

“Really? That’s harder than speaking with the secret service?”

“Ehh yeah. Yeah.”

Romeo snorted a laugh and sat down at the table where both the Witherstorm page and the translated copy were laying.

“Oh- it was translated?”

“Oh, yeah- Not by any of us though. Luckily we’ve got some great connections. That whole blog thing? Really helping us out,” Jesse replied, sitting across from him.

“Who did it?” Romeo paused for a moment, “Their handwriting is very neat. And they worked... Quite quickly.”

“One of our contacts named Zone. She's very quick at this stuff, apparently. She beat Yellow to it," Radar spoke up from where he was sitting, "She must do that stuff for like, a living? I think Gil's mentioned her sometime too."

"Hm. Respects to Zone. That's good work-" Romeo tapped the paper and moved it aside, "And quite efficient. Easy to read. Accurate. Next time you speak with her, send my compliments. This is... Quite helpful."

As Romeo was taking his hand back, Jesse quickly noticed the bloodied marks on Romeo's knuckles that hadn't seemed to go away.

"Is that the Leader's blood, or yours?" he asked, snatching one of Romeo's hands before he could pull it away.

"Agh- probably mine, Jesse. I'm not used to so much punching. Believe it or not, the Leader's face is solid, and it kinda hurts to hit. But it was worth it, I can say without question!" Romeo drew his hand back and rubbed over his still stained knuckles with the other hand. He wasn't used to anyone else worrying.

Jesse got up without saying anything else, and left to go over and talk to Axel. For a moment, Romeo thought he’d upset him somehow, but Jesse came back moments later and sat this time beside him. He took Romeo’s hand again and gripped it as a way to tell Romeo not to jerk away.

They stayed silent, Romeo letting Jesse do what he needed. After a few minutes, Jesse let go of him, and Romeo pulled his hands back to see that Jesse had wrapped around his knuckles tight in bandages. He quirked an eyebrow and glanced up to Jesse.

“What? It’ll help it heal faster,” Jesse paused for a moment before cracking a light grin, “Besides, you’re not the bloody knuckles type of guy. It doesn’t match your image.”

Romeo chuckled and rubbed over the bandages.

“Thank you, I suppose you’re right."

“Yeah, you’re more of a clean and crisp businessman, right? I always got that vibe from you.”

“I try to be, yes,” Romeo folded his hands in his lap and cleared his throat quietly, “However working with so much oil at times can be a bit ruining to that appearance.”

“I would think so. But you don’t really work with machines a lot, do you?”

“Well—not necessarily. Yet the entire vault is filled with them. You can’t really even walk through there without getting some dirt on you,” Romeo brushed his vest, making the wiping motion as an extra theatric.

“Now you’re just being dramatic, it can’t be that bad,” Jesse waved it off with a smirk.

“You’ve got a bit of grease on your face still, Jesse. I can assure you it’s because you walked through the vault one solid time.”

“No, that was because I rescued you from underneath an attack helicopter,” Jesse wagged a finger at Romeo, who laughed and leaned back in his seat.

“Oh, fair, but I’ll prove this to you. Once we get back to the vault, I’ll show you how, with me doing nothing, I can somehow get dirtied in the vault. I don’t know how, but I promise you it happens.”

“If you say so, Rom,” Jesse grinned and leaned against the table, resting his head on one hand. Romeo smiled at the nickname. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, of course, but it felt nice just genuinely chatting with someone else. Be it it was his said rival, that didn’t matter. It felt nice being a person again.

For a while they sat in silence, before Lukas finally put the phone down. The clack of the phone brought everyone out of their dazes.

“Well, we’ve got nothing so far. Reginald is doing his best but it takes a lot to persuade the president,” Lukas sighed and walked over to the table before sitting down and leaning his head on his hand.

“Well, at least they’ve been notified of the situation. They should get help soon,” Yellow piped up a reply.

“I hope so. I don’t trust that this leader guy will comply to being captured for very long and the longer he’s here the more anxious I get.”

“I’ll go check on him and make sure the chains are right,” Yellow said, getting up, “Better safe than sorry.”

“Be careful.. I don’t trust him,” Riot spoke up this time from where he was watching the cameras with Olivia.

“Don’t worry, Riot, I’ll be fine, he’s chained up and is probably still out of it from whatever Romeo did to him,” Yellow’s tone didn’t change, but he gave Riot an assuring look before he left the room. Riot leaned back against the wall and watched him go. All he could remember was the first attack on their apartment. He didn’t trust Yellow anywhere near the Leader.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yellow, it was just that he didn’t trust Yellow’s mindset. After everything that’d happened, and with the Witherstorm’s clear knowledge of Yellow as a potential threat, Riot logically thought that the two needed to stay as far away from each other as possible.

However there Yellow went, going to face the Witherstorm Leader to the face. The room separated Yellow from the others, and Yellow stopped only a few feet from the chair where the Leader was propped up still sitting tall. His head was dipped only slightly, and tilted upwards to give Yellow a passive glance.

Yellow had to control his own impulses, and went around behind the chair to tighten the chains and make sure they were all locked tight.

~~~~

Orion knew who he was, just upon instinct. This was Yellow. He had to remind himself that he was buying time, and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He glanced over to the window, where light was pouring into the room, and leaned back against the metal chair. He felt the chains tighten against his chest and into his wrists, pressing him back even further.

Yellow came back around to the front and stopped just in front of Orion. He seemed to be containing something inside: heavy, heavy emotions, difficult to hold back. He lifted Orion's gaze to meet his, and Orion shot him a light look. Yellow didn't flinch, he didn't recoil, he barely showed a response. This caught Orion by surprise.

"You won't drop your appearance, will you?" Yellow said after a moment, nonchalantly and almost bored. His accent also caught Orion off guard. It was almost an obnoxious change from what he was used to.

Orion grumbled and turned his head aside, looking away from Yellow.

"I cannot wait to be rid of you. Maybe then can I start to heal. For now, I have to keep all this anger stored in me. But that's OK. Maybe one day I'll be able to take it all out on you. Luckily for you, they want you alive," Yellow stepped off to the side and scowled.

Orion chuckled to himself. This implied Yellow would be able to kill him, which was a foolish thought. He glanced back to the window, only to catch a quick glimpse of a figure, a shadow, poking through the rays of light. Yellow's back was turned, and Orion squinted for a better view.

Lukas waved from the window, his goggles and mask pulled over his face. Lukas signed to him from where he was, hoping Orion could see him.

"Can you escape? I'm going to create a diversion to get everyone off your back. Use the window on the high right to get out to the roof and split from there. We can meet back at the ED."

Orion understood, and nodded, before Lukas's figure disappeared from the window. He could finally free himself. In all honesty, he was expecting Ranger, as the usual rescue missions go, but wasn't disappointed to see Lukas. In fact, he was a bit excited. Lukas in action was something he'd been wanting to see since the first time they'd met.

In about a split second, Orion dug his heels into the ground and, with one brash jolt upwards, jerked and shattered the chains binding him. Metal chain links tinked against the ground everywhere, and Orion brushed the shattered chain from off of his lap. Yellow whipped around only for Orion to grab him by the neck and slam him up against the metal wall. He lifted him off his feet, ignoring the kicks and not losing eye contact.

~~~~

Yellow choked against the man's grip and tried desperately to kick away, but felt himself going out anyway. There was a loud cry from the doorway, and Riot ran in, not wasting any time before hitting the Leader as hard as he could over the head with a metal beam. The Leader dropped Yellow to the ground and turned to Riot instead.

Yellow dropped into a coughing heap on the metal ground, a hand to his throat as he tried to recover. All the Leader needed to do was get a good grip on Riot's head before delivering a harsh punch to the jaw to knock him clean out. He dropped Riot, watching with light content as he crippled to the ground, unconscious. Yellow pushed himself to his feet shakily, ready to make an attempt to attack, but he felt a hand shove his head into the wall and everything immediately went black.

Jesse was the next to notice the Leader as he came out of the room. He watched him grab the nearest pistol and raise it directly at him. For a second, he expected to feel the sharp pain of a bullet in his chest, but it never came. There was a different cry, and it took a moment for Jesse to realize his eyes were closed, and when he opened them, glancing down at his own chest and seeing there was no wound, no blood.

He looked up, only to see his own rival standing far in front of him, almost exactly between him and the Leader. Romeo stood still for a moment before dropping onto his knees, and Jesse suddenly knew what happened. He didn't even get a chance to cry his name before the Leader shot two more times, this time aimed directly at Romeo.

Romeo fell forwards, and the Leader held his ground, the pistol at the ready to fire at anyone else who dared move.

Jesse wanted to run, not to attack, just to get to Romeo, just to make sure he was alive, but even if he wanted to, he couldn't. He was frozen. He felt nothing but pure shock. For some reason, he felt as though he'd just watched a long-time friend die, right in front of him.

Then everything went from bad to worse as the sound of a window shattering was heard, and electric arrows almost rained down on the group. None hit, but they made their point, and the team scattered. Lukas caught sight of the Leader making a run for it, and ran after. He followed him up and out of a window near the roof, and they both left the warehouse. The arrows soon ceased right after.

Jesse ran right to Romeo, followed by Gil.

"Romeo!" he rolled Romeo onto his back, the three bullet wounds clear, however all missing Romeo's heart.

Romeo coughed and shifted uncomfortably, moving one hand over his chest. He had a stream of blood dripping down his chin, and there was already a puddle of blood where he'd been laying.

"Jesse, Jesse it's ok-- go catch them.. You're good at that... Rooves, it's your specialty, go catch them..." Romeo pushed weakly at Jesse, moving him away and motioning him to start the chase. Jesse knew he had to. He didn't want to, but he did, and turned to climb to the window the arrows came from.

Gil was left with Romeo as others slowly gathered, trying to get him as much help as possible. Olivia and Petra found the unconscious bodies of Yellow and Riot and helped get them out as well. Gil glanced back at the window that Jesse left from, hoping that he'd make it back soon. His hopes weren't very high.

#mcsm au #secret agent squad #story #witherstorm #sa jesse #sa lukas #sa romeo #sa olivia #sa james #sa kelly #sa orion #r!lukas #sa gil #sa petra

[paladin-andric]

When Worlds Collide (Part 3)

Part 1

Part 2

Well, I didn’t really plan on this. This was supposed to be a small intro to the paladins’ quest, but it grew and grew...until it just become the short itself. Welp. Here, we learn the fate of the pair that escaped the English army, and learn a bit more about life in the land here, along with the tribe’s relations with their neighbors. Just some world and character building more than anything.

Before anything else, there was a sharp, throbbing pain. He could feel it rocking his senses, located in the sides of his head. A migraine.

Though, that wasn’t the end of it. As his consciousness came flooding back, the sensation of pain began to fill every inch of his body. In addition to his migraine, he was aching sore all over.

He groaned, body shifting under what felt like soft linen blankets. As he did so, it brought the attention of another.

“Alpa! Alpa, it’s Alpa! He’s up! Alpa’s up!”

The excited cries of his friend. Alpa brought a hand to his head and rubbed it, claws scraping against his scales as he tried in vain to soothe the pangs of shooting pain in his skull.

“He’s awake?”

“Yes, yes! Get him the things, please!”

“Guuuhhh...Mepin...?”

“Yes, yes!” his friend cried excitedly, “It’s me!”

“What...happened?”

He managed to force his eyes open. The top half of Mepin poked over the side of the bed, his hands resting on the mattress as he leaned towards Alpa, shooting the resting magician a toothy grin.

“We made it! We made it to safety! We’re okay!”

Alpa blinked, eyes adjusting to the light. He took a moment to examine his surroundings. He was in...a human bedroom.

Well, it seemed human. Nothing the tribe would ever build. The walls were made of wood, and several windows to the right were letting sunshine into the room. There were bookshelves, candles, a desk, a chest...and a small cross beside him on the nightstand, the symbol of the humans’ God.

“Where are we?”

“Greenroot Village!”

The bedridden kobold blinked again, face scrunching up. “H-huh…? But...the forest…”

“I carried you! Albert took us in! You remember mister Albert, don’t you?”

“Mmm...yes. He’s done right by our people.”

“Greenroot’s wonderful! I can’t believe they let us stay! Thank the heavens we’re on such good terms!”

“Mmph. We’ve mistress to thank for our friendship with the humans...wait, mistress!” Alpa tried to shoot up in his bed, but his body refused. The pain shot through him like a bolt of lightning, and he hissed out as he slowly scooted backwards, propping himself against the wall and inching into a sitting position. “S-she is in danger!”

“Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be alright!” Mepin assured his friend. He did not have the calming effect he intended to have.

“Are you mad?! They’ll slaughter everyone! We...we must…”

“I met some hero-men on the way here! Some humans saw what happened to us too! We explained everything, and they’re on the case!”

“Hero-men?” Alba gave Mepin a confused look.

“Yeah yeah! Big and strong! Shiny armor, shiny shiny! Big swords and funny shapes on their clothes! Big words about heaven!”

The magician grimaced. His friend...he certainly did not share the same sort of lifestyle as he. As a man of magic, he studied among any he could...be they human, dragon or otherwise. He frequently left the tribe to journey to accomplished wizards willing to give him a chance to learn. As such, he was...well adapted to civilized life.

Mepin, on the other hand, well...he was but a simple gatherer. He pranced about the forest gathering wood, stone, berries...whatever was needed, really. As such, he never really left, aside from the rare visit to Greenroot, a village nearby the tribe that was on very good terms with them.

Because of this, he had some uniquely…‘koboldish’ habits, his occasional lack of awareness and stunted speech clear signs of that. While Alpa had taught him some of the ‘Big words’, he still fell back on jumbled and dull descriptions of things sometimes, and failed to grasp how life in the outside world worked.

Not that he held it against him. It was simply a result of his way of living. Besides...he was his friend, and it would take a lot more than that to drive a wedge between the pair...especially after what had just happened.

“What...funny shapes? Crosses?”

“Yeah, yeah! Lots of crosses! Big words too!”

His friend was normally well spoken enough, but when he got excited enough he lost focus...and he seemed ecstatic that his buddy was alright.

“Sounds like you met a couple of paladins, Mepin.”

“Oooh...the holy heroes?! Wow...if only I’d known!”

“But they’re helping? Truly?”

Mepin nodded happily. “Yes! They had the villagers bring us back while they left to go after the bad men!”

He looked quite giddy about the whole thing, like a couple of men going after an army was a valid strategy that would somehow work out.

“Hey, Alpa!”

The magician turned to see the source of the voice, though he already recognized it.

A man with a bushy mustache and a small smile entered the room, a wooden bowl in each hand. He was wearing simple but clean clothes, a tunic, a pair of breeches and some rough-looking shoes.

“Aah, Sir Albert! You are my savior, allowing me respite like this!”

“Ahh, nice try, but your friend over there’s the one that dragged your sorry butt all the way here.” He lowered one of the bowls toward the bed as he approached. “Here.”

“Oh?” The lizard reached up and carefully took the bowl, noting the weight behind it. He lowered it to his lap and found...a thick, hearty broth with just about everything in it. Corn, potato, some greens, bits of what he assumed to be chicken or beef...a bit of a hunter’s stew.

“Figured since you’re unwell, a bit of soup would help you get back on your feet.”

“Gah, you house AND feed me? You spoil me, good sir.”

Albert lowered the other bowl towards Mepin, who eagerly snatched it up without a second word. “Now, now. It took a lot of work to make peace between our villages. Wouldn’t want to tarnish that now, would we?”

“Ah, prudent. Still...I must give my humble thanks, and insist I repay your hospitality.”

Albert shrugged. “Well...promise you’d do the same for me. How about that?”

“That is a most suitable agreement. I would never turn my back on a friend...as they would not to do me either.”

He turned to Mepin, his expression softening. A smile crept over his face, and he could feel...something. A deep respect, a kinship. The other kobold smiled back at him.

“Mepin, my friend...thank you. You have saved my life, I have no reservations in saying that. I was in the gravest sort of peril.”

“You were only in danger ‘cause you saved me first!” Mepin insisted, “That’s just what friends do!”

“Hmm...indeed. Trust is a most valuable thing to have. I believe we’ve all learned something from this. Still...thank you, Mepin. You are a very good friend.”

“You’re a great friend too!” the other returned quickly, still grinning.

Albert gestured towards the two. “Hey, I put a lotta work into whipping that up for you two, you know!”

“Ah, of course! Forgive my rudeness. Allow me to sample your cuisine…”

Alpa slowly lifted the bowl to his mouth, and gently tilted it upwards. As the soup filled his mouth, he could only describe it as...soothing. It was salty and sweet, tender and tasty. From vegetables to meat, the flavors all melded into a rather pleasing concoction within the soup base. As he swallowed it after a bit of chewing, he could feel the heat radiating within him. So warm...so soothing.

“Well?”

“Mmm...marvelous. This is why I love coming to Greenroot...you people certainly know how to make some outstanding meals.”

“Gah, go on...thank you, though. Hope it helps.

It was already helping. The warm, soothing soup seemed to be melting his aches and pains away...though that could have just been a placebo. Still, it made everything just a bit more bearable. He leaned back and took another big gulp...then another, and another.

“Aah...I cannot thank you enough. Mmm...”

“Don’t worry about it...only thing you need to worry about it getting better.”

“Agh, mmm...w-well, but the tribe…”

“Leave it to the professionals. I’m sure those paladins have got it under control. You couldn’t help much until you rested up anyway.”

That was true. He struggled to sit up...he doubted he could just up and walk out...besides, he’d have to stop having this soup…

A loud splash brought both the kobold and the human to turn towards Mepin. The other kobold was guzzling the soup down, tipping the bowl far too high and spilling a large about of broth both on himself and on the floor.

“Gah, Mepin, you fool!”

He blinked, lowering the bowl. “Huh? What?”

“The soup! You’ve spilled it all over!” Alba pointed at the floor, arm still sore.

The kobold looked down and then back up rapidly, comprehension dawning on him.

“O-oh, oh no! I-I didn’t mean to…”

“Forgive him,” Alpa said, “He struggles with what is...socially acceptable in your culture.”

Albert merely grumbled under his breath in response.

“I assure you,” Alpa continued, “He was being MOST polite in our ways. Displaying his eagerness for your fine cooking, you see.”

“I-it was just so good...I couldn’t help myself! I’m sorry,” Mepin said guiltily, eyes turned to the side.

“Eh...it’s fine...hope you’re willing to help clean up, though.”

“Of course!” Mepin cried, “Right away!”

“Very well. Let’s fetch the water.” As Albert left with Mepin to start cleaning up the mess, he turned and gave Alpa a serious look.

“Just get some rest. Tossin’ and turnin’ isn’t going to do you any good. The sooner you recover, the sooner you can check on your friends.”

“Right…” Alpa mumbled back. Albert gave him a smile and a nod before stepping out of the room.

He tried, he really did. He lay back down and closed his eyes, but...he shifted in the bed. He rustled the covers. His tail thrashed of its own volition.

He couldn’t stop thinking. Were they okay? Did the soldiers find their cave? Would the paladins really save the day somehow?

These thoughts and more troubled his mind, preventing sleep. As he lay there, he tried to imagine it. Those two warriors, off to try and do something. He could picture them in his head, heading into the forest...who were they? What were they doing right now? At this very moment, as he lay in bed, those two were marching headfirst into a most unusual situation...and they had a most unusual plan of how to handle it.

Tag list: @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad, @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @sheralynnramsey, @tawnywrites, @writer-on-time, @oceanwriter, @zwergis-spilledink, @fluffpiggy, @elliewritesfantasy, @homesteadhorner,  @laurenwastestimewriting, @elaynab-writing, @the-ichor-of-ruination, @reya-writes

[thedistantstorm]

A Steelponcho Dawning - Part 15

A Dawning romance featuring the Commander and the Clan Steward, their feelings for each other coming to a head during the first Dawning celebration following the Red War, featuring Lord Saladin, city food, smut, and a whole lot of pining. Continues from: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14.

She somehow manages to sit beside him on the transport carrier. Neither Ikora or Cayde say much, though it's questionable if that's from lack of sleep or something else. Cayde dims his optics the second they're in the air, and Ikora produces a book from out of nowhere as she pushes the Exo's head off her shoulder and against his own headrest.

Zavala is quiet, his forearm and elbow lining up against her own on the armrest between them. They both look out the window of the Hawk, Zavala closest to it, and Hawthorne in the middle, closer to Cayde. The skyline is still dark.

Saladin sits alone across from them, in the seat directly facing Hawthorne. He is somber but awake. Surprisingly, it's Zavala who dozes, uncharacteristically tired, head lulling before eventually dropping onto her shoulder with a silent thunk.

“That's unusual,” Saladin gestures toward the other Titan. His voice is loud enough to hear but not so loud that it interrupts the three Vanguard’s activities. “He must be rather tired,” he continues. “Did something happen last night?”

“Oh!” Hawthorne scrambles, “Uh, he had a late meeting with Dead Orbit, maybe that had something to do with it?”

“Perhaps.” There is a look of well-placed scrutiny on Saladin's face and it's all she can do not to blush, knowing exactly why the commander only obtained a meager three hours of sleep last night. “Keep an eye out for each other,” he counsels sagely.

She nods. Definitely avoids gulping under the intensity of his stare. Zavala's hand slides over, covers hers and squeezes, before he resettles and folds them together in his lap, bracing his arm against her more thoroughly, to keep him more comfortable as he moves his head to the headrest. Bright blue eyes blink open tiredly, once, twice, and stay closed as his breathing evens out once more. She doubts he was ever awake, fluttering eyelids or not.

“I see,” Saladin says, to no one in particular. He looks at Zavala, then at her, as she resolutely stares out the window. She's doing a decent job of hiding it, but the tiny stain of pink around the lower half of her facial tattoos doesn't care about her denial. Saladin's happy they are at least opening up about it to each other, even if it's just a little. Even if it’s subconsciously.

He had really hoped they would take his words to heart.

-/

She does not spend a great deal of time with them, once they arrive at the Farm. Still, Saladin uses the opportunity to get to know a bit more about Hawthorne from those that know her best, listening to for the conversations that happen when the refugees think he and the Vanguard are not paying attention, or the way they interact with the Guardians themselves.

The people’s response is overwhelmingly grateful. Not hero-worship grateful. Just honest and purely thankful for whatever support they’re gifted.

It’s a strange difference from what he’s noted in the City and abroad in the centuries leading up to this war. The people stand taller, proud, but not foolishly so. They carry themselves almost like the Guardians do, despite their mortality. The majority are respectful, only a handful express distrust through their body language and words. It’s refreshing. The Guardians move among the civilians like equals, brothers in arms.

And they all seem to rally around Hawthorne.

For good reason, he supposes. They seem to chatter excitedly about her return, about the help she’s working to obtain from the Factions and the Vanguard's assistance. They are concerned for their future, but they trust her. That is the consensus. They quiet immediately, however, when she approaches with a man she introduces to him as Devrim Kay.

Devrim is incredibly polite, with a curt yet charismatic demeanor, sharp eyes, and a sniper rifle slung across his back similarly to the woman that stands close beside him. It doesn’t take a sleuth to objectively reason that these two are incredibly close. And certainly not based on the gratuitous use of ‘Our Suraya,’ compliments, and her mock irritated eye rolls at said comments, either.

They find their way into the largest of the remaining barns, this one not appropriate for more occupancy than the several chickens, a horse, and a pair of bleating goats that quiet they gather around a small table.

“Well, this is familiar, isn’t it,” Cayde marvels. “I should’ve brought Colonel.”

“That would have been a horrible idea,” Ikora reminds him. “You nearly lose her every time you take her away from your workstation.

“I do not! She would’ve stayed right here in the barn while we scoped things out.” His tone petulant.

“If I remember correctly,” Zavala says, “You liked her because she was the escape artist of the group.”

Hawthorne rolls her eyes, around the same time Devrim shakes her head, and the two Lightless humans share a rueful chuckle. The Hunter Vanguard carries on a while longer, to Suraya's growing irritation.

“How have I not had to bail you out of jail recently?” Devrim asks behind his hand.

In reply, she knocks into his shoulder, hard. “The Commander keeps me in line,” She quips back.

Zavala’s eyes flash like lightning over at Devrim, who in turn looks to him with narrowed eyes and a countenance of surprise. “Is that so?”

“I mean, someone has to.” The tone of her voice is light, growing more nonchalant as she notices the gaze of the man beside her. “Though I’ve been way too busy to be causing trouble.”

That earns her a loaded glance from Zavala (who clearly disagrees with her on the causing trouble bit), but she challenges him with one of her own before some of the scouts enter the barn. The group returns to business as usual at that. Saladin absolutely hones in on the contemplative look that covets Devrim's features as he looks between the Commander and the Clan Steward, even as the man reports off the staggering losses amid the rest of the developing statistics.

Apparently he's not the only one who might be invested in this new development, Saladin thinks. Interesting.

-/

They work together quietly. She had slipped away first, always easy to lose in the tangle of people and commotion. He’d found her half an hour later, poncho discarded over a mostly broken chair, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, serving what looked to be some sort of stew to refugees and Guardians alike. He always found her in places like these, compelled to help when she can’t sit still (which was often, especially when she’s anxious). Be it in the City, the Farm, the Tower, anywhere really, Suraya was well known for finding her way to whomever needed her most.

He didn’t say a word, just strode over and offered to take the place of the person beside her - she’d clearly relieved someone so that they could partake of the meal they were serving as well. She didn’t smile at him - hardly reacted, really - but when her eyes met his, they were amused and bright.

“Shirking your responsibilities, Commander?” She asks, when the line of hungry folk dissipates a while later. The smirk blooms on her face like a sarcastic flower.

The answering eye roll he offers her is something to see. “Looking to start a fight, Hawthorne?”

Unlike the last time he’d used her surname, she laughs, thinking similarly to their very rocky beginnings. When she meets eyes and sees his tiny smirking smile, she ducks her head. “Always,” She replies, and after a fleeting moment, looks back at him so unguardedly it feels like a blow to the chest. It doesn’t last long.

A group of hunters pushes open the tarp that keeps most of the warmth inside and heads in, one of their ghosts whizzing over their heads, chattering excitedly in a combination of words and synthesized sound.

She zings around the large tent, before settling above the food, calling to her Guardian, “Look, look! The Commander and Hawthorne are serving-”

“Fizzy, no, don't - agh, come back here!” A very concerned human Hunter calls. “Uh, sorry,” He continues as he looks up at his Ghost with wide, green eyes.

Fizzy the Ghost spins the pointed cones of her shell and twitches them in a confused shrug when her partner’s eyes dart to her right in an indication for her to move and pronto.

Her guardian sighs when she does not and regards Zavala’s curious glance with a sheepish one of his own. “Sorry, sir. She’s a little excited because of the Dawning. Always likes to spread cheer and whatnot.”

“Yeah!” The ghost drops down from above everyone’s heads, spinning in a wide circle around everyone in a blur of red and green, “I just love the Dawning! And one of my Guardian's friends gave me a gift, see? They said it's an old tradition to spread holiday cheer, from before the collapse!” She comes to a halt in the space above the Titan Vanguard and the Clan Steward.

They look up.

The Hunter's feels like his stomach has just been dropped from orbit. He peeks through his hands at the Commander, terrified.

The red metallic shell of his chattery Ghost has a little piece of tape on it, strapping down a little bundle of leafy vegetation that floats below it in a well-trimmed ball.

“I apologize,” The Hunter bows. “Fizzy, you didn't wait for me to explain what that's supposed to do.”

Hawthorne is the first to recover, looking up at the Ghost with a disbelieving shake of her head. “Mistletoe can grow around here,” She admits. “Been a while since I've seen any, though.”

“I am so sorry,” The Guardian continues in earnest. “Really-”

“No harm done,” Zavala says. “Though I suspect not everyone will be thrilled about the implication of her hanging over their heads.”

At that, the little Ghost turns to the Commander, tilting down to get a good look at his face. “Commander Zavala? What are you talking about?”

“Fizzy!” The Guardian snaps nervously, “When two people stand under a sprig of mistletoe together, they're supposed to kiss.”

The Ghost twirls her shell excitedly. “That sounds lovely!” She looks at Zavala and Hawthorne as expectantly as a Ghost possibly can. “Well, go on,” She encourages.

Zavala coughs, uncomfortably. Suraya looks away.

“You can't just tell people to kiss each other!”

The rising voice of the exasperated Guardian begins to cause a bit of a scene, especially as more and more of the people eating at tables on the other end of the room begin to look their way. Suraya shifts her stance to face the Commander, eyes boring into his face to get his attention. When he looks her way, she winks.

“Alright, easy you two,” The Clan Steward says. “Like Zavala said, no harm done.” She takes a step in his direction, looking for all the world like she’s about to kiss his cheek before she reaches up and plucks the Ghost from the air with deft hands and a shift onto her tiptoes. Gently, she presses her lips against the Ghost’s top fin in what she assumes would be a kiss on the forehead or cheek for a Ghost before releasing her.

Fizzy giggles at the notion, her little body vibrating in excitement as Suraya speaks. “There. Now you get to share in the tradition, too.” Her mahogany eyes shift toward the Ghost again, a touch more serious. “Can't imagine the Fallen or Cabal will be up for this, though, so be careful out there, okay? No making your Guardian kiss everyone they come across.”

“See, see? Told you! Holiday cheer!” The Ghost says, bobbing over to her Guardian victoriously. “I did it!”

#destiny fanfic #steelponcho #commander zavala #suraya hawthorne #zavala x hawthorne #destiny dawning #the dawning #mutual pining #lots of feelings #fluff #angst #flangst #slow burn best burn #fizzy the ghost #extra adorable ghost alert #trope-y use of mistletoe #with a twist #saladin forge #devrim kay #the farm

[lady-mordrid]

A Cold Cup Of Tea - Mingyu fluff

A Cold Cup Of Tea

Genre: fluff

I’ve never written or posted any writing before. I wrote this a while back ago for a friend and decided to post it and see what happens! Hope everyone enjoys. :^)

It’s only the second date, you tell yourself, it’s only the second date and you somehow managed to mess it all up already. You and Mingyu had gone out once before and had such a wonderful time. The two of you spent the day going thrift shopping and finding various antique shops around town. Usually so much interaction would wear you out, but all of your fears and exhaustion seemed to melt away when you were with Mingyu. Everything was going so smoothly, and when he dropped you off at home you got ahead of yourself amidst the excitement and leaned in to kiss him. He quickly moved his face and feverishly told you goodnight before practically tearing out of the driveway, leaving you feeling confused and rejected. You were sure he’d never want to see you again after embarrassing yourself like that. To your surprise, he texted you only a few days later, asking if you were free the next day. You quickly agreed thinking this is my chance to redeem myself!, however, now that the day had actually come you weren’t so sure of yourself. A whole day gave you plenty of time to overthink the situation, but you were determined to at least try and clear the air.

You hear a car horn and hurry outside, still applying chapstick on your way out. Mingyu is standing outside, holding the car door open for you. “You look really pretty today, y/n.” he says with a smile. He closes the door for you and gets in, pulling out of the driveway. “So I thought today we could go to the bookstore since last time you said you had been looking for that one book. I looked it up on their website and it says they have it.” He said it without looking away from the road, so he obviously didn’t see your stunned expression. He actually remembered that I said that? You can’t find the words, and it seems he noticed. “What, you don’t want to?” he says, finally looking over to you with furrowed brows and his classic pout. “Oh, no no, that sounds fine.” you say quickly, “...Thank you for remembering.” You meant to say it under your breath, but you were never very good at whispering. Mingyu chuckles softly, “There’s no need to thank me, silly. Of course I’d remember.” he says looking over to you and flashing a grin. When he looks over and sees you blushing with your hands over your face, he laughs again, louder than before. The rest of the ride was filled with small talk and karaoke. Mingyu was especially impressed when a seventeen song would come on and you knew all the words. “Wow y/n! I never knew you were a carat!” He’d say laughing.

You two arrived at the bookstore... but didn’t get much done shopping wise. Instead, you would both run and find a book, flip to a random page pointing to a  paragraph and read it aloud to one another. There was a point at which one of you even ended up reading a part of Fifty Shades of Grey, keeling over, laughing loudly, and blushing from the written words. After some time, Mingyu picks up a book and starts to read to you without a word prior. “I don’t exactly understand my feelings quite yet, but I think i’m falling for you. There isn’t a time when you aren’t on my mind and i’m starting to think I might be going insane…” His words take you back at first, making you blush deeply and grin to yourself listening. You start to notice, however, that Mingyu hasn’t once looked down at the book to check the words. He has been staring intently at you this whole time, and when you look down to see the book he’s reading from you see that it is, in fact, an English textbook. “...how am I supposed to act around you? I feel like I wouldn’t even need the sun with you in my life, you are bright enough to light the world. I must have saved a country in a prior life. I thank the world for allowing me to meet you.” and with that he closes the book, putting it to his chest with his eyes down, occasionally looking up to meet your eyes long enough to try and gauge your reaction. You try to feign ignorance and cross your arms, stammering “W-was all that really written in an English textbook, Mingyu?” Mingyu’s eyes dart up, then to the book. “WAH? YES IT WAS!! IT Was, i-it was… a.. Text sample! Yes! Psh they have those all the time in textbooks come on, y/n.”

“Oh really? Then who was it by?”

“Agh, I didn’t really check uhm, Vincent something. Vincent… Van Gogh, yeah, Vincent Van Gogh i’m pretty sure.”

“Mingyu, Vincent Van Gogh was a painter.”

“Y/N IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME THEN JUST READ IT YOURSELF IT WAS BY A VINCENT!” Mingyu shoved the book into your arms and stormed off in a huffing, flustered mess. You laugh, putting the book back and following after him. In the end, you didn’t get your book; you didn’t care.

You headed out to get coffee at a cafe not too far from the bookstore. As you two sat down, you were joking and talking as if nothing had happened, but you couldn’t stop thinking about Mingyu’s words.  Was that really written in there? Or…. No, no, don’t get ahead of yourself, y/n. We all know how that ended last time. Your mind snapped back to reality. “... I’ll have you know that I am a connoisseur of pickup lines.” Said Mingyu brightly from behind a hot cup of coffee. Shake it off. Focus.

“Oh yeah? Care to give an example?” “Okay, okay,” Mingyu re-adjusts, sitting upright now. “Your eyes are blue like the ocean, and baby I’m lost at sea.” Mingyu just manages to get it out before erupting in laughter, but before he can recover you fire back. “Is your dad a baker, because you’ve got some nice buns!” and now you’re both banging the table, clapping your hands together breathlessly, much to the displeasure of the other cafe goers. Mingyu comes back with “Your lips look so lonely...would they like to meet mine?” He starts laughing but you just... stop. You should be laughing, but it hits you harder than you expected. You liked Mingyu, a lot. But you didn’t want to keep doing this if it wasn’t going to lead to anything more. You didn’t want to be strung along.. “But you don’t want to kiss me.” You say flatly. One might think you sounded stone cold but your voice wavered the slightest bit, your fingers anxiously rubbing against the ceramic of your coconut mocha. Mingyu stopped too now, and is looking down into his cup. An uncomfortably long silence sets in, until Mingyu finally starts. “Y/n, i’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings last time, I jus--” “You just what, Mingyu?” You snap back. “I-I wanted to kiss you, y/n, I did, but I just didn’t want it to be like that..” Mingyu didn’t look up but settled to his hand on his head, shaking slightly. “Then what did you mean?” You asked softly this time, feeling bad for having snapped at him. He had his own reasons, and although you didn’t understand, you knew he was being genuine. “I’m sorry, y/n.” He left it at that. You accepted it, at least for now. Before long you were talking normally again, moving on. By the time you were getting ready to leave, you were several coffees into conversation and the sun was descending behind the mountains. Mingyu was talking about nothing in particular, yet you lost yourself staring at his features in the incandescent yellow and orange tones breaking through the window panes. He looks different today… more handsome? No..that’s not it. He looks..warm, and safe. Just looking at him puts me at ease..

Mingyu drove you home and walked you to the door before saying “Today was really fun y/n, thank you. And, I’m sorry again.” and started walking off towards his car. This doesn’t feel right, I can’t just leave it like that.. “...Mingyu! Do… you want to come in for some tea first, before you leave?” What am I saying?! I just invited him into my house oh my god y/n what are you doing! Mingyu looks back, smiling from ear to ear. “I’d love to.” He said… yes? Oh my gosh oh god okay y/n be cool. Do I have any tea he’ll like, is the house clea… and by the time you came back to your senses, the tea had been made and you and mingyu sat on the couch, sipping and chatting occasionally through comfortable silence. When you finished your tea, you look up to Mingyu to find he never finished his cup and has been staring at you for.. who knows how long. “Ah, sorry, let me take this for you.” You take his cup and nervously shuffle back to the kitchen. As you put the cups down you hear Mingyu get up and walk towards you. “..y/n.” Mingyu grabs you by the wrist and turns you to face him. His hand moves slow to cup your cheek and leans down, meeting his lips with yours. Your hands instinctively find their way to rest on his chest while his free hand moves into your hair, gently caressing your neck. You stay there for a long time, just feeling each other softly, sweetly. Your lips finally part and Mingyu meets your eyes. “I meant something like that.” Without another word Mingyu gets his coat, kisses you on the cheek once more, and leaves. Picking his cup back up, for the first time… a cold cup of tea has never felt so warm..

#mingyu #fluff #drabble #fic #seventeen #scoups #y/n #story #tea #kpop #seungcheol #first story #svtcreations #kim mingyu

[having-a-hyperfixate]

Week 2, Day 3

Safety cut, line breaks where the original posts ended.

Beat being so aware that something is massively wrong and ACTUALLY SAYING IT feels so good. It’s also fascinating that he’s sure he didn’t die. And from him that’s something we can take at face value; he’s got experience with entering the game the normal way, so if it feels different being in the UG as a living person he’s qualified to notice it.

It’s now starting to look like the people running this Game are poaching living people into the UG on purpose for some reason. Getting Player Pins on so many of the living, and Shoka saying that she hears all the time that people don’t remember how they died. What if that’s not an accident. What if whoever’s running this thing is just… grabbing people with high Imagination whenever they feel like it?

Here’s a complete shot in the dark but-

What if that’s what causes an Inversion? Too many people who are supposed to be alive entering the game messes up the balance of the planes and causes them to fall apart somehow? That could be why an illegal player, like Joshua ended up pretending to be, is such a big deal. Not because it’s unfair but because it could destroy the district?

I am SO GLAD to have a fourth person again. Praise be to that extra attack slot. I have missed it.

-----------------------

I procrastinated HARD last night and just ran around leveling up my pins I don’t like. I get Beat on my team and immediately give him garbage pins to hold so I can max them out. Sorry Beat. >.>

Soundsurf is so fun though. I may have immediately gone bouncing around in circles like a total lunatic. So satisfying.

A thought I had while on the grocery run today: how long before Beat starts talking about Composers and such? We’ve finally got someone in play who knows thing AND is willing to be helpful yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss.

-----------------------

*wanders into the Scramble* UZUKI!!!!!! Ow I inhaled my own spit. Everything about that introduction was a mess and I love it.

Ooooooh this conversation is FULL of interesting tidbits. Rindo and co have no idea what is happening but I am loving this conversation. Give me information. Give.

Hmm. It’s been potentially quite a while since Uzuki saw Kariya. I wonder… I really do think that his offer to help us back in week 1 was genuine. He’s very honourable, and seems to really dislike the current rules. I wonder it he’s gone rouge… Please don’t get hurt, Kariya, I like you. 777 was bad enough.

If Shibuya Reapers are endangered, that implies that there aren’t new local Reapers joining up, doesn’t it? And are the numbers just low because they never got a chance to recover after the mess of the Long Game and the taboo noise eating so many, or did a bunch get killed off when the Shinjuku gang moved in?

She also wanted Neku to be back. Uzuki Yashiro wished Neku would turn up to destroy the system. Never thought I’d see the day.

So it looks like all the (named) Shibuya Reapers are hoping for something to overturn the current system. I mean, Coco was only there for like 5 seconds but she seemed displeased. Where does she keep wandering off to anyways. What is her deal. Is she even actually a Reaper. Like. She used a taboo sigil, which isn’t supposed to be possible… Agh.

“So he really ain’t here either, then?” *distant screaming* He never made it back to the RG. Fuck. FUCK. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM. NO. GOD. DAMN. AFTER ALL THAT. NO.

Coco. You had better have a really fucking good reason for what you did or I am going to tear you to atoms myself.

-----------------------

I feel slightly bad for the other teams. They teamed up even after the Purehearts had been disqualified and I still wiped the floor with them in under a minute. They’re… probably right to be afraid of me. ^^;

Ooooh Kanon over here proposing a coup. I’m very here for all us regular (ish) players unseating the cheating dickheads, but I have big sads over the idea that she’d still end up facing down Motoi’s team. *sigh* She’s not wrong tho. Something has to change, or they’re all screwed. I just think it’s more than the Ruinbringers.

So if I’m reading this fortune from Kaie right, he’s telling Shoka that the people around here, aka the other Shinjuku Reapers, aren’t really her friends and that she needs to take action. That she’s potentially in danger. Hmmmmm.

#let's liveblog: neo twewy #w2d3 #neo twewy spoilers