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antihibikase2 · 10 months

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BW : II - The High Priestess (Upright)

“You met a guy like that?”

“Yeah..”

Though the battle went in Hilbert’s favor, he didn’t want to entertain the possibility of having lost against such a person.

“Ugh, if daddy was here, he wouldn’t let us hear the end of it!” Bianca frowns, brushing her mother’s gift- a Lillipup, on her lap. “I know we’re encouraged to ask for help when we need it, but come on, Hilbert! If it feels wrong in your gut, run away!”

And the fact that that strange man released his Pokemon right after the battle too, as if he wasn’t willing to form bonds with them..

At least Purrloin seemed happy.

“But-!” He doesn’t get the chance to talk as she throws a potion at him. “Well, he had some things to say, you know? And I don’t mind listening at all, but..”

He looks down at the potion that Bianca threw at him, his own reflection bouncing off the surface of the bottle.

“Cheren was getting uncomfortable, so I ended up challenging him to a battle. Kinda. I didn’t say anything, but-”

“Oh, Hilloo, you’re a horrible liar. It’s all in your eyes. And you have no patience at all when it comes to either Cheren or me,” Though her tone is scolding, there was a bit of amusement. “That’s why daddy depends on you, you know? Even if he won’t admit it, he’s glad you’re here.”

Hilbert could only laugh sheepishly.

Bianca had noticed the air of the group had slightly changed when she left the Pokemon Center at Accumula.

Though they parted ways not too soon after, she couldn’t help but sense how quieter Cheren had become, and how Hilbert seemed almost hesitant to let him or Bianca out of his sight.

To think they would meet such a strange person early on- Bianca hoped it wouldn’t persist.

They did leave on a journey to become independent after all; the last thing any of them wanted deep down was to run back home and prove her father right.

“As long as we all promise to meet up like this every now and again, that’ll put my daddy’s worries at ease.”

“Then he’ll stop hounding you?”

“Ugh, I wish.”

As she talks, one of the waiters- the one with wavy blue hair, brings both her and Hilbert a cup of tea and a complimentary bag of cookies.

“Oh, thank you so much!”

“It is our pleasure,” A hand is placed on his chest with a gentle bow. “You’re a challenger too, aren’t you? Then please, enjoy Striaton’s finest delicacies while we prepare the battlefield. Your friend here,” His eyes look up at Hilbert, almost as if annoyed. “Is quite a brute, and made quite a mess in our stage.”

Hilbert grins. “They’re tough, Bianca! The triplet you’ll go against is the one who has a type advantage over your starter-”

“And there you go yapping your mouth,” Cress rolls his eyes. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but here you go spoiling it.”

“Oops!”

“Aw, Hilloo! You can’t spoil a good surprise like that!”

“With that in mind, however, I hope you’ll be a much more graceful challenger,” Cress huffs. “In the meantime, I suggest training at the Dreamyard. This may take awhile."

He leaves the pair as he joins his twin brothers; with the excited way the redhead was mopping the floors, Bianca could only guess that he was the one next in line to face her.

“The Dreamyard, huh? I didn’t get a chance to explore it much before I battled them..” Hilbert mutters. “Hey, why don’t we go there together? I can help you train!”

Lillipup yaps excitedly at the thought.

“That was the place that was always off limits to non-trainers, right?"

“Yup! Only Professor Juniper got to go in when she brought us along. I can help you out so you don't make a big mess!"

"Hey, you're just as careless as I am, Hilloo!"

"Yeah, but you made a mess in my room!"

"Cheri too!"

"To be fair, we fought before Cheri and I did, so-"

“Well, it was one of us, and it wasn’t me!”

"Hey!" One of the triplets barks at them, broom clutched in hand. His Pansear mimicked his expression. "If you two have the energy to fight here, then get your asses to the Dreamyard and train!"

"Brother!"

Hilbert and Bianca watch as another one- the one with green hair, tries to wrangle his twin.

Cress steps out of the cleaning closet and begins to throw insults at his brother's way. Chili marches up to the eldest and says something, which leads to Cress dragging him at the very back for a good scolding.

The middle child, Cilan, could only watch helplessly as his brothers bickered.

When his eyes meet Bianca's and Hilbert's, he looks like he's on the verge of crumbling into a thousand pieces.

"Um, this is embarrassing, but please do visit the Dreamyard! Trainers often say we catch them off guard, and, um-"

"Now what did we say about speaking rudely to customers?"

"HAH! As if you don't do the same thing! You're just pretentious about it!"

"...leave my brothers to me, or I fear we will never get things done.."

As the brothers continued to bicker, Bianca stuffs the bag of cookies into her bag as Hilbert downs the rest of his tea. They awkwardly make it out of the restaurant, passing by several other patrons as they do so.

As the duo leaves the restaurant and into the dreamyard, a lab coat flutters in the wind, accompanied by the sickly sweet smell of dream mist.

“Oh? Those kids.. aren’t they..?”

#bw/bw2 rewrite #bw arc

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twst-the-night-away · 1 year

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❝ You have no idea how perfect you are to me. ❞ Savvydamon

❝ I dreamed about us. ❞ FennecJuniper

Savvy walked through the winding garden path, looking to see where Damon had gone. He’d come to visit her family, and while they’d been polite enough, well … Savvy could understand why he’d needed some time alone. The LaPerles were still getting used to the idea of him, no matter how much Savvy tried to talk him up or try to involve in him the conversation more.

Savvy sighed. This was going to be tough …

She finally caught sight of pink tufts of hair over a shrub, and she walked around it to see Damon sitting on one of the benches. He was looking at the moon filtering through the leaves of the tree overhead.

“Hi there,” Savvy said. She took a seat beside him. Damon smiled and held out his arm to put around her.

“I’m sorry,” Damon said. “I should be more sociable.”

Savvy shook her head. “They need to stop acting weird about you.”

Damon shrugged. “But I am weird, aren’t I? I’m not like them.”

Savvy pouted. She reached over and brushed Damon’s hair away from the eye he’d been hiding with it all evening. Now that she could look him in both eyes, she smiled.

“You have no idea how perfect you are to me,” she said. She put her hands on his shoulders. “I don’t care what they think.”

Damon smiled. He put his arms around Savvy and pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Your opinion is the only one that matters to me.”

Juniper rolled over in her sleeping bag. She reached out in the darkness until her arm landed over Fennec, and she smiled. Whens he snuggled up to him, she felt Fennec stir, too.

“What is it, starshine?”

Juniper giggled. “Fen-Fennnn. Guess what.”

“What?”

Even though it was dark, Juniper smiled even more. She nuzzled Fennec’s shoulder.

“I dreamed about us.”

“You did …?”

Juniper felt Fennec roll over, so she sat up until he was comfortable again.

“Yeah.” Juniper rested her head on Fennec’s shoulder. His arm wrapped around her. There was a long, warm silence.

“... Well?”

“Well what?” Juniper asked.

“What was the dream about?”

“Mmm.” Juniper curled up a little more. Fennec reached up and gently stroked one of her ears, and it twitched in response. She laughed.

“I dreamed that we were in a big field. You were at one end, and I was at the other, and there was a lot of fog, and we couldn’t see …” Juniper shook her head. “But I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t worried. I knew I’d find you.”

Even though it was dark, Juniper could almost hear Fennec smiling.

“I’m glad you trust me that much,” Fennec said. He kissed the top of her head. “I hope we always can find each other, no matter what separates us.”

“Mm. I’m sure we can.”

#twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #damon erase #savvy laperle #damon x savvy #fennec grandwell #juniper moon #fennec x juniper

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sunset-peril · 1 year

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Ashes Remain - Chapter Eight - Together and Stronger

~~~~

It was Professor Means. It had always been Professor Means.

He took the bribes.

He encouraged the forged evidence.

He murdered Professor Courte.

It was all him.

He’d gone after her too. Had Apollo not been on the ball, had the Themis seniors not been willing, he would have won.

It wasn’t his final casualty though. She was hit once more while leaving the courtroom. A loyalist student of his went after her. At first it was just verbal, hurling insults about her hypocritical actions, how dare she as a psychopath deem anyone else unfit for the legal world.

Simon had tried to defend her, but Fulbright electrocuted her beloved uncle to keep him in line.

When the loyalist began showing signs that physical harm might come to Athena, Apollo socked her in the jaw. The bailiff allowed it.

Before the threat could stand back up, Apollo escorted Athena out of the courtroom with the help of two bailiffs from adjoining courtrooms. She was frightened, but not a hair on her had been harmed.

Trucy thought Apollo decking someone was the coolest thing ever. Apollo was remiss about it, correcting in that ‘let’s not discuss this further’ tone of his that it was only done in defense and he’d weighed all other options before raising his fist. Much later on, Prosecutor Blackquill would commend him for not being afraid to defend her from violence, but the prosecutor was already back in his cell for the day.

Apollo hadn’t let go of her until she was back on her air mattress in the extra room of the Wright Anything Agency. Normally, the office door was unlocked during business hours. After Athena was nearly assaulted in the courthouse; however, the door was instantly locked after the party returned.

It was honestly a miracle they still attended the last night of the festival.

~~~~

“T-Thena! You came!”

“Of course, Junie! I wouldn’t miss your performance for the world!”

“But the attack earlier-!”

“ ¡No hay problema! One freak accident is nothing.” She flashed a peace sign. “Tonight is being held in Professor Courte’s memory, so I suspect no rabid crazies!”

Apollo shot her an exasperated look. “Today was more than ‘one freak accident,’ Athena. You could have died. How can you seriously go on like nothing happened?”

Of course, he knew the likely answer for his question.

“Hey, it’s the heroic psycho. You really are crazy, to return here knowing there could be people out for your head.”

Robin ran up and smacked her blue-clad companion. “Hugh! Rude! We’re glad you’re here, Athena. And that you’re okay! Same to you, Apollo!”

“As we saw today, there are some who took Professor Means’ teachings to heart. Just because he is no longer in the classroom does not mean his ideology dies overnight. I hope you’ll join us in continuing to fight that darkness, Thena.”

“You really mean it, Junie?”

“Of course.” The metal on Athena’s shoulder seemed dimmer under Junie’s smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I should go get ready.”

“Knock ‘em dead, Junie!”

“We’ll be cheering, Juniper.” Apollo flashed a huge grin.

“Yeaaahh!! C’mon, Hugh, let’s go!”

“Looks like it’s just us. At least until Trucy decides she wants to boardwalk.”

“Heh, looks like it.”

“Are you okay? After… you know everything that happened today. So much of it was an attack on you specifically.”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m just fine!”

“You’re hiding something, Thena.”

“Oh, okay fi-” She blinked twice before staring at him and smirking. “Did you just call me Thena?”

“Oh! Did it? My bad.”

Oh, gosh, he was blushing. As endearing as a blush typically is, it was remarkably funny. He was so adorable! He- ….uh oh.

“Athena? Are you sure you’re okay? You just stopped.”

“I, uh,”

“Polly! Yay, we found Polly! And Athena!”

“Good work, Fraulein Wright!”

Ah yes, just the two people Apollo was expecting to show up at some point in the night.

“Ah, pardon us, Herr Forehead, for interrupting your alone time with Fraulein Cykes.”

“A-Alone time?! What do you mean by that?”

Klavier practically erupted into laughter. “Why, Herr Forehead, you and the fraulein are simply overtaken by the most passionate blush! You should see your faces right now.”

“I-It’s an adrenaline response, Prosecutor Gavin…”

Wow. Her face was red. Almost redder than her hair. But that didn’t mean Gavin was correct. Some people just blush easily. Athena with her more expressive personality seemed to be one of them.

And what he was suggesting! A scandal with his co-worker?! Who wouldn’t blush at that?

Well, Prosecutor Blackquill probably, but he's beside the point.

“And what about you, Herr Forehead? Surely you’re not going to suggest a mere adrenaline response are you, ja ?”

No. Not in the way Athena was experiencing anyway.

“Don’t you have a concert, Gavin?”

“Ah, haven’t you learned anything from court? Forcing a premature end to discussion only makes another more suspicious!”

“Come on, Polly. There’s nothing to be scared of. Prosecutor Gavin’s just having some fun with you and Athena.”

“He really does seem uncomfortable though.” Athena took a few steps towards Gavin and stared up into his eyes.

“Ah, Fraulein , how in tune you are with him.”

“I-It’s not that. I can hear his inner voice. Much like I hear yours. For bearing no ill will against him, why do you badger Apollo with almost malicious intent?”

“Polly almost blew him up during a trial last year. Gavin makes fun of him as payback.”

“You are just as perceptive as Blackquill said. He spoke with an utter fondness of you, one I’ve never seen in such black of a heart.”

She finally had to look away, if only to hide her own heart crying out loud enough for anyone to hear. “We… share a history.”

“Ah. You both seem… touchy about questioning.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll leave it be.”

“Thank you, Gavin.”

“Athena! Did you see the game where you whack giant frogs?! It’s so cool!”

“I haven’t. But I’d guess you want to show me, huh?”

“Yes!”

“How about you, Apollo? Are you coming to see the whack-a-frog?”

He chuckled and flashed that big grin. “Sure. I could use a few good wacks to clear the day out.”

Trucy pounded her fists and leaned closer to him, grinning expectedly. “Better than socking meanies, Polly?!”

“I thought we agreed not to talk about that.”

“What? The ever-small Herr Forehead threw punches? I think I need to hear this story.”

“No. No you don’t.”

“Oh, yes. Yes, he does! It was just after the trial! This lady who was super loyal to Professor Means-”

~~~~

The crowd was now gathering around the stage in anticipation for the concert. Mr. Wright had joined them at the whack-a-frog while Hugh and Robin had only recently returned to the party.

Gavin and Juniper were on stage, her dressed as Lamiroir for the second-ever performance of The Guitar’s Serenade .

He remembered the only other performance of the song well. Gavin’s guitar combusted, an Interpol agent was shot by a band member… It was a very very big mess that took a very very long time to clean up. That trial was when his career finally took a turn for the better, and he kept the song as his work ringtone to remind him of that fact.

He hoped today would be Athena’s Turnabout Serenade, but just based on the day alone it seemed she was just as lost and frightened as he was when Kristoph was arrested. It would be a long time before she would ever feel free… if freedom was even available for her.

She wasn’t in a cell, no, waiting for her hanging day alongside Prosecutor Blackquill. However, this seemed almost worse. She was humiliated every single second she walked anywhere with those cuffs on her arm. She was on her own kind of death row, one that no one seemed to understand. He didn’t know how much longer she had, that was her secret to keep if she wanted, but if she already knew her injury was fatal… she likely had been given an estimate.

Yet here she stood: that happy, bouncy Athena who tilted shimmering eyes to the stage as Juniper sent a warm glance over them. Tensing in childlike excitement at the first notes of guitar, then closing her eyes to breathe in the melody. She's not wasting away in prison or losing her breaths at the hospital. She's here and, for this moment, she's okay. Better than okay. She's Athena Cykes, and she's fine!

Sugar, Sugar…

O that night, in your embrace

He saw it in her. She was no longer afraid of her ears. She was no longer afraid of those cuffs made from re-fired bullets.

When you stole away the keys

my heart held on to so tight.

She was beautiful, and life was just as it should be for her. It couldn’t last, but at least she has a moment.

Pleasure, Pleasure…

But a fleeting melody

He’d looked for too long, her eyes fluttered back open in confusion, then looked up at him. Their eyes locked, which he didn’t expect, and he realized just how deep hers were now that he perceived them and them alone.

It wraps itself around me,

And now through the air I fly.

She raised a hand to her hair and began to fiddle with it, breaking their eye contact before smiling and looking back into his.

Woh… Woh…

His Chords of Steel dried up the longer he looked at her, until he was certain they’d snap from becoming too dry.

Burning on in my heart. Fire.

Her eyes showed the same. Good, this was shared.

Burn my love away. All away.

She took a few steps closer, then leaned into his chest. Her eyes were twitching, growing ever tense as she registered whatever this was.

Like a bullet of love. Fire.

Without thinking, he brushed his hand through her hair for her. Just above her ear she side-hopped onto his foot and squeaked. It must be her injury.

Take my life away. All away.

He slipped his hand down to the hair past her head and twirled his fingers there, he felt her hand gently against his chest.

Guitar, Guitar…

He felt her lips for just a wisp of time.

Up together to the sky.

Now, it was just her smiling softly. Her cheeks were a precious rose. And that’s when he realized. “Athena…” He pressed his nose against hers.

“Call me ‘Thena,’ please.”

~~~~

“Did what I think happened really happen?” They were at Eldoon’s now, just the two of them. He was pressing his finger so hard into his head, it might have left a bruise.

“We kissed… at a high school festival…”

“Yep, that’s what I thought.”

“I-uh…”

“Yeah… well… It’s-uh-nice to know you feel the same way about me.” He was scrubbing the back of his neck again. For a person who’s power lied in sight, why was he so bad with his own tells.

Widget flashed yellow under the stars. “I-Well-R-Really?” Her index finger was in his face. “A-Apollo Justice! How long have you felt this way about me?”

“I…I really couldn’t tell you that.”

“Ah… well I guess it doesn’t matter too much… Here we are.”

“Yeah, here we are…”

“So… what are we going to do… with-” She spun her hand between the both of them.

“Well, we are coworkers… so I think we need to discuss this with Mr. Wright tomorrow…”

“Yes… that will give me some time to ask Simon…”

“Simon?” She still hadn’t given his Chords of Steel back. “As in, Blackquill?”

“Yes. I… know I don’t look it but… I’m a Blackquill. His niece.”

“Ah. That actually makes a lot of sense.”

“It does?”

“His bird doesn’t hurt you. Even when he’s pretending to attack us, the bird never gets as close to you as it does to Mr. Wright or I. That alone would suggest you’re important to Prosecutor Blackquill.”

“Mama disowned me after I came back. He’s… all I have.”

“Wow… I’m so sorry…”

“No one’s been the same since Simon went to jail…”

“You… want a hug?” Almost instantly, he had her curled up against his shoulder.

“Plus… Taka isn’t stupid. He’s not going to bite a food source.”

“Ah, you have bird bribes.”

“By express permission. Not everyone gets to feed him, you know.”

“Of course…” Scrubbing the neck again… “So, uh, little obvious at this point but…”

“Of course, I want you, Apollo. If Mr. Wright and Simon approve.” She started doing that ‘gimme gimme’ wave of hers. “Now, c’mere you!”

And so went his real first kiss with Athena. He was expecting some elder citizen to jeer for them to find privacy as soon as she clambered onto him. Thankfully for the mood, People Park was silent.

This one’s mine! Widget declared with a big fat grin on his little robot face instantly after Athena pulled away and flopped triumphantly on his lap.

He gently curled her head closer against his chest. “I’m yours, tiger.”

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equalseleventhirds · 3 years

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thinking so hard abt the characterization of lily in 'letter from juniper' and her diary that anna finds, vs the characterization of her in what she did to thomas, vs the characterization of her in the flower shop au where she seems to still be alive but either participated in or did not stop mabel being kicked out of the family, and 'my last name is martin *snooty french accent* martin, if you listen to my mother' and what that means for a girl who 'looks a bit like an aztec statue' to have a mother like that

mabel real mabel didn't rly know her mother much, but we have......... clues.

#mabelblogging #perhaps once she was young and innocent and made the mistake of sacrificing love for love #but CERTAINLY by the time she meets thomas she is selfish and cruel #was it because she knew she would die on the hill? or was there something else?#something she learned from her mother; something she learned by being a white woman in the world #(we know sally was an 'old white bitch' we know mabel's indigenous mexican ancestry is from her father #it's possible lily was mixed but.... clues. 'martin'. etc.)#letter from juniper makes me FERAL but considering who lily became as an adult #are we glad she did not leave with juniper? are we glad juniper left her faithless love to die?#(or would juniper have been just as bad? or would going with juniper have changed her?#'you have to leave it all behind and i can keep you safe'#would the king stop his punishment for broken promises if she would only leave it all behind?#her mother the house her place in the world? i wonder i wonder)#(it's abt ur parents and who they once were vs who they are to you etc etc. sometimes.)#dysfunctional family cw #abuse mention #well abuse implied but we know what sally did

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the-insomniac-emporium · 3 years

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Slumbering Hearts (Alcina Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 3

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village

Rating: T for language, implied cannibalism (because Vampires)

Warnings: Aforementioned implied cannibalism

Summary: In a wicked twist of fate, you find out your soulmate is none other than your employer, Lady Dimitrescu. To your misery, she (at first) seems equally displeased, her heart already belonging to another. But in time, the two of you find yourselves wondering… could the universe be right, after all? Soulmate AU in which every person has a unique “soul mark”, which they share with their soulmate.

Notes: Features a cameo of sorts for my OC, Avaskian Caldwell. Not beta read.

Previous Chapters: 1: In The Shadow Of Giants, 2: Uncertain Destinations

3: Eat Your Heart

“Well,” Bela says, only moderately sounding hostile, “I do believe that marks the end of our tour. Unless you would like to see the dungeons? Perhaps get a proper look at where you might end up, hmm?” Resisting the urge to roll your eyes is more difficult than you would have preferred. Somehow you manage, though, and reply in a relatively relaxed tone.

“I think I’ll have to pass. After all, I wouldn’t want to be late for dinner, now would I?” You incline your head towards a nearby clock to emphasize your point. For a split second Bela seems surprised, as if she hadn’t been keeping track of time at all. But the look vanishes as quickly as it came about, soon replaced with a calculating gaze, and she gives a short nod. “Is it safe to assume that you eat together, as a family?” Another nod, this time accompanied by a small look of confusion. “Mmm, sounds wonderful. It’s been far too long since I’ve shared a nice family meal.”

That certainly wasn’t what Bela had expected you to say.

“Oh? I do hope that you can stomach the sight of blood, then. Otherwise it might not feel so nice,” she replies, after a slight pause. Her earlier confidence had returned, further bolstered by the resulting giggles from her sisters. They were a chaotic bunch. Regardless, Bela soon takes your wrist in her hand, pulling you towards the dining room, grip only tight enough to be slightly uncomfortable. Both of her siblings followed closely behind, occasionally whispering unintelligible jokes to one another. One in particular leaves Daniela pausing in the hallway, hunched over laughing, with an unnerving edge of something else you couldn’t quite place. A backwards glance in her direction leads you to make eye contact with Cassandra, who gives you a knowing smirk. Deciding that you didn’t want to know what she had said, you turned back towards Bela, and stayed facing that way until you reached the dining hall.

Inside, Alcina was already sitting at the head of the table, in a chair that would have seemed a throne to anyone else. On either side of her are two more seats, far less ornate than her own. For a moment the sisters and you hesitate in the entranceway. Evidently they weren’t accustomed to this particular arrangement, unsure where to sit. It’s not until Bela clears her throat that Alcina speaks up.

“On my left, dear,” she says, eying her eldest daughter, before turning to you. “You may sit to my right. I trust that you’ll find this agreeable?” Well, you weren’t exactly about to argue with her, so yes, you found it agreeable. Even if it meant sitting across from the more ‘direct’ member of your opposition. Though perhaps ‘judge’ and/or ‘jury’ was a better word for the Dimitrescu daughters. Regardless, you were going to have to sit with them, and in the end it hardly mattered who was where. As such, you semi-awkwardly made your way to your seat, hoping that you’d eventually feel less out of place. Soon enough Cassandra takes the spot next to you, giving you a concerning smirk as she does. What did she have planned? Before you can even contemplate her intentions, her mother is talking again, drawing both of your attention towards herself. “Splendid. I’m glad to see that you’re already finding your place here.”

It’s not hard, you think, when you’re directing my every step. Despite your biting internal commentary, you do not speak out loud, merely giving a polite smile and nod. Across from you, Bela gives her mother an affectionate expression before fixing you with a subtle disapproving look. Taking some small comfort in the fact that she wasn’t being openly hostile, you forced yourself to keep smiling, meeting her gaze with as much confidence as you can muster. Within moments both of you have your attention drawn elsewhere, thankfully, as servants begin carrying in various food platters. Most of the dishes appeared to be perfectly normal. But looks could be deceiving, and you knew that at least a handful had to contain less “traditional” ingredients. They remembered to cook something normal for me, right?

Soon enough your fears are somewhat alleviated, as one of the servants places an already filled plate in front of you. Admittedly you don’t recognize xer, despite xer oddly silver hair, or the red bandana xe wore. Something told you that xe wasn’t just another maiden, however, especially with the way xe brazenly made eye contact with each of the Dimitrescus. Before you could inquire about xer, you’re distracted by the arrival of Juniper, who instantly smiles when she sees you. In her arms she carries the last two side dishes and several empty plates, which the unknown servant gently takes from her. Together the two of them set the final items into place. Wordlessly, the grey-haired person removes a notebook from xer back pocket, handing it to Juniper with the barest sliver of a smile. Clearly having done this more than once, she accepts it readily, opening it to a bookmarked page.

“My Ladies, and our dearest, most esteemed guest, I present to you another fine selection of traditional Romanian dishes, for your sincere enjoyment. Today we will be drinking one of our more popular styles of wine, known as Febris Amatoria, meaning ‘fever of love’ in Latin,” she reads, only somewhat shakily. Next to her, the stranger inclines xer head to your employers, then does the same to you. At this point you have to assume that xe doesn’t speak, and that Juniper was serving as a translator of sorts. “Due to the unexpected nature of our guest, the dishes are not clearly marked in regards to their ingredients. You have my- as in Mx Caldwell- assurance that this will be handled by the next standard mealtime, where the shared dishes will be color coded. In the meantime, I- again, Mx Caldwell- will remain here, in order to prevent any… unintentional ingestion of human remains.” Gulping, Juniper returns the notebook to the stranger (Caldwell, apparently), then exits the room alongside the other servants.

“Isn’t Febris Amatoria also another name for a type of anemia?” Bela asks, slowly swirling the contents of her glass as she does. Caldwell, who had moved to stand several feet behind Alcina, gives a nod in response, and appears mildly amused.

“A clever allusion to our family’s nature, isn’t it? I know Daniela has certainly drained a number of ‘lovers’ over the years, perhaps causing a case or two,” Cassandra teases, much to her younger sister’s irritation. Personally you were surprised that she was willing to admit such a thing in front of her mother. Unless you were reading too much into the word ‘lovers’, due to the rumors you had heard regarding Lady Daniela. Nonetheless, the Lady in question is aggravated enough to sit up, looking ready to lunge across the table at Cassandra. As soon as Daniela moves (with frightening speed), her sister easily catches her wrist, using her other hand to wave a finger back and forth. “Ah, ah, ah, Dani, we have a guest. Do try to behave yourself.”

“Oh, because you’re the epitome of table manners? I’m amazed you haven’t already managed to spill wine all over your dress,” Daniela counters, before ripping her arm away from Cassandra. They both huff, but are quick to quiet down when their mother sends them a look. “Dinner looks delectable, as usual, Ava,” Daniela continues, after clearing her throat, accentuating the end of her sentence with a gesture of her wine glass. Then she takes a long drink from it, perhaps thinking that a little intoxication might make the evening easier to get through. Deciding that maybe she had the right idea, you take a sip from your own glass, relishing the subtle hint of lavender.

In the minutes that follow, things slide into easy comfort. Caldwell once more moves closer to the table, helping pass along side-dishes from person to person, quietly pointing out which ones you could safely consume, occasionally chuckling in response to the jokes that the daughters shared. A strange warmth built itself up within the center of your chest, heart yearning for age-old memories of your own family. Three months had passed since the last time you felt this way. Really, it felt so much like family that you didn’t catch the way Cassandra’s lips twitched into a smirk, or the way she met Bela’s gaze, or the way she pushed a dish just a tad further towards you than necessary. All it had taken was a single second of your gaze turned elsewhere… then you were reaching for the castle’s special variety of forbidden fruit.

“Ayye, nyet, nyet!” Caldwell snaps, voice oddly strained, hand wrapping around your wrist in an instant. All eyes are on you now, though Alcina’s soon flicker over to the servant. “Cass. Bad girl,” xe continues, going so far as to shake xer finger disapprovingly. Understandably, you’re rather shocked to see a butler be so bold with someone so dangerous. Even more shocking is the way that Cassandra backs down without a hint of a fight, refusing to meet her mother’s steely gaze, not even pretending that she hadn’t attempted to trick you. Satisfied with this outcome, Caldwell wordlessly fades back into the background.

Although you had almost committed an unwilling act of cannibalism, you managed to slowly relax again, content to listen in on (but not participate in) the conversations around you. ‘Twas somewhat awkward, admittedly, to be the odd one out in a family so close. Yet a part of you had gained a new sense of hope by meeting Caldwell. After all, if a human such as xerself could become so close as to chastise Cassandra of all people, why couldn’t you?

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

“Once again, I would like to… apologize, on behalf of my daughters,” Alcina says, rather softly, still keeping a gentle hand on your back to guide you along. “I must admit, I do not wish to dwell on what might have happened if not for Avaskian.”

“Believe it or not, I think I actually understand where they’re coming from. Though, of course, I am also grateful for Caldwell’s intervention. But really… your family has been together for several decades now, right? Any addition is guaranteed to stir things up,” you respond with a shrug. “Besides, I’m more than aware that I don’t exactly stand at the same level as your other romantic interest.” Suddenly both of you are halting in the middle of the hallway, unable to meet each other’s gaze, regret rumbling like butterflies in your stomach. You hadn’t intended to bring up your soulmate’s somewhat obvious affections for Mother Miranda.

“Hmm. So you are… aware of that,” Alcina murmurs, finally turning her head to look down at you. There’s no small amount of pain in her eyes, though you can tell she’s holding as much of it in as possible. “I would prefer it if we did not speak of this. I do hope you have no qualms with that.” For once, there is no hint of force or commanding edge to her tone. For once, she is letting you act as an equal, the first step towards actually accepting your role as her soulmate. It’s enough to make the corners of your lips turn up, if only for a moment.

“Alcina… I understand. I merely want to say that it won’t affect how I feel, or how I act. Love is a blessing, even when it ends in pain. I… have loved before. People whom I will never see again, people who never felt the same way, and maybe people who I really only thought that I loved. I’m trying to think of those experiences as lessons. Situations that taught me something about myself, or about what love is, that I can keep in mind and use going forward. Just as I promised to your daughters, I will try to love you. I will give you an honest chance, regardless of our past circumstances. Because we’re soulmates. Because this is the world offering us a shot at something amazing, and I’m not about to give that up,” you explain, placing one of your hands in Alcina’s. For a moment there’s silence, but you see both surprise and happiness in her expression. Still, there’s a hint of tension remaining in the air, so you do your best to dispel it. “Also your daughters threatened to kill me if I didn’t, and I’d hate to perish before lasting a full year here. I heard a rumor that one of the senior staff members makes cards to celebrate.”

Next thing you know, you’re hearing a beautiful sound, a light, genuine laugh from Alcina, who all at once releases the tension in her shoulders.

“Yes, I do believe Ava, or Caldwell as you said, still makes those. Always with strange little drawings of felines…” She trails off, voice fading into another chuckle, before at last resuming her walk, never letting go of your hand. “As much as I have enjoyed our chat, I do believe it is about time that I retire for the night. We will see each other once more in the morning. For now, I bid you goodnight. Sleep well, my dear.” With that, the two of you arrive at the entrance to the servants’ quarters, and you find just enough courage to bring her hand to your lips, for a brief kiss.

“Goodnight, Lady Alcina. May your dreams be as sweet as your company.”

#alcina dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #resident evil: village #re8 village #j has ocs #avaskian caldwell

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euterpessi · 3 years

Text

Romance Manhwa/Manga Recommendations:

Historical Manhwa/Manga:

Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess

I’ve reincarnated as the reverse harem game’s villainess, the one and only adopted daughter of the ducal Eckart family.

But the difficulty just has to be the worst!

Everything I do will only lead me to death.

I must be paired with one of the main male characters from the heroine’s harem before the ‘real daughter’ of the duke family appears!

Two older brothers who always pick a fight with me on every little thing.

The insane crown prince whose route will always lead to my death.

‘I only see the heroine and no one else’s wizard, and also her loyal slave knight, too!

‘First, let’s take some of them which I see no hope in, out of the list!’

“I didn’t know my place up until now. From now on, I’ll live as quiet as a mouse so you wouldn’t care the slightest bit!

But why do their interests in me keep on rising every time I draw the line?!

The Villainess is a Marionette

Cayena, the Imperial Princess, was known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire. She was a woman who knew nothing but evil and luxury.

However, she was destined for ruin: she would be used as a chess piece by her younger brother to secure his throne and killed by her crazy husband.

“I’ll make you the Emperor.”

“… Sister, are you referring to me?”

“In exchange, give me freedom.”

She had to change things before she became that Cayena.

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’S Mansion

Poisoned to death by her own betrothed?! Eunha didn’t wake up in a novel’s story just to get killed off again as an unfortunate extra! To change her story she needs a cover… 6 months pretending to be the fake fiancée of the novel’s male protagonist, Duke Noah Wynknight. But will this cold-hearted, angel-faced demon of a man really help her avoid another ill-fated ending?!

Your Throne / I Want to Be You, Just For A Day

The story follows main characters Medea Solon and Psyche Callista, who become archenemies after competing for the position of crown princess of the Vasilios Empire. On the day of the Yearly Prayer, Medea and Psyche accidentally switch bodies.

The Remarried Empress

Navier was the perfect empress, however, the Emperor wanted a wife, not a colleague. And so, the Emperor abandoned Empress Navier and placed an enslaved girl beside him. That was fine until Navier heard the Emperor promise the slave the Empress’ position. After many ups and downs, Navier decided she would accept being the Queen of the neighbouring country and remarry.

Kill The Villainess

Eris Mizerian was the villainess of a novel. The only daughter of a marquis, she got executed after scheming against the pure and lovely protagonist, Helena. My only goal, after possessing her, is simply to leave this world and go home. I am prepared to face even death, but the laws of this world keep stopping me.

A changed Eris begins to draw the attention of three men who once loathed her; the Crown Prince, the High Priest, and the Knight.

"It doesn't matter. I will never be able to love this world."

Even if the only way out is death,

even if the only way out is make a deal with a witch...

I will absolutely leave this world!

This is the story of the villainess who defies fate, Eris, and her escape from this world!

The Way To Protect The Female Lead's Older Brother

I accidentally took possession of someone in a 19+ reverse harem novel.

The problem is that I became Roxana Agriche, the older sister of the sub-villain. My damn father kidnapped the heroine’s brother. Now, is the only thing left to meet a terrible end from the vengeance of the heroine?

But what if I can avoid that horrible development?

“I’m also interested in this toy.”

“I’ll protect you until you can get out of here safely.”

The heroine’s brother, Cassis Pedalian, will definitely be able to pay me back later.

Shadow Queen

“Can you be my daughter for me?”

By his offer, Elena became Duke of Franceschi’s fake daughter.

She became the queen and gave birth to Crown Prince’s son.

Then suddenly, Princess Veronica who was assumed dead came back.

She was only just a toy.

But eventually, Elena gets her son taken and is murdered.

However, she went back to the past.

“I’ll destroy all of you.”

I’ll never live as a toy again.

Elena decides to seeks revenge.

Under the Oak Tree

The daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, married a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion.

After their first night, her husband departed for an expedition without another word.

He comes back three years later, this time as a famous knight in the whole continent.

How would Maximilian face him on his return?

"The more I think of you, the more lonely and lonely I become. I don't know why I can't quit even though it's so painful."

I'm Stanning The Prince

Angela’s fanfic became such a sensation that it even reached the Imperial Family, leading her to get arrested on charges of treason. Nevertheless, her fanfic improved the First Prince’s image, and his sister, the Princess, decides to take political advantage of this and keep Angela by their side.

The heroine who can now fangirl to her heart’s content, and the Prince who doesn’t know how to act around her. As they bicker back and forth, they start growing closer…

Miss Not-So Sidekick

Hyejung loved to read to escape her daily stress. But that’s before she woke up inside the bizarre world of her favorite novel! Instead of the main heroine who courts three eligible men, she is now Latte Ectrie – a minor villain that everyone hates?! One way or another, it’s a chance to live out her most beloved storyline, with popcorn in hand to watch all the drama! Taking charge of the narrative takes on a whole new meaning!

Even Though I’M The Villainess, I’ll Become The Heroine!

I wasn’t able to overcome the harassment and took my life, but I was reincarnated with the perpetrator? The perpetrator is the heroine, Florre, and I am the villainess, Dahlia, who’s going to die horribly.

“They said you are a villain with neither blood nor tears, but unlike the rumors, you often shed tears.”

“Your Highness must believe all the nonsense the idiots are talking about, huh?”

Grand Duke of Cervian, the half brother of the Male lead and who will be punished for treason afterwards. He approached me. I can’t lose the man who will be my greatest ally.

“Your Highness, would you marry me?”

“Now…… what did you say?”

“And take revenge together.”

A similar situation, a fixed ending. The heroine is not the only one who knows the ending of the novel. I took a long and arduous path of revenge.

Who Made Me A Princess

The beautiful Athanasia was killed at the hands of her own biological father, Claude de Alger Obelia, the cold-blooded emperor! It’s just a silly bedtime story… until one woman wakes up to suddenly find she’s become that unfortunate princess! She needs a plan to survive her doomed fate, and time is running out. Will she go with Plan A, live as quietly as possible without being noticed by the infamous emperor? Plan B, collect enough money to escape the palace? Or will she be stuck with Plan C, sweet-talking her way into her father’s good graces?!

The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass

With the marriage of her prostitute mother to the Count, Aria’s status in society skyrocketed immediately. After leading a life of luxury, Aria unfairly meets death because of her sister Mielle’s schemes. And right before she dies, she sees an hourglass fall as if it were a fantasy. And just like that, she was miraculously brought back to the past.

“I want to become a very elegant person, just like my sister, Mielle.”

In order to face the villainess, she must become an even more wicked villainess. This was the new path Aria chose to take revenge on Mielle who murdered both her and her mother.

The Evil Lady's Hero

Junipe Magnolia, a villainess friend of the heroine in this novel called Rael Cania.

The Junipe inside the novel has always loved the male lead, Iseed. To the point where she harassed Rael out of jealousy because she's loved by Iseed.

And thus, Junipe is destinied to die in the hands of the male lead of this novel.

But one day.

"Why did I become Junipe?!"

But let's think about it, it's still one year away from the time Junipe is going to get killed by Iseed. So, I have to meet Iseed and Rael first, I'll be able to find a way out of my death if I do so.

Yeah, let's meet them first!

But, this man is just so tender-hearted and kind. Would Junipe be able to escape from this man?!

I Tamed a Tyrant and Ran Away

God gave me a chance to relive my life. Before the rebirth, I had been used for the past 400 years as the empire's sword. And so, I swore to destroy the empire. I found the young prince of the country and became his teacher. I taught him how to become a tyrant and asked for the country.

"I will do the lady's will."

He conquered the whole empire for me, and I ran away.

"I came to take you, Charlize Ronan." Dylan became a perfect tyrant and searched the entire empire for me.

"You tamed me, so why did you run away?"

Untouchable Lady

“Please, Hilise. Please die in place of Gabrielle.” My always dignified brother begged me for the first time. He wants me to die for our stepsister, whom we don't even share a drop of blood with. “For the first and last time, I ask you this.” I've always been miserable, and there is no exception this time. The seventh time that I was betrayed and killed, I was completely free of lingering feelings. “I'm glad that you're a scumbag until the end.” I won't be swayed by love anymore. It's my turn to abandon them first.

I’ll Live On As A Villainess

I reincarnated as the villainess in a book!

The one who dared to commit attempted murder on the heroine is the owner of this body?

Let's just live in a quiet place where we have fun and eat! That's what I thought for a while.

It was so, so, so cold here in the north, where I was kicked out as a punishment.

Before I froze to death, I called the Great Demon of Fire and set fire to the fireplace but...

Why isn't he going back? If you've done the job, shouldn't you go back?!

I was flustered to find out that I had signed a life contract with a demon just to start a fire but to think that I'd be responsible for relieving his desires!

The bickering romance between a big puppy demon and a small villainess lady!

It Looks Like I’Ve Fallen Into The World Of A Reverse Harem Game

When I opened my eyes, I was in a different world. I had become the game’s villainous princess who was feared by all. Not to mention… Completely naked men I didn’t even know were approaching me left and right! “Are you cold? Shall I warm you up with a hug?” “Oh? Have you not had enough yet?” Seriously, what’s up with this situation? And just how the hell am I going to get out of this freaking game?!

Father, I Don't Want to Get Married!

I’m Jubelian? The daughter of the duke and the villainess of this novel?

I managed to avoid my death with some previous knowledge about my life, as this was my second time at it. Now, I should be able to live a peaceful life!

“I’m not going to marry a man unless he has everything. I want the most wealthy, famous, and competent man there is.”

I dreamt of a glamorous life as the daughter of the duke, but my father tells me the Crown Prince who is known to be a lunatic is to be my husband! As an extraordinary measure, I couldn’t help but start a contract relationship. That is, with a handsome side character that looks better than the main one.

“Why are you trying to avoid being engaged to the prince?”

“He’s scary. I heard that he even kills his own entourage if he doesn’t like them.”

A few days later, the prince sent a terrible letter to me.

“I will not kill you.”

Oh no, did I set up another death trap for myself?

Like A Wind On A Dry Branch

"Hi, You."

Count Casarius fell victim to a plague and died suddenly, leaving behind a will stating that Rietta, his beautiful young widow of the manor, whom he tried to use as a concubine, be buried alive alongside him. Just before Rietta is buried, Archduke Axias, rumored to be a cruel tyrant, arrives at the funeral to collect the enormous debt Count Casarius still owes him.

“Everyone here seems to feel sorry for her, and I still have a debt to collect from Casarius… If I take her instead of debt, I think all of you here should be happy," he smiled.

"Hello, Temptress."

Everything was a Mistake

Roa Valrose reincarnated as villainess in the book. In order to avoid the fate of being burned at the stake, she approaches the hero, Nocton Edgar.

It hurts every time she gets closer to him. Nevertheless, for her survival, she does everything he wants her to do.

“Come again, Valrose.”

The mysterious Nocton unexpectedly sought her out every day.

Then one day, her friend for 10 years says something unknown to her.

“Actually, I have a dream. The Duke of Edgar is a terrible villain!”

He is not the hero, but the villain?

As soon as she realized that she had misinterpreted the role, she decided to get away from Nocton.

“Let’s not meet anymore.”

But the villain’s reaction was strange.

“Don’t go. You’ve always been special to me.”

She was suspicious of his sudden change of attitude.

Will she able to get rid of Nocton safely?

I Became the Tyrant's Secretary

I became the secretary of a tyrant in place of my clumsy brother to survive.

But I have so much potential for it. I’m so darn good at my job. Because I served the tyrant so well, ‘Everyone has a happy ending’.

Well then, shall I quit being a secretary and live a leisurely life now?

“Rosaline, tell me what you want.” He asked as he stepped down from his chair.

“I want to quit.”

His eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Do you want to die?”

Your highness, you never hold on to people who want to leave, so why’re you being like this to me?

Seduce the Villainess Father

After being in a bus crash, I woke up to the world of my favourite web novel.

Not only that, It was before the protagonists were born, to their parents’ world!

To stop the incoming multiple bad events.

I tried to prevent the kidnapping of the sister who is pregnant with the female lead!

But I got kidnapped instead?!

It's depressing to be kidnapped, but my body couldn't handle the mana and became a sunfish-like state

But... if I am next to the emperor who kidnapped me, my body becomes normal!

Right! The way to save that man from marrying a witch and getting killed by his son, and for someone who is vulnerable to mana such as myself to live, is for us to get married!

The Villains Savior

Set on a path to tragedy and misfortune from a young age, Aseph Randell is doomed to die a villain. That is, until the mysterious Elzay Tiathe appears in his life with a promise: "I can save you." After having vivid visions of him for so long, can Elzay untangle the twisted fate tied to Aseph... or will they both be dragged down together?

Contemporary Manhwa/Manga:

Night Crying Crow

This woman; who is she?

If something was action, it'd be action. If something was romance, it’d be romance. The A-list actor Cheon Woo Kang, who's great at every (genre), had his heart stolen away by an unknown woman who’d broken into his house!

“We'll meet again.~"

Woo Kang contracted an over imaginative illness as he drew the woman, whose name he didn't even know. In front of Woo Kang, she reappeared as the police officer Park Tae... Could the shadow of the crisis that appeared in front of them be a coincidence?

Raise wa Tanin ga Ii

Yoshino Somei would have been a normal high-schooler if not for the fact that she is the granddaughter of the leader of the Osaka-based Somei Group, the Kansai region's largest yakuza organization. One day, Yoshino hurries home after hearing of the news about the unification of Kansai and Kanto's biggest syndicates, the Somei and the Miyama groups. This, according to the article, will result in a marriage of the leaders' grandchildren—one of whom is Yoshino herself! Despite her best efforts to annul the arrangement, Yoshino has to go to Tokyo to visit her fiancé, Kirishima Miyama, who is unexpectedly nice and charming.

During their first meeting, Yoshino is swept up in various events and becomes unable to refuse moving to Tokyo, which is why, half a year later, she now lives with the Miyama group. At school, she soon realizes that Kirishima is very popular, so her relationship with him garners the hate of his fangirls and subsequently results in bullying. To make matters worse, Kirishima could not be further away from her prince charming since he, after all, was born to be a yakuza member.

Raise wa Tanin ga Ii follows Yoshino and her new life in Tokyo that is filled with nothing but troubles connected to the underworld. However, though she wishes to be as far from it as possible, this isn't Yoshino's first time dealing with the world of the Yakuza...

Positively Yours

To Hee-won’s dismay, the BFF she crushed on and her other BFF are now dating! Seriously bummed, Hee-won decides to go wild just one time, and find solace with a handsome stranger. A very satisfying one night affair has now turned into more — she’s pregnant! Fate brings them together again, and now the regimented Doo-joon is determined to do the right thing and marry her. But they’re basically strangers! Except... their bodies have been very intimately acquainted. What’s this mother-to-be to do?

True Beauty

After binge-watching beauty videos online, a shy comic book fan masters the art of makeup and sees her social standing skyrocket as she becomes her school’s prettiest pretty girl overnight. But will her elite status be short-lived? How long can she keep her real self a secret? And what about that cute boy who knows her secret?

Cheese In the Trap

Hong Sul is a ordinary college student. Yoo Jung is the school's most popular upperclass man. He's good looking, rich, smart, and even nice. However, Hong Sul thinks there's more to Yoo Jung than what meets the eye…

SPY x FAMILY

The master spy codenamed has spent his days on undercover missions, all for the dream of a better world. But one day, he receives a particularly difficult new order from command. For his mission, he must form a temporary family and start a new life?! A Spy/Action/Comedy about a one-of-a-kind family!

Doppio Senso (18+)

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about a guy.”

KyungHyun stopped in the middle of a deep kiss and sighed. His lips began to form a smile, but his fierce glare said otherwise. Possessiveness and jealousy spread across his sculpted face.

“Will you tell me his name?”

His easygoing and languid voice reached her ears.

“Why?”

“So that I can shoot him down.”

317 notes · View notes

fridayfirefly · 3 years

Text

Lavender for Tranquillity, Pink Aster for Love

Read Lavender for Tranquillity, Pink Aster for Love on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 16 - Magic

“Here's your drink."

"Thank you," Marinette said with a smile, setting the coffee mug down next to her textbooks. She was doing some last-minute studying for her upcoming Herbology final, and the coffeeshop sandwiched between the Business Department and the Herbology Department was her favorite spot to study.

Setting down her pen, Marinette picked up the coffee cup and took a long sip. Immediately she knew something was wrong. The entire taste of the drink was wrong, and not in a subtle way, as if the barista used an incorrect ingredient. Marinette had ordered a plain vanilla lavender latte, but this drink was something entirely.

The shock of adrenaline through her veins hit Marinette like a bus. Not only had she been given the wrong drink, but she had also been given a drink infused with an alertness charm that had her breath shortening and her hands vibrating from the extra energy.

On shaky legs, Marinette stood up and walked over to her waitress. "Excuse me," Marinette said apologetically. "But I think you gave me the wrong drink. I ordered a vanilla lavender latte."

The waitress's eyes widened as she saw Marinette's shaking hands. "Oh no! I gave you the chai latte infused with an extra-strength alertness charm."

Marinette couldn't identify the drink by taste, but given that her heart was racing as if she had just finished a marathon, the extra-strength alertness charm sounded about right. "Yep."

"I am so sorry about the mixup. Your drink will be free, of course, and you can have anything you want on the house. It's my first day, and I was supposed to take this to take four but I took it to table fourteen - that it, your table - by accident."

"It's alright. Everyone makes mistakes. I'll have my vanilla lavender latte, as well as two blueberry muffins - one for me and one for the person at table four, the one was also involved in the drink mixup.

The waitress nodded eagerly, obviously relieved that Marinette hadn't gotten angry at her. "Of course. I'll bring everything to your table momentarily.

Glad that the mixup was over, and still buzzing from the effects alertness charm, Marinette went back to her table to continue studying. Having grown up in a bakery all her life, Marinette knew the different herbs and flowers well. She grew up eating lavender cookies when she was anxious and passionflower icing right out of the mixing bowl when she needed comforting.

Marinette read the words out loud off the page, cementing them into memory. "Wormwood for divination, juniper for protection, passionflower for contentment, aster for patience, lavender for peace and tranquillity, roses for love and affection."

"Excuse me."

Marinette looked up from her textbook to see a young man standing beside her table. "Can I help you?"

He uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to apologize for the drink mixup. I'm sure that my extra-strength alertness charm wasn't what you were expecting."

Marinette realized that he must be the other participant in the drink mix-up, the one whose alertness charm she drank. "No worries. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was an accident."

The man nodded. "I also wanted to thank you for the blueberry muffin. It was a nice gesture."

"Oh, you're welcome..." Marinette trailed off, pausing the conversation for him to introduce himself.

"Timothy Drake, but you can call me Tim. And you are?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Are you a student at Gotham University?"

Tim nodded. "Yep. I'm in my junior year. I assume you go here as well, though I don't think I've ever seen you around before. What's your major?"

"I'm a sophomore fashion major, with a specialization in Thread Magic. Also, a Herbology minor, which I know is an odd choice. What about you?"

"I'm double majoring in Business and Charms, so I know all about odd choices."

"Take a seat," Marinette offered. "If you explain your odd choice in majors, I'll explain mine."

"Sure." Tim smiled at her. "A business major was the practical choice for me, as I always planned on taking over my family business. I guess I was getting a little sick of the practical choice, because I couldn't quite shake my interest in magical academia. That was what led me to the Charms Department. I never intended to major in Charms, until I found out that I had nearly all of the required credits to add a Charms major to my diploma."

"I understand all about mixing practical with completely impractical. I've known since I was young that I was gifted in Thread Magic. I used to embroider sigils into all of my clothes. It was a natural choice, choosing to become a Fashion major, because it allowed me to pursue thread magic as a career. Then, one day during freshman orientation when I was exploring campus I wandered into one of the greenhouses. I was instantly enthralled, as if it was fate for me to work there. I bribed my academic advisor with homemade cookies to let me drop my Potions elective to take Intro to Herbology, and ever since then I've been working in the Herbology department."

"That's not the oddest reason," said Tim. "Sometimes magic drives us to do things we don't quite understand. You just have to go with it."

"Hmm," Marinette hummed in agreement. She let her mind wander for a moment until she realized that she was staring at his lips. She tore her eyes away from them, instead, fixing her gaze on her latte. "So why did you need to extra-strength alertness charm anyway? Finals week all-nighter?"

Tim nodded. "I stayed up all night studying because I had two finals this morning, and in twenty minutes I'm getting a ride back home to my family's house for a big family dinner. Trust me, I would prefer a nap to an alertness charm, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"You know what's better than an alertness charm?"

"What?"

"Some fresh air," Marinette smiled. "If you'd like, I could take you on a tour of the Herbology greenhouses."

Tim's face brightened up. "Sure, I would love that."

Marinette finished the rest of her latte and returned the mug to the front of the coffeeshop. She and Tim then left the coffeeshop in the direction of the Herbology greenhouse. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and Marinette could feel the call of the magical plants deep within her bones. That was Marinette's favorite part of being a Green Witch - the connection she felt to nature was indescribable, but when she did try and describe it to her friends and family, she emphasized that it felt incredibly right.

"Herbology was the subject you were studying for in the coffeeshop, right?" asked Tim.

Marinette nodded. "Yep. I was just reviewing some notes. I'm still a little nervous about it, but I don't think I can study any more than I already have."

"I hope you do well."

Marinette blushed. "I really hope so. If I get a good enough grade in the course, I might be able to get a position on the Herbology Department research team. It's very selective, though. They only take two students from each year."

Marinette and Tim walked up the stairs to the front doors of the greenhouse. Marinette opened up the doors and let the warm, humid air wash over her. "I could just live here forever, and never leave," she said with a smile.

Tim tugged at his shirt collar. "It's a little too humid for my taste."

Marinette shook her head. "That's what I thought at first too, but you get used to it. Eventually, the humidity stopped being annoying and started reminding me of all of the positive feelings that I associate with the greenhouse. Even if it does still make my hair frizzy."

Just as Marinette was about to start her tour of the greenhouse, a timer went off on her phone. "Oh!" She exclaimed, pulling it out of her back pocket. "My final starts in ten minutes. I guess I thought I would have more time to show you around."

Tim shook his head. "It's no problem. I have to leave soon anyway, to catch a ride back to my family's house. They drive me nuts, but they're family," Tim said with a shrug.

"Here, how about we reschedule for some other time." Marinette grabbed a scrap of paper out of her backpack and wrote her phone number down on it.

"Sure." Tim pocketed the paper. "Do you live in the area?"

Marinette shook her head. "I'm an international student, from Paris. I won't be back in Gotham until next semester."

"That's a shame. I suppose I'll see you next semester, then."

"Oh wait, one last thing." Marinette plucked a blossom from the flowerbed beside her. "Pink aster, for patience. To help you put up with your family." Marinette smiled and tucked the flower behind Tim's ear.

"Thank you, Marinette."

"I'll see you soon, Tim." Marinette watched him leave the greenhouse and get into a car parked beside the coffeeshop. A question lingered in her mind. When she gave Tim the flower, was it to give him the patience to survive his family dinner or was it to give him the patience to wait for her to return to Gotham. Either way, what she had no excuse for was giving him, out of all the shades of aster growing in that flowerbed, the pink variety. Pink aster was, as Marinette knew well, the aster that symbolized love.

With a shake of her head, Marinette left the greenhouse. It was silly to think of love when she only just met him. Love at first sight never seemed to turn out well for Marinette. She would meet someone, fall head over heels in love with them, harbor an unrequited crush for months, and eventually admit her feelings, only to be shot down every single time. It was exhausting. Marinette's first rule when she came to Gotham was that she would never let someone crush her heart again.

Yet, Marinette couldn't shake the feeling that this time was different. There was a seed of hope buried deep inside of her that was telling her that something about Tim was different. Maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way about her.

As Marinette stepped into the Herbology lecture hall to take her final, her phone buzzed with a text alert. She turned her phone on and her face lit up with a smile when she saw who the text was from.

Unknown Number: Good luck on your final and good luck getting that research position! I can't wait to see you again next semester! (P.S. This is Tim)

Marinette had a good feeling about what was to come.

@maribatmarch-2k21

#maribat #timari #timinette #MaribatMarch2021 #marinette dupain-cheng #tim drake #magic au #modern magic au #college au #coffeeshop au #this fic is a mess of aus #miraculous ladybug fic #my work

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edda-grenade · 3 years

Photo

Sleep.

Adaar and Solas attempt fadewalking for the first time.

#feral verse, 2000 words. on AO3.

They were lying on a hilltop in the forest, on a fur to keep the cold of fall at bay. Well, Adaar was lying down—Solas had sat up to give her a curious look.

“You wish to leave?”

“No! I mean, yes, kinda—maybe—I don’t know.” She groaned and covered her face with her hands.

“You seem very happy, here,” he said, in that slow, careful way he had.

“I am! I am. I don’t want to leave my family, or this place, or you—”

“Me?” His voice cracked, just a little. Adaar glanced at him from between her fingers.

“Yes, obviously. I know you like to pretend you’re some lone wolf apart from all living creatures or whatever, but you’re my friend, alright? You’re not getting out of that so easily.”

“I don’t—pretend…” He sighed, his skin staining with blush, the faint freckles even fainter. His lips twitched like he was trying not to smile, until he gave up and his mouth crooked. Adaar loved it when that happened. She was pretty good at making it happen, too.

“You do not wish to leave, but?”

Now she sighed and clamped her hand over her eyes again. It was easier in the dark, unwatched.

“The world is so big and so full of things I don’t know,” she said softly, “and I want to learn everything.”

“Adaar…”

She hadn’t figured out if she loved that yet—the way he said her name sometimes, how he looked at her. Like she was the sun coming over the horizon, or a thunderstorm in the distance, or the wind dancing through the fields so hard it sang. At least that’s what she imagined the expression would look like on her face—an expression that was meant for immense and somewhat unfathomable things, not for a single person.

“There is a way I could show those things to you. Not all of them, of course—but more than what is accessible to you right now.”

Adaar sat up so quickly her head spun a little.

“I’m listening.”

He explained, and her head continued to spin, although for different reasons. Lucid dreaming, delving into the Fade like into a cave, how the deeper you went the older the memories imprinted upon the Fade would be…

It sounded ludicrous. Like magic, if she had never heard of it before. It sounded amazing.

“Can we just do that?” she asked. “Right now?”

Solas gave her another weird look; his eyes wide and searching for a brief moment.

“I—yes. Come with me.”

They left the little barren hilltop that poked above the forest behind and instead descended into the small cave Solas had chosen as his resting place. She’d tried often to convince him to join her family at the settlement, but he’d steadfastly refused every time. It didn’t bother her as much anymore—the cave looked more and more like an actual home these days, with a fire pit and cooking tools, shelves he’d carved out of the rock to hold utensils using a spell she hadn’t quite figured out yet herself, and a warm, dry place to sleep.

Solas had a ball of light bobbing in the air above his shoulder, and gazed down at the bedstead. It was cozy: a pallet of hay covered in cowhide, with a blanket and fur to keep warm in winter. It was also not nearly big enough for both of them. At least not if they intended not to share breathing space.

“There’s a bigger bed at home, you know,” Adaar said. “Actual walls and a door, too.”

“I would prefer to try it here. I have set the requisite wards quite often, and I’m familiar with the peculiarities of the Fade in this place.”

She shrugged, glancing around at the runes and sigils he had marked into the walls of the cave. “Yeah, makes sense. I’m just saying, you can get familiar with the farm, too. There’s space for you, it’s not a problem.”

“I’m aware, since you keep reminding me so diligently.”

“It keeps being true.”

She smiled a little at how that statement made his ears dip and his head turn away so she wouldn’t see his face. He cleared his throat.

“I have never… attempted to teach this to anyone else.”

“Because you didn’t want to, or because there was no one you could teach it to?” She hesitated, thinking of his arguments with Lavellan's Keeper. “Or because no one wanted to learn it?”

He let out a low breath. “All of the above,” he replied quietly, “at one point or another.”

Adaar slapped her hands together to resist the urge to hug him, then clapped her palms briefly onto his shoulders because not touching him at all was even more frustrating than being shrugged off. “First time for everything. How do we start?”

Solas showed her how to set the wards—they’d talked about spellwork like it before, but mostly in abstract terms. It took a good while, because she kept stumbling over new questions, like how specific a ward could be, how permanent, how big a space it could cover… They were halfway into designing one that might be used to keep beetles out of the grain, until they managed to get back to the task at hand.

She settled on the bedstead with crossed legs while Solas puttered about by the fire pit and brewed a concoction he insisted wasn’t tea to help them fall asleep. Then she got up again and started pacing, as much as was possible, because her legs were too jittery to sit still. She was just glad most of the cave was high enough that she didn’t have to stoop—she halted, gazing at the stone close above her.

“Solas, did you shape the ceiling, too?”

“What do you mean?”

“The rock here has a different texture.” She reached up to touch it and closed her eyes, searching for that low echo of past magic—and found it. “And it’s been worked with magic.”

“…A little. It is not your fault you are so tall.”

A smile bit into her cheeks. “Aw, that’s sweet.”

“It was a practical consideration,” he muttered, but he didn’t sound like he was actually put out. “You insert yourself into others’ spaces inevitably, it was only a matter of time until you would find your way into this one.”

“That almost sounds like a criticism.”

“An observation. Foremost.” He handed a steaming cup of the not-tea to her, then sipped from his own. She breathed in the smell—chamomile, juniper, and something spicy she didn’t recognize—then exhaled a bit of frost across it to cool it down before taking a sip.

Solas was watching her when she looked up from the cup.

“Something wrong?”

“No, it is simply… nice, to see how certain magic has become easier for you.”

“The frost? Yeah, I barely have to think about it anymore.” She blew a puff of snow into his face to demonstrate. Solas startled, grimacing, and wiped the rapidly-melting crystals from his cheeks.

“Sorry,” Adaar said, very earnestly. “Couldn’t resist.”

He shook his head and grumbled something in Elvish, but he was smiling again. That small, helpless, trying-not-to smile. They finished their cups, put them aside, and regarded the bedstead again.

“I shall take the fur, next to the pallet,” said Solas.

“I thought the point was to fall asleep more easily? And to sleep more deeply?”

“Yes.”

“Then why make it harder on yourself? We just gotta… scrunch up a little, it’s gonna be fine.”

There was a long silence.

“I am not used to sleeping among other people,” Solas said finally, his tone even. He wasn’t used to other people—flesh-and-blood people, that was—in general, Adaar suspected, but she kept it to herself. Right now was probably a bad time to bring that one up.

“Alright, no spooning then,” she said instead and sat down and stretched out along one side of the bedding. Then she remembered she had to get rid of her shoes, untied them, and hucked them against an empty wall. Lying down, the scent of lavender became obvious amid the hay and fur; sprigs had been stuck to the corners to keep bugs away. She’d told him about that trick months ago.

It really was cozy; warm and inviting. She curled onto her side, drawing her feet up, and patted the mattress next to her. Slowly, Solas joined her, folding himself up so he took up even less space than usual. It was still a tight fit, especially since he tried to avoid any real contact beyond the brush of fabric.

“I will attempt to find you once we are dreaming,” he said. “With our current physical proximity it should be an easier task.”

“There’s really nothing else to it? We just fall asleep?”

“It is… difficult to put into words. Question your dreams, if you can. The key is to become aware—awareness begets agency, which in turn begets control.”

Adaar tugged the fur and blanket up to cover them. “Alright. Sleep well?” There was a flash of a smile on Solas’s face before he closed his eyes.

“I shall see you soon.”

It was not soon. Adaar’s mind refused to quiet, anticipation thrumming in her limbs. She kept shifting, unable to relax, and she worried she’d spend the entire night sleepless, when she finally woke up again to a dark, quiet cave.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, then? So was this the Fade? It didn’t feel different. She was sleepy and bleary-eyed just as she would be when waking up in the middle of the night, and a cursory examination of the cave with a bit of conjured light—a spell that behaved no differently than any previous time she’d used it—told her it looked exactly as it had when they had bedded down. Except…

Solas lay tucked against her front, his body warm, his breathing even. His temple rested against her collarbones and his folded legs leaned against her hips. He was curled up as he’d been before, but now it seemed less about making himself smaller, and more about fitting into the curve of her body.

Adaar stared into the darkness. That was… unexpected. Solas didn’t seek out physical contact. Sure, he usually melted into it for one or two seconds when it was offered before pulling away, but nothing like this.

Cautiously, she tried to brace herself on her elbow to get a better look, both at the cave and at him. She bit down on a sharp inhale when pins and needles erupted in the limb, breathing through it with care until the sensation passed. But even on a thorough second look, nothing changed. The cave was still the cave, nothing remotely immaterial about it, and Solas still slept soundly, curled up against her.

Part of her wanted to wake him up. Let him know it hadn’t worked, at least not yet, and try to figure out what might be changed, because merely the thought of consciously walking in the Fade was enough to make her heart beat faster.

But he looked so much younger in his sleep. His features softened and relaxed, like he might actually be at peace. Adaar wasn’t sure she had ever managed to catch him this unguarded. When they were together, it felt like he hardly stopped watching her.

She let out a small sigh and settled back down, gently wrapping one arm around his waist. Hopefully that wouldn’t upset him, if he woke up before her come morning. Right now at least, a soft, sleepy noise slipped from him, and he rolled even more thoroughly into her embrace.

#don't worry solas is gonna get slammed with the pining soon enough #feral verse #adaar #solas #saar gets her own tag #inquisitor x solas #soladaar #time for those tags to make a regular appearance in this verse :3c #art tag #fanart #fic tag #fic related #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #da:i

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rataltouille · 3 years

Text

HOUSE PLANTS, UPDATE 7

[novel intro can be found here]

HEY ACTUALLY I FINISHED THIS BOOK!

i don't want to get too sentimental [watch me proceed to get sentimental] but this book means a lot to me and i really could NOT have done it without the support of the wonderful folks on writeblr. the writing community is kind of the reason i even started this novel so it means a lot to me that i’ve met so many of y’all here. this is my first ever novel and i’m so glad i was able to make it so far! here are the final stats:

TOTAL WORD COUNT: 81,049 words.

STARTED: april 17, 2020

FINISHED: january 28, 2021

AVERAGE CHAPTERWISE WC: 3242

NUMBER OF CHAPTERS: 25

NUMBER OF TIMES LILITH SNAPS: 2

NUMBER OF TIMES LILITH SUFFERS: you know it’s too much to count.

the last month of writing this novel was so mixed. like before i hit the 70k mark i’d just been slogging through the novel, feeling uninspired and bored of the story. and then january hit and i was like. wait a minute. my deadline to finish it was the 31st of january. and so i basically startled myself into drafting again and then hit another wc milestone and that motivated me?? so much??? like i remember that drafting the penultimate chapter took me a pretty long time but it was so enjoyable because i was genuinely liking what i was writing and that hadn't been happening for the past few months. and then i wrote the entirety of the last chapter [it’s a vignette so it’s pretty short] for an hour until 1 am in my bed with the lights off and boom. it was such an experience. what makes it even more fun is that i’d drafted 75% of the book in my bed with the lights off at 1 am so this was such a nice full circle moment.

i’m also a little insane from all that lack of sleep but it’s okay we don't talk about that.

excerpts:

chapter twenty-one

this one’s a mix of the weirdest and most broad emotions. there’s a funeral in town, willow’s acting shadier than usual, lilith and juniper finally kiss, etc. etc. literally a rollercoaster. also it’s important that you guys know they kissed in a graveyard. nothing’s more romantic than that amirite.

Residual— that’s how we all felt. Just shells that wash away right before they touch land. We lingered like sleep at dawn, like medicine rimming the lip of cough syrup bottles, like fingerprints on fresh glass. There wasn't a permanence in the way we persisted, because eventually, one leaves their nest. They untether from the source in pursuit of the world. How would a dead girl do that? She won’t reside on the fringes of life like a bad dream.

god this prose is so depressing. even i’m getting sad over it and i’m literally an emotionless husk of a person. hey but the description slaps so enjoy.

also if you’ve noticed i’ve been sharing excerpts less and less in the updates despite the chapters being longer on length [these chapters average at like. 5k words] and that’s because i’m finding it harder to share stuff that doesn’t need context / isn't spoilery.

chapter twenty-two

ah yes the angstiest chapter, probably. something happens to willow that lilith blames herself for and this kicks off the final cluster of events that lead to the climax. i love this chapter because lilith gets angry [but at the wrong person aka herself] and we get to see this side of her she always tries to hide!! another thing that happens is that her garden withers so that’s a fun trip

My garden could have been a fallen kingdom. The ferns were rotting from under the flap, their spores gone. Gardenia blooms had split with their petals discarded like an evening gown all around the pots. The mint had binary fissioned and lay in shreds, the jasmine wilted and spread. All of them like war dolls, casualties of my ignorance, beyond saving.

poor garden :/

chapter twenty-three

this chapter. exists i guess. ISDNJSDUH i sound so disillusioned but essentially this chapter was supposed to end on a the ✨big reveal✨ that the book has been leading up to but then something. happened. and i had to move that into the next chapter and so nothing actually happens in this one! like it’s all important things and we’re setting up tension but overall it’s the least eventful of the final story arc.

We stepped together into our house; it had been abandoned for a day but was the exact same. Dust hadn't suddenly piled up in the threshold, sticking to our soles. The air hadn't musted over in the house’s grieving for its sole occupants. The bathtub was still filled. The water skimmed the floor, and I’d decided. I’d stay with you for the whole week, the fortnight, the month, the year. I’d stay inside with you, because me leaving the house, me choosing to spend any second of my life without caring for you, was a mistake. I’d always seen you as fragile, quiet like moth wings and just as delicate. Maybe I’d needed to feel I was protector just as much as I thought you needed me.

i really like this excerpt because it’s very simple and light in terms of prose but also the implications and that purposeful telling at the end really stick with me. exposing lilith since 2k20.

As morning rose the next day, like a curtain lifting, the sun picked itself up from the horizon, shattering cloudlines in a bright, orange glow. The skies got clearer by the hour as summer sauntered in again. Already the habits of my grounding were kicking in; my circadian rhythm bounded to my outside, too, as I instinctively scheduled and compartmentalized my daily life. First, wake up, check on you. Finish chores while making sure you’re alright. School, eaten with worry, but you're capable and you’ll call if you need help. Home, count your pulse as you inevitably slumped in plush sleep— at the coffee table, at the bathtub, in Aunt Hailey’s chair (rare), in your bedroom (rarer). You’d wake for dinner and read until the lights begin to dim and your eyesight tripped. You’d doze off for the rest of the night. Your internal clock was more functional, more efficient, than mine.

obligatory rhythmic everyday life excerpt that's reminiscent of 2020.

chapter twenty-four

THE PENULTIMATE CHAPTER! THE LONGEST CHAPTER!! THE ONE WHERE SHIT GOES DOWN!!! [can you tell it’s my fave chapter]

this took me two whole weeks to draft [it’s around 7.2k words] but it was so enjoyable the whole time!! there’s something so satisfying about making the quiet character, the one who never express anger, finally snap. so satisfying. lilith is actually pretty feral in this and we all stan. it also has a lot of simpler yet more sharp prose? if you know me you know that repetition is literally my favourite device ever. i overuse repetition it’s actually insane. and this one has a lot of that, but in a way that isn't annoying, and i really enjoyed writing it!!

I’d never been in your bathtub before. You haunted the room and it was always yours; I didn’t consider running the tap for myself. Maybe your going out prompted me this time. The water was so high it sloshed over the lip of the tub. The floor was slick like eels’ skin. My skin was blue with cold; the chill gummed my cheeks and ears and I shivered. My reflection stared at me in hatred, the features warped and pulled like taffy. I half-floated, a ghost in liminal space, and the walls were choked with water lines and flower patterns. With my body invaded by alien frost, with the ceiling low and cruel and ready to crush, I cowered. How did you do this every day? Did the clothes make the difference?

lilith’s going through it again ft. willow’s bathtub.

after this it’s a lot of incredibly spoilery stuff!! like the prose slaps but it’s too many spoilers to share. but have another description of the heaviness of midnight because i’m obsessed with that aesthetic

The lock clicked behind me. Silence descended like birdsong and I was paralysed, stuck at the two half-stairs that led to the outer path, stuck at the threshold of no return. My body shook. All around me was nighttime, gooey and heavy. I was unfurling, like a rose, step after step, pushing past the gate and onto the road. The wind was so cold it frosted my tears.

btw the chapter does not end on lilith crying she kind of has a girlboss moment and snaps massively [i mean after all she’s been through she deserves it] and then the main story aka the fictive past ends.

chapter twenty-five

the final chapter, which also happens to be a vignette chapter and is thus set in the fictive present! it’s very short and is only one tiny scene but it really ends on the perfect tonal quality for the novel. i can't share any excerpts because it really is very short so! have this iconic screenshot i took as soon as i finished the draft instead:

[also if you were wondering yes i did type the entire novel [and basically everything i write] on my ipad because i don't own a laptop]

and that really is it! this was such an incredible journey and i’m so excited to share more of my newer writing and upcoming projects with y’all. it feels so weird that this really is the last time i’ll be making official posts about this novel. truly the end of an era.

house plants taglist: @discreet-writer @mp-golfin @jaydewritesfiction @writer-in-monochrome @magnus-s-writes @firesidefantasy @sugarlessbubblegum @theoldcity @n1ghth4wkz @remi-writes-sometimes @suninks @dreamybellatrixanvm @camusbf @fablemancy @isherwoodj @svpphicwrites @spillme @sunwornpages @bijouxs @asadlitficwriter @bookphobe @sirius-xthem @carlyiswriting @hekat-ie

general taglist: @lovingyou-is @haldimilks @andiwriteunderthemoon @coffeeandcalligraphy @shaelinwrites @tuoyu @charles-joseph-writes @eklavvya @wolf-oak @bitterwitchwrites @laughtracksonata @whatwordsdidnttouch @indeliblewrites @thenataliawrites @illimani-gibberish @sienna-writes @jennawritesstories @chloeswords @aelenko @keira-is-writing @cherylinanika @infinitely-empty-pages @jmtwrites @august-iswriting @sarahkelsiwrites @freedelusionbanana

tumblr is being. really really annoying and wont let me edit on the browser so i’ve got the 50 mentions per post mobile thing to deal with. the rest of the taglist will be tagged in a reblog!

#writeblr #am writing #crabappletracking #wtwcommunity #atlastracking #ofcolourtracking #house plants #house plants update #everybody say “goodbye house plants” as i yeet willow off a good somewhere #just ignore how i’ve actually finished the book and this update is a month late please and thank you <3

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anna-kendrick · 3 years

Note

hi this is the domestic bechloe fic rec anon !! i’m sorry to hear that ppl are trashing britt. poor unfortunate souls. i would let scarlet witch take away their memories and make them suffer. (sorry i’ve been obsessed with wandavision jdkdkdk) ANYWAYS. i was looking for domestic bechloe like with beca and chloe driving to get drive through food and like beca with her hand driving with her hand on chloe’s thigh or holding hands with her. and like asking her “what do you want baby” or like in general just beca saying “baby” bc i’m a huge softie for that shit 🥺🥺

yay! so glad you saw my post, i felt so bad when it disappeared!! haven't watched wandavision, but honeslty, wouldn't be mad if that did happen ;)

first, i'll link theresa's post because she already got a bunch of good ones! not sure if you're the same anon or not, but no harm in linking them twice!

now here are a few of my faves, not sure if they're exactly what you're looking for, but they definitely have some sweet and domestic moments throughout that are so so soft and worth reading for!

never grow up (winter wonderland)

by iphone / @beca-mitchell

Summary: A series of snippets—Beca and Chloe spend their holidays in Seattle. A rare heavy snowfall makes for baby Emma’s first white Christmas.

3 a.m.

by @redlance

Summary: Chloe isn't this kind of girl.

nothing has changed me quite like you

by @beca-mitchell

Summary: Chloe Beale and her shetland sheepdog, Juniper, make quite the pair. Set after PP3.

we will waltz once again

by wonderstruckk

Summary: or, how beca and chloe announce to the world that they just had a baby through a series of sneaky song recs and playlists.

lucky clover

by @beca-mitchell

Summary: Beca has been remiss in informing Chloe about her new roommate, so it's a surprise for everybody involved when Chloe visits Beca in L.A..

our first one

by bubblez4u

Summary: It’s been 9 months since they returned from the USO tour. It’s been 9 months and 25 days since they officially started dating after Beca confronted Chloe about Chicago. It’s also been 9 months and 15 days since Beca moved to Los Angeles. Since they can’t spend Valentine’s Day together, Beca does everything she can to make this one special for Chloe.

pull me close (show me baby where the light is)

by dumbacapellapotatoes (Bechloetrash)

Summary: They have a thing for showers, it seems. Four pivotal moments in Beca & Chloe's relationship that just so happen to take place in the shower.

through the lens (series)

by @suituuup

Summary: It’s not something she usually does; abandoning her responsibilities overnight or leaving her comfort zone. Yet, the credit card payment has been granted and the e-mail is sitting in her inbox. Looks like she’s leaving for Paris in less then thirty-six hours, with no return ticket. She simply needs to get away from it all. Famous!Beca, Photographer!Chloe

hopefully this gives you some more options! i will also link my carrd, which i've been trying to link all my favourite fics on (all separated by genre)

#ask #anon #fanfic #bechloe

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fandomwriterstuff · 3 years

Text

“Okay, crew,” Chief of Operations Annabeth Chase, a proud Minervan, held the attention of her group as she searched all of their eyes with her own piercing silver ones. “Our new First Officer, you’ve all met him. Peseus Jackson. I know at least two of you are friends with him, and Chief Science Officer DiAngelo is in an involved romantic relationship with him. I need the three of you to give us a run down on humanology so we can welcome our first and only human crew member appropriately and treat him well. My knowledge of humans is limited, but he’s not from the colonies in the Milky Way Galaxy, he’s from actual Terra,” she squeezed her face up in a common Minervan expression of distaste. “My knowledge of Terra is limited to this, which I will share with you now: Terra is a Class 2 Death Planet, humans are apex predators and the dominant species. They are reigned by the chemical imbalances in their brains and can be erratic in behavior because of it. However, despite these things, I have been advised to get a human on our team. So, Valdez, Underwood, DiAngelo: speak.” She leaned back, metallix skin glinting in the energy efficient lighting.

“First off, uh, humans are about a 2.2 on a food chain that goes to a level 5, so I wouldn’t call Percy an apex predator,” Grover Underwood, a satyr from outside the Milky Way Galaxy shuffled his hooved feet. “He’s actually a vegetarian-”

“What’s a vegetarian,” Annabeth cut in, narrowing her eyes.

“Um, well, most humans are omnivores and can eat both plant matter and animal flesh. But, because of personal choices, Percy only eats plant matter,” Grover explained.

“Humans can eat plant and animal matter?” Clarisse grunted.

“Their teeth and digestive systems have adapted to both, yes. But, again, Percy only eats plant matter, so not a scary apex predator. Plus, most humans don’t hunt anymore.”

“We’re getting off track,” Annabeth groaned. “But good to know about plant matter. Valdez, go.”

“Percy is awesome. We lived together in the academy. He is from New York City, where there are no true predators and also no real natural places, so he will adjust just fine to being on a ship for an extended period of time, but he does love his plants and having and caring for houseplants is statistically good for humans. Percy gives his names. So, we should make sure he has a leafy plant or a flower or something,” Leo added, and when DiAngelo nodded in agreement, Annabeth noted down to bring some Terran plants on board. “Also some humans have physical needs,” Leo tilted his head in confusion as he tried to explain it. “Percy uses exercise as a way to exorcise his mental demons, if you will.”

“Mental demons, is he ill? Possessed?” Annabeth cut in.

“No, but it’s how you said. They’re ruled by emotion. If we don’t have a therapist on board, he’ll need to exercise and train and use physical activity as an outlet. I suggest a training regimen with the tactical team,” Grover nodded to Clarisse, their Chief Tactical Officer.

“That can be arranged,” the Martian nodded in agreement.

“DiAngelo, anything to add?” Annabeth turned to their resident Plutonian, who shrugged his shoulders, his large black wings moving in sync with his gesture.

“If anything comes up, I’ll let you know. But if any of you make him feel uncomfortable I’ll make you regret it,” he raised a single eyebrow. His boyfriend was a big tough guy, but he was also a big softy who would pack-bond with a Roomba if he came across it.

“That’s not helpful. But thanks,” Annabeth clenched her hands.

“Oh, one thing,” Nico raised a finger. “Don’t mention that he’s from a Death Planet. Terrans don’t know they’re on a Death Planet. And it will freak him out. Don’t let him know.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Will Solace, their Chief Medical Officer squawked. “He doesn’t know he’s from a Class 2 Death Planet?”

“You don’t know you’re adaptable until you meet people who aren’t. And you don’t know you’re on a death planet until you leave it. He’ll figure it out, but don’t bring it up right away. Humans get flooded with negative hormones when their worldview is altered until they come to terms with it, and it would negatively affect his physiology and performance to be shocked like that,” Nico elaborated.

“Okay…” Annabeth sighed. “We’ll meet him tomorrow. I will see you all then and you better be on your most professional behavior.”

Nico smirked. It would surely be interesting. Everyone had preconceived notions and prejudices about humans and while Percy was a big and tough human who could kick your ass with one hand tied behind his back, he would also do anything for those he cared about and was a huge dork. And he definitely knew he was on a death planet.

So, when Percy arrived, and Nico had decorated his room with houseplants and blue blankets and decor, he was overjoyed. He would miss his Golden Pothos (lovingly named Billingsly), and his Snake Plant (William Snakespeare), and he was glad to still have plants in his life. Nico had even gotten him a plant light so they would stay alive!

He was glad to see Leo again, and Grover was his best bud so that was cool. He also got to meet Grover’s long time girlfriend Juniper, who was also a herbivore and lived solely on plant matter. The pilot, Jason Grace, was a Jovian who Percy had already formed a bro bond with, and he had taught Jason all about handshakes and high fives. He’d met Will Solace, the only person other than Nico who actually knew about human physiology. He did have to explain to Will that he had ADHD and dyslexia, so the CMO had decided to get some more Terran books on those to more adequately treat his patients. It was nice. Clarisse was a hard ass but Percy loved training with her. She taught him about more weapons than they even had at the Academy, and taught him hand to hand in various different styles.

Annabeth was confusing. Percy was convinced she didn’t like him, but he could also tell she was trying very hard not to offend him.

Probably because everyone was terrified of humans. Earth was the Australia of space after all. So, he knew that him smiling all the time was taken as a sign of aggression, like animals baring their teeth. He knew the laughter he so often emitted freaked others out because it was a non-translatable noise that nobody understood.

Percy knew they were trying, but they just didn’t know or care to know enough about Earth to understand him.

So, that’s how he ended up using plain water as a contact solution because he ran out of saline eight days ago. It’s not like he could ask Will if he could use medical grade saline for something so silly. So Percy sat in his commander chair and rubbed roughly at his eyes as they itched and fluttered.

“Commander Jackson, are you well?” Annabeth called from her position nearby, though it was loud enough for others to turn. He pulled his fists away from his reddened eyes and irritated skin.

“Oh, yeah. But my contacts have been bothering me. I ran out of solution and have been using plain old water to clean and store them in,” Percy sighed and rubbed his fingers under his eyes to readjust them.

“Contacts?” Annabeth asked, confused.

“Yeah, hold on,” Percy pulled his contacts case out of his satchel and, in an agonizingly amusing moment, he pulled his lower lid down and used his fingers to pull the contacts out and put them into the case. He heard the gasps around him and retching noises, but couldn’t see the horrified faces until he put his glasses on.

“Holy Father Pelor,” Nyssa, another Vulcan like Leo, gulped. “Did he just… remove a piece of his eyes?”

Percy pretended to be surprised, because this was just another thing to add to the “Death Planet” list: Humans can remove pieces of their visual organs when they become irritated. He loved messing with them.

“Percy, I thought I told you not to remove those in front of anyone,” Nico joined in, rolling his eyes in a very Terran gesture.

“They were bothering me, you know when they get itchy and dry it’s just easier to take them out.”

“So what are the glass and metal contraptions you wear now?” Nyssa asked against her better judgement.

“When I remove the contacts, I lose my ability to see clearly and I need glass lenses to alter my vision enough to function,” Percy explained.

“So, you removed an imperative part of your eye, and then you couldn’t see, so you made a prism that reflects light in such a way that it imitates the top layer of your eye?” Annabeth questioned.

“Essentially, yes.” He was hesitant to tell them that contacts were not a part of him, and were in fact, a foreign object. How would they react to the fact that he was actually terribly nearsighted and had to physically put pieces of flexible plastic in his eye orifices to see?

“Fascinating,” she nodded, as if agreeing with the new information. “Disgusting, but fascinating.”

#percy jackson #nico di angelo #will solace #nicercy #percico #humans are space orcs #earth is space australia #annabeth chase

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everybody-loves-purdy · 2 years

Note

Hihi!!! Ravenpaw here!! I'm surprised I stayed awake during our System Scratch/Reset, but I'm ready to talk about my memories, if you're interested!

My biggest change from Canon is that Tigerstar, while cruel and cold, actually did care about me when the adders came into the territory. He was worried I had been bitten, but as soon as he realized that I was fine, his sigh of relief and his "I'm glad you're okay" were marred by his quiet comment of "At least now I can kill you myself." This was around the time I had decided to leave, and then I met Barley on my own.

We became mates a season later, and adopted three orphaned kittens, naming them Feather, Poppy and Rusty, since they didn't have names. I named Rusty after Fireheart. We had a few notable guests, Smokey, Bella and an old she-cat named Lucy, who was their mother. Bella briefly nursed Feather, Poppy and Rusty until they were old enough to have prey, and by then, the trio went on their way.

Feather left us when she was warrior-aged, going to the mountains and becoming a Tribe cat. She visited every few moons and we learned that she had a new name, Feather of Swooping Dove, and she brought her kittens, Juniper Berry, Lion Roar and Willow Shade. Her mate, Jagged Peak of Mountain, died on one of her journeys to visit us, and we helped her bury him in the yard by the barn.

Rusty died when he was a few moons older after Feather left, breaking Barley's heart. Poppy went on to change his name to Fallowglen after realizing he was trans when he was warrior-aged, and we accepted him anyways.

By the time I was dying, Barley and I had been through everything together. We had fights, we almost divorced, but we came back stronger every time, loving each other harder than before. He passed away a few moons before I did in his sleep, his head on my back, and when I was ready, he...

I'm sorry, this is the first time I'm talking about this....

Barley was let into StarClan. He walked with me until I was brouht into this system, and I still long for the day I walk side by side with him once more.

Hi again! And of course I’m interested!

Thanks so much for sharing - I really appreciate it, I understand this might have been hard for you

#I’ll tag anything you send as Ravenpaw anon so you can find them more easily if there are long periods when you aren’t awake #Ravenpaw anon #anonymous

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kdelarenta · 3 years

Text

envy

pairing: mason x f!detective (josie valentine), also bobby is in this

note: after the bakery incident (because I’m still not over it), things are tense and bobby only contributes, a lot of confusion lol, bobby and josie kissed in book 2

Mason didn't like this, he didn't like this at all.

In theory it made sense with Josie's whole 'all for Wayhaven, town spirit' shit but did it really have to involve that stupid fucking reporter?

Even though Josie went on and on about how it was nice of him to promote the blood drive and how him covering it will draw people in, he saw that she wasn't indifferent to the idea of having him there. Something happened, he was sure of it. All he knew was that the two were best friends in college and somehow fell apart. Josie might be an open book but she was particularly stingy with the details whenever he was involved.

Him. The reporter. Bobby.

The same Bobby who was at Josie's apartment that night, the same Bobby he caught her visiting almost every day at the Agency's hospital wing. The same Bobby that keeps harassing her at work, no matter how much she tries to play nice and ignore him. He knew the shit face was getting to her, the way she was playing nervously with the sleeves of her yellow shirt and that worried look on her face were evidence enough of how much she was dreading this meeting, he thought briefly about having a little chat with him. But why should he? Josie could handle it, besides it's not like they were on the best of terms right now — he'd only make everything worse.

Josie still hasn't spoken to him except for a brief 'yes' when asked if she was going to be working late again and a 'no' when he asked if she needed him to walk her back to her car.

Both questions work related, as all their conversations were these past few weeks. But whatever. She'll get over it. Mason didn't care, or that's what he kept telling himself, but that still didn't stop the regret from coiling deep in his stomach.

When Bobby finally arrived he was greeted only by Nate and Felix, with Nate giving him a polite nod and Felix looking between him and Mason as if he's expecting the two to jump on each other any second. Adam simply gave Bobby a curt nod while Mason didn't bother to hide his eye roll. Bobby didn't seem too bothered by it but still stayed at the doorway as if waiting for something, Josie shifted on her feet unsure of what to do. The tension in the room was nearly impenetrable and the quiet was only interrupted by the sound of the station's printer. This meeting couldn't end soon enough.

"Hi." Josie blurted out before snapping out of it "Welcome, thanks for coming."

Bobby simply smiled and with a shrug stepped into the office.

"Well I wouldn't be a good reporter if I didn't cover the town's newest event, would I?" He steps further into the room, his attention completely on Josie.

"Especially when it's hosted by Wayhaven's dearest detective."

Mason almost growls at the sultry tone he lets casually slip in the compliment, Josie's eyes widen briefly before she looks away from him, blushing slightly. Mason frowned — what was up with her? She simply offered Bobby a small tight smile, lifting her shoulders to her chin in something akin a shrug. A tell that Mason knows means she's shying away and wants to shrink but Bobby doesn't miss a thing, his eyes gulping her down, hungry.

"Right. Thank you. Well, we should get started."

Josie busies herself with lifting the files from the table to make room for the blueprint of the event. Once she lays it down, Bobby joins her on the other side of the desk to examine it thouroughly. Josie's yellow shirt, with which she replaced her turtlenecks and pressed shirts once summer started, clashes with Bobby's white one causing Mason to avert his eyes every once in a while. The bright yellow should be even more unbearable to look at but somehow on Josie it didn't bother him that much. Bobby's shirt was also slightly unbuttoned, on purpose Mason assumed, since judging by his reaction earlier he didn't expect Unit Bravo to be there at all. He wanted them to be alone.

Mason smirked. He can forget about it.

After a few moments Bobby whistles. "This is the Mayor's idea."

"Yeah." Josie slightly leans on the desk "Flashy. Colorful. Fun — the brighter it looks, the more people it attracts."

"Sounds about right." he says giving her a conspiratorial smile.

Josie shrugs. "It's the best way to get people interested."

"Yes I know Jo." Bobby rolls his eyes "You don't have to jump to everyone's defense all the time."

Mason didn't know if it was the nickname or the almost irritated tone he used that made Josie uncomfortably shrink again.

"Just get on with what you came here to do." Mason interjects impatiently "No one asked for your opinion."

They both finally look up at Mason and acknowledge that the rest of Unit Bravo are still in the room. Bobby makes to probably sass him back before Josie cuts him off.

"Stay out of this Mason." she orders in a strict tone so unlike her usual gentle one "Bobby was kind enough to help us out with this so you should treat him with respect."

Bobby seems just as surprised as Mason at the outburst before turning towards him with a smug smirk.

"Yeah Specialist Agent Mason." he almost spits out the title "Show me some respect."

He simply crosses his arms, stifling the urge to grab him by the collar and teach him some 'respect'. Felix throws him a worried frown but he shrugs it off, he wants a smoke but he doesn't want to leave.

Choosing to move on from the conflict, Josie and Bobby agree to get started with crafting the article. Mason watched with interest as Josie took initiative, listening attentively to everything Bobby suggested and making her opinions strongly known when needed. The change in Josie's confidence didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the team who seemed really proud of how far she'd come since their first meeting. And Mason was glad, he couldn't help the small tinge of pride that lingered in his chest at seeing Josie be more sure of herself.

She was a great detective, Mason never doubted that and it was time for her not to doubt it too.

His senses haven't been acting up again, not with Josie's presence there to soothe them, but something was begining to set him off. A strong aroma, as he focuses on finding the source it immediately draws him to Bobby. Overwhelming. His face scrunched up when the scent finally hit his nostrils — juniper, Josie's favorite. Does he really think he's being subtle? Though he doubts subtle is really Bobby's forte.

He's onto the bastard and what's he's trying to do. It won't work, Josie's too smart for that. But as more time passes, the more unsure Mason becomes.

The two work in sinc, dancing around each other in a familiar routine that they only know the steps to. It's like they've done this a thousand times before and Mason briefly acknowledges that they probably have. The way they communicate through glances, the way they finish each other's sentences knowing what the other is going to say before they actually say it. It reminds him of Nate and Adam and he wants to extinguish that connection, they're nothing like Nate and Adam.

He's a bastard and she's—

She's Josie, she's Josie and he can't imagine how they could've ever been friends.

"Are they going to serve food there as well?"

"I guess, since there will be a lot of festivities."

Bobby hums in agreement before sliding his glance briefly over at Mason. He smirks again as if he's suddenly remembered something.

"They better not serve strawberry ice cream though, right Jo?"

Josie looks mildly panicked glancing from him to the team as if they're supposed to know what that means.

"Bobby you promised!" Josie pouts slightly but he can see it's more out of amusement than being upset. They both share a smile from across the table and Mason's sick again. He's throwing it in his face, isn't he? The fact that they have secrets, memories... something that her and Mason don't. Whatever. He doesn't care who she has memories with, he'll win her over soon enough.

Josie joins Bobby's side of the table as they both lean over the blueprint. Mason doesn't miss how Bobby's eyes never leave Josie's face as she talks, too engrossed in the blueprint to notice. He couldn't quite make out the look on the reporter's face and it irked him. Josie was pretty to look at, there was no doubt about it, but it wasn't just that. There was something else there; dialated pupils, fondness...

He's not staying for this bullshit anymore. Josie briefly looks up at the sound of him leaving the chair. He doesn't care — he's not thinking about this anymore. He's not thinking about the fact his hand is only inches away from hers and he's definitely not thinking about the fact that she's starting to forget herself too, leaning into him slightly, their shoulders touching.

"This is taking too long, I need a smoke."

He doesn't look back. He doesn't notice Josie watching him leave.

Josie offers a final smile to Nate as she closes the door to her office. She didn't know what exactly encouraged her to walk Bobby out, maybe it was because she wanted to thank him again or maybe it was because she wanted to make sure that everything was right between them. She had her reasons, there was no doubt about it. She prayed for weeks that he wouldn't remember the kiss they shared in her apartment. She wouldn't know what to do if he did. And so far, he hadn't mentioned a thing, so he must've really forgotten everything that had happened.

The meeting felt familiar. And it was familiar, so familiar that if she closed her eyes and let herself drift away, she could pretend that this was a college project. That they were partners, friends, best friends...

She bit her tongue.

"Thank you, again, for doing this."

'I couldn't have done this without you' she almost says, like she did before. But she learned that she could do it without him.

"No problem." he said giving her a friendly smile "I would've stopped by anyway."

Why? , she wants to ask immediately. But she knows why.

User.

"Oh." she simply states and finds herself avoiding eye contact. A small part of her was still scared that one moment he'll snap out of it and remember what happened.

The kiss had remained her own filthy little secret. She didn't tell anyone, not Tina, not Rebecca, not anyone. She was filled with such shame, how could she have been so weak?

What was she thinking? That he actually cared? She had finally stopped returning his calls, stopped turning around when he'd try and talk to her. Stopped treating him as a treasured person in her life that he once was. He decided to stop being that. Her best friend. It was his choice.

So she doesn't believe him when he says he misses what they had because what they had was so easy to throw away for a stupid article. An article that made sure she couldn't show up to campus anymore. Her nails dug into her palms. That was the thing with Bobby, he managed to bring out the worst in her, the worst that Josie desperately tries to keep inside.

"I had a weird dream about you, you know." his voice brings her out of it and she doesn't avert her eyes this time. The way his mouth shaped around the word 'weird' filled her with dread.

"What?"

"It felt so real." he utters somewhat to himself, his eyes laying solely on her lips. Breathing heavily, she reflexively took a step back but stopped the urge to run and lock herself in her office.

"People dream about all sorts of things. You shouldn't worry about it." her words are half-rushed, her tone is all skewed and she all but freezes when his eyes meet hers with intent focus. As he examines her face, she's almost sure he'll give her that content smirk, the one he uses when he knows he's won, and call her out on her bluff. But he doesn't.

Instead he simply looks away for a second and shrugs, visibly snapping out of it. She makes an effort not to let her relief show.

"Yeah, you're probably right. See you around Jo."

She doesn't trust herself to respond, after all, she'd never been a good liar.

And how can she respond when she can still feel his kiss on her lips?

#twc #the wayhaven chronicles #twc m #twc mason #specialist agent mason #twc bobby #bobby marks #mason x detective #HITS POST AND DIPPS #i come on here once in a blue moon with a really specific fic idea and then it's back to radio silence #i haven't written fics in months ?#plz don't drag me #i'm sensitive aha ha ha

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jaggedwolf · 3 years

Text

tscosi 2x08

gotta do some rough expected value calculations under time pressure, no big

where'd those seconds go

Well, shit, guess it indeed wasn’t a simple startle response to getting shot that Arkady was having last episode

What a good little talk with McCabe, and what a sneaky little choice of hers to reveal that vulnerability to solicit McCabe’s, oldest trick in the book

I’m laughing cause after last ep I was like shit, I don’t think Park or Arkady have advice on the “shooting your best friend” experience and this episode Arkady pops up to go “jaggedwolf, you fool, of course this terrible experience has also happened to me, this is the kind of character I am, did you not get the memo”

She’s right I am a fool. Also laughing at Arkady halfway panicking and going wait don’t copy my coping mechanisms

Liked Violet’s comment on letting McCabe watch the cremation. It...feels like the returning of a favour, of when McCabe didn’t hide those worrying Juniper details they’d dug up, a sort of shared “fuck it, I’ve been lied to/blinded myself long enough, I’m not looking away now”, only flavoured by their different demeanors

McCabe joining the crew is important because they provide backup to Arkady and Violet’s instinctive morbidness, in this essay I will-

The return of McCabe’s “can I abstain?” :( :(

no time for sandwiches (ok, some time for sandwiches)

Don’t think I fully got what made Sana’s half of the crew later than Arkady’s half, when they were a day away, unless the two halves of last ep were far more staggered from each other than I assumed...but no, the Martineau half definitely didn’t know anything about San Ramos at the time

While I was easily amused at Campbell and Arkady respectively going “Captain!” and “Sana!” at Sana’s arrival, the award for cutest Sana greeting goes to Krejjh and their very excited hug

Will the ongoing theme of the show be that at the end of every season, Sana has to sacrifice her ship for the greater good? (yes yes they all voted but y’all know what I mean)

dwarnian fae

This joke while elcor hamlet is on my mind! Which shakespeare play should have an all-dwarnian cast and why is there in-universe discourse about this

Glad uni students are still dragging each other to weird experimental shows even in this IGR dystopia. Would not envy the IGR agent assigned to figure out if there’s any subversive messaging going on

Probably gotta re-listen to figure out the tone of “So we’re flying back to San Ramos?” / “Weren’t we always, bud?” What were you considering, Mr Jeeter...

100% expect something to happen to Brian’s oxygen machine. It’s right there! Making his lungs better! Can’t have that kinda peace here, no way

san ramos minutiae

“The largest remaining human city in the galaxy. “ First, ouch at remaining. Second, a fitting full circle from the earlier discussion of the IGR preferring New Jupiter to Telemachus - if they want the popular feeling for a real war, they know its the de facto center of human civilization that matters, not the de jure one. Convenient bonus of no important government buildings getting hit by a misaimed bomb

As with S1E1, English/Spanish appear to dominate the IGR’s languages. I would say that I won’t contemplate what this means for the past two centuries of human geopolitics given my complete lack of knowledge in this domain, but I am also the person who got haunted by all of the ID cards in Tacoma having Tamil but no Spanish or Chinese :P (The answer is probably that everything is appropriately local for New Jupiter/Telemachus/Tacoma station)

Minor Character MVP: David Parker won the phone tree, for simultaneously being reluctant to leave his job in the face of bombings while having an immediate hookup on spaceship theft. (Piper and Kestrel, while delightful as always, lost points for not quite correctly combining their knowledge of the footage with the ~official~ bulletin)

#mine #tscosi #tscosi spoilers #tscosi reviews

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apples-stables · 3 years

Text

(I got a Jorvik Wild Horse today finally, and I love her so much she inspired me to write a lil story about how her and Kit met.)

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: None ------

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh as Novamoon pranced around Athena, who was snorting and shaking her head in playful frustration.

“How do you guys always win? I was practicing smashing those pots all night!”

Rocco snorted. “Yeah and we’re gonna run out of pots soon if you keep going at that rate.”

Athena threw her head back. “Yeah, well I’m sure Kit can make some more. She knows how to do everything.”

My eyes widened a little as both horses turned to look at me. “I wouldn’t say I can do everything…” I tilted my head, thinking for a moment. “Ya know, I do know a place or two where I might be able to find some fairly smashable things that people don’t need anymore…”

“See! Everything!” Athena said, stamping the ground.

Novamoon shook her head and I could practically feel her teasing me. “Shush Nova,” I grumbled, rubbing her behind her ear. She nickered at me, but leaned into the touch anyways.

I turned to look at Rocco, about to ask him a question about what smashable items they might need, when I noticed Gary approaching from over the hill. I twisted a bit further to see him, and Nova turned her head as well to see what I was looking at.

“Gary!” Athena cried out happily, galloping over to him.

Gary laughed as Athena did a lap around him before skidding to a halt in front of him. “Hello little one. My, have you gotten bigger since I last visited?”

Athena straightened up, trying to stand as tall as she could. “I have. I’m definitely big enough to go to the Gray World now, I think.”

Rocco nudged Athena with his head. “Didn’t we agree you needed to beat Kit in the smashing contest first?”

“But I was so close this time,” Athena whined, twisting her head to look back at Rocco. “That’s gotta count for something, right?”

Gary smiled patiently at Athena. “How about we wait just a little bit longer? I promise I will take you when I feel the time is right. I just want to make sure you find exactly the right person at the right moment.”

Athena sighed. “Okaayy.”

“Speaking of the time being right,” Gary started, looking back at me again. “Kit, you were just the person I was hoping to see today.”

“I was?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

A relaxed smile spread across Gary’s face. “Indeed you were. Come along,” he turned around, gesturing to follow. “I have something to talk to you about.”

I hesitated for only a moment before nudging Nova forward, keeping up with Gary’s casual pace as he led us back to where he’d parked his cart. As we crested the hill, I noticed something move behind Gary’s covered wagon. I leaned to the side, off of Nova, trying to get a glimpse at what was back there.

I heard a laugh in front of me, and I quickly righted myself. Too quickly, actually. I tightened my grip on the reins a bit, my legs clenching tighter to Nova. She snorted, stomping her feet as I tried to find my balance again.

Gary laughed again, covering his mouth with his hand for a moment as he tried to compose himself. “I see you spotted her.”

“Her?” I glanced back, trying to see the movement again.

Gary came to a stop and let out a short whistle. I woahed Nova as I saw a head peer out from behind his wagon.

“You can come out if you’d like Daychaser, this is the one I was telling you about.”

I found myself sliding off of Nova’s saddle before I realized it as a horse, Daychaser, took a few slow steps out from her hiding spot. I took a step forward as well, looking her over as she came further into view.

She was a soft buckskin with black markings on her, stripes covering her rump and hind legs. She had white and yellow flowers woven into her braided mane. She had light white swirls painted under her left eye and her hair waved softly in the light breeze.

“Hi, my name is Kit,” I said, offering a hand out.

Daychaser took a few more steps forward. “My name is Daychaser, I’m a Forester.” Her tail swished, an ear twitching, showcasing her anxiety. She stretched her neck forward and sniffed my hand for a moment before pulling back.

I lowered my hand gently. “I like the flowers in your mane. They’re very pretty.”

Daychaser straightened up just slightly, turning her head from side to side to show off the flowers better. “Thank you,” she nickered, swishing her head, making her mane ruffle. “Juniper helped me put these in, making sure they stay fresh.”

I smiled. “My horse, Dreamweaver, also loves flowers and braids. And Nova here really loves feathers, so I’m definitely familiar with that.”

Nova huffed behind me. I glanced back and saw her turning her head to also show off her mane, revealing the maroon and black feathers I had woven in there a few days ago.

I glanced back at Daychaser just as she looked away from Nova and back at me. “How many horses are you befriended to?”

“Well, this is Nova, and at my stable I have Echo, Dreamweaver, Darkfrost, Twilight, and Ghostrunner.” I said, counting on my fingers as I went.

“You must be kind then, to have so many trust you.”

I smiled, cheeks pinkening as I glanced away for a moment. “I… I think I am, kind that is. I try my best to be. Honestly, having their trust is an honor to me.”

Daychaser looked over my shoulder, and I turned my head to look as well as Gary stepped closer.

“Well, Kit, you might have guessed this already but Daychaser here has been hoping to go into the Gray World. She’s been looking for the right person for a few weeks now, and after thinking about it, I thought you would be the right choice.”

My eyes widened. “Really?” I whipped my head back to look at Daychaser, who had taken a step closer to me. I beamed and reached over to rub her nose, which made her close her eyes and push into my touch.

“Would you really like to come with me?” I asked, voice a bit quieter.

Daychaser opened her eyes and pulled back slightly. “I like what I see in you, even though I’ve seen so little, and I’d like to see more in the future, if you’ll accept me as well.”

I nodded before she finished her thought. “Yes, of course. I’m so…” I took in a small breath, not able to find the right words before I just nodded some more. “I actually always carry a spare lead with me, cause you never know what will happen. Are you wanting to leave today? Or should I come back tomorrow or some other time even?”

Her head tilted when I mentioned a lead, but she didn’t ask about it. “I would like to say one last goodbye to some horses, but they already knew today might be my day so a lot of goodbyes were said earlier as well.”

“Would you like me to wait here, or come with you?”

“I wouldn’t mind if you joined. Then my herd will get to see that I will be in good hands, and they know I will return someday as well.”

She glanced at me, and I nodded rapidly again. “Of course you’ll return someday. I love coming here. Besides, Athena still hasn’t beaten me at pot smashing.”

Daychaser laughed, shaking her head and I couldn’t help but giggle as well.

“Well,” Gary said, interrupting our merth, “it seems like everything is settled here. Daychaser, you couldn’t be in better hands. I am glad you found a match in Kit.”

“Thank you for helping me,” Daychaser said, dipping her head down.

“And thank you for trusting me,” I said as well, voice a bit softer.

Gary placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. “You have a wonderful spark in you, Kit, don’t let that ever die out.”

“I won’t.” I promised.

Gary smiled and took a step back. “Well, unfortunately I must go back to the Gray World, now that my work here for the moment is done. May our paths cross again soon.”

As he walked back to his wagon, I turned back to Daychaser. “Are you ready?”

Daychaser nodded.

I beamed, grabbing onto Nova’s saddle as I jumped back onto her. “Great, I know the way, so would you like to trot back together?”

“I would like that.”

“Cool! On the way, you should show me where you got those flowers, so we know where to find them next time.”

I glanced to the side and saw Daychaser’s eyes twinkle. “Happily.”

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