#did the author say the fic is readable without watching it? yes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

idy-ll-ique · 3 years

Text

Apprentice.

Pairing: Stephen Strange x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Mutual Pining

Warning: Forced kissing (?) idk how to put it. Almost one non-consensual kiss.

Summary: Doctor Strange, World's Greatest Sorcerer, is in love with his apprentice. Unfortunately, when it comes to love, he's a dumbass.

Author's Note: Hey guys I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long! My college started, my classes are going on in full force and I haven't written anything readable in so long ugghhhh hope you guys enjoy this (Except for Loki, Spider-Man, Bonky and Steeb, the other characters' fics don't do that well 😳 but I'ma post this nonetheless)

---

Stephen POV:

I sighed as I watched Y/N sitting on the floor talking and joking around with the Cloak of Levitation. "Skedaddle, skedoodle..." "Y/N—" "Your dick is a noodle!" Levi made a happy noise and wrapped itself tightly around Y/N. She completely ignored me, laughing as the cloak hugged her.

Y/N was my apprentice. She also, coincidentally, happened to be the woman I was totally, hopelessly and obsessively in love with. "Y/N, if you're done, maybe you can come here and help me!" I yelled as cold-heartedly as possible, finally having enough. "Sorry, sir," she whispered.

Oh, the things she did to me when she called me 'sir'. Of course, Y/N was the best apprentice ever. She was the student every teacher dreamed of. Wait, that came out a bit creepy— She got up and quickly walked to me. Levi settled herself back on my shoulders. Y/N took a book in her hand and started reading.

I silently watched her as she focused on the book. Since I was so in love with her, my mind believed that maybe being cold to her would help me. I needed to get rid of distractions and Y/N... she was my biggest distraction. "Sir, I found it!" Y/N squealed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Give that to me," I huffed, grabbing the book from her hand. "You may leave." Y/N nodded and got up, walking out of the library. I watched. The way her hips swayed when she walked, the way she only liked to wear skirts and sweaters all the time drove me crazy.

It was hard not to be in love with such a beautiful person.

Y/N POV:

"What's his problem," I grumbled as I picked my book off the stairs. I sat down on the fourth step and opened the book again. I was an apprentice to the one and only, Doctor Stephen Strange. I liked it at the New York Sanctum, that's where the both of us lived. I liked being an apprentice to the Sorcerer Supreme too, that is, if he treated me like a person.

He never talked politely to me. I was very damn sure that whatever it was, was my fault. I did something. So I started taking care more. I never messed up. It had been months since my last mistake. All of Strange's friends commented well about me. Wong and Mordo said I was the best apprentice there was. Even the Ancient One said I was good.

So what was Strange's problem? At least Levi liked me. She was the only one I could talk to freely, even though the cloak itself couldn't talk. As I quietly sat and read on the stairs, I heard a loud knocking on the door to the sanctum. Startled, I stood up. Before I could move, Strange was running down the stairs. "Don't move," he growled, stopping me as I followed him.

His hand collided hard with my chest and I was thrown back. I landed on the stairs on my butt. I groaned and scrambled back to my feet as Strange opened the door. Outside stood the two Norse Gods, Thor and Loki. My eyes widened.

I stood silently as the three of them chatted. A blush crept up my cheeks as I noticed that instead of focusing on what Strange was saying, Loki was eyeing me up.

I honestly didn't think I looked that great. Sure, I had a maintained figure and a thankfully unblemished face but no one would be into this. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked away, Loki's stare still burning holes through my body. I heard Strange sighing.

"Alright, follow me. Y/N, keep an eye on Loki. Make sure he doesn't touch anything," Stephen glared at me and went upstairs with Thor. I looked down. Why did Dr Strange hate me so much? As far as I remember, I had done nothing to him. "It's sad, how he treats you."

"What do you mean?" I looked up at Loki, confused. I grew extremely self conscious as Loki took a few steps towards me, smirking. "Judging by his tone and glare, he clearly despises you. Why do you still continue to be with him, dearest?" he crooned and I took a step back.

"It's— it's not what you think... I'm his apprentice, not his girlfriend," I whispered, uncomfortable. "An apprentice? How nice."

"Wh-What?"

I got incredibly scared when Loki smirked more and stepped closer to me. "That means you're available, aren't you? Unless..." I shook my head furiously. "I'm not dating," I said in a rush. Wait, why was I acting like that? I wasn't interested in him, not at all!

There was no denying he was handsome and intelligent, but I just didn't like him that way. "Good. I've always wanted a pretty princess like you." I audibly gulped as Loki stood an inch away from me. I was standing on the sixth step on the stairs while Loki stood on the fifth. Even still, he was taller than I was. He leaned down and breathed out.

My heart rate skyrocketed, what was he doing? Whatever it was, I didn't like it. I loved someone else. I was in love with my teacher, Stephen Strange. It hurt me everyday how much he hated me but I liked him a lot. As soon as Loki's lips were about to be placed on mine... "Loki, I told you not to touch anything!" Loki quickly pulled back and stepped down.

I continued standing where I was, my eyes closed as I breathed heavily. When I opened my eyes, I saw Strange glaring daggers at Loki. It looked as if he was about to kill Loki then and there. "Sir—" I started but he cut me off. "Ah-ah! Shut up, I'll deal with you later!" he growled.

"Yes, sir," I whispered, looking down. My eyes filled with tears, what was happening? When no one was looking, I wiped my tears.

Alas, I was wrong. Strange saw me wiping my tears and his heart finally shattered.

Stephen POV:

I could not believe the audacity of that terrible excuse for a demigod. How dare he try to kiss the love of my life right under my roof?! I was incredibly upset when I saw that Y/N wasn't pushing him away. I knew she had always been a shy person, but...

"Thor, take your brother and leave," I grunted, opening a portal. Thor was just looking around awkwardly as Loki smirked at me and I glared at him. "I'll not be forgetting about you, Y/N!" Loki purposely yelled as he stepped through the portal. I looked at Y/N as he said it and saw her flinching.

So she really didn't care about that man. My heart broke. Why was I treating her like this? Like a caged animal? Like a disappointing kid? Y/N was far from disappointing, she was excellent. When the portal closed, I looked at Y/N. "Care to explain?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

"It wasn't me, it was all him," she whispered, her voice breaking. She was trying not to break down. "What did he do?" I questioned. "He... he tried to kiss me. I didn't want to do it. I don't like him that way." Y/N was still looking at the ground, her book long forgotten on the stairs.

I picked it up. "I want you to look up when we talk!" Her head snapped up and her eyes widened. I was holding her book out to her. She extended a shaking hand and accepted the book. "Th-Thank you," she stuttered. I realised that her whole body was shaking. That's when it hit me, how difficult it was for her.

I treated her like scum, blinded by my own mind. She was doing her best to impress me yet I continued ignoring her. Today's incident must have been worse for her. I mean, being taken without consent... my mind cleared up.

I had to make it up to her.

"Come on, Y/N, let's continue with our research, shall we?" I asked her softly and she nodded, still avoiding my eyes. We walked to the library. After that, I treated her like the princess, the angel she was. I complimented her all the time, became friendlier with her.

She worked as diligently as ever. But now, there was happiness around her when she worked. And I, as always, loved watching her. I wanted to confess my feelings. By now, I didn't care about rejection. I just wanted to get the feelings out. "Sir?" Yet again, I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yes, sweetheart?" I asked, smiling at her. "Have I got something on my face or are you lost in thoughts?" she chuckled, eyes shining with teasing affection. I admit, after seeing her break down and finally treating her nicely, Y/N and I grew closer. We talked outside work now and she had a lot of interesting things to tell me.

"You've got something on your face," I smiled, getting up. I sat in front of her on the floor; she loved sitting on floors for some reason. She said it was cold and she liked it. "What?" she frowned, touching her face. "Beauty," I whispered and she froze. She looked at me.

"Sir, I—"

"I'm just gonna say it, Y/N, I'm in love with you."

"Then why did you treat me like I was nothing?"

"Because I didn't want any distraction from my work. You were the biggest distraction ever, with a beauty like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought that maybe by treating you coldly the feelings would go away. But they grew. And now I realize, my work is actually the biggest distraction from you." She chuckled at my joke. I took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. "Please tell me you like me back, I won't be able to sleep at night," I whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She grinned and tittered.

"Of course I do, I love you so much, sir," she whispered and I finally, after months of pining, pressed my lips to hers. She kissed back. My hands moved to her waist and I brought her on my lap, leaning against the wall behind me as we kissed passionately.

"Tell me you're mine, no one else's."

"Of course I'm yours, sir."

"Gah, you have no idea what that word does to me."

She found out that night.

---

A/N: Oop. Leave a like if you liked it lol

#stephen strange x reader #stephen strange x you #stephen strange x y/n #stephen strange x female reader #stephen vincent strange #stephen strange fluff #doctor strange #benedict cumberbatch characters #disney #marvel #mcu #avengers #fanfic #writing #writeblr

231 notes · View notes

13tinysocks · 3 years

Note

I wanna see some anti fanfic rec plspls

You asked for it. May I present, a creepypasta x reader anti-reading list.

Quick Disclaimer: No author names will be dropped nor fic links or sites they’re on. I dislike these works but I don’t want anybody to be harassed. Don’t go after people, holy shit. These works are only here because of some heavily disturbing content. One of them just makes me super mad because of a few circumstances. These are purely my opinions. I am not writing Jesus nor do I write the cleanest stories out there. Dark topics should be explored in fiction. However, some things just shouldn’t fucking be romanticized. Fanfic is practice, I’m not taking points off for wonky writing.

You’re allowed to like whatever the fuck you want. I’m not shaming you or the authors. I’m talking about media I dislike, which I am completely allowed to do. If your friend or favorite author’s work is in here, maybe don’t send this to them. I get it’s tempting but still, it could be upsetting. Again, don’t fucking harass anybody.

This list is in order of - Pisses me off to FBI open up to whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck.

Content warning for: Rape, miscarriages, abortion, necrophilia, sexism, child grooming, multiple types of abuse, ablism, and meanie head criticism of popular fics. Seriously, this gets exceptionally bad at the final one.

First up in our lineup a pretty popular. It’s the least upsetting and problematic. It’s a various creepypasta x reader mansion fic. This is more of an honorable mention because it’s frustrating to read over being super bad.

Recruited.

Summary: (Y/n) killed an attempted rapist and covered it up years ago. She is recruited into the cpp’s to be considered as a proxy along with two others. Follow her through a journey of no character development into becoming a proxy.

What’s wrong with it?

-Brian literally is a misogynist. He literally hates women.

-(Y/n) is an asshole. Not in an entertaining bad bitch way. No, in an unaware bland way. Points off for being a business major, girl you have no soul and it shows.

-She is treated like the voice of reason who is always morally correct. Thing is, if anyone is neurodivergent or mentally ill and ya’know shows symptoms of it, they’re cRaZy, evil, and an annoyance.

-Yes, people creeping on or getting clingy can be shitty/annoying but sometimes the way (Y/n) acts is completely unjust. It left a bad taste in my mouth because the character felt okay to be shitty to people who weren’t like her.

-The endings are disheartening and make no fucking sense. Cody, who is clingy at worst, gets rejected Jack, who TRIES TO BREAK (Y/N)’S FUCKING LEG, gets with her. Can I get a HELLO??????

-(Y/n) also doesn’t get with Jeff who suddenly turned into her brother character after hundreds of pages of romantic tension. Again, Recruited is not inherently bad but it may be really disappointing to people who are here for 1-2 specific characters.

-Queer bait-y author’s notes and inconstant love interests. Author’s notes would read like “Teehee, maybe I’ll make (Y/n) have Jane and/or Natalie endings……” But that never happens after it’s teased multiple times. I get not wanting to add more to your plate but don’t suggest it if you don’t want to do it or only want to please heterosexual readers.

-They put Tim outside like a dog for being a bad boy.

-Author’s notes and percentages fill in details for the reader that aren’t in the fic. I’m not going to read all of that. Put important information in the fic.

-Lot’s of excessive jealousy. Painfully heteronormative.

What about the good?

Readable. Dramatic like Big Brother. Can be an entertaining read if it’s your thing.

Conclusion

Left a bad taste in my mouth. I feel like the author literally hated half the cast and was annoyed while writing them. When you don’t enjoy writing something it shows. Also, her other work (pandemic! Reader X X-Virus) is super tone-deaf and I don’t recommend that either. Don’t recommend joining this fic’s Discord server either. Won’t get into details but in my and my friend's experience: it’s not a good environment with a lot of playing favorites.

Next up on our list is a grossly popular Eyeless Jack X Reader fic.

My Imaginary Monster

Summary: Immoral monster, Eyeless Jack, sneaking into a 5-year-old girl's room. He gets attached, sticks around through her childhood. Thing is, he gets real creepy. Starts to catch feelings for a 16-year-old he’s watched grow up. He kisses a minor who reciprocates his feelings which is textbook child grooming. Nasty fucker runs away, there’s some drama from that. (Y/n) grows up, comes back to town, and Jack’s a’creepin’.

What’s wrong with it?

-Jack is a literal child groomer.

-Do I need to say more??? Immortal adult kisses a 16 y/o. Gross.

-People in the comments are going gaga for grooming. Are you kidding me, he’s a pedophile.

-The OC’s take up more than half of the ~200 page run time. I couldn’t get attached to any of them even after the supposed significance. Which is fine but they took up so much of the fic that it got boring and annoying incredibly quickly.

What’s good about it?

I enjoyed Ben. He did the right thing and I can respect that. Trans and poluyamourus reprrensentation.

Conclusion:

No child grooming in my fucking lobby. I think the author was trying to paint it in a bad light. But the thing is, you can write a creepy stalker fic without making them a groomer. A lot of people are trying to escape their troubles through fanfic, including those who’ve dealt with sexual abuse. Don’t bring that into x reader spaces. Don’t put readers through that again.

Last and absolutely least we got a Tim X Reader.

BIG TW. FUCKING HUGE TW. MOST OF THE TW’S FROM EARLIER ARE FROM THIS ONE FIC.

Pure Forgiveness.

Summary: (Y/n) is abused by her mom. Her dad killed himself and she’s all (Y/n)’s got in this world. Until Tim comes along and “saves” her. He takes her to the mansion and keeps her as a pet to torture.

I’m going to get into all the nitty-gritty to satisfy your morbid curiosities so you don’t read it.

What’s wrong with it?

-Chapter 1 opens with (Y/n)’s miserable life. Her mom hates her so much she has a fucking torture table for (Y/n).

-There’s an attempted rape in chapter 2.

- She’s taken to the mansion by Tim in chapter 3 because he’s “off his medication” and “acting nicer than normal”. Hi, mentally ill person here, that’s not how it fucking works you ding dong.

-Mental illness is made out to we wholly evil.

-Also tic’s are made out to be scary. As a person with tics, don’t write tics as scary or super weird. Thanks.

-(Y/n) not being able to escape, fight back rapists, and other horrible shit is labeled as weak.

-At one point (Y/n) is dragged through the mansion, beer bottles and used condoms are thrown at her. Girl has to shower off cum.

-(Y/n) is tortured in various ways. Mostly beaten, berated, burned, cut, starved, etc.

-She is drugged and repeatedly raped by Brian and Toby. These rapes are recorded and shown to (Y/n).

-Brian has black hair. Why?

-Toby and Brian give (Y/n) a forced abortion.

-(Y/n) gets raped almost every fucking chapter.

-At one point Jack orally rapes (Y/n) to abort a baby.

-Toby and Brian are necrophiles. They skull fuck a corpse at some point. It is graphically described how they like to have sex with dead bodies.

-Slenderman forcefully impregnates (Y/n) to “keep the (Tim’s) baby safe” whatever the fuck that means.

Why does this happen?

Because Tim wants a kid because his dad raped his mom and his mom was a prostitute. He’s soooo sad guys :(((

Feeling hungry? Here’s some things that are eaten by various characters.

-Hair

-Cum (forced)

-Toby

-Piss

-A miscarried baby

What’s good about it?

Nothing. Fucking nothing. Don’t read it.

Conclusion

If you like this fic you need therapy, I’m not joking. It’s like a car crash and Rob Zombie movie horribly mish-mashed together. It sucks. The comments praise literal abuse and berate (Y/n) for being afraid. Fuck this fic and everything it stands for. It’s shock horror and torture for the sake of it. It makes no fucking sense and it’s harmful. People think this is okay. It’s not.

Thank you to my pals in the server for helping out and finishing some of these where I could not. Especially you Connie, everyone say thank you Connie she got through Pure Forgiveness. Absolute trooper legend. Again, don’t go out of your way to harass these people. I made this list so you can avoid these works because they have the potential to be upsetting. I’m not the police, I can’t force anyone to stop nor do I want to. Author’s are allowed to explore dark topics but some should be done respectfully or not at-fucking-all. I hope these people grow as writers and understand treating some things a certain way isn’t cool. You can enjoy dark fics, I do too, fuck I write them too, but Jesus God, some things are a no from me chief.

#creepypasta x reader #rea talks #anon #reply #tw rape #tw abuse #read what you want #im not demanding the cancelationof these people thats dumb i just hope they grow and change #i read and write dark fic but you have to be aware of some shit dude lol #also jealousy and yandere fics r typically bad #like not every fic i reccomend or write is going to be problem free but theyre tolerable and interresting i think #im deadass when i say dont read the last one it is awful.

58 notes · View notes

yan-twst · 4 years

Text

CYOYA - part II

and finally it’s here! chapter ii of the cyoa fic! last time you all voted on what our protagonist should do, and the winning choice was to ask malleus to study with you! so the story will be picking up from there!

“Hmm, I’m sure Silver would enjoy sharing his cookies with a friend, especially after a hard day of studying...” hummed Lilia, and it was at that moment you knew that you had to get away from the short fae as soon as possible, lest you fall victim of what would probably be the world’s most horrid food poisoning.

It’d be rude to just run away all of a sudden; Lilia was still your superior in terms of authority, and he didn’t seem to have any ill will. You nervously glanced around, eyes settling on Malleus’ imposing figure; how you had forgotten he was there for a second was beyond you. Tall, imposing, with green eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark, you could understand why so many people feared the dorm leader just based off looks alone, but in this sort of situation...

“Um, I was actually, uh... Hoping I could ask our Dorm Leader here for help with studying.” you hoped the anxiety in your voice didn’t show through. It was uncharacteristic of anyone to get close to Malleus, be it out of respect or fear- and usually you’d keep your distance too, not wanting to annoy the fae prince (and also being admittedly intimidated by him, but you figured everyone was).

Despite your odd request, Lilia didn’t seem confused. He merely grinned and nodded, almost as if he’d been expecting this outcome. Malleus, on the other hand, did not look nearly as knowing as Lilia. His eyes opened wide and his posture stiffened for a second, telltale signs of him being shocked, as he opened his mouth soundlessly. You prepared yourself to get roasted by his fire breath or something for your request; surely you’d crossed a line or something by so carelessly asking for his time. He wasn’t just your dorm leader, he was also a prince and one of the most powerful mages, surely you shouldn’t have just-

“Is that truly what you wish for?” no green fire left Malleus’ mouth, instead a simple question to answer your request. You blinked a couple of times, releasing tension you’d gathered in the seconds of arduous wait.

“Y... Yes?” you repeated, a bit taken aback by the response. Malleus had composed himself quickly, back to his usual way of standing and his eyes no longer wide open; but there was just something about his body language and tone that was off. It wasn’t annoyance or anger (thank gods, because he could probably wipe you off the planet without much effort), but rather something akin to... bashfulness? “Oh, um- only if you have time, of course! And if you want! I don’t want to impose...”

“Ufufu, don’t worry little one, I can assure you he doesn’t mind.” said Lilia with a smirk so wide you had to wonder if he really had intended for this ordeal to go down like this. “Now, Malleus, it’s no time to be shy, one of your dorm members has come to ask you for help! Go on, show them what you know.”

“Don’t you have to deliver those... Cookies before they cool?” Malleus’ tone didn’t change much, but the faint tint of pink in his cheeks told you Lilia’s words had definitely made him flustered. It was an odd sight, to see him acting in such a way- after all, the image you had of him was shaped by watching his imposing figure walk around campus surrounded by his guards, by rumours and whispers, and the occasional viewing of him ruthlessly winning at magift. Nothing could have prepared you to see such a humane side to him; but maybe this was just how he acted when he was with people he trusted...? Lilia did seem to have a deep connection to him, after all.

“Oh, you’re right!” Lilia’s attention was immediately driven back to the plate of charcoal black masses resting on the table. He picked it up and began to walk away, not before turning around and saying goodbye. “Well you two, have a nice study session! Don’t go to sleep too late, (name)!”

“We will!” you replied, waving goodbye to him. In all honesty, you were just relieved you weren’t going to get peer pressured into eating one of those toxic looking cookies- but now that Lilia was gone, you were suddenly left alone in the common room.

“... You’re quite daring, to ask me for help.” mused Malleus, although his tone didn’t seem to hold malice. He looked more curious than anything, as he gazed down on you, as if he were trying to understand your actions. It was nerve racking, sure, but on the very least he didn’t seem upset.

“Should I have not done that?” you said, almost biting your tongue once the words were out. Were you being too casual? He was a prince and he was powerful, and you were just a normal student- but... The only person you’d seen advocate to treating Malleus like absolute royalty was Sebek, and even Malleus seemed to get tired of the first year’s antics from time to time.

“I never said that.” he replied, an amused twinkle in his eyes as he smiled. He uncrossed his arms from his chest, a small action, but one that made you feel just so much more comfortable in his presence. Surely if you stepped out of line, he’d let you know, right? So far he didn’t seem like the type of guy who’d just zap you to death for a mistake. “I’m simply... Surprised you did so. Most students would be too scared to do so.”

“Well, that’s...” what the hell were you even supposed to say to that?! As powerful as he was, it seemed Malleus wasn’t a great conversationalist, with how he was pushing you into a corner in the conversation. “... I haven’t talked to you much, but you’re my dorm leader, so it’s not so shocking I’d ask for help, right? I know you’re very skilled and powerful, too, so... I guess I just didn’t think it’d be that weird.”

“Hmm...” he seemed satisfied with the answer, maybe even... Happy? He wasn’t easy to read, and you didn’t want to seem like you were staring. Still, you could have sworn you hear him whisper ‘that’s quite interesting, indeed’ under his breath, but he quickly spoke up again. “You’re right that as your dorm leader, it’s my duty to help you. Do you have your class materials with you?”

“Yes, here they are.” you said, opening your notebook to the page with the draught’s ingredients and preparation steps. “... It’s a bit dark here, sorry if it’s not very readable.”

“Is it troublesome to study here for you?” asked Malleus, raising his eyebrows. Glancing at his green eyes, the fact he’s probably got no difficulty looking in the dark- or in the not-so-well lit common room- hit you, judging by his slit pupils.

“No, no, it’s ok, I can read, it’s just a bit dark here since the torches’ fire is dimmed at night.” you said, not wanting to seem like you were causing one problem after the other. The torches lighting up the common room were lit with magical fire, and at this time of the night, they became quite dim, probably to discourage students from lingering too long and make them go to their respective rooms. It didn’t make it impossible to use it as a study room, just not an effective one; ideally, each student would do their late night cramming in their own room, but there was no way you were asking Malleus to go to your room. First of all, it was messy, and second of all, your dormmate was there snoring the night away.

“There’s no need to lie to me. You shouldn’t strain your eyes to read in the dark.” Malleus picked up your notebook before you could complain. For a second, he looked like he was thinking; you guessed he’d offer the library as a good place to study (although you didn’t want to go all the way there, if he offered so you’d accept), or maybe he’d use his magic to make the torches burn brighter. After his deliberation, he tucked the notebook under his arm carefully and motioned for you to follow him out the common room. “Follow me, (name). We’re going to my room, if that’s ok with you.”

“That’s-!” your body froze at his words. No, no, absolutely not. Even if he offered it, it felt like too much to do that- you’d already been enough of a thorn on his side asking for his help, it was getting late, and he probably had his own things to do. “I’d hate to intrude- listen, it’s ok, I can read up my notes tomorrow morning, and-”

“I would not have offered if I was not ok with it.” Malleus’ response cut you off before you could try and excuse yourself out of the situation. He was still looking at you with that odd expression, a mix between curiosity and interest, as if he were staring at some odd flower of sorts. “Follow me.”

You certainly didn’t feel like starting an argument with him, and so you did. The halls were a bit too dark for comfort at this hour, the torches dimmed here as well to deter students from wandering around at such hours. An ironic thing, really, considering most of the Diasomnia student body stayed up until odd hours studying or simply killing time. Following Malleus, you stared at his broad back and his tall form, the way his horns curled from his head and reflected the greenish glow of the fire; truly, he looked like a prince. And then you decided to resolve something nagging you at the back of your mind.

“Um, Dorm leader, just a quick question... How did you know my name?” you asked. He’d called you by your name when inviting you, hadn’t he...? You couldn’t recall presenting yourself to him- but as soon as you finished your question you realized the answer to it. “Oh, nevermind! You probably heard Lilia say it when he left, my bad.”

“It wasn’t from Lilia.” Malleus’ response was rapid, almost as if he didn’t even have to think. You furrowed your brows at this; no, you were sure you’d never formally presented yourself to him, and you weren’t in the magift team or anything like that, so why...? “Silver talks a lot about you.”

“Oooh, of course! That makes sense.” you almost wanted to slap yourself for not realizing such an obvious connection. Silver was a friend of yours, and he did spend a considerable amount of time guarding Malleus. He’d probably mentioned you a couple times or something, nothing too weird.

“... But Lilia did tell me about you in the entrance ceremony.” added Malleus. You couldn’t see his face as you followed him from behind, but the tone in his voice had softened just a little bit. You didn’t want to make any assumptions, but it almost sounded like he was thinking back on a fond memory. “Diasomnia doesn’t get as many students as other dorms. I wasn’t even invited to the sorting ceremony, but Lilia told me how only a handful of the new students got sorted here.”

“Ah, that’s right, I remember the vice dorm leader- I mean, Lilia, telling us you were missing that day.” you said, tracing back on memories. Honestly, you’d been so anxious and excited the day you’d arrived at NRC, you hadn’t even cared about what dorm you got sorted into; you considered yourself a pretty average person, without anything too surprising or any curious talents, so you didn’t know where you’d get sorted. Unlike many NRC students, you also lacked a family history in the school; most people guessed their dorm based on what dorm their siblings or parents had been in, but you’d just... Never had a family member you knew attend NRC.

“... Lilia said the mirror claimed you held great magic potential.” he seemingly skipped over the fact he wasn’t in the ceremony (he said he wasn’t invited, right? You figured he had his reasons to not want to go over that), but his comment still caught you off guard. “It’s not often the magic mirror will say that about a person.”

“Is that so...? Haha, I’m not so sure about that. I mean, I don’t think I’m too amazing at anything.” you said, chuckling. You’d simply thought the mirror said some cheesy stuff to everyone who got sorted, as some sort of ego boost to the first years or something. “Well, I am glad I got sorted here, though. I like Diasomnia.”

“You shouldn’t say that about yourself.” Malleus didn’t turn around when he said this, but you just knew he’d narrowed his eyes as he said that. “... Just the fact you even dared ask me for help, and followed me to my room like this goes to show you’re quite different. I have no doubt your skills in magic will flourish in time.”

“I- um, thank you...!” you truly hoped your voice didn’t sound like a squeak, but it was hard to keep cool when Malleus Draconia spoke to you like that. “It means a lot to me, um, coming from you.”

A comfortable silence fell between you two. The sound of Malleus’ heeled uniform shoes against the stone floor echoed in the halls, mixing with the noise of rain outside- soon, you were faced with stairs. Being constructed like a castle from the Valley of Thorns, there were plenty of towers; of course the dorm leader’s room would be on top of one.

“We’re here.”

You were a bit surprised at how much you walked to get to his dorm- the amount of stairs you’d gone up was enough to leave you breathless, although Malleus looked fine. The door to his room was made of a beautifully dark wood, with intricate carvings and a metal doorknob. He opened the door and walked in, holding it open for you (you wondered if the door had a lock and key and he just kept it unlocked knowing nobody would dare come snooping, or if it was some sort of magic door that only opened for him).

“Come on in,” he said, and not wanting to make him just stand there holding the door open, you quickly walked in despite feeling like someone as common and unimportant as you shouldn’t just be waltzing into his room.

As he closed the door behind you, you couldn’t help but wonder at the sight of his room. It was big- dorm leader benefits, you guessed, because this one-person dorm was about twice the size of the dorm you shared with your roommate. The floor was tiled in white with black accents, and the thing that caught your eye first was the huge canopy bed. The way the canopy was built almost reminded you of the very building of the dorm. Immediately your eyes flew to the giant dragon statue next to the dresser- why was that there you had no clue, but it certainly looked cool. It was probably related to Diasomnia’s origins and its logo, since the Witch of Thorns could turn into a dragon.

The more you looked, the more details you picked up. The loveseat in front of his bed was currently occupied by books and trinkets, as if he’d been cleaning and put them all there while he found a space for them. There were many magift team banners in the wall above his desk, and you couldn’t tell why, but you found that adorable. Besides the loveseat, there wasn’t much clutter in the dorm- it was quite clean, actually, almost as if he didn’t spend much time there. His desk was probably the most well-loved spot, the chair still ajar as if he’d stood up and not put it back in place, papers crowding the surface of the desk.

“This should be well-lit enough.” he said, and with a flourish of his hand, lit the candelabra on the desk. That much was overkill, really, considering the giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, but you appreciated the gesture- and also admired how easily and precisely he’d just cast fire magic. “Take a seat wherever it’s comfortable for you, and we can begin studying.”

Upon being presented with that choice, you blanked. Picking where to sit down should be the easy part of this whole ordeal; asking your intimidating dorm leader for help and accepting to go in his room was the ‘hard’ part, sitting down was the easy part, but in that very moment you weren’t so sure. The loveseat was occupied by his stuff, and you’d really rather die than start moving around his belongings for a seat. That left the floor, the desk, and the bed; of course you wouldn’t just sit on the floor, because then he’d also have to sit on the floor to explain, and that didn’t feel right at all.

The desk should have been the logical choice, but as you glanced at it, it was very clear that having only one chair would pose a problem. Sure, he probably wouldn’t mind- in fact he most likely expected you to take a seat there- but... Then he’d probably have to stand behind you to explain, hovering over your shoulders the whole time. He’d have to lean down to your level to check your notes, and- gods, if it were some random student you wouldn’t have cared this much, but... Something about having Malleus stand behind you, rest his hands on the back of the chair where you sat, and to have him lean down and be so close to you just to read the notes made your stomach flip. But that was your problem; you were the one making a big deal out of just sitting in a desk, of all things.

Then there was the bed- honestly you mostly studied sat in your bed, with your notebooks spread out around you. But that was in the privacy of your own dorm. Sure, if a friend was over you wouldn’t hesitate to tell them to sit on your bed with you to chat or just chill, and you’d even helped your roommate study before while you both sat down on his bed to review and exchange class notes. But this- this was Malleus’ bed. Was it too out of line to sit down on the bed to study...? It was just sitting down; he probably wouldn’t even give it a second thought...

— time to make a choice! vote in the poll linked below to choose how to advance in the story! choosing where to sit may seem innocent enough, but this particular choice is the one that may begin some interesting developments

poll: https://www.strawpoll.me/21192129

#cyoa #twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #choose your own adventure

76 notes · View notes

wincore · 3 years

Note

AGREEEE, WORKING OVER THE WEEKEND IS THE WORST esp since im in uni full time and i work 9-5 on the weekends which means... no breaks for me ever.. 🥲

MASSIVE CRUSH ON OIKAWA OMGGG I SUPPORT THIS!!!!! but i am unfortunately much older than 15 and still enamored by 2d men 😔 life’s rough like that HDJWKDJ YES ATSUMU CAUSES PROBLEMS ON PURPOSE.. HES THE WORST!! btw.. ive heard that the oikawa to atsumu stan pipeline is very real... so if u get to s4.. u may develop atsumu brain rot like me 👁_👁

OOO alright run on, extracurricular, vincenzo, true beauty, love alarm, & perfect crime. NOTED!! ive actually been meaning to watch extracurricular for a while now, it looks so interesting!! now that it has the wincore seal of approval i must watch 😤 OMGG SAKURADA DORI I SAW HIM IN ALICE IN BORDERLAND!! super good show but really gore heavy at some points 👁

ahh ok thank u for the reccs, ive been thinking about starting demon slayer too!! shoplifters sounds really interesting :oo crime??? i havent watched a full movie in a while so i will def check it out!! THESE R ALL GOING IN MY NOTES APP.

NEXT YEARRR omg it sounds far away but i know time passes so quickly nowadays so I WILL WISH U LUCK ONCE AGAIN 💛 i hope u update us when the time comes!!

UGHWHHD EVEN THIS SYNOPSIS IS MAKING ME MISS UR WRITING?!? I LOVE THE WAY U WORD IT... “given a choice to pretend, you find that jaehyun is the lesser of the two burdens to bear” AHHHHHHH omg “he’s in a relationship and doesn’t rlly care about the soulmate system” THIS IS ALWAYS SUCH A PAINFUL SCENARIO IN SOULMATE AUS PLSS!!! Wait is the soulmate of yn gonna be an oc/vague character or another member :O EITHER WAY... PAIN! THIS IS GETTING ME SO EXCITED AND U HAVENT EVEN MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT JAEHYUN’S LIKE IN THIS FIC YET

RUNWAY CHARACTER CAMEOOOS YESS I LOVE RUNWAY YN!!!! i actually reread it last night and ugh i was reminded how much i love yns personality... just the process of experiencing all tht self doubt with them!!! so real & makes u root for them :’)

“if jeno plays edward i need him to that apple scene like taemin did” WHHHHHWJDJJWJDBW THIS MADE ME CHOKE ON THE WATER I WAS DRINKING LMFAO

GODDDD THESE TROPE/MEMBER PAIRINGS, HARD AGREE HARD AGREE!!! HAECHAN AND RENJUN ARE E2L 100%!!!! i think bc the ppl in the bff2l category cant convincingly hate yn back LOL

“gets complimented on his lyricism often but like every song’s about you” STOPPPPP HES SO PERFDCT FOR THIS TROPE!!!!!

OMG I SEE EXACTLY WHAT U MEAN ABT SICHENG IN ROYALTY/CHAEBOL AUS... i think like u said it’s because of his poise & the way ppl are generally in awe of him but also bc of his reluctance to open up!! more reserved until he trusts u... funny and kind but sometimes perceived as aloof... those r some prince tendencies! “what are corporate businesses but modern day kingdoms” LMFAOOWJDJ SERIOUSLY THO

“mans really said i will not give you any onscreen idol personality to work with” HDJWJDJWJSJ LITERALLYYYY this is why i have trouble reading jaehyun fics sometimes bc sometimes they can feel “inaccurate” but its mostly just bc there’s no Standard Personality Stereotype to go off of. but a random & uncommon trope i think he’d pair well with is exes to lovers!! Yes im basically just a jaehyun + angst advocate.

“i think most of them would pair well with bff2l??” FACTTTTTTT and no im not just saying this bc its one of my favorite tropes.. heh... i think i told u this before?? but ur like the main reason i started enjoying e2l!!! i didnt like it before bc i love the PINING in bff2l but then i started reading ur works n was like OH SHIT! THERES LOADS OF PINING HERE TOO...

i think yangyang is not bff2l or e2l, he is in his own category which is Annoyer2Lover HDJWKDJ ex: troublemaker, wasted nights

OMGGGG I DID NOT EXPECT ROYALTY AU TO HAVE SUCH A LARGE LEAD IN THE SURVEY??? and cryptids is so low 😔😔 cmon guys, vampires r fun!!!

WE R LITERALLY WRITING ESSAYS TO EACH OTHER RN BUT I LOVE IT 🥺🥺 its a such a nice break to read ur response when im burnt out from studying!!

OMG IM GOING THROUGH #moonwrites AND IM LITERALLY AN IDIOTTTT IVE BEEN OFF TUMBLR FOR SO LONG I DIDNT REALIZE THAT ROMEO ROULETTE HAD A PREVIEW OUT????

“And I get what out of this?” “Me?” IM IN LOVE WITH THIS CHARACTERS PERSONALITY ALREADY LMFAOO

“—and when this whole game you’re playing is over, you’re going to say I rejected you.” ?!?!???? THE WAY JAEHYUN IS A LITTLE SHIT! THEIR PERSONALITIES ARE BOTH SO FUN PLSJWJDJEJ IM MORE EXCITED NOW!!

pls disregard the part in my last ask where i asked abt romeo roulette.... i had no idea all of the information i needed was sitting right in front of me 😔😔

- tata

WHAT 9 TO 5 ON EVERY WEEKEND???? the system has failed you this honestly feels like a villain origin story 😭 when does it get better???

ALSO let me answer the other asks separately for better readability lol we really out here writing essays GOOD THING i have practice writing but like. this is infinitely better to write 🥰

PLSSS SOMETIMES I WILL SEE AN EDIT/TIKTOK OF OIKAWA AND BE LIKE DAMN I REALLY NEED TO CATCH UP I MISS THIS MF also are you daring me to ruin my life for 2d men bc i will do it without hesitation. wait till i watch hq again and get that atsumu brainrot with you he seems annoying enough for me to like ^_^

AND YES PLS I WAS SO ABSORBED IN IT!! extracurricular was the most gripping show i’ve watched in a while like yes enough teen romance give me two unhinged teenagers doing crime 🤩 AND OMG??? THAT’S WHERE WE SAW HIM TOO and although niragi was literally vomit-inducing human trash, sakurada dori is like. a good actor. except i hated coffee&vanilla which starred him it was literally so cringe i couldn’t 😭 i blame the writers for that though. IM EXCITED FOR S2 OF ALICE IN BORDERLAND THO i really like horror (and i can tolerate gore if ive been desensitized enough) and like i read the manga too!!! the games were really interesting (although morbid).

😭😭 MY NOTES APP IS FULL OF RECS FROM FRIENDS ALL OF THEM HATE ME FOR NOT WATCHING THE SHOWS BUT LIKE. i binge 3 or 4 at a time and strike them off and then go 6 months without watching a single tv series hhh.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I SURE WILL UPDATE !!! it’s so exciting to think about grad school sometimes :33

AHHH IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE IT AND THE PREVIEW TOO SGSDJKDS there’s a few differences in the actual fic i think bc i changed up the language (and i dont remember what else bc i refuse to look at my writing) JAEHYUN RLLY IS A LITTLE SHIT he’ll be like hm yeah im pretty chill :) and then proceed to beat yn at her own game at times. (she wins mostly dw) the fact that i made her soulmate cha eunwoo like girl if i were you i’d crash their relationship 🥱 (jk) but like. jaehyun too is 🤩 despite being dry af

ASDKDSKDS YOU REREAD ALL (ALMOST) 19K WORDS ??? IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE THAT FIC SM AAAAHHH IM FEELING LIKE AN ACTUAL AUTHOR 🥰 i loved runway yn too they were like boss attitude with 20% anxiety.

LOOK JENO BETTER BE PULLING MOVES LIKE THAT TO IMPRESS THE GIRLS 😤 if he hits himself in the forehead with the apple, bonus points bc that was true comedy (as invented by taemin)

AND YES. LIKE I KNOW MARK HATED DONGHYUCK SO MUCH HE WANTED TO LEAVE SM BUT LIKE HE’S TOO NICE WITH EVERYONE ELSE 😭😭😭 i cannot picture him pissed off apart from that summer fight </3

thinking about dejun getting rejected by a girl he wrote a song for. rip brother.

IM GLAD YOU PUT THAT INTO WORDS BC THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS!!! he’s got all of these regal qualities but he’s still human ykyk so it makes for the most amiable person on earth 😌 i love this characterization of him!!

oof exes to lovers with jaehyun... i had a similar idea a while ago (with theme song sincerity is scary by the 1975) that i discarded bc i don’t think i’m cut out to write that 😭 (YET) so i will keep this is mind. u r so right about jaehyun feeling inaccurate bc it’s like he’s very mild in personality onscreen sometimes?? so him having strong personality traits makes me go 🤔🤔 that man is overreacting. (jkjk but like you get the idea)

WAIT RLLY OMG BC OF ME???? i would never enjoy e2l irl bc irl dudes are 🤢🤢 and if they annoy me i will end them. but in fiction the mutual pining and initial disgust at yourself for liking the other??? helllooo 🤩🤩🤩 especially if it’s in a romcom style <3 bff2l is also better in fiction bc if the relationship doesnt work out irl and the person become uncomfortable with me i will just get annoyed jskshdl

LMAO YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT YANGYANG HE’S JUST THAT™ DUDE skgkhs he feels like someone fun to hang out with but he would annoy you the whole time. also he is cute 🥰

AND EXACTLY!!!! IM HAPPY FOR ROYALTY AUS BUT CMON. LOOK AT THOSE VAMPIRE TEETH. feel like media ruined vampires for people 😔

THIS IS SUCH A NICE BREAK FROM STUDYING HONESTLY!!!! im like working on two semi-large projects AND studying course and out-of-course material simultaneously so my brain is a little fried. thank u for this 😘

#tata 💖#anon #answered

2 notes · View notes

winryofresembool · 4 years

Text

Edwin fic: New Year Wishes

Summary: Ed and Winry celebrating the New Year in a Rush Valley way and getting mentally ready for their first child

A/N: fashionably late again! This fic had some parts that didn’t want to go my way but I think I finally managed to get it into a readable form! The “Lantern Festival” was inspired by the similar events happening in Japan, mainly because the author of the fic (aka me) doesn’t really like the regular way of celebrating New Year. Also, thanks @criis55, one of your messages really inspired me to finish the final part of this fic! (Also, disclaimer, I have written preg!Win fics before so... if some things sound familiar to my more long time readers... I’m sorry)

Words: 1500+

Genre: floof, minor hurt/comfort (everyone is shook)

Warnings: Ed’s thoughts start flying a little bit too fast in one part but that’s all (some swearing too but that’s to be expected from Ed)

....

”Winry, are you sure you want to go to the festival in that condition?”

Ed and Winry were preparing to leave for the annual lantern festival of Rush Valley, organized in honor of the starting year. However, Ed was concerned. Winry was already 8 months pregnant with their first child, and even though she didn’t want to admit it, Ed knew the pregnancy was being hard on her, both mentally and physically. She hated feeling useless, which she ultimately felt if she had to cut her work short because of back pains or other pregnancy related issues. In the evenings Ed tried to soothe her all the while rubbing her sore muscles. When Ed some nights claimed he was too tired to massage her, Winry reminded him it was technically his fault she was in that condition, so he had no other choice but to do what his wife said. But in his head Ed admitted that it was fair enough; she was carrying a miracle of life inside her, after all.

Not to Ed’s surprise, she didn’t appreciate his question: “Yes, Ed, I can still walk. Or would you rather carry the whale me in town?”

“Hey, remember what we talked about your size?” Ed frowned, crossing his arms. “You’re just fine that way! And I’d carry you if you really wanted me to.”

Winry was softened by Ed’s words. “Okay. Thanks.” She lowered her hand on his shoulder before adding: “You know, you’ve been so supportive the past few months… It’s been more helpful to me than you probably realize.”

“Isn’t that the whole point of ‘for better or for worse?’” Ed questioned. “I promised to be supportive to you in all the situations.”

“You’re right.” Winry nodded. “I really appreciate it, Ed. But honestly, you don’t have to worry about me. I can do this one walk just fine.”

“Okay. I believe you. But let me know if you want to come back home early or something.”

“Fine. I will,” Winry accepted and that was the end of that discussion.

…

15 minutes later the couple was ready to leave to the festival. Before going to see the lantern display, though, they stopped by a food stand for some Xingese food – Winry’s latest craving – and sat down to enjoy their meals.

“This is almost like what we ate during our honeymoon!” Winry exclaimed as she kept stuffing more rice and chicken into her mouth. “Brings back some memories.”

“Yeah, it does,” Ed smirked at the thought of their honeymoon. “Those were some good times…”

“Hey! We’re in public! Do you really want everyone to hear about the weird kinks you have?” Winry raised her eyebrows warningly.

Ed was about to say that he didn’t care but decided to play along instead: “Fine. Maybe not this time. Speaking of Xing, though, I wonder how Al is doing right now.”

“He’s probably watching the fireworks with Mei. Maybe they are planning their trip here already.” Winry could easily picture the two of them shyly sitting on a picnic blanket next to each other and reaching for the other one’s hand. Something she and Ed couldn’t do without having at least one bickering contest before that.

“I wonder when those two will finally get together… I mean, most of Al’s phone calls consist of things she has said or done…” Ed seemed to have followed her track of thoughts.

“Well, I’m sure it will still take Al less time than you,” Winry laughed. “You once accidentally told me that you had liked me since you were like 12, but you didn’t confess your feelings until you - sort of - proposed me 2 years ago.”

“Hey, I had other things in my mind back then,” Ed said defensively.

“Yeah, I know. I was just teasing,” Winry tried to calm Ed down. “I’m glad you did propose, though! Otherwise, we may not be in this situation now,” she rubbed her belly happily. Despite the inconveniences the pregnancy caused, she was still beyond excited for the new life they had created.

“Yeah… weird how things work out sometimes… 4 years ago I would have never imagined being here right now,” Ed noted, subtly putting his hand on Winry’s stomach for a moment.

“Are you… happy?” Winry asked carefully, putting her hand over his. “That this happened?”

“Beats having to fight the Homunculi for sure!” Ed exclaimed with a grin. Winry slapped him on the shoulder with a menu for ruining the moment.

“Don’t joke when I’m trying to make a serious question.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Ed said fast. “Of course I’m happy. And I’m not saying this just because you attacked me with that menu. I’m genuinely excited – and maybe a little scared – about this new page in our lives. I’m scared because… I didn’t have a proper dad figure in most of my life, so how do I know how to be a dad? But I’m excited because I know you’re gonna be an awesome mother and help me through it.”

Winry was both pleased and annoyed with his answer. “Hey, give yourself some credit. I know you won’t repeat your father’s mistakes. The most important thing you can do is to just be there for him. For us.”

“Yeah, you are right, I would never do what he did…,” Ed agreed, more convinced after hearing Winry’s words. “Thanks.”

“No problem! But we should probably go to check those lanterns now before it gets too crowded,” Winry noted, taking her tray from the table.

“Yeah, let’s do that!”

Soon the couple was at what was called the ‘wish spot’. There the visitors could write down some wishes or resolutions for the starting year on a piece of paper, and those would be attached to the lanterns with electric lights inside them down the lane.

“Do you know what you are gonna write?” Winry asked curiously when Ed took his piece of paper and moved to the closest empty spot. He considered her question for a moment.

“I feel like there’s not that much that I need right now…” Suddenly he looked down, his face turning unusually serious. “But I wish that everything goes well with the labor and both you and the baby get to be healthy…”

“Oh… are you worried about it? The labor, I mean?” Winry asked, surprised. Even though she had noticed that Ed had definitely been more attentive to her lately and hadn’t allowed her to do anything that could be considered risky, he had never brought his thoughts regarding the birth of the baby up.

“Well… can you blame me?” Ed pointed out a bit defensively. “You know what happened to my mum…”

“Oh, Ed… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize until now why feel so strongly about my health… But remember, the medical care these days is far better than it used to be when we were born, and I also have my granny to help me… It’s gonna be fine. As a future mother I have a strong gut feeling about it,” Winry said soothingly.

“How can you feel so confident about it? You’re the one who’s carrying the baby!” Ed asked, mildly shocked by Winry’s calm reaction.

“After… seeing certain things…” She was referring to her parents’ deaths and the bloody Ed that Al in armor carried to their house when Ed was only 11, and somehow he understood that even without the words. “… You kinda learn to live day by day. That it’s not worth it to dwell on something that could happen when you could keep going and enjoy the good things in life. Of course I’m sometimes nervous too, but I know that what happens is out of my control and we just have to trust that everything goes well. And I do trust. How could I not when my baby daddy has even punched the god in the face, or that’s at least what he claims.” Winry said the last sentence mostly to amuse Ed, but it worked. The worry disappeared from his face, making space for his signature grin. He wrapped his arm around her back and in a moment of whim (like he’d call it) he gave her a kiss on her forehead.

“You’re the best, did you know that? But what about your wish?” he remembered.

“My wish is that Al and Mei will arrive here soon so my husband sometimes leaves me alone in my workshop…” Winry answered jokingly. “For real, though, I too wish we’ll all get to be happy and healthy, but I may write down something else… After all, you’d probably be ready to kick the Truth’s ass again for us if needed, right?

“Hell yeah I would!” Ed exclaimed, bumping his fist in the air and causing Winry to laugh.

After that the couple focused on writing their wishes down (Winry blushing slightly at hers and refusing to show Ed), but when they left the wish spot to watch the lanterns from a calmer place, hands intertwining under the coats, both were feeling more confident, and very excited to see their firstborn.

#edwin #edward elric #winry rockbell #edxwin #fullmetal alchemist #my fics #pls let me know what you think!

35 notes · View notes

thecarmillacurator · 5 years

Text

I’ll Keep You Safe If You Keep Me Wild - Carmilla - Fic Review & Recommendation

*New Reviews Posted Every Saturday with one-shots and drabble recommendations Mid-Week*

Title: I’ll Keep You Safe If You Keep Me Wild (Bounty Hunter AU)

Author: The Regalist on Ao3

Word Count: 121K

Chapters: 16

Rating: Mostly Teen with a few Mature scenes

Ship: Hollstein

Tags I’d Assign: #bounty hunter, #hallmark, #nonsupernatural au, #human au #cute, #sweet, #action, #nice brother Will, #Laferry, #theregalist

Author’s Synopsis: Carmilla is a bounty hunter who decides to pick up and move across the country to be closer to her brother Will, who's living in a small-town called Silas. Laura is a journalism student who's just trying to get through her last semester of college while sorting her feelings out for her best friend Danny. One night Laura runs into some serious trouble and Carmilla winds up saving her life and maybe stealing her heart in the process.

Readability: Good. Prose reads smoothly. Narrative flow is easy to follow. There are some word typos in the sense of incorrect homophone usage which are noticeable and consistent but not frequent or particularly distracting, and there could have been more commas (which, honestly, is always better than too many commas).

Reviewer’s Plot Summary: Non-Supernatural AU. Carmilla Karnstein is a twenty-one year old bounty hunter with a painful and checkered personal history who begrudgingly relocates to be near the only person she cares about, her brother Will. WIll attends college in Silas, a small town in the American South along the Gulf, and Carmilla would ‘love to hate’ the complete hick-ness of it all, except that she absolutely can’t hate a tiny, blonde college Senior named Laura Hollis (or her smile ‘as wide as Texas’) who easily convinces her heart that it’s safe to love again. Carmilla’s New York roots are in further trouble (a kind she doesn’t mind, though) when Laura’s huge Southern family ends up showing her just how good home and a new start can really feel. But, not all is picture perfect: The life of a bounty hunter isn’t all Hallmark movies and Southern charm. Creeping through the underbelly of Silas is a dangerous gangster on the lam, Carmilla’s next bounty, who has a mark of his own. A mark who just happens to be one of Laura’s closest friends.

Recommended to Read: Yes, assuming you enjoy sweet love stories that lack serious relational angst. However, even if Hallmark movies aren’t your thing, there’s enough CBS-Prime-Time-type action to keep the feel-good story grounded.

Review:

The story is written in third person limited, which works, but see the Cons section below for comments on the narrative tone. So, full confession: I’ve watched Hallmark movies in the past (and am still sometimes forced to because of the company I keep), but they’ve never really been my thing. Call me jaded (because yes, I’m jaded), but the reason I’m not a serious fan isn’t because I don’t enjoy cute and sweet, but because the cheese chunks and plot-holes get to be so big in Hallmark plots that I can’t swallow without choking. What TheRegalist does here is provide a nice balance between PG-13 action-related suspense and what is a sweet love story lacking in the usual heavy relational angst, all without making me roll my eyes until they hurt. In other words, if this were a Hallmark movie, I’d actually watch it. Or, maybe it isn’t a Hallmark movie. Maybe it’s more like a CBS action show (say Magnum P.I. or Walker, Texas Ranger) only where instead of an hour-long episode, they put on a three-hour movie special where the action takes second chair to my ship finally getting together. I can’t call this story fluff, but it is cute and sweet. And the use of the gangster-on-the-lam with a complication that directly places the group in danger is the perfect counterpoint to make sure that a too-good-to-be-true-romance doesn’t become too-sweet-to-ingest.

The Good: The pure, escapist charm of it. Life sometimes really sucks. It’s difficult when you work hard and don’t get anywhere. It’s difficult when you’re lonely but everyone is busy or too caught up in themselves to make space for you. Families are rarely ideal. We all struggle with being accepted on one level or another. Love seems elusive for many of us. Sometimes it feels impossible to believe you’ll find a place where you’ll belong. But that’s exactly what this story is about, making all of those yearnings become fulfilled for Carmilla, and as the reader, for you. Here, finding the right person just happens. Falling in love isn’t a struggle or filled with just-for-the-dramatic-tension arguments and growing pains. There’s a huge (huge), Southern, conservative-yet-accepting family jumping at the bit to welcome you into the fold, happy that you’re there. You’ve had bad [crap] happen in your past (loss, rejection, mistakes), but here,

those bumps and bruises aren’t left to haunt you, but are kissed like scraped knees by the Hollises and you’re bribed with red Starbursts by an adorable little child until somehow it’s better. This is a feel-good read, pure and simple.

Also a great plus: The Hollis-family Sunday meals, as well as quite a few pivotal scenes in this story, are atmospheric and highly visual in how they’re written, and key secondary characters have actual personality. This makes the world of the story easy to immerse in. Laura’s grandmother Gigi is just… amazing. The bar fight scene is great. The dynamic between Will and Carm is adorable. Important locations are well-described, and it was easy to picture the Marina and the action sequence finale.

The Concrit: If I had to peg this, I’d say it’s written as third person limited, with head hopping. Unfortunately (although, don’t worry, it’s not too dire), as the story passes into the deep end of the word count, two things start to slip. First, is that the clear head-hopping starts to blur and some scenes feel more like third-person omni. Second, is that the characters’ reactions and thoughts lose their individuality of voice and begin to sound similar to each other. Next, I do wish the characters had been slightly older. Carm had somehow developed a complex personal history and high-level skill sets which would, in my opinion, have taken a lot longer than twenty-one years to acquire, perfect, and settle into with the comfortable confidence she seems to possess. I’d prefer her to have been closer to thirty. Bumping Laura from being a Senior in college up to maybe finishing a Master’s in Journalism after working at it part time for three or four years would have made that transition easy without changing much of the plot. However, once again, it’s not a deal-breaker in any way. The truth is, in my mind I was already reading them as older and more mature than the age stated by the author anyway.

Finally, I can suspend my disbelief and actually enjoy the television-style, over-the-top and slightly campy action finale, but as much as I enjoyed the picturesque true-love romance without extra drama, the last chapter (more of an epilog?), Chapter 16, got a little too carried away and could have easily been deleted, or at least the last half of it deleted. Don’t get me wrong, I like the substance of the ending the author creates, but, as written, this is where it finally sinks into the Hallmark trap: Things needed time to mature to get to that ending. And also, at the very, very end of that chapter, there was a fluff bit on the unbelievable side which did, after over 120,000 words, finally earn the Hallmark cheese eyeroll. So, I’d recommend you stop reading after the end of Chapter 15; you’ll get all the gist you need for their HEA.

Link’s in the title above, but also, read it HERE.

NEXT IN THE QUE: Over the next four weekends, there will be reviews for the Jason Bourne AU, Vampire Hotel, a fake-dating AU, and a Sports Au.

13 notes · View notes

lurkinmerkin · 6 years

Text

So I’m doing some math (I’m terrible at it) but nonetheless, I did some thinking and then some subtraction and realized that it was in about 1998 that my family got a computer with Microsoft Windows installed along with a dial-up internet connection. And so this is technically my 20th anniversary of reading fanfic and being a part of internet fandom. I figured I should celebrate it a bit.

I don’t remember the exact date or time or whatever, I can barely add or subtract, so June seems like a good in the middle of the year kind of time to recollect and think about what I’ve been doing with my life. Think about why I read so much, why I reblog things, why I am the way I am.

This ask meme was written by @mabel-but-slytherin and I decided, I’ll just answer the whole damn thing. I’m sure absolutely no one is interested in this info but I don’t give a fuck. 20 goddamn years of my life in fandom, do you seriously think I give a fuck anymore? I don’t care about you or your eyes. I officially left the give a fuck building a long ass time ago.

If you have seen a fandom ask meme about being a lurker (which I was for a good ten years) or about reading fanfic instead of just writing fanfic, send it my way and I’ll answer it too. I have stories.

1. What was your first fic and could you stand to reread it today?

It was Thursday Night Routine and it’s readable but I find it a bit repetitive and out of character. Although, with Glee, how was I supposed to know who these people would become, lol. ;A;

2. What’s your most recent fic and how far do you think you’ve come?

My most recent was Vesper Lynde for the Spy fandom and I think I’ve grown as a writer but my characterization is still clumsy and my comedy isn’t as sharp. I think I was funnier before. I also have issues getting to the sex scene that I never had before. It drives me batty.

3. In your opinion, what’s your best fic?

The thoroughly depressing and out of nowhere for me fic, Ozma. That night was a eureka moment, it was bliss writing that fic. It flowed. I probably got the closest to american gothic and poetry with that fic--which is my usual goal when I do creative writing off the internet.

4. In your opinion and without looking at any numbers, what’s your most popular fic?

So much of what I wrote was done anonymously before AO3 and Tumblr so it’s hard for me to say but I’m gonna guess Everybody’s Pickin’ Up on that Feline Beat because the cat!boi thing really slapped. Like people loooooved the cat!boi thing in 2010.

5. Is there any fic that makes you super happy to reread and remember you wrote that?

Third is the One With the Treasure Chest. It has some issues but I still can’t believe I wrote it, like that was my third fanfic ever and it was a muppet babies’ orgy. I have no idea how I did it, :D

6. Is there any fic that makes you super embarrassed to reread and remember you wrote that?

Not really? I’m not embarrassed by what I write (I can’t be, I write weird shit), but I don’t necessarily want people to come up to me in real life and start describing my fic to me. Like I don’t want my realities to intersect. That’s what I’m really sure would embarrass me.

7. What’s the fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)?

I’m not gonna finish it, like it’s not happening, but I kind of wish I had finished Look What You Made Me Do. I still noodle a about Sarah Plain and Tall Klaine story. I did a lot of research into Gilded era hair and fashions.

8. What’s the oldest (longest since last update) fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)?

Probably the epically awful and creepy Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make me a Match where Sandy and Karofsky kidnap and assault Kurt. I was fascinated by how absolutely horrific Sandy Ryerson was as a character. He’s the worst. I’m not doing a sequel though. I’m not.

9. Have you ever written for a fandom without watching/reading/playing the source material?

Read? Yes. Written? No. I don’t think I’m the best at characterization but I do feel a need for a basic grasp on it before I start writing anything.

10. Have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfic for it?

I wrote Vesper Lynde before I read any of the fic which was probably a good thing because there are some really good fics out there that already cover the subject I did (and did it better). But I’m glad I wrote it anyway because I have so many feelings about Rayna and Susan.

11. Have you ever written a fic for a concept you know someone else has done before? How did it impact your writing process or feelings after posting?

I honestly don’t know so I’m going to say no. I have seen these stories after I wrote what I wrote and have thought, Oh I should have done that or why didn’t I think of that?, but I have never seen a fic beforehand and thought that I could do it better or different enough. I wrote fic in order to fill a gap of weird skullfuckery that was missing before I showed up.

12. Have you ever written a fic and decided never to publish it? Why?

Yes. It was bad, I wrote myself into a corner and had no interest in fixing it. The writing felt dull and flat. If I post an unfinished work, I do it because I think the writing has merit.

13. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today?

I write more original work now, I write poetry mostly nowadays. And fanfic I do write has been smaller vignette pieces, has had way less sex in it and minimal wacky shenanigans. I kind of want to go back to wacky shenanigans honestly.

14. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?

I’m riding a girl swing this year so I’m way more interested in stories that involve cunnilingus and strap-ons, boob devotionals and short fingernails. I sort of got into that in the middle of my Glee career (the Golden Age) before swinging back to boys and their balls (the Modern Age). In this new Age, I’m back to ladies.

15. Have you ever purposefully written one fandom/fic idea over another because you knew it’d be more popular?

I think I tried to do that once but then I failed because my niche is being an off-beat weird motherfucker, not popular. I thought that I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman would go awf but instead it fizzled. So I stuck with dickpunching.

16. Have you ever stopped writing a fic/for a fandom because it wasn’t receiving enough attention?

No. I didn’t really get a lot of attention outside my circle anyway.

17. In your opinion, what’s your most overrated fic?

I guess the Cat!Kurt fic? I think it’s a good story, I just think that I wrote some that were better.

18. What’s your most underrated fic?

And if the world runs out of lovers, my Blaine/Finn fic. I had a lot of fun with that one and I think I got some really funny lines in.

19. If you had to pick one fic/scene/chapter of your work to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick?

I would say, They’re Both Just Full of Feelings, OK? which is a story were Puck and Mercedes get very drunk, complain about their homosexual tendencies and then motorboat each others tiddies. I feel like that about covers the gist of my aesthetic.

20. Have/Would you ever rewrite a fic? If yes, would you take the original down?

I am doing a slow ass sloow rewrite of As Needed, just some clean up of tense issues and little nudges here and there of some of the wording. And I will take down the original when I do that. It needs better grammar, it does.

21. If someone starts kudosing and commenting your fics in a spree and has a few works of their own, would you go look through theirs?

Yes. I love spying and I love other people’s bookmarks. I keep mine private because I’m a hypocrite and I don’t know how to make them public en masse. I am not doing that individually.

22. Has there ever been anyone who’s made you freak out because they read your work and followed/favorited/reviewed?

No, but I freak out at every follow/favorite/review regardless. There are people who I love love love but they aren’t in the fandoms I write in so I never expect to have an insane fangirl moment like that.

23. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten?

When I wrote Ozma, someone on the kinkmeme said that it read like a contemporary short story and I was flattered!

24. What’s the meanest review you’ve ever gotten? Do you think the reviewer intended it?

25. What constructive criticism, however well-meaning, always makes you feel bad when you see it in a review?

Gosh, that’s tough. I’m gonna go with criticisms that question your intent? Like when someone goes, “Did you mean to say this or that?” but not because it makes me feel bad but more because it makes me feel like I didn’t get my point across clearly enough that the reader could make their own conclusions about what was happening. I am very much of the author is dead style and part of that is leaving enough there to satisfy the reader without giving it all away.

26. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?

My humor. I like it when people find me funny. I don’t feel like my humor makes sense a lot of the time. Also, when people say that they re-read my stories. That’s always a heart warmer.

27. If you could only ever write crossovers or single-fandom fics ever again, which would you pick?

I prefer single-fandom fics as a writer. Crossovers get messy for me, too many locations to choose from.

28. if you could only ever write for a single crossover or a single fandom again, which would you pick?

Schitt’s Creek. David/Patrick 4eva!

29. Does the division of your writing across fandoms line up with your reading? What’s the biggest discrepancy?

Absolutely not, LMAO! I have done way more reading than writing in any fandom. My participation is a pebble on a mountainside.

30. Do you continue to write for a fandom after you’ve moved on or do you focus solely on the new one?

I wrote Glee fic (and I am still working on As Needed) after I had moved on from the show but a lot of us did. My attention span allows me to multifandom.

31. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?

Susan Cooper. She’s an enigma.

32. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?

Puck, I feel like I wrote a very solid Puck.

33. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?

I would guess Brittany but I don’t think the quality holds up. I liked writing Brittany but I don’t think I captured her essence.

34. Was there any fic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?

I get a lot of requests for a sequel to Sex Bomb even to this day and it surprises me.

35. Have you ever written a ship into a fic without meaning to?

No, I was ready to write anyone with anyone in any fic. I love it.

36. Have you ever sincerely written a ship you do not support into a fic?

Don’t support? Well, I don’t support Kurt/Karofsky but I write non-con fic so...

37. Have you ever purposefully bashed a character/ship in a fic?

I would only in an in-character sense, like the character would be against that pairing because of the show dramatics. At least, that was always my intent.

38. Have you ever purposefully written something you know your readers would find uncomfortable/would not enjoy? If yes, why?

Because that’s how the glee_anon meme worked sometimes LOL. Sometimes, you gotta have the anal worm lay the eggs.

39. Do you consider yourself to have a readership?

Not anymore lol, if I ever did. I don’t write enough.

40. Do you feel like you put out enough content?

I peaked with the Muppet Babies’ orgy, that was my third fic. Everything else was gravy.

41. If you cross-post your fics on multiple sites, do you have a favorite? Are there certain fics you would only post on certain site?

I want all my fics on AO3 largely because I think livejournal is gonna die soon and tumblr is unsearchable and lacks a forum function.

42. How many views has your most popular fic gotten?

(Based on AO3): Ozma at 28672 Hits

43. Your least popular?

(Based on AO3): There’s a Lobster Involved at 38 Hits

44. Do you follow/favorite/kudos/comment/review more stories than you have received?

Oh gosh, I never thought of it that way but I hope I at least kudos more than I’ve received! I don’t have that many bookmarks and I don’t review and I rarely comment (I’m more like to DM you) but I do leave kudos a lot.

45. If you had to call yourself an author of a single genre (besides fanfic) what label would you give yourself?

With my original works: poetry. With my fanfic works: absurdism

46. Do you consider yourself a diverse author?

Yeah, I think I covered a wide range of topics and styles along with a lot of different characters. I had humor, drama, horror, angst, slice of life, porn, I covered a lot of ground.

47. If someone you know in real life who isn’t involved in fandoms asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

NO.

48. Does anyone you know from outside of fandom know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same fandom too?

Yes, they know and they were also Glee fans but not necessarily fanfic readers. Just how much they know will remain a mystery between us because they won’t tell me and I won’t ask them to tell me. I don’t need that knowledge and I don’t want it.

49. Has anyone in your life ever read your fanfic just because you wrote it?

NOT THAT I KNOW OF AND I DON’T WANT THEM TO TELL ME IF THEY DID. KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.

50. Has writing fanfic had a significant impact on your life? Would you say it’s entirely positive?

I have an absolutely incredible circle of friends that I would not have had without fandom. So many people that I know out of fandom don’t spend as much time on the internet, they aren’t as easy to reach as my internet friends. You guys give me your time and your energy and that means so much to me. It really does.

I wouldn’t say my time in fandom has been 100% positive. There are always downfalls to being in a large group. I have had my moments of internet drama, on anon trolling, and bad feelings. But my friends make it all worth it. You guys are the best.

#fandom #fuck glee #merkintosh #lurkinmerkin #ask meme #anniversary

4 notes · View notes

royaltyjunk · 7 years

Text

Stars of A Night [T, Ced/Saias]

Summary:

The high priest turns his back to the green-haired man as night falls, and the stars begin to twinkle in the sky above. Both of them know that the other hopes they will meet again.

Author’s Ideas: For @mrmissmrsrandom’s birthday

Why do birthdays always fall on busy days for me? Who knows

HEY GUESS WHO SPENT TOO MUCH TIME ON THIS WHEN SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING HOMEWORK

Ha ha, kidding, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAND

Bless you for giving me so many fic ideas and being a great friend, you deserve everything you’re getting today and more <333

As always, readable on FanFiction and AO3.

Disclaimer: Fire Emblem ain’t mine (as much as I wish it were) :p

“Forgive me, but I cannot. I will be praying for your victory from the Tower of Blaggi. Farewell, Lord Leif…”

Saias bows to Leif, turning to leave.

“Lord Bishop Saias, please, allow me to see you a safe distance from the castle.” Ced stands from where he’s sitting. “I owe you protection at the very least for doing what you have done.”

“Lord Ced, please, do not worry about someone such as me. I can protect myself. I do not wish to burden you even more.”

“Please, Lord Bishop Saias. I insist.”

“…Very well.” Saias nods, a gentle smile on his lips. Ced falls into step with him, and he reaches up, pushing aside the hanging branches that fall in their faces and stepping over charred piles of wood from the recent battle. Saias ducks beneath Ced’s arm, and they fall into a placid silence, the only noise between them the scuffle of Saias’s boots on the dirt path and the rustle of the wind rushing through Ced’s cloaks.

“Thank you,” Saias murmurs. Ced blinks.

“Pardon?”

“You are controlling the wind to keep me warm, are you not? Thank you.”

“You noticed, did you?” Ced chuckles.

“It is fine. Thank you for doing it for me.” Saias looks at the green-haired man, a small and grateful smile on his face.

“Of course, Lord Bishop Saias. Would you mind if I… asked you a question?”

“By all means, Lord Ced.”

“Why did you agree to take care of those children? You introduced yourself to me as a high priest of Velthomer’s courts. Would you not be labelled a traitor if they found you were allied with us?”

“I… Yes. However, I… I apologize. I cannot say.”

“I see… my apologies if I stepped over your boundaries.” Ced looks at Saias, and the high priest looks at him.

“No, there is no need to worry,” Saias murmurs, a reassuring look on his face. “You’ve done more than enough for me, Lord Ced. I do not wish to trouble you anymore.”

Ced blinks and looks around. They’ve reached the end of the forest at this point, and the nearby village that was once far is now steps away. The sun is setting behind the mountains, sending blazes of pink, orange, and yellow streaking across the sky. “I… yes. I suppose so.”

“I suppose this is goodbye then, Lord Ced. Perhaps we will meet again.” Saias smiles, and Ced gives him a smile back.

“Perhaps.”

The high priest turns his back to the green-haired man as night falls, and the stars begin to twinkle in the sky above.

Both of them know that the other hopes they will meet again.

~ / . / . / ~

It looms in the distance, a great tower that stretches to the height of Barhara’s castle and beyond that. Made of stone and blessed by the god Blaggi, it had survived all the disasters it had come to witness.

Ced stares up at it, a sense of wonder and amazement kindling in his chest like a fire.

“Wow,” he breathes. He has told himself not to be distracted on his journey back to Silesse, but this is undeniably something he can not miss. With a trembling breath, he steps through the night to the monumental structure and takes his first tentative steps inside.

The sound of his boots hitting tile echo through the tower, ricocheting off of the high and spacious walls. His gaze drifts about the tower, the wonder in his chest growing to awe and reverence. A spiraling set of stairs is situated in the middle of the Blaggi Tower, and Ced slowly climbs the stairs, speeding up as he comes to the top.

A large room with window-like shapes in the walls forms the second floor, and an extravagant door stands at the end of a hallway, likely the door to the room where people communicated with the god Blaggi. Ced leans over the edge of the window-like hole, reaching his hand out. The wind strengthens against his hand, and when Ced snaps, it dies down.

The sound of a heavy door swinging open catches his attention, and Ced turns. He starts in surprise as he notices the man leaving Blaggi’s room.

“Lord Bishop Saias?” Ced calls out questioningly as he steps forward, and Saias blinks in surprise, squinting through the darkness. Realization starts his blue eyes, and he bows.

“Lord Ced…”

“Have you been here long, Lord Bishop Saias?” Ced tilts his head.

“I suppose,” Saias murmurs. “Time means little to me.”

“You’re not very good at planning out your time, are you?” Ced questions teasingly. Saias offers him a smile.

“It would appear not. How long has it been since we parted?”

“Four moons. Have you spent all those moons here?”

“It took me two moons to arrive here. There were a few… unprecedented obstacles in my way.”

“I see.”

“…Did you wish to speak with the god Blaggi?” Saias asks suddenly, and Ced blinks.

“What?”

“You are looking at the room from which I emerged with such an intensity, I cannot help but wonder.”

“I see. So it really is the room where you pray to Blaggi?”

“Yes…”

“Huh… tempting, but I should stay on track. I stopped by to see the tower, but I suppose I should be going.”

“Where are you going, Lord Ced?” Saias tilts his head.

“Back home. To Silesse,” he murmurs. “I have left my people to fend for themselves long enough.” Ced glances over at Saias. “Where will you go from here, Lord Bishop Saias?”

“I… I must go back to Grannvale.”

“Then… would you like to journey to Silesse with me?”

“Beg pardon?” The shock on Saias’s face is strong, bold, and unhideable. Ced grins, a sense of pride coursing through him for being able to break that mask Saias as always held over himself.

“Verdane is hostile territory. We can journey to Silesse, and our Pegasus Knights can escort you through the Yied Desert. It may take longer, but it is the much safer route.”

“I suppose… I suppose so. Then, I will accompany you to Silesse.”

Ced grins. “I can only hope you are able to stand my company long enough.”

Saias’s red hair brushes against his cheek as he looks downwards. “I would never be tired of your company, Lord Ced.”

“Ced,” he corrects. “We are companions now. I am Ced.” Saias’s eyes flash with something unidentifiable.

“Ced.”

There’s a thud in his heart, and Ced just stares up at the night sky. Saias smiles, the stars filling the inky darkness reflected in his eyes.

~ / . / . / ~

“This is Silesse,” Ced says, unable to hide the huge smile spreading across his face.

“It’s beautiful…” Saias reaches out a hand to touch the snow-covered leaves of the trees that border the large stone path leading into the city, but stops at the last minute and withdraws his hand. Ced inclines his head at the curious action, but doesn’t ask, instead turning to look at the city that was once so lost in memories, but has now been re-painted in his mind with vibrant colors and extravagant details.

“It looks no different…” he smiles, and doesn’t offer an explanation. Saias just nods, his eyes grazing over the city.

“I can see why you would miss a city this magnificent.”

Ced nods. “It is, isn’t it?” His smile falters, and he looks away. “I… I shouldn’t have left them…”

Saias looks over at him, a strange look in his eyes. “You did what you did. There is no need to look at the past. You did much for the people of Thracia… We can never repay you for everything you’ve done.”

“…Thank you, Saias,” Ced murmurs.

Gusts of wind beat at Ced from behind, and the sage turns around. Two pegasi land behind him, and he starts.

“What are you two doing here?” he asks, bewildered.

“We thought we’d come meet you!” Karin smiles. “Lord Bishop Saias, you’re here too?”

“Greetings, Lord Bishop Saias,” Misha bows from her place on her pegasus, “and welcome back, Lord Ced.”

“It is nice to see you two again, Captain Misha, Miss Karin,” Saias greets, a small smile tugging at his lips. He pauses, then turns to Ced. “Ced…”

“What is it, Saias?” Ced tilts his head.

“I… now that we are in Silesse… we must part ways, don’t we?”

“Saias…” Ced murmurs, then nods. “Yes… you’re right.” The prince turns to look at Misha. “Misha, if you don’t mind, could you make preparations to escort Saias to Grannvale?”

“Now?”

“Yes. Take him with you to Silesse Castle.”

Misha dips her head. “Very well.”

“What about me?” Karin pipes up. Ced smiles.

“You will accompany me into Silesse.”

Misha slips off of her pegasus, tugging at the straps of her saddle. She loops the reins off her steed, adjusting them to be tighter. Saias looks at Ced, a strange look in his eyes despite the smile on his face.

“…Thank you. For everything,” Saias murmurs. Ced shakes his head.

“Thank you, Saias. Without you, I might not even be here.”

“Ced…”

The green-haired man reaches out his hand, touching his hand to Saias’s cheek. Saias flinches away.

“Saias-”

“I’m sorry,” the high priest shakes his head, and then repeats his words softly. “I’m sorry.”

“I… I understand.” Ced swallows, brushing his fingers against the back of Saias’s hand. Saias stares back at him, his gaze veiled in some emotion, some world, something the young sage can’t decipher.

The red-haired man offers Ced a gentle smile. “Thank you,” Saias whispers, resting his hand on Ced’s. “I… May the gods watch over you and protect you from harm.”

“You too,” Ced mutters, and when Saias lets go of his hand, he savors the warmth that slowly melts away, until his hands are numb and cold, a feeling he’s grown much too used to in his winter kingdom. Saias glances at him one last time, a grateful look that hides something else, before turning away.

Ced watches Saias ascend into the sky, and in that moment, it’s like a switch in his head goes off, and he realizes he’s been in love this whole time.

~ / . / . / ~

The wind howls outside his window, and Ced sighs, pulling his blankets tighter around himself.

“Are you feeling alright, Prince Ced?” one of the servants questions, and he waves her off.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he replies, waving off the servant. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern, though.”

“Of course.” The maid curtsies before shutting the door to the bedroom behind her. Ced sighs as the door clicks, letting his eyes drift back to the Meteor tome in his hand. Yet, his attention won’t stay on the book, and he shuts it angrily.

“Gods… not again,” Ced growls, covering his eyes. He sets the tome down next to him, sighing as he pulls his legs to his chest and wraps his blankets around himself. His eyes fall on the window on the far end of his room, and he stares outside at the darkness painted across the night sky. The stars sparkle softly, as if in response to his questioning stare, and he tosses his blankets to the side, standing and walking over to the window. He places his hand on the window, feeling the cold from the glass seep through to his palm. He stares at his reflection in the glass.

Somehow, Ced feels he’s different. He’s grown, matured, in some ways. Yet he can’t help but let his mind drift away, to a time when he needed no one by his side except for a young sage with hair the color of rising flames, to a time when he was happy, and unburdened.

He’s out there somewhere, but Ced doesn’t know where, and probably will never know.

“Will I ever get to love him again, I wonder?” Ced inquires softly.

The stars that sparkle outside the glass window that reflects his face back don’t give him an answer.

~ / . / . / ~

His name is written in Seliph’s familiarly loopy handwriting.

Saias. A former high priest who had given Leif the Blaggi Sword and aided in the quest to rebuild Grannvale.

And he was coming to Silesse as an ambassador of Grannvale - no, a foreign ambassador who was going to stay in Silesse.

Ced runs a nervous hand through his hair, his fingers crinkling the letter in his hands. He pauses and squints at the paper in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Former high priest?”

He fumbles through the rest of the letter, but as quick as the topic of Saias was brought up, it was dropped just as quickly. Ced sighs, putting the papers down on his desk and groaning, covering his face with his hands.

“Dear gods, Seliph… do you understand the trouble you’re putting me through?”

The next few weeks go by at the speed of an elderly man dragging his feet, and every day is so stressful, to the point where Ced wants to shave off all his hair so he doesn’t have to resist the urge to tear at his hair. Maids and servants bustle about the castle, busy preparing the room for the new ambassador of Grannvale who could be coming at any time. The townspeople buzz with excitement, and every day, a new and ridiculous piece of gossip slips into Ced’s ears.

Finally, one frosty morning, the news breaks from far off Zaxon - the ambassador is there. A letter written days ago, meaning Saias will be here in mere days, hours even.

“King Ced? What’s got you so worked up?” Misha inquires one day in the middle of her report, and Ced freezes.

“It’s nothing, Misha. What were you saying?”

“It’s not nothing. Tell me what’s wrong, Your Majesty,” Misha insists, ignoring his sputters of protest.

“No, really! I’m just… worried. Yes, I’m just worried.”

“Worried? About what?”

“The ambassador, of course. We have no way of knowing when they’re coming, and I barely even know them,” Ced replies steadily, and Misha gives him a suspicious look. “Misha, I promise you. I’m fine. Please, continue with your report.”

“If you insist,” Misha mutters, raising her eyebrow at him before rattling off her report. “In other news, Karin has been in charge of overseeing Thove’s recovery…”

Slowly, they walk through the castle, Ced nodding as he listens to the first Angelic Knight report about the recent conditions in Silesse.

“There has been little resistance, and the food that was once sent to Grannvale is now being put back on the markets. Less people are speaking of hunger every day.”

“Thank you, Misha. For all your hard work.”

“There is no need for thanks, my king.” Misha offers him a tiny smile. “If you will excuse me…” She turns the corner, and in that instant, trumpets blare outside the castle. Both of them start, and Misha meets Ced’s eyes.

“He’s here, isn’t he?” Ced breathes. Misha just nods, and Ced hurries to the castle entrance. Misha follows him, a controlled expression on her face even as the castle erupts into chaos as everyone realizes what is happening.

She stands next to Ced, looking at him. “Are you ready, Lord Ced?”

He inhales deeply. “Yes.”

Ced pushes open the large wooden doors, and is greeted by the largest crowd he’s ever seen.

And at the helm of it all is a carriage, and in it rides a familiar figure with striking red hair that looks like he hasn’t aged a day. He steps out, and their eyes meet, green to blue, and then he feels like the air is being crushed from him, and all he can say when Saias steps out to meet him is, “You’re here.”

Saias’s eyes are downcast, but a gentle smile drifts over his lips. “Yes.”

They’re swept into the castle in a mess of formal customs and declarations, and Ced leans back in his office after it’s all said and done, sighing. Saias smiles from where he’s sitting.

“It’s tiring, isn’t it, Your Majesty?” Saias asks softly. Ced nods, stretching his arms over his head.

“I never expected-”

“Ambassador Saias,” one of the maids calls from the open doorway where the men from Grannvale had bustled out just minutes ago. “Sir Roger is asking for you. Please, come with me.”

“Of course. If you will excuse me, King Ced…” Saias stands and bows respectfully to the green-haired sage before following the maid.

“Your Majesty?”

Ced looks up to see Misha, a worried look in her eyes. He gives her a tired smile.

“I’m fine, Misha. Let me stay here for a while. I still have work to do.”

Misha nods, shutting the door behind her. Ced leans back, staring up at the ceiling. He inhales sharply, then pulls himself forward, sorting through the papers scattered all over his desk.

Eventually, the door bursts open, and multiple servants pour in. Ced sighs, setting down his papers and looking up at them.

“Your Majesty, please, you ought to rest-”

“My king, it is far too late-”

Ced ignores the servants clammering to take care of him, throwing his cape over his shoulders and walking out of his office quickly, one intention in his mind.

He comes to a stop inside the library, carefully sneaking his hand through the curtains and pressing his hand against the glass door to a balcony where he’s spent many days reading and studying his magic. He could never find it in himself to go out there at night, but maybe he can now.

He opens the door to the balcony, and finds, to his surprise, a familiar figure leaning against the balcony railing. The once-rough wind that rustled the man’s red hair into a tangle slows, and Saias turns around.

“Lord Ced…” Saias murmurs, pushing himself off of the balcony railing. Ced doesn’t bother trying to correct Saias’s outdated title for him.

“Lord Bishop Saias,” Ced nods as he steps up beside him. Saias smiles.

“It’s just Father Saias now.”

“I… right.” Ced bites his lip before catching Saias’s eyes. A long and tense silence stretches out between them, growing so bold and so intolerable that Ced can feel himself teetering on the edge of insanity.

“Why?” Ced finally blurts out.

The former high priest looks away. “Perhaps… I felt the title of Lord Bishop did not belong to me anymore,” Saias murmurs. “Perhaps I felt that… I did not deserve everything I was being praised of.”

“Saias…”

“I’m sorry, Ced.” The red-haired man lifts his gaze and looks at the king of Silesse. “Nobody said it was easy.”

“Of course not,” Ced agrees quietly as the wind ruffles through his hair. The breeze blows past them, rustling their cloaks and lifts Saias’s hair from his cheeks, revealing his profile to Ced. There’s no hiding the sharp intake of breath that escapes Ced’s lips.

“I never expected to see you again,” Saias says with a careful tone in his voice, and Ced can tell he’s picking his words carefully.

“Neither did I,” Ced admits, and it’s true. He’d given up hope, at some point. He’d forgotten when. “I’m glad that you didn’t forget about me.”

Saias lets out a low chuckle. “How could I? A young prince, a soon to be king, who insisted on accompanying someone like me through days of travel. I’d never forget someone like you. I’d hope that you hadn’t forgotten about me.”

“Of course not.” Ced shakes his head. “I’d never forget you.”

Saias blinks, looking over at the king. “I suppose… I’m a much more memorable person than I let on,” he draws out after a long silence.

Ced can feel his mouth going dry. “I… I suppose so.”

Saias gives him a strange look - no, an indecipherable look that’s hardened, that look Saias had always given him that’s so hidden Ced could never perceive the emotions that were behind them. Ced meets his eyes, those pale blue eyes, and Saias holds his gaze.

“Forgive me. I have taken up too much of your time,” Saias whispers, his fingers tightening around the railing of the balcony. “If you will excuse me…”

“Hold, Saias,” Ced says before he can stop himself, Saias blinks, looking over at Ced.

“What is it, Lord Ced?”

“Ced,” the king corrects. A small smile spreads across Saias’s face.

“Ced,” Saias murmurs, a distant look in his eyes.

Ced rests the tips of his fingers on Saias’s hand. Something flashes in Saias’s eyes, a flame that’s been reignited, and then just as quickly, it’s extinguished, and Saias is shaking his head, drawing his hand away.

“I must go. Lord Ced- Ced-”

Ced grabs Saias by the shoulders, pulling Saias face to face with himself. Saias’s breath hitches in his throat, and Ced lets him go, looking away.

“I see,” Ced chuckles bitterly. “I really do know nothing about you.”

“Ced?”

“I know nothing about you, and yet I still…” he laughs again, and this time there’s a bittersweet feeling woven into it.

“I wish I could tell you,” Saias mutters. “I wish I could, but I have sworn to the stars to tell no one.”

“I wish I could tell you too. I wish I could tell you everything I’ve experienced, everything I’ve believed. But all I can tell you, all I’ve ever known is that I've… I’ve always loved you,” Ced whispers, “and I always will.”

Saias reaches out his hand tentatively, and Ced takes it tenderly. Saias tries to hide his flinch, squeezing Ced’s hand.

“So have I,” Saias breathes, “and so will I.”

Maybe it is something about the dark night sky that reminds both of them of those times together, but the stars seem to shimmer brighter, the wind seems to whisper warmer, and all they really know is each other.

#fire emblem #fire emblem 5 #fe5 #fire emblem: thracia 776 #fire emblem 4 #fire emblem: genealogy of the holy war #fe4 #Ced #Saias #Karin #Misha #Seliph #Leif #Jugdral #avietta writes fire emblem

6 notes · View notes

royaltyjunk · 7 years

Text

Lost Homes and False Love: Chapter 1

Summary:

When she’s sitting on her bed, sifting through the robes and trinkets of Grado that Lyon gave her, she doesn’t feel quite at home like she used to.

Author’s Ideas: I LIVE

Anyways, sorry about inactivity. Decided to take a week long break because I was going on vacation, and that turned into like a two month hiatus ._.

Why is it every time I write FE8 it turns into some mess of angst and ships. Oh well. If I have to suffer while writing, you guys get to suffer while reading it

ALSO ALSO ALSO ALSO IT’S TWO CHAPTERS??? I WROTE SOMETHING THAT WAS MORE THAN A ONE-SHOT

*GASP*

So put it in your follows because the second chapter is the better shit. Just expect some, uh, waiting. A lot of waiting :/

Also no one cares about that five support limit thing lol what is that

As always, readable on FanFiction.

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything you recognise in this fic, like supports, characters, or Fire Emblem as a whole.

One: Lost Homes

~ / . / . / ~

Grado’s winds tear against her, and Eirika sighs, running a hand through her tangled aqua hair. She leans against the balcony, reaching a hand upwards to pick a flower from the pot above. She cups the small blossom in her hands, staring at the white flower.

“Eirika?”

“Lyon…”

Eirika looks behind her, smiling at the Grado prince.

“Today is your last day here, isn’t it?”

“Mm. I’ll miss it here,” Eirika murmurs, tucking the small blossom in the folds of her skirt before adjusting the leather pack on her back.

“Promise me you’ll come to visit again?” Lyon asks, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Eirika laughs.

“I’m sure I will, Lyon.” She steps forward, taking her friends’ hands in hers and squeezing reassuringly. A warm feeling blooms in her heart.

“Eirika, I…” He trails off then, shaking his head. “No, never mind.”

Eirika tilts her head to the side. “Is something the matter?”

“No, nothing! Forget I said anything…” Lyon gives her a reassuring smile, and Eirika smiles back.

“Don’t worry, Lyon. I’ll come back soon. You can count on it.”

“Eirika…” he murmurs, and then shakes his head, laughing softly. “Of course. I’d never doubt you…”

“Thank you, Lyon.” Eirika lets go of one of his hands then, and she giggles when she sees him trying to hide the disappointment. “Come on!” She drags him off of the balcony, through her room, down the hallway, all without stopping a heartbeat.

“Wait, Eirika-” he protests, “I promised Knoll I’d-”

“Knoll will understand!” Eirika calls back, picking up the pace now. She’s practically running down the hallway, and Lyon tries desperately not to trip over his robes.

“Eirika, slow down!”

She doesn’t respond, but her steps grow slower, and Lyon lets out a sigh of relief. They walk down the hallways, Eirika gently touching the frames of the pictures hanging on the walls. The Grado soldiers standing guard along the hallways smile and nod at her. A few even wish her well on her journey back. All of them smile knowingly at the sight of Lyon following her, his hand in hers.

Eirika spots Knoll at the end of the hallway. He’s leaning against the wall, watching the dark flame on his fingertip dance in the gentle breeze coming from the open castle doors. As the princess of Renais approaches, he extinguishes the flame by closing his fist, glancing up to look at her.

“Your brother is waiting for you.”

“Oh!” Eirika gasps. “I didn’t expect Brother to be ready so quickly!”

“Ephraim can be a little iffy with how he handles things…” Lyon comments, “but he can get things done quickly if he needs to.”

Eirika huffs before looking over at Knoll. “Thank you, Knoll.”

“Of course, Princess Eirika.” Knoll nods, offering the two of them a small smile before brushing past them, walking down the hallway in the opposite direction. He stops for a minute, looking over his shoulder. “Prince Lyon, about our appointment this afternoon… Please, let us do it tomorrow.”

“But, Knoll-” Lyon starts to protest, but Knoll shakes his head and continues walking. Both of them watch him leave.

“...He’s a nice man, isn’t he?” Eirika murmurs.

“Yes… I couldn’t ask for a better partner.” His hand tightens around hers, and he turns to look at Eirika. “...Come on. Ephraim is waiting.”

The princess nods, and gives Lyon a squeeze of his hand.

They emerge into the courtyard, where Ephraim waits, tapping his foot impatiently. He looks up, groaning. “There you are, Sister! General Duessel was ready ages ago. Why must you take so long?”

“Apologies, Brother.” She lets go of Lyon, offering a smile of apology. “I am ready to go now.”

Ephraim sighs, shaking his head before stepping forward, drawing Lyon into a hug. The sickly prince starts, but reciprocates the hug to Ephraim.

“Lyon… Thank you for everything.” Ephraim pulls away, looking Lyon in the face. “I am sure we’ll meet again.”

“Yeah…” Lyon nods enthusiastically. “I’ll see you soon, then…”

Ephraim pulls away, smiling before pulling away and turning, tapping Eirika on the shoulder. She starts, glaring at her brother who smirks knowingly. He walks past her, and Eirika sighs.

“Oh… Brother, you…”

Lyon laughs, and Eirika turns her attention back to him. She smiles sheepishly, and he grins back.

“I… I’ll miss you, Eirika,” Lyon murmurs, and Eirika nods, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes.

“I know,” she agrees quietly, but smiles anyways. “But, I promised, did I not? So… there is no reason for us to be sad. All we need to do is look forward to the next time we can meet.”

“Yes… you’re right…” Lyon purses his lips and looks up at her. “Then… I will see you soon.”

He draws in a breath and reaches out his hand, brushing away her hair. He smiles.

“You’re wearing the earrings I gave you.”

“Of course,” she murmurs.

“Thank you, Eirika,” Lyon says suddenly. She blinks before letting out a laugh.

“What are you thanking me for?”

“I’m not sure, but… I needed to thank you. For something.”

“Lyon…”

“Eirika!” Ephraim yells from outside the courtyard.

“Coming, Brother!” Eirika calls back. Lyon reluctantly withdraws his hand, and the princess looks back at him. “I suppose I have to go now.”

“Yes… Goodbye, Eirika,” the prince of Grado says softly, and watches her leave. She forces herself not to look around, even when she hears Lyon fall to his feet, and even when she can feel her heart shattering and emptying. She clenches her fist, and she’s barely aware of her brother leading her to the outside of the castle. There, General Duessel is saddling up his horse, speaking with a familiar red-headed knight.

“Princess Eirika, are you ready to go?” General Duessel asks, noticing the royal duo of Renais approaching.

“Yes,” Eirika nods.

“Good. You’ll ride with Seth. Ephraim, you’ll be riding with me.”

“What? I can ride on my own-”

Eirika sighs, blocking out the sounds of their argument and turning to look at the Silver Knight.

“Seth, it’s good to see you again.”

“Of course, Lady Eirika,” he bows to her, standing aside to let her mount his horse. Seth climbs on behind her, taking the reins and snapping them. His horse breaks into a gallop, and Eirika turns her head. General Duessel and Ephraim follow them a short distance behind.

“Goodbye, Lyon…” Eirika murmurs, casting a final, longing look at Grado Keep behind her. She doesn’t notice Seth, his shoulders growing tense and his hands clench tighter around his reins. All she can notice is the hand clenching her heart, fueling the loneliness in her heart.

When she’s sitting on her bed back in Renais Castle, sifting through the robes and trinkets of Grado that Lyon gave her, she pulls a flower from her pocket and realizes she doesn’t feel quite at home like she used to.

~ / . / . / ~

She keeps silent as Seth leads down the hallways of the castle she’s so familiar, his hand clamped around her wrist. A few foot soldiers attempt to call out to their allies, but Seth silences them quickly with his Silver Sword. Eirika tries not to look down as she runs over the soldier, her boots splashing in blood.

Seth picks up the pace then, hurrying down the stairs two at a time. Eirika slips, but Seth catches and steadies her. She doesn’t offer any sign of gratitude, only slipping her wrist out of Seth’s grip and holding his hand instead. The knight grips her hand tight and hurries down the hallway. She follows along, her boots clicking against the tiles.

They emerge from the eastern exit and into the stables, and Seth pulls open the first door on the left. His horse darts outward, having been saddled up beforehand.

“Hurry,” Seth urges, and Eirika climbs onto the horse. Her retainer follows, and soon, Seth’s horse is galloping from the castle. Eirika refuses to look back, and Seth presses himself closer to her, as if he didn’t want to do so either.

Seth orders Franz away, and Eirika has been so out of it that she doesn’t realize that Franz has been with them ever since they left the stables. She slips off his horse, and Seth looks around.

“Princess Eirika, we must-” Seth cuts himself off, his eyes raised to the sky. His breath catches in his throat. “Quickly! Behind me!”

Eirika is shoved away by him, and she lands on her back away from her retainer. She struggles to stand, about to ask why when she spots the wyvern descending from the sky. The long-necked dragon leans down, revealing a man with stringy blue hair and crazed eyes.

“You there, with the girl. Tell me, would that be the wayward princess of Renais? Well, this must be my lucky day. You’re a dead man. The wench goes with me.”

Seth draws his sword. “Never!”

Her retainer darts forward, lashing out his sword. Eirika blinks in surprise when his blow misses, and cries out in shock when the enemy lands a strike on Seth’s side.

Seth forces his horse backwards, his hand on his wound. “Ahhh… No!” He turns and gallops away, grabbing Eirika by the arm and pulling her up onto the horse behind her. Seth takes her arms and pulls them around his waist, and she’s still so shocked and jarred that she doesn’t realize her hand is pressing against Seth’s open injury until she feels the sticky blood dripping from her hands.

“Seth, your wound…”

Eirika lets her hand draw away from the wound on his stomach and stares blankly at the red covering her ghostly white hand. Some of it has smeared onto the golden round of her bracelet. Seth twists slightly, pain flashing over his face before he curls his wet sleeve over his hand and gently wipes it off.

“Please, my lady. Sleep.”

She lets out a gentle cry of protest, but Seth wraps her arms around his waist and jerks the reins again. His horse picks up the pace, now on the verge of galloping.

The sound of her retainer’s gentle heartbeat over horseshoes hitting the muddy ground, the blurry sight of Seth’s silver armor, and the feeling of Seth’s gentle breaths lull Eirika into a dreamful slumber.

There she dreams of Seth, of holding Seth in her arms and discovering that there is no warmth left in him, all of it gone not from the gaping wound by his side, but from his dwindling heartbeat that stills when Eirika places a hand on his chest.

~ / . / . / ~

Eirika sighs, jerking her Steel Sword from the enemy axe fighter. She tries not to look at the crimson red blood on the thin blade of her sword.

There’s rustling behind her, and Eirika spins around. A myrmidon glides across the floor, heading straight for the princess. A flash of black darts in front of her, and Joshua is parrying the enemy blow for blow.

“Go on ahead, princess,” Joshua throws over his shoulder, lazily dodging a slash. “I’ve got this taken care of.”

“Thank you, Joshua,” Eirika dashes past them, her eyes fixed on the port across the sea.

Horseshoes clop behind her, and she spins, her sword ready to block a blow.

“Princess Eirika!” Seth skids to a stop in front of her. “The enemy commander seems to be the only enemy. Currently Sir Gilliam and Sir Garcia are engaged in combat with him.”

“I see…” She pauses, and then looked at him again. “Seth, do you have a moment? Could you help me practice a bit right now?”

Seth purses his lips, hesitating for a bit before responding. “...Princess Eirika. Before I do, there is something I must say to you.”

Eirika blinks, looking up at the red-haired knight. “Yes, what is it?”

He bows his head, his next words soft and hard to hear. “Please forgive my rudeness, but…” He raises his gaze, looking Eirika in her eyes. “Princess, I am merely your subject. Recently, you have been too close to me. It is not becoming of a noble of Renais to fraternize in this way with her subjects.”

She feels her heart shatter into pieces then, with despondency and perplexity. She casts her gaze back down at the floor. “Oh... But I... it's just that your wound has not yet... I was merely…”

“It's true. The wound I received the day our castle fell has not yet healed…” He lets out a bitter laugh, strangely uncharacteristic of him. “Perhaps it will afflict me to the end of my life. But,” he shakes his head, “it would be a mistake to assume you owe me a debt for this wound. This thought should not rest beneath the crown you soon must wear.”

“But still, you suffered for me…” Eirika protests weakly, and Seth cuts her off.

“Lady Eirika. You are a noble of Renais. The nobility should not favor one subject over another. How can they maintain their fealty if you treat one so differently?”

She could only respond with silence.

“You may have to forego such attachments just to defend your country,” Seth continues, his voice getting colder and face swathing over with a similarly cold expression, although Eirika can see a battered look behind that frigidness, “and there will be times when victory in battle demands a sacrifice. If you cannot send your men to die, then you are not fit to rule.

“...I understand…” Eirika murmurs, looking up at her knight. “Seth... You are correct. I had forgotten my place, and I had forgotten my duty. Please forgive me.” She gives him a bitter smile.

Seth nods, turning to leave, but Eirika began to speak again, her voice low and soft. She feels herself speak on instinct, the hesitation and sorrow in her heart gone like frost in the sun’s warmth.

“That night... We fled from the soldiers of Grado... You held me tight, keeping me safe from the enemy's blades... Perhaps...I did feel something more for you then. But…” she brushes a hair behind her ear and licks her lips, “it was improper for a queen of Renais. And with my father dead, I suppose that is my station. I am a queen, and you are a knight in my service. If I do not keep this in mind, then I will never be able to rebuild our kingdom.”

Seth looks back at her, a gentle smile on his face. “I thank you for your understanding, my lady. Now, if you will excuse me…”

Eirika purses her lips and tightens her fist, feeling her nails dig crescent-like marks into her palm.

“Princess Eirika. If you would allow me to say one more thing…”

Eirika’s eyes dart up, looking at her knight, who has turned around to meet her gaze. “Seth...?”

“...That night... I felt what you felt. When I held you in my arms as we rode into the night... It was the first time since I was knighted that I forgot my duty. I thought of you not as my queen, but rather as someone I wanted to protect from all harm. I wanted to leave everything behind... To take you far away to someplace where we could be together... Those were my thoughts…”

“Seth…” His name slips from her mouth, her hands shaking.

Seth shakes his head. “Please forgive me. I swear to you that I will never again forget my duty in that way. Now, please excuse me. When I see you next, it will be as a Knight of Renais... And I will lay down my life to protect my queen.” He pulls the reins of his horse, and it turns, trotting away slowly.

“Seth…” She watches him go, watches him spurn on his mount and not look back, as if he could not bear to give Eirika any more of his words or even attention.

“Princess Eirika?” Forde asks gently, and she starts, laughing before diving into a playful banter with the knight. Yet, even as she laughs, her eyes catch Seth’s from across the port-turned-former battlefield, and she can’t help but ignore the yawning chasm that stretches her heart so wide that she feels like she’s being torn in two.

There was nothing she could do about it.

~ / . / . / ~

“Ah…”

“Lyon!” Eirika cries.

“Eirika…” He takes a few steps back. His hand clenches together, and the ground below him begins to glow. He’s going to warp away, she knows it, and she steps forward, stretching out her hand.

“Wait, Lyon! Don’t run away!” Lyon lets his hand fall open, and the pulsing purple magic below him stops pulsing, and she clasps her hands over her heart. “My brother and I have been so worried about you… We know more than anyone the gentleness of your spirit. Your father is deranged, isn’t he? That’s why Grado invaded Renais, right? Tell me, Lyon… Please… Tell me what has happened.”

“I’m sorry, Eirika.” Lyon looks away, his eyes sorrowful. “I’ve wanted to see you and Ephraim for so long… I wanted to see you so that I could apologize. The invasion of Renais… I couldn’t stop it. I’m sorry, but I still cannot talk to you. Not yet…”

“You…” she pauses, licking her lips, “You have a reason, don’t you?”

He looks at her with a smile, nodding. “Mm… I can’t talk about it now, but… I promise I will tell you everything someday.”

“I see… I believe you, Lyon.” She smiles back, “I must tell you, I’m a little relieved. I was afraid you’d changed as much as your poor father had. I’m so glad.”

“Me, too, Eirika…” he shakes his head. “No, you have changed. You’re even more beautiful than you were before.”

“L-Lyon…” Yet, despite the words he offers her, she can’t find it in her heart to blush or say “thank you”. She finds it strange, that there’s no warm feeling in her heart that feels like home.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. But please remember this. This war started because I was too weak to stop it, but… I’ll always be your friend.” The runes are already spinning around Lyon’s feet before Eirika can protest, and he disappears in a column of purple light.

“Lyon…” Eirika whispers, tightening her hands on her heart like she’s trying to squeeze something out of her heart, some kind of feeling that she knows she’s lost. The flower of a warm feeling that once blossomed mercilessly was now wilting with no halting.

“Eirika, what are you doing?” L’Arachel rides back into the throne room, the horseshoes clicking against the floor. “It seems Queen Ismaire has been found. This way!”

Eirika blinks, then shakes her head. “Y-yes. Coming!”

The rest of her time in the castle passes by her like the summer winds. Seth holds Queen Ismaire in his arms. Joshua, Prince Joshua of Jehanna, the myrmidon mercenary Joshua, kneels beside her. The queen of white dunes smiles, and her eyes close. Joshua stands, Audhulma and Excalibur in hand. He vows to stand with Renais, Frelia, Rausten, and then the castle is on fire, everything burning to the ground.

L’Arachel drags Innes onto her horse, galloping out of the castle. Joshua murmurs an apology to his mother before allowing Cormag to pull him onto his wyvern.

“Princess Eirika,” Seth shakes her by the shoulder. “We must hurry.”

“Seth…” she swallows down the lost and void feeling in her chest, and mounts the horse.

They burst from the burning castle, Eirika hacking and coughing.

She slips off of Seth’s warhorse, limping to a large flat stone under a palm tree. She sits, ignoring the heated discussion between Innes, L’Arachel, and Seth.

“Lyon…” Eirika calls under her breath. Her fingers tighten against the stone she sits on, her eyes trailing on the leaves of the palm tree that shadows her.

She looks past the desert where Grado troops gather, letting her eyes fall on the Grado Keep on the horizon.

To think that she would run into Lyon in that castle of Jehanna. To think that he’d… Lyon had… He had promised that he was on their side, and yet, there was a void in her heart, a void that had once been filled by the feeling of home that Lyon had once made her feel.

“What troubles you, Princess Eirika?”

Eirika starts, looking up at the source of the voice. Saleh looks back at her, his blue eyes wondering and concerned. She shakes her head, forcing a smile on her face.

“Oh, Master Saleh. No, nothing. My mind was somewhere else…” She presses a hand to her forehead. “Oh, and in the middle of such a predicament… I'm sorry.”

Saleh sits beside her. “Don't be sorry. I am not going to judge you for how you think or act.”

Eirika laughs, her giggle filled with a feeling of gratitude. “Thank you.” The mirth in her eyes disappears slowly, and she looks at her feet, her face shielded by a waterfall of turquoise hair. “...I was just remembering my home. I was thinking about the last time Renais was at peace.”

The sage stays silent, urging Eirika to continue. She does so gladly.

“There were the most beautiful mountains, the clearest rivers... The scent of wildflowers filled the air. The sky was clear and bright. This was before war scarred the hills and scorched the skies. It was filled with hope and possibility. My brother and I would go hunting with Prince Lyon.” She swallows down the pain crawling up her throat. “...I would make lunches for us. Ephraim would tease, but Lyon was happy. I…” She trails off for a moment, wiping at her eyes hastily, “I miss that time so very much.”

Saleh reaches forward hesitantly, resting a reassuring hand on her hand. “Princess Eirika... I give you my word that you will once again see the Renais you love restored.”

Her hand tightens under his, and she smiles up at him. “Master Saleh... I do hope so. But first, you and I must concentrate on these upcoming battles. We must win.” Her eyes dry, she looks him straight in the eyes, her smile growing wider. “Thank you, Master Saleh. Your homeland, Caer Pelyn, was also a most beautiful place.”

Saleh looks away, a small smile on his face. “We had nothing special. But, because of that, we had...everything.”

“I didn't understand that before. Now…” Eirika’s eyes sparkle, and Saleh lets his smile grow wider, “I think I know what you mean.”

“I am glad.”

“When we have to fight no more, please, let me visit you in Caer Pelyn. I would like to know more about your home. About Valega and Nada Kuya.” She speaks the foreign words like they’re Magvelian, like they’re something she says every day. It’s strange how much she feels she’s changed.

“You are welcome anytime. Caer Pelyn and I will welcome you with open arms.”

Saleh smiles at her, standing and brushing off his cape. Sand scatters across the stone he was sitting on, and he brushes off his tome. She watches him leave, walking away with sandy footprints following him. Her hands tighten around themselves, staring after the retreating back of the sage, and for a moment, all she can see is the purple cape of a lavender-haired man she loved and used to call home.

#fire emblem #fire emblem: the sacred stones #fire emblem: sacred stones #fe8 #fe:ss #Magvel #Eirika #Ephraim #Lyon #Seth #Forde #Saleh #Innes #L'Arachel #Joshua

1 note · View note