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videostak · 9 months

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Hii

🔪 video game's

i love video games so much and theyre genuinely so beautiful but have really fallen off in modern eras like around ps3 era sooo bad like i just cant stand this constant push for games as art like its the same thing as animation as art like IT IS OBVIOUSLY but the contemporary discussion around always has ppl using the worst examples lol. and w/ video games like the games nowadays like that david cage bullshit is so insufferable like whos idea was it that games can only be 'art' when they push the gameplay aspects to the side for some dumb blockbuster type generic thriller storyline lol. its funny that these games are just imitating movies and even then not even movies that ppl would consider art LOL theyre imitating stuff like die hard lol. like smthn abt the experience of pac man or space invaders with the bassline speeding up or galaxian with the constant hum dropping when the last ships attack you liek thats rly art like justt the thrill of it u kno like a pinball machine with all the lgihts and sounds enveloping you. regret not having any real modern consoles cause when elden ring dropped i rly wish i had a way to play it cause that looked like perfeect like hearing ppl talk abt it reminded me so much of the great famicom era games (having to write stuff down on paper to remember things, cryptic things having to be done to activate stuff, just rly hard obv) like that genuinely gives me hope knowing games can be like that still while also really feeling modern and new to contemporary audiences but it sucks ppl write off most of it as just bieng the souls genre's distinctive traits and not rly learning from it. likee botw was obv a watershed moment but i dont think ill really be invested into modern games till a botw game drops but w/ NO FAST TRAVEL just having to explore slow and beautifully metroid prime style even if uneventful walking takes up 100% of ur time for a days playing session and with really cryptic shit that invokes like tower of druaga xevious beauty of just writing shit and figuring out stuff. well actually ut seems elden ring did the latter rly well so thats awesum. i dont think games should be streamlined or have quality of life updates n shit like weird to see ppl talk abt games as art then treat them likee content/disposable products that inevitably have to be updated. recetnly got dark cloud and have been meaning to get into it but when i went to a door and i had to manually go in my inventory choose the key item and pick use on the door instead of the game just automatically doing it for me i got an insane rush of serotonin

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sunder-soul · 3 years

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you make most of it up? That's amazing. Could you maybe share your method/thinking/resources for someone who also wants to write believable class stuff in the hp fandom? Thank u very much

Yayaya sure!

Short answer:

So I'll pull details from the HP wiki, and if I need a random plant name or potion ingredient and can't be fucked making one up (or I don't need it to be something symbolic etc) I often use this random generator and either use those names straight out, or tweak them a bit before using them.

Long answer:

Well I'm a huge fan of soft worldbuilding (where you don't outline all the rules and details and instead have a sort of immersive description that leaves a lot unsaid) because I feel it makes things more realistic, like you're glimpsing little parts of things that are utterly normal and therefore don't need explaining ya kno. So when I write classroom scenes or any kind of 'lore' I try not to explain it and rely instead on characters reacting to things to convey its importance, normalcy, or strangeness.

I do this alllll the time but I did it HEAPS in white dove. When Tom is in trial and he gets a 'tier nine' cell (which I made up) I don't bother writing something like "oh my gosh tier nine is the worst and most intense type of cell you can get and it has these rules and these horrifying conditions" bc I don't need to. The whole room reacts with gasps and horror and even Tom looks freaked out (tho that's mostly bc he was expecting a sentence of a specific amount of years and was confident he could just outlive it bc immortal and that's the moment that he's like oh fuck, but the point still stands).

So the emotions/reactions of the people tell you everything you need to know without me having to outright describe it. You don't need to know what a tier 9 cell is, you get that it's fucking baddddd. In fact, it's sort of even better than explaining it bc our imaginations find the unknown even scarier than something horrifying described in detail.

In the same chap a bit further down, I make reference to a 'peeping charm' which I made up on the spot. Same deal but different context, it makes sense that magic users have a spell that'll act like a peephole in their doors, there's no reason to say 'this spell will let me look through the door without the person on the other side noticing so I can see who it is before opening it' because this would be a totally normal thing. So I just wrote it like it wasn't a big deal bc to this character in this context, this wouldn't be a big deal.

On the other hand you can also totally introduce something new that DOES need some detail/exposition. At the beginning of this same chap I say that Tom's lips and cheeks are flushed, that this a tell-tale sign of veritaserum poisoning, and that they've obviously given him heaps of the stuff. I made this up just bc I wanted there to be something the MC could visually and easily see from across the room that would establish that Tom's been given a SHIT TON of truth potion so that for the rest of the scene, the audience in the room with him AND the audience reading the chapter knows he's being forced to tell the truth. It just added to the tension of the moment and made sense for the context (a trial lol). It also gives the scene some layers - Tom was fairly brief and controlled when he actually speaks in that scene, and I wanted it to be unclear if this is because he's being super self controlled by choice as he's normally prone to being, if he knows that he'll be unable to lie and doesn't want to let on any more of his secrets, or if he knows honesty will destroy the picture perfect tragic image the newspapers have made for him if he's TOO much of a monster.

I'm rambling but the point is, if you're going to introduce details or concepts it's really important to have an understanding of who would know that stuff already, who would find it commonplace and who might be totally unaware of it. Sometimes everyone in the scene would know about it already but the AUDIENCE doesn't, and that's when you can use like casual conversation/questions between characters to give more info whilst also showing that this is all very normal.

Having a character not know something is an easy way to have another character explain something to them but there has to be a solid reason as to WHY one would know it and the other doesn't.

An example of a time I've used this is in Mimicry when the MC knows troll blood will ruin Tom's potion but Tom doesn't. Normally we'd be like 'wait what, why would a nerd-ass know it all like Tom not know this,' but it makes sense to my understanding of the character that he's the sort of person who got a recommendation that 'Zoological Potions Ingredients' was the BEST textbook on ingredients and went off and fucking memorised the whole thing and didn't think that anything could have changed in the 70 years after it was published (Tom strikes me as the sort of person who chases 'the best' and doesn't think much past that is worth considering). Hence why he didn't know that the classification for trolls changed and that further research was done, since he also strikes me as the sort of person who would consider reading up on the social status of trolls to be a little pointless lol, but surprise bitch it wasn't.

So I made up most of that except for the existence of Bundimuns and trolls - I went hunting on the wiki for some obscure substance I could reference in passing for a potions ingredient (and found Bundimuns), and honestly I can't remember how much about them I made up and how much is canon (I think they're mentioned to be used in cleaning products canonically...?)

But the point is more that this scene doesn't just flesh out the world, it tells u stuff about the two characters and how they interact. It tells you that Tom is very studious but doesn't like to revise his opinions, it tells you that the MC knows their shit, it tells you that Tom is suspicious (he instantly challenges them by referencing the textbook not saying what they're telling him), and it tells you that MC is a good bitch who would help out a dick like Tom just bc it's the right thing to do. It also shows Tom's flaws - his disregard of learning about other creatures/beings/people and the way they're treated in society tracks with what we know of his character, and I always think it's important to demonstrate (either directly to him within a scene or to the readers) that this is a stupid thing to do. In this case, his lack of interest in the struggles of others nearly fucked his own potion, he's only saved because MC 1) cares enough to read up about it, 2) sees the importance of revising formally formed opinions/understandings, 3) steps in to help him even though he probably wouldn't have done the same.

So that's soft world building, ya know, using these things to tell you about the characters, using knowledge and lack of knowledge, reactions, etc etc. Most of the details I make up are there to serve a purpose for the plot, but honestly that's just bc I'm writing short super condensed stories that don't have a lot of space for proper world building. In Seven Devils (and Mimicry to a lesser extent) I have a lot more of these details there to create an emotion/sense of the scene just for the sake of setting that scene, but that's for bigger works with more room to breathe.

Hmu if you want to know more but damn I DID write an essay huh 😅

#Anon #Ask #Writing #Mimicry #White dove

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faunusrights · 4 years

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OFFAL HUNT REMASTERED LIVEBLOG // CHAPTER 17

IN THIS EPISODE OF CRYING CAT GALLERY:

“Nice?” Cinder laughed under her breath once, and returned to examining her threads. “Oh, come on, Glynda. Favor isn’t in my vocabulary, remember? It’s just a shame about your cape. The emblem looked good, and your new outfit would look much better with it. That’s all.”

CINDER FALL IS REALLY BAD AT NOT BEING GAY ON MAIN

we’re bacc baby B) let’s hop right in

When Glynda awoke from her dream of being consumed,

alright calm down we’ve literally JUST started we’ve literally JUST woken up can we chill Out,

“Cinder?” she yawned, surveying the room.

sneak peek of that Sweet Domestic Life we dream of once this enemies-to-lovers malarkey reaches the ‘lovers’ bit but no we’re just surrounded by enemies. two of them being the writers!

Still, she couldn’t go wandering around Cinder’s apartment in only her underwear, but rooting through the drawers and closet didn’t seem—

STEAL HER CLOTHES BABY!!!! PRACTICALLY MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The clothes didn’t seem Cinder’s size or style; they were casual and soft, a black t-shirt and steel-gray sweatpants.

okay but the idea of cinder getting up and being like ‘do i have ANYTHING this Unit of a woman will fit into’ and like actually having to think abt it and then folding em up and leaving em there like ‘hope she finds em okay’????? peak. absolutely peak. shes so gay but does she know it? no,

The fabric had enough give to make it work, even if only barely, and she looked in the mirror to see the loungewear looking more like tight athletic wear. Funny that.

kc and diesel envisioning this: oh yes. oh YES. ohhohughohguhghuhu yessssssssss--

She had—trusted? Been trusted? She had told Cinder fragile little things, and had heard similarly earnest words in return. It had been strange. Nice.

i love glynda like. feeling out of the edges of her own comfort and Pleasant Feelings with this almost-wariness? like every word she uses to describe it just Edges a little closer to Softness but she has to taste the word first to see if it fits. her narration is SO fun 2 read yall what the shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

This was Cinder’s house. It wasn’t just any house. These were Cinder’s belongings, Cinder’s resting places, and she was wandering around without Cinder.

Voyeuristic was putting it mildly. Glynda needed to find Cinder, fast.

HJGDKJGHDFSSDF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! glynda just. losing it at such LITTLE THINGS is so goddamn funny jesus christ. this is cinders house!!! her THINGS!!! fuck she NAPS IN HERE. SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

god i love how soft this is. i know exactly why this is happening and i know exactly how [REDACTED], but i’m living for this moment. living IN it.

Spread out on the table was a wanted poster with a mugshot of Cinder on it, defaced with black permanent marker and crease marks.

cinder: yeah they didnt get the eyebrows sharp enough and im mad abt it

“Well, your clothes are in the wash.” Cinder said, turning around, coffee in hand. It was so…domestic. “It would help if you had more than one set.”

shouting from a distance: you two should get MARRIED

“You’ve been wearing the same dress the entire time I’ve known you.”

look at these lil JABS... the JESTS... the JOQUES... i cant believe theyve been married 10 years already. im also deeply enjoying how very indulgent this section is. I Am Seeing,

Glynda scoffed, and when Cinder reached for the sugar on the counter, she gave it a subtle nudge with her Semblance. It slid out of Cinder’s reach.

JESUS CHRIST LOOK AT THIS WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! soulmates.

Cinder shrugged, still looking elsewhere. “Mercury thought it was funny.”

“Mercury?”

cinder: my son and BOY. and, one day, yr son and boy, tho he won’t take it lying down.

Cinder scoffed. “You just don’t appreciate my good tastes.”

i feel like the evidence is truly stacking up to very much prove this statement wrong but u kno what lets let her figure that one out for herself

“A souvenir from the brats,” she said. “And a letter excusing the mess they made of the place.”

KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS

She said, “I just didn’t know you had kids.”

KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS

“It’s fine,” said Cinder tersely, but not harshly. “It isn’t wise to advertise in my business, so keep it to yourself.”

KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOD YES that little like... indirect admittance that em and merc r basically her own kids is a fucking BLESSING from ON HIGH are you SEEING THIS SHIT????????????? we have been fed today. my crops r watered and my lambs bouncing over the green fields as we feast. what a moment. wow. what a chapter.

When Cinder finally finished hers and rose to get another cup, Glynda allowed some of her thoughts to solidify. She said, “I want new clothes.”

as a side note, i think it rly shows the strength of the writing that the feeling of the narrative can change so much, esp when u take into consideration that we jump between the points of view of TWO characters? like with cinder we’ve gone from sheer fury to gruesome sickness, and with glynda we’ve gone from Complete Dissociation to this gentle and soft morning and you can feel it absolutely fluffing up in every word! still love how good the writing in this fic is its NUTS

Cinder shrugged. Her usual clothes were still in the wash; right now, she was wearing high-waisted black pants and a loose top tucked in.

diesel i want you to know im thinking abt what u said abt the high-waisted pants mods in sims 4 and im giggling

The necklace with Glynda’s earring hung from her throat.

i didnt mention it before but this is the... second time this chapter its been explicitly mentioned? and i know we could be like ‘ah the MEANING’ but honestly im like glynda r u rly not over the bobbies y

“You aren’t dead in there, are you?” came Cinder’s voice.

“No.”

“Well. At this pace, I will be before we get out of here.”

cinder, who probably once spent 7+ hours choosing an outfit: look its only cool if i do it, dipshit,

Unsnapping the lone earring left to her, she brought it to her collar and fixed it there, under the clasped button to dangle just over her sternum.

When she stepped out of the changing room, Cinder looked up. A slow dawn of interest eclipsed the boredom on her face. Glynda stood very still as her gaze flowed up and down again, pausing over the earring.

Cinder touched the matching one hanging from her own neck, almost in surprise. She cleared her throat. Her tone was very deliberately mocking: “Cute.”

OOOOOOOOOOOH MY GOD are we for SERIOUS right now??? jesus christ. jesus christ. we’ve moved on past married now this is ride-or-die shit right here what the FUCK. jesus CHRIST. theres- i- i have THOUGHTS on this matter that are spoilery and so i will SIT ON THIS EGG but HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY SHIT

“Nothing,” Cinder said, smoothing her expression into something unreadable. “I was just thinking—nevermind.”

no, no, go on, speak yr mind, please do, because if u were abt to offer to embroider that shit then PLEASE say it aloud for the audience at home

“If I was a cop, you’d already be in jail.”

“You’re welcome to try to take me in, darling.”

im sure its obvious but im BESIDE myself @ this flirting. im losing it. this is SUCH a treat and i KNOW that [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

“That’s because of your—” Cinder was already gone. Glynda pressed her lips together, but watched her go. Rolling her eyes, she finished, “—Grimm tattoos.”

Whatever. She could gloat about figuring it out later.

/CHOKES

WHAT

@kc and diesel: CALL ME RIGHT NOW WHAT THE FUCK

okay okay. wait. okay. wait. theres. wait. okay. i cant. am i safe to say anything. probably not. so. im not gonna. but. you WILL be seeing me in dms, friends,

okay okay im moving on im gonna. keep going. okay. okay. im going. (but i will be in dms)

there was a brief discussion of dinner: namely, that neither of them wanted to make it.

oh god why is this me

“Give me your new cape.”

“What?”

Finally looking up, Cinder said, “Your cape. Let me have it, and I’ll put your emblem on it.”

THANK YOU MA’AM AND THANK YOU FOR READING THE FIC HAS ENDED ITS ALL OVER WITH!!!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!!! WE RODE THIS WHOLE TRAIN TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNFORTUNATELY IF ONLY IT WERE SO EASY.

Glynda ignored it for the time being and sent the vector of her emblem to Cinder.

i deeply love the idea of all hunters and huntresses carrying a vector of their emblem JUST IN CASE,,, SMTHNG HAPPENS,,, its right alongside the list of their next of kin and their will and testament,

Cinder Fall was a name built on Dust and money and extravagant demonstrations.

But Cinder Fall was also a woman with a family. A home. A favorite blend of coffee.

this is absolutely kicking me in the dick for reasons i cant say but also for reasons of SNOFT because oh my god. this is. like. this is why i rly vibe w. cinder in this fic and is also like one of my favourite characterisations of cinder of ALL TIME (which is why all my fav cinder fics typically have it as a Theme). shes SO good and SO dimensional and i just. god. GOD. i LOVE HER!!!!!!!!! ID DIE FOR HER!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA CINDER FALL IS MY ANGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL

It felt like being told a secret, like being told a thousand secrets, and not knowing what to do with them. All she could do was hold them in her palms, delicate as she could, trying not to break anything.

GIMME ARMS TO PRAY WITH INSTEAD OF ONES THAT HOLD TOO TIGHTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /goes apeshit

And because of that, Glynda asked, “Do you have any more stories?”

Without looking up, Cinder drawled, “About Witches?”

“Or dragons.”

Gold flickered her way.

👈😳👈

“They’d already been built by the Witches that came before her,” Cinder replied. “But she’d been a headmaster at one of them, and a teacher before that.”

Something in Glynda’s chest gleamed.

lore lore lore lore LORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lets GET THAT LORE as i peer blearily thru tears,

“...You haven’t just been pretending not to remember things, have you?”

firstly: called out lmao JHGSDFKJHGFSD and SECONDLY:

“The moon?” Cinder made a face. “I’m not sure if it’s that literal. Your soul is powerful, but it’s not a physical thing. Besides, the moon is…”

“Broken,” Glynda finished for her.

“Yeah.”

hm what a fascinating thing hm how interesting hm hm HMMMM 👈🤔👈

Even as they ate, they both seemed lost in their own heads, but somehow, to Glynda, it seemed perfectly clear that both of them were wondering the same thing.

wait glynda. hey glynda. did u uh. ever. did u uh. text winter back or w

WE DID IT CHAPTER 17!!!!!!!!!!! this was a Lot (4,500 words? yall better be careful before those 10k chapters return to Haunt Us) and was also, a Lot. holy shit. theres. i. id make a spoiler edition but tbh its just the SAME SPOILER thats like. rly driving this chapter. i know what its for. i know it. i feel it. dont trust winter more like dont trust the writers

ANYWAY I LOOK FORWARD (?) EAGERLY (???) to chapter 18, unsure when the vibes will turn rancid for the worse. when. honey. theres a big storm coming.

#rwby #offal hunt #liveblog #what the HELL just happened

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rescuebot · 4 years

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wfc opinions (spoilers)

-idk if this is just me but it kind of feels like i HIGH KEY have no clue what’s going on sometimes? it’s like the same problem that idw2 has where it’s lots of talking about stuff that the audience doesn’t understand the meaning behind? i feel like at the least they should have explained what the fuck the motivation for each faction is supposed to be because i’m literally so confused and i feel like as soon as i finished watching wfc all of my knowledge about what was going on plot wise got thrown directly out the window. it seems like they just throw things at u so fast that u don’t really have the time to process them but they’re also not really throwing u anything at all? maybe it’s because i’ve been a little distant from tfs recently and needed a refresher so that it would make more sense but also if i already know a bit about transformers and im feeling this way wtf is it like to have never consumed any tfs media at all and watch wfc? does this make sense to other people or has my brain just stopped making tfs make sense bc i thought we were all on the same page of idw2 not making any sense but now i feel the same way about wfc?

-i like the dynamic between jetfire and starscream tbh? i kno a lot of people are mad about it bc they would rather them have more of a g1 relationship but i think it’s interesting to see how starscream is resistant to any type of authority. since he’ll have jetfire’s job in the next season it’s going to be fun to see him then try to go after megatron’s job and i think it would be a good way to SHOW that starscream is ambitious instead of just having people say it. it’s also going to be interesting to see how megatron and starscream will interact with each other because of how megatron reacts to jetfire coming to him with starscream problems.

-some of the characters have fr no characterization whatsoever? and they also all sound really similar to each other? mirage in particular for me had a scene where he spoke to sideswipe and it kind of struck me that if i hadn’t been watching them talk to each other i would have no idea this was a conversation going on between two different characters. i feel like this is super unfortunate because those two characters especially have had very different characterizations in the past and here it feels like there’s no distinction between them.

-impactor’s death was so pointless and makes me so mad lmao. like his relationship with ratchet seemed so one sided and when he dies it seems to not even really effect ratchet at all, which could be a way to show how desensitized he is to war but up until this point ratchet doesn’t even really treat impactor differently from how he is shown and implied to treat everyone else so there’s no reason for ratchet to be super upset over impactor anyway because only impactor is the one shown to have any sort of deeper relationship with ratchet? impactor’s death loses all of the impact it could have had on the audience or on the characters because up until that point he isn’t shown to have any sort of strong relationship with any of the other characters. it would have been more meaningful to have ratchet have died in his place and use this in the next season as a reason to make impactor side more with the autobots. they fleshed impactor out more than probably any other character and then killed him without utilizing any of the work that they did. like. its only a 6 episode series and they have a pretty decently sized cast of characters that the time could have been given to in order to make the rest of the living cast more interesting but they used that time for a character they ended up killing instead? i hope this is making sense.

-it also kind of feels like they were hyping impactor up to be an eventual autobot and were giving him conflict with mirage that would later turn into like. respect but then they killed him and it’s like? why? their argument scene was the only real show of how the autobots think of themselves and how the decepticons view them and it also created conflict between the group because even though impactor is a decepticon he’s still hanging out with the autobots who aren’t shown to have any type of relationships with one another other than they are working together? there was nothing personal about them or their team at all but they also weren’t shown to have any internal conflicts within their faction and mirage and impactor having conflict with each other that spans between seasons would have been a good way to show the dynamic that exists between the autobots themselves and the one that exists between the autobots and decepticons?

-love that decepticon high command are constantly disrespecting each other lmao. i hope we learn more about whatever is going on between soundwave and shockwave and if the cloning thing was something they both decided to do (and why) or if shockwave just decided to make soundwave clones without telling him. just the little interactions between the decepticons made me laugh

-also. i love how starscream really just gathers all the seekers together behind jetfire’s back to talk shit about him and i love the way skywarp, tc, and barricade walk away real fast when jetfire shows up and sees it. it makes u wonder what the seekers think of starscream and how well they will take his leadership.

-the mercenary thing. is really interesting and for some reason i kinda doubt it but i would love to see more about mercenaries in the show?

-i think next season will sadly focus more on bumblebee and him being apart of the autobots instead of exploring any of their other characters from this season. i think him not being an autobot is more interesting than his usual characterization but i would still like to see more from all these other characters they’ve introduced at the same time.

#i think this is it i feel like i've slowly gotten more confused as i was writing this and now i have no fucking clue what im talking about #i did like it tho overall even tho im kinda disappointed #i might go back and add some things and do a rewatch so i can hopefully make things clearer and understand better #wfc spoilers

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tbehartoo · 6 years

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Nap Time

This was my first fanfic ever! I only wrote it because I’d had an idea for @sassyhazelowl and wanted to put it down before I forgot the prompt. Then it turned into THIS.

I just noticed that its second anniversary of being published on FFN was 6 days ago. I wanted to post it as a reminder of where I started and hopefully of how much my writing has improved since then.

Fandom: Fairy Tail by Mashima- which I do not own, nor do I get any $ from

Characters: Erza Scarlet & Lucy Heartfilia

Rating: General Audiences- I guess, I mean it’s all fluff!

Erza Scarlet was, she hated to use the word to describe herself, exhausted. The two day assignment she had accepted as something to pass the time had turned into a week long slog through foul weather, going over treacherous terrain, and ended with too many dark mages. If she hadn't had the prospect of her outing with Lucy to look forward to she might not have had the strength to dispatch the last few hold outs. Now she was making her way back into town with one aim in mind.

"Must, make it, to Lucy's apartment," she told herself.

She was forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other by thinking of her friend's happy face when they had planned this outing earlier.

"Erza, it's raining!" Lucy objected, "We can't go out on a day it's pouring cats and dogs."

"I fail to see the problem," Erza replied.

"Erza, one does not go swimsuit shopping in the cold, bitter sleet," Lucy said with a small shudder. "When it's cold and wet outside it's better to snuggle up in a comfy quilt with a warm beverage and a good story."

"Well, my room is closest, let's see if Mira has some hot cocoa and you can read me that book you loaned me," the redhead said with a smile.

The girls made a cozy cocoon with all of Erza's pillows and blankets (along with a few "borrowed" from some of the other girls' rooms) on the floor near the window so that Erza could watch the lightning through the glass, though she mostly watched Lucy's face as she read. The emotions flickering across the blond girl's face as fleeting as the blue lights that occasionally erupted from the storm. Lucy had a gift for storytelling.

When she finished the tale, both girls laid back, pulling the covers closer around themselves, and gazed out the window at the pouring rain.

"I love these stories," Lucy said with a sigh, hugging the book to her chest. "They remind me of my mother."

Erza was unsure of what to say about that. They stayed in silence for several minutes until she finally thought of something that didn't sound too awful, she hoped.

"What about them reminds you of her?" She asked quietly.

"She used to read them to me when I was little," Lucy answered. "We'd get ourselves ready for an adventure as she called it. We'd pack a basket with little cakes and sweet tea and my very best tea set with the pink roses on it. On top would go a blanket and finally the book. I'd gather my dolls to get our exploration group complete and off we'd go. We would walk around the gardens which she'd call a forest or a jungle, and once even a swamp, for what seemed like hours," Lucy smiled at the memory. "And when we found the perfect spot we'd set up camp. I got to pass out the provisions and then mother would bring out the book." She looked at Erza with a happy glow on her face. "Mother seemed to make those stories come alive. I felt like I knew the characters personally, that they were close friends of the family, and we were just getting reacquainted with each other. I can't tell you the number of times I worried about the knight facing the terrible fire-breathing dragon," she giggled and continued, "and now I know a dragon slayer that could give that dragon a run for his money."

Erza laughed at the thought of Natsu trying to out do the knight from the story Lucy had just finished. "It's good you have those memories of her," she said.

Lucy's face seemed to lose some of its happy glow. "It is good to have those memories," she agreed, "but I miss doing things with her. I wish she was here."

"I don't have any memories of my mother," Erza whispered, not really meaning for Lucy to hear. Her face clouded over and Lucy looked at her with concern.

"Oh Erza, I'm so sorry! I didn't think that… I didn't mean to… It was so rude of me to keep going on and on about my own mother and you have no memories...Oh, I'm so sorry." Lucy looked close to tears at having distressed Erza.

Erza held Lucy in a strong embrace. "Hush now," she ordered. "I have long ago come to terms with my past. I'm sorry that I have upset you."

Suddenly Lucy grinned. "I have an idea," she declared. "You and I are going on an adventure! We'll pack some treats and go on a picnic in the park. I'll bring the book and you can find the perfect spot for us!"

Just then a tremendous clap of thunder rattled the windows. "But maybe we should wait for the rain to clear off?" she suggested.

Erza laughed. "Yes that would be...perfect," she agreed.

Now Erza was bone weary and longing for the opportunity to requip into some pajamas before falling into bed, but there was some place she had to go first.

Lucy was surprised to hear a faint knocking at the door. "Who is it?" she called.

"It's Erza," was the reply. "Aren't we supposed to be going on an adventure today?"

"Oh. Erza?" Came the bewildered voice through the door. "Usually you just bang open the door. I don't recall ever hearing you kno-"Lucy's voice faltered as she open the door.

In front of her was a woman that was about to fall over. Ignoring the grime that one accumulates from traveling for a week, there were dark circles under the red head's eyes and a pallor to her skin that didn't suit her.

"Erza!" Lucy cried. "Are you okay?" She swooped forward and put herself under Erza's arm to help her into the house. "Of course you aren't okay," she answered herself, "just look at you. You look like something the flying cat dragged in. Sit down. Here, on the bed. Right now"

Erza protested, or tried to protest but somehow the words wouldn't come out.

Lucy started undoing the laces on Erza's boots. "I don't know what you were thinking," she chided, "you should have gone straight to the guild hall. Wendy is there and she could have you fixed up in a wink." She pulled off the boots and started pulling off the socks underneath. "Do you want me to call Wendy? I can get her over here soon." But Erza shook her head. Lucy placed the socks with the boots by the foot of the bed.

"But...our adventure?" Erza asked slightly bewildered.

"The adventure can wait!" Lucy said with fervor. Lay down!" she ordered. As the redhead complied, she started pulling a blanket over the weary mage. "I don't know anyone else that would get themselves in this state and then insist on making daisy chains and eating strawberry cupcakes in the park when what you need is rest!" she exclaimed.

"Strawberry cupcakes?" Erza asked, perking up a little as she said it.

Lucy laughed. "Yes strawberry cupcakes. I had Juvia help me make them, so you know they're safe to eat," she pushed Erza's shoulder back on to the bed when the great Titania tried to go get her cake. "You can have a couple after you sleep," she said sternly.

"But Lucy...cake!" Erza whined.

"Take a nap first," Lucy said in her most matronly tone, one that would brook no disobedience. "After that, if you're good, I'll let you at the cake."

She smiled at Erza whose eyes were already half closed. They opened again, slightly startled, when Lucy got into the other side of the bed. "Luce? You sleeping, too?" she mumbled.

"Of course I am," she said with a giggle. "I'm not losing a chance to be with you, even if we are both unconscious."

And with a sigh Erza closed her eyes and slept.

#fairy tail #erza scarlet #lucy heartfilia #my first fanfic #it's so bad #and yet I'm proud of it now #it was un-beta'ed #I guess technically still is

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