#there is no in between it’s either something really cute or something really harrowing

[ntaras]

love how i’ll have headcanons like “the fire gardens are full of cats :3” and then have other headcanons like “bi-han has a spot deep in the forrest marked as a grave in case kuai liang ever died so he can bury him there before the lin kuei could do anything to his body”

#there is no in between it’s either something really cute or something really harrowing #talking;

[jokeringcutio]

Arthur Harrow x Amnesia Reader Wife

Fandom: Moon Knight Rating: Teen Summary: You wake up with Amnesia to find your doting husband Arthur Harrow by your bedside. Tags: Amnesia, hospital, sweet love, memory loss, husband and wife. Written for @nicktremblaywayfu AN: Look, I wrote something sweet and gentle for once 8')

You woke up to the beeping of machinery. Eyes blinked open to a white chamber. You couldn’t remember your room being this bright. Then again, you couldn’t remember much of anything.

“Finally,” a male voice sounded, near to you, and you did your best to turn your head – which seemed hard. It felt as if you’d bumped it and moving it made you all dizzy. Your neck felt stiff, as did your spine. But you managed. “You’re awake.”

Your eyes found the shape of a man, only several feet away from the side of your bed. When he saw your eyes had opened and were lain upon him, he took a careful step closer. The corner of his lips trembled as if emotions pulled at the smile he held. Why? You should have wondered. Why did he seem so shaken by seeing you awake?

But instead, you were in awe at the sight of him. This man, with his pristine suit and his bright eyes that seemed to bore into you. This man whose hair framed his face like some kind of renaissance painting. He enraptured you. “Do I know you?” you managed to bring out, happy to even find the right words.

There was a flash of pain in his eyes, but it was gone before you could fully notice it. You studied his clothes. They weren’t like those you could remember of your peers. Your friends wore comfy clothes, or stylish brand clothes if they had the money to. But this man, he looked older than your friends. And his hair, which reached his shoulders, was longer than you recalled to be fashionable.

“You’re weird,” you concluded out loud. And you saw how the man’s eyes crinkled, how a spark of delight shone within them as he halted next to your bed and carefully placed a hand on top of the covers. He leaned over you, not too close but not far away, making it easier for you to study his features. By God, he was… “Beautiful,” you whispered, finishing your sentence out loud.

The man’s smile became even broader. It seemed as if it was hard for him to school his expression. Either that, or he didn’t want to.

“I think you’re confused, sweetheart. You are the beautiful one here,” the man said, his voice low and gentle. You thought you liked the sound of it. It sent a tingle right down your tummy and between your legs. Yes, you definitely liked this man.

Carefully, you reached out a hand. It worked. Your fingers moved, until you brushed a knuckle against his cheek. He felt soft and familiar. “You’re cute,” you murmured. It was as if there was no filter to your words. Anything that came up in your brain came gushing out.

The man smiled again, but he let you study him without interfering. Your fingertips traced the shake of his chin, down to his neck. Your thumb brushed past his lips. Kissable, you thought. And then, when you looked up at his eyes, you saw such passion within them. Emotions running deep. Love, you wondered. Could it be love?

“You’re really cute,” you said while your fingers traced the outline of his face before your hand fell down again. Why was it this hard to think or to remember anything? You had trouble remembering what had happened that brought you into the hospital like this. It must have been something bad, you assumed, for why else would you be this confused?

Amnesia, the doctor had told you. You’d remember again, soon.  But for now, everything was hazy.

“Shall I tell you a secret?” the man in front of you said, eyes glinting with mischief and mirth. You were curious to hear what his secret would be, and you wished you could lean in closer. But your neck was stiff, so you remained as you were and just gazed up at him.

The strange man leaned over you, his hair falling down his face like a curtain. But you could still see his emotions as he lowered himself down upon you. His lips sought out yours, brushing past them in a not-so-chaste kiss. His eyes closed and his long lashes fell against his cheeks while he deepened the kiss.

It felt good. Heavenly even. But still, this man was a stranger to you. Your eyes had flown open wide and you gaped at him as he broke the kiss, lips parted wide. You could not believe that this had happened to you. The cute guy had kissed you? “You kissed me?” you cried out, not believing what had just occurred. The man grinned down at you and nodded, then dove in to kiss you again.

This time, the kiss was slower, gentler. You felt his tongue brush past your lips, then slip in between until it brushed against yours. The taste of him was familiar and nice. You wished you could have more of him, taste more. He ignited a hunger you hadn’t known you could possess.

You wished you could bring your hands up and around his neck, and pull him even closer. You wished you could make it so that he could not turn away and then you never would let him go.

But as he broke the kiss and you whimpered sadly, you felt a pang of regret deep within your chest. You wanted to hold him close, but now the kiss was done. And he still hadn’t told you his secret yet.

“So, what was it?” you slurred. You sounded like you were drunk. Must be the medicine, you thought. Or the hit on your head – or whatever had happened to you.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. One of gentle joy. “Just that your cute and beautiful husband has missed you,” he whispered, and it felt as if your heart was ready to pound out of its cage. Because did that man just say husband? Him? Your husband?

You gaped at him, gasped, and then looked some more, before he, smiling, leaned in again and captured your lips in another kiss. You wished you could deepen it and kissed him back with all you had.

The sweet kiss ended way too soon to your liking. And the man leaned back and smiled down at you. Pure mirth was in his eyes while he traced his thumb past your forehead. It was a caress of skillful hands. And it felt homely and comforting. Familiar as well.

You gazed up at him and smiled. “My husband?” you whispered, not quite sure if you fully understood what he had just said. Was this another dream?

But then he confirmed it with a nod and a soft growled ‘yes’. “You got hurt, sweetheart. I know you forgot what happened to you. But some evil man has hit your head.”

You blinked at him. “He hit my head?” Why would anyone do that?

The man hummed. “Deliberately.” Why would anyone do that to you? You had never made any enemies, or had you?

“Why?” you asked innocently. “And what’s your name, husband? Or should I keep calling you husband?”

The man chuckled and shook his head, brown and grey hairs tangling as if the motion made them dance. “No matter how much I like it when you call me your husband, I will refresh your mind. Does the name Arthur ring any bells?”

“Arthur?” you murmured, tasting the name on your tongue. It felt familiar, so it must be a name you had said many times before.

“Yes, Mrs. Harrow. Well done,” he praised you, and you felt your cheeks burn a healthy red color.

But then Arthur’s face fell again when he remembered the other question you had just asked. “That man,” he started, his smile now entirely gone. It was as if he had lost himself in thought – or memory – for he glanced away from you. You saw how he pressed his fingertips against each other, a pensive gesture, while his tongue pressed against his lower teeth. He was thinking. Whatever he was going to say befell him hard.

“That man,” he said, more firmly now. His lucid blue eyes darted back to your face and you could see the emotions swirl within them. “He was after me. You got hurt because he knew how much you meant to me.”

You grew quiet. A silent ‘o’ formed on your lips as you tried to digest that information.

Then you looked up again. You felt little, small. And you saw by the way his eyes softened when he met yours that he understood how you felt. It was as if he could read your mind, you thought. But could he read that too? Or that? Or -?

“Do you have many enemies?” you carefully asked. Your hand slipped out of the blankets again and your fingers twitched. You could not read him, but the gesture had been clear enough. Arthur, your Arthur, reached out to take your hand in his own and gently squeezed your palm as a sign of comfort. It worked. You started to feel calm again. Calm, warm, and not as little as you had before.

“Sweetheart,” the pet name came out as a breathless whisper, but you had heard it nonetheless. “If I had known the danger you’d be in, I’d never had taken the risk of bringing you along.”

A sudden flash of sand was before your eyes. It was short, and lasted only a second or two, but it was enough for you to have seen it. A memory, you knew.  High sand hills, not dunes like the ones you’d seen before. These were higher. The sand was like gold. The sun upon you hot and humid.

A man and a woman stood in front of you. Their clothes were like costumes, not the daily wear you’d expect people to wear. The man was in a white suit that encased him fully. The woman with her black curly hair had wings like a scarab. She looked at you with pure concentration, but her arms were being raised as if she were a predator ready to pounce.

And then the memory was gone again.

“Are you all right, love?” Arthur was looking worriedly at you. His right hand was behind your head, his left on your collarbone, the pressure light. He was studying you with such intensity that you felt you had to apologize. “Yes,” you said, forcing a small smile. “Yes, Arthur, I am all right.”

A spark of doubt appeared in his eyes, but when your smile didn’t waver, you saw that he started to relax again. His own smile returned, ever so wide, while he wrapped his arms around you. You felt his chin press on your shoulder and felt his hot breath on your neck before he placed a delicate kiss there. His arms squeezed you slightly as if he was afraid to let go.

“You are the light of my life,” you heard him whisper. “My own sun. My moonbeam. A little goddess in her own right. The only one I could not bear to lose.”

Another memory flashed before your eyes. Of Arthur standing tall, cane in his hand, on the tall sand dunes. An angry expression on his face. Agony, you thought. Sadness, hatred, and agony. The ugly sight of pain. And that same man in the white suit emerged and raised a sword to strike him down. Your husband had made enemies all right. But just before the image faded you saw Arthur spin around and block the sword that swung at him. His retaliation was swift, the hit hard. Blood spurted, and sprayed like a fountain. He had hit his mark with the expertise of a trained and skillful killer.

You blinked and the memory was gone again. In its stead, there was only the feeling of Arthur’s strong arms around you, holding you lovingly and with care. And as he embraced you, the warmth of his arms comfortingly around your frame, you could hear him whisper softly in your ear.

“I love you. One day, you will remember how much."

He just didn't know yet that without having all your memories, there was one thing you could never forget. And that was how much you loved him in turn.

~*~ AN: I know the prompt you send me was slightly different, but this came out and I decided to post it as well. The Dr. Harrow one will be online somewhere soon as well ;D And I am working on another little Harrow x Reader treat that er.. might take a bit longer. Anyway, hope you enjoyed <3 As always, not beta read. Will fix mistakes later on.

#moon knight 2022 #moon knight fanfiction #prompt fill #arthur harrow x reader #female reader #reader insert #memory loss #amnesia

[lcvenderblues]

six stops 🌘

It only takes six stops on the bus for Jake to become completely smitten with you (and then a seventh for him to notice).

pairing: jake lockley x gn!reader

warnings/tags: mild language, brief/vague description of mild harassment on public transportation (not main pairing), meet-cute, forced proximity, fluff, mutual pining, strangers to lovers (sort of), jake has resting bitch face, soft!jake lockley supremacy, no beta we die like harrow, mdni/18+ blanket rule!!!

wc: 3.5k

a/n: so i never thought i'd write a jake fic before finishing the follow up to indulgences, but one comment from @redahlia-writes about jake on public transport and this just sort of... spat itself out lol. i am a firm advocate for soft!jake, so please enjoy this silly little bus meet-cute-ish.

p.s. i've tried my hand at gn!reader, i apologize if it slips into any gendered language or depictions at any point!

The first time Jake sees you, it's because you have nowhere else to sit.

It's morning. He's been up all night. He's seen a lot of things, done a lot of things. He's exhausted. He's surly because he doesn't have his car, and he has to sit on this stupid, crammed, too-hot bus. He's ready to go home.

He can feel you eyeing the seat next to him warily, eyeing him warily— after all, the entire bus is packed like a can of sardines, so everyone else has left that seat open for a reason, and Jake thinks it may have something to do with his face. From what he understands, his usual expression isn't the most approachable or welcoming; which, honestly, has been pretty helpful. People usually don't bother him that way. And that's the way he likes it. 

You, however, don't really get much of a choice in the matter. There isn't even a bit of room anywhere else— he's watched you check, vigorously— so you resign yourself to it, coming towards him somehow hesitant yet hurried at the same time, trying to get a seat before the bus starts moving again and you get hurled into the sea of seats and people. 

He watches you sit down at the very edge, putting as much space as you possibly can between the two of you without completely falling off your seat. You glance up at him nervously, meeting his eyes, and when he watches you practically freeze under his gaze, he finds himself feeling three things at once.

First, part of him wants to laugh. He can't help but find it funny that the same body that has people jostling it around, practically pushing it over when Steven inhabits it, receives this kind of reaction when he fronts, simply by the way he holds himself, moves his muscles. 

Second, he feels a mix of relief and satisfaction. He's tired, and he hadn't counted on having to sit next to anyone. At the very least, he knows he won't have to worry about you planning on bothering him. He's not sure he'd have the energy, or the patience to deal with that.

Lastly, he feels... guilt. You've done nothing to him. You're just there for a ride from one place to another, same as him. And you look just as thrilled at the prospect of sitting next to him as he is. He thinks of what it'd be like if you caught the bus any other day, with Steven or Marc on it, instead. Steven would probably be thrilled to sit next to you, as opposed to someone else who might stick their bony elbows in his sides or pile their belongings on his side of the seat— or, he'd just be sleeping. Marc would keep to himself, but he'd still be polite and lean towards the other side, give you some extra room. The very least Jake can do is try not to make you fear for your life for your entire morning commute.

So, he smiles at you. At least, he tries to.

He has a feeling it comes out awkward and uncomfortable— He knows how to do a sinister grin, or something smug and charming (that one usually works well on the ladies), but he doesn't feel like either of those would help him much, here. He's not used to politely smiling at strangers on public transport. But, he tries, for you.

Whatever his face does, it works, somewhat. You return the smile, very quick, still nervous, and equally awkward, before you're hurriedly looking away, but you've scooted up the seat so you're not about fly off if the bus makes a sharp corner. And he watches some of the tension leave your body as you relax against the backrest a little.

He turns away, leans his head back, and closes his eyes. There. He's done his dues, and is free to ignore you for the rest of the trip, guiltlessly.

And he does, for a good several minutes, until the bus turns a sharp corner and lurches you right into him, despite the generous amount of space in between the both of you.

There's a chorus of groans and grumbling from the other passengers, who, by all accounts, fared a lot worse. But you had the singular luck of smashing into him, who nobody else dared sit next to; whose eyes you could barely meet, just a few minutes ago. And now, you're scrambling off of him, looking up at him, absolutely mortified.

"I'm so sorry!" You blurt, in spite of your total lack of control over the bus's movements, and pause for a moment before repeating yourself about a thousand times over. The tension is back with a vengeance; Your mouth is a fountain of apologies and your body is a stiff, rigid line bracing itself for his response, though it's almost like you're determined not to let him, as he can barely get a word in.

Any irritation he'd felt wasn't directed at you to begin with— though, he had several choice words for the driver— but even if it had been, he's sure it would have all melted away the moment he saw the look on your face, heard your profuse apologies. Something strange tugs at his chest, and he's suddenly struck with the notion that, he doesn't actually want you to be afraid of him.

"—Hey, it's alright." It takes a bit before you finally let him butt in to speak; and when he does, you're still looking at him nervously. "Not your fault, cariño."

The pet name slips out on accident; just some subconscious effort to get that look off your face and you to stop apologizing before you turn blue. But he's not anticipating the way your eyes go a little wide, and your shoulders fall slightly, and your whole body seems to draw downwards, like you've melted a little bit.

You avert your eyes again— shy, this time. Not scared.

Oh.

He's usually a bit smoother with this kind of thing; and it's usually intentional. Still, he feels an odd warmth thinking about the fact that, in spite of the very rocky beginning, he managed to fluster you without even trying; and the way that, though you won't look at him, you still sit a little closer than before.

You meet his eyes once more during your trip— well, he catches you staring. You look back at your lap again just as quickly, and nervously start to pick at a thread on your pants. But your back is relaxed, not rigid.

Your stop comes not long after. You get back up to leave, and share another quick, awkward smile, before you're back down the aisle and out the door. Jake sits alone, again, for the rest of the way home— and finds he didn't really mind sharing the bench. Not with you.

***

The second time Jake sees you, you're sitting elsewhere.

The bus is less full, this time. It'd be odd to come up and sit next to a stranger when there's a bunch of other seats available. But he can't deny there's a tiny twinge of disappointment in his chest.

You're a few rows ahead, you probably didn't even see him. Or so he reasons with himself; Because he'd like to think that if you had, you'd have given him another awkward smile before taking your seat. Maybe a seat a little closer to him, than where you're currently sitting.

The man that approaches you must not have gotten the memo, though, about sitting next to strangers when there's other available seats, because Jake watches him plop down on the one right next to you, and begin to chat you up. He can't hear the conversation, from here, but he doesn't need to— he can see the way your body goes rigid, the tense line of your neck, the way you're shuffling closer and closer to the window, further and further away from him.

As soon as the bus stops moving, he doesn't need to think twice before he's getting up, and making his way over to your bench, with his best "I will kill you" face.

You see him first— and draw the man's attention to Jake and his murderous expression. Something that could only be called sheer terror fills his face, and he seems frozen in place. For a moment, Jake worries you might react the same way, thinking you're out of the frying pan and into the fire; that you'll look at him with that terrified look like you did when you first approached his seat that other day.

But you're looking up at Jake like he's your very own guardian angel, with those same eyes you gave him when he called you cariño last time. Nobody's ever looked at him like that before, and he thinks he could get used to it.

Jake could yank the man out of his seat, curse him out in Spanish. Lord knows, he wants to. But he doesn't want to make an unnecessary scene or invoke the ire of the bus driver, not in front of you. He settles for giving the man a very pointed look and a gesture at his seat, which seems to shake him out of his paralysis. The man glances between him, and you, and back to him, and promptly takes off, practically running.

Jake takes his place beside you, then, trying to keep a respectful distance, and to look a little less homicidal. He still sits close; but you don't seem to mind.

You're still looking at him like that, and he thinks he might get shy and start blushing, if you keep it up.

"Thank you," you say, sincerely. You offer your name, and your hand.

He takes both. Your skin is soft against his, and gives him that peculiar warm feeling in his chest again, as he holds your hand carefully in his own, shaking it once. "Jake," he murmurs. "Es de nada."

The smile you give him when you let go is warm this time, not awkward. He's pretty sure the one he returns is still a little more of the latter, but it's okay. You don't mind that, either.

You continue on in silence for a few more minutes, and he steals glances at you; afraid you might catch him staring this time. You do, once— but you just give him another smile and look away again.

He thinks of nothing more for the rest of the trip, rolling the syllables of your name over his mind, the way you looked up at him burned onto the back of his eyelids.

***

The third time Jake sees you, it's late, and the bus is empty, save for the both of you. You come and sit right next to him, this time without hesitation.

This time, you look exhausted— practically asleep on your feet. But you perk up little— a lot— when you see him, and you smile, and even greet him properly. It makes the warm feeling flare up in his chest once more.

"Hi," you say softly, plopping down beside him. You don't bother to keep a 'respectful' distance.

"Hi," he says back.

A pause. "It's sure packed in here."

This is... new. You're making conversation. He supposes, on an empty bus, you wouldn't have picked the seat right next to him just to sit in silence the whole way. Once his brain catches up to your joke, he gives an amused little exhale. "Yeah, it sure is."

Another pause. He supposes maybe he should try to make some conversation, too. "What are you out so late for?"

Your eyes roll a little. "Work party, thing." You don't seem to be too torn up about leaving. "Just glad it's over." The warmth comes back to your face, your eyes, when you look at him again. "You?"

Ah, shit.

He clears his throat a little. "Work stuff, too. Not a party, though." He sees your face shift to intrigue, alarm bells go off in his head, and he does his best to steer the conversation elsewhere. "What do you do?"

"I'm a librarian," you tell him. It suits you, he thinks. He can picture you putting books away on shelves, giving people recommendations, scanning them out for them. It's a sweet image. He wonders where you work; could Steven have seen you, or even met you at some point, and it just slipped Jake's notice? Something twinges inside him at the thought. "How about you?"

He should have known that question was coming; he set himself right up for it. What to tell you? "...Personal assistant," he settles on. "Sort of. A lot of odd jobs for this old rich guy." He doesn't look around, but he's willing to bet that if he did, he'd see the god somewhere giving him a death glare right now. He just prays you don't press much further. 

"Oh." You nod, either satisfied with the answer, too tired to ask any further, or wholly uninterested. Whatever the case, he heaves a mental sigh of relief. "A businessman," you add after a moment, with a yawn that you cover with your fist.

He chuckles a little bit, to himself. "You could say that."

"Well, you've got the face for it," you say. He blinks blankly at you for several moments. 

"...'Cause you... look like you mean business..." You elaborate hesitantly, and begin to snicker.

He doesn't quite understand your sleep-addled humor so much as he likes the sound of your laugh. And, he supposes it's a relief that you think of his lethal expression as something funny as opposed to something to be feared. And, maybe it's just so ridiculous it's a little bit funny. Whatever way, he can't help but laugh with you.

It takes him a little to notice that your laugh's died out, and you've fallen silent. He glances back at you to see you watching him with those wide eyes again, soft smile on your face. Your eyes fall to your lap quickly when you realize you've been caught, but the smile remains. You give another small laugh, like you're trying to brush off the moment. "Thought you wanted to bite my head off, that first day. You looked like you did," you say.

That makes his face fall a bit, and the warm feeling in his chest seems to crumple a little, in spite of the lighthearted way you said it. "I'm sorry," he says, soberly. "It was a..."

"Rough day?" You fill in for him.

He nods. "Yeah."

You smile generously. "It's okay. We all have those. All's well that ends well." You say the last bit with another glint of humor, an inside joke you're both in on. Your mouth falls open in a yawn once more.

"You're tired," he says. The observation isn't groundbreaking so much as his concern is; especially to him.

You wave it off.  "Just a long day."

Well, you definitely handle those better than he does. "I shouldn't keep you up," he protests, still, like he's the only thing standing between you and getting some rest; like you weren't the one who came and sat down next to him and started the conversation, to begin with.

"You aren't," you insist, rubbing at your tired eyes, pulling slightly at your face. "Besides, I need to stay up. Can't fall asleep on the bus. I'll miss my stop."

The offer is out of his mouth before he's even really thought about it. "You can. I'll wake you."

You stop and look at him, eyes a little wider, tentative. "Really?"

Maybe it was a little forward of him. He wouldn't trust just any stranger enough to sleep beside them and rely on them to wake him up. He's not just a stranger to you anymore, though. (Or so, he hopes.) So, he nods in response.

You pause for a moment. "...Then I'll miss talking to you."

The weird, warm feeling in his chest is back again. You'd miss talking to him. This is the most— actually, the only time you've really spoken thus far. Truth be told, he does like talking to you, too. But Jake isn't good at small talk. It's difficult for him; Most of his life isn't meant for your ears. And you keep yawning, and your eyelids look so heavy. He can practically feel the exhaustion radiating off of you. It's a feeling he knows all too well himself.

"It's okay," he placates. "Just get some rest, cariño."

You gaze at him a moment longer, the warm, soft look he's come to expect when he calls you by that name. And then you're gently laying your head on his shoulder, and closing your eyes.

His mind blanks for a moment. You're warm, and soft. You smell like fresh laundry. And you're resting your head on his shoulder to sleep.

When his thoughts return to him, he feels a sudden surge of duty. He doesn't think he's ever had a greater honor bestowed upon him than your trust. Forget being the avatar of an ancient Egyptian deity, being your personal travel pillow and alarm clock is the most important thing he's ever done in his entire godforsaken life.

He can hear his inner cynic, or maybe it's just the moon god himself— calling this a distraction, reminding him that he has no room in his mind, or his life, for something like this. Someone like you. That, if you could see the blood on his hands, you'd run.

They're things he already knows well. But just for this moment, they don't matter. They're not true. How could they be, when your frame fits so perfectly lying against his? When it feels like this to have you close?

He keeps watch over you as your breathing evens, glares at the bus driver for all the harsh breaks and sharp turns, glares out the window at the potholes, though you never stir. (He'd drive his limo so carefully, if he had you sleeping in the passenger seat, he thinks.) He keeps an eye on the door, but nobody else ever boards. It's just the two of you, the whole way down.

It's over far too soon. He's already missing the weight of you leaning against him when he gently lays a hand on your knee, nudging you awake. "Your stop, cariño."

You open bleary eyes and pull away from him regretfully; and maybe it soothes him just a little that you look as loathe to leave him as he is to watch you go.

You stand and hold his gaze for a few more moments. "Thank you," you say drowsily, a sleepy smile on your face. The bus won't wait forever, though. You turn at last and make towards the front door.

You've only made it about halfway up the aisle, when you freeze, spin on your heel, and hurry back to stand in front of him.

He fixes you with a puzzled gaze, which you don't see; you're rifling through your bag frantically for... something. You pull out a folded, slightly scrunched piece of paper, and hold it out to him.

"I... wanted you to have it," you say, a little flustered.

It's your phone number, scrawled out under your name. You wrote it out in advance, to give to him. The warm feeling in his chest flares hot, and he knows in that instant, that even if he never calls it, he'll keep it forever, guard that piece of paper with his life, treasure it as long as he lives.

You're still looking at him like you have something more to say; like you're working up the courage for it. He waits with bated breath.

It's awkward and a little messy and rushed, and you have to rest your hands on the seat as you lean over to keep your balance, but you lean in, and press a kiss against his cheek.

Your lips are a lightning strike directly to his heart. The warm feeling cracks, bursts, spreads through his whole body.

You get shy again, after you pull back. You give him a little wave and then you're scurrying off, apologizing effusively to the disgruntled bus driver who's grumbling about how he doesn't have all night. If he grumbles from the moment you step off, all the way until Jake finally gets off at his own stop, he doesn't even notice. He's too preoccupied with the piece of paper he's tucked carefully in his pocket, sticking his hand in and checking to make sure it's still there every so often.

***

The bus is cramped, and full the next morning, again. Someone— a stranger— takes the seat beside him with little fuss, and doesn't look terrified.  He's puzzled.

It's only when he catches his reflection in the window as he idly thumbs the piece of paper still tucked in his pocket, he realizes— he's smiling.

#jake lockley x reader #jake lockley x you #jake lockley x y/n #jake lockley fanfiction #jake lockley fanfic #moon knight fanfiction #moon knight fanfic #jake lockley #moon knight #lav's writing

[17mujipens]

the dragon prince season 5 live thoughts:

the way Rayla constantly has the weight of the world and her parents and her personal relationship and then the world again on her shoulders is insane

Terry is bf goals, he really saw his girl having a meltdown and was like here are some nice textures. autism wins again

Callum really was like ‘my girl can commit any crime she wants :)’

that little bug elf person is so scary for no reason

loooove the dragon designs. like every time we see a dragon i’m fascinated

im so glad that in-universe people understand that Ezran is just a kid. like its heartbreaking but i’m glad it is discussed

side note but Corvus and Soren are def fucking and Corvus is not proud of it

i love how everyone is experiencing trauma and Rayla and Callum are in some second chance romance fluffy story

THEYRE SO CUTEEEE

VIREN mindscape

that scene between King Harrow and Viren genuinely has me hyperventilating

oh Harrow is that bird for sure for sure

oh to have a partner as dedicated to your success as Terry….

baby Soren is such a sweetie!!!!! im gonna cry

oh even more beautiful dragons

i totally forgot that Aarovos whispered something to the previous queen and now that intrigue is back

i feel like i gotta stop saying something every time Terry does/says something incredibly sweet because we’ll be here for so long

they keep reiterating how important family is to Viren and i mean it’s not a necessarily new characteristic but it’s more intense now. like the way morality doesn’t exist when it concerns them. before it was all for power and now its all for them and it doesn’t matter that Soren is on the ‘enemy’ side so it has me thinking that something is going to happen to one of his children that will. result in either Viren’s self sacrifice or his betrayal of Aarovos

Amaya and Janai are so so real

OMG baby Claudia!

Callum and Rayla’s frustration over being forbidden from going to Lux Area is hilarious, especially how Callum gave a freaking illustration shdjjdbdb

Aunt Amaya is a real one

oh i just knooow Karim’s storyline is going to be so so messy

also this made me think. like what the fuck do you even do after you get banished. like where do you go

Claudia and Viren sinking and saving each other is mirrored is just muah delicious

Soren running away terrified Viren but Claudia turning out just like him is scaring him even more

Claudia is my wet cat pathetic but also op character

some eye of sauron shit in Lux Aurea

the nerd elf is so cute and way too innocent for all this bullshit

Aunt Amaya is a real one pt. 2

omg. didn’t i say Karim’s story is going to be insane

i feel like Amaya’s monologue about love is going to be so heartbreaking in a few episodes

i’m usually a throwback montage hater but this one is so cute and sweet and it really highlights just how much they’ve grown and how far these two have come

Stella is a little kleptomaniac. sweetie.

Karim is constantly misunderstanding things because of his own biases. like how he thought the Janai wouldn’t fight because he came to the conclusion that the throne doesn’t matter to her because she didn’t lead like he wanted her to. and now he thinks that what Sol Regem needs is sight when what he actually needs is hope

the ‘i would do anything for you’ is sounding scary in the context of we just heard that that’s what started Viren’s descend into darkness

the library fight sequence is great, always fun to see their different fighting styles and how the cooperate

but it also gave me so much anxiety because Amaya is exactly the character that’s important and beloved enough that the writers might decide to make her infected so we all suffer

Dragon Queen to the rescue!!! oh how powerful dragons are…

why are u always leaving Bait behind :( he’s just a baby :(

NO I SPOKE TOO SOON!!! AMAYAAA

AND CORVUS TOO??????? agony and pain in Xadia

oh and i totally forgot about the Queen herself!!!!

oh Viren’s brain is doing a full reset

EZRAN YOU SWEETHEART <33333

i’m obsessed with Tina already. her design and her grumpy old woman attitude

oh Terry and Claudia you will always be famous to me

Akiyu and Lujanne would be besties

‘ when your mind is telling you to speak, instead you must listen’ LMAO

i know this Bloodhuntress is evil, they even say this out loud but… she’s kinda hot, yeah?

im really hoping that they find some way to cure the dragon queen. we don’t need to preteen kings

that boat set up is terrifying. and way too similar to Charon to be comfortable

bright hope cove…or scumport

this made me realise how much i just need at least a short story or something on Rayla years alone

this is such a fun setting. i have a soft spot for these types of towns in stories

i NEED the reaction pic someone already should have made of Ezran and Bait after Finnegran announced the ship’s price

omg pirate return!!

Claudia my girl who is worse <3

baby glow toads are 80% eye and 20% body lol

oh another return appearance!! i hope Nyx’ll bring some interpersonal drama

yeah, and she’s already pushing Callum’s buttons lol

damn, Soren is strong as hell, swimming in armour

oof i think she shouldn’t trust Miyana, wasn’t she Karim’s lover?

now that i see the Bloodhuntress in daylight, i have to say im not a fan of her colour scheme BUT powers are so cool visually, this whole fight sequence is amazing

Callum is just so powerful… i feel like we forget it sometimes but he is the first human mage to use any primal magic and the scale of the spells he’s using here is just insane

ITS A FUCKING HERMIT CRAB?????

oh god seeing Anaya in pain and despair is somehow worse than anyone else. and seeing her grief turn into anger muah chefs kiss

why is this y-7 show giving me anxiety. i literally started watching this to relax and think about interesting fantasy concepts what’s all this!!

oh shit this intro has Callum in it. shits about to hit the fan

i feel like that sea shanty has to have some deeper meaning. i hope it’s not that they’re going to drown our heroes

WHY IS THERE TORTURE IN HERE!!!!

don’t get me wrong i’m a tragedy enjoyer, i should know that by now but holy shit i just wasn’t emotionally prepared for all this

Soren, himbo of all time

Finnergrin is a great character to contrast our heroes actually and push them over

HES FREEZING HER BLOOD

oh Callum :( i love those moments where his anger boils over but i also love how they show how that scares him

Finnegrin is putting Rayla in mortal danger…i HOPE Callum goes feral

oh yeah this is some serious levelling up!!! Go Callum!!!

Soren, sweetheart :( he really saw this wood man get treated like trash, recognised it and at great personal cost helped him free himself :) using his daddy issues for the greater good

oh wow that greater good is apparently killing! slay

i feel like i gotta say something about Callum using dark magic to free himself but god that’s just plain heavy

oh Zubeia is still grieving and she’s just going on for her kid :(((

it’s day 30, damon what a way to up the already high stakes

Ezran was so sure that the prison being underwater would stump them but they figured it out so quick

my one thing is, this is open sea, if they’re even approximately at the same place, shouldn’t they have seen each other?

Aaravos really says every single sentence like it’s some dirty talk. like bro is saying something about borrowing consciousness or whatever with the same voice u usually hear say some shit like ‘oh you like that?’

finally Claudia and Callum and Ezran meeting! the way she truly believes that the ends justify the means and that all that dark magic hasn’t had its affect on her… wow

OUR CHILD? this whole monologue has me in hysterics

also because like…if he didn’t say anything, and was just like ‘kill this homunculus and your life will be restored’ Viren probably would have done it

i fear that ultimately, Viren will be too little too late for Claudia. because while he turned into who he is while an adult, Claudia was raised to be like this. so if he tries to change her, it’d be a betrayal to her

yeah, see Claudia is even more extreme than her father. because she has nothing else besides him, there is not status or prestige, or brother, or anyone else. it’s just her and him

fucking hell, i KNEW Miyana wasn’t to be trusted!

i think Karim will have a devastating win in s6, but it’ll be short lived, because like i said before he lacks critical thinking

what the hell is this mushroom mage and how soon can he help us retake Lux Aurea

what the fuck did he mean by ‘swallow’

Claudia is literally destroying herself in her quest. like we know that dark magic is detrimental to not only your physical but also your mental health, like we saw with Viren, and Claudia’s hair, but now literally her leg is gone. how far will she go?

side note: i think that because Viren reset, that’s why all his mentality and soul came back and that’s why his morals are so much stronger than we ever saw them?

OH THATS JUST A CRAZY INSANE CRUEL PLACE TO FINISH THE SEASON WOW

#the dragon prince #laila.txt

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ep.18 thoughts

[Cramming for Finals]

(Contents: griping - recaps)

Yuki, you're killin' me here...we didn't even get to see the reveal right at the end? Did you really pad out the episode just so you could draw out the joke from the manga and make it seem like it's going to be a dramatic twist, even though you basically revealed it anyway in the preview?

If we never had any recaps before this point, I think I would find this to be an oddly slow but necessary review of the content thus far. In fact, because of how many recaps we had to sit through this episode, it seemed like they were individually speedier than usual to make room for the other recaps

Plus we had a few cute and fun visuals, like having little diagrams to show how the timeline maps out or Fuuko's mini freakout that looked more like something from Trigger than David Pro, so overall this wasn't a bad episode in and of itself. Unfortunately, it was emblematic of everything that's disappointed me so far with this entire series, so it's hard to say that this was a good episode either

There was one thing I really liked though, even if it could have been executed just a little better: the usual dim lighting that we've had the entire series was being slowly illuminated the entire episode until the sun had completely lit up the entire scene, showing the newly invigorated Union facing a new day after the harrowing night. It was kind of weird right at the end, though, since it kind of seemed like it just cut straight to the sun being out rather than having it, say, rise or appear from behind the clouds in a short animation sequence

A lot of this episode felt pretty abrupt like that, like Apocalypse ranting and then suddenly being cut off by the opening theme. As usual, the new content of this episode was solid and everything in between was baffling

I'm also convinced that we must be getting 25 or 26 episodes instead of 24, cus at this pace? I don't think we're getting past Autumn with only 24 episodes. If we took out all these recaps, we'd probably get through Winter and maybe Summer, but with them all here, I feel like we'll be lucky to finish Autumn

Here's hoping that next week's less lore-heavy episode will make a surprisingly decent amount of progress

Until next time, let's enjoy life

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #uu anime #4y1a reviews

[cdyssey]

Just finished “Signs”!!

Augh, love TL, but S3 has seemed just a little uneven to me so far. Overstuffed in some places. A few character and plot contrivances that have either rung false—(the whole Michelle with the marriage counselor thing)—or flat to me here or there—(lol, everything about Shandy). But, God, when it hits something, it hits it out of the park.

This was Hannah Waddingham’s episode to me. Every feeling Rebecca had as she was in that waiting room, as she was in Dr. Wagner’s office, as she was texting Keeley, as she was reacting to the news, was utterly felt because of Hannah’s acting.

That exchange between her and Ted when they mixed-up names was so cute, and the fact that she wouldn’t even begin to entertain Higgins’ suggestion to fire Ted was perfect.

JACK AND KEELEY. BI 4 BI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M HERE FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO NOTES. They have insane chemistry.

Lol, Zava was such a plot device. I really wish they had done something more interesting with him. His departure was underwhelming.

Every time Ted has a panic attack or comes close to doing so, it’s so upsetting to watch. Jason’s acting + the piercing sound design as the world fades away from him is harrowing. His passivity these last few episodes has been so sad and bleak and maybe even a little frustrating, and that’s the point. The man’s spiraling!! It’ll be a relief to me when someone notices or he confides in someone.

Nate and Jade were very cute!!!

#s: ted lasso #maggie blogs #ted lasso spoilers

[quietwingsinthesky]

Never have I ever ask game have you written any of the big staple au genres like college or flower shop or cafe or whatever the kids are up to these days

i went and i checked and then i rechecked, already knowing the answer, because no. no, i have not. i, in general, don't really enjoy that kind of fic even to read. something between the lack of stakes and how hard it is to translate canon characteristics into such a mundane setting (meaning either you have to go balls to the walls with it, which is generally not what people are looking for in that kind of fic, or you don't bother. which makes the characters. uhm. boring. and not much like themselves at all. where's that one post about how coffee shop au sams should have a backstory where he was kidnapped and forced into a hunger games with a bunch of other kids by one of his college professors. that's what i'd need to keep me invested in a modern/no stakes au.)

to be fair, i don't really write aus much outside canon divergence. i like canonverse. its my box and im sitting in it.

BUT. if i was going to. im pulling a harrow the ninth out of my ass, im making it all a set-up to the punchline that this is a fake and fucked up dream that the main character has made up for themselves. sam winchester is working in a coffee shop because he's in hell and what's a better hell than customer service. he's in a horror story. and lucifer is in a romcom where he gets to come in and pester the cute barista (who can't tell him to leave him alone per company policy or lose his job and his ability to buy food) everyday until sam gives in and goes on a date with him. <3

#ask

[khairo-archive]

Kathairo’s FFnet Puzzle(Shipping) Fic List...!

Hello! I noticed the lovely user @puzzleshipping-library​ is trying to compile all the wonderful Puzzleship works from across the cosmos... A truly tricky task indeed. I thought I’d pitch in to help out, but when I went through my favorites tab I realized I uh... had way too many to list for their inbox HAHAHA

So I then said “Ah screw it” compiled them all here! This is a list of some of my personal favorites from our old (and sometimes gold) friend, FFnet, the root of many an older fanfiction writer. Because let’s be real, AO3′s spoiled us all rotten with their tagging system so we no longer got the time to scavenge through people’s ‘Favorite Stories’ and ‘Favorite Authors’ tab to find something decent. So instead, I scavenged through said tabs for you, and picked some stuff I thought was great. 

Some notes before you go on though!

All fics listed are SFW, with some minor exceptions (ie.- some might have swearing, others may refer to and/or have death, others might imply smut)

Fics are listed alphabetically, and are tagged with their rating and whether its Pre-Relationship, Platonic, Romantic, either, or both. Summaries are also written.

If you’ve read that and got no problems with it, then proceed! Have fun and remember to show these authors your (many years later) appreciation~

One Shots

Berserker Soul by routavario [Rated T, can be Platonic or Romantic]

He may be broken, but he'd be damned if he let someone like Haga get in his way of saving his partner. If he could just hold onto his sanity a while longer... The train duel from the Orichalcos arc from the Pharaoh's point of view.

It’s as it says on the tin, one designed to collect your tears. And because of that, it’s just as harrowing as you can imagine.

Between Meats and Cheeses by fioare [Rated K, can be Platonic or Romantic]

Yami just wanted to make a sandwich, but all of Japan seemed to have it out for him.

Ahhh the classic ‘Yami Yugi/Atem has a body’ fic feat. a fun scenario, a good light-hearted read!

Can’t Teach An Old Pharoah New Tricks by Crystia [Rated K+, can be Platonic or Romantic]

Yugi tries to teach a 3000-year-old Pharaoh how to text.

This hits the ‘Pharoah can’t modern technology’ trope really well, while still not making him out to be a total fool. A good fic to read if you want a laugh!

Desk Partners by meganeyun [Rated K, Pre-Relationship, Platonic]

"With five empty chairs, Yugi was sure taking one of them wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience to the sleeping student. He quietly pulled the chair nearest him, which took the right corner of the table while the stranger took the left."

A different first meeting between Yuugi and Atemu (I know that’s not how you spell it but I find that spelling cute ok? I use Atemu and Atem interchangably) in the modern era, where Atemu’s a fellow student in Domino High. A cool way to explore their initial relationship.

Dusky Jacinth by Ocean [Rated K+, can be Platonic or Romantic, also features Shadows/Yami Yuugi]

The Shadows have never had to fear competition. But now they find that they do indeed have a competitor when it comes to Yami's affection. It is a cold night for Yuugi when the Shadows confront him. 

A fic that features the very interesting headcanon of the shadows in the Puzzle being somewhat sentient, and thus unwilling to share when it comes to the Pharoah. The Puzzleship isn’t as strong in this one, but I like the concept of the fic itself a lot so I thought might as well XD (Banjodog, the one who thought of this idea, also wrote some more fics for it feat. the other Millenium Items. Go check it out if you’re interested!)

Game Over by Maiden of the Moon [Rated T, Platonic, specifically Father/Son Relationship]

Up until that point, he was unsure about fatherhood... which was a nice way of saying he didn't think it was for him. But then his little son was brought out to him, cleaned and wrapped and beautiful.

A very adorable Ancient Egypt AU fic where Pharoah Atemu raises his little son Heba (Yuugi). Its ending however might sweep you from under the rug, so proceed with caution...

Gamer by DreamerofLegends [Rated K, can be Platonic or Romantic]

Nothing like an afternoon of blowing things up to relieve stress.

In-Canon AU fic feat. Spirit Yami that can go corperal and video games. I see this one as more of a visage during the more calmer moments of the boys’ lives.

Ghosts by Silvershadowfire [Rated T, Pre-Relationship]

My take on what might have happened during Atem's captivity in the Puzzle.

Early-Canon AU, fic is it says on the tin, and a very high-quality tin at that. More Atemu-centric, but Yuugi’s mentioned constantly, where we get to see how an ancient pharaoh would eventually become the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.

How We Connect by RadioZenn [Rated T, can be Platonic or Romantic]

He shouldn't feel this way. Not when everything was so beyond ok. When everything was so wonderful. This didn't make sense. [cross-posted from my AO3 account]

freshly Post-Canon AU, where Yuugi tries to deal with emptiness in his head after Atem/Yami gets his own body after the Ceremonial Duel. It almost feels bittersweet, in a way, but I think that’s the author doing a good job at capturing Yuugi’s emotions in that moment.

Laughter by DragonDancer5150 [Rated K, can be Platonic or Romantic]

If laughter is the best medicine, it's no wonder Aibou is rarely sick," Yami mused. And his aibou's laughter was bright enough to cure just about any ailment. It certainly did wonders for the spirit's oft-heavy heart.

In-Canon AU, a shorter fic that’s about laughter and the differences between spirit and vessel. However it’s effective in getting the message across, and I love the way the author writes them both ^^

Metanoia by TheOccasionalOne [Rated T, Pre-Relationship]

Yami Atemu doesn't believe in magic or destiny, much less that he's the reincarnation of some ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Yugi Motou is determined to change his mind. 

Oooh, a Role Reversal-esque AU! Now, Yami’s the sort-of ‘normal one’ and Yuugi’s the one bearing news of “Hey uh, you and I are kinda special, and we’ll need to go on an adventure for it :)” Note though this fic discusses mental instability a lot due to this Yami’s background, so proceed with caution.

Name by Mitsuye-san [Rated K+, Pre-Relationship, Romantic]

Atem is ten when his soulmate’s name appears.

A beautiful but bittersweet fic feat. Ancient Egypt and Soulmates AU. Atemu’s love and struggle feels impactful, even if we know how his story’s going to end...

Revision Techniques by Serah Villiers [Rated K, Romantic]

Yuugi is revising for his exams; but a certain spirit requires attention.

A fun little story where Yami’s being petulant and Yuugi is forced to deal with it. If you want a more cuter take on the pharoah, then this fic might be for you!

Sensations by Higuchimon [Rated T, Pre-relationship, Romantic]

He could only know his boy by the touches on the Puzzle. But he knew that whoever it was that was putting it together was his. And no one harmed what was his.

And finally, something for Season Zero! It specifically takes place from pre-canon to Chapter 2 of the Manga. I love the author’s way of describing Yami here as well, in all his delightfully deranged and possessive glory.

Seperation Anxiety by RadioZenn [Rated T, can be Romantic or Platonic, but like they’re def soulmates in this one lol]

What would it be like, to go from existing almost completely within someone's mind, in their heart and next to their soul, and then be ripped from it all and expected to function normally on their own? Can one even go through what he's been through without repercussions?

Author states they have separation anxiety, so they decided to apply it to little Yami here. And honestly, I can see that being a thing, especially with all they’ve been through... an interesting read nonetheless!

Snooze by AlwaysYourAibou [Rated K, Pre-Relationship, can be Platonic or Romantic]

Yami looked at the street below, his mind piecing together what happened. He growled slightly. He truly hated everything about the objects in this new world.

Early-Canon AU! If you like stories where Yami discovers the wonders and woes of the world while still trying to protect his Aibou, then here’s the fic for you~

Stand Up or Fall Down by Nicole Silverwolf [Rated K, can be Platonic or Romantic]

Volunteering to sleep under the stars sounded macho but in reality he'd been desperate to escape the oppressive air in the trailer. Honda-centric.

Set in Season 4, so get ready. A bit of a different one from the rest, but the Pharaoh’s perspective’s included, and Honda/Tristan tries to help him pick up the pieces after what happened with Raphael. 

The Dark of his Madness by Dib07 [Rated T, Pre-Relationship, Romantic]

Yet Yugi daren't ask this 'other presence.' It gave him goosebumps just thinking about interacting with this spirit, even if this spirit was harmless to him. There was something psychotic: something indiscernible and abysmal in this spirit's eyes. And it frightened him. It reminded him of crypts, chasms into hell: other worlds damned by God. He'd rather not look at those eyes.

Early-Canon AU Puzzleshipping. Yami’s Not Doing So Hot™, and Yuugi’s not too sure how to proceed with him, but whatever it is that’s going on, he’s making sure they can go forward together. Note that this fic features depictions of gore and nightmares and general Not Good Things, because again, Yami Ain’t Doing So Hot™.

The Day We Lost by Ocean [Rated T, Romantic]

How does it feel when you realize that you have lost your best friend? How do you react at that moment? When the situation is out of your hands? Anzu has to come to terms with the fact that she has lost her chance with Yuugi.

In-Canon AU, takes place during the Duke/Otogi DDM battle. As it says on yet another high-quality tin. I’m a big fan of this one because it scratches my particular favorite Puzzleship dynamic, (I like omoyami, which basically means top!Yuugi HAHAHA) and a bonus, it features a different Yuugi from canon!

Yami, Pine, Mint & ReadyBrek by Borath [Rated K, can be Platonic or Romantic]

When Yugi oversleeps, Yami decides to take over and get ready for school for him. For a very old spirit in a very modern world, it was all doomed to go terribly wrong from the start. From Yami’s perspective.

In-Canon AU. Ok, you know how most writers go like “I tried to be funny” for their fics? Now, this fic, hands down, made me howl when I first read it. Hilarious and over-the-top, in very Yugioh fashion. If you need a pick-me-up, this one’s for you!

Multi-Chapter (Completed)

A Compendium of Magic, Violence, and Love by Pr3cIoUs [OVERALL Rated T, Ranges between Platonic to Romantic]

A collection of drabbles and mini-ficlets following the lives, loves, and sorrows of Puzzleshipping.

I say this is ‘Completed’ because 90% of the fics contained are finished relatively cleanly. But overall, I like the various ideas and AUs the author throws around here; they’re all fun in their own little way! Do note that some of the chapters may be rated M, hence my rating tag. 

An Alphabet of Puzzleshipping by Auster [OVERALL Rated T, mostly Romantic]

A collection of twenty-six Puzzleshipping drabbles, from angst to fluff and from AU to Canon. Now features up to 27 extra bonus drabbles!

Similar situation with the first, with it being a one-shot collection. These fics also feature various AUs and scenarios, and one of them even got expanded into a proper fic, which I also reccomended below~

Bittersweet and Strange by Erik’s Champion [Rated K+, Romantic]

Season 0 & Beauty & the Beast-inspired AU. The Pharaoh's pendant was their only hope of salvation: if he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return, the Pendant could be reassembled and his memories would be restored. But as the eons passed, the Pharaoh's heart receded into darkness, and they gradually lost all hope. For who could ever love the embodiment of despair?

A compelling fic that does the crossover very well, in that it only really takes the elements of Beauty and the Beast, and puts it into YGO in such a way that it still makes sense. However, while the Puzzleshipping is good, I love this because of the various character interactions! Very reminiscent of the Disney movie, and very good at balancing the tender moments with the funny ones.

Do You Dream of Me? by Laryna06 [Rated T, Platonic to Romantic]

What if Yugi could sense Yami's feelings and thoughts all the time too? A rewrite of their adventures. Mangacentric. 

A complete rewrite of the first 7 volumes of the YGO manga, featuring a completely different dynamic between Yuugi and Yami -- namely, due to the former saving him from the Puzzle, Yami becomes a devoted servant, seeing himself as ‘second’ to his Master. It’s a bit of a guilty-pleasure fic personally, but from all the ones I’ve read, this is hands down, my absolute favorite :D

Predestination by S.E. Mellark [Rated T with implications of M, Romantic]

When Atem was just two years old, a peasant and his wife from the lower district of Memphis gave him a gift that, for a long while, the prince could not appreciate.

Ancient Egypt AU where Yuugi’s brought in as a slave for a very young Atem. The story deals with their lives as they grow older, alongside the dangers that grow alongside them. A mix between lovely and angsty, it’s got the bonus Top!Yuugi esque-dynamic (because I like indulging myself) and a surprise ending. So proceed with caution...

The Book Corner by Pr3cIoUs [Rated M, but the content doesn’t actually go that far, there’s just a lot of implications. Romantic]

Yami's problem was that the list of his relationships contained his friendship with Jou, coffee beans, and books. He just didn't understand people. So it's not surprising that when Yuugi walks into his shop, Yami's in for one hell of a crash course.

This fic’s by far the spiciest one in this collection, but I tentatively added it in because personally, it doesn’t hit the M rating for me. Also, I technically cheated because... it’s not marked complete. HAHAHA but! I placed it here because it left the impression of a sequel instead of a next chapter, and it’s complete enough that I think it can stay here. Regardless, it’s a great romantic comedy, with a hilarious ending! Essentially, go read it for a different taste of the Puzzleshipping cake :D

Zoom Lens by Auster [Rated T, Romantic]

The eccentrically French, but brilliant photographer Yuugi finds his perfect model in a shy, unassuming student. But the real challenge is not persuading Atemu to pose…

A three-shot modern-era fic featuring a shyer Atemu and a more bold Yuugi. This fic’s the one that got expanded, so it’s great to read for these concepts alone. However, it’s got its own heartwarming and heart-lurching moments that make it an enjoyable and well-written fic.

Multi-Chapter (Unfinished or Discontinued - Read at your own risk!)

Or be forced to suffer like meeee ;-;

All the Words Under the Sun by Shamise [Rated T, can be Platonic or Romantic]

Drabble Collection. Through the Hemisphere: When Atem got a new job as a night guard, the last thing he expected was to be abducted by aliens. Well, one alien, who seemed pretty dedicated to turning his life upside down.

Tagged under ‘Unfinished’ because many of the drabbles are connected, and unfortunately most don’t have a clear ending. But I absolutely adore the Hemisphere AU, alongside the other AUs they’ve written out, so I think it’s worth it to see one chapter at least. 

Code Name: Neko 5000 by Egyptian Dreamer [Rated T but contains gore, Pre-Relationship]

A rich businessman creates a hybrid by combining the DNA of an ancient Pharaoh and the DNA of felids. His creation wasn't supposed to have a mind of its own, but it does, and escapes into the streets of Domino. With a killing intent too great and too out of control, the hybrid doesn't hesitate to take down all those that meet its path, until it stumbles upon a boy being bullied.

Ok fine another guilty-pleasure one. Look, I love this AU. It’s everything I didn’t know I wanted. First, you got nekos; a classic for long-time fanfiction lovers. But then you got killer nekos, and they’re basically feral destructive machines who... have a strange love for people who look like them. Thrilling, destructive (In that Yami’s put his Season Zero setting to absolute max) and overall so fascinating, it’s worth reading for the horror aspect alone :D

Do You Dream of Me?: Duelist by Angel’s Nocturne [Rated T, Romantic]

Sequel to Do You Dream Of Me? by Laryna6. Read that first. What if Yugi and Yami were bonded before Duelist Kingdom? A rewrite of their adventures, starting at Duelist Kingdom. YYY JM BR SS, Mangacentric

A sequel written by another author for my most favorite fic ever! They did a pretty good job in blending canon with Laryna06′s canon, while adding in their own flair and tidbits. And I love how the dynamics and general situations change up due to Yami being a stronger presence than usual. Well-done, and quite long in spite of it all!

Misconstrued by SilentSpeaker13 [Rated T, Platonic with Romantic implications]

Aibou- def: partner. It's an innocent enough term until Yami makes an accidental slip of the tongue. Hints of Puzzleshipping, pure rediculous born of watching the slashy goodness that is Yu Gi Oh! 

“Aibou? What does that mean? Sounds kinda gay...” is the best YGOTAS quote I can use for this fic. Yami’s endearingly dramatic, Yuugi’s entertainingly dramatic, and their friends are just cackling from the sidelines. It’s also technically complete, but since the writer didn’t mark it as such, it’s under this category. 

Sympathetic Magic by The Naked King and A Perplexing Puzzle [Rated T, can be Platonic or Romantic]

Two alike objects share a powerful bond. For Yuugi Mutou that becomes particularly true when he is whisked away to Ancient Egypt through means he doesn't understand and meets the one person in the world he trusts most; but this is not Nameless Pharaoh, this the God King of Ancient Egypt...

This fic didn’t go on long enough for me to see the shipping personally, but the dynamic between Yuugi and Pharaoh Atem was still an absolute treat. This fic’s also got my most favorite iteration of pre-Puzzle Sealed Atem in all of ever, being equal parts commanding yet unsure of his position as Pharaoh. A great read that, even unfinished, doesn’t leave off at too bad of a spot!

Yugioh WALLE by wordsorceress [Rated T, Romantic]

A.T.E.M (Altered Time Enduring Maintenance-man) has been carrying out his Directive for over 500 years, but his hazardous lifestyle is about to get blow out of proportions when an A.I.B.O.U probe lands in search of life. For Humanity, Humanoids, and Atem: Life and Earth is about to change.

It’s quite obvious what it’s about ne? Still, I like how their different personalities work in this AU, Atem’s an adorable bean and Yuugi’s a cool badass XD Plus, it’s hard to go wrong with WALL-E, yknow? It’s super long too, so even unfinished, I think there’s enough content to give you some fun!

#this is my first time posting anything like this alskd #so hopefully i did this right #also im uploading this on mobile #so i pray that nothing goes wrong HAHAHA #yugioh #ygo #yugi moto #mutou yuugi #yami yugi #yami yuugi #puzzleshipping #blindshipping #fic reccomendations #kathairo writes stuff

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

As a blions superfan (and a Byleth lover) I’ve always been of the opinion that Byleth tends to absorb personality traits from the house leaders but I feel it’s more noticeable with Dimitri, in that Byleth tended to be more emotive around Dimitri because he really liked it. Dimitri is also empathetic to a fault and I feel AM Byleth is v emotionally aware of others and empathetic as a result (this is how I personally I interpreted them but I get it if people disagree with me bc Byleth wasn’t for everyone) Coupled with Dimitri being able to release his emotions in AM, even if it was toxic, it was a reason why Dimitri was able to learn to live for himself rather than living for what he believed was his duty, and learning forgiveness both for himself and for others, which is something he doesn’t quite learn in hopes 😔

I do think there's some truth to that, but more because of the nature of Azure Moon on the whole, rather than the difference between Dimitri and the other lords. On Silver Snow, Byleth and the lettuce fam are pretty cute, and the overall tone of Verdant Wind is supposed to be hopeful, even if its writing focuses much less on its lord than it ought. Dimitri's story, though, very deliberately tugs at the heartstrings, and that reflects in Byleth. Byleth is along for the journey of their route lord, and when Dimitri's story puts him through the wringer, Byleth goes along with him.

Though I do have to say: Dimitri was never really put in a place to "release" his emotions, because they were never bottled up. He has problems reaching out for help, absolutely, but his psychotic break was more an amalgamation of isolation and enduring violence, either directed at him or he directed at others, rather than a cathartic release. And he doesn't really have this problem on Azure Gleam, either; it's more an issue of trusting his friends with his burdens, which he manages to do eventually (he confesses to Felix that he hallucinates, lets them help him take back Fhirdiad after he's captured, etc etc). It's honestly a pretty good way to take his character (and believe me when i talk about this game I use the word "good" very liberally) considering he just doesn't experience the harrowing shit he did on Azure Moon. No really high highs, because no really low lows. Azure Gleam is more about tripping and allowing people to help him up, whereas Azure Moon was falling into a grave and being content on digging deeper before realizing he has the power to dig himself out.

#fe #fe3h (the remix) #fe3h #s responds #anonymous metropolis #fewth spoilers #fire emblem warriors: three hopes spoilers

[snippychicke]

~☽ Moonstone ☾~ (Four)

Fandom: Moon Knight(TV)

Pairing: Khonshu/Reader (unnamed cis!female)

Warnings: none for this chapter? Feelings, maybe. Lots of feelings. Confused one mainly. Not too much angst.

Summary: Before Marc and Steven, before Arthur Harrow, Khonshu had another avatar. Well, hundreds of thousand of others, but this is the story of one in particular that Khonshu was fond of.

First part: Am I really going to go along with the series with this? Maybe. LETS FIND OUT!

Second Part: Kind of a direct sequel to part four. Morning-after snuggles. BECAUSE I WANT CUDDLES, OKAY? FROM MY ASSHOLE MOON GOD.

Tag list: @lots-of-love-anon | @stuckys-lilwhore | @jamiethenerdymonster | @madameasbjorn

If you want added to the list; please put your screenname here!

On Ao3| Masterpost for Moonstone

My Masterpost will have more Moonstone snippets. Maybe someday I will upload them to Ao3 as well....

ANYWAYS ENJOY

Steven was sure he was either having a psychotic break, or the worst nightmare of his life. Going from bed, to the alps, the massacre in the small mountain village. The chaos of the chase down the mountain. 

Losing a day. Losing his date. Losing Gus. Then being haunted by a towering mummy with a bird skull who thought it was fun to make the light flicker.

Who still haunted him after waking up screaming on his usual bus to work with no recollection of going to sleep, let alone waking, dressing, showering, or anything like that. 

Then he saw him. Harrow, who looked as astonished to see him as Steven was to see him. 

Gods, that couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. It made no sense. 

But yet everything felt all too real and lucid as he frantically stumbled into the museum, all but begging JB to watch for Harrow before he noticed you, sitting before the statue of Chons. 

It… it wasn’t your usual day of the week. Besides, you always came late in the afternoons, not first thing in the morning. 

And you looked on-edge, instead of your usual somberness, leg bouncing as you clutched your bag nervously. 

Then, in the blink of an eye, the mummified bird-man was looming near you, reminding him of death about to reap a soul. Steven froze for a moment, torn between yelling at him to leave you alone and pretending he didn’t exist. 

Then you looked at him and quickly stood before striding rather angrily towards him. 

Oh bugger. Did he do something to you that he couldn’t remember? Oh no, don’t tell him he stood you up too. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for that. Or Marc. Whomever. Whatever. 

The tour guide was cute and all, but there was something about you that was far more… alluring. Maybe it was just the mystery of who you were, and why you were so sullen about the exhibit, but came back every week. 

Or maybe because you actually remembered his name. Because your smile was more honest.

“Listen,” he started, holding his hands up placatingly as you stalked towards him. “I know it sounds crazy, but whatever I did, I didn’t-“

You cut him off as you grabbed his arm and pulled him towards one of the quieter corridors. Silent but obviously fuming. 

“Say nothing, worm,” Birdman commanded, appearing just around the corner as you closed the door separating it from the rest of the exhibit, making Steven jump, staring at the hallucination with wide eyes. 

“Look, I can’t stay long because Harrow has his goons watching me,” you started, completely oblivious that his attention was momentarily preoccupied. “Heavens knows why. But if Khonshu isn’t here, tell him that Harrow’s followers numbers in the hundreds, if not thousands, and--“

“WHAT?” Birdman growled, but Steven barely heard, and could ignore him as he interrupted the woman.

“Wait. W-what are you talking about?” 

Your eyes narrowed. “What part of ‘I don’t have much time’ do you not understand? I know you’re Khonshu’s avatar, so you don’t need to--“

“Khonshu? The Egyptian moon god?” He looked at the mummified hallucination. Surely not. There was no way. He’d never seen a depiction of the ancient god like that. Yes, he could be depicted as a falcon-head god, but never with a bird’s skull for a head.

“Yes!” you stressed, bringing his attention back to you. “Heavens, there’s no need to act so oblivious! I saw you in the alps!”

“What?” Birdman repeated louder, stalking towards the woman, who remained oblivious to the angry hallucination."Why in heavens were you there? How do you even know Harrow?" 

Steven looked between the hallucination and you before shaking his head. “Nope. No way. This has to be a crazy dream. Of course, I mean, we just had that discussion of Khonshu and moonstones.”

His reply didn’t go over well as both you and the hallucination seethed at the same time, talking over one another. 

“Worm! Ask what she was doing in the Alps!” 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! I don’t have time for this!” 

The door to the corridor opened suddenly, and Steven turned to see J.B. standing there, a confused look on his face. “The broom closet is better for screaming, Scotty,” he offered after an awkward moment. “No one will give you a second thought. Donna uses it all the time, actually.” 

“I’m not screaming, I’m arguing with--” he gestured towards you, turning back to catch your name. 

Only for the hall to be empty. No woman, no bird man. Nothing but stone statues. “Oh, bugger.” 

----

You were seething as you evaded Harrow, who must have either found where you went, or was paying Steven his own visit. 

You could understand playing oblivious. Admitting that you believed you were an avatar to an ancient Egyptian deity was an easy and quick way to be labeled insane, and then carted to an asylum, probably. But you had thought that if you told him you knew, he would be willing to talk. 

You kicked a large dumpster in the alley you had ducked into before quickly bruising your knuckles against it as you unleashed your frustration. 

Why? Why why why? 

It was like you were  one of a few aware of how dire the situation was, and the only other person who could help had just shoved his fingers in his ears screaming ‘lalala can’t hear you.’ 

After a few short moments, the biting pain in your hands became too much and you stopped with a sharp cry. The skin of your knuckles was ruined, scrapped raw and bleeding. Tears stung your eyes as you held them close to your chest. You were such an idiot. You didn’t heal supernaturally fast anymore, and now your hands were going to be sore for weeks. 

All because of your damn temper.

But damn it! You slumped to the ground, tears becoming harsh sobs. You didn’t just feel powerless; you were. 

Harrow likely knew Ammit was real. Knew that she laid sealed somewhere, aching to be released. The way he talked made you fear that he not only knew of a way to find her, but resurrect her and bring his utopia into fruition at the cost of thousands, millions, billions of lives. 

And the fact Khonshu had been there, sniffing around, made it worse. Because he only got proactively involved when there were serious threats to lives. 

Which meant your worst fear was likely right. 

A gust rattled through the narrow alleyway, making you look up as it teased your hair and tried to dry your tears. 

Was it him, or just a natural phenomenon? 

There was no way to tell.

Either way, it reminded you that you had a job to do. You wiped your eyes on the back of your hands, hissing as your wounds protested before taking a deep breath and stood. You weren’t Khonshu’s avatar, but you were still devoted to him. You would uphold his ways of justice, protecting others, and serving his vengeance. 

Unseen, Khonshu watched as you marched away, head held high and proud as always, despite the tears still in your eyes. He ached to heal your wounds, just as he wanted to pull you away from yourself destructive habits of trying to beat up a dumpster. 

What were you doing? The thought plagued him, just as it had when he first saw you haunting the museum. The first time he swore had to be the stars blessing him, letting him see you again. But then you returned again and again, that soft glow of the remnants of your bond drawing him every time you came near his current avatar. 

He shadowed you every visit, wondering the same thing. Why were you there? Could your bond still sense him, somehow? Or was it just nostalgia that led you through the ancient Egyptians exhibit? 

But why were you always so somber, as if visiting a grave? Surely you had moved on and found your place in the mortal world. Did you have a mortal lover? Did you have a family of your own? Surely at least a group of friends, entranced by the same qualities he missed. 

But yet, here you were. Somehow mixed up with Harrow and Ammit, stalking the alter of his avatar, and punishing yourself for imagined failures. 

And now leaving with that resolute expression on your face. He had loved, still loved, you for your tenacity and bullheadedness. You never stopped, never gave up, until your work was done. 

He never realized he would have to worry because of those same traits. 

---

Harrow was surprised when he saw Khonshu’s former avatar enter the small community of his London commune. He had expected you to flee, given the chance after what had happened, lick your metaphorical wounds and wait until the agitation of being trapped against your will calmed before trying again. 

Instead, your knuckles were bloodied, and you looked like a woman on a mission as you strolled through the neighborhood. Well, at least when you thought no one was looking. When you interacted with the other of the community, the expression was replaced with a welcoming smile that looked anything but fake.

Fascinating. You had as many faces as the moon as well. 

“My dear,” he welcomed as he approached, greeting you with a smile and offering his hand to yours. “I’m surprised to see you so soon.” 

“I did some thinking,” was your evasive answer, allowing him to clasp your hands in greeting. “And I guess I couldn’t fault you for what you did. You just wanted to protect me.” 

Oh, that was a weak excuse, but he let it slide. “I am glad you see it that way. I can understand, though, how your feelings may have been….hurt.” He turned your knuckles over, looking at the bloodied scabs he had seen from afar, his smile shifting into a sympathetic expression as he tenderly inspected your wounds. “What happened?” 

“I…have anger issues,” you admitted, truthfully embarrassed. “It’s…kinda why I’ve been scared of Ammit. The things I’ve done, not out of hate, mind you, but….”

Harrow studied you as you avoided his gaze. Shame? You sure looked like someone who repented. But he knew your deeds. The blood on your knuckles was nothing compared to the blood of others that soaked your hands. 

Were you trying to play him? And for what gain? Did you think you could stop him? Or did you honestly see the sense in Ammit’s truth? 

“Let Ammit judge you, and show you the truth,” he tempted, just to see how far you were willing to go. He picked up his staff and held it out to you so you could study the intricacies of the handle. The twin crocodile heads, the dark gems embedded within the pewter metal. “This was created by Ammit herself for her first followers, used to judge those still living. Allow it to weigh the evil in your heart.”

You didn’t pull away, despite the wariness in your eyes. He wondered if you caught his true meaning and understood what he wasn’t saying. It was Ammit’s gift to her first Avatar, used to enact her will on earth. 

He knew he couldn’t kill you, not when he still may have a need for you against Khonshu. Especially now that his avatar was on his tail. 

Yet Ammit’s power was demanding you to be judged, and he couldn’t refuse. 

He placed the cane upon your arms, holding your hands gently, careful of your wounds. He could feel the cane awaken to judge, the flare of power resonating the weak bond between him and the goddess. 

Not quite the bond of an avatar, but close. Close enough he could allow her power to flow into him, and through him reach out to the spirit of whomever they were judging. 

Except there was no onslaught of memories, of deeds and horrors you committed in Khonshu’s name as he expected. Instead, another power pushed back, blocking him and Ammit from your heart. 

Power that felt too much like Khonshu’s. The bright shine of the full moon on a cloudless night swathing you in its light and refusing any access. 

Startled by that unpleasant, familiar power that evoked dark memories of his own, Harrow dropped your hands quickly, Ammit’s cane clattering to the floor. He could see it. A faint white light from behind your eyes that disappeared as soon as you blinked. 

“That bad?” you asked, confusion etched in your expression. As if you weren’t aware of the power that slept within, ready to strike at whomever tried to harm your spirit.

“N-not necessarily,” he tried to cover, not letting you see how shaken he was from that taste of his former master’s power. “You are… different. Your scales are not ready to be weighed yet.”

You bent down and picked up the cane and offered it to him, and he was convinced you didn’t know what power it held. Either that, or you truly trusted him. Otherwise, there was no way you would do such a thing. “I thought Ammit could judge a soul for what they would do, rather than what they had done.” 

“I think your heart, while not evil, is not incapable of it. She wants to reserve your judgement. For now.” He was completely lying through his teeth, but he didn’t dare explain how you were under the protection of Khonshu, and Ammit’s power couldn’t touch you. 

Even though he had touched the fractured soul of Khonshu’s current avatar. He couldn’t imagine the power the god must have poured into the blessing he bestowed upon you, desperate to protect you.

Perhaps they could use this.

“Come, you’re still very much welcomed among us, my dear.” He pulled you close and wrapped an arm around your shoulder as he led you towards the communal area. “Perhaps it will cleanse your heart to be among those already judged worthy. Besides, those wounds you carry need to be cleaned and tended to.”

-----

All of this insanity was real, and Steven was full freaking out. How was he supposed to react to the news that not only he had another person in his head, Marc was married (to a woman who literally took his breath away and was everything and more he could ever want) a mercenary, but an avatar for Khonshu.

Who was the tall, mummified birdman that kept appearing out of nowhere like a terrifying monster jump-scare out of a horror movie. 

The god you talked about. The god that had been so… protective of you during that brief encounter. 

You knew. You wanted to warn him of Harrow. And he had dismissed you. Now he felt like a total arse.

He wanted to apologize, but how was he supposed to find you? Would you return to the museum? Except he had been fired, and he couldn’t exactly just hang around and see. He should have asked your name. Ages ago, to be honest. 

He’d do it if he’d ever see you again. If he even survived this. Harrow acted calm and reasonable, but Steven didn’t trust him. Not after the jackal in the museum. 

Now he was in the large community-center, surrounded by the nutters. 

Steven froze as soon as he saw you amongst them, serving soup. It only lasted a moment before Harrow wrapped his arm around his shoulders, urging him forward as the other man continued to talk.

But Steven couldn’t hear his speech. Not with Marc cursing in his head. “Oh no. Ah fuck.” He, too, it seemed, recognized the woman from the gift shop. Somehow. “This is not good. This is so not good.” 

Khonshu, who had grown quiet after it was apparent Steven would not kill Harrow, was suddenly before the soup counter where you were working, the wind whipping angrily at the tattered cloth that hung around him, as well as everything else. Everyone paused as the wind picked up, including you. But while everyone else braced themselves with a startled cry, you looked around for the source of the wind, seemingly unperturbed by the gust. 

Or maybe because, while at the epicenter of the squall, it was just a light breeze around you.

“Why. Is. She. Here.” Khonshu growled as the wind died as suddenly as it came.

Beside Steven, Harrow chuckled. “I take it Khonshu has seen our beautiful guest,” Harrow commented as he pulled Steven up to the counter. “Hello dear, can we have two bowls, please?” 

Your eyes narrowed. He couldn’t tell if it was confusion, suspicion, or anger. “Steven? What are you doing here?” 

“I-I was about to ask you the same,” he stuttered. 

“Part of my volunteer work,” you offered, pouring out two bowls of the lentil stew, and tearing pieces from the loaves of crusty bread to set on the trays. “I like to help whenever and wherever I can.”

Harrow’s expression flitted through calm surprise, looking between the two. “You two know each other? I’m surprised, I would think… but perhaps things have changed since I gave up the mantle. Nevertheless, would you like to join our discussion, dear? I think it’s time you learnt as well about the next part of our work.” 

One of the other followers easily slipped next to you, taking the utensils from your hand and not giving you much choice in the matter. Steven didn’t miss the way the breeze wrapped around them, his eyes on Khonshu as the god stalked by your side.

Khonshu definitely knew you, and you knew him. 

“So, what exactly are we discussing?” you asked after a moment once they sat, not touching the bowl that was placed in front of you. 

“Our true purpose here,” Arthur said before taking a bite of his own soup, savoring the flavor, before gesturing to their bowls. “Really, try it. It really is quite delicious.”

Steven took a tentative taste, admitting that if his stomach wasn’t soured by nerves, it would’ve been delicious. But it was hard to enjoy it considering the palpable tension and the dark expression on your face as you continued to glare at Harrow. 

“I thought we were done with secrets, Arthur,” you bit out. 

“We are, and there will be no more secrets after tonight. You deserve the truth, as does poor Steven here. That old bird has used both of you. Lied to you. I hate to be like him, but I was concerned about what ideas he had planted in your head.”

Steven almost missed the slight shift in your expression, from hard to surprised, back to angry.

“You have a strong sense of justice, which I respect, and a devotion to those in need that I admire so very much,” Harrow continued, missing the expression. “And I apologize that I concealed the truth from you, but I was worried about what Khonshu told about Ammit.”

Your fingers slipped around the knife, knuckles white. Steven dropped his spoon mid bite, expecting you to lunge for the other man’s throat. “Excuse me?” You hissed instead.

“I know of the years you spent in service to him,” Harrow explained calmly, despite the murderous intention on your face. Even Steven was ready to flee, and you weren’t angry with him. Well, not right now, at least. “Because I was the one who served in your place once you left him.”

“I didn’t--” you snapped your mouth shut, eyes turning glossy as you bit your tongue. Part of Steven wanted to reach out and comfort you, just on the raw expression on your face alone. The rest of him was having troubles reconciling the fact that not only was Harrow a previous avatar, apparently so were you. 

“Khonshu left me,” you stated after a moment, trying to sound cold, but the hurt was still there. “I had little choice in the matter.” 

Steven’s eyes were drawn to the said god looming from one of the scaffolding. Khonshu remained silent as he watched the scene unfold, though there was a sort of melancholic air surrounding him.

“He uses us and then once we are no use, he leaves us,” Harrow agreed softly, Steven’s attention still on the god, perplexed by the emotions he felt, and the fact he could know what the pigeon-skull god was feeling despite the lack of expression. “I was so broken after I left his service, and those short few years were nothing compared to yours.” 

Steven’s attention was drawn back sharply as the table rattled, and found your knife embedded itself in the wood as you sneered at Harrow. “Shut your fucking whore mouth. He didn’t-- I’m not--“ But you couldn’t find the words, doubt already sewed into your mind and quickly taking root. 

“Why else would he abandon you, dear? To protect you?” Harrow reached across and wrapped his hand around yours that still clutched the handle of the knife. “Tell me, how is taking his power from you protecting you?”

“Lies! Crush his skull,” Khonshu suddenly snarled from his perch, finally nudged out of his thoughts and surging with rage. “Tear out his traitorous throat! I gave her up to allow her happiness!” 

Steven groaned and covered his face. Oh god, Khonshu loved you. Maybe there was still a chance this was all some crazy dream. 

No. There was no way his imagination was this crazy. 

“Can I just go now?” He said, voice muffled by his hands.

Harrow smiled, softly but with a hint of steel beneath. “If you truly don’t want to be a part of ushering in a new age for humanity, you may leave. Once you have given me the scarab, that is.” His attention drifted back over to you. “Though I admit, I was hoping you both would see the truth. It would’ve been poetic having three of Khonshu’s avatars see the truth and awaken Ammit.” 

Those at the surrounding tables stood up, gathering around the trio. Steven felt his heart race, while you just sighed, rubbing your forehead. “It’s nighttime, Arthur. And you really just threatened Khonshu’s avatar. I thought you were smarter than that, at least. Especially if you were his avatar once upon a time. “ 

“Ah, but Steven here isn’t quite Khonshu’s avatar, are you dear boy?” Arthur smiled. “Marc is, and he’s not here right now. So, again, give me the scarab, Steven. I know you don’t really want to fight..” 

“I don’t have it,” Steven answered weakly, looking at the faces of those surrounding the table, slowly growing closer. The kind, smiling faces had been replaced by harsh, stony looks."So just… just let us go, yeah? I mean, no harm, no foul." 

Arthur only leaned forward, his head tilting slightly. “If you don’t have it, do you know who does?”

“Don’t you dare,” Marc hissed at Steven, as if Harrow could overhear. “Don’t you dare mention Layla’s name.” 

“Who the hell is Marc?” You asked, confused as you looked towards him. As if he could provide an answer when he barely understood himself.

“Who has the scarab, Steven?” Arthur asked before standing, his cane echoing as it hit the floor. 

 An instant later, you were on your feet as well, knife in hand and pointed towards Harrow. “Yeah, no,” you hissed as Steven stood. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel as you seamlessly stepped between the two men, protecting Steven without hesitation. 

He was definitely enamoured by your bravery, that was for sure. But also rather embarrassed to be protected by a woman who was armed with only a butter knife. Shouldn’t he be the one protecting you? 

“I may not know what’s all going on,” you continued, unaware of Steven’s internal dilemma. “And I may not be Khonshu’s avatar anymore, but I’m sure as hell not going to let you unleash Ammit. Never have, never will.” 

“I supposed I encouraged you to fight instead of run,” Khonshu spoke from his perch, followed by a sigh, and Steven didn’t know if it was because of frustration or fondness. Or both. “But I would think you would know better now.”

Harrow smiled tightly, tilting his head. “I was really hoping you would see the truth. Surely, you can recognize the power of Ammit. Even the small quantity this staff possesses.”

He held up the staff, the dark gems growing deep violet. Steven’s stomach clenched in fear as the power curled around the staff, instinctively labelling the power as evil.

Everyone else was slowly backing away. If his own followers were afraid…

Yeah. Definitely evil.

“Khonshu left me, powerless and broken,” Harrow continued, stroking the staff with fondness. “But when I found this, Ammit healed me. Spoke the truth to me. Khonshu only punishes after the fact. After innocents have been hurt, or worse. Ammit will truly protect the innocents from those who would do them harm.”

“Yadda, yadda, yadda,” you interrupted. “I’ve heard it before, and it doesn’t matter however you try to sugarcoat it, the fact still stands that judging before the crime is. Fucked. Up.” 

Arthur sighed. “I see. I am truly sorry that you feel that way.” 

“Get her out of there, Marc,” Khonshu growled. “If one hair is harmed….”

“Steven, let me out,” Marc begged from the glint of your knife. “Let me protect us.”

“Protect her Marc,” Khonshu snarled, apparently able to hear the other man. “Let nothing happen to her.” 

“Where’s the scarab?” Harrowed turned to Steven, his eyes narrowed.

“Don’t, Steven.” 

It was too much. Too many people yelling at him, telling him what to do. There was a swirling of power, or maybe it was the wind, but either way, it was making him sick. It was too much. Way, way too much. 

But he couldn’t give the body up to Marc. Not after what he did. 

“I have it,” Layla shouted over the growing wind, holding the scarab up. 

Everything just erupted from there.

~☽ O ☾~

Khonshu didn’t sleep, not like humans did. (What constituted sleep for gods was impossible to describe in mortal words, and even harder for them to understand.)

So usually, while his avatars slept, or was otherwise occupied, he was usually elsewhere, working the small amount he could without his avatar, and without invoking the attention of the others. 

Rarely, he would watch over his avatar. Their mundane lives were boring, and he had no interest in spending most his time just being an observer to it. 

At least, with his other avatars, he hadn’t. 

He admitted you were different. your mundane life was just as boring as the others, but you weren’t. The expressions that shifted across your face through the day fascinated him. Your attempts at pretending he wasn’t there, or trying hard to ignore his commentary, were amusing to say the least. Whether it be annoyance with your eyes burning with desire to snap at him and tell him off, or sparkling with laughter as you bit your lip, the bond echoing your silent laughter. 

Or that contentment that you weren’t alone. You may turn your back to him physically, but only because you trusted him so much, and knew he would protect you no matter what. Whether it be some supernatural creature hungry for the power you held, or some pickpocket thinking you were caught unaware by their approach. 

But watching you sleep…that was new. He might indulge once in a while, but he often left as you readied yourself for bed. (Especially after the time he took control and used your own fingers to pleasure you. Not because of shame, but because of how tempted he was to try again.) 

But now, you were snuggled against his side, worn out from the activities after Hathor’s festival. Your fingers were curled against his chest, and your breath ghosted over his skin. It felt like he had entered the afterlife himself, being able to have his arm wrapped around your waist, feeling everywhere your soft flesh pressed against his. His other hand played with the strands of your hair, the dust that had fallen from your crown of flowers glittering in the darkness and making your hair look like it contained the night sky. 

And then, to top it off, the link between avatar and god had strengthened from your, ahem, bonding. He could sense every fluttery thought and emotion while you dreamt, feeling your core settle itself close to his, mimicking your bodies as you curled his power around yourself.

He wanted to make the night linger, prevent the dawn from coming and taking his strength from him until he was no more than a ghost once more. Even when night approached again, he wouldn’t be allowed this luxury, this freedom. If the others found his presence so solid on Earth, it would surely stir their ire. 

If they found he had bonded to his avatar, their anger would really be upon him. Hathor had warned him, as much as he cared for you, not to do the one thing he had done. 

“Humans and gods must be kept separate,” she had warned him. “Having affection and sexual relations with them is one thing. But bonding is for gods and gods alone.”

Well, he had always been the troublemaker. 

He sensed your waking seconds before your eyes fluttered, your fingers stretching and clenching against his chest before you looked blearily up at him. 

He wondered if it was the moonlight reflecting in your eyes, or the aftereffects of their actions. Either way, it was beautiful, as if you continued to carry a bit of the moon inside you.

He nuzzled against your cheek, affection spreading as he felt you laugh and cup his beak, pressing soft kisses against it. He could feel your love, your affection, your happiness. Just as he was sure you could feel him as he pulled you closer, wanting more of everything about you. 

The gods could do whatever they wanted with him, but he’d start another war if they tried to punish you as well. 

And unlike Ammit, his avatar would stand by his side.

#khonshu marvel #khonshu moon knight #khonshu #khonshu x reader #fanfic #mk moonstone #moon knight 2022 #moon knight #mcu moon knight #marvel moon knight

[jungkookienoona]

Total Eclipse Pt 3

Recommended Song: Never Go Back by Evanescence (This song is basically Jungkook's POV for this fic)

|Chapters|Masterlist|

Summary:

After a fateful day in an Egyptian tomb, things have never been the same for Jungkook, or you, after a certain vengeful god decided to make him its fist.

Genre: Angst, Actiony, Romance, F2L UWU

Pairing: Moon Knight!Jungkook X Reader (Y/N)

Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Blood, Near Death of Major Characters, Death of Minor Characters. Future Smut. Body Horror.

Word Count: 1477

Note: Jungkook will not be having DID in this fic. Khonshu has had many avatars over the millenia and I'm pretty sure Marc is the only one that has DID. Although there will be some slight overlap between Marc and Jungkook such as mercenary work.

I apologise for my shitty photoshop, my partner who does freelance design tried to help. Needless to say photoshoping is hard. In fact other than Jungkook, my partner did this whole little banner.

The sun was on the edge of setting as you and Jungkook left the restaurant he had chosen. A Korean place. He said he chose it because he missed his dad’s cooking.

"I can't believe you took us to see Sonic 2," you giggled.

After breakfast you and Jungkook had napped together on the sofa bed. You had been facing away from each other but awoke with your head on his chest, his hand cradling you there.

His explanation was a slurred, "You were tossing and turning so much. Woke me up a few times. This was the easiest way to get you to stop."

You weren't sure if it was a post nap flush or a blush but either way, red dusted his cheeks and ears. Cute. After that Jungkook looked up cinema times and refused to tell you what film he was booking for. 

Really, you should have known by his mischievous giggling.

"Hey, I'll have you know it was a genuinely enjoyable experience and I looked up a lot of spoiler free reviews first. And you can’t deny you enjoyed it, you were laughing the loudest," he defended.

"How many could you have looked up between the nap and actually booking the tickets?"

He mumbled something you didn't quite catch.

"Sorry, what was that? I don't have super hearing."

Jungkook cleared his throat, "I said: I've been looking at reviews all week."

Wait. Did he plan all this? Had it all hinged on you having the day off? You think you felt a part of your brain fry trying to process this information.

"Oh. You must have really wanted to see it then."

He nodded, "Yeah. I thought it'd be nice to spend some relaxed time with you. Forget about… everything for a few hours. Pretend things are normal."

He gestured to the alleyway you normally cut through and you stepped into it only to freeze. Shit. That looked like a gang.

A man with a walking stick came forward, "Y/N! And that gentleman to your side must be Jungkook. Or Moon Knight as Khonshu likes to call his avatars. I must say, you weren't easy to find."

Jungkook breath out a "Fuck."

Your sentiment exactly because this wasn't a gang. These people knew you. They knew Jungkook, who he was. Which meant they were more dangerous than any London street gang. Jungkook gently pushed you behind him as he stepped in front.

"Who are you?" Jungkook practically growled.

"Now now, you should respect your elders. I'm Harrow. Khonshu's former avatar." He pointed at Jungkook with his stick.

"So that makes you…? What, my mentor?"

Harrow chuckled, "Oh no, my dear boy, I am glad to be relieved of Khonshu's abuse. No, I'm here to… free you from him. And dear Y/N there, of course."

"I feel I won't like where this is going."

"I'm afraid you're right there. You weren't meant to survive Khonshu's temple. I had hired Isaac to do you a service. Make sure no one would ever know his torment again. Clearly, that didn't happen."

You heaved at the mere mention of that name. This man was the reason why your friends and colleagues were dead. Why you and Jungkook were at death's door.

"Yeah, would have thought you knew you had hired someone that likes to draw things out. But you’re wrong about one thing, I didn’t survive that day. I did die and you served me up to Khonshu on a silver platter with the perfect motivation to accept his deal because of that."

You watched in stunned silence as darkness took the sky, bandages slowly slivered around Jungkook, his eyes turning an illuminated white, as if the moon itself shone from within them, until his suit - armour- was formed. 

Harrow’s brows furrowed, “Sadly you leave me no choice now, my boy.”

Harrow raised his cane up then slammed it into the ground. Cracks spider-webbed from the impact, flooded with purple light. Jungkook took a step back as if shocked. Whatever it was he was seeing, you clearly couldn’t. 

“Well… I’ve never seen that before. Neat trick you have there. Y/N, I need you to run out of this alley, back the way we came okay? Leave this to me.”

Jungkook was still inching back, an arm extended behind him as if shepherding you out. You looked between him and the very clear footprints indenting into the cobblestones. Yeah, whatever this was, you were definitely not equipped to handle it. As if hearing your thoughts, Jungkook pulled a crescent blade from his chest plate and handed it to you.

“Just in case.”

Swallowing the lump forming in your throat, you nodded before turning and running. You didn’t see whatever impact occurred while adrenaline carried you away, but you sure heard it and the howl that followed it. You clutched the blade tightly to your chest, your hand stinging, red already following the curve.  God, what do you do? What can you do? Do you run home? Or do they have someone waiting there already? Go to a police station? The fuck do you do?

Suddenly something grabbed you by the hair and threw you backwards. You landed so hard you were winded but momentum had you rolling until you collided with a lamp post. 

“Gah!”

Your assailant, unseeable, rolled you onto your back. The next moments were confusing to say the least. Because Jungkook’s arm was thrusted in front of your face and you watched as holes pierced it, making him grunt, but you could see what appeared to be claws drenched in his blood which trickled down to their tips and dripped onto your cheek. 

“Bad… Dog…” Jungkook gritted out as pulled yet another blade free and slashed at whatever it was.

An inhuman screech pierced your ears as you witnessed Jungkook stand and pull what must have been that thing’s arm out of his own. You could see his flesh and bone knitting back together, then the suit repairing itself. He shook it and flexed his fingers like he was checking them before delivering an uppercut. Again you could hear the impact but not see it. 

"I can let you see them if you wish, traveller of the night?" Came a deep ethereal voice.

What in the world? You looked around but only saw Jungkook.

"I can give you the gift of sight for your safety since my priest is occupied."

Khonshu? The Khonshu? He was talking to you?

Hesitantly you nodded. Your vision turned white for a second but when it cleared you could see. A jackal. A giant, furless, bipedal jackal that was missing an arm from the elbow down and bleeding black. You could see how it stumbled as Jungkook sliced across its chest. How it lurched forward to return the blow, only for Jungkook to expertly duck and weave, finishing with a stab at the beast’s side.

It also meant you could see a second one that was rounding the corner with its own scrapes on display. And because you could see it, that meant you could fight it. Be of some help instead of helpless. 

Hissing as you pushed yourself up, you were pretty sure your ribs were at the very least bruised. The second jackal was focused on Jungkook, the obvious threat, as he was still dealing with the one that assaulted you just moments ago. And as it creeped to him, you limped behind it, your own blade raised up, closing the space behind it. And when it stopped, ready to pounce, you struck. You brought the blade down and lodged it in the back of the creature’s neck. It fell with a sickening thud.

Both Jungkook and the remaining jackal turned to you. Jungkook’s illuminated eyes grew comically large but there was a blur and suddenly you were back on the ground, you head meeting it with a crack. Your vision clouded for seconds that felt like an eternity then flooded black.

You were almost choking on the warm wetness that drenched you. Wiping your face, things became clear. The last jackal was over you, slumped forward, going through and coming out its chest  was Jungkook’s hand, clutching its heart. Jungkook was panting, heaving, seething. You could see it as his mask drew back. His brows drawn, teeth barred as he pulled his arm free and pushed the corpse off you.

You had never been afraid of Jungkook before, but in those moments he looked murderous. Until he looked at you, his features melting into utter concern. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Y/N, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” He muttered, pulling you up into his chest. You could feel warmth spread through you, healing you, just like in Egypt. It was only then your body allowed you to cry.

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

Note: Pt 4 will most likely be the smutty part ;)

Copyright © JungkookieNoona and protected under UK and international law. All rights reserved. Any unauthorised broadcasting, copying or reposting will constitute an infringement of copyright.

#jungkook #jungkook smut #boop #jeon jungkook #BTS jungkook #jeongguk #jeon jeongguk #jungkook scenario #jungkook fanfic #bangtan #bangtan scenario #bangtan smut

[godofsexdrugsandrocknroll]

Streaming, Flaxen, Waxen; or Yang and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Jaune: *Storming in* Okay, it was kinda funny when you started hiding my scissors, Yang, but you gotta stop.

Yang: *Who had been eating her lunch, talking with Blake* Okay, what?

Jaune: My razors, Yang. Stop stealing them already.

Yang: *Genuinely baffled* Don’t know what’s crawled up your ass, Jaune, but I haven’t touched your razors. Or your scissors.

Jaune: Oh sure and I just happened to wanna grow my hair out.

*Sure enough Jaune’s blonde hair now reaches past his shoulders in a half up, half down style*

Blake: *Swirling a glass of water, eying Jaune* I think it looks nice.

Jaune: *High pitched* i tHinK iT loOkS nICe.

Yang: Hey, watch it. She’s being serious. It’s a good look--

Jaune: Fine, whatever, but the beard!? C’mon, stop playing games.

*Jaune also has a pale, almost metallic blonde beard that’s gotten pretty long - to the point where he needs a beard comb*

Yang: And I’m telling you *blows a raspberry, covers her mouth*

Jaune: *Opens mouth, closes it* Okay, not gonna lie. That kind of dismissal actually stings, Yang.

Blake: *Smiling behind her glass* Jaune. *Nods to the wall behind him*

Ruby: *Blushing*

Weiss: *Wide eyed*

Jaune: *Gears slowly start working*

Jaune: *Realization dawns, gasp overdramatically* IT WAS YOU TWO!

Yang: *Bursts out laughing*

Blake: *Giggles*

Jaune: *Gazing brokenly into the distance* Betrayed by my own girlfriends. Oh, I can totally understand why every singer ever has written about heartbreak now.

Weiss: *Eyes are still fidgeting, not looking  at him directly and her cheeks have pinked* Oh stop. I-it’s just...*awkward pause* well it was Ruby’s idea so she should explain it!

Ruby: *Blushes harder and ignores Yang’s cackling* What!? Weiss you traitor! *Weiss refuses to look at her, clasping her hands* Well, uh, Jaune, i-it’s...ah, I know! How about me, you and Weiss go to the bedroom and I’ll fuck Weiss’ face on your dick while you eat me out!

Weiss: *Immediately goes bright crimson, shrieks* RUBY ROSE!

Blake: *Silently shaking from laughter*

Yang: *Freezes, lurches forward a bit* Oh. Well this is a new kind of pain.

*Weiss is slapping at a squealing Ruby, face burning and trying to get past the taller girls defenses*

Ruby: *Defending herself and peeking at Jaune from between her arms* H-howza ‘bout it!? Ow, Weiss, I’m sorry! Ow!

Jaune: *Crosses arms, gives disappointed stare*

Ruby: ACK! Not that look! OW WEISS, MY EYE! *To Jaune, hand over her eye* I only like that look when it’s cause I couldn’t hold my breath long enough or cause I came before Weiss *mutters* again. *Weiss slaps her on the top of the head* Ow, my soft spot!

Weiss: *Her neck is now red too as she finally, grumpily, crosses her own arms* Your entire head’s a soft spot.

Blake: *Has her face on the table to hide her tearful eyes, her body shaking*

Yang: *Clutches her heart* What happened to my sweet little baby sister who wanted me to braid her hair and brought me cookies and her stuffie when I was sad?

Ruby: *Defeated* Fine. I hope you know just what you were turning down--

Yang: *Crisis intensifies*

Ruby: --but if you have to know, it’s c-cause, well, *quickly* you look super hot with long hair.

Yang: *Distressed* She can shatter my entire world without blinking an eye but that’s what’s got her bashful!?

Jaune: *Blinks* Uh, thanks?

Ruby: *Blushing, looks away bashfully* Really hot. *Nudges Weiss*

Weiss: *Won’t look him in the eye* No matter how you wear it. Right now? You kinda look like a viking and i-it’s...yummy. *Ruby nods agreeing* Ponytail?

Ruby: Somewhere between starving, sexy artist and casual Jaune, which is just as sexy if not more.

Weiss: And g-gods help either one of us if you let it down because I don’t think you understand how good you look with a breeze running through your hair, just l-looking over the horizon.

Ruby: Even if you’re just thinking about what you’re gonna eat later. Trust me. It works. *Eyes glaze over* It’s like someone took hot guy and heroic knight and wrapped them all into one and *whistles and Yang flinches at it*

Weiss: T-the point is it looks good. Very good.

Jaune: *Shocked, very flattered and blushing* Oh. I had no idea. And my beard?

Weiss: *Face wobbles and she squeals, putting her hands over her face*

Ruby: Uh, that’s Weiss for she likes the way it feels. *Carefully puts an arm up, eying her girlfriend cautiously* Especially when you’re going down on her or she parks it right on you.

Weiss: *Screams into her hands, kicks Ruby in the shin and turns away* R-Ruuuubyyyy!!!!!! These things are supposed to be private! B-between lovers!

Yang: *Looking harrowed* Finally someone speaking sense in this broken, twisted world.

Ruby: Please, Yang knows I do stuff. She’s fine.

Yang: *Gapes, swallows* I think I understand how Dad felt when I started dating now.

Ruby: *Shrugs at Jaune* And I kinda love that too. Plus, just...mmmm.

Jaune: *Rubs his neck, looking away* ‘Mmm’?

Weiss: *Muffled* Yes. Beards suit you. Y-you’re handsome no matter what, but the p-pervert’s not wrong to suggest that this new look is very attractive.

Jaune: *Genuinely bashful* Oh. Then I guess it’s not so bad. But why didn’t you just say something-- *Looks at Weiss hiding while Ruby won’t stop cutely fidgeting* --aaannnddd nevermind. Got it.

*They all awkwardly stand there for a few minutes before Jaune nods, looks to Yang*

Jaune: Sorry for accusing you guys, I just figured this had practical joke written all over it.

Yang: *Weakly* N-no problem, Jaune.

Ruby: *Nods in the background* Okay, you got us both all worked up again - OW! My butt! I’m gonna make you kiss it better, Wei-OW-OW-OW! I’m sorry! *Focuses on Jaune, rubbing her recently slapped bottom* Jaune. Bedroom.

Jaune: *Immediately distracted* Well I guess if I’m having that much of an effect *trails off before smirking* but I think I know two girls who are in clear need of spankings. Faces down and asses up, you naughty girls.

Ruby: *Whispers* Oh gods we gave him confidence. *Shivers, salutes* Yes sir! *Scampers off*

Weiss: *Staring wide eyed, blush acting back up and she swallows, speaks quietly* You’re not the boss of me.

Jaune: *Smirks, walking forward* Oh? *Chases after Weiss who shrieks, spins and runs after Ruby, following her with his head held surprisingly high*

Blake: *Breathing heavily, hiccuping while wiping away mirthful tears* Oh my goodness. Those three are something else.

Yang: *Thousand yard stare* I want to die and never see the light of day again.

Blake: Oh please.

Yang: My poor, innocent baby sister! *Trying not to cry as Blake rolls her eyes, grabbing Yang’s arm to lead her outside and away from the house*

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #weiss schnee #war of the roses #jaune x weiss x ruby #jaune x ruby x weiss #bumblebee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #this is what happens when you let a drunk type #what's crack-a-lackin'

[mistletien]

what’s up guys I haven’t had a coherent thought in weeks

ianthe is a very touch positive person which is great for gideon who is very much touch starved and virtually explodes at any contact

gideon absolutely melts after getting used to ianthe constantly stroking her arm, trying to guide her with a hand to her back, or when all of them are smushed in ianthe’s bed and she’s petting gideon’s head while harrow is stuffed between them and talking about her day

gideon voice: nice brain OFF gf GUIDING ME I am lead directly into a door

ianthe uses this knowledge for good as well as evil ofc since touch is also a very easy way to work gideon up

as filthy as gideon gets tuning up her bike at times harrow and ianthe (who both adamantly claim to hate the fact gideon owns a motorcycle) “check in” on gideon far more than necessary just to watch gideon do whatever it is you need to do to keep things running

it’s the sweaty muscles and tight tank top she’s wearing they just want to stare

harrow is more subtle than ianthe about it but is worse then ianthe about getting embarrassed for being noticed

she gets angry at gideon’s shit eating smug grin about being ogled and gets snappy, face burning with embarrassment while stomping away

gideon (after an intense shower of course) practically crushes harrow later about how cute it is she thinks harrow finds her hot  

harrow doesn’t watch television unless it’s boring documentaries maybe but sometimes gets roped into an episode or two or something by ianthe’s incessant complaints about never doing anything with her and actually gets into the shows much to her gfs delight 

both ianthe and harrow have a very difficult time getting into gideon’s interests since it’s vastly different than both of theirs but gideon still wears the biggest smile whenever one of them tries to or remembers something she said about how bikes work and repeats it to her 

along with her touch obsession ianthe really likes buying her partners nice clothes and taking them to very expensive restaurants to flaunt them off of course she’s still going to get a little jealous when people actually stare at either gideon or harrow but also like she’s delighted as fuck at the same time they they’re with her

@godkingsanointed added: I feel like ianthe is bad at accepting genuine compliments because a small part of her still expects them to eventually prefer coronabeth over her in the end but it really means a lot to hear them even if she brushes them off under a bluff of bravado

ianthe is surprised gideon finds her attractive because she didn’t expect her to find ianthe physically attractive at all because compared to her sister what does she have? and freezes in stunned disbelief whenever gideon calls her hot before trying to cover it up in bluster

#ark whines #The Locked Tomb #Ianthe Tridentarius #Gideon Nav #Harrowhark Nonagesimus #griddleharrianthe #I woke up from a nap and decided I wanted to think about Girls

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 5

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)

Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.

Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.

Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho

So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.

I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.

Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.

Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.

This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.

So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)

Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.

Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.

It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!

We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.

The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-

Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.

No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.

Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!

Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.

Oh, I do hope so.

The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.

This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?

You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?

Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?

Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?

Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.

Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.

it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw

And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.

Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help

I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!

Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.

Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!

Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!

Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.

The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((

Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.

Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!

Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.

Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.

They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!

#book two: sky spoilers #book two: sky #b2:s #tdp spoilers #viren #harrow #rayla #runaan #callum #claudia #soren #lujanne #moonshadow elves #aaravos

[vannahfanfics]

ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ NYOOMS IN hellooo i would really love to request a sokai fic with the lollipop prompt!! personal anecdote: lollipops were the first sweet i ever hand-made for valentine's day because i wanted them to last longer than chocolates, bahaha :D thank you so much for all your wonderful work!!! ♡

Hi, liesles! Thank you for waiting patiently for your request! I thought it would go really well with a prompt from @sokaiweek​, “Be Mine,” so I hope you enjoy what I’ve come up with!

Sweet on You

“Ahh, it feels like forever since I’ve been to Twilight Town!” Kairi cried jubilantly as she ran down the forest path, eager to escape the woods where they’d hidden the Gummi ship and reach the town proper. She stopped to spin on her heel in the dirt, flashing Sora a brilliant smile. “Of course, the last time I was here, I was hiding from the Organization,” she joked, twirling a lock of her short auburn hair around her finger. Sora snorted at her cheekiness, amazed at her ability to reconcile with what was probably a pretty harrowing experience. But, that boundless optimism was one of the many things he appreciated about Kairi. 

“Well, now we don’t have to worry about them,” he smiled back, leaves crunching under his feet as he followed after her. She waited for him to join her on the path, standing there with her hands clasped behind her back in that adorable way that never failed to make his heart flutter. He was glad to see that even after everything they’d been through, some things still hadn’t changed. 

“So? What do you want to do while we’re in town?” he asked when he reached her, sliding his hands in his pockets. Kairi walked along beside him, a spring in her step. 

“I want to visit Olette, Pence, and Hayner, of course! Oh— and Xion, Roxas, Isa, and Lea, too. I want to try those pretzels and sea salt they brag about so much!” she giggled. He loved her giggle, he realized dreamily. It was the sweetest of sounds, sweeter than even the bells of Scala ad Caelum ringing in the dawn blush light. “But you know,” she said suddenly, snapping him out of his daze, “I didn’t really get to enjoy the town much last time, since I was hiding away. Before we do that, can we explore a little bit, Sora?” 

“Absolutely! Anything you want, Kairi!” he agreed immediately. 

Ugh. He could hear Riku laughing now, calling him “whipped.” How was he supposed to refuse, though, when she was asking him so cutely with that excited shine in her eyes and that pretty smile on her lips? Saying no would be downright criminal!

Giggling with delight, she scampered down the path again towards the triangular gap in the brick wall that served as the entrance to the woods. Yeah, Sora reconciled with a soft smile as he watched her skirt swish around her thighs and her hair bounce around her shoulders. He was definitely whipped for Kairi. He’d always been, really. She was his light.

The sunlight enveloped them as they stepped out into the city, warm and welcoming. The tram was trundling by, rocking gently on the tracks with its metal gleaming in the sunset haze. Sora had always liked Twilight Town, not just because Roxas’ heart lay dormant inside of him. It reminded him a bit of Destiny Islands— the warm sun coating his skin, the breeze carrying the scent of trees, the atmosphere of peace and tranquility. He paused at the edge of the ledge to close his eyes and savor the sunbeams playing over his face. He cracked an eye open when he felt Kairi stand next to him. 

“I can see why they love this place so much,” she hummed, observing the honeyed skyline with lidded eyes. “It really is beautiful…” 

He could sense the “but” lingering on her tongue. 

“But… It’s not home?” he guessed, and she looked at him with a wan smirk. 

“Yeah. But it’s home to them, so I suppose that’s all that matters,” she shrugged, her look turning cheery, and he couldn’t help but grin. She always found the bright side of things— she always found the light. “But, you could definitely pick a worse home to have.” 

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Kairi took another moment to scan the horizon, watching the golden light play across the oranges and browns of the buildings. Then she cocked her head to the side with a girlish laugh. Her smile was nearly blinding as she declared, “All right, enough sightseeing! I wanna go shopping!” 

“Yes ma’am!” he said with a salute, and Kairi laughed again. Gosh, if he could only hear one sound for the rest of his life, it would be Kairi’s laugh, no question. Her giggles floated in the air as she hurried down the steps to the causeway. If Sora tried hard enough, he could see them floating around like bubbles, little iridescent, rainbow films of her beautiful laugh. He reached up to touch them, but they skipped just beyond the edges of his fingertips to float up, up, up into the honey-colored sky and red-tinged clouds. That was okay, though, because there were always more where that came from. 

“You know, I’m surprised to see so much green here,” Kairi commented as she looked at all the small planters and flower boxes adorning the city. They perched on windowsills, rested on tables, sat on porch steps, or were positioned along the sidewalk. Flowers, ferns, herbs— everything and more could be found in the myriad of little pots littering the city streets, and their bright green fronds and stalks almost glowed against the background of autumn colors. “It really does make everything a little bit homier,” she hummed in contentment. 

“Yeah, and gives Little Chef a lot of ingredients to gather!” he added with a bright grin. 

“Oh, right, of course. That’s very important!” she giggled, prompting Sora to raise an eyebrow challengingly. 

“What? Are you making fun of me?” 

“No, it’s just nice to see that your love for food hasn’t changed,” she chuckled. “You either think with your heart or your stomach!” 

Sora opened his mouth to object, then closed it because it was true. It still felt like he was being made fun of, but darn it, she just looked too cute with that teasing smirk and the tip of her tongue sticking out between her teeth! Oh, he was whipped all right, more than Little Chef’s best frosting. He looked out to the road, and a smile played over his lips as he considered just how much Kairi had him wrapped around her finger. 

It was then that he spied something resting beside the main shopping complex, and he started thinking with his stomach again.

“Speaking of love for food…” 

A cute little cart was parked beside the complex. Pink and white heart-shaped balloons that were tied to the handle bobbed in the breeze, their metallic surfaces gleaming. Red, white, and pink streamers adorned the white cart’s side, and inside, an assortment of candies rested on a soft bed of baby-pink faux grass. Sora’s mouth began to salivate immediately upon clapping eyes on it, and Kairi laughed at him. For the first time that day, he was too absorbed in the promise of sweets to fixate on how much he loved her laugh. 

“What’s this? This is new!” he exclaimed as he pranced up to it. The young woman chuckled at his excited approach, flicking her bangs out of her face and primly resting her hands against her chocolate-smeared apron. 

“Hi there! This is a special promotion that the local chocolatier is doing for Valentine’s Day.” 

“Valentine’s Day?” he echoed. Was it really February? Time sure flew when you were running around saving the world. 

“What’s the promotion?” Kairi asked, peering around his shoulder to admire the assortment of candied goods nestled in the plastic stringy faux grass. 

“We’re giving away free samples today!” the attendant chirped. “Please, pick whatever you like— for yourself, for someone special.” She gave Sora a playful wink, which made his cheeks turn as pink as the decorations on the cart. 

Thankfully, Kairi had become too engrossed in the heart-shaped cake pops to catch the candy seller’s jibe. After carefully studying one for a moment, she plucked it out of the display and promptly took a chomp out of it. She hummed exultantly as she chewed the red velvet and red icing, then opened her eyes to smile at the attendant. 

“This is delicious! Oh, we should bring everyone something, don’t you think, Sora?”

“Totally, as long as the attendant doesn’t mind. We don’t want to run off with all her stock.” 

“Please do!” she smiled pleasantly. “We want everyone to be able to enjoy these sweet treats. All I ask is that you check out the chocolatier sometime soon to look at our complete stock!” 

After promising to follow through, Kairi and Sora began picking out free samples to bring to their friends. They tried to choose a variety while still choosing things they thought they would each enjoy. While Kairi was debating between a mini strawberry shortcake and a chocolate eclair, Sora discreetly stowed a wrapped heart-shaped lollipop in his shorts pocket. 

Of course, it didn’t go unnoticed by the candy attendant. 

Someone special? She mouthed with a smirk playing over her lips. With a sidelong glance at Kairi that melted into a loving smile, he nodded. Someone special, indeed. 

After making their decisions, Sora and Kairi headed off to rendezvous with their friends. They were delighted to find the treats well-received (though comments of pretzels and sea salt ice cream were made… and comments turned into procuration, but Sora was never going to complain about more food!). They watched the sunset from the clock tower, all of them squashed together on the ledge so tightly that poor Pence almost fell off, but it worked out all right and they had a good laugh about it. 

Just as the last red rays of the setting sun were spearing across the sky in their last goodbye, they said their farewells and headed back to the Gummi ship. Kairi pranced along the path, cooing at the fireflies flitting through the trees and underbrush to fill the gloomy forest with an earthy green glow. It was a town of sunset and greenery, two things so at odds with each other yet complimented one another so well here. And at the center of all that beautiful color was Kairi. 

She danced in a circle, laughing jubilantly as she whirled her arms around to scatter the fireflies like a thousand leaves. Her hair flowed around her face like an autumn breeze, and her skirt swished around her legs like florets on the wind. The green flickering lights and puddles of moonlight illuminated her form, and in that moment, she looked like an angel descended to earth. 

“I love you,” he whispered in reverence. He found his throat closed up with emotion, but he kept going in his head. I love you. I love you so much it hurts. I can’t imagine life without you, because I love you, I love you, I love you, and I always have. He wasn’t sure when he started crying, but Kairi saw them gleaming in the moonlight, and that’s when she stopped dancing to look at him in concern. 

“Sora? Sora, what’s wrong?” she gasped and ran up to him. He just looked down at her while she raised her hands to his cheeks, sweeping away his tears with soft, gentle brushes of her thumbs. “Talk to me,” she whispered, oh-so-sweetly that his heart broke with happiness. 

“Kairi… There was something from the candy cart that I didn’t share with anyone else,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion as he procured the lollipop from his pocket and held it out to her. She looked up at him, then down at the lollipop. She took it, turning it over to peer through the plastic film at the simple words etched in white icing on the front of the pink lollipop. 

BE MINE.

“Sora…” she murmured, looking up at him. He smiled sweetly even through the tears that still spilled from his eyes. She looked beautiful even in the way she kaleidoscoped in his watery vision. He reached up to cup her face in his hands, and he marveled at the way her cheeks nestled so perfectly against his palms, like they were made to be held by him and only him. Her eyelashes fluttered as she stared up at him in bewilderment, surprise, and hope.

“I love you,” he whispered again, but so she could hear this time. “I love you, Kairi. You are the light of my life, you know that?” 

“Yeah,” she said, her voice breaking as her own tears broke through the dam to flow down her face. They beaded against his palms, roughened by his years of wielding the Keyblade, but still soft enough for her to cuddle into his touch. “You’re the light of my life, too. I’m yours, Sora, I always have been.” 

He smiled at that, a broken smile because his mouth just simply couldn’t display the sheer amount of joy welling up inside of him. He petted her cheeks, wiping away her tears as she hiccuped sobby little giggles that just made her cheeks warm with embarrassment. He leaned forward to press his forehead to hers, unable to stop himself from whispering, “You’re so cute.” 

“Stop… You’re gonna embarrass me,” she complained, even though she laughed. 

“I can’t help myself. You are.” 

“Can… Can you just… Can you kiss me already, please?” she sniffed, her cheeks shining like pink opals in the moonlight. 

How could he ever refuse, especially whipped for her as he was? 

He immediately rushed in to do as she said, but he let his zeal get the best of him, because his nose collided with hers. Nervous apologies tumbled from his mouth but Kairi just giggled and guided his face back down, nosing his cheek to prompt him to try again. He took it slower this time, easing himself in to experimentally brush his lips over hers. Kairi waited for her to find his rhythm, but he could feel her excitement in the way her mouth trembled. After a few tentative pecks, he smoothed his lips over hers in a full, sweet, passionate kiss, and she melted against him. 

Forget the candy cart— Kairi’s lips were the sweetest thing he would ever taste, period. 

He kissed her again, and again, and again, until Kairi was fleeing his advances with giddy, bubbly laughter. His lips still fluttered over the places he could reach— her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her jawline, even her eyelids. He was just drowning in love and he didn’t know how else to get it out besides showering her in affection. 

“Sora,” she insisted as she ran from his lips again, and this time, he just pouted at her. She placated him with a little peck to his pursed lips, which did make him feel a little better. “We have all the time in the world now,” she reminded him with a sweet smile. “I would like to go home at some point.” 

Right. Home— the home he shared with his friends, with his family, with Kairi. He pulled away to link his hand with hers, while she peeled the plastic off the lollipop to pop it into her mouth. The BE MINE flashed in the moonlight, making Sora’s heart swell with adoration. Kairi didn’t mean for it to be a question, but he answered it in his heart anyway. 

Always, Kairi. Always and forever. 

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

#sokai #sokaiweek #sokaiweek2021 #sora x kairi #kairi x sora #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts iii #kingdom hearts 3

[psyduck-studies]

What books have you read lately?

I've read a couple! I read Cemetery Boys (Aiden Thomas), Phantom of the Opera (Gaston Leroux), The Atlas Six (Olivie Blake), and Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller). I also tried to read We Hunt the Flame (Hafsah Faizal), The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Alix E. Harrow), and The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) but couldn't get into them. Under the cut is my review of each book! I'll try to keep each review as short as possible since my reviews are, like, super long lol.

Cemetery Boys ★★★★☆

At first I had no idea what Cemetery Boys would be about. I assumed that it was a book from the early 2000s that focused on two white boys falling in love so I didn't think much of it. I was originally going to read it during the second half of June, when the book club book had changed but I didn’t read it because I just didn’t feel like it. Then July came, and Cemetery Boys was still the book club pick so then I was like, ‘maybe I’ll pick it up. We’ll see.’ On the night of July 26(?) I guess I was either procrastinating on an art commision or bored enough so I went to see if there was an audiobook version of the book and unfortunately, there wasn’t(at least a free one). So I went to read the PDF myself. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the book open up with two brown boys on the cover, a snippet of a mexican folk song, and names like Yadriel and Maritza.

The book was so engaging! There was rarely a moment where I wanted to put the book down. The dialogue and the family dynamic feels so real and I really enjoyed that. It’s not that often where I see latino families in american media. Even small things like Maritza and Yadriel sharing food was super cute and something I could see myself doing with my siblings and my mom.

I love the way that the magic system reflects latino culture and how it enforces gender roles and the hesitancy to engage with anything or anyone that strays from the binary. I really loved all the cultural latino things in the book.

ok so my original review is like, three pages on a word doc so i'll just cut to the bit where i talk about the end!

The climax of the book feels like something straight out of a disney movie and I mean that in a bad way; It was a little too cartoonishly evil for my suspension of disbelief. I don’t know, it was just a little too much.

The scene where they reunite felt a little too fanfiction-y and by that I mean it was super cheesy. Like, I don’t know what it is but I can totally believe that this kid can see spirits and release them to the other side but running out of his hospital room to see his boyfriend? Now that’s a little too fanfiction-y for me.

Even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, I don’t think it dragged everything else down with it. I still really enjoyed the book and would probably recommend this book.

Phantom of the Opera ★★★☆☆

I thought it was an okay book. The section about Christine and Raoul’s childhood is what made the book boring to me. I feel like I zoned out half the time (I was listening to an audiobook). I don’t know what it was, maybe I just found Erik’s antics much more interesting. Besides that, it was alright! The best parts of the book were when Erik was messing with everyone and fucking shit up.

I thought that it was interesting that the book was narrated by someone who wasn’t involved in the story but was investigating, researching it, and piecing together people’s perspective on what happened. Something I noticed was that all the deaths, if I’m remembering correctly, were off screen—which makes sense since they’re not alive to tell their story to the detective narrating the book.

The book’s ending was a bit lackluster mostly because I thought it was going to end with everyone dying or enduring some sort of death, whether it be Christine’s career ending or the romantic feelings between Christine and Raoul fading. Another way I thought things might go down was if Raoul would have tried to shoot Erik but ended up shooting Christine, who in my head, would have been standing behind him. With the guilt and shame Raoul would have had, he would end things like Romeo and Juliet. The whole idea of them getting shot partly stems from the whole “if a gun shows up in act 1, it must go off by act 3” theatre thing. Like, yeah, a gun was already set off when Raoul thought he saw Erik but ended up shooting a cat, but two pistols showed up! I thought maybe they would be set off in the climax of the book. Maybe I got a little too excited when Erik was dressed as the Red Death, which was a reference to Edgar Allen Poe’s short story Mask of the Red Death—in which (spoiler ahead) everyone dies in the end.

The Atlas Six ★★★★☆

It’s definitely fun going into things without knowing anything. It makes everything feel like a surprise. I love that this book had queer characters, characters of color, magical elements, and alternating POVs—all very pleasant surprises!

I know others online have described this book as having dark academia vibes, but it specifically gave me House of Anubis vibes... if everyone from the show was bitchy, mean to each other, and didn’t trust anyone else (which I wasn’t a huge fan of. Like, they were supposed to be adults but they were all just not working together. I get they have trust issues but like jeez it got a bit annoying).

Even though the ending felt a little off, I would definitely recommend this book!

Song of Achilles ★★★★☆

I didn't write a review for this one but I remember that the ending was cute! From what I can remember it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it.

#books #booklr #studyblr #psyduck-studies #cemetery boys #phantom of the opera #atlas six #song of achilles