#what were they on when they wrote this chapter
Note
Technoblade wrote a fanfiction??!?!? Do you have the link or the title or know how to find it or if it even still exists?
Technoblade wrote a Hypixel fanfiction called 'Revolution - a Blitz story' and posted it on the Hypixel forums. This was back in 2014 so when he was about 15 years old. When he became more popular as a streamer, he deleted the forum posts at some point (as a writer who cringes when I look at my own writing, yeah relatable).
The story is about a revolution on the Hypixel server and the struggle of the admin and their friends to get it back. It features character interpretations of several big Hypixel names, including Simon Hypixel and also Techno himself - meaning this is technically the first ever appearance of a c!Techno lol
As mentioned it's deleted but the master post with a link to all eight chapters is available on the web archive here. Each chapter is really just a single forum post long so it's a quick read, but enjoyable even if I had no clue what was happening most the time bc I know nothing about hypixel kekw. Love to see that the storyteller/English major vibes were already there <3
#asks#I also once saw somebody make a joke about how this story centers about like#a guy being betrayed and also a corrupt government almost like#he sure had a theme
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||The Thread of Fate|| Part Twenty-Three
Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.
Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)
Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.
Previous Chapters - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, Part Nineteen, Part Twenty, Part Twenty-One, Part Twenty-Two,
A/N: Alright so this chapter covers three episodes. The FireLord and the Avatar, the Runaway and the Puppetmaster!
The gentle knock on his door alerted Iroh. He sat up from where he had been laying on the floor trying to sleep. The heavy metal door opened to reveal a Fire Nation soldier who quickly approached him.
"Ah Ming! I was getting worried." Iroh stated with a pleasant smile, as if he were greeting her for tea, and not from behind bars. The young woman, gave him a brief smile before her expression turned serious.
"The rounds have just changed, so we don't have much time." Ming whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the closed door, as she quickly pulled out a scroll, a bottle of ink and a writing brush. She held them out towards Iroh through the bars, who took them quickly and once she had produced a small flame to provide some light, he wrote down his message.
Once done, he blew on it so that the ink would dry quickly. "I thank you for your help, my dear. It is nice to see our children carry out our mission." Iroh said, smiling at the young guard who returned the gesture with a respectful bow of her head. "My father and I are honored to be of service to such a high ranking official of the Order of the White Lotus."
The ink dried, and once he had added in the secret message that could only be revealed by flame, he rolled it up and held it out for Ming to take. "Will you be able to deliver it to my nephew?" He asked, worry gnawing at his heart as he thought of the lost young boy. Ming nodded confidentially. "My brother will be on rounds near the Prince's rooms tomorrow night. He knows of our secret work and shall ensure this reaches him."
Relief passed through him as he nodded. With a final respectful bow, the young soldier was gone, leaving Iroh to mull over what he had done.
This was his final attempt to try and help his nephew. Perhaps, he should have taken this route long ago, but he had not want to burden Zuko.
But it did not matter now. If a heavy burden meant Zuko would choose the right path, then he would have to learn to carry it.
Iroh just hoped Orora would be there to help him shoulder that burden when the time came.
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Orora glanced over where Aang was mumbling in his sleep. She smiled as he rolled over before settling once more.
Where once the nights she'd stare into the fire would be a rather depressing past time, now it brought her a sense of calm. Especially since she spent the entire day trying to make sure no one tried to do seriously hurt or maim anyone.
It was a mystery how Toph hadn't crushed anyone under a rock, or Aang hadn't blasted anyone into the sky, or Katara hadn't frozen anyone, or Sokka hadn't hit anyone over the head with his boomerang with how much they all bickered. Granted it wasn't anything malicious, but when tempers were high, especially with teenagers, anything could happen.
She was the designated peacemaker within the group, a title she shared with Aang. Though while Aang used words of wisdom to calm the situation, which weren't exactly received well by the audience most of the time, Orora preferred to have them speak their mind, and try to come up with a solution that would benefit both parties.
A tantrum didn't last more then a few hours. If it was really bad, it would last a day or so, but that was the extent of it.
Still, she smiled to herself as she looked around at the sleeping figures, it was nice to have a role in the little group. It was kind of the same role she had played while traveling with Zuko and Iroh, though back then it had been exclusively for Zuko and whatever inner turmoil he faced.
Did he face any of that inner turmoil now? She mused to herself as she stared into the fire, taking comfort in the gentle warmth of it. Probably not, since he had the life he'd always wanted. Did he ever think about her? Did he ever think what had happened to her after his betrayal?
She highly doubted it, she sighed, rising to her feet and walking to where her bed roll was. Burying herself under the covers, her mind still swimming with thoughts of her Soulmate, missing the way her string briefly shone red.
Her eyes slowly slid closed.
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His eyes snapped open.
Zuko's ears perked at the sound of footsteps just outside his door. Throwing off his blanket he rushed to the hall to investigate. He opened the door, only to be greeted by the sight of a cloaked figure disappearing around the corner. Zuko made to follow, only to stop when he caught sight of a scroll on the floor.
The curtains all along the hall blew gently in the breeze coming from the open windows as he held the scroll.
A hand closed over the fingers that held the scroll, prompting him to look up. Orora gave him a smile from where she stood across from him.
He blinked and she was gone, but her nod of encouragement was all he needed to break the seal and open the scroll to read his Uncle's message within.
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Katara and Sokka were a little occupied in a squabble, which meant that Toph and Orora had to make themselves scarce so as not to be dragged into their sibling disagreement.
"The only downside of being on an island, is that you would never be able to really get away from people." Orora stated before she jumped from one hardened lava stream to another. Toph chuckled as she followed. "Yeah! I wander how did the couples who lived here take a break from one another?" She jested to which Orora grinned.
"Maybe the wife threw the husband in the volcano?" She suggested to which Toph grinned widely. "I love how your dark your mind can get. Its really refreshing." She stated in a joyful tone, to which Orora laughed. "Oh yeah? None of the others share their dark thoughts with you?" She asked, to which Toph shook her head.
"Nope! Katara and Aang are too nice to think dark thoughts." The earthbender stated, as she created a small bridge where the distance between the frozen lava rivers was a bit too big. "And Sokka is well, Sokka."
The older girl let out a bark of laughter. "No arguments there. But I guess when you've lived in isolation like the two of us have nearly our whole lives." She nudged Toph playfully. "Thinking dark thoughts tends to be a good past time."
It was strange how much she had in common with a thirteen year old. While Orora had lived a life where she was forced to live in submission of her father and brothers, Toph had lived a life where she was coddled and treated as an invalid, just because she was blind.
The context did not matter.
What mattered was that they had each led lives where they felt like they were alone in the world.
"Whats the darkest thought you have ever had?" Orora asked Toph, to which the girl shrugged. "What my life would've been like if I didn't have my bending." The girl revealed to which Orora came to a sudden halt. "My life would be even darker then it already is." Toph continued as she kicked her foot out, loose ash forming a small cloud around her as she did.
Reaching out, Orora took her head and smiled down at her, even if she couldn't see it. "Well, the Spirits blessed you with earthbending, so lets leave it at that."
Toph smiled back, the cloud that had suddenly loomed over her dissipating, as she squeezed Orora's hand. "What about you? Whats your darkest thought?"
The older girl pursed her lips, her gaze trained towards the wide open ocean as it stretched out in front of them. "That I will die alone."
Silence followed her confession, one that was finally broken by Toph. "Woah, that's even darker then mine." She said in a tone that was half-joking and yet somehow serious and worried as well. "Why do you think that?" She asked, curious to know what went on in the older girl's mind.
Orora sighed, running a hand down her face. "I don't know. I guess because now that Zuko has betrayed me, I know there is no chance of my being with him." It still hurt saying it, but she continued. "And yeah, I could find someone else, but would I be able to have what I did with Zuko?"
So saying she slumped to sit down on the ash covered ground. Toph stayed where she was, her forehead creased in a frown as she thought over what Orora had just revealed.
"I don't know Zuko as well as you or the other three do." She finally spoke, to which Orora hummed in agreement. She felt Toph shift where she stood, taking a few steps forward to stand next to her.
"But I've heard how powerful a bond can be between two Soulmates. I mean it was so powerful between Oma and Shu that they were able to learn earthbending, just so they could be together." Orora turned her head so she could look at Toph. "I mean sure, he died, but when they were alive, they always found their way back to each other, no matter how much the war forced them to stay apart."
The waterbender frowned. "What're you getting at Toph?" She asked, her curiosity peaking as Toph smiled in her direction. "I'm saying, what if Zuko finds his way back to you, just like Oma and Shu did?"
Stunned silence followed her words. Orora couldn't help but blink at Toph in surprise who was looking at her in a strangely hopeful manner. A flicker of.....something sparked in her heart, but she pushed it aside.
"I don't know Toph." She finally said with a shrug. "I doubt fate will be that kind to us." A sudden punch to her shoulder had the older girl frowning and rubbing the sore spot. Toph, who still held up her clenched fist, glared at her. "If a blind girl can find her soulmate during an all out war, then a girl who's soulmate left her once, can come back to her again."
Orora stood. "How can you be so sure?" She snapped, not wanting to get angry, but frustration did simmer just under her skin at the moment. The younger girl suddenly sobered and dropped her hand. "You've said so yourself that no matter what he did, his heart was always in the right place right?" She asked, to which Orora gave a small shrug. "I suppose so." She muttered.
Reaching out, Toph laid a hand on Orora's chest, right where her heart was. "So if his heart is with you, and you're in the right place, he'll come back to you. Its as simple as that."
Orora stared at Toph, her mouth open in shock and her ice blue eyes wide. The shorter girl shook her head. "Honestly, its amazing how people who have eyes can't even see whats so obvious. I guess its a good thing I'm blind."
So saying, the girl walked off, leaving behind a still stunned Orora who was decidedly ignoring the way her string was flickering red.
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Zuko's mind was racing.
He knew his Uncle was the one to send him the scroll. But why? He hadn't gained any new information from what he had read. Other then the fact that his great-grandfather had been friends with Aang's predecessor. It was strange how two people who had been the best of friends, could turn against one another.
Or rather, Sozin had turned his back on Roku.
That part was what haunted him the most?.
Was it something that ran in the family? Betraying the people you called friends. He had done the same to Orora what Sozin had done to Roku.
Was that the point his Uncle had been trying to make?
No! He had said he needed to know about the death of his great-grandfather, yet Sozin had been alive in the end. His death had revealed nothing.
Frustration clawed at him from the inside as he marched into the prison tower and towards his Uncle's cell.
He just hoped the man would speak to him.
Slamming the door behind him as he entered, he held out the scroll that had the message on it. "You sent this, didn't you? I found the secret history, which by the way should be renamed history most people already know!" He yelled, allowing his frustration to seep into his words. "The note said that I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end."
Iroh looked up at Zuko, and for a moment he thought he wouldn't speak.
"No. He wasn't." Though the relief at hearing his Uncle finally speak to him warmed his heart, he pushed it aside in favor of the confusion that clouded his mind.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, as Iroh finally met his eye, and for once Zuko didn't feel the shame and guilt that burdened him since Ba Sing Se.
"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko." Iroh revealed. "Sozin was your father's grandfather." He paused, preparing Zuko before he revealed the truth and reason behind all the conflict he felt all the time.
And really the next few words changed Zuko's outlook on life forever.
"Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku."
Shock raced through his veins, prompting him to drop the scroll he had been holding. His eyes widened, and his heart beat wildly against his chest. His knees felt weak, and yet it was a testament that he did not immediately drop down to the floor.
"Why are you telling me this?" He whispered hoarsely, his mind exploding with questions, each one burning at the tip of his tongue and yet he could voice none of them.
"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself." Finally, his legs gave way. Zuko dropped to the floor, his head hanging as every moment of confusion and conflict he had ever experienced his entire life rose to the forefront of his mind.
Everything.
Everything he had done, every decision he had ever made and everything that happened to him. It all came back to his family.
His father had banished him after burning him, making him the bitter person he had been for nearly three years.
His mother had left him, influencing him into accepting that he could never trust anyone with his heart.
His sister always lied, pushing him into believing that no one would help him and that he had to help himself.
And now, his great-grandfathers.
Sozin's ideas about sharing the wealth and prosperity of the Fire Nation with the rest of the world had blinded him to all the horrible atrocities the Fire Nation had committed over the past Hundred Years.
Roku's hesitancy on taking out his former best friend was what had led to the war in the first place. If he had thought of the world, rather then the relationship he had had with Sozin, maybe the war would never have started in the first place.
"Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko." His Uncle continued to speak, his words echoing against the cold stone walls of the prison. "It is your nature, your legacy."
Was this it?
Was he meant to feel utter anguish and turmoil for the rest of his life? Was he to know the difference between right and wrong but never be able to act upon it?
He had acted upon it once before, and had suffered the consequences.
Not because he was the Prince of the Fire Nation.
But because he was the son of Ozai.
"But, there is a bright side." His Uncle's voice prompted him to look back up, scarcely allowing an ember of hope to burn in his chest.
"What happened generations ago can be resolved now, by you." Iroh stated, his voice firm and stern. The time for gentleness was long past. It was time to show his nephew the utter reality and truth of the situation if he were to do something good for the world and save himself.
"Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation. Born in you, along with all the strife, is the power to restore balance to the world." Iroh was aware how Avatar Aang was meant to do just that, but he had known, long ago, that the young airbender would not be able to do all of that alone. He had to see to the entire world, not just one Nation.
Restoring the honor of the Fire Nation would be up to Zuko and no one else.
He stood, moving to the wall at his side. Iroh pulled out a loose brick and reached for the object within that was wrapped in a frayed, dirty cloth. He removed it to reveal a headdress as he walked towards Zuko and held it out for him.
"This is a royal artifact. It is supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince." Zuko stood in awe of the artifact thought to be lost long ago. The headdress gleamed in the moonlight. "Sozin gave it to Roku as a token of their friendship long ago, but it became tainted, when Sozin betrayed Roku."
Zuko blinked, before closing his eyes and reaching into the pocket of his shirt and pulling out the comb he always carried with him these days to feel her close. Iroh's eyes widened at the sight of the familiar comb.
"I suppose these two share a history of betrayal don't they?" His nephew said, his voice hoarse and heavy with emotion as the two hairpieces were held aloft side by side.
Iroh's heart softened, and he knew Zuko regretted the decision he had made in Ba Sing Se. Perhaps, because of the bond he shared with Orora, it would push him to make the right decision. Placing the crown atop the comb, and closing Zuko's fingers around it, Iroh gave him a look of understanding.
"Then, it is up to you to make it right."
The small room glowed with a sudden blue hue that had been dim for most of the time. However, in that moment it glowed so brightly that if anyone else other then Zuko saw, they would believe the Moon Spirit herself had descended upon them.
However, it was only the string that connected him with his soulmate.
Glowing bright and blue as he finally, finally, realized the true extent of his feelings for Orora.
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"You mean, after all Roku and Sozin went through together, even after Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him like that?" Katara's astonished voice cut the tense atmosphere once Aang had revealed what Roku had shown him.
Orora stood to the side, frowning. "All those years of friendship." She said in a low voice. "He just threw it away because he wanted to realize his own ambitions." Why did that sound so familiar? And yet, this was not the time to think about him, the young waterbender scolded herself, focusing instead on what Toph was saying.
"It's like some people are born bad." She said, sounding confused and sad at the same time. Aang stepped up, shaking his head as he did. "No, that's wrong." He insisted, walking so he could stand with his back to them to look out at the ocean. "I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all." His voice sounded so hopeful and optimistic.
Sokka shrugged, ever the pessimist of the group cut in. "Then what was the point?" He asked, to which Aang turned back to look at them. He smiled at each one of them in turn before speaking.
"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good and great evil." His grey eyes landed on Orora at that part, and she felt herself stand up straight, knowing he was thinking of Zuko the same way she was. She chewed on her lower lip, slowly looking away from Aang, who continued with a small smile of understanding.
"Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance." Aang concluded with that ever-present hopeful note in his voice.
"And I also think it was about friendships." He added with a grin. That last part did warm Orora's heart a little bit, prompting her to smile at Katara when the other girl looked at her.
"Do you really think," Toph began, sounding unsure and hesitant as she did. "Friendships can last more than one lifetime?" She asked, and Orora had to stop herself from reaching out and hugging the younger girl.
Aang reached out to take Toph's hand. "I don't see why not." He said as Katara took Toph's other hand as well. Reaching out, Orora placed a gentle hand on Toph's shoulder. "Friends are the family we choose for ourselves Toph." She said before she moved to take Aang's free hand as he held it out for her with a smile. "And I don't know about you, but I don't plan on letting go of any of you in this life or any other."
Aang, Katara and Toph both smiled at her. Sokka, however, had something else to add.
"Well, scientifically speaking, there's no way to prove that-" He began, only to have his sister shoot him an annoyed look. "Oh, Sokka, just hold hands." She said, holding her hand out towards him. Without missing a beat, his hand grasped hers.
Orora gave a soft laugh as Aang turned towards her to wink playfully. And as they stood there, greeting the new day with a more hopeful outlook on everything, Orora closed her eyes and inhaled.
Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she could feel someone taking her other hand.
One that she was all too familiar with.
Considering she had held that hand many many times during her time with him.
For a moment her string glowed a warm red hue.
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"People are starting to talk."
Zuko looked up from where he had been going over some new firebending forms he was mastering. Mai stood leaning against the doorway, a half smile playing about her lips.
"About what?" He asked, as she walked into the room, coming to sit opposite him. "That we're dating. Something about going out and walking into the same flower shop twice."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Its just people gossiping nothing more. And its keeping Azula off both our backs, so I welcome it." He added, recalling how delighted his sister had seemed to be when she had spoken to him about it earlier that day. Mai hummed in agreement.
"True, my parents have also backed off." She pulled out a small knife from her sleeve, flicking it in the air and expertly catching it by the handle. "They were starting to look for marriage proposals for me, so dating you seems to be benefiting me as well."
Zuko followed her movement, his mind conjuring a sharp icicle rather then a knife as it twirled in the air. He had seen Orora do that very same move multiple times. Sometimes to practice, but most times out of sheer boredom.
"Have you been meeting with Kei Lo?" He asked, not wanting his thoughts to wander to Orora. Mostly because even the mere thought of her had his string glowing.
Zuko had met Mai's soulmate the first time he had gone to the flower shop. She had introduced him and Zuko had to admit, the boy seemed perfect for Mai. She needed someone to bring out the more softer and fun side of her, and Kei Lo was the right person to do it. Even the mere mention of him had a smile playing across Mai's lips as she nodded. "Yes, I met him just yesterday. My mother is starting to think I have taken an interest in flower arrangements, and my aunt is happy to keep my secret." She admitted.
Zuko smiled back, reaching out to gently pat her hand. "I'm glad you found him Mai." He said, his voice genuine. The girl nodded.
"What about you? Are you still seeing Orora?" The moment she spoke her name, his string began to glow blue. He ignored it in favor of responding to her question.
"Yeah, sometimes, every now and then." He admitted. Her appearances, where they had been quite frequent before, were now sporadic, not to mention she barely spoke in any of them.
He would never admit it out loud, but it was starting to scare him a little, how she was barely there whenever he would think of her.
As if he were forgetting what she looked like.
"Maybe you should go and find her?" Her suggestion had him staring at her wide eyed and dumbfounded. Mai only lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "Obviously you miss her, so what harm could there be in going to look for her?" She made the suggestion so carelessly, as if she were commenting on the weather or something.
Zuko frowned. "I can't exactly go out and find her. For one I would need a legitimate reason to leave the Palace." He stood up, walking towards the window and looking out towards the setting sun. "Besides, I doubt she would want to see me after what I did to her." Behind him, Mai pursed her lips, nodding in agreement.
"True, but have you thought that maybe she misses you just as much as you miss her?" She stood, slowly coming to stand behind him, settling a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Trust me Zuko, it's never the right thing to run away or stay purposely away from your soulmate. It doesn't really work."
With that, she turned around and left Zuko to his thoughts.
It was strange. He had been so focused on how his betrayal had effected her, that it had never occurred to him that she would be missing him, just as much as he missed her.
Or perhaps more, he thought to himself, as his string glowed blue.
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When she had left home, Orora had known she would have to leave several luxuries behind. One of them being shopping.
If there was one thing Orora loved more then anything it was shopping. In Ba Sing Se, she had always been the one to go out and buy whatever they needed. Iroh had been a little surprised at her enthusiasm, but he had not commented on it.
Traveling across the Fire Nation with Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph meant that they rarely went shopping, if ever. What money they had, they needed for supplies, and many a time Orora had to walk away from a shiny trinket that would catch her eye. All because she didn't have money.
But now?
They had sacks of it.
Her, Sokka, Toph and Aang all but cackled as they exited the town, their arms laden with several purchases, as well as sacks of silver and gold. "Spirits! Why didn't we think of doing this earlier?" The older girl said, smiling from ear to ear as she eyed the meat they had been able to buy. They would be eating really good that night.
"Don't think of the Why Orora." Sokka said, happily carrying his share of shopping. "Think of the What," He trailed off as the other three looked at him, prompting him to continue. "As in, What are we going to spend all this money on?"
Another round of laughter followed his words as they finally reached their little camp, where they dumped their purchases in front of Katara who was cooking.
"Where did you guys get the money to buy all this stuff?" She asked, looking curiously into the baskets. Aang, grabbing an apple from one of the baskets, took a bit out of it and sat down. "Toph got us money." He said as a way of explanation. "She scammed one of those guys in town who moves the shells around all sneaky-like."
Orora grabbed an apple herself. "You should've seen the looks on their faces Katara. Hilarious." She praised as she passed by Sokka and gave him a high-five, before throwing the apple at Appa who caught it in his mouth with a happy groan.
Sokka nodded as he sat down. "She used earthbending to win the game! Classic!" He shot the bling girl a thumbs up, even as his sister adopted a disapproving look. "Ah, so she cheated."
Toph, who had been about to bite into her own apple, stopped. "Hey! I only cheated because he was cheating!" She grinned. "I cheated a cheater. What's wrong with that?"
Katara shook her head. "I'm just saying this isn't something we should make a habit of doing." She reprimanded as Orora dug into their purchase to grab something, only to extract Momo by the tail who had sneaked in when no one had been looking.
Toph scoffed. "Why?" As Orora took the many apples Momo had been trying to sneak off with, leaving the annoyed animal with just one. "Because it's fun? And you hate fun?"
The girl huffed. "I don't hate fun!" Catching Momo as he sulked away, she placed him on her head. "See? Fun!" An awkward silence followed as Momo slipped off her head, screeched at her before running away.
Aang, not wanting to see Katara worry about something so mediocre stood up and lifted his headband to reveal the tattoo below. "Katara." He spoke solemnly, bowing. "I'll personally make you an Avatar Promise that we won't make a habit of doing these scams."
Katara smiled in satisfaction before turning her attention to Orora. The older girl blinked back. "What?" Katara gave her a look, one that had Orora pursing her lips before finally letting out an exaggerated groan.
"Alright! Alright! I'll make sure they don't get too carried away." She promised halfheartedly before pulling out another apple and offering it to Katara as a peace offering.
Of course all their promises meant nothing to any of them.
The very next day, after a successful round of scamming, Orora was happily wandering the streets of the town to see what she could buy. Sokka, Toph and Aang were carrying out another scam, but Orora had wanted to shop.
Pocketing the winnings from the scam she had pulled with the younger girl, she walked around in search of a good clothing shop. With the Invasion drawing near, she wanted to make something for herself. She had no desire to defeat the Fire Nation wearing their colors.
Besides, she missed wearing blue.
Though her chances were slim, maybe she would be able to find something?
She passed through the center of the town, and the sight that greeted her, had her coming to an abrupt halt.
There in the middle of the town stood a tall statue of the current Fire Lord. Orora stood there, staring up at him. Pure hatred raged in her heart as she looked at the likeness. This was the man who had burned Zuko. Who had stood over a young boy, a boy trying to do good, and mercilessly burned half his face off.
"Hey Orora!" Aang's voice barely registered in her mind as she stood where she was. The young Avatar raced to her side, his own gaze lifting towards the all too daunting presence of the statue.
"Its strange to finally put a face to the name, isn't it?" Aang said as he stood beside her. Not breaking her stare, she spoke to him. 'How do you mean?"
Aang shrugged. "Well we've all heard about Fire Lord Ozai for months, and I had no idea what he looked like till I went to school." She nodded. "Yeah, but now we have someone to picture when we talk of him." A brief pause before Aang spoke again. "He was the one who gave Zuko the scar right?" She had told them briefly about how Zuko had gotten the scar, but hadn't gone into the details. His words prompted her to tense up, her hands clenching in fists at her sides as she gritted her teeth. Anger ran through her veins as she turned on her heel and began to walk away. Aang followed after her.
"Hey! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you!" The worry in his tone was what prompted her to finally halt and turn to him with a reassuring look. "You didn't Aang. I'm just angry at him for what he did to Zuko." Her gaze flickered to her string. "Which is strange because why should I be angry about what happened to him after what he did to me?" Aang's features morphed to an understanding yet sympathetic look as he took the older girl's hand in an effort to comfort her.
"Maybe because your feelings for him go a little more deeper then you realized." His statement had her frowning slightly, before she sighed and shook her head. "Well whatever the reason, I don't have time to think of him right now."
Forcing her thoughts to steer away from Zuko she instead smiled at Aang. "Come on! Help me find a fabric shop! I need to buy something!" Since they were still holding hands, she quickly led him away down the street in search of the aforementioned shop.
Leaving behind the statue of the man she hated.
Pushing aside the fact that her string had glowed red the entire time she had spoken with Aang, only disappearing when she finally entered the shop and began to browse the fabric, looking for the color she needed.
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He had no idea what he was preparing for. During his training, he worked ten times harder. Be it perfecting his firebending forms, or practicing with his swords. His appetite had returned since he came back from Ember Island, resulting in him having more energy then he previously had.
While he did focus on the political part of his studies, he was no more interested in all the colonies the Fire Nation had created over the past hundred years. Not to mention the devastation caused.
The librarian had been a little surprised when Zuko had asked for those specific records, but everything was given to him because he was the Prince after all.
Everything the Fire Nation had done.
Every act of violence.
The number of people they had killed, not counting the entire Nation they had wiped out.
The resources that were being sent to the armies rather then being used by the general public.
The many many machines of war that had been created to support their so called cause.
The taxes imposed on the people to pay for the war.
The law stating every member of the family were to send two children to the front of the lines.
Nothing in all his findings told him anything about the Fire Nation actually contributing to the betterment of the world.
All they had done was take and leave nothing behind.
He remembered the time he had spent in the Earth Kingdom. All those people he had met on his journey. How in one way or another, every single one of them were effected by the Fire Nation.
The thousands of families displaced by the war.
The hundreds of families leaving behind their homes because it was no longer safe.
The children who had been orphaned.
The parents who had lost their children.
Soulmates who had lost their other half.
Uncle had lost his son.
Lu Ten had lost his life.
Aang lost his entire people.
Katara and Sokka lost their mother.
Song was scarred just like he was.
Lee had lost his brother.
Orora had almost been killed.
And so many countless others.
And all of them, had one thing in common.
They all hated the Fire Nation. No one respected them. They all feared and hated him and his people.
He hadn't helped in that belief by chasing Aang and his friends around the world. And then he had gone and betrayed Orora. Then he had sent that assassin after them.
Maybe Mai was right.
Maybe he did need to go out and find her. Tell her that he was beginning to think that the decision he had made in Ba Sing Se was the wrong one.
But how could he leave?
He couldn't just up and go, that would raise suspicion, and his father might send someone after him.
As he lay there with his hand held aloft so he could look at his glowing string, Zuko came to a decision.
The first chance he got, he would leave everything, find Orora, and join the people working against the Fire Nation to put a stop to it's tyrannical rule.
Once and for all.
————————–
Their escape from the newly named Combustion Man was a close call.
Too close.
In fact, it had put all of them on edge, and they'd taken to flying as far away from that town as possible.
In hindsight, maybe she should've discouraged them from telling scary stories as a way to unwind after their most stressful encounter yet. Orora had to admit, the place they had decided to make camp was spookier then any place they had spent the night at. Or maybe it was just her imagination, she mused to herself as they all sat around the fire.
"Water Tribe slumber parties must stink." Toph stated when one of Sokka's scary stories was not well-received. "I've never been to one, so I can't be the judge of that." The older girl put in her two thoughts, adding another dried stick to the fire the burned between them.
"No, wait! I've got one!" Katara spoke up from where she sat. "And this is a true Southern Water Tribe story."
Sokka rolled his eyes, not believing his sister. "Is this one of those 'a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to' stories?" He said in a sarcastic tone, to which Katara shook her head.
"No, it happened to Mom." Upon hearing that, Sokka stiffened and everyone stopped moving as they sat in utter stillness, waiting for Katara to begin her story.
"One winter when Mom was a girl," She began, her voice low and soft. "A snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom noticed she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So Mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home." A shiver ran down Orora's spine, her arms came to wrap around her legs as she hugged herself, eyes wide as she stared at Katara.
"Just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice. 'It's so cold and I can't get warm!'" Sokka stiffened with fear, and even Toph gulped nervously where she sat. "Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but when everyone came back, Nini was gone."
Aang used Momo's ears to cover his face in fear, while Orora quickly shifted to sit beside Toph, who didn't hesitate in grabbing her hand as they huddled together. Sokka, who had taken to hiding behind a gnarled tree stump peaked out. "Where'd she go?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Katara shook her head. "No one knows. Nini's house stands empty to this day, but sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm." Orora glanced over her shoulder, as if she expected Nini to be standing right there behind her.
Suddenly Toph straightened up, placing her hand on the ground. "Wait! Guys, did you hear that?" Her movement was so sudden that Orora let out a broken shriek, while Aang, Katara and Sokka clutched at one another, staring around in fear.
"I hear people under the mountain. And they're screaming." Orora blinked. "Wh-what?" She gulped, ice blue eyes wide in fear as she stared around their small camp. Sokka, assuming Toph was just joking relaxed his grip around his sister and scoffed.
"Pfft! Nice try." Toph shook her head, her hand still pressed to the ground. "No, I'm serious. I hear something." She insisted, as Orora shifted to quickly sit beside Aang who was still hugging Katara. "Toph, cut it out. You're scaring everyone." She insisted, though even her voice sounded small and meek to her own ears.
A horde of physical enemies she could face any day, but spooky stories? That was a weakness her brothers had exploited when she had been younger.
"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories." Katara insisted, glancing at Aang and Orora in worry, who were both huddled together.
Toph frowned. "It just ... stopped." Aang gulped, clutching on to both Katara and Orora. "All right, now I'm getting scared."
Suddenly a voice called out through the darkness, soft and gentle. "Hello, children."
The camp rang loudly with the screams of said children as they scrambled around trying to find a place to hide. But then they all stopped when they saw what, or rather who had emerged from the shadows.
An elderly woman.
An elderly woman who turned out to be a Southern Water Tribe waterbender named Hama. Who told them all about what had happened during the Fire Nation raids, and how she had escaped them before hiding here.
It was all sad and heartbreaking, and yet, perhaps it was the scary stories still floating around in her mind, or perhaps it was her older sister instinct, or the fact that they were being hunted.
But somehow, Orora didn't trust Hama.
All because the old woman seemed to watch Katara's every move with a greedy, almost hungry, look on her face when she didn't think anyone was looking.
But Orora was.
Orora was always looking.
Always looking out for her family.
Which was why the night Hama told everyone what had happened to her, Orora pulled Sokka away from the rest of the dinner party to speak with him.
"Aww come on Orora! I was just going in for seconds!' He whined as she shut the door behind them and stepped outside in the night. She gave him a look that had him frowning. "Whats up?"
No sooner had he voiced his question before she spoke, making sure she kept her voice down. "Its just...." She wrapped her arms around herself, eyes looking around nervously. "I don't know something about this place and Hama makes me feel uneasy." She revealed to which Sokka nodded. "Well the stories of people disappearing certainly doesn't help." He added, to which Orora simply nodded.
Reaching out he gave her a comforting pat on the back. "Look, we're just gonna solve this mystery, then be on our way. Don't worry, we'll all be on our guard. And remember what Aang said, not everyone we run into is bad or out to get us." When she gave him an unconvincing look he sighed.
"Look, I get you would be nervous when it comes to trusting people, but you have all of us watching your back and each other's, so really there's no need to worry." And though Sokka's words did bring her some comfort, Orora still remained alert, not wanting to be caught off guard.
Of course, that amounted to nothing when the very next morning, Hama asked to see her under the pretense of having her get something from the market, only to knock her out from behind and drag her away into the forest.
Orora woke just as Hama was tying her wrists and feet to keep her from running away. Still groggy from the hit to the back of her head, which was still hurting, Orora was barely aware of where she was as she watched the old crone go about securing her.
"You know, when the first raid happened, we sent a message to our sister Nation, begging for help. To send reinforcements." Hama spoke once she was satisfied with her bonds. A filthy rag was wrapped around her mouth to keep her from screaming. Despite the pain, the young waterbender was able to glare fiercely at Hama, anger burning in her ice blue eyes.
"Of course being so far away, they couldn't send help in time. But my brothers and sisters did hold out during our first few months in our cells. Thinking that perhaps our Northern brothers and sisters would come to rescue us." She turned her hateful gaze towards the young girl, who glared right back.
"However, with every full moon that passed, we realized that no help was coming. And whatever hope we had of escaping slowly died. And though I realize you are not directly responsible for your forefathers actions." The old crone leaned down right in Orora's face as she smiled coldly at her. "Holding you accountable is the next best thing."
Orora felt herself grow cold, her mind racing with all the possibilities that Hama would carry out on her out of the anger and hatred that had festered in her for so long.
Running her long bony fingers through the white patch of her hair in a condescending manner, Hama hummed as she smiled. "Now, why don't you wait here while I have a one-on-one lesson with your friend Katara."
Her fear for Katara triumphed her own own fear. She tried her best struggling and thrashing to get away, but Hama was strong, stronger then she looked. Pulling on the rope, she was able to tie Orora to a tree, tight and secure her there.
"I'll be back for you." She promised, before walking off, leaving the girl to struggle and call out into the wind, her voice muffled and barely audible.
The entire day she pulled and thrashed, trying to free herself. Her wrists began to ache and she knew she had split the skin from where the ropes burned against her. Even her ankles burned, and her throat ached from screaming.
All that for nothing.
Finally, during mid afternoon, she gave up. Her head hung to the side as she began to doze off, the occurrences of the day getting to her. Tears of frustration burned her eyes at every waking interval, as she cursed her own stupidity, and for not listening to her instincts.
She was worried.
Worried for her friends. But especially for Katara.
What would Hama do to her?
All day long, the questions and scenarios plagued her mind. Slowly, the sun set and the sounds of the night roused her from her half-asleep stupor. The bright light from the moon shone down on her, prompting her to inhale deeply, taking in the strength it provided her with. Her tired body gained a little strength, though the back of her head still stung from where she had been hit.
Suddenly, she heard voices.
Her ears pricked up and she focused on the voices that approached her.
Hama and Katara.
Instantly she began to squirm and pull at her restraints. She could feel the dried blood on her wrists split as fresh blood oozed out.
"And to make sure, you learn what I have to teach you, I brought a little incentive."
Suddenly Hama appeared in her view, making her recoil in fright. The old woman worked quickly, untying her from the tree and pulling her towards the clearing where Katara was standing.
"Orora!" Katara's shocked voice cut through the night, echoing the clearing as the older girl lay battered and bruised at the old woman's feet. "What have you done to her? Let her go!" She demanded, stepping forward, to which Hama held up a placating hand.
"What I'm about to show you." Hama began, glaring down at Orora in a menacing manner before turning her attention back to Katara. "I discovered in that wretched Fire Nation prison."
Orora only caught snippets of the story, trying hard not to pass out from the pain that radiated from her head. It was so difficult to focus when all she could pay attention to was the stricken look on Katara's face. But she did manage to catch the important parts of the story.
Hama had created a new sub-form of waterbending.
One that allowed her to control the water within any living creature.
Bloodbending, she called it.
"Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything or anyone." Hama continued, her gaze dropping to Orora who tried her best to glare back at her.
Katara shook her head. "But..... to reach inside someone and control them? I don't know if I want that kind of power." She said, casting a worried look in Orora's direction.
Hama shook her head. "The choice is not yours. The power exists. And it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war." she urged, before appealing to Katara's kind nature. "Katara, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture, your mother!"
Katara closed her eyes, thinking of her mother. "I know." She whispered.
"And our sister Tribe did nothing to help." Hama added, glaring down at Orora. "You should understand what I'm talking about! We're the last two waterbenders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can, wherever they are, with any means necessary!" She concluded, that scary, desperate and mad gleam coming to her eyes once more.
Katara's eyes widened in shock. "It's you! You're the one who's been making people disappear during the full moons!" Her gaze flickered to Orora. "Let Orora go! Now!"
In response, Hama simply growled. "They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters! And her people did nothing to help! They all deserve the same! You must carry on my work!"
The younger waterbender shook her head, pointing at Hama. "I won't!" Pride swelled in Orora as she watched her friend stand up for what was right. "I won't use bloodbending and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town!"
Suddenly Orora felt her entire body freeze up. A horrified gasp was muffled by the cloth around her mouth as she felt her entire body lift from the ground, the bonds fell from around her wrists and ankles as her arms and legs contorting in unnatural angles, her head falling to the side.
Her eyes widened in horror, as she tried, but failed, to move her limbs.
"You should've learned the technique before you turned against me!" Hama's voice came, snapping her out of her terrified state. Her eyes were all that she could control as they darted around, trying to see what was going on, and to escape. "It's impossible to fight your way out of my grip! I control every muscle, every vein in your body!"
With swift motions of her hands and arms, Hama used bloodbending to bring them both side by side before beginning to throw them around. The first swing had Orora crashing through branches, the sharp edges scratching her skin as she went. Somehow, her rag loosened from around her mouth, allowing her cries of pain to echo all around her.
Hama slammed her onto the ground, making her hit her head. She paused briefly with Katara, as turned her attention on Orora instead. "I'll deal with you later." She hissed, before throwing the girl to the side. Her helpless body slammed against a tree trunk, which shuddered from the impact.
The hit was enough for her to drop to the floor and for her vision to go black.
Orora's ears rang with the sound of Katara pleading and crying for Hama to stop, before everything went black.
She roused to someone shaking her shoulder.
Ice blue eyes snapped open. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she sat up, arms held aloft and at the ready to defend herself. Only to be greeted by the sight of Sokka leaning over her with a worried look. He'd barely opened his mouth to say something when something or rather someone over his eye caught her attention.
Katara.
Sobbing hysterically as Aang held her.
Her entire body screamed with pain, and yet she pushed past Sokka, barely noticing the various cuts and bruises her whole body supported. Aang pulled back a little from his embrace, looking at Orora in a helpless manner. The older girl wasted no time.
She wrapped her arms around the younger girl in a fierce and protective embrace, holding her close. Katara, realizing who was holding her, began to cry anew, burying her face in Orora's chest, her entire body shaking with each sob that wrecked through her. Orora could feel her own emotions welling to the surface, prompting tears to silently cascade down her cheeks as she held and did her best to comfort her sister.
It took awhile for them both to calm down, but once they were, they didn't waste any time climbing atop Appa and flying away into the night.
Katara sat next to her brother, leaning against him for support. Aang sat on Appa's head, though every now and then he would glance back at his soulmate in worry. Toph sat next to Orora who had Momo in her lap. "You should heal yourself." Toph spoke softly, reaching out to place her water satchel in her hands. The girl gave a nod, pulling out the water and healing the injury to the back of her head, the open wounds on her wrists and around her ankles, as well as the various cuts that littered her any skin that wasn't covered in fabric.
It was a little slow work, since her limbs felt stiff. Not to mention her whole body ached. From being thrown against a tree or because Hama controlled her entire body. She didn't know. It was a truly terrifying experience. Not being able to control her actions and being at the mercy of a mad woman.
Once done, she threw the water to the side since it was mixed with blood and dirt.
Her mind was still heavy with all that she had endured, but nothing could compare to what Katara was feeling. She pursed her lips as she stared worriedly at the younger girl. Her gaze met Sokka's who shared in her worry.
Walking on her knees, she was able to catch Aang's attention, who came to sit on Katara's other side. Guiding Toph to sit beside her, with Aang on her right side, Orora reached out and took Katara's hands.
"I think we've shared enough scary stories." Everyone, minus Katara, gave weak smiles at her attempt to make a joke. "We could all do with something a little more brighter and happier." Katara raised her red-rimmed eyes at her, her usually bright blue eyes looking so dull and hopeless that it broke her own heart. "So I'm going to recite this poem I love, about two soulmates, and the love they had for one another. Sound good?"
When no objection came, she nodded. Closing her eyes briefly, she cleared her throat and began to speak.
Her voice was soft and gentle, the words hopeful and full of love. So unlike everything they had faced in the past few days. Maybe it was the poem or maybe it was the fact that they were all together, and they were safe.
Whatever it was, it helped.
And slowly, gradually, eventually, the darkness around them began to lift.
————————–
He was dreaming.
It had been a long while since he had dreamed.
Or rather dreamed of her.
And yet, there she was, standing there with his back to him, staring out at the open ocean that gleamed under the light of the full moon.
He slowly walked up to her, unable to hesitate or even think it through. Why? Because he wanted to be near her. He wanted to see her face. In that moment nothing else mattered. Not the beautiful scenery or that this was all in his head.
He just missed her so much.
Once he reached her, he was surprised to see that she was crying. Her eyes were closed, and tears were sliding down her cheeks, every tear gleaming like a diamond against her beautiful skin.
Where he had been unable to approach her when she had appeared to him crying once before, this time Zuko didn't even think about what he had to do.
He reached up, cupping her face, prompting her to open her eyes and look at him.
Sorrowful blue met gentle warm amber.
His thumb wiped at a tear that escaped her gorgeous eyes. Call it wishful thinking, but maybe she leaned into his touch a little, as if drawing comfort from him. His head leaned down, pressing their forehead together, their noses brushing.
This was all a dream. Zuko knew that.
So then why did it all feel so real?
"I'll come back to you." He whispered, prompting her to open her eyes and look at him, the surprise clear across her features. "I promise." So saying, he shifted so his lips could press against the middle of her forehead in a tender kiss. Orora closed her eyes again, relishing in his presence, one that she had so sorely missed and yet had never admitted to herself that she did.
He pulled back, but only to hold up the finger that had his string tied around it. Of course, if was glowing a bright blue. Orora's eyes widened, and he knew she saw the color. Slowly, she lifted her own finger, showing the red hue that gleamed there, warm and bright. Zuko couldn't help the breathless laugh of happiness that escaped his lips. The sound prompted a smile to form on Orora's lips as she allowed their fingers to intertwine, allowing whatever length was left between their strings to completely disappear. Their gazes met.
"I'll be waiting."
————————–
When she awoke, there was a warmth on her forehead where Zuko had kissed her. Her string glowed a bright red through the day.
————————–
When he awoke, there was a warmth in his heart and a lightness to his soul. His string glowed a bright blue throughout the day.
————————–
And it scared her.
————————–
And it gave him strength.
————————–
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#zuko x reader#avatar the last airbender#the thread of fate#zuko x oc#prince zuko x oc#prince zuko x reader#prince zuko#netflix avatar#avatar the last airbender fanfiction#avatar: the last airbender#avatar#avatar aang
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Yuu - Child of the Great Seven [5]: The Sea Witch in Octavinelle
Summary: The Sea Witch visits Mostro Lounge in Octavinelle with her trusted Eel Familiars while waiting for her child to arrive from Ramshackle. How will Azul react?
Jamil: Hey! I thought you said Scarabia was next!
Broken: Sorry about that, Jamil. Your chapter is next.
Note: To keep my sanity, the Eels shall have their canon names.
[To say that Azul Ashengrotto was trying his best to keep his composure and not fanboy right where he was standing was a complete understatement, and if he were to fanboy, could anyone honestly blame him? The Sea Witch - A Member of the Divine Great Seven & Mom to his Most Precious Pearl, Yuu - was currently standing [She's Currently In Human Form - She has Legs] in the middle of the Mostro Lounge with her hands resting on her hips as her heels clicked with each step she took through the lounge with a smile on her face.]. Floyd and Jade standing beside him while their eyes were glued on the large eels that floated around in the air while not leaving the Sea Witch's Side; using their magic to maintain a small bubble of water to keep their skin moist, they had human forms, but they preferred to remain eels.]
Flotsam: Our Lady, Most Generous Sea Witch! We must say-
Jetsam: -this place is far more interesting than we assumed it to be. However, that is to be expected-
Flotsam & Jetsam: When an ASHENGROTTO runs the show! (Laughing)
Sea Witch: Now. Now. Boys, remember to behave: We are guests here and these young men mean something to my Little Pearl.
Flotsam: Speaking of the Little Octopi, where are they hiding?
Jetsam: Yes! The Little Octopi is never late for important business!
[Just then: the door of Mostro Lounge opens and Yuu walks in with an outfit that is mixed between the Octavinelle Dorm Unform and the Sea Witch's Dress with a shell necklace around their neck.]
Yuu (Walking over to the Sea Witch): Forgive me for being late, Mom; I was trying to mentally prepare myself for today.
Sea Witch: Oh, don't worry about that, My Little Fry; your friends have been most accommodating to me. Such polite boys.
[Yuu smiles as Flotsam and Jetsam swim over to them.]
Flotsam: Oh, brother! Oh, brother! Who is this I see before me?
Jetsam: The Little Octopi? Could it be?!
Flotsam: Did you come to sing and play?
Yuu: That depends: How much will you pay?
Flotsam & Jetsam (Laughing): Ah, yes! It has been a long time, Little Octopi. We thought you were going to forget the Number One Eel Rule.
Yuu, Flotsam, and Jetsam: Always profit!
Sea Witch (Claps): Oh, yes! Profit is important, but what is most important, Little Fry?
Yuu: Always make the deal fair - you'll get more business and money that way.
Sea Witch: I taught you well.
Jade: Hm. With rules like that, I can understand why the Mostro Lounge got a sudden increase in funds that day.
Azul: Day? What day?
Jade: Oh, that's right. We failed to inform you.
Floyd: Remember when ya go sick and you asked Jade and me to watch the Lounge?
Azul: I remember asking Jade.
Floyd: We're Twins! We do everything together! The thing is Jade and I asked Shrimpy to help us!
Azul: What?! Why didn't you tell me you bothered Pearl with that?!
Jade: You were sick and stressed.
Floyd: And we were bored! So, we grabbed Shirimpy when the Baby Seal wasn't looking, dragged them to Mostro Lounge, and left them there to take care of it!
Jade: Imagine our surprise when the Prefect not only managed to run the lounge with no prior experience but increased our normal sales by 3 for the consistency of a week.
Azul (Brain Loading): Daily Sales increase by 3x...for a week?
Jade: Yes. Didn't you see it in the Ledger? I wrote it down.
[Without a word: Azul went back into his office and was gone for about 10 minutes.]
Yuu (Being nuzzled by Jetsam and Flotsam): Hm... Is he okay in there?
Jade: Give him a moment.
[After another 4 minutes: Azul comes back into the Lounge.]
Yuu: There you are, Azul-senpai. (Sees a Golden Contract in Azul's Hand) What are you going to do with that?
Azul (Holds the contract out to Yuu): Sign it.
Yuu: Why?
Azul (Walks towards them like a robot): Sign it.
Yuu: I am not signing that.
Azul: Sign It! (Runs at Yuu)
Yuu: AHHH! (Runs around the Mostro Lounge with Azul chasing them)
Azul (Chasing Yuu): DON'T RUN, PEARL! THIS IS OUR DESTINY! SIGN IT!!!
Yuu (Still Running): I DON'T WANNA!
Azul: BECOME MY BUSINESS PARTNER, PEARL!!!
Yuu: I'M NOT READY FOR THAT KIND OF COMMITMENT!!!
[The Sea Witch, Leech Twins, and Eels sit in a booth and watch Azul chase Yuu around the Mostro Lounge.]
Jade: Should we help the Prefect? Azul is gaining on them.
Flotsam & Jetsam: Nope.
Sea Witch: My Little Octopi will be okay.
Floyd: Run, Little Shrimp, Run!
[One Hour Later]
Yuu (Trapped in Octo-Azul's Tentacles while being pulled into the Octopus Pot) (Clawing at the carpet): NO! NO! I WANT TO LIVE!
[Yuu gets pulled into the Pot]
Yuu (Lunges out with their hand reaching for the door): I WANT TO LIVE!!! (Gets yanked back into the Octopus Pot)
Jade: Well... We won't be seeing them for a while.
Sea Witch: Is he normally like that?
Jade: Indeed. When Azul is stressed or overworked, he uses the Prefect as a Cuddle Buddy. The Prefect was the first person who saw Azul as a decent person, even after he attempted to swindle them.
Floyd: That's Shrimpy for ya.
[In The Octopus Pot]
Octo-Azul (Hugging Yuu, who is petting his hair): Thanks for always being there for me.
Yuu: It's okay, Azul; you're kinda like the Big Brother I always wanted to have.
Octo-Azul: If that's the case... Will you sign a contract stating that I am your brother?
Yuu (Rolls Eyes): I'm not signing a contract, Azul.
Octo-Azul: Why not?
Yuu: Knowing you, you would put in the terms and conditions that I have to answer all your phone calls, have dinner with you every weekend, have study sessions with you, and I'm not allowed to date anyone who you don't approve of; and you don't approve of anyone around me. Also, I know tat you would pull the 'Elder Brother' Card on me whenever you can.
Octo-Azul: No, I wouldn't.
Yuu: What did I say about lying?
Octo-Azul: It only works for Ace, Deuce, Grim, and Floyd.
Yuu: Are you any of them?
Octo-Azul: No.
Yuu: Exactly.
[END]
#twisted wonderland#the great seven au#the great seven#yuu has magic#octavinelle#the sea witch#azul ashengrotto#floyd leech#jade leech#flotsam and jetsam
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Ellis Twilight~ Main Route Chapter 5
Disclaimer for route warnings | Masterlist
Additional Content Warnings: None
This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!
The next morning- When I reported yesterday’s incident, Jude had received similar information.
Victor: “A ‘circus’?...”
Jude: “The circus group seems to have disbanded a long time ago.”
Kate: “Huh!?”
Ellis: “Disbanded…?”
Jude: “The Grace Circus Troupe”
Jude: “After a successful run in London, the maggots who flock to success cheated him outta his money, put him in debt and everything went up in flames.”
Jude: “The troupe disbanded quickly.”
(Well then…)
Kate: “We heard that Mr. Bill’s missing friend had been ‘recruited’”
Kate: “It’s impossible for someone to be recruited to a circus group that’s been disbanded. The recruitment has nothing to do with the kidnapping, right?”
Ellis: “Or someone is lying and pretending to be recruiting for a circus group to lure in victims.”
Victor: “I wonder if the Grace Circus Troupe still exists behind the scenes, even if it’s outwardly disbanded.”
Victor: “Or maybe it’s the work of someone pretending to be the Grace Circus Troupe…”
Victor: “…It seems that additional investigation is needed, including in that area.”
Victor: “Jude, Ellis, Kate, thank you for the information.”
Victor: “The fair ended yesterday so please take a break for now.”
I take a deep breath as I stare at Victor’s back as he leaves, his long hair fluttering behind him.
(As Fairytale Keeper, perhaps all I’m required to do is write down the crimes of the Crown members…)
(But I wish I could help stop this incident before there are more victims.)
(--That’s right, the report!)
As a storyteller, I try to think back on whether I had witnessed a crime that I could write about.
(Hmm… Ellis and Jude didn’t commit any crimes, did they?)
(Come to think of it, I wonder if Ellis would ever commit a crime that I could write about in the report…)
(…Maybe it would be easier to write down Jude’s sins, since he’s so hated that his life is threatened.)
Jude: “What, don’t act like yer thinkin’ somethin’ rude.”
Kate: “What!? N-no I wasn’t!”
Jude: “So ya really had the courage to go on stage ‘n put yer body on the line?”
Part 2
Jude: “So ya really got the courage to go on stage ‘n put yer body on the line, do ya?”
Kate: “Why did you say that?”
Ellis: “Did you see it?”
Jude: “Yer at a fair, ya can’t help but see a big stage like that.”
Jude: “I thought she’d have refused the escort if she was a troublesome woman who was scared to death at every turn.”
Jude narrows his eyes as if he’s inspecting me again.
Jude: “Ya got guts, if ya want, you can come along.”
Kate: “Y…yes.”
(Does that mean you approve of me a little?)
Jude: “Ellis, yer the one who got her involved in the first place. Yer in charge.”
Ellis: “Yeah, I know. Good for you, Kate.”
(This was good…I guess.)
And so—I ended up spending my days following Jude and Ellis’ work.
We were attacked by business rivals and thugs once every three days,
A few days passed as I wrote in my notebook about the two people who would get revenge for even more outrageous behavior.
Then, when the “fairytale keeper’ work for the day was finished…
Ellis: “Kate, I’ve found a nice restaurant, would you like to stop off and go home?”
Ellis always called out to me.
Today it was a restaurant and yesterday I was invited to a place where I could see a beautiful sunset to eat crepes.
Kate: “Ellis, you’ve been taking me too many delicious restaurants lately…”
Ellis: “Too many…?”
Kate: “It feels like my body is getting a little bit…heavy.”
Ellis: “I don’t think it’s changed at all…but then, should we stop?”
--Choices--
Maybe not today
**2. …we can go. +4 +4 **
3. Let me think about it for a minute. (I had selected this option and forgot to get screenshots for the correct answer >n<)
Kate: “Let me think about it for a minute.
Ellis: “Sure.”
Ellis stands there, staring at me intently, like a faithful dog waiting for his master’s commands.
Kate: “I suppose we can go.”
Ellis: “Good, I thought you would like the restaurant, Kate.”
Ellis: “I wanted to take you with me.”
And spending time with Ellis wasn’t just about eating delicious food together--.
Kate: “Huh? Ellis, this book is…”
There was a book on the chair I always sat on in the common room.
Ellis: “Oh, yeah… I thought that was the one you said you wanted to read, right?”
Part 3
Ellis: “Oh, yeah… I thought that was the one you said you wanted to read, right?”
Kate: “That’s right…! Thank you… How much did it cost?”
Ellis: “Don’t worry about it, it’s a gift.”
Ellis: “You bought me some cranberry jam the other day, so I wanted to return the favor.”
Kate: “That was as thanks for the restaurant before that.”
Ellis: “Then, as a thank you for this…let me know what you think when you finish reading it.”
(I gave him cranberry jam in return for the restaurant, and he gave me this book in return…)
(And as thanks you want me to tell you what I think of this book?)
Kate: “…That’s the way you’d like me to thank you?”
Ellis: “Yeah. I like listening to you.”
Kate: “You’re saying stuff like that again…”
(Ellis is too good at spoiling me…)
--However, the one strange thing is the question that Ellis sometimes asks me.
Ellis: “Hey, Kate… How happy are you right now?”
He wants to know what makes me happy and what satisfies me.
Ellis sometimes asks strange questions like that, as if he really wants to know.
Usually when he asks me this, it’s when I’m feeling happy.
He asked the questions as if he could see right through me, as if confirming that I was happy.
It’s like an exchange between lovers… and it always makes my heart skip.
Kate: “Hmmm… I guess as happy as when I’m taking a nap on my bed in the sun on my first vacation in a while.”
I feel like I’ve gotten better at expressing ‘happiness’, probably due to always being asked this question.
Ellis: “…”
As usual, he would smile immediately after blinking.
Ellis: “…I’d like to see that. Would you like to take a nap with me next time?”
Kate: “T-together?”
Ellis: “Yeah. Think about it.”
Ellis: “Well then, Kate, see you tomorrow.”
(together…)
The kindness that Ellis showers on me is so limitless that I feel almost conceited.
But…
(Ah, I feel like I’m going to be ruined from too much pampering…)
Perhaps driven by this sense of crisis, I’ve been waking up early lately.
(I’m supposed to be doing a job that my life depends on, but I’m enjoying it more than I used to.)
(It’s all thanks to Ellis for trying to make me happy, but…)
I took the plunge and asked Jude, who happened to be reading the newspaper by himself at the early morning breakfast table.
Kate: “Is there a reason that Ellis is so particular about happiness?”
Part 4
Kate: “Is there a reason that Ellis is so particular about happiness?”
Jude: “……What, ya gonna do somethin’ if ya know?”
Kate: “Eh? No, it’s just a question.”
Kate: “He’s so kind to me that I’m starting to worry…”
What I gradually came to understand after spending time with Ellis is—
He says he ‘prioritizes what the other person wants to do, not himself.’
(As Ellis had said before.)
(It’s as if Ellis has no feelings or desires of his own.)
Kate: “As much as I think Ellis is person who genuinely enjoys the happiness of others.”
Kate: “There are bound to be things that Ellis himself wants to do or doesn’t want to do.”
Kate: “I’m a little worried that I’m not holding back.”
Jude: “…Well, look at you.”
Jude snorted a laugh while looking down at the newspaper, seemingly uninterested.
Jude: “So, ya think there’s a hidden side to his kindness, and ya can’t trust him?”
(Uh…)
Kate: “I didn’t say that.”
For a moment I was at a loss for words because I realized what Jude was saying.
Jude: “Same thing.”
Jude: “’I don’t know if I should be happy to be pampered because I can’t read his true feelings.’ Isn’t that what yer sayin’?”
(…now that you say that, it might be true.)
(I’m suspicious of Ellis…?)
He’s the type of person who would do anything to cheer me up.
Maybe I’m afraid of becoming complacent with that kindness and missing out on the feelings behind it.
Jude: “There’s no such thing as genuine kindness so leave that assumption aside.”
Jude: “I’m sure his kindness isn’t just due to simple favoritism.”
Kate: “….?”
Jude: “Well if he doesn’t have a special obsession with ya, then it’ll be fine.”
Kate: “It sounds like there are circumstances that make it not okay if he does become particularly attached…”
Jude: “Ha, yer smarter than I thought.”
Jude raised an eyebrow and continued.
Jude: “But if ya knew that much, wouldn’t a smart young lady know what to do?”
Jude looks down at the newspaper as if he didn’t feel like explaining any further.
There’s no such thing as genuine kindness.
It’s okay as long as he doesn’t get too attached.
Even knowing that, I still only have a vague idea.
That’s why I don’t know anything specific about what will happen if I stay with Ellis from now on.
(…I wonder what this pain is.)
It’s like reaching out to touch a beautiful rose and a tiny thorn stings my fingertips—my heart aches.
Ellis: “Good morning, Jude, Kate.”
(Wah!)
Kate: “Ellis! Good morning.”
My heart skipped a beat and my hand instinctively reached for the silverware on the table.
Ellis: “…Did something happen?”
Part 5
Ellis: “…Did something happen?”
His gentle colored eyes look at me with concern.
Kate: “No, it’s nothing.”
Jude: “She was just squealin’ ‘bout bein’ hungry.”
Ellis: “…I see. Then let’s eat breakfast.”
Ellis smiles and takes his seat.
(What Jude was saying earlier is… I should keep my distance so he doesn’t get seriously attached to me.)
(But… I can’t just be aloof now after he’s shown me all this kindness.)
So as usual, I smiled and spoke with him.
Kate: “Ah, I spread a lot of butter on the toast before it got cold.”
Ellis: “Mine too? … You did.”
Kate: “Thank you, as always.”
Ellis: “Thank you, Kate.”
(When Ellis smiles happily, I feel happy too.)
I’m sure no one will leave Ellis alone.
Because he’s such a wonderful person.
(I’m sure there’s no way he’ll be particularly attached to me.)
(This is just how I repay the kindness I’ve received.)
(I should spend the rest of the month trying not to be too easy on Ellis.)
I shouldn’t misjudge the sense of distance—that’s what I vowed to do as soon as I came here.
(Every time I’m treated kindly, I feel like I’m forgetting that commandment.)
Since then, his kindness has seeped into the cracks of the commandments and the distance between our hearts has narrowed…
I’m sure I’ve reached a point where I can’t turn back.
(I can’t make any more mistakes…)
Maybe, surely—I can’t make a mistake.
After finishing breakfast and Kate left to get ready to go out, Ellis looked at Jude.
Ellis: “Hey, Jude.”
Jude: “If it’s bullshit I don’t wanna hear it.”
Jude makes a noise with the newspaper as if to interrupt the voice.
Ellis: “Do you think it’s possible to make Kate the happiest she’s been in her life, within the month?”
Jude: “Dunno.”
Ellis: “If she has a moment like that, I would want to make it last forever.”
Ellis: “Because she’s such a nice person.”
Jude glanced up and saw that Ellis had a very serious expression on his face.
Jude: “…Ha, yer as crazy as ever.”
Ellis: “I don’t think so.”
Ellis: “I… I just don’t like seeing people I care about become unhappy.”
Jude: “….”
--------------------------------------------------------------------
That night, things took a turn in the kidnapping case—
William wandered in and saw Jude and Ellis discussing the next day’s meeting,
Then he smiled at me as I took notes on the proceedings.
William: “We’ve received new information from Alfons regarding the kidnapping incidents.”
Next Chapter
#ikemen villains#ikevil#ikemen villains translation#ikevil translation#ellis twilight#ikevil ellis#ikevil ellis twilight#ikemen villains ellis#ikemen villains ellis twilight#ellis twilight main route
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Reactions to Crazier Bastard's Chapter 298
Brief summary: SEW and DA succeeds in driving out the gray clouds. Aipotu's WT joins Caleism. Cale coughs up lots of blood and faints.
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This was such a good chapter!!! 🥰🥰🥰 The word "blood" was mentioned more than 10 times, and to top it off, Cale fainted in the end! 😵
Sorry, Cale. I'm one of your fans who get excited whenever you cough up blood or faint... Ehehe~ 😅
But I did not expect all this blood spilling to happen today. Cale had blood spilling from his mouth as he pushed himself to "drill" through the gray clouds. And when he succeeded and came out of the WT's time prison, he coughed up blood again.
However, here's the funny part. When Cale returned to reality, he was no longer standing by the WT. Clopeh was holding him in his arms, so when he suddenly coughed blood, all those dark red blood splattered unto Clopeh's beautiful face and white hair... 🤣🤣🤣 BTW, I did not add those adjectives about Clopeh. The scene was serious yet the author had time to add adjectives to Clopeh's appearance. Biased author as always. 😂
Moving on, after Cale showered Clopeh with his blood, he... FAINTED! 😂 It's been a while since he fainted, huh? As for the reason why, lemme explain.
Hidden inside the gray clouds was the saint of GoC's power. And it was in the form of a golden eye. That eye could talk and recognized Cale's immense power, but screamed when SEW's water arrow pierced it. And then everything exploded, completely destroying the gray clouds.
But before it exploded, DA managed to swallow what was inside the golden eye. And DA told Cale afterwards that he could now imitate the power of that golden eye that exuded primal and instinctual fear, the same power that scared and dominated Cale and DA when they faced GoC.
There was a problem though. Since DA swallowed what was inside that golden eye, it would take him some time to "digest" it. Add to that was that he and Cale overworked themselves earlier to drive out the gray clouds and destroy the time prison of WT. Thus, DA said that Cale would fall asleep soon and only wake up after the digestion was over. And that was why Cale fainted after a long time.
WT boy though... 🤣🤣🤣 WT somehow ended up becoming a Caleism believer today. 😂 He also said the "Is he human?" line, but realized that Cale was more like nature itself. And the WT was just a small part of nature, so Cale, who was nature itself, was greater than him.
There were lots of poetic lines and descriptions afterwards on how WT felt wonder and worship towards Cale's nature self. WT even unconsciously knelt and clasped his hands in prayer. 😂
When the time prison was on the verge of destruction, WT managed to reconnect with the source of the world. And the source of the world sensed Cale's success, thanking him as she called him an "angel" again. 👼
(I've been wondering though. Why does the author keep using the words "source of the world"? Isn't the source of the world Aipotu itself? Or are they two different beings?)
I wonder what Clopeh was feeling today. It's his first time experiencing Cale coughing blood and fainting. What I'm sure of would be that his clothes with Cale's blood on it would be preserved for generations. Maybe it would become a sacred relic of Caleism? 🤣🤣🤣
Ending Remarks
I love today's chapter! 🥰 Next up would be everyone's reactions to Cale's blood and fainting episode. The author wrote that everyone had expressions of great astonishment and wonder, so I'm looking forward to it. And I wonder what Exion's reaction to this would be. Since his attribute was earth, he would have clearly felt the changes that happened to the WT. The question would be, is everything he experienced today enough to convert him to an ally of Cale?
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You may have discussed it before, but would you mind speaking a little bit on how you discovered you have DID?
I feel like I have a pretty stable core identity but there have been times under intense stress where I’ve experienced sudden “switches” in my personality. During a particularly bad period for a little over a year there was a time where I distinctly felt like a different person and did things I wouldn’t normally do, and I remember the specific moment where I came back into my body and became “me” again. This doesn’t happen often, but it has happened more than once throughout my life. When I see people talk about plurality I feel a little confused because their identities often seem to have their own names and genders and ages and backstories, and it seems so cut-and-dry.
I know these are all things to discuss with my therapist but I love how you talk about your own experiences. How can you differentiate between DID and other kinds of dissociation?
Thank you for asking, anon! I'm glad you are going to talk to your therapist about it while also doing the reading and reaching out-- heaven knows our own journey within the US mental healthcare system was rocky at best. The latest chapter of Madison/Belladonna is heavily sourced from IRL circumstances both in receiving the diagnosis and the decades long journey in the mental healthcare system to get there.
But to answer more directly-- (as always we are answering from a psychopathology lens for care and treatment, we recognize the beauty of plurality and do not reduce ALL experiences to mental healthcare concerns, we are approaching our own situation and experiences this way as it is how we lived it)
Our journey was guided from the outside. Both therapists and our partner who was able to see these "mood swings" in us were able to gently guide us to water despite our fierce denial and rejection of our situation. What started as "we're fine" turned to "mood swings" turned to "BPD" turned to "---maybe we should read up on OSDD?" Turned to our current therapist telling us over a year ago that we had DID after months of testing and interviewing to determine.
I should also note I likely realized it MULTIPLE times in my history and buried it again and again. I legitimately think that people in my former life knew and either assumed I knew too or worse I had told them and forgot that I told them. It worries me because I cannot ever be certain. I once asked my ex-wife about it after the divorce/diagnosis and she did say it was weird how she had a "different husband" depending on environment and social group. She said she never noticed it during the interactions, but she would always think back and feel that the "me" in any given moment was different from the ones she observed in social/work situations etc.
So like--- even if people notice, sometimes they don't even realize what they're seeing. Honestly I go full No Mask at work even when a male part fronts and no one really bats an eye. I don't think *most* people are as observant as we worry they are.
ANYWAY! Looking back these are the signs that I ignored:
- I not just wrote a consistent journal through every phase of my life (even going as far as to have a "memory list" that I populated "when I felt like it" (<- IE: when a part that associated with the memory was fronting and wanted to type about it) and more importantly I READ it. Often. I sometimes think that the majority of our memories are just imagined versions of what we wrote. That notion is helped by the fact we [used to] stop journaling during times of crisis or delete journal/chat log to prevent us thinking about distressing things.
- I wrote a lot of plural characters in my stories since my teenage years. Kinda like I kept writing female versions of myself? Funny how the Trans and DID acceptance arcs are so dang similar.
- I would emotionally cave in on myself after gatherings, berating myself for how I had acted all evening. Getting deeply upset at how "out of control" I was. We outright AVOID mood altering substances like alcohol or weed.
- When talking about traumatic memories we typically just tell the story rote. It doesn't bother us. We told therapists without batting an eyelid. This is dissociation. We were disconnecting ourselves from our memories. Emotionally distancing ourselves from the experiences.
- In the same vein, when we remember things we imagine things in locations like a 3rd person camera. Not populated. We don't hear or feel or associate. It's just a place and a knowledge. Our whole "context packet" thing where we just understand something without *feeling* it.
- Deleted emails and chatlogs, references to things we don't remember. Discord messages with people we don't remember talking to. It bothers me how many people in our online communities we were actually close to at some stage of our life and then erased. This is specific to us but Dawn has opened many accounts in the hypnokink community and Camden has shut them down and this has happened so many times that we don't even get upset when we find a buried email from 2013 with sign-up to a Yahoo Email account we don't remember having. That sounds dramatic. It's more just. Go into your emails, pull stuff up from 5-10 years ago and just scroll a while. See how much you remember and associate into. It's NORMAL to forget what websites you were browsing a decade ago. It's not normal to have an entire *LIFE* you hid from yourself.
- Sometimes people just... saw/knew us before we did and there were times when they would describe a version of us they weren't supposed to see and we got complete dysphoria over it. Sometimes it as joyful. Someone we love saw Cammie well enough to say when we transitioned that they wanted to see that "windswept girl with the big smile" all of the time. Sometimes it's mortifying, like when someone approaches Camden as if she is Dawn and Camden REJECTED that side of us so heavily that it caused emotional meltdowns and turmoil because Camden didn't WANT to be a sexy confident domme, she could barely see herself as a woman, when people saw the wrong version of us *without permission* it was just a violation that made things WORSE.
- On that note-- meltdowns-- we mentioned the whole "after a social gathering we'd emotionally cave in on ourselves" thing, there was a lot of that. After work we'd get a complete drop from having to be in Manager Mode all day or we'd have a crisis after erotic intimacy encounters because we're sex repulsed ace. The fact is our nervous system was activated during those times, our survival instincts were kicked in and brought the part associated to the surface to DEAL and when they backed off our body was still reacting to the trauma trigger and it would cause us to implode.
All of these things in therapy brought us to the conclusion of BPD. Because therapists be like that at times. A *TRAUMA* therapist gave us some DES-II, MID and ACE tests and worked out what was going on within 3 months.
It took a further 6-9 months with constant support from loved ones who were able to see us as individuals to *ACCEPT* it. This is a denial disorder, it doesn't want to be found. Asking questions, being honest and being accepting is the best way to come to terms with it. I wish it were easier and I wish you luck and support in your journey. Our inbox is always open!
You're not alone <3
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My favourite author is Iris Murdoch.
I don't think I have favourites in any other category, it feels like a bit of an artificial concept usually, but it would be silly to deny this one. I was halfway through my first Murdoch novel (at age 20 or so) when I felt certain I was going to have to read them all (there are 26). My feeling was that I would have stayed true to that even if every other book she wrote had been terrible. I'm sure that's not true, but I say it to illustrate that she inspired a deep and irrational loyalty in me very early on that hasn't waned over time. I've been reading between one and three of her books per year since I started, deliberately spreading them out so as not to deplete a valuable resource too soon, although presumably I'll just start rereading them at the same rate after I've finished. I've read 21 out of 26 so far.
Maybe someday I'll have something to say on here about what draws me to her books so strongly. Not right now though. What I want to say today is that I usually like her opening lines very much, she often starts with some very punchy compact moment that feels weirdly complete already even as it clearly stands in need of unpacking, if that makes sense to anyone else. This post is going to be simply a compilation of some good ones. Let's say 10 of the best, in no particular order.
I'm defining "opening lines" as not literally just the first sentence but enough to cover the first self-contained "moment" of the book, which is a bit of a judgment call for sure but you can be confident I've judged correctly in every case. For The Philosopher's Pupil (but no others) I've blatantly cheated by entirely skipping a sort of prologue chapter because I think the opening of the next chapter is both more opening-like and more compelling, I acknowledge that this is illegitimate but you'll just have to deal with it. Okay here goes.
---
The Unicorn
'How far away is it?'
'Fifteen miles.'
'Is there a bus?'
'There is not.'
'Is there a taxi or a car I can hire in the village?'
'There is not.'
'Then how am I to get there?'
'You might hire a horse hereabouts,' someone suggested after a silence.
---
An Accidental Man
'Gracie darling, will you marry me?'
'Yes.'
'What?'
---
The Bell
Dora Greenfield left her husband because she was afraid of him. She decided six months later to return to him for the same reason.
---
The Philosopher's Pupil
I am the narrator: a discreet and self-effacing narrator. This book is not about me.
---
Bruno's Dream
Bruno was waking up. The room seemed to be dark. He held his breath, testing the quality of the darkness, wondering if it was night or day, morning or afternoon. If it was night that was bad and might be terrible. Afternoon could be terrible too if he woke up too early. The drama of sleeping and waking had become preoccupying and fearful now that consciousness itself could be so heavy a burden.
---
The Sacred and Profane Love Machine
The boy was there again this morning, and the dogs were not barking.
---
A Fairly Honourable Defeat
'Julius King.'
'You speak his name as if you were meditating upon it.'
'I am meditating upon it.'
'He's not a saint.'
'He's not a saint. And yet—'
---
The Message to the Planet
'Of course we have to do with two madmen now, not with one.'
'You mean Marcus is mad too?'
'No, he means Patrick is mad too.'
---
The Red and the Green
Ten more glorious days without horses!
---
The Sea, The Sea
The sea which lies before me as I write glows rather than sparkles in the bland May sunshine. With the tide turning, it leans quietly against the land, almost unflecked by ripples or by foam. Near the horizon it is a luxurious purple, spotted with regular lines of emerald green. At the horizon it is indigo. Near to the shore, where my view is framed by rising heaps of humpy yellow rock, there is a band of lighter green, icy and pure, less radiant, opaque however, not transparent. We are in the north, and the bright sunshine cannot penetrate the sea. Where the gentle water taps the rocks there is still a surface skin of colour. The cloudless sky is very pale at the indigo horizon which it lightly pencils in with silver. Its blue gains towards the zenith and vibrates there. But the sky looks cold, even the sun looks cold.
I had written the above, destined to be the opening paragraph of my memoirs, when something happened which was so extraordinary and so horrible that I cannot bring myself to describe it even now after an interval of time and although a possible, though not totally reassuring, explanation has occurred to me. Perhaps I shall feel calmer and more clear-headed after yet another interval.
#sometimes you gotta make a too long post that's entirely just for you you know?#nohopereadio#uninteresting#iris murdoch
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I KNEW IT
well. he was missing the rain and the musical number but other than that? only took him 13 chapters and 4½ months to live out that fantasy lmao
#it was always going to be ne bi smel it had to be IT HAD TO BE!!!! fun fact when i wrote down the first draft of the fic outline the working#title was just ne bi smel lmao#basically the three big things that inspired this fic were holidate the movie + ne bi smel + deprived by seokoilua#and me looking at all each one and going 'ok but what if'#inbox#sparkles-oflight#chapter spoilers
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🎬: About Es being a past prisoner and the secret 11th prisoner in your AU. But advance apologies if I'm overstepping into your AU!
I had this idea from a story that pretty much did the same thing. Going off there are novels/manga on Milgram and there being another Es and their own prisoners running another Milgram (but differently) I imagine this Milgram projects has been going on for a while, and our Es was from a previous project who might have gotten the worst verdict (or the most spared out of everyone), and was given this final task as a warden for the next group of prisoners. This is why they so readily agreed and had their memories wiped for this Milgram project instead of being weary on a shady project on judging an almost crime, they've already been through this.
(BTW is it bad and worrying for one of our ten fav prisoners to be the next Es if this is legit...)
Anyway, that's why Es is in Milgram in your AU, I guess? And the lore drop that Kotoko picks up on them being the 11th prisoner, I can imagine her also talking to Kazui since he's a policeman to see if she could cross out any theories on who Es is (Did they look familiar. Possible missing child. Any cases to do with an almost crime by a child other than the 10 of them here). Kazui knows Kotoko wants to investigate, but reminds her that, like in their prison while the trial is on, the facilities they're in have high security too. They do have the freedom to move about, but still limited.
If they're trying to investigate Es, maybe Fuuta, Kotoko and Mikoto can try to do the hacking on the comp Mikoto's allowed to use to Photoshop some shots for the MVs and photos (Fuuta and Kotoko seem to be able to search up info they need I think...). Yuno, Mahiru and Muu can work on charming the staff to see if they can spill more deets on Milgram. Not sure how much the group can gather, but oh boy fun times in Milgram can turn into another sort of stress in this AU...
No worries!! Like I said before, this whole au has been a fun collaborative project, so there's no overstepping :) I am sorry I won't be writing a lot on the ending until we get more info, but that's just the perfectionist in me who doesn't want to be proven wrong 😅 Still, I love tossing around and digging into ending scenarios, I really love this!
Because that would make a lot of sense why they're so willing to subject themself to the whole experiment! They remember how tough their experience was, and are confident they can care for the new set of prisoners while doing their job. I'm imagining they get the opportunity to return as guard, and get to have a nice talk with their own guard first. Once they fully understand what it's like, they're know they can handle it and sign up. It adds a bit of drama, too, since they must have been really young committing their crime in order to complete a years-long experiment prior to this one. They would have been like 10? Oof. (Now I wanna see their three trial songs 👀)
And like you said, that also brings up the question of the new warden. Though I think it's based on verdict results, I can just picture Jackalope keeping an eye on everyone during filming. He studyies their interactions and personalities, keeping his own set of notes on who would make a good successor. (I'm not going to go through every character but there are pros to any choice, it's very fun picturing them all taking the job.) Haha, on the other hand, maybe the reason Kotoko keeps bringing up her role as Es' partner/bringer of justice is because she did discover the truth. She drops as many hints as possible so she can be chosen next 😅
Ooh, I love her working with Kazui on an investigation! The fact that eh may know details on recent crimes (and almost-crimes) is super fun to work with. He's the last person who's going to spill a secret, so the group could go several trials without realizing Kazui had actually heard all about their situation this whole time.
(Getting sidetrack for a sec, I'm suddenly realizing that he and Kotoko may have heard things about the crimes in canon, too. They're a bit unclear about how much time passed between the murders and arriving to Milgram, so maybe he heard some things. I don't know how well-connected Tokyo police departments are, but Yuno, Fuuta, Muu, and Shidou are all nearby. There's definitely a chance he caught word of the vigilante nearby, and she heard about the odd policeman's suicide. Both of them could have heard about the tragic housefire, the disgraced doctor, or horrible schoolgirl murder nearby.)
Anyway, I like that idea of Kazui wracking his brain for any similar cases. Though, if he had, Milgram may have had the foresight to wipe parts of his memory, too. Maybe he does end up using his call to reach out to Hinako and have her look into it from the outside. Sadly, Kotoko seems the type to sacrifice her personal call to reach out to a connection who can help as well. I'll have to think about how closely Jackalope monitors those calls, hm.
I'm going crazy over prisoner investigation team !! Kotoko and Fuuta had the online knowledge to find some good info, and Mikoto and Kazui seem like they'd have a huge network of people they can ask for info and favors from. Haha, I'm torn whether Mahiru would have flirting down to a science or if she'd refuse to do it since it wasn't real love 😂 Still, she's very good at reading people and could definitely help the others charm and bribe their way into some restricted areas. Amane and Haruka can also charm with their innocence/cuteness (though I'm not sure Amane would). Shidou seems very organized, he'd have a plan and backup plan and backup-backup plan ready, no matter what happens. I think it's even funnier, then if Milgram had run several experiments prior. Jackalope would think this was just another runthrough, and for the first time the ten subjects decided to organize together and Cause Problems.
I think there's a beautiful irony in a story featuring ten prisoners planning a jailbreak to save the prison guard...
#milgram#as always thank you for sending 🎬!! these are so fun and big brained ough#lol yeah a fun fact about me is im Such a stickler for canon even in aus like this#the pain of writing a mahiru x boyfriend fic and doing the whole thing without ever saying his name 💀#so i wrote the last chapter of the au as vague as possible so that it had a nice ending but i may go back to make things more accurate when#t3 ends and we (hopefully) find out who es is#i love that this eases some of the pain knowing that es knew exactly what they were getting into :')#and wont be too fucked up upon getting their memories back since they knew it was faked#while also adding extra angst that theyve been there for so long -- theyve spent so much of their childhood within milgram#i was just recently looking at that post about their character locations and had it all marked out on a map#i swear i dont just know that off the top of my head asdfsd#i never realized kazui and kotoko would have outside knowledge >:0#i really love that concept#between the ten of them they hit so many skill sets -- theyve got the brain and the brawn and the people skills#theyve got intimidation and innocence#theyve got the experience of 40yos and up-to-date kids#theyd be unstoppable -- rip jackalope 😂😂😂#lights camera sing your sins#ask
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i’ve said it once, i’ve said it twice, i’ll say it a million times — writing willow and eddie will always feel like coming home to me. i know eddie x oc isn’t popular but- god, these idiots are so near and dear to my heart.
#i had to reread chapter 21 of shire for the scene i’m writing and i just#they were just babies#their early interactions will always get to me#eddie making jokes about sacrificing people in the woods?? subtly trying to remind willow of his reputation??#willow not even so much as flinching and going on to show just how comfortable she had grown so quickly with him????#the way she trusted him so ardently???#the way he always saw bravery in her and had unwavering faith in her??#god#sometimes when i reread it i can’t fathom that *I* wrote this shit#the metaphor of her running right into the water being her running right into the relationship with eddie???#IDK WHO WROTE THIS BUT IT CERTAINLY COULDNT HAVE BEEN ME WHAT THE FUCK#ITD BE AN HONOR MISS JENKINS WHAT THE FUCK#THEIR ALMOST KISS WAAAHHH#‘don’t die on me’ hehehehe#aw no it’d be a shame if he ever had to say that in a serious context#psh no it wasn’t foreshadowing on my part ever who would do that#a monster that’s who#wow those of you that read my tags are gonna have a fuckin field day my bad#mordor#hailey shut up#hailey talks too much
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Come to think of it ORV had a better impact on my mental health than my therapist.
#it does help that i relate to kim dokja on an unbelievable level#you should've seen my face when i learned that he too hates tomatoes#don't like word kinnie but damn#i can't find a better word to suit how relatable kim dokja is to me#the chapter where he learned about the oldest dream?#hit me too close to home#couldn't stop crying because this is what i would do if i were in his place#killing my past self without any hesitation#this arc is so close to me that i wrote a whole essay about it#seriously these chapters alone did more to me hating my past self than months of therapy#damn#orv#omniscient reader's viewpoint
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love random not even logged in readers just dropping their 'constructive criticism' on your 100k+ story that you're putting online entirely for free. this is just a rant btw
"You obviously have a great talent and I think you should work on honing it some. As much as I’ve enjoyed the story, there are a few things that stand out that you might consider looking at. I feel like the story isn’t sure what it wants to be at times; is it character driven or plot driven? It doesn’t flow smoothly because sometimes we have these wonderful character vignettes, like Illumi and Kalluto on a road trip or Kite/Leorio/Gon/Killua in an apartment where plot doesn’t really feel important, followed by what feels like heavily plot driven beats, like Kalluto and the spiders. In addition, it contributes to confusion because sometimes we see established characterization turned on its head. Especially the weird way everyone all of a sudden just sort of was OK with Kalluto being a spider and then working with Illumi when they just went to all that trouble to escape him? It all kind of feels forced and not natural. You know?
Anyway, I’ll definitely keep reading and look forward to seeing what happens."
first: love you trying to sound legitimate with your "in addition" like this is some kind of writer's workshop. second: in what way would I, the writer, think that an incomplete part of my story in which the reader does not yet know most of the main motivations (they are only hinted at so far) feels forced and not natural when I know what's happening, where it is going (and where I haven't had other readers comment with confusion about that part)
and moving on. don't do this. also like i said this is a wip in and no, no one is cool with Kalluto being a spider and no they're not cool working with Illumi, really. it was already established that some of them /have/ been working with Illumi before this~ he's someone that they know. like have you never been in a seriously dangerous situation that you just have to get through before you get back to what you want?*** also at this point Chrollo's real motive hasn't been entirely revealed.
Killua keeps changing his mind about what he's doing because he's a scared kid whose self-hatred is destroying him from the inside out. the POV is so tight that I have to keep dropping reminders that what is stated in the narrative is often not true! Illumi's POV, for example, keeps showing Killua as really loving him and being happy he's around but struggling with a desire for freedom, while with Killua's POV he's terrified of Illumi most of the time. like how is that not obviously a distorted POV where you can't trust the narrator?
"where plot doesn’t really feel important, followed by what feels like heavily plot driven beats"
this part is especially irritating because it's like yeah that's how I want to write it? this isn't a published novel. I don't have to commit to making sure every scene is important to the plot. I can spend time writing a full scene about someone drinking a glass of water and then 13 chapters in a row that are for moving the plot forward. I didn't even tag it as a novel... I did tag it for unreliable narration and I keep getting annoyed that people keep ignoring that.
"I feel like the story isn’t sure what it wants to be at times; is it character driven or plot driven?"
it's both??? it's neither??? it's a fanfic??? why do I keep getting comments lately where people are expecting me to adhere to like fucking publishing standards. this keeps up and I will write a chapter which is entirely about a minor character drinking a glass of water. watch me. I'll write one about phinks drinking a glass of water and you'll like it*
"Overall, the story is good and presented a compelling alternative to CA. Look, each fan has their own opinion on CA and I know I didn’t like it. I think it was a product of what Togashi was going through as he began to experience health issues and then finding himself right back where he said he wasn’t going to be mentally after he ended his earlier manga. We can never know for sure, but it certainly had a “watch it all burn vibe” to it near the end. I honestly believe he wanted it to end with the finality of Gon’s suicide as a capstone statement, but was probably convinced to go a different route, which kinda of left a jarring feel in the narrative and culminated in a rather unsatisfying end to Gon and Killua’s journey. Despite that, I am very reluctant to read fics where the events of CA are erased or grossly modified and honestly yours is really the first long AU/alternate timeline I’ve enjoyed"
okay first of all, I love the CA arc. but I had to split a point off where Kite was going to survive. why do you have to leave this whole paragraph about how you think Togashi was or wasn't going to go with the CA on my fanfic? I didn't even write this as 'oh look at my alternative to CA bc I hated CA' I don't really look forward to hearing comments about how random people didn't like so and so aspect of the story that I'm basing my story off of. I've never written fanfic for a story that I didn't like (except for some things that I don't have published I wrote at a request for friends for a fandom they were into that I wasn't really) and yeah I've wanted to 'fix' aspects (like tolkien's treatment of women for example) but I am not looking for your 'this is what I hated about the source material' comments on my stories
tired of getting comments with little 'oh I didn't like your style at first but now I do' or 'here's how to fix your story!' unsolicited advice from people who aren't better writers than me (I don't even want it from people who would be better writers than me on stuff I'm just doing for fun and for free)
when did stuff like this become normal? at least don't be a coward and be not logged in so you can't even get a response notification. like girl they aren't cool with it! why do you think everyone is on guard standing around like they're in a fucking hostage situation? how do you see such wildly different interpretations from different character's POVs and think it's not intentional? what part about Kite watching Killua like a fucking hawk makes you think he's going to let Illumi take him after this?
like if you've never had to smile and pretend to be cool with your abuser (pretend to love them) or someone who was threatening you to keep someone else safe then good for you! it fucking sucks! also don't know how to explain to you what a child who is growing up in an extremely isolated abusive situation goes through (though I keep writing about it in this story you should catch on...) but it's a million back and forths with emotion and feelings--especially if their abuser does (to in some way or to some degree) love them. and it is often blaming themselves. I'm not letting my years of studying human psychology and child development go to waste here**
is this story perfect? no but I'm not gonna hire an editor for a fanfic. and everyone's interpretations of characters will be different. especially with child characters who are going through huge changes in the world around them and their personal lives. part of the appeal of fanfiction is 'who would they become if this happened instead?'
*sorry I keep writing about starving and not having clean drinking water but I will never stop because that's what I grew up with and it's hell. also phinks drinking water would be compelling since I assume he'd have harder access to clean drinking water
**hunter x hunter is also one of the only stories I have encountered with characters who have backgrounds as fucked up as mine and Togashi's interest in human psychology really stands out.
***like good for you but that was most of my life and you sometimes just have to shut up and get through it. and no I will not put my notes in the right order bc I'm not being paid enough****
****I'm being paid nothing
#sorry i got one too many comments that irritated me#feel free to chime in if you're getting comments like this too#it's been really getting on my nerves lately#and making me not want to post anything#you're not my teacher or editor#and i don't use a beta reader bc i'd never post anything#if i had to think of it as work and not just for me#i already do writing for work where i have to really consider the reader#i also didn't like one commenter pointing out typos#i'll catch them at some point#they were like great chapter! here's all the mistakes i saw#so download the story and fix them yourself if they bother you so much you have to run through and do line edits#if you don't want typos i'd have to wait two to three months so the story looked fresh#to catch them before posting and i'm not doing that#you can think this sounds bitchy but writing is hours and hours of work#i could jot down five sentences just for myself and have a story for years just remembering what i was thinking when i wrote those#you want a perfectly edited story? then go read a professionally published book#oh i guess that's not good enough for you either#okay now i am being bitchy but in my defense#i'm not forcing them to read it
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as a writer how do you stop thinking about like getting kudos/comments? I've just started writing fanfic, and when I start a writing something -- it goes well and then eventually I get to point where I'm like "ahh but what the readers don't like that? or what if I don't get as many kudos or comments" and it makes it difficult to continue because then it becomes stressful -- I guess how do you deal with "wanting to write stuff for yourself" and "wanting validation" thanks!
You're going to hate this answer, because I hated it too, but TIME. When you first start writing and you get kudos and comments and people love what you're doing, it's a huge validation of your effort and talent, and it's natural that you want MORE of it. When I first started putting up fics I already had been writing for 15+ years, knew I was good at it, and still for a good few years found myself really glued to the hit counter, and the kudos, and wondering how I'd be able to get people to comment the same way they did on things like Seven Suitors.
But the thing is that commenting comes and goes in waves, and unless a fandom has a big comment culture, or is large enough that you're guaranteed a good glut of them every time you post...you're going to hit a point where you write exactly what everyone wants and get crickets. And at that point you'll get ANNOYED, because LOOK, I MADE THIS, i made it for YOU GUYS, and now y'all don't have anything to say? It'll get to you. It'll make you doubt that you know what anyone wants at all. It'll happen and it'll suck the whole time.
Lots of advice will say "write for yourself," which is an excellent sentiment. You should always write what YOU want. Put into your fic what you want to see, write the nitpicky poetic metaphors and craft the most screwball twists your heart desires. Pour yourself into the most niche AUs and most tin-hat canon theories. At the end of the day, you want the IDEAS you put down to be for you, because comments and kudos are nice, but if they don't come...you have to be proud of what you put out, even when it feels like an echo chamber.
But also...we don't POST things for ourselves. We post things to share. Fic are a conversation with canon and it is perfectly natural to want to create something that creates conversation among other fans. So you're never going to fully get the need for validation out of your head, you're not. You can hide hit counts and ignore your inbox all you like, but the want to have someone interact with your work, to inspire someone to reach out to you will ALWAYS be there. You just have to create a healthier relationship with it.
Be confident in what you write. Think less about whether people will like it, and more about how you WANT them to react. The reader is the most important character in any novel, but it's the one most authors forget to manage. When you come to a point where you go "oh man, I hope this is good for them!" stop and go, "what do I *want* them to be feeling here?" Focus on where you're putting their attention and whether you WANT it there. There's so much you can do when you visualize your relationship with the reader as PART of the work, and it takes off a lot of the pressure of "is this good? is it disappointing? will this get me validation?" and brings it back into the realm of storytelling. You are taking your reader on a journey, and when you do it well people will think less about "did I like that?" and more about "what comes next?"
#asks#writing advice#writing#please understand nonnie that what you are feeling is completely natural and part of the process#and shades of that will stick with you no matter how good you get#but the thing you want to keep in the center of your mind when it comes to that#is that you can only get kudos once on a fic and you are lucky to get a 1:100 comment vs hits ratio#so the instant validation WILL dry up and you'll have to have something about your story#that makes you push through. because people will come back and comment!#people will blow through 50+ chapter and leave you the most emotionally hungover review promising you their first borns#but sometimes you will have written a good third of them with NO feedback whatsoever#and you just have to trust in yourself that it's good. it's FINE#i used to obsessively check hits and be really put out to see how many people were coming and not commenting#especially when i wrote really emotionally driven stuff and really tore myself up to get those feelings through#but i also would have been miserable only writing fluffy 1 or 2 shots with no plot just to get the flush of comments those fics get#you just gotta do what you gotta do and let your audience find you. recontextualizing the relationship helps a LOT#i already was big on focusing on the meta plot of my works because as i said. 15+ years. had a lot of time to experiment and get good#but i still had to like. give myself the same pep talk 2 years in about how to view that relationship#everyone goes through it and if they say they don't they're a liar and i mean that seriously 🤣
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Sometimes one remembers that the most common ancestral race of hobbits is described by Tolkien as "browner of skin" then the less common two (who might have been mostly outbred over the many years? on the topic of the "fairer of skin and also of hair" set Concerning Hobbits describes that "the strong Fallohidish strain could still be noted among the greater families, such as the Took and the Masters of Buckland", which to me implies that while there's still clear ancestry there they probably still have heavy Harfoot or even Stoor influence going on- otherwise why describe it as a 'strong strain' rather than just say they're still primarily Fallohidish families? especially when you consider that the section in question is discussing that they were particularly bold and adventurous for hobbits and so given what the Tooks and Brandybucks are like it may be more often a matter of inclination rather than visuals- not to doubt that the visuals show up, but probably not as often as inclination, especially if you allow for the secrecy-focused courting habits mentioned in the first draft of the first chapter of LotR (as published in The Return of the Shadow: The History of Lord of the Rings Part 1, by Christopher Tolkien, pg 17, yes I did go hunting), which would make marriages between differing groups so much more accessible (and may actually be why that's a thing)), that their curly hair is consistently pointed out, and that our initial description of hobbits given in The Hobbit specifically mentions "nimble brown fingers".
And then one gets aggravated all over again at how long it took for non-white hobbits to show up in adaptations and the sheer number of people over the years who have tried to make out like non-white hobbits would be such a horrible canon-breaking thing.
#sorry i got pulled on a bit of a tangent there- longtime followers probably half-expected it#you wouldn't think this would be a post to hunt over but i checked four different books on this one#yes two were just two copies of the hobbit to verify information but still#the whole secrecy in courting and marriage thing might be jossed by the third version of that chapter (pg 29 of the same book)#which mentions a wedding feast#but these are hobbits and it's just as likely that eloping is not considered a good enough reason to not throw a reception party#but yes brown-skinned hobbits are a thing and have been a thing and it boils my turnips when racist idiots try to pretend it's not#my guestimate would be tones probably ranging from olive to medium brown on average#with a heavy lean towards the brown populationwise#given the name 'fallohide' and that 'fallow' is a light brown or yellow-ish brown tone#but of course i can't rightly know#is it what tolkien intended? i don't know i'm not him i'm just working off some of what he wrote#but it's what he wrote there for us
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various doodles of chapter 7 of the wonderful fic We Start With Small Talk by @three-magpies-in-a-trenchcoat that i did while trying not to be sad about chapters 10 and 11 (everyone go read it right now it's so so good)
[ids in alt]
(also, fun note about the skirts: the skirt with the clouds is what i initially pictured jon wearing, and the gray skirt is what magpie had planned! i couldn't decide which i liked more, so i figured why not draw both :D)
#friday doodles#the magnus archives#fic recs#jonmartin#jonathan sims#martin blackwood#i originally was gonna draw the first doodle digitally (full color too)#but doing anything more than lineart when drawing digitally just murders me. i'm Not Good At Digital Art yet#i still have that drawing and it is done but i don't like it nearly as much#plus these ones were more like what i was picturing--the digital drawing has a much longer skirt#and also lacks the leggings mentioned in the fic. plus in this one i gave jon a mechs shirt :D (i'm picturing the shirt as a soft yellow)#tbh i've been wanting to draw jon in the skirt(s) from this chapter since it was first posted#and i'm really glad how these all turned out!#martin's hair in the third drawing gave me so much grief. and for what. jon's hair is more complicated why was it easier#oh dang i just realized your ao3 username doesn't actually capitalize 'in a' like how i wrote on the page. whoops..#i suppose it's not a huge error#also i don't actually know if you have an established pseudonym on tumblr? i assumed it's magpie but if i'm wrong feel free to correct me
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guhhhh i am struggling so much with ch3
#i'd say i hate it but i also love it like#it's fun to torment conrart while simultaneously letting conrart sit on adalbert's face#and if i keep writing he'll get to like. be a little mean to adalbert lol. in a way that is potentially gonna be ambiguous as to#whether he's just domming without proper negotiation or just being shitty lmao. well we'll see how it ends up coming out#like ch3 and parts of ch4 are the chapters where it gets kinda Unhealthy between them and that's a lot of fun for me#but also it's so humiliating to write LMAO#also agonizing having to like. do exposition. i hate writing exposition#if it were up to me everything would be like. one vivid scene with some dialogue and that would tell you everything. but noooo i had to#go and write a multichap with like. a tiny bit of plot to glue the smut scenes together/give them context#which means i actually need to write that glue#...and i already skipped ahead the other day and wrote the face sitting scene LMAO so i really gotta do the difficult parts now#ofc when i finish ch3 i get to face the void that is ch4...#like i know in summary what happens in ch4 but i don't know the details about the like really vital scene#BUT!!! in ch5 i get to start writing the conzak bits which are possibly my favorite part :) (aside from ch2 which i like a lot)#...i can't believe it takes four fucking chapters just to get connie out of adalbert's house LMAO. im so sorry my boy#you are gonna have some fantastic orgasms and learn some new things about yourself. but at what cost#fic tag
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