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edgeanescence · 3 years

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cytina lore dump

i havent dropped some collected cytina info in a while, so i figured id share some stuff ive come up with for those not in my server lol

rambling under the cut since its super long cause i gotta give yall a good update for waiting so long

Misc.

In terms of pronouns and identity, neither one of them really cares what you use to refer to them as. However for the sake of clarity, I typically say he/him for Cyrus, it/its for Giratina and they/them to refer to them both. Usually the use of he or it will change depending on the one in control of the body.

Cytina does not have any of Cyrus’s old pokemon on hand. When Cyrus was dragged into the Distortion World, the pokeballs fell out of his pockets and left behind.

Cyrus in this AU has the last name of Morozov, just to distinguish him.

Cyrus and Giratina have conflicting favorite flavors. Gira prefers spicy while Cyrus prefers sweet, though Cy will lie and say he prefers dry because he thinks liking sweets make him sound childish.

Cytina will sleep coiled up in Origin Form even in the Distortion World. This is because Cyrus woke up with half of his massive body hanging off one of the floating islands once and it terrified him.

Abilities

Cytina can fly and levitate, obviously. They do not have a need for flapping wings to stay aloft however.

Since Giratina refuses to explain how to use moves to Cyrus, Cyrus has to learn all of Giratina’s moves on his own. He seems to be able to get the hang of physical based attacks sooner then special ones. Status moves such as will-o-wisp fall under special attacks in terms of Cy’s ease of learning.

Cyrus is capable of using Shadow Force to teleport short distances, however he typically has trouble preforming it and teleporting where he would like to. The fun melty thing happens at random when Cyrus executes it.

Cytina can only learn new moves when Giratina is in control of the body. If Cyrus is in control, nothing seems to happen.

Cytina, despite being half human, still counts as a Ghost/Dragon type. This comes with the expected ups and downs, as well as new ones such as not being able to fly in extremely cold weather.

Body

Cytina’s wings are gaseous except for the spikes. The gas part of the wings is able to be passed through, although it behaves strangely. Objects can phase through it, albeit its pace is slowed down considerably. A ghostly chill and strange pressure is sure to be felt by those who touch it, except for Cyrus himself, who is rather unaware of that fact. The large spikes cannot be removed at all, only moved around, which allows Cytina to use them as awkward fingers. He cannot feel pain or pleasure from them, but Cyrus does know if an impact was made in his wings.

Their eyes seem to glow bright neon blue in the dark.

They actually have a blue tongue; this is based off the original sprite coloring for shiny Giratina.

The metal on Cytina is pure platinum; as such they are over 600 pounds in weight, but the metal is easily damaged due to being softer then even tooth enamel. Eating is a pain with metal teeth, even if they are sharp.

In terms of pain, Cyrus cannot feel anything on his arms or metal parts. The metal parts are pure metal with no nerves inside them, and the wings are so gaseous that attacks do nothing to them.

Cytina does not get sick as badly as a human or pokemon would. The two conflicting immunities fucks up the viruses so they are less effective.

Cytina can die, however, they’re much like a vampire. Immortal, can live potentially forever, but if they’re damaged enough they will be slain. Their healing is faster then that of a normal humans, although not superhumanly so. Their metal parts heal extremely slowly and is almost unnoticable.

Cytina bleeds black; its actually pure shadow. When it drips from the wound it seems to look almost like tar, but the moment it hits a surface that is not Cytina, it dissolves in a sense. The shadowy splash remains on the ground a moment before vaporizing completely.

Tears and spit however, are neon blue.

Picking up objects in Altered Form is rather difficult if there is no lip for the spikes to balance on. Occasionally, Cyrus has to ask for help with things he simply cannot handle.

Communication

Giratina does not understand human speak well. Well, at least how to actually say words. It can understand sentences said to it, but has issues talking back when in control of the body. Its usually childish wording and clumsy pauses irritate Cyrus to no end.

Given the chance to finally speak though, Giratina will choose to talk to whoever about whatever it pleases. This includes mentioning things Cyrus does not want mentioned if Giratina was feeling especially petty that day.

Giratina and Cyrus communicate mentally with each other. Giratina cannot speak full sentences, but it does project mental images and feelings into Cyrus that he interprets. Giratina uses this as a way of influencing Cyrus’ choices and trying to prevent him from going back to destroy the planet. However this isn't always intentional and can result in Cyrus having impulses to play with poketoys or eat pokemon food.

Cytina can communicate with pokemon, but its exclusively through Giratina. If it was a normal pokemon, Gira most likely won’t try to communicate with it since Cyrus would have to be a middleman. If the pokemon had telepathy, Gira could hold a conversation with them. Cyrus would register this conversation as a headache because he doesn't understand pokemon speak. The only exception to this is if it was from a pokemon like Mewtwo that already can communicate with humans and pokemon alike. Now, if Giratina was in control of the body, Cyrus doesn't get headaches from the communication. Mainly because Gira will directly talk to whatever pokemon is wishes to speak to. However this might result in it using a mix of pokemon speak and human, so it comes out as a garbled mess. Cyrus still doesn't understand what was being said though unless Giratina tried to elaborate it.. Which won’t go well.

#cytina fusion au #cytina #pkmn #pkmn au #pokemon #giratina #pokemon cyrus #team galactic cyrus #cyrus akagi #galactic leader cyrus

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anchorandrope · 4 years

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twarries

omg twarries, what a complicated topic right?

twarries are the “larries” of twitter, they are not just any “larrie” who uses twitter obvious but they are all the larries that fit the stereotype of the typical “larrie” of twitter.

how is this stereotype?

they are SUPER misinformed, they repeat old or debunked theories constantly, they don't know which photos/videos/things in general are debunked or not, they invent theories with null foundations, they believe in one or more stunts and in which they don’t believe they romanticize them, they believe that freddie is son of louis, they steal theories of tumbrl but they call us bluegreeners, they don’t know or confuse the terms, they normalize toxic relationships, they have no IDEA of the industry (hopefully they know how to differentiate syco, sony, simon and modest from each other), they are super aggressive and to everything that they can’t argue they respond with "kill yourself", they are harassers because they live sending hate messages to your dm’s for every tweet you upload that doesn’t fit their way of thinking, they are between 11-18 years old, they cry for everything, they make drama for everything, after reading a thread of an anti they are already thinking of stopping believing, they literally believe EVERYTHING they read, they have no common sense, etc and i can continue.

i could honestly make an eternal post explaining why it’s wrong to be the kind of person that twarries are but anyone with more than two neurons will realize that isnt good to be like that.

of all the bad things that twarries have, without a doubt the worst is their lack of tolerance to other thoughts, if you don't think like them, they don’t give you arguments to convince you otherwise, they'll bar you with “kill yourself” “weirdo” “psychopath” “deactivate” and i can continue. they don’t understand that a random twitter user isn’t going to change their opinion because they send hate messages at them. this not only shows that they don’t have mental maturity but the null arguments they have above all, why if you have so many arguments do you resort to insult? if you have a lot of arguments, show them right?

each one has different opinions, i don’t share an opinion with billions of people but that isn’t why i’m going to resort to insulting them in that way, it’s an unjustified hatred and worst of all is that they don’t measure what they say, they don’t know how it can affect the other person. nowadays a random user tells me to kill myself and i laugh but if they had done it to me at 15, i probably wouldn't have had a good time. they don’t know the situation of the other person and they don’t know how those words can affect them, it’s hypocritical to share threads about mental health and then say “kill yourself” to every person you come across.

it seems to me that it’s not necessary to continue explaining why it’s wrong to be a twarrie, anyone who thinks can realize that everyone deserves respect.

why do twarries call us bluegreeners to the tumblr ones?

the term bluegreener was started using for people who commented “💚💙” “LARRYYY” “touch your hair if larry is real” and all that bullshit in any live/publication of the boys or their relatives/friends. clearly it’s not necessary to explain that commenting this is useless because just because some idiots tell them that, they won’t confirm larry. in itself it’s unbearable to see a thousand of the same comments in the publications of the boys but it’s worse in the publications of the relatives or friends because it becomes harassment, the lives of their friends or relatives do not revolve around larry.

as time went by, the twarries began to use that term for anyone who doesn’t think like them, so they call us bluegreeners for not believing in babygate, for saying that they dedicate songs for eachother, for basically using our neurons.

as the term lost its original meaning and now they basically use it to refer to “the tumbrl ones” it’s not used here.

conclusion: don’t be a twarrie, get informed🤍

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twarries

omg twarries, que tema tan complicado no?

twarries son lxs “larries” de twitter, no son cualquier larrie que use twitter obvio pero son todxs lxs “larries” que encajan con el esteriotipo de la tipica “larrie” de twitter.

como es este estereotipo?

estan SUPER desinformadxs, repiten teorias viejas o desmentidas constantemente, no sabes que fotos/videos/cosas en general estan desmentidas o no, inventan teorías con fundamentos nulos, creen en uno o mas stunts y en los que no creen los romantizan, creen que freddie es hijo de louis, roban las teorias de tumbrl pero les dicen bluegreeners, no saben o confunden los terminos, normalizan las relaciones tóxicas, no tienen IDEA de la industria (con suerte saben diferenciar entre sí a syco, sony, simon y modest), son super agresivxs y a todo lo que no pueden argumentar responden con “matate”, son acosadorxs porque vivien mandandote mensajes de odio al privado por cada tweet que subis que no encaje con su forma de pensar, tienen entre 11-18 años como muuucho, lloran por todo, hacen drama por todo, despues de leer un hilo de una anti ya estan pensando en dejar de creer, literalmente creen TODO lo que leen, no tienen sentido común, etc y puedo seguir.

sinceramente podría hacer un post eterno explicando porque esta mal ser la clase de persona que las twarries son pero cualquier persona con mas de dos neuronas va a darse cuenta que no esta bueno ser asi.

de todas las cosas malas que tienen las twarries sin duda la peor es su falta de tolerancia a otros pensamientos, si no pensas como ellxs no te tiran argumentos para convencerte de lo contrario, te bardean con “matante” “down” “droppealo” “mogolica” “invalida” “enferma” “desactiva” y puedo seguir. no entienden que un usuario random de twitter no va a cambiar su opinion porque le tiren mensajes de odio. que hagan esto no solo demuestra su poca madurez mental sino los nulos argumentos que tienen sobre todo, por que si tenes tanto argumentos recurris a insultar? si tenes muchos argumentos mostralos no??

cada uno tiene opiniones distintas, yo no comparto opinion con miles de millones de personas pero no por eso voy a recurrir a insultarlos de esa forma, es un odio injustificado y lo peor de todo es que no miden lo que dicen, no saben como le puede afectar a la otra persona. hoy en dia un usuario random me dice que me mate y me río pero si me lo hubieran hecho a los 15 años probablemente no la hubiera pasado bien. no saben la situación de la otra persona y no saben como le pueden afectar esas palabras, es hipócrita ir compartiendo hilos sobre la salud mental y despues decirle “matate” a cada persona con la que te cruzas.

me parece que no es necesario seguir explicado porque esta mal ser twarrie, cualquier persona que piense puede darse cuenta que todxs merecen respeto.

porque lxs twarries nos dicen bluegreeners a lxs de tumbrl?

el termino bluegreener se empezó usando para la gente que comentaba “💚💙” “LARRYYY” “tocate el pelo si larry es real” y todas esas pelotudeces en cualquier vivo/publicación de los chicos o de sus familiares/amigxs. claramente no es necesario explicar que comentar esto es inútil ya que porque unxs boludxs les comenten eso no van a confirmar larry. de por si es insoportable ver mil de comentarios iguales en las publicaciones de los chicos pero es peor en las publicaciones de los familiares o amigxs porque se convierte en acoso, la vida de sus amigos o familiares no gira en torno a larry.

a medida que fue pasando el tiempo, lxs twarries empezaron a usar ese termino para cualquier persona que no piense como ellxs, así que nos dicen bluegreeners por no creer en el babygate, por decir que se dedican canciones, por basicamente usar nuestras neutonas.

como el termino perdió el significado original y basicamente ahora lo usan para referirse a “lxs de tumbrl” aca no se usa.

conclusión: no seas unx twarrie, informate🤍

#twarries

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tsuna-sora · 3 years

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Hi, yes hello. Good day all my gender and none gender darlings <3 This is gonna be a long winded salt post about the current state of mlb and the fandom and if that’s not for you feel free to skip this post as you please dear. I want your comfort as a priority and you do you. And for people who disagree with me I’ll kindly ask you not to engage on this post please keep scrolling and don’t let me have any bearings on your day. I will not interact to dispute this post cause I’m kinda tired of stuff if that’s alright with you. Love you. OKAY. *breaths* As someone who when it comes to Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction only goes into the Adrienette tag and never got the urge to see other ships in fics ever since the start of this show till now, I can safely say that I am indeed an Adrienette shipper.... yah know EXCEPT FOR CURRENT CANON. Because, this may shock everyone who likes this ship, the relationship they have in fanfiction and canon is not the same thing anymore. This series canon writing has been atrocious since the start of S3 (if not the middle of S2 where I could notice things were in the start of going in a weird /later confirmed bad/ direction)

So this is just a thing I wanted to say, hey like could y'all kindly not deliberately go into tags of your notp’s and harass shippers in their own tags/blogs? Cause that’s like, not raaad my dude. \(uwu)/ And tag stuff accordingly if you disagree? Please and thank you for being an amazing human being? And be polite if you wanna debate them? And if your not sure the poster is open to it please first ask/check with them for consent for that debate? :3c

Also can we like not dismiss someone’s extremely valid points and logical points that they wrote/pointed out as flaws and/or good points and well written parts just because *le gasp* they ship Adrienette or Lukanette and/or Adrigami instead of what you ship or is endgame in canon! Blasphemy!

Okay now for the serious note, Marinette is always punished for shit she didn’t do to the point her embarrassment and distress in Truth made me cry and have an attack that later made me finally quit the show. (if you want to see that distress post it’s here) One of my bff’s who writes Adrienette fics on AO3 also hates the writing and destruction of characters in this entire show at this point and agrees that the writing for the characters has been shit, Marinette is both a great person and then suddenly a freak for plot reasons, Adrien is a saint except he literally is not and him not learning lessons is the worst representation and image for young boys ever, every single character has been distorted to fit plot instead of providing it, but they keep watching for lore for their fic and have been explaining to me what happened since then. So yes I know about Lies through them and osmosis of bloggers I follow. And some of them holy molly are Lukanette or Adrigami and even Marigami blogs because that doesn’t matter to me one fucking bit because they’re freakin’ darlings of people who tag stuff properly and aren’t rude to others or have ever been rude to me and the points they make are valid. Just as I also follow a lot of dedicated Adrienette only blogs and in fact what all of these have in common is that when I interact with them or ask stuff they all have been nothing but fluffy bunnies I wanna kidnap into my home.

Just as some other people have also pointed all these things out even tho they are also Adrienette shippers.

( Tipo EU, e outras pessoas muito giras que só shipam Adrienette )

Who have been silenced by the other majority. If you don’t agree with me that’s FINE. That’s why I put that first part of the post informing you that if you read this till this point I don’t want to debate out my experience of Miraculous if it doesn’t mirror yours. And you don’t see the same things I did. That’s okay my dude. :c

IT’S FINE I LOVE YOU ANYWAY AND I WANT YOU HAPPY.

MY POINT IS *deep breaths* someone being a Lukanette shipper saying that Truth is a bad episode and presenting reasons outside their ship for it is valid. An Adrigami shipper pointing out that Lies is badly written and posting logical points that have nothing to do with the ship is valid.

You know what’s not valid?

Dismissing someone’s argument cause you went into their blog and noticed they shipped a certain ship even tho their debate/post had no ships involved as points of argument to begin with and then decided to harass/dismiss them and their post directly at them.

Guys we need to be kinder to each other. We need to respect each other. We need to understand that some people only like the shipping in a show. Some people only like to discuss writing of shows. Some people like to salt, others not at all. Some post things as an outlet not wanting different interaction/debate, others do want people to discuss and debate. ALL OF THIS IS GREAT AND FINE. BUT WE NEED TO RESPECT AND BE KIND TO EACH OTHER.

I have not been a perfect example of this and I am a mature person who can admit this. So if I unintentionally did this to you? I’m sorry. I will hear the person speaking to me and check myself and correct my behavior for next time. And so can you because I believe you are a good person.

I had proof of this very recently where me and someone else had a misunderstanding within a post and we ended up talking and we cleared up stuff. Turns out that person did not want to make me feel bad at all. We just had a case of me being a none English speaker and not being able to make my entire point super cohesive and them getting a wrong idea and it snowballing from there.

Which is also something I wanna point out. Please don’t forget that some people aren’t native English speakers and may not be able to explain themselves fully to you or cohesive enough. Be patient and before you think they are debating something without pointing out this thing or x forgot to point out something in their post ask them about it politely if they have an opinion on it or if maybe they forgot to mention? Jesus where am I going with this post at this point. Okay what I want everyone to take away from this is that we shouldn’t be fighting each other. We shouldn’t be dismissing and harassing each other. You know what we should be doing? Beating up Thomas Austruc and his writing team with sticks and DEMANDING BETTER WRITING FOR THIS SHOW AND ALL OUR SHIPS BE THEY CANON OR NOT ALL OF US TOGETHER---- Okay pitch fork revolution idea aside I just wanted to stop people from using a ship as a means to hurt each other. We all liked or still like MLB and I want us to be above this stuff. I believe in us cause I’m a stupid shounen protag whose hopes die last when it comes to people. I love you all okay? I seriously do. I’ve had a lot of fun when it comes to the fandom of MLB. I love seeing people post cute art of my ship. I love seeing cute art of Lukanette, I love seeing cute art of Adrigami and Nino and Alya, and Nino or Adrien and JuleRose. I love the gifs, the salt, the cute content, the mostly lore debated stuff etc. I LOVE IT ALL. And I’m not giving up on us. And I bet 100% that you aren’t either you stupidly beautiful human being. *kisses your cheek with your consent* This has been again a very rare self post. And I bid you all goodnight.

#miraculous ladybug #Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir #ml salt #ml positivity #personal post #All ships are valid #I love you #I believe in this fandom #We will get there #Don't let others dictate how you feel about this show and that includes myself #I have no idea what to tag and it's very obvious #Can yall tell this was written very poorly thought out cause my brain is fried?

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chaoticowlpost · 4 years

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Hi GiRa, I don’t know if you do this, but do you have Captive Prince fic Recs? I’ve followed you for the Draco/Harry content, but Damen and Laurent looked like something I would enjoy so I’ve read all the books last week. It was sooooo good 😍 and now I need all the quality fic in my life. Please help!

Hello nonnie~ Yes omg I do have fic recs but I’m afraid they may be a little biased as of now haha. That’s because I leaned towards fics in the setting of the canon when I first started but then slowly began reading Modern AU fics as I went- and I haven’t gone through nearly enough fics yet,- so I’ll probably have to do another sweep of all the fics on AO3, BUT here are some fics I’d love to recommend to start with

1. @mfingenius

That’s it, that’s the tweet. HBFSJDF okay no I’m joking but I absolutely love their works and they were the one who introduced me to capri. There’s a bunch of short fics on their account that I like to indulge in constantly and you should definitely check it out because there’s too many for me to just pick one!

2. itallends ( @goldencuffs )

For Better, for Worse (9.2k) - Laurent arches an eyebrow. “I am married, Jord.”

Jord blinks at him slowly. “…To your job?”

“To a man.”

Jord’s eyes fall on Laurent’s bare left hand.

”Right,” he says.

Or: five times Laurent says he’s married, and the one time everyone finally believes him.

Receipts and Reciprocity (9.5k) - Damen has a thing for buying Laurent stuff.

I love their works with my whole heart nobody touch me hnfdgjg but seriously these are some of my favorite fics! They’re both Modern AUs if that’s what you’re looking for and partial reason as to why I started opening up more towards Non-Canon setting fics.

3. waywardwriter

Courts, Crowns, and A Little Game of Chess (55k) - In an attempt to diffuse the rising tensions between Akielos and Vere, Prince Auguste invites a group of Akielon ambassadors to the Veretian court. He expects many things to come out of this visit: trade agreements, festivities and celebrations, and perhaps the emergence of better diplomatic relations between the two nations. What he did not expect, however, was for his younger brother to take an interest in the Crowned Prince of Akielos.

AKA: The fic where Laurent is a reserved, bookish, hero-worshipping boy who meets Prince Damianos for the first time.

Waking Up To You (1.7k) - Damen wakes up from his wisdom teeth surgery only to find the most beautiful man in the world sitting beside him.

I couldn’t help but insert Waking Up To You 😞 It’s a weakness because why wouldn’t I want a high-as-balls Damen just being in love with Laurent in general. The first fic, however, is up among one of my favorites. Damen courting Laurent? Sign me the fuck up! This was so well written I just fell in love with all of the characters.

4. DisraeliGears

Anything For You (39k) - Laurent will do anything for Damen. Including make friends with Nikandros…if he must.

The story of Nikandros and Laurent’s friendship.

A Party of Our Own (5.5k) - Nikandros escapes Damen’s party for some alone time…and ends up locked in the wine cellar with Laurent. As one could probably imagine, some snarking happens. And some airing of grievances.

These fics are mainly Nikandros and Laurent building a relationship and getting to understand one another and I’m absolutely HERE for it! The characterization of Laurent was so well done and Anything For You is also among my top favorites because of how intense it was towards the end and just everything Laurent did in general, but through Nikandros’ eyes (even better!)

5. damnmads & The Librarina (tears_of_nienna)

Pawn Sacrifice (85k) - The war with Akielos has settled into an uneasy alliance, and Prince Damianos is sent to spend a year at Arles. Seven years later, he returns to Vere to offer condolences to King Auguste on the death of his father. But Auguste’s younger brother is much changed, as is the political climate in Vere, and Prince Laurent is the target of an assassin. When Damen returns to Akielos, an unexpected guest is sent with him—but danger follows, and the fate of two kingdoms hangs in the balance.

What might have changed if Auguste lived—and what was inevitable, even so.

Another Auguste Lives AU because I love him and yes (the best brother™) . This is a slow burn fic about how the story might have gone if Auguste lived to become king and how Damen and Laurent’s relationship might have gone. It’s quite a lengthy read but I think it’s a great fic to immerse yourself in if you’ve got the time

6. Just_Another_Day

Five Times Laurent and Damen Unintentionally Caused an International Incident (and One Time They Meant To) (28k) - Everyone in the world knows for a fact that Laurent and Damen despise each other with a burning passion despite their countries supposedly being allies. Strangely, though, the two of them seem to have missed that whole ‘hatred’ memo. Nikandros really doesn’t get paid enough to deal with this shit.

The title says it all and it’s absolutely perfect! Pray for Nikandros and give him a raise in this Modern Royalty AU because Damen and Laurent can’t keep their feels out of view for anything so watch as these boys in love make Nikandros lose 10 years of his life.

7. thewriterofperfectdisasters

kimihia (22k) - Laurent frowned and drummed his fingers against his laptop as he considered what to say. In theory, nothing was stopping him from going to Greece. Nothing was stopping him from maybe running into someone he met over Tinder. The only thing standing in his way was his own apprehension and mistrust about the whole situation.

A Modern AU with the help of online dating because why not. This is such a feel good AU and it just makes me so happy to read it so I hope you like it as well

8. Entity_Sylvir

How Not To Court A Veretian Prince (13k) - “He was—” Damen breaks off, swallows hard, pauses in the manner of a man soundly failing to find an explanation in what he is trying to explain, “—really pretty.”

“What,” says Nikandros, “the fuck.”

The first time Damen meets Laurent, he mistakes him for a pet. It doesn’t go well.

No one lets him forget it.

Words cannot DESCRIBE how much I love this fic! The fanart, the way Damen’s actions come to haunt him, and Laurent being a little shit™ in the best way had me cackling and just everything about this fic had me in love.

9. dawnofthursday ( @americancupsofbritishtea )

The Pitfalls of being Overprotective (2.2k) - Auguste makes a discovery, and then wishes he hadn’t.

Another fic that had me screaming because Auguste deserved whatever he got in this fic for being big brother™. I’m not sure what else to say without spoiling it because this is absolutely hilarious but you gotta read the tags (PLEASE READ THE TAG IT’S GREAT)

10. LaLaCat1

The Oath (78k) - Young prince Laurent arrives in time to stop the killing blow from falling at Marlas. A split second decision has Damen swearing Auguste an oath to protect his younger brother, and it’s not until he brings the Veretian princes back to parley with his father that Damen realizes how difficult that oath will be to keep.

Okay so this fic is also kinda intense but it’s another AU about what would happen if Auguste lived and the amount of feels and stress (good stress) that came with this fic was just.. damn. I’ve lost sleep on this fic and every moment was worth it so if you’re interested in this type of fic, definitely give it a read when you can!

There are probably a few more in my list somewhere that I haven’t been able to update but here are a few to get you started! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did and I hope I was able to help

By the way, if anyone knows the tumblr accounts of the authors I tagged, could you please tell me? I’d love to give them a follow to keep up with them and help others find their accounts as well if they’re interested!

#ask #anon #fic recs #captive prince #lamen

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amisbro · 3 years

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Alright let’s talk about it again

So on twitter recently I saw someone talking about how UtaPri became “divided” as it were. This is funny to me because of the fact that I literally made a post about this on here not that long ago and so I thought we would have this discussion again “Is the fandom actually divided?” I mean to a degree...yeah you can say that and I don’t like writing that but its something which is an unavoidable truth. The biggest reason for this is well...because HEAVENS has become a fixture in the series and I can guarantee you that if they hadn’t the fandom would have been a lot closer and more unified because you wouldn’t have the camps that want to see HEAVENS more involved in the franchise and those that have been pretty much indifferent to them as is. This has caused a bigger clash than it should have because...a lot of the time now when things get announced you will more than likely start to see people go “Where’s HEAVENS?” And I mean look...I get why people get annoyed with this because you just want to enjoy the content without hearing this a lot. I respect that actually but we still need to understand this: As long as HEAVENS is included in the series there will be people that want them included in more media beit an Anime season ,their own Stage , A VN etc etc etc so if you are sick of hearing it I do apologize but you have to understand that not REALLY getting the content that say a QN or a STARISH gets is pretty annoying. I’m genuinely shocked that Broccoli included them in the Prince Cats line and more surprised that Int’l fans didn’t pitch a fit because of the fact that they are included on the announcement in the UtaPri twitter instead of...you know...on their OWN twitter?! Now if you think this is harsh cool...I get it but the thing is that ,when it comes to Shining Live, there are projects or songs that have had HEAVENS in them and then KLab doesn’t include (at the very least) the songs which is weird! It’s almost like SL tries to write this Canon where HEAVENS doesn’t exist even though they have to promote a CD project that might have had songs for them IN IT! The PERFECT example is this: So we had the songs “SUPER STAR” “This Is...” and “GENESIS” (not the band but HEAVENS’ song) released and of course the big thing they did WAS...release the first two but...not include the third What happened? Well of course apparently people got irritated because of the fact that (I guess) people wanted the HEAVENS song to be included and the fans from the STARISH/QN contingent got annoyed with it. I get it trust me and I respect that people got annoyed but what we need to also remember is that was literally a song included on ONE DISC! It’s not like the song was a separate song (Like GIRA SEVEN and Secret Shangri-La were) but it was a song on one disc. The song doesn’t get used and I guess that people were irritated. Now the argument that is always heard is “Well its called Shining Live” It is...and I wonder if we have started to see a drop off because of that branding? Like okay look..,we get that people will say that HEAVENS is “too new” or “They don’t have enough songs” but I would like to remind people that HEAVENS as a whole has been around since about 2013. The original Incarnation debuted on 6/6/2013 so that is what we go by there. Now if we go with the argument of “They don’t have enough songs” Well really who’s fault is that? It’s clear that Broccoli spends a lot of time getting Agematsu to write songs and so forth for STARISH and QN so of course they have a lot more songs...when you literally have only one CD a year (Group CD kids) its harder to build up a catalog of songs for HEAVENS. But this goes into the whole thing about the fandom being “divided” YES the fandom has this problem and it won’t be going away anytime soon I’m afraid. Literally it will go away when one of two things happens 1. The series ends 2. HEAVENS gets closer to proper representation in the franchise...if I am honest the former seems more likely It is also fascinating to see that its been...6 years since we had a proper VN for the franchise and if we remember the inclusion of HEAVENS in Dolce Vita was announced back in 2017 and if I remember the hype for their inclusions was about that of the “explosion” in the Omega/Moxley Barbed Wire match...in simpler terms it was basically sparklers! Trust and believe though if that had been an announcement of a new STARISH VN there would have been hype for weeks about it! The problem here is that the fandom on the whole (Japanese and International) seems “Okay” with the concept of the two “Main groups” getting all the content while HEAVENS fans gets scraps. Literally the frustration that has to be bottled up because fans of HEAVENS are basically told to “be quiet” is like the worst part of it. It would be NICE if instead of that happening the fandom tried to get “close to equal treatment” for all three groups and then maybe this “division” I read about in a tweet would go away. The problem is every time it feels like it could some drama starter has to take a blog post from here and remind people about the “NEXT DOOR Mess” (which I have moved past for the most part btw) and instead of moving the hell on and trying to welcome HEAVENS fans into the fold...that part doesn’t happen (or at the very least) not on the Int’l side. It would be nice to not have to have drama and just have people enjoy the series and not have to have group chats on twitter that are basically “HEAVENS fans group chats”. It would be nice instead to have GC where we can all chat about the series and things we are looking forward to (I ,for one, am looking forward to the next step of the “Road to 7th Stage” myself) but we have to get rid of the division. Trust me when I tell you I don’t want to be talking about this again this time NEXT YEAR! Somehow we have to become a “Family” (or the closest thing to it) again and do I know how we are going to do that? NOPE but I am open to suggestions. Here is something I feel I need to clear up Do I have my bias in the UtaPri series? Yes and we know who it is Do I hate either of the other two groups? No and if you honestly think that then that is a YOU problem! Do I still enjoy the series for what it is? Yes of course but again I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have my group and I want the best for them. Some might argue that is what is detracting for it and you know what? You might be onto something but I am stubborn to a fault...I’m a Gemini so that is basically a given sadly. Let me end on this Am I excited for the next “Project” for UtaPri? I’m more curious to understand what the hell it actually is! Am I excited for 7th stage? I mean yeah since its been 4 years plus since we had one! Like no joke the last time we had one TRUMP was in office! Ponder that for a second. Trump was in office and Brexit happened in the same year (I remember that too. Watched it on facebook when they had the Leave/Remain vote). Am I excited to see the next “Pure HEAVENS” project down the line? We shall see. I’d prefer an actual Anime project but if they get something like whatever STARISH and QN will get then fine. I just need to understand what the hell it is! You know what I am most excited for? The day when we can stop being basically the “Shining Agency” camp and the “Raging Entertainment” (HEAVENS) camp and just be a family again...let’s try to get there and see what happens no? take it easy

#Amisbro #Uta no Prince-Sama #fandom division #Shining Live #CDs #HEAVENS #QUARTET NIGHT #STARISH

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curiousobjecthead · 4 years

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Sexism and double standards, and canon expectations

i know i know, today’s topic was more about shipping, wasn’t it ? and like this it doesn’t really sound like it has anything to do with it, right ?

well !!! we’ll see about that !

for everyone that follows me, y’all know that i am The OC advocate. what is up with nox again ? oh, you know, complaining about how ocs are treated in the community. this time, however, we’re gonna spice things up a lil’ bit.

we spoke about female characters a while ago ! about female ocs, and how they’re perceived. or about shipping with ocs, at all ! and while we can all agree that this situation sucks a whole lot, right ?

HOWEVER !!! We did NOT speak about canon characters !

because that’s right, they’re also here, and they are also facing struggles ! but what kind of struggles, nox, i hear you scream. well that’s simple.

welcome, to this long post, that you can totally reblog if you want to.

CANON CHARACTERS - A FANDOM’S WHOLE EXPECTATION

don’t tell me you don’t have those. everybody has those ! it goes from shipping, to how a character should be portrayed, it’s out there, everywhere, and more characters than others suffer from it. in fact, a while ago, this post from @champizard roamed around ( hey jay B) ), and i am linking it here because it proves one of my points.

► when you roleplay a canon character, there are SHIPPING EXPECTATIONS.

leon and sonya, leon and raihan, raihan and piers, nessa and sonya, nessa and milo, and oh, here it is, the examples i hate the most, but guzma and lusamine and maxie and archie.

note that i am not here to bash on any ship. we all got different tastes. this a community ! but we got a point where we gotta draw the line.

the problem here, is that someone, let us say, someone that roleplays a nessa (which is an example i’m gonna use A Lot on this post), who do you think is going to try to ship with them? the answer is: milos, and sonyas, mainly. because that is what the fandom wants. because those ships are the ones the fandom cheriches. because that is what you see the most in the fandom, because those are popular ships, and because THIS is what the fandom EXPECTS.

once again, don’t get me wrong. ship what you ship, and have fun as a duo. what matters is that this is all consensual, talked about, y’know, something both parties feel hella comfortable with.

emphasis on consensual and comfortable.

i’ve had friends leave fandoms because they were forced a ship upon, and not only by roleplayers that played the other side of the ship, but by the community itself. had friends not knowing how to feel exactly, because they had these waves of characters, ALL THE SAMES, comin’ at them like hurricanes, all for one thing, and them not shipping that, or simply not being that much into shipping.

canons are expected to be shipping outlets, and if for ocs, that is seen as a bad thing, for canons, you bet your ass it is positive. and especially if it is a popular character. we’ve had the guzmas, now it’s the leons, i feel, y’know?

so now that we talked about that, let’s tackle the other two subjects, yeah ? starting with good ol’ sexism.

FEMALE MUSES AND WHAT THEY ALL GO THROUGH

we talked about female ocs. we talked about how they’re treated. about how female ocs are frowned upon, more than male ocs. about how they are seen as objects, shipping outlets, little accessories that nobody really wants. you got a female oc? and she’s nice, and good-looking, and strong? she’s likeable? ah, you must be here for the shipping, you disgusting bag of dicks! and she’s absolutely a mary sue, you absolutely do not know how to write a character !

and this example right there not only happened to me and many others, but also totally killed my muse for a very long while, and i still feel sometimes self-conscious about logging on that blog. y’all see what happens to creativity when you say shit like that ?

but, lo and behold, THE OTHER WAY AROUND ALSO EXISTS

i am talking about female characters that are so oversexualised by the fandom, the character now depicted by a roleplayer is seen as what the fandom sees it: a meat market.

the unwanted ‘step on me queen’, the ‘you’re fine, girl’, the forced shipping, the unwanted sexism, the expectation of NSFW.

and i’m gonna drop here, once again, the nessa case: nessa, a beautiful woman, nessa, a strong character, nessa, beautiful nessa, who’s likeable also, is loved by the fandom, and here’s the double standards.

and here’s everyone wanting to ship with her.

oversexualisation of a character is not something seen with canon characters only -- a friend of mine, @exspiravited, got the same kind of trouble with Gira, their giratina gijinka oc, and here is the post.

sexism and oversexualisation in the community isn’t something uncommon, and something that, frankly? nobody fucking talks about. yet it is there, it is well alive, and the community eats it without noticing. the community feeds on it, the same community that looks down upon some kind of characters and how they are depicted, does the exact fuckin’ same. yeah i see you. i see you sending weird anons, weird, disgusting anons, or forcing ships on someone else when you’re not even roleplaying a character of that ship.

if someone wants to be thisrty on their blog? they can do it themselves. they don’t need outside, unwanted help. they’re doing just fine, don’t worry.

so yeah, that’s done ! hey, double standards ! let’s talk about that !

this one is gonna be more about ocs, that we all know and i love, because once again, i saw some shit.

y’all know dosh’te. you know, the character on this blog? y’all know it wasn’t easy. people would often tell me that an objecthead shouldn’t be in the pokémon universe, that it’s weird, that it shouldn’t be there.

same people absolutely adore ball guy.

you can understand the euphoria, and sadness, and anger i felt, once i noticed all that.

an oc will never be, can never be, and will never be accepted like a canon character is.

this is the double standard, that we already tackled before. y’know, with female characters and all? and shipping? ocs are always getting the scrapes.

don’t get me wrong - i get it ! sometimes i also frown slightly at an oc bio, but then i realize, why the fuck should i? this canon character does this, right? and then it hit me -- we are still in the mindset that creativity, when it comes to an oc, is ALWAYS A BAD THING.

your oc’s an objecthead? no can do! your gym leader oc is also a model? where they got that time from?! no, shut up! you can do that -- oh hey, ball guy and nessa !

your oc cannot be something too much. why so? they are seen as a mary sue. how do i know that? because my very own character, aria, was accused as such, many times.

if your character is too strong, you’re powerplaying, they’re a mary sue. if you character is known, you’re powerplaying, they’re a mary sue. if your character is pretty, they’re a mary sue -- come on. we already talked about this yall.

so there you have it ! thanks for making it this far !

what my sick, twisted, impidimp hands forced me to write on a monday evening. in the end, what have we learned ? to be nice and understanding. this is a community yo, we gotta look out for each other, watch each other’s backs. this how shit works. if we’re ganging up on each other, and making this a pretty unsafe place, then, what’s the point ?

don’t forget to read the rules, read the bio, and if you got any more questions ? be nice, and ask away.

peace B)

#ᶠᵘᶜᵏᵉʳ ᵒᶰᶫᶦᶰᵉ ⚡ || mun #[ vent tag ]#[ idk if its venting or nah ]#[ psa tag ]#[ yeah more like it i guess ??? i should have an oc discourse tag ]

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alolanrain · 4 years

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I'm not sure if this fits what you wanted but I hope you like it either way.

~~~~~

There’s a man at Ash’s feet, broken and bleeding and half-way dead. If someone were to take a glance, they wouldn’t recognise the body as human, only a red mutilated lump. A second glance would show a bloodied and torn suit barely holding the form together. Only on the third glance would show matted brown hair and the slow choked movements of life.

There’s a man at Ash’s feet, broken and bleeding and half-way dead.

And Ash was the one who put him there.

Ash put him there after ripping through the scared, the power hungry or just plain stupid of his followers. Only those that had even a smidgen of self-preservation were spared as they fled for their lives when Ash stormed through their hideout, power leaking from him and him alone.

No Pokémon.

No friends.

No allies.

No back-up.

Not even his ever-present Pikachu was there.

Only Ash and a blood-thirsty smile.

Once Ash had kicked the door down, he had stared at the Man behind the desk who tried to glare back but could only stare at the young trainer’s forehead, unable to meet the sheer rage in the glowing whiskey eyes.

To the Man’s credit, his Pokémon put up a fight, but also bowed under the rage of the Chosen One.

And it was only the fact they were a Pokémon that saved their life as Ash bodily threw the creature from the room, locking them in a closet.

Dread had only had but a moment to take root in the Man’s heart before Ash lunged at him, death and rage screaming in his eyes.

It shouldn’t have been, but the punch was a surprise. As was the second. As was the kick to the groin.

Eventually the Man fought back, wrapping broad hands around a thin neck only for fingers to scratch at his eyes. He recoiled and let out a pained gasp as a punch collided with his ribs. There was a crack.

And another and another, each in time with the fists that pounded against his side.

The man scrambled for his desk, for the gun he had hidden, only for calloused fingers to cling to his jacket and pull him back with far too much strength for such a small body.

Said body collides with his, sending them both to the ground and caused the Man to scream as his broken and cracked ribs caved inwards from the weight.

Ash sat on the Man’s chest, crushing him further, and sent punch after punch into the Man’s face.

CRACK!

The Man’s nose shattered under a blow.

CRACK!

The Man’s eyes would be black and blue and bloodshot for months if he lived.

CRACK!

The Man’s jaw dislocated and several teeth were ripped from their place.

He swung back with the desperation of a cornered animal and caught Ash off-guard in a lucky swing.

Ash fell backwards and smashed his head against the corner of the desk, leaving a deep cut than gushed blood down the side of his face. He blinked the blood out of his eyes and lunged for the Man’s foot as he scrambled to his feet.

Ash clung on and lashed out with another foot, forcing the knee to bend in the complete opposite direction of how it was supposed and making the Man scream.

The two fell and there was a struggle, fists and kicks flying until there was a gurgle and a rasp and then silence but for the heavy breathing of one set of lungs.

Ash spits at the broken but still breathing form under him and can barely hear the sound of the office door opening behind him as he stands, dripping with the blood of both himself and of his defeated enemy.

“Wh..ASH?!”

Ash turns to see Council Member, Gira. Of all the people to find him, Ash is glad it’s him. Someone who won’t tell anyone what happened here, not even Head Council Ace. Someone who will understand the sheer rage that happened here.

“Ash, what…” Gira visibly startles at the sight that is at Ash’s feet. “Is that…Giovanni?”

The Man, who would have been instantly recognisable as the Boss of Team Rocket once but is now nothing more than a pummelled mess, remained unconscious with tiny raspy breaths, barely clinging to life.

Gira stares at him before turning wide eyes to Ash who stares back defiantly.

“Why?”

Ash thinks for a moment and comes up with too many reasons to vocalise.

He did it for the pokemon who suffer under Team Rocket, stolen, abused and chained.

He did it for Mewtwo who came to him, hollow eyed and trembling after one night terror too many.

He did it for Meowth and Jessie and James who admire their boss but fear him so much more after having their teammates taken from them time and time again. Who chased after him for years in the dismal hope of just a scrap of recognition.

He did it for Meloetta who nearly died for Giovanni’s thirst for power.

He did it for Kanto who has long been crushed under his foot and flinching at his shadow.

He did it for his mother whose husband came back to them in a box because he dared to stand against some of their thieves.

He did it for Champion Red who was driven to isolation because of his win against the Team.

He did it for every trainer whose Pokémon was stolen from them through no fault of their own.

He did it for Hoenn and Sinnoh and Kalos and Unova and Alola and Galar who will never know the tyranny of Team Rocket.

He did it because no one else would.

Everyone forgets that for there to be ash, there must be fire first and it has long been foretold that the world will turn to ash.

There’s a man at his feet, broken and bleeding and half-way dead, and there’s a god, concerned and worried and relieved, staring at him.

And all Ash can do is burn.

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cieloxcnco · 5 years

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yo te haré mía (cnco) - ch7

Chapter 7

Words: 3,900+

Warnings: little suggestive sexy stuff, nothing too awful. but God knows i’m not the best judge. Only two sentences of a sex scene frfr

A/N: pretty major note- now fully in third person POV. hope that hasn’t thrown anyone off.

chapter 1 is here chapter 2 is here chapter 3 is here chapter 4 is here chapter 5 is here chapter 6 is here if you need to catch up

Upon entering the agreed upon location for brunch, Isabella stormed directly to Kaja and swatted at her arm. “Ow! What was that for?” she squealed, rubbing the afflicted area. “Still can’t believe you didn’t tell me he knocked you up,” Isabella grumbled as she sat down across the cafe table from her friend. “The pill isn’t perfect,” was all Kaja could surmise, shrugging her shoulders as she too sat down. “Not only that,” Isa conjured. “I’m just shocked you both finally lost your virginities to each other. Like it was about time. But now from that idea alone to suddenly being engaged was unreal. I felt badly because Naomi kind of took over discussions that night and I didn’t get to really talk to you about much.” “It honestly just all happened so quickly. I missed my period, I told Joel because I was nervous, we took a test, we went to the doctor who confirmed it, and a week later he got down on one knee. I didn’t expect it, but I honestly think when he told his family about it that they pushed the idea into his head. You know how traditional they are in their ideals. He never really so much as kissed anyone before me, and now all of a sudden there’s a baby involved? It was almost all instantaneous and then he was telling me I’m the love of his life and he wants to spend it all as my husband.” “He also,” Isa interjected, “might be considering a lot in the idea of his public image. Not that it minimizes the fact that he does want to get married, of course, but he’s always been el inocente and now he’s gotten his girlfriend pregnant. He went from not even knowing whether he wanted to be arriba or abajo to now he obviously as done enough of both to have successfully put a baby up in there.” Kaja laughed and playfully smacked at Isa’s shoulder. “Will you shut up?” Isa giggled to herself. “While we’re on the subject, which does he in fact prefer?” “Oh my god,” Kaja choked, her face flushing bright red before she hid it in her cupped hands. After taking a small sip of coffee, she straightened in her chair. “Well I have the new sonogram pictures, but there’s no point. You can’t see much more than a speck. Joel at first thought it was an habichuela.” Isa cackled at the thought of Joel spinning the print of the ultrasound in his hands, searching for his baby behind what he thought was a bean. “Well you know,” she began once she stopped laughing, “that if you ever need any help with anything, Jasmyn and I are here for you. I’ve been there and back with everything pregnancy related so no question is stupid and I’ll be there when the boys are stuck traveling around and Joel can’t be with you.” Kaja reached for her friend’s hands across the table and squeezed them between her own. “Thanks, Isa. Love you.” Isa winked. “Love you too, mama. You know that.” Kaja let her hands go so they both were able to grab their drinks and sip. “So, we both have babies incubating, and that’s great, but I want to check on you.” Isa’s eyes widened slightly and she sat a little more straight in her chair. “So have you talked about names and what gender he’s hoping for?” Kaja rolled her eyes. She had expected deflection. “Isa. I only want to help.” Isa’s shoulders fell, her body surrendering and abandoning its defensive stance. “I know that, mama. I just… There’s nothing to help.” “There’s always a way to help,” Kaja offered. “It just has to be discussed to find out what that help can be.” The waiter stopping to take their orders was a distraction for only a moment. Once they thanked him and he stepped away, Isa knew just by the look in Kaja’s eyes that she wasn’t going to let it go. Isabella nervously tucked loose hair behind her ear. “Zabdiel and I had a bit of a… discussion the other night and he’s been avoiding me more than usual the past two days. We haven’t really spoken.” Kaja sighed quietly. It killed her to see two people she cared about so deeply start to lose grip on a relationship she had always admired. Perhaps she’d only liked the way it appeared looking at it from the outside. “What was the discussion?” Isa busied herself with stirring her spoon idly around her teacup. “God, I could use a mimosa instead right now.” Kaja waited patiently for a response without interrupting. Her friend might need to be given a moment, but she would come around and speak. The quiet was broken by Isa’s phone vibrating on the tabletop to alert her of a text message from her lover. Cada segunda que no estas conmigo es una eternidad. He decorated the beginning of the lyric with musical note emojis and the end with his favorite smiley sticking its tongue out. Pensando en ti siempre, nena. Te amo tanto. A second buzz from another text from Christopher. ¿Que haces, mi vida? Her fingers danced across her screen in a fast reply, eager to take advantage of a moment when the band wasn’t engaged in an activity that he could correspond with her. Comiendo brunch con Kaja, hablando del bebe y todo. Te extraño, mi principe. ¿Que hacen ustedes? “Isa?” Kaja pushed to bring her focus back. Seeing her friend would not relent, she placed her phone face up on the table and sighed. “He had promised he would spend the evening with Joaquin because he’s gone so much. He spent time at the studio but afterwards went out to dinner with Carlos and had too much to drink. As soon as he came home, I was angry because Quin was so upset all night and all Zabdiel wanted to do was forget about that and have sex. I said no and that our relationship should be more than that. It should be fun, love, caring about our family and I feel like he’s putting that to the wayside. I know he’s working on the new music a lot, but at some point make me feel like I matter. Right now I feel like a broken record, repeating however many times that I should mean more to him than just being there to have sex and have his kids.” Kaja broke from nibbling her lower lip to speak. “He does love you, Isa.” “He may,” Isa offered. “But this has been so stressful it’s enough to make the baby pop out at any minute. So I told him… Maybe it’s time to let this go. And he posted a very fitting cover on his instagram the next day after the radio show like a petty teenage girl.” Kaja gently rolled her cup around between her closed hands. “So you think it’s over?” Isa took a short gulp of tea and let out an unsure murmur as she swallowed. “We haven’t said the words. But we know where we both stand.” Kaja tapped her nails along the table anxiously. “At this precipice in limbo, neither of you wanting to make a move to better it or cut ties?” She laughed in spite of herself. “Yeah, I suppose.” Her phone shook against the table again so she looked down and read a reply from Christopher. Estoy aqui solo en la oficina del director. ¿Recuerdas que el gestor iba a organizar un camefeo papel para mí en esa película este verano después de la gira? She had forgotten. But that proud feeling was immediately washed away by realizing that Zabdiel was not with the band recording as he had said he would be. “He’s still avoiding me,” Isa said, clicking her tongue in her mouth. “I thought he was recording with the band today. Chris just said they’re not all together.” Kaja tried to change the subject to bring her friend’s anxiety down. “Is that Chris who keeps texting you?” Isabella nodded immediately, not realizing until after she had that the safer response probably would have been to deny it. Kaja scoffed. “You both get on so well and when he isn’t being his wacky, weird self he’s really thoughtful and insightful. I’m sure he’s probably been helpful through all this. You always light up when you talk to him.” Isa nodded again, slower this time. “You know how his stupid comments just make you laugh.” Kaja laughed at an obvious memory. “Claro. So maybe try and get some feedback from him about it. I’m sure he’s the most understanding and mature about it. That is… if you want to try to work it out.” Isa’s upper teeth gnawed on her lower lip. “I feel like… everything we built our life on was only because I got pregnant. Since Joaquin was born we’ve just been trying to hold together, pretending that it’s alright. Maybe the foundation that we had wasn’t strong enough to support the weight and responsibility of a family.” Kaja took the final sip of her coffee and gave a hesitant smile. “Sometimes when there’s a weak foundation in something, all that’s needed to make it better is to stop, go back to where you started, and reinforce it.” Isa bit the end of her drinking straw rather than continue to bite her lip. “How?” The waiter came and interrupted again, setting their plates down on the table. Kaja smiled and took a quick bite. “Marriage is proving difficult. Go back and date again like teenagers - build it up from the start. Don’t have sex immediately, let it be about getting to know each other again. See if that helps, if that makes it worth it. I know Joel told Zabdi to do the same thing.” Isa had picked up her knife and fork but, upon hearing that, instantly put them down, almost offended. “Joel suggested that to him? He spoke to Joel about all this?” A cringe flashed across Kaja’s face, realizing the slip of her tongue that she shouldn’t have allowed, but her friend also deserved the entire truth. “This bothered him just as much. He doesn’t know exactly how to handle it either. So maybe taking that step toward the same idea might help things. But I mean, Isa, you have to vent about it or you’ll lose your mind. You don’t think he’s entitled to do the same?” As suddenly as she’d become angry, she exhaled the emotion and relaxed. “I guess.” Her phone vibrated on the table again and she realized she’d forgotten to answer Chris so he’d probably written back with something. But her husband’s name flashed across the screen with a new message. Erick y Yanelis van a llegar a la casa con Joaquin a la 5. Yo estare alli pa pasar un ratito con el. Despues, tenemos que hablar. All she could muster to type back was an Okay. Kaja tried to study Isa’s change in expression to sense the emotion of her thought process. “I mean, do you really want to fix it?” Isa anxiously pressed the lock button on the side of her phone repeatedly, only to have that make the lock screen picture of Zabdiel holding Joaquin high in his arms flash on and off. Joaquin’s smile while being in his father’s arms couldn’t be denied. It didn’t matter if her heart was sad, that happy smile on her baby boy’s face meant more. He was everything. This family deserved a chance to rebuild. “Yeah, I really do.” - Zabdiel rapped his knuckles against the front door to his bandmate's mansion, then shoved his hands into his pockets anxiously. Spilling his soul to Joel during a moment of frustration was one thing. He'd just been frustrated, quiet, and tense, so when Joel had asked what was wrong it was the dam breaking. Zabdiel told him everything. Almost everything. But Chris he could be a little more candid with. Closer in age and experiences, as well as being a close friend with his wife, Zabdiel figured that Christopher would be able to give him more insight as to the direction he should begin taking. He was a little taken aback when a female figure clothed in only an oversized t-shirt answered the door instead of his friend. "Krista. ¿Como estas?" She smiled widely at Zabdiel, shifting her weight to her other leg, her bare feet still arched as if she were wearing heels. "¿Bien, y tu?" He focused his eyes on hers, ignoring how scantily she was dressed and how long her legs appeared when she stood on the balls of her feet as she was. "Bien. ¿Donde esta Chris?" She shrugged, turning around and walking across the foyer. "Meeting at management about a small role in a show or something. Should be back early evening." Zabdiel stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "I won't bother you, then. I just wanted to talk to him for a bit." She giggled, sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island. "Is that really why you're here, Zabdiel?" His eyebrows knit together. "¿De qué hablas?" She let her hair down from her ponytail and let her clasped hands fall between her spread legs. "He is one of your best friends. You didn't know he had that meeting today and wouldn't be home? You didn't want to come over when we would have the house to ourselves for a few hours?" "Krista," Zabdiel groaned, his tone warning. "Obviamente no. Ya te lo dije." "¿Que tu me dijiste, papi?" she laughed innocently, biting her lip and flipping her hair over one shoulder. “Lo que hicimos fue un error," he gulped. "Y no va a pasar otra vez." She stood, padding softly over to where he remained still, leaning up to whisper in his ear. "¿Que no va a pasar otra vez, papi? Que no me vas a tocar, no me vas a besar, no me vas a comer?” Krista subtly moved against him so her hips rolled against his. “¿No me vas a coger?” "One time," he mumbled. "We were drunk. It was a mistake. I told you it was never going to happen again." She smirked, letting her fingertips trace over his belt. "You let your inhibitions go when you were drinking and finally did what you wanted to. You still want it now." He gulped down the heavy lump in his throat. "Estoy casado. No puedo hacerlo otra vez. Mi esposa… esto va a romper su corazon. No puedo.” Her smirk grew as her lips pressed against the side of his neck. "Pero tu lo quieres, tu lo necesitas. I see how you look at me." She arched up higher on her feet and lightly gripped his collar, pulling his head down to meet hers. Krista's lips brushed against his as she gently spoke, "Don't deny yourself what you need, mi amor." No longer able to resist, he leaned down and kissed her with the fever he had been fighting. They swiped their arms across the counter behind her, clearing it of anything that might get in the way of their bodies as the heat rose between them. And without thought of consequence, they repeated the mistake he had promised himself he would never make again. - Thiago and Joaquin started racing across the front yard to see who could get to the front door fastest as soon as Erick and Yanelis let them each out of their carseats. No sooner did they reach the door did they see Zabdiel’s Escalade following up the driveway and ran back to greet him. “Tio Zabdi!” Thiago yelled, squeezing his leg as he exited the car. “Papi!” Joaquin screamed, jumping up into Zabdiel’s arms. Zabdiel struggled to grip onto his little boy, not having expected the leap he made. “Hey mijo,” Zabdiel chuckled, kissing his forehead and ruffling Thiago’s hair. Joaquin tugged at Zabdiel’s shirt with a cautiously hopeful question. “Papi, are we going to play futbol like you said?” “Claro que si, Quin,” he said with a wide smile. Joaquin’s eyes went alight in disbelief. “¿De veras? You promise?” Zabdiel nodded. “Si, antes de la cena, papo. Did you have fun with Tio Erick?” “No, amigo,” Erick interrupted. “You ask the chicos, ‘Did you torture Tio Erick?’” Both boys laughed, running back off to the house. Thiago touched the latch that opened the front door for them and they continued to run into the house. Zabdiel clapped Erick’s hand in his in greeting, leaning in for a half hug. “Pero la verdad- ¿se portó bien hoy?” Erick rolled his eyes while his sister laughed and kissed Zabdiel’s cheek. “Claro que si, Zabdi. Como siempre. No te preocupes.” Zabdiel kissed her cheek in return. “Muchisimas gracias por cuidar a mi niño hoy, Yanelis. Te lo agradezco.” “¿Y que de mi?” Erick huffed. “¿Que de ti, bro?” Zabdi laughed again. Erick, jokingly offended, was about to storm off but Zabdiel caught his shoulder to stop him. “Esperate - You think you could watch him inside for just five minutes? Tengo que hablar con Izzy for un momentito.” Erick’s expression changed from smiling and playful to a solemn one. “Por supuesto… ¿Todo está bien?” He tried to hide his defeated sigh under a soft laugh. “Pues, vamos a ver.” Yanelis had already gone inside behind the boys and ran out into the backyard onto the trampoline with them. Isa had just watched the whirlwind run by her, hand on the bump of her belly. “Did you sugar up my son?” she questioned Erick as he headed out the back patio door. “Of course not,” he laughed innocently before running to catch up to the screeching children outside. “Carajo," she giggled with a roll of her eyes, rubbing over her belly as she made her way over to the counter to continue preparing dinner. “Is it okay?” Zabdiel murmured, slowing his approach. She didn’t turn to face him, only busied her hands with chopping the lettuce for the salad she was making. “Is what okay?” “The baby,” he said simply. “You keep rubbing your stomach like the baby is bothering you.” She shook her head, her face stoic. “Not bothering. Just kicking.” His eyebrows raised and his mouth hung slightly agape. He hadn’t realized it was far enough along now that he would be able to feel his baby moving within her womb. “You can feel it?” She couldn’t suppress the smile that crept across her face. “Si.” He took a few steps closer. “Can I?” Isabella paused, but soon turned and grabbed his hand to press it to the swell of her stomach. “Right here.” It took a few moments, but as soon as Zabdiel began to whisper, “I can’t feel it,” the baby knocked against the spot where he rested his hand. His face instantly lit up, joyously laughing and pressing his hand harder against his wife in an attempt to intensify the contact if it were to happen again. She was careful as to the phrasing as to not reveal the gender he wanted to keep secret. “The baby reacts to your voice. Hearing you talking makes the baby kick and move around- dances around when they can hear your music.” His eyes welled with excited tears. “Hola, mi bebe. No puedo esperar a conocerte.” “Pues, tienes que esperar, Zabdi. Baby isn’t done cooking yet,” she chided gently, his smile contagious. But his grin faded as he searched for the words. “Izzy… Can we talk, please?” She turned her attention back to the food preparation in front of her. “¿De que?” “Izzy… Please. We’ve needed to talk for a long time and haven’t. Por favor, mi vida.” And even he didn’t know if he was using the endearment sincerely or out of pure habit. She grabbed for his hand and allowed him to lead her to the kitchen table to sit. She wanted to allow him to speak first since he had wanted to initiate this talk, but she could see he was struggling to find the words. He finally managed, “I don’t like what this is now, what we are now.” “Yo tampoco,” she whispered. Zabdiel cupped her clenched hands between his own, only able to stare down at the floor. “I don’t want it to remain like this. I want to live up to the words I told you at our wedding, the promises we made. We made a family, and for our babies we ought to give it more of a chance than giving up and pushing the other away when things get hard.” She looked out the window, hearing Joaquin shouting and laughing from the other side of the backyard, and then back to where her hand rested on the rise of her belly. “I know we do.” Zabdiel didn’t realize he was squeezing her hands so tightly until he felt his palms sweating and let go. “I know we can’t fix what’s already happened - how I’ve made you feel with me being distant and how I’ve felt you pushed me away. But we can try to start from the beginning. We can date again, learn more about each other like we should have from the start, back like it was before the stress of kids and worldwide music releases.” She was quiet, lost in thought, but in reality it was just spinning in the same circle. She had to give this a try- for her family, for the vows she took, for her son and daughter to get the chance to have the household she never did. “I want to try anything, Zabdiel. I hate how tense it’s been and how uncomfortable I’ve been feeling.” He nodded. “We’re having a new baby. Our family is growing and deserves a happy home. Let me take you out tomorrow night?” She took the initiative of leaning in and pressing her lips to his. “It’s a date.” He smiled and cupped her cheek, leaning back in to kiss her soundly. “As much as I want to begin now, I have a date with a little soccer star outside first.” Joaquin hopped off of the trampoline as soon as Zabdiel joined them in the backyard. “Papi! Time to play!” Erick stopped Zabdiel and silently showed him an email from Renato about their time at the recording studio and their upcoming deadlines for new music. “Is he serious?” Zabdiel snapped. “We were supposed to have more time. What do they expect us to do?” “Well, we have tomorrow. We have to head over there then to finish Alejaste de Mi,” Erick supposed. Zabdiel huffed. “We have no choice. But we could get some mixing done before dinner. Sound good?” Erick nodded and began texting the band’s group chat the details of what they’d just worked out. “Papi?” Joaquin questioned, tugging gently on his pants’ pocket. Zabdiel shook his head “Not now, buddy. Papi has to do something quickly. Later. I know I promised.” As Zabdiel walked away, Joaquin threw the ball he’d been holding onto the ground and began kicking it around alone, missing the goal by a few inches. The truth was his father could make any sort of promise he wanted, but unless he lived up to it what was the point?

if this sucks, blame @cncocubanita she rushed me

chapter 8 is now here.

#cnco fanfiction #cnco fanfic #cnco imagines #cnco icons

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paladin-andric · 5 years

Text

Blackheart, Chapter 31: A Final Respite

It had been quite some time. Deep in the heart of the Citadel, things had changed considerably.

A while ago, the survivors had evacuated to the countryside. Before they did so, Basilrin was sent to bring word of the situation to the surrounding lands, in hopes of summoning the forces needed to push to the Blackheart.

The portal was said to be in the very center of the city. To get there, all they needed to do was take the main road. Only problem was the demons. Their corrupted thralls swarmed the main streets en-masse. It was why they had spent their time creeping down alleyways and side streets.

Soon...soon, the time for skulking would come to an end. Soon, the army would begin their assault.

Alexander ran the blade of his sword over a whetstone, looking it over carefully. He had forgone wearing his armor, seeing as it had been a few days since Basilrin’s return.

It was quite the wonder, seeing not only his return, but the arrival of the Lady Protector herself, Gira. The Black Dragon, as she was called, arguably the most important figure in all of Geralthin. She had been there for the entirety of its history, after all.

She and Basilrin had assured them that the army was indeed on its way. Already a few of those towns and villages nearby had arrived, a few guards and citizens armed with the bare essentials now joining them in the Citadel.

It was a good start, but they had to await the mass of royal forces before they could dare start their push.

Gira was another one. Now they had three dragons. That was three beasts of legend to rain destruction on their foes. Alexander could only imagine how marvelous that kind of support would be for the army.

All in all, things were looking quite hopeful. With a force like this assembled, pushing through the city really seemed more than a mere pipe dream.

All they had to do was cause a gap, if only for a moment, in the demons’ defenses. Then Alexander could slip through, enter the Blackheart, and destroy whatever artifact was anchoring the portal to their world.

“Hey.”

The knight turned to see Wurie walking up to him. The wolfman took a seat on the ground beside the knight, flashing him a nervous smile.

“Hey captain. What’s the matter?”

Wurie looked off into the distance as Alexander continued sharpening his blade. “I just...can hardly believe it, you know? That we’re so close.”

“It won’t be long now,” the knight answered.

“It’s been quite the journey.”

Alexander smiled. “Yeah. I think we’ve all learned things from this.”

“Really? I feel like you’ve been the one teaching ME here, sir knight!”

The man shook his head and sighed. “You should know better than that, Wurie.”

The wolfman frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Captain, when I first came here...I must admit that I didn’t feel the same way about you and the others then I do now.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Well...I was raised surrounded by other humans. Not once had I even laid eyes upon another species, aside from Stilich, the doctor.”

“Stilich?”

“One of the shellbacks,” Alexander admitted, “Father hired him to take care of us...but that was the extent of my knowledge. He was one of a kind as far as I was concerned. When I joined the army, I was deployed at the northern border. There, was my first experience with the wolves...with your people, Wurie.”

The captain grimaced. “Not, uh...not a good impression,” he whispered, his voice reflecting pain.

“That’s an understatement. I thought your people were animals, barbarians, monsters...I had a similar view for many of the peoples of Geralthin. In truth, the edict didn’t rattle me as much as it probably should have...it meeting Sigvin to change my mind about a “universal evil”. Even then I thought he was the exception, but now...I see I was quite mistaken.”

“Sigvin?” Wurie’s brows furrowed. “Alexander, you said...Sigvin?”

“Yeah. We commissioned him as pathfinder, during one of our expeditions into tribal territory. We chatted at the camp. Told me all sorts of stories about him and his people. Really helped me understand the wolfmen more than I did.”

Wurie’s eyes were a near sliver now.

“What? What’s with that funny look?”

“Alexander...was...was Sigvin a bard?”

The knight was caught off guard by that one. “He...mentioned he wanted to become one...how on earth did you know that? Wurie, have you met him?”

The captain gave Alexander a serious look. “...follow me.”

He paused only to put his whetstone away and sheathe his sword before he hurried after Wurie. The implications behind this left only one possibility…

Turning past another group of tents, Wurie called out to a figure facing a firepit. “Sigvin!”

The person turned around, sitting on a small wooden stump. In a rather puffy, fanciful striped and dyed suit, was a familiar face. Sure, the clothes, quilled hat, and lute was a far cry to the rags he was wearing all those years ago, but Alexander recognized him all the same.

“Sigvin...you’ve got a friend here.”

The unarmored knight stepped forward, eyes widening. It wasn’t just a shared name. It was him. It was really him.

“Sigvin…?”

The wolfman bard frowned. “Err, I’m sorry. You might be…?”

“It’s me, remember?! It’s Alexander! From the war up north? The Pureclaws!”

The bard’s face scrunched up as he tried to recall those memories. In a moment, his eyes shot open. “A-Alexander?!”

“Yeah! It’s me!”

The wolfman jumped up excitedly and put his lute down. “Hoo boy...Alexander! How have you been, friend?!”

The knight laughed as Sigvin grabbed and shook his hand wildly. “Ah, you know! Pretty busy. How the hell did you end up all the way down here?!”

“I TOLD you I was gonna move to Geralthin! I even went to college! All was going according to plan when, uh...this all happened.”

“Right...you were kicked off with the rest of the exiled.”

“Mmhm. I must say, I saw you here before, but I never imagined the man under the armor would be you!”

Alexander shrugged. “Well, here I am regardless! God I can’t believe we’ve been so close all this time!”

“I’ve been...unable to be of much help,” Sigvin admitted with a sheepish smile. “I, uh...I’ve been hiding back here. Thinking, mostly.”

“Well, why didn’t you leave with the other citizens?”

“Because he wants to help!” Wurie said with a grin, “Isn’t that right, Sigvin?”

“Yessir!”

The knight tapped his foot, looking worried. “Ah, but...what are you planning on doing, than? Not joining the front line, I’d hope!”

“Oh goodness no. I’ve never been a warrior, you know that! I AM a bard, though. My music does more than you might expect. I hope to rally and inspire the real warriors when we attack!”

“You really have become what you’ve always wanted, huh?”

“That’s right!” Sigvin said with a grin, “My dreams are...well, they WERE coming true...but hopefully! Hopefully, after all this, I can finally get back on track!”

Wurie nodded. “You will. We’ll see to that, won’t we, Alexander!”

“Yes...we will. I must say Wurie, it’s good to see you looking up like this. You, uh...weren’t in high spirits, the last few times we spoke.”

“What can you do?” the captain asked with a shrug. “I’ve been seeing and hearing some awful things. It takes its toll, but...it’s almost over. We’re so close. If there’s a time to believe, it’s right now.”

Alexander smiled. Despite everything, even the most mournful seemed full of hope now.

“Hope is a powerful thing to have. We’ll see this through Wurie, I swear.”

The trio sat around the firepit, Alexander looking back at Sigvin. “So...got any songs planned for all of this?”

The bard smiled. “Ah, well I’ve got a few popular tunes, but generally I let the music take me where it goes.” His smile quickly turned into a frown. “I do have...one song in the works though. An...ode to your friend, Alexander. The red dragon. Hopefully, my song will travel across the land once this is over, and all will sing of his sacrifice. I figured such an individual deserves nothing less.”

Alexander’s face scrunched up. “Ah. I see...I’m sure he’d be proud.”

Sigvin nodded sadly. “Yeah. I think he would.”

…

“Hey…”

The holy man didn’t look up as he continued reflecting over the words of the scripture. “Yes?”

“I, uh...I’m going to go with them, you know!”

Andric frowned. The paladin opened his eyes and turned his gaze to Senci, visage firm.

“I would strongly advise against that.”

The kobold looked hurt by that. “Oh, come on, master! They’re counting on me to help them!”

“And I’m counting on you to make it through this in one piece.”

“I’ll make it through just fine! I can do it, you know I can! I was trained by the best, after all.”

“Senci…”

“I’ve make it this far, haven’t I?!”

Andric turned around, shifting from kneeling into a sitting position. The pair were inside a tent, taking stock of their inventory and preparing for the final battle.

“I just don’t want anything to happen. I heard about your little stint in the medical tent, you know.”

“But master-”

“What if that happens again?”

“Master Andric…”

“You nearly died, Senci! I cannot abide by this! If I were to let you leave my sight, you could-”

Something snapped inside of Senci, if only for a moment. For the first time since he could remember, he snapped at his mentor.

“I’m not a damned child anymore!”

Andric’s brows raised at the kobold’s shrill yell. He couldn’t remember the man ever being stricken silent like this, but these were exceptional circumstances.

The young warrior felt immense shame and regret almost immediately. He could feel the heat well up in his face and fear creep over him as he looked at his stunned father figure.

“I...I’m sorry…”

The paladin grimaced as he looked the other warrior over. The small lizard shifted uncomfortably, head lowered and eyes full of guilt. Like he was about to be lectured.

Andric sighed. “It’s...fine. I understand. I know this is important to you. I just...I came all this way to make sure you were alright, you know? If something happened, I…”

The man’s lips pursed. “...I don’t know what I’d do. Over a decade, Senci. For twelve years, I’ve been making sure you were okay. For twelve years, schooling and training you...”

“I...I know,” Senci said quietly, “B-but, master...you...you have to let me try! I’m a grown up now!”

Andric shot the kobold a guilty grin and scratched his beard. “Well, actually, you’re still a year away from being an adult at the moment…”

“T-that’s close enough!” Senci insisted. “Listen...I...I’m thankful for everything, really, I am. I’m so lucky I have you to train me...but eventually, you have to put that training to the test! Master...you must let me loose on our enemies! You’ve prepared me for this moment, and I must follow through now! I can’t be useless in this battle, I can’t let everyone down! I HAVE to help!”

Andric frowned and closed his eyes, reflecting on the kobold’s words. Eventually, he opened his eyes and moved forward, wrapping his arms around the young warrior.

“Senci...I know. I know I can’t stop you from doing this...and I understand how much this means to you. You can go.”

Smiling with wide eyes, Senci returned the hug, Andric patting him on the shoulder.

“I won’t let you down. I promise.”

“The only way you could do that, Senci, is if you didn’t come back...so make sure you do, alright?”

Senci grinned wide. “Yes sir!”

…

Razorwing pulled back on his bow, getting a feel for the tension. He sat on the ground beside the tent he had been staying in, his supplies laid out around him.

After this brief test of his bowstring, it seemed like all was in order. He had brought a few extra with him just in case it snapped, but there didn’t seem to be many issues. He’d been using this one for about a year, but he was very fussy about maintenance, so everything still worked as intended.

“Is that the great hero Razorwing, playing around with an unloaded bow?”

The bird turned his head towards the source. Of course, there was no mistaking that voice, despite the additional cheer it seemed to be carrying today.

“You work with crossbows. You know full well the need to test and maintain.”

The human sat down beside him. Despite the mask, his eyes made his amusement clear.

“Obviously. I’m messing with you, dope.”

The koutu shot him a cocky grin. “You sure? You know, if you don’t know about weapon upkeep, I could teach you.”

“Yeah yeah, alright, ya dumb bird.” A light punch to the shoulder made the hero chuckle.

Paul took out one of his own crossbows and looked it over. It was a fair bit smaller than the ones the armies used, seeing as this was made with the ability to hold and fire with one hand. Still, it had enough force behind it, and the bolts were large enough to still be deadly. The downside was that without the heft of the larger models, punching through armor proved...problematic.

Not that this was generally a problem for Paul. As a bounty hunter, he generally worked to end combat before it began. He’d become a good enough shot and a quiet enough sneak to hit targets in their weak spots, while they were unexpecting.

“Hard to believe it’s almost over huh?” the human mused.

“Yes...quite remarkable. We’ve come quite a far way, we have.” Razorwing put his bow down and grabbed his quiver, beginning to examine his arrows.

“It’s been rough. The close scrapes, the demons...listening to you blabber on about nonsense,” Paul said with a laugh.

“Oh? You got pretty mad when I stopped ‘blabbering’ though, didn’t you?”

The bounty hunter looked away as the koutu grinned like mad. “Well...you know how it is...the silence in this hellhole is maddening. Any voice is a relief...no matter how dumb what they’re saying is.”

The archer raised a brow. “Oh ho! I see! So what you’re saying is I’m just a voice to you, huh? Just a distraction? Just something any other person could have been?”

“T-that’s not what I meant!”

The hero put a winged arm around the human’s shoulders. Shooting him a grin, he leaned in. “Don’t worry! I’m just...what was it you said? ‘Messing with you, dope’?”

Paul groaned, which drew another laugh from Razorwing.

“Seriously, though. You and I, friend...we’ll go far, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean by that?” with the birdman’s wing still wrapped around him, he looked over questioningly.

“You remember how well we worked in the streets. How long we spent without the luxury of a team, or any support. Just the two of us, against the demons. The scouting we did for each other...we make a perfect duo, don’t you think?”

Paul looked away, sighing. “We, uh...you’re right, but...I don’t know.”

“Aw, come on, pal! No one can beat a team like us!”

“I know,” Paul admitted, “We make an excellent team. Still...I don’t know if I’ll...be doing this in the future.”

Razorwing frowned. “Huh? What’s...what’s that mean?”

“Look. You’re a famous hero. You fight monsters, and lead parades, and have songs sung of you...and I’m a shadow. No one besides you knows my identity. I stalk the shadows. I slit the throats of thieves and killers. I hide from the fame that comes with the work I do. I’ve built a reputation as an ender of lives...despite no one knowing who I am.”

The hero gave him a funny look. “You’re saying we’re incompatible?”

“Well, that’s one part of it-”

He was cut short by Razorwing squeezing him, tightening his arm’s grip around the man.

“Come on, Crux! We’ve been through enough to know that’s nonsense!”

Paul’s eyes narrowed. “Argh. You wanna let me breathe, bird?”

“Very well.” Razorwing let go of him, the pair sitting beside one another once more.

“Hah. Well, besides that...I have an identity to keep concealed. We were able to do that AND work together because, well...we’re in a fog-covered city cut off from the outside world. If we started working together once this is over...I fear your renown, and the attention you draw would...make my secret impossible to keep.”

It seemed to finally dawn on the hero, now. His gaze softened, turning into a saddened, wincing visage.

“Ah. I...I see. You...we can’t...be friends anymore.”

There was a lengthy, uncomfortable pause. Both of them had their heads down, unable to look the other in the eye.

Paul’s voice caught Razorwing off guard.

“You know...you’re the only friend I’ve ever had.”

The archer blinked, eye widening. “Paul…?”

“I, uh...I made an effort to keep my distance from everyone...just so something like this wouldn’t happen.”

The human looked over at Razorwing. The koutu’s head hung low, looking defeated.

“I...there must be something we can do…”

Paul crossed his arms, his weapons checking long forgotten. “Is there...some place you go to all the time? I don’t know if I could leave a paper trail to keep in touch, but if we happened to be around the same places…”

Razorwing smirked. “I’m all over the place. The parades and plays and, well, you know.”

“Of course.”

“Well, my estate’s always open to you. Hey, maybe you could come over sometime and meet Eignach!” “Eignach…?”

The koutu looked surprised. “Oh, I didn’t tell you? We’re...together.” There was a short pause before Razorwing continued hurriedly. “Err, that’s uh, why I wanted to tell you, by the way, that I’m spoken for. I didn’t mean to...hit on you. I-I don’t drink, so, uhh...I wasn’t thinking clearly. My apologies.”

“Don’t worry about it...lightweight.” Paul was grinning. The way the fabric around his mouth was stretching gave it away.

“Well EXCUSE me for practicing a bit of clean living!” the hero laughed and shook his head. “Well, at any rate, we’ve been together for...not too long. We were just friends at first. Poor fellow was expelled from the kingdom during the exile. He grew up in Geralthin. He may be one of my people in body, but culturally, he was a human. Our homeland was alien and frightening to him. I took him in, seeing as he lost his home and...the rest is history.”

“A bird frightened of his own flock…” Paul pulled out his dagger and inspected it for any nicks and scratches.

“I suppose! He’s adapted well, though. You know he was a fan of mine? He was absolutely starstruck when we met. Even fainted and everything!”

“Everyone has a hero to look up to, I guess. You happened to be his.”

“That’s right.”

Razorwing turned to look at the human, still running his hand along his dagger.

“Hey, Paul?”

“Yeah?”

There was a brief moment of hesitation. “Whatever happens out there...we’re a team, alright? I’ve got your back.”

Paul lowered his dagger, turning to look at the archer. His eyes ran over the other man, taking him in.

“And I’ve got yours.” He held a gloved hand out to the koutu, who took it without hesitation. The pair shook.

“Domnall...it’s been a pleasure. Let’s cast these beasts back to the deepest pits of hell.”

Razorwing radiated confidence as he sat up straight. “Hah! The armies of hell themselves will learn to fear our names!”

Paul nodded, a smirk etched in his mask. “That’s what I like to hear. Let’s you and I give em’ something to call hell...bird.”

…

“Looks like everything’s ready.”

“Just about.”

The man and woman were sitting inside a small tent, just the two of them and their supplies. The man was sitting idle, while the woman was chewing on a piece of jerky. He looked at her with a near unreadable expression.

“Hungry?” she asked in between bites. He shook his head.

“Not a fan of jerky?”

He shook his head again. “I don’t care what I eat, Leianna. I’m just not hungry right now.”

The cleric shrugged, still chewing. “Suit yourself.” Taking another bite, she looked off to the side in thought. “Man, all they’ve got left around here is cheese and jerky.”

“Not much else can last months without spoiling,” Lexius noted.

“Hey, I’m not complaining. Food’s food, and cheese and jerky are damn fine.”

Lexius sighed. The priest looked sullen and out of it. Leianna noticed this, and gave him a questioning look.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just...I wish I could have...been of more use.”

“How so?”

The man held his hands out. “I...I was poor support on the field. I’m an awful combatant. I spent half my time here bedridden. I failed to come prepared. I...I even...Leianna, if I had been with you when we split into two groups...perhaps Basilrin’s brother and Tourthun would be-”

“Hey. Monk boy.” Leianna gave him a firm glare, as if chastising him. “Listen to me, you fool. You came here of your own volition. You waltzed into a hellhole full of the darkest beings the world can offer with scrappy armor, a chipped iron blade and a tiny wooden shield. You never trained for combat. You healed a goddamned DRAGON, Lexius.”

He was about to respond, but Leianna put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “You kicked ass out here. No one expected some guy from a church to make it this far, but here you are.”

The priest lowered his head and laughed. Leianna raised a brow. “Err...Lexius?”

“Heh...yeah, I guess you’re right. No use in feeling sorry for myself. I did what I could. That’s...all you can really do.”

“Hey, that’s the spirit!” Leianna grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Look, I’ve got plenty of things I wish I’d done differently too, but there’s no turning back the clock. You live with what you do, and you do the best you can.”

Lexius looked up at the cleric hopefully. “Sister Leianna...could you join me in prayer?”

The woman shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” She shoved the rest of the jerky in her mouth, chewing loudly as she rushed to finish her meal.

Lexius took out his cross, from under his armor. The small, wooden symbol appeared hand-carved by him, if its quality was any indication.

Leianna wiped her mouth and took out her own, pulling it from a pouch. The handheld crosses were more good luck charms than anything, not blessed or magical in any way. It was a simple reminder of God, carried on each church member’s person to serve as a constant source of hope and faith.

Lexius bowed his head, cross clutched underneath his hand and held onto by both hands. Leianna followed the gesture.

“Through God and the intercession of Saint Martin, we stand firm against the work of the enemy,” Lexius said, his voice low and clear.

“We thought we may have died and been sent to the underworld for our transgressions, for we are surrounded by grinning faces of demons,” Leianna continued. The pair continued to alternate between each line.

“Even in death, even in the underworld, despite our true odds, we will never waver. Such is the burden of the faithful.”

Lexius’ eyes were squeezed tight as he brought the prayer to a close. “Guide us now, for we do the bidding of the Lord, our God. Allow us to fulfill our duty, no matter the cost. No matter the cost…”

“Amen.”

Despite having reached the end, Lexius did not rise as Leianna had.

“No matter the cost…”

The cleric looked at the priest with a notable degree of concern. “Lexius…?”

“No matter the cost…”

…

“This catastrophe was man-made! I’ve seen it for myself!” Charles stood among a group of humans, the first few militiamen who had answered the call. Several of them, in their light uniforms of cloth and wielding simple weapons, leered at him in disdain.

Though Alexander and the others had been through enough with the magician to trust him, but as he had always been told, the common folk saw him as little more than a monstrous chimera.

“What the hell do you know?!” one of the levies shouted, eliciting cries of agreement throughout the crowd.

“I recovered documents from the college! One of the wizards said himself that he did it!”

“Oh yeah?! Where’s your proof?”

Charles frowned. “I gave them to my friend, the professor. He left with the rest of the citizens in the evacuation.”

“How awfully convenient,” one of the men mused. A few voice called out in agreement once more.

“Whatever!” the dragonoid cried, throwing his hands up, “I don’t care if you believe me or not! The truth will come out on its own!”

“Yeah right. I bet YOU did it!”

“M-me?!” Charles reeled back, “Why would I do that?!”

“It’s in your blood!” Cheers erupted through the crowd at those words, the magician clutching at his shoulders defensively.

“T-that’s not true. I make my own path...my origins do not determine my future…”

“Yeah, right! Say, if you’re one of them...I wonder if you’ve got any secrets you’re hiding…?”

A few men stepped forward, their stances clearly hostile. Their eyes glinted with malicious intent, and their grin were anything but friendly.

“W-what’s this?!” Charles shouted, shaken. He backed up, nervous about where this was going.

“Why are you wearing that?” one of the men asked, reaching out for his wizard hat. Though he grabbed it, Charles threw his arm away, clutching onto the hat possessively.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch my things! They aren’t yours!”

The man smirked. “Are you hiding something under there, beast?”

Their approach quickened, even as the dragonoid began backpedaling.

“L-leave me alone! Stop it!”

“Show us what you’re hiding!” Several shouts rang out through the Citadel. Some from the mob of soldiers, some from citizens around the camp that saw what was happening.

Charles, focused on the approaching men, failed to notice a rock behind him. His foot slipped as he tripped over it, falling to the ground on his back. He sat up, and just as it looked like the mob was about to descend on him…

“That’s ENOUGH!”

Blinking, the fallen dragonoid looked over to the source of the bellowing voice. Sure enough, the knight was stomping over, though not in his armor. Still, he had his sword on his hip, and looked suitably authoritative enough anyway. Behind him, a few others followed, most notably Wurie.

“Causing trouble, are we?”

The knight’s demeanor seemed to shake the mob of levies out of it, many quickly backing away from Charles.

“W-we were just-”

“Harassing the people you were sent to help? Yeah, I noticed. What’s next? Gonna mug a few of the wolves? Attack the birds?”

“No,” a single voice answered meekly. The knight scowled at the group.

“Which one of you imbeciles is in command here?” He demanded. A lone soldier answered.

“Captain Howard, sir. He’s outside.”

Alexander stepped forward and grabbed the man by the neck, pulling him close. The others gasped, but didn’t interfere.

“Tell your captain to get his men under control,” he growled, voice dripping with venomous hostility, “NOW.”

“Y-yessir,” he squeaked, stumbling backwards as Alexander released him.

“Crawl on out of here, all of you. You’re not welcome.”

As the group turned to leave back through the sewers, the knight called out one last time.

“If I catch you attacking any more citizens, you’ll be hanging from his majesty’s gallows for treason!”

As the group fled, Alexander turned to Charles, still sitting on the ground. He quickly extended a hand. “You all right?”

“I-I think so.” the magician grabbed the man’s hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet with a grunt.

“Ah...thank you, Alexander.”

“Don’t worry about it. The nerve…!”

Charles smiled as he dusted himself off. “I’m thankful to have friends in such affluent stations…”

The knight grimaced. “I don’t like throwing my weight around, but in these situations I hardly have a choice.”

“What in the world was that?” Wurie asked, “They were like...common rabble! Like the thugs whose fights I had to break up back in the day!”

“That’s what happens with the army,” Alexander noted. He frowned as he looked over to the exit, hands on his hips.

“These aren’t elite soldiers of the king. These aren’t contractors or professionals. These are levies, militia and common folk. They don’t have the discipline a lifer has. Force them to stay on duty without an enemy to fight, and eventually they’ll starting picking their own fights.”

Wurie tilted his head. “Sounds like you’ve dealt with this before.”

“Comes with the territory. Command enough armies and you know the best and worst of it inside and out.”

“Still...unacceptable,” muttered Wurie. He looked deeply wounded by the proceedings.

“Captain? You okay?”

The wolfman shook his head. “It’s...nothing. Just remembering the exile.”

“Similar treatment?”

“Very.”

Alexander crossed his arms. “Things are going to change around here. I don’t know how, but they will.”

Wurie smiled despite himself. “I...appreciate the optimism. I would say I don’t believe it but...I already said that about you saving our people. I fear I’d be eating my words yet again if I said such a thing!”

The knight shrugged, a small smile at the corner of his lips. “Guess we’ll just have to see, huh? So how about…”

A shadow taking up the entire middle of the camp cause him to trail off. While the twilight wasn’t much, it was noticeable now that it was gone.

He barely had a moment to look up before a green dragon dropped down the hole and into the Citadel. Basilrin.

“They are here! The king’s men are here!”

There was a lengthy silence as the crowd looked at one another. A few citizens walked over at the dragon’s call, including the others that had been journeying together with Alexander all this time.

Looking back, the knight gave them a nod. At last, the end was here. Alexander closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“It’s time.”

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artsekey · 6 years

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This... is the Christmas present that I’m giving to my DM and fellow players.I know I’ve posted a lot of work-in-progress sneak peeks of it before now, but this is the final version for print, and I’m really, really proud of it. It definitely challenged me in a hundred different ways, and even now I’m not sure if I’m completely happy with it, but I think my friends are going to love it.

We’ve been playing for almost a year and a half now! It’s my first ever D&D game, and my DM is extremely talented. She’s built a world and a narrative that we love to get lost in, and if you’re interested in it, please feel free to read below the cut!

We started playing because we all had a passive curiosity as to what D&D entailed. It sounded fun, kind of, if a little weird. We were supposed to roleplay our characters? Wouldn’t that be awkward?

(Yes, our DM assured us, it would be awkward at first, but we’d grow into it.)

So we all decided to give it a try. Our DM got us our first sets of dice-- mine were lime green, translucent-- and we built our characters.

Katia, my friend who’s just been accepted to medical school (yay!) wanted to roll our team’s healer. She came up with Gira Sol, a gnome druid who remembered living another life as a flower before waking up in a field with no real direction or memory of who she was.

Michael, my friend who’s a software engineer, wanted to be a bookish sorcerer. He made Bolark’skor, the three-quarter orc who’d managed to find his home inside the library of a monastery. After his mentor died and left him a cryptic message meant to send him on a quest, Bolark left his home in search of a riddle-giver.

Then there was me, an animation student. I wanted to be a sly magic-user, and no class seemed more fit for the task than bard. I made Isiah Bellan, a half-elf abandoned at birth only to be picked up by a traveling group of musicians.

And so our adventure began in a tavern. A local town, a mysterious disappearance, and a mine full of secrets and goblins. A vile duchess, murdered at our hands in the bowels of an ancient cavern. A summoning ritual, foiled.

And the three of us, now claiming that duchess’s mansion as our own.

But of course, murder doesn’t go unnoticed. Vellie and Vindiya, two siblings that we’d conscripted to take down the duchess-- their former employer, in cahoots with the King’s Advisor-- were arrested in our stead. One, the brother, sent back home for trial. The sister, held in prison.

Acting for the first time as a party, Gira, Bolark, and Isiah staged a massive jailbreak that became legendary throughout the city and got them forbidden from ever returning. It involved copious amounts of orc flexing, some giant star-spangled goating, and a prolific use of the spell knock.

With Vellie in tow and, admittedly, our bard to blame for their sorry state of affairs, Gira and Bolark convinced Isiah to accompany them to the capitol where they would testify on Vindiya’s behalf.

Little did they know the journey would be so arduous. Leaving murdered wanderers by the wayside, they eventually arrived at Stormhold, a great fortress barring passage through the mountains. It was, Vellie said, possible that Vindiya might be there!

Isiah forged a document granting them passage, “signed” by the king’s right-hand man himself-- a devious enemy, we’d come to understand, but one that Isiah had managed to perfect the handwriting of.

But Bolark, strong and fit, seemed a perfect candidate for the hold’s army. He was conscripted, as was Isiah (while trying to talk him out of it). They were tasked with scouting to the north with Vanda and Ront, an orc mother-and-son duo.

They found an army thousands strong, and in trying to escape them, ended up in a stone spire. It was here that they fought Nazereth the Mind Flayer, had their first run-in with blood magic, and, most importantly, found the Black Pyramid.

A home for the Black Wardens, guardians of the Celestial Plane. And, as we eventually learned, the origin of our big bad. The pyramid is our base, and it travels as we will it. We use it to escape the mountains and land in the capitol-- after a brief stint elsewhere, thanks to Isiah’s selfishness. We finally get to the trial. It’s about to adjourn. Bolark and Isiah jump into the arena where the trial is being held, claiming to have evidence that proves the execution of the duchess was just, and that the right hand man to the king is, in fact, a piece of shit.

We walk up and Isiah hands the judge the incriminating documents.

Little did we know, the judge is the right hand man to the king. We’d never seen him before, never heard what he looked like, but Isiah told him he was guilty to his face.

We were banished, along with Vindiya and Vellie, into the Feywild with a snap of his fingers.

There, we learn of the Green Pyramid, and the warring courts of the plane. We learn that there’s a bastard child of the two courts -- who is the cause of all the chaos-- that was sent, reincarnated, to the material world in order to keep her out of sight and forgotten.

We decide we need to find her to get answers, but our search leads us to Lily-- an archfey-- and Dandelion, the legitimate sister of the girl we’re trying to find. Dandelion promises she’ll send us home if we settle matters between the two factions.

So, we finally confront Lily for information. She a few of Isiah’s memories as well as a few pieces of rock he’s been holding onto; pieces of the diety The Silver Flame. After realizing the memories she’s been collectively hoarding and deleting pertain to the fact that members of both courts were once part of the Green Wardens, protectors of the Feywild, we confront her more physically...

https://youtu.be/qbgPOApie20 (The fight was pretty legendary). They manage to win, Isiah having made himself invisible and distracting her long enough to get and release the memories she’d been hoarding, giving Dandelion reason to impale her, thus killing her permanently-- as only an archfey can kill an archfey.

With their memories restored, they remember that Gira is the banished child. She’s crowned between the two courts, who now understand the source of their quarrels was their modified memories rather than any genuine strife.

And thus, with the blood of both courts, she opens and claims The Green Pyramid.

And, as promised, the party decides to search for Isiah’s family next.

There’s more, but I don’t want to summerize anything before the arc is over!

Just know we’re headed to the Abyss,

Isiah’s effectively lost his mind,

Bolark has been told to kill his already-deceased mother,

and Gira just killed a man for soul science using nine man-eating canaries.

If you want to know more, send me a message! I could talk about our campaign all day--

And, hey. Would you want to hear it, if it was a podcast? Our DM’s a voice actor!

#Dungeons and Dragons #d&d #dnd #long post

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