#I was originally planning on drawing a dragon tattoo on his back | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

destinywillowleaf · 2 years

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hey @greentrickster i made a basically full (rough) spriteset for this AU. literally the only things missing are his 6-5 breakdown and a version of Apollo's disheartened sprite(cause he looks more frazzled than disheartened or discouraged at the end of his surprise set(s)) and it would be done.

also featuring "Nahyuta is vaguely like a fallen angel" in color because it turns out the implications his scarf had were "another Japanese cultural shorthand that conveys Nahyuta’s holiness and suggests that he is like a god" and "not unlike a character with a pair of angel wings in the West" so that's. fun. (both links lead to the same page btw) not sure how godly Apollo get to be as a result. probably not that much tbh sorry bro.

anyway, sprites! in order, top to bottom, left to right, left page!

normal/neutral, thinking (and transition into talking and thinking, the side profile is a reference for how his hand's positioned), desk slam into determined (his left hand comes up and is a fist on the desk), objection point, confident (two versions).

right page!

shock 1, shock 2 and its progression, shock 1 resolution (because i forgot it before), nod, shake head, embarrassed.

fun facts/information about the choices made in the sprites under the cut~

Nahyuta keeps his arm around his back because he's mimicking Kristoph when he was standing as co-counsel (and also because that's just what he does in canon :P but here it's more of a mimic). He can take off a coat easily but mimic poses are harder to break.

his thinking animation has a fist to his mouth because i do that sometimes and this is my AU and he should have a unique pose. originally was considering keeping his arm behind his back and still might do that instead?? it works either way really

desk slam is mostly based on his canon slam, but without the beads. It's just a forearm and fist into the bench together, with his arm sort of parallel to the front of the bench instead of perpendicular (mostly to differentiate himself a bit from Asogi)

the determination pose changes the angle of the arm and adds his other hand to the bench. it's supposed to be able to slide into his breakdown (with a change in face, of course) with the vague plans i have for it now

also the main reason he gestures with his right is cause i thought it'd be fun since prosecutors use right arms/hands and defense attorneys use their left arms/hands. so what if Nahyuta just. didn't get with the program.

idk what i want his confident post to be but crossed arms is always an option. could be unique, could get in another mimic. (also if you can't read it the additional text is just saying the weird colors are a bleed-through from the colortest Apollos on the previous page)

why shock 1 and shock 2: you know how Apollo as of soj (and maybe dd) has two version of his shock animation where one has his mouth crack open like the og sprite. it's sorta like that. shock 2 is for more intense surprise which is why the papers float, Nahyuta pauses to see the floating pages (eyes dart from one side to the other), and then slaps them down to try and regain composure. also because green suggested it near the start of this whole AU and i love it. that was so much fun to draw.

i also have no idea what i actually want his embarrassed sprite to look like. awkward smile is probably gonna stick around though. it's funny.

important note, cosmic turnabout would be the same animations but the bits of hair in front are braided into the rest. he's not letting his emotions show as much. there might be an additional damage animation where he just flinches and grabs his prayer beads for this section.

when he's got Clay's jacket, it's sort of worn like Dhurke's because i like parallels and no one can stop me. maybe his arm is also actually broken but i haven't decided yet. what matters is that he refuses to use his right arm because he can feel a burning sensation from the Defiant Dragons tattoo due to his failure to his friend and he's just having a rough time of it all. also there's a non-zero chance his hair would be down more if he can't use his right arm 👀

#prosecutor apollo attorney nahyuta au #auta sahdmadhi #nahyuta sahdmadhi #his t-shirt is from opening week 2021 (which. might not be a thing at other colleges) and his mug says ''NO MUGS HAVE MY NAME''#the lack of color coordination here is the real reason why kristoph wanted to make sure his court attire looked professional lol #everything is in lowercase cause it's like 1 AM and i'm making what most people call a Bad Decision #but as always i'm really grateful that green let me sort of take this AU and run with it because it's been so much fun #doodling and plot-developing (and while i might not ever get around to writing the ENTIRE thing. scenes might still crop up eventually)

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ressyfaerie · 3 years

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Request: I saw this tattoo programme where 2 lesbian friends went on and they got to pick the other's tattoo and they can't look till it's done. One picked "you mean everything" for the friend and she was so worried about her seeing in case she hated it. Then hers (from her friend) was "I love you". This had them all emotional and got them both to confess & get together. Anywaaaay, a similar idea for Tyka?

Sorry for the late response! I’m working again and still recovering! This is the LAST FIC REQUEST of this askbox being open!

Soooo likkee. Once upon a time I talked to someone about a tattoo shop AU? This gave me some serious inspiration sooooooo here we gooooo

Halfway through I remembered! I (mentally?) based a lot of this idea on @ishkajules tattoo tyka shop AU!

Oh, disclaimer, I want a tattoo but know NOTHING about them aaaahhhahaha

“You’re a great artist, but you’re scaring away your clients.”

“Why do you care, Tala?”

“I don’t. They come to me after you reject them, or make them so uncomfortable they sit in the next chair over.”

“So then, why are you telling me this?”

Kai cleaned his equipment. It was nearing the end of the day, he figured he wouldn’t have any more walk-in customers.

“I just thought I’d let you know. You’re losing us money. If you don’t fix it, I’ll change your pay to commission only.”

Kai scowled. Who did he think he was? Threatening his pay like that?

“Like I said. You’re a phenomenal artist. But you're lucky I hired you. No one else will with your personality.”

Kai gave him a glare, “I’ll try to do better, boss.”

“Good. Keep that mouth in check.” Tala gave him a ‘I’m watching you’ gesture.

As soon as he turned away Kai rolled his eyes.

The bell in the shop rang.

“Hello! Welcome, how can we help you?” Tala welcomed the new customer with his regular fake friendly greeting.

“Hey... I’m Tyson.”

The kid seemed nervous. He didn’t have any art on his body.

Blank canvas.

“Um. Is Kai here?”

“Kai? Are you looking for him specifically?”

“Yeah! I follow his stuff on instagram and I really want my first tattoo to be done by him!”

The boy’s face brightened the whole shop. Kai’s lip curled.

“Of course! Let me get him for you!”

Tala made his way to Kai in the corner, he got up in his face.

“Listen, this kid’s a newbie—”

Kai rolled his eyes, “you know I don’t ink tattoo virgins—”

“Think of it as a blank canvas. As artists we all like a good canvas, look at him! He’s perfect!”

Kai took a look at this Tyson character. He hated to admit Tala was right. He was a good blank canvas. But Kai hated working with newbie clients; always so nervous, worried about the pain. He would just rather work with a regular.

Tala got angrier, “you will tattoo him. You’ll do exactly what he wants, and above all, you will be nice.”

“Or else what?”

Tala shrugged his shoulders and smiled, “or else you’re fired.”

Kai didn’t want to admit that Tala's threat got to him. He sighed, played off as if he was slightly annoyed but obedient, “fine.”

“Good. Now go do your job.” Tala pointed to the front desk where the new client was waiting.

Kai shot Tala a glare, as he made his way to the desk. He put on his biggest fakest smile.

“Hey, I’m Kai.”

Tyson held a backpack around his shoulder, he grasped it firmly, while giving Kai the widest grin.

“I’ve been following you for a long time! I um… decided when I had enough money I wanted my first tattoo to be done by you…”

Awkward silence.

“Uh, what do you have in mind?” Kai learned how much it hurt when you kept smiling.

“I know you specialize in birds… I would love to have a red phoenix. Eventually I want a dragon. But I’d love to start with your strongest area!”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

Tyson watched Kai like he was a celebrity. He had a popular art account, but that was about it. Kai just stared back at him.

“Um... I think I want it on my back…” Tyson trailed off as he grew more nervous.

“That’s a good choice. Do any designs come to mind?”

Tyson bit his lip, he looked up to the ceiling in thought, “oh!” He pulled out his phone.

He passed it to Kai showing him an old post of his. It wasn’t his best work, but he understood why he liked it.

“I can do that design easily.” Kai wondered why he was so worried—”

“I just… Don’t want it exactly like this.”

Ah right. Newbies.

“So what do you have in mind then?” Kai’s eyebrow twitched.

“I um.” Tyson rubbed the back of his head as his cheeks turned a bit red.

Kai sighed, “kid, I can’t work on you if I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Tala called to Kai, “Hey Kai! Don’t forget about your happy little tattoo gun over here!”

Kai reluctantly put on his big smile, “yeah boss, I haven't forgotten!”

He turned back to Tyson. “So what are your ideas?”

Tyson bit his lip.

“Do you have a reference I can make a design off of? Anything?”

“I… do.”

“Then show it to me.”

Tyson exhaled, then slid his backpack off his shoulder. He opened it and pulled out a sketchbook. He had it turned away from Kai making sure he wouldn’t see. He flipped through a few pages, and turned it towards Kai.

Kai grabbed it, and placed it down on the counter. He saw the sketch of the phoenix that was clearly an imitation of his style… with a twist.

Kai found himself impressed. It was a good design.

“I’ve worked on this for a few months… I’m pretty confident this is what I want… What do you think of it?”

Kai was trying to be extra nice, but he couldn't deny it was good. “It’s well done.”

“Thanks!” Tyson grinned.

The more Kai inspected the drawing the more detailed it became, it gave him new inspiration, a kind he never had before.

“Do you..” Kai cleared his throat and prodded the page with his finger. “Do you want this exact design or a design done by me?”

Tyson looked ecstatic, “would you be willing to make me an original design!?”

Kai thought for a moment. His original designs were usually reserved for regulars or people willing to drop more cash. But something about this design called to him…

He convinced himself he was inspired by his jealousy. He couldn't let this poor imitation see the world.

“I can make you a design based on this one.”

“Really!? Wow, thanks!”

“Can I borrow this sketch book?” Kai asked, while flipping the book closed.

“Um…”

“I need the design.”

“Could you take a picture?”

“I’d prefer to work with the original.” Kai’s lips hurt from smiling.

“Okay… You can borrow it.” It seemed Tyson was an extremely shy guy. “Be careful with it, okay?”

“I will.”

Kai stayed late in the shop. He worked in the studio.

“I’m locking up. Kai, I’m surprised you're still here?” Tala twirled the keys around his finger.

Kai was hunched over the small desk. He had already drawn out a few sketches. Tala inspected his work over his shoulder.

“Can you not?” Kai spat back.

“It’s a good design. I’m surprised you're putting so much effort into this kid's request. It’s not like you.”

Kai shrugged.

“He’s not loaded, you know? You’re not going to make up for it in tips.”

“I know.”

Tala felt a strange proud emotion emerge. “Alright,” he dropped the keys on the desk. “You can lock up. Have fun with your drawings.”

Kai watched the keys as they fell in front of him. He heard the door open, and close.

He sighed, then scrunched up the paper he was working with into a ball, and tossed it into the bin with the rest of the failed projects.

The sketchbook laid in front of him. He wanted to take a look at the design again. But he had lost the bookmark.

Shit.

He had to look through the book to find the right page.

There better not be anything dirty in here…

He opened it to another design.

Oh, wow.

It was a dragon, scribbled with faint watercolour. Kai grew curious, what other masterpieces did this book hold?

He began to flip through, curiously studying each design.

There were tons of dragons. Kai was interested, as he had always wanted a dragon tattoo, but he hadn’t yet met an artist who could ink scales the way he wanted.

These designs were so close to what he wanted, until—

He turned to a page with a very detailed dragon design. It took up the whole page. The colours were perfect, mixes of blues and silver. He was immediately captivated by it. His mouth hung open slightly.

It had been a long time since an art piece caught his attention.

He ran his finger down the page, careful not to smudge the drawing.

“Wow.”

Two days later Tyson came back to the shop, eagerly awaiting his tattoo.

Tala gestures to Kai from across the shop, pointing to the front desk where Tyson had just entered. He mouthed the words ‘be nice!’. Kai looked to the ceiling to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

Kai got up from his station. The night before he had pulled an all-nighter. Until finally—he came out with the perfect piece. He knew Tyson would love it. He was upset with himself for putting so much thought into it, after all, he was just a newbie.

Kai tossed a black file folder on the desk.

Tyson jumped a bit, then settled back in with his backpack on his shoulder, “good morning, Kai!”

Kai put on a smile, “good morning.”

Tyson tilted his head, it was kind of cute, “did you manage to come up with anything? I know it hasn’t been long—”

“I did, I think you’ll enjoy it.” Kai opened the folder and revealed a paper, he placed it on the desk and flipped it around to show the blue-haired boy.

“Woah! Holy shit that’s so cool!” Tyson placed both his hands on the corners, admired it with an open mouth.

“Is it what you wanted?” Kai accidentally let his smile drop as he awaited the response.

“It’s perfect!” Tyson was so happy you could see his dimples.

It made Kai perform… maybe… a real smile.

“I have a test here, do you want to see what it would look like?”

“Can I? Oh man that’s so fucking cool…”

Kai gestured behind the desk, Tyson happily pushed himself through the gate. Kai pointed to his station “that’s my chair, put your stuff anywhere out of my way. Take your shirt off.”

Tyson suddenly stopped smiling and froze, Kai almost ran into him.

“Hey!” Kai started to lose his temper, but saw Tala’s red hair in the corner of his eye, he took a deep breath. “You said you wanted it on your back didn’t you?”

“Yeah…” Tyson answered back nervously.

Kai dropped the folder on his desk near the chair, “then take off your shirt and lay on your stomach.”

Tyson swallowed a hard lump in his throat.

Kai just stared at him.

Newbies. It’s just some skin. So annoying.

Tyson let his bag slide to the floor, he kicked it to the corner of the room, then he folded his arms.

Kai turned around, ready to place the stencil, then he frowned, “why do you still have your shirt on?”

Tyson went to say something, but stopped.

Kai sighed, “it’s just bare skin. I’ve worked on way more intimate body parts. You have nothing to worry about.”

Tyson shrugged, he acted confident but Kai could tell he was nervous. He grasped the ends of his shirt and rolled it over his head, throwing it on top of his bag.

“Now lay down.” Kai gestured to the chair that was horizontal from the last client.

Tyon nodded, and laid down in front of Kai, “is it going to hurt!?”

Kai closed his eyes for a moment, it took everything in him to not retort with sass, “it’s just a sticker, so we can determine the placement. It won’t hurt.”

Tyson nodded.

Kai flicked his arm, “you need to have your arms near your sides… like this.”

Kai had grabbed his closest arm and manipulated it like a rag doll, Tyson hid his face, hoping his idol didn’t see him blush.

“Okay, I’m applying it now.”

Kai expertly placed the test paper exactly where Tyson had described he wanted it. Along his right shoulder. Tyson barely moved, but Kai wasn’t sure how he would react when the actual inking started.

“Done. Take a look in the mirror.”

Tyson jumped up, nearly running to the full length mirror in the shop, twirling his body so he could see it better.

“Wow! It’s so cool!” His voice rang through the whole shop, even Tala’s client looked up from his chair.

“Thank you, Kai!”

“No problem.” Kai sat down in his chair, he picked up his tattoo gun and started to tinker with it, he looked at Tyson. “So are you ready?”

Tyson’s eyes grew wide, “r—right now!?”

Kai gave him a genuine grin, “no better time than the present.”

Tyson made his way back to Kai’s station. He looked down at the chair, “is it going to take a while?”

Kai nodded, “I’ll do the outline today. Then you can come back tomorrow and we will ink as much as we can.”

Tyson sat on the chair, still too nervous to lay down.

“Hey kid!”

Tyson looked around the shop for the echoing voice.

It came from the client on Tala’s chair. He was covered in different tattoos, “don’t be worried! But remember it's addicting! Once you get one you can’t stop!”

Tyson laughed, “thanks man!”

The man gave Tyson a thumbs up, Tala smirked in Kai’s direction.

He must enjoy torturing me… asshole.

Tyson gave Kai a huge smile, “I’m ready!”

“Good.” Kai had reached over to his station, he placed a pair of glasses on his face.

“You wear glasses!?” Tyson was intrigued.

“Yeah? Why is that surprising?” Kai wondered why Tyson cared so much, they just met after all.

Tyson mumbled, “you just… never shared anything on your instagram I guess…”

“There’s more to me than my online persona. Get on your stomach.”

Tyson instantly obeyed. He curled in his fists.

Kai made the necessary procedures, he wiped his back with a sterile wipe, Tyson shivered.

Kai had to bite his tongue from sighing.

“Sorry… it was cold.” Tyson muttered.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Kai tried to reassure him but realized he had never really reassured anyone before.

Kai prepared the gun, Tyson turned his head to him, “how much… is it going to hurt?”

God damn it. Why do they always ask...

“Not as much as you’re going to love it.”

Kai impressed himself with his response.

Tyson nodded, and turned his head away from Kai.

“Alright, I’m starting.”

Kai had done it a million times before, but it was Tyson’s first. When the gun first ran along his skin he tensed up, he made a quiet high pitched noise. Kai kept going.

He kept tensing up, too much, it would ruin the work, and Kai’s concentration. Kai stopped for a moment, “you have to untense. It hurts now but it’ll go numb soon, then it won’t be so bad.”

Kai just saw the back of Tyson’s head as he nodded.

Kai grasped his shoulder, “good, now untense.”

Tyson tried to loosen up, but his muscles were still tight.

“Breathe.”

Kai wasn’t sure what to do, but he still had his hand on his shoulder, he gave Tyson a gentle rub with the edge of his thumb.

He heard Tyson exhale, and his whole body relaxed.

“Good job.” Kai readjusted his glasses, and continued. He was leaning over Tyson’s body.

Tyson was aware just how close his idol was, he could feel his breathing as he worked. His face turned red. Over the next hour he grew used to it. He was loving the closeness. He was excited to see what it looked like done.

Tala was surprised, usually Kai put his earbuds in and avoided talking to clients. But this time, Kai kept glancing at Tyson’s hair, as if he wanted to say something, but was stalling. At just over the hour mark, Kai made his move.

“I have to admit. I looked through your sketchbook.”

Tyson jumped, “what?”

“Don’t move—”

“Sorry, but why did you do that?”

“I lost the page the design was on. Then I just kept looking.”

Tyson went silent, clearly he was upset.

Kai stopped for a second, “they’re really good.” he immediately started again.

Tyson went stone cold.

Kai continued, “your dragons are insanely intricate. I’ve never seen scale work like yours. Are they all original?”

Tyson hesitated, “yes…”

“I’m quite fond of the silver-blue dragon, the one near the end.”

“I know which one you’re talking about. It’s one of my favourites too.”

“Mhm.” Kai trailed off, still not ready to ask the question he wanted to.

A few hours later, Kai stopped, “I think that’s good for today.”

Kai put his equipment down, and laid his glasses back on his desk.

Tyson went to get up, “ow…”

“Sore?”

“Yeah, I’ve been in this position too long…”

Tyson slowly rose to a sitting position. Kai admired his shoulder.

It’s great work. I did well.

“I want to see it!” Tyson jumped to his feet making his way to the mirror. He looked in the mirror and gasped in awe.

Tala had approached, he observed the design and raised an eyebrow, “it’s really good, Kai.”

Kai crossed his arms, “come back tomorrow. I’ll colour it. But it will be a bit of work.”

Tala agreed, “it might be best to split the coloring into two appointments. Since it’s his first… How was it, Tyson?”

Tyson was still admiring his tattoo, “the pain? It was fine once I got used to it, Kai really helped.”

“Really!?” Tala looked at Kai in disbelief.

Kai shot him a glare.

Tyson put his shirt back on while Tala described how to take care of it. They made their way to the front desk and finished off some paperwork.

Tala had gone back to his desk, still within earshot.

“Thanks so much. Kai! It’s going to be awesome!” Tyson grinned, “but um… can I have my sketchbook back?”

Kai nodded, then went back to his station, and came back with the book, he slid it across the table, but held on to it when Tyson tried to take it.

Kai didn’t let go of the book, he looked into Tyson’s eyes, with his first genuine expression, “I have a question. About your design.”

“Huh?” Tyson looked up to Kai. He was positive there was nothing he could ask that he wouldn’t know himself.

“I want to buy it.”

“What?” Tyson’s voice rang with disbelief.

“Well, I don’t want to buy the rights. Just the design, so I can have it tattooed.”

“You want my design!?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

Tala’s ear twitched, the situation tickled his interest, and he made his way back to the counter.

“I uh—um.” Tyson was lost for words.

“How much?” Kai badgered him.

Tala intervened, “Kai leave the poor kid alone, let him think on it.”

Kai looked at Tyson, Tyson stared back.

Tyson let go of the book, “keep the book till tomorrow… I’ll think about what you said…”

Tyson backed up towards the door, “b—bye! See you tomorrow!”

He had left the shop faster than either of them could say bye.

Kai still held the sketchbook, he looked down at it. Tala was immediately furious.

“Kai Hiwatari, what the hell!? Are you an ass or head over heels? You’re going to bully some rookie artist into stealing his design? What is wrong with you—”

Kai had opened the book to his favourite page. Tala’s voice changed right away.

“Shit.”

Kai held the open book close to his chest, “I know. It’s well done.”

“You’re not kidding, here let me see—”

Kai handed him the book. Tala admired the drawing for a long time. Before flipping through the book. He let out a long high pitched whistle.

“Could you do it?” Kai asked.

“Do what?”

“Could you tattoo this for me? I want it on my right shoulder—”

Tala laughed, “no. My specialty lies in fangs and fur. I’ve never done a dragon, plus these scales… this could only be done by the original artist.”

Tala looked up from the book, “if you love this design, it has to be done by the original artist. Does he know how to use a gun?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Ah, shame.”

“How come?”

Tala went back to flipping through pages, “because I'd hire him on the spot.”

Kai was dumbfounded, “for real?”

“Absolutely.”

Dude I have so many more ideas for this AU it’s INSANE. AAAH but this is all I have time for now <3 if there’s a demand for more I might write more!

#sorry for accidently stealing ideas #it was just so good #if i continue it ill ask for permission i promise lol #tyka #ressyfaerie #ressyfaerie fic #au #tattoo

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tenmillionwhumperflies · 3 years

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Cloudwalker Series: Mouse the Dragon

Alright, so here is Mouse’s little origin story... thing, because Mouse is precious and deserves all the loves. Oh, and you can meet Azeera, another sorcerer boi.

Drawing of Mouse Here

Warnings for mentions of death, grief, mentions of slavery, ‘animal’ cruelty (contained in a very small space).

Word Count: 1700

Tag List: @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi

Orrien hated busy places, he hated the noise, the stall owners drawing attention to their produce, the chatter of so many people, the chopping, the grinding, the sound of animals. He hated the mix of smells that didn’t go together at all, fish and cinnamon, fruit and dung.

He hated the heat, the buzz, the way he had to bustle past so many people that just didn’t even notice he was there. He kept his cloak pulled up high, hoping to keep his tattoos hidden. No one could know he was a sorcerer. It was dangerous. They’d assume the worst, that he’d escaped or was going to start an attack on behalf of a kingdom. Sorcerers were not simply free, certainly not in his land anyway.

He kept his head down, buying what he needed to get by until he could travel to the next kingdom. Always searching, desperately looking for a new purpose now that he had lost his only son, and the man who had loved his son had turned to darkness and death. Orrien needed time before he went back to the Red Hills, back to the land he’d been born and raised on.

“Mama, look over there!” a child cried. Orrien turned quickly, thinking perhaps they were looking at him. He heaved out a breath of relief, seeing she was pointing at a small market stall. The mother ushered the child away from whatever it is they had seen. Orrien couldn’t help but approach the emptier area of the city. Something drew him towards it and didn't fight the urge to follow. He saw the owner of the stall was a cloaked man. Orrien couldn’t see his face, but he knew enough about him already. He had light magic, Orrien could feel it, but that didn't necessarily make him a friend.

Orrien pondered speaking to him, to find out who he was, but he was distracted by a strange tink noise. He turned his head to see a very small jar on the table, and at first Orrien thought it was a small lizard. He stepped closer, seeing that its grey skin was actually metal. He picked up the jar with care. The cloaked figure grunted, but that was all.

Orrien inspected the jar with more care, seeing that the small dragon inside looked incredibly scared. They were so small, only the size of his middle finger. They clawed at the metal with one foot, but the jar was so small they could barely move. They stared at Orrien with wide eyes. He felt so drawn to them. He couldn’t leave them trapped like this. It was cruel. It could kill them. Besides, a small companion like this would likely do him some good. He turned the little paper tag attached to the jar. Enchanted dragon, 100 pieces.

"A trinket has caught your eye, sir?" The man asked. Orrien recognised the voice somewhat, but he couldn't put a name to it. "Some 'trinket' for one hundred… You can’t put a price on a life, enchanted or otherwise. You know no one will ever buy such a small charm for so much. Distress them for too long and they will lose their magic. Why push for so much money?” “The enchantment on this dragon is... immense. They were made with incredible power- from love and care. They are practically alive with their own personality... My greatest work. They deserve a loving home, but are you worthy?"

"Money and power does not equate to kindness," he hissed. My greatest work. Orrien hoped he’d put the voice to the right face, and the fact that the dragon was enchanted. Reluctantly, he eased his hood back a fraction to show his face, his tattoos. "You of all people should know that. You say they deserve a loving home, but you treat them so harshly," he grunted before putting his hood back. "Trapping them like this. You should be ashamed… Azeera." The man carefully moved his hood away, showing bright green tattoos on either cheek, a sharp contrast on his dark skin. Orrien had been right after all, and his relief must have showed. He belonged to the Sorcerer's Circle, one of the eight. His enchantment magic was impressive.

“Correct, though it seemed to take you a while, Orrien of the Red Hills, high sorcerer of the Kingdom of Everblade." He remarked. “Former,” Orrien corrected glumly. There was no kingdom left to serve, not that he’d ever enjoyed serving that wretched man. “Indeed. Word spreads fast. But here you are, in front of me, as I’d waited and hoped. Fate always finds a way, doesn’t it? In truth, I thought you were dead."

“Why would you think that?” Orrien frowned. “Well, the last I heard of Everblade, it was being called Everblood and had fallen. I wasn’t sure if your apprentice had turned on you also.” Orrien sighed. “That castle was so low it could not have fallen any further… Avizon has chosen a darker path, but he would never turn on me.” “Then… tell me, where is your son? Are the rumours true...” his voice faded off. Orrien looked away and kept his eyes on the dragon that was now headbutting the glass with a repetitive tinking noise. “He is… he’s gone. Avizon told me the king killed him while he rested from wounds gained by protecting the castle. That is why Avizon rebelled and attacked. I was a coward and left him. I wasn't going to stop him after what Halve had done, but nor could I stand by him…"

Azeera sighed and bowed his head. “That is indeed a terrible thing to hear, but this was Avizon’s path to walk, his destiny. Fate always finds a way, even if you had stayed behind. I don’t know how Ignium will feel about the whole affair, but I shan't be the one to tell him.” “Perhaps, but what does my son have to do with buying a dragon?” Orrien asked. "And if I may ask, why are you here? Are you not still serving Queen Daphne?”

Azeera shook his head. “Not all of us were kept on as short a chain as you, you know? I was allowed to leave the grounds, but alas, no. After… Everblade, the queen decided against magic defences, despite my years of unwavering loyalty. Royals are realising we are powerful, dangerous, and most importantly, unhappy. Her focus is on the army, on a group that won’t risk so much if one loses control. She did not care for the reasons why young Avizon turned on the castle. She reflected and I believe she feared his actions would influence me. She released me peacefully, no quarrels, and gave me a home to try to keep me from turning bitter. I consider it early retirement, and really you can’t consider freedom to be a punishment. So here I am, selling trinkets to pass the time."

"I see. For what it is worth, I am sorry for Avizon’s actions. I should have been able to do more to stop this.”

Azeera shrugged. “It is a difficult situation, but when I saw Avizon after you saved him… I didn’t expect him to turn to violence, but I cannot say I’m shocked. What Halve did to him was beyond human.” Orrien shuddered, he needed a change of topic. “So what is this fate you speak of?"

"Ah, yes, that. Orrien, I don't think he told you, that it was a surprise but your son saved my life only days before the attack. I offered him a favour in return.” Orrien looked back down at the dragon and stared. Was he leading to what he thought?

Orrien continued to stare. When he stared in the dragon's eyes, he could see their pleading. They dug at the glass desperately, but it was so cramped it barely equated to anything. It bit at his own tail, but it didn’t seem to damage itself at least. Did he imagine it, or was there a familiarity? All he knew was that he couldn’t leave them. His heart told him that he needed this little one. He gritted his teeth. Orrien pulled the cork out of the jar, ignoring Azeera’s grunt of a protest. The little dragon scrambled out and hid in Orrien’s palm. He opened his hand just enough to stroke their head. They seemed so much more relaxed now they had access to magic, that they could move.

“The only way to contain them was to take away their mobility. They’re quite the trouble maker and an escape artist. They had started with a very comfortable abode,” Azeera explained with a soft grumble. Orrien put his hand up to his shoulder, letting the dragon climb onto him. They hid behind Orrien’s ear, chewing nervously on it. Orrien couldn't help but brace to have to argue or fight, to have to run away and get to the horse, out of habit more than anything.

“You're tired and on edge, old friend. I can recommend you an inn or offer space in my home to rest? That little dragon is meant to be yours. They were the favour Ro asked of me. They were to be a gift… for you. He poured his heart and soul into helping me make it… After seeing what happened to the castle I left before I could give it to him. I assumed they would be forgotten about, that you were dead, and so I put them up for sale for a good home. Fate had other plans. Your son’s love drew you here.”

Orrien bit back tears. He had not expected anything like this. For Ro to have left him something so... pure. The dragon began to slide down the front of Orrien’s cloak, so he put his hand out as a platform. “My debt is paid, the offer of rest is still there? The inn is the Crooked Key. It is welcoming of our kind and my home is just around the corner."

Orrien nodded. "Thank you, for everything you have done for me."

Orrien bowed his head and left, cradling the little dragon in his hand. “You’re so quiet… so small, like a little mouse.” He stopped and smiled. “Yes, that will be your name. I think it would have annoyed Ro just as he’d have wanted,” he smiled softly. He scratched their back, enjoying watching the dragon weave through his fingers and arch their back like a cat might.

“To get a favour from a sorcerer as powerful as Azeera and ask only for a trinket for your father… Oh, Ro, my poor boy… This world was not made for one as pure as you.” He forced himself to take deep breaths, to calm before he let the dragon back onto his shoulder and disappeared into the choking crowds.

#Cloudwalker series #tw: death mention #tw: slavery mention #Mouse #Orrien #Azeera #you will meet more sorcerers soon #once I'm actually able to write 26 #so yeah Mouse is super precious and I will protect them with my life #I don't even want to hurt them I just love them so much #a good baby

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splendidlyimperfect · 3 years

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critical hit - chapter 3 [they're taking the hobbits to isengard]

When Sting tells Natsu that one of his friends from school is going to be joining their weekly Dungeons & Dragons game, Natsu isn’t impressed - their table is already full. But while Natsu and Gray’s in-game characters clash completely, Natsu finds that real-life Gray might not be that bad after all.

Chapter Summary: D&D night gets unexpectedly cancelled, but Natsu wants to hang out with Gray anyway.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Pairings: Natsu/Gray, Sting/Rogue

Tags: Modern AU, Dungeons & Dragons, Role-Playing Games, Awkward Flirting, ADHD Natsu, Geek Gray

*i know i haven’t updated this in two whole years (my bad) but i finally got inspiration so thanks for your patience and enjoy <3*

*link to ao3 in the comments cause tumblr keeps fucking up my posts*

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“I’m stoked for this fight tonight!” Natsu grinned at Gray, who was curled up in the passenger seat of Natsu’s car, looking out the window at the slowly setting sun. “We’re gonna kick this thing’s ass.”

“I dunno about that,” Gray replied, fiddling with his necklace. Natsu couldn’t quite make out what the pendant was. “We’re all nearly dead and out of magic. We might be fucked.”

“Pfff,” Natsu scoffed, pulling out of the Starbucks parking lot and heading towards home. “Maybe with that attitude. Don’t worry, we’ll pull a win out of this. We always do! Did I tell you about the time we dropped a house on a dragon?”

Gray shook his head and Natsu launched into the story, complete with wild hand gestures and sound effects. He could feel Gray’s gaze on him as he listened intently, even when the retelling took several unexpected detours. It made something warm grow in Natsu’s chest. Most people in his life were used to his rambling, chalking it up to his ADHD and excitable nature. They usually tuned him out after a while, though, or nodded along while drifting off to something else.

Gray listened, though. He’d shifted in his seat to face Natsu, knee tucked under his leg, coffee held between both hands, and Natsu could feel the deliberate way he followed Natsu’s words. It made Natsu feel important.

He’d just wrapped up another story where they had accidentally created a super-intelligent zombie when both of their phones pinged.

“It’s Sting,” Gray said. “So sorry guys, I can’t make it tonight, work called me in last minute. Can we reschedule for next week?”

Natsu felt a flood of disappointment wash through him as he glanced over at Gray, whose brow was furrowed as he stared at his phone. He was so cute – he had gotten his eyebrow pierced at some point during the week, and it made him even more adorable.

“Well,” Natsu said, chewing on his lip. “That sucks.”

An awkward silence filled the car. Natsu really didn’t want to drive Gray home – he’d been waiting all week to see him, and when Natsu had picked him up, the shy smile Gray had given him had made Natsu feel breathless.

“Well, I don’t—did you wanna, uh…” Gray trailed off, tugging at a loose thread from the hole in his jeans. “I mean I don’t have any, uh, plans? Obviously, since we had—I mean, so maybe we, um, we could…”

“They put all the Lord of the Rings movies on Netflix,” Natsu said quickly, before he could chicken out. For once he was glad for the lack of filter between his brain and his mouth. “Wanna get takeout and watch one of them?”

Before the anxiety could set in, Gray glanced up and gave him a soft smile. “Yeah,” he said. “I’d like that.”

Gray’s favorite food turned out to be sushi.

“You’ve never had sashimi before?” he asked once they’d gotten back to Natsu’s place and unpacked the takeout onto the living room table.

“Is that the rice?” Natsu asked as he settled down cross-legged on the floor. “Or the fish?”

“The fish,” Gray said, pointing at the slices of raw salmon. “It’s good, I promise.”

Natsu gave him a dubious look, then frowned at the chopsticks that Gray handed him. “You’re gonna think I’m totally uncultured,” he said as he peeled off the wrapper, “but I’ve never used chopsticks.”

“It’s not hard,” Gray reassured him. Natsu fumbled with the wooden sticks, glaring at them as he tried to get them to move. “Here,” Gray said, moving closer to Natsu and reaching out for his hands. “Like this.”

Natsu’s breath caught in his throat when Gray’s fingers touched his, settling the chopsticks between them and showing him where his thumb should go. Gray’s hands were cold, and each small touch made Natsu’s heart jump. His cheeks flushed hot when he dropped the chopsticks again, and this time it had nothing to do with clumsiness.

“I, uh, might have to stick to forks,” Natsu said with a nervous laugh. Gray was close enough to him that he could smell his shampoo – something light and fruity that made Natsu want to lean in and run his fingers through Gray’s hair. It looked so soft.

As if reading Natsu’s thoughts, Gray pushed his hair out of his eyes and tucked it behind his ear. Natsu’s eyes followed the movement, and when Gray’s gaze met his, he quickly looked back down at the food, hoping the heat in his cheeks wasn’t visible.

“That’s okay,” Gray said, and it took Natsu a second to realize that he was talking about the chopsticks and not the staring. “You can eat the rolls with your fingers.” He pointed at the second container. “Those ones don’t have fish in them. Just yams.”

“I’ll try the fish,” Natsu said before he could stop himself. He was glad Sting wasn’t here to tell Gray that Natsu had sworn off seafood ten years ago after going fishing with their grandfather and crying when he’d had to gut the salmon they’d caught.

It ended up being better than he’d expected, despite the strange texture.

“I haven’t had sushi in a while,” Gray admitted once they were done the meal. “I ate it every day in Japan.”

“You lived in Japan?” Natsu asked as he stuffed the styrofoam containers back into the plastic bags.

Gray nodded. “Yeah, I was there for an exchange program for a year. I’m from Montréal originally, though.” The soft way he said the word let Natsu finally place the soft accent he’d noticed every once in a while. Of course Gray was bilingual. Was there anything about him that wasn’t perfect?

“That’s awesome,” Natsu said. “When did you move here?”

“Six months ago, for school.” Gray crossed his legs, tucking his feet underneath him as he shifted on the couch cushion. “It’s really different here.”

“I can imagine,” Natsu said. “Have you made it down to Gastown yet? Rogue likes sushi and he says there’s lots of good places down there.”

“Oh, no, I haven’t.” Gray smiled as Natsu’s cat Happy hopped up onto the couch and rubbed himself against Gray’s legs. “I, um… I haven’t really been out too much. By myself.” He ran his finger behind Happy’s ears, who purred happily. “I’m a little—I get kind of anxious. Sometimes. To go alone.”

“I could take you,” Natsu offered before he could stop himself. “There’s so many places here you’d love – Granville Island’s amazing, they’ve got markets and this awesome café, and you’d probably like the art gallery there too. And if you haven’t been to the beach – well, beaches, there’s so many of them, and if you go to Stanley Park you can walk or take a bike, and there’s a…” He trailed off at the overwhelmed expression on Gray’s face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“I’d like that,” Gray said, keeping his eyes fixed on Happy as a small smile crept across his face. “To go, I mean. With you.”

“Oh.” Natsu couldn’t hold in a grin. “Cool. It’s a date, then.”

Gray finally looked up at him and Natsu’s cheeks flushed when he realized what he’d said. Before Gray could reply, Natsu grabbed the remote from the table and thrust it into Gray’s hands.

“You can, uh, pick one. Of the movies,” he said as he pushed himself to his feet. “On Netflix. I’m gonna make popcorn.”

Natsu darted into the kitchen and exhaled, rubbing his face. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket.

holy pain in the ass: you’d better be on a date, loser

Natsu groaned – of course Sting had done this on purpose, the asshole.

pyro-manic: you’re a jackass and a liar

holy pain in the ass: i think you mean ‘you’re welcome’

Natsu glared at the screen for a minute, trying to come up with something witty but eventually just shoving his phone back in his pocket.

When he headed back into the living room with the popcorn, Gray was still petting Happy, who had curled up in his lap and was purring contentedly. He’d taken off his hoodie and had rolled the sleeves of his World of Warcraft shirt up just enough that Natsu could see the never tell me the odds tattoo that wound around his wrist.

Natsu tried not to stare. Everything about Gray made him feel like he was thirteen with his first crush all over again. He’d dated other people before, obviously, but none of them were quite like Gray. There was something about him – a shy but carefree enthusiasm for the things he loved that drew Natsu in. It didn’t matter what kind of pop culture references Natsu made, Gray picked up on all of them. He could finish the movie quotes Natsu had memorized, knew all the best cards in Magic, had seen every anime that Natsu loved, and didn’t even tease him about his taste in music.

Natsu’s phone buzzed in his pocket again, drawing him out of his thoughts, and he ignored what he was sure was another text from Sting.

“I hope you don’t mind the subtitles,” Natsu said to Gray, gesturing at the screen as he sat down next to – but not quite touching – Gray. “I always have them on. It’s like, a thing, with my ADHD – auditory processing something? It just makes it hard to catch everything sometimes, the subtitles help.”

Gray nodded, scratching behind Happy’s ears. “It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I usually have them on, too. It helped me when I was learning English.”

“Awesome.” Natsu took the remote and hit ‘play,’ then settled back against the couch as ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ started to play.

Natsu was glad he’d seen the movie at least ten times, because the only thing he could focus on was Gray. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sting’s text, about the word date, about the fact that he hadn’t felt like this about anyone in years. Natsu’s life was full of people – he was outgoing by nature – but none of them made him feel like Gray did.

They finished the popcorn quickly and Natsu leaned forward to set the bowl on the coffee table. When he settled back into the couch, he was certain Gray leaned into him a little. He held his breath, shifting as if to get comfortable, and ended up right next to Gray with their shoulders pressed together. It sent a thrill through Natsu and he tried his best to ignore the part of him that insisted he was not a teenager anymore and it was silly to get worked up over this. He tried to focus on the movie instead.

“You have my sword,” Aragon said on screen.

“And you have my bow.”

“And my axe.”

“And my vuvuzela,” Gray murmured absently.

Natsu burst out laughing, immediately struck by the ridiculous video he hadn’t seen since in years. “Oh my god,” he said, nudging Gray’s shoulder with his as Gray’s cheeks turned pink. “You’re such a dork.” Before Gray could take offense, he added, “In a good way. I know exactly what you’re talking about and now I’m gonna have that song stuck in my head for the rest of the night.”

Gray laughed. “I just can’t take that scene seriously anymore,” he admitted. “My sister and I used to watch all of these movies on Christmas and quote along to it… it got pretty silly. And took forever ‘cause we’d watch all the extended editions in one sitting.” He played with his necklace as he talked, keeping his eyes on the screen.

Natsu was about to ask why they didn’t do it anymore but stopped himself when he remembered what Sting had mentioned when he’d first invited Gray to join D&D. Gray’s sister had died unexpectedly just before he’d moved here, and Gray didn’t like talking about it.

“We can watch them all if you want,” Natsu offered instead. Gray’s expression shifted and Natsu wasn’t quite sure what it meant – he was hard to read even when they weren’t talking about personal things. But then the corner of his lip curled up in a tiny smile and he nodded.

“If you can sit still that long,” he teased.

Natsu laughed. “Yeah, I might end up upside-down or something at some point. But that’s okay.”

Gray’s smile got a little wider. “I’d like that,” he said softly.

“Okay,” Natsu said. He tried his best to keep a huge grin from creeping across his face. “Cool. Yeah. Me too.”

Natsu managed to sit fairly still until about halfway through ‘The Two Towers.’ They’d had plenty of breaks – including one where they’d pulled up ‘They’re Taking the Hobbits to Isengard’ on Gray’s phone and sang along until they were both laughing hysterically – but it was getting difficult to not fidget. He was about to ask if they could take another quick break when Gray shifted and the back of his hand brushed Natsu’s.

Natsu immediately froze, all restless thoughts banished from his head as he focused on the sensation of Gray’s knuckles against his. They’d been moving closer and further apart all evening, bumping shoulders and knees, but this didn’t feel like an accidental touch. Something about it was deliberate, and this time Gray wasn’t moving away.

Heat sparked in Natsu’s stomach and he stared down at their hands, hoping to hell that he wasn’t misreading Gray’s intentions as he returned the touch. He heard Gray’s soft intake of breath, and several nearly unbearable seconds passed before Gray shifted closer and slid their fingers together. He was warm against Natsu’s side, and when he carefully tipped his head onto Natsu’s shoulder, Natsu was certain that Gray could hear the frantic slamming of his heart.

He exhaled as quietly as he could as he ran his thumb down the side of Gray’s hand, enjoying the soft noise that Gray made in response. His hair tickled Natsu’s cheek, soft and fine, and when Natsu rested his cheek against the top of Gray’s head, Gray hummed happily and cuddled closer.

The uncertainty that had been following Natsu around all night immediately vanished as he let himself relax against Gray, squeezing his hand gently as they pressed against each other. It felt so right. Natsu hadn’t realized how long it had been since he’d cuddled anyone until they were both comfortable and breathing in tandem. He felt more relaxed than he had in years.

The movie kept playing but Natsu barely paid attention. His brain, always in overdrive, immediately started to whether or not he should kiss Gray, if that was moving too fast, if he should maybe put his arm around Gray or whether or not that would be a cheesy high school romcom move. Gray solved the issue a few minutes later by stretching and nudging Natsu’s arm up, then curling up against him.

“I can hear you thinking,” Gray said quietly as the battle for Helm’s Deep raged on in the background. “Or panicking. I can’t tell.”

“I’m not panicking.” Natsu wasn’t sure if he was lying or not.

“Okay.” Gray rested his head against Natsu’s collarbone. “Good.”

The movie came to an end not long after that, but Gray didn’t move. He ran his fingers up Natsu’s arm instead, touching the scar that Natsu had gotten after a motorcycle mishap years ago. Gray traced patterns between Natsu’s freckles, then ran his hand back down and touched Natsu’s palm.

“Are we—”

“Is this—”

They both laughed as they talked at the same time, and Gray shifted until he was looking up at Natsu and they were nearly cheek-to-cheek. Warmth sparked in Natsu’s stomach and he leaned in, nudging Gray’s nose with his own. There was a moment of anticipation where neither of them moved, and then Gray closed the distance and pressed their lips together.

The heat in Natsu’s chest spread as Gray kissed him, rushing across his cheeks and down to his fingertips. He made a soft sound, tipping his head and pulling Gray closer until they were facing each other. Slowly, he reached out and brushed Gray’s hair out of his face, running his fingers through the silky strands. It was just as soft as it looked.

When Gray finally pulled back, his cheeks were flushed pink and he didn’t quite meet Natsu’s eyes.

“I, um…” He bit his lip uncertainly.

“I really like you,” Natsu said quickly before he could change his mind. “Like. A lot.”

“Oh.” A small smile worked its way across Gray’s face. “Good. I like you too. Also a lot.”

Natsu laughed, leaning back in and kissing Gray’s nose. “Sting did this on purpose,” he said, gesturing to his phone that was sitting on the coffee table. “He’s an idiot, but I’m kinda glad he did.”

“Me too.”

Natsu ran his fingers through Gray’s hair again, then pulled him in for another kiss. It was soft and sweet, but Natsu’s stomach still sparked with excitement at the touch. Gray was warm everywhere they pressed together, and Natsu never wanted to let go.

Gray pressed one more kiss to Natsu’s lips, then his cheek, then pressed their foreheads together. “I haven’t dated anyone in a long time,” he admitted, cheeks flushed pink. “I just… can we take it slow?”

“Of course,” Natsu said quickly. He kissed the tip of Gray’s nose. “I’m just happy to—I like spending time with you. And kissing. That’s good—great—too. Really great.”

Gray laughed, squeezing Natsu’s hand and kissing him again. Then he looked back at the TV screen where Netflix was suggesting ‘Return of the King’ as their next film.

“You wanna keep watching?” Natsu asked. “I promised you a marathon.” He looked at the clock, which already read 2:47 a.m.

“Yes? But I know you have to work tomorrow.”

“It’s okay,” Natsu reassured him, grinning. “I actually took tomorrow off because today was supposed to be our last D&D session and I thought it might take all night. Plus, I’m not tired.” He kissed Gray’s cheek again. “Maybe just a little distracted.”

“Just a little?” Gray ran his fingers through Natsu’s hair and surprised him by tugging on it gently.

“Maybe a lot,” Natsu admitted. He ran his hand down Gray’s side, then pulled him closer until he was almost in Natsu’s lap. “But I’m okay with it.”

They both fell asleep on the couch before ‘Return of the King’ was over. When they woke up the next morning in each other’s arms, Gray blushed furiously, but eagerly returned Natsu’s morning kisses.

“I guess I’d better get you home,” Natsu said as he ran his fingers through the tangles in Gray’s hair. “You’ve got class soon, hey?”

Gray nodded. “I’d rather stay here,” he admitted.

“Look, I’m happy to kiss you all day, but I’m also not gonna be the reason you fail your classes.”

Gray raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll have you know that I have a 4.0 GPA.”

“Guess I’m dating a genius then, huh?” Natsu paused. “Are we? Dating? I mean, is that what you wanna—”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Natsu grinned, kissing Gray’s nose, then nudged him off the couch. “C’mon,” he said as he sat up and stretched. “Let’s get you some coffee and get you home.”

Natsu’s pantry was nearly empty, so they stopped for coffee and bagels and ate quietly on the drive back to Gray’s place, holding hands across the console. When they pulled into the dorm parking lot, Natsu let go regretfully and leaned over for a kiss.

“See you on Sunday?” he asked, then shook his head. “No, that’s too long. How about Tuesday? I can take you to Gastown and show you around.”

Gray’s face lit up and he nodded. “Yeah,” he said, smiling shyly at Natsu and squeezing his fingers. “I’d like that.”

“Perfect.” Natsu kissed him again, tasting coffee on his lips. “It’s a date.”

#fairy tail #gratsu #natsu dragneel #gray fullbuster #fanfic #ft fanfic #d&d #dungeons & dragons #fluff #adhd natsu #geek gray #new chapter #update #my fic

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srta-peppa · 4 years

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Hii again! 💞 Here I am at 2:30am knowing perfectly that almost of all you are sleeping but i guess this could be a nice thing to wake up. Or I hope at least. I know I told you guys I was going to finish the fic this week, but I lied... 🙈 hahaha I also lied when I said it will be 2k per chapter because here I’m with a 4k ch and thinking about an epilogue (So 5 ch in total and not only 4) but you dont care about all of this. So I hope you like this part as much as the other and thank you so much. 🥰💗🥰💗 (ao3 link on the title)

Ch 1 // Ch 2

“The things i do for you”

Chapter 3:

We have been in two more parties after that one, and things should not go well because Robbe is every day more into the fake relationship. We arrived early at the next party, this time the house is from Jens’s ex-girlfriend, Jana, I think. Robbe has told me about it because he thinks we should look especially loving with the other since Jens still has feelings for her. Well... we are definitely doing the part of being affectionate, but I’m not so sure that this is stoping Jens in any way.

As soon as we got there, Robbe made us sit on a sofa in the garden. His friends were already there, so they talked a little bit. Robbe was between my legs resting against my chest while I played with his hair. We must be like that for just ten minutes before Robbe kissed me. At the moment I thought we were going to kiss for a few moments and then he would be talking with his friends again. Well, that was not the case.

It’s already midnight, and I told you that we came early and that Robbe spoke with his Moyo and Jens for only ten or fifteen minutes. So I think it is fair to say that we been kissing in front of them for at least TWO HOURS! And don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining, but, to be honest, if we keep it like this, I might be dead by the end of the night.

“Robbe, man are you going to be sucking your boyfriend’s face all night,” Jens says, his voice sound annoyed, but I can’t tell why.

I mean, I will be annoyed too if my best friend let me alone for three parties in a row. Robbe didn’t hear him or doesn’t care because he keeps kissing me. I hear Jens calling him one more time.

Moving my kisses along his jaw, I whisper in his ear. “Baby?” I say while I pretend to be playing with his earring.

“Humm?” Robbe murmur and doesn’t open his eyes.

I chuckle softly, he seems to be in his own bubble. “Baby… Jens wants your attention.”

“Who?” He says, hiding his face in my neck.

“The man of your dreams,” I joke.

“You are the man of my dreams” He whispers between kisses on my skin.

I feel like my whole body freeze. “What?”

“What?” Robbe says confused, this time, he is more alert and looking at me.

“What did you say?” I ask because he couldn’t have said what I think he said, right?

“I said, Johan, is the man of my dreams…” The fuck is he talking about? “The Dutch football player... I was joking,” Robbe says, laughing and caressing my frown.

“Oh, okay..” I have no clue of what Robbe had said, I’m not a big football fan like him, but I guess it has more sense than what I heard.

“Hey, bro, are you going to be all night eating Sander’s face? It’s like the third night you ignore us. You have him all the time, what about us?” Jens tries again now that Robbe is not distracted.

And at this point, I’m pretty sure Robbe’s best friend is not jealous of me because I’m his ‘boyfriend’ but more possible because of how little time his best friend hangs with him nowadays. I tried to say it to Robbe yesterday, but once again, he didn’t listen.

Robbe’s cheeks turn pink, and I hug him from behind. “Yes, you are right. I’m sorry I got to carry away.”

“It’s fine Robbe, I get you guys are in the honeymoon phase. Wanna come inside for some new drinks?” Jens offers.

“Yes! Give me a sec,” Robbe says, and Jens only nods at him, already heading to the house.

Robbe looks at me, smiling, and I smile at him too. He is so sweet and I'm so fucking in love. He gets closer and bumps his nose with mine.

“He is not here anymore, you know?” I ask playfully.

“I know,” He says in the same tone. Robbe doesn’t move. “Jens can wait for a minute.”

Robbe takes my face in his hands and kisses me again. He is so tendered and gentle; he makes it super easy to get lost in it.

“This part of your plan?” I say after some time pass.

“Oh yeah, sure.” Robbe answers without stoping his kisses.

“You need to go,” I laugh.

“In a minute,” He pushes himself further in my body.

“A minute has passed,” I joke.

“I’m going,�� He says, not moving or stoping our kiss.

“I still see you here,” Robbe whine and starts to stand up, pulling my face giving me peaks in my mouth.

“No, you don’t.” He pouts, making me laugh even more.

“Baby, you need to go,”

“Okay, okay” He finally says

Robbe walks a few steps before coming back to me.

“One more,” He says, leaning down to kiss me again.

We kiss for a minute, deeply. After another minute pass, my neck hurts because of the rare position we are kissing. But before I can move, Robbe pushes away to look at my eyes. He smiles, and like he didn’t have just stole my heart, he runs towards the house.

What the fuck had just happened.

Thursdays are busy days for me. I work part-time in a tattoo shop while I finish my two last years of college. I’m drawing the sketches for my weekend clients and some original pieces in case anyone comes wanting a random tattoo. I like my job, I can paint all day, people used to be really kind, and because the owner is my best friend, I get to keep the majority of my profits. Noor only let me pay my part of the bills and nothing more.

I’m drawing a European dragon for a girl I have on Saturday when my phone beeps. Usually, I don’t answer it while I’m drawing, but it must be Robbe for the time. The only moments when I don’t respond to him are because I’m with a client, yes I’m weak for him.

“I think u should send me some photos,” I read, and I don’t have a fucking clue of what it’s he saying, so I call him.

“Hey, baby,” I say once Robbe picks up.

“Hi! Have you finished early today? I missing you…”

“I miss you too, but I still have work.”

“Buuuh… I can’t wait to see you.”

“That’s why you want the photo?” I ask unsure, he has never done that, but he’s been acting weird lately.

“Yes, I guess I can say so.”

“Okay, I’m gonna send you a selfie later, send me one too”

“What? No, that’s no the type of photo I meant.”

Suddenly an idea hit me. I’m possibly wrong. No! I have to be wrong.

“What kind of photo do you want, baby?” I ask, instead.

“Wait! I do want the selfie. Miss your pretty face.”

“I miss you too, baby.” I see Noor rolling her eyes. But being real, we haven’t seen each other for a week.

Robbe has a big exam coming tomorrow, and he wanted to be focus only on that. Sure, we speak every night, but it’s not the same.

“Don’t avoid my question what type of photo?”

“I have been thinking…” Robbe says and a month ago that wouldn’t scare me. Today? I’m terrified. “We need to have some hot pics from the other on our phones and some dirty chats. It won’t be realistic if we don’t.”

Yep, that’s precisely what I had thought.

“Who is going to see our phones, Robbe?”

“I don’t know anyone! Jens uses my phone a lot. He says I have a better camera for our skate videos.”

“Okay, but why would Jens look into our chats?”

“No, the chat, the gallery.”

“Okay, I get what you mean, yet we are not doing it.”

“Why not? It hasn’t to thaaat dirty.”

“No, no, no. I’m not texting you that only to make Jens jealous.”

“Humm.. okay, can I text you some?”

Kill me if I don’t want those photos, but just because of that is why I won’t accept it. I can’t do it, those photos would mean totally different things for us. And yes, when we kiss is similar, but I know Robbe at least enjoys kissing me. The phots would be a completely different story.

“Why don’t you take them and leave them there? If Jens is going to see the gallery, he won’t actually know you didn’t send it to me.”

“Oh! You’re right… sometimes you are such a genius.”

“Sometimes?”

“Yes, if you were like that all the time, you would accept my photos. I guess it’s your loss, I have some notable photos.” Robbe says, making me laugh, maybe he is right.

We talked for a few moments more before Robbe had to go back to his study. Once we hang up, I rest my forehead on the table.

“He is going to kill me Noor... and I will fucking thank him,” I say, looking at the floor.

“What does lovely Robbe ask you this time? It can’t be worst than kiss him to make someone else jealous.” She asks, amused.

“He wanted us to send dirty photos to each other,” I admit in a whisper.

“Damn, your boy likes to torture, or he is doing it on propose?” Noor asks, but the reality can not be farther away from it.

“Robbe is not even aware that I could at least get horny because of him.” And I honestly don’t know-how. It’s not like I’m that great of an actor.

“Hahaha, well, I think its good you tell him no, sometimes you are too soft with his desired.”

A deep silence grows between us. What should I say? That I finally tell him no because I won’t be able to not see those pics and not want to pin him in the wall.

“Sander…?” Noor says with wide eyes, “Please tell me you don’t fucking agree to do it!”

“I don’t agree, but not because of that. It was because of how bad I want those photos. I’m still soft.”

So fucking soft for him, and I’m so shameless about it. I mean I literally call him baby, I kiss his cheeks and neck all the time. I know people notice it, Robbe’s friends, our families, my best friend Noor. She actually didn’t believe me that we weren’t together until she met Robbe. I was even dumped by my ex because of my love for Robbe.

“You need help, man. And I think I have the best idea.” Noor smiles maliciously.

“What idea?” I frown, I don’t like how this sounds.

“Have you told him Lucas is coming back this weekend?” She says.

“No, why would I? He doesn’t like him.” I say, trying to not assume the worst.

“Of course he doesn’t, Luc steal your attention from him.” Noor laughs like it was apparent.

And I wish it was true, but Lucas definitely didn’t steal my attention from Robbe. Lucas knows it, even Robbe knows it.

“Nobody steals my attention from him, Noor. I thought that was the problem.” I say.

“Okay, but you give Lucas more than you gave to the rest of us even if it less than to Robbe,” Noor admits my biggest shame. Robbe holds all the power over me. “He knows it, and that’s why he doesn’t like your Lucas.”

“He is not my Lucas anymore, Noor.”

And He is not with me because Lucas is not fucking blind like Robbe is. Robbe didn’t like him from the start, he told me Luc seems too much like a snake. On the other hand, Lucas did like Robbe; he told me he totally gets why I was in love with my best friend. We were together for two months before they met, and tried to stay together for one month more after they met. It didn't work.

“Nah, details.” She waves off my words.

“I’m not gonna use my ex to make Robbe jealous. I think we already have enough with him and his best friend,” I say.

Lucas doesn’t deserve that, and neither does Robbe. If he wants to be oblivious for the rest of his life is his call and not mine.

“I’m not saying you should kiss your ex-boyfriend. Just let Robbe know he is here,” Noor explains, but I can see her intentions.

If you want to know what happened in the end, he dumped me. Lucas wasn’t mad at me, but he said that it was challenging to be with someone that already had all of his ‘needs’ covered by someone else and that if he could only give me sex, it was better to end things. And as a shame as I got back then it was the truth. I like him, I care for him, and I’m sure that if I didn’t have Robbe, I would fall in love with him. But in the real-life, I am madly in love with my best friend, and Luc was nothing more than a friend with benefits. Well, he kinda still is. Yet now that things were clear between us, it is so much more healthy.

Friday night came quickly, and thank goodness because I can’t stand not seeing my baby boy anymore. A knock in the door surprise me Robbe has his own key. When I open the door a pair of blue eyes stare at me, Lucas has a cocky smile on his lips like he knows something I don’t.

“Hi sexy,” Lucas says, and before I can greet him back, he is kissing me.

It’s not that we don’t kiss. We fool around a lot when he came to visit, but not like this, it only happens when we are in the mood. What it's usually late at night after a few drinks. When Lucas finally pull off, I see it. Behind him is Robbe lying in the wall, arms crossed, and an annoyed look on his eyes. He is mad as hell, and I suddenly understand the love show, but why…? Oh, wait! Noor. She told him, and of course, Lucas is in. He had always like to annoy Robbe.

“Are you going to come in?” I ask Robbe when he doesn’t move.

“I don’t know, is he going to stay?” He says grumpily.

I know I shouldn’t because Robbe is trying to look mad, but he looks so adorable. I want to eat him, kiss by kiss.

“No, Luc just came to drop some stuff I asked him from Amsterdam,” I say more for Lucas than for Robbe.

Robbe doesn’t answer, he enters without hugging me even if we hadn’t seen each other for a whole week. We sit on the floor where I have some pillows and blankets as a couch. I don’t need to tell you that Robbe sat in my lap and ignored Luc for the ten minutes that we probably spend talking, right? Once Lucas left, we decide to go for some cheeseburgers to our favorite bar.

Usually, we eat in the same spot on the sofas next to the window. Yet tonight something is different we are in our place, but Robbe isn’t sitting in front of me like always, he doesn’t even sits next to me. He is literally as glue to my body as a public place will allow it. Robbe is turned to the side so he can look at me. He also has his leg on top of mine under the table, and he is stealing my chips. I can think that it is because of our time apart and that he has missed me yet… something feels too much for one week of not seen each other.

“I want you to give me a hickey,” Robbe says out of nowhere, and of course, he does it while I’m drinking.

“What?” I manage to say after I have choked with my soda.

“Yeah, couples do it,” Robbe says, caressing my back like it would help me to stop the cough.

This is a big red flag. This needs to stop now! Robbe has to be joking. I mean… really? No, he doesn’t want that. He is joking, he is joking, he is joking.

“Not all couples, baby,” I say because if I question him and this is not a joke, he will be mad at me again, but we all know it is a joke.

Robbe looks at me like I’m dumb, and at this point, I think I am. Fuck, did I tell you how close this position makes us be? Too close.

“Okay, but if you do, I can make Jens jealous even when you are not there,” Robbe explains.

He wasn’t joking. I feel my body panic, I told him no one time yesterday. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do it one more time, even less now that we are face to face. Tonight he can pull off his pup’s eyes and enchant me with his soft honey baby voice. This fight is lost before it has started, and for the smile, on his lips, Robbe knows it.

“No way, if you want to make him jealous…” I need to think fast, “I don’t know, talk to him about how great I am.”

That sounded like I’m so full of myself, but Robbe only rolls his eyes at me.

“I do that all the time it won’t work.”

“Baby, I can’t; how do you want me to do it? Are you going to lie down while a pretend to be Edward Cullen?” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

“Sander, pleaseeeeee.” There he is… using all his power over me.

“I cant! A hickey is not something that you planned. It occurred,” I say honestly.

“What do you mean?” Robbe asks, doubting for the first time.

This is my opportunity. Robbe had never had a formal boyfriend. He had made out and date a few boys over the years since he came out, but nothing more happened. And thank god because I hated every single one of them, but that’s not the point. The point is that Robbe is not a kid, but he isn’t the most experience boy either. So if I can convince him that hickeys are not something you can do only by asking, maybe I can escape this without actually saying not to him.

“What I’m trying to say is that couples got to that point when the things got sexual between them.”

I explain, but Robbe still look at me like that wasn’t enough. Holy shit! This is not working… maybe if I am more explicit?

“For example, you are making out for hours, and then you kiss other parts of them because you both are horny. Or you are already having sex with them, and you kiss and bite whatever place of skin you find.”

I see how Robbe thinks about it for a moment. I don’t know if it was enough, but it was kind of the truth. He eats his chips in silence, still thinking. This is not working, it’s taking him too much time. What on earth could he be thinking?

“I can’t just give you one baby,” I add.

Finally, Robbe looks at me and Oh Boy! That’s it. I have lost the battle. I have no idea what if he about to say, but he has that look in his eyes. The one I told you he did when he asked me how does it feel to be kissed? Yeah, that look. I know I am going to say yes.

“But, I want one.. from you.” Robbe whispers.

And I open my mouth to say no. I swear to god I did, but my brain should be damage because I find myself agreeing to this nonsense.

“Holy shit! Okay, wait until we get home and we’ll see how it works.” I say, already regretting all of my life choices.

“Yes! Thank you, thank you. You are so good with me.” He says happily.

Robbe takes my face between his hands and kisses me all over it. And yes, of course, I’m smiling and melting on him like a stupid.

“Sometimes, I think I spoiled you too much.”

Sometimes I say! Hahaha, I laugh at my own joke.

“Never! You are perfect. Do you want one too?” Robbe says, still holding my face.

“What?”

“Yes, I can give you one if you want to make someone jealous.” He jokes playfully.

“Thank you, baby, but I won’t need it.” I decide to be honest.

Maybe I can stop myself from giving him everything he asks, but at least I can stop him from giving it to me.

“You know it been a while since the last time I saw you with someone.” Robbe realizes for the first time in two years, and I don’t know if it is good or not.

“Yeah, Brittany left me with no desire for dating.” I lie a little because it’s not the complete story “Also, I thought you were with me.” I joke, trying to change the conversation.

The real reason was that I am a relationship person. I don’t enjoy randoms hookups and dates with strangers. So after Brittany, I only date a few times with some friends, and well, there was also Luc. But I never had something serious again. I kinda missed having a boyfriend or a girlfriend. I miss being loved and loved someone un return.

“Don’t name her, you are going to make me puke my food.” He sticks his tongue out in a grimace.

“It wasn’t that bad. And She had a nice red hair”

Maybe she wasn’t the best, but I can’t blame her.

“She controlled you all the time… and She once told me you will be better without me,” Robbe says and keeps eating.

“She did what?” I ask, shock by the news.

“I remember it was so funny. Brittany came one day and told me, ‘Sander spend too much on you. He will be better without you, Robbe’ what a bitch.” Robbe answer laughing.

I want to laugh too, but I can’t because I don’t understand why Robbe has never told me about it. And all the possibilities of things that he has never told me before. I take his jaw, making him lock eyes with me.

“Why you never told me this?” I ask seriously.

“Oh, because you guys broke a week after that. And I didn’t believe her. I know I’m the best part of your life because you are the best of mine.” He explains to me.

Robbe smile and boop my nose, I’m frozen. I literally have no idea what to say. The only thing I can do is look at him in silence.

“Aww, you guys are so cute together.” the waitress tells us when she brings the bill.

“Thank you,” Robbe says without correcting her, and that just left me even more confused.

I still numb to the time we get back home. To be honest, I don’t know how we get here. I think… I think Robbe paid because it was his turn, and then he took my hand, and we walked here holding hands. I’m not sure, we had never done that. Maybe I just imagining it.

We are lying on the bed, and Robbe is looking for a movie, and obviously, he choose for the one hundred times, Romeo and Juliet. I should take a shower, clear my mind. This is also the first free night of Robbe after his exam, and I saw him yawning the whole dinner, so probably if I take a long shower when I come back, he is already sleeping.

“Okay, how do you want me?” Robbe says, and it’s the first thing that penetrates my thoughts in the last half hour.

I know exactly what he means, and I have no escape or a clue of how to do this.

“Oh my god, don’t say it like that, Robbe,” I beg, almost crying.

“You are so grumpy with me today.” He says next to me. “I think I had pushed you too much. Lets just cuddle and watch the movie.”

Robbe pulls me into his arms and lets my head lie in his chest. I love when he does that, it makes me feel so safe and love. I forget about the world when we sleep like this. Robbe doesn’t speak for the rest of the night, he only kisses my forehead while I play with his necklace. We watch the movie like this until we fall asleep. And fuck me if I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with him.

Kisses to all of you please tell me what you think and stay safe! 🥰

#the things i do for you fic #sobbe fanfic #friends to lovers #fake dating au #🌈💖🌈💖#srta pepa's fanfics

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mychemicalficrecs · 4 years

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could i get a rec list of long (30k+) frank-centric any pairing fics? (preferably not in first person, and if there's smut with bottom frank)…weirdly specific but at least i know what i like?

Being specific is totally fine! Depending on what it is you’re looking for, it can even be super helpful :) I originally thought this would be difficult, but it turns out I already had all of these in my bookmarks. It didn’t specifically check for bottom!Frank though (sorry).

Frank-centric Longfic

Gerard Way's (Vampire) Detective Agency by jjtaylor, Pennyplainknits, mainly Frank/Gerard, 164k, Mature. Pete, in Decaydance Mansion, with a yarrow stake. Frank and Gerard, in the greenhouse, with a plant of questionable origin. Bob, everywhere you look, with a gang of assassins for justice. Vampires, valets, pamphlets, haunted furniture, dub-thrall, disembodied voices, zombie couriers, and sinister rituals.

Nightswimming by waxjism, Frank/Gerard, 141k, Not Rated. My Teenage Romance

Unholyverse by Bexless, Frank/Gerard, Ray/Mikey, 187k, Mature, Explicit. Religion! Horror! Exorcisms! Piercings! And Gerard is a priest.

Illyria (King and Country) by tabulaxrasa, Frank/Gerard, 57k, Explicit. Today, they'd woken up and Gerard was King of Illyria. Frank hasn't really been a stable boy since he ended up in the archduke's bed, but now Gerard's exile is over and he's king. Frank has to survive court, politics, and scheming nobles to figure out exactly what he is now.

Stunning Someone by morbid_beauty, Frank/Gerard, 82k, Explicit. Frankie, a tattoo artist living in Brooklyn, has basically everything ze wants...except, like, someone to cuddle with at night. As lame as that sounds. Gerard, an art student living in Manhattan, meets someone of questionable gender and starts a friendship with an unrequited crush. (Or: the one where Frankie is genderfluid, Gerard is kind of ignorant to much of the queer community, and sometimes you just fall for a stunning someone.)

Envision the Magic by innocent_wolves, Frank/Gerard, 69k, Teen And Up Audiences. Gerard is a talented magician, responsible for much of the success of the famous Envision Destiny cruise ship. He's also one of those people. You know, one of those people who just seem to take up all the space they come across with their arrogance and confidence. You wouldn't wanna touch their personality with a 10-foot pole, but still people admire them. That is beyond Frank. Working behind the cruise ship bars and seeing Gerard pretty much every day, he can't understand what's so great about him. Besides, everybody else doesn't have to deal with his snide remarks and rude comments. Because if there's one thing Gerard seems to love, it's the act of constantly pestering Frank.

Truths That He Learned by gala_apples, Frank/Mikey, Patrick/Mikey/Pete, Ashlee/Patrick/Pete, 37k, Explicit. It's Frank's senior year, and it seems like he's constantly having new experiences, at least half of which come as a complete surprise to him. He falls in love, comes out, and has sex, not necessarily in that order.

Fit to be tied by maryangel, Frank/Gerard, 56k, Explicit. Frank is a bartender. Gerard is an alcoholic. They were clearly made for each other. Also, Frank is a werewolf.

Only Going One Way by ataratah, jjtaylor, Frank/Gerard, 73k, Mature. Crossover with due South. Constable Gerard Way of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Detective Frank Iero of the Chicago PD team up find Mikey Way in a city where bowling alley score cards hide secret codes, where the good guys are either lying or undercover (and sometimes lying about being undercover), and where criminal bakers make drug-laced frosting.

James Cameron Got It Wrong by ladyfoxxx, Frank/Fun Ghoul/Party Poison, 57k, Explicit. In which 2005!Frank and Fun Ghoul get it on. Then Frank accidentally winds up in 2019.

Rock and Roll Never Looked so Beautiful by corruptedkid, Frank/Gerard, 58k, Explicit. Gerard Way is a rising solo artist, set to become the next big thing in the alternative scene. Frank Iero is a trashy punk with a reputation of his own as the frontman of Pencey Prep. When their paths cross, a love story is born, only to come crashing down when Gerard hits it big. As Gerard ascends to the A-list, Frank adjusts to life on his own. He almost manages it - until two years later, when fate puts him face to face with Gerard once more. Everything has changed, but the connection between them is still there. Their story has ended once before, but if they're lucky, they just might make a new one.

I never told you what I do for a living. by not0-fuckin-kay, Frank/Gerard, 60k+, PG-13 to NC-17. Frank Iero, male nurse at Pete Wentz's private hospital and possibly more to one new patient he can't keep his eyes off of. When a new pateint is brought in with amnesia, just days before Christmas, and with nothing but the clothes on his back and a strange drawing, it's left to Frank to find out who he is and what happened to him. When he does, it changes Frank's life forever, as he's thrust into love and health scares he never thought would complicate his life. This is the story of how he tries to make it through, juggling his job and his love-life and just trying to make things better. With Patrick the doctor, Bob the ward supervisor, Travis the unlikely therapist, and Mikey, the sometimes wannabe homicidal geek.

and me here on the ground by ohnoktcsk, Frank/Gerard, 32k, Explicit. Frank's worked hard to build a life for himself in the city of Jersey, where dragons swoop and dive over the river, and every day is divided by the ringing of the city bells. He knows the streets of the city like he knows the the tattoos on the backs of his hands, and he's content with what he has: a job as a bike courier, friends who love to give him shit, and a crush on a professor of art history at the local university. But he's also got a secret—one he's been running from for a long time. But all it takes is one delivery to a mysterious, quite-probably-magical bookshop to show Frank that there are some things you can’t outrun. Especially since he’s finally found a place that he doesn’t want to leave.

Companion by onceuponamoon, Frank/Gerard, 34k, Explicit. A workplace AU. There’s a dude sitting in one of the high-backed chairs opposite the reception desk. Mostly obscured by a fake ficus plant between them, the guy probably wouldn’t have been noticeable save for the lazy sprawl of his legs, the Chucks contrasting against the floral rug.

Your Heart The Only Place That I Call Home by dear_monday, Frank/Gerard, 30k, Explicit. When Frank and his crew of morally ambiguous ethernauts (pirates, as Imperial law would have it, but that's such an ugly word) fetch up on the doorstep of the fabled Sanctuary, they aren't expecting to find much - least of all a long-lost brother, a garden in a box and the key to an ancient riddle.

Give Me a Reason by mistresscurvy, Lindsey/Frank/Jamia/Gerard and most variants thereof, 38k, Explicit. July 2007. Frank is fucking stoked for the next tour. This one will be the best ever, because his wife's gonna be with him the entire time. They've been married for less than six months, and he still can't fucking believe he got to marry her. This summer is going to rock. But life never happens as he plans.

In Repair by autoschediastic, Frank/Gerard, 33k, Explicit. "Shit," Frank mutters, and shoves both hands through his hair. He looks around the kitchen like he's gonna find what he should do scratched into the old linoleum, then looks back at the bot. He gnaws on his lip. Fuck it. He already knows what he's gonna do. He's just gotta do it. Getting down on his knees, he braces a hand on the edge of the crate and leans over the bot. It's dressed in a plain white tee and matching drawstring pants like an escaped mental patient. Frank rolls his neck and cracks his knuckles, shaking the ache out of them before carefully laying his palm against its cheek. He's pretty sure his voice is steady when he says, "Activate." Nothing happens. Fucking shitty packaging-- the thing's busted. But Frank keeps his hand where it is, jumping a little when he feels the surge of energy beneath it. The robot's skin goes from room temperature to lukewarm, then warm. Frank watches it open its eyes, the light behind them adjusting until they're a pale sort of brown. It looks at him and asks, "Am I dead?"

Promises, Promises by silentdescant, Frank/Gerard, 31k, Explicit. "Sources on our investigative team say this was a bank robbery gone wrong, and that, when faced with a police task force surrounding the building, the suspect grabbed the nearest person and is now holding that young man at gunpoint as he makes his getaway."

Cover To Cover by silentdescant, Frank/Gerard, 32k, Explicit. You've Got Mail AU. Frank owns The Shop Around The Corner, which specializes in classic and rare books, and Gerard is opening up a large branch of Way Books & Café down the street. They meet online and fall in love.

Love: The Package Deal by jjtaylor, Frank/Gerard, Lindsey/Frank/Jamia/Gerard, 30k, Mature. Gerard gets a special kind of amnesia. Frank gets to reexamine his idea of acceptable relationship structures. Lots of people fail to communicate effectively, but they all sure remember how to kiss.

Let The Darkness Lead You Home by rivers_bend, Frank/Gerard, 49k, Explicit. Vampires are in charge and most of the humans on earth are prey, so Frank Iero's parents have him train as a cyber tech to protect him. Leaving the family he's born into may have saved his life, but his parents never could have expected the lengths he'd go to in order to find a new family to call home.

Gross roomies by turps, Frank/Mikey, 36k, Explicit. Frank loves living with Mikey. Sure, the apartment is a mess, the kitchen's a toxic wasteland, and there's something growing in the refrigerator that's just a day or two away from becoming sentient, but other than those minor inconveniences, it's all cool. Or it is until Mikey decides to embark on a journey of sexual discovery and adventure and Frank's left at home with nothing but the fridge monster for company. To make matters worse, Mikey insists on telling Frank everything he does with his new kinky friends, right down to the tiniest detail. And now suddenly Frank is best friends with his right hand and he can't stop thinking about Mikey in ways he never has before. The really big problem, other than suddenly being in lust with his best friend, is that Frank isn't sure why.

Of All The Hidden Corners by moneyes, Frank/Gerard, ~44k, PG-13. An epic, adventurous tale filled with alternate universes, lords, mischief, magical powers, snark, boyfriends, and luck of the bad kind.

Church of Hot Addiction by spleenjournal, 0nlymemories, Frank/Gerard, Frank/Mikey, 36k, Adult. When Gerard Way gets transferred to Our Lady of Peace in Arlington a few weeks into his Senior year, he thinks it's his chance to be cool. Too bad his idea of "cool" is no cooler than it was in 3rd grade, even if there aren't any green tights.

Paradox 'verse by stoplightglow, Frank/Gerard, 42k, Mature. You know the saying. The best part about hitting rock bottom is that you get to meet a hot psychic.

#frank/gerard #ray/mikey #frank/mikey #lindsey/frank/jamia/gerard #fic rec list #longfic

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pumpkin-lith · 4 years

Text

Clone Wars Saved...ish

What the hell did I just watch ?

Let’s start by saying that 1) spoilers alert, not necessarily coherent but definitely there, I’ll put on a read more, but unspoiled mobile users, just in case it fails, scroll by and 2) @norcumii had warned me. And yet I didn’t quite expect that because, how could more clones ever be bad !

Oh boy.

Thanks to @shadow-spires for being my emotional support watchbuddy. I needed it more than I thought I would and we’re only three episodes in.

Some context : I’ve watched... only a few episodes of the show before, despite probably being able to give you the plot of all 6 seasons and quote lines and scenes, thanks tumblr and my own love for clones. And I hadn’t really looked at the bad batch half-rendered episodes because I still had trouble with the graphics of the actually finished show, so...

But I was ready for this, for feels, for finding Echo again and, finally, get 66 and murdered by Dave Filoni. Set up a meeting time to watch some eps with shadowspires, fun when there is a twelve hours diff between us and here we go.

Let me tell you, there was a lot of yelling in all caps in the chat side bar...

Trying to keep mostly in order of the episodes :

- WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO KIX’S HAIR ? Why ? Why hair and no more tattoo ??? Is this supposed to be red corsair continuity ? But then WHY IS HE HERE AND NOT ALREADY ABDUCTED ? Is this merch reasons ?

- Two seconds in and WOW I hate the Bad Batch. And this does NOT get better. I’m really tired of the Muscle is Dumb trope, Tech is like a human C3PO which urgh but fine but then KEEP CONSTANT (this is going to be a major point of my yelling), if Hunter says you chatter all the time THEN DO but no, we won’t here a single random fact ever again for three episodes, and Crosshairs chats and snarks a LOT for someone ‘not talkative’.

- Regs. FUCKING REGS, urgh, I hated that word the INSTANT it was said. Canon isn’t as heavily into the Vode An fanon loves, but WOW fuck that. Strike team or not, you’re not supermen, you have to rely on intel, be supplied, you’re not a bunch of mercenaries, you’re a MILITARY STRIKE TEAM, you must interact with regs a lot so it means you’re a bunch of condescending assholes ALL THE TIME.

-Also fuck 1) that team’s dynamics and 2) the “two teams do not get along” trope, fuck it with a SHOVEL. 1) You’re a Commando Team. In an army three years deep into war. You’re comrades and probably have save each other asses hundred of times. So why can’t you behave ? And I know people do not always get along, or even best friends sometimes irk each other, but, look, consistency, if you think you’re with lesser people because regs (can you tell I’m not over that either), you present a united front and you don’t bitch at your teammates in front of them. 2) YOU ARE MILITARY. Trained for 10+ years, there’s DISCIPLINE there, even a maverick strike team, when Cody is down, you OBEY THE SECOND IN COMMAND. I don’t care if you have a better plan, you TELL the officer, you don’t just tell him to shut up and watch. AND YOU DON’T GET AT EACH OTHER’S THROATS.

-Did I mention I hate everything about Dumb Violent Muscles unable to control himself or follow a plan ?

-Of course the one time we could see Cody in charge, he’s hurt and useless.

-WHY. IS. THE MEDIC. GOSSIPING. INSTEAD OF KEEPING WATCH OVER THE WOUNDED BROTHER ???

AND WHY DOES HE HAVE HAIR DAMMIT

-The tactics Mess out of order : Why is nobody blowing stuff up, a group able to single handedly take on 100+ droids is getting pushed back by thirty later on, why not trap the outpost to blow up the incoming droids, the analytical droid cannot comprehend why the clones would leave the outpost while in full view of the cyber center and it has to be pointed out to him, WHY DID NOBODY TRAP THE FUCKING OUTPOST TO BLOW, why does the tech guy LITERALLY NAMED TECH doesn’t hide/erase what they did to the computer, why if he didn’t have time DIDN’T HE BLOW UP THE COMPUTER.

-And for a plot point being “droids analyzes our tactics so we always have to change them”, it means that no one ever attacked a front door and drew all the droids there for a second team to sneak by the back door. Somehow.

Ep2 & 3 :

- Why is “this may or may not be Echo” matters on a tactical PoV ? I get the emotional one, of course, but having the Bad Batch question it at the beginning and later on starting a fight over it has no other reason than to go for another round of We Do Not Get Along Trope. The Seps have either a PoW or an Algorhythm allowing them to win battle, no matter what it is, you have to go and rescue/take it. WHY ARE YOU ARGUING.

- I know this is the funny part of ‘Anakin and Padmé are the less subtle ever’ and it was funny (I didn’t hate ALL of the episodes, see ?), but why is she explaining to Anakin why he fights three years into the war other than reminding the public, this is the LEAST EFFECTIVE PLAN ever to hide from Obi-Wan with Rex obviously standing guard.

-Not a critic, just fucking amused : if someone isn’t aware that Padmé and Anakin are a thing, there is a lot of subtext to thing Anakin and Rex have a hidden fling. I don’t even ship it and I could see it x)

- Tell Padmé I say hello. TELL PADME I SAY HELLO. Obi-Wan fucking KNOWS, maybe not the whole “married and pregnant” but hellooooo that was blantant cue that he’s aware they’re together, at the very least so very close friends that they sneak private calls during a siege if Anakin is really dense, we have ONSCREEN PROOF that Obi-Wan SAID OUT LOUD something about it and it makes Anakin thinking Obi-Wan doesn’t know and couldn’t understand in RotS even STUPIDER. Good job Anakin.

- This Galaxy has the most efficient Google Translate ever. Either it’s a known language of the planet you’re going to, and then by doing research amidst the prep to go to the planet everyone or at least Rex as Captain would put the translator to the spoken languages there on his helmet, or it’s an unknown one and yet with two sentences, Tech’s tech (urgh) is able to translate and analyses it well enough to speak it back to them. Wow.

- WHY. IS. THE. JEDI. NOT. USING. THE. FORCE. You’ve worked with Echo before but there’s no mention or even trying to feel him, fine, better have another fight of whether or not he’s truly here, two droids manage to get the drop on you, two droids manage to get the drop on you AND SOMEHOW AREN’T IMMEDIATELY BISECTED, Two droids manage to get the drop on you, survive, AND GIVE YOU ENOUGH TROUBLE YOU NEED SOMEONE TO SHOOT ONE TO GET OUT OF IT.

- Echo, my poor baby TnT I knew this was going to hurt, and it does, it does so much.

-And we’re RIGHT BACK to full on rage rather fast. We go from “he’s so weak he can’t walk, he doesn’t remember anything after the Citadel, he’s so out of it he doesn’t know where he is and ‘notices’ Rex being here two or three times” to “He can walk, he can be yeeted into a vent, he can tightpole walk, he can shoot while standing, he knows the whole base’s blueprints and also all the Separatist’s database.” in like. Five minutes. CONSITENCY FOR FUCK’S SAKE. Why is no one carrying him, why don’t we even get a fucking HUG ?

-Why was everyone yeeted by Dumb Muscles WHEN WE HAVE A JEDI HERE. WHY STILL NO FORCE ??? Clone-yeeting is like Anakin’s favorite pastime, he should have thought of it FIRST, My Moment Has Come.

- Oh FUCK NO. WHY did you even GO BACK TO THE NATIVES’ VILLAGE ? You got dragons, you fly back to your ship that wasn’t damaged in anyway, you evac fast and clean, DONE ! Why go back ? Anakin even says that the Techno Union will strike for helping them BUT UNTIL YOU WENT BACK THEY DIDN’T KNOW THE NATIVES HELPED YOU ! They had no problems until now ! DON’T INVOLVE CIVILIANS ! If they had gone with the plot point of having the natives pick a side and be the ones to save them from that pole by flying to get them, then yes, totally, stay and help and defend them against the retaliation massacre ! But since they didin’t, do NOT go there and draw to them a retaliation massacre.

-FUCK that speech. Sorry Rex, but FUCK THAT. Again, civilians. You are supposed to be the GOOD GUYS trying to STOP THE WAR, not draw innocents into it when it could be avoided. AND THEN LEAVE WHEN YOU JUST TOOK DOWN ONE ATTACK AND THE TECHNO UNION WILL SURELY COME WIPE OUT THAT VILLAGE FOR HELPING YOU AND THERE’LL BE NO JEDI TO SAVE THE DAY.

-Why is everyone suddenly dumb.

-Fuck that “good old days” bullshit. I’m sure there were good times, but your good old days are three years of war and losses. Gimme “now everything will be alright”, because for once someone survived, for once the future is looking hopeful, give me them hoping that it’ll be okay and then gut me with the sheer irony of it all because I know 66 is looming. AND FUCKING HUG HIM DAMMIT, he was almost catatonic thirty minutes ago, at least HELP HIM into the ship rather than leave him standing here alone.

-And no mention of Fives, of course. Idk it may be in episode 4, it BETTER be in Episode 4, otherwise this is “it be like the good old days, yay, btw Fives’ dead”.

I am SO ready for the damn Bad Batch arc to be over and hoping the actual original content is way better. I wished they had scrapped that disaster of an idea full of bad clichés. You want a strike team to go with Rex ? I’ve got a strike team for you : Jesse is an ARC, Kix is both a medic and seen many times with a rifle (AND THE COOLEST HAIRCUT, get us Bly there and give him a tracking speciality with the many ‘primitive’ planets he was on, and we have Aayla for the muscle. That would be badass.

#Star Wars #Spoilers #The Clone Wars #The Clone Wars Saved #TCW : spoilers #Season 7 spoilers #Star Wars spoilers #THERE IS SPOILERS HERE #And a lot of rage and yelling #GiveKixAShave2020 #GiveEveryoneElseABrain

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ask-de-writer · 4 years

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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 29 of 83 : World of Sea

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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 29 of 83

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

written 2007

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story? Read from the beginning. PART 1 is here

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“Kurin and I were playmates when we were young,” Silor began earnestly. “We didn’t know what Cat was back then. She was just someone who was always there. Cat knew lots of good stories about the First Ships. That’s where it started. Kurin started asking for more stories and Cat started teaching her apart from the rest of us.

“One night, Kurin’s father died. He was only twenty nine or thirty. Kurin found him. Within a short time, her mother went raving mad, then ceased to move or do anything. She’s still like that. Afterwards, Kurin and Cat, the Dragon, became inseparable. I think that her parents were a test of Kurin by the Dragon but I’ll never know for sure.

“A little after that, Kurin beat me out of the boat-shop apprenticeship under Master Juris. I was two Gatherings older and considered likely for the job. Then, without any explanation, no other Craft on the Longin would have me either. Her influence was spreading.

“To be fair, I never heard of Cat doing anything evil. She wasn’t human, so she may not have realized what kind of person she was teaching.

“I became a deck-hand. I was a good one. In only one and a half Gatherings I was made lead deck-hand, the youngest ever on the Longin. Ask anyone, I was well-thought-of, maybe officer material in a few more Gatherings.

“I admit that I fell asleep on watch. It was only a nap, and I was on duty in the hold. How much trouble was that? I’ll tell you. They stripped me of my lead deck-hand job! Only three of her lousy crabs died, and they broke me for it!

“Later, I was in a class,” Silor paused, torn between ingrained loyalty and his tale. “I can’t tell you what the class was about. That’s Ship’s Business. The important thing is this. She was in the class, too. Captain Mord told me that I was doing well and then threw me out of the class.”

Huh, she thought, hearing this out, If he believes what he’s saying there’s enough emptiness in his head to make a good float out of it. I’ve heard some of these tales from other sources. It’s obvious that he’s left out more than he’s told. “Ye make a start on yer case but i’ t’is come up in t’e Arrakan fleet, ye’d lose. Oi need more proof. Especially about t’e fleet bein’ under ‘er control. Ye’ve nae even addressed t’at.”

“Tanlin, love, I can attest to at least some of what he says. He first brought the matter to my attention five Gatherings ago, as a lad of nine. Since then I have watched the surreptitious machinations of Kurin. She does far more than make toys!”

“Oi fail t’ see ‘t, Barad, m’ luve. T’e fleet dinnae revolve about ‘er. She commands nane, nae is she any but kind.”

Silor started to rise up in protest but Barad waved him down. “That is true. She is far too clever to put herself in so exposed a position. Why should she take risks when others will do so for her without even knowing that they serve her? She has real power — — and no need for the trappings of power.”

He appeared to be hit by inspiration. “Stand up, Silor!”

Mystified, Silor did so.

“There you are, Tanlin, the proof stands before you.”

“Oi’m now confused. Enlighten m’.”

“Why was he exiled?”

“‘E slept on wotch, w’ich ‘e admits, an’ gave away Ship’s Business.”

“What business did he give away? I’ll tell you. He told amusing stories about their crabbing venture, which I grant is a main business for them. The deadly revelation? That they had special nets for crabs and knew where to find them. Both are obvious to anyone who thinks for ten seconds.”

“Oi’m beginnin’ t’ see. T’is wa’ a mere pretext.”

“Exactly. Once he was ejected from the Longin, his credentials should have gotten him an immediate berth on almost any ship in the fleet. It didn’t happen.

“I was at the Captains’ Council. Everyone agreed, even the Longin, that he had done nothing to die for but no ship would save him. And they agreed that he was worth saving. Thus, exile. She rid herself of a nuisance, and no blood shed, nor clue that it was even her doing — — unless one looks at the whole unlikely chain of events.”

“Wy’d ye nae just take ‘im up t’en, like so many ot’ers ye’ve ‘elped?”

“Yes,” said Silor. “Why did you let me be sent away?”

“Safety,” said Barad solemnly. “Yours and mine. You opposed her openly and she determined to have you removed. That is why the others would not help you.

“What would have happened to your only refuge if I had opposed her will by taking you openly? I play the part of buffoon, many laugh at this ship and myself. Let them. It keeps her from taking us seriously. That is the only safety that there is.”

“Now Oi see ‘t. Wye wa’ ‘t so ‘ard t’ see?” You do play well to his madness, Barad. I would not have tried to turn this one to a tool. I must learn what you plan to do. This one is dangerous.

Solemnly Barad said, “This is why only she, of all who claim to be Dragon-witches, is dangerous. She never owns-up to her power. She never claims it. She just uses it, hidden from all.”

There was a discrete rap at the door. They all quieted at once. Barad went and opened it a narrow slit. A whispered conversation followed.

“That was the watch officer. We need to go up on deck.”

As they were going up the companion-ladder to the deck, Barad asked casually, “Have you ever seen your boat before?”

“Yes,” said Silor tightly. “In the Longin’s boat-shop.”

“Master Juris must have been pleased with it.”

“He was but he didn’t build it …” A look of fear washed across Silor’s face as the realization hit. “Kurin did. It was her journeyman’s submission piece.” He ran to the rail. “Where is it? Where’s the boat?”

“I’m Officer of the Watch, Theld Elon, Sir. Boat’s at the end of its line.” The line went down into the water, drawn tight and pulled back at an angle by the Grandalor’s speed. “Went down sudden a few minutes ago.”

Tanlin looked calmly over the side. “‘T appears t’at we almost missed pickin’ ye up. Oi wonder ‘ow t’is ‘appened?” How did you do this, you old dragon? What a touch! I would never have thought of this!

“Mister Theld, heave to,” ordered Captain Barad with quiet authority. “Get a diver on deck now! We need to secure that boat for lifting. With the water in her she’ll be heavy when she breaches the surface.”

Theld set to issuing orders, and the tocsin began its tattoo of command, bringing the watch to deck. A diver, roused from her bunk, came up still yawning and stretching. A pair of ungainly looking flat things were hung over her shoulder.

“What’s the problem, Captain?”

“We need to retrieve the boat that’s on the end of this line.”

Without any question as to why or if it were urgent, the diver got straight to business.

“What kind of boat is it and how big?”

“Day-sailer. About twenty five feet long, loaded for a month’s voyage.” Captain Barad looked for confirmation to Silor, who nodded.

“How long is this line?” She had stripped, leaving only a pair of tight fitting shorts. Sitting on the deck, she began strapping the flat things onto her feet. She tied her hair into a tight bun.

“About forty feet.”

“OK, I’ll need two fifty foot, number three cables. Attach the first one to the cargo block of the heavy crane. Get the portable crane over here and secure it to the mizzen mast. Put the other cable onto its cargo block.”

There was a lull for Captain Barad, Tanlin and Silor, as the watch crew prepared things to the diver’s satisfaction.

“What are those things on her feet?” Silor asked.

“Arrakan diver’s flips,” Tanlin answered. “Our divers ‘ave used t’em for Gat’erings past remembering.”

“I thought that you lost your memory,” said Silor curiously. “Did it come back?” At her look of distress and Barad’s of rage, he feared that he had made a serious mistake.

“Nae, Luve. Donnae ‘old ‘t against ‘im.” She was biting back tears. The more I do this the easier it is to forget that it’s an act. “Ye cannae protect m’ from t’e world forever, an’ Oi must learn t’ cope wit’ ‘t.” She turned to Silor. “Tis like t’is. Oi lost only ane t’ing from m’ memory. People. M’sel’ an’ eveyane t’at Oi’ve ever known, until Oi awoke t’ t’e Orca song.

“Oi can draw ye t’e plan an’ lines o’ ever’ ship Oi‘ve lived on. Oi know all t’at Oi used t’ know. Oi ‘ave t’e ’ule Arrakan fleet, ‘ts laws, customs, navigation, ever’t’in’s ‘ere,” she tapped her temple. “But t’ere’s nae ane person t’ere! Nae even m’sel’! Tis worse t’an ghosts. Tis utterly empty an’ never stops ‘urting, unless Oi can focus on somet’in’ new.

“Barad’s precious t’ m’ because ‘e keeps m’ safe at night. ‘E ‘olds m’ an’ keeps t’e emptiness inside from swallowin’ m’.” Strange, but that’s nearly true. Even if what we did was wrong, what’s done is done. We were married before the whole Naral fleet by Arrakan law and, as it was accepted, it’s now legal by the Third Great Law. I’m being treated like a partner and friend as a wife should be.

“I’m sorry,” said Silor sincerely. “I have some idea of what you must feel. I’ve lost my ship, too. Also, my fleet, all that made home for me. They’re gone but I remember everything and everyone. It hurts.”

“Oi donnae t’ink Oi’d like t’ trade places wit’ ye, Silor.” My act is sailing closer and closer to reality. Your madness is driving you ever further onto dry land.

TO BE CONTINUED

<==PREVIOUS NEXT==>

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#SEA DRAGON’S GIFT #Part 29 of 83 #World of Sea #Written by De Writer

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atamascolily · 4 years

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lily liveblogs Atlantis 1x01 - “The Earth Bull”

Okay, @noxelementalist suggested I might like the BBC’s Atlantis, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I watched the trailer for Season One, and I was in as soon as Pythagoras (yes, that one) introduced himself, but I finally got around to watching the first episode tonight.

The hardest part of portal fantasies is getting the modern main character to the new place. I like that this transition happens fast. In the modern world, Jason's talking to a dude about going in a sub to look for the wreckage of his missing father's ship and also he has a necklace macguffin and some cryptic clues about destiny. That's all we need really.

The credits are all backwards. I really hope that's not a trend.

Oh, the dad's ship is named the Oracle, because of course it is.

HOW DID HE LOSE HIS SHIRT *AND* HIS PANTS WHEN THE SUB EXPLODED BUT NOT HIS NECKLACE?

Oh, good, he finds some clothes so he looks like a local.

(Was he in the Mediterranean on our Earth when this happened? NO CLUE.)

Was this filmed in Malta? It looks like Malta.

Oh, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore - there's a two-headed dragon. WHY DID YOU THINK PETTING IT WAS A GOOD IDEA, EXACTLY??

The dragon overturns a vegetable cart, and there's a butternut squash next to a pomegranate and my botany!self calls bullshit on the squash. NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE VEGETABLES DO NOT END UP IN ANCIENT CRETE (or wherever), SORRY.

Why IS there a dragon running around anyway? Shouldn't it be, I don't know, LEASHED or something?

Of course, he's going to destroy the entire market now in the ensuring chase, I don't make the rules.

Oh, there goes a watermelon cart. These originated in West Africa, so, I don't know, like maybe kinda plausible? More so than the butternut squash, anyway.

Dragons like melons - so Jason distracts it with that, then he throws a basket over both its head and pummels it with a stick. Some guards show up, but of course, they're not sympathetic, so he has to keep running...

A guard shoots him with an arrow. OW. That hurts.

INTO THE GARBAGE CHUTE, FLYBOY! Oh, wait, he's going to land on Pythagoras... what a way to meet-cute.

Oh, wait, he falls off the edge and Pythagoras catches his hand. It's been like three seconds and I ship them already. The fact that Jason ends up falling on top of him DOES NOT HELP with the shipping vibes, okay?

Aww, and then he starts shaking and hugging Pythagoras because he's so scared and relieved and Pythagoras is like "Do we hug? This is... fine?" confused, and I'm just grinning like an idiot because this is ambiguous platonic brotherhood/not-so-platonic OTP shipping at its finest.

Oh, it's Atlantis, that's why there's a dragon AND Pythagoras AND King Minos, I get it now.

THE LOOK ON PYTHAGORAS'S FACE WHEN JASON SAYS "YOU'RE THE TRIANGLE GUY" AHHHHHHHHHHHH *cries in sympathy for my fellow nerd*

(The other part of my brain is shouting "THAT'S EUCLID PROPOSITION 1.47, YOU ASSHOLES" but ignore it, this is really just too cute for words.)

And Hercules is his roommate...? Okay... and Pythagoras is gonna make a fat joke, not a fan. Hercules sums up my reaction: "My friend is under the false impression he's amusing."

Ah, now the necklace macguffin is coming into play. So he goes to see the Oracle about it.

Annnnndddd Hercules is already there. With some sort of bull symbol on his forehead.

Turns out the Oracle is expecting Jason because she's just that good, LOL. She has her back to him for the scene, so we can't see her face, but she's got a sweet tattoo of a stylized bull skull on her back.

They sacrifice a chicken and stare at the blood, like you do. The Oracle says there's a multiverse! Turns out Jason's father took him to our Earth when he was a baby for.. reasons. Is she his mom? Is that what this is about?

Oh, his father is either King Minos or Hercules, and my money's on the King.

Oh, wait, his father's dead. This must make Minos the Big Bad. The Oracle punts on the mom question, so that's still TBD.

I wonder... does Jason's quest involve a boat? A journey? Some ARGONAUTS, perhaps? (And maybe--just maybe--some living skeletons? Pretty please?)

Turns out the Oracle admits to her companion that she was lying! So my guesses still stand. Minos probably is the Big Bad, though, because otherwise it's Too Easy to Resolve the Plot and Daddy Issues.

Pythagoras shows up and introduces a plot point: there's a procession to the Temple of Poseidon because they're going to select tributes to offer to the Minotaur. Also: backstory.

There's a curfew, and Jason has nowhere to go, and you can just see Pythagoras gearing himself up to ask Jason to stay with HIM, and I'm just... the writers are making this really easy to ship this, aren't they?

"What about Hercules?" "Oh, he's usually so drunk when he gets back from the tavern, he won't even notice you're there." LOLOLOLOL.

Cut to Hercules, not impressed with Pythagoras's tastes in men. Despite my "only one bed" jokes to the contrary, Jason gets the couch, which is why he sees Hercules sneaking out. Of course, he wakes up Pythagoras and they chase him down, guards be damned. Hercules says the Oracle saw him in the Labyrinth, and he's trying to avoid his fate. This is... gonna end poorly, isn't it.

Oh, now they're being chased by "hunting lions" through the city in the middle of the night. Jason does an amazing flip to escape and doesn't know how he did it.

Cut to the day. Geographically incorrect red-tailed hawk scream. They're all drawing lots to see who gets fed to the Minotaur. I wonder if Jason's going to "volunteer as tribute".

How long does it take 20,000 people to draw lots anyway?

Hercules draws a white stone. There's a girl checking out Jason before he draw a white stone too. LOVE INTEREST AHOY. The King and Queen are sarcastic. Pythagoras draws the black stone. He looks crushed.

Council of war! "Maybe you could talk about triangles and BORE the Minotaur to death," says Hercules. Pythagoras tries to explain that triangles are really fascinating and something about their angles and Herc is not buying it. Don't listen to him, Pythagoras.

Oh, the girl is Ariadne, she's having dinner with her parents, but she's really all hot and bothered about Jason, isn't she?

And... Pasiphae is an archetypal Bitch!Mom. Sigh. She slaps Ariadne when Ariadne obliquely refers to the fact that PASIPHAE FUCKED A BULL and that's why they have to feed the Minotaur... I think? Oh, wait, no, it's an oblique reference to something bad Minos did. Okay, fine. Still archetypal Bitch!Mom even if she's doing it to protect her husband's honor, such as it is.

Jason grabs a sword and the black stone and sneaks out to offer himself to the temple in Pythagoras's place while his friend is still asleep because... destiny. And Herc and Pythagoras are gonna rescue him. (Watching this, I can't help but wonder: So is that a sword under your tunic, or are you just happy to see me?)

MORE WATERMELONS IN THE MARKET. Okay, yes, so this is fantasy!Atlantis, so rules and logic need not apply, but still, this bothers me way more than the two-headed dragon (which no one has explained WHY IT'S THERE, WHY IT WASN'T TIED UP, and why the guards want to murder Jason for harassing it) Does everyone have one? Is it a pet? What is up with the two-headed dragon and why don't we see it again??

Ariadne notices the switcheroo, but no one else does (or cares enough to comment). Oh, and he gets a last bath and no one notices the sword... and Ariadne sneaks in to chat. "Look, lady, I don't know who I am, but I have DESTINY ON MY SIDE, OKAY?"

Ariadne gives him a thread "enchanted by the witches of Colchis" who I hope we'll meet in later episodes. They gaze soulfully into each others' eyes and almost kiss, and she runs away.

Pythagoras confronts Jason as he's walking to the Temple with the other sacrifices (all NPCs) and tells him his theory about triangles is destined to bore millions of children throughout history, and Pythagoras runs home and starts looking for weapons because something something bond of platonic friendship something something SHIPPING.

Of course Herc goes with him after some initial griping because Pythagoras is going to get hurt otherwise. I don't understand their relationship, but okay.

The scarred guard we've seen earlier is clearly a PC. A girl runs away, Pythagoras and Herc get caught, and they get press-ganged into replacing her. The scarred guard is a jerk, so we'll probably see him again. Herc keeps griping.

Jason introduces himself to one of the other sacrifices who will either survive, or die horribly at the last moment. Jason remembers the string and starts stringing. The NPCs wait to be slaughtered. Jason finds one of the bodies, but it doesn't seem ike the Minotaur eats them or anything, so I don't understand what's going on.

Jason runs into Pythagoras. They hug. SHIP SHIP SHIP. More screams. Bones. His new friend is alive, and the Minotaur looks like Pan's Labyrinth. Jason gets tossed around a lot. The Minotaur is simulanteously moving like a bull and a man, which is creepy but Jason kills him (somehow? I think with Ariadne's necklace??)....and he transforms into a person who thanks him for lifting the curse. He's cryptic, gushing about Jason's destiny and how Minos must never find out, while our new party member looks on in awe.

Cut to the Oracle, who's been watching all this in her visions being all dramatic for cryptic expository purposes. Meanwhile, the King pontificates over the survivors. Jason gives Ariadne back her necklace while Pasiphae looks on. Ariadne is smitted, Pasiphae is curious. Hercules has plans to leverage their fame into money. There's some banter, making fun of Jason's name... and we end on a fat joke. Oooookay. CAN YOU PLEASE STOP WITH THE FAT JOKES, WRITERS, THIS REALLY ISN'T AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK IT IS.

Up next episode: The Oracle is cryptic. Fight scene! "My name is Medusa."

WHY ARE ALL THE CREDITS BACKWARDS PLEASE STOP

This seems like a pretty standard introductory episode, but the writers need to work a little harder to keep me interested. I have no idea where this series is going, exactly -- I'm mostly just here for Pythagoras at this point -- so I guess we'll see what happens in the next episode.

#bbc atlantis #lily liveblogs

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mogwaei · 5 years

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Wheel of Time/Dragon Age parallels

I know you could probably spin in a circle and throw a dart and find parallels for literally any fandom because inspiration/originality/etc.younameit., but @johaeryslavellan and I were talking about WoT and it got me rollinggggg with ideas and since I’m always thinking about Dragon Age, I thought why not combine two of my favourite things in the world?

Here we go (and I’m sure I’m going to forget a lot because WoT is a massive universe) also SOME spoilers if you’ve never read the series:

WoT/DA: has ancient people that have been sealed away and slept for thousands of years

Tel'aran'rhiod & the Fade = sketchy dream worlds that are big ?????? to everyone

Aes Sedai/Circle Mages: both live in towers (the White Tower of Tar Valon and then the Circle Towers)

Aiel/Dalish: Aiel had a purpose once but was lost in the Breaking of the World and now their people are split into a few different branches. Lots of things have been forgotten (LIKE THE DALISH WHOA)

Angreal & Sa’angreal: Pretty much just Foci.

The Dark One’s prison: the seals are breaking on his prison (mostly just reminds me of the Archdemons and their prisons)

Seanchan/Qunari: both seek to leash mages and have rigid beliefs and a political system in place. They also seek to spread their ideals to the rest of the world. This would take a helluva lot more time to break down because I see the strongest parallels between these two groups but I won't do that this time.

Asmodean/Felassan: Both change sides and both are killed because of it (deaths that I’m still salty about). Also, Asmodean was teaching Rand ancient knowledge, a bit like Felassan and Briala! ;~;

The Source/Magic: magic in both universes is dangerous as fuk. Also you can tear holes in reality in both universes.

The Forsaken/The Forgotten Ones: both are essentially pantheons antithesis to whatever side they were fighting against. Both were sealed away in respective prisons.

Dragons: Both are mythical in both universes. Still have no idea if dragons ever actually existed in the Wheel of Time but I mean we have the Dragon Reborn and he has dragon tattoos and yeah they had to have existed (maybe in Seanchan or something). Obviously they exist in DA. But I mean the entire WoT series literally revolves around the Dragon Reborn...and we have Dragon Age. lol

BLIGHT: HOLY SHIT when I first saw that there was something called the Blight in DA I immediately freaked out and thought back to the Blight in WoT. Seriously, the Blight in WoT is horrific even though it’s not exactly like the DA Blight. WoT Blight spreads across the land and fucks shit up though. Also I’m pretty sure you can’t contract the Blight like you can in DA but...honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised. Also, the monsters in WoT like to hang out in the Blight, kinda like DA darkspawn.

White Tower/Black Tower: It’s a stretch, but totally reminds me of the White Divine and the Black Divines of Dragon Age.

Daes Dae'mar (The Great Game/Game of Houses)/The Game: Because what fantasy universe doesn’t have some stupid complex backstabbing political ‘game’.

Perrin Aybara/Solas: Perrin can shapeshift into a fucking wolf in the Dream World. Solas totally can (fight me). Perrin doesn’t like to kill people, and Solas doesn’t seem to either unless it’s necessary (means to an end). That’s about all they have in common though lmfao

Bards: WoT does it better.

Darkspawn/Shadowspawn: pretty much just in the names tho haha

OH AND ONE MORE:

Moghedien/Solas: “It was said that she ran what was perhaps the Shadow's most extensive intelligence network during the War of Power. Moghedien joined Lews Therin Telamon (Good Guy) as an employee of his staff, and from her position directed several of the major setbacks for the Light in the early War.” Basically, she joined the Good Guys™, did some shady shit in the shadows and escaped notice doing so. She also acquired the title Moghedien (Fen’harel much?) because she “hid her allegiance, conspired and plotted from the shadows.” SHE BLENDED. A lot like our beloved trickster wolf! Both are also exceptionally unlucky and somewhat unsuccessful in their planning! They also scare the shit out of me.

@johaeryslavellan pointed out this one:

Aes Sedai&Warders vs. Templars/Mages: This is a little complicated, but hear me out. Aes Sedai can create a magical bond with anyone. Usually it’s a man and once the bond is created, they become a Warder (with additional perks/buffs). Now, the bond reminds me a bit of a phylactery but without the blood because Aes Sedai can therein track their Warder wherever he/she may go. This bond could totally be abused/perverted if they so wished. Also, there have been a few Aes Sedai that take advantage of their Bonded (sex and whatnot) kind of like the Templars pressing their mage wards.

Wise Ones/Dalish Keepers: pretty much what it sounds like. The Aiel have these elder type leaders that are basically the keepers of their lore. That’s about it.

OKAY so I know there’s probably like a hundred more similarities and before anyone burns me at the stake, I’m not trying to be like OH BUT BIOWARE STOLE FROM WOT, because I’m not! This is just me drawing parallels between two universes I absolutely love with my entire heart and it’s super cool to see these similarities! They also have vast differences and that should always be celebrated as well! :DDD

#dragon age #wheel of time #nerding out over here #compare/contrast #mostly comparing

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fencer-x · 5 years

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Hello! I’ve been looking for some good books to read and was wondering if you had any recommendations? I seem to just wander around the bookstore not knowing where to start.

I confess I’ve been reading nothing but fics on fics on fics (Drarry exclusively lol) for a good year now, so I haven’t touched original works in ages, though I have several of the latest installments of my favorite series waiting until I run out of good Drarry fic... (please...god...free me from this hell........)

I’ve made several recommendations for excellent M/M original works (you can always check out my reccs tag for any recommendations as well, though it includes original novels as well as manga and fic). I pretty much only read M/M fantasy (with the very VERY occasional M/M scifi or supernatural book thrown in), so I hope that’s what you’re looking for XD

Here’s a “””””””brief””””””” recap of series I particularly enjoy and go back to reread often, along with details on who might like these books and why. They’re all available via Amazon (most as Kindle reads, but some as paperbacks; some are also available from other sources as well in other formats if you prefer, for example, epub) and at reasonable prices (all but one series are under $10 per book, some under $5).

It is entirely possible you’ve read all of these, since I’ve gushed about them many a time before, and if that’s the case, I apologize I can’t rec you anything new! But maybe it’s been a while if you’ve read these before and it’s time for a reread!

The Lord of the White Hell series, by Ginn Hale - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements. But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions. However Javier is a dangerous friend to have. Wielder of the White Hell and sole heir of a dukedom, he is surrounded by rumors of forbidden seductions, murder and damnation. His enemies are many and any one of his secrets could not only end his life but Kiram’s as well."]

Read this if you like... magic and science working together, religion-borne racism and the difficulties of interracial as well as interreligious relationships, snarky aristocrats and a good mystery. And read the second book in the series definitely if you liked Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai or Sore Nari ni Shinken nan desu (I've found I really like stories where the rejected third-party from the main series gets his own happy ending, and Book 2 of this series is one such, building an entire new couple with the midway-through-the-story return of Book 1 couple so you get the best of both worlds.)

The Magpie Lord series by K.J.Charles - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude… and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual. Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die."]

Read this if you like...magic and 19th century UK settings and snarky aristocrats who guard their hearts fiercely. The dynamic is fantastic, and the writing itself is gorgeous.

Whyborn & Griffin series, by Jordan Hawk - [GOODREADS BLURB: (Summary of Book 1) “Love is dangerous. Ever since the tragic death of the friend he adored, Percival Endicott Whyborne has ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man. Instead, he spends his days studying dead languages at the museum where he works. So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons after the death of his partner. Now in business for himself, he must investigate the murder of a wealthy young man. His only clue: an encrypted book that once belonged to the victim. As the investigation draws them closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. But when they uncover evidence of a powerful cult determined to rule the world, Whyborne must choose: to remain safely alone, or to risk everything for the man he loves.”]

Read if you like... magic and the supernatural and 19th century US settings and Eldritch monsters and mystery and intrigue and adventure and era-appropriate treatment of homosexual relationships but with happy endings (and also couples of all types).

The Nightrunner series, by Lynn Flewelling - [GOODREADS BLURB: "When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things--none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows."]

Read this if you like... magic, spies, fantastic female characters, adventure, and intrigue. Read also if you love looooong series, as it's complete at 7 books!

Scarlet and the White Wolf series, by Kirby Crow - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Scarlet of Lysia is an honest pedlar, a young merchant traveling the wild, undefended roads to support his aging parents. Liall, called the Wolf of Omara, is the handsome, world-weary chieftain of a tribe of bandits blocking a mountain road that Scarlet needs to cross. When Liall jokingly demands a carnal toll for the privilege, Scarlet refuses and an inventive battle of wills ensues, with disastrous results. Scarlet is convinced that Liall is a worthless, immoral rogue, but when the hostile countryside explodes into violence and Liall unexpectedly fights to save the lives of Scarlet's family, Scarlet is forced to admit that the Wolf is not the worst ally he could have, but what price will proud Scarlet ultimately have to pay for Liall's friendship?"]

Read this if you like... weird twists on old fairy tales with amazing world-building, provided you're willing to put up with a little bit of a slog until the couple really gets on the same page.

Captive Prince, by C.S.Pacat - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else..."]

Read this if you like... phenomenal skill with the written word (I mean REALLY TOP NOTCH), fantastic characters with real evolution in relationships, amazingly intricate political intrigue (guaranteed to keep you guessing the whole way), enemies-to-friends-to-"I think if I gave you my heart, you would treat it tenderly"-to-...well, I won't spoil things 8D Please note the 'slavery' aspect that is heavily featured in Book 1. There is NO RAPE between the main characters, but there are forced sexual scenes between Damen and another minor character (n.b. minor as in not major, not minor as in a kid), and well, Laurent just isn't a very kind 'master', nor does he pretend to be. This is not your typical 'omg the slave falls in love with the master and vice versa!!' dreck, but do be aware that the first book deals intimately with those themes as Damen must play his part.

Wytch Kings series, by Jaye McKenna - [GOODREADS BLURB: (Summary of Book 1) "Prince Garrik is the Heir Presumptive of Altan, next in line to be crowned Wytch King. There’s only one problem: in order for Garrik to be crowned, he must possess Wytch power of his own, and thus far, whatever power Garrik might possess has shown no sign of awakening. As things stand, it is Garrik’s younger brother, Jaire — a dreamer completely unsuited to wear the crown — who will take the throne after their father. Concerned about the future of his kingdom, the Wytch King demands that Garrik’s power be forcibly awakened. Hoping to protect his brother from the burden of rule, Garrik allows the attempt — with disastrous results. Now, Garrik must learn to control the fiery dragon that rages within him before he destroys everything he loves. Wytch Master Ilya has been alone for years. Learning to control the icy beast slumbering within him has already cost him his family and his lover, and Ilya will never open himself up to that kind of pain again. Summoned to Altan to avert disaster if he can, Ilya has no intention of allowing anyone to thaw the ice in his heart. When he meets Prince Garrik, sparks fly, and Ilya finds himself fighting feelings he thought he'd buried, long ago. Can Garrik’s fire melt Ilya’s icy heart? Or will Ilya be forced to use his ice to quench the flames that burn within Garrik once and for all?"]

Read if you like... DRAGON SHIFTERS. There's really not much more I can say to encourage you to read this series (there are five so far!) other than to say HERE THERE BE DRAGONS, AND LOTS OF THEM, AND HOT GUYS WHO TRANSFORM INTO THEM. The plots are interwoven, with side characters from previous books showing up as MCs in subsequent ones, so you get to see major characters fleshed out, even if not right away.

Mermen of Ea series, by Shira Anthony - [GOODREADS BLURB: (Summary of Book 1) "Taren Laxley has never known anything but life as a slave. When a lusty pirate kidnaps him and holds him prisoner on his ship, Taren embraces the chance to realize his dream of a seagoing life. Not only does the pirate captain offer him freedom in exchange for three years of labor and sexual servitude, but the pleasures Taren finds when he joins the captain and first mate in bed far surpass his greatest fantasies. Then, during a storm, Taren dives overboard to save another sailor and is lost at sea. He’s rescued by Ian Dunaidh, the enigmatic and seemingly ageless captain of a rival ship, the Phantom, and Taren feels an overwhelming attraction to Ian that Ian appears to share. Soon Taren learns a secret that will change his life forever: Ian and his people are Ea, shape-shifting merfolk… and Taren is one of them too. Bound to each other by a fierce passion neither can explain or deny, Taren and Ian are soon embroiled in a war and forced to fight for a future—not only for themselves but for all their kind."]

Read if you like... MERMEN SEX. Again, not much more I can say to encourage you to read this XD There's mermen having sex in mer form, there's mermen having sex in human form, there's just lots of mermen and rather a lot of sex too. But there's also interesting plot! Though lbr if you're going to read this, it's for the mermen XD

#gay fantasy #reccs

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bullets-and-masks · 5 years

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Lilith’s Character Analysis

Hey, guys! As requested by @valoscope I’m taking a deep dive into Lilith’s character. Differently from Krieg, that had as an objective creating a plausible backstory for,I decided my goal with Lilith is to look further and perhaps clarify the biggest divide in regards to her in the fandom: Why did Lilith do what she did in the end of TPS? (Spoilers for all games and the Borderlands comics anthology.)

Let’s go by this order - Borderlands (when she first appears), BL2 (we get to know her), Comics (to further what we know), and then TPS (oh the discourse) Borderlands: Lilith is a playable character in Borderlands (1) and unlike BL2, the first game doesn’t include ECHOs with extra bits of backstory liying around. As a result, anything that can be grasped about Lilith is from the main story - that has very little to do with WHO the original Vault Hunters are and her quotes. Lilith’s quotes are mostly all centered around her being a badass with a short temper, often hushing things to happen and going after danger. She celebrates victories and thinks highly of herself and her siren powers. In short, Lilith in Borderlands is cocky, self assured and short tempered, enjoying what she does and proud of being a siren. Borderlands 2 (oh how the tables have turned) In Borderlands 2, Lilith becomes a NPC deeply connected to the story, assisting the player and being one of the main characters related to what’s going down. We also get DLCs and tidbits of her personality outside a conflic situation. Lilith in Borderlands 2 starts as presumed dead. We learn later that her and the other vaulties decided it would be best to hide. Under the alias Firehawk, she gives up being with Roland and her friends to draw Bloodshot bandits away from Sanctuary. It’s under this alias that she first meets the player. She appears with flaming wings and greets the player with “Sup”, something we learn she likes saying before or after using her powers. After Lilith goes back to Sanctuary we start to get a better grasp of her personality as her friends gather up. Lilith likes saying stupid/mean jokes but actually worries about her friends and saving Pandora, helping as far as she can. In the mission In Memorian, the player picks up old ECHOs of Lilith after she hid as firehawk, all of her trying to talk to Roland after their relationship has gone cold and awkward. Lilith is also awkward, seemingly searching for reasons to see Roland, but quotes like “I liquified a guy”, said with surprised/fearful tone, even if she says it was awesome later, show that she trusts Roland and is the kind to actually search for help - and that she doesn’t quite undertand the extent of what she is. And that maybe she was also lonely among crazied bandits. In the mission Where Angels Fear to Thread, Angel warns the player and the Vault Hunters that no siren should go in the mission. Lilith debates this and then complies, only to show anyway. This has caused great divides in the community, many blaming Lilith for allowing the Warrior to be woken, but with all we learned the conclusion is: Lilith’s confidence and love for her companions makes so she goes, she wants to help terribly and ends up as doing things work. Lilith makes a mistake. Then, we have the DLCs. The biggest points of interest in the DLCs is that they happen after there’s no more danger, so we get to see Lilith more relaxed. In Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, Lilith disciplines Tina, wants to help with her grief. She also admits to being a nerd, and that she was bullied when little for liking geek stuff and for her tattoos, going so far as to keep Mr Torgue from playing because he doesn’t seem like a nerd and she’s worried his only interested because geek is trendy. In Sir Hammerlock and the Son of Crawmerax, there’s a small dialogue involving the original Vault Hunters and showing that Lilith really likes Talon, Modercai’s new bird. She doesn’t mind being bit and sounds really proud of how Talon is going. In short, we learn in Borderlands 2 that Lilith’s own nature is still a source of confusion, surprise and pride for her. She’s still cocky and violent, not taking long to make decisions, but she seems to want to stick to the plans, she really wants to make a difference for Pandora and she’s terribly awkward with feelings of any kind, but likes being near her friends and even seemed lonely. Comics: Borderlands Origins Lilith’s chapter in Borderlands Origins starts by her telling the reader she’s a siren, followed by this monologue:

(Image Description: A starry sky with yellow text boxes that read “There are six of us in the entirety of the universe. Or so I’m told. Prophecies can be fuzzy with the specifics.”)

(Image Description: A starry sky with yellow text boxes that read “It seems when you’re a little girl, you can look up at the stars as if they will live on forever. As you grown into a woman, you reaize that stars die just like anything else. Thrashing, heaving, clutching at anything not to go quietly into the black.”) This text already shows not only a deep sense of loneliness - the only out of six like her in the whole of existence - but also that much of Lilith’s personality might come from this stuborness to not die quietly. Enter the flashback to when she was little. By her size and inteligence, I’m willing to guess 6/7yo+. Lilith watches as her dad dies (not specified of what). His last words are “Promise me you’ll see the galaxy” and “I’ll see you among the stars”. Right after that, an old lady, the oldest siren, walks up to Lilith. The old lady had been looking for her. Lilith watches as she dies and simultaneously gets her own siren tattoos. She asks the old lady what she should do, too, but the only answer Lilith gets is:

(Image description: white speech bubbles over a orange and yellow background. they read: “That is up to you. Do as you will and grow as you might. We siren have no code, we’ve only our song. It is yours to sing now.”) From this, we gather that Lilith has no one else to be with her. As the old siren dies, it’s understandable that Lilith has now two very different types of loneliness; literal and the one that comes from being turned, unwillingly, into something not quite human, and something that makes her unique and alone. The old siren also tells Lilith she will NOT be seeing her father among the stars. The flasback ends and takes us to Lilith in a bar in Pandora. Later she gets in Marcu’s bus and Borderlands the Game starts from there. In short, what we understand from Borderlands Origins is that Lilith had to fend off on her own since little, probably making so she’s really proud of her habilities and surviving. With time she starts enjoying this power, which comes with the short temper and will to keep going after challenges to push herself. Coupled with this comes the great sense of loneliness of being a siren, and of carrying her father’s wish forward. In my opinion, this turns many of Lilith’s actions into a search for a sense of purpose, of place. (not that she’s not having fun with it). Also, wether one considers the comics canon or not despite being written by one of Borderlands writes and being considered so, nothing above is news. It’s all in her behavior and extra game content. On to Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel TPS is told by Athena, one of the people (and playable characters) hired to help Jack. Lilith’s actions in TPS are short and sweet. She’s actually barely in the game. Lilith and Roland are helping Jack because he wants to stop Zarpedon from blowing up Elpis, Pandora’s moon. Shortly before they defeat Zarpedon, though, Jack gets word that one of Hyperion’s scientists might be a spy. He proceeds to throw all of them out in space and then says something about how it felt good. His tone is also glad, truthfull. Among other actions and commentary, this makes so Lilith, Roland and Moxxi decide not help anymore - because Jack might actually be... Not their brand of good. This decision culminates in Lilith later phasewalking into the Vault and punching a vault relic Jack’s found. It’s unclear wether or not her intention was to brand his face, but clear she wanted to destroy it - too much power for not a very good man. Pre-Sequel Epilogue: The TPS Epilogue goes down after BL2. Lilith’s pissed about Roland’s death, and her conclusion is that killing Athena for having helped Jack is what she wants to do. What she wants because it’s cleary a harsh action decided with anger, as many of Lilith’s actions. Mordecai and Brick note that this isn’t like her. (All is stop by eridians that say war is coming and we’ll need all the vaulties we can get) In the Claptastic Voyage DLC, Lilith also apologises to Athena, admitting her blame on Jack’s rise - should’d killed him, not just branded/punched the relic. Her apology comes with the realization and admission that ordering to kill Athena made her just like Jack; Lilith understand’s her shortcomings and tries to fix it. She doesn’t shy away from blame In short, TPS Lilith along with companions took actions based on their own morallity and what they thought would be best to Pandora and Elpis. In the epilogue, Lilith displays high levels of anger and impulse decision making - she’s very led by emotions, BUT is able of seeing her wrong doings and wanting to do better. Conclusion: Lilith is a very harsh person, both proud and short-tempered. She has fun with violence and her powers, but also goes out of her way to help people and those she holds dear. Many of her actions can be pointed towards not having enough interactions and education, specially in patience and strategy; and certain interactions. Lilith is a nerd and well intentioned, some of her behavior even seeming like what someone would do to look cool. Her temper gets the best of her. She’s the kind to look for purpose in quick missions, friends and helping. While much of Lilith’s character can be explained, it shouldn’t be excused. People can grow and change out of what they are. Lilith is a great, flawled character, and I’d like the conclusion of this analysis to be that she can grow as a person and character. She did what she did in the end of TPS because that’s what she ( and Roland and Moxxi) judged as the best to do at that momment; making sure an unhinged man didn’t have so much power in his hands. Regarding the Discourse: No, it’s not her fault for Handsome Jack being Handsome Jack. She didn’t make it any better, and it’s her comment that names him “handsome”, but the man was already dangerous and unhinged. It’s not the fault of her character and temper either; it was a decision taken by at least three people.

#long post #borderlands #lilith the siren #spoilers #bl2 #mmar talks #by request!

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sharperthewriter · 5 years

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Chapter 20 of SFV

Chapter 20 - Day 2: The Oh Boyz Routine

(11:55am)

The Stoppable-mobile headed back onto 83 to head north to continue their journey to Valentine. They saw nothing but the rolling prairie grasses of late-November, and the cool wind blowing against the saran wrap of the makeshift windows.

Back in the camper, Mary was still asleep while Canna was sending a text to Bonnie.

Did you take any humiliating photos yet of K? read the text from the wealthy heiress.

Canna texted her back, saying Just the ones from Bumblebees where Ron was grabbing his wife by the ass to cover her.

Bonnie then replied with, LOL! You're doing good so far! Just make sure that you take the photos where you won't draw attention to the redhead. And remember, my associate will meet you at the Bueno Nacho Express there in Valentine for the device!

Canna understood and texted back, I will be there ASAP...

"Now...Ron..." Kim said, "...do you have everything ready for the Oh Boyz routine?"

"The Oh Boyz Routine?" Ron wondered.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Kim muttered. Her hooked overalls strap was resting barely on her shoulder. "We had a runthrough of this sitch before a few weeks ago, remember?"

Ron thought to himself for a moment.

(Three weeks ago)

At the Possible house, Kim was in the backyard with her former fellow cheer-mates. They consisted of Tara, Jessica, Liz, and Crystal.

They were each wearing white croptops with the words, in capitalized red letters of "WE" "MAY" "BE" "TAKEN" "BUT", worn by Kim, Tara, Jessica, Liz, and Crystal, respective;y. They were all wearing Club Banana signature baggy denim overalls as well. Tara had both straps hooked. Jessica wore hers with the left strap hooked and right strap off. Crystal and Liz had the right strap on and left strap off. Kim was more experimental, crossing over the left strap and hooking it to the right side of the bib.

"Now that you are all here, we are going to go through the Oh Boyz Routine for the South Dakota concert coming up in a few weeks." Kim said.

"What exactly is the routine, Kim?" Tara asked.

"I hope it's not exactly what I think it is..." Jessica whimpered.

"No, Jess. It's not...that stuff..." Kim groaned, not wishing to get too graphic on the info. "We're just, for the first time in 13 years, expressing our support for the Oh Boyz now that they are officially back together!"

"Understandable. But why did you choose me instead of Monique?" Crystal asked, "I'm not as big of an Oh Boyz fan as her."

"Because she is eight months pregnant with her kid." Kim replied. "And trust me, Chrys, Jamarcus doesn't want to carry a pregnant lady on his shoulders."

"Ohhh..." Crystal understood.

"When the Oh Boyz come out onto the stage, we all unhook our overalls at the same time with me, Tara, Jess, Liz and Chrys. And on the interior of the bib is a message of support for the Oh Boyz, showing that we still are their fans even though all of us are taken!" Kim explained the nature of her plan. "And we are going to wear the overalls like that through the entire concert...with belts on of course to prevent any Ron-like accidents."

"Okay...sounds like a good idea." Tara replied.

"Now...scream your loudest girls and unhook those straps now!" Kim decreed.

They all did so and it revealed that the inside of the bibs said in bright white letters "BUT" "WE" "STILL", a pink heart" , and "THE OH BOYZ" again worn by Kim, Tara, Jessica, Liz and Crystal, in that order.

(end flashback)

"Oh now I remember! Now I see what you mean!" Ron said, grinning. "At least that's better than...say...exposing your boobs to a potential nationally televised audience and getting the both of us fired from GJ."

"Relax, Ron! That is so not going to happen in the slightest!" Kim chuckled. "Now, can you check on the kids and Rufus for me?"

"Sure can do, KS!" Ron replied as he turned his head to the back.

"Let's see...Justin is still playing with his tablet, Rufus is still asleep and Alexa has colored her own skin with crayons...wait a minute...ALEXA IS COLORING HER HANDS AND LEGS WITH CRAYONS?!"

"Alexa! No! Crayons are for the coloring book, not for your own body!" Kim exclaimed as she grabbed a moist towelette from the glove compartment. She took her eyes off the road and turned her full attention to Alexa to try and clean her up. Her legs were the ones doing the steering of the wheel.

The van went off the road, driving into the grass.

"Uh...KS?" Ron questioned, trying to get his wife's attention.

"Not now, Ron! Can't you see I'm busy with Alexa?" Kim muttered, trying to wipe the crayon off her leg. Instead, the most towelette actually was combining the colors together. Also, another button popped off the croptop Kim was wearing, exposing more of her cleavage and black bra.

"I look like a rainbow!" Alexa squeaked.

"We're driving in the grass!" Ron screamed.

Rufus screamed and closed his beady eyes.

Kim dropped the towelette and focused her attention back on the road. She steered the wheel away from the grass and back on the highway. The hooked overalls strap slipped off her shoulder and the bib began to curl fully.

"Whew..." she said, breathing a sigh of relief, "...that was extremely close!"

"I'd say!" Ron exclaimed. "Good thing the van wasn't damaged!"

Just as soon as he said that, he heard thumping on the highway.

"Ron...do you hear that sound?"

"Uh...yeah, KS. I do hear that!"

"Can you check to see where it's coming from?"

"Sure can do!"

Rufus looked outside. He pointed his paw at the origin of the sound. Ron also looked outside and gasped, "KS, we may have to pull over..."

"Why, Ron?!" Kim moaned.

"The tire on the right side of the camper has gone flat. We may want to pull over." Ron said.

Kim made a groaning sound that yet another thing was going to slow them down, but she had no choice.

"You're right, Ron." she replied, "Stupid good for nothing delay..."

She pulled the vehicle on over to the side of the road to stop the irritating thumping and turned on the hazard lights on the van.

"Where are we now?" Kim asked.

"We are about 30 miles outside of Valentine." Ron said, looking at the GPS.

"So we're still stuck in Prairie-land aka the middle of nowhere!" Kim groaned even louder. She threaded her hand through the hooked strap, allowing it to fall down. It showed off her midriff and a couple of recent tattoos of a red dragon and an angel right above her belly button. . She opened the door and, unknown to her, the right side zipper to her overalls zipped down, showing off a side of her black panties with purple hearts. "Are the lemon squares you made for Thanksgiving still intact?"

Ron looked through the saran-wrapped third row window of the van and gave a thumbs up.

"Get out of the van and help me out here for the spare!" Kim demanded while grabbing her purse. "And Rufus, stay here and watch the kids...make sure that Alexa doesn't make herself into a Picasso painting."

Rufus hummed and saluted, taking watch of the kids.

"Rightey-o, Kim!" Ron replied as he opened the passenger van door and closed it.

The two of them walked behind the van. Kim made an exasperated gasp.

"The rear bumper is gone!" she exclaimed.

And indeed, the rear bumper had fallen off the van as well, adding to the damage that the Stoppable-mobile has suffered through on this trip.

The two then walked 7 feet to where the flat tire was. It had two nails in it.

"At least we now know what caused the flat." Ron admitted, leaning against the open door. One of the belt loops got caught against the open hinge of the door.

"What's going on?" Mary asked, coming out of the camper.

"And why do you have to disturb our beauty sleep...?" Canna questioned, yawning.

"Flat tire ish." Kim replied. "It's no big."

Shen then asked, "Are you two going to help?"

"So not! I don't want to get my nails all dirty from tire treads!" Canna countered.

"Suit yourself!" Kim snarked.

Mary and Canna went back inside.

"Where did you put the spare for the camper?" Kim asked her husband.

"I put it in the back in a compartment, KS." Ron said, "Just allow me, the man of the house, to get it out!"

But as he did so, the belt loop caused his pants to be pulled down, showing off his polka dot boxers.

"Ron..." Kim muttered, "...stop messing around and get the spare!"

"Oh right! Right!" Ron said as he pulled back his pants halfway going into the camper.

A few minutes later, Ron, now with his pants pulled up normally, got out with the camper spare.

"I got it, KS!" Ron said.

"Good, I'm gonna get the two jacks from the back." Kim replied, but as she walked to get the jacks her overalls started to slip from the rear, showing off more of her panties. She ignored it and brought the jack around. "Ron, get the lug nuts loose first!"

"This should be no problem!" Ron said, putting the spare to the side and got the tire wrench from the repair kit.

He loosened the lug nuts on the flat tire slightly and Kim raised the trailer with the jack.

"Do you envision doing this on vacation, KS?" Ron asked as he loosened the last lugnut on the flat.

"No...I hoped that we never go through this flat tire sitch ever again since Florida." Kim groaned.

Ron replaced the flat tire with the spare.

"Now we can cross that off the list." Ron replied as he lowered the trailer and tightened the lugnuts again. Kim inflated the tire to the correct PSI, but unfortunately, her undone overalls slipped past her bottom, showing off an embarrassing unicorn tatoo on her left buttock and a butterfly tatoo on her right.

"That'll have to do until we get a new tire put in." she muttered.

Ron then finally noticed his wife's unicorn tattoo and said, "Uh...KS?"

"Ron, can it wait? I have to put the flat back in the camper." Kim retorted, still grabbing the removed flat tire. When she shoved the tire into the camper, though, her undone overalls were officially on her ankles the undone strap dragging on the pavement.

"Kinda importante! Your overalls are falling off!" Ron exclaimed.

Kim finally looked down and gasped. Her cheeks blushed in embarrassment!

"Oh no...not again!" she groaned. "I'm glad that no one saw that!"

Little did she know that Canna was snapping the pictures from her smartphone, and as per Bonnie's orders, has not yet uploaded them to her social media accounts.

The redhead managed to pull the overalls back up and she zipped up the side zipper. She also pulled back up the hooked right strap of the overalls and kept the left strap undone.

"Now let's head back on the road." Kim insisted.

She and Ron got back in the Stoppable-mobile.

"Alexa, we're going to have to clean you up before we get to the Bueno Nacho in Valentine." Kim groaned, looking at her daughter.

The van, with the spare on the camper, pulled away from the shoulder and back onto the highway. Kim hoped that no more distractions would be on this drive...or on the trip for that matter.

#kim possible #fanfiction #stoppable family vacation

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duskswriter · 5 years

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The Knight’s Pact

Alright! Original work time. This here’s the first concept piece of a tale I had stirred up that would eventually morph into my current project. There’s been changes and element scraps since this was made late 2017, but proof-rereading it for posting (wow, more errors than I remember) I realized I like a few of the scrapped ideas and will probably be reincorporating them �� So check out this ‘first chapter’ of The Knight’s Pact, that may or may not continue 😅

Reviews would be appreciated, likes and reblogs too!

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A great roar rattled the very trees of the forest, causing nearly everything in hearing range to flee in fear of the great beast of the roar’s origin. Nearly everything, two brave souls rushed the opposite direction, towards the sound. The larger of the two lead the way, 7 feet tall and clad head to toe in gleaming plate armor with a tower shield slung across their back, the warrior charged through the underbrush, forging a path of broken greenery for the lighter of the two companions trailing behind. The metal of the slighter man’s armored brigandine plates clacked against the jewel-crowned mage’s staff he carried as the pair rushed forward, his hood being blown back from their speed.

The metal clad knight broke through the trees and into a clearing and the pair slid to a halt to the sight of their quarry swiftly brushing aside the ethereal wolf projection they had used to track it down, shattering it into glittering dust and sparks of errant magic. The dragon that had been terrorizing the forest shifted its eyes toward the pair and a snort of smoke plumed from its nostrils before it let loose another bone shaking roar. The scaled beast’s head reared up, its bronze scales gleaming as its chest swelled with flame, before it whipped down towards the warrior and the mage.

The mage stepped forward and raised his staff, brimming with a bright light and slammed the base into the ground, as the knight followed suit and rammed the tower shield into the ground, bracing behind it. The shield shown with the mage’s magic just as the dragon let loose a river of flame upon the two. The metal of the shield glowed red hot against the knight’s resolute and armored shoulder as the mage worked to keep their barrier reinforced and standing strong against the dragon’s breath. The man had planted his staff firmly but as the onslaught of flame continued he leaned more and more heavily upon it, the effort of the shield draining his reserves frighteningly quickly as he strained. “I can’t keep this shield together much longer!” he cried out to his companion, shifting his feet to a ready stance and bracing for the plan. “Hilde! Do it now!”

The knight nodded briefly, not wasting breath on words, and lifted their left gauntlet to their faceplate. Blue light began shining from under the armor, flowing from the grills of the helm as the knight’s eyes lit up with the energy and the mage closed his eyes and focused. The shield’s pure white magic glow tinted, blue swirling over its surface until the mage grit his teeth, took a solid step forward, and flung open his arms and brightly shining eyes, brimming with magic. There was a change in the blast-heated air as energy spread out from the shield and the knight stomped down powerfully, cracking the ground under the force of the step, before surging forward and shoving powerfully. The magic followed suit and then projected further, pushing through the dragon flame and onwards in a wave of sheer force, potent enough to knock the massive dragon back to crash into the trees on the other side of the clearing.

“Alright!” cheered the mage, his voice nearly reverberating with the power flowing through him. “One shot is all I need,” he grinned wildly as he held up his left arm, deep blue magic coalescing in his open palm and lengthening into a spear of crackling energy as he drew in power.

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“So there I was: my bonded behind me and drawing magic from our pact to his spear-“ a round of snickers interrupted the story to a scoff and headshake of the blond storyteller, her braided hair swishing against her back with the movement. “You alley cats have yet to tell me what’s so damn funny about my story,” she scowled around at the snickering Felide, a race of cat-like people famed for their dexterity and silver tongues, unimpressed with the bar’s general reaction to her tale of might and bravery.

“Don’t mind these furballs, Miss Hilderun,” the innkeep soothed with a gruff chortle. The scarred, old Tros, a dog-like race that had formed early on into a nation-wide Pack and had spread the farthest of the kingdoms, slid a fresh tankard over the bar toward the warrior woman, “Tittering like a bunch of milk drunk kittens at a dirty joke. Bonded ‘s’what Felide call their life-partner. Yours drawing power to his spear, well,” he shrugged expressively as the regulars booed at the loss of their bit of fun.

“You can’t explain the joke! Now it’s not funny ya mutt!” bemoaned a drunken patron a few seats down to a few slurred agreements and muttered complaints about being plenty old enough to drink, before the barkeep barked loud and sharp and glared the uppity drunks into silence.

“Complaining about your bartender to your bartender, real smart,” the woman just rolled her eyes. “So when I say my bonded ran a dragon through with my ‘magic spear’ “ she air-quoted to the sputters of more than a few drunks choking on their drinks. She had a good laugh about her now dripping neighbors and there were jokes and jabs passed around before the warrior woman took a long pull from her tankard and pondered aloud. “Now, where was I?”

“You were saying your simple human mage companion was capable of throwing a dragon and was then intending to ‘one shot’ it,” said a condescending voice from the crowd. The figure leaned into the light of the bar to reveal himself to be an Elf, one of the most magically gifted races of the land. “Please, you expect me to believe this drivel? There is no conceivable way a mere human’s reserves could be capable of such power, they simply do not have a deep enough connection to the etherium.”

The blond merely grinned widely at the man, “I’ve met your learned type before, sir Elf, but I assure you, as a Pact Knight for hire: we and our bonded can draw on a much deeper well of magic than even you Elves are capable of,” she tipped her drink towards herself, indicating the deep red tattoo on her face. The swirling pattern of runes spread across her left temple and down her cheek to halfway across her jaw, the circle touching at the corner of her eye and centered her ear in several rings, with lines of text descending her neck disappearing below her collar. She focused for a moment and a deep blue light spread up the runes on her neck, reaching higher to her face and getting lighter and lighter as it went, until it reached her eyes and they lit up with a sky blue light. The glowing knight motioned for the bartender, “Innkeep, you got a clean empty barrel I can pour into? I’ll show you a spell I learned while bonded to a drunken mage. He only used it for a spare mug or three now and then, but if I dig down... well,” she trailed off meaningfully.

The old dog shrugged and pulled down a mostly empty barrel, “It’s the cheap stuff so anything you do short of poison’s an improvement.” There was a round of chuckles and agreement and one shouted, “I’ve had better poison!” to a fresh round of chuckles. He popped the barrel’s lid and propped it up on the bar beneath the woman’s outstretched left fist, glowing with more tattoos on the back of her hand. She concentrated and, with a few whispered words of focus opened her clenched fist to release a small waterfall of sweet smelling liquid that looked suspiciously like- “Berry mead!” The bartender replied in surprise, smacking his lips and dipping a cup into the stream for a taste test.

“If you think a human like you can fill a whole barrel with conjured anything, much less alcohol, with some mere…. glowing…… tattoo……” the Elf trailed off as the mead continued to poor and poor and poor. His eyes got wider at the sheer sloppy waste of power that, regardless of what should be her proper limits, still flowed from her.

As the barrel filled near the brim, she clenched her hand and cut the flow, the light of her runes fading to the red of softly glowing coals. “Different tune now, eh?” she laughed and shook out her arm. The Elf nodded mutely as the bar murmured interestedly at the sudden appearance of magic booze. “So what do ya say, innkeep? First round’s free and I’ll sell you what’s left?” she chuckled, raising an eyebrow toward the Tros behind the bar.

The bar owner gave a gruff bark of a laugh “Ha! We’ll have ta see how much is left, lass. I’m sure word has already spread, with these chatty drunks. We’ll see. More customers for me either way,” he grinned toothily and dropped the lid back on the barrel, reaching out to shake her hand on the deal.

A few sharp blows and a bit of sealing tar later the barrel was back up on the rack and being served to mixed reactions, but even a bad free drink is still a free drink and there were those who enjoyed and bought more of the sweeter spirit. Thus, later in the evening a sack of coins was dropped on the counter before the blond warrior, to her pleasant surprise it was even a generous amount. She was counting out the coins and had bought a room to retire for the evening when the Elf from before came back.

“Greeting’s Lady knight, my name is Aurilar Pentinas” he introduced himself briskly with a brief, semi-courteous bow, before getting straight to the point. “You said you are for hire earlier? Please elaborate.”

“Well, greeting’s Aurilar Pentinus” she began, raising a curious eyebrow at the direct approach and tying her new pouch to her belt, “I am Hilderun of the Pact, as a Knight of the Pact it is my path to travel the land and make Pacts with its people, to sell my sword and bring glory, honor, and gold to my order. To lend my power to those on dangerous quests after dangerous beasts to better their odds of survival and victory is my duty!” she banged her left fist to her chest, across her heart, in a practiced salute. “Mostly we of the Pact choose our own contracts by our personal code. I will do no job specifically targeting people unless there is very good reason, revenge not included, magical beast hunts are a specialty of mine, and none but my fellow knights will guard a caravan better. No contracts longer than a month,” she summed up what sounded like a rehearsed speech and looked the man up and down. “No offense meant, sir Pentinus, but I have never seen one of your kind actually take an interest the Bond, usually there is much hemming and hawing about what price must be paid for magic-“

“-for there is a price for every spell,” the Elf finished with an impatient nod. “Yes, yes, I am well aware of my colleagues’ more… classical views on magic, but you very clearly have something that I have never seen or thought possible before and I find myself quite curious. As it so happens, I am in need of a guard to help me transport a dangerous magical beast which I have recently... taken possession of, back to my abode for study. I would be a fool not to take the opportunity to hire you and study this… Bond, as you call it, on the way there.”

“I can respect the desire of knowledge, and will help you guard your beast, though I warn you: you are neither the first, nor will you be the last to try to unravel the secrets of the Pact. It is ancient magic passed down through our order and only the highest ranks of our Binders truly know, it will be no easy task,” Hilderun warned solemnly. “If you wish to become bonded you must know that using the levels of magic this will make you capable of will drain you in a different way, a deeper way, if you abuse it. There is no such thing as infinite power, after all. It has been enough in the past that some have died or been taken by the Pact entirely, not to mention the penalties for breaking a bond before the contract forming it is complete.”

Aurilar waved his hand dismissively “I have no wish to break such a bond, the power it could lend may be invaluable, and any chance of studying such magic may be equally so. I will accept your contract and hire you as my guard.”

The large woman inspected the Elfin man closely before nodding and extending her left hand, the runes upon it glowing blue with power once more. “Then a contract is proposed. I will guard you, Aurilar Pentinus, my Bonded, and your magical beast from harm, allowing you access to the Pact and the magic within it. In return I will be paid a generous caravan guard’s fee and be granted your protection in kind as we travel toward your home.” She stared him in the eyes as the magic of her Pact made her own eyes glow and a blue phantom fire built around her hand, responding to the words of the contract, there was no heat to the flame, but the power was palpable in the air and attracted the interested stares and murmurs of the few left in the tavern room of the inn.

Aurilar looked somewhat apprehensively at the fire wreathed hand before extending his own left hand to grasp Hilderun’s. He went rigid as the blue fire spread up his arm and magic surged through him, his eyes widened as he felt the raw magical energy flow around and him. He barely felt the searing of his palm through the rush of power as the heatless flame surrounded him, surrounded them both, before the fire swooped around them both and focused on their clasped hands, the whole of it flowing down and vanishing between their hands.

Hilderun released the Elf’s hand, her marks once more faded to red coals, and he stumbled back, grabbing for the bar and sitting heavily down on an empty stool. The larger woman clapped a steadying hand to Aurilar’s shoulder, “Hah! Yeah, the first Bond is always a doozy. It’ll just take a bit for the magic of the Pact to settle into your system, but it won’t be long before you’ll be back on your feet.” It took a few minutes for Aurilar to regain his equalibrium, he flexed his still stinging left hand and stared at the symbol that glowed like embers on his palm. The large blonde grinned widely and clapped him on the back jovially, “Welcome to the Pact, Aurilar, my new Bonded! A toast!” There was cheering from the bar and soon a mug slid down the bar for the Elf.

Aurilar raised the drink a little shakily but met his bond-mate’s own mug and took a hearty drink, then continued, to several raised eyebrows and a widening grin on his new partner’s face as he drank the rest of the mug of conjured mead in one go and slammed the tankard down with a shocked expression on his face. He looked sharply towards the blonde beside him and her knowing grin, “That was-! It just-!”

“Passive magic siphoning,” Hilderun explained, just a little smugly, “magic mead is just magic, broken right down into your reserves. The Pact is pretty magic intensive, so I figure that feels better?”

“Much! This is indeed a powerful magic...” Aurilar pondered, trailing off as he stared at the rune on his hand in a new light, the magic brand now solidifying and into to what could be mistaken for black ink. The rune in the center of his palm was a spiral, the layers of it shaped into a flame. It was enclosed by a ring that was solid on the inner edge and which spread to four tips on the edges of his palm. “This will be scintillating research, I can tell!”

“I’d hate to burst your bubble too much, but there won’t be a lot to study,” Hilderun sat down on the stool next to her new companion. “Because your palm won’t tell you much and you looking closely at my face for too long is going to get creepy for me,” then she glowered into the man’s eyes and he saw fire, “and NO lower.” The Elf stammered, off balance, before the large woman broke out into large smile and clapped him on the back once more. “But enough of that, we have a journey to make in the morning, for now, we drink!”

There was further cheers and raised mugs as Aurilar marveled at the power he could feel humming just beyond his fingertips. He examined his new tattoo with a magical focus that lead him to see the trail leading from his rune to Hilderun’s tattooed hand, but there was a second trail as well, it sprouted from her chest and disappeared off beyond his senses. He frowned minutely, she had been right: there was not much for him to study, but he would figure this magic out, he swore it.

#original work #Knight’s Pact #original-works

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fullmetalirin · 6 years

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Episodes 50-51

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 50: "Death"

As zeppelins rain bombs upon London during World War I, Edward and Hohenheim flee the city. As they watch the attack from a distance, Hohenheim explains that in this world, on the other side of the gate, the science of physics has developed instead of alchemy but, because Edward's soul was transferred over without his body, the Gate of Truth within himself can be used to return to Amestris. Meanwhile, with Hawkeye's help, Mustang has sneaked into the Führer's mansion to confront him and avenge Hughes. Gluttony, moping over Lust's death, is forced by Envy to begin gradually eating Alphonse's armored body to complete the Philosopher's Stone within him so Dante can use the stone to switch bodies with Rosé. Annoyed with Gluttony still mourning the loss of Lust, Dante alchemically destroys his mind so he can be nothing but an eating machine just as he begins gradually eating Alphonse. Wrath, still moping over Sloth's death, tries to intervene by using alchemy so he can use Alphonse to revive Sloth, but Dante has Edward's original limbs removed from Wrath's body so he can no longer perform alchemy in doing so. After repairing his relationship with Hohenheim, Edward returns to Amestris and tries to stop Dante's plans and set Alphonse and Rosé free, only to be distracted by Envy, who begins tormenting him in battle. When Edward angrily demands to see Envy's true form, Envy gleefully obliges, transforming into Hohenheim and Dante's deceased son, causing Edward to hesitate in sorrow. Dante reveals that Envy was the first ever homunculus, created when Hohenheim attempted human transmutation to revive his son who died of mercury poisoning. As Envy admits this is the reason why he hates Hohenheim for abandoning him to start a new family, the homunculus instantly transforms his arm into a blade and heartlessly kills Edward by piercing him through the heart while a horrified Alphonse, Rosé and Wrath watch.

Hm, I forgot he transferred to WWI London. I thought Amestris was equivalent to Nazi Germany.

Ed is impressed by zeppelins and airplanes. Hohenheim says their mechanical engineering is better than in their world, but Amestris has pretty sophisticated manufacturing too. Trains are apparently about a century old, which is about on par with our timeline. I guess you could presume that technology hit a plateau as people figured alchemy was better for more advanced applications.

Bradley keeps his remains in his house. He's read the Evil Overlord List! Selim saw the safe, so Bradley entrusts him with the key. That's pretty smart, since it's unlikely Mustang will think the kid is relevant.

Riza has dispatched Bradley's guards and is at his door. I presume this is a diversion, because we cut to Mustang sneaking in by… jumping over the wall? I'll presume that was alchemy-assisted.

Archer is still not dead.

We cut to Ed and Hohenheim and get my other favorite scene. Hohenheim explains conservation of energy, explicitly drawing a comparison to our very first example: Al fixing the broken radio. The souls of the dead from Earth pass into their world and provide the fuel for alchemy. This makes perfect sense: we already know the Philosopher's Stone, which amplifies alchemy, is powered by souls, so it's only logical that regular alchemy work the same.

Hohenheim explains he really did love Trisha, but left because he didn't want them to see the rot. I think this is a flawed but reasonable explanation. The rot represents more than just itself: it's a mark of his sin, a reminder that this body is not his own and that he's committed atrocities to obtain it. I see this more as him being unable to bear the answer to the inevitable question, "Why are you rotting, Dad?" It's horribly selfish and cowardly of him, but at the same time, it's understandable. Humanity is flawed.

Back in Amestris, Dante needs Gluttony to eat Al to complete the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently Dante designed him to refine red water. However, Gluttony is still BSODing over Lust, so Dante destroys his mind by removing his ouroboros tattoo.

Hohenheim confirms that Dante can't create a Philosopher's Stone on her own.

Hohenheim leaves us with the bright side of Dante's philosophy: you can gain something for nothing too. When a parent loves their child, he says, there need be no cost or reward.

But Ed still clings to equivalent exchange, admitting his only argument is that he doesn't want to believe a sacrifice could go unrewarded. He believes he just has to keep trying.

And then a zeppelin falls on him! He returns through the Gate just in time, but the poor boy he was inhabiting is still certainly dead.

Back in Central, Riza tells Bradley Mustang is after him… why? To get his family out of the way? Bradley goes into the wine cellar to fight Mustang, and the door is alchemically sealed behind him.

Bradley gives basically the same speech as Dante, saying really he's helping people by keeping the Philosopher's Stones from them.

Bradley explicitly says Mustang's fireballs will be less effective in an enclosed space. Thank you!

The Gate takes Wrath's arm and leg, but not the rest of him.

Ah. Ed realizes he used Earth!Ed's life to make the jump.

And now we get confirmation Gluttony killed Marcoh way back then.

Envy has a lot of fun running through forms to taunt Ed.

Alchemy can't be used because the activation of the Philosopher's Stone makes it too reactive. What does "activating" it really mean, though? We haven't seen alchemists need to do anything special to use it before.

Seeing Envy's true form stuns Ed, but… it doesn't look that recognizable? Ed says it looks like Hohenheim, but Hohenheim had a beard, and we just established he was willing to punch his mom's face. I remembered it as him looking like Ed, which would have made more sense. Still, it's a neat reveal. I've heard Brotherhood fans say it's a worse motivation than the one he has in Brotherhood, but, eh, his Brotherhood motivation was clever in theory but felt totally contrived and out of left field. Daddy issues might be cliché, but it's fitting for the more human homunculi, and it makes for a powerful parallel with Ed – further emphasized by them both being his children. I still think it'd have been stronger if we didn't learn it earlier, though.

Also, I do like that Envy violates talking-is-a-free-action to shank Ed while he's distracted.

Dante says Envy was the first homunculus ever created, so I guess Dante and Hohenheim were the first alchemists?

Rose appears to break out of her trance upon seeing Ed die.

Let's update our homunculi list real quick before the last episode:

Greed is wasted.

Lust defects, and is killed out of vengeance for a loved one.

Sloth is paralyzed.

Gluttony refuses to eat, and is made a slave to base desires.

This one is actual irony. He's spent the whole series only caring about eating things, but now, when he's actually ordered to, his human emotions get in the way. He's killed by an absence of gluttony, and becomes the embodiment of gluttony – a slave to base instincts. I find that a lot more clever than "Gluttony is eaten" – that is just so utterly trite and banal, you don't get points for that.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 51: "Laws and Promises"

Alphonse breaks free and attempts human transmutation as he sacrifices himself - using what's left of his Philosopher's Stone within him to revive his brother. Envy appears at the Gate of Truth, having failed to stop Alphonse, and encounters Edward's soul. Learning that Hohenheim is still alive on the other side, Envy gleefully decides to head through to kill him against Edward's advice, disappearing into the distance as a green, serpentine dragon. Edward reawakens to see his body fully healed as well as his right arm and left leg are now flesh and blood. However, Alphonse has been taken by the Gate of Truth as a consequence. After having Rosé take an injured Wrath with her and flee to Resembool, Edward attempts human transmutation, offering his own life, allowing Alphonse to return to his body, albeit his memory is recalled up to when the brothers tried to resurrect their mother. Meanwhile, Mustang successfully kills Führer Bradley with the help of his son Selim, who unintentionally weakens his adoptive father by bringing him the remains of the human from which the Führer was originally based. The Führer responsively strangles his son to death out of anger before Mustang takes his advantage. As he takes Selim's body and leaves the mansion, Mustang is confronted by Archer, who apparently shoots him in the left eye. Hawkeye arrives in time to save Mustang's life and kills Archer. Dante escapes into an elevator to find the Führer to help her exact vengeance, only to be devoured by Gluttony, who fails to recognize her. Alphonse is back in Amestris now and Edward is pulled through the Gate of Truth and is currently in Munich. The brothers both resolve to reunite again someday.

Dante snarks that maybe Ed just didn't pay enough to deserve survival – "We always come just a little short of the price."

We actually see Mustang drawing the transmutation circle with his blood. So much cooler than him doing it offscreen!

Al destroys Gluttony's jaw. Gruesome.

Mustang successfully destroys Pride. Since he didn’t use a sealing circle, I’m guessing he really did exhaust all of Pride’s lives. See, that’s acceptable to do once as a climactic cool moment. Notice also that we skipped straight to the end instead of watching him use fireballs for two minutes straight.

Riza saves Mustang by being the only person smart enough to shoot at Archer's human half.

Envy jumps into the Gate in pursuit of Hohenheim, and even manages to shake off the souls trying to eat him. Hardcore.

After the scene with Dante and Gluttony, we see the elevator open to an empty chamber. Creepy.

Ed's lost limbs are restored when he's resurrected, but it costs all of Al's Philosopher's Stone.

Sheska says Amestris is no longer a military dictatorship, but the current wars will still continue. However, they've become more tolerant towards Ishbalans.

Roy has an eyepatch. Just like Bradley! Riza said her outing him and then doubling back was part of the plan, but I'm not sure how or why.

How did Hohenheim get to Germany? The year is 1921, so he somehow survived 7 years even though his body looked to be at its limit.

Ed thinks Einstein's theories are bunk. Heh.

Ed says he planned to offer his life as the price for restoring Al. The fact that he didn't makes him wonder if he got something for nothing.

The ending spiel is a twist on the standard opening spiel: Al recognizes that equivalent exchange is not the law of the world, but he still hopes that hard work will pay off, and that one day they'll be reunited: a promise, not a law.

Conclusion

I think this is a good finale. The cutting around is a bit disorienting – it perhaps might have been better to resolve Mustang's side of things earlier? – but not uncalled for. I like how Mustang is actually challenged and injured in his fight scene instead of just effortlessly coasting his way to victory; he's cool without being overpowered. The final boss fight with Envy is a bit meh, but huge fight scenes were never what I was watching for in the first place (and Mustang vs. Pride kind of has us covered on that front). In terms of how this interacted with and resolved the story's major themes and questions, I think it was excellent. We learn what is behind the Gate, we learn the truth behind alchemy, we get discussion on the theme of equivalent exchange, and the protagonists' driving motive, the restoration of their bodies, is resolved. It's an open-ended finale, but not an unsatisfying one. The villains are defeated, the characters have learned important lessons, and they're going to keep on living.

Mustang's side is probably the weakest part here – Cyborg Archer is really weird and random and seemingly just there to add more tension and battles. His fight with Pride feels a bit truncated since we keep cutting away from it. I'm still not totally clear what his plan was or if it made sense, and it was very dumb of Ed not to tell him how to fight homunculi. I do like that Riza saves him in the end, though.

Ultimately, this is again the rare OG arc that I feel could have been better spread out over more episodes. Getting all the characters into position is rather rushed and relies on a bit of contrivance, and the finale itself feels like it's trying to say more things than it really has time for. But I'm still happy with what we got.

Now, this is more subjective, but I find the dual sacrifices way more emotionally meaningful here. I plan to do an ending comparison post where I will discuss this further, but for now, I think it's very powerful that Al finally has his moment of triumph. He's spent the whole story as a damsel in distress, even getting literally turned into a MacGuffin for this finale, only ever watching helplessly as people make horrific sacrifices for him while he can do nothing to save them. So here and now, he says screw it, for once he has the power and he's going to use it to save the person he loves more than anything in the world. It's so strong that it's an absolute mirror of what Ed did for him, and extremely meaningful that in a series that started with and revolved around the impossibility of resurrection we end with a true one.

But Ed, stupid, stupid Ed, can't be content with what Al gave him and refuses to learn his lesson, so he puts them back where they started. I'm not sure how I feel about that – it makes him into a very stagnant and stubborn character who refuses to learn the narrative's lessons even when they've been so firmly pounded into his skull. The point of Dante's speech, to me, was that you cannot keep throwing good lives after bad – Ed has hurt himself and so many others on this journey, justifying it to himself with sunk cost fallacy. The correct option is to cut his losses and go home, to be happy with what he still has instead of throwing away even more. Even the very fact he planned to kill himself to bring Al back shows he's still ignoring him – Al has said over and over again he doesn't want Ed to do that. Are these brothers doomed to be trapped in an endless spiral of self-sacrifice for the other? But… I gotta say, Al staying dead would have been too much of a downer. They've been through so much that they do deserve a miracle. (There's that stories-as-just-worlds striking again!)

I actually have never seen the movie, so maybe it resolves some of these things! I shall see. But for now, let's complete our list…

Greed is wasted.

Lust defects, and is killed out of vengeance for a loved one.

Sloth is paralyzed.

Gluttony refuses to eat, and is made a slave to base desires.

Envy kills himself out of jealousy.

Pride is killed by his son.

Wrath outlives them all.

An ironic pride death is easy – hoist them by their own petard. This show takes it a step further, and has Pride undone by his namesake. I'm pretty sure it is said somewhere that Selim is his biological child in this continuity, and that the capacity to sire children was one of Pride's human traits. That makes it deeply ironic that the son is the reason he dies.

I never bought Wrath's Brotherhood death as "irony". Wrath being killed by wrath… I don't even know if that's poetic, it just kind of… is. We say those who live by the sword will die by the sword, and for good reason. Wrath dying to wrath isn't unexpected or at all clever. The volatile, self-destructive sin being the only one to live, though? That's irony.

And oh my god you guys Brotherhood!Envy kills himself out of PRIDE not jealousy, he could not have been more explicit about it! Know your sins if you're gonna be smug about what deep symbolism they are!! This one is still a bit of a reach – wrath is a closer fit – but there is a case to be made that he is doing this out of a desire for the connection and satisfaction that other children have yet was denied to him.

Lastly, I think you could make a case that Dante embodies all the sins and is undone by all of them simultaneously. She believes herself above humanity, yet she is easily frustrated, slothful in her attitude towards the homunculi, envious of others' bodies, and greedy, lustful, and gluttonous for life and power. Wiping Gluttony is an act of impatience, frustration, greed, and arrogance in the assumption she could still control him.

Even aside from that, though, this is such a fitting end for her. She's spent her whole life plotting in the shadows, never allowing herself into a position of personal harm, and just as she tries to slink away to do it again she's undone by her own tangled web. Work behind the scenes, die behind the scenes.

#fullmetal alchemist #fma #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #fma 2003 #liveblog

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