#And I brings me immense joy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

da-birb-writes-sometimes · 8 months

Text

How You Turn My Word; Chapter 2

The day continues, and this time you find yourself in an entire new world... a world called The Underground.

Character; Lilia Vanrouge

Content; Gender-neutral reader, more shenanigans, reader isn't happy

Content Warning; Intoxication (Lilia), swearing

Word Count; 2.7 K

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 |

Don't put my work into AI; I'll make sure you end up in the Bog of Eternal Stench.

Lilia’s night was not going according to plan and he was mentally cursing himself over it.

Thing Lilia did not plan for #1; he got lost. To be fair though, many a thing had drastically changed since the last time he romped around the mortal realm. A few hundred years would do that though. Humans now seemed to live in tall metal boxes rather than the humble cottages of ages past.

Thing Lilia did not plan for #2; a red flower deceiving him and containing something akin to liquor. So he was flying around lost while under the influence, which only worsened his situation. (Lilia did not know it, but the red flower was in fact a hummingbird feeder with sugar water which had been left out in the sun for too long and had fermented. Make sure to change your hummingbird feeder often on hot days so you don’t cause a nectar-loving friend to fly while wasted)

Thing Lilia did not plan for #3; getting himself stuff in one of those tall metal boxes, and he was now stuck inside some cursed metal labyrinth. At least it was not iron or silver, as it did not burn, apparently, humans no longer fortified their abodes with those metals. Perhaps the times have changed for the better?

But Lilia finally escaped the infernal metal labyrinth, perhaps luck was finally on his side tonight after all! He bumped around a few corners. My my, what a small hovel. Perhaps things have not changed all that much from the last time I was here… But Lilia was rudely pulled from his thoughts when something swatted him clean out of the air. And the culprit? A rather rotund grey cat with large blue eyes, which was now carrying Lilia into its lair, most likely to play with him for a bit before deciding that it had had it’s fun and ultimately put him out of his misery.

His night went from a jolly and somewhat embarrassing tale he would regale about at the local tavern, to a bedtime story parents would tell their children about the dangers of going places that you really shouldn’t. Should he get out of this sticky situation Lilia would not live this incident down.

The cat placed Lilia in a collection of socks and then sauntered off, calling out at the top of its lungs. Great, it's getting company for supper, and I’m the appetizer. How lovely. But Lilia knew he would have a better chance of getting out of this situation if he stayed calm and waited for an opportunity to escape. Even while tipsy, he could keep his cool.

And the feline was back and yanked Lilia out of the sock hole. Cracking open his one eye he saw that the cat did not come back with its hungry friends, but rather, a human. That was both good news and bad news. Good news; he most likely was not going to be eaten tonight! Yippee! Bad news; the last time he was in bat-form in a human’s abode, he was chased around with a torch, which he really did not want to go through again. So his best course of action was to play dead in this situation.

When the human left the room though, he took his chance and took flight once again, trying to find a way out. The cat was trying to catch him again, but Lilia knew of its tricks this time and dodged every swipe it sent his way.

But he was pulled out of his thoughts when the human screeched at the cat, “YOU CAUGHT A FUCKING BAT?!”

Oh yeah, they did not sound happy, not at all, but it seemed to be directed more at their feline companion rather than him.

As he was busy flapping around, trying to find an escape but to no avail, he also heard the human whispering to him. “Don’t fly towards my head, bat. I’m just trying to get you back outside. You’re a nice bat, right? Nice bat, nice bat.”

Were he not preoccupied and in a better state of mind, Lilia would have been amused by this. Currently, though he was occupied with trying not to be eaten and finding a way out of this cursed place. He was not in a laughing mood. All Lilia wanted to do was get back home, pass out in his bed but he would also be happy with his sofa as well, and pretend that this was nothing more than a bad dream after a night spent tavern hopping. Dealing with a horrid hangover would be better than this… and he was most likely going to have one of those anyways. Tonight really wasn’t Lilia’s night, not at all.

Then the human grabbed the cat, and Lilia was finally left alone. The window was open, but he didn’t know that, as his mind was too preoccupied with you know, not dying, that he hadn’t noticed that the human had opened it for him. So where did Lilia go? Well, he went back into the metal labyrinth (air duct), and fumbled around until he tired himself out. It wasn’t the most ideal of spots to crash for the night, but it was better than going back and possibly being eaten, Lilia would rather avoid that. So this was going to be his bed for the night, a lonely quiet corner of the air duct system, where he could hopefully wake up sober tomorrow. But he yearned for his warm quilts that awaited for him back at home, back in Faerie, or as some call it, the Underground.

Lilia wasn’t even supposed to be in the mortal realm in the first place, but curiosity had won him over, and he even ignored the travel advisory that was in place. Some crow fae had travelled there about a century or so ago and had yet to return back, hence a travel advisory. But yet here he was in the mortal realm, tiny, drunk, and utterly lost. His bad decisions could be looked into further detail once he got some shut-eye. So he wrapped himself in his wings and passed out in the corner of the air vent. Hopefully, when he woke up he could turn this disastrous day around.

…

Upon waking up, Lilia groaned — or rather, in this case, squeaked — and stretched his wings out. So the wretched metal maze and last night's fiasco was not some liquor-hazed dream; how lovely. Utterly delightful.

At least the strange maze echoed sound quite well, so he knew what exits to avoid. Not that one, he could hear a dog barking, and the feline encounter was enough for him. No, not that one either, he could hear children screaming.

Finally, he came to an opening, there was some quiet chatter, but it was far enough away where Lilia felt comfortable enough to explore this potential escape route.

Why does this look familiar? AM I BACK IN THE BUILDING?! Yes, yes he was. At least there was no sign of the ca–

“Mrp?” Speak of the devil.

The cat got out of its den and lept at Lilia, who dodged the attack, and the cat pushed some books off a desk. The cat was also screaming at him, and causing an all-around ruckus. Lilia managed to outmaneuver the feline, but soon a brand new human came into the scene.

The new human took one look at Lilia and backpedalled out of the room. But the human had just created another escape route for him, and Lilia flew, well, like a bat straight out of hell for it. Too bad the next room contained two more humans, including the one he had encountered from last night… maybe they would be nice again and spare him for trespassing on their small abode?

In the midst of the chaos, the human from last night knocked him out of the air with a broom. Okay, that hurt little Beastie. But that swing and the crash landing into a table caused Lilia to shift back into his human form, which also caused sparkles to happen. Did humans still think magic was evil? Well, he was about to find out.

Everyone remained silent, and after the sheer noise of the chaos, it was deafening, even the cat was quiet. And Lilia stared at the human that had knocked him out of the air, you. And you were staring straight back at him, looking utterly baffled. Well, this is awkward… I think I have overstayed my welcome…

Lilia snapped his fingers, and he started to disappear into sparkles yet again, this time going home since he wasn’t able to use his magic when stuck in bat form. And it was happening without a pinch, but you seemed to trip on thin air and crash landed on his feet, disappearing with him; a stowaway coming to Faerie.

… Well this is no good now, is it?

…

When the green sparkles subsided, you found yourself sitting in some sort of bog, and the water had made it into your mouth by some twist of fate. While you were busy spitting the bog water out of your mouth, the stranger was standing by the bank, dry, without any sulfuric-tasting water in his mouth, and looking better for wear.

Pulling yourself out of the bog water — eugh, you smelled like eggs now, great — you pointed an accusatory finger at him, water dripping from the end. “Where,” you spat out some extra bog water from your mouth, “am I? And why does it reak of eggs?!” You would have looked and sounded more imposing, but you were sopping wet, covered in mud, and spitting out coughs trying to get the bad taste out of your mouth; which wasn’t really commanding any sort of respect.

The stranger, Lilia, snorted before letting out a cough, trying to hide his amusement very poorly. He waved his hand, green sparkles surrounded you and you were now dry, still covered in mud, but dry. “Faerie, although some call it the Underground.”

You opened your mouth, but he wagged his finger at you. “And before you blame me for bringing you here, you have no one to blame for this but yourself!” Despite the cheeriness, there was something cold and off putting in his eyes, like he was calculating something. But that moment passed, and the almost annoying cheerful facade came back in full. “As for the smell? That so happens to be The Bog of Eternal Stench!”

“Like eternal eternal?” You really didn’t need to smell like rotten eggs for the rest of your days.

The stranger just chuckled, “Fret not, Beastie, I decided to return the favour, since your feline friend decided not to eat me. But it is indeed ‘eternal eternal’ if you don’t have the means to get rid of it.”

Beastie? “Uh, okay.” not the most eloquent of things to say, but really, could anyone blame you? You just fell through some kind of portal, magic(?) was real, and oh yeah, so were fae/faeries or whatever the hell they called themselves. So ‘Uh, okay’ was perfectly fine in this situation.

Mr. Sparkles — if he was going to call you Beastie, he deserved a dumb nickname — just gave you a smile, exposing the barest hint of his fangs; despite his small frame, he was still dangerous, and the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. It was as if he was assessing you, to see if you would be worth the trouble to help. You didn’t know if either option would be good by the way his magenta eyes twinkled with mischief.

He let out a huff and started walking away, and you followed. “I wouldn’t recommend following me, Beastie,” he hummed, and you tripped over a rock, vines keeping you to the moss. “The court would not take kindly to you.”

You glared at him and tried ripping the vines off of your feet, but they didn’t budge. “And why should I listen to you?”

Mr. Sparkles booped you on the nose, “Well, it would ensure that you made it out of here alive, which I believe you would find beneficial and all.”

Obnoxious prick. But he did have a point, you would rather make it back home alive rather than fucking around and finding out (aka dying). “So what? Are you going to just leave me here? No welcome brochure? Thanks.”

You were being sarcastic, since it was either sarcasm or having a full-on existential crisis, since hey, magic wasn’t real in your world! Dimension? Galaxy? Where the fuck was this place?! How the hell did you end up here?!

“Hmm good point…” he snapped his fingers and there was now a book sitting in your lap. “This should suffice, do be warned though, Beastie, I may call on you later to return the favour. For now though,” he started to turn into green sparkles, “toodaloo!~” And he turned into a bat, flying off into the sunset, leaving you alone at the edge of the swamp with the only things to your name being the clothes on your back and a book in your lap.

How to Survive the Underground; For Humans! … Did he just give you this world’s equivalent of a For Dummies book? What the fuck? Was this kind of sick joke to him?

…

Once some of your ire had subsided, you decided to sit down on a boulder and read a bit of the book while there was still some sunlight out, but it was dipping into the horizon fast.

How to Survive the Underground; For Humans! By Yelworc Erid Preface …… i - iv Chapter 1; Surviving Your First Night…… 1 - 10 Chapter 2; Edible Food for Humans …… 11 - 31 Chapter 3; The Basics of Fae Etiquette …… 32 - 35 3.1; Species Specifics …… 36 - 146 3.2; Government Specifics …… 147 - 169 Chapter 4; Help! I Have Been Indentured to a Fae! …… 170 - 200 Chapter 5; Adjusting to Fae Social Life …… 201 - 224 Chapter 6; Transmittable Illnesses & Diseases …… 225 - 261 Chapter 7; Fae Courting Practices …… 262 - 264 7.1; Species Specifications …… 265 - 366 7.2; Government Specifications …… 367 - 389 7.3; Accepting a Courting Proposal …… 390 - 393 7.4; Refusing a Courting Proposal …… 394 - 401 Chapter 8; How to Handle Fae Children …… 402 - 452 Chapter 9; How to Leave the Underground … 453 Chapter 10; Adjusting to Life in the Underground …… 454 - 482 Acknowledgments …… 483 - 485

Looking back up to the horizon, you quickly turned the pages to Chapter 1; Surviving Your First Night.

“If you are unable to find yourself some suitable shelter, one should find themselves safe by camping out in a rowan tree. These trees can easily be found by their vermillion clusters of berries. They keep away all native species of the Underground,” you read out loud, turning your attention to the trees nearby, searching for those berries. “Rowan tree, rowan tree–”

A loud screech coming from the undergrowth only pushed you further.

Nope, I do not want to find out what THAT was! Nope! NoPe! NOPE!

Finally, you found a tall enough tree and you hauled your ass up it like there was a fire below you, and you were up in the canopy, far enough up that nothing could reach you, but also high enough where you needed to be careful, since you didn’t want to meet an early death because you made a wrong move. But for now, you were safe.

“Nice try buddy,” you muttered to yourself, trying to get comfy. Wood wasn’t the comfiest thing in the world, but you weren’t really in the position to be complaining. “I am not on the menu.”

The screech came again, this time closer; yeah, you weren’t sleeping tonight. The sun was now beyond the horizon, and there was no moon, the only light coming from the stars above; it was very pretty, but you could see jack shit. This was going to be a long night… and not a fun one, since you could also see the glowing eyes of unknown creatures which were, quite frankly, freaky as fuck. So yeah, no sleep for you.

“This fucking sucks,” you grumbled, and a chittering from the bog seemed to mock you. “This really fucking sucks.”

…

Tags; @busycloudy, @eynnwwyjth, @identity-theft-101, @ithseem, @krenenbaker, @lucid-stories, @ryker-writes, @twistwonderlanddevotee, @xxoomiii

~~~~~~~

Author's Note; This chapter is shorter, but it felt natural to end the chapter like this. This chapter, and the previous one, were both rewrites of an old WIP, so from here on out I don't have to rewrite! YIPPEE!!! Rewriting takes me forever, so we shall see what I come up with next.

If you liked this, do check out my masterlist for more content!

#twst #twst x reader #twst x gn reader #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland x gn reader #lilia vanrouge #lilia vanrouge x reader #lilia vanrouge x gn reader #still building up that aspect; yeah it's gonna be a while but that allows for some yearning #got another labyrinth mention in there #i decided to be nice to reader where they don't end up smelling like rotten eggs for their entire stay in the underground;#; it would be funny but reader has been through enough without needing to smell bad on top of that #twst labyrinth au #gilf enjoyers rejoice #why does rewriting take me so damn long? i even deleted scenes that i didn't feel like keeping #writing is pain and suffering yet it brings me immense joy... not gonna elaborate on that #not a bunch of fun stuff hidden in the tags this time but oh well

750 notes · View notes

ghostoffuturespast · 5 months

Text

OC Interview: Valerie Hye-jin Li (aka Grandpa V)

Tagged by: @jackiemychoom @therealnightcity & @tarmac-rat! Thanks so much for thinking of me! 🧡

NGL these are some unusual (and not the most serious) interview questions. So, I was trying to think of a scenario in which V would actually answer these questions. (Because mind you, she normally wouldn't and especially not for a total stranger.) Luckily, I know just the reporter… I may have gone a little overboard with this, but I think I just needed something light and fluffy in between all the angst and carnage that I’m currently writing.

The TLDR version is all the way at the bottom under the cut, so if you’d prefer not to read all of this and just want the quick and dirty on the questions. There you are.

This one's kind of old, so I think a lot of folks have been tagged already, but tagging (and as per usual, no pressure): @shimmer-like-agirl @baublekute @vox-monstera @nncc77 @merge-conflict @fly-amanitaa @dani-the-goblin @sp4cedr4g0n

(And no it doesn't have to be a Cyberpunk OC, but if you tag me I'll pop over and read your interview!)

Auntie V by Monique Kutcher

[The scene opens at Red Peaks Trailer Park. Moving closer we get an exterior view of the Kutcher residence before transitioning to the common area inside. Late morning light filters in from the windows. A tired, very bedraggled looking V is sitting in the corner of the booth. She has bedhead, is wearing an oversized t-shirt, lounge shorts, and is nursing her coffee. She takes a sip. Turning toward the hallway we see Monique appear. There is a sparkly unicorn on her pink shirt. She has a fistful of crayons in one hand and a screamsheet along with several blank pieces of paper in the other.]

Monique: (staring awkwardly) Auntie V, are you busy?

V: (fidgeting in her seat. uncomfortable) Um… Not really. Why?

Monique: Can I ask you some questions?

V: (hesitant) What kind of questions?

[Monique moves to sit next to V. Setting down her crayons and paper on the table, Monique shows V the screamsheet she was carrying. It’s an interview article on US Cracks and Kerry Eurodyne from some teen magazine.]

Monique: These. I’m practicing being a media reporter.

V: (blinking in surprise) Uh... Sure? I guess.

Monique: Yay! Okay, first question. What’s your name? Oh, I already know this one.

[Picking up a purple crayon, Monique writes the letter V on one of the blank pieces of paper. It takes up most of the page. After jotting that down she squints at the magazine. Concentrating.]

Monique: How tall are you?

V: 5’ 3”.

[Switching to a green crayon, Monique writes the number 53 on the page. She squints some more at the magazine.]

Monique: (trying to sound out the word she’s reading) Ge– What does that word say?

V: Gender? Female. I’d say I’m a girl.

Monique: But you don’t like the color pink?

V: Not really. Not all girls like pink.

Monique: (nodding sagely) But you do like purple. That’s my favorite color.

V: Yeah. I do like purple.

[Monique writes the word girl in yellow crayon before trying to read the next question off the magazine.]

Monique: Um… What’s that word?

V: Orientation. I’m bisexual.

Monique: What does that mean?

V: I like girls and boys.

Monique: I do to. Though sometimes Dorian and Alex are mean to me when we’re playing.

V: That’s not… Nevermind. (muttering) I'll leave that one to your Mom and Uncle.

[V picks up the purple and pink crayon and draws a little bisexual pride flag on the corner of Monique’s notes. The colors aren’t quite right.]

V: …What’s your next question? Nationality/Ethnicity? Born and raised in Night City, but I’m half Korean, quarter Chinese, and a quarter Danish.

Monique: (confused) Danish? Like the cake?

V: No, like Denmark. The country… Cake? You mean the pastry with the filling in it?

Monique: Yeah! Mom always has one when she brings us donuts. The cherry ones are her favorite. Where’s Denmark?

V: Pretty far away.

Monique: Mm, okay.

[V watches as Monique attempts to draw a pastry on her notes. Cherry filling, of course.]

Monique: Next question… Star sign!

V: Uh… Libra. I think?

Monique: What’s that mean?

V: (shrugging) No idea.

Monique: (shrugs back) Okay.

[Zooming in on we see Monique draw a star and write the word ‘Lebra’. The ‘L’ is written backwards.)

Monique: Favorite fruit?

V: Pomegranate.

Monique: I don’t think I’ve ever eaten one of those.

V: Kind of a weird fruit. I’ve only eaten it twice. I like that they’re crunchy, the fruit’s around all the little seeds. They’re a pain in the ass to eat though.

[Monique looks at V.]

V: How about I draw it, since you’ve never eaten one and then you can ask me the next question.

[Monique nods. V picks up the red crayon and starts doodling. It’s a piss poor rendition.]

Monique: Favorite season?

V: In NC, winter. It’s not as hot as it usually is.

[Monique draws a snowflake. She's probably never seen snow. But neither has V.]

Monique: Favorite flower?!

V: Mmm… Cactus flowers.

Monique: The big ones or the little ones?

V: Uh, the small ones. With all the round… leaves? Is that what they are?

Monique: Prickly pears!? I like those ones too! The pink ones are my favorite. There’s some over by Auntie Lora’s trailer. Dorian’s always looking for bugs in them. Bleh!

[Monique draws something resembling a cactus covered in pink and yellow flowers. V is still working on her poorly drawn pomegranate.]

Monique: Favorite smell?

V: Real leather and ginger.

[V puts her crayon down. Done with her pomegranate blob.]

Monique: What do those smell like?

V: Ginger’s like a spice? A root. Has a fresh smell, kinda sharp. Leather smells like… (picking up her coffee and taking a sip to hide the blush on her face) Smells like your Uncle…

Monique: Uncle River does smell nice. But sometimes he gets stinky when he’s been outside working too long. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?!

V: Coffee, then tea. Don’t really like hot chocolate. Especially the synth-stuff. Has a weird aftertaste.

Monique: I love hot chocolate! Mom let me try some of her coffee once. I didn’t like it.

V: Maybe when you’re older.

Monique: Nah.

[Monique kicking her feet and reading the next question.]

Monique: Hmm, how much do you sleep?

V: 5 to 6 hours. Usually. On a good day.

[V takes a sip of her coffee.]

Monique: Mom says Dorian and I need 10 hours of sleep every night. She makes us go to bed early. She tells Randy to go to bed too, but he usually doesn't listen. (still kicking her feet) I wish I got to stay up late. You and Uncle River get to stay up late. I heard you both last night when I went to the bathroom.

[V spits her coffee back into her mug, face turning bright red.]

Monique: You okay? Why’d you spit out your coffee?

V: (flustered) No reason.

Monique: (puts her arms up in the air and shakes them around) Was it because you and Uncle River were wiggling last night? Mom says because your his girlfriend you both need alone time. She told me and Dorian not to knock when you’re visiting and the door to Uncle River’s room is closed. Mom also said he should think about getting his own trailer. (thoughtful) I don’t think I’d like that though, because then I’d have to walk out of the trailer for Uncle River to make me breakfast in the morning. Mom always burns the toast.

[V now looks like a tomato and avoids making eye contact with Monique, instead giving her coffee mug a pinched expression. Unfazed, Monique moves on to the next question.]

Monique: Which is your favorite, cats or dogs?

V: (clearing her throat) Cats. Have a cat named Nibbles.

Monique: Oh, can I meet your cat?!

V: Sure.

Monique: What color is your cat?

V: (still looking uncomfortably hot, albeit less red in the face, also looking very sadly at the backwash in her coffee) Hmm, pink. Ish. He doesn’t have any fur.

[Monique draws a pink cat and reads the next question off the screamsheet.]

Monique: Where would you like to go on a trip?

V: (looks out the window for a long moment) Some place without buildings. Less people.

Monique: The Badlands?

V: I was thinking further away.

Monique: Denmark?

V: Mm, maybe. I think they might even have trees there.

[Monique draws a tree on her notes before trying to read the next question.]

Monique: Favorite – Um…

V: Fictional character. Don’t have one.

Monique: Number of blankies you sleep with?

V: 2-3. I get cold when I sleep.