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writing-frenzy · 7 months

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More Kinda/Sorta SI!Aizen, now with some UraIchi thrown at him because Cywscross makes me love it

In relation to the First of the Kinda/Sorta SI!Aizen AU (I feel thats a good tag at least), if anyone wants to read that first to make sense of the mess this is gonna be: this is just a basically more of a dump of interactions and headcannons that I would like to see between Canon and Kinda/Sorta verse (easy way to differ the two, I'll put KS! before their name.) but adding some other spices and ideas because my brain is going weeeeeeee!

But yeah I made the mistake of re-reading remake the universe (remake us) by cywscross which I can not regret because how they characterize Aizen and Urahara and Ichigo makes me go so feral, so beautiful and all that, I feel something like cute aggression? but I guess make it ship aggression in this case? eh, whatever, but once more I'm gonna note all this out because why not? these three are crowding in my head, and they refuse to leave, so I have to get them out in some way, so be forewarned of some UraIchi being liberally sprinkled everywhere.

So, I've touch on some things in this verse that I kinda want to go deeper on, which have also been buzzing around in my head.

KS!Aizen is someone I'm actually unsure if I still want him to be the Fifth Division's lieutenant or the Fourth's; like, this idea is just bouncing in my head rent free, because all KS!Aizen really has to do is change the cycle of souls and make sure the Visored are created; he could do that in almost any division, some of them would make it even easier, especially with how many still disregard the Fourth and all their efforts.

But for some reason, I actually want KS! Versions of Shinji and Aizen to actually bond; like, I think I actually want them to be something like friends? (Battle brothers, back to back on battlefields and in mires, blood coating their blades as it is either us vs them, you vs the enemy, a mentor, a guide, a voice that can help them when they are so stuck in thoughts and memories, who makes the world seem more real, someone I can have at my back and trust, someone who can keep up, someone I know I will see on the other side, just a little more broken, but not gone like so many others) just, the thought of it makes me actually grin? Like, KS!Shinji will be just a bit sus of his second, because KS!Sosuke is still plotting shit and hidding his true power levels, fudging a bit on his Zanpakuto's ability but not completely so he can still get away with some shit.

And then... somehow, someway, I want KS!Aizen to experience An Emotion; I want him to actually feel betrayed, because god can you imagine? (And the thing is, no matter the Aizen, no matter the man, he will hold a grudge forever to the very end... except, maybe, for those his broken, jagged mixed up heart has actually let in; Canon!Aizen won't know this, never having lets anyone in, but KS!Aizen? well, there is very, very little he wouldn't forgive KS!Urahara for, but KS!Shinji?... He'll give the man one chance.)

Also, considering the Visored; that is actually an interesting situation in my head. Like, it doesn't take anyone too long to find out that KS!Aizen is actually trying to make such people a thing, without the fate worse then death going on, and of course his fellow guys are so fucking sus about that, because it makes them wonder if he had a hand in the situation? It's just, Sosuke is actually fully embracing his Hollow, learning the tricks and exploring his new abilities with a single minded focus that unnerves most everyone... It, made the first decade and a half very tense, KS!Aizen even leaving afterwards for about 3 decades with few visits to drop supplies and spar, most doing their best to avoid him, except maybe a few.

(KS!Gin narrowing his eyes, looking at his mentor who took him and Rangiku from starvation and the streets, sponsored them both in exchange for Gin's mind in the future, Rangiku's strength, someone who looked at him and all his sharp edges and thought him worth something more then Rukongai trash, never even looked at his friend with any sort of lust but calculative of her strength and how to make her stronger. Gin thinks of his mentor who wouldn't do anything without a reason, who constantly still works to the bone despite their exile, never lets himself grow dull, who trains and trains, even as the rest of the Visored exclude him for a bit. Looks over to Urahara, that stupid mask still on but unable to hide his own considering gaze as they take in the trickiest of the Visored.

Gin knows Aizen; he does absolutely nothing without reason, with only as much effort as needed. What does it say that he's doing so fucking much, even spitting blood in spars and constant late nights judging by the bags when he lets his illusions down just enough to rest.

It isn't hard to get the rest of the group with the program, just takes his own special nudge here and there.)

So, with some shit, spars, out all dogpiles, shouting and one too many sleepless nights, the Visored and Kisuke do manage to pin down Sosuke enough for him to admit that the Visored need to exist, that while he has been trying to create them he has never picked anyone against their will, has had only too many volunteers to pick from, and with the balance of souls needing to be kept, it's not like people cared to much of Rukongai's outer districts people.

The relationships get better when they see how the Visored that Sosuke has created actually join them, completely, 100% loyal to the man that gave them a chance no one else in all of Soul Society ever gave them. Sure, he experimented and caused them pain, but that's just how life is in the outer districts; they lived one more day, got more power, and became strong enough to protect themselves. (Visored!Ulquiorra because brrrrrr) Sure, Aizen had to shut down most of his labs because of the exile, but he has his sneaky, sneaky ways of getting into Soul Society and getting shit done, so he was able to take at least a few successes. (I'm gonna say maybe 10 or so? the rest he either humanely killed or just wiped their memory and dumped them with a care package) so the KS!Visored group is bigger then in canon, and can be made up of OCs or even random canon characters that might turn a few heads :D the possibilities are fun~

So yeah, the Visored from the Gotei are still sus, but Aizen is still one of them and he does obviously have good intentions somewhere even if he is being very vague about just why, so after a bit they still accept him as one of their own.

And then the Quincy :D (They're like; damnit, ain't that a damn good reason to share?!)

And then they find out about KS!Aizen's shitty situation of forced to live in this bloody world and make Visored or get your soul shredded. (That night, Sosuke finds himself nearly suffocating from a mandatory cuddle pile, KS!Kisuke refusing to let go of him even as the other Visored yell about snacks and fighting over movies or tv series to watch. Even as he rolls his eyes or huffs, he does have a small, barely there little crook of a smile on his lips.)

Now, we have KS!Uraai or Urazen there already... so my brain is like; why not a have budding/kinda already Post Canon!UraIchi forming between the canon characters? In this verse of it, I feel like Ichigo and Sosuke bond over having to wrangle their respective mad scientist creator, sharing tips and tricks on dealing with him, actually going to the other because they can vent to someone who actually understands about loving the blond, who doesn't judge him for it, (doesn't tell him that's what he gets for choosing someone like that instead of someone normal) and who actually offers good advice, tips and tricks that actually helps him with his relationship. There are the movie nights, but then they also form a book club, hang out, dragging their respective blond on double dates and bonding time so they can ensure he's getting fresh air and not killing himself.

And yet both Sosuke and Ichigo are pulled up short the minute anyone calls them friends; like... huh...

On the Urahara's side; for one, I'm gonna say they both have different kinds of injuries, different types of actions, because for KS!Kisuke, he's almost always had an equal in KS!Sosuke, who (desperate, with not enough caffeine in his system, bags under his eyes and way too much paperwork because nobles are still fucking assholes and the captain can't fire or demote them unless it's an actual big reason) approaches the Twelfth's captain and decides: Lets go with the Ichigo Approach.

KS!Aizen: *Stares with dead eyes* Good day Captain Urahara, I am coming to you with Ulterior Motives and not nearly enough sleep to care.

KS!Kisuke: *blinks, surprised, but honestly amused because it is honestly refreshing for someone to come out and say it* is that so? What do you need?

KS!Sosuke: Nobles to get an actual brain or any decent work ethic, but I doubt that's coming anytime soon, so can I possibly use your reputation and some of the Twelfth's work space to scare most anyone who would try and dump their paperwork on me that is most certainly not my problem?

KS!Kisuke: *Now thoroughly amused, doesn't comment about the ill words about nobles because he is still sore about being tossed from the Second* Sure, just make sure you pay it forward in the future.

And then the two get into a debate on some research project, showcasing just how smart KS!Sosuke is, able to keep up and challenge his friend, and thus the rest is history. So, this bond has it's own effect on KS!Kisuke, someone who after being abandoned ended up finding someone just as smart, twisted and monstrous, who just gets him in a way no one else ever has, even as they differ and clash just enough to find their jagged edges catching on something and holding on to it ever so obsessively. KS!Kisuke doesn't have Canon's guilt, or at least, not as much because for him, it was either watch Aizen and his comrades suffer a fate he wouldn't give an enemy lightly/last resort or save them as much as he can; not to mention how with KS!Sosuke's action in his verse, none of the Visored actually blame Kisuke all the much here, and with how Sosuke just keeps training, fighting, never stopping even after most would stagnate...

Well, let's just say that the Visored and the Shouten crew have very different power levels compared to the canon crew.

(KS!Sosuke: *Raises an eyebrow* "Perfection? Sounds like just another form of Stagnation to me.")

So yeah, both Urahara's are different beasts to deal with; I'm pretty sure the two would take pot shots and digs at the other, see what gets under the other's skin, at least when they're not enabling each other in another research binge. KS!Kisuke would probably also find Ichigo fascinating, wanting to see how the other ticks, which KS!Aizen has to smack him or drag him away before his counterpart tries to stab him. Meanwhile Ichigo has to make sure his Urahara doesn't stab KS!Aizen out of reflex, which he is getting better about.

just, the possibilities for this verse, it's fun to think about even if it starts to mutate oddly in my head~

#Bleach #Aizen Sosuke #Kinda/Sorta SI!Aizen AU #Uraai #Urazen #UraIchi #but now my brain is wanting to stick KS!Aizen in a magic au #lets see how that goes for me

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weepinglilvessel · 10 months

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Did sign and pebs think moon was dead in your au before finding her?

Eh. Not necessarily “dead”, more like unable to function if that even makes any sense. (Kinda screwed up the lore while making that, I need to rewatch some Rain World vids)

So to kinda rewrite the first part of the comic cuz I was not in the mood and was rushing lol- Pebbs sorta knew Moon was alive to some degree before leaving their can, (yeah I know it’s not super lore accurate just changing some stuff a bit don’t come after me I beg XD) Pebbs leaves their can almost after Rivulet takes the reflection cell to Moon ( so not really knowing for sure if it made it to moon or not.)

Sig on the other hand was unsure for the most part. ( Not really gonna bring up the overseers for this au)

Then again, this au is still in the making so some edits are still being made lol. So correct me on any lore errors I make, I’m definitely not a professional (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

#rain world iterator #rw au #rain world au #this au is going though so much stuff lmao #I wasn’t expecting it to get big and die down in about a few days #so I didn’t think of it much when I first did it #well that’s changing I guess #time to refresh my brain (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

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taintedevesayori · 3 days

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Sayo's Route: Ecstasy 06

Sayo's Route Masterlist

-Sayo and Kou are on the roof together after school

Kou: Sayo-chan, will you stay at my place tomorrow night?

Sayo: Eh…?

Kou: I want to take you out on a date during the day, so it will be easier if you just stay with me, don’t you think?

Sayo: That’s true…I don’t know if I’ll be able to, though…The brothers have overlooked a lot, even if they’re pissed about me spending time with you. I don’t know if I could get away with this…

Kou: I see what you mean…but isn’t it worth a try? I want to finally be able to sleep with you curled up in my arms~

-Her cheeks flush pink

Sayo: I’m not saying I’m not willing to try…someone might come to drag me back, is all.

Kou: I’ll handle that if it happens. So you will?

Sayo: …Sure. What kind of date has to be during the day?

Kou: I can’t tell you that~! It’s a surprise, you know?

Sayo: I’m not very fond of surprises…

Kou: Fufu…You’ll just have to suck it up. I promise it will be worth it.

Sayo: Alright, I trust you…

Monologue

The next day I packed extra clothes in my school bag since I would be staying with Kou instead of going home. As usual, I said nothing about my plans to the brothers. Hopefully they won't come looking for me…

-Sayo is walking home with the Mukami brothers

Yuma: This is different. Usually you just walk with Kou if you come over.

Sayo: That’s true. It feels a little strange…a good sort of strange, if that makes sense.

-A small smirk lifts Ruki’s lips

Ruki: Oh? Enjoying our company more than the Sakamaki brothers? My offer to move in still stands, you know?

Sayo: Fufu…That’s been the case more so recently. I still don’t want to put you in that position, though. I don’t know what they’ll do if I try to leave to live with you. Staying over tonight is already questionable.

Kou: Come on, Sayo-chan~ I’ve already told you not to worry about that if you want to leave them.

Yuma: Yeah. Let us deal with those bastards.

Sayo: …I’ll think about it.

(I can’t deny I’ve gotten close enough to the Sakamakis for it to be a little painful to leave…but at this point, if I’m going to stay with Kou…I really should move out. But…there’s also the issue with my escape plan…I know I should use it…but I don’t know if I want to anymore…)

-Kou clings to her arm, grinning at her

Kou: Really? That’s better than your straight up refusals before now~!

Sayo: Fufu…Yes, really. You don’t have to cling so hard.

Kou: I can’t help it. You’re so damn stubborn that I’m excited we’re finally getting through to you.

Sayo: As blunt as ever…

Yuma: He ain’t wrong, though…

Azusa: Everyone will be so happy…when you finally move in…Sayo. Or at least…I will be.

-Sayo smiles, patting him on the head

Sayo: Thanks, Azusa.

Monologue

I was able to get through a meal with all of them without anyone coming to try to drag me home. It was as lively as usual, but I had come to love that. Before now, I was used to the uncomfortable silence during the few times I would eat together with the Sakamaki brothers, although it was sometimes interrupted by some sort of fit from Kanato. And before that, silent meals at the church. This was a welcome change. They truly felt like a family instead of relatives who tolerated each other. Afterwards, I got ready for bed before joining Kou in his room. I had never stayed the night with anyone but my friends before, so I was admittedly a little nervous…

Kou: Finally…You took too long~ I was growing impatient, you know?

Sayo: Sorry. I don’t think I was away for that long, though?

Kou: It was still too long. You should have let me come with you.

Sayo: That’s a little much, don’t you think…?

Kou: Not really.

Sayo: Well, either way, I’m here now.

-She sits down on his bed, a bit unsure of what to do

Kou: Fufu…You’re so awkward, Sayo-chan. I guess I didn’t have to worry about any of the Sakamakis having snuck into your bed after all.

Sayo: You thought I would have let that happen?

Kou: Some of them are annoyingly possessive that it was a possibility. You’re a human. Even if you’ve fought them off before, there’s only so much you can do.

Sayo: I guess…but no, I haven’t slept with any of them.

Kou: Good~

-Kou grabs her wrist before laying down, pulling her down with him. He immediately pulls her into his arms

Kou: I’m the only one you get to sleep with.

-She lays her head against his chest, closing her eyes

Sayo: I can agree to that…

Kou: Tired already?

Sayo: Yeah…

Kou: Guess I can let you sleep then.

Sayo: Goodnight, Kou.

Kou: Night Sayo-chan…

*Timeskip*

-Kou has led Sayo outside into the Mukami garden. There’s a blanket laid out on the ground, a picnic set up on top of it

Kou: Ta-da~!

Sayo: So this is what you’ve been up to…

(I thought it was suspicious for Kou to leave me with Ruki earlier. It’s strange enough for Kou to be awake during the day, so I was surprised that Ruki was awake too. They probably coordinated this so Ruki could make sure I didn’t go looking for Kou while he set all of this up.)

Kou: Do you like it? I thought it was a fun human activity you probably haven’t done in a long time.

Sayo: Yeah, this is great, Kou. Thank you for setting all of this up.

Kou: No problem~ Let’s eat before the tea gets cold.

Sayo: Fufu…Alright.

-The two sit down to enjoy their picnic. Kou had prepared a tea he knew Sayo liked, along with plenty of food and snacks he had figured out she liked as well. She stopped and smiled at him once the food was almost gone

Sayo: Thank you, Kou. This has been a lot of fun. I can’t believe you went out of your way to get so many things that I like…Next time I’m here for dinner, how about I make vongole bianco? That’s one of your favorites, right?

Kou: Will you really?!

Sayo: Fufu…Of course I will.

Kou: Awesome! I can’t wait!

Sayo: Haha…I’m glad you’re excited.

-Kou suddenly fumbles with something in his pocket

Kou: There’s something else.

Sayo: Hm? What is it?

Kou: I want to give you this.

-Kou pulls out a ring

Sayo: …!

Kou: You’ll accept it, won’t you?

Sayo: Well…yeah, of course I will.

Kou: Then let me see your hand.

-She holds out her hand. Kou slips the ring on her ring finger

Kou: Good…It’s a perfect fit. This ring is a promise…that we’ll always be together.

Sayo: That sounds like you’re proposing…

Kou: I could do that if you want.

Sayo: This is enough...Thank you, Kou. I love it.

Kou: Fufu…You’re welcome, Sayo-chan.

-He leans in, placing a kiss on her lips

-To be continued

#diabolik lovers oc #diabolik lovers #sayori makina #kou mukami #yuma mukami #azusa mukami #ruki mukami #sayo's route #diabolik lovers fanfiction

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doggirling · 2 months

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and now here's the official warrior cats au chavra/mossshade redux... or rather, a rotten moss-covered swamp log that's taken the form of a feral cat. nightstar and meadowstar's beloved daughter 💚

+ mandatory realistic fur color/goldish tan alt to match with meadowstar's, lmao. she looks really fucked up

other notes below. ⬇️

much like the original chavra... she's a very solitary cat who lives in a wetland of some sort not far from the clan territories, but not near enough for clan cats/patrols to encounter her. probably a swamp-like area. seeing how she would've lived there for the majority of her life, she's likely one of the only cats who'd be able to live, train, and thrive there, therefore making it her territory. nobody else is as familiar with its wildlife and conditions as she is, so i'm sure whatever unlucky cat that may trespass/attempt to challenge her would quickly realize she has a complete advantage.

a very tough she-cat! living alone in a place like the swamps since childhood means she's gained quite a bit of skill and bulk in order to survive.

could MAYBE be good deputy/leader material?? that's very debatable though.

i obviously wanted her to look mostly like meadowstar, but a lot more scruffy + desaturated in order to show the difference between their lifestyles/personalities. meadowstar looks well-groomed, warmer, and dignified, while mossshade looks a lot more hardened, colder, and uncaring of others' standards/perceptions of her. she inherited her darker coat, golden eyes, and perma RBF from nightstar lol

as i've stated in the past, the topic of her actual name is a bit complicated since if her story in catstruck is meant to relatively be 1:1 compared to her original story in starstruck, then it means that it wouldn't make much sense for her to have a warriors name like mossshade. she'd be abandoned by nightstar when she was a very young kit, young enough to probably not even remember him or the clans. so... her actual name should logically be mosskit (sort of like how ravenpaw permanently kept the paw suffix even in adulthood), or just chavra. but i really reallyyyy like the little name parallel between mossshade and meadowstar so 😭😭😭 maybe she gets her warrior name later in the au once she's reconnected with the clans. and it'd also be really cute if meadowstar was the one to give her her name after he returns!!

also i've been wondering if i should change her prefix to mossy, since moss ends with s and shade starts with it. idk if there's any other instance of a prefix ending and a suffix starting with the same letter in warrior cat naming, so i'm unsure if it's normal or a bit of an eyesore. mossyshade doesn't sound particularly bad, but eh. 🤷

saying this here again like i did in my last post but she's the product of a short, secret affair that happened between nightstar + meadowstar, despite their longstanding animosity/feud with one another. because there is literally no way for me to translate her clone origin story into a warrior cats context. i'd imagine nightstar got rid of her not only because he wasn't interested in raising a kit during such a contentious time, but also because her basically identical similarity to meadowstar is undeniable and extremely obvious. he wouldn't want the forbidden affair he had with his literal nemesis (who is also the fellow leader of another clan) to get out. not like he's a staunch carer of the warrior code or anything. just out of pride. because of this, basically everyone is entirely unaware of her existence (including meadowstar), and she is entirely unaware of her origin.

anyways here's a size comparison between her and meadowstar!! ^^ considering how both of her father's are very large cats (especially nightstar), i'm sure she'll end up growing some more... eventually. it's in her blood to be a big ass cat lol.

#mossshade you are so pretty #my art #kirby #warrior cats #catstruck #starstruck #kirby oc #sorry i keep flooding the kirby oc tag with my warrior cattified kirby ocs. hope you can forgive me #chavra pendragon

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vegan-kaktus · 2 years

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Hello.:) I saw a post about food overhaul and now have a question. May I ask how you extract food content from the game? Guess it's something simple and I'm being dumb.:(

Hello ladygrotter! :-D there are no dumb questions!!

In this case it's not simple, but SimPE!

*ahem* I wrote a little mini-tutorial for you, not sure if it will be of any use but eh. Sharing is caring! Do let me know if anything is unclear :-)

Tagging @sims2tutorials as well, in case it's reblog-worthy.

Tutorial: extracting food meshes from ts2

This tutorial is beginner-friendly I would say, but that's because I'm only showing you how to extract stuff, not editing said stuff or anything beyond that. Only extracting!

What you'll need: SimPE

1. Open SimPE and go to finder. Choose "namemap search" where it reads "find".

(bigger image)

2. Let's say you want to extract the jar of pickles from the hamburger's tray. If you search with "pickles" or even "jar" you won't find what you're looking for. Why you might ask, that's because the jar of pickles doens't have it's own resource. It's merged in one of the hamburger-tray files. "Namemap search" is a great tool, but if you don't know how the filenames are named, you might have trouble finding the resources you're looking for in the beginning. Anyhow!

We know that the jar of pickles are in one of the hamburger resources, so we're going to type in "hamburger" where it says "match" and then hit start on the left.

(bigger image)

3. After SimPE loads for a while, you'll see every resource that has "hamburger" in its name here. If you scroll down a bit you'll see resources ending with "gmdc", those are meshes and if you scroll down even more you'll see ones ending with "txtr". Txtr are low-res textures and most of the items from ts2 have lifo files (always at the very bottom of the results) and those contain much higher resolution textures than the txtrs. There are two types of lifo files, but you always want to use the ones with 0 in the name (those are the highest resolution textures available. Lifo files with 1 in the name are slightly smaller) . Some objects don't have lifo files, then you'll have to settle for the txtr.

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4. The jar of pickles can be found in "foodPrepHamburger_root_trans_gmdc" (I know this at the top of my head bc I've poked at literally every food in the game by now haha). Double click on it to open.

If you're unsure if the resource you're looking in is the right one, you can double click on it to open, and then click on "preview". SimPE will then load a bit and show you a preview of the mesh, as you can see below.

5. After double-clicking on the name/resource you want to open, right click on the resource and choose "extract" and save it somewhere.

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6. Go back to finder and scroll all the way down to the lifo files. Double click on "foodprephamburger-ingredients0_lifo" to open it.

Be careful not to accidentally import/replace any resource here! You're poking in object-files located in the program files folder and they should never be edited, you only want to extract things out of these files, never into!

(bigger image)

7. Right click on the image itself this time (not the name/resource), choose "export" and save it somewhere.

(bigger image)

8. Now you can import the mesh into Milkshape and open up the texture in Photoshop for example.

And that's how I extract ts2 food! �� do let me know if anything is unclear.

Last tip! The best way to know where a specific mesh (from a food) is, you can check in-game when your sim is cooking a certain dish, that way you know what you need to search for in SimPE later. For example, the milk mesh can be found in many different foods (pancakes, cereal) but the jar of pickles can only be found in the hamburger's prep-resource. I hope that makes sense!

#ladygrotter #ask #tutorial

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juantheashura · 2 years

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Fuuuck. Seeing how the relationship with Ignis is guaranteed to crash and burn, I'm incredibly unsure whether I actually want to go through with playing her route. I love me some angst, but as someone who was personally dumped in favor of someone else, it fucking stings. She makes it clear that she's willing to try, keyword being try, with the MC, leaving it open as to if it'll actually work out in the end or not, but fucking hell.

For my own MC, (who's admittedly just a self-insert) I'd imagine it would break them on an incredibly deep level, because no matter how gentle that break-up is, the whole situation is still a really good way to completely and utterly ruin the confidence of someone, and to give them an insane amount of deep-rooted insecurities. It sure as hell did that for me, which eh... Lead to some incredibly unhealthy coping mechanisms. How will the MC be able to cope with the situation in game? Will we be given options on how this mentally and emotionally impacts them? I'd imagine for some players wanting to be understanding and cool about it, but that just isn't it for me. I'd personally want the option to have my MC go off the rails, not to the point where it impacts their capabilities as a hero, but still to the point where it's obviously visible to anyone around them that they're hurting, and that they absolutely aren't coping with the situation in a remotely healthy way.

I feel like if as a dev, you give the option to the player of a relationship that's guaranteed to end in a breakup and potential heartbreak, then there has to be an option for there to be emotional consequences for the MC, if the player wants to there to be consequences. Obviously that comes down to the personality the player has decided to give to their MC, since as I previously said, some will be cool and understanding about it, but I definitely hope there will be an option for the MC to NOT be okay afterwards if that makes sense? Guess this turned into a bit of a rant, and I'm incredibly sorry about that! 😖 This particular subject is just one that's close to my own heart, and I feel like for me and my personality, it just wouldn't be satisfying to invest time into the relationship to have it end like that, and for my MC to just be chill about it.

Hello! Thanks for the long message, first of all. It's always... well, not nice, I understand these aren't exactly good memories, but I always appreciate it when you all choose to express your thoughts regarding the characters and the story at large. It gives me a bit of confidence to know the story has motivated you to share your thoughts with me and the rest of the blog.

As for your question, yes, the MC's reaction to the break-up will be variable. It won't simply be shrugged off and treated like they don't care about it. It'll depend a bit though, so follow me here:

Throughout the following chapters, the hints that Ignis is, uh... well, that the relationship with her won't work, basically. As this happens, the MC will be given a few 'off-ramps', in which they can initiate a clean, amicable break. If the MC does this, then past a possible (small) relationship hit and some immediate awkwardness, there won't be any long-lasting drama.

If, however, the player ignores these 'ways out', then Ignis will initiate a break-up in the penultimate chapter. This is inevitable, but the MC gets to decide how they feel about it. Whether they're angry/heart-broken, putting on a strong face, 'just happy it happened', or 'It wasn't going anywhere. I understand', that will be up to the player.

That choice will have a bit of an effect on Ignis or Seeker scenes in the next book. It'll change some lines, both in dialogue and in thought. You might also get different reactions from the cast depending on some choices (for example, the MC might pick up drinking more often in Book 2. The reaction of the cast might differ based on if you were involved with Ignis or not).

As an aside, you don't have to worry too much about it. It's... it's personal, and not exactly the same, but every relationship in A Tale of Heroes is based on real life experiences. I definitely intend to explore them all as well as I can.

Again, thanks a lot for presenting your thoughts. I really appreciate it, and you definitely don't need to apologize or anything for sending in a 'rant'. Just between us, (respectful, as you have been) rants are my favorite sort of messages on here. :)

#wip ask #a tale of heroes #ask me anything #ro ask #ignis #breakup

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vulpeskorsak · 2 years

Text

Day 8 of Whumptober 2022: Fortunatelly, no spikes

Day 8 of Whumptober 2022!

No. 8 EVERYTHING HURTS AND I’M DYING

Stomach Pain | Head Trauma | Back from the Dead (eh, already did that on Day 4)

Timeline-wise my current shorts go: Day 2 -> Day 5 ->Day 1 -> (Day 4*) -> Day 3 -> Day 7 -> Day 8 -> Day 6

*Technically, these fics are from two different timelines. As the events of Day 4 do not happen in the world where Ludwig exist. Victor does not die and is still a regular not-undead human when they meet.

Victor is my human fleshsmith inventor (KibblesTasty Homebrew class) from a long-running DnD adventure.

Ludwig Richter is a tiefling and a former gravedigger turned archeologist who wields a rifle and a battle shovel named Charon that I play in a TTRPG.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42244212 (AO3 link)

Fortunatelly, no spikes

Victor is there one second and then he is just gone. Ludwig’s heart sinks when he turns around and does not see him there. All he heard from behind was a short “fuck!” and then a thud of a body hitting the stone floor somewhere below. He carefully comes closer to a hole that has opened up in the floor of the maze. Neither of them has seen any signs of a trap and he himself went through that section just fine, so why did…

“Victor?!” He crouches by the pit and yells down. “Are you alive?”

He gets a groan in response and carefully inches towards the hole to see Victor lying on the floor a notable distance below in a dark hole. He is very thankful to his ancestors for his darkvision. And to whoever made the trap for the fact it is not a spike pit. He sighs in relief.

Victor, on the other hand, is not particularly happy about the lack of spikes, as that is the last thing that could have crossed his bruised mind at the moment. He has no idea what just happened. He just knows that his head hurts and he cannot see a thing except for a dim and fuzzy source of light somewhere above. He can hear somebody shouting but his ears refuse to interpret the voice or the words as anything recognizable.

He closes his eyes and takes slow deep breaths, trying to steady his pounding heart and focus. It is not working as good as he hoped it would. He concentrates harder but that only makes his temples burst into pain as well.

He gives up and opens his eyes again. His vision begins to stabilize and he can now see a head half-covering the light above. What was that guy’s name again? Lucio? Luke?

“Victor! I’m lowering my lamp to you!” Ludwig is unsure if his companion is conscious enough to light his own or if it still intact.

The light starts getting closer and closer. And the dazed man can finally see his own body. It certainly helps with remembering who is and how he got down here.

“Lu… uh… Thanks, darling!” He yells out after his vision clears and he finally comes to most of his senses.

The shock resides. Victor listens to his body carefully moving parts of it and flexing the muscles bit by bit to make sure nothing is broken or otherwise badly injured. He seems to be okay, so he slowly lifts his hand and touches the back of his skull where it throbs the most. The fingers come back wet and sticky, as expected.

He slowly sits up and begins looking around to see a small empty corridor stretching to his left and right, before the sudden urge to vomit makes him spill the contents of his breakfast all over the precious ancient stones of a dwarven maze-palace.

Ludwig takes a deep breath hoping it is not as serious as it now looks and that Victor will be fine in the near future. He begins making a wide loop on another rope to spare his disoriented colleague the pleasure of doing so. Hopefully he does not slip out.

“Get in!” He shouts to him before lowering it down.

Victor watches the noose approach him and giggles at the thought.

“It’s not that bad here, you know?”

Ludwig opens the magical third eye on his forehead for a moment to roll all three of them at once.

Fortunately, it does not take long for Victor to fix the rope around himself and tug on it to signal that he is ready.

“Grab the lamp!”

“Got it.”

Ludwig digs his heels into the floor where he is sure it is safe. He has carried Victor’s unconscious and conscious body before but this feels much more difficult than that, yet eventually he emerges from the hole and sprawls on the ground next to it.

“You… owe me a massage after this.” Ludwig grunts sitting down next to him to rest.

“Always a pleasure...” Victor winks in his direction without lifting his head. “My dear… what was your name again?”

#whumptober #whumptober2022 #whump #no.8 #dnd #oc #fantasy #tiefling #head trauma #head injury #vomiting

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lou-bonfightme · 2 years

Text

The Water of the Womb || [The Bitchy Bonfamilles]

In which Berlioz shares some news about his birth father with his siblings...[takes place: idk some time in late April maybe??? idk we mentioned Marie’s birthday lol]

@ber-bonfamille-lyons, @marie-a-bonfamille

[tw -- fucked up family dynamics lmao]

BERLIOZ: Today, Ber was gonna tell Marie and Lou about Jenny. And it was probably going to go spectacularly wrong.

It was important that Berlioz started at this pessimistic baseline. Sure, some of Simba’s sunshine had rubbed off over the years. In fact, enough had that Berlioz thought in the end, everything might be alright– that end might just be very very very very far from now. First, he’d have to endure his siblings’ shock and then, perhaps, some quarreling. He tried to play out the scenario in all the worst cases possible just to prepare himself. Yelling, fighting, insulting. In one torrid nightmare version, Berlioz imagined Lou disowning him from the family, though it wasn’t like he had the power to do that.

He probably wouldn’t either. It was just an exercise, remember. Expect the worst. Hope for nothing. At best, expect an awkward conversation and pouting from his elder brother. Marie, he dared think she might be slightly delighted, if only because she had always wanted a sister…though she’d probably change her mind if she ever met Jenny. One thing at a time, eh? So here they were all gathered in the Bonfamille Manor again. Berlioz decided it was best to do it outside. It was at least pretty outside. The flowers were all blooming, Nounou making wonderful work of the garden as she always did. Sun out, a few clouds, rather warm– at least if Ber was going to get yelled at, he’d do it somewhere very pleasant.

Simba, by the way, was not here. He’d thought very hard about it and asked him to come, then changed his mind, when one of the nightmare scenarios involved Lou and Simba fighting each other over tea while Berlioz slumped off a chair and crawled into the hydrangeas.

If Ber was to be sneered at, he’d just take it, then go. That was the official plan. Just. Black out a little, wait for Lou to be finished, then hop the fence and meet Simba at the lake to decompress.

“So,” said Berlioz as he looked at his siblings, unsure how to even… how did one begin a conversation such as this, eh? “How’s everything then?”

Apparently, like that.

TOULOUSE: Being called around for tea wasn’t so strange. He tried to stop by the manor a few times a week. It usually was not hard. His schedule was open enough to leave him restless, especially with the twins in daycare all day. Yes, most of the time he was watching Opal, but especially on the weekends, when her parents were both home he felt--adrift.

So, he had taken to coming around the manor to sulk when he felt…unnecessary at the Acherons. No one noticed this. Belle and Hades because they had their hands full with the children. His mother, and sister because she was delighted any time he showed up. His brother, because he came around even more seldom than Lou. Although Maman scolded him for not coming by as often as Lou, which was empty in terms of evidence, because even if Lou and Ber came over the same amount, his mother would probably scold Berlioz for not coming over enough. Plus, even if Lou came once a week, it would be more than Ber bothered to show up.

It was even more rare that the three of them were all together like this with no distractions from the Acheron children, their mother, or their cousines.

For Lou, it felt a bit strange, but nice. The weather was perfect, if a bit chilly with the wind (not that he minded a bit of a chill these days.) The food was delicious and, even if they had nothing to say to each other, his siblings were the best kept company, in his opinion.

There was something to be said today at tea, however. Lou could sense it. He had no idea if this was because he was simply an older brother, or if the wolf sensed the unease in the air. Regardless, Ber was being particularly twitchy.

So, Lou endeavored to make him say whatever was on his mind by remaining stubbornly silent. He poured his tea, put his sugar in, stirred it. Once the crystals had melted and he’d tapped his spoon on the rim, Ber was ready to speak--and give nothing away.

“Adequate,” Lou replied to his brother. He did not have a better word to describe it. Anything too positive would feel like gushing, anything less would make it sound like he was discontent. Adequate was, indeed, high praise from him.

“Marie? Did you have a good birthday?”

MARIE: Marie thought this was very strange.

All three of them, just… enjoying tea in the garden? Without a parent involved to shoo them all into one spot and make them sit politely? Of course it was not uncommon for her to spend time with her brothers, the three of them all together, but this felt like something their Maman would organise, not Berlioz. Something was afoot.

And yet, Marie wasn’t too bothered. Maybe a tad suspicious, but she wasn’t worried. She liked to think that if it was something urgent, or awful, there wouldn’t have been time for tea. How many times now had the three of them been in mortal peril? She was starting to understand the difference between real danger and domestic troubles. Whatever it was that Berlioz had to say, it couldn’t be too bad. Not if it was being done over a cup of tea and some of NouNou’s madeleines.

In fact, Marie was so not bothered that she hadn’t been paying much attention. She had been playing with TuTu’s ears as the puppy slept slumped over Marie’s leg, pinching them gently between thumb and forefinger and thinking that they were really far too big for her tiny head. She looked up when she heard her name, glancing between her brothers before she broke out into a bright smile.

“Wonderful as always,” She chirped, reaching over the dog for her tea. “It was actually sort of nice to keep things low-key for a change. Certainly a lot less stressful than party planning.”

BERLIOZ: Well this was all well and good, wasn’t it?

This was the best case scenario: Marie happy, fresh off the high of getting yet another pet (she should probably chill out, but he was married to Simba who was constantly begging for more dogs, so he got it). And then Lou… who was– adequate. In Lou speak, that was a goddamn glowing review of this life, not that Ber would point that out. These updates, as brief as they were, were almost enough to give Berlioz hope that they’d gotten through the worst of their growing pains and might actually be on the other side of it.

But that would be naive. And Ber could be a lot of things, but never naive. In fact, he usually overcorrected to be so bloody prepared for disaster that he caused it.

He might be about to cause some disaster right now.

Berlioz nodded, his hands under the table, rubbing over his exposed knees through the rips in his jeans. Right, so, er, as much as he’d like to draw this out, nice and painful, his shit communication skills meant he couldn’t think of any small talk beyond asking about TuTu. And Lou was a bit sour over TuTu so that would just put Lou in a worse mood so…

Best. Do it. Now?

“Yeah, I’ve been tellin’ you that. Private’s always better,” said Ber. He leaned back in his chair, scratched behind his own ear. His gaze jumped from the table to Lou. Lou was staring at him. Lou knew. Or he knew something. C’mon then, out with it.

“Er, so– so anyway actually– er– so uh– here’s somethin’ funny.” Was it funny? “So uh, I actually ended up lookin’ into the whole– birth father situation and get this, I ah– found him. I sent him an email and everything.”

Pause– brace for impact.

TOULOUSE: Lou blinked slowly at his brother.

His half-brother, technically, as he was so rudely reminded out of the blue. Lou did not like thinking about Ber that way. It didn’t make sense to him. As soon as the truth of it all had come to light, Lou had immediately pushed it out of his mind. It didn’t matter in any way that counted for something, but--he couldn’t help but worry that Ber would use it as an excuse. Lou was under no false impressions about how Berlioz felt about the Bonfamille name.

He had just, foolishly, hoped that Berlioz would leave it alone. That it wouldn’t matter, because who needed a father anyway? Lou barely had one and he’d managed. Marie had more or less gotten Toulouse for a father, and she’d turned out decently enough.

“Quoi?” Lou asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

He wasn’t sure what else Berlioz wanted from him. Was he supposed to congratulate him? Or be curious about this man who had broken apart their family? (Oh yes, Toulouse certainly blamed him--how could he not?)

MARIE: Marie looked up, and just like Toulouse, blinked owlishly.

It was perhaps ironic that Marie had acted exactly the way Lou had, in that she didn’t really like to think about Ber technically not being one of them. A Bonfamille. He was… someone else. And if you had asked her as recently as five years ago, she would’ve rolled her eyes and said well, duh. In a far more ladylike manner, of course, but still. She would’ve said that much was obvious. Berlioz had always been different — it was why he and Marie had squabbled so much. They hadn’t been able to agree on anything, really.

But that Marie wasn’t the one who was sat at the table now, looking at Berlioz as though he’d just grown a second head. She and Berlioz got along a lot better nowadays. He’d been the first to support her, when she’d decided to leave her coronation. They were certainly friends now, which she wasn’t sure she would’ve said a few years ago.

Though, that didn’t change the fact that Berlioz was still, had always been and always would be, so different to his siblings. And now he had found his father. Whatif this father was exactly like Berlioz? And what if there was another Lou and another Marie that were exactly like Berlioz, and he ditched the two of them? Maybe now was a little late to be realising it, but Marie didn’t want Berlioz to ditch her. Worse yet— if he did, he’d probably take Simba with him.

Marie didn’t voice any of these concerns, however. She looked between her older brothers (her older brother, her older half-brother), and sipped her tea. Lou had pretty much summed it up, anyway.

BERLIOZ: Ah– so this was going to go exactly how he thought.

In a way, this was a relief. But Berlioz’s body still stiffened slightly as his brother cut his eyes toward him. What was honestly more surprising was Marie’s non reaction, though. He’d expected– well, Ber didn’t know exactly what he expected, but he did expect something. Marie liked to be vocal about her opinions, and sure, she knew how to mask when she needed to but it wasn’t like she’d ever shied away from telling Ber exactly how she felt or what she thought of him. Yet here his little sister was– just looking. Waiting? Thinking??

He realized he’d been relying on Marie’s support more than he thought. He swallowed roughly, not really sure what to…

“Uh… yeah,” uttered Berlioz. His hands fell in his lap and he fiddled with a leather bracelet on his wrist, pulling it back and forth so it rubbed into his skin, though not hard enough to hurt or anything like that. It was just something to do, some other thing to think about, instead of the blank faces of his siblings.

“I mean I didn’t– I thought maybe he wouldn’t even write back. I dunno. I just had to do it or I’d always wonder, I guess,” he confessed and looked down at that wrist, that bracelet, feeling like he was in a pew, telling a priest all his sins. “But I guess he did write back and uh– well he seems like an alright bloke actually, and he’s got a daughter, so that’s– she’s younger than you, Marie–

He looked up at her now, desperate for something. Surely she’d be happy– or interested? Or something?

“Name’s Jenny. She does jazz piano.” He swallowed again. “Uh…yeah.”

MARIE: Marie almost dropped her teacup right down onto her dog’s head.

Inside Marie there were two wolves. Although they were less like wolves and more like little, perfectly groomed kittens, but that was not the point. One was desperate for a sister. She had grown up as the youngest of two brothers and even though those brothers had taken care of her she knew it was nothing like having a sister. There was a bond between sisters that Marie had seen, on the television, with her friends, between her own mother and her tantine, and the idea that she would never really know what that was like gnawed away at her.

The other one, however, was terrified of being replaced. Or, well, up until now it had been terrified of being left behind, which was the natural fear of the youngest sibling. Always following on the heels of her brothers, Marie had felt like, lately, the distance between them was growing faster than she could keep up. And this Jenny and her jazz piano– piano! The one thing she and Berlioz had ever really done together, growing up, had been to sit at that piano under the direction of their mother. And perhaps he hadn’t really wanted to be there (Marie couldn’t be sure; she had enjoyed herself, most of the time. She had liked any excuse to sing), but Marie thought that was one of the few things they’d bonded over. That they had in common. This Jenny, she would just slot right in, wouldn’t she?

She wasn’t sure which voice in her head she should listen to first. The one that wanted to know more, or the one that wanted to panic. The one that wanted to know more had a lot of very clever and very reassuring points to make, but the one that wanted to panic was a lot louder

But Marie was mature now. Ish. She could read a room, at the very least, and she had a feeling Toulouse was not going to take this very well, and she could see that look in Berlioz’s eyes. The one of a man in open water, hoping for a lifebuoy.

She glanced at Toulouse. She looked back at Ber. She put her teacup down before TuTu got soaked right through.

“Have you spoken to her?” She asked, leaning in a little closer. “What’s she like? Have you said anything about– us?”

BERLIOZ: Lou was dead silent.

This was a very bad thing.

Berlioz was trying not to focus on that. He reminded himself that it was expected– that he was prepared for it. Lou was entitled to his feelings and he could get upset if he liked, so long as Berlioz remembered it had nothing to do with him - that he himself had done nothing wrong - he was perfectly in his rights to reach out to whoever he wanted and go about this on his own timetable and in his own way.

He could hear Nancy’s voice as he recited these affirmations to himself. He had gone over all this with her in advance, as anxiety dictated.

But he could also hear Simba too. He could imagine him here, the weight of his hand squeezing Berlioz’s knee, his eyes bright and fierce as he stared down his brother. It was definitely a good thing he wasn’t actually present, but… imagining him still gave Berlioz an anchor. Once this was all finished, no matter how it ended, he’d have a home to go back to and a husband who loved him. More than any of his affirmations, this alone gave him the confidence not to apologize.

At least Marie had, er, an expression. His eyes darted back to her as he saw her lean forward, put down her little tea cup. Her questions were quite polite and a bit restrained, but when he lifted his eyes to meet her own, she at least looked sincere.

He’d never appreciated Marie more than now.

“Oh uh– yeah, course. I told her about both of you,” he said, nodding. “She knows you’re trying to open your own boutique…that Lou paints and uh– likes dinosaurs–” a bit of a weird anecdote to come out, but it had. It was one of Berlioz’s favourite things about his brother, maybe because it reminded him of their youth, playing legos and pretend. “She’s um… she is actually much more like you two than she is like me.” He chuckled, tugging at that bracelet of his again. “Sort of… confident and strong-minded and all that. Her parents– well, uh, my bio dad I guess– they’re divorced too and she was pretty protective over him. Thought me reaching out was some ploy for blackmail or whatever. But uh, yeah, she’s cool.”

TOULOUSE: “Suppose that’s another tick in the nature column,” Lou said, his voice measured but underneath it was scathing.

He didn’t like this. He did not like it at all. His immediate instinct was to forbid Ber from seeing her. From seeing his biological father. It was like when you slipped and grabbed onto the person next to you by instinct. Except it was Berlioz he felt slipping—away from him. Away from their family. This was a fear that Toulouse had had as far as he could remember. He used to hold on so tightly to Ber’s hand, at galas, at performances, at dinner parties in their dining room. Always knowing Ber wanted to run.

The same feeling had been there not too long ago, when they’d sat on the balcony at the beach and discussed the deaths of their loved ones. Toulouse had known then there was nothing holding Berlioz to him. There was no tether. Not even string.

And Lou was self aware enough to know that this was his fault. No matter how much he had tried: first to comfort Ber, then to mold him, then to punish him, and finally to try and accept him as he was—Ber didn’t care. And Ber wasn’t interested.

There was too much baggage and this new family was shiny and new.

“The appropriate term is birth father,” Lou continued in the same tone: nonchalant bordering on furious.

“Are you planning on pursuing a relationship with them?”

BERLIOZ: Here were some good things, eh?

Lou was not yelling. Lou had not openly insulted anyone yet, really. That first comment was a bit…well, Ber didn’t know exactly how to take it, it was just a bit sarcastic but Ber was plenty sarcastic all the time. Point was, in his nightmares, he had built Lou’s reaction up to be explosive and cutting. It wasn’t going well. Ber could read the bloody room in that sense. But it could always be worse.

And see, times like these really drove home why pessimism was the correct philosophy of choice for Berlioz.

Not that any of those good things made this any easier.

Berlioz was still on edge, expecting a proper blow-up at any moment. Lou would probably not yell, but that didn’t mean his anger couldn’t lash out and do its damage. Ber swallowed, a beat passing. He had hoped Marie might jump in with something, just to give Ber an extra second, or to distract from the question at hand, the answer to which Ber knew was gonna proper piss his brother off. Unfortunately, nothing. So the clock ticked again. Ber put his hands on the arms of the chair. He had to say something, or Lou would fill in the silence with something worse.

Though what was worse than ‘yes’ for his brother?

“Well,” stalled Berlioz, since ‘well’ was not ‘yes.’

“Well,” a second time. “I mean, um, sort of– I dunno exactly… they live in the States so s’not like I’ll see ‘em all the time or like I’m plannin’ a trip or anything like that but uh, y’know, email exchanges and all that, I was thinking, maybe, if they er… were okay… with that…”

He trailed off, words getting quite mumbled at the end there.

MARIE: Marie looked between the two of them, wondering if this was about to turn into a very big, very snippy argument. The worst Bonfamille arguments were always snippy, in her opinion. Yelling was vulgar, and unnecessary in the first place because a point that had to be made by shouting wasn’t a very good point at all. Arguments that were even-toned cut deeper, because you knew the other person really meant what they were saying.

She looked at Lou when Berlioz explain, stumbling and starting, but the more mumbly his voice got, the more he tripped over his words, Marie’s gaze was drawn to Ber, her lips pressing into a thin pink line.

The thing was, Marie wanted nothing less than for Berlioz to go and find some new family, a family that would be much better suited to him than the one he had now. Was it not enough that he had found and crafted a family of his own in Swynlake? Why did he have to go looking for a new one? And from America, no less! It was all horrible. Not just because they were Americans, though that was part of it (and yes, she loved Pacifica, but honestly), but because America was on the other side of the world. What if Ber like this family so much he moved there? Distance made people forget things. Forget other people. Easy to forget your little sister when you had another, littler sister that you got on with a lot better right at hand.

She swallowed thickly, picking up her tea cup again so she could take a sip from it, hoping that might help. Even if Ber said he wasn’t planning anything, that just meant he wasn’t planning anything now. Things would change. They would grow closer. And then Ber would leave.

Marie knew she should be happy for him, but it was very difficult, and Marie had never really liked doing anything that was particularly difficult. Still, she tried for a smile, even if it was a tad more like a grimace. “So you’re going to… email them? That’s… good.”

BERLIOZ: Lou was quiet again. Bad.

But Marie was quiet too. And this, this was definitely worse – and entirely unexpected. Even in the nightmarish scenarios he’d dreamed up in order to prepare for this, he’d never imagined Marie rather stoic and still, drinking tea with a pinched lip. Where the hell was his sister? Wasn’t she going to ask more questions? She was nosy as hell, outgoing to a T – didn’t she want to look up Jenny’s Instagram or start making snooty comments about the Americans that shared half of Ber’s DNA?

If she did, even if she was mean and judgmental, Berlioz woulda thought, okay, things were gonna sort themselves out. But Marie was quiet. Polite. Holding herself back. More than ever, she resembled not their mother, but Lou, who was sitting right beside her.

They were… going to gang up on him, weren’t they?

Great. Good. Hadn’t prepared for that one. Though it also just didn’t make sense, like sure, Lou hated all this from the start, but Marie? What was Marie’s problem?

Time around Simba meant that he really, almost, nearly said this out loud. His gaze traveled from sibling to sibling, the silence spreading between the three again, like a second tablecloth. He could rip it from underneath them all and risk breaking everything. That had never been his move.

“I mean, yeah,” he said after that beat. “Just to keep in touch.” Another beat, waiting for someone to say something, but they didn’t. And that desire to break things resurfaced. Strange. But he’d been prepared for disaster, waiting for disaster, so to walk away from a stilted, awkward conversation with no climax was probably worse, yeah? It meant the disaster would lurk and bite at Berlioz’s heels when he least expected it. He’d rather just get it out of the way.

And so he decided he’d piss ‘em off.

��I mean….I think you’d actually like ‘em. Jenny and Steve,” he said.

MARIE: Marie looked at Lou, waiting for him to say something. Lou, specifically, because there was absolutely no way he didn’t have any opinion on the matter. That he didn’t have something he wanted to say. She had expected him to steer the conversation – he was the eldest, it was his job to be in charge.

And Marie really, honestly didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to be happy for Berlioz whilst also feeling like a little girl trying to cling to his trouser leg to keep him from leaving. Had she ever told Ber that she was sorry for all those teenage years spent squabbling over the stupidest little things? They had all just gone away, water under the bridge, but maybe she should’ve said something to him. Maybe then he wouldn’t have gone looking for a new family, because he’d have a perfectly good one right here in Swynlake.

There was a very small part of Marie’s brain that was capable of rational thinking, and had she ever listened to it, she would’ve known that that was pretty mean. She would understand that Berlioz was allowed to look into his birth father and to the other half of his family, especially seeing as he’d been lied to for a very long time now. It was a shame that she didn’t pay more attention to that little rational voice, really. Everything might have gone a lot more smoothly if she had.

As it was, Ber’s comment irritated her a little, because her first thought was that she didn’t want to like them. They weren’t family and they were trying to take her brother (brothers, she kept reminding herself, because Simba would surely go as well) so why should she like them? But she had to be happy for Ber, so she hid the small crease in her brow by looking down at TuTu momentarily; when she looked up again she smiled, as encouragingly as she could.

“Are they both into music?” She asked, remembering the jazz piano comment. Marie didn’t really like jazz, but she supposed that made sense, for an American.

TOULOUSE: Lou’s scoff was loud enough to cut across Marie’s innocent inquiry.

He knew Berlioz was trying to rile him, in the way that only his siblings really could. Almost anyone else and Lou could keep his demeanor calm. Aloof. But the comment grated because it spoke to that deep, clawing fear that had been rising in him ever since Ber had started talking. That Ber liked this new family. That Ber liked this new family more than the one he already had.

And Lou blamed himself for this. He knew he had not been the brother Ber needed for—most of their lives. Certainly their adult ones. Potentially ever since they’d come to this forsaken town. Now, because the universe was cruel, it had given Ber another option. A better option.

It hurt and so, Lou did exactly what he always did when he was hurt. When he felt out of control of a situation. When he felt the people he loved, whether real or in his own head, slipping away.

“Marie, his father,” Lou spat the word with as much disrespect as he could manage (which was a lot, as you might imagine), “was in a touring rock band.”

Lou sat up from where he’d been sulking in his patio chair. The wolf inside him was whining, making it hard to think. Though, whether it was because Ber was trying to pick a fight or Ber was trying to leave was anyone’s guess.

“But yes, sure, we will all get along splendidly. You know, you should invite them for tea,” Lou suggested scathingly, “Maman would love that.”

BERLIOZ: Ah, and there it was.

Well, Berlioz had poked the dragon on purpose, so he wasn’t surprised. In fact, as Lou finally let out the sneer he had been holding, Berlioz only felt relief. There, a real reaction– as unfair and stupid as the reaction was. At least it sounded like his brother. At least Berlioz had been right. At least now, Berlioz could actually deal with it.

Would this go the way all the fights from their childhood would go? Ber would press back, but Lou would be stronger? Would Berlioz’s lip wobble? Would he slink away in retreat only for Lou to come find him later, with a cigarette, or a drink, or other metaphorical olive branch? They wouldn’t talk about it. The silence would become the agreement. If Ber never brought up Jenny and Steve again, all would be well.

Normally Berlioz would be fine with all that but this time was different. Maybe he was just sick of playing the same broken record and tiptoeing around his big brother when he bloody shouldn’t have to.

He sighed, a short puff of air– clearly exasperated. Not trying to hide it. “This isn’t about Maman,” he said, thought that wasn’t what he wanted to say–

This isn’t about you. Ah yeah, he wanted to say that. But even Berlioz wasn’t quite brave enough yet. He felt like a kitten dancing around a much bigger cat, trying to swat at its tail without getting its head bit off.

“Look, I’d just rather we all treat each other decently, okay? I dunno what’s goin’ to come of it.” His shoulders raised to his ears. “Maybe we’ll talk a lot, maybe we won’t, maybe they’ll visit, maybe they won’t, but I don’t wanna pretend like I’m doin’ something wrong either way. I’m not.”

TOULOUSE: Toulouse knew what he expected from Berlioz: for him to shrink. For him to get small, so that Lou could wrest control of the situation. That was the whole problem, wasn’t it? Lou, suddenly feeling out of control. Suddenly feeling like his brother was leaving him. It made his world tilt on its axis until everything was distorted, like he was slipping, grasping, floundering—trying to stay upright. It made the wolf whine, riotous in his chest.

Prehaps he shouldn’t expect his brother to shrink. Or want him to. In many other situations, he wouldn’t. If he was standing up to anyone else.

If he reflected on this later, maybe he would feel guilty.

But Lou was the worst of himself: impulsive, cruel, and angry—when he felt those he loved slipping away.

“You can’t just expect us to all get along,” Lou snapped. “If you didn’t think you were doing anything wrong why didn’t you tell us you were contacting them if that’s what you planned on doing? You haven’t told us anything for months and now are forcing these people into our family and just expecting us to all get along. Why should I treat this man decently when all I know about him is that he didn’t care about tearing a family apart in the first place? I don’t understand what you’d want to do with him either.”

MARIE: Marie had been quiet, thinking about their Maman. Poor Maman. Marie knew what it was like to make…. romantic mistakes. To get caught up in the moment and let it sweep you away, caught in a tide that just dragged you out to a whole ocean of trouble. Marie doubted Maman was sorry about it, because that dalliance had given her Berlioz, but she was probably going to be mortified to have that man back in her life. And their father! Poor Papa. She knew that things had not always been easy between the boys and their father but Marie knew her Papa, and she couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be, to have to play happy families…

But she was pulled away from that as Lou’s voice washed over her, his words bringing her back to the table. She watched in abject horror, her eyes wide, flitting from one brother to the other. This was going from bad to worse, and the way Lou snapped, just as Berlioz had wanted him to–

Marie was not much of a problem solver. She caused more problems than she tended to solve and she usually needed someone else to help her with those problems, but she usually meant well. And that was all she could hope to do right now - to mean well. She had no idea what the right thing was to say, but she had to say something, before Berlioz could use this as an excuse to leave the Manor and run away to his new family, never to return again.

“I understand.” She said, her voice squeaky. She didn’t chance a glance at Toulouse, knowing that he would be glaring at her. In her own defense, however, it was sort of impossible to appease both brothers at the same time right now. “I understand why you would want to know him. But…” She spoke slowly, gently, trying not to visibly wince. “Lou’s right. It might have been nice to know you were thinking about it. It’s… rather sudden. Or it seems that way, anyways.”

BERLIOZ: Thank god for Marie, honestly.

Without her, Ber wasn’t sure what he would have said. But he would have said something. He was a coiled up snake, the tension having built this entire bloody tea, and now he wanted to strike out as Lou just as Lou tried to strike out at him. It was a miracle that Lou’s shots hadn’t done more damage as it was. Perhaps a year ago, they would have. But now when his brother spoke, Berlioz just saw the holes in his words, the holes in his own confidence. It wasn’t fucking about Berlioz. It was never about Berlioz. It was always about Lou– his opinions and his desires.

But as Marie tried to soften everything, some of that tension did bleed from Ber’s rigid shoulders. His gaze darted to his little sister. And he did feel– a little guilty. But not that guilty. He never claimed to know what he was doin’, after all. He’d approached his new father like a kicked animal, moving very slowly. It wasn’t like he’d planned for Jenny to show up on his door.

Not that he was goin’ to tell either of his siblings that much. They didn’t deserve to know.

(It was sad that Ber felt that way. But he’d hold up his guards. Lou proved he needed them.)

“I’ve just been figuring it all out for myself, okay?” he told them both. “I didn’t even know if he was going to answer me or if he did, what I was gonna feel about it. It was a shot in the dark– not some grand plan to go behind your back. I don’t fucking do that. It’s not like I’m tryin’ to hurt anyone.”

Why would his brother think he was? Why did Lou always treat Ber’s decisions like personal attacks against him?

“So I’m tellin’ you now, cuz, well, he has contacted me and all that. Isn’t that good enough?”

TOULOUSE: “But why?” Lou pressed. “You don’t have to figure it out for yourself.”

That was what Lou didn’t understand. It wasn’t Ber’s decision so much that upset him (though, yeah). It was the fact he decided it and then just…did it. Told them after the fact. Like they were an afterthought. Like they didn’t matter.

When Belle and Hades had asked him to move in with them, the first people Lou had told were Marie and Berlioz. He told Marie because if she told him she still needed him at home, he would’ve stayed. And he told Berlioz--because…because he had wanted to. Because Berlioz was his best friend. It felt as simple as that to him.

So Lou didn’t understand why Ber hadn’t said anything at all to him. Had Lou not been supportive? When Pere had been horrible, Lou had severed his own relationship with him. He barely talked to their father anymore. Only text messages to let him know he was still alive once a month or so. He hadn’t done that for himself, but for Ber. All he wanted was to talk. To know these things.

Had he asked? Not necessarily, but that was because he hadn’t known there was anything to ask about! Ber had never once indicated that he wanted to contact his birth father. And Lou had done the research too, because of course he did. About what to call the man (birth father) and avenues to find him. But Ber had done all of those things without him--because he thought he had to do it alone?

Lou felt like he was standing there, a little kid with a drawing he’d done, holding it out for a parent who took it and turned around, throwing it away.

It made him bristle against the hurt, his jaw set as he stared at his brother.

BERLIOZ: Because you would have told me not to do it.

Berlioz didn’t say that– but he believed it. Lou would mean well, because Lou always meant well, but he also never made room for other people to have different opinions, or feelings. That’s how it felt anyway. He was always right. He was the eldest. He was taking care of everyone. Well, Berlioz hadn’t needed his brother this time– not when it came to deciding somethin’ like meeting his birth father.

Sure, Berlioz had gone back and forth on whether or not to send the email to Steve. And he’d gone back and forth on whether he’d tell Lou and Marie, before or after. A heads up, he could see, might be nice. But it still didn’t really have anything to do with them.

It wouldn’t have changed what Ber woulda done, one way or the other.

And even though his siblings were lookin’ at him, Marie all baffled and Lou clearly pissed off, none of the usual guilt squirmed in his stomach. Was this how Simba felt? Ber wondered. Was this what it was like to feel good about a decision? Would he still have felt this way if Steve and Jenny had turned out to be total dicks?

Those were sorta useless hypotheticals though, so he put them aside.

“Well– maybe I needed to figure it out for myself. This time,” said Berlioz. That was true too, the lesser cruel version. “It’s not personal. I just had to do it my way.”

Didn’t Berlioz always?

MARIE: He just had to do it his way. As with all things, their entire lives, Berlioz did whatever he was going to, in the way he was going to do it. Had Berlioz’s different parentage ever actually been a surprise? Or, when it had come to light, had Marie just been more surprised that this hadn’t all come up sooner

She pressed her lips into a thin line, resisting the urge to nibble away at the inside of her lip with anxiety. It would be very easy to side with Lou right about now. She almost wanted to, just to ease some of the hurt etched into her eldest brother’s features. Because whilst Marie was a little hurt that Ber hadn’t brought this up sooner, she thought that herself and Berlioz were not quite as close as he was with Lou. In fact, she knew that was the case. Just because they got along these days didn’t mean they were suddenly best friends.

But she knew she couldn’t take sides. Taking Ber’s side would only upset Lou further, and taking Lou’s side would only push Ber further away. She remembered when they were little, and about to cross the street, how she had reached up and held onto their respective hands. She felt like they were back there, except now they were pulling away, moving in different directions, and Marie didn’t know how to hold onto them both.

“But… you’ve told us now.” She said, trying to shift away from things that had already happened, and that they couldn’t change. “So if anything else happens you’ll– you’ll tell us. Right?”

BERLIOZ: “Right,” said Berlioz right away.

His eyes jumped to Lou, but away just as fast.

But there wasn’t any reason to hide it anymore. Not that Ber had thought he was doing it. He hadn’t been hiding, he was just…waiting. He was just figuring it all out, like he’d told them. Maybe he woulda met Steve and hated the bloke, eh? Then what was the point of continuing on a relationship? There wouldn’t have been. And he wouldn’t have caused any unnecessary ripples in his life. He would have spared himself the additional embarrassment, or spared Lou and Marie the obligation to hate the man on his behalf, or whatever.

But now… yeah, well… he really did think they could get along. That didn’t mean Lou and Steve would get downright chummy or that Jenny and Marie would become best mates. But if every now and then, they came around, they could just say hi and it wouldn’t be…weird.

Okay. It would be weird. But not the sort that would torture Berlioz privately. It was a weird he could handle.

This was only if Lou got on board with the whole thing, and he wasn’t sure that his brother would.

“I don’t think much is gonna happen soon anyway besides, I dunno– texting or emailing but– yeah if I uh, decide to visit them or they come here or whatever, you’ll know.”

TOULOUSE: Toulouse did not believe Berlioz.

And why would he? Ber had not been forthcoming with any of the other details of his new family. Even though Lou had never wavered in his loyalty. He had ruined his own relationship with their father. (Yes, their father. Hector had raised Ber, even absently. He had been the only father Ber had known. He counted.) Lou had easily shifted his definition of family. It had already been shifting to accommodate Hades and Belle, the children.

He had told Berlioz he would support him, no matter his choice. To tell Hector. To never tell him. That promise had extended to what Ber chose to do with the new information.

But apparently, none of that mattered because Berlioz was not loyal. He did not care about Lou or Marie or their feelings. He was selfish.

He had only ever felt trapped by them, hadn’t he?

Lou looked at his brother and felt like he was seeing him for the first time. The feeling burned through him like the coldest winter wind, until his insides felt scraped clean and numbed.

His expression was as smooth as marble and he stood in one fluid, graceful movement—as if he was worried that an extraneous twitch of a finger would shatter him. His voice, when he spoke, was cool and even.

“Very well. You’ve clearly said what you’ve needed. Is there anything else?”

#swynberlioz #swynmarie #berlou #marou #the bitchy bonfamilles #the water of the womb #this whole para was me going:#you can skip me lou is seething with rage #and wait -- bee can i go before you #lou is gonna say something #lmfaoo

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clementines-writing-corner · 7 months

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housekeeping, AI, and naming systems

Hello friends! ᕱ__ᕱ

I suppose I should start with a quick forewarning: this past week has not brought a whole lot of progress in regards to my creative writing and the story I am crafting. I was very busy with school assignments during the beginning of the week and very busy being ill at the end of the week. (Just a common cold and/or my allergies acting up thankfully but regardless being ill always makes my brain feel weird and often messes with my vision, hearing, and sense of balance which is a joy to deal with… not).

However I will update you with some thoughts that I had this week.

Housekeeping

Firstly, some housekeeping. I have decided to change the name of my blog. I am a very private person. I always hesitate to give out my name on the internet. I didn’t have any social media until I was 18, and even now that I do have some social media accounts, none of them have my full name or face attached. This is just how I feel comfortable existing on the internet. I have also always toyed with the idea of writing under a penname. (These two things connect, I promise). Firstly because pennames are cool, but also because of privacy reasons.

When I decided to create this blog, I was unsure about naming it. I eventually decided to choose something close(ish) to my real name because I had the tagline “dot your j’s and cross your t’s” thought up for years before I decided to commit and actually start a blog, and the penname I had picked out for myself did not have a “J” in it. However, recently I have come to the realization that middle names do exist. Also, plenty of authors use their middle initials. All this to say, the penname plan is back in business babes!! ᕱ__ᕱ

So, if anyone was confused as to the name change, that is why.

This is a bit of an abrupt shift in topics, but this week I was required to use AI for a couple different assignments in my classes and it got me thinking about it. I know AI is a bit of a hot button topic right now, especially in creative spaces, so since I was thinking about it a lot this week, I figured I’d put my two cents out there.

I do think AI has the potential to be really helpful in making people’s lives easier (that's what progress is all about, right?). However, I disagree with the usage of AI in creative, professional, and educational spaces until the moral and ethical problems it brings up are addressed. And there are a lot of moral and ethical problems that come with AI.

Plagiarism of other people's ideas and creations is the issue that I’ve been thinking about most often. We are constantly told in academia to “cite our sources” and most universities even have policies that can lead to students who plagiarize being kicked out. Yet, many people don’t see a problem with using works created with AI. All AI is, is an amalgamation of other people’s ideas and content that’s either been mined from the internet or fed to it specifically. So every piece of work AI spits out is a cut and pasted collage of other people’s stuff. And its sources are never cited.

I am most certainly not a techie kind of person so I couldn’t tell you how to fix this issue, or any of the others AI brings up, in a way that I’m sure is plausible. All I can say is that the use of AI without addressing the moral and ethical concerns makes me mighty uncomfortable.

Names

Finally, I can give you at least a little information on my story. I have always been the most obsessive about naming my characters. A 5 minute writing exercise? Eh, it’s whatever. Just use any names that come to mind. But give me any type of fiction writing that’s meant to be workshopped and it’s over for me. I’ll spend 3 hours searching for an appropriate name for the background character that’s going to be in 1 scene tops and never seen again. I get it from my dad, I think. He was always insistent that me and my siblings had names with good meanings. At least, that’s what my mom tells me. I’m like that with my characters.

Now, I have nowhere near as good of a grasp on linguistics and linguistic patterns to create my own language or a naming system from scratch. I’m not Tolkien. However, when I am writing a larger work, or at least a work with some worldbuilding/lore, I like to come up with systems for things like names. This past week, I started to create a naming system for the story I’m currently working on (Ailidh’s story btw if that wasn’t clear). What I have so far is that the type of fae folk Ailidh, Ruslan, and their people will have names pulled from Celtic, Russian/Slavic, Germanic, and French origins. Don’t ask why I chose those languages. I couldn’t tell you.

*~*~*

That’s pretty much all I got done creative writing wise this week. I know it’s not much, but at least it’s not nothing, right? ᕱ__ᕱ Sorry for being so scattered in this post but as I am currently still ill, everything is a little fuzzy. I hope you all have a lovely week and hopefully by next week’s post, I’ll have gotten some more things done within my story.

Remember, dot your j’s and cross your t’s!!

~Clementine J Quincey🪷

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moonswolfie · 8 months

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Studying is important

Yamaguchi x gn!reader

Thinking about teasing Yams till he goes all red and stuttery 🤭

(I say this as if I wouldn't become red and stuttery if I was in this situation)

Also random thing I wanted to add, I watched the german haikyuu dub for the first time recently and the way they pronounce the school and character names is so cute to me idk why😭

(my dumbass can't stop laughing at the title "Center Ass" I know that's the word for ace in german but I just cant bruh😭not my fault i got a horrible sense of humor)

Today you were feeling a little bold as you sat down next to your boyfriend, Yamaguchi Tadashi, to have a study session. He invited you over to his house immediately after you asked him to help you with your least favourite subject.

As he was helping you study, his face suddenly seemed cute and sweet and perfect for a little teasing. And honestly, who could hold back?

"Tadashi..." you called out sweetly, making him pause in the middle of his explanation and look to you. "Yes?"

"Ta-da-shi.." you leaned closer, spelling out his name in sylabbles. He looked puzzled, saying your name in a questioning tone.

"Is something wrong? Did I do anything?" He asked with worry in his eyes. He always tried his best for you to be comfortable and that's only one of the things that's adorable about him.

"No, Tadashi, everything is fine..." you purposefully used his name in that sentence, knowing how much it flusters him when you do that. "Oh..." he said awkwardly, cheeks dusting a shade of pink.

You glanced at the position of his hands by the table, then gently grabbed one while maintaining eye contact. He looked more confused than anything.

You slowly moved his hand to your mouth, kissing it gently. You watched him gradually turn red, stuttering out "E-Eh?! What a-are you..."

The rest of his sentence died off. He seemed unsure of whether he should keep looking at you or look away as his eyes moved in all sorts of directions.

You moved closer, pressing yourself up against his side, making him let out a little squeaking noise.

"Tadashi..." you whispered into his ear teasingly, and you felt him shiver a bit. "Can I kiss you?"

You asked innocently, putting on your best puppy eyes. You watched his eyes widen and somehow his blush deepened more.

"W-We're supposed to b-be studying!" He stammered out, hands flailing wildly in front of him. Oh yeah, his is exactly what you wanted. You moved over and settled in his lap, facing towards him.

"I know. One little kiss won't hurt, right?" You asked, brushing your pointer finger against his lips. As much as you loved seeing him shivering, you were beginning to get worried he might pass out on you.

"U-Um... I guess n-not..." he said, barely audible. It was kind of cute how much he was struggling to even say a simple sentence. You leaned close, lips almost touching his. You watched him close his eyes expectantly.

But no matter how patiently he waited, your lips didn't touch his. He slowly opened his eyes, confused, to find you back in your seat, solving a problem in the workbook.

"W...What... But I thought...." he touched his lips, worried that he did something wrong. You shrugged, continuing to solve the problem. "Studying is important, too."

You felt very bad for being so mean to him, but he makes it way too easy to tease him with that cute face of his.

There was a short pause, and you couldn't help but imagine Yamaguchi's face in that moment.

"O...oh... Well then, tell me i-if you need any help..." he sounded really embarrased, and when you looked to your right to admire him, you saw a stream of red coming out of his nose.

"Tadashi! Your nose is bleeding!" You warned him swiftly. He jumped in surprise, touching under his nose to check. When he saw the blood, he jumped up and ran to the bathroom, apologising and promising he'll be back on the way.

Maybe you took it a bit too far this time. Oh well, that won't stop you from kissing every single one of his freckles later.

#˗ˏˋ ★ ☁︎ 「Wolfie’s works」 ☾ ★ ˎˊ˗#ahahah posting while in school how devious of me😈#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #haikyū!!#haikyuu fluff #gender neutral reader #haikyu x reader #haikyuu x reader #yamaguchi x reader #yamaguchi tadashi #haikyuu yamaguchi #yamaguchi x you #yamaguchi tadashi x reader #haikyuu x gender neutral reader

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between-the-realms · 10 months

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@angryvengeful

Chapter 1:The Chase

Where am I?

I looked down, and all my eyes could make out were my hands, covered in pink ash.

[explain the environment around them before getting to Meph, describe the smell, and the corpses that would be surronding them.]

Then my eyes moved upwards, and I saw a man… No. Not a man, he had horns poking out of his curly hair. This was a demon, not a human. He was sitting before me.

What happened?

My ears are ringing, and every word the demon says I currently can not register. Still… This demon, for one, is bare bottom naked and seemed just…. So scared and confused. I think he was like me, and unsure of where or who he was. Which brings me to my next question.

Who am I?

I can’t seem to remember just who I- Oh… Right. It just came back to me.

My name is Murdoch Nightingale and this is not a happy story. Now…

Where do I begin?

Well, I suppose I’ll have to go backwards, to the moment I was after that necklace… my best friend’s sun medallion.

It all began when the local tavern keep decided he wanted to be thief… Well, my best friend says he didn’t steal it. She owed him money…”technically,” and handing over her necklace was better then the “alternative.” Grimalda wouldn’t tell me what the alternative was, and I had a bad feeling I knew exactly what he was asking from her. It didn’t matter though. The creep needed a lesson taught to him anyhow.

How he was even still employed at that tavern I would never know.

She wasn’t the only person he had asked for alternative payments from, and I doubted she would be the last.

So, I had snuck into the tavern and stolen the necklace back… as well as his paycheck for the week.

Now, I know it’s illegal to do this, but my entire existance is apparently illegal in Sunray Province. So, in truth I wasn’t doing more wrong then simply existing-

Eh… I should explain that a bit more.

You see, Sunray Province is a part of the four kingdom alliance. It’s a simple peace treaty, that simply stats that the four kingdoms are not to make war with one another, but they also are not meant to get involved in their different… government practices. They also export and trade among one another, and will often have meetings on the state of their lands.

The four kingdoms in this treaty is Sunray Province, The great city of Acidrial, The Elven kingdom of Eden, and the Unwelcoming Isles. There are other lands on the Planet of Tarterus, but it’s important that we only focus on the four for now. According to the treaty these are the only civilized nations to be apart of a treaty anyhow… though this was stated and written by members of these four kingdoms, so I am sure they have some biases.

Now, Sunray Province is a theocracy, lead by the Solarian Relgion and their Temples of Light. They have certain… morals that they wish to uphold. Most of these morals make sense. No killing, no maiming, no hurting of any individuals, including yourself. Pretty standard stuff… but then there’s the stupid rules that everyone in the country must uphold. No overindulgence, No impurity, no dark magic… not even in defense of yourself.

Here’s the thing about Dark Magic i’ve figured out. Some people just have a natural talent for the magic. It’s just another element.

All together there are seven elements one can be born with: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Energy, Light, and Darkness. The church, allows all of these elements, except for Dark Magic. Mages don’t get to pick their elements. An Air mage can not learn Dark Magic, a Water Mage can not learn Fire. It is simply Biology what element one is born with… and I was born a Dark Mage. The one element the church has outlawed.

I suppose one would expect me to hate myself because of this… and sometimes it can hurt, but I’m luckier then most. For my adoptive mother encourages my magical abilities. She wishes that I keep practicing my magic, as long as i’m smart about it.

Meaning… as long as I don’t get caught.

Now, how does this relate back to me stealing my friend’s necklace back from some jackass?

It’s because while I was swiping the money and the necklace from the office, he had come to the back alley for a smoke break. Saw the necklace and bag of money right in my hand, and now he was chasing me down the alley way and into town.

“Nightingale!” I heard Ubel Mosquera yell from behind me. I could hear the sounds of his feet against the cobblestone alley, the sounds of his yells not far behind me.

Ubel Mosquera. The local Tavern Keep. Other then being an absolute creep, what can I say about the man? Well, his appearance for one. He was rather tall and lanky. He didn’t seem to have much body fat, and had long brown hair that on most days looked greasy and unkempt. He always seemed to be wearing an apron and gloves, despite simply working in a tavern. His eyes always seemed dark and sunken.

He was also 27 years old, only two years older then myself. Despite this, he always pretended to be much more sophisticated then he was.

Yet, it was just… so easy to get him to act like a child again.

It really didn’t take much.

Again I heard, “Nightingale!” followed by the sounds of him heavily breathing, trying to catch his breath while continuing to run, “Give me my shit back!”

I looked over my shoulder. Ubel was already sweating from the chase, but I’ve always had pretty good endurance. In truth, the other man looked rather pathetic. Despite how lanky the other was, he was never built for running. He was built for… Well, I don’t quite know. I haven’t talked much with the man, other then to buy drinks for myself, Grimalda, or any handsome thang that I wished to spend the night with. That was quite far from understanding the man’s interests… other then being a gods be damned creep to my best friend.

I would swing the sun medallion necklace between my fingers, yelling back, “You know damn well that this isn’t yours!” I snatched the necklace back in on myself, throwing it over my neck for safe keeping. The bag of money, I would throw into my stachal, hoping it would stay unjoustled in there.

I would quickly turn a corner, and out of the alleyway, ending up in Fountain square of our small village. This was the main hub of our village on the ocean coast of Sunray Province. From here you can get to the few businesses we had in the village, the houses, the tavern of course, the local temple of light, and it leads out of the village and into the farmlands. I lived within the farmlands, everyone in town knew that, but they didn’t know where. I wasn’t all too keen on Ubel knowing where me and Grimalda lived exactly, so I raced away from the business’s and towards the Temple of Light.

Now, I’m sure you’re all thinking, What is this idiot dark mage doing running towards the church that wants him dead? I know, not really the greatest idea, but looking above me there were millions of stars ablaze, and the moon in full view above said temple. The priest would be in her own home by now, as well as any bishops that attended the church.

I’d slam into the doors of the temple, trying to pull them open. If i can just get in here I might be safe- Shit!

The doors… the doors were fucking locked!

Who the fuck locks a church?! Aren’t they suppose to be a safe haven?

Ugh… I didn’t want to do this in front of Ubel.

I was a crime according to the church… but despite this, I didn’t have much fear of getting caught by the priest. It just wasn't going to look good when Ubel finds out I can do dark magic.

I pressed my hands hard against the doors, a black void beginning to spread from my hands and through the doors. Now, I pressed my entire body against it, pushing harder, feeling my physical body begin to go through the void.

I heard Ubel’s feet skid to a stop, he must have seen the scene, but I wouldn’t look back, I couldn’t. All I heard was a quite, “What the-”

My torso was through now, and I could see into the church. The marble pillars, the stained glass window, the oil paintings, the smell of lilies in the air…. The feeling of Ubel’s hand on my leg.

Shit.

I kicked and kicked and kicked.

The man had quite the grip though, but I held onto the side of the wall, kicking my leg at the other. Soon though, I felt his hands slide down, barely holding onto my shoe. I pulled my leg back, kicking one final and hard time.

My shoe flew off my foot, and would knock Ubel backwards. I took this opportunity to pull my leg back through as quickly as I could. The black Void closed up behind me, leaving me alone in the Temple of Light.

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