#cici is being a freak again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher · 3 years

Text

going bowling

this is a coming out story about teen Ciri, Geralt, and Jaskier. it’s super cute and there’s absolutely zero conflict.

tw: coming out, all fluff, no hurt/comfort, happy domestic family nonsense

---

Ciri watched Jarre make his slow, careful way over to her from the far edge of the catwalk, a space he hated to occupy at any given time because it was too high off the ground, Ciri, I have no idea why you like it up here so much.

“How’s it hangin’, pal?” she asked, glancing up from her script.

“I was wondering if -oh shit don’t look down- i-if you had a homecoming date? And if you didn’t… maybe I could be… your date?”

Ciri bit back a chuckle at his blushing, awkwardly put question. “I have to think about it, actually. I’m not sure if my parents are going to let me go to homecoming.”

“Let you go?”

“They’re kind of strict,” she shrugged. If I don’t want to go, Geralt has my back. He’d never make me do something I didn’t want to do; and not even Jarre would stand up to a Witcher.

“Oh. Well, let me know later?”

“Sure thing, dude.”

“Later, Ciri.”

Jarre wobbled back across the heavy-duty mesh floor of the theatre catwalk and scurried back down the metal staircase to solid ground. Ciri rolled her eyes and went back to memorizing her lines and cues.

---

“Hey! Riri!”

Ciri whipped around, nearly slamming into her best friend. The redhead grinned and elbowed her in the side and Ciri smiled back, “How was Geo?”

Cerys groaned, “Riiiiiriiiii. I don’t want to talk about it. I really don’t. Just let me drown my sorrows in chocolate milk and wilted lettuce.”

“Salad for lunch again?”

“Listen,” Cerys held up one hand imperiously, “I am going through a Caesar phase and I cannot be stopped.”

“I wasn’t about to be an idiot, Cici, don’t worry. I know nothing can stop you.”

“Oh! Speaking of idiots, I heard that Jarre asked you to the homecoming dance this morning.”

“Hey, don’t call people names,” Ciri frowned. “And he did.”

“What did you say!?”

“I said I had to ask my parents first,” she shrugged. “What does it matter to you?”

“Well first of all, you silly bitch, I am your best friend,” the redhead scoffed. Then she grew nervous, her face going even darker than her hair in a matter of seconds. “And maybe I… Maybe I wanted to ask you to the dance.”

“Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Are you asking me to the dance?” Ciri clarified. Cerys nodded, scuffing her toe against the base of her locker. “Well like I said, I have to talk to my Mom and Dads.”

“Jaskier won’t stop you from going,” Cerys huffed.

“No, but that’s because he thinks all dances are romantic. He watched too much Rodgers and Hammerstein in college.”

The two young women turned and headed for the lunchroom without another word, the matter seemingly settled for now.

---

“Hey Pops,” Ciri asked, setting her history textbook down on the counter and pulling out her highlighters. “I have a quick question for you.”

“What’s that?” Jaskier replied, glancing up from making dinner. Ciri kept her gaze fixed on her notes, trying to keep her voice and movements steady. She wasn’t going to freak out because this conversation was, especially for a family as unconventional as hers, no big deal in the long run. Still, it was kind of odd to admit something that already felt like a natural part of who she was.

“What if two people you really liked both asked you to the same dance?”

“Is this about homecoming?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, first of all, Geralt and Yen already agreed that you’re welcome to attend the dance with a date so long as you also go with other friends. Like a bunch of dates. A group date?”

“Yeah, a group date,” Ciri smirked, glancing up. Jaskier’s eyebrows were furrowed with concentration and his tongue was sticking out from between his teeth as he poured some milk into the steaming pan on the stove. “But what if you like both people the same amount?”

“Well, who asked you?”

“Jarre and Cerys.”

“And you don’t know which one to accept because you like them both?”

“Yeah.”

“First of all,” Jaskier continued to stir the pasta sauce, only lifting his gaze long enough to shoot his step-daughter a loving and comforting glance, “Thank you for trusting me enough to come to me with this question. Have you asked your Dad about it yet?”

“No,” Ciri shook her head, half-smiling again already. “It’s not that I don’t trust Dad, it’s just that- Well, he’s…”

“I know,” Jaskier laughed. “I understand completely, and I’m honored that you’d ask me first. Anyway, second of all, my question for you is: do you want to go to the dance?”

The teenager kicked her feet against the island and thought for a moment, pencil tapping against her chin and leaving a dull grey mark there. “Actually, no. I’d rather go bowling, if I’m being honest.”

“What are you two planning?” Geralt asked, coming around the corner from the mudroom.

“I’m skipping the homecoming dance and going bowling with Pops. Wanna come?”

“Sure,” Geralt smiled. “No dates?”

“Too many,” Ciri grimaced. “A boy and a girl asked me to the dance today during school but I just want to eat bad pizza and not wear high heels.”

Geralt ruffled her hair and set a Capri Sun on the counter next to her highlighters, a treat that she insisted was too childish but never seemed to turn down when they appeared. “That’s my girl!”

Ciri rolled her eyes fondly while her fathers kissed and unwrapped her little plastic straw.

He’ll always have my back, she reminded herself. All of them will.

#good parent geralt #geraskier #geralt is a good dad tm #coming out ficlet #ciri's coming out ficlet #geraskier domesticity #my dad was like 'please don't have sex in your car regardless' and that was valid of him #go off mark #bisexual ciri #no hurt/comfort #fluff #no angst #this is an angst free zone #ciri #modern au #modern witcher au

90 notes · View notes

writefightandflightclub · 2 years

Note

I just wanted to tell you I was written off sick last week with nothing to distract me and clawing at the walls near driving myself insane with boredom and ended up rereading your entire Santiago master list and just swooooon. Nobody writes him quite like you 😍💖💕💓💖💕 thank you for writing and giving me that little piece of joy. I appreciate and love you and your amazing talents

I freaking love you CiCi 🧡

I’m sorry to hear you’ve been sick, lovely. I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself, though the boredom sounds really shitty too 😢

I’m honestly touched that you would opt to spend that time reading through my lil fics. Like? I’m soft. I am SO happy if my writing could bring you some joy -even a little- and I can’t tell you how special that is.

And guess what? 😮 I actually have all of your Homecoming stories saved in my drafts to read next week (I will be on a lot of trains) 😂 I’ve been getting excited about finally having time to catch-up with them because quite frankly, I ADORE. YOUR. SANTI! (And your Frankie too but he can sit down for a sec while we talk about his man.).

CiCi, I’m not kidding when I say your Santi is basically canon in my head these days. If I’m being honest sometimes I can’t write my Santi too soon after reading yours because your Santi gets Under. My. Skin. and I need a damn minute.

Thank you for this lovely ask (and also I spotted your cheeky RB of Goner in 60 earlier, thank you for that also! Promise I’ll be sharing your stuff once I’ve got stuck in next week.)

In summary, you’re a sweetheart, and I appreciate your support and kind words so much. Thanks for always being so generous 🙏

(And next time / whenever you’re facing prolonged boredom -though I hope you don’t have to deal with that again soon- drop me a DM or ask and I’ll try and write you a lil bespoke Santi blurb to keep you company 🧡)

Take care of yourself, CiCi ☺️

#am I gushing?#I’m gushing #but it’s CiCi! 🧡😆#santiago pope garcia x reader

3 notes · View notes

realmonsterboyhours · 4 years

Note

how would the dons react if their s/o was taken hostage? whether it’s because they have personal business with the dons or s/o? and also s/o was a little roughed up as well. fee free to delete if this makes you uncomfortable.

The dons' s/o taken hostage / hurt to comfort

It does not make me uncomfortable <3 As a general note to anyone wondering, the only topic I'm not really willing to write about is anything specifically politically charged. It never hurts to ask! I've lived a long and terrible life, so I have plenty of experience. If you wanna ask for something that tends to be a bit "uncomfy" for other writers then that's fine! Feel free to ask, worst case is I just delete it.

Fun fact! I actually had a dream about the dons where I was in this exact situation! So some of the responses may be inspired from that

Tw: Kidnapping, taken hostage, death, talk of gore, talk of torture, generally a darker piece that I'll put below the cut!

Zhuk

When you went missing he went utterly nuts.

There's no way you would have just silently left all that you had here, there's no way his adored partner would have just taken off, and definitely not without a word.

In an instant he's rallying the other dons for a game plan to find you.

When they get the info they need on where you are you're gonna have to bet on this war-beast of a man. Because he's there to fuck shit up, and take names.

He's walking in calmly to the room your kept, with a smile, nodding to the others or his clones to "Escort my love back home".

When you're taken back home, and are safely away Zhuk is absolutely going to go nuts on whoever it was that took you.

Their cries will fall sickeningly silent quite literally under his feet, because he doesn't even deem them worth spending ammunition on, not when brute strength and a well placed boot do just as well.

When he comes home he's making you a strong drink, having you patched up, and he's spending the rest of the evening with you wrapped up in his arms.

He's doesn't remember the last time he cried, but he tonight. The thought of you hurting because of their business is almost enough for him to let you go, but he knows that ultimately you would be worse off without their protection and the idea of other problems you'd face would leave him feeling helpless. He'd spend the night swapping between comforting you with your favorite things, and silently crying while holding you tenderly so it doesn't hurt.

Gio

He is likely the most outright calm of the bunch when he finds you've gone missing.

He somehow always has a sense of where you are, he figures it's just because he loves you so much. Maybe it's a benefit of being some kind of eldritch horror monster.

Whichever it is, he doesn't feel the need to alert the others. That would only cause a massive panic. Not when he has it handled.

The perks of being a eldritch demon shapeshifter of sorts seem endless when sneaking into a warehouse full of opposing bad guys would be that its much easier to actually sneak in unannounced.

Whether it's turning himself to one of the captors, or straight up turning into shadows or smoke of some kind he's getting in that locked room and he's instantly teleporting you home with him with a snap of his fingers.

Though it's much less eventful than the other dons, that's because Gio likes to keep you out of his mafia business as much as possible. What you don't know is the terrifying swell of rage inside him where he's already sent in his clones to torture them for information.

He's going to patch you up himself. Whether it's him or the other dons, Gio is the one among them who is actually medically trained as much as Scarabee likes to tell you he's also trained medically sometimes balms and salves aren't a good enough replacement for a well thrown stitch or two.

He would ask you if you wanted to see the others, or if it was too much right now and just wanted him, or if you wanted to be alone. He would obviously respect your wishes, but if you were silent he would opt to take you to see the others and sit around with them all quietly in the smoking lounge.

You do notice, however, that he's not letting you go, even when he snaps at Scarabee for wanting to put some of his home-made remedies on your beautiful stitches!

He's spending the next few nights awake, keeping an eye out for you. You would have a clone personally assigned to you. Likely Cici who is arguably his most terrifying clone, but would be soft and gentle with you when ordered from the boss.

Scarabee

At first, he doesn't quite know you're missing. He has shadows all over the estate but he doesn't know until a clone reports you missing to him.

His dead heart drops to his stomach.

He's asking his patron God where you are, the answer is clear and exact. He knows in n instant exactly what us happening and he's taking off without a word.

If you thought Zhuk was bad. Oh boy.

His clones are all called out, they swarm the entire building and let me tell you, the noises you would hear are not for the faint of heart.

A group would retreat to your room where they may attempt to hold you hostage at gunpoint unless they all stop.

You're freaking out but Bee just gives you the sweetest smile and walks closer and closer. He can smell the fear and bluff in these guys' veins.

He's going to take you into his arms and he's gonna cover your ears and just do his best to get you out of the room

But you will never unfortunately forget the sight of a Naga Deity splitting his mouth open to literally eat the poor saps who threatened and hurt you.

Once you're home he's bringing you begrudgingly to Gio for medical care. As much as he knows his stuff would work, he knows everyone else would also be more comfortable with Gio's help.

He's still gonna put his own balms and salves on it once he's done though.

He's not letting you off his lap, he himself is going to smoke down a few more cigarettes than normal tonight, and any fleeting hope of sleeping that night or that week even for him is completely dashed away.

He's going to spend the night with you in his arms, in his bed, stroking your hair as gently as possible and promising to do better.

He would end up likely giving you a little snake bracelet or piece of jewelry of your choice that would tip him off to when things are wrong or where you are if need be. It would be the only comfort he would have for a while.

Cia

He's tipped off to your absence by a clone, or by you not showing up to his pub like you two had been planning for tonight.

He's leaving a clone to watch the pub, and he's frantically headed home to let the others know. He's going to take at very least Zhuk with him. He's not as personally fond of getting his hands bloodied up again as funny as that is coming from the don who literally runs a bare knuckle boxing ring.

His goal is to get in there, and get you the fuck out.

It's likely with their clones combined that it's a rather easy process. Especially with Zhuk as blood-lusty as he is looking when he's also told you're missing.

So when they find you it's a quick in and out. You're worried for Zhuk but Cia is just getting you into the car where he's gonna start on some basic wound care that he's experienced at somehow.

When Zhuk returns they take you home, bring you to Gio, and by then it's basically a family affair. The others would respect your wishes if you wanted to be alone with any one of them but they won't let you be entirely alone after that. Especially not Cia.

He's holding you in the smoking lounge, keeping you impossibly close, and he's nursing something himself that's strong and dark.

He'll offer to make you a drink as well if you want it to help take the edge off.

Once he gets you to sleep he's spending the whole night sleeping by your side with a couple clones posted up around to keep an eye on everything. Though his Chamie clone will absolutely try to sneak in some love for himself because he was scared of losing you extra.

Bajo

He's tipped off when he heads to your room or any of your normal spots and you're nowhere to be found. That's unlike you at all.

But something just doesn't feel right.

He sends out all his clones to try and find you. They end up finding clues for your abduction and they all report back. He'll send out all the clones to search high and low at every possible place.

He's letting the others know and before they can stop him he's off to find you as well.

When the dons all finally show up, taking care of everything is easy. That's the perks of having 5 demon lovers.

But when Bajo finds you it's dramatic. He's kissing the breath out of your lungs, he's trembling and nearly crying because the other dons may have had experience with similar, but this would be Bajo's first.

He's personally taking you back home, and having Gio patch you back up.

He gets whatever you need, water, helps you bathe, he runs drugs and getting you pain relief is no problem. He'll keep you pin free and loved.

The others know he's taking it hard so they let him have you for a while. He'll be selfish and keep you to himself for as long as the two of you need.

He'll be there to listen if you need to talk, or he'll be there to distract you if that is what you prefer.

From there on he's assigning you a clone for a while. Your favorite clone, and if need be, he'll swap them out so you at least don't get bored. But he has to make sure you're safe. He can't lose you.

It was his first ever run in with losing someone he truly loved, and he can't even begin to imagine losing you permanently. He knows he will eventually, but until then, he's gonna milk all the time and love from you he can.

#Hax HCs #The conglomerate #Zhuk #scarafaggio #Gio #Scarabee #ciaróg #Cia #Escarabajo #Bajo #hostage #kidnapping #death #gore #harder themes

27 notes · View notes

kyber-crystal · 4 years

Text

« ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ »

today is national fic authors appreciation day! in honor of this occasion, i present to you a list of some (out of many) of my favorite blogs!

go check them out! they're all so so so talented and i love them with my whole heart <3

(these blogs are in no particular order!)

« ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ »

@speechlessxx ok i’ve been reading her fics ever since i first got the app in late april, then started publishing in late may. diane is literally the sweetest person on earth and such a talented writer. like. her fics never fail to blow me away. she writes for chris + his characters as well as henry cavill ;))))

@marvelsswansong omg summer i love you !1!1!1! ok so she was my 5th or something follower and has basically been there for me since day one - when i was just beginning to build up my blog. she’s always been so so kind and supportive & i wouldn’t trade her for the world! i went nuts when i found out such a huge blog was following me. her aesthetic is so nice and her fics are so achingly beautiful asflasdf

@buckybarnesthehotshot MEME QUEEN HI. ok our conversations our whack af but i love you so so so much. guys tatiana provides literally the best memes ever and her social media au’s? *chefs kiss* honestly everything she writes is just amazing. ugh. she made my love for bucky expand 10000x more

@rynhaswritersblock guys everybody go show some love to one of my OG ibfs. i’ve known ryn since my days on wattpad and she is just the SWEETEST AND CUTEST PERSON EVER ISTG. her peter fics are all so so so adorable and really well-written and her aesthetic? to die for. GO CHECK HER OUT OR I’M SHOWING UP AT YALLS DOOR

@lilbabycee so when she followed me back I FREAKED OUT because you wrote one of my favorite fics of all time - envy. everything about this oneshot is just so perfect. FSLDFLDSFL i almost forgot i was reading a fic for a second - cece’s writing really makes you feel like you’re actually in the mcu. amazing.

@optimistic-dinosaur-nacho claire. hi. i love this girl. anyhoo i can’t even pick a favorite out of all the fics she’s posted because they’re all so amazing. i could go on for hours about how much i love her but we all know i’m gonna lose my voice if i do that. so long story short GO CHECK HER OUT BECAUSE SHE IS AMAZING

@angrybirdcr my tumblr momma! thank you for always being so nice to me no matter what and acting like my mama on here i appreciate you <33 y’all she is so underrated and deserves so much more love than she already gets. i’m genuinely shocked that she isn’t tumblr famous yet.

@cicicantblog UHM CICI IS LIKE THE BEST PERSON EVER?! AND WHY IS SHE NOT APPRECIATED ENOUGH? y’all better go give her a follow or at least read her works because they’re amazing. period. she deserves the entire UNIVERSE

@wxstedhexrt HI DESTINY I LOVE YOU okay GUYS YALL NEEEEED TO GO READ HER POEMS BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST SO SO SO SO BEAUTIFUL AND UGHHHHH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. you are my muse, love <3 KEEP DOING WHAT YOURE DOING I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU POST NEXT

@pies-writes-and-more once again i freaked out when i found out another big blog was following me! okay yall this gal right here is the amazingest (ik that’s not a word but who cares) person in the whole wide world and her steve fics are so soft i literally melt into a puddle whenever i read them. i aspire to be as talented as her someday

@iraot is new to the fandom but i can already tell she’s going places! i absolutely loved her first fic and i bet you all will too :) go give her a warm welcome!

@londonspidey is so incredibly talented. every single one of her fics i read are just so well-crafted and they never cease to amaze me. like all of these writers i’ve listed so far, i could go on and on and on about how much i appreciate her. you guys better go give her some love and drop a follow <33

@icyhollands is another underrated but CRAZY TALENTED blog. how does she not have like 2342340294 followers???? YALL BETTER GO CHECK HER OUT TOO UHM FOSDFOHSDFOSODFODFO

ok i would list like a million different people but i don’t think i can even do that. but from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR DOING WHAT YOU DO I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU SO MUCH

everyone, make sure to check out all these awesome blogs! they’re all super duper awesome and deserve all the love!!!

« ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ »

#fanfic writer appreciation #I LOVE YOU GUYS

31 notes · View notes

mysweetestcreature · 5 years

Text

Tomorrow Never Knows (President!Harry) Chapter 9: The Fool

(Banner by the wonderful noblewomankat!)

***

Masterlist

***

Friday, November 14, 2008

“Will you go to the winter formal with me?”

Her mouth remains agape, eyes staring intensely ahead. At her sides, her fingers pinch roughly at the hem of her apron, so much that the skin between her fingers turns an angry shade of red. She doesn’t think she has the brain power to comprehend the events as they’ve unfolded before her. It rings through her ears, and yet it’s like she can’t hear it, almost like she refuses to. If someone had told her that she’d be in this position earlier this morning, she would’ve argued the ridiculousness of such a thing.

“Y/n?” Jasper chuckles nervously, he shifts his weight from one leg to the other. Scanning the room, the rest of the students, much like himself, are awaiting her response. “Uh...” he stutters, inching just a little closer for a bit privacy. “Are you...are you okay? Do you need to sit down or...”

“No!” the voice within her shouts to its very limits. “Formal?” she finally chokes out. This is wrong, so very and woefully wrong. She could vomit just about now, the contents of her stomach threatening to claw their way up into her mouth. The burn of acidity is already prevalent on the back of her tongue and leaves a bitter taste in its wake.

Jasper offers a dubious nod, the stem of the rose see-sawing in his grasp. The usual sweet smell of its petals only makes her feel more nauseous. He pokes the inside of his cheek “What do you say?”

A part of her wishes Cici had never told her about Harry, at least she wouldn’t feel as sick as she does now. She knows that she shouldn’t feel this way, but it’s just one of those things that test her anxieties like no other. “I,” she starts, she becomes aware of the ridiculing eyes that surround them. Being the center of attention, at least in this way, has never been something she’s ever wanted for herself. It’s like she’s an attraction at a fair, and all they want is for her to pull some sort of trick or do something spectacular. Oh god. She can feel it rising up her esophagus. Her chest feels restricted as air bubbles begin to collect at the back of her throat. It escapes from her lips before she’s had time to think it over. “I need to pee.”

“You–” but Jasper thankfully chooses not to repeat the statement. “Oh, um...” he pulls his beanie further down his ears. “I’ll just wait for you here then.”

“Yeah. Alright.” Y/n squeaks. At first, she slowly backs away as she unties the back of her apron. It’s only until she’s successfully placed it on the counter that she breaks for the door.

***

All the worry that had consumed him earlier has now faded away, and in its place rests the jitters of excitement that boil in his blood and bounce in his leg. They had won the debate, and the high of their success has only driven his confidence further. Actually, he hadn’t even been there to receive news of their triumph firsthand. He’d momentarily escaped the auditorium to run across the street to a flower shop he’d immediately spotted when they’d arrived. Although he knows Y/n isn’t one to expect gifts, he didn’t want to turn up empty handed. He’s been waiting so long for this, and he’d be damned if he didn’t properly prepare.

As he holds the bouquet gently in his lap, he doesn’t try to hide the corny smile that dances across his lips. The person who had sold him the flowers had been this kind elderly lady whose eyes glimmered fondly as she spoke to her plants as though they could understand the world.

“They can read people, you know,” she says, cradling a New England aster at the sepal. “The best listeners, too. Won’t talk back to you but will give you any answer you need.”

Harry looks over his shoulder for anyone else but finds himself to be the only person within close proximity. She must be talking to him. “What kind of answers?” he dares to ask.

The elderly woman smirks to herself as she wanders through her store like a stranger without a destination. She runs the tips of her fingers through the aisles, brushing over the leaves and petals of various arrangements. “Ah,” she delights, stopping in her tracks and extending an ear out to listen. A moment of silence passes them, and slowly do the apples of her cheeks round. He watches her carefully, thinking she could potentially fade into mist if he were to look away. What kind of flower shop is this?

“This,” she says sternly. “This is the one you’re looking for.”

Of course, he’s completely perplexed but astounded all at once. He walks over, his mouth falling ajar as the pinkish-purple petals come into view.

“She’s a lucky girl,” she tells him, looking him directly in the eyes for the first time. “Love is such a beautiful thing, wouldn’t you say?”

Harry bites down on his tongue, hands slipping into the pockets of his cardigan. The topic has always brought out the shyness in him. “I mean, I’ve only just...” but he finds himself pausing to reflect. They haven’t known each other for long, but she’s already forged a solid position in his life, as dreadfully cheesy as it sounds, he’ll admit. Her image pops into his head, and just that makes him blush. “It is.”

“Purple lilacs,” she hums out like a melody. Plucking one from its pot and handing it to him. “Symbolize early love, young love, if you will.” He studies its character, twirling it between his pointer and thumb. “They’re beautiful. Really, they are...but I was thinking something along the lines of a ro–”

“No, no.” she shakes her head, already starting to gather a bunch together. “This is the one for her.”

“Honestly, it’s about time,” Maxxie huffs, slouching in his seat as their van merges onto the highway. “Not to be dramatic, but I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for this to happen.”

“I’ve only known you for two months,” Harry raises an eyebrow, but can’t help but laugh.

“Your point?” the blonde counters, running his hands through his long bangs and pushing them to the side. “Two months? Fifteen years? Time is but a number, my friend. And besides,” he gives Harry a knowing look, “there’s no way she’s going to be able to turn you down.”

Dimples dress his cheeks as he looks back down into his lap. “You really think so?”

***

“I’m freaking out!” Y/n screams in a harsh whisper into her phone. It’s been at least ten minutes since she’d sprinted out of the kitchen. She’d passed three restrooms until settling on one on the third floor of the building.

“Well, what did you say to him?” Cici presses from the other end. Currently, she’s sitting in in her history class, Mr. Bartolome (Harry’s unmotivated homeroom teacher) watching over the class while Mr. Noone is out sick (although, everyone knows he’s at his timeshare in Vegas).

Y/n bangs the back of her head against the stall door, hand covering her eyes as to shield herself from this unforgiving reality. “I didn’t say anything! I made up some excuse and ran out.”

“Hmm,” her friend tuts, “he probably thinks you have explosive diarrhea, but that’s probably for the best in this case. Hopefully he’ll think you’re contagious!”

“You’re a riot,” Y/n sighs. Pushing her sleeve up from her wrist, she squints at the time on her watch. Class ends in three minutes, which only means she has that much longer to figure everything out.

If she were to have it her way, she would go with Harry in a heartbeat. It’s all she’s been able to think about all day, and all she wants when the day comes. No questions asked. But the problem is that he hasn’t asked her yet, and now Jasper has. She hasn’t even seen him since last night! Had he changed his mind? The thought alone makes her queasy, especially considering how troubled she feels over everything. “What am I going to do?”

***

As soon as their van parks right outside the main doors, Harry all but darts out. While the trip had only been about half an hour, it felt far too long with how eager he is. Maxxie calls from behind him, wishing all the best of luck because finally actions are about to be taken.

The first thing he does is check the Home Economics room since he knows she can get wrapped up in whatever project she’s set her heart on. He loves that about her, how she pours so much passion into her baking and comes up with the innovative combinations of flavors and designs. Just last week he’d seen the designs for this Winter Wonderland-themed cake that she has planned for the holidays (which he thinks would bring Duff Goldman’s work to shame, but he’s quite bias when it comes to her).

When he peeks his head in the window on the door, he finds the entire room empty with only dirty cupcake pans left abandoned in the sink. He backs away, thinking to himself where he might be able to find her.

Before he can make another move, he’s hit square in the back with the door. “Oh my goodness! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there!”

As he rubs the base of his spine, he looks up to see a young woman with black hair pulled tightly in a bun, probably no more than thirty. He recognizes her from the all the times he’s spent watching Y/n bake. What’s her name again? “Miss Ginevra?” he tests out the name.

She smiles and nods back. “That’s me! Now what on earth are you doing standing here? Are you trying to crack a skull? I can’t imagine your coach being too pleased with that.”

“I was actually coming to look for Y/n,” he admits sheepishly, and he slightly raises the lilacs in his right hand for her to see. He doesn’t notice the way the corners of Miss Ginevra’s lips slightly tug down. “Do you have any idea where I can find her?”

***

“There you are!” he says slightly out of breath, but elation still evident in his tone. He fixes himself, adjusting his tie and pushing his hair away from his eyes. The bouquet remains hidden behind him, but he’s just itching to finally give it to her. She flickers him a gaze for just a moment before shuffling books from her backpack to her locker and vice versa. He pushes down the apprehension before it can bother him, coolly leaning on the locker beside hers as he waits to steal her attention. “I was just on my way to the cafeteria to look for you.”

“Well, you found me,” she says weakly.

“I’m so glad I did.”

She doesn’t look up, and now he starts to worry. Usually a line like that would earn him at least a giggle or a roll of the eyes, but it’s like she’s trying her best not to look at him. Had he done something? Nothing in the last day, surely! Last night things had gone so well (minus another interruption, complements of Jeremy), and he hadn’t seen her at all today until right now.

“Hey,” he says, placing a hand on the small of her back. “Everything alright?” And just like that she isn’t able to remain aloof any longer. “Harry, I–” but she cuts herself off when she sees the bottom of the stems sticking out from behind him. “Are those...are those for me?”

“Huh? Oh!” He holds the bouquet between them, encouraging her to take them. “They’re purple lilacs.”

“I know,” she smiles sadly as she accepts them, even though she feels like she shouldn’t. “They’re my favorite flower.”

He smiles widely. “That’s a relief,” Harry breathes out, rubbing the back of his neck. “They came highly recommended by the florist. Glad I listened her.” (Someone needs to remind him to visit that shop to say, ‘thank you’.) A light laugh sounds from his mouth, and it only makes Y/n feel worse because she wishes she could allow the butterflies in her stomach to flutter free. Instead, they’re caged up, and the key is being withheld.

“Y/n, I need to ask you–”

“Harry, there’s something you should–”

Both take a brief pause.

Just as Y/n is about try again and speak up, Harry beats her to it. “Wait! Me first, yeah? I’m scared if I don’t, I never will,” he asks of her. “I was going to do this last night, but then your dad came in and then I’m sure Mason did something at some point...but anyway,” he shakes his head, but continues to grin. “Y/n, will you be my date to the–”

“Jasper asked me this morning,” she blurts out. She watches with heartache as his expression falters. His eyes have always been so expressive, and now more than ever do they radiate such melancholy. “And I said yes.”

“Oh,” he breathes out, averting his eyes. The rest of his back hits the cool metal surface and he stuffs both hands in his pockets. He stares ahead without focus or intent. If he’d been feeling confident earlier, now it’s like he’s fallen hard from grace.

She chews on her bottom lip as he maintains a silence so deafening that she feels she could scream.

“Say something,” she pleads.

But there’s nothing he can say. Not without sounding like a complete arse, at least. He wants to act like a toddler and throw a tantrum because he’s just had enough of all this. The one time he’s able to follow through, it’s already too late. He’s angry at Jasper for being such a dick for existing.

He’s upset with her because they’re constantly out of step with one another. Most of all, he’s just frustrated with himself for not having done something sooner.

With much convincing from his brain, he faces her. He looks her in the eyes, smiles and nods. “I hope you like the flowers.” And with that, he turns and walks the other way.

***

Sometimes Y/n wishes things could be different.

There have been so many instances in the last few months where she would have liked to have been bolder. Or maybe she wishes she didn’t feel so deeply for someone that fate refuses to let her have. Because she’s almost certain that this has to be some sort of sign. How many times are they going to have to live this narrative before they get it right?

“These are so pretty! Are they yours?” She looks up to see her Liv standing at her bedroom door, the purple lilacs in her hands. When she’d arrived home from school, she had left them on the kitchen counter, not wanting to look at them and remember the way he had just turned his back on her. The sight of it causes a burn behind her eyes, but she’s already so tired from having been here before. He didn’t even allow her a chance to explain, and that’s probably what hurts the most.

“They’re from Harry,” she replies lifelessly, falling back into her pillows. She hugs one closely to her chest. “He asked me to formal.”

Suddenly, she feels a weight bounce onto her bed that lifts her body from the mattress for a split second. “Did he really?” her mother exclaims, shaking her by the hip. “Honey, that’s great! Does this mean we’re going to go dress shopping? You know, I was at Bloomingdales the other day, and I saw this beautiful white gown that I know would look perfect on you!”

“That’s great, Mom,” Y/n says. “I’ll let Jasper know to coordinate.”

“Jasper? I thought you said Harry asked you?”

She breathes out heavily. “I really don’t want to talk about it, if it’s all the same to you.”

Liv moves and lays down next to her. Sliding her Blackberry out of her pocket, she holds it above her face. “When you’re ready, I’ll be right here. I’ve over a dozen emails that need responding, so take your time.”

Hearing the tapping of the keys as Liv types away only makes Y/n feel more anxious about everything.

Click.

Click. Click.

It’s like she’s ticking timebomb, and all that’s left is for something to trigger her to blow her top.

“Alright, fine. I’ll tell you.”

***

Monday, November 17, 2008

It feels a lot like the first day of school where he had sat in his mum’s SUV and watched as the students swarmed into the building like running water. He remembers it clearly, that warm September breeze had hit him just right as he had stepped out of the car. And of course, almost immediately after had this girl with a pink and grey scrunchie knocked into him, then ran up the stairs before he could even blink. Then first class of the year, who’s sat next to him? Yes, things had seemed much simpler that day. Harry more than wishes he could go back and do things differently every day after.

“Try not to think about it too much, yeah?” Anne tells him as she rubs his arm. “Don’t let this ruin your friendship.”

“Yeah,” he says curtly. He leans over and kisses her on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.” He leaves it at that, not wanting to say anything more in fear that he’ll relive that heartbreak he’d felt that entire rest of the day. Because after he’d left her at their lockers, he’d gone about every motion with such numbness that he can’t even remember how he’d gotten home. He’d woken up Saturday morning feeling as unmotivated as Mr. Bartolome, and as a consequence had stayed up until the early hours of this morning trying to complete all of his assignments.

When his feet land on the concrete, a triad of honks sounds from behind him. He turns around to see Jeremy’s car pull up behind Anne’s.

“Harry!” the older man greets as he waves his hand out the window. Beside him, Y/n sits with her eyes lowered, not wanting to look up.

“Uh...hey, Mr. Y/l/n. How’re you doing?” he tries his best to make conversation.

Jeremy steps out of the car and goes to shake his hand. “Great, great!” he says happily. “I’m so glad I caught you,” he continues, then looks over Harry’s shoulder. “Is that your mom?” Not even waiting for a confirmation he strides past him.

It leaves Harry and Y/n with the misfortune of having to avoid the other’s gaze, only a windshield protecting them from further hurting the other.

***

#president!harry #harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #one direction #one direction fanfiction #one direction preferences #writing

121 notes · View notes

wolfytae-exe · 6 months

Text

ugh messy sex with beomgyu.

multiple rounds of him slamming into your soaked cunt, messy with mixed arousal, your thighs wet with cum, all shiny and red at how long you’ve been going at it. Legs over his shoulder while he absolutely ruins you, voice deep and husky while he slut shames you in his satori. He sounds so mean, like he means everything he says about your cunt being loose now that he’s ruined you, his cum is everywhere, your face, hair, chest, legs, arms and hands. He has you covered head to toe in his semen and yet you continue to beg, wanting nothing more than just a bit more cum, you just wanna feel him spurt cum inside you, fill you full, the feeling of his cock jumping when it releases has you over the edge, balls deep he stays pressed into you while you clench and milk him.

you guys im having brainrot.

#cici is being a freak again #txt smut #txt hard hours #txt #kpop smut #cici is rambling again #beomgyu smut #beomgyu hard thoughts #beomgyu hard hours

587 notes · View notes

necroticblonde-a · 4 years

Note

Experience; Favourite Position; Hair (To expose Ake!) / Motivation; Location; Volume (For Cici!)

(♡)

E - He’s very experienced. He’s an absolute horndog of a demon who takes the form of an attractive, wealthy young man so you know he’s going to be getting ass often. Even pre-beheading when he was younger, he was getting it in all over the place. In main canon, Akephalos is infamous among his demonic peers for his absurd libido and his sexcapades.

F - I don’t imagine he’s too picky. Uhhhh. Here are some links to diagrams, click at your own risk: with an AMAB partner, with an AFAB partner. I intended to include oral sex positions but there are only so many diagrams that don’t totally veer into pornographic territory. Just know that any form of pleasuring his partner with his mouth is also a favorite.

H - Akephalos likes to keep things tidy but he doesn’t completely shave. If anything, he just trims his pubic hair. He doesn’t like the clean-shaven look on his genitals but he likes for things to look neat. He’s also got a bit of happy trail leading downwards so. . .stay on the path 😳. And yes, the carpet does match the drapes.

- - - - - -

M - Depending on her partner, either a sudden physical act of submission or dominance. A partner getting on their knees, hugging her hips, and resting their head against her abdomen is a big one. Another is her partner slipping a hand up her dress or skirt and touching her panties or garters kills her on the spot. Even a partner just suddenly being like “You wanna fool around?” or something to a similar effect is a turn on.

L - Cici has a history of getting it on with people in questionable places: graveyards, alleyways behind rollerskating rinks, truckstop bathrooms, beneath bridges, etc.. I’ve yet to figure out if it’s something she goes out of her way to do because she’s a freak or if it just happens. It wouldn’t surprise me if she’d do it again though.

V - She’s actually not that loud, surprisingly. She’ll whimper, pant, and mewl but she’s never been particularly loud. Her reactions to stimulation are more physical than verbal: digging her heels into the mattress, dragging her nails down her partner’s back, gripping onto their hair, clothes, or the bed sheets.

#serpentinebrutality #//Thankies! I stan you!!//#NS/FW #♞ Canons #♚ Canons #♡ asks

1 note · View note

cloudchaserandflitterexplain · 4 years

Text

Cloudchaser and Flitter Explain: Top 10 Friends Forever Cards

But you said—

Hi everypony! Are you ready for the next set to drop? Because Cici and I sure are!

When Cici isn’t freaking out about what deck to run for continentals, that is.

I’m not freaking out. I’m deliberately taking my time analyzing my choices so I can pick the deck that’ll let me win continentals this year.

Got it narrowed down yet?

...No.

That’s our Cici, always worrying until the last possible moment.

But anyway, as much as I’d love to tease Cici about her deck, we just don’t have the time! Leaders and Legends is right around the corner, and we’ve not given you all our top 10 lists for Friends Forever yet.

So let’s get right to it! Cici?

Oh, right!

What do you call a Pegasus wearing a—

I said we have no time for jokes, Cici! I mean what’s your first card?

Oh, okay.

So I wasn’t ever sure when we’d get to this, so I’d been kind of updating my list throughout the year. And, uh, there have definitely been a lot of changes… And not just because of the Banlist. My original #1, for example, is much lower…

But the actual ten cards haven’t changed much. They honestly weren’t that hard to figure out.

Well, top 11 if you count Old Money. But banned cards don’t really count anymore…

Anyway, my top 10 card is Lacking Lesson Plans

Huh. WIth how much you’d been ranting and raving about that card when the set first came out, I’d have thought it’d be much higher.

Well it was! Originally, anyway.

The fact that it let so many Manes flip through Tempest seemed great at first. I was looking forward to breaking in some new Manes and see what they could do!

But in practice, it’s not really enough. Tempest’s opening Grubber: Minion play can still slow them down enough to where they’re not flipping early, or still deny req, or what have you. So it’s really only helpful for the absolute most aggressive confront to flip Manes.

I just wanted more, you know?

If you don’t think it does enough, why’s it on your list, then?

Huh? No, it’s amazing.

I basically include it in all my decks nowadays!

But you said—

While, yeah, it doesn’t really enable many more confront to Flip Manes, it’s still incredibly valuable for decks that confront a lot, just because being able to ignore Troublemakers is really good.

It’s basically to the point where as long as strong Troublemaker control decks are in the meta, you basically have to run 2 of these!

It’s a problem the game’s needed for awhile now, and it’s great to see it in action. So yeah, not as high as I originally thought, but still an easy number 10.

So unlike silly old Cici, I had a lot more trouble narrowing down my top 10 cards! There’s so many fun arts and flavour texts and I love the set for that!

But on the other hoof, there weren’t actually a lot of silly fun build around cards in the set. So there’s not a lot of those my list.

But that’s okay, because the art is just so fun and I love it, hehe. And let’s start with Skipping Class!

Uhh, what’s fun about that?

Oh come on, Cici. It’s six best friends just hanging out together and having fun in the sun, relaxing without a care in the world.

So ditching school is something you endorse then?

Well, no…

But it’s still nice seeing them enjoying each other’s company. It’s very relaxing!

It was a tough call between this and another similar art, but I just had to go with this in the end. Paving the way for a new generation!

Which other card?

I can’t tell you that, Cici! These are top ten lists, not top eleven lists!

There’s no harm in mentioning your runner ups, though.

Top. Ten.

Okay, okay, sheesh.

Moving on, my number 9 will likely surprise no pony for being on this list: The Fire of Friendship.

Oooh, that’s a good one!

The Fire of Friendship lives in our hands! As long as it’s there, we foil Grubber’s plans!

Uhh, yeah, actually. Basically exactly that.

When Tempest fist hit the scene, she was infamous for locking ponies out of Entry thanks to Grubber frequently showing up turn 1. Now there’s a card that helps fight that, thanks to Fire of Friendship, being Entry that protects your entire hand.

It even works against other discard effects like Rarity: Soprano and can work with your own discard synergies like Tank: Burrower.

Not costs, though. If you want to exhaust Apple Bloom: Re-Markable to reduce the cost of a card, you can still discard Fire of Friendship to do it, but you can’t put it into play. Since costs can’t be replaced.

Sure, but that’s not the worst thing ever.

It’s still incredibly versatile while still being helpful Entry that does double duty for protecting your hand.

It does only provide 2 req unlike Singing Barrel and Motivational Speech, which is a notable downside. But if you build your deck accounting for that, it shouldn’t be a major issue.

So, yeah. Good card. Goes in a lot of decks. Highly recommend it.

It’s my number nine.

Or is it five or seven?

Kettle Corn’s so cute!

What was that all about.

Silly Cloudchaser!

Everypony else get it.

Check her cutie mark.

Okay...

Anyway, Kettle Corn is just absolutely precious! The haikus, the circles, the combinations of the two. She’s also one of Rumble’s new friends! What’s not to love?

I suppose she’s not bad entry either. Not amazing, but, you know. Respectable.

Whatever makes you recognize she’s amazing!

...That it?

That’s it! Kettle Corn’s just fun is all!

Uhh, guess I’ll move on, then?

So these next three are all pretty similar cards. Just a bit different in application each. But they’re all on the list for the same reason, more or less.

I was originally going to put them all as a tie, but Flitter said my list had to be exactly ten cards...

Top. Ten. It’s not that hard, Cici!

So here we are with Daring Do: Crafty Collector as my number 7.

Did you know A.K. Yearling was secretly Daring Do this whole time? I was so surprised!

Nah, it was definitely obvious. I knew all along.

Hehe, sure you did Cici.

I did!

Anyway, Daring Do is… kind of nuts. The amount of AT value she can provide you is just incredibly high. An AT every time you can confront with her, and saving an AT every time you need to move her to a problem.

Which, if you confront that turn, gets you the AT you spent on moving her right back.

The only reason she’s the lowest of these three is because if you can’t confront with her, due to eccentric or a TM or whatever, she’s not doing much for you. You can’t just exhaust her for AT like most other common AT gens. So she definitely has the worst floor...

But when she’s at full capacity, she’s just fantastic, and definitely worth a slot on the list.

So, to properly introduce the next card on my list, we’ll need an expert on fashion.

Gee, where could we find one of those in this town?

Well, Cici, you’re in luck! Since, as everypony knows, I happen to be a fashion expert!

You are?

Of course I am, Cici! That’s why you always see me in this bow! It’s the absolute pinnacle of fashionably cute.

...I genuinely have no idea if you’re making this up or not.

So, as a pony who knows all things fashionable, I am proud to present to you my next card, Rarity: Shine on the Inside.

...Another Eccentric 1 entry?

Yup! Quite the coincidence, don’t you think?

No. I’m pretty sure you’re doing this just to mess with me.

An added bonus!

But no, I just really like the art they got for these cards!

Plus, you’ve gotta admit Rarity looks fantastic with a three colour mane. And she just rocks that jacket!

If you say so…

I do say so! Your turn!

Hold on, let me just brace myself for the oncoming onslaught.

Onslaught?

You’ll see.

So, uh, my next card is, uh, us.

Eeeeeeeee!

Hug. Too. Tight.

Just look at how adorable we were back then! And that flavour text is so us! Right down to you being moody about not coming in first place, hehe.

I don’t get moody…

Yeah, just like that!

Anyway, uh, this card is pretty good.

Eh, who am I kidding. We’re amazing.

And you’re not just saying that cause it’s us, are you?

Nope. I looked at every card in the set and decided this legitimately deserved to be included. It’d have the same position even if it were Gyro on the art.

You shouldn’t joke about that, Cici. He’s been complaining again lately he still only has one card...

But yeah, this is basically everything I wanted in a Blue Yellow card! Saving AT, giving extra power to confront, 1 play reqriement so you can play it early with Trading Traditions. What more could a girl want?

It’s even an Immediate ability, allowing you to combo with Hasty Friends, or even just exhaust on the opponent’s turn to avoid a single problem faceoff. It’s just a great card!

That being said, unlike Daring Do and the next card, this doesn’t actually give you AT. If you don’t have Friends to play, you’re not getting as much value as you’d like.

But on the other hoof, you can get value out of us basically every turn so long as you can play Friends. Unlike Daring Do, who needs a free problem. And it’s in a colour combination that kind of needed it more. So despite not giving actual AT, I think overall we’re the better card.

So it gets your stamp of approval?

Absolutely!

Know what gets my stamp of approval?

Uhhh, cakes?

Uh, sure, but not what I was getting at?

Pancakes?

Are you hungry Cici?

A little.

Anyway, what I was trying to get at is that Sorry Stamp gets my stamp of approval!

Didn’t we just talk about that the other day?

Sure did! Aren’t you sorry I didn’t stamp your forehead back then?

This better not go where I think it’s going.

I wouldn’t dream of it!

Anyway, despite the sad nature of the stamp itself, this art just makes me smile! It’s just kind of ridiculous going around with a stamp like that on your head, you know?

Plus, just look at Princess Twilight’s face! It’s just wonderful!

Shouldn’t you, you know, be sad that she’s sad or something?

Well, I am! A little bit. Twilight is genuinely very sorry about the situation she found herself in...

But the whole thing is also pretty ridiculous, so it makes me smile a little too. And I think a card that can evoke both emotions at once is pretty amazing, don’t you?

Sure, I guess.

Well, I like it a lot, and that’s good enough for my list.

Yeah, for sure. Your list is your list.

As for my list, well, I’m sure everypony’s already guessed my number 6 card based on what I’ve said in my picks for the 7 and 8 spots. Starlight Glimmer Guidance Counselor.

Which is honestly kind of surprising. At first, ponies thought she was only going to be so-so since there were already a ton of good AT generator options out there, like Princess Twilight Sparkle: Cover to Cover. Plus she costs 3, which means it takes a long time for her to pay for herself.

But in practice, she’s definitely proven to be an absolute all star.

I think you mean an “All Starlight”, Cici!

Sure...

So, to explain why people weren’t that excited about her at first… In the Seaquestria and Beyond Meta, ponies had the mentality that 5-6 AT generators was usually enough. More than that and you were diluting your deck with too many AT gens and not enough other cards that do other things.

Turns out, uhhh, that was just plain wrong. And in the Friends Forever Meta, we’ve seen decks with 8, 12, and even 18 AT generators! And almost every one of those decks was running Starlight here.

So what changed? Well I’ll get to one of those reasons later in the list, but the other thing is just there are so many good AT gens now, that running as many as you can just means you can have a tremendous advantage over your opponent.

I mean, which pony’s more likely to win? The one getting 3 AT a turn or the one getting 9?

Probably the one getting 9, yeah… You can’t catch up if you’re doing only a third of what the opponent’s doing.

Basically, yeah. Once you’re generating at least 2 more AT than the opponent, chances are you’re a mile ahead. At 3, it’d take a miracle for the opponent to beat you.

Anything past that and you’ve basically already won the game, regardless of what the scores are.

Unless it’s 14-0! Then they might still have a chance! Hehe.

Okay, in the vast majority of circumstances.

Anyway, Glimmer is incredibly key in these strategies for two reasons. First is her 1 req, allowing her to be played early even without flipping your Mane. So you can get her out turn 2 and start getting an influx of AT ASAP.

Second, turns out that 3 power is really helpful. Like Filly Racers, you get the benefit of a lot of power to confront in addition to increasing your AT economy. This has actually sped up a lot of slower Purple strategies. Cover to Cover’s 0 power doesn’t help confront, but Glimmer absolute does.

Also, being mono-coloured means she’s a lot easier to play than Filly Racers or Daring Do, giving her that much more utility. And, well, that goes a long way towards making it on my list, really.

So would you say she guides people to victory?

Hey, yeah! I get that one.

Hehe. Way to go Cici! Rah rah!

“Rah rah?”

Cici, Cici, she’s our Mare! Her deck will take Continentals unawares.

Why thank you!

Though I’m not sure it will. I mean, Nothing I’m considering is really that out of the ordinary…

Wait… you’re doing something weird to set up the next card, aren’t you?

Is it that weird for me to be my besty’s cheer squad?

...No? But I can’t shake this feeling...

Maybe I should wear a mask of you at Continentals like Rainbow Dash’s Parents in Cheering Section?

Please don’t…

But look at them! They’re so happy! Giving their daughter their full support, 110%! 220% even!

That makes even less than 110%.

Don’t be silly, Cici. There’s two of them, so of course it’s 220%.

You might even say it’s 20%—

Don’t.

Spoilsport.

But no, seriously, I love seeing Rainbow’s parent so into supporting her. It’s all sorts of heartwarming, and just fun! Such an easy inclusion for my list, hehe.

Yeah… I guess that would be nice.

Oh no, Cici. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.

No, no. It’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just miss them sometimes, you know?

Of course.

But now’s no time to worry about that. We’ve got our top 10 lists to complete, and I’m finally done with the AT gens.

And next up’s an absolute juggernaut! Daybreaker: Blinding Light!

Oooh, she’s a fun one, yeah.

I’m not sure I like the idea of Princess Celestia going evil at all...

But it’s just pretend, so it’s okay, right?

I’m sure no matter what happens, Celestia’d never turn her back on us.

But anyway, this card is just fantastic.

While you don’t get as many points from a single faceoff as you would from a Night Glider: Overpowering, you also don’t need to win by any threshold. Plus she works in any faceoff, meaning she can score you points off of Troublemakers, or any other faceoff she finds herself in.

And of course, she brings a lot more power to those faceoffs, due to her extra base power and extra point of Competitive. 6 is a lot of power for a 3 cost Friend.

She does cost more, though, and, again, gives fewer points. So there are definitely reasons to use Night Glider over her.

But all in all, she’s different enough to be a great option for different kinds of decks. And a very solid number 5 pick for me.

My number 5 pick also also very competitive.

Huh, really? You tend to pick build arounds or just flavourful stuff.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s the most competitive card in the set?

Heh, we’ll see about that.

I mean, just look at the fierce competition going on in Smolder & Sandbar: Pillow FIght!

I… should have seen this coming.

Probably.

But just look at how much fun they’re having! Whap! Pow! Hehehehe.

Hey Cici! Think fast!

Gah!

You almost hit me.

Well, yeah! That is the point of a pillow fight, silly.

Great reflexes, though.

Thanks! We’ve been training a lot lately, and—

Ow.

You shouldn’t close your eyes in a pillow fight, silly!

Oh it’s on now, Flitter! Come here!

Don’t you have a list to finish?

Oh, right. I guess I’ll have to get you later.

I look forward to it.

So this next one, when she was spoiled, I could have sworn was going to be the top of my list. She seemed insane, and exactly what the game needed. And, well, she is. Mage Meadowbrook: Pillar of Healing is the answer a lot of decks were looking for.

Which is why it’s a shame she’s only number 4.

Which isn’t to say she’s not as good as I thought. It’s just, well, other cards wound up being a bit better than I expected. Cause Meadowbrook is absolutely insane.

There are a ton of great Resources out there right now. And Troublemakers have basically always been a problem for aggro decks. It’s kind of what they’re for. And while there have been a few cards that can deal with one or the other before, there’s never been one that deals with both.

And definitely not one that just deals with them all. Unless the opponent has a Desert Road, Meadowbrook just answers everything, no questions asked. And she even comes with a 3 power body to help you confront that turn. She’s amazing.

Plus, just look at that action pose!

Resources and Troublemakers beware, Mage Meadowbrook is coming for you!

Now she is a bit expensive, and she’s not all that great against decks that don’t rely on resources or TMs, so not every deck’s going to want her. But if you’re in Yellow, you should definitely consider her. Nopony does what she does nearly as effectively.

She may not be an all star, but what she does do, she excels at.

Well your number 4 may be a specialist, but mine’s a generalist: Ocellus: Master of Disguise.

She does a little bit of everything!

Sure, but why’s that fun?

Cause mix and matching abilities is just super fun! And you get a different combo of abilities every time, or at least in a different order, hehe.

Agile and Swift and Showy and Dilligent and Eccentric. There’s a lot of fun possibilities!

Kind of disappointed Purple’s is just Meticulous cause it doesn’t really synergize with the other 5 as well, but it’s not bad, I guess.

Plus they brought Transform back just for her and Silverstream! That’s one of my favourite mechanics!

Yeah, it’s not bad.

and for maximum fun, just stick an Alicorn Costume on her. Then she’s automatically fully enabled!

So long as you don’t put any resources on anypony else, of course.

Since when do you suggest not putting resources on Friends?

Not every silly strategy works with every other silly Strategy, Cici.

Alternatively, you could just put all the hats on Ocellus. That way you won’t have a problem!

Uh huh. No way that could go wrong.

Are you doubting the power of my hats, Cici?

Anyway, moving on to the top 3. And, considering how good my top 4 card was, you know the rest have got to be pretty amazing. Pony of Shadows: Pure Darkness is no exception.

The sheer raw value you get out of this card is insane. That’s 1 AT for a Friend. 1! By passing all colour req and everything. And it doesn’t even matter who beats the Pony of Shadows.

Sure, it does need to be beaten, but if you build your deck right, that’s not too hard. And if the opponent beats it, they only get 1 point while you get what’s likely to be an incredibly powerful Friend.

Now I’ve seen some ponies try and use this to put some of the 5 cost tri-colour alicorns into play…

Like me! I’ve done that!

...but it’s honestly not really worth it. They tend to be difficult to play if ever drawn, and usually you don’t have a guarantee you’ll even hit one.

The better way to use it, honestly, is to just include a bunch of medium-cost friends that you’re okay with drawing or with playing for free. This way you’re happy if you draw them or if you get them off of Pony of Shadows.

Farming decks particularly get a lot of usage from this as they can defeat it, then put a large friend into play at another problem with an epic and have a good chance at beating that too. Plus farm decks don’t tend to run all that many friends, so you increase the odds of getting what you want.

I’ve even seen some farm decks run exactly one kind of friend to guarantee hitting it. The results can be a bit scary.

I like using Purple effects like Scope Things Out to stack my deck so I know what Friend I’m getting!

Yeah, that’s not a bad plan either. Though usually you don’t have to. It’s just handy.

Anyway, give it a try. It seriously does a lot more than you might think at first glance. And you probably think it does a lot. I’ve seriously been incredibly impressed with how good it is.

My number three pick is also great value at 1 AT! Rockhoof: Pillar of Strength

Want to guess how many coutners I’ve put on him, Cici?

Nah. I’m going to guess some big number and you’re just going to top it with some ludicrously large number like eighty trillion or something.

Oh, Cici. You always think so small.

Eighty trillion is a lot!

Sure, but we got him to eighty trillion and one

...You’re kidding me.

Of course, that’s when we were just doing silly things to see how big we could get him, hehe. And we kinda just started rounding once it got too big, hehe.

In a normal match, I think it was maybe 100 or so?

That’s still way bigger than you need…

Well, yeah, Cici! That’s what makes him so fun! Rockhoof just refuses to not be the biggest pony around, it’s great!

But what’s even better than just growing Rockhoof yourself is dueling Rockhoofs! You have one at 2 power and have your opponent have one at 3 power and they’ll never stop trying to best each other. It’s great!

“I’m the biggest pony around!” “No, I’m the biggest pony!” hehehe.

Are you quite done?

Yup! I have more power than you, so I’m not growing anymore this turn.

Wah?

Just go, Cici!

So I think a lot of ponies underestimated this next card at first. A couple other cards did a pretty similar thing, and so it was a lot easier to dismiss.

But then ponies started using it and found out, wow, it was absolutely the real deal. And now School Shut Down is a staple in basically any Purple control deck.

So the cards it was being compared too, obviously, were Party of One and Applejack: Captain of the Seven Seas, being the previous board wipes. Each of which was, and still is, very good, but left you with something, while School Shut Down does not.

But the thing is, it gets rid of everything. Nothing stays behind, short of Persistent Friends. Not even discard piles! And that can matter a lot too. It’s definitely not as great as Party of One if your only goal is to get rid of Friends. But that’s not its only purpose.

It’s almost like different cards can have different strengths and weaknesses!

Heh, yeah, exactly.

Being in the colour that gains lots of AT certainly helps as well. Especially in the current meta with basically all the AT Gens. It may be more Expensive than Party of One, but that’s not always a factor when you’re getting extra AT.

And I guess that’s it. It’s a board wipe. It gets rid of everything. That’s all you need to be a super strong card, really.

Well, we’re at the third and last card on my list because it’s just pure fun: Silverstream: Fish out of Water!

Nopony else in the game does what she does, hehe.

Huh. I wouldn’t have even begun to assume that Silverstream would have made your list, let alone as your number 2. She seems kind of… tame.

Are you kidding? Silverstream is insane!

With the right deck, she’s an invitation to put whatever problem you want into play! Or even all of them!

Please tell me you didn’t put all 20 problems at once.

Oh, Cloudchaser. Still thinking so, so small.

We worked together to put all 116 problems in play at once!

116?

Yup! 3 copies each of all sixteen dilemmas for each player. Plus both players 10 problems, of course. That makes 116!

It was the biggest multi problem faceoff ever!

Whatever makes you happy, I guess.

Of course, that’s not the best thing you can do with Silverstream. But I’ll tell you about dismissing problems and uniqueness later, hehe. It’s a whole lot of nonsense.

Wha?

Basically, Sivlerstream lets you do a lot of fun and silly things that couldn’t be done before. And, well, Cici, you may not know this… but I just love fun and silly things!

I think I may have heard that once or twice.

Cici, you made a joke! I’m so proud of you!

Gah! No hugs while we’re doing top 10 lists!

All the hugs while we’re doing top 10 lists!

So we’re finally at my last card and, uh... yeah. All of you probably guessed it’s Mistmane: Pillar of Beauty.

Now, I wasn’t sure she was all that great at first, but the fact she does four different things across two abilities is what makes her absolutely insane. Four. That’s a lot of things for one card to do, and they’re all notable.

Sure, she’s primarily used for her ability to get you a card back while also getting you a point, but that’s only half of what she can do. She also can get herself out from the discard pile while filling it with stuff you might want to get back. Not to mention also filling the opponent’s discard pile.

This makes it incredibly difficult to get rid of her short of banishing her.

Most of you are also probably aware of the fact that being Unique lets you use two of them to just score a point for every 3 AT you spend. Having 2 in play means one is dsimissed immediately due to Uniqueness, and then can be gotten back thanks to her Trigger.

Then, since you’re back where you started just with 3 less AT and 1 more point, you can do it again. And again. And again.

Put simply, she is a finisher, and very effective at it in this meta of a million AT gens. 3 AT per point is kind of expensive, but if you can stall the game long enough to be able to do it 8 or 10 times in one turn, the cost begins to not matter much anymore.

How often does that happen? Seems unlikely.

More often than you’d think or I’d like…

Now she does come with the drawback of letting the opponent get a card back as well, but…

It usually doesn’t matter. Ponies tend not to play Mistmane if the opponent can get something important back, unless they don’t care. It’s mostly meaningless. Kind of disappointing, really.

Long story short, she is incredibly versatile while also being exceptionally good at a single thing, which isn’t a combination you see very frequently. She’s trivially the best card in the set, even more so than Old Money, who got banned.

Which isn’t to say I think she should necessarily be banned…

But I wouldn’t mind it.

Cici!

I just don’t find her very fun to play against.

But that’s just me. I’ve actually heard a lot of ponies talking about wanting to ban her... But I don’t think it’s necessary. At least not yet since rotation is right around the corner. Which isn’t something we need to get into today.

We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess. And it’s not like every powerful card needs to be something I like specifically or anything.

Different cards appeal to different ponies.

Exactly! Part of what makes a card game great.

I do hope she’s being watched for the possibility of banning, if only because a lot of ponies think it might be necessary. But I doubt it’ll need to happen any time soon.

And that’s my whole list. Lots of powerful stuff this time around. Mostly good stuff too.

Well, my last card’s one we don’t even need to talk about…

Wah?

...Since Cici already did that for me!

Look! it’s us again!

Heh, yeah, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

It’s always nice seeing us on a card, and this one’s particularly nice.

Plus we’re just so gosh darn cute! Filly us is the best!

Shame I was wearing the bow that day and not you. That was back when we were taking turns, remember?

Flitterrrrrrr.

But yeah, I don’t really have much more to say that I didn’t already say when Cici talked about us! We’re adorable, we work great together, and we’re the perfect team. Always!

Always and always.

So, that’s our lists! Now if you’ll excuse us, Cloudchaser’s got a lot of freaking out to do now that there’s nothing else to do between now and Contientals.

I do not freak ou—

Gah, Continentals is like 2 days away and I have so much playtesting I need to do! Why did I let you waste so much time trying to teach me how to tell dumb jokes? I’ve got to go now! Later Flits.

That’s our Cloudchaser, hehe.

Bye everypony! See you all at Continetals!

#cloudchaser and flitter explain #cloudchaser #flitter #mlp fim #mlpccg

3 notes · View notes

royal-despair · 6 years

Photo

You watch the scene pass by you. A once daunting sunset is now a beautiful sunrise. The ship passes above you, feeling almost like a huge whale in the sky.. The pods start to rumble, struggling to find a good landing spot. It gives a warning, saying something along the lines of "Potentially rough landing imminent. Please tighten your safety buckles. The pods land, and thankfully everything was safe. And everyone was together. You all exit the pods, and stare off. The ship is the only thing blocking your view.

Sketches and color done by @allyssinian, lineart by @talentlessartblog Epilogue illustration (final image) done by qosic on tumblr and twitter x x

Final words written by their muns; @guitarasaurus-rex , @shslchemicalx, @lucitous, @jullya-senpai, @tsoi-sauce

T a k u m a M i t s u k u r i

“Y-you're the only thing r-really keeping me going..."

"I... I don't want... I can't lose you... I-I love you... Please don't leave me alone..."

Tears stained his face. His stomach contorted violently, twisting and turning, anxiety flooding his being. Was this the end? Was it a new beginning? It didn’t matter to him. Not now. In time, maybe. But now? Now all he felt was despair, sadness… anger…

He’d need time. Time to recover, time to compose himself, time to… move on? could he move on? Would he ever? He didn’t know. He wouldn’t know for a while.

...Chiyo dedicated her life to saving this earth… this broken, distorted earth… Broken and distorted… just like him… He wouldn’t recover quickly, and it was almost certain the wounds he’d received would never fully heal… but… when the pain eased… he would do everything he could to realize her dream. He couldn’t let her efforts be for nought. He’d fix this broken planet, piece by piece… And when it was all over? He’d maintain it... do his best to bring peace to everyone… And then he’d see Chiyo again… He’d tell her he loved her… And they could be together.

All that would come… He’d make sure it did… But, for now, he just grieved.

D m i t r i C i e r z o n

"...." Everyone was being emotionally wrecked, and here he was, not emotionally wrecked. He really was different, it seemed. Even though everything was both a lie and a truth.

How.... Strange.

He walked over to Leon, sliding his hand into the Dollmaker's own. Calluses... Not from fighting, it seemed. But these were the same hands that had supported him on the ship, even though he had lied again and again, and made questionable decisions one after another.

... This, at least, was real. Even if he couldn't trust anything else, he could trust at least this -- them.

L e o n h a r d V o g e l

Leon blinks and glances down to see Dmitri holding his hand in his, staring out at the wreckage from where they had been mere minutes ago. He parts his lips to say something, though he can't find the words. He had trusted Dmitri, trusted his judgement, and it had all worked out. Maybe not as smoothly as they had all hoped, but they're here. They're here and alive.

With no words to say, his lips slide shut along with his eyelashes. He presses a kiss to his forehead. Hopefully that will express his feelings well enough. He had always found it strange how emotions could be expressed so easily for him through touch. He wanted to convey his affection, his relief, but most of all? His hope for the future.

The end of one story is the beginning of another, and he sincerely hopes they can turn this bittersweet moment into something beautiful. After a few moments, he pulls away and turns his head to look back at the horizon. Not at the airship, but beyond. To the trees and skyline, the chittering birds overhead. It would be up to them to maintain this beautiful world, and he can't say he's too ready for it, unknowing of what that may entail , but he finds himself eager to begin.

R u n a K n i g h t l y

‘What do we do now?’

"..." Runa... leans her head on Seojun's shoulder, she watches the light of the sun through the filter of the smoke. "...Who's to say... maybe find other people, rehabilitate back into the world's current society... I just," She lifts her head, "I just want to stay close to everyone for the time being..."

J o s e f i n a D e B e l a s c o

Fina stared at the scene in front of her. It was all so intense. So surreal. They made it out. All the people they lost. All the truths they gained. It all came to her in a wave of emotions. So much was going through her head right now. She sat down on the ground and let out a long sigh. "Oh fuck... We actually did it. We made it."

S e o j u n T s o i

Fifty days. They were trapped for fifty days on the airship known as the Queen Rose, with the conditions of being involved in a horrendous killing game. Blood, sweat, and tears were shed almost every single day. There was an atrocious amount of despondency throughout the entire “trip” they had gone through together. As the blaring alarms were ringing in his head even now, Seojun found himself recollecting everything that had happened for him. Not just in those fifty days, no. What happened overall in the seventy six days that he had been trapped in his two killing games. What had happened in the past two and a half months for him was an absolute nightmare.

Day one. He woke up in the anteroom with seventeen students other than himself, and he found himself forced into a killing game under the treacherous duo of Gekumi and Torimi. From the first week in, he found something that was quite odd: Gekumi seemed to take more of the hate, but Torimi seemed to take more of the power instead. It was something that the supposed Internet Troll had found to be quite the oddity. Weren’t they working together? He didn’t say anything about it, however. He had to keep himself together. He had to. Everyone around him was panicking like wild animals, so he couldn’t be seen doing the same. He had to be that one guiding light to everyone.

Day six. That’s when he witnessed his first execution. Karou was torn apart viciously, and Seojun had to see their demise firsthand. It was absolutely dreadful, but he had to keep going. And so, he did. The second murder passed, as did the second execution. He would soon find out about his loved ones being captive, about Ae-Joung being captive. Seojun initially freaked out; he had freaked out when he saw his “sister” inside those bondages of rope, and the blindfold over her eyes. She was scared of the dark, and in a way, so was he. He was afraid of the darkness surrounding him, but he had to stay strong, and keep smiling. He had to be that one guiding light to Ayaka.

Ayaka.

”C’mon, Junie! Think positive. Things are going to be okay, alright? Trust me, I promise.”

She seemed to be just like his sister. His sister, who had saved his life from his own hands. The sixteen year old girl wasn’t one he fell in love with, but she was someone that he had grown to wanting to protect. He had wanted to protect her, because someone just like her had done the same for him. At least, that’s what he remembered. The girl was innocent, and he wanted to protect someone that felt like a sister to him. She was so, so devastated when Karou died. When Karou was the one who had taken the knife, and stabbed Varian in the back. She was so devastated, and the girl with the round glasses had went to Seojun for comfort. Seojun ended up doing the worst thing imaginable though, and he witnessed Antonio killing another poor, innocent girl named Hitomi Kurusaki. Instead of dying himself, he took it upon his own hands to strike...and he killed the man.

Day twenty six. That’s when the trial of Antonio de Sabatini and Hitomi Kurusaki occured. That’s when everyone managed to pin it on Raphael Bernard, the Super High School Level Archer. That’s when everyone managed to get it wrong, and vote for the wrong person. That’s when Seojun Tsoi had managed to get away with murder, much to his dismay. He...He didn’t want to see Ayaka with that look of betrayal on her face. He didn’t want to see her getting executed horrifically, but here he was, forced to watch all of his shipmates die in gruesome, grotesque fashions. The sickly green gecko bot was controlled by someone amongst his rankings, but because he had killed another person, Seojun would never know who went through the same fate that he had gone through. He’d never know who the second mastermind really was.

Day twenty seven. That’s when he woke up in the anteroom for a second time, much to his dismay. This time, there were eighteen others around him. Eigteen people who didn’t know what the hell was going on, or why they were here. Seojun knew, though - he knew exactly why they were here, and he knew exactly why he was here. He was here to scounge out for the mastermind, who was amongst all of them. One of these eighteen students was the mastermind behind his own killing game, and it was his mission to find out who it was. However, as he went along, things steered into different directions. There was the day where he made his friendship with Leon a thing. There was the day where he roasted Manobu alongside Dmitri, with Raiden at their side too. There was the day where he promised to keep Izaya safe, there was the day where he decided to help Cici feel like the princess she always wanted to be. There was the day of theTruth or Dare game. There was the day of the King’s Game. There was the day where he fell in love with Runa Knightly. Every day made up this path; every day led up to this moment.

Then, they reached to today. Day seventy six. The day where they discovered who Sanae Oshiro’s daughter, and heiress of the company behind the purifying machines really was. The day where they found out that Chiyo Oshiro was the mastermind and first degree murderer of tens, hell, hundreds of people. Maybe even thousands, if you count those outside of killing games. This was the day where they achieved something that she despised, that the rest of the world didn’t see could happen. This was the day where they would restore a concept to planet Earth as they knew it. As Seojun turned to the five before him, he found himself embracing the tears that were streaking down his cheeks, and looking onto everyone before him.

Josefina de Belasco. The tallest person on the ship, but regardless, she was simply a gentle giant that had hopes for the future. She was innocent, but not pure-hearted either. She was timid at times as well, and even more so humbling, but nevertheless, she never backed down in her beliefs. She put her heart into everything she did, and only wanted the best for everyone else.

Takuma Mitsukuri. A man who was in shambles, broken down, and beaten with despair. A man who made himself out to be someone that was slightly confident, but more or less snarky. A man that was more than meets the eye. Seojun knew he didn’t get along with him at first, but as they were trapped with each other for quite a few days, he had grown to see that he was almost like him, in a way. He wanted to protect, and he wanted to feel validated by those around him.

Dmitri Cierzon. Cool, mysterious, aloof at times even. Hardly did he ever see the man lash out at anyone around him with a raised voice. Sure, he may have stabbed a man, but he believed it was for the better, with morals or not. He was blunt, but he was honest. He was an honest man, and even then, he was underestimated. Pastry Chef, Spy...whatever he may have been by now, he was still Dmitri. A boy who loved headpats, sweets, and kicking ass.

Leonhard Vogel. He stepped up to the plate when no one else would. He spoke up when everyone else stayed silent. He did his best to protect everyone around him, despite his conditions, despite his mental state. He put a lot of people before his own needs, and he just wanted to make everyone happy. He was a damaged man, but he was not broken, and Seojun knew that this man could heal with time, with people by his side. He would consider him to be one of his closest friends.

Then, there was Runa Knightly. She was his sunshine, as he was her Hairpins. If there was one promise he was able to keep, it’s that he was able to protect her. He was able to protect her, throughout all of this madness and despair. He was able to protect this beautiful girl, someone who wasn’t perfect, but still magnificent in her own ways. She wants to improve on herself. She is determined, and doesn’t give up, no matter what the price may pay for her. The blonde truly loved this woman, inside and out.

Seojun Tsoi faced everyone once again, and silently, a smile came to his lips. “...Regardless...we did it, huh? We...made it out.” He looks overhead, to meet his gaze with the bright and radiant sun shining over the horizon. “...We’re...going to start a changing process. This isn’t...the end, that I can tell. This is only the beginning of something new. A new future, not just for us...for us all. We’re finally going to have it. We’re going to unlock something that should’ve been given a long, long time ago.” As the blonde took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, he found the word that he had wished to utter for so long. They finally have it now.

“Freedom.”

#fanganronpa #killing game rolplay #danganronpa rp #dr oc #shsl internet troll #shsl wedding planner #shsl pastry chef #shsl dollmaker #SHSL accoustic guitarist #shsl writer #art #official art #writing #epilogue

48 notes · View notes

hyyunjinn · 6 years

Text

I swear if I forgot someone, and I feel like I am because I’m so bad at keeping track of things, I’m gonna go scream. ALSO: all those tags and mentions I’ve been tagged in, I swear I saw them but it was usually when I’m in the middle of doing something and I didn’t want to reblog aND THEN I JUST LOST THE TAG so I’m sorry ; - ;

But uh, I. Reached. 3K. Followers. On this blog a while ago actually I’m just that lazy of a person and I never do anything on time. And I just wanted to say thank you so much for supporting me and screaming about Stray Kids daily? I haven’t been feeling the greatest emotionally which is why this might turn into a rant—but I just want to use my emotional energy for something good and that’s saying thank you! This is the first time a community has shown so much interest in my work and supporting it and I really, really can’t say how much I appreciate you all. I’ve been creating content for a while now, but it just never got the support I hoped for and,,, idk—just the fact that you guys like this blog just makes me so happy. And it’s not just the gifs: the gfx and writing that I post are the ones I care more about and I’ve gotten so many positive comments on it ahhhhhhh I want to hug each and everyone of you.

I know I don’t respond that well and those who tried to talk to me are probably disappointed by how I keep up a conversation but aklsfjasf I want to use this an appreciation post for all the wonderful people I met because of Stray Kids. Also, I want to say that, I’ve tried to talk and support you guys all—even if I don’t follow you, I lurk your blog and stuff—it’s just wow, we’re getting really big and I feel bad not being able to interact with everyone BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT ALL OF YOU ARE SO AMAZING AND WONDERFUL AND YOU WORTH MORE THAN YOU BELIEVE YOU DO. I think it’s easier for me to talk about random stuff on kakaotalk so uhhh, if you wanna shoot me a message my id is cicikookie!

And just to my followers in general: thank you so much for sticking around haha. I see a lot of regular usernames and lurk sometimes haha so ;)) Thank you ♡

Thank you again for being so supportive and I love interacting with all of you: LET’S SUPPORT STRAY KIDS TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME!

So, I guess I’ll start with the personalized messages:

@changlix Wow Lexi, you were my first friend in this fandom anD IDK WHAT IT WAS THAT MADE ME DROP MY USERNAME TO YOU BUT AKLSJFALSF LOL I’M SO GLAD WE’RE FRIENDS because everyone loves you and you’re amazing and I love your blog and everything and alskdfjaslfd you’re really crazy but I love you and ahHhHhhh. I know you’re busy with life, but whenever we talk even for like 2 messages at a time, I love it so much. ESPECIALLY WHEN WE WERE THROWING SHADE AT EACH OTHER EARLY ON. I still. Can’t believe. yOUR PROFILE PICTURE IS STILL HYUNJIN ON TWT WYD GIRL. And you calling me a hoe—wow, I keep that close to my heart. HAHA BUT ALL JOKES ASIDE, I appreciate you so much for being the inclusive self that you are and keep being amazing. Okay, I’ll admit: when you told me to “take care of your man properly or i’m coming for him cici” I THINK THAT’S THE REASON I’M STILL LOYAL TO HIM OR I WOULD’VE SWERVED AGES AGO. Thanks Lexi, you’re best ;) altho how could you come for him when i am taking care of him, traitor

@manny27lei I’m adding you here but I don’t even wanna write you anything hAH. YOU DON’T EVEN TALK ABOUT SK. MAKE A SIDEBLOG AND I MIGHT

jk ily thanks for listening to me cry everyday and laskfdjasf it’s crazy how we met because of sk but it’s not even because of sk, it’s because of svt whoops

@seungminty yOU’RE STILL MY FAVE SEUNGMIN STAN AND YOU FOREVER WILL BE. ULT SEUNGMIN STAN. And ofc vocal line enthusiast. Thank you for being you and asklfdjasldf goodness, sometimes I worry that you’re being too hard on yourself MAR ILY AND THE GC LOVES YOU AND BE CONFIDENT! YOU’RE AMAZING AND A TIIINY BIT OF YOURSELF GOTTA FLAUNT IT. You keep the chat going and ahhHhhH I don’t even know how much I want to say the fact that I appreciate you so much. Thank you thank you thank you ♡ random confession: you make me really soft because you’re so soft and i just wanna hug you until everything goes well for you

@princeminho ASFKLJASLFD MAHI! MY CEREAL BUDDY! I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WERE A actually, the fact that he was your icon should’ve told me bUT WHAT. MINHO STAN SINCE DAY ONE? WHY DID IT TAKE YOU SO LONG TO ADMIT IT AHAHHAHAHAH I’M STILL SO SHOOK. You’re so lowkey about your love for him and I feel and it’s really cute and lksadfjalsd FAVE MINHO STAN BC I DON’T FEEL LIKE I NEED TO FIGHT YOU UNLIKE SOMEONE/ Thank you for just hanging around and taking our shit and just being you—I love talking to you so much, you’re so amazing and ♡♡♡♡♡

@9traykids I give up. You can have Minho. You save me every time you send in Hyunjin photos and I cannot appreciate you enough hAH THEY’RE SO CUTE AND I JUST START SPAZZING OUT AND ALSFJDASDF that one photo where you badly edited with “i ♡ cici” I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THAT AHHHHH. stop making me cry ; - ; I love talking to you and you’re so randomly funny and laskdfjasf THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU ILY ♡♡♡♡♡

@seungchanie HI YOU AMAZING PERSON I LOVE YOU SOSOSOOSOSO MUCH YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW. I’m not quite even sure how we met but it’s like one of those friendships where it feels like it’s been forever because, everything is just a blur but there are good moments, you know what I mean? Vale, I love you so much—you’re so cute and friendly and whenever we talk, I get so excited because you’re so excited and hehe aHHHHHHHH LEMME JUST HUG YOU. You’re always there and yOUR CONTENT. I LOVE YOUR CUTE LITTLE FANARTS AND THAT 3RACHA SCIFI AU WTF I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR YOUR AMAZINGNESS. You have a really simplistic style and I love it so much mwah

@hyunjinh laksdjf hi jas!! oKAY CAN I JUST SAY YOU’RE PROBABLY MY TUMBLR CRUSH BUT LIKE, WE TALKED BEFORE BUT I STILL DON’T ASLKDFJASD IDK YOU’RE REALLY COOL AND I REALLY LIKE TALKING TO YOU but idk how to keep a convo going and ahHhhHh LOWKEY BLUSHING BC I REALLY LIKE YOU HAHAH you’re really amazing and I love your blog and I hope we can become better friends hehe.

@straykidzz OKAY TBH IDEK WHEN OR HOW BUT THE FACT THAT WE NEVER HAD LIKE, A PROPER CONVERSATION and yet we act like good friends is aslkdfjasldf—maybe it’s a mutual thing hehe aHHH MANDA ILYSM AND JUST SEEING YOU ON MY DASH MAKES ME SO HAPPY. Or maybe it’s the fact that you’ve been here as long as me heheh. I hope we get to know each other better and skajflasdf W A H ♡♡♡♡♡♡ TAKE MY HEARTS

@chanbng Fishy, you. are SO AMAZING — we never seem to be on the chat at the same time but you’re so sweet and lasdfjasdlf wow i’m highkey crushin haha AHHHHHHHI JUST WANNA SAY I LOVE YOUR WORK SO MUCH AND THANKS FOR BEING YOU and i hope we get to talk more heheh

@aussieline KLASDFJALKSDF YA BIBI WE NEVER ACTUALLY HAD A REAL CONVERSATION BUT JUST, THIS MUTUAL THING WE GOT GOING ON? ILYSM YOU ARE SO AMAZING AND YOUR ARTWORK ALWAYS MAKES ME SMILE AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH we gotta talk more omg but thank you for providing my dark life with cute fanart and cute tags, you’re adorable

@jeongin-ie sup smol softie ilySM WE GOTTA START CHATTING FOR REAL OR SMTH YO which means i should be the one who sends the message but laskdfjsadf i su k but i also want to be better friends with you ; - ; hit me up with your kkt thO THEN WE CAN CHAT PLSPSPSLSPSL i hate chatting on tumblr lmao CJ, YOUR WORK IS AMAZING AND YOUR BLOG IS CUTE AND YOU’RE CUTE thanks for being you :)

@strgaykids Okay. I SAW YOUR 3K POST THING AND YOU ARE SO PRETTY I NEARLY FELL OFF MY CHAIR CONGRATS ON HITTING THE MILESTONE TOO! You make the fandom so much more fun and I love the shitposts you have TBH, I REALLY HOPE WE GET TO BECOME FRIENDS OR SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU SEEM, I was gonna say chill, but maybe lit? but that doesn’t really make anysense—tHE POINT IS: hiimciciandihopewe’lltalklaterinthefuturehehebyegottablast

@spearbin asklfjdsaldf pffffffft Camille right? YOU ARE SO TALENTED AND I JUST, LOVE YOU AS A PERSON AND SEEING YOU SPAZZ OUT IN THE TAGS IS SO CUTE and i have a highkey tumblr crush on you but like, we’ve interacted before and >///< AHHHH HIHIHI I REALLY WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BUT I’M SUPER AWKAWRD I HIGHKEY HOPE YOU DON’T SEE THIS BUT YOU PROBABLY WILL AND PFFFFFT I’LL JUST, LEAVE NOW

@chanskitty AHHHHH DIAN HOW ARE YOU?????? I know we don’t talk as much anymore but — ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ You’re so amazing and chill and ahhhhhhhh. You are taking care of yourself right? Getting sleep? I HOPE WE GET TO TALK MORE SOON ♡ I’LL SEND A MESSAGE OR SMTH tag you in something????/// :DD

@realstraykids Did you know it took me a couple of weeks (or was it days) after following you to realize that your url is the same handle as Stray Kids’ official ig name alskfdjasdf I FACEPALMED MYSELF SO HARD LMAO — also hold on, I didn’t know you’re minho bIASED AH YESSSSSSSSSS Em. I really hope we get to know each other better beCAUSE YOU’RE SO COOL AND I LOVE YOUR EDITS SO MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH They’re really different but a good kind of different and tell me your ways of sitting in front of a computer screen and masking each frame of a moving object hOW I HATE DOING THAT

@stray-k1ds hOLy cow I don’t think i actually know your name—is it Tiffany? I THINK WE FORGOT TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES—I’m Cici! AND I LOVE TALKING TO YOU YOU’RE SO CUTE AND LASKFJAAKD I love your cute little scenarios and all that and keep up the good work!!!!!!! I HOPE WE CAN BECOME BETTER FRIENDS AY

@jeongn pfft Nicolle, you actually haVEN’T DONE ANYTHING IN A WHILE THAT MADE ME WANT TO BLOCK YOU AHAHHALSFKJASLDF i still can’t get that image of tired chan and his accent coming out whAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME you can be so cool and so fREAKING TALENTED I CAN’T BELIEVE SOMEONE LIKE YOU FOLLOWS M E. I love the times we do actually talk, so! :))) I hope we become better friends ayyYyyyyYYY

@stray4419 hehehehehe i know we just started talking but Chi, you are so kindhearted and i’ve said it twice and i’ll say it again: thank you so so so much for personally offering me a shoulder to cry on haha. You have no idea how touched I was and I really can’t thank you enough. LET’S MEET UP SOMETIME AND CRY ABOUT STRAY KIDS TOGETHER YO AHHHHHHHHH

@woojinskids eASILY YOU’RE MY FAVE WOOJIN STAN M. YOU’RE SO SOFT FOR HIM AND READING YOUR TAGS FOR HIM IS SO CUTE I actually fall in love with him even more every time you talk about him aahahh I know we don’t talk as much but I really love seeing you around ♡

@chxngbins NehaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I MISS TALKING TO YOUUUUUUU and your old username not gonna lie alskdfjasdf whoops but AHHH YOU’RE SO CUTE and smart wow and asldfkjsdf I wish I was as levelheaded as you pFFT. You are so amazing and smol and i associate you with that picture of namjoon eating pizza lmao BUT AHHHH KEEP BEING YOU ILYSM

@felixsfreckles I WAS LOOKING THROUGH MY FOLLOWING LIST AND ASLKDFJASLDFK WTF I CAN’T BELIEVE I WASN’T FOLLOWING YOU THE ENTIRE TIME i feel so bad omg i’m sorry—actually hold on, are you not a felix stan anymore wH A T. but alskfa hiiiiii thanks for being amazing!!!!!!!! idk, you’re like one of those mutuals that, I’m sorta comfortable knowing that you exist? because you are so nice and we’ve been on here for so long kinda thing haha ♡

@bunny-minsungie asfjkdhsda I KNOW OUR CHAT IS PRETTY MUCH ALL BUSINESS SOUNDING/RELATED NOW BUT I JUST WANNA TAKE THE TIME TO SAY THANK YOU FOR BEING AMAZING and doing so much ; - ; Now that I think about it, we don’t even talk about anything else noooooooo but I really appreciate you Lys ♡ and that demon!hyunjin au is seriously taking over me omf

@bbang-channie Dude Leah, you are so cool omg—you’re so inviting and fun to talk to and AHHHHH I REALLY HOPE WE GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER BECAUSE LKSDJAFLSDF FROM THE SHORT TIME WE’VE TALKED VIA GCs, I love it ; - ; UGH I FEEL SO BAD FOR NOT KNOWING WHAT ELSE TO SAY BUT!!! I APPRECIATE YOU BUDDY!!

@seoracha I KNOW YOU’RE NOT EVEN HERE ANYMORE but i just wanna say you the craziest triple biaser i’ve met probably the only triple biaser i know and honestly idek how your brain works but lmao miri you’re so cool ily

@utlwoojisung @kim-squishmin @doublekn0t @chanyeolsidepiece @vallkyr @hi-hello32 @sparklingthoughtss @straykidding @indiepoptime @f3lix-lee @ultchris @maaatryoshka @straykidsstan @softlix OKOK I KNOW WE’VE TALKED BEFORE/ARE MESSAGING/SOMEHOW INTERACTED AND YOU SEEM COOL but alksdfsd like, I don’t know you guys as well bUT I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU ALL TOO AND I HOPE WE CAN GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER! :))

Ummmm, here are people that I follow and don’t really know but uhhhh ihopewegettotalkonedayahahiwantmorefriendsandyouguysseemreallycooltotalktoahhh @jicue @chans97 @cosychans @lees-minho @leefelixs @chngbins @changbinsplushie @starrykids @softstraykids @sprearb @stray-keeds-in-yo @straykeeds @hyuunjins @bvian @straybros @straykidsmp3 @straykiz @straybabies @stkids @1straykids @felixeslee @jeonginie @jeongin @str4y-kids @bchanies @changbln

#THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN A MILLION TIMES OVER ; - ;#cici's stray thoughts #milestone

152 notes · View notes

calliopesquill · 6 years

Text

A Year in the Life: Chapter 13

It's new chapter time! Thanks for stick with me as I continue Miguel and Nell's adventures. There's more excitement coming!

Thanks again to my betas for proof-reading the chapter and for correcting my Spanish!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 13: Due Process

Marigold Grand Central Station was, to put it lightly, a complete zoo. The entire complex was overflowing with skeletons, dressed in everything from jeans and tee-shirts, to Victorian dresses and suits with massive hats. Somehow seeing all of this in daylight felt so much more incongruent, both more and less real at the same time. Skeletons at night on Día de los Muertos made perfect sense. Seeing skeletons in the middle of the day felt just a little weird, even after a morning with the Riveras. Apparently they felt much the same way about Nell. For the most part everyone was too wrapped up in what they were doing to realize that there was a living spirit among them, but those who did notice could cause quite the disturbance. One skeleton who accidentally bumped into her on the trolley was so startled when he saw her face that he almost flung himself backwards through the open door.

“Ugh, this is going to be the next year, isn’t it,” Nell sighed as they disembarked onto the station platform. “I feel like the elephant man. It’s a good thing dead people can’t technically have heart attacks.” Maybe she should invest in a hooded cloak or something.

“It’s not that bad,” Héctor said reassuringly.

The look she sent him in response was as dry as the autumn leaves back home. “Were you not on the same trolley I was? That one guy literally went to pieces and you had to save a guy from falling out completely. Even if you can’t technically die again, that would still be a hell of a fall.”

Okay, so maybe it was that bad. But that was not what she needed to hear right now. “Hey, it’s okay. Some of these guys, they’ve been here too long. They don’t handle surprises that well. They’ll get used to it. And hey, maybe the archivists found something already. You could be going home before you know it.”

Nell smiled, shaking her head. “Thanks Héctor. And hey, if all else fails, we could always get our hands on a giant stash of shoe polish and paint me up like you did with Miguel.”

“That’s the spirit! Come on. Let’s see what they found.”

They were half-way up the central staircase when Nell paused, then started snickering.

“¿Qué? What’s so funny?”

“You’re the dad friend.” Nell giggled, jogging up the stairs past him.

“The what?”

“The dad friend,” she repeated with a grin. “The one who takes care of everyone. Making sure they don’t get lost, looks after them when they’re drunk and tucks them in with an aspirin and a glass of water so they don’t get hungover, or encouraging them when they’re nervous or upset even when you are as rattled as they are. The caretaker friend.”

“I -- Isn’t that a normal friend thing to do?” He didn’t even think about it, not really. He just...did what was needed. And he was a dad, obviously. Being dead for almost a hundred years would not change that.

“To a point, but you take it to dad-levels.” Nell shrugged. “It’s sweet. And also a little funny because you are technically younger than I am.”

“What? No I’m not,” Héctor protested. “I am way older than you.”

“Technically you are 119 years old,” Nell agreed. “But you are also technically twenty-one. Maybe I should start calling you ‘hermanito’.”

Héctor gaped in mock-outrage, giving her a brotherly shove. “Bah! I don’t think so, niñita. You’ve got a while to go yet.”

They bickered over his supposed age until they get to the front desk. Luckily the receptionist was the same woman who had seen them the day before, so while she did jump a bit when they appeared in front of her, she was not nearly as unsettled as she had been that first morning.

“Ah… hola. Were you looking for Señor Bolivar?” She asked tentatively.

Nell shook her head. “Actually, could you point me towards the archives? Señora Chavez is doing some research for me and I thought I’d try to help.”

The receptionist hesitated. Señora Chavez was notorious for not wanting outsiders in her space, but if she was looking into something for the Living Girl, it had to be important. “They’re down the stairs on the left. Bottom level.”

“Thanks!”

“You sure you’re going to be okay?” Héctor asked her, shifting his grip on the shoe bags. “You don’t have to do this today, you know.”

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “Least this way I can feel like I made some progress. And if we find something, I won’t be sitting at the house waiting for a call.” And it would keep her out of the public view so she could get away from people freaking out at the sight of her face for a while. “Go, deliver the shoes. Make some music. And don’t forget Cici’s order. We don’t want your wife to have to come after you with her sharpie because you forgot again.”

He eyed her measuringly for a moment, then shook his head with a low chuckle. “Si, si. Entiendo. Take it easy today, huh? One of us will come get you tonight.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”

Now, time to dig through some centuries-old records! She had to admit she was actually a little excited at the prospect. She would be handling documents that had never been seen by living eyes. Actual primary sources about the history of the Land of the Dead! And she wouldn’t have to worry about wrecking them with finger oils or anything, like she would in the living world. Nell skipped down the stairs, following the papel picado-like directional signs to the lower levels of the building. About three floors down the white-washed walls were replaced with smooth, cut stone, with large glyphs carved in every few feet.

I must be down to the pyramid level, Nell mused as she reached the bottom of the stairs. It wasn’t just that everything around her looked old, but it felt old as well. There was a weight here, and a settled kind of quiet. This wasn’t a place that people came to much anymore. Except for Señora Chavez and the other archivists. There was only one office on that level that Nell could see, marked with a single square glyph, and another papel picado sign marked “Archives.”

Nell took a steadying breath and knocked on the door.

There was a muffled sigh from inside. “Ugh… ¿Qué deseas? I swear to Mictēcacihuātl, if one of you boneheads misplaced another of my eighteenth century journals, I will speed you on your way to your Final Death myself.”

Ah. That might be another reason why people didn’t come down here too much.

“Ah… lo siento. Señora Chavez? It’s Nell.”

“Who? Oh. Wait. The nagual. Yeah, come on in.”

Hesitantly she opened the door. “Ah...hi. Sorry. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“If you talked to anyone upstairs, they’d probably tell you I’ve been disturbed for centuries.” Lina snorted, not looking up from the heavy, hand-bound book she was paging through. “What do you want?”

“I thought I’d see if you wanted any help going through the records.”

Lina glanced up at her, setting the book down on her already-messy desk. “Why?”

“Because sitting around waiting for an answer might actually kill me, and placing myself equivalently under house arrest for the next year is about the only thing worse than people screaming when they see my face when I go outside,” Nell replied, leaning back against the door-frame with a huff and running one hand agitatedly through her hair.

The archivist sighed. “Fine, but if you break anything or screw up my filing system --”

“You have my permission to chuck me off a pyramid. Claro.”

Lina snorted. “Bueno. So, how’s your Nahuatl?”

“My...what?”

“Well, that answers that question.” She shoved herself away from the desk, tucking the book she’d been reading under one arm and heading out into the hallway. “No Aztec texts for you. Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”

The archive itself was massive and seemed to go on forever. There were entire chambers dedicated to different periods of history. The Aztec and Mayan records each got their own separate rooms on opposite ends of the hall, and each room after that seemed to correspond with the different levels of the towers that made up the city. After that….well, Nell did not understand the system at all. Apparently the Dewey Decimal system had not yet made its way down to the Land of the Dead. She quickly resolved to bring a stash of hair ribbons or scrap paper so she could mark the places of the volumes that she took.

“Now best guess, the last nagual to cross over the bridge would have been...fifteenth or sixteenth century?” Lina said, heading to one of the heavy built-in shelves on the right side of the room. “Probably?”

So it hadn’t been a fluke the last time. Well, that answered one question, and raised a few hundred more. “Were nagual more common back then? And how does that work? Like, is it some sort of recessive gene or is it a luck-of-the-draw kind of power manifestation?”

“Couldn’t tell you,” she answered with a shrug. “Never met any when I was alive. Or not any real ones. I don’t think. Oh there were plenty who claimed they had these special abilities and demanded special treatment, but I always thought that the most vocal were the ones with the least ability. And nagual was more of a blanket term, really. It could refer to the spirit form of the person, or to their guide, and later on it became synonymous with a kind of brujo. It was said that they could travel in spirit form, leaving their physical bodies behind -- something that you have most certainly confirmed. But whether it is a hereditary trait, I couldn’t say.”

“Scared the crap out of me, first time I did it,” Nell said with a wry smirk. “Gave Miguel a pretty big shock too.”

“The Rivera kid. What a nightmare of paperwork that was. People stealing offerings is one thing, but actually getting cursed? That one is pretty rare.” Lina pulled a selection of books from the shelf, stuffing them into Nell’s hands. “Okay. Start with these. Thank Tezcatlipoca that at least some of these guys were bilingual. There aren’t many down here who can read the old languages anymore, and having to go through the whole thing myself would be a bitch.”

“How many languages do you speak?” Nell wondered. “And what about the other archivists?”

“Bah! Like I would trust these records in their hands. Anything post-seventeenth-century sure, but they’re useless when it comes to filing the earlier records. They’re taking care of the everyday stuff while I deal with this mess.” Lina grabbed another selection for herself, several covered in some kind of glyphs. “And I speak 9 languages fluently. I’m a little rusty on some of the Mayan dialects so I didn’t count those.”

Nell goggled. Nine?! There were at least a couple dozen Mayan dialects, according to the research she’d done a few weeks before. How many did she consider herself ‘rusty’ in? Nell herself only spoke two languages, three if you counted high school French -- which she didn’t. “Did you learn all of those when you were down here?”

The archivist shook her head. “I re-learned them. Some of them. I was… a translator, once. A long time ago. Pull up some ground, niñita. This could take a while.”

The other girl shook her head, sitting down and leaning back against the bookcase opposite. “Is that going to be my official nickname now? I’m not that young, you know.”

Lina smirked, gently opening the cover of the delicate manuscript she carried. What Nell had first taken to be a regular book was in fact a single long piece of parchment, accordion-folded and bound into a leather cover like restaurant menu, with long loops of leather cording. “Almost everyone here is young compared to me. Twenty-odd years is nothing.”

Nell bit her lip, her gaze running analytically over her companion. She dearly wanted to ask how old Lina really was, but got the distinct impression that it was not something she would get the answer to. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t try to figure it out for herself. After they figured out how to get her home.

Héctor was later than he’d hoped to be. Imelda had to send Coco to get him again -- a wise plan, as his daughter stood by far the best chance of pulling him away from whatever song he was working on. But hey, at least he had remembered to get all of the details for the performers’ shoe commissions this time. The sharpie could stay safely holstered in his wife’s apron.

Coco’s appearance had been met with cheers all around. She was always a favorite when she visited (Of course she was. Who wouldn’t love his Coco?), which in itself brought a bit of a delay. Everyone wanted to say hello, catch up. Even after promising to return later in the week, it took some time for them to get out the door.

The night was warm, with just a hint of a breeze cooling the crowded streets. Marigold Grand Central was as crowded as always, but the Department of Family Reunions building was fairly quiet by comparison. There was the usual number of people here to greet newly-arrived family members, but it was nowhere near as packed as it had been on Día de los Muertos. They took the stairway down to the archives, pausing at the last landing when they heard some very angry-sounding English coming from down the hall.

“-- fucking -- ugh. How was anyone supposed to read this? Frick. Colonial Spanish is even harder to read than Tudor English, and that was fucking brutal. Why did nobody think to write a damn dictionary for this crap?”

“The first Spanish dictionary was printed in 1611.”

“That’s not exactly helpful when the book I’m reading predates it by a century.”

“Oh, stop your whining. At least they had an actual alphabet. Try reading Zapoteco and see how far you get.” Another voice retorted. “And when did you ever have to read Tudor English? You’re, like, twelve.”

“Took a class on material culture when I was in university. Spent a class looking at the kind of things people would will down to their descendants. One person left their son’s family a set of bedsheets, only they spelled it as ‘shits’,” Nell snickered.

The other voice let out a bark of laughter. “Ha! Classic.”

Coco and Héctor followed the voices to a room almost halfway down the hall. Nell sprawled in the floor beside a massive stone bookshelf, a thin, leather-bound volume held gently in her hands. Lina the archivist was somewhere behind her, just barely visible in the dim lantern light, shelving an armful of books. Coco knocked lightly on the carved stone door frame.

Nell looked up, blinked at them, then grinned. “Oh, hey! What are you guys doing here?”

“You’ve been here for almost eight hours, mija,” Coco said, laughing when she saw Nell’s eyes bug out.

“What? Seriously? That can’t be --” But when she tried to push herself up she dropped back to the floor with a groan. “Okay. Yeah. I can believe that.” Stiffly she pushed herself upright, dusting off her clothes. “Hey Lina, where do you want me to put this?”

“Just give it here,” she said, returning from the front of the shelf to take the book. “You’ll never put it back right.”

“You know, people might actually be able to put things back where they belonged if your filing system was not determined by a dart board, a roulette wheel, and a blood sacrifice.”

“Bah! Get on with you,” Lina scoffed, giving Nell a shove towards the door. “Go bother someone else for a while.”

“Yeah, yeah. You know you love me.” Nell laughed, sticking her tongue out teasingly. “If you didn’t, you’d have dropped me off a pyramid hours ago.”

“I still might.”

“Well, there’s always tomorrow.” Still chuckling, Nell joined the others in the hall. “Sorry, guys. Kind of lost track of time there.”

“Did you find anything?” Coco asked as they made their was back up the stairs.

She shook her head, letting out a soft sigh. “Not yet. We’ve narrowed down an approximate time-frame to look in, but nothing we’ve read so far references any living spirits crossing the bridge.” And with easily another couple century’s worth of records to go through, it could be ages before they found anything at all.

“Hey, it will be okay,” Héctor said, laying one hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “You’ll find something.”

She hoped so. And that it wouldn’t be too late when they did.

Nell tried to keep her head up that night, really she did. And for the most part it worked. She chatted with Coco and Héctor about the things she had found in the old records, learned about the show that Héctor was helping out with, and the designs that Coco and the other Riveras would be doing for the dancers’ shoes. But as the trolley approached their stop, she found her enthusiasm flagging. You can only act like everything was normal for so long before the knowledge that nothing was normal snuck up and clobbered you over the head again. What made it worse was how hard the Riveras were working to make it look like it wasn’t an issue, which just seemed to underline how big an issue it actually was.

The whole family gathered in the living room, spreading out over every available surface. Coco and Julio shared the loveseat, content to snuggle and just be in each other’s company. Oscar and Filipe hunched over a notebook on the coffee table. Imelda sat on the couch, reviewing the account book as Héctor perched on the arm of the couch next to her, picking out an absent tune on his guitar. Victoria and Rosita each had their own chairs and a book in their hands. Rosita was a big fan of romance novels and, surprisingly, true crime accounts. Victoria’s collection was mostly history-based, though tonight she had gone for a more contemporary thriller. It took less than five minutes for Nell to figure out that spending the whole evening in close quarters like this was an aberration. Most of the family spent the whole day together in the workshop, so of course the evening would be their personal time.

Nell appreciated the company, even if she felt guilty for robbing them of their evening. She had begged some scrap paper and pencils from the shop, and spent the next couple of hours doing studies of the family. Watching the constant shift of the facial bones was fascinating. Their faces, despite being made of solid bone, were somehow elastic, and moved as if the muscles and tissue that allowed such movement in life were still a part of it. The brow bone should not furrow when they frowned, and how bone lips were a thing she would never understand. It also made her question the mechanics of other actions that she had to very quickly force her mind away from.

Yeah… Do not go there. Keep your mind well away from thoughts of skeleton boning.

It was almost a relief when they heard the distinctive jingle of the doorbell at the gate. The Riveras exchanged looks. Who could possibly be calling this late? The shop had been closed for hours.

The twins pushed themselves to their feet and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a pair of uniformed police officers in tow. One was stocky for a skeleton, with rose-colored dots framing his eyes and green fern-like branches along his cheekbones. The other wasn’t much taller, and had a golden band of laurel leaves across her brow like an ancient crown. Though they stood with a determined kind of posture, they both looked like they’d had a long couple of days.

“Ah… Everyone, this is Officer Vega --”

“-- and Officer Flores,” Oscar finished. “They want to ask about --”

“-- what happened on Día de los Muertos.”

Héctor, who had stiffened noticeably the moment the cops stepped into the room, flexed his fingers over the fretboard of his guitar, willing himself to relax. With his many less-than-legal attempts at crossing the bridge over the last century, his relationship with local law enforcement had been strained at best. He’d had very few interactions with them that did not involve him being in some kind of trouble, and every one of them had been in the last two years. Cálmese, he told himself firmly. They aren’t here for you. Not to arrest him, anyway. No, they were here to ask about what happened with Ernesto, which was both better and so much worse.

“We’d like to collect a statement from each of you,” Officer Flores explained, her gaze travelling over the assembled Riveras, doing a barely-noticeable double-take when she saw Nell seated behind the coffee table. “There is a warrant out for the arrest of Ernesto De la Cruz, and we want to be sure that we have a complete account of what happened by the time he is brought in.”

“There has been a warrant out for his arrest for two years,” Imelda pointed out sharply. “Ever since one of your officers let him escape.”

“The officer responsible for that has been relieved from duty,” Officer Vega informed them. “After that grievous lapse in judgement, we want to make absolutely sure that there is no room for error this time around. We want De la Cruz to pay for his crimes every bit as much as you do.”

Doubtful, but the sentiment was appreciated.

“We’d like to speak with you one at a time, if that’s possible,” Officer Flores continued. “Is there a space where we can do that?”

The Riveras exchanged looks.

“The kitchen would probably be best,” Victoria said after a moment.

There was a moment of silence, then Officer Flores cleared her throat. “Right. So… Whenever you’re ready,” she said.

Nell pushed herself to her feet. “I guess...maybe I should go first. I’ll show you to the kitchen.”

She could feel their eyes burning into the back of her head as she led them across the courtyard to the family kitchen. Neither of them had said a word, but they didn’t have to. Each unasked question was a deafening shout in the evening air. When they reached the kitchen, Nell closed the door behind them.

“So, um...take a seat, I guess?” She suggested, gesturing towards the solid wooden table at the center of the room. From what she had seen, the kitchen itself was rarely used given the lack of food in the Land of the Dead, but served more as a place of family discussion. “Sorry. This is weird. I feel like I’m taking the lead here but it’s not even my house.”

“The Riveras are letting you live with them while you’re here?” Officer Vega confirmed as he and his partner arranged themselves across the table from Nell.

“Yeah. They’ve kind of unofficially adopted me after what happened.” She knew that the blame for this whole mess rested on De la Cruz’s shoulders, but she couldn’t help but still feel somewhat responsible. And now, after all they’ve already been through, the Riveras had a relative stranger staying with them for the next year. She still felt guilty about that. “They didn’t have to. But...I’m really grateful that they did.”

Officer Vega pulled a tattered-looking notebook from his pocket. He and Officer Flores had already listened to the recording taken in the Family Grievances offices the morning after the incident. Now they wanted to get their own impressions, and clarify some of the details. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

Nell’s mouth curved in a wry sort of smile. “How far back do you want me to go?”

“Let’s start with the evening of Día de los Muertos, and go from there.”

Nell sighed, dropping into one of the old wooden chairs. “Okay. I planned to meet Miguel a little after midnight…” She told them everything, the plan to astral project in hopes of reuniting Miguel with his deceased family, her own introduction to them, to the moment they realized Miguel had been taken.

“Did you know it was De la Cruz at the time?” Officer Flores asked.

Nell shook her head. “Not then. I just saw him slung over the shoulder of a big guy in a dark jacket, and ran after them.”

“Across the bridge?”

She nodded before describing the chase across the bridge, and the moment she realized it was De la Cruz who had her friend. How scared she was because she knew the history between them. The search across the city and her reunion with Buttons, and the pyramid at the end of the world. At this the officers exchanged looks. They had visited the site themselves in search of evidence, combed every inch of it in search of De la Cruz. There had been nothing left behind but footprints in the dust and a few scraps of black cloth.

“And what happened then?”

Nell sighed, rolling the hem of her dress nervously between her fingertips. She had been dreading this part. “Ernesto would have tossed Miguel off the cliff the moment he saw Héctor or Imelda, so we decided I should distract him. I went through the pyramid while the others went around the side…”

This was what they had been waiting for, the part of the story that had been skimmed over in the initial recording. Now, hearing it at last, they could understand why. They had known Ernesto De la Cruz was a thief and a murderer, but the repeated poisoning of a person just to keep them with you was something none of them had expected. Nell fought to keep her voice steady, hands clenched in white-knuckled fists under the table as she recounted Ernesto’s admission, and when she told them how he had flung Miguel off the edge, both officers jolted.

“Pepita caught him, then circled back for us.”

The rest they knew. That De la Cruz had pulled her back, and that she had been rescued by her own alebrije, who took her back to the bridge. And her final decision to throw Miguel through the barrier as the bridge collapsed beneath her.

“And then...yeah. Here we are,” Nell finished lamely. “Don’t know how long I’m here for, what’s happening to my physical body, or how long I can be separated from it… Lina -- she’s the head archivist at the Department of Family Reunions -- she said I should be able to cross back over next year but…” There was no way to know for sure if she’d even last that long.

By unspoken agreement, Héctor and Imelda chose to speak to the officers together. They entered the kitchen with their hands entwined. They had faced this separately for too long. Whatever came next, they would face it together. Héctor was grateful for the support. He tried to step back, to separate himself from the pain and the betrayal, but every word was like tearing off a bandage from a wound that had only barely begun to scab over.

“And when you saw him on the cliffs,” Officer Vera asked. “How did he look?”

“How did he look? What kind of question is that?” Imelda frowned.

“Was he angry? Smiling? Pacing? That kind of thing.”

“He was...impatient,” Héctor answered softly. He could see it now, if he let himself. “Nervous.”

Imelda shot him a questioning look. Standing at the edge of the world, she hadn’t seen a hint of nerves. She had never trusted Ernesto. There was something about him that has always rubbed her the wrong way. But Héctor had known Ernesto almost his whole life. If there was anyone who knew those small gestures, it was him.

“His fingers twitched,” Héctor recalled. “Left hand. They always did that when he was nervous. I don’t know if he ever realized.” There was something surreal about seeing those old familiar gestures after all that had passed between them. For a moment he could almost believe that the Ernesto he knew was still in there. But he knew better. This was what had lived inside of him all along.

“Anything else?” Officer Flores asked.

They took the officers through every word, every absent gesture. Hollow-voiced, Héctor recounted Nell’s attempts at a distraction. His stomach churned at the memory, non-existent but somehow every bit as painful as they day he died.

“And how did he react when he saw you?”

The same as he always had when caught in a lie. He had excused and justified and tried to turn it around on him, just as he always had. It’s not my fault. They made me. This would not have happened if… How many time had Héctor heard variations of that same tune? And as Ernesto did every time he was denied, he became angry. Héctor could see it in his face when Imelda stepped out to join him. His wife had always been able to see through Ernesto’s excuses, Héctor remembered. It was why they had never gotten along. Héctor had blamed it on a clashing of strong personalities, the filter of a life-long friendship blurring what his wife had seen all too clearly. But none of them could ever have suspected how deep Ernesto’s selfishness had run.

The rest of the interview passed in a blur. They took the officers through the flight back to the bridge, and Miguel and Nell’s desperate race to the other side. When at last they were satisfied, Héctor and Imelda returned to the living room, dropping onto the couch as Oscar and Filipe headed out for their turn. Coco moved from the love seat to sit next to her parents, leaning into her father’s side. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close and holding her tightly. Ernesto’s words from the cliffside echoed in his thoughts.

I should have just let you go, maybe even gone back with you for a time… And then killed your bitch and the squalling brat myself.

Just the memory of it had him holding her closer. Far better for Ernesto to have murdered him that night than for him to return to Santa Cecilia to harm his family. Héctor would gladly live the past century a hundred times over if it meant keeping them safe. Imelda, sensing the direction his thoughts have turned, rubbed her thumb comfortingly over the finger of the hand that she still held. That seemed to soothe him somewhat, that tangible reminder that they were safe, and they were together. De la Cruz would not separate them again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And there is chapter thirteen!

Join us next week when we check in with Miguel on the living side of the bridge!

As always, thanks for reading!

#coco #coco fanfiction #a year in the life #ayitl #coco rivera #hector rivera #imelda rivera #crossposted on ao3

2 notes · View notes