#kai's marble collection

[terrence-silver]

Could I request ❛ you won’t survive long out there. i can protect you. ❜? I feel like there's some potential terry silver manipulation sprinkled within those words. 🫣

---

Collecting people.

It was a hobby, in a sense.

More than that, actually; it was like being an Architect.

Taking a rough slab of marble and chiseling it into something greater than itself.

Having the ultimate authority and say in what it will and can become.

Margaret Spencer he found working at a firm in London as a secretary for what was his overseas business partner at the time, toiling with idiotic, menial tasks far beneath someone her class, capabilities and particular education level, coaxing, or rather pilching her from underneath her boss' nose by making her an infinitely better and more advantageous offer at employment back in Los Angeles, the same way he discovered Milos Dadok in Prague as a hotel concierge, working for cheap change east of the Iron Curtain, with barely any visitors to serve in an old, Bohemian golden lobby of a run down, neglected establishment that mostly stood empty, having seen better times. Snake and Dennis he picked off of the streets after they've brazenly tried to mug him of all people, failing comically, much to his infinite amusement, deciding to keep them around purely on the off chance their antics made him laugh --- and that they did, frequently and several times a day. John himself. That was a friendship he wanted ever since the first time he saw him at basic training and then later, during orientation, on ground, in Vietnam, and the best of friends was precisely what they remained because it was something Terry cultivated, invested into with the greatest of devotions. Even Ponytail, he carried around with him, on his head, fastened to his scalp with an unassuming black hair tie, nobody realizing he was ever there. Nobody but him and John, at this point. Where others saw nothing, he tended to see opportunity. And opportunities? Opportunities were things he never had the habit of passing up on, wanting to be in control of what becomes of the rough, ragged slab of marble under his fingers as he presses down on its hardened, sleek surfaces, leaving behind ever so many dents, fingertips and markings, deciding what shape it'll ultimately take once he's done with it. Deciding if he'll make it or break it. Create a beautiful statue or ram his fist into it, shattering the project into pieces.

Then, there was you.

Homeless.

A typical sight outside of Beverly Hills.

Aimlessly mingling around what was John's dojo for months now, buzzing around the alleyways like a little fly at the mouth of the serpent's nest, often in his sight and crosshairs through the lowered shutters of the interiors of the studio space where he could spy on you accordingly; it was Terry's business. He made it his business. Everything that happened in and around this dojo, in its adjoined streets, neighborhoods, blocks, in the heart of this very city, country, the West coast itself, concerned Terry exclusively, the way the markings lining the palms of his hands concerned him, more so when he occasionally found you casting uncertain, tentative glances at nearby garbage cans dotting the sidewalks akin to so many eyesores, like you were ashamed of yourself, like you were unaccustomed and new to this, carrying collected cardboard, for what he only assumed was for the purpose of rough sleeping down on the concrete; on one occasion, it went as far as him catching you slumming it out by leaning against the inner walls of the Cobra Kai dojo itself after working hours, obscured from view at dawn, knees pushed up against your chest, startled and taking to running the minute you spotted him pulling into the parking lot, his blue Ford intended to give off the airs of working class relatability still enough to startle you into a frightened state of movement, a tinge of satisfaction running through like a current trying to imagine what your reaction would be if you ever ran into him at another part of town, Rolls Royce, Tuxedo, private chauffeur and all. But, this crap you were doing right now wouldn't cut it. You didn't get to utilize his territory like this, it wasn't for free, not without being confronted about it one way or another. So, he ambushes you one morning, coming in even earlier than he had the habit of doing so, two hours before the Larusso twerp had the tendency to show up for his classes in pain, tactically cutting off your usual escape trail tightly and very neatly pushed in between two buildings. You shriek at the sight of him.

He relished the sound.

You wouldn't mind hearing more of it.

-"You won't survive long out there."-

Terry states bluntly, but not unkindly; last thing he wanted now was for you to get a tremendously bad first impression of him, even though you by default pushed his hand by making him come head to head with you the way he did through your incessant running. Luckily for you, he liked to chase. You give him a look, like you knew. Like you knew survival wouldn't be easy out here, but you didn't feel like necessarily vocally agreeing with him. Was it pride? It was pride, wasn't it? It's only once he hands you the lunch he's been hiding behind his back that your eyes widen and you become responsive, eyes shimmering, albeit still overshadowed with carefulness. Not that he couldn't appreciate your raw survival instincts being on display. -"I can protect you."- He offers, once you fidget, stepping forward and reaching for the food being given freely, practically ripping it out of his hand to shove it into your mouth in greedy gulps, undoubtedly, fearing he'd change his mind or that this was some kind of trap, keeping your focused gaze still on him. Once you swallow, you immediately take the first given opportunity to snipe at him, appearing defensive. He chuckles. -"What's it to you, though!? Who are you? Why'd you startle me like that!?"- You demand and he bows his head, ever so slightly, sprinkling in a deliberate aura of something apologetic and respectful for you to spot, making introductions. Weird place to be formal, he understood that much, but it was shocking how far some propriety could go applied at exactly the right time and under the right circumstances. But then again, the back wall of the Cobra Kai dojo, when he really thought about it, was as good of a place as a sparring mat to pay homage. -"I'm Terry Silver. The co-owner of the establishment you're roughing it out around. I own the whole lot."- He explains, softly, watching your demeanor change. Like a slab of marble, you start to take shape, even now. He extends his hand and you never even realize you've already been collected by him as you hesitate to take it.

-"And I can be your good friend."-

Terry promises, meaning every word of it.

#this is such an old ask my goodness #terry silver #kk3 #cobra kai #terry silver x reader #terry silver x beloved #homeless!beloved #homeless!reader #tw; homelessness #tw; some subtle manipulation #tw; savior complex

[ihavezeno]

mazu has a lot of games and i only played zeno and shtdn (and now like the synopsis of no salvation) do you know anything else about their other games?

Sorry this took so long! Mazu has a lot of games, and I'm just going to provide a brief hook for each rather than a full summary! I won't be discussing games I haven't played for myself

Colorless Kaina - (Mushoku no Kaina / MuKai) Colorless Kaina centers around the protagonist, Boku, in his last year of high school. One night, he stumbles across a murder-in-progress by the pure-white murderer Kaina, who allows him to live after finding him amusing for his reaction to the murder being struck by how gorgeous Kaina is. You play as Boku over the course of a month, choosing how to spend your morning, afternoons, and nights either spending time with Kaina, going to school, or going to work part-time. If you make the right choices, you can discover more of Kaina's past and about his involvement with the killer Nakae Mio. Content warnings include murder, suicide, nonsexual grooming, and codepency.

Paradise Destroyed - (Rakuen Hakai / RakuHaka) Rakuen Hakai centers around the story of two brothers- Kaneki Kai and Kaneki Bel. The duo are esper thieves, stealing various precious items for Kai's collection until they're caught by police and sent to a strange prison/alternate dimension(???), where they try to find their way out! I haven't played too much of this one, so please take my explanation with a grain of salt. Content warnings include emotional dependency, a major suicide warning, child death and child soldiers, amongst others!

GHOST 6 - (56) Ghost 6 is about exorcist Sumire and caught scammer Tsutsuji and their endeavor to find the ghost haunting the subway station. Tsutsuji is working with Sumire to help pay off his frankly massive debt. Content warnings include familial abuse and suicide.

Marbling Clear - (MarCle) Vampire Wata washes up onto "Mother's" Island, where he is discovered by the priest Momen. After sucking their blood, he is cursed to only be able to drink their blood, so he stays on the island with them until they can break the curse. It's relatively lighthearted, but I also haven't played enough of it to get to the more serious parts of the game!

#ask #ive messed around with some of the others but im too lazy to write out another summary soooo #hope these help!

[iluvnyasm1th]

random ninjagay headcanons

they r all under cut because its kinda long lol

kai: tries 2 make jokes but laughs at them b4 he can say them, has a bunch of merch of himself, carries bandages and bandaids 4 lloyd when he was lil bcuz his like gi was 2 big 4 him and he fell all the time, radiator, takes showers daily and nightly (zane had to convince him to only take them nightly)

cole: knows how 2 sew and fixed lloyds lil gi 4 him (he face plants bcuz of the tmrs tea incident and had 2 fix it all over again), he has had a bunch of pets and is a big animal lover, literally oblitareates everybody at just dance 2017, he has all of them memorized, has a rock collection (his favorite rock is named rocky lol)

lloyd: names eveyrything and anything, gets emotionally attached 2 stuff too easily, (cried all the times the bounty got destroyed), left handed weirdo, often fantasized about doing generic father son activites with his dad when he becoems good again, terrified of snakes, its the trauma, he gets sick a lot (my brother core), curls up and hugs his knees when he sleeps, hates vegetables (cole has 2 pin him down and force feed him any type of greens)

jay: horror movie fanatic (mostly why hes paranoid all the time), autistic about mechanics and video games, has a game reviewing yt channel, loves physical aftection but cuz of electric things others dont rlly appreciate it they try 4 him tho, hes so cold all the time, has won multiple gaming tournaments, vocally stims a lot and gets overstimulated easily, spends all of his money on random ass things nobody needs and tries 2 tell the ninjas it was a life long valuable investment, obsessed with orange juice, doesnt brush his teeeth, what does that make? yellow ass teeth

nya: loves going 2 the aqaurium, celebrates random national days, plays mermaid with lloyd whenever they go to a pool, will punch u in the face for anything and everything, loves sharing way too personal things, kind of a grimy girl, has a scrapbook thats rlly thick with pictures and scraps of paper or stickers

zane: rlly quiet, he sneaks up on ppl all the time (he says its on accident but the ninja rnt rlly convinced of that), literally looks like the epitome of some guy, so confused when they text, he sent a list of tone indicators 4 them 2 use bcuz hes austistic and confused, night light, is air conditioner in the summer, often gets confilcted about being a nindroid and if he ever truly feels things, tells the same joke 100 times and still thinks its funny, he doesnt need 2 sleep so he kinda just cleans at night and keeps watch 4 the ninja in case sormthing bad happens, nya often has 2 like oil up his joints bcuz if they rnt treated after a while they get rlly squeaky

pixal: hangs out with zane a lot at night cuz no need 2 sleep, also looks like some girl, cooks a lot, she may be a nindroid but she does not cook well, she loves building random like yk hings where u put a marble in and its like a beautiful just like continuenous movement that knocks stuff over and triggers stuff yk? likes to doodle and lloyd hangs up her drawings on the fridge, has a secret cat hidden in the monastery that she named screws, jays allergic 2 cats, she avoids jay a lot bcuz of this and jay thinks she doesnt like him, also she just isnt fond of the little blue one

i have more about other random things if u guys wud like it

#lego #lego ninjago #ninjago #ninjago headcanons #kai smith ninjago #cole brookstone ninjago #lloyd garmadon ninjago #jay walker ninjago #nya smith ninjago #zane julien ninjago #pixal borg ninjago #kai ninjago #cole ninjago #lloyd ninjago #jay ninjago #nya ninjago #zane ninjago #pixal ninjago #ninjago kai #ninjago cole #ninjago lloyd #ninjago jay #ninjago nya #ninjago zane #ninjago pixal

[timeforelfnonsense]

Dafni of Gwynneth

Dafni’s  Playlist || Sunshine & Starlight (Dafni x Astarion) Playlist  || Bg3 Ao3 series (EA Content) || Sunshine & Starlight Ao3 || D&D Beyond  || Artwork of Dafni

I decided to make a new pinned post for my Dafni lore document. With more people joining the fandom, I figured I'd reintroduce her. She's been around since EA and has gone through some changes here and there. Some have stuck, and others that ended up getting cut.

Hopefully, this will be her final big lore update. I am happy with where she is now and how she's fitting into my new drafts for Sunshine & Starlight. If you've been around for a bit, you might notice I landed on a version of her story that is close to my early drafts of her backstory in the end. So this is my PSA to writers to always hold on to your content, even stuff you cut because you never know what you might end up using.

Dafni Ríwen

Alignment: Chaotic good

Race: Eladrin

Class: Cleric of Corellon Larethina || Fey Wanderer Ranger

Background: Outlander 

Age: 160

Birthday: Ches 19, 1332 DR

Sign: Pisces, ESFJ 

Home:  Peleira, Kingdom of Sarifal, Gwynneth’s feywild.

Nicknames/Other names: Daffodil (Astarion), Sprout (Her mother and older sisters), Kora (Childhood name), Despoena (True name)

Traits: 

I was driven by wanderlust to travel far from home

I am tolerant of other faiths and respect the worship of other gods

 I approach everything with enthusiasm, even the most mundane chore

I can’t stay still. I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.

Ideals: Nature, Charity, Change, Creativity 

Flaws: 

I put the wellbeing of others before myself

 I don’t fully grasp customs and niceties outside of the wilds

 A pretty face infatuates me in an instant, but facies can fade just as fast.  

There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.

Bounds: 

I hold all varieties of elves in tender regard.

 I protect those who cannot protect themselves.  

I never leave a friend behind.

 Appearance: 

Dafni is a petite, chubby elf with curly hair and wide mossy-brown eyes. Like most Fey eladrin, Dafni’s appearance changes with her emotional state.

Spring/Light Form

Complexion: Light sage green skin with golden freckles 

Hair: light, dusty pink

Faerie fire Illusory butterflies (Morpho aurora)

Flowers for Moods:

 Snowdrops & Lily of the Vally: Happy

Foxgloves: Anger, feisty, protective 

Ivy: Envy

Daffodil/Narcissus: Flirty, affectionate (Astarion only)

Wilted flowers: Sadness, low moods

No flowers: Trying to hide her fey nature

When she is particularly happy or using her cleric powers, she glows slightly 

Winter/Shadow Form

Complexion: Pale pinkish gray 

Hair: Light pinkish lavender 

Faerie fire lunar moths

She radiates wisps of shadow when she is particularly sad, serious, or using her shadow-touched abilities.

Dafni was born on the spring equinox to Thesmia, a very old and powerful eladrin druidess and bladesinger. Her home, Peleira, is hidden deep within the feywild of the Lylarth Forest. It was built around an ancient oasis created by the first elves to come to the Feywild. It is a place shaped by sylvan and elvish magic, with spires and structures of flawless marble reflecting the breathtaking, everlasting sunset’s burnt oranges and vivid violets. 

 Hundreds of years of loving restoration returned the oasis to its former glory. Thesmia has made Peleira a paradise and refuge for elves, nymphs, and other fey. Peleria is a vassal of the Kingdom of Sarifal, part of the Court of High Lady Ordalf. The village is the island’s primary source of food and medicinal vegetation. It is also home to Thesmia’s Spire of Laural, one of the most vast collections of elven history and artifacts outside of Evermeet. Thesmia had taken in several wards over the centuries. These women help Thesmia run the village.

Dafni’s father is a shadar-kai knight and servant of the Raven Queen, whom Lady Ordalf has been in conflict with due to a shadow curse taking over one of Gwynneth’s forests. 

When Thesmia grew tired of her life in the court’s capital, Caspian granted her the memory of Peleira in the form of an enchanted compass that would always point towards it. A gift Thesmia has since passed on to her daughter. 

 Due to her shadar-kai, linage Dafni’s seasonal affinities manifest differently than most eladrin. She only has two forms: Spring (Light) and Winter (Shadow). Dafni’s dubious paternity is an open secret at court and has led to some unkind treatment outside her village.

Thesmia is a loving but overprotective mother who sheltered Dafni for most of her life. Dafni was allowed much less freedom than her older sisters growing up, creating friction between herself and her mother. 

Starting at age 17, Dafni began training as her mother’s apprentice. While Dafni excelled at druidcraft, she was somewhat inept with wizardry and complex magic. By age 30, her mother had released her from the apprenticeship. Despite never fully mastering the tradition, Dafni still incorporates many bladesinging techniques into her fighting style. 

Cleric Calling:

Dafni’s soul holds an extra spark of the divine. She was among the few elves who chose not to take a fixed form and thus was not cast out from Arvandor. This is her first mortal lifetime. 

The elves believe that to truly feel Corellon’s presence, they must seek to know themselves. Much of the work Corellon wants her to do as a mortal is centered on her learning to trust in herself more and to make her own choices for her own reasons, not because she thinks it is what is expected of her by external factors, even him.

Dafni has always tended to wander off when something catches her attention. As a small child, she followed a whips deep into the woods surrounding her village. 

Unbeknownst to her, a drider exiled from the feydark had taken up residence in the forest. Perhaps sensing her dormant divine power, the creature planned to sacrifice her to win Lolth’s favor. As she was dragged into the heart drider’s den, an enchanted arrow buried itself into the creature’s skull. 

A wandering Corellite had saved her. Dafni didn’t recognize him from the village, but he seemed incredibly familiar. He comforted her and headed her injuries. 

He took her hand and guided her through the forest. Once they reached the border of Peleira, the man crouched down, placing his quarter moon amulet around her neck.

 When she asked why, he smiled and told her it had always been hers and that he had only been holding onto it for her. He told her he had to leave but promised they would meet again.

Corellon has been known to wander the multiverse incognito, seeking new magic and ideas. Despite encouraging self-reliance among his followers, Corellon is a relatively involved deity. Dafni is entirely unaware of the true nature of this encounter. From her perspective, she was simply saved by a cleric. 

After her mother released her from bladesinging apprenticeships, Dafni felt lost and directionless. She had never wanted to be a wizard, but she had seen it as her only path for the first 30 years of her life. 

She had, at least, inherited her mother’s green thumb. Nature had always seemed to sing in her presence. Her inherent fey magic could coxing even the most wilted plant into bloom. But, her’s was the power of springtime, wild and unbound. She could manage a small garden well enough but was ill-suited to the organized work of yielding crops. 

She became depressed and sulked around her mother’s tower in her shadow/winter form for a few months. She had to sit with herself and figure out what she wanted out of her life. Dafni had always had an affinity for the divine. Still, she never pursued it beyond a hobby out of fear of disappointing her mother. 

She thought of the cleric who saved her from the drider as a girl. How brave and kind he had been. She realized that that was her calling. To nurture and protect her people. 

Although she never received formal training through a temple, her mother’s library was fast and contained many resources on elven theology. Additionally, she still had some access to her primal memories. Allowing her to tap into her knowledge from her first lifetime as a priestess in Arvandor. 

BG3 Set Up:

Dafni lived alongside the wood elves of Lylarth Forest in the material plane for a few decades. During those years, she began to come into herself.

She began to feel a pull toward Bauldr’s Gate following a brief adventure with a group of shipwrecked adventurers. She has taken up residence in the Twin Songs neighborhood of the outer city. She rents a townhouse out of which she runs a small clinic, providing both traditional and magical healing. 

The Ancunín family owns the townhouse she lives in. After the death of their son, they moved to their country estate full-time but retained their properties and assets in the city. Dafni has never met the people who rent to her. Minimrie Virra, an elf from a lower noble family, manages the building.

Dafni was on her way to the Cloak Wood Forest on the city’s outskirts to treat an outbreak of fever in one of the local wood elf clans when the mind flayers took her. She planned to stay with the wood elves for at least a tenday. She was relatively well packed for her adventure, having her medicine chest, adventuring supplies, etc. on hand when abducted.

The feywild seeps into the material plane on Gwynneth significantly, with some locations existing both planes at once. Her only knowledge of the world beyond the island came from a group of adventurers she had aided following a shipwreck and courtly gossip. She often struggles with the customs and decorum of the material plane.

Gear & Notable Items: Long sword, Oathbow, A golden compass that points towards the nearest portal to the feywilds within 10 miles, A holy amulet of Corellon, lyre, Feywilds & Shadowfell shards, moon sickle, Medical chest & herbalist tools.

Fun facts: 

Her favorite treat is lemon bars and honey cake.

She likes romance novels. 

She has kept a diary most of her life. She has a century of filled journals in her room.

She loves tea and has a collection of teacups at home. 

She plays the lyre & harp.

She’s an Arachnophobe

She can spin and weave. 

She is vulnerable to cold iron because of her fey ancestry.

In addition to her cleric abilities, Dafni has studied nonmagical medicine and is a talented surgeon and healer.

Despite being a faerie, she can technically lie. However, the lies taste like soot and bile in her mouth. The taste is more pungent the more significant the lie, so she tries to avoid it.

She thinks she can bake, but it always turns downright awful. 

Past life:

Warning: this section has spoilers for a few story elements for Sunshine & Starlight.

Despoena served as a priestess of Elyadia. The acolytes of the temple were sworn to Corellon, Creator of the Elves. The priests were healers and warriors who served as liberators to those stripped of their freedoms. Elyadia offered refuge to elves who had experienced trauma and needed rehabilitation of both physical and emotional wounds. 

Reincarnation:

After the war, all but the few elves who didn’t take fixed-physical forms were cast out of Arvandor. Despoena, ever loyal to her god, chose to remain in Arvandor. 

She grew restless without a purpose, wandering the empty halls of Elyadia until the temple became overrun by nature. Tired of watching her talents go to waste, Corellon began sending elven souls afflicted by malevolent magics or wounds of the heart and mind to Elyadia, along with elven clerics who accomplished great acts of healing and magic in their mortal lives who wanted to continue to serve their people during their time in the afterlife.

  When she first came into being, she had felt limitless and free. She had lost herself in her grief and out of a misguided desire to please Corellon. It became apparent to her that self-discovery would likely need to happen outside of Arvandor. She implored Lord Corellon to allow her at least one mortal experience. Much to her surprise, Corellon was in favor of her request. 

Corellon hopes for her to discover that while her kindness and love for her people are great strengths, self-sacrifice to the point of living for other people’s happiness hinders her potential. She’s finding balance and learning that being your person doesn’t have to be at the cost of compassion and community.

Thiramin: 

“Like most other important things in their lives, elves describe this mystically. They believe that a person’s spiritual progress is unknowingly intertwined with that of another. This soulmate is called a thiramin.”

Dafni and Astarion are fated mates. They were friends and lovers in their original lifetimes. Free will and self-determination are central to the elven existence. The souls bound simply pulled them together. They have to choose what to do with it.

For Aidon (Astarion), it was love at first sight; he saw her gathering flowers near the temple. She still burned bright with magic lost to the majority of their people. Being near her felt like the wild, endless possibility of spring had taken root in his soul. 

 Knowing he would not be permitted to approach the temple grounds, he watched her from the shadows for a time. Aidon had a clever mind and a talent for creating loopholes in any rule between himself and his desires. 

Despoena was curious by nature. When a strange trail of snow-white daffodils appeared at the edge of the temple grounds, she could not resist the urge to see where they might lead. At the end of the trial, she found a shaded meadow and a masculine elf with a pleased grin.

He was irreverent, flirtatious, and unlike anyone she had known before. He was fiercely independent and sure of his desires. His sharp wit and easy charm had taken Despoena.  

Over the centuries, they often wandered back into each other’s lives. They are echoes of each other in many ways, creatures of opposing but complementary nature. This was the source of the occasional falling out, though they always reconciled.

Despoena never stopped mourning the loss of his company following the events of the war of the Seldarine. She thought of him often and even occasionally, looking into his mortal lives.

#dafni of gwynneth #bg3 tav #bg3 oc #tav #bg3 #baulders gate 3 #d&d oc #eladrin #Dafni's Lore Doc #tav x astarion #long post under cut

[shoshiwrites]

🎁,🦋, 😎, and 💌? please and thank you!

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

I thought this was pretty fun.

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?

I love Jo so very much but I also love adding Clara or Frankie to a scene. Kay is also at the top of my list because she's an enabler (facilitator, she says) extraordinaire, although her dialogue is a little trickier for me because she's not American.

😎 What fics do you prefer on a scale of canon compliant to wildly original?

By the fact that I write/read OC fics and also collect AUs like shiny marbles I would say...wildly original? But also if I'm reading said OC fics (or non-OC fics)....I want ...canon compliant aside from the OC? If that makes any sense? It doesn't. Timeline of the show but plus OC, which no major changes to the events of the show (things like following the OC through their own events/etc. doesn't count).

💌  Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

You know I'm a sucker for anything vaguely reincarnation-y, haunted, and the like. I also love a good canon-divergent AU aka anything set in the '40s. Unsure if those are tropes though! I'd probably also say FWB-to-lovers vibes, and additionally exes-to-lovers vibes. It's just very delicious to me.

[Fanfic Writer Ask Game!]

#thank you so very much friend #tortoisesshells #answered

[renearatman]

oh no i tried to write again (Nightmare Reality prelude and ch1)

Hi, so this is a reboot of a really long and boring eb au that I tried to make back in 2020. It was called "doombound" at the time, and I've changed so much about it that I had to rename it, but a lot of things have stayed the same, so that's why I'm calling it a reboot.

Anyway!! I finished the first chapter just now, so I'll post that now! I have a lot of plans for this, since, remember, I've had this idea for two years. It's another apocalypse AU... Real creative, I know.

Anyway be warned this post is REALLY long and I am not responsible for any hands getting cramped from reading this okay have fun THANK YOU!!

Prelude

It was over.

He sat on the porch of his home, the light breeze rustling in the trees, crows cawing as they flew in the air, some in groups, others alone. The sky was an azure veil, devoid of anything out of the ordinary, the blue marble known as Earth safely within its grasp. Things were okay, and it was thanks to his friends. Oh, and him, of course. Ness watched from afar as a crow picked at the wrapper of a burger. The breeze kept blowing it away from him (Or, well, he assumed it was male… All crows kind of looked the same), and he eventually gave up, squawked in frustration and flew off.

He wondered what his friends were doing now that everyone was back home. Andonuts was probably just back at his lab doing… Whatever he does when he's not putting people's consciousness in a metal box. Poo was already pretty respected at home, he couldn't IMAGINE how much praise he must be getting now. Jeff was probably helping Andonuts like he said he was, and after seeing that letter that Tony person wrote for him… Well! Things could only be going well for him. And Paula, well she… Wait, Paula only lived a short walk from here, Ness could visit her right now if he wanted to! 

Ness stood up and opened the door, peeking his head into the living room. His dog, King, lifted his head to look at him, but didn't bark or make any noise, and went back to sleeping. "Hey mom?" he asked. His mom, who was busy with a stack of papers (Probably doing taxes or something boring like that, she never seemed to have any time to relax around here…) looked up at him for just a second and turned her attention back to her work. 

"What is it, honey?" she cooed. Ness grabbed his bat from the wall– He never knew when he might need it. Besides, it wasn't like he got this thing JUST so he could use it as a weapon. He didn't know if Paula liked playing sports or not, but if she did, then great! "I'm heading outside," Ness said. "I'll be back by 5, 'kay?" His mom nodded. "Yep. Sure sweetie, have fun, love you," she said, the phrases coming one after another as if they were all part of a bigger sentence instead of a disjointed collection of words without focus. Ness didn't say much except "Thanks" before he closed the door again.

As he walked towards Twoson, he suddenly got dizzy out of nowhere– It felt almost as if he had stood up too fast, but it was a little late for that, since he'd been walking for about 10 minutes now. When it subsided, he shrugged it off and tried to keep walking, but it came back, accompanied by a splitting headache. Everything around him felt… wrong, he didn't know how, but it just wasn't right. He found himself struggling to stand, and the sky was too bright– everything was too bright. I have to get home… He thought, trying to crawl his way back. But he couldn't… He was slipping, he felt like the ground itself was slipping out from under him, and an ear splitting sound grew louder and louder in his ears, as though the sky was being torn apart and some kind of beast was shrieking from beyond.

And then everything went white, and his consciousness failed him.

CHAPTER 1: Darkness

"Ness! Get up! What are you doing here?!" came a voice. Ness struggled to his feet, the pain slowly subsiding. It was Paula's voice, which meant… Maybe she'd found him collapsed on the street? "Thanks, Paula…" he said, rubbing the back of his head to try and ease the pain. And then… He opened his eyes.

It was dark. Everything was dark. The sky was caked in blood-red clouds, the grass was dead, and Paula herself was dressed in black as if she was attending some kind of funeral for the entire world, which made sense, since everything looked so… Lifeless. The buildings around him had no lights, and the breeze from earlier was completely gone. "W…What..?" Paula took one hand in hers, which helped ease some of the terror Ness was feeling, but not the confusion. "Paula, what's happening? Where am I?" he choked out, barely able to comprehend the scene around him. And it was so cold… How long had it been dark like this? 

Paula tipped her head to one side, her expression going from relieved to confused. "What do you mean? Nothing particularly bad is happening right now… Are you okay?" her voice was softer now, and she put her hand on Ness's shoulder, but to her surprise, he turned around and backed away from her. "What are you SAYING? Do you not see all of this? What's wrong with the sky?! Why is everything so dark?! I thought we-!" He put a hand to his mouth. Was it possible? No… It couldn't be. They defeated Giygas! Paula was the one who figured out his weakness, and then they went home, and everything was okay, and… Paula took his hand again and started to walk away. "Something's not right about you… You're usually not scared like this. Come on, let's get back to our camp.

Ness followed her. It wasn't like he had any idea where else to go, anyway. He kept his eyes on his surroundings, which consisted of quite a lot of things painted with varying shades of mahogany and umber by the clouds overhead. Paula seemed to be on edge as well, moving rather quickly and checking for danger… Which made sense since nothing here looked anything close to normal. Ness's throat tightened as the thoughts whirled in his head– Why was this happening? It shouldn't have been possible… Did he fail?

Finally, they arrived at what looked like some kind of temporary camp in the woods. There were a few tents surrounding a small fire, and he saw another one of his friends, Poo, sitting by it, but he didn't look too great. He was covered in scars from what looked like claws and gunshot wounds, and worse than that, he seemed to be missing his right hand. His steel gaze met Ness's, and he couldn't help but shrink back. This wasn't the same person he'd met just a few weeks ago. Paula cleared her throat "I found Ness out cold just outside the forest. He… Doesn't seem to remember some things." Just then, someone emerged from one of the tents with a concerned expression: it was Jeff, and when he saw Ness, he instantly froze in place.

For a few seconds they stood staring at each other, Ness confused as all hell, and Jeff seemingly also confused… He could almost see the gears turning in his head, and with every click they made, he grew more and more horrified. "Erm… Excuse me, Paula, but may I speak to this fellow for just a bit?" he said, adjusting what remained of a bowtie. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. She nodded, letting go of Ness's hand. "I hope you're alright, I really do," she whispered to him. Jeff ducked back into his tent and motioned for Ness to follow. Jeff sat down on one side of the tent and faced him, and Ness sat down closer to the entrance, copying his movements subconsciously… Or at least, making his own stressed-out-of-his-goddamn-mind version of them. 

"What the heck is going on??" Ness asked him, to which Jeff shushed him. "Not so loud!! I don't want anyone to get worried or…" He put a hand to his forehead and stared at the grey flooring of the tent, clearly having second thoughts about… Something. He put his hand to his mouth and inhaled sharply, and muttered, "Nooo, nononono… This won't do at all…" This did not help Ness's anxiousness about the situation at all. "What? What's wrong now?" he growled under his breath. Jeff sat up again and folded his hands. "Can you explain what happened before you fell unconscious?" he asked him, seemingly calm… But hidden behind his calm facade was a deer in headlights, too afraid to move. Ness sighed.

"Well, I was on my way to Paula's house, and then I blacked out and when I woke up everything was all red and dark like this… And then suddenly all of you were here." Jeff nodded. "Mhm… Well, Ness… That's you, correct? Your name is Ness?" He pointed at him as he asked, and Ness nodded back at him. "Right… Well…" Jeff's gaze darted around the tent, as though he was trying to put off what he was about to say as long as possible. "Ness. It may or may not be my fault you've ended up here. And I'm sorry. But-!" He put his hands up when he sensed hostility coming from the boy in front of him. "It's only temporary! Trust me! Just… Just listen to me." Ness had started to get up, but he sat back down. Jeff sighed and continued speaking. "I was trying to find a way out of here… Out of this timeline, I mean."

"I figured, since there's clearly no way to fix this world… Perhaps we could…" He winced, disgusted by his own words now that someone who suffered from what he had done sat before him. "Inject ourselves into another timeline..?" Ness raised an eyebrow at him, not quite understanding. "What?" he asked quietly. Jeff threw his hands up again. "Now, I know that sounds bad, but I didn't realize that would… Put you here. I thought that both versions of the person could exist in your world, and we would introduce ourselves, explain the situation, and… Do whatever you do there." Ness got closer to him, glaring directly into his eyes and raising his voice. "So you're saying there's another me out there living MY life now?" 

Jeff shushed him again and spoke more hurriedly, the panic he was trying to hide creeping into his voice. "Shhhhooshh!! It's only temporary! It's not forever, I swear on my mum…" Jeff's strange little way of speaking eased him just a little bit, but he still didn't sit down. "As soon as he's done scouting the place, he'll come right back– I gave him the Branch Hopper… That's what I called the little thing, the little… Portal device." Ness slapped his hand to his forehead. Could things possibly get any more infuriating?!? "You mean to tell me… You gave him my only means of getting back until he shows up again?" Jeff lowered his head, his gaze shifting to the ground again. The guilt simply would not leave him. "A-and… When he does come back, that should send you right home, and I can fix… Whatever was going on…"

Ness let out a long exhale, closed his eyes and sat back down. Great. Great! Just great. He was stuck here. In this creepy, hellish-looking version of his world. And god knew how long he would be here or what that other version of him might be doing… Sleeping in HIS house, talking to HIS mom, maybe even telling his world's Paula about… No. He was NOT going to think about any of those things, he had way worse things to worry about right now. He opened his eyes and looked at Jeff. "Okay. I answered your questions. Now I want you to answer mine," he mumbled. Jeff nodded. Ness spoke with determination in his voice. He was going to get to the bottom of this or die trying. 

"First of all, what happened here? Why is the sky red like that? Why does everything look dead?" he leaned back on the palms of his hands. Something in Jeff's eye grew brighter, and he stood up straighter. "You mean you don't know?" Ness shook his head. "Nope. I mean, I think I have an idea, but…" No. I didn't fail. I didn't… What Jeff said next made him feel… Something. He wasn't sure to feel relieved or destroyed. "Well," he began, "Four years ago, a being called Giygas attacked, something said to be the embodiment of evil itself… He covered the world in darkness, and caused a fracture in time. Some places have been shifted forward or backward, and some places are just completely frozen. 

"Animals and people have gone raving mad from all of it, and there's no making heads or tails of anyone's intentions anymore until they act… You can't expect people to be friendly ever since The Shriek. That's, uh…" he smiled nervously, "...what we've been calling it. And now there are two of his… Little friends, second in command, running different parts of the world." He stopped, seemingly out of breath. "And… That's just about everything that has happened." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Ness was entirely unsure what to do or say. Fracture in time? Covered the world in darkness? How could they let that happen? Ness let his head fall into his hands. Okay, he had to give them the benefit of the doubt… If this was 4 years ago, he would have been 9… Far too young, he guessed, to get a grasp on the situation.

But that still didn't mean they could just-! He let out a long exhale. "Fine… I believe you. But when he comes back… Do NOT use that thing until you're SURE it works the way you want it to.” Jeff sighed with relief. “Thank you so much, I just… I really thought I was doing something good, you know? We could save everyone and…” He didn’t finish the sentence, because Ness had already exited the tent. He sat there for a while, contemplating the morality of what he’d done… And many of the things he’d done until this point. He was an overthinker, for sure, and while this was good for creating machines, when you needed to worry about shelter and food more than anything else it was more of a detriment than a virtue. Often he wondered if he was really useful at all, and then one day he invented the Branch Hopper and then he was praised, but… For what? He’d put someone else in danger.

The distraught boy in the red cap crawled out of the tent and stared into the bleeding sky, clouds like scars raked across its surface. He’d had an eventful enough day already, this was the last thing he needed right now! Why then, right after he saved the world, was this his reward? He sat on the ground and turned his gaze to the flames in front of him, resting his head on his knees and tucking his legs to his chest. It had to be a bad dream. He had blacked out after all, maybe he’d… Eaten something bad, or had some kind of seizure, and he’d wake up in the hospital and they’d give him a diagnosis and some medicine and then he’d stay home for a few days and then everything would go back to normal and…

Oh, he knew that was wishful thinking. He wasn’t allergic to anything and he didn't have epilepsy, and even if he did, he never had nightmares like this. There was a painful tightening in his chest, as if someone had gripped it with a fist and tried to take it for themself. His eyes watered and his face felt hot. He didn’t want to be here, even if it was only for a week at most. He wanted to go home. He didn’t want to be surrounded by the future he had feared for the past week and a half. He felt sorry for all the times he didn’t listen to his mom, and forgot to feed King, and all the times he skipped school, and…

He felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey… Are you okay? What’s wrong?” It was Paula’s. Ness looked up at her, wiping his face. “It’s nothing, I’m fine, don’t worry about it..” She wasn’t convinced, and brushed the hair from his face. “Hey… It’s alright. You look pretty tired and hungry, so…” She reached into a bag she had hanging over her shoulder and pulled out a small packet of cheese crackers. “It’s not much, but we haven’t found a good food source in a while now.” Ness took the crackers and opened them, placing one in his mouth but feeling too miserable to really bite down on it. “Paula…” he mumbled as the umber-clad girl sat next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m… Not the same guy you know.” She smiled at him. “That makes sense… I mean, the Ness I know actually eats food instead of trying to smoke it like a… Well, I’ve never seen a square cigar but, well, what else am I supposed to call that?” Ness smiled just a bit, eating the cracker like a normal person after that. “Come on,” she whispered softly. “You should head to sleep. We’ll all still be here when you wake up.”

“Are we heading anywhere in the morning?” He asked. The hopeful look in her eyes faded. Her only answer was, “Just… Head to bed, I’ll let you know when something’s happening.” Right… Ness remembered, Morning never comes… He nodded and crawled over to a tent that he figured was his, based on the fact that it was mostly empty– the other him must have taken everything with him. And once he got over the constant feeling of existential dread, it was pretty easy to fall asleep. 

#ARRGHH WHERE DID MY INDENTS GO #earthbound #alternate universe #edgy ass #writing #fanfic #nightmare reality

[travelingonvacation]

Taiwan is a vibrant island nation known for its rich history, diverse landscapes, delicious cuisine, and technological innovation. Here's a guide to help you plan your visit to Taiwan:

1. Taipei:

Taipei 101: Once the world's tallest building, offering panoramic views of the city.

National Palace Museum: Home to a vast collection of Chinese art and artifacts.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: A symbol of Taiwan's history and democracy.

Shilin Night Market: Experience Taipei's street food culture and try local delicacies.

2. Taroko Gorge:

Explore the stunning Taroko National Park, known for its marble cliffs, deep gorges, and hiking trails.

3. Sun Moon Lake:

Relax at this picturesque lake surrounded by lush greenery, pagodas, and temples.

4. Jiufen Old Street:

Wander through the narrow streets of Jiufen, a historic mining town with tea houses and beautiful views.

5. Alishan National Scenic Area:

Famous for its sunrise views, ancient cypress trees, and mountain railways.

6. Kenting National Park:

Enjoy beautiful beaches, coral reefs, and vibrant marine life in this southern national park.

7. Tainan:

Taiwan's oldest city with a rich history, temples, and traditional street food.

Chihkan Tower: An ancient Dutch fort with historical significance.

8. Taichung:

Rainbow Village: Colorful, vibrant artwork adorns the buildings.

Fengjia Night Market: One of the largest night markets in Taiwan.

9. Hualien:

Gateway to Taroko Gorge and a charming coastal city with a relaxed atmosphere.

10. Yehliu Geopark:

Marvel at unique rock formations along the coast, including the iconic Queen's Head.

11. Traditional Festivals:

Experience traditional festivals such as Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival if your visit coincides with them.

12. Hot Springs in Beitou:

Relax in natural hot springs in the Beitou district near Taipei.

13. Night Markets:

Explore various night markets, such as Raohe, Shida, and Shilin, to sample a wide array of Taiwanese street food.

14. Taiwan's Islands:

Consider visiting outlying islands like Penghu or Kinmen for a different cultural experience.

15. Cultural Etiquette:

Respect local customs and traditions, such as removing shoes when entering someone's home or a temple.

Tips:

Transportation: Taiwan has an efficient and well-connected transportation system, including high-speed trains and an extensive bus network.

Language: Mandarin Chinese is the official language, but English is commonly spoken in urban areas.

Currency: The New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) is the official currency.

Weather: Taiwan experiences a subtropical climate, so be prepared for both rain and sunshine, depending on the season.

Remember to check for any travel advisories and entry requirements before planning your trip. Taiwan's diverse offerings cater to nature lovers, food enthusiasts, history buffs, and those seeking modern city experiences. Enjoy your time exploring this fascinating island!

#taiwan #TaiwanTravel #TaiwanVibes #TaiwanAdventures #ExploreTaiwan #TaiwanTrip #TaiwanBeauty #TaiwaneseCulture #TaiwanDiversity #TaiwanFoodie #TaipeiCity #TaiwanNature #TaiwaneseLifestyle #TaiwaneseHistory #TaiwanViews #TaiwanPhotography #TaiwanLove #TaiwaneseTraditions #TaiwanLandmarks #TaiwanIslandLife #TaiwanSights #Youtube

[melissakayboutique]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Magenta Lily Nail Dashes Red Aspen NIB.

[allexandrianrejects]

Minthe Hexum

Gender: cis woman

Age: 25 during Campaign 3

Sexuality: queer polyamorous

Race: half-elf (Eladrian and Shadar Kai heritage)

Alignment: true neutral but in an amoral way

Class: Necromancer wizard and college of satire bard

FC: Segovia Amil

Bio under the cut

A Spring Eladrian half-elf fell in love with a Shadar Kai half-elf. The two could not have been more different, and yet their love was true. They married and before long, the Shadar Kai was pregnant. From their union came two children, pale and dark-haired like Shadar Kai, and yet with the ethereal glow of Eladrians. Both children were given names from mysticism and nature combined, the boy named Myrrh, while the girl was named Magdalena Minthe, called Minthe.

It was unfortunate that the couple were killed shortly into their children's second year, as they were once adventurers and look one last outing before retiring for good. Unluckily, that was the outing that did them in. With no close family due to the rather strange limbo of being half-elves, their wishes had been that the children go to a benefactor of theirs, who would know where they would be safe. Jiana Hexum, upon seeing the twins, grew too attached to have anyone else taking them. She decided as far as Jrusar knew, they were her nephew and niece, wards living in her house as family, and they should be treated with the dignity of the Hexum family.

Minthe was observant, intelligent, and occasionally shrewd, even as a child. Compared to her active, dexterous brother, she was more interested in reading books and snooping into Hexum’s library. Indeed, there was plenty to learn from those volumes; there was even more to find when she learned the simple mage hand, able to get books stored up on high shelves, designed for children not to reach. And that was when she found necromancy. Jiana was quick to find out those volumes were disturbed, and that led to lessons in the viol to occupy her time. Minthe was not discouraged by this, instead finding joy in her lessons and the new power that imbibed her along with her growing powers as a wizard. Besides, working in the middle of the night and some prestidigitation made it easy to make sure she could still learn of necromancy without her aunt’s knowledge.

It was in the teenage years of her and her twin that their nights were gouged out with a break-in, where her brother killed two of the intruders with his bow, while Jiana killed two with her magic… necrotic force flew from Minthe’s own fingers, shooting the one still standing in the shoulder, pushing them back and out of the window. She saw a glint of purple before she heard a shatter, like marble. She saw the young person around the same age as she… and her twin was horrified to realize that he had killed two equally as young. It was she who collected the shattered pieces and cast several spells: animate dead and gentle repose, creating a strange half-life as the spells fought; he was too broken to simply raise him without problems. That was a fundamental truth of necromancy. So, she took them to someone who knew stone and metal, who apparently knew this wayward soul. With her magic slowly taking them from an animated corpse to a living person and Milo’s skill knitting then back together, infusing them with bottled fae magic and gold, they did it. She spoke no word of it to her aunt, hoping she would not notice… but Ashton was pulled back in her orbit, put on her debt.

Myrrh told her of similar stories he heard from well to do compatriots of their guardian, showing a desire to destroy them, finding that desire given life though the Changebringer. She herself felt no great call to gods, but did always enjoy making fools of them all. And in many ways, it made her a fool herself. She’d heard tell of satire bards, jesters who cut down royalty with ease and were nigh untouchable, since sending someone to kill them would only further ruin their reputation. From books, she learned, taking her necromantic background to turn this college into something dark… she was a macabre reminder of not only the failings of the rich… but their deaths.

There were whispers that she would take the dead as her servants. There were whispers she already had taken an earth genasi as hers, once a twitching pile of bones and now a strong barbarian. She was the evil witch of fairy tale they all knew would get them…

Whether or not she actually would… well, she hadn’t decided yet. At the moment, she was curious about what exactly it took to get into the Chandei Quorum, and if it would be possible for her to make the position.

#about Minthe #muse: Minthe

[channoticedmeuwu]

i wish my delicate years of youth weren't being wasted on striving for a capital letter with a plus sign on a piece of paper, which would probably not even have a life changing effect on me, just momentary joy lasting about 30 minutes. But actually being spent doing things that I could actually attain genuine knowledge from. I should be learning, I should be traveling, I should be laughing and I should be making memories. I should be experiencing and I should be exploring, and I should be discovering who I am. I don't want to have to voluntarily give away a prime stage of my life that I'll never get back to a bound-to-fail system that will only teach me to be materialistic and master the skill of remembering things without actually attaining any information or lesson from, and then forgetting it a few days later.

i want to be carving all my friends' names into tree bark, and I want to be looking into a mirror and liking the shirt I thought would look bad on me, I want to be stuttering on my words when I try to order myself a coffee and I want to be petting a stranger's dog on the street. I want to be nibbling flesh off pomegranate seeds and I want to be sitting in a garden painting a blackbird under the sun. I want to holding my tongue out for snowflakes and I want to hold my bestfriend's hand to keep them warm and I want to scream a countdown until the the clock strikes 12 so I can do all of this over again.

I don't want to be made a clone so I can only do one thing, I don't want to be subjected to useless things like the quadratic formula and inverse function of x, and I don't want to subject the future generation to that either.

I want to discover my true meaning of life because everyone else has their own unique version of it. I want to understand how it feels to be glad that I was born into this world full of art.

I don't want to look up at the sky and wonder "what's the point?" I think that once we starting doubting a system we structured and built ourself, we were bound to be doomed. We should have done something about it, not turn a blind eye. Because of that, I have to sit here and wonder if trying so hard is even worth it. I hate having to pity myself because of being born, something I couldn't even control.

I JUST WANT TO LIVE IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

#kai's grand rants #kai's marble collection #im just so pissed off man #im just so done and im just so tired #i wish i could sleep forever #i wish i wasn't born #if this is life i dont want it #im gonna probably delete this tomorrow #im just so TIRED.

[paganimagevault]

Locri pinax 490-450 BCE

"The Pinakes was a bibliographic work written by Callimachus (305–240 BC). It was a listing of the holdings in the great Library of Alexandria. It was probably the world's first library catalogue, yea, even before the internet and Google, back when people read books and even scrolls. The collection at the Library of Alexandria contained nearly 500,000 scrolls grouped by subject matter and stored in bins. Each bin carried a label with painted tablets hung above the stored papyri. The tablets described the contents of the bin by title, author, etc. The tablets were called pinakes. (Modern Italian retains the hard Greek 'k' and the Greek pronunciation of PIN-a-kays. In English, the common plural is 'pinaces', giving us the pronunciation of PIN-a-seas. That's ok. If you're not sure, just point. The singular was pinax. Ah, getting closer! A pinax, in ancient Greece, was the general word for a small board that might be painted on and serve as a devotional or votive tablet. It could also be used to refer to a terracotta, marble or bronze tablet engraved with devotional figures from Greek mythology and deposited in a sanctuary or in a burial chamber."

-taken from naplesldm link below

https://paganimagevault.blogspot.com/2019/11/locri-pinax-490-450-bce_29.html

#library of alexandria #magna graecia #ancient history #art history #5th century bce #greek #pagan

[the-himawari]

A3! Hyodo Kumon - Translation [SSR] MANKAI Memory (3/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Kumon: I’m back!

Juza: Ahh, Kumon. Welcome home.

Kumon: Ahh, nii-chan!

Juza: By the way, you went home, right? What did you go back to do?

Kumon: I went to get this! I think I’ll use it in the birthday bromide photoshoot coming up.

Juza: That… sure brings back memories.

Kumon: Doesn’t it!

Juza: Right, you were collecting those to unleash a special move.

Kumon: So you remember too, nii-chan! But it might be a little embarrassing if everyone in Summer troupe finds out when I show it to them later…

-pause-

Summer troupe: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Izumi: Happy birthday!

*party poppers pop*

Kumon: Everyone… thanks! UuUh, I’m sooo happy…!!

Yuki: You really get emotional and teary-eyed every time, huh?

Tenma: It’s totally a regular thing now.

Kumon: I feel super duper blessed that everyone’s celebrating like this for me!

Kazunari: If we can make Kumopi happy, then we’re totes happy too!

Izumi: Congrats, Kumon-kun!

Muku: Congratulations! Let’s have a blast at today’s birthday party!

Misumi: Yeah!

Kazunari: ‘Kay, ‘kay, let’s get down to it~… Tah daaah! Kumopi’s happy birthday present!

Kumon: Uwahh, thanks! Can I open it!?

Kazunari: Go for it, dude!

Kumon: !! These are…!

Tenma: They’re dragon motif goods and a rosario.

Yuki: And this here’s a phoenix item.

Kazunari: We tried to stay away from baseball stuff this time and picked out cool things that we thought Kumopi’d like!

Misumi: There’s also a keychain with a triangle magic circle drawn on it~!

Kumon: Aww man, they’re so sick!! I’ll treasure them all!

Izumi: (It looks like Kumon-kun really likes them. Everyone in Summer troupe really knows Kumon’s tastes well, huh?)

Muku: I came up with the presents this time when I saw the bottle of marbles and sea glass that Kyu-chan chose for his bromide accessory the other day.

Kumon: !

Misumi: Oh, really~?

Tenma: I mean, Muku was the one who came up with the presents this time, but we didn’t know about that.

Muku: Actually, Kyu-chan collected these marbles and sea glass when he was little in order to unleash a special move he saw in an anime—.

Kumon: AHH! Muku, hold on, hold on!

Misumi: A special move~?

Yuki: Oh, I get it. That’s his chuunibyou origin story, huh?

Kazunari: Ahaha! That’s so like you, Kumopi!

Tenma: Don’t tell me you were trying to hide it even now?

Kumon: Wah~, I was exposed~!

Muku: S-sorry, Kyu-chan…! It’s because I’m an empty party popper that’s finished cracking already…!

Kumon: No, it’s ok! I thought it might be embarrassing for them to find out, but… Somehow, I didn’t mind anymore when I saw everyone’s reactions!

Option 1: “They’re sparkly and pretty.”

Izumi: The marbles and sea glass are sparkly and pretty.

Kumon: Aren’t they!? I stared at them a lot when I was little~. There’s marbles and sea glass with pretty rare colours inside, see? And there’s also some that change colours when the light hits them, so it’s super cool! I’ll show you too, next time. Let’s look at them together!

Izumi: Yeah, thanks. I’m looking forward to it.

Option 2: “You collected a whole bunch, huh?”

Izumi: You collected a whole bunch, huh?

Kumon: Yep! There’s lots of different shapes and colours too. I gathered the sea glass together with Muku at the beach.

Muku: How nostalgic. I had lots of fun too.

Kumon: And also, I was really happy when nii-chan and I went to a candy store that was a little farther away and found a huge marble!

Kazunari: Ahaha, I can just picture Kumopi when he was a kid!

Yuki: I can totally imagine how bright he was.

Izumi: Fufu, how charming.

Izumi: (Kumon-kun’s smiling face always makes those around him smile automatically. I’m sure that must be Kumon-kun’s personality.)

Kumon: Ah, that reminds me, I feel like there was a piece of sea glass that’s close to a triangle shape inside the bottle. I’ll give that to Sumi-san next time!

Misumi: Really!? Yay~!

Muku: I remember that too. Wasn’t it white?

Kumon: Wowie, Muku remembers well! Yep, yep, it was a white-coloured sea glass!

Muku: But Kyu-chan, didn’t you cherish that sea glass since you said the power of light dwells inside…

Tenma: The power of light…

Kumon: ERR, WAHH! Muku, you don’t need to keep talking about that!

Summer troupe: Ahahaha.

---

previous |

#a3! #a3! translation #hyodo kumon #act! addict! actors!

[terrence-silver]

“You should never have approached me. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.” with Yandere Terry x Reader please?

A gala event and your silver d'oeuvre platter keeps gravitating away from him.

Most irritating.

Suited up in his tuxedo, lit cigar in hand, he of course wonders what a pretty thing like you is doing here, working for the catering service maintaining the joint on a steady flow of liquor, caviar and shrimp for the evening, as you're out politely plying everyone with champagne, appetizers and desserts, lost in the maze of sequin-riddled ball-gowns, hair-sprayed curled beehives and monochromatic suits - ever the diligent little worker bee. You approach the CEO of a local oil company, and Terry of course feels envious as that over-bloated fuck usurps all your attention for ten seconds longer then he'd like. After that, the youthful widow of an aged celebrity-rockstar and entrepreneur who downs three whole rounds of the chocolate liquor off the filled entrée you carry. Soon enough, you disappear somewhere in the many passageways adjoined to the main hall and his eyes search for you upon instinct in the crowd and a collective of equally suited-up waiters and waitresses who take smooth, graceful turns around the quietly chattering guests, annoyed that his attention is attached and controlled by anything at all, only to see you re-appear with a new polished, decorative platter entirely, gently balanced in one hand, alongside a pristine white wiping cloth draped over your bent arm. He must be so very bored at this place indeed. He'd rather pay attention to the attendants and servers of this place - their routes and body-language - like watching Pacman attempting to eat his way through a labyrinth, rather then the fact that the Emir of Qatar is trying to chat him up.

He idly fantasizes what it would be like to sweep your feet.

Have you trip on the marble-tile floor, smashed crystal glasses and all.

See your face flush crimson with absolute embarrassment and humiliation.

You'd no doubt get scolded and fired and then he could have you all to himself.

Request you and have you whisked away to his limousine and into the night.

Maybe you could cater to him with a plate, back in his mansion, all naked.

Feed him grapes and pomegranates - divert him with some champagne.

Soon enough, much to his annoyance, Terry's turn arrives to be served anything at all by you in particular, because the other waiters are of little interest and consequence to him, and he's there giving you a silent, speculative death-gaze deliberately, just for fun's sake, casually leaning against the bar of the séparé of the dimly-lit men's joint, wondering just how much you're paid. Is this a casual summer job? Are you a newcomer? Struggling with bills, are you? You're too cute to be working. But, also, it's oddly hypnotic to see you move and do your job nonetheless. Sense the reluctant intimidation you feel as you offer him a cup of iced Cognac off of your tray, appearing pale and uncertain. Were you scared of him? This entire evening? Is that why you swerved and avoided him? Is that why you allowed you collogues attend to him instead? DId you know his reputation? Did you hear of Dynatox? Cobra Kai? Was the staff whispering on their company's time? How amusing. Terry enjoyed playing-up the fear factor. Something hypnotic about seeing someone's doe-eyes wide with anticipation and anxiety. Like Bambi, witnessing it's mom shot by the big, bad hunter. So, he opts to ruffle your feathers a bit deliberately, saying the most off-puttingly nonchalant thing he can think off of the top of his head, trying not to giggle. Why was it so entertaining and addictive to squish, bully and tenderly abuse beautiful people?

“You should never have approached me. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

He says so very softly, it could make dying angels weep.

Giving you the tenderest, sweetest half-smile contrasting his words.

Taking a glass of the intoxicant you were offering with a flick of his wrist.

His gold Rolex jingles in your general direction as he slowly turns away from you.

Knowing fully well you were not to socialize with the guests outside of serving them.

You leave to approach the Director of General Motors Inc., colorless as a ghost.

Terry smiles after your leaving form, motioning for the senior garçon.

He's going to find out absolutely everything about you tonight.

#terry silver #kk3 #cobra kai #yandere #anon request #terry silver x reader

[rubykgrant]

RVB characters doing stuff that I do-

Church; Basically huffs onions as he chops them

Tex; Changes the channel on TV during commercials, so she’s basically watching 5 different shows at once, flipping around when one of them is on a break

Tucker; Plays his gameboy in the bathtub... he hasn’t dropped it yet, this is fine

Caboose; Has a jar full of marbles, and absolutely named them all

Wash; Has a collection of CDs that are movie soundtracks... and many of these are things like the Care Bears

Carolina; Just keeps adding sticks of gum until she’s chewing the whole pack at once

Kai; Paints nail polish on WAY too thick, and then peels them off in one piece later

Sarge; Nobody else is allowed to mow the lawn, he’s the only one who can do it RIGHT

Simmons; Watches every single cast and crew movie commentary for all the DVDs he owns

Grif; Eats spoonfuls of powdered chocolate milk mix

Donut; Gets baby lotion and baby shampoo just because of the nostalgia that comes from the way they smell

Lopez; Likes to make little designs with a wood-burning tool

Doc; Likes hard-cover books more than paperback (because the paperbacks tend to be smaller, and it is harder to hold them open, so it hurts his hands after a while)

Locus; Has to blow his nose with paper towels because he sneezes so hard he just shreds tissues

#red vs blue #hahaha #me

[raventons]

The list of names

*scary music playing* Ok, guys, in the light of American Middle Eastern policy, that has once again brought me to tears, I decided to do something a bit happier (this is me trying to influence my followers to read the news and fight for the right thing and all that jazz). I’ve got a lot of asks recently, mostly from people new to the world of CC, about which creators are the best, so I’ve made this little list of the creators I download and use the most. This is not in any way a complete collection, I might have forgotten someone (and there’s also plenty of creators I haven’t discovered yet). Also, these are all build creators, mainly creating alpha CC. Please feel free to add to this list. Also also, the description I’ve used for the artists are totally my own making, so if you are a creator and feel like I am describing your work in an unfair way, go ahead and punch me in the face.  If I was a new simmer, I would check out these creators:  Retired: MXIMS - Makes modern, real life furniture with the best quality. Has many downloads left on their website.  MINCSIMS - Similar to MXIMS (with some amazing collabs), also with a beautiful talent for doors and windows. Not many objects left in orbit, but google is your friend.  DAER0N - Done everything from noodles to palms, but the recent Daer0n I would describe as gold, dark and modern, with 3D modeling skills out of this world. Retired, and much of the old stuff is gone, but some can be found at bloomingrosy.  DOX - Similar to Daer0n with a slightly stricter, more wooden approach. The most underrated one of the retired giants. Has some downloads left on their website. ANBS - Super clean aesthetic. Modern, real life furniture. Many downloads left on their website. SLYD - Mostly known as a CAS creator, but has the amazing shoes and bags available as decor. All downloads left on the website.  HVIKIS - Wallpapers and wall art. All downloads left on the website. VIIKIITA - Recolors to die for. Not many objects left in orbit, but google is your friend. Active (I think. I hope. I don’t know):  ARSBOTANICA - Previously simshamlet. Does really lovely, vintage aesthetic perfume bottles and amazing flowers. SLOX - A personal favorite. Modern, I’d say. And realistic. But often with objects you didn’t even know you needed, that ends up being the main inspiration for the whole build. Like some folded shirts, or a stack of books. 13PUMPKIN -  A long with Artvitalex this is the best wood creator in the community. The sets are kind of like “small-lovely-family-home”-style, but can be used in big, modern builds with equally outstanding results.  WONDYMOON - My by far most used creator. The most organized one too, I’d say. All sets match eachother, and are easy to find (and are all named by elements, this guy is a rock star). PYSZNYDESIGN - The Kilburn set is to die for.  MEINKATZ - Literally replicas of real life furniture, with their history and all. Honestly the coolest thing ever. Also, a really nice person.  PRALINESIMS - The best floor and wall creator, hands down. I don’t know if this is really the person I should tag tho, so I’ll tag @cross-design​ and hope for the best because I honestly still don’t know who is who. I love them both tho. THE TSR GIANTS: SEVERINKA, KARDOFE, UNG999, SIMMAN123, PILAR, ARTVITALEX, ANGELA, DOT, BUFFSUMM, SHINO and NYNAEVE - Yes, a lot of the creators I mention here are active on TSR and a lot of my TSR giants are active elsewhere, but I still, maybe arbitrary, like to put these under the TSR flag because they represent that wonderful vibe of big sets, certain room types and signature colors. PEACEMAKER - a true legend. Some of the CC is borderline MM, but that is what makes them so perfect. They go with both themes. MIO - This is the first creator I downloaded from and they will always have a special place in my heart. Brilliant conversions, flower sets, seating, everything.  NOVVVAS - A way too humble person that claims she is not the best in the game, when she truly is out of this world. RIGHTHEARTED - who I have been referring to as neiden my whole life because I am an idiot.  TINGELINGLATER - Does a lot of things but blessed all of us with windows and since then I am in love.  ANYE - Pinkbox Anye, to be correct. Lovely person. Lovely sets. Unique eyes. Adore this one.  FOREVERDESIGNS - Will literally transform your bedroom. And kitchen. And life.  BLACKMOJITOS - Build sets and sexy, stunning posters (and a basket every now and then). Also up for commissions, I just noticed. Go throw money at her. She is amazing.  KAI-HANA - Has a totally unique style, where everything is alpha, but still has a beautiful, clayish touch to it. Underrated.  AROUNDTHESIMS - A bit on the MM side, so if you’re looking for that MM/alpha mix, this is for you. Extremely productive. Does everything and more.  CHERRY-SIMS - A part from the CC, this is also the best picture editor I’ve ever seen. I am a huge fan!  CONCEPTDESIGN - Did someone say trees? YUMIA - Soft flowers, old school touch, vintage AGGRESSIVEKITTEN - Literally killed half the community with the recent brutalism set, which without a doubt will be voted best CC of 2020. Also, where else would you go for both beautiful, vintage objects AND a tarot card reading? Weirdly obsessed with seals. Makes amazing lots. I love you.  DSCO - I gave up trying to spell this creators full name after the sixth attempt. I would describe the CC as cute. But not in the condescending (that I could spell) way. More in a bad-ass-I-need-all-of-these-objects-kind-of-way! KKB - My ignorant and uneducated ass wants to call it Korean, and I am sorry if this isn’t the right way to describe anything. Soft, pastel but at the same time very cool, with rattan and wood.  DR GREENIE - Former Green Girl. Mostly MM, but has made some of my most used decor objects.  HELEN - Extremely productive. Does everything.  NIKADEMA - Has made my favorite sink!  PQSIMS - Makes sets. Usually light wood.  LUNATICAVILLAGE (2SIS) - Another underrated favorite. Everyone should go here and show as much love as possible! LAVI3ENROSE - A creator that entered my world quite recently. Art deco. Bronze. Gold. And the best wrapped Christmas presents of 2019.  DDAENG SIMS - Another giant that recently changed their name (used to be dreamteamsims).  FELIXANDRE - The best historical creator (as in making epic shit that would create the most wonderful castle). Sometimes a bit on the MM side with the furniture, and that contrast makes it, in my eyes, even better.  SIMCREDIBLE - Sets. Color matching. Often light and modern. I use their decor stones in every single one of my .  SOLORIYA - MM creator. But even for us alpha bitches there are wonderful stuff (I think this is the case for most MM artists, I just don’t know so many of them).  XELENN - Also does literally everything. One can scroll this blog for hours.  OWL-PLUMBOB - Amazing build objects.  SANOYSIMS - A long with MXIMS, I’d say this is one of the most “realistic” artists.  WINNER9 - To me, this creator is all about the amazing wall art. But of course they make other stunning objects too. Marble tables, anyone? SJAMBOKSIM - My most used concrete walls (and I use concrete A LOT).  AIFIRSA - Totally different style from everyone else. Absolutely love this aesthetic.  VIVIAN STUDIO - This sounds weird, but their onions are the best object in my game. Don’t judge.  HEURRS - A quite new creator who blew my mind with some recent candles and earned my first reblog since 456 BC. Love you.  I am forgetting so, so many. Please, I sometimes can’t even remember my own name, so don’t feel hurt if I missed you. PLEASE comment your favorite creators below! Where would you advice new simmers to start looking for good CC?  Love you guys!!!

#sims 4 #sims 4 cc #the sims #the sims 4 #creators #sims 4 creator #sims 4 creators #sims 4 cc finds #the sims 4 cc finds #sims cc #sims cc finds #sims4 #thesims4 #thesims

[salt-warrior]

Alright folks... it’s time for me to forever shame myself, because I’m publishing a crack fic. I’ve NEVER done that before because I usually just write crack fics for my own enjoyment, but this crack fic was inspired by a post that @impossiblesuitcase wrote. So thank you for that, lovely. Also thank you @cosmicnovaflare for pushing me to write this, I love you always. 

This crack fic is a crossover of three of my own fanfictions. So if you have not red Unsinkable, The Echo of Silence, and The Time it Takes to Fall, then literally none of this will make any sense. All three play vital roles in this story. Seriously, you’ll be in the dark so don’t read it unless you’ve read all of them.

Again, this is a crack fic so it’s even more wildly unrealistic than my other writing. And I am also going to pretend I never wrote it because I am ashamed. The original endings are the real endings in my mind. You have been warned. 

So without further ado, I present you with 6,249 words of crack fic that I wrote in one sitting yesterday instead of doing my homework. Enjoy.

Tags: @shellyseashell @cindersassasin @gingerale2017  @healing-winston-pratt @winterrhayle @just2bubbly @f-r-o-p @idkchatie (I’m only tagging the people who were really angry with Unsinkable because I think a lot of you have read all three of those stories? If not, then sorry for the tag, I love you guys<333)

Until Forever Ends

Before Kai’s father had passed away, he’d told Kai to pursue what he needed to find peace. He’d probably meant something along the lines of falling in love with another girl or switching up his career. Surely he hadn’t intended for his son to look into the mythical sisters of life and death.

It had been a long day, with him first going to his father's funeral, then to see Cinder's gravesite one last time. He hated leaving her there, but he had hope that when they would meet again, he would speak to her and not a marble headstone.

He'd mailed notes to all his friends that morning. To Scarlet and Wolf, Jacin and Winter, and Cress. He'd detailed an adventure across the world that he would be having. After all, his father had left everything he owned to Kai, and he wanted to make the most of living. Of course it was all a fantastic lie; he was traveling the world, and perhaps it would be an adventure, but it was more of a journey than anything else. And he didn't plan on ever coming home.

Because even if he found what he was looking for, he couldn't return to his friends. They wouldn't understand—they couldn't understand.

So he would travel to the ends of the Earth, and he would find her.

***

Kai sat on a sandy beach, the waves lapping up over his legs, his nostrils filling with the scent of salt. The sky was gray and the air cold, but he could not feel its bitter sting. His clothes were torn ragged and his hair grown long and shaggy. If one were to gaze upon him, they would believe him to be insane. But he did not care. He was on the hunt for the sisters of life and death— and he was close.

It had been months since his father’s funeral; months since he’d left Cinder’s grave back in Arizona. He’d flown across the sea and traveled to lands he hadn’t even known existed. He’d slept under the stars and beneath the blanket of darkness. He’d listened to stories of people who lived their lives over and over in search of love and those who had been played for fools. He’d seen much and learned even more.

He’d heard tales of the two sisters: one life and the other death. They began as whispered fairy tales, told to him by drunkards and fools. But as he investigated further, he discovered that the sisters were real.

They existed throughout all the lands of the world, always under different names. In some lands they were simply Life and Death, while in others they were Angel and Demon or creatures of the Earth. He simply knew them as Light and Darkness. He only hoped to call out to the sister of light and life, not the one of darkness and death.

Throughout all his travels, no one had ever been able to tell him how to call each sister, only that they came to the cries of the brokenhearted who claimed, and fervently meant, that they would do anything to bring their love back to them. It had to be a plea for love that consumed one’s entire soul— but his soul was filled with Cinder, and Cinder alone.

He watched the black sea as it foamed about him. There had been conflicting views as to where one had to be when summoning either of the sisters. Some claimed that the person had to be in the place of their lover’s birth, while others explained that you had to be in the exact place of their final breath. One woman had even claimed that without the body of his dead lover still warm in his arms, he could not bring her back. Kai had shivered at that proclamation, with Cinder dead and in the ground for well over a year.

But there had been one account that had remained etched in his mind. A scholar somewhere in Europe, who had quoted the lines of Edgar Allen Poe’s last poem to Kai.

“And neither the angels of Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.”

“The sea would be the best place to call one of the sisters to you,” the scholar had said. “For that is their home. With the Angel above and the Demon below, they will hear your cries.”

So Kai went to the sea.

Slowly the gray sky melded into black, allowing for the stars to dot the emptiness and the moon to shine across the waves with hints of white light. He knew he should have been cold, and perhaps he was, but there was nothing left in him but the aching wish to be with Cinder once more.

“Cinder,” he whispered her name through chapped lips. “My love. I would do anything–” his voice broke off with a sob, tears falling like the spray of the ocean. “Anything,” he reiterated. “To be with you again.”

The waves of the sea began to swirl about him, pulling him off the beach and out into the waves. He screamed as his head dipped below the water, but a bubble of air had formed around him, preventing any wetness from glancing across his skin.

Everything seemed to grow lighter, despite the darkness he had remembered seeing. The waves danced about him in hues of deep purple and foam green. Fish swam around him in a flurry, and even the stars in the sky appeared to stand in closer proximity to himself.

Then everything slowed, and Kai found himself thrown back upon the sandy beach shore. He laid upon the ground, staring at the moon in the sky, which seemed within arms reach. He lifted a hand as if to touch it.

A hand reached out to brush against his fingers, and Kai pulled back. Silhouetted against the moon was the most glorious woman that Kai had ever beheld. There was no beauty comparable to her own. Her skin was dark and lined with gold tracings that resembled the very waves of the sea. She wore a dress of crimson that covered her figure elegantly, and jewelry of gold lined her ears and neck.

“Oh my stars,” she gasped, jumping back from him as she gazed upon his face. “It’s you.”

Kai was too shocked to speak. He dropped his hand back upon his chest as he looked up at her. His eyes mapped the kindness in her face and the confusion in her eyes as she gawked at him. All that he could register was that he was in the presence of an otherworldly being.

At long last her words caught up to his thoughts and puzzlement of his own registered in his mind. “Do we know one another?”

The woman’s face softened, and she shook her head slowly. “No, I suppose we do not. Or at the very least, not in this lifetime; not in this world. I am Light, the sister of life and all things which make life beautiful. For what reason do you weep so?”

Kai’s heart skipped a beat at her words. He pushed himself up so he rested upon his knees before her, looking up at her glorious face. She glowed, as if she were the moon itself, rather than just having it shine behind her.

“My wife,” Kai explained, “Cinder, died. She is gone from this life, and I wish to be with her again. I… I just wish to be with her again.”

“You are a fool to call down a deity on purpose. You could have just as easily received my sister,” Light exclaimed, though there was a certain sorrow hidden behind her gaze. “But you have been shadowed with luck upon this day. I can sense your pain, and the both of us know that you could call upon me only if your very soul screamed for your love and your love alone.

“I do not often grant requests of such a sort, unlike my sister, who joys in tricking lovers to be her slaves for all eternity. I find that traveling into the next world is the best option— that waiting for Darkness to collect you and transfer your soul fresh and new into another world is the best way to go.” She stopped speaking, then fell to her knees so she and Kai were at eye-level with one another. “But I have met your soul in another world— one where it knew only pain. I have met many creatures of the Earth through my eons of serving them. I aid those in all the universes known alongside my sister. But in all that time I have never stumbled upon the same man twice.

“And it is for that reason that I shall grant you your request,” Light said, touching her fingers against Kai’s cheek. She winced as she wiped the tears from his face.

Kai couldn’t breath, unable to process the words she was speaking to him. He would be with Cinder once more— she would be returned to him. All would be right in the world once more.

“However, I cannot reunite you with the girl you knew in this world,” Light explained with a sigh. “With your love gone for over a year, that piece of her soul has already passed into a new universe— it has been wiped of all her joy and all her sorrows. That piece of Cinder now abides somewhere else.”

Within an instant, Kai felt his world crumble into a thousand pieces. He hated himself for believing that it had been possible— that he could be with Cinder once more. But he was too late; he had waited too long. Now he would have to live the rest of this wretched life without her and hope to meet her in another universe.

“Do not fret, dear child,” Light chided, smoothing the hair back from his face in a motherly fashion. “For there is hope yet.”

“There is?” Kai asked.

“Yes; for while that fraction of Cinder that you know has vanished into another world, her soul still resides in other universes. You see, the soul lives thousands of lives, all in different realities. For it is not one solid being, it is an entity that never ceases to exist, and can exist in more than one place at once. The only problem being that the more time it spends in one universe, the more corrupt and destroyed it becomes. If your soul could recall other realities, you would understand of what I speak, for this was the exact circumstance under which we last met.”

Kai nodded along, pretending that he had even the faintest idea of what she was speaking of. She let out a great exasperated sigh, shaking her head. Light dropped her hand from his face and got to her feet.

“Your mortal mind cannot begin to comprehend the meaning of eternity. For while you shall live forever, you will not know it. There is a block upon your soul to cause you to forget; that is why it pains man so much to try and imagine living for forever.

“But that does not matter now. For when you are dead, your soul shall endure cleansing once more and be whisked off into another life in which you shall live and love and die again. Exhausting, isn’t it?”

Kai stared blankly, completely at a loss for words.

Light looked down upon him, stars shining in her eyes. “Dear child, there is another world in which your dearest love lived with you, but you were taken from her. Her soul aches for you in the way that yours aches for hers. I have never before transferred a soul to a different reality without death occurring first, but I have also never stumbled upon the same soul twice. Yours is a soul filled with more love and loss than any other I have come to know. So upon this night I shall reunite you with your love.”

The ocean began to swirl about them once more, pulling Kai into its great depths, but this time he did not scream. Light began to rise into the air, her arms spread wide as if to cup the moon above her hair. The wind howled, twisting the coils of her black hair about her face and the crimson swathes of fabric about her body. She was a glorious arrayment of red and gold and shining light.

Above the wind, Light shouted in a tongue lost to mortals, for it was the language of the first of mankind, and it had been forgotten. The sea continued to spin around Kai, fish of every color swimming about him. He was in the eye of an oceanic tornado.

Still Light rose higher into the air, pulling her crashing waves about her as she ascended toward the moon. All that Kai could see were the many sea creatures and the luminous goddess above him, growing brighter every moment.

A high-pitched scream filled his ears, though it was not a human one. It blocked out the sound of the waves and the echoing chants of Light above him. It filled his very being as the blinding light penetrated his soul.

And just as he wondered if this would be the destruction of his very soul, everything went black.

***

Kai awoke to the roar of the ocean, and felt an instant rush of cold tear through his body. His mind flashed with the memories of calling Light to him and begging her to send him to a life in which Cinder lived. He could recall the overwhelming light that had surrounded him, and the screaming that blocked out all other thoughts as the goddess rose above him in a tornado of the sea.

He pushed himself up and stared out at the waves. It was bright— the middle of the day by his reckoning— and warm. People stood in the ocean waves wearing an odd assortment of clothes rather than bathing suits. Or at least, they weren’t the kind of bathing suits that Kai knew.

A few people stared at him with quizzical looks, though Kai couldn’t deny that he probably deserved them. He wasn’t sure how long he had been laying upon the beach, though he was almost certain it had been some time.

“Are you alright, mister?” A kid asked, looking down at Kai. His cheeks were pink from sunburn, though it wasn’t particularly hot out.

“Yeah,” Kai said, getting to his feet and dusting off his jeans. The boy watched him warily. “Hey kid, what day is it?”

“December second,” the boy replied.

“And,” Kai scratched behind his ear. "What’s the year?”

The boy gawked at him for a moment, as if he thought Kai were either very dumb or very strange. “1912,” he said the year slowly, his slightly syrupy accent not helping. “What year did you reckon it to be?”

“I don’t know.” Kai glanced around, trying to gauge the situation. He didn’t know much about 1912. Actually, he knew nothing about it other than it was a couple years before World War I broke out. “Hey kid, where are we?”

The child, who couldn’t have been older than ten gave him an incredulous stare, then glanced over his shoulder, as if to check for his mother. “Savannah, sir,” he said.

“Savannah…”

“Georgia, sir,” the kid said, taking a couple steps back from Kai.

“Okay.” Kai sucked in a breath between his teeth, trying to think of what to do next. He was beginning to panic, for he did not know where to find Cinder in this different time and place. He didn’t even know if her name was Cinder, or even Selene.

“Hey kid?” Kai asked, glancing back down to talk to the boy, but he was running toward a woman glaring daggers at Kai.

Releasing a sigh, Kai walked away from the beach and toward the bustling town. People shot glares at him as he walked down the streets. He wasn’t exactly dressed in the way a normal twenty-first century guy would be, but his jeans and shredded red t-shirt didn’t fit in with the people surrounding him either. But there wasn’t a thing he could do about it; he had no money and no connections. He was alone in a world that did not belong to him. He couldn’t even be certain that Georgia meant the same thing to these people as it did him.

He was beginning to wonder if perhaps this was all some ridiculous dream, and whether or not he would wake up soon. But he’d thought that a lot over the past year, praying to whatever being that saw over mankind that Cinder wasn’t dead— that he wasn’t alone. That he could be with his wife once more.

And then he saw her.

Her hair was longer than she’d ever worn it in his reality, nearly reaching her waist, and she wore a pale pink dress that fell well past her knees. But if those details were strange, it was nothing in comparison to the buggy she was pushing in front of her. Kai felt his stomach drop. Was she married to another man? Had she chosen Thorne in this reality instead of him?

Panic gripped him, but before he could run and hide in an alleyway, she glanced up and right at his face. Her eyes widened with shock, then joy, then fear. It was that last look that made his heart ache. He had known Cinder for seven years, but never had she looked at him in such a way.

She sunk to her knees, hands gripping the front of the stroller. “Kai,” she breathed, staring at him now with absolute horror. A tear traced down her cheek and fell to the concrete like a single drop of rain. The pain on her face ripped through his body— he could not stand to watch her suffer so.

He rushed to her side, kneeling down upon the ground beside her, much like Light had done with him the night before, or whenever it was that he had spoken with the goddess. She shook as he brushed her hair from her face and cupped her cheek with his hand. “Cinder,” he whispered, voice low. “I know that this is confusing and frightening, but I need to talk with you. I have things to explain.”

“But you’re dead,” she sobbed, turning her face away from his and shutting her eyes tight. “You didn’t make it off the ship alive. They told me you drowned. They told me you were dead. You’re dead. You’re just a figment of my imagination. You can’t be real.”

“Cinder,” Kai hushed, glancing around them. There were people walking past them, staring with curious eyes, but none of them looked nervous for Cinder’s sake. “Cinder, I know that I’m dead here. And I know that my explanation for my being here might not make any sense, but I need to speak with you in private. I can explain everything. I will explain everything. I just need for us to go somewhere where we can’t be overheard.”

She opened her eyes and the look of absolute shame in her eyes caused his heart to stop. Tears traced down her cheeks in abundance; Kai had never known Cinder to cry in such a way. He worried that she would say no— that she had moved on. That his coming here was a burden upon her. But slowly, she nodded her head.

***

They went to a park just down the street from the beach. It was run-down, with a sad swing set of splintering seats and an abandoned jungle gym. There were no children around, or even any people for that matter, a fact that Kai found almost strange. Though at his inquisitive look, Cinder simply looked away from him.

She led him to a park table that sat somewhat lopsided but was sturdy all the same. She parked the buggy beside her, drawing the cover up so it shielded whatever was inside.

Kai took a seat across from her, bouncing his legs with nerves as he watched her and she looked away. He didn’t understand why she was acting in such a way. He hadn’t had much time to think of how he expected her to react to him appearing to her out of nowhere, but it definitely hadn’t been this. Confusion, yes. But this show of shame was frightening.

“Cinder,” Kai said, tilting his head in an attempt to get her to look at him. “Cinder, what’s the matter?”

She inhaled deeply, a great shuddering breath. Then finally, she looked at him. Her eyes were red and her cheeks puffy. But despite the remorse coloring her features, she was still his Cinder. She was the girl that he had met at ASU his Junior year in college. She was the girl he had fallen in love with.

“They told me that you died,” she whispered. “I-I–”

“Alright,” Kai cut in, not wanting her to believe that she had insulted his memory in any way. After all, he was dead in this reality. He did not wish for her to believe that anything she had done after his death was wrong. “Sorry, love, I really don’t mean to cause you any harm. I just– I don’t know how to explain what I’m about to tell you.” Somehow his words came out slow and calm, though he felt rather as if he were about to explode. “But I need to tell you something, and I only ask that you listen to the entirety of my story because it might sound somewhat preposterous.”

She nodded her head slowly, tears wiping at her eyes.

Kai told their story, starting from the day he had met her back when she still lived with her step-sister. He explained that he had loved her for five years in silence before finally proclaiming his love for her when she’d explained that she’d never been in love before. He told her how they had gotten married only three months later and lived two years together happily before she’d died in a dreadful car accident.

She listened silently, her tears drying and her eyes hardening and he explained how Thorne had been in love with her and how Kai had gotten into a fight with both him and her father. She never once interrupted him, even as he explained his months of mourning, then his months of searching for a way to conjure one of the sisters of life and death.

It was only when he told her of how Light had appeared to him on the beach and brought him to her world through an oceanic tornado filled with moonlight that she chose to interrupt.

“What?” She hissed, tilting her head at him in that I-don’t-believe-a-single-word-coming-out-of-your-mouth sort of a way. If she had been the Cinder of his universe, he knew that she would have asked him how high he was.

“I know it sounds ridiculous,” Kai said, “but you have to believe me. I know that I don’t belong here— that I’m not meant to live in this world. But before you died you told me that you believe in soulmates. That you thought that every person had another half. You told me when we got together that you could feel that it was right— that it was a whisper in your ear that it was me. And I didn’t believe in soulmates then, but I do now. My soul loves your soul. It has loved it in universes that I don’t even know of, but it adored you all the same. My love for you will never die, no matter how many times I die myself. You are the only one that I will ever love. I cannot help it. My soul cannot think to love another so long as it knows you.”

“But this doesn’t make any sense,” Cinder whispered, her guards coming down. “Even if you were from another universe and you loved me there, I assure you that you would not care for me in this one. Not after what I’ve done to you.”

“Did you kill me?” Kai asked, half curious and half terrified.

Cinder let out a slight, hiccupping laugh. Kai did not feel at ease.

“Cinder,” Kai said, growing serious once more. “I don’t know what happened here— what happened to me— but I know that no matter where we are in the space-time continuum, my soul will always love yours. But if you wish me to leave you, I will.” His mouth went dry with the words, but he meant them. No matter how much it hurt to be parted from her, he would do what she asked of him.

“I’m married,” Cinder blurted out. “After you died, I married Carswell. We were engaged to be married before I eloped with you in London, but when I came back and you were dead, Kingsley thought that it would be the best option. That it would be better for everyone, especially the–”

She buried her face in her hands, but all Kai could think of was that she had married Carswell Thorne— her best friend in his world. The one who had told her that he was in love with her the day that she died. The Carswell that had fought with him at Scarlet and Wolf’s house. His blood boiled with rage, though not with Cinder. She had done what she had to to survive. But Thorne— he would have gladly hit him again.

Kai sucked in a breath and returned his thoughts to the more pressing matters. He had no clue what had happened to him in this life. For all he knew, Carswell Thorne had killed him and forced Cinder to be his bride. Maybe that’s how things had worked back then. Kai was no history major, but he knew that honor was often important to people. Perhaps there had even been a duel.

“What happened to me?” Kai asked, his voice soft. “How did I die in this life?”

Cinder drew her hands down from her face, but kept her eyes averted from him as she said, “You drowned. We were on the Titanic–”

“The Titanic?” Kai interjected, with a gasp. “Like Jack and Rose?”

“I– I don’t know,” Cinder said, furrowing her brow. “But we were sailing home and the ship– the ship sank. You forced me onto a lifeboat even though I said I wanted to stay with you.” She glared at him. “And you went down with the ship. You drowned. Or froze. I do not know, I wasn’t there with you when you passed from this life and onto the next. But you left me.”

“Oh,” Kai whispered. His body deflated. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be sorry,” Cinder sneered, then she shook her head. “No. No, you were just doing what you thought was the right thing. You saved me. And you saved–” She shut her eyes again, then finally reached out toward the buggy and pulled back the top to uncover what lay inside.

Oh course Kai knew what strollers were for, but before that moment he hadn’t really considered that there would be a child inside— at the very least, not her child. His child.

But it was his child. He could tell just by looking at the small infant that he was both Cinder and Kai mixed together. He was still young, but no longer a newborn. Great black tufts of hair rested on his head, and when he opened his eyes— Kai let out a gasp. They were exactly his own.

Cinder rocked the child back and forth, running his finger over its face in a soft, motherly way that made Kai’s very soul ache. They’d had a child together, and Kai hadn’t gotten to be there. It didn’t even particularly matter to him that it wasn’t exactly his child. He should have been there, but he wasn’t. He hadn’t been there for Cinder or their baby. He had abandoned them.

“I’m so sorry,” Kai blurted, devastation seeming to carve his heart out of his body. “Cinder,” Kai sobbed, his eyes stinging with tears. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I– I did abandon you. I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Shhh,” Cinder hushed, reaching a hand across the table and laying it over Kai’s. She looked startled. “Kai–” she started, then shook her head. “Kai, I’m mad at you, or him, or– I don’t even know. I’m mad that you saved me when you didn’t save yourself. But I will never be mad that you saved him.”

Kai stared down at her hand on his and saw the tracery of an old burn. It wasn’t as severe as the one she had had in his universe, but it was still there.

Cinder seemed to realize herself and pulled back. She bit her lip and stared down at the baby, brow furrowed.

“I named him after you,” she whispered after a time.

Kai opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.

“Kaito Rikan Prince,” Cinder continued, not looking at him. “I just– I saw him, and I knew who he was. It didn’t matter that my mother thought that he should have my grandfather’s name or that Kingsley thought he should be named after himself.” She made a face at that. “I knew that he should have the name of his father and his grandfather because they had helped to save his life.

“But now that you’re here, I– I don’t really know if that fits. It would be confusing to have two Kai’s around. But Rikan— I don’t know. I think that perhaps he could be a Rikan.”

“Uh-huh,” Kai breathed, still reeling.

Cinder looked up at him, her eyes softening. “I still don’t understand everything that happened, and in all honesty, I don’t believe you understand it all either.”

“But,” Cinder continued, closing one eye as if she were cringing at herself. “I know that every night for the past eight months I have cried for the pain of missing you so. I know that you have never left my thoughts for even an instant, both in waking and in sleep. I know that my soul loves yours, and while I do not know how long it has cared for you, I know that it always will.

“I know you’re not the you that I knew, but you also are. You’re my Kai, and not just because you look and sound like him. You watch me with that same careful way, and your laugh is the same. And strangest of all, you calm my very soul. It’s as if it knows that it’s you.

“I don’t know if you still want me,” Cinder swallowed, “after all that I’ve done. But please believe me when I say that I do not love Carswell— he is my dear friend and nothing more— and he does not love me in return. Not in this life.” She looked down at her child— their child— and smiled wistfully. “But if you do still wish to be with me, if your heart can still love me in spite of my most grievous offenses, then I will run away with you once more.” She grinned at this, the way one did when a happy memory was stirred in their conscience.

“You… You want me?” Kai asked, breathless.

Cinder looked up at him, her eyes wide. “I will always want you, Kai. No matter the time or place, I will always desire you to be by my side. Always.”

Kai watched her, his eyes searching hers for any falsities; he found none. Slowly, a smile spread across his face.

They were staring at one another, eyes that had not gazed upon the other in far too long. They were poisoned souls standing before their long sought-after cure. But now that they had found one another, neither knew what to do.

Hesitantly, Kai stood and walked over to the other side of the table. He sat close enough to touch her, though he did not. He simply stared at her, wordlessly, and she stared back.

“Kai,” Cinder whispered, breathless. She still held the infant in her arms, but he had fallen fast asleep. “Kai, I–”

“I know,” he chuckled, leaning in close to her. They were both inclining toward the other, as if through a magnetic pull. He could feel her breath as their faces rested inches apart. Neither moved in, both too scared of what would happen next.

Then Cinder muttered his name, and Kai closed the gap between them.

She let out a little gasp, as if surprised. But she kissed him back, and it was as if she had never left him— as if the past year had not happened, and they had been together all the while. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, his fingers brushing back stray strands of hair.

They broke apart, both flushed but smiling all the same. Kai couldn’t stop staring at her, and reveling in the fact that he had found her. They were together once more. She wanted him.

After a time of shared smiles and conversations about the other’s universe, Cinder asked Kai if he wanted to hold the child, and he accepted happily. And when the baby rested in his arms, tears slipped from his eyes as love overtook his soul. He’d thought about him and Cinder having kids many times during their marriage, though they’d never quite been ready for it. It didn’t even matter that this child belonged to the Kai of this world and not to him— he loved him all the same.

They made plans for what they would do— how they would leave this place and start a new life together. Cinder would pack her belongings and they would take a train to the west. She had all her money from her dowry, and the Prince estates had been left in her name after the deaths of both Prince men.

When they parted, it was a sweet farewell, filled with promises to see the other soon, for they would never abandon the other again.

***

Kai leaned back into the couch, careful not to disturb baby Rikan as he slept. He adored the feeling of holding the small child in his arms and his small stirrings in his sleep. Even the little sounds he made caused for his heart to melt.

“Hey Kai,” Cinder called, walking into the room. He shushed her, nodding his head down toward the sleeping baby, though there wasn’t much worry. Rikan was a heavy sleeper. “Oh, sorry, Ri,” she whispered, tip-toeing over to the pair of them and settling herself down beside Kai.

She grabbed a quilt from beside the couch and laid it over hers and Kai’s laps. Then she settled her head on Kai’s shoulder. She reached her hand up to rest under Kai’s, smiling as she looked down at their baby.

They had left Georgia the same day that they had met one another there, randomly deciding to take the train to Colorado. It had been a somewhat frightening journey, with both of them worrying whether or not someone would come after them, but so far, no one had. They’d been settled into their apartment for over three weeks, happy and together at last.

There were still many things that they both didn’t understand, about one another and the situation. But at the end of the day, they were Cinder and Kai— even if Cinder was still confused about the fact that Kai’s last name was Crown and not Prince, though she did claim it was growing on her.

“I love this,” Cinder said, brushing the black tufts of Rikan’s hair. “It feels right, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“For so long I felt a dreadful emptiness within me, and while there’s still a sadness for what I’ve lost, it's not as great. It’s manageable.”

“I know what you mean.” Kai kissed the top of her head. “We’re different, but the same at the same time. It’s different, but it’s also… just us. We’re still us.”

“We’re still us,” Cinder echoed, letting out a sigh.

There were so many things in Kai’s life that didn’t make sense, but it had been that way even before he’d entered into an alternate universe. He hadn’t understood why Thorne had proclaimed his love for Cinder, or why Chandler Blackburn hadn’t been able to love his daughter. Even his own crushing grief had been confusing at times. And while this world was different in customs and manners and the ways in which society functioned, none of that mattered. For so long as he was with Cinder, all of it was okay.

“I love you,” Kai whispered.

“And I love you,” Cinder said. “And I’ll love you so long as my soul survives, for you’re the only one, Kai. You’re the only one I shall ever truly love.”

“And you are the only one for me as well.” Kai grinned. “And I will love you for forever and ever. No,"  Kai said, his eyes searching hers and seeing only Cinder. "I will love you until forever ends.”

#crack fic #unsinkable au #unsinkable #the echo of silence #the time it takes to fall #salt warrior stories