#please mind the skill issue mid way lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

twistedapple · 4 years

Text

Through These Eyes

Here it is! I’m very nervous about it though, since I’m currently training to work mutiple points of view at the same time, and switching from one POV to the other is not an easy task, both intellectually and emotionally. Bonus point for handling a canon character and needing to be careful about not having him out of character and feeling just like himself in regard to the way his thoughts and feelings are conveyed... Anyway, this is a very interesting exercise, practice will make it perfect getting more canon infos as well lol Bianca’s profile, Bianca’s backstory

Recommended playlist: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Without further ado...

----------

He never really minded being on his own, and there were times when staying in this large castle still felt oppressive, even the usual company of his supervisor and various servants wouldn’t abate the feeling. In those moments, he would sneak outside and go for a little exploratory stroll. The Valley, as secluded as it was, still had its fair share of inhabitants and locations – his favourite were the abandoned ones. It wasn’t the most princely thing to do but he couldn’t care less, he just wanted to have his bit of fun and quiet – besides, that sort of escapism was harmless. Granted, he would consistently be on the receiving end of a sermon once he’d returned – with his position, disappearing without even a guard was deemed reckless. Well, with his position, he could also easily care for himself and escape them anyway, so why bother having them follow him in the first place? Plus he’d probably be tempted to lose them out of sheer mischief. No matter how the issue could be considered, the outcome would be the same. So he left on his own once again to seek a bit of peace, somewhere away from the castle. Where, though? Ah, this area would do, the unkempt garden had an oddly charming and peaceful atmosphere.

Green firefly-like lights slowly disappeared as he made his advance towards the location, following a messy and clearly disused path with the sure foot of a person used to the exercise. The sky was clear and pale moonlight cut a sharp shadow, making his horns look even longer than they already were. The fresh scent of plants was all around him, along with something else, something unexpected. Magic? He couldn’t be fooled on that – after all, he only had to shake one of his hands for bouts of flames and sparks to randomly appear. He remained young and was still learning to properly master his magic, yet his power was immense. So, intrigued rather than worried, he approached the supposedly abandoned place to inspect it further, his curiosity picked. His raised hand glowed with a faint, green light as he was checking specific areas and trying to figure out what was going on. The traces of magic he had found were awfully similar to whatever had caused some strange taint in other parts of the Valley lately, how curious. Then, that’s when he felt he wasn’t alone anymore. He couldn’t see where they were hidden, but he was clearly being observed. Not willing to play any mind game, he stood tall and ordered.

- Show yourself!

Under blue moon, they met. A small, slender silhouette emerged from behind a half ruined wall covered in ivy and he could have almost mistaken her for a human, had it not been for her eyes – cat-like, abnormally bright golden amber eyes shining too much for it to be caused by the pale moonlight. A slithering shadow disappeared behind her as the young woman moved forward, a cheeky smile on her lips.

- Now that’s a visit I certainly never saw coming. Not even a guard?

His gaze fell on her and he immediately felt a pinch in his chest. Of course, she knew who she was facing. After all, Malleus’ silhouette was too unique to remain unknown. However, his initial reaction – caused by sheer habit – quickly left place to a certain degree of surprise. Was she poking fun at him? Well well well, how brazen. He couldn’t let that pass now, could he?

- Wasn’t this place supposed to be abandoned? It was, last time I strolled around.

- ... Strolled? Well, I settled in fairly recently, was even planning to rearrange a part of the garden to grow some stuff for myself... Look, is there a part of the area you’d rather have me leave untouched? I don’t really care, I’m pretty much passing by anyway and I’m all alone, so I don’t need much room anyway.

At each word she was getting bolder and bolder, and by the time she’d finished talking, Malleus found himself more amused than anything else. People usually weren’t casual towards him, and they certainly wouldn’t dare start a negotiation two seconds after having met him. He didn’t even know who she was yet... The entire situation felt refreshing and this fact alone motivated him to simply go with the flow. He even decided to cut a bit, just to see how much gal she had.

- Negotiating? Do you realise who you’re talking to?

- … Oh yes, I do, but my motivations for this negotiation are better left for when we’re more hm acquainted with each other. So, is it a good enough reason for you to still feel comfortable hanging around?

The whole situation was getting better by the second and Malleus found himself chuckling at her question. She was there rather illegally, yet she was treating the place as her personal domain and even inviting him. That last bit felt especially precious – he was so used to see people consider him with either reverence or fear, so used to whispers even to his face as people clearly felt uncomfortable in his presence... For a second he had considered pushing her around a bit more but this thought stopped him in his tracks. Yes, it was a proposal too precious to decline.

- Such a gracious host. Though I may need a name at some point...

As their chat progressed, they’d been getting closer to each other, circling slowly. Even though he had decided to not push too far, he still decided for one last test. If she truly wasn’t human, she’d react appropriately – and she did, declaring her identity a secret for now in a teasing manner.

Under blue moon, they kept seeing each other. Despite the place not belonging to her, she acted like a pleasant host towards him and extended a permanent invitation to her humble abode. While Malleus was certainly amused by the nerve she would casually display, he was also most appreciative of that invitation – for someone like him, used to be... Left behind, yet having an increased crave for proper social interactions as time passed, it meant much and more. In exchange for this kindness, he offered to involve her in his own hobbies, chief among them the exploration of abandoned places and the observation of the many gargoyles commonly found on buildings in the Valley of Thorns. It may have seemed like a strange way to have people relate to him, but it was the easiest one for Malleus. He felt like he could slowly pour his feelings out through the use of his past-times – it was simpler than directly expressing his feelings, somehow. Whenever he’d try to do that, he’d stop mid-sentence as discomfort would settle in his chest and cloud his mind, embarrassment weighting in the back of his head. She never judged him for that. In fact, she remained patient and involved in his architectural rants, showing a genuine interest and obvious knowledge of history. She let him open up on his own term and when he started disclosing his personal thoughts, the grace with which she received them and seemed to take them into account never failed to make his heart leap a bit. Similarly, if he had trouble reading her in the beginning, over time it felt easier – as if him opening up pushed her to return the courtesy.

Under blue moon, he started spending nights at her place – to chat, to watch her work her hedge magic, or to simply be alone together. He even became the first person to hear her sing again after years of silence. By that point, he had a name for her – Hilda -, and knew she had taken an interest in his musical skills since the day she’d noticed the calluses on the tip of his fingers. One night, he appeared with a lute and, as Hilda was working on some orders for a nearby human settlement; he started playing some gentle tune he had decided to prepare specifically for this occasion – a small present for her and for no other reason than the fact that it pleased him to do so. Under the watchful eyes of a dark, cat-like beast with eyes of pale fire sitting next to her, soft sounds filled the main room of what Hilda was using as current living quarters and soon enough, a humming joined in and launched a discussion. Malleus couldn’t help notice yet another testimony of what seemed to be a solid education, but chose to keep his questions to himself still. He preferred to have her come forward with whatever she kept to herself, rather than question her – he feared it may make her step away from him and he treasured their relationship too much at this point to risk such a thing. These considerations aside, it was the first time he heard something musically oriented from her and a question still had to be asked once he finished playing his tune.

- You seem well-versed in music, how come you’ve never brought it up before?

- Well, it’s been a while since I last did anything related to it, but your little tune motivated me… It’s the first time I heard it, your creation?

- Yes, if you were to hear me play for the first time, I thought I could make this occasion memorable. Considering your reaction, I take you enjoyed it? I shall do that again at a later date, then.

Under blue moon, they found themselves more and more involved with each other as time passed, to the point Malleus started acting like an accomplice to her occupation of empty places and quiet trade. He would often catch himself giving Hilda long looks, either while silently wondering what could be the reply to her mystery, or simply because he felt like watching her be about whatever task she decided to put her mind to. One of his favourite moments was when she would use her magic and one of those curious magical surges would happen. Most of the time, it seemed more annoying than dangerous and the face she’d make in these moments was amusing – pouting with her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Then there’d be the dangerous times, when he’d find her bandaged and not allowing herself to use magic for some time. In those moments she’d be in a darker mood, though assuring Malleus that he shouldn’t take it personally as it was not directed at him. Still, he’d stay and help her out with what needed be done regarding the trade she had going with the locals. This trade mostly consisted in alchemy and potions for all sorts of things – from improving the growth of crops to various charms made for all sorts of purposes. Interestingly, Hilda’s preferred tasks would be related to the care of the land itself, which she seemed surprisingly knowledgeable about. When Malleus questioned her on the matter, though, she merely replied that her unique magic was tied to the land and that it felt obvious for her to feel concerned about it – whether by caring for the wilderness or helping farmers in their endeavour. And while this trade didn’t provide her with many riches, it seemed to give its own wealth of information and links to a great number of persons. This alone picked Malleus’ interest since it was something he couldn’t do as easily as her for various reasons – people fearing his power, people recognising him in an instant... Meanwhile, Hilda’s overall deceptively human-like appearance, small stature and approachable atmosphere seemed incredibly useful when it came to treating with people – be they humans or faes. When he’d find her dealing with her clients, he’d enjoy observing from afar for all of those reasons; it wasn’t just about fulfilling some sort of curiosity, but to learn a bit as well. In those moments, his own isolation would weight on him too, yet Hilda’s smiles would never fail to abate the feeling.

Under blue moon their bond grew stronger, before reaching a new point one day, as Malleus was helping her move in a new place he’d suggested. That night, there was a feeling of casual closeness between them, as if they’d done what they were doing more than once. It was an easy ballet made of back-and-forth to put Hilda’s belongings in order. They would cross each other and, as she stayed close to him, he first surprised himself silently basking in her delicate scent of sweet grass and fresh flowers before realising that he simply wanted her even closer. It fully dawned on him when they found themselves side by side, their eyes locking. He’d never expected a time as short as a missed heart beat could pass so quickly yet so slowly at the same time. Closer, a scent like a secret garden. Closer, lips brushing against lips. Closer still, as he felt her lean in the touch and replied in kind by running his fingers through her hair. Suddenly, it felt like a fire was roaring inside him and neither of them would let go of the other. For a moment, nothing else mattered... Until he felt a strange sensation under his fingers. Breaking the contact, he looked and noticed her ink black hair covered in small, pale blossoms. His first thought was to consider them like a bit of starry night sky, yet he kept that to himself and went for a chuckle instead.

- You did tell me about those magical surges of yours... But I had never seen that sort of thing happen before. Did you?

- What are you talking abo- blackthorns blossoms? No, that one is definitely new, though oddly specific. I wonder what could have caus-

- To put it simply, I’d say you... You-made-me-bloom. Literally.

- Pff... Hahahaha well at the very least, know that the blackthorn suits you perfectly.

- You’re enjoying it all, aren’t you?

-Oh, I enjoy it a lot.

Seeing her redden and implode on the spot was most amusing to witness and provided him the final push to keep going – there was no objection on her part, only her hands pressing on his chest and her fingers tightening slightly over his shirt.

Under blue moon, Malleus discovered her mystery. All he needed was a name, and a name he heard accidentally. That evening, he arrived as usual, surrounded by green firefly-like lights and not too far from Hilda’s current dwelling – but not too close either. However, the air itself was heavy with magic and it felt like the earth was ready to crack open at any moment. Not knowing what was happening in the usually quite place, Malleus concealed himself with a spell before making a careful, calculated approach to assess the situation – or try to. He may have had honed his skill in escaping his guards whenever he left the castle, however it wasn’t a reason for him to act foolishly and risk putting himself in danger. As he got close, however, he started having a feeling of déjà-vu with the way the magic affected the area. Like a twisted, gloomy taint that would warp the immediate surroundings. That’s when his eyes fell on thick branches of blackthorn breaching erratically the earth and growing thicker, fuller at their center. There a person was held prisoner, ruthlessly pinned in place by the long thorns and under the watch of a large, black dog-like beast with eyes of pale fire. Then Hilda approached, a bundle in her hands and a cold, ominous expression on her face that Malleus had never seen before. With a biting tone and thorns in her hair, she unwittingly provided the information Malleus had wanted to ask for a while now – merely waiting the proper moment to do so.

- Since you were following orders, I’ll let you go back to my family, but you’ll bring them these bones. Tell them this it what you found at the end of the trail. You’ll be freed from this cat and mouse game in the process, isn’t it nice? Your Lady Bianca Bosconero is dead.

Bosconero? That name alone was enough to explain everything, even though she’d been guarded about it – and about pretty much any information that could give her identity away, when he thought about it. That’s why she stayed so vague when it came to her magical abilities as well – because she wasn’t just a Bosconero, based on what he’d been witnessing. She was without a doubt the current holder of the ancestral magic passed down in the family for generations. While the Bosconero were historical allies of the Draconia, their work would be oriented towards diplomacy, especially in regards to humans, thanks to their generally deceptive human-like features, so they would often communicate to provide reports regarding the state of affairs outside the Valley, but would not so often show their face. The foliate face of the Green Man himself was their coat-of-arms, of course she’d be skilled in the fields of growth, death and rebirth, as she demonstrated in her care for both the wilderness and crops, as well as her specific knowledge in alchemy and potion-making.

Yet, as relieved as he felt by this realisation, Malleus couldn’t help feeling hurt by all the omissions Hilda – no, Bianca – had made. Granted, based on what she had said as she released the prisoner, it looked like she had taken extreme measures to protect herself from her own family, but his chest still tightened at the idea that she’d kept it to herself all this time, rather than talk to him. With the current state of their relationship and his own power, he could easily provide her the safety she needed, so the feeling of rejection was present despite his attempt at rationalising the whole situation. This is what motivated him to appear as soon as Bianca cleared the place and found herself alone again. He wanted to hear it all from her own mouth.

-… Bianca Bosconero? From the Bosconero household? Is it who you are?

----------

As soon as he moved from his hiding spot and addressed her, Bianca froze on the spot. The thorns he could previously see and feel in her hair, eyes and words seemed to vanish, leaving only a faint dark, smoke-like trail that dissipated in a second. She turned towards him and her face quickly went from cold fury to surprise, then fear. And while Malleus had never been exactly good at reading people’s emotions, at that moment he was certain he could almost hear her scream internally. It made him feel uneasy, but he couldn’t help scowling at the entire situation – at her, too. A heavy silence fell on them, during which Bianca seemed to search her words. Now, what would they do...

- Yes, you heard it right.

- Why did you stay silent about that? Not talking about it when we met was one thing, but enough time has passed since then, don’t you think?

The tone of his voice carried something regal and cutting that surprised even him, yet he kept a composed face while questioning Bianca.

- How much did you hear?

- The end of your exchange. You haven’t answered my questions.

- ... What was I supposed to do? Involve you in family matters? The Crown Prince himself butting in to help clean a family’s personal laundry, can you imagine how people would react to that? Why would I get you involved in something that could only tarnish your reputation, what could you gain in that?

- ...

At her questioning replies, Malleus fell silent and lowered his head slightly. She had a point, and technically it would also have made him guilty of not only getting in the way of her family – a short way to gain political enemies -, but of assisting her with all sort of illegal things, such as squatting or practicing non-authorised trade at the border. Knowing who she really was would have potentially damaged his own social and political status as well... Yet, the cat was now out of the bag whether they liked it or not. They had to compose with that from now on.

- Now, your identity is out but your problems are definitely far from being solved, aren’t they? How are you – no, we – supposed to proceed?

In reaction to his new questions, Bianca looked at him with a tired look he had never seen before and let out a loud sigh while slowly rubbing her hands together, lips slightly pinched. Malleus was familiar with that gesture: she was fully focusing on all of the parameters they had to figure out the most efficient course of action.

- Right now... Right now only you and Erico – the person you saw, he’s my mother’s assistant -, only you two know what’s going on with my identity. I guess the priority right now is for me to move somewhere else, this place is compromised.

- What about him, then? He’s bringing fake bones to your home. Your mother is a well-known alchemist; I don’t doubt she will fully be capable to see through your trick. Do you think you could face her?

- Honestly? I... I doubt I’ll ever be able to really face her. Not with the erratic nature of my magic.

- You’ve been putting your magic to good use almost daily, ever since we met –

- And most of what you saw are perfectly reasonable spells. If I were to face my mother, I’d have to resort to a full use of my Unique Magic, this is where trouble begins for me.

As they were talking, Malleus felt the tension in his brows abate along with his initial hurt. Rather than feeling put off by her secrecy, he appreciated the fact that it was done not out of malice, but to keep him out of trouble. For that reason, he decided to close the initial distance between them and felt his heart tighten when he saw Bianca lower her eyes, an uneasy look on her face. Her usually soft tone sounded more stifled when she spoke again.

- Malleus... I’m sorry I lied to you like that...

- And the situation has been clarified. Don’t worry about that now – besides, we have to find a new place for you, among other things.

He gave her a gentle smile, then they went back to her hiding place to tidy things up and ready themselves to move. He came back more regularly in the nights that followed – an event rare enough to be noted, considering the risks he was willingly taking -, to help her out, talk about her reasons for doing what she was doing, as well as to simply keep her company. He also discovered the full extent of her magical abilities during one of these nights.

They had decided from a common agreement that, to increase her safety, Bianca would get some help in the improvement of her defensive magic. As expected, the Gift inherited from the Green Man was a powerful magic – powerful, but highly finicky and unpredictable. Bianca explained how she would usually work: her Unique Magic, Forest Queen, would work as the concept of a territory and she would select a manageable area – usually herself and maybe a radius around herself. From there, the summons inherent to her Unique Magic would come forth as she called them. However, that’s where the full extent of the Gift would strike: with a territory large enough, the land around her would twist and quickly turn into a deep, dark forest. In the mean time, the unpredictability of that magical source would translate into random effects that would affect Bianca and her spells. It could be happy accidents, such as the twinning of a spell, or unpleasant ones such as getting trapped in her own thorns – she had shown him the scars it had already caused her in the past. And despite his own magical abilities, Malleus couldn’t help feeling unsettled whenever he looked at her forest, seeping with something ancient. It was only an impression, but as soon as he laid his eyes on it, he had a terrible feeling that going in there would be a terrible idea. The feeling towards most of her summons was similar, Ire and Dread, the towering antlered creature and the beautiful yet threatening black horse, being the ones eliciting the strongest impression of imminent doom to him.

However, for all the fright her Unique Magic could conjure, there was also the amazement at seeing the world dance with her as she moved, followed by a new wilderness at each step. For him whose magic would be naturally inclined towards destruction through fire and lightning, these magical feats were compelling. Even though there was a natural weakness to fire-related magic, the renewing ability of that ability was intriguing. Yet, it also came with the most unpleasant limitation: a heavy use of Bianca’s magical energy, something that already required her attention as it seemed she was prone to blotting. But as long as they remained careful about it, they could exchange blows; it would never fail to make Malleus’ heart leap, seeing someone who didn’t fear his magic and would even be willing to discuss with him through spells. Such an event was so rare it made the entire situation even more precious to him, and he wanted to cherish and nurture it.

Under blue moon, she disappeared. When Malleus arrived, it was already far too late, the place was cold and empty, save for some partially thrashed objects. The night following the first attack, she had explained what she was running away from, and as he was taking in the now abandoned place, Malleus knew that despite his help, she had failed to face her mother. The thought was enough to give birth to a cold guilt, somewhere deep within him. Even though his rational side dictated that he had done what he could at his level, that he couldn’t predict this event, that him getting directly involved in that fight would only have made everything worse – even for himself -... He still couldn’t help feeling guilty for not having been there. The weeks that followed were spent in a strange haze, during which he did what he needed to do out of habit, yet his thoughts were somewhere else – a manor marked with a foliate face, ink black hair, amber eyes and crimson lips. His constant daydreaming was only broken when a large bird with eyes like pale fire and obsidian feathers found its way to the window of his bedroom. Malleus quickly recognised Sly, the bird-like summon. A smart one that definitely deserved its name. It could sing, imitate voices and create charms to distract its victims. However, this time it seemed it had been used for the considerably mundane and charmingly old fashioned task of bringing a letter.

“M. My mother took me back home. I tried my best, but I think the fear she invokes still got the better of me. I am not allowed to have a phone – among many things -, so I’m afraid a messenger bird will be the best option to keep contact with you. I hope you are well. – B. PS: no need to give him food or water.”

The handwriting had more sharpness to it than what its overall fairly round letters let on at first sight – the extended verticals were most indicative of it. The paper had a delicate, green floral scent that was unmistakable. His hearts beating in excitement, Malleus read the letter five more times before taking some stationary material and preparing his reply.

“B. I can’t believe you are asking me how I am doing when I’m the one who should be asking you how you are faring. I’m sorry I couldn’t be – can’t be – there for you. Is there anything I can do?- M. PS: exchanging letters like that is charmingly old fashioned. It also has a better chance of reply from me, since it looks like my magic doesn’t always agree with more modern means of communication.”

After having closed the letter with a non-descript seal, Malleus approached the black bird, which quietly held a foot so he could bind the letter to it before silently flying away. Thus started an epistolary exchange between Bianca and him, during which he made sure to carefully store all of her letters so he could occasionally take a look at them. However, this too was put to an end by Crimilde Bosconero.

“M., I think this will be the last letter between us for a while. I’m sorry things have come to that, but you know I don’t want you to be needlessly involved in my personal mess. I’ll try to figure a new way out, I’ll let you know as soon as it happens. In the mean time, please take good care of yourself. I love you. – B.”

Malleus felt something twist in him as he read the letter, worry over her situation getting mixed with the elation caused by the last words in her letter. He immediately proceeded to work on what would be his last reply, in which he chose to pour his own feelings for the sake of clarity and as a promise to her. The surprisingly hopeful tone of Bianca’s last letter motivated Malleus to be patient and keep going, chasing away the unpleasant thoughts by remembering the feeling of her body against his, how he would lean in her gentle touch when she’d caress his cheek. And while it wasn’t exactly what he’d call the greatest time of his life, his patience still led to an unforeseen surprise on the day the carriage meant to take him to Night Raven College arrived. While he thought only Lilia and him would pass the coffin-shaped door, he was instead surprised to see a small silhouette with ink black hair appear as well. As soon as they saw each other, they almost made a move to join in an embrace, but held back as Lilia was giving them both a curious look – yet spared a comment or, more likely, thought it as hard as possible but chose not to embarrass Lady Bosconero out of politeness. Malleus knew some questions would be asked later, in private, now that Lilia had the missing piece regarding his pupil’s curious behaviour.

Under blue moon, they met again. It happened a few days after they had both settled in their dorm and in their new rhythm of life. Malleus couldn’t tell if it was the privacy of their tête-à-tête, the fact that they could finally see each other again, or maybe a bit of both, but Bianca openly displaying her emotions as she sought his embrace and started crying had his heart skip a beat. At that moment, he was fully hit by the degree of trust she had in him, even after all this time forcefully apart. She had yet to explain what had happened once all communication stopped abruptly, but judging by her reaction it had been difficult for her. Malleus decided to not press her with questions for now and silently offered the safe comfort of his arms instead, breathing her in and wishing for that moment to last forever, his fingers tangled in hair covered with pale flowers.

Throughout their first school year, even though they were in different classes and different dorms, it felt like they were offered a perfect opportunity to get to see each other on a nearly daily basis, in a setting that allowed less secrecy. It gave Malleus the occasion to fully discover new sides to Bianca, as she was not only being around him, but being around other people as well. There was still a form of amazement at seeing her skilfully deal with the very same people who expressed fear just by looking at him. This very situation also seemed to be a source of concern to her, as she wouldn’t hesitate to include him whenever they had joint classes, when most people would leave him behind. Still, most people - some of his classmates seemed to not really care about whom he was, some would even occasionally try to have their bit of fame on Magicam when he was around. So Malleus would regularly reassure Bianca that she didn’t need to worry about him – she already had enough on her plate and he didn’t feel like burdening her further. Indeed, she had started hatching a new plan to cut free from her family, a plan involving legal means that’d be harder to discuss – and would ensure her mother’s tractability. Malleus was of two minds about the whole situation. On one hand, he wanted her to finally be free to live her life the way she wanted; on the other hand, completely burning bridges with her family may endanger a future he wished to share with her, deep inside of him. However, all too aware of the stubbornness she might show if he started arguing, especially considering how both of them were involved in this issue and how determined she was to protect his name and title by keeping him out of what she deemed private dirty laundry, he decided to bypass the issue by directing her to Lilia for advices on legal recourses. After all, his chaperone was definitely old enough to have both the knowledge and the ability to take a step back on her situation, and he knew that she would listen to him – if only out of respect for his status and the insight he could provide.

However, directing Bianca towards Lilia was only the first step in his personal plan to settle the dispute between mother and daughter. He still had to tread carefully if he wanted to keep Bianca by his side without antagonising House Bosconero – which would be a terrible move potentially affecting the diplomacy of the Valley of Thorns. As his third year started, he had the pleasure to see her come back with some interesting news; she had managed to cut lose Crimilde’s influence over her – at the cost of a debt and the loss of any financial privileges, which he had in mind to deal with himself, but without completely destroying her relationship with her family. Now, the subtle part of the plan was slowly starting, requiring him to act as a mediator. For someone like him, that would inspire fear in most people yet didn’t excel in reading their heart, it felt like quite the challenge to undertake... But this year had started with certain curious events, which made him consider that the months to come would be unusual and full of surprises. It could constitute an excellent learning experience.

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #OC #bianca bosconero #malleus draconia #still very nervous about posting this #I really hope I did Dragon Goth bf justice #thoughts and prayer my guys thoughts and prayer #it shouldn't be as long as Bianca's POV I was thinking #hahaha what a fool I was #it's almost as long jfc

27 notes · View notes

paradise-creator · 3 years

Note

Hi! May I have a romantic heaven box BNHA matchup, please? :)

I'm Flo, a 19 years old bisexual girl.

Appearance: I'm 164 cm(~5'3) tall, with slim, kinda athletic body. I have medium long brown hair and same coloured deer-eyes(probably most attractive part on me), I also wear eyesglasses. I have thin mouth unfortunately. Also, I have a tiny little scar above my right eyebrow(I opened our car's door on my head years ago lolol), it's barely visible. I'm vain and always dress like a lady: so dresses and skirts, I have a classy, elegant or cute style, depends on my daily outfit. I wear light makeup, but not all the time.

Personality: Ambiverted, Virgo with Leo ascendant and Pisces moon. Needless to say, these already represent how confusingly dual my personality is. My behaviour constatntly changes, depending on who I am with: I try to sell myself, being two-faced, wearing a mask(sometimes I appear to be talkative, other times full-stoic), but to people I really do love, I'm quite blunt. Most of the time I'm caring and relatively kind person(but can be an asshole&harsh if tired emotionally). Highly critical, opinionated and rational-thinker, and I usually analyze everything: movies, books, other people, myself. HATE small talk, I always want to talk about some deep shit, sharing my opinions, thougts(only if you ask for it). Enjoy debating. Also, I'm the REALLY clumsy, like clumsy af and I have an invincible talent in getting myself into the most embarrassing, cringe situations. Hate appearing to be weak or crying in front of others(I never do), and generally I can get melancolic and depressed easily. I don't really trust even my loved ones, I always hide my deepest emotional(or whatever) issues, I just can't stand the fact being emotionally vulnerable. Also, I bottle up feelings well. But I can be soft sometimes which suprises people. One of my best friends said, I am suprising, always doing something unpredicted. Additionally, I stress over something all the time. About my humour, it's kinda ironic, dark, morbid, troll-ish; roasting, teasing people 24/7. Don't worry, despite my sometimes serious act, I can be a total dumb idiot. Selfish, vain, lazy, snobbish hahah. Quite liberal, and I almost never judge people, I mind my own buisness. When I can talk about something I love or just sharing my opinion, I am passionate and be ready for a LONG rambling. Oh, I love alcohol and going out with friends, also I smoke those occassions. Plus, I have god-like hands, everyone told me that I could earn money bc of my massaging skills(I just know by instict how to touch people lol). Oh, and I daydream and zone out a lot.

Relationship: I don't really have a 'type' but I get bored easily: I takes a lot for me to really like in long-term a person, so I fall easier for complex and charismatic ones(but like I said, I can fall for other personalities too!!). I'm a quite difficult person to be with and to love, so I'm suprisingly flexible in a relationship. Only thing I need and without it wouldn't work at all: DEEP CONVOS AND SOME INTELLECT. Also, I have a quite roasting-bullying type humour, so my lover should understand and being able to handle that. Anyways, I'm not much of a PDA person(but I don't mid handholding, short hugs etc. if my partner really want to), and not romantic at all(also cannot flirt hehe), and for a long time I can be bit distant. Love language is words of affirmation&quality time, and if I have to express my feelings I'm best with acts of service. I love cuddling, ppl are suprised when I initiate hugs but tbh I love physical affection. I'm probably more likely the 'friend' lover. I need a lot, lot, lot alone time.

Hobbies/Likes: classical literature, theatre, politics, hiking, sightseeing, mysteries, reading about disappearances(crimes), trying out new things, yoga, running, horse riding, table tennis, listening to music

Sorry if I was too long, then just ignore me, hehe~

↬ ──:.⃗➹ +.*༉‧ᵕ̈°`*↷. ೃ₊✎⸙͎˚- ̗̀✧: ──↫

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ⊹

┊ ⋆｡ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ⋆｡˚. ੈ

┊ ┊ ⋆｡ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆ ⋆✩

┊ ⊹ ┊ ⋆｡˚. ੈ

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚ ⊹

˚ ✩

Dream catcher loading...

ɴᴏᴡ ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ

□□□□□0%

■□□□□20%

■■□□□40%

■■■□□60%

■■■■□80%

■■■■□90%

■■■■■100%

*ﾟﾟ･ ✧.｡. *. •.°

┊┊┊┊

┊┊┊☆

┊┊☁️　　

┊┊┊

┊┊

┊☆　

┊┊

☁️

┊

☁️

Hello and Welcome my Starlight!

The Haven box includes:

- Match up

- Sun drop

- Flashes of memory

- Such a loser

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

I'd match you up with

Bakugou Katsuki, Dynamight

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Sun drops

- Honestly it took me a LONG time to think who you would match with

- There was Momo, Jiro, Denki, and Iida. I just couldnt pick

- But in the end, I choose my first option, Bakugou

- With Bakugou, one is never bored

- His sarcasm and snarky attitude can prove to be entertaining!

- Though he may not seem like it, Bakugou seem like a type of person that will never do small talk

- He's more of a listener tbh

- At first the relationship may be rough but in the end it all works out

- Bakugo is a complicated character, it's hard to read him and that's what makes it exciting

- He isn't into pda but in private, expect some INTIMATE times

- AGRESSIVE COMFORT

- He finds you so cute and entertaining whenever you tease/Bully other people

- ROAST COMPETITION NO CAP

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Flashes of memory

Bakugou: Oi, Dumass!

Requester: Yes?

Bakugou: I Fucking love you so stop being a Dumbass!

Requester: I love you too and I'M NOT A DUMBASS

Bakugo: Your MY dumb

------------------------

Random guy: *Flirts with requester*

Requester: *Is trying not to kill the man*

Bakugou: TAKE THAT YOU PIECE OF SHIT! DON'T FLIRT WITH MY IDIOT

Kirishima: Ah, here we go again--BAKUBRO DON'T KILL HIM

-------------------------

Bakugo: OI, NERD

Requester: *ignores*

Bakugo: OI DUMBASS DONT IGNORE ME!

Requester: *Continues to ignore*

Bakugo: Fine! I'm sorry for gatting you mad

Requester: That wasn't so hard now is it?

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Such a loser

"Oi, I heard from Shittyhair you've been criticizing yourself to harshly again. What are you such a dumbass?" Bakugou yelled as she stomped his way towards his girlfriend. "And what if I am?" She replied as she looked away from her book. The brown haired girl was just peacefully reading in her dorm. Nothing much was really going on, she was just studying. She has the tendency to be harsh on herself. And with classmates like hers, it often happens. And as a Boyfriend, Bakugou thinks it's his responsibility and his problem that if his love is sad or hurt or insecure, he will make sure they are loved.

"Get off of the fucking floor and go to bed. We're gonna cuddle and you can't say no as an answer," Bakugo growled. The girl sighed and placed her book down, it's not like she wants to deny anyway. So they went to lay on the bed. Bakugo pulled her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around her." You idiot! Stop being harsh on yourself, dammit," He said as he placed his head on top of hers. "You are already perfect. That's why you got to shut taht pretty little mouth of yours and accept that you are," He added.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Author's note

Hello there! Sorry for the wait, I was quite tired but here is the Haven box as requested.

#☁️matchup #anime #fanfic #fiction #bnha matchup #bnha bakugo katsuki #mha #mha bakugou #match ups #match up requests

4 notes · View notes

chaoticspacefam · 4 years

Text

Character Traits Meme: The Ahaszaai Twins

I was tagged by @stratosara (thank you!) I shall tag (no pressure, as always, feel free to ignore if you don’t feel like it!) @pauletta-00 , @commander-kulan , @mercurypilgrim , @a-muirehen and anybody else who feels like doing it!

We’ll start with the Ahaszaai twins (of course, they are my favourites), but I’ll probably do this for a couple others and throw it in the queue too, cause this one is fuuuunn :D

Bold for currently applies, italics for formerly or sometimes applies, strike for never applies (AFAIK, that’s what I’m using anyways XDD)

MANDATORY REMINDER THAT MY FICVERSE IS CANON DIVERGENT BECAUSE THERE’S ALWAYS GONNA BE SOMEONE COMING TO COMMENT “ThAt’S NoT CaNOn!” I KNOW! THAT’S THE POINT XD

SAARAI

[WEALTH ]

$ Financial : wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

[Could technically count as “wealthy” but since most of what they make goes right back into the Alliance I’m gonna call it moderate. When she fled to Rishi with Ty, though, they had very little, she was able to make enough doing odd jobs knocking pirates around etc. for them to get by, but it was a little rough.]

✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged

✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / transient / slave / unsure

[If Valkorion hadn’t killed most of their family and she’d stayed as the heir to the Sith throne, she would’ve been considered upper class. She’s not sure what to call herself while she and Ty were on Rishi and once she becomes Empress of the Eternal Alliance she’s technically upper class again, but Saarai doesn’t like to consider herself “above” the other Alliance members and prefers to see them as equals with different viewpoints so she’s not going to label herself as “upper” class]

✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other

[Technically finished training at the Sith Academy, but because she didn’t stay for long after becoming a Lord it doesn’t count. She has plenty of knowledge of the Force though and is always learning new things when she can (though she’s not the smartest, she tries!) so she gets by.]

✖ Criminal Record : yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / classified

[Doesn’t have one, because she ran before it could be traced back to her. If her sister hadn’t taken the fall for her, though, she would’ve suffered the same fate (or worse), for murdering one of Arkous’ apprentices.]

[ FAMILY ]

◒ Children: has a child or children / has no biological children / wants children / has adopted children

[Has a son, Ty. In an ideal world where there was nothing stopping her, she’d want more kids because she loves them. But trust issues and being one of the main figureheads of the Alliance means she doesn’t really have time to be on maternity leave to raise a baby. So she makes do with helping teach the youngsters and/or babysitting her nieces, nephews and grandchildren instead :3]

◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

[Saarai only has one sibling, her twin sister Ni’kasi, and they are very close, so close that they have a Force bond, in fact!]

◔ Affiliation: orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable

[Father was killed when she was a very young child, she only has vague memories of him. Was raised by her mother for most of her life, till things (which she still blames herself for) caught up to them and her mother was killed too. Though they don’t reunite officially till Iokath, the twins are adopted by their uncle Vowrawn and his husband Abaron after their mother dies.]

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between

[Saarai is careful and guarded (but polite, unless you give her reason not to be) with strangers, but with those she is familiar with she is very vocal and extroverted.]

♦ dis-organised / organised / in between

♦ closed-minded / open-minded / in between

♦ calm / anxious / in between

[Only gets anxious in specific situations, otherwise is generally pretty calm.]

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between

♦ cautious / reckless / in between

[cautious in certain very specific situations, but when it comes to the battlefield and protecting her loved ones or allies Saarai is very reckless. She operates under the principal of “if they’re hurting me then they’re not hurting you and I can take more beatings than you can”, much to Lana and Koth’s dismay XD]

♦ patient / impatient / in between

♦ outspoken / reserved / in between

♦ leader / follower / in between

♦ empathetic / unempathetic / in between

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between

[Since the trauma in her past, Saarai had to learn the hard lesson that she can’t assume someone isn’t going to try and hurt her, so she tries to be more critical of people, but her first attempt is always to see the good in someone.]

♦ traditional / modern / in between

[Holds more to the old old Sith traditions she learnt from her mother (and the few memories she has of her father), than Valkorion’s Empire’s traditions. Is relatively open-minded about adapting and changing her views, within reason.]

♦ hard-working / lazy / in between

♦ cultured / uncultured / in between

[Has a generally dignified air most of the time. But on the battlefield or when she gets really angry, she’s fucking feral. She has teeth that can crack bones and she will use them on you if she has to.]

♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown

♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / other*

[*Polycurious, and strongly woman-leaning, does end up in a closed poly relationship with Lana and Koth mid-way through KOTFE.]

❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favourable / naive and clueless

[Had to work through some stuff after her trauma, but has managed to work through (most of) it now through the years and is all for it.]

♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favourable / naive and/or inexperienced

[Saarai is one of the sappiest romantics you have ever met. If she loves you, she’s not afraid to show it in any way possible: cuddles, kisses, dinner dates, stay-at-home-and-watch-movies dates, random flowers, anything you can possibly think of, if it makes you smile, she’ll do it.]

❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

[Absolutely knows what she’s doing (and can certainly give you a good time ;)), but isn’t particularly adventurous.]

⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

[After her bad experiences with Ty’s father, she’s not comfortable with any sort of intimate contact with men, not even Koth (and she trusts him more than anything - they have it all worked out between the three of them though and everyone’s happy with the way things are). Sticks almost exclusively to women, would probably be okay with fem-presenting people of other genders, but masc-presenting people would worry her.]

⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

[Heavily female-leaning, but not adamantly against a romantic relationship with a man...it will just take her longer to trust and feel comfortable with them, but as long as they respect the boundaries she sets out (thank you, Koth!), she’s fine!]

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✍ Artistic Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[Do not let her near a computer or explosives, for your own safety, please. Even she will warn you as such and refuse to touch it. She’s not good with them LOL Saarai can do very simple things like plug something into a navcomputer, or scroll through files on a datapad/in an archive but that’s about the limit of what her abilities allow.]

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

[Social drinker, but never over the top.]

☁ Smoking: trying to quit / never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

✿ Other Narcotics: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

[Assuming this refers to kolto and whatever else they put in the medpacs etc. Then yes. Sometimes if she gets hurt and Lana or her sister isn’t around to fix it for her.]

☻ Indulgent Food: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

$ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

♣ Gambling: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

NI’KASI

[WEALTH ]

$ Financial : wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

[Formerly a slave with nothing to her name, but since rising the ranks of the Dark Council has made quite a name for herself, even after leaving the Empire to join up with her sister in the Alliance.]

✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged

[During her time as a slave she was deliberately kept sickly/weak to stop her from fighting back properly or trying to escape, but once she was re-entered into the Korriban Academy and started training she gradually re-built her muscle tone. She’s still less bulky than her sister because of this, but she’s got decent enough muscle by mid-way through her canon storyline.]

✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / transient / slave / unsure

[Like Saarai, would have stayed upper if Valkorion hadn’t happened. Spent almost half a decade in slavery, but gradually worked her way up again to make it back to upper class.]

✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other

[As a Dark Council member (and eventually Alliance Council Member), Ni’kasi is very much one of the leading authorities in her field. That doesn’t mean she’s stopped studying though, not in the slightest. She’s always looking through the archives to expand her knowledge base so she can use it to help her family and allies.]

✖ Criminal Record : yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / classified

[Was on the books for Tsâhis (Ty’s father)’s murder, though this was wiped after she became high ranked enough within the Empire as she’d earned that much. What no one but their family knows, however, is that though she confessed to the murder, Ni’kasi wasn’t the one who did it. She simply said she was so she could protect her sister and ensure that she could get her nephew, Ty, out of harm’s way (otherwise Ty would’ve had nobody to raise him).]

[ FAMILY ]

◒ Children: has a child or children / has no biological children / wants children / has adopted children

[I haven’t named them yet (or gotten that far in their part of the story), but she has at least two with Andronikos, maybe a third later on down the line. I haven’t made my mind up yet.]

◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

[Her only sibling is her twin sister, Saarai. They’re very close and even share a Force bond. There’s nothing in the universe Ni’kasi wouldn’t do for her sister. If Saarai says “jump”, she asks “how high?”.]

◔ Affiliation: orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable

[Father was killed when she was a very young child, unlike Saarai, Ni’kasi has very few memories of him. Was raised by her mother for most of her life, till things caught up to them and her mother was killed too. Ni’kasi reunites with their uncle Vowrawn and Abaron much earlier, and they adopt the twins as their own since their mother’s passing.]

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between

♦ dis-organised / organised / in between

♦ closed-minded / open-minded / in between

[Ni’kasi, too, sticks more to the old old Sith ideals taught by her mother, but is far more openly critical of Jedi views. She won’t completely throw them aside but it will take a lot of convincing to get her to come around.]

♦ calm / anxious / in between

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between

[Mostly agreeable...but is still not fond of Jedi. Where necessary, she will tolerate them, but she makes it clear that she can’t wait for it to be over when that happens.]

♦ cautious / reckless / in between

[This woman has a back up-back up plan for the back up plan for the back up plan. She thinks through everything before she makes a decision or follows through an action and very rarely reacts on impulse.]

♦ patient / impatient / in between

♦ outspoken / reserved / in between

♦ leader / follower / in between

[Usually a leader and quite bossily so. Except where her sister is involved; she will follow her sister anywhere and listen to any order Saarai gives her, no matter what, because Saarai’s the boss.]

♦ empathetic / unempathetic / in between

[Comes off as unempathetic, but is in fact simply very literal/logical and has a bit of resting bitch face XD.]

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between

♦ traditional / modern / in between

♦ hard-working / lazy / in between

♦ cultured / uncultured / in between

♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown

♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual

❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favourable / naive and clueless

[She’s a Sith, it’s like...one of the most important “rules” they teach XD.]

♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favourable / naive and/or inexperienced

[”Repulsed” is a strong word, I’d more call it “hesitant”. Ni’kasi is demiromantic, so she needs to know a person well enough before she can actually fall in love with them. When she does, though, and she accepts that that’s what it is, she’s alright with it and comes to enjoy little romantic gestures here and there. Though she and Andronikos are certainly more private about their affections, she prefers it that way (:]

❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

[Relatively experienced and open to try new things, within reason. Won’t do anything too crazy.]

⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

[Kas is demiromantic, strongly leaning towards men because that’s who she prefers in bed.]

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[Good on the battlefield, as long as she’s not close-range, her footwork is sloppy and she’s incredibly clumsy, despite being the less bulky between her and her twin, Kas is the one that trips over her own feet while duelling.]

≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✍ Artistic Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

[Kas is a lightweight, she can’t hold her liqueour well and gets drunk very easily so she prefers not to drink if it can be helped, but is occasionally persuaded to have a glass or two by Andronikos or some of her other companions.]

☁ Smoking: trying to quit / never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

✿ Other Narcotics: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

☻ Indulgent Food: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

[Didn’t get much of it as a slave, Andronikos likes to surprise her with nice things like chocolate on occasion because her face always lights up when he does (:]

$ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

[Not often, due to coming out of slavery, she understands the value of money and is somewhat picky about what she spends it on, but isn’t above picking up something nice if she knows she can afford to spend on it.]

♣ Gambling: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

#swtor #star wars: the old republic #swtor OCs #tagged meme #OC meme #swtor oc: saarai ahaszaai #swtor oc: ni'kasi ahaszaai #the sith twins #some more backstory tidbits included #[wink wink nudge nudge]#;)#sith pureblood

6 notes · View notes

m00nlitknight · 4 years

Text

Neoclassical

fandom: star wars ( sequel trilogy ) / greek mythos au pairing: kylo ren / reader word count: 1,635 warnings: slight mommy issues summary: Oh, how one tires of stagnant days. extra: AH my first work in another fandom! :') i hope it's enjoyable! please do leave feedback if you liked it? depending on the reception i may or may not stretch it to another chapter or something. thank you for reading! ♡ as a side note, i had him refer to the reader as a lilac due to the meanings of the flower: purity + innocence. i would've gone with daisy but i didn't wanna step on daisy ridley's toes lol

archive of our own link

Soft, green grass crushes beneath bare feet. It grew unruly, appearing jagged in some places, brushing anywhere from an ankle to grazing mid-thigh. The wind hummed past gently, rustling not only the unruly grass, but also unruly locks from the top of your crown, beginnings the misplacement of a newly made daisy crown. The day was akin to any other; gorgeous. Unfortunately, you’d grown used to the cycle of its static beauty, instead attempting to salvage appreciation and savor the flavor of the nature at your disposal. However, despite this, you couldn’t help but find yourself becoming a bit desensitized to it.

Every day felt as though it was a trial of the same tribulations; a dance you’d become well acquainted with. To awaken with the sun’s rise, her golden kiss of the horizon enough to rouse your eyes open and put your body in gear. Mother had always claimed that being early to rise would aid in your overall mood for the day, not that you had much particular input on how She’d micromanage how you felt

You began your day with a hearty breakfast of the typically vegetarian variety, typically a nod of appreciation to the work that your mother did. Those around you encouraged to take your time with eating, to allow the flavors of each bite play on your tongue like a Shakespearean play. It amused you in the beginning, taking their words to heart and practicing it just to go along with their wishes. As time wore on, the days blurring together with one another, you found yourself tiring of the routine - of all the routines.

The remainder of the morning would leave you to work on whatever skills She deemed a necessity. Sewing and cooking and honing the prowess growing within you. It festered, beautiful and green, just like Mother’s. Then, the day was yours to explore the lands. The sprawling, gracious, and luxurious Lands. Sometimes you would mingle with the creatures who found home in the forest, those who made their home in the space of bark or in the shimmer of puddles and streams. Though you’d never spoken to Her of them, you were sure she’d known of them. As always, you were simply under Her eye.

Throughout the evening, when the sun’s descent on the other side of the sky colored the clouds orange, or pink, or purple, you would be making yourself another meal. This one was of your own choice, if it included meat, it would be game you’d brought down by your own hand.

Yes, the days blurred together, and the exhilaration of this lifestyle granted to you was beginning to dull, you found yourself craving more than what was granted to you. The freedom was thrilling in comparison to what you had before, and in retrospect, felt as though chains bound you to who you once were.

So as you wander the sprawling green fields, dotted with wild flowers and wildlife that sometimes graced your vision, you wonder if you can find yourself passed the typical borders of what your allowed. To push the limits, pass through the forest filled to the brim with gentle woodland creatures, and see what lie ahead; out from under Her eye.

The thought alone ignited curiosity and wonder through your veins, though not to your face. Never to your face, for that was the first place She’d look if something were to go awry. As momentary as the plan and excitement of it was, it faded, replacing itself with cool, hard fear; like a rock at the pit of your stomach.

Blindly did your feet carry you throughout the woods, passing by many private eyes who seemed nearly enthralled with your every move. Soon, you found yourself perched by a small pond, atop a branch sturdy enough to hold your weight. Around you the scenery came alive, shaping into nymphs with bubbly giggles and typical friendly dispositions. They approached you from their respective residences, glee plastered on their technicolor features. You watched them with idle interest, making a mimic of their expressions as one leaned on the branch beside you.

“Oh, Spring’s Daughter! We’re so glad you came today,” her voice was angelic in tone, as though a choir came together to make her tone; a match made in heaven with her gorgeous foam-colored skin, milky eyes, and shimmering blue hair. “Something has come to our attention, something of interest!”

“Quite the interest,” another said, of oak skin and pearly grin. Her voice, though not as striking, held its own with a soft, melodic tone.

“Are you going to keep me in the dark, then?” You giggle yourself, allowing a genuine smile to brighten your typically hollow features. “C’mon, tell me!”

The quartet around you looks to one another, sharing a conversation of glances. Another giggles, her deep, emerald eyes looking so deep into you, you wondered if she could grasp your heart.

“Do you promise to not show anyone else?” Her tone bordered playful as she leaned herself onto you, forehead to forehead.

“Absolutely not ,” your voice was startlingly quiet, your smile reaching that of a grin.

“Okay, okay, here hold your palm out, I’ll take you,” the fourth one said, with wide eyes and a straight faced expression. Her aura wasn’t as ethereal or peppy, instead something of a darker caliber radiated from her. With ashy-gray skin and pin-straight black hair, she held her hand out to you.

Hesitantly, you put your hand into hers, allowing your curiosity to get the better of you. The other three nymphs allowed themselves to giggle, trotting off to cause a ruckus somewhere else. You watched them for a moment, nervousness beginning to creep into the heels of your feet. It felt as though they were taking your solace with them, in a way.

Looking back to the placid nymph, she cracked a small smile; a seemingly unpracticed expression for her doe-eyed features. You offered a small smile back as she turned, leading you through the familiar woods. Many creatures paid you no mind, though some stopped in their tracks and stared, prompting you to stare back.

“So, where are we going, anyway?” You decide to break the silence, in hopes to shake the building anxiety on your back.

“You’ll see.”

The cryptic answer leaves you bemused, and you look around once more. The scenery, of the typically lush and familiar flourishing kind, are slowly becoming less reminiscent of Her trademark Land. It worries you, despite recalling the vague exhilaration at this exact act crossing your mind hours before. Even worse, the sky had transitioned from the lovely blue you’d spent so long staring at into the beautiful palette which signaled the end of the day was coming soon, leaving the light to come through the tree’s canopy to become somewhat scarce. It left you uneasy, just how long had you two been walking, anyway?

You continued on silently with your unease for awhile until your companion came to a stop. The scenery around was different, not helped by the monochrome, silver moonlight beginning to scatter through the trees. What uniformity was typically held in your Mother’s regard seemed to have been forgone here, instead an unruly, beautiful, ever-changing mess you found yourself fascinated by.

“We’re here, Spring,” she murmured, turning to you. Her voice was hollow, a quiet thing you found yourself becoming wary of.

“What is it that you wanted to show me, then?”

“Take a step over here.”

You momentarily gnaw on your lip, stepping forward to where she’d told you to. The air grew heavy, thicker than just the humidity you were aware of, and all too quickly. No, it was darker, tenser, laced with a kind of energy you’d never had around you. Amid the feeling of anxiety on your back, it drew you in, causing another trembling, yet eager step forward.

A figure began materializing, sapping out whatever silvery moonlight was around for a moment before stepping forward and sending a brief wave of force with them, knocking you off balance.

You took a second to regain your composure before taking him all in. Darkness radiated off of hi in waves, like how life and youth radiated from you. He was donned in all black, with pale skin, and seemingly monochrome in the pale moonlight of the early nightfall. In his hand was an object, one you were unable to make out for a moment before witnessing its ignition. It cut through the single-toned light with an angry and red and threatening light, to which he lowered closer to you, as if to use it like a lantern.

Thankful to some miracle, your breathing stayed level, though your mouth hung slightly agape as you awaited a reaction to grace his stony, scar-ridden face. Anything to change in his deep, dark, brown eyes. A slight twinge to his lower lip, and he finally broke the tension.

“Are you afraid, my dear lilac?” His voice resembled the velvety texture of a petal as his unoccupied hand came to rest under your chin.

Your mouth came to shut, eyes wide and deer-like as you shook your head. There was no way your voice was going to work enough to even say any kind of meager reply.

“Do you know who I am?” Amusement seemed to toy not only in his tone, but also on his face.

“Hades,” your voice came out small, rabbit-like in its timidness.

“I see Mother taught you well,” he snickered coolly, looking to the nymph who led you here. “Fantastic job. You live another day.”

He stood to his full height, eyes seeming entranced on your expression once again before his face returned to stoicism. “May we meet again, lilac.”

And with that, he and the nymph disappeared, leaving you alone.

#star wars fanfiction #reader insert #kylo ren x reader #kylo x reader #greek myth au #kylo ren fanfiction #star wars sequel trilogy #star wars sequel fic #writing.txt

7 notes · View notes

klanced · 5 years

Note

soooooo i was late on asking for the second movie but i call dibs for whenever ur organized enough to infodump it: What Happens In The /Third/ Movie Katie Klanced?

I meant to post this last year but then I got suspended and forgot smh -_-

Anyway it’s been almost a year, so here are a few links to refresh your memory on the masterpiece that is my Despicable Me au. In fact, here’s the tag because I love this au.

In my correct opinion, the third DM movie is definitely the weakest in the franchise, and I pretty much ignored its canon plot and wrote my own. So sorry if there’s a few loose-ends/plot-holes. But this is a Despicable Me au, I am beholden to no gods, no rules.

Roughly a year has passed since the events of the second movie. Coran and Alfor have finally gotten together (they’re either dating or married, I haven’t decided yet). Allura is away at college because I have way too many characters on my hands and I have to sideline out of necessity. Sorry, Allura.

The movie opens up with the entire family getting ready for an award ceremony at the AVL happening that night. It’s about as hectic a scene as you can imagine. Lance is running around without a shirt on. Pidge is wearing three shirts. One is her pajama top, the second is Lance’s aforementioned missing shirt. No one has any idea where the third shirt came from.

When suddenly, the phone rings!

Krolia picks it up, paying only 1/3 attention to the person on the line before she yells that it’s for Coran. Coran limps over, half a chewed shoe in his hand, the other half still on his foot. His right eyebrow is smoking. He is, understandably, a little terse when he shouts to be heard over the background din into the phone.

The screen diagonally bisects, to show Coran on the phone and… Shiro on the other side of the line!

Shiro introduces himself as the new CPS worker assigned to Lance/Hunk/Pidge’s case. Coran immediately has a heart attack and runs to his soundproofed study, slamming the door behind him as Shiro continues to just. Awkwardly talk on the phone lol.

Coran, internally: oh shit oh shit oh FUCK oh shit why now why nowwww oh lord is he calling to take away the kids? is he going to take away my BABIES??

Shiro: sorry for the late phone call sir, i meant to call earlier but i dropped my phone in a puddle and- i mean! the life of a cps worker is just packed hahahahahahahahahaah (WHY are you still laughing you IDIOT) ha-ahem! anyway. i’m the new cps worker, have i mentioned that yet? because i am. it’s just that, after we realized that the kids’ last foster home and agent let a supervillain just walk out with them - uh, no offense, sir! i just meant that, well, supervillains are generally understood to be bad- not to imply that you’re evil of course! Haha of Course Not, even though you were Literally voted the world’s most evil and accomplished supervillain several years in a row, but! That’s neither here nor there. Of course. :)

DM!Verse Shiro is a bit of a nervous doof but he also has a spine of steel when it comes to kids and making sure their living situations are safe. And he is very skeptical of Coran and his parenting skills, which is honestly pretty reasonable considering he’s an outsider looking in.

I mean, someone who was arguably the world’s greatest villain suddenly deciding to move to suburbia with his three (stolen) adopted kids does… seem like a bit of a stretch. And pretty sus lmfao.

Coran and Shiro eventually stutter their way into a productive conversation and arrange for Shiro to conduct a home visit/other CPS survey stuff very soon. Coran politely bids Shiro farewell, hangs up the phone, and has a panic attack because suddenly it feels like all his worse fears are coming true. Because the other shoe has finally dropped.

Life has been so kind to Coran lately, between his loving marriage and his lovable kids. It’s sad to say, but he’d half-expected something like this to happen for a while. Because people like him don’t deserve this kind of uninterrupted happiness.

Alfor quietly knocks on the door and takes in the scene before him. Coran reaches out, and he immediately rolls to his husband’s side.

Coran collapses against him and catches him up to speed. There’s a pause as Alfor pauses, absorbs, and digest the information, before he starts making calming shushing noises.

Insert Supportive Spouse Speech. Alfor reminds Coran that, for all he’s done in the past, he has damn well earned his present life. Alfor can attest to that, as can Krolia and, most importantly, their children.

It also doesn’t hurt that the internationally recognized Anti-Villain League is both a sponsor of and willing to provide a character reference for Coran. That counts for something, and Coran finally calms down.

This is what we in the writing business like to call “foreshadowing” :)

Scene cut to the AVL award ceremony. Krolia and Coran are both being recognized for their incredible heroics from the past year, etc etc, blah blah blah. Their speeches are very true to their character.

At the end of it, Kolivan goes up and stage and announces he’s retiring. Krolia, who knew this was happening in advance and fully expects to be named as his replacement, starts checking her lipstick in her hand mirror- only for Kolivan to introduce a ‘Commander Hira’ to the crowds.

FML, this is exactly the plot to the Spongebob Squarepants movie.

The entire Wimbleton Smythe-Altea Family freeze, mid-applause. Hunk awkwardly puts away his ‘CONGRATULATIONS KROLIA!!!!!!!!’ banner. Krolia shatters her hand mirror in her fist.

Within her first month, Hira makes some dramatic changes to the AVL. One of which is the agency’s complete separation from anything having to do with villains, including its rehabilitation program.

“Once a villain always a villain” essentially. Hira insists that villains are simply too evil to ever truly become good again, and that so-called “former” criminals are simply biding their time until they can enact their revenge.

As a result, Coran is fired. Alfor protests Hira’s decision, and resigns out of solidarity. Krolia calls Hira a bitch and is also fired.

The kids are ecstatic that their dads + aunt are home 24/7 now. Krolia is less pleased. She’s been an active agent for more than half her life, so this sudden and forced turn for domesticity has her clawing at the walls.

One of the sub-plots is Alfor trying to convince Coran to become a superhero, “just like the old times.” (Coran: Love, I was literally your supervillain arch-nemesis).

Coran is hesitant, because 1) He still has low self-value and doesn’t see himself as a hero, and 2) He’s perfectly content to mooch off his billionaire boyfriend and spend his time as a stay-at-home dad.

To take their mind off their sudden unemployedness, Coran and Alfor throw themselves into preparing for Shiro’s house visit. This mainly entails Alfor calming Coran down from an anxiety attack every other hour.

There is a lot of tension in the house.

And then, like magic! An invitation to the biggest supervillain symposium of the year appears, because villain mailing lists are especially evil and refuse to take Coran off their register even though he literally arrests villains for a living.

“So you’re telling me,” Krolia says, and Coran instinctively inches for the door. “That you’ve had an opening into the world’s biggest villain convention, this entire time, and you didn’t tell anyone?”

“W-e-ll,” Coran stutters, slapping blindly behind him for the doorknob, “It just didn’t seem very fair, you know? To ambush them like that, all because of their lazy office workers. That’s not very good sport.”

Krolia and Alfor try to convince Coran that he should go. Krolia is convinced this is the in they need to reclaim their jobs; they’ll infiltrate the Supervillain Symposium, arrest all the biggest bads, call the AVL, rub it in Hira’s face, take a selfie while she’s sobbing in the background, celebrate as the masses drag Hira to the guillotine-

Coran: Krolia I love you, I really do. But you have issues.

Krolia: I happen to be perfectly adjusted for someone in my situation.

Coran is still hmming and hawwing because, now that he doesn’t have to fight villains for a living, he quite likes Not Being In Constant Danger. But then Krolia reminds him that he is both unemployed AND now blacklisted by the AVL, two things which might very well doom him in the eyes of Shiro (and the rest of CPS). He needs to do this if he wants his job back and, therefore, keep his kids.

(…. At some point, Coran shaves off his mustache in a stress-filled attempt at appearing as a better guardian, but no one recognizes him so he has to wear a fake mustache for the rest of the movie)

Coran of course is immediately super gung-ho for this plan and declares they’re leaving ASAP.

The kids of course are raring to go, the adults are vehemently hell no to that idea, and in the ensuing argument everyone forgets that Shiro is coming today.

A series of events thus follows, which can be summarized as:

The adults say that the kids can’t come.

The kids decide that yes, in fact, kids can come and plan accordingly.

The kids are preparing to tail after the adults (after waiting a reasonable amount of time of course (this isn’t their first rodeo) in their own modified plane when they hear what sounds like their babysitter, the Reformed Lotor, coming around the corner.

The kids immediately go into attack mode only to realize, after the dust has settled, that they’ve actually knocked out Shiro.

In their infinite pre-teen wisdom, the kids decide to stick with the plan and load Shiro into their equivalent trunk and take off.

A few moments later, Lotor finally arrives, looks up from his phone, realizes there are no kids to be watched, and shrugs and goes home.

The scene cuts to Shiro groggily stumbling out of the corner the kids have stashed the plane in, only to realize, to his absolute horror, that he’s on an island filled with Supervillains attending a Supervillain Convention.

Hunk: Man… I feel like we forgot something.

*Shiro screaming in the distance*

For brevity’s sake I’ll cut off here, but just know that this is only the FIRST THIRD (IF EVEN THAT) of the movie. I am absolutely off the CHAINS. I still haven’t even introduced Keith yet. I love this au.

#voltron #coran #alfor #krolia #lance #pidge #hunk #alforan #despicable me au #long post #ask #anonymous #katiecanons #if it isn't obvious i'm trying to clear out some of my drafts and. well. i love this au so lmfao #otp: gay dads

64 notes · View notes

its-love-u-asshole · 7 years

Text

Let My Love [Ch. 3]

Pairings: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei

Summary: For Kuroo, finding love was all about patience. He had no problem with waiting for the right person to come along, no matter how many awkward dinners or weddings he had to endure as a single man until they did. Regardless, meeting Tsukishima was something he’d never been prepared for. The feelings were overwhelming and intoxicating, ones he was sure he’d do anything for. However, it seemed his endless waiting wasn’t over.

Rating: T

Warnings: none

Note: Yay, I managed to update lol. I’m not sure when that’ll happen again because I have quite a few other projects to get done for some events, but I’ll definitely be continuing this story further ^^ I’m excited to post this chapter too so ;) Big thanks to @emeraldwaves for reading this over! Also, idk if anyone would be interested but I made an 8tracks to accompany the fic, so enjoy that if you want ^^ Thanks for reading!

AO3

8tracks

"I have a boyfriend."

Those words had been harder to deal with than Kuroo had expected.

They were walking out of the library as it closed, having been the only two remaining occupants aside from a few study groups. The chill outside was more biting than he had thought, and he cursed himself for not wearing thicker layers like Tsukishima had.

The blond was as beautiful as ever, wrapped in a black wool trench coat with his cheeks tinted red from the cold. They walked down the library steps in a cozy silence, their voices too hoarse from all the talking they'd managed to do as the rows got less and less busy.

It had been nothing short of a perfect day in Kuroo's mind. Ever since they'd had their talk about friendship a few days prior, things had been going smoothly. The sense of longing stayed buried within Kuroo of course, but he pushed it down whenever it chose to bubble up.

Yeah, everything was fine. Despite the chill, the night was nice, and Kuroo couldn't stop himself from dreading their separation.

And well, he figured it was normal for friends to hang out outside of work, so he'd had no trouble inviting the blond out for a drink.

"I can't today," Tsukishima replied, his hands tightening around his coat collar as the wind ripped past. "I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner."

And as stupid as it sounded, and as much as he wished it hadn't, Kuroo's world stopped. Another gust tore through the air, thankfully disrupting the awkward silence building between them. Kuroo could only hope it had masked the choked noise he'd made in the back of his throat.

It was a new sensation, having his gut twist and squirm, and all the while his heart struggled to continue beating, his body warring to stay alive even when his soul echoed hopelessness, willing it to give up.

Kuroo's mouth opened, ready to laugh it off or dismiss himself casually, but nothing came out, and the winds continued.

He had no one to blame but himself for making things so tense. He should've known all along. The reason Tsukishima had acted so guarded, the logic behind their shaky agreement...

A boyfriend. So simple, so damaging, and yet Kuroo didn't blame Tsukishima for anything. The blond had never led him on, and he was free to be with whoever he wanted. Kuroo's whims were none of the Tsukishima’s concern beyond a certain level, but Kuroo's heart was still being crushed in a hydraulic press from all this, so there was that.

Kuroo felt their connection more than he liked to admit, and he could do one of two things. If he chose the first option, and spoke on his feelings, laid himself bare...he might lose a friend who he knew understood him. This was someone special, someone he could see being close to for years to come. Then of course there was the off chance Tsukishima felt the same way, and then they'd have to navigate the boyfriend issue together, but Kuroo didn't see that outcome being very probable.

Tsukishima liked him sure, whether it be in a platonic way or otherwise, but the blond hardly seemed to be a believer in love at first sight, or in pursuing any kind of relationship with a stranger.

And besides, if this guy...whoever he was, made Tsukishima happy...

Kuroo would never stand in the way of that. The realization was more jarring than he would've predicted, colder than the frost lining the windows of nearby parked cars. It traveled up his spine, calmed his stomach, and eased his mind. So truthfully, only one option was the best choice here.

Kuroo ignored the way his heart continued to protest.

He closed his mouth, his smile soft as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk. Tsukishima was staring at him with those big, honey brown eyes, analyzing him, waiting for a reaction of some kind. That in itself made Kuroo want to laugh. If Tsukishima truly didn't doubt Kuroo's platonic feelings, there would be no reason to search for a reaction. It almost betrayed the casual indifference with which Tsukshima had spoken. Which meant...well...Tsukishima was smart, observant. Part of him had to know.

Goes to show I guess...

Kuroo wasn't as adept at lying to himself as he'd thought.

Kuroo laughed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. There was one thing he wanted to know, and he'd be fine. "Is he a good guy?"

The question seemed to catch the blond slightly off guard, and his eyes widened a good fraction for only a second, but Kuroo caught it. He was discovering he was rather skilled at it, tracking Tsukishima's reactions. But then the blond's posture relaxed, his gaze turning to the dark, lamp lit street.

Tsukishima exhaled at a turtle's pace, his eyes dropping like he was falling asleep, and Kuroo felt the first pang of jealousy he'd ever experienced. He knew the blond's answer already, from that expression alone.

Tsukishima radiated peace, comfort.

Kuroo was so screwed.

The blond finally turned back, nodding once. "Yeah, he is. We...it's new still, but it's fine."

Kuroo breathed out, not realizing his lungs had been pleading for sweet oxygen, and smiled again. Well then, case closed.

"I'm glad, you'll have to introduce me sometime yeah?" Kuroo offered as his legs regained their ability to move again, and he began to walk towards the direction of his apartment, knowing tonight would be a night without sleep.

Tsukishima pulled his scarf around his mouth, an almost thankful emotion flashing in his beautiful eyes, one Kuroo couldn't handle.

"Mm, he'd like that."

And with the words dying in the wind like a whisper, they went their separate ways, and Kuroo wondered if the air had actually gotten colder, or if it had just been him.

Despite it though, he knew he'd made the right decision, and for a tiny moment, his heart felt warm once again.

Kuroo couldn't remember the last time a month went by this quick, as if it meant nothing to the world. Tsukishima made it easy.

Tsukishima, with his dry sense of humor and in depth knowledge of the weirdest subjects (dinosaurs? really?).

Tsukishima, who didn't drink coffee unless it had buckets of sugar poured into it.

Tsukishima, who snorted when he laughed too hard.

Just Tsukishima.

It was their routine almost. Meet at the library at eight, have some coffee, and then go their own ways. Kuroo hardly did any of this work at home anymore, choosing to bring it to the library while Tsukishima ran through his own daily responsibilities. Kuroo liked to think it was this way because it helped his productivity. The library is better than home, he would think. Yeah, way less distractions.

But deep inside he had to know, and swallowing down that knowledge with his stale cold brew in the morning was becoming a constant in his life.

At the thought, Kuroo looked up from where his pen had been frozen mid-sentence in his notebook, catching sight of Tsukishima as he checked out a few books at the front desk. The lady he was serving seemed to be talking his ear off, a bit too loud for a library setting, and a lot of people around Kuroo started throwing barely concealed looks of annoyance her way.

As if feeling Kuroo's gaze, Tsukishima turned towards his table, sharing the most 'kill me please' expression he'd ever seen.

It got a muffled laugh out of Kuroo, seeing those calm eyes exaggerate with disdain, and it made it more rewarding when Tsukishima moved to hide his own smile in his hand.

Kuroo caught it though. He always caught it. If he thought he was skilled before, he was an absolute expert now.

And then for what felt like the twelfth time that day, probably the thousandth time that week, Kuroo felt like he'd been doused with cold water.

Bad Tetsurou, bad.

"Shit," he whispered to himself as he slouched back into his chair. The fading sunlight from outside hit his face through the window, but he stayed and welcomed the burn. He deserved it.

Ugh, now you're just being emo.

It was nearing closing time he realized, but he hadn't gotten as much done as he usually did. Several things ate away at his brain, and as much as he'd managed to ignore those thoughts for a good month, lately they wouldn't leave him alone.

It probably had something to do with the damn lake trip, knowing he'd soon be swamped with questions about when he'd get a damn date. All the while, here was Tsukishima, someone who Kuroo knew was absolutely perfect for him and--

Kuroo grunted to himself, almost scolding. No. Nope.

None of that mattered. Tsukishima had a boyfriend. He and Tsukishima were friends, only friends. And he was happy like that, he didn't have to jeopardize what he had because of these feelings. If they got any worse or became harder to control, then of course he would deal with it. Maybe distance himself if he had to...

But until then, he was a grown ass man, and he'd refrain from inviting Tsukishima to his little family reunion because of a small crush. It would be too soon anyways, even if they were interested in each other that way.

Plus...

There was one thing in particular which wouldn't stop nagging at him, which prevented him from inviting Tsukishima anywhere really. The thing was...

He and Tsukishima got along great, amazing even. The blond was so easy to talk to that Kuroo had to refrain himself from oversharing quite a lot. They'd learned a lot about each other in the past few weeks. Favorite music, food, movies, stuff about their jobs, some family issues, where they went to school...

Apparently, Tsukishima loved aquariums and history museums. He slept with the lights dimmed, never off completely. He snoozed his alarm about four times every morning. He'd never been bowling. He loved cooking because following a recipe was calming for him. He lost it over fancy kitchen appliances.

All that and so much more, they were all facts Kuroo couldn't help but cherish. Basically, if Kuroo had to buy Tsukishima a birthday present, he'd be an expert. He'd found out so much, but...

But Tsukishima never stopped acting a least a little guarded. Kuroo could see it in the way he'd flinch when he'd admit something too personal, or the way he'd backpedal after already telling Kuroo some intimate detail about his life.

Frequent shrugs, attempts at topic changes, fidgeting...all the signs were there.

In short, Tsukshima was actually pretty shitty about keeping things to himself around Kuroo, but the effort was definitely present, and it pained Kuroo more than it should've.

Kuroo didn't find himself to be particularly intimidating once people got to know him, so the fact Tsukishima felt the need to be on alert could only be justified by one reason.

And it made sense.

Tsukishima had a boyfriend, and as well as he and Kuroo got along, there were always going to be borders and lines there that they shouldn't cross.

Kuroo knew this. He respected it damnit.

But sure, it didn't stop his brain from wishing the barriers were nonexistent.

Kuroo wanted to fling himself into the damn sea.

You're a real inspiration, you know that? Way to go, crushing on your friend, like a jackass.

"If you keep sitting like that, you'll go blind you know," Tsukishima's voice wasn't loud by any means, but it shattered Kuroo's cage of self loathing, every word a breath of fresh air no matter how unimpressed. Why, why did it do that to him? Kuroo had never experienced it with anyone, where just their voice was enough to ease his sorrow, even when said person speaking was part of the problem.

Hell. That's what this is. Hell.

Kuroo bolted up in his chair, his eyes somewhat watering in relief at having been freed of the sun's wrath. Tsukishima sat across from him, arms crossed and expression plain, all but stealing Kuroo's ability to breathe.

"I was testing a science theory," Kuroo responded, his grin forming naturally at the sight of Tsukishima's annoyance.

"A science theory?"

"Precisely."

Tsukishima pursed his lips, and Kuroo had to kick himself so as not to stare. "Really? Because from what you told me, your article was supposed to be on nanowire and--"

"And you say you don't listen to my spiels, I'm touched," Kuroo said while wiping fake tears from his eyes. "Tsukki, you do care."

A magazine hit him square in the face, and Kuroo blanched, mostly because he had no idea how Tsukishima had grabbed the damn thing so fast. "Excuse me sir, that's library property you could've damaged."

Tsukishima shrugged, waving his hand. "No one reads magazines anymore."

"Wow."

He could've taken actual offense, but it got a genuine laugh out of the blond, so Kuroo considered it worth it.

From a couple seats down, a middle aged woman shushed them, and Tsukishima hardly batted an eye. Why Tsukishima had wanted to be a library volunteer, Kuroo never understood. Sure, the blond was polite to people and loved books, but he also hated customer service. In short, he got annoyed fast, and this was simply another example.

Tsukishima didn't turn to face the lady, but rolled his eyes in response.

Kuroo couldn't help but snort, his voice lowering to a whisper. "Is that any way for a volunteer to behave?"

"Please," Tsukishima said, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "She's just upset we're interrupting her daily erotic novel reading. How she keeps finding new ones, I don't know."

Kuroo barked out the ugliest laugh, and the lady promptly moved.

"You're not volunteering anymore, why?"

Kuroo's steps were hurried as they left the library for Tsukishima's lunch break. Sadly, Kuroo couldn't return with Tsukishima afterwards, since he needed to turn in his article to the publisher that day, but he was keen on making the most of his time.

The blond never ceased to drop bombs on him though.

Tsukishima shrugged, obviously not as worried as Kuroo. "It just worked out that way. They don't really need me anymore, and my boyfriend wanted me to get some free time, so I went along with it. Friday is my last day."

Friday. Lake trip. Shit.

It didn't exactly have anything to do with Tsukishima, but man did Kuroo need to start packing and making the necessary preparations. It was only a week, but he couldn't forget anything during that time. Funny how the things which were eating at him seemed to line up.

Friday was when he left for the lake house, and it was also Tsukishima's last day at the library.

Great.

Kuroo's shoulders slumped a bit, though he knew he was being childish. Not meeting at the library anymore wouldn't destroy their friendship. Kuroo could call Tsukishima up and meet anytime he wanted, it was no big deal.

Still, it felt like the library was their place, and not having Tsukishima behind the front desk was something Kuroo would definitely miss.

Not that Kuroo could show it though, even that went a little too far past acceptable friendliness.

"Ah well, at least you'll have more time to yourself though," Kuroo said, bumping Tsukishima's shoulder playfully as they walked. "Got any plans with the beau this weekend?"

Tsukishima snorted, and Kuroo pushed his displeasure down. "Yeah, but it's a surprise apparently."

Romantic. Damn this guy.

"Oh? Does he always like to surprise you?" Kuroo asked, keeping his expression as soft as possible. Man, he needed to get over himself.

"Yeah, it's sort of a thing with him, though..."

"You don't care for it," Kuroo spoke without thinking, immediately cursing himself. Shit. Fuck.

Okay, so Kuroo was pretty confident he was right. After all, he knew Tsukishima well, though it had only been a month. They were in sync a lot of the time, and Kuroo was familiar with his character.

But, that wasn't an excuse for acting like he knew everything, like he was better suited for the blond. Ugh.

So, he tried to backpedal. "Uh, I mean--"

"No, you're right," Tsukishima said with a shrug, but Kuroo could see the tips of his ears were red. The blond's voice was barely above a mumble, his eyes stuck glaring at the ground. It was usually what he did when he was about to admit something rather personal, and Kuroo felt honored every time. Even now, even about this.

"It's not preferred, but...I'm told relationships are about compromises or whatever, so..."

So you try. Because underneath all that standoffish attitude, you care.

Kuroo felt his heart both clench painfully and fill with warmth. Tsukishima was full of surprises, there were so many sides to him which Kuroo longed to explore. But more than anything, he admired the blond, and it stung.

Yet, Kuroo was being honest when he said he was happy to have this. He was grateful for Tsukishima, and he was grateful someone was treating him well.

It was what the blond deserved.

"You're right there, still...I hope it's nothing too outrageous," Kuroo said, and they both laughed.

"He doesn't know how to be anything but, trust me," Tsukishima said with a fond roll of his eyes, and Kuroo chuckled once more as he opened the cafe's entrance for Tsukishima to step through.

Kuroo's fears of their friendship fading away were still there, but less so. He was confident they'd keep this, and either way, he could worry about it after he conquered the battle of his lake trip reunion.

He left it at that, following Tsukishima with new concerns on his mind.

Before approaching the counter though, Tsukishima paused, turning back to Kuroo ever so slightly, his ears still tipped red. "I'll probably still be at the library a lot by the way, since I can do work there. So I guess I won't be completely rid of you and your awful jokes."

A pleasant chill ran through Kuroo, and they locked eyes for no longer than half a second before Tsukishima was spinning around to face the menu, the back of his neck obviously tinted in embarrassment.

It seemed Kuroo being familiar with the blond's character wasn't one sided. Tsukishima knew him just as well, enough to read even his slightest mood changes, enough to comfort him. It was Tsukishima's way of saying they'd be fine, Kuroo didn't have to fret over any of it.

This guy is trying to kill me.

Kuroo bit back a mega watt smile, moving to stand side by side with the blond.

"Why Tsukki, your words hurt me."

"Shut up."

Yeah, he had nothing to worry about.

"In Shirabu's words," Terushima said, his voice trailing off as the soft sound of crumpling paper filled the silence through the phone. "You...'better not pack your motherfucking laptop Kuroo, I will snap that shit in half.' That's...that was from him--"

"I know dude."

"He told me to write it down and tell you."

"Okay man--"

"It wasn't me."

"I get it."

Kuroo laughed as Terushima sighed in relief, knowing his cousin had probably gotten an earful from the former setter. At least between the two of them, Kuroo was the more practical one when it came to travel. He packed the basic crap, whereas Terushima would probably stuff his suitcase full of junk he didn't need in favor of them being 'fun' instead of necessary. As a result, one person was always given the task of policing Terushima's baggage anytime they went anywhere. It had been that way since middle school, and it certainly wasn't going to change.

Also, Kuroo was definitely taking his laptop. If Semi said there'd be free wi-fi, no one was passing up on that shit.

Shirabu could pry Kuroo's electronics from his cold, dead fingers.

"No one is any fun Tetsu, Shirabu made me empty like half my shit," Terushima went on, no doubt rifling through his mismanaged suitcase. "And then my babe, who I can't wait for you to meet by the way, made me empty the rest of it! Apparently, pool floaties aren't required, but tennis shoes are? Bullshit."

Kuroo's lungs were dying from how hard he was laughing, but his cousin didn't seem to find the situation all that amusing. Damn, I really did miss this fool.

He and Terushima technically lived in the same city, but hectic schedules were brutal, especially when Terushima was a fairly successful freelance artist. It seemed like every other weekend he was off painting a mural or designing a logo. It meant Kuroo didn't see him much, but oh well, he was damn proud of him.

"Your babe is right. Seriously man, when are you gonna learn to pack, it's been years."

"Psh, details."

Kuroo shook his head, folding a few more sweaters into his bag before deciding he was finished. All packed. All he'd need to add in the morning was his toothbrush and some other shower stuff. He pushed his suitcase to the door, placing his laptop bag right against it so he wouldn't forget.

Shirabu would be pissed, and it was going to be awesome.

The line was silent, but Kuroo could tell Terushima was still there, if the sounds of disarray were anything to go by. It would be normal for them, these comfortable silences, if it weren't for the fact that Terushima was really bad at hiding shit.

He wanted to ask Kuroo a question, and didn't know how to do it. Kuroo couldn't help but smile, at least he had enough consideration to be shy about it. It was why Kuroo tended to not mind actually being asked questions by his younger cousin.

"Uh...so--"

"Dude," Kuroo cut in, taking a seat on his lumpy couch. "Shoot."

"I hate how you do that you know," Terushima said, chuckling lightly. "Semi says you're not bringing anyone?"

And so it begins.

"Yeah, so no worries. I won't steal your new relationship spotlight," Kuroo said, hoping Terushima would let the conversation end there.

Against his will, an image of Tsukishima flashed through Kuroo's mind, and he pushed it away with force. Not the time.

"Pft, as if. Oikawa would be the one to do that," Terushima said. "Actually, he still might, even though he'll be there alone n' shit."

"Ugh, he's going to complain the whole time," Kuroo said fondly, knowing he wouldn't mind at all when it happened. He'd missed everyone so much, and while he was worried about awkward dinner conversations, it would be worth it.

"That's all you bruh, I'd rather deal with Shig and Kyoutani..."

"Even though they're disgustingly affectionate?"

"Risks worth taking."

They both snickered, the sense of nostalgia invading his heart as the memories of his childhood flashed in his eyes. These people, these absolute dorks, were his family.

"Seriously though man, I just wanted to make sure you were alright with that," Terushima continued. "I know you're waiting for the right person and all that junk."

Kuroo snorted, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah I'm good."

"So you haven't met anyone?"

Kuroo's response, which had been a resounding 'no' for as long as he could remember, died in his throat. This time, he couldn't stop the thought of Tsukishima for practically knocking the air out of him. His laugh, his smirk, his eyes. The images, the memories...they were so prominent they scared him. Because now, the answer to the question was different.

It was insanely different, and yet it didn't matter.

Yeah, he'd met someone, but it wasn't meant to be. That's what sucked the most. For all Kuroo's waiting and patience, this is what he'd been left with.

And the weirdest thing of all was he didn't regret it, not even a little.

His hand clutched the phone tighter, his eyes closing as he willed himself to not dwell on the dread inside him. "No, not yet. I mean, I met someone but…it’s not going to work."

“What? Where’d you meet him? You should go for it dude!”

Kuroo cracked a smile. Terushima’s enthusiasm tended to be contagious no matter how crappy he was feeling.

“The library,” Kuroo said with a long sigh, already wishing he could go back there and see his favorite blond. “But it’s not happening dude. He’s got a boyfriend.”

Yeah, saying it aloud hurt just as much. He resisted the urge to wince. He could practically hear his cousin deflate over the phone, and Kuroo felt torn between embarrassment and gratefulness. Terushima cared so much about Kuroo’s happiness, but admitting to his own pitiful situation was something Kuroo wasn’t completely comfortable with. It had sunk in sure, the fact Tsukishima was taken, but to say it was settled in his heart…he didn’t know if it ever would be.

“Oh…man, I’m sorry…” Terushima sighed, unsure of how to console Kuroo any further. But of course, he tried as hard as he could to think of more to say anyways, wanting to make sure Kuroo was alright. That was just the kind of guy Terushima was.

If only he knew it wasn’t possible this time around. Kuroo shook his head to himself, disappointed.

Yeah, same here.

The drive to the lake was only about four hours, and while it hurt his back and made him wish he was in bed still, the route he took was as scenic as could be. It was what he needed, if he was being honest.

Kuroo left the windows rolled down half way, letting the mountain breeze filter in as the city smog got farther and farther away. The longer he drove, the mistier and cooler it got, and he couldn't wait to set foot on the rich, damp soil up by the lake. Already the thoughts of nights by the fireplace were making him feel relaxed, and when he finally pulled up to the house, he was more refreshed than he had been in a long time.

The house was large, made of dark furnished wood with a smooth stone foundation. Just from glancing at it, Kuroo knew it probably cost a fortune to own. Ten rooms at least, a driveway big enough for eight cars, and what looked to be a jet spa on the side. The windows were huge, covering the front of the house more than any of the wood did, and Kuroo figured it was all for the sake of the lake view. He glanced down the hill, where lush, green land met the water, connected by a small dock.

If the place was this ritzy on the outside, he could only imagine what the furniture and rooms looked like, and he definitely needed the luxury right about then. He wondered if he'd at least been given a good room.

Let's go find out.

Leaving thoughts of Tsukishima and work behind in the small space of his car with a final sigh, Kuroo cut the ignition, and stepped out onto the driveway.

Before he could even pop his trunk and grab his stuff, the front door flung open, the wood sounding more like a shotgun going off from the way it slammed into the wall. Kuroo jumped, turning to the source of the sound to find a comfortably dressed Yahaba standing in the entrance way.

"Tetsurou!" The brunet called, running down the porch stairs easily with his long legs, skipping every other step. Behind him, Kyoutani walked with a much slower pace, but looked amused nonetheless at his husband's excitement.

Kuroo opened his arms on instinct, letting Yahaba land in his arms with a surprisingly strong impact. Kuroo made an 'oof' sound as Yahaba tried to squeeze the life out of him, barely finding his footing in the loose dirt.

"Shigeru, I love you and all but...this isn't wrestling," Kuroo breathed out, and he was almost positive Yahaba started to hug him tighter.

With a huff, the brunet withdrew, crossing his arms in satisfaction. Kyoutani came up to him easily, wrapping an arm around the other's waist as he shook Kuroo's hand. Kuroo looked them both up and down, since it had been a while since their wedding.

The only major change was Kyoutani's hair, now fully back to its natural brown. It suited him.

Kyoutani snorted, nudging his husband. "Count yourself lucky, he did the same thing to Yachi without warning."

Kuroo arched a brow, eyes scanning the area for the blond in question. "And?"

"She passed the fuck out."

"Kentarou!" Yahaba smacked Kyoutani lightly, and Kuroo had to force his own laughter down. Yahaba wouldn't be as kind with him, never had been. "She was tired that's all..."

"Uh-huh."

"Anyways," Yahaba continued, gesturing to Kuroo's bags with a barely concealed suspicion. "Let's get you settled. Yachi is napping, but Eita-kun, Oikawa, and Kenjiro are in the living room. Which means..."

Kuroo's smile was rueful, at best. "Hide my laptop before Shirabu destroys it?"

"Yeah that."

"Did he tell everyone?" Kuroo asked, thanking Kyoutani with a nod as the other grabbed his larger suitcase. Motherfucking Shirabu.

Yahaba turned around, eyes clouded in pure confusion. "Did you not get the email?"

"Email?"

"Tetsu-chan!"

Oikawa's hug was, thankfully, a lot more tame than Yahaba's. Which, come to think of it, was weird. Kuroo eyed Oikawa with caution, searching for any signs of sadness in those twinkling brown eyes. Oikawa had always been good at hiding stuff like that though, even from all of them. To this day, none of them knew how Iwaizumi managed to see through Oikawa so easily.

They were grateful for him though, he made their talkative setter happier than anything else. Of course, the flip side to that was he could also make him upset as all hell.

They'd all heard their fair share of 'I miss Iwa-chan' rants, no joke there.

"You and I are the singles club this time around," Oikawa said with a smirk, and Kuroo didn't resist pushing the other away with a hand to the face.

Yes, he got a lot of satisfaction out of the yelp Oikawa made in return.

"Oh leave him alone," Semi said with a smile, going in for a normal hug, bless his soul.

Then again, Kuroo reasoned, when had he ever been one to give normal hugs himself?

He picked Semi up easily, squeezing him with a force Yahaba would surely be proud of. Semi squawked and kicked, a friend betrayed.

"Okay okay! Can't breathe...you son of a--"

"Fucking language, jeez," Yahaba said from the couch, laughing when Kuroo finally set Semi down.

Even Shirabu was snickering in the corner, so it was a win.

Semi brushed himself off, shooting Kuroo a glare with hardly any bite. "Can't believe I invited you jerks back. Never mind, the vacation is off. Pack your shit."

The room erupted in laughter, and Kuroo could feel the joy seep into his bones. The day was already half over, and he was tired and starving, but those problems paled in comparison to how much better he felt right then.

Kuroo had forgotten what this felt like, to be so at home with the people he loved most. In his heart something was still missing, no doubt, but it didn't take away from how glad he was to be able to exist in this moment.

From outside, a horn honked, and they all shared a knowing glance.

Yahaba hopped off the couch, looking a little bit too evil for a reunion, and rushed to be the first person outside to welcome the last additions to their party. "Teru is here!"

"Hmm, you mean he and his new boy are here," Oikawa purred from the armchair, and Kuroo seriously wondered why he'd been worried. His group of friends were downright sadists, and he received a lot of their jabs about not having a date on a weekly basis. Still, he didn't envy Terushima. His date was about to be blindsided with judging eyes and questions.

Kuroo only hoped they were ready.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Oikawa whispered dramatically, dragging Kyoutani and Kuroo by the sleeves to make them come to the foyer. "I wanna see!"

"You mean you want to pick apart," Kyoutani muttered, dragging his feet as much as possible. Oikawa's strength was to be reckoned with though, and it only slowed them down by a few seconds. Oikawa was a determined bastard, a quality which served him well.

"Eh, same thing," the brunet said breezily, and before Kuroo knew it, he was in the foyer, waiting for the grand entrance.

Terushima was already there, standing in the doorway with his one too many suitcases, decked on in his signature yellow jacket. Man, only he could make that color look non repulsive.

Terushima had just barely pulled away from Yahaba's clutches, and was now beckoning to someone outside. Kuroo rolled his eyes as he felt everyone take a collective mental gasp. Ah yes, the moment of truth.

Snorting, Kuroo approached his cousin, arriving at the door at the same time as Terushima's boyfriend did, skin flushed from the cold.

Pale skin. Light, honey brown eyes.

Oh.

That feeling was back, like he was by the ocean. Except, it wasn't calm anymore, it was a horrid storm, raging past the shore line.

Kuroo's stomach twisted when he met Tsukishima's eyes, his ability to think crashing like a wave into a weak rock. He felt his throat dry up, his mouth opening uselessly. His back forgot how to bow, his eyes seized to blink, and his world shattered to the floor.

Oh.

"Hey guys," Terushima said, unaware of Kuroo's mental breakdown due to his own nerves. He smiled sheepishly, gesturing to the blond with unfiltered adoration. "This is my boyfriend..."

Terushima looked to Tsukishima expectantly, and Tsukishima snapped out of whatever daze he'd been in, breaking eye contact with Kuroo.

The spell was broken, but Kuroo didn't feel any better.

"Tsukishima Kei," the blond said, bowing politely after he cleared his throat. His gaze continued to flicker over to Kuroo, distraught, but to anyone else, his expression was neutral as could be. "Thanks for having me."

"Ooo, so polite. That's already a step up from the last on--ow!"

Kuroo wasn't positive, but he was confident it was Semi who had stepped on Oikawa's foot. Good man.

Terushima laughed, his smile way too genuine, and it made Kuroo feel about a thousand times worse. His cousin looked at him, his excitement unrestrained, and god, Kuroo hated faking smiles, but he did it for the sake of his family, for the sake of his own dignity.

This was bad. Oh god, so bad.

"Ah doll, this is my cousin," Terushima said, and somehow his nickname for the blond stung something fierce.

Damn, I'm an awful person for even thinking that.

"U-uh, right. Kuroo Tetsurou," he introduced himself, hoping his voice didn't sound like he was eating glass. Either way, Tsukishima probably already knew something was wrong, if the tenseness in his shoulders was anything to go by. "Thanks for taking care of Teru, he uh...really likes you."

Kuroo tried not to wince.

Tsukishima bit his lip, a nervous habit Kuroo had picked up on. "Well--"

"Alright, alright," Shirabu cut in, and everyone except Kuroo and Tsukishima turned to him. They were almost stuck in this moment together, wanting to say so much but knowing there wasn't much to say.

This wasn't a big deal.

They hadn't done anything wrong.

It wasn't like they'd had some kind of affair. They were friends.

And yet neither of them felt the need to say they'd already met. Neither of them were lining up to bring that information to light. Why was that?

Oh yeah, because Kuroo had confessed his crush for a guy he’d met at the library, where Terushima probably damn well knew Tsukishima worked. If Kuroo revealed they knew each other, it wouldn’t be hard to connect those dots.

Fuck.

"All these awkward conversations can be saved for dinner, I'm starving," Shirabu finished, motioning for everyone to help debate food plans in the kitchen.

"Ah yeah, sounds good," Terushima said, lacing his fingers with Tsukishima's like it was the most natural thing in the world. "C'mon guys!"

Tsukishima didn't protest, and he followed with one last glance at Kuroo, leaving him alone in the foyer.

It left an empty feeling in his chest, and while the sounds of yelling and laughter from the kitchen mixed together in the air, Kuroo couldn't feel any of the joy they carried.

#kurotsuki #kurotsukki #haikyuuwriters #adri writing

10 notes · View notes

thrashermaxey · 6 years

Text

Ramblings: First Day of Playoffs, First Vegas Playoff Win; Sam Bennett; Jesse Puljujarvi – April 12

I’m sure much of the hockey world was looking forward to the Flyers/Penguins series. Anyone following hockey for the last 10 years or so would vividly remember the 2012 series which featured goals and fights to the heart’s content.

Game 1 wasn’t so much a playoff game as it was a public execution.

Pittsburgh skated away with a 7-0 win on the back of a 24-save shutout from Matt Murray and a natural hat trick from Sidney Crosby. Brian Elliott was mercifully pulled after the fifth Pittsburgh goal and Petr Mrazek let in a couple more after that.

A lot of the focus for the fans and media will undoubtedly be Crosby, who scored a ridiculous bat-out-of-mid-air goal again. One thing that stood out to me: the Flyers didn’t get the memo to not make Evgeni Malkin mad. Not long after he took a hard hit that was blatant interference (he never had the puck and the play was about 30 feet away from him), he decided to go all Angry Geno on them:

Malkin and Crosby really out here playing anything you can do I can do better pic.twitter.com/ZHPyBRxUjn

— Filipovic Forsberg (@DimFilipovic) April 12, 2018

It didn’t lead to a goal – dang post – but Malkin was simply dominant at times in this game.

Pittsburgh continued their trend of using Justin Schultz on the power play which certainly raises questions for the next fantasy season. I wrote often last summer about the mix of him and Kris Letang making for a messy situation at draft time. They seem pretty committed to using Jultz on the top PP unit. Letang is clearly the superior player, but situation matters a lot. It will make for some interesting projections.

Winnipeg took the first game of their series against Minnesota 3-2 but some bigger news was that Mathieu Perreault injured. He took a couple big hits – one a blatant interference – and eventually just left the game late in the second and did not return. It’s the playoffs so we won’t get any sort of specific update, and the team has depth to overcome it, but he’s a key piece to their forward group. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.

With Minnesota up 2-1, Patrik Laine did what Patrik Laine does:

.@PatrikLaine29 with a snipe. pic.twitter.com/HhI2gJOXTx

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 12, 2018

He’s a guy whose ADP should be fascinating next year. Can he go in the first round? He’s probably already one of the top-3 goal scorers in the league and he’ll only be in his age-20 season. He was a second-round pick last season in most fantasy leagues. He’ll definitely find his way into the first round, right? How high would you be willing to draft him? Let me know in the comments.

The first-ever Vegas playoff game was rather dull. I don’t mind low-scoring games, but outside of a couple very good saves from Jonathan Quick, there wasn’t much to speak of offensively in the Golden Knights’ 1-0 shutout win. I’m sure Vegas fans don’t really care about the manner of the win, however.

By the way, Shea Thedore was the lone goal scorer. There’s your trivia answer sometime in the future.

Most media members were wrapped up in the hits in this game – over 100 through two periods. Let me tell you, it didn’t lead to an exciting game.

For those with subscriptions to The Athletic, I recommend this article by Corey Masisak on how the New Jersey Devils infused analytics into their organization.

I’m not going to go through the whole thing, but two things stuck out to me:

Taylor Hall is very much into advanced stats and tries to keep up on the research as much as possible. He was always a player who did the things on the ice necessary to help his team win, but it’s pretty cool to see he’s still trying to evolve his game.

The relative unimportance of players to “believe” in the use of non-traditional stats. And it makes sense. It’s not really that important that a player believes they shouldn’t dump the puck in all the time, eschewing entering the zone with control. It’s just important that the coach believes they shouldn’t, coaches that way, and that the players buy into doing exactly that. If all that happens, it doesn’t really matter what the players do or don’t believe.

Anyway, I just thought it was an interesting article. Give it a read if you can.

Not to go on an Athletic binge, but the story by Aaron Portzline on Artemi Panarin and the hardships he endured growing up was something else. He’s a special person and a special player.

We’ve gone from “Joe Thornton will not play game one” to “Joe Thornton hopes he can return in the first round” in the span of two days. Of course, the team knows this all along, they just don’t want to share the information. All the same, a return for the second round, should the Sharks get there, would be a huge boost.

There is a cool fundraising effort going on started by Ian McLaren of the Score to raise money for the Humboldt Broncos. It’s a Money on the Board pledge wherein you decide how much you want to donate for a specific event in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Maybe you want to donate $5 for every goal scored by Nikita Kucherov, $10 for every Golden Knights win, or $1 for every penalty minute in the Penguins/Flyers series (might need to take out a loan for that one).

Please consider if you are able. Do not feel pressured if you can’t; money is tight for a lot of people. If you can, just follow this link.

The news came out that Vladimir Tarasenko will be out 4-6 months recovering from shoulder surgery. That is, uh, pretty bad. Four months would leave him a month until training camp. Six months would have him return sometime after the regular season has started.

A couple weeks ago, I mused that Tarasenko’s ADP would probably fall from where it was in 2017-18 and that I would be a buyer. Now, I’m not so sure.

He’s clearly an elite talent and going into his age-27 season, I wouldn’t expect much in the way of a decline in skills. But I loathe drafting players coming off serious injuries like this. Injuries which don’t let players have a regular offseason. I suppose a shoulder surgery is better than a knee or a hip surgery, but it’s no small issue all the same.

What say you Dobber heads? How concerned are you about Tarasenko for next year and what round would you take him if you knew he’d be in the lineup for game one of the 2018-19 campaign?

There were just three games on the playoff schedule so I wanted to go back over the fantasy regular season a little bit. We have the whole summer to look ahead to next year so I’m going to spend some time looking back on 2017-18 to see what it can tell us about the season to come.

Individual Expected Goals

Jesse Puljujarvi

Cam went over some left wingers and individual expected goals per 60 minutes from the Metro division. I recommend reading that.

Connor McDavid led the Oilers in individual expected goals scored for the season at 1.12, which was among the league leaders. Any guesses on second in Edmonton? Pretty easy to guess, right? It’s Jesse Puljujarvi.

Obviously, the 12 goals and 20 points in 65 games aren’t enough for fantasy. It’s hard to put up a big fantasy season with 13:22 in ice time per game, though. He also played just 12:21 over his final 30 games of the season. No one is going to produce being used as a fourth liner.

I watched enough Oilers games to feel pretty confident in saying that Puljujarvi didn’t play himself down the lineup. Was he a consistent presence game in and game out? No, but very few of their players were. The fact they cut down on his ice time as they were playing themselves out of the playoffs is lunacy. They should have been giving him 16-17 minutes a night to try to build him up for 2018-19.

Next season will be Puljujarvi’s third. They don’t have a better scoring winger on the roster (assuming you consider Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centres and not wingers). His shot-share numbers were good, his production rates were good, and his shot rates were good. My bet is they go looking for a scoring winger this offseason (LOL) and that worries me for Puljujarvi’s usage next year. He’s good. He can probably be very good. You wouldn’t know it the way the Oilers treat him, though.

Sam Bennett

It was a very up-and-down season for the 21-year-old Flames forward. He started the year with zero points in his first 15 games, went on a tear in the middle of the year that saw 13 points in 14 games from November 28th through December 28th, and registered one point over the final four weeks of the season. Even in leagues that count hits, that kind of inconsistent production made it hard to rely on him in fantasy.

Bennett also led the Flames in expected goals per 60 minutes. His mark of 0.92 was also top-25 league-wide among forwards with at least 500 minutes played. His problem was his shooting percentage, managing just over 7 percent at five-on-five after being close to 10 percent over his first two seasons.

Here’s the interesting thing for me: he barely shot while on the ice on the power play. Among the 214 forwards with at least 100 minutes of power play time, he was 209th in individual shot attempts per 60 minutes. The only players who shot less often were Nick Foligno, David Desharnais, Travis Zajac, and Zack Smith. Not only did he underperform his expected goals at five-on-five by a pretty significant margin, but there was no chance he’d make up the difference on the power play shooting as little as he did.

Over his first two seasons, Bennett’s expected goals scored per 60 minutes (0.62) wasn’t far off from his actual goals scored per 60 minutes (0.68). Last year was a huge deviation and under-performance. The 2018-19 campaign will be his fourth, and you know we love our fourth-year breakouts here. He’ll have a hard time being consistently productive in leagues that don’t count hits as he’ll likely be third line/second power-play unit, but don’t sleep on him in deeper leagues. A jump in shot rates on the PP could help get him close to 20 goals and 40 points.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-first-day-of-playoffs-first-vegas-playoff-win-sam-bennett-jesse-puljujarvi-april-12/

0 notes