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shingekinohyrulewrites · 11 months

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Unteachable

After a chance encounter at your town's Summer's End Carnival, you hook up with a hottie.

Only to find out he's your English teacher.

Read first chapter here

Read previous chapter here

Halloween was Friday, and Momo was throwing a huge party at her mansion. She had obviously invited you all, promising to have lots of fun, food, and even drinks. You had all been surprised at that last part, as Momo was the most cautious one of you all.

“What? The perfect Momo engaging in underage drinking?” Ochaco had gasped.

“Well,” Momo flushed. “We’re about to go off to college. I mean, shouldn’t we have one crazy party before then?”

Normally, you all opted for a group costume but Momo had mentioned there would be a costume contest so you all decided to pick your own. The years before you had always chosen some cute, clean costume that never broke the rules. However, this year, you wanted to do something sexy and had been scrolling online to get ideas. Kai had also asked you to stop by and see him Halloween night, and you wanted to surprise him with a hot costume.

On Halloween night you had joined the rest of the girls at Momo’s home to get ready. Given how huge the place was, you each were given a guest bedroom and bathroom to put your costumes on and also to spend the night if you got too drunk. You had decided on a Devil costume, as you had been a little devilish sleeping with your teacher. The top was a red mesh one, showcasing the red push up bra you were wearing underneath. The bottom consisted of a short red skirt, paired with a lacey pair of thigh highs. Mesh, fingerless gloves served as an accessory, along with the trademark horns on the top of your head. Smiling, you finished applying red lipstick before applying finishing spray to seal your smokey eyed look.

“Hey, are you ready to - oh my god.”

Momo had come to check on you, eyes wide as she took you in. She was dressed as Princess Peach, her dark hair replaced with a blonde wig and the trademark crown on top.

“Whoa, you look beyond sexy. Kirishima is going to lose his shit.”

You flushed, turning your head away as you muttered a quick thanks.

“We need to finish setting up downstairs. Can you help with the drinks?”

An hour later you were two beers in, standing next to Shouto as you played beer pong. Despite his serious nature, he was really good at beer pong and the two of you had won three games straight. Since it was your first time drinking, you were already tipsy and were swaying against him.

“Sho, save some wins for the rest of us!” Denki groaned.

You giggled, leaning against your partner as you grinned up at him.

“He’s just too good, Denki! Just admit defeat.”

Shouto politely wrapped an arm around your waist. He had dressed as Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon, his heterochromatic eyes studying you behind a black mask.

“Are you okay? Perhaps we should stop so you can sober up a bit.”

“No, no, I’m just having some fun!”

You gave him a squeeze, giggling as you felt him stiffen before relaxing.

“Yo, stop flirting you two!”

Shouto said the game was over as he was going to take you to the kitchen to get some water. As you were walking, he leaned down to murmur in your ear.

“You look amazing, by the way. That costume really . . . accentuates your figure.”

His eyes flickered down to your cleavage, smirking as he gently guided you into the kitchen. Although the idea of flirting with Shouto was fun, you knew you would be seeing Kai later on and didn’t want to step out on him. Instead, you opted to reply with a shy giggle and complimenting Shouto’s costume.

“I’ll come check on you. Drink some water and relax.”

It didn’t take long before your friends came looking for you.

“We’re going to play Truth or Dare upstairs! Come on!”

Your entire friend group was sitting in a circle, with an empty beer bottle in the middle. Momo started the game off, spinning the bottle until it landed on Deku. His freckled face flushed as he stuttered out dare. A slow grin grew on Momo’s face as her eyes flickered to Ochaco.

“I dare you to make out with Ochaco in front of us.”

The game continued on, with Denki streaking through the house, Tsui admitting she had hooked up with an upperclassman, and Bakugou jumping off the balcony into the pool. When the bottle landed on you, you felt your chest tighten. You knew that you would be dared to kiss Kirishima and you didn’t want to get his hopes up. With a light buzz going, you chose truth and held your breath.

“Are you still a virgin? Last I checked, you hadn’t been laid.”

You took a long sip of your drink, cheeks red as you tried to avoid the question.

“It’s okay if you still are!” Denki slurred.

“Um, actually I’m . . . not.”

The whole room got silent. Kirishima looked hurt for a moment, his expression falling before he tried to resume a neutral expression. Everyone else was surprised, their eyes wide and mouths open as they took in your statement.

“WHAT?!?”

“When did this happen?!”

“With who?!”

The room felt much warmer as you nervously took another long sip. You were teetering on the edge of becoming drunk, and you knew you had to be careful with your words.

“Um, it was over the summer at the festival.”

“Wait, is that why you disappeared for a bit?”

The boys glanced over at Tsui, who was staring at you inquisitively. You gave a slow nod, looking away awkwardly.

“Who was it? Was it a one night stand?”

“Er, no,” you shook your head. “I’ve been, uh, seeing him since school started.”

Your heart dropped as you saw Kirishima’s expression fall even more. He grabbed at his beer can and began chugging it quickly.

“Why haven’t you brought him around?”

“He’s from out of town. It’s . . . pretty much long distance.”

“Is he cute? Do you have pictures of him?” Momo asked, eyes sparkling.

Crap.

“He is, and I do, but I . . . just want to keep it to myself a little longer.”

“He has to be hot then,” Ochacho grinned. “And he must be great in bed.”

“Oh, so that’s who gave you those hickeys on your chest.”

The entire group turned to stare at Shouto. He was drunk but was somehow passing as sober.

“What? It’s hard not to stare at your tits. I thought it was the mesh but you can tell what hickeys are.”

You flushed. Kai had surprised you after cheer practice and had fucked you under the bleachers, leaving you covered in hickeys as a way to mark you as his. You had figured the mesh would help them blend in, but leave it to Shouto to point them out.

“Thanks, Sho,” you sighed. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag now, I guess.”

“Well, congrats!” Denki grinned. “Must be good to finally get laid, huh?”

Standing up, you encouraged the group to keep playing while you went downstairs to get water. They went on, ignoring you as you quietly slipped out and carefully made your way down the stairs. Thankfully the kitchen was empty, and you relished in the loneliness as you sipped on a water bottle.

“Hey.”

Kirishima entered, his hands stuffed into the pants of his pirate costume. His cheeks had a light flush from all the alcohol he had been consuming. An awkward silence ensued between the both of you, and you waited for him to break it.

“Um, congrats on your boyfriend. I had no idea.”

“K,” you began, but he held up a hand.

“I’m honestly hurt that you didn’t bother to tell me about him. We’ve been best friends since we were kids, we tell each other everything. I mean, I told you when I lost my virginity, as awkward as it was.”

You bit your lip, anxiously playing with the bottle cap of the water you were drinking.

“I’m also hurt that you haven’t bothered to introduce me to him. If he’s that important to you, I think your best friend deserves to meet him.”

“It’s long distance,” you replied quietly. “It’s hard enough already to see him.”

He hesitated a moment, seeming about to say something but figuring it was best not to. Instead, he turned to return upstairs, not bothering to look at you as he left.

It’s probably best to leave right now.

Your phone was upstairs in the guest room, and you rushed up the stairs to find it. The screen was flooded with notifications, among them a few messages from Kai. Unlocking your phone, you quickly clicked on his name and hit call. He answered on the second ring, the sound of a movie playing in the background.

“Hi, angel. How’s the party?”

“Can you pick me up? I’m ready to go.”

“Have you been drinking?” he teased.

“Just come get me,” you begged.

You gathered your belongings and went back downstairs, making sure that no one you knew saw you. Kai had agreed to meet you a block over to avoid anyone spotting you two together. He arrived fairly quickly, pulling up five minutes after you got to the spot. You didn’t miss the way his eyes raked over your figure, his hands immediately reaching out to grab at any part of your exposed body.

“You’re really tempting me right now, you true little Devil, you,” he sighed.

Leaning across the center console, you grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him towards you, smashing your lips against his. You let your tongue push into his mouth, your fingers tangling in his hair in a desperate attempt to feel him against you.

“Whoa there, let’s drive off before someone sees us,” Kai laughed as he pulled away.

“I’ll spend the night. My parents think I’m crashing at Momo’s.”

He smirked as he started his car, pulling into the street and turning towards the direction of his apartment. One of his hands came to rest on your thigh, the warmth from it sending a tingling sensation along your skin. He asked you questions about the party, asking if you had eaten before drinking and how much you had had to drink. You felt yourself shrinking in your seat as he frowned at your response, sighing before squeezing your thigh.

“Okay, I’ll make you a light meal to help you sober up. I doubt we want to be dealing with a hangover in the morning.”

As he said, he quickly made you a meal of scrambled eggs and bacon, which you devoured. You were beginning to feel a bit sleepy, and the two of you curled up on his couch as Frankenstein played on his TV. Although you wanted to get more comfortable and change out of your costume, you were too tired to do so. Kai brushed your hair absently, letting you rest your head on your shoulder as you fell asleep.

You woke up a few hours later to Kai carrying you to his bed. The apartment was shrouded in darkness, causing you to feel confused. Upon feeling you stir, he paused in his steps and angled his head to peer down at you.

“Oh, I’m sorry angel. Did I wake you?”

“S’fine,” you mumbled. “What time is it?”

“A little after midnight. It’s okay, love, go back to sleep.”

He gently laid you down on the bed, careful not to wrinkle your costume. You sat up, blinking in the darkness in an attempt to discern his figure. A soft click echoed in the room, and one of his bedside lamps was turned on. In the soft glow of the light, you found yourself staring at Kai’s profile. His golden eyes seemed to twinkle as he smiled down at you, the sharp line of his nose catching your attention. You let your eyes linger on his lips before flicking up to meet his eyes. He knelt on the bed, slowly crawling towards you on his knees.

“I’ve been wanting to fuck you in that outfit since I picked you up earlier.”

Your breath caught in your throat as his knees bumped against your feet. As if on instinct you spread your legs, allowing him to settle between them. His hands moved up your legs, gripping onto your thigh highs and snapping them against your skin. You moaned softly, turning your head into the pillows as he grabbed onto your skirt and began to slide it down.

“The thigh highs stay on,” he demanded.

Kai pushed your red thong to the side, letting a finger drag up your slit to collect your growing wetness. You let out another moan, jerking your hips up in an attempt to get more. He clicked his tongue, retracting his finger and instead grabbed at the bottom of your mesh top, pulling it up over your bra. The bed creaked under you as he lowered himself towards you, squeezing your breasts before leaning down to pull your bra down and put a nipple into his mouth. Your hands grabbed at his sweatpants, clumsily untying them and trying to pull them off. Kai chuckled before helping you finish the task, pressing a quick kiss to you before returning to your chest.

“I’m so glad you’re staying the night. Think you can keep up with me until morning?”

#boku no hero academia #boku no hero imagines #my hero academia #my hero academia imagines #overhaul #overhaul imagines #overhaul x reader #overhaul x y/n #kai chisaki #kai chisaki imagine #kai chisaki x reader #kai chisaki x y/n #modern au #teacher student

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books-of-the-great-leviathan · 11 months

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Chapter 43- Ziva

***

Wind tugged at Ziva's curls as she stood at the Mistfox's bow, hand on the railing. She lifted her face to the sky with eyes narrowed. That had been a fell wind, full of ice and ill intent, setting the sailor's charms to ringing. The witch's wind, she knew, but she couldn't help the stirrings of superstition it brought on.

No fair portent, she thought. Then again, when as of late was there?

She watched the dark silhouette of the islands grow nearer. Dawn had just broken, staining the waves crimson and orange. The sun was a pale slash at the horizon, illuminating the barren crags of the approaching land. Even at this distance Ziva heard the boom and echo of waves through their sea caves, the chitter and cry of coursing seabirds. Desolate ground, but neutral ground, no civilization to speak of but the remnants of some long-abandoned fortress clinging to the upper crags, empty of lanterns and inhabited only by wind and gulls.

Above, the witch-boy circled low and alit on the rigging. Ziva glanced up. He'd taken on his human form, skinny and ragged. He grinned down at her from the crow's nest, and Ziva felt cold wind whisk her hair.

"Unnatural," she muttered.

His grin widened.

Ziva heard low voices behind her and looked back. A single lamp shone from a dinghy, already being lowered overboard. Cereza stood at the gunwale, Azare and Alois alongside her. The princess was cloaked, her face pale under her hood, and she wore no weapons save for that improbable whaleglass sword. It hung belted at her side, her hand poised at its hilt. Ziva watched as two crewmen hoisted buckets down, into the dinghy- iron-banded and reeking with blood. Already seabirds, groaks and carrion eyethieves, had scented the blood and circled above. The buckets were heaped with chum, fresh and dripping.

"You're certain?" Azare said quietly.

"Completely," Cereza said. "If you're certain of your watchmen."

"Sighted a pod of them on our way," Ziva cut in, ambling toward them. "Looked to be half-a-dozen good-sized sea-orks, calves, maybe even a bull in the mix. I'd be surprised if they didn't scent this lot already."

She nodded at the chum. Cereza gave it a glance. She was doing a good job at looking calm, but her lower lip trembled, her brow creased with fear.

"Good," Cereza said. "I...I suppose I'd best get a move on."

She looked to Azare.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For not saying I don't have to do this."

"The time for doubting you is long past," Azare told her. He held out his hand, and Cereza clasped it for a moment. "Calm seas, Princess."

"And fair skies."

"Be careful," Alois said quietly. Cereza caught him up in a long hug; it was a while before she let him go. She glanced at Ziva, then with a little nod to herself she hooked one sandaled foot over the railing and clambered down the rope ladder, into the dinghy.

Ziva drew alongside Azare and Alois, the three of them watching Cereza as she fumbled with the oars. At last she slotted them into their oarlocks and began to row, falling into a steady one-two stroke and quickly retreating from the Mistfox's side. After a few minutes her lantern was a pinpoint against the dark waves. Soon, it was lost altogether.

"I'd best get belowdecks," Alois said, his eyes lingering on the place Cereza had been. "You be careful too. The both of you."

Ziva nodded. Head lowered, Alois brushed past her and retreated through the stateroom doors. He'd spoken little to her; Ziva wasn't surprised, but she was unsettled by his lack of vengefulness. If she'd been sentenced to death, forced to share a ship with her would-be condemners, she didn't think she'd be so forgiving.

She set her eyes again on the waves, thinking of Cereza. "Seems a dangerous gamble, Severin."

"Hasn't this all been?"

He was looking at her; she could tell. She felt his gaze like physical touch. She didn't meet it. "Never thought I'd be aflutter over the well-being of a bloody Valere whelp," she muttered. "Never thought I'd break my sacred vows more times than I can count."

"How does it feel?"

"I could use a drink."

Azare smiled. "Time for that later, Lapin. We all need our heads clear. Is that pistol of yours loaded?"

"Could use another check."

"Then do it." He brushed past her as he strode for the ship's wheel. "And be ready."

"I always am, sir."

She turned as he went, words snagging on her tongue. She stared after him as he called orders to draw closer, to lay the anchor some quarter-mile or so off the coast, at the shores of an islet broken off from the island's main bulk. It was there they and the pirate lords would meet- and there Ziva and the rest would bleed their last if all went awry.

Her throat ached. She needed to tell him- what? That she couldn't lose him again? That she couldn't love him the way she wished she could love him? To save himself, and her, and damn the consequences?

She didn't speak. The moment passed; the words died.

Time for that later, Lapin, she told herself.

***

They moored the Mistfox and took the longboat in. As they pulled away, Ziva looked back at the ship. A tick of fear feathered in her throat.

"What?" Alois said.

"Nothing." She glanced at him. "Highness." "You don't like calling me that?" he asked dryly. Ziva blinked. The Alois Belmont she'd watched grow up had never had the guts to confront her, would have taken disrespect with head bowed.

"No," she said, and it was she who sounded dry, now.

"You were following orders, Lapin. We all were. I can't hold a grudge forever, not when Estara is at stake."

"I think you could manage it, Highness," Lapin told him.

Alois let out a short laugh. "Cheeky, Lapin. I respect that. One matter I want to make clear, before today's negotiations begin." "Yes?"

"Never try to betray me again," Alois told her.

Ziva grinned, sudden and hard, and nodded, and they lapsed into silence again, shoulder to shoulder in the Mistfox's longboat. It was something strange indeed, she thought, to support a bastard's claim as heir to the Estaran throne, and an afflicted one at that. But if Estara was to survive, it couldn't do so with a child king.

It was Alois Belmont she'd put her faith in now.

They reached the shore. Ziva's boots crunched on the dry, stony soil as she strode from the surf and onto the islet, flanked by Azare, Prince Alois, the witch-boy, and several of their Witchhunters. Bright blue lizards scuttled into their burrows at their approach and watched with mercury eyes, tongues aflicker. Crumbling walls and broken foundations rose around them as they climbed into the ruins of what must have once been a watchtower or smugglers' nest, barely hanging onto the little islet with each devouring wash of the tide.

They came to a halt on the remains of an ornate floor tiled in cobalt and deep red, now riven with cracks and scattered with sand. From here Ziva could see over the waves, toward the horizon and the rising sun. The groaks and eyethieves had not yet retreated, as if anticipating a feast.

Away with you, little prophets, Ziva thought, casting their whirling shadows a glare. We don't need more bad fortune today.

Dawn came, and with it: ships.

Sails appeared on the horizon. One, then more, then many: a forest of sails snapping a dozen colors in the wind. Flags flew high, pirate banners hung proud from each mast.

"A warning," Ziva said. "They're ready for a fight, each one. Those are war colors and no mistake."

"Steady, Lapin."

"You're sure you trust the girl?"

"Like I trust you."

Ziva snorted. "Not sure that answers my question."

"Don't be scared," the witch-boy murmured at her side. "Worse things in this world than death."

"No worse things today," Ziva shot back, and the boy hummed a little, a smile twitching at his mouth.

Most of the vessels hung back, ringing the islands, but five broke off from the rest and approached, coursing swiftly over the waves.

"Saints," Ziva muttered to Azare. At her side, Alois shifted back and forth on the loose scree, his brow furrowed. "That's not a ship, is it?"

"That," Azare said, "is Lord Sabat."

Ziva shook her head. "I truly, sincerely, bloody hate pirates."

The ship gleamed like jet and fresh blood, black and crimson and gilt aflash: a three-decked monstrosity cleaving the waves to a frothing churn. Its sails billowed, high and proud. Ziva counted a row of cannons for each deck, their maws gilded like the ship. Most magnificent of all was its figurehead: a great golden sea-ork with jaws agape, as if ready to tear a gash from the Mistfox's side. It towered over the Mistfox, drowning it in shadow; it dwarfed the other ships. One was the Fishcutter, another a sleek Buyani icerunner. Another yet was an Isozi caravel, all curved lines and intricate paintwork. The last seemed insubstantial as a reflection, ghost-gray and ragged, its wake so slight it scarcely parted the waves.

Ziva watched as the pirate lords disembarked, as they made their way to the islet shores. She sensed the tension of the Witchhunters behind them, standing back with weapons sheathed and holstered. She felt it, too- the thrum of her pulse, the acid on her tongue, the way the world had been turned inside out, all certainty and tradition dashed to the stones. Their king, murdered. Their duties, dismantled. Their captains, treasonous and mutinous. Their reality turned to monsters and magic. They'd been, to the last soldier, trained to kill a pirate as soon as see one; now here they were consorting with their most lofty lords.

In a thunderstorm the rat and the hawk shelter together, Ziva thought, and smiled. If you could see me now, Ren. I think you'd finally like me.

Azare strode forward as the pirate lords advanced. He'd told Ziva of the lot, and she recognized them to a man: Sabat and Atana Bateleur, Captain Irene and her seconds Matteo and Nadya. Anoshka Safi, the red-haired Buyani firestarter, and the towering blue-skinned Isozi captain Noor. Her eyes were narrowed, and she moved with care thanks to the wounds Sirin had, according to Azare, gifted her in their last spat. Each brought a retinue of crewmen armed to the gills.

Last came an old woman. She made her stiff way up the beach with the help of a driftwood cane, each step a dry tap against the stones.

"The Eel Queen," Azare murmured at Ziva's glance. She didn't look like much of a threat, but then again, most pirates didn't get old. Ziva studied her, and as if reading her thoughts, the Eel Queen's pale eyes snapped to hers.

Ziva hissed a breath as the Eel Queen smiled, exposing a mouthful of teeth carved like scrimshaw.

Lord Sabat extended his arm, and she took it, her hands fragile as bird claws against the improbable mass of his forearm. The man himself was as colossal as his ship, all gilded crimson greatcoat and glistening muttonchops, his blunderbuss near itself another cannon.

He stared up the steps at Azare, his gaze cold with suppressed fury. The stare held for a heartbeat, for two. Ziva itched to lay hands to weapons. She forced them to stay at her sides, forced her spine straight and her eyes on Sabat.

"Witchhunter," he boomed at last. His voice rolled like a thundercrack, scattering the carrion birds. "Come back so we can kill you properly?"

"You received my summons." Azare glanced at Irene, who stared back, narrow-eyed, her face hard.

"That I did. And sad it was to see one of Bateleur's best reavers put to such work as playing message hawk to Witchhunter scum."

"Speak another word against me, Sabat-" Irene snarled.

"Then you know why I brought you here," Azare went on.

"To beg our assistance?" Atana said. "To entreat our forgiveness? For your sake, Captain, I hope you brought Sirin here to fight for you again."

"Sirin," Azare said, "is gone."

The pirate lords shifted. A mutter passed between Noor and Anoshka; the Eel Queen narrowed her eyes, gripping her cane tighter.

"Gone?" Atana said. "Dead?"

"Not yet. She is why I'm here. Not for forgiveness. Not for you to become my allies. I am not here to entreat friendship from any of you. It is your anger I appeal to now."

He lifted his arms. "Kill me where I stand. Burn me to my bones. Or use your anger to make right what I have done, to make right the world I had a hand in breaking."

"Where is Sirin?" Atana demanded.

"She's gone north to the Sunken Ruins of Rashavir. She took Luca Valere's creature with her, to draw along to her the monstrous Leviathan. We all saw what she did, the last time you were assembled. You saw the power she drank from the beast. Now she craves more, enough to become herself the destroyer. She doesn't seek balance, but wrath. No resettled world, but destruction. Vengeance."

He paused. "Anger."

"She seeks the whale god's power," Noor breathed. "Blasphemy."

"All Witchhunters are liars." Sabat reached for his blunderbuss; Ziva heard her crew go for their blades, heard the hiss of steel from scabbards. She lifted a hand. Not yet. "All Estarans have tongues of silver and knives hidden up their sleeves-"

"He's not lying, Sabat," Atana said, her voice soft, her eyes half-closed. "I can see it on his heart. He comes with nothing but the truth."

Sabat cut off and rounded on her. "How can you say this?"

"I say it because I know it. You know my power, given to me by my mother's Isozi blood-"

"Do not invoke Alaji's name in the Witchhunter's favor," Noor growled.

"Your power." Sabat towered over the little girl. He was nearly twice her height. Still she stood her ground. "None can lie to you, but you can twist whatever truths you like."

She lifted her chin. "You will mind your tongue, Lord Sabat. Unless you're forgetting who I am, and who my pa was?"

"Your father would be ashamed to see you so. His only daughter-and-heir, siding with the man who murdered him?" He snarled something in an unfamiliar tongue, rolling and timbrous. "I spit on your claims, Atana, and on your so-called power-"

"You dare to betray Bateleur's memory?" Irene gave a disgusted snort, her whaleglass eye aglitter. "Are there no loyal souls assembled here today?"

"You betray Bateleur's memory by not gutting them at first sight. You betray our tradition, our way of life."

"I say we give the Witchhunter a listen," Anoshka said, picking at her nails. "He came all this way."

"All of you, traitors!" Sabat drew his blunderbuss. Irene's blade was free and at his throat in a heartbeat; Noor's rifle was unslung, cocked, and Anoshka lifted her hands, her palms glimmering with embers. The Eel Queen stood, silent, watching not the other pirates but the sea.

"Name me a traitor, Sabat, and I will flay your skin to fix upon my mast," Noor spat.

"Stand down," Irene said. "Or I'll help her."

"Challenge me, do you, O Captain Irene?" Sabat laughed, a ferocious sound. "We'll see who skins who-"

"Oh, enough of this!" Ziva strode past Azare. "Hang all of you, shrieking and squabbling and wasting time. This isn't about loyalty. This isn't about promises and bonds of blood and old Saints-damned traditions. This is about what's true. What's real. You think you'll be able to stop that monster if Sirin gets her way? Any of you?"

"Do you?" Noor said. She spat on the ground. "Witchhunters come with nothing but stolen sorcery and reckless pride. A king's hounds, sent to do a king's dirty work-"

"Not only his hounds," Alois said.

His voice cut through the crowd, cut over Noor's next words. She braced back as he stepped forward, his shoulders stiff. For a moment, he stood, his chin lowered, his brow furrowed. Ziva stood, tensed and waiting. Would he fold? Would he run?

He did neither, and lifted his head.

Silence filled the ruins. Not a one spoke.

"I am King Alois Belmont," he said. "King of the Sister Isles of Estara. Son of Daval Belmont. Beloved of Bellana. And I will be by your side."

Alois held the eyes of the pirate lords, one at a time. "You fight alone and you'll die alone, crushed to the bottom of the sea. We don't fight alone."

He pointed to the witch-boy. "We come with a witch, and winds sung under his command to sail us. But he isn't enough. We need you- all of you- to follow us into the jaws of the beast, into the Hells themselves, to give Valere a chance."

"Luca?" Atana gasped.

Alois nodded. "The same. He's on his way north as we speak, riding on witchback to save all our skins. He has nothing now but madness and hope."

He lifted his chin, his amber eyes flashing with conviction. Ziva's heart pounded, fear and pride a heady pulse inside her.

"Come with us, and keep the beast off his back. Follow us, and keep your seas, and your freedom," Alois cried. "Fight with us and see the Great Leviathan reborn. You with us? Or are you the cowards who'll sit by and watch the seas burn, and yourselves with them?"

"No," Sabat muttered.

He lifted his head, and Ziva saw the black fire burning in his eyes. Fear splintered through her; she reached for her pistol.

"I would sooner die a coward than fight alongside Witchhunters," Sabat snarled, and whirled, and fired, point-blank, at Ziva.

The explosion of his blunderbuss cracked through Ziva's skull; impact hit her hard, taking her down. For an instant she thought his shot had torn her in half. She gasped as someone seized her shoulders and dragged her onto her back.

Azare. He stared down at her, his eyes wide, searching her face.

"Severin-" she whispered.

"Are you hurt?"

"Don't think so-"

"Then get up." He dragged her to her feet, and into chaos. Gunshots cracked; the floor was a wrecked crater, still smoking from Sabat's shot. She really would have been torn in half, had Azare not pushed her out of the way. Blades clanged, filling the air with their warp clamor: the Witchhunters, in their dark grays, sliced through the pirates like sharks, circling around Azare and Ziva, pulling in to shield them from their attackers.

Their attackers. Ziva searched the onslaught, her breath caught in her teeth. Everywhere: pistol smoke, blade flash, Sabat's crew in crimson locked in combat with Anoshka's men, Noor's Isozi with white braids whipping against their Witchhunters. She saw no sign of the witch-boy, nor of Alois. There; she spied the witch's ragged shape, spiraling into the clouds with Alois clenched in his claws. Nadya and Matteo fought alongside Irene, the trio moving as if with one mind.

Irene deflected a blow aimed for Lieutenant Guilan, and he flashed a grin in her direction.

"Obliged, madam!" he called.

"Captain to you," she sang back.

Guilan dipped his head. "Saints forgive me, I-"

He cried out as one of the Isozi's spear-muskets plunged into his stomach, ripping out his back with a spray of blood.

It spattered Ziva's face. She flinched, eyes wide. Again, the drone of flies. Again, blood slick on the backs of her teeth. The Isozi flung Guilan aside and charged her with a scream.

Ziva shook off her stupor. She tore her sword from its sheath and sprang to meet her. Steel sang, parted, sang again. The Isozi snarled; she was strong, much stronger than Ziva, driving her back and back with each blow. Ziva was quicker. She ducked, twisted, whirled around to the other woman's back, opening a gash in a visible patch of blue flesh.

The Isozi cried out, stumbling. Her guard fell: an instant of opportunity. Ziva glanced at Guilan. He lay, curled, in a pool of his own blood. Dead, dying- it didn't matter. Heat seized her, black and scouring; she tore her plain knife from its sheath and lifted it, to plunge it deep into the Isozi's spine, to sever it and her life in one blow.

And when she did?

This would go on, she knew. This fight would end in blood, and pain, and despair. This place wasn't a desert, but it would be dug into graves, sure enough- more than five, so many more. When would it end, then? When Sirin, or the monster she would make of herself, came to rain storm down on their heads? When the last soul standing lay at the bottom of the sea, and breathed their last? When all that was true, and good, and kind, was bled dry from the world, like it was bled from her? On, and on. More, and more.

No.

It ended here. It ended now. Ziva flung aside her knife and slammed her fist into the blue woman's jaw. The Isozi crumpled, out cold.

Behind her: a blade cleaved air. No time for pious reflection now. Ziva spun with a scream and dashed the sword aside, then cracked her skull against the man's forehead, one of Sabat's. He dropped, groaning and clutching his head.

"Azare!" Ziva yelled.

She searched the battle. Red hair- no, that was Anoshka, cackling as she fought, her hat lost, her hair aflame, truly aflame, up like a wick. She saw him then through Anoshka's heat shimmer, at the battle's heart. Witchhunters flanked him; Atana was pressed to his side, armed with a dagger and pistol of her own. A cut streaked down one cheekbone. He ducked and weaved, his back straight, his eyes narrowed, defending the girl.

"Severin!" Ziva screamed. She elbowed off a pirate and plunged toward him. "We have to stop this- we have to-"

Red filled her vision. Sabat. He moved like a rockslide against Azare, his sword a heavy, scarred cutlass. It swung; it screeched against Azare's slimmer Estaran blade. Ziva saw his eyes spring wide, his teeth clench. He set his weight, but Sabat had that advantage. Azare's boots scraped the tiles as he was driven back, their two blades locked.

"Lord Sabat-" Atana darted in, but Sabat swept her aside with his free arm, sending her spinning to her knees.

The sword lock broke. Azare spun his sword for a strike, but Sabat was ready. The back of his hand cracked across Azare's face, slamming him against a wall. He lay there, reeling and dazed.

Sabat's cutlass glinted, red in the dawnlight, as he lifted it to Azare's throat.

"Severin!" Ziva screamed.

A bellow filled the air. The ground quivered; waves hurled themselves up the beach, swamping the longboats and dashing against the ruin's foundations. Swords stilled in midair, battle cries shifting to shouts of shock and terror.

Hot wind blasted Ziva as she whirled toward the coming dawn. Her mouth, halfway to shaping Azare's name, hung wide in disbelief.

A shape filled the water, a vast black column surging through the waves, hide deep gray and glistening, encrusted with scars and barnacles. A sea-ork, the biggest Ziva had seen, and coming straight for them. In a fanburst of spume its tusks broke the surface and speared toward the skies, twin sawtoothed curves vast enough to impale ships and take them crashing to seabed. Its jaws followed, long and saurian and clustered with teeth, a second bellow already rumbling from deep within the beast.

It rose higher from the waves, swimming with powerful strokes of its forefins and long, flat tail. Its wake sent the moored ships to swinging, its body twice the length of Sabat's galleon, its cold yellow eyes set on the beach.

"Sea-ork!" cried Matteo. "Bull sea-ork, coming in fast and hungry! All of you, into the ruins! Now!"

The pirates scrambled higher up the beach, away from the monster. The Eel Queen danced and cackled, waving her stick through the air. Ziva stayed where she was.

A slow grin spread across her face.

Light flared from the sea-ork's back: prismatic light, channeled through the blade of a whaleglass sword. Cereza gripped its hilt with one hand, the other wound around a spike on the sea-ork's neck ridge. She didn't just control it; she rode it, holding Valeria's sword aloft. The sunrise fractured through the blade and set the air alight, set the waves aflame.

The sea-ork reared up the beach, carving great gouges in the sand with its forelimbs, another roar blasting Ziva with hot breath. Pirates crouched and huddled around her, but Lord Sabat stood, lifting his sword from Azare's throat as he faced the sea-ork.

"Korag Magra," he breathed.

He approached, tossing his sword aside, his hands open, beseeching. He stopped before the beast's tusks and fell to his knees.

"Ork Mother," he said. His eyes shone. "You have come."

"Stand down, Lord Sabat," Cereza called from her place atop the beast's neck. She lowered Valeria's sword, pointing it down at him. "All of you who fought for him, too. And be quick about it."

"You!" Sabat said.

"Me." Cereza stood, balancing on two struts of back-spine. "I said. Stand. Down."

Sabat signaled to his men. Ziva heard the clatter of arms laid aside, the murmur of the pirates, whispers of reverence or disbelief.

"Then I welcome my death at your jaws," Sabat said. "Ork Mother-"

"You think I'm here to kill you? Triune, no. And I'm not Korag Magra." She touched the sea-ork's neck, and it lowered its great head. The lower curves of its tusks came to rest, gently, on the sand. Cereza followed, climbing gingerly down its muzzle and onto the beach. She stood before Lord Sabat, the point of Valeria's sword set at his knees.

"Get up," she said. "Come on, now."

He rose. He towered over her, but she stared up at him unblinking, her soaked hair plastered to her cheeks.

"You heard them," she said. "They came to you, here at world's end. They came to you at the hour of greatest need. Now what do you say?"

Sabat's grin was a craggy thing, glittering with teeth silver as his fingernails. "She is magnificent," he said, nodding at the sea-ork.

"She is," Cereza said. "But she needs to be free."

The sea-ork snorted, gouting steam through its blowhole; warm seawater spattered Ziva's face. Cereza lifted her hand, and the great creature reared backward, diving from the shallows into deeper waters. It crashed to the waves and sank to a shadow, the ridge of its spine glistening for a moment in the dawn before vanishing, too, gone back to the depths.

Cereza slumped; her eyes fluttered shut, her face drawn. She pressed her hand to her heart, the strain bright in her eyes. Still, she stayed on her feet. Wind stirred at Ziva's side, and Alois stumbled from the black flutter of the witch's wings, his face ashen, his expression set.

He glanced at Ziva, and she nodded.

He smiled, just a little.

Sabat turned to the gathered pirates.

"World's end this may not be," he said. "Our hour of greatest need, not yet upon us. But I cannot deny the prophets have come." He took up his cutlass and plunged it deep into the ground. "And I cannot refuse them."

He faced Azare, and Alois. Conflict tightened the lines of his face, then settled. He produced an enormous S-curved pipe from his greatcoat, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"I won't fight for you, Witchhunter, nor your king. But I will fight with you," he said, pungent smoke curling round his muttonchops. "And so will my crew. And so will those loyal to me."

"And to me," Atana said as she picked herself up from the ground. "We'll have words, Sabat. For now, we haven't a moment to waste."

She climbed atop a broken crust of wall and lifted her hand to the sky.

"All of you," she cried. "All those who count yourselves people of these seas, whaleblood and freemen and pirates to the marrow- we sail as one."

"With the wind," the witch-boy whispered at Ziva's side, and for the first time since Ziva had first seen him, shot down and cowering, his blood black on the ancient stones underfoot, he almost sounded afraid.

***

Ziva found Azare, later. He sat by Guilan's body, lain out on a canvas sheet. A bowl of seawater rested by his head. Azare was washing him, cleaning the blood from his face and the sand from his eyelashes. Cereza's sea-ork was long gone, nothing left but great furrows carved into the beach, already smoothed over by the tide. Around Lapin was a moil of pirates climbing into longboats, of casting off and signaling from ship to ship, of creaking sails and shouted orders. Atana knelt alongside the wounded, feeding them sips of water from the Belmont cup. She was teaching Alois, Ziva saw, the king's hands red to the elbows, on his knees in the sand and the blood.

Once, maybe, she might have scoffed at the sight of a gentle king, one who knelt to help reavers and brigands drink. Once, she might have not believed there were ways to be strong that did not depend on the pain of another.

In the midst of the beach Azare seemed over-still. He looked up as Ziva stood over him, on the far side of the canvas.

"He was the only one?" she said.

Azare nodded. "Some wounds, but no other lives lost on our side." He smoothed down the lapel of his uniform, lingering on the speared wing signet affixed to the fabric. "He was a good man."

"He was. A proper lieutenant." Ziva sank to her knees beside Guilan's body. "Better one than I proved, anyhow."

She ached, her muscles sore as she'd ever remembered them. Her head was worse. She watched Azare clean the blood from Guilan's mouth, then lifted her eyes.

"I want to bury him," she said.

"We need to move," Azare said, gently, watching her.

"No. We need to bury him. Properly, Severin."

He paused, then nodded. "Then we bury him."

They left the chaos of the beach for the far side of the islet, the lee face of its ruins, where the shadows were still cool and blue and tasted of night. They found a spot of loose ground under a section of wall and began digging, their borrowed spades making quick work of the soil. It wasn't long before they had a grave.

"It's no shrine in the Witchhunter tower," Ziva said, leaning on her spade. "But I hope it's enough."

Azare brushed his fingers over Guilan's canvas shroud. "So do I."

He climbed from the grave and helped her fill it in. They stood over it, silent. Neither of them was a priest, but no words were needed, not for a soldier's burial. Gulls circled above, shadows moving like ghosts across the sand.

After some time Azare reached into his uniform and withdrew Ziva's knife. "This is yours, I think."

"You should know. It was in your heart."

"Might be mistaken. The heart's a foolish thing."

Ziva took the knife. She flipped it in her hands, examining its blade. "I thought Sabat would take off your head out there."

"He very nearly did."

"I almost lost you, Severin."

"Are you afraid of that now?"

She dug her thumbnail into a groove in her knife's bone hilt. "Always was. So I did it first. I was ever a spiteful thing."

"I think much more than that." He paused. "What I feel hasn't changed, Lapin. Not for you. I remember what I told you, still. And I'll swear by it, as much as any vow I ever made."

Ziva didn't answer. Her throat was as tight as her grip on the knife. She couldn't answer him, not now, and maybe after twenty years together he understood that. Maybe he didn't. Either way, he was at her side.

Azare glanced toward the beach. "We should go."

"Give me a moment."

He nodded and began away. Ziva didn't watch him leave. She didn't look up, not even when the air chilled, when the snowfall spackled the grave with white. When she sensed the air pressure shift, and she knew she wasn't alone.

"You're scared," she said.

"So are you."

Ziva lifted her head. The witch-boy perched on the wall above the grave, wings shrouding him and Ziva both from the snow.

"Well, yeah," Ziva said. "Remember the monster."

"Not that."

She drew a short breath. "I miss the days of being sure," she said quietly. "I miss the days of knowing."

The boy's eyes were dim, his arms hugged around his knees. He didn't look like a boy anymore, nor a monster, but old, and so tired.

"Maybe you never knew," he said.

They said nothing more, but stood together in silence, watching the snow fall past the shadow of his wings.

#books of the great leviathan #grave of the great leviathan #tales of the great leviathan #fantasy fiction #original fiction #serial novel #chapter 43

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donttalkaboutmemes · 2 years

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The Little Mermaid (1989) Sentence Meme

Under the cut you will find 130+ sentences from the 1989 version of The Little Mermaid to use for your enjoyment!

1. “Isn’t this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face. A perfect day to be at sea!”

2. “Thought every good sailor knew about him.”

3. “Merpeople? Pay no attention to this nautical nonsense.”

4. “It ain’t nonsense, it’s the truth! I’m telling you down in the depths of the ocean they live!”

5. “I’m really looking forward to this performance.”

6. “This will be the first concert I have ever conducted.”

7. “She has the most beautiful voice. If only she’d show up for rehearsals once in a while.”

8. “You know I can’t swim that fast.”

9. “There it is. Isn’t it fantastic?”

10. “You’re not getting cold fins now, are you?”

11. “I’m going inside. You can just stay here and watch for sharks.”

12. “Do you really think there might be sharks around here?”

13. “Don’t be such a guppy.”

14. “Oh my gosh! Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your entire life?”

15. “Will you relax? Nothing is going to happen.”

16. “Whoa! Mermaid off the port bow!”

17. “Human stuff, huh? Hey, lemme see.”

18. “It’s a dinglehopper!”

19. “This I haven’t seen in years! This is wonderful!”

20. “Oh my gosh, my father’s gonna kill me!”

21. “Hurry home, princess. We wouldn’t want to miss old daddy’s celebration, now would we?”

22. “In my day, we had fantastical feasts when I lived in the palace. And now look at me! Wasted away to practically nothing, banished and exiled.”

23. “I’ll give ‘em something to celebrate soon enough.”

24. “I want you to keep an extra close watch on this pretty little daughter of his. She may be the king to his undoing.”

25. “I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you, young lady.”

26. “This concert was to be the pinnacle of my distinguished career!”

27. “Thanks to you I am the laughing stock of the entire kingdom!”

28. “You went to the surface again, didn’t you? Didn’t you?!”

29. “How many times must we go through this? You could’ve been seen by one of those barbarians, by one of those humans!”

30. “Do you think I want to see my youngest daughter snared by some fish-eaters hook?”

31. “I’m sixteen years old! I’m not a child anymore!”

32. “Don’t you take that tone of voice with me, young lady!”

33. “As long as you live under my ocean, you’ll obey my rules.”

34. “I am never, never to hear you going to the surface again. Is that clear?”

35. “Teenagers, they think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you.”

36. “How do I get myself into these situations? I should be writing symphonies, not tagging along after some headstrong teenager.”

37. “If only I could make him understand…”

38. “I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad.”

39. “Hey there, sweetie! Quite a show, eh?”

40. “Be quiet! They’ll hear you!”

41. “I’ve never seen a human this close before.”

42. “He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”

43. “He looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me.”

44. “I had hoped it would be a wedding present.”

45. “It isn’t me alone. The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl.”

46. “She’s out there somewhere. I just haven’t found her yet.”

47. “When I find her, I’ll know without a doubt. It’ll just- bam!- hit me. Like lightning.”

48. “Is he dead?”

49. “I…I can’t make out a heartbeat.”

50. “A girl rescued me. She was singing. She had the most beautiful voice.”

51. “I think you’ve swallowed a bit too much seawater.”

52. “The sea king will never know. You won’t tell him. I won’t tell him.”

53. “It’s too easy! The child is in love with a human. And not just any human- a prince!”

54. “Dear, time to come out. You’ve been in there all morning.”

55. “So far, so good. I don’t think the king knows, but it will not be easy keeping something like this a secret for long.”

56. “I gotta see him again. Tonight!”

57. “Will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs!”

58. “The human world, it’s a mess.”

59. “Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there.”

60. “Somebody’s got to nail that girls fins to the floor.”

61. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I’ve got an urgent message from the king.”

62. “Who could the lucky merman be?”

63. “I told her to stay away from humans. They are bad. They are trouble.”

64. “Humans? What about humans?”

65. “Humans? Who say anything about humans?”

66. “It looks just like him. It even has his eyes.”

67. “Run away with you? This is all so- so sudden.”

68. “I consider myself a reasonable merman.”

69. “I set certain rules and I expect those rules to be followed.”

70. “Is it true you rescued a human from drowning?”

71. “Contact between the human world and the merworld is strictly forbidden. You know that! Everyone knows that!”

72. “One less human to worry about!”

73. “Have you lost your senses completely? He’s a human! You’re a mermaid!”

74. “I am going to get through to you, and if this is the only way, so be it.”

75. “She’s a demon! She’s a monster!”

76. “Why don’t you go tell my father? You’re good at that.”

77. “Come in, come in, my child. We mustn’t lurk in doorways, it’s rude. One might question your upbringing.”

78. “You’re here because you have a thing for this human. This, er, prince fellow. Not that I blame you. He is quite a catch, isn’t he?”

79. “The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself.”

80. “My dear, sweet child. That’s what I do. It’s what I live for.”

81. “Here’s the deal. I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days.”

82. “Before the sun sets on the third day, you’ve got to get dear ol’ princey to fall in love with you.”

83. “If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you’ll remain human. Permanently.”

84. “If I become human, I’ll never be with my father or sisters again.”

85. “Life’s full of tough choices, innit?”

86. “There is one more thing. We haven’t discussed the subject of payment. You can’t get something for nothing, you know.”

87. “I’m not asking much. Just a token, really. A trifle.”

88. “What I want from you is your voice.”

89. “Don’t underestimate the importance of body language!”

90. “That voice. I can’t get it out of my head.”

91. “She’s gotta make the prince fall in love with her. And he’s gotta k…he’s gotta kiss her.”

92. “Boy, what a soft-shell I’m turning out to be.”

93. “If you wanna be a human, the first thing you gotta do is dress like one.”

94. “You seem very familiar to me. Have we met?”

95. “I knew it! You’re the one I’ve been looking for!”

96. “Gee, you must have really been through something. Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”

97. “Not my idea of a princess.”

98. “Be reasonable. Nice young ladies just don’t swim around rescuing people in the middle of the ocean and then flitter off into oblivion.”

99. “She was real! I’m gonna find that girl and I’m gonna marry her.”

100. “Isn’t she a vision?”

101. “It’s not often that we have such a lovely dinner guest, eh?”

102. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in weeks.”

103. “Come out you little pipsqueak and fight like a man!”

104. “Perhaps our young guest might enjoy seeing some of the sights of the kingdom. Something in the way of a tour?”

105. “You can’t spend all your time moping about, you need to get out. Do something. Have a life.”

106. “Would you like to join me on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow?”

107. “This has got to be, without a doubt, the single most humiliating day of my life.”

108. “You are hopeless, child. You know that?”

109. “Let no one in the kingdom sleep until she’s safe at home.”

110. “Has he kissed her yet?”

111. “This calls for a little vocal romantic stimulation.”

112. “You want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself.”

113. “I feel really bad not knowing your name. Maybe I could guess it.”

114. “I’ll make him writhe. I’ll see him wriggle like a worm on a hook.”

115. “For better than any dream girl is one of flesh and blood, is one warm and caring. And right before your eyes.”

116. “The whole towns buzzin’ about the prince getting’ himself hitched this afternoon!”

117. “It appears that I was mistaken. This mystery maiden of yours does, in fact, exist.”

118. “We wish to be married as soon as possible.”

119. “Have I ever been wrong? I mean, when it’s important!”

120. “I’ve gotta get to the sea king. He must know about this.”

121. “You’re the one! It was you all the time!”

122. “She’s mine now. We made a deal.”

123. “I always was a girl with an eye for a bargain.”

124. “I lost her once. I’m not going to lose her again.”

125. “Say goodbye to your sweetheart!”

126. “Now I am the ruler of all the ocean! The waves obey my every whim!”

127. “The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!”

128. “So much for true love!”

129. “She really does love him, doesn’t she?”

130. “It’s like I always say, children got to be free to lead their own lives.”

#askbox meme #ask box meme #ask meme #roleplaying meme #rp meme #sentence meme #lyric meme #disney meme #the little mermaid

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britanniabay · 1 year

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A moment frozen in time...

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northliights · 1 year

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░ BASICS .

NAME. ░ Aurora May Phillips NICKNAME / ALIAS. ░ ‘Rora AGE. ░ 28 CURRENT RESIDENCE. ░ London, England SPECIES. ░ Human GENDER. ░ Female PRONOUNS. ░ She / Her ORIENTATION. ░ Bisexual ETHNICITY. ░ Caucasian PROFESSION. ░ Freelance Journalist EDUCATION. ░ Degree in Journalism ALIGNMENT. ░ Chaotic Neutral ZODIAC SIGN. ░ Aquarius SPOKEN LANGUAGES. ░ English, Irish Gaelic PARENTS. ░ Fiona and Stephen Phillips (divorced) SIBLINGS. ░ None. SIGNIFICANT OTHER. ░ Lucas North CHILDREN. ░ None PETS. ░ Cat - Maine coon cross named Anastasia (fondly nicknamed ‘fuckface’)

░ PHYSICAL .

FACE CLAIM. ░ Sarah Bolger HAIR COLOR. ░ Auburn EYE COLOR. ░ Blue HEIGHT. ░ 5′3″ MEDICAL CONDITIONS. ░ None.

░ PERSONALITY / OTHER .

HOBBIES. ░ Reading. Cooking. Shopping. Playing video games. POSITIVE TRAITS. ░ Intelligent, charming, funny, creative. NEGATIVE TRAITS. ░ Sarcastic, curses like a sailor, has very little filter. LIKES. ░ Coffee. Classic movies. Rainy days. Sleeping in. Lucas. DISLIKES. ░ Insects. Traffic. Corrupt governments. FEARS. ░ Deep water. Losing the ones she loves. FAVORITE MOVIE. ░ Boondock Saints FAVORITE TV SHOW. ░ Great British Bake-Off SMELLS LIKE. ░ Warmth. Comfort. Vanilla, bergamot, black tea. WHAT’S IN THEIR BAG. ░ She only carries a purse for formal events, so her laptop bag (messenger style) is her go-to. It holds a notebook, multiple pens, her MacBook air, portable battery charger and cables. A small makeup bag with the essentials, travel toothbrush, hair brush. A can of pepper spray, a knife and a small, delicate set of brass knuckles...because princess takes her own safety seriously and she’s got a mean right hook. WHAT DO THEY DO TO UNWIND. ░ Take a long bubble bath, complete with candles and a glass of wine.

░ DETAILED BIOGRAPHY .

Aurora was born in Crosshaven, County Cork, Ireland to Stephen and Fiona Phillips (née Connell). Her parents separated when she was two and divorced when she was four, and her father returned to London where he began a career in politics. Aurora was a bright child, clever and inquisitive, with a vivid imagination and very little fear...much to her mother’s dismay. Her father insisted that his child was going to grow up to be someone important, so he demanded that she begin attending a private boarding school at the age of seven. Aurora hated it, hated being away from her beloved mum, and as a result began hating her father. As she grew older that hatred for him widened to encompass everything that he was and everyone he associated with, and as a result she decided to build a career out of bringing him down.

It wasn’t until she was at university that she realized there were so many corrupt politicians (her father not least among them) and her determination to work toward bringing their misdeeds to light became a crusade. Rumors of abuse of the system, fraud, domestic violence and sexual abuse fueled her passion for her job despite the dangers it presented - because unscrupulous men in positions of power wouldn’t let a little girl with a laptop bring them low, and death threats were just part of the game she played. She created a network of informants, hackers and spies, sources of the information that she poured into her stories, people she relied upon to help her shed light upon the darkness that lived under the protective umbrella of money and power.

░ CHARACTER TAGS .

headcanons.

#~ i blaze with light and yet am full of darkness // aurora ~#~ dash games ~#~ headcanon ~

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tc-doherty · 2 months

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It's Valentine's Day so I'm going to do something silly (as if I'm not always doing something silly). Choose your fighter, Silverwood relationship edition.

Ithea and Anthem, they only hooked up after she murdered him. She is aware of this. He is not aware of this. They fight constantly and brutally, but love each other. Presumably. (They do).

Charlie and Tony, who met in a seedy dive bar and Charlie squandered his entire inheritance funding Tony's attempted coup d'état, which failed. Disasters as young men, they are fine now and have two super cute kids.

Gavin and Teddy, who had a stupid rivalry?bully/bully relationship in school where they simultaneously hated each other and also made out sometimes, got married after they met again as adults and have two adopted kids. Teddy's flashy existence as a performer goes very well with Gavin's super rich crime boss aesthetic.

Kaite and Jenessa, the unwanted princess and the gardener/hitwoman who is officially charged with kidnapping and treason because they eloped to live in a cottage in the woods with their three adopted kids, #cottagecore lesbian dream life. As for the connection to organized crime, don't worry about it.

Keir and Anise, the queen and her cousin (unknowingly) who she married mostly because in order to keep her throne she had to have a partner who was so unsuitable that not even the most sexist nobleman would consider asking her to step down, mostly they're just friends with benefits. He gave her protection and some heirs, and she pays for all of his expeditions.

Dumas and Caoimhe, the sailor and the selkie, they're mostly just kind of cute. She and their kids tag along on his and Keir's expeditions.

Ro and Kimyair, the much older widower and much younger runaway who met by chance while traveling and stayed together for several years before eventually getting married and settling down to run a farm and have ten children.

#Silverwood #writeblr #my characters #Cyan never has a permanent partner #and neither does Junior so far #happy Valentine's day all #just silly things

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darkcrowprincess · 9 months

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My thoughts on books:

I usually don't like ya series/popular book series for girls because they make the characters too bland. The types of bland I'm talking about is like im not like other girls characters, or I don't think I'm pretty but I actually am(for once I would love a female who isn't pretty and stays that way. Who's fat or has ugly scars, or who is just not conventionally beautiful but likes their looks. Or someone who is beautiful and is aware of it and takes pride in it) over powered female characters(I love female characters with power. I just don't like when they have perfect control of their powers super right away. That's why we have character development) characters who don't want the money or the power or the dresses and guy but they get it anyway. I want female characters who want that stuff and aren't punished by the narrative for wanting it. I'm very picky over what I read in general. If I don't like the first few pages of a book, I put it down and don't keep reading it. So I didn't read a lot of popular book series as a tween and teenager. But I did read some. Book series that I did read growing up:

Sisterhood of the traveling pants series👖by Ann Brashares:

love the different girls in these books and the friendship between all four of them. Was so sad when i finally finished the last book.

Harry Potter Series by you know who:

Was the first ever series that I really got into that I loved and was super excited to read every book. Was my first ever Fandom and what really got me into Fandom and fanfiction in general. It's bittersweet now with all the you know what happening now. But the loves still there. Just the magic of the first time reading is gone.

The lunar chronicles by marissa meyer

Is basically sailor moon mixed with star wars and fairy tales. Of course I would love it! Princess Winter is the best!

Types of books I read in general because over all I didn't read a lot books in series:

Store bought or second hand romance novels, mainly because my mom had tons in storage and boxes so she got me hooked:

Especially ones by NoraRobert or Debbie Macomber. Any romance novel really. I read bodice ripper ones or historical ones. Or romance with a twist.

Anything by Agatha Christie especially And than there were none. My teacher got me so hooked on her books. Love them.

Nancy Drew, especially love the ones where she's a teenager with her two best friends and boyfriend ned. They were a bit darker. I love a good mystery.

And any fairy tale retelling or candy apple books. Mainly I read books that were very feminine and had strong girly girl characters. With lots of romance, magic and love.

#books #my thoughts #Favorite Book series

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smokeybrandreviews · 1 year

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Smokey brand Select: An Old Weeb's Thesis

These last three seasons of anime have been absolutely amazing. Bangers, he lot of them! I discovered brand new shows which have found their way into the upper echelon of my all-time favorites and others which had already made their claim, came through with a resurgent fury. Obviously I'm speaking about Overlord in that regard but where would it fall in a top tn all-time list for me? What does my top ten all-time anime list even look like? Would i be able to stop at ten or would this be riddle with titles sharing spaces. I decided to actually take the time and think about this thing, really sus out where the chips will fall. I have been watching anime since the late Eighties so, with my catalog of completed narratives, this might be a long f*cking list! But a fun one to put together, i think. Spoiler alert, EVA is number one, that is for sure.

10. Voltron

This is the first anime i remember ever seeing. I was VERY young when this aired and super into robots at the time. Transformers was my sh*t, still is, so when i stumbled upon the bastardized version of Go-Lion airing on US televisions back in the late Eighties, i was all over it. Understand, Voltron is bad. It’s an incoherent mess that chopped and screwed several space robot anime into one show. This was kind of the flavor at the time, see Robotech, so the version of Go-Lion i got was an absolute quagmire. That said, i was, like, four or five hen i first saw this show and the toys were AMAZING! When i got older, and anime became far more mainstream, i finally got to see the original Go-Lion and it turned out to be a solid f*cking show. While i absolutely enjoy that version, that old frankensteined version from my childhood, will always have a place in my heart. It also instilled a love for giant robot anime, one that left a clear path for EVA to top this list.

9. Sailor Moon

Yes, i love Sailor Moon. I have since i was in the fifth grade. I was all over this thing as a kid. Back then, i was already full Weeb, we were called “Otaku” back then, and out anime offerings were slim at best. When i found out that one was airing on TV regularly, at the ass-crack of dawn, i was all over it. I used to wake up at five am to watch that sh*t. I had tapes, upon tapes, upon tapes, recorded on the little TV/VCR combo i got when i was seven years old. Interestingly enough, this was my Dragon Ball z before i actually watched Dragon Ball Z. I adored Usagi and her misadventures in love. Sailor Moon was so ahead of it’s time in terms of representation and LBGTQ+ content, a fact that wasn’t lost on my ten year old self. I remember that first season vividly, Queen Beryl sending Zoisite and Malachite to wreck on the Sailor Scouts for reasons. as an adult, i appreciate it’s place in the annals of anime history but back then, i was just keen on all the magical girl and super sentai elements, both of which would become foundation blocks for my tastes going forward. Sailor Moon directly influenced my love for things like Power Rangers and Kamen Rider. For that, I'll love Princess Serena forever.

8. Chobits

Chobits was a surprise for me. It was a bonus addition from a bootleg DVD site i used to buy from. I didn’t pat for it at all but it ended up being my favorite thing from that company and immediately entered my top ten. You have to understand, i was re-evaluating so much of my life at that point. I had just graduated high school, started listening to other types of music, watching other genres of film, playing RPGs seriously for the first time, so giving Chobits a shot was just a whim. Up to that point, i had kind of written off the lovey-dovery, slice of life, romance anime as “Girly sh*t”. I didn’t think there was anything there for me. Like, Clamp, in general, was a whole enigma to my sensibilities back then. And then Chobits happened. Literally blew the doors of my ignorance. I fell in love with this show. I mean, the second those first few notes of Let Me Be With You hit, i was hooked. Without Chobits, i would have never given shows like ToraDora, My Dress-up Darling, A Silent Voice, or My Love Story; All of which i count as favorites.

7. The Guyver: Bio-Boosted Armor

Yo, Guyver blew my mind when i first saw it back in the mid-Nineties. I as old enough to trawl the anime section of video rental stores and stumbled across this pure, Golden Age, gem. I as aware of The Guyver because of the live action adaption “starring” Mark Hamill but i was not prepared for experiencing the wildly visceral nature of the source material. My goodness, was this everything to me! The violence, the brutality, that detailed gore. Man, watching Guyver literally melt into a pile of meaty sludge after Enzyme tore out his Control Metal, haunted my dreams for days after. Up to that point, i had seen brutality in anime (Literally watched Wicked City not a year before) but this was different. This was meant for teenagers. I wasn’t much younger than that, around twelve i think, and it made me realize that Japan was on something completely different. Guyver as the first uncut anime i remember seeing and it was f*cking visceral. I loved it so much! Blood, tits, unadulterated violence, adult themes; Everything a pre-teen would want and i wanted it all! Guyver set the stage for me almost always searching out the purest for of anime, the one which aired in Japan rather than the US. This single show is what made me seek out the alternative narratives for everything that came after.

6. The Big O

If Tim Burton wrote and directed an mecha anime, you’d get The Big O. This show is amazing! I loved the story it told, the ambiguity of it’s nature, and the general vibe of artificiality that makes up Paradigm City. The Big O was the first anime i recalled, being absolutely incoherent but, at the same time, wonderfully endearing. Roger Smith, or as i like to think of him, Anime Batman, really left an impression with his Art Deco adventures. Giant robots, a former bank being his Batcave, awesome adventures, a solid monster-of-the-week formula for the first season; The Big O was tailor made for me. Even his Robin was dope. Or should i day, Nightingale. The Big O showed me what could be done with enigma and an eye toward character in study in anime. The first season of Big O came through and blew my mind. I waited with baited breath for a second season, a conclusion to the narrative i had become so invested with. It would take three years but that wrap around ending was a brilliant choice, allowing me ( and the denizens o f that world) to live in Paradigm City forever. The Big O immediately became a show i would cherish. Hell, the first gift my kid sister ever gave me was a Big O boxset.

5a. BLEACH

It’s weird to have BLEACH at this pot on my list because i absolutely adore this show so much. Seeing BLEACH for the first time, and reading it for that matter, caused a quantum shift in what i understood Shonen anime to be. Up to that point, it was all Dragon Ball and Yu Yu Hakusho and then BLEACH came through and gave me something better. BLEAH was the first Shonen anime i remember to actually have a solid f*cking plot. Like, those first two arcs are top tier storytelling and i was captivated by them Aizen’s machinations were everything and, even though the following arcs were considerably less in quality, i chock that up to Jump forcing Kubo to prematurely extend his manga a la Toriyama after the Freezer saga. Even with Kubo's drop in passion after the Soul Society arc, BLEACH continued to live rent free in my head. That art style definitely informed my own, becoming a huge stepping stone in how i draw the human form. For that fact, alone, BLEACH would make this list but the world Kubo dreamed up is so much more than that. Mans is on record as to wanting to just draw dope sh*t and BLEACH is one of the dopest things out there!

5b. Overlord

Way back in the year 2015, during the height of the Isekai boom, i stumbled across this weirdly designed take on what i could only intercept as Skeletor from He-Man. As an Eighties kid, i was well verse in Masters of the Universe, though i didn’t really like the show. I did like the ideas behind, the world crafted and, more to the point, Skeletor, himself. I often wondered what Eternia would be if Skelly-boy actually took it over. Well, Overlord answered that question for me and I've been a fan ever since. This thing wasn’t like any other “Reincarnated into a fantasy world” i had ever seen before. Indeed, the world, itself, was the draw. It was planted with awesome characters, but the overall detail in the rules of that world were amazing to me. Maruyama really put a lot of effort into the lore of his anti-He-Man narrative and i am a sucker for ore. It’s why i enjoy things like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Overlord is up there for me in terms of epicness and easily slotted it’s way into my top ten, even if it shares this spot with two other entries.

5c. That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

A few years after Ainz blew my mind with the potential of world building, Slime came through and did it again with law building. I’m not going to sit here and deny that Slime is every bit the series as Overlord and BLEACH, it definitely is, but the magic system in this show is so much better, it’s insane. Fuse really put time into weaving this system together and it shows. I love the nod toward the RPG style narrative, building upon skill and magic levels like an old Final Fantasy title. You can definitely feel a Squenix influence in there, which is right up my alley because i am a straight up FF shill. More than that, i find the character work in this story to be incredibly strong. Like, i care about these characters WAY more than i should. All of them, even the borderline background cats. They all get time to shine and i can’t wait to see where this story goes. Honestly, i actually spoiled myself a bit and kind of know where it ends up, but seeing the ride to that conclusion is going to be fantastic. All three of these entries at five still have always to go for completion but they have definitely proven worthy to make this list.

4a. Fate/Stay Night

I struggled with this one. I struggled with just adding the entirety of the Fate franchise. I’m talking Apocrypha, Unlimited Blade Works,Grand Order, Zero, Extra, and especially Heaven’s Fell. In all honesty, this spot should be for Heaven’s Feel. I loved those movies. I loves that route in the game. I love Sakura Matou. She's my favorite Master. But i also love Mordred. That’s painfully clear if you have been frequenting this blog over the years. Mordred is from Apocrypha. Then there’s Nero, Gilgamesh, and Kiritsugu; All from the aforementioned series. Plus, Prototype got an OAD and I've heard rumors of a Strange Fake adaption in the works. I love the entirety of the Fate franchise but, none of these entries would even be a blip on my radar if not for the 2006 adaption of arguably the weakest route in the entire game, Stay Night. Fate/Stay Night makes it on this list, and at such a high spot, for what came after. I liked Stay Night, don’t misunderstand, but everything, and i mean everything, which came after, has been superior. None of it would even be a thing, however, without this first attempt which is why it’s one of my all-time favorites. Plus, i like this route more than UBW in the game, anyway.

4b. Bakemonogatari

Bake is in the same situation as Fate. I wanted to put the entire franchise on here but there is one, specific, story which stand out more than the others. Kizumonogatai. Shinobu or, rather, Kissshot, is an arguably top three all-time favorite anime character for me and it was Kizumonogatari where we got the most of her. i actually own all three Kizu films and even the novel, itself, I loved that character but i wouldn’t know anything about her without Bake. I’m not slighting the first entry into the world of Monogatari, mind you. Quite the contrary actually, I love Bake. It’s my second favorite story after Kizu but that’s by degrees. In terms of character development, i think Nekomonogatari (Black) is superior than Bake in almost every way. Kabukimonogatari went a long way to fleshing our Koyomi and even gave us a look at an adult Mayoi, as well as solid Shinobu content. I can go on and on about the other Monogatari series and how they do the narrative better than the first, but Bakemongatari WAS the first. Without it, i wouldn’t even know the other stories were a thing. That’s why it’s here. That’s why it deserves to be here. Just like Fate/Stay Night.

3. Dragon Ball Z

Listen, DBZ is not “good”. The narrative is all over the place and the plot is paper thin, at best. The “story” is basically there to frame the battles and, my goodness, were those battles straight up spectacle! I remember, vividly, watching the first beam clash between Goku and Vegeta. A full power Galick Gun against a Kaioken x 4 Kamehameha? God, that clash was brilliant. That entire scrap was brilliant. The Saiyan arc set a pace for that show which became the blueprint for Shonen anything going forward. The story was trash, though. So why do i love this sh*t so much that i would put it at three in my all-time list? Influence. Dragon Ball Z introduced me to my second favorite anime character (again, this is a 1a/1b situation) after Rei Ayanami, Vegeta IV. Vegeta is one of the most complete characters ever brought to life through the anime genre and i loved witnessing every second of that journey. By the time he sacrifices himself to Buu, i was in it for life. It made me happy to see that development continue in Super. More than that, Toriyama’s art style influenced my own, for years, until i caught wind of Tite Kubo.

2a. Akira

It was hard trying to place this one but, when i thought abut it, Akira had to sit here along with GitS. I saw Akira, long ago, on cable. the Sci-fi channel used to have these specials very year, one was Godzilla and the other was Anime. It was called Japanimation back then but one of the first films i remember seeing during one of these marathons, was Akira. The thing is, though, i remembered seeing this movie BEFORE that. Watching it on TV like that just reminded me of everything had already witnessed in a time i had long since forgot. I don’t know when i first saw Akira. I can’t remember. But i had to have seen it before i was seven years old. What that mans is Akira has been with me for as long as i can remember. It’s no the first anime i have ever seen, that’s probably Go-Lion (Voltron here in the States) but it had to be one of the first ten. How can it not be number two on my all-time list with that level of pedigree?

2b. Ghost in the Shell

Look, i love cyberpunk. That sh*t is easily my favorite genre of anything. You can write a sappy, cliche, uninspired story that would usually bore me to death but slap a cyberpunk skin on top of it? Yeah, I'm down to suffer for the cause. GitS is not that. Shirow built a whole ass classic with his tale of existential inquiry, wrapped with some of the staunchest political intrigue I've ever seen in an anime, outside of Gundam. More than that, his take on cyberpunk absolutely informed my own. When i think cyberpunk, i think Tachikomas, Ghosts, the net, and full cyborg bodies. Blade Runner was also a strong influence but that’s a much more stylized take on the genre. For me, GitS gets it right. It is the perfect balance between grounded reality and sci-fi magic, and that’s saying a lot because i grew up in the Eighties. Cyberpunk was almost exclusively the only genre of anime we got here in the States back then. Don’t misunderstand, i still enjoy those takes, Night City being the most recent to capture my heart thanks to Edgerunners, but the world of Major Kusanagi will always take the pole position. Along with Akira.

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion

EVA is my top anime, all-time. I’ve never been shy abut this. I love this show, man. I love this franchise. Anno crafted a goddamn masterpiece with this thing. I enjoy the Rebuild films and the manga adaption is a quietly superior telling of the story based strictly on the fact it had nine years to tell that story, but the OG anime is the best of that lot, for me. I had never seen anything so fluidly animated outside of Akira and GitS, let alone a mecha anime with this level of detail. The EVAs, as mechs, are top tier design, only beaten out in my heart by Gundam Epyon and, even then, it’s more a 1a/1b situation. EVA informed so much about my taste in anime going forward, it’s insane. Never mind the eternal Waifu battle shenanigans (Rei is best girl), but just in terms of overall storytelling, EVA raised the bar for me. I have no patience for flat characters or bland worlds because Neon Genesis Evangelion set the bar that high. Also, A Cruel Angel’s Thesis is the best goddamn opening an anime will ever have!

Honorable Mentions: Battle Angel Alita, FLCL, Erased, Goodbye, Mr. Despair, Perfect Blue, Deadman Wonderland, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, One-Punch Man, Ruroni Kenshin, Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, ToraDora, A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Scientific Railgun, A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, My Dress Up Darling, Bubblegum Crisis, Devilman Crybaby, Darling in the Franxx, Code Geass, Angel Beats, Re:Zero, Nausicca, Cromartie High, Blue Exorcist, Paranoia Agent, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, Saga of Tanya the Evil, No Game No Live, Please, Teacher!

#Smokey brand Select #anime

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smokeybrand · 1 year

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Smokey brand Select: An Old Weeb's Thesis

10. Voltron