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melanielocke · 3 years

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Lost in the Shadows - Epilogue

AO3

Taglist: @alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised

Previous Chapter: Chapter 35

This is the epilogue and final chapter. While there are some loose ends and I might write a sequel one day, I have currently have no plans for one so it would take some time. As it is I'm working on a Frozen TLH story (chapter 1-3 are currently published), and one post CoI story titled "We bury the sunlight" so look out for those.

Alastair decided to move in with Jem at the end of the summer. He had managed to finish decorating his bedroom just in time for the first week of university, which he was excited about starting. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d expected Jem to be overbearing and constantly worrying about his mental health. He’d always thought that was what a psychiatrist did, he guessed, just like his father had always feared Jem would know about his alcoholism from just looking at him.

He’d learnt that wasn’t the case. Jem was a doctor, he couldn’t read minds, and although he was there for Alastair when he needed him, he was family and not his doctor, which was an important distinction. Jem gave him lots of space, and the ground rules were mainly about keeping everything clean, which was no problem. Jem also preferred it to know if someone he didn’t know was visiting, but that rarely happened since Alastair only had a few friends and the only one who hadn’t known Jem before was Kamala.

It was nice, having so much space to himself. Jem had changed a lot about the house, it didn’t look like an exact copy of the house he’d lived in when he was very young. Cordelia and his mother still lived with Risa, with him gone it fit a bit better, but they were in the process of getting the house back.

He saw Thomas regularly, and they had sleep overs once a week. Alastair had bought a new double bed for his room mainly so they could share the bed. Thomas was currently adapting to student life, but had vowed to Alastair that he would not drink any alcohol. Alastair worried that would severely limit Thomas’ social life, but secretly he was very happy Thomas would do that for him. Lucie had also decided they would all start playing DnD with her, and although Alastair still didn’t understand much of the game, they had fun. Thomas, who had been in Lucie’s previous campaign as well, had helped him with his character. Right now, the group consisted of Lucie as the story teller, or dungeon master as the game called it, and Thomas, Cordelia, Kamala, Eugenia and him as the players. Alastair played a warlock, which he felt suited him. Warlocks also got nightmares they never asked for all the time and were constantly exhausted, not to mention they made deals with otherworldly beings. Perhaps it fit a little too well.

He’d also decided to take lessons in ballroom dancing, with Kamala as his dance partner at the student dance association. He almost had something that resembled a social life, which was both very new and very weird. As it was, they both were quite good at dancing. Kamala had taken two years of dance classes too, although it had been years, and together they could figure out what they remembered and how to do it. Both had been forced by their father at the time and it was much more enjoyable now that they’d chosen to pick it up again, not to mention it was nice having a dance partner he matched well with.

Thomas was still considering starting dancing, but finding a partner who was tall enough for him would be a struggle. Alastair could follow decently and dance with Thomas, although he still noticed the height difference, but with the lack of men in dancing most teachers would rather pair Thomas with the tallest girl available.

He felt like for the first time in years, he was sort of happy? Happier than he used to be at least. He still had nightmares, flashbacks, all that, and didn’t think it was going away anytime soon. If anything, EMDR made it harder, but that was to be expected. He’d known that during EMDR he’d have to talk about everything, and although in time that would make it better, at first it just brought everything to the surface. He’d learnt not to plan anything else on days he had EMDR, except maybe cuddling with Thomas.

Although relationships were still new to him, any relationships really, he was getting more accustomed to having people around who cared about him. Not just Thomas, but Lucie and Cordelia, who had just started their last year of school and came to him for help with their math homework, Kamala and Eugenia, who he’d been spending time with at the dance studio. He often visited the Lightwoods too, and he felt welcome there. Gideon and Sophie had made a habit out of inviting him along with any family outings. He’d never felt so welcome before, it had taken some time to work through that.

‘You’re going to love my gift, I promise.’

Tomorrow was Alastair’s nineteenth birthday, and Thomas was sleeping over the night before.

‘What is it?’ Alastair asked.

‘A surprise.’

‘It was worth a try,’ Alastair said. ‘How was your visit at Matthew today?’

Alastair had spoken to Matthew once. He didn’t think the two of them would ever be good friends, but they could move past school and tolerate each other’s presence. Thomas had spent the day with him today, shopping. Matthew apparently loved clothes even more than Alastair did, and had an unusual and extravagant taste.

‘Awkward,’ Thomas said.

Alastair frowned. ‘Why was it awkward?’

‘Well, he’s the only other man I know who is interested in men and has previous, uh, experience. So I figured I’d ask what to expect and what to do. It was a very uncomfortable conversation.’

Alastair started laughing. ‘You could have just asked me.’

‘I know, but I thought it would be nicer for you if I had some idea of what I’m supposed to be doing,’ Thomas said.

Alastair put his hand in Thomas’ hair. ‘That’s sweet.’

‘From now on I’ll be asking you my questions,’ Thomas said. ‘Of course, the internet has also been helpful.’

‘As long as you know where to get your information,’ Alastair said. ‘Porn isn’t real and not a good source. But I don’t mind if there’s things you don’t know yet, because I know enough.’

They had sex for the first time that night. Alastair felt it was the right time. Of course, having sex the night before his birthday wasn’t new to him. The previous years he’d spend with Charles ever since he’d turned sixteen. It was far better with Thomas. Not because of experience or anything like that, but because Alastair felt comfortable, because he was absolutely sure he wanted it and felt like he could ask Thomas to stop if he wasn’t comfortable anymore. Thomas was a little clumsy, but Alastair didn’t mind. He would get better at it with some practice.

The next morning, they went to the Victoria and Albert museum. It was early on a week day and neither of them had classes today. Thomas had been surprised at first by how empty his schedule was but had ultimately discovered much of his free time was spent on assignments and preparing for lectures and classes. Fortunately, it did mean they could easily plan such trips on times it wouldn’t be crowded. Alastair still didn’t like crowds and didn’t think he ever would. Thomas had grown over his fear of them, but he also preferred the quiet. It was much nicer this way, taking his time to let a piece of art wash over him, undisturbed by other visitors. Thomas made the occasional comment. He’d taken art history in school and could name the different styles and put works in the context of the time period. Alastair didn’t say much in response, just nodded. He felt he didn’t have to.

Thomas had promised him his gift after coming back from the museum, and Alastair was starting to get curious. Thomas had hidden the gift somewhere in Jem’s house, so Alastair wouldn’t even be able to guess from the shape. He hadn’t bothered to look for it, but had been tempted. As much as he liked the small smile on Thomas’ lips as he said ‘not yet, mi Cielo,’ Alastair was not fond of surprises. He liked to know what to expect with a three to five workdays advance notice for anything out of the usual.

‘You’d think no one has ever given you a birthday gift before,’ Thomas said. He paused. ‘Wait, is that it? Did you not usually receive gifts?’

‘No, I did, from my mother and sometimes Cordelia.’

Charles too, Charles had had a habit of giving him expensive gifts. Or gifts he’d found among his mother’s things, he guessed. Alastair had not seen him again now that he was back in London, for which he was grateful. Gideon had spoken with Charles and told him he knew what he’d done and wasn’t welcome at his house anymore. Apparently Charles had been very angry about that, but Gideon had told Alastair he was welcome anytime and it was his responsibility to guarantee his safety. Alastair appreciated that.

‘Have you been asking them about it all this time too?’ Thomas asked.

‘No just you. But you made a big deal out of it by hiding it someplace here,’ Alastair said.

‘Alright, I guess you can open it,’ Thomas said, who left and came back to the living room carrying a very big box.

Alastair carefully opened the wrapping paper, making sure nothing tore. He wasn’t sure why exactly, but he’d always opened gifts this way, as if he intended to reuse the paper, something he’d never done.

‘I thought, with how impatient you were, you’d rip it all apart,’ Thomas said.

‘No,’ Alastair said.

‘You can rip it, it’s no problem,’ Thomas said as Alastair was struggling to get a piece of sticky tape off without damaging anything.

‘No,’ Alastair said, even more determined to get everything off properly.

Once he’d gotten it open and folded away the colorful wrapping paper, Alastair revealed something that resembled a hamster cage, but bigger. There were two floors, the top open and the bottom offering a little more darkness with a little home in there an animal could hide in. There was a wheel, several balls, and a little hedgehog plushie.

‘I know you were planning to get a pet hedgehog, so I researched what it needs. This has most things it needs to live in, you just might need to add a heat lamp because hedgehogs need a warm environment.’

‘I’d been looking into what I’d need too,’ Alastair said. ‘Jem is alright with me getting a hedgehog as long as I make sure to keep Church away from him. That shouldn’t be a problem, as I would put the hedgehog in my bedroom and Church doesn’t go there.’

‘How is Church?’ Thomas asked.

‘Usually, he is wherever I’m not. He doesn’t come into my bedroom. In the living room it can be a bit more of a struggle, as he likes to claim his space, and no matter where I sit, he gets upset because that’s the spot he wanted for himself. The only moment he tolerates me is when I’m accompanying Jem on the piano.’

Alastair had picked up playing music again after years and he tried to practice for half an hour daily. Sometimes with Thomas, singing his songs and playing more modern music. But he also played classical music with Jem, who was exceptional at the violin. Jem could probably have been a concert violinist if he hadn’t chosen to become a doctor instead.

‘Sounds like Church,’ Thomas said. ‘He won’t be a danger to your hedgehog, will he?’

‘I will keep my hedgehog in my bedroom,’ Alastair said. ‘If I make sure to keep the door closed when I’m not there, I think it’s unlikely Church will even go there. Even then there’s a cover for this hedgehog home and a little house for him to hide, and of course a hedgehog can roll into a little ball of quills. I think it’ll be fine. And my therapist thought it might be good for me to get a pet, as long as I am confident I can care for it of course. Now, can you help me think of a name? I’m not great with names.’

‘You and Cordelia have been arguing about baby names for weeks now,’ Thomas pointed out.

‘Yes, the baby should have a beautiful Persian name,’ Alastair said. ‘For pets it’s different.’

‘Or dnd characters,’ Thomas added.

‘So what if my character has my middle name?’

‘No, I like it,’ Thomas said. ‘Esfandiyar. It’s a beautiful name. For a pet I think a shorter name is better. I think your plushie hedgehog is called Mr. Prickly?’

‘I named him when I was a child,’ Alastair said. ‘I’m not naming my pet something stupid.’

‘No little pipsqueak?’ Thomas said with a grin.

Alastair rolled his eyes. ‘Absolutely not.’

***

‘You mean to say you forgot to buy Alastair a gift for his birthday?’ Lucie asked.

‘I didn’t forget,’ Cordelia said. ‘I planned to do it today, after school. How was I supposed to know I was going to get detention?’

They entered the bookstore, certain she could find something Alastair would like here.

‘Sorry I couldn’t get you out,’ Lucie said. ‘Even my dad can’t do that, but he knows it was completely unfair.’

Cordelia shrugged. ‘I finished my homework. But I’m still pissed.’

She knew teachers tended to be harsher on her, Alastair had always had the same problem, and she usually made a point to behave but she also wasn’t going to let people just walk over her girlfriend. So what if she’d gotten into a fight with a bully? He’d started it, but that’s not how the teacher who’d broken them apart saw it.

‘Alastair will understand,’ Cordelia added. ‘He was often sent to detention unfairly too. Now, which of these books do you think he’ll like?’

‘Both seem pretty good,’ Lucie said. ‘What are they about?’

‘This one’s called Malice, and is a Sleeping Beauty retelling focused on Alyce, the dark grace with powers similar to the original evil witch who cursed the princesses, and she might be the villain but she might also fall in love with Aurora. I haven’t read it, but it sounds awesome. The other is Girl, Serpent, Thorn.’

‘Oh, didn’t I lend you that one last year?’

‘Yes,’ Cordelia said. ‘It was awesome and the cover is so beautiful I wanted my own copy. I think Alastair will like it too, the world is inspired by Persian culture and the Shahnameh, which he loves, and the story is very good too.’

Girl, Serpent, Thorn was probably one of her favorite books, and Cordelia ultimately decided to buy it for herself while buying Malice for Alastair. He could always borrow the other book from her, she just wanted to reread it several times and have the gorgeous cover on display.

‘I doubt Alastair minds we’re late,’ Cordelia said. ‘He’s been spending the day with Thomas.’

Cordelia sometimes envied the amount of free time Alastair had compared to her. She hoped it would be the same once she went to university. Of course, Alastair had his memory, he only had to read everything once and he would remember forever. He could save so much time that way.

It still struck her as odd how they didn’t understand Alastair’s memory. Lucie was the way she was because her grandfather was the thief of souls. Same for Tessa, who’d gotten some of her power back after his death. Thomas had the sight because his mother did, and Kamala had healing powers because a fairy had given them to her. But no one knew why Alastair was the way he was. Cordelia knew it still frustrated him, not understanding.

‘I can’t wait until I can go to university,’ Lucie said. ‘I am so done with physics.’

‘Why did you take physics?’ Cordelia asked.

‘No clue,’ Lucie said. ‘I’ll survive another year. Then it’s English literature and creative writing.’

Cordelia wished she knew what she was going to study. Half her biology class was already working on their med school applications, but Cordelia had no clue yet. At least she couldn’t really picture herself as a doctor. Part of her still wanted to be a hero, but what if like Jem she decided to retire early? Being a hero didn’t exactly pay, and it was good to have some education. She just didn’t know what. She knew, of course, it was fine to choose wrong at first. Alastair had realized being a politician wasn’t for him, and was again starting in his first year.

‘At least Alastair promised to help me with my math homework,’ Cordelia said.

Cordelia and Lucie took the metro and arrived at Jem’s house. She’d been here frequently since the summer, and it already felt like Alastair’s house. She’d considered moving in herself too, but felt like she was still too young to move away from her mother and would rather stay for now.

Alastair and Thomas were in the living room, where an animal home was standing on the table next to a bit of neatly folded wrapping paper, not a tear in sight. Alastair had always been a little obsessive in the way he opened gifts. The wrapping paper would be thrown away, yet he always opened it with such a care and he never ripped anything.

‘Happy birthday,’ she said, hugging her brother.

He’d grown more comfortable with physical affection lately, and for Cordelia it felt like it had become easier to reach him. She’d had to get used to not living in the same house as him at first, but Alastair seemed happier here.

‘Thank you,’ Alastair said. ‘I’m officially on the waiting list for a pet hedgehog. It might take some time, but I have some of the supplies I need now. I am open to name suggestions as I have not thought of anything yet.’

‘Pipsqueak!’ Lucie called out.

‘Oddly, you’re not the first person to suggest that,’ Alastair said. ‘No, I am not naming my pet Pipsqueak.’

‘That’s because I already call Alastair that,’ Thomas said.

Alastair rolled his eyes. ‘My hedgehog will have a serious name, not something a toddler would have chosen.’

They didn’t settle on a name yet that evening. Lucie kept suggesting the kind of names Alastair meant to avoid as a joke, and Eugenia did the same when she and Kamala arrived. Kamala had a few good suggestions, and Alastair decided to look into Persian pet names.

Cordelia started feeling like things would be alright again, like things would be normal. Of course, she could never be sure. Tatiana had not turned up again, Gideon had reported her missing and so far the police had no leads. Cordelia didn’t think they’d find her, and she wondered if Tatiana would come back. There was no chance she could bring back her son, not anymore, but Cordelia feared she might want revenge. Right now, she tried not to worry. She would be prepared, yes, but she would also continue to live her life, go to school, worry about things normal girls her age should be worried about. Alastair seemed to be doing a little better as well, although she knew his EMDR days were hard. He was playing music again, and Cordelia loved to listen to him play the piano while she was here.

‘Do you want to play something?’ Cordelia asked at some point, gesturing to the piano.

‘Of course,’ Alastair said. ‘Thomas, I need your help.’

‘I didn’t bring my guitar,’ Thomas said nervously.

‘I don’t need you to play, I need you to turn the page of the sheet music. One of these days I’m going to make a copy and tape this piece together, but it’s 5 pages long.’

Cordelia would always be impressed at how fast Alastair could move his fingers over the keys. He’d tried to teach her when she was younger and she could play some simple melodies with her right hand only, but she’d never gotten the hang of playing with two hands.

‘I recognize this,’ Lucie said when Alastair was finished. ‘I think it’s in Pride and Prejudice. The one with Colin Firth.’

‘That’s possible, it’s well known. The Turkish March by Mozart,’ Alastair said. ‘I’ve been practicing this for the past week.’

‘It’s lovely,’ Cordelia said. ‘I missed hearing you play.’

‘And now you only get to listen when you’re here,’ Alastair said apologetically.

‘I’m here several days a week anyway,’ Cordelia said. ‘I’m glad you’re playing again.’

‘I forgot how much I loved it,’ Alastair said. ‘But I’m happy too. Even Church likes it when I play.’

Cordelia noticed the cat was sitting up from his spot on the couch, listening intently as Alastair started playing something else. Church might hate everyone and everything, but he loved Jem and he loved music.

Thomas continued to do his job as page turner and Cordelia could see the adoration in his eyes as he watched Alastair play. She was glad they’d been able to work it out and were still together, Alastair deserved that.

When Alastair was finished, Lucie decided to present her gift, which was a story she’d written herself in an insanely short time. Cordelia had read it and helped her edit, but the premise was that it was Frozen but with Alastair and Cordelia as the main characters.

‘I’m going to read it as soon as I have the time,’ Alastair promised. ‘This sounds brilliant.’

#Alastair Carstairs #Thomas Lightwood #Cordelia Carstairs #Lucie Herondale #Thomastair #Lucelia #the last hours #tlh #fanfiction #epilogue

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miss-ingno · 3 years

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Ao3 Tag Game

T1I was tagged by @amethystinawrites! Thank you, friend :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 161 total, 62 of which are locked (so you only see 99 if you’re not logged in)

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

As of Oct 25, 2021 I have 898,020 words posted on Ao3.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

108 works for RTAH RPF, my old main fandom

9 for Guardian (镇魂) which is my current fandom, so expect that number to go up

7 for MCU (including a Jurassic World crossover)

6 for Critical Role (campaign 1 and 2)

6 for Yu-Gi-Oh! (tho most of them are archived from my FFnet days)

5 Dragon Age: Inquisition and 3 Dragon Age II fics

4 for Lazer Team (a RT movie)

4 in Disney’s Descendants (I really should finish the Juma blind date fic)

2 in Harry Potter (both archived from FFnet, a drabble collection + a YGO! crossover)

1 in Assassin’s Creed (the only one I was proud enough to crosspost from FFnet to Ao3 when I made my account, the other archiving happened later :’D)

1 for Leverage (a small OT3 thingie)

1 for Sense8

1 unfinished WIP for The Untamed, which really, I need to get back to

1 Teen Wolf one (never watched the show but read all the fic lol)

1 in Stargate SG-1 (which is a Critical Role crossover, not a pure one)

a very short and unfinished Naruto fic

also a handful of DnD ficlets and 2 stories set in Vigilante2890, a sci-fi comic that doesn’t have a fandom tag (yet) so it’s under Original Work in the drop down menu

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Partners in Crime

Blindfold

The Dwight Timing

Take No Prisoners (Take No Shit)

Just Let Me Know If You Want It (It’s Strictly Physical)

The first 4 are all from RTAH days and contain Mr. Persona Non Grata so I hope I’ll get popular work in other fandoms to dethrone them some day 😅 I’m still proud of my writing - but also Prisoner is my oldest and first in that fandom and doesn’t stand up to my current level of quality/scrutiny RIP but it was also the first time I a) hit 30k in a fic and b) finished a chaptered WIP

Strictly Physical, on the other hand, holds up well enough and honestly kinda sad I didn’t stick around DAII/Fenders fandom for longer because those two were one hell of a ship :D

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! For one, getting comments leaves me super excited and I want to give that feeling back. For another, I love engaging with readers/my stories/others’ stories, so I also appreciate it when an author replies to my comments, thus I do it, too.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Ohhh hm. I tend to go for happy or at least hopeful endings, so let me think.

Eternal Eclipse ends on something of a bittersweet note - it’s hopeful, but the lovers aren’t reunited, and grievances are aired but not necessarily comforted? I tried for soft (I really wanted a happy ending) but decided I should do that in a sequel, which I’m now not gonna write, so :’) we’re stuck with this ending I guess.

And Blood Alone Remains has a different ending for each character because I was playing with the characters all being at a different point in their arcs. So the last scene ends with someone just starting their second act, and another character being thrown in danger, while the main character’s story is more or less wrapped up, but her love interest’s is at a low point...? (I really really loved this concept ngl)

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Yes! “Craziest” is probably the very short MCU/RTAH thing I did, but the one I’m most proud of is definitely the SG-1/Critical Role fic (Pike and Grog meeting the SG-1 team!)

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I tend to receive more generalized anon hate on tumblr, but I’ve gotten a couple questionable comments before. Which I only recall vaguely because I went ahead and pretty much deleted immediately, so I can’t even say what they were about in hindsight. So I guess deleting them worked to delete them from my brain? :’)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! All kinds, kinky shit, whatever I’m in the mood for or is fascinating to me. I’m super into a/b/o and d/s stuff, in particular. I’ve got a heat!fic I’m nearly done with that’ll go up soon, and a roleplay cop/arrested scene that’s about halfway done. Kink negotiations are also always fun ngl

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of! But I’ve had a fic “inspire” another very closely before where in hindsight, I kinda wish I’d reacted more strongly, but I didn’t want to offend, and there were differences, it wasn’t straight up plagiarism? Idk that’s always a hard case in fandom.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! With the lovely @itskaysno <3 And I’m pretty much always down for collabs! ...if I have the time lol. There’s been a couple writers I was planning to work together with, but then we moved on to different fandoms or life didn’t sync up for long enough to work it out sadly </3

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Right now, I’m stuck in Weilan hell and not leaving, because it’s cozy and warm down here, okay.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

That would be Yu-Gi-Oh! My very first fics were in German on animexx way back when. I started in YGO! roleplay forums, and then wanted a story to continue where my RP partner dropped out, so I rewrote the whole thing

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I’m really proud of how Dark Stars, Burning Hearts turned out ngl

and it’s probably cheating if it’s a WIP, but I have great hopes for the Arranged Marriage AU and I’m living for the bits I’ve already written 👀 this is how the war is won is also up there, and I’m looking forward to finishing it (hopefully soon) so I can share!

*takes a deep breath* *rubs hands* Alright! Tagging @itskaysno @ganglylimbs @shadeofazmeinya @sorcererinslytherin @sailorbryant @kahnah23 @midwintersong @fornhaus @elenothar @sasamelons @bird-armadda @buriedbybooks @uy8hg @ishipallthings and anyone else who wants to play!

#ingno writes #wip games #fic games #tag you're it!#I really need to sit down with Blood Alone Remains and take it apart again #I think I could probably do quite an original story based on that premise #I just need to figure out more politics world building to make it work lol #(and it needs more words #which tbf I was on a time limit and had a lot more I wanted to do with it)

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ghostxofxartemis · 3 years

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Writing-tag

I’ve been tagged by both @zet-sway and @rosenkow, thank you both dearly! Sorry it took so long to post this.

Tagging: @illusivesoul, @nightmarestudio606, @staff-lieutenant-alenko, @lyrishadow, @bardofheartdive and whoever wants to partake, just tag me so I can see! No obligations! (sorry, this tag was going on like last week, I don’t know who got tagged and who didn’t).

How many works do you have on AO3?

So far 13 (technically more because there is one work that’s a multitude of one shots for John, which has 2 chapters so a that brings it to a true total of 15),

What’s your total AO3 word count?

42,174.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Order:

1. Midnight Rannoch, M!Shenko

2. Reignite, M!Shepley

3. A Night Out On The Town, ShepShep

4. Addendum: A Collection of Short Stories, M!Shepley (that’s the one-shots mentioned above.)

5. A Night’s Gather, M!Shepley

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! I take the time to read them, especially if they are heart warming comments, and it feels amazing to have my work validated, not going to lie since most of my stuff seems to be uninteresting to most it seems? And I absolutely love to reply back!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t have an angsty ending yet, but Reignite, is angsty throughout the whole thing because it takes place during ME2 and I hurt myself while writing it, and I’m quite proud of that.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Till Death Do Us Part. It is as it sounds my M!Shepley get married post-war.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the strangest one you’ve written?

Nope.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

So far have had nothing but pleasant comments. Seems like people have sticked to “don’t like it, just move on” for now.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No doiiii. Of Course I do!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nah.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

My all time favorite is Shepley. Okay, hear me out before you all start ripping my head off. I started playing Mass Effect in 2007, yes fourteen years ago. There was only ME1 at the time, and if you were playing as BroShep you only had t he choice between Ashley and Liara, and If you were playing FemShep you had Kaidan and Liara (back didn’t I was not a fan of femshep, I seriously only started playing as femshep two or three years ago). I wasn’t a fan of Liara, I found her very pushy and obsessive; I liked Ash, she’s tough, funny, and altogether very similar to me in the tomboy-kind-of-way and so I stuck with her. M!Shenko was not a thing yet. ME2 came along three years later and I wasn’t really a fan of any of the other female crewmates, I chose Miranda but at the time I didn’t like her (She’s grown on me and now I like her).

So Ended Up Loyal To Ashley.

ME3 came along in 2012 and MShenko was now a thing. They became my next Ship, but only recently, and along side with playing as Leah, F!Shenko as well. So there you have it. That is why I am very attached to Shepley.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don’t plan on not finishing any so far? they just might take a while to be posted? If ever because adulting is hard and takes so much time.

What are your writing strengths?

I really don’t know to be honest. I’m still new to this and have a lot to learn/master, and with such little comments to go on from it’s hard to say if anyone is enjoying my stories other than my beta, haha.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Combat! It’s hard to describe the movement, the layout, the actions themselves. But working on it.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I am bilingual, I can easily write French dialogue but choose not too,

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Never posted or shared, but I’m a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, and Xbox had a DND game (I’m talking original xbox here) and I really liked the game so I had written a fanfic mixing the two slightly.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oof. I have to chose? I’ll pick two.

Reignite this all started with just a prompt too.

Happy Birthday, Shepard.

#writing tag #zet-sway #ghost writes #ghostxofxartemis #fanficcing with friends

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a-monsters-love · 4 years

Text

The Air Between Us: Part 1

[Prologue] [Part 1] [Blurb 1] [Part 2] [Blurb 2] [Epilogue]

Zuko x A!Reader:

Genre: fluff

Warnings: mild swearing

Word count: 7742

Time line: Takes place when the Gaang goes to the Fire Lords beach house with Zuko on Ember Island. I changed it from them going to see the play about themselves and go to a circus instead; I extended the time they were on the island to fit everything.

A/N: If your reading this I hope it lives up to any expectations, the prologue got so much more love than I thought it would. This is my first fan fic, the reader was originally written as my DnD OC so I apologize if she’s written wonky. I hope I wrote Zuko’s character well, I was worried I wrote him too OOC but I’ve read so much Zuko x Reader fanfics that I felt like it wasn’t that bad lmao. I am my own proof reader so please message me if I messed something up. Also I don’t know how to write Sokka or Suki’s character, I’ve never met anyone like Sokka and Suki has so little dialogue in the show that I feel like she’s just happy to be there.

(Y/N) = Your name (S/C) = Skin color (H/C) = Hair color (E/C) = Eye color

————

“SSHHUUUUUUU.” A loud, terrifying, growl hissed through the Fire Lords vacation home. Echoing into an almost animalistic growl.

“Ah.” Shu looks over to Katara, ”Sounds like (Y/N) is awake.” Probably also waking up everything else in the greater vicinity. Based on the ferocity in your voice they decide it’s probably best to rush over to the room you’re now resting in.

You’re alone, in a hastily cleaned dust covered room. You don’t know where you are. You aren’t aware of how you got here or what day it is. You’re sticky, you reek of herbs, and everything HURTS. These are facts you listed as you woke up. You hear the softest knocking on the door, “If you are not my brother or with him I will rip you to shreds.” You snarl at the door, it’s been a long time since you’ve been this mad, you can hear the hand that was on the door knob let go and take a step back, not going much further than that. Exhaustion starts taking over but you were determined to stay awake until you received your answers. You hear large familiar foot steps run over to the room you’ve been placed in. When the door finally opens you see your twin brother, Shu with Katara, and a very nervous looking Zuko up against the wall behind them. You determined he was the one you threatened. Your (E/C) eyes flick from the nervous fire bender to your brother, “You’re late and I have questions, little brother.” You hissed menacingly.

——

It’s been less than 24 hours since you passed out. In that time, you’ve managed to win over the Gaang and somehow sort out the choices your brother made for the both of you. Neither of which you disagreed with however you barely remember anything that happened after the end of the fight at the circus. You blacked out, this wasn’t a first, but it was a first from blood loss. Katara has been working on healing your wounds every 4-6 hours, letting the salve do its job before cleaning you as best she could through the fear that you might not have made it otherwise. She looks exhausted.

The night prior, when Zuko escorted you to the evacuation area, the Gaang had received the full disclosure on your wounds, your history, and your goals. During your first healing session you were face-in-lap of the Fire Prince, as he received endless teasing. Katara, all though giving him the ‘all knowing’ look the entire time, was the only person to have his back. You lost so much blood you needed to stay as warm as possible until your body regulated, and what’s a better hot water bottle than a fire bender?

——

“Hey Sifu Hot Water Bottle!” Toph hollered down the hall, Zuko groaned. Knowing he will never be able to live this down, but was it worth having you nuzzle into his lap like a sick turtle duck? Absolutely.

“What, Toph.” He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms at the tiny earth bender.

“Shu and Katara are getting herbs so you should keep your princess company~” Toph grinned from ear to ear, knowing his reaction, even if she couldn’t feel it through the hardwood flooring.

Zuko’s cheeks flushed brightly at the comment, letting out a forced ‘groan’ in an attempt to get the better of the girl. He, however, quite liked the idea and rolled around options in his head to see if he could do anything for you without needing healer expertise. He decides to prepare tea. He remembered a recipe for a pain killer tea that his uncle had made for him, it tastes like crap but he knew it could help.

Walking up to your door, no problem, walking in? That’s another story. You were passed out, why is he suddenly so nervous? Then he heard it, well he heard you. He’s never heard such a terrifying savage sound escape someone, let alone a person of your stature. He lightly knocked on the door as not to surprise you but received a threat regardless, this was new. “WHAT DID YOU DO??” Toph whisper yells from down the hall, Zuko not wanting to give up his spot, while not disturbing you he throws his hands in front of his chest indicating ‘I don’t fucking know’ quickly remembering she’s blind.

As if saved by the bell, Shu and Katara rushed up the hall to your room, “I didn’t wake her, I got here after the roar.” Zuko whispers before they open the door. He sees your bandaged body and has the desire to help but decides it’s best to stay out of the way. His gold eyes meet your own (E/C) eyes, causing him to remember the night prior, a blush dusts his face and he looks down.

Shu and Katara enter the room, leaving Zuko in the hall. “In or out, princeling.” You state dryly. He decides to walk in and sit against the wall, opposite to your brother and the water tribe girl. Setting down the tea pot he prepared. You can feel warmth radiating from him, Fire bending perks, you noted. “Someone help me into an upright position…please.” Your tone changes, almost begging for help. You’re tired and in pain and in need of answers. Zuko and Shu both gently help you lift yourself from laying on your chest to sitting upright. Zuko grateful for the bandages looks into his hands after letting go of you. Katara hands you a cup of tea. You look between the healer and Shu, “So… I barely remember anything after the battle at the circus, please fill me in..” You take a sip of tea without even flinching at the taste, to Zuko’s surprise.

“What?? What’s the last thing you remember?” Katara seems mind blown by the idea and Zuko looks as if he’s the one who lost too much blood.

You sip your tea slowly and tilting your head back and fourth trying to stitch together the memories. “Well, we trapped all the Fire Nation soldiers, Shu and I high-fived and that’s when things started getting hazy,” You stopped and tried to pull pieces to your mind, “I had said.. something to you guys and then my legs went weak and Zuko caught me.” You pointed at him, your ears turned red at the thought. “After that, nothing. Last time I blacked out that bad was in Omashu, like 2 years ago, and that was a party.” You ramble on, still a bit delirious from blood loss and medication.

Katara watches you, thinking over your condition. “Well, you did lose a lot of blood, if we knew sooner then maybe we could’ve done something.” She shakes her head and looks between the two boys before explaining the context of the night prior. She then comments that neither you or Shu gave goodbyes to anyone before you left, which she found weird.

You and Shu exchange looks, and erupt in laughter. To the shock of both Katara and Zuko, who found himself confused but smiling seeing you laugh. You groaned and held you sides, laughing hurt. “We’re circus kids, don’t worry about ‘goodbyes’ we have our means. Since we left them that means Auntie and Uncle are probably retiring.” You move your attention to your brother, “Did Uncle give you anything?” You finished your tea putting the cup down for a refill. You let a small shiver consume you.

“He gave me a box and told me to open it when your up and-or well,” He rolls his eyes. “Whatever that means.” He leans over and refills your glass.

“We’ll need that in the up coming war, so don’t lose it,” You seem back to you matter-a-fact like self. Looking back to Katara, “What’s the status on my wounds?” You ask, picking up your cup for another sip.

She sighs, “It should only take a couple more sessions for it to not hurt so bad and to get you up again” She looks at the ground almost in an ashamed way, she glances at Zuko briefly while choosing her words. “I wasn’t able to prevent the scarring, you will forever have a large scar that stretches from the middle of your back up your neck and down your shoulders to both your hands.”

The room is quiet from Katara statement, you can feel the tension from her words. Noting the look she sent the scarred prince but keeping a calm face you nod, “Well, that’ll look badass.” Taking another sip of tea, “I wonder if it’ll be a problem with Aangs training, Air Bending masters get tattoos, right?” You start thinking aloud. You shrug at the thought, “Well, either way, when can we get to the next healing session? Because I’m cold and everything hurts and I’m hungry, this tea is helping but I can’t eat in this condition.”

Katara smiles brightly at your quick resolve and ushers the boys out to start the healing session. Zuko was replaying how quickly you came to a resolve about your scar in his head not noticing Katara trying to get his attention. “Hey.” You snap your fingers close to his face, causing a small breeze. “Are you gonna watch or are you gonna leave? I have to strip for this.” Zuko’s face was immediately red at the thought of what you just said and stumble-ran out of your room. And so, your first session while awake starts. Followed by every curse word and obscenity you can imagine escaping your mouth. This isn’t healing, this is assault!

Due to the depth of the wounds and the concern of Katara, you had multiple ‘healing sessions’ throughout that day. The day following you were up and running again, for the most part. You found yourself mostly watching Zuko and Aang train, much to Zuko’s dismay but he took note of the a light blush that dusted your face and he redness of your ears when he took his shirt off. He started taking it off earlier in his matches with Aang to see if he can get a reading out of you. Your angelic poker face is not something he could win against. That small smile is constantly plastered on your face.(*1)

However much you enjoyed seeing him with his shirt off, you enjoyed studying their sparring session more than anything. Both Zuko and Aang had multiple different influences in their bending, there are time Zuko’s moves look like that of a water bender. You have never seen anything like it, however you’ve only ever practiced with Shu, an earth bender, so you weren’t one to talk. You asked Aang the occasional question about air bending basics. Things to practice so you can find the middle ground you needed to have control of your bending better. You sit on the patio while they trained practicing your control, letting Aang correct you when needed.

——

“What about bending? When can I start fully practicing that?” You ask Katara while making a fresh pot of jasmine tea, it’s one of your many favorites.

Katara hums at the question, “You should be okay for now. BUT!” She looks you in they eyes. “No heavy lifting, and no going past your limits. If you start feeling sore or exhausted you must take a break.” You almost spat at the statement but stifled your laughter, you’re an air bender. Is air heavy? You jokingly thought, knowing how hilarious that sounds.

“Awesome,” You cough to hide your ongoing laughter. “Can you help me then? I want to change to practice.”

Katara agreed and followed you to your room. She had tied your (H/C) hair back, neater than you’ve ever tied it. You’re still in full bandage but you have a halter top exposing your bandaged midriff, and your most comfortable short harem pants, you liked the way they hugged your hips and sat comfortably at your knees. You walk out barefoot to the training grounds to Toph, who almost hit you with a boulder. “Hey, lightfoot! At least make sure you have a presence for me, you could’ve been back in bed!” She scowled in your general direction, “Katara would’ve blamed me!” She huffed.

You make sure both feet are flat to the ground and walk to the girl, “Could you help me with something?” At Aangs references and Sokka’s bad memories you try to describe the Airball court and the type of game that was played in it. “If we make one out of stone you can ‘watch’ me and Aang play and it’ll give me good practice to handle my air bending without creating an actual tornado or by using my fans.” Toph rolled the idea around in her head, “If we get a fire proof ball we can get Zuko in on the game?” You further suggest.

Almost like a light bulb goes off in Toph’s head she lights up, “(Y/N)! You’re a genius!” She runs off to look for the ideal location.

You go find Aang, catching him before he starts his sparing session, “Hey, Aang!”

Aang sees you calling and perks up, “Hey (Y/N), what up?” The young nomad asks, meeting you halfway.

“Okay, so,” You clap your hands together holding them in front of your chin. “Can Airball be played with 3 goals or does it have to be 2?” Your (E/C) eyes are almost glowing at the question throwing the boy for a loop, you’re finally acting more like yourself again.

“Well, since Air Nomads are traditionally pacifists I’d say only 2 goals to avoid having 2 teams ganging up on 1 team.” He smiles remember the times he played back in the Southern Air Temple, then his brow knit. “Why do you ask?” (*2)

You smile putting your hand on his small shoulders, “I’m having Toph use her bending to build an Airball court so I can practice my bending and I thought it could give you and Zuko a different type of field to spar on.” That last part you made up on the spot but it is a valid option. Aangs face lights up, “Do you want to grab Zuko and show me the ropes?”

You both grab Zuko, and a random empty metal box from the vacation house. He begrudgingly follows, being pulled hand in hand by two Air Benders, what has my life come to? He thought to himself while not shaking off either hand so he can keep holding yours. Aang explains the game rules and how it’s played on the way.

You follow the noises of the court being built by Toph and you hear her call, “(Y/N)! What were you thinking to use for the ball??” You can see she had stone and river rock options behind her however you didn’t want to risk the damage to you or Zuko. (*3)

“How ‘bout this?” You hand her the metal box, “If you metal bent it to the shape of a ball we can leave it hollow so it’ll be easier to move for me as an ‘inexperienced’ air bender and for Zuko who will have to use his flames to actually propel it.”

You can see Toph physically frown, “Hey, I’m not an earth bender, and as much as I wouldn’t mind taking responsibility if he got hurt, throwing boulders at him is not in my job description.” You both laugh and Toph agrees. You suggest Aang and Zuko use the court first for training then you can get to the game.

Toph has lifted a platform to the height of the court, “You’re pretty good at staying balanced on moving boulders.” She comments.

“Yeah, well, having a giant but strong Earth Bender for a twin your whole life does wonders for your balance.” You joke, pushing your elbow into Toph who is trying to stifle a smile at the mention of Shu.

While watching the boys jump around so gracefully reminds you a lot of the circus. You feel a bit sad at the thought and Toph picks up on it. “What’s wrong, lightfoot?”

You don’t hate the new nickname as much as the others seem to hate theirs, you lean back a bit on the platform holding your knees to keep your balance. “I was trained in all sorts of circus and show performances, piano, guitar, gymnastics, acrobatics, juggling, tight rope walking, and contortionism-“

Toph would have spat out her drink if she had one, “YOU’RE A CONTORTIONIST?” She gaps at you causing Zuko to blush, losing his balance and Aang to give him a big stupid grin.

“Ah-well-“ You stammer, blushing hard because no one outside of the circus ever seemed to be interested in the things you trained in. “Ye-yeah I was trained in all sorts of things-“ You look down at your knees to avoid making eye contact with the boys and not wanting to look at Toph, regardless of her being blind. “Watching them dance around reminds me of home.” You chuckle sadly.

Toph talks your head off with all sorts of questions about the circus and what you can do, once your embarrassment subsides you find yourself passionately talking about it. Before you realize it, the boys are done sparring and Aang asks if you’re ready.

You nod and hop to the court, trading places with Zuko. You accidentally bump your shoulder with his arm causing him to grab your hand in case you slipped, sending a hot sensation up your arm from where he held you. You smile softly and embarrassed “Sorry.” You rub the the back of your neck and squeeze his hand.

He lets go quickly. “Ah, yeah.” He stammers, “It’s fine, (Y/N).” Shooting a subtly smile back. You blush loudly, realizing this is the first time he’s said your name to you. You scurry to get to the center of the court.

“S-sorry if this isn’t as great as the courts you had at home. My instructions were vague.” You tell Aang, he shakes his head with a smile, he doesn’t care he’s just excited to play. You practice spinning the make shift ball in a web of air. Before throwing the ball at Aangs hoop.

——

The game starts between (Y/N) and Aang, and Zuko can’t take his eyes off of you. You don’t look like someone who can’t control their bending. Just watching you spin, flip and dance around from post to post is like a choreographed show. Even when you throw or kick the ‘ball’ consumed by air. “So, when are you gonna ask her out, Sifu hot water bottle?” Toph snickers, getting a general idea of the game, enjoying it none the less.

“What? What are you talking about?” Zuko scowls at the girl who just sarcastically snaps her neck in his direction.

“Really? Dude, your attention is on her every move and reaction.” Toph cheers loudly for you, making you a bit embarrassed missing your footing. You slip off the beam you aimed for but you push off the side of it just to hop on the top of another, Aang claps saying you’re a natural. “See, your heart rate just spiked at a little slip. Just ask her out, the worst she can say is no right?” Toph shrugs suggestively, “Maybe she likes you back.”

Zuko scoff at these comments before actually thinking about them. “Shut up.” Toph laughed and punched him in the arm. “What was that for!”

Toph smiles, “Thats how I show affection.” Her face beamed as she moved to the ledge of where they sat and waved at the on coming footsteps.

——

Aang has 3 points on you and you haven’t even scored yet, to anyone else you’d say it’s fine, it’s the first time you’ve played. You on the other hand are fairly competitive, and according to Aang you seem to have the rules down. You have the ball in your hand now and decide to throw all cation to the wind, literally in this case. You air bend something close to a funnel weaving around the posts and throwing the ball into it. Your hand twirling lightly to keep it moving. This does not work as planned, as the funnel created so much momentum that the metal make shift ball flattens to the stone hoop. You gasp putting your hands on your temples, “Oh spirits!”

Aang laughs a little too hard, Toph laughs while grumbling about ‘all her hard work.’ Zuko lets out a chuckle, this embarrassed you but your glad he seems to be having fun watching the mess you call a match end. “That was great (Y/N)! I’ve never seen you have that much control with your bending!” You hear Shu say, you didn’t even realize the rest of the Gaang had made their way to watch.

“I was trying so hard to be delicate, agh why don’t I know how to be delicate!” You groan, “I couldn’t even make one shot!” Ruffling you’re hands in your hair.

“There’s the competitive little sister I know,” Shu snorts, you made a tiny ball of air at the tip or your finger and shot it at him, hitting him in the center of his forehead. You laugh anyway.

“I can control little things and big things with my bending, the in between is where it gets hard.” You stretch letting out a barely audible whimper from your burn wounds.

“Hey, that was a lot better than I remember from first time Aang made me and Katara play,” Sokka snorts.

The only one who heard your whimper was Zuko, but that’s because you never lost his attention. Which annoyed him to no end when you were unconscious, but now? He just felt lighter having you around. He couldn’t pin down why, maybe it was the way your laugh was contagious, or that you always knew how to say the right thing? Even when it wasn’t directed at him. Somehow your flaws made you more wonderful to him. Competitive? Generally sarcastic while sounding like an Angel? Even when you’re cranky he wants to be around you. He just liked it, a lot more than he anticipated. He thought at first he wanted to be more like you, now maybe it’s not that.

He let the thoughts run around his head as the Shu and Toph earth bend the platforms everyone was sitting on back into the ground. You head back with Aang, Zuko and Toph, who was dragging Shu by his hand, talking about the game and how to improve the court. Aang laughed explaining that it’s great for training but Airball posts were general made of soft woods, you face palm at that lack of knowledge. Letting out another small whimper from your wound. Zuko hesitates but decides to put one of his hand gently over top the biggest part of the wound. With his generally high internal temperature he figured the heat might help. Your back stiffens in surprise and he starts to pull away, you grab his forearm gently indicating that it’s okay and look over towards him. You mouth the words ‘Thank you,’ your general angelic poker face now replaced by something more relaxed and dusted with blush, you look away hoping he doesn’t notice that your ears turning red. He does.

——

Later that evening everyone was heading to bed, you were more sore than you let on but you weren’t tired. You’re finally starting to feel some energy come back to you after ‘working out’ today. You couldn’t do your normal stuff but you weren’t upset, understanding the situation. Katara was the last person you said good night to after she helped you bathe, you had your healing session in the water. Now with a fresh pot of jasmine tea you sat on the porch staring at the scenery, less than a week ago you lived such a hodgepodge lifestyle with the circus. Albeit this is temporary, you couldn’t imagine your life any other way at this point. You hear soft foot steps come from behind you, you pay no mind until you hear them speak. “You know, you should probably have a blanket or something with you, it’s cold in the evenings here.” It’s Zuko, you smile up at him and offer him tea. Seemingly ignoring his comment about the weather you pat your hand at the space near you, suggesting he sits.

He sits down and pours himself a glass, jasmine. His favorite, he wonders if you knew. “Jasmine tea is one of my favorites,” You say.

“Really?” He sips the tea, and watches you. Your seemingly angelic demeanor is gone, you look like you’re in your own world now.

“Well, actually I haven’t met a tea I didn’t enjoy.” You chuckle and hold the glass in your hands to keep yourself warm, you were relishing in the cold but for some reason now you craved warmth. Maybe since he pointed it out? You don’t think too long on it, you focus on your breathing. Aang taught you a special breathing technique that all Air Benders use to regulate their body temperature. “There is an older gentleman who would visit my aunt and uncle when our travel schedules aligned, he made the best tea.” You smile into your cup, “He’s the one who actually taught me how to make tea.” You chuckle, knowing you’re not nearly as good as him. A shiver overcame you.

You made him think of his Uncle Iroh, he has a lot of regrets to work through regarding that matter. Zuko looks down and adjusts the teapot, scooting closer to you after noticing your small shivers.

“You remind me of myself in a lot of ways.” You said, still taking in your surroundings. Zuko didn’t understand the statement, that was clear on his face when you glanced over to him, not realizing you’re start to lean towards his warm arm. “For an assortment of reasons.” You start to explain. “You always come off as super grumpy and quiet, but you’ve never seemed grumpy to me. Earlier you were the only one to notice I was sore. It felt amazing and honestly I was just grateful you didn’t make a scene about it.” Zuko thinks on this for a bit, realizing that the angelic demeanor you have is a facade, this was (Y/N), and outside of maybe your brother it seems like he’s the only one you’ve shown your true self to. Regardless of the reason, Zuko smiles softly.

Now realizing your arm is leaning up against his. “Great Spirits you’re warm!” You cover your mouth realizing how loud that might’ve been. You chuckle.

Zuko laughed quietly and leaned back into your arm, “Fire Bending perks.” He said, he felt embarrassed touching you earlier but for you to say it felt amazing? He blushed hard thinking about it, grateful for the night sky.

“I knew it.” You murmur playfully as you sip your tea.

You pull back from Zuko’s warmth to stretch, groaning.

He hesitates to ask, “Does it hurt?” He wants to touch you, maybe this fire in him is good for something.

You sit back next to him, maybe a little closer than before. Trying to consume his extra heat, “Of course it hurts, but the pain isn’t something to be bitter over.” You bump his leg with your knee at the comment.

Hesitantly he moves the arm pressing against you and leans on it now close behind you. Your arm now touching the side of his abdomen and his arm touching your back, with his hand on the floor. He doesn’t respond. You lean into his side thinking, “Yes, it was a terrible thing that happened to me, but there’s no changing it and the pain is temporary. Why should I be bitter about it? That only makes the aggressor look powerful.” You know you both have terrible scars, yes yours is bigger but yours isn’t on your face. You thought to yourself. “Those who attack people smaller or weaker than themselves are nothing but cowards.” You mumble. Zuko leans his side into you, as a sort of silent response. You stayed like this for sometime before deciding his warmth is making you sleepy. “Has anyone ever told you, you make people sleepy?” You yawn at him.

A smirk raises to one side of his mouth, “Just once,” Remembering your face nuzzling into his lap the night you collapsed.

You raise an eyebrow but don’t question him, you smile though. “Well here’s a second, your natural warmth is cozy and I’m getting sleepy.” You got up to head to your room, when Zuko gently grabs your bandage covered fingers.

“I-uh, usually have a hard time sleeping,” He admits. “If you ever have a hard time sleeping you can come sit with me.” He was looking at your hands sadly, as if they received the worse kind of treatment.

You giggle, knowing you’re always out here before him. You squat down to his level from standing and give him a soft smile, “I naturally don’t sleep much so you can always come get me if you’re lonely.” You squeeze the hand that’s still holding your fingers before making your way to your room. Your skin is buzzing from where his heat once was. “You know where to find me.” You flick your hand up in a lazy peace sign.

——

At lunch the next day Toph and Sokka were trying to figure out who was the oldest twin. “Seriously, who’s the oldest.” You and Shu move in unison looking from each other to Sokka.

“Yeah! You keep calling each other older or younger! What’s the deal.” Toph pouted next to Shu, as she continued eating.

You twins laughed, “Ancient family secret.” You both said.

“Come on, Toph!” Sokka continues, “One of them has to be lying!” The two started to bicker. Suki and Aang can’t stop laughing from you and Shu doing and saying everything in unison, from blinking to eating. This was something the two of you had perfected at a very young age.

You and Shu glance at Aang, “You okay, Sifu Twinkle Toes?” You both go, the room erupted in laughter.

——

The days continued like this. Aang would give you something to practice, you started training with Toph or Katara. Shu and Toph started to trade training tips on metal and magma bending or would practice sand bending together on the beach. You had your healing sessions and a bath afterwards and once the sun was down and everyone was off to bed you started spending your evenings with Zuko.

You always seem to be waiting for him, you decided rather than staying awake in your room to just sit on the patio. Part of you didn’t want to wait to see if Zuko would actually come find you. You heard him walk up on cue, “Tonight’s tea is chamomile.” You say tilting your head towards him. He wore just a shirt and loose shorts, you imagine these are his pajamas.

He smiled and sat in the same position he had the night prior, arm around your back hand on the floor and the side of his abdomen pressing firmly against you. You poured him a cup this time. The two of you would talk for sometime before retiring to bed.

——

One night Zuko found his way to the patio and you weren’t there, he waited where he usually sat with you for some time before he realized the tea pot was gone. He walked to your room, lightly knocking before opening the door. You weren’t there. A sort of panic washed over him, he decided to look around for you before alerting anyone you were gone. Zuko walked down to the beach when he found foot prints, a sigh of relief left him when he found you sitting in the sand. Knees pulled to your chest, face down, cold tea pot and cup sitting next to you. He watched you for sometime before deciding to walk up. “So this is where you’ve been.”

A small sniffle comes out as you wipe your face, “Ah- Yeah.. Sorry..” You force an awkward chuckle. “I didn’t mean to worry you.” You didn’t look at him, he wasn’t sure you were looking at anything when you finished wiping your eyes.

Zuko sat down beside you, he wasn’t good at comforting people. He tried to think of something his uncle would say if he knew you. “My uncle told me once, that sometimes the best way to solve your own problems is to help someone else.” He spoke quietly, not really sure how to help. “I don’t really know how to comfort people but if there’s anything you need, you can ask..”

A small smile made its way to your face, you were pretty sure he had no idea what that statement meant. “I just uh-“ You looked up at the sky, “I feel guilty. And shameful.” You mutter. You could tell he was confused by this statement but you didn’t say anything for sometime. “You heard my families history, Jesa had an excuse. Sure it wasn’t a good excuse but..” You trailed on. Your voice was getting louder and more shaken with every word. “I was always so ashamed of my bending because it put my family in danger. I was ashamed that my family didn’t fight to defend the air nomads!” The air started stirring aggressively around the two of you. Tears started bubbling up in your eyes again and you pushed yourself from the ground. Zuko grabbed at your hand. You roared at the ocean in front of you, tears streaming freely down your cheeks, bending so much force in frustration waves flew up high before crashing down as you fell on your knees in front of Zuko.

His eyes wide, jaw slacked at the raw power you possessed. He’s never seen Aang use his air bending in such an aggressive manner. You were squeezing his hand, this pulled his attention from what you had just done. He squeezed your hand back before gently pulling on it, coercing you to come closer. You did, you ended up in his lap. You were between his legs that wrapped around you, your knees pulled up, leaning your side and head against his chest. He wrapped both arms around your waist and rested his chin your head. Zuko hushed you until you calmed, and the air around you two had settled into the stale ocean breeze.

His warmth calmed you, he didn’t have to say anything. You’re frustrated with yourself, you didn’t realize you’d bottled up so much. You buried your face into Zuko’s chest, “I feel guilty for being..-“ You hesitated, “For being so happy. Knowing my people have been eradicated.” This stings Zuko’s heart and he just holds you tighter.

Zuko’s history plays through his head, finally understanding what you had meant the other night. ‘You remind me a lot of myself’ you told him. He tilted his head down, pressing his nose and mouth against the top of your head. “Maybe that’s why your family made it. Because of what-“ He thinks of how to put it, “the Fire Nation did to your people. So that you could be happy, so that you could be here and build your people up again when this horrible war ends.” He didn’t know, but you were quiet.

You moved and held onto his bicep that rested between your thighs and bust, you’re both tired and wide awake now. (Y/N) never thought about it that way. That maybe being here, after everything, was your destiny and not just a selfish desire. You squeeze his arm softly, “Thank you, Zuko.” You mumble.

Neither of you said anything for the rest of the night. Not when Zuko heated up the tea pot and your glass, not about you staying in his lap. You both had the nights events and words playing in your head. Zuko realized what his uncle told him was right. Zuko told you what he needed to hear.

——

Zuko was always the last to sleep and the first awake, these were old habits he couldn’t break. However he didn’t mind it so much since (Y/N) has been around, you’re like him. Last to sleep first to rise, at first it was a constant surprise as you’d daze around the kitchen making tea at dawn. Your pajamas leaving very little to the imagination. A short but loose fitting top and loose shorts. Your bandages helped him not look like a bigger fool than he felt he already was. You never teased him about it though, you always just offered a smile. This house was starting to feel like a home again. The early mornings and the evenings were becoming his favorite time, these were times when you were yourself and when you leaned on him. You did this more than he mentally prepared himself for, the first time you did it was when Zuko was preparing tea for the morning, you lazily made your way into the kitchen and poked around him realizing he was doing what you had planned to start. You ended up leaning against his back while holding on to the edge of his shirt and commenting about the warmth before moving to pour yourself a glass of tea. The mornings that followed that one he started to notice you’d seek him out in a tired stupor. Clinging onto him regardless of what he’s doing, warming yourself up for the day, before making yourself a glass of tea and walking off.

He’d watch your beautiful figure laze around with your tea until you found the patio and sat down. You always manage to look back at him with your bedroom eyes expectantly. This always causes him to blush but he makes his way over and sits with you. He’ll watch you from the corner of his eye as you start to wake up.

He missed your presence during his training sessions but was always able to catch a glimpse as you train with one of the girls. Your control over your bending was exceedingly better than it had been when you first met.

“So. Sifu ‘hot water bottle’” A voice says mockingly. Zuko scowls and tears his attention from you and turns around to see Shu. His expression quickly dropped, not wanting to get on your brothers bad side.

“Uh, hey Shu.” Zuko says nervously, “What’s up?” He starts rubbing the back of his neck trying to temporarily purge what happened at the beach from his mind, you letting him wrap you up in his arms and lap was engraved in him. Shu waves him over to follow him.

He follows him until they’re out of your line of sight, “If you like my sister you’re going to have to fight me first.” Shu states pointedly and crosses his arms.

“Wait-wait. What??” Zuko throws up his hands, “I don’t want to fight you, we’re uh,” He stops at the word but shakes his head. “We’re friends, sparring is one thing but I can’t just fight you.”

Your brother flares at him and slides his foot, bending just enough earth under Zuko to knock him down. “I’m not just going to hand my sister, whose like,” He throws his hands up. “An international secret! To someone who can’t protect her!” Shu hisses. This is fair.

His glare drops and he offers a hand to help Zuko up, confused at the quick demeanor change until he hears you talking to Katara and walk past the scene. “Think about it.” Shu quietly hisses before walking away. Zuko stood there dumbfounded for quite some time.

“Your healing session today will be the last for your arms,” Katara tell you. “Your back will take some time but unless the wound gets struck again you shouldn’t have to worry about it opening on its own.” This was the best news you’ve had in some time. You can start actually exercising again.

That night, Zuko was the first to the patio. You stared at him for a bit, something about the moonlight hitting him makes your stomach flop about. You finally walk towards him, realizing he looks uncomfortable. “You okay?” You ask as you sit down beside him.

He looks over at you, he doesn’t say anything but just stares. Examining the lack of bandages on your arms and the concern in your face before speaking. “I’m trying to take all the right steps to make right all the wrongs I’ve done.” He looks away.

You keep looking at him, the gaang has already told you about their history with Zuko when you and Shu asked them how Team Avatar came to be. Zuko hands you a cup of tea before continuing, “I did some- a lot.. of awful things that I can’t take back. I can’t even apologize to my uncle for betraying him.” This statement causes Zuko to put his face in his hands. “He probably hates me now.”

That statement stings you, you’ve only ever seen the Team Avatar version of Zuko. You hesitate but decide to put your hand on his back, running your hand up and down his spine, making shapes with your fingers. “That might be true,” He flinched at this comment. “However. If you can get a group of people you literally tried to kill, to actually like and appreciate you and to care about you. I doubt it’ll be too difficult to get someone who’s always loved you to forgive your actions.” You smile and lean your head on his shoulder still rubbing his back. “From what you’ve told me and what I’ve heard from the others I can imagine he’ll be so proud of you for doing the right thing.”

Zuko doesn’t reply for sometime, replaying the words in his head. Replaying what he told you at the beach. He did do the right thing, he has changed. But what if it’s too late, he wants to ask but he already feels foolish for his actions. He lifts his head and looks over at you before resting his cheek on your head. “You don’t think it’ll be too late to apologize?”

You straighten up and smile at him, and cup his face with your hands. “If you truly mean it when you apologize then it’ll never be too late.” You leave a small kiss on his cheek and then smile at him. Zuko pulls you into him, holding one hand firmly around your shoulders and one around your waist. This caused you to gasp but he doesn’t let go. He needs this, you think. Hugging him back with your arms around his neck and a hand brushing his hair with your fingers till he’s ready to let go.

As much as he needed a hug the second he hugged you he was extremely embarrassed. Embarrassed that he wanted to pull you into his lap again and not let go. Especially after you kissed his cheek. He feared letting go as you would see his blushing face. Not realizing you can feel his blush as his body temperature rose. It wasn’t until you held him back and pet his hair that he started to savor the moment, engraving it in his mind before letting go and looking at the sky. You watched him carefully, you wanted to kiss him more and find all the reasons as to why everything would be fine. “Your brother told me I have to fight him.” Your face snapped away from his, you knew what this meant, but why would Shu say that to Zuko? Why wouldn’t he talk to you first? Did he tell Zuko how you feel? You were panicking.

(Y/N)’s ear are red, Zuko noticed. She seems embarrassed. Was she embarrassed of Zuko? Was it her brother? Or something else? He couldn’t get a read from you, “D-Did he say anything, ah,” You started. “About me, uh, when he did..?” You couldn’t make eye contact with him.

His face turned bright red, yes the whole thing was about you! He’s thinks your embarrassed about your brothers actions. “Well, ah,” he stammers, “I kind of, uhm, brought it upon myself.” You both look away from each other. “He told me to think about it.”

You sigh putting your red face in your hands, “I am so sorry.” You groan. Embarrassed that you thought this was about you.

“No no it’s not your fault!” He stammers, “We should uh, we should head to bed.” You nod at him and take the hand he offers to get up.

Your fingers touch his as he walks you to your room, “Uhm. Good night Zuko.” You smile and whisper to him as you separate, he watches you as you disappear behind your door. He wants to follow you in, realizing what you mean to him.

When he got to his room he closed and slid down the door. “Good night, (Y/N).” He sighed, “What am I going to do.”

——

A/N: Holy smokes, guys! We made it through Part 1! If you’d like to be tagged in this series please feel free to message me or comment on this post! Here are my starred notes: (*1) Imagine that customer service face we all have, you know the one (*2) When I wrote this line for Aang it ended up destroying my whole plan for the rest of this scene because I was like “Shit Aang would actually say something like that” (*3) Did you know river rocks explode when they get too hot?

Tag List:

@coalsmind @bucky-blogs @fanficflaneuse @cutiepoo16 @eridanuswave @grapesauze @theblueslytherin @coolpenguingoddess @royahllty @whalerus @shewritesseashells @lammello @ditu-m9 @kryptidkova @gxrleexis-arctic-monks

#a:tla #a:tla x reader #a:tla fanfiction #atla #atla x reader #atla fanfic #zuko #prince zuko #zuko x reader #prince zuko x reader #zuko imagine #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar the last air bender fanfic #fanfic #fan fiction #fan fic #zuko fanfic #first fanfic

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solesurvivorpaigeargot · 3 years

Note

I absolutely LOVE Sketchy Saturdays and I always look forward to them!! As for my question(s)? What made you decide to start doing it(I'm glad you do but I was just curious!)?

Hoooo boi the Sketchy Saturday Origin Story: I suppose there's two versions.

The short version reads " Moving stress, deployment depression, and isolation VS. my utter determination to DO SOMETHING whilst trapped in my home " -- Sketchy Saturday was the result of that title fight, so I guess the fandom won in the end? XD

The long version, however... Well, buckle up, cause this is gonna be a ride.

It may surprise y'all to know that two years I was eyeballs-deep in the South Park fandom. The blog still exists; my mainblog, JustCallMeButtlord, built to interact with the audience of my fanfictions-- the New Kid Stories, called NKS for short [gonna be porting those to Ao3 soon, just gotta figure out what robo-reader I'm gonna use to make a quick n dirty podfic out of the series as well as help me hunt down typos my eyes galze over]. The first 'season' of stories had ended, 8 completed fics, and I was puttering about with a bonus holiday story that was several months out of season. Not that I CARED because I was on GUAM where seasons don't exist and my time blindness gets even worse becasue without seasons changing it feels like time never progrsses even after being on the island for three cocksucking years.

I don't hate Guam, I am just not built for constant heat. I am a snow creature; I like below-freezing temperatures so I can layer up in fuzzy, fluffy things and drink hot drinks and cuddle loved ones and/or furry animals. It's a lovely island, I adored my first week there... I just wasn't made to live there.

HIlariously, NKS started out of the stress of moving to Guam. Two years and 8 fics later, the place we were renting was no longer within our price range and my hubby and I were forced to move onto base. Under the leader whom I refuse to name, military pay was given a precentage raise... but it was ripped out of bonuses and OCONUS pay. OCONUS is what a military member is paid when they're stationed Outisde the CONtinental United States. This usually means overseas bases like Japan, but it also means Hawaii, aaaaaand... GUAM. So that percentage pay increase for the military at large meant belt-tightening for every service member abroad, and we were forced to move onto base.

In case y'all haven't noticed by now, I'm a raging socialist with some issued with authority. I DO NOT LIKE EXISTING ON BASE. I do not like existing in a place where the national anthem plays twice a day, every day, at 6 AM and then again whenever the hell sundown is that day. And there's an unspoken rule no one tells you that when it plays you're supposed to stop what you're doing, face the nearest set of speakers playing the song, and stare in that direction with your hand over your heart until its over. That, if you're driving, you have to put on your emergency flashers and pull over. No one tells you this. NO ONE TELLS YOU THIS.

And then, before we had secured a place on base but we had set a move out date for the rental house, the Pandemic happened. While we were between homes. The base is talking full lockdown, Guam authorities want to shut down the island but businesses are terrified of not getting the tourist season business, we don't even know if we'll be allowed to move on to base.

Surprise, I stopped writing for a while... but I picked Fallout 4 back up again. I had been forced into the series years earlier by a toxic relationship, but the game itself hadn't been bad-- just the way I'd been forced to play it by someone who was firmly not in my life anymore. When confronted with character creation, I wasn't sure whom I wanted to make... but decided to go back to an old character. A VERY old character, whom I hadn't thought of since I'd finished ME3 at least 4 years prior, and a character I first conceived of when I was 14-ish... which is now about 15 years ago.

Paige.

I've talked before about how well Paige's story maps onto Fo4, but this was before I knew that. I knew the opening, her losing her kid, and that fit with her-- but something clicked while I was playing and the part of my brain that likes to create started wandering off. Soon enough I've got a couple chapters of a ficlet that I'm TOTALLY just writing as a personal one-shot to de-stress, no way I'm publishing this, I don't wanna get distracted from NKS, I got a whole 'nother season to write! Who cares if no one is reading it anymore because South Park Fandom doesn't like continuous plots.... right?

I was burnt out as hell, the move was looming, the Pandemic was getting worse and everything was getting scarier.

Then the news came through that hubby would be deploying again.

He wasn't supposed to, but the Navy decided the safest place for their sailors was the middle of the ocean, so if you WERENT in quarantine you were going on the boat and you were living there. Didn't matter if your spouse would be alone, unpacking a whole home by themselves.

I had a friend on base. We hung out. I met with my DND group on weekends; we all lived on base now, so we could meet up in like five minutes... and then restrictions tightened. You could be fined up to 5 grand for gathering in groups greater than 5, even outdoors, and detained if suspected of going to a home that wasn't yours. I still met 2 of my friends once a week for walks; get outside, be active, talk to other humans, but besides that? I was locked up alone in a new house in a place that I did NOT like existing in.... with a fresh new hyperfixation developing.

I think it was about a week into the new house that I made the new blog. At first I tried to run it side by side with the South Park stuff, but it wasn't long before all my attention was here... aaaand it also wasn't long before I was confronted with a lot of my own despair; of lockdown, of isolation, of watching a broken system crumble and not being able to DO anything about it, and I started to kinda lose my shit. I fuss-- I can't leave things alone, and I couldn't leave this feeling alone; of being fully and entirely helpless and hopeless.

And then I sketched a thing for a friend, and it made them happy. They were having a rough time, too, and I put something together because I couldn't think of anything else. And it helped. It lifted them up, and it lifted me up, too. Someone else had recently reblogged one of those pallet challenges that floats around Tumblr, and I decided FUCK IT LET'S DO THIS THING AND CALL IT SKETCHY SATURDAY!

Little secret, the very first Sketchy Saturday request? Was me. I was so scared no one would noticed the event, I sent myself the very first request, back when the event still took anons. Soon as that first picture was up:

BANG, suddenly four more; some people off anon. I met people that day, talked to them after the very first Sketchy weekend was over, chatted about the games and characters and art and writing and just... felt human for the first time in a really long while.

I figured I'd hold on to Sketchy Saturday until the deployment was over-- once hubby was back, I'd decide whether I was keeping it or not... but he came back, and I was still super into it, and he was supportive, sooooo I kept going! And then we did Sketchy Secret Santa, and people loved it, and my volunteers are excited about being Sketchy Elves and Secret Helpers and just OH MY GOD I DID A THING GUYS. I DID A THING-- that was just me all December and January long lmafo.

AND JANUARY! Because AH HECK, WE MOVING AGAIN! Because hubby finally got orders, and OH MY GOD we're going back to WA... but it's still a move half-way around the globe, and I was SURE I'd have to shut down the event for a month while we got our shit in order and NOPE, because here come the volunteers from Sketchy Secret Santa, and they wanna fill in all month long! Like... I didn't even ask for that shit, guys. They offered it so the event wouldn't have to take a gap.

Jesus I'm getting teary just remembering it.

So yeah. Sketchy Saturday is here because I got really lonely and stressed out while Fallout 4 provided me with some... catharsis for my situation, and then a pandemic happened.

And then y'all happened, and I'm still here. :D

#Sketchy Saturday #feels

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monster-madame · 4 years

Text

Impulsive Decisions (Breanna x Jackson) | Modern Orc Boyfriend x Human Witch Woman

Hello hello!

Here is a hetero NSFW orc boyfriend story, featuring a human plus size woman witch and an orc named Jackson!

I couldn’t figure out how to photoshop the tempting rugby player photographed green (what a problem to have), so use your imagination. <3

Details: This is a reader insert story, but I do name the character becuase I find “Y/N” distracting.

Word Count: 6,305 [800 ish is smut]

* * * * *

You blew your hair out of your face, pushing through the kitchen doors into the dining area. You normally didn’t work lunches, as you were taking computer science classes at the local university. Classes made the lunch shift nearly impossible, but you were on break between spring and summer courses.

Walking through the packed dining room, you mentally noted to avoid taking lunch rushes during the future. You definitely preferred the more relaxed pace of the dinner shift. The lunch shift seemed mostly made up of patrons who were on a time crunch for their lunch hour. You winced as their stressed energy grated against your Senses.

“Here you are,” you said to one of your tables, putting down your tray. The guests smiled at you and continued talking animatedly to one another, they all seemed to be friends. Their energy was open, fun and a little mischievous.

Vinnie’s attracted a more diverse set than other restaurants, and the table sat a good assortment of humanoids – a half-orc, a tiefling, a human (probably a witch by the tattoos) and a minotaur.

“Did you see that Jackson Scott is here?!” the tiefling whispered to the table. “I can’t believe we’re lunching where JACKSON SCOTT lunches! Wasn’t he just declared one of the riches men in Boston by The Globe?”

You raised your eyebrows at that. Vinnie’s was a nice restaurant, but it wasn't nice nice, like 5 dollar signs on Yelp! nice. What was he doing here?

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” you asked the table. The minotaur asked for another side of Mayo. “I’ll go snag that for you and be right back,” you said, mentally noting what drinks needed to be filled.

Turning to go back into the kitchen you heard a crash in a far corner. Looking over, you saw that it belonged to one of your BFFs, Jill, who was red-faced and mopping up what looked to be marinara sauce around a really pissed off orc. Jill is a slight dryad, and you could feel her stress emanating at you.

Striding over, you slapped on your best Hospitality Smile, ready to flex your energetic charms as an empath to diffuse the situation. You strided over, noting that the patron was seated in what the staff called the “Do Not Disturb” table, that was situated behind potted plants and in an alcove.

Well, at least other patrons wouldn’t be able to gawk at the lot of you.

As you neared, you realized why he was seated at the DND table. Oh fuck. He was a VIP.

It was, of course, Jackson Scott. Jill had a knack for ticking off the wrong customers. He was ripped, with the kind of body that would make Jason Moma ask for workout tips. Beautiful tusks and a real energy of “fucking pissed off” about him. Nearing 7 feet tall with dark hair, he was seated in one of the special chairs designed to withstand a taller being.

“Hello,” you said greeting him. “We’re so terribly sorry for the accident. We’ll of course cover the dry cleaning bill and help you get into different clothes. We can send you home with a take out order and a giftcard on the house? We’ll cover the Uber, so you can get changed?”

“This,” he grit out, gesturing to his linen suit, “is bespoke. And ruined. Do you intend to cover the cost of a new summer suit?”

Um, no, the restaurant probably couldn’t cover a suit that would cover six months of rent. Seeing your hesitation, his frustration grew.

“Look, I came here for a quiet lunch between meetings, and if I had known the staff was so incompetent,” he said, looking at Jill, “then I definitely would’ve gone elsewhere. Do you typically keep on staff that are so bad at their jobs?”

Oh, no he fucking did NOT. Jill was one of their best servers! Accidents happen!!

“Jill is one of our best staff members, and we so apologize for this accident,” you said, upping your mental defenses, just in case his energy became more aggressive. “We have an excellent dry cleaner, and I so appreciate you helping us get this sorted out,” you said. Sometimes thanking someone for being on your side helped them actually be on your side.

Seeing your words had no effect, you let out a trickle of an calm energy to the restaurant.

Unfortunately, that little oomph of calm you tried to use totally backfired. His tension ratcheted up. Your Hospitality Smile vanished right off your face.

“Are you fucking magicking me?” he grit out, shoving his chair back from the table.

Technically, no. You were magicking yourself and the energy around you, but you didn’t think he’d see it that way.

Desperately trying to figure out how to fix a situation that had totally gotten out of hand, you saw Gio, Vinnie’s son, headed towards them. Oh, thank god. Vinnie was human, and he was able to effortlessly engage with all types of beings.

Gio arrived on the scene, strategically placing himself so that Jackson had to move a bit to address him, shielding their party from prying eyes.

“What seems to be the problem here, Jackson?” he asked, addressing the Orc.

“Your staff is fucking incompetent and magicking patrons, Gio,” he bit out. “What kind of restaurant did I just put money into?”

At the word “money,” you looked at Jill, shocked.

“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding,” shared Gio. “Breanna would never magick a customer, and her magick doesn’t even work that way –”

“Wait a moment,” you interjected. “He bought Vinne’s?!”

Jackson shifted his attention to you, realizing he had two shit shows on his hands. “I mean, he’s more of an investor–”

Well, crap. Spilling marinara sauce on one of Boston’s elite was bad. Ruining the suit of an investor was even worse. This could be disastrous for Jill.

Glancing at Jill’s face, you realized she had figured out the same thing.

Chewing your lip, your mind raced. BAM! You had a solution. Jill really fucking needed this job and, you, well, didn’t. The restaurant was trying to expand, and needed capital. Telling Jackson Scott to fuck off wasn’t an option.

You knew what you had to do.

Turning back on your Hospitality Smile, you turned to the Orc. Jackson. “Mr. Scott,” you said smoothly. “I so apologize for your experience today at Vinne’s. This is not the kind of service our staff is trained to give. Because I trained Jill, I take full responsibility for this issue. Faulty training isn’t up to our standards at Vinnie’s, so I’ll be replaced.”

You then took off your apron, and handed it to Gio. You then took out your mini-wallet that held your license, credit card and a few business cards. You peeled off one of your business cards.

“If you’ll please send the bill to the email address on that card, I’ll be happy to reimburse you.” You handed it to a stunned Jakson Scott.

The three of them stared at you.

“Miss, wait, I think there’s been a misunderstanding –” Jackson started.

“No, no totally my fault,” you said with your Hospitality Smile, emanating graciousness and competence. This needed to work. If he asked Gio to fire Jill, Gio would probably have to. Although to be honest, if a prejudiced Orc now owned the restaurant – excuse you, invested in it – you weren’t sure how long Jill would have a job.

“I’ll let Gio sort out your Uber and meal. Have a great rest of your day, Mr. Scott.”

And then you spun on your heel on and left the dining room, headed to the staff room to grab your bag. You felt hot tears at the back of your eyes as you walked back. No. You would not cry. You kept your Hospitality Smile firmly in place.

The people at Vinnie’s were your family, the only family that mattered. You knew you weren’t going to work here for the rest of your life, but you for sure thought you’d finish your degree before leaving. And even then you had planned to work the odd weekend shift or get more involved in the back office.

But Gio and Vinnie had been looking for an investor for ages, needing cold hard cash to update the restaurant and expand to another location, for Gio to fully run. They needed Jackson Scott. More than they needed you.

You grabbed your purse, dropping off a side of Mayo and a refill on the Iced Tea at your table, before heading out. “Another server will be taking over for me,” you told them smoothly.

You left out the front doors, and you didn’t start crying until you were a few buildings down the sidewalk.

* * * *

You wake up the next morning, blearily scrubbing your hands over your itchy and puffy eyes. What a crappy evening that had been.

You’d spent the evening googling the heck out of Jackson Scott. He was an MIT grad, and he had built and sold several technology companies, and he was an investor in a variety of industries. Photos showed him with his large clan, and he seemed involved in a good amount of charities.

Studying his photos last night, you could NOT get over how good looking he was. He was broad shouldered with muscles, he had a rugby player’s build. His gleaming tusks curved over his upper lip. Dark forest green eyes and great bone structure.

Plus, he had recently had an interview in GQ, and the stylist had had fun with a few shots – Mr. Scott was apparently a Calvin's briefs kind of guy. If those briefs (and what was likely under them) had made their way through your dreams, you couldn’t be blamed! You couldn’t control your subconscious!

He probably had a good PR team, but your Senses told you that this wasn’t the type of guy to make a scene at a restaurant. But he had made a scene, and you had had to quit.

You rummage around to try to find your phone in your bed, eventually snagging it.

*** 47 Notifications ***

You groan to yourself.

You’d turned your phone on airplane mode as soon as you left the restaurant, and promptly carbo-loaded as soon as you got to your apartment.

Sighing, you went to the kitchen to make some coffee. As it started brewing, you began cleaning up after last night’s pity party, loading your dishwasher and wiping down the counter.The buzzer on your apartment rang.

**** BZZZZZZT ****

You ignored it.

**** BZZZZZZT ****

Go away!” you said aloud.

Couldn’t the world respect your need to mope?!?!

**** BZZZZZZT ****

The buzzing became more insistent.

**** BZZZZZZT ****

You harrumphed and walked over to the speaker, pressing the button. “I’m not in the mood to see anyone today!” you snarked into it.

“Ms. Alexander, I apologize for disturbing you,” said the voice of the and only Jackson Scott. “We had a terrible misunderstanding yesterday, and I’d like to meet with you to remedy it as soon as possible.”

Your mouth dropped open in surprise. What in the actual hell?!��How do you know where I live?!” you said tersely into the speaker. Surely this asshat had something better to do than creep on chubby witches?!

He cleared his throat into the speaker. “Ahem, well, yes I may have glanced in your personnel file. I grew worried last night when you didn’t answer messages from myself or Gio.”

You opened your mouth to speak. Closed it. Opened it.

Feeling like a fish, you cast your eyes desperately around.

Pressing on, he said, “Would you be amenable to a breakfast meeting? Or a lunch meeting? I have to go run a few errands, and then I could meet you at that little cafe down the street in two hours?”

Realizing he was determined to meet with you, yet respecting your boundaries by asking you to a public place, you decided to cut him some slack.

You pressed the buzzer. “Okay sure. I’ll see you there in two hours.”

“Great, thank you for being so accommodating,” he quickly replied. “I’ll see you there soon.”

As soon as the crackle of the speaker stopped, you were seized with a terrible realization.

You were going to brunch with Jackson Scott, and you had no idea what to wear.

************************

One hour and fifty-three minutes later, you were waiting outside the cafe. After agonizing over outfits, ou had gone for what you hoped was chic casual, high waisted jeans and a front tucked white cotton button down with keds. You put your long hair in a messy bun, braiding a headband to make it clear you put in effort – but not so much that you cared too much.

You went up to put your name on the list, “Hi, table for two? For Breanna?” The place was packed, and you weren’t sure how long the wait would be.

“Breanna Alexander?” the human hostess asked you. .

“Uhh, yeah?”

“Right this way please.”

She took you to the back garden, where tables were interspersed in amongst raised flower beds. The flower beds gave the feeling that each table was in its own garden, and also made the air smell divine.

You loved this cafe.

Turning a corner, you could see Jackson Scott seated at a table (in a corner, of course). He was almost too tall for the chair, one leg crossed flat over the other. He wore casual dark jeans and a light gray hoodie sweater.

You brought up your Senses, shielding yourself from any aggressive energy that may come your way.

You got to the table, and he stood to greet you. The hostess placed some menus down, murmuring something you didn’t catch.

“Thank you for meeting me,” he said, his hand outstretched for a professional handshake. He seemed earnest and a little nervous.

“Well, I was a little worried you would stay outside of my building until I did,” you joked lightly, stretching out a hand and clasping his.

His hand engulfed yours. Oh dear.

He warmly grasped your hand, and then released it. You put your bag down, and then sat.

Okayyyyyy, you said to yourself. This is a professional breakfast meeting. You need to make sure you call him on his shitty behavior, keep it together and not drool.

He cleared his throat. “I want to start this out right. First of all, I want to apologize for my terrible behavior yesterday. This has been a month from hades, but that’s no excuse for howI acted. I apologized and made amends with Jill and Gio.”

Oh god is this going to be a non-apology? Wait, why had this been a month from hell?

“And now, I’d like to apologize to you,” he said looking deep into your eyes.

He looked at you steadily.

“I am so sorry for what occurred yesterday. I am sorry that you felt you had to quit your job to help resolve the mess, and I deeply admire your quick thinking in a tough situation. However, I’m not the kind of Orc who would expect or demand someone to quit over an accident. I know Gio has reached out to you to be clear your job is still yours if you want it, and I wanted to meet with you in-person to promise that I would not behave that way in the future.”

He finished and looked at you, waiting. You lowered the defenses a bit on your Senses, to try to get an idea of how sorry he was.

His energy was truly apologetic, truly apologetic. You were getting embarrassment, self-consciousness and a good bit of hope from him.

Just then, the waitress came by. “Have you decided what you’re having?” she asked, looking at you.

You hadn’t even looked at the menu.

“Can you give us another few moments?”

“Sure!” she said brightly. “I’ll just bring around some coffee if that’s okay?”

You nodded and then looked at Jackson.

“Have you had the waffles?” he asked. “Not that I’m biased or anything, but I think the combination of sugar and carbs could help put you in a more forgiving mood.” His eyes sparkled at you with humor.

“Or a food coma,” you joked back.

Now that the tension had eased a bit, you realized you didn’t really hate him. His apology had been full and fair, and hadn’t been one of those half-ass apologies you were used to the men in your life making. Aaaand, truth be told, you probably should’ve offered to quit and let him get a few words in, before marching out of Vinnie’s yesterday. You could be a tad impulsive.

“There’s no need for waffles to inspire forgiveness,” you said to him. “You acted like a total asshat, but I really appreciate you going above and beyond to fix things.”

His shoulders relaxed. “It’s good to hear that,” he said. “Do you want to look over the menu? I know what I’m ordering.”

“Me too,” you said instantly.

“Waffles?”

“No, pancakes! Which are better in every way.”

This then sparked a debate about breakfast foods, which turned into you talking about food in general and travel. Jackson was really smart and witty, and he was so fun to talk to.

As the meal winded down, you realized that you didn’t want brunch to end. You really liked spending time with him. And looking at him.

“So, there was another reason I was hoping to talk to you,” he shared, as the waitress took away the plates. His energy wavered, and you could tell this was important to him. “I invested in Vinnie’s because it’s one of the only restaurants in the city that accommodates different species, and I wanted to help grow that.”

You nodded. This was one of the many reasons you loved working there.

He continued. “That said, there have been limitations. Species that aren’t as humanoid, say Driders for example, are welcome to come – but the staff has to move around furniture and it can make booking complicated. Many beings want to come, but are worried about putting the staff out by having them have to go through extra work. I know you’re studying computer science, so I was hoping we could design some sort of online reservation system – like an app – that would help us better plan for and accommodate different beings. Someone could book through the app, and their profile would signal staff as to what changes need to be made. There’s a lot of kinks to work out – wait, before I go on, is that something you’d be interested in?”

Wow, you were NOT expecting this. You did have experience in app design, and you could probably license an existing reservation platform and modify it to your needs. Your mind starting whirling.

“Breanna..?” he asked, uncertain as to what you were gonna say.

“Oh, sorry!” you said, your face scrunching in embarrassment. “I would be absolutely LOVE to work with you on this project. How do we get started? How do you see this working, from a meetings and timeline perspective?”

His energy perked immediately, and you could feel his excitement.

“Well, we’d have to start with user interviews….”

****

About a month later, part of your apartment was covered in frameworks and sketches. Jackson had given you a small team to lead, and you were having a blast learning how to delegate different parts of the platform to the other freelance contractors on the project - as well as learning a lot in the coding and design portion. Jackson was pretty involved, meeting with you throughout the week and staying updated on progress.

Jackson acted more like a collaborator than a boss, trusting your experience and know-how. But, technically, he was your boss (client?) as he was approving your invoices for freelance development.

And you had a giant huge crush on him. You’d been having steamy daydreams about him for weeks, many of which involved you, him, the restaurant and a variety of sexual positions involving the bar.

Luckily he was an Orc with zero empathic abilities, or this would be really awkward. Guys like Jackson Scott did not go for chubby computer nerds, they dated, like, supermodels. Or high powered business women. Or high powered business women who were ALSO supermodels.

UGH.

Your pity party was interrupted by your phone chiming, and you jumped to grab it. You had assigned a specific ringtone to Jackson. You told yourself it was because this was your first fully professional project, but the butterflies in your stomach said differently. In a positively Pavlovian move, you scampered over to your phone, eager to see what it said.

Hey, Breanna – I’m going to need to move our meeting next week. I have to go out of town.

Ugh. Probably to take his supermodel-tycoon girlfriend on a trip.

The phone chimed again.

A screenshot of his calendar popped up.

Is there a time you see free that would work for us to meet? I realize it’s a lot to ask, but maybe in the evening?

Shoot. Looking at his schedule you realized your classes, study nights and group project meetings all happened when he was free.

The only time he was and you were free was tomorrow night, which was a Friday night.

Hey, no problem! You texted back. Our schedules almost totally clash, unfortunately. IDK if this works for you, but I could do tomorrow night? I realize you probably have some event or probably forgot to put something on your calendar, but I can move my Netflix marathon to a different night.

You sent it without thinking, then read it back as you waited for him to reply. Reading back over it, you groaned.

Great. You had just told Jackson Scott you had no life. You usually kept Friday night free to decompress, socializing on Saturday night or during the weekend.

Then another, even worse thought hit you. What if he thought you were trying to finagle this into a DATE?!

Nope, nothing on Friday night! He replied.

Thank all the gods.

Would you prefer to meet at the office? My home office? Wherever works for you.

Eugh, go into an office building on a Friday evening? No thanks. But also you were pretty sure you’d feel super nervous and out of sorts at his home. You didn't know what his setup would be like, and you’d probably get all jittery worrying about his tech working or having a whiteboard to brainstorm on or or or

Then it hit you. He could just come to your place. You had everything here already, and your walls were practically ready for a presentation. You had met with a few of the other contractors in your apartment, Skyping in the others who didn’t live in the city.

Would you be okay to come to my place? I already have everything taped up, gantt charts and all. You texted back, knowing it was definitely the best solution for you.

Sure! He instantly replied.

We could do a 6-9pm meeting? Order takeout and eat while we work?

Perfect! You replied. Just no waffles. ;)

****

“This is not a date,” you told your reflection sternly to your reflection in the mirror. “This is a professional project update. You are a professional. You are a leading business woman.”

You jabbed your finger at your reflection for emphasis.

“You are an empowered and capable business woman!”

**** BZZZZZZT ****

It was show time.

“Come on up,” you said through the speaker.

In a few moments, Mr. Jackson Scott was in your kitchen.

Righto.

“Hey,” he said. He swung his laptop bag off his shoulder and put it on the counter. Your mouth went dry seeing his shoulder muscles flex as he put it down. He wore his usual uniform of dark jeans and a button down dress shirt. You were wearing a jersey jumpsuit, your hair in a high ponytail.

“Food should be here any minute. I realized it would be faster if we had it delivered instead of me picking it up.”

“That makes sense,” you said. “Do you want to jump on in or should we wait for food to get here?”

**** BZZZZZZT ****

“Never mind,” you said with a laugh, and a few moments later you were dumping chow-mein onto a plate. You used your counter as a table, him on one side and you on the other, as your table was covered with project materials.

You chatted with him comfortably about school and Vinnie’s while you ate, and he told you some funny stories about his nieces and nephews. Whipping out his phone, he started showing you pictures.

“This is Carrie learning how to hula hoop,” he said laughing, swiping through photos of an adorable orc kiddo, who looked to be about 7-years-old. She was gleefully laughing in the photo, and she seemed pretty proud of herself.

“She’s so cute!” you exclaimed.

Just then a bubble notification appeared at the top of his screen. Before you could stop yourself, your eyes darted up to the top of the screen.

Just make a move already, dude!

Then another bubble

Just be honest with her, she’s not going to think you’re a creep…..

Then another bubble popped up

Waiting until the app is done isn’t gonna work, because it’s gonna need updates. It won’t ever be totally….. [read more]

Jackson made a choking noise, then pushed the lock button his phone, putting it facedown on the countertop. You stared at it. Why was his friend talking about making a move and their app…?

Oh.

Your face felt hot. Oh goddess, were you blushing? You bet you looked like a tomato right now. Your eyes met his.

He cleared his throat.

“So, um, this was not how I wanted to have this conversation,” he said, sheepishly running his hand through his hair. There were those dang arm muscles again.

“I didn’t want to say anything, because it puts you in a really awkward spot if you’re not interested in me, too.”

He glanced down at his phone. “But, since we’re here, I guess I’ll just try to be an honest adult about this.”

“‘I’m, uh, really into you. Like really into you. and I’m really attracted to you. You’re smart, gorgeous, funny, and I love spending time with you. I’d like to date, if, um, well, you’d be interested in seeing where this goes…?”

Your brain had fitzed out. Date Jackson Scott? Jackson Scott thought you were gorgeous?

Your daydreams and, ahem, sex dreams came running through your mind. Spending time with Jackson? Talking with him more? Kissing Jackson? Getting naked with Jackson? Sucking Jackson off on the bar at Vinnie’s–

“Breanna?” he asked. “If you need some time to think about this, I can totally go..? We can reschedule?”

You snapped back to the present, where real sexy-ass Jackson Scott had just told you he was into you.

“Oh, um, no! I’m sorry, I spaced out for a minute imagining jumping your bones. I’d love to, um, date you.”

His face broke out in a grin. “Jump my bones, huh?”

You felt your face return to its previous tomato state.

“Sorry, I definitely need to do a better job of thinking before I speak –”

He came around the counter, standing in front of you. “No, I think you did a pretty good job of stating your position,” he said, bending down a bit, so that his mouth was about an inch away fro yours. “I’m up for whatever you’re up for.”

Galvanized by his lips so close to yours, you leaned up into him. You kissed him hard, standing up and leaning into him. His hands came around you, starting at your waist.

You arched your back into him, going on your tip toes to get his hands to go a bit lower. He obliged, kneading your lower back as he tongued your mouth. His hands went lower, cupping your ass cheeks.

Needing to feel him against you, you jumped up on the counter, wrapping your legs around his torso. You had fantasized about this so many times, and you ached to just rub yourself on him. You loved the feeling of rubbing your clit over jeans.

He gasped into your mouth as he felt you grind your pussy over his crotch. “I’ve wanted to feel that for so long,” he said, panting and kissing his way along your neck.

“Mmmm, me too,” you moaned as he nipped where your neck met your shoulder.

Your breasts felt heavy, your nipples aching as they rubbed through your lacy bralette against his chest. God you really wanted his hands on your nipples.

You tore at the top of your jumpsuit, pulling it off your shoulders so you could feel his mouth on your breasts. He kissed the newly exposed skin of your shoulders as you shrugged out of it, his hot mouth making you ever more wet.

His hands traced along the edges of your bralette, teasing you. “Jackson,” you whined.

“Oh, am I allowed to see what’s under here?” he lightly teased you, as you writhed under his caresses.

“Yes, please,” you whined. “I need to feel your mouth on me–”

He shoved down your bralette, exposing your breasts. Your nipples were completely erect. He tweaked one breast and drew his mouth over the other. Sucking and nibbling your breast, you moaned low for him.

“Oh my god, just like that, please, oh my god I need more –”

“What do you need baby, tell me what you need,” he murmured.

“Harder, I need you to bite harder” you said, ending your words in a wail as he bit your nipple harder and twisted the other one.

“Oh FUCK,” you moaned, feeling an orgasm begin to build.

“Please, my pussy,” you whined, and his hand dipped down to your crotch.

“You want my fingers inside of you?” he murmured, his hand cupping you.

“Yes, please, fuck me, fuck me hard!”

He moved away from you, swiftly pulling off the rest of your jumpsuit in one fell swoop.

“You’re so wet for me baby,” he crooned in your ear, slipping a finger inside. “I can’t wait to have you ride my face. I can’t wait to feel you ride my cock.”

His finger pumped in and out of you. He added a second finger, looking at your reaction. “More, please!” you begged.

He added a third finger, and you could feel your juices running down your thighs.

“Please Jackson, please!! Fuck me hard!”

He growled, his chest rumbling. “Oh, I’ll fuck you hard, baby,” he said. He pistoned his hand in and out of you, and you met every thrust. Your orgasm built up inside of you, and he masterfully brought you to the edge, once and then twice – backing off before you could orgasm.

“Jackson, please!” you wailed.

“Please, what, baby?” he asked, grinning down at you as he continued fucking your pussy.

“Please make me cum!!”

His grin broadened, and he increased the speed. “Like that, baby? You want it like that?”

“Yes!” you screamed, the sound cut off as his mouth covered yours. You felt your pussy convulse around his hand, and you bucked with pleasure.

Wow.

Your head fell against his chest, as you tried to remember how to fill your lungs with air.

“How you doing?” he asked, tipping your chin up to be able to see your face.

“I’m feeling pretty ready for round two,” you said, your hand trailing around to cup his still hard cock.

He thrust into your hand.

“I have condoms in my room,” you said, rubbing his length.

He swung you up into his arms and into the bedroom.

“Jump his bones,” indeed.

I hope you enjoyed this story!! I’m excited to be writing more, and as with all authors, if you like it – reblog it! <3

Send me a KoFi here, or check out my fave erotic monster novels on Amazon here!

#orc boyfriend #monster boyfriend #exophillia #exophilia creators #orc/reader #orc/human #modern orc

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sheridoodle · 4 years

Text

Author Interview

tagged by @feychella and @keenie thanks y’all!!

tagging: @nellsbeells and @lafayettesass have a blast you two

Name: Sheridan or Sheri or Dani

Fandom(s): Most recently, The Adventure Zone (Grad and Balance.) But oh BOY if you don’t think I have major brainrot for hundreds of other things. Examples include: Percy Jackson, Super Smash Bros, Mario, Sonic, Zelda, The Song of Achilles, like 30 different musicals- and I think you get the point.

Where you post: Sheridoodle on Ao3 <3

Most Popular One-Shot: It’s actually Lost Dog: If Found, Please Return To The Underworld. It’s a Solangelo one-shot from 2 whole years ago that I never had the heart to take down because 7th grade me worked too hard on it.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Hadn’t Gone as I Planned is my only multi-chapter I still have posted (rip be more seuss, I don’t miss you), so it’s automatically my most popular hadfjh

Favorite Story You Wrote: I don’t post a LOT of my stories (due to just general lack of interest from anybody but me,) so my favorite story I’ve written is actually a one-shot dnd campaign called The Crown of the Elderwillow I wrote for my group of dnd boys. It’s tragic, and there are no happy endings and I loved making them suffer just a little bit.

How You Choose Your Titles: It’s either the very first or very last thing I do, and it’s never the same process. Sometimes it’s a song lyric, or just a line or something I was thinking of while writing, or just whatever sounds best with the story. Titles are the fucking WORST.

Complete: 6/7 that I have posted. I write way more than that, but I only post the fandom stuff. It used to be 5/7 but I just edited one of my old 1 chapters into a one-shot, so it became 6.

Incomplete: 1/7. Hadn’t Gone As I Planned is my only wip! Lord knows when I will finish it jhdfakj

Do you outline: Only sometimes. I mostly post oneshots, which don’t require much outlining at all. I like to outline for my BIG stories though (one acts, novellas, campaigns, etc.)

Coming soon/not yet started: I’ve recently gotten back into Super Paper Mario, and a buddy and I have been discussing a lot of after-game what if’s. So like... perhaps expect something from that. I’ll probably write more Taz G fics in the future too. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll post the one-act I’ve been writing for District Thespians if anyone wants it??

Do you accept prompts: I never have before, but I think I will! If you have a good idea, just shoot it my way! I’d love to get more fics posted on my acc.

Upcoming story you’re excited to write: A school friend and I were tasked with writing a one act musical for our school to preform at thespians for our senior year (in 3 years), and I’m SO EXCITED to get started on the actual meat of the writing for it. I have never written a musical before and it’s terrifying, but we’re really hyped.

#sheri's ramble hours #sheri’s ramble hours

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starshipsandsuperheroes · 4 years

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1) i accidentally unfollowed you while trying to send this ask, thanks tumblr ui 2) regarding top dnd moments: have you had any moments where you suddenly realize something big about your own character? or like, a moment that sticks out as when you realized that the character had really come into their own and was something more than just you playing the role?

1.) that’s hysterical omg

2.) Yeah I actually do, weirdly enough? (Also ty for indulging me on this alsdkjfasd ily) I’ve actually got one who this happens to all the time - she really kinda lives like, independently of my immediate intent, and I feel like I’m constantly surprised by her.

For those that don’t know her, the character I’ve played the second longest is a rogue assassin named Amelia. Her original name was Amelia Shepard, she started out neutral evil, and the only thing she really cared for was whatever it was gonna take to keep herself alive (yeah i went edgelord rogue it’s fine she’s working on it). Currently, she goes by Amelia Foster (Foster being our party’s “family” name, which is of import in the world of the campaign), she’s a true neutral character, and while she still prioritizes her own life, she’s been known to take a few more risks for the party.

I remember sitting in Denny’s with my party a few months into playing her and the DM looking at me and saying the words “I don’t think Amelia is capable of love.” At the time, I agreed with them, and as far as I could think ahead, that was gonna remain true. She definitely got away from me though, and without me noticing, started taking steps closer and closer to true neutral.

There are two moments that stand out in particular on that path - the Tetanus Orb Incident, and the Karl Marx Incident. It’s some of the most connected to a character I’ve ever felt while playing D&D, and I’ll detail them below a cut for anyone curious about what those were (to save dashboard space).

(also side note: it’s weird as shit in a very fun way to talk about my own pcs, because i feel like i usually end up doing so in a way where i frequently deflect to the rest of my party, so the last few days have been really interesting in reflecting on like, my own personal experiences dsjfalsdkfjas)

Curious about any of this? Come ask me about it!

The Tetanus Orb Incident came at the end of a rather weird session. We were playing in a room we’d never played in before, the majority of the party had been asked to leave the room for like a half hour and go sit out in the freezing cold hallway while the DM and one party member had a talk (in character about things we Couldn’t Know), and then we had come in and to make a very long story short gotten chased by a Rakshasa through a church while ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed Man played for literally two and a half hours straight in the background. For the most part, it was a really good time, it was just a lot of weird energy that ended up combining to, I think, set the tone in a very specific way.

We also had these things our boss had given us that, as far as we could tell, were little chalky orbs that could cause rapid onset tetanus. Amelia was the most bound to our boss, and also deals primarily in poisons, so she ended up carrying them. Generally the use seemed to be to put them in water and then cause rapid onset tetanus in everyone who drank of it.

There’s a scene that would pretty regularly play out. Our boss was a terrible person, and hated us all, but for various reasons had it out in particular for Amelia. We’d get back from a job, get a debrief, and the party would get into an argument with her. She’d snipe at them, they’d snipe at her, this would go on and she would get more and more agitated, Amelia would say one thing in contribution, she’d set Amelia on fire (long story), the group would get her to let Amelia go, she’d drop it, and we’d go our separate ways until she singled people out to torment individually. Sometimes she’d set other folks on fire to change things up, but it was a pretty cut and dry encounter we came to expect. That scene started to play out when we got back from the Rakshasa chase - Elle (our boss) was already agitated from the incident at the church, so it didn’t take her too long to get worked up.

This time, though, she didn’t outright target Amelia. It was sammygiddings’s Satomi that she turned on. The room was shaped differently than we would normally have to play, and the physicality of the scene had increased a bit - people were standing, and our DM as Elle was walking between people. They approached me in character and demanded one of the tetanus orbs. It was technically hers, so I mimed fake obliging. And then Elle told Satomi to open her mouth and moved to have her swallow it.

I was in motion literally before I realized what was happening. By the time I focused again, I was standing too, my hand on my DM’s wrist, knocking it away from sammygiddings’s face. At first I was embarrassed, because I hadn’t meant to get so into it that I actually, physically grabbed them to stop it, but the scene continued to play out without a word or anyone seeming weirded out. Elle ripped her hand away, tossed me back the orb, called me names, and all the other fun stuff we were used to from that scenario played out accordingly (hope she’s rotting in hell, even though I know she’s not).

It wasn’t until later that I realized that Amelia had moved, not me, and for the first time ever had put her own neck on the line for someone else.

The Karl Marx Incident was the final domino in the line that started after the Tetanus Orb Incident and ended in... well, character development very few saw coming. To make another very long story as short as possible, the campaign is an exercise in anti-capitalist theming, which is fucking delightful but also can get very dark, and one of the ways it got very dark was the sudden need to move around five million people out of one of the parts of the 50 million-person city when one of the powerful corporations tried to take over their part of the city via martial law.

Originally, the people in the area wanted to stay there and fight the corporation off, reclaiming the third level of the city as their own. We went to find them to either see how we could help or talk them into something better.

It probably would have been a good idea to let wizardcowpoke’s Junie do all the talking , in hindsight. The situation was far more of a setup for her to shine, and she was far more prepared for any sort of charisma skill check (especially at the time) as compared to my Bastard. I found myself talking before I realized quite what I was doing, though - talking to the people to convince them their ideas of reclaiming the space were bullshit.

The primary group affected were a union of what the city calls “divers” - the city tends to build on top of itself, and the divers were the ones that maintained the structural ruins that now acted as supports for the current “upper” city. The group working to take over their level? The corporation whose primary strength comes its monopoly on the train out to the desert. Amelia, before I even realized what she was doing, began to rally the assembled group. They were skilled, she reminded them, and they were survivors. Fuck UMIC. You’re stronger as a union than they could ever hope to be. Go out to the desert, to the mountains. Commandeer the train, start a new commune, and when you have the strength and resources to do so, build your own fucking railroad. Take their greatest strength from them, but be patient about it. You’ll wound them much deeper that way then trying to just kill every base level employee you come across. With wizardcowpoke’s help, as well as the rest of the party, we managed to convince them to try it the long way.

We ran into other problems from this, including a false hydra later down the line. But at the time? The session finished, and the DM took my character sheet for a moment, erased something, wrote something new on it, and passed it back over to me. My alignment had changed and I hadn’t realized it.

#ty for the question!!!#a very cool question and a fun excuse to revisit two of the wildest experiences i've ever had playing dnd #i've had several super impactful in-character moments where i felt really into it #but only a few where the character like truly developed without me noticing and these were them tbh #wizardsoup #ask

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mishahanyou · 4 years

Text

Leftovers from a DnD Oneshot

A little backstory: It was a murder mystery and my char, Rhys, was the widow. This takes place after they discovered the killer was the lover who had intended to share all the dirty secrets they’d learned during the night. It would have hurt people she cared about so she manipulated the warforge servant of her late husband to kill the widow and ensure silence.

The temperature of the room seemed to drop, which was a bit funny considering the bright and warm temperatures outside. Her gaze settled first on Egan's body; still and slumped over the counter, reminiscent of the many times he'd passed out with his brandy before. To her own surprise she did feel grief, but she couldn't truly ascertain what she felt she'd lost. Was it for Egan? Or was it the realization of just who she truly was to him in their ten years together.

Sparing a look for Blue Shield, though an automaton, there was an obvious sadness about him. For Merc's sake, she had no intention to abandon him here, but she suspected it would also serve to assuage her own guilt for using him as an escape.

As much as she desired, she didn't dare glance at Jaryax. There would be disappointment in his eyes that she couldn't deal with right now, there were more pressing matters. "Merc, we have a small estate here that should have been prepared for us, come with me darling." The boy seemed lost in his own thoughts and followed her without complaint. Honestly, she couldn’t blame him; he’d lost much in a short time and now that list extended to Blue Shield. A pang resonated in her chest; deep and resonate, as if the pit of her soul was speaking. ‘Not now,’ she thought; there was much to do and none of it allowed her time for an emotional breakdown. “Isn’t that always the case lately.”

She hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud until she noticed Merc’s glance from her side. “I-Isn’t what the case… Aunt Rhys?”

With a smile and a shake of her head she replied simply, “Just the inner musings of a war veteran.”

As they stepped through the bustling town of Fairhaven, Rhys felt like all eyes were on her. Like bugs crawling beneath her tan skin, scratching and biting to see what was underneath. It was, of course, her imagination; it was impossible for news to spread that quickly. Though it would spread soon, and they didn’t have much time to be ready for it. ‘A Twilight Murder on the Orion’, she could see the headlines now.

A glance at Merc showed the young boy was lost in his own thoughts; she could only imagine what he felt at present. Losing a parent, no matter how terrible they were or how well you knew them, it was sure to leave you with a scar of some sort. Though they didn't know each other well, he reminded her of her sister in the best ways and it caused her to wonder why the two had become estranged in the first place. She couldn't remember; nowadays, anything in her life prior to the war seemed like a hazy memory. A dream of happier and simpler times she would have given anything to return to.

Either their walk had not been far, or her musings had consumed her; but whatever the case, they soon arrived at the manor. Ornate, yet smaller than the Bakker family home, the manor still stood two stories high and was surrounded by a seemingly polished brick wall. Two manservants stood at the ornate black iron gate to great them, and bowed deeply upon their arrival. “My lady,” a half elven male gave her a nod before turning to Merc and providing the same. “The young heir, I presume… and, um… will the master be arriving later?”

“He… well… Father, um…” Rhys looked at the boy as he struggled with his words.

“Please just escort us in; we’ve had a long journey and wouldn’t like to be kept waiting out on the streets.” Her tone was firm and it seemed to jolt them to attention.

“Y-yes, right, of course. Right this way, please.” The human servant on the left took Merc’s bag while the half elven man she was speaking with took her own. Following them swiftly through the gate, they were lead through a garden filled with flowers she had chosen. Tulips, chrysanthemums, peonies; a melody of colors to replicate a wildflower garden but still consisting of some of her personal favorites. The path leading to the manor door was shrouded with low hanging trees whose branches were grown in the shape of an arch. The flowers lined either side of the stone path and split around a manticore fountain in the center. A tad overboard for her tastes, but in retrospect it highlighted how much control she’d never had.

Despite how long it had been since she and Egan had rested here, the manor didn’t smell stale, nor was it covered in the dust following disuse. Just as Egan would have liked, it was spotless and warm, as if they’d only been gone a few hours. “Vahn darling, could you-” Her words died in her throat when a glance to her empty side reminded her of their circumstances. “R-right… well, you, what is your name?” The human holding Merc’s bag seemed to jump when addressed but quickly smoothed the motion into a slight bow.

“Edward, my lady. I only started working here a fortnight ago.” The boy seemed maybe fourteen, and like he’d only ever encountered nobles like Egan. The knuckles gripping Merc’s luggage were white with fear and his posture was rigid. This boy was prepared to be screamed at and belittled for more things than he held control over.

“Edward, please be a dear and take Merc to the upstairs guest room and help him with whatever he needs. Darling, I’ll come find you in a bit, just relax for now.” Soon everyone would be clamoring to talk to him; about his father, his inheritance, and likely whether he would continue the ‘family business’. Rhys wanted to give him as much of a break as possible while she was able. He gave her a seemingly concerned gaze, likely wondering her angle or if she planned to go back to the guards without him. "Don't worry dear, I'm just going to update the housekeep on our journey, we'll visit him together." Merc still seemed unsure, but nodded anyway and followed Edward to go find his room.

Rhys wasn’t sure how long they needed to be here or how long they could afford to be here. The Bakker estate would be in an uproar once the news traveled, and House Cannith would be sending an emissary to speak to Merc. To say the least, the vultures would be out in full force, clamoring for a chance to influence the young heir.

The older half-elven gentleman, whose name she recalled to be Marquis, gave her a worried look and Rhys could only sigh. “Well, sit down, though I suspect a woeful response isn’t what I’ll get from you.” Seated in the manor sitting room, she recounted the basic details of their train ride in. As she spoke, she watched as his face remained impassive, but his eyes relayed the truth. There was no sadness in receiving this news, if anything the man seemed to revel in the news. As the widow, she felt that some part of her should be angry, enraged at the relief emanating from Marquis… but she couldn’t. Recalling the moment she’d first laid eyes on Egan’s body, the same faraway look and feeling of relief had enveloped her as well. Followed closely by the guilt, shame, and sadness, of course.

After she finished, she watched his face as he slowly processed the information. The wheels were turning, and she wondered if he was imagining how best to either curry his favor with her or Merc. She’d never been rude to any of their staff, but she’d never gone out of her way to protect any of them except Vahn. “Well,” Marquis finally said, “I am very sorry for your loss my lady. I know you and the master have been together for quite some time. Whatever you may need of us in this difficult time, we are readily at your service.”

Rhys smiled and nodded at the man before standing. “Thank you for such kind words, should I need anything, I will call. For now, please continue as normal. Merc and I will be leaving for a short while, but we will return in time for dinner.”

Marquis bowed deeply as he stood with her before offering to escort her to her room. She declined of course; right now she wanted a moment to herself… something she hadn’t truly had in a long time. Rhys slowly made her way up the stairs to the grand bedroom she and Egan once shared. An ornate gold and red design lined the walls with a mahogany border. A large canopy bed with deep red velvet curtains sat against the right wall in the middle of the room. A large window sat on the far wall across from the bed, and underneath it a plush window seat that already held a few books upon it. Against the left wall at the foot of the bed sat a writing desk, clear of any previous work save some blank paper, ink, and a quill.

Memories bombarded her as she stood there in the doorway; she’d spent too much time in rooms similar to these in the last ten years. In pure Egan fashion, they were all outfitted in various shades of red… which she hated. Red… an intense color, the color of passion… the color of blood. Many times she’d tried to reason with him, explain all of the hard times it reminded her of. Many times she’d tried and every single time he’d been too selfish to listen. A sudden fit of rage filled her, and without warning her feet brought her to the canopy as her fingers gripped the fabric and pulled until it tore.

Over and over; piece by piece, she ripped and clawed at the fabric until the entire outer covering of the bed was shredded. Heaving from the sudden exhaustion, Rhys simply let herself collapse onto the heap of fabric. Her very soul felt heavy and tears welled in her eyes; all the thoughts and feelings that consumed her made standing at the moment seem impossible. The elven woman sat alone in her room and simply wept.

She cried for a young woman who had loved a man so fiercely, though it was clear he’d never loved her in return. She cried for the people whose lives were ruined and sometimes ended, as she sat idly by and pretended not to notice. She cried for a boy she knew had longed for a good loving father, and all he found was a scoundrel and a cheat. And lastly, she cried for Jaryax, for a love that could have been, a peace she could have found, that had now surely been ruined.

Rhys didn’t know how long she sat weeping on her own, but there was something freeing in the loneliness and the silence. Her time in the war hadn’t afforded her this; feeling anything for more than a moment could have been fatal. Never had the phrase ‘war changed people’ sounded more true. A once young girl with dreams of justice and beliefs had turned hard and cold; her heart filled with hatred and jealousy. Now that she had the freedom to sit and think, she wondered how long it had been since she’d been happy. When she’d first met Egan, her love for him had overflowed. But it was this same love that caused her to turn a blind eye to his dark dealings and torturous games. She had been content to love him, but lying

to herself about his engagements pained her. Though it wasn’t actually her fault, the lives he’d ruined weighed on her, and she was sure that what she knew only barely scratched the surface.

Finally standing after what seemed like an hour, but was likely only 20 minutes or so, she stood and moved to stand in front of the floor length mirror. Her eyes were puffy and her makeup looked god-awful, but a strange weight had been lifted. The last time she’d cried like this had probably been her first encounter with death during the war. It didn’t fix everything, or anything really, but it was a start.

Using some of the ripped and discarded cloth, she wiped her face and tried to clean up the best she could. A quick change was in order, and without much effort she changed into some high waisted black slacks with a dark purple shirt that bared her midriff. Lastly she tugged on a black vest and leather ankle boots. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, the young elven woman hastily attempted to cover up her blemishes and took a few deep breaths before heading down the hall to Merc’s room.

She rapped softly on the door with her knuckles and waited for his affirmation before entering. Even though it was a guest room, it was just as ornate and over the top as her own bedroom, but she could see that Merc had already begun to put his own touches on it. A few used tools lay on the desk while an open bag sat just beneath it. Some wooden carvings lay on the bed in various states of completion. All of it was foreign to her, but it was a comfortable sight to see the boy quietly tinkering at his desk. “How are you feeling, darling?”

He hadn’t looked at her since she entered and she didn’t want to invade his space. So she quietly leaned against the door frame while he spoke. “Well… I’m not really sure. Conflicted, I guess?”

His response surprised her, but only because of the simplicity and honesty of it. “I must confess, for all my kicking and screaming I feel much of the same. Do you… mind if I sit?”

“Oh… please. I-I’m sorry about the mess. I needed to calm down and focus on something.” He glanced at her sheepishly before turning back to his work at the desk.

Sitting on the edge of the bed she chuckled lightly, “yes… I think your method of focus is a bit healthier than mine. I tend to become a bit… destructive, it seems.” He glanced at her then and she smiled, having no intention of explaining her recent behaviors. Instead she simply watched and studied him. The easiest feature to connect him to Egan was his hair color, striking and uncommon as it was. But his eyes were explicitly his mother’s… Morrigan’s… the reverse of her very own. Her heart ached to see them but warmed at the same time. “There is so much of you that is so much like her… more so than I think that you know.” There was silence again as she watched him before finally she glanced down and smiled. “You are only like him through blood and blood alone.”

Silence etched around them and Rhys wondered if she’d overstepped her bounds. “Thank you? To be honest, on the surface that sounds like a compliment… but at the same time it doesn’t feel like one. That man… Egan… he was still my father. There are… so many things that have to happen, and I’m left with more questions than before. I'm not really sure what to do.”

Rhys wasn’t sure what to say at first… or if there even was anything to say. She watched the boy quietly for a moment before her mind settled on a response. “We’ve only recently met Merc, but we are family and I care for you a great deal. If you’d like me to, I will do everything in my power to protect and help you. Especially cutting people; I’m very good at that.”

Still a bit apprehensive, Merc nodded to her wordlessly. “Less cutting, please. I’d like it if my remaining family weren’t operating around the law as well.”

Rhys smiled and chuckled a bit, “Fine fine. Just putting the offer on the table, you know. It’s what I’m good at, after all.” She stood and walked to the door, “I’m ready to go see about Blue Shield whenever you are. If you aren’t up to it, I can go now and you can just go visit him later.”

The boy stood up immediately and grabbed his cloak that was draped on the chair. “No, I have been itching to go since we left.”

Grabbing her own cloak, together they left the manor and retraced their steps in silence. Unlike earlier, she couldn’t be sure, but Rhys felt it was more comfortable than before. She felt Merc’s trust in her, however small, and had no intention to let him down. Remaining passive had never been something she was good at, but she knew her tongue could put them in a bad way if she wasn’t careful.

Reaching the guard house wasn’t difficult and it looked like information hadn’t spread too terribly yet. She noticed some stares from people who had seen her around from her previous visits with Egan, but thankfully no one seemed to be burning holes into Merc. Stepping inside made them no less invisible, but she was sure to cut a stern look at any wandering eyes before closing the door behind them.

One of the guards she’d met on the train luckily seemed to be leaving a side room as they entered. She opened her mouth, but he held a hand to silence her before the words were uttered. “Mrs Bakker, yes, I know what you’re here for. Please follow me.” His tone annoyed her, and unconsciously her hand went to a dagger she’d slipped into her belt. Merc noticed and grabbed her hand before she could reach it, forcing her attention on him. Thankful for his intervention, Rhys took a deep breath before following the guard further into the building.

She hadn’t intended to wage war with a guard, but she was annoyed and nervous and bladed weapons gave her a sense of calm and control. A crutch she wanted to rid herself of, but it would be a trying process and this was only the beginning. Without Merc’s light grip on her hand, she likely would have walked into his back as he stood in front of a door. It was solid metal with two bars across the front and she wondered if they’d confused Blue Shield with a wild animal. “It’s in here. It hasn’t resisted, but these are the types of rooms we hold all constructs in.” Rhys couldn’t see how this room was special outside of the door, but that likely meant there was magic involved.

He opened the door for them and they both stepped inside. The room was barren and dark, but there was enough artificial light for them to make out the figure sitting in the darkest corner. Merc walked with quick steps and she followed even as the guilt welled up and turned her feet into lead.

“Blue Shield! See, we came back to get you, just like we promised.” Rhys stood back and let Merc do the talking, but stayed close enough in case things went awry. She didn’t think that he would hurt her or the boy, but something within him seemed to break when he realized Egan was dead and even more after he killed Garen.

“I failed. I was supposed to protect Mr Bakker… but I failed.” The voice that always seemed so childish and chipper was now broken and hollow.

“That isn’t true! This isn’t your fault… a-and you avenged him. He would be happy to know you still fought for his justice. Right Aunt Rhys?” Merc looked at her with pleading eyes and she could only swallow the lump in her throat and move forward.

“T-that’s right. Blue Shield, this isn’t your fault. You’ve always done such a great job at protecting Egan… even me. And you know who could really used your protection now? Merc. Now that Egan’s gone, he’s the only living blood connection to him, and that will make people want to hurt him. I think Egan would have wanted you to protect his legacy, don’t you?” The automaton looked at her as if he were slowly turning her words over in his head. Honestly she had no idea if this angle would work, as far as she knew these beings only ever hold one master. Then again, she didn’t know much. Merc would probably be the expert in the room.

Blue Shield turned his attention to Merc and settled his gaze there as if thinking, torn between his original orders and the fact that his master was dead. “You are in danger Merc?”

“W-well, I don’t know. But there are things that I’ll likely have to do in place of father… and well, it could be dangerous.”

The warforged looked between the two of them at the door and then to Rhys. “Miss Rhys… will they let me out? They said I was out of control... that I’m dangerous.”

“I will see to it! I’ll make sure you come home with us, I promise.” It was the least she could do since she was half the reason he was here. Letting him rot in the cell would slowly drive her mad and likely a wedge between her and Merc. She turned her attention to the boy, “You’ll be alright here? There is a guard outside, and I won’t be far.” He gave her a nod and with a lingering look she left the cell. She told the guard outside that she was prepared to plead Blue Shield’s case, and it wasn’t long before they had her in a different room recounting the events. She told them everything, save information on Vahn and the ice queen, lest they become curious. Much to her dismay, they did ask about the cargo bay, but she claimed the acid had been knocked loose while they were searching for clues. It was believable enough, and they didn’t seem to be staring as if they suspected her lies.

“Okay Ms Bakker, since the only person left here seems to be Jaryax, I’ll just have his corroborate this story before we can confirm if it’s safe or fair to send that construct with you. Do be advised, even if this is ruled a case of defense, he will be under heavy watch and is not allowed to be left alone. Is that understood?” She nodded eagerly and waited until his back was turned as he was leaving before she flipped him off.

A short wait later the door opened and she felt her breath quicken as she and Jaryax made eye contact. Suddenly embarrassed and compounding her guilt, she looked away first as he was seated across from her. They took the barest hints of her explanation and gave it to the orc to embellish upon; which he did so without flinching. Rhys did her best to avoid his gaze, but every so often she would slip and find him watching her carefully.

She frowned at herself; what was she some blushing schoolgirl? Folding her arms, she leaned back in her chair and met his gaze with confidence she didn’t feel. His gaze was level and strong and it took everything within her not to flinch under the weight of it. “Alright.” The guard’s voice broke her trance and she jumped a little in her chair. “I’ll take this information back and we’ll let you know when something’s been decided.”

Rhys gave a nod but made no motion to move and instead let her eyes follow as the guard left the room. For a pregnant moment she avoided the orc’s gaze, expecting him to leave as well, but the lack of movement made her lose her will. His dark orbs bore into her as he sat with his arms folded obviously waiting for something. “Darling, if you’re waiting for them to bring us drinks, I’m sorry to tell you that kind of hospitality isn’t given here.”

As his eyes roamed over her she could feel him reading her soul… and she didn’t like it. “Actually, I am waiting for you to say what you actually wish to instead of whatever this is.”

Her eyebrows rose in response before she let out a bit of a chuckle and sat back down. “And just when did you decide you knew me so well?”

“Eh, somewhere between hour two and three.” Though she expected a smirk, his expression was steadfast as he surveyed her. “This is new, you running from something instead of speaking your mind.”

“Yes, well… a lot has happened in the last day. I’m… well I’m not quite sure what I’m doing, actually.” Rhys rested her forehead on the back of her hand a moment before glancing at Jaryax. “I’ve really screwed things up between us, haven’t I?”

The silence pressed on for longer than a minute and she turned her gaze away from him. Together they sat, but both were lost in their own turmoil. Finally the orc unfolded his arms and leaned forward to rest them on the table. “T’would be unfair of me to judge you too harshly. We both have things we feel guilty about.”

“Did you tell them?” Rhys didn’t explain but she looked at him and saw through the guilt on his face that he understood her question.

“No… I was torn. After the choice you made, I felt it… a waste? It isn’t like I want to lose all I’ve gained, I just want to do what’s right.” His voice grew softer towards the end and Rhys could tell he was still trying to convince himself that he’d made the better choice.

“I meant what I said before… starting over with you. But I think signing your life away for a reason like that is a waste. You’re better off without the stains… the faces. Everything you want to forget, and the fear that never shakes you.” A haunted look came across her face as the memories assailed her. Friends dying before her eyes, enemies appearing while they slept. She was covered in so many scars inside and out and filled with an unease she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. “I don’t look down on you for your choice, in fact I think you were quite brave to make it.”

He chuckled a bit and finally smiled in her direction, making her stomach flutter a bit. “Brave, huh? Well, I suppose that is nice way of putting it. So what now? You are free woman, with the boy around, what will you do?”

She scoffed playfully, “I’m always free, darling. Cages aren’t really my style. Though, you can tie my hands if you’d like.” She winked before seriously considering his question. “Merc is… I’m all he has left. And for my sister, I’d like to do right by him. I can’t leave him to the wolves Egan has left behind, so I’ll stay as long as he wants me to. However,” her voice took on a sultry tone as she moved from her seat to stand before him. “I’m sure he won’t mind if I take a train ride every once and awhile, yeah?”

Jarayx laughed and turned to her, glancing up with a smile as he rested his hands on her hips. “So, how far from the beginning were you wanting to start? My friends were never so forward.”

She rested her hands on his shoulders and took on a more serious tone. “I like you, Jaryax. I like the way you… well, conduct, for lack of a better term. I like your honesty and values and I want to pick some of it up for myself. Most importantly, I don’t feel like I need to be so afraid with you… like I can graduate from only carrying one blade instead of two.”

His smile softened then, but Rhys could still see there was something else on his mind still. Before she could even think about what to say, her ears perked up at the sound of footsteps. It would be best if they weren’t seen in such an intimate situation, so she removed herself from his grip and took her seat once more. It seemed like he misunderstood for a moment, but the door soon opened and his expression returned to an impassive one.

Their conversation wasn’t over by a long shot, but she surmised the rest was better had in private for a number of reasons. As the guard prepared to tell them the verdict, Rhys couldn’t help but think of how much there would be to sort through in the coming months. It would be a lot, and it would be incredibly difficult, but for some reason she felt it would be a step in the right direction.

#d&d #d&d original character #writing #writblr

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rocharyn · 5 years

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I have been posting this everywhere, but I don't care. I am excited by my new DND character, and am proud of what I have come up with for this boy. He is so, so lawful good.

History and personality is all under the cut so, read if you want.

Artax - Dragonborn - Silver Dragon of the Clan Clethtinthiallor (Unknown to Artax) - Paladin - Servant of Torm, God of Courage and Self Sacrifice

Artax’s earliest memories are set on the streets, no memory of his parents or any caretaker that raised him, besides that of the elderly Dwarf caretaker named Vistra in the orphanage. Artax was the youngest one of only three orphans that were located in the orphanage, the other two, a shy and friendly Tiefling named Mordecai, and an unruly, brash Halfling named Bree. The three were often teased about being orphans, usually ending up with Mordecai in tears, and Bree attempting to start a fight. Artax was always the levelheaded peacekeeper, trying to make sure apologies were given, and facts were set straight. Sometimes though, it meant he had to join Bree in knocking a few heads for Mordecai to get his apology. Artax liked following the rules, he preferred it in fact, but he would bend and break them over and over again, even re-write them if he could, to make sure his friends were free from harm.

Artax could not bear to see the sight of others, those he held close especially, being tormented for no reason. It brought his blood to a boil. Though he was born of scales, fangs, and claws, his heart was soft and his soul shone brighter than his silver scales. He threw himself into any disagreement just to be sure the outcome was fair, and just, taking beatings to allow others time to escape if needed. He, Mordecai, and Bree grew to be close, making their own family there in the orphanage. It was when he was thirteen years that he was coming back to the orphanage after making a run to the local market for Vistra, that his life was violently torn to pieces. Others were yelling and screaming, running in the direction of the orphanage, carrying water buckets. Artax cast aside the groceries he had been carrying, and pushed his way through the crowd to see the burning silhouette of the orphanage. Through breaks in the smoke he could see chains on the door, Vistra, Bree and Mordecai had all been locked inside, Artax rushed to the doors, and attempted to rip them open, burning his hands significantly.

It took seven others to pry him away from the doors.

As others bandaged his hands, he could do nothing but stare as the only home he ever knew burnt to the ground, with those he loved inside.

Since then he has had a severe phobia of fire.

As the years passed, Artax’s call to defend the weak grew more and more fierce and when he was old enough, he took the Oath of Devotion, and swore himself to Torm, God of Courage and Self Sacrifice, in an attempt to protect those who could not protect themselves, deliver punishment and strike fear into those who would choose to do harm for no other reason other then to enact tyranny and impose fear.

-Verily enjoys the company of bards, as he finds the music relaxing and comforting

-Often likes to find a quiet place in a wooded area to read a book

-Does not like waste, if he cannot finish a meal he will give it to someone in need, or some hungry creature

-Rarely ever curses, if he does it is usually in the wrong context, ie: “Well that is utter bullass!” or “Son of a damn!”

-Will not ever sit by a campfire, if invited he usually politely declines and sits in the dark, he is terrified of fire

-His hands are always bandaged, or covered with gloves as they are terribly burn scarred, and he feels ashamed by them as they failed to save his “family”

-Very eager to help those in need, to a fault

-Though he is exceedingly loyal to his friends, he will go into a frenzied state if fire is involved in anyway by any member of the party or enemy

-Has an incredible fascination with the ocean, though he’s never seen it, lves to read about it, hear stories, and hear songs and poems about it.

-Has a good singing voice, if he wasn't a Paladin, probably would’ve been a Bard

#DND #Dragonborn #OC #Artax #Paladin #Dungeons and Dragons

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sids-writings · 6 years

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My husband, the monster

Just something I wrote for a new dnd character. Totally unedited as usual.

The winds howled. The waves crashed over the ship. The frightened screams of a woman being thrown overboard were covered by the thunder. The water hit Lily harder than anything she had ever felt. The dress the sailors put her in quickly absorbed water and began to drag her down. The heavy choker they put on her prevented her from getting enough air. She struggled, but it was useless. Lily was doomed.

As her vision started to fade and her lungs filled with salt water, she felt herself being lifted. It felt like she was in someone’s arms. Her face burst up from the sea and she gasped. Someone had saved her. She went limp in her savior’s arms, the struggle of surviving and the water in her lungs was too much.

Lily awoke to the sun gently warming her. A heavy blanket made of some sort of plant covered her. Her body felt like it was covered in salt and she was naked except for the necklace the sailors forced on her. She was alone. Standing up, she began to walk around the room to get her bearings. Suddenly, a door slammed open.

Quickly turning to face the noise, she screamed. There stood a monster. He had the torso of a man, but instead of legs, he had the body of a snake. He was easily three times her size and looked like nothing she had ever seen before. Lily had been saved from the water only to be killed by a monster. Looking death in the face, she watched as it approached her. The monster held a bundle of something in his arms and handed it to her before leaving the same way it came. Unwrapping the package, she found a crude dress made of what looked like a ship’s sail.

Just as she finished dressing, the monster came back holding a large fish. He ripped off part of it and shoved it in her face. She refused to open her mouth, knowing that the fish was probably poisoned. Lily kept resisting as the monster kept trying to make her eat. Eventually, the monster gave up and left the room again, leaving Lily alone once more. Still exhausted from almost dying, she fell asleep on the warm bed once again.

Cold arms wrapped themselves around her and woke her up. The monster was sleeping next to her and had trapped her in a tight grip. Flailing around to try and break free, she realized she had woken the monster. He looked down at her half asleep and mumbled something about how she was warm and then immediately fell back asleep. Lily was unable to resist sleep and fell into an uneasy rest.

Lily woke up before the monster and started to think about her future. Would she be killed? Would the monster eat her? Or was she going to be kept as a slave for the rest of her life? Her family thought she had been killed and the sailors certainly thought she was dead. There was no one out there who would look for her. Tears started flowing down her cheeks as she realized how hopeless her situation was. The monster must of heard her, as he untangled his arms and tail from her and leaned over her. He gently wiped away her tears.

“They are all dead. They won’t hurt you anymore.” The monster softly said. Lily looked up at him, confused. He sensed this and added, “The men in the ship. The captain said you were for me. He called you a gift for good weather.” The monster snorted. “Who tries to kill a gift? It was disrespectful. So I killed them.”

Lily was shaking with fear after hearing that. She knew this monster could kill, but it seemed like he owned her now. He could do whatever he wanted to her. Thankfully, he could see her fear. He got off the bed and slithered over to a large body of water at the side of the cave. Disappearing for a few moments, he came back with another fish and some plants. Holding them out, he talked again, “You must eat. It will be awhile before another ship passes this area. When one does, I will bring you to it so you can return to your people.”

Lily was silent. She thought she was a prisoner, but this monster wanted her to leave. Walking over to the pool, she accepted the plants and tried to eat them. Once she at all she could stomach, she talked to the monster for the first time.

“Why? Why are you taking care of me? Why did you save me?” She asked quietly.

The monster shrugged. “I live a happy life here. Sailors will give me gifts, and I help them cross these waters. But never have they given me a life before. I am not a monster. I did not accept their gift.”

Lily leaned over to where the monster’s torso lay out of the water. Slowly and cautiously, she hugged him.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

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The days passed in an awkward silence. The monster didn’t talk much, and Lily was still afraid of him. The necklace still hung around her neck, leaving her feeling like she was being strangled. The monster would bring her food and small trinkets from the sea bed in an attempt to cheer her up, but nothing worked. There still had been no ships and Lily was starting to lose hope of being rescued.

One night as she climbed into bed next to the monster, she was hit by a bout of curiosity. If she would spend all her time with this monster, she should know something about him.

“Can I ask you something?” Lily said, staring at his chest. She was worried that if she looked at his face she would see rage.

“Only if I can do the same.” The monster replied. He sat up and adjusted himself to make sure as much of his body was touching Lily as he could. She had learned over the time she spent with him that he was dependent on others heat to live, just like the frogs back home. She got used to it, and started to find the contact comforting.

“Do you have a name?” She asked.

The monster smiled. “My people call me Socrose. I have heard your people call me the Northern Sea Serpent however.”

Lily gulped. She had heard stories about the Northern Sea Serpent for a while. It could control the storms and could chose if you lived or died on the seas. She never thought the stories were true however.

“I believe it is my turn to ask a question. How did you end up thrown into the sea?” The monster asked.

Lily shuttered as she remembered what happened. “My name is Lily Merryweather. My family is a well known family of tailors and some people wanted our money. They took me in the night and ransomed me to my family. My family paid them, but when they received the money, they enchanted a copy of me and sent it back to make them think I was dead. After that, they sold me to the sailors by telling them I was a favorite of the Northern Sea Serpent and giving me to him would turn him against their enemies.” She laughed. “I think they were lying.”

Socrose smiled. “I think they spoke some truth. You are my favorite gift.” He picked her up and laid down on the bed. “I will be out all day tomorrow. There might be more ships this time of year.”

As Socrose fell asleep, Lily was left thinking about what he had said. Her face began to get warm as she thought about how he said she was her favorite. She buried her face into his chest and fell asleep feeling happy for the first time in a long time.

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Socrose came back with the same news as always. There were no ships anywhere near them. It seems like the story of him attacking the ship she had been on had spread and people were avoiding his area. It had been several months since she was saved, and she didn’t know if she would ever return home. But as she spent more time with Socrose, she realized she cared less and less about going home. Her family thought she was long gone by now. Her friends have probably moved on from losing her. In Socrose’s cave, she didn’t have to worry about anything. At her request, he started gathering item she wanted and she began to turn his barren cave into a home. He would bring fish and sea plants home everyday, and she would light a fire in the pit she built to cook the food. After they ate, they would talk about all sorts of things. She was happy to find out Socrose was as interested in the surface world as she was in the underwater world. They would share stories of their childhoods and laugh about how they used to be.

Tonight was different however. He still had the same news and the same food, but his attitude seemed different. When Lily welcomed him back, his dark blue skin flushed and his fins and gills flared. Thinking he was sick, she reached her hand out to check his temperature. Socrose flinched at her touch and started talking abruptly.

“I have to leave for a few days. There is enough food for you and no one will find this place.” As he finished speaking, he slid back into the water and swam away.

Lily was left confused. He had never acted this way before. It didn’t seem like him. He was always so kind and gentle, but the look in his eyes just then made him seem wild.

She ate her food and crawled into bed, but without him it just seemed empty. The cave seemed bigger without him. She missed his arms pulling her close and his tail wrapping itself around her legs. When she first met him, she would of done anything to experience this. But now, she realized just how much he meant to her.

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A week passed, and then another, before Socrose returned. True to his word, Lily had had enough food and supplies to last, but she felt like she had barely been living the past two weeks. The familiar sound of him pulling himself onto the ledge they built at the water’s edge made her smile. He looked tired and weary, but he lit up when he saw her. Her heart raced. Socrose had always been guarded about his emotions, but the look he had just given her showed her everything she wanted to see.

Lily sat down next to him and dipped her toes in the water. By the surface it was warm, but she knew if she swam down, she would freeze. It amazed her how a man who couldn’t sleep without her body heat could handle that cold. Even sitting, he towered over her. Months ago, she would of been afraid of his size, but now she felt protected by it. She placed her hand on his webbed hand, and he didn’t move away.

“You look tired.” She calmly stated. “Come sleep. I’ll stay with you.”

Socrose smiled gently. “I don’t know if I can move. Let me rest here for a while.”

Lily nodded. Socrose looked relieved and laid his head on her lap. Lily blushed. They had been physically close before, but this felt more intimate. She stroked his face like he did the first morning after he saved her. His features were almost twice the size of hers and she knew that behind those lips sat rows of sharp teeth that could rip her apart, but he seemed human as he rested.

Lily knew she had to act. Leaning down, she softly kissed Socrose. His eyes slowly opened and he gazed up at her.

“What was that? Did I have something on me?” he asked puzzled.

Lily smiled again. She really loved this inhuman man. “No, it was a kiss. You give them to people you love.”

Socrose cocked an eyebrow. “You should of told me of this human tradition ages ago.” He said as he lifted his face up to meet hers.

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Lily grasped her husband’s hand like it was a lifeline. She had been on the surface with him for over a month now and was about to meet her family again, who she hadn’t seen for almost two years. When Socrose suggested she return to the surface to have their child, she refused to go without him, knowing she would likely never see him again. She loved him and couldn’t understand how he couldn’t see that she and their child needed him. It took awhile, but she managed to convince him to come with her. Lily had old friends who were able to create a charm to help Socrose look like an exceptionally large human. Lily was able to get in contact with her family and had traveled to visit them and introduce them to Socrose. Now they were just separated by a door.

Socrose leaned over and kissed his wife. Giving her a reassuring smile, he turned the doorknob.

#sids writing #no triggers this time around #lily #socrose

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