#tts the hollow project | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

noperopesaredope · 3 years

Text

Fics That I Really Like A Lot

So, I just wanted to make a post uplifting some really great fics I’ve read/am subscribed to or still keeping up with. I like to let people know about other creators, and I just wanted to mention some works I think people should check out.

(Note, this post was made on Sep 2, 2021, so when I say something is recent, I mean compared to when I made this post)

Tangled the Series Fics (Mostly Varian Fics):

Walls of Stone (Finished)

Varian and Whumptober 2020 (Series) (Finished) (Sidenote; I really like this author in general, but there is just so much great whump and extreme angst in this series! Says they are but a humble freshman, but I say they are a very skilled freshman!)

How Pneumonia Stopped a Stubborn Alchemist from Descending into Villainy (Finished)

Screw Treasure, I got Trauma (Finished)

Tangled One-shots (Series) (Finished? I Think?)

Voluntary Manslaughter (Finished)

I’ll Always Lend an Ear (Finished)

Drown Your Past, Burn your Future (Series) (Unfinished, but still going strong)

Scars of a Child (Series) (Unfinished)

Unrelenting Silence (Finished)

Where was the happily ever after? (Finished? Unsure)

All our Dreams (Down the Drain) (Unfinished)

Not All Falling Stars Grant Wishes (Finished)

Alchemy Lullaby (Series) (Finished)

Insignificant (Finished)

Second Chances (Almost finished)

The Pawn Decides Its Fate (Finished)

Unsaid Emily (Finished)

Today, Today (Finished)

The Pride in Your Eyes (Unfinished, but still somewhat new)

Monster (Finished)

You Are Enough (Finished)

An Alchemist’s World (Unfinished, but the first four chapters could definitely work as a standalone fic, so, in my eyes it’s finished)

Too Smart for Your Own Good (Unfinished, going strong)

To find the Sundrop (Unfinished)

There’s More in You (Unfinished)

The Science of Love (Unfinished, going very strong)

Season 2 But Gayer (Unfinished, going strong-ish)

On My Honor (Series) (Unfinished, going extremely strong with consistant updates)

A Prince and His Bodyguard (Series) (Unfinished, going strong)

Rocks, Wolves, and the Moon (Series) (Unfinished, going strong)

Return to Me (Unfinished, going strong)

Perilous Night (Unfinished, possibly discontinued, but worth a bit of the read)

Nomad (Unfinished, author is working on multiple projects, so IDK)

No Reward for Second Place (Unfinished, but fairly new and somewhat well updated)

Oath of the Lawbreaker (Unfinished, possibly discontinued)

New Quest for Varian (Unfinished, fairly new)

My Dear Son (Unfinished)

Insignificant (Finished)

Indentured (Unfinished, same author as Nomad)

Enter the mind, remove the sins (Unfinished, going pretty strong)

Darkness exists to make the light truely count (Unfinished, going strong. Updated about every month or two, with consistency)

Creeping Crystals (Unfinished, but going somewhat strong)

Blood of My Brother (Unfinished, going as one of the strongest in its fast updates)

Cyclorama (Finished) (Companion to Blood of My Brother)

Chemistry in Motion (Unfinished)

Away from Home (Unfinished)

Alone? (Unfinished-ish)

It’s just a mild inconvenience (Unfinished, possibly discontinued)

Gauze in the Wound (Unfinished, pretty consistent last I checked)

Blood Makes the Knife Holy (Series) (Unfinished, but each part could work as their own fics, and it’s still going)

A Progression of Events (Unfinished)

He Needs Me (Unfinished, going strong)

Or So They Though (Unfinished, going pretty strong)

The Long Road Back to Home (Unfinished, hasn’t been updated in a bit, but is pretty long and each chapter could take about a couple months to finish, and even longer if the creator is stuck/has other fics. Still worth the read)

The Road Home (Different) (Unfinished)

Reunion at Sea (Unfinished, going strong)

Elements of Angst (Unfinished, probably updated soon)

Arson (Unfinished, every time it think that maybe it’s been discontinued, it comes back)

Unconventional Family (Unfinished, possibly discontinued)

To find the Sundrop (Unfinished)

Wayward AU (Comic) (Unfinished, pretty consistent)

RWBY (Mainly Oscar Fics):

It’s Venomous (Finished)

Will you stand and be brave or be broken? (Finished)

Oscar Gets Himself a Coat (Finished)

Who You Belong To (Finished)

Imperfect Light (Finished)

Shell (Finished)

Blood on Both Hands (Finished)

Tell Me that I am a Fool (Finished)

If i believed in destiny i'd have to hunt it down and punch it in the face (Series) (Unfinished, can have the occasionally long hiatus, but the creator comes back)

Is Oscar okay? no but the answer is b (Finished)

Running From Memories (Finished)

Rescue Me (Unfinished)

Souls of Love and Bravery (Unfinished, relatively consistent updates)

Revert To Last Save File (but it's the wrong file) (Unfinished, but still going)

Broken Body and Souls (Finished)

Camp Camp:

David’s Family (Unfinished, possibly discontinued)

Horror Camp (A little too much child whump for me, but it’s very whumpy) (Unfinished)

Inconvenience (Unfinished)

Still Here (One of my favs) (Finished)

Hetalia (Mainly America and Canada Centric):

Recovering the Broken Pieces (Unfinished, possibly discontinued)

Hetalia 2020 - WWIII and more (Unfinished)

(More fics in the crossover section)

She-ra (Quite a few Kyle ones):

The Chronicles of Kyle (Unfinished)

Sunflowers (Finished)

She-Ra: In the Wake (Unfinished)

Princesses and co. work through their issues (Unfinished)

What is Heard (Cannot be Unheard) (Finished)

Long Way Home (Unfinished)

The Hollowed of Etheria (Discontinued. For now at least. Author might revamp it)

Hordak and the Orphans of the Horde (Unfinished)

Big Sis (Finished)

Ex-Horde (Finished? Pretty good on its own though)

Prisoner of Conscience (Unfinished, still going strong)

Tales of Arcadia (Mostly Douxie Fics):

The Immortal Bonds (Unfinished, going strong)

I Can Make RotT So Much Worse (Unfinished, going strong)

Not After 900 Years (Finished)

A Different Path (Finished)

Half-Remembered (Finished)

Shattered Timelines (Unfinished, going strong)

In the Fullness of Time (Unfinished, updated recently)

One Last Time (Unfinished, updated recently)

Tales of Arcadia Watch Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (Unfinished)

Crossover Fics:

Sold (TTS/HtTYD) (Finished) (Author is really good at angsty oneshots that should be made into full fics)

Varian’s Mysterious Transport (TTS/Infinity Train) (Unfinished, unexpected updates)

Of Rocks and Robots (TTS/Big Hero Six) (Series) (Unfinished, very consistent)

(Like the moon) I'll sway the tide and lead you astray (TTS/HtTYD) (Unfinished, haven’t read in a while)

Heathers and other fandoms react to stuff (Multifandom Crossover Fanfiction) (Unfinished, confusing update schedule, not every fandom gets much spotlight, still incredibly fun)

Chemistry in Motion (TTS/Big Hero Six) (Unfinished)

The Weight of Both Worlds (Hetalia/RWBY) (Series) (Finished) (My favorite fic ever)

Infinity (Hetalia/BNHA) (Unfinished, possibly discontinued)

G8 china in UA, 1-S class! (Hetalia/BNHA) (Unifinished, possibly dicontinued)

That Which Makes Up This Land (Hetalia/ATLA) (Unfinished, author is editing and reposting all their series, which could take about a year, but it will be back)

A Waterbending Quirk (ATLA/BNHA) (Unfinished, going strong)

Other Fics:

Earth is Odd Enough (Sanders Sides) (Unfinished)

UA Faculty Tiktok OCs (BNHA) (Webtoon) (Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63lWYueDsek&t=208s, she’s amazing) (Unfinished. The Tiktoks, on the otherhand, are very much still going)

Harry Potter and the Lack of Lambsauce (Harry Potter) (Finished)

Grinch x Tony the Tiger (You know) (Unfinished)

Flowey is Not a Good Life Coach (Undertale) (Finished)

It Wears a Mask (MCU Spiderman) (Finished)

A Different Fate (Harry Potter) (Finished)

A crack in the glass (eye) (ATLA) (Finished)

Identity Saga (MCU Spiderman) (Series) (Unfinished, author is very dedicated to fic and is incredibly determined to finish it, so highly unlikely to be discontinued)

Bakery Enemies AU (Miraculous Ladybug) (Comic) (Unfinished, going strong)

Authors I Like:

AquaQuadrant aka @aquaquadrant (probably know them if you’re in the Varian fandom. Ridiculously talented)

bethhigdon (in the TTS fandom and the Big Hero Six fandom, but also other stuff)

Cate_9xBlue aka @cate-9xblue (known best for their TTS fics)

Royalsciencenerd (Writes amazing TTS Varian fics)

HoneyxMonkey aka @honeyxmonkey (Writes TTS fics and talks a lot about Tales of Arcadia on their blog. Has some great ideas)

Sand_wolf579 (Has a large and varied catalogue)

ExploretheEcccentricities aka @exploretheeccentricities (Lots of TTS fics)

ShadowSnowdapple aka @shadowsnowdapple (RWBY Oscar fics that are amazing)

Widowfics (Great TTS writer)

AMax76 (Wrote the amazing Blood of My Brother)

violetsaren_tblue (has some great TTS fics I like)

Time Traverser (Excellent Hetalia America and Canada Fics)

Aloneintherain aka @captainkirkk (Just started reading their stuff, SO many excellent Spider-Man fics)

So yeah, just giving some appreciation for all the fic creators out there and their creations!

292 notes · View notes

konveeart · 2 years

Photo

Man pretends to eat yakisoba pan

I love Hijiyama x Okino soooooooooo much soooobbb!! I’m making a double-sided charm to celebrate TT v TT~ ♥

I was hesitant to begin this little project. Putting it on the side for a while now (along with many others..) but I knew thinking wouldn’t solve the problem.

I’m grateful to draw with friends. When I am stuck I tend to get more stubborn and I fear of becoming a downer, ending in avoid talking about subjects that could be discussed (and rob myself and others from having a potentially good conversation. But alas, I do not wish to ever be the main subject/ center of discussion). I’m finding ways to communicate by asking better questions. It’s still hard, as I have to train my brain to calm down and remember the goal instead of being full-panic mode, overthinking like help i’m drowning. I don’t want to put that responsibility to anyone, unsolicited or not ////////. Ahaha, it sounds as if I am putting another weight on myself, but I think it’s just like carrying a box that contains clothes. Carrying it is not convenient, but I have to- until I unpack it and see how to wear what’s inside.

That’s.. probably a bad example because who knows of these clothes suit me at all. It’s trial and error..

Anyway /////////o\\\\\\\\\\ I came a lil’ out of my shell and I think after hearing a couple of stories I realised I am overthinking it. Thank you for bearing with me, if you’re reading this TT_____TT♥ you know who you are..

--To the subject--

I’m not necessarily overthinking style yes I do, but I think it’s “time” that makes me freeze. I was processing this today while making Hijiyama bby here. I’m down to making two versions- what’s stopping me anyway-- and this is where the thoughts started to storm.

I am not used to making multiple versions of one thing. For some reason I feel like it’s a waste of time, but that’s because I have other things in the wait-list and I can’t wait to get there- but this will probably never be quenched, so why worry.. ..but I do. I think it’s another step I have to take if I want to get there (wherever there might be). I love the process of getting back in my comfort zone, I know I can do it with ease and fast. I enjoy the process more than anything, to the point of nitpicking details and picking, and picking and never letting go. I’m tired of tying myself to “a process” every time I try something new, as if “I need to remember or I fail”, even if it’s convenient. The weight falls again on my luck- alternatively: lack of skill- but I do not mean it in a way that I’m punishing myself for it, even if I do word it in such a way, because I do not yet know better. I know the result is going to be something presentable, but I’m also aware I run the risk of feeling empty again after it’s complete, and the work will be hollow. I can’t see myself there anymore. But I also don’t know what myself looks like-- with an exception that I am trying to ignite now. Maybe that’s my cue to slow down. This time, in art. I won’t tie myself to anything. I’ll use my tools to make it easier for me, not for the sake of being fast, but for the sake of capturing what’s in my soul. What we both need, even if sometimes we agree to disagree.

A marathon on it’s own, but I’ve already put my runners on and I’m packing water for the long ride.

#takatoshi hijiyama #13 sentinels: aegis rim #13 sentinels #sketchhh #a little journal entry too....#it ended up being a little longer oops #I TALK A LOT #time to place my hand in ice again EKEKE #wip

14 notes · View notes

varian-and-the-seven-skies · 4 years

Text

Cor Meum | Chapter One: City of the Sun

Synopsis: In a world of floating cities and steamships, Captain Rapunzel runs the fastest ship in all the skies. But this rowdy crew is not without its secrets—or its treasures— and Hugo, newly-hired, is ready to discover them all. Now if only Varian, the whip-smart lead engineer, would get out of his way.

A TTS & 7k AU of epic proportions, featuring cool fight scenes, steampunk machinery, and an inevitable romance. Written by @littlemisslol-fic and @izaswritings.

AO3 Link is here!

Fic Playlist can be found here!

Chapter One: City of the Sun

“Need a hand there, goggles?”

The voice, barely audible over the sound of welding and banging metal of the mechanic’s shop, draws Varian’s attention away from the chaos of the engine above him. With a beleaguered sigh he stares mournfully up at the greasy gears and other assorted guts of the machine. His eyes flick down to see a pair of black, perfectly polished leather boots waiting patiently near the edge of the suspended machine, and it takes more than a little willpower not to groan.

Varian grits his teeth. He does not have time for this. He only has until tomorrow to fix this stupid thing before the ship’s due to take off; he’s already been working on it for three days, and if he can’t get it running the Captain is going to flip.

The leather boots that Varian can see past the edge of the engine shift slightly, and Varian can feel more than see the light kick of someone else’s shoe against his own. The large silver buckles on the boots flash just enough to be annoying, and Varian makes a face. The voice drifts back down to where Varian has hidden himself under the engine, and it takes everything in him not to groan.

“Hey, can you hear me under there?” it says impatiently.

Varian plants his back a little more firmly on the rolling mechanic’s bed he’s lying on and pulls on the outer casing of the engine, rolling himself out from under the machine with a small grunt.

He slams his eyes shut against the sudden change in light, blinding even behind the protective lens of his goggles. When he opens them again he can see a tall figure leaning over him, blocking out most of the sunlight coming in from the skylights embedded in the iron ceiling of the shop. Varian cricks his neck, looking around in a last desperate attempt to ignore the person hovering over him.

The mechanic’s shop is certainly distracting enough, stuffed full of people just as grease-covered and irritated as Varian, all of them suffering together in the heat caused by welding and hard work. Made of thick stone and wrought iron, the large space offers room to spread out that you just didn’t get in airships, making it the best place for Varian to do his work with big projects like engine twelve’s sad, hollowed out corpse. Large windows dot the ceiling like stars, offering light and just the smallest hint of the blue skies above. The shop is, if anything, supposed to be a safe haven for the mechanically minded. People aren’t supposed to try and talk to each other, which is something Varian cherishes. Nothing worse than trying to piece together penny-sized cogs or a delicate engine part only to be interrupted by a nosey crewmate.

Which is why blondie being here is certainly quite the insubordination. Society has rules, damn it.

Varian wipes his gloves clean off his apron before pushing his goggles up onto the top of his head, linking his fingers and stretching his arms out towards the ceiling. He lets his arms flop back down with a sigh, and finally locks eyes with the person above him.

Varian arches a brow, and the blond’s smile splits just a little wider.

“I’m sorry?” Varian asks, not exactly friendly. By the Maker, he really doesn’t have time for this.

“I asked if you needed a hand,” the blond replies, a glint in his green eyes. He’s tall, is Varian’s first impression, tall enough that he’s likely got at least a head of height on Varian if they were to stand shoulder to shoulder. Varian would say he’s muscular, but there’s the sneaking suspicion that it’s really more the black leather coat that makes the teen in front of him look that way. Varian has employed similar tactics in the past; he knows the tricks. Get a big coat with a large, pointed collar and massive cuffs and boom, suddenly you’re twice as intimidating as you were before. It's a good coat, though, if a bit heavy for Corona weather. Shining silver buttons line the length of the jacket, and it has deep pockets that Varian can only assume are full of fun little tricks from experience. The silver continues on the blond’s vest as well, a trim piece of green fabric with polished silver buttons and a faint embroidery.

Blond hair, chopped in a rough undercut, frames the other teen’s thin face in an annoyingly aesthetic kind of way, held back from his face by the wire frames of the other teen’s circular glasses. Green eyes meet Varian’s own, and the blond smirks at Varian’s blatant staring.

In all honesty, he almost looks out of place, dressed up just a little too much to be skulking around with the grease-monkeys Varian calls his contemporaries. If anything, the quick flash of a silver rapier on the blond’s belt cinches it. Whoever this teenager is, he’s either from money, or pretending to be from money, both of which are irritating in their own way.

Varian bites the inside of his cheek, trying to find a way to reply politely.

“No, thank you,” is what he spits out instead, grabbing at the engine and starting to pull himself back under it. The blond’s heavy boot slams down on top, the mechanic’s bed jerking to a halt, and Varian’s teeth click uncomfortably together at the force of it. The engine swings a little dangerously from where it’s suspended between two large chains, holding it high so the underside of it is easily accessible. Varian stops mid-yank and glares.

The boy just smiles, annoyingly unphased.

“Aw, c’mon, goggles,” the blond says with that same irritating smile, green eyes bright behind his round glasses. “Isn’t that a little heavy for a tiny thing like you? Don’t you want the extra help?”

Varian huffs in offense, already done with this conversation. The shop’s agonizingly hot, even with the windows thrown open. It’s loud, dirty, generally rather unpleasant with the stink of grease and sweat, and though it’s the best place to work in the dockyard it’s still chaotic at best. Varian only has another eighteen hours to figure out what the problem with this engine is before they’re due to take off from Corona again, and Varian knows it’s his ass on the line if the work doesn’t get done. He doesn’t have time for some uppity asshole to think he knows more than Varian and try to upstage everything.

“I have a name, you know,” Varian says, coldly, looking the guy dead in the eye.

“Can I know it?” The blond winks at him. He seems to think he’s making headway.

“Nope,” Varian replies with a peppy smile. There’s a moment of shock, and that’s all he needs to yank his mechanic’s bed out from under the blond’s black boot, disappearing back under the engine.

Finally. Back where he belongs, the annoyance avoided. Varian scratches at his face idly, bringing his googles back down over his eyes, setting his mind back onto his work. He peers up into the open panel at the bottom of the engine, noting the interweaving cogs that should in theory be working by now. After the bloody pirate attack a week ago, engine twelve, or specifically this part of it, had taken a hell of a beating. The Captain had pushed her too far again, causing something inside to rupture and spew parts across the engine room floor like a geyser, and in turn Varian has spent the last three days desperately trying to piece it back together. Something is still wrong with it, though, and it’s driving Varian insane trying to figure it out.

“Come on, darling,” Varian mutters to himself, taking a wrench to one of the bolts. “Talk to me.”

He gets no answer. Instead a small plume of dust and grease spurts out of the machine onto Varian’s face, only just splattering onto his goggles instead of his skin. Lovely. He grits his teeth, reaching in to really give it a piece of his mind—

“It’s the bolt on the timing belt,” the blond pipes up from beyond the engine. “If you leave it as-is, it’s going to fall apart the minute you try to take off.”

…Oh. Varian looks up to the timing belt, tucked away neatly near the upper left side of the engine, and lo and behold, one of the bolts holding it in place is missing. Damnit. Varian peeks up through the engine, up to where the top panel’s been removed as well, and just catches a glint of green eyes peering down at him through the guts of the machine. There’s a minute of debate in him, how much does he value his pride? Enough to admit he was wrong to this irritating little—?

“Look, pipsqueak,” the blond says, his voice filtering through the cogs and gears. “I know machines. Just trust that I know what I’m talking about?”

Varian clenches his hand around the wrench, wondering how long he can go without committing murder. Maybe if he made it look like an accident…?

He rolls back out from under the engine again. The wheels make a protesting noise against the cobblestone floor. This time when he comes to a stop, he sits up properly, shoving his goggles back up to rest haphazardly on his forehead.

“Can I help you?” Varian finally spits. His ire only seems to encourage the blond, who grins.

“I mean, it seems like I’m helping you,” Green-eyes says, idly pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. How he’s dealing with the heat of the day in that giant coat Varian would never guess, but that’s besides the point. Varian rocks his weight a bit, thinking, the mechanic’s bed under him shifting with the movement. Decided, he finally pushes himself up to his feet, noting with irritation that the blond is, in fact, at least a foot taller. Scowl setting deep on his face, Varian turns away and kicks at the mechanic’s bed roughly, sending it rolling back under the engine for safekeeping.

There’s a chattering noise of gears and steam, and Varian feels a weight land on his shoulder. He only just adapts to the heavy weight of copper, steel, and brass, before he feels his first creation clambering for his attention. Varian absently reaches up to pat at the metal body of his pet, scratching at a place between the exposed gears of Ruddiger’s ears that he knows the little automaton likes best. Ruddiger coos out a puff of steam, settling his weight onto Varian’s shoulders fully, the automaton having jumped from on top of the engine. Aperture eyes snap open and close with content, breaking the glowing green light of Ruddiger’s eyes for just a second as the raccoon-shaped automaton purrs.

The blond lets out a little huff of a laugh when he sees Varian and Ruddiger together, green eyes flicking between them. He gestures to his eyes, biting his lip. “Look at that,” he says, grinning. “You’re twins!”

Sure enough, when Varian peers into the polished brass sides of the engine, he can see that his eyes are ringed with grime and soot, giving him a distinctly raccoon look. Varian scowls at his reflection, turning back around with an angry gesture of the wrench in his hand.

“If you weren’t right about the engine—” Varian begins to threaten, but the blond cuts him off.

“But I was,” he says with a smarmy smile. “Right, I mean.”

Varian can feel his eye twitch.

“You’re rightly annoying,” he grumps, crossing his arms. Ruddiger makes an offended puff of steam at the movement, digging mechanical hands into the shoulder of Varian’s shirt a little tighter. Varian grits his teeth a little as tiny claws dig into his skin through the thin fabric.

The other boy holds his hands up in an innocent gesture, head cocking to the side. “I know what I’m doing, all right? Let me help fix the engine.” Green eyes glow with mirth as the boy looks down at the engine again. “Because, clearly, you seem to need it.”

Varian scowls, his hands clenching into fists, fingers digging into the leather of his gloves. The wrench in his hand is temptingly heavy, but Varian simply grits his teeth and ignores the plots for murder, taking a deep breath. Instead he reaches up and over the engine, using the wrench to try and tighten the bolt on the timing belt one last time. It creaks a little dangerously, but Varian knows it’ll hold. He designed it himself, after all.

Ruddiger keeps an eye on the blond behind Varian, making curious noises, a soft clicking sound that mixes well with the quiet ticking of his clockwork heart. Varian has to use two hands on the wrench to get the bolt tight, giving it a few violent tugs. The blond is watching him—Varian can feel eyes on the back of his neck—but Varian steadfastly ignores him, either out of focus or spite… or maybe both.

Work done, he finally turns back around to the blond, stepping forward with a threatening gesture of the wrench.

“Look,” Varian says, pointing the wrench an inch away from green eyes. “I don’t particularly care for your tone, so—”

“Varian!” a third voice calls, and Varian stills mid-rant. Both Varian and the irritating boy next to him turn, locking eyes with a young woman—a familiar woman. Her grin is a mile wide, bright as the sun and twice as warm. Her purple dress swirls around her ankles, cinched tight at the waist by a black corset, with billowing sleeves of white fabric. Her green eyes crinkle when she sees the two of them turn to her, scrunching up the spattering of freckles on her face and wrinkling her button nose. She’d look a proper lady, she certainly holds herself with the decorum expected of one, if not for the pixie cut she’d chopped her hair into. It’s stylish, with shorter sides and a longer top, nearly defying gravity in the way it fluffs up from her head into a windblown wave.

Varian notes, with quite a bit of amusement, that she’s holding onto a pair of flats in one hand. Barefoot again, then. Classic.

“Rapunzel,” Varian sighs, dropping the arm holding the wrench back down to his side. He can feel the embarrassment of being caught picking fights seizing him. He’s eighteen now, he really should know better, and Rapunzel is nothing if not determined to keep him on the straight and narrow.

“Who’s this?” Rapunzel says with interest, her eyes flicking between Varian and the other teenager. The taller boy seems to stiffen under her gaze, which is unsurprising. Rapunzel is notorious in these parts, and in the dockyard especially. Varian rubs at the back of his neck in the presence of his Captain, and can feel his cheeks burn red.

“He was just leaving—” Varian starts to say, turning away from her to glare at the blond, but Rapunzel cuts him off.

“Oh, did you make a friend?” she asks, coming closer and leaning on Varian’s shoulder. It’s infuriating the way she’s taller than he is, even after his growth spurt.

“Sure,” Varian says through grit teeth. “A friend. We’ll call him that.”

Rapunzel brightens at that, and Varian can already sense the trouble on the horizon. “And you are?”

The boy shrugs. “New.”

There’s a pause, but Rapunzel pushes forward. “Oh! How are you liking Corona, then?” she asks the blond, her grin a mile wide at the thought of Varian having friends. Varian’s not sure if he’s offended or not, really.

“Loving it,” the blond says. “The City of the Sun could never disappoint.”

Varian wants to roll his eyes, but Rapunzel leans further onto him, putting more of her weight onto his shoulder in a silent bid for him to behave himself. He goes along with it—she’s typically right in these sorts of situations.

“Glad to hear it,” Rapunzel grins. “What brings you to our fair city, anyways?”

“I’m here looking for work, actually,” the blond says quickly. “Just got back from a contracted expedition to Vardaros, so now I’m on the hunt for another engineering job.”

Rapunzel’s face brightens, and Varian grows concerned. He knows that she’s been contemplating hiring extra hands for their next expedition, seeing how important it is, but there’s no way she would actually—

“Well, you’re in luck!” Her face splits into a wide smile. “We’re actually looking for a junior engineer, and any friend of Varian’s is a friend of ours. We’d be glad to have you aboard, if you’re willing.”

Varian’s face must do something funny, since Rapunzel’s full weight is near crushing him now. He tries to catch her eye, but she’s ignoring him with a grin. Rapunzel knows exactly what she’s doing and Varian can’t help but feel the slight pulse of irritation sink into his gut. She’s planning something, he thinks, glaring at her as she steadfastly ignores his gaze. Only the Maker knows what goes on in that woman’s head, honestly.

“Well, can’t say no to that,” Varian’s new most-hated-person says.

By the Maker, what did Varian do to deserve this? Has he really been such a terrible person to deserve this kind of treatment from the universe? Honestly, you’d think he was a horrible murderer in a past life for the kind of penance he’s paying in this one.

“Perfect!” Rapunzel crows with a clap of her hands. “Varian can show you how to get back to the Aphelion—right, Varian?”

“Yes, Captain.” Varian grunts, idly wondering if he could brain himself with the wrench in his hand in such a way that would guarantee he wouldn’t survive. Rapunzel doesn’t seem to mind, finally letting up on Varian and gently pushing away from him with one last squeeze of his shoulder.

“Alright, you two,” she says, winking to Varian as she leaves. “Just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing— I’ll see you both back at the ship! Play nice!”

Varian can’t help but feel like he’s been played.

If Varian had his way, he’d turn around and fire the blond here and now. Varian’s the head of the engineering section of the Aphelion— that’s got to count for something, right? In theory it should, but Varian knows that Rapunzel, as Captain, had final say in everything. If she wants to be a busy-body and force Varian to try and make friends, then by the Maker, it’s happening whether Varian likes it or not.

In this case? It is decidedly in the not category.

He turns to the blond, who looks back with a smug smile. Varian can feel his face scrunch up in distaste at it, and knows that the twitch in his eye is probably back with a vengeance. Ruddiger chirps with contentment on his shoulder, idly pawing at his hair in an attempt to calm his human down. It doesn’t work. Varian sighs, and finally sets the wrench down on a nearby table, jabbing a finger at the other teenager.

“I don’t like you,” is all he says. “But if Rapunzel says you’re in, then you’re in, I guess.”

That stupid fucking grin gets wider, and Varian wants to punch it.

“Who are you, then?” Varian asks, trying for more neutral territory. If they’re going to be stuck together for the next six months once the Aphelion takes flight, then he wants to at least try to work towards something non-hostile.

“Your new crewmate, obviously,” the blond shoots back, and Varian loses all sense of decorum at that point. There’s a beat of silence as Varian tries to reel his temper in, and another as he tries to relax his jaw enough to say something that won’t get him arrested.

“In that case, you should know that you’re speaking to your boss… mister junior engineer.”

The blond splutters, and Varian can’t help but give a little smirk of his own. Nothing better than reminding people of his position, the one he’d clawed for for years before Rapunzel finally gave in.

“Wait, what?” Varian’s new underling asks, going a shade paler.

“My name is Varian,” he says, the smirk growing larger and larger. He brings a hand up to the center of his chest, fingers splayed slightly. “Lead Engineer of the Aphelion, and your new boss. So, tell me, glasses.” Oh, this was so much fun. “Who are you?”

Green-eyes seems to know when he’s dug himself a hole he can’t climb out of, and for the first time there’s something other than an irritating smirk on his face. If anything, Varian would say he looks annoyed. The thought of finally managing to wipe that smirk off the blond’s face is delicious, and it does wonders for Varian’s mood. Varian sticks a hand out, much like Rapunzel had, and while the blond glares at it, he still takes Varian’s smaller hand in his own.

“Hugo,” the blond grits out, holding Varian’s hand maybe just a little too tight. It’s still worth it to see this boy squirmthough.

Varian waits, but the older boy—Hugo—says nothing else, and after a moment Varian draws his hand away. “Good talk.” That’s that, he supposes.

A pause, and then Varian shrugs and moves away, looking back to the engine. Screws in place, broken pipe replaced, timing belt bolted... it’s about as fixed as it can get. Varian reaches up and slams the top back down with a loud clang. Hugo jumps. Varian grins, and kneels down to lock the top back into place.

Ruddiger chitters in his ear, scolding; Varian shakes him off and straightens back to his feet, peeling off his gloves and shoving one hand back through his hair. Ugh, city sweat and oil. He can taste it. “Well,” Varian says, resigned. “Might as well make yourself useful, I guess. Help me push this back to the dockyard.” Hugo opens his mouth but Varian cuts him off. “And if I hear one more comment about my physical prowess—!” He pats the wrench twice with a sweet smile, the threat more than obvious.

Hugo closes his mouth. He’s grinning. By the Maker, even when he’s quiet, Varian can practically hear what Hugo wants to say anyway. This is already a disaster; what the hell is Rapunzel thinking?

He has a sudden and vivid flashback to her winking at him, and shudders without knowing why.

Ruddiger coos at him with a puff of steam. Varian tugs at Ruddiger’s ear in return, annoyed with the chiding—he knows how to play nice, thanks, why does no one have any faith in him?—and then walks to the shopkeeper, thus far ignored in the back of the workroom. “How much for the parts?”

He pays for the replacements and manages to haggle for a cart, and in a few minutes’ time he and Hugo have winched the engine down and rigged it up for transport. Varian braces himself against the cart handle and sighs. “Westside dock,” he tells Hugo, squinting sadly at the streets through the large double doors of the shop. It’s market day. The crowds are crazy. This is going to suck. “Pier 48.”

“You sure you know the way, goggles?”

“It’s ‘boss,’ actually,” Varian replies sweetly, and grins with all his teeth at the way Hugo winces. Hah. Varian could get used to this.

They exit the repair shop to a faceful of steam, and Varian coughs hard, waving the smoke from his face as he and Hugo shove their way into the crowd, the cart rattling loudly on the uneven cobble. Corona at midday is as bustling as ever, the city life in full swing. Whole families wander the streets as merchant carts and stores push out their wares; steam-powered bikes rocket past, their riders laughing high and bright. In the distance, Varian can hear the ever-present screech of the train whistles, the trails of steam drifting up from the stations. Above them, the sunlight warps and twists, broken apart by the furious rattle of passing trains and the railroad looping high above their heads in arches and spindly bridges.

Varian squints against the light and shades his face, elbowing Hugo hard to get his attention. The other boy looks almost lost in thought, staring up—his eyes tracking the trains as they pass, looking almost blinded by the sheer gleam of the city in motion. “We’re heading right,” Varian explains, raising his voice above the din, and waves his pocket watch at Hugo’s face, tapping the compass in the upper corner. “Come on.”

Hugo pulls his gaze away and follows, and together they push the cart through the streets, slowly but surely carving a path for the dockyard. When they finally break through the main crowd, Varian pushes them toward the side-streets, shadowy and empty and safe from wandering feet. If they hurry, he thinks, they might make it to the dockyard before the heat really sets in. He gives Ruddiger one last absent pat and starts to pick up the pace.

Hugo is slowing, though, trailing behind, and then for a brief moment he stops completely, hand slipping away from the cart. Varian yanks the cart to a stop, glancing back, ready to give the other a piece of his mind—but then he sees Hugo’s face. Varian follows his gaze, and closes his mouth. He understands now: in the break between the buildings he can see the whole upper half of Corona, the spires of the Sun’s temple and the curving arches of the bridges rising high over the city, shining bright and glossy in the sunlight. It’s designed to look like the sun crest, if seen from directly above—a tourist favorite.

“First time in the city?” Varian wonders, and when Hugo eyes him, just shrugs, Ruddiger chattering loudly on his shoulder. “You’re staring.”

“It’s bright,” Hugo says, dryly.

“And that would be why it’s called the city of the Sun.” Varian blows out a hard breath, trying to get sweat-soaked bangs out of his face. He plants his hands on the cart rail and starts pushing again. A moment’s pause, and then Hugo joins him. “But no, seriously, who are you? You’re already hired or whatever—” Damn Rapunzel for that, now Varian has to deal with this jerk for six months, “—but why are you even here?”

“Luck,” Hugo says, which is such an obvious lie Varian outright rolls his eyes at him. “Money. Look, goggles, I came here for a fresh start, so—” He gestures. “Let’s just not do the whole interrogation thing and say we did, okay?”

Varian presses his lips together, but lets it drop. As irritating as Hugo is—well. Varian understands fresh starts. And the money issue. If it was someone prying into his reasons, then…

“Fine, fine.” Varian says, and turns his head away, only just catching the way Hugo startles from the corner of his eye. He almost looks surprised, Varian thinks, but when he glances back again Hugo just looks as smug as ever, not even out of breath from pushing the cart. His hair is even still slicked perfectly back.

Maybe his imagination? Well, whatever; Varian hates it either way.

It’s not far to the docks, and Varian knows the path like the back of his hand; by the time the midday heat really starts sinking in (and Hugo, in that stupid leather coat, is noticeably starting to sweat—hah, serves him right), they’ve reached the edge of the city. It’s quieter here, the rumble of the crowd replaced with distant whistles and rhythmic banging, the symphony of a dockyard hard at work.

Varian heaves the cart to a rolling stop by the stairs, waving at Hugo to step back, and cups a hand around his mouth. “Xavier!” he shouts down at the shipyard, pitching his voice high. Ruddiger props up on his head and yawns, puffing steam like a smoke signal. “Send Cass up here, would you? I’ve got that engine part fixed!”

“Oh, wonderful!” Xavier waves back. “I’ll send her up— we’ll get it reinstalled right away! Grab Yong for me?”

“Where is he?”

“On the ship!”

“Got it!” Ruddiger crawls from his shoulder down into his arms; Varian cradles the racoon close—ouch, hot metal—and finally looks back to Hugo, humming. “Well, come on then.”

“Yong?” Hugo wonders aloud, as Varian makes his way for the ship. It’s in Pier 48 now, the main dock for repair work, which makes this a longer walk than usual. Damn pirates, punching holes in their ship— who did this Donella think she was? For someone with such a fearsome reputation, they’d gotten away pretty light…

“Xavier’s assistant,” Varian explains, clutching Ruddiger to his chest and hopping down the stairs two at a time. He hears a snicker, and whips around to glare. Hugo looks away, one hand covering his mouth. Varian narrows his eyes. “Xavier was that man down there, he runs the engines, and— would you stop laughing?”

“Sorry,” Hugo says, with a grin that says he isn’t sorry at all. “You were saying?”

“Okay, I’m not doing this.” Varian spins on his heel, ignoring him. “Come on, it’s just around the corner. She’s a little... battered right now, some hull damage, but we’re set to leave tomorrow— and I mean tomorrow— time is money with this next shipment, understand?”

Hugo smiles, leaning closer to Varian. “What’s so special about it?” he asks, one eyebrow raised. “Is it expensive?”

Expensive, one of a kind, irreplaceable—there’s a lot of words Varian could use for it. If the Aphelion’s last cargo had been valuable, this next shipment is near-priceless. “That’s on a need-to-know basis—” Varian says tartly, “—and until we’re in the air, you don’t need to know. Now, will you be ready?”

Hugo shrugs. “I’m ready to go now.”

Varian blinks at that, looking Hugo up and down. Even Ruddiger lifts his head from his nap to sniff a disbelieving puff of steam. No luggage, just the clothes on his back and the sword on his hip. “Um… you sure?”

Hugo’s smirk widens. “Aw. Worried for me, goggles?”

Ha-ha, nevermind. Varian pivots back around. “Nope.” He is not allowed to punch his new assistant. He is not allowed to punch his assistant. Rapunzel would be disappointed. There would be lectures. She would make charts. Not worth it. “Now, where is that ship—”

He ducks around the corner, stepping out of the way of horse and cart, and then, like the sun splitting the clouds: there she is.

Varian trails to a stop, annoyance already forgotten. He turns, for once wanting to see Hugo’s full reaction. If Hugo had blinked twice at the city, then… “Here we are,” Varian says, grinning now, pride bubbling warm in his chest. “The Aphelion!”

Hugo looks, mouth opening, and Varian can just see the rude comment he’s about to make—and then Varian really doesgrin, wide and bright and smug smug smug, because he can also see the moment Hugo loses all his words entirely.

Varian has always loved Corona, despite everything—the spiny skyline, the arching bridges, the whistling steam and winding roads curling up to the temple like a conch shell. Varian has lived in this air and breathed this city for all his life, and he loves it with all he is— but of all the places in the city, the dockyards, and the ships they harbor, are where his heart truly lies.

If the city is bright, then the dockyards are blinding. They sit on the very edge of the city limits, the cliff-face drop of the flying city. The copper paneling that makes up the dockyard decks has turned near solid-gold in the sunlight, and beyond that edge the whole world falls at their feet. Miles upon miles of dotted green farmland, blocks of gleaming metal towns, curving roads like man-made rivers. The horizon burns gold and blue, the distant silhouette of other flying cities dotting the landscape, poking out from distant clouds. None of the cities fly as high as Corona, of course—the cities of the Sun and Moon are meant to float above all the rest—but it still makes for quite the view. With other airships hanging in the sky, colorful backdrops against the full white clouds, the dockyards are most certainly a sight to behold.

But the jewel, Varian thinks with a smile, is his ship—Rapunzel’s ship—their home.

The Aphelion.

She’s a work of art, Varian knows, and she looks it, too. Aphelion is a whole three hundred feet of dark wood and solid brass, long and sleek and sharp as any blade. Her half-moon windows are stained glass and shining; decorative copper and silver wires wind down her front and all across her sides like trailing vines, or maybe wings, or maybe the unfurling edges of the sun. She’s got four sails and an envelope made of the best weave, the cloth of the balloon so thick it’s near impossible to cut, set to hold them afloat for nearly two decades even if the engines and the fires both die. A heavy copper turbine sits at her back; the sails, flapping loose in the breeze, are decorated in off-hand embroidery. She’s golden and shining in the sunlight—and it’s right, that Hugo goes dead silent at the sight of her, and Varian can’t help but grin. Because anyone who stops and stares at the Aphelion, anyone who goes breathless at their first glance… well, as annoying as Hugo is, he can’t be too bad, then. Not if he sees the Aphelion for the treasure she is.

She hadn’t always been this way, of course; she’d been a broken thing once, before Rapunzel found the shattered shell of a ship and coaxed life back into her. It’s Rapunzel’s way, after all, to find broken and trapped and hiding things, and bring them out to the light—but Rapunzel had asked Lance to do the tarp weave, and Varian had built the metalwork, and in the end, it was all of them, together, that brought the Aphelion to the skies, blinding and beautiful and larger than life.

Varian steps away and sets Ruddiger down on the cobble, still grinning wide and pleased at Hugo’s shock, and waves up to the small figures settled around on the Aphelion’s balcony. Rapunzel—standing at the helm with Eugene, Nuru, and Yong—looks over, and she leans over the railing to wave back. Her eyes draw to Hugo next, and even from this distance, Varian can see her smile.

Varian turns back to Hugo, radiating smugness. “Well?”

Hugo blinks fast and shakes his head. “Well,” he echoes. He shakes his head again, and then he gives a little laugh. “Well.”

“What do you think?” Varian presses, intent. “Isn’t she gorgeous?” And maybe Hugo catches something in that, maybe he can tell Varian really and truly wants an answer, because he looks at Varian, eye to eye, and then— he smiles.

Months later, this memory will stand out to Varian. Years later, Varian will look back on this day in the sun and finally recognize the moment for what it was. A beginning. And an end.

Their only warning.

It’s bright, the smile Hugo gives him. It’s blinding. But for some reason, something about it makes Varian falter. A chill runs down his spine. His mouth goes dry. Because there is something in that smile—in the curve of it, the sharpness of teeth—something about the way it creases at Hugo’s eyes. It unnerves him. It unsettles him. There is something about it that doesn’t sit quite right, and if Varian had known better, then, perhaps he could have read the smile for what it was.

But instead Varian looks away, feeling cold and not sure why, telling himself it is just the wind—and beside him, Hugo, his eyes fixed back on the ship—

Hugo smiles.

“Yes,” he says. “She’s perfect.”

#tangled the series #varian and the seven kingdoms #varigo #vat7k #hugo tangled #tangled varian #varian #hugo #rapunzel's tangled adventure #rapunzel #tts #rta #chapters #fic: cor meum

64 notes · View notes

supercasey · 4 years

Text

Since Tumblr is finally allowing you to pin posts, I may as well make an about/FAQ, seeing as I think my last one (if I even had one) is super old.

Name: Theodore JJ REDACTED

Age: 21

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Questioning (leaning towards Asexual/Aromantic)

Height: 5"1 (154.94 cm)

Birthday: August 28th

Things I Like: Writing, FPS games, video games, Pokemon, Digimon, my family, my friends, my gramps, tigers, cats and dogs, going on walks, swing sets, father-son relationships (platonic), car rides, road trips, drawing, watching True Crime stuff, being outside when it’s warm/hot out, ghost stories, etc.

Things I Hate: Snot, incest shipping of any kind, child abuse and/or r*pe being in fics without any fuckin’ warning, being guilt tripped into doing stuff, my dysphoria, writer's block, when I've run out of my will to socialize, yelling, overstimulation, bullying, etc.

Current Hyperfixations: ((These are the things I’m really into atm, but they change periodically; I’ll try to add/delete things as I go)) Team Fortress 2, Nomad of Nowhere, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, DC Comics, Deathstroke the Terminator lore/comics, etc.

Past Hyperfixations: ((These are the things I’m not as into atm, but they change periodically; I’ll try to add/delete things as I go)) Red vs. Blue, Teen Titans (OG Cartoon), Young Justice (Cartoon), Justice League (Cartoon), Stardew Valley, Villainous/Villanos, Sanders Sides, Overwatch, Halo, Destiny the game, True Crime, Fallout 4, FNAF, Hollow Knight, Minecraft, etc.

BYF/DNI

This blog does not want any interaction with the following; those who ship incest (this includes adoptive relationships), those who ship underage relationships, those who follow transmed/truscum ideology, those who follow TERF (Trans Exclusive Radical Feminist) ideology, those who are homophobic, transphobic, aphobic, or racist, Sla/din shippers (Slade Wilson/any of the Robins), Sp/ysco/ut shippers (Spy and Scout shippers, even if it’s for AUs where they aren’t related), any parent-child shipping whatsoever, MAPs (Minor Attracted Person), etc. ((I may not have listed everything, but that’s all I can think of atm.))

((FAQ under readmore))

FAQ

Writing Questions

Q: When did you start writing and what was your first fic? A: I think I started in late 2013-early 2014. My first fics were all Teen Titans related, and I think my first fic was a Monster AU for TT... It was very bad and posted on FFN, as were all my earliest fics/most of my Teen Titans stuff. Don't go looking for it, it sucks.

Q: What are your favorite fics that you've written so far? A: This is always subject to change as I continue writing, but my favorite long-term projects are "Aerospace Accident" for Villainous, "Paranoid Android" for Sanders Sides, and "Ground for Divorce" for Nomad of Nowhere, all of which are on hiatus, while my "Kid! Scout AU" is also a big favorite and still being worked on atm. As far as one-shots/completed works go, "Jeremy" for TF2, "Lost at Sea" and "Fish Food" for Fallout 4, "The Fallen Hunter's Lament" for Destiny, and "You'll be Fine" for RvB. I've got a lot of fics, y'all.

Q: Are you working on any original stories? A: Yes, I am! I have a few stories I’m working on atm, but they’re all very much still in progress. The two stories that I’ve made the most plans for are called “Balthazar the Almighty” and “Coming of a New Age”, though I’m not sure which will be finished first. Probably BTA, if I’m gonna be honest. Feel free to PM me if you wanna hear me infodump about complete and utter nonsense regarding these stories!

General Questions

Q: Can I message you if I’m suicidal/looking for guidance? A: I mean, if you want to, you can, but in all honesty most of my advice boils down to “You should really see a professional/get help from the authorities”, and most folk don’t seem to like that, so it’s up to you. I’m also a bit of a mess, especially with the quarantine going on, so I would recommend looking elsewhere for help. Sorry, I’m just not a great therapist.

Q: Can minors follow your blog? A: Sure! I don’t really post anything inappropriate, save for some rather lewd jokes, but nothing too raunchy. But be warned, I’m twenty-one.

Q: What other social medias do you have? A: Not a lot, if I’m being honest. I have a Discord, but I’m only gonna share that if you PM me asking for my handle. Other than that, I’m Supercasey2 on Twitter, Supercasey on AO3, supertheodore on DeviantArt, and that’s about it.

I think that’s good for right now... thank you for reading my FAQ, and have an awesome day, y’all!

#supercasey ramblings #faq #supercasey

12 notes · View notes

xxsaphira-chanxx · 4 years

Text

I'M FINALLY FINISHED WITH THE GIFT FANFIC FOR @stygiuscantus ! (Not the best but I tried, REEEEEEE-)

Do check it out! TT TT'

(This is inspired from their work, Somnus. Basically a Hollow Knight x Steven Universe fanfic.)

(Also I'm still learning how to share links here in Tumblr so uh, bear with me here-)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23984644

#hollow knight #steven universe #wormy boys #crossover #steven universe future #i am still practicing how to write fanfiction #and this one i just had to #i tried TT n TT #gift

13 notes · View notes

ticktockstuck · 4 years

Photo

(Sorry for having to answer your question like this but I had this saved in my drafts to work on it and this post was rendered into hot garbage whenever I tried to have a readmore AND edit tags onto it, thanks Tumblr.)

Yes, it’s an ongoing entry on my to-do list and they will, 100%, be done eventually. The design side is mostly done (Ardata and Marvus need some detailing and hashing-out but Remele and Lanque are done) and it’s the getting-their-art-done step that’s taking an eternity. To give y’all something to work with in the meantime:

Remele: Star-studded wordsmith with a versatile left hook.

Lanque: A body in full bloom makes a garden of roses, a bouquet of roses hides a banquet of thorns.

Ardata: A double triple combo, and an extra-large order (if not a tall one).

Marvus: Half the man he used to be, and now his face is only right twice a day.

I realize that “they’re coming eventually” is a sentiment that only gets more hollow the more I have to say it, so if I can get Real™ with y’all for a minute I want to briefly explain why it’s taken so long to finish up the TTS Troll Call (plus any other art-related projects here). For the benefit of anyone who’s satisfied with the above answer, I’ve put the rest under a readmore.

About a year and a half ago at this point, when I was still taking classes and the TTS Troll Call was winding down to where it is now, my mental health took a nosedive thanks to IRL events going on at the time. Some of it was short-term crises that have since been resolved, the rest was long-term problems I was struggling with beforehand escalating to a breaking point. The relevant side-effect of all this is that it became a lot harder to get art done because I was consistently unsatisfied with anything I was doing, assuming I could even build up the enthusiasm to work in the first place. The art trouble is one of the long-term problems I’m still trying to claw back from.

While this is certainly going to be alarming information for some of you, I’m not going to be answering follow-up asks about this. Your concerns are understandable (and more importantly, appreciated) but this blog isn’t the place for me to be talking about this more than is absolutely necessary (y’all are here for a Homestuck horror AU, not my own sordid life story). The more substantial reason, and what I hope the recent uptick in Things Getting Done™ is getting across, is that I’m just in a better place right now in spite of the some problems sticking around. I’m getting the help I need and even if anything art-related is taking an eternity I am trying, I am making an effort to keep TTS going just like I’ve been making an effort to keep it going in some form throughout all of these problems. The almost-300 of you aren’t here for nothing, so as long as I have something to give I’m gonna keep working to give you something.

Anyway there’s no chance any of the remaining quartet of Hiveswap trolls comes out before our 7th anniversary but you can reasonably expect them by the end of the year.

#responses to readers #tw: mental health?#i don't go into specifics but playing it safe

1 note · View note

gaealynn · 7 years

Text

TT/AU half-fic continuation

So Yoda explains that back on Coruscant he’d come to (from meditation? sleep? unconsciousness? death?) at the very same time that Obi-Wan had inexplicably come back to life on Naboo, and immediately packed up several members of the Council and a handful of healers and headed for Theed. He seems to remember/know everything that Ben remembers, and yet….

It’s not quite clear is what, exactly, all of this is. Have they shared a powerful Force Vision? Is it time travel? An alternate universe?

Yoda’s holding out for Force Vision, but Ben is honestly – pretty sure it’s not. At least not for him. Even just the time they spend talking together before Ben is too exhausted to continue makes Ben suspect – well, that he and Yoda have not had quite the same experience.

Yoda just seems… too whole, to be the same Yoda that had lived through the destruction of the Jedi order. Grieved, and concerned over what he’d seen, to be sure, but – not hollowed out and unmoored, the way that Ben still feels. The way the Yoda on Degobah had been. Yoda is a grand master of the Living Force, true, and the Force is indeed a powerful ally, but there are some things….

They’re not able to come to agreement on what has happened.

“Matter, it does not,” Yoda finally says, when Ben can no longer hide his mounting exhaustion, this young body still far too drained for an extended philosophical debate. “Knowledge, we have gained. Act on it, we will. But rest, you require.”

So Yoda leaves Obi-Wan to rest, and….

***

“…. Master Obi-Wan?” The high voice from the door, sometime later, was not a surprise. The surge of pure gratitude, verging on happiness, that swept through him at the once-familiar voice, however, was. Ben embraced it, the feeling uncomplicated and pure in a way he had nearly forgotten, and allowed a smile to bloom on his face.

“I’m not your Master, Anakin,” he corrected gently, and gestured the young boy into the room. “You should just call me – Obi-Wan.” And, ah, what a strange thing to say!

Anakin, impossibly young and wide eyed and Light, darted into the room quickly, casting a look over at Qui-Gon’s still form on his way to Ben’s bedside.

“Are you alright?” Anakin asked immediately, pressing himself anxiously against the high side of the medical bed. “Is – is Master Qui-Gon alright?”

“I’m quite fine, Anakin, and I believe that Master Qui-Gon will be, as well.” Ben answered, and chuckled at the wave of relief that immediately poured off the boy. He’d forgotten how much, and how strongly, Anakin had projected before he’d learned to hold basic shields.

“Master Yoda said that you would be, but I – I came every day,” this was offered somewhat shyly, and quickly followed up with an earnestly concerned, “and it seemed like you were dead! You’ve been asleep forever.”

“Six days is quite a long time,” Ben agreed gravely, and Anakin nodded fervently, still darting looks in Qui-Gon’s direction, hands twisting anxiously in the sheets at Ben’s side. Ben knew what he should do, according to the teachings of the Temple, and what he would have done – what he had done – when he’d come to know Anakin for the first time. But he was too old and tired, now, to chide Anakin over this heartfelt worry. Besides which, he had to admit to himself, he simply… did not want to.

“Why don’t you come up here?” He offered instead, shifting himself slightly to make room on the bed and patting the empty spot. Anakin stared up in surprise for only a second, then scrambled up, not even hesitating before tucking himself under the arm that Ben held up.

He looked so much like Luke at this age, Ben thought in astonishment. Who had been looking after him while he and Qui-Gon had laid asleep? Padme – or rather, now, Queen Amidala – surely would have seen that his needs were met, but the Queen couldn’t possibly have much time to spend with a little boy after Naboo’s recent crisis. And Anakin had just left his mother, whom he had never before been without, and was now on a strange planet…

Ben could not recall if he had found those circumstances so alarming his first time around, but he could not, in fact, recall much from those days other than the pressing grief. He suspected, now, that he’d been a very poor comfort to his young padawan.

“How have you been, Anakin?” He asked, when his study of the young boy had stretched on too long. Anakin, warm and bright beside him, did not seem to mind.

“I’m wizard,” The young boy declared immediately. Obi-Wan chuckled; perhaps his concern was misplaced. “I destroyed the droid ship and Padme says I’m a hero and I got to be in a parade! Uh, not that – I didn’t mean to leave the hanger, I swear!”

“Oh?” Ben asked, to cover his confusion. What? – ah, yes, Qui-Gon had told him to stay put.

“It started to fly on its own!” Anakin explained earnestly, “I didn’t mean to, but I just– I couldn’t not help! I knew I had to….”

“Your instincts do you credit, young one; the battle could not have been won had the droid ship remained functional.” Anakin brightened again, and beamed up. Ben hid his amusement; this was something that his padawan had never managed to shake, the desire for praise, and this honest reception of it was more charming than the somewhat arrogant preening that Anakin had taken to in his later teenage years. That thought, however, threatened to turn dark, so he shook it off quickly.

“And Master Yoda and Master Billaba are teaching me to meditate!” Anakin continued brightly, before wilting slightly and confessing, “But, uh, it isn’t going so well,” before hurriedly moving on, “and this morning, Master Yoda let me take apart his lightsaber!”

Oh, stars.

“That’s – extremely kind of him.” Ben managed, swallowing a laugh. How desperate had the old troll had been, to allow such a thing? Anakin was a far cry from the orderly children that Yoda liked to visit in the creche.

“Yeah, it was wizard! And, uh. I wanted… to ask…” For the first time, Anakin seemed unsure, twisting away, slightly, from where he’d been lying against Obi-Wan’s side, eyes downcast.

“You can ask me anything you like, Anakin,” Ben reassured, and Anakin bit his lip, but continued.

“I thought – this morning? It seemed like you were in the room, but you weren’t there! But I felt you!” Anakin insisted, eyes wide again. Ben frowned, and then realized.

“You mean this?” He asked, and reached out again; even though he was still exhausted, it was easier this time, with Anakin so close, to brush the happy content glad to see you against the boy’s mind. Anakin’s eyes went even wider.

“Wizard,” He breathed, and Ben didn’t even try to hide the smile as Anakin pressed back again, happy excited happy – although there was still that faint hint of confused.

“What is it, Anakin?”

“I thought – youdidn’tlikeme?” It was a quick mumble, Anakin’s mind pulling back from his own even as the boy cast his eyes back down to the floor.

Oh, Force. He’d been such an arrogant, young fool. And why was Anakin always so perceptive exactly when Ben wanted him to be oblivious?

“That’s not true,” Ben reassured hastily, heart twisting – had his own Anakin believed the same thing? Had their problems started even here?

“But you said–”

“I know,” Ben cut him off, “I know, Anakin. And I can only ask you to forgive me, for being very unkind. I was – I was afraid,” He admitted, “And I allowed my fear to control me. It is not the Jedi way.”

“So you do think I’m dangerous?” Anakin asked, voice wobbling, and Ben pulled him closer, tight against his side, and shut his eyes against a future that had already – and not yet – happened.

Did he believe Anakin was dangerous? All beings had the potential for darkness; he knew that now better than most. But to say that the bright, warm being in his arms was destined for the Dark? To throw away this Light, over the fear that Anakin might someday turn?

No. Ben wouldn’t do it. Even if Anakin were tempted, even if Anakin did Fall again – there would still be hope. Ben knew that now.

“No,” He breathed his denial into the soft blond hair. To himself, to Anakin, to the Force? He didn’t know. “No, Anakin. You’re not dangerous.” Not any more than any other Jedi. “I’m so sorry…”

He wouldn’t fail Anakin again.

***

Later, when Anakin had exhausted himself (describing the palace and the victory celebration and his new studies with Yoda and Billaba and, of course, Padme – oh, so very much about Padme) and fallen asleep against Ben’s shoulder, Ben let himself drift.

The Force was comforting, here, in the busy city of Theed; millions of sentient lives overlapping, a gentle, contented hum that smoothed out thousands of tiny, petty instances of disagreement and discord. So much more life than there had ever been on Tatooine.

Anakin, against his shoulder, so star-bright that it almost hurt to look at him in the Force, though it was only a fraction of the strength that Ben knew he would someday achieve. And across the room, Qui-Gon, his Master, that cool-warm presence, reminiscent of the deep forest…

Not his, Ben carefully avoided thinking, adrift in the Force, untethered among the great currents of a changing future.

Not his, but beloved, and precious. He certainly wouldn’t fail them again.

#so i’m working on this theory of a jedi force-bond-hive-mind #that even though they are supposed to shun strong personal attachments they actually form unconscious bonds all of the time #stronger between students/teachers and friends and work-partners who spend a lot of time together #but there even between jedi who have touched minds only once #starting from infancy in the creche when it's still natural for them to share mental space #before they’re taught to keep their minds apart and to only share deliberately #just tiny little connections that linger and tether them all together #so subtle that the jedi don’t even realize that they’re there #but it's part of what gives the jedi their incredible resiliency #what makes the temple such a soothing place for them #this huge mental safety net that says family and home and safe #what makes it possible for them to bounce back from mental damage that would ground any normal person #and ben?#ben does not have that anymore #because this isn’t his universe #and even though the jedi here are still alive #he’s on the outside of that safety net #not quite able to pinpoint what’s wrong but knowing that he doesn’t quite fit #that some kind of vital connection is missing #and oh shit #did anakin ever have that connection with anyone other than obi-wan?#coming to the temple so late after everyone else had already learned to shield #no close friends #never really working closely with any jedi other than obi-wan…#yeah that kid was probably wiiiiiide open to mental manipulation actually #and seriously dependent on obi-wan for his mental stability in a way that nobody realized #sw #sw:tpm #i guess i should tag this fic now

28 notes · View notes