Just a writer who posts things that strike her fancy (and occasionally a bit of fanfic). You can call me Val if you’d like. Female, Christian, pro-life, INFP-T. Asks are open—feel free to send whatever nonsense you please.
Hello everyone--welcome to my little blog! Here I just have fun screaming my nonsense into the void and occasionally writing things. I post a lot about Linked Universe, Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, Doctor Who (Tenrose specifically), Star Wars, The Wingfeather Saga, The Silver Eye webcomic, Final Fantasy, Austen, Louisa May Alcott, random books I'm reading... whatever strikes my fancy. Stuff about my oc’s and independent writing is under the tag “val’s ocs.” I keep a SFW blog around here, so please be respectful.
Fics:
I’m currently in the process of organizing all my one-shots and drabbles under the tag “scribbles.”As for long fics:
Joker and Ace — This is a NuWho spinoff fic following an aristocrat from the 1830’s and an amnesiac Time Lord as they gallivant across time and space. They will run into the Doctor and other companions eventually, but for the moment, this is all original characters.
Harry Potter and the Untitled Fix-It AU — this is more a collection of one shots and prompts that all exist within the same universe—basically, if I ever write something Harry Potter, it will (likely) be in this AU. James and Lily survive the attack on Halloween, Harry still has the scar, and he has a younger brother named Monty.
The Second Death of Jason Todd -- Jason Todd fanfiction that takes place seven years after the film "Under the Red Hood," with redemption arcs and Christian themes galore.
My AO3 is the same as my username, here’s a link if you can’t find it.
Also, this should go without saying, but do not feed my fics into AI. Thank you!
idk about you guys but I am doomed to always write out "bible study" even when I want to abbreviate it on my calendar or in my journal. all because of this guy
This is QUITE a silly thing to send an ask over but I am in the midst of my first Emma read and so very Vexed at present over the ferality with which I love and adore one F. Nigel Hawkes and your tumblr has been A Beacon Most Providential. (ferality of course not being a word but it Suits under the circumstances)
THIS IS TO SAY. Please persist in your Hawkes screaming. I am screaming alongside you
Awwww, thank you! That is entirely understandable—personally, I haven’t fixated on a character like this in a very long time, so it’s been quite the experience 😂. Will do! 🫡
a queen size bed is great because you can put the pile of clean clothes that you haven't folded yet in the empty space where you once dreamt another person would be
And sometimes he and Roaring Abel smoked fiercely the whole evening and never said a word, while Cissy lay in the hammock swung between the verandah posts and Valancy sat idly on the steps, her hands clasped over her knees, and wondered dreamily if she were really Valancy Stirling and if it were only three weeks since she had left the ugly old house on Elm Street.
🏰HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY TO THE BLUE CASTLE!
For the 100th birthday of one of my favorite books, I commissioned @sparemoon to do an art piece of Valancy, Barney, Cissy, and Roaring Abel. There were certain elements from the book that I wanted in the piece, and @sparemoon combined them all so skillfully and with the beauty and wonder that the book evokes, I could cry looking at this. I'm particularly thrilled that we now have art with Cissy and Roaring Abel, and more of Valancy and Barney.
The Blue Castle may sometimes be an overlooked little book, but it certainly now has a @dustpileofherown thanks to the fandom we've found here. 🩵
Modern day adaptation of the “all young ladies keep a journal” scene from Northanger Abbey where Tilney clocks Catherine as a Tumblrina after only ten minutes of speaking with her (there’s no other way she could’ve picked up those speech patterns) (he knows this because he’s been on Tumblr since Dashcon)
Catherine’s questions about John Thorpe’s taste in books are utterly dismissed and it instead becomes clear that he’s something of a film bro. He then proceeds to go on a fifteen minute rant about the genius of The Wolf of Wall Street and seems on the verge of showing Catherine his Letterboxd until Tilney intervenes by loudly proclaiming that his favorite Scorsese movie is his obscure 1973 mafia film Goncharov
Author’s Note: Here it is, at long last! The first chapter of a five part story, that takes place at the end of Dream Drop Distance. Starting when Sora falls asleep for the final time, it dives deep exploring the what-if, and takes unexpected turns. Be forewarned, if you’re expecting a canon-compliant story here, you won’t find it. However, if you love angst and hurt/comfort, this story is for you. There’s also bits of Sora/Kairi here, though you could see it as friendship if you wish. All written with love for KH and its characters.
I’m so excited to share this story with you all, so without further adieu:
Of Nightmares and Dreams and the Light That Binds Them
Sora fell further into the abyss, as a shroud of slumber surrounded him. The darkness followed, for it wanted the boy, now more than ever. But the boy was in sleep’s embrace: the boy could not fight, nor reach out. The darkness knew this as it chased him, further and further, until the boy reached the bottom.
The bottom was hard, like glass— stained glass, to be exact. Underneath the boy was a pillar, and emblazoned on it was a picture of the same boy, asleep. Thus this place was the deepest part of the boy’s heart. So deep, it was hard to wake from it—especially for one so worn down and hurt.
Waking up then, would be impossible. Dreaming, however, wouldn’t be, and thus the boy would sleep and dream…perhaps for all eternity.
But darkness wasn’t the only one who was watching. Far off in the distance was a light. It was small, not as encompassing as the darkness, but it shone brightly with all its might. The light fell from the sky, drifting down until it reached the boy. With a touch, and a burst of light, a suit of armor surrounded him, glinting golden in the light of the pillar. The boy now protected, the light retreated, drifting away.
A good play by the light, one must say. However, darkness would not be stopped so easily. For dreams are not safe from darkness, and it would chase the boy there, endlessly, threatening to consume him.
But the light knew this too, because it did not leave. Instead, it watched over the boy, like a star in a night sky.
The only one.
Chapter 1:
Deepening Twilight
Drip, drip, drop.
It was that pull again. Of sleep. It had happened so many times. In the middle of battle, flying through the air, or when he was almost at a good spot to stop…and then drop.
But this time it felt like he was being pulled under. And he was falling.
Down…
Down…
Down.
Was it like before? When he’d been with Riku?
Riku. Before he could feel a connection. But where was it now?
But then he felt…
Squish!
Sora hit something soft. He sunk into it. Whatever he’d been expecting, this wasn’t it. He pried his eyes open.
He gasped. "Huh? What?"
He was in his room, bathed in a golden light: the light of twilight. A glance outside his window showed him Twilight Town, in all its glory.
Wait…his? Casting his eyes around the room, Sora was sure he’d never seen this room before. Especially with a TV in the corner. Even if he’d forgotten what his room looked like in his absence, there was no way this was his. His mom had never let him have a TV, no matter how much he begged. She’d say, "You’ll never get any work done!" He’d protest, but deep down Sora knew his mom had been right. There was no way then this was his room. So why did it feel…familiar?
While he pondered, Sora got up and pushed the window open. He heard the sound of the tram as it clicked and clacked across its track, giving him a warm fuzzy feeling.
But then, all thoughts of nostalgia flew out of Sora’s head as something propelled through the window, bowling him over onto the bed. For a moment he stared cross-eyed at the newcomer, and then his eyes brightened.
"Rascal!"
Rascal was a Dream Eater, a creature that inhabited worlds that were asleep. Sora had befriended several of the creatures throughout his Mark of Mastery exam, and they varied in shape and skill. This particular type was Sora’s favorite of all: a tubby, pillow shaped creature, with both cat and dog characteristics. While it was afraid of fire, it had faithfully stayed with him through many battles. Now though, it sat on Sora’s stomach, trying to lick his face.
Reaching up, Sora scratched behind Rascal’s ear. The dream eater thanked him by turning its head and licking his hand.
"Hey, that tickles!" Said Sora laughing as he sat up, to much protestation by Rascal. "What are you doing here anyway?"
Rascal only tilted its head, as if asking Sora the same question.
"Yeah, I don’t know either. Anyway, do ya wanna see Twilight Town? It's a great place!"
Rascal jumped up and down, getting all excited. Sora couldn’t help but grin. "Then c’mon, boy!"
"And see up there? That’s the clock tower, where sometimes you can see someone eating ice—"
Sora paused, his head turning upward at the tower. He felt like someone was watching him from up above. Yet when he looked, there was no one there.
"Scratch that, Rascal," said Sora. "I don’t know why anyone would go up there and eat ice cream. Seems odd, don’t you agree?"
Rascal grew strangely quiet at his master’s words. Getting up on its hind legs, it seemed to look up at the tower itself. Sora couldn’t help doing the same.
"Wait, what!?" gasped Sora.
There, up on the tower, sat three shadowy figures, wearing black coats.
"There’s something familiar…" mused Sora aloud.
Then, inexplicably, the forms disappeared.
With a shudder, Sora turned to his friend. "C’mon, Rascal, let’s get out of here."
"Hey look, there’s Hayner, Pence, and Olette!" Sora exclaimed with Rascal close on his heels.
The two had arrived at the sandlot in the middle of Twilight Town. Hayner was kicking a ball up in the air, trying to keep it aloft. The others, Pence and Olette, were cheering him on.
"Hey, guys!" Sora called out to them, as he walked toward the trio.
But they wouldn’t look at him.
"Huh?" said Sora, as he stopped in his tracks.
Sora surveyed the scene, wondering why the others didn’t hear him. Then, a thought came to him. Lurching forward, he ran up to the others, but when they didn’t turn to him…
He reached out, and put his hand right through Pence.
"What?" Sora exclaimed.
Something twisted in Sora’s heart as the scene changed before him. The ball finally fell back to the ground as Hayner’s run ended. There were words of encouragement from the rest, though Hayner was grumpy he couldn’t do it longer.
Sora heard Olette try to calm ruffled feathers by suggesting ice cream. Hayner gave a grumpy "oh alright," as he jumped up at the idea. Olette chuckled as the three left the sandlot.
Sora watched them leave as something began to squeeze his heart. Rascal, sensing something amiss, bounded over and began to rub its head against Sora’s leg. Sora bent over to smile at his friend.
"Hey buddy."
But his tears betrayed him as they dotted the ground.
"Sure is quiet." Sora said as he walked through the center of town. "Usually someone is at least in the shops."
Rascal just bounded along, unbothered, sniffing this and that along the way. The two had turned a corner and down a side street when Rascal found a hole in the wall, the same one that led to a spooky mansion. Rascal stopped, sniffed, then bolted through the hole.
"Rascal!" Sora called out after his friend.
But Rascal had different plans, and didn’t return.
Sora sighed. "Oh fine." Grumbling, Sora followed his friend through the hole.
A hoot from an owl went through the air as Sora and Rascal entered the clearing in front of the broken down mansion. There was a flutter of bat wings as one soared nearby. Sora shuddered.
"Not much has changed," said Sora to Rascal as they stopped in front of the fence around the mansion. "But why is the gate locked? The last time I was here—"
At this Sora paused, remembering that weird day. He’d woken up realizing everything had changed, including himself. "The lock was broken, and you could walk right into the courtyard."
Still lost in his thoughts, Sora continued to stare at the gate. But then, before his eyes, a figure appeared—one who wore a black coat. The spooky specter proceeded to walk through the metal gate and toward him. Startled, Sora jumped back, and as he did, a voice went through his mind:
"Don’t call me and then lock me out!"
Turning, the form raised an arm at the lock and summoned a keyblade. Then, it disappeared.
"What’s going on?" Sora mused.
Rascal pawed at his master’s leg. Sora let out the breath he’d been holding. Reaching down, he pet his friend’s head.
"That was weird, wasn’t it, boy?"
Straightening, Sora turned to look at the locked gate again. With a glance at Rascal, he said, "I’ve made you wait long enough, haven’t I?"
Sora then summoned his keyblade, but Rascal leapt at the gate striking the lock, and the sheer force dislodged it and opened the gate. Rascal then came back, tongue out, panting and looking for his master’s approval.
Sora gave his friend a grin as he knelt down in front of him. "Good job, buddy!" Sora said as he rubbed the Dream Eater’s head. Rascal purred in contentment.
"Rascal, wait up!" called Sora.
The moment the two had entered the mansion, Rascal had taken off much to Sora’s frustration. "C’mon, little guy, can’t you let me catch my breath?"
Apparently, the little guy could not for it had led Sora up the rightmost stairs, through the library, and down into the secret lab underneath. It was here that Rascal finally stopped, right in front of the transporter into the data version of Twilight Town. With a chirp, Rascal jumped right in.
As the machine began to rev up, Sora called out, "Wait, Rascal, you’ll—"
Seeing no other course of action, Sora jumped in after his friend.
"Let us all welcome one of the keyblade’s chosen."
The voice, quiet yet menacing, filled Sora’s mind. With it came shadowy figures that crossed the platform in front of him. One was a guy with flaming red hair, the other a much shorter boy wearing a black coat with goldenrod-colored hair.
"Huh?" said Sora as the world blurred around him. Feelings of confusion and emptiness set in its wake. Sora’s knees buckled as he fell to the floor.
Sensing Sora’s distress, Rascal rushed to his aid. As it cast a cure spell, the Dream Eater nuzzled his way into the boy’s lap. Sora pulled his friend close.
"Thanks, buddy," said Sora as he buried his head into his friend's fur.
For a moment they stayed like that as Sora recovered his bearings. Sora wasn’t sure what it was that was happening to him, he was just glad his friend was there. Finally, he sat up, taking in his surroundings.
It was a white room, round in shape by the look of things. A round platform was in the center, with chairs of varying heights surrounding it. They were white, just like everything else. Some were so tall Sora could hardly see the top of them, while others were at his eye level. It was one of the lower chairs that captured Sora’s attention. There in a black coat was the same boy that Sora had seen just moments before.
"Roxas?" breathed Sora, as he finally loosened himself from Rascal, and walked toward the figure.
Roxas, or whoever it was, didn’t look at him. Instead, as Sora got closer, the figure began to shift into someone else:
A boy in red, with spiky brown hair.
A gasp came from Sora, as he stopped in his tracks. "Why am I…?"
While Sora hesitated, the chair began to rise. When it did, Sora rushed forward trying to reach himself, but the chair rose far beyond his reach.
"No!" Sora cried out.
Then Sora felt Rascal pawing at his leg.
"What!" Sora yelled in frustration.
With a couple of chirps, the Dream Eater ran off, clearly expecting Sora to follow.
"Rascal, where are you going?" Sora called after him.
Sora could hear the chirps from Rascal echoing down the long hallway. When he’d reached the end, he figured out where he was: the entrance to the Castle That Never Was. Out beyond the entrance was a deep void, which separated the castle from the city surrounding it. Once, he’d stood on the other side of it, wondering how’d he’d get across.
Rascal’s chirps and squeaks broke Sora out of his thoughts. His friend was jumping wildly, as if trying to get his attention.
"What is it, Rascal?" Sora asked.
But his friend didn’t calm down or look at him. Instead, he kept looking out, and Sora followed his gaze. There, across the void, was his best friend.
"Riku!" Sora called out.
When Riku didn’t look his way, Sora could tell that Riku didn't know he was there. For a moment the boy deflated, wilting like a flower. But then Riku’s Dream Eater buddy, a Komory Bat, flew across the void, creating a path the boy’s best friend could use in its wake. Relieved, Sora straightened as the Komory Bat perched on his shoulder, and began to nuzzle him.
Sora petted him right back. "Thanks, friend."
The bat creature chirped in reply. Sora smiled.
Then, the creature flew away and back down the corridor. Rascal, as if taking a cue, did the same.
"Wait, guys! Where are you going?"
Running down the corridor, Sora rushed after them.
It was the same round room again that Sora found himself in, the one with the pillar-like chairs and the round platform in the middle. Everything felt like it was made of stone, it was that cold and hard. And like before, a boy in red sat on one of the chairs, high above Sora, way out of reach.
Sora had followed the Dream Eaters there, yet the room was empty. There were no wriggling flashes of color bouncing around the room.
"Rascal! Where are you!?" Sora shouted.
But there were no chirps in answer. Deflating, Sora sighed, crumpling into himself.
A voice cut through the silence and reverberated around the room.
"Hands off my new vessel."
Sora’s head shot up at the sound, as the scene around him began to distort. Crackles, like noise from a bad signal, could be heard as images—people—began to bleed through.
The chairs around Sora filled, every last one of them. Most were indistinguishable from each other. All wore the same black coats that he associated with Organization XIII. A group of Nobodies, who, with the help of his friends, Sora had taken out.
Most had the hoods of their coats up, but some had them down. Sora could see Xemnas and Ansem, two he’d once fought to save the worlds and another, a youth, whose voice he’d heard earlier. The tallest chair was occupied--but not by Xemnas as usual. Instead the elderly man who appeared wore no black coat, so his face was clearly seen and it wore a conniving smile, directed towards the other tallest chair in the room. The one the boy in red sat on.
Sora watched, frozen, as the man stood and summoned a keyblade. Pointing its blade at his chest, he pulled out an orb from his heart. Sitting on the keyblade’s tip, the orb pulsed, giving out golden yellow light.
"You’ve done that to me once before!" a voice called out. "I’m not letting you hurt Sora!"
Sora spun around, as he knew the voice. There, standing on the platform, was his best friend, Riku, keyblade at the ready. Pushing against one of the pillar chairs, Riku propelled himself upward, trying to reach the boy in red.
But to Sora’s horror, a blur in black rushed at Riku, knocking his best friend back with such force that he landed back on the platform with an audible thud.
"No! Riku!" Sora called out.
Sora saw King Mickey rush to his friend's side. "Riku, are you okay?"
As Sora heard his best friend groan in reply, he had to look away.
There was a chuckle from far above Sora. "You think you can stop me? I think not. For though you are stronger than most, you have your weaknesses."
At this, Sora saw the elderly man set his sights on the boy in red. "Now, to take my vessel!"
The elderly man flung his keyblade forward, propelling the orb toward the boy in red.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Sora cried out.
Fear surging through his heart, Sora did what Riku had tried. Propelling himself off an adjacent pillar, Sora jumped, trying to reach the boy in red: himself. But while no one got in his way, he phased right through his own form. Landing gently on the ground, Sora could only pull his arms around himself, and watch helplessly as the orb quickly went toward him.
I’ve gotta hype up my friend’s fic for a sec: this is really good, everybody should read it!!!! For KH fans, it goes some really interesting places with the lore, and for people who haven’t played KH but are interested in learning more, it’s written in mind for people who aren’t familiar with the games!
Modern day adaptation of the “all young ladies keep a journal” scene from Northanger Abbey where Tilney clocks Catherine as a Tumblrina after only ten minutes of speaking with her (there’s no other way she could’ve picked up those speech patterns) (he knows this because he’s been on Tumblr since Dashcon)
