#LONG LIVE CHAPTER 61!!!

[lonleyhumanbeing]

Imagine how much courage it must have taken Baz to ask Simon to his house for Christmas. Like he has loved Simon consciously for about 3 years now, and right when they stop fighting for a moment, he asks Simon to hang out with him for 2 weeks, essentially. To help find his mothers killer, of course but also they can’t spend all their time on it.

I feel like we missed a lot of Baz’s character from not getting his thoughts and feelings before he asked and after he was rejected.

#carry on #simon snow series #rainbow rowell #Simon snow #baz grimm pitch #they take up all of my headspace your honor #there will be daily posts about them until I finish the series #LONG LIVE CHAPTER 61!!!

[isuckatwritingsobenice]

Infernal Shadows 03

Synopsis: Being one of the most powerful overlords in Hell, you like to keep up with colonies and overlord plans. Recently with the new extermination date out, you hold your annual gala sooner than usual. You hadn’t expected to get in the middle of the already heated feud between the Radio Demon and the head of Vox Tech.

Warnings: She/Her pronouns used for the reader, mentions of blood, voodoo?, Angel Dust being a horn-bag, Reader is referred too as Madame to the public. Vox and Alastor feud because I live for it. Carmilla and Velvet feud because I also live for that. I also really favor Zestial for some reason as a calm mediator.

Song for this chapter: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

A/N: Thank you all so much for your positive feedback & feedback in general on the last two posts!! I really didn’t think this would catch so much attention but I’m so glad people like it. For some reason Tumblr’s being weird and doesn’t want to let me tag certain people, I don’t know why but if anyone does please let me know because I really don’t like that ;/ But I hope you all enjoy this chapter!! Please note that some blogs cannot be tagged, so I recommend checking this post and to check your settings to make sure I can tag you! If anything I can always just message you when the next chapter comes out, and yes I am making this series longer :) it’ll also be posted on my Wattpad soon!

Word count: 3890

Taglist: @dollops-of-delusion @nebusokuxp @scrunchss @rosedasy @valluvz @chesstras @pishybowl @iaaeav @forgotten-blues @22carolina08 @roboticsuccubus83 @doflamingadonquixote @froggyferrets @frompeach @absurd-ash @sillysillyxinnabun @urdariingdoll @delectableworm @immahuman @justaproudslytherpuff @local-mr-frog @angeli-fucking-cat @coldsweetsenthusiast @jadekomaeda @iaaeav @coffeethoughtsandanxiety @lunalixya @pretty-puppy-stuffies @lemonrolls @asimplikeallyall @lunalixya

Navigation!! // Masterlist!!! // Serendipity Writes (event) // Part One. // Part two. // Part four.

Engaging with guests throughout the night had become an exhausting endeavor, and a part of you yearned for the solace of your absence. Nevertheless, you maintained the façade, acknowledging every sinner whose smile dripped with crimson mischief. Having greeted each guest, you discreetly slipped into a shadowed corner, your shadows enveloping your figure quickly, seamlessly disappearing from the expansive room in mere seconds and emerging into an intimate gazebo outside, meticulously arranged beneath the sweeping branches of a weeping willow, you marveled at its unique ambiance. Unlike the earthly counterparts that stood white, the willow in your realm bore a deep crimson hue, its leaves adorned with a subtle, luminous sheen. A gentle smile graced your lips as you leaned against the sturdy black iron railing, delicately cradling a piece of the weeping willow between your fingertips. In the distance, the grand mansion hosting the gala loomed, its opulence contrasting with the simplicity of your secluded retreat. Despite the awareness of etiquette dictating against leaving guests unattended, the need for a mental break led you to this haven, a safe space for you. Reflecting, you acknowledged a desire for better preparation and rehearsal with the shadows, realizing the repetitiveness of conversations with the familiar sinners had rendered the night somewhat lackluster. It almost felt like you had come out of hiding for nothing. Quite the disappointment.

You sigh, massaging your temples, the lace fabric on your fingertips only slightly soothing the growing headache. However, not too far behind, you hear the sound of soft grass. You straighten up and turn around, seeing none other than your long time friend Zestial, who just smiled, nodding at you.

“Why art thou out here all alone on this crimson night?” Zestial inquired, standing by your side with his back against the railing. You resumed your original position, taking a moment to appreciate his father. Mentally noting how much of your grandfather Zestial reminded you of, you kept the sentiment unspoken.

Tonight, Zestial adorned himself in an outfit resonant with his time period, preserving his distinctive color scheme. A dark, meticulously tailored coat with lime green accents draped over his slender frame, capturing the essence of his demonic class. The cloak, adorned with lime green spider webs, unveiled a mesmerizing display when unfurled—his lime green eyes radiating, the upper pair embellished with vivid red irises. Instead of the customary big top hat, Zestial selected a smaller, more appropriate hat with a touch of flair. Dark as the shadows you command, it featured a light grey patch at the front and was finished with a grey-colored skull and a lime green and red-striped feather on the right side, adding a distinctive touch that mirrored his nature.

“Why art thou out here all alone on this crimson night?” Zestial repeated, shifting toward you a bit. Yet you resumed your original position, savoring the quiet ambiance before finally answering him. “What shall we discourse upon during our repast this eventide?” Zestial asked. Though his wording occasionally posed a challenge for others, having grown up in a family of eloquent speakers, you easily deciphered his intent. Something he truly appreciated. Though he was learning to speak more ‘modern’, or as modern as he could be.

“Quite unsure of that. Everything is changing, and I fear I might be left behind,” you expressed bluntly. Zestial sighed in response, a mix of understanding and concern evident in his lime green eyes.

“Madame, thou art timeless,” Zestial said with a bow, his cup proofing into smoke. “I pray thee, vex not thyself o’er so trivial a matter,” he added, his words resonating with both reassurance and genuine care.

You nodded, handing him a card. His surprised expression upon finding two cards instead of one didn’t escape you. “What manner of thing is this?” Zestial inquired, prompting you to summon a shadow for yourself, knowing he would find his own means back to the Gala.

“Carmilla. I am no fool to the both of you,” you said, amusement coloring your words as Zestial shook his head.

“Thou dost astonish me on every occasion,” Zestial remarked, standing by your side as you walked into your portal. Two seats vanished, leaving four empty seats at your table and six occupied.

In your study, you floated scripts in front of you, checking off names on the table list for tonight. With a few overlords left to choose from, Alastor and Charlotte secured seats based on trust and connections. Vox, Zestial, and Carmilla, an unspoken but potent couple, promised intrigue. Reconsidering Velvet for her potential devolution, you weighed each decision with strategic acumen.

Valentino, the Von Eldritch twins, and other weaker options were dismissed, maintaining a careful balance of power and influence. As you weigh the option of inviting Rosie to the gathering, her unpredictable nature adds a layer of excitement and potential surprise to the upcoming discussions. However, this unpredictability could also introduce challenges, creating an air of uncertainty around her contributions. Hopefully with Alastor around, she’d feel more inclined to behave. You check her name off the list.

In considering Stolas, the Goetia prince, his personal issues and tarnished reputation pose significant hurdles. Divorcing from his wife, sleeping with an imp for fun, as well as losing control of his daughter on Earth, it all seemed too risky to get involved with. While his wisdom and influence could contribute positively, the shadows of his struggles may complicate the dynamics, stirring potential conflicts and requiring delicate handling. Someone might get out of line with a comment towards him. His power was incredibly useful, but not worth the risk.

Husk’s transformation from a former overlord to a bartender signals a decline in power and status. While his laid-back demeanor might bring a sense of unpredictability, his diminished influence raises questions about the relevance of his involvement in the current political landscape of hell. Though he was your friend, you needed to keep your reputation pristine.

As the you contemplate the overlords assets, a mix of excitement, caution, and uncertainty envelops the decision-making process. Each overlord’s potential positive contributions are balanced by the looming negatives.

“Madame?” One of your shadows materialized, prompting a nod for them to proceed. “There seems to be some trouble in the lobby between the guests. What would you like us to do?” it inquired. A grimace crossed your face, hoping the disturbance wouldn’t mar your night. “Let me handle it,” you declared, snapping your fingers, causing the script to vanish. The shadow nodded, blending back into a wall for you to step through.

Upon reappearing, you assumed the form of a taller shadow. The room surrounded by guests revealed Vox, Velvet, Alastor, and Carmilla standing in the middle. Zestial, seemingly composed, stood close behind Carmilla, observing the situation. Carmilla appeared visibly upset, with Velvet in proximity, a pointed finger dropping as soon as she noticed your arrival. Alastor maintained his usual wide smile, though it bordered on the eerie, revealing a glimpse of his gums. The scene unfolded, presenting a potential challenge to the serene atmosphere you aimed to maintain during the gala.

Everyone seemed to stop, slowly turning toward you to see your face. Except there was no expression, just the large shadow you had taken form of. In seconds the shadow disappeared, leaving you in the fog, the expression on your face anything but calm.

"Madame I-" Velvet began, but her words were halted by the sight of your lace glove, your hand rising to silence her. Approaching the overlords, you spoke with an air of cold authority.

"My quarters. Now," you commanded, and with a snap of your fingers, smoke enveloped your spot as you vanished. Shadows materialized around the overlords, guiding them to your quarters, leaving the stunned guests in the lobby.

"Well, that was interesting," Valentino remarked.

In your study, the overlords found you seated in your tall, black chair. Its ebony surface featured intricate carvings of black glass, elegant swirls, and patterns tailored to your essence, creating an atmosphere of undeniable authority and refinement.

"I hope you all had fun acting like children," you chided sternly. The overlords lined up, forming a unified front. Leaning against the right side of your chair, you crossed your legs, elbow on the armrest, pinching the bridge of your nose with a sigh. Annoyance laced your words as you questioned, "What did you feel the need to argue about now?" Before Velvet, Vox, and Carmilla could respond simultaneously, you halted them. "One at a time. I'd assume you all handle this like adults, if you even can." The tension in the room hung thick as the overlords awaited their turn to address your inquiry.

“She wants me at her table Vaggie! Me!” Charlotte said excitedly. Vagatha just smiled.

“That’s good! Now you can tell them about the hotel, and maybe someone will be interested.” Vagatha said, and Charlotte just nodded.

“Maybe they-“ Charlotte stopped, observing as people began to crowd around the center of the lobby. Charlotte and Vagatha stood from their spots at the bar to walk toward the center, where the overlords stood. Velvet and Vox were next to each other, while Carmilla, Alastor and Zestial were across. Carmilla and Velvet were face to face. “What’s going on?” Charlotte asked as Vagatha and her pushed their way through the crowds of people.

“Come on, Carmilla, always the mood-killer,” Velvet scoffed, a disrespectful tone tainting her words. Carmilla shot her a stern look, ready to assert her authority.

“Watch that tongue, Velvet. I will not let your insolence slide,” Carmilla retorted, attempting to rein in the escalating tension.

Vox, ever the smooth talker, chimed in, “Ladies, ladies, let’s not turn this into a drama fest. We’re all here for a reason.” Vox said, sternly giving a tight lipped smile to Velvet, silently telling her to keep her shit together.

Carmilla shot a glare at Velvet, who replied with a defiant smirk, “Drama or not, Vox, some of us aren’t here for the ballroom charm.”

Alastor, drawn to the brewing chaos, couldn’t resist adding his flair, “Well, well, a bit of spice never hurt a party, does it?”

Carmilla, unfazed by the chaos, spoke with a calm authority, “Velvet, your insolence is unnecessary. This is not a playground; it’s a gathering of overlords. Act accordingly.”

Velvet, seemingly undeterred, shot back with a dismissive laugh, “Poor Grandma, always trying to play the responsible one. Maybe loosen up a bit? Have a drink will you?”

Vox, ever the smooth talker, added with a slick comment, “Perhaps we can focus on the matters at hand. Save the theatrics for later ladies.”

Alastor, intrigued by the unfolding drama, simply grinned, “Oh the picture box has spoken! Quite intriguing.” The room continued to buzz with tension as each overlord, except Rosie, added their own flavor to the brewing turmoil. As the tension thickened, Vox, with a sly grin, couldn't resist adding his own slick comment to the mix.

"Ah, Alastor, the radio days were quaint, but it seems you're a bit outdated. Television is the future, perhaps you should tune in sometime," he quipped with a wink, the words delivered with a calculated smoothness. The room momentarily hung in a charged silence before the verbal sparring resumed, adding another layer to the complex interplay of personalities at the gala.

With Vox's comment about Alastor being outdated sinking in, the radio demon responded with a sly grin, sharp teeth on display, his eyes displays dials, as the rooms lights began to deepen, "Ah, Vox, your television endeavors are impressive, but remember, I'm not just audible; I'm unforgettable. A little screen time won't change that," he retorted, “This face was made for radio.” He said with a grin, tilting his head to the side, a sharp snap in his neck, his words carrying a mix of amusement and confidence. The verbal exchange between the two overlords added another layer to the already charged atmosphere, each comment becoming a piece in the intricate puzzle of conflicts and egos at the gala.

“See what you did grandma, now you’ve got the two of them fighting.” Velvet said, pointing a finger into Carmella’s chest. She scoffed, shoving her away.

“Don’t you dare get disrespectful on me you brat.” Carmilla said, beginning to heat up with anger.

That's when Madame stepped in, reappearing in the form of a taller shadow, casting a lengthened silhouette in the room brimming with guests. Vox, Velvet, Alastor, and Carmilla found themselves at the center of the unfolding tableau, and Zestial, seemingly composed, lingered just behind Carmilla, quietly observing the escalating drama. Carmilla's visage betrayed a hint of distress, her pointed finger lowering as she registered your reappearance. Alastor, with his trademark grin, bordered on eerie, revealing a glimpse of his gums. The unfolding scene disrupted the serene atmosphere you had meticulously aimed to maintain during the gala, presenting an unexpected challenge.

A hush fell over the room as everyone turned their gaze toward you, anticipating your reaction. However, your face remained expressionless, concealed within the depths of the large shadow you had taken form of. In mere seconds, the shadow dissipated, leaving you in a misty veil. Yet, beneath the calm exterior, a storm brewed, ready to challenge the delicate balance of the evening.

Now, here you all were, sitting in the study after Carmilla had explained the situation.

“Madame, with all due respect,” Carmilla spoke, looking down. “I truly do not believe Velvet is mature enough to be at our table tonight.” Carmilla said.

“Are you questioning my judgment?” You asked sharply, to which Carmilla stiffened quickly, shaking her head then.

”No Madame, I would never-“

“Then do not say foolish things.” You said. Sighing, you shut your eyes, feeling the weight of the situation. Tonight sensitive information would be revealed and Carmilla did have some point here. Velvet clearly could not hold her tongue.

”Vox, control your associate please, or you both will be cut from the dinner tonight.” You said finally, to which he nodded nervously.

“Of course Madame.” He said, nodding to you.

“I wasn’t finished.” You said, looking to Alastor.

“I want none of this technology talk either.” You spoke, staring at Alastor who just smiled with lidded eyes. You knew he was very much upset, but you had forbidden anyone to fight in your home, anyone but you of course. “You all will act like mature adults wether you like it or not. I am not your guardian, I should not be having this conversation with overlords who should know better.” You said, standing. ”Now, all of you, out.” You said, snapping your fingers. Quickly the shadows began to move, ushering everyone out of your study. Everyone except Carmilla. “Not you.” You said to her, Zestial nodding to you and her as he stepped out, giving you both privacy.

“Madame, I didn’t mean what I said-“ Carmilla said quickly. You waved her off, straightening yourself out.

“Nonsense Carmilla, I know you meant well.” You said with a stoic expression. You sit back down, crossing your legs and snapping your fingers to form a chair in front of your desk, ushering her to sit. “I wanted to speak to you about your weapons.” You stated. At this her eyes went wide, before dropping again.

“Oh, very well then. What would you like to know?” She asked. You grinned, before standing again.

“Well, how much would I need to give you for you to make me a personal bayonet?” You asked. She went silent for a moment, before answering.

“Nothing at all Madame.” She said, standing to look at you. “May I ask what for?” She questioned. You shook your head.

“No, just to have on display. I want a new one, the old one I have is quite out of style for me.” You replied. She just nodded, before you waved to her, sitting back down and summoning a script again. “You may go now, and please, do not argue with children.” You commented. She just smiled and nodded, leaving you to your own vices.

It was half-past eleven, five minutes till the midnight bells chime. Everyone in the lobby was beginning to get excited for the entertainment you had planned for the night. Oh, you knew you would not disappoint.

“Madame would like everyone to accompany her on a journey tonight. She has sent me to retrieve you all. She would like to formally welcome you to tonight’s entertainment.” The large shadow said, standing from the topic of the stairs. Behind it was a large portal. It stepped backwards, into the portal, and nodded for the guests to start coming through.

The custom-built coliseum stands as a testament to Madame's vision, a grand fusion of opulence and dark elegance. The circular structure boasts towering columns, but instead of conventional pillars, thick chains rise, intricately linked and serving as both ornamental decor and structural support. The arches, molded in black, curve gracefully around the circumference, evoking a Victorian Gothic aesthetic that permeates the entire venue.

Two larger-than-life statues of Madame herself flank the entrance, capturing her regal poise and adding a touch of imposing authority. The statues serve not only as decorative elements but as a representation of the gala's hostess, a constant presence overseeing the proceedings, she is always watching, all seeing, perfection.

The overall ambiance is one of grandeur and mystery, with the black molding on the arches casting shadows that play into the darker undertones. Every intricate detail, from the chains to the statues, contributes to the unique Victorian Gothic feel of the coliseum, matching Madame’s home perfectly, matching her perfectly. The venue, finally being unveiled to the guests, now welcomes them who are treated to an appetizer course, surrounded by the striking architecture and entertained within the darkly enchanting atmosphere Madame has meticulously crafted.

Numerous shadows, dark and formless, line the entrance walls, extending silent greetings to the arriving guests. Their presence adds an air of mystique and intrigue as they blend seamlessly with the Gothic architecture. As attendees make their way into the coliseum, these shadowy figures create an ethereal welcome, embodying the unique atmosphere of Madame's custom-built venue.

At a separate entrance reserved for the handpicked members of Madame's esteemed dinner table, a solitary shadow stands guard. This entrance, reserved for a select few, hints at the exclusivity and importance of those who will partake in the upcoming dinner. The shadowy sentinels serve not only as silent greeters but also as guardians of the event's secrets, casting an enigmatic allure over the gala.

A singular shadows escorts Charlotte, Alastor, and the rest of the overlords to the exclusive section, leading them to an elevator to bring them to the best seats in the coliseum. The elevator’s interior is a striking display of elegance, with white and black checkered flooring lending a timeless touch. The walls, enveloped in darkness, exude an air of mystery, while black, smokey glass engravings on the ceiling add intricate detailing that dances in the ambient light. Each number on the elevator, indicating the ascending levels, glows a vibrant red, creating a vivid contrast against the monochrome palette.

“Oh I’m so excited! What do you think we’re gonna see? Gladiators? Sinners fight? Oh actually I hope not, I don’t want people to die.” Charlotte said to Alastor. Carmilla just chuckled at her antics while Zestial eyed her with curiosity. Where did Alastor find such a girl and why the princess of all people?

The elevator stops at the top floor, revealing the opening in the middle, which was surprisingly covered with water.

“What is Madame playing at?” Carmilla questioned as the overlords sat in a row at the top. From there they could see everything and everyone.

“I am quite uncertain, yet my anticipation is stirred nonetheless.” Zestial said. The lights around began to dim, and shadows began to pour glasses of water in front of all the guests. Down in the middle of the coliseum was the tallest shadow, the one that seemed to be Madame’s favorite, since it always spoke for her.

“Greetings all. It is Madame’s pleasure to invite you all to the special entertainment tonight. Madame has put together some of hell’s finest performers for your entertainment tonight. I would like to present, preforming here tonight, The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra preforming Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61.” The shadow said with a bow, before it vanished just as quick as it came. Then, other shadows appeared, but this time they were different. They were people, performers, with clear outlined silhouettes, faces and expressions, even clothes.

“Hey, Al?” Charlotte asked, leaning over in her seat to Alastor. He let out a ‘hm?’ In response.

“Does Madame own those souls down there?” Charlotte whispered, but before Alastor could answer, a shadow had already cut in.

“Yes. All the shadows here, even yours, Madame owns.” The shadow said quietly, filling Charlotte’s glass cup with water. Charlotte nervously, perked up, but said nothing as she shadow carried on with it’s catering.

The ethereal notes of the music filled the air as the performance unfolded. Around the musicians stood ballet dancers, their movements a delicate poetry in motion. Clad in all black, the performers created a stark contrast to the dancers, who emerged with an otherworldly grace akin to figures rising from the depths of water. The dancers moved with an angelic fluidity, their forms intertwining seamlessly with the haunting melody, creating a mesmerizing tableau that captivated the audience. The visual symphony of black-clad musicians and the whisky-hued ballet dancers painted a scene of enchantment and mystery within the grand coliseum. Even down to the dancers, this had Madame written all over it.

Velvet's keen eye captured the essence of the dancers' ethereal movements on paper. With each stroke of her sketch, she depicted the dancers as if emerging from a watery abyss, the fog enveloping their feet creating an illusion of water flowing upward. The intricate details on her sketch paper brought to life the dancers' graceful forms, their figures seemingly intertwined with the rising mist, evoking the enchantment of a waterspout captured in a moment of sublime artistry. Velvet's artistic interpretation added a layer of depth to the performance, transforming the ephemeral dance into a tangible and captivating visual narrative.

Water had begun to swirl, the dancers moving around it, the water getting taller and taller, similar to the way it had when you had first made your entrance at the beginning of the Gala. Now, it was water, and from Charlotte’s seat, she had struggled to make out what was going on. She turned to Alastor to see him holding a pair of opera glasses in his hand. Without you having to ask, he tapped the armrest of her seat. Charlotte turned to the side to see a pair tucked neatly against the front of the armrest. She grabbed them quickly, before looking through them and at the waterspout now forming in the middle. Her jaw flew open, as well as the loud screech of Alastor’s track playing. Vox had short circuited, and Carmilla gasped loudly. Velvet stood silent, but there was evident confusion on her face, while Zestial sunk into his seat, conflicting emotions flowing through him.

“Madame- she’s-“ Charlotte stuttered, and Alastor nodded, swallowing thickly.

“With an exorcist. I know.”

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin alastor #alastor x reader #hazbin charlie #hazbin angel dust #hazbin vaggie #hazbin demon #hazbin vox #hazbin hotel rosie #alastor #zestial hazbin hotel #yandere alastor x reader #yandere alastor #yandere vox #yandere vox x reader #hellaverse #isuckatwritingsobenice infernal shadows #isuckatwritingsobenice

[fallloverfic]

I know not everyone has read the Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer's Bible, but there's an interesting section I think even some folks who did missed when it comes specifically to Mithrun and what he can and cannot do in re: taking care of himself. Spoilers for the manga. (And obviously to each their own headcanon, but I'm just looking at what's in the canon text)

On p.73 of the Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer's Bible, there's this bit of text in Mithrun's character section, "Even though he has no desires, he still has routine habits, so he can handle everyday life on his own. However, when he's in a dungeon, he tends to neglect things like eating and sleeping." Nowhere in there does it say anything about him needing help to bathe or go to the bathroom. We know Cithis is assigned to look after him (so that he "doesn't collapse during missions." (p.82)). We know from Daydream Hour that he at least seemingly needed help to bathe while he was recovering. It's possible he's since gotten over this and can do it on his own (one targeted focus of Milsiril helping him was to get him to keep himself clean).

Another note is that while Cithis does kind of leave things vague when asking Kabru to "see to his needs" (p.144, Volume 9, Chapter 61), the only thing she specifically tells Kabru to do is make sure Mithrun eats. Kabru is the one who takes it a lot farther. And while, yes, carrying Mithrun to safety and making sure he rests properly is a lot more than feeding him, it's also not "make sure he goes to the bathroom regularly". You could argue Cithis was just being delicate or they didn't have time... But still. Cithis didn't say this. She just says, "Until we do, we'd like you to see to his needs. Food in particular! Three meals a day. If you feed him properly... ...we'll overlook this incident." And this matches what the Adventurer's Bible says. In the Cithis comic in the Adventurer's Bible, the only things we see Cithis telling Kabru to do are: eat, sleep, and switch out his clothes. While the clothes thing is kind of a question mark (and probably a joke), again: the only things we really see him having an issue/getting help with are really eating and sleeping properly. Principally, while it's clear he does need more help than just someone to feed him... the things we see Kabru do are adjacent to his eating and sleeping properly. Mithrun doesn't register a need to rest or eat, so he doesn't sleep or ask for food until he collapses. He's unable to sleep without aid (and a foot massage, to my knowledge, does not solve "uncomfortable but ignored need to go the bathroom"). And he generally tends to overuse his magic until he collapses. He doesn't like... collapse because he just forgot to go to the bathroom for too long. Nor does Kabru seemingly indicate that he smells.

Additionally, what does Cithis say when Mithrun is using his magic a lot on floor one: "We'll have to make sure Captain Mithrun eats soon. Once we're finished here, let's get some food in town." (p.146, Volume 8, Chapter 55). Again... all roads lead back to: he forgets to eat and sleep properly at least some of the time, and his comrades have to keep an eye on him for that. But that seems to kind of be it.

Where I think folks might be getting confused is in trusting Kabru's estimation of things a bit too much, and I do understand why. After all, he's the massage feet guy! He kept them alive (with Mithrun's help)! He helped Mithrun choose to live on! He knows his stuff!

...But that doesn't mean that Kabru is always right. In fact, he's not right a number of times in the manga (e.g., when he's describing Past!Mithrun in the Adventurer's Bible, or when he's trying to convince Laios to wait without explaining what happened to Marcille).

But let's start at the beginning: the one set of panels where it's left sort of open-ended whether or not Mithrun needs help to remember to go to the bathroom:

(I personally imagine Mithrun just going along with it in the end might be due to the fact he's exhausted to the point of collapse, and just generally goes along with what other people want in these situations so long as it doesn't endanger his mission, such as with Cithis and Fleki)

I just think it's interesting it never seems to come up anywhere else that I'm aware of (even Daydream Hour doesn't show the caretakers going to that level of care, though I imagine he would at least need help getting out of his bonds to go to the bathroom), nor do we see how this specific scenario - Kabru literally dragging Mithrun out of bed to go to the bathroom while Mithrun protests he's doesn't need to go - turned out. The scene literally fades to black while they're running; not that I'd expect Kui to draw Mithrun doing his business or Kabru forcefully encouraging him to, but it does still leave it more open-ended than clear-cut. You could argue that because bathroom stuff grosses people out a lot (though I've seen shounen mangaka draw it so it's not like it's unheard of), bringing it up once and only once and solely for a gag works, but also only showing this much and not bringing it up again makes sense as well, so the fact that it isn't clear-cut + isn't brought up again doesn't necessarily mean that Kabru was wrong in his belief that Mithrun needed this help, so much as it's practical storytelling...

But also it still leaves open the idea that Kabru was wrong. Because while Kabru is often right about things, he isn't right all the time (especially when he panics). And one of the notable times he was panicking about something, Mithrun was the one who slapped him to his senses.

(I mean part of it was probably revenge for Kabru knocking him out at Sissel's home earlier but the point still stands). This isn't even the first time Mithrun calls out Kabru's wild imagination: it's technically the second/third.

Also as astroloquacious pointed out in the notes: Kabru's role model for caretaking was Milsiril, who was notably overbearing. Specifically before he is thrust into working with and then looking after Mithrun, he recalls a memory of Milsiril being overbearing in her caretaking of Kabru, and how he would rather stay in Merini with its dangers than return to that life. He probably internalized some of the stuff he disliked about her. And if Milsiril, who is a lot older than Kabru, can get stuff wrong about his needs, then who's to say that Kabru doesn't get stuff wrong about Mithrun's needs?

tldr; Believe what you want about this aspect of Mithrun's lifestyle. Not showing a thing doesn't make a heavily implied thing untrue. But I think the Adventurer's Bible is pretty clear. Also, according to the complete Adventurer's Bible, it seems Pattadol is still helping him a little post-Merini, and he's clearly not averse to having a helper (e.g., Fleki). I just don't think it's necessarily factual that Kabru is right in that Mithrun needs this level of care/attention in this particular area, particularly outside a dungeon.

#delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi #kabru #mithrun #dungeon meshi spoilers #delicious in dungeon spoilers #manga spoilers #dunmeshi plays a lot with truth and implication and reading between the lines #and I enjoy that a lot #I honestly enjoy the idea of exploring this aspect some caretaking involves #but I also hesitate to say that it's genuinely something Mithrun needs a caretaker for #especially with the info in the adventurer's bible #fallfthoughts

[afreakingdork]

Weak Spot - Chapter 61

RotTMNT Donatello x Reader

EDIT 4/30/24 DUE TO A HATEFUL REMARKS THIS CHAPTER ART HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY REMOVED

Warnings: Aged-up Turtles, Romance, Meet Cute, Villain Donatello, Cussing, Crushes, Xenophobia, Fear, Intimidation, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, Love, AFAB Reader, Vaginal Sex, Sex Rough, Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Creampie, Teasing, Scent Kink, Sexual Tension, Breeding Kink, Multiple Orgasms, Cunnilingus, Fellatio, Marathon Sex, Somnophilia, Bondage, Feral Behavior, Feral Donatello, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Public Sex, Dom Donnie, Human/Turtle Relationships, Turtle Noises, Roleplay, Sexual Roleplay

Synopsis:  A love story of villainous proportions! Though it hadn’t come easily, as these things rarely do, you found yourself in a whirlwind romance with a handsome and mysterious mutant. His idiosyncrasies had been easy to ignore as attraction grew into something more. However, will love endure when the unknowns about him end up being far darker than you ever considered?

Fem!Reader References/Warnings Below Cut

Also available on Ao3

First 💜 Previous

Fem!Reader References/Warnings: hospital stay, vomiting, healing, mental breakdown

You were exhausted by every definition of the word. As long as you were awake there was something there vying for your attention and it left you drained. From healing to tests to visitors, occurrences were all around you. Sleep came in inevitable spurts and felt like your only respite. Consciousness was a thing to be dealt with as much as you wanted otherwise.

Your friends came in pairs.

Your ex-roommate, Coral, had apparently shown up more than once while you were unconscious, but upon seeing you, eyes open for the first time, she burst into her first actual tears. It left the two turtles always in your presence a noticeable speechless as she rushed over, but kept from collapsing onto you. In time though, she was in your bed and regaling you in how she attacked Leo assuming he was the cause. Leo corroborated the story citing how alike the two of you were which then led to Coral finding out about the S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. suit debacle.

She reigned hell down on the blue turtle for even thinking to touch the automaton.

As amused as Donnie was about Leo’s beat down, his own bitterness dictated he bring up how Coral still had beef with his son.

Coral said that was all in the past and Leo was left sputtering on what appeal S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. had to have charmed so many.

All the while, your nervous friend Nelson, who now lived with Coral, was fluffing a bouquet they had brought.

You heard Donnie throw him a comment about foliage and the two talked a quiet distraction as Leo sulked in a corner.

“So… Magic underground city.” Coral said, pushing your cuticles back even though you’d told her multiple times how much you hated it.

“It’s maybe another dimension?” You wanted to yank your hand free, but it would be too much effort.

She slowed, studying your nails. “You’re not going back, right?”

“No, I was already over it, but now…?” You sighed.

“Never.” Donnie cut through both conversations with bitterness.

“Good call.” Coral pointed to him without looking. “Sucks about your library though.”

“Library…?” Leo didn’t glance over as his phone was now in hand.

Donnie’s gaze pointedly narrowed where Nelson could see it.

Your nervous friend tilted his head with concern.

Leo heard the silence and it pulled his gaze. “The mystic library?”

“Leo…” You warned.

“If there’s a detail left out that can help the investigation…” Leo pressed back, sitting upright.

“It’s not related.” You decided.

“How would you know?” Leo bristled.

“Can you not bitch about Y/N’s memory loss? I’d suppress the thing too, damn!” Coral hissed.

“Sorry, I’m trying to cover my bases and make sure there isn’t a larger plot to kill them.” Leo mimicked her tone.

She glowered.

Donnie exhaled quietly.

Nelson gave him a sad smile.

Donnie took it with a slight nod.

You knew Nelson knew as much as Leo, but even he could sense the line.

“Them.” Coral spoke around her tongue. “Going soft, blueberry? Don’t you and grapes over here have mega beef?”

Leo was on his feet with furious eyes, but he stayed rooted in place.

Coral only cocked a waiting brow at him.

Leo’s gaze narrowed.

Her smile grew.

“Why don’t you talk motive then, detective sea rocks?” Leo walked over, gearing up for a challenge on the way.

“Omigosh, I’ve never heard that one before.” Coral feigned a gasp behind a hand before tucking an arm around you to appear more casual. “I’ll bite.”

“Please.” Leo pulled up a stool and took the position of the Thinker.

“We got vacation gone wrong and a jealous ex.” Coral shrugged as if that were obvious.

Donnie reared.

Nelson held up anxious hands.

Leo bit down on a bark of laughter. “Ex, huh?”

“Oh yeah, this has crime of passion written all over it.” Coral pointed at your bandages. “Don’t you think?” She lolled her head toward you.

You weighed your response before looking at your boyfriend. “Donnie’s never mentioned one.”

Donnie shot Coral specifically, an embittered look. “At best, the yokai in question was marked in my database simply because they were part of the police department. I have no greater notes and no further ties.”

“Knew you read turbo virgin.” Coral lowered her lids as if Donnie had walked right into her trap.

He only stared back.

Leo lasted one entire second before he began to cackle so hard it spun his chair.

It stung, but you knocked your head against Coral’s.

“Hey!” She squawked, more for your sake. 

“Leave him alone.” You switched your grip as fast as you could and dug your nail into her nail bed.

“Ouch!! What the fuck!?”

“Yeah, it hurts!” You sent her your disdain.

She sent her own.

“Y/N’s injured…” Nelson felt the need to remind the room.

Coral ignored him and left her hand in yours. “It has to be something like that though. To drug ‘em both, but only hurt Y/N. From what you described, it sounds like they wanted Donnie to watch.”

“Not my name.” Donnie grumbled.

“I got you multiple birthday presents, I’ll call you whatever I want.” Coral smoothed out her fingertips to yours.

You could feel Leo picking up the tidbits of closeness and how it rendered him further confused.

“Evidence schmevidence.” Coral continued. “They had a hard on for purple.”

Leo tapped his stool. “Nothing we don’t already know.”

“How long was he on the force?” Coral was far more careful in examining the hand on your injured arm.

“Twenty three years.” Donnie replied.

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean anything to me.” She skimmed your digits. “How’s that fall into your timeline?”

“Coral, Leo’s here.” You sighed.

“So? Hey, blue balls, do you not know Plankton's backstory or what?” She didn’t look up.

Leo made a confused face at the nickname.

“You don’t know the back story.” You reminded her with a dull stare.

“I know some!” She huffed, proud. “Apparently more than pepper face.”

“I have two brothers. You aren’t coming up with an insult I haven’t already heard.” Leo seemed both amused and not.

Coral shined him an all too wide grin.

Donnie was caught in thought. “Records indicate he became a beat cop around the time I became official.”

You leaned your head on Coral’s shoulder.

She laid hers on top. “Official how? He must have met you then.”

Donnie either felt lonely or sensitive because he crept up to your side. “I have no such memory.”

You held out a hand for him and he took it.

“How old are you?” Leo looked at Donnie, tepidly.

“Vivisection placed me at approximately 35.” Donnie responded, keeping his gaze to your hold.

Leo made a disgruntled noise.

“Vivi…” Coral mouthed before the word sank in. “Who cut you open?!”

Donnie didn’t budge.

Coral checked with you, but you tucked your head away.

“He cut himself open.” Leo spoke with knowing disdain.

“How would you know!?” Coral glanced at him.

“I don’t, but I do. Look at how they just reacted.” Leo threw a hand up to gesture to you. “Besides, he used to always do fucked up shit to his body. I’m surprised he isn’t the one bed ridden.”

“Shame you’re so imprecise with that blade you supposedly trained your life with.” Donnie turned up hatred.

Leo’s body rose with a current of surprise and rage.

Nelson wandered into the line of fire. “U-uh w-we were talking about the common enemy!”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed. You have no sense of self perseveration, I swear. Nels, come here, stupid.” Coral removed herself from you and held out a hand.

Nelson resisted and stayed firmly in place between Donnie and Leo.

“Nels!” Coral growled.

The man in question shook his head.

Donnie stepped in closer behind him. “As good a time as ever for you to finally admit why you spared me that day.”

Leo didn’t break eye contact, but there was something unstable about him.

You didn’t know what Donnie was talking about.

“Y/N…” Coral pleaded with you.

You could barely hear her. “Donnie?”

Donnie laid a hand on Nelson’s shoulder.

You took it as an indication that he’d be safe.

Coral went to move.

Leo blocked her with a raised hand.

Her shoulders hunched, ready to strike if need be.

“You were eleven or twelve when you became an official villain.” Leo finally spoke and the entire moment disengaged.

No collective sigh had, the humans in the room wilted.

“Same as me.” Leo mumbled out the side of his mouth.

“Approximately.” Donnie steered Nelson back towards the bouquet.

“The yokai was six times your age.” Leo spoke his thoughts.

“Gross.” Coral chanced, still shaken.

You nudged her lightly and she spared you a downtrodden look.

Leo nodded. “Surprised a newbie cop survived… Especially one that failed to get on the force three times.”

You felt a pinch in your head and looked toward your water cup.

Nelson was closer and got it before Donnie could.

You thanked him quietly and drank.

“Why’s that?” Coral ventured.

“Someone almost single handedly wiped out the force.” Leo bobbed his head toward Donnie without looking.

“At twelve…?” Coral looked at Donnie then you.

You had no defense.

You kept your eyes down.

“Not so fun galavanting with a murderer.” Leo barely kept a sneer in line. “Who doesn’t know enough now?”

“Leo, shut the fuck up.” You spat bile.

Leo only snorted and folded his arms.

He closed himself off.

For a long moment there was quiet.

Then Coral picked at your blanket. “Antelope lived…”

You were the only one to look.

“The bastard.” Her eye was on your covered body. “Obsessed with becoming a cop means he’s prone to going all in. Who’s to say he didn’t get high off living through an encounter with the demon child?”

Donnie’s eye darted as he connected the dots.

Your head hurt.

This was hitting the limits of your interactions.

You also had physical therapy scheduled soon.

You were about to mention it when Leo piped up. “His family all worked city jobs. If you fold in the mystic library, however it fits, then he’s obsessed with some duty to the city.”

In a sudden slam of your skull you had a vague thought about sacred spaces before your stomach churned.

 As if socked, you hunched forward on a gag. “Gonna vomit…!”

Coral was out of the bed and Donnie was around you with a pan. “I’ve got you. Let it out.”

You gagged and spit as he rubbed your back.

“That’s enough.” Leo spoke softly. “Visiting hours are over.”

“Y/N…” Coral mumbled.

“It’s…” You choked.

“Y/N is alright. You’ll come back?” Donnie asked for you.

“Of course… Don’t worry.” Coral headed towards the door. “Nels, seriously this time.”

“Yeah…” Nelson maneuvered around Donnie and shot Leo a vicious warning look as he passed that only you and the receiver seemed to see.

Leo was scorned as the two parted with apologies and goodbyes.

With nothing coming up from the nausea wave, you eventually laid back and cursed to the dead air of the room.

-

Heading home after a month in the hospital was tainted by what you now thought of as your chaperone. It didn’t matter that you had been in a coma for three of those weeks, but in the hospital it had felt like one thing; Leo was there as an added pair of hands when you were at your worst. He gave Donnie a break when caring for you which you were endlessly thankful for. His mischievous side paired with his convenient powers meant you had all the contraband you could ask for from anywhere in any world. He also had a command over nearly the entire staff and, just as Donnie alluded to, you couldn’t help but notice that your hospital stay had been a positive one because of it.

In your own home though, he felt like a freeloader.

Leo was no longer as useful with no one to manipulate and he had a clear fear of touching anything in your place. His entire being was now closed up and often placed in parts of the apartment that he deemed safe. While he never said it aloud, the dart of his eye and paranoia you had learned of him spoke to how painfully aware he was of the cameras monitoring his every move. This was compounded by S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., a walking manifestation of a bug in Leo’s eyes, who stopped by routinely to drop off supplies. Your son was an antagonist whether he realized it or not and he pressed Leo whenever he had the chance because he deemed it fun. You loved the automaton dearly, but his rambunctious nature meant his visits were shortened. Donnie couldn’t mediate and you were left missing his smaller form to sleep with as the best sentient heating pad on the market. 

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s human sized form had already been enough of a shock to Leo, so you assumed it had been decided that any more information about your son was to be kept under lock and key. 

It was something you had to surmise as several decisions had been made without you. You might have found a way to ask, but guilt was eating away at Donnie for his failings already. He had to bury enough in front of his foe, because of his ninpo, and on top of being your caregiver, which meant he looked ready to keel over. You wanted to support him, but you yourself were still casted for at least another month. The spica had been your nightmare and even though you could technically walk with crutches, the threat of the plaster breaking at your hips, as you had been warned, hovered over you like a blight.

You had been assigned an in-home physical therapy.

Another invader in your home, she was kind, but she was yet another thing to think about and another barrier for Donnie to mentally navigate.

There were also the other turtles. Leo had been forced to essentially move in, which meant Mikey and Raph made excuses to drop by. It was clear their nerves were frayed over their brother’s new housing situation as it was, to them, in a lion’s den. Though each man was independent, there was a clear separation anxiety if only because of trauma. It just so happened that the source of all that was themselves and your boyfriend. It showed on all four turtles faces that this situation was progressing for too long and you were the cause.

You didn’t feel at fault.

You wished your body would heal faster and Mikey had offered to hit you with more mysticism, but having talked to the youngest had revealed the many side effects that could have taken place which put Donnie’s waiting room arsenal into perspective.

You’d told him no, that you would do this the old fashioned way, and in classic Mikey fashion, he had already moved onto the next thing.

You wished you could too.

While your assailant was no longer alive, it had been upsetting to find that the investigation had been one closed for lack of evidence. They Hidden City considered it open and shut without further motive. You weren’t sure if you were afraid of another attack stemming or in general, but anxiety took up the very little left of your sanity. You were back to near chase level concerns and it was the only way you were glad the apartment was never empty. You avoided windows and doors, but being in your own bed helped to an extent.

Heal.

You just needed to heal.

Then process.

There was a mountain of feelings to process.

If it wasn’t you, it was Donnie.

If it wasn’t Donnie, it was Leo.

If it wasn’t Leo, it was the other turtles.

Then your friends.

Then your job.

Then, everything.

One total week of your new homebound hell and you’d hobbled over to the kitchen by request of your therapist. You tried not to cry as you looked up at the cabinet that held cups. There were so many things you needed to do in order to free up a hand to reach them. It had already been an aggravating stepwise process just to get over here and having to wrangle your crutches away and back once again zapped the rest of your energy. A psychic collapsing, you were on the verge of tears for nothing and you wilted right there against your own counter.

The barest sound, not even a snivel, summoned the two men.

“Y/N?”

“Hey, you good?”

There was no escape.

No where you could even cry in peace. 

Not here.

Not in the bathroom.

You could yell.

You had yelled.

You’d snapped at Donnie more than once.

The ugly side of healing, your frustrations with yourself leaked out and leeched up at those around you.

For Donnie, he took everything in a careful stride. He knew you didn’t mean it and gave you space while he was still just within reach. It still affected him, however. He’d paper mached himself into a pasted shell, but the cracks were evident. No matter how many layers he put on to hide it, pieces like that weren’t meant to be jostled. If you could have kept it in, then he wouldn’t be cracked. 

You also couldn’t discuss this as there were prying tympanum.

For those reasons, Leo became your target.

You hated that.

He accepted it all too easily.It felt wrong in how calmly he’d take the barrage.He wasn’t like Donnie where he understood why you were lashing out. With Leo, it almost felt like he’d been waiting his whole life for the punishment. It spoke of many things, all too haunting and not yours to deal with. As much as he’d stomped into your life, you couldn’t help, but grow a certain fond of him. He’d helped you, he helped your mate, and he did it all after he and the ones he loved most had been terrorized for almost two decades.

Tears ran currents down your cheeks and you huffed feeling the pain of crying.

The scar tissue around your liver sat like a rock in your abdomen.

Your shoulder muscles ached near constantly.

The healed line along your ribs was taunt skin that tugged if you bent at any angle.

The damn cast sat unrelenting around your hips and deadened everything.

You choked a sob and you sensed both men flanking you.

“What’s wrong?”

“Does something hurt?”

You only shook your head.

Irrational.

Was that the right word?

No, you had justification.

It still sucked.

“Leo!” You quacked out against the barrage.

You could tell the men apart without looking and turned to your right where he was standing with a certain amount of surprise. “Yeah?”

“I need… I need time with Donnie. Can you… go do something, I don’t know… Just for a while?” You hadn’t meant for the water works to sway him, but you felt how messed up your face was when you sent your plea.

It snapped Leo’s expression shut, but there was a haunted quality to his eyes. 

You knew that. 

You knew your messy emotions were a threat to Donnie’s ninpo. 

You just wanted some damn time to grieve with your partner. 

You hadn’t had a single real moment alone with him. 

All of this thankfully seemed to translate because Leo eventually gave a curt nod. “Sure. I’ll go… out, I guess. Just for a bit, but you message me if anything, anything, happens.”

You agreed and watched him go.

You waited until the door clicked shut before turning on Donnie.

He wrapped you up in his arms the best he could and brought you close.

Was this the first real hug you’d gotten from him since leaving the hospital?

You despised that. 

“It’s too much!” You were forced to give the emotions voice.

Donnie nodded into your head.

“I miss you! I hate this. I can’t…!” You rooted into his sweater.

He continued to rhythmically concur.

“And you…!” You pulled back and he loosened to give you space to.

Your hands sat useless against his plastron. 

Having to keep your crutches to your body meant you could reach even less of him. 

You were too addled to press him and he wouldn’t allow his emotional veneer to fall.

It was a new one that you loathed.

It was different from the one he used in public for safety. 

This one clung to him sickly and all the time. 

It was the one that kept his powers at bay.

Shut and locked away, your watery eyes morphed his expression.

It was selfish to think he’d cry along with you, but you wanted him to so badly.

You wanted him to be able to express his own anguish. 

You knew it was there. 

Trapped along with everything else. 

“You…” You wilted against him.

He held your pieces together.

“I miss you…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t-!” You banged his plastron.

He did nothing.

“Don’t… do that.”

He was at a loss.

“You had to. I wouldn’t be here otherwise…” You pressed your forehead just above his pectoral scutes. “You saved me. Full stop, no cost.”

“Leonard-”

“Leo nothing!” You came up glaring. “You saved me! I’m talking about you!”

His face sat neutral.

Throwing your weight against him to steady yourself, you released both your crutches to grab at his head, unencumbered. He caught your waist for balance and you used his distraction to pinch and pull his cheeks as far apart as you could. His teeth appeared stretched and he made the faintest noise of discomfort.

“You can’t even churr…” You let go and did nothing to soothe what you knew stung.

You watched his lip move as he tried to conjure something, but nothing came so he sent a metered sad gaze down at you.

“You can’t…” A few more tears loosed. “You can’t anything…”

“Y/N…”

“I can’t help you. I can’t do anything. This all-!” You nearly bit your lip and huffed to let it quiver.

Donnie nodded, the strain showing in lines on his face. “My research is coming up bare.”

“Yeah?” You leaned in close, having figured he was up to something like that, but you hadn’t had a chance to really talk.

“It seems the rat destroyed the surviving Hamato documents in a fit of letting his sons free the shackles of their destiny.” You could tell saying the sentence alone almost made Donnie vomit.

You couldn’t lean up, but you tilted your head and he came down enough to accept a peck to the cheek.

“The rest are cagey about details.”

You ran your hands along his arms. “I guess that makes sense; if they don’t teach you then you can’t use it against them.”

“But we’re inexplicably tied because of it.” Donnie’s brow furrowed.

“You’re too dangerous to leave alone.” You sighed at the conundrum.

“Contained for so long…” He had a haunted edge to his eye. “It’s as though it aggravated the ninpo’s release. It doesn’t feel as though I can be put back within the tomb of my body. It flows violent and endless… Illustrative of me… I suppose.”

You squeezed him.

“S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and I are scrounging for records. Ninpo differs heavily from mysticism. It’s far more powerful, but it’s…” Donnie sneered. “Nonsensical. You get it by trusting family? Why? The blue bastard mentioned saving the red rube, but he’d done that dozens of times prior to whenever they unlocked it.”

“Right…” The memory dawned on you. “You saw them before like they were and then they suddenly had powers.”

“They even changed outfits.” Donnie stuck his tongue out the slightest bit.

You felt your spirits raise with how cute the action was.

He noticed and sucked the pink bit back in.

You accentuated the purse of your lip.

He mentally chewed for a moment before darting down and licking your cheek.

You squeaked and giggled into him.

He relented for a few kisses before pulling away.

You hadn’t dared test it and the mood was terrible with Leo around, but you knew Donnie was worried what even the most innocent of romantic thoughts would do to his ninpo. The most touch you’d dared was when you’d have to me moved or stabilized. He relegated the work to his hands so it came as a shock a few days ago, when you’d given up after being unable to change your own shirt due to a muscle spasm. Donnie’s body had pressed yours while he helped you and the heat there felt like something new. 

Your mind was pained by the deficit, but your body had forgotten so quickly. 

You cuddled close to him and, for a moment, felt those thoughts were unwarranted; he was always here. “Not everyone can nail their suit on the first try.”

“I made a few upgrades over the years, but style wise…?” He let the sentence hang.

“Spooky.” You peeked up at him.

“You think I’m spooky?” He leaned down with a faint leer.

You nodded and kissed the tip of his beak.

“The stalemate stands, but it seems there’s been improvement?” He murmured, hovering close.

“With you, me, or them?” Again, you felt the weight of the many thoughts crushing you, but this time you felt them held mutually with your boyfriend. 

“Me…” He had a starting edge. “This…” He tried again. “We haven’t gotten a moment like this.” 

“It seems alright…?” You tested him by swiping an all too light finger along the side of his neck. 

His eyes shut and he gave the faintest shiver. 

Your finger danced at his collar. 

His lids lifted and showed his clear gaze. “I would say so.” 

You smiled into him. 

He took a longing press from your lips before he came away with a chuff. “Your improvement isn’t linear, but is obviously occurring. That’s as to be expected and as for… them, we continue regardless of their existence.” 

You felt a similar lightness in him and chased it with a nipping kiss. 

He allowed himself to languish in it. 

Reassurances. 

Hadn’t you both agreed long, long ago that those were necessary? 

“How long do we have before I need to finish my homework and walk back across the apartment?” You glanced at your fallen crutches and back to him.

He had the faintest little smirk and curled around you under the guise of gathering your sticks for you.

-

“Ten more…”

Pulling at the resistance band, you rattled with a whine as you didn’t think you’d make it.

Across from you, your physical therapist was standing close and you despised the thin layer of sweat coating your body. It was so little effort to have taxed you this much. She also could undoubtedly smell the BO. The worst of which had to be the cast which was building odor from the lengthy use. Having been in it for almost two months, it made sense, but it was yet another reason to despise the damn thing. Donnie and Leo had yet to say anything, but you could tell by the way they turned their beaks that the pungent odor was worse for them.

Humiliation on top of misery caused you to rush the last six reps.

“Woah, woah. We gotta go slow to build that muscle…” The physical therapist caught you immediately.

“Just a… second…” You wheezed.

She traded you a bottle of water and held the band as you drank it down greedily.

Nearby Donnie stood with an arm crossed against his torso and a hand covering the bottom half of his face.

As you came away panting from labor and oxygen deprivation from drinking too much water, you knew that to be his PT position. He assumed it in every session you’d had so far as he wasn’t allowed to be present for the ones in the hospital. You wanted to ask why he always appeared the same, but you hadn’t been able to. A literal workout, you only wanted to wash up and then bury the exhaustion afterward. By the time you were back to the barest energy levels, you tabled it because another session was the last thing you wanted to ruminate on. During, however, you’d see him and wonder.

Was he holding himself back?

Was it hard to watch you struggle?

Did he want to help?

He never once interfered or made a noise. He kept his distance unless coaxed, which would sometimes happen if the physical therapist needed to demonstrate how to do your homework-type exercises. She was only scheduled to come by three times a week so you were expected to continue even when she wasn’t around. He took that job with a severity and was a menace about you having exactly the right posture to maximize healing. You knew beside his search to control his ninpo, he’d been studying everything there was to know about your particular injuries, but neither field seemed to be progressing.

Leo, on the other hand, almost always used your sessions to nap. You were sure he was worried in the beginning. He probably thought Donnie would fly off the handle at seeing you taxed, but instead Donnie stood as an intent observer. Seeing that to be the case, Leo took these moments as time off. Never a guest, Leo had fallen into a fixture-like role in your home over the course of two and a half weeks. It never felt like he truly moved in, though he rarely ever left, which made him almost an odd lamp you wished you could toss out. The couch was where he frequented and you assumed he was hidden there where you couldn’t see. His break while you busted your butt stung worse than Donnie’s hovering. It’s not like you wanted him around while you worked out, but him acting like these moments were vacations made you want to snap the resistance band in his face.

Even if it sometimes felt like it, neither man looked down at you.

You could do this and it was the only other thing you thought Donnie might be thinking. As much faith as you had in him, he had equal droves for you. If he was watching to see each sweat droplet marking your progress, it filled your chest with pride. Even when you failed to complete a full set, your physical therapist still congratulated you and marked each time you were able to go even the tiniest bit farther. Donnie knowing and being there to see each time you improved helped your resolve. You’d push past this because you wanted to. He was there to see it and you’d show him exactly what kind of resolve his mate had in the face of adversity.

You really needed to confirm how he felt.

For now, unfortunately, you shared a readied look with your trainer and they nodded, setting you back up to continue. “You’ve got this.”

“Yeah…” You stretched out the phrase and put tension on the band.

A purple light lit up somewhere behind you.

Three occupants of the apartment shot to look with rigid fear as the fourth casually turned.

Donnie’s computer was glowing at maximum strength and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s little icon was jumping up and down on screen.

“That’s cute…” The physical therapist chuckled. “Did you download that?”

“Ah-ha… yeah…” That wasn’t exactly a lie, but you were still sweating over thinking Donnie had manifested a legion of artillery.

Donnie was in furious motion.

A small smile slipped on your lips as he was sure to scold S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. for scaring everyone even though he’d be careful in his wording to not admit that was the case.

What was curious was Leo scurrying around the corner and into the bedroom.

He had a nervous twitch to his brow and it took you an exhausted second too long to realize it was because he was running from S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. It prompted a new kind of grin that Leo pointedly ignored.

“Hey, Lucinda, what’s shaking?” Leo played it cool and offered a fist bump.

Your physical therapist met it casually. “Oh, you know me now? Finally done ignoring me?”

“Not ignoring…” Leo leaned to one side and snapped a playful gaze right back. “It’s business. I’m on the job. Gotta act all tough and serious, you know!” He tucked his hands into his pockets and bobbed his broad shoulders.

“Uh huh.” She didn’t seem to believe it for a second and gestured for you to keep going.

You did exactly one rep before you had to stop. “Okay… no… You two know each other?”

“Oh yeah.” Lucinda said it like it was some kind of big thing.

“We go way back.” Leo joked the same way.

You stared on, unamused by the show.

Lucinda broke into a smile. “Fine, Leo here once forced his way into my old office to train.”

“Forced is a strong word…” Leo’s eyes rolled in a way that said he was avoiding guilt.

“He pretended to be an injured patient and then pelted us with a thousand questions until my boss got wind and yelled at him.” She clarified.

Leo made a sheepish high pitched noise that whittled down to a nervous chuckle. “I did get hired on though.”

“How’s Mikey?” Lucinda tapped your band.

You took a deep breath and went through your last reps.

“Good. He regained nearly all motor function, but he hasn’t quit the health nut bit.” Leo watched you with a trainer’s eye.

“I haven’t talked to him in a few years, but it was no joke. He was always onto some cutting edge stuff.” She seemed amused. 

“You don’t live with him.” Leo huffed.

“You’re too hard on your family.”

“You know us Hamatos.” Leo banged his chest once to accentuate his tough plastron.

She sent him an arched brow that said she didn’t appreciate the joke.

Leo shined her a bright grin.

You drank a bit more from your bottle and let the pieces fall into place. “Mikey’s hands…”

The other two perked up.

“I thought this was a job?” Lucinda sent a suspicious glare towards Leo.

Leo pointedly looked away. “You know Mikey!”

“Cause Mikey gets around, right?” Her sarcasm cut thick and felt like a stark contrast to the concise person she was at work.

Leo laughed nervously before turning a wild gaze to you. “You know Luci here went into PT because she was a bully!?”

“Now, hold on!” She shot to her feet.

That spelt the truth for you and while you still wanted other answers, you were amused by their display.

“Yeah! She has a thing for making people hurt and figured this was the field to go in!” Leo cackled.

She had to jump, but she pinched his cheek and dragged him right down to her eye level. “In front of my patient!? Nu-uh!”

Leo couldn’t help, but laugh and you joined.

“If you know him, then you know he lies through his teeth.” Lucinda released him and dusted her hands.

“He’s always working an angle.” You remarked.

“Yes!” She pointed at you with a grin. “If he wasn’t a hero, he’d be a total grifter!”

“What’s that old bit? Selling stolen VCRs?” You mused.

“Yes!” She reached out and patted your good arm in appreciation.

“How old do you think I am?!” Leo looked between you two.

“Considering I just found out a little more than a month ago…?” You pretended to wonder.

“Month?!” Lucinda rounded on Leo again. “What is the deal here?”

“Yeah, Leo? What’s the deal?” You spread a grin on thick.

Leo held up his hands and his brow came down in irritation. “Come on… You don’t need to gang up on me!”

“Then explain! I’m not trying to assume anything, but it’s hard not to notice my patient’s partner is also green.” Lucinda folded her arms to wait.

You blinked once as the connection hit you.

The news knew Donnie as a masked villain from the turtle’s rogue’s gallery.

The truth was far more complicated.

You wondered if Leo had ever dealt with this before.

“You know what they say about assuming?” Leo had a stark edge.

You knew the joke, but his serious attitude just barely threw Lucinda off as she said, “No…?”

“They make an ass out of you and me.” Leo didn’t let up his serious nature as he clapped a hand to her shoulder.

It took exactly one second for the joke to hit her and she shoved him. “Ugh, I hate you!”

“She’s mad she couldn’t hurt me because I don’t have a poppable spine.” Leo held up a hand as if telling you a secret.

“Would you-!?” She swatted at him and he easily dodged while he continued to laugh.

“You know…” You did your own solemn positing.

Lucinda stiffened.

“You haven’t denied anything he’s said about you…” You marked the end of your sentence with a jeering grin.

Her lips flattened out into a caught line and it was her turn to assuage guilt. “That’s-! I mean-!

You pretended to wait.

“Fine!” She wilted. “I’m not a bad guy though! It’s my dad! He always had me walking on his back or pulling his arms and stuff as a kid! I loved the sound! So I might have bugged my friends and got a reputation for being the resident finger popper! Look how it turned out! All’s good at the end of the day!”

You gave her an affectionate smile. “That’s cute actually.”

“No, it’s not!” Leo bellowed and then openly shivered. “You two can’t hear just how loud those sounds are! There’s a fizz almost like soda between the joints! Eugh!!”

“And my boss wonders why you didn’t stay on…” Lucinda shook her head.

“That’s not why-!” Leo bit with a lighthearted edge.

“Why did you…?” The question leaked out from you even though it meant you interrupted.

The pair looked at you before Lucinda turned with a look that said she knew her story had been shared and thought she deserved to reveal something of her own. “I don’t know how close you are, so he might try to argue, but he hopped on to help his baby bro out at like 18ish. You still had a baby face then.” She turned to coo at Leo.

He sneered.

“He was real cagey about it, I just mentioned his whole fake spiel, but the boss took pity on him and hired him to clean up so he could unofficially work on the job.” Lucinda continued and bumped Leo to show she was doing it in good will.

He took it with a sigh.

“Those cracks on Mikey’s arms?” You asked before another thought hit you. “The tear in space time…”

“The what?” That was news to Lucinda.

“Hup-hup-hup!” Leo’s hands waved viciously between you and during the flurry he sent you a look that said you were right, but you needed to drop it.

“You know!” You quacked. “Because they look like the time rifts in movies!”

Lucinda evaluated both of you evenly before she gave a slow nod. “Yeah, they kinda do… Anyway, Mikey was a rough case. Terrible loss in coordination, muscle tearing, spasms… I really felt for him. The whole office did once Leo finally brought him around.”

Leo turned his head, oddly not liking this spotlight.

You studied him as he usually seemed more like one to preen.

“His recovery was… amazing.” Lucinda moved on. “Mikey was so motivated. He ended up always lifting spirits at the office.”

“He does group therapy now.” You offered.

“Of course he does.” Lucinda gave a smile that said she didn’t know it, but wholeheartedly believed. “Great kid. Both of you.” She slugged Leo affectionately.

“Yeah, yeah…” Leo brushed her off with a sly smile.

“Your turn.” Lucinda pointed at you.

“Next set?” You pulled the band up, ready.

“No, why this is all hush hush?” She gestured around.

Leo shifted, trying to cover how uncomfortable he was.

You kept your eye on him.

You guessed you didn’t blame him for still thinking the worst of you.

You weren’t his biggest fan, but he’d come through for you and Donnie in a major way.

In this instance, you couldn’t imagine throwing him under the bus. “Hero business.” You gestured down your half wrapped body. “He got sucked into dealing with my attack.”

“You were…!” Lucinda trailed off as she caught herself. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t my place…”

“It’s okay. You’ve been amazing. You’re really good at your job.” You meant every word.

She smiled with a tinge or relief.

Leo was looking at you in a similar way.

Donnie made a small noise.

You all turned towards him.

He coolly glanced between the group before landing on Lucinda. “Something urgent has come up. I need to step out for a moment.”

“Sure. We got this. Right, Y/N?” She turned to you.

You were about to respond affirmatively when Leo cut in.

“What.” Leo’s flat tone held accusation instead of question.

Donnie only flicked him a glance.

“Donatello…” Leo spoke weighty, painfully aware of the company.

“I’ll be nearby.” Donnie relented that much before looking at you.

With no indication on his facial features, you saw in his eyes that this was something wholly necessary and had to do with his ninpo research.

You turned to Leo and hoped you betrayed as little as Donnie. “You still remember how to do this, Leo?”

He resisted looking away from Donnie before his eyes fell to you and the resistance band in your hand.

“Sure.” There was a tart quality to his voice before he reached for the rubber. “Sure, yeah. I use these to warm up at the gym.”

Donnie gave you one last look that had a tinge of longing before he departed.

Leo demonstrated stretching the band behind his back and Lucinda pushed you to try the as of yet attempted advanced maneuver. It pinched your shoulder, but she held your arm, ready and testing, to make sure you could execute safely. You manage three tugs before you wilted in pain and she passed you a cloth to dab your sweat.

“Amazing. Seriously. You’re really working hard and I can tell you aren’t skimping when I’m not around.” She soothed you.

You hummed a sort of laugh into the towel. “The walks around the apartment suck the most.”

“Oof when we get you out of the cast and onto the bars?” She sympathized.

You groaned lightly until a chirpy ringtone went off.

You pulled your towel down to find Lucinda making a tight face and looking at a phone in her hand. “I apologize. I don’t normally take calls while working, but…”

Her eyes were glued to her screen and you sensed a problem. “Go ahead.”

“Thanks.” She answered. “Hello?”

You watched her walk into the living room and sank where you were propped at the edge of the bed.

Leo was looking to the side as if he could see through the walls to where Donnie had gone.

“He’ll be right back.” You tried to calm him.

Leo said nothing and slipped his hands into his pockets as he waited.

Lucinda’s voice grew worried and both of you were soon trying your best not to pry as she came over with a fit waging on her features. “Y/N, I’m so sorry. I’m going to have to cut today’s treatment short. Something… I need to-”

“Everything okay?” Leo turned, his eyes examining.

“My mom fell. She’s already at the hospital and they say she’s stable, but I need to go.”

“Go, go.” You urged. “I’ll work through what we’ve done before.”

“Thank you. Hold onto the equipment. We’ll pick up with your session in two days.” She went for her bag nearby. “Actually, Leo can lead. Leo try some passive internal rotations and elbow extensions if possible. Otherwise, cool down.”

“You got it, boss.” Leo snapped his finger into pointing at her. “I’m sure your mom’s tough, she raised a bully after all.”

Lucinda snorted and waved him off with additional goodbyes as she left.

For a moment you both sat in silence.

“So... Passive… what now...?” You tried the air.

Now having his worries double, Leo looked at you with a waning expression before he wadded up the band. “Okay, we’re seriously doing this. Uh… Let’s see…”

“Why’d you say it like that?” You held a confused look and reached for the band.

“Maybe because I haven’t done PT in years?” He mirrored you and slapped your hand away.

“Hey!”

“So passive internal rotations work your supraspinatus…” He circled as if looking for something. “We need something long. Hey, do you have his stupid stick?”

“Are you joking right now?” You gave him a dull stare.

“No. It’ll work really well for this.” Leo approached you with an even temper.

“He keeps his bo on him.” You shook your head lightly.

“Damn.” Leo folded his hands on his hips. “The band is too stretchy. How about a big ruler?”

“Leo.”

“What’s it called? A yard stick?” Leo again did a little turn. “What else would be straight…?”

“Leo.”

“We could skip it for elbow extensions, but those are tougher…” He gave a weighty sigh, his eyes still moving.

“Hey.”

“Maybe we could sneak a curtain rod? There’s enough of them…” He looked past you to glare at the layers behind you on the windows.

He didn’t seem to hear you.

“Or this… thing?” He gestured to the canopy where the drapes were temporarily pinned out of the way.

He apparently also couldn’t remember he could portal to get anything he needed.

“It’s too clean!” Leo took a step that you clocked as nervous. “There’s stuff, but this place is…”

You tilted your head, studying him more carefully.

Like a slow cropping of data, you saw him piece by piece.

The barely there worried crease of his brow.

The way his lips kept parting the slightest amount.

The constant rove of his pupil.

His entire body was one twitch away from spasming.

“Leonardo.”

You watched the jolt happen in real time before he looked at you.

His gaze betrayed him.

It wasn’t that you called to him, it was how.

That was how Donnie said his name.

It made sense and you felt your expression sadden.

There it was again.

Everything was too much and you’d missed something so obvious.

It was like Leo though, you thought, to be the best at bearing the burden. Similar to how he accepted when you lashed out, it was his curse brought upon himself as you’d always seen it. He took his duty as his life and the current of which was basically cohabiting with the person who he considered had ruined it. His paranoia hadn’t evaporated just because he’d seen a new side of Donnie, he’d simply saddled up with his biggest fear so long that he’d grown a certain amount of numb to it.

He was also clearly entrenched in a never ending panic attack and his little naps during your physical therapy took a new light.

Donnie hadn’t been sleeping at night, but he had the dual excuse of fearing for his ninpo slipping in his sleep.

Leo had to keep one eye open from the couch.

“Why’d you…” He had almost a laugh to him though it was soaked in a certain level of misery he couldn’t keep out of his voice. “… say it like that?”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while.” You couldn’t move so you reached for him.

He only looked at your hand and twisted the resistance band up between his own.

It acted as a shield.

He had to keep his barrier.

“Leo… Do you need a sec-?”

“Elbow extensions!” He cut in, his eyes wild and unfocused. “Okay so let’s see how high you can reach!”

At this rate he was going to break.

Something was making this worse.

What was it?

Had he been at his limit?

What had pushed him?

You tried to trace back, but found little.

You reached up lightly in hopes he’d feel compelled by how you hadn’t dropped your gesture.

“How high!” He repeated as if he were the unseen coach on a television set.

You moved to raise your arms and felt the pull in your shoulders. “Leo, I’m not so sure-”

“Push it!”

“Leo!” Your hands just barely surpassed your head, but the muscles in your healing shoulder locked.

“Shit.” In a quake, his gaze honed and he came closer. “Hold still. Try not to drop it.”

“That’s easier said than done…!” Your expression pinched.

He fought against himself before slinging the resistance band over his shoulder and cupping his hands around your rotator cuff. “Slow, we’ll work it down. What was I saying…?”

“What’s going on?” You had unintentionally caught him.

“Don’t.”

“Leo.”

“This isn’t fair.” He pressed lightly into the muscle.

You jumped, but made it did little more than strain your insides.

He gave a soothing shush and rubbed with a lighter touch. “It’s a cramp. Give it a second.”

“In that second, you could tell me-”

“I’m not doing whatever you think I will. Not here. Not ever.” He glared at your arm instead of you.

Not here.

That was an odd specification. 

Leo had been holding back.

He had his own emotional mask.

He paraded as a habit.

There was more than he let on.

You wished you had a better read on him.

You felt out of sorts.

Your usual prowess was diminished by the many stressors.

How could you pay attention when there was too much to watch?

You felt like sludge.

A dozen mental monitors were on and all of them vied for your attention.

In a single blink, you were sending a wide gaze to Leo.

His lips flattened out as if caught.

You watched a bead of sweat pock his forehead.

It wasn’t enough to trickle, but it was there.

He still had your arm.

It had yet to loosen.

“Darling Protocol.”

It was enough that Leo stopped.

“Cut all feeds until Donnie returns.”

For you, nothing had changed.

For Leo, he seemed struck as if the command was for him.

Then his gaze rose.

He moved, still holding you and looked around the corners of the room.

“Leo…?” You tested in a tiny voice.

“They’re… off…” He rolled wariness to you.

“It’s just us.”

“That’s worse!” He shouted.

He was too close and you winced. “I thought that’s what you want-!”

“Well you're wrong!” He pressed too hard into rubbing your shoulder.

You squeaked in pain for a moment before your arm suddenly drooped.

Leo shot several feet away and looked at you like he might explode.

“That’s…” You were extremely careful in testing your shoulder in a roll. “… way better. Wow.”

“Turn them back on! What was with that name? What is wrong with you!? It’s always something! Always you!”

“What are you talking about?” You exhaled irritation. “I thought you might want a break from the cameras. I’m trying to help! You’re the one acting like you’re caged up!”

“Yeah, because I’m locked in here with you!”

You stared at him openly.

His eyes sat enormous and trapped.

“With… me?”

He shook and wrapped a hand around his throat. “Fuck. Forget it! Just forget I said anything!”

“Leo.” You looked for your crutches.

“You’re stuck!” He pointed and saw an opening where nothing had changed. “I can go over here and you can’t do a thing about it!” He headed toward the partition.

“You sound like you’re five! You’re really going to run!?” You shouted after him and your helplessness drowned you in droves. “What do you mean me!? Shouldn’t it be Donnie?!”

“Donnie!?” He mocked your voice and came far enough around the wall to send an incensed gaze. “I’m not scared of him! I’m scared of you-!!!”

The slap of his hand against his mouth was so loud it echoed.

You had no idea what was happening.

Each consecutive action he made seemed newer than the last.

Your powers of perception were a joke.

You didn’t know a single thing.

Your lips parted, but he moved first.

“Fuck!!!” He socked the wall so hard that cracks split and crawled around the edges. “Oh, fuck that’s worse…” He stared at his damage and wobbled further out into the open where you could see him. “No, no, no… What am I-?! Fuck! I haven’t been to the gym in months! I’m-!!!”

 You could only watch as he fell apart.

Shreds of him unraveled with a spool and he made it a few more steps on a wobbly form. “Keep it together. I can keep it together.”

“You don’t have to…” You whispered as quietly as you could.

“I don’t have…” He mimed it back. “No…” He stabilized in a slouch. “Yeah, I don't. No. I’m fine. I’ve been fine. I’ll be fine.”

The whole of him lost mass like a dropped ball of yarn. 

“Cool down. You need to finish your exercises.” He marched over, a snag still caught and he lost more of himself on the way.

You couldn’t believe he was trying to drop this.

“Close your eyes.”

“No.”

“I’m not going to look at that pathetic face. I’m not going to explain.”

“Are you telling me or you?”

“It’s a trick. You're trying to trick me and I’m not playing.”

“Stop answering then.” You sharpened your glare.

“I-!” He breathed hard as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him.

“Are you scared of Mikey too?”

Leo reared. “Why would I be?”

“He’s always trying to get you to go to therapy.”

Leo barked a single acidic laugh. “What? You think you’re helping me?! You have no idea!”

“Then tell me!”

“No!”

“Then stop acting out!”

“I’m not!”

“You cracked a wall because you’re scared of some human!”

“I’m not scared of you!”

“That’s not what you said!”

Leo rose as high as he could without going on the tips of his toes.

Instead of menace, you saw the last strings of his will holding him up.

The slightest press would cause what was left of him to unfurl and he’d be nothing more than a long line of everything he’d ever done.

You had a choice.

You could be his undoing or you could leave it be.

“Leo.”

You spoke.

He listened, his mouth a thin line.

You reached up with your good hand to gesture to your bad shoulder.

On his mirrored body, that’s where the resistance band still hung.

He loosely puppetted as you directed and, as he brushed it, it startled him.

You watched his gaze narrow more and more as he pulled the thing down to cradle in his palm.

A loose and floppy bit of rubber, he looked as though he’d sob over its lifeless body.

Instead he shifted his grip and wound the edges around his fists.

Then he pulled the band across his body and for a blissful moment, he wasn’t here.

He was at his beloved gym and his thoughts were clear.

He spoke.

“I don’t hate you. I’m not… scared scared of you, but damnit, Y/N.” He pulled the band as far apart as it would go and you thought it might snap. “I can’t… keep pretending like being around you is fine and dandy. I knew what to expect from Donatello. I knew…” The edge came again and he yanked so hard you saw a tear form in the middle of the band. “I knew…” Coiling his hands another loop, this time he pulled as if he had the intention to break it. “I knew-!” In a rapid bungee bounce, it split and both sides whipped him. “I knew I would never reach him! I banked on it! I pushed the others back after their attempts! I wouldn’t let them get closer! That left me! Did I think I could do it? Fuck no! I didn’t think I could do a single thing, but that’s what you do when you care! You stick your neck out again and again! You do everything you can! You put your life on the line! You show them-! You show them-!”

His own twine snapped, his entire being drooped.

“You know what I am?”

Your heart beat heavy in your chest.

“I’m…” He had to look away, loose straps of rubber dangling in his hands. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this.”

You fisted the loose sweats that fit over your cast.

“I’m jealous.” He told you, his eyes glazed.

You felt your own well.

“I’m jealous of you.” He doubled the effort and with it came pressure on his lips. “I’d buried it so goddamn deep. That’s where it was supposed to stay, but no! You couldn’t leave it alone! You kept digging! Every time! Every single time! Until you dug it out of me! I’m scared of that! I’m scared of what you keep doing to me! To us! You could have dropped it! I treated you like shit! You were supposed to drop it! You were supposed to leave. You weren’t supposed to make it! You were going to be my excuse! You would have been the final straw! Enough! So that I could finally… make it make sense! We made sense! We’d given up! That’s how we were! It wasn’t happy, but it was what we…!” He dropped the pieces he clung to.

Your throat swallowed your heart.

“I was a hero.” He hunched into himself. “I was the best. I was the leader. I saved everyone. I couldn’t save-!” He choked and sent prayers toward you. “You did it over a fucking sandwich!!!”

 Tears loosed and dotted your hands.

“My family is all I have and I couldn’t save him…!” Leo’s knees hit the ground so hard it covered up the raw shout slicing his throat right before he went ghostly quiet. “I’m so tired.”

You pressed your hands to your chest to keep yourself in check.

He didn’t need your tears.

He didn’t need anything more from you.

No matter how, this was your doing.

“I only ever needed my family…” Leo wept.

You couldn’t move.

You couldn’t do anything.

You could only watch.

Leo shook out a few more tears before he held a hand up as if grabbing a pole.

A sword appeared in an etching of blue and from it he sliced into the floor and opened a portal.

He then drew his other limb, heavy as lead, up from his side where his phone was picked from his pocket.

He punched a few numbers in and stared over the abyss he’d created.

“Mike.”

You couldn’t hear the other line.

“Code green. Portals in the strategy room.” Leo pulled his phone away and you watched as his thumb slammed the end call button.

He then moved methodically, as if to sip elixir from the blue pool, and dipped his hand into the portal.

His arm jostled from some movement on the other side and then his muscles went taunt under his sweater as he pulled.

He fell.

Straight down and out of the apartment and, like a swapped mirror, Mikey was thrust up and out.

The younger brother spun around, clearly confused as he floated above the portal until it disappeared.

He then searched around until his eyes landed on you and he soared over.

“Are you okay? What was that? What happened…?” Mikey hovered close and gingerly took your shoulders.

It was the right amount of pressure and sobs broke free from you.

Mikey held you close and asked no more.

You didn’t hear the front door click, but you did hear Donnie’s voice. “I apologize. That call was… of… the…!” 

He ran. 

“Don-na-tello…” Mikey croaked through snivels.

“What’s…?” 

As soon as you sensed Donnie close enough you shot your bad arm out, caught a fistful of his top, and yanked him in.

Mikey moved to one side and you clutched both of them to keep them together. It took Donnie several long minutes until he brought an arm around you.

💜NEXT💜

Through sickness and health, my darling betas have my undying love @tmntxthings and @thepinkpanther83

#weakspotfic #rottmnt #rottmnt donnie x reader #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt x reader #donatello hamato #donnie x reader #rise donnie #rise donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt donnie #me #fanfiction #my fanfiction

[smolwritingchick]

The Bangtan Gal Masterlist

Author's Note: Hey! I wrote this story back in 2016 on some fanfic websites and am bringing it back as I edit the chapters. I wanted to put my perspective and imagination on what if BTS had a black girl in their group from America. This'll be a long story starting from their debut so enjoy the ride!

I have so many chapters already written. I had stopped in the story around late 2016 before the MAMA Awards. As I wrote this story over the years I wanted this character to be relatable and grow as a performer as well as go through hardships. It'll be a slow start but it will get better as the chapters go on, I hope you give it a chance.

This will mainly start with friendship. Not just the character and the love interest. I didn't want to rush things and I tried my best to add a lot of bonding and cute moments. This is a SLOW BURN with my OC and Jungkook. The two will not become a couple until 2016.

I'm also on Wattpad and Archive of Our Own

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As I planned to create this story years ago it took me months to prepare and research so I could get a good timeline. I wanted to add a lot of things like K-Con, going to school, Variety Shows, interviews, American Hustle Life, V-Lives, sasaeng fans and so on. 

Profile Of Jennie

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Chapter 1- The Foreign Trainee

Chapter 2- The Debut

Chapter 3- Rookie King Episode 1

Chapter 4- Rookie King Episode 2

Chapter 5- Rookie King Episode 3

Chapter 6- Rookie King Episode 4

Chapter 7- Rookie King Episode 5

Chapter 8- Rookie King Episode 6

Chapter 9- Rookie King Episode 7

Chapter 10- Rookie King Episode 8

Chapter 11- We're Proud of You

Chapter 12- They're My Family

Chapter 13- Boy In Luv

Chapter 14- Look Forward To White Day

Chapter 15- Going to SOPA

Chapter 16- Spending White Day With BTS

Chapter 17- Just One Day

Chapter 18- American Hustle Life Episode 1

Chapter 19- American Hustle Life Episode 2

Chapter 20- American Hustle Life Episode 3 (Yoongi Fluff & Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 21- American Hustle Life Episode 4 (Yoongi Fluff!)

Chapter 22- American Hustle Life Episode 5

Chapter 23- American Hustle Life Episode 6

Chapter 24- American Hustle Life Episode 7

Chapter 25- I Found It In Big Hit

Chapter 26- BTS China Job

Chapter 27- KCON 2014

Chapter 28- American Hustle Life Episode 8

Chapter 29- Personal Trainer? (Jungkook fluff at the end!)

Chapter 30- War of Hormone (Major Jungkook fluff! One of my favs)

Chapter 31- You Are Special (Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 32- You're Easy To Mess With

Chapter 33- Mama Awards 2014 (Jungkook fluff and jealous Jungkook!)

Chapter 34- Let's Name It Iron Man (Namjoon fluff and Jungkook fluff)

Chapter 35- BTS Now

Chapter 36- My Ideal Type

Chapter 37- Running Man (Major Jungkook fluff! One of my favs!)

Chapter 38- I'm Lacking

Chapter 39- How Much You're Loved

Chapter 40- I Need U (Major Jungkook Fluff and Suga Fluff!)

Chapter 41- And What If I Don't? (Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 42- BTS Now 2

Chapter 43- Our First Win

Chapter 44- He's Smitten (Major Jungkook Fluff & Bam Bam Fluff One of my favs!)

Chapter 45- BTS in Kota Kinabalu

Chapter 46- BTS Festa

Chapter 47- Two Different Pages (RM Fluff and Jungkook Fluff!)

Chapter 48- Don't Steal The Beef!

Chapter 49- Distressed (Jungkook Fluff!)

Chapter 50- Payback (Jungkook Fluff!)

Chapter 51- Dope

Chapter 52- One Person Won't Ruin This

Chapter 53- I Think I Love Her

Chapter 54- Rekindle (MAJOR Jungkook fluff and one of my FAVS!)

Chapter 55- BTS Run Episodes 1-3

Chapter 56- BTS GAYO Track 1 & 2

Chapter 57- Tension Escalator (Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 58- Fan Sign (some angst but ends in fluff!)

Chapter 59- ISAC 2015 Chuseok Special (one of my favs!)

Chapter 60- Running Man: The Golden Duo (MAJOR Jungkook fluff + suggestive)

Chapter 61- Tense (Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 62- Protection Squad (Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 63- RUN (Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 64- Sweet 18

Chapter 65- Karma (Fight! Flawless Victory!)

Chapter 66- BTS GAYO Tracks 3-9

Chapter 67- BTS RUN Episodes 4-9

Chapter 68- Under The Mistletoe (Jungkook fluff! Kiss!)

Chapter 69- GAYO Daechukje & GAYO Daejejun (Jungkook fluff!)

Chapter 70- Jungkook's Confession (Self Explanatory! MAJOR Jungkook fluff! Almost there! My fav!!)

Chapter 71- You Are In Your Feelings

Chapter 72- You Were Worth The Wait (Start of JenKook!)

Chapter 73- It's About Time

Chapter 74- King of Masked Singer

Chapter 75- Ejected

Chapter 76- White Day (Big Jungkook Fluff!)

Chapter 77- Fire

Chapter 78- Prom (Big Jungkook fluff and smol Jungkook Smut)

Chapter 79- Meeting Shawn Mendes

Chapter 80- Taking Things A Little Further (Jungkook fluff)

Chapter 81- BTS Festa 2016

Chapter 82- K-Con 2016

Chapter 83- I Need You On This

Chapter 84- BTS Bon Voyage Season 1 (Big Jungkook fluff)

Chapter 85- BTS In Dubai

Chapter 86- WINGS 8 (Jungkook fluff)

Chapter 87- Wild N Out (One of my favs!)

Chapter 88- This Is Not A Drill!

Chapter 89- Blood, Sweat, & Tears

Chapter 90- Idol Parents? (Big JK Fluff)

Chapter 91- Tub Big Enough For Two (Big JK Fluff! One of my favs!)

Chapter 92- Thank You (Big Jungkook Fluff! One of my favs!)

#masterlist #the bangtan gal #bts 8th member #jungkook #jungkook x oc #jungkook fluff #bts #bangtan boys #bts additional member #bts female member #bts added member #bts fluff #ambw kpop #ambw #bts female addition #bts fanfiction #bts fic #black oc #bts female oc #kpop black oc #kpop female oc #kpop fanfic #bts scenarios #bts imagine #jungkook scenarios #jungkook imagine #bts fanfic

[crepesuzette2023]

As the most infamous fic reccomender do you have anything which will get me out of this depressive pit I've recently fallen into? Something like 'I need you darlin' where its like a well-rounded full story of them falling for each other.

As someone who's familiar with "the long, dark tea-time of the soul," I'll do my best!

The I Need You Darlin' verse (@beatlessideblog) is definitely my go-to as well when I'm stranded on the emotional equivalent of wherever that was where they filmed The Terror, so we share that love. :-)

Many of my comfort reads are on the shorter side: smutty or humorous one shots, but your ask for well rounded stories made me think of these longer fics, too. Hopefully some of these spark joy:

Weddings (@ohjohnnysblog). John and Paul get married in their hearts in Paris '61, and before the law in 2014. They go through many ups and downs, but it all ends well.

I also enjoy 5 Thomas Lane (@chut-je-dors): Modern AU in which John and Paul are married dads. This one is more of a collection of long, one-shot chapters set in the same world rather than a fic with an overarching plot, so perfect for coming back to. The extra Phone Sex is a hot and funny. And check out this art!

A story I keep thinking about is Whatever Fate Decrees (@dailyhowl). John and Paul are an artist and musician, respectively, but still find each other. Lots and lots of pining, but a happy ending, I promise...and Brian lives! <3

Beautiful and so hot my dignity doesn't stand a chance: always, no sometimes (@stonedlennon). Private moments with John and Paul during the lead-up to Sgt. Pepper's.

Suffer Fools Gladly (@aquarianshift): John and Paul through the Beatles years. Four times they almost kissed, and one time they did. One of my favorite endings: zucchini-bread-bearing Lesbians ex machina!

Can You Still Love Me Tomorrow (@imaginebeatles). It's a sweet, romantic Christmas story, but lovely in any season. Modern/fake dating AU. Note the 'slutty!Paul' tag.

And here is a story-in-miniatures: Three lovely vignettes of young J&P through Mike McCartney's eyes, by thinkpink20: Sunday Morning, Boys, Interrupted, and Sleepless in Wales. Bonus: The Photograph, in which John gets to thinking after seeing one of Mike's portraits of Paul.

This is on the short side, but so comforting: Paul and John take a bath in Hamburg! (after bombardment, sonya, by inherownwrite)

Other comfort-/'satisfying my urgent need to laugh my ass off'- stories:

You Might Well Arsk (snugglesweaters). Barista John and student Paul strike up an email correspondence. One thing leads to the next...

Paul's Got John's Thigh, And He's Not Letting Go! (@waveofahand). Press conference shenanigans.

Fixing A Hole: Beatles Songs Scientifically Sorted In Order Of Gayness (@chut-je-dors, @imaginebeatles). Just gimme some truth.

#fic recs #comfort fic recs #asks #mclennon #mclennon fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #beatles fanfiction

[beanyboobee]

Random theories of mine:

1. What were the Archvisites?

2. Teachers out here scheming

3. How does vanitas die?

What were Archvisties to vampire society? I keep wondering that because I find it so curious how so very few people actually know what they are, and the only ones we have seen who know right away are count orlock, chloe and Ruthvan, all high ups in vampire society, while those of lower status, aka count Orlocks servents, Jean Jacqes, didn't know until they were told.

Surely if Archivistes were well known their massacre would still be remembered as it wasn't that long ago [if we go by Noes age] but yet the servent of Orlocks who does know what an Archvisite is, refers to the massacre as happening 'long ago'

Concidering how long some vampires live, isnt it odd for them to refer to something not even 20 years old as a long time ago ?

We also know Archvisites are differant to regular vampires, as Dominique claimed vanitas wanted to use noe for his unique abilities, (abilities not just ability to see memories), how it (presumably) took longer for chloes potion to kick on for him

Not to mwntion- SPOILER FOR THE LATEST CHAPTER CHAPTER 61

how Noe is already starting to recall what Ruthvan did to him, which shouldn't be possiable if Ruthvan is more powerful than him.

Moving into another theory that I mentioned before but I keep finding more and more proof for,

I think EVERYTHING since the beginning has been planned by teacher, everything, not just the small things. From him just os happening to find noe at an auction, as far as we know the teacher didn't have any others in the mansion so he just so happend to go to a human auction and find the last remaining archvisite? As we know noe added that the vampires who kidnapped hom mistook him for a human?

It was almost as if Noe was the main peice of the story the teacher wanted to see play out. Not to mention in Domiques first appearance she says this-

Who told her where Noe was? Realistically how would anyone know that Noe was with count Orlock? Unless count orlock told someone and it got passed on? But the only person who knew noe was in Paris was the teacher.

The teacher sending a letter to count orlock with Noes full name and asking him to help Noe with anything he needs is also weirdly suspicious because there was no need to give out Noes full name unless he knew the effect it would have.

I am also of the mindset that everything happening is a timeloop, of this situation has played out time and time again, from the conversation lady Archvisitie and the teacher have in Chapter [ 58]

That his excitement at Noe coming with him, "Yes I am having fun because you came with me" implying Noe had a choice not to come, and as we know Teacher loves throwing around the word "choice" an awful lott.

If it is true abiut this being a time loop or some sort of time shenanigans, Noe could be the slightly differant thing Lady Archvisite and Teacher discussed in chapter [58 and 59 ]

One small "choice" can change the entire direction of a story after all.

Also final theory, Vanitas Dies by Noe not grabbing his hand when crossing the portal, I'm still of the mind the story will end with Atlus crumbling. And Vanitas will be trapped in the middle world because Noe didn't grab his hand. Why? Simple, I like to think this scene is foreshadowing

Noe keeps moving between saying- he killed vanitas by his own hand, and, he regrets not grabbing his hand that day, the death of vanitas won't be this big and major gruesome thing like we are led to beleive but rather him being stuck in a void, as it would also explain vanitas saying this during his 'death'

As we know Noe is an unreliable narrator, he blames himself for alott of things that happend, and tends to overexagerate how much of a part he played in the tragedy, as we can see during the whole Louis situation, he holds alott of regret and blames himself for it to the point even years later Domi has to remind him it wasn't his fault, so by him saying he killed Vanitas by his own two hands, it could be something as simple as him- being unable to catch vanitas in time. Or hesitating before holding onto him because Vanitas might of been the to let go.

There was enough of time between Vanitas dying and Noe somehow being the cause of it, for Vanitas to give him the reassurance that he won't die that he just won't be apart of this world,

It could of been said in a similar fashion to how Jean jauqes forced Noe to drink his blood so someone would remember hom and chloe, because if we think about it in that sense. He could of meant he won't die because Now will always be around to remember.

Making Vanitas a figure similar to the shapeless one or lady archvisite; who mainly seem to operate and live in the between world.

#myart #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanitas #vanitas anime #vanitas no carte manga #vanoe #vanoe fanfic #memoir of vanitas #les memoires de vanitas

[meimi-haneoka]

Certain scenes in Clear Card become clear (pun unintended) only when you re-read them several times, and sometimes you have to linger on the text in Japanese to get the right key to understand them.

I run a daily account for Akiho on Twitter, and I was browsing again through the scenes of chapter 78, to see if I could feature one of those scenes today.

This page caught my attention once again, despite the fact that by now I must have seen it a hundred times:

Of course this scene makes me always smile a lot, because of how Akiho is literally shouting at the dragon to talk to her, exerting her assertiveness once again, and she looks so desperate and fed up! And the dragon stops suddenly (expressed eloquently by that ピター sfx) with that seemingly "surprised" expression. I looked over and over at his expression and tried to go deeper about what could've caused such an abrupt "change of mind".

I mean yes, I've always given for granted that this was standard Kaito being unable to deny Akiho anything.

But is it really all that there is, to this scene?

My eyes glided over that 「お話」 (ohanashi, lit. "story, talk") present in Akiho's speech bubble.

The literal translation of her entire line is "Please! Have a [talk] with me!".

And you've probably heard me many times pointing out how CLAMP in Clear Card went maniacal in the use of punctuation marks and anything in the text that could guide us through the understanding of the scene, without needing to spell it out at every corner.

In particular, they use 「 」 a lot to bring the attention to specific important words.

So that 「お話」 .... I started to think, "why is it between 「 」 ? What is it that Ohkawa sensei wants me to think about? What do I need to remember or spot?".

So in my usual game of treasure hunt, I started to think....and I didn't really need long to start remembering that it wasn't the first time that Akiho had asked Kaito to have a "talk" in that way....it happened in a very important scene, once.

Chapter 48. Right before making her covert love confession, Akiho asked Kaito もう少しだけお話しても良いですか, which means "Can I talk to you just a little bit more?". When Kaito answered "If it's ok with you, Akiho-san" he was replying specifically to this request. And he seemed surprised but then very happy to walk and talk to her (or rather, mostly listening to her talking, as he's quite the introvert and contemplative type 😆), as we could see from the additional bits in chapter 49.

Another time we see Akiho asking Kaito to talk is chapter 61.

For how intimate those two talks were (truth to be told, we're often shown Akiho and Kaito talking comfortably in their living room and talking about the day or something else, but these were different), we can assume that, in general, talking is something that Akiho and Kaito love to do together. It is the main way through which they learn to interact and know eachother. It is not something that Kaito likes to do with everyone, but definitely he likes to do it with Akiho.

Once again she uses お話しても良いですか, just like in chapter 48. Kaito this time gives a "stronger" and more convinced reply, "Sure, go ahead".

And just like in chapter 48, it was a quite intimate talk, where Akiho spelled out to him (and to us) her traumatic past, and Kaito threw all of his composure out of the window and almost lost control of his emotions, for the rage that all of that caused to him.

So when Akiho, completely devoid of any recollection of Kaito or what she did with him in the unrewritten world, said that "can we have a talk?", almost shouting it, that was a shock for Kaito. Because it was something that she used to ask him and they did when she still remembered about him. It must have shaken something inside of him, and brought him so many memories.

He had erased any trace of himself from her, and yet she asked him that again. Just like back when they were still close, and shared that deep bond.

This is why he stops suddenly, and turns around, ready to listen and to finally cave in to her request. Because, I think, he could feel his "old" Akiho in her. He could feel the presence of their bond, as if it was never destroyed by what he had done.

Putting 「お話」 between those brackets meant that the scriptwriter, Ohkawa, definitely wanted us to pay close attention to that word. You could consider it as if she formatted that word in bold.

And I think today I finally found a satisfactory explanation for it, and for Kaito's sudden reaction. 🩷

#cardcaptor sakura #card captor sakura #clear card arc #ccsakura #cosmos & crystals #yuna d. kaito #akiho shinomoto #yunaaki #akiyuna #musings over chapter 78

[dindjarindiaries]

Security - Chapter 61: The Siege

summary: Clan Djarin fights for their home alongside the covert in the siege of Nevarro.

warnings: canon-typical violence, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff

rating: T

word count: 5.88k

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chapter 61: the siege

Astra steadies herself with a calculated breath as she views the holoplans in front of her.

“Pirate King Gorian Shard is captaining a Cumulus Class Corsair carrying a complement of snubfighters,” Bo-Katan informs the group through the intercom, though Astra stands alongside Paz and the Armorer inside the Gauntlet’s cockpit. She watches the model of the ship appear in the blue light. “It has aerial bombardment capabilities.”

Astra grimaces at that. It gives the pirates an advantage she and Din haven’t seen in any of the villages they’ve helped thus far. She crosses her arms over her armored chest.

“The N-1 will distract the Corsair and her snubfighters as we drop in to liberate the planet below,” Bo goes on. Astra’s been well aware of this plan, but the mention of her family’s starfighter still makes her stomach tighten with fierce nerves. “Nevarro is an independent planet and no longer under remnant Imperial or New Republic protection. But it’s that very independence that makes it appealing for you to settle.”

Astra smiles at the memory of what she and Din discussed the night before. A place of their own, perhaps a cabin style, fully furnished with a warmth that can’t quite be put to words. It could be just in reach.

“You lived there once, hiding in the sewers,” Bo reminds them. Astra recalls the haunting twists and turns of the tunnels they explored during their escape from Nevarro so long ago. “But now, you can be heroes.”

Bo-Katan looks around the group and nods. Paz turns to Astra and gestures with his helmet towards the drop seats they’d come from. “Let’s return to our post.”

Astra nods to agree and starts to follow Paz. She stops for a moment and turns towards Bo, the corners of her lips lifting in a small smile. “Keep an eye on the crazy pilot of that starfighter, will you?”

Bo chuckles with amusement. “You’ve got it, sister.”

Astra beams at the endearment and continues to follow Paz. They return to their seats alongside the other members of the covert, bringing a rush of adrenaline through Astra’s veins. It’s been many months since their last battle at Mos Espa, aside from the quick fight she participated in against the cyborg on Mandalore. But just as Din had reminded her before, she’s been training for this, and now she has armor and additional weapons that will help her.

It’s not the battle she’s nervous for, though. It’s the fact that most of her heart remains in the sky above the village, preparing to take the heat of the attack to allow for her and the others to move in. Astra would never doubt Din, and she won’t start now, but love doesn’t allow for rationality and logic. Her heart won’t beat in its same steady rhythm until all three of them are back in her arms, safe and sound.

The drop out of hyperspace is loud from where Astra sits. She tightens her gloved hands into fists on top of her armored thighs. She wishes she could have a helmet to hide the way her lips twist in worry at the thought of Din starting the plan. Instead, she looks down, comforting herself the best she can with memories of Din’s cleverness and strength in times such as this.

“You’re a protective pair,” Paz observes, drawing Astra from her thoughts as she looks up at him. His helmet’s tilted at her.

“The galaxy hasn’t always been kind to us,” Astra informs him. The scar that stretches across her face tells the stories she doesn’t wish to relive.

“I understand.” Paz’s modulated voice is low. His armored shoulders rise and fall in a deep breath. “But it seems that with each challenge you’ve faced, you’ve become stronger.” He gestures to the armor Astra now wears. “This time won’t be any different.”

Astra’s jaw relaxes and makes way for a small smile. “Thank you, Paz.”

Paz nods, letting their attention return to the task at hand. Astra can sense the Gauntlet’s gentle cruise through Nevarro’s atmosphere as they wait for Din’s signal. She taps her gloved fingers upon her cuisses in anxious repetition. Astra can only hope that Bo relays his comm to them.

Her wish is granted. After many moments of anticipation, Astra’s comforted by the sound of Din’s voice through the intercom. “The Corsair’s on me,” he informs them. Astra tries not to react to the idea of the massive ship pursuing her family. “Coast is clear.”

The Gauntlet starts to swoop down. Astra takes a breath of preparation. “Approaching drop point,” Bo announces. “First team, prepare to drop.”

Astra looks down at the floor beneath them as it opens up. She braces herself and remembers each word of warning Din offered her during her training. Her heartbeat quickens even as the Gauntlet slows down and approaches their landing zone.

As soon as the ship stops, the Mandalorians go.

Astra’s not afraid of the freefall they take before they activate their jetpacks. She follows their guidance, easing down to the surface with a vengeance. The pirates become visible even from a high altitude and each one of them becomes a potential target. Astra thinks back to their pursuit of her family in the N-1 and that’s all it takes for her to become just as fierce and focused as she needs to be.

She pities the first pirate she finds. The momentum from her fall takes him down easily when her legs kick out at him. Astra lands with ease as she draws her blast and fires a single lethal bolt. She uses her fibercord whip to capture the ankles of another pirate while a member of the covert fires their own round to finish them off. Astra and the Mandalorian share a nod before she keeps her blaster lifted and engaged, looking around the area for any stragglers.

“Area clear,” one of the Mandalorians announces, using the comm device within his helmet. “Team two, you with us?”

They wait a beat for a response. While Astra doesn’t have a helmet of her own for her comms, she can hear what’s being said through her vambrace, thanks to Din’s help with wiring and her old comm bracelet. “Team two, moving toward courtyard,” another Mandalorian responds.

The Mandalorian from before signals to the group, his gloved fingers tapping his helmet and then pointing towards the courtyard. “Move out,” he instructs, leading the way with his hefty blaster lifted. “Stay alert.”

Astra obeys, bringing up the rear as she moves at their careful pace. She keeps both hands on her blaster and pivots with each step she takes, never leaving even a single angle left unchecked. The Mandalorians around her do the same, checking every inch of wreckage for an adversary. Astra tries not to let her heart break at the sight of the pirates’ destruction.

They’re close to the courtyard when a squeaky voice alerts them from above. Astra lifts her gaze and sees a monkey lizard hanging inside the very same tree Din had once leaned against. It points towards the courtyard and attempts to communicate with them, though none of them have to understand to realize what the creature’s trying to convey. The Mandalorian at the front looks back and speaks with severity. “Possible ambush,” he alerts them. “Take cover.”

All it takes is the Mandalorians rushing to cover for the pirates’ rounds of fire to begin. Astra hides behind a stack of crates and steadies herself with a deep breath of preparation. She stands taller and lifts her blaster over the crates, aiming and firing at whoever she can get. The lack of a scope on her small blaster isn’t helpful, but her years spent training with what she already has pays off. She takes down at least three from this distance and starts looking around to see if there’s a closer place to take cover.

The whizzing of a blaster bolt just past her head distracts her from her search. Astra whips around to see a group of pirates advancing from behind them. “Behind us!” Astra calls out, turning and kneeling behind whatever cover she can manage to fire at them. Her Mandalorian brothers and sisters help in her effort, though the balance between those ahead of them and those behind them gets harder and harder to maintain. The flame of panic starts to burn within Astra’s armored chest.

“We’re boxed in!” one of them exclaims. Astra looks towards him when she hears his voice just to watch as a different Mandalorian gets knocked down by a hard bolt to his pauldron. Astra lowers her blaster and rushes to his side, using all her strength to help him get back behind cover. She investigates the armor that’s started to steam from the blast.

“You okay?” Astra asks, glancing away only to fire at one of the hiding pirates. Her bolt finds its target with ease.

“I’m fine,” the Mandalorian responds, his modulated voice thick with gratitude. “Thank you, sister.”

Astra nods at him. “This is the Way.”

She starts to observe their surroundings again, and for the first time since they’d dropped from the Gauntlet, Astra realizes that Paz is nowhere to be found. She furrows her brow, though before she can give it any more thought, her curiosities come into fruition.

Paz flies in from above and releases his heavy-duty blaster onto all the surrounding pirates. Their mediocre cover is no match for Paz, especially as the rest of the second team flies in and makes the assist. Astra stands and joins them, exchanging her blaster for her vibroblade as she engages her whip towards one of the pirates. It wraps around them and makes it easy for her to tug them towards herself. She catches them on their vibroblade and draws it from them before they collapse.

Astra flips the blade back into her boot and retrieves her blaster to advance with the rest of the Mandalorians, charging towards the courtyard with no mercy. Paz leads the effort as he clears their path with his heavy blaster, giving the rest of them the freedom to fire and aim with accuracy. Astra’s still careful with her advance, taking time to investigate their full surroundings. She recalls the balcony she and Din once stood on before and her heart falls into her stomach when she sees a weapon not unlike the E-Web Moff Gideon once unleashed in this very same town.

Before Astra can warn anyone, the pirates fire it. The first target is another one of her Mandalorian brethren, but unlike the other, he doesn’t recover. Astra tries to race to his side, but another blast from the balcony cuts her off. She’s forced to take cover and watch as more Mandalorians become victims of the pirate’s aim from above. Most of them start to take cover just like herself, but one stands tall and vulnerable, and Astra won’t let another one of her brethren fall.

Remember to use your armor, the memory of Din’s voice reminds her.

Astra activates her jetpack to fly in front of Paz, using the momentum to knock him aside before she takes part of the hit that was meant for him. The impact hits her on the right side of her cuirass, spreading a heat like wildfire through the area and taking her breath away. It knocks her back hard enough to send her into the wall of the building just behind her. She hits it and falls onto the ground unceremoniously, rolling over a few times before she stops and lays where she is. Nothing’s audible aside from the heavy beating of her heart and the distant ringing of the battle that surrounds her. Astra focuses on regaining her breath, her gaze locked on the blurry view of Nevarro’s sky above her. The sight inspires her to think of her family who soars somewhere within it. She fights to stay awake for them.

Astra’s aware that she’s being dragged behind cover, but she can’t make herself focus on who’s responsible for the action just yet. It’s the gloved hand shaking her armored shoulder that gains her full attention and awareness. Astra’s gaze meets Paz’s visor and the few blinks she takes is what gets him to heave a breath of relief.

“Thank the Ancestors,” Paz mumbles. “Stay here, Djarin.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Astra jokes, her words uttered amongst heavy breaths. One of her gloved hands covers the beskar that had been struck. She presses down and releases a tight groan at the instant soreness she earns. It’ll be just a bruise there if she’s lucky. Astra can only hope it’s nothing worse, more so for Din’s sake than her own. The stinging on her face already promises a haunting sight of bloody cuts from the rubble she’d tumbled over.

Paz stands from where he’s been kneeling behind cover and looks up. “All clear,” he announces to the group that’s left standing. “Advance!” Astra grunts with effort as she tries to sit up on her own. Paz kneels down beside her again. “Not you.” He calls over another member of the covert, each of them throwing one of Astra’s arms around their shoulders to lift her from the ground and support her. Paz uses one hand to keep Astra’s arm secured in place and the other to shoot at the retreating pirates. He speaks over the sound of his blaster fire. “Your riduur’s going to kill me, you know.”

Astra huffs with amusement. “That makes two of us.”

While she’s unable to help them shoot at their adversaries, Astra tries her best to keep her boots from dragging on the ground to maintain the same pace as Paz and the other Mandalorian at her side. When she observes him more closely, she realizes it’s the same Mandalorian she’d helped before, a thought that makes her smile despite the ache that’s already started to radiate throughout her body.

The pirates have since started to retreat to the entrance of the town. The Mandalorians remain in pursuit of them, with Paz, Astra, and the other member of the covert bringing up the rear. Astra’s surprised to see the remaining pirates halt just under the broken archway. When they get closer, she realizes it’s the Nevarro townspeople who have stopped them, led by Greef Karga himself. Astra smiles at the sight, especially as the Mandalorians close in behind the pirates and force them to drop their weapons once and for all.

“What’s their status in the air?” Astra asks, her voice still winded. Now that her end of the fight is over, her worries can rest with her husband and children.

Paz is about to respond when the sound of a large explosion from above stops him. He looks up and Astra’s gaze follows his own. They watch as the Corsair explodes in flames and begins to fall towards the mountains behind the town. Astra doesn’t miss the sight of the N-1 soaring far away from it, something that makes her close her eyes and take a deep breath of relief. She swallows back a whimper at the soreness the action produces.

“I can probably stand on my own,” Astra informs Paz through the noises of celebration around them.

The Mandalorian shakes his helmet. “No need. We’ll wait until you can rest somewhere.” Paz nods at her and speaks with a low, genuine tone. “Thank you for what you did.”

Astra smiles at him. “This is the Way.”

Paz tilts his helmet at her. “This is the Way.”

Meanwhile, Din begins his descent in the N-1, his helmet glancing back at the seat behind him where his children’s pod floats. “How are you two doing back there?” Din asks them.

Grogu opens the pod and lifts his ears in a reassuring coo. Zora claps her hands together a few times in delight. “Goo’ Papa!” she cheers through the intercom.

“Very good,” Din responds, his lips pulled tight in a smile. “You’ve both been very brave.” His chest relaxes before it pulls tight again at the thought of his wife. “We’re going to see Mama now. Okay?”

Zora cheers once more at that. “Mama, Mama!” Din locates the group of Mandalorians and townspeople just outside the entrance to the town and lowers the starfighter. Zora speaks to him as he finishes landing it. “Mama ‘kay?”

Din opens his canopy and starts to look around the gathered crowd. He searches for the familiar shine of her silver armor. “I’m sure she’s…”

His thought vanishes the moment he finds her. Din sees Astra hung between Paz and another member of the covert, her arms thrown over their shoulders and her face cut up enough for Din to notice even at this distance. His heart drops so fast he’s half-convinced it’s actually fallen out of his body.

Din jumps out of the starfighter and slides the children’s canopy open so hard that it nearly cracks the transparisteel. He urges the pod to lift up and out of the ship and closes it, leaving the sight concealed from their children for now. Din’s pace never slows as he closes the distance to Astra, weaving through whoever stands in his way.

“Hey,” Din greets, his voice breathless as he steps forward and holds Astra’s face between his hands. He grimaces at the blood and grime he observes on her. “What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Astra insists. She has the audacity to smile at him, a ray of beauty that shines through the terror the rest of her circumstances brings him. “I’m glad that you are, too.”

Din tilts his helmet at her in warning. “Astra…”

“Heavy-repeating blaster,” Paz speaks up. Din’s visor meets his brother’s. “She pushed me out of the way and it clipped her.”

Din inhales a sharp breath at the mere thought of it. He glances at Astra again and the lack of breathing he does speaks for him.

“It looks worse than it is,” Astra assures him. “I told them I could stand on my own.” Despite her words, Astra’s tone is laced with fondness.

“Vizsla wasn’t the only one she helped,” the other Mandalorian at her side adds. “She pulled me out of the line of fire when I got hit, too.”

Din’s hit with a confusing mixture of pride, love, and strong worry as he reaches to take Astra’s arm from Paz’s shoulders. He supports her on his own, his visor observing her more closely once she’s standing at his side. Din frowns at the smear of black blaster grime on the right side of her cuirass. “Protecting everyone except yourself,” Din remarks. He can’t help smiling just a bit to himself. “I wish I could say I’m surprised.” Astra lets a smile of her own shine at him, her eyes falling closed as her weary head rests against his helmet. Din forces himself to take a deep breath as he looks between the two Mandalorians in front of him. “Thank you for your help.”

They both nod at him before Paz responds. “This is the Way.”

Din leads Astra back towards the N-1, the pod remaining at his free side. Astra lifts her head to look at him. “How are the kids?”

“They’re fine.” Din hesitates before he goes on. “I just…”

“Didn’t want them to see me like this.” Astra finishes the thought as if she’d pulled it right from his mind. “I understand.”

Din waits to speak more until they’re back at the starfighter. He urges her to lean against the wing while he reaches for the medpac that sits inside the ship. “What you did is very honorable, and it makes me more proud than I can say.” Din takes a solution-soaked cloth and tends to the cuts on her face first. “But it was also very dangerous.”

“Well, you told me to use my armor,” Astra defends, her words lighthearted as her gloved fingers loop around Din’s belt for stability.

Din stops what he’s doing and tilts his helmet at her. “Rid’ika, that’s not funny.”

Astra sighs and raises her brow at him. “Now you know how it’s felt for me all these years.” She gestures with her head to Din’s own cuirass. “The bruise from Fennec’s rifle, your heroic stunt on Trask, the rancor in Mos Espa, that damn dragon…”

Din’s visor swings away from her. “Okay, okay, I get it.” His visor meets her gaze again and he releases a soft breath. He should’ve known better than to assume his wife wouldn’t throw herself in harm’s way for others. She’s right; He would’ve, and has, done the same. “I’m sorry I scared you all those times. I understand what that feels like, now.”

Astra lifts a hand to cup his beskar cheek. “Better late than never.” She urges his helmet to meet her forehead. “But I’m okay, really. There’ll probably be a bruise, but I’ve definitely had worse.” Astra’s eyes close as a smile of content grows on her lips. “The battle’s done.”

Din leans into her touch. “Our home’s in reach.” He lifts his helmet from her head and continues his work on her face. “And the first thing you’ll be doing within it is resting.”

Astra laughs and reopens her eyes. “Only if you rest with me.”

Din smiles and hopes that she can sense it. “Deal.”

Astra lets Din take care of what he can on the surface. He enjoys the sound of her voice as she continues to speak. “At least your training paid off.”

Din hums at that. “Did it?”

“Yeah. I got at least two of them with the whip, and I used the jetpack to knock Paz out of the way.”

Din gives her cheek a gentle tap of his hand. “Very good, cyar’ika. I never would’ve expected anything less.” He tightens his jaw for a moment as he switches the cloth for a tube of bacta. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“Don’t be. They needed you in the air.” Astra’s gaze glitters with her own pride for him. “I saw the Corsair go down.”

Din shrugs and rubs the bacta over Astra’s scratches in gentle motions. “It was just as much Bo-Katan’s effort as it was my own.”

“Then it was a job well done by both of you.”

Din’s face warms underneath his helmet, but before he can muster up a retort, the pod opens at his side. Both he and Astra glance over to see Grogu’s ears lowered in worry and Zora’s lip wobbling as she points at Astra. “Mama ‘kay?” she repeats the same question she had asked earlier.

Din watches Astra melt as she reaches towards their daughter. She picks up Zora and sets her on her uninjured side. “Mama’s just fine, Zo.” Astra kisses Zora’s head and rocks her a few times. “Everyone’s okay.”

Grogu coos, earning Din’s attention once again as the little one points at the scratches on Astra’s face. Din pats Grogu’s head for comfort. “I was worried about those, too.” Din nods at him. “But she’s okay, buddy.”

Before either one of them can continue to comfort their children, applause breaks out from around them. Din turns and stands at Astra’s side to see the crowd’s migrated closer to them and the Gauntlet, which had landed facing the entrance to the town. Greef stands by the open boarding ramp while he waits for their cheers to stop.

“Thank you, thank you,” Greef says to the gathered group of townspeople and Mandalorians. He raises his voice over the sound of the applause. “Thank you to all of you, and especially to our fine Mandalorian liberators, to whom this planet is forever indebted.”

The townspeople start to applaud again at Greef’s words. Din and Astra share a look as she rests her head upon his arm. He lifts his arm over her shoulders and keeps her pulled tight against him.

“Mandalorians,” Greef addresses them with severity, “I know that we have been on opposite sides in the past, but that is behind us.” He nods at Din and Astra in particular. Din returns the gesture. “From this day forward, I, Magistrate Greef Karga—.”

“High Magistrate, sir,” Greef’s protocol droid interrupts.

The crowd chuckles with Greef at the interjection. “High Magistrate Greef Karga,” he goes on, “hereby cede all land from the western lava flats to Bulloch Canyon to the fine people of Mandalore. You may no longer have a home planet, but you do now have a home. Welcome.”

Greef starts to applaud them, but the noise is drowned out the moment Din’s visor meets his wife’s gaze again. Despite her current injuries and all the hardships they’ve faced along the way, her eyes sparkle like never before at the promise of a home. All paths have brought them back to the very place from which they came that night they first met. The Djarins have a place in this galaxy to call home.

Din won’t let anything or anyone take that away from them.

“Welcome, welcome!” Greef continues to say as the townspeople applaud. “And thank you.”

The Mandalorians cross their right arms over their cuirasses. Din keeps his arm around Astra as the other copies their movement, with Astra doing the same alongside him. They bow their heads at the High Magistrate. He looks at Din for further approval, and he offers it with a firm nod of his helmet.

The crowd starts to disperse, causing Din to lift his arm and face Astra once again. “How are you feeling?” he asks her.

Astra beams at him. “Much better.”

Din lifts a gloved hand to her cheek. “Are you telling the truth?”

Astra wraps her hand around his wrist. “I am.” She pushes herself off the ship and stands on her own. “See?” Astra gestures with her head towards the crowd. “Now, we should go brief with Bo about the battle.”

Din keeps his worried sigh to himself and nods at her. “You’re right.” He leads the way towards the Mandalorians, resisting the urge to steady Astra with a hand on her back. Din scans the group for Bo-Katan’s blue-and-white helmet, but it’s nowhere to be found. He wrinkles his brow beneath the helmet and glances at Astra. “Do you see her?”

Astra shakes her head. “No.” She looks at Din with a mixture of confusion and concern. “Where could she have gone?”

Din looks around the group again, but before he’s able to answer, Paz approaches them. “Kryze is with the Armorer,” he explains. “I’m not sure when they’ll be back.”

Din nods to acknowledge his words before he turns to Astra. “Can we take a look at your wound inside the Gauntlet, then?” he asks her. He doesn’t bother leaving the desperation out of his voice. “Please?”

Astra’s gaze softens at him as she nods. “Sure, riduur.” She takes his hand with the one not holding Zora and lets him lead the way. Din retreats to the N-1 first to grab the medpac before he takes her aboard the Gauntlet. They remain in the cockpit and Din encourages Astra to sit in one of the co-pilot’s chairs. Astra sets Zora back in the pod alongside Grogu, both of them looking on curiously as Din helps Astra to set the necessary pieces of her armor aside and lower her flight suit.

Din exhales at what he sees. The place where Astra was hit has already earned a nasty bruise, the colors spreading out in a frightening array. He reaches into the medpac and forces himself to speak. “Your ability to act as if this isn’t hurting you is a huge testament to your strength, cyar’ika.”

“I learned from the best,” Astra insists, smiling even as Din removes his gloved hand and starts to administer the bacta onto her skin. Her chest inflates under Din’s touch with a hiss she refuses to release to the open air. “This is a lot like that shot you took from Fennec.”

Din tries not to smile at that. “You mentioned that earlier, too.”

“It was the first time you really let me help you with a wound.” Astra’s since taken Din’s empty glove and has started to squeeze it between her own hands. “It was also when you…” She trails off, lifting one of her gloved hands to wrap around Din’s wrist and move his touch to the other side of her chest. Her heart beats right beneath his palm and Din’s face flushes not just at the way it races, but also at the memory she’s alluding to.

“You were still the first one to say it.” Din shakes his helmet and goes back to the work he’s completing on her wound.

Astra lets her hand fall to his empty glove yet again. “Don’t remind me of that clumsy speech.” She laughs and closes her eyes. “I felt so awkward after what I’d said. If you hadn’t responded, I probably would’ve just jumped out of the airlock.”

Din chuckles with her. “It wasn’t awkward, rid’ika.” He offers a fond tilt of his helmet. “It was perfect.”

Astra gives her eyes a playful roll. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Well, considering we’re now married with two children… I think it’s safe to say that your speech worked out perfectly.”

Astra remains silent after that. Din keeps his focus on his work as he fills every inch of her bruised skin with bacta and any other treatments he can find. He only stops when her quietness starts to worry him. Din’s visor meets her gaze and his heart twists inside his armored chest when he sees the tears she holds within them.

“Hey.” Din’s voice is as soft as he can make it. He sets everything aside and holds her face between his hands. “What is it?” He chest flames with concern. “Was I hurting you?”

“No, Din, not at all.” Astra chuckles and takes a deep breath to steady herself. She meets his gaze with a look Din wishes he could memorize and keep in his mind forever. “I’m just remembering how I felt back then. I spent so many years on my own and I wanted another home to call my own so badly. And now…” she pauses, giving her head a shake of amazement as her trembling lips spread in a wide smile, “I have a person and a place I can call home.”

Din runs his gloved thumbs over her cheeks and smiles with her. He wishes he could remove his helmet for her, but with the uncertainty of someone else boarding the ship, it’s a risk he can’t take. Instead, he urges her forehead to rest against his helmet and continues to hold her tight. “Those were all things I never realized I wanted so badly. I thought I was just fine on my own.” He runs his knuckles along the side of her face. “Then you came into my life.” Din lifts himself high enough to pull her into an embrace, his glove hand securing her head against him. “Thank you for being my home and for trusting me enough to be yours.” He pauses to take a deep breath. “And thank you for waiting so long to find a place we can call home together.”

“I would’ve waited a lifetime.”

Din rests his helmet against her head. “I know. But you should never have to.”

Din’s chest floods with an overpowering sensation of warmth that could only come from their children. Both he and Astra lift their heads to see Grogu and Zora hugging inside the pod, both of them smiling as they emulate their parents. Din and Astra laugh together at the sweetness of the moment as Din pats his children’s heads. They look at him with radiant joy, though Din still forces himself to look away from them and release a soft exhale.

“We should head back out there,” Din says, helping Astra to fix her flight suit and put all of her armor back on. “Bo-Katan should be back soon.”

Astra helps Din with her armor in silent agreement. Once they’ve finished, he takes the medpac along with some of the storage Bo had let them use on the Gauntlet and unloads it just outside the ship. Din opens the crate of rations for the covert and Astra helps him sort through it. It’s not long before Grogu coos to alert both of them, and when Din looks up, his breathing stalls with panic for a long moment.

Bo-Katan approaches with the Armorer at her side, though the Nite Owl has since removed her helmet. Din shares a nervous look with Astra and keeps her close as Bo and the Armorer stop just in front of the Gauntlet. Bo’s brow is furrowed in uncertainty as she glances at the Djarins.

“Bo-Katan Kryze is going off to bring other Mandalorians in exile to us,” the Armorer announces to the group of gathered Mandalorians, “so that we may join together once again.”

Paz has since stepped in front of the Gauntlet’s boarding ramp, as if he’s blocking Bo from going inside the ship. “But she shows her face,” he argues. His words cause chatter to rise amongst the group. Din and Astra remain silent, instead sharing another look.

“Bo-Katan walks both worlds,” the Armorer insists. “And she can bring all tribes together.”

Bo gives Paz a hopeful look. Paz’s helmet turns and Din’s surprised to find that his Mandalorian brother seems to be seeking approval from him. Din offers a firm nod and that’s all it takes for Paz to relax and start stepping aside for Bo.

The Armorer lifts her helmet in decision. “It is time to retake Mandalore.”

The crowd of Mandalorians starts to call out in fierce agreement. Before Din can even turn to Astra, Bo approaches the two of them, her gaze looking between them with the ghost of a smile spread on her lips. “I would be honored to have the two of you by my side for this effort,” Bo-Katan says, her voice low and hopeful.

Din looks over at his wife, anticipating the weariness of having to leave a home they’ve just gained. Instead, her gaze shines with determination as she raises an eyebrow at him. “One more adventure wouldn’t hurt,” Astra agrees.

Din sets his hand over her back and nods before he looks at Bo-Katan once again. “Count us in.”

Bo lets her full smile spread as she returns his nod. Din takes a quick glance around the covert with the view of Nevarro’s town sitting in the background. Their fellow Mandalorians had helped Din and Astra save the place that will become their home. It’s the least they can do to return the favor.

One more adventure, Din tells himself, though all he can do is wish upon every single star in the galaxy that this one keeps his entire family safe and brings them back to their home as quickly as possible.

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#they deserve the entire galaxy and more #din djarin #the mandalorian #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin fic #the mandalorian fic #the mandalorian fanfiction #security #dindjarindiaries

[liaredrose]

Crimson Seeds - Dramione fic on AO3

Chapter 61: read it HERE

In 2003 Lord Voldemort won the war against the Order of Phoenix, destroying what was left of it. Seventeen years later, Draco Malfoy is an alcoholic who lives alone in a decaying Malfoy Manor with nothing else to keep him company but his solitude. Everything changes when a long believed dead witch is dragged to Azkaban and to save her from a future worse than death, Draco must take her with him.

Excerpt from Chapter 61:

Hermione did not reply straight away, her amber eyes pointed at him with gravity and seriousness in them.

“Do you know what our biggest mistake was?”

Draco set his jaw. “I really can’t decide. The list skirts infinity.”

“Not trusting anyone,” was Hermione’s quiet reply. “We’ve always been so afraid of losing what we had that we let no one know it.”

“We couldn’t have.”

“Yes, we could have. But we’ve never been too good at trusting anyone but each other,” she retorted. 

#dramione #draco malfoy #hermione granger #fanfic #lovers #draco x hermione #angst #harry potter #ao3 link #crimson seeds #enemies to lovers #friends to lovers #secret relationship

[minyare2906]

[RELEASE] HANAKOI TSURANE CH60

Title: Hanakoi Tsurane | Dance of Love | 花恋 つらね

Author/Artist: Natsume Isaku Rating: +18

Summary: The self-destructive type, Sougorou is the heir of one of the well-known families in the Kabuki world. He has no interests in other actors his age with the exception of Gensuke who he recognizes as his rival and never wants to lose no matter what. However, fate plays a cruel trick on him and the two of them end up as classmates… How will their relationship develop…?!

Chapter 60 Download/Read online: Here

Note: Hi! Are you alive and cozy or do you live in Spain? XD

Man either we’ll melt or we won’t survive the drought. Don’t they say that when people who can’t sing do it, it rains like crazy? Well, it doesn’t work…

Another month, another chapter and we’re already up to 60! I can’t believe I’ve been doing this project for so long… Actually, I’d liked to release this sooner, but, like last time, life decided that it won’t happen. Toshirodragon has gone through some sad days, so proofreading had to wait and the release too. My motto in this group is “Life always comes first”, even if that means to leave a release aside for several weeks, sorry about what you, readers have to wait, but members come first.

I’m dying to see the chapters where the lovebirds will play “Chuushingura”. There’s a small explanation about this play at the beginning, so you can understand a bit what it is about before reaching the chapters that will portray it. Maybe sensei plans that to be the main axis of volume 10, now that volume 9 is coming to an end. I’m afraid that big drama is ahead, so hold on tight!

So, this was supposed to be a release for Toshiro’s birthday on the 21st, but, like with Adamay’s, it came later, so belated happy birthday Toshirodragon!!

As always, I wanna thank my mates, Toshirodragon & Adamay for being so dedicated to this project and making the best out of each chapter. Thanks to Quietus for pitching in and letting us use her raws to work on them.

Enjoy fellow readers! And thanks for being here once more!

P.S: If you want a version of the extra page with Sougo and Gen separated instead of the wallpaper version, message me and I’ll include both pages in chapter 61. Cheers ;)

@cm-scans - @ikahomine

#Hanakoi Tsurane #Natsume Isaku #CM Scans #Download #!Hanakoi Tsurane #Min manga edits

[brownsplodge]

They Howl at Night (10/?)

Huh i wonder what splodge has been doing- *BAM WRITES A NEW CHAPTER OF A FIC I KIND OF DROPPED 2 YEARS AGO AND PROBABLY LITERALLY NOBODY WAS WAITING FOR* (ao3 link uwu)

(I hope my writing has improved lmfao but I'm doing this for funsies so I guess it doesn't matter)

Alcor sat cross legged in the small room and picked at a very sticky sticker that had made its way into the collar of his shirt and attached itself to his neck. 

He had to find the source of these evil stickers and eliminate them, there was no way they were not demonic in some way.

He was drawing a portrait of one of his nightmare sheep on the floor with a piece of chalk he’d found in his sock.

He felt a little bored, and he didn’t have the usual flow of random information to keep him occupied for some reason. Not that he wasn’t grateful to finally have some peace and quiet, but he was always a little on edge when his powers weren’t torturing him as they usually did, and they were being strangely nice to him lately. 

He heard something in the hall, and looked up to see that girl from the supermarket with her face pressed against the clear plastic wall of the room where it led into the corridors.

Alcor froze, not sure what to do. Why did he not know she worked here? Shouldn’t he have received that information? He didn’t want to scare the Mizar or immediately break Lucy-Ann’s trust by going full brother mode. 

What did humans do to greet each other again? 

Alcor slowly raised a hand, and slowly bent each finger crunchily to prove he had joints and gain her trust. 

The girl looked at him with a mild look of disgust, but not the scared kind, just the ‘nobody waves like that’ kind of way. Nailed it.

The girl bent down to one of the air holes that were drilled into the plastic wall in case the vents stopped working. 

“Hello! Um… Mister…” She removed her mouth from the air hole to check the sign next to his room. 

“Pines. We literally have the same surname, how did I forget it?” She mumbled to herself, before clamping her mouth against the air hole to make sure he could hear her (there was an anti soundproof sigil on the plastic, and it was completely unnecessary).

“Hello mister Pines! Do you happen to know about the guy who was in this room before you?” 

Alcor stared at her for a second, instinctively waiting for the answer to pop into his head (he had not bothered to read the more boring documents, and had been relying on just knowing important information if asked). 

But the answer never came, and the second he stared at her became half a minute of eye contact. 

His powers were fucking him over all along after all. 

He looked slightly to the side, the amount of eye contact feeling uncomfortable even to an immortal being above human awkwardness(lies), and tried to ‘dig out’ the answer. 

He wasn’t sure what went on in a normal human brain anymore, not having had one for several hundred, maybe over a thousand years, (He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t counting the seconds of his life like he usually did, and he hadn’t even noticed until that moment,) but he was sure if it was possible for him to get one again, he was probably close. He couldn’t find anything in his mind that he didn't already know, and he even couldn’t find all the stuff he knew already.

“I don’t know.” (This was a sentence he hadn’t said completely honestly in years.)

He kept picking at the sticker on his neck.

“Oh.”

"Sorry."

“No, it’s alright! I just thought all that eye contact might’ve meant something.”

Alcor shook his head. 

He finally manages to stick one of his long and very nicely painted fingernails under the sticker and peeled it off. Now his fingers were sticky. Great. 

“And you’re sure you don’t know anything about him? His name is Xander? Xander McKindley?”

Alcor finally heard something quietly answering the question in his head, and he automatically started reciting it.

“Xander McKindley. 61. 3 living relatives, excluding people whose last shared ancestors with him were more than two hundred years ago. Until last week he went missing. Instead of it getting reported, someone working within the official werewolf safety program deleted all his files, and most people who had known Xander were told he moved.”

He was quite proud of himself.

The girl staring at him looked at him with her mouth wide open.

“What? Who? How come you didn’t know who I was talking about earlier?”

This time, the answer didn't come to him again. Alcor looked down and tried to remove the sticker's melting glue from his hands.

“I don’t know.”

He earned a frustrated groan in response, and the girl turned back to where she’d walked into the hall from and walked away rapidly.

#wdym where the wolves are right here #werewolves #writing #fic #transcendence au #gravity falls

[twdsunshine]

Goodnight, love.

As of the 31st July 2023, this blog is officially closed.

It's been a long hiatus, but I've finally reached the point where I can look back at my catalogue of work and the amazing people I've met on here and be satisfied with making it permanent.

At the time of writing this, I currently have 3,810 followers who I truly, whole-heartedly appreciate. I have 10 completed series; 17 completed mini-series; 61 one-shots and more drabbles than I can possibly even count. And I'm done. I just don't have any more stories left to tell.

I've cleaned up the blog a little, so you'll notice that the ongoing series I was working on have disappeared. I can't leave them on here unfinished - it will drive me crazy. But I will leave this page up so that there's still an archive of my work for anybody that wants to read it from time to time.

And you'll still be able to find me over on my primary, @hanaissunshine, if anybody wants to keep in touch 🖤 and also over on @a-new-superhero where I'm most active these days.

I still love TWD. Daryl Dixon is my forever comfort character, and I'm excited to watch the spin-offs and keep up with the diverging storylines going forward. But this is a chapter that I'm comfortable closing.

Thank you so so so much for all of your support over the years. It has meant the absolute world to me.

Take care and remember, we're the ones who live...

Hana x

#personal #blog closed

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 97. brb x oc

a/n: ah, i just love them you know. Also next chapter is smutty fluff so be prepared <3

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: fluff, rooster being the protective husband, mentions of bullying

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

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50/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58/59/60/61/62/63/64/65/66/67/68/69/70/71/72/73/74/75/76/77/78/79/80/81/82/83/84/85/86/87/88

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-

Beatrice washes her hands for a few seconds, humming happily to herself because she couldn’t hope for anything better. Rooster is a wonderful partner,husband,father, lover, he’s everything she’s ever wanted and more, her smile only widening when she looks at her reflection in the mirror.

She also takes another look at herself, turning her body left and right with her lower lip between her teeth, “Oh,I look good.” she looks at her ass, pulling the dress a bit just so it’d cover her butt a bit more but she’s loving herself so much. Beatrice sighs happily, closing her eyes briefly to smile more.

God she loved him so much. 

It was almost painful, but a good pain, a pain that reminds you are alive every time.

Her husband not only was a wonderful man, he was smart and he was funny and he was the most handsome guy she had ever met…and he had those arms and legs…and butt. She giggles like the sixteen years old Bea would with a crush, bouncing a bit on the spot before shaking herself, “Okay,okay,I need to calm down.” but she’s still gleefully laughing to herself, “Okay, easy Bea. Easy.”

Beatrice took in deep breaths before shaking herself one more time, turning towards the door. As soon as she opened it though, she blinked when she saw Lydia standing there,with her hand up as if to knock, “Oh! Oh,I’m so sorry Lydia, were you waiting long?” the other woman shook her head, “Oh,okay,I’m on my way now so you ca-”

“Bea, can I talk to you?”

The brunette slowly closed the door behind her, blinking at the request but smiling, “Sure!What’s up?”

Lydia licked her lips, looking down the hallway that led to the living room where people were still talking, “Can you walk with me?”

Beatrice furrows her brows briefly but nods, “Okay,sure.”

Lydia waits for a few seconds before turning on her heel towards the left, Beatrice noticed that the hallway led to a small study, really far from everyone else and easy to muffle any noises from the inside. She smiles when Lydia tells her to enter first, looking back when the other woman gently shuts the door but keeps her hands on the wood, “...is…everything okay?”

“...yes.” Lydia replies, shoulders lifting as she inhales, “I just…I never thought I’d see you again.” she laughs softly, turning around to face Beatrice, “Sit down?”

Beatrice looks down at the very comfortable plush chair, tucking the ends of her dress under her body as she sits down, watching the other woman do the same. Lydia looked…like she was ready to cry, her smile small but present, like she couldn’t believe they were talking. “...Lydia?”

“I’m sorry…I…I’m trying to control my emotions.” she sniffles, interlacing her hands on top of her thighs, “And trying to figure out how to start.”

Beatrice,while confused, didn’t judge her reactions, “It’s okay…take your time.” she whispered, placing her own hands on top of her thighs after pulling out her phone in case Rooster called or messaged her.

Lydia rubbed her hands over her face, then met Beatrice’s eyes, “....I…I don’t know how to begin.” she says, “But I think I’ll start with what I can recall…do you remember the Big Game at school?.”

Beatrice blinked, wracking her brain for a little bit as she tries to remember what she was talking about. Pieces of memories joined together as if to complete a puzzle, it was game night, them - the Boars - versus their rival school - the Timber Wolves - and there were a lot of people there.

More than normal, Beatrice remembers. She also remembers…that she went to the bathroom and then she walked out, but not what happened while she was in there. “Yes…why?”

Lydia laughs softly, “...you,uh,we met in that bathroom.” it was like the other woman could read her mind, “We-you, well…you saw me and some girls.” she begins, “And…and they were pushing me into the toilet.” 

Beatrice blinked, furrowing her brows as her mind tried to recall it perfectly. 

She could…see more of it now. She walked into the bathroom only to stop by the door when she saw Jasmine,Tessa and Caroline shoving a girl - shorter than she was with huge glasses on her face- into one of the stalls and she froze. She didn’t know what to do, if she did anything they’d add her to their scheme.

But she couldn’t leave the other girl either.

Beatrice remembers that they met eyes, briefly, the girl trying to ask for help only to have her face turned to the toilet. The loud cackling, the laughter, everything made Beatrice’s body shiver…what could she do? She looked around a bit, then remembered that this specific bathroom always had issues with the light - the piece of tape glued to the wall with the writings ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ above the switch was enough to be a telltale sign - and she wondered if she could…do it.

When she heard the obvious sound of the toilet seat lifting, she knew she had to think fast. So she just slapped her hand on the light switch, and that made the lights above explode and in turn made the group of bullies scream in fear. Beatrice tucked herself to the corner when she heard their footsteps rushing away from the bathroom, the door slamming when they left…

Leaving her and the girl alone.

She could hear her soft sniffling, so she slowly approached the stall where she was and helped her up. She told the girl her name, but she was…almost out of it, like it wasn’t real, if she wasn’t quick they’d both be in trouble by the staff and the bullies.

But that was about it, they never talked after that so maybe that was why Beatrice just…forgot. Also her trauma did that, for safety, maybe so she wouldn’t remember and accidentally let it slip that she was the one responsible.

“You saved my life.” Lydia whispers, frowning, “But I didn’t do the same to you.”

“Huh?”

“...I saw what you went through. But…I didn’t interfere when I should’ve.” Lydia frowned, rubbing her hands together, “I should’ve done something,I saw how much you suffered but-”

“You feared the heat would go to you.” Beatrice completed, “...it’s okay,I understand. I…I honestly felt the same a lot of times,I know I’ve defended people and never expected to be defended back. It’s the bullying logic.”

“I still feel ashamed.”

Beatrice smiles gently, leaning forward to touch the other woman’s hand, “Don’t be.” she whispered, ‘Please don’t be, you aren’t…at fault for what happened to me. You really aren’t.” she couldn’t have expected this and honestly, now that she remembered everything, she almost thought it’d trigger an anxiety attack or a panic attack…but nothing happened.

She felt…so good and so happy to know that she could,somehow, amidst her own personal hell, help someone else. Beatrice's high school self really needed this and she could feel her teenager self smiling from the inside “Are you sure?”

“Yes,yes,Lydia I’m so sure.” she says,cupping her hand with both of hers, ‘Please do not put that weight on yourself. It’s not your fault,you were a kid, a teenager. So was I,what did we know?”

“...I guess so.”

“I’m happy you are better though.” she whispered, smiling at her, “I really am, because you have a wonderful life now.” Lydia’s lips quirked upwards just a bit, just enough to show her appreciation, “But I mean it…please don’t blame yourself. It’s not worth it.”

Lydia’s little smile widened a bit, “...you know,I…it’s weird, but I feel like the people who did this to us never really changed.”

“Well,some did.” Beatrice whispered, “Hannah Dreyfus is now a good friend of mine. We talk sometimes.”

“Yeah, but not the other three.”

Beatrice huffed softly,”No,not the other three.” she sighed, “But, some people are just…too set in their ways, you know? It’s not worth it getting mad or upset over. I admit that…sometimes I get scared, and nervous, but therapy helps a lot.”

Lydia just smiles at Beatrice, “Yeah, I know what you mean.” and she squeezes the brunette’s hand again, “Thank you. So much for what you did.”

Beatrice just smiled back, whispering that it was no problem. Mentally she was a mix of happy and surprised and…and just relaxed. Like it finally happened, she finally managed to close a chapter of her life and maybe she could enjoy this place with Rooster if they could. 

Yeah,she was okay.

-

He licks his thumb and forefinger as he waits for Beatrice, sitting on one of the chairs inside the house after snacking on some of the freshly cut steak, turning his head to the hallway in hopes he could see his wife anywhere. Rooster, truly, stood out amongst the group of former classmates and he wasn’t complaining.

As long as they respected Beatrice he wouldn’t have any problems.

Bradley sits with the still warm plate on his thigh, holding his head up towards the hallway and clearly not paying attention to the surroundings. Because he doesn’t see some people looking over, in fact he only notices when Hannah taps him on the shoulder, “Look smart.” she muttered, ‘You got three vultures on you.” the redhead is casually standing behind him so he has to play as if he’s not looking in the direction she pointed at.

And he tries to not do a double take because he doesn’t know what to make of the three women looking at him, “Oh God.”

“I know.” Hannah muttered, bringing the glass of lemonade to her lips, “Where’s Bea?”

“Bathroom.”

“Do you want me to check on her?”

“Please.” and Hannah immediately walks off, the music makes it hard for him to hear her calling Beatrice’s name through the door but he can see the redhead pressing her cheek against the surface to hear the inside. 

Rooster has his brows low and immediately closes his eyes when he hears feet approaching and a sudden presence appear on the chair next to his, “Hi.” he had to calm himself down, be polite but be firm, that’s what his mother always said.

“Hi.” he tosses a small smile, hating how this just…reminded him of the night at the club, with that other girl whose name he no longer cared about…or Beatrice’s cousins.

“We couldn’t help but see you,” one of them said, which one? He didn’t care “And wonder…were we classmates?”

“No.”

“Oh?” another one asks, “And what are you doing here?”

Bradley held back the sarcasm, he did, only to rub his eye with his left hand, exposing the large and thick wedding band on his finger, “I’m here with my wife.” he says, dropping his hand after rubbing his eye and he had to hold back the pleased grin when they- he blinked however when he connected the dots, “...wait a minute, you three- I know you three.”

And that only made them forget the sudden disappointment, “Really?” one of them asked, the shortest one, “You do?”

“Yeah…you three bullied my wife in high school.” silence. Absolute silence is what he gets, everyone else around them still talks, music is still going but those three women just stare at him in shock. His pose changes, he’s taller now, no longer relaxed and his eyes were narrowed, “She told me about you.” he looked ready to murder them with words, if they thought they’d get anything out of him they were clearly wrong.

But Beatrice’s voice, alongside Hannah’s and another woman, made him look back to the hallway and his angry façade melted into a grin when he saw her. She turned to face him, her smile widening, “Hi,Roos!” she grins, speeding her step to meet him, cupping his face in her hands to kiss him in front of her former bullies.

Did he mind?

No.

He just enjoyed that delicious watermelon lip gloss and the way her hands felt on his skin, “Sorry,I was talking to Lydia.” she explains once she breaks the kiss, looking back to where Lydia was, standing next to Hannah.

“That’s fine,” he looks down at the still steaming plate in his hand, “I got you something.”

“Ohh, shrimp! Thank you.” she giggles, finally looking up to see those vultures still hovering by, faces red and angry because of her presence? Good if that was the case, “...well, do you want to stay here or should we go outside?”

“I don’t mind.” he smirks, “Whatever you want,gorgeous.”

Beatrice smiles back, looking down at his legs before turning around and sitting on his lap. Without warning but again, who was he to complain when his wife was so lovingly sweet whenever she wanted to be? “I like it here.” she says, bringing a shrimp skewer to her lips, yanking one of them into her mouth.

Bradley chuckles, pressing his chin to her shoulder and giving the three women a nasty look, almost daring them to say anything about this. Try it, he thinks, try and see what happens. It’s their confused “Beatrice is your wife?” that makes both of them look over at the three women.

Rooster’s large hand settles on the expanse of her thigh, the not so subtle squeeze on the flesh as he smirks, “She is.” he coos, kissing the underside of her jawline, “She’s my gorgeous wife.” and it’s like they’ve been slapped. Because back in the first ‘reunion’ as Beatrice told him, they were surprised but didn’t seem to get that it wasn’t high school anymore and there was no way they’d make her feel like shit.

And while she was nervous when she arrived, it was the complete opposite now. Now it was like someone turned the light switch and Beatrice was glowing. Her legs swung back and forth as she remained seated on his lap, chewing on the grilled shrimp with a pleased smile, “I am his wife.” she wiggles her ring finger, “Isn’t it amazing?”

It was amazing to see those women, who obviously hadn’t grown from high school age, just look even more deflated. Much like Beatrice’s former friends were, they couldn’t understand that the girl who was humiliated so much back then turned into…someone with confidence, someone who was loved by an amazing man and someone who had a very successful life in her very own way.

Rooster had his lips on her shoulder when the three women shuffled out of the house, scoffing, annoyed and angry because they couldn’t act like they were sixteen anymore. His laughter was a bit muffled but it made Beatrice look towards him, “Oh they were mad.”

“They were.” she giggles,kissing his forehead after wiping her lips with a napkin, “Let them.”

“Hmhm.” he kisses her cheek in return, looking back to where he saw Lydia talking to Thomas, the other officer hugging his wife close, “What did you two talk about?”

Beatrice slows her chewing, her smile widening before she explains everything to him. She couldn’t help the sting in her eyes when she told Rooster why Lydia wanted to talk, why she couldn’t remember and why it was so important that she showed up. Her husband just watched with interest, his hand coming up to quickly wipe a single tear that dared to dribble down her eye towards her cheek but her proud smile never left.

And honestly, he was very proud of her as well. There was nothing else inside of him but pride for his wife, for his sweet and kind wife who just needed to remember how important she was from time to time. And the way her eyes glowed when she spoke, the way her laugh was quiet and almost disbelieved only made him smile more, “Oh,gorgeous…you are so fucking special,baby.” he whispers, “You know that by now,right?”

“Yeah.” she smiles shyly, “I do.”

“How’s sixteen year old Beatrice doing?” he asks, “Is she okay?”

And the brunette takes a while to reply, but when she does her grin widens, “She’s very happy. She’s very,very happy Roos.”

“Good, that’s all that matters. You feeling like staying longer?” he opens his mouth when she hovers a shrimp to his lips and he couldn’t really deny such a sweet gesture, “I kinda like you feeding me,” he says while chewing, “Kinda hot.”

Beatrice smiles, “Maybe next time I’ll feed you grapes.” she whispers, “Wearing nothing but an apron.” she whispers the last part and his pupils dilate immediately, “But answering your question…yeah,I want to stay a bit longer. I think I’m feeling…a lot better.” she bites the inside of her cheek, “Yeah,I really am.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x named reader #tgm oc #tgm fic #tgm fanfiction

[juregim]

my initial post about this got flagged as mature content because of the manga panels, you can see the illustrated version here.

question: sorry to bother but could u elaborate on denji almost becoming quanxi??

ok, so we must first think of how Fujimoto writes side characters. they are there to not only enhance the world and plot but also serve the narrative in a more symbolic way too. like the three immortal brothers aren't only there for absurd dark humour but also because we need a reminder that just because this world is seeped in death, life is still precious. also, Aldo's moment of realisation and begging for forgiveness was in connection to the theme that ignorance is bliss, as in when you close your eyes to the truth for too long, reality will hurt you.

in her very first appearance, she is basically living out what Denji believes to be his dream: having sex with beautiful women.

she is a hybrid, like Denji is, though we are not exactly clear on what her devil heart is (i think Arrow or Bow devils?), and she is incredibly strong.

regarding Quanxi herself, she is willfully ignorant, believing that to be the key to her happiness. in an exchange with Kishibe in chapter 61 she says: ‘The secret to leading a happy life in this world … is that ignorance is bliss.’ and that is the core principle of her character. we can see it even in the small moments before this exchange, like when she and her girls are in a sushi restaurant and Pingtsi tells her some facts about fish, and her mood is soured by it.

during the fight with the dolls, this is the advice she bestows on him: ‘if you understand it that way, you can kill them, can’t you? Ignorance is bliss.’ she is talking about forcefully forgetting that the dollified people are still alive and can feel pain. ignoring the truth so that his conscience don’t eat away at him.

and after the international assassins arc concludes, we can see him really living it, we have plenty of key moments where Denji acts out of wilful ignorance, avoiding reality wherever possible. it even seems to work out for him.

until it doesn't. and there is a choice before him: close his eyes and continue to live under the belief that Makima is his saviour or open than and face reality.

if he were to live life as Makima planned he would've become a blind tool whose only hope of finding happiness would be to adopt ignorance in the same way Quanxi has. tools know nothing except how to be used, and it doesn't ultimately matter if they change hands (like how Quanxi is on Makima's side through the Control Devil arc), as long as they serve their purpose.

there is, of course, A LOT more to be said about these themes of ignorance vs knowledge and the balance between them in Chainsaw Man but i think i've summed the connection between Quanxi's fate and Denji's possibilities well enough here.

#chainsaw man #chainsaw man meta #quanxi #denji #laila.txt

[sapphicmumrik]

One Piece Live Action thoughts

they condensed 100 chapters/61 episodes into 8 episodes but somehow managed to add more substance to the original East Blue Saga, such as Syrup Village being a ship building village and Koby and Helmeppo’s time in the marines, which was a chapter opening page for a while, and Garp being introduced much earlier.

actors are on point as far as embodying the characters go. even minor characters like Nojiko and Yassop are extremely similar to their manga counterparts. the kid actors should especially get credit.

shots are done well but maybe too many closeups of Koby

Usokaya fans like myself won a long battle

Buggy was a mix of Jim Carrey as the Mask or Ace Ventura for me, and I prefer his live action self to the anime/manga

Garp having history with Mihawk and Zeff was not something I was expecting but not unwelcome. Those old men definitely fucked.

small notes of We Are in some episodes made me smile

I’ll have to rewatch on a bigger screen when I get home (been watching on my phone), but so far I enjoyed it. I think it helps that Oda had majority say in production and vision of what the live action was going to be like.

This bullshit of Netflix releasing 8 episodes as a taste test is shit tho.

#juniper.op #one piece #opla #opla spoilers