#also please forgive my bad sword design

[autumnslance]

FFXIV Write 2021 #15: Thunderous

((A longer one. Violence, blood, and fire. Not safe for heretics or dragoons as we step back to last week and the aftermath of “Heady”...))

“There they are!” X’rhun exclaimed. “Thank the gods!”

Alberic only puffed a breath in agreement as they ran across and down the ravine to where Aeryn was tending to an ashen-faced Heustienne.

“The cavalry has arrived,” the injured dragoon said dryly, her damaged chainmail removed to allow Aeryn access to the wound. Not the worst Heustienne had ever taken, but more than bad enough.

“Thank Halone you’re safe,” Alberic said as X’rhun dropped to his knees next to the women to lend his own aid if needed. “We heard from Kal Myhk you’d tangled with a group of heretics—”

“They took us to Avengret,” Aeryn’s voice cut him off; quiet, too steady, too calm.

For a moment the world paused, until X’rhun’s tail lashed as he turned to look up at Alberic.

Aeryn wasn’t looking at him, her hands resting on her knees now, feet tucked under her. Heustienne’s gaze flicked between Aeryn and Alberic, her own questions barely held back.

“Let’s get Heustienne upright,” X’rhun said gently. “And then get back to—”

“Anyx Trine?” Aeryn interrupted. “Will they tell me the truth if I ask? They must know. If what she said is true.” She turned her head slightly toward Alberic without raising her face, looking at his boots. “She said I should ask you.”

“Aeryn…” His mouth was dry.

She looked up finally, lips parting to say more, but instead she drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide and shining silver, not seeing Alberic or anything else around her now.

He groaned, whether in fear or agony or relief, he wasn’t certain.

——

Alberic followed Corran Striker into the house. It was a pleasant little place, clean and airy. The edges of the walls were lined with brightly painted flower and vine designs, and small pieces of colored glass bordered the custom-framed windows to allow some of the light to also reflect rainbows into the rooms--that couldn’t have been cheap, Alberic thought.

“Please, leave your helm and lance by the door. I think my wife will forgive the boots this time.”

“I keep the lance close to hand, you understand,” Alberic replied as he at least set down his helm on the table by the door.

There was evidence of children; their house slippers by the door, a doll on a chair, a set of tin knights cluttering the low table in the sitting room. His heart ached. “What a lovely home,” he said. “Will the missus and children be joining us?”

Corran shook his head. “Emelia’s running some of her crafts all the way to Fallgourd in the Shroud, and took Zaine and Aeryn with her for the fun. They’ve been cooped up too long, she thought.” He smiled fondly. “It’s a way she deals with her homesickness, and shares that part of herself with our children; she grew up traveling part of the year selling wares as a girl in Thavnair.”

Relief, but also renewed wariness prickled along Alberic’s spine as he followed Corran to the kitchen, leaning his lance on the wall right behind his chair as he took the offered seat at the dining table. “Thavnair? That’s a ways away. Explains the colors though.”

“I got rather lucky,” Corran replied, his tone warm and genuine. “She misses it, but is somehow willing to stay with me.”

“Ever think of visiting?” Alberic asked casually as Corran went about the motions of preparing the lunch he had offered the tired dragoon when they had accidentally met in the treacherous priest’s chapel. Corran had seemed surprised to learn of Comfraire’s heresy, but had offered hospitality despite his own shaken state.

“If there wasn’t always so much work to do, perhaps someday we could,” Corran said quietly.

“I think I’d take the chance, perhaps even move permanently, were I a common man with a family. Get the children far from the war, among the wife’s people.”

“I won’t lie; the thought has occurred to me,” Corran said. “Though I’m surprised, Ser Azure; I’d think one like you would want to keep promising future soldiers for the war in Ishgard.”

Alberic shrugged. “As I said; were I a common man, with a foreign wife who misses her home and children with futures to think of.”

The chronometer in the hall ticked steadily as Corran worked. “Perhaps. Though much as she misses Thavnair, I’d miss Coerthas. I love my home, Ser Azure. There’s little I wouldn't do to see our homeland prosper.”

Alberic did not reply, not trusting his tongue to respond to the man’s gall.

As Corran came to the table with sandwiches and a decent-looking ale, Alberic smiled. “Then perhaps you can aid me in protecting our homeland,” he said. He hoped he was wrong about Corran. “I am tracking a dangerous creature I believe the false priest Comfraire was working with, coordinating an imminent attack from the Horde.”

Corran raised an eyebrow. “I’m but a simple farmer, Ser. I don’t know what help I could be.” He glanced down at his plate.

The chronometer in the hall continued to tick.

“Know you of anyone Comfraire spent time with, when not pretending to holy duties? Places the priest liked to go when not tending the church? I hear you were among those who escorted the fellow on his daily walks.”

“A duty many of us in the community shared,” Corran replied, tone growing strident. “Do you accuse me of heresy merely for minding an old man on his daily constitutional?”

“No of course not,” Alberic answered. He pulled the correspondence he had found in Comfraire’s hidden desk drawer from his pack. “These letters however do indicate guilt.”

“Well that is another story, isn’t it?” Corran asked, leaning back in his chair. The humble farmer demeanor fell away as he crossed his arms. “Why play along?”

“I wanted to be wrong. You seemed like a decent man with a family you love.”

“I do love them,” Corran replied, voice low and cold. “You’re very unlucky you came this day.”

“She doesn’t know what you really do, does she?”

“And once we’re rid of you, she never will,” Corran said bluntly. “Our war doesn’t concern her.”

“And the children?”

Corran’s grey eyes clouded like thunderstorms, his lips drawn into a snarl. “You’ll never touch them.”

They both leapt, chairs clattering to the ground. Alberic reached for his lance while Corran moved with preternatural speed to the sideboard, pulling a hidden blade he managed to raise in time to block Alberic’s swing.

The house was torn and broken as they fought, Alberic barely able to acknowledge the damage as they threw each other against walls and through furnishings. Corran had an advantage with his shorter blade in the cramped space, but Alberic was a far more practiced fighter. If he could get hold of a sword--or better disarm Corran of his--then the heretic would soon be at his mercy.

He finally saw his moment, spinning his lance to baffle Corran’s blade before using his more heavily armored frame to knock the taller man through a door and into what had to be the master bedroom.

The sword went sliding the opposite way down the hall, and Corran laughed bitterly.

“Give it up, Striker,” Alberic said, pointing his lance. He could see Corran’s waist and legs, but the broken door obscured his head. “Tell me about the coming attack!”

Corran's laugh only continued, growing deeper and more growling. Alberic’s eyes widened as he saw Corran’s body jerk, bones cracking and skin tearing, swelling as scales overtook skin.

He swung to drive his lance down through the man as a roar shook the windows, and through the back wall an aevis tore its way inside, the colorfully bordered window panes shattering across the bedding. The dragon leapt at Alberic, and he swung up, barely blocking the creature’s jaws from clamping onto his still helm-less head as they skid down the hall from the momentum of its impact.

Alberic managed to roll out of the way as the aevis let loose a gout of flame, the fire catching on broken furniture. It came for him again but he had made it to his feet, dashing back toward the kitchen for room to move. The aevis lunged at him as Alberic braced himself, a heel against the base of the sink.

His lance caught the beast’s chest and with a roar of his own from his Inner Dragon surging forth, he used the dragon’s momentum to pierce it deeper, throwing it over his shoulder and halfway through the large window, more bright glass breaking as the thing flailed, screaming flames across the yard as it bled out around the lance through it.

Alberic had no time to retrieve his weapon as Corran came for him, tearing apart the walls to fit his new bulk through them to get to the dragoon. He was larger than most transformations Alberic had seen, a heavy red wyvern, powerful and burning, his eyes filled with the same intelligence they had held as a man.

Alberic swore and dove out of the way of claws longer than his own hands. He managed to duck and roll under and past Corran and back into the hallway, needing the smaller space to disadvantage the dragon. Assuming said dragon didn’t just shoulder the walls out of his way, his fiery head rearing back to blast Alberic.

He barely managed to dodge, the heat unbearable as the walls with their pretty flower paint warped, melted, and crisped in the heat, flames now filling the house. He couldn’t last in here much longer, but also couldn’t let this fight further endanger the rest of the village, the commotion surely drawing attention, though any other knights would be too far away while Corran likely had more allies nearby.

His feet hit more metal that clattered, and he remembered Corran’s sword. As the beast came for him again, Alberic ducked to retrieve it, rolling in low as Corran leaped at him. With another shout, Alberic swung up, sliding along the floor on his knees as Corran passed overhead, the sword slicing down the wyvern’s side.

Corran screeched, landing heavily against the door in a tangle, blood flowing freely, wings and talons unable to get purchase in the too small space.

Alberic breathed heavily as he stood and hurried into the kitchen. The aevis was still jerking through its death throes, making a pathetic, pained cry as he yanked his lance from it, more blood pumping onto the sink and floor.

Alberic returned to the hall. Corran watched him, panting himself, lifesblood pooling around him as smoke filled the air.

“Finish me,” the dragon rumbled, in something resembling Corran’s voice. “But I want a promise first.”

“A promise?” Alberic asked. “Why should I pledge aught to a heretic?”

A weary claw gestured, holding a limp, blood-covered ragdoll. Alberic went cold. “For...them. They’re innocent. But we both know...Inquisitors….”

Alberic coughed as he shivered. They wouldn’t care that the children were only children. They wouldn’t care if Mistress Striker was Thavnairian--if anything, that would make it worse for her, no matter if she truly was unaware of her husband’s sins.

“Maybe...she’ll take them home,” Corran said. “She misses it. They could have…Not this.” His eyes met Alberic’s.

They were the grey eyes of a man.

Alberic nodded. “I promise,” he answered, as he pushed his lance through the wyvern’s heart. “Your family won’t pay for your sins.”

When he opened his smoke-stung eyes again, the dragon was gone, Corran Striker’s lifeless form before him, eyes colorless glass, smiling in relief.

Alberic considered for a moment, then drug Corran’s body toward the heaviest flames devouring the house, throwing him into the fire. With luck it would be so burned as to obscure how he had truly died, if Alberic was to keep his reckless promise.

The aevis in the kitchen was dead finally. Alberic retrieved the correspondence knocked to the floor during the scuffle, and gritting his teeth, threw all but one sheet into the flame as well; there was mention of a tower. If nothing else he could salvage something from this mess.

The heat and smoke were too much now, and people outside were shouting and trying to put out the flames, a woman screaming as she glimpsed the dragon half-hanging from the kitchen.

Alberic stumbled outside, battered and bloodied, and fell unconscious at the feet of the Strikers’ neighbors.

—————

It took only a few eye blinks before Aeryn’s groan echoed Alberic’s from a moment before. X’rhun tried to call to her, but she was on her feet in the next eye blink. She whirled in Alberic’s direction, braid whipping so quickly the end came back around to strike her cheek, unnoticed. Her eyes were a storm, lightning crackling in them.

Alberic did not move. He distantly realized that there was nothing any of the three of them could do to stop her of all people.

She flung herself forward and he took the weight of her body slamming into his, her hands gripping at his coat.

That was all.

Alberic didn’t dare move as she trembled against him, head down. X’rhun and Heustienne watched, breath held. Perhaps they had realized the same thing he had.

"I'd forgotten the windows,” Aeryn said hoarsely. “They were almost new; a Starlight gift from him, for Mama."

Alberic said nothing. What could he say?

“You didn’t tell me.”

He sighed. It took a moment to make sound. “By the time I’d realized who you were, why you were so familiar...Well, we had that mess with Estinien and neither of us were in any shape for more terrible revelations. Not the easiest thing to tell a girl you’re the man that killed her father, regardless of the why. And...If the Inquisition, the Ward, if any of them had found out…”

“I’d have handled them,” she said. Neutral, a matter of fact. She wasn’t one to boast.

“Perhaps,” he said. “I thought...Your mother took you to Thavnair. You would have a life there, away from the war. I never expected you to return. To be...this.”

“You should have told me.”

“I know. And you know I’m a sentimental, craven fool.”

She laughed, a wild, bitter noise, finally looking up. Her eyes locked with his, and he thought for as much as she looked like her mother, her eyes were too much like her father’s.

“X’rhun, can you make sure Heustienne gets back to Anyx Trine?” She said, not breaking her gaze with Alberic. The storm still rumbled in her eyes, but all he could see was old smoke.

“Of course,” the Seeker answered. “Aeryn—”

“I’m going home,” she said, shoving Alberic away. He staggered, barely managing to keep his footing. She was stronger than she looked. “I need time to think and rest.”

“You mean Revenant’s Toll, yes?” X’rhun demanded, tail still lashing.

Aeryn only nodded once as she retrieved her pack from next to Heustienne.

“Call me via ‘pearl when you arrive,” X’rhun insisted.

She paused for a moment, then nodded again, shouldering her pack and walking away.

“What the seven hells am I missing?” Heustienne asked after they watched Aeryn’s red coat vanish among the hills. “What did she see? What did you do?”

“Later,” X’rhun said, helping her to her feet. “Let’s get back to something resembling civilization first; Avengret’s heretics may still be on the trail.”

Alberic said nothing, simply following along as they made their way across the wilderness.

#FFXIVWrite2021 #Final Fantasy XIV #Lyn Writing #Backstory #Dragonsong War #Alberic Bale #X'hrun Tia #Heustienne de Vimaroix #Corran Striker #Aeryn Striker

[hermits-that-craft]

In My Dreams (Will You Remember Me?)

Flower Husbands Fic - Chapter Eight - Stay a While, Stay a While

Ao3 in the comments

“Aeor give me guidance.” Scott prays, kneeling in the back parlor. “Because if you give me strength, Rivendell will lose her allies to my hand.”

Scott leans back on his heels, fighting not to push his head into his hands. “I know you chose me, as your champion and the king of Rivendell, but we have been allied with idiots.” Scott grumbles. “And they want to attack Jimmy for being your champion, so I’m pleading with you for guidance.”

Scott sits in silence as dawn breaks over the mountains, listening to the serenity that the break of dawn brings.

Or what is supposed to be the serenity of the break of dawn, because one of his guards is fighting with someone. Not a physical fight, from the sounds of it, but a verbal one. Scott stands from his position on the floor, leaving an apple under the golden deer that he parents claimed represented Aoer as an offering. Scott adjusts his cape, putting his crown on his head, ready to aid his guards in getting rid of whatever disgruntled merchant decided to go straight to his house instead of his council to air their grievances. 

“You cannot demand council with our ruler, even Rivendell’s closest allies cannot do that.” She snaps, and Scott shivers. Eloise is always harsh, preferring to terrify potential threats away than calm them. Though, its not often that she has to bring up their allies to send merchants down the hill, towards town.

Scott opens the door, ready to call Eloise off, when he sees him.

Jimmy stands in the doorway, nervously holding his hands in the air. He wears the stupid codfather head, but he also glows in the light of the early morning golden hour. The snow glitters around, and the fish hybrid shivers in the wind, but Scott can’t help but to blink. It’s too early to form thoughts about this.

Aoer he’s got it bad for this man.

“Stand down, Eloise.” Scott says, finally find his voice, though its stuck in his throat and he’s not going to be able to speak to Jimmy in private if he’s asked to. “He’s a guest here.”

“Of course, your highness.” Eloise says, lifting her hand from her sword. “Shall I escort him to your office?”

“There’s no need, we’ll be in the front parlor.” Scott smiles, and Eloise glares at him for a split second before she steps aside.

“Enter, Codfather.” She says, her voice saccharine. 

“Uh, thank you?” Jimmy says, walking into Scott’s home. Eloise rolls her eyes, shutting the doors behind him.

“I’m sorry about her.” Scott says. “She’s at the end of her shift. I assume your night guards are like her?”

“Um, sure.” Jimmy says. “They’re certainly something.”

“If they’re rude to you, you ought to fire them.” Scott says, but Jimmy doesn’t seem to be listening to him.

“It’s beautiful in here.” Jimmy’s voice is barely audible, a breath on the wind, but Scott’s filled with pride anyway.

Jimmy looks over the intricate carvings on the archways, the gilded railings that lead to the higher levels. The codfather runs his hands reverently over the embroidered tablecloths, as though nothing in his home is worth even the silver stitchwork. It fills Scott with a subtle pride, though his house doesn’t look lived in - what with the maids and cleaners ensuring that nothing is ever out of place, that dust never settles on the rafters, let alone the tables - Jimmy now knows that Scott could afford to take care of him, to give him a life that's more than comfortable.

“What’s this?” Jimmy asks, and Scott walks towards his potential partner. “It’s beautiful.”

The golden statue of Aeor rests on the mantle, glittering in the light. Jimmy holds onto his clothes, as though he doesn’t want to touch it. Scott fights back a soft smile at the gesture, its kind of the man to do, even if unnecessary. Aoer would not care if one of his statues was touched, even if it were touched by someone who knows not of the god.

“It’s a statue my parents gave me” Scott says. “It’s supposed to keep me and my loved ones safe while I’m at home.”

“This is your house?” Jimmy gawks. “These two rooms are as large as my entire house.”

Scott winces, turning to avoid offending Jimmy. Why would the founder of an empire live in a hut? Sausage and Fwip built their castles outside of the town that they were given to rule over, why didn’t Jimmy build himself a castle, something fit for someone his stature.

Jimmy deserves better.

“It is my house.” Scott admits. “I built it myself, when my parents told me that I was their heir.”

“Did they?” Jimmy asks, something sad infecting his tone. “That must be nice, your design skills are impeccable.”

Scott flushes a deep crimson, blinking a few times as Jimmy giggles. That damned giggle, that mad Scott stumble over his feet as they danced during the ball, the one that makes the words solidify in his throat, that he can’t get a single syllable out. He can’t even think, just focusing on that giggle.

“Do people not compliment your builds often?” Jimmy asks, cocking his head to the side, and Scott catches a glimpse of Jimmy’s eyes.

Ocean blue, and full of mischief.

“Not to my face.” Scott lies, not wanting to vocalise the words that fight to escape his throat. “Can I ask why you’ve come over? I’m fine with this being a social visit, of course, but we’ve never exactly had those.”

“I wanted to apologise for the ball.” Jimmy says, so quietly that Scott’s heart shatters.

“You have nothing to apologise for.” Scott says, softly, ever so softly. He needs to reassure Jimmy. No one should sound that upset with themselves over a party that they didn’t even ruin. “You made my night, it was nice to dance with you.”

“I promise that I would see you soon, after that dance.” Jimmy says. “And I didn’t. I’m sorry, King of Rivendell, please accept this gift as an apology, even if you do not accept the apology.”

And Jimmy offers him a flowering blue orchid, growing in a small, hand painted pot. It’s a strong plant, the soil is wet and the flowers bright. The pot has green paint around the borders, and a silver ribbon is wrapped around the pot, tied in a neat bow.

“It’s beautiful.” Scott says, carefully taking it from Jimmy. “How do I care for it?”

“Strong light, high humidity, periods of dry soil altered with periods of heavy watering and airflow around the roots.” Jimmy says, and Scott can hear the smile in his voice. “I’m sure you’ll be able to care for it well.”

“What if I kill it?”

“Then I’ll bring you a new one.” Jimmy offers, watching as Scott carefully puts it on one of his tables. Scott watches the cod hybrid rub his arms, as though he was cold, but its rather warm in Scott’s home - kept a perfect temperature for everyone, so why would Jimmy be cold?

“You alright?” Scott asks, looking at Jimmy. “You’re rubbing your arms.”

“It’s a bit cold in here.” Jimmy sounds embarrassed, and Scott watches as he nervously shifts his balance. “It’s alright though, I’ll be fine.”

“You’re from the swamp.” Scott realises aloud. “Take my cloak, as recognition of my forgiveness.”

Scott takes his cloak off, handing it to Jimmy. Jimmy holds it as though its made of the most precious material, running his fingers over the stitching in a way that screams reverence. As though this cloak means something else, something more to Jimmy. 

Scott didn’t just intrude on some Cod Empire custom, did he?

“I can’t accept this.” Jimmy says, pushing the cloak back into Scott’s hands. “It’s too good for you to hand away. I’ll be alright, keep your cloak.”

Scott frowns for a moment, the cloak in his hands. Jimmy is a guest, not even an elf who could adapt to the cold quickly, and he’s a cod hybrid. He needs the warmth, he’ll get sick rather quickly if he doesn’t accept the cloak. Then Lizzie would kill Scott, and take back her blessing. Not only that, but it could take months for Jimmy to heal. So Scott needs to improvise.

Without thinking, Scott wraps his cloak around Jimmy’s shoulders, pulling the other man close to him as he does the top button up, taking care to ensure that he doesn’t damage the silk thread that keeps the button on. He can hear Jimmy’s breathing hitch as he does, and Scott looks down into the man's eyes, watching as something unreadable passes through them.

“Now you’ll remain warm.” Scott says, slightly breathless as he steps back.

 Jimmy looks up at Scott, and pulls the cloak closer around his shoulders. The cod hybrid steals Scott’s breath away, even though Scott can’t see his face. The cloak pools at the floor around Jimmy’s feet, the arm holes slightly too low to be practical, but he looks stunning anyways.

“Could I offer you tea, or breakfast?” Scott asks, standing in front of a plush armchair. It’s his favourite chair, though due to the fact that it’s situated in the front parlor he doesn’t use it often.

“I had breakfast before I came, but tea would be nice.” Jimmy says. 

“I’ll have that arranged, if you want to take a seat?” Scott says, smiling. He waits for a moment, as Jimmy chooses a seat, before he walks into the back parlor.

Scott quickly crosses into the kitchen, watching as one of the chefs jump in surprise. He’s already had breakfast, and it’s far earlier than he would normally arrive for a snack or a break from meetings with stuffy officials. Scott offers them an apologetic smile, and they roll their eyes, smiling at him.

“How can I help you, your highness?” They ask, turning away from kneading the bread.

“Could I bother you for some tea?”

“Meeting’s going that poorly?” They ask, washing their hands in the sink as they turn on the redstone kettle.

“I have a guest over, and he asked for some?” Jimmy deserves nice tea, and Scott hopes he’ll like it.

“The codfather’s over for a social visit?” They ask, incredulous. “You never have social visits, let alone with one of our allies' enemies.”

“He’s nice.” Scott says, watching as they pour the tea into two tea cups. “I’d like him as an ally.”

“Considering how Arel saw you put your cloak on him, I think you’d like him as more than just an ally, your highness.” They smirk, putting four biscuits on a tray. “Are you able to carry this out yourself or do you need someone to supervise the pair of you?”

“You aren’t my father, Cyran, nor my mother.” Scott says. “I can carry this, and we don’t need a supervisor.”

“Don’t make a mess of the front parlor, my lord.” They tease, passing Scott the tray. “I may not be your parents, may Aeor guide them, but I am your eldest member of staff. You were so young when I was bought onto the staff, you’re still the boy who hide behind my skirt from your tutors.”

“Please stop telling people about that.” Scott mumbles, embarrassed.

“Stop leaving your guest unattended. It’s rude.” They say, ushering Scott to the door. “I don’t want you back here until your guest has left, Scott.”

And they shut the door on Scott, making him laugh silently. Of course they kick him out to attend to the guests, they’re so stubborn. He should give them a raise.

Scott carefully carries the tray of drinks and biscuits through the back parlor, silently opening the door to navigate to where Jimmy sits. Jimmy’s looking out of the front window, watching as Rivendell bustles about as families take their children to school and adults attend to their jobs. The sun beams down, reflecting off of the snow and casting a glow into the front parlor, just as Scott intended when he designed the build. Scott places the tray down, startling Jimmy.

“Thank you.” Jimmy says, as Scott passes him a cup. “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”

“Not at all.” Scott lies through his teeth. His guards will inform the advisors that he’s busy, after all. Potential allies are more important than sitting through another meeting that leads to nowhere. “Am I keeping you from anything?”

“Nothing that I can’t get done later.” Jimmy takes a sip of his tea. “This is amazing.”

“Thank you.” Scott smiles. “Are you doing anything important tomorrow? I have a meeting after lunch that I must attend, but I would love to give you a tour of Rivendell.”

“I have a meeting with Fwip tomorrow.” Jimmy says, and Scott’s heart stops. “I’m going to his base to arrange a trade agreement, but maybe next Wednesday?”

“Did Fwip arrange the meeting?”

“He did.” Jimmy nods. “I don’t want to spark a war between us by entering the Grimlands uninvited.”

“Do you know what you’re going to ask him for?” Scott says, ignoring the pit beginning to form in his stomach. Fwip is something, an enemy of the Cod Empire and someone who believes that Jimmy is Aeor’s champion, which means he could harm Jimmy.

But it’s just a trade meeting, and Fwip has honour. He wouldn’t harm Jimmy during a peaceful meeting.

“Probably some gunpowder.” Jimmy shrugs, before a ring sounds from his pocket. “Oh, I’m sorry!” Jimmy pulls out his communicator, looking at the caller id before wincing.

“Something the matter?”

“I was supposed to meet with Joel now.” Jimmy winces. “I should go.”

Jimmy moves to take the cloak off, but Scott stops him, gently moving the other rulers hands from the button. Jimmy looks up at Scott, and though Scott can’t see Jimmy’s face, he can tell the codfather’s surprised.

“Keep it.” Scott murmurs. “You can return it when you come back for the tour.”

“Thank you.” Jimmy says, taking his hands from Scott’s. “I’ll see you next week.”

“I’ll see you then.” Scott smiles, walking Jimmy to the door. “Fly safely.”

“I will.” Jimmy says, walking away from Scott’s home.

Scott shuts the door, leaning on it with a sigh. Something isn’t right about this, something is so intrinsically wrong with Fwip inviting Jimmy to his empire for a meeting that Scott’s stomach turns with fear for the other man. Jimmy’s naive, the ruler of the youngest empire in this world. Even Shubble’s empire is older - just from a different dimension. Scott needs to ask Aeor to protect Jimmy. Surely they will.

Scott wonders if Jimmy liked the bouquet of roses that he left for him.

#in my dreams (will you remember me?) #imd(wyrm) #flower husbands #empires smp fic #longer chapter pog #calm before the storm

[ot3]

i watched red vs blue: zero with my dear friends today and i was asked to “post” my “thoughts” on the subject. Please do not click this readmore unless, for some reason, you want to read three thousand words on the subject of red vs blue: zero critical analysis. i highly doubt that’s the reason anyone is following me, but hey. 

anyway. here you have it. 

Here are my opinions on RVB0 as someone who has quite literally no nostalgia for any older RVB content. I’ve seen seasons 1-13 once and bits and pieces of it more than once here and there, but I only saw it for the first time within the past couple of months. I’ve literally never seen any other RT/AH content. I can name a few people who worked on OG Red vs. Blue but other than Mounty Oum I have NO idea who is responsible for what, really, or what anything else they’ve ever worked on is, or whether or not they’re awful people. I know even less about the people making RVB0 - All I know is that the main writer is named Torrian but I honestly don’t even know if that’s a first name, a last name, or a moniker. All this to say; nothing about my criticism is rooted in any perceived slight against the franchise or branding by the new staff members, because I don’t know or care about any of it. In fact, I’m going to try and avoid any direct comparison between RVB0 and earlier seasons of RVB as a means of critique until the very end, where I’ll look at that relationship specifically.

So here is my opinion of RVB0 as it stands right now:

1. The Writing

Everything about RVB0 feels as if it was written by a first-time writer who hasn’t learned to kill his darlings. The narrative is both simultaneously far too full, leaving very little breathing room for character interaction, and oddly sparse, with a story that lacks any meaningful takeaway, interesting ideas, or genuine emotional connection. It also feels like it’s for a very much younger audience - I don’t mean this as a negative at all. I love tv for kids. I watch more TV for kids than I do for adults, mostly, but I think it’s important to address this because a lot of the time ‘this is for kids’ is used to act like you’re not allowed to critique a narrative thoroughly. It definitely changes the way you critique it, but the critique can still be in good faith.  I watched the entirety of RVB0 only after it was finished, in one sitting, and I was giving it my full attention, essentially like it was a movie. I’m going to assume it was much better to watch in chunks, because as it stood, there was literally no time built into the narrative to process the events that had just transpired, or try and predict what events might be coming in the future. When there’s no time to think about the narrative as you’re watching it, the narrative ends up as being something that happens to the audience, not something they engage with. It’s like the difference between taking notes during a lecture or just sitting and listening. If you’re making no attempt to actively process what’s happening, it doesn’t stick in your mind well. I found myself struggling to recall the events and explanations that had immediately transpired because as soon as one thing had happened, another thing was already happening, and it was like a mental juggling act to try and figure out which information was important enough to dwell on in the time we were given to dwell on it.

Which brings me to another point - pacing. Every event in the show, whether a character moment, a plot moment, or a fight scene, felt like it was supposed to land with almost the exact same amount of emotional weight. It all felt like The Most Important Thing that had Yet Happened. And I understand that this is done as an attempt to squeeze as much as possible out of a rather short runtime, but it fundamentally fails. When everything is the most important thing happening, it all fades into static. That’s what most of 0’s narrative was to me: static. It’s only been a few hours since I watched it but I had to go step by step and type out all of the story beats I could remember and run it by my friends who are much more enthusiastic RVB fans than I am to make sure I hadn’t missed or forgotten anything. I hadn’t, apparently, but the fact that my takeaway from the show was pretty accurate and also disappointingly lackluster says a lot. Strangely enough, the most interesting thing the show alluded to - a holo echo, or whatever the term they used was - was one of the things least extrapolated upon in the show’s incredibly bulky exposition. Benefit of the doubt says that’s something they’ll explore in future seasons (are they getting more? Is that planned? I just realized I don’t actually know.)

And bulky it was! I have quite honestly never seen such flagrant disregard for the rule of “show, don’t tell.” There was not a single ounce of subtlety or implication involved in the storytelling of RVB0. Something was either told to you explicitly, or almost entirely absent from the narrative. Essentially zilch in between. We are told the dynamic the characters have with each other, and their personality pros and cons are listed for us conveniently by Carolina. The plot develops in exposition dumps. This is partially due to the series’ short runtime, but is also very much a result of how that runtime was then used by the writers. They sacrificed a massive chunk of their show for the sake of cramming in a ton of fight scenes, and if they wanted to keep all of those fight scenes, it would have been necessary to pare down their story and characters proportionally in comparison, but they didn’t do that either. They wanted to have it both ways and there simply wasn’t enough time for it. 

The story itself is… uninteresting. It plays out more like the flimsy premise of a video game quest rather than a piece of media to be meaningfully engaged with. RVB0 is I think something I would be pitched by a guy who thinks the MCU and BNHA are the best storytelling to come out of the past decade. It is nothing but tropes. And I hate having to use this as an insult! I love tropes. The worst thing about RVB0 is that nothing it does is wholly unforgivable in its own right. Hunter x Hunter, a phenomenal shonen, is notoriously filled with pages upon pages of detailed exposition and explanations of things, and I absolutely love it. Leverage, my favorite TV show of all time, is literally nothing but a five man band who has to learn to work as a team while seemingly systematically hitting a checklist of every relevant trope in the book. Pacific Rim is an incredibly straightforward good guys vs giant monsters blockbuster to show off some cool fight scenes such as a big robot cutting an alien in half with a giant sword, and it’s some of the most fun I ever have watching a movie. Something being derivative, clunky, poorly executed in some specific areas, narratively weak, or any single one of these flaws, is perfectly fine assuming it’s done with the intention and care that’s necessary to make the good parts shine more. I’ll forgive literally any crime a piece of media commits as long as it’s interesting and/or enjoyable to consume. RVB0 is not that. I’m not sure what the main point of RVB0 was supposed to be, because it seemingly succeeds at nothing. It has absolutely nothing new or innovative to justify its lack of concern for traditional storytelling conventions. Based solely on the amount of screentime things were given, I’d be inclined to say the narrative existed mostly to give flimsy pretense for the fight scenes, but that’s an entire other can of worms.

2. The Visuals + Fights

I have no qualms with things that are all style and no substance. Sometimes you just want to see pretty colors moving on the screen for a while or watch some cool bad guys and monsters or whatever get punched. RVB0 was not this either. The show fundamentally lacked a coherent aesthetic vision. Much of the show had a rather generic sci-fi feel to it with the biggest standouts to this being the very noir looking cityscape, which my friends and I all immediately joked looked like something from a batman game, or the temple, which my friends and I all immediately joked looked like a world of warcraft raid. They were obviously attempting to get variety in their environment design, which I appreciate, but they did this without having a coherent enough visual language to feel like it was all part of the same world. In general, there was also just a lack of visual clarity or strong shots. The value range in any given scene was poor, the compositions and framing were functional at best, and the character animation was unpleasantly exaggerated. It just doesn’t really look that good beyond fancy rendering techniques.

The fight scenes are their entire own beast. Since ‘FIGHT SCENE’ is the largest single category of scenes in the show, they definitely feel worth looking at with a genuine critical eye. Or, at least, I’d like to, but honestly half the time I found myself almost unable to look at them. The camera is rarely still long enough to really enjoy what you’re watching - tracking the motion of the character AND the camera at such constant breakneck high speeds left little time to appreciate any nuances that might have been present in the choreography or character animation. I tried, believe me, I really did, but the fight scenes leave one with the same sort of dizzy convoluted spectacle as a Michael Bay transformers movie. They also really lacked the impact fight scenes are supposed to have.

It’s hard to have a good, memorable fight scene without it doing one of three things: 1. Showing off innovative or creative fighting styles and choreography 2. Making use of the fight’s setting or environment in an engaging and visually interesting way or 3. Further exploring a character’s personality or actions by the way they fight. It’s also hard to do one of these things on its own without at least touching a bit on the other two. For the most part, I find RVB0’s fight scenes fail to do this. Other than rather surface level insubstantial factors, there was little to visually distinguish any of RVB0’s fight scenes from each other. Not only did I find a lot of them difficult to watch and unappealing, I found them all difficult to watch and unappealing in an almost identical way. They felt incredibly interchangeable and very generic. If you could take a fight scene and change the location it was set and also change which characters were participating and have very little change, it’s probably not a good fight scene. 

I think “generic” is really just the defining word of RVB0 and I think that’s also why it falls short in the humor department  as well.

3. The Comedy

Funny shit is hard to write and humor is also incredibly subjective but I definitely got almost no laughs out of RVB0. I think a total of three. By far the best joke was Carolina having a cast on top of her armor, which, I must stress, is an incredibly funny gag and I love it. But overall I think the humor fell short because it felt like it was tacked on more than a natural and intentional part of this world and these characters. A lot of the jokes felt like they were just thrown in wherever they’d fit, without any build up to punchlines and with little regard for what sort of joke each character would make. Like, there was some, obviously Raymond’s sense of humor had the most character to it, but the character-oriented humor still felt very weak. When focusing on character-driven humor, there’s a LOT you can establish about characters based on what sort of jokes they choose to make, who they’re picking as the punchlines of these jokes, and who their in-universe audience for the jokes is. In RVB0, the jokes all felt very immersion-breaking and self aware, directed wholly towards the audience rather than occurring as a natural result of interplay between the characters. This is partially due to how lackluster the character writing was overall, and the previously stated tight timing, but also definitely due to a lack of a real understanding about what makes a joke land. 

A rule of thumb I personally hold for comedy is that, when push comes to shove, more specific is always going to be more funny. The example I gave when trying to explain this was this:

saying two characters had awkward sex in a movie theater: funny

saying two characters had an awkward handjob in a cinemark: even funnier

saying two characters spent 54 minutes of 11:14's 1:26 runtime trying out some uncomfortably-angled hand stuff in the back of a dilapidated cinemark that lost funding halfway through retrofitting into a dinner theater: the funniest

The more specific a joke is, the more it relies on an in-depth understanding of the characters and world you’re dealing with and the more ‘realistic’ it feels within the context of your media. Especially with this kind of humor. When you’re joking with your friends, you don’t go for stock-humor that could be pulled out of a joke book, you go for the specific. You aim for the weak spots. If a set of jokes could be blindly transplanted into another world, onto another cast of characters, then it’s far too generic to be truly funny or memorable. I don’t think there’s a single joke in RVB0 where the humor of it hinged upon the characters or the setting.

Then there’s the issue of situational comedy and physical comedy. This is really where the humor being ‘tacked on’ shows the most. Once again, part of what makes actually solid comedy land properly is it feeling like a natural result of the world you have established. Real life is absurd and comical situations can be found even in the midst of some pretty grim context, and that’s why black comedy is successful, and why comedy shows are allowed to dip into heavier subject matter from time to time, or why dramas often search for levity in humor. It’s a natural part of being human to find humor in almost any situation. The key thing, though, once again, is finding it in the situation. Many of RVB0’s attempts at humor, once again, feel like they would be the exact same jokes when stripped from their context, and that’s almost never good. A pretty fundamental concept in both storytelling in general but particularly comedy writing is ‘setup and payoff’. No joke in RVB0 is a reward for a seemingly innocuous event in an earlier scene or for an overlooked piece of environmental design. The jokes pop in when there’s time for them in between all the exposition and fighting, and are gone as soon as they’re done. There’s no long term, underlying comedic throughline to give any sense of coherence or intent to the sense of humor the show is trying to establish. Every joke is an isolated one-off quip or one-liner, and it fails to engage the audience in a meaningful way.

All together, each individual component of RVB0 feels like it was conjured up independently, without any concern to how it interacted with the larger product they were creating. And I think this is really where it all falls apart. RVB0 feels criminally generic in a way reminiscent of mass-market media which at least has the luxury of attributing these flaws, this complete and total watering down of anything unique, to heavy oversight and large teams with competing visions. But I don’t think that’s the case for RVB0. I don’t know much about what the pipeline is like for this show, but I feel like the fundamental problem it suffers from is a lack of heart.

In comparison to Red vs. Blue

Let's face it. This is a terrible successor to Red vs. Blue. I wouldn’t care if NONE of the old characters were in it - that’s not my problem. I haven’t seen past season 13 because from what I heard the show already jumped the shark a bit and then some. That’s not what makes it a poor follow up. What makes it a bad successor is that it fundamentally lacks any of the aspects of the OG RVB that made it unique or appealing at all. I find myself wondering what Torrian is trying to say with RVB0 and quite literally the only answer I find myself falling back onto is that he isn’t trying to say anything at all. Regardless of what you feel about the original RVB, it undeniably had things to say. The opening “why are we here” speech does an excellent job at establishing that this is a show intended to poke fun at the misery of bureaucracy and subservience to nonsensical systems, not just in the context of military life, but in a very broad-strokes way almost any middle-class worker can relate to. At the end of the day, fiction is at its best when it resonates with some aspect of its audience’s life. I know instantly which parts of the original Red vs Blue I’m supposed to relate to. I can’t say anything even close to that about 0.

RVB is an absurdist parody that heavily satirizes aspects of the military and life as a low-on-the-food-chain worker in general that almost it’s entire target audience will be familiar with. The most significant draw of the show to me was how the dialogue felt like listening to my friends bicker with each other in our group chats. It required no effort for me to connect with and although the narrative never outright looked to the camera and explained ‘we are critiquing the military’s stupid red tape and self-fullfilling eternal conflict’ they didn’t need to, because the writing trusted itself and its audience enough to believe this could be conveyed. It is, in a way, the complete antithesis to the badass superhero macho military man protagonist that we all know so well. RVB was saying something, and it was saying it in a rather novel format.

Nothing about RVB0 is novel. Nothing about RVB0 says anything. Nothing about it compels me to relate to any of these characters or their situations. RVB0 doesn’t feel like absurdism, or satire. RVB0 feels like it is, completely uncritically, the exact media that RVB itself was riffing off of. Both RVB0 and RVB when you watch them give you the feeling that what you’re seeing here is kids on a playground larping with toy soldiers. It’s all ridiculous and over the top cliche stupid garbage where each side is trying to one-up the other. The critical difference is, in RVB, we’re supposed to look at this and laugh at how ridiculous this is. In RVB0 we’re supposed to unironically think this is all pretty badass. 

The PFL arc of the original RVB existed to show us that setting up an elite team of supersoldiers with special powers was something done in bad faith, with poor outcomes, that left everyone involved either cruel, damaged, or dead. It was a bad thing. And what we’re seeing in RVB0 is the same premise, except, this time it’s good. We’re supposed to root for this format. RVB0 feels much more like a demo reel, cutscenes from a video game that doesn’t exist, or a shonen anime fanboy’s journal scribbling than it feels like a piece of media with any objective value in any area.  In every area that RVB was anti-establishment, RVB0 is pure undiluted establishment through and through.  

#long post #really long post guys. look out ! #rvb

[wangxiandecoded]

Episode 10

Previous Episode | Next Episode

(Spoilers for the whole show ahead!)

Going to draw a heart over Wangxian to keep track of every time the camera shows someone third wheeling them from now on.

Wei Ying uses his Binding/Bonding talisman on Xue Yang to show Lan Zhan it’s a dynamic tool that doesn’t deserve to be named “Boring”. Even though there’s a serial killer on the loose, Lan Zhan’s opinions on his inventions matter a lot to him. Standard Wei Ying stuff.

Wangxian’s Mirrors

At this point of the show, I could not believe there was a couple who directly mirrored Wangxian. And surprise! They were two men who dressed in black and white and came together for their common vision exactly like Wangxian did. Wei Ying cannot help but connect the dots and Lan Zhan is already aware of their eminence.

Xue Yang Fancies The Yiling Laozu 

Xue Yang’s introduction makes the story take a darker turn but also a gayer one. The homoerotic subtext between him and Wei Ying literally jumps out of the screen.  

(This episode had a lot of moments that were just begging for alternate dialogues to be written. I just wanted to have fun with the subtext that’s already present.)  

Wei Ying doesn’t want Lan Zhan to waste his precious breath interrogating the bad guy. He protectively steps up (something he does quite a lot) and puts some distance between the both of them.

But he wants Lan Zhan to hold his sword while he does that.. and if that act wasn’t necessarily considered to be intimate or romantic before, it just became that after Lan Zhan refused to do it in front of everyone.

Wei Ying has uttered many conspicuously gay things on the show but most of them are with reference to Lan Zhan. Therefore, this is possibly the gayest dialogue he has ever said in a strictly non-Lan Zhan context.

His tone is all, “Honey, you've been existing for 5 minutes, I'm the queerest person the cultivation world has seen in a millennium. You think frisking a guy is going to make me feel scandalized?” This is nuts to me because Xue Yang is arguably the most blatantly coded gay character on the show.. and here is Wei Ying all but saying he can outgay him. That he shouldn’t come after his job. And Lan Zhan just looks like..

It is curious how Lan Zhan says no to something that would require Wei Ying to go near Xue Yang again.

We get it, Lan Zhan. It was hard to see your guy giving attention to someone who wasn’t you.

When Lan Zhan is unsure what's happening back home, the first person his eyes seek is Wei Ying, his source of strength and reassurance.

SongXiao Help WangXian Fall Deeper In Love

Wei Ying is euphoric to meet another pair of Soulmates™. (The same kind of glee that queer people feel when they meet a celebrity queer couple.) His relationship with Lan Zhan just gained supreme validation and a boost to the power of infinity!

He sees everything he has with Lan Zhan reflected in SongXiao’s relationship. He admires them and is delighted that people like them who aren’t concerned with clan drama can walk the wider path of justice, and also lead successful, honourable lives. He looks to Lan Zhan for confirmation but Lan Zhan doesn’t seem too eager to publicize the super sweet promise they made at the lantern ceremony or the fact that he’s been secretly enjoying Wei Ying’s companionship on this expedition. And let’s be honest, it would’ve been more shocking if Lan Zhan did confirm any of that here.

Cheer up, Wei Ying! Lan Zhan will get plenty more opportunities to prove his love for you and he'll ace every single one of them.

No one asked for this but thank you NHS for declaring your ideal type is beautiful gentlemen who fight crime together and unapologetically go their own way.

The parallels between the two pairs write themselves. More importantly, it is while watching SongXiao leave together that Lan Zhan stumbles onto an epiphany.

This is such an underrated moment in the show. The sorrowful music and slow-motion shot of Lan Zhan looking at Wei Ying with vulnerability all over his face once again drives it home that Wei Ying is The One for him, and he is his. He was already getting tired of denying that Wei Ying is his soulmate in every sense there is, and he feels his pain and sadness in this moment. It is enough for Jiang Cheng to feel sorry for him and move on but not for Lan Zhan who feels all that his soulmate feels. 

It is overwhelming and brand new information to Lan Zhan himself that he can feel it because Wei Ying is not in impending danger right now, so this need he feels to protect him and be there for him can only mean that he loves him beyond the shadow of a doubt. Wei Ying seems upset thinking about his mother and Lan Zhan gets it, without Wei Ying having uttered a word the whole time. His face shows a kind of defeat in this scene; he surrenders to everything he has known and felt for some time now : He's in love with Wei Ying and would tear down the universe without a second thought if it means it would rid him of his unhappiness. And he isn't able to do that in this moment. But thanks to Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, he’s found comfort in the truth they have each other at the end of the day, even if they have nothing left in this world. He cannot give back to Wei Ying what he has lost but he can accompany him in his sadness, and it will have to be enough. And it is, because Wei Ying can overcome just about everything as long as Lan Zhan walks by his side.

Wei Ying Says Lan Clan Deserves Rights

Wei Ying has many nice things to say about the Lan clan who he found exhausting a few months ago. Love brings about miraculous changes in a person, y’all.

Wei Ying gravitates towards Lan Zhan as if it's second nature to him and it really is.

Jiang Cheng spends a lot of time trying to get Wei Ying to spill the Top Secrets about the Yin Iron and Wei Ying is like, "Sorry, I’m bound by the Soulmate laws to tell you absolutely nothing."

Wei Ying is already embracing the idea of controlling the Yin Iron and people are rightfully getting offended by his suggestion.

What did you expect, Wei Ying? Not everyone is your lifetime confidant to give you the benefit of the doubt and reciprocate it with compassion, trust and open-mindedness.

Wangxian’s Temporary Separation

What was that, Wei Ying? Did we hear you admit that the Gusu Lan roof is softer than the one in Qinghe? Could this have anything to do with a certain law enforcer in Cloud Recesses you fell in love with at first sword fight? 

There is a delicate, bittersweet air to this separation, and even the casual watcher is going to be wondering, “When did I get so invested in Wangxian that WuJi makes me want to cry?”

It's cute how Lan Zhan is like, “Okay, I’ve seen the love of my life for one last time, I’ll quietly take my leave so he doesn’t know I was waiting for him to come back.”

Turns out, "I'll sleep on your roof tonight," is one of the most romantic things we could tell the person we love. Isn't it brilliant that just few seconds ago Wei Ying had said he will take whatever ground he finds as his home for the night, and how utterly beautiful is it to have followed it up with this dialogue? “Lan Zhan, I'll sleep on your roof tonight.” Because the world is big but my home is wherever you are. That’s where I’m happiest, I'll sleep on this rugged roof and walk through thorns if it means I get to be by your side. I won't mind it at all. And how unbelievably romantic is it that Wei Ying makes a philosophical statement about life, which ends up being about Lan Zhan?

Lan Zhan hears the implications in his voice. And he openly yearns to stay behind a little longer and commit to his memory what Wei Ying looks like when he is drunkenly proclaiming his love for him under the moonlight. It is pleasantly surprising that Lan Zhan is willing to express his emotions when he knows he is safe from Wei Ying hearing them, that he doesn't mind telling him goodbye when he thinks Wei Ying won't remember it. 

But the audience can hear his voice and we are going to remember it. How, "Wei Ying, I have to go," is uttered in a cadence so sweet we did not know Lan Zhan was capable of before this. And the choice of words do not simply mean that he’s going to leave, but that he has to, and most certainly not because he wants to. And how it really means, “I’m worried about everything, but especially you, and I'm sorry I have to go. I have to trust that we'll both be okay on this path. Please know that I don't wish to leave you, and forgive me for it. Wei Ying, I love you."

Even their temporary separation hurts so good. If they were meant to be best buddies, this scene wouldn't have been shot so poignantly. But we got used to seeing them together and every frame is designed to dig deeper into your heart and instil the fact that these soulmates are parting, and we don’t know when they’ll see each other again. This is the melancholy of a man who does not wish to be away from his lover but is forced to for the sake of the greater good. Anyone can see that.

The rooftop and moonlit night come as a callback to their first meeting, only Lan Zhan no longer wants to point the tip of his sword at Wei Ying, it gives him far greater satisfaction to place Wei Ying behind his sword.

I haven’t counted the number of times people acknowledge Wangxian’s relationship and/or know that they are inseparable, but it’s safe to say almost every character does that at some point. And some even know how to exploit their weakness, that in order to hurt one of them, the surefire way is to simply aim for the other like Wen Chao does here.

To summarize, Episode 10 saw Lan Zhan showing us his true colors : When he isn’t occupied with being the esteemed, intimidating Lan Wangji, he’s busy being a regular, sweet, romantic guy in love. And Wei Ying did that. He single-handedly exposes the soft side of Lan Zhan that nobody sees to the audience now and the world later on. 

This episode also gave us this : Two soulmates chilling shoulder to shoulder zero feet apart because they’re falling in love.

#the untamed #chen qing ling #mo dao zu shi #cql #mdzs #wangxian #wangxian meta #the untamed meta #cql meta #mdzs meta #wangxiandecoded #lan wangji #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan zhan #wangxian analysis #cql analysis #the untamed analysis #the untamed rewatch #cql rewatch #cql episodes #the untamed episodes #ep10

[hellonoblesky]

School got me worn out so here's my team dynamic HCs

It's Kaeya, Xingqiu, Diluc, and Ayaka atm hngjfhgdjfg

Kaeya

This man is so tired, Archons please let him rest

Has to pick up his week's paperwork from Jean every Monday when we go to Mondstadt to buy food supplies and stuff before fighting Andrius, gets to work on it while Diluc and the Andrius team go at it

Actually is the person who keeps the whole party safe, has pulled Xingqiu away from ledges while he's reading more times than he can count, makes sure everyone has food at all times, and keeps the schedule in line

Has a flask of Death After Noon that he keeps on him, has to actively keep it away from Xingqiu because the kid's curious

He is so tired he is the reason the party only gets up to leave at like noon because he sleeps in

Thinks he's good enough at hiding his anxiety that no one else has noticed

He is not, they've all noticed him shaking visibly at high speeds in 90-degree weather and the kids will do their best to avoid fraying his nerves on a bad day

Very kind to Xingqiu and Ayaka, kinda like a cool uncle? Buys them things even though they can afford it

Kinda lets the kids do what they want and chat while he keeps them safe and the whole party on their way

Absolute tank, balances his skillset out so he can manage most threats alone, no one has to get hurt, they can just travel, it's fine it's fine

Pretends to casually bring up stuff the kids want to do (after meticulously making sure the party would be in the right place at the right time)

"Xingqiu, we have time to kill, care to show us to the Wanwen Bookhouse? We can see if they have the next issue in that book series you're always reading! :)"

"Ayaka, you wanted to try some Liyuen cuisine, didn't you? We have a dear friend who just so happens to be a chef at Wanmin Restaurant! And since we're in Liyue anyway, we should swing by, shouldn't we?"

He tries his best to find something Diluc wouldn't mind doing too! Usually, Diluc turns him down but Kaeya has scored on occasion!

"C'mon Diluc, you can't have lost all your taste for reading, right? I hear Inazuma has some interesting books nowadays, what with all the isolation..."

Basically, he just tries his best and is so tired please let him rest

Diluc

This man is angry all the time but he doesn't mean to be. He's just unnerved because he's basically back to hunting Fatui in other nations. He just isn't alone this time and the Fatui aren't the focus

He's so annoyed that they don't leave until Kaeya wakes up, actively in denial about the fact that he himself wakes up only an hour earlier and everyone else is waiting for much longer

Runs right into danger all the time please someone tell this man to calm down he is the reason they need so much food

Does and takes a whole lot of damage at the same time and it stresses Kaeya out so much

Was not Pleased to find out he'd be stuck traveling with Kaeya, puts up with it because he can't bring himself to turn down the Traveler's request. Because in his eyes they're just a kid trying to find their family and he really can't turn down their plea for help in

Gets along surprisingly well with Xingqiu, they both enjoy reading, and often recommend books to each other! Diluc has no idea Xingqiu wrote Legend of a Sword, but the only reason for that is that he literally forgot the book name

"Hmm... in Mondstadt we have this book, The Fox and the Dandelion Sea? For a traditional Mondstadt fairytale, it does remind me of Inazuma, funnily enough. There are versions of the book that are watered down for younger children, but if you have the time I'd recommend the full novelization."

"Tales From the Waves? No, I haven't read that. Is it good?" ... "A novelization of an old ship captain's life? That does sound interesting... I'll pick up a copy when I can"

Gets along well with Ayaka as well, they both appreciate the arts and such so they talk about that

"In Mondstadt we don't have nearly as many festivals as they do in Inazuma... but when we do they're quite the occasion, and very dear to people's hearts. There would be rioting in the streets if the Windblume Festival was postponed..."

"Oh Mond has its fair share of dance traditions, but they fell to be a staple of the Lawrence rule, so not many traditional dances remain... although if you wish to learn more about them you could ask Kaeya to introduce you to the Knight's Recconacance Captain. She doesn't like me very much"

Is the one person who actually doesn't realize that Kaeya is anxious All The Time, literally could watch him shake uncontrollably as Venti walks by and think it was his Vision acting up, he has all the pieces to put the puzzle together but has lost interest in it

Xingqiu

Top ten reasons the party gets sidetracked, number one: Xingqiu finding a book and getting so into it that he doesn't notice people

Actually besties with Ayaka he thinks she's really cool!

Top ten reasons why Kaeya actually gets to sleep as long as he does, number one: Xingqiu jumping up and yanking Diluc's hair when he tries to wake him up

"You're 22 you can go get breakfast by yourself, my leige"

Infodumps about his books to the whole party while they're eating dinner regardless of if they're listening or not (they are, they always are)

Pulls out relevant trivia out of nowhere?? Like they'll be stuck in some ruins and Xingqiu just

"Hey, you know this specific style of ruins are known to be built with metal hatches that always lead to escape routes :)"

Or like

"Oh yeah, the coloration in the animals is different here because the plants in Inazuma so often have purple and blue pigmentation, and Inazuma is so naturally isolated, that the animals adapted to get their pigments partially from the foliage!"

And no one knows how or why he knows this much but he Does??

Also, knows everyone's favorite bird for some reason and talks about them, why? Idk I think he'd like birds!!

"A peacock? Oh, I've never even seen one of those! I hear they're lovely, but a little noisy. Sometimes we get feathers imported for design reference at the Feyun Commerce Guild though!"

"Umbertail Falcon, right? Ohh I hear they can be very loyal, right? Ahh, so that's why yours flys down to check in on you? That's lovely! Owls? Oh yeah, those are cool birds, you know their feathers are fanned out just right so they're entirely silent while flying!"

"Herons? Oh yeah, that's what your title is, right? Graceful... I think they're more stealthy, very good at waiting to strike. That's how they hunt, you know? Just being patient and stealthy, then striking. That's also why they're so graceful standing there all the time!"

Bummed that he's the only person in the party without a bird as his constellation tbh, but he's alright with it because he's got books!!

Mentioned Albedo and Kaeya almost choked on his food, Xingqiu thought this was hilarious

Routinely plays pranks on Diluc and occasionally manages to pull a deez joke on Kaeya, leaves Ayaka alone with the pranks though because he knows she's new to all of this

Ayaka

Oh this poor girl, Lumine just dropped her off with Mondstadt's most dysfunctional siblings and a kid who reads at the speed of light and said have fun

Really gets along well with Xingqiu!! Having someone with a somewhat similar background is definitely a relief, especially because Kaeya and Diluc intimidate her, what with them arguing most of the time they interact

She recognizes the anxiety in Kaeya (because she also has it) so she's a little more comfortable approaching him because of that

She's happy to talk about Inazuma's ruins and is fascinated by Kaeya bringing up similar ruins in Mondstadt and Liyue

She really appreciates him remembering what she's interested in and making time in the day for it!

Diluc on the other hand?? She has... some idea how to talk to him? But?? He is either aggressive or glaring off into the distance at all times, and she's been around long enough to know that he doesn't mean to be like that but it's still unnerving to her

However, she Can talk to him! She is still a little confused because he constantly sounds so grumpy, but she's realized that he's actually really good at listening, and is absolutely willing to talk about Mondstadt traditions! Because she does really like to learn about other nations

Plus, she can go to Xingqiu to answer most of her questions!

"Xingqiu, I- I hope this isn't an odd question, but ah... how exactly do you get used to Kaeya and Diluc? I don't think I've quite figured it out yet..?"

"So in Liyue... the Merchant stalls are on the docks? Like Ritou but it's all on the docks? Interesting..."

"You're the second born of the Feyun Commerce Guild? Oh! Forgive me, I thought you were the eldest, my brother handles most international relations..."

It was really hard for her to adjust to the team, just because of how ragtag it is most of the time, but she's got it by now!

She actually kind of likes the scrappy chaos! She hasn't completely gotten used to it all but she finds it like kind of a break from having to uphold her image at all times

Top five Ayaka quotes and who she said them to:

"They fight a wolf ghost every week...?? Are they ok??" (To Kaeya, about the Andrius team)

"So this is Morax's old... dragon friend...??" (To Xingqiu)

"Wait, you do this every week?" (To Diluc, about the domains)

"Oh!! Oh it is spicy!!!" (To Xingqiu, about Xiangling's cooking)

"Ah... OH! Yes um I uh- *gay hand flip* ?? Is that right??" (Xingqiu was talking about Chongyun)

Also the party went to Dragonspine and Ayaka was actually really interested in Durin because she didn't know that other nations also had odd giant dragon skeletons

#genshin impact #genshin kaeya #kaeya albrich #genshin diluc #diluc ragnvindr #genshin xingqiu #genshin ayaka #kamisato ayaka #please disregard any msitakes I am so tired I just wanted to write sometehing #gonna post my school doodles in my sketchbook on the art blog later probably anyway #kaeya has anxiety diluc seems mad xingqiu is stable and ayaka is confused that's it that's the post

[the-sloth-woman]

Is it okay if I ask you what you thought of chapter six of Young Blood? I love that they mention the Vibora, Eagle and Wolf clans again. ❤️

HELL YEAH YOU CAN! Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD

First, I have a LOT of thoughts. I was talking to @adiabolikpastel about how this chapter totally changed our perception of the timeline in DL. We always thought the war between the vamps and the First Bloods happened waaaaaaay before the boys were even born, which makes sense to me because like…. If the boys lived through the war, why haven’t they talked about it before? I thought that Cordelia and a Karlheinz got married after the war, like a big “hey thanks for being in the war with me here’s my daughter to shower my appreciation”. Whenever Shin and Carla talked about being the last of the First Bloods they always make it sound like they had been locked away for centuries. That’s why the boys don’t know what First Bloods are in the beginning of Dark Fate, the Founders have just been gone for so long that the boys forgot about them. But apparently this isn’t so considering that Reiji, Laito, and Kanato all have encountered them at this point.

I think the boys spending some time together is very cute. I loved seeing Shu shut down Subaru and Ayato’s bickering. I also really liked him taking a leadership role with his younger brothers, that was so good. Baby Carla is such a cutie too!

My second thought: Giesbach (please forgive me if I misspelled his name, I’m on mobile) looks…. Very unattractive. His hands are MASSIVE. Also that part where he just destroys the grapes had me rolling. Carla is very cute though. I know Giesbach is supposed to look very similar to Shin, so now I wonder if Shin is just going to look like this when he’s older or if they forgot about that. Also, I wish, WISH they would show their faces. C‘ mon, is it that bad to show us some faces??? Burai didn’t have a face, Giesbach doesn’t have a face. This is bs

Now, onto the Vibora, Eagle, and Wolf clans: REJET YOU STOLE MY IDEA!!!! When I read the chapter the first time the page with the crests didn’t load for me all the way, bur the second time I saw the Vibora crest and LOST IT. IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE ONE I DESIGNED AHDLSBFKSNDJDKFNNF!!! Snake? CHECK. Sword? CHECK. Similar shield shapes? CHECK. 4-quadrant design? CHECK. Swirly bits around the outside of the crest that look kinda like thorns? FREAKING CHECK!!!! Is… is Alrick secretly canon?? Have I stumbled upon the secret plan for the Vibora clan??

I do think it’s interesting that the vibora crest has the snakes from the staff of Hermes, this makes me wonder if they’re supposed to be like healers. Tbh that’s why I didn’t use two snakes in my design, I didn’t want someone to look at it and think “oh, this looks like the staff of a healer” but maybe that’s the vibe they’re going for.

Once again I’m left with wanting some more lore answers and wishing we could see the faces of the patriarchs. I hope, HOPE, that we’ll have some concrete answers to what’s going on (especially with the other demon races) but as always with Rejet, who knows

#ask #thank you for the ask~! #young blood #I know this is a lot of confirmation bias on my part with the crests but come ON #and yes there are only so many ways you can design a family crest but I’m counting this as a win #Alrick canon WHEN???

[thelemoncoffee]

https://twitter.com/danganronpawiki/status/1378167423715704835

NOW THAT WE HAVE THE FULL BODY DESIGNS!

i have some snazzy little opinions, so let’s just go down the line: 

!!Really long post under cut!!

-Makoto is a basic bitch, always and forever, and we stan that -Taka looks like a Penguin and you cannot change my mind -Byakuya is just trying to look rich- -Mondo’s outfit is so extra i love it- he even added some probably temporary dye to his pompadour that was hard to see due to the lighting in the group pic -LEON! everyone was calling his fit ugly in the group pic and honestly i’m salty because he and i have the same sense of formal fashion. work it king! -Hifumi’s honestly suits him just fine, i was iffy when i saw it in the group pic but it doesn’t look too awful in full -Hiro..... buddy- i- i mean- what do i say??? it’s ugly as shit and really nice at the same time?? -Sayaka’s formal wear is a massive step up from the outfit she wears in her splash art- i never really liked that dress that much- even if it does have a cultural significance the design the picked felt cheap. But this one is really nice, and i dig it way more -Kirigiri looks pretty, it looked waaaay more purple in the group pic, but looking back the whole thing was over saturated for the lighting affects they did, so i shall forgive. she looks oddly nice in blue actually.  -AOI LOOKS LIKE A BETA FISH AND I’M LIVING FOR IT! GO QUEEN!! -Toko’s dress looks way better in full than i expected, because so much of it was covered up i kinda didn’t like it all that much in the group pic, but i’m really digging it now -QUEEN SAKURA! BEAUTIFUL!! A DAMN SUNSET OF A DRESS!!! i love seeing her indulge in being a gorgeous queen despite people’s remarks on her physique -Celeste! also beautiful, but girl are you a vampire?? the layers on that dress- and that’s a massive veil- she’s gotta be overheating in that thing.  -JUNKO! Fashionista know’s what’s up! it’s alot less gaudy than some of her casual outfits, but in a way that’s actually pretty good. i love the masquerade mask, it’s a nice touch -Chihiro....... Lucky Charms-

-Hajime’s outfit actually looks better in the group pic than here, i think it’s cause the yellow is more vibrant due to the saturation filter, so it stand out more -Nagito’s outfit is great honestly, i love how they put the shirt design on the sleeves, and i love the half-up hair, and the crooked bowtie- it’s great! -Twogami is a king, all he did was invert Byakua’s outfit and he just pulls it off so much better -Gundham’s is honestly underwhelming. This is Gundham Tanaka for fuck sake! Junko’s is more in character than this. where’s the drama sir???? -Kaz... buddy..... the colors look nice on your jumpsuit, but not an actual suit. I love the suspenders though -Teruteru’s outfit actually make him a bit cute. i’m about 80% sure the brown is suppose to be mud as to reference the fact that he’s characterized as a pig in more ways than one, but i’m choosing to call it a cola pattern ‘cause fuck you i’m going to be nice to him for once -Nekomaru’s suit is... it feels like a cursed amalgamation of a noir detective, a car sales men, a mobster, and a casino owner- and i just works so well on him -Fuyuhiko! i love it, fits him well, but the rolled up slacks are odd and kinda distracts me from the rest of the design- showing off some Bi pride there boss baby? -AKANE IS A DAMN QUEEN!! GOD PLEASE SHE COULD STRIKE ME DEAD IN THAT AND I’D THANK HER -Chiaki’s is simple, but it looks really nice on her -SONIA MY QUEEN! the oversaturation in the group pic did her dress dirty! i saw the blue originally and went “that isn’t her color”, but now seeing it without all the lighting crap she looks alot better.... and also a bit Elsa-ish -Hyoko’s in a lovely Kimono, but she’s always wearing pretty Kimonos, so it’s somewhat underwhelming compared to the rest -MAHIRU YOU SUMMER QUEEN! Mahiru has the best sense of fashion in the whole series imo, her wardrobe’s vibes make me so very happy. I grew up in a christian household (i’m not religious anymore btw) and use to be brought to services, and her dress gives me mad Easter Sunday Potluck nostalgia that i just can’t un-notice -Mikan looks too much like a hooker- i’m sorry, they really just went with the fan-service crap here and i don’t like it at all. Even if it wasn’t meant to be fan service, the dress looks tacky and has a shine on it that signifies it’s latex, so that’s just gotta be uncomfortable as hell- and for a clumsy character like her to try and survive a party in??? -IBUKI LOOKS LIKE FANCY RAVE COTTON CANDY!! THAT’S ALL!!! -Peko’s Kimono looks surprisingly nice on her, she wasn’t a character i’d assume to look good in a checker pattern but damn. i also appreciate how she still has the sword, bet- Fuyuhiko tired to convince her to leave it behind but failed

-Rantaro looks like a Used Car Salesmen. -KOKICHI MY BELOVED!!! i already voiced how much i adore his outfit when the group pic came out, so instead might i point out that he’s wearing high-water slacks and tall socks? it’s just as jarring as Fuyuhiko’s bi-slacks, but this is Kokichi so i feel like he did it on purpose. -Kiibo??? he dead ass changed his plating i-???? idk what i’m feeling towards it, but boy howdy am i feeling -GONTA!!! i love his suit, it’s out there in a good way, and i also love how he’s holding what looks like his casual coat. -Shuichi looks lovely in that suit, and i’ll never forgive everyone ever for saying he looked like a grandpa in it. It make him look a bit more Sherlock-esque and i love -3- -KORK IN A DRESS EVERYBODY MOVE!! i love how Androgynous his outfit is, both in gender and in time. like- is it feminine? masculine? modern? 1800′s england? who the fuck knows! -Ryoma looks good, but the fedora- who tf on the design staff decided to get cheeky?? eh- he’s vibing, doesn’t look too bad so long as you don’t hyperfixate on the pointy groin-stabber fedora -KAITO YOU SNAZZY GALAXY PATTERN SNORTING BASTARD! i swear he’s allergic to putting his right arm in it’s sleeve-. anywho, i love how even his dress jacket has a galaxy lining in it, i think it would have been funny if he was wearing galaxy dress shoes too but Maki would have chopped his dick off for that one -Kaede looks like her dress was inspired by one of those cinnamon peppermints- ya know the ones, they have the pink center and all that jazz? -Miu looks like she’s ready to hit up a casino in LA and honestly that’s such a good vibe! her skirt is a bit funky so it took me a hot sec to realize it was indeed a pencil skirt and not a fancy jumpsuit. -Tusmugi’s looks nice, i don’t have much else to say- kinda fitting considering her Plain Jane shtick -TENKO LOOKS LIKE SHE’S THIS CLOSE TO BREAKING OUT INTO A TAP DANCE AND I’M SO FUCKING HERE FOR IT!!! GO QUEEN!!!! -Kirumi is- well- i don’t go to Genshin Impact, but she looks like that one Genshin character, you know the one right? i think their name was a Starbucks drink size- they have a harp?? yeah -Maki’s dress is really pretty, it is a bit odd for her to wear that considering her character, but i can’t say she doesn’t rock it like the queen she is. -Himiko would be nicer without the transparent extra part- it make her looks like one of those half sphere popper things my friends terrorized me with in middle school. Other than that, you go you cute little magical girl you! -ANGIE OH MY FUCK!!! i love- i- dfj;adgad;jdgd!#2342nh;werkw??? i have no clue at this point what culture she’s suppose to be from, but that definitely looks like some traditional garb she’s got going on and holy crap is is pretty

Over all, i think the staff did a great job with this, i love a good lot of the outfits alot more than i though i would from the group pic. I do wish they would have added at least Komaru and Mukuro though- gimmy my queens yo!

#danganronpa #trigger happy havoc #drthh #Super Danganronpa 2 #sdr2 #New Danganronpa V3 #ndrv3 #all characters #danganronpa 10th anniversary #Kai time #long post

[mimik-u]

Fragments III, 1-100

300 drabbles about Steven Universe/Future, 100 words each! These are the first 100 prompts and writer’s choices that have been fulfilled.

Asterisks are placed next to my personal favorites that I’ve written.

Baggage* — Steven meets his new therapist!

Eternity —How about a Bellow interaction you've always wanted to see in canon but didn't get to?

Foe —Jasper is simultaneously satisfied and yet left deeply empty inside by her self-isolation on Earth, and doesn't understand how to even begin to process this dichotomy. (So she doesn’t.)

Letter — Young Greg's POV when he wrote those letters to his parents Steven found on Mr. Universe episode.

Sword —Connie interacting with someone she doesn't usually talk to by herself (ex Jasper, Bismuth, Lapis, etc.).

Reconciliation — Idk about you but I wanna see more Mega Pearl. The others have not met Mega Pearl.

Marks —How about... Spinel, and the tiny, everyday baby steps towards healing?

Tangled — Peridot finds out/is told about PD/RQ? (And is confirmed in her guess that Pearl is fancy...?)

Challenge* — How is Steven’s TubeTube channel doing?

Bruises — Priyanka tends to Connie's wounds after training sessions with Pearl. [Writer’s Choice]

Rest* — Yellow Diamond gets to relax. (She's the one who most expresses regret and real understanding. Let her take a nap! She deserves it!)

Barbecue* — Post-movie, during cleanup, Steven and Lars talk and plan the BBQ we got a glimpse at during the final song.

Ghost — Yellowtail and Greg talk about fatherhood and how it can be ruined (mentioning Marty and Greg's father subtly).

UNO* — Date between Pearls (platonic or otherwise).

Height — The pebbles!!! They're so small???? Where are they? *Sobs, points at the Heaven and Earth Beetles.*

Embrace — Steven gets a well-deserved cuddle pile from family and friends.

Constructs — Bismuth and Peridot have a lot more in common than they think.

Horns — Amethyst makes an unexpected new friend at Little Homeschool. (Whichever other character you feel would fit best!)

Garden — Pre-show scene. While having a funny chat, Greg mentions something that reminds Rose about her abandoning Spinel, which makes her regret more of her choices.

Advice — Garnet can tell when Stevonnie has a lot on their mind. [Writer’s Choice.]

Hum — Yellow and her relationship with music.

Love* — Pearl considering her romantic feelings towards someone and thinking about how she's finally moving on from Rose. (Doesn't mean she'll ever forget her.)

Kid — A glimpse into “Sadie Killer.” Maybe when they played their first show, while Steven was still in the band. Celebrating afterward or a discussion on why Steven didn't stay IN the band?

Troubleshooting* — Integration of gem communication networks and Earth Internet and phone lines and the resulting inevitable disaster.

Fairytale — Connie gets a tour of Little Homeworld.

Hope — Jasper finally starting to let her guard down and realize her self worth.

Song* — As for prompts... Steg? Like, him in general, just being himself. It's a bummer we only got to see him in the movie.

Mistakes* — Steven talking to someone (not a therapist, just another character) about his trauma?

Forgiveness — The Topaz fusion reconnects with the Crystal Gems at Little Homeschool and apologizes for her role in the kidnapping all those years ago.

Visions — Sapphire and Ruby reflect on the events of "Together Forever." [Writer’s Choice]

Reunited — Maybe a scene where Yellow comes home from a long escapade and is reunited with a worried Spinel?

Beginnings — After CYM, Lapis and Peridot discuss where to live since the barn is destroyed.

Pet* — White Diamond happily announces one day that she has decided to take in a small creature (of your choosing) as a pet.

Together — What were Doc, Army, Navy, and Leggy doing during Future?

Desert — Steven meeting Lion from Lion's perspective. I dunno, I think it could be neat.

Freedom — For a post-CYM/SU:F prompt, what do you think about the exact moment it hit either Blue or Yellow Pearl that they were completely free to follow their whims?

Apologies — Greg apologizes to Steven due to the incident in “Mr. Universe” and both have the talk they should've had in that episode.

Change — Blue and Yellow Zircon's relationship has improved even if they are now rivals in the new democratic Homeworld. This last tiny bit is related to the “Homeworld Bound” episode.

Hug — Bellow cuddling. Yellow has no idea what to do, but Blue is loving it.

Valentine* — Steven gives Peridot a Valentine's Day gift. [Writer’s Choice]

Spite — Aquamarine and Eyeball are distraught at knowing they won't be rewarded for their actions because their worst enemy, Steven Universe, has been labeled a hero and royalty by the Diamonds.

Reevaluation — How about more Peedee and Steven friendship? Like, Peedee noticing Steven’s change in demeanor the farther along the show we get?

Camp — Connie kicking ass at space camp.

Family — The night after the events of the movie, Steven gets some quality family time.

Homestretch — Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth spend time together while preparing Little Homeworld.

Enough — We know what Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck are gonna do for their futures, but what's Kiki been up to? Is she gonna take over the pizzeria?

Spillage — Vidalia and Amethyst catch up after Steven's monster episode.

Reformation — White Diamond has learned how to be so extremely empathetic to the point that she literally becomes another person, but has she really begun to understand others?

Comment* — Sardonyx makes some Internet videos.

Unicorn — While traveling through California, Steven encounters two fishermen arguing about unicorns. [SU/GF crossover.] [Writer’s Choice]

Worry — Andy and Greg stay in touch.

Homerun* — I hopal for Opal—perhaps she will attempt some baseball.

Skydancer — Post-CYM, Pearl getting to “truly” take Steven out for a joy ride through the cosmos in a properly operational ship of her design.

Mercy* — The shattering-is-wrong discussion between Rose and Bismuth that led to Bis being bubbled.

Happy — Smoky Quartz hasn't made a self deprecating joke in a while—is it Steven's therapy?

Electric* — Yellow’s gloves—I feel like they’re covering something up, maybe.

Cake — Fusion Cuisine 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Belonging — The Rose Quartz sisters visit again.

Transcendence — Fluorite offers someone wise caterpillar grandma advice.

March — Connie and Steven reflect on changes in life after the pandemic. Not canon compliant. [Writer’s Choice.]

Understanding — Onion be doing Onion things.

Ocean* — Andy and Steven post-”I Am My Monster”? I love their relationship, lol.

Ignorance* — Does Lapis even realize Bismuth was probably the one who poofed her?

Reflection — Did I already say more Mega Pearl? ‘Cause there can never be enough Mega Pearl.

Possibility* — Yellow deciding she should try putting shattered gems back together. (She probably broke the most.)

Storyboard — Peridot’s budding career as a storyboarder.

Fall — Lapis and Steven talk about trauma and recovery. Pre-The Future.

Limbo — How the dismantled gempire has affected the lives of noble gems like Emerald, Holly Blue Agate, and others.

Now — Garnet reminds herself to live in the present.

Grief* — Alexandrite forms for the first time. [Writer’s Choice]

Inauguration — Wait, did Connie's parents ever meet Stevonnie?

Please — Did Kevin ever learn anything? Naaaaaah....unless...

Friend — General prompt? A sequel/prequel to this, please [White D’s panther].

Treatment — Greg starting to learn more about gem stuff to be more involved in Steven's life if something ugly happens.

Numbers — Pearl, please do something with all those phone numbers in your head.

Generations — Rose continues to discover the wonders of Earth, even after all this time. (No angst allowed in this one, just pure wonder.)

Survival — The Off-Colors used to have more members in the past.

Acting — How did Rainbow 2.0 even get invited to babysit Onion?

Kindness* — Former Mayor Dewey coming to terms with his new position in town.

Play — The Gems and Greg try to capture Steven's first moments on a bike. [Writer’s Choice]

Documentary — Ronaldo makes a real actually informative documentary about Little Homeworld.

Rain — Blue Diamond still cries sometimes.

Zoophobia — Also, I saw Z and my immediate thought was "Zoophobia.”

Echo* — Why does the tiny floating whale have Rose's voice before Steven ever heard it in the tape?

Sketch — Steven and Connie discover an anime character/mythological figure who bears an awfully similar resemblance to Obsidian.

Unironically — Why does Buck wanna be a doctor?

Club — How did Bismuth, Lapis, and Peri become such tight friends?

Nostalgia — Greg considers a comeback tour.

Pressure* — The creation of the Diamonds, maybe?

Coping — Amethyst and Pearl grapple with Rose's pregnancy. [Writer’s Choice]

Theatre — Sugilite, meet Rainbow 2.0.

Dadhood* — Whatever happened to Mrs. Fryman? IS there a Mrs. Fryman, or was it only a passing on-and-off thing that resulted in kids?

Lingering — Jasper finally lets Malachite go.

Human — Steven talks to his therapist about his mom, the feelings of before and the now. (It was left open-ended—his relationship with his mother.)

Words — Kofi is proud of his daughters.

Quest — [Letter prompt] Quest.

Picture — Sour Cream and Steven talking about absent parents and bad parenting. Post-The Future.

Bittersweet* — Shep finally gets to meet the notorious Lars.

Gemini — Spinel discovers memes and we're all doomed.

Weird — When he's younger, Steven doesn't quite know how to label the Gems.

#mimiku #steven universe #100 fragments!!!!! #fragments iii

[tsukikoayanosuke]

Terraludus, Twisted Wonderland Fan-Dorm - Basic Idea (and me rambling about nonsense)

So, I was looking through my dashboard one day and I saw @dreamerwicked-sweet​ ‘s fan-dorm challenge and I was like: "Challange accepted!"

I immediately opened my fanfiction/novel files and it appears that I have so many unfinished novels and fanfictions that are still sitting there ^^'

But we're not gonna talk about that! We're here to make a fan-dorm based on one of my unfinished drafts.

There will be background details of how this dorm was made, what is it based on, my typical Behind the Fic. So far, this is so little, and I will continue this when I have time.

Okay, here we go!

Welcome to our fan-dorm: Terraludus!

Etymology

The name of the dorm is a combination of two Latin words: 'Terra', which means 'earth', and 'Ludus', which means 'game'

Concept

The dorm founded on the 'Undying Spirit of the Chosen Players of Judgement'. Students who are from this dorm excel in elemental magic, magical combats, and magical weapon creation. They can not only cast the three main elemental magic (fire, water, and wood) but also be able to manipulate their surrounding element within their highest level element. So, for example, you are an expert in fire magic, then to enter this dorm, you must be able to not only cast fire-based magic, but also use more spells to manipulate an already exist fire in your surrounding, or combine other spells with your basic fire spell to create an advance level fire spell. 

Unlike other dorm where only the Dorm Leader who are the only one who can have customized Magical Pen, the students of Terraludus have the liberty to create their own Magical Weapon to suit their battle style. While magical pen, staff, wand, and tome are common, there are also students who have magic sword, exploding marbles, even a frying pan.

To be the Dorm Leader, one must be able to control all there elements and has their own customized Magical Weapon.

Behind the Scene

This dorm is based on my unfinished novel titled 'Permainan di Bawah Langit' ('The Game Under the Sky' in Indonesian). In this story, there are six powers (called En) that exist in this universe: Àite, Mind, Firinn, Cumhachd, Ùline dan Anam (which is basically the six Infinity Stone: Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time, and Soul).

The novel centered around two teens, Lionel, a timid boy who was bullied by his twin sister, and Juliet, a mysterious girl who suddenly appeared without any memories. The story follows the growth of Lionel as he slowly gains confidence, even find himself some new friends, and growing his relationship with Juliet. Here's the thing though. Both Lionel and Juliet have En Anam, which means eventually they have to fight each other to determine the fate of the world. Here's a plot twist though! In this era, who don't have two, but three En Anam users! The last user is none other than Lionel bully sister, Lunette.

While the first five powers are pretty common and having more that one power is normal, nobody in this world can have En Anam. None, except two in every generation. Well, you see. The world is currently being judged by a figure named 'Mother Nature'. They have the authority to decide whether to destroy the world or preserve it. How they determine it is by having them choose two humans who were given the En Anam (along with their chosen other En users) and fight each other in a game of life and death. Whoever wins the battle shall absorb their teammates' power and becomes the next 'Mother Nature' and brings gift or punishment to the Earth. 

.

.

That's basically the summary of the draft. It was heavily inspired by Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Rewrite, and Infinity War. It was a mess, which is why I didn't dare to pick it up again.

Why I picked this instead of the other draft? Well, this is the most fleshed out of them all. My first pick was actually a story where when you die, you find yourself in a train to the afterlife, but you have a choice to rewind your life or continue your life with awesome power. But I don’t know how I can implement it to Twisted Wonderland AU, and the character aren’t as fleshed out as this one, so I choose Permainan di bawah Langit instead.

To transfer this to Twisted Wonderland AU is pretty hard. First of all, there are no such things as Infinity Stones or En Powers or Magical Girl Transformations (because in the novel, to use your power, you have to transform into your 'magical boy/girl costume')  in Twisted Wonderland, so I have to change it to fit the AU. The first thing I think of is the Fire-Water-Wood gameplay system. So, why not we make use of that? So, instead of six powers, we have only three. And they are elemental powers, so basically, the students here are benders. The Unique Power though can be more creative, like using Wood Magic to heal others or creating mist from Water Magic. I can combine the Infinity Stone power and combine it with the elemental magics.

And since one dorm usually has two to five main dorm members, so I have to cut my cast into five. I will be making their bio soon.

I don’t know if I will change the logo or not. I made it myself with Logo Maker app. Technically it represent the whole dorm: children able to control water (the river), earth (the flower) and fire (the moon?), and the butterfly represent the magical-girl transformation or represent the ‘game’ (like a butterfly-catching game). I’m bad at designing, so please forgive me.

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland fandorm #twst fandorm #twstdormcreations #terraludus

[modmamono]

Celebrating the dumbest/silliest Robot Masters in each mainline Mega Man Game & Bass.

Not every robot needs to be badass to be worth something. I feel this is an attitude people have when a certain robot isn’t their cup of tea. 

Q(?): How dare the goofy looking Toad Man not be as awesome as Quick Man? Toad Man can’t even attack you he just hops into when you shooting at him.

A: Because Toad Man has the unique distinction of having an attack you can’t dodge. You try dodging acid rain. That’s why he’s easy.

I’m not here to crack on the Quick Men of the world and hold up the Toad Men. I just wanna revel in the absolute silliness of Mega Man. Where a Toad Man can exist or Quick Man can have a hilarious in-universe oversight his design.

Because I like my Mega Man silly, and I know when Mega Man knows it’s silly.

Here are my rules:

Only Robot Masters, they have to be selectable on the menu (No Mega Man Killers, Star Droids, Quint, Bass, Wily Wars Bots, Fake Man (sadly), the Dark Men (sadly), Mooks, Duo, Wily Castle bosses, NO DOC ROBOTS, etc.)

I’m not just judging them on their designs or concept. That’s low hanging fruit. Also everyone does that.

I’m also judging them on info we get on based on their game appearances or supplemental material, such as their functions and likes and dislikes.

No Archie or Megamix to deduct/add dumb/silly points from them. (Forgive me if I do accidentally use their tidbits.)

One Robot Master per game, because if I didn’t adhere to this rule and the one above all the MM5 bots would win. (Also this means that Tengu and Astro Man get two chances.)

And that should be it:

READY?

Mega Man 1′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Cut Man!

This was a tough call honestly, Cut Man only really one won by default. Because in-universe, all the MM1 Robots all have their practical use. They’re made for a reason. Bomb and Guts Man are construction bots, Elec Man manages a power plant. Cut Man is a lumber robot.

But it is a little silly he has the scissors on his head. He’s how supposed to accurately cut down trees? It has no handle to cut with and it’s a boomerang. The rest are all much more straight forward with their powers.

Honorable Mention(s):

Roll (She’s a Robot Master too, and she’s selectable in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 if not the first game, loopholes babey!). She’s silly because of her occasional stint as a joke character.

Time Man. He’s just has has a case of the odd one out. All of the non-Rock and Roll Robot Masters in the first game have and immediate function in society, even Oil Man has that. But Time Man not so much, he doesn’t have much of a use. And granted that’s part of his character. If Powered-Up didn’t have story and dialogue he might’ve taken Cut Man’s spot as the silliest due to being the odd one out. 

Mega Man 2′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Bubble Man!

Look... Bubble Man is the easiest target. I didn’t want it to be him. But he’s not as dumb as you may think. I’ll explain in a bit.

I wanna say that I like none the MM2 Robots. They’re all just made to be killing machines. They’re all made with one purpose and that’s to destroy Mega Man. And that’s boring.

Regardless, Bubble Man is an underwater combat robot. That may seem useless against Mega Man. But you gotta remember that Rock is the ultimate goody-two shoes. Plop a Robot Master in an area, order him to attack said area and Mega Man’s on it to stop him. Effectively luring the Blue Bomber to the boss’ home field advantages. And Bubble Man is no different.

Explaining it like that it seems to me that Wily tried viarity in his revenge plan. As Bubble Man makes the water his home his Brothers make their homes in the sky, the forest, the lava sewers, etc.

Really, Bubble Man gets a bad wrap.

Also he gets points because (of what might be Megamix flavor text that) Wily kept laughing at his inability to walk on land. Wily noticed this, laughed at that can he only could jump, and didn’t fix him.

Ergo; Wily, IN HIS REVENGE PLAN!, laughed so hard he didn’t make Bubble Man the best he could be to kill Mega Man.

Honorable Mention(s):

Wood Man and Heat Man (and to a lesser extent Air Man). To me they’re on the same level as Bubble Man, Bubble Man just edges them out by a bit. They’re revenge murder bots, and Wily made one out of wood and the other look like a lighter. Pictured here, man with a sense of humor (or someone who does rush jobs):

Quick Man, because this tidbit may or may not come from Megamix so I couldn’t qualify him, because it may’ve made Quick Man my pick. For you see... Quick Man runs faster then his eyes can process. Meaning he runs against walls. As you can see in Mega Man 2 itself. I love this, Quick Man was supposed to be the rival character to Mega Man, but he might as well be nearsighted.

Mega Man 3′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Gemini Man! !nɒM inimǝӘ

Gemini Man is a narcissist. He likes to check himself out in the mirror. Heck, he doesn’t need to check himself out in the mirror. His power is that he has a holographic clone to do just that. He’s a handsome robot if he did say so himself.

He’s afraid of snakes. That’s all.

I do wanna say, dumbest/silliest doesn’t mean worst. Gemini Man is my favorite of the Mega Man 3. Also what is his function? I imagine Wily and Light didn’t make him for no reason.

Honorable Mention(s):

Top Man, he’s the go-to dumb pick (along with Hard Man). And yes, there’s the question why he’s a top (my guess it was just the two Doctors having fun). But he does have a stated function, he searches for energy. Unlike Gemini Man who seems to be made to look at himself in the mirror.

Magnet Man. He’s the perfect blend of awesome and silly. Mega Man X wishes it could balance it’s tone like that.

Hard Man. This is a token pick.

Mega Man 4′s Silliest Robot Master is:

ACTUALLY, JUST KIDDING IT’S TIE BETWEEN ALL OF Dr. COSSACK’S ROBOT MASTERS!

I can’t pick. Because similarly to Mega Man 1, they were all made with a practical use in mind, and they’re all plausible, leaving only their appearances to judge.

Though out of all these practical bots. Bright Man might not get much use.

Bright Man is designed to explore dark areas, but like... How often does he get to do that? That’s not something I’d give sentience.

There’s also the matter of Bright Man being sorta redundant. Pharaoh Man is already made to explore dark areas, and has the skills to brace any danger. Maybe they work together? Iunno...

If you want, put Bright Man here, this is not a uselessness highlight. Though there’s still the matter he’s a light bulb. That’s plenty silly. Doesn’t change the fact he’ll kick your butt though.

So yeah, I guess Bright Man takes it. Also his Japanese Mega Man & Bass bio his good point is listed as an idea man.

Honorable Mention(s):

NOT Dust Man. If you can/can’t take a sentient vacuum seriously in a world where robots just gratuitously get sentience, that’s your problem.

Mega Man 5′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Stone Man!

Jumps.

Falls apart.

Recollects himself.

Repeat.

I could go into depth. But I won’t.

Please read Mega Man Megamix and it’s sequel Gigamix. No reason why.

Honorable Mention(s):

Wave Man. He’s more or less Bubble Man again. Except he’s more or a terrorism bot then a murder bot. Yes, there is a difference.

Gyro Man, he’s result for Wily’s budget running low. He wasn’t supposed to be a propeller robot. But he ended up as one.

Star Man. This is because of Megamix and Gigamix. But if his Mega Man & Bass bio is anything to go by, he has his Manga counterpart’s personality and I am so on board.

Charge Man. Choo Choo! He’s a steam locomotive, he runs partially on coal, an outdated fuel source. Wily made him to starve basically. Also he’s a train. I can’t hate that.

Crystal Man, he’s is my favorite of this bunch. This guy was made to make Wily money. Crystal Man makes fake crystals, and those fake crystals get sold. If not for that fact, I wouldn’t care.

Mega Man 6′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Flame Man!

Though seriously, another tough call. All of the MM6 Robots are silly, also made for useful purposes (except Tomahawk Man), I couldn’t pick one over the others. This one came down to the Mega Man & Bass bios.

Flame Man’s likes in Japan: Maintaining his mustache

Honorable Mention(s):

Yamato Man’s Japanese Bad Point: Bad with money

Mega Man 7′s Silliest Robot Master is:

No Contest!

Dude, I love Spring Man, no matter how dumb he is. And what really gets me is that some of Mega Man 7′s robots were stolen by Wily (like Freeze and Shade Man), but others were made by him (Slash and Turbo Man). Guess under which category Spring Man falls?

Yep, Wily made this guy himself.

I love this silly concept. I don’t what to tell you. His design may seem impractical, so of course he’s as much a threat as all the other Robot Masters are in this game with the exception of Slash Man. It’s beautiful. They should put him in the robot museum.

Honorable Mention(s):

Junk Man. See Crystal Man’s honorable mention, only with junk and recycling.

Turbo Man. Wily made a Transformer out of an old car because he didn’t have enough parts lying about.

Mega Man 8′s DUMBEST Robot Master is:

Sword Man!

I both like and hate Sword Man. The story behind him is that Wily stole a sword and made Sword Man to be literally attached to that sword.

That sword was too heavy so Wily went the extra mile in making a SWORD BASED ROBOT and gave his torso anti-gravity system. In gameplay that means that he can split his body in two.

Also he’s got the element of fire, he’s the game’s fire robot.

This is needless detail for a robot that just needed to be another Knight Man. Just with a sword. He’s overdesigned and I can’t decide if I like it or not.

Honorable Mention(s):

If not for Sword Man, Search Man would be my pick, here why: He’s got a similar thing going on as Sword Man. He’s a bit over designed, but I like it. Wily thought if he gave Search Man two heads he’d be super smart! But Search Man’s programmed with only has one personality. 2 Heads, 1 Mind. And he can only use one head at the time!

Mega Man & Bass′ Silliest Robot Master is:

Like... D-Do I need to say it? It has to be Pirate Man.

I got nothing to say about him other that I like him. I don’t like Mega Man & Bass much, but I love its Robot Masters. Every single one of them that aren’t Tengu, Cold Man, and Ground Man. 

Okay, maybe I do have something to say about Pirate Man, he’s the silliest by default. Sure, Magic Man might look sillier, but Magic Man isn’t a Robot designed to steal. He’s supposed to entertain.

Overall, & Bass is an odd duck, there isn’t too much silly here. Because:

Dynamo Man is a children's tour guide too dangerous to be around for humans.

Magic Man joined the bad guys so he can get attention (Three Laws, his well-defined robotic butt).

Pirate Man’s a literal pirate (Three Laws, his plain robotic butt).

And Burner Man’s a maniac made to destroys forests! WHO DOES THAT!? And that’s not all, he’s told that if he doesn’t burn down a forest everyday, a bomb inside him will explode! THERE’S NO BOMB!! 

There isn’t much to the others. But that’s all the screwed up you need.

Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Take your pick!

A bullet based robot from an alternate future.

An air conditioner based robot from an alternate future.

A grill based robot from an alternate future.

A Japanese-style monk based robot from an alternate future.

A compass based robot from an alternate future. (Not pictured)

Or two clock based robots from an alternate future.

I can’t be mad at any of these, even if they seem like parodies of what a Robot Master should look like. You can say the same of MM5, 6, and 8.

Mega Man 9′s SeSilliest Robot Master is:

Splash Man!

Mega Man 9 has a similar problem I have with some other games. They all got a purpose in-story even if we don’t really get to see it. 9′s are useful and Splash Woman’s coast guard function is a good one.

I’m here to sadly do a hack writer-y: “Hurrr duurrrr. Sure is silly of them to only have a female Robot Master now!”

Also, people, she’s not the first female Robot Master, Roll is. Plum too if you wanna count her. It’s something they should do more though. Hornet Man was almost Honey Woman or something.

I’m not opposed to it.

Also this robot is allergic to robo-bees. That’s the real reason she’s chosen.

Honorable Mention(s):

Shout-out to the disqualified Fake Man. Nobody ever talks about Fake Man:

Don’t worry, he’s not a real Cop.

Mega Man 10′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Nitro Man!

People have stunt doubles. So why not their vehicles too, right? I love this guy.

I’ve avoided doing this, but I’m gonna quote the Mega Man Wikia here:

“Before contracting Roboenza, Nitro Man was a stunt robot who has appeared in many movies and TV shows. He is fairly bold and would be willing to do whatever stunts he is asked, regardless of the risks and the negative outcomes. Nitro Man is also the president of a robot stunt club, which has sixty members.”

How can you not love that? Plus he’s Transformer!

Protip: his weapon, the Wheel Cutter, may seem like a meh weapon. But hold the shoot button down and hug a wall.

Honorable Mention(s):

Pump Man: he’s an old school pump, it’s hard to beat that.

Strike Man gets dumb points for being sentient, I like him, but he shouldn’t have been a sentient robot.

Sheep Man people hated this guy, now people love him except for his weapon. I always liked him. I wonder why the hate though? Because he’s the first main line animal based Robot Master? Maybe? It was gonna happen eventually. Also he gets disillusioned with everything he does very quickly, he’s my spirit animal.

Mega Man 11′s Silliest Robot Master is:

Tundra Man!

This guy got bored of his job so he modified himself to be and look like an ice-skater. And he’s magnificent, gives Powered Up Elec Man a run for his money in flamboyancy.

I don’t have anything to add. Just look at him, his looks are his substance.

Honorable Mention(s):

Bounce Man, just Bounce Man, here’s another Mega Man Wikia quoting: “[Bounce Man] was originally developed as a crash test robot, but his stretching and bouncing abilities led him to become a fitness instructor at an indoor athletic center/amusement park called Boing-Boing Park, and his colorful body and friendly appearance made him a big hit with kids and adults alike. Despite being repurposed for combat by Dr. Wily and equipped with a Speed Gear, after which he took over Boing-Boing Park, Bounce Man is still the same large, cheerful, childlike robot he always was, still viewing everything as one big game.”

AND THAT’S ALL!

Thank you for putting up with this post if you got this far.

These are all my opinion, none of this is fact. And certainly not calling any of them bad, I’m not decrying them.

I just grew up on Top 10 videos where Mega Man, even the innocent Classic series was serious business. Something I was reminded of earlier today.

I get that Mega Man was gone for a while and everyone was in memorial mode(, and admittedly I forgot I was a fan of this series during the time Mighty No. 9 seemed like the savior), absolutely idolizing everything Mega Man.

But even before all of that Mega Man was something of a sacred cow, on the internet (mostly Mega Man 2). And it was all so serious business to a lot of people, and I didn’t like it was so serious business. From both people who know the lore and who don’t.

I just kinda wanted to express that I like that Mega Man Classic is silly and that’s okay. And it’s also okay to realize that every Mega Man game is silly on the surface of it, whether the games realize it or not. (I will say some games are better at pulling it off.)

I have no real point that’s not scatterbrained. I sacrificed sleep for this.

#mega man #mega man 1 #mega man 2 #mega man 3 #mega man 4 #mega man 5 #mega man 6 #mega man 7 #mega man 8 #mega man & bass #rockman & forte #mega man 9 #mega man 10 #mega man 11 #mega man classic

[contrabandhothead]

Hi! Do you think I could get a ship please? I’m 5’6” and have blue eyes and curly brown hair. I’m Syrian-American and working to join the Marines after HS. 💪 I’m competitive and energetic, and my mom says she can’t keep up with me. I know I can be overbearing sometimes but I can’t help it, I’m passionate! >:( My sense of humor is chaotic, I’ll laugh at anything. Also, hiking is how I relax. I love being part of a team, and my family, friends, and country mean everything to me. Thanks, be safe.

Brad Colbert

general

yes i’m shipping you with the Iceman and i promise it’s a good ship so don’t @ me like that

you guys are like the most athletic/adventurous couple ever

basically you’re that one athletic couple that everyone wants to be

you and brad go on trips ALL THE TIME when you’re stateside

camping, hiking, scuba diving, road trips, etc.

welcome back to me having a total height difference kink... hi i’m short haha

brad is significantly taller than you (he’s literally 10 inches taller than you-)

Brad isn’t one to show PDA, but he’s very affectionate when you’re alone together

he’ll rest his head on top of yours, spoon, hold your hand, etc. (he grumbles about it but he secretly loves it)

Brad lovesss that you are joining the marines, it gives you both common ground and helps you understand just how important his career is to him

it can get a bit hectic, especially with you both having such busy schedules, but you both manage to put off a few hours a week to spend together

Brad loves how energetic you are, it keeps him on his toes and helps him live life a little more on the edge

he loves how passionate you are about things, but sometimes it can cause unnecessary arguments

your overbearing tendencies can be sort of a double edged sword

on one hand, it helps him make sure he’s taking care of himself and it also teaches him to put himself before others when necessary

however, it can cause a lot of arguments

it’s no secret that Brad can have quite the icy temper, and this can cause a few days of complete silence between you two

both of you always forgive each other, admit your mistakes, and move on

Brad loves how chaotic your humor is, it compliments him well and he’s always secretly trying to make you laugh

if Brad sees you getting ready to go on a hike after a long day, he’ll join you

unless you make it clear that you don’t want him there, he’s coming with you

he let’s you rant about the day while you both follow the trail, occasionally offering his own advice and weighing in on your decisions if necessary

Brad’s not always very open with his feelings, and he’s very insecure after his past relationship

just comfort him in return every once in a while and he should be fine

how you two met

you two actually met through a mutual friend, our good old pal Tony Espera

Tony had recently been introducing you to some of the members of Bravo Two during the party he was hosting, as he wanted to get you acquainted with some of the other Recon Marines before everyone stepped off

meeting Brad had been... an experience to say the least

at first, Brad had been very cold (i guess that nickname came from somewhere), barely even giving you a second glance at the Recon party

however, this changed when the majority of the people there had to go home and get some shut eye, so the only people left were you, Brad, Tony’s family, Nate, and a very drunk Ray

Ray was... not in good shape

he had decided to play beer pong against Doc Bryan (never a good move) which had resulted in him losing 4 times before he actually won because he refused to stop playing until he beat him

afterwards, he had decided to do Jell-O shots with Walt, Jason, and Q-Tip, who were all equally as drunk

thus, you were now stuck in the clusterfuck that was Ray throwing up all over the sidewalk as you helped (more like dragged) Ray to his car with Brad

you and Brad had begun to warm up to each other as the night went on, especially when you were the only person to get Ray to STOP drinking

plus Ray had thrown up on your shoes, and Brad felt pretty bad about that because he’s Ray’s designated babysitter

as you shut the passenger door behind Ray, you turned to Brad

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you take him home? It’s partially my fault that he’s so drunk anyways, I dared him to drink more tequila than me....”

surprisingly, Brad laughed. “Nah, we’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to take him home drunk. I’m sorry about your shoes though, he normally has better aim.”

you grimaced, but a smile began to slowly spread over your face

“I’m sure you can make it up to me some other time!”

I’m so sorry this took so long!!!! I hope this was at least good enough for you, but I had a fun time writing it. Thanks so much for submitting your request, I hope you have a lovely week! 💕

~ Ky

#brad colbert #brad colbert headcanons #generation kill #generation kill ships

[mrslittletall]

Title: A Storm is coming (Chapter 27) Fandom: Dark Souls Characters: Chosen Undead/Dragon Slayer Ornstein, Lord's Blade Ciaran Word Count: 5.676 AO3-Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603610/chapters/59304391 Previous chapter: https://mrslittletall.tumblr.com/post/617920779524440064/title-a-storm-is-coming-chapter-26-fandom-dark

Summary: Ornstein needs a moment after Artorias' death, so Tempest leaves him be for the moment, exploring on his own, only for the dragon slayer to appear and tell him some bad news.

(Author's note: I was suddenly super inspired for this fic, so I decided to write the next chapter earlier. Please enjoy!

While not technically fanart for this fic, the wonderful @velvialines drew Ornstein and the little Storm as frogs, which you can find here, so please give them some love.)

“Come on, where is it?!”, Tempest murmured to himself as he was searching through Ornstein's bag, tossing a canteen and several wrapped pieces of jerky on the ground as well as a bag that smelled like it was filled with herbs (was that catmint?!). He only stopped tossing stuff on the ground, when he had a tea cup in the form of a dragon in his hand. Tempest delicately put it on the ground, pulled out a wooden dragon as well as a scarf with a dragon design, briefly wondering if he should use the scarf to bandage Ornstein's wound, when he finally found some bandages stuffed at the very bottom of Ornstein's bag.

Tempest unreeled the bandages, glanced at Ornstein who was currently still sitting near the lifeless body of Artorias and then used his sword to cut the right amount that would be needed to wrap Ornstein's arm. Once the bandages were prepared, Tempest walked over to Ornstein.

“Ornstein.”, he started. “We need to bandage your arm.”

Ornstein had his head lowered, his gaze probably fixed on Artorias, a face that looked peaceful. If not for the grave wounds on the wolf knights body, somebody could have thought he was merely sleeping.

“Leave me alone.”, Ornstein said without raising his head.

“...I know that you need some space.”, Tempest said, shifting from foot to foot, feeling uncomfortable. “But let me at least help you bandage your arm first, you are bleeding.” Tempest proceeded to come closer to Ornstein and attempted to remove the armour covering the dragon slayer's left arm, but before he could strip even one piece of metal, Ornstein was shoving him with his good arm, making Tempest land on the ground with a thud.

“I said, leave me alone, little Storm!”, Ornstein shouted and for the first time since Artorias had drawn his last breath, he looked at Tempest and despite all the rage and grief in his heart, he couldn't help but feel guilty, seeing the little Storm sitting on the ground like that, with his big blue eyes showing a certain disbelief, and, oh no, were these tears welling up in them?

“Please let me help you, Ornstein.”, Tempest said, getting up and slowly walking back to the dragon slayer, fiddling with his armour once again.

“Fine.”, Ornstein said, averting his gaze and looking down at Artorias again. He never had wanted to live through this ever again and now he had, up close and he now also knew just who had been the mysterious nameles Undead who had killed him. Freed him. His mind knew that Tempest had done the right thing, but Ornstein's heart wasn't ready to forgive him yet.

“Oh, ouch.”, Tempest said once he had stripped Ornstein's armour and saw the amount of damage on his arm. The wound was hefty, a deep gash, that surely would need stitches to heal properly. The area around the wound was heavily bruised and Tempest didn't want to know how bad it would look once it started to heal.

All Tempest could do for now was cleaning it, with Ornstein not even flinching, his mind was somewhere completely else and then wrapping the bandages around it tightly to prevent further bleeding. He regretted that he had forgotten almost anything about proper first aid and how to treat wounds, because as an Undead, Estus would heal any wound and if the Estus was failing, a bonfire would and if the Estus was empty and no bonfire in sight, death would await him and he had to take a long, arduous journey again, hoping to retrieve the souls he had lost.

“There.”, Tempest said once the arm was completely covered by bandages. “This should hold you over until we manage to return to Anor Londo and Gw..., the Dark Sun, can have a look on it.”

Ornstein didn't answer and Tempest got the message. Ornstein wanted to be left alone, how he had said earlier, so Tempest quickly put Ornstein's belonging back in his bag and then grabbed for his own.

“I will explore the garden.”, he said. “Don't worry, I won't run off and I won't turn hollow.”, Tempest took a few steps away from Ornstein before turning around another time, adding: “Please, don't turn hollow yourself...”

Tempest then went away with long strides, which still felt puny when compared to Ornstein's and crossed Chester, who looked at him. Tempest wondered if he had heard the fight, but wasn't too keen on talking with him or anyone at the moment, stepping on the elevator and riding it up. On the way, Tempest checked his Estus, it still was generously filled, because Ornstein had done the brunt of the fighting since they had last rested at a bonfire.

Arrived at the top of the garden, Tempest let his gaze wander over it and groaned. Ornstein had taken the shortest route to the coliseum and therefore all the guardians and scarecrows were still present. Tempest could at least spot three of the guardians and each and every one of them was accompanied by at least two scarecrows.

“Focus.”, he said to himself, putting an arrow in his bow and bend it, letting the arrow fly, hitting one of the nearest scarecrows right in the head. “Yes.”, Tempest whispered joyful to himself, his aim really was getting better. Though his joy was short lived, because the other scarecrow and the guardian were on their way.

Tempest switched to his sword and managed to get rid of the scarecrow by cutting off one of its arm as well as driving the sword into its head and then the guardian arrived. Tempest braced himself, his thoughts wandered to the giant sentinels of Anor Londo, foes that he never had quite figured out.

“Damn.”, Tempest said to himself. “Why did it have to be giant stone knights?!”

Tempest managed to dodge out of the way of the first strike, but the second hit him and before he could even get up, he got hit a third time and found himself back at the bonfire.

Tempest sighed and searched for a humanity, but decided against it, he would probably die a few more times while he tried to figure out the guardians, so he shouldered his sword and went back into the garden, dispatching the first two scarecrows that had somehow repaired themselves in the meantime and walking back to the centre, luring out the scarecrows again and grabbing his souls before the guardian came too close.

Three deaths later Tempest had figured out how the guardians worked and was looking at the cleared centre of the garden, littered with the remains of scarecrows and guardians. There was a little pond in the middle. Tempest went near it, but couldn't see anything valuable, so he sat down, removed his boots and dipped his feet into the water. Despite his hollowed out body it was nice to feel how the water cooled his overheated food down and he sighed as he relaxed, getting out the soul of Artorias that had latched onto his darksign after the fight, investigating it and cradling it in his arms. It was fascinating, but also felt kind of sad. The souls of the other beings, especially the lord souls, had been light and full of flames, feeling warm, this soul was tainted with the dark, feeling cold and.. wrong.

“You know, Ornstein always said to me that you would like me.”, Tempest said to the soul, even though he was pretty sure that Artorias wasn't able to hear him. Souls didn't possess any awareness and if, he would feel horrible for all the souls he had crushed to gain a bit more soul power. Still, it felt calming to talk to the soul, especially with Ornstein out of the commission for now.

“I was so excited to get to meet you.”, Tempest said. “I didn't had a clue that it would end like this... Ornstein knew it, but he never told me. I always thought the legend of the Abysswalker that my mom told me was true. The great knight Artorias, who traversed the abyss, fought the Dark Wraiths and slayed the beast that had born the abyss itself and saved the princess abducted by it, but tragically fell shortly after that to his injuries...”

Tempest lightly squeezed the soul which wavered under his touch. “Who would have thought that it was all a lie...?”

Tears started to well up in Tempest's eyes: “And... and Ornstein! He knew about all this! He must have made sure that the false version spread. How must he have felt?! About knowing that you, his friend, failed his mission and he had to tell people a lie? I can't even fathom it. He... he must have been through so much...”

Tempest sniffled and wiped his eyes at his sleeves. “Look at how emotional I get over him. I have to admit, I have fallen for Ornstein. Fallen really hard for him, but... he doesn't like me the same. He wants to reconcile with his old master...”

Tempest looked at the soul in his hands and then continued: “Oh, but I shouldn't bother you with my problems. I need to come to terms with it. I am just a human, even worse, an undead, Ornstein is some kind of demigod, why should he ever fall for me? He only promised to escort me to the flame, after that, our ways will part.”

Still, speaking it out aloud made something sting in Tempest's chest and it wasn't the darksign.

“...I want at least to be a good friend to him as long as we are still travelling together. Did you know that I found your old baking book? Ornstein told me that I can keep it. I still have it with me.” Tempest put the soul in his lap and searched through his bag, producing the book. “There are so many recipes in there and I made the sheep cookies, because Ornstein likes sheep. He loved them. If not for my mission, I would love to stand in the kitchen and bake all of the recipes for him all day.”

Tempest flipped through the book and rambled on: “Here, like the ginger bread cookies or the lemon pie or the dragon fruit cake or...” Tempest stopped as he read a certain note in the beautiful hand writing of the Abysswalker. “The apple pie... Artorias, you cared a lot for him, right? You two must have been best friends... I am... I am so sorry that I ripped you apart.”

Tempest hugged the soul with both of his arms, the book on his lap falling to the ground, thankfully not into the water and he couldn't stop the tears from arising anew. It was all too sad. The fate of Artorias, a fallen and failed knight, how much his death hurt Ornstein, who practically had to live through it the second time and that it in fact had been Tempest who had taken him down, not wanting to lose Ornstein.

“I wish I had never picked up that pendant.”, he choked out. “Then Ornstein wouldn't have gotten so hurt.”

Tempest stayed like this for a few more minutes, until his tears ebbed off and then put Artorias soul back into his darksign, getting up. He felt really hot and sweaty and planned to wash his face a bit deeper in the pond, so he went closer to the middle only to trip and fall face first into the pond.

The good thing was, that he wasn't feeling hot and sweaty anymore, the bad thing was that his clothes were drenched and his foot hurt. As he shot up, gasping and coughing because of the water invading his lungs, he noticed that he had tripped over a chest. Not a mimic or he would have already been eaten.

“Huh, I didn't notice this earlier...”, he said and proceeded to open the chest to reveal a titanite slab, blue in colour. “Hm, these were for the magic weapons...”, Tempest murmured and his thoughts wandered to Griggs and Logan. Griggs had left Fire Link Shrine the last time he had been there and he had last seen Logan in the Duke's Archives. He should check on them once they managed to escape this place. After Ornstein had gotten proper treatment for his arm and be put into a bed and got some proper food.

Tempest waded through the pond back to dry land, pocketing the blue titanite slab, planning to give it to Rickert. The blacksmith had locked himself in, in fear of Lordran and was bored out of his mind. He seemed to excel on making magic weapons, so Tempest planned to gift him some of the weapons he didn't use for him to tinker.

Outside of the pond, Tempest got out a towel and dried himself off as good as he could, at least his armour was made out of leather and would be able to dry easily, not letting too much water to his skin. After Tempest was reasonably dry, he put on his boots and grabbed for his bag, when a shadow loomed over him.

“Oh, hey, Ornstein.”, Tempest said, recognizing the sharp and spiky silhouette of the dragon slayer everywhere. “Are you feeling better?”

“It was you.”, was all that Ornstein had to say as response.

“Excuse me?”

“It was you, little Storm! You are the Undead who fought and killed Artorias and the very same Undead went to take out the beast of the Abyss and even Kalameet! It was you!”

“Huh?”, Tempest said, his eyeholes staring at Ornstein, slowly processing the information, before blurting out: “Wait, what?!”

“I know, it is hard to believe.”, Ornstein said, crossing his arms, but wincing and relaxing his left arm, letting it dangle limply at his side.

“It's not hard to believe, it's downright impossible.”, Tempest said, ruffling his wet hair with both of his hands. “I am a mess, Ornstein! I died a million times! I fought like... a whole week against you and the executioner and even after that, I wanted to give up and you had to come with me so that I had even the hint of a chance! How should I be the one who defeated this powerful foes?!”

“Little Storm, you need to calm down!”, Ornstein said, holding both of Tempest's hand, which only made the Undead blush in return. “Don't forget that I am here with you. I will help you taking them down, but... you certainly need to play a part in it too. Don't be afraid. I know a lot about dragons and the beast of the Abyss has already been weakened by Artorias, you can do it.”

Tempest took a few deep breathes and then nodded. “Y.. yes.. you are right. You are at my side, Ornstein. I can do anything when you are at my side.”

Hearing that made Ornstein's heart sink a bit, remembering just what would happen to Tempest once they had reached the first flame. He shook off the bad feeling and decided to instead motivate Tempest a bit, regardless what happened to him in the future, in the current time he was still there: “Don't forget, little Storm, that you made it all the way to the Lordvessel by yourself. That is quite some achievement.”

Tempest took a deep breath, putting a hand over his heart, or more, his darksign and said: “Y...yes, you are right. Thank you, Ornstein.” Tempest straightened his posture and then looked at Ornstein's arm. “But... Ornstein, you are hurt. Will you be able to fight?”

“Oh, that...”, Ornstein said. “Sure, it hurts, but I can still use my dominant arm. I should just try and don't strain my left arm too much. It least it doesn't appear to be broken, it is more a nasty cut.”

Tempest grimaced, thinking about how deep the gash was and how heavily the arm had bruised already. “Are you sure you alright, Ornstein?”, Tempest asked, referring to the emotional state of the dragon slayer.

“...I have to...”, Ornstein said and Tempest was sure that Ornstein simply was hiding his feelings, that he would like to lay in bed and cry until his tears ran out, but that he was keeping it together for the sake of Tempest.

“A...alright then.”, Tempest said and nodded again. “Then, uh, where should we head first?”

“The dragon.”, Ornstein said. “I saw him flying over to the basin, we should take him out first. Besides, I fear that killing the beast will throw us back into our own time.”

“Good.”, Tempest said, feeling light headed. He had fought dragons before, but one had been a horrible abomination with far too many teeth and the other one had been some mad sorcerer. Fighting a dragon like the black one they had seen made him incredible nervous. He would spit fire, wouldn't he? Would Ornstein be able to stay calm in the fight? Didn't he knew the dragon from earlier? Then why was he still alive? Had Ornstein never slayed him?

“Wait.”, Ornstein said, as Tempest turned around to head to the elevator. “Please regain your human form first.”

“Oh, of course.”, Tempest said and sprinted back to the bonfire.

As he returned, Ornstein waited for him next to the corpses of two scarecrows and started walking without saying a single word. Tempest followed him, also not saying a single word, assuming that Ornstein wasn't up for small talk and also because he was still nervous about having to fight this dragon.

The both of them rode down the elevator to the coliseum and Tempest followed Ornstein as he made a turn to the right, walking past Chester and entering a small chasm, crossing it with steady strides, Tempest running behind him, until Ornstein suddenly froze.

“Ugh, dogs...”, Ornstein said and took a step back.

“Ugh...”, Tempest joined in. “I hate them... They are so hard to hit and so fast and they killed me a few times surely...”

“L.. little Storm...”, Ornstein gasped. “C.. could you take care of them? Me and dogs... don't... work.”

“Um, alright.”, Tempest said, staring at Ornstein whose whole stance was rather stiff. He took this sword in both hands and charged at he first dog he could see. While they were swift and nimble, they weren't able to sustain much damage and so one strike of Tempest's sword was enough to strike it down. Unfortunately, the painful yip of the now dead dog attracted two others and while Tempest fought them off, he managed to get bitten once.

“Ouch, they never want to let go...”, Tempest hissed before he took a sip of Estus to heal the wound. Next to him, Ornstein seemed to relax.

“Thank you, little Storm.”, he said, continuing to walk.

“You and animals really don't get along, huh?”, Tempest said. “Well, besides sheep...”

“...I wasn't me who decided that they should dislike me.”, Ornstein simply grumbled, still making a curve around the corpses. They would come back anyway, the dogs were undead. How in the world an animal managed to get a darksign and turn hollow was out of Tempest's understanding, but he stopped trying to make sense of stuff once he had arrived in Lordran. Especially when he had found a message on the ground that told him to jump and only led to another painful death. Why would another Undead play such a cruel prank? Tempest had marked the messenger as liar once he had came back from the dead.

Ornstein only stopped once they were at the top of a basin, the same one that Tempest had looked down earlier from another angle, he recognized the sound and sight of the massive waterfall. While Tempest was focusing on looking down though, searching for a way to safely descend, Ornstein looked up in the air. Tempest joined him when he heard the flap of wings and saw the black dragon soaring over the basin.

“So what is our plan?”, Tempest asked. “You are the dragon slayer, so you probably know better than I how to tackle the fight.”

“...I think we should go and talk to Gough.”, Ornstein said.

“Huh?”, Tempest looked at Ornstein. “Why? Shouldn't you be able to weaken it with your lightning? Jump on its back and clip its wings? Isn't your whole being a counterpoint for that dragon?”

“It isn't as easy as that, little Storm.”, Ornstein said, shifting from foot to foot, readjusting his grip on his spear. “Why do you think this dragon is still around? Why do you think he is called Kalameet? That dragon managed to beat me. In fact, he is the reason for that scar on my left shoulder and back.”

Tempest's eyes went wide as he stared at Ornstein. There was a dragon that Ornstein hadn't been able to say. The dragon slayer had failed to slay this exact dragon. And now said dragon slayer wanted for Tempest to slay the dragon he couldn't.

“You couldn't slay it and now you expect for me to slay it?!”, Tempest practically screamed at Ornstein.

“It happened. I saw Kalameet's corpse. Gough confirmed to me that it was the same Undead that had slain Artorias.” Tempest didn't miss the bitterness in Ornstein's voice at the last part. “Under normal circumstances, I would be able to get that dragon from the sky and help you preparing him for the finishing blow, but... I am hurt.” Ornstein raised his left arm with quite some effort and then let it hang limp again. “And you are no match for a dragon that isn't grounded. It is luck that Gough is here, because he can shoot Kalameet out of the sky. In fact, he told me that he helped with grounding Kalameet, so we absolutely need to talk to him. Or, you should talk to him. I shouldn't even be here.”

“Oh, alright.”, Tempest said, a bit disappointed that he couldn't see Ornstein, the dragon slayer, in action again, but he had a good point about being hurt. Ornstein hadn't mentioned it, but he wasn't only physically hurt, his emotions were properly all over the place too, even though he tried very hard to stay calm and collected. Tempest wondered if a part of Ornstein resented him, because he had preferred to end Artorias's suffering instead of hoping that he would break out of the corruption.

“Where is Gough?”, Tempest asked, already turning around.

“In a tower watching over the coliseum. That is why he knew all about the fight with Artorias. He had heard everything.”

Heard, not seen? Only a few moments after Ornstein had finished speaking, Tempest rememberd that Gough had apparently fallen blind after the dragon war. If that was the case, Tempest wondered how he should help them. Would he shoot arrows until he landed a lucky shot? Tempest shrugged and followed Ornstein, who already had passed him and was heading back to the coliseum.

Once they arrived at the coliseum and Ornstein entered it, the dragon slayer suddenly snatched Tempest and was holding a hand in front of his mouth, preventing him from the rather important act of breathing.

“Hnngh, Orn...stein..”, he brought out, as he realized that the dragon slayer had trouble with his own breathing, muttering something like “Keep it together.”

“Orn...”, Tempest tried again and Ornstein aggressively shushed him, only to realize a second later how tight he had grabbed Tempest and let him fall to the ground, where the small Undead gasped for air.

“What was that about?!”, Tempest yelled, both hands at his hips.

“Shhhh.”, Ornstein shushed Tempest yet again and then pointed with this thumb into the coliseum. “Ciaran... she's in there...”

“The Lord's Blade?!”, Tempest eyes lit up, not only Gough, but also Ciaran, he was going to meet even the last of the legendary knights, but then his gaze darkened as he realized just why Ornstein was so nervous. “Oh... I am sorry.”, he said, scraping the ground with his foot. Ciaran wasn't there anymore in their own time. Thinking about it, Gough also wasn't there anymore. Tempest wondered how Ornstein was feeling, not only after having to see Artorias die, but then having to see both of his old friend and companion, that had died too, again. He just wondered why Ornstein was so much more nervous about Ciaran than Gough.

“...I can't go in there.”, Ornstein said. “Like I said, I shouldn't be here right now. My... past self stayed behind in Anor Londo. Ciaran went after Artorias on her own free will, but alas, she had been too late.”

“...Do you want me to go talk to her, Ornstein?”, Tempest asked.

The dragon slayer stared at Tempest for a while before slowly nodding and then adding in a quiet voice: “...I am sure she would like to have his soul.”

Tempest nodded and turned around to retrieve the soul from his darksign. Once he had it, cradled in both of his hands, Ornstein nodded ah him. Tempest didn't move from the spot and then slowly spoke: “...Ornstein. Do you want me to say something to her?”

Ornstein stayed silent for a moment, in fact, so long that Tempest almost entered the coliseum, thinking that Ornstein would never speak, but then he heard the dragon slayer's voice, speaking in a feeblish tone: “Please tell her, I am sorry...”

Tempest nodded and entered the coliseum. Hadn't Artorias said a similar thing? Tempest wondered more and more, what Ciaran was for a person and what she meant to both Ornstein and Artorias. Upon looking around, he soon spotted the hornet, looking just as in the tales he had heard and just as on the wooden board Ornstein had drawn her on, with the bluish leather armour and the long braided ponytail. He couldn't see her face, because she was currently kneeling in front of what looked like a make shift grave, but Tempest knew that she was wearing a mask anyway.

Tempest slowly approached her, looking down at the soul. It wasn't like he wanted these things, they just flocked to him, to his darksign and because it was feeling nice when it was filled with souls, he usually left them there. Tempest didn't really had any idea what to do with them other than crushing them, but he felt like he wouldn't respect the foes he had fought if he would do this. It was a lot different as with the souls of the nameless corpses he found littered through Lordran, that ones were just leftovers from a failure, not someone he had beaten in a fight to the death. Even though his death would never be final.

Once Tempest stood behind Ciaran, he cleared his throat and prompted the lord's blade to turn around. Like expected, she had her mask on and it was impossible to see what she felt, just like with Ornstein and his helmet, but when she spoke, Tempest could hear the pain in her voice.

“…You, is that not…”, she spoke. “The soul of the man who fell on this spot?” She hesitated for a second before speaking again. “He was a dear friend. I wish to pay proper respect, with that soul. Would you be willing to part with it?”

For some reason, Tempest was at a loss for words and simply nodded his head, handing the soul to Ciaran.

Ciaran spoke again, this time her voice took on a softer tone: “Thank you. You are very kind. Please take this. I no longer need it. May the Lord guide thee.”

When Tempest looked down at his hands, he saw that Ciaran had shoved both of her blades into his hands, when he remembered, they were called Gold Tracer and Silver Tracer. He frowned at them, why was she giving him her weapons?

“Um...”, he finally spoke. “Are you sure about this? Aren't this your weapons? Can you be a knight without them?”

Ciaran raised her head and looked at him. “There is no need for me anymore to be a knight.”, she said. “Surely you have other business to attend to instead of disturbing me in my grief.”

“Oh, yes...”, Tempest said, looking down, feeling awful for not having considered how she must have felt. She had just lost a dear friend and that after he had seen how Ornstein had reacted to it. He blamed it that he had expected for her to be more talkative. “I should go then...”, he said, but then remembered Ornstein's words: “Oh, just one thing. I shall deliver a message for you.” He took a deep breath and then whispered: “Ornstein and Artorias both apologize to you.”

Ciaran jerked her head around, staring at Tempest, but the small Undead had already running away, returning to Ornstein.

“Well.”, Tempest said. “I could give her the soul and your words, but I don't have the feeling she wanted to talk to me.” Tempest looked down at his hands and remembered that he was still carrying her weapons. “She gave me those. I don't think I could use them. Do you want them, Ornstein?”

“...So she had decided to leave as soon as Artorias had fallen...”, Ornstein said and took the weapons from Tempest's hands. “Her decision shocked me back then... I was expecting for her to come back to Anor Londo with me. I would have needed her, but at the same time, Ciaran would have needed me.” Ornstein traced along the weapons with his thumb, Tempest was glad that he was wearing thick metal gauntlets, because otherwise that probably would have meant death.

“Ornstein?”, Tempest asked, fidgeting with his fingers. “Do you need a moment?”

Ornstein stopped tracing the weapons to look at Tempest and then said: “Yes, little Storm. Let us sit outside of the coliseum for a while.”

The both of them sat down in the room with the elevator and Ornstein leaned against the wall, a deep sigh escaping his throat. “This place is opening all my old wounds.”, he murmured.

“Ornstein, may I ask what happened to Ciaran in our time?”, Tempest asked, knowing that he maybe shouldn't push Ornstein so much, but he was also curious why Ornstein felt the need to apologize to her.

“I haven't seen her sadness.”, Ornstein simply said. “I have been a bad friend to her, but seeing what happened to Artorias, it seems like we can't change the past, we are simply forced to see it all played out like intended. ...We probably have been here the first time it happened. In a sense, all what is happening is happening now and we are a part of it.”

“Ouch, Ornstein, you are making my head hurt.”, Tempest said, leaning against the other wall of the room, deciding to drop the topic about what had happened to Ciaran, clearly Ornstein blamed himself for it. Tempest could ask him when Ornstein wasn't forced working through the wounds of his past.

After a good while, which was spend in silence, well, Ornstein spend it in silence, Tempest tried to convince him to drink some water and eat some jerky, which Ornstein denied, they got up and went back to the coliseum. Upon looking into it, Tempest saw that Ciaran wasn't there anymore and so the both of them entered it. Ornstein straight went to the grave of Artorias and took in a prayer stance. Tempest followed him and also gave his respects, seeing the corpse of Artorias from the corner of his eyes. As his eyes went back to the grave, he saw a white flower and what looked suspiciously like the tassel of Artorias' helmet.

Ornstein rose without saying a word and then went to the other end of the coliseum, climbing a long flight of stairs, which made Tempest pant once they finally were on top, and then stopping in front of an iron door. He took a deep breath and reached for the handle only to see that it was locked.

“Damn.”, Ornstein said. “And no key in sight.”

“Can't you just break it down?”, Tempest asked, but Ornstein shook his head.

“If Gough has let this door locked, it has a reason. I don't want to go against his wishes by destroying the door, so that everyone can come and go as they please. The door was unlocked when I went here back then, after Ciaran had send me a message, so let's move on. The key must be hidden somewhere around here.”

“When I was able to find it, it can't be hidden that badly.”, Tempest grinned and the both of them left the coliseum, stopping at a bonfire which Tempest lighted and then used to strengthen his soul power. Ornstein in the meantime was staring down a warbled mess of what once must have been a town.

“The Oolacile township.”, he said. “It has been so long since I had been here last, but I still remember its dangers and perils. Little Storm, follow my lead this time around. And keep out an eye for that key. Naturally, when my past self got here, the whole place had already been looted.”

Tempest joined Ornstein and nodded, letting his gaze wander across the area that led downwards, trying not to appear to nervous. They were going to fight a dragon and an abyss beast, what could be the worst that could happen? He took his sword in both hands, gave Ornstein another nod and then the both of them stepped into hostile territory. (Author's note: I know this chapter is a bit filler, but when I would have added the township, it would have gotten far too long and crowded, so I decided to put it into the next chapter. Wish me luck, because I will attempt Kalameet with midroll. As always, I want to talk to you guys, so please talk to me in the comments.) Chapter 28

#dark souls #fanfiction #dragon slayer ornstein #chosen undead #oc tempest #orndead #lord's blade ciaran #littlewritesstuff

[ichika27]

My Thoughts on K - Seven Stories

I binge-watched this a couple of weeks ago. I nearly forgot about these until I found the subs. Haha

Here are my thoughts and a few screenshots (like one for almost each movie). I’ll just say a few things, I guess? Except for LSW (movie 4) and Circle Vision (movie 6) and Idol K (shorts) which will have their own posts cause I have the feels.

Movie 1, “R:B - Blaze” shows us the beginning of how Munakata Reisi got his powers as the Blue King and his first meeting with Red King, Suou Mikoto.

It’s nice to see more stuff about the two clans and how things went before the series began -  from within their groups and how they thought of each other. There are also more bits and pieces of the Kagutsu Incident and we get to see the former Blue and Red Kings at their final battle which is awesome.

Movie 2, “Side:Blue” - Like Sirius is about Kusuhara Takeru and Zenjou Gouki. Kusuhara is a member of Scepter4 who wanted to get in the Special Forces (You know, the group that fights directly under the Blue King which we see in the series) alongside his friends and everyone’s really supportive of him which is so nice. However, he’s not as good as they are yet and is told he’d only get in if he can get at least 1 clean hit on Awashima Seri on their spar. So far, no good.

Zenjou Gouki is the former Blue King’s right-hand man. He’s now retired and is working in Internal Affairs. He also watches over the training. Kusuhara ends up working under him later on and is also being trained by him when Kusuhara was given a time limit on his condition to join. Failure this time, though, means Kusuhara will lose his job.

This movie is... he got the job of course. Also, it didn’t end well. On his first day, too like why? Wtf?! I ended up crying when they told Zenjou what happened.

And I know Munakata is just trying to put logic into this and is actually feeling bad about what happened, too but freaking hell, man! That is not what you tell people who are grieving! I know you’re trying to rile them up and piss Zenjou off on purpose for a reason but still... you sound like a real jerk. This is why people think badly of you even though you’re not really that bad.

Also, this reveals why Munakata wants to have Zenjou out of retirement: Zenjou moves on instinct. Actions before thought: he does what’s needed and what's best especially in battle. He was the one who killed the Blue King before another Damocles Down happens after Kagutsu’s fell. He felt really bad for it and probably didn’t want to do it at all as Habari is his friend but it was for the best and so he moved without a second though. Munakata knows that Zenjou will do it again if needed. Munakata has Zenjou as some kind of fail-safe: if he’s become a danger like say, his sword is gonna fall, Zenjou would be able to kill him.

That kinda sucks to be honest. Zenjou was the one who took his own king’s life and he’s gonna be made to do it again if needed be. We all know how season 2 ended so it’s all good but still...

RIP Kusuhara Takeru. You’re one of the Best Boys and you deserved better.

Movie 3, “Side:Green - The Overwritten World” gives us Goujou Sukuna’s backstory. He came from a rich family but with very controlling parents. Finding out his only friend was a fake picked by his parents was the last straw which had him run away from home. He uses the JUNGLE points he earns playing the game so he could escape those trying to capture him to get him back to his parents.

This also shows how he met the Green Clan. How he met Hirasaka Douhan and their first fight against Mishakuji Yukari, which while I wasn’t able to get a screenshot (sorry) to show you, is really pretty. You know how the art for this show is all shiny and kind of have this realistic look, right? Their fight is more 2D-ish but has a purple hue. It’s better if you see it but it’s really, really pretty!

In the end, it also shows how Sukuna became a member of the Green Clan and that he and Hisui Nagare has some things in common. It made this group more interesting, sympathetic, and more human despite being the main bad guys if season 2. It made me like them a lot.

Movie 5, “Memory of Red - Burn” is centered around HOMRA and them planning Anna’s birthday party. I thought “Oh, a fun cute, episode with the Red Clan? Nice!”.

Then Tatara crosses paths with the Colorless King.

The it hit me...

Oh... no.

Yes, this movie is a direct prologue of the first season’s episode 1. How Totsuka Tatara died that fateful night. He’s a really nice guy, you know. They were having so much fun. Anna’s birthday was coming up, too.

When I saw the Colorless King, I started panicking. I told myself “It can’t be, right?” so when Tatara got back to the bar I was relieved. I thought it was safe but then he just had to freaking leave again! I was... I was muttering “No, please... someone please stop him...” while he was looking at everyone, unbeknownst to all of them, for the last time. I know I’m being overly dramatic here cause I already know his death is a foregone conclusion but still... I was getting really attached to these characters as the movie went on. I got to know a bit more about Tatara and why everyone is willing to murder a guy to avenge him in the series. It hurts, man. Even when I knew it still freaking hurts. I was crying when it finally happened.

I said before I started liking them more cause of movie 3 but this, knowing they’re the reason why Tatara died made me hate them the moment I saw it. I still like the characters but I don’t think I could ever forgive them for this.

No Blood, No Bone, No Ash.

Nothing left, not even ashes. Only memories of you in the ones you love. The cremation scene is just as sad to watch. What’s supposed to be a birthday celebration became a funeral.

RIP Totsuka Tatara. You’d be remembered, never forgotten and will always be an important and beloved member of HOMRA.

Knowing what happened at the end of season 1, I hope you and Mikoto are happy watching the outcome of the final battle.

--

Just wanna point out before anything else that it’s got a bunch of ED songs for each movie but more importantly, the OP “Survive!” by Angela is a total banger. I ended up listening to it on repeat alongside “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” by the Idol K seiyuus. It’s so good. And the OP video is so pretty! There’s a difference in character designs this time around from the original series though and I’m sure you’d realize it when you finally watch it: their eyes are a bit bigger. It made them look younger and it’s something to get used to. I liked the older version but this wasn’t so bad. Still, for K fans, it depends on you what you think.

Anyways, the entire movie series was so good but I wish there were more. So many more backstories unexplained. I know they’re in the LN and manga spin-offs plus some extras on drama CDs and stories posted online but come on, they deserve an adaptation, too!

I really wish they’d made more for this series. If I had the money I’d buy the dvds for these. Or the artbooks. Have you seen the artbooks? The art for posters and stuff are all so pretty! I’d love a copy of them to be honest.

Anyways, I already made a post on Idol K and LSW and Circle Vision’s will be made later.

#K Project #K SEVEN STORIES #anime #movie #sana_post

[ariainstars]

Why I’m Fed Up With “Lucasbashing”...

When the Star Wars movies came out:

A New Hope - It’s violent and warmongering.

The Empire Strikes Back - Darth Vader was lying and Leia should have chosen Luke over Han. Also, it’s a dark story, and we don’t want Star Wars to be dark.

Return of the Jedi - Han has become an idiot. The Ewoks are embarrassing. It’s not serious enough, it’s childish with all of the puppets. The bad guy redeeming himself? The “hero” not winning through fight but through pacifism! The villain is only a broken, sad old guy? How uncool is that?!

The Prequels - It’s not like the classics. The classis were soooo good. The design is different. The setting and costumes are different. Vader was the coolest villain of all times, Anakin Skywalker is a whiny, oversensitive brat. The Jedi are oblivious and arrogant, and here we always thought they were heroes! What is George Lucas thinking of, is he toying with us? We want to see Vader being badass, not to have compassion for his suffering!!!

The Force Awakens (side note: a film made with parallels to “A New Hope” this time in hopes to reconnect with the audience after a pause of ten years) - How boring. It’s an embarrassing rehash of “A New Hope”.

The Last Jedi - We thought Kylo was Vader II (although he’s the whiny sissy type of villain)! We thought Rey was Luke’s daughter or at least Luke II (although she’s a Mary Sue)! It’s all so different!! They are their own persons!!! They have their own character development!!! Disney is ruining the franchise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*banging my head against the next wall*

  Who wants superhero stories, please stick to the Marvel movies.

Who wants sex scenes between Ben and Rey, please read fanfiction. There are heaps of stories describing nothing but the two of them going at it like bunnies.

George Lucas had a layout for his saga from the very beginning, hence the “Episode IV, V, and VI” over the titles of the classics. He’s not repeating, diluting and rewarming a movie that was good and successful over and over, only to make more money. This is his lifetime project, not Jaws I, II, III etc. Who expects instant fanboy gratification, please watch something else where you don’t need your brain or your heart to explain to you what the story’s about: compassion, family, forgiveness, love, belonging. It’s not about good against evil, the coolest guy wins, ka-boom, the end; it’s the story of the Force struggling to come into Balance. A man making bad choices because he was pushed to the limits of his endurance almost all of his life and then being redeemed and getting another chance through his grandson who’s in a similar situation is not immoral only because you don’t like the idea, or because you dislike the “villain” personally.

I’m fed up with Lucasbashing. At least we should have some respect for his lifetime work. Or, if we believe we know so much better, think up our own story and see if we can make it as beloved as his. Good luck with that.

Anyone is entitled to his preferences, tastes and expectations. Also, anyone is entitled to self-insert himself into a story and to think what he / she would like to happen or how he / she would have reacted in a certain situation. But please at least try to be as fair as not to mix them up with the actual story. Just because it doesn’t go your way doesn’t mean it’s badly written, not thought out etc. The saga has its flaws of course, but it always had a stringent narrative. That one doesn’t get it or doesn’t even want to get it doesn’t mean it’s not there. The Star Wars saga roots deeply in ancient legends and it contains a lot of symbolism. If you apply the rules and patterns of our modern world and our every day’s experiences to it, you’re naturally in for disappointments.

I have watched all movies and spin-offs last year (the prequels, the sequels so far and Episode IV and V twice), and I have read and thought and written about it ever since January 2018. I daresay I know what I’m talking about.

I may be wrong of course, but I don’t think that I am completely wrong. E.g. I said to my husband that Kylo’s / Ben’s story most probably is the story of a redemption after two days of research. Then I saw the parallels (narrative and visual) with Anakin, read Mark Hamill’s trolling, heard Kylo’s theme ending on a triumphant note in the teaser trailer opposite to Anakin’s theme which has bright notes and ends with The Imperial March. I also remembered that Anakin was a child without a father and that Kylo / Ben is the only Force user we know whose sword looks like a cross, and that he had promised his grandfather that he would finish what he started. Anakin killed the old Jedi Order, putting an end to their arrogance and denial, and started a family of compassionate Force users.

I was not and I am not imagining things. I’m listening.

Have a nice day. :-)

#star wars #george lucas #lucasbashing #kylo ren #rey #bendemption #anakin skywalker #mark hamill #john williams #superheroes #Jedi

[direnhumor]

Kera No. 53 February 2003 - Kyo Valentines Interview   *Complete*

Translated by: Risu ( Source ) Kera No. 53 February 2003 Dir en grey, Kyo “I won’t talk to a girl first, ever.” Kyo-san who always breaks stereotypes and opens up the cracks in our hearts and life. Speaking without flowery words is a motto. But because it has no deception, it’s refreshing! In a way, Kyo-san maybe a PUNK from the core…. For Kyo-san, what he looks for in a girl isn’t all that common… Interview・ Text★ Atsushi Umie First of all, please tell us something from your memory of Valentines Day. Kyo: I don’t really receive much chocolate…. Hmmm, once, there was a time when I received a home-made chocolate. The girl stood in front of me and told me, “eat it”, and I ate it, but it was not sweet and was really horrible. At that time I still couldn’t say, “it’s terrible” and threw it away when I got home. I basically love sweet things but if I receive it during tour or when I am dieting, I get pissed off. Also, my birthday is February 16. I also get pissed off when my birthday and Valentines Day is lumped together. It’s like if Sunday and a holiday overlapped each other, does that mean that this person’s vacation will be only one day!? (laughs). What kind of confession would make you happy? Kyo: It’s like being spoken to with a dialect mixed in (laughs). Like “Suki dacchi ya (I like you)”. Anyway if I was told that, it feels like being spoken to using words that I’ve never heard before. In contrast, what about making the first move? Kyo: No, I don’t make a move, never! Even if I were thinking, “I want to try talking to this girl”, I don’t make the first move. That means you encourage the other person to talk to you. Kyo: I don’t have that technique. It’s like “going with the flow of time” (laughs). I am a very negative person so if I first made the move and was received coldly, then I would be hurt 5 times more than a normal person. That’s why the other person has to start talking to me! Normal people would have made use of that chance a number of times, but in my case, I tried several times to not be hurt….That’s where the point is. It’s a problem with pride! In contrast, what would you do if a girl who you didn’t like much confessed to you? Kyo: I’ll tell her sharply/straightly. “You’re annoying!” etc. It’s because my motto is to live honestly. When you like somebody, they say that you can also forgive the other person’s bad points, but I don’t think so. Things I hate, I hate. No matter how ideal I think a girl is, if she goes home and takes care of cockroaches, I would hate that, right!? There is no such girl who is like that (laughs). As for the girls that make an impact or whom you want to talk to when you meet them, what kind of girls are they? Kyo: My type is inconsistent. From blank-headed/dreamy/absent-minded people to cheerful people, there are different types. Ah, but I think that I don’t like severe/unyielding people. Since my own ego is strong, if both of us were unyielding then it would be like a sword and sword clashing, right? That is bad. And then, “where can I talk?” people….those people, they have too much comments/comebacks/butt-in too much, that it feels that it’s over when they start to butt in. Why is it? Are there types that “you are just attracted to this kind of person”? Kyo: Often, as long as their personalities are nice then anything is okay, right? To say it honestly, if this person doesn’t have a face, that is to a certain extent my type, then I don’t want to talk to her. Those aren’t pretty words, but I think it’s a fact….Ah, but I am attracted to thoughtful/tactful/considerate people. You mean like people who properly mended a button that came off before you noticed it? Kyo: Furthermore, people who don’t also say that, are nice, right? Maybe it’s because I was born in Kyoto that my mindset is traditional/old. To be specific, I don’t like girls who walk ahead of me. Are your ideals high? Kyo: Maybe high. For Kyo-san, is love something not that important? Kyo: No, without love, it’s boring and annoying. But, that’s good (laughs). Is that connected to your creative drive? Kyo: That’s right! That energy, would be injected in the sound that I created. When you’re happy/excited because of love, wouldn’t you be able to create a lovey-dovey song? Kyo: That I don’t want to do such wishy-washy things. Things like “Because I’m happy, I will do my best at work”, those disgusting things……. So for Kyo-san, what is your ideal relationship with a girl? Kyo: When I am on the train, I like it when I could talk badly about the people who I am riding with. Like “That old man’s shirt is ugly”. I would keep on doing that bad mouthing from when I get on until I get off the train. And I don’t like girls who say, “You shouldn’t say such things” in response to that. On the contrary I would like for her to go along with me. For example, when I say, “Isn’t that guy bald!” she would go next to that person, grab on to the train straps and say, “bald, bald!”(laughs). On the contrary, girls who would make me think, “Oh no~I want to get off”, are the best. And yet, they don’t walk ahead of me―if there was a girl like that, I will do my best! If she does something unimaginably superb/marvelous thing for me……. Would you confess? Kyo: Maybe. What is your ideal love? Do you think of wanting to be together forever? Kyo: I place more importance in my personal time. My personal time like work (= band) is number one. In the past when I have a relationship with a girl, I’d say, “For me work is number one, so you will never become number one”. They must understand. If I were writing songs and they call me asking, “What are you doing?”. I’d think “Huh~~~? (anger)”. I feel that my fists are clenched [frustrated]. I hate getting disturbed. If she says, “Buuut, I want to talk to you” I would think, “Well I don’t want to talk to you!” (laughs) So, finally, what about marriage? Kyo: Marriage is an issue with both of your feelings, right? As for wedding ceremonies and receptions, there is no need for a lot of people to gather for it. Having it at the temple is enough. Having a 2 hour moment of silence over there. Wouldn’t that be austere! It’s not really important to also wear a wedding dress. If she were pretty in a normal dress, then I think that’s okay. I hate people who are tied down with stereotypes such as, “it’s got to be at a church” or “it has to be a wedding dress”. Definitely, there seems to be no need to fuss about clothes. Kyo: But if I want to look good….What about blue fish? Aren’t fish in the sea really pretty? It’s nice if I’ll take out the insides, put it on, and wear it. Definitely it’s going to be pretty, and it’s blue!...Well, maybe having only a fish is not enough, then what about sticking flower designed patches (laughs). In that aspect, I would show my mischievousness. That’s, definitely a joke (laughs). Kyo: No, if I see something like that, that blows me away, I’d think “seriously?!” (face full of happiness and laughter).

#dir en grey #kyo #interview #this is super old #but whatever

[parts-of-spop]

forgive me if this is something you were already planning to write and thus don't want to talk about it here, but do past catra or adora ever meet their future selves? are they jealous of how close they seem to be with their counterparts?

Hey, friend! I doubt I’ll ever get too in depth with these AUs due to just...  life so I’m happy to talk about them no worries! This is gonna drag on so apologies in advance but erm... yeah. I’m gonna put a read-more here to save you all some trauma. (Scratch that, read more won’t work but I will add one asap)

The long and short of it is yes but in the time traveller Adora AU, she doesn’t properly interact with her future self until later. The future version is suspiciously lacking a certain sword so it’s not too hard for her to blend in around a battlefield (not to say future Adora is with the Horde but she is definitely biding her time because Entraptra’s genius is invaluable and she could really do with a hand with a certain something). On the other hand, in the time travelling Catra AU (I just really like time travel AUs), her future self actively sneaks into the Fright Zone to find herself and the first time they meet, she’s doing paperwork in Catra’s room and offers to keep doing so on the condition that Catra doesn’t visit SW. I placed this during S2 so she’s still in a cell and Catra’s future version is happy to use a bit of bribery to keep her younger self from spending too much time down there. She’s only partially successful because Catra is stubborn but she kinda already knew that.

Sorry this is gonna get much longer but onto the second part of your question. This will contain ‘spoilers’ but since I’ve not got time or energy to write these monsters, I don’t suppose it counts so please take these concepts and enjoy.

Firstly, Adora went back because Catra was ill. Earlier in the war, she’d taken an ‘accidental’ tank blast from her own side when Hordak started questioning her usefulness and whilst she eventually recovered (him quietly impressed in some messed up way and thus allowing it since it also preserved his image) they were all unaware that the reason he’d really let it slide was because it was designed for the long term. He knew it’d make Catra sick. It was designed to plant a disease in her. Eventually, she’d fall ill and no one would be any the wiser as to why and thus no one would question the flag they stood beneath.

Except, Adora goes back. Catra is dying and she knows she either needs a miracle cure or to stop Catra taking the shot. She has to. She has to because she promised her Catra that she wouldn’t do this to save her and she did anyway and a broken promise has to mean something.

Time travel takes a lot of energy and Adora broke the runestone in her sword in order to make it happen.

Adora gives up She-ra in order to save Catra. And maybe they’ve won the war and She-ra isn’t exactly needed right now but it’s still huge.

Here’s a snippet of Catra putting the pieces together:

“You… you didn’t throw away the sword like you said… did you?” Catra asks, voice low, as she watches Adora trail her hand along the length of the blade, slow and reverent.

Then her touch falls away and she sighs.

“I… didn’t have time to… figure something else out...” She says in a whisper.

“For what?” Catra presses, brow knitting.

“For time travel,” Adora says before looking over to her. “I… used the stone to get me here but… I had to break it for it to work.”

“But… you’re a Princess. Your stone is-”

“Far less important to me than you,” Adora interrupts, fire in her voice and Catra swallows.

“But… Etheria… the stones are needed to make balance. Entrapta said-”

And Adora interrupts her again, this time with a laugh as she looks back to the Sword, bright and gleaming and shining with energy.

“Yeah… My friends weren’t exactly pleased at the idea...” Her humour wanes, “Neither were you actually.”

“I wasn’t?” Catra coaxes and Adora takes a deep breath then heaves a sigh, shaking her head.

“No… In fact, the last thing she did before I left was… make me promise… not to do it,” She admits and a deep, aching sort of shame paints her face. “And I tried to… understand, to keep my promise but… she… she was so ill… so so sick and I couldn’t...” She trails off, voice cracking and her eyes clench shut. “I couldn’t… watch her die. I couldn’t and… it didn’t matter what it cost; my sword, my life, any of it, I just… couldn’t imagine living in a world where she wasn’t with me.”

Catra watches a shudder roll through her.

“And I don’t know if she’ll remember any of it, if the timeline has changed too much or whether she’ll just be better and… and I don’t know whether… whether she’ll forgive me for it.”

Catra sees restless hands fidget with the ring and then she huffs.

“Well… maybe I’m not her yet, maybe I never will be but… I would.”

Adora looks back up, a hope so sweet it hurts to witness gleaming in her eyes.

“You would?”

Catra smirks.

“You kidding? You said ‘fuck Etheria’ for me… It’s pretty flattering.”

And Adora laughs.

She laughs warm and pure and relieved and Catra’s smirk softens to a smile as she watches her light up.

So anyway, Adora loves Catra a lot and to make a very long story short, when current Adora meets her future self (not in ideal circumstances, her future self is bashed up bad) she has her Catra telling her that it’s her and that she came back to help Catra and Adora really just goes... ‘yeah, sounds about right’. Glimmer is there and is like ‘??? WHAT?’ and Adora just shrugs at her, sending a glance towards Catra and trying not to look as conflicted as she feels as she says ‘Catra and I are complicated...’ and Catra is trying very hard not to feel flattered so she just huffs out a ‘no kidding, princess’ and that’s about when unconscious future Adora wakes up and says ‘oh by Etheria, am I not dead?’.

Sorry, I didn’t make the long story short I’ve just thought about this way too much but basically, Adora is a little jealous of the possibilities for herself and Catra in the future more than the reality because she doesn’t know enough about it to dare to hope that her and Catra could ever be that close again.

Jokes on her though because they are hella married.

And Adora doesn’t feel jealous of her future self per say but she does really wish her future self wasn’t so comfortable just slinging an arm around her Catra and sitting that close and whispering things like they used to and okay yeah maybe she’s jealous.

She’ll get over it.

On the flip side, it takes Catra eons to warm up to this future version of the Adora she knows because she’s far too happy and more importantly, far too happy to see her. It’s confusing and stressful and she doesn’t trust her.

Also future Adora forgets to take off her wedding ring when she arrives which is... a lot for Catra to deal with like you’re married?! Who married you?! How dare they??? and she’s 90% convinced it’s Glimmer or something so she’s really angry but Adora doesn’t tell her that it’s her because Catra doesn’t trust her yet and she’s worried it’ll frighten her away.

So Catra’s left simmering over somebody else marrying her best friend and future Adora is like ‘I have ruined everything forever better not speak and make it worse’ and it’s... a process to unpack that. Catra does eventually pull it out of Adora who does a ‘heh as if I’d marry anyone but my best friend’ and Catra’s brain short circuits because ‘you said you had kids??’ and Adora (probably bleeding to death in a big heroic gesture, smiles through bloodied teeth) and says ‘yeah... they’re magicats... they’re beautiful’ and well... that’s a big moment for Catra because oh my shit this is Adora oh my shit this is my future wife and we have kids and oh my SHIT she’s bleeding everywhere!!

It’s a lot.

To kinda... counterbalance that a little, future Catra’s first appearance is literally saving Adora’s ass and whilst she teases the hell out of her, she also takes care of her and is as gentle as possible with her battered form.

She’s very vulnerable and honest with Adora.

And it takes a while to find out why...

She climbs into the bed, slow and steady, as has become her nightly ritual and she smiles when Adora doesn’t whip the knife from under her pillow that night.

She stiffens a moment only to relax, rolling over to face her, blinking sleepily as she settles down beside her.

Adora smiles.

“Hi,” She greets and Catra purrs softly.

“Hey Adora,” She replies, raising a hand to stroke back a stray lock of blonde hair.

“How’s your mission going?” Adora asks and Catra thinks for a moment.

“Not as planned… but it’s going somewhere,” She says gently and Adora hums, encouraging her to continue and she chews her bottom lip a moment. “Turns out changing the course of the future is trickier than I thought. I think the universe is trying to… correct it, steer it to how it was for me but… there’s changes.”

“Space time nonsense, right?” Adora murmurs and Catra smiles a tad at the sleepy tone.

“Yeah… but it’s okay. It’s nice being here,” She replies honestly.

“With me?” Adora quips teasingly and, drowsy as she is, she doesn’t notice Catra tense in the dim light before she forces herself to slacken.

“Yeah… with you,” She agrees, voice a bit too tender but Adora doesn’t question it.

Nor does she question when Catra tucks closer into her, nuzzling under her chin and draping an arm around her waist.

She squeezes her against her.

“Don’t you miss your Adora?”

Catra clenches her eyes shut as they start to prickle.

“Every day...” She returns, “But this is still nice...”

Adora was killed in battle and up until that point, Catra had been convinced that nothing could take down She-ra. She’d almost forgotten that beneath that, Adora was not nearly so invulnerable.

They never get closure. They’re on opposite sides of a war and Catra only realises how terribly in love she is when she sees Adora fall from across a battlefield of carnage and she realises that she’s forgotten how to breathe.

Present Catra isn’t jealous because her future self is a woman who achieved everything Catra thought she wanted... and she’s miserable.

On a brighter note, present Adora gets to enjoy nightly cuddles and a sense of safety that lets her sleep like a baby with her favourite person -future version or not- wrapped around her.

Okay, dang I think I answered the questions... eventually. Sorry again this is so long I just... get so excited about time travel AUs.

Also thank you for asking about it! Feel free to hmu with anything else you’re curious about! This was fun!

#asks-in-parts #catradora #time travel au #i love them but also they are a LOT on the brain