#as if she personally told him to turn their kids into tools of revenge

[neechees]

More to add for the "Jotnar are Indigenous coded" (maybe) but the different Giant characters like... display different versions of intergenerational Trauma & how each of their families have or haven't dealt with it.

Faye/Kratos/Atreus trio were the most well-adjusted (next to Angrboda's family unit), but still, trauma there, obviously. Faye has had to be on the run & hiding from the people who committed genocide against her people & family, taking on a new name from Laufey to Faye, just to escape them. She had no one to speak her Native language to, which is effectively now a dead language. She had to hide her own heritage from even her own husband and son (first likely for her own safety, & then later because of the prophecy), yet she still told Atreus things she knew about her own culture, & the truth about her people's history. Of course, Faye also took on an active role in literally fighting her oppressors, forging a weapon specifically to kill the person who had committed genocide on her people. Her prime revenge ultimately comes in the form of living a happy life (what a spit in the face to those who want you dead, than to survive, live, & do it happily), having a Jotunn (AND divine) son, a champion of the giants to carry on her work & bring Ragnarok to Asgard. Kratos is the other parent who tries his best to raise his son when he doesn't have knowledge of his wife's culture & supports him to the best of his ability, yet is anxious about Atreus being in the world knowing he's a target for being Jotnar AND expecting to be killed off & Atreus orphaned.

Angrboda/her parents/Gryla showed a similar situation, but instead their family was restricted to hiding in a specific area of their family, causing isolation (& this might be reaching but it reminded me of reservations? Not quite similar but still). Angrboda's parents gave her a healthy coping mechanism that was important to their people (art & creating the murals), taught her magic & their people's ways & culture, about Jotunheim's nature, & taught her how to survive in the world without them before they died. They created a world for Angrboda to live in safely & gave her the tools she needed to survive. Yet we also see how their people's genocide & the aftermath has negatively affected Gryla & her relationship with her granddaughter. Gryla bitterly living in the world that tried to kill her yet still trying to create a softer one for Angrboda, even if their relationship is strained. "She's not evil, she's lost".

Thor/Sif/their kids are obviously the worst off. There's a lot of self hatred with Thor, who has turned away from his Jotun side and allied himself with his mother's oppressors & became one himself. Despite Odin apparently having considered Forgyn his one true love, he doesn't care much for their son or treat him well & physically abused him, which Thor passes onto his children. His trauma, self hatred, & any possible guilt is likely at least partially responsible for his alcoholism. Thor & Sif's violence towards their children causes Magni & Modi to become violent & end up dying trying to kill another Jotun (Atreus). They feel no sympathy or solidarity with other giants but instead ally themselves with the oppressor & are all the worse for it. Atreus even tries to reform Thor somewhat and becomes friends with Thrúd.

#either the writers are fucking geniuses who did their proper research #or they accidentally created one of the best Indig coded races without being weird that I've ever seen #Faye chose to wander the world & help others but had to sacrifice her identity to do it #Angrboda's family chose to remsin in their homeland & keep their traditions but at the cost of being isolated & seperate from others #Thor is the one to completely disregard his Jotun identity altogether #gow #gow ragnarok spoilers #I've been having great convos w rhubarbspring about this #I STILL don't know that the Jotnar being Indig coded is even intentional #& Indig ppl aren't the only ppl to experience inter/generational trauma but I'm finding a lot to extract in similarities from this

[featherchan]

Monkie Kid Verse

[ P.S: Please do not reblog! This is for personal use. ]

FULL STORY

Noburu is a fox demon who is cursed with an immortal life by a wicked monk, with a god-complex and egotistical personality. It all started when the fox demon (Noburu) killed a group of naive hunters who were trespassing on her territory and home, despite being warned several times. She was forced to kill them, in order to protect her spouses and newborn children. Soon, the Monk heard of her "evil deed" and killed her family, as punishment for her sin. And saddened by her loss, and overwhelmed by the monk's power, the fox demon fled to the countryside

Mortally wounded, the fight had taken a lot out of her, and soon collapsed from her injuries in a nearby ravine. Sensing someone close by, fearing it could be the monk. With a last desperate effort, Noburu transformed herself into a human to fool whoever it was. But to her surprise, she was found by a human woman named Mi Yue. And the herbalist took pity on the stranger and took her in to care for her.

Once the fox demon was fully healed, she stayed with the herbalist since she had nowhere to go. Even though she owed her life to the human (Mi Yue), she kept her relationship with the herbalist at arm's length, only thinking of them as a useful tool to plot her revenge. But it all changed when the monk arrived at the herbalist's home and told her that her home was housing a demon and they should kill it before it killed her. Outraged by the monk's words, the Herbalist politely but forcefully asked the monk to leave, even threatening to hit him with a broom if he remained too long. Stunned by the herbalist's actions and words, Noburu's perspective of her began to soften. But she became wary at the monk's last chilling words:

"I swear to you, you foolish woman. One way or another, I will ensure you that you will die by that demon's hand…"

Fate, as it is often cruel, a plague soon struck the village, and while tending to the sick, Mi Yue eventually got infected as well and fell ill. As the fox demon has grown so close to her human friend over the last several months that she has become fearful of losing them, as she still struggles to overcome the loss of her family. And upon the herbalist's deathbed, the fox demon did something unthinkable: by giving a part of her heart to Mi Yue, and that action changed the human woman into a demon. Once the herbalist recovered from her illness and discovered her guest's true identity. Seeing how guilt-ridden the fox demon is, instead of being resentful towards her, she only thanked them for saving her life. And even celebrated it, declaring that they were now blood siblings since they both share the same beating heart.

But the blood siblings' happiness was short-lived when the monk returned and discovered that Mi Yue was now a demon. Without hesitation, he killed Mi Yue in front of the fox demon. And, sharing the same heart as Mi Yue, the fox demon experienced pain and death, while painfully forced to witness the death of a family member, all over again. Teaching them (Noburu and Mi Yue) a painful, unforgettable lesson for their "love" for each other. The wicked monk curses both their souls, turning Noburu into a human with an immortal life, forcing her to live the miserable, cursed life as a human, which the fox demon has always despised. The only way to break their century-long curse is for her to find Mi Yue's next reincarnation and kill her. By devouring her heart, it would have allowed her to be turned back into a full-fledged demon again. Or, by losing her mind in the process, she would have been stuck as a miserable human, until the end of time.

And for several millennia, the fox demon lived miserably and alone, as if they were neither human nor demon. To survive, Noburu became an assassin, named Red Fox, to earn quick cash and hope that something or someone could end her immortal life. Eventually, she found Mi Yue again, as the unborn child of a heavily pregnant woman named Aika Ryuuzaki. Desperate to return to her demonic world, she waited patiently until the child was born. Just as she was about to kill the child, she froze. Knowing that the consequence would be the death of the child, for the parents, she knew the pain well and it caused her to hesitate. Soon, she realized that they would become the monsters the monk had painted them to be.

Quickly, Noburu gave up on that disastrous idea and returned to her mundane and miserable immortal life. And many years later, they reunited with Mi Yue's current reincarnation, whose name is now Kanako Ryuuzaki, code name 'Scarlet', a thief for hire. She offered her a partnership and services, as she knew their curses, and promised to break them, so the fox demon could be free again.

#[ au verse | theVixen ] #[ new story | theVixen ] #[ verse | monkie kid ] #[ do not reblog ] #[ this is a personal au for my blog only ] #long post tw

[memecatwings]

I forget there are like actual real John Winchester apologists but if I see one for myself I think I’ll start biting tbh

i saw a few and i can say theyre Not Happy about the latest influx of john winchester hate alfjgadk

#one of then was??? blaming mary winchester for johns actions?????? #as if she personally told him to turn their kids into tools of revenge? #insanity

[asterekmess]

what scott did to derek in the season 2 finale wasn’t a violation, it was poetic justice and derek’s well deserved comeuppance for being an inhuman, incompetent flop as a an alpha, werewolf and person. derek knew he deserved it, that’s why he accepted it and never held it against scott. not to mention that by inconveniencing derek for a few seconds, scott single-handedly defeated gerard and the kanima and saved derek’s and everyone’s life at the warehouse. plus, he made derek a better person

Look. I know you like Scott. But I need you to understand that what you’re saying is not only factually incorrect, but the implications of it are really hurtful.

Scott suffered a lot because he was bitten without being given a choice. Peter attacked him and turned him into something he never wanted to be. That is horrible for him, and I feel for him. What frustrates me so much is that he had his autonomy taken away from him, he suffered a huge injustice, and instead of protecting other people’s rights to choose, he decided to take away their choice the same way it was done to him. He shamed and insulted Erica and Boyd for their decisions to take the bite, completely negating their abilities to make their own choices. Derek didn’t attack them. He told them the risks, he explained what the bite was and what he expected back from them if he gave it to them. They asked for the bite. That was their choice, not Scott’s.

First off, Derek did not deserve what happened to him. A rape survivor who lost his entire family in a brutal fire that his rapist set and had his big sister murdered by his own uncle, did not deserve to have his body used without his consent to give what he considered a gift to the father of the woman who assaulted him, and it in no way made him a ‘better person.’ No. You need to be more careful about the things you say, because sexual assault survivors shouldn’t have to read horrible things like what you just typed out and sent to me. I should not have to read it.

Second, Scott’s motivation behind what he did was not justice. It was pride, a disregard for Derek’s bodily autonomy, and maybe even an actual urge to help with the Gerard situation. You could even add revenge to the list, since Gerard threatened Scott’s mom. And I have to point out, if Scott is really the amazing person that you’re claiming he is, then ‘poetic justice’ should never be something he is aiming for. Good people don’t do the thing that is the most ‘poetic.’ If Scott were as empathetic and kind as people claim he is or the show tries to tell us he is, he never would have done that to Derek, no matter how much he disliked him. There was no reason why he couldn’t have told Derek what he had planned and gotten Derek’s permission to do what he did. Scott kept the secret from him because he felt like he had the right to make decisions about Derek’s body without Derek’s consent. He did it because he wanted to be the one with the secrets for once. He outright admits that he kept the secret “Because you may be an Alpha, but you’re not mine.” He wanted to prove that Derek couldn’t control him, by hurting Derek and forcing him to give what Derek considered the greatest gift a werewolf could bestow, to the father of the woman who murdered Derek’s family. That is cowardly, childish, and apathetic, and it directly contradicts the idea that Scott is in any way True Alpha material.

Third, nothing he did was single-handed, because Derek isn’t an inanimate object or a tool. He’s a person, and without him, Scott’s plan wouldn’t have happened. Without Deaton, Scott’s plan wouldn’t have happened. Scott did not act alone.

Fourth, Derek didn’t accept what Scott did, and he did hold it against him. He felt so unsafe with Scott that he didn’t even tell him about the Alphas over the summer, didn’t ask for his help to find his Betas, because he didn’t think Scott could be trusted. Scott had already sold him out once and Derek had every right to believe Scott would do it again. (Which he then did at the end of S3A when he went to join Deucalion and left Derek unconscious in an elevator, in a hospital about to be swarmed with cops.)

Fifth, everything you are angry with Derek for, Scott did as well. So if you’re saying that Derek is ‘inhuman’ and a failure of an Alpha/werewolf/person, then you must be saying the same thing about Scott. Yes, Derek threw his Betas around and injured Isaac. Scott also threw Isaac into a wall twice (without even the pretense of training him) and dug his claws into Liam’s (I think it was him) neck without his permission. Yes, Derek chained his Betas up on the full moon. Scott abducted Liam and duct-taped him to his bathtub without explaining anything he’d done to him, and I’m pretty sure (though I don’t remember it well) that he was involved in Liam getting chained to a tree at one point. Yes, Derek kept secrets from his pack under the pretense of ‘protecting’ them. Scott also kept the truth about how Allison’s mom was bitten from her, letting her believe for months that Derek brutally attacked her mother for no reason, and lied to Kira about her losing control of her kitsune (though I also don’t remember a lot of that plotline). He also lied to Stiles about whether Lydia liked him, after making out with Lydia (who currently had a boyfriend) in the coach’s office, which is just a dick move, whether it was the full moon or not. Derek told Erica to seduce either Scott or Stiles? Scott told Allison to go on a date with Matt and KISS HIM. Derek scared Isaac away by shouting at him? Scott shouted at Allison for doing something she’d already told him she was going to do, and for telling her parents something she’d already warned him she was going to tell them, and told her to stay away from him. Derek shoved Scott against a wall? Scott shoved Stiles against a wall on his first moon! Oh, Scott was scared/frustrated/having trouble with control? Well, Derek’s sister had just died and Scott was about to expose the entire supernatural secret to a lacrosse field full of people.

Sixth, Scott didn’t defeat Gerard or the Kanima, and he definitely didn’t save the warehouse full of people. Gerard wasn’t dead after getting the bite from Derek. He had enough energy left to tell the Kanima to kill everyone in the room, and escape while no one was looking. The Kanima wasn’t defeated by Scott, it had Allison by the fucking throat and it only backed off when Stiles hit it with his goddamn Jeep and Lydia came out to face Jackson. Scott had nothing to do with that. Lydia is technically the one who saved everyone in the warehouse, and Stiles was her ride. Scott’s contribution was negligible. It was a time waster. He could have accomplished the exact same thing by just standing there and talking to Gerard until Stiles showed up with Lydia.

Seventh, Scott’s behavior was indeed a violation. And I don’t just mean the bite he forced Derek to give Gerard. He didn’t just get revenge on the guy who’d been rude to him and arguing with him for the last few months. He lied to Derek, over and over (while also avoiding ever technically lying, in much the same way Deaton often does, to avoid being caught out by his heartbeat). He learned Derek’s plans and where Derek was hiding, insinuated that he wanted to be part of Derek’s pack (knowing how important pack was to Derek), and outright yelled at Derek for supposedly keeping something from him (Which he wasn’t. Derek canonically wasn’t holding back any secrets from Scott at the time, unless you count the fact that Peter was alive, which Derek had every right to assume Deaton had already told him) all while he was the one working for Gerard. (That is literally gaslighting. Like, literally.) He exposed Derek and his pack to Gerard, feeding him information on the same kids that he insisted were ‘his responsibility’ that probably helped Gerard get ahold of Erica and Boyd to torture them. It was a violation of Derek’s consent. A violation of Derek’s trust, of Erica and Boyd and Isaac’s trust. And a violation of Stiles’ trust as well, since Stiles had no clue what Scott was doing.

You came to my ask box after seeing the various posts that I’ve made, with documented moments from the show and well reasoned arguments and frustrations with Scott McCall’s character. Are you seriously telling me you didn’t think I’d have a comeback?

#personal #go for it #Meta ramblings #anti-scott mccall #hate mail #rant #I had to completely rewrite this because tumblr is stupid and deleted my response the first time #apologies for no 'read more' i'm too frustrated to put it in #i'll add one to the next long post #Anonymous

[mc-critical]

Hello, I just found your blog and I like it very much, it’s very interesting to read!!!. My question is : what is your opinion on Ahmed and Kosem’s relationship? Do you think he truly loves her? What do you think about him seeing other women? And what do you think about his relationship with these women (Mahfiruz, Katerina, Gulbahar and Yasemin).

Thank you for liking my stuff!

I think that, just like Süleiman, Ahmet loves Kösem in his own way. It's not as toxic or problematic or often questionable writing-wise as Süleiman's love for Hürrem, but it still has both its ups and downs that make it interesting to explore.

Ahmet and Kösem is perhaps the love story where the writers made the most effort to mask the possible worse aspects of. It could even be considered actually romantic at points, with their amazing first scenes in the gardens and the amazing chemistry of Ekin Koç and Anastasia Tsilimpou, the beginning sense of wonder and "mystery" it started out with.... when she first met him, Anastasia didn't know he was the sultan and put all her trust in him - a certainly good first impression. Ahmet himself is also very far from Süleiman's direct endeavors and tests of loyalty, he tries his best to be respectful in his own way, despite that he fails to do that a bunch of times. That's why it's easy to miss the darker aspects of the relationship at first and it could be perceived as probably the only thing in the franchise that is remotely close to a "fairytale" of sorts.

However, when the curtains start to fall slowly, but surely, we come to realize that while, say, Hürrem learns to want what Süleiman wants, to be fully loyal to him and to cave to his demands just like he often caves to her own, Ahmet and Kösem as characters have entirely different values and needs throughout their whole relationship. The fact that Ahmet wanted Anastasia because of a picture, without him having ever met her, is incredibly telling: he has created an ideal of her in his own head from the start and he wants to consistently maintain it. When he's with her, it's as if he's living his own dream, his own perfect world that has place only for him and that young girl. (that's why the garden is so symbolic: Ahmet calls it a place of solitude, only for himself almost immediately after the audience is introduced to it; also that line from him: "The world is on one side, Kösem - on the other." - quoting by memory again, but the meaning is the same) Their world views gained from their past and present environments begin to clash from the moment she finds out he's a Sultan - she wants to desperately go back to her family, both because all of them are still alive and her free spirit that cannot bear to live in this golden cage. Ahmet doesn't let her go also because he lacks the understanding of this desire: he has grown in the strict Ottoman system and having people like Anastasia stay in the harem forever is something he finds perfectly natural; for him it's unthinkable to stand against it. But despite of that "minor offense", Ahmet's idea of Anastasia's "purity" and "perfection" was working for awhile, with her seeming to meet his expectations and slowly warm up to him. But the real truth is way stronger than your own made-up lies. Anastasia's pleas to let her go only get stronger until they reach their climax with her attempt to escape. And you know what? If it weren't for her contrived, yet convenient excuse to come back to him, he would've lost her. Helplessly, in a blink of an eye, he would've lost her, due to what she sees as sheer ignorance from his part. And when she gains her own bit of agency later in the season and becomes Kösem, when she develops and realizes the actual stakes of the game, beginning to play it herself due to survival by default and the will for revenge, Ahmet's "perfect picture" breaks apart and that apparently hurt him so much, he stayed mad at her for quite some time. This wasn't the person he knew and loved anymore, this was an entirely new, reborn woman. He didn't seem to love and respect her for the virtues she actually possessed, but for those that he had imagined her to always have in his head. That is another, more "subtle" level of toxicity than with Hürrem and Süleiman, but it's still toxicity, that's why this relationship is far from healthy and the "beautiful, but quirky" dynamic it sets the impression of.

Kösem's view of Ahmet is very interesting and complex, writing-wise. I actually don't think she grew to love him as much. The place she forcibly got in made her feel very limited by him mostly, since he was the reason she was here in the first place and he was calling the shots in terms of her future (whether she would visit her family or not?). What made her become a bit affectionate wasn't fully him himself, but rather the oh-so-prominent theme of adaption in the harem. She wanted to escape so desperately, but there were so many happenings and situations during the time she was in the harem that just demanded for her to get used to everything. So when Iskender gave her the chance to escape, she as become used to the harem's environment so much, she felt unsure of herself outside of it. Her return was out of necessity rather than love and even her standing up to the people when Ahmet was sick was done out of necessity, too (like I elaborated in another ask about Kösem). I'm not saying that she didn't feel any affection whatsoever, but the affection she felt for him was easy to let go of (E25: "Today I didn't marry only Sultan Ahmet, I married the country!"), because I don't think Ahmet did his best efforts to understand her and I don't think Kösem felt completely comfortable around him, all that contrasted with Kemankeş in S02, who according to her, understands her better than anyone ever could.

Ahmet loves Kösem, because even after his perfect picture with her was broken and his anger and denial and refusal to accept it passed, he did try to make things better. What I loved most about his dynamic with Kösem, is his open honesty with her that continued till the end. There have been scenes where they seemed like true companions, especially their beginning one in E21 with all the kids gathered around them. I loved that despite of his mistakes, he did try to set things right. There was this sudden protectiveness that activated in him when Kösem told him the truth about the death of his father and why she acted the way she did and that could mean she now became something of a "cinnamon roll he just protect" and that is certainly a flawed mindset to have in many aspects, but that showed he could actually care for her beyond his idealistic perspective of her.

Am I okay with Ahmet having other women? Honestly, I'm glad that MCK lowered the concubine arcs to a minimum and with the way they did it, it doesn't offend me as much. I would even love some of them to be more developed for a change, because they did turn out to be solely drama tools, thanks to their lesser episodes and MCK's different themes as a whole, that basically did their purpose and left, instead of stretch out and outstay their welcome and that is just the other extreme in a bad disguise.

I won't talk about the relationship he had with his other women as much, because they just aren't fleshed out. I would've liked to see more of Ahmet and Mahfiruze: I believe he was way more decent with her than say, Süleiman was with Mahidevran, and their scenes weren't half bad. Too bad that would've demanded Mahfiruze herself to be fleshed out more as a character and the writers to give her more of a place in the narrative. Katerina was present only for an episode (or was it two episodes?) and we don't have as much conclusions to drive here. We only have his mild infatuation with her and... that's it? We have no idea what Katerina actually felt or how their dynamic would play out in the long run. We can only speculate. Gülbahar, by contrast, also had the least screentime of all his women who have comparatively minimal screentime, but her exploration in S02 helps us gain a better idea of how it went between them. I have the impression that she was the least favourite concubine of Ahmet's, ever. She did succeed to get pregnant and have a child, but it probably was a one and done thing and she didn't seem to get any other grasp of manly affection since then. Which is why, along with them taking away Bayezid from her by exiling her, she was so focused on scheming for one particular goal and this became what defined her. But then again, that is still a speculation in my part. Now, with Yasemin we have much more on-screen chemistry and interaction: that relationship felt very similar with what Süleiman thought of Firuze - infatuation, massive infatuation, but still not love, because just like Firuze, Yasemin also gave him poison and we don't know how much the poison affected his psyche, along with the sickness it brought upon him. These relationships have the opposite problem MC's concubine arcs had: these women were all unfavored or favored very temporarily in the span of an episode or two, which made them very stale and lacking in material.

Lastly, while MCK in its entirety, isn't very big on love stories, Kösem and Ahmet's relationship still had an evolution throughout S01, even if that evolution was more "condensed" than the others similar to it. It still remains the most fleshed out love story in the show, along with Kösem and Kemankeş's, and it was a very important part of the story that helped shape much of the narrative that succeeds it.

#magnificent century #magnificent century kosem #magnificent century kösem #magnificent century: kösem #sultan ahmed #kosem sultan #kösem sultan #ask #elenahoward

[fancyfade]

I really like the way Hardware (1993) addresses the topic of superhero ethics.

Quick synopsis of the set-up: Curtis Metcalf, genius inventor, comes from a working class family and winds up from his perspective being set up to be the heir apparent to the inventor/businessman, Edwin Alva, who takes him under his wing and funds his schooling and, once he graduates, his projects. However Alva was actually just funding his schooling and appearing to encourage him in his endeavors so he could lock Curtis in a contract that gives him no rights to the royalties his inventions makes Alva (unclear if he has any like legal right as in copyright to his inventions as well I would assume not but it was not addressed yet). Curtis can’t work for a competitor either in the same field so he’s essentially stuck working for Alva if he wants to do what he’s dedicated his entire life to (inventing technology stuff).

Curtis initially tries to get some blackmail material on Alva so he can get out of his contract, but finds out Alva is involved in the criminal underworld via weapons and drugs dealing and smuggling.

also the character’s races are important to the story: i’m going to not comment a lot on this because I don’t want to be talking out my ass, so I’m going to just be like... relating things without commentary or sourcing what the original intent was from the creators: Curtis is a black man and likens what Alva did to him as slavery. Denys Cowan, one of the co-founders of Milestone comics and artist on hardware 1993 and the new series, who worked with the main author of hardware (1993) dwayne mcduffie, mentions that Hardware’s experiencse and the way he is treated (especially the glass ceiling) are part of how it felt to be a black creator in comics (link). (Back to the comic, not the interview) Curtis points out how many people perceive him as angry and bitter with a chip on his shoulder (Curtis describes himself as angry for good reasons). Alva is a white man who is too big and has his hands in too many pockets for the evidence curtis initially got on him to stick.

This is why Curtis created hardware: initially, his plan was to blackmail alva, when he finds out what Alva is up to he tries to send the evidence to the authorities because it goes beyond his personal problems with Alva. Then when that fails, he creates his armored suit (which he calls Hardware) to interfere with Alva’s operations and prevent him from doing more damage while getting revenge.

When he initially starts out as Hardware, Curtis has very little social life, he divides himself entirely between working his day job as cover for Alva, then working his night job as Hardware. he barely sleeps due to this. When he’s hardware, has a variety of lethal weaponry, the biggest of which is his omnicannon (which seems to like.. explode everything? he KOs a helicopter with it). He uses his weapons only on people working for Alva who are usually trying to kill him as far as I can tell. He’s also pretty unconcerned with killing them. He blows up a helicopter with someone still in it, shoots people, drops a guy he had pulled out from a helicopter from an unsurvivable fall, and cuts off a the arm of a construction worker who was holding a gun on him.

Curtis is more thinking on his end goal (getting revenge on Alva and stopping Alva’s criminal enterprises) than he is the means he takes to get there.

Pretty early in the run, Curtis is injured and found by his long term female friend Barraki. Since she finds him in his Hardware armor, he has no choice but to tell her what’s going on and she is disgusted. She views Curtis as extremely selfish -- she refers to it as him killing people “because his boss wouldn’t give him a raise” with no visible remorse. Curtis says he has no remorse period, not just no visible remorse. Barraki leaves and says doesn’t feel like she actually knows him.

Curtis obviously cares a lot about her opinion, because once she makes her stance on it clear he is kind of at a loss of what to do. When she asks him what he wants, he says he just wants her approval (also that she’s his only friend and he doesn’t want to lose her).

He winds up solving things as Hardware non-lethally for a while (replaces his omnicannon supershot with a neural net to paralyze people rather than blowing them up, tho he still has access to the omnicannon’s main shell for when he needs it), gives alva’s employees in the stuff he’s blowing up time to evacuate, etc

Then he has like I guess this... dream sequence? Guilt induced dream? Where he is seeing the people he harmed (the guy who’s arm he chopped off talking to him about his injury and losing his job, the dead bodies of the people he killed) and then Curtis talking to him as he is Hardware (like a his non-armored civilian version is berating his armored version for his life choices) and giving him a running commentary on his own life up to this point. People who are either personally important to him (Barraki) or socially important (a priest, Oprah) attack him for his decisions. Then when it comes to who speaks in his defense in his dream, it’s his employer, Alva, who created this situation from when Curtis was a kid to exploit him and benefit off Curtis’s talents and treats Curtis as no more than a cog in his machine (When Curtis initially approaches Alva for his profits, he does so with the assumption he’ll get them, because he had believed Alva to be like a father to him, Alva laughs at him and says he’s not respected, merely useful, and dehumanizes him by likening him to a dog).

Dream Alva’s defense of Hardware’s previous actions is that as Hardware, Curtis is doing what he was supposed to do -- treating other people as expendable resources in pursuit of his goals. So in Curtis’s guilt, he likens himself to Alva, the man who has been treating him like a tool.

I think this is kind of interesting because it’s something I’ve seen a lot in recent discussions of whether it’s okay for superheroes to kill people and one of them is that when you kill a person you’re not just killing that person. You’re killing whoever they were to the people who cared about them, if they’re looking out for anyone you’re affecting whoever they were providing for as well -- I think that’s why the initial person who appeared in Curtis’ guilt-dream was not someone he killed but the man who’s arm he cut off. There’s sort of this commentary on humanizing people I suppose with how the villain so clearly dehumanizes Curtis and treats him as a tool to his own ends, and then how we see Curtis imagining how the people he injured or killed while being Hardware might be affected not just in terms of “they got injured or killed” but also he imagines whatever their lives beyond working for Alva were. Curtis’s guilt is humanizing them in his head where earlier he said he had no remorse whatsoever.

Throughout the comic, there’s this metaphor for being trapped in a cage and then getting out but not actually being free (initially told through Curtis’s pet parakeet he had as a kid -- the parakeet flew out of his cage and tried to get out via the window, but only kept busting his head against the window, unable to understand he couldn’t go outside)

[image: 3 comic panels from hardware 1993 #1 showing young curtis metcalf standing in front of a window where a parakeet is laying down on his side with his  feathers ruffled. curtis grabs the parakeet gingerly in his hands and puts the bird back in the cage with a clang. his internal monologue reads “my bird made a common error. he mistook being out of his cage... for being free.” end image]

Curtis straight up says that his earlier actions as hardware were not letting him be free: he turned hardware into another cage.

[image: 3 comic panels from Hardware (1993) #4 showing barraki young and Curtis Metcalf standing and talking. Curtis is initially looking down regretfully at his hardware helmet. He says “I built the hardware armor to help me escape from the cage that alva put me in. Then I proceeded to turn hardware into yet another cage.” he looks at a parakeet that is flying around his house (his new pet) and says “see, Alva will make a mistake... eventually. And then I’ll put him away for good. That’s still very important to me. But it’s not going to be my whole life.” end image]

I don’t know whether the cage was supposed to only be in terms of how he conducted himself as Hardware or whether it also extended to work life balance (right after this he says that he was not going to make putting Alva away his whole life, he is letting Barraki in rather than pushing her away and he got the parakeet) and also his general view of the world (I already analyzed how he changes the way that he views the people working for alva). Either way I feel like the way that it was addressed was in a very satisfying manner that never wound up being preachy but did ask a lot of questions.

EDIT:

more commentary on the parakeet analogy from the writer of hardware: season one (the new relaunch)

The original Hardware #1 opened with a flashback of a young Curtis Metcalf remembering his pet parakeet escaping its cage only to be stopped by a barrier of glass, mistaking “being out of the cage for being free.” A brilliant meta-commentary, Thomas believes that it is “one of the greatest monologues in the history of comics,” and perfectly captures the entire story of being black in America.

#dc comics #hardware 1993 #hardware #curtis metcalf #barraki young #dakotaverse #racism #in terms of the comic commenting on it and the what hte creators experienced

[teamalexmanes]

What if Alex's mother was "disappeared" with her eldest son, Clay? Since then, Jesse Manes was becoming more and more of a crazy,mean,ruthless person. "Surely it was a tragedy but becoming a monster because your wife took a son a left? Where were your other sons mistaken to pay the price?" That's what everyone thinks.Yet, no one knows the truth.

An alternative fic of how Jesse Manes became the monster we know. Because he wasn't always like that. Until he met Jones. So, what if anything, even what happened in the tools toolshed years ago, isn't what we think it is?

It's a bit violent (!) and surely not perfect but if you want, you can give it a shot!!

Jesse and Mindy were a happy couple with a happy family. Four little magical sons. They were both military people and in love since they were kids. Their children were their biggest gifts from life.

They had learned about aliens a couple months ago. After a lot of thinking and because of Jesse's uncle, they decided against Jesse's father wish, to cooperate with an alien,Nora, so they defeat a bigger threat to everyone, Jones.  So, the three of them began making a machine. After tests and experiments the machine was ready. It was supposed to weaken Jones so Nora could defeat him. But they had made a mistake they never thought about. So, when they came against Jones, they couldn't defeat him. He escaped and the small team was on alert for the next 49 days, when they would try again. In the meantime, they found a (dangerous) way to drag Jones back. Nora would have taken the children off the pods. Jones would sense that and run back to take them. And then Nora would take the chance and defeat him. But Jones was much more mad and angry and a revenge-seeker.Before Nora, the 2 humans would feel his power,his hatred. The night before so, he came back to Roswell and killed Jesse's Manes father. Then he went to their house. Flint and Greg were gone in some school trip. The parents, Clay and Alex were at home,sleeping when Jones entered. He shattered every glass, the windows too with his mind. Both Jesse and Mindy ran downstairs holding their guns. They barely told the children to stay upstairs, no matter what and call Valenti and he would call Nora. Of course, there was nothing they could do to stop the powerful alien. He took their guns and he command the  to obay to him and bow.When they both refused a strong headache was caused to them but again, they denied to bow. Jesse tried to fight but Jones' sword cutting the right side of his chest lead him to the floor bleeding. Mindy screamed. Jones turned to her and Jesse begun begging for her life, he even told her to run. But it was too late. Suddenly, Clay appeared with a knife in his hands and Alex with a hummer. They must have found them in Greg's room, where Jesse had been making up his door, earlier that morning. Everything happened quickly. Clay and Mindy were both dead screaming. Jesse was driven mad because of all the pain in his heart and the blood around his chest. He couldn't do anything but witness his family murder. Then he turned to Alex. He came close to him as Alex's back was against the wall. From the trembling, the hummer was dropped from his hands.. Jesse was almost without senses, just crying quietly now. He was trying to tell Alex to run. Alex suddenly ran to the one side and then to his father but Jones of course hit him. Alex fell face down. He was screaming and crying now and he held out his hands to reach his father, who now was trying to reach his son too but he was too weak. He begged again, but Jones almost growled at Alex's movement. So he did it, he took the hummer and hit Alex's right hand. Alex screamed and then lost his senses. Jesse wanted to die. Jones was to kill of Alex for good but then...he sensed his son,Michael and his clone out of the pods. So he left the shattered now family and left with telling Jesse "never forget that I caused this. I took everything from you. Soon I will take everything in this planet, you will learn to obay or suffer. It's not my fault you chose the second." Jesse never forgot indeed. It wasn't the right day, so the machine didn't weaken Jones enough but Nora managed to lock him up. Not knowing what had happened right before, just that Jones attacked Jesse and Mindy, Nora was about to go to the children, take them and go to Manes. Yet, just outside the cave, military men came and drug her by force to a cage back to Caulfield. She was sure that something was misunderstood, she was on their side. Yet, she was wrong.Jim Valenti took Alex to Nora. She helped Alex heal and then forget everything from that night -her, too. 

Jones didn't kill Jesse that night but he did something worse. He turned him to a monster. A monster that never said what happened to his wife and son. A monster that never felt love again, only hatred and revenge. He made Nora and every alien he had to share his suffering. He hated Alex for reminding his mother so much, for reminding him that night. He hated everyone and everything. He got obsessed with creating weapons against aliens, with killing each one of them. When he learned about Michael and Alex, he almost lost his mind.  Alex with the son of his mother and brother's murderer, with one of them! He took a hummer. He hit Michael's hand. He saw the blood, heard the scream -it was like he was living that night all over again, but now, it wasn't his son screaming,it was Jones'. He never said anything to Alex, not that day and not any day followed.

Jesse was wishing Jones had kill him that night and he promised that everyone would come to wish he had, too.

Because Jones didn't kill him that night, but he did something worse. Something that changed everything.

That was it, my 2nd published fic!! Thanks for reading, wish you liked it!!! Comments are always welcomed !!❤❤

#roswell new mexico #tyler blackburn #malex #alex manes #alexmanes #roswellnm #roswellnewmexico #michael guerin #michael vlamis #michaelvlamis #roswell cw #roswell nm fic #fanfic fan fiction #fiction #alternative #jesse manes #violence #trauma

[virgil-writes]

ash & soot

Long before the Winters come into play, a monster stalks the Forbidden Forest that surrounds the Village. Karl Heisenberg is sent to investigate, and heads deeper into darkness to find his prey, a thorn on his side and someone just like him. (Heisenberg x OC)

on AO3: chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four | chapter five | chapter six | chapter seven (ao3 only) | chapter eight | chapter nine | chapter ten | chapter eleven

chapter 11 - fever dream

trigger warning, body horror and blood, lots of blood. around 3.8K words.

He knew he had overstayed his welcome by the tiredness in her eyes, a stab of guilt very close to piercing through his skin though he resisted. He had struck a nerve without meaning to, his flirting and prodding taken too far, what he intended to bring them closer making her recoil instead. Heisenberg had left her cabin with shoulders slumped and heart heavy, but the way she had bid him goodbye told him everything would be just fine. It was all forgotten by the time he turned the corner to go further into the forest, all suppressed under a boot-clad stomp. He would not consider how he might have personally hurt her, how he might have dug in too deep and crossed the few lines she had established. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a stupid little voice told him that he cared, even if he didn’t mean to, and there was only so much he could ignore it before it bubbled to the surface. He had dealt with worse. Keeping feelings and memories buried was a skill he had developed over almost a hundred years.

Her feelings were not important right now, he reminded himself, because the plan took all precedence. There would be no more village if Miranda saw her plans fulfilled, no little witch to offend and no metal man to call stupid nicknames. Maybe once they were free he would be interested in truly making friends, sitting down to talk things through and giving her time to answer his questions, not when he pressed but when she was ready. Bah, who was he kidding? He was not a man meant to play house, to have healthy relationships that were based on dialogue and mutual understanding with. He was the worst friend a person could have. She could die mad.

Still, perhaps there were lines he would better not cross, at least to keep her complacent. From the very beginning he had intended to keep her in the dark as much as possible, only tell her what was strictly necessary to have her help him. Learn what she could truly do, exploit it as covertly as possible, then unceremoniously dump her so he could finally fight his battles. Get from point A to point B, make himself an ally, but not a friend. She was a tool, as were all others, living or dead. He would see his ambition realized. He would set himself free.

Hours bled into days and into a week before he saw her again. His days once again become a blur of planning and building, head empty if not for the thoughts of revenge and the rage that fueled him ever onward. Research at the factory was going smoothly enough, problems here and there. Miranda was mostly out of his hair, as was Alcina, having finally given up after he told her, time and again, that nothing other than lycans inhabited the woods. Some power failures in Eins were a true head-scratcher, night after night of writing and drawing, assembling and disassembling. It was a good way to pass the time. Sturm was still a failure, a project put on the back burner until the right inspiration hit him.

It all reached a boiling point not soon after, stress catching up to him when a mining drill down the mine shafts malfunctioned and exploded, the cave-in cutting off a whole team of haulers and all the resources they had gathered. The bodies soon began to rot and the stench filled the vents, crept through tunnels to find him in all rooms he thought he could hide in. Night and day his soldiers would drill and get nowhere, night and day he would work to see no returns. He had descended into a fit of rage that brought out the worst within him, his transformation no longer his to control after the first few minutes of thrashing and shouting. It hurt as much this time as it did every other, flesh tearing and pulsing and twisting and expanding, tendons pulled, muscles sore, skin stretching far beyond what it should ever be able to. Pain seared through every inch of him, a gust of flame where his blood should be. It burned unbearably hot while chilling him to the bone with the sheer horror of it.

His conscience would never fully slip him in those moments. He would not recognize himself in the mirror, his appearance no longer that of a man, but he was still him, still a genius of engineering, still a silver fox that could charm the pants off of anyone if he wanted to. At least that was what he told himself, though there was definitely and underlying hunger that he could not suppress, that was not entirely his. Not for meat like the Duke’s, not for blood like Alcina’s. Not at all physical, but gnawing on his bones nonetheless. A need for violence, for terror, to destroy everything and crush everyone. Turn every living being to a pulp and make art with the carnage, paint the walls red and hang their insides from the ceiling. His fingers itched for it even when they no longer existed, his heart pulsating with rage and anticipation. It was hard to keep himself in check sometimes, to stop the spiral that brought him ever downward, towards the blackened waters of oblivion that he felt were always so dangerously close to consuming him. He would be no better than any of them if he gave in, he repeated it as a mantra, no better than the family of abominations who consumed flesh and drank blood like the finest wine, no better than the lycans who toyed with the villagers only to eviscerate them and then suck the marrow out of their bones. But how would it feel, a small voice asked in the back of his mind, to be so free, to let his rage flow with the blood he spilled, vindication for thousands of days of suffering. He could almost taste it, feel his sins washed away by the sacrifice, dangerously within reach, so very tempting. Every time he resisted, and every time it became harder to do so.

He can’t remember the last time he’d lost control, the last time he’d blacked out and woken up a day later in his birthday suit and covered in guts that weren’t his. He can’t remember if it had been yesterday or last year or thirty years ago, but he remembers the feeling all too well, the sickening soft touch of tissue, foul smelling bits of flesh underneath his nails. He could never know who, or why, or how, and could only hope he hadn’t blown his cover, hadn’t killed someone Mother would miss. The last time, he never quite managed to wash the contents of the poor soul’s stomach from his hair, the stench nauseating. It had been the first time he had taken scissors to his hair and cut it with a fury and desperation he did not know he possessed. Ther uneven strands only served to remind him that his monstrous self was but a failed project away, looming in the darkness, a return to the bloody roots Miranda had ingrained within him on that operating table all those years ago.

Fists slam against the table in an attempt to let off some steam as he curses his temper, his family, that crow bitch for ruining him forever. But it only serves to stoke the fires, to anger him further, cloth rips as he yells and everything goes downhill from there.

These moments between man and beast are always the most difficult, the ones that seem to last forever, the ones that plague him with so many thoughts he feels his head will explode. Would an army be enough to stop her? Hundreds upon hundreds of lost souls hanging overhead, conveyor belts transporting his army on an endless display of his greatest accomplishments. He could only hope enough of his machines would survive the waves of lycans she would throw at them; he could practically see it, teeth bared and eyes gaunt, claws reaching to grab onto something, anything that would give it purchase, an armor plate, perhaps the tube that kept the soldier’s blood pumping. One after the other the lycans would fall, until they had become too many, a pile of writhing half-humans feasting on its disgusting prey. He could practically hear it, and every exploded reactor chipped away a sliver of his confidence - and his sanity.

He never intended to get involved, never intended to join the battle and cut through monsters. His eyes had always been set on Mother, Mother and the stupid lieutenants she called her children. Moreau crying for it all to stop, Donna cowering with Angie behind moldy wings. Alcina would be the only one to face him head on, he knew, and finally he would be able to tear her apart with her own nails. He would then pluck one out to shoot it right at the dollmaker’s face, right onto the squirming parasite that inhabited the half of her face where her eye ought to be. To Moreau he would give a present, a grenade for him to swallow whether he felt hungry or not, a tasty last meal for the disgusting fish man who scraped the bottom of the muddy river. As for Miranda, he hoped it was enough, he was enough, all of his experimentations and studying and training coming together to make him unstoppable. Only time would tell, and with each passing day he grew wearier, and the beast stronger.

But what did he have to lose?

His mind barely registered his actions as he made his way out of the factory, a bundle of papers tucked under his arm, hammer and cigar long forgotten. The world greeted him with a sheen of milky fog, of faded colors that threatened to jump at him in full vibrancy at a moment’s notice, threatened to overwhelm his already weakened perception. His tendons pulled and muscles ached with each agonizing step, left knee and elbow burning like he had shoved them inside a furnace and forgotten to take them out. His head hurt worse than the most gruesome of hangovers, light swimming in his eyes and creating a dozen blind spots that could lead him to any number of traps. Beads of perspiration had gathered on his brow despite the cold, the kind of feverish sweat that keeps you awake at night and makes you see stars and aliens, eyes rolling back but somehow wide open in a never ending fever dream. He had grown accustomed to it, the high of growing into a behemoth of flesh and steel, and the lows that came with it when it was all over and he had to return to being a shell of a man with enough rage to make the devil jealous.

Most times he would lie face down against the factory floor, let the stone ease him into restless sleep, until some hauler tripped over him and decided to drag him along and out of the way. It had become so common he had instructed them for it, too, to leave him at his quarters and then carry on working, so that he could also carry on working as soon as this hurdle was over with. But then sometimes the fever grew so hot he would stumble out into the yard to find the nearest mound of snow to flop onto, and he could swear he could hear it fizzle under his skin.

This time he had taken to walking, the only thing in his mind as his body protested and he pretended not to listen, one foot after the other, though he had no clue where they would take him. His wounds bled as they always did, a new collection of scars every time he transformed and the metal lodged itself deep within his flesh, left a trail behind as he made his way down towards the river, the trees his only support. It was then he heard it, the faintest of whispers, the most alluring of laughs. He raised his head to catch a glimpse of her, running away to hide from him, inviting him to chase her and catch her, lay her on a bed of twigs and thorns and explore her endless delights.

His little witch in the woods, naked under the moonlight just like he had imagined, standing right in the middle of the bridge that shook more violently than ever before. She did not seem to mind the cold, did not care about her dignity, her cheeks flushed and desire in her eyes as she called to him, and he could not help but follow.

He had stumbled on the last plank, foot stuck between a rusty nail and loose splinter just as he was about to catch her, when he reached out his hand and felt her hair slipping between his fingers. His face had hit the ground before he could register what happened, his little witch gone, a mouthful of snow and dirt all he had, papers scattering in the wind with the fall.

In his clarity he could hear the shuffling of feet in the distance, the frantic sniffing as the wolfmen smelled its prey in the air. Dozens of pairs of eyes watched him from behind the trees, hungry, desperate, waiting for his conscience to slip, for him to never get up, for him to stop walking, to heed their call and fall into their trap. The anxious tingle on his fingertips tells him he’s on edge, that fear creeps up his bones and into his blood and out of his pores like the sweetest of perfumes. But his bones hurt, so very much that there is no space for anything else in his mind. He picks himself up and walks, walks like he has a purpose, like he knows where to go and just what to say. Heisenberg no longer strode with the confidence of a man who knows there is nothing in this world more dangerous than himself, but with the sensation of being so small, so insignificant, a bundle of flesh and blood that could be torn and consumed. All that was left was the hope, the knowledge that something old prowled the woods, older than himself, something immensely powerful that meant him no harm.

He cannot tell if the sigh of relief stays only in his head when he sees the fence in the distance, rounds the yard lightning fast for a feverish man, the sound of his steps crunching the snow almost comical as he tried to run faster than his legs could take him. He catches himself on the porch railing before his teeth can hit the wood as he stumbles once again. There is no fear, only humor in his laughter, because he has made it, reached the safe haven of that decrepit cabin hidden between the mountains.

The witch stood at the porch, basket of laundry at her hip as she made her way out the door, an improvised clothesline strung between a post and a lantern hook. She was not startled this time, the expression on her face telling him he was expected, the smell coming from inside the cabin making his stomach rumble. He tries not to stare too long, not to pay attention to her beautiful features; every second they seem more twisted, a sinister smile, a hole where her face should be, a multitude of eyes, a pair of antlers. The disappointment was perhaps the worst of all, the look of disgust in her eyes. He cannot tell apart reality and dream and at this point he would prefer not to.

She blinked once, twice, confusion adorning her features as she looked him up and down but surely failed to understand just why Karl Heisenberg had dragged himself all the way up to her home wounded, naked except for his trench coat and hat, and looking like a man so high he could see beyond time. He had no shame left in him, between his confidence and the fever, and despite the weirdness of the situation, she was unfazed after the first few seconds, even when she lifted his chin to look him in the eye and he recoiled like an injured beast. If she hounded him for answers, she would get none. She would be lucky if he managed to mutter his own name.

He can’t tell if he had found the sanity to greet her, mind relaxing and patting itself in the back for successfully bringing him to his destination. She sets the basket down and walks towards him to come fetch him, one hand on his shoulder and the other settling on his waist as she guided him inside, and he cannot help but notice there are fingers and toes where her laundry should be, a bountiful, but gruesome harvest. A warning light flashes in his head when the cabin looks different, hands and organs and heads displayed in a macabre backdrop of blood and guts. He is shaking like a leaf when she sits him down on the couch, papers (papers?) taken away from him to be placed on the dinner table, and only when he motioned to grab them did he notice his hand was long gone, blown away like it had been caught in a shrapnel blast. He bites down on his lip as a last ditch attempt not to scream in horror, teary eyed and hurting. An entire mess and a half, with no explanation to give either him or her, but she did not seem to mind, busy grabbing her tools (saw, knife, cutters), wearing the bloodshed like a cape that was made to fit her.

She left him unattended but a moment before returning with the same box of supplies she had used when they first met (surely the tools she had hid within her apron pockets), cloth and antiseptic and the promise that this would burn, bad. He had half a mind to tell her not to worry, to let him bleed and heal on his own like he knew he would. He meant to tell her it was all good, and he had lost that hand before, and the leg, and the blood, and the sanity. It hurt but would not kill him, nothing could, even though he had tried. Instead he said nothing, for he had vastly overestimated his capabilities, less than half a mind at this point, pain and fear sloshing within him like a furious tide. The hat was the first to come off, and he tried to ignore how gentle her touch felt when she brushed back his hair to get a better look at his face.

“Are you still with us, my lord?” Her voice was but an echo inside his head, light as a feather as he rested against the couch and felt sleep tugging at his conscience, though the shock would not let him go. He is unsure whether he is asleep or awake after that, if the feeling of her fingers tracing over his skin are a hallucination or reality, but he sees it clearly regardless, feels it just the same. He taps his foot on the floor impatiently and notices that it is wet, it is all wet, the waters come in through the open door and flood every nook and cranny, only a matter of time before they are both drowned. Not water, no, blood, viscous, fresh, warm blood.

His trench coat is gently pushed off his shoulders, blood staining the throw that lined the couch but getting lost in the scenery, and dexterous fingers run over his scars, find their way to the open wounds speckled on his skin like a starry sky. Her touch was gentle but it hurt regardless, the haze in his mind imprisoning him in what felt like a perpetual state of suffering. The burning turned instead to the raw sensation of being torn apart, the flesh of his abdomen rending impossibly under her ministrations. He looks down to see her hand has disappeared on him, no, in him, the corners of her mouth stretched into an impossible smile. He is fully gone when something tugs at him, within him, bile gathering in his throat at the thought, at the feeling of having someone poke around his insides - again.

It is then that it all hits him, laughter explodes and he bellows - he has finally died. He sees it now, how it was all an illusion, and in reality he had been splayed in the snow all this time, blood pooling around his body and inviting all manner of predators to feast on him when the bones of the earth failed to claim him so many times before. A clever lycan had found a nice open spot to wedge its claws in and pull his guts out to munch on, another tore unceremoniously through to the same effect, and his visions of the witch were nothing but a pleasant mirage his brain had decided to afford him, a small mercy as he bid his consciousness goodbye at long last.

Tree tops and the dark sky are all he sees when he opens his eyes. At least he’d go in style, he thought with a snicker, and the hallucinations of her hands on him just like he’d fantasized spurred something within and made him stand to attention. What a fitting end, open and spilled like a bag of grain, guts wrapped around the papers he had brought with like an exotic crimson ribbon, and the biggest hard-on he had ever had.

#resident evil village #karl heisenberg #karl heisenberg x oc #karl heisenberg x reader #only the gods can judge me #virgil writes

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 25

Make some dentist appointments after this chapter. (I'm not sure it applies to all)

Sorry for being late. It's my little sister's birthday today and I opted to eat food.

Table of Contents

Off the Grid

"Alex"

MacTavish Residence, Glasgow, Scotland

The worst part of being stomped on the face is that at the end of the day, your girlfriend would end up seeing it. This was what Alex was worried about the moment he heard the helicopter approached their location. But a part of him wanted to just lay down by the bed under Samantha's care. 

Alex expected Soap to be the first one greeting the women, but he wasn't around. He guessed that after all the chasing and the climbing, he opted to take a rest instead of facing them tired. The house was very accommodating on it's own. He didn't need to worry about entertaining everyone else.

Just as he expected, he already saw the frown on Samantha's face as soon as her eyes met his. The same frown from his imagination was manifested before him.

"Alex, Are you okay?" she ran towards him and touched his bruised cheek. Alex tried to look okay but he couldn't help but hiss at the pain.

"A little. I couldn't lie to you now, can't I?" he managed a chuckle. Samantha held his hair and that signaled Alex to lower himself a little so she could kiss him on the forehead.

"Let's get you healed up." She muttered.

"Not until I'm done helping unload these." He suggested. Samantha wanted him to skip out on helping but Alex's face was eager and she didn't want to argue with that.

"Fine."

"My room is the third door by the stairs… that is if you want us to stay in one room together."

"Of course I do, Alex." She smiled and blew a kiss on the air as his lip was too bruised to receive it.

Alex couldn't help but smile. He could feel his insides do a little dance of joy while he's carrying luggage to the second floor, placing both their bags beside each other. Inside their room, that they're going to share.

He knew they'd done this before, but the idea of getting the room all to themselves was different. They are able to move freely without worrying what they might do. And he wanted to hug her, kiss her and whisper soft words in her ear without making everyone else around them all judgy.

Dinner flew by and Roach took the girls out for a tour, Alex took this time to shower before Samantha would come nurse his wounds. He stood in front of the sprinkling hot water, his face looked up, letting the warm shower revitalize his tired muscles. It was no doubt relaxing as he closed his eyes, cleared his thoughts and let his mind ease a bit.

They're safe, Samantha's got her memories back, and they're together now. The New York attacks were over and both Shepherd and Nero were off the grid. They're planning something big and all they could do was prepare for the worst. He doesn't have to shoulder anything as of now and he should rest and recover.

After a few minutes of meditation, Alex was interrupted by a smooth touch that embraced him from behind. He could feel her skin sink against his as she tightly held him, her cheek leaned on his back.

"Alex." Samantha whispered, he couldn't barely hear it against the sound of the shower.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" she sobbed. Alex raised an eyebrow and held her hand, turning around to meet her beautiful face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the question echoed against the glass walls and bounced to the rest of the bathroom.

"On the ride here. I took a nap… then I remembered something. Before I even got to that Russian hotel I…" she sobbed. Alex pulled her closer and hugged her, she didn't have to worry. They're going to fix this together.

"I gave them the I.P. Address…" she cried. Her tears mixed with the sprinkle of the shower. Despite being already wet, Alex still wiped it off with his thumbs.

"You didn't do anything wrong… You didn't give it away… They forcibly took it from you." Alex told her, his face was angry toward Shepherd. One day he'll finally get his revenge.

"B-but…" she tried to retort, but Alex cut her off by kissing her soft lips, his tongue immediately entered her mouth as soon as she gave him permission. He kissed her hoping it would soothe her worries away, making her feel that he was there no matter what. Her moans made him comfortable that he's doing the right thing, that he's telling her that he's going to be there. So he pushed her toward the cold bathroom wall, tilted his head and showed her what he really felt towards her.

The next morning Alex and Samantha were tasked to fly Nikolai back home. The guy was missing the colder environment and since they didn't have anything at the moment, it'd be best to let him go for now. The team still owed him a cargo plane which was left back at the S.A.S. base. They'll have to deal with that after all of this is over.

Alex didn't have anything to do regarding this task, Samantha just made a few special calls and the next thing they knew, they were already waving goodbye to the Russian.

"Glad we have him on our side." Alex chuckled, hovering his arm as it reached her farther shoulder. Samantha leaned toward him as soon as she caught him doing the gesture, as they took short steps, Alex's leg clumped against the cement.

"You okay with that leg?" Samantha wondered, looking down then back to Alex.

"I got used to it, really. It's not much of a bother once you get used to it." He smiled, wiggling the fake leg, almost showing off at how good he was using it. 

"Is there something wrong with it?" He asked. Samantha's cheeks started to blush red and Alex had no actual idea what was going on in her mind.

"No no. I'm just curious. That's all… Still… it must be hard walking like an incomplete part of a whole." She consoled to which Alex replied with a laugh.

"What's funny?" She asked as Alex used his already clinging hand on her shoulder to pull her closer for a kiss.

"You already complete me, Samantha." He said. His face was too serious to be joking and yet Samantha laughed.

"You know what?! All these corny and cheesy dialogue is my thing. You complete me too, Alex. I…" she paused, staring at Alex's eyes. Alex quickly saw through her gaze, there was a particular sparkle in her eyes. The same sparkle he'd been noticing every time they got intimate. It made his heart beat so fast that he could almost predict what she's going to say next.

He placed a finger on her mouth to stop her from talking. He wanted to say it first. He wanted to be the one whose life changed because of her and not the other way around.

"I love you, Samantha Coleman." he said. Tears. Tears were the first thing he saw once he let out those words. 

"How dare you… finish my sentence." she croaked. She had the idea of cracking a joke between the sweetest of moments. He really liked that about her.

"I wanted to say it first." He whispered, inching his face closer once again. Samantha's eyes were already half closed and Alex knew what he needed to do. He planted another chaste kiss on her soft lips, but this time, Samantha surprised him by gently biting his lip, making the former CIA flinch. He chuckled and kissed back once again, pushing her toward the gazebo until they found her pinned on one of its tougher beams.

"Oh." She giggled as Alex's hand trailed on her side, squeezing her soft skin gently. Alex's smile beamed wide as he knew her reaction. 

"Are we really going to cause a scene here? Mr. Alex-?" She teased, her train of thought paused after not knowing his last name.

He chuckled in a lower register, low enough that he could feel Samantha react to it.

"It's Alexander Collins. But please, just call me Alex." he muttered, planting a kiss on her neck, Samantha moaned inappropriately, sending Alex on an excited rush.

"All right Mr. Collins. I think we should stop now. Our audiences are feeling a little uncomfortable right now." she turned to France, Maxine and Roach, who were watching 'respectfully'.

Alex waved and smiled apologetically, noting the almost embarrassed expression on Maxine's face, the slightly smirking Francine and Roach's hidden thumbs up.

"I'm sorry guys. We'll be off now." he said, escorting Samantha back to the house.

The day went by and Alex was more than happy that he got to spend the rest of the day with Samantha. Hell, even the thought of waking up spooning her was more than heavenly. 

Now, he lay gently on his bed while Samantha was out to cleanse his bruises.

"Ow. Careful nurse, I'm quite vulnerable..." he winced playfully.

"Now, now, my little patient. This will just hurt a little." She played along, wiping a soft cotton ball on his bruised cheek.

"Will there be any sort of injection? I hate injections." he groaned, fake sobbing.

"Oh? You hate injections? I personally thought you were amazing administering them?" She teased, slightly blushing at her green joke.

Alex quickly caught wind of her joke about injecting and immediately burst out laughing.

"I can't believe you said that." he said, laughing in between his words, almost choking.

"Kidding aside… I almost forgot something…" She said, setting aside her medical tools. She got up and gently straddling on his body, making Alex groan a little and hold on to her waist.

"What could you have possibly forgotten?" he asked, his face full of curiosity.

She leaned in closer to him and whispered three words that made Alex smile in delight.

"I love you." she whispered and a kiss followed. Alex knew from that moment on that he was more than willing and ready to spend the rest of his life.

Next Chapter : What's Behind Door Number Two?

Notification Squad my Beloved

@samatedeansbroccoli @smokeywhalee @enderio @whimsywispsblog @ricinbach @beemybee

#horrayfic #codmw #john soap mactavish #john price #simon ghost riley #alex echo 3 1 #gary roach sanderson #whateverittakes

[saintheartwing]

I've decided to put this up for reference and to help not only myself remember who's who, but clear a few things up for you, dear reader. All part of my “Breaking Dawn” Invader Zim story! From left to right, starting at the top...

DIB Occupation: Student Power: Willpower Further Notes: Dilbert Membrane, little "Dibbun". He's both antagonist and protagonist like Zim in the television series "Invader Zim", and grew up with both a strong interest in the paranormal and the strange, and with a deep desire to protect the people of Earth. Even as a toddler he seemed to have a calling within him to protect the planet and those within it. He is capable of overcoming great fear, and with his strong resolution and imagination, he makes for an excellent green lantern. This brave-hearted youth grew up on "IZ-Prime", the "Base" planet of the Invader Zim youth, the Earth where all other Invader Zim universes are born from. His primary job is usually keeping Zim from experimenting on other people or unleashing some highly strange, oddly stupid and yet fiendishly clever doomsday weapon on the populace. Eventually Dib hit on an idea: Zim had managed to make himself a "friend" in Keef, who had done everything with him...and where was Batman without a Robin? He took in a charge, and recruited that slightly slow, but friendly and impressionable kid Nick whom Zim had stuck a probe in some time back. The two became an excellent team for a time until "The Incident" in which Zim crossed the line...and did something to Nick Dib would never forget...and possibly never forgive. Eventually the years went on and Zim slightly mellowed out, meaning that Dib could relax somewhat...until, that is, all of reality began to fall apart... GAZ Occupation: Student Power: Rage Further Notes: Gazeline Membrane blamed almost everybody when her mother Peggy died in a tragic lab accident. All of it was unfair blame, but she didn't care. She shut herself up in selfish desires and caprice, her rage slowly boiling underneath her like a volcano set to blow at the slightest notice. Interestingly, she began to warm up to Zim. The two had a surprising amount of things in common...the two even went to the dance together. She admits in private he "cleaned up alright". She was blushing heavily as she said this. She didn't, however, approve of what Zim did to Nick, because whilst she doesn't mind the exploitation of the stupid, the outright abuse he leveled was horrifying even to her. She tried to be nice to Nick in the hospital, giving him something of a crush on her. Being a being of revenge, private loss and fury, it's not surprising she bonded with the power of Rage, which had, at one point, been the might of Passion. Heck, she's ALL passion! ZIM Occupation: "Invader", Service Drone/Student Power: Avarice Further Notes: Zerinim, Zimmy-Wimmy, Zimri, etc, etc. You all know him. He's that short, tiny little thing who's determined to take over and/or destroy the Earth. You have to give him points for persistence, he keeps a-tryin', but his level of commitment and competence is "Team Rocket" level. Since he was little, he's been pretty much destroying everything he touches, but this isn't totally his fault. His PAK is defective, his mental processes aren't right. He's slow in some areas of development, but very bright in others, similar to that of an autistic child...obsessive and slightly anti-social behavior included. He's also never admit his deep concern for his beloved companions, mostly because he desperately clings to the inane idea that an Invader needs no one, even though he often relies on others for the "final touch" in his plan. The "incident" that happened with Nick actually struck him with so much guilt...it almost struck as hard as Dib did with that lead pipe after he snuck inside Zim's house and put Zim in a body cast for half a year. Zim's plans became less lethal and more annoying, and he began to appreciate his "friends" a bit more. He views Dib as something of an equal, and in a way, perhaps...more than that. And then...there's Gaz... GIR Occupation: Robot Power: Fear Further Notes: GIR. He's a GARBAGE-INFESTED-ROBOT! Useless as far as most robotic companions go because he's not usually taking things seriously, his head always in the clouds. And the few times he DOES focus don't last long at all. However, with the power of "Fear" flowing through him, the potential to inspire terror and impose HIS kind of order on the world brings out the dark, foul and pitiless cruelty he holds within. GIR has the potential to be even worse than Zim, and the ring focuses his inner psychopathic tendencies. GIR is very childlike...he doesn't always 'get' what he's supposed to do, or understand why things are the way they are. Yet he is also more intelligent and wise than people give him credit for, having access to fundamental truths about the universe he lives in. He understands what kind of world he's in, and has accepted that, and his role as the on-again off-again goofy sociopath. If your really are worried about him, give him something shiny. Or a lollipop. SKOODGE Occupation: Invader Power: Hope Further Notes: Invader Skoodge. No matter what terrible things happened in his life, he's always faced the future. He's remained cheery, helpful, friendly and optimistic, and therefore, it befits him to wear the robes of the Blue, wielder of the light that Hope brings. Skoodge and Zim go way back, and Skoodge considers Zim a dear friend, one of the few people who didn't treat him like a fat, useless lump. As such, he's willing to do almost anything for him, or anybody who treats him with respect and decency. He treats the revelation about the world he lives in with stoic acceptance, and doesn't raise a stink about it. Skoodge is too cool for school, baby. NOTHIN' rattles him. Plus I like this outfit the most. It's so stylish! GRETCHEN Occupation: Student Power: Love Further Notes: Gretchen has always had a huuuuge crush on Dib, admiring him and his work from afar. She eventually figured out the truth about Zim, which helped make Dib open up to her, but nobody really listened to HER either. Mostly because her braces weren't fixed yet...kids can be so cruel. But when wielding the light of Love, she's able to bring out her strongest potential, and become the brave defender that she always was inside, the sort of take-charge, admirable alien-busting girl that Dib would find his ideal. Plus, more importantly, the outfit she's wearing does NOT make her look half-naked. You're welcome. TAK Occupation: Former Invader/Current Patron of Emotion Power: Willpower Further Notes: Tessirak, or Tak, was at one point, a promising Irken training to be an Invader. She rose quickly through the ranks, impressing all of her superior officers (Red especially, he "loves that girl!")...and tragically getting trapped on her training planet when Zim caused a huge power outage in his desire to get a snack. Typical Zim. Tak got a LITTLE bit insane from that and from being forced to be a janitor for several years. She went to Earth to get her revenge and actually befriended Dib somewhat, but ultimately she lost against Zim and his "friends", and was sent out into space. Her old comrade who still had a great gentlemanly (and slightly romantic) concern for her, Darth, had a fellow comrade go pick her up upon hearing of her plight, and she was almost dead...if not for the fact that her Will was keeping her alive, beyond even her PAK, beyond anything else. This strong Will was what transformed her into the Patron of Willpower, and she bonded to Jayd when he arrived to aid her. Tak is very resolute and intelligent, and always follows through on her plans. She's clever as can be, and over time, developed a dear fondness for Dib and her host, Jayd, who views himself as a Knight, with her as his queen to protect. I like the way her design came out quite a lot, truth be told. She's so streamlined and stylish! I was tempted to give her a cape, truth be told. But like the movie "The Incredibles" said...no capes! JAYD Occupation: Medic Power: Willpower Patron: Tak Further Notes: Jayd was and always has been a lucky, lucky guy. He, like the others in Senior's care, found something fascinating about Earth Culture. Unlike the others though, this fascination came from comics. Ideals like justice and morality hit home with him, and he became fascinated by the tales in comics like "Superman", "X-Men" and, his personal favorite...Green Lantern. It could be the result of his programming: after all, he WAS encoded as a medic, helping the sick and injured and helpless is in his "blood". So was it the entity of Willpower, heroism and courage embodied, that he picked..or did it pick HIM? Either explanation makes sense, and that's what I'm leaving it at. Jayd is the heroic Irken that strives to be courageous and noble, the honorable warrior, a flame of chivalry that can't be blown out. The power of Will requires a living being to manifest, and it's representative is always changing based around who has the mightiest will in its presence. It was Tak that gained it, having the ability to overcome great fear, and she, in turn, bonded to Jayd after he was sent to rescue her courtesy of her dear old comrade, Darithil. With her indomitable will and his deep moral code, the two are a good fit. And I really like the wreathe he wears atop his head. It's a nice touch. MAHT Occupation: Service Drone Power: Compassion Patron: Fiyvr Further Notes: Maht's always been used all his life. Be he a tool of a general, being forced to sweep floors at a diner or being stuck bussing drinks, he's never had his own will. But he doesn't totally care. What he DOES care about is being able to be of some help or use to others. He accepts his lot in life because, for the most part, he feels he can do the most good in whatever position he happens to be in. Gaining the sympathetic light of Compassion and becoming wielder of the Indigo Light enabled him to be of even greater assistance to others. Maht, like the others, found a deep liking of Earthling ways. He finds the different races and cultures fascinating, and has a deep personal enjoyment of food from the small blue planet, especially if it's deep fried or contains cheese. Fiyvr, his patron, is from the world of Wahshyd Dawhn, and was a renowned prophet and seer. He's always happy to lend a hand in solving somebody's problems, and to be a shoulder to cry on...even if he's physically short on both accounts. Curse his lack of opposable thumbs! Still, Maht might be pretty much a rug for others to walk all over on, but he's a very HELPFUL rug, and a reliable type...and he'll still try and give the best hug he can when somebody's feelin' down. DITE Occupation: Elite Invader Power: Passion/Rage Patron: Chulainn Further Notes: Dite likes to be seen as strong. She handles fights like a man, handles anger like a man, and fights dirty like a man. All of her inner anger though, stems from personal loss. She loved someone once, many, many years ago, and gave her all for him. But the Empire let him rot. For that...she would never forgive them. And she adopted a gung-ho attitude similar to her beloved's personality. It is grief that fuels the greatest rage, and so Chulainn, who endured great pain in HIS life, naturally bonded to her and others who felt great suffering. He originated on Earth like Psyche and Jourmungdr, and his appearance changed to better fit his new nature. Dite has a deep love of the kind of "gritty and dark" action stories that Earth has. I'm talkin' "Bloodgun" or "Punisher" type stories. She really, REALLY likes making sure people get what they deserve. And get. And get some more. So yeah...she's a bloodthirsty vigilante with a tragic past. Never seen THOSE before! :roll" MIYUKI Occupation: Former Tallest, Current Resisty Leader and Television Personality Power: Hope Patron: Psyche Further Notes: Psyche comes from Earth like Chulainn and Joumungdr, and when Chulainn stood for passion, the two were very close. If one has hope and faith in the future, one should live passionately, living life to its fullest, unafraid. Furthermore, she likes poetry. His poetry. Yeah, weird relationship. Miyuki has had several weird relationships in HER life too. Darithil considers her a mother figure, to Senior, she was the "big sister" type boss, as dear as family, and to Spork she was an annoying wife that he felt he always had to drag around, like she was a nagging ball and chain and he was a prisoner on a chain gang. Of course, his biggest concern was usually whether the camera was getting his good side, whilst she cared more about, y'know, food shortages, the fate of physical defectives and whether or not the Meekrob would nuke her people. She lost almost all hope when Zim's creation, the Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob ate her, and was forced to maintain her consciousness and what little was left of her body by consuming living beings along with Spork. However, she held onto the idea that one day she could return, and bring her people out of darkness. She represents living hope...the hope that one day, the Irken people could be good and noble, if only they had the right person to show them the way...and she sure knows how to dress, woo! Her outfit is my favorite out of all the girls. It's so regal and dignified! FEYR Occupation: Consular (Interrogator) Power: Love Patron: Jourmungdr Further Notes: Most would be surprised that the power of Love is exemplified by a patron that's a giant snake which used to be a Norse monster, and represented by cannibalistic Irkens dressed in vaguely transsexual armor. Well the thing is, their love almost borders on obsession. Love is deep and complicated, and though usually innocent in intent, it has a bad tendency of not realizing that it's lost sight of the rest of the world...and lost its grip on logic. Consulars are all psychics, and their power has been manipulating Irk for generations. They seek to save Irk from "itself", feeling that the idea that "invaders need no one" is inane. If they didn't need anybody or anything, the Tallest wouldn't give them SIRs. Wouldn't give them PAKs. They love their planet and love other alien races, and not merely for dinner, either. They just have a tendency to get...carried away. Feyr is no exception. He wines and dines all he interrogates, and views shrinking and swallowing them as a high honor, keeping them safe forever, embedded in the crystals he generates with his power, safe until the day Irk is ready to accept love, and by extension, the right of other races to live freely. He's charming and sweet, but also very manipulative and cold-hearted when he wants to be. But what else could you expect from a slightly sociopathic cannibal? XEIL Occupation: Communications Officer Power: Intelligence/Fear Patron: Nollij (aka Panyck), co-bonded with Spork Further Notes: Xeil's problem isn't that she's an egotistical, proud, narcissistic bitch. The problem is that it's a front. The problem is that she could be better, and WAS better. She had a personality her own, which befits her station. Most communication officers are good at listening, can "hear beyond". She was no exception... But Xeil lost herself in her job too easily, and forgot how to feel. She was hearing what others said...but she stopped listening. She lost the zest she had for her job. Panyck is much the same. At one point, he was Knowledge made manifest, the pride and joy of his home planet, but he lost himself in HIS job, and became a fascist, a dictator who worshipped fear. He views it as the best way to establish real order, and that not knowing fear is utter insanity. Admittedly, he might have a point. SOME fear is necessary, some caution is always needed in life...but inflicting fear on others needlessly is something he began to enjoy, when once before he sought to instruct others on what was to be feared rather than being the thing feared. However a piece of his true self remains, brought out by Spork, who has had a long time to think about his own rule, and Xeil, who will, with time, remember HER true self...and why she chose to be a communications officer in the first place. PEECH Occupation: Guard Power: Diligence/Avarice Patron: Pyrsist Further Notes: Pyrsist didn't take a new name, but she focused more on getting stuff than getting stuff DONE. Peech's love of Earth culture is centered around things that can best be summed up in a single word...shiny. Shiny shiny shiny! A brand new shiny thing, that's her favorite object in all the world! She keeps most hidden in her backpack/jetpack, but usually you can hear it all jingling. She likes stealing things out of people's pockets and purses and the like, being something of a kleptomaniac. Peech believes in looking regal and elegant and beautiful, and that more jewels equal more happiness. In short, she's a petty, selfish little brat...she and Pyrsist deserve each other. At one point, Pyrsist was a hard-working citizen of Avianos, but that went out the window when she became Mistress of the Orange Light. Peech is also a huge fan of Earth fashion and likes imitating what's "in" on the planet. Were she a guy, she'd have no problem wearing things like dark biker jackets or cowboy hats. She believes full-heartedly in the right to choice, she sees nothing wrong with letting Irkens be free to dress how they want, and is witty enough to debate her point of view well. To Peech, Wiyn was more than a friend growing up. But when Peech tried to give her the love she felt...Wiyn couldn't give it back. Wouldn't give it back. So she sought to fill the void with junk. She went from being a deep, poem-writing romantic to a shallow valley girl. She didn't have to be that way... NICK. E. ODEON Occupation: Student Power: Death Patron: Himself Further Notes: He's a tragedy. He was eager-to-please. He wanted to satisfy the people who showed him attention and support. He wanted to make others happy and bonded instantly to somebody who he felt was "in need of a friend". But then Zim did the unspeakable, and he went from being childlike in heart to being childlike in mind and interests as well. He has problem getting dressed...tying his shoes. That's not his real hair. It's actually a wig. His old hair kinda...rotted off after... ...erm...well, at one point, he was Dib's comrade and friend. His solider. But Dib couldn't help him...and Dib didn't avenge him. He put Zim in a body cast for six months...but "Nick" never was the same. Ultimately, it's sort of unsurpriisng that he ended up being the Black Entity. He doesn't just blame Invader Zim for his pain. He blames the universe he's in for creating Invader Zim the way he is. He blames the people that made Zim ZIM. And he's gonna make them pay for making so flawed a universe. He views Zim and the universe of Invader Zim irredeemably flawed and better off dead because of all the immorality, cruelty and terrible tragedies that it and its alternate universes spawn. The problem is that he fails to see the good that can be found within, because he refuses to see any other part of IZ. In choosing to focus on one part, albeit a large one, of the realm, he ignores all the rest of it and doesn't get a clear enough view. He doesn't fully"get" Zim, even though he says he does. And yes. He is every bit as representative of you-know-what as you think he is. But it's not his fault. He just doesn't know any better. He's just trying to do what he thinks is best. WIYN Occupation: Elite Grunt Power: None, unless you count being a bitch. Patron: None, unless maybe Satan is her secret benefactor... Further Notes: Wiyn is every horrible, cruel, sadistic, by-the-book bitchy jackass that we've met. She will always stick to the rules but only if she thinks they fit her standards. She forces everyone to fit her standards and will blast anybody that doesn't, and instead of reasonable discussion, she prefers cruel words and violence. Wiyn was, at one point, a dearly beloved comrade of Xeil, and then some. But Wiyn refused to open her heart. Instead, it shriveled up. Don't set her up with a boyfriend. She's married to her work! She's proud, narcissistic, vain, ignorant of others feelings and apathetic to the suffering of innocents. In a word, she's evil. She's a constant whiner about what is or isn't "right" for an Irken to do because she looked into the Untempered Schism, seeing all the truths of her universe. As such, she considers herself a "true Irken" and anybody remotely different from her mold, even if they just have an unusual eye color or like wearing, say, a striped outfit, MUST DIE! She's a good representative of the part of the fandom that I hate...the ones that obsess over what's truly "canon" and what's not, and who have no tolerance or compassion for anybody or anything that stretches outside their boundaries. They've got little tolerance for the fandom and refuse to recognize what it brings to Invader Zim. I have no respect for Wiyn or what she represents. I yearn for the day when she will be turned into an AVOCADO. For those of you who get this inside joke...you know who you are. You rock. SENIOR, aka Nick Grey

Occupation: Senior Communications Officer Power: Life Patron: Sude Further Notes: Nick's Irken Form, now given a true name, "Senior". He's the oldest and most experienced communications officer on the Massive, and considers himself the "Safety Net" to those on the ship. He's there for its crew, to lend a helping hand, a pair of arms to lift them up, a shoulder to cry on. He's always been kind-hearted and harmonious, with a deep love of Earth music. It's no surprise the Entity of Life, Sude of the Planet Allforce, bonded to him. Sude's story is much like Senior's. He was happy with his life. He was upstandingly moral, kindhearted and believed in doing good...and he loved, LOVED music, always having a song in his heart. But in refusing to listen to the Force of Fate, he learned that whilst such forces might not dictate what it is we are destined to do, it's not a good idea to not just disregard the words of a force of nature. Sude's devoted to protecting and supporting life, and will spend the rest of his existence forever making up for his failure. Just like Senior, Sude will always be fighting. But Senior is less of an "immortal". He's been saving the many universes in the I-Z realm for years now, and he feels he was never truly given a choice, given an unfair deal. Ultimately though, his desire to do the right thing made him chose to keep up the fight, realizing that one should never put selfish desires above doing good, no matter how seemingly innocent those desires might be. Senior's come a long way, but at last, his true form is revealed. He is a superhero, meant to embody an ideal, an ideal of humanity brought to Irk, a blessed gift that other Irkens can learn from. I guess he was always going to become a superhero one way or another...he was just such a perfect fit. Plus, I really, REALLY like the new outfit he's got now. It looks damn good on him. Now he'll be fighting injustice and cruelty through the IZ-Realm and in style! White goes well with EVERYTHING.

#invader zim #Zim #Gaz #Dib #Senior #Irkens #irken #comic #cartoon #crossover #Tallest Miyuki #Miyuki #Tak #Skoodge #GIR

[kingreywrites]

Trust fall

Words count: 2731

Eugene Appreciation Day Six: Team Awesome

Summary: What if Eugene saw Varian fall in Cassandra's Revenge?

Read on ao3

@fishskiin

Eugene realised that, as much as he thought he was angry with Cassandra, he wasn't really furious until he saw Varian hanging over the air in a cage of black rocks. He had been sad, because Cassandra was his friend and she betrayed them; he had been frustrated, because she kept hurting Rapunzel, who had her flaws, but nothing that couldn't be solved with a discussion; he was concerned, for his friends and for Corona, concerned at what she would be willing to do.

Then, she kidnapped Varian and put him in a cage high above the ground, and he felt furious.

Varian, for his part, was scared but more focused on the last incantation than on himself, letting Eugene do all the worrying about the empty space under them, and how easily Cassandra could let them fall. When the rocks started retreating, Eugene had half a mind to curse - until Varian called his name fearfully, and he realised there were more important things. He took the kid's hand in his, squeezing it tightly and hoping he would understand that Eugene intended to defend him against Cassandra if need to be.

Well, except that she squeezed him between black rocks, and he was helpless to do anything but glare at her. She was using him to pressure Rapunzel into fighting and Eugene hated it, but when he tried to talk, the rocks squeezed tighter, and he lost his breath with a groan.

The next part was a little blurry. Or, more exactly, a little too bright for Eugene to follow. Rapunzel was shining and floating and exuding power like a goddess and, once Eugene's heart stopped beating so loud with anxiety, he would be awed by her beauty. She was fighting Cassandra, who was also glowing because nothing could ever be easy in their lives, and Eugene still struggled to breath, both because of the rocks and the sheer energy he was faced with. Some part of his brain told him he was also cursed with the "birthday should involve a near death experience" special, and he would have laughed if it wasn't his friends being in danger too.

Then, Rapunzel and Cassandra clashed together and the energy was enough to break the black rocks surrounding him, and push him away a few feet. He was fighting the strong gusts of wind when he heard a cry from behind him, and turned just soon enough to see Varian being pushed over the edge.

Eugene thought he screamed but he wasn't sure - there was too much noise all around and blood was rushing to his ears.

He scrambled after him, the wind pushing him harshly to his knees midway - but he got up again, he ignored the pain in his bones and rose up because he needed to see- needed to go and try to fix this, even if it already felt like he was too late because Varian fell and they were so high up the ground-

Eugene stumbled again near the edge and crawled the few inches left, his head sticking out over the staggering height. He felt sick, Varian's cry of terror like a twisted knife in his body - and Eugene knew something about those.

It felt like a dream, then, when he saw the tiny figures right under him - first a recognisable red-head, Catalina, then Angry right at her side, Lance and… Varian, in Lance's arms. It took several more seconds before Eugene managed to breathe again, laughing nervously as he was overwhelmed with relief. He closed his eyes and thought numbly that they had been lucky, so so lucky, but his body was still thrumming with anxiety and fear.

The energy of the sundrop and the moonstone disappeared and Eugene got shakily to his feet, running to the second focus of his worry: Rapunzel. He joked that she had been awesome, and she was too exhausted and wrung out to see that his smile wasn't quite reaching his eyes - which was good since Varian didn't seem to know that Eugene had saw him go over the edge.

Everyone was acting normal, so Eugene bottled up the terror he couldn't quite shake, and they went home.

------

"Hey Varian, are you- oh my god get down from here are you crazy?!"

"Hi Eugene!" Varian greeted brightly, ignoring the unmanly screech as he balanced himself precariously on a ladder, trying to reach the highest part of his new contraption. "You'll never guess what this do!"

"Varian-"

"I mean, I know I wouldn't have guessed, considering that this is beyond what currently exist, but I'm also the creator so nothing is impossible for me-"

"Kid-"

"Well some things are, impossible that is, but not this and once I tell you what this is I think you'll be pretty amazed that-"

"Varian!" Eugene's voice was loud enough to interrupt the alchemist's excited ramblings, something dark and scared hiding in his tone. Varian looked down at his friend, the other half of team awesome, and noticed that Eugene was white as a sheet. "I- Varian, please, can you get down from here?"

It was supposed to be a request but sounded so much like begging that Varian complied immediately, sliding down the ladders in barely three seconds. Eugene seemed ready to protest, but sighed instead, his shoulders sagging as he put his hand through his hair. Going by said hair, more precisely its disheveled state, something was seriously wrong with Eugene.

"Are you alright, Eugene?" Varian asked, biting his lips.

"Who, me?" Eugene laughed, the sound too high pitched to be genuine. "Pff, yeah I'm fiiine, always am! Anyway, uh, I have to- to- brush my hair, so see ya!"

And just like that, he was gone, without even asking what he came here for. Varian blinked at the half-opened door worriedly, rubbing his own arm as Ruddiger settled around his neck to comfort him. Since the events with Cassandra, Eugene had been downright weird - always insisting on safety measures, and stopping Varian from doing anything that could result in even a papercut as long as he was in the room. At first, Varian basked in the new found attention; then he was frustrated by Eugene's overwhelming protectiveness, because he wasn't a little kid; but now, he was only confused and concerned about his friend's state of mind.

That was the first time Varian tried to confront him outright, but it had resulted in exactly what he feared: avoidance. He would have worried that Eugene was angry with him, if the man wasn't trying to protect him from every little bruise and cut. His health in general seemed to be the centre of Eugene's concerns, these days, as the man also lectured him on good eating and sleeping habits.

Though, going by the dark circles under Eugene's eyes, that was irony at its finest.

Varian grimaced, looking up to his ladder but abandoning this project for a while, not in the mood anymore. He gathered his tools and tried to think back at what could have provoked this shift, why Eugene wouldn't trust him with his safety anymore, when it hit him.

Trust.

Since Varian had been kidnapped, Eugene lost his trust in him being able to take care of himself correctly. Upset at the thought, Varian frowned, before coming to a conclusion: he had to gain that trust back. He had to show Eugene that he shouldn't worry.

Easier said than done.

------

Eugene knew that he couldn't keep this up forever, couldn't avoid Varian forever, and he already felt guilty enough about it. However, he also knew that he needed to get a grip on himself - he could hear how overbearing he was being with the kid and, despite cringing internally at his own behaviour, he couldn't stop himself from interrupting each time there was the slightest sign of danger. His mind kept flashing back to that day, at the top of that damn tower - different but identical in the way that mattered, because he nearly lost another person dear to him in there.

Eugene looked at Varian now, and could only hear his desperate cry for help as he tumbled over the edge. Eugene looked at Varian, looked at the things that could harm him, and his heart started to beat so loudly he wondered if anyone could hear it except him, wondered if anyone could see the trembling of his own hands. So Eugene intervened, because the worst thing that could happen was being too late again when he could have done something - luck wouldn't always be on their side.

That also meant he was being an horrible and controlling friend. Which is why he avoided Varian, which in return made him an even worse friend - vicious circles were like that. 

Seeing Varian up on that ladder a week ago made his whole body tense in panic so quickly that it was a wonder Eugene managed to flee - and, after that, it took a very long time for him to be able to breathe normally again. And Eugene knew, he was certain he couldn't impose his own problems on the kid because Varian didn't deserve that - he'd have to deal with his issues first, and everything could come back to normal, and they would be team awesome again.

For the time being, though, he was an horrible friend.

Eugene groaned and buried his face on his pillow. He had to shake off the fear that gripped his gut when he thought back on the few seconds when he thought he would find Varian's sprawled body when he looked down - had to shake off the terror of thinking that this kid, his friend, had died in the middle of a conflict he had no business with, and tha5 Eugene had been useless to save him. Easy, right?

A knock interrupted his swirling thoughts and he frowned. It wasn't late exactly, but Eugene was pretty sure he had nothing planned for this evening, and he was also pretty sure that Rapunzel had other duties to attend, so it couldn't be her. He got up and-

"Hello Eugene!" Varian chirped excitedly, pushing back his goggles in his hair. "Got ten minutes or so?"

"Varian?" Eugene yelped, before he plastered an anxious smile on his face. "I, uh, I'd like too but-"

"I checked with the Princess, your schedule is clear for the evening," the alchemist singsonged without losing a beat.

Varian took Eugene's sleeve and tugged him out of his room without leaving him the time to protest, leading him toward the guards training area. Eugene could only gap at the multiple installations that were clearly not here earlier, and who looked like something you could find in the challenge of the brave. Hardcore version.

"I present you," Varian announced with a dramatic flair Eugene could only admire, "the TRUST! Or Training Regimen to be Used Safely and Tactically, as you wish!"

"What?" Eugene asked dumbly, taking in the spiky ball hung mid-air on a pendulum, or the obviously unsafe axe-throwing area or-

"Well, I noticed you've been very protective of me recently, and I think I know why." Varian nodded at his own words, ignoring the contrived stare Eugene gave him. "This is my way to show you that, even if Cassandra did kidnap me, it doesn't mean that I can't take care of myself!"

"Varian, that's not-"

"I don't blame you, don't worry!" Varian smiled weakly, self-conscious. "I mean, I guess I can understand that you would think I constantly need help, my life is rhythmed by disasters, but you don't need to worry constantly about me and I'll prove it to you right now!"

Varian made his way to the TRUST and pushed a lever Eugene hadn't seen, making all the different obstacles move in a very creative fashion, certainly, but also terribly dangerous. Eugene picked up his jaw from the ground before grabbing the kid's arm and stopping him as he made his way to the spiky pendulum, swaying from right to left quickly.

"Varian you don't need to do that," Eugene pleaded, guilt churning in his stomach.

"Of course I do!" Varian answered angrily, tearing his arm from the hold and backing off toward the contraption without looking. "You don't trust me anymore Eugene and this, this is my way to regain your trust. I- We can't be team awesome if you don't think I'm good enough to protect myself!"

"It's not that," Eugene insisted, "not at all Varian! It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I… I…" he stuttered, feeling his throat dry up as the dreaded images popped back in his head.

Varian took another step back, hurt, and Eugene knew he was fucking this all up but the words wouldn't come to him. Then, he saw the pendulum come their way and realised that Varian had backed off way too much - he didn't even scream his name, instead throwing himself on the kid and making both of them tumble on the ground, to safety. Well, more or less, going by the stinging pain in Eugene's arm - a glance told him that a spike had come too close for comfort.

"Oh god I'm sorry!" Varian exclaimed fearfully, grabbing at Eugene's arm before searching frantically in the bag he carried. "Wait, there's got to be bandages here, I'm sure-"

"Hey, kid, it's okay," Eugene reassured gently, both of them still sitting down on the ground as the could hear the swishing noise the pendulum made behind them. "It's only a graze."

"Yeah, a graze cause by one of my inventions! Again!" Varian's voice broke, and he lowered his eyes, his hair falling in front of his eyes. "Maybe you're right not to trust me," he mumbled, "everything I build ends up hurting the wrong people…"

"Varian," Eugene called firmly, his hand going under the kid's chin and raising his head, "I trust you. Actually, I trust you a lot more than most people, and your inventions may cause problems, but they also constantly help us. They're brilliant, kid."

Seeing the alchemist unconvinced and sad look made Eugene sigh, his free hand tightening against his own leg.

"You remember the mess with Cassandra at the tower, right?" Eugene asked, as if Varian could have forgot - even waiting until the kid nodded, nonplussed. "You… fell, off the tower."

"Yeah," Varian nodded quietly, the memory an unpleasant recurring guest in his nightmares, "Lance was there to catch me, though, I told you."

"You told me," Eugene assented quietly, "but I already knew, because I saw you fall."

Varian's eyes widened as he opened his mouth, before closing it with an audible snap. Eugene's eyes were looking at him, but they seemed glazed over, far away from the situation. His hands were trembling.

"I saw you go over the edge and… I thought-" Eugene trailed off, his voice too quiet to continue, before Varian sneaked his hand to take his. "It took me nearly twenty seconds to get to the edge and, for every of them, I was sure I would find you- find you dead. And I know I've been overbearing recently but- I can't get this fear out of my heart. I'm sorry, Varian," Eugene offered earnestly, "I know that I need to get over this but… I don't know what I'll do if something happened to you."

Varian hugged Eugene tightly right when he finished the story, his goggles digging painfully in Eugene's cheek.

"Thank you," Varian whispered, "for caring about me."

"Of course I do," Eugene whispered too, his arms settling around the kid's back. "You're one of my closest friend. Team awesome, am I right?"

"Team awesome!" Varian yelled in answer, nearly deafening Eugene for a moment as he jumped back to his feet. The kid paused, before proposing shyly: "Let's make a deal: I swear to do my most dangerous activities with someone to help supervise the experiment, if you swear you can accept that I am competent enough to do most things alone."

"Sounds good to me," Eugene grinned, happy that they made progress today - once they escaped the training equipment from hell.

He didn't think everything was fixed - didn't think he could stop being afraid for Varian so suddenly - but it was a first step in the right direction. As long as they were team awesome, they could surpass any obstacle.

#Eugene Appreciation Week #Varian is a sweet child who doesn't understand that some people are scared for him #Eugene is a tired Dad Friend who wants to shake the child until he's bundled into protective gear #first time writing team awesome so I hope it wasn't too bad! #Eugene Fitzherbert #Varian #Tangled

[greenflamedwriter]

Percy AU NOTES

Keith as Nico di angelo and Lance as Percy Jackson.

But Lance was never claimed so he assumed he was Hermes kid he meshed well with them.

But once Keith got claimed so did lance and then shiro their dads had some sort of rivalry.

They didn’t account for the three to fall in love with each other. After and intense mission to save medusa. For lance. Personophene for Keith and Ganymede for Shiro.

Lance is also adopted by aphrodite goddess of the sea which passes on her powers so Lance can make people listen and share secrets with him like a siren.

_________________________________________________________________________

1 Lance is really nice and open with people until he realises that both Keith and Shiro are Roman descendants and not greek so they clash a little, Keith insults greeks and Lance is offended.

2 dinner and theres a party and lance is in the middle of it trying to get the daughter of Athena (Allura) To dance with him and that’s when it happens. Shiro is claimed by zues and everyone applauds then Keith by Hades and hears other say (it was so obvious he was an emo) But then lance is claimed by poseidan and everyone just stops and stares. What?

3 Lance is mad, he was a hermes kid wasn’t he? He looked like them, he had the same jaw line and nose and they all got along so well...this had to be a mistake and why now? He blames the new kids and this is when the party Lance becomes grouchy. And Allura hates his guts because athena and poseidan are rivals

4 They get a quest (to save the victims by the abuse if the main three gods. Ganymede, Medusa with Aphrodite, Persephone)

5. Ganeymede. The boy who was stolen, raped and made into Zues personell wine waiter then demoted to a fate taxi cab telepromter. Boy he hates Shiro because who can actually hurt Zues? he is what clues them in on rape victims which narrows it down immedietly and when Lance realises that Medusa is next for him and Keith looks horrified that they're all related to rapists, but Shiro felt relieved since at the end of the day does it stop at ganeymede or will it keep going- they are giving tokens once they have won.

6. Personophene and Keith, Keith apologises since Personophene hates Hades he thought and she blinks “I’m a god, I don’t eat. Period. I knew underworld food would keep me trapped I hadn’t eaten in months and all of a sudden I’m peckish? Pul-ease.” Keith blinked confused.

“And I don’t hate you, you didn’t ask to be born. And I know Hades returns to me in the end.” Personophene brushes his cheek “You have his eyes, maybe thats why I can’t bring myself to hate you.”

8. Lance remembers his mother, and he always heard the tale of Medusa and thought it was sad. So when they go to the statues, and realise it’s people Lance keeps talking about how sorry he was and how being how she looks was to protect herself, Lance wanted to sacrifice himself and asked to let Keith and Shiro go to save kids. Medusa turns him to stone then aphrodite turns him back and medusa decides to fight against rapists and attack them instead of taking it out of posedions kids.

___________________________________________________________________________

Journey towards the west,

And save the tragic three,

Punished by thy fathers,

For their own luxary,

Succeed and save more lifes from this venture,

Remember to be calm and endure their gruelling temper.

__________________________________________________________________________

Lance hides behind a pillar panting with a cut down his cheek. Oh god he was going to die!

“Hey!”

Lance turned to see Shiro lunge forward eyes closed “If you want a fight come and get me!”

Lance gaped what?

Lance scowled and saw Shiro with the shield looking through the mirror, and froze, Shiro always fought in gladiator fights, he was always the hero the sel sacrificing idiot. And Medusa she was scorned by posidion. This was his fight.

Keith- he had no idea where he was but, he stood up from behind the pillar luckily seeing the hose pipe in the corner. He used it and yelled.

"Medusa!" He heard her move and shivered waiting for the attack.

"Lance no!"

He aimed his water and it stopped her short, only for a second "I surrender!"

"...What?" She paused and Lance took a breath keeping his eyes shut. "Medusa, I always heard stories about you, some saw it differently, that athena changed you so no man would ever hurt you ever again not in that way- but it didn't matter because men take what they want regardless of what you look like."

He was shaking his water diminishing "I may be son of posedion but I am digusted by what he did and want nothing to do with him, but if you want to take revenge against him by hurting me," he outstretched his arms "That's fine- just let the other two go- they did nothing to hurt you, you can do whatever you want to me, but please, let them go."

"Why should I listen to your pleas? When posedian and Athena never listened to mine?"

"Because you'll be no better than them, just a monster preying on someone weak for your own justification."

"I am nothing like them."

"Then let my friends go...please."

Medusa tiled her head considering "Maybe I should do to you what posediian did to me," she leaned closer the snakes hissing across his cheek and Lance trembled "Send you back to your god with the pieces left, to show him what he did to me."

"He wouldn't care, he has thousands of children in the roman camp, percy is his favourite." She growled "Percy ripped my head off and stuck in a drunk mans fridge." Lance grimaced "And if you kill everyone of posedions children it won't make a difference."

"True, but it'll make me feel better."

"Then you won't be different than your tormentors."

Silence

"You know nothing, demigod."

oops she was pissed.

"Look at that." Lance pointed, knowing in the garden and where he was guessing he was pointing at the right thing.

"What?"

"That is a child correct?"

"So?"

"Did she deserve it? Was she any different than you? Her mother or father here? Did they honestly come here to attack you-"

"Well...no- but they-"

"Please, Medusa, they are people out there that hurt others the way posedion hurt you, ones who deserve justice. But not here. Not in this garden- it's your cage."

"No it's my haven and they still come here and hurt me."

"Then why stay? No matter what people will still try to use you- don't let them. I won't speak for Athena but, giving you the power to turn people to stone with just a look before they could even get ten feet in front of you, making your lower half a snake, making your hair venoumous, Those seem like tools to me, to stop people from touching you ever again."

Lance held his head up high his body trembling.

"As a son of posedion I'll take responsibility, but posedion himself wont since he won't see he's done nothing wrong, you can't hurt him so you hurt others weaker than you."

"no."

"you're a bully medusa, if anything that's worse, because you want people to hurt as much as you but you should know better and know how it feels to be violated."

"Stop it."

Lance opened his eyes and Medusa was looking away covering her face he gaped.

"Medusa?"

He took a step forward and she hissed "Don't look at me!"

He flinched ripping his arm back "I...I am terribly sorry, Medusa. You- no one deserves that. But staying here...it's not healthy. To repeat this over and over again until another demi-god kills you?"

She still had her face covered and Lance bit his lip "Medusa? C-can I touch you?"

She didn't move until a stiff nod.

He took a hesitent stop forward then hugged her, his hands only around her stomach and felt her tremble.

"It's okay to be mad, Medusa." She was trembling "It wasn't my fault."

"No it wasn't."

She started weeping falling to the ground and Lance moved with her.

"You- you need token to go to Hades?" She asked them finally wearing her sunglasses and hijab to cover her hair, Lance nodded "If you don't mind- if not we can go that's tottally okay-"

"No, it's the least I can do and...leaving here would probably be best for me"

A/N Another thing, why would Persphone and the lotus people have tokens to get to the underworld? Like the lotus and Nico and his sister so did persophone not care or know they were there? I mean the lotus would've told her since they're bffs who's visitng perce for tea partys and Medusa? I know people think Hades/Persphone are good but there;s different sides on one hand they are like beauty and the beast on the other, perse is another rape victim. I know I didn't write this correctly.

I just tried to write it the best I can but Lance has a reason for Medusa trusting him, even though he's the son of poseidon.

___________________________________________________________________________

“Cone on Keith wheres your sense of humour!”

“Lance, no.”

Lance grabbed his arm and dragged him backwards towards the carnival with Shiro following behind. Lance pulled Keith onto every ride forced him to eat cotton candy but what stopped Keith from snapping at the kid.

Was when Lance played a shooting range gane and gave Keith a hippo.

“Only the best for the prettiest boy.”

Lance grabbed his hand and pulled Keith fir more open stalls with merchendise.

Keithseyes were shinning theough the whole trip and Shiro was able to watch it all.

Carnival leads to persophene

After Aphrodite crisis to pair the three up.

Lance jumps at the teenage girl sitting at the pool beside him, “So why don’t you try them, I know you like them.” Lance flushed “What?”

“It’s obvious, except not obvious enough for those two. Love does make a person go blind.” Lance shook his head “What no? Come between Keith and Shiro?”

She looked amused as he babbled “I can’t do that to them, they’ve been through so much.” Lance looked over to the two his eyes softening “Shiro has been hurt so many times, gladiator fights? It was compeltely barbaric and his hair is white- and Keith he’s a demon with a sword and can raise skeletons from the dead! Both are so strong but only vunerable around each other...they’re perfect for each other. When I think of Soulmates I think of them two...I hope I can find someone like them one day.”

“Like them? Why not just court them, I doubt the two would mind.”

“Making them pick each other or me? That’s stepping down.” Lance said unknowing why this stranger tried to sabotage Keith and Shiro, was she a siren? If so it wasn’t working.

She shook her head “No, it is possible to be partners with three people. I should know, Hephaestus is very accepting of who I am and who I bed with.”

“Heph- wait.” Lance’s eyes widened in shock as he looks at the golden teen properly.

She was big, round belly and thick legs and arms with golden healthy hair curling at her shoulders her face plump lips tilted into a smile as sea green eyes seemed to swirl, unnatural. God like.

She looked exactly like the painting, Venus stepping out of her sea shell.

She stroked his face “We share waters, both are lovers of the sea.” She kissed his cheek “If Gods could adopt demi-children, all of Poseidon's folk would be mine. Artemis can do it, why can’t I?”

Lance gaped “I can’t turn my back on poseidon he’ll drown me.” She smiled “What’s wrong with co-parenting? Do him proud by defending his name and waters and do me proud,” She nudged his shoulder and glancing at Keith and Shiro “By falling in love.” Lance’s eyes widened “I give my blessing, and I wouldn’t do this for a lost cause I stoke the fires for love. Never extinguishing them.” Lance blinked and she was gone.

The beautiful teenager, Aphrodite.” Lance stepped out of the pool and almost stumbled at the looks Keith and Shiro had sending his way.

“What? What’d I do?”

“What were you doing?”

Lance shrugged “Having fun at the pool what of it?”

“Why sid that girl kiss your cheek?”

Lance blinked at Keiths angry response, any other time he would’ve felt hurt but he paused at what aprodite just said, he swallowed suddenly nervous but had to ask.

“Why? You jelous?”

Keith scowled “Lets just go,” Shiro gave him a look then followed “Come on we’re on a mission.”

Lance watched the two walk away his heart twisting. Keith didnt answer his question.

Ganeymede they use their powers keith summons dinasaurs lance dives underwater to save shiro (ganeymede drowns shiro as zues cant save him)

Ganeymede “Zues is gay!?”

Both Ganeymede Keith and shiro raised an eyebrow “Ih yeah, who wasn’t gay with the greek gods.” Lance felt as if his whole life was a lie.

“I feel like I should know this as a fellow gay,”

Keith oatted his head “Your a newbie gay it’ll take a while to figure out.”

Now the weird part “We uh, this is going to blow up in our faces isnt it.”

“What?”

“Posidion, Zues, Hades?” Dont they think they’ll be mad

Thunddr lighting

You had to say it

Hades! How can you just stand there do something about your son!

Hades: i dont really care?

What!?

First nico now keith ? I dont care!

[descendantofthesparrow]

Harry Hook x reader - regret

anon request

If requests are open, could you do some kind of writing about how Harry would react to Ireader saying she’s pregnant, how he would be throughout the pregnancy and birth, and how he’d act when first holding his baby, you can choose the gender. Could you make it angsty to the max with a fluff overload at the end? You as your worms are amazing!! Hi, same person with the pregnant reader. Could you start their relationship out as him ‘graciously’ (he just wants to kiss her) teaching her how to kiss? And i meant to say your works are amazing too, along with you yourself. Okay, that’s all I’m gonna ask you, sorry if this is bothering you.

“never have I ever been…kissed” most of the group laughed, taking a drink, all except you. Uma turned raising her brow “(y/n)?”

You gave a shy smile, shrugging “I've never been kissed” you didn’t notice gil wiggling his brows at harry, who turned red.

You sighed, looking at the clock on the wall and standing. “its late, im going to go to bed, night”

“night” the crew called after you, you sighed as you walked to your room, stepping out onto the main deck of the lost revenge.

You stopped, looking towards Auradon, the shine from the lights making you feel sick.

“so ye have never been kissed eh?” you turned slightly, harry stepping out from the darkness of the lower-deck, you shrugged.

“no ones ever expressed interest in doing so” you muttered, leaning on the rails. Harry felt his chest clench, you sounded so sad.

He had to fix it.

“well,” he grinned, walking over and leaning next to you “I could teach ye? So when someone does want ta kiss ye they’re not disappointed?”

You made a face, slightly offended, turning to harry and glaring at him “what is that supposed to mean?!” Harry's flirty grin dropped, his brows furrowing.

“wait no that no-“ you huffed, turning to walk away when Harry's arm reached out and grabbed your arm, turning you around to face him.

“that wasn’t-I didn’t mean- fuck im sorry” you kept your glare and crossed your arms. “I wanted to-wanted ta….fuck can I kiss ye?”

Your eyes widened and your shoulders dropped, tilting your head as your face heated up “wh-what?”

“can” Harry took your hands in his, shyly biting his lip “can I kiss ye?” you blushed, slowly nodding. Harry grinned, pulling you in and pressing his lips to yours.

Your heart fluttered, your eyes closing and your arms wrapping around his neck as he wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you up.

“wanna take this into meh room?” you gasped and nodded, harry carrying you into his room.

And that’s how you two got together, and now, two and a half years later you stared at the little pink and white stick, with two lines staring back at you.

You were pregnant.

And you were terrified of how Harry would react, yet so happy to know that within you was a perfect mix of you and harry.

God, you hoped harry would be as excited as you were

=

“yeh have ta get rid of it” your heart shattered, tears burning at your eyes as you watched harry pace the room, the little pink stick in his hands, cracking from his grip. “w-what?” your voice shook, flinching as harry whipped around to face you.

“you have to get rid of it!” he yelled “the isle is not a place for kids and frankly I don’t want one of those gremlins, this place is full of them already!”

You took a step back, carefully watching his arms and hands, your own going to cover your stomach.

“but-but”

“BUT NOTHING” harry snarled, chucking the stick at the wall, it shattered at the impact, you squeaked in fear, back hitting the wall. “I DON’T WANT THE DAMN THING AND IF YOU DON’T GET RID OF IT I WILL!”

You saw his eyes look towards his hook and you stood and bolted out of his room, sobbing as you raced off the deck and ran as far as you could, missing Uma calling out to you.

Uma watched as your form became smaller, she snarled, turning to see harry, hook in hand, staring off in the distance.

“WHAT!” Uma snarled, storming up to harry and pulling him down to her height “THE FUCK DID YOU DO!” harry huffed, pushing umas hand off his shirt.

“shes pregnant and I told ‘er to get rid of it” umas face dropped and paled...

“YOU DID FUCKING WHAT?!” harry jumped, frowning in concern when he saw just how horrified uma was.

“wha-what's wrong?”

“you-“ Uma muttered, stating yo pace around the deck, holding her head in her hands “you really are fucking- you really don’t know- my god you fucking idiot”

“uma” harry interrupted her “what are ye talking about?”

“YOU BASICALLY TOLD HER TO KILL HERSELF YOU DOLT!” harry turned white, his eyes seeming to shrink in shock “wha-what-ah!”

Uma stomped up to him and harshly poked him in the chest. “DON’T YOU FUCKING KNOW THAT THE ABORTION TECHNIQUES HERE ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS?! ITS SAFER FOR HER TO CARRY THE BABY FULL TERM OR HAVE A MISCARRIAGE THAN TO ABORT IT, WE DON’T HAVE ANY REAL MEDICAL TOOLS REMEMBER?! IT WOULD KILL HER FROM AN INFECTION OR BLOODLOSS!!!”

Harry sunk to the floor, tears burning at his eyes, and….he had threatened his love to do it himself, his shaky hand released his hook, the metal clanging as it hit the floor.

“NOW SO HELP ME HADES IF YOU DON’T FIND HER AND APOLOGIZE I WILL JAM MY FIST, ALL DICK AND BALLS UP YOUR SCROTUM!”

Harry shakily got to his feet, wiping the still dripping tears from his cheeks, nodding to his captain.

“yeah, im-im sorry cap’n” uma growled, and he flinched from the roar of waves crashing against the ship.

“you better be, now bring her back, I would hate to be down a quartermaster AND a first mate.” Uma turned in a flourish, her hair whipping around behind her.

Harry glanced at his hook, deciding to put it back in his room, he didn’t want to make (y/n) think he was actually going to do it himself.

A few minutes later, he rushed off into the settling smog of the isle, his classic red jacket in his hands, he needed to find (y/n) and fast, who knows what would happen to her…to them while out on the cold isle night.

=

Your chest hurt, it hurt so bad, you could feel your heartbreaking, you could understand why Harry didn’t want a kid, the isle was no place for one, even if there were already over a hundred on here already.

But the way he had said it….god you just wanted to hide away from him forever, you had never seen him so angry, so…cruel…he was truly like his father.

You didn’t hear footsteps draw near, didn’t bother to notice someone near you till a heavy coat draped over your shoulders. You gasped, covering your midsection, looking up to see sad ocean blue eyes.

“im so sorry” Harry's voice cracked, he fell to his knees in front of you, bowing his head to his chest, making his self smaller. “im so sorry, I shouldn’t have said any of those things, im sor-“ he sobbed, reaching out slightly to press his hand on your waist “im so sorry, I can't lose yeh, im so sorry”

You rubbed your snotty nose on your sleeve, leaning forward into Harry's arms, who sobbed and held on to you tightly.

“i-“ you croaked “I understand why you don’t want kids it's just…harry it would kill both of us in the process to well..you know?” harry sniffed, pulling back slightly and nodding.

“Im sorry, im such an idiot, I should know about this shit, when I have two sisters, I was ignorant and im sorry, forgive me?”

You sniffed, wiping off your tears and snot, giving a shy nod “yes, but never do that again hook, first and final warning”

Harry sagged in relief, wrapping his arms around you and holding you to his chest.

“thank yeh lassie, I promise, ill take care of both of yeh to the best of my ability”

=

Facilier had kicked him out, apparently, he was too “panicky” to be in the room with (y/n), apparently, he would only stress out (y/n) more!

But now he was even MORE panicky!!!!! And now he had Gil holding him down, preventing him from bursting back into the room.

Docter's orders.

Two hours later, Uma opened the door with Facilier walking out. She smiled and gestured for Harry to come in, holding a finger in front of her mouth.

Harry walked in silently, tears streaming down his face as he caught sight of his daughter.

Pale pink cheeks, a tuff of (h/c) hair on her little head, tiny hands gripping her mother's shirt.

“Harry” (y/n) whispered, her face shining with pride (and a little sweat) “come here, someone wants to meet you~” Harry gave a shaky nod, his hands trembling.

“shes so” his voice cracked, a grin splitting on his face “so beautiful~” he reached toward her, hesitating a bit, gasping when the little babe opened her, eyes ocean blue- just like his, and giggled, reaching out from under her little red blanket and grasping onto his finger.

Harry let out a sob, collapsing to the floor, a look of pure awe on his face, staring at the little angel.

Why did he ever want to hurt her?

“what are we gonna name her?” you whispered, staring at Harry as he cooed at your daughter. It was soo different than 8 months ago when he wanted you to abort the little one.

But luckily for you, by the time you were due, you had long been in Auradon.

“Emma” Harry whispered, leaning forward to nuzzle the babe's squishy face. “Emma Swan Hook”

You beamed, laughing as “Emma” began to giggle as her father kissed her face. “for your mom? It's perfect, welcome to the world little Emma~”

You carefully lifted her, leaning forward and pushing her into Harry's chest, who quickly wrapped his arms around her, her head in the crook of his arm.

“mind her head, there you go” you whispered, smiling as Harry let out another sob.

“God I love ‘er” he whimpered, lifting her slightly and lowering his head, pressing his forehead to hers. “I love ‘er I love ‘er”

“and she loves you, I can tell” you smiled, watching as Emma laughed and reached up to harry, placing her hands on his cheeks.

“and I love you (y/n)” harry stood from the floor, sitting down on the bed next to you. “so much”

“I love you too har” you muttered, sleep overtaking you. You passed out on Harry's shoulder, smiling as Harry's coos and emmas laughter faded in the background.

---the end~---

perm taglist

@mockeryhamato​

#Descendents #descendants #disney descendants #harry hook #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook imagine #daddy harry hook #emma swan is harrys mom no one can change my mind

[lilac-masquerade]

Prompt Villain x Hero

TW: being drugged, violence. Society is bad mindset. 

A tall figure groaned as they leaned back in their chair, closing their eyes in bliss as cracks emitted from their spine. It had been a long day and they hadn’t done anything crime related. The figure leaned back into the light of their lamp to expose her femine face, contorted in frustration. Out of all the things she had told her minions to do around the town, none had been stopped by her… rival. A small spark of worry wound its way into her heart but she ignored it, she wasn’t allowed to care for the hero. She was her enemy.

Suddenly a knock came from her door and she froze, who the heck would be at an abandoned house at two seventeen in the morning? Maybe some annoying kids. She stood up, no one was going to interrupt the villain Shadow’s work. Shadow slowly made her way to the window to see someone shivering at the door, the dark covering all other features. A small feeling of pity took hold of her, A small debate took place in her head, but she couldn’t let the smaller person suffer in the cold. She was more into petty crimes, annoying the public, and getting revenge on a certain person, which the hero insisted on trying to stop her from doing.

Shadow took her flashlight out and opened the door only to see a familiar face, She was covered in blood, fear shining through the dazed look in her eyes. Shadow froze, she had never seen the hero look like this, and that look, she must’ve been drugged. Had another villain gotten her? But that didn’t make sense. She was supposed to be at the mayor’s house to celebrate one of her recent victories, and if there was a new villain in town she would be the first to know. The hero, Shining Gold, took a small step toward Shadow and gripped her coat, “Did-didn’t kn-know where else to go…”

Gold’s eyes closed as she collapsed in Shadow’s arms. Anger gripped every part of Shadow, but not at Gold. She had never been able to truly be mad at Gold. Shadow gently picked up the unconscious hero and closed the door with her foot. It didn’t take long for Shadow to traverse the rotting floorboards to the, not too uncomfortable couch. Shadow sighed and gently laid down Gold. What was she even supposed to do in this situation, when she drugged people she usually didn’t do anything special, not caring about the side effects. Speaking of which, what drug was used?

Shadow sighed as she gently took off Gold’s torn and rain-soaked coat, before laying it beside her. She kneeled beside the couch and put a gentle hand on Gold’s forehead, frowning as she felt intense heat radiate off of her. Biting her lip Shadow grabbed a hand-towel and a blanket. She put the blanket on first before dipping the washcloth in a bucket of water, wringing it out, and placing it on the hero’s forehead. She didn’t have electricity, or water due to the house being abandoned, so it’s not like she can just turn on the heat, but she did have some firewood, that might help.

She built the fire nearby and used her lighter to light it. She used a small fan to make the fire bigger before taking another washcloth and after dipping that one in the water, she cleaned off the blood from Gold’s face, wincing slightly as she took off her mask, it almost felt like an invasion of privacy. Shadow took a deep breath and made the decision to leave the girl’s outfit on and just go to a nearby store for some clothes. 

Shadow went to her room and changed into some casual clothes she had lying around before writing a note and leaving the house. Now she was only sweet innocent Olivia. It only took an hour to get to the closest clothing store where she got a yellow hoodie, and some grey sweatpants, comfortable things to make Gold feel safe. Suddenly an angry man burst through the doors. When his eyes met hers he stomped up to her and grabbed her purple hoodie, “Have you seen a blonde girl a little shorter than you, with bright blue eyes. 

Her breath caught in my throat as She realized who he was talking about. This wasn’t a villain, this was a normal man on the street. A horrible one, but still a normal disgusting man. Olivia’s eyes narrowed and she grabbed his wrist with a tight grip, “No but if I had, I would’ve told her to stay far away from you.” His eyes darkened and he pulled back a fist to punch her when the store clerk stood up, “Uh sir, no violence in the store please.” The man growled and reached to punch my face again but he was too slow. Olivia’s fist came in contact with his nose, and before he had time to react she broke out of his hold and sprinted out of the door, tossing a wad of cash toward the clerk at the same time. She just needed to get to the treeline and then she can meld with the shadows.

Behind her the sound of glass doors shattering, caused her to wince, I should’ve just stayed low and told him no and sorry, but no I have to get all defensive, she grumbled to herself. She felt a moment of panic as she heard him getting closer to her. Olivia just needed one more step! She leaped into the treeline. The moment her foot touched the shadow she sank in and continued to move along the patterns strewn across the forest floor. An angry yell from behind let her know that he had lost her. She let out a sigh of relief and continued her trip back up toward her house through the shadows.

…

When she reached the old wooden cabin she smiled and emerged from the shadows. Her steps were light as she reached the door and entered her house. “Oh there you are,” Gold’s soft voice took her by surprise, causing her to jump. The villain froze as Gold walked up to her, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in casual clothes, are you wearing your mask?” Olivia shook her head slowly. Gold sighed and wrapped her arms around Olivia’s waist, burying her head into her enemy’s back, “Well then I get to see your face. It’s fair since you saw mine.” Olivia’s shoulder’s dropped and she turned around slowly, trying not to break Gold’s grip.

Gold’s eyes went wide, still shimmering with the after effect of tears, “Wow. Shadow, you’re beautiful.” A blush appeared on Olivia’s tan skin and she looked away, “I wish I could say the same about you, you look awful, and my name’s Olivia.” Gold let go and stepped back, “Well Olivia, I still look better than before, thanks to you I assume, as well as my super healing. Olivia smiled and met gold’s eyes before handing her the bag of clothes, “Here’s some clothes, you can change in the back. Oh and I broke the guys nose.”

Gold opened her mouth, probably to scold the villain, but closed it, a shadow covering her gaze, “I see thank you.” Olivia watched as the hero walked towards the bathroom, before putting more wood on the fire and sitting on the couch, burying her head into her hands, “What was she supposed to do now? Sure this was nice, but what about when she goes back to work, she already knows where I live and now who I am, she can just save the city and be done with it. Done with me.

The space beside Olivia dipped down and suddenly a weight leaned against her. The purple haired villain looked up and blushed at the beaming face that was inches from hers, “They’re comfy, thanks Olive.” Olivia twisted around and caught the hero in her arms, “Olive huh?” Gold nodded and curled into the taller female’s embrace, “Yeah, cause O-love you. You’re nice, you never did any real harm, and you’re safe. I can trust you. Oh and my name’s Ada” Olivia ran a hand through Ada’s hair, “Ada?” Ada nodded sleepily. The girl smiled softly, “Ada, I like it, it fits you.”

Ada hummed, “Do you think I can become a villain. I want to be free. I don’t want to have all the responsibility of people who only use me as a tool. In a horrible society” Olivia moved her hand to cup Ada’s face, “You can be anyone you want.” Olivia gave her a forehead kiss, wanting to be careful with her ... girlfriend, after what just happened to her. Ada smiled and the curled more into the only person she trusted, before finally falling asleep.

-----------------------------------------------------

ngl I’m kind of proud of this

#Lesbian #villain x hero #lesbians #cute #love #prompt #improv

[ghostlywriterneon]

KuraNeon Week. Day One - Maid/Butler

Title: Worlds Worst Best Maid

Rating: General Audience

Theme: Royalty AU

Description: The Kurta Kingdom was a kingdom isolated from the rest of the world. It refused to be apart of foreign politics and remained neutral to any outsiders war. There was no reason for it to be attacked an burned to the ground. However, the whims of the Phantom King were unknown to all. Kurapika, the sole survivor of the Kurta Kingdom royal family intends to get his revenge for his kingdom to simply be a casualty to a mad mans whims. On his travels, he meets a young runaway by the name Neon. They both agree that Phantom King needs to go and decided to team up. Though, why the hell does she want to be his maid?!

Traversing the woods was once something Kurapika would enjoy. He would run and play with his friend Pairo while they skipped out on boring lessons. Being royalty meant he had to take all sorts of mind numbing lessons. He knew how to sit, eat and speak. He didn’t need an entire lecture on it every morning. Running free in the woods with his friend was the great escape from the reality he lived. Out here he wasn’t a prince. He was just a kid. Out here he didn’t have any responsibilities. He was free to do as he pleased. It was a wonderful time and how he wished it could have lasted.

Now, traversing the woods is a heavy burden. It reminds him that he took those days for granted. He hated the responsibilities of being a royal and ran to the woods to escape them. Now here in the woods he can think of nothing but his responsibilities as a royal. Here in the woods, the only thing he has left is the title of being a prince. The rest was burnt down to ashes with his kingdom. His friends, family, and his people were nothing more than ashes in the wind.

How it happened, Kurapika does not remember. He was awoken in the middle of the night and told to run as far and as fast as he could from the kingdom. He didn’t really understand what was happening at the time. He that being there was dangerous so he would have to leave, however, he didn’t think that his family would end up dead and his kingdom fallen. He regrets that he listen to them that day. Nothing would have changed if he had stayed. He simply would have been another casualty, but then, at least, he could be with his family.

“Gah!!”

The scream and the sudden sound of someone hitting the ground pulled him from his thoughts. He turned back to observe his fallen maid. She was face first on the ground with her foot caught between roots. Hopefully she hadn’t twisted it.

“See? This is why I told you not to wear heels.”

At that, she shot up onto her hands and gave him a glare that was mixed with a pout. Ah, no tears. She was perfectly fine. Still, he should probably help her out.

“Heels had nothing to do with my foot getting stuck in these dumb roots! And how was I supposed to know we were gonna travel in the woods?! I thought we were going to stick to the path! Not go on some hiking trip!”

Oh yeah, she was definitely fine. As she was yelling at him, he helped free her foot and lifted her off of the ground, brushing off any dirt of leaves that may have clung to her dress. Honestly, he was beginning to wonder who was really the maid here.

“I told you we were going off the path when I told you not to wear those heels. The main path leads to the main entrance to the town, obviously. We are going to sneak in through the side. Unless you feel like getting caught and being dragged back to your dad?”

She pouted and grumbled at this, saying that she doesn’t remember him saying anything about that. But at least her complaints stopped there and they could continue traveling.

Calling her a maid is a bit of a stretch, honestly. They only thing she had going for herself in the maid category was that she was a noble. Everything else was, well, she did her best, he’ll give her that. She had no idea how to cook, clean, or even sew. She was a bit spoiled and can be bratty at times, but she wore her heart on her sleeve. She didn’t scheme or have any ill intentions towards anyone. Even the people she hated, she would not wish death upon them. Though the ‘I’m going to make them suffer’ was a bit concerning. For now, she was the only one he could trust.

Currently, they were traveling in the York New territory. This territory is owned by the kingdom that destroyed his. Clearly, not a soul could be trusted within this territory, nor this kingdom. Save for one person. His maid. Her name is Neon Nostrade. Her family is the noble house that runs the York New territory. Her family had started from nothing, until her father realized that his daughter had an incredible gift. She could see the future. Normally in this world, the only people that could perform magic were the ones from royal descent. Even then, there were no records of a royal family having the ability of clairvoyance. Neon was truly an oddity of this world and her father made sure to exploit that. He took ‘selling your daughter’ to a different meaning. He built his fortune by having his daughter sell her fortunes. It wasn’t too bad, per say, until they caught the king’s eyes.

In order for them to gain noble status and the land of York New, her father made an agreement that she was to marry their king. She would be a ‘wife’ in title, but from what Neon has stated, she would be more of a tool made to sit there and spill fortunes when called upon. This didn’t sit well with the girl and after begging her father to drop the arrangement, she decided that she was better off running away. Soon after that, Neon and him ran into each other and ended up becoming allies. He realized that she wasn’t going to betray him for money, fame or anything of that sort since she ran from it. She also appeared to hate her king because of the arrangement so that was something they could both agree on.

Though, why she decided to pick up the ‘maid’ role, however, he has no idea. He was fine with traveling with each other without care of status, but apparently she wanted to be a maid. Oh how he wished he stopped her. If he had to choke down her cooking one more night he may die.

“Hmm, Kura, we might want to spend the night out here. From what I can see, there’s going to be a lot of guards in the town tonight. We’re probably going to get caught even if we go through the side.”

Though her clairvoyance makes any struggle with her more than worth it. He nodded at her words then turned away from the direction of the town. It will be better if they set up camp a bit further from the town’s borders. That way any wandering guard would have little chance of spotting them.

“Alright. Let’s see if we can’t find a clearing to set up camp. We only have one tent so we will have to share.”

“Mkay! Luckily I thought to pack us extra food! I can whip something really nice up while you’re setting up the tent!”

Oh, is bile already rising to his throat? Just at the mere suggestion of her cooking? Oh dear ancestors please give him the strength to make it out of this meal alive. He cannot avenge you if he dies an early death.

“… Wonderful…”

Finding a spot wasn’t too hard, luckily. It was a small clearing with a stream running right by. It was far enough away from the town where they wouldn’t have to worry about someone catching them out here; however, it was far enough where they would have to worry about animals lurking about. He would have to lay-out of few traps just to be safe.

Dinner was as awful as he expected it to be. He assumes his ancestors heard his payers since he didn’t immediately vomit afterwards. That or he’s getting used to the bad tasting food, which is a terrifying thought. Please let his taste buds be intact after this journey.

They decided on an early bedtime. Hopefully they can catch the shift between the night guards and the day guards and sneak in then. Neon has mentioned that the guards in these parts are rather lazy and will leave their post without waiting for the next guard to take their place. Hopefully this will remain true when they go to enter.

He waited for Neon to give him the go ahead to enter the tent. He had changed into his night clothes outside, while he let Neon change inside of the tent. When she called, she was already curled up in her blankets with her face buried in the pillowed part of her bedroll. He went into his without saying a word to her. It would be best if they fall asleep quickly, they would have to be up early tomorrow and he knew that was going to be a struggle for Neon.

Though, as soon as he was settled into his bedroll, he felt a pair of eyes on him. They sat in silence for a moment. He wasn’t going to say anything if she wasn’t. Though, when the silence was finally broken, he was surprised by the question.

“Hey, Kura? Are you okay? You were really quiet today. Like, more quiet than normal.”

He shifted to lie facing her. She had her blanket covering most of her face, only leaving her eyes exposed. It seemed like she was a bit nervous and concerned. Neon never really struck him as someone who would be concerned for others. She was self-centered and cared about her own issues and problems over others. He supposes he’s become one of her issues she has to care over. She was his self-proclaimed maid, after all.

“I’m fine, Neon. Please do not worry. You should be more concerned about yourself. There’s a snake on you.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have done that. The scream she let out was way too loud. Though, watching her flail was pretty funny. He couldn’t help but to chuckle.

“I’m sorry, that was a lie. There’s nothing there.”

“What!? Are you serious!? That’s not funny you big bully!!”

She launched out of her bedroll to start smacking his arms and chest while calling him all sorts of childish names. He couldn’t help but to laugh more at this. After all, what kind of maid starts hitting their boss?

“Mean, ugly, stupid jerk-!”

Her insults stopped when he started to pull at her cheek. He was nearly grinning as he teased her more.

“Hm? I thought you were my maid? Good maids wouldn’t call their prince names, least of all hit them.”

Her cheeks puffed out as her pout grew more intense. She snatched his hand from her cheek and used it to smack his face.

“Bully! I am a great maid! Jeez! What’s with you today?! Acting all quiet and now making fun of me! Who are you and what have you done with Kura?!”

He pulled his arm out of her grasp, chuckling again. Perhaps this is a bit out of character for him, but it was too easy to tease her. Maybe it was because he was getting a bit too comfortable around her. But it had been far too long since he last let himself relax and enjoy himself like this. He was always focused on avenging his people and being rid of the Phantom King. As the sole survivor of his kingdom, it was his duty. He couldn’t goof off or play around; he had to complete his mission. However, he found it hard to stay cold and distant around Neon. Despite her flaws, she was nice to be around. It was hard not to crack a smile at her antics or shake his head as she finds her way into trouble. Really, he wonders how far he truly would have gotten without her by his side.

With a smile, he sat up and lightly patted her head.

“I’m right here, Neon. Now get some rest. I don’t want you to be cranky in the morning.”

She blushed. Though, whether it was from him patting her head or past memories of Kurapika attempting to wake her up, he wasn’t sure. She grumbled slightly, but she slipped back into her bedroll, still facing him. Back in the same position as before, with her eyes peeking out, she watched him a bit more. The blush on her face was still there as she turned and mumbled a quiet goodnight to him.

He returned back in his sheets, this time facing her. Yes. He was really lucky to have her by his side.

“Goodnight, Neon.”

#ᵗʰᵉⁱʳ ʰᵉᵃᵈˢ ˢᵗᵃʳᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ˢⁱⁿᵏ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵇᵒʳᵉᵈᵒᵐ ⁱˢ ᵗᵒᵒ ʰᵃʳᵈ ᵗᵒ ᶠⁱᵍʰᵗ ( OOC ) #Kuraneon #kurapika #neon nostrade #kuraneoweek2020 #day1kuraneo2020 #Drabble #is this really a drabble if it's over 2000 words??? #So like #This was really hard to write #I've changed the plot of this like six times now #I thought about turning this one into a fic because one #this was supposed to be a LOT longer #It went from the initial meeting to confronting Chrollo #and then I went nah tent things #two because like 90% of this is world building and not a whole lot of Neon Kura action #but like #I'm bad at writing and I'm WAY too nervous to post anything to Ao3 #Plus I'm lazy and never finish anything #I read through this once and then stopped because I was going to end up rewriting it again #so sorry if there are mistakes! #Beware tomorrows fic is in the same position as this one #could be fic length but nah

[rockislandadultreads]

Black History Month: Contemporary Reads

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother. A cannon. A strap. A piece. A biscuit. A burner. A heater. A chopper. A gat. A hammer A tool for RULE Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator? Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES. And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator. Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Asha Bandele, Angela Y. Davis (Foreword)

Now Adapted for Young Adult Readers

A poetic and powerful memoir about what it means to be a Black woman in America—and the co-founding of a movement that demands justice for all in the land of the free. Raised by a single mother in an impoverished neighborhood in Los Angeles, Patrisse Khan-Cullors experienced firsthand the prejudice and persecution Black Americans endure at the hands of law enforcement. For Patrisse, the most vulnerable people in the country are Black people. Deliberately and ruthlessly targeted by a criminal justice system serving a white privilege agenda, Black people are subjected to unjustifiable racial profiling and police brutality. In 2013, when Trayvon Martin’s killer went free, Patrisse’s outrage led her to co-found Black Lives Matter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. Condemned as terrorists and as a threat to America, these loving women founded a hashtag that birthed the movement to demand accountability from the authorities who continually turn a blind eye to the injustices inflicted upon people of Black and Brown skin. Championing human rights in the face of violent racism, Patrisse is a survivor. She transformed her personal pain into political power, giving voice to a people suffering in equality and a movement fueled by her strength and love to tell the country—and the world—that Black Lives Matter. When They Call You a Terrorist is Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele’s reflection on humanity. It is an empowering account of survival, strength and resilience and a call to action to change the culture that declares innocent Black life expendable.

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid. The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.

Snapped by Alexa Martin

With the stakes this high, it’s no longer just a game for the quarterback in this romance by the author of Blitzed. Elliot Reed is living her best life—or pretending to. She owes it to her dad’s memory to be happy and make the most of her new job as Strategic Communications Manager for the Denver Mustangs. Things are going well until star quarterback Quinton Howard Jr. decides to use the field as his stage and becomes the first player to take a knee during the national anthem. As the son of a former professional athlete, Quinton knows the good, the bad, and the ugly about football. He's worked his entire life to gain recognition in the sport, and now that he has it, he’s not about to waste his chance to change the league for better. Not even the brilliant but infuriating Elliot, who the Mustangs assign to manage him, will get Quinton back in line. A rocky initial meeting only leads to more tension between Quinton and Elliot. But as her new job forces them to spend time together, she realizes they may have more in common than she could've ever imagined. With her job and his integrity on the line, this is one coin toss that nobody can win.

#longpost #blackhistorymonth #bookpicks #black history month #black history month books #ya books for adults #YA books #important topics #modern literature #contemporary #read these books #book recs #to read #tbr #booklr #reading recommendations