#but if we keep fighting then we can't take time to focus on our wounds & heal properly

[stardustdreams-andcaffeine]

The Breaking Point | Logan Howlett

logan howlett x f!reader ✧ oneshot

Summary: The reader and Logan have been bantering since the moment they met, and the other members of the X-Men have had enough of the tension and arguments. They decide to take matters into their own hands and shove the two towards the ultimate breaking point.

A/N: I swear on everything that I love that I started this one shot with every intention for it to be just fluff and yet it STILL gets angsty. At this point, I think I have a chronic condition of liking to write about hurt. Well, it led to this beautiful little gem of a story so I'll allow it. Love you and all and keep up with the dreaming 🤍

Warnings: fluffiest fluff i've written in a while, angst near the end, endless banter

Word Count: 4,850

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Have you ever hated someone so much that when they walk into the room all you want to do is punch them in the nuts?

Yeah, me too. Only problem? No matter how hard I punch him, I could never permanently wound him.

"Could you eat any louder? I'm genuinely curious."

I ignore Logan's rumble of a voice, gritting my teeth to keep from starting a fight in the middle of our team dinner. As we sit in the large dining room of Charles Xavier's mansion and school, I focus intently on the noodles before me and not the annoying wolf-man across the table. The X-Men around us keep talking, Logan and I's arguments a normal occurrence in the Mansion.

"God, you're so annoying," Logan mutters, and I drop my fork, staring at him wide-eyed from across the table.

"I didn't even do anything! How could I possibly be annoying you?" I exclaim, my voice incredulous. He gives me a curt smile and damn it if it doesn't still make my heart turn molten. That last tidbit only makes me more infuriated since I can't even control my body around him.

"I think it's just your presence, sweetheart," Logan responds with a wink.

"My presence?" I laugh, grabbing my fork again and pointing it at the man across from me, "At least I'm not the one with a personality that ranges from grumpy to grumpier."

"I'm only grumpy around you," He quips.

"I mean, do you just enjoy being a giant, walking storm cloud? I bet babies scream when you walk past."

Scott chokes on his food beside me to hide his laugh. Neither Logan nor I seem to notice that the table's gone somewhat silent to revel in our showdown.

"No, but I make women scream all the time."

It's Rogue's turn to let out a surprised cough. Despite myself, I find my cheeks heating. I'm glad for being in the midst of an argument, though, so the flushing of my cheeks gives away nothing.

"In terror? I'm sure," I coolly respond, stabbing a piece of chicken to keep from stabbing the Wolverine. Logan sits back in his chair, a smug, heart-twisting smirk on his face.

"Whatever you tell yourself, Y/N." He nods his head towards me, those damn hazel eyes burning into my soul without even trying, "We both know you dream of me every night."

"Oh I do," I concede, painting a look of desperation on my face that makes his brows furrow, "Every night I dream of how I could kill you,"

Logan rolls his eyes, but I see his jaw clenching nonetheless and smirk, knowing I've gotten under his skin.

"Even if I could die, you couldn't kill me if you tried, sweetheart."

I nod my head in acknowledgment, but then reach out with my powers to his food and with a single thought, I order the atoms to rearrange from his dinner and into a fat, squirming toad. He lets out a small noise of surprise and shoves back from the table as the toad hops down and skitters away.

"No, but maybe I'll turn you into a toad like your stir-fry, sweetheart." I look off in the distance, plastering on my best thinking face, "Do you think you'd still have claws? That'd be-"

"That's it," He growls, shoving away from the table and letting his claws rip out. This sends our team from amused observation to panicked mediation. I shove myself up to, holding my arms out.

"What are you gonna do, wolf boy? Come on, try!" I taunt. Chairs are screeching all along the table as our friends shoot to their feet, voices crying out to placate us.

"Calm down you two!"

"What are you, children?"

"Not again! We can't afford to keep buying new dinner tables!"

Logan jumps deftly onto the table, stalking across it and knocking over food as he does until he jumps back down on my side, getting into my face. I stand my ground, bringing him nose-to-nose with me as I glare up at him. The air is charged with tension between us, waiting to snap. My fogged brain doesn't if I want to punch him or...

I shake away the other thought, trying to forget about it.

"Oh I'll show you what I'll do," Logan whispers, the rasp in his voice running down my spine and knocking my heart from rhythm.

"That is enough!" Charles shouts, and the room goes silent immediately. Logan clenches his jaw and looks over to Charles as I do the same. The professor sighs, hanging his head and massaging his temple as if he's developed a massive headache.

"Good Lord, if only you two could hear what was whizzing between your minds. That was so confusing." Professor Xavier huffs out a sigh before wheeling over in front of us.

"Y/N, go find the toad you turned Logan's dinner into and please refrain from turning him into one as well," Charles orders. Logan snickers, probably about to egg on to his statement before Charles turns his head sharply towards him.

"Logan, please refrain from aggravating Miss Y/L/N. I much prefer you as a man, not an amphibian. Although you would be quieter," He adds on, making me snort. I send Logan a pointed look, which he just rolls his eyes to and looks back to Charles.

"You two need to learn to at the very least tolerate each other," the Professor commands, shaking his head incredulously, "You work so well together on missions and you'd be such great...friends if you would just set down this petty feud. Now go to bed both of you, think about ways you can be more civil."

He turns and wheels away, leaving Logan and I standing tensely beside each other and feeling like scolded children. With a shake of my head, I turn and make my way towards my room which just so happens to be right across from Logan's. He trails me, his silent presence overbearing on my mind and heart.

"You ever seen the Professor that flustered?" I ask, desperate to break the charged air between us. Logan lets out a short laugh from beside me.

"I thought his head was gonna explode."

I smile, casting a glance over at the Wolverine, "You'll make him go crazy."

We stop in front of our doors and Logan turns to look down at me, cocking an eyebrow amusedly, "Me? Sweetheart, you're just as bad as I am."

Something about the way he looks at me makes my heart trip. Maybe it's the proximity I don't think either of us realizes, or maybe it's the smirk that drives me crazy, but I take a subtle step back before I do something I'll regret.

"Careful, Howlett. I'll still turn you into a toad," I warn. His smirk turns into that damn half-smile that makes my stomach wild with butterflies.

"Don't let the Professor hear you say that, Y/N. You won't be his favorite anymore,"

I laugh, walking back towards my door, "I think you've been his favorite since the moment you crashed through our doors."

Logan lifts an eyebrow at me, "Is that why you hate me?"

I freeze, a weird, strangling sensation settling into my chest. Does he...does he really think that I hate him?

"Logan," I start, my eyes growing serious in a way that makes the teasing smirk drop from his face, "Logan, do you think I hate you?"

He clenches his jaw, turning more serious than I've ever seen him be. In the hazel of his eyes, I see horrors of the decades he's lived on this Earth flash through his gaze. It makes my heart drop to the floor, and I almost walk over and pull him into a hug.

"It's better if you do." He almost whispers, and then turns and walks into his room, shutting the door behind him.

I stand frozen for a moment in the hallway, trying to work through what he just said. Shaking my head with a sigh, I turn and enter my own room. That night, as I get ready for bed, I can't get my mind off of the Wolverine.

Something stirs in my chest, because the Professor isn't wrong about what he said earlier. From the first moment Logan and I met, we fit together so well that it terrified me. Not to mention that he was breathtakingly attractive in a rugged sort of way that made my inhibitions turn to mush. My attraction stayed for a grand total of ten minutes when he began to argue and pick on me like a seventh grade boy.

I tell everyone that I hate him, that I can't stand him. And I can't, that's true. The whole truth, though? The whole truth is that he only annoys me because I have no control over my body, thoughts, and feelings when I'm around him. I've always managed to keep romance to a one-night-stand sort of level, but every time I banter with Logan something in me craves his easy nature and the way he takes no shit. I need his banter like I need the air I breathe, because without it I feel like I'll get lost in the mundane of my routine. Logan makes me feel...alive in ways that I can't explain. And, as much as he'd never admit it, he's got the softest, kindest heart out of anyone I know.

And sometimes...sometimes I feel like he argues with me to keep me at a distance.

My proof? Every time we have a rare civil conversation like the one we just had, he shuts down for a few days with me. He avoids me, and then when he can't anymore, his usually petty and teasing insults turn grumpier than usual and more charged. It's almost like every time we naturally gravitate closer, Logan shoves us apart.

The only question is why?

|||

Later That Week

"Hey Y/N, I need your help."

I turn my gaze from the papers I'm grading from the science class I teach at the school to Jean who's just walked into my classroom. A smile blooms on my face and I stand from my chair, leaning against my desk as she walks over to me.

"Yeah, anything. What's up?"

"It's Scott and I's anniversary tomorrow night and the Professor just booked me for a mission. Do you think you could cover it for me? I know it's so last minute but Scott and I have had this night planned for weeks," Jean explains.

"Yeah, of course! You need a break as it is," I inform, smiling wryly at my friend, "Go have fun with Scotty. I've got it covered."

A relieved, ecstatic smile explodes onto her face and she rushes forward, pulling me into a hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the actual best!"

I laugh, hugging her back before moving back towards my desk chair to continue grading.

"Anytime. Just send over the details tonight," I reply. She nods, affirming she'll do so before thanking me again and breezing out of the room to probably go tell Scott the good news.

|||

The Next Night

I hum to myself as I collect the supplies I'll need for the mission tonight. My hands are busy as I traipse through the supply room in the basement of the Mansion, grabbing various weapons and medical supplies and stashing them in the duffle bag I've got planted on the table in the center of the room.

Storm is set to be on the mission with me, and told me that she'd be getting the jet ready while I grabbed the supplies. So, once the duffle is packed, I sling it over my shoulders and make my way over the hanger. Just as she said, the jet sits humming and ready, the coordinated no doubt already punched in. The back hatch rests open, beckoning me in. As I walk up the ramp and into the belly of the jet, my eyes search for Ororo.

"Storm?" I call out, my brows furrowed as I search the cockpit. When I don't see her, I shrug. She must be grabbing something.

In the mean time, I stash the duffle into an overhead compartment. Just as I step back from doing so, an air-capturing presence enters the jet.

"You've got to be shitting me."

My heart hits the actual floor and I drop my head.

"This isn't happening," I mutter to myself before turning to see Logan standing in the entrance of the jet.

Like I predicted, he hasn't talked to me since the dinner incident. He'd barely stay in the same room as me, so seeing him sends an unwelcome bolt of joy through my soul. My stupid, traitorous heart flips in my chest at the sight of him.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I could ask you the same thing," He grits out, setting down a duffle that matches the one I made, "I'm covering for Jean."

Everything suddenly snaps into focus. I blow out a breath, shaking my head.

"That little traitor," I grumble, before looking at a confused and aggravated Logan, "I'm covering for Jean too."

The realization hits him at the same time and he shakes his head. He turns to exit the open hatch of the jet, eager to get as far away from me as fast as possible.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't make a sudden shot of hurt explode in my chest.

"Fuck this," Logan mutters, but before he can leave, the door to the jet shuts. He stumbles back, a confused look overtaking his features.

"What the-"

That's when the engine revs to life.

I jog over to the empty cockpit to see the controls lighting up and the auto-pilot system taking over. Before either of us can do anything, since neither of us know how to fly, the jet is pulling out of the hanger and lifting into the sky to God knows where. I step back, shaking my head and looking over to where Logan has stepped up beside me. We share a knowing look.

"Storm." We say in sync. As if on cue, a voice radios in from the controls.

"Come in lovebirds, do you copy?" Storms amused voice announces. I grit my jaw and lean forward to respond.

"Storm, take us down or I swear-"

"No can do, you two need some bonding time." That was another voice, the Professor's voice. Shock crashes over me.

"Professor, you too?" Logan sputters.

"You two will learn to behave at the very least. Hopefully being stuck together will help the team spirit." He responds.

"Stuck together?" I question, my brows furrowing in confusion, "But the mission said that-"

"Oh there's no mission. The jet's set to fly a round trip for the night." Jean pipes in.

"Like hell it is! Bring us down right now!" Logan growls out, and I almost laugh at the bit of fear in his eyes. He's always been uncomfortable flying and I've always made fun of him for it. It's at least of some consolation to know this is how we're stuck together.

"I'm sorry, you're breaking up. What was that?" Storm asks, amusement lacing her tone.

"Ororo-" I start.

"I can't...must be...signal's going..."

Anyone could tell she's faking it.

"When I get back, you're all spending the weekend as cockroaches!" I call out.

"Have fun!" Jean and Storm call back before the line cuts out.

Logan begins muttering to himself before settling down in the pilot's chair and fiddling with random buttons. My eyes widen suddenly and I lurch forward, grabbing his arm.

"What the hell are you doing? Trying to get us killed? Neither of us know how to work this thing!" I object. He shakes off my touch and stands, towering over me and making me stumble back a few steps. He matches me for every one until I finally find my ground.

"There's no way in hell I'm staying trapped up here with you," Logan spits, and yet again my stupid heart flinches at the low blow.

I must flinch slightly in reaction as well, because some of the anger drains from Logan's face, being replaced with something I can't quite place. He sighs, cursing himself before taking a step closer to me.

"Y/N, I didn't mean it like-"

"No, it's fine." I cut him off, giving him a curt smile and cursing myself for not being able to hide the hurt. I take a few steps back and turn, walking into the belly of the jet, "Let's just get through this night."

I can practically feel Logan's unspoken words hanging in the air before I hear him sigh and mumble something to himself. I drop down into one of the chairs in the back, propping my feet up on the empty chair next to me and letting my eyes slip closed. I so desperately want to be able to sleep the night away to avoid any more interactions with Logan that can break my heart open and reveal the feelings I've denied for months. As I sit with my eyes shut, though, time passes and I can't seem to find sleep.

Maybe it has something to do with the domineering presence in the chair across from mine.

I can feel his gaze burning into me without even opening my eyes, can feel the way he wants to break the tense silence that settles over the cabin of the jet. The air is so thickly charged that I think for a moment that one spark could set the jet on fire. When I finally have had so much of the silence that I can barely take it anymore, I let out a sigh.

"Why do you do that?" I ask, my eyes still shut. The silence turns still.

"Do what?" He grumbles back. I drop my feet from the seat and open my eyes, turning forward so we face each other in the cabin.

"Every time I start to think we can be friends, you shut down. You ignore me and whenever you do talk to me you're as cold as ice with a temper that could make Hell freeze over." I don't hold back, so fed up with the same cyclic behavior from the last few years of knowing Logan.

"Y/N," Logan starts, then goes silent for a long while. Finally, his almost...tortured gaze meets mine, "We can't be friends. We'll never be friends."

I thought what he'd said before hurt, but that was a scrape compared to the knife he just shoved in my heart and twisted. I clench my jaw to keep from visibly recoiling again at the blow.

It's getting too much. It's all getting too much. The tension, the attraction, the long silences and bursts of charisma that make me want to crawl into his arms and stay forever. I can't take how off and on he is with me, I just can't. Not when I'm beginning to realize that I want him so desperately and not just physically or not just when he's in a good mood. I want every part of him because he makes me feel like I'm someone, because I feel like I was asleep until I met him. And to see the way he can so blatantly disregard me and shut down with me and say that...say that we can't even be friends?

It's too much. I can't take it.

My emotions bubble over and I make a small, tortured sound before shoving to my feet and storming to the back of the jet. I make sure to keep my back firmly to him to hide the angry and heartbroken tears that begin to well up from his keen eyes, but there's no mistaking my sharp intake of breath and shuddering shoulders.

"Y/N," his voice is like a poisonous honey, killing me slowly and soothing my very soul as it breaks me, "Y/N, just talk to me."

I let out a humorless laugh and whirl around to see him on his feet and walking over. When he sees the tears in my eyes and my emotions painted clearly, I know I can't hide from him. He freezes in his step, his hazel eyes like burning fires and every muscle in his body tensed as if he were holding them taut to keep him from doing something.

"No, don't-" I cut myself off in time to shove down the sob that wants to shudder through me, "You have no right. You have no right to keep pulling me in and-and shoving me away. I can't take it anymore, I can't"

The tension has finally reached its snapping point and I'm breaking first, I don't even care anymore. His face is impossible to read and it burns because I can't exactly storm away from him when we're tens of thousands of feet in the sky.

"Sweetheart, listen I-"

That's my breaking point.

"No, don't you dare 'sweetheart' me," I grit out, not even bothering to stop the burning hot tears that race down my cheeks, "God, you don't even get it, do you?"

Logan's face is one of pure shock and pain—pain for what, I can't place. What I can see is the way his large hands keep flexing and unflexing, almost as if he's using every muscle to keep from walking up to me. His jaw is clenched so tight that I'm surprised his teeth don't crack. I dig my hands into my hair and groan in frustration before dropping them back down to my sides. I don't even give him a chance to respond.

"Every time you mess with me, every time you speak to me, every time you're even near me, Logan you are pushing me further and further down a very steep cliff and I can't stop it, I have tried." I take a gasping breath, not even caring that I'm baring every feeling to him that I haven't even processed with myself yet, "And you keep ignoring me and saying we can't be friends and then the next thing I know you're messing with me again and-"

"I'm not trying to hurt you, sweet-" He stops himself briefly, changing the word he was going to use, "Y/N. You just have to understand-"

"You are breaking me, Logan!" I shout, my vision blurring from the unbridled tears, "I am falling in love with you and you are breaking me!"

He goes as silent as death before me, everything within him going still. I don't seem to notice, and even if I did, I wouldn't care. I'm halfway past shattering and I can barely control myself. Years of pent up emotion is spilling out, and damn it I'm going turn all of my friends back at the Mansion into worms.

"What did you just say?" His voice is no more than a whisper, but I'm not listening.

"Let me hate you," I beg, my voice beseeching for mercy and my fists itching to slam into his stupid, perfect face, "Please, why can't I hate you?"

That's when Logan breaks.

"Fuck it all," he suddenly growls, making my breath hiccup and my gaze snap up to him. My stomach flips sharply when I see him storming up to me so suddenly that I can't even back up.

"Logan, what-"

"Shut up." He orders, and he reaches me in seconds.

The moment he does, one of his hands cups my face and the other snakes around my waist, tugging me so close to him that I can feel every ridge and curve of his muscles. I barely have time to breathe when he tilts my head up with his hand and crashes his lips to mine.

Instantly I'm on fire.

I can't stop the small moan that leaves my lips, swallowed by his as he kisses me so desperately and passionately that my knees would buckle if it weren't for his iron grip on my waist. He bites my bottom lip softly and uses the gasp I let out to deepen the kiss. Every fiber of me is trembling and my body is on fire. Everywhere he touches me is pure desire and lightning and passion and I can barely catch my breath. He must feel the same because he reluctantly pulls away, leaving us both panting in the silence.

My lips are swollen and my body shaking, leaving me holding on to Logan desperately to ground myself to this instant, to convince myself that was real. The charge is too strong, and like opposite ends of a magnet our lips end up together again. This time, he pulls back just enough so our lips are still touching.

"I'm so sorry," He breathes against my lips, sealing the apology with a quick kiss, "I'm so sorry."

I pull away, capturing his face in my hands and staring at him with furrowed, confused brows. My unspoken desire for an explanation is clearly picked up, and he shakes his head, moving both of his hands to my waist. Where his hands hold me burns in the best way, in a way that makes me never want to pull away.

"Everyone I have ever cared for, everyone I have ever let myself love, has been taken from me," Logan whispers brokenly, and I stop breathing. I don't dare to believe what his words spell out so clearly, but instead let him keep talking as if to prove me wrong.

He doesn't.

"That's why I kept shoving you away, that's why we could never be friends. Because if we were, I could never live with just being friends with you"

"Logan, what are you saying?" I whisper, my eyes wide and my heart racing so fast that I actually fear it might give out on me. His nose nudges mine before he pulls back, letting his eyes burn into mine so I can see the truth in them, the meaning and the sincerity.

"Y/N, I have been in love with you since the moment I met you."

This time, my knees do buckle briefly. Thankfully, his arms around my waist hold me until I manage to hold my own weight again.

"You-you love me?"

A sweet smile that I want to take a picture of and hold close forever spreads onto his lips.

"Always."

I pull him down so our lips meet again, and for the first time in months my soul is at peace. What's been devouring me slowly finally stops as everything makes perfect sense. When I pull away, I lean my forehead against his.

"You're not gonna lose me." I vow, then pull back to raise an eyebrow at him, "But if you ever shove me away out of fear of losing me again, I will turn you into a cat and keep you as the kids' class pet."

A genuine, heart-healing laugh erupts from him, lighting up Logan's face in a way that makes me fall in love all over again. We just stay like that for a moment, his arms around my waist and mine back around his neck, our bodies molded together and our breath mingling.

"You think they're watching a live feed of this right now?" I ask, not pulling away an inch.

The radio crackles back to life and Storm's voice fills the jet, "That would be an affirmative, love birds. Mission Wedding Bells is a success."

We both chuckle, and Logan turns his head towards the direction of the cockpit, where the camera probably is. With all the gentlemanliness he can muster, he unsheathes only his middle claw, flipping the entire team out. I laugh dropping my head onto his chest.

He cups my face and turns it up to face him, cocking an eyebrow at me, "What?"

It only makes me laugh harder and his body rumbles with laughter against mine, "Come here, sweetheart."

He slings an arm across my shoulders and walks me back to the cockpit. As we do, I think of that first moment we met. An amused smile tugs at my lips and I shake my head slightly.

"What are you smiling about?" Logan asks. I look up at him, amusement dancing among my features.

"When you saw me turn that creep paparazzi in the front lawn into a pigeon, that's when you fell in love with me?"

He chuckles, kissing my cheek and making me wonder if this is what bliss is.

"I took one look at you scolding him and then tending to the kids like a mother and knew I was in trouble."

I laugh, leaning into his side, "You realize we have to let the Professor tell us 'I told you so', right?"

"Over my dead body," Logan stiffens, his words final. I snort.

"Good thing you can't die."

And for the first time since I met Logan, my traitorous, knowing heart was settled.

#wolverine x reader #wolverine #x men #ororo munroe #james howlett #logan howlett #logan howlett x reader #angst #fluff #logan howlett angst #logan howlett fluff #imagine #oneshot #one shot #banter #enemies to lovers

[itjazzbicch]

Determination

Pairing:  Lars Alexandersson x Reader 

First time writing for Lars, so I hope I did well! 

Summary: Returning to their duties after being fatally injured during this madness of war, the reader surprises Lars as they are deeply in love but can't exactly have what their heart desires, not till the war ends and their duties are fulfilled...

Warnings:  Flashback (it is italicized!) Mentions of previous injury and wounds

Word Count: 0.6k 

"We'll be setting out in ten minutes..."

After six months, it was finally time for us to advance, helping Jin take down Kazuya once and for all. Lee and Lars had already made preparations, but there was one thing that Lee was keeping from Lars...

"Today..." When Jin was still missing months ago, I had been gravely injured while carrying out my operation regarding the international war that is still occurring. Everyone thought that I'd be out for good, but I was back, not only to help end this war, but there was someone special to me who needed to know that I had returned, smiling to Lars as I approached him and Lee on the rooftop of Violet Systems, ready to head out via aircraft. "We end all of this violence."

"Y/N-" Lars gasped, then was utterly speechless.

When our gazes met, I had never felt so many emotions bubble into me so quickly. The last time we saw each other was undeniably a horrible memory in his head, seeing how bloody and wounded I was, unsure if I was going to make it.

"You'll certainly be a great help, Y/N," Lee smiled at me, "Welcome back."

"Thank you," I smiled, my eyes still locked into Lars's as they glossed over, almost not believing his eyes. Even when the helicopter rotor blades spun and sent gusts of wind by us, Lars's hair whipping past his face, his gaze didn't leave mine for a moment.

------

"I'm not going to die on you, L-Lars...." I promised him the last time I saw him, my hand reaching out for him. "I will come back to you, I promise..."

-------

"I told you that I would come back," I smiled at Lars, finally face to face with him, "I promised."

"Y-You did..." His voice was low but full of emotion, and after seeing that Lee had given us a moment to ourselves and entered the aircraft, he showed his built-up emotions, hugging me softly at first, then squeezing me tighter and tighter, needing to feel me to know that this was real.

"And I'm not going anywhere," I whispered, hugging his head to keep him close, "We're going to end this war. Together."

The thought of the war wasn't in his mind at that moment, a gust of wind zipping past when our lips met, his arms pulling me close.

Lars never showed fear, but when I was wounded, and everyone feared I might not make it, he was terrified, as we had gone through so much together.

I wanted to wipe that memory away and focus on the future, for which we would fight tooth and nail. That's all I wanted: a bright future with him.

Kissing back, I held his face, keeping him as close as I could till our lips popped free, both of us gasping for air, feeling a spark as I had before when I found his blue eyes, smiling as that spark surged through me.

"I-I-" He was trying to speak but was still so shocked to see me here, the both of us laughing as he spat out, "I don't know what to say."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," I smiled, patting his cheek and kissing him one last time, "Besides, we have to focus on our duties for now."

I gave a soft but firm and assuring look at him, my eyes able to explain that this moment we had may have been short but meaningful, and the second we were done with our duties, we could have happier, longer moments just like this.

"You're right." He nodded, a determined look in his eyes as he stood up straight, both of us facing the aircraft. Taking his hand as I saw Lee waving for us, taking the first step of this wild journey we were about to begin:

"Let's end this war." 

2024 © itjazzbicch — do not repost or translate my work. Likes, reblogs, and comments are always welcome 

#tekken #tekken x reader #tekken x y/n #tekken fluff #tekken imagine #lars alexandersson #lars alexandersson x reader #lars alexandersson x y/n #lars alexandersson imagine #lars alexandersson fluff #read and enjoy

[problemnyatic]

You have to choose love. I'm sorry, I know. I know it hurts. I know you're upset, you deserve to be outraged. Your pain is real and deeply unjust. But you have to. You have to choose love.

There's too much hurt in the world. Too much bitterness. The powerful have built an inconciecable machine that turns all human suffering into unimaginable wealth, and it us hurting all of us. It has taught us to hurt each other.

We can't let it continue. We can't keep lashing out at each other. We can't keep making enemies of our siblings in pain. We have to choose love. We have to.

We have to forgive each other. Not entirely, we don't have to forget our pain, but we have to forgive enough to see each other as more alike than separate. We have to forgive each other for being taught to cause hurt.

I'm not your enemy. You aren't mine. There are people poisoning our planet en masse, killing our mother earth, erasing whole cultures, stripping human rights to keep us disempowered. We can't let ourselves become each other's enemies, even when we hurt each other.

Your pain is real. You deserve better. We all do. But we'll only achieve better if we save our ire for the real bigger fish. We can't keep fighting over the details, we all already agree on the most important part: we deserve better.

Language will always be muddy, we won't all speak the same meaning into the same words. We're gonna step on each other's toes, hurt each other deeply, even when we mean to be gentle. We're going to make mistakes along the way, we'll be misguided. But we have to forgive. We have to choose love.

I know this is preachy, I know this is vague, I know this is corny. I know. I'm just.. scared. I'm terrified. Every day I see so many like-minded people on here who would sooner tell one another to kill themselves than agree to fight for our common causes because of deeply held presumptions of character built on superficial things. I see people declaring anyone who finds joy in the wrong things, the wrong labels, to be as good as an abuser, as the very people who've put the boot on our necks in the first place.

I see so many people see the state of our world, the abysmal status quo, and respond by pouring a deep righteous passion into delineating who of us is a worthy enough aly and who is effectively a walking incarnation of their ideological enemy.

We'll never be able to achieve the unity we need to take our rights back if we're so quick to make teams and choose sides. I know, I know that a lot of these things actually matter, I'm not trying to dismiss the significance of any of these things.

What I'm saying is that, despite these conflicts, we need to swallow our differences and choose to love each other enough to focus not on the ways in which we are divided, but on our unity in oppression. Every LGBT person is threatened by any of us having our rights taken, we are a family. Every internet user, proship, antiship, vanilla, kinky, artist, lurker, all of us are threatened by attacks on privacy, by the advancement of censorship of any kind.

We can sort out our grudges when there's time. But I can't help but think too much is too dire for us to let ourselves choose to fight each other as enemies when we're all in such similar need of better.

We need humility in the face of error. We need to let go of the fear of being wrong, of having believed the wrong things, fought for the wrong causes, of having hurt other people. We need to release our guilt, for no amount of it will ever heal a wound inflicted, reverse an error made. We need to see even our enemies as human, even the worst of us as human. We need to remember that we, and others, can always make a choice.

Everything is so, so goddamn scary. It's hard to know what to believe, and who to trust, and who and what and where is safe. And I think that the answer has to be love. We have to love recklessly, we have to be kind no matter what. We have to trust ourselves to change, to be capable of change, of being accepted for changing, we have to trust each other to mean well, to accept us when we try to improve. We have to give second chances, we have to seek the humanity behind each other's actions, and seek to connect with it.

I love you. I want to make a better world with you. Even if we believe different things, I want your life to be easy. I want food in your fridge, I want joy to be an old friend you can always count on being in your daily life. I want rest for you. I want sleep to come easy, I want you to feel safe. I want you warm in the cold, and cool in the heat. I love you.

#I keep drafting posts like this #I don't know what I want to change or do I just #I want us all to fight less #we have more in common than anything else #we're not separate #we're all just animals who are scared and traumatized #and I think we should be each other's respite #I'm not a fool for loving the monster. I'm not careless for pushing through the cuts and claws #I will hold and hold and show gentleness until it clicks that even if I deserve to show anger #I will still choose to be safe #we all need to feel more safe #I want to add to that #I hope you will too #problemnyatic rambles #probpemnyatic thoughts

[mareenavee]

WIP Whenever~

Oh Hello it's ON TIME AGAIN!?

Hey. Anyway time tag ya'll! Are we writing like the wind this week? @paraparadigm, @changelingsandothernonsense, @thequeenofthewinter, @thana-topsy, @kookaburra1701, @oblivions-dawn, @throughtrialbyfire, @polypolymorph, @archangelsunited, @miraakulous-cloud-district, @dirty-bosmer, @gilgamish, @elfinismsarts, @saltymaplesyrup, @inquisition-dragonborn, @snippetsrus, @expended-sleeper, @wildhexe, @rainpebble3, @nuwanders, @sylvienerevarine, @demonablack83, @viss-and-pinegar, @late-nite-scholar, @greyborn2, @skyrim-forever, @rhiannon1199 and YOU yes you if I've forgotten your tag, it's actually HERE, you just can't see it. Tag me back :> Do the thing. Write the words!

So for this week, we have finished the Raven Rock arc and moved on to chapter 31 (of The World on Our Shoulders) and our favorite bean is back getting into a Situation~

More fresh-from-the-braincells content below the cut! Some overlap with Arc things, but some new words, too :>

6th of Sun’s Dawn 4E 202

Athis dodged out of the way as a glass greatsword came crashing down from out of the darkness. He jumped forward and stabbed into the weak spot between plates of glass armor. The Thalmor shrieked and pulled a Heal spell into his hands, greatsword clattering to the ground. Both sounds echoed down the stone passageways. In the distance, Avulstein was shouting something incomprehensible, answered by the shrill death throes of yet another Altmer. He had to move. There was no time to faff around with theatrics. The rest of these n’waah would be converging on them like draugr any second from now.

With a sickening crunch, Athis withdrew his sword. The Thalmor scrambled to press the magic into the wound, to no avail. Blood bubbled up out of his mouth as the light left his eyes, guts pooling inside his armor. Athis frowned and flicked the blood off of his sword as the man slumped forward into the mess of his own viscera. A terrible, inhuman howl answered Thalmor screams, which sent a shiver down his spine. Such was the way it had to be, apparently. So much for sneaking.

If Thorald was still alive, he’d be in the dungeons. That would be below ground, the best Athis could wager. Northwatch keep seemed to spiral in a purposefully confusing pattern, not unlike a Nordic tomb, built backwards and lopsided, prone to collapse. He wondered if that was on purpose, perhaps to keep the doomed from ever finding a way out again. With a quick glance around at the cells, it seemed that was the case here, at least. So many corpses, shattered limbs dangling at odd angles, stored in cells. For what, he didn’t want to know. The Thalmor liked to look proper on the outside, but all he’d ever known of them was darkness.

They’d driven his wife away, after all. Even if that wasn’t the full truth, it was enough for him to focus his fury at them. He’d said it before. He’d strangle the life out of every single one of these bastards with his bare hands if it meant making Skyrim safe for her again. He glanced up at the ceiling once the flash of anger passed, the sound of dragon wings still haunting his waking thoughts. As safe as it could ever be, anyway.

He adjusted his cloak, annoyed at the stains blooming over the fabric. He checked his armor — none of the blood was his, thankfully. He was too fast for them on their best days. He tightened his grip on the Skyforged sword, knit his brow and marched on. The roars and and shrieks above him hinted at exactly the kind of fate these Thalmor had brought down upon themselves when they decided to take Thorald.

Athis would have preferred to get in here and get out without drawing so much attention to themselves, or without bringing the ire of the entire faction onto their shoulders before Thorald was safe. The fights could have come later when they were more prepared and not as outnumbered. But Farkas, being who he was, had shifted with the Moons and the low-burning rage he’d been holding inside for weeks. Aela and Fralia had told him to wait before trying to figure out exactly what had happened — in the end, it was more Civil War stupidity.

The increase in Thalmor activity lately had troubled Athis incessantly. He thought about how odd their encounter on the road home had been before Nyenna had run off. Jarl Balgruuf did his best to keep the roads of Whiterun Hold clear of them, but they crawled now like insects, swarming where they shouldn’t. All this after Tullius had made a point of encroaching on some fort or another. Athis hadn’t paid that much attention. After that, the chaos had started to get more and more uncanny, like inroads were being paved for these bastards.

#MareenaWrites #WIP Whenever #WIP Wednesday #The World on Our Shoulders #Dragonborn and Far-Star Marked #Athis #LDB/Athis #Farkas #Avulstein #Thorald #Skyrim #Skyrim fic #tes #tesblr #elder scrolls #fanficblr #writeblr #writblr #Nyenna

[limbus-datamines]

Effie & Saude Announcer Lines

Long post, under cut

"id": "announcer_cheer_7_1", "dlg": "Okay, they're in the operation zone. Transmission acknowledged."

"id": "announcer_cheer_7_2", "dlg": "Let's make this operation an injury-free one, okay? Oh, that might be a foregone conclusion for them."

"id": "announcer_specialcheer_7_1", "dlg": "Your losses are too great. You should consider applying first aid to your injured. They're… not fighting to their deaths, right?"

"id": "announcer_specialcheer_7_2", "dlg": "Ah, please acknowledge. Too many of your team are injured… Yeah. They won't maintain their full operational capability if they keep going like this."

"id": "announcer_enemy_break_7_1", "dlg": "Look, a staggered enemy over there~ Let's take 'em out. No humanitarian methods… necessary."

"id": "announcer_ally_break_7_1", "dlg": "You've got a wounded ally. Let's try to distract the enemies and divert their attention elsewhere."

"id": "announcer_killenemy_7_1", "dlg": "Target neutralized. We will report this performance to the HR department."

"id": "announcer_ally_dead_7_1", "dlg": "Too many allied casualties. That's no good… Quit dying just because you can come back from it, okay?"

"id": "announcer_enemy_adv_7_1", "dlg": "Maybe you're just wasting your time against them… They'll require a new threat eval."

"id": "announcer_ally_adv_7_1", "dlg": "We're on the offensive again. I guess urgency really is a good motivator."

"id": "announcer_danger_7_1", "dlg": "This offensive will be our greatest and final chance. Focus. I've seen too many people bite it because they relaxed too soon."

"id": "announcer_enemy_specialskill_7_1", "dlg": "Incoming threat! I repeat, incoming threat! Remember, Saude? This brings me back to the time when a sniper had their sights right on my forehead."

"id": "announcer_enemy_specialgimmick_7_1", "dlg": "Wait… We got something on the radar. Yeah, it's a bit odd… Ground units, pay close attention to the evolving situation."

"id": "announcer_advatk_physical_7_1", "dlg": "Attack effectiveness evaluation… Positive! Hot damn, right on target!"

"id": "announcer_disadvatk_physical_7_1", "dlg": "Attack effectiveness evaluation… Negative. Hm, we're going to have to work out a different strategy for this one."

"id": "announcer_advatk_attr_7_1", "dlg": "A victory in tactics. Oh, that was a pretty good maneuver. What are you, a Manager or a Commander?"

"id": "announcer_disadvatk_attr_7_1", "dlg": "That seems… strategically disadvantageous. Well, they can't always get everything right. Unlike we do, that is."

"id": "announcer_enemy_specialbuff_7_1", "dlg": "Wait, they're powering up… It appears that something has raised their morale. Evaluate their capabilities before going in."

"id": "announcer_enemy_specialdebuff_7_1", "dlg": "Something didn't work out for them. Looks like our deception worked. Time to divide and conquer."

"id": "announcer_ally_specialbuff_7_1", "dlg": "Oho, you guys are on a roll. I can feel the heat through the microphone. Yes. This attack will be effective, should it connect."

"id": "announcer_ally_specialdebuff_7_1", "dlg": "They did… something against our allies. Hm… Manager, you better do something to alleviate that."

"id": "announcer_enemy_destroy_7_1", "dlg": "Oh wow, you absolutely destroyed it! A part of it has been broken off. Nice shot."

"id": "announcer_enemy_destroy_7_2", "dlg": "Postmortem report. A broken part observed. Completely broken, I might add."

"id": "announcer_round_takebigdmg_7_1", "dlg": "Woah, did someone carpet-bomb the area? Our allies suffered a crushing blow! Take cover, now!"

"id": "announcer_round_takebigdmg_7_2", "dlg": "That attack did a number on us… Let's fall back and regroup for now."

"id": "announcer_round_givebigdmg_7_1", "dlg": "Direct hit! This battle's almost ours, right? Yeah, we could hear the strike from all the way here."

"id": "announcer_round_givebigdmg_7_2", "dlg": "Whew~ I can feel the ground rumble from all the way over here. Yeah, perfect entry."

"id": "announcer_multikillenemy_7_1", "dlg": "Several hostile casualties identified. That really was a total obliteration~"

"id": "announcer_equip_7_1", "dlg": "Ah, acknowledge. This is Saude. And Effie. We'll be in charge of mission command."

#limbus company #announcer lines #saude #effie

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 24 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

β: wheres kotallo

β: i wanted to talk to him about strike

HIMBO: HE'S OUT WITH ALOY.

β: ew

HIMBO: NOT LIKE THAT!

DIVINER: Aw, that means I owe Varl money!

ADMIN [GAIA]: Aloy and Kotallo have obtained the last parts necessary for Kotallo's artificial limb, and will be testing it shortly.

β: oh he got it working

Zo: Good, that means I don't have to keep talking him out of fighting a machine one-handed.

DIVINER: (⊙_⊙)

DIVINER: You what.

HIMBO: HE'S TENAKTH.

β: explain as if we didnt grow up scrambling in the mud

FlameHairSavior: Beta!

β: sorry

Zo: Oh, Aloy, are you two done?

ADMIN [GAIA]: They are not. They are in the middle of combat right now.

Zo: Please focus.

DIVINER: Please explain what you said!!

DIVINER: Why would he fight a machine when he's obviously injured and doesn't have to??

HIMBO: THE TENAKTH HAVE TO BE USEFUL TO THE TRIBE. IF THEY CAN'T FIGHT A MACHINE, THEY'RE NOT USEFUL. SO THEY FIGHT A MACHINE AND PROVE IT, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

DIVINER: (°ロ°)

HIMBO: I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.

β: it means you people are crazy

HIMBO: IT'S NOT MY CULTURE.

β: fine

β: how do the crazy forge people who respect strength and swinging heavy things deal with physical disability

HIMBO: I MEAN, YOU DON'T REALLY NEED BOTH ARMS TO SWING A FORGE HAMMER.

DIVINER: But what if you did?? Or if he lost BOTH arms??

Zo: There is always work to be done, I am sure.

BoyNextDoor: Oh, we're getting to you later.

Zo: ...you seem angry.

BoyNextDoor: You didn't tell us that our friend was SUICIDAL.

Zo: It would have been unfair of me to enlist more people to argue against him.

BoyNextDoor: Fairness isn't the issue with suicide watch. The point is to talk him down. End of story.

Zo: Your people have an entire class of warrior for suicide missions.

BoyNextDoor: That's completely different and you know it.

DIVINER: Zo, how DO the Utaru handle disability?

β: subtle subject change

DIVINER: [CatGrantHush.gif]

Zo: The Utaru are not a particularly physical tribe. The disabled might need extra help, and in most cases cannot handle certain tasks such as lifting heavy loads, but there is always some way to contribute.

Zo: Most of our homes are woven, after all. That takes time, and another hand is always helpful.

β: what about the nora i thought you were all hunters

BoyNextDoor: Life is precious, and as long as you're alive, you can help. Stitchers weave clothing and patch up the wounded, and some of them were once Braves who are now too injured to hunt.

BoyNextDoor: Even if all they can do is talk and share their stories, there is something worthwhile.

FlameHairSavior: Unless they're an outcast.

Zo: Please focus on your fight.

MARSHAL Kotallo: The fight is done, and the limb serves well.

DIVINER: Yay!

BoyNextDoor: Aloy, you know I don't want to diminish your suffrage, but yours was a unique case. Most exiles only last a few months, and they're almost never children.

β: suffering

β: suffrage is a good thing

BoyNextDoor: Then why does it sound so similar?

ADMIN [GAIA]: Unfortunately, most of my etymology databases were stored with APOLLO, so I cannot answer that question.

β: and i definitely didnt bring any of those databases with me

FlameHairSavior: Varl, I know, okay? I know my situation was unheard of. It just... growing up like that was a lot, okay? I just need to complain.

BoyNextDoor: That's fair.

FlameHairSavior: And now that I think of it, exiles DID sometimes help the tribe. Rost was called to hunt those Sawtooths that attacked the village just before the Proving.

FlameHairSavior: Though he wasn't a normal exile either.

β: seems like theres always some slagging exception to every rule

Zo: Has Erend been teaching you to curse?

HIMBO: YOU SAID WE SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME TOGETHER!

BoyNextDoor: Not like that!

MARSHAL Kotallo: What did I just walk into?

Chapter 24 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

#horizon forbidden west #horizon zero dawn #horizon #erend vanguardsman #hzdbasechat #kotallo #varl #aloy #zo #beta horizon

[tem60]

"fragile"

Jotaro x gender neutral reader

hii! it's my first oneshot I've written on tumblr. I hope it turned out ok. anyway, have a good day and enjoy the story from Jotaro's pov! he's a softie inside and we all know it

also I miiight be opening requests soon, I'll let y'all know when I'm ready<<

word count: 1981

warnings: there's that one swear word.. at the very beginning

Each day we're getting closer to ending it all. Each day welcomes us with difficulties such as stand user or other cases. And each day I can't help but notice how different they seem. They're anxious, but they smile at me, or other crusaders. They're being nice to everyone, even though they're also having it rough to fight and survive this hell of a time. Their stand heals our every wound even if it takes a lot of energy to do so. How can they stay so positive about everything like this? And why do I envy them at some point?

I'm scared of what tomorrow could bring, although I know I must stay strong for the others. It's getting harder and harder each fucking way to do so. And yet they stay happy, or at least it seems like that. As far as I know they were good at keeping secrets, especially about themselves and their abilities. After all, I saw their stand only a week ago, and we're on our journey for about a month now. After that fight with Anubis, the stand that used swordsmanship and his own strength at best he could to crush our lives, they did manifest it that day. That fight wasn't as successful as I wanted it to be but I've never been this tired in my life to even think about it. Or at least never been while on this trip. They showed their stand on impulse, as if they didn't mean it to and yet they'd done it. They healed me. I was tired and thought that another stand was after us, I got scared because how was I supposed to protect Polnareff, them or even myself at that point? However everything was alright, at least that's what they'd told me.

My mom.. what if we fail? I wouldn't be able to hear her caring voice, would I? I'm trying to be strong but it seems as if it's never enough. I'm getting tired, each day I don't think we're going to make it, but I always throw away these kind of thoughts to stay strong. After all they all rely on me, don't they? I rely on myself. I should be able to do it so.. why am I here, now?

I've never been worried this much in my life, not when I matured enough to be responsible for my actions. Why has it come to this? Me, not being able to sleep because of them, crying. It can't be real right? When have I become this soft for anyone? Weren't I afraid of being rejected before? And why do their voice rings in my head and I recall every moment they helped me get through something, even if I didn't ask for it.

I'm sick of it. I'm sick of them being all nice to me. I've had enough of seeing their face they make when I make an attempt on making a joke. I hate it when they laugh at it even though it wasn't that funny. Their eyes, God how much I hate them. Behind those eyes hides no pity, only indulgence and patience. I'm sick of liking the sound of their voice, the way their eyes focus on me to make sure I'm okay. Their touch. Gentle touches, I thought only my mother could give them. Their touches aren't needy or curious, they seek my consent before doing anything. They respect me a little bit too much, I hate it so much. Especially now.

I've just woken up from that.. dream I've had. It was bizarre, that's all I know. I heard some noises next to me, that's why I woke up in the first place, right? But I couldn't just turn around and see what was behind me that was making all this noises. I knew exactly what it was, I just couldn't do it. As if I was frozen, I couldn't move nor breathe, I just listend to the way they cried behind me on their own bed that was next to mine. I begged to move, to do something, and yet I couldn't. It was frustrating, I started to panic slowly. I've never thought that comforting someone would be this hard on it's own.

Hearing them cry broke my heart. I've never seen them sad, nor with a frown on their face. Always smiling, wishing best for everyone and hoping to keep them safe. And yet here they are. They must have snapped, what other could've happened that made them cry like this? They were crying quietly, as if afraid of waking me up even though I'm already awake, yet they don't know that. They don't know I can hear every breath they take, or the way they try to quiet down their hiccups just to not let anyone hear them.

We all have a hard time being here, in Egypt. I should've let them cry, right? That should help them more than my simple words, I probably won't make a whole sentence even if I tried. Then why bother? I'll just try and go back to sleep, why should I care about that?

Yet here I found myself slowly turning to face them. It's dark, the only light that is emitting their shaking frame is the moon itself, as if it was showing me the way. It made me move on my own, as if I was hypnotised. By what exactly? I'm not sure. My chest started to hurt really badly, I had to do something. But shouldn't I not care and let them be? Wouldn't it be best to let them do it themselves? In fact, I'm not sure myself. Automatically I stood up from my bed and walked towards them, their back was facing me so they shouldn't have noticed me. Unless they heard me stand up and walk up go them? They must have really kept the watch out for me. Why are they like this? What happened to them?

They turned to me as if scared that I would hurt them. But they weren't scared of me, no. They must have been afraid of me eavesdropping on their little cries, that's what made them catch their breath in their chest and look at me while all I did was look at them back. Stunned as I was, all I could do was cough awkwardly and look everywhere else but their eyes.

"You uh.. you alright?" I said while feeling the nervousness build up in my stomach and a certain pain in my chest as I said those words. Their tears were shining under the moonlight that came through the small window we had in this flat. Yet they seemed to just be shocked by my presence, especially since I was standing above them.

They hadn't said anything. All they did was catch my bigger hand in theirs and bring me down to sit next to them. So I did, with a little hesitation in my movements.

They couldn't look at me, I saw the way they tried to look everywhere else but me, I've done that minutes ago, that's why it was easier to notice it. But I didn't judge them for it. In fact, I opened my arms and offered them silently a hug. I don't know what's going on but perhaps this could help? My mum used to always hug me when I was distressed, it did usually help me but she.. she said a lot of comforting words that came straight out of her heart. I couldn't do it, I'm not as open as my mum is.

Thankfully they hugged me back, in fact with absolutely no hesistation. I secured them in my arms holding around their smaller frame and let them cry their eyes out as if I was a shoulder they could cry on. My frowning eyes were focused on the door that was behind them, I couldn't think about anything logically. All I had in mind was this urge to make them smile again, to help them get through it all, without knowing the reason behind it. I patted their head a few times, hiding it in my shoulder while their arms were around my neck, hugging it tightly and crying together, but this time not as quietly as before.

I didn't judge them, in fact I didn't do much at all. And yet after a few minutes they broke the hug and looked at me with this gorgeous smile I wanted to see before. This smile that keeps me up at night and each time starts a fire in my heart. Am I becoming too soft for them? Old man told me about that feeling when he met grandma. It was similar to what I felt towards them now. I envied them before but now I see that we have some things in common. They're like a sea of emotions and hobbies I wish to find myself swimming in everyday, even dive in the deepest parts of it if possible. So mysterious and dangerous, I want to be able to seek for answers on their behaviour. I need to know that they're okay.

That realisation was the reason why I let myself slip a small smile, also in response to them lifting corners of those lips that said so many nice things to me, to all of the crusaders or other people I never cared to acknowledge. And now, those specific lips opened up a little to leave only a few quiet words for me.

"Thank you, Jotaro" - was what they whispered this night. I didn't do anything and yet they thanked me for it. Why did it leave a warm feeling in my chest? They were just appreciating the silence that fell between us. "It means a lot" then they added. I smiled up even more after those words, but quickly hid my face under the brim of my hat.

"Don't mention it." I told them while still having my arms around them. Since when was their touch so addictive? It's like I didn't want them to leave my arms. "Do you.. want to talk about it?" was what I said next, not being sure of what's bound to happened next.

All they did was shake their head, I didn't push any further, knowing how I myself didn't appreciate others doing it. Minutes has passed and we lied down on the mattress, it was a cold night after all, that was why we lied down together. I decided to sleep next to them that night. Why? Even I have no idea. The feeling of not being there for them hurt a lot more than one could've imagined. They didn't seem to mind me sleeping next to them so.. I believe it's alright.. for now. As long as I get to be their safe spot in those dark times, I'm sure we'll be fine.

That night I promised to keep them safe, no matter if their problems were huge, or trivial. I refused to believe that I could be no longer next to them to spend similar moments like these. That was another reason why I wanted to keep on fighting. I wanted to help my mum, save those who are dear to me and to have this ability of seeing Y/N next to me, simply having them close around and safe.

I felt their arms sneek around my waist. I smiled under my nose and put my other hand around their frame in hesistation. That feeling was satisfying. And it was mutual, I felt them relax under my hand which resulted in me taking a deep breath and surprisingly finding myself also relaxing in their touch.

That night, was also the night they both finally got a good sleep while being on this journey for about a month now.

so yeah this is it, I hope this small piece brings some comfort to your lives, cus I know things can get tough.. to anyone who needs this: im proud of you and hope youll be doing better soon! i believe in you guys so much :D and thank you for your time!

#jotaro x reader #jotaro kujo x reader #jjba jotaro #comfort #small angst #jotaro kujo #oneshot

[ashtronomyys]

First Meetings

Simon "Ghost" Riley & Kyle "Gaz" Garrick Mentions of Injury/Blood, Bit of Angst, Happy Ending

"You remember the first time we met?"

The question breaks Ghost out of the spiral he was falling headfirst into. "Do I what?"

"Remember the first time we met," Gaz repeats. "It was the first day when we were all at the same base. Price and I dropped in an hour early." He swallows harshly around his words. "We figured we'd be the first ones there, gave us plenty of time to get settled in before the rest of the task force showed up."

Ghost scrunches his nose in frustration. "Kyle, is now really the time fo-"

"But we get there, and we find that there you were, dropped off at God knows what hour and waiting at the sidelines for somebody to come and get you. Looking like a lost kid on the first day of school," Gaz glances back over his shoulder and smirks at Ghost. "Not that you'd ever admit that."

Ghost scoffs, reaching behind him to grab more tape to wrap the bandages up with. "That's cause I wasn't lost. Was just waiting on one of the useless lackeys to tell me where my bloody quarters were."

He takes one more glance over the supplies laid out on the table, running through the checklist ingrained in his head before getting to work. Luckily, it seemed like the bullet hadn't hit anything severe, just nipping his right shoulder and passing through the other side.

It still seemed like it took a lot out of the sergeant. Med evac not an option as they were waist deep in hostile territory, all they could do for the time being was wrap him up to slow the bleeding and push on. With them finally in the safe house, all the fight and adrenaline leaving his body left Gaz looking more haggard by the minute.

"You know it's rather funny," Gaz continues, "when the Cap'n told me to keep an open mind when meeting you guys, I figured he was going on about harsh personalities and butting heads. Imagine my surprise when we enter the complex, and he introduces me to a towering lieutenant with a skull for a face."

"What, costume-making not a part of your manual?" Ghost fires back.

Gaz snickers. "No. But then again, none of the other shit we deal with is either now is it," he winces under his breath as Ghost applies pressure to the wound. "I still remember our first actual conversation. It was late at night, I couldn't sleep, first day nerves and all, and I figured a late night jog might tire me out. 'Remember this nagging feeling, like something was watching me from the shadows. I get myself so worked up over it that by the time I'm making my way back around to the barracks and I spot that skull watching me in the dark, I bloody screamed!" Gaz laughs, "the sorriest fuckin' scream, you 'member that?"

Ghost hums along to the story, his majority of his focus on patching up Gaz adequately enough until he can get him proper medical treatment. He should be fine, really. He's seen plenty of soldiers make it out of the battlefield with far, far worse. But he still can't shake the feeling of unease that sits in his stomach, his hands trembling as he wraps the bandage around his shoulder.

Maybe it's because he partially blames himself for Gaz getting hurt. Maybe he should've taken the lead down that alleyway, double-checking their six for the both of them like he should have done. Maybe he made the wrong call, a minor slip up that now resulted in his comrade, the rock that held the 141 together, slowly bleeding out in a rickety chair some miles out from the nearest hospital.

"Ghost? You still with us?"

"Right, yeah. Solid. Continue," Ghost startles.

"I asked you a question, mate! I'll take the lack of response as a 'no' then." Ghost eyes him quizzically, and Gaz clicks his tongue before explaining. "Was asking you if you were ever going to quit smoking, eh? Go full cold turkey?"

Oh great, this again. At least Gaz isn't as hounding on him about the matter as Laswell is. "Same answer as before, if I make it to retirement. Why bring it up now?"

"It's one of the first things we talked over," Gaz shrugs, or rather, tries to shrug. "I asked what on bloody Earth you were doing, stalking around the place like a damn ghoul. You didn't say much, just offered me a cigarette to make up for being a damn creep."

"That's right," Ghost reminisces. "You turned me down. Said that out of everything out here, the last thing that was going to kill you would be a nicotine addiction." He laughs bitterly. The joke hits a little too close to home now with the circumstances they're in.

"Yeah, and you told me you didn't want to share anyway… you really know how to make a first impression, don't you?" Gaz absentmindedly rubs at his shoulder while the bandages are applied to his wound.

It's not perfect, but it should hold him over until exfil can get them outta here. It better, at least. Ghost's eyes trace over the trail of blood leading from the doorway over to the table they're sat at. He notices how his hands shake as he wraps the tape around the bandage, and he has to take a deep, steadying breath. He chastises himself for letting his emotions get the best of him now.

"I'll tell you, I'll never forget my first impression of you that day. Here I thought you might be cold, standoffish, and distant, which you can be," he tosses a smirk back at Ghost. "But that night, after an hour of chatting over the horrid smell of smoke you left, I remember seeing just a little bit of that shell of yours crack… and seeing a little bit of the man you really were sneak out from behind that mask. You remember what we talked about?"

Of course he did. He recalls so clearly how laid bare and afraid he had been that first day. Still remembers the trepidation and fear he felt at having to expose himself, leave himself vulnerable under the snare of a new team.

"You asked me if I could really trust you," Gaz continued. "Big, domineering guy with a fucking face mask and all. And I said yeah, I would. If Price chose you, then knew I could trust you… And that was the first time I saw that wall you built to protect yourself come down for just a second."

Ghost swallows harshly. God, he's fucked up big time. He let one of the few people he loves, one of the few people who truly sees him for who he is, get hurt.

Gaz slowly turns around in the chair to face Ghost now, leaning against the table for support. "I meant it then, and I mean it now Simon. Don't think that this-" he gestures to the wound "-changes anything. I know you've got my back, and I've got yours. On and off field. For life mate."

He bumps Ghost's shoulder with his uninjured arm. "So quit you're bloody sulking, Simon. I'm going to be fine, it barely grazed my shoulder. Sides, I've dealt with far worse," he fixes him with a cheeky grin. "I swear I can still feel the pain in my back some days from that damned helicopter rope."

Ghost has to take a second to look away from that blinding smile on his face. Fuck if those sincere words were actually getting to him a little bit. It was probably just what Ghost needed to hear, though he'd hate to admit. He still felt some responsibility for the situation, but the honesty did help to curb some of the shuddering and self loathing still running through him.

Always the levelheaded one of the group, somehow Gaz always knew the way to ground everyone back to reality.

Ghost turns back to him. "Yeah…you're probably right. That back's going to give out on you years ahead of Price, I'll bet."

Gaz chortles softly, the edges of his eyes wrinkle beautifully. "Oh, I'm sure you'd love to see it. Just dying for your biggest completion on the task force to get knocked down a peg, are you?"

"Course not, if you go down then that'd just leave me with Soap!"

The two men let out their own broken laughs then. Ghost's comes out harshly and Gaz's comes out clipped, sounding exhausted as he winces toward the end.

"Thanks for humoring me with the story, Simon… You did good…." His head starts dipping lower onto the table. "Fucking hell, I'm getting tired.."

"Keep upright, Sergeant," Ghost barks. "Need to see that you make it to evac." As his head dips lower, Ghost harshly slaps at Gaz's cheek.

He jumps back up for a moment in the chair. "S-sorry! Sorry! Fuck, I'm just bloody tired."

"I know. Just keep upright Gaz, you'll get to rest later." Ghost speaks softly, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Gaz, stay upright," he says louder a few minutes later.

"Gaz! That's an order!"

"Kyle!"

……….

"Doctor, he's not going to make it! He's lost so much blood. It's only a matter of time befo-"

"I'm not giving up on him yet, Grace! Richard! Prep trauma! We'll be cutting it close, but if we can stabilize him enough to-"

*Click*

"-ith of the spotted cubs along the ice shelf. He hurriedly hops along the snowy tundra… just behind his brothers and sisters back to their mother."

Yeah, that's much better.

Gaz relaxes back into the hospital bed, throwing the remote to the side and reaching over to dig out the pudding cup Price stashed for him later. He breaks the seal on the plastic cover and digs in while a sea lion cub cuddles into its mother's side for warmth. He sighs into the first chocolaty mouthful. It was the cheap, rubbish kind, but God did it hit the spot after the last couple of days he's had.

It killed him to be stuck here one more night. The clinical tang of hospitals and the unease that hang in the air always put Gaz on edge. There wasn't much he could do while he waited either. There were only so many hours of sleep he could do in the day to pass the time, and his team had all been called away by work today.

The task force visited him when they could, all three being the first thing he saw when he woke up after his procedures. Since then, they've popped in here and there, helping him pass the time by talking or playing cards late into the night.

Well, all of them except Ghost. The lieutenant still hadn't been down since that first day. Not that Gaz held him to it or anything though. He's sure he's been busy with all kinds of tasks and debriefings back at base. And if he really gave it some thought, Gaz had a sneaking suspicion that Ghost still felt some responsibility for what had happened, and was avoiding Gaz because of it.

Bloody drama queen.

He's the reason he's still here in the bloody first place! Ghost had his six the entire way through, kept the hostiles at bay and guided them out of the damn city. That patch up at the safehouse giving him just enough time to make it out until he got help. Hell, he even resuscitated Gaz when he went under for a brief moment.

How one of the top SAS soldiers in the field and one of the deadliest soldiers in the world could be such an oblivious fool is beyond him. Gaz set the empty container on the end table. Well, there's no sense in stressing over it now. He'll just have to pull him to the side when he gets back to base and have a heart-to-heart. Maybe thanking him for keeping him alive will be enough to snap him out of it.

A few more hours of flipping through channels later, and Gaz figures it's about time he try and get some shut-eye. The lights are all dimmed down by now, and only the beeping of machines and the occasional shuffle of a nurse outside are the only sounds left in the hall.

Gaz is just feeling the edges of sleep take over him when suddenly the door to his unit creaks open.

He stifles a groan rising in his throat and opts to definitely keep his back turned away from the door and feign sleep. Who on Earth would be bothering him at this hour?

Several beats of silence pass, and Gaz starts to wonder if he made up the whole thing before the slow creak of the door closing echoes in the room.

His guest stands still for a moment before stepping lightly to one of the chairs in the corner and sitting down directly behind him.

Greaat. He's got a damn serial killer watching over him while he sleeps now. Gaz is halfway through debating if he should act on instinct and call for someone, but then a voice disrupts his thinking.

"I do remember that first day."

Gaz opens his eyes. Ghost?

"You asked if I remembered the first day we met." He hears him shuffle in his seat. "I remember everything about that day."

"I was a Ghost. More so than just the namesake. Deployed wherever they needed me by whoever without a care in the world. And I preferred it that way, no being tied down, no broken promises and false hopes, and definitely no growing close with anyone." Gaz hears him laugh dryly. "Quite the way to live, isn't it?"

Gaz doesn't respond. He weighs his options, letting him continue while Gaz fakes being asleep feels like a bit of an intrusion, but this is also one of the few times Ghost has opened up to him like this. Gaz decides he doesn't want to break the spell.

"So it was no surprise to me when, the heads in charge essentially jumped at the chance to hand me off to some new captain and rid their hands clean of me. That's how I found myself dropped off hours before anyone else, left to sit on the sidelines until my new orders came in… And no, I really wasn't lost. My people didn't bother to send in the right paperwork, so I was left waiting for Price to clear the issue. Bet you feel bad now, you arsehole," Gaz feels Ghost lightly kick the bed-end with his foot.

Okay. Yeah, he did actually feel bad now for that jab earlier.

"I got told the same spiel about 'butting heads' and other crap, but Price gave me a little ribbing as well. He said 'Now Simon, I want you to know these are good people I've chosen to join the task force.'-" Ghost mimics the Captain's gruff voice. "-'I trust these men with my life, including you. Now I won't ask too much of you, but I want you to know that they have my seal of approval, and it is my hope that you can maybe gain learn something from working with this crew.' One thing I learned so far is that the Scottish are shit at making a cup'a tea."

Gaz nearly breaks his composure at that comment, all of his military training coming in clutch to keep from laughing.

"I do remember our first handshake. I still held the belief that I'd be sent off to some shithole somewhere by myself again, so I didn't bother much with formalities. Still though, you and Soap, you guys had every right to be put off by my demeanor those first few days. But you both met me with the warmest eyes regardless, like a couple of sappy dogs you two are."

Well look who's the sappy one over here, waxing poetry over their first few days as a team. Gaz is savoring every second of it though. He knew the man had a caring side to him, and it feels great to be vindicated as Ghost pours his heart out into the dark.

"And how could I forget our first actual conversation?! I'd never forget that squeal you let out when you finally saw me." Ghost chuckles.

Maybe he spoke too soon.

"Okay, but seriously though," Ghost straightens up, "I actually remember our conversation very fondly. I asked you why you were running so late in the middle of the night and you told me how you couldn't sleep. You opened up about all the things eating away at you and all the fears plaguing you, sounded awfully too similar to mine. And I gave you some advice of my own, which you happily accepted… all except the cigarette. Speaking of which, I could really fucking go for right now, but I won't, just this once for you. Hope you're happy."

Gaz accepts the small victory. He'll take them where he gets them.

"But yeah, I still remember all the stories you told me. Your journey and how you got onto the taskforce, what you hoped to find under Price's command, and how you thought you'd found it… I didn't open up much to you that night. Couldn't. But I want you to know that that back and forth with you, was some of the first /real/ banter I'd had with someone in what felt like years."

There's a long pause as Ghost gathers his thoughts. "You know I um- I think after everything that happened to me all those years ago, -well not think, I know- I know that it takes a lot for me to put my faith in other people. To feel confident enough to let that shell a'mine come down. And joining the 141, fucking hell, everything was screaming at me not to. Yelling at me that it would all just happen all over again or that-" Ghost's voice falters. "Joining the 141, it was my first time in a long while in a more permanent team. It was my biggest fear, taking the chance on someone new. I had to spend months relearning how to trust a people again… But you made it easier."

Gaz feels a pang in his chest. He's glad he's turned away from Ghost at this moment, he wouldn't really know what to say. He blinks a slight bit of wetness away from his eyes.

"That night, conversation with you just flowed so easily. I wasn't sure if I was capable of having a heart-to-heart to someone with someone anymore, but we did. And when you answered that you trusted me after all that, I think I realized that maybe I could eventually let my guard down. Fix that broken patch in my psyche and learn to trust people wholeheartedly again."

Gaz is at a loss for words. All he can think of is that it's been an honor to be a part of the remedy that helped Simon Riley come back to the world of the living.

"Anyways, all this to say that maybe you caught on that I was a kicking myself over what transpired. And you're right, it happens all the time with no warning for guys like us, you know, I just- -It still kills me to see you guys, any of you guys injured under my watch."

Gaz feels Ghost's hand, his ungloved hand, pat his side. "You all are good men. Some of the best men I've come to know. You guys took me, me in, of all people, and showed me what trust looked like again. You all deserve to see to the end of this taskforce and to see your... your sappy fucking sunsets on your bloody porch swings while you're old and graying." Oh God, did he hear Ghost just sniffle? "So maybe the other day I worried that that would get taken from you and I got scared. Doesn't matter anyway though, does it? You're here in one piece, and I was worrying my arse off for nothing. It's good to see you healthy again Sergeant, rest easy mate."

Ghost gently bumps his fist on Gaz's side again before turning away. Gaz almost wants to let him walk out of the room, but part of him feels as if he has to say something to the bloke after all of that heartfelt confession. Maybe some of Soap's eccentricities are starting to rub off on him.

"That was beautiful Simon," he says simply.

And yeah, it's a little evil after the speech that was just said, but flipping over and seeing that 'deer caught in the headlights' look on Ghost's face is still priceless.

"Fuuucking Hell, were you listening the whole time you daft bastard?!"

"'Fraid so sir."

"Right, well- -you've heard enough then, haven't you?" Ghost glares at Gaz, somehow it doesn't hold as much weight as it usually does. "Get some rest then, and heal up good. Cause the next time a bullet hits you, I'm letting you bleed out."

Ghost just about stomps to the door, but before he can slam it shut Gaz calls out to him. "Ay Simon!"

That skull mask peaks around the doorway.

"I'm glad you trust us. And I'm glad you're on the force, wouldn't want it without ya."

It's dark, so it's hard to tell, but it seems like the scowl behind the mask softens just the slightest bit.

"You too. Night Kyle."

~~~~~~~~~~

Little drabble I did for the GhostGazWeek happening on Twitter. Prompt was for First Meetings.

#mw #cod mwii #ash writings #simon ghost riley #kyle gaz garrick #simon ghost riley & kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz garrick & simon ghost riley #GhostGazWeek #GhostGazWeek2023 #GhostGaz

[kursed-arcana]

Psycho Pass Providence Review

I saw it in theaters and it was even better then I imagined.

Turning Akane into a tragic heroine may have been the best choice for her character after all. Her self sacrifice elevated her character to another level in my eyes.

I have not yet watched season 3 or first Inspector due to patiently waiting for the dub, but knew akane's fate and how it resolves. I went into this movie hoping it would explain how Akane was imprisoned and fearing she would take the fall for Shindo based on the context the film provided, instead I was pleasantly surprised to see our heroine take her fate into her own hands and make a difficult choice. Her self sacrifice was flawless and I was nearly in tears when she broke down. There is even a fantastic parallel between her choice here and Kougami's at the end of one. They both leave each other letters and both call the other an idiot for their decision. I left the theater fully satisfied.

I really appreciate how Kougami and Akane are always on eachothers minds and how their past interactions motivate their present actions even when they're apart. I think they'd make an excellent couple and Kougami being such a stubborn baby and not apologizing to Akane and being shocked when she hung up on him was too funny. I feel like them understanding eachother so well is both a strength and a weakness. It could very well be what keeps a a clear canon paring for them from happening. But I feel like this ending for Akane opens a lot of doors for them going forward. In the eyes of sybil, they're now two of a kind. The power imbalance barrier from their different statuses is now gone! And from what I hear about season 3 and first Inspector, I believe we'll be able to get more content of the two of them working together again in the near future.

On to the rest of the movie and cast.

I can't help but enjoy Mika. I think her character arc in 2 was actually really interesting and a nice contrast to Akane. And seeing her devastation at Akane's actions after she had just tried to save her, really spoke to me. I feel like she's still very much that broken girl from season 1 and Akane's loss probably opened up those wounds again. Her character has a lot more potential than most fans acknowledge.

Gino also has a prominent supporting role in this movie. Whether interacting with Kougami, Akane and Frederica he really shines. He is clearly happy to be with Kougami again, but let's his pride get in the way. But at the end of the day, they are both incredibly loyal to Akane. While Gino protects her as a shield, Kougami fights for her like a sword. It offers a unique dynamic. They essentially have Akane on a pedestal, as does sybil itself, which makes her very public and on purpose fall from grace all the more interesting. What will these two men do now that Akane has made herself a martyr for the justice her ideals strive to protect? I think we all have an idea of where the story goes from here whether we've watched the next material in the timeline already or not.

Finally its worth noting that essentially the entire supporting cast gets a few moments to shine, whether from season 1 or 2, and of course some characters from 3. The cast from 3 may not be the focus this time but they are still present in the background and I believe this movie answers some questions about their pasts.

In closing some stray thoughts.

- I can't help but ship Frederica and Gino now. They had great chemistry and a moment of theirs mirrors and earlier Koihami x Akane ship baiting moment in the movie. Keep yours open for it!

-we lost a good man this go around. His death generally shocked me. Keeping it vague so I don't lessen the impact!

- the music for this movie is A+ however, there is no after credit scene if you dont want to listen to the ending

#psycho pass #providence #shinya kougami #akane x kougami #akane tsunemori #spoilers #review #psycho pass providence #movie review #analysis

[modern-inheritance]

Arya and Glenwing Scar Maps (Eldest)

(This post is somewhat WIP I lost my train of thought but will be back at it in the morning!) These are indeed what it says on the tin, and as we know, MIC!Arya is not the type to A. heal her scars and B. can't. really. heal them. I'm again working on some stuff to explain that but I keep hitting roadblocks and...yeah. Right, I meant to say that this has scars and whatnot, so trigger warning and I've put it under the cut.

I've done a ton of research into this stuff (read: reread the same stuff over and over and downloaded some papers but didn't read them yet) and think that if that was early enough intervention and continued management/PT then these two could probably live with the scars that I've laid out. But we will have to suspend disbelief and remember we're in a fantasy world.

On to our Trauma Twins/Trauma Babies and the scar map they have in their med files in Eldest!~

Glenwing

Glenwing isn't as (dare I say) religious about keeping his scars. He has kept his first bulletwound scar on his calf, a handful of cuts from battles where he just didn't feel the need or have the time/energy to put aside for himself afterwards to heal, or just liked the look of to be completely honest. The scars on his face are from a battle that involved not only highly trained soldiers that were the personal guard of a Forsworn, but the Forsworn themself. Due to his reliance on close quarters fighting, Glen got into the thick of it and ended up getting fairly soundly beaten while he provided a distraction for a counterattack. The scars wrapped around his legs from a rather unfortunate encounter with a barbed wire countermeasure during one of his and Arya's many covert sabotage runs are his personal reminder to remain vigilant.

Most of the burns Glenwing sustained while dragging himself and Fäolin's body through the charred area of Du Weldenvarden after the ambush were healed while he was unconscious. A few were left due to them being deemed non-critical, and with the secondary gunshot wound to his hip being muscle only, focus was primarily placed on his left arm. Some attempts were made to save the limb, but in the end it required amputation due to the already encroaching gangrene and irreparable damage to the elbow joint.

Nowadays you can see Glen out and about wearing his custom prosthetic, a magically enhanced metal limb he and Rhunön developed, fitted and created together. Combining Glen's bio and physiological knowhow with Rhunön's crafting skills, the end result was a near identical ruddy orange, grey and white left arm that fit to his residual limb and connected to his nerves for natural movement, speed and grace. He's still adapting to it, constantly working with Rhunön and later Arya to make tweaks and adjustments, along with the neverending maintenance and upkeep that comes with a mechanical limb, but Glen is always singing praises for Rhunön's craftsmanship and for giving him another shot at ending this damn war.

When he's at the flat in Ellesméra, taking a much deserved break without threat of attack, or simply hanging out with Arya, Eragon, Saphira and Brom, Glen doesn't mind taking his arm off. It's when he's among others that he feels somewhat self conscious, but he's never turned down questions about his injuries.

Arya

Arya's scars are...extensive. To say the least. A majority of them are from her time in Gil'ead, and a somewhat disturbing truth of it is that despite the mess her back was left in, it's not even a fraction of what was done. Most of the scars that are left are ones that had healed before her rescue, ones that were minor enough for Eragon, Saphira and Brom to pass over, ones that could only be healed up to the surface to save time/energy, or had to be healed over time. Most are ones that had already healed previously.

Both she and, eventually, Glenwing, have attempted to heal some of the more physically painful scars to decrease the smattering of movement restriction and nerve pain that the scar tissue causes, but, at least for the time during Eldest, are unable to do much more than PT and nonmagical healing methods. Eragon was not the sole recipient of a curse at Durza's hand, and for the time being it prevents the scars from being healed. Not that Arya minds all that much, but there are some that she'd prefer to have erased.

The lines up and down her arms are ones she'd be happy to do away with. She's not yet told anyone what their purpose was, waving it away as something that causes her no problem and thus something not to worry about. She does her best to ignore them and the memories around them, but sometimes, after days without sleep in misguided attempts at staving off night terrors and Recall, she can't keep those memories at bay.

Arya wears her scars as a badge of pride, though she's not entirely open about them with certain people. She's more comfortable openly displaying them among the Varden, where scars and other disfiguring marks are more commonplace due to magic being less of a factor in everyday life. It saves her from having to explain why she never healed them. The scars are also, in a strange, twisted way, a way to ground herself in the present. Durza resorted to twisting her reality at times, induced fevered states that he could use to influence her dreams and nightmares. And in each, he never thought to include the scars her imprisonment would have left. They are a reminder to Arya that she is not stuck in Gil'ead, not living her current life through the haze of a false memory placed there by some man shaped monster. She's out, she's free, and while the imprint of the shackles remain, they serve to remind her that she shattered them months ago.

#sorta a WIP post I'll add more tags once it's done #eragon #inheritance cycle #the cyclists #modern inheritance #ket's modern inheritance cycle #the inheritance cycle #arya drottingu #arya (inheritance) #Glenwing #glen #glenwing (inheritance) #trauma babies #trauma twins #ptsd #scars #scar map #there is a lot behind the scenes for many of these that just hasn't been written yet #there are hints everywhere but nothing concrete yet #'hot mess' 'wow thanks!' #torture #tw scars #look im sciencing for these okay im also trying to convince myself i didn't go too far #and also trying to hold back some of the lore because i have lots to write still #wow i need to reevaluate my brain again

[bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls]

I am not conventionally attractive. In a way that isn't salvageable without various surgeries, which is an option I've ruled out for various reasons. I don't like my body but I can rationalise that people are attracted to different body types. And you'd be proud of me if I was yours, I lost more than 60lbs. I trust my partner with everything apart from when he tells me that I'm pretty or that he's attracted to me. Or any other similar sentiments. I don't believe him, I can't make what he's saying make sense. I can see what I look like, I know that I'm ugly. This had also been confirmed by multiple outsiders, or at least a lot of people told me I was ugly in high school. He does everything you're supposed to, he says all the right things. I love him so much, and I'm a less good wife/sub/daughter to him because of this. We had a few threesomes early on and he would love to do more but now the idea of another girl with us just makes me feel like I'm nothing, I can't. My face makes me so sad. If I was one of your girls I guess the answer would be they would never doubt you like that but I'm still spinning this out hoping you have some pearls of wisdom for me. Therapy hasn't really helped. Trying to make peace with looking like this or ignoring it hasn't helped. I just keep picking at it like it's a wound.

Okay, first… 60lbs? You fucking bad-ass! I don’t care who owns you, I’m proud of you. That’s not easy, and requires a level of determination that can be incredibly difficult to muster. You deserve far more credit than that one little sentence allows.

Second, I cannot begin to stress how utterly irrelevant the opinions of high school kids truly are… as a whole, they’re among the most emotionally myopic people on the planet. I know the petty cruelties of insipid children can haunt us, but I promise, absolutely nothing said by a teenaged boy as you passed his locker in 2010 is worth a single nanosecond of your adult time.

Third, I need you to start doing some serious work on developing your ability to trust. Because it sounds like you have a solid guy on your hands, someone who cares about you and actively seeks to include you in his life. And while I know you don’t intend it to be so, it’s a little insulting that you’re so dismissive of his admiration. You don’t need to agree with his assessment of you, but you’ve gotta accept that it is his assessment… he’s entitled to a differing opinion.

Fourth, humans each observe the world from unique perspectives. I know you’re aware of that, but I don’t think you’ve internalized it. Our perception of beauty is largely a matter of focus… it’s all about where we choose to rest our gaze. When you look at yourself, you’re looking at both popular superficialities and microscopic, generally unnoticed details… meanwhile, when he looks at you, he’s taking in all the parts of you that your brain chooses to ignore. He’s seeing how you move, sampling your scent, feeling the comfort of your proximity, recognizing the fullness of your love… the kind of shit your mirror will never be able to show you. Please, let that man embrace all of you, even if you can’t.

You’ve got to stop fighting, and let people love you. As someone who spent decades dismissing every bit of praise he ever received, I can tell you that belief —not in yourself, but in others and their ability to be right about you— will transform your life.

But you have to let it happen.

#asks

[the-creative-crow]

First part of the book I'm working on

I look out into the open fields from the white stone ramparts, an occasional clink of armor on stone as fellow guardsmen move or readjust. The golden hilt of my short sword glints in the morning light, the air cool and crisp. The tower stands behind me as my fellow guards help keep watch.

A bright feminine voice calls out “Hey, Axiel did you hear? We took one of the towers back from the daemons. They pulled back and they were easily overpowered!” I turn to look at Merial, a beautiful warrior angel, her golden hair pulled back, armor and sword glistening.

“Oh yeah? Well, I guess we better be on close watch in case they retaliate. You know this tower is close to the front line.”

“After a defeat like that? No, they must still be reeling.” A cocky smirk spreads on her face as I chuckle.

“Yeah, I guess so.” I turn to look out when a sudden squelch comes from her. I turn quickly and see a large shadowy arrow sticking out of her throat, bright blood flowing down as her eyes widen. She drops to her knees as I rip the arrow out, the shadow magic singeing my palm.

“Don’t worry I got you.” I put my hand to the wound channeling light energy into it. Blood soaks my hand, but I feel the wound closing as a spear shoots through her chest hitting my armor and knocking me backwards.

I scramble to my feet drawing my sword as her lifeless body falls to the floor, a large daemon warrior pulling the spear back, blood dripping from the tip. His spear shoots forward, but I duck under it, the loud squeal of metal on metal ringing out as it scrapes against my helm. I shoot up and forward driving my sword deep into his chest, with a soft sizzle as his acidic blood flows out.

I pull upward opening the wound more, ignoring the burn of his blood on my hand. Over his shoulder, I see them: warriors of Hell, hundreds of them climbing the walls. How did I not see them coming? I shove his body off the wall and prepare myself.

“Stand strong brothers and sisters! The legions come but we will drive them back! We are stronger, for our cause is just and righteous. We must not let them take this tower!” I look back over my shoulder to see Jeremiah. I smile knowing we won’t fall.

Adrenaline surges through my veins, the world seeming to slow down. I tighten my grip on my sword preparing for the rush of battle when a sudden incessant beeping fills my mind seeming to come from everywhere. I turn to find the source but instead see my alarm clock sitting next to my bed.

“What the fuck was that” I stare at the beeping thing for a bit before reaching and turning it off. “What…” Now staring at my hand, scarred where the acid burned it.

“H-how could that be.” I blink a few times, but it doesn’t fade. “Must’ve burned it or something last night and just don’t remember.” I look over my hand turning it back and forth trying to make sense of it.

“I need to get ready!” I shoot up and run to the restroom, the dream and burns quickly leaving my mind.

“Hey, dork! Stop staring off into space and answer my question.” I jerk a bit, Sam’s voice pulling me from my daydreams.

“Heh, sorry about that,” I force a smile looking at her. Her blue piercing eyes quickly making it fade. “Didn’t sleep well last night so it’s hard to focus.”

Sam, my childhood friend. We’ve known each other since grade school. She’s always been good at knowing when things are wrong with me.

“So, answer the question. What happened to your hand? How’d you burn it?”

“I’m… not sure. It was just kinda like that when I woke up.”

“You don’t remember,” She questioned, doubt heavy in her voice.

“Well yeah… I mean I had this weird dream about fighting monsters or daemons… something like that I can't quite remember it. But I got burned by the blood of one and when I woke up the burn was still there.”

“So, you burned your hand by dreaming you burned it,” Sam scoffed, “Hard to believe that, but if you don’t wanna tell me that’s fine.” Despite her dismissive tone, I feel she wasn't quite ready to let it go. Something in her eyes told me she knows something I don’t.

“Fine don’t believe me. But, when I wake up from a dream with some weird tattoo or scar, I know who I won’t ask for help.”

“Forget it, let’s just go to the arcade.”

The rest of the day I couldn’t help feeling something was off; it was as if something important change between Sam and me. I saw her stealing glances at the burn a few times. I could almost feel this weird new tension between us that never existed before. It felt like a turning point, one that can never be reversed.

#writing #trans writers #fantasy

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Halloween is coming how are we feeling? -Danny Words: 2,598 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Take Care Of Yourself' -by Maisie Peters

XV. No I Don't Make Sense, Stop Asking

Lily knows it's crazy to blame my brother, and she agrees that trying to kill me was definitely not right, Nico isn't entirely innocent. 

However, she considers Percy isn't good enough if he can't keep a younger girl from dying, which of course I argue against, but she ignores it. She drops her crush on my brother and decides to focus on my training. 

"You won't fail," she says as she plans out our new schedule. "If Nico's set his mind on avenging Bianca, you can't stay as weak as you are now."

"Thanks," I scoff.

"He's a big three kid, you're not even the daughter of a war god," Lily raises a brow. "Ask Percy to train you during your free time in New York, visit as often as you can—"

"We don't even know where Nico is or what he plans to do!"

"If he comes for you," Lily presses. "I can't help you. Hades is my patron, I can't fight his son! I need you to be an excellent warrior. Please, can you do it for me?"

No one has ever worried for my well-being like this, except Percy. After Nico's vague threat, he gets a little paranoid and thinks Nico will hunt me down when no one's looking. 

I think everyone's overreacting. Nico and I are friends!

"Oh, no way," Leo exclaims as he enters the hunter's tent. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Phoebe sneers at Leo. "Boys." 

"Easy, Pheebs," Ara walks in grinning. "I answer for these boys, they don't bite."

"General Jackson," Phoebe glances at Ara's bandaged hand. "It's good to see you're out in the field again."

"Feels good to be back."

"They'll need extra coats," Thalia lists as she enters. "And I think we can spare some chocolate."

While the boys change and drink, Ara makes sure her scratches, bruises, and burns are nothing to worry about. "Did you fight with your bare hands this whole time?" Thalia teases her. "It's lucky Artemis blessed you! What's with all the wounds?"

"Let's see..." Ara counts with her fingers. "We fought cyclops, sorceresses, a werewolf, the nemean lion..."

"But we killed that one!"

"They're coming back," she replies gravely. "And faster than before, too. I don't know what's happening, things don't stay dead now."

Thalia's alarmed by the news, but she tries to play it cool. "But you handled it like a champ, huh?" She points at the pelt next to Piper. "You did that?"

Ara makes a face. "I wasn't going to. I tamed him but then Medea—"

"Tamed it?" Phoebe raises a brow. "You tamed the Nemean lion?"

The girl shrugs. "I wanted to give it a try and it worked."

Thalia laughs and turns to Jason. "You can trust Ara to go above and beyond to keep anyone safe. I mean, look at her, should be enough proof, huh?"

"We can't thank her enough," Jason nods with lots of gratitude. "She's already brought me back from the dead once."

"In that case, I should thank her too," Thalia pats her shoulder roughly. "We're all pleasantly surprised to see how far you've come, Birdy."

Ara stares down at her feet, she's thinking of Michael again.

"We need to strengthen your... Everything. You're so small, Ara," Mike says disapprovingly. "Try to eat more, get those gummies that are vitamins—and Calcium, if your bones start to fracture and we don't realize until it's too late—"

"Can you teach me how to do that?" I interrupt him.

Michael looks up. "What?"

"Healing," I clarify. "So I don't have to come here every time I hurt myself."

"First of all, if you're hurt please come to me. You're no Apollo," he frowns. "Second... I guess I should... just in case..."

I squirm eagerly on my seat. That's one more lesson added to my training. "I'll be so such a good quester, carrying all sorts of stuff in the teddy bag Percy got me."

My friend snorts. "Sounds good, tiny."

"Don't call me that," I frown. "We're the same height."

"I'm a year older, so I have every right to—" 

I throw the unused bandages at his face, and he laughs.

"You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles," Piper smiles.

"She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one," Thalia grins.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ara scowls. "I'm her sister!" She blushes. "I mean..."

Thalia laughs. "You got great instructors and lots of practice, so it's not that surprising you turned out great. Sorry, Birdy."

Then why is everyone at camp acting as if I'm going to fail?

"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo blurts out. Ara's not sure who he's trying to impress right now. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it."

Ara picks up her pelt, stares at it pensively, and then hands it to Thalia. "For Artemis. She answered my prayers. It was really good to see a friendly face."

Thalia grabs the pelt. "I know it's no use to ask but... Are you sure?"

"I don't want to be reminded of my failures, and I'm sure you'll find a good use for it..."

"You slay the Nemean lion and call it a failure. You've always been a weirdo," Thalia hands the pelt to Phoebe. "Thank you, it's a very special offering."

"For a special group of people," Ara wishes they didn't have to part ways, being around Thalia almost feels like having Percy back. But that's the key word, "almost" isn't enough.

When they leave the tent, Ara has no problem keeping up with the hunters, but the rest of her group does. 

"Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace!" Hedge urges the boy. "Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo—"

"Let's not," Thalia snaps.

Ara nudges the girl's shoulder and nods in Jason's direction. "You took the news well, I thought you'd make the sky go boom..."

"Part of me always knew he was somewhere out there..." Thalia sighs. "Even if I convinced myself that I would never see him again, it felt as if I'd been looking all this time..."

Ara thinks she understands the feeling. In the back of her mind, she's constantly trying to figure out a way to get to Percy.

"I just wish, you know... that I had searched for him harder..."

"I mean, not even he knows where he's been this whole time," Ara shrugs. "I don't think he resents you."

"Which reminds me..." Thalia raises a brow. "You got all weird when we started talking about the Romans..."

Ara opens her mouth to reply, but then Thalia stops and Leo crashes against her. Thalia has to steady him but she's looking forward, and when Leo follows her eyes he yelps. "That... is a really large rock."

"Is that..." Ara squints. "A bridge?"

"We're not seriously crossing that," Leo looks at her in alarm.

"I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit," Thalia makes a face. "But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asks. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Ara and Thalia reply.

"Still, mortals do notice it indirectly," Thalia continues. "Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."

"It's enormous," Jason says in awe.

"You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious? You've been there too?"

"Always uninvited," Ara muses.

"We should go across in two different groups," Thalia suggests. "The bridge is fragile."

"That's reassuring. Jason, can't you just fly us up there?" Leo asks.

Thalia laughs, but when she notices no one else is, she stops smiling. "Wait... Jason, you can fly?"

"Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean... you can't fly?"

She grimaces. "Truthfully, I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

"I love bridges," Ara says sarcastically. "Definitely never had a bridge break when I most needed it. Never."

Thalia gives her a look that clearly means. "You're not helping."

"Easy!" Hedge dives right in. "I'll go first. Piper, come on, girl. I'll give you a hand."

"No, that's okay—" 

The satyr doesn't let her finish the sentence before dragging her up the steps. Everyone stands there keeping an eye on the two until they're halfway up. 

"Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way," Thalia orders. 

"You sure?" Phoebe glances at the boys like they're criminals. She's not so far away from the truth, but Ara doesn't think now's the time to mention it. 

"It's fine."

Phoebe looks at Ara and salutes her. "General. Hopefully, we'll see each other again."

Ara nods. "Look after yourself, Pheebs."

"Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step," Thalia warns the boys as they start moving. "It hardly ever breaks."

They move in silence until Leo blurts out a question. 

"Why do they have a bridge?"

Ara looks over at the boy. Behind him, Thalia holds onto the railing tightly. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"

"They're wind spirits. Can't they fly?"

"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."

"So the bridge isn't always here?"

"The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now. They know you're coming."

"Leo?" Jason glances up at his hair in alarm. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, gods," Thalia gasps. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."

Leo's head is on fire. His feet are melting the steps.

"Leo, stop it—You're going to melt it," Jason insists worryingly.

"I'll try," his voice comes out as if he's not processing what's happening. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge."

"Leo, seriously, cool down. I don't what you're talking about, but the bridge is—"

"Just listen," he interrupts the hunter. "If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don't get along—like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."

"An exchange," Thalia's eyes go back to Ara, who's frozen on the spot. "Oh, gods."

"What are you two talking about?" Jason scowls, looking at his sister.

Thalia's eyes are fixed on her. "I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. You are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."

"I don't understand! I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."

"But Leo's right," Thalia frowns. "It's all connected. If we just knew where—"

Leo snaps his fingers, the flames in his hair rise. "Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?" 

Thalia gasps. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! That's where they're keeping Hera?" 

"You know where it is?"

"Stop!" Ara's looking at the pool that's forming around Leo's feet. "Thalia, don't encourage him!"

Leo's feet melt the surface and he falls, Jason seizes him by the coat and tosses him at Ara, she drags him up while Jason runs right behind them. Thalia doesn't follow them, Ara guesses she got paralyzed with fear, and of course, if she had to choose, she would choose the hunters.

"Go!" Thalia shouts. "Find out where the giant is keeping Piper's dad. Save him! I'll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!"

"But where is the Wolf House?" Jason yells back.

"You know where it is, little brother! I'll see you there. I promise..." Thalia runs back into the woods and vanishes out of sight.

Ara drags Leo up all the way, Jason has to pick them up and fly from time to time because the bridge is crumbling. Once they reach the top, Piper and Hedge pull them in. Ara and Leo stumble to the ground.

"What happened?" Piper frowns, helping them untangle from each other. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"

"I got a little heated," he mumbles. "Sorry, guys. Honest. I didn't—"

"It's all right," Jason's unable to hide his distress. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds." 

As they walk uphill, Ara keeps glancing at the blond boy. He looks a lot like Percy when he came back from Calypso's island. Lost, and overwhelmed. Ara holds out her hand to him. Jason hesitates, but he grabs it in the end. 

Ara gets a mix of emotions: Disappointment, yearning, loneliness...  she squeezes his hand, starting to absorb some of it to help him carry the burden. "You know..." she says quietly. "When I got claimed, all I wanted was to find my mortal parent. I figured that they had to be amazing if they'd caught Aphrodite's eye."

"And were they?"

"I don't know," she shrugs, dismissing the question. "The only thing I knew about him was that he'd named me. I thought he cared about me but he couldn't afford to keep me... then one day, I stumbled upon its meaning."

"Your name's meaning?" Jason asks. "What does Ara mean?"

"My name's Arae, not Ara," she looks ahead, it's the first time she doesn't cry while telling the story. "Means the same whether you spell it with the additional vowel or not, but Ara sounds better..."

"He called you Curse?" Jason is insulted on her behalf.

"He didn't want a kid," she explains calmly. "And I mean, I could change my name, I kinda did, but it's the one thing that's always belonged to me. Keeping it also comes with a prize, some people think I'm a bad omen—"

"You've been a blessing to us."

"I know I'm not all bad, Jason. I'm a child of Olympus because I deserve it, and I believe it because... no one else does." She faces him and holds his hand with both of hers. "Whatever Jason Grace means to you, whatever feels right, that's what you have to focus on. You're no bridge unless you want to be. "

Jason smiles and pats her shoulder, he feels a lot lighter now. "I'll try... as long as you promise me the same."

"Too bad, you can't demand things from your General," she replies jokingly.

Jason shrugs. "Wasn't a demand... more like, a request?"

The boy offers his pinky to her. Ara looks down at it, and thousands of flashbacks race through her mind: Percy, Michael, Lily, Beckendorf, Silena, Nico—

"Come on, cupcakes!" Ara gives a start at the sound of the satyr's voice. "Only a few thousand more steps!"

Both Leo and Piper are staring at them, but Jason and Ara play it cool and continue climbing. They don't go back to the subject, instead, Jason brings up a new awkward topic to discuss. 

"So what's up with you and Leo?"

Ara avoids his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon. Even a blind cyclops would see it."

"I met Polyphemus," she raises a brow. "Could not see the difference between a spouse and breakfast."

"What?" Jason stops. "You mean the Polyphemus?"

"I know what you're implying, though," Ara ignores his question. "I don't want it to happen, but it's happening. If I can stall, I will. You follow me?"

Jason cocks his head to the side like a confused puppy. "No?"

Ara rolls her eyes and stops again. "Most of my old friends are dead and my brother's missing," she explains bluntly. "I'm not in the mood for romance."

"But you're feeling things anyway," the boy replies like she's not making sense.

"And I'll do my best to ignore it until it dies out. Or I die, whatever comes first."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @ash-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen

#twoidiots writing #pjo fanfic #pjo hoo toa #pjo fandom #percy jackson and the olympians #leo valdez x oc #leo valdez fanfic #heroes of olympus #doo

[rose-lizzzy]

The three on the overworld side of the end portal were left dumbfounded, or appeared to be so.

Pearl sheaths her sword, going over and putting an arm around Fwhip.

"Fwhip?" She asks gently, and he shakes her off, clenching his fists and staring at the portal, expression hardening.

"Come on." He barks out, standing on the edge. "We don't have time for this. We need to keep the dragon alive."

Pearl frowned, but reaches out and helps Shrub up, before stepping next to Fwhip.

"Let's go." He orders, jumping in, the other two following.

Gem enters the portal and immediately turns to the other two. "I'll get the crystals. Joey focus on the dragon. Sausage help Joey, and protect him from our dear friends who will be following us momentarily."

Sausage nods robotically, while Joey folds his arms and lets out a humph. "Alright fine." He complains, heading for the middle, Sausage following him.

Gem levitates herself into the air, positioned so she could look over all the towers. The dragon roared, swooping nearby, but she didn't care.

She shot out fireballs at the pillars, one by one they went down. It would've been much faster had she had her staff, as she required much more recovery time between each spell without it. She'd used the staff to prevent the spells from depleting her energy.

Right before the last one, she noticed three people running towards the middle, and she sighs.

After finishing off the last crystal, Gem swoops down, landing in front and blocking their path to the other two who were fighting the dragon.

"Can't let you do that." The wizard announces, stopping them in their path.

Fwhip glares at his sister. "Gem. Let us through."

Gem pauses, pretending to think. "Mmmmmm.... No!"

Pearl draws her sword, giving her an uncertain glare. "Gem. I don't want to fight you. But you have to let us through."

The wizard laughs, shaking her head. "I don't think I do!"

"Gem." Fwhip demands.

Gem just laughs, putting a small fireball in the palm of her hand. "Careful Fwhip."

The tinkerer glares at his sister. "Gem. Please. Cut this out."

She rolls her eyes. "You're so idiotic."

"What?! I want my sister back!"

Gem turns her back on him. "You could've gotten her back. If only you opened your eyes up and looked closer." She glares over her shoulder, her gaze landing on Shrub standing behind the two, who glares back at her.

The wizard takes off and releases the fireball at the dragon, and then summons a dark scythe to slice at it with from the air.

She sees an arrow whiz past her, and turns just in time to see one bury into her arm.

Gem sees Sausage fighting Pearl, while Fwhip was beneath, sword drawn, and Shrub was grinning up at her, bow pulled tight, arrow pointed right at her.

"oh you're enjoying this, aren't you." Gem mumbles, and swoops down to attack the gnome. "You're just having so much fun with this!"

Fwhip gasps, but before he could go after them Joey stabbed him, and he fell over.

Shrub grins at her. "I don't know what you mean. I'm simply trying to prevent you from killing the dragon!"

"You know if this thing dies with you here, they're gonna know." She hisses in the gnomes ear.

"Why do you think we're fighting out of sight." Shrub whispers back.

Gem looks up, realizing they were behind a pillar. She realized the dragon was almost dead. "Oh."

"You killed me. Okay?" Shrub hisses in the wizards ear. Gem nods before going back to the main area, where she saw some chaos.

Fwhip was on the ground, blood pooling around him.

Sausage was wounded, and still fighting Pearl. Joey was trying to fight the dragon, but he couldn't aim well, and it hadn't yet perched.

Gem sighs, tosses a fireball at the dragon, and then feels a hand grab her ankle.

She looks down to see Fwhip, in pain.

"..Gem." he croaks out. "Please."

Gem stares at him, and she sighs, dropping a healing spell on her brother before turning to go help Joey.

She aimed another fireball at the dragon and fires it, and she saw it wince, and knew it was on the brink of death.

"Finish it." She tells Joey as the dragon was sinking down to perch.

Just then, she heard the clashing of swords in the background slow, and then stop.

Turning around, she sees Sausages glowing eyes fade, and it makes her panic, and she tries to hold the spell, keep him under her control.

"Pearl?"

Pearl stops and looks at him. "Soos?"

Gem struggles, and his eyes flicker the glowing red again, and he swipes at her, turning and coming to stand next to Gem as Joey takes the last slice and the dragon explodes.

In the chaos, she loses grip on the spell, and she can hear Sausage gasp as he reclaimed his mind.

"Gem?" She sees him looking at her, and then the dragon laying dead. "NO! Joey what did you do?!"

Gem grins at him. "We released our master. And I wanted to thank you for your help!" She uses her magic to shove him back to Pearl, as Xornoth appeared in front of them all.

"It has begun..."

Gem stares coldly at the others. "Try as much as you want, but nothing will change. You will fail. Trying to resist will only cause more pain. ..trust me."

Fwhip stares at his sister, and recognizes the hurt behind her cold gaze. He'd seen her try to be strong before. Even corrupted, she still had those tells.

Pearl snuck behind them all, while they were distracted, and scooped up the egg. "Come here little buddy."

Xornoth had turned to Gem, forming a dark staff, with a dark magenta crystal in the center.

Gem takes it gratefully, and Xornoth disappears.

Joey had a crown on his head as well, and Gem looks around.

"Well. I'm done here. Bye losers." She dives into the portal, and Joey shrugs and follows behind, leaving the others to figure out what to do next.

#shrubnoth au: the wizards tale #empires smp #shubble #shrub berry #empires shrub #xornoth #geminitay

[fourseasonsfigs]

Ni Bu Pei

Here we have the famous "You're not worthy!" scene from Episode 27. Every time I finish watching this scene, I just end up shaking my head and muttering, "this is such a good show" over and over again. This happens with many scenes throughout Word of Honor, but this is definitely one of the ones at the top.

Here's the clip from Episode 27 that inspired this fig:

Sorry these have no subtitles. That is way beyond my rudimentary video clipping ability. I have to say that watching it without understanding the words (except of what I have memorized, of course!) is still enjoyable since I can really focus on their faces and their acting.

Of course, whenever I clip anything from the show, I end up losing time since I'm forced (forced, I tell you!) to re-watch the entire episode. These posts would go a lot faster if I simply made the video clip! But what can I do...this scene is so good, it makes me want to watch everything else in the episode.

I got these figures a long time ago, but it wasn't until the box had arrived at my house that I realized the Ye Baiyi standee was missing. I tore the rest of the box apart looking for it, but no luck. This set really needs the standee!

I talked to the seller, and even though it had been much longer than the standard after-service period, they were kind enough to go ahead and forward me the standee.

I would really, really love figs of the rest of the characters in the show - how great would it be to have Chengling, Gu Xiang, Cao Weining, and Ye Baiyi? But none of them exist. I feel lucky I have Ye Baiyi here in standee form and Chengling in standee form as well (from the previous New Year Wenzhou figs in this series).

Here's a close up of the boytoy old monster Sword Saint Immortal himself.

You can see their relative sizes here. Ignore the line going through Ye Baiyi's face, that is just a reflection from the window!

Alright, thanks Ye Baiyi, we're going to just our two heroes wanderers right now!

Like the other figures in this series, these are all slightly less chibi and a little more "grown up". But only just! They're still very small and cute.

Lao Wen's purple cape and A-Xu's puddle of robes do a great job of keeping these figs completely stable and steady. This will be one of the few sets I don't put on fig stands.

Nice detailing on the hair here. Lao Wen's hairpin is a spectacularly long one. Some hairpins escape the shipping process undamaged while others snap right off - it all depends on how well that polystyrene cut out is designed and how securely they're squeezed into it.

A-Xu's studded hairband seems to be missing a metal stud! Well, I mean, you did see how hard Ye Baiyi hit him, right?

I'm really tempted to paint the missing stud in his hairband. I didn't really notice it before, but now that I'm looking at these up close pics, it just jumps out at me!

Did you notice how the blood splotch on Lao Wen's face is in the shape of a heart? Not to, err, romanticize battle wounds, but now I can't unsee it! If you've been reading this blog, you know I love battle-damaged figs anyway. And aww, the tears welling up in his eyes.

These expressions are gold. We have A-Xu looking fierce and protective, and Lao Wen looking emotionally overwrought, and the both of them are just as cute as can be. Lao Wen has of course sustained the worst of the battle damage, but A-Xu sure didn't go down without a fight.

Here they are in their pose. The figs actually fit together nicely - Lao Wen's knee on the ground goes into a slight curve in A-Xu's robes. I tried to take some pics that show this, but it was really hard to get down between them in any way you could actually see.

You can kind of see what I am talking about with Lao Wen's knee here...

...and a little bit here where their legs are touching.

The bottoms-up view on this set is particularly cute because you can see the detail on how they are sitting, along with some great detail on their different colored pants. Like the fig maker could easily have designed this to be a solid bottom, and not made this so complicated (and perhaps a few RMB less), but I'm really, really glad they didn't. Everyone loves this level of hidden detail and fine fig engineering!

Our protective shixiong from the top front...

...and the top back. Another great view of that gorgeous long hairpin, too!

This box card art is officially TOO CUTE. These are some of my all time favorite outfits in the show too.

Alright! We've now done three of the four sets listed here - just one more to go. Come back tomorrow for the last one!

If you missed any of the previous ones, you can read them here: New Year Wenzhou and Good Sword, or just click on the master link at the bottom.

Material: Resin

Fig Count: 413

Scene Count: 29

Rating: Two very worthy figs!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

#wenzhou #ni bu pei #ye baiyi #word of honor #word of honor merch #figthusiast #zhou zishu #wen kexing

[archiveikemen]

Abe no Yasuchika Main Story: Chapter 25

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Yasuchika: This place won't last much longer. I knew this from the very start.

Yuno: What…?

Yasuchika: I can at least “transfer” us to another place, somewhere where we’ll have the upper hand.

(What do you mean by “transfer”?)

He pulled me closer to himself with one hand, I gasped at the sudden lack of distance between us.

Yasuchika: Stay by my side.

That very moment—

(Waah.)

I heard a shriek so loud that it shook the whole place and left my ears ringing.

Like a dream, the scenery around us started to change…

Yuno: This place!?

Yasuchika: We’re supposed to return to the real world, but it seems that the boundary between the two worlds has been messed up.

Yasuchika: We have to defeat Suzaku and fix it as soon as possible.

(The real world…?)

I looked around me and saw soldiers running in the distance.

Yuno: Yasuchika, look over there! It looks like they’re evacuating the civilians.

Yasuchika: That means I have to put an end to this right now, no matter what it takes.

Suzaku was circling around in the sky above the cliff we were standing on, and I was its prey.

(Oh, but…ah that’s right.)

Yuno: If I stay here, at least Suzaku will keep its eyes on me, instead of targeting the civilians.

Yasuchika: You’re putting others before yourself even in this situation. How very typical of you.

Yasuchika: However, I’m never going to let you get hurt ever again.

(Why did he say that…?)

Red and black flames were dropping down around us. It was chaos.

Yuno: The amount of…

Yasuchika: — I won’t let them touch you.

His silver sword glimmered as it sliced through the air.

Yasuchika: It will not destroy this town. Not on my watch.

The light emitting from his sword formed a complex web-like pattern, spreading out and surrounding the flames.

Yasuchika: Ggh… vanish.

The flames surrounded by the web of light slowly went out.

(Woah!)

However, Yasuchika’s face was pale when he looked up.

(He’s very powerful… but he’s pushing himself too hard.)

Suzaku flapped its wings hard when Yasuchika took a moment to catch his breath.

Suzaku: —...!

Yuno: …! Watch out!

Suzaku’s huge claws and beak were aiming at us as it swooped down in our direction.

Yasuchika: Oof…

… Yasuchika noticed it, and yet he didn't dodge.

(Why—)

Yasuchika slashed Suzaku across its chest with his silver sword.

Yasuchika: Ugh…

At the same time, Suzaku dug its claws into Yasuchika’s shoulders.

Yuno: Yasuchika!

Yasuchika: I… I’m fine.

Yasuchika had a tight grip on Suzaku’s leg as he spoke.

Yasuchika: Just as I thought. This won’t work.

Fresh blood soaked through his clothes.

Yasuchika: — My wounds are yours. Suffer twice the pain.

Furious, Suzaku dug its claws even deeper into Yasuchika’s body.

Yuno: STOP!

However, the one who screamed in pain wasn't Yasuchika, it was Suzaku.

Suzaku: —! —

Yasuchika: I used a spell to temporarily share the pain from my wounds with it.

(But, that…)

Yasuchika clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his breathing was ragged.

(That doesn't mean Yasuchika feels no pain at all.)

Suzaku lost its balance, flapping its wings and tumbling down the hill.

Yuno: … Yasuchika! Please, you can’t fight like this.

Yasuchika: … Y-Yuno.

Perhaps it was due to the pain, Yasuchika’s eyes looked faint.

And yet, he gave me a weak smile when our eyes met.

Yasuchika: I will make sure… you go home safely.

(What on earth are you talking about…)

Yuno: You’ll be in even greater danger if this goes on, do you understand!?

Yuno: Please don’t just focus on protecting me… think about yourself too. I’m begging you.

Yasuchika: I… I can't do that. Your life is more valuable than mine.

My words caught in my throat, but I forced them out with violent emotions.

Yuno: Is there… a reason why you're willing to go this far for my sake?

Yasuchika: I wish that you’ll never remember. It's better this way.

(What…)

His answer shocked me.

Suzaku flapped its wings and flew in our direction again.

(Not again…)

Yasuchika: — Mm. This is a good time.

The calm look on his face sent a chill down my spine.

Yasuchika: The wards placed around Kyoto to form a protective barrier belong to me, so this is where my powers are strongest.

Yasuchika: But I’m going against something way out of my league… there's a price to pay for that.

Yuno: Yasuchika…?

Yasuchika: Ashiya Doman corrupted Suzaku at the cost of his life.

Yasuchika: So if I want to defeat Doman— the price has to be greater than that…

(I have a bad feeling about this.)

Yasuchika: … Come. I am asking you for a favor of my lifetime.

(Ah…)

The blood spilled from Yasuchika’s wounds spread and formed a circle, before turning into some characters.

— The ground at the center of the circle cracked and a bright light emitted from the earth.

Yasuchika: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise — hear my pleas and lend me your assistance!

(It’s so bright—)

Blinded by the light, Suzaku crashed onto the ground next to us and groaned in agony.

???: What do you, descendant of the Abe Clan, wish for?

I thought I heard a roar come from behind the light, and also a mysterious voice in my head.

Yasuchika: — I know it's disrespectful for me, a mere human being, to summon you.

(Why is he talking like that…?)

Yasuchika: In return for your favor, I offer you everything I have.

Yasuchika: Therefore, this town… the entire country, the sorrowful Suzaku, and everyone dear to me… please save them.

(Everything?)

Yuno: Yasuchika! What on earth are you talking about?

Shaking my head frantically, I shouted in disagreement with what he had just said.

Yasuchika: …

???: … Understood.

Yasuchika: … Thank goodness.

Yasuchika smiled in relief and didn't hesitate before sliding his sword across his abdomen.

Yuno: Stop…!

I darted to his side and gripped the handle of his sword tightly, so that he couldn't go any further.

(He’s bleeding… it's a lot of blood.)

Yasuchika: I’m s-sorry.

Yasuchika: I just need to… a little more…

Yasuchika: C-close your eyes… think happy thoughts, and w-wait for me.

Yuno: … Just what kind of relationship did we have?

Yasuchika: … We’re just enemies.

Yasuchika: A-Ah… I almost forgot.

Yasuchika slowly took something out of his pocket and touched my wrist.

Yuno: Oh, that's…!

The purple bracelet I thought I lost was tied around my wrist.

Yasuchika: T-This is y-yours, right? I picked it up… so I- I’m giving it back… to you.

Yasuchika: It’s a protective amulet. … You still have it with you.

Yuno: …

A sudden surge of unexplainable fiery emotions welled up in my chest and flowed throughout my body.

Yuno: You’re definitely lying about being enemies!

Yuno: Please tell me the truth! Why do I feel so hurt to see you in pain?

Yuno: Why… why am I crying?

He hesitantly reached out his trembling fingers and heaved a sigh of relief as he gently wiped my tears.

Yasuchika: All I’ve ever done to you… was make you cry.

Yasuchika: Hurt… your hurt… I took it away…

Yasuchika’s body lost the strength to remain upright.

Yasuchika: Ggh…

Yuno: Enough talking.

Yasuchika: … haha.

Despite his ragged breaths, Yasuchika burst out laughing.

Yuno: Why are you laughing….?

Yasuchika: I have no idea either.

Yasuchika: Ah… that’s right… it's because I managed to save your life.

Yasuchika: I’m such an idiot. I only knew how to hurt others… I never knew what I truly wanted.

Yuno: You…!

I felt overheated by all sorts of emotions like grief and anger.

(... I remember now.)

(This body.)

Yuno: — I remember.

(This soul…!)

Tons of fond and nostalgic memories came flooding into my mind all at once.

Yasuchika: Yuno…?

Yuno: Respond to me! The powers of the nine-tailed fox—

Yasuchika: …!

— Strands of silver hair swayed in the corner of my eye.

Yasuchika: No way…

I didn't hesitate to touch one of Suzaku’s scorched wings.

Yuno: Please.

It felt strange that I wasn't afraid.

A golden mist rose around me and my reaction was as if it were a familiar sight.

(... It's warm.)

Suzaku: —! …?

The charred feathers on its wings slowly returned to their original vermilion red color.

(If I keep extracting the curse from it…!)

I yelled at the top of my lungs, so loud that I thought my throat was going to bleed — at the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise beyond the light.

Yuno: Ggh… please, I beg you to call off the deal.

Yuno: I can turn Suzaku back to its original state… so please save Yasuchika.

The anxiety of pleading with transcendental beings was like a huge paper weight placed on my body.

I didn't even notice that my hands and legs were trembling.

???: … Why do you want that?

The question asked in a deep voice rang in my head.

I took a deep breath and answered.

Yuno: This man… he’s someone who abandoned himself to become an Onmyoji who serves the country.

Yuno: Therefore, I really hope that… he won't make any more sacrifices.

Yasuchika: Yuno… did you… regain your memories?

Yuno: I’ve told you before, haven't I? I said that I’ll make myself remember you no matter what.

I slowly tilted my head upwards to look at Yasuchika.

Yasuchika: That’s nonsense… even I don’t know how to break the spell.

???: Onmyoji, do you want to change your wish?

Yasuchika: I…

We exchanged zealous gazes at that moment.

Yasuchika: … A human’s body isn't strong enough to absorb the amount of curse power in Suzaku.

Yuno: But…!

Yasuchika: Therefore, I’ll be her support. I need your help with that.

???: — And the price you're willing to pay?

Yasuchika: I will devote the rest of my life to protecting this country alongside the four gods.

(Yasuchika…)

???: …

???: I accept.

???: — Your heart and spirit make you worthy of becoming a guardian.

???: I will personally see to that. You whom I shall form a deal with, announce your name.

Yasuchika: …!

Yasuchika looked up determinedly although he was still bleeding profusely.

Yasuchika: I am Onmyoji Abe no Yasuchika — the protector of this country.

A white light enveloped Yasuchika.

???: In accordance with our deal — you will purify everything alongside the four gods.

Yasuchika: — Understood.

(What’s happening—)

I couldn't see a thing that was happening in front of me because of the blinding light.

Not long after that…

Yasuchika: … I’ve kept you waiting, Yuno.

While the light faded away, the powerful presence I sensed beyond it disappeared as well.

Yuno: …! Yasuchika, that bruise on your face and your eye…

Yasuchika: It seems that the three sacred beasts purified my curse when they entered my body.

Yasuchika: All my wounds are healed too… I’ve never encountered such a thing in my life.

Yuno: Entered your body…?

Yasuchika: … Simply put, I became a shikigami. In return for exorcizing Suzaku, they’ve exorcized me as well.

(Are you serious!?)

Yuno: That’s… unexpected.

Yasuchika: Yeah. There are lots of things I’d love to tell you about, but…

Yasuchika: Let’s get on with exorcizing Suzaku, shall we?

(That's right, I want to take away its pain as soon as possible.)

Yuno: What should I do?

Yasuchika pulled me closer to him and looked at me with a serious look.

Yasuchika: We’ll make use of my Onmyoji abilities to fuse your fox powers with my newly acquired exorcism powers.

Yasuchika: Of course, this is the first time I’m doing this, but… I’m confident that it'll go well.

(If it's Yasuchika who said it, I don't have any doubts.)

Yuno: — Got it.

Yasuchika: Now just relax.

Yasuchika: Entrust everything to me. Your breathing, your passion… even your heart beat.

Yasuchika: Our hearts both feel the same way.

— For some reason, my heart naturally knew what he meant.

Yasuchika cupped my cheeks with both hands.

Yasuchika: I love you so much that I can't bring myself to kill you.

Yuno: I love you so much that I can never forget you.

In order to bind our souls and merge our hearts into one, we had to express what was in our hearts.

(I finally regained this feeling.)

Yasuchika: Ahh… I admit defeat. I never knew love could be this cursed.

#ikemen genjiden #ikemen series #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #otome #ikegen main story #yasuchika main story