#like okay yeah its nice to have that much faith in your partner

[kwamiwayzz]

i havent read citrus in such a long time and i decided to read citrus+ on a whim and...yeah its not a citrus story without that good old third party conflict

#arata gives me itto vibes #citrus #also wtf is going on #turtle speaks #i dont think mei would seriously get with him but #i think the main issue im having is that #its still yuzu doing most of the work #while mei thinks she can continue sitting in the sidelines and expects that yuzu #will always come back to her #like okay yeah its nice to have that much faith in your partner #but its another thing to not address or be in tune with their feelings #at that point youre just being dismissive which i felt mei did in the latest chapter

[imzadi-caskett-huddy]

It Started With a Kiss (3/?)

Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving reviews on this story thus far! I know a lot of you are frustrated and screaming for her to just make her choice already, but Kate Beckett is a complex woman, and it’s complicated, lol. There is a difference between knowing what you really want and going for it, despite its potential to wreck you, and staying with the safe choice, especially for a woman with Kate’s emotional baggage. Be patient, there will be a payoff! I’m pro-Caskett…you NEVER have to question who Beckett will end up with eventually in my stories; it's simply a matter of the journey for her to get there.

This chapter is based on the episode “The Final Nail” and takes place a week after the previous chapter. Just a reminder, I am following the same basic outline of the show with regard to cases and episodes, so imagine everything happening in the episodes that you’ve seen, with the only changes being my alternate or added scenes.

I still don’t own anything from Castle.

xxxxx

Beckett was waiting for him outside of the Westlake house. This entire case had been difficult for him; when Castle really believed in someone, he believed in them with his entire being. Finding out someone who had been so important to him, who he had put so much unwavering faith in was a killer took its toll. She knew he had to be devastated. That’s why she was here–not to rub it in his face or to arrest Damian herself…in fact, she had made sure she was not the arresting detective on record…but to support her friend, her partner. “‘Show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.’ F. Scott Fitzgerald said that.”

Castle gave her a sad look as he came down the steps. “It must’ve been Ernest Hemingway who said, ‘Man, I sure could use a drink right about now.’” His tone was deflated.

She gave him a small smile. “Lead the way. I’m buying,” she gave a small gesture with her shoulder.

Her offer shocked him slightly, but he started down the street anyway; it may have shocked him, but he wasn’t going to turn it down. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Shouldn’t you be at a nice candlelit restaurant wearing a new dress ordering surf and turf?” He refused to add with your boyfriend. He didn’t need to think about that.

“I’ve got a couple of hours. You okay?” she asked, falling into step alongside him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he insisted.

She knew better. “Liar,” she said with a playful nudge of her shoulder to his as they walked.

He sighed. “I just can’t believe my trust in him was misplaced all this time,” he shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “You were right about him this whole time. I should’ve trusted you. And I owe you an apology.”

She shook her head. “You don’t owe me an apology. I wasn’t right about him killing his wife. In fact, your belief in him was the reason we caught the real killer,” she told him softly. “And for the record, I didn’t want to be right about him,” she added, placing her hand on his arm gently as they stopped at a crosswalk.

“We caught the real killer because you continued to dig and look for the truth, even though you were convinced Damian was behind her murder.”

“Like I told him…you believed in him. And I believe in you,” she replied softly, meeting his eyes for a moment. When the light at the crosswalk changed, she let her hand drop from his arm and began crossing.

It took him an extra second to process her words coupled with the look in her eyes and the fact that her hand had been on his arm...because they didn't touch like that...before he followed her.

xxxxx

Castle hadn’t even paid attention to the name of the bar he’d led her into; it was just the first one he’d seen that didn’t look like a dive as they had been walking. Now he sat on a stool at the bar, looking into his glass of Scotch silently.

Beckett had situated her stool a little closer to him than usual, her body turned slightly so that she was open and facing toward him. She took a drink of her beer, allowing the silence to settle as she studied him. She knew better than anyone that sometimes just sitting in companionable silence was better than talking, so she was hardly the one to push him for conversation before he was ready.

“Thank you for everything you did for me on this case,” he finally stated, taking a drink of the alcohol in his glass. He meant it. She’d handled him gently when she’d had the boys bring in Damian. Before she’d interrogated him, she’d been understanding and soft as she reminded Castle he wasn’t going to want to be in the interrogation room when she took his friend apart. When she’d arrested him, she’d brought in a uniform to place the handcuffs and pull him out of the room instead of doing it herself; she didn’t have to do any of it that way, but she had in order to try to lessen the blow of it all, and he appreciated it. “I was less than objective, and you didn’t have to let me stay.”

She offered him a smile. “You’re my partner…even when you were being less than objective,” she shrugged. He may not have been objective, but after she had let him back on the case, he hadn’t interfered. If he had, she would have kicked him off the case for good; but she had

definitely given him a little more leeway than she would have given someone else. And she of all people knew how difficult it was to find out someone you’d believed in wasn’t who you thought they were; he’d been by her side last fall when she’d had to arrest Royce.

Her words brought a genuine smile to his face. “Still…thank you.” He was quiet for another moment as his smile faltered a little. “I guess I’m not as good at judging a person’s character as I thought.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. I told you…the version of Damian you knew was the version a homesick little boy needed him to be. I don’t think anyone would fault you for clinging to that; I certainly don’t,” she started, lightly resting her hand over his. “People change, Castle, and they only let us see what they want us to see. I know all too well about misplaced trust in old friends,” she said softly, taking a drink of her beer. “It doesn’t mean your judgment is flawed. You know…I actually wish I were a little more like you.” Seeing his questioning look, she continued. “You’re able to trust so easily, you always see the best in people…” she trailed off with a shrug. “I’ve been a cop too long to do either of those things. I can count on one hand the number of people I have complete, blind trust in, and I’m sure you’ve noticed I don’t exactly see the best in people or situations.”

He gave a soft chuckle at that. “Maybe I should adopt your strategy. It would let me avoid looking like an idiot when my blind trust in someone is misplaced.”

She shook her head. “Don’t. You’re an optimist, Castle…that’s who you are. Don’t let what Damian did destroy that part of you,” she told him seriously. “I like that about you…sometimes I need your optimism. Your silver linings remind me that there’s still hope and light out there. Some days I really need that,” she admitted.

Before he could respond, her phone chimed to signal a text. Seeing her frown slightly as she read it, he raised an eyebrow. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah. Josh is just stuck at the hospital tonight,” she answered, taking another swig of her beer. “No surf and turf this Valentine’s Day,” she made a joke from his earlier words. She realized she should probably be upset that her boyfriend had just canceled their romantic dinner plans a couple of hours before they were supposed to take place, but she honestly felt more relief than anything, and she knew that didn’t bode well for their relationship. He’d been out of the country for a month; she should have been excited to spend the evening and night with him, upset that he’d canceled again, but she just…wasn’t, at least not really.

He studied her for a moment, trying to gauge how upset she was over her plans being canceled. She seemed a little perturbed, but not overly sad. “Well…it’s not surf and turf, but can I tempt you with burgers and shakes at Remy’s?” he suggested cautiously, just in case she was more upset than she was letting on.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, considering his invitation. She wasn’t sure she should agree to dinner with him on Valentine’s Day of all days. There was definitely something more than friendship between them…enough that agreeing to his suggestion could potentially be dangerous considering the lines that had occasionally blurred between them during the last few weeks, first with that undercover kiss, then with his confession that she had simply shrugged off to too much alcohol at the time, then with their undercover date at the club a week ago. On the other hand, burgers and shakes from Remy’s were hardly romantic, and he’d had a really difficult day. Would keeping him company so neither of them had to be alone really be the worst way to spend the holiday? “Sure, Castle. Why not?” she agreed.

He genuinely smiled at that. Sure, she wasn’t his girlfriend, and it wasn’t a romantic dinner, but he still got to spend Valentine’s Day with Kate Beckett. After this whole Damian Westlake case, it seemed that the universe was doing him a solid.

xxxxx

They had stopped by the precinct so Kate could grab her things. She’d decided to hold off on finishing the paperwork on the Westlake case until the following morning before Castle showed up. She didn’t need him looking over her shoulder as she finished processing everything. They’d opted to walk the few blocks to Remy’s and were now seated in a familiar booth with their mostly eaten burgers and shakes in front of them.

“Can I ask you a question?” Castle asked her seriously.

She arched an eyebrow, setting her shake back on the table and resting her forearms on the flat surface. “Since when do you ask permission to ask me anything?” she pointed out.

She definitely had a valid point; he typically just asked her whatever was on his mind and it was her decision whether or not she would answer it...and how irritated she would be that he asked whatever it was. “Earlier at the bar…you said you could count on one hand the people you trust completely.”

Ah, she understood where this question was going. He wanted to know who she had that much trust in. “My dad, obviously. Montgomery. Espo. Ryan. Lanie. And you,” she answered him easily.

“Me?” he was a little surprised by that answer. He’d obviously hoped to be on the list, and he knew she trusted him to a point, but he hadn’t realized he had earned that level of trust from her. He also couldn’t help but be pleased Josh’s name was not on the list.

“You,” she nodded, suddenly a little more interested in the fries left on her plate that meeting his eyes. “You’re my partner. Even when you annoy the hell out of me, you always have my back,

you always back my play. You are the only person I’ve ever shown every detail of my mom’s case to, the one I trust to stop me before I fall back down the rabbit hole, the person I want with me when I take down whoever is behind it,” she explained, knowing that she wouldn’t have to tell him anything else beyond the fact he’s the only person she trusts with her mother’s case; that alone would completely explain the level of trust she placed in him.

Her admission shocked him enough that he didn’t know what to say for once. “Wow. I…uh…I’m honored,” he finally managed.

“You’ve earned my trust,” she told him honestly. “I mean it when I say, you are my partner.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, the air between them growing thick with the unspoken tension. “You know, technically you listed 6 people. So…that’s really 2 hands, and not 1…” he finally broke the moment with a little humor to lighten the mood.

She rolled her eyes. “I can just kick you off the list,” she teased. “You are the most recent addition.” But they both knew she wouldn’t, not unless he broke her trust. And that was something he was going to do everything in his power to keep from doing. Her trust was too valuable, too hard-earned; once it was gone, he wouldn't be getting it back.

“You know, now that I think about it, Ryan and Espo are kind of a package deal…they only count as one. So you’re right…one hand,” he chuckled.

She couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking her head. “I’m going to make sure they know you said that.”

As they were walking back to the precinct after dinner so Beckett could get her car, they passed by a man with a table set up on the sidewalk selling long-stem roses as a last-minute offering for Valentine’s Day. Castle, of course, stopped to purchase some, for his mother and daughter she assumed. But then he offered her one of the single, long stems with a smile.

“I’m allowed to give my partner one rose for Valentine’s Day, right?” he asked her.

A shy smile spread across her lips, and she was careful not to prick her fingers on the thorns as she took the stem from him. “Thank you.” Her own boyfriend hadn’t even sent her flowers for the holiday, and here was Castle, giving her a single red rose. Not that she was the type to overly care about receiving roses…or flowers in general…on Valentine’s Day, but the gesture was nice. “Can I give you a ride home?” she offered as they got back to her car.

“You don’t have to. I’m like, 20 blocks in the opposite…” he started to decline.

“Castle, get in the car,” she interrupted him, rolling her eyes.

xxxxx

The ride to his loft was made in comfortable silence. “You want to come up? Alexis should still be out with Ashley, and I operate under a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy with Mother, but I’d be willing to bet she’s got plans of some kind. I can offer you wine…” he offered. Realizing how it may have sounded by offering her wine, he quickly added, “Or I can make you coffee.” He didn’t want her to think it was a romantic offer.

She thought about it for a moment before turning off her car. “I can come up for a bit,” she decided. It’s not like she was currently in a rush to get back to her apartment to spend the rest of Valentine’s Day alone.

“So, coffee? Or wine?” he asked once they were inside.

“Well, I’d prefer to be able to relax and not be so wired when I get home, so wine,” she answered with a small smile.

“Right,” he nodded. He placed the roses for his mother and daughter on the kitchen island and moved to get a bottle of red wine and a couple of glasses before gesturing to the couch to get comfortable.

She sat on one end of the couch, slipping her shoes off before curling up on it. “Thanks,” she smiled once more as she accepted the glass from him, taking a drink.

“You’re welcome,” he took a seat on the opposite end, making sure there was the entire middle couch cushion between them. He turned so that he could comfortably face her.

“So Alexis’s first Valentine’s Day with Ashley, hmm?” she asked him with a smile.

He gave a soft laugh. “Yeah. Should I be worried?” he asked her.

She shrugged with a smile. “Probably not. Alexis is the most responsible kid on the planet, so I’m sure you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“It’s not her I worry about. It’s the teenage boy with her.”

She laughed into her glass as she took another drink of her wine. “Says the man who still acts like a teenage boy sometimes.”

He nodded. “So you understand why I’m worried.”

“Castle, it’s Valentine’s Day, not prom. Relax,” she assured him. “All the adults have the hotel

rooms booked up for themselves tonight anyway, so teenagers aren’t going to be able to get one,” she teased.

He shot her a look, and she couldn’t help but laugh. He was too easy.

Their conversation continued easily as the bottle of wine slowly disappeared between the two of them. “So the event planner I hired to do the fundraiser we talked about last week is supposed to send me a few dates where we can meet with her to go over the details,” he told her as he finished his glass.

The fundraiser. Right. For the scholarship in her mother’s name. She still couldn’t believe he had come up with this way to honor her mother. Even a week later, it still made her heart do somersaults. “Sure, Castle…just let me know, and I’ll do my best to be there. But you have all the plans we came up with. You could plan it without me there.”

“And I will if you can’t get away, but it’s important to me to involve you.”

She smiled and shifted slightly so that she was close enough to touch his knee. “I appreciate that, I really do. And I want to plan this. Unfortunately, murders don’t always stick to a schedule,” she smiled. “I just want you to know that if something comes up on my side, I trust you to do this. I trust you won’t go over the top.”

He smiled, leaning forward to set his empty glass on the coffee table. He shifted a little closer, resting his hand over hers. “I promise, everything will be perfect. Nothing over the top,” he assured her.

She leaned forward to place her empty glass on the table as well. “I know I already said this, but thank you. I can’t even come up with words to tell you how much this means to me,” she told him honestly.

“Thank you for letting me do this for you,” he said softly, his eyes meeting hers and getting lost for a moment. He was grateful she’d accepted his offer; he knew how closely guarded she was about her mother. The Kate Beckett he’d met a couple of years ago would have probably shot him for even making the suggestion; then again, the Richard Castle from a couple of years ago probably would have planned the whole thing without consulting her or getting permission from her at all. They had both grown as people since then.

She let her eyes hold his, not realizing she’d shifted closer to him. Her eyes drifted from his eyes to his lips, and she knew what she wanted. It was a bad idea, but between the events of the day…the past few weeks, really…and the wine in her system, the feelings she had for him had fought their way to the surface and she couldn’t remember all the reasons why or even bring herself to care that it was a bad idea. For once, she stopped thinking and just acted,

closing the distance between them and pressing her lips against his.

The kiss was tender and slow, her fingertips gently caressing his cheek. She deepened the kiss after a few moments, melting into him. The tip of her tongue had just slipped past his lips and touched his when the sound of the door opening and Alexis’s voice telling Ashley goodnight hit her, causing her to break the kiss and pull back abruptly, as though she’d been burned. Shit… Realization sunk in and her eyes widened. “I…need to go…” she quickly distanced herself from him on the couch.

“Kate…” Castle started softly, but before he had a chance to say anything else, Alexis approached and hugged him from behind, seemingly unaware of what she had interrupted. “Hey, Pumpkin. Have a nice time?”

“I did,” she smiled. “Detective Beckett, I didn’t know you’d be here.” She wasn’t accusatory, simply surprised. She’d figured the Detective would have plans on Valentine’s Day.

Beckett was in the process of slipping her shoes back on and froze for a moment at the teenager’s words. “Oh, um…your dad and I were just…”

“That case I was looking into…my friend was arrested, and she was kind enough to try to cheer me up a little,” he broke in to offer an explanation.

Alexis frowned slightly. “I’m sorry your friend was guilty, Dad,” she told him sympathetically.

“Yeah, me too,” he nodded. “Hey, I got you something,” he said then, pushing himself up from the couch to give Kate a little time to try to recompose herself. He dragged his daughter to the kitchen and handed her the single red rose he’d picked up for her on the way home. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Alexis grinned and kissed her dad’s cheek. “Thanks, Dad. You know you’ll always be my favorite Valentine.”

Kate watched the scene in front of her; seeing Castle being such an amazing father had always been a soft spot for her where he was concerned. She realized if she didn’t get out of there now, she was going to end up doing something really stupid that could easily end with her in Castle’s bed. “Well, Alexis is here to cheer you up now, so I’m going home,” she said in a lighter tone than she felt as she approached the door.

“Thank you for keeping him company until I got home, Detective. And don’t worry, he’s in good hands. I’m going to break out the ice cream,” Alexis assured her with a smile. “I just hope he didn’t ruin your Valentine’s Day plans.”

“Uh no. Josh was stuck at the hospital, so it’s fine,” she answered quickly, avoiding Castle’s eyes as she brought up her boyfriend…her boyfriend…who was not the man she’d just kissed on the couch. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told him. “Goodnight Alexis, I’m glad you had fun,” she added to the girl and then letting herself out of his loft before he could try to get her to stay. She was absolutely running.

xxxxx

I know this is a longer chapter, but I really didn’t want to split it up into two. I want to try to keep each chapter its own episode if I can. I’m still not sure I’m overly happy with how this ending turned out, but it felt organic to me…this last scene is one I’ve spent longer on than almost any other scene I’ve written, so I hope you guys are all okay with it.

I hope you enjoyed the additions I made to this episode, and as always, I look forward to your comments!

#castle #caskett #kate beckett #richard castle #castle fanfiction

[sassenashsworld]

This shit guides us

Nora and I have been ambushed for several hours and if I can say without any hesitation if everything is going well on my side, it is obvious then on her side, something is wrong.

In fact, seeing her huffing like an ox, clenching her knuckles and jaws every split second, I'm sure if I blink, she'll jump at someone's throat, rip their stomach open and while 'one wonders how much color a human face can take before having that of death, she will be finishing strangling it with its own intestines just.

I should have asked what we were working on, absolutely.

But here we are, under a cold drizzle at the end of the evening, with a wind to wonder if the climate would not finally come back to hang around in this month of January. We are silently suspended between heaven and earth under a billboard at listen to the chattering teeth of my partner while observing an alley below without really knowing what to expect.

Ok, she knows, I don't.

And it's a bit frustrating.

For less than that, I should have already found. I'm a detective, right? Well here, with it, I dry.

Seeing her stare unblinkingly at a rusty iron door for a full rotation of the dial, she seemed rather calm. Quite badly too calm.

Oh shit.

Yeah, I confirm now that story stank. I should have seen it coming.

"It's to skip a cargo of shit we're waiting for, right? Are you planning a little party in Goodneighbor?"

"Man of little faith."

"Synth."

"For chems shipments, I ask Handcock. When it's good cam, I ask MacCready. Why would I take the living room pain in the ass who frowns every time I get a little pleasure? "

"Oh please! I don't want to know what's going on between your legs."

"Oh please!" she imitates me sardonically "you know perfectly well what passes between my legs, you perch on the workshop to be sure not to miss anything."

To breathe. Breathing is the key. Completely unnecessary to live, but important enough to let her live.

"It's a nice place to relax. Not my fault if anything going on in your stake causes uproar."

"You're still quite a pervert, when you think about it."

"I must, to keep hanging out with you” I smirk. Then continue “At least you know the institute didn't build me with..."

"Breeding protocol? Yeah, you repeat it enough times for me to know it pisses you off."

A breath. Two breaths. Three breaths.

"Okay, I'm off the hook. Sorry Nick. I'm the one pissed off."

"Great, we're making progress. Can I knock you down a bit with this iron bar while you explain?"

"We don't touch the bar."

"She really wasn't tall, admit it."

"It was a low blow, yes, I admit it. Now you shut up?"

I can continue to make her angry a little for what she has just dared to insinuate, can't I? I detail her a bit. Yeah, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, white knuckles. She's on the sideboard. I let go.

"Good mother hen, give the beak."

"These motherfucker’s trying to bring the kids down."

And nothing. What motherfucker, what kids, down why? I can wipe myself.

"Nora, we've discussed this often."

"No service."

"Silver! Could you have some decency tonight? Tell me what...”

She leaps to the ground.

“Well no..."

A fellow has opened the door. After having cleanly impressed on his face the lines of the composite material of the butt of her .308, she prevents the door from closing by putting a foot in it. The guy's foot, of course. For now, it's still attached to the guy's leg, so I drop to the ground in my turn to join her.

"We have a doorman."

"He shouldn't end up as a door stopper."

"Why not?"

"Because...”

I don’t have time to explain.

“You just shot him..."

I hate but really, I HATE when she cuts me off in the middle of a sentence to plant a leak in the forehead of a suspect. What am I cooking now? Her? Pffft. I have better luck with the corpse.

"It’s open."

"Like his skull."

"Follow me. In silence."

Hmm. Sure. As silently as the weight of my metal structure can move forward on a metal catwalk. Metal mass and metal floor, isn't it the pre-war kids' thing to get on their mums' nerves? Well mum here has an easy nerve because in three steps, she swings me against a wall.

"You're done, yes?"

"I didn't ride on tissue paper axles."

"Get down!"

She points to the factory floor, low below. The ground ten meters below. With no stairs around. I raise a wary look but to her look, if I don't find a solution, she'll just throw me into the void.

"Yeah, no worries, I'll do it that way."

I let her get lost in the dark before I dare to move. We're not in Corvega here, there's no access. How do I do my account? Wait, we're not in Corvega. I didn't think to question what kind of factory we were in.

We are in an old neighborhood which Nora, will know how, seems to know out better than her pocket. For my part, I haven't often had to hang out in the area especially under the yoke of looters, very few innocent passersby coming there unless they are looking for a good cam. Well, I admit they are not so innocent then. Anyway, I was never sent to work in the place.

I slowly slide my feet on the floor. It will be ok. I'm glad no one's here to see me, but it'll do. So, I move even more slowly than if I was trying to be discreet towards what seems to be a service staircase. It's almost won. I hit the ground to find it in dirt. Who puts a dirt floor in a factory? Don’t have time to question because I heard a shout.

"What the... SHIT, IT'S HER!"

Ah, I got screwed with her story again. She didn't want discretion, she just wanted to have a lot of fun before I arrived as reinforcements. Precisely, I join her in a production room where she is already happily using her weapon of choice. Between two shots, I hear voices screaming in pain.

They scream in pain...

How does a split skull scream in pain?

She throws one of those assholes in my face while I aim for a thug who is desperately trying to get away. A bullet in the back stops him in his tracks but my weapon suddenly finds himself below the guy who has just fallen into my arms.

"Make it spit the piece."

"I should already know what piece we're looking for."

The guy keeps screaming louder as he agonizes us pretty names of long-gone flowers when I drop everything in front of me.

"I want to know where the last shipment went."

I crouch down in front of the still intact face of the man.

"Did you hear the lady? Balance, otherwise, I'll turn my back and let her do what she wants."

"DIAMOND CITY!!! RIFF SEND THE CAM TO DIAMOND CITY!"

"Madam is served."

She lodges a 10mm bullet in the raider's head. Thus. Rarely passed an interrogation so expeditiously.

"Otherwise, you can keep quiet, we have a court-appointed lawyer on your right to help you” I say to the corpse then turn my attention to my partner. “Can the lawyer drop her gun and explain to me?"

She lodges a bullet in the head of everything that still scream in the place.

"Why didn't you start with that?"

"If he hadn't spoken, there had to be another one."

"So now we're in private, either you tell me what's going on, or I'm going back to my office."

"He said Diamond City, right?"

"If I answer, are you going to give me two keys in return?"

"Nat..."

She spins without (of course) answering me where we came from.

Can you legally kill your partner and hope not to suffer the judgment of ... the whole Commonwealth? Unfortunately, I know the answer. Therefore, I'm on the train and not let myself left behind. Nora is heading straight for... Goodneighbor.

"Here, you've decided to change your partner. It's okay, I can go straight home, no need to drag myself to Handcock to put under my nose without a shadow of a doubt he's better than me."

She rolls her eyes and stops.

"They produced a new drug, the Happy Holiday, or double H."

She throws a small object and in the dark, I think it can be called a miracle I manage to catch it. I lift what I'm holding between my fingers in front of my eyes, appreciating the LEDs can provide minimal radiance.

"Is it a duck?"

"A pretty little yellow duck. The few children the Commonwealth has within its shattered walls will soon be fully exposed to this new candy which will guarantee raiders the only customer base they haven't yet reach."

"The childrens..."

"So."

"How did you know?"

Of course, why answer me when she can look at me like if I'm a moron. I growl in annoyance.

"I may have fallen asleep in some ruins yesterday, not far from the warehouse we just blew up. I didn't know what I'd come across, that's why I went to get you. But I was able to learn three things. One, they were producing the DH in this lab we just cleaned. Two, they were planning to spread it into homes through the childs. Three, whoever has to approach them is waiting for a delivery for tonight at the Third Rail."

"Handcock knows?"

"Not yet. Do you think you wouldn't have been the first to know about it?"

I rub my chin thinking.

"Chems, Handcock. Even I can understand."

"Justice, Valentine. We're not talking about chems here... Well, yes, we're talking about chems. But no. Here, we're talking about childs who will find themselves on the front lines of a vicious business."

She's not denying if it was just about chems, I could jerk off.

"Besides, I really like Handcock, he's a good guy, but sometimes he's easily taken in."

"Especially if it's about chem."

"Especially if it's about... chem."

It seems hers has just let it go because she’s catching herself on a wall to control a stun that seems badass. I take her jaw between the fingers of my good hand and carefully scrutinize her pupils.

"What did you take?"

"None of your business, dad."

"It's not buffout."

"Well done, detective. Are you letting me go?"

She just might make me quit... oh shit! I catch her just in time as she dives, also skillfully preventing Silver from falling into a butt puddle. I imagine if I had to choose between her face and her gun, she would want me to save the gun. I lean her against the brick wall behind us and pat her cheeks a little.

"Hey, doll, is anyone home?"

Honestly, I'm amazed I didn't bring her back already. Yet she said she was taking a nap when she heard... ah! We don't hear when we sleep. So, in her coded language, I must consider when she says nap, she means stoned.

Note.

"Nora!"

Nothing.

I rummage through her bag and find a few interesting things that would help me get her back on her feet. But while she's playing Sleeping Beauty, I'm doing what I know best; investigate.

She has three bottles of buffout. The first has a rather common label. I check the content. Buffout. Ok. A good twenty. Here, I'll have to take her for a check-up with a cardiologist. I open the second bottle who has been slightly paint in green. Now, they have a different smell. The little pills rolling around in my hands ARE NOT buffout. No need to open the third yellow painted one to understand Nora likes variety.

Precisely, the damsel shakes herself, a little bewildered.

I put my metal hand on her shoulder, I admit pushing the tips of my fingers a little under her collarbone, to make sure she doesn't move. I show her the pretty wonders which are in the hollow of my other palm.

"You piss me off."

"I return the compliment. Can you explain to me?"

"And chemistry."

"And what?"

"Law, biology, science and chemistry. Chemistry comes pretty much all along with science. It doesn't take a genius to concoct new recipes."

"Tell the one who can't cook a steak."

"OF DOG!"

"Whatever. For all I know, you could burn water. As far as burning your brains, you seem on the right track too."

She growls and tries to get up but then, my vicious little appendages sink into her skin through the Kevlar. She sits down immediately. Who said I didn't have the knack with her? Well, let's be honest, I'm sure it's just because she considered keeping me alive was more valuable than a little twist on her pride.

"Nonetheless, you said to yourself; there are already plenty of things that freeze me, why didn’t accelerate my decadence?"

"I thought to myself, these things are already going to kill me, as much as they're worth it."

You also find, huh, she is hopeless.

"And just give up on that stuff, have you thought about that?"

“Ah! But of course, Nick. Don't tell you what the lawyer weighs up against super-mutants. It's my fault if I'm taken for a kind of superhuman capable of doing everything?”

"Social pressure. Typical."

I throw the bottle as far as my mechanical arm can. And it is far. Nora's gaze follows the flight of her precious treasures then immediately descends on the second pot I take in my hand.

"No, do not do that."

I swing it the same.

"Not to do what?"

I often stop her from drinking, and she hasn't killed me for it yet. I'm counting on my luck, so she won't kill me for...

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Alcohol, ok, drugs, don't touch.

A real fury (which by the way doesn't care about stabbing herself with my hand so I retract for its own good) falls on me with all claws out. I manage without difficulty to shift and take both wrists in one hand, making her eat the dust. Or stagnant water. Radioactive stagnant water. Sorry Nora. Basically, I believe it's for your own good. She continues to belch and spit (for that, we understand) while I take my handcuffs out of my trench pocket.

"You will thank me one day. Or you will hunt me down mercilessly. But you will be alive to do it."

I put handcuffs on her wrist as she rears up like a wild horse which is gently leaded to the slaughterhouse.

Once the subject is more or less done (I drag her by the wrists in the streets of Boston without mercy for her rear end), I join our objective; Goodneighbor.

It would seem even in this asylum of all what is not liked in the corner, a human who struggles like a devil in holy water screaming like a possessed dragged by a synth attracts a little attention. Then I have the mayor in sight before I have taken ten steps.

"What is it this time? She doesn't seem droopy, at least."

"She's going to be soon. I don't even know where she gets the energy to resist me."

The ghoul chuckles a little as I drop my make-up on her feet. The burden leaps up (despite its restraints) and spits in my face.

"NICK VALENTINE! I SWEAR I'LL GET YOUR SKIN!"

"You'll have yours beforehand if we don't wean you. Handcock, clean her up. I have a little investigation to do in the area. I'll be back tomorrow to check in on you."

"Can't I come with you, instead? What you're asking me, I don't think even a Deathclaw could do."

"Nora. Weaned."

He rolls his eyes and rummages through his frock to find a squirt tube he puts on immediately.

"Well, mate!"

Weaned Nora by consuming Jet... am I right to entrust him? Not really other choices. He grabs Nora by the handcuffs and drags her to his old building. While he leaves to have fun, I sink into the alleys of Goodneighbor.

If I want to stand in front of Nora again AND stay alive, I'll have to find the juiciest bit of this story.

#nick valentine #fallout #fallout 4 #fallout fanfic #silver's story

[untitled-by]

While chat was with one of the streamers I watch on the regular again and there was a minor disagreement about The Last of Us 2 where in the streamer thought it was just the best sequel ever and some members of chat just didnt care for it. Of course its fine that people have differing opinions about popular game series. What always rubs me the wrong way is that when a few people in chat has an issue with something they enjoyed said streamer generally writes it off with a comment like, "You know chat, I think you're just mad the sequel made you feel something."

And like maybe its true that some people in chat are just mad over a major character death? Which we cant talk about per the streams extreme no spoilers policy.

Quick disclaimer: mind that I dont disagree with this policy, as some people feel media is ruined for them if you so much as tell them if you thought the ending was happy/sad/funny/disappointing and nothing else. If thats the case thats fine. (Im the opposite. Nothing can be ruined for me ever.) I also imagine it must be easier to manage things by picking one side of an all or none policy.

But given that the policy is none making that kind of statement then feels really.... hm. backhanded, maybe, because its very difficult then to defend yourself if your problems with a piece of media-- in this example TLOU 2, but this isnt the first case of this happening --arent based on whatever they think a person might react emotionally to?

I am going to assume that they were making the assumption that chat was angry about SPOILER: Joel's death. And when I say "chat" in this instance I mean like maybe 4 out of 15-25 people moving in and out over a 2 hour span. Chat flows nicely, conversation doesn't linger too long in any one spot, and this whole exchange was less than 3 minutes.

I dont know what the other two didnt like about the game. I know that my partner didnt like the game because they felt that the ending was handled poorly. What I wrote was something along the lines of "Personally Im never upset when a story asks me to feel things. I thought the writers had a great story to tell and everything they need to tell it, but the execution of that story was poorly handled." I would have liked to have continued with something along the lines of, "In my opinion they could probably have avoided the backlash if they had divided the sequel story into two additional games." Because of course its really hard to explain that I feel like half the problem was that the audience was asked to feel for both sides of the story, but had only been allowed to build a deep relationship with one half. That would be too many spoilers for the room.

I mean, there are probably lots of ways to preserve the same story that the devs wanted to tell and reach the same ending that would have been more satisfying. There are also probably a million ways the story could be improved upon, but thats okay too. That is a whole other topic of discussion.

Before I got that far however, I was given a very from, "Oh thats okay we can agree to disagree." Yeah okay, I got the hint and that is fine.

I'm not upset about being asked to change the conversation. After laying all this out Im just really frustrated how it feels like the standard being set is "Im going to see a casual disagreement between myself and my small audience, 2 of whom are mods who are (probably?) friends and 2 of whom are viewers who are not" -> "Now I am going to say something inflammatory and passive aggressive knowing they cant say anything back to me because of rules I set myself" -> "Someone is trying to follow the rules AND engage, because respectful engagement is the environment ive build thus far?" -> "Hard nope out of the subject because that would mean potentially admitting that i actually just said something in bad faith."

When the easiest thing to do would be to instead just... maybe not make this remarks in this manner? Again, this is just the most recent example not the ONLY time this has happened.

I just feel like there are equally as challenging ways to rephrase that comment that isnt insulting, but but a still gets the point across. Because maybe people are just mad that joel died (super valid) and its a tired argument about a game you like that you dont wanna get into again, but you do feel like making a statement about always having to repeatedly rehash that? cool, i absolutely get that, but why ya gotta hurt people who weren't hurting you?

so im just vague blogging about it on tumblr i guess, why not.

Theyre an awesome streamer whom i enjoy watching when the subject of streams isnt horror games, which for october it is sadly.

#i have moved into my era of media and story analysis where... #i think a little less about what sweeping changes can you make to q story to make it better #but in what was can the story be told more effectively using as many of the tools already present and not introducing too many more #because i think there are always more stories to tell and when trying to 'fix' a story one always risks telling a different one #sometimes a different story SHOULD be told even but thats something to be hashed out ya know #its always worth at least looking at a story and asking how could THIS story have been told the way the authors or devs wanted if only #they had time budget and no corporate breathing down their necks or whatever mightve gotten in their way #because for a video game you know something prolly got in their way #the other better stories should also be written imo they just need some determine person to dump them into a nice #pot of idea chili and stew for awhile and then write them down oof hard work godspeed to all writers except the ones who plagiarize

[tmngoose]

Some Assembly Required: a Rottmnt story

Remember this post? Well, I decided to clean up what I had and show it to y’all. This was supposed to be a much longer story, but back when I was writing it, I jumped ship for a different fic I was working on and never came back OTL Characters: Donnie, Mikey, Raph, Leo, April, Shelldon, Draxum, Huginn & Muninn (albeit super brief) Tags: Lab accidents, fires, minor injuries, hurt/comfort, obscure UHF reference I won’t be uploading this to Ao3, so you can read it under the cut :U

For the longest time, Donnie dreamed of the perfect lab partner. Though Shelldon was an impeccable assistant, there were moments where Donnie longed to work side-by-side with another scientist. Someone with a thirst for knowledge! Someone who shared his passion for all things technical and methodical; a scientist, just like he considered himself to be! 

To think Baron Draxum would be Donnie's long-awaited lab partner was not a scenario the Softshell had ever fathomed. Still, it was one he accepted with great enthusiasm. 

Draxum and Donnie saw no reason to doubt their capabilities. However, the rest of the family remained wary whenever the two of them went off meddling in the lab. With April's help, Raph, Leo, and Mikey devised a strict set of guidelines to ensure Donnie and Draxum wouldn't get into too much trouble. 

"Scoff!" Donnie threw the hefty packet of rules down at his feet, offended. "What do you take us for: a pair of unhinged Frankensteins? Y'know, it'd be nice if, just for once, you guys would have a little faith in our scientific endeavors!" 

"It's not that we don't trust you guys," April explained, "It's just... you guys tend to get a little carried away with your projects, that's all!" 

"What's that suppose to mean?" 

"The last time Barry was in a lab, he created the Oozesquitos," April folded her arms, "And don't get me started about the time you messed with your brother's brains."

"Okay! I get it!" Donnie sighed. He picked up the packet of rules and flapped the dust out from its pages. "We won't get carried away: Todd scout's honor." 

April smiled, "Thanks, Dee." 

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me, Draxum and I were just about to partake in our latest  scientific acquisition: Professor Philo's Chemistry Set for the At-Home Scientist!" Donnie started off for his lab, tucking the packet into a compartment in his battle-shell.

April shook her head, smiling as she headed inside the living room, where the sounds of 8-bit gaming welcomed her. Raph and Mikey were too invested in whatever racing game they were playing to notice April. 

"Soo, how'd it go?" Leo asked from his beanbag chair. "Is Donnie mad that we're afraid he'll bring Potatozilla into existence or what?"

"I say he handled it pretty well!" April plopped herself down in the recliner. "I told Donnie that we just wanted to make sure he and Draxum toned it down a bit, that's all." 

"See? I told you he'd listen to April!" Mikey grinned smugly at Leo.

Leo rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He went back to scrolling his social feed on his phone, "I'll believe it when they don't create a giant mutant potato or somethin'."

"Be nice, Leo," April swung her legs over the armrest. "We've gotta have a little faith in 'em. Besides, I've never seen Donnie this happy since-" 

KA-BOOOOOOM!!!

A powerful tremor shook the lair, taking everyone by surprise. The trinkets Splinter's 'Do Not Touch' cabinet rattled and shook, a few of the lighter items clattered to the floor. April held onto the armchair with Raph steadying it before it could topple over backward. Mikey hid inside of his shell out of reflex as Leo jumped to his feet, prepared to face whatever threat was upon them.

"Omigosh!" Mikey exclaimed, popping his head out of his shell. "What was that?!" 

"You don't think DIGG's tryin' to take down the Kaufman Coliseum again?" Raph frowned, trying to rub the ringing out from his ears. 

"Um, guys?" Leo sniffed the air, "Does anyone else smell something burning, or is that Raph's 'Taken-By-Surprise' stink?" 

Raph sniffed at his underarm, "Nope. It's not me!" 

April and Mikey took a moment to smell the air, their noses wrinkled at the familiar acrid odor of smoke. 

And smoke could only mean one thing: something was on fire. 

Oh no! Donnie! Barry! April's stomach dropped over the thought. She bolted out of the living room with Raph, Leo, and Mikey right behind her. "Please let it be a giant mutant potato!" 

It wasn't a giant mutant potato. 

By the time they entered the atrium, a thick cloud of smoke had spilled out from the mouth of Donnie's lab, billowing up into the rafters above. Although they couldn't see it, they could hear the fire roaring from deep within the lab.

"Mad Dogz!" Raph barked, "Initiate ‘Fire Safety Plan Alpha!’"  “FSssPAH!” Mikey pronounced the acronym from the back of the group.

But before Raph could lead the rescue, Draxum leaped out from the smoke carrying Donnie in his arms; their matching lab coats singed. Shelldon flew out, not too far behind, with Huginn and Munnin holding onto his back. 

"Barry!" April ran up to the soot-stained alchemist. "What happened?! I thought y'all we're gonna take things easy? Didn’t y’all read the packet?!" 

"We were," Draxum rasped, passing Donnie's limp body into Raph's arms. "If it weren't for a pair of idle hands." He gave his gargoyles a sharp look while removing the safety goggles from his face, leaving clean rings around his eyes.

Munnin's wings sagged, "The instructions weren't joking when it said 'everything in this chemistry set is a fire hazard.'"

"Yeah, including the instructions," Huginn hung his head, "Our bad."

"So, how're we suppose to handle this whole situation?" Leo asked, gesturing to the raging inferno that was (formally) Donnie's lab.

"I'm on it, dudes!" Shelldon replied, concentrating on his emergency protocols hardwired into his drives.

The fire-alarm system blared to life. Then came the hissing of the sprinklers going off and the gush of extinguishing foam spraying deep within the lab. Slowly, the smoke was beginning to ease up, much to everyone's relief.

Slowly, Donnie began to stir, groaning as he slowly regained consciousness, "Ugh... what? M-my lab..." His confusion morphed into panic as he realized the severity of the situation. "My lab!!" He squirmed feebly in Raph's arms, mortified.

"Woah, take it easy," Raph held Donnie against him, firm enough to subdue him yet careful not to hurt him. "That chemistry set of yours nearly got you guys barbequed." 

Donnie frowned, "No, you don't understand!" His eyes stung with tears as he thought of his life's work gone in a blaze of unsupervised stupidity. "Everything's ruined!"

"Hey, you don't know that for sure!" April gently touched Donnie's shoulder. "Besides, what's important is you're both okay!" 

"April's right," Mikey agreed, clinging to Draxum's side, "We're glad y'all made it out safely. A little flambéed, but you get the idea."

"But my lab," Donnie emphasized. 

"Lab shmab, we can worry about that later!" Leo nudged Draxum with his elbow. "For now, let's focus on getting you toasted marshmallows taken care of."

"Yeah, what Leo said!" Raph adjusted Donnie in his arms, heading for the bathroom where the first aid kit was kept. "Just you wait; maybe it's not as bad as you think!"

                                                            -x-

Raph's sense of judgment was always a mixed bag, and this time, he couldn't have been farther from the truth. 

The lab was a smoldering mess, virtually unrecognizable to the Turtles, Draxum, and April. The walls were blackened, and the smell of burnt wiring and computer parts hung sourly in the air. Puddles of foam and water gathered in parts of the floor, adding to the disarray.

Donnie searched desperately for anything salvageable, but the prospects were slim to none. The bandaged Softshell approached the remnants of his workstation, absolutely gutted. He reached for what was once a prototype for a new battle shell, but it crumbled into ash in his hands. 

"Alas, this must've been what it felt like to lose the Library of Alexandria," Donnie mourned poetically, sinking to his knees. Shelldon drifted up to his heartbroken creator, pressing his head against Donnie's side like the loyal drone he was.

"Okaaayyy, so it's a little charbroiled in here," Leo cringed. "But if anyone can fix this, it's you!" 

"Do you have any idea how long that'll take me?" Donnie moaned, overwhelmed by the daunting task. "It took me years of refurbishing junk and computer parts, and now I have nothing! Zilch! Nada! No equipment, no materials, no anything!"

Donnie's outburst left the others speechless. They had seen him upset before, but nothing to this extent. 

Quietly, Draxum approached Donatello, "As someone who has lost their life's work twice, I understand your plight," he said, joining the turtle on the floor. "However, unlike myself, you are fortunate not to face this endeavor alone. You have your friends, your brothers, and... your lab partner," Draxum looked off to the side, somewhat flustered by the sentimental mushiness his words implied. 

"Draxibald's right, Donnie!" Mikey beamed. He was so proud of Barry for stepping up to the plate. He popped up in between them, slinging his arms over their shoulders, "You've got us to help you! We'll have your lab up and running in no time!"

Leo smiled, "Yeah, with you bossing us around, we can totally get the job done!"

"But a total rebuild of this scope requires a certain level of technological sophistication!" Donnie deflated, "So unless you know of any tech-savvy geniuses out there, I don't see how any of this is possible."

"Oh, I know a guy," April answered, "And I'm lookin' right at him~" She smiled at Donnie, who didn't know how to process the compliment. "Have a little faith in yourself, Dee!"  Donnie blinked, stunned that his own words were used against him.

"Yeah, you said so yourself!” Raph joined in, “You and that big brain of yours built this lab out of nothin' but junk! If there's anyone who can build back better than ever, it's you! So whaddya say, Don?"

Donnie looked at Raph's hand extended out to him. He then glanced over at Leo, Mikey, and April, all eagerly awaiting his response. He turned to Draxum, who gave a curt nod.

Touched by the support of his family, Donnie wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye, "I say let's order some pizzas and chop-chop! Rome wasn't built in a day, people! We've got our work cut out for us!"  He took Raph’s hand and was lifted up from the ground.  Yes, Donnie supposed he could have a little faith in himself, and everyone else as well.

#rottmnt #tmngoosepost #abandoned fic #rottmnt fic #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt april #rottmnt draxum #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #rottmnt leo #rottmnt shelldon #huginn and munnin #I was going through my old WIPs and decided to show y'all this one

[youllallriseintheink]

Sammy and Jack. “Can we stay like this forever?”

Crisis of Faith, chapter 2

Sammy didn’t dream of Jack again until his next crisis of faith, and Sammy’s faith was very difficult to break. It had begun while Sammy, now a lost one made of fluid ink, was hiding in a wall, watching as a severely ink-infected woman raved.

“Mother, why do you punish me!?” she shouted as, with all the power left in her body, she tried to force open the padlocked doors of the women’s washroom. Her veins, prominent due to age and leanness, were a pitch-black web on her skin, and her wiry muscles had wasted away to bone.

Sammy had, on Joey’s command, overseen dozens of ink infections by now, and knew that there was nothing unusual about Emma Lamont’s case of it. Every single victim he had overseen had held some kind of delusion. Some believed that they were being poisoned by the government or their enemies, or that they were developing a mental illness. A very common one, however, was that they were receiving some sort of punishment, test, or reward from an all-powerful being- either God, or from a seemingly random entity that they’d decided to treat as one.

What if... Sammy’s beliefs were no different from this madwoman, screaming at the ghost of her mother?

Sammy moved on to check on the other infection victims. Even if Bendy wasn’t to be worshipped, the thought of ascension was all that kept him going. He sacrificed people on Joey’s command because the ink had told him to. He wrote his scriptures because he believed they were meaningful. He led the lost ones to Bendy and away from the lies their voices had told them because he truly believed that his voice had been the truth, and it seemed to give them hope, too.

Sammy passed  through the prison of ink creatures as he made his way to Joey’s sanctuary, where he now slept. A Charley was repeatedly banging its head against the bars of its cage. Lost ones wept. Ink stained every surface, making the brightly-lit room feel suffocatingly dark. Sammy was glad to phase through the wall into Joey’s sanctuary, where he could lie down on the couch and rest.

All this had to be leading to something. He couldn’t take it otherwise.

---

Sammy woke to the feeling of someone softly shaking him awake. He opened his eyes to see Jack, tears in his eyes and that disarming smile on his face.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” Jack asked gently.

Sammy, with a bit of difficulty, sat up and realized that he was in a hospital room, complete with an IV in his arm. He felt very weak, but also lighter- like a burden had been taken off of him. “Awful,” he admitted.

“Well, you want some good news? The ink is gone. All of it. You still have a lot of organ damage, but it’s nothing they can’t fix in a couple weeks. In other words, it’s over, Sammy. You’re gonna be okay.”

It took Sammy a half a minute to even process that. Once he did, though, he broke into tears of relief and hugged Jack as tightly as he could.

“Thank you. God, thank you for making me come here. You saved my life.”

Jack hugged him back. “Hey, I didn’t make you do anything. I know this took a lot of courage for you. And... I’m really glad you did it. I was so scared when I found you in your sanctuary. You were so sick... I thought I’d lose you. Sammy, I think I love you. But... we can talk about that later. Right now, you need to rest.”

“I love you, too.” Easiest words Sammy had ever said.

After a little more chatting, Jack left. Sammy wandered over to the bathroom to get a look at himself in the mirror. Admittedly, he didn’t look great. He looked like a person who’d narrowly survived a life-threatening illness, because that’s what he was. His skin was still pale and sunken, and he was still pretty gaunt, but the black veins, the bruise-like purple splotches on his skin, and even the staining in his mouth and his long, blond hair- it was gone. When Sammy woke, he would have given anything to see his human face again.

---Two years later---

As often happened whenever Sammy decided to play his banjo, a small crowd had gathered around him. Today, the crowd consisted of three lost ones, Jack (of course), a moderately ink-infected woman, and one of their last healthy men. The song Sammy was playing was "I’ll fly away.” He wasn’t singing it today, but he had sang it for his followers in the past, simply replacing the word, “God’s” with “his,” since “Bendy’s,” unfortunately, was two syllables.

“You know, it’s amazing how you can remember music like that,” said David, the only non-infected person in attendance. “I'm already forgetting the words to my favourite songs since it’s been so long since we’ve been able to just turn on a radio. How do you do it?”

Sammy would have smiled if he still had a mouth. “Well, a part of it is just natural ability,” Sammy admitted. “But. I have a secret to tell you. A part of it is faith. Faith can do great things. Collective faith in Bendy is the reason that we are the largest organization in this dimension. This village was built on faith. Faith keeps us united! Faith keeps us safe! And... faith allows me to to see into the old world every night when I close my eyes. I hope that all of you one day achieve that absolute belief that something in this world is good.”

“Heh. I’m trying. But all I have are nightmares of Bendy,” a lost one complained.

“Well, keep trying. Believe in his benevolence.” With that, Sammy got up and left for bed, patting Jack on the head on the way out. If only they knew that he used to be plagued by those same nightmares.

---

Sammy’s dream came in to form. He was on a bus, sitting next to Jack. Outside their window, snow was falling gently over a pretty,  snow-covered forest. For a while Sammy just sat in peace, holding Jack’s hand and enjoying the scenery.

“Excited to see your parents again? I know I can’t wait to meet them.”

Sammy nodded. “I can’t wait.” Sammy had always wanted to introduce Jack to his parents. He remembered that there was a strong reason why he hadn’t done it while he was alive, but he couldn’t remember what it was. “My Dad is going to love you. You’re a lot like him, you know. Do you remember why we didn’t do this sooner?”

“Because I’m a man,” Jack answered, totally calm.

“Oh!” Sammy had forgotten a lot about the outside world since his transformation, but nothing so big as the existence of homophobia. It was kind of alarming that the ink was affecting his brain that much. “God. I’m so... forgetful. I’ll just have to introduce you as my musical partner or something. It’s unconventional, but they've seen me do weirder.”

“You  know, Sammy, it’s like you got new lease on life after the ink incident. I love that. But yeah, you’re forgetting things left and right!” Jack teasingly jabbed him with his elbow.

“Yeah... Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” Jack said. Sammy worried what Jack would think, but looking into those calm brown eyes, he trusted him to not to react badly. And it would be nice to have one person he didn’t have to lie to.

“This is a dream. In the real world, I never got help for my ink infection, and now me and dozens of other people are trapped a dimension full of monsters. I’m holding a large band of people together by convincing them to collectively worship one of them. And you,” Sammy took a deep breath, “you’re there, too. But you haven’t had a coherent thought in years. I keep hoping that one day, we’ll make it out, and I’ll be able to confess to you and we’ll actually build a life like this. So... I’m forgetful because that ink is affecting my mind, and I’m happy because this world is my escape. And because you’re here, of course.” Sammy couldn’t meet Jack’s eyes. He’d probably just made himself sound like a lunatic.

Jack turned Sammy’s head to look at him. “Hey. I believe you. And... that sounds really rough. I wish I could help you.”

Sammy smiled. “Thanks. But you've been helping me all along.” Sammy laid his head on Jack’s shoulder. Maybe once the bus stopped, they’d get some hot chocolate and look at some shops before seeing his parents. It would be nice.

---

Sammy was violently shaken awake by a trio of searchers. More were behind them- as though half the village had crammed itself into his bedroom.

“Bendy is here!” one of them yelled. “What do we do?”

That was a good question. Sammy reached for his axe, but then he stopped. This was, according to the gospel he’d been feeding them, their saviour. “Go out to greet him,” Sammy instructed, trying not to sound as hesitant as he felt. “Bring him offerings of bacon soup. Bring everyone, even the Boris clones- they used to be human, too.”

The crowd of lost ones dispersed. Sammy watched with bated breath from the balcony of his lost-one village home as a massive crowd- lost ones, searchers, people both infected and healthy, and their three Boris clones- gathered along the ink river. Dozens of cans of bacon soup were placed along the river bank as an offering. Bendy stood on the other side of the river. Their drawbridge lowered, but Bendy decided instead to walk on the ink’s surface like the God they treated him as. The crowd gasped and made way. Bendy took an ink-infected man in one arm, stroked his cheek, and bit his face off.

Screams filled the air. People ran in all directions. Sammy was frozen for several seconds before he took action.

“Everyone! Run for cover! We have displeased him! I repeat, run for cover!” Sammy's booming, demonic voice covered the great distance it needed to. Upon seeing the people run and Bendy chase after them, Sammy himself slammed shut his doors and windows and listened in horror to the screams.

When it was over, all he could think to tell his people was that they needed to reconsider how they were paying tribute to the ink demon. If they changed their methods just a little, then the demon would be helpful instead of violent, and they would be freed.

To Sammy’s mixed relief, they actually believed it.

---

eleven years went by. Within the first three, every single flesh-and-blood person in the sketch dimension was infected, killed, or both, and became a lost one.

Their minds were rotting. Increasing numbers of lost ones struggled to remember anything about themselves or the outside world. Wandering aimlessly or resting in ink puddles, they were helpless as zombies.

But not Sammy. Sammy remained- comparatively, at least- as sharp as a whip, and told the lost ones tales so vivid about the outside world that they could almost taste its brilliance and freedom. Sammy only wished that Jack- the real Jack- could understand any of it.

There was nothing to do about that but what Sammy had been doing all along: keep the community together. Keep the lost ones moralized and sane. Figuratively and literally dream of a  better world. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Sammy didn’t want to forget a thing about the real world, but little pieces had fallen away, bit by bit. In his dreams, there were now places he couldn’t visit because he didn’t remember what they were like. His reflection in the mirror had become a human-shaped blur as he forgot his appearance. The same thing had happened to the faces of people he used to remember clear as day. One day, he would forget it all, too- just as everyone else had.

It was hard to keep hope.

One of Sammy’s dreams found him walking down a beach with Jack at his side. Sammy knew that the two of them had relocated at some point, but he didn’t know to where. His American geography was rather fuzzy at this point.

“Can I vent to you about the other world?” Sammy asked.

“Sure,” Jack said. Jack was one thing that Sammy’s memory hadn’t gone fuzzy on. Sammy still remembered every soft curve of his face, every freckle, every detail. His dark brown hair was starting to grey, but not because Sammy remembered him that way- it had been many years, and growing old together was part of the fantasy.

“Bendy came to the village again today. He killed a few lost ones and then left. People are losing faith in me and I don’t know how to get it back. And to make matters worse, a false prophet is going around saying we should worship the angel instead! She’d enslave us if we did that!" Sammy chucked a baseball-sized rock into the water, then composed himself a bit. “And you know, we’re all going to be mindless drones eventually. I’m thinking... maybe I won’t fight the false prophet. I could leave the village, hide in a vent, and spend as little time awake as possible. Ink creatures can sleep for days, you know. What do say? Can we stay like this forever? Enjoy this world until I lose my mind like all the rest?” Sammy took Jack’s hands and looked desperately into his eyes.

Jack hesitated, but by the look on his face, Sammy already knew what his answer would be. “I’m sorry. You know I have to say no. The lost ones need you.”

“But why am I the one who has to stay strong for them? I’m sick of it.”

“Because you’re the one who can. I know it isn’t fair, but you’re the reason they’ve been protecting each other. And it sounds like if you leave them now, they’ll throw themselves at Alice. Do it for them. And if you can’t bring yourself to care about them... do it for me. The real me. You still love him, right?”

“Of course...” Sammy probably would have done this sooner if he didn’t care about the well-being of his searcher friend.

Jack put a hand on Sammy’s shoulder. “I don’t know how, but you’ll get out some day. And in the meantime, I’m here.”

Sammy tried to think of some objection, but he couldn’t. He muttered a “thanks” and kept walking along the beach. Jack followed. It was, if nothing else, a beautiful night, and he might as well enjoy it.

“Jack... tell me what I look like. I don’t care that it’ll just be something you made up. Tell me anyhow.”

#Bendy and the Ink Machine #Jack Fain #sammy lawrence #sammy x jack #my fanfiction #threadedsafetypin #thanks for the ask

[housamo-side-blog-2]

Red Eyes part 2

Okay, im starting to love this Au, 

.

.

it is nightime in the dormitory of Shinjuku.. 

The bright crescent moon shines its luminescent  like shine on the entirety of Tokyo, A small bench is layed in the center of the dormitory, Where a young chubby student is sitting,staring at they’re intertwined fingers as they sang a harmonious melody, They sing as if they’re releasing something deep, something of a sharp feeling, that they began to tear up as they sang to what appears to be a high note of the song, Swaying from left to right, in full throttle,not knowing they’re familiar voice is going to be heard by the other sleeping students.

.

And they woke someone up...

.

{Door opens} 

.A Orange haired student, waiks towards the hallway to investigate, who is singing such an harmonious tone, There they spot they’re  two closest classmates as they watch from above, as the singing fluffy haired sang to their heart’s content.. They listen to their tone, their voice and the way they sing, they are now completely immersed into listening them sing now, as the redhead starts to suggest something. 

Ryota: Shiro, should we,?

Shiro: Just a few more minutes.. 

Kengo: Im recording them, 

Moritaka: Comrades?,

Everyone: Shhh...

Moritaka: Oh, apologies, Looks like we’re all awoken due to Harumo’s singing.

Ryota: Yeah, but, i didn’t even know they sing so good..

Kengo: im gonna show this to Harumo,at the guild. 

Shiro: Save me a copy. 

Kengo: What?

They continue to listen to their  musical and tuneful voice, not knowing that a tall figure is slowly approaching the quiet four, 

Mr Mononobe: Why are you all out of your rooms? 

Everyone: Ahhh!..

Harumo: Huh?..

Shiro: Mr Mononobe?, I..i..

Mr Mononobe: No need Shiro, first time hearing Harumo sing is like one of a million chances, 

Harumo: Were you guys there this entire time?!..

Ryota: We’re sorry Harumo, it was just really good, 

Kengo: And i got all on video!.

Harumo: You recorded me?!

Kengo: What?!, Its good content! 

Shiro: Im really sorry Harumo, i didn’t mean to, i just..

Moritaka: Most humblest apologies friend, i was so drawn to your singing that i lost focus. 

Harumo: ahhh...this is so embarassing! 

Ryota: But, you sound really great when you were singing!    

Harumo:Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...

Mr Mononobe: Alright everyone go back to your rooms, You know you have a test tomorrow. 

Ryota: A T-TEST?!...

Shiro: Yes Ryota, why’d you think we held those study sessions. 

Ryota: Oh,,y-yeah, i know that!,hehehe! 

Moritaka: Lets do our absolute best tomorrow, Ryota, 

Ryota: {In not going to be able to sleep tonight}

Kengo: Hey partner!, Good singing back there! 

Harumo: Ahhhhhh....

Moritaka: There’s nothing to be ashamed off Harumo, you sang beautifly, I never heard such a meliodic tune before! 

Ryota: When did you learn how to sing like that?..

Harumo: Uhhh..From Gabriel? 

Shiro: That explains the trips then..

Without further discussion, the stunned students, all went back to their dorms and went to sleep...

..

.

.

{Harumo’s dorm} 

Lights off, only the torquoise ray of the moon luminates a small portion of your room, You appear to be having a nightmare you brows go lower, your eyes squinting at something that isn’t needed to be focused on.

{Harumo”s Dream}

Harumo: W-Where am i?!...Why is it hot in here?!, This is a dream!

Unknown creature: {Breathes fire}

Harumo: Ahh!,,what the?!,,,what the heck is that! 

An Unknowing creature that almost the same height as Shinjuku Academy, stands before you, With its wine like scales, its tin like claws buried in the ground of dream state, Spine chilling as it looks directly into your eyes with its scarlet glare, almost as if its peering straight to your soul.      

.

Unknown creature1: ......Harumo.....

Harumo: It knows my name?!, Who are you?!...and what are you doing in my dream!?

.

.

Unknown creature: ..I AM A DRAGON...

Harumo:A dragon?,,Then, why are you attacking me!?

.

.

No response from your interrogation, the dragon like creature stands there, with its intimidating stature as well as its aura like glow, looming around it, But thats not all, 

.

 .

.

Harumo: Another one?,,,what the?!,,,

Out the blue, you are surronded by 5 dragon like creatures, each with their own distinctive features, the creature to your left is a turqiouse like its from the ocean, to your right, you see a moss green with what appears to be two vine like tentacles etched at the top of their head,  

To your south-east stands  A lavender colored with its shiny scales, To your south-west stands, An earthly colored dragon, as you can tell from its boulder like skin, 

Harumo: Wha?!,,,who are you all?, why is there,,,, 5 dragons around me? 

Confuse as you are shift your gase to each and every dragon that intimidates you,As they all radiate a glow that matches their features, you can’t tell what they are, as they stare down on you,confuse and worried,for you can’t summon your sword to defend yourself, .

.Suddenly.

,.

{ROAR!}      

 Harumo: Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!

Harumo: {Gasp} 

{Alarm clock ringing} 

You’ve awoken from your nightmarish like dream, for as look at your window, Rays of sunlight pierced your awoken eyes, you check the time, to see its early in the morning, which is unordinary, 

Harumo: What was that?....Those...dragons..

{Salomon appears} 

Lil Salomon: Good Morning Master!, Whaaaa!

Harumo: Whoah!, is something wrong?

Lil Salomon: Master, your..eyes..

.

.

Harumo: {Gasp in surprise} 

You stared at the mirror for a while to process, a sudden change..

Harumo: What happened to my eyes?..    

Sunflower colored eyes, shines dimly in your eyelids as it started to glow more like a rising sun, you panic and stumble to your wooden floor in distress,

Lil Salomon: Master.!

Harumo: Hah...hah...what happened Lil Salomon?, 

Lil Salomon: Harumo, calm down for a sec, breath slowly, 

Following your faithful buttler’s suggestion you slowly inhale and exhaled your anxiety and distress away, and it worked, 

Harumo: {Inhale.....Exhale} 

Lil Salomon: Thats it Master, slowly...

Harumo: .....Okay..im calm..

Lil Salomon: Master look!, your eyes!,,,they’ve changed back!

From Yellow to change back to your usual grey colored eyes, you breath in relief for as you thought something changed in you,for what could be the reason of the sudden change in the color of your eyes?. 

The question looms on your mind, but you seem to forgot something much more important, 

Harumo: Crap!, the test is this time!, 

Lil Salomon: But master!, what about your-

Harumo: We’’ll taik about that later!, I have a test to go to! 

Rushing back and forth your room, to get yourself ready to attend another hopefully ordinary day in Shinjuku Academy,

.

.

[Shinjuku Academy} 

Harumo: Hah,,,hah,,,,hah,,i made it! 

Ryota: Guys, its Harumo!, Hi Harumo! 

Harumo: Hey guys!, looks like i made it in time! 

Shiro: Its good that you’re not late this time. 

Kengo:....   

Harumo: Did all of you study?

Shiro: Hahah, no need to ask me that question.

Ryota: A little bit.

Shiro: What?, but we held a study session in the guild yesterday!

Ryota: Hehehe, it kinda slipped my mind?

Moritaka: I studied everything the exam has in store for me, so im fully confident in my knowledge.

Toji:*Nods*

Kengo: i suddenly have a bad feelin today.

Shiro: Oh?.

Kengo: Hey Harumo!, Did something happened to you? 

Harumo: Huh?

Shiro: Whats wrong Kengo? 

Kengo: Or is it just my imagination? 

Harumo:{Does Kengo know about my eyes?}

.

.

Mr Mononobe: All right!, Students go back to your seats and prepare a pencil,pen,and eraser, 

Shiro: Everyone Stand!, Bow! 

Everyone Good Morning Mr Mononobe! 

Mr Mononobe: Okay, sit down, this is your second semester examination, And i trust you all not to cheat!, understand?!

.

Mr Mononobe: All right, you can begin!.

.Ryota: Goodluck on the test Everyone!

.

  .

.????: HEY WHOEVER HARUMO IS, COME OUT! 

Everyone hearing the angry request, they look towards the window to look upon a large muscular figure along with 5 canine therians behind them as if they’re bodyguards. 

Harumo: Who are they? 

Mr Mononobe: Now class, stay put!, im going to check what it is. 

???:HEY HARUMO YOU BETTER COME OUT! OR MY BOYS WILL YOU! 

Harumo: Who are you?! 

???: Oh..so you’re Harumo!.. Come down here!, i want to have a nice clean chat with you! 

Kengo: This asshole needs a total beating if he knows whats coming for him! 

Moritaka: How dare they act so impudently infront of our school! 

.

.

Mr Mononobe, acting as the guardian of the student requested, confronts the unknown figure with his bodyguards, 

Mr Mononobe: Now ,now, may i ask who are you?, what businness do you have with one of my students? 

???: Hey old man!, How about you bring me your student Harumo here, They have a lot of nerve messing with my boys yesterday, and i can’t sit still about the way they were treated. 

Mr Mononobe: .....Im not going give Harumo...

???: Well then....

Mr Mononobe:Oof! 

Everyone; Mr Mononobe! 

Harumo: DAD!.....GRRRRRRR!! 

 .

Shiro: Harumo?....

Squeesing the window frame, you failed to notice a sudden change in your eyes, 

Ryota: Harumo your eyes are turning red! 

Harumo: HOW DARE YOU!!

???: Now!,Come out! 

{Opens the app} 

Harumo: Grrraaa!!!

Shiro: Harumo let us help! 

Ryota: You don’t have to do this alone! 

Blinded by your own fury, you redered the ties of gavity and flew towards the group who hurted your father like guardian, 

Harumo::HOW.DARE.YOU HURT MY FATHER!!!!!

Mr Mononobe: Harumo?...

???: Lets teach this punk a lesson! Get him boys! 

Harumo: OUT OF MY WAY! 

Armed with claws, the canine therians, gracefully cut, bruised you piece by piece as your uniform gets ripped bit by bit, revealing your chubby body piece by piece, but they don’t realised, ...

.

.

It was a huge mistake..

Canine therian1: What the hell is that skin made of!? 

Canine therian 2:It feels as if we’re hitting rocks !

From the onlookers, especially the summoners, they stare in confusion as they haven’t seen this side of their loving guildmaster, While the other students stare blankly aas they are both amased or shock to see the transfer student fight against 6 against 1. 

Now back to the fight, 

???: What are you all doing!?, go one and kill that bastard! 

Canine Therian 1 :But boss!, something is weird about this kid,We can’t cut them! 

Canine therian3:They have two swords!, and...what are they doing? 

Shiro: *Gasp* No! don’t’ Harumo! don’t use the Double Dragon on them!            Kengo: Harumo!,Harumo don’t use it, they’re worth it! 

Banging on the green dome enclosing everyone inside, the muscular students pleas go to occupied ears, as they are full of rage, as seen by the wine red color change of their eyes.

Harumo: Salomon!, 

Lil Salomon: Master!,this tecnique is not worth using on them!,Reconsider your decision! 

Harumo: They hurt my dad..so punishment is needed! 

Lil Salomon: I know, ive seen it, but look!, Father is okay now! you don’t have to use the Double Dragon technique on them, it will kill them for sure! 

Harumo: No one can die inside the battle area. I’ll make them remember this pain!

Boss: Pst, what, is that a secret move your doing?, Then go one,give me your best shot! 

Kengo: You moron!, you have no idea what that move is!, it could literally destroy a meteor! You’re only digging your own graves!   

Mr Mononobe: HARUMO!! 

Harumo: *Gasp in surprise* 

Waiking from behind, Mr Mononobe approaches you calmly as you are about to unleash the one technique that could destroy even the mightiest of foes.

Mr Mononobe: ....Don’t become a monster....

Harumo:.....

Bated breath and a silent stare, for you forget that you are in a midst of a battle, taking advantage of the confrontation, 

Harumo: Oof!

Mr Mononobe: Harumo! 

Kengo: Hey thats cheating! 

Boss: Ooh, did i disturb something!,

Harumo: *sigh* 

.

“Dragonborn”

 Harumo: This voice...! 

 Mr Mononobe: Harumo!..Ahhh!!

Boss: Don’t butt in old man.. 

Harumo: Mr Mononobe?.

Boss: Hahaha,,this,, all i have to do?...This is pathetic

Harumo: Crap!

Sacred artifact Hammer in the hands of the figure looking down on you, Prepares to drop their hammer the same width of their muscular figure, on you, as if their about to execute someone’s head off, and 

..

Mr Mononobe: ..Hey punk..

Boss:....

Harumo and Kengo: Mr Mononobe? 

Boss: You’re next so--

Like the sound of a wet towel amplified about 5 times,the painful sound can be heard from the second floor where the other students gase upon from,  your finisher, launched towards the side, due the massive power coming from the loving Mr Mononobe’s punches.. 

Harumo and Kengo: Ah....ah.....       

Boss’s henchmen: B-Boss?....Holy crap he’s knocked down cold! 

The onlooking students can only leave their mouths open for flies to come in and out, as they have witness a teacher, turned into a heavyweight boxer, The Summoners stood in disbelief as they have witness a teacher’s capability in protecting their precious students...

Mr:Harumo..Are you okay? 

Harumo: I think he’s not okay..

Lil Salomon: I didn’t even know Father can throw a punch like that!..

Mr Mononobe: Us teachers should know how to fight,if we want to protect our precious students.

Kengo: Holy smokes!.....Harumo you okay? 

 Harumo: Y-yeah, im okay, though im healed now, so don’t worry. 

 Boss’s Henchmen: Hurry lets get the boss outta here! 

Mr Mononobe: I let this slide for once, But if you all dare to come after to one of my students...Then expect it to be 10x more harder.

Boss’s henchmen: Nnngg,,,,We will never bother you all again sir!

With their boss in tow, they scidaddled out of sight,, 

Kengo: Don’t ever comeback here assholes!

Mr Mononobe: I’ll forgive your word for now Takabushi,,For now, lets head back to class now, You still have that exam. 

Harumo: R-Right...

Mr Mononobe: You..refer me as...your dad?  

Harumo: Crap!,,you heard that! 

Mr Mononobe: Hahaha!, how about it..son..

Harumo:*gasp*.....Yes Dad!

#Housamo #tokyo afterschool summoners #Mc5 #Harumo #Summoners #Red eyes #Part 2 #Mr Mononobe

[petri808]

Halloween games prompt chosen by @dragonlovesstars for @thenaluarchive Falling for You event. Focusing on Nalu only in this story. I had an idea going in, sorry but yeah... the characters totally hijacked this story and idk what happened 😅

Most of the Fairytail guild celebrated Halloween like they did most holidays... or really most normal days, by drinking and partying. But that never stopped Mira from setting up games just in case some of the members were willing to play. The boozers got a game of Trick or Treat where they had to pick from shot concoctions that could be a nice treat or a yucky trick. Younger members were off playing spooky themed charades, and surprisingly a few chose trivia.

As for Natsu and gang, they signed up for a special game called Scary Treasure Hunt which Mira promised would garner them the best treasure prize in all of Fiore! She paired them in twos, and sent them off into Magnolia to search for this mysterious treasure with only a clue to the first location. All in all, five teams were playing for the ‘prize,’ and not so surprisingly, they were paired in couples. With any type of challenge, Natsu was pumped up and ready to play! So, as soon as Mira said ‘go,’ he was dragging Lucy out the door because there was no way Gray was winning the prize before him!

“Slow down Natsu!” Lucy jerks her partner to a halt. “We haven’t even read the clue yet!”

“Oh, right!” He laughs. “So what does it say?”

Lucy holds out the card and reads out loud. “Instructions. Follow the clues to each location where you’ll be given a riddle and a clue to the next destination. I glide over water and rock to and fro. The canals I may travel, but the docks are my home.”

“What?” Natsu questions. “A boat? That’s not a destination.”

“The answer is right in the clue Natsu,” Lucy rolls her eyes. “The first location is the docks where they tie up the boats.”

“Ohhhh!” He grabs her hand, “well let’s go! Time’s ticking!”

When they reach the tiny Magnolia harbor, the pair search around at each boat looking for their next clue. There were only a few, and most were the smaller boats used to navigate the water channels. Of course, when they did find it, Lucy had to climb aboard to grab the scroll.

“Read it, read it!” Natsu bounces excitedly.

“First your riddle. Salamander, Salamander! The crowd chants with spellbound delight. You’ve come to a crossroad, do you choose left or right?”

“I— don’t get it,” Natsu scratches his head. “Is it talking about me? What the hell is the crossroads?”

“Huh?” Lucy frowns too. “I don’t get it either.”

“Is that all?”

“No, um,” she reads further. “Over the hill and through the lane, to strawberry street we go. Reach for the stars. Hmm, maybe my apartment is the next step?”

“Or the roof?”

“Could be? I guess it’s worth a shot.”

At Lucy’s apartment building, they took the access stairs to the rooftop, but at first, they don’t see anything at all. It wasn’t exactly a big roof to search, yet they saw no scroll. Frustrated, Lucy walked over to the edge facing the street below and rests her arms. Where else on Strawberry street would Mira have sent them if not her apartment? Though, so far, none of this made much sense to her. She looked down at the ground when something stuck to the wall grabbed her attention. “Found it! But I can’t reach it.”

Natsu looks over the edge and realizes he couldn’t reach the scroll either. So, he hopped off the roof, grabbing it as he falls, and landed on the street below. Lucy raced down to meet him.

“Good catch!” She congratulated him. He handed her the scroll and she reads it. “First your riddle. Through a leap, you know no bounds, nor fright of night, just solid ground. Okay this is seriously confusing,” Lucy grumbled, but continued on. “The dead slumber in their beds. We find solace in their peace.”

“I’m gonna guess the cemetery.” Natsu states.

“I agree.”

This really was turning into a hunt, though Lucy was starting to wonder what it meant. All of these locations and clues seemed tied together somewhat, revolving around their lives. Did Mira make it that way so it would be easier? By the time they reached the cemetery, she was no closer to figuring anything out. Lucy shivered at the idea of walking around a cemetery at night. It was eerie, maneuvering around the grave stones, searching aimlessly through the rows for the next scroll. This graveyard had no ties to either of them personally, but just being here made Lucy think about her parents.

After several minutes of searching, they finally found the scroll that was left on top of a headstone. Lucy wrapped her arms around herself tightly, a bit chilled both physically and emotionally.

Natsu comes up from behind Lucy and reaches around to rub her arms to warm her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, must be the wind,” she blamed, but his added heat helped to send those chills away. Lucy opened the scroll. “First your riddle. In the dark, we seek the light, and when we find it, we hold on tight for it will always guide the way home. That’s it,” Lucy turns it over and back, “there isn’t a clue.”

“Could ‘home’ be the clue?” Natsu asks.

“Yeah, but which home? Mine? Yours? Fairytail?”

“Well, she sent us to yours once already, and she probably wouldn’t have us go back to the guild unless we found the treasure, so I’m gonna guess my house.”

Lucy giggles. “That’s pretty smart thinking.”

“I have my moments.” He shrugs.

As they walk back to Natsu’s cottage, it was becoming clear to both of them that this wasn’t really a scary treasure hunt, unless you count putting a scroll in a boat for a slayer or being sent to a creepy cemetery. No, Mira designed this specifically for them to figure out something, but what that was still eluded them.

Once they arrive at Natsu’s cottage, they go inside and start looking around. Again, just like on Lucy’s rooftop, it wasn’t quickly noticed. They search the place from top to bottom and still nothing. Where was it?! Natsu grabs a blanket off the couch to check under it, but drops it again when nothing is found. “Okay,” he laments, “maybe I was wrong and she meant the guildhall.”

“Maybe not...”

He looked in Lucy’s direction, who was staring at his wall of mementoes. And there, pinned up, is the unrolled scroll. “What does it say?” He questioned.

“Your final riddle. They are the ones we run to. Hold us close when we are afraid, soothe us in our melancholy. Laugh with us, cry with us. Protect, nurture, and push us to be better. They are our greatest treasure yet our most feared acceptance. What am I?”

“That’s not a riddle.”

“Well, not exactly... but it has an answer.” Lucy turned around to face him. “It was all about our journey here,” she smiled with moisture building in her eyes. “The day we met, the choice to go with you. That leap of faith cause I knew you’d catch me. You being there for me over and over again. It’s saying you are my greatest treasure.”

“I can understand that cause I always thought you were a treasure. But I don’t understand m the fear part or the ‘what am I’ question.”

“Oh,” Lucy blushed. “I-It’s describing a soulmate because it could be scary to realize when you’ve found yours.” It sure as hell was for her.

Silence gripped the room as Natsu’s face registered a blank stare. Lucy couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and frankly the longer he stayed that way, the more nervous she became. Was he not understanding her? What if he did understand her?! This is exactly the fear factor she had long tried to avoid! “Are you still confused?” She asked hesitantly.

“So... the answer is you’re my soulmate?”

“I guess, yeah you could say that.” Again he just stares and she could almost see the gears turning in his head as he processed her words. “Natsu?”

“Like Lucy and Natsu in Edolas? Or Nack and Lucia in Giltina?”

“Yeah...”

His brows furrowed, then suddenly a grin bursts free. “I got it! Making an egg is our greatest treasure!”

Lucy slaps her forehead. “Oh my Mavis! For the last time, humans don’t come from eggs, and even if we did, y-you don’t even know what it takes to make one.”

“Macao and Gildarts already told me what to do, but I’m still confused. Maybe you could show me?”

“W-what?!” She crisscrossed her arms over her chest.

“But the treasure?!”

“Natsu I’m not having sex with you to win a challenge!”

He walked over unphased and put his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t care about a challenge. I want our treasure.” He smiled wide. “Wouldn’t that be the best Halloween treat ever? I know you don’t think I understand, and I don’t about some of this, but what I do know, is after seeing Nasha, I just thought it would be great to have one of our own.”

“Natsu,” Lucy sighed, “its not right to have kids unless we both love each other.”

“You don’t love me?”

“I-I didn’t say that...”

“Then we agree!” He grins, “please Lucy, let’s make our own hoard of treasures!”

“Whoa! Whoa! Slow down Natsu! W-we just established how we feel but it’s another thing t-to jump into t-that, and we haven’t even kissed yet!”

“Pfft, well that’s easy enough,” he swooped in and placed a rough, sloppy kiss on her lips. “We’re at the crossroads Lucy. Is it trick or treat?”

Lucy was done, her mind was fried and her heart was beating so hard she felt woozy. None of this was how she’d dreamed it would happen, but then again just like their counterparts, maybe the spur of the moment was more their style anyway.

Lucy takes a deep breath. “Treat.”

#nalu #falling for you #the nalu archive event #Halloween games #prompt #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #nalu ficlet #nalu fan fic #nalu fanfiction

[cargopantsman]

Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here

Trigger warnings: All of them, because I am lazy. Also none of this is sensical.

Utter, hyper-caffeinated brain noise.

The problem with the concept of a "sense of self" is it already tries to concretize an amorphous abstract. It makes us want to point at some thing and say "Well... that's me." Whether it is a set of ideals that we try to live by, a set of activities that brings us a sense of joy or fulfillment, or, gods forbid, and entirely different and other person that "completes us."

I've always had an affinity for trickster figures and shapeshifters. The wearers of masks, the truthful liars, the artisans of duality, yada, yada. Since I was a child my first instinct has always been to blend in. If into the background, great, but if need be, if I needed to blend into the social fabric around me, I could do that too. To throw this into the high school backdrop; I wasn't a social butterfly, I was shy as could be, but I got along with the jocks, the goths, the nerds, the art freaks, the band kids, the preps, the whatever. Where ever I was I could fake that I belonged there. I was comfortable drifting in between worlds. (Looking back, I could have caused a lot more chaos with the information I was privy to at the time...[Oh, there's a constant point. I'm good at keeping secrets, keeping confidence. I'll lie my ass off to keep a secret.]) Does any of that really help drive a sense of self though? When your natural instinct is to mirror, to blend, to fade? When your point of pride is walking into a room unnoticed and, even better, leaving a party unseen? Does being a ghost count as an identity?

"Expression of Will" comes to mind... what does that mean? Ok, so some abstract thing is inside of you and you manifest it objectly outwardly. I was an artist. I made images in my head and "kind of" manifest them on paper. Some times people see that paper...  I was a writer... images in my head "became" words and some people saw that. I combined them into comics. Some people Saw that. Is that a lasting affect? Maybe the fights I've been into?! That time in 2nd grade someone was picking on a friend and I laid them out... the time in 8th grade someone was picking on me and clocked them down. Or in high school when someone decided to start some rumors and I held them up by their throat in the air until they turned blue? That was an inward thing that manifested outwardly. Nevermind good or bad, but was any of that... me?

Hmm. The beast. The primal... come back to that later.

"Expression of Will," "Expression of Will," "Expression of Will" ... What the fuck even is "Will"? Is this why philosophers get their heads so far up their ass? Is it a desire? The will to live.... living requires eating and the amount of times I forget to even do that... Maybe been looking at the phrase all wrong...

Will to Live (noun) It isn't a thing.

Will (verb) to (preposition) Live (verb)

Why does that sound better?

Desire to Live (noun)

Desire (verb) to (preposition) Live (verb)

Okay, that feels better even, but still... Sense of self, will, desire, expressions thereof. Are these just the aimless desires and wills? The fleeting flights of frivolous fancies festering forlornly in frontal cortices?

The self with the will can direct the desires towards living. "Get in the fucking robot Shinji!" "I don't wanna"

The (ghost) with the (strength) can direct the (impulses) towards (being). Getting too close to a concept of a soul on that one huh?

Forget self. It's a useless moniker right now. There is no self. It's just this mind alone for the first time in its entire life. (Not alone alone, there are friends, but they've learned more about me in the past two weeks than the past 6 years so...) "What did they learn?" asked the projection of self that defines itself by interactions with other.

I thought we were forgetting self.... not an option really. Sentience is a bitch like that. But they've learned I'll put up with a lot of bullshit under the guise of strength and integrity when I should've callously called this whole thing ages ago. That I can shut myself down completely in the interest of bodily-self preservation. (Not Self-self preservation, fuck the English language). What did I sacrifice? What did I shut down?

Everything.

That is less than helpful.

The Beast. Vince. Your Shadow.

My Shadow...

What do you desire?

Blood in the cut, tears in their eyes, power over someone that wants that power over them...

Do you want that? I don't want it, I just need it. No... I want it.

Is that all you are? A sadist? An animal?

Maybe... probably not though. A caretaker, and a sparring partner. A trickster and a shapeshifter. A crafter whose tools are destruction.

Next problem, grandeur. Mythologizing everything. But how to see a thing if you don't blow it up/magnify it?

You lack a sense of self because no one ever tested your sense of self. No one actually fought you for who you are. To find out who you are. The ex didn't. An old friend did until she got scared by what she found there.

You don't want to be yourself because it's not nice is it? You were raised to be nice.

College. I controlled the group. Never hit anyone after high school aside from set matches in classes or sparring for funsies. They all saw my eyes and stopped if they were getting out of hand.

The Dom-Friend.

Don't use the d-word on me.

Destroyer? Yeah, that one's fine. That one fits. He says as he carelessly tosses lit matches around his entire life. Can we bring up the phoenix or is that too grandiose? Why shouldn't it be grandiose? We spend every day of our lives going through the same kind of tedious bullshit all the time why not make our inner lives a bit bigger, a bit richer?

A bit darker.

Why do you want them to bleed? Hurt and comfort. That's a big theme, a trope if you will. Why not have both at the same? Why not let her think that I'm about to kill her but let her rest in the trust that I won't? Why not let me think that I'm about to break her while believing she is the most precious thing in the world?

Caretaker. A caretaker kills all the time. Tearing out weeds, uprooting the prized plant to move it to a better place for its growth.

Growth.

The self isn't going to be found just in ones self... not in another either. No, the self has to be found in everything. The things one wants to run to and run from. The soul (oops) is formed by what it crashes into right? The mind recoils from traumas races towards panaceas, why not, if one can, flip the polarity on the two. Bring the darkness screaming into the light so you can see it, bring the light quivering into the darkness so it can loose its terrifying brillance. Balance in all things right?

You're not a very positive person, they say. No... I'm not. It lashes out in bad ways sometimes, sure. Control, control, you must learn control. But being negative isn't bad. Not if you can grow from it. No plant can survive the sun for 24 hours. Trees sleep in the winter. We sleep, we heal, we grow.

Self-Destruction!! That's a fun one... seven fucking months downing a bottle of whisky a night. Whooo boy. Do Not Recommend.

Got a nice stay in the underworld though and trudged up a lot of shit. Now I'm sitting here with my ears ringing because I finally hit the personal limit on Monsters and my brain is overclocked enough I can finally see shit at 4 angles at the same time. I am a god damned quantum supercomputer of emotions right now.

Faith and faithlessness are the same thing. Have faith, trust the future, don't expect anything, don't plan your now for your future. Sounds sadly like live in the moment type bullshit, but life is weird and people are complex. Shifting drifting clueless animals that want to be safe but don't want to get stuck in anothers arms even when there is one whose arms are so safe.

The damage runs deep... and two people with damage running that deep. Hmm. How much healing can falling do? The other just puts a bandage over a puncture wound and both try to ignore it, but then the blood gets pumping, the heart pounds and poisons surge to the surface. It's neither one's fault really. Life is a trial of knives and we don't always have time or concern to tend the wounds properly. There's always something else that needs to be taken care of first.

Divorce is a helluva drug. It is maddening, the freedom to finally to be yourself is line having the lineart stripped off, there is a terrifying infinity in front of you and the only thing to do for awhile is melt. Let the slings and arrows just pierce and sink in. Anyone else tries to push the sludge of you into a shape might get hurt when they find the arrows. I want to go absolutely feral in a way. In a way the whole COVID mess is keeping me under lock and key so I'm just prowling around the empty house like I always have been, but now there's some sense... of purpose.

I'm raging against any depression, the executive dysfunction is going to have a talking to. The sense of self is going to be found in stripping this house down to bare walls and making a blank canvas. Bring everything down, ruin it all, start again.

My self is emptiness, it always has been. I can be anything, but I should be wary of ever wanting to be something. (My career options are AWESOME). But this is a different emptiness than before. Before I pulled the trigger and splattered the brains of the marriage across the floor I was just a void, and inky black pit of nothingness. Somehow, having the Shadow rise up and finally start getting along with the rest of me, the emptiness isn't.... void. It's just nascent possibility and that shouldn't scare me.

It does, of course, terrify me. First time in 40 years being legitimately alone is terrifying, should have done this kinda thing when I was 20, but... I was an idiot back then (60 year old me laughs from the future). But I think I can get a grip on the concept that "I" don't exist, but I'm real... ever changing ever dynamic, not who I was while I was married, but a mix of the me before, a angry beast now, and something yet unseen in the future.

#personal bs #vince rising #dan falling #don't try this at home kids

[fizzingwizard]

Episode 41 was another fun one! It doesn’t seem related to the main plot, but that’s ok because we needed more world-building. And it does give us a bit of character development. Most importantly of all, it’s the DESPERATELY needed Sora-focused episode. And it’s all hers. We really needed this for Sora and I’m really happy with how it went down. It’s a simple, easy to follow story, and yet it was still cute and funny and good for Sora.

My one complaint would be that, though it’s great to see Sora be awesome and see her friends appreciate her, she didn’t seem to have something she needed to “overcome” like Jou and Koushirou, or something she had to prove like Yamato and Mimi. There’s definitely an important theme for Sora which, like the others, is related to her Crest. It just didn’t have the gravitas I felt it needed. It was a much sillier episode than Yamato’s, for instance. (But nowhere near as silly as Jou’s.) Still, overall very good.

Pic of the day:

A vision of perfection.

More below!

First off, the animation in this episode is really nice. Almost uniform througohut, and some seriously great expressions. CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

The kids are taking a break (yay!!!! again!! I sweat the producers are reading my blog, HELLO PRODUCERS, THANKS FOR GIVING ME EVERYTHING I ASKED FOR, lol). Taichi and Sora spend it teaching the Digimon to play soccer. Interestingly, some of the Digimon evolve in order to play x’D I guess I can see why Gomamon can’t really play unless he’s Ikkakumon. Plus Tailmon is already Adult level anyway.

It’s really fun to see how much Sora and Taichi both love soccer and love playing it together. Koushirou has a cute moment explaining to the others how awesome Taichi and Sora’s teamwork is.

Sora blows the whistle on Tentomon for grabbing her because you don’t do that in soccer. I think this is a little unfair given that Tentomon can’t really kick the ball that well since he’s got bug feet xD

The whistle Sora has, for some reason, is Jou’s, given to him by his brother so that if he runs into a bear in the woods, he can whistle for help. Lol. That is adorable and hilarious. Still wish it was Hikari’s whistle though

Speaking of Hikari, she and Takeru are happily engaged in making flower crowns together while Patamon smushes the grass.

All of a sudden, these weird, veiny meteors come crashing from a huge island floating in the sky, leaving a crater in the field. Could be dangerous!

Taichi: I’m not afraid. Besides, I’m curious.

Yamato: Be careful, Takeru.

Takeru: Yeah, be careful, Hikari.

omg too cute

I mean look at these expressions and body language. It’s fantastic. I love how Taichi looks like he’s trying not to get too close as he pokes the object with a stick and how Koushirou is like hiding behind his computer lol.

They discover it’s not a meteor, but a fruit. (And look another adorable Taichi face!) Question is, is it edible?

Agumon: Sure is!

Taichi: D:

no seriously I love Taichi being freaked out by his own partner. Lol. It’s one of the best things about Taichi & Agumon. I ate it up in Tri lol

So, I expected Yamato to be the downer of the group here along with Jou, but he’s just concerned that the fruit is too small for everyone to share. Aw what a mom.

It’s also pretty funny that, when a floating island appears and a mysterious fruit falls down with enough strength to leave a crater in the ground, the kids’ reaction isn’t to wonder about what’s going on, but to try to figure out how to eat it lol.

At this point they’re just so used to floating islands that it’s lost all novelty. They’re like, “oh, floating island, been there done that”

Agumon comes up with the obvious solution and Taichi and Sora fly up to the island together to get more fruit. Why only two of them go... is convenience for the episode xD

But it does lead to some good Sora moments and Taichi/Sora friendship. First, Sora is absolutely adorable. Even Agumon comments that she seems in a really good mood and Taichi can tell it’s because of how much she loves playing soccer. The way Sora talks to him, all fast and excited, is just so cute. You can tell she really loves soccer, especially with Taichi.

This episode kinda made me ship Taiora ;_; it was honestly more Taiora than any one episode in the 99 show...

Meanwhile, another giant object starts falling off the island towards the rest of the kids, and Palmon makes THE WEIRDEST SOUND. Like SO WEIRD. I think Yamada Kinoko passed out and made this noise while recording or something bahahahaha

Anyway it’s a refrigerator. Now appliances are falling out of the sky. I don’t understand why it makes the same size crater as the fruit despite being way heavier.

OMG baby Taichi’s hairrrrrrr I cannot

Soon they come across Flymon (why do Sora episodes always involved bugs...? This is the third time lol) who’s abducted a very helpless looking Digimon. They decide to help. Agumon gears up his Baby Flame but is stopped by Sora, who realizes that if they attack they might hurt the victim as well. I assume this is meant to tell us that, while Taichi’s brave and a strategist, another pair of eyes from someone like Sora whose first priority is others’ welfare is a big help.

... except that Sora’s plan for “tackle them” doesn’t seem to me that much better xD It still results in the poor abducted Digimon falling through the sky to her doom... I guess it’s better than falling out of the sky and alsobeing on fire tho

They catch the Digimon, who is Pomumon and just as pathetic as he looks. Meanwhile they’re being attacked by... Tropaliamon? Tropicanamon? lol I already forgot, a big bird with the ability to MELT ENTIRE FORESTS.

Pomumon explains that Evil Tropical Bird-mon and his Flymon invaded the island and started turning all the Pomumon into fruit. When the fruit ripen, they eat them. Pomumon is now the only Pomumon who hasn’t been fruit-ified.

Agumon: ... so... does this make me a cannibal?

Taichi: Maybe now you’ll be mindful of what you eat!

Okay and now the most AMAZING interaction ever, between Yamato and Mimi, and seriously it is a TRAVESTY that they don’t interact directly in the 99 series, I mean LOOK AT THE GOLD WE GET HERE,

Mimi says she hopes there’s fruit or juice in the fridge. Yamato makes an expression like someone just insulted his mother.

They then proceed to argue over what constitutes “juice” and Yamato’s all fired up about it and Mimi’s just like “lol not listening”

IT IS HILARIOUS. Quality content. Mimato shippers eat your heart out

And... this is all they do for the rest of the episode. bahaha. I DON’T EVEN CARE. I love the idea that they fought over this the WHOLE time and never even opened the fridge. The others just had to listen in baffled astonishment xD

Taichi and Sora fight Evil Tropical Bird-mon to save the Pomumon, but Taichi and MetalGreymon get knocked into the pitcher plant that turns Digimon into fruit.

Metla Greymon doesn’t quite fit into the fruit, his horns are really stretching it out lol.

and asdfghjkkl;’‘ TAICHI GETS TURNED INTO A FRUIT TOO, HE’S A DEFORMED BLUEBERRY, HIS GOGGLES THO, LMFAO

i really shouldn’t be as amused as I am

now... I have to say it - the one thing here is, the show has already played its trump cards like Omegamon and WarGreymon. I am sure they have more in store before the end, but the point is, it’s hard to believe Taichi is struggling against Digimon who seem like they shouldn’t have a chance against him. It’s like, you can defeat DoneDevimon, but not Evil-Tropical-Birdmon? You can escape the influence of Millenniumon’s miasma, but not a pitcher plant?? lol

Sora gets ANGRY when Taichi becomes Taichi-fruit. Her Crest of Love glows and brings out Garudamon. Taiora fans around the world screamed.

One way or another, this leaves Sora on her own (yay). And she is a busy girl. She wants to save Taichi first, but Pomumon also needs her help, and Garudamon needs her support while fighting the enemy.

Pomumon: don’t worry about me! I can fly on my own! *fails miserably*

Sora’s face says “I just don’t understand this world,” lol

They are then attacked by Flymon, and Pomumon still pretty much expects Sora to protect him. Sora’s like, “Fine, I’ll deal with Flymon, but you have to go save your friends,” and when Pomumon asks how, she just says “GOOD LUCK” and tosses him away, which honestly made me laugh out loud, you go girl

she’s like QUIT BEING SO USELESS DO SOMETHING ON YOUR OWN and just chucks him

buhahahaha

Pomumon, despite being useless, is able to free one of his comrades. After a brief discussion about how useless they are, they go to save the others.

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

think about it every night and day

spread my wings and fly away

Sora thinks back to yet another soccer game where another student did a foul, I guess, on Taichi, and knocks him to the ground. Seeing Sora get so angry and protective of Taichi - omg, it totally squeezes my heat, gah. And it also makes her look so cool. Not just the girl in the back who comforts you when you fall down - also the one who runs up and tells the bully to back off!

that hair tho

Even though he’d been hurt, Taichi encouraged Sora not to quit playing and to win the game. In present time, Sora recalls that instance and uses it to push herself onward:

At this point, I could’ve gotten annoyed: as much as I loved the Taiora friendship and seeing their teamwork, it’s Sora’s episode, and I didn’t want her to succeed because of “what I learned from Taichi.” However, it’s very similar to Koushirou’s episode, where it was the faith Taichi had in him that gave Koushirou the confidence to find the courage he already had. It’s similar for Sora. Plus, since she’s got the Crest of Love, it makes perfect sense that love for her friend would be a motivating factor here.

On top of that - the things Sora thinks about Taichi are then echoed by Garudamon, only about Sora. Sora won’t give up because Taichi never does - and Garudamon won’t give up because Sora never does. You can see the chain reaction: friends building each other up through their support and faith in each other. Very sweet.

buhahahahahaha the freaking taichi blueberry

I really expected Taichi would be a little more wigged out about having been TURNED INTO A FRUIT,  but once he’s free he’s like “Thanks, now let’s get back to the fight!” lol

to be fair there were only a couple minutes left in the episode, no time for freak outs i suppose

They save MetalGreymon who goes to back up Garudamon, but then Sora comes up with a plan.

Of course, it’s related to soccer.

Obligatory Cool Girl Soccer Star Sora shot

They kick the ball to lead the Pomumon’s seed? attack directly into Evil Tropical Bird-mon’s mouth. This... seems to be our kids’ favorite play this season, lmao

While choking on seeds, Garudamon and MetalGreymon launch their attacks and finally defeat him. Yaaaay goodbye weirdass fruit transmogrifying cannibal Digimon bird thing

Taichi tells Sora she’s awesome T______T It’s soooooooo sweet. My Taiora heart leapt

and my Taishiro heart whispered “he said カッコよかった to her but saves すごい for Koushirou <3 “ lol

Soooooo cute. MVP

Garudamon agrees that Sora is awesome

Ending card

So... the honest truth is yeah, this episode wasn’t necessary for the plot at all, and it would have been nice if it had been. But not all of the others’ center episodes were plot-related either. The important thing was for it to be wholly Sora’s episode and give her some Crest-related development. It did both those things.

I really would have liked a conundrum for Sora to fix, but I think the problem there is, since before now she wasn’t getting attention at all, they hadn’t set much of a foundation for that conundrum. The first time around, it was “oh, Sora is kind, so she wants to help anyone she sees” and there was a bit of personality clash with Yamato. Though it was small, it was a good bit of development and useful for two characters. It also led to Yamato and Sora’s friendship strengthening. With Taichi and Sora, we’ve been told they’re friends and teammates, but have not seen many strong examples of that. And, if there’s a fight between them, it could easily turn into a Taichi episode... that’s what I think anyway. So I guess the focus point for this episode was showing how Sora’s deep love for her friends strengthens her already, and maybe there’ll be more complex problems in the future, perhaps when she gets her next evolution... We’ll see.

Anyway. Good episode. So glad to see this show seems to be pretty solidly back on the rails. We only have like 20 episodes left though, seems like a lot but it’ll go fast.

That’s why I’m a bit surprised to see that next week looks like another not really plot-related episode:

Takeru and Yamato are going to a theme park. There’s no context for why they’re not with the others, but my guess is Takeru wanted to go and Yamato took him... easy as that xD I guess we’ll see, but I really hope this doesn’t mean the team is splitting up again.

However, we really do need quality time with Yamato and Takeru as well, so I’m all for this. It’s like the show really has got some self-awareness about how lax it’s been developing characters and relationships thus far and is now cranking it HARD to fit everything in we’ve been missing. Good.

#digimon adventure 2020 #digimon psi #digimon adventure: #digimon reboot #fizz watches digimon 2020 #digimon #didnt check for typos as usual

[samnatandsteve]

Nat gets Amnesia

 so @mockinghawk-romanogers asked for a fic of this based off a post of mine. it took a lot longer to get to than I planned thanks to university and life, and it’s not really the same as the of post but that’s okay. I like both of them. 

This is the post in question by the way: 

[Steve and the Bucky are in central Asia following a lead on a terrorist organization after Civil War][Nat and Sam are following other leads in central America, Nat got hurt and can't keep things straight in her mind]

Nat : *gets a long and well written love letter from Steve*Nat : awwww

Nat : *writes back* "you have a crush on me? That's embarrassing :P"

[A week later]

Steve : *calls Nat on burner phone only for emergencies* Nat, we're litterly married!

Nat : is that how I got your dog tags with your mom's ring on it?

Steve : yes! Don't you remember?

Nat : not really... did I look nice?

Steve : ....of course you did, can I talk to Sam?

Nat : why?

Steve : I need him to check something for me

Nat : what is it? I can do it

*Sam walks in, sees the phone, panicks, and grabs the phone*

Nat : hey!! What gives?

Sam : *trying to act nonchalant while shooting Nat away* hey man, what's up?

Steve : why doesn't my wife remember she's my wife?

Sam : whaaattttt? that's crazy!

Steve : is Nat hurt?

Sam : Not a cut

Nat : *in the background* tell the pizza man I want extra banana peppers on mine

Sam : *to Nat* sure thing

Steve : Sam what happened?

Sam : what do you mean?

Steve : what happen-

Sam : woops well look at that, times up, got to go! Tasha, say bye

Nat : why do I have to say goodbye to the pizza man?

Sam : because he likes you

Nat : likes likes?Sam : ohhh yeah

Steve : wait a minute Sa-

*Sam hangs up*

I can do the whole pizza man part in another one if you guys want me to. But this is the oneshot I whipped up today because I finally had the time and motivation :) 

-

They were on a mission in Brazil that of course brought them to the Amazon Rainforest and not only there but at a Hydra base right on the banks of the river itself. Hydra and their fucking cliches. Sam and Natasha went down there to do some snooping around - “Recon” as Tasha put it. Which of course quickly turned into “innocent intel gathering” as she put it in the middle of the night. Then one trip wire (fucking cliches) got them into a “good old fashion shoot out” as she so cheekly put it as she put a bullet in a Hydra goon’s head. Which may or may not have made Sam question Steve’s sanity for marrying such a scary woman. And they just in Brazil that morning, barely had any lunch and Sam’s stomach is really pissed at him. 

   But back to the point! Hydra, Amazon River, terrifying  woman for a partner, kicking Hydra goon ass all in the very humid and very yuckie air of the Amazon. Just one other reason to add to the list of “why I hate Jimmy”, Sam should've gone with scissors that last round, at least then he would be in Central  Asia and just  be dealing with the heat. 

They managed to get outside where they could get the upper hand,  mainly thanks to Tasha’s kick ass assassin skills. Now he was providing air support and Redwing was being awesome and finishing up the intel theft. 

So Tasha was on the ground kicking ass like only Sam could dream of doing, Sam was playing snipper and taking out stragglers and thinning them out for Tasha when suddenly Tasha was in the river face down and Sam was fighting to right himself midair with his ears ringing painfully.

Cold sweat ran down Sam’s back as the biting air rushed in his ears and brought tears to his eyes. He’s going to blame it on the wind if any of those Hydra idiots brought it up, because Sam Wilson does not cry for his friends, he was a stone cold certified bad bitch (by Tasha the queen of bad bitches herself) thank you very much. His stomach twists painfully making him want to throw up and he does and it’s just acid and it burns his throat and he hates today. 

In just another example of classical Hydra cliche, they blew up their little super secret base and bebrie hit Tasha, sending her into the river. His mind registers the fact that Redwing’s still connected to the goggles’ computer and online. Sam thanks the beings that be as he takes a swan dive to Tasha. One thing is for sure, Sam thought as he pulled Natasha out of the river, Steve will kill him if he finds out about this. 

“Redwing buddy tell me I didn’t just let cap become a widow.” The electronic drone bird chirps as they run away- make a strategic withdrawal into the night sky to their hotel room. Sam breathed a sigh of relief as her vitals popped up and he saw her steady heart beat. “Thank god! He still can’t know about this though!” Redwing chirps again as Sam readjusts the spy in his arms. “Well if she snitches we just have to go into hiding.” Another chirp. “Can you stop pointing out faults in my plan?” Silence. “Thank you.”  

Natalie grones as the light hits her eyes causing a pounding headache to erupt across her head. “What the fuck happened last night?” Her cold hand helped a bit when she held it against her forehead. A black man walked out of the bathroom with a hesitant smile on his face.

“Heyyy girl, how’re you feeling?” She  grunted in reply and she threw her bare legs over the side of the bed. Pausing, she looked down and raised an eyebrow, she had her underwear and tank top on. 

“Why the hell am I half naked with a hell of a hangover? Did we sleep together? You better have used protection!” She jabed her left index finger at the man who was still standing on the other side of the room by the desk. Her eyes caught the gold of her wedding band. “You better be my husband too, I am no cheat!” The man’s mouth went slack as his eyes went wide. 

“I broke her- Hydra broke her and I let them.” He started to ramble to himself, rubbing his hands over his head. Natalie pauses again, what the hell does a Nazi subdivison have to do with this? 

“I thought Captain America took care of those guys.” The man stopped and she could practically see the dread set in as she watched his back. Something in a bag on his side of the room chirped and he snapped at it to shut up. 

After a slew of questions the man, Sam, tells her she had memory loss and thinks she’s one of her covers for her job; A history teacher named Natalie Rushmen when she was really an intelligence agent named Natasha Rogers. They were on a mission in Brazil when she got hurt and they will not be leaving until she gets her memory because “Your husband will kill me if he finds out about this and as my friend you would be obliged to kill him and the whole thing would go down into history books and I don’t want to be in history books like that.” 

They stared into each other's eyes for a while, sweat running down Sam’s face as a smirk played on Natasha’s. She hummed, putting her head in her hand, finger tapping her chin,  pretending to mull it over. 

“Hmmm? What do you mean hmmm??” 

“He is my husband, and I like to think we-” 

“Then don’t think! Trust me, you love to pull shit over him, it's your favorite pastime!” 

“Okay” She got up and left him to get dressed “But i think my other favorite is to keep you on your toes.” She calls from the other side of the closed bathroom door. He flops onto the bed, rubbing his face. Thank god the mission was originally planned for a week and radio silent. 

_

A day later the front office stopped Natasha and gave her an envelope. Said envelope found its way into her purse quicker than a snitch in those Harry Potter books she was working through for the eleventh time according to Sam.   

 When she found the room to be empty and void of said man, she plopped onto her bed and opened the letter. A love letter from a guy trying to be mysterious by going by S - how sweet! But she was married and the most faithful wife-who-can’t-even-remember-her-spouse’s-face there ever was!  But she wasn’t a mean woman either, plus it was so nicely written, clearly S loved her a lot. And she was going to love breaking that big heart of his, gotta set her foot down. 

 So she got to writing her own letter complete with a lipstick kiss on the letter’s bottom corner next to her N.

“Dear S, 

Fuck you, I’m married. 

With nothing but love, 

      N <3” 

Short and to the point, just how she liked it. Smiling to herself with a bounce in her step, she hands her response to the young girl at the front desk, thanked her and went back into the room to watch some Brazilian dramas. The letter from S tucked away in her bag, she was going to ask Sam about it  later when he got back with dinner. 

But dinner came and went and the letter was left forgotten under one of her bras. That was until two days later when Sam got a call on a flip phone. Well the phone in his bag did and like always he way out, so she did the friendly thing of answering it when she saw the unsaved number thinking it was spam. 

“Hello, this is Cathrine from Bed Baths and Beyond, how can I help you on this wonderful day?” 

The midwestern American accent came easily to her as she played with her hair with the phone held in place with her shoulder and cheek 

“Nat what’s going on?” She doesn’t know how she knows but that was Mysterious Mr. S on the other end of the line. 

“Who the fuck do you take me for mr S?? I am married and I’ll bet twenty bucks you’re not even half the man my husband is!” She fished the letter out of her bag “I mean seriously! ‘Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful you are, Aphrodite cannot even hope to compare.’ “ She reads the line in a high pitched mocking town. “Did you read that from ‘Pickup lines so used and abused even their mothers won’t recognize them’? I wouldn’t be caught dead with a man who thinks that’s the hot shit.” 

  There was a pause and Natasha had to check that he didn’t hang up. 

“What - I’m your husband! Me! Steve Rogers am your spouse!” 

“Yeah okay buddy nice try.” 

“Where’s Sam?” 

“Who’s Sam?” 

“Natasha please don’t, where’s Sam?” 

“He’s at work, doing accountant stuff with the numbers and shit.” 

“Sam barely passed algebra, he hates math.” 

Just  as about to call him a staker, Sam the man walked in with food. 

“Got you some waffles!” He did his best Donkey impression at the word waffles as he closed the door behind him. When he turned back he dropped the food and basically tackled her like a linebacker or something to get to the phone. - Point is it hurt her bruised and battered body.  “Give that to me woman!” 

“No!” 

“What’s going on with you two??” -Steve 

“Yes!” 

“I don’t wanna!” 

“I’ll buy you ice cream!” 

They pause in their battle for the phone. 

“Chocolate?” 

“I’m not a heathen like your husband.” 

“I heard that!” - Steve 

She let go, hand up and palms out in surrender. Sam put the phone to his ear.

“Heyyy Steve, whatsup man?” Sam shoved his unused hand into his armpit as he started to walk the length of the room. Nodding to the food to tell Natasha to start eating, which she does. So she watched him talk while eating her waffles far more entertained than she would be watching a Brazilan show. 

“Why doesn’t my wife remember me?” 

“You have a wife? Wow, congrats man! Who’s the lucky lady?” 

“The one you let get amnesia apparently.” 

“Amnesia-what?” 

Steve sighed on the other end.

“She hurt in any other way?” 

Sam shared a glance with Natasha who had booth cheeks stuffed with waffles. 

“Not a scratch.” 

“You sit on a throne of lies.” Natasha hisses. “I have three broken ribs Mr. S!” 

“What! Thre-!” Steve is sooo going to kill Sam. 

“Oh wow don’t you look at that! Time’s out, gotta go! Bye Steve!” And with a snap of the phone, the yelling voice of an angry husband is cut off. Sam joined Natasha at the table and started to eat his waffles. 

“Is that really my husband?” She pointed her fork at the phone laying on one of the twin beds. Sam nods as he poured syrup over his waffles. “What was I thinking?” 

“To this day I still can’t figure it out.” 

#natasha romanov #natasha romanoff #Natalia Romanova #romanogers #romanogers fanfic #Steve Rogers #steve rogers x natasha romanoff #sam wilson #falcon #captain america #captasha #Black Widow #marvel #MCU #mcu fic #cap quartet #stevenat #natasha x steve

[theyarebothgunshot]

Hey! (I'm sorry that my rant is so long and annoying).

I love your cockles Q&A! It honestly gives me life. I'm deep in the dumpster and so I rewatched the jibcons and 2014 is starting to shake my faith again despite me being so sure of GUNSHOTS. In Jensens panel, the one where he was pissed about the destiel question and unnecessarily went on about how that's not how they're playing it [ehm then explain your jacting joices then?]

Anyway do you think he was mad that their chemistry is so obvious? Or generally why was he so ant*destiel? [up till jibcon 10 with where's destiel real?] and why be ant*destiel but then do some messed up cockles shit??? Like atleast Misha didn't confirm nor deny destiel [before 15x18].

And now the final downer, the pranking. One of the reasons why I'm not 100% converted is because of the whole pranking Misha thing. I always think if they were together how would Jensen prank Misha like that? I mean yeah Jensens style is making faces at Misha but like at their panel Misha said it was so bad Jensen apologized.. And my ugly brain goes "if they were together wouldn't Jensen behave as a partner and not as a relentless pranker? And would stop Jared from annoying Misha? especially when Misha is obviously not happy?"

I'm so sorry if I brought the "cockles spirit" down..I just really don't get these 2 things.

Thanks for reading and have a nice week!

I'm curious to hear your thoughts behind Jensen's negative responses towards bi!dean. You know I've always felt he projects himself onto Dean too much. And he feels that Dean being openly bisexual might out him too. Its strange considering Jared and Misha's fairly chill responses to LGBT hcs. What do you feel?

okay so i combined these two asks because i think they are similar. i don’t think i could answer these questions any better than rosa @gunshotsthemed already did. that post was a real eye opener for me. in short: jensen is always aware of his environment, and the way he reacts to questions about destiel/bi dean, depends on who is near him at that moment. to add to this, i also think that’s the reason jensen pranks misha with jared: he is always performing in front of jared, and the pranks fit right into that. until jared goes too far.

and yes, i do also think that there was a part of him that was super self conscious about the fact that their irl chemistry blead through the screen. 

#i think i need a tag for this #jensen and destiel #that's gonna be it #Anonymous

[wlntrsldler]

Hard Place (Bucky Barnes Imagine)

A/N: Imagine based on the song “Hard Place” by H.E.R

-

Wanna believe what you say But I hate you on most days You've been testing my faith and my patience, yeah

“Bucky, honestly,” You sighed, placing your head in your hands. “I’m getting tired of all of this arguing.”

“You think I’m not?” He snapped, glaring at your from across the room. “You think I like arguing with you? Geez.”

“This is what I mean.” 

“What?”

“I’m not accusing you of anything.” You snapped. “I didn’t say you weren’t tired of arguing. I didn’t say you like arguing. When did I ever say that? Huh?”

Silence.

You scoffed, getting up from your chair. “Right, exactly.”

“All you ever do is assume, Y/N.” He rebutted. “Everyday, you just have something new up your sleeve. And you assume the worst in me, all the fucking time.”

And you know that I be head strong But you know that you be dead wrong Telling me to relax when I'm reacting

“How can I not, Bucky?” You yelled, your eyes welling up with tears. That’s one thing you’ve always hated about yourself; whenever you were angry, you ended up crying, not because you were sad or hurt but because the anger and frustration inside of you took the form of your tears to release themselves. “You don’t tell me shit. I have to find out through Steve what’s going on with you! Like okay, I get it. He’s your best friend and God knows I would never get in the way of that but once I start hearing about issues about our relationship from someone who’s not even involved? That’s a problem, Bucky.”

“Steve understands where I’m coming from.” 

“No, he doesn’t.” You groaned. “Steve is too nice to tell you when you’re being ridiculous because that’s just how he is. He never calls you out, he never calls anyone out! Not unless it’s serious.”

“We have so many problems, Y/N.”

“Problems I didn’t even know we had, Buck!” You exclaimed, pacing towards him. “How are we supposed to fix our problems if I didn’t even know we had problems to begin with? Communicate with me, Bucky.”

“I’m going to bed.”

But I, I'd rather fight Than lose sleep at night At least you're all mine

You went to bed that night, staring up at your ceiling, wondering what would happen the following day. Recently, it seemed like all you and Bucky did was argue. There was no conversation that didn’t end up in cold stares, discomfort, and yelling. The whole tower was tired of it by now, you were sure. 

It’s not like you meant to start arguments and you knew he didn’t like it just as much as you did. It’s just, things get so hard, not enough words are spoken and there’s not enough patience between the two of you to listen to the other. The smallest things would trigger the reaction from one of you-- a quote from a movie you used to love, a memory that you two shared, even just deciding what food to order for dinner. Everything just seemed like the start of a wildfire. 

Sure, you sympathized with his pain and everything that he’s gone through but he refused to talk to you, not just about his past but about your relationship. It felt like you guys were on rocky waters. It felt like you were walking on eggshells every time you talked to him, fearing that the wrong word could be the nail to your coffin. 

You didn’t wanna lose him. The love was still there, you knew it, you could still feel it. It was just buried with harbored anger and hurt. You were determined to bring it back, resurface it, and reignite your love again.

And if I have to choose My heart or you I'm gonna lose, yeah

The following morning, you prepared Bucky’s favorite breakfast. You knew it would be too soon to talk so you placed a post-it on the corner of the dining room table: “Eat up, soldier. You have training today. Xx -Y/N.”

Bucky rolled out of bed ten minutes after you prepared him breakfast. He dragged himself down the stairs, rubbing his eye with his metal arm. He didn’t get much sleep last night, worried about you and your relationship. He didn’t want to lose you but things were getting so, so difficult. 

The bright pink post-it on the corner of the table caught his eye. He picked it up and read it. Bucky couldn’t help but smile. It was kind of you. 

He sat down after making his usual cup of coffee and enjoyed the meal you prepared. As he ate, he started thinking about how your relationship used to be like-- so full of laughter, smiles, and adventure. As time went on, it seemed like it started to dull. He still loved you with all his heart and even on days where your only form of communication was yelling at each other from across the room, he still managed to fall in love with you even more. He just didn’t know if he could handle all this fighting anymore. 

What if nothing ever will change? Oh, I'm caught between your love and a hard place Oh, I wish there was a right way I'm caught between your love and a hard place, oh Woah, oh oh woah, oh oh woah, oh oh woah

He knew he had to figure out the right words to say before he could go on and talk to you. The relationship was fragile and the wrong words can cause its final collapse. Bucky sat in his room for hours, throwing around a red rubber ball. Where does he even start? Does he reassure you first that he still loves you? Does he apologize for the way he acted the night before? Does he go right into saying, “I can’t argue anymore, Y/N, or else I’m gonna go crazy.” or what?

“This is so hard.” Bucky groaned, throwing the ball with all his might. It knocked down two shelves from the wall, causing a commotion.

Bucky gave up, plopping down on his bed and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Love is difficult, he knew this, but the playboy from the 1940′s never thought he’d ever experience the wrath of love.

“You know we share a wall right?”

Bucky sat up and saw Steve leaning against the doorframe of his room.

“What are you doing here, Steve?”

“Everything okay with you and Y/N?” He asked, sitting down next to Bucky. 

Do I even have a choice when- I'm gonna have to pick my poison Yeah, you hurt me so good, it's so good

Bucky laughed, “You know the answer to that.” 

“What’s wrong, Bucky?”

“We just always argue, Steve.” He sighed in defeat, finally opening up to someone. “I just- She doesn’t understand.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Steve cocked an eyebrow, watching his best friend in disbelief. “Y/N is one of the most understanding people I know, Bucky. Have you ever considered that you don’t understand where she’s coming from?”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s trying so hard to understand you, Buck.” He said slowly, hoping that it would help Bucky understand. “Every single time she tries, all you do is push her away. All she wants is for you to open your heart out to her.”

“It’s hard to.” Bucky confessed, looking down at his feet. “What if she leaves?”

“With the way things are looking right now, she probably should leave.” Steve stated. “But she won’t. Bucky, all this woman is trying to do is to understand you. Let her understand you so she knows how to love you properly.”

And even when you cause tears You're the one who wiped them away Maybe that's the reason I stay, I stay

“Hi, Y/N.” Bucky smiled shyly, entering your room. “Do you have a minute?”

You looked up from your phone, turning it off and stuffing it under your pillow. “I’m all ears. What’s up?”

He gulped. This was harder than he expected. 

You saw him fidget with his fingers, metal playing with flesh, something he did only when he was nervous. Your heart started to sink. You knew what this meant. He was about to break up with you.

“Just say it, Bucky.” Your lip quivered as those words escaped your lips. “Just say you want to end it.”

His eyes widened and his hands reached for yours frantically. “What? No- God, no. Never, no, Y/N. I’m not breaking up with you.”

You sighed in relief, rubbing your thumbs across the back of his hands. “Then what is it?”

“Are you gonna leave me?” He blurted out, his cheeks reddening at his sudden outburst. “I mean, uh, yeah no, I meant that. A-are you gonna leave me?”

“Leave you?” You asked, confused by his words. “What do you mean?”

“Like leave me.” He got up, frustrated and afraid, running his fingers through his freshly cut hair. “You know, leave me. Break up with me or dump me or whatever you guys say nowadays.”

“Well, I wasn’t planning to.” 

But I, I'd rather fight Than lose sleep at night At least you're all mine And if I have to chose My heart or you I'm gonna lose

“But all we do is argue and I know neither of us want to do it,” Bucky continued. “But it’s like inevitable with us now. Every talk turns into a fight.”

“I know,” You agreed, following him around your room. You wrapped your arms around his torso and rested your head on his back. You felt him breathe out in comfort, missing your touch after all those days of constant bickering. “I don’t know what’s gotten into us.”

“We were so full of love.”

“I still think we are.” You whispered. 

He turned around so he was facing you. You looked up at him and for the first time in a long time, his eyes were soft and warm; a contrast from the cold and distant eyes he looked at you with. “I think so too.”

“You may be over a hundred years old but I think I learned a few things that I need to share with you.” You laughed, smiling at the beautiful man looking down at you. 

“Mhmm, enlighten me.” Bucky mumbled against your forehead. “I’m ready to learn.”

“Love is just as much of a choice as it is an feeling,” You trailed off. “You can be deeply in love with someone and not be with them. In order for things to work, you have to choose your partner, always. When the world is against them, you still choose them. You choose them even when they’re outnumbered, when they’re in their lowest, when they’re weak; Choose them. And you, Mr. James Buchanan Barnes, are the person I would choose above anyone else.”

What if nothing ever will change? Oh, I'm caught between your love and a hard place Oh, I wish there was a right way I'm caught between your love and a hard place, oh Woah, oh oh woah, oh oh woah, oh oh woah

Bucky smiled at your words, feeling himself fall for you all over again. His biggest fear was losing you. He was scared to open up in fear that you’d see him differently and walk away. But after hearing you proclamation of your love, he knew that you meant it. You would always choose him.

“I love you, Y/N.” 

“I love you most, Bucky.” 

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes imagine #bucky x reader #Sebastian Stan #sebastian x reader #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan smut #captain america #captain america imagine #Steve Rogers #steve rogers imagine #catws #catfa #cacw #marvel imagine #marvel

[sparkletom]

DIRTY DANCING | CHAPTER 1 | TOM HOLLAND FANFICTION

MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: As the day of the screen test rolls around Y/N is anxious to play opposite her screen partner who aggravates her in every way possible. With a studio full of a hopeful camera crew, investors and a keen director, the pressure is on for her and Tom to nail their only chance at signing the deal on their dream role in Hollywood.

PAIRING: TOM HOLLAND x ACTOR!READER

CONTAINS: Swearing, Angst, Fluff, maybe smut who knows...

WORD COUNT: 1706

SCENE INSPO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1OGN-1QhHI&feature=emb_title

.・゜゜・・゜゜・.・゜゜・・゜゜・.・゜゜・・゜゜・．

For the past week, you'd been completely immersed in every potential situation that could happen whilst filming with Tom Holland. This film is so important to you, and you can't let an off-screen relationship ruin an opportunity like this, however, to say it hadn't been haunting you would be a big lie.

By the time Monday had rolled around, you'd decided that the best thing to do was stay professional; work hard, be kind and stay focused. That way nothing could possibly go wrong, right? Well, it didn't last long. The moment you saw Tom you were struggling to stay polite.

"Hey, I'm Y/N" You smile, holding your hand out and hoping your introduction would maybe mean that the first time you two met didn't actually happen.

"Yeah, I know. I'm Tom" He smirks, taking your hand and shaking it briefly.

"Look, act like a dick all you want when were offset, but I swear to God if you ruin this for me, I will break your neck, and your balls whilst we're at it" You quip, making his smirk only grow wider.

Folding his arms he leant back against the wall of the trailer you were both in. "Darling, I'm not going to ruin this for you."

You roll your eyes and take a sip of the coffee that is clenched in your other hand.

Leaning forward slightly, he lets out a small laugh and then rolls his head from backwards. "I'm excited to do this, besides it's not every day I get to play the romantic interest of a pretty girl."

"Pretty girl? Hun, I'm more than just a pretty girl" You snarl, pulling your phone from your pocket. Your makeup artist should be here by now to help you escape this misery, but she's not, so this was something you were going to have to manage on your own.

"I bet you are."

You really disliked this guy. He was cocky, arrogant and really fucking hot. Why did he have to be so god damn good looking?

"Hey Y/N, sorry I'm late" Katie smiles, a red tint subtly kissing her cheeks.

"It's okay! Tom was just leaving."

You look up from your phone, noticing the brunette's eyes burning into you. You smile sarcastically and watch as he raises his hands in defeat.

"Hey, I'm Tom. Nice to meet you" He smiles at Katie, taking her hand and shaking it lightly. You let a laugh slip through your lips without realising watching this arrogant prick turn into Mr Nice Guy all of a sudden. The two exchange there hello's before Tom heads for the door. Turning back to you he stops and smirks, "See you at the screen test Y/N".

You both watch as he shuts the door.

"Now he's one cutie!" Katie's eyebrows were lifted high before she riggled them. "And you're the lucky bitch who gets to be his one and only in this film."

"Are you kidding me? He's an asshole!"

Katie was your best friend. She'd been your makeup artist since day one, and you vowed that from the day you met her, she'd be your companion through your career and life. She was talented, beautiful but most importantly honest, and that's what had always stuck with you. When you're being treated like you're better than most other people, it's easy to think that you are and Katie was the one who called you out on your shit and pulled you back down to reality.

"He seems nice! He introduced himself to me, and that's a lot more than most of these A-Listers do." She tuts, laying her bags down on the table. Opening up the sleeves, there were rolls and rolls of brushes, colours and powders lay all in order and organised. You wouldn't have a clue what to do with half of the stuff even if you tired, but damn she's talented.

"Well, he has something against me. The first time he met me he was an asshole and the second time he met me he was an asshole. This is going to be a long 2 months Katie, I don't know if I can do it." You tell her honestly. She sighs and takes a seat next to you, her hand resting over the top of yours.

"Look, you've wanted this role for as long as I've known you, don't let some guy ruin that." She was right. This was your dream and you were finally here. You'd be crazy to let anything get in your way. "Besides, maybe you might even be friends with him at the end of it."

"Was that supposed to be funny? Because if it was then it wasn't" you smile, as she ruffles your hair slightly.

"Anyway, I have news" She grins, starting on your skin. The smug look on her face couldn't be missed from a mile off. "I met this really cute boy."

"Where?!" You shriek, jumping suddenly in excitement.

"Sit still, you're a pain in my ass." Placing her hands on your shoulders you apologise before she continues. "Here! On set! His names Harrison."

"Oh my God! Is he handsome? Is he nice? Do you love him?" You spit out, wanting to chew all of the information in the fastest way possible.

"Yes, yes and are you on crack?"

Rolling your eyes you relax slightly and watch as her lips try to not pull upwards. It was cute, she definitely liked the guy.

"Well, when do I get to meet him?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she pulls out a lip liner and draws gracefully along the outline of your lips. Before she gets the chance to speak a runner knocks on the door and announces that the directors ready for the screen test, hinting that she needs to hurry up. After following her command to rub your lips together you get up and follow the runner, inhaling deeply as the sudden fear hits you. You weren't well known at all. Tom Holland was. If this didn't work out they could easily sack you off and pull a much more popular actress into the role instead of swapping out Tom. After all, he'd be playing a big part in pulling in ratings; you would not.

When you got to the room where you'd be screening, your heart was beating faster than you thought it ever could. There we're people and cameras scattered around, and the director talking to Tom.

"Y/N! I was just saying to Tom that I'm so happy I managed to get you both onboard. I really have a lot of faith in the two of you" He smiles, patting Tom on the back. "You know the drill anyway. This shouldn't take more than a few takes, maybe even one if we're lucky. We're doing the scene were Jonny and Baby have their little argument before getting down and dirty."

Chuckling, he sits down in this chair and gets handed some papers by a runner before telling you both to get ready and comfortable.

"Please tell me you've learnt your lines" You mutter, running a hand through the curls you'd had put in place.

"Look, I know you think I'm an ass but at least don't think I'm not professional." He sighs with irritation laced in his voice. You stop on your marker and look at him.

"Sorry, it's just you haven't seemed even slightly interested in your role since you've got here. I thought it was just another job for you". Your voice is still bitter, but the look of sadness that flashes behind his eyes makes the taste of your previous words slightly stale.

"Well I do care, more than you think." He spits, the glint of sadness quickly going stale too.

"Are you both ready?" The two of you snap your heads to the director who's watching you through the screen in front of him. Nodding, you put your head down and prepare for what's about to come. "Action"

To say you were taken back by the emotion in Tom's lines was an understatement. He pulled off Johnny's role so effortlessly and dare say it, maybe even better than Patrik Swayze. It was hard to match but playing alongside him was actually rewarding; you were actually getting something back from your screen partner for once, instead of trying to draw chemistry from thin air.

After running the dialogue, you say the last line you had. The line you were scared to say in all honesty, purely because of the raunchy choreography you had to endure after it.

"Dance with me?"

The whole studio is dead silent, and in that very moment, you forget you're even there. Tom's topless figure is stood opposite you, leaning forward ready to take your body in his arms.  You let out a shaky breath as your hand moves its way along his shoulders into his hair. If you thought your heart was beating fast before, well this was something else.

This was the first time you'd probably looked into the boy's eyes. He had a strand of hair that was loose over the one, but none the less they were both locked with yours. This was weird. This guy irritated you more than anything, yet right now he was turning you on big style. His lips looked fucking great. Kissable even, and they were getting closer. Closer and closer and you glanced down and closed your eyes ready to taste the pure-

"CUT"

You pull away instantly and look at the floor, wishing it would swallow you whole and never spit you back out again.

"That was amazing. We don't need another take, it was perfect." The director gasps throwing his arms in the air. "I knew this would work!"

You glance up at Tom and notice his gaze burning onto you.

"Fairplay Baby, you can act."

TAGLIST

@secretwatcheroftheuniverse @averyfosterthoughts @bohemianrhapposts

#tom holland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagine #tom holland x actress reader #tom holland blurb #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x reader #dirty dancing

[habibialkaysani]

Touch (Laurel/Nyssa; T) - earth-44

Ships: Laurel/Nyssa

Summary: Laurel and Nyssa. Dinah and Amina. Green Arrow and the Black Canary. Daredevil and the Black Sky. The Flash and Vibe.

Across the multiverse, they go by many names, surrounded by different people at different times in their lives. But there is one golden link between the Dinah Laurel Lances and Nyssa Raatkos across the infinite earths - that they always find each other. And every time, their story starts with a single touch.

A/N: As I recently watched The Old Guard, I was inspired by the dynamic between Joe and Nicky and immediately dreamed up (as I so often do) a Lauryssa AU for those characters. So here is a little bit of it - and then there will be an expansion of that story as a separate fic, to come sometime soon I hope as it’s half-finished.

Read at AO3

Earth-44

(In which Laurel and Nyssa are immortals who have been together for a thousand years fighting righteous battles side by side as part of an army, a la Nicolo di Genova and Yusuf al-Kaysani in The Old Guard.)

The chains cut coldly on Laurel's wrists, drawing blood, but she barely noticed as she continued to struggle against them. She had eyes only for Nyssa. Even after an eternity of witnessing the love of her life die and come back, Laurel could not bear to even contemplate a world without Nyssa in it. 

There were questions, vague and half-formed in her mind, about why they were taken, where the others were, particularly their newest recruit, Sarah Diggle, for whom Laurel and Nyssa already felt responsible. 

Laurel wanted to know who these soldiers around them were, where they were going - and, of course, the age-old question about whether they had finally been caught, and if they would be put in a cage as a lab experiment. 

But at the forefront of Laurel's thoughts was what lay before her, and that was her beloved, her partner, and her soulmate. Nyssa was sprawled on her front, having been shot when attempting to escape her restraints, and even now as Laurel's eyes moved down further, she winced at the sight of Nyssa’s lifeless body.

This was always the worst part. While Laurel and Nyssa were hardly strangers to immortality and its secrets, no amount of dying could make Laurel used to the agonising seconds and minutes before Nyssa finally gasped back to life. And the hard truth was that despite Nyssa's words that she would always come back, they both knew this was impossible to predict. Their immortality would run out one day, and every time they got caught in the crosshairs of another enemy, Laurel wondered if today was it. 

"Nyssa," she whispered, feeling a surge of anger not at the tears that stung in her eyes but that one of the soldiers - a square-jawed blond man - was eyeing her closely. "Nyssa, habibti - wake up." 

But Nyssa was still motionless in the armoured van. The soldiers had shot her squarely in the back, but that had been minutes ago, surely. She should have awakened by now. Unless… 

"Ya Nyssa!" Laurel cried, louder this time, and the blond soldier grabbed her by the shoulders roughly. 

"Oi. Shut up!" 

Laurel just ignored him, reaching out despite her restraints to touch Nyssa's cheek. "Nyssa, please. It's me, habibti. Wake up!" 

"I just told you to shut the fuck up!" the soldier barked. 

"Or what?" Laurel shot back. "You can kill me too if you want. I’ll just come back, and make no mistake - I'll be angrier." The guard spluttered at that, unable to form anything coherent in reply, and Laurel went back to shaking Nyssa in an effort to rouse her. "Come back to me, my love. Please." For good measure, Laurel blessed herself and said a silent prayer, and somehow, miraculously, someone upstairs seemed to have heard her, because Nyssa then started coughing.

Automatically Laurel looked up at the heavens above - obscured, of course, by the armoured ceiling of the van, which should have made it less poetic - and thanked every deity she could name in her head. There was blood in Nyssa's hair as Laurel stroked it tenderly, leaning forward so her forehead touched the crown of her beloved. 

"Are you okay?" Laurel asked softly in Arabic. 

"I think so," Nyssa replied, also in Arabic, before switching loudly to English. "Very pissed off, though."

"As am I," Laurel said, glowering at the blond soldier. She softened, though, in an instant when Nyssa squeezed Laurel’s hand.  "I'm just glad I didn't lose you. They shot you." 

"You will never lose me, hayati. And I'm fine." Nyssa groaned in pain as she lifted her shirt and the two bullets that had temporarily stymied Nyssa popped out and rolled onto the floor. Laurel could see the exit wound knitting, just under Nyssa's ribcage, and she winced. As she did so, though, she could sense the blond soldier's leer before she saw it. 

"Aw, are you two together or something? Is she your girlfriend?" 

Nyssa just rolled her eyes, letting out a faint sigh of fatigue and exasperation as another soldier then joined in. They knew what was going to come next - Laurel and Nyssa had been together for over a thousand years, but one thing that had worsened, rather than gotten better, was the way the world saw them. 

"Feel free to make out in front of us. Always found that hot." 

"To call you childish would be an insult - " Laurel snapped, "- to children, that is. You speak like prepubescent boys guided by nothing but the pathetic newfound stirring of your loins. You could not even begin to fathom with your simple mind the depths of love I have for this woman. You lack the maturity to understand how her very breath awakens my faith and her smile strengthens my soul, that even after centuries together I fall in love with her more every single day. She is not my girlfriend, little boy. She is my moral compass, my north star, my guiding light when I am lost."

"And your wife," Nyssa added helpfully and Laurel almost forgot her anger for a moment as she automatically smiled. Nyssa had a way of doing that, of tempering the storm of emotions raging in Laurel's head at the best of times. 

“Yes,” Laurel said. “And she is my wife.”

Slowly, the soldier crouched down so his face was uncomfortably close to Laurel’s. “So you’ve joined the twenty-first century. Congratulations. Why the fuck should I care about that?”

Laurel did not even flinch. "Because if you so much as touch a hair on her head, you will find out just how much." For good measure, she headbutted the man, with such force that he was knocked onto his back, his head hitting the van floor with a satisfying thump.

"Ralph!" one of the other soldiers yelped, immediately going to his aid. 

"He does look like a Ralph, doesn't he?" Laurel observed. 

“Yeah. I think he does,” Nyssa said after a moment. “That was nice, though.”

Laurel smiled. “Yeah?”

"Indeed, my love. Romance and stamina?” Nyssa said teasingly, her chained hand going behind Laurel’s neck to pull her wife towards her. “You must save some for the rest of us, dearest." And despite their circumstances Laurel laughed.

"What do you think, Nyssa?" Laurel asked quietly. "Do you think this could be like Marrakech in '67?"

Nyssa smiled back. "You read my mind." She waited, then leaned in as if to kiss Laurel, but at the last second they both moved so quickly the soldiers didn't even have a chance to think, let alone raise their guns. With her chained hands Laurel got a hold of the two soldiers nearest her while kneeing a third between the legs. She knew from the crunching sound she heard that Nyssa had probably broken some bones, and as Laurel caught sight of Ralph feebly stirring a few feet away, she kicked his face for good measure. 

Then and only then did Laurel pull Nyssa towards her for a kiss, and she sighed contentedly in her wife's mouth. 

"Keys?" Laurel asked, and Nyssa shook her head. The two of them rifled through the soldiers' pockets just to be sure, but they came up with nothing. "Shit.”

“It seems we are out of luck. They must have locked us in from the inside. We must simply await our fate, habibti." 

“I hate doing that,” Laurel muttered. 

"I know you do, hayati, but we are out of options." 

Laurel looked up, met her wife's eyes. "How are you always able to stay so enduringly patient?" 

Nyssa smiled back. "Why, from centuries of practice, of course." 

As if on cue, the van ground to a halt, and when the doors opened by yet more soldiers, Ralph’s unconscious body rolled out with a thump.

Laurel cleared her throat. “Any chance you motherfuckers can get these chains off us?”

"Perhaps don't lead with that, my heart," Nyssa said, but it wasn't with a lot of conviction and she was unsurprised when the soldiers ignored her words and dragged her to her feet. Next to her, they were doing the same with Laurel. 

"Habibti, I love you, but you know playing nice isn't going to get us anywhere," Laurel said, annoyance laced into her tone from how the men were gripping her shoulders with far more force than necessary.

"True. We are usually better judges of character," Nyssa said, speaking now to the woman who had orchestrated this whole fiasco - Amanda Waller. 

Waller didn't reply, just glowered back at Nyssa. 

"It's a nice plane, Amanda," Laurel said, as Nyssa was frogmarched onto the plane waiting for them.

"There's a TV, Laurel!" Nyssa called over her shoulder, and Laurel couldn't suppress her laugh if she wanted to. 

"Ooh! Any champagne?" Laurel asked, her heart soaring when the words elicited a laugh from her love. 

Her smile was short-lived, though, as Waller brought up the rear and the plane door closed behind them. This was Laurel's second worst fear come true, of capture and inevitable experimentation, and she wondered if it would lead to her greatest fear of all - that she would be separated eternally from her beloved. 

She closed her eyes, as she was being strapped onto the seat of the plane next to her wife. The restraints around her ankles were unnecessarily tight and Laurel could barely move her wrists, but in that moment she felt the gentle press of a single finger hooking around one of hers. It was Nyssa, reassuring her through the tiniest touch that she was there, that she was okay, that they would be, and Laurel wanted so badly to seize Nyssa's hand and kiss it, but she couldn't. 

So instead, she squeezed her wife's finger in return, and then murmured the prayer that she hoped was sent up to the heavens, for the two of them to emerge from this intact and together. 

Tagging: @skydisneylover @stungunmilly2 @mewis-sisters @therewas-a-girl @bulbasaurfan93 @nyssalance @istanlena @abbyscameron @nyxxyn22 @ineedhelp25fan @theolivekiddo @me-and-sweatpants @rainboisland

#laurel x nyssa #lauryssa #black assassin #laurel lance #nyssa al ghul #arrow #the old guard au #the old guard #arrow fanfiction #mine #my fic #homophobia tw #fic: touch

[dailyaudiobible]

05/25/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 7:1-8:18, John 14:15-31, Psalm 119:33-48, Proverbs 15:33

Today is the 25th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we…as we lock in and buckle up and do what we do every day, take the next step forward on the journey that we have embarked on through the scriptures this year. And I guess we’re moved into 2 Samuel by now since we’re moving into chapter 7, but we’ve probably got the lay of the land. 2 Samuel is dealing with the life of David, whereas 1 Samuel was dealing with the life of Saul. And as we’re dealing with both of these people there are sharp contrasts, and we can find things about ourselves in both of these men. And now we’re focusing on David who is king of all Israel at this point and is Israel’s 2nd king. And, so, we pick up the story in Samuel chapters 7 and 8.

Commentary:

Okay. So, through the course of our year so far and even recently we’ve talked about the boxes that get made to stuff God in so that we can have a better understanding of God but He’s bigger than the box and He won’t fit in the box. And, so, that kinda…kinda gets us disgruntled and we can’t figure out mystery. So, we’ve talked about these kinds of things that bring us tension on our journey of faith. We actually have a real God box described today in the Old Testament in the book of 2 Samuel. David is now firmly established as “the” king of Israel. There are now rivals, he is the king, and he has used that kingdom to subdue the enemies all around him so that there’s respect and peace around the nation. And David has had a very nice palace built and gifted to him. And, so, he lives in this nice palace. Basically, he’s able to slow down a little bit and look around that all that he has and all that he’s in control of and he has this rev…revelation, this sort of realization that his nation is in good shape, he’s in good shape, he has everything he could dream of but…but God, the Lord God who made all this possible still lives in the same tent that He’s been living in, the tabernacle, since…since the time of Moses. And, so, actually from a good place in David’s heart he’s thinking, you know, he’s making this comparison and thinking “I have it better than God. Like, I have been blessed with so much here and then the Lord is living in a tent and we need to make God a spectacular home to live in. This box, this walled in area, this temple for God to live in.” And David shares that with the Prophet Nathan who’s like, “yeah, if that’s in your heart than do what’s in your heart.” But that wasn’t what was in God’s heart. That’s the thing. And, so, God’s speaks to Nathan who then comes back to David and this is where we get this…this kind of God box description. Through Nathan the prophet, God says to David, “are you the one to build a house for me to live in? I have not lived in a house from the day I brought the people of Israel up out of Egypt until today. I have been moving around in the tent and the dwelling. I have traveled everywhere with all the people of Israel. Did I ever speak a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people or ask them, ‘why have you not built a house of cedar for me?’” I think this is really interesting because what God is saying is, “you know, you’re not gonna put Me in a box. I am out and among the people where I have always been. Everywhere you’ve gone I’ve gone with you and led you. That’s how this works.” Now as we know, Solomon, David’s son, the next king who we haven’t met yet, he will be given permission to build a permanent temple. And he actually will bring Israel to its finest…finest hour. But it’s interesting to just sit there and look at David, look at what he might be thinking realizing how blessed he is, how fortunate. I mean he has had his share of struggle. So…and so there is no way that he can’t appreciate where he is now. Running…he was running for his life from cave to cave and now he’s the king. And he knows that this only happened at the hand of God. And he looks around at all he has and in his good heart wants to build something even bigger for God. And isn’t that kind of what we do? Like God has blessed me and I need to build something big for God and we start thinking along those lines. And man, it gets mixed motive.…our motives get mixed really, really quick. Cause we’re gonna build this big thing and people are gonna see us build this big thing and so we’re gonna get the notoriety and the performance value for building this big thing for God. And maybe God doesn’t want that thing built. Maybe He’s just fine being out and among the people. What exactly would we conceive of building for God that just on the face of it is gonna be so impressive that God becomes speechless? I’m mean we’re talking about the Being who spoke the world into existence. So, what are we going to build for God? That really, really checks our…our motivations. That really, really checks why we would try to do some of the things that we try to do. What we ultimately find out as we continue the journey through the…the bible is that we are the temple of God and God indwells us and is everywhere that people are, He’s within us and among us and hovering around us. So, He doesn’t really need the box. It’s we…we seek out the box so we can say, “there…there is God, that’s where God is, that’s what God does, that’s what God does not do. Whatever is not in that box is not of God.” So, what if we were to start realizing that we are that temple, that box, if we want to call it that? Are we open? Are we surrendered? Like are…are we available or are we a closed box and we just tell God who He is and what He does and doesn’t do all the time? We just quote scriptures back to Him like He’s forgotten or never really even knew what was in the bible. And we sing worship songs that describe for Him who He is as if He doesn’t know anymore. What kind of freedom would there actually be if we let go of all of that and said God is God, which is well, well, well beyond any possibility of my human understanding? Like, all of eternity, a billion, billion years from now I will still be learning new things about the Lord. So, I…I do not know what I think that I know. What kind of freedom would there be in just believing in faith that He loves us profoundly and wants to draw near and we don’t have to come up with a formula for that, we just have to draw near back? Think of the freedom in that, the freedom of being in a loving relationship. Let’s live into that today.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit come. We are so often trying to become aware of Your presence through our intellect when You remain beyond anything that we can conceive of. We only see glimpses and…and they’re so good that we want more, but it’s You who comes in Your kindness and graciousness to be among us. So, we want to experience You for who You are in the gentle, unhurried way of…of actual love, of actual relationship instead of us running around thinking of what we need to do to impress You or what we need to do to impress everybody else so it can seem as if we’re closer to You. We don’t need any of that. We just need intimacy with You. There’s nothing else that our heart…like this is what our hearts truly crave, and we fill it with all kinds of other stuff. And, so, forgive us for, even though we’re the temple of being a closed box that simply tries to control You. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that’s home base, and that’s how to get connected and stay connected and find out what’s happening around here. So, check that out. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can access all of these things from there. There is a Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app and you hit that, and it pops open a drawer.

And, so, you can access things like the Community section, which is where the Prayer Wall lives as well as the Daily Audio Bible Shop where there are resources there for this journey. All kinds of stuff. We have the Daily Audio Bible journal in the Shop that we’ve developed over the years to be the perfect size to carry around. Like, it’s just the…the “the” journal that we’re using around here to journal in. Things to write in like the Black Wing pencil line. I love journaling with a pencil. That’s been going on for several years now. Everybody has their own preference but it’s a little old school to have a really great pencil and sharpen that pencil and write in your own hand, old school, in your own penmanship no matter how bad it might be, to say things. And I’ve journaled digitally in my life, I’ve done that, it’s just a different kind of process than just sitting down, sharpening a pencil and just kind of allowing what’s in your heart, what’s in your mind to flow out onto the page. It’s really, really helpful and the precedent is very much in the bible. We’re continually instructed to remember, remember what happened here, don’t forget God’s faithfulness and…and when we’re pouring that out on the page in our own hand it sure is nice to go back when things get foggy and it seems very unclear, to be able to go back and see, yeah, that thread is true. God has always been here and has always been faithful. And we begin to tell the story back to ourselves as we read through our journal. And it’s an incredible thing. So, stuff like that, resources like that are in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. And I can’t thank you enough other than to say what I say on a regular basis. This wouldn’t be happening if we weren’t in this together. That’s just a fact. And, so, I’m humbled and awed and grateful that we are on this journey and have been on this journey for these years. And I thank you with all of my heart for your partnership. So, yeah, there’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Spring Hill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit that Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top, you can’t miss it or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi, good morning this is D from New York. I’m about a four-year listener and second time caller. My first call was early March when I, my husband, and my son were sick with COVID. And, so, this is a praise report to say that we’ve all recovered very well. Thank God and thank you for your prayers, especially Randal’s who I heard a couple of days after I recorded my prayer request. I’m also calling for Mom Tries. I just heard her prayer request. Congratulations on becoming a pro athlete, a pro triathlete. I totally understand the jitters and the nerves that you may be experiencing or maybe not quite since I’m not a pro athlete. I am a 66, 67-time marathoner, a novice triathlete and as an indoor athlete I totally understand, and I get it. And I pray that you perform well this weekend at that full Iron Man and know that all things, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. I’d like you to give us peace feedback and let us know how it went. Praying for you girl. You’re going to do wonderfully. Bye-bye.

Good morning DAB family this is Laura from Eugene, Oregon. I’m just calling in with a grateful heart this morning as I’m listening to the reading, as I listen to Brian’s commentary, to the prayer requests and the prayers being lifted up. Thank you each one of you. I am so so grateful to be a part of this Daily Audio Bible community. I just wanted to share an answered prayer. I called in a while back with a prayer request from my son’s mental health. He was really in a bad place and it’s always concerning with him and he is such in a better place now. Prayer is powerful. So, thank you. I just pray now that he can come to know the Lord again. He accepted the Lord as a child but he’s far away now. So, that’s where that true healing can happen. So, I just am praying and asking you to pray with me for his return to the Lord. His name is Andrew. And then I’m also asking prayer for my mom Alice who just received a cancer diagnosis this week. It was very unexpected, and we’re all in a little bit of shock and not knowing where to go next. So, of course we are turning to the Lord and I’m asking you for prayer for healing and for wisdom and discernment as we go forward and navigate this whole situation. Thank you DAB family. I am so grateful for each one of you and I love to pray for you. It’s my honor.

Hello this is Gods Tree From Many Branches But I Am Rooted in the Word of God. I’m calling because I feel like I needed to give some words of encouragement. About two years ago I called DAB desperate, crying, and upset because I got an announcement that my brother was suicidal, and the police were looking for him and everybody was looking for him and we didn’t know where he was, and I called you all immediately to start praying immediately for my brother. Praise God, we found him, and they were able to get him help, and he was… he had a total breakdown. He went through a total mental break, but God was able to restore him and get him to counseling he need and get him back on track. And it’s been two years later, and he is living happily. He is in love with the Lord, he is trusting God for everything in his life. He still has a lot of things that he needs to straighten out in his life, and he still beats himself up for things that he’s done but he knows God has given him grace and giving him mercy. And he has found joy and he’s found a purpose in life. And I wanted to give this encouragement to those who are struggling right now in dealing with depression and even suicidal thoughts. Bind the enemy and rebuke him in the name of Jesus because there is happiness after the darkness. You will find joy after weeping all night long. God is an awesome God, and He is the Keeper and I just want you to trust Him and believe it’s going to get better, take it from me. In Jesus’ name, I do pray for you. Amen.

Hi this is Victorious Soldier just calling pray for some of the DABbers. I want to pray for…for Keith and Grace the lady with her husband and her who was having some challenges. I’m gonna pray for you and your family. I wanna pray for Michael Rowing the Boat Ashore, just thank you for being a part of the DAB and continue to pray that God continue to bless you. Thank God for bringing you aboard and thank God for giving you some wonderful insight into His word. I wanna pray for Paperclip and Allison’s son. It’s so good to hear that. I didn’t realize you had a son. Thank God that you’re free and thank God that you’re there and just stay in the word. We’d love to hear from you. Tell Allison Shalom, Shalom. I wanna say, Shannon from Salem, praying for you in your classes, that suicide prevention is great. Prayerfully, with all the depression and everything that somebody will latch on and see that life is worth living and God would give ’em joy. Gracious Father we just lift you up. We praise you for the DABbers, we praise you for the light. I want to pray also for those who have lost their mothers or lost their fathers or are going through with their children with the depression and everything that’s going on Lord, we just ask You the names I call and the ones that are going through with the depression the one that’s going through with the COVID. Lord, we just ask You to have Your way. We thank You for our brother over…overseas who is doing better. We just lift you up. We praise Your name, Lord we just ask You to touch as only You can do. We ask You to speak the word Lord. We ask You to…to connect with them and let them feel You that You are there and I’m recognizing and acknowledge You that you can direct their path…