#now with cat-themed weaponry!!!!

[theellipelli]

cal-amity heheheheehehe

#now with cat-themed weaponry!!!! #the owl house #amity blight #toh #amphibia au #art #fanart

[bones4thecats]

Heyy hii hellooo , hruuu and what's your fav cat breed , btw can i req a leonidas , Nikola Tesla , hades , and Hercules x fem!homura akemi!reader

I hope you watch Madoka Magica , i just want a simple long ahh angst and then fluff

So basically the reader is like the goddess of time (for the gods part) and a time traveler(for the humans part) the reader basically repeat the same month that Ragnarok has taken place for over 1200 years just to save them from their fate which was turning into a green weed snort dust in because the charas are who she hold dear so much since they are her husband , each time she failed and failed and that affect the universe since she bend the time around the charas making them stronger but each timeline they just die , and i want them to confront the reader Abt it and then the reader is like having a meltdown or something and then tell em all the stuff she have been doing to the point she almost gone insane with all the timeline of watching them die

And after that can you just put on like a huge comfort scene where the charas finally survive and comfort the reader after all the pain she gone through

I hope you don't mind , sorry if it too muchhh srryyyyyy

A/N: Okay, my favorite cat breed is the Birman, it's just so fluffy and cute!! It also reminds me of a Siamese. This is one of the saddest things I have ever written, so expect to cry a few tears and then feel like your heart’s gonna explode! This is kinda themed after the song Haunted by Taylor Swift because I was listening to it while writing. Enjoy~~

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🚬 You had tried so many times, yet you always fail… why?

🚬 Why wasn’t it fair then, why wasn’t it fair now? Why did he have to die, why couldn’t that selfish and impish God Apollo die?!

🚬 1,200 years you have tried, over 103,782 attempts have been made in counting, maybe this would be the one to work!

🚬 But it was too much for one person to watch their one and only, their husband, die over and over and over by the same cause

🚬 You watched as he trained, and you couldn’t stop crying each time

🚬 Leonidas looked over at you and grinned his signature grin saying, ready for battle

🚬 When he hugged you that night you started to cry and not stop, which caused him to look at you with shock

🚬 You never cried

🚬 He kneeled down and tilted your head towards his face, his eyes asking the same question over and over again

“ Are you okay, my love? “

🚬 That was when you let loose, spilling everything, the endless death and depression you had gone through just to see him win, it made his heart ache

🚬 You went through all of this to see him come out on top, to see him alive again

🚬 Leonidas held you and shushed you, while you mumbled how it wasn’t fair since no matter how much you tried it never worked

“ You cannot escape fate, love. But, no matter what happens, believe me, I will always, always be by your side. No matter what. “ “ Promise? “ “ I promise. “

🚬 And he did. He won. He beat that snobbish bastard, Humanity cheered for the win while you smiled and cried happy tears for another reason

🚬 You finally did it, he lived…

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🧪 This stupid myth wasn’t coming to fruition, it said every time you traveled, he’d grow stronger! Just how much more strength did he need?!

🧪 Time after time again he died from that depleaded and god-awful immortal Beelzebub, why did he have to live?!

🧪 He hurt a child for crying out loud, causing him to turn into a blood-thirsty monster for the heck of it! He didn’t deserve life! He showed no remorse for what he had done, even Thor showed some of it to Lü Bu!

🧪 While thriving on the past, you were watching Nikola work on a problem for his armor for Ragnarok and you smiled when he got the fact right, it was better than last time, maybe this was it?

🧪 He did the same thing as last time, but he added more weaponry and more strength to it per your request, now maybe it could work!

🧪 You sat by Hlökk and Jack while the fight ensued, and you were praying that he would win, that your husband could finally come home safe and sound

🧪 And he did it… he- he beat Beelzebub!

🧪 Nikola was healing as you jumped onto him, he chuckled and kissed your forehead, and that was when you let it loose

🧪 You spilled the tea, all of it, the 1,200 years of torment that you faced watching him die, the same fate over and over and over again, not being able to stop it hurt

“ Darling, I am sorry for failing you so many times. “ “ It’s not your fault, you’re here now… and I’m thankful. “ “ I am thankful as well, Y/N… “

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💀 No, no, no, no!

💀 Every god-forsaken time, the same damn thing!

💀 Oh that human will pay for his insolence, killing the King that you loved was a crime only punishable by death at the hands of his victim!

💀 Every single time that Hades proclaimed his wish to fight, you were with him, helping him train to beat that puny being

💀 But every time it wasn’t enough, and it hurt so much…

💀 And the way that human smiled and had every human there cheering for him made you sick, many lost an ally, Zeus, Hermes, Ares, and Adamas all lost a brother and uncle, one that cared for them oh so much, and you…

💀 You lost your one and only love…

💀 But maybe this time it would work! It said that they grew stronger every time you traveled, so maybe now it would be right!

💀 Hades looked up at you and smiled as he prepared for battle, and every cut and bruise only gave you the biggest PTSD stain in history

💀 He couldn’t die, he just couldn’t!

💀 And when the cry of Zeus’ cry entered your ears, you started to doubt everything

💀 It worked, it finally fucking worked!

💀 You had never sprinted that hard before into the arms of your love, dragging him to the infirmary after sharing the best kiss known to the Gods

💀 Hades saw how sad yet happy your eyes were while he healed, and when he looked at you and asked why you were so down, you tole him everything, sobbing the process

" My dear, you've seen that happen all those times? For that long? " *Sigh* " I apologize for not being able to change that for so long, but, now we can start the life we've always wanted, by each others sides for eternity. "

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💪 He was the kindest soul you had ever met, why would fate just screw him over like this?!

💪 You understood he knew Jack far better than you, but watching the human just kill your lover blinded all of your judgement, no matter what

💪 Heracles had died so many times in front of you that you felt like crying tears of joy and sadness from both seeing him alive and from knowing what was bound to happen

💪 This time he had been talking to his adoptive brother, Ares, when you traveled back to see him and try getting him to survive, and seeing him with the only other person who wept and understood how much the lose of him affected you just hurt

💪 He called out to you and hugged you in his arms while calling his goodbyes to Ares, in which the God of War just smiled and waved back

💪 Your husband was the one person you didn't want to lie to anymore, and you hopes that after 1,200 years, this may be the final time you'd have to travel to save him

💪 You grabbed his hand which caused Heracles to turned around and give you a curious look, and that was when you told him

" 1,200 years for me? Angel, you... you didn't have to do all of this for me! "

💪 Heracles looked at you with shock, he figured nobody would drain themselves physically or mentally to the point of near insanity just for him...

💪 He hugged you even closer and he swore the same thing you heard over the last thousand years;

" I'll be safe, and when this is all over, we'll rest together just like before... I promise. "

💪 Your husband laid the most gentle kiss on your lips ever as you nodded, believing the words more than you ever did before

💪 Before Round 4 of Ragnarok started, you strolled over to the Humans side to speak to their fighter, Jack the Ripper, so you could get something clear

" In these last 1,200 years, I have been trying to get my husband back... as whenever he fought against you, he lost... died at your hands. And while I respect you and everything you have done for your people, I am just asking you one thing; Is this really what you want to be known for? Pure murder? "

💪 When Jack was about to kill Heracles, he remembered your words and smiled humbly before lowering his hands to the ground and laying on his knees, causing Heracles to stop and stare at the male

" I do not wish to kill you, God. " " Heracles. And Jack, I do not wish to kill you. This match stays at a draw! "

💪 All Gods and Humans were obviously pissed, but you got your husband back, and one of your previously close friends. Win-Win for you!

#Record of Ragnarok #RoR #Shuumatsu no Valkyrie #SnV #RoR Greek Pantheon #Record of Ragnarok Gods #RoR Gods #Record of Ragnarok Humans #RoR Humans #Record of Ragnarok x Reader #RoR x Reader #Shuumatsu no Valkyrie x Reader #SnV x Reader #RoR Greek Pantheon x Reader #Record of Ragnarok Gods x Reader #RoR Gods x Reader #RoR Humans x Reader #Record of Ragnarok Humans x Reader #S/O! Reader #F! Reader #Human! Reader #God! Reader #RoR Leonidas #RoR Leonidas x Reader #RoR Nikola Tesla #RoR Nikola Tesla x Reader #RoR Hades #RoR Hades x Reader #RoR Heracles #RoR Heracles x Reader

[oneatlatime]

The Blue Spirit

Before we get into the episode, a couple of thoughts that have been rattling around my brain: -Last episode was heavy. I need jokes please. -it's been a while since I've seen a hybrid animal. I thought those were going to be a running gag. -It's been a while since there has been any gorgeous background art. -The last couple of episodes have really pushed Sokka and Katara to the background. I'm missing the ensemble style episodes.

Episode time!

It's Zhao. Hi asshole. Actually this conversation is touching on something I've been wondering about:

The fire nation has bigger fish to fry than a quarter-trained 12 year old.

If this whole episode happens at night time I'm going to really miss my CRT.

Zhao is now turbo asshole. Also there's a weird blue cat on his roof.

Imagine having a sick day on an Appa couch. Heavenly. And where are they hiding this time? Why is there a giant tapestry?

Looks like this won't be much of a Sokka episode.

Not going to be a Katara episode either. This is a novel way of benching your side characters.

How does airbending make you go faster? I could see earthbending making you faster, just by moving your running surface, but how does Aang do it?

I do like roadrunner shenenigannery.

Momo doesn't understand English confirmed. Also he has green-tinted vision? Do his irises coat his pupils? That would be weird.

Behold! A non-hydrid animal.

"It's been almost an hour and you haven't given the men an order." Ouch. Burn.

I'm not much of a Zuko fan, but even I have to admit that this is a sucky situation in a long line of sucky situations. You have to feel for him here.

Frog popsicles. Did not see that coming. Note the lack of hybridity.

Now he looks like those arrow guys.

Using aerial weaponry against an airbender seems really stupid. I guess they've got numbers one their side.

Is literally everybody in this world a professionally trained acrobat? Do all four nations include that in the school curriculum?

Compensating?

Could the action wait until morning please? I can't see.

Zhao doubling down on the asshole behaviour. Not cool. Keeping someone barely alive in captivity for as long as possible has to be some sort of war crime. Waging a war for a century against an entire planet is probably also a war crime, so again, bigger fish. There are assholes that are entertaining to watch and fun to root for, and assholes that are just plain mean. Zhao is now firmly in the latter category.

Poor Momo is trying his best. Zhao's right about there being no one to rescue Aang this time though. Even Appa's benched by babysitting duties.

The blue cat is back. Clinging to the underside of a moving cart using just your fingernails has got to be murder on the hands.

Good lord these guards are blind. This episode is too dark for me to see anything but I still saw blue cat guy hot foot it into the compound. His mask even has white parts.

Oh god he's monologuing. Blegh. Although convenient for blue cat guy. A desire to monologue may be Zhao's most consistent character trait.

Did the frogs do that?

The hallway-that-eats-our-guys just ate one of our guys. What should we do? How about send two more of our guys down the hallway-that-eats-our-guys? And leave only one to guard the door keeping the world's most powerful bender contained? Sounds good.

CAT.

He extinguished that guy! That gets funnier the more I think about it. All that fancy bending, years of training, and your fatal weakness is a bucket.

Exactly how many of those sword flourishes were necessary?

I like the blue cat's theme music. It's some sort of wind instrument, a bit kazoo-like, but it sounds a lot like this plastic toy trumpet I had as a kid that I'd play with whenever I was mad at my parents. I loved that thing, but it mysteriously vanished one day.

Blue cat is doing some seriously precision sword bending. Imagine if he'd missed? How do you live down cutting off the Avatar's hands and feet?

It WAS the frogs! Caught red- um. Footed? Do frogs have hands?

The return of One Man Army Aang.

Blue cat is surprisingly go with the flow for having just been catapulted dozens of feet without warning. Stuck the landing too. Sort of.

I'm sure there's some fascinating fight choreography going on at the moment but I CAN'T SEE IT.

Aang can briefly function as a load-bearing helicopter. Briefly.

So… how many of these guards are dead?

I am a dumb! How did I NOT see that coming? I am dumb! Much dumb!

Turns out there is one hairstyle worse than Zuko's usual.

In addition to roadrunnering, helicoptering, and ladderwalking, Aang can also carry someone taller and heavier than him at high speeds while fleeing the enemy. Is there anything airbending can't do?

Or maybe it was the frogs. Also I just realised that Fire Nation ships are shaped like Fire Nation shoes. I bet those shoes give you bunions.

Zuko was out for a WHILE. Might want to get that head wound checked out.

This hit unexpectedly hard. This episode's second surprisingly heavy scene. Can't they at least hug?

Was the kazoo-trumpet diagetic all along?

"Did you make any new friends?" "No. I don't think I did." Me:

Appa is your friend, not your toothbrush.

Final Thoughts

This was a character episode disguised as an action episode. Which I did not realise until I figured out that Blue cat man was Zuko all along.

Firebender Zuko has chihuahua energy. Blue Spirit Zuko has cat energy. Discuss.

Everyone needed a hug this episode. Including me. Except Zhao. Screw Zhao.

Zuko seems much more confident with those swords than he is with his fire. I don't mean to compare skill levels; I have no way of evaluating that. I mean he seems more sure of his movements with swords. Fire makes him shouty. Swords make him dance.

Can't really say much about Sokka and Katara this episode, although I do like that the reason they're out of commission is a direct consequence of last episode's exploits. Makes the through narrative feel more grounded if the small things as well as the large plot points have continuity/consequences.

Momo! Poor Momo. He really tried! Actually, I've been assuming, but is Momo a boy lemur?

I am utterly indifferent to the Arrow guys. Nice bit of stealthy worldbuilding, but I'll eat my hat if they ever recur.

This episode was The Storm part 2. Parallel angst threads concluding in the two mains staring contemplatively in silence after each other? Yep. Storm Part 2. This episode may have had even less humour than The Storm. I found the recurring frog jokes worked better than the Sokka and Katara are sick jokes.

I've been kind of nitpicky about this episode, but don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it. Kind of really ended on a downer though. It's also contributing to a growing suspicion of mine: would they pour all this development into Zuko, and set up a more powerful villain to take his place, if they meant for Zuko to stay the villain? The show started giving us insight into Zuko's character, and arguably a reason to pity him, at the same time as it gave us those things for Aang - The Southern Air Temple. This show has 60-some episodes. Would you humanise your villain in episode three if he was supposed to be the antagonist for the rest of the show's run? You could, but it would be a waste of writing energy. So what's going to happen? Is this war going to have three sides? I can't see Zuko fully switching sides, when his reasons for chasing Aang are so personal. Whatever Honour means in the fire nation, Zuko's only way to get it back seems to be capturing Aang. I can't think of anything Aang could give him that would be worth forever forfeiting his Honour.

I think this episode made the correct choice, in not having Zuko say anything when he wakes up in the forest with Aang. Like the end of the Southern Air Temple, and the end of (I think?) the Winter Solstice Part 2, some moments are enough - no dialogue needed. But - bear with me as I stray into fanfiction territory - wouldn't it be fascinating to hear the conversation Aang and Zuko might have had? And isn't it neat that Aang chose the conversational topic he did - not questioning why Zuko rescued him, but attempting to reach out? There was a choice made in his one-sided conversation with Zuko that I want to pick at. I can't put into words why I found that short scene so impactful. But I want to pick at it.

I'll be rewatching this episode on the CRT in my parents' basement when I can, because the brightness on my little laptop just does not go high enough. This episode was dark. Fittingly so, but still. I want to SEE.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #the blue spirit #avatar the last airbender

[hxdonist]

.::. I AM THAT I AM .::. ikarus ito

Citizen Profile Loading. . .

profile loaded. ERROR CODE 1F1N1T3FUN: Some Data Expunged.

.::. A SICKNESS UNDEFINED .::. basics.

NAME: IKARUS CAELUM ITO ALIASES: IK, IKKA, THE FOX OF EIGHT EYES, 1NF1N1T3FUN AGE: THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OLD. [JANUARY 17TH] GENDER/PRONOUNS: CIS MAN HE/HIM SEXUALITY: PANSEXUAL // DEMIROMANTIC HUMAN // HOST: HUMAN OCCUPATION: DATA EXPUNGED - - - as far as you need to know, I am a friend. A netrunner and a braintrip cutter of the...shady variety. AFFILIATIONS: NANO ZILLA. And any gang, corp, or solo with the balls to think they can run with me.

.::. IT'S MY KINGDOM COME .::. going deeper.

PERSONALITY: CHARMING TO A FAULT, IKARUS DESIRES ONLY TO CORRECT WHAT HE PERCIEVES AS 'SOCIETAL WRONGS.' WHILE HIS BANNER SEEMS AT FIRST SOMETHING WORTH WORKING BENEATH HIS METHODS ARE MANIPULATIVE MUCH LIKE THE MAN HIMSELF. A HEDON WITHOUT CARE FOR THE 'WAY THINGS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN' HE IS A GLUTTON FOR ATTENTION, POWER, SEX, DRUGS- ANYTHING THAT MAY FIRE THE SYNAPSE REQUIRED FOR PLEASURE- AND RIPS THROUGH THE THINGS THAT PLEASE OR ANGER HIM LIKE A MALICIOUS VIRUS WITHOUT DIFFERENTIATING WHICH IS WHICH. SELF-ASSURED TO THE POINT OF BEING COCKY TO THE EYES OF SOME, IKARUS' SKILLS ARE RARELY CALLED INTO QUESTION, AND HE PREFERS IT THAT WAY, HE WILL ONLY STAND FOR THE BEST IN HIS RANKS, SOURCING NEW MEMBERS THROUGH REGULAR 'TESTS' DEPLOYED ON THE NET BY 'THE FOX OF EIGHT EYES' AND REJECTING ANY WHO FALL SHORT OF STANDARD. DESPITE THIS, HE IS LOYAL TO THOSE WHO EARN IT, A DOGGED, STRONG-WILLED FRIEND TO HAVE IN ONE'S CORNER, DESPITE BEING A RATHER SLIPPERY ASSOCIATE IN ANYTHING TO DO WITH POWER.

AESTHETIC: WIRES COILING AND BLACK, BOUND LIKE CHAINS TO THE NET; ALIVE IN CODE || A FOX WITH TOO MANY EYES AND BROKEN, SPIDERING LIMBS. IT BECKONS TO YOU IN THE DARKNESS. || STATIC SOAKED SCREENS FROM YEARS PAST WATCHING WITH INTENT; THE GHOSTS OF WHAT WE WERE. || A REFINED BLACK SUIT SLICKED WITH BLOOD- UNBOTHERED YOU LIGHT UP A CIGARETTE- JUST ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE CITY.

KNOWN CYBERWARE: NEURAL UPLINK PORT STANDARD IN NETRUNNERS. HEADWARE RIG USED FOR ON-THE-FLY HACKING. SINGULAR PROSTHETIC ARM, MATTE BLACK CARBON AND RED LIGHTING ARRAY. IMPLANTED WEAPONRY LIKELY CONTAINI- DATA CORRUPTED. ERROR CODE: 2NOSY;)

HISTORY: CORRUPTED DATA RESTORED. BACKUP DRIVE CREATED. File Attached: FoxOfEightEyes.txt [TRIGGER WARNINGS: CHILD ABUSE, ANIMAL DEATH] [Mobile version of bio available in a google doc HERE] [hint: use the forcecode to skip the puzzle.]

.::. FROTHING AT THE MAW .::. connections.

CAT TO MOUSE; FOX IN YOUR HENHOUSE: The eponymous 'predator and prey' relationship- but who's who when the chips fall? Be you a Corpo burned by Nano Zilla, a gang member too foolish to determine you were being swindled before it happened, or even a Cowboy with your eyes on a pricy take- 1NF1N1T3FUN welcomes your attempts on his life- and recommends you come prepared.

FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT: An understudy/mentor relationship- a recently welcomed netrunner into the embrace of Nano Zilla and their base made in Dreamland, you followed the Fox of Eight Eyes and found its den to rest in the retrofitted depths of a once-bustling theme park; the skeleton of whimsy and fun now inhabited by the kind of people who treat the net as their playground. Ikarus only welcomes the best into his family, those willing to shirk the existing rules and demands of corporations and the government to seek building something greater- through technological subterfuge- he'll take you under wax wings, teach you to wind among the wires with the best of them- just make sure you know exactly what that means, when the time comes.

BITTERLOVER.EXE: The ever-present exes connection. Ikarus is a different man, in love. Dedicated to ideals and the ever-elusive 'better' his goals seem lofty- but oh, he always seemed to have time for you, and a carbon-steel fist that drives his crew so firmly was always soft in the quiet of a tiny apartment- but that was then. It's hard to recognize him now- you can't imagine you want to, because when push came to shove- Ikarus chose power over you. This is a connection for an ex who dated Ikarus recently, while he's headed and operated with Nano Zilla as an active anarchist/insurrectionist.

ISANYONEUP.MP4: You need help sourcing an illegal or otherwise damaging to your reputation braintrip and with some digging- you've found the editor who spun it. Sure, he wasn't the gunman that left your loved one dead in the dirt- wasn't the bastard who filmed the two of you having sex and sold it off after- but he knows who was, picking around in the BT with his editing software- he's said he'll help you, for a price- are you brave enough to take that offer?

ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS

Childhood friends

Exes (younger than 19 years old/schoolkid ages)

Former coworkers (Ex Gestalt Bureau Corpo, abandoned his position at 24.)

Fellow Nano Zilla netrunners who work for/under him

corpos/ceos/high ranking officials he's got existing dirt on

Braintrip recorders/sellers who use his services as an editor

regular hookups

literally anything I'll take it all babyyyyyy

#anarchicintro. #ikarus.info #ikarus.img #icarus.hc #ikarus.aes #ikarus.mp3

[blimbo-buddy]

Considering the fact the clans started imitating the kingdoms weaponry i.e. making spears and such. They would've killed and eaten the bear.

I am so in love with the Empire lore you given I decided that their main HQ is a run down cathedral. An abandoned church quite on the far side. It's why the Kingdoms nor the clans have heard of the Empire save for a few rogues and loners mentioning them in passing.

I imagine they despite all the clan business are the most advanced. They have created scriptures, murals, they created their own mythology and out of spite.

The Empire is most entire cat driven and use dogs as their war-beasts. They have farms of chickens where they collect eggs and raise chicks. They have a garden of herbs.

If it wasn't the clan vendettas and now driven by vengeance and trauma, I would join the Empire.

Their first leader was known as Thurman the Boon.

A lot of leaders adopted the name Boon before it turned into Scourge title.

Now we have the current leader who is just called "Scourge".

What do you think?

Oh right, I forgot about the Clans imitating the weaponry part. I think even if the Clans were told that they just killed and ate one of the few remaining bears in the UK they'd probably still come up with excuses. "But it would have still came back!" "It would have eaten us if we didn't kill it!", stuff like that.

I'm glad you like the lore I suggested! Oh man, gotta love that old run down abandoned cathedral, perhaps with a little sprinkle of themes of religious trauma? Honestly I think that the best bet would be to join the Empire right as it started, waaaay before vengeance and hate ruled them.

I like the progression between the titles, first starting out with Boon and then going on to the title becoming Scourge up until you have a leader simply named Scourge. It all gives a lot more building upon the Empire and I appreciate the effort you're putting into making the groups in this AU distinct from each other!

#blimbo rambles #ask #wc

[vibrantpuppeteer]

Oh, today is just not gonna be my kind of day, is it?

So, there I was watching the first 14 episodes of the next season of Pokémon Journeys. During the episode where Ash, Goh, Farfetch'd, and Scyther we're training with Wikstrom, I got inspired to do a playthrough of ScaVi where my character used knightly Pokémon and have an Aegislash as her ace by the end as her ace (and starter). I checked a Pokédex app on my phone...not possible. I looked at the leaks to see if the Honedge line was coming in the DLCs. Nope. So now my options are down to Gallade or (if I were to play Violet) Ceruledge. I already used a Ceruledge on my main Violet file, though, so that really only leaves two options: Gallade...or playing SwSh, where Honedge aren't available early without mystery trades (and who's still playing SwSh with ScaVi still being so new?) and is infuriating to find. Now you might be thinking "But VP, just use Home to transfer a Honedge and Ditto to a new file.", but that's no good either. I only have three of my eight profiles registered to a Nintendo account, and none of them have gotten one file far enough to catch a Honedge, and both of my main profile's files are already complete. I'm also not one to delete a file, especially not one that's completed the main story. I've only done so when I was little and bored on the original R/B/Y, with Sapphire so I could start over as a girl with a Torchic, and most recently with Moon after depositing all my Pokémon in Bank so I could play as a girl. (I got my copy of Moon as a Christmas gift from my parents, and while they both knew and [mostly] accepted me as trans, I didn't want to push my luck, so I chose the male character the first time around.) Well, at least those first 14 episodes of the new season of the anime were good.

Update: I have chosen my team for the main story, and here they are:

And now how each Pokémon fits in with my theme of being a knight.

Gallade - Well, besides having sword elbows, it also has part of "Gallant" - a term often used when describing a heroic knight - in its name. Also, due to fighting type being strong against the dark type, and the dark type being the "evil type" in Japanese, fighting can also be a "justice" type.

Ceruledge - The darker colors can give off "dark knight" vibes, it has swords for hands, and (as a Charcadet), will be much like a squire as far as the story in my head goes.

Corviknight - While a bit big for a messenger bird in its final form, it does have "knight" in its name. I was originally going to go with Talonflame, and I still plan to catch one, it just won't be part of the main team.

Noivern - Okay, I know knights are traditionally known for slaying dragons and the only Pokémon we can ride are the box legendaries, but Noivern here will fill the role of the knight's loyal steed. Also (different series, I know) there are Wyvern Knights in many Fire Emblem games, so yeah.

Tinkaton - While I did also use a Tinkaton on my main team, it does have a big hammer. And which profession makes both armor and weaponry for knights /and/ use hammers to do so? Blacksmiths.

Lycanroc Midday - While I myself am more of a cat person, dogs (like knights) are known to be loyal pets and can be used to track scents and assisted in hunting when it was more of a necessity than a sport. Of course, the closest we'll get to "hunting" is collecting item drops, sparkly items, and buying sandwich ingredients.

And so I give you my team for this run. Let me know what you think (if you want to).

#Pokémon #that feel when no Aegislash #Gallade will still be a fine knightly starter #I may just have to play Violet so I can get not only Ceruledge but also Iron Valiant in the post game too #I'll figure out the rest of my team as we go #Pokémon ScaVi #Pokémon Scarlet and Violet #And so shall begin the tale of the Violet Knight!

[isoldmysoultojonahclemence]

[Cradle Citizens Version] Ikerev Name Analysis!

Part 1 here.

Harr Silver:

The name Harr means “gray” or “old.”

Since Harr can do magic, this could go with the wizard theme, since wizards are usually depicted as gray old men. 

(also harr is similar to harry from harry potter so...)

 This could also maybe refer to his state of mind? If y’all remember back to the school events, Harr used to be kinda similar to Jonah in the proud tsundere sense. But then he got exiled, and those qualities ended up fading away, and shyness and kindness became predominant in him. In other words, he became a lot more mature, and thus gray and old beyond his age. 

The surname Silver means, well, “silver.”

Silver is often said to have mystical powers, like causing damage to werewolves, witches, etc. 

Given that Harr is a wizard, silver seems like the best element for him. 

So yeah. There’s a lot of wizard references in his name.

Loki Genetta:

The name Loki means “airy.”

It can refer to Loki’s normal personality, where he’s kinda easygoing and flighty.

This can also refer to the Norse god Loki, who is known as the god of mischief. I personally feel like this definition is more fitting for him, given that he’s has a pretty mischevious personality most of the time. 

Loki (from the Norse mythology) is also mainly depicted as a villain. Idk, but sometimes I feel like Loki (from the game) has yandere-ish tendencies. I wouldn’t necessarily call him a yandere, but sometimes his actions are slightly unsettling. 

Also also, this is the second name in Ikerev that’s taken from Norse mythology. First we’ve got Fenrir and now we’ve got Loki. They’re also father and son in Norse mythology. I don’t really know why though, so if any of you have an idea pls tell me.

The surname Genetta refers to a breed of cat.

Genetta cats are considered as dwarves, and Loki used to be the shortest suitor in the game until Mousse came along. 

These cats are also known for being prone to separation anxiety due to theiir need for attention, and this describes Loki pretty well.

Blanc Lapin:

The name Blanc means “white.”

His name is literally just French for “white rabbit,” which I thought was kinda lazy, but whatever.

Blanc can also refer to the color of his hair.

The surname Lapin means “rabbit.”

Again, this is just a translated phrase. But something worth noting that this is in French. I’m not entirely sure why, but there seems to be a pretty big French influence on this game, alongside Norse influence. For example, the name “Clemence” is also connected with France, and Jonah is also known to enjoy French desserts, such as mille-feuille and macarons. 

Oliver Knight:

The name Oliver means “olive tree.”

So, olive trees are commonly known as a symbol of tree (hence the olive brance). Oliver lives in the Central Quarter, and even though he makes specialized weaponry, he’s still hoping for peace between the territories.

Olive trees are also known as symbols of intelligence, because they’re supposedly created by the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena. This is kind of a no-brainer bc he’s probably known as the genius inventor for a reason.

The surname Knight means “knight” (duh).

I’m not quite sure about this one as well. Maybe it’s a reference to how Oliver was kind of like MC’s knight, who saved her from Jonah & Edgar in the prologue? 

Mousse Atlas:

The name Mousse refers to a type of dessert.

According to Wikipedia, mousse cakes are “a soft prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture.” Mousse is also French for “foam.”

I’m not entirely sure why Cybird would name a suitor after a dessert, but maybe it’s to show how sweet Mousse is? Since he’s always super nice and friendly towards MC. 

The surname Atlas means to “a book of maps and charts.”

This is probably because Mousse is a diplomat who has traveled to  many foreign countries before. Atlases are frequently used for travelers, especially in those dark ages before GPS, and hence the name. 

Dean Tweedle

The name Dean means “valley.”

The surname Tweedle also means “valley.”

More specifically, it refers to someone living near the valley of River Tweed.

Taken literally, it could also means “to sing or whistle.”

But like, if we take it to mean “valley,” then the same meaning showed up twice. That definitely has to mean something. But with how little we know about the Tweedle twins, the best guess I have is that they maybe originally lived in a valley? And since I can’t seem to find any valleys in the map of Cradle, maybe they used to live outside of Cradle before moving here for some reason?

Dalim Tweedle

The name Dalim means “pomegranate.”

OK, so at first this didn’t really mean anything to me. Until I realized the role that pomegranates played in Greek mythology. Specifically, in the story of Hades and Persephone.

Basically, what happened was that Hades abducted his crush, Persephone (as you do), and tricked her into eating a pomegranate so that she’d stay with him (legend has it that if you eat anything from the Underworld you’ll have to stay there forever).

So we know that Dalim is one of the “bad guys,” so this could possibly be a foreshadow to his route. Maybe he’ll abduct MC at some point??? And then MC will probably stay in Cradle, except he’d be using the Power of Love™ instead of pomegranates.

I’ve already talked about the surname “Tweedle” in the Dean section, so I won’t put it here again!

#ikemen revolution #ikerev #harr silver #loki genetta #blanc lapin #oliver knight #mousse atlas #dean tweedle #dalim tweedle #ikerev harr #ikerev loki #ikerev blanc #ikerev oliver #ikerev mousse #ikerev dean #ikerev dalim #my analysis #name analysis #ayyy second part is up #it took like a month #i was literally rushing towards the end #so i'd get it up before september ends

[siren-virus]

Luckyboy!AU thing. So I went looking some stuff up, and I can perfectly imagine that Ben would name himself Nekomata, the name for the lucky cats in japanese; you know, because he wants the victims he rescues to have luck in their lives and to bring some of that to himself. However this confuses the Plumbers a whole lot, after all, why would a vigilante want to bring to himself and the others luck in education and love? Green Nekomatas bring luck in education and pink ones (close enough to magenta) bring luck towards love. Spoiler: Ben didn't know what the colors mean, he just thought that the lucky cats bring luck in general to people. His stickers could be coins in order to keep up the theme, or it could be some kind of cats to keep the cat aesthetic.

I also need some fluff between the different "people" (still don't know which noun to use to represent both humans and aliens that isn't "beings" (kinda uncomfortable using that one, since it also encapsulates non inteligent creatures) ) that visit the coffee shop while Ben is working there, like some conversation that he would have with Rook or Gwen, or how he could give some ideas to Cooper over the next technological thing to create/modify, a chat with Kevin about what alien technology he could sell to the civilians that would make him money AND avoid the eye of the Plumbers (and his vigilante persona too if they aren't dangerous)

Would his parents and Max surprise visit him to the coffee shop? I'd imagine that they would, not only to see him but also to have an excuse to give him money in the form of tips without being returen the money XD "You guys just gave me a big ass tip" "Well we just happen to like the service" "I GAVE YOU A GLASS OF WATER" "We REALLY like your service *wink*", meanwhile, Max's watching everything from the table sipping his own extravagant coffee (don't tell me he wouldn't find a way to add some tentacles to his coffee one way or another, forcing Ben to make one that way XD)

Also, what would happen with the love interests that Ben had in the prime dimension? Would he have met any of them in this timeline? How would his relationship with them be? Would any of them come visit him to his job?

Also also, I imagine that Ben would ask grandpa Max any time some of his friends want a tour through the Plumbers HQ to give them all a pass of some kind and do the tour himself (sometimes with his grandpa by his side, sometimes it's Rook, sometimes he's alone, and the best of times he would be with the other Plumber kids going alongside doing lots of pranks at the same time)

I wonder how many charms does Ben have in his home, since some of them are really useful and would help in a lot of things, like I imagine he would use a light charm and reduce his living costs that way, or a heating charm for the same effect.

Finally, I have to say that I love that animation you did of Ben hating early mornings (and if he was out all night and went without sleep, then thank fuck he works at a coffee shop XD), and that tiny detail of him snapping his fingers with both hands, it's just, ugh, I LOVE IT, it reminds me of The Addams Family opening theme. Maybe whenever he does a spell he does that double hand finger snap as a way to focus himself? It'd be a funny easter egg for anyone who would be able to discern it (aka Jimmy, 'cause let's be honest, he would totally find a way to link the double snap with the show somehow, and he would be totally right XD)

Damn dude, I love that whole thing. He would totally choose that name without thinking about it. Nekomata... Rolls off the tongue nicely.

Fluff, eh? People is good enough.

With Gwen, like I said in another post (did I? maybe...) Their conversations would be brief, usually Ben just trying to get a rise out of his cousin to force her into a chat.

Rook is similar, their conversations are brief, but if Ben asks the right questions, serves him a particularly good drink, saves extra amber ogia tarts for him. Rook would be more than happy to indulge. They don't talk about plumbers business, Rook's smart enough to know not to exchange information with a civilian. (Even though Ben probably knows it already.) More, Rook discusses Earth culture with Ben, trying to play catch up with slang, sometimes he'll even indulge some info about his home planet, his friends, family, and girlfriend.

I don't believe Ben and Cooper would talk much, the only reason he's in the cafe is because Manny, Helen, and Alan (if he's not working) forcefully dragged him from the lab, kicking and screaming.

"i'll have an espresso shot. with some honey too... please." Is the only thing he'll before engrossing himself in what tech he managed to bring along.

The one with Kevin is interesting, I do like the idea of Ben tryna push Kevin in the right direction. But Kevins love of tadenite, and the fact he sells weaponry would propbably prevent that.

Instead Ben would try to get as much info from him as possible, subtly giving Kevin a little extra when it comes to info exchange. Kevins lips are sealed. Unless Ben decides to spill some info on Gwen. Kevin plays dumb, but it's easy to spot his interest.

Absolutely, Max, his parents, AND Patelliday all come for visits. At first his parents would be super cautious entering the cafe, they did their best to try to make Ben quit and find a "normal cafe" to work at. They also did their best to convince Ben to move back in. They would deffinitely use any excuse under the sun to tip Ben. They make regular visits on saturdays for morning tea. They don't stick around long though, aliens still spook them a little.

Max and Patellliday - are a unit- would always order a drink together. Max going with the basic Flat White, with some tentacles, of course. Patelliday going for the Boba Fish Tank... they have to restock their gold fish tank every week.

Ben has a good poker face, having to make such a... variety of drinks, and watch how his customer drink/eat. It leaves scars...

Love interests.

Well with Julie, Ben unfortunately never got the confidence to ask her out. But they're really good friends still. (Ben also learned as he got older that not every girl he's friends with wants to date.) Julie comes by the cafe every now and again, always checking if Bens there first before entering, she still managed to get Ship surprisingly, so Ship is always happy to get a pupacino, can't drink it or anything. Just happy to smoosh his face into it.

With Kai, they never had that meeting when they were 10. She comes to Bellwood every now and again, she and Gwen are surprisingly good friends. They clash alot though.

Kai comes by the cafe sometimes too, Ben think she looks nice, but they've had no interactions. (She's not a coffee person, just a water gal.)

Esther, there's no meeting between them, as Ben that is. However, Esther can't deny she feels something towards Nekomata. The guys charming.

I think there's another girl, but I can't remember ;;;

Tour guides? At plumbers HQ? Much as Ben would love to guide his friends around, the amount of jailbreaks that happen there is too many (the plumbers have shit security)... He's not even allowed there most times unless there is someone capable by his side.

More often than not Ben would be disappointed to see one of his regulars, Fist Rick out on the streets the day after he was arrested.

Yes yes yes!! Ben uses a lot of his mana on little things to make his life easier and more convenient. This also comes at the cost of using too much energy, so normally he makes sure to do this when he knows he doesn't have work.

Thank! I work best when I have a visual setting ;; Maybe I should switch careers to be a vis dev.

Also ngl, the whole finger snapping thing, Idk where that came from ;; Could be a cool easter egg thingy

Some days Ben has to be stopped from drinking the coffee. Mr Baumann (yes, he's the head honcho) threatens to send Ben home on those days.

#ben 10 #Lucky boy! au

[platypanthewriter]

Popsicles

Harringrove April day 17, Popsicles.  Tews commits crimes, and Steve and Billy work some things out because of them.

It started the day Dustin’s cat was convicted of theft.  

They held a trial, with Mrs. Henderson crying on the couch, Mike arguing for the prosecution, Lucas for the defense, and Max as the expert witness, pointing out that a wedding ring was much too large to fit into the mouth of a small cat.

Will presided over the trial and declared her guilty, on the grounds that she had been the one to smack it around the counter when Mrs. Henderson sat it next to the sink while she fixed a leak in the pipes.  It took her all day, and the handles turned the wrong way now, but the sink worked again, and in her triumph, she’d gone to take a shower.

Tews had given in to temptation and the call of the One Ring, and leaped up to pat it into, they all suspected, the Mount Doom of the kitchen, the crack between the counter and the stove.  Dustin was also sentenced, as the one who had seen a small cat succumb to the call of Sauron, and done nothing to save her from his influence.  

They’d all tried to pull it out for hours, with coathangers, the mop handle, and even the feather duster, with no success, and Tews had compounded her crimes by pouncing on all their weaponry.  El tried last, glowering into the depths, but no ring had emerged.

Tews was convicted of grand feline theft for stealing Sauron’s one ring, which they assessed at over one thousand dollars.

“It’s not as though Sauron made more,” Mike pointed out, and Will nodded, his lips thinning grimly.  “And it says here,” Mike said, hefting the law book he’d snagged from the library, “—that burglarizing someone’s house while they’re home heightens the offense.”  

“She also tried to pretend she was actually playing with a potato chip,” Dustin sighed.  “Wasting the investigation’s time, and perverting the course of justice.”

“And jumped on my head,” Will pointed out.

“Assaulting a respected and valued member of the court,” Mike said.

“Tews,” Dustin sighed, holding her up.  “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.”  She squirmed, meowing, and batted at his nose, and Lucas grimaced.  

“Harsh, man,” he said.

“I’m gonna have to say guilty,” Will said, shaking his head.  

“Let’s go light on the sentencing, though,” said Max, distracting the defendant with a piece of string.  “—you don’t want her coming out a more hardened criminal than she went in.”

“She’s showing no remorse,” Mike said, as Tews wriggled on the carpet, batting at their pant legs.  “I recommend house arrest to the jury.”  He picked her up and presented her to El.  “Don’t let pity sway you,” he said.  “If some innocent creature finds the One Ring where it fell, their heart will be darkened.”

“She played with powers she did not understand,” Dustin agreed.

El blinked at them, and then at Tews, dangling resignedly from Mike’s hands.  “Uh,” she said.  

 In the kitchen, a trickle from Mrs. Henderson’s homemade popsicles ran from the freezer down into the fridge.

 A week later, Billy walked in and slid his arms around Steve’s waist while Steve was brushing his teeth.  In the mirror, he had a weird look on his face.  “...Harrington,” he muttered.

“F’meah?” Steve asked, his mouth full of toothpaste, and Billy raised his eyebrows.  

“...just ate a popsicle…” he said, dragging it out, like Steve was supposed to make something of that.

“Hngmm?” he asked, intelligently.

“From the freezer,” Billy said, widening his eyes further, like that was helpful info.

Steve spit, and rinsed his mouth.  “That’s where we keep ‘em,” he said, staring back, because he could be just as unhelpful, if he tried.  He’d learned from the best.

Billy turned his head, groaning against Steve’s neck.  Billy’s face was red, Steve realized, and he turned in Billy’s arms—narrowly avoiding elbowing him in the face—and gave him a kiss—minty from his toothpaste, and cherry-flavored, because Billy’s lips and tongue were still red from Mrs. Henderson’s homemade popsicles.  Billy’s face was hot against Steve’s hands, and he was a little shaky, his eyes shiny and teary, and Steve wiped a thumb under Billy’s thick lashes.  

Billy wrapped his arms around Steve’s ribs and hauled him out of the bathroom, tossing him on the bed, and sat on his chest, glowering down.  “Why’re you playing innocent about this,” he hissed, grabbing Steve’s hands.  “I ate a fucking popsicle, okay, it’s hot here at fucking eight o’clock in the morning.”

There was a different kind of heat on Steve’s mind, with Billy’s weight on his ribcage, and Billy’s chest and face filling Steve’s vision, but he cleared his throat, opening his mouth, as Billy whipped a wedding ring out of nowhere and waved it in his face.

“...you want to get married,” Steve whispered, his face heating as fast as Billy’s, like the blood tap in his chest had been turned entirely to ‘hot’.  “Y-you want to marry me?”

“We can’t just walk into a church—” Billy growled, his fingers tightening on Steve’s wrists, and Steve started giggling, smiling so wide his face hurt.  

“You want to, though,” he breathed.  

“...I don’t wanna walk into a fucking church,” Billy groaned, letting Steve reach up and touch his face.  “Rent some...shitty tux.  Make invitations.”

“But you do wanna be married to me,” Steve told him, beaming.  “You want me wearing your ring.  You want everybody to know I’m yours.” 

“Fuck yeah I want that,” Billy said softly, sighing.  “Too bad we can’t have—”

“I can wear a ring,” Steve pointed out.  “We can have a party.  We can—we can make Hopper say vows.”

“...I’m just picturing it like him saying grace, that time,” Billy said, grimacing, and Steve burst into snickers.

“Good men, nice bed, well done, be wed,” he offered, and Billy cracked up, leaning in to kiss him, softly, and then lie on top of him, sighing.  He was hot, and suddenly Steve wanted a popsicle, so he kissed Billy again, tasting the cherry on his lips.  “...I want a popsicle too,” he realized.  “For breakfast.”

“...anything more we’re gonna find in there?” Billy asked, raising his eyebrows.  He didn’t shift, so instead of getting up, Steve ran his fingers over Billy’s side, and then squeezed him, at the thought that Billy Hargrove wanted to marry him.  It was weird, and Steve couldn’t help snickering again, and kissing Billy’s hair.  “...didn’t even know we had a popsicle making...thing,” Billy mumbled, squirming even though he couldn’t get closer.  “...they’re pretty good, though.  You’re such a freak, jesus.”

Steve opened his mouth, closed it, and considered his sudden memory of Dustin bringing over a casserole, and the bag of homemade popsicles.  He remembered, additionally, Dustin saying they’d held a trial for his cat, and started laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

 When Billy could get Steve to speak in sentences again, instead of gasping, he stared.  “You—you’re saying…” he said, clenching the wedding ring in a white-knuckled hand.  

“We have to give it back,” Steve told him, kissing his face.  “We’ll get one that fits you, babe.  We’ll go pick it out.”

“I thought you were asking me,” Billy said, his shoulder blades hitting the wall as he backed away.  “I—I thought—”

“I’ve wanted to, I would’ve,” Steve lied, remorselessly, because he hadn’t thought Billy had the same dumb fantasies he did, and he wouldn’t have asked, for fear of Billy laughing him off.  “I want to, I do, we’ll—look,” he said, setting his shoulders.  “I’ll take off work.  We’ll go today, and give Dustin’s mom her ring back on the way home.”

“Make an honest man of me, Harrington,” Billy said, smirking over at him, but he didn’t let go of the ring he’d found in his popsicle until he had another one sized for his finger, and Steve had pulled the car over, and slid it on Billy’s hand with an accompanying kiss.

“Think it’d take more than this,” Steve said, as Billy slid Steve’s onto his finger.

“...we coulda got cockrings instead,” Billy whispered against Steve’s lips, and Steve snorted a laugh.

“Yeah, but if the idea is you want the bank teller to know I’m yours, d’you really want me arrested?”

 Tews was cleared of grand feline theft, though not of the various cat crimes of jumping on the head of the judge, and interfering with an active investigation.  Dustin apologized to her, though, and gave her most of a can of tuna, after running back to his mom’s room with the ring.  

“It was my mother’s,” she said, when she came out to feed them more popsicles.  Steve and Billy eyed each other over them, holding them up to the light to survey for more valuables, or spiders, possibly, Steve thought.  He half expected to find a LEGO man fighting a toy dragon, but all he could see was red, so he bit carefully, and looked up to see Billy watching his mouth, and swallowing.  

“We’ll get on planning you a ceremony right away,” Dustin told Steve and Billy, his eyes on their matching rings, and they shook their heads rapidly, but Dustin stood, waving his fist at the sky.  “Lord of the Rings themed!”

 Steve threw a piece of tuna to make Tews climb up Dustin’s leg, and they escaped.

The other Harringrove April prompts I’ve done

#Harringrove #Harringrove April #Cat crimes #Harringrove smooches

[dyde21]

Outta Your League 1

I’ve recently been REALLY into Marvel and I actually started a long multichapter fic about Spidechelle. Been posting it over on Ao3 but thought I might share the first chapter here if anyone is interested!

It’s basically a what if they Avengers tried to figure out spiderman and Civil War never happened.

XxXxXxXxX

Peter’s life hadn’t exactly been normal in around two years. To him, his new normal day was when the crime he stopped while wearing a red and blue spandex suit, didn’t involve any kind of alien weaponry. He liked those days, they were simple. Usually didn’t involve massive wounds he had to hide from his aunt, and didn’t lead to him having to repair his suit over and over again. 

Peter had also gotten used to “Weird” days, as had most new yorkers after all the strange things that had started happening from around the time the world was introduced to Iron Man. The Alien invasion had really shattered the old definitions of “weird” pretty handidly.

Honestly though, chasing a large russian man in a massive Rhino outfit as he literally ran against traffic and swatted the cars away like they were made from cardboard was still pretty weird even for him. 

Swinging faster, he managed to get the momentum he needed as he launched off, planning a carefully aimed web onto the shoulder of the large man and pulling himself towards it, landing on his back. His added weight barely even seemed to register to the man as he continued his rampage, the two large duffle bags of cash still under one arm. 

“Hey man, this is a one way street. If you want to head this way you should take the next left  then turn at 5- WOAH” Peter barely managed to drop off him in time to avoid being scrapped against the bottom of a bridge between buildings as the man charged threw it. 

Landing on his back, he scrambled to his feet and shook his head to clear his thoughts. A blaring warning in the back of his skull had him dodging to the side just as a car was kicked right where he had been standing. He crouched on the nearby mailbox as he looked between the car and the large man looking at him. 

“All right, I get it, no one likes a backseat driver. My bad.”

“Little Spider. Stay out of my way or you’re going to get squashed.” He warned before turning around and starting to walk away.

Peter quickly got a good grip of the lamppost as he shot a web at the back of the man again, holding him in place. 

“Look. I’m just doing my duty. Animal control is on it’s way and I’m sure we can find you a good forever home, so let’s just calm down okay?” He said as he strained to hold him in place.

The man seemed surprised by the fact he was being held in place. “It seems you have some strength in you after all.” He offered in his strong accent before he leaned forward and actually put some strength into steps.

Peter groaned from the increased strain, but he continued to hold on. What he had failed to notice was the lamp was starting to give up quicker than he was. With a loud crunching of metal, the pole snapped near the base and Peter was yanked forward, tumbling across the cement as he let go over the web. 

He scrambled to all fours when again, there was a warning in his head. He looked up just in time to see another car being thrown towards him. 

Summoning plenty of strength he managed to jump off the ground, just getting enough height to clear the car as it whizzed past, mere inches from him. However what his unhelpfully sporadic internal warning failed to notify him about, was the large metal fist heading straight for his side.

It connected with him, and sent him rocketing through the front window of a nearby store. There were some gasps and concerned calls from him from nearby civilians. 

He got up, thanking God above that none of the glass had decided to give him a new piercing, as he stumbled up. “Sorry about the glass! But honestly I think this pla- woah!” Another car was sent sailing towards both him and the shop, where he noticed a few people cowering behind the counter. 

Kicking some glass away to make sure he got solid footing to stick to, he crouched down and braced himself, catching the car with a huff. Hell, these things were freaking heavy, even with his strength. 

Glad to see that the car was empty, he managed to drop it just outside the store. 

“Come on man, there’s clearly no drive thru here!” He called out, slinging himself out of the store to hopefully prevent more property damage and adding another store he’d probably be banned from. 

The large man loomed over him. “I don’t have time to play with brats like you.”

“Aw man, it’s spring break and everything for me. I have plenty of time to play with strange russian men like you. Rhino, Mr. Rhino? Is there a Mrs. Rhino in the picture?”

The man, who he felt Rhino was an appropriate name, merely responded by swinging a large fist towards him. Knowing first hand he didn’t want to get hit by it again, he ducked out of it easily enough, before launching himself upwards into an uppercut. 

His own hit seemed to surprise Rhino, who didn’t seem too concerned about it as it knocked him back, getting him a foot off the ground before he landed onto another parked car, making Peter wince. He was glad he didn’t own a car because after all the shit that happened in this city, it was like a 50/50 chance it could survive a year. As Rhino struggled to get back up, Peter started waving his hands and flexing his fingers. Punching that guy’s suit felt like punching a steel beam. What was it even made out of? He really needed to add some better padding to his knuckles. While he always had to pull his punches to avoid seriously injuring, or even killing people, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell to hit some things. Just as his mind started to analyze different possibilities as to what he could use, the large man unfortunately decided to get back up again.

Weird days were the worst. Why couldn’t he just have helped some old ladies with groceries or tracked down runaway cats. Even muggers were fine for him after this long of practice. But this? This wasn’t how he wanted to spend his spring break.

Rhino let out a yell and put his head down as he started to charge towards him. Diving to the side, Peter dodged easily enough until he realized the path Rhino was on. Thwipping another line to the Rhino’s head, he pulled hard and managed to redirect the angle of the charge, moving him in a large arc away from civilians before the web snapped as it got wrapped around a car. 

The Rhino tore off the dangling web as he let out another annoyed shout. 

While Peter liked that the street gave him plenty to work with, it also meant there were far too many things to worry about. He had to get him someone more open and less breakable if he was going to take this dude down. 

Getting an idea, he managed to shoot his hand out and snag one of the bags of money with his web, and yank it free as he grabbed it, holding it up for Rhino to see before he turned and ran. He hoped the bait would be enough, and judging by the sounds of the brutal crushing of metal rapidly approaching him from behind, it was enough.

He continued to swing just ahead of the rampage, taking the most direct path he could to the park, all the while calling out. 

“Coming through! Clear out of the way! One crazy and one slightly less crazy animal themed man coming through!”

Most people knew to clear out so he was pretty sure there weren’t any serious injuries. New Yorkers were pretty good at adapting to weird.

Once he reached the park, he shot another web but it caught onto one of the weaker branches near the top of a tree and when he tried to swing it just snapped off, leaving him tumbling into the grass. 

He hated the park. No tall buildings anywhere.

He scrambled to his feet, but it was too slow to dodge the very angry pursuer as he felt the man’s large metal foot collide with his side into a powerful kick, sending him hurtling across the park. The snapping sound he heard could only have been a rib or two and Peter knew he had to be careful to recover before he hit a tr-

With another crack, Peter’s body collided into the tree, breaking off a few more branches as he crashed onto the ground coughing violently. His vision blurred a bit and his ears were ringing. 

Okay, maybe he should have stuck with the property damage. He realized the bag had slipped from his grasp, the Rhino was standing over it, reaching down to pick it up.

Before his rationality, or survival instincts could stop him, he reached out with his good arm that only mildly felt like it was on fire to thwip and snatch the bag back towards him. 

Great, he still had the angry rhino man’s attention. Now what to do with it?

“You. Are a very hard bug to squash it seems.” He said with a laugh as he stomped towards him, cracking his knuckles. 

“Thanks.” Peter said, stumbling to his feet. “You know cockroaches get all the credit for being hard to kill but I think that’s pretty unfair. Spiders are pretty strong you know? He said, holding his side and wincing. Yup. His ribs were not happy right now. 

“A bug is still a bug. All of them can be squashed under foot.”

He said as he suddenly rushed towards him. 

Swiveling behind the tree, his spider sense only barely alerted him in time that the tree would not actually stop the man as he dove out of the way as the man barrel through the tree. However it seemed the Rhino wasn’t quite as dumb as he seemed because his arm shot out as he did and caught Peter again, sending him flying backwards and crashing into a fountain.

As he laid there, the broken fountain pouring water onto his head he just groaned. 

“I hate water spouts.” He muttered as he forced himself to his feet. He always got back up. He had to.

The way his balance seemed to not go with him though was starting to make him question that motto. 

“I was going to let you live, little bug. But now, I think I do want to squash you.”

Bracing himself, Peter raised his hands. He could tell this was going to be a long fight.

As the man started to charge, Peter’s danger sense went off again. Only this time it wasn’t directly ahead of him, but rather to the side of the Rhino. 

A second later a small explosion ripped through the air as the Rhino was launched sideways off his feet, sending him crashing through another tree.

Peter just stood there, confused. He was pretty sure he couldn’t cause explosions with his mind, but today already was weird so the possibility wasn’t 0 it was him. 

“Aren’t zoo keepers supposed to stop animals from fighting?” Came a voice he had only heard on the news before as Ironman flew in, landing a few feet in front of him. 

As the Rhino got to a knee and shook his head, Ironman raised a hand at each of them, repulsors charging up. “You, spider boy, what’s going on?”

Peter’s eyes widened as he raised his hands. “Mr. Ironman sir! I’m not looking for a fight, I was just trying to stop him from rampaging. Mr Avengers, sir.”

The metal man looked at him for a second, before he lowered his hand and Peter took a deep breath. “Then why were you running with a bag of money?” He asked, but no longer threatened him. 

“Bait. Trying to get him out of the city.” He said reaching down and tossing it near him. “It’s not mine, and I don’t want it.” He paused. “Well I mean I do, but like it’s not mine to take. I want it legally you know? Being a superhero doesn’t pay. Well maybe it does for you, but like you’re THE Iron Man. I’m just a ki- a new guy. But it’s not my money you know? Yeah, you know.” He muttered, his nerves making him ramble. 

Iron Man just brought a hand up to his helmet and Peter could hear a sigh from inside the suit with his enhanced hearing. “You talk a lot, you know that?”

“Yes sir, Iron Man, sir. It’s a habi- Look out!” Peter’s eyes widened as a tree was soaring through the air towards them. Peter dropped prone to the ground while Iron Man merely blasted it in two. 

Peter went to stand up but another wave of pain from the sudden motion had him stay on all fours. 

This didn’t go unnoticed by Iron Man as he glanced over. “Stay down, you’re hurt. I’ll take care of this then I think we should have a talk.”

Peter’s blood turned to ice at that comment. That… didn’t sound good. Sure he idolized the avengers, but they were in a different league. He was just your friendly neighborhood spiderman, he wasn’t looking to get involved with them yet. Plus were they mad? He hadn’t exactly applied for any permissions to go out. Did he need like a permission slip for this? He had just started helping people after Ben died. Plus if they found out who he was, they surely would tell May and she would kill him for lying to her then ground him.

He tried to get back to his feet, but another wave of nausea hit him as he stumbled against the tree. Okay, he could rest for a second.

As he glanced back up, he saw Iron Man fighting with the Rhino. It was clear he was holding back to avoid causing too much collateral damage but he seemed to be having an easier time. 

Rhino had ripped a drinking fountain out of the ground and hurled it at Iron Man who dodged to the side. Unfortunately, Peter was now directly in its path. Forcing himself to his feet, he knew he had to dodge or he was going to be in a world of pain when someone was suddenly in front of him. 

His eyes widened as the muscular back of someone in a leather jacket, and more importantly the large round metal shield being held in front of him as he had placed a foot against the tree for support as the damaged fountain crashed against his shield and broke apart. 

“Are you okay?” Captain America said as he turned around, glancing at him. 

If Peter wasn’t currently trying to avoid throwing up in his mask from pain, he would probably be starstruck. Ned was never going to believe this.

“Yeah, thank you Mr. Captain America.”

“Just call me Cap.” He said with a nod, before he rushed forward to help Ironman. 

Ironman fired a beam towards the Rhino, which he dodged. However Cap had gotten into place and the beam reflected off his shield and slammed into the Rhino from behind, knocking him off his feet. Iron Man landed with another blow to the Rhino’s head and the man finally stilled. 

The two said something, but then turned to him. Peter had finally had enough time for his head to stop swimming and to pretend like he wasn’t in egregious amounts of pain.

Iron Man’s mask flipped up, revealing Tony Stark’s face as he approached next to Cap, who was in civilian clothes. 

“Uh wow, it’s an honor to meet you guys.” 

Cap nodded towards him as Tony crossed his arms. “I would say the same but I have no idea who you are. You sure you aren’t with him? You two seem to have the same hobbies.” He said, gesturing to his outfit. 

Spiderman’s eyes widened. “I was totally doing this first, he stole my schtick. But I’m Spiderman.” He reached out a hand out of instinct.

While Tony just stared at it, Cap reached out and shook his head. “Steve Rogers.” 

Ned definitely wasn’t going to believe this.

Spiderman looked between them. “What are you two doing here? Not that your help wasn’t totally appreciated, because honestly it would have been a pain for me to bring him down on my own, you know. But like, this seems almost… too small for you?”

“We were out on unrelated business when we passed by and saw what was happening.” Cap offered, which explained why he wasn’t in uniform.

“Well… that explains that! I should go. I got more uh… spider things to do. Walls to climb, webs to spin. You know.” He offered lamely as he started to step away. As much as he really didn't want to leave what could be his only meeting with any avengers, he also knew that his life was already messed up enough and that he didn’t need to make it even more complicated.

“Wait.” Tony said and Peter froze in place. “I still have some more questions.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Iron Man, but I promise to stay out of your way. I really should be…”

Tony reached out a hand. “Spiderman, I’m serious we need to talk. Come with us to the tower...”

Fight or Flight instincts kicked in as Peter spun to the side, and shot a web, webbing his hand to the tree as he stepped back. Then he shot another two webs to pin his feet to the ground. “Are you serious? This better not have come out of you.” Tony said, glancing at him then his hand.

“Really, I gotta go.” He said, tensing as he looked at Captain America, waiting for any kind of motion but Cap just raised his hands in peace. “I’m sorry.” Peter continued. 

“We’re not going to force you into anything. We’re just trying to figure out whose side you’re on. You’ve been making waves.” Cap offered, still making no signs of approaching him. “You can talk to us.” He offered in a calm tone.

“Yours. I promise. But I can’t get involved.” With that, before Cap changed his mind or Iron Man seriously tried to break out of the webs, which Peter had no doubt that he could with a suit that advanced, he shot a web and left. Ignoring the protest in his side, he swung as fast as he could away, only sparing a glance behind him to see that Tony had freed himself, but neither of them made any moves to follow him. Which was good, because Peter was pretty much at his limit after that fight and knew he couldn’t take them if they seriously tried to capture him. He had only escaped because they let him, which was both a reassuring and scary thought.

Eventually he managed to get back to his apartment after a few detours to make sure he wasn’t followed, and changed and hid out in his room.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands flew up to his head as he just stared ahead, his mind racing a millions miles an hour as his anxiety started to creep up. 

While he knew it wasn’t like he could be a masked vigilante without drawing attention, and he knew it was bound to reach the level of important people eventually, he had really hoped it would not be this soon. He was just trying to help the people he could, and graduate from high school. He wasn’t looking to get involved with a team that reached international news for what happened with Ultron. He could barely keep his identity a secret from his aunt and his crush, and he knew the second more people out who he was, the more they would end up being in danger. 

But this was probably all over now. The Avengers were now interested in him, and he knew he couldn’t avoid them forever. They were definitely the good guys, but he was barely 15. If he was honest with himself, it was because he was scared. Scared of his family and friends getting hurt because of him. Scared of being forced to stop being Spiderman. Scared of the fact he may end up disappointing his heroes if they actually got to know him. 

Taking a deep breath he went to go take a shower, knowing he needed the water to calm him down. His new normal felt like it just showered and all he could do right now was take a shower and hope his bad luck would leave him alone just this once.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for reading! If you’re interested in the full story feel free to check it out HERE

#MCU #Spider-man #Spideychelle #Michelle Jones #Peter Parker #Avengers

[suspiricrum]

↳    neverland is home to lost boys like me ,  

    and lost boys like me are free

full name: pandora dawson

age: 24

species: human

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tw: mentions of physical/psychological abuse, suicide & religious themes .

you do not remember the warmth of your mother’s womb or the voice of your father ;  you remember sprouting from the earth with murmurs of wind in your heart and the rustling of leaves in your hair ,  whisked away too soon by the hands of parents who could never begin to comprehend a child like you .   in your earliest memories you wander through the garden ,   days in the sun ,   glued to the soil or hanging your wobbly knees from apple trees .    you could feel worms crawling beneath your palms and hear the ground shift and tremble with new life ,   and you felt each vibration travel through your body like lightening and you knew all you’d ever want was to  live .  

your mother never understood you:   you would dreams of a life that were no longer yours ,   of battles and balls ,   and things you couldn’t possibly have lived through ...   could you?   sometimes you see a girl,    who looks an awful lot like you .   she stands on top of a tower with her long black hair ,    crying and clutching tight to a cross that hangs around her neck .   before you can reach her,  she jumps. she always jumps, and you always wake up. you felt her pain, and you knew she wasn’t evil --- but your mother despised these dreams, these thoughts, the idea that our fragments live on after death . to her, you were just a of everything she had given up for this little abandoned corner of the world ;   your knees were always bruised, your shoes were always dirtied, and you were never home in time for dinner.  when people asked you about bruises or the bottles in your trashcan, you always found a way to change the subject.    father was loving but distant ,   always busy preaching to his flock,  and was seldom home; when he was, though, he’d read for you;  fairytales, the brothers grimm kind— which made you feel like a princess in a tower, instead of someone stuck someplace they couldn’t leave. you found solace in nature and let it make a home of your bones and marrow ,   you worshiped the ground and trees and the wind as much as god or any angel you prayed to watch over you before sleep .  

it was all perfectly dreadful and lonely, and ordinary, until one day you woke up in dead of night due to some scuffling in the living room, some things being knocked over here and there, grunting painting — you weren’t supposed to be home, but your mother had gone to visit her sister all by herself that evening. there, dressed in nothing but a flimsy nightgown, you find your father cloaked head to toe in black, heavy weaponry in hand and a dead body on the couch.  he was bleeding — and you were screaming, and something grabbed your arm and pulled it tight enough to leave a scar. the commotion knocked over a candle, and you hurried outside almost mechanically, watching the flames engulf your house, your father and his secrets along with it. you knew you had to leave, that whatever your life had been would only be worse from now on if you stayed — but you just couldn’t bring yourself to do that.    so you did, you cowered — you hid in your dance routines and your music, your drawings and your books, you endured another five years of verbal and physical abusive and told yourself it was alright, until it escalated to a point you couldn’t anymore.  so, you packed your bags in the dead of night ,     with what little did you have ,   and ran away, as far as your feet would carry you.  but you never arrived anywhere.  it was too late to go back home, too late to go wherever you were going. so, you just walked… you walked, and you walked, until you stumbled upon a small pawn shop,  and an old woman wrapped a blanket around your tired shoulders and told you it was gonna be okay. she was keeper of many things,  spells and spices and ancient items, and you were happy to spend your days in that small shop, trying to unravel the secrets behind it.

but it didn’t last — your part-time job, that small place you called home --- the only thing you held onto was a stray cat.   you were out late, dozing off under a willow somewhere in woods near your house (you do that sometimes, lose track of time) when you woke up to a vicious growling that made you knock over your book —  you felt this lump in your throat as you looked around, and recognized nothing. but you never fell into a rabbit hole, and no matter how much you pinched yourself: the dream would not budge.

fun tidbits:

pandora’s father was a hunter, but she remains unaware ‘till this day. perhaps willfully.

her cat is named mr.midnight, and somehow this bitch came thru

pandora's soul is reincarnated ,  a spirit with unfinished business: once a princess called helena, who chose to leap off a tower over surrendering to the vampire lord who invaded the castle in an attempt to take over the kingdom.

10/10 will get eaten by something 

it doesn’t matter if u tell her not to touch here

way too happy with being kidnapped and tossed into this realm

#dih.intro #about.

[keanuvibe]

Bodyguard (John Wick x Reader) Pt. 4

A/N: Hi! sorry im awful at uploading lol. my personal life rn is on fire and i haven’t had all the time in the world to write, but managed to pull this chapter together so :) thats coolio. 

Words: 4.7k

Warnings: swears, violence, a lil fluff

“So, tell me everything.” June smirked, leaning over the table towards you. You had managed to meet the girls on time, only a few minutes past twelve- thirty. The three of you got seated shortly after, and ordered your cocktails; beginning the rounds of catching up you had to do. The restaurant is diner themed, set in the 1950’s. One wall of the building was a bar, fit with barstools, an ice cream machine, as well as a soda machine. There was even a section where you could order homemade candy. Little booths scattered the wall across from the bar, and tables separated the two. The floor was checkered design donning many muddy footprints and the walls were covered in old-timey photos of local streets. You and the girls sat at a booth, June and Dottie sitting across from you.

“Okay, get this,” You began, leaning in towards your friends, “Santino, you know, mio cugino pazzo. He’s mad at my father and is trying to kill me for it.”  ‘[My crazy cousin.]’ You finished and took another long sip of your cocktail. June and Dottie stared with their mouths agape. You calmly set down your drink and smiled shyly, eyes bouncing between the girls. You loved your friends, honestly. The three of you have been close since you were young teens. June and Dot also had connections to the Italian mafia, their fathers having run a section of both New York and New Jersey; although they aren't as intertwined as you. June is the oldest, one year older than yourself. She’s an old soul, that you know for sure. She wears dated clothes and uses dated household items; in fact, you can't recall June ever purchasing something new from the stores you and Dot go to. Hell, even her car is a 1978 AMC Pacer. Dottie is only a few months older than you, on the other hand. She is the spitting image of a pinup girl. She wears her hair in elegant waves and has bangs, she even wears button up dresses and has big hair bows for when shes feeling fancy. You can’t recall a time when she didn’t wear red lipstick nearly everyday.

“Should you even be outside?” Dottie whispered, leaning closer to your figure. Her New York accent was a little amplified by the drinks she’s had already. You shrugged as your answer, and June scoffed. 

“You, (Y/N), are unbelievable.” The waiter to walked up to your table, halting your conversation. The three of you blinked at the other, little grins holding back giggles ready to erupt. The waiter asked for your orders, then as soon as the young man had left, you jumped right back into it. 

“You guys should see my bodyguard.” You spoke, a smirk donning your face. Your mind wondered as to what he was up to right now. Maybe he's still sitting waiting for you to exit the bathroom, or, maybe he's already begun the witch hunt. 

“Ah, yes. John? As you've mentioned. Show us! the way you've described him- He sounds gorgeous.” Dottie eagerly bounced in her seat, urging you to show them a picture. You pulled out your phone, stomach dropping at the several messages that donned the lock screen; John’s contact name on each one. Witch hunt is it. 

12:47: Very funny. Where are you? 

12:59: Where are you. 

1:13: (Y/N). This isn’t a game.

1:21: I’m coming to find you. 

At least it took him almost an hour and a half to notice. You bit your cheek, looking up at June and Dottie. The two girls were engaged in conversation, talking about something or another. You cleared the notifications and unlocked your phone, hoping to god you got to finish your lunch before John caught up. You opened the camera roll and scrolled through until you found a picture of you and the bodyguard. Somehow, you'd gotten him to agree to a photo. He was bent over so his head was level with your own. Due to the lighting, the man was squinting, however the dark gaze caused a chill to form down your back. You cleared your throat and flipped your phone around to show the girls. Dottie stopped talking and immediately looked at the screen

“Oh my god.” She murmured, sitting back and putting her hand over her chest. “He’s so handsome.” June grabbed the phone from you to get a better look. 

“You have to fuck him.” The eldest commented with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. You let out a short laugh, snatching your phone back from the girls grasp. The two girls giggled at your embarrassment, Dot even took a coy sip from her drink. 

“Was that gray in his beard? How old is he?” Dottie asked, looking you in the eye and sipping on her own cocktail. 

“Don’t laugh, okay? He’s mid fifties.” A blush crawled across your cheeks as your words escaped your lips. June and Dottie blinked a couple times before Dot finally let out a snort. 

“Going geriatric, now? hm?” June spoke, raising her brow and taking a gulp of her drink. While Dottie laughed at June’s question, you glanced over their shoulders, witnessing two burly men sit down at a table across from yours. One of them made eye contact with you, glare evident in their gaze, before looking back to their buddy. You felt your skin crawl and cleared your throat, pushing the feeling away. June’s laughter brought you back, now looking between the two girls again. 

“Well, He- He really doesn't feel old. Not when we're together.” You shrugged, playing with the condensation on your drink. 

“I mean, you’re only twenty-six,” Dot spoke, her eyes glancing between you and June. “You’re young and hot. I don't see an issue.” Your eyes shot up to meet Dottie’s. She smiled at you, her dark brown eyes warming your core. 

“Who are we to judge,” June began, a laugh escaping her throat. “I slept with that old guy, remember? He was, like, almost sixty and I was drunk as hell.” You and Dottie laughed, remembering that night. It was June’s twenty-third birthday. You three went to the club to celebrate and the eldest of your group ended up getting too wasted on absinthe. Which resulted in her sleeping with Mitch Johnson, an old friend of your fathers. Small world. 

“And you,” June pointed to Dottie, “Are a homewrecker.” 

“He never said he was married.” Dottie responded, sticking her tongue out at the woman. The three of you chuckled amongst yourselves before a silence took over. Your eyes once again scanned the room, not being able to shake the eerie feeling those two men implanted. They still sat across the diner and occasionally their eyes would make contact with your own, causing a chill to run up your spine. You quietly flipped your phone over, checking for any more messages from John. The screen remained blank, setting panic to freely course through your veins. His previous message was sent fifteen minutes ago, which meant the man was probably on his way right now. Plus, your parents didn’t live far from Coopers. 

The men both stood up now, locking eyes with you. They then looked at the other, as though confirmation was in order, before beginning to walk in the direction that you and the girls sat. Anxiety courses firmly through your veins now, and you could feel your palms gather sweat. 

“Girls,” You murmured, gathering their attention. “There are two men walking in our direction now, and I’m pretty sure they are after me.” You kept your voice low, trying to pretend as though you are oblivious. June and Dottie became physically uncomfortable, now shifting in their seats and looking over their shoulders. You felt guilt cross your person, now realizing how serious the situation is. You put your two best friends in harm's way. I mean, It’s not like they’re completely useless; they have parents in the Mafia, they’re trained in combat and weaponry. However, the guilt still bothered you that it was your fault.

“How do we go about this?” Dot asked, reaching for her purse. Your eyes watched as the woman dug into her bag. The pop of a gun chamber sounded as she began to fill it with bullets. June tied her hair back and began to stretch her arms. You sometimes forget that June is trained extensively in Jiu Jitsu. You also looked back to the men who were still making their way to you, passing through the crowded dining room floor. 

“Should we leave the public space?” You murmured, “I don’t want civilian casualties.” 

“Yes.” June agreed, standing up. “Gather your things, quickly.” She added. The oldest tossed a fifty dollar bill onto the table to pay for the drinks and the food you didn’t get to eat. You led the way, pushing through the crowded dining room to the exit. You glanced back, seeing the men become more frustrated. You are aware of the other, knowing what little cat and mouse game was occurring. 

Your palms shoved the door open, the three of you stumbling over onto the sidewalk. You looked both ways before leading right. You didn’t know what to do, whether you should try to outrun them, or stick up and fight. Maybe if you kill them it’ll send a message to Santino. Though, he may not even care. As he’s got twenty more men to fill the space those two would leave. You made sure June and Dottie still followed, checking over your shoulder occasionally. The three of you pushed through the crowds of New York, your main destination being Dottie’s vehicle. Your eyes also kept a lookout for John. He probably tracked your phone, you knew he had the ability anyways. You’re just glad the little ploy worked for as long as it did. You turned right down an alleyway, taking a shortcut towards the parking garage that Dot’s car was in. June looked over her shoulder, alarm blaring through her veins as she spotted the men. 

“They’re still behind us.” She spoke, looking between you and Dottie. You took a deep breath, placing your hands on your hips. 

“Va al diavolo!” ‘[Go to hell!]’ You cursed, throwing your hands up. Dot quickly grabbed you by the arm, pulling you as she began to run to the end. June grunted as the three of you approached a dead end, meeting a chain link fence.

“Fanculo. Okay, you two climb over.” ‘[Fuck.]’ You spoke, gesturing to the fence that stood in front of you. Your eyes met those of your friends, all breathing heavily from the sprint. Echoed footsteps could be heard at the entrance of the alley. You glanced over your shoulder, seeing the silhouettes of the men headed in your direction.

“Go!” You spoke with a harshness towards your friends.

“Not without you!” Dottie raised her tone, hands on hips. You turned your head again, seeing them get closer.

“Dot, just go!” You finally yelled. The girls hesitated, however respected your wishes and quickly climbed the fence, hopping to the other side. They stood now, staring as the men approached, getting ready to jump back over if need be.

“Santino it ha Inviato?” ‘[Did Santino send you?]’ You asked the men, slowly walking towards them.

“Si.” ‘[Yes.]’ One responded, their faces finally becoming clear from the backlight. You looked at them, noting how they both looked like average Italian men. Dark hair, olive eyes, and warm skin. Their faces were covered in a few scars, and you noted how they both wore suits with visible holsters resting on their hips

“It ha mandato per uccidermi?” ‘[Did he send you to kill me?]’ You asked, the men now only ten feet away from you. The darkness of the alley sent a chill down your spine, and you glanced back at the girls to make sure they were alright. Dot had her hand in her purse, most likely gearing up for when shit turned sideways. June held a stoic look, almost a resting bitch face, staring down the two men. 

“Si.” The same one answered again. They now stood only five feet away, stopping in front of you. You felt the sweat drip down your forehead, the buggy summer heat beginning to take claim of your body. You took a deep breath, wondering where John was, and how now would be a good time for him to suddenly appear. The men cracked their knuckles, rolling their shoulders and looking at you with sinister smiles. 

“Di ‘a Santino: E un peccato che sia troppo codardo per uccidermi.” ‘[Tell Santino: It’s a shame he’s too much of a coward to kill me himself.]’ You spoke, remembering the moves that your bodyguard had taught you. You leapt forward, first knocking one of the men down by pushing in his kneecaps. You took the moment to quickly hit the next guy, however, he blocked your blow, sending you back a few feet. The second man took advantage of your hesitation and grabbed you, throwing you into one of the walls. You let out a yelp, feeling the brick scrape bare skin harshly. The first guy stood up, and threw a fist at you, however, you quickly dodged and used his own momentum to toss his body into the wall. 

You felt as the second lackey quickly punched your gut, causing you to double over in pain. June and Dottie stood yelling which you could hear through ringing ears. You recovered quickly, countering the second man with a swift kick to his shin. He groaned, but recovered and swung a fist at you. You managed to dodge the blow and delivered a hearty boot to his groin. He quickly dropped to the ground in pain and you grabbed the pistol from his holster, pulling the trigger and placing one bullet into his skull. The second man used this moment to grab your loose shirt, and throw you into the brick, scraping your skin once again. He lifted his foot and conveyed a kick to your gut, sending you to double over. He used his fist to hit the sides of your face, throwing your head back and forth. You could feel blood begin to drip down your face, the pain that each snap of your neck caused, you could hear June and Dot yelling but it was faint. Time felt slowed, your heartbeat was like a drum in your ear. Then, a gunshot. 

All movements stopped, followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground near your own. You slowly slid down, ignoring the burning chafe the brick left. Hot tears stung your eyes as you covered them with your hands, a harsh sob leaving your throat. Your body ached, your face burned, and blood was the only taste that donned your mouth. You heard the chain link rattle as somebody climbed over it, as well as a huff when they landed. A gentle hand placed itself on your shoulder, and you saw as they knelt down, due to the shadow.

“(Y/N).” John. A hoarse cry escaped your throat upon hearing your bodyguards gentle voice. He wasn’t angry, like you expected. Instead, his tone seemed more worried than anything. You managed to look up at the man from your hands, your eyes greeting the sight of his own.

“Oh my god, (Y/N)!” You heard Dottie yell as she approached your side. The two girls quickly examined your body, nearly shoving John out of the way. 

“I fucked up.” You didn’t even recognize your voice as you spoke— your throat burned. June dotted your bloody forehead with a napkin from Dot’s purse.

“We should get her back home.” Dottie murmured, looking up at John. The dark haired man nodded, agreeing with the woman. June moved out of the way so he could scoop you into his arms. You lay your head onto his chest, faintly hearing the sound of his heartbeat and breathing. The man carried you out of the alley with June and Dottie close behind. You felt the summer sun warm your face as you exited the cool shade of the alleyway. The fresh breeze brought your attention to the cuts on your face, feeling the coolness from the semi-dried blood. Dottie opened the vehicles door and John placed you in the passenger seat, buckling your body firmly in. The two girls hopped into the back, John promising they’d be returned to their car later this evening. You heard the rumble of the engine, and closed your eyes, feeling tiredness numb the pain that ravaged your figure.

——————

“How long have you been employed by the (Y/L/N)’s?” Dottie’s gentle voice quietly echoed throughout your bedroom. Mellow sun rays shone in through the window, casting a warm haze throughout the space. After the incident in the alleyway, John brought you, Dottie, and June back to your parents estate. However, after you all got back, John discovered they'd left on business to Rome for a few days. He carried your figure all the way from the car to your bed, carefully depositing you. Dot and June then got to work, bandaging your wounds, though after you seemed stable and well asleep, they backed off and let you get some rest. Now, John watched as Dottie cared for your sleeping figure. His heart couldn’t help but ache to see you so helpless laying there. Your face had been drained of some of its color, leaving it more pale and sickly. Your hair stuck to your skin, and a thin layer of sweat covered your body. Your bodyguard wanted so badly to climb into the bed with you, stroke your hair from your face, tend to your bandages, hold you, kiss you. 

“Month and a half.” John answered, looking over to the woman. She nodded at his answer, dotting your forehead with a wet washcloth. The woman sat next to your bed with a rag in hand, occasionally cleaning your skin of sweat and dried blood specs. June was asleep on the small couch you had in your bedroom next to one of the windows. John stood on the opposite side of the bed from Dottie, watching her every movement when it came to caring for you. Occasionally your body would stir, but you still hadn’t woken up since the car— four hours ago. 

“Are you liking it?” The vintage dressed woman asked, a smirk crossing her red lips. She cast her eyes between John and your sleeping figure, hinting as to what she was meaning. 

“I am.” He responded. Dottie noticed his softened gaze when he looked towards you. She glanced back down at your face, wiping your skin with the washcloth gently. Your brow bone contained a nasty laceration and your cheekbone held a nice bruise with a cut as well. There was also a gash on your bottom lip, and your left eye held a hefty black bruise. That man really got ahold of you. 

“They're a good family. I know Francesco means well,” Dot murmured, “Speaking of, have you let them know?” John watched as the woman stood up and walked to the bathroom retrieving a fresh bowl of water for your face. 

“I called Francesco shortly after we arrived here.” The dark haired man spoke. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning towards your figure. He brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen in your face. His thumb caressed your cheek afterwords, carefully avoiding the wounds that donned your skin. He felt your body stir, and a quiet groan escape your lips as you started to wake up. Dot walked back into the room, noting Johns figure looming over your own. A little smirk crossed her lips as she set the bowl down on the nightstand. You peeked your eyes open for a second, wincing at the brightness of the room. 

“Good afternoon, sleepy.” Dottie smiled, sitting beside your figure again. “Careful.” She murmured, watching as you shifted to sit up a little better. You knew Dottie was next to you, but could feel the weight of somebody on your other side. A large hand quietly placed itself on the side of your arm and you looked to see who it belonged to.

“How do you feel?” John’s words were gently spoken. His fingers squeezed your arm slightly before he released. 

“M-my throat hurts.” Your voice came out scratchy and withered sounding. Dottie quickly placed a cool glass of water into your palms, hers then wrapping around yours before releasing entirely. You gave her the best smile you could manage, due to your cuts, before sipping the drink. John stood up from the bed and made a comment about going to grab pain medicine before he exited your bedroom. 

“I'm going to wake up June.” Dottie spoke, walking over to her sleeping position by the window. You blinked your eyes, feeling the pain from the cuts, and groaned silently. It was stupid of you to think you could take on both of them. Your training with John was going fine, you figured if you at least got one down… No matter, at least you were still alive. The footsteps of your two friends caught your attention as the girls returned to your side. June immediately began to gush over how happy she was you were awake and okay, hugging you tightly. 

“We thought you were a goner.” The girl whispered, worry still evident in her tone. You raised your brows but winced as the sting from the cut became overwhelming. 

“I'm glad John showed up when he did. Like a superhero. He stood there with his gun and you should've seen the animalistic look in his eye.” Dottie sighed dreamily, “You are one lucky girl.” 

“I know about your ‘no dating’ rule, however, I don't think you should let this one get away.” June commented quietly, brushing some hair from your face. Dot agreed, shaking her head vigorously. The three of you cut the conversation short as John's footsteps echoed closer. He entered the room quietly and padded over to the bed, handing you a bottle of painkillers. Your fingers brushed as the container was passed and you felt a longing for the touch to remain; however just as the warmth arrived, it left. 

——————

June and Dottie stayed over for another hour before leaving. They helped you change your clothes and settle in for the night before they left you in the capable hands of John. The two of you remained in your bedroom the rest of the evening. You went in and out of sleep a few times. One time, you woke to the man humming quietly while sitting in bed next to your figure. Another, he was checking your bandages and cleaning the sheen of sweat from your skin. Maybe what June said is right, you can’t let John get away. Nobody has cared for you like he has. But that begged the question, would he even want to be with you? You’re half his age and apart of a mafia family. Plus, you still don't know much about him; his past, his home life, etc. He is a mysterious being, quiet too. It only made you want to know more.

“John?” You murmured, gathering the strength to sit up. It was late evening now, just past eight. The summer sun had just set, leaving a gray tone to cover the space. 

“Yes?” He answered, turning to face you. He had been sitting at your desk, cleaning his gun. 

“Parlami di te.” ‘[Tell me about yourself.]’ The man responded to your request by putting down the parts in his hand. He then quietly cleaned his fingers of grime before standing up and padding over to you, but not sitting. 

“What would you like to know?” He murmured. You studied his face for a moment, taking in the features he donned. His normally combed hair was disheveled now and he had bags under his eyes. He wore a suit and shoes too, obviously still dressed for work. 

“Everything.” You replied, ignoring the throb of pain that coursed through your body. John nodded, then loosened the tie from his around neck. He shed off his suit jacket next, leaving him in a black button up and vest on top. You admired his figure in the darkening room. He stood tall, confident, maybe a little tired, but didn't let it show much. The man settled on the edge of your bed, by your feet. The room remained silent for a few moments; you not daring to speak, and John taking the time to gather his thoughts. 

“I was married.” John’s voice was so soft, you had to lean towards him to hear better. The man kept his gaze towards his hands, fidgeting with his fingers. 

“Was?” You asked, pushing aside the slight feeling of jealousy that rose. 

“She- she passed due to an illness years back.” The bodyguard paused.

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” You let out quietly, as to not bother John’s story process. 

“I was retired and wanted to live my days as a widower, however I was dragged back into the business by an old friends’ idiot son.” The man sighed, pushing some fallen hair behind his ear. You caught a glimpse at how sad he appeared, and felt an urge to comfort him. Pain shot through your body as you scooted down the bed until you were close enough to John. You grabbed his hand and his fingers instinctively intertwined with your own, making you realize just how large his palms actually were. It felt right, his hand being wrapped with your own. 

“Ever since then, I haven't left the business again. I see no point. I can't seem to leave anyways, I keep getting dragged back in.” He sighed heavily and you began to rub your thumb along his hand, as your way of comforting him. He fell silent, but you didn't push anymore questions just yet. He was being open and raw, which was probably difficult for the man to do. If he wanted to tell his story, he would. You wanted to know more, obviously, about the kind of work he's done; his jobs, the people he’s met, and if he knew anyone in your family. You wanted to know why the man was so troubled, and why it seemed everybody is against him. 

“Will you stay with me tonight?” Your voice escaped softly, barely above a whisper. John's hand squeezed your own, before he finally made eye contact with you. His dark gaze caused a chill to slither down your spine.

“Yes.” He spoke softly, “I need to go change.” He gave your hand one last squeeze before removing it and standing up. You watched as his figure walked across your room and disappeared behind the door. It only took him about five minutes before he returned, ready for bed. Sure, it was barely nine, but you figured you could put on a movie. You drank in the sight of him, admiring his pajamas. Blue with plaid stripes, and a plain white t-shirt. You’ve never seen him in anything but a suit, nevermind the sweatsuit outfit from when you train. This is different than that, this is a side of John that doesn't say ‘Hey, i'm a killer!’ This side is domestic; make you coffee and toast in the morning domestic. 

“Would you like to watch a movie?” You then asked, watching him tidy up his mess from cleaning his gun, which he didn't finish. 

“Sure.” He responded, walking over and climbing onto the bed next to your figure. You turned on your TV, and picked a movie from a streaming service, before fully settling in. You scoot your body close enough to John’s that you were able to lay your head on his chest. The man wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you even closer, but gently as to not cause you more pain. You listened to his heartbeat as it slowed to a resting rhythm, and then closed your eyes letting sleep overcome your senses.

--

Masterlist

#john wick #john wick x reader #john wick x you #john wick fanfic #john wick fanfiction #keanu reeves #keanu reeves x reader #keanu x you #keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves fanfiction #fic: bodyguardAU

[trashy-croud]

Home Sweet Home 🏠

So this is it, the final level. I adored this level as a child - well, watching my dad play it at least. It was always stuck in the back of my head that this level was a “bonus” level for getting all of the secrets, it was what I used to think constantly and I continued to think that to this day. So you can possibly guess my surprise when this level popped up all of a sudden because I knew for a fact I missed a few secrets. But this was a nice level, it truly added to the story.

We begin in Lara’s house with her admiring her newest addition to the collection. She’s sat on her bed by (what I suspect to be) a nice toasty fire and then the nice times are ruined. Even from beyond the grave, Bartoli seems to follow us everywhere as his men have broken onto the estate, their cars pulling up in the long driveway. I thought the instant this happened, I could perhaps use the dagger, I mean, it seems like a wild chance but a great opportunity, a bit sad we didn’t see a Croft Dragon, but nonetheless, we would try to get rid of the last few who continued to pursue to treasure.

Before we did so though, I went downstairs to the main hall, which was at one point the training room, and would press the button for some music. Oh, how I have missed this music. It was from the Venice levels, oh Venice Violins, it was absolutely perfect for taking down some people and drowning out the eerie silence. It did make the task of finding people more difficult, sure, because now I had to really listen for the footsteps, but I will not deny that I enjoyed the music. I don’t honestly understand how I found it, I was literally just running around the house to try and find some people as they had scattered absolutely everywhere when I came across the button. And I’m ever so happy that I did!

It was a pretty easy level overall, wasn’t too bad at all to deal with, though me using a shotgun? That had to be the worst part purely because I am useless with the shotgun in these games. My aim with them are shocking and it always will be. There was a lot of darkness, purely because it was night time and we managed to get some outdoors-time with this level. This was pretty much the only level where I had flares, or at least enough flares to survive. I kid you not, I was so happy when I picked them up in the weaponry cupboard. I managed to survive the darkness outside with the help of some flares and with the help of my mum pointing out the enemies that I couldn’t see. Then we were up against the last guy, the one whom we have met before in the opera house and he had unfinished business with us. Either that or it’s his twin brother. Either way, it was take two on the fight and I have never cheered so much when I have beaten an enemy. He wasn’t difficult to deal with, it just felt like the perfect wrap-up. The last grunt to finish the job that his boss had left him to do, and we foiled it yet again. Ah, the joys.

After it all, it was the final cutscene, or better yet, the famous cutscene. We all know this cutscene too well as it was one that broke the third wall. After you have been shot for being a nosy pervert, in roll the final credits and oh my god, I never fell in love more with a game. It had been a long journey and terribly long from the looks of the final stats. Oh, how @jaybird1306​ would be ashamed of me for not collecting them all! But I am happy with all of this, I wasn’t aiming for a full secrets run or anything, this was more of a trip down memory lane game for me and I have fallen in love with every minute of it.

Final Overview

This game is my childhood, and coming back to it was an absolute pleasure. It really sparked some memories for me of times when I would watch my dad play it in my childhood home. He would sit at the computer and I would watch in awe, sometimes running around and unable to sit still, sometimes even copying some of the moves Lara did in-game because I just adored her. This was the game which started my absolute adoration for such a video game icon and Queen. I have absolutely fallen in love again and I highly doubt it will stop any time soon. Now, for some of the features I loves the most.

The use of darkness. It was absolutely phenomenal, especially in the later levels such as the China levels and some of the underwater levels, as much as I don’t want to remember them ones specifically. But that draw distance truly made each level seem much bigger than it was, it also made you wary of what could be in front of you and to think before you act, something I rarely did to be honest. But as I mentioned before, the way they used it in levels such as China, more specifically the Floating Islands, was incredible. I was basically wary of every step and it made you fear the darkness all around you. It gave you a sense of the void and the unknown, a constant theme which I enjoyed greatly.

The use of sound. Oh god the sound and the music, I could honestly gush over it all day. Music truly makes the game and although all games have music, none have struck me as hard as this game did. Right from the menu screen alone, it struck a cord with me. It was beautiful and I almost found myself humming just the menu tune by itself just whilst I was at work or doing chores around the house. They have always impressed me with their timing for sounds or music. The use of silence was just as good as well as they keep you on end when there is utter silence. And then, all of a sudden, BAM, you are hit with some intense music and you have no idea why or what because whatever it is is still in that darkness! It’s just great, it even makes these games seem very thriller-esque with the jumpscares (at least in my eyes) that the music produces.

The graphics and colour palettes. Bring it all back in because I’m about to gush some more. I adore colour palettes and the contrasts they used in the levels, more specifically, as everyone may know, I adored the colours they used in the Temple of Xian, the Tibet levels and lastly, the underwater levels. Although I did not like the underwater levels, the colours used absolutely caught my heart, the contrasting colours made my heart leap a little. The bright colours of the Temple of Xian level was beautiful as well, they were so fancy and beautiful, much like the colours used in the Barkhang Monastery and they started to introduce to us in the Ice Palace and the Catacombs of the Talion. The snowy peaks of the Foothills though were just as nice, although bright on the eyes, they certainly used it as a way to hinder your view of particular enemies or even rolling boulders. Although the graphics, as some would say, are quite outdated, I enjoyed the blocky graphics. They helped to give me a better idea of what to do and where to go, to become more calculated with my jumps and actions to take. It may also just be me having a moment and being a bit biased, but I adore these graphics. They are perfect to me. Although I do enjoy a lot more realistic graphics for games, the ones for these games were just perfect to me. The graphics suited the game itself and I understand they will change over time the more I progress, but I believe I will still fall in love with these graphics time and time again.

Lastly is the story. As a child, I took not much notice to the story, but replaying it now, I have started to understand the story a bit more. It is beautifully written and is clear, so long as you pay attention to cutscenes or any sort of dialogue, which I made the mistake of missing during the diving area, but nonetheless, I watched back the scene and was able to catch up to understand properly what was happening and why we were collecting particular relics and items. The enemy himself, Marco Bartoli, was a formidable foe, continuously sending enemies to cover his tracks but sadly, he made it too obvious for us to follow after and foil his plans. He was a very interesting villain, and he got his wish in the end, to become the dragon of his dreams. Just bad timing on his part that we were also aiming for the dagger at the same time. But the story was fun to watch unfold and was, in all honesty, quite new to me, bearing in mind, I thought it all as just a “shoot-em-up”, adventure game. How naive I was as a child, but at least now, I properly understand it all.

This game has certainly left its mark on me and I’m glad it did. It got my mum more involved as she told me what she thought I'd need to do whenever I was stuck. My dad, on the other hand, would only chip in with comments such as "that's not how you do that" and then would quickly try to go back to his little cat nap afterwards. Two completely different types of help, one more so than the other. But overall, I have enjoyed this game and I hope you guys have enjoyed watching me play it as well, or at least have enjoyed hearing my thoughts, opinions and what I encountered. This has been Tomb Raider 2, and this ends the chapter on my favourite Tomb Raider game, whether that changes though is another story. But we’ll have to see. I will now begin playing the third instalment and boy, we are starting with a clean slate this time because I barely know anything on this game, save for the first level (which I never finished) and a couple of cutscenes. Otherwise, we are about to trek into new territory and I hope to write about the next game to come. Now I leave you all with a song and want to thank you all for joining me on this bumpy ride! See you all on the next one!

#croud's playthrough #tomb raider 2 #tomb raider #classic lara #lara croft #home sweet home #tomb raider 2 medley #classic tomb raider #long post #thank you for everything and for the childhood memories

[axe-trio-commanders]

~Magic Cats~

Ssso this has been sitting in drafts for too long, time to post it regardless because I want to talk about the different legions and magic because other people have been talking about cat lore and i have Many Thoughts and also no one on this site is capable of stopping me now.

A read more here because oh boy a suggestion of conversation topic somehow turned into an entire essay because I have absolutely no self-control whatsoever. (Might also be a Yahuk appreciation post at this point. Also, just a... general warning for a society failing its people and causing all sorts of insecurities and general mental un-health, mostly involving failure to conform to expectations. Also mention of death.)

Flame

So! First, Flame Legion. Clearly, they have a bit of an advantage at the moment because they never really lost magic? Even after the whole truce thing, they're still clearly using it, and best boi Efram seems intent on letting everyone learn it. It doesn't seem to be exclusively magic they're using, not quite- there's a half-decent bit of engineering in some of their weaponry, and they still compliment their smoke magic with knives. Granted, it's... definitely primarily fire magic. I'm not sure if that's jut more natural, or if, say, more water-based elementalists or mesmers just aren't allowed as much status (or encouragement) as those that can use fire.

Iron

Iron legion, as a very stark contrast, seems... very, very opposed to magic. I don't recall ever seeing an iron charr use magic. Create things to contain magic, yes- primarily ghosts- but use it? There's plenty of engineers, for... maybe obvious reasons, but I couldn't give you a clear example of an iron legion elementalist. (Feel absolutely free to prove me wrong by posting many pictures of iron legion elementalists, though.) Heck, it's Efram that suggests it, but adding a 'flame legion kick' to Iron's weapons being an entirely new idea seems a little... telling. Heck, it's not hard to imagine using magic to improve your weapons is seen as 'cheating', at best.

Drawing off the 'Iron Fist of the Legion' personal story, it's pretty clear that Iron legion is incredibly strict. Samona (my precious, precious child whom I hold dear to my heart after re-reading two lines of dialogue from her) is quite literally banned from inventing for letting an Ash Legion charr into their super-secret-weapon base (that Ash already knew about because they're Ash), despite the fact that she only did so to stop Flame (who also knew about it) from sabotaging the entire thing. Good intentions don't matter- strictly following orders does. Her centurion describes the legion as a 'siege engine'- everything has to be predictable, and in working order- and, well... magic, as far as the legions are concerned, is anything but predictable.

Blood

Blood legion, while probably still biased against them, seems... less strict. I could, in fact, name a blood legion elementalist- Yahuk Fellstrike. I'm probably going to be going off a lot of his dialogue here, but you can get a lot from what he says after you rescue him from Flame in the ash legion story mission. The fact that you can specifically ask 'how was being an elementalist in blood legion' is... pretty telling in and of itself, and he admits that some officers got upset about it, but neither Rytlock (good on you, bud) nor his warband really cared. So it's definitely discouraged, still, but not outright banned. Then, in the next question, you ask about him joining your warband in Ash, and he says the officers were rather upset about it- heck, Rytlock only agrees to it because he likes you. (I fought one ghost with you sir I do not understand-) It's also worth noting that it seems like Rytlock called the mission in the first place- though, granted, he might have personal reasons for liking this particular warband. (Eyes Crecia) Still, Yahuk evidently gained enough respect that charr other than Rytlock and his warband didn't want him to leave.

There's also probably plenty more examples of magic-use in Blood legion, the obvious one being Crecia (though between her clear experience with subterfuge and poisons and and offhand comment about Rytlock around grothmar involving 'keeping it in the legions' I had to verify that she'd never somehow gotten Ash training somewhere, especially considering the 'why can't we just set them on fire instead of this sneaky sneak nonsense' that Yahuk's journal makes pretty clear, and honestly she miiiiight be a bit of an outlier bc Bangar seems to be kinda Like That sometimes). It's harder to be in blood legion and use magic, but if you can clearly destroy your enemies without mercy you'll probably be more-or-less fine. (Besides the inherent mental damage that having to work significantly harder than everyone else to prove yourself in a society that very much values aggression and violence causes, but like. They won't actively prevent you from ever using it or ban you from the legion. Just a bit more trauma, you’ll be fiiiiiiine.)

Ash

And then... and then there's Ash legion. I'm going to talk a lot about it because it's where my Commander's from and I have a lot of Feelings about it, but there's gonna be a lot of subjective stuff because we don't really know a lot about them? We don't know their homeland, don't know much about their imperator, don't have a lot of Big-Name-Characters in the story from that legion besides their imperator- heck, even being in the legion as part of your personal story doesn't give you much. But, from that and how other charr talk about them, we can gather that... well, no one else knows anything about them either, and... Iron and Blood don't seem to like them very much? I don't consider anything in Bangar's speech when he’s praising them to mean anything on this point because it's... Bangar, but there's a good few instances of other legions' charr clearly vocalizing distrust and a general distaste. (Yes I'm looking at you, Ryland. Stop teaching Braham these things. Rude child.) Generally, the theme is that they're untrustworthy and cowards in combat- which... well, no, you don't send Ash to the front lines, you send them behind the lines. (Them and Crecia, apparently. This isn't to hate on Crecia, she's wonderful, this is me being very very suspicious of every single one of Bangar's motives- actually I could probably make a whole other post comparing her and Yahuk at this point, but this is long enough already;;;). But you know what else most Blood and Iron charr generally find to be indicative of untrustworthiness and cowardice, to the point of being shunned entirely or having to overcompensate for existing?

Magic.

I don't have any other solid evidence for it, but... it's Ash legion, there's no solid evidence for anything so I do what I want. And it makes... sense. In Ash, who makes a better spy than a mesmer? Who can spy on Flame better than an elementalist? Sure, charr find magic users more shifty in every legion, but you're in Ash, you're shifty by association already. Judging by the interaction between Rytlock and Torga (in the previously mentioned Ash personal story), it seems that Ash doesn't like other legions involved in their business. (They just want to be involved in everyone else's business.) They do what they want, how they want to do it, just so long as it gets done. It's a bit hard to judge, but they don't seem to have the rigid order the other legions do- and, diving just... right into speculation territory, I'd like to think this allows their fahrar's cubs to develop a little more... naturally? The lack of emphasis on being a fighter or some sort of engineer means that warbands of all sorts of skills and specializations could result, making the legion more versatile- something incredibly useful for a legion focused on sabotage. Sure, the easy way in is having a bunch of thieves, but if you can have an axe-and-torch-wielding ranger in your warband and still get the job done? Yeah, sure, you'll just get different missions. Have a lot of engineers? Great, you can spy on Iron. A lot of fire elementalists? Cool, go dismantle Flame from the inside and incite rebellions. Have a lot of mesmers? Imagine the possibilities. Just, y'know, know that we have seven other, better mesmers watching, and if you betray your legion you die. Different combinations, letting cubs grow up into their own skills, only means you can very likely have at least one available warband specifically tailored towards any mission you could ever want- any charr could be Ash, because an Ash legion charr is allowed to be anything.

...Except liked by the other legions.

Going back to Yahuk's case, beyond simply being good enough to gain the respect of his legion, it's very possible that joining Ash is seen as a... downgrade, an option for charr who aren't quite good enough for their own legion- a sort of catch-all. Yahuk seems to join you because a) his warband's dead (and finding a new one as an elementalist probably won't be easy), b) you saved his life, and c) helping him murder a whole bunch of the charr who murdered his warband probably gives you a whole lot of respect points. The 'officials' don't want him joining Ash, even when his whole warband is dead, and again- Rytlock only agrees because he respects you personally.

And then, going back to Samona... her own agreement to join your warband is quick and happy enough, which might be a mix of her own personality and various other reasons- but talking to her centurion is probably the most telling. Despite the harsh punishment, he doesn't really seem to dislike Samona. He says most of those she'd worked with would still be her friends, doesn't refute her being sweet and clever- but he does believe she'll do better in Ash, rather explicitly so, lamenting that he couldn't give her the flexibility she needed to work well while she was still in Iron- but an Ash legion warband could give her that. Despite how little the other legions know about Ash, what they do know is that they allow that sort of flexibility, that they have use for Charr that just don't fit in other legions; their 'Square cogs'. Even Samona, who... likely doesn't have an ounce of subtlety.

Now, Samona doesn't seem to care much, because... she's Samona, and neither would any charr raised Ash, but for any other charr, proud of their legion? Having to join Ash is signifying of a failure to be who you were raised and molded to be. Plenty might rather become gladium. Even for magic-users, it's the easy way out- and, clearly, neither Blood nor Iron have any respect for 'easy'.

And... boy, for Yahuk...? He might have joined out of respect for you, but then... you left. For someone who'd likely tried so hard to gain the respect of his own legion... what does that say about him? He knows why he joined, who he is, but that's not clear to anyone else, and Ash doesn't value the same things Blood does. The respect he's managed to gain means nothing to them. His ferocity means nothing to them. The leader he respected is gone, and evidently, isn't coming back- what does he have left?

...

...So, uh.

Anyways, tldr, magic in flame is normal (when it's fire, at least), magic in iron is outright heresy, magic in blood is only okay if you're really good at murder, and magic in ash is actually just fine but no one else likes them so it doesn't really solve anything.

...And Yahuk needs therapy. Like a lot of therapy. Please let him have therapy.

Thaaat being said, this is the impression I got playing through as an Ash legion charr, and I’ve probably missed a few things. Feel absolutely free to critique!

#charr #gw2 #gw2 headcannons #and to think i was going to try and fit this in an /ask box/ #ahah no #no this is nearly 2000 words #and i could still write more about this too??? #lws4 spoilers #personal story spoilers #i think in the process of reforming the legions they need like #an entire legion of charr dedicated to therapy #they need it #they need it so bad #yahuk fellstrike #samona ironclaw #i'm never completing that achievement btw #i don't care if it gives me a mastery point i'm not doing it #it's illegal #crecia stoneglow #yes this is my excuse for zori having the temperment of a clingy house cat #no i will not change this #rytlock: didn't your primus ever teach you that showing emotion is weakness #zori: ...no?? are you okay???? #text post #long text post #like just so very long text post this was /not/ intentional when i started writing what happened #death mention