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thegreatcaptainusopp · 3 months

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The Seer

Ao3 Link

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

Chapter 8: From the Blessing of the Waves

One day, they’re going to come up with a plan and stick to it.

But Nami knows that today is categorically not that day.

“And how are we supposed to do that?” She asks, raising an eyebrow. “How are we going to stage an Impel Down—notoriously secure prison, by the way—breakout and still manage to save Ace in time?”

Luffy gives her a huge grin. “You’re our navigator, so you tell us. What’s the plan?”

Nami whacks him on the head. “That’s not what the navigator does!”

Sanji gives him a kick too. “Don’t put that all on Nami-san!”

“Alright,” Robin says. “We don’t have much time. Captain, your brother is a good distance away from the prison. We can’t feasibly do the rescue and the breakout at the same time.”

“The answer is obvious, no?”

They all turn to Brook.

“Two teams!” Brook says. “One to do the breakout, and the other to continue after Luffy-san’s brother!”

Luffy jumps up in place. “Brook, you’re a genius!”

“Yohohoho,” Brook chortles. “You’re too kind, too kind.”

“Um,” Chopper squeaks. “It’s a good plan. But how are we going to do that? We only have one ship. We can’t go two directions at one time with one ship.”

There’s a small pause.

“Not to mention,” Sanji adds, moodily fiddling with his lighter. “How are we going to do the breakout in the first place? We can’t just go inside…”

Franky frowns. “I might have an idea about that one,” He says. “We’ve been developing some firepower that’ll be enough to cause some real chaos, at the very least.”

“Easy, then,” Zoro says. “The Impel Down team takes the Sunny. The Marineford team takes Mini Merry and goes after Ace.”

“That won’t work,” Robin says grimly. “The Mini Merry is not fast enough. We’ll need to be able to at least keep up to pace with the other ships.”

“Are we sure about the breakout?” Brook asks. “Can we not proceed without it?”

Everyone looks at Usopp as one. He stands there, fidgeting with his armbands and the Kabuto, oblivious about the attention.

Zoro elbows him. “Everyone’s looking at you.”

Usopp jumps, letting out an eeep. “Don’t!” He says, tucking the Kabuto into his belt. “I don’t have any ideas!”

Luffy clenches his jaw stubbornly. “We’re doing both,” He insists. “I trust Usopp.”

“I don’t like the look of some of those other ships,” Chopper pipes in nervously, peering off into the distance. “I think some of them might be coming closer…”

Nami shakes her head. Enough is enough.

“Okay!” She says. “Listen. We don’t have time! So, here’s the plan. Ace is first priority here. And it’s true, we only have one ship. And that ship will need to be used for the breakout. So! We split into two teams. We all go full blast towards Marineford. We drop off the Marineford team there. The Impel Down team haul ass back to Impel Down and do the breakout, then come back to either join in the fighting or pick everyone up. Understood?”

“See?” Luffy says. “It is your job!”

“Nami-san is so smart!” Sanji exclaims.

She tosses her hair to the side. “Well, you know,” She says. “I do what I can.”

“Whatever,” Zoro says. “Who’s on what team?”

“I have to be Impel Down,” Franky says. “To work the Sunny. We’ll need long range fighters too. So, that’s me, Nami, and-” He pauses, eyes cutting quickly to Usopp. “Robin might be a good idea too. And we’ll need someone else to help with the guns. Brook?”

He glances at Usopp again. “Actually, I’d like Usopp with me too. We created the weapons together and I may need some support on how they’re supposed to work.”

Usopp lifts his head determinedly “You got it, Franky!”

Nami nods to herself. It’s best that Usopp stay on the Sunny, anyway, rather than on a battlefield that he’s currently unprepared for.

“That makes the Marineford team Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper,” Robin says thoughtfully.

“Um, guys…” Chopper says slowly.

“Just a sec, Chopper,” Nami says, crossing her arms. “Are we agreed on the plan?”

A chorus of agreements echo, and Luffy throws his arms out in the air.

“Alright!” He says. “Let’s go! On towards Marinef-”

“Hey!”

Chopper’s yells out just as a thwip sound cuts through the air. In that second, Zoro barrels forward, swords out and at the ready.

Nami stumbles back, wildly grabbing for the Clima-Tact on her waist. “What…”

She looks back up to see Zoro in front of where Luffy was standing seconds before, sword up. A destroyed net flutters back on either side.

“We’re not falling for the same trick twice,” He says around the sword in his mouth.

Nami shrieks, holding up her Clima-Tact. “What the hell is going on?”

Zoro stares determinedly out into the distance. “It’s there,” He says, back tense.

A humorless smile spreads over Luffy’s face. “Oh,” He says, winding his arm back. “It’s about time.”

With a shout, Luffy unleashes a Gum-Gum pistol forward onto the open water, arm going on and on into the distance before it stops abruptly, smacking into what looks like nothing.

Luffy’s grin turns feral. “There you are.”

Before Nami can react, a ship materializes into existence: large, ominous, narrow, familiar.

Oh shit.

“Vance!” Nami yells, backing up. She lifts her Clima-Tact. “They’re heading here, full speed!”

It’s too far away right now to see anyone distinct on the ship, and it sways as a result of Luffy’s impromptu punch. But she can feel it, feel the cold anger and intimation radiating from the ship like a physical thing.

Haki, she thinks, trying to catch her breath.

Usopp’s face drains of color right away. “What?” He rasps out.

Sanji grabs Usopp’s arm. “Let’s get you below,” He says hastily. “They’re after you, so let’s-”

To Nami’s surprise, Usopp shakes his head, tugging his arm out of Sanji’s grasp. “That won’t help,” He says, voice distant. “He’s come for me, and he won’t leave until he gets me. It’s our last chance to end this.”

Franky runs to the side of the ship. “They couldn’t have fixed their ship already,” He says, squinting. “Yeah, see? Patchwork. Not so super shipbuilding. It’ll fall apart if it’s pushed too hard.”

Zoro, still frozen ahead, speaks. “They shot too early,” He says. “That was sloppy. Let’s take them on now, before they get themselves together.”

At his words, there’s a boom, and a bit of railing to Brook’s left kicks up into the air. “They’re shooting at us!” The skeleton squeals, scrambling backwards.

“Hey, Nami,” Luffy says. “You guys stay here, go ahead towards Impel Down. We’ll go to their ship, deal with them, and take it towards Marineford. Meet us there, okay?”

“What?” Nami shrieks.

But Luffy’s already gathering everyone he needs: he tugs Zoro away from his spot, reaches back to get Sanji, sweeps up Chopper. “Okay! Let’s-”

“Wait!” And that’s Usopp, stumbling forward in the general direction of Luffy’s voice. “Me too. Take me too.”

“Usopp,” Robin says gently. “That may not be the best idea.”

“No,” Usopp says. “We all know he’s after me. If I stay here, they’ll continue going after the Sunny. And we’ll lose time for Marineford. It’s the only way.”

His voice is steady, but it’s impossible to hide the shaking of his body. The straw hat on his head, though, remains still and sure. Nami is so proud of him.

Luffy, as always, doesn’t need more than that. “Okay!” He chirps, stretching back to grab Usopp’s arm, pulling him into the group. “Hang on!”

Usopp stumbles, trying to get his bearings. Sanji swears, grabbing hold of him. “Be careful!” He snaps at Luffy, curly eyebrow twitching.

Nami catches Sanji’s eye and gives a deliberate glance to Usopp. He gives her a small nod of acknowledgment.

“See you guys soon!” Luffy says, revving up. Zoro sighs, long and gusty, muttering under his breath about rubber and idiocy.

“Be safe, ladies!” Sanji yells. “And the rest of you too, I guess.”

And with that, the group slingshots towards the Vance ship, to a chorus of screams from the passengers and uproarious laughter from the Captain.

Nami watches until she makes sure they land on the ship, and then turns and runs to the front. “Let’s keep going!” She yells. “Full speed! We’re so close!”

“Aye, aye!” Franky responds, and she can hear him run after her. “I’ll take care of the speed! And I’ll lower the seastone shields!”

“The what?” Nami screeches back, skidding to a stop in front of the helm.

“To ward off Sea Kings!” Franky says, then dashes off.

Robin catches up to Nami. “It’s part of the security,” She says, slightly breathless. “Calm Belt. Franky’s taking care of that. But how are we going to take care of the prison itself?”

Nami shakes her head. “What are we working with here?”

She can see it at a distance, slowly gaining prominence. Her hope and calm start dropping instantly.

It’s not a prison, it’s a fortress: surrounded on all sides by Marine ships, large walls, and the top of a tower right in the center.

“Seastone walls,” Robin reports, as Brook joins them. “Marine guards on all sides. And the prison itself is underwater.”

“How are we going to do this?” Nami moans, continuing anyway. “If we even get to the main prison, how do we stage a breakout? We’ll be killed in seconds.”

She feels the ship lurch forward in a burst of speed before Franky barrels back in, arms full. “Brook!” He yells. “Robin! Follow me!”

She sees them hurry after Franky to the front of the ship, where he directs them to the cannons on either side. The marine ships, getting scarily close, loom large. “Right!” He says. “I’m going to give you some ammo. They’re explosives on timers, meaning they’ll explode multiple times in one go. They should rip through wall in a couple of explosions.”

Nami yells at him from the helm. “How do we get around the marines?”

“I’ll help with that!” Franky says, running back. “We’re smaller, and faster. We just have to maneuver around them for long enough.”

“That’s it?” She yells over the wind.

Franky somehow finds time to shoot her a thumbs up. “Trust me!” He says. “I’ve got this!”

Nami turns her face heavenwards. “God help me,” She sniffs, clutching onto the helm tighter. “We’re all going to die.”

She desperately wishes that they’ll have some time to think, to plan, to face up, but it feels like mere minutes later that they start to bear down on the ships stationed in front of the prison. The marines seem to know it, too: she sees activity on board the ships, the swiveling on cannons in their direction.

“They’re aiming!” She yells over the wind.

“Roger!” Franky yells back. “Evasive maneuvering in three, two…

BOOM

An explosion rockets across the walls of Impel Down, so large and powerful that she sees the ripples spreading from the prison. “Hold on!” She screams, clutching onto the helm for dear life. The ripples reach the ship, pitching it around violently. She rattles around on the deck, holding onto the warm wood and hoping nobody falls off the ship.

After a few moments, the shaking stops. Nami gasps, opening her eyes. She quickly darts a look ahead: all the crew looks dazed, but alive. She looks back ahead and her eyes widen.

The ships have redirected their weapons away from the Sunny, instead aiming inside the prison. There’s a cacophony of shouts and screams and confused jumble of yells that she can’t make out.

And the gate, the one that they’re barreling towards, is open.

“Franky!” She yells. “What did you do?”

Franky pops back up. “It wasn’t me!” He explains, putting his hands up in surrender. “I have no idea what happened. But, look. They’re distracted! Full speed ahead!”

“Yes!” Nami says, furrowing her brows in concentration. The ship barrels on forward, catching onto a current and dragging towards the open gate.

They barely squeeze through the cracks, getting past the towering first layer onto the second. The gates are also destroyed, and they’re able to go through to the main area. She can see the top of the massive tower peeking above the waves.

“Robin! Brook!” Franky raised an arm. “Aim towards the top of the prison! On my count…three, two, one, FIRE!”

He drops his arm, and Brook and Robin open fire, shooting large black cannonballs at the top of the building. Massive explosions boom out, shaking the prison fortress and the ship with the aftershocks.

“Great!” Franky says. “They’ll go off again, and then we can try a second round…”

Before he can continue, arms appear around him, knocking him to the ground, right before a purple substance splatters near where his head used to be. It sizzles slowly on the deck.

“What was that?” Nami says, letting go of the helm and scrambling forwards. She takes her Clima-Tact back out.

“There!” Robin points off into the distance. A hulking figure stands near an entrance at the top, and Nami can’t see him properly through the mist. “It came from there!”

The figure moves suddenly, and another wave of the strange liquid descends upon them, thick and long like a dragon’s tail.

Nami shrieks, swinging her Clima-Tact in automatic response. “Thunderbolt tempo!”

Multiple arms pull her to the side, and she just narrowly avoids the fountain of scary purple liquid.

The attacks whips up towards the distance figure, knocking it to the edge of the wall. It teeters for a moment before pitching off the side and into the waters below.

“Well done Nami!” Brook cheers.

Nami tucks the weapon back into her belt. “We need to keep going!” She says. Just then, the second round of explosions go off, rocking the water. “Do you need to fire again?”

“Yes!” Franky says, raising his arm again. “On my count…”

Before Franky can continue, another huge BOOM sounds, same as the first, and they’re all pitched off their feet onto the deck of the ship.

Nami struggled back to her knees, ears ringing. That had been much louder, much closer…

She looks up and shock freezes her in place. There’s a large, smoking hole at the entrance of the prison, blown inward. Standing in front of it is another series of figures: large, menacing, outlined in darkness. And through the wind, ever so faintly, she hears a sound:

Zehahahahaha

Usopp never wants to fly again.

This is what echoes in his mind as his feet leave the ground and they fly towards what must be the Vance ship. He’d underestimated the comfort of solidity beneath his feet, of the way it gave him a sense of where he was and what was around him: now, all he has are his ears, and all he can hear is howling winds and the faint sounds of screaming.

It’s all he can do to tighten his grip on Sanji, and lean on the rubber arm directing his journey. The other hand travels to the straw hat, practically smushing it on his head to keep it from flying off. Please please please please

It feels like an eternity before they finally hit wood and tumble to solid ground. Usopp instantly falls, caught at the last second by what must be Sanji’s firm grasp.

Usopp tenses, expecting an attack. But nothing happens for the span of a heartbeat, until-

“You’re back.”

The voice is familiar, and Usopp feels his pulse jump at the sound.

“I must say,” Vance’s voice echoes throughout the room. “I didn’t expect you to come here of your own accord, Usopp.”

Usopp automatically sucks in a breath. He wants to say something, but it’s like his tongue is frozen to the roof of his mouth.

“Shut up,” And that’s Zoro. His sword must be back in his mouth. “Don’t talk to him.”

Vance just carries on like nothing happened. “As you know,” He says. “I never wanted war. I brought you here specifically to avoid it. And yet. War is here. We can avoid even more fighting, but only if you come back here, Usopp. And then, we can accomplish the mission that we were given.”

Through the blood thundering in his ears, Usopp can hear something different in Vance’s voice. It’s not the same confident figure, the one who spoke with certainty in his voice for the weeks that he’d known him.

This Vance has a veneer of cool, but Usopp can hear the simmering underneath. The tremble. The rage.

This is not the Vance he knows. And maybe, just maybe, this is a Vance they can beat.

The silence drags on, and Usopp realizes that they’re waiting for him. It’s like the whole ship is holding its breath, and his next words will determine whether or not it’ll choke. His words have never been this powerful before.

Like always, like had been the case the instant Vance had grabbed him around the neck the first time back on the Sunny when he still had his eyes and his original path, when he had been asked again and again in the weeks afterward, there is only one answer to that question.

Usopp clears his throat. “No,” He croaks out. “I won’t.”

Luffy whoops. “You hear that?” He says. “Usopp said no! Now stop asking!”

There’s a quick inhale before Usopp feels a blast of chill hit him like a physical thing. He chokes, knees buckling. Not again. He thinks frantically, then: Haki. Haki. Haki.

“Hey!”

The feeling vanishes almost as soon as it appears. “Stop that!” Luffy’s voice echoes, irritated. “We were talking. We’ll get to that later. But first,” Usopp hears the fabric of his shirt rustling. “We’ll be taking your ship to Marineford. So either you come with, or you leave! And if you want to leave…” Usopp hears the telltale snap of a rubber arm. “We’ll kick you out ourselves!”

He hears a chuckle in Vance’s voice. It’s not a happy one. “Very well,” He says. “War it is.”

“Captain,” and that’s Lark. “Perhaps this is…”

“Prepare yourselves,” Vance says, ignoring him completely. “Kill them all. Keep Usopp alive, if you can.”

There’s barely any time between that statement and the next breath before there’s multiple pops and the air fills with smoke. Usopp coughs on it, hearing a shing of metal and another wave of that feeling, the conqueror’s-Haki-feeling, echo in his chest.

He moves shakily. Maybe he’s imagining things, but it doesn’t feel as…heavy as it used to, not like before…

A small hand grabs his wrist and he jerks back. More hands descend upon him, grabbing at his arms, his sleeves, his overalls. “Katherine,” He gasps out, trying to fight against her grip. “Please.”

She doesn’t reply, and he feels more and more hands grab at him before he’s suddenly released as they all turn into smoke, falling back onto a large furry chest.

Chopper.

“Usopp!” Chopper says, lifting him bodily into the air and depositing him behind him. He’s switched to Heavy Point, then. “Stay with me!”

“Right!” Usopp says, feeling out his space. He bumps into Chopper’s back. “Let’s…”

Chopper is shoved into him, knocking Usopp back. “Sorry!” Chopper pipes up. He pushes back against Usopp, hiding him from sight. “I’ll keep them back!”

Usopp puts a hand on Chopper’s back, trying to offer some stability. “I got you,” He says, trying his best not to feel useless.

Chopper grunts, and Usopp feels him tense. Even though Katherine’s clones can be dispelled with one hit, their volume means you can get overwhelmed, and quick.

He feels Chopper being pushed back further and further, but stubbornly remains between Usopp and Katherine’s clones. He can feel the grunts through the hand on Chopper’s back, running down his arm and into his own chest.

It feels wrong. It feels so wrong to just stand here, doing nothing.

A muscle jumps in Usopp’s jaw, and he steels himself. Quickly, he grabs at the Kabuto in his belt and runs out from behind Chopper, swinging it wildly as he goes. The puffs of smoke that echo tell him he’s successful.

“Usopp!” Chopper squeaks. “What are you doing?”

“Helping!” Usopp says, swinging the Kabuto again. “I don’t need sight for this. I can do it!”

“Usopp,” Chopper says, tears in his voice. More smoke wafts over from his direction. “Okay, I trust you. Let’s do it!”

Usopp swings again and again and again, until his arms are tired and sweat runs down to his bandages, but they keep coming and coming and he doesn’t know what to do…

Katherine’s clones start getting closer each time, grabbing at him again from every angle, and he’s almost overwhelmed by it until he feels Chopper grip his shoulder. “Thanks for helping me, Usopp,” He says. “But they’re after you! So, it’s my turn to help you.”

Usopp feels himself being lifted off his feet as Chopper hoists him up into his arms. “Sanji!” He shouts, waits a beat, and then tosses Usopp upwards.

Usopp shrieks, almost dropping the Kabuto. His free hand instantly goes up to the straw hat. How the hell has Luffy not lost this? He thinks despondently. It’s always just about to blow off my head.

He feels gravity take hold and he begins to plummet back down until he feels a hand grab his shirt, halting his fall. “Shit!” He hears Sanji grunt out. “That was close!”

“Not close enough,” He hears, before he feels himself fly back, ripped from Sanji’s grip. He flies in the air, only stopping when he hits a mast with an oomph.

He tries to recover, scrambling backup and checking on the Kabuto and the hat. All accounted for. “Shit!” He hears a wheeze next to him. Sanji must’ve also been pushed back. “That armament Haki shit is no fucking joke. Holy shit.”

There’s a pause. “That what?”

Lark had always been a quiet sort. He hadn’t spoken much to Usopp during his time with the Vance pirates, but he was always watching. Always cataloging.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Sanji snips. Usopp hears his voice move closer. “It’s not going to help you at all.”

“Hm,” Lark says. He hears Lark move closer too. “I guess I’ll just have to keep trying.”

Usopp hears a dammit and that’s the only warning he gets before two hands shove him away, and he falls flat on his back. He hears something swish just over his head as he goes down.

Sanji is breathing hard. “I thought you needed him alive,” He says, through clenched teeth. “That’s not the behavior of someone trying to keep him alive.”

Usopp doesn’t expect Lark to answer, but he does.

“I’m sure you may agree,” Lark says. “And Usopp, you may have noticed this. It may be better for the crew if we didn’t keep him alive.”

Usopp chokes on a breath.

“Shit,” Sanji says. He’s lifted off the ground and pushed aside. “Usopp, get out of here.”

“You can kick me all you like,” Lark says. “It’s not going to do you any good. Not if you can’t hurt me.”

“Oh yeah?” Usopp feels a sudden heat erupt from Sanji’s direction. “We’ll see about that.”

“Impressive,” Lark says, and Usopp feels him move before moving himself, tossing himself onto the ground before hearing a loud thump from right above his head.

“Good instinct, Usopp,” He hears Sanji grit out, rough with effort.

Usopp scrambles back, trying to give Sanji more space. That was lucky. He thinks.

Theres a clang before he hears something goes flying, and hears Sanji give a grunt of pain before landing next to him. “I can’t get through,” He hisses to Usopp under his breath.

“Is it just one body part he can coat?” Usopp breathes back.

He practically hears Sanji’s violent grin. “Let’s find out. But first…”

He hears Sanji get closer, then, “This might sting a bit.”

He hears a shouted “Marimo!” Before a leg swipes under his feet, tripping him over, before going under his back and flinging him upward.

Again? Usopp thinks, as he shrieks through the air.

He lands fast this time, and not on a wooden deck. Instead, he lands with an ooof on a broad back, catching him just as he’s about to flip over.

“OI!” He hears a voice bellow near his ear. “Don’t throw somebody in the middle of a sword fight you moron cook! Do you want him to get sliced up?”

There’s predictably no answer. He hears Zoro again, this time in a mumble “Idiot moron cook…”

“Hey, Usopp,” He hears. It’s pretty casual for the situation. Typical, for Ranger. “How’s is going?”

“Usopp,” And it’s Zoro now. “Adjust yourself on my back. I can’t hold you here and fight.”

Usopp scrambles to orient himself. “Okay,” He says, clutching Zoro’s shoulders. He feels the bandages there, and on his back. “Is that okay?”

“Fine,” Zoro grunts. “Just…don’t move.”

“Hey…” Usopp says, finally thinking about his earlier statement. “What do you mean fight…”

He yelps as Zoro adjusts his stance, jostling him around. He feels the muscles on his back ripple. “Hang on and don’t get in the way,” Zoro informs him.

He hears laughter. “Oh man,” Ranger chuckles. “Is it weird to say that I really wanna see how this is going to work?”

“It’s not,” Usopp says. “Zoro-”

“Shut up,” Zoro says, readjusting his stance again.

“Come on, Usopp,” Ranger says. “Let’s just go. This is stupid. Your friend here might have a chance if he wasn’t already beat to hell before starting. But as it stands, he’s gonna get himself killed. We don’t need any more collateral damage. Come on, man.”

Usopp tenses. It was very true that Zoro is not exactly at his best right now…

Zoro jostles him. “Oi,” He says. “Don’t listen to him. You ready?”

Usopp barely has time to squeak out a yes before Zoro moves, Usopp still on his back. Usopp feels him lift his sword and hit another weapon with a loud clang that rattles into Usopp’s bones.

He swears, trying to stay on and not get in the way.

“Nice opening move,” Ranger says. “But, you know. I don’t want collateral damage, but if that’s what it takes to win…well. Sorry, Usopp, but we don’t really need any limbs on you or anything.”

He feels Zoro’s back tense again. “Zoro,” He says. “I’ll get down. You don’t need an extra weight on you for this.”

“Shut up,” Zoro grunts. “I can do this”

“Sure,” Usopp says. “But I don’t want to-”

He interrupts himself as he hears something whistle through the air. He’s jerked back, but whatever it is still just barely swipes at his shoulder, leaving a long line of pain.

He doesn’t know how bad it is. It’s probably just a scratch, but he can’t tell.

“Usopp!” Zoro snaps. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Usopp says. He doesn’t try to touch his shoulder. “I’m good”

“How long will you keep this up?” Ranger says. “It’s already getting old.”

“Usopp,” Zoro says. “You know I can beat him, right?”

“Of course,” Usopp says. “I always w-ZORO! LEFT!”

Zoro jerks them both to the side, and Usop hears the weapon whistle through the air again. “Nice call,” Zoro pants, straightening back up. “Anyway. Like I was saying. Do you trust me?”

“Yes!” Usopp says. “Always!”

“Okay,” Zoro says. He stands up straighter. “Then get ready to let go when I say your name…”

He hears the click Zoro’s teeth clamping on Wado. “Okay,” He says nervously.

Zoro’s stance adjusts again, and he says “Four Sword Style…”

“What,” Usopp squeaks.

That’s all the arming he gets before he feels Zoro drop, and then spring up into a jump, leaping high into the air.

“Usopp Toss.”

Usopp, just about in his right mind, lets go at his name. He starts to drop again before he feels a hand grab his ankle, and then the flats of two blade push at his sides, launching him to the side.

“NOT AGAIN!” Usopp yells as he scrambles to keep his things together. “STOP THROWING ME AROUND!”

He braces himself, wondering where he’s going to land this time before he feels himself hit a rubbery surface, bouncing back into a pair of long, stretchy arms.

“What is that?”

Nami, shocked back to reality by Brook’s shriek, stumbles the rest of the way up. “They must’ve been the cause of the other explosion,” she says, squinting up. “I can’t tell what they are.”

A sudden silence drops throughout the prison, and Nami’s words echo loudly throughout the misty space. She gasps, clasping her mouth shut, as the figures all turn as one towards the Sunny. She hears murmurs, and her hands travel back to the Clima-Tact. She feels them turn slippery with sweat as she grips her weapon.

The murmurs stop, and she sees a glint of teeth in a wide, jagged smile out in the distance.

The face of the smile turns, and vanishes into the smoking crater that used to be the top of Impel Down. The group quickly follow.

Nami lets out a breath. The Clima-Tact falls from her nerveless fingers.

“That was…odd,” Robin says, a frown growing on her face. “I was certain they were going to attack us. We were maybe two seconds away from quite a violent death.”

“Robin!” Nami shrieks. “Don’t put it that way!”

“Yeah,” Franky says. “But you know what? I say, let’s not think about it. Those guys got us through the hard part totally by accident. Now we just…do the breakout part.”

He directs them to move the ship towards a small bend at the side, out of sight, before making his way from the ship towards the low now destroyed ceiling of the prison, and everyone quickly follows. When they reach the prison, they stare down at the hole in the ceiling.

“I’ve never been in a prison break,” Brook offers. “But, I suppose we just…go in and get some people out?”

“Too dangerous,” Nami says. “We might get stuck. Let’s try this…”

She cups her hands over her mouth. “Oi!” She yells. “Door’s open. Prison break!”

They stand there for a moment, trying to see if they can hear anything on the inside.

“Maybe we should try that again,” Robin says. “But this time-”

Before she can continue, there’s a rumbling near the hole to the prison. They all freeze, staring down at it.

Franky breaks first, reaching out for the rest of them. “Stand back!” He yells, pulling them all away right before the hole in the ceiling….erupts.

There’s no other word for it. Hordes of people, all in the same striped uniform, pour out of the hole in waves, pushing, shoving each other, trying to be the first out.

Nami is suddenly fiercely grateful they’d hidden the ship.

The former inmates scramble over each other, trying to get to freedom in any way they could. Some of them, presumably those without devil fruits somehow, jump into the water, while others scramble over the rocks and stones of the walls to try and make it over. At least some succeed, judging by the raised voices and pained yells on the other side of the wall.

She stares at the emerging inmates, trying to figure out what to do next, when one in particular catches her eye.

“Buggy?” She says in disbelief.

The former pirate captain, who’d been pushing another inmate down to try to boost himself up, jolts up at his name. “Wha?”

“Who?” Brook asks.

Buggy spots her, squinting as he tries to place her. “Who are you?”

A vein throbs in Nami’s head. “Who am I?” She asks, teeth clenched. “Think back a little. You’ll remember.”

Buggy drifts closer, still staring. “Oh!” He says, pointing. “You were with Straw Hat! Bastard.”

Nami’s clenches her fist. “You’re the bastard!”

At this point, the wave of inmates has slowed down to a trickle. Robin makes her way back to the exit, peering down. “We need to check down,” She mutters. “We need to go down further.”

“Why?” Franky says, coming up to join her.

Robin frowns. “Usopp said ‘upper floors’” she says slowly. “But that doesn’t make sense. The upper floors have been freed. And we haven’t seen any particular ally. But he doesn’t know about Impel Down and its structure. Perhaps it was…crossed wires. Miscommunication. I think he meant lower.”

Brook goes to them too. “Are you sure about that?”

“We can try,” Robin says. She crosses her arms. “I can see that the…previous group have also gone all the way down. I may be able to send my eyes and arms to check what is available below.”

“Alright,” Buggy says, backing up. “Guess that’s my cue to leave…”

Nami scoffs. “Where?” She asks mockingly. “You think you can make it out of here by yourself?”

Buggy nervously eyes the obstacles to their exit. “Do you have any other ideas?”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” Nami says, sighing. “But you can come with us. Help us, and we’ll help you.”

Buggy frowns. “With what?”

“We’re headed to Marineford,” Nami says cheerily. “You have a guaranteed ride out. Or, you can stay here and figure it out. Up to you.”

��What-”

Before Buggy can continue, Robin backs up suddenly. “Oh,” she says, surprise blooming on her face.

Franky jumps into action instantly, aiming a hand at the entrance. “What is it?”

In the next moment, another group pops out of the destroyed ceiling. A very familiar three figures, squabbling, noisy…

One of them notices Franky and lets out a shout “oh shit!”

The rest turn, and Nami’s eyes grow wide. “No way…” she says softly.

Because standing there before them are three former members of Baroque Works: Mr. 1, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, and Mr. 3.

They seem just as surprised to see them. “All Sunday?” Mr. 1 asks in shock.

“Was this you?” Mr. 3 asks. “Why are you even here?”

Bon Clay does not seem to have the same questions. “How wonderful to see you, friends!” Bon Clay exclaims. “Are you here to help? We have some missing members here that can use your help!”

“Sir Crocodile,” Mr. 1 says slowly, giving Robin a knowing look.

“And Emporio Ivankov!” Bon Clay adds.

“No!” Mr. 3 snaps. “We don’t even know this person!”

“We must get them out!” Bon Clay insists.

“Crocodile…” Robin says softly. Thoughtfully.

“Robin, no!” Nami says, scrambling towards her. “We can’t trust him!”

“Crocodile?” Franky asks. His arm is still up. “The warlord?”

“Might be a powerful ally,” Brook says thoughtfully.

“No!” Nami says. “You guys…you guys don’t know…”

Robin puts an arm on her shoulder. “I know,” She says. “But…he’s the only one that has a prior connection to us. It might be him.”

“Or Ivankov!” Bon Clay pipes in.

“Shut up!” Mr. 3 hisses. He looks at Robin. “All Sunday, can you get him out?”

“We would owe you if you could,” Mr. 1 adds.

Robin frowns. “Yes,” She says. “Mr. 3. If Franky here were to give you a photo or schematics of a master key, could you make it?”

“Yes,” Mr 3. says. “That would be within my capabilities.”

“Coming right up!” Franky says, pulling a notepad out from…somewhere.

“Robin,” Nami says again. “This is…risky.”

“I know,” Robin says grimly. “But I think it’s right. I…somehow, I think it’s right.”

“Done,” Mr 3. says, holding up a wax key. “I must say, that was the quickest schematic work I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Franky shoots them a thumbs up. “All in a day’s work!”

Robin crosses her arms again. “Right,” She says softly. Arms sprout from the ground. Nami sees an eye in one palm, an ear in another, and a mouth in the third. A fourth grabs the key. “Let’s try this out.”

More arms start sprouting, moving the initial group below. And all that’s left to do is wait.

After a few moments, Robin’s brow furrows. “Oh…”

“What is it?” Brook asks anxiously.

“This place…” She says. A shudder runs down her spine. “It’s…evil.”

Nami shudders too. “Don’t linger,” She says.

Robin’s face pulls in concentration again. Silence falls on the small group.

“That group really ripped the place up,” Robin comments. “I’m able to…oh. Here we are. The holes stopped. I think we’re at the bottom.”

“What do you see there?” Nami asks.

“Cells,” Robin says. “I’m looking in…oh.”

“Is it Sir Crocodile?” Mr. 1 asks.

Robin shakes her head. “It’s another warlord,” She says. “Jinbei.”

“Wow,” Franky says. “Crocodile must be close, then.”

“Yes,” Robin says. She pauses, then says. “I’m continuing on.”

Another few minutes pass before Robin speaks again. “I’ve found him,” She says. “He recognized me. Unlocking the cell now.”

“Yes!” Mr. 3 cheers.

“Is Ivankov there too?” Bon Clay asks.

“I don’t know what Ivankov looks like,” Robin says. “But no, I don’t think so.”

“Great!” Nami says, “Lead him up and let’s go!”

Robin…hesitates.

Nami groans. “What now?” She asks, scared of the answer.

“I can’t shake…” Robin says. “Look. Imagine that instead of having one warlord in our debt…we have two.”

“Robin!” Nami squeaks.

“I know,” Robin says. “I know. But, Nami. Will you trust me? I think this one is a good call. I really do.”

Nami sighs. There’s only one possible answer to that. “Of course,” She says.

“Thank you,” Robin says. “I’m going to speak to him now, unlock his cell. Please give me a moment.”

They take the moment. Nami tries to put her fear, her doubt aside. Robin’s incredible. She thinks wonderingly. She can do so much, but she’s so humble about it.

“Excellent,” Robin says suddenly. “He knows Ace already, and wants to help him. He’s with us.”

Nami’s eyes widen. “Really?”

“So it would seem,” Robin says. “I’m leading them both up now.”

“If you see Ivankov,” Bon Clay adds. “Let me know! Just look for someone very tall, with a large wonderful face and eyes, with great curly purple hair and-”

“Bon Clay,” Mr. 3 says, teeth clenched. “It’s not the time…”

“Oh,” Robin says suddenly. “That description was quite helpful. There is Ivankov now. Excuse me a moment.”

She’s silent for more than a moment, and Nami starts getting nervous, until…

“Ivankov is in too,” Robin says suddenly. “Excellent. The more help we have, the better our chances.”

“You’re a genius, Robin!” Brook cheers. Robin doesn’t respond, but her mouth quirks up into a small smile.

Robin continues to lead the group up, and Nami pulls the one they already have together and explains the situation. “Right,” She says. “If you’re all caught up, we’ll head to our ship right after the others get here. And no funny business!”

She glares at Buggy, who lifts his arms. “Fine, fine.”

“Here they come,” Robin says suddenly. Nami scrambles back to the rest of the group.

First to emerge is Crocodile. Unlike the previous inmates, he moves with fluid grace and an apparent lack of urgency. Nami can’t help the surge of fear when she sees him. “Nico Robin,” Crocodile drawls. “We meet again.”

“So it would seem,” Robin replies frostily.

“I’ll tell you later,” Nami whispers to Franky and Brook’s confused looks.

Next to emerge must be Jinbei. He’s a Fishman, and struggles a little to fit through the hole left behind by that strange group. “So,” His voice booms out. “You’re Ace’s brother’s friends? It’s an honor. I hope we can work together to save his life, for all our benefits.”

Brook gives him a respectful nod. “Agreed,” He says.

And finally, a large purple head pops out of the ground. “Freedom!” It exclaims. “Oh, how I’ve missed freedom.”

Bon Clay practically trips over and squeals “Emporio Ivankov!It’s an honor!”

“I’m sure!” Ivankov says. “So. Shall we head out?”

Nami clears her throat. “Everyone!” She says. “Follow me to the Sunny! We have a mission to complete. I’ll explain everything when we get on board. Now hurry! We have to be quick.”

“Got you!” Luffy says.

Usopp nods, grateful. He takes his hand off the straw hat. “You did,” He replies.

He hopes that this is the last time. “Don’t throw me again, please,” He begs.

Luffy just laughs. “Okay!” He says.

“You know,” Usopp says, “I-”

He stiffens, something poking at the back of his mind.

“Luffy, down!” He yells, jumping out. He feels himself catch Luffy around the torso, both of them hitting the ground just as the sound of a bullet fires.

Usopp pops back up from the ground. A gun? He thinks frantically.

“Very interesting,” Vance’s voice rings out. “Very interesting indeed. How did you know I would do that? Your future sight extends to in the moment events as well, I see. Excellent. This is very helpful to know.”

Fear pricks at Usopp’s spine.

He hears Luffy stand up too. “Well that’s stupid,” He says. “Are you trying to sound scary, or something? Because it isn’t working.”

“Oh?” Vance responds, amused. Usopp feels a wave of Haki wash over him. “Are you sure about that?”

Usopp staggers backward, then frowns. He hadn’t been feeling off…his Haki really was weaker now.

What…what could that mean?

Usopp thinks hard. There has to be connection there. The change in Vance. The change in his strength level of Haki…what exactly was the difference between this Vance and the one before?

It’s right there on the tip of his tongue, but he can’t quite…

“Stop it,” He hears Luffy snap. “Stop hiding behind your Haki. Fight me! Fight me for real!”

And that’s when it clicks.

Confidence, Usopp thinks. All Vance has is his Haki. He has his Haki, which he uses to weaken his opponents, but he has nothing else. He has his Haki, his gun, and his confidence.

Without that, Vance falls apart. And now, Usopp knows what to do.

“Haki?” He hears Vance ask.

Now’s the time to step in. “Haki,” Usopp answers. “Yes. That’s what you have, by the way. And that’s what I have. And that’s what Lark has. That’s why we can do what we can do. It’s not divine. It’s pure luck.”

Vance chuckles, but there’s an undercurrent of…something there. “And why would I believe that?”

“We’re not special,” Usopp says. “We just…discovered it early. Everyone has Haki, you know. Mine is called observation. Yours is conqueror’s which is rare, but it’s not just you who has it. I’m not special. And you aren’t either.”

“You’re lying,” Vance says, that there’s the loss of cool. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“According to you,” Usopp says. “I don’t lie. I’m a Seer. So, which is it?”

To his shock, Vance says silent. He’d never known a Vance who was at a lost for words.

Luffy breaks the strange standoff with a laugh. “Good one, Usopp!” He says.

“You’re lying.”

Vance’s voice breaks back in. And…and it’s like a completely different person is speaking. He sounds raw, rough…furious.

“The devil fruits have influenced you,” Vance says, voice trembling in anger. “You’re trying to throw me off. Well. It’s not going to work. It’s not going to work.”

A burst of Haki again. But again, it’s not quite what it used to be.

Usopp’s knees shake. “See?” His voice trembles. “You’re starting to doubt, aren’t you?”

Vance roars: a primal sound of anger. Haki bursts through, but the strength is up again.

“Usopp,”

Usopp jumps. He feels Luffy’s hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks for your help,” Luffy says. “You weakened him for me. Now, it’s my turn. I’ll finish him off for you, I promise.”

Usopp’s smile is sure. “Okay, Luffy,” He says. “Thank you.”

Chapter 9, Chapter 10

#one piece #op #usopp #Nami #op fic #one piece fic #speaks

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princesssarisa · 4 months

Text

The Royal Swedish Ballet's Peter and Lotta-themed Nutcracker production has made me want to imagine other Nutcrackers themed to other classic children's books.

In particular, I've been imagining a Madeline-themed Nutcracker. It would combine the traditional Nutcracker plot with Madeline's Christmas, just as the Swedish production combined it with Peter and Lotta's Christmas.

It would start out with the plot of Madeline's Christmas: the eleven other girls and Miss Clavel all catch colds on Christmas Eve, so they can't go home from the boarding school for the holiday, and Madeline has to take care of them all.

During the Overture, the curtain would open on a Parisian street, and the girls would enter in their iconic two straight lines with Miss Clavel. Then there would be a short fantasy dance sequence, showing the girls imagining their families as they look forward to seeing them soon. Madeline would get particular emphasis, of course, and so would her parents in the fantasy. (Because, no, Madeline isn't an orphan. Her parents are alive and well in the books and in the earlier cartoons. The 1998 live action movie and the 1999 animated Madeline: Lost in Paris both made her an orphan, but this ballet is a separate canon.) But then, during the Overture's last bars, the eleven other girls and Miss Clavel would all gradually start sneezing, coughing, clutching their sore throats, etc.

The first scene proper takes place in the girls' dormitory, and show Madeline bustling from bed to bed, bringing the other girls tea, and giving some to the also-sick Miss Clavel when she comes in to check on them too. At one point she might stop to rest and gaze sadly at a photo of her parents. But then Pepito climbs up to the window and signals to her. (Pepito doesn't appear in Madeline's Christmas, but we need a mischievous little boy character to take Fritz's place in the Nutcracker plot.) They privately conspire together, then Pepito leaves, and a few moments later a knock is heard at the downstairs door, and Madeline goes to answer it. Then she reenters with Pepito, both dressed in special homemade costumes, and they invite the girls to put on their shawls and slippers and come downstairs.

The girls and Miss Clavel file down to the sitting room, where Pepito's parents and their servants from next door are just putting the finishing touches on a Christmas tree. Madeline announces that since they can't go home, they'll have a "Christmas at School" Party.

Happy dances proceed, with even Miss Clavel being persuaded to join in despite her initial shyness. At one point, though Pepito's "menagerie" of frogs, bugs, rats, etc. get loose from their cages and causes some funny chaos.

Suddenly, there's an unexpected knock at the door. Madeline answers it. Enter the Middle Eastern merchant/magician from the book of Madeline's Christmas, who is freezing and seeking shelter. He'll be taking the place of Drosselmeyer in this story. Madeline lets him in and warms him up with blankets and tea. As thanks, he performs a magic show for the girls and Pepito.

To fit the plot, I'll make the Magician into a toy merchant instead of a rug merchant. (I don't mind taking that liberty – after all, The Nutcracker, or Peter and Lotta's Christmas adds a romance between the charcoal-burner and the maid, when in the original book of Peter and Lotta's Christmas the charcoal-burner is a married man with children of his own.) Because it's Christmas, he gives each child a free toy from his supply. Madeline, of course, gets a nutcracker – maybe an especially French-looking soldier that resembles Napoleon. But of course mischievous Pepito tries to snatch it from her, and accidentally breaks it.

From this point on we follow the plot of The Nutcracker more closely. The party ends and everyone goes off to bed. But then Madeline sneaks downstairs in the night. She falls asleep holding her nutcracker, the Magician reappears, the room grows enormous, etc. But I don't think the enemy should be mice, because Madeline likes mice. Instead I think we'll use Pepito's menagerie of insects, bats, frogs, and rats, with a Rat King as their leader. This is why I included them in the earlier scene: to establish their existence.

To fight them, instead of the traditional toy soldier army, the Nutcracker would lead a mixed army of the other girls' dolls and stuffed toys, whose combat methods are unconventional but effective. Spunky Madeline will also play a more active role in the battle than Marie/Clara usually does.

After the Rat King is killed, the Nutcracker (played by an adult), will turn into a Prince who looks very much like Madeline's father, as we saw him in her fantasy and photo earlier. He'll be played by the same dancer and dressed in the same colors. Then, after the snowflake waltz (which will be much more urban than usual, with a theme of "snowfall in Paris"), he'll whisk Madeline away to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, who, of course, will resemble her mother. The Fairy will be emphasized as the Prince's love interest, from whom he's been separated ever since he was turned into a nutcracker. Instead of Marie/Clara's traditional dream of romance for herself, Madeline's dream of the Prince and the Fairy clearly reflects her longing to spend Christmas with her parents.

All the dances will play out as usual, although they might be themed to traditional French desserts and such. Since Pepito and his family are Spanish, I might also want their dancers to perform the Spanish dance, with Pepito providing comedy.

At the very end, we find Madeline still asleep downstairs on Christmas morning. Miss Clavel comes down, all well again and dressed, and then a knock is heard at the door. Miss Clavel answers it, and in come Madeline's parents to greet her just as she wakes up. The other girls' parents start to enter close behind them, and the girls file downstairs to meet them as the curtain falls.

Can someone please find a choreographer to help me bring this outline to life? :)

@ariel-seagull-wings

#the nutcracker #madeline #madeline's christmas #ballet #ballet synopsis #outline #choreography #imaginary #unreality

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mypromptlair · 2 years

Text

TCF Prompt 16

AU - The After Years

OG Cale, OG Choi Han and Kim Rok Soo. A regressor and transmigrator(and in Choi Hans case: both).

Changing the fate of TBOAH world for the better.

This takes place after the 2 year war. Where all that's left is trying to relax, heal, and deal with shitty politics and annoying drama along the way.

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

Before:

KRS fully transmigrated like CH.

Cale regressed to his 18 year old self(20 after the war is over).

Both CH and Cale regress before Harris Village is destroyed. They both end up saving it(Cale gaining one half of his mothers AP in the process)

Cale returns home injured giving Deruth bad flashbacks of Jour(alongside the staff and rest of the family) and also causing Ron and Beacrox not to leave yet.

GoD fucks up KRS transmigration and accidently dumps him in a empty well in the slums(after the Harris Village incident). Two certain kittens find him and lead Cale to him.

GoD sends a couple of hyungs as an apology. LSH and CJS are both 'alive and well' and joining in the chaos.

This leads to Cale learning of the shield AP and bringing in On and Hong much earlier.

KRS did not get the AP's to go along with his abilities, but gave them to Cale. Cale also has both halves of his mothers AP.

They head to the capital earlier too(or in Cale's case, sneaks off with them), saving a certain adorable baby dragon along the way. Choi Han is bitter at his 'past' self for what originally happened, but glad he could save him this time.

Ron and Beacrox go after them.

Redika may have gone after Cale during the bombing incident, and CH may or may not have actually killed him this time when he saw that mage so much as look at Cale like that. Both Ron and Beacrox also see Cale cough up blood, they are not happy.

Alberu is now another lil brother of the 'Soos' and having to call KRS "Hyung" this time around.

KRS and Cale giving everyone grey hairs during the war(and each other of course).

Actually they still do it even after the war(for ex: Cale drinking poison meant for a certain 'Prince Charmless' of his.)

KRS's original body was from the Thames family, so Cale is technically his blood relative. Which makes their bond even stronger(and KRS is very protective, because he finally has 'blood' family that's still alive, and he's making sure it stays that way).

Most events happen as in TCF, but also not(cause more people and memories to cause chaos. But it all works out in the end).

After:

Cale and CH have a truce and are close 'friends'(CH may or may not like his beautiful red head more than a friend, alongside a certain protective crown prince).

KRS, LSH and CJS finally have their farm.

Cale's trash act was finally ousted as an act(in most parts anyway). His family and old friends(Amiru, Gilbert and Eric), especially his siblings, were not amused(and are trying very hard to heal and understand one another better. They are also even more overprotective of each other.)

Cale still be trying to act as an elegant trash, but no ones having it(Ron may or may not have filled a bottle with lemonade instead of alcohol when he tried…)

His father also finally said he would make him the heir instead of Basen if he tried again(and certain vassals and staff are finally dealt with).

Cale has an interest/talent in the arts, something he and Violan finally bond over(and Violan is very pleased, cause neither Basen nor Lily are really interested in her work, etc. She can finally pass down some knowledge to one of her kids).

Cale, Bud and Cage(alongside Taylor when he can make it) are all drinking buddies.

Beacrox and Cale also come to an understanding(and while Cale jokingly calls him Hyung once again like when he was a child, Beacrox is actually happy to hear it again. Ron finds his kids adorable.)

The kids can finally proceed to have a very extra spoiled childhood without a war/fight looming over their heads. They do have to deal with school/tutoring now as well.

Alberu/Cale/Choi Han eventually do become a thing. After some extra slow burn, pining, and drama of course(and not only getting pass the Henituse family, but KRS as well, err…after he's done with his nap anyway.)

Somehow Cale is still as oblivious as KRS on certain things…maybe its a family trait haha.

Its not TBOAH or TCF without misunderstandings!

KRS and Cale still healing from the damage done from defeating the WS and the SG.

The Soo's be scamming them nobles when they give their found family problems.

Hunters can be a thing if wanted. Like an annoying fly that just needs to be swatted.

Everyone is kinda OP, GoD is so proud…and very very scared ;A;

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overbearingwatch · 2 years

Text

“Hiding?” Asks Angela, when she stumbles across Fareeha laying under the partial shade of a palm tree on the beach. Her arms are behind her head, pillowing her against the sand; sunglasses on. Maybe her eyes are closed. Maybe she is staring with that quiet intensity back at Angela. It’s impossible to say.

Maybe she’s asleep.

She’s removed her shirt, laying there in a sports bra and jean shorts.

Behind them and a mile away the Overwatch base is buzzing with the action of thirty agents arguing about how to proceed with their illegal affairs. It’s messy - the recall, the organization, deciding how best to utilize their assorted talents; where to go and who to save. It’s devolved into hours-long meetings and frustrated conversations always teetering the edge of open aggression. If Fareeha has come to the beach to get away from it, it’s only fair Angela tell her she’s doing the same.

“Hmm,” Fareeha hums in affirmation after a long time. Like she’d been trying to decide whether to pretend to be sleeping and finally decided against it. Angela had stopped actively paying her mind after the first few seconds, looking instead at the deep blues of the water, the glitter of sunlight over cresting waves. She stands there in her capri pants and white button down and contemplates.

When Fareeha responds, Angela is brought back to her. She looks down at Fareeha and with little more consideration, sinks down beside her, sand be damned, and tucks her knees up under her chin, loosely wrapping her arms around her shins.

“Hmm,” Angela echos.

Fareeha sits up a bit, so she’s on her forearms, her stomach flexes and the dormant muscles there surface in a way that distracts Angela.

“Too much noise,” Fareeha explains, lifting up her sunglasses to properly meet Angela’s eyes. Angela cannot help but notice she looks tired in the deep way that settles in her irises and the lines around her temples. “It’s not what I expected. The chaos.”

They’re quiet for a moment; Fareeha’s gaze goes to the sea, Angela watches the side of her face. She looks so young at a certain angle.

No, not young. She looks lost, Angela realizes.

“I suspect that this is the state of Overwatch from now into the foreseeable future. Activism often starts this way. A lot of people with a lot of passion trying to determine the best way to proceed.”

“What does it say about me,” says Fareeha, “that I didn’t know what fighting for a cause would look like? I thought all fighting would be the same. I look at this recall and its creed and objectives and I’m only now realizing: All I know how to do is fight the wrong way.”

“Well, you came. You left a military career behind you to join a half-cocked vigilante group just because you believed in it. I wouldn’t discount what that says about you.”

Fareeha snorts. Her midriff flexes again.

“And you left … whatever medical miracle-creating group I’m sure you were a part of.”

Angela smiles at her, laughing softly. Doctors Without Borders. She left Doctors Without Borders.

“Perhaps we’re both just a couple of idealistic fools in over our heads.” Angela says and looks briefly over her shoulder, in the direction of the campus. “Just like the rest of them.”

“Hmm,” Fareeha hums again.

Angela laughs, standing. “Let’s go swimming,” she says. Unbuttoning her shirt.

Fareeha glances up at her and then politely averts her gaze.

When Angela is down to her bra and panties and nothing else, and Fareeha has not moved, she bends down and grabs the woman by her bicep and coaxes her up.

“Please?” She says, unbuttoning Fareeha’s shorts, the fall down her thighs and land in the sand with a slight sound next to her earlier discarded shirt. Fareeha’s eyes are warm and intent on her. Angela feels hot all over, even in her boldness.

“Yeah, okay,” says Fareeha, breathless.

Angela smiles, they look away from each other as they independently rid themselves of the rest of their clothes. Angela runs to the water with light abandon and jumps over one wave before falling into the next.

She turns to watch just as Fareeha makes it to where the water meets the sand. She’s beautiful. Confident and shy all at once. Hard life etched into her soft, warm skin.

After a moment of standing there she wades in, meeting Angela where the shallows reach up to their shoulders.

“It’s cold!” Fareeha says over the sound of the sea.

Angela laughs, nodding.

“But nice?” She asks. Fareeha grins, looking truly content for the first time since Angela first found her.

“But nice,” Fareeha tells her.

My brain, waffling erratically between “write something horny” and “write something sweet” I went with sweet. But Angela did rid Fareeha of her pants so you can see I was really struggling to ignore the horny even still

#pharmercy #Pharah #mercy #my fanfiction

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dlea203 · 1 year

Text

5 years - Hannix AU

A/N: I already explained here how I'm planning to proceed with this chapter. In case anyone is interested... I listened excessively (and by excessively, I mean very excessively😅!) to Rhythm of my heart by Rod Stewart and Nur 1 Minute by Hecht (song in swiss german from one of the best swiss bands there is😍!) for the whole chapter but especially during writing the flashback scene. Since I suspect that I'm the only swiss german speaking here, I tried myself at translating and adapting it here😬😅. I DO NOT have any rights at the song and I'm not claiming to! The song belongs entirely to Hecht and their production company! I hope you enjoy🥰!

Taglist: @sweetwhispersofchaos

Warnings: almost drowning (losely based on a personal experience), angst, lots of fluff💗

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Chapter Five

The first hour at the beach passed by quickly. The Fitches called and apologized for being late, but apparently Shannon’s sister had spontaneously decided to visit San Diego and therefor they went out to meet her for lunch. They would join later though. Natasha and Penny chatted the whole time, laughing at their husbands and daughters who kept chasing each other in the water and on land. Penny told her about the sailing trip she had taken with Maverick and Amelia and Natasha reported what had happened at dinner yesterday.

“I bet it was pure chaos”, Penny chuckled.

“Oh yeah, that it was”, Natasha answered and turned her gaze to the water, just in time to catch Jake dunking their former instructor under water.

Lynn and Amelia squealed in delight, jumping out of reach to evade the same destiny as Maverick. Jake chased them down, but Amelia was a fast swimmer and managed to get to the beach before he could reach her. Lynn wasn’t as lucky. He caught her ankle and yanked her back, holding her upside down just above the water.

“What are you gonna do now, princess, huh?”, he asked, smirking devilishly.

“Let me down, daddy!”, Lynn yelled, giggling and fighting against his hold on her, but she had no chance.

“You sure you want me to let you down? You’re gonna get dunked”, he warned playfully, slowly lowering her.

“No! Stop!”, Lynn gasped, punching her little fists into the water.

“Hold your breath”, Jake instructed and dunked her, headfirst, under water.

Once she was under water, he let go of her ankle. In attempt to quickly resurface, Lynn kicked wildly, causing the water to churn and bury her beneath it. Wherever she looked, there was water, which burned in her eyes. The waves, even though they were small and gentle, added to keeping her underwater. She couldn’t reach the surface, no matter how hard she tried. Why did no one help her? Couldn’t they see that she was unable to help herself? Lynn started to panic. She cried out as loud as she could, swallowing a ton of water in the process. Her lungs protested heavily, turning her whole body into a shaking mess. A primal fear settled deep in her bones, fueled by her natural will to survive. Where was her dad? Would he let her die? Was he looking for her and couldn’t find her? Or couldn’t he reach her? For Lynn it felt like an eternity when it was really “only” a few seconds until Jake managed to grab her around her hips and pull her to the surface. Lynn coughed and gasped for air; her cheeks tinted in a deep pink color. Jake’s playful mood was instantly gone, worry overtaking his features.

“Hey Princess, you okay?”

Lynn was still gasping and holding onto him as if her life depended on it. Her small fingers dug into his arm and her eyes were wide with shock. Jake brushed her wet blonde locks out of her face, holding her close to his chest. Ensuring that she was safe.

“Lynn are you okay?!”, he asked a bit louder, his voice full of worry and a tiny bit of fear.

He was still new at this parenting thing, but he could see that she was still fighting for breath. That she wasn’t alright yet. His heartrate picked up speed, making his heart pound against his ribcage. Has she been underwater for too long? Would she lose consciousness any moment? Has she been seriously injured?

Lynn nodded slowly, taking deep breaths, and rubbing the salty water out of her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine”, she finally answered, but her voice trembled slightly.

“You sure?”

Jake didn’t fully believe her. And he didn’t like the look in her eyes; not at all. She was still scared. His little girl was scared, and it was his fault.

But Lynn nodded again and loosened the tight grip of her fingers a bit.

“I’m okay, daddy.”

Jake hugged her tight, burying her face in his neck, and soothingly stroking her back.

“I’m sorry, princess. I shouldn’t have dunked you like that. I didn’t want you to get hurt or scared. I’m so sorry”, he rambled, his heart still beating out of his chest.

“It’s fine daddy. I’m fine”, Lynn assured him, pulling back to look at him.

She smiled brightly, the rosy color already disappearing from her cheeks. She gently cupped his cheek.

“You didn’t hurt me, daddy. I’m okay. Just a little shaky”, she admitted, already giggling again.

Jake smiled back at her, but his expression was pained.

“I think we should take a little break. Yeah?”

Lynn nodded. Jake carried her back to the shore where he put her down to let her run off. He trailed behind and took some deep steadying breaths, attempting to calm his racing heart. That had almost gone wrong. He’d almost lost his daughter, one day after returning home. He watched her run straight at Natasha, flinging herself into her mother’s arms.

Nat almost lost her because of me, he thought.

That thought did nothing to calm his heartbeat. And it caused a string of questions to form in his head. Which was unusual for him since he rarely ever questioned himself. A no-go at his job. But right now, these dangerous questions clouded his mind as he stood a few feet in front of the picnic blanket, staring blankly into nowhere. Was he made for this? He hadn’t even been around his daughter for twenty-four hours and already came way too close to killing her. Would he ever be a good father? He’d already missed the first five years of her life and barely managed to keep her alive. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do should she feel sick or unwell. He didn’t know what she liked or hated. He didn’t know what kind of music she liked to listen to or what audiobooks she enjoyed. Who her friends were. At what place she enjoyed spending time. His heart sank.

He knew nothing about his daughter.

A good father knows his children. Every façade of their personality. He would hold them on their bad days, helping them through their struggles and pull all the tricks he knew to cheer them up. He would be there when they experience big achievements to cheer on them, his heart exploding from love and pride. He is their biggest fan, come hell or high water. He loves them with every fiber of his being.

Jake sighed. He is Lynn’s biggest fan, that fact is undiscussable. He loves her more than life itself, also undiscussable. But he doesn’t know anything about his daughter. And only love is not nearly enough to make me a good father, he thought.

His face must have reflected the content of his inner monologue since he earned a concerned look from his wife when he walked up to them.

“All good?”, she asked while braiding Lynn’s hair.

Penny eyed him curiously while reaching into her bag to retrieve a bottle of water for Lynn. Jake swallowed hard and reached for his shirt first, yanking it on before grabbing his flip-flops.

“I – ehm… I’m gonna take a walk. Be right back”, he stuttered and marched off without waiting for an answer.

“Daddy? Where are you going?”, he heard Lynn call after him.

He didn’t stop, instead increasing his pace. He needed to get away or else his daughter would see him crying. He couldn’t let her see how much that incident in the water had shaken him up.

“Jake?”, he heard Natasha’s concerned voice from afar.

Still, he kept walking away from them.

*-*

“What just happened?”, Natasha asked, utterly confused, and mildly concerned.

“I don’t know”, Penny answered, watching Jake march down the shore with furrowed brows.

“Daddy!”, Lynn cried and attempted to run after him, but Natasha held her back.

“No baby, stay here. Stay with Penny, I’m gonna go look after Daddy”, she ordered and sat her daughter down next to Penny.

“Where is Jake going?”, Maverick asked, as Amelia and he returned from the water.

“I’m gonna look after him. Keep an eye on Lynn, please”, Natasha asked while putting her sundress back on and throwing her sunglasses onto her bag.

After quickly stepping into her flip-flops, she jogged after her husband.

Lynn, the clever child she was, wanted to use the momentum to run after her parents, but Penny caught on quickly and grabbed her arm firmly, pulling her back onto the blanket.

“No, no, no young lady. You stay here”, she chuckled and put her arms around Lynn, hugging her tightly to her chest.

“But Mommy and Daddy–“

“Your parents are fine. Don’t worry, sweetheart.”

Lynn fought against Penny’s hold for all but one minute before giving up and engaging in a conversation with Amelia. Maverick and Penny exchanged a worried glance, silently communicating with their eyes. But soon enough, the girls dragged them right into their conversation.

*-*

He’d just gained back at least some control over his feelings when he heard her calling him again.

“Jake, wait!”

“I’m fine”, he shot back without turning around.

“No, you’re not. Don’t try to fool me”, she retorted and grabbed his arm.

“Let it go, Nat. It’s nothing.”

He yanked his arm out of her hold, trying hard not to let her see the tears glistening in his eyes. But he’d forgotten how stubborn his wife could be. She ran ahead of him and stopped him by putting her hands on his chest, clearly annoyed because of his behavior. But her next snappy retort died on her tongue the moment she saw his face.

“What’s wrong?”, she asked instead, her voice laced with worry.

“Nothing”, he tried to deflect again, but she saw right through it.

“Please Jake, talk to me. What’s wrong? Is it too much, being here with Maverick, Penny and Amelia? Did I do something? Or Lynn?”

“What? No!”

“What is it then?”

He averted his gaze, looking at the waves lapping at the shore. Anywhere but at her. He couldn’t tell her, or rather, he didn’t want to. He was afraid of her reaction, fearing she would slap him across his face for nearly taking away their daughter from her and tell him to stay the hell away from them. He couldn’t bear to lose them a second time. His heartbeat fastened underneath his rips and his breathing picked up speed too. Fear crept up his neck and sent his thoughts spinning inside his head. He shut his eyes tightly, curling his hands into fists at the side of his body. Was he having a panic attack? He didn’t know because he couldn’t think straight. He felt like he had a ton of weight on his shoulders, that was slowly crushing him. He knew he should tell her, but he couldn’t. His throat was tight and dry, making it impossible to speak.

Natasha watched his features change and knew that he was fighting something. A memory maybe? A flashback to his time over there? She didn’t know and she didn’t want to ask, fearing she would scare him away and make everything worse. So, she took his hand, squeezing it gently before bringing it up to her lips to kiss his knuckles. Grounding him; or at least an attempt to. Like in their early days as a couple, it worked wonders.

“She almost drowned.”

His voice was no more than a whisper. Hadn’t she been hyper focused on finding out what was wrong, she would have easily missed it.

“Lynn?”, she asked nonetheless, just to clarify.

He nodded barely visible.

“She’s okay”, Natasha answered simply, mostly to buy herself some time to sort out her thoughts.

Her heart did a somersault at his confession, nonetheless she stayed calm. Lynn was fine, hadn’t said a word when she came back to the picnic blanket. She had looked fine too, maybe a bit out of breath but no serious injuries. Nothing to worry about.

“No – it’s…”, he began, running his free hand through his hair, “I’m not even twenty-four hours around her and she almost dies! I can’t… I–“

“Jake, she is fine. Nothing happened because you were there. Everything is fine.”

“No, nothing is fine, Nat! I almost killed her! My own daughter!”

“Stop, please–“

“I’m supposed to protect her, not put her in danger! She’s supposed to feel safe with me! How is that possible if she almost dies on my watch?!”

“Hey, look at me”, she interrupted, cradling his cheek in her palm and turning his face to her.

He looked devastated, self-conscious and so much not like himself that it broke her heart.

“She’s fine. Lynn is fine. Nothing happened, okay?”

“I’m not made for this… I should… I’ll never be a good father. I missed out on too much and I have no idea what I’m doing. That’s a horrible environment for a child to grow up in. I can’t do this.”

Natasha shook her head, gently wiping away some of the tears that had escaped his eyes.

“All you’re saying is nonsense and you know that. You are a good father”, she insisted, searching his eyes.

He looked at her, cautiously putting his hands on her waist. He needed to hold onto something to ground himself. And as she had been for many years, she was his anchor. He surrendered himself to this feeling of comfort that he’d been missing for the past five years. She had never failed to make him feel at ease when he needed it the most.

“Most importantly, she is safe with you. I know that and she knows it too. She trusts you blindly, Jake. Like I do.”

Her words helped settle his heartbeat. How she did it was a mystery to him and would most likely remain that. However, against his inner urge to be in control, he let her lead him. Away from his doubts and fears, back to himself.

“And she knows how much you love her, I made sure of that.”

Natasha smiled at him, still framing his face with her hands.

“I told her, from day one, how much her Daddy loves her. How badly he wanted to be her Daddy. How he wanted to wrap her up in his strong arms and never let go. How much he cried when she came into this world.”

They shared a laugh at the memory. Natasha was glad to see some of the tension leave his shoulders.

“She knows, Jake. She’s always known, and she promised me to never forget it. Besides…”

He raised his brows when she remained silent for a couple of seconds.

“Do you seriously think I knew what I was doing when we had her? And what exactly makes you think that I know what I’m doing now?”

He chuckled, pressing his forehead against hers.

“I’m still figuring out this parenting thing. And as I heard from our friends, that never stops. But I’m so glad that now I don’t have to do it alone after all”, she admitted, smiling widely and brushing her thumb over his cheek.

Jake pulled her into a tight hug, trying to express his gratitude and love on that way. His throat was still way too dry to speak. She buried her face in his neck, reveling in the feeling of home. Because that was what his arms felt like. Home.

*-*

They still took that walk Jake intended to. To calm themselves in the first place, but also to enjoy some time alone. The opportunities would be rare in the next few days, so they savored every chance they got to just be together again. Although that conversation from last night in the kitchen was still hanging in the air, they didn’t mind. Now wasn’t the time to talk about that. Jake promised to tell her when he was ready, and Natasha believed him.

Strolling down the beach, hand in hand, they basked in the comfortable silence for a few moments before Jake spoke up.

“I remember why we fought so hard to stay here”, he remarked, staring at the horizon where the water seemed to sparkle, “The view’s still as beautiful.”

Natasha chuckled, tightening her grip on his hand just a little more.

“Long time ago”, she stated absentmindedly.

“Feels like forever and yesterday at the same time”, he agreed and stopped suddenly, positioning her in front of him.

His arms wrapped themselves around her waist from behind and his head settled on her right shoulder. She held onto his arms, leaning back into his chest and closed her eyes when he dropped a kiss on her cheek. They enjoyed their moment quietly, letting their eyes wander over the sea.

“Since then, we got married and became parents… Can you believe it?”, she asked, chuckling softly.

“Crazy… We were so young back then.”

“Well, I don’t know if one considers 29 young–“, she countered and yelped when he started tickling her sides.

“Are you calling us old, Misses Seresin?”

“Who said anything about me?”, she quipped and squealed when he turned her around and threw her over his shoulder.

“Let me down!”

“I’m gonna carry you like this for the rest of the day”, he threatened playfully and started walking back to their friends.

“No, Jake! Let me down!”

“Not a chance!”

“I’m serious! Let me down, right now!”

She pounded his back, not too hard, but with enough force to get her point across. Suddenly, she lost her balance and almost fell forward too far, so she instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt for support.

“Jake!”, she gasped.

He laughed devilishly and adjusted his grip on her hips and legs, pulling her further up. She forgot to let go of his shirt and pulled it up his back a bit. When she realized that, she froze. There were scars on his back, varying in length and healing status. She saw them for the first time. Last night, during their passionate hours in bed, she hadn’t seen them because of the darkness. She hadn’t even felt them while roaming his back because she hadn’t been particularly focused or able to form coherent thoughts. But they were there. She resisted the urge to trace them with her fingers, not wanting to reveal to him that she’d found them. There must be a reason he hadn’t shown her yet or told her about them. Although she was more than willing to find out why he got them, she didn’t want to pressure him too much. He’d tell her, once he was ready.

Luckily, Jake didn’t seem to notice that she’d frozen above him or that she’d pulled up his shirt. Slowly, she let it fall down, covering his scars again.

“Maybe if you ask nicely”, he answered instead.

She could hear the smirk in his voice and rolled her eyes, nonetheless unable to fight the smile that crept on her lips. Truth be told, she was relieved, even if the scars worried her. He was back to himself, to the man she had fallen for and vowed to spend the rest of her life with.

“Please”, she conceded swallowing down her pride.

Slowly, he lowered her back down into the sand, before pulling her in for a kiss. She gasped against his lips before kissing him back, her hands gently weaving through his hair.

“I love you”, he whispered when they pulled apart for air.

“I love you”, she replied just as softly.

They kissed again, then intertwined their fingers and headed back to their friends.

*-*

“Everything alright?”, Penny checked, when they took a seat moments later.

Jake nodded and put on his sunglasses, before lying down with his hands behind his head. Natasha chose to keep her sundress on this time, stretched her legs out and copied his position, reaching for her sunglasses and pushing them onto her nose.

They barely had a minute before Lynn all but flung herself down on Jake’s chest and yelled at him to join her and Amelia for building a sandcastle.

Natasha expected him to ask for a minute of rest, but Jake nodded his head and let her drag him with her. Natasha shook her head, smiling.

And he worried he wouldn’t be a good father, she thought.

Their daughter was spoiled rotten with the amount of attention she got from him. Natasha wondered whether it would be a problem when Monday rolled around, since Lynn had to attend kindergarten then and would definitely not be getting that much attention there.

“Penny for your thoughts?”, a voice interrupted her train of thoughts.

She glanced over, looking directly into the curious eyes of Maverick. Penny had left them on their own to take part in the sandcastle building process.

“Oh, umm… yeah, I was just thinking about what Jake and I talked about before”, she answered cautiously, trying to buy herself some time.

“Is he okay?”

Maverick nodded down into the direction of Jake, observing the scene.

“Yeah–“

“I mean, is he really okay?”

“What?”

She looked at Maverick, confused. Maverick sighed, lightly shaking his head.

“He’s doing a good job at playing it cool, but - after everything he's been through, I don't know… it's impossible to just put it away. I wonder if the long-term effects have already started or if he still has enough strength to suppress everything...”

She kept her gaze on Maverick, her heartrate picking up speed.

“Do you know what happened to him over there?”, she breathed out.

She was desperate to know, and she was willing to use every chance she got to gather some information. Maverick pressed his lips into a tight line.

“Has he told you anything yet?”

“No. He keeps brushing it off as a long story and that he doesn’t want to talk about it. And I respect that, but… I need to know. I want to help him, but I can’t do that, when I have no idea about what he went through. So, do you know something?”

“He should be the one telling you”, Maverick deflected, studying Jake from afar.

“Please”, Natasha pleaded, gently touching Maverick’s arm to get his attention.

“I… I can’t, Phoenix.”

“Please!”

She rarely begged like this, but Jake’s well-being was very close to her heart.

“No. I can’t betray his trust. He… He begged me not to tell anyone and I won’t break that promise. He’ll talk about it when he’s ready.”

Maverick smiled sadly at her, apologizing with his eyes. Natasha sighed in defeat. Then, a thought occurred to her. Questions that had been sitting in the back of her mind since this morning in the kitchen.

“How did you know he was alive? How are you involved in this?”

Maverick’s eyes widened and he clenched his jaw, remaining silent. Natasha looked him dead in the eyes, waiting, but her patience was fading fast.

“Phoenix–“

“No! With all due respect, sir, I have enough of everyone keeping me completely in the dark! So, answer my question.”

Maverick sighed, hiding his face in his hands for a moment. She was about to demand again when he exhaled loudly, hugging his knees, looking at the horizon.

“Fine”, he conceded, “it started with–“

“Phoenix!”, Payback called out, Shannon and the kids walking up behind him.

Natasha almost cursed her friend’s timing out loud, took a deep breath instead and swallowed down her frustration, before flashing her friends a smile and getting up to hug Shannon. Her expression changed immediately though when only Payback was in her eyesight. Upon seeing her face, Payback pursed his lips and raised his brows.

“Did we interrupt something?”

“It’s fine”, Natasha brushed off, trying her best to mask her disappointment, before bending down to press a loud kiss on the cheek of her goddaughter, Hailey.

“Hi sweetie”, she cooed and wrapped the girl up in her arms.

Hailey hugged her tight, a huge smile on her face. They had a special bond, practically from the day Hailey had been born. When Payback and Shannon had asked her to be Hailey’s godmother, Natasha had burst into tears; a rare thing to happen, at least before Jake’s accident. But becoming the godmother of the first-born dagger squad baby was such an honor, that even Natasha had teared up about. Hailey was an absolute sunshine and, much to Natasha’s delight, Lynn’s chosen role model.

“How are you?”, Natasha asked, putting Hailey down into the sand and brushing a hand through her curls.

“I’m very happy”, the ten-year-old answered, “because I got a good grade in mathematics last week!”

“Oh yeah? What did you get?”

“An A plus!”

Natasha high-fived her goddaughter with a proud smile on her face. Hailey was a genius in math, acing almost every exam at only ten years of age.

“She definitely inherited that from Reuben. I was terrible in math”, Shannon grinned, taking Hailey’s flip-flops and stashing them away.

“Hi auntie Phoenix”, Sam waved, before running straight over to Amelia, Penny, Jake and Lynn.

Natasha didn’t even have enough time to answer him before he was already out of earshot. Delilah fought against the death grip her father had on her arm to avoid the sunscreen he wanted to put on her face.

“Come on, Delilah. It’s for your own good. Believe me, you don’t want to get a sunburn”, Payback tried for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Here, let me help you”, Shannon laughed and crouched down onto the picnic blanket she’d laid out.

Hailey put on sunscreen by herself and only checked with Natasha to see if she had missed a spot, before running over to join the sandcastle building crew. Shannon and Reuben busied themselves with Delilah while Ally glanced longingly down the shore to the others. But she stayed right where she was, knowing that she wasn’t allowed to go near the water without her swim west on. Luckily, Natasha knew that and helped her put it on.

“There you go, now you can join them”, she smiled and cupped Ally’s cheek gently.

Ally smiled widely at her before taking off. Only a few instances later, Delilah was up and ready to join her twin sister, her laughter delighting the grown-ups who stayed in the shadow.

Natasha wished she could ask Maverick to take a walk with her to resume their conversation, but that was inappropriate. So, she sat down next to Shannon and started chatting with her to distract herself from what she’d learned today. But no matter how hard she tried to fight it, occasionally, her gaze would land on Jake and her mind asked all these unanswered questions again.

*-*

Thanksgiving, one year ago…

A gentle breeze blew across the patio, displacing the daytime heat that was still building up here in Texas, even in late November. Natasha stretched her nose into the air and inhaled the familiar scent of fresh hay and the rose bushes which were planted in front of the patio. It was a wonderful end to today, especially considering the date. Thanksgiving was, unsurprisingly so, her least favorite holiday of the year and had been causing downright discomfort for four years. She was certain she would never fully get back to liking the holiday, but under these circumstances, she would at least come to tolerate the celebration.

For the first time since Jake had died, Natasha and Lynn spent Thanksgiving in Texas with Nancy and Jeff Seresin. Although Jake had never been super close with his parents, they’d always had a friendly relationship, especially since Natasha and later Lynn had joined the family. Jake’s parents loved their granddaughter dearly and had been a part of her life since her birth. And they loved Natasha. Usually, mother and daughter-in-law are not expected to have a great relationship, and Jake was worried at the beginning that due to his own dispute with his parents, they would give Natasha an even harder time. But those worries were unnecessary. From the first meeting on, Jeff and Nancy had been very friendly and even kind to Natasha, welcoming her into the family with warm smiles.

*-*

“She’s a good soul and she makes you happy”, Nancy had said to her son when Natasha was out of earshot.

“Yeah, she does.”

“I think I’ve never seen you happier”, she smiled and patted his arm lovingly.

Jake smiled back. It was one of the nicest honest conversations he’d had with his mother since his sister’s death. Although the wounds of that story were still deep and caused a great distance between him and his parents, he felt that they were taking steps towards each other again. Whether that had something to do with a certain dark-haired woman who was currently being toured over the ranch by his father, he wasn’t 100% sure. But the odds were pretty good.

“I hope it works out with her.”

Jake took his mother’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“I really hope so too.”

He’d left his hometown with a black velvet box containing a very special ring, which he gave to Natasha not long after that first visit to Texas. The rest is history…

*-*

“She understands where he is”, Natasha stated absentmindedly.

She sat at the big wooden table, her arms crossed over her chest and her legs stretched out. Nancy sat next to her, with her hands folded in her lap and her legs crossed. The used dishes from dinner were still on the table, along with a half-empty wine bottle.

They currently watched Jeff hold the rope of Lynn's horse, Sissi, and laugh with his granddaughter who was sitting on the wooden fence, patting the horse. With his other arm, he braced Lynn’s back to keep her from falling off the fence.

“She does?”, Nancy asked, not tearing her eyes away from the scene on the lawn of the ranch.

“On her first day of kindergarten back in September, the parents were allowed to stay for the first hour. Most children had both parents with them, even if they were already divorced or separated. Except Lynn, obviously. When it was time for me to leave for work, I wanted to say goodbye. Lynn was playing with that girl she had become friends with during the first five minutes, so I walked up to them and overheard their conversation. The girl asked her about her dad, where he was, why he wasn’t there and Lynn…”

Natasha had to take a deep breath to steady herself. She felt like she was transported back to the original moment. Reliving it in front of her mind’s eye, together with all the feelings.

“Lynn said… My daddy is with the angels, there where the ocean meets the sky. He watches over me and mommy… Then the girl asked if her mommy has brought home another daddy and if she misses her right one. And Lynn, my smart little daughter, answered casually… We miss him every day, but we don’t need anyone else. It’s just me and mommy.”

Nancy drew in a breath, still looking at her granddaughter, then her lips curled up into a small smile. Natasha shook her head slightly, feeling a few tears well up in her eyes.

“She is too clever for her age…“

“What?”, Nancy asked, turning her head around for the first time.

Natasha sighed, biting her bottom lip before continuing.

“She should be angry, hurt… I don’t know – absolutely furious with me! She should cry and scream at me!”

“Why?”

Nancy reached over and laid her hand on Natasha’s arm.

“Because she is four years old and doesn’t have a father!”, Natasha sobbed, barely keeping herself together.

Her mother-in-law gently stroked her arm, attempting to sooth her. Nancy had trouble understanding where this was suddenly coming from or why her daughter-in-law was seeing things that way.

“I can’t see what you’re trying to tell me, sweetheart”, Nancy calmly responded, still stroking Natasha’s arm, “because she has a father. She knows who her father is. He’s just not able to be here, be with her.”

“But that’s the point!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t get it.”

“Why did I have to fall for a fellow officer, of all people?”, Natasha sighed, wiping at her cheeks and gently shaking her head.

Even though Nancy knew that Natasha only sounded so defeated because she had an emotional moment, not because she truly meant those words, the fact, that she said them anyway, stung. More, than she first realized. Suddenly, Nancy feared that Natasha regretted her decision to choose Jake. But that was certainly not the case, right? They‘d been so in love… so excited when they learned that Lynn was on the way. They never once mentioned that it had been a bad decision to keep the child. Or to have married each other in the first place…

„I didn’t want that. I knew what I was signing up for when I joined the Navy. Hectic life, no real place to call home, most likely no long-term relationships… I was okay with that. I didn’t need anyone but myself and my family, which is always on my side. And then?”

She stopped and sighed again, rubbing her hands over her face. Nancy didn’t utter a single word, nervously chewing on the inside of her mouth. She was not sure whether she’d like where this was going.

“Then, Jake happens. He comes into my life with a capturing smile and irresistible charm and turns everything upside down… God, did he infuriate me! I thought we would just be at each other’s throats ‘til the end of our lives, but no… Oh, was I wrong about that.”

Another beat of silence followed.

“Instead, he becomes one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I never believed that those sappy romance novels have a point when they claim that you’re on cloud nine when you’re in love. Another thing I was wrong about. With Jake, I was floating. We had our problems, our disputes… which couple doesn’t? But not once did I think about leaving him! Not ever. At the end of the day, he was the one I wanted to call first when I succeeded in a new and difficult maneuver, when I saw a particularly beautiful sunset, when I won a sparring battle against one of my colleagues… he was the first and last thing I thought about every day. When he asked me to marry him, I was over the moon, as pathetic as that sounds. I wanted nothing more than to become his wife. Which was already risky for my heart.”

Natasha bit her lower lip, brushing her finger over the rings on her left hand. Even after four years, she still couldn’t take them off. Whenever she considered it, she felt like she was cheating on him.

“Suddenly, there was someone other than my family that could lose me. There was someone I could lose. I was able to accept that because the time I got to spend with him was more than worth the worries during a deployment. I strongly believe each one of us would have been able to cope if the other hadn’t come back from a mission. That’s a risk the job demands we take… But when I got pregnant, that was a different story. It wasn’t about just us anymore. We faced a responsibility, a huge one. There was now a little person… a tiny, helpless human that couldn’t live without us… that shouldn’t have to grow up without one of us.”

She watched her daughter laugh heartily and saw all the similarities Lynn shared with Jake. The joy featured on her face in the same way it used to on Jake’s. The laugh sounding from deep within her belly. The dimples on her cheeks. Natasha’s heart soared and ached equally.

“However, it was never up for discussion that we keep it. Best decision of our life. Nothing can compare to the feeling we had when we got to hold her for the first time. When her beautiful eyes opened for the first time and took in the world around her. All of these firsts that we witnessed together made the worries worth it. We still knew that it was possible that Lynn could lose one of us. But somehow, even with that mission coming right up, we convinced ourselves that it wouldn‘t happen to us. I guess that was silly“, she smiled sadly and took Nancy‘s hand to squeeze it gently.

“You were hopeful, that’s not silly”, Nancy pointed out, squeezing her hand back.

“Let’s agree on hopeful in a naïve way”, Natasha replied, shaking her head while watching Lynn and Jeff walk Sissi back to the stable.

“Anyway… I don’t even know where I was trying to go with this”, Natasha admitted, looking at her mother-in-law with wonder in her eyes.

Nancy laughed. It was clear where Jake and now Lynn got their laughter from.

“Originally, you started this with telling me that Lynn understands where Jake is”, she offered, smiling.

“Right, yeah”, Natasha chuckled, looking down at their interlocked fingers, “well, I don’t know… it felt like a gut punch hearing her say that. It reminded me that it’s my fault that she doesn’t have a dad–“

“For heaven’s sake, Natasha, it’s not your fault!”, Nancy interjected, exasperated.

She hated that Natasha kept saying that.

“It is”, Natasha insisted, meeting her gaze.

“No, it’s not. We can’t choose who we fall in love with, that’s the simple truth. It’s one of the few things that are decided over our heads. And to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m not regretting Jake. Did you think I do?”

Her mouth formed into a little o-shape and she furrowed her brows. Nancy chose to stay silent, but that still gave her earlier thoughts away.

“I’m not, I swear! I didn’t want you to think that. God, how could I regret him? He’s the father of my child! The love of my life! I treasure what we had – what life has given us. What we’ve built together. I wouldn’t exchange it for anything. Never. What I wanted to say is, I should have told him to stay at home. He would still be here had I done that.”

“You can't know that! If not on this mission, he might have died on the next one.”

“There wouldn’t have been a next one”, Natasha released shakily, covering her mouth with her right hand, averting her gaze for a moment.

“What? But… how?”

“With his next promotion, he would’ve been able to apply for a position as an instructor. We might have had to move, but the risk of him dying would have been reduced many times over.”

“But I thought he only gets promoted if he flies the mission in Afghanistan?”

“We thought so too, but Cyclone enlightened us shortly before Jake made his decision. He would have gotten his promotion, but a year or two later. He would have had to do one or two more longtime deployments, but those would have related to less danger.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah… see why it’s my fault? I should’ve insisted that he goes for the safer route. He was worried that we’d lose the house, but I would’ve even slept under a bridge if it meant that he was still alive and with me!”

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry”, Nancy said and reached over to brush away a few of Natasha’s tears, “it was a horrible decision Jake had to make. My boy was forced to choose between the safety of his family and his own... and you know what? Even if you’d asked him to play it safe and go for the longtime deployments, he would have still chosen to go for the mission. He wanted to be able to offer you a safe and stable life, in the house of your dreams filled to the brim with love. That was my son. And if it meant that he had to risk his life for it, he would’ve done it over and over again.”

Natasha pressed her lips together and nodded, watching Jeff and Lynn come back from the stable. Her mother-in-law was right. No matter how many times he would have been forced to make that decision, her husband would have given his life for the safety of his family every time.

*-*

“Mommy, come look how funny Grandma looks in this picture!”, Lynn yelled from the living room.

Natasha smiled while she finished drying the plate she was currently holding and put it onto the pile on the counter. Jeff, standing next to her and rinsing the last wine glass, chuckled and nodded into the direction of the living room.

“You better hurry before she comes to drag you over there”, he laughed.

“You sure? We’re not done yet”, Natasha checked.

“Don’t worry, there’s not much more to do anyway. I got it.”

She patted his arm, smiling at him thankfully, and left the kitchen to join the other two ladies. Nancy held a photo album in her lap and Lynn was squished into her side, gazing intently at the pictures presented to her. When Natasha walked up to them, Lynn lifted her head, a giant smirk on her face.

“Mommy, look”, she said and pointed at an old photograph sitting in the middle of the right page.

It was indeed a funny picture of Nancy. It had been taken on a beach day; the position of the sun made it almost too dark to see anything. Nancy wore a giant sunhat and made a funny face at the baby lying on the blanket in front of her. The baby’s laughter could almost be heard through the picture.

“Yeah, she looks funny. She’s making a grimace, like you do sometimes.”

“Do I look like that too when I make a funny face?”, Lynn asked, giggling.

“Mhmm”, Natasha nodded.

Lynn had to try it out immediately, sending her mother and grandmother into a fit of laughter. Once she recovered from it, Natasha shook her head and kissed her daughter’s hair, plopping down next to her on the couch. Lynn’s attention was already back on the picture.

“Who is the baby, Grandma?”, she asked, her finger tapping onto the picture.

“That’s Caroline”, Nancy answered, staring absentmindedly at the baby.

Her eyes turned glassy, and she skimmed the baby’s head with her fingers.

“Who is Caroline?”

Natasha sucked in a breath. Lynn gazed at her grandmother, intrigued by her answer. Nancy slowly turned her head towards her grandchild, smiling sadly.

“Caroline is my daughter. She’s your daddy’s sister.”

Natasha pressed her lips together, nervously observing the conversation from her spot next to Lynn. They’d never mentioned Jake’s sister to Lynn before. When she’d been pregnant, she and Jake had talked about the topic “Caroline”. They’d discussed how they wanted to approach it, when the right time was, who’ll be the one initiating the conversation and so on. They’d also talked to Nancy and Jeff about it, checking with them whether they were envisioning the “right” way. Ultimately, they decided to wait until Lynn would be a little older, until she’d be able to properly understand the story behind “Caroline”. But since Jake had died, that plan had been thrown out the window, like so many other plans they’d made…

“Daddy has a sister?”, Lynn asked incredulously, her eyes almost popping out of her head and her mouth slightly agape.

She looked like one of those comic characters and almost made her mother and grandmother laugh. They would’ve if the topic at hand weren’t such a serious one.

“Yeah”, Nancy answered simply.

“I didn’t know that. Where is she? Can we meet her sometime?”

Lynn whipped her head around and met Natasha’s eyes.

“Did you know daddy has a sister, mommy?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Can we meet her? I want to meet her!”

She started to bounce excitedly on the couch like she had a sugar rush.

“That’s not possible, Lynn”, Nancy interjected, gently grabbing Lynn’s hands.

“Why not? Does she live too far away?”

“She’s… Caroline’s not with us anymore, sweetheart.”

“But… I don’t understand… where is she?”

Nancy met Natasha’s gaze for a split-second, took a deep breath and looked back at Lynn. Natasha didn’t dare to breathe, her heart beating violently against her ribcage.

“Caroline is with the angels, just like your daddy.”

*-*

From that moment on, the evening had developed into a disaster. Lynn had stared at them, mouth agape and confusion written all over her face. When neither her mother nor her grandmother had made further comments, she’d started shaking her head, accusing the adults around her of lying to her. She’d looked from one face to the other, desperation taking over her features. Even Jeff hadn’t been able to calm her down. She’d thrown a tantrum, started screaming, and evaded the comfort offering hands, running out of the backdoor onto the lawn. Trying to escape the lying adults. Natasha had caught up to her midway to the stable, scooped her up and hugged her tight to her chest.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you”, she’d whispered into her hair, stroking her daughter’s back.

Lynn had cried, holding on tight to her mother after she’d realized that she wouldn’t be able to escape any further.

“Why is everyone around me with the angels?! It’s unfair! I don’t want that!”

Natasha’s heart broke, tears glistening in her eyes. It was indeed unfair.

“I know, baby, I know it’s unfair…”

“Why does this always happen to me?!”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I wish I knew”, Natasha answered, carrying her back to the house.

Lynn kept sobbing in her mother’s arms, barely looking at her grandparents who stood at the patio door. Nancy wanted to brush her hand over Lynn’s head, but the little girl jerked her head away. Natasha apologized with her eyes and kept walking towards the stairs.

Nancy and Jeff didn’t follow.

*-*

Upstairs, she headed straight for the guest room, silently changing Lynn into her pajamas. Their whole nighttime routine passed silently; the only sound was Lynn sniffling sometimes. She laid her down onto the bed, carefully and lovingly draping the sheets around her. Lynn gazed up at her, clutching her stuffed white sheep tightly against her chest. Natasha brushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her face, gently cupping her cheek.

“I know you’re hurt because you miss daddy, and that you won’t be able to meet his sister. But you can’t be angry at your grandparents, okay? You know, I couldn’t meet Caroline either. She’s been with the angels for a very long time, much longer than daddy.”

“Why is she with the angels?”

“I’ll explain that to you another time. It’s a very long story that I don’t want to tell you by myself. I’ll talk to grandma and grandpa about it and we’ll decide how and when to tell you, okay?”

“But I wanna know!”

“And you will, but not today. Somewhen in the future.”

“Tomorrow?”

Natasha sighed at her daughter’s stubbornness.

“I don’t know. Let’s leave it at that, okay?”

“You’re lying to me again!”, Lynn snapped, sitting up, anger flickering in her green eyes.

“I’m not lying, Lynn”, Natasha retorted, gently pushing her to lie down again, “I’m protecting you and doing what’s best for you. I promise we’ll tell you. Can you trust me on that?”

Lynn searched her eyes, apparently considering her mother’s offer. Eventually, she nodded slowly. Natasha smiled at her, kissing her on her cheek. She attempted to get up when Lynn spoke up again: “Mommy?”

“Yes?”

“I miss daddy”, Lynn confessed, on the verge of tears.

Natasha gasped and sank back onto the edge of the mattress, pulling her daughter into her arms.

“I know, sweetheart. I miss him too, so much”, she cooed, stroking the back of Lynn’s head.

Lynn rubbed at her eyes when they pulled apart a moment later and Natasha helped her brush her tears away. Her heart broke all over again and every breath she took hurt.

“I wish I could bring him back for you. I’d do anything to bring him back for you”, she whispered, bringing Lynn’s hand up to her lips and kissing it.

“Can’t the angels just give him back?”

She let out a little laugh at Lynn’s suggestion, gently shaking her head.

“I wish they could… but you know what? He’ll always be with us. In here”, she said and put her hand on Lynn’s chest, right over her heart.

Lynn looked down, furrowing her brows.

“He lives on, right here in our hearts. In yours, in mine, in your grandparents’… in uncle Rooster’s, uncle Coyote’s and all our other friends’. Wherever we go, he’s with us and watches over us from one of the clouds, where he sits right next to his sister. They keep us safe.”

“Are they our guardian angels?”

“Yes, they are.”

Lynn sniffed and thought for a moment, then a smile broke out across her face.

“I kinda like that”, she said, clutching her stuffed animal back against her chest.

Natasha smiled down at her and pressed another kiss to her cheek.

“Me too. Sweet dreams, baby.”

#5 years #hannix au #hannix #hangman x phoenix #jake hangman seresin #natasha phoenix trace #top gun: maverick #writing #fanfiction

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countessofravenclaw · 4 months

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The 2023 writing Advent calendar: Day 12

12. Chaos

“Heyyyyyy!!!!” Luna bounced inside the Mansion and was met with her parents sitting in the living room, hunched over the coffeetable. “What are you doing?”

“Hey Luna?” Monica greeted her. “We’re doing some planning.”

“Planning for what?” Luna sat of the couch next to Miguel.

“Ana told me that some charity foundation that her friend is a huge benefactor off is holding a bakesale,” Monica explained, “So, we signed up for it. It’s for a good cause.”

“What kind of cause?” Luna questioned. She didn’t know that Ana had other friends other than Mora, but no one could know everything.

“For cancer research and support of families suffering from cronic ilnesses.” Miguel responded, “Al the proceeds go to help those families suffering.”

“Oh well, that’s great!” Luna practically bounced up from the sofa, “What can I do? I wanna help!”

“You think you have time?”

“Of course,” Luna assured, “I always have time. So what can I do? What can I bake?”

“Erm…” Monica and Miguel exchanged few glances, “You could come and help us at the actual sale in the charity event… We were thinking of hiring some people, but you can also join us.”

“UUuuuuuuuu, I can decorate the table!” Luna jumped up again in the excitement. She grabbed her phone and started scrolling through the pinterest. “We could put bows on the table… uuuu, and buch of glitter. I should call Jazmin, she might have some ideas!”

“A bake sale?” Nina’s voice rang from Luna’s phones speaker.

“Yeah, apparently some rich people who your Mom knew are holding one for some charity.”

“Well, Mom knows a lot of people so I can’t really tell you who,” Nina was just shrugging when Luna turned the call into a videocall. “but it’s probably for a important cause then.”

“Yep! And I am helping them!” Luna exclaimed as she sat down on the floor.

“Are you baking?” Nina asked, raising a eyebrow at Luna.

“Nope,” Luna shook her head, “I wanted to, but Mom and Dad told me that it would help more if I helped them at the actual sale.”

Luna had bunch of different colored ribbons in front of her. Next to the she had glue, glitter and glitter glue.

“I though I’d make some bows,” Luna showed Nina the ribbons.

“Do you know how to make bows?”

“I think so…” Luna looked at the ribbons, “I can’t be that hard right.”

She wrapped the ribbon around her fingers and tied another ribbon around it… Then you should probably add glue. Gluestick probably wouldn’t work… MODPODGE IT WAS!!!!

Luna grabbed the bottle of glue and squeezed the glue around where she was holding the bow onto place.

“Isn’t that little too much glue?” Nina asked though the phone.

“No, I don’t think so.” Luna shook her head, “I gotta make sure it holds. So what color glitter should I use, since the bow is pink?”

“I am not the best with color matching,” Nina shook her head, “But I guess silver could work.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” Luna nodded and picked up the glitter bottle and decapped it. “Ugh…”

Luna had tried to pull the bow off her fingers, but they were stuck!

“I’m stuck!!” She said to Nina who was still watching her antics throught the phone. “I can’t get it off!”

“You probably glued your fingers together or something,” Nina suggested, “Look, I’m sorry, but I am starting to be late so I need to go.”

“Yeah, bye!!” Luna kept her eyes at the bow. How was she supposed to get it off?

She stared at the bow for good five minutes before sliding her other hand’s finger under the bow and pulled. The bow moved a littel bit. So this was working. Luna pulled harder and the bow moved again—Luna also managed to spill almost all the glitter of the bottle she had been holding. She hadn’t noticed she was still holding it.

Finally Luna pulled the bow again and it finally popped off her fingers.

“Luna are you here?” Ambar showed up at the door suddenly, “Monica said you’d be… What happened here?”

“I was talking to Nina and making bows,” Luna explained while brushing some glitter off her face. Ambar was still staring at her blankly. “And the bow got stuck on my finger, so I needed to pull and spilled the glitter… I need to make more of these for the bake sale. Do you wanna help?”

“I… I think I’ll pass,” Ambar still looked very confused, “You’re gonna make more after it got stuck?”

“Yes, now as I have a method,” Luna nodded, “I’ll just need to be more careful with the glitter.”

“Well, good luck to you…” Ambar turned on her heels on the door.

I think we have all learned not to let Luna lose in the kitchen... Or that what you'd think

#2023 Writing DCLA+ advent calendar #soy luna

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pyroreadscomics · 2 years

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Edward Naston, his Politics and his Plan.

An analysis on The Riddler’s final plan, his motivation for it, and its planned outcome. (Also, I haven’t read the tie-in book. This is solely based on what is presented in The Batman (2022))

To start: what we know about Edward Nashton from a surface level reading is that he is disillusioned with Gotham, its systems and its leaders, and, to be fair, not without cause. That disillusionment ended up with him either joining or starting a terrorist cell (for lack of a better word). Then, as The Riddler, he proceeds to target the people he views as most responsible for the state Gotham is in, before capping the whole thing off with flooding the city. This particular course of action can paint him as someone who's political views might really be a completely nihilistic, in a: "this city is so fucked that destroying it and killing everyone is the only way to fix it" way. And he might well lack a real vision/plan for what Gotham would look like post-flood. He can be read this way. But, I don't buy it. He has ideological views, and what reveals The Riddler’s, and his group's, politics is their relationship with Bella Reál. Bella Reál doesn't have a ton of stated policies, but it is clear she's supposed to represent a grassroots progressive who's challenging the status quo and pushing for positive change. I think AOC and her wing of the democratic party is the apt real world comparison and possibly a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers to make them comparable (right down to being a young (by political standards) woman of colour). She also represents a hope that Gotham can be reformed and improved without resorting to violence. The Riddler, of course, doesn't believe in this. Hell, his secret final plan is referred to as "A Real Change", a clear jab at Reál's campaign slogan. Additionally, his plan assumes that Reál wins the election, (not unreasonable considering he’s killed her main rival and then exposed him and his associates as deeply corrupt), so that the bombs will go off and the flooding starts during the impromptu street party. Then when the stadium fills up with people fleeing the floods, Riddler's goons open fire, presumably planning on killing as many people as possible, starting with Reál herself.

Now, let's look at who dies during this final plan, it's people on the street, and the people already in the stadium. The people on the street could be anyone in Gotham just going about their day, but the largest group on the street that’s not normally there (because let’s not forget that the entire homeless population of Gotham have no protection against this) are the people celebrating the win. A group that would be largely left wing, but could include centrists Reál's promise of change appealed too. Then there's the group inside the stadium, who would of course include stadium staff and reporters and other people doing their jobs, but again, the largest group would be Bella Reál, her staff, and people who supported her enough to want to hear her speech in person. A group that, again, is likely to be largely progressive and left wing, even more so than the group on the street, and this is the group that is going to be shot at.

Riddler's plan ends with the massacre of Gotham's left wing.

Now, to be charitable to our fictional supervillain, whether or not Riddler knows what he's doing, or if he's just acting out of spite and resentment against a system and city that wronged him and thus he doesn't realize that his victim pool isn't going to be a random cross-section of Gotham's society, is unknown to us. But there have to be people who showed up to that stadium with guns and masks who know who's dying as a result of this plan and are fully on board with it. Riddler's goons have to be either murderous apolitical nihilists, or right wing extremists.

And then, just to top this all off, imagine the day after IF Riddler's plan had succeeded. Sure he's in jail, but the city is in chaos, the establishment's head honchos have been systematically assassinated, the left wing just got purged, and the only group that knew what was happening ahead of time and could have prepared for it are the same people who just gunned down their political opponents. There might well have been a genuine plan for a right wing takeover in the aftermath of the flood.

Edward Nashton might not have had explicit politics. But his plans did. His plans had very strong opinions about who could live, who should die, and who could be put in harm's way without caring one way or the other. And in that way, The Riddler sure as shit had politics.

#the batman 2022 #edward nashton #the riddler #meta analysis #Look this spun out of a conversation on discord #about why some people are big into this version of the riddler #and it turned into #a) a convo on the fact that riddler's surface level motivation is relatable #and b) that his endgame plan is horrifing even beyond the deliberate and callous loss of life involved #anyway #C&C welcome #this is a barely edited first draft

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raging-soul-of-fire · 9 months

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Aura was in the market today, unloading some finished wares to a shop keeper. Her weapons and armor weren't the quality needed for the guards yet, but travelers in the desert needed protection, too. The towering woman always seemed to cause a brief hush in the crowed when she arrived, especially with a bundle of weapons slung over her back. However, she was still a regular enough sight that the novelty wore off quickly, although some would still whisper about her appearance.

The merchants might know her for her work, but many of the citizens knew her as the demon in the royal's court. It was a title the oni didn't like, but when she tried to correct them in the past, it only made things worse. It hurt, but maybe it would be easier to continue to ignore such rumors. Asta didn't seem to think she was beastly, and her family in Piltover loved her, too.

"That's quite a delivery this week." The shopkeeper comments. "Do you work fast, or do you not have many hobbies? Hope it means these aren't shoddy."

"I keep myself busy and they're decent quality this week. The work is calming for me." The oni replies.

"Well keep at it, and try not to let court life steal you from us. I like having a reliable source for goods." The merchant says with a laugh.

"I'll try to, sir." Aura says with a nod and turns to go. She stops, however, when she feels a change in the air. Then, over the noise of the market, came a couple or roars and a scream.

Aura picks one of the shields she made. "I'm borrowing this." She says as she rushes towards the sounds. Many people got out of her way, scared of the towering monstrous woman running through the streets.

Soon, she makes it to the market's edge, close to where some of the caravans drop off their goods and stable their beasts. A small pack of wild beasts had followed the latest caravan and attacked as they were unloading. There was chaos and confusion as the beasts tore into the supplies and one of the pack beasts.

One of the creatures had knocked someone off their beast and was preparing to lunge at them. As it leapt at them, it's claws met with steel as it struck the oni's shield.

The beast leapt off and snarled at Aura. Aura glances at the cowering traveler behind her. "Run to the guards! Now!" She orders. It's difficult to tell what they were more scared of, the beast or the monster standing over them, but they scurried off, allowing Aura to turn her attention back to the beasts.

The oni proceeds to fight the beasts with the shield and her fist, blocking and swatting them away. They outnumber her, however, and they seem intent on keeping their kills. Without her armor, their claws dig into her flesh and without her weapon her attacks are less focused.

The creatures smell the blood from her, and begin to focus on her, allowing her to push them back and put some space between them and the caravan. Less people would be hurt.

After a bit more time holding them off, the guards arrive and join the battle. Their spears are quick and precise. Soon, the beasts flee back into the desert wastes. Satisfied, Aura looks around at the damages and the injured. However, before she can do much, the guards have taken control of the situation and are helping those who need it. Her weak healing wouldn't be needed.

She returned to the market stall, the blood from her injuries on her arm hidden by her red hide, and hands the shield back to the shopkeeper. "Sorry about that. But maybe you can market it as having saved a life?" She offers before she walks back home.

---

"W-wait!" A voice came from behind her after she had left the marketplace. Aura turned to look in their direction. It was the traveler she had saved.

"You're okay. Good job getting to safety." She says with a soft smile.

The woman approached her nervously. "Thank you for saving me. I don't know who you are, but I would've been hurt badly, or worse, if you hadn't arrived when you did."

"You're welcome. It's what I'm trained for." Aura replies.

"Trained for?"

"I'm a paladin." She says, proudly.

#drabble #aura the oni

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tenebraevesper · 1 year

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Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer, Issue #49: Wound Up

Alright! We’re on the final Issue of The Trial by Fire Arc and with this being Issue #49, we will be finally covering the infamous Issue #50!... is something I would say if I had been actually planning on doing that. Unfortunately, you will have to wait for a while longer, as next on my schedule is Sonic the Hedgehog - Free Comic Book Day 2022, followed by Imposter Syndrome (which is a miniseries I had been waiting for to cover for ages and I’m really looking forward to). Once that is done, I will move on to The Battle For The Empire Arc.

So, for now, enjoy this incredibly creepy image of Belle staring directly into your soul.

After we left off the last Issue with Team Chaotix wondering who had been causing chaos in Central City, we join in this Issue Belle, Tails and Sonic in an experiment with a couple of Badniks.

Sonic is covered in a sheet, with Tails hiding behind a bush, holding onto a rope waiting for Belle’s signal. She hooked Tails’ device to Motobud’s nonagression subroutine and is preparing for a wireless broadcasting to the other Badniks. Admittedly, she is a bit nervous, only to finally activate it after Sonic impatiently taps with his foot, reminding her that he’s still waiting. Tails then pulls off the sheet...

...revealing Sonic in all his glory as he monologues how he sure hopes he won’t get attacked by any Badniks. The Badniks stare at him, and while we’re at it, their eyes are all glowing blue, having a similar shade to Belle’s eyes. Then, to Sonic’s disappointment, they proceed to ignore him, leading to him cracking a smile and wondering if he’s really that boring if he’s losing to a rock. Tails, on the other hand, is happy that their attack response is completely negated. Honestly, I really love this scene, as it feels so innocent yet hilarious.

Belle is elated, noting how if they figure out how to make the programming stick, they can save all of Eggman’s robots. Tails notes how they shouldn’t get ahead of themselves, as Eggman might be up to something, referencing the campground fire and the power outage, but adds how it isn’t his style. Sonic replies how, if Eggman starts something, they’ll handle it and now all he wants is lunch (wait, tacos?). Tails asks Belle whether she wants to join them, but Belle replies how she wants to stay out for a while, hugging Motobud (who now has a cute flower as a replacement antenna.

Now, before I move on, it should be noted that these parts arcs have also been a subtle character development for Belle. Remember how she started out as a scared robot girl who was just trying to find her father and felt like no one cared about her, only to slowly gain more and more courage as she interacted with Sonic and his friends, deciding that her goal would be to save the Badniks from Eggman. Honestly, I think this is the happiest she has been since her life with Mr. Tinker.

On a side note, this and the next Issue is where we will also finally bury the whole Mr. Tinker debate.

Later that night, Sonic is sleeping on the couch, a book sprawled on his face, but wakes up as he hears scraping. He sees Motobud scratching the door, wondering if he wants to go out.

He taps Motobud, only for the little guy to swipe at him, now in full attack mode. Sonic dodges, landing on the couch as a sleepy Tails exists the room, wondering what is going on. Before Sonic can answer, they hear a crash and we see Belle, now creepily muttering how she has to get out, her eyes glowing purple.

Tails runs up to Belle, noting how she’s under control by some kind of signal and tells her to fight it back. Instead, Belle attacks him, but Sonic quickly protects his little brother.

He asks Tails whether he can fix this, with Tails replying that he should stall for time and that he might find something. Sonic kicks Belle back and dodges Motobud, noting how this has “mad doctor” written all over it. He then asks her to blink once for Eggman, twice for Starline, but Belle responds by turning her head around and pulling her tail, smashing the bookshelf into pieces. Sonic falls over, realizing she’s not in bantering mood.

Sonic asks Tails whether he’s got anything, dodging Belle as she smashes the TV into pieces and then gets tripped by Motobud, with Belle leaping at him, her finger turned into a scalpel, almost gouging his eye out. Sonic dodges her, only to gets pinned by Motobud, with Belle looming over him, her hands turned into tools.

Honestly, that is a really creepy sight.

Fortunately, he is saved by Tails, who tackles Belle and slaps a Zeti Zapper on her as he apologizes, basically frying her.

Tails then calls out for Belle, who gets up, telling them she’s okay. Tails explains to her how he had the prototype Zeti Zapper left over, which should stop any signals going in or out, asking her once again if she’s fine.

Belle suddenly gets up, explaining how this was a beacon. All the Badniks have been called, with Eggman basically summoning an army and Belle... Belle is pissed off. She’s shaking, she’s ugly crying, and she’s completely done with Eggman. She doesn’t want to search for him anymore to make him turn back into Mr. Tinker, but she will go find him to chew him out as she’s tired of being yanked around.

This is basically Belle reaching her breaking point and deciding to go for one final confrontation.

Tails asks her whether she knows the coordinates, with Belle notes how it is somewhere at the south, but it’s already fading. Sonic notes how they still have one more Badnik, carrying Motobud outside and letting him go, allowing him to lead the three towards where all of the Badniks are going.

They find a truck with some farmers down the hill, being surrounded by Badniks, but Sonic quickly saves them, telling them not to bother the Badniks and to get to safety.

Some time later, Tails remarks how they had been following the Badniks for hours, wondering if they’re getting close. Sonic has no clue, replying how there’s nothing but woods here. Tails decides to fly up to check on things and to his shock, finds an entire city created by Eggman.

He quickly rushes back to Sonic and Belle, telling them about it. Belle notes how they have to stop Motorbud, but Sonic replies how their new friend isn’t going to turn around and he knows only one way to stop him (namely, smashing him to pieces). Belle wants to put the Zeti Zapper on Motobud, but Tails notes how she’ll be vulnerable to the signal.

Having exhausted all of her options, Belle admits how she had been studying Motobud’s construction and believes that she would be able to cut his power, although she isn’t sure whether that would happen without scraping him. With grim determination, she takes out a screwdriver, noting how she’s not going to let Eggman have Motobud.

She searches through Motobud, finding the right cable. Sonic tells her to hurry up, as the Badniks have them surrounded. After Tails gives her a reassuring gaze, Belle pulls the cable out, completely devastated.

Motobud turns off, and the Badniks Tails and Sonic have fought stop attacking them. Both are relieved, turning to Belle, who has found a note inside Motobud. How she didn’t spot it before, I have no clue.

So, the note turns out to be a letter to Belle from Mr. Tinker himself (confirming that Motobud was the same Badnik Mr. Tinker had been working on when Starline held him hostage). The contents of the letter are... intriguing to say the least.

He writes how, despite being a captive, he doesn’t want any rescue, but he wants to confess to ease his conscience. He has lived a good life, bringing joy to everyone and watching Belle becoming a wonderful woman. He’s sickened by the thought of being Dr. Eggman, as told by Starline, and he admits that he cannot deny the logic of his evidence.

Mr. Tinker then proceeds to write how he isn’t Dr. Eggman, but if he does lose himself in this nightmare, he is truly sorry to her and the whole world, adding how he loves her and saying his final goodbyes.

Now, I have to pause here for a moment to set some things straight. We all know that Mr. Tinker is just Eggman with amnesia, meaning for the latter to turn fully good, he has to lose his memories of who he is. Eggman may have a shred of good inside him, or rather, a shred of decency to actually realize to help the heroes when the world he’s trying to conquer is in danger of being destroyed. He is not a good person by any means, and that is quite clear. Yes, he may have teamed up with Sonic a couple of times, but it is for his own reasons (and he certainly doesn’t want to be frenemies with Sonic like Boom!Eggman).

So, what Mr. Tinker has written is only from the perspective from an amnesiac with limited knowledge of who he truly is. I don’t really believe that we can take his confession as some serious evidence that Eggman is truly sorry for his actions since it was written at a time where he had no clue what he really had done. Sure, Eggman had a moment of reflection that one time, but he’s an egoistical megalomaniac hellbent on conquering the world. There is no way he would ever write something like this if he had his memories in-tact.

Belle breaks down crying, calling herself stupid for even thinking that she could make a difference. The letter flies out of her hands, with Sonic stopping it and giving it back to her, replying how she already made a difference by doing good, by making friends, and that nothing can take this away. They’ll keep moving forward together.

Honestly, Belle’s previous insistence on bringing Mr. Tinker back makes sense. She isn’t stupid for thinking that she could make him turn around, as the only thing she ever knew in her life was Mr. Tinker being a good man who liked helping people and fixing stuff. Even after she saw Eggman in action, she probably thought that it had to be some kind of mistake, but after their meeting during The Test Run! Arc, it was made clear to her that Mr. Tinker is there no more and this letter just confirmed it.

However, she can still carry on Mr. Tinker’s legacy by continuing to help people in her own way. Belle’s now with the Restoration and she had set a goal in her mind to reprogram the Badniks. All that she needs to do now is to get proper closure.

It appears that Belle has realized this too, deciding to go along with Sonic and Tails. Sonic grabs both of them, deciding to kick into sonic speed and dash towards the city.

The final showdown is about to begin, but first, we are going to cover who’s really behind this massive Badnik gathering.

Links:

#Previous Issue

#Next Issue

#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer (Masterlist)

#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer #sonic idw #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #belle the tinkerer #mr tinker #dr eggman #dr starline

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kitkatpancakestack · 2 years

Note

This might hit very close to home for some so I’m just gonna put a trigger warning here. Proceed with caution!

P.S this got away from me I’m sorry I don’t know how to keep things short!!

TW: mentions explosion in bar/nightclub

Re: Buck whump: So, Buddie’s journey started with an explosion from the grenade, yes? I just think the whump also being an explosion but that much more dramatic would be a PRETTY COOL CALLBACK. But in this case, it’s not a call. They’ve had those fundraisers at the firehouse like once a year, right? Well, this time all the firehouses band together and have a huge one at one of the dive-bars (is that what they’re called? I’m not American, I don’t know the difference) they like to frequent. It’s very 18+ this time but supposed to be fun, maybe they have a wet t-shirt contest for anyone who wants to join, I don’t know what the cause is, but they have like a huge chunk of LA’s finest firefighters there. Buck and Eddie are off to one side, but they separate because one is grabbing drinks for both of them maybe, and the bar goes boom. Not because someone planted a bomb, but because much like the building Bobby lived in with his family, it just wasn’t up to protocol. Maybe the wiring was off somewhere and it short circuited like with the bridezilla incident or something. Either way, boxes of liquor explode and escalate everything so they can’t find each other in the blaze. Chaos ensues and Eddie almost gets trampled on his quest to find Buck, whom oopsies!!! Was a lil too close to the blast so he’s hit his head and is unconscious and breathing in a lot of smoke. Possibly got blasted so he landed badly and a rib punctured his lung perhaps? Thankfully since the bar is packed with firefighters the chaos subsides quickly but Buck is still missing. Eddie is held back for assessment and has that quiet “I’m losing my mind here” thing like when they were hostages. Bobby senses this and sends in Hen and Chim instead of him and that’s when Eddie loses it because “I should be the one to go in there” and Bobby just goes Full Dad and holds him back until Eddie just kinda collapses on the ground hyperventilating until buck is wheeled out. Only after getting to the hospital and buck is out of surgery does he go to the nearest bathroom to wash off the soot off his face and he’s just silently crying his eyes out, completely frozen with the remaining agony of not knowing if buck was alive or not, imagining a thousand different ways to tell Chris and trying to get used to the idea that Buck would never come home with him again. Hen finds him and when Eddie realises he just tells her and she doesn’t even say anything, just hugs him and leads him out to Bucks room and keeps her hand on his shoulder as he whispers love confessions over and over again while they wait for Buck to wake up. Buck hears a lot of it but he’s on a lot of drugs so he doesn’t remember until much later but when he wakes up he’s kinda in awe that Eddie’s is the first face he sees and just blurts out “oh thank god, I started to think you weren’t gonna find me” and Eddie finally can’t help but smile and goes “I’ll always find you” or something cheesy sweet like that. I’ve had this scenario stuck in my head for weeks and I’m so happy I finally got to share :’) ~ mi

(Please heed TW in the ask!!!!!)

my face after reading THIS

#DAMN MI #WHEW #kitkat answers asks #s6 prime buck whump zone #tw: explosions in bar/night club

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chaoswithcausation · 2 years

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TOH SEASON 2 FINALE THEORY TIME

*I’m really just putting this out here on the slight chance that it’s right, so if it is I can cackle with glee lol*

Spoilers if you haven’t seen Clouds On The Horizon

Okay, so the day of unity is supposed to be here like right now, which means that something’s about to go down. I don’t think Dana would screw us over and actually make the season end right before the day of unity, which means that SOMETHING is gonna happen in those three specials that are coming.

We saw that weird vision thingy a while back (can’t remember where/when) with the titan appearing on Earth.

Buckle up folks, because here’s my theory (brace yourself- it’s a long one.):

First things first: Eda won’t make it to Raine’s place in the spell. Either Kikimora was just talking crap, or she confirmed that Belos knows about the CATTs plan. I think someone’s going to find Raine, and make them come join the other coven heads- probably by using the red vine-things that come from their sigil.

The spell will start to proceed as planned, probably with all the coven heads (and regular coven members) in a bunch of pain (but idk for sure, obviously.) However, something’s going to interrupt it. Maybe Eda using her curse, maybe Luz causing some chaos, maybe even the Collector running out of patience with Belos (although that seems to be a bit of a stretch).

I think the spell, in addition to draining magic and probably killing everyone involved if completed, will start to open a portal or portals (Maybe like a tearing-the-seams-of-reality type thing). Then, when it gets interrupted, the portals will halt in growth, and there’ll probably be a lot of chaos in general. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of our friends (ex. Willow, Eda [in harpy form], Hunter, Katya, etc.) try to help witches evacuate the area as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, we’ll probably get a cool fight or something happening up by the coven heads, most likely between Luz and Belos or something. However, the portal(s) is/are taking their sweet time closing

Now, the big thing that would lead to season three, is if some people fell into the portals that are everywhere and end up in the area between the human realm and the demon realm. Y’know, where the Collector is imprisoned.

Luz is the first and most obvious choice for this, given that she is our lovely protagonist- and due to have her riddle-thing in the secret codes of season three, given that Eda got season one and King got season two. I think that we’d also have some other characters fall in, like Raine, Hunter, etc.

However, I don’t think King or Eda would fall in. It’s definitely still possible, given King’s connection to the Collector. However, I think King would only fall in IF the Collector is not freed. Even then, it’s a possibility that he would remain in the Demon realm, and discover a way to contact Luz and the others through communicating with the Collector subconsciously.

As for Eda, I honestly think that 1/2 of Raeda is going to fall in. The reason I think it’s more likely to be Raine is because they’ll already be up where the action would be, and maybe even fall in by pushing/pulling Luz out of harm’s way- or vice versa, with Luz protecting them. There’s also a possibility of one of themfalling towards a portal and the other trying to save them, knowing how important they are to Eda. I also don’t think Eda and Luz will both fall, because it just doesn’t seem likely to me that they’ll be together at the end of the Day of Unity. I think that they- in addition to some others- will have to fight their way back together.

If this happens, the specials would focus on the people who fell in searching for a way out and learning more about this new place, and the ones left behind trying to find a way to bring them home.

Possibly a showdown with the Collector, or some kind of revelation about them? (BTW, the Collector uses he/they pronouns, in case you didn’t know.)

Or I could be completely wrong, and wrote this huge thing for nothing lol-

EDIT: okay so I was a little bit right but mostly wrong I think

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recapcrew · 2 years

Text

Week 1 Transcript

Intro

Extra Extra, read all about it! Welcome to the Empires recap and today we will be going over the chaos and drama of our (somewhat) respected rulers! Some of these madmen were quick enough on the draw to get two episodes out before anyone even thought of a recap!

We start with our rulers around a campfire, with the announcement that Pearlescentmoon will not be joining us in the empires, and instead…

We start this new season with a fresh face! FalseSymmetry has joined the game, and seems to have been teleported via her dreams to a new world. With seeming amnesia, she meets some strange people, whom she hopes are friendly. Having quickly gone on a caving session, she heads out into the wilderness for resources. Along the way she finds a village, which sadly had mostly been looted. However, she found some survivors and quickly trapped them and hopefully she won't forget about them! Now, False states she hasn't quite explored the new update, and is delighted to witness the glory that is frogs. She fawns over them for quite a while, then decides she really should get going. Heading back to her base, she establishes a house, built with unwaxed copper blocks with a gradient. Wherever could she get the wax? She hopes to continue with a medieval theme throughout the season. Perhaps in this unfamiliar world, she can find something. Something up in the air. Despite her amnesia, False still clearly misses flying - although she might want to get to The End quick, as it seems to have been ransacked by our very own totally 11ft God. Speaking of that…

False

Joel opens his episode by attempting to murder the other emperors and then proceeds to an expansive valley to set up shop. After gathering some food, he heads off to cave for resources, and makes a brief dip into the deep dark. Once back on the surface, he declares his intention to build with quartz, and enters the nether. Or, at least, he attempts to, seeing as he fails his first attempt to build a portal. Portal fixed, he begins his search for quartz, which quickly gets derailed by a bloodthirsty piglin. After one, or two, or three, or four deaths, he finally recovers his gear and a whopping 8 quartz blocks and decides that maybe the nether isn't quite for him right now. Some diamond armor, another nether trip with absolutely no mishaps at all, and 157 lecterns broken later, he is finally able to collect all the quartz he needs for his base. He discusses goat horns and a trade deal with Lizzie, before constructing a magical fountain to act as the centerpiece of his future empire. He jumps into the fountain and emerges a changed man: a stronger, taller, sexier man. He ends his episode by tossing a golden apple into the fountain, causing the ground to rumble as the screen blacks out, and he promises lore to come.

Joel

We return to find the fountain atop a floating island ripped out of the ground, which was definitely due to the golden apple and not 3 hours of timelapsing. He details his journey to creating the island, beginning with creeper murder, then an end city looting spree, then resource gathering, with a brief interruption to sound off goat horns with lizzie before constructing the island in the sky, complete with rebuilt fountain. He outlines his plans for the season, describing an archipelago of floating islands to be raised above the valley, an abode truly fit for a god. He grows a tree on the edge of his fountain island, before noticing he had been beardless the entire time. Beard restored after a quick dip in the fountain, he returned to decorating the island. He finishes off the episode by messing with Lizzie and delivering a load of pigs to Jimmy. Here, the lore/law trio forms, with Joel the newly crowned God of Lore, so clearly he shined down upon miss witch with her excellent start to her video

She may not be a good witch, but she’s certainly determined! Our very own mangrove witch Shubble is assigned by her magic school the proclaimed ‘worst region’ to keep her away from the better witches. She names it the Evermoore, and plants a magical sapling to grow into a house. Strange way for a house to be built, but no one’s judging.

Shubble

After meeting with the other rulers, she plans to get herself a hat and a wand so she can go to the nether, as there’s a material she can use to help the other emperors with magic there. That’ll end well, I’m sure. We meet pirate Joe on his lost journey to find the sea, and Miss Witch and her new pet Toad direct him towards the sea. Soon enough, a little goblin appears - a strange little man asking strange little questions. She goes to help him, and the others discover what is going on with the end. Also, apparently dragons eat witches… When she gets safely home, she meets up with Katherine to commission her witch hat and announces that she will be trading potions this season! On theme I suppose, although I’m not sure I’d drink it if all her magic school grades are That Bad. As she doesn’t have a wand, she uses a mangrove sapling renamed ‘magic wand’. It doesn’t make it more magical, it’s just to make her feel better.

Pixl

Speaking of trading, Pixlriffs is set up and ready to go, having been on the server a few days before the others, and is already in the market for villagers!

The early days are fun and all, but Pixlriff’s looking to get out of the iron phase as soon as possible. To that end, he and fWhip settle on some collaborative caving, which helps with step 1: don’t die. And to truly mark the changing of the seasons, Pix trades in his love of copper for a love of redstone - he’s got a new reputation to uphold. The two of them find a mineshaft that’s managed to be on fire despite fire spread actually being off on the server, which just gives them a second reason to be careful where they step (the first is the sculk shriekers dotting the deep dark below). Caving with fWhip means Pix has someone to watch his back, and it’s a good thing he saved the goat horn from being blown up (twice) so he always knows where fWhip is.

Back on the surface, Pix focuses on getting his tools enchanted as fast as possible - he’s going to need a lot of stone. He’s taking a bit of a different angle than most of the other people this season - less of a character and more a worldbuilder. His empire is The Past, the ancient world in which everyone else’s stories will be set. Don’t worry, he’ll still be showing up in other people’s videos - and he has just the skin for the occasion, designed once again by SEC. Who better to explore the past than an archaeologist? [ Though maybe not a cow one.]

He gets dressed and geared up just in time for the group trip to the End, and while a confusing discovery occurs, he decides to head out on an End Raid. Pix watches first Joey, then Sausage reach the coveted elytras while he gathers shulker shells, but after Sausage looks at an Enderman funny and pays the price, Pix gathers all their loot and heads back. Someone has to dig a grave for him. And he’s got a lot more digging to do as well - with the mineshaft he explored with fWhip having a triple cave spider spawner, Pixlriffs has an idea that’s a more fun experience farm than actually dealing with cave spiders. He “finds” *builds* an ancient and dreadful contraption known only as The Machine, that uses a sculk catalyst and fall damage to turn those spiders into sculk, which is then pushed into reach to be broken back into experience or stored away with Silk Touch for later use.

Pix makes a quick trade deal with Princess GeminiTay before Sausage returns to make good on his earlier promise to bring him an Elytra - even if Pix seems more enthusiastic about the bamboo. The two of them chase Joel away from a rich vein of calcite like a stray cat rummaging through garbage bins, and Sausage updates him on what’s been happening on the server while he’s been down “researching” The Machine. After that, it’s farming time - Pix is going to need a lot of different materials for the ruins he plans to “find” around the server. Including the sculk variants like shriekers, which gives him an idea for his first prank to wrap up his first week. The Sheriff’s wagon is the perfect place to bury a Shrieker and Sensor next to each other, so that anyone who walks close gets a good jumpscare. (He’s also smart enough to leave a Mending book down with them - like Sausage said, you don’t want to disrespect The Law.) With The Machine stabilizing its sculk production, it’s not a question of if Pix’ll think of more contraptions, but when.

Jimmy

Next up we have Pix’s unfortunate victim, Jimmy! Or perhaps as he’s better known, The Sheriff. Hype! He travels south of spawn to get to a mesa biome, and on the way attempts to break an emerald with a stone pickaxe (…why do you do this). There’s a good basin in the middle of the mesa Jimmy plans to do some building in, but sets up on the edge of the mesa nearby to a village (which he raids, like a true minecrafter). Jimmy goes on a mining trip and finds a ‘sheriff’s hat’ in a minecart chest! It seems like destiny (a deal with destiny, in fact). Welcome The Sheriff! A goblin appears asking about The End and Jimmy travels with him to meet with the other emperors to discuss! (You’ll find out more - later.) Jimmy travels back home and meets with Sausage to trade for some spruce for his starter base in exchange for access to the other side of the mesa for terracotta mining. Jimmy also implies he’s going to make a gunpowder farm as his export for his empire. I don’t know how to explain it but as Cowboy music plays in the background as he timelapses himself building a wagon. And then, as every cowboy needs, he declares he is going to get a horse eventually!

Gem

That isn’t all The Sheriff does, as he is called upon to help Princess Gem in the mines. Gem has been very busy building up her empire at the start of this series, punching trees and such. She meets up with Sausage at the start and they spend the first nights in this new Minecraft world together collecting materials and being ~brave adventurers~. They decide their first mission is to get every sapling in the game for later building materials! They adventure through a mangrove forest and fawn over the frogs for probably too long, and then part ways to start building up their own empires. She claims a valley between a few mountains and gets to work on some farms! She goes looking for a village for some more crops and then gathers up some animals and decorates her starter area. She does some caving in the mountains, before we get to hear her plan for her empire as she builds her starter house and gets attacked by pillagers. Our very own, sun princess Gem. A goblin soon arrives to question her about The End (I think somethings wrong with The End guys… just a guess…) and soon after creates the ‘Social Tree’ and a small dock for trading (because the social tree is ever expanding). Clearly it works, because Gem meets up with Sausage and Joey to travel to the Goblin empire where our trio meet up with the other emperors to explore The End… spooky.

The next day, Gem decides her mission is to create a barn for her current (only) subjects, as she doesn't know what a princess should do. After getting all her subjects situated, with a surprise bee being oh so smart. She's a true farmer this episode, expanding her farmland, even chasing off a naughty fairy goblin and sorting out her fiery dyed sheep. She also announces that an important export of hers will be bee products, perhaps she’ll become a beekeeper - she’s rolling high on animal handling. However, beekeeping now requires machines, and so she meets up with The Sheriff and the two go exploring into the dark caves, wandering into the deep dark spooky caves. Not the best place for a Sun princess, as the two almost immediately summon a warden, the almost only applying to the immediately part. After a mad dash back to a "safe" cave, the Sheriff perishes, leaving the Sun Princess to fend for herself. She races back to the safety of the sunlight after grabbing his supplies and meets him up in the sunshine. Then, she immediately heads back into the dark caves to meet the Goblin King, who trades her much needed quartz in return for honeycomb, and then to the lorekeeper, where she gains a bundle! Her beekeeping machinery is finally complete, and she starts moving them in, ending the episode with the construction of a well! However, she is not the only princess on the server, maybe she could learn some princess tips from a potential ally.

Katherine

Another princess, this one moving away from the only home she's ever known, Katherine opens her episode with a comic featuring and narrated by the princess herself. She tells the tale of her birth, and the darkness that split the kingdom in twain during it. Instead of being a princess, she'd rather be a warrior, fighting back against the darkness. Rebuilding her empire, she sets out in search of materials and a new building spot. Already finding an abandoned village, she claims a cat for herself and finds her new base location.

In order to go nether hunting, she delves into the mines for iron and gold, even acquiring her first diamond! After some very pleasing jump cuts, she leaves the nether after finding a nether fortress right near her portal, now going for more building materials. While not as big and opulent as some beginner bases, Katherine's fits right in with her happy and bright personality, being white with a roof of magenta. She also manages to bring home her cat, who immediately sits on a chest. That's quite cat-tastic. To end her episode, she asks for cat name suggestions. Personally, I suggest Noble, the perfect name for a warrior cat, or maybe Jayfeather. Perhaps she should go visit Lizzie, see if she may have some catnip or cat-names floating about.

Lizzie

A new season with Lizzie…and a Joel head…? New season, same chaos, when will they learn? But she doesn’t need it for a disguise or anything like that because there is absolutely nothing wrong with her identity! And she decided to settle in a birch biome, but hey we are not here to judge! As a starter base, she decides to go for a tent, pretty sure I saw this before, with the help of an, absolutely not forced, sheep and first citizen. But don’t worry the fluffy founding father now has a home, not 4 star but still livable. After the totally not kidnapping of a baby fox, she now has a manager in “chicken life management” in a funky diagonal tent. But “chicken life management” also means redstone and quartz…and death. Instead of going the unsafe road with all the nether stuff, she at least has the good idea of asking for some quartz from someone else, being married leads to many benefits. After installing the killi…machine to manage the chicken, Lizzie decides to go to the jungle to find new citizens, with the nearest being thousand of blocks away. And even after gaining the love of two parrots and one panda, who was also not kidnapped, they all died by a creeper, another dead parrot on the conscience. And after an angry path making, the Lost Panda Trail is officially functional, safe and lit with no use of important resources, and many, many new parrots.

Perhaps she can find an ally to help her safely navigate her citizens in Mythical Sausage, who I hear can speak with animals.

Sausage

This season Sausage has changed from his ways of evil and mass destruction and now looks at the world through the eyes of a kindhearted adventurer. He began his adventure with Gem, where they search for all the wood types or what they say are the infinity stones but are just saplings. So Infini–tree stones? After his first adventure he goes to “The Sanctuary” a place nestled in the jungle where he builds up his starter home. Here we find out that he is hiding from someone or something. He then goes on an end raiding adventure with Joey and Pix but ends up getting killed by an enderman. He finds some village friends to live with him. While he is building them a home, we learn he has a special ability, he can talk to animals. While he is admiring his build, he finds out he is a father, but we all ask, who was the mother? Unfortunately, some stories can never be told…

Joey

Joey’s can though! Joey's season starts with him giving us the backstory of his gold-seeking character. He and his pirate crew are fighting off a hoard of skeleton pirates. Joey (or as he calls himself, Pirate Joe) seems to have the upper hand until an explosion causes Joey to fall into the ocean and be separated from his crew. He wakes up on a beach with nothing, except a mysterious chest full of supplies from whoever rescued him. He explores his area in search of an excellent place to build his pirate cove before joining the other emperors to welcome FalseSymmetry, who happens to match his clothes with him. He travels to The Evermore and after making sure she isn't a skeleton, befriends the witch, Shelby. His search for a home eventually ends with him settling in a tropical area that surrounds a body of water. He explores his area more and discovers his neighbor, as they appear to be not home, he decides to go through their stuff but gets caught by Sausage. They become friends and after Joey gets some loot the two go on an adventure. They travel to Gem's land and although Joey expects there to be actual gems the new trio continues on their adventure. They meet up with everyone else at fWhip's goblin cave and travel to the end. After a confusing discovery, he sets off on a quest to explore end ships in hope of finding his crew, he returns home with nothing but an elytra. After getting fireworks from fWhip he flies home and builds the very first pirate ship for his cove, which doubles as his starter home!

fWhip

However, our usual gunpowder man had to work for his fireworks, beginning as usual, cutting down that first tree like anyone. He does normal stuff for the first day until he stumbles upon a pillager out post. He spots some allays and decides to save them, releasing them from their cages. After tucking them safely away he goes out to find some mangrove wood where he meets sausage. Sausage kindly brings him to the swamp where they collect some of the meat in wood form. After this he settles down and begins building his home in the caverns. After he finishes, he dawns his goblin attire and becomes an actual goblin just by stepping into his house, what is this magic?! He explores his cave and finds an activated end portal, who could have ignited it? He proceeded to toot his horn and all the others came running. He shows them to the portal where they huddle around staring into the endless void that awaits, that is until fWhip pouches joey into it. They then all pile into the portal. They come out on the other side to find the dragon dead and the egg missing. Since no one says they killed it they come to the conclusion that something else is in this world with them, could it be the same people that sausage is running from? It's anyone's guess. 11 little emperors went to the end, but one was missing, where now is our collector friend?

Scott

Well he’s building cute farms and dying in the nether, mostly.

Scott starts off his journey by declaring his intention to be quirky, colourful, eccentric and creepy! Wait, no. Just a collector of many. Many. Things. Taking be gay do crime to a whole new level. Sticking with his colourful vibe, nether wood is involved in his starter base! He dies, of course. After collecting the dangerous wood, we get to see a wonderful time lapse of his starter base and the overall block pallets for the rest of the empire (crazy… he wants to build a mega base like this?) Our favourite goblin emperor fWhip comes over, announcing himself with a goat horn and asking very strange questions for the first episode of a series, fWhip! What’s this about the End? Clearly, Scott is not crazy enough to go to the end in the first episode! Instead, he builds cute animal pens, and they only look better when he shows us around with shaders!

Outro

And with that, we are at the end of our tale, with the emperors on their way to creating some of the most vibrant and amazing empires this world has ever seen. I'm sure you want to hear more about their daring escapades as they build up their world, so join us next week for more chaos and shenanigans! Thank you for watching, and thanks to everyone who helped start this project! Their info is down below!

#empires season 2 #empires smp #empires recap #empires season 2 recap

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