#when you prey on the weak and vulnerable you need to plan for the eventuality that there will be drugs in people's bloodstream.

[annabelle--cane]

trevor herbert canonically survived getting bitten by a vampire because when it started slurping him it thought he tasted so bad that it started violently spluttering and trembling and choking

#robert arden. bestie. #when you prey on the weak and vulnerable you need to plan for the eventuality that there will be drugs in people's bloodstream. #classic blunder #tma #marina marvels at life

[princess-pray-a]

CHAPTER 3 : Janglers Mistress

Characters : Silvio X reader

Warnings : 18+oral /receiving , kissing ,femdom , extreme sub silvio, creampie, hickey, vag penetration unsafe sex , collaring ,suitor kisses readers feet , stepping on suitor , Smut

find the master list of this series here,and my main masterlist here

Characters here are fictional and its part of a fantasy

Familiar jingle jangle echoed through the hall The first prince of benentoite was lonely and marched his was off to belles room the only room he found peace in and fell happy so he could irritate that rotten mutt. with fairly strong brand of rose liquor in hand he kicked the door to her room . But the room was empty. The woman was no where to be seen. He scouted the area strange sounds came from the bathroom sounds so sharp that it could make legs shake and the aura was alluring and compelling. “Tch where did that bitch go hope she didn’t get devoured by some beast” he mumbled to himself placing the liquor on the table . With ever soo small steps he made his way to the bathroom door which was half open . The intense feeling that crept through this heart was unspeakable he was feeling as if his heart was going to rip itself out . His heart rate was soo high that the more he stayed there he felt the urge to surrender to whatever being that was inside, the feminine scent immediately hit him once he was nearer to the bathroom. The scent of lust flooded where the most alluring being stood , it wasn’t an angel but much sinister looking like a embodiment of demon the black bat like wings protruded through her back her long wet wavy black brown hair breath takingly beautiful. He gulped . His natural mating instinct flared in him . He wanted that women this instant . She looked vulnerable panting waiting to be scooped into claimed cherished and worshiped. He was sure she was meant to rule over him . All his earnings was hers all his haughtiness died . His pants tightened with need to breed . Ahh how lucky will he be to fuck her cunt and plant his seed in her he thought

As the red moon had approached you could feel it your body slowly weakening and today was finally the day when you planned to die . After not consuming any sexual energy or seed from males you had grown weak . You didn’t want this fate but had no choice you were born as one . How men who wanted women for a night and threw them away the other was not sitting right with you nobody would love you for you but only your sexual allure . In order to escape that heart wrenching fate you avoided any sexual interaction hereby leading it to your death door eventually . You were thirsty for love for real love and it was a fate impossible for succubus like you who people viewed only as pleasure means. But your body betrayed you wanting to lure men out your prey to make them serve you as the divine goddess you are . The men around you were in danger so you went inside the bathtub full of water trying to keep your burning body cold and avoid your sent and aura escaping . But , Silvio had found you he had been lured into your realm he had no escape now it was his mistake stepping into the laire of demon.

Silvio took a moment to understand the situation and his eyes felt as if betraying him the winged deity was non other than belle the women that rotten mutt loved. But but how !? Did his vision really betray him .As you rose from the bathtub, eyes fixated on him, steadying your breath you walked with the divinity , the embodiment of domination and lust , he immediately got into his knees bowling to you like a servant for his master . Offering his utmost respect , he didn’t dare meet your eyes . You raised you feet and placed on his right thighs he simply accepted your step on him . “ kiss my feet you “commanded” you had no control over yourself you wanted to in salve the brat before you . He had always made you do things beyond your want . Getting on your nerve , treating you like an object , you wanted to show him his money doesn’t mean anything in-front of your power .

“Tch . Eh- do you think I will , wh what are you bit-“ before he could say a word your wings hit square against his face . That was all his will power he could have mustered to defy you your command . he raised his head to meet your gaze scowling , but his expression shift 180 his expression of a trembling puppy. You smirked at him with the dominance and divinity which he felt compeled to obey . He slowly lifted your feet to his lips and kissed it vowing his defeat to your over power against him.His pants tightened as his cock inside twitched . It had now been soaked with his precum . You lifted your foot directly palming his cock through your feet " ha look at you does the thought of being dominated by me turn you on soo much " he was angry his expression said soo but his body betrayed him" sHuddup you i am not afraid of you . What the fucking hell are you wom-" With no difficulty what so ever you removed the collar he had placed on you .His eyes went wide what kind of power or magic was it it should be unclaspable and now you placed the collar around him. he blinked few times and as you motioned to leave to your room he simply went following you . As soon as you went inside you pushed him onto the fluffy bed immediately getting on top of him.

His cheeks turned all red turning sideways like an embarrassed virgin . Licking your lips you chuckled " haha look you are soo embaressed was all that asking to bed me just a bluff ? Getting pinned by the goddess of sex herself aren't you lucky " your hands went to plam his clothed cock a little harsh . The sinister smirk on your face as he moaned . " Ahh .ngg . What fucking hell are you " his eyes rolled back as your hands slid into his pants .. " me oh well i M hehe a succubus . Someone you will have to serve for your rest of your life " you made him suck on you hands and used his saliva to coat His hard cock and start rubbing your hands up and down . " like i will nggg " silvio scowled unable to supress his moans . You wanting to see him crumble, smiled to yourself and started sucking his neck just above the collar making sure to suck on his soft spot . Your ministration was getting into his brain along with the aura into his systems his body throbbed with unspeakable lust . He so wanted to fuck you out of your brains but he himself was somewhat enjoying the domination you bestowed on him . Freeying him from his confines of his pants Your tail went ahead to stroke and balls and play with them and also they colied around his cock instead of your hands . " Lets see where shall i mark my servent . Should i mark here " your mouth leaves his neck and now travels to his torso undressing him in a flash almost tearing those expensive fabrics . Your fingers tweeked his nipples while you mouth licked and left marks on his hard abs . Satisfied with your work you came up eyeing him . He was sweating droplets sliding across his handsome face as he was biting his lower lips . Your tail coiled and stroked his cock harder feeling him twitch . Your hands wrapped around his neck choking him just enough . " ehhehe look at you so slutty just about to cum from my tail stroking you looks like you want my pussy ? Haha it must be so hard wanting to breed me but unable . Do you want to finish in my pussy! Want my one in a billion cunt ?. You ask mocking him.

But what he says completely throws you off track. " Get over with this and leave at once i dont want to see ngg when i wakeup" You freeze you had seen this being used for pleasure and that what you despised you hated it , you heart hated the sound of it , you had operated all on your impulse your survival instinct blinded you , only few hours until you perish . Guilt crept in you eating you from inside. Thats when silvio gazed you questioningly when your hands loosened around his neck and your tail loosened . Pulling yourself together you stroked him granting his release from your tail as he cummed all over his belly ." get dressed and get out right now and don't bother to ever come here again " you said getting off him . Your aura instantly fading . Your body morphing smaller and smaller as you took into your original form silvio was well aqcciuanted with how ever you looked soo sickly as if starved for years . The darkcircles prominent in your eyes as your life flash through you . You didn't like the way silvio treated you but you couldn't deny the moments with him in the resturant eating good food , the time you spent drinking in tavern all felt as if you touched the real him . He though was tryant you loved your time with him cherished it and felt lonely without him somehow your feelings speaking volumes at your death door . Ah so you really did love him . With smile on your face your consciousness slips . While silvio there is mortified as to what to do seeing you almost in your death bed he realizes something “ oye oye don’t go on passing out on me now , after dominating me so brutally and exploiting me , get up show that sass , you probably love that rotten mutt but damn why the fuck I am feeling this way for such a cheeky women.” Don’t you go dare dying on me “ His expression twisted in grimace as he gently places you in bed. Your eyes flutter just a little and he wastes no time asking “ what the hell is happening to you !lady say quickly so I can fucking do something “ he was almost biting back tears at this point “ you .. you don’t have to do anything .

I am dying because I refused my fate I wanted to be loved i thrusted for love as a succubi I wanted men to desire me not for my body but for love so I starved, I didn’t want to be a day in bed and get out after the business was done . I waited and waited for love but nobody did .. ngg .. I guess world really wanted to show me my ideals were foolish .. ngg that I am dying I realized that I loved you , no matter how much of a tyrant you were I love you ..and I am happ…” he didn’t let you finish “shuddup, there has to be a way a way to save you .. come on.. damn it what is it I will do anything”. You slightly shake your head “ The only way is to copulate and get the seed of men and then the vitality will be passed but I have no time only 30 minutes remains.. I am happy to die after knowing love , but don’t you dare try save me of mere sympathy I am not a thing !”. His eyes now filled with rage he kisses you with all his might his kisses desperately searching out for you devouring you while a tear rolls off your right cheeks breaking off the kiss he says “ who the hell said it was sympathy , I don’t know how to express this emotion I get irritated with sass but that’s what makes you you , and I must admit I fell in love with his cheeky women shuddup and let me save you and love you”. It was all it took for him to tear your clothes off rubbing your bundle of nerves ever so lightly making sure you were weight enough he brings his face to your pussy that was dripping with all those naughty thing you did to him he lapped at your entrance as starved as you were and wasting no time he entered you . “Fuck you have such a tight and small pussy for a succubus , it’s gripping me soo well ngg it feels soo good .” Once he entered you the residual cum from before reaches your womb and a mark appears on your lower belly that instantly provides you with the energy and vitality , seeing you return to a better colour , Silvio smirks “ ha so it was my seed your cunt desired how desperate, well I can’t wait to breed you like the bitch you are ,” he brings his face close to you and now this time the kiss that he gives is filled with want need love and lust , the tongue inside is throbbing your sweet spot robbing you of any clear thoughts while his cock remains buried in you . “ ahh fuck ngg Silvio , start moving already I am not able to hold back , don’t tease me ,”. You roll your hips wanting more friction as you feel much energy in you . “ look now who is below me so needy for my cock why don’t you bounce on it ! After all finally you are mine no one else can love a cheeky women like you give your all to me and so you will have my all to you !”. He remarks making you whimper , without further comment he thrusts into your pussy pounding in an inhumane sped as his mouth latches into your neck sucking you this time and his hands busy fondling your breasts .” Ahh fuck Silvio yes yes yes ngg” you moan as he is cock kisses your womb with each thrust. His mouth move from your neck to your breasts drawing circles on them making you arch your back and roll your eyes in pleasure . God he knew how to do his stuffs . You were a moaning mess .

Your legs wrapped around his torso pulling him closer reducing the distance as he went balls deep inside you each thrust hit your spots perfectly aligned with your succubi reflex to be able to tighten the width of your pussy and your tail went to stroke his balls . “Dyamn you surely have so much abilities sad for others you are my Queen now and make your to take all my seed fuckk you feel ngg soo good your gummy walls are best I am gonna cum”. He comes down to leave a kiss on your forehead while he takes a quicker speed , skinslapping sound along with moans and wet sounds fill the air , “ ah ah oh Silvio me too ah I am gonna cum fuck your cock feels soo good nggg “ his hands travel to your clit assisting you while you feel his cock twitch in you and your walls clench around him washing his cock with your fluids, while he paints your walls white with ropes of his cum filling your womb. He doesnot pull out instantly making sure each and every drop is released in you .

He brings blanket over your limp bodies and gazes your sleeping face "you are someone with a lot of charms and i love you for you " placing a kiss on tip of your nose you giggle and he blushes knowing you were awake the whole time . " Such a cheeky women " He scowled but you placed a kiss on he eyelids " and you love me for that and i love you too so its all ok " you both giggled and fell asleep in eachothers arms ,next morning he doesn't wakeup alone In his arms lay his love of life ,his queen his succubus who now is to rule the kingdom of benentoite as his mistress and his queen.

The END

Taglist: @queengiuliettafirstlady

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[ogradyfilm]

The Satirical Horror of Junji Ito’s “Hanging Blimp”

[The following review contains SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

Junji Ito’s “Hanging Blimp” features a brilliant moment of dark comedy. Quite near the end of the short story, the protagonist’s family huddles around their television set, watching an emergency broadcast about the apocalyptic invasion of the eponymous monsters—gargantuan sentient balloons shaped like disembodied human heads, which strangle their prey with steel cable nooses. Literally seconds after the reporter warns citizens to remain indoors, the father stands up and casually announces that he really should be getting back to the office; he has a lot of work to finish before the weekend. When his wife and children understandably object to his cavalier attitude, he arrogantly dismisses their concerns, insisting that he’s formulated a foolproof survival plan. Abandoning both rationality and the safety of his home, he sprints towards his car, raising his arms to protect his neck—and is immediately lassoed around the waist and hoisted aloft to his grisly demise.

Later, our heroine’s younger brother likewise ventures outside, albeit for a more justifiable reason: he realizes that they will eventually run out of food should they continue to shelter in place—and as the newly appointed “man of the house,” it is his responsibility to provide for the weak, helpless, vulnerable womenfolk. His overconfidence proves to be equally fatal: when he next appears, he’s been unceremoniously slain between panels—impaled by the umbrella that he wielded as an improvised weapon.

Although this social commentary is too brief and incidental to the plot to qualify as a proper theme, it is nevertheless pointed and purposeful. Indeed, the presence of such mundane horrors as machismo, patriarchy, and toxic masculinity enriches the narrative, grounding the (potentially absurd) premise by juxtaposing its supernatural elements with comparatively ordinary, recognizable, relatable conflicts and characterization. Additionally, these relatively humorous (but still macabre) scenes prevent the tone from becoming excessively monotonous, alleviating the relentless tension by lending the otherwise oppressively bleak scenario some much-needed levity—which, in turn, lowers the reader’s guard, thus making the tale’s tragic conclusion significantly more impactful.

While fans tend to reductively emphasize “Hanging Blimp’s” grotesque, nightmarish imagery—particularly the iconic visual of a schoolgirl’s skull melting into a misshapen blob that resembles a deflated soccer ball—its satirical subtext is what truly elevates it. As insightful, subversive, and culturally relevant as it is disturbing, the manga transcends such superficial genre trappings as gore, jump scares, and a creepy atmosphere. These surface-level pleasures are, of course, perfectly enjoyable, but they do not exist in a vacuum; their function is to support the work’s underlying meaning.

And any critical analysis that omits this deeper context is inherently incomplete.

[Click here for more posts on this topic. Happy Halloween!]

#Hanging Binp #Hanging Blimps #Hanging Balloons #Junji Ito #horror #horror manga #manga #Japanese horror #writing #Halloween with Junji Ito #Halloween #Halloween 2023 #Happy Halloween #I know Hanging Balloons is the most popular title for this story #but I went with the translation in my printed copy

[buggachat]

Related to the Zoé ask you responded earlier: what’s your opinion on Chloé? Do you think she can still become a better person?

Because, personally, I do. And just as you, I hope Zoé can help her in that.

I just think people take Thomas Astruc way too seriously. I’m not arguing whether you should like him or not, he’s just a normal person after all and it’s fine if you dislike him.

But he’s trolled us a lot of times. When people asked him about Felix, he always said his concept get dumped. Instead he was recycled as Adrien’s cousins.

Or, like, before the firsts “hints” of Chloé humanity, he always said on Twitter she was just a bad person. But I think it’s more complicated than that, otherwise why show her struggle with her mother?

I was skeptical when we found out Zoé is Chloe’s half-sister, but I gotta say I like the idea. She seems very sweet and I hope they can get along eventually.

What are your thoughts on it?

I absolutely agree with you.

People take what Astruc says on twitter way too seriously, considering he’s constantly playing devil’s advocate, trolling, and straight up lying to us about things in the show. That’s all not even mentioning language barriers and the like. It’s his way of combating spoilers, and just because he implies something, doesn’t mean at all that it’s true. 

I find it kind of frustrating that everyone is hating on Chloe’s arc when we have absolutely no idea where it’s going. We DON’T know that she wont get a redemption, but everyone acts like that’s definitely the case and attacks the creators of the show over it. 

People act like her betrayal was completely out of left field, as if it wasn’t HEAVILY foreshadowed in Miraculer and just..... made sense.

Like, who cares about what the guy on twitter who constantly lies to us says? Let’s look at the ACTUAL TEXT of the show. 

Chloé didn’t just randomly turn against Ladybug. Hawkmoth, a grown ass man who has known her since she was a toddler, decided to specifically prey on her insecurities and weaknesses. He tried it in Miraculer, and it didn't work (which took SO MUCH WILLPOWER FROM HER??), so he planned it out more thoroughly and tried it again... after making sure she was feeling as vulnerable as possible.... by akumatizing her parents.

Her turning point was choreographed like an akumatization! The grunting, the trying to the resist, the shot of the person's head being hung.... and then looking up at the camera and agreeing with Hawkmoth.

And why? Because that's basically what happened to Chloé, just without the magical assistance. Akumatizations happen when Hawkmoth preys on people's emotional vulnerabilities when they're at their weakest..... and that's exactly what he did to her.

Chloé isn't a great person. And yes, she is a brat..... but that doesn't mean she's incapable of change. It doesn't mean she can't try to be better. She was trying! But the fact of the matter is that trying is hard, especially when the supervillain of the series is a man who is a master of manipulating people at their lowest. Chloe's attempt at being a better person was put to the test, and she failed.

But she wasn't happy about it.

Once Miracle Queen failed, Chloe stood there and let Ladybug pluck the miraculous off her head.

And then, in her shame, she tried to flee the country.

Really, I need to emphasize this. When Miracle Queen lost, Chloé let Ladybug take her miraculous off and then declared that she would flee the country. She didn't swear revenge on Ladybug. She didn't declare herself a threat. (and no, saying “im not your fan anymore!” is not declaring yourself a threat). She just seemed....... angry, yes, but mostly ashamed.

She tried to be a better person and failed, yes. But that just means she has to try harder. And maybe she'll never be Queen Bee again, but she'll have to accept that she doesn't have to be a superhero to be a good person.

Literally the scene Chloé’s in right after her betrayal is THIS:

The ACTUAL TEXT of the show portrays what is at worst a tragedy (a young girl being manipulated by a man at her most vulnerable to do something she regrets) and at best a redemption in the making (remember how the Ba Sing Se arc ended for Zuko?).

.... But everyone ignores it because....... “thomas astruc, the person who constantly says weird things on twitter, said some weird things on twitter". And honestly that makes me sad, because I think this is a really interesting and engaging arc so far.

Chloé’s a brat. She’s been a brat the entire time. She doesn’t want to be a brat anymore. She was relying on being Queen Bee to be her big break, but she lost that privilege..... and now she has to rely on herself to get her out. She wont get better instantly. I’m sure she’ll continue to be a brat for a while— but, to me, the show always has and still is implying that she’s trying.

And, I dunno, Zoe’s inclusion in the show sounds to me like their way to move Chloé’s arc forward.

#Anonymous #chloe bourgeois #ml spoilers #and this is all barely mentioning miraculer and ignoring malediktator #two episodes very centric on the idea of chloe TRYING to be better #and yes. astruc had a hand in ALL OF THESE EPISODES

[twstdreams]

hello i loved the sabotaged flying and catching s/o post you did! if you don’t mind could you do a part 2? same situation except with characters ruggie, leech twins, jack, and a character of your choice plz? you don’t have to do it! but if you do it’ll be much appreciated:) have a nice day!

Previous request: (for context) During flying class someone jinxes their crush’s broom and sends them free-falling but just before they hit the ground the boys rescue them. To show their gratitude, their crush gives them an innocent peck on the cheek afterwards (oblivious to their feelings) before leaving

Heroes, Villains, and the soft spot in between pt. 2

Floyd Leech

At first, Floyd is envious. Your flying looks like so much fun with all of the spontaneous ups and downs and spirals, maybe he’ll do the same when it’s his turn

Yeah, you’re screaming but maybe it’s from exhilaration? Like when you’re on a rollercoaster and filled with excitement

He realizes your screams are due to terror when you start free falling at a speed that can’t be safe while you wildly thrash in the air

Floyd scrambles to catch you in his arms, magic softens the blow, but the two of you are sent tumbling from the impact. You end up as a pile of entangled limbs with him below you to absorb most of the fall.

Floyd is a maelstrom of emotions. He’s upset that you lost control, he’s mad that he almost let you fall, and he’s certain, given the state of your broom, that something was amiss with it. Before he can act on his whirlwind of emotions, they’re all quelled by a soft stroke on his cheek.

“Are you alright?” you asked, eyes roaming his figure for injuries and tone filled with worry. Aside from the dirt on your uniform, you appear otherwise unharmed and that calms him more than Floyd will ever admit.

“No-oh!~ It hurts! Maybe if you give me a k-i-ss it’ll feel better?” he teases. Uncertainty and hints of disbelief swirl in your eyes as you bite your lip lightly. Before he can assure he’s just kidding, a heart-wrenchingly gentle kiss lands on his cheek.

“Feel better now?” you ask tentatively, “Did you cast some spell that needs kisses as a catalyst to heal wounds?” Floyd smirks at your naivety.

Jade Leech

Jade is reassuring you while you wait for your brooms. It’s your first time flying and you have jitters but it’s a compulsory component and Ashton Vargas is hardly the empathetic mushy type

Jade sees your broom is rather stiff and offers to switch with you, but you’re scampering to the start line before he can closely inspect your broom

You have an uneasy start, unsteady and quivering, but soon you’re high up in the skies with your classmates 

Then your broom sputters and in the blink of an eye, you’re plunging towards the hard ground

Jade acts quickly, casting a spell with an enchanted item, which slows your descent and has you landing on a magic bubble rather than solid rock. The bubble pops as you descend on it and you land on your feet and into Jade’s arms. Your fingers dig into his jacket in an attempt to stop yourself from crumbling on the spot.   

“Why don’t we head back to the café?” Jade suggests, his voice smooth and steady as it lulls you back to reality. If you looked a little closer, you’d notice how Jade grit his teeth, but at the moment you simply clung onto him for strength. You don’t trust your voice yet so you nod in response. In the distance, you hear chatter and screams, apparently, you weren’t the only one to fall prey to this horrid scheme. But with each step away from the chaos, a little bit of normality returns to your life.

“Take a seat here, I’ll get you something warm to drink,” Jade insists while pulling out a chair for you. You fiddle with the utensils as you try to distract yourself from that horrid first attempt at flying. The thought of ever going into the skies again is enough for your stomach to start performing acrobatics. 

“Enjoy.” Before your thoughts can spiral, your favourite warm beverage is in your hands. Jade sits beside you with a cup of his own, but he waits for your reaction.

“Thanks,” you murmur and bring the steaming drink to your lips. As the hot liquid runs down your throat and fills your body, you finally feel at peace. The corners of your lips turn upwards slightly. The warmth in your hands spreads to your heart. Impulsively, you turn towards Jade and share this precious warmth with a kiss to his cheek. An unexpected blush blooms on his face, but it only serves to make your smile bigger.

Jack Howl

He doesn’t really like you, okay? He’s not paying extra attention in class to you. You don’t catch his eyes or grab his attention.

He won’t unnecessarily associate with people, no matter how often his gaze wanders to you.

Then he hears your shriek and he acts on adrenaline. 

You’re falling and he couldn’t care less what anyone said about him. He could hardly be worried about looking vulnerable with your impending death

He breaks your fall, and both of you roll on the ground from the sheer force of the fall

His muscular arms wrap around your body as he takes most of the blow from the fall. Your head is spinning and you’re too unsteady and bruised to do much else but remain in his hold. He starts yelling but the ringing in your ears makes it hard to identify what he’s saying. 

“… so weak! … so stupid! What were you doing?” His mouth unleashes something in between a barrage of insults and a lecture but his trembling arms and contorted expression tell an entirely different story. He’s worried about you, maybe even scared for your safety.  Eventually, silence fills the space between the two of you but his arms still cage your body.

“Sorry for worrying you,” you said softly. You stare up into eyes with trepidation, and before your brain can overthink it, you clumsily kiss his cheek. The shock loosens his hold on you but his surprised visage is enough to send a deep blush to your cheeks. You quickly blurt out some sort of thanks and then run off before Jack has a chance to properly comprehend the situation.

Ruggie Bucchi

Ruggie notices some classmates snickering a bit too much, and he recognizes the malicious glint in their eyes even if they do try to conceal it

He’s not too concerned until he sees one of them point specifically at you

He’s a little surprised, Savanaclaw kids certainly have their flaws but at least most had the guts to openly confront each other. They couldn’t be bothered with subterfuge and sabotage, they just fought each other 

Ruggie wastes no time confronting the group, intimidation and confrontation a familiar tactic for him. He didn’t become the vice dorm leader of Savanaclaw Snaps through gentleness, and he extracts the information he wants

Unfortunately, the idiots don’t even have an inkling about how to undo the jinx. He snaps their wands in half from rage alone

Before he can teach them a lesson, your screech pierces Ruggie’s ears. Worry instantly fills his mind, Ruggie is used to breaking up fights, not saving people

Ruggie doesn’t have the same inherent fountain of magic Leona does, but it’s enough to cast a shaky spell that prevents you from splattering. It doesn’t stop the tree branches from smacking your body or the rocks from cutting your flesh during the fall though. Ruggie is by your side in an instant, cradling you carefully.

While all your limbs are intact, scratches and bruises litter your skin. White-hot fury flows through his blood. He engraves the faces of the perpetrators into his mind, planning to teach them a permanent lesson. Your groan brought his attention back to the situation at hand, and he barely suppresses his anger in favour of carrying you to the infirmary. 

With a gentleness that surprises even him, he holds your body like a precious doll or perhaps like a knight saving his liege. He anxiously paces outside your infirmary bed as your wounds are being cleaned and dressed.  Eventually, the two of you are left alone after being advised that you’d need rest and were excused from physical classes for a while.

“Ruggie?” you croak. His swinging tail stills at your voice.

“Yeah?” He trudges towards you. You beckon him with his hand, and he can’t help but follow, sitting beside your bed. Bandaged and weak, he has trouble finding the willpower to deny you.

“Come closer,” you murmur. He bites his lip but obeys anyway. Slowly, as to not agitate your injuries, you lift yourself up with a tired grin. Your lips graze Ruggie’s cheek, it’s hard to muster up enough strength for much more, but it’s enough to perk up his ears and his tail lets you know he definitely felt it.

“Thanks for saving me,” you whisper before closing your eyes and finally resting, feeling safe with Ruggie beside you.

Cater Diamond

Cater heard rumours of some students planning on hexing some brooms, but he didn’t think it’d happen, least of all to you. There were plenty of vengeful and colourful characters at the school but many were all bark and no bite

“HELP!” Hearing your plea for aid was all it took for Cater to kick it into high gear

Cater immediately grabs a broom and starts flying to catch you. 

The broom wavers a bit from the impact of you falling into his arms, but aside from messy hair, the physical damage is minimal

Cater teases you, saying how you’re lucky to have a friend like him to save you with a grin. He holds you a bit too tight which betrays his cheerful facade

“Safe to say that class is over today, yeah?” His voice is light but there’s a tightness in his throat that Cater struggles to bury. His arms haven’t left your waist, even as the two of you descend on solid ground.

“Thanks for saving me.” Your words are sincere but your voice can’t help but waver after the traumatic experience.

“I’d say we deserve a treat,” Cater declares. Your eyes widen, but since he just saved your life, you decide to trust whatever plan he’s come up with. A small fragile smile forms on your face as you nod. Cater keeps a hand on your shoulder as he guides you.

Each step is easier than the last and eventually, your legs have enough strength to support you. Even then, Cater keeps a hand on your body and its presence is reassuring, so neither of you comment on it. 

“Here we are!” Cater announces before opening the door to the cutest patisserie you’ve ever seen. Pastel pink and green are accented by white giving the shop both a spring vibe and elegant theme. Shelves are lined with macarons, cookies, petit fours, cakes, and sweets to tempt just about anyone.

One glazed cake catches your eyes with bright colours and a flavour combination that sounds too good to pass up. Cater catches your gaze and orders it before you even need to ask. The dessert tastes even better than it looks. The contrasting textures and complementary flavours make for a great bite of food.

You finally feel happy after that disaster and the person responsible for that is right beside you with an easy smile. An idea sparks in your mind and it must show in your expression because Cater lifts an eyebrow up in a silent question.  You press a firm kiss on his cheek on top of his Diamond.

“Not as sweet as these desserts, but I hope you accept it as thanks for today,” you explain. Cater feels his heart swell, grateful for the affection. He’s now determined to show the culprits behind your life-threatening fall how heartless he can be. 

#I never realized how slow of a writer I could be #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #floyd leech #jade leech #octavinelle #ruggie bucchi #jack howl #savanaclaw #cater diamond #heartslabyul #long post #twisted wonderland headcanon #twisted wonderland scenario #twstdreams #twisted dreams

[seokoloqy]

A Hunter’s Mark | knj (m)

➳ PAIRING: hunter!namjoon x hunter!reader

➳ GENRE: fluff, f2l, Nevermore universe

➳ WORD COUNT: 2.3k

➳ WARNINGS: nothing too freaky, just making out, tiny bit of thigh riding action, yes I wrote c*ck, yes I wrote p***y but nothing else too detailed, implied smut, a little blood and injury

➳ SUMMARY: While Namjoon, the pacifist, has always been reluctant to kill beasts, you and him have officially been marked as hunters. Your first assignment doesn’t go as planned and it leads to confessions.

➳ A/N: you’ll be seeing a lot more of Namjoon in my necromancer fic, Nevermore! This is just a short little drabble expanding on the universe and Namjoons character ENJOY~

—

“Stop crying about it, Namjoon!” You shout, tugging on the back of his collar to get him out of bed. He’s been lying face down for hours and whining about the mark you both just received.

Today was your initiation as hunters. One of the rites included having a priestess sear a mark into your left eye that grants you the ability to see invisible supernaturals. It’s meant to aid you on hunts.

“I never even wanted this,” his muffled groan comes after you release his collar.

Namjoon has always been vocal about his disdain for hunting supernaturals. Despite his entire family being hunters, he refuses to follow the same path. He votes for living peacefully among vicious beasts instead of slaughtering them. He’s always had a weak heart. If he had seen the things you’ve seen—monsters tearing apart the innocent without mercy—he’d never hesitate.

“Everything is okay.”

He drags his face out of his pillow to look at you. His left eye, newly marked, is now a deep amethyst and where his pupil once was now in the shape of a pentagram. The pentagram represents protection from evil. It matches yours and all other hunters who’ve been marked.

“I saw a reaper today! She had this white veil on a-and scissors. How is that okay? I don’t want to see that!”

You’re starting to get frustrated with his whiny attitude. He needs to start seeing reality the way you do. Creatures like vampires and demons that prey on the vulnerable, sirens who seduce sailors to their doom with tempting songs, even mischievous fae that hide in the forest and lure victims in from town don’t deserve to live. They’ll never change like he wants to believe. All they do is destroy lives like yours.

You’d still have a family if they weren’t slaughtered by demons all for the fun of it. Experiencing tragedy like that is something Namjoon has never known and it’s exactly why he’s so naive to it all. You don’t want his delusions to end up killing him if he hesitates.

You don’t know what you’d do without him. Living a life without Namjoon is something you don’t want to imagine. It’ll be hard not to have his dimpled smile and warm hugs to comfort you or his intellect to get you out of trouble with the priestess. He’s always there to comfort and listen to your troubles, especially when dealing with the stress and fear that comes with being a hunter.

“Reapers won’t bother you unless they’re going to kill you. So please get up, Joon, I need you.” You grab one of his pillows and swing it at his head to motivate him.

He only glowers and buries his face back into bed.

“Come on! We have our first assignment,” you groan. “There are rumors that a vampire is staying at the inn.”

Namjoon grunts, shifting further away from you.

You settle yourself on the bed beside him, sighing dramatically. Your hand reaches up to card through his dark hair, leaning in closely to his ear. He can feel your breath on his blushing cheeks.

“If you don’t come I’ll go by myself without backup. And if I die I’ll ask the reaper to let me stay and haunt you.”

Namjoon visibly stiffens and finally turns his head back to you with a glare. He pushes himself out of bed and begrudgingly gets his things together.

—

The two of you walk towards the inn where the vampire is rumored to stay. At night the town of Nevermore becomes a quiet eerie place. The citizens never wander around at night in fear of being captured by anything lurking in the dark. Their biggest fear being so close to the ocean is the seductive siren’s song that is known for luring people out of their homes while they sleep.

You’re used to the emptiness at night with nothing but the ocean waves to calm your nerves. You glance at Namjoon who has been shuffling his feet behind you the entire time.

“Don’t be so mopey.”

He finally speaks up, “We don’t even know if this vampire has killed anyone.”

You roll your eyes. “Even if this one hasn't killed before, it will eventually. We need to stop it before that happens.”

“They don't have to kill,” Namjoon mutters. “If they find someone willing to give blood.”

You click your tongue, already knowing where he’s going with this. The kingdom to the North and its controversial vampire army that survives off the blood of volunteers.

Somehow they’ve managed to tame a whole group of vampires to serve them, but as a hunter, your instincts tell you those vampires are just waiting to attack unsuspected.

That kingdom doesn’t allow hunters, so it remains a mystery to you whether or not they use volunteers or sacrifice up their citizens as lambs to slaughter. You vote for the latter.

But there’s one thing that’s for sure. On the battlefield they’re the ruthless monsters you’ve always known, ripping apart the enemy and dancing victoriously in their blood. Their army is an unstoppable beast that is too dangerous to exist.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” you groan. “As if anyone is insane enough to offer their blood to a blood thirsty vampire. Now come on. We still have a vampire to hunt.” You extend your hand out to him which he reluctantly takes, allowing you to drag him along. Your fingers curl around his hand, feeling the pulsing warmth.

“Right,” he sighs, following after you towards the inn.

—

Your first hunt isn’t going as well as you’d hoped.

Your body collides with the wall, knocking all the air out of you.

You both arrived at the inn and found the room where the vampire was residing. It seemed startled when you entered, pretending that it wasn’t going to harm anyone and that it only wanted a place to rest.

You didn’t believe a word of it, but Namjoon hesitated, giving the vampire the perfect opportunity to lunge at you.

Namjoon rushes toward you instead of drawing his weapon to kill the vampire.

“No,” you cough, scrambling to pull yourself off the ground and find your blades. You see them across the room, too far to get to in time. “Kill it! Forget about me.”

Namjoon ignores you, kneeling next to you to check your wounds. The vampire scurries out the window, dropping down five floors, a feat not too difficult for a monster.

“You’re letting it get away!” You push yourself onto your feet and dart towards the window just in time to see the vampire run off down an alley. You moan, palming your face, “the priestess is not going to be happy about this!”

The priestess at the hunter’s sanctuary may have a kind hearted and innocent facade when she’s sitting on a cushioned throne giving advice or caring for injured hunters, but when she snaps at those who allow beasts to get away, they’ll be lucky to walk away unscathed by her wrath. However, you two being brand new hunters, she might be lenient with punishment.

She’ll have to send another hunter to deal with your incompetence. You wonder which hunter will have to deal with this mess.

“It’ll be okay,” Namjoon tries to say, attempting to calm you down.

“Our first hunt,” you mutter dejectedly.

“It’s fine,” he brushes off, “let’s just go back to my house.”

—

“Don’t touch me!” You hiss, slapping his hand away from the scratch on your arm. You’ve had plenty of time to simmer over your failed hunt.

“I said I’m sorry,” Namjoon repeats, “I should’ve jumped in before he could grab you.”

You scoff, “that’s not why I’m angry. I’m angry because you let that vampire get away.”

He shouldn’t have run to you and you shouldn’t have let him convince you not to chase after it. By not pursuing the vampire and finishing the job, it already breaks the hunter’s code of fighting till your last breath. You're afraid of what the priestess will say most of all.

Namjoon crosses his arms. “I’m not sorry about that.”

You ball your fists at his words. How can he say that? Even if the vampire seemed to beg for its life it was all just a rouse to lower your guard. Now it’s free to go tear apart families because you two couldn’t kill it tonight. Namjoon had the chance to kill it but rushed to you instead.

“I can’t take it anymore, Namjoon! You can’t keep convincing yourself that these monsters will ever change!” You cry out, finally letting all your frustration flow. “You’ll get yourself killed one day and then I’ll have no one!”

Namjoon is the only person you have left. If he dies it’ll be one more person taken from you too soon.

Tears well up in your eyes as you stare at his shocked face. You move closer to him, almost blinded by the tears in your eyes as your shoulders begin to shake.

“Don’t leave me, Namjoon… I can’t lose another person I love.”

You love him and his tender heart, his sympathy, his selflessness. He’s the last person in this world who you love and trust. You’d do anything to protect him.

“You won’t.” His arms encircle you and he hugs you tightly. “I promise.”

“Then stop being so stupid.”

You rest your head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart, shutting your eyes as a hot tear runs down your cheek.

He’s always so selfless, running in front of others to protect them whenever there’s danger without thinking of what kind of consequences would come from it. And the unwillingness to believe in the cruelty of monsters paired with that recklessness will only get him killed. He can promise that he won’t leave you all he wants, but you’ll never be able to believe it.

He holds you closely until your body stops shaking and you’re no longer crying. You sit together on the bed, thighs and shoulders touching.

“Namjoon?”

“Hm,” he hums, staring down at his intertwined fingers.

You dab your damp cheeks, a shy smile creeping onto your face. “Should we pretend I didn’t just confess my love for you?”

You’re not sure how he’ll react. He must not want to say anything that’ll upset you further. He doesn’t feel the same way, you think. He sees you more like a sister he grew up with.

“Why? I-” Namjoon swallows, feeling his hands get clammy, “I love you too.”

“Like a friend or sister, right?”

“No, I’m in love with you.” He emphasizes in love, trying to get you to understand how he truly feels. Namjoon stares into your eyes, his shy hands coming up to cradle your face. “I love you, ___.”

For a second time tonight, tears begin to well up in your eyes. This time you’re overjoyed.

“Swear by the gods!” You want to hear it again. You want to savor his words for as long as you can. Living the life of a hunter doesn’t guarantee a long, virtuous life. There is only one rule a hunter lives by: slaughter as many monsters as you can or die fighting.

For as long as you have left, you want to hear the words I love you.

“I swear by the divine gods above, that I am in love with you, ___,” he laughs, looking down at your smiling face.

Without hesitation you push your lips onto his, throwing your arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

Namjoon, stiff and unsure at first, gradually relaxes and cups your cheek, returning the kiss.

Both your hands move at their own volition to eagerly strip each other of their shirts. You run your hands over Namjoon’s toned chest. Despite his reluctance to hunt, he maintains a nice physique to keep up with you during training.

His hand glides over your bare stomach, leaving goosebumps in its wake. His lips latch onto your neck, sucking and licking a perfect mark on your heated skin. From your neck to your shoulders, down between your breasts, he leaves evidence of his desire.

Your legs rub together, creating friction to barely satisfy the throbbing between them. Need builds up in you, threatening to explode, the longer he’s not inside you. Now, now, now, your body cries out for him. You need him so desperately, but…

“Namjoon,” you moan, pulling his attention away from your neck. “Can we do this?”

Should we do this?

Crossing the boundary between friendship and lovers is a big step. You’re afraid of what will happen if you both hand over your hearts to one another especially now when you’ve both become hunters.

“I’ve wanted you to be mine since the day we met.”

His mouth returns to the spot on your neck he favors, allowing his hands to wander again. Gently, he coaxes you to lay against his bed. When he pulls back from sucking bruises on your neck, his thick thigh presses against your core, sending a shock through your body.

Your hips move to grind against his flexing thigh, hungry for stimulation. It’s not enough to satiate the throbbing though. You can feel your underwear beginning to stick to your pussy from all the arousal.

Your arms are thrown around his shoulders when he dives back down and his hands begin to remove your restricting pants. They slide off without much struggle after you raise your hips and are discarded somewhere in the corner of his room.

Cupping your cheek to bring you close, Namjoon captures your lips in another heated and passionate kiss with tongues exploring each other's mouths. Your hands, craving for something to do, begin to wander downward, trailing down his toned back. He shivers under your fingertips raking over his skin. Your hands move down the waistband of his pants, working quickly to get them off and his cock free so you can see all of him.

“So eager,” he teases between uneven breaths, hissing as your hand wraps around him and teases his tip.

“I just want you right now.”

“Then go ahead and take me. I’m all yours.”

#bts #bts smut #namjoon smut #namjoon fanfiction #bts fanfiction #bts fluff #namjoon fluff #bts fanfic #namjoon fanfic #bts drabble #bts scenario #i hate tags

[lavendertwilight89]

InuxKag Week 2020 Day 1--Acceptance

Reflection

@inukag-week @superpixie42 @lemonlushff @dangerouspompadour @keichanz @cstormsinukagblog @willowandfog @inuyashaloverforever @xfangheartx @clearwillow  @umacaking​ @procellaxletalis​ @smmahamazing​ @murdergiraffe​ @faulkner-blog​ @sapphirestarxx​@swaggingtomboy​

Day 1--Acceptance

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Staring down at his wife… his wife… Inuyasha reflected on his long life. The first ten years he lived with her mother. She loved him with all her heart. Accepted him, cherished him, made him feel loved even though the entire world hated him.

When she died, she begged him to live. Begged him to carry on without her. She knew he would one day meet someone who would accept him for who he was. She made him promise to fight. To live. What could he do? He had to promise her. He wanted her to rest in peace, not in turmoil…

For the first hundred and fifty years he spent without his mother, he ran. No one loved him. No one accepted him. He was a filthy disgusting half-breed. His own asshole brother wouldn’t even take him in; he cast him aside stating the only relation was the blood of their father that ran through his tainted veins…

Every second, minute, day, week, month, and year that passed, he regretted he had ever promised his mother he would fight to survive. Years stretched into decades, decades into a century. Eventually, he learned of the Jewel of Four Souls and he thought then, just maybe, he found a way to fit in. He could finally be accepted by his brother. He could finally be respected by other demons because he was his father’s son—a full blooded demon that would live up to his father’s legacy. He could finally not be chased out of villages because he would have no desire to be around humans. He’d finally find a place where he belonged…

But Kikyo stood in the way of all that. She kept stopping him, pinning him to trees, chasing him off, standing in his way of being accepted and then she wouldn’t even fucking finish the job. He never made it a point to kill humans if he didn’t have to, but that woman—she drove him insane!

Then they talked… and he finally thought maybe, just maybe he found someone who accepted him. At least as a friend, a companion. But he fell in love with her. The only human to really make him feel like he was an actual being of intelligence since his mother died. After they had spent time together, she offered him the jewel… to become human so she could live a normal life. So that they could live a normal life—together.

While he really didn’t want to become human, he wanted to be accepted. Loved. And he couldn’t have that kind of relationship as a dirty half-breed. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. He fell in love with the kind priestess who was trying to give him a chance at a normal life. What could he do other than accept? He held Kikyo that evening… swearing to never let go. He would be willing to change into a human to be with her. To belong. To be a part of something.

Then they had been tricked. Made to hate each other. It only made him think and realize how untrustworthy they both had been—how foolish they had been to just jump into such a commitment. He had been sealed to the tree, and Kikyo had died. To be fair, he only knew that Kikyo had betrayed him at the time. But he was back to where he started; trust no one. He needed the jewel to become a full demon. He didn’t need to love. He just needed to belong even if that meant he was alone as a full demon.

Awoken fifty years later by some immature idiotic girl who resembled the woman he had once loved and had betrayed him was a rude awakening. She needed help and she also happened to be the only one who could free him. Whatever. It came down to two birds and one stone. He was freed, killed the centipede, and then the jewel was right there for the taking—but then that dumb bitch collared him. Didn’t even realize what the hell it even meant! Or even how the spell worked! He was bound to a complete idiot!

He figured he just had to hang around and wait for her to be distracted so he could get the jewel. Kikyo proved to him that no one would ever care for him as a human—he would still be known as a dirty half-breed. Obviously even if he had become human for her, she had planned on betraying him.

The villagers still didn’t accept him even with the beads and the old hag, Kikyo’s younger sister, seemed only to trust him as far as she could throw him. She had faith that Kikyo’s dumb necklace would hold him in his place. Then that girl… Kagome—she—she was fucking weird!

She brought him food, sat with him, talked to him, asked him questions, tolerated his attitude and even shot it back to him without even a second thought. It was crazy. He had literally just tried to kill her and she held no ounce of fear of him. She treated him just like another person. It was off putting. So, he sat and waited for betrayal from her; he had to wait until he could grab the jewel for himself. Well, that was the plan until the idiot shattered it. Then he had to tag team with her. A weak little human who was the only one who could the stupid jewel shards. He almost preferred to be sealed to the tree. He knew they hated each other. She had gone home to leave his ass behind.

But she surprised him. She came back when it became apparent her family was in danger. Not only that, but she actually tried to fight, and she had actually saved his head—literally—from Yura. He took a couple swipes of the sword from the hair demon, but she found the skull and killed her. Then it was the un-mother; she had chased after her and was able to get him away from the ogre. The thunder brothers—she grabbed the Tessaiga for him. Though she kinda fucked up and dropped it, she still tried to help him. She shot her arrow at Hiten so he couldn’t have the high ground. It was odd having someone try to help him.

Their encounter with them made him realize how much he cared about her. As a friend. He had grown so close to her in the short time they had been together. She had shared food with him, space, actually tried to tend to his wounds she thought he still had; he couldn’t lose her… He had been alone for so long and it actually dawned on him how little he and Kikyo knew each other. The time he spent with Kagome had become addicting and he didn’t ever want to be without it. He craved that acceptance she gave him. It was so unconditional and unexpected.

Then she learned about his weakness. The night of the new moon. She was hurt he didn’t trust her. “After everything they had been through,” she said. She didn’t even care he was human. She was upset she didn’t know it would happen. She willingly, yet again, accepted him in his time of vulnerability.

But they fucked up—he had to go back to get the jewel shards she had forgotten in the temple and she followed him like the idiot she was. She cried for him and yet again, saved him. Doing things she didn’t have to do, doing things out of selflessness, proving to him over and over how she saw him as a person. All because she accepted him.

After that encounter, he forgot about the wall he put up and almost kissed her. It was an impulse decision to prove to her he saw her for her, that he cared about her, that he didn’t think about Kikyo when he saw her. They were so different. He only thought about her and in all honesty, it scared the fuck outta him.

When she shoved him away, he originally fretted it was out of disgust. He knew he fucked up so he backed off. Heavily. Went back to being a straight up asshole. Yet somehow, she ended up tolerating him anyway. She still chose to stay with him over a monk. A freaking powerful monk, while he a pervert, he was someone who held some kind of virtue, humanity, he wasn’t tainted half-breed. He wasn’t looking for the jewel for power or for selfish reasons… and yet, she still chose to stick with him. She offered the monk to join them, not the other way around. Even after how he had been treating her. It fucking blew his mind.

It got to the point where he was too scared how much he needed her. His bastard of a brother almost killed them. He knew the battle with Naraku would only be that much worse so he did the only thing he could do—he sent her home. What shocked him was her ability to get back, how she was somehow able to claw her way through the well and then of all thing she did when she got back, was embrace him. Him. His disgusting half-breed self. Still bloody from his previous injuries in that weird beautiful dress she wore. She yelled at him for dismissing her, for making her worry… How could this woman accept him like that? The least he could do was admit to her that he knew needed her. Thankfully to her, it seemed like that was enough.

Fast forward past the Kikyo encounters, finding Sango, which only proved to him her loyalty and acceptance toward him more, to when his sword broke and he became a full demon for the first time. His body had felt like it was on fire. He craved more death and destruction. He needed blood to be drenched on his fingers, embedded in his claws and then she approached him… like a deer stupidly approaching a wolf. A hunter and its prey. Snarling, he told her to stay away, fearing deep down what he would do—what he desired to do. Knowing he would likely kill her for the thrill of it. But she pressed on until she was directly in front of him, showing no fear, showing him concern of all things. Even their friends warned her not to approach him, shouting her name, begging her to stay away.

Then she sat him and he was back to his normal self. Engulfed in her embrace. She drove him crazy. He didn’t understand her. Not one bit. He would have killed her. He warned her. But she still accepted him.

When she caught him with Kikyo he thought it was all over. He couldn’t ask her to be by his side while he had proclaimed that he would protect Kikyo from Naraku. For whatever reason when it came to Kikyo, Kagome got weird. Angry. He didn’t understand why she acted like that but, he could see the hurt and fear on her face as she ran from him.

Their friends bullied him into finally going to see her, to collect the shards, apologize… and there she was. Sitting on the well. Waiting for him. Asking to stay with him. Saying she had a desire to be with him and that she knew she couldn’t ask him to forget about Kikyo. Of all the things he thought she’d say, he never once though she would ask to be able to stay by his side, let alone take his hand and lead him back to the village.

After he slaughtered human bandits, she still embraced him.

After he saw her naked in the peach man’s house, she wore his bloody kimono without hesitation.

After he attacked Miroku and then clawed her arms inside of Kaguya’s castle, she kissed him. She said she loved him as a half-demon… Him. A half-breed.

After they nearly were killed by Mukotsu’s poison, she remained by his side instead of going with Koga or even leaving to go with Sango and Miroku as they made their way up the mountain.

After he nearly lost her because her soul was jealous of Kikyo, she stayed with him and accepted he would likely chase Kikyo again. She admitted in the heat of the moment she loved him. Not as a half-demon, but that she loved him. Inuyasha.

His idiotic self finally got it. She cared about him. She loved him. She accepted him. Not just his human half like Kikyo had, all of him. She stuck by him through his demon transformations and helped him guide himself back to her. She defended him when he lost his powers. She stood by him like there wasn’t even another option.

Then what fucking killed him was once he finally got up the courage to basically proclaim his life for her, out loud, no strings attached, more or less proposing to her… he lost her. The jewel took her from him.

But she was safe. She was with her family. He still had their friends. Friends he made because of her—but they accepted him as well. They were their own little pack. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen if he lost them but he knew that Kagome was safe. That was all that mattered.

After three years, she surprised him again. He was floored. She gave up her life with her family. Friends. All her future modern conveniences… for him. Him.

Their first night when she returned had been spent talking. Something she knew he wasn’t overly great at, but after three years of not seeing her, smelling her, he found himself feeling just like he would on his human nights—unable to reign in his emotions. But it was likely a good thing. They were able to confess their feelings, their desires, their love. They planned their wedding. Their future. Everything.

It had been almost a year since then. It made him think back on the moments and memories that brought him to where he was—looking down at his beautiful wife who was holding their newborn son—Touga as she fed him. His arms were securely wrapped around his little family. 

From his fight for survival, his first broken heart, and the adventures he went on with his friends, he had no idea how it granted him this beautiful, kind, caring woman that defied time, space, and all logic to heal him and gave him everything he never thought he could have and needed. Family. Acceptance.  

#inuxkag #inukag #inuyasha x kagome #inukagweek #fluff #heavy heavy fluff

[arwenofrph]

hihi !! i know i’m really knew to the rph / rpt scene but i was really hoping to maybe get some input on which plot to do ?? they’re described under the cut and you can find the poll RIGHT HERE !!  tw: the following plots briefly discuss the subject of murder and death as well as the mention of blood

plot a : loosely based on the red queen series and the everless series

ever since the beginning, children have gone missing. It didn't matter if you locked your doors at night, or kept watch as your daughters slept; some way, somehow, they'd disappear. In time, it became a way of life. When your child was stolen, you blamed it on one of those creatures from your grandmother's old stories. You cried, you mourned, and you moved on. There was no time for anything more. And they, the noble Blue Bloods in their towering castles and pretty clothes, turned a blind eye to the misery that plagued their people simply because it was never their children missing. After all, what's a simple peasant girl's life worth? They ignored whispers that it was the Enchantress stealing away the children to drain the girls of their time and beauty to keep herself young and immortal. But that was only a nightmare, a scary story to keep your little ones in bed. The Enchantress didn't exist, never did. The deaths were simply the result of bleeders, preying on the vulnerable, easy targets. That was, until now. Five months ago, Elara Ululo disappeared from her room in Espea. Two months later, Maren Sansano from Doissa vanished during a ride with her guards. And if that wasn't worrying enough━ three weeks ago, Allynna Demito of Celygus went missing while her own brother was keeping watch in her chambers. Fear had finally managed to settle within the Nobles; tormenting them with the very idea that whatever this thing was that had been tormenting the poor, unsightly villages might even consider taking one of them. Will you survive in Dolos, and discover the secret behind the kidnappings? Will you be one of the lucky ones; and keep your time and blood long enough to grow old? Or will you fall victim to the darkness that plagues the lands and watch your time run out? There's only one way to find out.

plot b : an element - inspired plot drawing from original canon

The country of Silvera is separated into five kingdoms. To the East, lay the airbenders and the Kingdom of Wista; ruled over by the noble Joralei. To the West, is the kingdom of Meririwen where the waterbenders live. The North is the home of the earthbenders in the kingdom of Brerith, while the South is home to Calere where the firebenders live. And at the very center of Silvera, lay the home of the spiritbenders: Setta. Since the beginning of Silvera's creation, the five kingdoms have been at peace. Working together to ensure that all of their country flourished. They even arranged marriages between their ruling families. But all that changed when the heir to Calere, Prince Tarron Magdithas, was found slaughtered in his bedroom a mere month before he was meant to wed Neia Helenen of Meririwen. The window was found open. Broken glass was found around his lifeless body, and dirt at the foot of his bed. King Aubron Magdithas, who's mental state was already fractured, completely shattered and he blamed all the other kingdoms for the death of his favorite child. He's declared war on the rest of Silvera and will not rest until those he blames responsible are but a pile of ash and Silvera is nothing more.

plot c : loosely inspired by ever after high , the children of the storybook heroes and villains must attend school together but murder and secrets threaten the peace attempted to be made

In the beginning, there were two warring countries: Atria and Tamion. They were separated by a treacherous mountain range over two thousand miles long, save a single pass no bigger than ten feet wide. It was a road very few dared to travel, and those that did; disappeared.

Tamion lay to the left of the mountain. A dark and dreary place where the wicked and proclaimed-villains were forced to live. The sun rarely shone, the lands were barren, and what little did grow was bitter and never enough. Smiles and happiness were foreign there, and as their magic could not work; they were forced to live in squalor. It was a well-known fact that anyone in Tamion was a monster of the most devious kind. You were never supposed to trust anyone from there, and if you were unfortunate enough to meet one, it might be the last thing you do.

To the right of the mountains lay the beautiful Atria. A bright, wonderful place by the sea where all the fairytale heroes lived out their happily-ever-after. Things were storybook perfect there, with bountiful harvests, balls nearly every weekend and not a care in the world. Thoughts rarely strayed to their neighbors to the east, and if they did, it was met with a chill and terror. Unlike their neighbors, no one ever got sick, went hungry, or longed for anything. If anyone from Atria showed up on your doorstep, you could breathe a sigh of relief for no one from there could be anything but kind and lovely.

The two countries went on with great unease for many years; each deciding to leave the other alone and do their best to forget.

Then the sickness came. In less than a day, the fields in Atrion withered to dust. Within a month, their people had gone through the stores and were starving. Their closest trading partner would takes weeks to send assistance, and even what they could send wouldn’t be enough. The greatest minds came together, wizards and godmothers and fairies from all over Atrion tried their best, attempted to come up with any cure to the sickness that plagued their land to no avail.

They were lost. Until the Snow Queen spoke up with a dreadful suggestion. A Queen from Tamion known as Grimhilde, had a known proclivity for potions, curses, and poisons. She could provide an answer, and maybe even a curse, from the terrible infection that was one the verge of obliterating their kingdom.

Very few supported her proposed plan, saying that if anyone from Tamion knew just how weak Atria was, they could attack and win. But still the Snow Queen insisted, reminding their council that they could either keep their pride and cost their citizens their lives, or they could be the rulers their people thought they were, and ask for help. Even if it was from Tamion.

Lengthy discussions were had, plans drawn and ignored, before finally they all relented and their five most powerful, skilled rulers embarked on the journey to Tamion.

It took almost two weeks of meetings with Grimhilde to even consider helping Atria, for her hatred for the little princess who banished her and stole away the kingdom that was rightfully hers, had grown with every passing year. Yet eventually, with the promise of making things right by all those in Tamion, she consented to lend her skills.

But only for a price. Grimhilde wanted a chance at a fair life for her unborn babe; that none of Grimhilde’s sins would counted against the child. Or any of the children born in Tamion, for they were innocent of their parent’s misdeeds.

That night several deals were struck. Atrion would allow for Tamion to be one of their trading partners, and allow for a section of the mountain range to be removed so that they could reach the sea and sun themselves. Tamion would pledge to never engage in war with Atria, and come to their aid should they ever be in need. In addition, a place would built for both the children of Tamion and Atria, where they would all receive and equal education and then decide where they wished to live.

But perhaps the most important part, was the one Grimhilde arranged to ensure that Atria kept their end of their bargain. Eight children, each a child from the rulers of Atria, no matter if they were already born, was to marry a child from a ruler in Tamion. An attempt at peace, hoping that one day the two countries may become one and return them to true power.

They accepted, but only on the condition that the children were not to learn of their betrothals until they left T’Atria. Satisfied, Grimhilde provided a solution the next day, and within a week, Atria returned to its flourishing state.

As promised, they began construction on the promised school with help from both sides. It was built on top of the mountain range, ensuring that it was truly neutral and fell under neither’s reign. Named T’Atria, it was the most beautiful creation either country had ever seen and the children couldn’t wait to attend.

It was all anyone could talk about, and finally, it opened and it was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Barriers broken, no one seemed to care about who came from where or who’s parents did what. They went off exploring and meeting each other, claiming others as friends and taking them with them as they took in everything T’Atria had in store.

For an entire season, it was nothing but excitement. A new adventure awaiting them every day.

But as anyone from Tamion could have told you, nothing good lasts forever.

Princess Rose of Escarla was the first to discover the gruesome sight the morning after the winter solstice, her screams so loud they woke everyone in the school. At the base of the main staircase lay Princess Aoife of Llyr; her body so badly beaten it was near impossible to identify her at first. And if that wasn’t horrifying enough, a message was written on the wall behind her in her blood; warning that this was only the beginning.

It’s been a week since her body was found, and the students are trying their best to move on. There’s too much as stake for them to just return home, too much risk.

But the threat of this murderer still being out there looms of the them, dark as the sky of Tamion. Will this mystery killer claim another victim? Will war break out when their parents learn of this treachery? What could have brought this on?

Join us, and find out exactly what happens after, happily ever after.

#rph #rpt #medieval rp #period rp #rpc #i want to do all of these eventually #but i want to know which one sounds more exciting tbh #and hopefully get some help running them to #because these do not seem like easy ones to run #artemis speaks #tw blood #tw death #tw murder

[teddy-bear-surprise]

Chapter 7: Groundhog Day- Spencer

|| Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 Part 1 || Chapter 7 Part 2 || Chapter 8 || Almost The End || Chapter 9 ||

Same warnings as the previous chapter. This was probably one of the most difficult things I have ever written so please let me know if there are any inconsistencies or if you have any constructive criticism. Lastly, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

I was sleeping deeply, swaddled in the comfort of my dreams when I heard a series of loud bangs outside of my door. My mind churned as I struggled to form a cohesive series of thoughts. We had gotten along together so well yesterday so why was it that Ophelia still felt the need to wake me up in such a crude manner. The ceaseless racket that she was stirring up outside broke through my concentration and planted a painful headache in my mind.

“WHAT THE HELL?! I THOUGHT WE WERE PAST THIS!” I yelled out to her, not trying to be mean or anything, but I just could not stand the constant perturbances.

She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, her eyes had changed. I could see the devil in them again, it was like everything that happened yesterday had only happened to waste my time, energy, and hope.

“You should be kinder to your host. After all, I am the one paying for the bed you’re sleeping in and could easily throw you out to dry up in the desert. You wouldn’t last a day, moron.”

I was taken back by her words. My yelling had been merely a statement intended to stop the commotion she created, nothing more. But even the insinuation that she might leave me to die in the desert was enough to scare me. I wanted to love Ophelia, I really did, but some aspects of her genuinely frightened me.

“I– What are you talking about? I just thought that after yesterday, you would be less aggressive,” I tried my best to convey the betrayal and confusion that I was feeling and for a second I could have sworn she understood me.

Her reply, however, confused me even further, “I haven’t the slightest idea as to what you’re talking about. Stop talking nonsense and get out of bed so we can get started. We have a long day ahead of us.”

What kind of mind games was she trying to play? What was she getting at? There I was, vulnerable and distressed, while she picked away at every ounce of hope I had left. It grew more challenging for me to understand her by the minute. Though I may have gotten a peek into her mind yesterday, I was now certain that I had only scratched the surface.

“You said you would go easy on me. We caught up last night. I thought we were on good terms again.”

“Did you hit your head? What the fuck are you talking about, you fucking worm?”

Ophelia walked closer to me and I tried to retreat, but she was in control before I could protest. Her hand connected with the fabric of my shirt and she lifted me by it as I felt it stretch uncomfortably.

“Stop fucking around and let’s go.”

I struggled to find the words to express my submission as she pulled me closer to her face, “F–fine. Fine. I’m going, just let me put on my socks again.”

My hands flew around blindly trying to find my socks when she released me. Eventually, I found a grey sock and a blue one, sliding them onto my feet with trembling hands.

“How the hell did you manage to mix up your sock colors? I literally gave you matching pairs of socks, fucking dumbass.”

While I tried to ignore most of her insults, this one hurt me deeply. The tradition was one that my grandmother had taught me about as a child. It was one of the only memories I had with her and I would rather die than let Ophelia shame me for doing it. Especially with her unpredictable temper, luck was something I could not waste or forgo.

“I just switched them around, it’s good luck.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re definitely gonna be needing that luck.”

Her maniacal laugh filled my ears up and sent shivers down my spine as I pulled the second sock up to my calf. I was already expecting the worst from her, but after that, I was not so sure my expectations were gruesome enough to match her plans.

“Give me your hands.”

She did not even give me enough time to react to her request before jamming her pointy knee into my sternum and retrieving a pair of handcuffs from her pocket. My mind struggled to process the overwhelming sense of Deja Vu that I was feeling at that moment. After a few moments, my thoughts caught up and I offered my arms to Ophelia shyly.

I had tried to be as inoffensive as possible with my actions, but I guess she must have perceived it differently because soon she was yanking my arms up to her level. As she pulled my hands closer to her, I felt my shoulder pop slightly, sending shooting pain down my arm. It took all of my strength to not react to the injury. It was much too early on in the day for me to show weakness. I was going to put up a fight for as long as I could, even if that was only a few minutes.

But as soon as she closed the cuffs around my wrists, I winced. The combined pain of my wrists and shoulders being abused was just enough to draw a reaction from me and I knew she had noticed immediately. She laughed at me, probably thinking about how weak I was.

“Man up, Mr. FBI, stop being such a wimp. My three-year-old neighbor could handle more pain than you.”

There it was, the not so subtle jab that lowered my self-confidence until I was vulnerable. I wanted to hide my emotions, but with all of the turmoil that churned in my mind and the salt she was rubbing into fresh wounds, I could not help but mutter my disappointment. Luckily, I was quiet enough that Ophelia thought that I was just sighing and did not take offense.

I looked up to face her, “Sorry, I’m ready to go now.”

“Come on, princess, I’m gonna have a lot of fun with you today,” she dragged me by the handcuffs and I struggled to keep up with her, still only half-awake and tired.

She plopped me down onto the same chair I had sat in yesterday but it felt slightly off. It was less comfortable than it had been before, not that it had been comfortable in the first place. Ophelia dragged my arms aggressively to the table to restrain me. I really needed her to stop doing that or soon I would end up with a dislocated shoulder and I certainly would not want that.

I sat there motionless for the most part, every once in a while I would have to shift a bit to keep my arms from going numb. While I was not certain of my theory, I suspected that either the table or my chair had changed. Yesterday I had not struggled so much to keep my hands red and feeling, but today they were easily turning white and tingly with the awkward angle that had been created. I had no choice but to accept the discomfort.

A part of me wondered if yesterday had even been ‘yesterday’ at all. It was entirely possible that I had dreamt the whole thing. Made up elaborate scenarios in my mind based on what I had seen of the house already and taken it as truth. My familiarity with the interrogation room could just as easily be construed as faulty storage of short term memory.

Who was I to know? Based on what I am almost certain is a real memory, I had a concussion. If that was the truth, then I doubt that my memories would be feeling normal anytime soon. Maybe it would be in my best interest to accept each day as a dream. To protect my consciousness and subconsciousness.

I kept my eyes trained on my hands as I considered my hypothesis but I could feel Ophelia’s ardent stare penetrating my mind’s walls. And while I had no idea what thoughts were running through my mind, I felt as though she did. Fearing that she was plotting something, I stole a glance in her direction. Ophelia’s eyes immediately darted towards the ground and my curiosity grew ten times stronger.

What twisted thoughts occupied her mind? Was she thinking about how to dispose of my body? How she wanted to kill me? How she wanted to traumatize me even further?

I opted to use the last of my wit to get her attention back. “So, what are we doing today? You said I would need my luck, I’m waiting.”

“Did you really think I’d just jump to the chase like that? No, it’s all a game, darling. You wait your turn, play your angle, and then maybe you’ll win.”

Ophelia walked towards me, slowly, like a lion waiting to pounce on her prey. Her eyes were fixated on me and it seemed like time stopped when she touched my shoulder. I felt vulnerable. Frightened. I could have sworn that she stole a sultry wink in my direction and I felt my heart flutter. Why was my mind betraying me like this? I did not want that tingle on my skin to go away, but at the same time, I knew that I should not be feeling this way about a woman whose hobby is murder.

I was unable to tell if it was her touch or her words that had me shaking. All I knew was that she had planned for my reaction and I gave her exactly what she wanted.

I castigated myself, angry at how I let her mess with my mind. For all I knew, I could still be dreaming or in a coma. Why else would Ophelia be reenacting yesterday and flirting with me? Why else? She hated me.

She did, didn’t she?

Ophelia left the room and while the soundproof walls of her house were practically iron-clad, I could still feel the vibrations of her movement as she ran up the stairs. I stared at the smooth ceiling for nearly five minutes trying to hear her steps but soon became bored and began counting the stones that lined the rough walls of the room.

It was a strange design choice for sure. I knew that we were in Arizona, but I would never have expected someone as smart as Ophelia to use a soft rock like sandstone to build an interrogation room. Though, I assumed that she must have included some other more resistant material behind the stone. There were little mounds of dust lining the floor, the house must have been so new that some of the dust still fell off when Ophelia went up and down the stairs.

I sat patiently in my chair, hoping that she would return soon today. Though I was anxious for the day to end so that I could return to bed, I was not looking forward to the cold again.

Anxious to know what lay in store for me, I fiddled with my hands, using each of my knuckles to help me keep track of the stones on the wall. I bounced my legs, hoping that some kind of movement might relieve the pins and needles. I had counted sixty-two stones when I began noticing a light layer of sweat accumulating on the surface of my skin. The neck of my shirt suddenly felt tighter and the air much thicker.

Now the real question was: Had I dreamt of the cold or was the heat a method of tricking me?

Had Ophelia planned to fluctuate the temperature daily so that I would not know what day was which or what was real or my imagination? There were so many variables that I could not account for and I felt helpless knowing this.

My thoughts began melding together, the distinction between each idea growing more convoluted by the second. I could vaguely understand why I felt this way, but I did not know what to do. Ophelia had not given me anything to eat since the first day. I was starving and dehydrated. The heat that was building up around me did not help either.

Suddenly a pang of hunger exploded in my stomach and I knew that my malnourishment was to blame. I felt sweat dripping from my hairline and down to my neck, soon even taking over my entire back. My breaths grew shallow and my mouth dried up.

I tried to straighten my body and stand up, but my attempts at comfort were hindered by the handcuffs. Defeated, I sat down again and leaned back, trying to stretch my body and ease my breathing. My lungs struggled to take in the hot air and my vision blurred slightly.

All I wanted was to relieve myself of the heat, but the garments on my body only made it worse. My shirt had been practically soaked through and the rest of my clothes were not far behind. In a futile attempt to cool me down, I slipped off my socks. The relief was quick but temporary.

I closed my eyes, tilting my head towards the ceiling again and a creak broke through the silence, “It seems that your luck has ended, handsome.”

Ophelia’s once demonic voice sounded so angelic that it surprised me, “Wha–”

I turned to face her and in my mind, I was ecstatic to see her but my facial expressions could not keep up with my thoughts. I felt my forehead creasing and eyes squinting, indicating confusion or disgust, in actuality, however, I could not be happier.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see soon enough. Just sit tight and I’ll be right back.” My heart smiled when she winked.

It felt as if I were floating in a dream. My limbs felt nothing besides the heat fanning onto them, I was losing my touch with reality.

I was certain that only moments had passed when she came back in, but somehow it also felt as if I had waited a whole day for her to return. The sudden noise of her slamming the briefcase on the table in front of me brought me back to the present.

I croaked, struggling to speak with my dry throat. “Uhhhh, Ophelia, what is that?”

I opened my eyes wide to try to see the black blob better, but my eyesight was deteriorating as my existence crumbled. Ophelia was sporting a sinister look upon her face and I could not understand what it meant.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Ophelia spoke with a low voice and clicked open the case’s closures slowly.

Of course, I wanted to know what lay inside, but knowing Ophelia– or assuming the worst– it would not be anything good. I was praying that there would just be a bottle of water inside. That was all I wanted.

She played with a blindfold in her hands and stared me down, under her gaze I lost control of my body and gulped loudly. She heard me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you, that wouldn’t be any fun.”

I could not comprehend the words that I heard so I asked tentatively, “K–kill me?”

Ophelia smiled back at me with vile drops of poison dripping from her mouth… or maybe that was just sweat. I was too spaced out to tell. She walked behind me and my mind could not grasp that I could no longer see her in front of me, but that I could still see her behind me in the mirror.

“Why are you so worried? I said I wouldn’t kill you.”

This talk of murder along with the complexity of mirrors baffled me. The mental toll of it grew to be so much that even my breathing stopped for a moment. But when I felt Ophelia cover my eyes and my vision finally left me, I relaxed. The loss of such a vital sense should have scared me, yet its departure soothed me. I no longer needed to worry about seeing and my energy could now be used on my other senses.

Ophelia’s hand slithered down my arm and I could feel her touch throughout my entire body. Though I could feel her grip on me very clearly, the primitive side of my mind still wanted to know where she was and my head turned every which way in search of her. I guess I must have subconsciously forgotten that I had a blindfold on. Suddenly her fingers reached mine and I felt her squeeze my hand, I wondered why she would do that, but nothing made sense today anyway.

I sensed her hand retreating and soon heard the clatter of objects as she dug into what I assumed was her briefcase. Her footsteps approached me again and I felt myself overheating. This time, I could hear a subtle whir of a blade cutting through the air every few moments. Was it a fan that she held, or was it a knife of some sort? There was only one way that I could find out and I was not anticipating it.

“So, how’d ya find me, Mr. FBI?”

Her voice brought blood rushing to my cheeks in embarrassment. “I–I don’t know, I don’t think I can answer that question.”

As much as I wanted to give a good response, the inside of my mind now resembled a labyrinth that even I could not navigate. I racked my dull brain in search of an answer but I could not seem to find it anywhere. I was uncomfortable with how useless my mind had become. According to everyone, I was supposed to be a genius, now I was nothing more than a dumb nobody.

“You sure about that?”

Sweat dripped down into the blindfold and stung my eyes. I tried to come up with a better reply this time. I tried. Apparently, Ophelia was not in the mood for patience or grace today because the next thing I knew, a sharp knife-like object was piercing its way through my shirt.

Ophelia dragged its blade along my chest. She was so close to my heart that I became even too frightened to breathe. I could not go out like this. Not cowering in a crappy metal chair in some basement in Arizona. This was not going to be the end for me.

Then I felt it pierce my skin. Maybe this actually was the end. My blood fell onto the blade and I was thankful for my dazed state. If I had been fully conscious, I would have yelled, kicked, and cried from the pain, still, I could feel nothing more than the warmth of my own blood dripping down my skin.

“Would you like to reconsider?”

I wanted to be strong but knowing that blood was escaping from my already weakened body was disheartening and I allowed myself to shed a single tear. I had no answer. I had no idea what she was even talking about. My memory barely went far back enough to remember what she had said just now. I was probably only a few minutes away from passing out– my limbs grew lighter and my eyes heavier– there was no use in even trying to cooperate.

“I don’t know. I swear I don’t know.”

“Why are you lying to me? I know you’re lying and your tears aren’t going to deter me.”

There was nothing left for me to say. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

The words lost their meaning as more tears escaped my eyes. I thought she would have given up by then, but quitting has never been a part of Ophelia’s vocabulary, that much I was sure of. “Okay, fine, I get it. You don’t know. Is there anything you do know? Like your name maybe? Anything?”

“Spencer Reid!” Finally, something that I could say with confidence.

“Wait? As in Spencer Reid from Las Vegas, Nevada?”

I was shocked. Ophelia did not know it was me, could I really have imagined everything about 'yesterday'? I pushed a bit further, hoping that I could gain some sympathy from her. “Yeah! Ophelia, it’s me, we’re friends, remember?”

“Oh my gosh, it’s little ‘Germs’! Holy shit, I haven’t seen you in ages, kid. You changed so much that I didn’t even recognize you.” She remembered and I smiled at the nickname. The sound of it blessed my ears despite the slightly embarrassing memories that it carried.

“I know, it’s been over twenty years, I was too scared to say anything, but it’s me.” The truth was more complicated than that, but frankly, that was all that I could manage to say as my body grew weaker and weaker.

She pulled the blindfold off of my head and I blinked rapidly, trying to accustom my eyes to the room’s brightness again. While I could surely see better now than I could with the blindfold on, there were still black spots dotting nearly every corner of my vision. I noticed her hand moving up to my face and instinctively flinched.

She looked apologetic and spoke quietly to me, “Spencer, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you. If I had known… you should have said something.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know. I trust you, Ophelia, you would never hurt me.” I had no idea what I was saying. I prayed that my words reflected the truth, but at this point, I was just grasping at threads.

When I saw her bury her face in her hands reprehensively, however, I was assured that I had made the proper judgment call. I tried to reach over and comfort her, only prevented from doing so by the chains that still held my hands to the table.

“I’m so sorry. I– I never meant for this to happen.” Ophelia’s breath faltered and I thought I could hear her crying quietly from beneath her hands.

I tried to comfort her again. “It’s okay…”

She got up, wiping away her tears, and approached me, “Here, let me take those handcuffs off.”

“Thank you, Ophelia.” The relief that I felt when I was released was unparalleled and I forgot about everything else for a moment.

“Oh shit, I forgot about the cut. I’ll be right back to take care of that.”

She quickly stuffed the knife and blindfold back into her case and ran out. I assumed that she locked it out of fear that I would try to steal something from her, but she underestimated just how frail I was. I could barely see and I had almost no control over my motor functions, I posed no threat to her or anyone.

“Hey, Spence, I’m back.” When she returned I noticed that she was relieved that I had not moved. I was almost proud of myself for meeting her expectations and gave her a silly grin.

“Ophelia! That was quick.”

“Yep, I’m pretty efficient.”

Ophelia positioned herself between my legs and dug through her first-aid kit. I saw her grabbing all sorts of different items but they all looked the same from where I sat. She cleaned my wound gently and I looked down to see what exactly she was doing, I could not help but notice how close that our faces were. She was so quick and efficient that before I could even ask what she was doing, she had already bandaged my cut.

She might have been a criminal but she was a damn beautiful one at that. I was so delirious that her proximity to me triggered something deep inside of my subconscious.

“Hi…” I spoke in a singsong voice, wanting to get her attention.

Ophelia looked up at me and I did something that I had been wanting to do since the first time I saw her. I leaned down and kissed her. It took everything in me to move my lips against hers and kiss her back with the same energy that she brought.

My lethargic movements actually worked in my favor this time. Rather than showing how excited and anxious that I was, my lack of power channeled sensual energy instead. Her kisses felt just like I had imagined, soft and sweet. I felt as if I was on cloud nine and I only wanted more. My hand wrapped itself around her back and pulled her closer to me, not wanting to let go of the magical feeling.

A sharp pain emerged in my thigh suddenly and split through my thoughts. I looked down at Ophelia with pleading eyes. Then everything went bla–

[sugar-splenda]

Green origins (Theory for Ssts)

Okay So analyzing the behavior of the greens and my own interpretation of how the universe works, there's likely two scenarios the green civilization (cuz they are, sadly a civilization.) developed and shaped their stupid ass beliefs.

We'll completely ignore the yellow bio-hazardous alien from Bad Astronaut because they weren't well written and I don't care about them outside confirming the greens were indeed decimated and are desperate to survive. 

The greens were first, obviously. Otherwise we'll never have discovered their tech and would probably 1) exterminate them without mercy since they had the possibility of becoming a threat for us. (likely)  2)Be groomed into some form of slave civilization or a weapon Idk I’m against imperialism (depending on development level). Maybe a little 3) trying to understand each other.  Anyway the point is this ain’t their first road in space, they have electromagnetic pulses and time-space breaking machines.

I believe the greens have multiple hives, just like ants or bees have, and the most developed one started assimilating the other competitors of their species, as evidentiated by that line of Regina kidnapping Wynn. I’m 85% sure she got back into the hive there, probably by force, in that ending. Another scenario is obliterating the competition, because in ant hives, super colonies sometimes end up splitting into two or more colonies that turn on the original one. And Queen bees absolutely hate insubordination, and would kill their royal kids if they don’t get out of the hive fast enough. 

The greens have this… obsession, with putting things that don’t belong together in the same vessel. I feel like where they came from, they used other species as biomass to build vessels. Since they probably hijacked the evolution process of the other species, they accidentally stole the self awareness from the non green species in the planet, and since they work like the fungal international internet network, everyone became self aware at the same gradual (or suddenly fast) pace. 

This was huge because they realized other species had specialized features for tasks they couldn’t complete due to lack of limbs. So they could take over a creature that had the limbs or abilities they needed for I don’t know, survival? Hive building? Hive stuff. Over time they learned how to construct their own vessels by taking the limbs they needed from the creatures around them instead of taking over a new creature each time they wanted to do a new task. 

You could argue that the greens could just assign different types of workers for the job they want to do, but that defeats the purpose of them being uniformly green blobs. Also, I believe it would be more efficient to have all the tools you need with each worker so, let say, you don’t have to wait for the soldiers to arrive to defend a section of the nest-base. There would still be a lot of room for customization since they can detach the limbs by ripping them off the vessel and putting another one that would be better for the job. 

I think of this concept as how humans learned to use the resources of their environment as they continued to evolve. The greens just didn’t have hands and were already parasitic, so it would make sense to use biomass instead of developing limbs capable of manipulating inorganic objects. Remember nature is very lazy and likes to do efficiency so it doesn’t waste energy, so it will take the easiest route to solving problems.

After this the next step for civilization as we know it is to gain energy sources outside the biological adaptations, aka fire and tools. I don’t want to bore myself with the greens discovering how to build societies, so I’ll rush over this part because it’s not really important but all queens should have this present since they’re the ones that store the collective memory of the hive and go around calling the shots so. Greens develop societies divided between the royals and the worker greens.

The royals are the queens. They call the shots, they organize the rest of the colony and act as an information source for the hive. At this point of their species development, there’s usually one queen per hive, but there’s some extraordinary big hives that have five or more queens working together. The workers are the muscle of the hive, mindless drones with a lot of affection/affinity to their queen and basically extensions of her will. They don’t share the same consciousness, though, they’re individuals connected by the internet network and directed by the queen.

They have probably made the species they need for biomass/consumption their cattle and have a dedicated room/space in the hive for them where they’re raised from birth and taken away when they reach adulthood for harvesting. They don’t mind, they’re living their best lives. Inside the hive they’re safe, have proper nutrition and enrichment for improved development AND get to reproduce. Truly the best experience until the greens take you away for parts….. Just like we do with cows! Wow, we really are food for the greens, aren’t we. Anyway. 

Now that they have specialized their vessels for the manipulation of tools, they can actually harvest the inorganic resources without wasting unnecessary energy on, you know, using their tendrils to take a shiny rock back to their nest. But yeah, they probably took a bit longer than humans to reach the copper/iron era of tools. I honestly don’t think they would develop weapons at first, as they can just hypnotize/ assimilate the threat with few exceptions (because this is their native planet, SOMEONE had to prey on them). And even then, the vessels are specialized to deal with threats they couldn’t face when they’re alone.

So no, they probably didn’t make swords. Not even to kill each other, again thanks to the vessel's versatility. Upsetting, I know.

Anyway, they probably fought with other hives for resources, just like we humans stupidly do, until someone realized they could just make a mega colony and take over the planet. So that’s exactly what they did, probably through force, but I like to think they just stopped fighting and joined forces. Again, because it’s the easiest thing to do and conserves the energy of subduing the other hive. And because I like to think the greens are not violent by nature, but depending on the circumstances. 

As I was saying, the greens would have formed a mega hive that became the dominant species in their planet, shaping it at their will and terraforming the place. I don’t want to say they made the same mistake as us humans are doing of destroying our biosphere and draining all possible resources. So they probably ran out of space to expand and began branching to their satellites and neighbor planets.

Now, THIS is the stage where everything starts going wrong because of one thing: Queens share the same consciousness… until they don’t. Queens are born whenever the hive is ready to expand, and at first they are individuals from the Royal mind hive, but when their development is complete they are assimilated into the Royal network and they lose their original consciousness is assimilated into the main one, effectively destroying the individual as they were before and making the blob just another extension of the Royal megamind.

The problem is when the queens don’t assimilate correctly and still retain their consciousness aside from the megamind. I believe while every social being wants to be integrated into a society for some reason, the separation of super ant colonies happens in nature for a reason, and since i’m using the ants as my primal model of the hierarchy of the greens, this is what will cause the eventual collapse of the green civilization. 

The rouge queens join forces and fragment the megamind, weakening it and causing chaos. The reason why they separated is still not understood, but I suspect it had to do with the use of singular queens as colonizers while the megamind constructed the Tipler Cylinder. The colonizer queens encountering different lifeforms that weren’t native to their planet might have caused the rupture of the weak link to the megamind. 

 I don’t think they wanted to use the Tipler Cylinder as a time machine. I’m dead set that time travel is not a thing in this universe, so they wanted it for intergalactic travel. (And yes, they probably had a Dyson sphere powering the Tipler Cylinder, this would have catastrophic consequences later.)

So, while an internal revolution was happening in the Royal hive, the construction of the Tipler Cylinder was complete. They made initial tests and concluded the machine was too unestable to allow a complete activation at the moment. And honestly, they were glad because they had to contain the rebellious queens that wanted to gain control over the whole species. But them being individuals meant that they were vulnerable to the big hivemind and honestly they were being obliterated. 

So one of the rebellious hive, not knowing the Tipler Cylinder was not safe for activation, realized their best course of action would be to escape to another galaxy and start over there. This was Busy’s Hive. She was the colonizer that was the nearest to the Tipler Cylinder and in charge of preparing the ship for the escape, while the others would get into the research facility of the project. The plan was to use the queens to activate the machine, while Busy positioned the ship so they could quickly escape once the portal was opened. One of the queen vessels would stay behind and close the portal so the megamind couldn’t follow. 

Nothing went according to plan, they were discovered and Busy had no time to finish the preparations fully and had to get in position with a very short notice. Then the Tipler Cylinder malfunctioned and the Dyson Sphere star exploded when the ship was half way through.  They made it through, with the ship barely standing. The side of the cylinder they exited through imploded into itself, making the rotating black hole Taylor ends up sucked inside, and the trajectory made them crash into the moon, since the black hole seems very close to Tau Ceti. 

So now, definitively alone (only remaining queen from the rebellious hive that she knows of + different universes make communication break if you make the queen go through enough stress.) in an unknown environment with half the equipment functioning, Regina sets the events of Lifeline by almost destroying her fucking entire civilization. But don’t tell that to the drones, they don’t need to know their queen fucked up big time. 

Now, I’m going to pull something from my ass and say Regina is actually two royals instead of one during the lifeline series. Well, not really from my ass, there’s evidence supporting this claim. First of all, the Tunguska event is definitively Regina arriving on the planet, no doubt, how else did she get there before Taylor brought her home? 

[NO, TIME TRAVEL DOESN’T EXIST, BAD ASTRONAUT CONFIRMED THEY WERE TRAVELLInG THROUGH UNIVERSES. Don’t say Arika did a time travel loop i’m sure the time monks also have some type of mind transferring technology similar to something we explore in the SSTS RP with Neu and the concept of consciousness being detached from the “vessel”, meaning it is not part of the body but rater stored in it. FUCK YOU THE LOrE OF THIS GAME SERIES IS WEIRD AND I AM PATCHING PLOT HOLES. I NEED TO OVeR THINK AND TIME TRAVEL MESSES EVERYTHING UP]

This would explain how Regina infected Choir but was still back home. And why she just let T2 do their thing with Taylor while she was probably dealing with angry witches, PWG and the lifeline being a little shit. Now that I think about it, the greens don’t know about the lifeline until crisisline. Regina never talks /to you/. Just to the characters, which I understand because you only have two options and can’t write a long fucking rant on how her plan is fundamentally flawed, why continuing to infect T2ylor will just make you angrier and that you will definitively make force gasoline down her throat and set her on fire while you stepping on her flaming corpse. 

But my point is, Regina doesn’t consider /you/, the player as the reason why things aren’t going her way. Which honestly, ma’am, open your eyes. The player will fucking kill you if you keep pretending they don’t exist. Ignoring your problems won’t make them go away, It just makes them want to strangle the living shit out of you and then leave you alone in a dark room with an increasingly high frequency sound for months without substance or contact with other beings so you fucking finally beg your problems to end your miserable life. 

But anyway. Point is, while vessel 1 is trying to to figure out how to survive in the moon, vessel 2 is trying to survive in earth without being spotted because she’s even more fucked than vessel 1 who at least have the drones with her and some equipment + cattle that will die out before the humans arrive because she can’t terraform the planet and honestly, the only way for them to save her race is to get them to earth where the planet doesn’t need to be terraformed. 

Things happen simultaneously; vessel 1 assess the situation and tries to establish a base on the moon while vessel 2 explores the world and takes over small animals before trying to tackle the humans who are the first sentient species she encounters an honestly that’s terrifying imagine finding a 9 feet tall alien that could possibly crush you if they really wanted to. You don’t even know if they can be affected by your abilities and you’re alone so can’t use drones to experiment.

 Also detection would probably mean death and you don’t even know where this planet is what if it is close to the place you landed and they come around and also kill your remaining hive. So yeah she uses at least a year before making a move on the humans because she needs to have enough time to produce drones. 

I don’t know the timeline exactly, but at some point vessel 1 runs out of cattle + vessels so that’s what motivates vessel 2 to make a move on humans and realizes a lot of stuff about us and just how ALIEN we are to her so she needs to take her time studying us and our lifestyle. I believe she might be overwhelmed with the confirmation that these are sentient creatures and doesn’t know exactly how to proceed since they’re the dominant species of the planet but doing more research she realizes at the rhythm humanity is going they’ll fuck up the only habitable planet at her reach for now so yeah we go from Predator to Prey and, if she wins, to Cattle.

So yeah, she probably orchestrated the ships going to Tau Ceti, maybe she even had a hand on humans developing space travel so soon. It had to seem natural, so vessel 1 and the rest of the hive worked on the peak with the remains of her original ship so they could pull the space ships towards the moon and feed on the survivors, but after they ran out of resources, the greens entered some sort of hibernation state where they conserved energy while waiting for the ships to arrive. 

I think no one knew about the thousands of ships that were sent because Regina was doing an elaborate cover up (ex. they exploded, never reached their destination, went MIA and presumed dead, etc.) to keep this from reaching the masses because by now she knows how humans work and her kind is starving. 

So yeah, the best way to influence the world is by having money so Regina began investing and doing finances so the government had to hear Pearson Corp (she is not very imaginative, leave her be.) and the Green Coalition would control the economy in several countries but she hasn’t fully infected the usa because she was more interested in the monster that’s the Chinese government and the Russians, they’re just bigger and while a bigger challenge, this will definitely give a better advantage if she is capable of infecting the organizations in charge. 

While I know the greens keep saying “UNTIL EVERYTHING IS GREEN” that’s not really true, this is just green propaganda from Regina. She knows she can’t get everyone green because they need the cattle and these vessels don’t reproduce asexually and having sex requires energy you could be redirecting to other things so she will leave the monkeys to mate alone and then she will take them for parts later. Just like in her home planet, but a bit more complex since this cattle is intelligent and doesn’t like to be told what to do. 

So yeah, Regina hasn’t taken full control over the governments of the countries she is trying to take over because 1) PWG, 2) Mages 3) Monkey smart, monkey scary.

There’s a thing I haven’t touched and that’s the magic potential in human beings. Magic is a force of nature just like electricity in this universe, so shut up. Everything is science alright? I like science, it’s easier to take things that already exist than to attempt to make a new system with many inconsistencies on how it works with no other purpose than to make things cool and glue plot holes with “MAGIC”. No easy explanation. We die like men.

Regina suspects the monkeys with high magic affinity were somehow exposed to another entity her species had already encountered but never managed to bend their will to their whims. She doesn’t know how it happened, but she knows the monkeys are too good at the magic to just straight up attack them. They’re not fully human, but I am not sure of what’s the thing that makes them have that affinity with magic when most creatures don’t have it. The greens for sure can’t magic without a vessel that is able to use it. 

But anyway, since Regina somehow managed to infiltrate into the magic communities (headcanon New Tenacity wasn’t the first but hopefully the last to fall in Regina’s hands), she began experimenting with the usages and exploitable nature of magic. Warp and Weft was her primary concern, as she needed it for transporting her hive to Earth. Once she got it, she encountered two problems: One, it kills non mages almost instantly if they attempt to use it. Two, it doesn’t work with large quantities of entities. 

So no only she couldn’t use it to take the hive to Earth. She would have to send mages to the moon if she wanted to be able to get them out with a relatively good chance of success by casting a massive spell to get the greens out of the moon.

Now, this was not only very time consuming, but stupidly difficult to pull out since mages like being reclusive. 

So she started looking for ways to track mages and send them to the moon, somehow. She eventually dipt in family ancestry and probably found suitable candidates that weren’t as dangerous as trained mages. Think of them as persons with an incredible magical potential, but they’re not even aware of their power. Like that creepy little girl Arika talked about (my personal theory is that the hand used her as host for this reason). 

I think this eventually got Regina to pick Taylor as one of the candidates. Of course, the contest was rigged in order to make the student the winner. I firmly believe their fate was planned since the beginning, but neither Regina or Taylor could have potentially anticipated the impact the lifeline would have in the green’s plans.

So Regina sent Taylor as the first of many to be mages to come. They would be the first experiment in the matter, if potent magical non users could even be exploited in the way Regina required. Of course, her plan was fooled by Taylor being more adept than she thought they would be. 

So she focused on the exploration of dark Magic, trying to tear the quintessence(or however its written) in order to achieve more power for her plans. She was unsuccessful, at first. But eventually managed to make a little slave, a golden bird-like creature of solid gold. It was not powerful enough to teleport the whole hive, but small groups of entities could be warped to wherever she desired. This would be helpful, but now she had a loan to pay. 

Ripping the fabric of space and Time itself is bad, very bad. Like apocalyptically bad. And Regina wouldn’t realize her mistake until she was confronted with the lifeline and Alex.

Wynn was an eye opening for Regina, as she realized the potential her mutated freak had. This is why she wanted her back so badly, she needed to reverse engineer that drone’s mutation and use it to make the greens more sneakier, less apparently dead to humans and more livid. The green kept her consciousness and personality. This was unheard of before, this was a breakthrough possibly caused by the exposure to the human species.

Regina probably thought at first she was dealing with a rogue queen, considering her own experience. But I’m sure she realized that was not the case when she produced the next green with that capability. I call these kind of greens “elites” as they’re more capable of blending in than the drones and they get to keep the host’s personality as their own. Regina was very pleased with this development, but it took a while to get vessel 1 to produce the elites.

When Taylor finally was hers, they were infected with the first set of elites from vessel 1. Regina realized she could use the failed Tipler Cylinder to continuously go to other universes and infect more Taylors for her mage project. So she kept the “loop” going until there were enough of them so they were expendable and not really a problem if the experiments went wrong.

Until the lifeline came and crashed the party, again.

At this point Busy and Canon Regina diverge, because while canon Regina disregards the danger that the lifeline is to her plans, Busy takes the threat seriously and immediately moves resources to find this individual that keeps messing with her plans, without much progress, as the lifeline doesn’t exist in the current cluster of universes she inhibits, successfully staying anonymous to the greens.

In the SstS rp, there’s an alternative universe called Murdeline, while Busy makes her first appearance. There are two queen hives in SstS; Peka’s Hive and Busy’s hive (this includes the owos who are another layer that I won’t touch here because believe me, even though their abilities are ridiculously powerful, they’re…. too adorable.). Peka’s Regina is… frustrating to talk to, and honestly does a good job on making her a mysterious threat and still conveys the “I’m improvising and pretending everything is under control” that I keep reading from Regina. 

Peka’s Queen keeps leaving the heavy work for the elites, while she goes to do god knows what (not even Holly knows), trapped in 2016 forever thanks to *vague plot reasons* that i still don’t understand and would rather stayed that way as vessel 2 was on Austin and at this current point on the RP T2ylor is would be in close proximity with one of the vessels. And that’s No Good.

Busy is… very direct. And if something doesn’t go right she’ll risk one of her vessels to make it go the way she wants it to go. Because she played the elite route and was disappointed with T2 performance so she closed the loop and focused on getting more Mage covens under green control to make herself the best magical fleshsuit she could get through eugenics. And she managed to pay her debt through….. other means.

Anyway, that’s enough for scenario one, this document is already 9 pages long.

TLDR; Regina has no idea of what she’s doing because she’s the sole survivor of her kind after civil war. She’s improvising and keeps fucking up but pretends everything is going according to plan otherwise the greens might actually murder her in cold blood because if a queen is not doing her job, another shall replace her.

@pekasairroc Have fun.

#Lifeline Theory time

[spectraspecs-writes]

Kashyyyk - Chapter 73

Link to the masterpost. Chapter 72. Chapter 74.

@averruncusho @ceruleanrainblues @chubbsmomma thank you for reading, you get a tag. @skelelexiunderlord thank you for support, you get a tag.

————–

Jolee has only a single bag of belongings, which he leaves in his house, reasoning that we’ll pass back this way after the Star Map. He gives us some more of his food, and whatever he doesn’t put in his bag he leaves out for the tachs. And with that, we leave. The Czerka camp has been cleaned out overnight - the plasteel cylinders, the tarps, the supplies, all moved out overnight. Sounds like there’s more than one scout with those Czerka guys. I can’t imagine anyone else would want to come down here and break camp with the emitters down. Jolee scoffs as we walk closer to the Czerka force field. “Beautifully subtle, isn't it?” he says sarcastically, “At least, compared to other Czerka equipment dumped down here, it is. It's only been here a short while, or the Wookiees would have disabled it. They wouldn't have had an easy time of it, though.”

“It can’t be all that effective,” I comment, “All the trees on this planet, most of the animals would have evolved to climb, prey and predator.”

“Precisely,” Jolee says, “It limits us non-climbers, but the creatures of Kashyyyk are very adaptable. You'll see why when we reach your goal.” That sounds fascinating.

“You can get past it, right?”

“I can manipulate it for a moment. Let me see… how did the Czerka engineers do it…” He fiddles with the mechanism for a moment, and then the field drops. “Ahh, there we go,” he says, as he ushers us through. “Now keep moving. These are the most dangerous depths of Kashyyyk. A few surprises wait for us, I'll wager.” 

Despite it being morning and actually pretty bright out in the Upper Shadowlands, it’s a lot darker here. There aren’t any Czerka paths here. Glowing moss, sure, but the worn paths in the dirt are thin and winding, and they criss-cross like a catacomb. Some paths I can tell go further than I can see, but trees have fallen in the path. Not that that would bother the Wookiees any - they can just climb over it. So who wore these paths?

“Mandalorians,” Canderous says, like he knows what I’m thinking, “There are Mandalorians down here.”

“What makes you say that?” Jolee asks.

“What would Mandalorians be doing down here?” I ask.

Canderous addresses Jolee’s question first. “Come on, old man, you already knew they were down here,” he says, “No way you couldn’t. My people aren’t like Czerka.”

“I had no idea,” Jolee says earnestly.

“I think he’s telling the truth,” I say, looking at some refuse near the base of a tree, “Check this out, I’ve found a Mandalorian data pad.”

“Need me to translate?”

“No, thanks, Canderous, I’ve got it.” Mandalorian is an easier language than others, it has the same alphabet as Basic. Different phonemes, but the letters are the same. “They’re training, they’ve got stealth generators attached to swoop bikes.” There’s a map of the different paths, too, I transfer it into my datapad.

Canderous takes the Mandalorian datapad from me and starts to read it himself. Then he swears. “Cowards!” he says, “Not only are they using stealth fields, they’re only attacking when their target is unarmed!” He huffs and scoffs. “They ambushed a number of Wookiee camps in the dead of night, forced them to fight. It is without honor!” he exclaims angrily.

“If we can find their swoops, I can disable their stealth field,” I say, “We could ambush them.”

“Won’t work,” he says, holding his rifle at the ready, “They already know we’re here. They’re watching us.”

Bastila takes a brief moment to concentrate on the Force. Then, “I don’t sense any presence here besides our own. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” he growls softly, “I know my people. You aren’t going to be able to disable their stealth field by any traditional means, Rena.”

“Have you got another plan, then?”

“Oh, I do,” he says, “But if I tell you they’ll hear it. Do you trust me?”

I nod. “Of course,” Bastila says. Of course she does. Jolee just scoffs a bit. He’s only known Canderous for a few hours, so he has no reason to trust him. Thankfully he doesn’t need a reason - the Force can tell him enough.

“There’s a map on the datapad,” I say, “If they’ve got swoop bikes they’ll have to be in a large clearing.” Canderous and I both look at our respective datapads for the map. “If they’re listening, we’ll only have time to check one site before they move.”

Jolee points at one clearing over my shoulder. “They won’t be there,” he says confidently, “Freyyr wouldn't let them rest, he makes his home there.”

“Freyyr?” I repeat, “That’s Zaalbar’s father. Chuundar sent us here to kill his own father?”

“It certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?” Jolee says cryptically. Weird old codger.

There are three other clearings on the map, one not too far from Freyyr’s camp - a pretty small one but a clearing nonetheless - and two other large ones. One has only one access path, the other has three. It would make sense for a group of warriors to choose the site less vulnerable to ambush - the single entrance - but I doubt they were expecting company when they set up shop down here. “Which one do you think, Canderous?” I ask him. 

“This one,” he indicates after a moment. He points to the one with three access paths. “Their arrogance will be their downfall.”

“Usually is,” Jolee scoffs, and he glances at me. Referencing Andor’s story, no doubt.

Canderous takes point, trudging through the woods past kshyy vines and half-broken branches. We all do our best to follow behind him, but he moves awfully quickly. It’s easier to follow the sounds he makes as he not-so-subtly trods through the foliage. At one point, Bastila stumbles and rolls her ankle, and that gets Canderous to stop. But only long enough to pick her up and tote her over his shoulder. (She both loves and hates that. Still bothered by her feelings for him but human enough that she can’t deny how much she likes his touch. I think it’s cute.) 

At a point, he stops, and Jolee and I catch up with him. There are three swoop bikes in the clearing - good instinct on Canderous’s part. He sets Bastila down against a fallen branch. “So, what’s your big plan?” I ask.

He raises his blaster rifle to his shoulder. “This.” He sets up a high powered series of shots and aims at each of the swoops, setting them all on fire. Well, that’s certainly… an effective way of deactivating the stealth field, and making sure they can’t establish a new one.

It isn’t long after that that the Mandalorians decloak. There are four of them, one behind each of us, and the commander, facing Canderous. “You have interrupted our hunt, interloper. The inhabitants of this world could do little against us, but you appear to be a threat.”

“More than a threat enough for you, coward!” Canderous shouts, and then he swears in Mandalorian.

“Another Mandalore, is it?” the commander says, “Will you draw arms against those you should serve? We'll see who lives this day!”

The commander draws a lightsaber, what the fuck? Jolee puts the other three Mandalorians in stasis with the Force. It won’t hold long, but it holds long enough for me to take the weapon off the Mandalorian behind me. Their armor resists my lightsaber to a degree, but without their resistance getting in my way I can handle it, cut through the armor eventually. Bastila sticks with Force attacks rather than her lightsaber - her ankle still hurts and that would hinder her agility and maneuverability considerably. But she can still whisk the unsuspecting Mandalorian into a Force whirlwind and spin him around and around and around before flinging him headfirst into a tree. Jolee takes a combination of our two techniques, whisking his would-be attacker into a Force whirlwind and hitting the shit out of him with his lightsaber.

And then there’s Canderous. He and the commander have thrown their weapons aside and started to fight hand-to-hand. Even when we’ve taken care of our own Mandalorians, he fights on. When Bastila tries to reach out to help him, he shouts back, “No! This is my fight!” With one square punch to the jaw, Canderous knocks the face covering off the Mandalorian’s helmet. And with another punch, blood flies out of his mouth. “Coward!” Canderous shouts, “Attacking the unarmed, hiding yourself!” He grabs the commander by the arm and slams him into a tree trunk. “Is this how you seek to gain honor? There is no honor to be gained in fighting a defenseless opponent!”

“You have grown old, Ordo!” the commander replies, “And soft! Traveling among Jedi has made you weak and contemplative. I will earn my honor how I choose! Even if it means killing you!”

Out of nowhere a bolt from a crossbow hits the back of the commander’s helmet, distracting him. Canderous takes the opportunity to pick up his rifle and use the butt of it to knock the commander to the ground. He hits his head on a large rock. And doesn’t get up again. Canderous takes a moment to catch his breath, look at the body, before turning to us. “I told you it was my fight!” he says angrily, “Who fired that shot?”

“None of us, Canderous,” Bastila says.

“That was a Wookiee weapon,” Jolee says, “The sound of our battle may have attracted another.”

“Doesn’t look like he stuck around,” I say, “I don’t sense a Wookiee nearby, not close enough to have fired that shot.”

“No, I suspect he has gone,” Jolee says, “If it was Freyyr, as I suspect, he may have thought we were slavers and left.”

“We should find him, then,” I say, then I ask Jolee, “Do you know how to get to his camp from here?”

“More or less,” he says with a shrug, “Don’t worry, I can find him.”

We take a southwest path away from the swoops. I wonder how long it will take for the forest to eat them.

#knights of the old republic #kotor #star wars #fiction #autistic artist #kotor fic #specs writes stuff #rena visz #oc #fem!revan #ls!revan #bastila shan #canderous ordo #canderous x bastila #bastila x canderous #jolee bindo #kashyyyk #mandalorians #chapter 73

[umbrahighpriestofgiratina]

Umbra Plays Pokemon Shield Bonus 3: Shield Snippets

Here’s all the ficlets I did for Umbra Plays Pokemon Shield in one place! Plus a small bonus one because @taggthewanderer asked for at least one postgame bonus

Shield Snippets

Funky, Heinwald, Mantle, and Duke were idling around the Gym lobby as Siegbert got them registered.

"Doesn't all this seem... Funny to you?" said Heinwald.

"In a cosmic sort of way, yes," said Funky, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, no no," said Heinwald. "I mean... Suspicious."

"What's suspicious about this?" said Mantle. "We get to enter a big tournament! See lots of humans and Pokemon! It'll be incredible!"

"I shall truly be able to show my might!" said Duke, flexing his muscles.

"Yes, I know we all are excited-"

"I'm dreadfully bored," said Funky.

"...Most of us are excited, but some things aren't adding up. The legend of the Darkest Day. The mysterious Pokemon Funky mentioned he encountered in the woods. The infuriating boy collecting Wishing Stars. Something is going on here and I will be the one to find out what."

"Hey! Seigbert is done registering us!" said Mantle.

"It is time!" said Duke.

"Finally..." said Funky.

The three went over to the counter as Heinwald shook his head and sighed.

"I almost wish I had a proper partner right now..."

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

Mantle was the happiest he'd been in his entire life.

He'd started out as this lowly Bug-type crawling around in Route 3, catching easy prey and hoping stronger Rookidee didn't notice him. But then Seigbert found him and recruited him for this fancy-ass Gym Challenge and now there was a screaming crowd all around him in a huge stadium cheering for him! Yes him!

(The notion they were cheering for his Trainer crossed his mind, but he dismissed it as ridiculous.)

And now all that stood in his way was Milo's Gossifleur.

"You think you're a bigshot, being a Gym Leader's Pokemon? Take this!"

He curled in a ball and barreled at the Gossifleur with a Flame Wheel, bouncing off him and sending him skidding back. In response the Gossifleur started... Singing, using Round.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" said Mantle.

He used Flame Wheel again, and whatever the Gossifleur was trying to pull was cut off as he was knocked out. Milo promply boasted a few things Mantle wasn't really listening to and sent out an Eldegoss.

"More of the same?" said Mantle. "This'll be ca-"

Several things happened at once.

The Eldegoss was recalled into his ball. The ball ballooned and the Eldegoss was sent back out, now titanic in size. Mantle was about to object about how it wasn't fair when the same promply happened to him.

He couldn't belive it. He was huge! There was so much power flowing through him. No tiny bug anymore, he towered over all these humans. He was the apex predator now.

The Eldegoss slammed into him with a Max Strike, shaking the stadium. He didn't care. He fired a Max Flare, a massive gout of flame that made the sunlight harsher via its mere presence. They traded blows again. Both were weaker. Mantle shook away fear in his mind so he-

His trainer ran over to his massive form and sprayed him with a Super Potion. What was he planning?!

Then the Eldegoss caused a mass of plant growth to sprout beneath his massive form, which did... Almost nothing to his fiery, chitinous body. Then, the two Pokemon shrank back down to normal size.

It was then that Mantle realized what his Trainer was trying to do. Outlast them.

"So much for that, huh?" said Mantle, ignoring a Leafage and slamming into the Edelgoss with another Flame Wheel. This time, he went down.

The crowd cheered. His Trainer cheered. Mantle cheered. He'd done it. He'd made it to the big leagues. Mantle realized his Trainer was a big help here.

...But he still deserved most of the credit.

-----------

Funky really wished he weren't here right now.

He could be looking at the beautiful Galarian scenery, or cities, or even other Pokemon, for inspiration for a painting. Instead... He was facing down a Goldeen. A measly Goldeen.

"Let's get this over with," he said, rolling his eyes.

He swirled one of his paintbrushes in the air, sending a flurry of Razor Leaves at the fish. The Goldeen air-swam out of the way and rammed a Horn Attack into Funky's side, but a second, up-close flurry finished her off. An Arrokuda was sent out in her place, but the second fish suffered a similar fate.

"Is this a joke?" said Funky.

Nessa sent out her Dreadnaw. Both the Drednaw and Funky ballooned to kaiju size via Dynamax power. Funky admitted it felt good. Inspirational even.

His thoughts were interrupted by a G-Max Darkness directly at his massive knees, causing his enormous body to stumble dangerously close to the crowd - not that this interrupted their frenzied cheering. Funky gritted his teeth and caused a massive burst of plant life to erupt beneath the Drednaw in a G-Max Overgrowth. The Dreadnaw let out a mighty roar of pain as the plants penetrated her shell. There was an explosion, and the Drednaw shrank back down to size, KOed. Funky shrank back down to size as well, smirking.

"Like I said. A joke."

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

The crowd cheered, the music blared, the lights shone down on the battlefield... and HeInwald didn't really care. He was looking for traces of how this place allowed the Dynamax phenomenon, and was so engrossed in doing so he barely noticed the Ninetales in front of him.

"You going to fight me or not?" she said.

"Hm? Oh. My apologies."

He lunged forward with a Night Slash. The attack barely cut into the Ninetales' fur as she spat a Will-o-Wisp at him, burning him.

"Concerning," he said. He let out a Snarl, dampening her retaliatory Ember. And again to her Fire Spin. And again to her Quick Attack. A second Quick Attack eventually took him down.

Mantle was sent out in his place. He was excited! He was in his element! Literally! Quickly he Coiled in on himself to sheild himself from the Ninetales' Quick Attack. A Fire Spin was sucked into his body via Flash Fire. Finally he used Bite, biting down hard on one of the Ninetales' legs.This was too much, and the pain caused her to promply fall to the ground, fainted.

An Arcanine was sent out in her place. "Stay, puppy!" said Mantle as he lunged and Bit the much larger Pokemon. The Arcanine Bit back, and the two Pokemon kept wrestling and Biting one another until Mantle proved victorious.

"Alright, who's next? I'm ready to take on any-"

He was promptly recalled and replaced with Lir.

Lir promptly panicked. There were so many lights, so many noises. And a very powerful-looking Centiskorch right in front of him. He wanted to go back in the ball. The ball did not judge. It only hated.

It got worse when the Centicorch grew and stretched into a much more intimidating form, and Lir grew and stretched in turn. The massive centipede hit him with an overwhelming blast of heat that turned the temperature in the arena up by several degrees, and in turn Lir hurriedly dropped a pillar of rock on the Gigantimax Centiskorch. Weak Armor causing bits of his body to fall away, he promptly yelled and dropped another pillar of rock on his opponent. When the G-Max Rockfall crumbled away, the Centiscorch was normal sized and unconscious.

Lir couldn't believe his eyes. He'd done it! He'd defeated a scarier foe! He could get used to this kaiju thi-

He shrunk back down to normal. He was small and vulnerable again. Where was the ball when you needed it?

---------

Heinwald had a soft spot for Ghost types, as paranormal as they were. He felt it was his obligation to inspect them. But no, his trainer wanted him to fight this one, this Galarian Yamask in front of him. Ah well.

"Hold still a bit will you?" said Heinwald.

He lunged at the Yamask with a Night Slash, only for a twofold tingling feeling to creep up on him. It didn't take him long to deduce that not only had the Yamask stolen his Ability with Wandering Spirit, he'd also Disabled his Night Slash. His Trainer concluded the same, recalling him.

Upon entering the battlefield Uk was hit with a Brutal Swing. Uk did not care, it barely scratched him. What did phase Uk was all the lights and noise and worse of all PEOPLE. Uk wasn't used to this kind of attention - normally Uk fed on negative emotions, not the screaming frenzy of an excited crowd. But Uk wanted to make his Trainer happy, so...

"Uk no let you win!" he said as he slammed the Yamask with a Sucker Punch, taking him down. The crowd cheered, and Uk did as well... only to be recalled.

Duke was sent out next. Finally. He had been honing his blade-claws long enough, and he would finally be able to prove his worth in a gym battle. A Mimikyu was sent out to face him, and he scoffed.

"Glorified Pikachu-shaped eldritch sack of oats! You think you can face ME?!"

As the Mimikyu Honed its Claws Duke slashed at him with Metal Claw to break his disguise. Duke barely flinched at the following Shadow Sneak as he  barreled through and struck the Mimikyu with an Iron Head, taking it down.

"Ha! Is that all you've got! I need stronger opponents! Give me more! MORE!"

His request for more was ignored as he was swapped for Uk, and the Mimikyu was swapped for Cursola.

"Hey!" said Uk. "Enemy look like Lir! Maybe I should go easy on her... NOT!"

He jabbed the Cursola with a False Surrender. The Cursola attempted to Curse him in response... Only to KO itself from the effort. Uk scratched its head.

"Uk confused."

He was promptly recalled and replaced with Heinwald, who found himself facing down a Gengar.

"I suppose this is the part where things... Escalate," said Heinwald.

Indeed Heinwald grew to massive size as the opposing Gengar transformed into a massive, gaping maw. Heinwald sent coils of G-Max Darkness at the Gigantimax Gengar while the Gengar spat a wave of G-Max ooze that would have smothered the crowd if not for the protective barriers in place. Heinwald was hurt, but also mostly annoyed. He sent another Max Darkness that shook the stadium, doing the Gengar in. The crowd cheered. Heinwald shrank back down to size and smirked.

Guess fighting Ghosts was ALSO worth his time.

----------

The pastel colors of the arena almost blinded Duke, but he didn't let it get to him. This was his finest hour. Members of the Galaian Meowth line were raised to be warriors, and now he would be a warrior on the grand stage.

Also this Galarian Weezing was looking at him funny and that would not stand.

"You dare cross the great Duke, slayer of Champions? I'll END you!"

The Weezing sneezed a Fairy Wind in his face, further incensing Duke to deliver an Iron Head to her floating form. The Weezing collapsed to the floor and was recalled.

"Ahaha! Come at me! I will end you all!"

A Mawile was sent out. This one gave him pause... Those jaws... He missed an exchange between his Trainer and Opal but he felt something cause his abilities to falter further.

"Warrior's retreat!"

He was swapped out for Mantle.

"Some warrior you are..." said Mantle.

He Coiled in response to the Mawile's Iron Defense, also guarding against her Crunch. A Flame Wheel straight into the Mawile's Iron Defense position caused the Mawile to skid back, Mantle was confident when -

"What do you mean pink isn't your favorite color?"

This outburst from  his trainer made him realize he was far more vulnerable, and he Coiled again, the Mawile attempting to shake him around with Crunch. Finally he yanked the Mawile's jaws into another Flame Wheel, taking her out. Opal sent out a Togekiss in her place.

"Heh... Guess you are tough..." Mantle said. "But you aren't tough eno-"

There was an Ancientpower and he went down. Duke was sent back out, and was torn. On one hand, one of his comrades had gone down. On the other, he felt invigorated.

"DIE WEIRD BIRD"

He slammed an Iron Head into the Togekiss' face, ignoring the Air Slash in reply. The Togekiss fell out of the sky as the crowd cheered. An Alcreamie was sent out, but Duke felt invigorated and felt more so after Obal said something about liking his trainer's "answer." He felt strong.

And he felt stronger as he grew and stretched and his foe grew and stretched to gargantuan sizes. Now it was a battle of titans. Bright bursts of light that reverberated through the stadium hit Duke, and it only increased his bloodlust. Steel spikes ran from him to the Gigantimax Alcremie, impaling it, breaking its massive form and causing it to shrink down, unconscious.

Duke shrank down and gave a roar befitting a much larger cat mon. He had conquered this puny Fairy gym and all had seen it.

Meanwhile his Trainer scratched his head. "Can't believe the quiz was in the gym battle too..."

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

Mantle felt a little insecure. He could kind of feel he was falling behind a bit. No. No he wouldn't let such thoughts get to him. Especially not against this damn Frosmoth.

"I know you're all head but heads up!"

He used Flame Wheel, rolling through the Hail the Frosmoth cast and slamming into it for an instant KO. The crowd cheered. A Darmanitan was sent out in its place.

"You really think you can clear this gym with moves like that?" said the Darmanitan with a Taunt.

"Oh I sure can!" said Mantle, ramming into her with another Flame Wheel. It was then the Darmanitan's form shifted - to a bouncing, hopping mad firey snowman.

"Woah, you seem mad... Good!"

The Darmanitan attempted to clamp down on Mantle with a Fire Fang, only for Mantle's Flash Fire to absorb it and Mantle to wrap her up in a Flame Wheel, tossing her across the arena and knocking her out. Next came... a Eiscue.

"And what are you supposed to be?" Mantle said.

He rolled into her with another Flame Wheel, only to merely shatter the ice around her face as she spat an Icy Wind at him. Mantle spat in annoyance as as the Escue tried to hit him with a Freeze Dry before he coiled into another Flame Wheel and KOed her.

"Aw yeah, I'm on top!" said Mantle.

He was promptly recalled and replaced by Funky as the opposition sent out a Lapras.

Funky cocked an eyebrow at the creature. How did it move around on land?

The question remained unanswered as the two embiggened to massive sizes that towered over the crowd. Funky waved his paintbrushes in the Gigantimax Lapras' direction to summon a G-Max Overgrowth, thinking it would end it quickly. Instead the Lapras responded with a song, a chilling song that clutched at Funky's heart like ice.

The pain The song. He thought back to his old troop. How they all were supposed to be musicians, it was in their blood. But he didn't want to be a musician, he wanted to paint amnd draw, but they forced him to do what they wanted, scolded him, until he finally ran away. But this icy song ate at him, damaged him both physically and psychologically untill he finally cried out, his booming voice aweing the crowd and echoing beyond the stadium.

"NO! ENOUGH MUSIC!  I AM A PAINTER!"

Another Max Overgrowth. The Lapras collapsed, shrunk, was recalled. Funky shrank as well, panting heavily, even as the crowd cheered. He felt... Relieved.

Maybe this Gym challenge was an even better inspiration for his art than he thought.

----------

Heinwald didn't like the look of this place. And this Gym leader was totally copying his hairstyle. But what was more concerning was this Scrafty. He was Intimidating, and Heinwald knew one good Fighting move would take him down.

"Uk, don't let me down."

The two swapped places, Uk coming out straight into a Brick Break.

"Ow! You break brick? Uk break spirit!"

He lashed out with a hair-whip in a Spirit Break, sending the Scrafty flying and knocking him unconscious.

Before Uk could celebrate Heinwald was sent back out, and found himself facing another Obstagoon.

"...I forgot the rest of my kind were this crude."

He hit the other Obstagoon with a Brick Break, only to be grabbed and slammed with a Counter that took him down instantly. Funky was sent out in his place.

"Of course I'm on cleanup duty..."

Funky's Brick Break did the job this time, nailing the Obstagoon in the head. Funky was then swapped out for Mantle as Piers sent out a Malamar.

"Alright you overgrown piece of calamari time to get yours!"

He clawed at the Malamar with X-Scissor, ignoring his Foul Play, causing the Malamar to screech and keel over.

"Alright who's nex-"

He was swapped for Duke, who was now facing a Skuntank.

"Your stench offends the way of the warrior! You will be defeated!"

A Sucker Punch glanced off Duke's migty beard as he burrowed beneath the Skuntank and attacked from below, and a second Sucker Punch didn't dissuade him from doing it again, taking the Skuntank down. Duke roared a victory cry before glancing around in confusion.

"No Dynamax this time? I wanted to be a GIANT warrior..."

--------

Galadriel looked at the Flygon and Gigalith before her as a sandstorm raged. Then at her partner, Uk.

"Fascinating... You're my partner again then?"

Uk nodded. "Uk happy to share limelight with team!"

"It is settled then."

She lunged at the Gigalith with a Smart Strike as Uk attacked the Gigalith with a False Surrender. Galadriel dodged a Steel Wing from the Flygon as the Gigalith threw up a Stealth Rock.

"Hey! Trainer say Stealth Rock cheating!" said Uk.

"Refocus on the Flygon!" said Galadriel.

The Flygon slammed her with a Steel Wing as it tried to swoop out of the way, but a Spirit Break and Dazzling Gleam did it in. The Gigalith hung on, and Body Pressed Uk to little effect. A Sandaconda was sent out in the Flygon's place.

"What we do now?" said Uk.

"Get rid of the Gigalith!" said Galadriel.

A Dazzling Gleam from her took him out and heavily tore into the Sandaconda, which failed to do much of an impression with its Glare. A Spirit Break tore into it further, but the Sandaconda hissed in defiance as a Duraldon was sent out.

"Uk, now's your chance!"

"What Gal mea-"

Before Uk knew it, he was a giant! He couldn't believe it! All the humans in the audience looked so tiny and cute! He wanted to pet the-

Uh-oh. The Duraldon looked like a building now.

Galadriel sent out another burst of Dazzling gleam, taking out the Sandaconda and cutting into the massive Duraldon. The Duraldon, however, sent out a Max Steelspike, causing Uk to keel over and shake the stadium before shrinking down and being recalled.

"Uk! No!" said Galadriel. "You will be avenged..."

"And I'll do the avenging!" said Duke, being sent out. "Aye, glorified high-rise! You don't hurt my friends."

"I'll hold him off!" said Galadriel. "You get the jump on him."

Galadriel bombarded the Duraldon with another Dazzling Gleam. The Duraldon's massive fist crushed Duke with a Max Knuckle, but by the time the fist lifted Duke had buried underground. Galadriel fired one last Dazzling Gleam before a Max Steelspike left her prone.

"Duke... I leave this to you..."

Suddenly, the earth beneath the Duraldon shook as Duke burst from it, clawing at the Duraldon's underside. The Duraldon gave an unearthly creak and moan before toppling over into the protective barrier around the crowd, then  shrinking and being recalled into his ball. The crowd went wild.

Duke cheered! His and Galadriel's plan worked! He was the friend-avenger! His name would be legend for ages to come!

...Also he'd hopefully get skritches and treats from his Trainer.

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

Galadriel peered around this city of Wyndon; it was so very different from the forest Seigbert had found her in. She wasn't sure she was so fond of the pollution and the noise but the bustling Auras of the people and Pokemon there... They were fascinating.

Almost took her mind off the looming threat.

Heinwald had told her everything. The conspiracy to hide the true nature of the Sword And Shield and the dual heroes, the strange boy on a mission from the chairman... and she had seen some of it herself. The resurgence of rouge Dynamax Pokemon, the state of Spikemuth, the tremors, all of which they refused to let her handle...

She turned her horn from Wyndon back in the direction of Hammerlocke. She could still feel the immense power radiating from its spire, and how... unstable it was. She feared the worst. She hoped that Heinwald wasn't right.

That the Darkest Day wasn't coming back.

In the Glimwood Tangle, they told stories about that event. About the rampages as the astral projections known as Dynamax and Gigantimax went out of control. About... it.

She knew a resurgence would be devastating. But at the very least she had hope.

Her Team. Her Trainer.

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

The crowd was extra-wild today. Why wouldn't they be? It was rising star Seigbert vs. long-standing Champion Leon. Funky understood this and yet he did not care. All he was concerned about was getting rid of the Aegislash in front of him.

"Don't blink that one eye of yours."

Funky slapped the Aegislash with a Knock Off only to take a Shadow Ball to the face. With an annoyed grunt, Funky slapped the Aegislash to the ground with another Knock Off, knocking him out.

"Hmph. Thought so."

He was recalled and replaced with Mantle, as Leon sent out a Cinderace.

"Hey, Funky told me about you!" said Mantle.

He Coiled in on himself, only to be sent flying by an Acrobatics. He was quickly swapped for Duke, who ate a Quick Attack with little effort only to be sent flying himself by a Pyro Ball. Uk was sent out and delivered a couple Sucker Punches before he too was felled by a Pyro Ball.

Galadriel was sent out. Pyro Ball tore into her even as she dodged an Acrobatics. Seigbert switched back to Mantle, but as soon as the Cinderace let loose another Acrobatics Heinwald was switched in in his place.

"You may have been able to fell my friends... But not me!" said Heinwald.

He slammed into the Cinderace with a Double Edge, smacking him into the side of the stadium, KOed.

Heinwald was then switched for Funky as a Sesmitoad was sent out. Funky smirked.

"Cake."

He let loose a Drum Beating, knocking out the Seismitoad easily. Leon sent out a Dragapult to replace it. While his Trainer was fumbling around in his bag for Max Revives, however, a jet of flame left Funky unconsious, and Mantle was sent back out. Mantle tanked a few Shadow Balls and lashed out with a Crunch.

"Man this guy is tough!"

He was swapped out again, for Uk. Uk withstood another Shadow Ball and Sucker Punched the Dragapult to metaphorical death. A Haxorus was sent out in its place, and slammed Uk with an Iron Tail, KOing him again. Mantle was sent out only to fall to an Outrage. Finally, it was Galadriel's turn.

"Your rage only makes me stronger!"

She absorbed the Outrage without the scratch, and then, in the Haxorus' subsequent confusion, took him out with a Dazzling Gleam. Then... came Charizard. It grew and stretched into Gigantimax Charizard, dropping a pillar of rock on Galadriel. She fell, and Heinwald was sent out.

"This ends now."

He grew and stretched to Gigantimax form. The Charizard buffeted him with a Max Aircurrent before Heinwald dropped Max Lightning on him... And the Charizard shrank back to normal. He grinned.

"Too bad."

He charged his foot with Max Lightning and stepped on the Charizard. When he lifted his foot the Charizard was unconscious.

Heinwald shrank down to normal. The crowd went nuts. His Trainer went nuts.

Heinwald, ever so subtly, allowed himself a small fist pump.

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

Zacian stared into Galadriel's eyes as she steeled her resolve.

"If I must face you this way... So be it."

Zamazenta's Iron Defense did not stop a barrage of Dazzling Gleams, but a Behemoth Bash did. Mantle slithered into the battlefeild.

"We're fighting a Legendary AGAIN?"

He was sent skidding back by a Behemoth Bash, but retaliated with a Fire Lash, striking Zamazenta's hide. Zamazenta bit down with a Crunch, only to have her jaws singed by a second Fire Lash.

"Sigbert, NOW!" said Mantle.

A Luxury Ball was thrown, but torn asunder. Zamazenta bit down again, knocking Mantle out. Funky came out next, eyeing the situation warily.

"You might want to bring out the big guns."

At this, a Master Ball was thrown. It sucked Zamazenta in, wobbled three times, than clicked. Funky grinned.

"Something something unstoppable force meets immovable object."

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

And that's all of them! There might be another bonus down the line but that depends on if an in-game thing can stop kicking my ass.

#umbra plays pokemon shield #pokemon sword and shield

[thefine9diary]

Peacock and the Beast

Once upon a time, there was a young fella who just entered adulthood and is eager to finally explore the world on his own. He was entering the most fruitful time of his life, eager to taste the bittersweet flavours of romance that he had heard much about but was forbidden to experience being raised in an all-boys school. He was groomed to be honourable, to be righteous and to be a gentlemen. He dreamt of himself being the knight in shining armour, destined to meet his beautiful and kind princess by rescuing her from the darkness and riding into a bright future.

Often times in this world, the most beautiful beings are also the most deceptive. In nature, poisonous creatures such as caterpillars, snakes and jellyfish use bright colours to attract their preys. This is a proven law in this world, just look at the three prime colours, they create countless beautiful shades, but when mixed together, their true nature is revealed - black. Unfortunately the young men fell into the same trap when he met the first girl that came into his life. He has never met a girl this pretty before having grown up in a boys school and was blinded by her bright colours. He pursued her with sincerity and generosity and finally she belonged to him. Things were good at first and they planned a life happily ever after. He was a giver and built his happiness on her, he took care of her needs and showered her with care. She was appreciative at first but as time passed by, she became accustomed to the pampering and her true colour as a taker came to light.

She took advantage of his giving nature and took him for granted. She was unappreciative of him, he thought it was his problem and tried even harder to please her and found himself in a vicious cycle. Eventually he just became part of the household, like a piece of furniture, a carpet that initially received admiration for its comfort, provided warmth for the feet, but always stepped on and slowly forgotten. Until one day she decided to replace the carpet with new tiles, because warmth was boring for her and the new tiles were flashy, the cool sensations on the feet were too exhilarating to resist.

He was left with a void, his fair lady had became an evil fairy haunting him from his past, leaving him with a curse that he would never be the charming, honourable and giving knight he once was. Instead he became the Beast, one that lives in the dark and is ugly on the inside so no princess deserving of his love would ever come near him. His greatest fear is that he would die alone, knowing that the only way to avoid this is by finding the princess who would love him for who he is now so that he could return to his original form.

Despite the impossible odds against him, the Beast was not a quitter and with wills of iron, he was determined to break the curse. Fortunately for him, he did have one strength that could help him win the princess that would bring him back to his original nature, and that was - he is extremely leng jai...... Okay all jokes aside, it was because he had mastered the skills as a hunter. He was able to assess his surroundings like reflex, he could smell and see through body signals instinctively to identify vulnerable targets, he knew exactly how to make an approach without alarming the prey, he practised the art of seduction to lure his targets in, and he was fearless in going for the kill at the end. He was convinced that with these skills, he could win over a princess and not have to be alone for the rest of his life.

He started his quest to hunt down his princess in the crazy city where the fallen have gathered to party in the dark. Soon he found himself in a mix of different beasts in the hunting ground. There were scavengers who were the lowest of them all and would eat whatever is left, devouring the dead corpses that no self-respectful being would eat. There were foxes that would con and cheat the gullible young girls like rabbits into their schemes. There were fishers who would throw a bait out, often flaunting their wealth and attracting gold diggers with brain sizes comparable to a gold fish. We see a lot of fishers here, claiming to be hunters but not realising without the bait, they are nothing more than a stick. There were wolves that would hunt in packs which are admirable to outsiders because of the comradery until you realised they also share the easy girl who was weak like a sheep and they are in fact just dogs when outside of the pack. There were also monkeys who picks the low hanging fruit and brags to be a hunter, but just as fruits will never make it on the dining table, these girls are bland and will never satisfy a real beast’s appetite.

The Beast hunted alone as he had no interest in scavenging, conning, fishing nor fruit picking, he would never share his treasured princess with anyone too. He had success from the beginning, he would glance and scout the bar to find an attractive woman that interests him at first sight and move into her proximity to make his presence known. Keeping his eyes fixed on the target, he would wait for her to catch eye contact with him and reply with a smirk and her reaction would indicate her approachability. The approach is probably the most critical part of the hunt, the most ferocious predators always come prepared and approach with caution, take the cheetah for example, he would crouch and hide behind the grass, using his mesmerising spots as camouflage while getting into the optimal position and angle to charge, mount and penetrate with his sharp fangs. The Beast did exactly the same, he has practiced and overcame hundreds of objections without flaw, he has learned to hide his true intentions without lying, he has mastered the art of camouflaging with different identities and could direct interactions into exactly where he wanted. All that is left is to mount and penetrate.

He did this for years, mounting and penetrating numerous beauties but was no where closer in finding his princess. All the so called beauties were in fact takers who had no interest to know him for who he really was. They wanted what he represented - the flirtatious courting, the unknown anticipation, and the lustful ecstasy. Eventually he became numb and desensitised, becoming part of the darkness that surrounds him and began to embrace himself as a beast. Soon he was hunting not in the hopes of finding his princess, but purely for the ego and satisfaction of conquering the forest. The beauties were nothing more than supper to him now, their faces became vague and names forgotten.

Until one Friday night when the beast was once again out hunting alone. From afar he spotted a beautiful girl with the most confident radiance walking through the crowd towards him, she was of medium stature with feminine curves, she was well-covered in subtle yet eye-drawing outfit as the fabric hugs her body lightly, accentuating her perfect silhouette in the dark. Lucky for him her journey ended at the bar counter right next to him, her skin was perfect with luscious tone, her features were delicate with a perfectly straight nose, eyes that touched the soul and lips that were full and firm, all of these were arranged in the golden ratio on her oval-shaped face. He would typically have made a move at the sight of such attractive being but hesitated as there was something unique about her, she was in a socially open place with her friends yet she was comfortable in her own world, looking calmly and confidently ahead without any signs of insecurity. That signalled to him that any trespassers trying to intrude her world would not be welcomed.

He could see the animals drooling over her and one by one starting to make their way towards this precious creature and hoping to try their luck. One hungry fox got there first and tapped her shoulder from the side, she rolled her eyes to see him with her peripheral without turning her head and ignored him, he leaned towards her head and said his first words but she looked away as if he didn’t exist and had him leaving with discouragement. Then the bold eagle arrived at the sight of her drunk friend, he pecked and tried to get a reaction from them but was swooped away by her hand in his face insulting him with disrespect. The Beast knew they were doomed to fail and was trying to figure her out but realised he had to make a move soon before she gets fed up by all the other animals trying their luck.

He took a risk knowing he may well end up rejected like the rest of them. He leaned in along the counter so his face is in front of her and she could not avoid eye contact. He pointed to her drunk friend and asked jokingly “why are you sober?” She looked into his eyes with a slight pause and replied “Cause I am a peacock.” It was an unheard of expression that also made immediate sense for him, she was elegant, gorgeous and unwavering in her confidence. Knowing exactly what she meant, the Beast still asked her to clarify whether she calls herself a peacock because she was ready for mating in order to direct the conversation to where he wanted - about sex. She saw right through his intentions and answered with a simple no followed by a fierce statement that she does not want to talk unless he drinks 4 shots. The Beast knew she was out of his league and she was toying him so he left without any loss of enthusiasm in search of his next target.

They parted ways but the Beast always remembered the beautiful peacock at the back of his head. She was a creature that belonged on the bright heavenly skies, destined to fly freely with the birds, unreachable by the predators that pollutes the land. But she chose to come on the ground into the darkness, perhaps forced by a similar reason as the Beast, that she believed in the bright side but it had let her down. It was out of choice that she walks on the dark side, to revenge and instil fear on the unworthy beings with her seductive yet destructive strides.

And this, is how it all started...

[the-king-of-the-lost-and-found]

Since I’m on hiatus from social media, and have no immediate plans on returning, you fucks are stuck with me sharing my work exclusively here. Enjoy this story I wrote today about my bear.

Hobo Fights Monsters The boy slept, as he always had, with his back against the wall. Huddled in the corner of his room. This was the most easily defended area of his bed and he was ready to take on anything that might go bump in the night. But the boy needed sleep, the monsters at school took all the energy he had. Eventually, as he always did, the boy lost the fight with his eyelids and drifted away into a softer land.

A low growl rumbled from every dark corner and crevice in the room.

The boy is unprotected The shadows growled.

But he wasn’t. The boy had a friend, someone who could take the night shift. His name was Hobo.

Hobo was a bear of larger than average size. He wore an ill fitting necktie and and a shaggy coat of fur, and he fought monsters.

Hobo rose to his feet, careful not to knock the boys arm that had been wrapped around the bear only moments ago. Hobo did what he did every night. He walked to the edge of the bed. Put his hands on his hips and bellowed out to the night, for everyone to hear;

‘This is my boy. I will tear every one of you suckers apart before you get to touch him. I will paint the sky with the blood of monsters before you even get to breathe near him. They will write songs for the war that I will wage against you and all of your descendents if you even so much as look in his general direction.’ And then, as again happened every night, Hobo tumbled from the bed with a graceless thud.

Hobo was no ordinary bear. Perhaps one time he had been, but that life was lost long ago to the relentless passage of time. Once, he had belonged to a little girl who desperately needed a friend. She had loved him like nothing had ever been loved before. They were inseparable, she would carry Hobo with her everywhere. Back then he had been called Baloo, but back then he had been just a toy, void of life.

One night while the girl was sleeping, Philotes, the god of friendship, bestowed Hobo with the gift of life and a job; to make sure the girl knew love.

Hobo never failed his mission, not even for one day.

The girl grew old and forgot about magic, as humans tend to do, and Hobo was placed in the attic. He had become a reminder of a sadder time in the girls life.

Hobo lived there for some time, which would have been dreadfully boring were it not for the family of rats that he shared the attic with. He passed many years with the rats. But Philotes had other plans for the bear. She appeared to him one night. Hobo was sure the experience had been a hallucination and so Philotes had to appear several times a week for two months before the bear really got the message. Philotes told Hobo;

‘You were made to protect the vulnerable, bear.’

‘She grew up, my job is done.’

‘Your job will never be done, take these gifts, and be a good bear.’

Philotes handed Hobo an ill fitting neck tie which he then pulled around his neck and fastened with a big bow. Upon pulling the knot tight, an almighty wind burst into the attic and whisked hobo away. Philotes voice appeared in Hobo’s ear whispering,

‘The tie will always take you where you are needed. Be a good bear.’

That had been his life for centuries since. Fighting monsters in the night, looking after those who needed him, eternal protector of the dreams of the young. His name was Hobo and he was a good bear, if a little clumsy.

The bear groaned as he rose to his feet.

‘Why couldn’t the kid have a nightlight. I never fell off Sam’s bed. He had a nightlight. I could see what I was doing.’

The shadows, who had watched Hobo’s stumble, snickered to themselves.

‘Yeah yeah, laugh it up buttheads, we’ll see who’s laughing come morning.’

The bear dusted himself down, and went about his patrols, poking his head under the bed and in between cupboards. Giving a threatening growl to any darkness that grew too confident. If the shadows had ever thought to work together Hobo wouldn’t have stood a chance, but monsters are a cowardly bunch and did not know that.

The bear diligently went about his business all night, until the sun began to rise and the monsters lost all ability to frighten. Another victory for the bear. Another restful night for the boy. Hobo crawled back into the bed, pulled the covers over himself and closed his eyes. He had earned the rest.

The nights passed like this for months. The boy would sleep, hobo would keep the shadows at bay, eat sleep rinse repeat. The bear began to wonder why he had been brought to this house. All kids had a boogeyman, it was natural to be scared of the dark. Hobo was used to dealing with much bigger threats, he wasn’t complaining about the easy work, he just felt like he was being wasted. That was, until he saw the true monster that lived in the house. His name was Dad.

The night had started as any other had. The boy had drifted off. Hobo had begun his rounds. All of a sudden, rising up from the floorboards, came the most terrifying roar the bear had ever heard. It sounded like thunder raging against a volcano. It made every shadow in that room recede back to wherever they had come from, even the darkness fears some monsters. The roar kept coming, angry and loud and now drifting up the stairs. Hobo sprinted back to the bed, desperate to make sure the boy was safe, despite not knowing what he could do to protect him from this new monster. The bedroom door burst open like someone punching a hole in the sky. The boy bolted upright, tears already springing from his eyes. The boy had done this before. Hobo looked from the boy to the Dad monster now framed by the doorway. He was seven feet tall, fire spewed from his hollow eyes, smoke billowed from his gaping jaw. He spoke with a voice like tar, it didn’t leap from his tongue like words should, it dripped from his mouth like a sickness.

Come here boy

The boy did not move. The monster stepped into the room, taking the three steps necessary to reach the edge of the bed and that’s when Hobo caught sight of the weapon this monster brandished. A thick leather belt. The boy weeped, knowing what was to come, praying he was smaller so he could escape. Or bigger so he could fight back. But he was just a scared little boy, and tomorrow he would wear the bruises as a sign of his failure. The monster raised his whip and in one fell swoop, the leather bit into the boys skin. The cry of pain that followed, tore Hobo’s cotton heart in two. He could feel his seams coming undone. He was just a toy, what could he do against this mountain made man. The bear could do nothing, but he would try, with what now seemed like a pitiful mew Hobo charged the monster. The monster didn’t even notice and once more raised his whip, preparing to strike. Knowing what was to come Hobo felt a pain like never before rip through his entire body. He felt like he might explode with anger and sadness.

But he didn’t explode. He grew. Everyone watched in amazement as the stuffed bear that hobo was began to grow. He quickly passed two feet tall, then three and on and on until Hobo stood towering over the monster. He had to crouch just to fit in the room. Hobo looked down at the monster and saw it for what it was. It was not a living mountain or a devil. It was, as all monsters are, a coward. Preying on those too weak to defend themselves. Hobo took a deep breath, filling the barrel he now called a chest with air, and then unleashed an earth shattering roar at the monster. The bear raised two gigantic paws to the creature, shoving him from the room with such authority that everyone who paid witness to the act knew; this monster would never dare step foot into this room again. The monster shrunk, and now the boy could see truth of it. This monster was nothing more than a pitiful, loveless creature and it was as if a spell had been broken. The monster held no power over this dominion now, and never would again. The monster ran, knowing it's time was done. Hobo now turned back to the boy, who was staring in pure wonder.

‘Will you always be this big now?’

‘Do you want me to be?’ Hobo replied.

The boy thought for a second.

‘No. You won’t fit in the bed.’

‘Good answer.’

The bear smiled. It didn’t matter how much pain you showed kids, they never forgot the value in softness. And cuddles in bed.

Hobo returned to his regular size and crawled back in bed with the boy. The sun hadn’t risen but both boy and bear knew, there wasn’t a monster in the world that would dare enter this room. Not after tonight.

And all because of a bear.

His name was Hobo, and he fought monsters.

#writing #short story #fiction #monsters

[unrequitedmime]

The Queen sits without taking her eyes off me. I can feel her gaze; heavy and smouldering against my skin. I do not even bother looking up into her face. I only stare at the jewellery she wears.  All silver. Smart girl.  "So," she sighs eventually, feigning a calm composure, "What is your plan, Your Highness? Are you going to tell me where you have been for the past ten years? Am I to learn what lead you to my sheets?"  "Do not call me that."  Silence.  "I beg your pardon?"  She is not my Queen, so I do not bother with petty manners, "I said," I spit to the surface of the steel table I am tied to, "Do not call me Your Highness." A dark laugh escapes her, "Would you prefer I call you assassin?" Shaking her head, she slowly leans forward in her seat, smiling with a deep and disgusting amusement, "Shall I call you Aine, then? Perhaps A?"  I sit back in my own seat, ignoring the sting of the wrist restraints as I smile back at her. It is something cruel, "Interesting mockery from a 16 year old Queen with a brother that despises her so deeply that even he calls her Majesty," I slowly cock my head as her anger reddens her entire face, "Tell me, Queen, how does it feel to find your lost brother, and then discover that he was planning your assassination?"  Her regal facade shatters.  "I will tell you of my heartbreak when you tell me why you are afraid of your own parents," she snarls across the table, "They are the most powerful King and Queen in the entire world, and yet you cower from their grace and elegance. What happened, Aine?" Her grin is beastly, rough enough to hide her own wounds, "Did they not spoil you enough? Is that why you ran away? Because they denied you a piece of cake after bed time?"  My indifferent facade shatters. Rage so bright and furious swells through me that I cannot even try to stop it.  My parents are not to be spoken of. The restraints on my wrists are tight, but not tight enough.  I rip my hands free from them in a breath, shedding skin and summoning rivers of blood. Alora's doe eyes widen in shock when she catches sight of my ruined wrists. I do not even give her time to scream before my hands catch the sides of her face and press close. My powers consume her mind before she can even gasp.  The vision suffocates her for less than a moment, but it will be enough to stay with her forever. As I release my grip on her vulnerable head, she jerks back so fast that she falls from her chair, screaming loud enough to wake the monsters of her terrified mind. The scream is blood curdling; as if she is being murdered.  She thought she was. I gifted her with visions of every single way Julian could possibly murder her. Despite my power holding her for only one moment, she experienced every single murder one at a time.  She will never forget that. Just as I will never forget the cruel words that she snarled.  I am not sorry.  She collapses into a weak body of sobs as the guards rush in, swords pointed at my throat in one singular second. I do not dare move; I have no interest in fighting them. The Queen now knows of my capabilities, and she knows that I do not host conversations of my parents. Those are memories that I will not allow back in.  I will kill before I submit to those forgotten pains.  The Captain of the Guard swiftly bundles a shaking Alora into his arms and wordlessly leaves the interrogation room, ignoring the sobs that rattle her chest. I watch them go in silence before flicking my eyes up to the seven swords resting upon my throat.  "Your swords have golden hilts," I purr.  ------------------------------------------------------ My door slams open with a startling force.  "Have you lost your god damned mind!?"  I look up from my bloodied wrists, raising one eyebrow at the interesting sight of the Lost Prince. He is almost shirtless and very sweaty, caramel waves a mess upon his head. His dress shirt sticks to his tanned skin, and the unbuttoned front shows off the muscles of his toned abdomen and broad chest. He has come straight from training, with his heaving breaths and his wild eyes.  For one singular moment, I do not have a response. I do not have any thoughts in my mind but the surprise of my attraction to him. In light of the setting sun, with his tanned skin and caramel hair and smouldering gaze, I find something incredibly beautiful. Something that burns.  I do not play with flames. "You could knock, Prince Julian," I point out. It takes a rather large amount of self control to maintain a calm and disinterested voice. Most of my brain is preoccupied with memorising the details of his image in these moments. I know I will paint it when I find my way home.  The poor bastard begins to pace. The thin, white material of his shirt flutters in the flustered wind he walks up.  "Not only do you insult my sister by assuming you have a right to talk about our relationship," He snaps a glare my way, "Which, by the way, you do NOT-"  "I do," I object lazily, "I am an occupant of this castle and a witness of the sibling tension, beautiful Prince. I have every right."  His eyes widen only slightly when the word beautiful slips past my tired and numb lips. I try not to wince. Beautiful Prince. Fitting, but inappropriate.   "You attacked my sister," comes his stormy reply. Thunder brews.  "Your sister," I announce dramatically, pointing at him, "Is a stupid cow that thinks-"  His hands suddenly catch each of my forearms and hold on tight.  "What happened to your wrists?" He examines my skin, voice softer as he stares at the mess of blood.  My words sputter to ashes as I stare up at him. I gulp. I forgot what I was saying. "I ripped my restraints off."  His head snaps up to stare at me, incredulous, "They're metal chains, Aine."  I do not know why I let him call me that name. But I do.  "Thin metal chains," I correct, my voice slurring slightly as the adrenaline rush from my earlier power surge begins to wear off, "Easy."  He studies me for a long time. I study his hair. Overlapping caramel waves rushing to a golden shore.  "Your hair is always messy," I whisper.  "Cause I'm always on the run."  I stare.  "Did you just make a joke, Prince?"  He glances back down to my shredded skin, but I catch the faintest bloom of pink in his cheeks. A blushing prince with a smouldering temper. Interesting.  "I'm calling Heron to bandage these," He stands and steps away so swiftly that I cannot catch my hands before they fall sullenly to my lap. I watch him carefully, studying the distracted look in his gaze and the beat he nervously taps onto his thigh. All signs of his thunder are gone. "Heron is a guard," I refuse, "Not my mother."  "Your wrists are a bloody mess, Aine," He sighs, running a hand through his hair, "You need to bandage them before they get infected."  "Let them get infected," I shrug, "Then I can die."  "Shut up," he snaps.  He does not say a word as he leaves.  -------------------------------------------------------- "So," I purr, glancing up at the brown eyed guard, "You are a Golden."  He flicks his steady gaze to me for less than a second before focusing again on my wrists, "I'm no royal heir."  "No," I agree, "You are just a predator hiding amongst the prey." Silence.  "They are not prey."  "What?"  He tightens the bandage a little too tight, and I know it is on purpose, "The people of Ponam," He explains stiffly, "They are not prey. They are not as sacred as Golden's, but they are not inferior."  I couldn't agree more.  I study him, cocking my head to the side, "Why are you here, Heron? Why are you not in Fernia?"  He huffs out a tired sigh, pausing to look up at me, "Why are YOU here, Your Highness? Why are YOU not in Fernia?" "Don't call me that." ------------------------------------------------ "What is your request?" Julian asks, his shoes clicking loudly on the marble floors of the palace as he strides behind me.  "I want to be released," I announce sternly, eyes glued to the golden doors that lead to the throne room at the end of the stretching hall. Queen Alora awaits me.  "Released?" He chokes, "Are you insane?"  "If you ask me that one more time I'll start to question it myself, Prince," I call back, rolling my eyes.  He catches up with me, "She will not let you leave. There is no way-"  "She'll let me leave if you ask her," I suggest.  "No," He laughs darkly as we near the doors, "She won't. She yearns for my love, but she will not sacrifice you for it."  I spin without warning, too fast for him to slow his pace. He almost knocks me over, but draws himself to a stop a hairs width away from me. I stare up at him.  "You said your sister yearns for your love, Prince," I frown, "So why do you keep it from her?"  "Not your business, Your Highness."  "Don't call me that," I snap.  "You call me Prince."  I glare before spinning and assuming my stride. His legs are so long that he does not even need to walk fast to keep up anymore.  "You think she will let you waltz out of the palace?"  "I will tell her that I am going to make my way to Fernia on my own. She has no right to hold me here."  "You tried to murder her."  "As did you," I snarl over my shoulder.  "No," He snaps, as I reach the golden doors, "I did not try to murder my own sister."  My hands rest on the grand handles, but I pause and lean against them as I glare back at him, "Then what do you call your involvement that night, Julian? You worked for the man that requested her death. You came with me, an assassin, to the castle. You let me into her bedroom," I stand on my tip toes so that we are eye to eye. His gaze burns with anger and shame, "I am not the only one responsible."  I push open the doors behind me and turn to face the Queen.  "Queen Alora," I greet as I stride, eyes on her and only her. I can hear Julian behind me, "I would like to apologise for that minor headache you received yesterday, and I would like to discuss-"  My eyes lock onto the man standing at the foot of the dais.  The shuddered breath escapes me in a whoosh. My steps suddenly falter, and my feet begin to backtrack almost instinctively. I stumble away from the man in the golden robe, the entire world beginning to shift and slide around me.  The fear awakens like a snarling beast. I fight the urge to vomit.  God, no. No, not him.  I land in the open embrace of a warm chest, and my hand finds Julian's without thought. I grip hard, squeezing so tight that I am sure that my fingers will break. I hear him suck in a sharp breath, but he does not pull his hand from mine nor step away from my trembling body. He stands strong, supporting me with a hand on my waist.  I hardly feel it. The man in the golden robe smiles, slow and dark.  "No," I whisper, voice quivering and chest heaving, "Please, no."  "Aine," Julian breathes into my ear, "What are you doing? What is wrong?"  I do not respond. I know that if I force sounds to my throat it will be a shattering scream or a cacophony of sobs. I suddenly feel as if my body is made of lead, and I am slowly sinking into quicksand. It suffocates me. I cannot breathe, cannot think, cannot move. All I can do is remember.  The pain, the fear, the screams.  The man in the golden robe mouths my name.  The beast within me wreaks havoc, destroying every single limb and shred of strength that I possess. It rips everything away with snarling teeth and a deep growl. The small gasps escape me in bursts, clawing themselves from my shattered chest like hiccups of terror. I squeeze Julian's hand even tighter, trying my best to focus on the sensation of his warmth rather than the cold that seems to seep into my bones.  No, please, no.  "Princess Aine," Alora calls, her voice sickly sweet and oozing with satisfaction. She sees my fear. She craves it.  I should not have tortured her.  She has ruined me.  "Your Highness," She smiles at me, gesturing to the bald man in the silk robe, "I would like you to meet Elder Arobynn of the Golden's. He is one of the three sacred elders, as you know," She cocks her head to the side as she studies me, waiting to break me apart with her words, "He comes on behalf of the Golden King and Queen. He comes seeking you."  The entire world goes black.

unrequited 

[real-life-pine-tree]

Seed of Darkness: The Will of the Void (8/?)

All it takes it one bad seed to spoil the whole bunch. An AU collab with @violetganache42​.

This sudden revelation alarmed both Shay and Yuto. Yuya was somehow possessed by the demonic entity responsible for Duelists getting Reversed? And for how long was this possession?

"What did you do to Yuya?!" Yuto demanded.

The Void let out a laugh. "But I am Yuya," it said. "We are one and the same. I inserted myself into his body and now I can take control of him at any time, even when he doesn't realize it! Just like when I placed that hidden tracking beacon on his human girlfriend!"

Tracking beacon? The two words echoed in Yuto and Shay’s heads and they instantly realized what this meant. Zuzu was now in grave danger and she doesn’t know it yet. Yuto knew he had to find her and Dennis and warn them about how she is secretly vulnerable and much easier to get hunted down by the Reversed Duelists.

"There's no use warning your friend, eggplant boy," the Void said. "Every time someone is given my gift, I become stronger. And if I'm correct, which I am, the girl whom has Chaos Breaker Dragon has already Reversed her."

Shay and Yuto weren't sure how to respond, so the Void continued. "Link Joker is my avatar," it explained. "The Units I created all live to serve me. Every time someone is Reversed, one of my Units possess their signature Duel Monster." It held up a Duel Monster card that had a black and blood red border. "Take Odd-Eyes Joker Dragon for example. In actuality, my trusted Unit, Omega Glendios, is possessing my host's signature dragon. And he's such a good sport about it. He was created to serve as Link Joker's ultimate weapon: a cyber golem who can wipe out an opponent's team in an instant."

"So who's this chaos dragon?" Shay asked.

"Chaos Breaker Dragon is my second-in-command," the Void explained. "He's the one giving my trusted agent the power she needs to help spread my will. Sure I don't approve of her violent tactics, but at least her methods are helping me gain more power."

Although Shay concentrated on gaining more information about the new threat, Yuto was more focused on this “she” creature the Void was referring to. He wasn’t sure why, but he was positive he may have an idea on who she may be because there was only one Duel Monster-Unit hybrid capable of spreading its corruption all over Paradise City; Dennis knows about her and the ensuing terror, leading him to give the former a single warning.

”Beware the demon cat from Hell.”

"Celina," Yuto stated.

"Correct," the Void said. "I heard her cries of betrayal two years ago. So I came to her assistance with only a single deal: I give her the power she needed to break free, but she must help me with my plan of spreading my gift throughout the planet." It held up Odd-Eyes Joker Dragon's card, a dark red aura appearing around it. "But I can't let you go around telling others about my plan. I summon Odd-Eyes Jok-"

"Stop right there, you demonic parasite!"

The trio turned to the direction of where that voice came from and saw a young teen with his light blue hair tied into a ponytail running into one of the ancient ruins. Yuto figured it must be Sora because he definitely doesn’t look like this Yuri person; unfortunately, Sora’s arrival was much to Shay’s dismay because he knows him all too well. As for the Void and the Reversed Knights, they simply viewed this as their prey running towards the inevitable.

"Well if it isn't one of the three Fusionites who resist my gift," the Void said.

"So you're actually on our side?" Shay asked Sora.

"It's not like we had a choice," Sora explained in disdain. "The Void took over all of Duel Academy. All that's left of the Professor's reign is me, Dennis, and Yuri."

"Yuya and me met Dennis," Yuto explained. "He told us about the third person in your group. Does he have a British accent?"

"Yep," Sora confirmed. "The three of us are trying to gather allies to help us stop this infection, even if it means siding with you XYZ scum."

"Are you sure this isn't one of your tricks?" Shay asked.

"I'm serious!" Sora insisted. "I don't care if you trust me or not!" He readied his Duel Disk. "The main focus is to take out the one enemy we have in common."

"How cute," the Void said. "You really think you can stop me- GAH!"

Yuto, Shay, and Sora’s conversation was cut off by an abrupt interruption from the Void. It tried as hard as it could to keep Yuya under its control, but he was retaliating harder than him. Their ongoing conflict led to him arching his head all the way the back until he was looking up at the sky and ran his hands through his hair while also clutching his head. He was struggling to resist the Void’s power as not only seen by his movements but heard by his demonic growls and terrified, trembling moans as well.

"Yuya?" Sora asked.

Yuya's normal eye looked at Sora. "Contact...Gong..." he gasped. "He-"

"BE QUIET, YOU WEAK HUMAN!" the Void roared, grasping Yuya's throat with both hands.

"Gong?" Yuto asked. He looked over at Sora. "Is that one of Yuya's friends?"

"He is," Sora answered. "He shouldn't be hard to miss with his Superheavy Samurais."

"Alright," Yuto said. "I'll go find him."

"No," Shay said. "You two stay here and hold off the Reverse."

"Are you sure?" Yuto asked.

"If the Void really is our enemy, its minions shouldn't be hard to defeat," Shay said.

"But what if you get Reversed as well?" Yuto asked. "You know this is like a virus."

"Simple," Shay replied. "I just won't lose."

Even though he was just learning about this now, Shay might have found a way to fend off—and maybe defeat—the Reversed Duelists. He understands if someone loses a duel against a Reversed Duelist, they’ll end up getting Reversed; if that person ended up winning, on the other hand, then they’ll avoid falling for the same fate as everyone else. Surely, him not losing won’t be too much of a problem; after all, he does have his Rise Falcon and his trusty Raidraptor deck, so utilizing its effects will make his victories against them likely.

"Alright," Yuto said, glancing nervously at Yuya. "But you better be quick. I'm not sure if Yuya can resist much longer."

Shay dashed away from the source of conflict and out of Ancient Zone, leaving Yuto and Sora to help Yuya combat the Void. He kept running through the duel field for a little while, but it felt like forever to him due to the seriously high levels of severity this situation was. He eventually ran into Jungle Zone where he saw two Duelists up ahead; as he got closer, he spotted samuri-esque clothing one of them was wearing. It has to be this Gong person Yuya mentioned, Shay thought to himself. It was a good thing he made it on time to break the news to Gong because he had just finished his duel against a fisherman Duelist named Trout.

"Gong don't know what's goin' on, but ya better snap out of it!" the Superheavy Samurai user demanded. "What's this void you're speakin' of?!"

Trout blinked, almost like he snapped out of a trace. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb!" Gong responded, grabbing Trout by his shirt. "Now tell Gong everything you know!"

"I'm serious!" Trout insisted. "I never heard of this void thing!"

Shay raised his eyebrows as he overheard the two Duelists’ exchange, mainly because this is the aftermath of their duel. Gong has heard about the Void? And seeing that he was the victor, he wasn’t Reversed like the others, so…Trout was trying to Reverse him? So why can’t he remember anything from their duel all of a sudden? Is this what happens when you defeat a Reversed Duelist: they return to normal and lose their memories of being Reversed? If that was the case, then Shay now has a really important reason to notify Gong about the phenomenon.

"That's enough," Shay said as he stepped forward.

Gong released his grip on Trout. "Shay Obsidian?" he asked. "What are you doin' here?"

"I'm here because your friend Yuya needs to see you," Shay informed. "He's been possessed by the Void itself."

"Not you too!" Gong exclaimed. "What exactly is this void thing?!"

"To put in simply, it might as well be the Devil himself," Shay answered.

Gong knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant since they were literally going up against what might be considered the Duel Monsters version of Satan…but it wasn’t Duel Monsters-related per se. Although he was still confused on the whole issue in general, he got a bit of a better idea of who the Void is. Shay mentioned how Yuto will explain more about the ordeal once they manage to help Yuya out.

"What about me?" Trout asked. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Duelists get Reversed if they lose to one of the Void's followers," Shay explained. "The answer is simple: don't duel them. And warn as many people you can find-"

Suddenly, Trout’s Duel Disk began to illuminate a icy blue light from the screen, cutting off Shay’s sentence and blinding him and Gong. The light enveloped Trout’s entire body and covered him in holographic pixels that made him vanish from Jungle Zone. Once the light faded away, Gong and Shay were left speechless by this strange occurrence; why did this happen? What was the result of Trout’s fate? And if he’s okay, where did he end up?

"Where'd he go?" Gong asked. Suddenly, a voice message appeared on his and Shay's Duel Disks, along with the Duel Disks of every non-Reversed Duelist in all four zones.

"This message goes out to every person in the Standard Dimension. To all of the remaining Duel Academy students there, do NOT return home. As you know, a certain someone has murdered Professor Leo Akaba. But ever since that tragedy, our home has drastically changed. It is unsafe to return.

"But don't worry. From now on, this dimension will serve under the protection of the Phoenix Resistance, a group of people who serve under my command as a former Duel Academy division. We will use our technology to transport any possible ally back to our base for training against our new enemy. I'm not quite sure if this message will reach anyone, but to the remaining Duel Academy students, please contact me immediately. The fate of the world, and possibly all life itself, depends on us."

Meanwhile, throughout the Action Field, most of the Duelists that were and weren’t competing were baffled by the message, but they were all worried about who this new enemy may be. Yuri, Dennis, and Sora, on the other hand felt overjoyed by the sound of the voice they heard. Aster Phoenix, the Commander-in-Chief of Duel Academy, made it through the uprising okay, meaning there was the strong possibility of survivors staying at the Phoenix Resistance as well. They all knew they may have a chance in their newly engaged war against the Void.

Yuri, who was in Iceberg Zone, was smiling as tears of joy came from his eyes. He activated his Duel Disk's communication feature. "This is Yuri of Obelisk Force Branch 3A-2," he reported. "I'm alright and I will do everything I can to help."

In Volcano Zone, Dennis activated his Duel Disk's communication feature. "This is Dennis McField of Obelisk Force Branch 3A-2," he reported. "I heard your message, Commander Phoenix. I will remain in Standard."

Back in Ancient Zone, Yuya was unconscious thanks to Yuto's knock-out punch trick. Sora had proceed to activate his Duel Disk's communication feature. "This is Sora Perse of Obelisk Force Branch 3A-2," he reported. "Thank you for the warning, Commander Phoenix. My comrades and I are recruiting possible allies as we speak."

"You know that person?" Yuto asked.

"Of course," Sora answered. "That was Aster Phoenix, the Commander-in-Chief of Duel Academy. And if that message is any indication, we might have a chance at fighting back."

"So Duel Academy really is on our side," Yuto noted. "You were telling the truth."

"We had no other choice," Sora emphasized. "When the Professor died, we lost our motives. We no longer want to fuse all four of the dimensions into one. This Devil-like being took away everything from us, so now we're fighting to regain our home."

A small gasp escaped Yuto’s mouth when Sora explained Duel Academy’s change in motives. He realized they were now stuck in the same boat as the XYZ Dimension because a threat took them down by surprise and left only a handful of survivors to resist against the enemy. In this case, however, the Void poses a threat to all four dimensions, not just the Fusion Dimension alone, so if the remaining Duel Academy students were going to get through this, Yuto will have to ally himself with the former enemy to save everyone.

"Alright," Yuto said. "I'm not sure about Shay, but you have my support."

"Thanks," Sora replied, glad he had someone helping him.

Sora waited for Aster to reply to him since he’s either busy with aiding his resistance group, in the middle of communicating with Yuri or Dennis, or maybe both. Yuto stood outside of the ruins to see if Shay made it to Gong okay while glancing over at a knocked out Yuya, wondering how the Void’s possessions will affect him in the near future. After about a minute, he spotted two figures running closer and closer to him, which was revealed to be Shay and Gong, who wanted to see if his friend was okay and what the Void ordeal is truly about.

"Yuya!" Gong exclaimed, rushing over to hug Yuto. "You're okay! Shay said you were possessed by some demon, but Gong knew you were alright!"

Yuto didn’t had any time to react to the sudden bear hug that was given to him and was now rendered to a point where he couldn’t breathe. He knew he was being mistaken for Yuya, but was it due to Gong thinking Yuya was “wearing the wig again” or because of their exact facial structures? To think Yuto would have been identified as a seperate person now that he has glasses on, but this was a hard truth he had to face: some things never change…and mistaken identities was one of them, much to his disappointment. Of course, this felt more awkward than disappointing because Shay and Sora were witnessing the whole thing.

"That's not Yuya," Shay told Gong.

"He's not?" Gong asked as he released his grip on Yuto. "Then where is he?"

"He's over here," Yuto answered, leading the way. "But I must warn you. It's not a pretty picture."

The four Duelists walked to where Yuya laid on the ground when they noticed something eerily off that made Gong understand why it isn’t a pretty picture. They all saw dark, blood red aura eminating from his body, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. How long has this been going on for?

"Yuya!" Gong exclaimed, panicked. He ran over to the tomato-haired teen's body. "Is he alright?!"

"Not at all," Sora answered. "Shay probably told you about the Void, right?"

"He did," Gong replied. "But Gong's still confused 'bout what it really is."

"We're not sure either," Shay said. "When I described it as the Devil itself, it was only a guess."

"Worse, the only one who can actually figure it out has somehow vanished," Yuto said, referring to Aura. "But she described the Reverse as a virus."

"Gong remembers that Trout fella mentionin' that word," the Superheavy Samurai user recalled. "Was he tryin' to..."

"Infect you over to their side?" Yuto finished. "Pretty much."

"Luckily I have allies to help us fight back," Sora said. "Dennis McField and Yuri. "Dennis is currently protecting Zuzu, but I'm not sure where Yuri is. Hopefully they'll help us recruit more allies."

"Is that why Yuya needed Gong's help?" Gong asked.

"I think it's more like he trusts you to help him," Sora clarified. "I guess it's because of your history with him."

Gong knew Sora had a point on why Yuya would choose him. They have known each other for years and even protected him from the bullies after Yusho disappeared, even having to duel against Grizzlepike Jones, a former senior member of the Strong Dojo and an eliminated contestant of the Arc League Championship. Even though the bullying subsided, whatever is causing Yuya to emit this bloody-colored aura proves he needed to protect his childhood friend once again; this time, it was at a much larger scale thanks to the Void and the Reversed Duelists.

Gong approached Yuya. "Don't worry, buddy," he said, giving Yuya's hand a gentle squeeze. "Gong's here to help ya out."

Upon the hand squeeze, Yuya smiled in his sleep. "Thanks Gong..." he muttered.

Meanwhile, at the Volcano Zone, Celina had easily escaped from Dennis, Sylvio, and Julia with her Lunar Eclipse card and was hiding behind a rock formation. With her main mission now complete, she continued her secondary mission of finding more Duelists to give the gift of the Reverse by scouting out the area from where she hid. She had found her next victim who beared a striking resemblence to the mysterious Moon Shadow, but he had warmer colors consisting of mainly oranges. Naturally, it was yet another easy victory just like her previous duels, but she didn’t mind; as long as progress is being made on Reversing the Standard Dimension, that’s all that matters to her and Cat Dancer - Reverse.

"Make him suffer..."

Celina was alarmed by the voice. "Who said that?" she asked.

"I did. Make that ninja suffer. Torture him by giving him hope, then yank it away and claim victory for yourself!"

She turned to the sound of the viciously feminine voice and noticed it was coming from her very own Unit-Monster. It sounded like Cat Dancer - Reverse was the one demanding her to fool Sun Shadow into thinking he’ll win, only for him to have it dashed, leading him to getting Reversed. What stunned her wasn’t from what her monster said, but it was from the fact that she can talk to her. Since when did she have that ability and how long has it been lingering around for? Whatever the answer was, Celina at least knew Cat Dancer - Reverse was pretty much speaking her language about how to win this duel.

And so, Celina put her ace back in her deck and walked up to Sun Shadow, who was surprised by her presence. "Zuzu?" he asked. "Is that you? When did you change your hairdo?"

"Are you...a strong Duelist?" Celina asked.

Sun Shadow didn’t know how to respond to that question, mainly because of how she interrogated him. Something told him this girl wasn’t Zuzu; if her mannerisms were a sign that something was off, then her markings were a dead giveaway of imminent danger.

"I see," Sun Shadow remarked. "Then perhaps you will tell me what is going on once I defeat you in a duel."

A wicked grin appeared on Celina's face. "That's exactly what I wanted you to say," she said as she activated her Duel Disk.

Sun Shadow activated his Duel Disk to signal the start of their duel as they drew their first five cards and their Life Points went up to 4000. While that was going on, something remarkable had taken place at Ancient Zone: Shay, Yuto, Sora, and Gong were all pleased to see Yuya was regaining consciousness, and from the looks of things, he seemed to be back to normal.

"Yuya!" Gong exclaimed, rushing over to him him. "You're alri-"

"Get away from me!" Yuya shouted, making Gong stop in his tracks.

"Yuya...?" Yuto asked.

"I don't want to hurt any more people!" Yuya cried, covering his right eye with his hand. "This Void thing could take over any minute!"

The sudden outburst shocked Gong into complete silence because of how upset and powerless Yuya felt with the presence of the Void lurking around and waiting for the opportunity to strike. Yuto, Shay, and Sora weren’t sure how to respond to it either despite feeling bad for their companion. Shay looked around and noticed the Reversed Knights weren’t around anymore, at least not since he went off to find Gong. Yuto and Sora explained they managed to chase them away during his search by fending them off and knocking the Void out of commission. Although that was good to hear, it didn’t change the fact the recent events of the Reverse phenomenon was becoming increasingly serious, so there was no telling what could happen.

"But Yuya, Sora said you wanted Gong to come over here," the Superheavy Samurai explained.

"I don't remember what I said," Yuya admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "All I remember is struggling to regain control from the Void. Somehow hearing Sora's voice gave me the strength to fight back, then I felt something hard hit my stomach before I lost consciousness."

Shay glared at Yuto. "I had no other choice," the eggplant-haired teen admitted. "He bit my hand."

Sora vouched for Yuto and explained what had happened. The two were struggling to deal with Ashley, Bram, and Carl while also assisting Yuya with breaking free from the Void’s grasp. As Sora was busy with his turn, Yuya kept thrashing around in a similar manner to a demon-possessed person because, well, a demonic entity was possessing him. Yuto ran towards to where he was to try and restrain him, but his hand was bitten and was followed by an upper cut, so having no other option, he resorted to punching Yuya’s stomach; fortunately, that made some progress as the latter fell unconscious and returned to normal as he fell back first on the ground. Sora and the Knights witnessed what took place, and even though the Fluffal user was relieved that it was over for now, his opponents did not had the same reaction as him. They claimed he, Shay, and Yuto were only delaying the inevitable and how the Void’s perfect world will be created no matter what they do. And with that, they took off and left the Ancient Zone, leaving the trio behind for a little while.

"It's that bad?" Gong asked.

"It is," Yuya answered, his hand still covering his right eye. "I thought what happened with Iggy was just a one-time thing." His other hand clutched his chest, right near his heart. "But now I know there's this...Devil inside me. I just need some time along right now."

He got up from the ground and began walking out of the ruins to find a place for him to be alone. He didn’t care if it was in one of the four Zones; any place to hide from the public was all that mattered to him. They were already terrified when the Void first took over him, so what was the point of being part of this tournament now that he was becoming more certain about getting possessed whenever it feels like?

As he proceeded to leave Ancient Zone, Shay, Yuto, Sora, and Gong felt a mix of worry and sympathy towards Yuya. Why did the Void specifically choose him? They needed to find answers to this and why it wants to Reverse all four dimensions so that he’ll be able to muster up enough courage to save them alongside his friends and allies. Of course, with the increasing number of Reversed Duelists, there’s no telling when another one will appear. They all agreed to help Yuya out while staying clear from as much as they can unless it was absolutely necessary. With that, they all gave Yuya a head start just so he can be by himself leaving Ancient Zone to carry out their plan.

#Seed of Darkness #yugioh arc v #Yuya Sakaki #cardfight!! vanguard #Link Joker