#<- i don't know if they have an actual ship name so this'll be the place holder tag

[dark-roasted-kestel]

Nightly nnk2 doodles with a side of gay af Roland x Leander

Plus Will and Ferdinand basically gaining a new parent

Lil headcanony(?) thing: Ferdinand immediately saw Roland as his dad, resulting in him calling him dad upon first meeting

William is also the jealous type

[iniziare]

Every time I go into Seele's tag to find artwork, the salt in my veins increases tenfold. It's so disheartening (and annoying) to see how she's reduced to nothing more than a half of a lesbian ship in which she's also noted to have been 'so mean to Bronya', and if not kept in that context, then she's just disliked for being 'rude', and all of it's entirely missing the mark in terms of what makes her who she is. Salt incoming, and super incoherent salt at that.

First off, I need to not-so-blindly defend the character and say (and this'll sound harsh, I know): if you love Seele, but also praise Hoyo for how Bronseele was written in HSR, I'd like to have a word with you. Because here's my issue: Seele's issue with the Overworld is so immense and it's a view that's so thoroughly and deeply rooted, that hearing that little miss Overworld princess to actually have come from the orphanage in the Underworld wouldn't have made a single difference. Bronya still had a life that not a single child down below could even dream of, Bronya still represents 'the Overworld' in all its glory, no matter if she has a kinder heart that is shown only later on in the story. Seele is rude, and mean because she has a right to be. She once, when quite young, canonically fought a man (and he ran off) for the last little bit of water that was left in a bucket outside of the orphanage for the homeless, only to see him at death's door through the window not long after (and since, has ensured there's always water left for others). Seele, when young and little enough to fit into a supply bag, has seen people in the Overworld throw away food as if food is a luxury and comment on how cruel it is, and how she never wants to come back up to the Overworld ever again. Seele has immense dismay (bordering on loathing) for the Overworld for such good reasons. The Underworld suffers already in basic human necessities, while the Overworld has them in abundance. Of course Seele will detest everything that Bronya represents, and letting all of that go simply because 'Bronya also came from the orphanage' is, in my opinion and I don't resort to saying this lightly, bad writing on Hoyo's part, and I can only write it off as fan-servicing to the HI3 fans. I do not take 'expies' into account when it comes to ships. If Hoyo, or the fandom, wants me to see and acknowledge a 'heavily insinuated ship', then write it well, and where it makes sense for both characters, without sacrificing their values and the core of their characters. Respect them, and I'll respect the dynamic, and/or the ship. Until then, no. So when I go into a tag and all I see is Seele tied to Bronya, especially in the ship. I absolutely hate it. And I hate it even more when I read people hating on people who don't ship it. Guess what, maybe it doesn't always have to do with people being 'anti-lesbians' or 'anti-women', maybe sometimes, like in cases such as my own, it has everything to do with... hey, maybe actually respect the women in question through actions, rather than claiming that you do with some easy peasy words. And then when it comes down to it: you fall short.

And though I touched on it in the last paragraph, I just want to reiterate it: Seele's story isn't about Bronya, it's not about love of one woman to another. And thinking that it is, or relegating it to that, is incredibly saddening, because you're overlooking everything that she stands for— actually no, it's throwing away everything that she stands for. Do you know how Seele in HSR got her name? 'Seele' was given to her by Oleg, and it means 'soul'. And do you realize what the soul is representative of? It's the... immortal element of an individual. The very foundation and 'core' of a human being, touching on the conscience, individuality, and... emotion. That which makes us human, and gee, I wonder why she was given that name as of an early age. And gee, I wonder why she's noted to be the actual backbone of Wildfire, the organization that arose to protect the Underworld, when the Overworld retreated entirely.

I'm not saying that Bronya and Seele don't have an interesting dynamic, I'm just saying that I wish people didn't take away from the latter's character to make it happen simply 'because it seems to be an obvious thing in HI3!' Well guess what, I'm not playing HI3, I'm playing HSR.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hey Slug! I hope this won't sound rude, but would you maybe be willing to take a look at Shinogi from MTC? As far as I've been able to find there's only one translation available on the fandom site, and I obviously don't speak Japanese, but the translation just kinda seems... wonky? Especially Samatoki's part. So what I'm actually asking is, could you maybe translate Samatoki's part, if the whole song would be too much trouble? Tysm for ur work!!

Sure, no worries. This is a song heavy on imagery and niche vocabulary, so it isn't surprising that translators may struggle with it. Kudos to the original translator for giving it their best shot!

Below the cut are two versions. The first is if I was going to be doing this for a job, so it's more adaptation-based and should give a better sense of the song's overall tone and lyricism. It doesn't rhyme or have rhythm because I'm not actually being paid and I'm not arsed to put in that much effort haha. The second is a line-by-line breakdown of where this imagery is coming from, because I imagine this'll be more interesting to fans.

Also including that caveat that my knowledge of yakuza is based on fiction, and I haven't the slightest clue how applicable this is to real-life yakuza. Fortunately, Samatoki is extremely fictional, so it doesn't especially matter.

Yo, you haven't seen nothing yet. My fellow chicks and dicks from Yokohama, you'd better stop paying attention to all the other divisions and turn it to us: we, the great figures of Samatoki, Juuto, and Riou. Got it? That's the respect you should be showing us, MTC. I'm a god-damn y****a--my name alone can launch a thousand ships. You wanna care about me? Nah, fuck that. Don't cry for me. I'm a big fish in the small pond of Yokohama; yeah, I'm a big fish at large in Yokohama. Yokohama's my watering hole, filling my wallet with clams. If you can't put your life on the line for the gang, then get lost. What, you getting cold feet? Turn tail and run home to mama. 'Round here, looking weak gets you jumped. 'Round here, I'm living large off all the haul I'm reeling in. My creed? Defend my honor and my gang. That's "Mr." Samatoki to you, and don't you forget it. Surviving the streets of Yokohama, Making fat stacks every day. Cash rules, and I'm making the big bucks in my hood. Once you go Yokohama, there's no going back. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. A brimming pool of greed that Mad Trigger Crew sucks up every drop of. Surviving in Yokohama-- Yeah, you know who calls the shots here. Surviving in Yokohama-- Yeah, once you get hooked, there's no going back. It'll dog your footsteps. Let's set off for another day taming the wild streets--call that power. Let's get hooked on money and violence; let's drown in it--call that power. Why not indulge our every greedy desire? Why not let it corrupt us? Call that power. With you as my partners in crime, why not burn my boats with reckless abandon? I can't afford to be choosy with my means if it gets me my ends. I'm sorry, did you just say "That's not fair"? Ha! Believe me, if fair made the world go 'round, then we wouldn't have policemen. No, take a good look at this city. It's corrupt to the bone. There's low-level chumps, wannabe thugs, low-life scum. Good, evil-- it's all the same to me. Arrest them all and throw them in the same cell, I say!

Surviving the streets of Yokohama, Making fat stacks every day. Cash rules, and I'm making the big bucks in my hood. Once you go Yokohama, there's no going back. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. Get hooked on Yokohama; oh, don't you get hooked on Yokohama. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama.

Surviving the streets of Yokohama, Making fat stacks every day. Cash rules, and I'm making the big bucks in my hood. Once you go Yokohama, there's no going back. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. A brimming pool of greed that Mad Trigger Crew sucks up every drop of.

Surviving in Yokohama-- Yeah, you know who calls the shots here. Surviving in Yokohama-- Yeah, once you get hooked, there's no going back. It'll dog your footsteps. And onto a much more literal and annotated version!

Yo, you haven't seen nothing yet. My fellow chicks and dicks [1] from Yokohama, you'd better stop paying attention to all the other divisions and turn it to us: we, the great figures of Samatoki, Juuto, and Riou. Got it? That's the respect [2] you should be showing us, MTC. I'm in the y****a, a living where I get by on the merit of my face. [3] Don't you go caring about me. Don't cry for me. I'm living large in Yokohama; the police let me roam free in Yokohama. [4] Yokohama is a pool that grows my income sources. [5] If you can't put your life on the line for the gang [6], then get lost. What, are you getting cold feet? You'd better turn tail and run home to your family. [7] You'll get attacked if you look weak. I'm surviving and living large and have been doing so for a long time now. [8] I always protect my honor and my family. [9] I'm Samatoki-sama, got it? [10] Surviving in this city [11] Making fat stacks every day [12] Cash rules, and I make quick money from everything in my hood. Don't go getting hooked on Yokohama. [13]

Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. Get hooked on Yokohama; get hooked on Yokohama. A brimming pool of greed that Mad Trigger Crew drinks down to the last drop. [14]

Surviving in Yokohama-- [15] It's clear who's the major baddie here. Surviving in Yokohama-- Once you get hooked, there's no way out. It will follow you persistently. [16] Let's go tame the streets. [17] Call that power. Let's get caked in money and violence and get addicted to it. [18] Call that power. Let's get corrupted as we indulge every one of our greedy desires. Call that power. With you two around [19], I can commit worse and worse crimes. [20] I'm not choosy about my means so long as it gets me my ends. That's not fair? Are you a fool? If we could get by with fair, then we wouldn't need the police. [21] Just look at this horribly filthy town. Let's lump all the low-lives, all the good, and all the evil together and arrest them all. [Chorus repeated]

[1] I assume he means 野郎 (dudes) but this is such a funny translation for it... Presumably it was chosen for the rhyme, but I'm dying to know what JPN -> ENG dictionary suggested "dicks" for 野郎

[2] In yakuza terms, jingi is a code of honor and duty that governs interactions with other yakuza and civilians. In this particular instance, Samatoki is demanding the non-yakuza listener become his fan with the notion that this kind of treatment is the mark of respect he "inherently deserves" from all civilians. It's a pretty silly application of the concept, imo. [3] We should understand this to mean that he makes a living based on his reputation and status, but this is a very funny way to phrase it. It sounds like something that would be said about a model ("he uses his face to make a living") so I phrased it as "my name could launch a thousand ships" in the first TL. (Plus, hey, ocean imagery)

[4] Literally "swimming" and "being allowed to swim" for ocean imagery. I used "big fish" images for similar effect. Hold onto the idea of "living large" because it'll come back momentarily.

[5] In yakuza terms, shinogi are the various different methods of making money in less than upstanding ways. This word is going to be used to mean something completely different momentarily, so hold onto this idea.

[6] "for the gang" is my assumption, given the context.

[7] It's interesting that Samatoki mentions "family" here. The yakuza hierarchy is strongly centered around the notion of the gang being a family (hence why it's so significant that Samatoki goes from being the leader of an unaffiliated street gang to a yakuza gangster after the loss of his last surviving family member), but Samatoki's referring to family in the layperson sense here. In the first translation, I explicitly specify whether he means family in a civilian sense or in a yakuza sense. In this second one, I'll just annotate it each time. [8] Here, shinogu (verb form of noun shinogi) is being used to mean overcoming difficulties to excel. This is the same idea from annotation 4 and will continue to be repeated throughout the song. He's claiming to be a survivor of ordeals who's now living his best life in the yakuza. The title of the song as a whole should be understood as a cross of both "We're making our respective livings in unorthodox ways" and "We've survived tribulations and are now thriving." [9] Here, "family" is used in the gang sense. Since it's Samatoki speaking, we should also understand this to have the double meaning of his birth family.

[10] Trying to demand an inappropriate level of respect from the audience. Posturing as per usual [11] Again, surviving in the sense of overcoming a past ordeal and making it through the other side. See annotations 4 and 8. I wrote it as "Surviving the streets of Yokohama" in the first translation because MTC is trying so hard to sound cool. [12] The shinogi in this line is used in the financial sense. [13] The verb used here (hamaru) is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. In addition to sounding like (Yoko)hama, it has a double meaning that is pertinent here. At face value, hamaru means to become a fan of something, which ties back into the English opener--Samatoki telling listeners to become fans of MTC. But it also carries a connotation of addiction (ie, drugs or alcohol) which seems like both a nod to Swimming Pools and to the notion in Juuto's verses that their lifestyles are corrupting or harmful. I wrote this as "hooked" to encapsulate both and also keep up the ocean imagery. [14] Two ocean/water/liquid images in a row

[15] While "survive" is written in English, I assume we should understand it in the context of "I've survived past ordeals and am now doing very well" such as in annotations 4, 8, and 11. [16] Again, evocative of drugs or an alcohol addiction. I think we should also understand this in the sense of "Once you commit a crime, there's no going back" re: Juuto and Samatoki. (Riou doesn't really leave an illegal existence, per se...) [17] Assuming "the streets" from context [18] "Get addicted to" is more literally "almost drown in." Water imagery again [19] Samatoki and Riou [20] Literally, "I can drink everything down to the poison and the plate," a play on the idiom "eat everything down to the poison and the plate." (Once you start committing a crime, you might as well finish it.) The deliberate choice to go for drinking vs eating is evocative of water (hence "burning boats" in the first translation) and, again, drugs. Oral medications or drugs are "drank" in Japanese.

[21] "If...then we wouldn't need the police" is a common thing to say in Japanese. It's not a Juuto-original idea. I think it's most common form is "If apologies are enough, we wouldn't need the police" but I've definitely seen other variants of it out there.

This was a super fun request, so thanks for sending it in!

[far-side-skies]

Hi, this ask is your excuse to talk about, Mycellium the Darkwalker

Ooh yes, this'll be fun :3

So Darkwalker is actually named after a video game character. I play a winter apocalypse survival game called The Long Dark which focuses very heavily on realism, but it has a challenge mode called "Escape the Darkwalker" that originally started as a Halloween event. The aim of the challenge is to survive as long as possible while this invisible, horrific force of nature constantly follows you across the frozen wilderness and not even hiding away in a house in the rare remains of civilisation can stop it from getting at you. Either you die from cold, hunger or thirst first, or Darkwalker gets you.

According to promo art it looks like this

Mycelium is slightly less malignant though. As a Champion, they are one of several who embodies death (others include Midnight Son and Wandering Sun). The 'god' of death is known as Decay, and it's the embodiment of time, erosion, fading memories and death. It's technically unfathomable, but I picture it looking like talking roadkill.

But back to Mycelium, they are effectively a nature spirit who focuses on paving the way for new life after death. More often than not they're covered in mushrooms and musty, decaying furs, and they smell like a compost heap. They were rather kooky, but overall quite chill unless you disrespect the sanctity of nature in some way, such as by littering. Clean up after yourself. And don't be mean to possums or raccoons, or any other 'trash' animal.

In the modern day though, they're not quite as friendly. On our side of Atmos, there's a Terra once known as Londras, known for its snowy landscape and beautiful forests. An... incident involving Sky Knights getting into a fight in the crystal mines lead to the whole Terra being split open, exposing the core and causing the land to plummet into a deadly arctic winter. Unbeknownst to anyone there, Darkwalker had been hibernating in the crystal core for milennia, and the sudden rude awakening has left them hostile to people and downright feral. Survivors of this localised winter apocalypse know better than to get in their way, and the storms surrounding this Terra often crash passing ships into its surface, leaving poor unfortunate souls to attract Darkwalker's wrath.

Maybe one day they'll calm down, but until then, Londras is known as Wintermute.

And that's what I have so far. I do actually have an idea for a fic involving Piper, Dark Ace and Darkwalker, but I have no idea when it'll be written.

Thank you for all the Champion questions, Peregrine!! These were a lot of fun to answer, it's not often I get to compile all the stuff I've infodumped about in private on Discord to share with Tumblr.

[xylodemon]

ofmd prompt ficlet: Jealousy (Jack/Izzy)

Jack/Izzy | adult | ~900 words

(trans Izzy, jealousy, possessive behavior, dirty(ish) talk, semi-public sex, vaguely dubious consent,

For thesoulundone, who gave me a song prompt: Déjà Vu—Something for Kate. Originally posted here.

Jack drains his rum and slams the tankard on the bar. He snarls under his breath as he waits for the barkeep to come over and glances at Izzy and Ed. They're right where he left them—Izzy leaning against Ed's shoulder, Ed's arm hanging off the back of Izzy's chair. They've got their heads together like they're in on some kind of big secret.

Ed's calling himself Blackbeard these days. At least, that's what Jack's heard. He hadn't figured on running into him tonight—not this far south, at any rate.

The barkeep sneers at Jack—this'll be his fourth—but he slops more rum into the tankard. The tavern noise lulls as Jack brings it to his mouth.

"…could still come sail with me…"

"…Ed, that's…"

"…just a thought, mate. If you…"

Anger flares in Jack's gut; he glances over again. Ed's never bothered touching Izzy before, and now the bastard's got his hand on the back of Izzy's neck. The look on Izzy's face is—fuck. Jack turns back around. He heads to the back door and walks outside, where he won't have to watch Ed take Izzy upstairs.

He's not stupid, despite what people like to think. He knows he was Izzy's second choice. He knows that Izzy only left Hornigold's ship with him because Ed didn't love him—because settling seemed better than sailing with Ed but never getting what he wanted. But he'd thought… he'd hoped—

"Jack?" Izzy asks. Tavern noise rushes outside as door swings shut behind him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Could ask you the same thing."

"Ed was asking about you."

"I'll just bet," Jack grunts. Izzy's collar looks a bit loose—like Ed touched his throat, or maybe kissed it. The thought of someone else's hands on Izzy sends him into such a rage that he slams his empty tankard against the wall. "Fuck."

"Jack? What are—oh." Izzy scoffs. "You're drunk."

Jack gets his hand on Izzy's throat and backs him into the wall. He digs his thumb in as he asks, "You come out here to say goodbye before you shove off with Eddie?"

"You dumb fuck," Izzy snaps, face flushing. He squirms against the wall and jabs his knuckles into Jack's side. "Do you actually think I'd leave you?"

Jack says, "I think," and uses his other hand to paw at the front of Izzy's pants. "I think you're wet just from him whispering in your ear." He yanks Izzy's pants open and gets his hand on Izzy's cunt, teasing his fingers over Izzy's hole, right where he's warm and slick. "He doesn't want you. He just doesn't want anyone else having you."

Izzy snarls at that, lips curling like he's about to spit in Jack's face, but then Jack drags his fingers up and slides them along either side of Izzy's cock. Izzy makes a choked noise and rolls his hips, pushing into Jack's hand. He clutches at Jack's vest and hisses Jack's name.

"Yeah, me," Jack mutters. "Mine." He strokes Izzy's cock a few more times, then dips his fingers back down and pushes them inside—one, two. "You're mine, Hands. If Eddie tries to take you from me—"

"He's not," Izzy insists, shaking his head. His cunt is fucking soaked. "He doesn't—"

"I'll kill him." Jack works a third finger in and rubs his thumb over Izzy's cock. "He comes anywhere near this cunt and I'll gut him like a fucking pig."

"Don't," Izzy says, but he's trembling now, breathing high and hard, showing teeth. "You—"

"Should fuck you like this," Jack says, rocking his fingers deeper. "Should pin you on my cock right here, so anyone who comes outside will know who you belong to."

Izzy whines and tips his head back. His throat flexes under Jack's hand.

"Should get Eddie out here, yeah? Let him see you dripping all over me." That hooks another noise out of Izzy's throat. Jack rubs and rubs at Izzy's cock and fucks his fingers in and in and in. He says, "Yeah, c'mon," with his mouth against Izzy's temple. "Come for me, sweetheart. Come right on my hand."

Izzy gasps into it, shaking, his eyes fluttering closed and his mouth dropping open as his cunt squeezes around Jack's fingers. His knees wobble, and he sags against Jack's chest. He digs his nails into Jack's arms and sucks in huge lungfuls of the humid, night air.

When he can breathe again, he rears back and slaps Jack across the face.

"That's for thinking I'd leave you."

"Sorry," Jack mutters, "I just… thinking about you with someone else makes me crazy."

"Fancy talk from a guy who won't commit."

That—fuck. It's been four years since the mutiny: four years of them sailing together and sharing a cabin, sharing a life. But Jack hasn't brought matelotage up because he assumed Izzy would say no, that he wouldn't want to splice himself to a guy who drinks too much and has so much pain left over from the fire that he can't get out of bed some days.

"Would you want that? If I…"

Izzy almost smiles. "Ask me again when you're sober. And when you're not in a strop about fucking Ed."

[tragicsiblingsshowdown]

I can't think of any good introductory text. Well, I always see these types of poll tournaments for ships and what-not, so why not one covering non-romantic dynamics?

SUBMISSION RULES

Characters submitted have to be siblings or at least have a sibling-like relationship in canon. The characters do not have to be biologically related but they must be considered siblings or noted to be like them by the canonical text of the work in some capacity.

Their relationship must have some sort of element of tragedy to it in canon. Whether it be emotional or physical separation, unsaid feelings, co-dependency, one or both being doomed from the start, fighting each other to the death, one of them being outright dead with the living one in mourning, a mix of the above, or something else entirely, there's conflict in their relationship itself that is a core part of their dynamic.

While sibling character dynamics in fiction tend to be pairs and I expect most of the submissions to be pairs, I will accept trios and more.

OTHER RULES

No real people or characters based on actual people!

Characters named after real people but with little to no resemblance to the actual person they were named after (i.e Bungou Stray Dogs characters) are exempt from the above rule.

No OCs without a source please! It's nothing personal, but I don't know if it would be fair to them. Submitting characters from a published book/webcomic/etc. that you personally made is all good though.

I have the right to reject any source I receive for any reason!

This Google form will be open until August 3rd, 7 pm CST whenever I get enough. I have some characters in mind that I would like to have on the bracket but I know my taste in media is quite limited, so this'll be open for now.

[sharkface-daydreams]

i don’t know dragon age so give me. either your favorite or most niche dragon age ship

🥺🥹💜 ask dragon age for me.... 💜💜💜💜

well my favorite of all time is a pc/canon ship but not a canon romance but i did think of a niche npc/npc ship that has recently made me feel like eating glass lmao so i did two

i attempted to give some context but not completely infodump >< idk if that was achieved lol

My Grey Warden who has to go save the world after being recruited from a no-caste nothing on the underbelly of dwarven society fell for a guy you can't romance bc his culture is the Qun, which dictates basically your role and existence since you're born. They don't do like romance or marriage or whatever bc genetics are dictated by people who manage that. (Although some people do escape and live outside of that) His name is his job title. But he's a good man, a good soldier and a good friend and Torani Brosca respects the shit out of him so she keeps her feelings to herself. But yes she'll fight by his side and find his missing sword and stay as close as she can 🥺 and she never ever thinks of herself and her wants bc everything went towards her sister's chances of getting the family married up out of poverty so she really doesn't examine the feelings either it's just. I want to be close to you. Always. 😭

Uuuuunfortunately in my canon playthrough she takes the final hit in the last boss fight to kill the big bad and dies :( Beforehand she asked Sten to return her sword to her sister in Orzammar so Rica could have something to remember her by. She technically could have lived but that involves a mage party member fucking someone so she could have a baby and uh. suck the undying soul of the Arch demon into the unborn vessel instead of requiring a Warden to essentially cancel it out by killing it and... i don't actually remember the specific mechanics but a Warden specifically has to die in order for the big bad to STAY dead bc they have a like. half vaccinated version of the blight that kills them extremely slowly. But dorfs have such a low reproduction rate and the only way for them to get out of castelessness was for Rica to have a nobles baby and marry up... so Tor was like no i am not forcing anyone into that I'll just take the hit. 😔 so there's glass snack #1.

glass snack #2 is from the Dragon Age Inquisition DLC The Descent so this'll be spoilery lol but omg Renn and Valta

Ok. Dwarves live underground, are immune to magic and the magic ore only they can dig up bc it kills anyone else. There's a group called Legion of the Dead who are socially dead, they literally have a funeral for them when they leave, and they go into the old deep roads and protect the city from the Dark spawn until they die out there with their boots on. This is what Renn does. Valta is an archivist who's been essentially put on bitch work bc she pissed off a higher-up by not erasing something really trivial from their records. And we're down there helping them figure out why the earthquakes are suddenly nuts. It seems like they've been working side by side for years and Renn either has a specific task or personal obligation to defend her while she's in the dangerous tunnels and old roads, I'm not sure which. But while they bicker a LOT there's soooooo much fondness underneath all that and they care about each other so fiercely and honestly we don't get a whole lot of conversation and banter even but what we do get is just fucking LOADED with meaning and I'm just *eats drywall* about it

ough and when he dies defending us from some threat we've never faced before she's even more determined to figure this out so he hasn't died in vain auuuurghh god so many things ending in tragedy but in the meanwhile.... the meanwhile is so good 😩 and that dichotomy of already being 'dead' but still having reason to live, to fight for and protect someone. ough...

[ghostofafruit]

Whats left for me to write in soft april? And how likely am I to actually finish them?

Day 5. Magic - The knights learning about Merlin's magic, and as such all being very protective of him - 2/10 too big of an idea for a daily challenge but might come back to it in the future Day 8. Cuddling - Twelve/Rose, Bill finds twelve and rose cuddled up napping on a sofa, after this instance she finds them cuddled up more often - 8/10 if I finish every other main post I'm coming back to this Day 10. Forest - Merlin/Arthur, Arthur admiring Merlin while they're out in the forest, ends with him kissing Merlin - 6/10 it's a good idea I just don't know if i'll do it justice Day 11. Sunset - Pandora/Dorcas/Marlene, Pandora, Dorcas, Marlene watch the sunset on the balcony of their new home the day they move in - 9/10 I adore this ship ok? I don't care if no one else loves them, I do! Day 13. "You're my safe place," - Susan/Jane, after Susan confesses to Jane about her home life, Jane asks if she has a safe place to get away from it all. - 4/10 if I finish everything else I'll come back to it Day 14. Baking - Medusa/Sally, Medusa and Sally teaching Percy to bake in the diner kitchen afterhours. - 10/10 currently writing this one Day 20. Storm - Thirteen/Jack, The landing isn't perfect, but Jack isn't going to complain, they're on the edge of a cliff, sheltered by the tardis, thirteen and jack watch the first storm on an alien planet - 9/10 meant to be posted on the 20th so Day 21. Waterfall - James/Evan, The pair go on a hike and have lunch beside the bottom of a waterfall they stumbled across. - 10/10 excited for it, meant to be posted on the 21st Day 26. Rain - Nine/Rose/Jack, Rose drags Jack and the Doctor out into the rain to dance. They were originally shopping but the rain had sent them into a cafe. - 8/10 it needs to be finished I'm just struggling a little Day 27. Fairies - Pandora/Marlene/Dorcas, Pandora is a fairy and she finally tells her girlfriends - 9/10 Not sure how good it'll be but I really like the idea I had and damn do I love pandorlene, wish I had given them a better ship name Day 28. Trust - Eleven/Jack/Rose, the three get reunited on an alien planet, and Amy and Rory push them to talk about all whatever problems happened in the past - 9/10 not sure how this'll go yet 3/10 could not figure out to write it in a way I liked so maybe I'll try again later This has been replaced with a second Alt 5

[missxfaithc]

Levitating - Head Engineer Mark x Captain Fanfic

“Call me calloused, call me cold

You're italic, I'm in bold

Call me cocky, watch your tone

You better love me, 'cause you're just a clone.”

COPYCAT — Billie Eilish

Part Three:

Scene: Invincible II, men's communal bathroom

[MARK is mopping up a mysterious red liquid near a sink. An UNKNOWN CHARACTER steps into the bathroom.]

UNKNOWN CHARACTER: I believe we've yet to meet.

[MARK glances up from his work to see the UNKNOWN CHARACTER standing in the open doorway. The UNKNOWN CHARACTER smiles at him in an almost unnerving way.]

MARK: Uh... who are you? And why do you look like me?

UNKNOWN CHARACTER: [with a chuckle] I am you, my dear Mark. Well, better than you, actually. You're just a... prototype, so to speak.

MARK: [confused] I'm sorry, what?

UNKNOWN CHARACTER: It doesn't matter, really. I'm only here to check in on things. I've got better things to do in better places.

MARK: What do you mean I'm a [using air-quotes] "prototype"? What the hell is going on?

[MARK abandons his work entirely and thrusts his mop up at the intruder.]

MARK: I've never seen you on this ship. You're not a colonist and you're certainly not part of the crew. I'm calling security.

{MARK presses a button on the digital interface attached to his uniform sleeve. The UNKNOWN CHARACTER rolls his eyes, unthreatened by the gesture.]

UNKNOWN CHARACTER: [swatting the mop handle away] Instead of asking stupid questions and bluffing threats, how about you listen to me for a second.

[The UNKNOWN CHARACTER steps closer and fixes MARK with a scrutinizing look.]

UNKNOWN CHARACTER: You're not the hero in this story, Mark. Not this time. Stay in your lane and let the Captain's life play out as it's meant to. You thought you were clever with your little reset, didn't you? But guess what, Mark? [leaning in even closer] No matter what you try and do, you won't get the ending you want. Certainly not one with the Captain.

MARK: [taking several steps back] I have no idea what you're talking about, but you need to leave---right now. I don't know who you are or what you think you're accomplishing by... by spouting off all this nonsense to me, but you aren't welcome on this ship.

[MARK finishes typing up a quick message to send some crew from the Security department down to the men's bathroom. By the time he looks back up, the UNKNOWN CHARACTER has seemingly vanished into thin air.]

Scene Change: Invincible II, cafeteria

[BURT and GUNTER are sitting at a table and eating lunch. MARK enters the cafeteria, his expression wary and his face pale as a ghost.]

BURT: [whispering to GUNTHER as MARK approaches their table] Whoa, he doesn't look so good. I wonder what happened.

GUNTHER: [unconcerned] Probably saw the results of last night's casserole. I tried my best, dude, but it was a rough one. I think I even got some blood on the floor.

BURT: Okay, that's disgusting. But seriously, look at his face. He's definitely seen some shit.

GUNTHER: [nodding empathically] Oh, I bet he has. Like, when I say it was rough---

[MARK has reached the table, effectively cutting off GUNTHER's statement. MARK plops down across from BURT and GUNTHER.]

MARK: [jokingly] You guys weren't talking about me, were you?

BURT: [with a nervous laugh] No, no. Of course not.

GUNTHER: [deadpan] Yes, we were.

MARK: [expression thinning] Well, honestly, I just had something really... weird happen while I was cleaning the bathroom.

BURT: Like what?

MARK: [hesitantly] Um, so I know this'll probably sound crazy---and maybe I am crazy---but this... this guy just showed up out of nowhere and then vanished!

BURT: Huh? What guy?

MARK: I don't know. I mean, he wouldn't tell me his name or anything. But the really creepy part, aside from the whole vanishing thing, is that he looked pretty much exactly like me.

GUNTHER: Whoa. That is crazy.

BURT: That's not possible. Unless you have some long-lost twin or something... there's no way.

MARK: Maybe he's some kind of clone?

BURT: [scoffing] Yeah, right. We both know that that sort of technology is highly unstable and extremely new. And besides, you haven't had any mad scientists collecting DNA samples from you recently, have you?

MARK: [after a moment of pondering] Um... no. I guess not.

BURT: See? Not a clone, then.

MARK: But what else could he have been?

BURT: Well, how similar did he look?

MARK [with a shrug] I dunno. Pretty damn close. His hair was shorter, I think. Styled differently, too. And he wasn't wearing any kind of crew uniform, either.

GUNTHER: Hmm... What was he wearing?

MARK: A silky red robe, I think. It looked so out of place on this ship.

BURT: Maybe he was a colonist?

MARK: All the colonists should still be asleep in Cryo. And Celci is in charge of dealing with any who happen to wake up. If someone got out of their cryo-chamber, she'd be the first to know.

GUNTHER: So you asked her if she'd seen the weird dude leave Cryo?

MARK: [sheepishly] Well... not exactly. But trust me, he didn't come from Cryo.

BURT: [unconvinced] How can you know for sure if you didn't ask?

MARK: [defensively] I just know, okay?! I know what I saw! The dude showed up out of nowhere, said some weird-ass shit to me that didn't make any sense, and then just up and vanished into thin air!

GUNTHER: Hmm... what did he say to you?

MARK: [more calmly] Just some weird shit---it didn't make any sense.

BURT: Like what?

MARK: [sighing loudly] He said I was a [using air-quotes] "prototype", whatever the hell that means. And then he went on this... this rant about how I wasn't a hero in a story and I wouldn't get the ending I wanted with the Captain.

GUNTHER: Whoa.

MARK: Yeah, it was, like, super weird. Dude totally creeped me out.

BURT: So he knows the Captain somehow?

MARK: [with a shrug] I guess so? Does it even matter at this point, though? The dude was clearly crazy.

GUNTHER: Did he say anything else that seemed strange?

MARK: Uh... he did mention something about a [using air-quotes] "reset", but I have no idea what that was about.

BURT: Reset?

MARK: Yeah. Yeah, he said something about me thinking I was clever for my [using air-quotes] "little reset". I have no clue what he meant by that.

GUNTHER: You said he suddenly vanished or something?

MARK: [nodding] Yeah. Just... he was there and then I looked down at my mini-interface to call for security and when I looked back up he was just gone.

BURT: Maybe he just left the bathroom when you weren't looking?

MARK: No---I was only looking down for maybe, like, fifteen seconds at most. I would've heard the bathroom's automatic door open and close again, anyway---if he had left while I wasn't looking.

BURT: So... what do we do with this information?

MARK: Honestly, I don't know. I just needed to tell someone about it. You guys don't think I'm crazy, right?

GUNTHER: Well, now---

BURT: [sincerely] No, Mark. I'm sure you really did see... something. Do you think it could've been a hologram?

[MARK, BURT and GUNTHER continue their debate until their lunch break is over. MARK realizes as he exits the cafeteria that he never even got anything to eat.]

Previous and future parts of this story can be found in the pinned post on my profile.

[hooked-on-the-feelin]

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

——————————————————————————————

- 2k+ words

- Pairing: Peter Quill/Star-Lord x Reader, Slight Thor x Reader

- Summary: After the attack on Asgard, you find yourself drifting through the space with The Guardians of The Galaxy. Thor, being protective of you because you’re a dear friend of his, tries his hardest to protect you. But he can’t protect you from Peter Quill’s pelvic sorcery.

——————————————————————————————

  Everything was gone. Your home, your family, your favorite restaurant. All of it. It was all because of Thanos. All because he wanted the damn infinity stone.

  Random thoughts swirled through you head as you became light headed. You couldn't breathe. It was all too much. You felt weightless. You felt like a feather, just drifting through the open galaxy.

  Your eyelids began to close and everything faded to black.

      

  "Wake," A voice rang through your head and you shot up suddenly, chest heaving. Your eyes began to water as you scanned the room. Who the hell were these people?

   You shuffled back slightly, nearly falling off the table you currently rested on. Your heart was racing as tears began to well in your eyes.

    The bottom of your floor length dress was tattered and torn. The bodice, which was outlined with metal for support and some protection, was sticking out at different angles.

    Your best friend had given you that dress as a birthday gift. And now? It was ruined. They had died on Asgard, along with your family.

    "Y/N," A voice spoke from behind you, causing you to turn towards it. You spotted Thor, who was currently seated on a bench behind you.

    "Thor? You're alive!" You exclaimed, then realized that you were in a random ship filled with random people, "Who are they?"

    Thor shrugged, "Why don't you ask them? They explain it much more creatively."

    You turn to them, studying them each. A raccoon. A tree. A woman who was currently staring at Thor. A man with... red tattoos? A woman with antennas. And finally, a man who was currently staring you in the eyes.

  The man smiled softly at you, causing you to relax a bit. Your grip on the table loosened as you returned the gaze. You couldn't take your eyes off of him.

  "Peter Quill. But most people know me as Star-Lord," He leans against a shelf, causing it to come crashing down shortly after.

    A small laugh escaped your lips, "Who are you guys? Where am I?"

    "I am Groot," The tree says, his gameboy resting at his side.

   "I'm Y/N," You respond.

    Peter stands the shelf up on its side on the floor, taking a few steps towards you, "We're The Guardians of The Galaxy. The fluffy rabbit here is Rocket. Careful, he will steal. Over there in the Green is Mantis. Don't let her touch you if you have any secrets. Thor's not so secret admirer is Gamora. Big man is Drax. And this," He gestures to the ship, "Is home. For us."

You looked around the interior of the ship, "It's... nice. Really."

    Peter nods, slapping the side of it, then pointing to a stereo. Inside was a small cassette, labeled 'My Awesome Mixtape Vol. 2', "This is my pride and joy."

    You nod, "Any good songs?"

     He smiles, nodding eagerly, "Yeah, great songs. The best."

    "Maybe I could listen-" You were cut off by Thor rising out of his seat, grumbling, "We're not here to socialize, Y/N. We have places to be."

    "What places?" You question, "I never signed up for any of this."

     "We need to do this. For Asgard," He says with a sigh, rubbing his chin.

      You bow your head, singing your legs so you now sat on the table, "What can I do?"

    "I'm sending you down to Earth. I have some friends there that can  help you. You just need to be somewhere safe," Thor explains, "Ready?"

       "Hold on. I didn't agree to your proclamation. You may know this people but I don't," You hiss, slipping off the table all together, nearly tumbling to the ground. You let out a cry, clutching your knee. When you pulled your hand away, you saw blood oozing down your arm.

         Peter came to stand beside you, "You're hurt."

       Rocket slaps a hand to his head, "She has eyes, Quill."

        A frown appears on his face, "I'm gonna get you back on that table, alright?"

       You nod, your eyes screwed shut as the pain travels further down your leg. You inhale sharply as Peter helps you back onto the table, placing his arms under your shoulders and lifting you up, setting you down gently.

      It was then that you realized how close you were. You swallowed the bile rising in your throat and mumbled, "Thank you."

       Peter then turns to Thor, "She can't travel if she's injured. Hell, she can barely walk. If it's alright with her, she can stay here until she recuperates."

       He clenches his teeth, "We have doctors on Earth who can actually help her. Come on, Y/N, I'll help you."

       "No."

       Thor's brows furrow, "No? What do you mean? You've always wanted to go to Earth!"

       "He offered. I'm staying. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I don't know when you got it in your head that you control what I do- but it ends now. I make my own choices."

       Rocket snickers, "I like 'er."

    "If that's how it is," He frowns, "Then so be it. I guess I'll avenge Asgard myself."

      You shrug, "Who said I can't help out from up here? Hmm? I'm sure I can do something. Whether that's mopping the floor or doing something more meaningful."

       Gamora lets out a small laugh, "The floor is dirty. Peter never wipes his feet when he comes in."

       "Gamora..." He says in a hushed tone, pursing his lips, "You said you wouldn't tell anyone..."

        "We all knew it was you, Quill," Rocket cackles, "You have tiny little man feet."

         Peter blushes, "I don't have tiny little man feet!"

       "Ask the real man," Drax says, "He's has muscles."

      "I have muscles!" Peter protests, lifting up the arm of his shirt.

      You scanned his arms. He did have muscles. They weren't overly large like Thor's- and they weren't small like one of your old friends. They were... nice. Really nice. Nice to look at. You tried to look away- but you physically couldn't.

       "Eh," Rocket says, "I stand by what I said earlier. Yer one sandwich 'way from bein' fat."

       "I don't think you are," You say meekly, causing Peter to smile and say thank you."

        "So, you're really staying?" Thor asks bitterly, already knowing the answer. He wished he wouldn't have asked.

       "Yes," You answered, then turned to Peter, who was currently leaning against the table, "Do you guys have anything I could use to bandage his up?"

      "I'll help you with it. It looks deep. You may need some stitches," He replies, grabbing a med kit from above you.

       "Peter, let me handle the stitches. Last time you gave someone stitches, you had to get some, too."

       He sighed, "But I know how to do t now!"

      Gamora shakes her head, "You're not supposed to poke yourself with the needle!"

       "How was I supposed to know that?" He questions, crossing his arms.

       She groans, "I quit."

       "You can't quit. We're in space."

————————————————————

        As you and The Guardians headed to a planet that you didn't quite remember the name of, you sat quietly on the table.

       Peter has began to clean your wound, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that the cut wasn't as deep as he had thought, "You don't need stitches, but this is gonna stick like a mother."

      The word "mother" made your heart sink. It reminded you of the family you had lost during the attack. You looked away from where Peter kneeled on the floor, tending to your knee.

      He had been right. It did sting like a mother. You let out a cry as he began to disinfect it, applying alcohol.

       You squirmed, gripping the table as tight as possible.

        He pauses momentarily, setting the supplies down on the floor beside him and walking over to the stereo, pressing play, "Hope this'll distract you."

       Listen, baby. Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low. Ain't no river wide enough, baby.

      You smiled at the lyrics. It eased the tension a bit and you loosened your grip on the table slightly.

If you need me, call me. No matter where you are, no matter how far.

  

       You let out a cry as Peter reached a sensitive area on your knee, once again gripping the table. Your eyes were screwed shut.

       In an effort to lighten up the mood, he sang along, "Don't worry baby. Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry. You don't have to worry!"

       A smile grew on your face as you looked down at him, mouthing a thank you as he finally put the alcohol away.

      Although the majority of the pain had stopped, he continued to sing along, "Cause Baby there ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough- to keep me from getting to you, baby."

       You looked up at you through his eyelashes with a classic smile,

       "Remember the day I set you free? I told ya you could always count on me! From that day on, I made a vow. I'll be there when you want me- someway, somehow."

       He repeated the chorus once more, this time as he wrapped a bandage around your knee, securing it a moment later while singing, "Oh no, darlin'. If you're ever in trouble, I'll be there on the double. Just send for me!"

      You let out a small laugh as he stands and takes your hands in his, gently rocking from side to side

      You gazed into one another's eyes as the song continued to play in the background.

       My love is alive, way down in my heart. Although we are miles apart, If you ever need a helping hand, I'll be there on the double- Just as fast as I can!

    Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from getting to you-

      "Babe," Peter finished, leaning forwards to take yours lips in his own. You wrap yours arms around his neck, pulling him closer as your legs wrap around his, your knee still aching.

       He rests a hand below your upper thigh, deepening the kiss as "Brandy" began to play.

       Your hand squeezed his upper arm, and you briefly pulled away, "All muscle."

      He smirked and let out a breathy laugh before pressing his lips to yours, one hand now resting on the back of your hand, tangling in your hair.

You could get used to this.

[supernaturalismyreligion666]

Sacrifice - Clint Barton x Reader

WARNING: Endgame spoilers, kissing, death

Y/N: Your name

E/C: Eye color

H/L: Hair length

H/C: Hair color

F/N: Father's name

     "Alright. Bring it down low... Right on that line. That's it... down...down..." Rhodey got off the Benatar as it was landing. Clint called over to him, "Hey, can we hurry it up?"

     "Guys, chop-chop. Come on. We're on a clock," Y/N walked over to the pair, Nebula close behind. Clint watched as she fiddled with the ships' controls, directing it to the next destination, "All that, is really helpful."

     Nebula looked up at him for a moment before turning back to what she was doing. Rhodey leaned over to Y/N and hugged her, "Take care, okay?"

    Y/N smiled and hugged him back, "Yeah."

     "Take that stone and come back. No messing around."

     Clint looked at Rhodey, "Hey. You got this."

     "Yes sir," Rhodey gave Clint a slight smile. Y/N walked back to the ship with Clint, "See you back."

     "You guys watch each other's six." Y/N and Clint look back and smile. Y/N gave a little wave as Clint replied, "Yeah."

     They walked back into the ship as the hatch closed. It took off and sped towards Vormir. Nebula watches the ship as it disappeared from the atmosphere, "The coordinates for Vormir are laid in. All they have to do is not fall out."

~~~~~

     Back in the Benatar, Y/N and Clint stared out of the front of the ship. It took a jump through space and sped up. Clint looked at Y/N, "We're an awful long way from London."

     Y/N jumped and looked at him startled as she comprehended his words. Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant and she laughed.

     Clint looked directly in her E/C eyes as she laughed. He studied the flecks of color in her pupils, her H/L H/C hair that shifted with each gasp for breath. He leaned in towards her as her laughter died out. Y/N smiled at him as he gently took hold of her hand and rubbed patterns along her palm with his thumb.

     "Hey, what's wrong Clint?" He had stopped smiling. His gaze shifted from her eyes to her full, soft lips. His mouth opened slightly as his eyes fluttered back up to Y/N's. He suddenly spun her around, pushing her against the wall. She gasped as his hand moved up her arm to her neck. He reached behind her head, pulling her closer to him by the back of her head.

     "C-Clint, what are you doing?" He ignored her and slammed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in surprise. Y/N had loved him for the longest time, and then the thing in London happened, but she wasn't sure if he had truly loved her back. Until now.

     Clint wasn't too rough, but he wasn't gentle about his intentions. When Y/N decline him access to her mouth, he pinched her butt, causing her to gasp. He took the opportunity to ravage her mouth.

     She felt a wave of need fly across her body as he traveled from her mouth to her neck. He sucked and bit at the dip between her neck and collarbone before creating a trail of hickeys down her chest. Clint looked up at her as she moaned, "God I love you so much."

     Y/N was about to reply when she felt the ship lurch underneath her. Clint glanced towards the front window to see Vormir. They looked at each other as they stepped outside. Y/N internally groaned at what she could've just missed out on. Clint stared at the huge mountain in front of them, "Wow... Under different circumstances, this would be totally awesome."

     Y/N only sighed and began walking.

~~~~~

     "I bet the raccoon didn't have to climb a mountain," Y/N muttered as she slipped on yet another loose rock. Clint reached down and helped her up, "Technically, he's not a raccoon, you know."

     "Whatever. He eats garbage," Y/N brushed herself off and kept walking. Clint chuckled and followed her. As they turned a corner, they heard a voice in front of them.

     "Welcome." Clint and Y/N whipped out their guns, aiming them at an approaching figure. "Y/N, daughter of F/N. Clint, son of Edith."

     "Who are you?" Y/N watched as the figure stepped into view, revealing Red Skull.

     "Consider me a guide. To you, and to all who seek the Soul Stone."

     "Oh good. You tell us where it is. Then we'll be on our way."

     "If only it were that easy." Y/N glanced at Clint as Red Skull led them to a cliff.

     "What you seek lies in front of you... as does what you fear."

     "The stone is down there," Y/N stared at the bottom of the cliff, examining the stone floor. It had a round, intricate pattern around the cliff. It also seemed to have darker spots nearer to the cliff.

     "For one of you. For the other... In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul, for a soul."

~~~~~

     Y/N sat on a nearby log, analyzing what he had said. Clint studied Red Skull for a moment before looking back at her, "How's it going? Jesus... Maybe he's making this shit up."

     "No, I don't think so."

     Clint chuckled humorlessly, "Why, 'cause he lives here? ‘Cause he knows that we’re desperate?”

     Y/N glared at him before sighing, "Thanos left here with the stone without his daughter. It's not a coincidence."

     "Yeah," Clint muttered.

     "Whatever it takes," Y/N registered what had to be done. Clint watched the expression on her face and recognized what Red Skull had meant.

     "Whatever it takes," Clint whispered as Y/N stood.

     Y/N turned to face him, "If we don't get that stone, billions of people stay dead."

     Clint smiled sadly, "Then I guess we both know who it's gotta be."

     "I guess we do." Clint reached out for Y/N's hand. She looked down at his outstretched hand and looked back up to see the hopeful look on his face. Y/N took his hand.

     "I'm starting to think, we've been different people here, Y/N"

     "For the last five years I've been trying to do one thing: Get to right here. That's all it's been about... Bringing everybody back."

     Clint laughed, "Oh, don't you get all decent on me now."

     Y/N glanced at the cliff before glared at him, "What, you think I wanna do it? I'm trying to save your life, you idiot!"

     "Yeah well, I don't want you to, because I... I love you so much Y/N. I couldn't bear to lose you. You know what I've done. You know what I've become."

     "I don't judge people on their worst mistakes."

     "Maybe you should."

     "You didn't. You even fell in love with me."

     "You're a pain in my ass, you know that?"

     Y/N laughed and leaned her forehead against his. He reached up and gripped her chin with one hand, brushing back a loose piece of hair with the other. He leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't a rough or needy kiss. It was soft and gentle, unlike the situation.

     Clint pulled back, watching Y/N's eyes flutter open, "Okay. You win."

     She looked up at him confused as he gave her a gentle smile. It quickly morphed into a sad smile as he kicked the back of her knee, knocking her to the ground, "I love you."

     Y/N grabbed his arm and pulled him down beside her before swiftly getting to her feet, "I love you more."

     With that, she electrocuted him and began running toward the cliff. Clint struggled on the ground for a moment before leaping to his feet and shooting an explosive arrow next to her, knocking her down. She groaned and looked up at him and he threw his bow off to the side. He glanced at her as he sprinted to the side of the cliff, leaping off.

     Y/N threw herself off after him, grabbing him and hooking him up to a grappling hook, shooting it into the side of the cliff. She grunted as the line snapped tight, swinging the pair into the stone wall. Y/N was shaken out of Clint's arms when they collided. He quickly grabbed her arm with one hand.

     He saw the line holding the pair up and looked back down at Y/N, "Damn you!"

     Her eyes were wide as he attempted to reach her with his other hand. He was so close to grabbing her hand, but couldn't stretch any farther. He groaned in pain and had to grab onto the rope to keep them both from falling.

     Y/N felt her hand slipping. She glanced down at the stone floor. She could see from there that the darker spots were not just dark stone. They were pools of dried blood. She looked back up at Clint. Her voice shook slightly, "Let me go."

     His face was contorted with pain and despair as he groaned, "No. Please, no."

     Y/N's face was filled with peace and love, "It's okay."

     Clint's eyes welled up with tears, "Please Y/N! I... love you."

     Y/N simply nodded before kicking off the wall, ripping her hand free from Clint's grasp. His face filled with shock as she plummeted to the ground, "NO!"

     He tried to pull himself free, but could only stare at her body as multiple emotions flickered across his face. Despair, regret, sorrow, heartache, hopelessness. Blood pooled around Y/N's body as the sky began to create a funnel of light around the mountain.

     The sky rippled and teleported Clint into a large pool of water. He felt something in his hand and uncurled his fingers to reveal a small, glowing orange stone. Tears dripped from his face as he hit the ground in anger. His Quantum Suit activated and he shrunk back into 2023.

~~~~~

     "Did we get them all?" Bruce asked as soon as Clint appeared.

     Rhodey looked at him, "You telling me this'll actually work?"

     Bruce glanced around at the other Avengers before looking at Clint, "Clint... where's Y/N?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Please feel free to comment what you think, what I should do next, what I could do better, etc.

Thank you for reading!!! <3

[monkey-network]

Change Your Mind

Steven: Connie, have you ever watched Shrek?

Connie: I have actually. Pretty good movie, though the sequel is admittedly better but not by much.

Steven: What do you mean?

Blu D. Minnd, entering: Pink, what the f-

Steven: Hold up, we only have one f bomb this episode.

Blu D. Minnd: Right, sorry. Pink, what the feldspar happened? How dare you soil our family name like that?

Steven: What family?

Blu D. Minnd: I mean... you ca... I don't li... my god. My god, you're right.... this isn't a family. And I haven't been a real parental figure. I don't even know what a parent is. *sigh* You deserve better, Steven, you and your friend here, better than Homeworld.

Steven: Earth did change me in more ways than one.

Blu D. Minnd: I can see that, and as harsh as I may have come across, I did want what was best for you. I wanted you to conquer ruthlessly, but you have different ideas now and... I should respect that. Come. I'll get you two out of here and back to the Pussy Wagon with the others you had.

Steven: Can we stop by HomeMcDonalds first?

Connie: Yeah, we're pretty hungry.

Blu D. Minnd: Well I prefer White Diamond Castle, but sure. Real quick.

Steven & Connie: Best dictator mom ever!

-------------------[LATER]-------->

Blu D. Minnd: Here are your friends, Steven, and the rest of my fries. The salt hurts my figure.

Yellou D. Mond: You could've asked for no salt... Blue. What in the fluorite do you THINK you're doing?

Blu D. Minnd: Steven has the right to choose her path. And if she wants to be a liberal arts student on Earth, then who are we to stop her?

Yellou D. Mond: *chuckles* Blue. Blue. Blue. Liberal arts degrees are for fools who think eating soy makes you better than everyone. Computer Science is where Pink SHOULD be attending. Technology is where Pink should look into.

Blu D. Minnd: Computer Science? Putting stress into typing random fixtures and algorithms just to make a letter move one pixel to the left? That's laughable. I'm sorry, Yellow, Steven and her friend is leaving and is becoming an artist. *charges up*

Yellou D. Mond: I'll possess a human's third leg before I let that happen.

Steven: Can you two stop?! I'm not getting a Liberal arts or Computer Science degree. I'm going for Music Theory.

Yellou D. Mond: That... *charges up* is just as bad.

Narrator: And then a fight breaks out between Yellow and Blue while their Pearls look on with beers in hand. Yellow gains the upper hand, then Steven intervenes...

Yellou D. Mond: What're you doing? Diamonds must show no weakness and abide to such pathetic ideals for the future.

Steven: Says who?

Yellou D. Mond:....................Huh, never thought that far. Okay, I give.

Connie: Really, that fast?

Yellou D. Mond: Yeah, I'm a damn towering giant with electrical powers and a doctorate in Bio-Engineering. I'm powerful enough and breaking down my comrades to get stronger *helps up Blue* is not the logical way to go. Besides I was clearly winning anywa--

Blu D. Minnd: *gut punches Yellow* Oh Yellow, you were always the cocky one.

Yellou D. Mond: And... UHNNGH... you were always the strongest. *the two laugh together* Now it's time for you to head home.... Steven.

-------------[LATER AGAIN]------------------->

White Pearl: You're not going anywhere, darling.

Diamon D. Whit: It's high time you know your place.

Narrator: Suddenly the Yellow and Blue fistships came and fists White's mech right through the center, taking the ship down.

Yellou/Blu: What the hell?

Bismuth: What indeed?

Peridot: Indeed as we came, we saw...

Lapis: And we kicked ass.

Steven: You guys! Now I think it's time we talk to White.

Connie: But Steven, we have to protect the Crystal Gems.

Steven: Don't worry, I think I finally know how to wake 'em up. Amethyst, if you're listening. *inhales* SWEEEET CAROLINE! BUM BUM BUUUUM *fuses*

Smokey Quartz: Good tiiimes never seem so good! DA DA Daaa DA *unfuses*

Steven: IIIII've been inclined BUM BUM BUUUM *fuses*

Rainbow Quartz the 2nd: To Belieeeeve they never would but now I

Steven: Oooone, touching ooone... Reaching oooout, touching me, touching yooooooou *fuses*

Sunstone: SWEEEET CAROLIIINE! BUM BUM BUUUUUM! *hugs Pearl and Amethyst* Good times neeeever seem so good!

Sunstone, Pearl, Amethyst: IIII'd be inclined! *fuses together*

Obsidian: To Believe They NEVER COOOULD! *jumps to White's mech*

Yellou D. Mond: What even happened?

Blu D. Minnd: I suppose this is studying music theory?

Yellou D. Mond: I like it... Let's go.

*The two vault to White's mech*

--------------[ONE MORE LATER]------------------>

Steven: White Diamond! We demand audience.

Diamon D. Whit: Tch, fuck you. *Blasts everyone except Steven and Connie* Do you not fathom how I got to where I am now? I was built from the stars, goddammit. I came from nothing and I practically built everything you see here... from SCRATCH! I made Yellow and Blue from my faults. I basically built your "friends" from my damn sweat. You ain't shit, Pink. *Grabs Steven* This game has gone on far enough. *Pulls out his gem*

Narrator: Steven's body falls and Connie catches him in time. His gem reforms to become Pink Steven and once it reaches the ground, it head towards human Steven.

Diamon D. Whit: What the? Pink, what is this? Look at me when I'm talking to you.

Pink Steven: Bitch.

Diamon D. Whit: E-excuse me?!

Pink Steven: I said.... BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!

Narrator: The room echoes and quakes heavily, everyone stumbles.

Steven: Please, get me to him.

Narrator: Connie carries Steven to Pink Steven. White was too stunned in fear to do anything. The two Stevens embrace each other.

Steven: You know what?

Pink Steven: What?

Steven: I think this'll count as selfcest.

Pink Steven: Heh. Heheheheheheheheh HA HA HA HA HA You're right. *laughs heartily*

Steven: *laughs along, slowly fuses back into one* Hahahahahaa... *feels his stomach* You're right.

Connie: STEVEN! *hugs* Are you... you?

Steven: That's the beautiful thing, Connie, I've always been me.

Diamon D. Whit: Impossible. How does this work? What sense does this make?

Steven/Connie: Who cares?

Diamon D. Whit: But uh... It should.... it just..... you know what, fuck this! *stabs the kids with her nails*

My Friends: Dude. Come on.

Narrator: Okay. Okay. Just wanted to add that.

And so, White backed down and understood Steven's logic. She and the Diamonds agree to cure the corrupted gems. Amethyst and Jasper reconcile. Lapis learns the power of reefer. Sadie and Padparadscha make out. Marty died in a car crash. White begins to drink after her entire worldview got crushed. Blue and Yellow give Steven funding for his college tuition before the three leave Earth. And the Crystal Gems finally got to live peacefully for once in their lives.... until Steven Universe 2.

[neverjedii]

"The basics are good." Abby nodded along with Aadila's words, mentally wracking her brain to try and remember the names of the actual powers she used. Varied fuckery certainly wouldn't be a good lesson opener, despite how it made her friends laugh. "And staying away from Vader is good. We can expand on that stuff, work on broadening your knowledge and fine-tuning what you already know. I've already got a couple ideas but, like I said, we'll leave that for once we've arrived and gotten settled."

Stretching and getting up from her chair, Abby reached a hand out to gently push the hand Aadila had been chewing back down to her side. "I'm going to see if there's anything valuable in the hold," she informed. "Try to get some rest, okay? That little alarm will go off when we exit hyperspace, so you can just kick back and relax until then."

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

The alarm did indeed go off, after what felt like an eternity of sitting in the hold, mulling over lesson ideas and desperate hopes that she would find a way back to her own time on Osliea. Unfortunately, Abby had more pressing problems to deal with once they did exit hyperspace; namely the realization that Osliea was an expressly Imperial planet, which was another faraway factoid that felt to Abby like it belonged in another lifetime. Because it did.

However, she was able to quickly and quietly maneuver around to the Northern Pole of the planet, hopefully avoiding any radars as their ship swept along the mountainous landscape and finally down into a familiar forest town at the lower edge of the slopes. In a little under 50 years, this would be the place where Abby sent Jamie to school, hoping to give him a taste of a normal life. It was strange to imagine that something as simple as that was yet to happen from Abby's perspective, but she brushed off the confusion in favor of the immediate needs of her new protégé.

It felt bad to leave Aadila on the ship while she stepped into the bar to gamble with the locals. It felt worse to cheat during said game of cards, and make off with a hefty handful of credits, but Abby had to remind herself that the credits she had on her person from her time wouldn't do. They were technically the currency of the New Republic, and she couldn't risk putting something so loaded with information from the future into circulation. Which left her only options either her gambling tricks, or straight-up stealing, and she didn't feel good about the latter here. Once she began staking out her parents' luxurious home, she had no qualms about such things, but for now all that mattered was exchanging a few of her newly won credits for two meager meals, and hurrying back to the ship with those and the leftover credits in hand.

"This'll keep us fed for as long as we plan to stay here," she assured, shaking the small bag of credits. "It's easy to live off of little in this village, and once we've trained a bit, we'll head down into the city, and then I want you to know that you don't have to feel bad at all about breaking a couple windows. Anyone who has money there is undoubtedly an asshole. Stealing a vase and pawning it off won't hurt 'em."

Though a part of Abby did hope that Aadila wouldn't be offended by her...questionable morality when it came to survival, another part of her brain insisted that it simply didn't matter. That it was just about survival, and that it was what she'd done to keep herself and Jamie alive after their escape from the First Order. She'd lived with it then, and she could live with it now.

"We've just got one last stop before we can settle in for the night," Abby added, turning to the controls of their little craft. In one easy movement, they'd taken off and were flying back into the mountains. As soon as they were out of sight of the mountains, Abby switched the searchlights on, and soon enough found what she was looking for among the trees; the ravine with it's sparkling river coursing along the bottom, and down at the very end of that, the sheer cliff face that she'd called home for the better part of her life. Even then rocky outcropping that she used as a makeshift landing pad was familiar, and as she led Aadila under the edge of the sheer cliff, she couldn't help but sigh in relief at the sight of the familiar industrial doors.

"This is where we'll camp out," she explained as she lead Aadila through them, into the familiar entry shaft that would one day be a greater hall. It was as warm, dry, and perfectly abandoned as the day she found it, or would find it, some 50 years later. A simple manipulation of the control panel -- and a tiny bit of Force lightning, just to shock the system into operation -- had the yellow lights flickering on, and Abby couldn't help sitting down on the floor with a sigh of contentment. "No one will find us here," she assured. "It's been abandoned since the...well, since before the Clone Wars I think. We're lucky the lights still work, but they were built to last and the place has been sealed off well. Here, we can train and duel and anything we want; rest assured nobody will find us."

neverjedii​:

“I believe it.” Sitting there in the depths of space, far-flung from her own time, Abby realized that if it hadn’t been for this time travel debacle, no one other than Aadila would’ve ever honored Aakav’s memory. She supposed it was an honor to her as well, to be trusted with such knowledge and practically invited to mourn him alongside his sister. “I promise I…won’t let him be forgotten. And it sounds like he’d still believe in you now, seeing all you’ve done just to survive.”

Abby couldn’t lie; the pain that the Empire and Order 66 had caused was palpable. To Aadila, of course, but also to the whole galaxy. She’d grown up in a world without either of those things on her mind, but now she was wondering just how many people had lost beloved family members – brothers, sisters, parents – thanks to Palpatine. It made the fact that the cycle seemed to continue in her lifetime, except up Nikai and Snoke as the driving force of all that death this time.

Her train of thought was suddenly, and rather rudely interrupted by a bleep on the ships main control panel. She swiveled her chair to investigate, and hummed in approval at what she saw.

“We’re about a third of the way there,” she noted. “You can rest all you want the rest of the way, but it might be helpful if you tell me what you’ve already been trained in – that way neither of us waste time with lessons you don’t need repeated.”

The silence that followed was almost comforting. For a moment it even felt like Aakav was there with them, but that feeling quickly faded when the control panel began to beep. Aadila actually jumped ever so slightly, blinking herself back into reality. She felt a little less scared now though. Confident that things were going to change for the better. Starting right now in this moment with this woman she knew little to nothing about.

“I was still classified as a youngling when it happened. They wanted to send me to work in the archives but I refused to leave my brother’s side. He was on the verge of taking his trials to become a padawan. He was nearly 14.” Aadila chewed on her bottom lip, “But I was taught how to build and use my saber, of course. I know basic Force defense. Moving certain things. My power of suggestion isn’t that good, honestly, but it keeps me hidden usually for a bit before the empire finds me. Maybe that’s just because Vader is a monster incapable of being hidden from.”

Aadila hadn’t realized she’d been chewing on her nail until she got to the skin of her thumb, wincing a bit at how it actually hurt.

“So I know the basics. Nothing extremely fancy.”