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no-droids · 4 years ago

Text

The Secret

Pairing: Anakin Skywalker/Reader

Word Count: 4.2K

Rating: Explicit

Summary: On a dark and dreary night, Anakin tries to see if he can influence your dreams.

A/N: idk what in the hell this even is tbh I just started writing it two days ago idk what happened this is some inception shit but not the crazy ass mind bending plot twist part at the very end of inception but like just the cool middle part where you kinda get what’s sorta going on but not really okay anyways I gotta go

Warnings: There are DUBCON/NONCON ELEMENTS to this, smut/oral sex, a splash of m/m (sorta?), dark Anakin uses the force to mess with your dreams without your knowledge or consent so please read at your own discretion

***

Anakin knows it’s wrong.

It’s the middle of the night on a moon he never bothered learning the name of and Anakin knows it’s wrong when his eyes shift over to you for the fifth time in the past minute. Curled up with your back to him and the crackling firelight illuminating this tiny little cave, breathing soft and quiet through your nose as you sleep, the wind roaring monstrously outside. Anakin acknowledges it—the moral impropriety of even sitting here thinking about things he shouldn’t be with you so close by. It’s wrong, no getting around it.

But there’s also something inside him that… wants the wrongness.

He likes it. Anakin likes having secrets, he likes breaking rules even when nobody is consciously here to witness it. It makes him feel alive in a way that battlefields just can’t anymore, not after two years of constant conflict where the only enemies to feel his wrath have been comprised of nuts and bolts, their robotic cries never leaving him with any satisfaction anymore. At the start of the Clone Wars, sure, it was a thrill to slice through voice boxes and body parts, even if they were mechanical. But the droids aren’t afraid of death, they’re just programmed to stay alive. It’s like killing large, dumb swarms of bugs—it needs to be done for the common good but there’s never any true fulfillment in it anymore, it just feels like a task to be completed instead of an earnest, hard-earned goal.

He’s also been given direct permission to do it. He’s even been ordered to carry out enormous droid massacres on behalf of the Republic, but that’s the thing. Anakin isn’t looking for permission, see, it takes away half the thrill.

No, he wants to feel wrong. He wants to wonder if he shouldn’t have. He wants the quiet guilt, the sparkle of holding a secret he’ll never breathe a word about, the addictive power trip from having real influence over something, something equally as real.

Technically, Anakin is supposed to be on lookout right now. He’s meant to stay awake and patrol the perimeter of the cave for enemy combatants, but he doesn’t even bother pretending to be diligent when it’s just you two here. It’s not necessary. He’d be able to sense another lifeform miles away in this secluded, barren wasteland; there’s no threat to be found right now. He can keep warm by the crackling firelight in this cave, sheltered from the dust storm that spontaneously broke out a few hours ago. He can stay awake without moving a muscle and listen to your slow breathing all night long, letting it fill him with shameful desires he spends the daylight hours fighting and suppressing.

He silently flicks his gaze over to you once more, blinking as he studies you. He can sense your mind becoming creative in its slumber, beginning to swirl into dreamlike possibilities around yourself, about to choose a path for your consciousness to follow tonight. Yes, this is what he’s waiting for. He can’t force you to dream—that’s beyond his expertise as a Jedi. But if he finds himself in the right place at the right time, he can certainly try his best to… give you a suggestion.

The wind whistles outside and the fire pops quietly and you continue to breathe. In, and out. In, and out.

Anakin closes his eyes, and begins.

He first maps your body with the Force, trying to understand it on a deeper level. Gauge it—its proportions, its ambience, the thrumming lifeforce flowing through your veins even as you sleep. He has to be careful—as a fellow Knight, there’s no guarantee you won’t immediately be able to spot him exploring your energy in this way, there’s nothing to stop you from suddenly rolling over and asking just what exactly he thinks he’s doing.

But Anakin is patient. It’s one of the only times he can remember truly exercising that untapped potential inside him, perfectly content to allow you to drift while he works to find his bearings with you. Minds are complex, especially when they’re unconscious. They’re finicky and never stay in the same spot for long—it’s not like they evade, necessarily, but instead, they just… float around. Pulsing. In and out of existence, hiding behind and under immovable things, no rhyme or reason for it, vanishing into uncertainty and nothingness as soon as he thinks he’s found it. Like trying to find a microscopic air pocket in the depths of a pitch black ocean. He’s not losing any oxygen by existing right at the edges of your sleep, but it takes hard concentration to stay here, hidden, not allowing himself to slip. He’s looking, he’s looking… but he soon realizes he just needs to wait longer. He needs to wait until you float your way back around to him, until you present the opening yourself.

So Anakin waits.

And waits…

And then suddenly—

—There. He locks onto a flicker in the Force and holds, finally isolating and breaching the surface of your inner subconscious. Anakin smiles softly, a bead of sweat slowly dripping down his temple at the effort it took to locate you without alerting you of his presence. There you are. Maker, it sure is pretty in here, isn't it? He has you, he’s cradling the buried, hidden, most fragile part of your soul as you slumber, not knowing any better.

His heart thumps with excitement even though he’s barely done anything yet. To someone without sensitivity to the Force, they might just think the both of you are asleep right now. Just the two of you sitting still in this relatively small space, eyes closed, neither of you are touching, nobody has said anything or made any substantial movements in hours, nothing has changed in this world. All of it is existing in another plane, a place most people wouldn’t be able to recognize unless someone informed them of its existence, and even then, it would be beyond understanding.

But he has you now. He’s there, and he’s not going anywhere. He can allow his focus to dip just slightly, knowing your mind will pull him along through the comatose current. He senses you already working through the beginning whispers of dreams, but they’re not the kind people can ever remember. These aren’t formed, there’s no substance to them—it’s just pure, abstract dreamspace for your mind to drift through while you slumber.

Finding your true consciousness through all the murky, shapeless slumber was the test in skill. Now comes the luck.

Very carefully, without arousing any suspicion or drawing undue attention to himself, Anakin begins to drag the tip of his tongue against the back of his teeth. He doesn’t open his mouth, he doesn’t move a single muscle outwardly—he just lets his tongue begin to flitter around slowly in its enclosed cavern as he breathes, making the movements as soft and hypnotic as he can, matching the aimless way you’re carrying your mind and his shadow through the darkness.

He’s tried this before. Once or twice, with a pretty Ambassador he was tasked with protecting for a few months at the start of the Clone Wars, but the results were always less than ideal. He could never seamlessly transfer his desires through her consciousness before she awoke, perhaps because she wasn’t Force sensitive. The dream would either never happen, or he would push too hard and it’d turn into a rabid nightmare that fractured her thoughts and made her terrified to close her eyes for weeks. Not this time, though, Anakin isn’t going to allow it. Not with you, not after all the unprecedented effort it took to even just get himself here.

He finds a bit more passion to put into his movements, his jaw beginning to work with more purpose. Stars, he wants this to work, and while it’s probable that there’s an easier way to accomplish it, this isn’t something the Academy trains for. There’s only so much he can do except just be patient and giving with his soft, muted thoughts, urging you to make use of them without ever saying them aloud.

And suddenly, like the dark waves of your sleep decide to illuminate for him all on their own, your subconscious mind responds to the gentle stimulus. It carefully reaches out and studies the suggestion he’s silently offering, having spent what feels like an eternity trying to entice your rawest, most fundamental being into going somewhere it normally wouldn’t go, all without letting you know he’s even there.

His tongue is still moving. With purpose, with a specific intent in mind, Anakin allows his head to slowly fall back as he lifts his chin up towards it, wanting it more and more the longer you take to consider it, as if your mind is actively trying to tease him by playing hard to get. He can feel you right there, feel you thinking about it, and the whole thing is almost like some elaborate courting ritual while he waits with bated breath for you to decide whether or not to humor him.

But then, just when Anakin fears you may be too strong to be swayed, too powerful in the Force to be tempted by an outside source, you abruptly snatch the idea from him and start to run with it.

Suddenly parts of your spirit begin illuminating that should be dormant right now, and Anakin follows you, wherever you’re leading him. He knows none of this is necessarily intentional on your behalf—nobody can consciously pick and choose their dreams, not even Jedi. But this endeavor proves that it’s absolutely possible to subtly inspire them in each other, regardless of the morality behind it.

The wind continues to howl outside the cave and remind him that an entire universe still exists beyond your beautifully soporose mind, but the dreamscape gradually begins unfolding around him without any further prompting, requiring nothing more than what he’s already provided. Anakin’s tongue continues to simulate and suggest regardless, only now he feels the ghost of it beginning to materialize somewhere else besides the roof of his mouth, the sensations appearing before the images can be conjured to fill in the gaps. His hands suddenly tighten on his thighs at the soft, enticing feeling beginning to take root in you.

And oh. It’s… good. It feels different when his own body isn’t really the target of the stimulation, when he’s doing nothing more than simply experiencing it vicariously. Anakin supposes he could’ve bypassed all this effort, just aimed the pleasure more directly from the very beginning instead of working to inspire and coax it out of your own consciousness, but that was never his intention and it misses the point entirely. Where’s the challenge in it? The finesse is lost, it doesn’t appeal to him. It’s brash and brutish and not his style. No, this is what he wanted. He wanted to get just close enough to plant the most basic, fundamental idea in your head and then witness the rest of it all play out as a phantom passenger. Step back, strap in, and see how you kindle and manipulate the desire yourself, exactly the way you want it.

Anakin starts to breathe a little heavier through his nose, shoulders tense as he works to ride the slow swelling of your own prolonged pleasure with you, not knowing if or when it’s going to peak. He’s never made it this far before, he has no idea what to expect. Your consciousness does all the heavy lifting for him, your floor muscles move and contract without him needing to do anything to encourage it, the dream he seeded now completely taking over and whisking you both away.

But then… then suddenly Anakin doesn’t understand. Because yes, your mind works exactly the way he hoped it would—everything goes the incredibly precise direction he intended, and yet the destination is somehow… here? Back at the very beginning?

You dream of a cave. It’s exactly the same as the one you’re both silently holed up in for the night, and no new faces have appeared. If Anakin fluttered his eyes open at this specific moment, absolutely nothing around him would change. Except, perhaps, the subtle glow around everything—the watery way the air seems to be moving, as if it can’t decide whether it wants to exist or not so it strangely succeeds in doing both at the same time. He’s not really here—at least, he doesn’t think he is, he’s just seated on the dirt floor, appearing as nothing more than an invisible witness to it.

No. No, actually, he takes that back, he… is here. It takes him a moment to see the full picture as you’re still putting the puzzle pieces together, but… that’s him. A projection of himself at least, looking only slightly different but recognizable enough. Dark robes, robotic right arm, steady gaze.

But where are you? Anakin looks around the empty cave, still trying to understand how you’re painting this, his conscious mind moving much more rapidly than your own abstract one and yet also somehow taking so much longer to catch up to you. You’re not here. Why aren’t you here? He’s getting stuck on the details, he knows he’s lagging behind.

It takes a moment longer. Just one, before Anakin suddenly realizes that… he’s not just an invisible witness, is he?

He looks back down to see his own head now buried between his thighs.

But they’re not his thighs, not really. They’re yours. He’s just seeing everything from your point of view, feeling everything you’re feeling from the small little space he’s occupying in your mind.

At this point, Anakin needs to anchor. He feels himself—his real self, the one currently stuck in a cave in the midst of an unexpected dust storm—curl inwards and clamp his legs together. This will work. If he focuses enough to pinpoint the way his knees feel pressed tight together, he can have a tether to separate himself from your dream, the way yours are currently… wide open. This is all too similar to your true surroundings—he didn’t expect this, he doesn’t want to get lost.

And yet… Maker, it feels good. His long curls feel so soft in your hands, his tongue drags slow magic between your legs. When Anakin first suggested the idea to you, he didn’t think you’d assign the role back to him. He assumed you had someone else in mind, somewhere else you wished to be besides this dull, dreary setting. He gave you just an inkling of a prompt, and this is what the most creative part of your mind created. Something he could be doing at this exact moment, if only he’d known you’d be interested.

Then again, Anakin thinks, you may have just recognized him subconsciously. You may have attached him to the idea already, if only because he was the truest originator of it. But it doesn’t matter now, he can’t process such complex thoughts while maintaining the suspended mental state he’s in—he feels like he’ll either completely fall into it or out of it if he tries.

But as your muscles continue to work and your pleasure continues to build, it becomes harder and harder to separate where he is in relation to you. Anakin clenches his legs tighter together as you open yours wider apart, the dream gaining more strength as it develops. Stars, it’s—it’s—

Anakin starts to lose it and he needs to tug on that tether to his surroundings again, but it’s way more difficult than it should be to recognize himself. His calloused fingers on his left hand tremble as he reaches up and uses them to cover his face, biting his tongue to stop the low rumbles of ecstasy that want to claw their way out of his throat. Maker, this feels so… different from the build he knows. He thought—if he was successful—that he’d be able to handle it as silently and stoically as he’s able to handle his own pleasure, but this is something else entirely. Why does it feel so… so spectacular? Maker, he never realized the sensation was all that different on the inside, much less that he was actually missing out by having a dick between his legs.

But then suddenly there’s a pause, a break in the way you’ve been rhythmically squeezing and flexing your body for him.

The dream adapts to it. Anakin looks down between your open thighs just in time to see himself pulling away from your warmth, putting two fingers in his mouth, before slowly easing his hand back down between them.

No, he thinks, a bright flare of panic sparking inside him as he immediately snatches and yanks the tether to reality, popping his eyes open and pulling away from your mind entirely, oh no—wait, that’s not what I—

But see. That’s the thing about being so meticulous about conjuring something that doesn’t actually exist. Once his brilliant creation decides to backfire on him—a fool-proof way to escape it doesn’t actually exist either.

He… he can’t wake up. No matter how much his body struggles backwards on the dirt floor of the cave, how wide he can feel his eyes are right now, how excruciatingly aware he is that none of this is real, none of this is actually happening to him, he’s caught in the dream he planted and you’re hauling him along for the ride. The closest he can describe it is like having footage play in one eye while the other can see perfectly fine. He knows where the line that separates reality is, but he can’t escape your consciousness’s crushing gravitational pull; it’s too massive and overwhelming now, he can’t gain enough velocity to get home. Real life exists but only through a window, and being stuck on the other side like this—knowing he’s dreaming but not being able to jolt awake when he’s very ready to leave—is suddenly more terrifying than any nightmare Anakin has ever experienced.

It also has unintended consequences. Clinging so desperately to his own body has made him completely aware of it in the purgatory he’s now trapped himself in, but the pleasure is still there so the source of the stimulation is still there. They’re not your thighs anymore, they’re his thighs again. But that’s also still him between his legs, continuing to ease his fingers forwards.

He keeps retreating back and away from them no matter what, but there’s nothing more he can do.

Anakin helplessly watches on as his own fingers slowly disappear up inside himself, and his eyes instantly lose focus and his jaw goes slack as he feels it the way you would. They’re not real, so there’s no pain, no true pressure or stretch, just… hard, unadulterated stimulation starting to burn up inside him.

He doesn’t realize his body kept moving until he suddenly feels the wall of the cave slam into his back and he has to brace himself against it, frantically shoving himself back into it as far as he can with his legs and digging his nails into dirt at the base, scrabbling for breath and stability. Anakin tightens up wickedly as you both bear down on the phantom intrusion, sweat beading at his hairline as he works to process the foreign sensation and you whimper quietly in your sleep. His cock is rock hard between his legs and he shudders to think that his mind will compensate for the difference and his alter ego will actually take it into his mouth—but no, the projection doesn’t change because it’s still coming from you, still being led by your own desires. Dream-Anakin’s mouth drops and his tongue comes out to keep licking your slit but to the real Anakin, it just looks like his mouth disappears somewhere near his balls, and then a magnificent swell of bliss suddenly kicks in before he can fight as savagely against it as he wants. He’d normally be repulsed, and maybe he currently is to some extent, but because your pleasure spikes so dangerously with it, his hips stutter into the sensation just as desperately.

He’s making noise, he knows he is—he can feel his throat working too hard for just air to be moving through. No, he’s whimpering, or moaning, or doing something but he can’t hear himself at all. His instinct is to yell as loudly as he can, to try and wake you up manually, but it doesn’t seem to work, you’re way too far gone now. He listens for the dust storm that should be screaming outside, the popping of the fire somewhere in this cave, but they’re suddenly nowhere to be found. He’s being dragged under by your enormous current that’s somehow still continuing to build in strength, losing oxygen by the second. He’s not ready for it, he doesn’t want it, he’s terrified, he needs to wake up—

Anakin slams his head back against the wall hard enough to make himself bleed and gasps raggedly as he loses his grip on everything, shutting his eyes tight with his fist shoved up against his teeth. Nothing exists at all anymore but the swirling typhoon that continues raging forth. Beyond purgatory, and then beyond heaven.

When you finally do manage to find the absolute peak of your climb, he’s sure he all but blacks out with it.

It’s pure, blinding rapture on all levels—physical, metaphysical, whatever else exists after that. It surges up with razor-sharp claws of merciless ecstasy and he’s just not equipped to experience anything anywhere close to it. The connection between your minds thrums and sparks violently; Anakin feels the way your body practically soars over top of the pleasure while his is just being ruthlessly pummeled into the ground by it. He’s not meant to handle this, he literally wasn’t made to survive the devastating anomaly—it’s as wicked and excruciating as it is dazzling, and he wonders if he’ll ever truly be able to come back from it.

Eventually, Anakin manages to find his way back to himself. Eventually.

His cock is throbbing, that’s the first thing he‘s able to notice. The dirt floor beneath him that somehow feels slightly different than before, the fetal position he’s assuming on top of it, the once sturdy wall now crumbling to dust against his back.

The next thing he notices is the utter, complete mess he made. Blood slowly drips in a line down his neck and more cum than he’s ever felt himself produce before drenches the front of his pants. Anakin slowly blinks his eyes open, trying to fight the vertigo and wondering if he might have a concussion right now. There are cracks and fractures in the ground that branch out from the small crater at his back, and the fire is completely extinguished now, charred logs splintered and strewn about like somebody detonated a bomb in here.

At some point, his gaze drags over towards you, and remarkably, you haven’t moved. Still curled up on your side with your back to him, still breathing slow and steady and undisturbed.

Anakin pants in exhaustion and waits for you to turn over to address him and what he did. There’s no way you’re still asleep, not after what just happened. Anakin couldn’t get through it without sending a giant shockwave through the entire cave and quite literally rupturing the ground beneath him, he’s surprised you even managed to stay in one spot the entire time. He doesn’t know if you feel violated right now and are refusing to acknowledge him, or if it’s just taking as long as he is for your brain to catch up and start functioning again.

That is, until he hears a small snore come from your unmoving body once more.

Anakin blinks.

No. You have to be awake, he figures, moving to prop himself upright and wipe the blood from his neck with the dark sleeve of his robe. There’s no possible way that the orgasm you both shared is actually… normal, no, the sheer power of it had to be influenced by his presence somehow. He must have… increased it, or something. Anakin doesn’t know how, but he knows he must be directly responsible, this had to have been the strongest you’ve ever cum in your life and you just don’t know how to confront him about it right now, so you’re pretending to sleep. Yes, that’s what it is, that’s what it has to be.

He’s not going to check, though. He’s not going to find any lingering energy left within himself to summon and look for the thick darkness of sleep still enveloping you, he’s not going anywhere near your signature right now. No, Anakin is fine just like this, exactly where he is. Instead of verifying or confirming his own understanding, he’ll just be extra confident in it, that’s always worked well for him.

So he just sits back and takes a deep, shuddering breath, feeling like his whole body is weak and trembling with fatigue. Maybe you are asleep, he shrugs. Maybe he’s wrong, and selfish, and an idiot. Or maybe.

Maybe you just like keeping secrets, too.

#anakin x reader #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker #anakin x you #anakin skywalker x you #Smut #reader insert #dark anakin #no-droids

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halla-hunts-the-wolf · 3 years ago

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A short-story preview.

Set in a story where years down the line, Fen'harel has yet to destroy the Veil, but his plights are making all of Thedas weary of the modern elves.

Four Dalish elves band together to avenge a massacre. Will they inflict Justice or Vengeance on those responsible? And what secrets will they uncover along the way?

Warning: Violent acts & Character Death.

----

On the outskirts of Ansburg, a Dalish settlement had been destroyed.

They had been camping beside the coast, where a river drained off from the ocean.

They’d thought that the lack of freshwater would make the paths less favorable towards merchants or humans in general. Their aravels had been pitched and their halla let loose to graze.

They lasted three days.

On the fourth day, when two cloaked riders closed in on where the Dalish were meant to be, the stench of death still remained, carrion birds harvested bodies, and a started fire had laid waste to everything.

Blood ran the river red by the time the two riders reached the desolate camp.

Their movements became slow and they approached with caution; anticipating an ambush, but all they were met with was the silence that the massacre left behind.

“Maker,” one of the riders mumbled, bringing his arm up to cover his nose. “Who could have done this? Do you think it could’ve been Fen’harel?”

“No,” the other rider says, his voice somber and distant. “No, these elves were not his enemies and they did not deserve his wrath.” As he spoke, he would have abandoned his mount, an older Dracolisk, beside the river. Carrying on by foot, he would assess the carnage. Bodies lay to waste around him, many of which were missing their pointed ears. It was sickening, deplorable, and a byproduct of fear. “Even so, this act is unforgivable.” His voice would crack, overwhelmed by anger and grief. “There are so few of our people left, and the only thing they have done is chosen not to take a side in this foolish war.”

“The war that we are fighting.”

“Yes, because even though it is foolish, it can not be ignored. Not when innocent people are being slaughtered like this.” The second rider would crouch down, to close the eyes of an elf who was staring up at the sky. “Falon’Din enasal enaste.”

“What are we going to do now, carry on to Tevinter?”

“We are going to bury them, and find those responsible.”

The first rider lets out an exasperated sigh. “Lavellan, we don’t have the time-”

“- Then we make time.”

The first rider says nothing more, hanging his head in silent compliance.

They spend their evening in this way, gathering bodies and offering them final prayers. They didn’t have the means to do a proper ceremony, but they would do their best with heavy hearts.

Nightfall had soon come and gone, and as a new dawn broke across the sky, the two men sat across from each other, swallowing down their rations despite lacking a proper appetite.

“So you didn’t find your dalish contact amongst the dead?�� The first rider would ask, his bright green eyes were growing red, as he fought the need to sleep. Only in his mid-twenties, and a recently freed slave of the Tevinter Imperium, he was not used to the constant traveling and combat he had to endure while shadowing the former Inquisitor. He rubs at his face, hands running across his mutilated vallaslin. The branches that spread over his cheeks had been cut into and burned by his former master, when he was only eighteen and freshly kidnapped from his own clan. “Perhaps he went after those responsible?”

“No,” Lavellan would shake his head. “Ryland would have waited for us, had he still been alive and of his own free will.” The older elf would be fiddling with a string around his neck. He clutched at the sending crystal as if it was his life line with one hand, while the other, a prosthetic, would be clutching a potion. “This group was made up of smaller dalish clans, ones that were left abandoned by their clanmates when they joined Solas. Ryland was traveling with them, to bring them to another encampment on the other side of Nevarra.”

“That was very noble of him.”

“Yes, and I’m the one who asked him to do it.”

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened, and drink your potion.”

Lavellan would stop fiddling with his necklace, taking to unscrewing the cork of the bottle in his hand. “If we had gotten here a day sooner Ma’hallian, we may have prevented this from happening entirely.” He would down the bottle in one go, guzzling it’s dark purple liquid, looking as if he’d just bit into a lemon afterwards. “This thing could be a poison.”

“A poison that keeps you from keeling over in pain.” Ma’hallian would remind him gently, before reaching out to take the empty bottle from the other man’s hands. “And we didn’t get here a day sooner, so we have to keep moving forward.”

“We will, as soon as the person responsible is brought to justice.”

The white-haired elf would lean forward, fixing the former Inquisitor with a narrowed gaze.

The older elf was on the cusp of fifty, with silver streaks in his long chestnut hair and wrinkles overtaking his darkened skin. These days, his hands shook whenever he lifted his sword, and his amber eyes always smoldered with conviction. “Is it justice you are after, or is it vengeance?”

“The two are not so different, when faced with a situation like this.”

“We both know that they are.”

Lavellan hated being shown up by his assistant, someone who could be so callous and shy towards the rest of the world. The boy had spent the majority of his life either in solitude or servitude and yet, he still managed to come out of it with a remarkable sense of responsibility and level headedness.

“I-” He does not get a proper sentence out, as a distant sound causes his ears to twitch. Ma’hallian hears it too and they rise to their feet.

Ma’hallian draws a dagger from his belt and Lavellan pulls free his sword from its sheath. They approach the source of the noise with silent steps, until they are looming over the site of a destroyed aravel. It’s red fabric and splintered wood had made a heavy pile, and something dared to move beneath it.

“Careful,” Lavellan murmurs, “it may be an abomination that’s risen.”

Leering forward with one foot, the elf would kick the debris away, his sword poised to strike down, but he would stop just short of skewering another elf.

An elf also nearing his fifties, with deep red hair that was coated in soot and streaked with soft greys. His face, while well defined, was covered in laugh lines and scars alike. They danced along his vallaslin for Ghilan’nain, etched in blue to match his eyes. This new elf stares up at them, as a cough rattles throughout his chest and past his lips. “Well, hello your highness. I survived then? Unless you managed to finally kick the bucket too.”

“No, Ry, you’re just that lucky.” Lavellan would put his sword away before holding out a hand, hauling his former partner from the aravel. Eyeing him wearily, in search of any wounds that could prove fatal.

“Ah well, what can I say? The universe loves me.” Ryland dusts himself off, wincing as he does so, but seemingly unharmed save for a few aches, bruises, and perhaps a concussion after being crushed beneath one of their landships. “How bad is it?”

“You’re the only survivor.”

The red-head takes in a sharp breath. “That can’t be right. Where are the bodies?”

They take him to the people who they had wrapped or covered, ready to be buried, as time permitted them. He looks them over, with blue eyes watering, before he shakes his head. “There were younger elves here, children, and a mage. None of them are with the dead.”

“Perhaps they perished in the fire that ravaged the camp?” Ma’hallain offers, supervising Ryland as Lavellan wanders off to their mounts. “Or animals picked off their remains?”

“You are a grim young man, Ma’hallain, but no. The only scavengers in this area are the birds, and they wouldn’t be able to devour a body within a day, let alone a dozen or so. The person responsible for the siege must have taken them.”

“And who was responsible?” Lavellan had rejoined them, bringing a fresh pair of clothes to Ryland from his carry on.

“There’s a human settlement nearby, Ansburg? They’ve recently come into new leadership and the man appears to be terrified of us knife-ears.” Ryland would strip there, pulling his otherwise tattered shirt over his head and tossing it to the ground. Lavellan would hand him the clean one and Ma’hallian would have the decency to look away as he took off his pants as well. “When the local militia arrived, I told them that we had no ties with Fen’Harel or the Qun. They said that they were under orders and at the end of the day, all elves were the same.”

“Yet they would never claim that all humans are murderers, would they?”

“Fear is bred by ignorance, highness. They’ll get what’s coming for them.”

Lavellan would grumble, “Did you at least scout Ansburg when you first made camp?”

“Course I did, seemed like a normal shemlen village. Smelt of rotten fish and wet dog. There weren’t any elves, but I didn’t find that odd. There aren’t many flat ears left in the smaller settlements.”

“Did you find where this new leader lived?”

“It was the first thing on my list, but something seemed off about it. The whole village was sort of dreary, but his estate was shimmery, almost. Like the stones were reflecting the light.”

Ma’hallian snaps back to attention, his ears drooping just so. “That sounds like warding, and a very obvious one. I bet he is using it to scare others away, people do that in the Magisterium. Either to scare the already fearful, or to make a spectacle out of something valuable.”

“So we’ll need a mage?” Lavellans asks.

“Unless warriors suddenly know how to dispel things? Rogues most certainly do not.”

“Oh,” Ryland would croon, “Do you know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like a call to Dorian. Tell him I said hello, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to know that I survived.”

Rolling his eyes, Lavellan would turn away from the other men. Knowing that Ma’hallian was glib due to his many years living in darkness and Ryland was only using humor to cope with the carnage around them.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dorian pavus #lavellan #original character #post trespasser #pavellan

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yanderedbh-moved · 5 years ago

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A lil sampling

I genuinely have no idea if I would ever get around to finishing this or even if anyone would really care, but... This is just a very brief plot synopsis for a smut themed two-chapter fic I’ve been toying with since around December of last year. Since it’s NSFW themed, it’s linked below the cut.

Try to think of this story as less so one complete narrative, but rather one common starting point, with several possible endings, depending on which character’s chapter you decide to pursue.

The story is set in my demon AU, (something which I’ve elaborated on my old blog which was unfortunately terminated.) But in short, all the DBH characters are demons in this universe, each representing different sins, dwelling in various levels of hell, determined by the severity of their vice. At the beginning of the story, you are awakening after you were out late one night after a concert. The last thing you remember was trying to find your way home while all alone in the darkness. It was unsafe for sure, but you had no idea the full extent of it. You notice some a group of people in the distance where you were walking, but remember them from the concert, and think it’s safe to cross their path. The details of what happened next were blurry, but what you do remember was the way the group was muttering in a language you couldn’t understand as you passed, or instead tried to pass. You thought you were at a safe distance, however, the group, seemingly acting as one entity, attacked you, overwhelming you, rendering you unconscious.

As you begin to regain your senses, you realize you’re situation is far worse than you initially thought as you’re bound with corse ropes to a stone table, an altar, in what appears to be a church.

The moment you are able, you’re making your best effort to escape the binds, begging the people to let you go, screaming for any answer. This does little good for you, unfortunately, though, as you can hardly get a comprehensible answer from any of them. What you do understand is this. You’ve been taken hostage by a group of Satanists intending to sacrifice you to their deity in return for his wisdom. Your escape attempts become all the more frantic. However, you’re too late, and in a matter of minutes, the ritual has begun.

You’re crying and begging to be let go but are silenced the moment you detect another presence has entered the church. Namely, something has arisen from the pit where they prepared a space to welcome their god. Any initial thoughts this was all some sick joke are crushed the moment you accept your fate as the sick cult’s virgin sacrifice.

Fate has more for you in-store however as the monster takes an interest in the Satanists, rather than you and when they fail to calculate the real strength of the being they claimed to worship as he lays waste to the members, leaving little more than their gore in the wake of his wrath. You expected him to do the same to you, however as he approaches, he hesitates a moment, and before he can officially seal your fate, he offers you a deal. If you want to be spared, you must become his disciple, you must devote yourself to satanism. Your first answer is a hard no, and expect to be killed with equal wrath as he disposed of the Satanists, but he actually lets you go. However, this doesn't mean he's done with you yet.

(The following chapters would include how the respective demons would go about seducing a once holy, religious individual into their own personal oracle.) Connor, out of all, would take a unique approach as he’s not quite seducing you, so much as showing you the full power and beauty of his sin. (While absolutely making sure you to leave you breathless along the way.) Connor represents the sin of treachery. Despite the negative reputation of the sin, there is still an allure to be found for sure. The absolute freedom in abandoning all prior reservations and pursuing what you really desire? Perhaps the cost of abandoning your old life may seem too high a price to pay, but Connor is determined to change your mind. He’s much more dominant than one might think while remaining soft-spoken enough to avoid becoming too suspicious. “It’s good to expand your horizons, and I’m only looking out for you here.” Wouldn’t so much dominate interactions and force you to think a certain way, but rather, asks questions that leave you leaning away from what you’ve known before, and drawing you closer to the unknown. Everything eventually culminating in an evening in his personal quarters where he shares drinks with you, and for the first time openly bringing up the discussion on the way sex and sexuality are so stigmatized, before asking you how you feel on the matter. As the conversation estates, he comes on stronger and stronger until you’re unable to deny him a moment longer.

Cain would likely use a very “by the book” way of temptation. He represents the vice of revenge, a profoundly polarizing topic for most. Even if your overall thoughts on revenge were complicated, you couldn't deny the pleasure which is found in enacting justice on those who've wronged you. Probably he would invite you over to an exclusive one-on-one sermon of his and would show you everything you were missing out on. The sex scene should play out exactly so, as ritualistic and traditional as it is sensual and alluring. (Possible added kinks might include pouring hot wax, being tied down, light blood play, and maybe drug use (a sedative or hallucinogen) but nothing too heavy.) Cain is probably holding himself back a little here because he knows if you get too scared, then you’ll run.

Nines is nothing if not patient and a schemer, so he would need far more time than the others to fully seduce you, likely would start by offering you small tempting gifts (wine, rich foods, little beautiful things) which would escalate and climax in agreeing to go on a dinner date with him. As a demon, Nines personifies bad omens. His mission was simple, get into your head and convince you to lower your defenses around him and allow his foreboding charm to draw you in. On the date, when he feels as though you are really wrapped around his finger, he would start teasing you publicly under the table before you cave and agree to leave early with him. Heavy teasing here as now Nines wouldn’t be afraid to call you out on your shameless behavior and make you feel all the more guilty for embracing such a sinful life. (While knowing he's entirely the one causing you to act this way of course.)

Hank, as the only fallen angel, would have a much different way of looking at how to seduce you compared to the others. While at once, he was a proud guardian angel, tragedy and time have corroded away at him, leaving in him as the demon of apathy. Unlike others who would try to get you to change your morality, Hank is more interested in convincing you to fall away from what you once cared about, and allowing him to possess your heart. Give up on all you once held dear so long as it doesn't pertain to him. Wouldn’t tell or praise you for breaking down and giving in to temptations and sinful urges, he would affirm that you weren’t immoral, and there’s nothing wrong with acting on impulses like this. A small part of him would even genuinely feel sorry to see you so torn up, but that only encourages him to steer you in the “right” direction. He would inspire you with touches which aren’t necessarily “sinful” (a hand on your shoulder, arm, back, etc. reaches to touch your hands when speaking, that sort of thing.) Praises you by saying things like, “you’re doing so well for daddy” The final straw arrives when you walk in on him masturbating, and can’t bring yourself to leave or look away. He would beacon you closer and would show you how to indulge yourself as well as him. Proves he can give oral as well as he can take, and puts the last of your anxieties on the matter to rest with eager enthusiasm. (As part of the cool down, he would likely confide in you the story of his own fall from grace, though it's up to you to decide whether he's lying or not.)

#yandere #yandere x reader #not a request #my post #dbh x reader #yandere dbh #dbh #detroit become human #detroit become human x reader #yandere detroit become human #demon au #dbh connor #dbh cain #dbh nines #dbh hank #suggestive

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incarnation-of-victory · 5 years ago

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Thoughts on/reactions to the BNHA: Heroes Rising movie since I need somewhere to gush about it (now that I’ve gotten to see it officially in theaters):

NOT SPOILER-FREE/SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

(As an FYI, I saw the film in the original Japanese with English subtitles. Not sure if I’ll ever watch it in the English dub, seeing as I didn’t watch the first movie or the anime in English dub. I don’t mind it, and I’ll watch clips of it here and there, but I don’t feel like going out of my way to watch BNHA in its entirety in English.)

In no particular order (this is long, kinda a mess, not verb tense consistent, iffy at a few points because I don’t remember some exact details, etc. Be forewarned. Split into sections for a semblance of convenience):

The Fight Scenes/Class 1-A (General Overview):

This movie is pretty action-packed! The majority of the film consisted of fight scenes—but never quite to the point that it felt tiring. Now, I’m no expert on animation or fight choreography, but I thought the battle sequences were STUNNING! I really feel like the animators put a lot of care into this film.

Speaking of fight scenes, I was pleasantly surprised to see how a lot of the less-centric 1-A students were able to get their time to shine. Uraraka got a cool Badass™ moment (kinda reminded me of her fight versus Bakugou at the Sports Festival). Sero goes all out on a villain (was it Nine?), getting thrown back, but still earning a concerned “Sero!” from Bakugou (so that’s a win). Aoyama is surprisingly a force to be reckoned with his Navel Laser. Shoji deserves the title of Honorary Big Brother to Katsuma and Mahoro (the kids) with the way he devoted himself to protecting them throughout the battles (seriously made me emotional at one point!). Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were sick as usual! Kirishima gets another Unbreakable moment—this dude’s seriously got guts!

Todoroki, while arguably one of the main protagonists of the series, admittedly didn’t feel like he got TOO much screen-time during this film (I feel like it’s because they wanted to focus on the relationship between Deku and Bakugou). That being said, his defeat of Chimera was AWESOME. It was a nice touch having him remember Endeavor’s advice as he prepares his final attack, his father’s profile dissolving into his own. Todoroki really went Plus Ultra there (almost too much, like, damn, I think you got him). There were a few times like that throughout the film, like with Bakugou vs. Mummy, where I was like, pretty sure these villains should not be alive right now, but accordingly to anime logic, they’ll be fine (plus, we can’t have the hero students be killing anyone...). Basically, everyone was really cool, and I think this movie proves how they all deserve to be at UA.

The climax battle (Deku & Bakugou vs. Nine): I kinda wish I didn’t spoil so much of HR before seeing it officially—not that it ruined my enjoyment of it, but I feel like it would have been more intense/emotional if I went into it blind. So I knew going in that Deku and Bakugou were going to share OFA (and I may or may NOT have seen clips of it online beforehand... because I have no self-control), but it was still really great seeing it on the big-screen! Didn’t cry like I thought I would, but the moment where Deku and Bakugou did their Detroit Smash together for the first time got me kinda teary-eyed, with them doing an All Might-esque one-fist-raised pose. It’s just so heartwarming to see these two work together, carrying on All Might’s legacy.

Deku + Katsuma & Mahoro (the two main, local kids of Nabu Island):

Speaking of getting emotional: THAT scene when All Might arrives post-final battle and he’s cradling an injured Deku in his arms and Deku apologizes to him for having to give away OFA because he feels like he’s failed him: OH MY GOD! Major props to Daiki Yamashita for his voice acting in that scene (as for all his scenes as Deku, of course), it was so raw and emotional! Same praise applies to Nobuhiko Okamoto for his respective scenes as Bakugou, naturally.

Also, I SUPER enjoyed Deku in this film! I mean, I’m already a huge Deku stan (perhaps this comes as a bit of a surprise, since I never shut up about Bakugou and Bakugou only), but you could really see his development in HR! He comes across as a lot more confident, steady, level-headed, and sure of himself than he used to be! It was incredible to see him fight too: his first encounter with Nine in the forest stood out to me in particular. Ever the strategist. Sure, he’s still a little bit of a push-over (he apologizes to Mahoro, who’s just a little girl, after she scolds him for not coming to “rescue” her brother fast enough—it’s a pretty funny scene), but he really feels like he’s filling out his role as All Might’s successor. Not to mention all the parallels of his relationship with Katsuma to Deku’s own relationship with All Might. Also, of course, Deku is a huge sweetheart, and it was so endearing to see him interact with the island kids. Katsuma and Mahoro might seriously have some competition when it comes to the cutest characters in this film: they really amped up the sweetness of Deku in this film. But maybe I’m biased because I’m a Deku stan so I’ll shut up now. But seriously, big mama bear vibes from Deku with the kids.

While I’m on the topic of cuteness, Oh My God, Katsuma and Mahoro were PRECIOUS! Now I understand why Horikoshi couldn’t stop drawing them—seriously, they are the total opposite of the usual annoying kids trope. Katsuma’s shyness/timidness was adorable. Mahoro’s sass and attitude was adorable. On top of that, they were very brave and protective of each other. Their brother-sister relationship was also very wholesome. But seriously, almost every time these kids were on-screen, I could hear people in the audience going “Awww” and I was like “YES! AWW IS RIGHT!”

The Bakugou section (because my adoration of him warrants an entire section of its own):

This doesn’t seem like too natural of a segue, but cuteness has now made me think about Bakugou and how he was in the film. Can I just say, I love how all the comical, raging Bakugou scenes made the audience laugh; I love that we all share the same amusement of this angry gremlin. The part where Bakugou finds out that Mahoro tricked him by making an illusion of a villain and he goes into Rage Mode to the 10th power was amazing. The edgy guitar rendition of Bakugou’s leitmotif playing in the background as they zoom into his furious face thrice as he gets increasingly incensed, with fiery flames in the background, was peak comedy. And then Deku has to hold Bakugou back as the kids escape his wrath. Even when the two tumble to the ground, Bakugou Grudge-crawls up to them with Deku clinging to his back. One of my favorite scenes in the film: it was hilarious. Oh, Bakugou. Never change.

Bakugou’s old ways aside, I do like how he seemed to warm up to the kids a little by the end of the film. His genuine smile and sort-of wave upon seeing the kids saying goodbye to them as they sail away on the ship was sweet! Earlier, when Bakugou first grabs Katsuma and carries him along to show him where the “villain” is, once they locate it, Bakugou immediately yeets Katsuma aside like an empty soda can (he was fine, of course). While, admittedly, I found that moment hilarious, I did feel the general reaction of audience also being like, jeez, Bakugou, you don’t throw kids like that, lol. I did like how, despite tossing Katsuma aside, Bakugou did grunt a quick “Go hide” to him, showing that he did care at least a little for Katsuma’s safety: more than he outwardly demonstrates, at least. I like how the whole “proper handling of kids” thing came back during the final battle when Bakugou catches Mahoro from falling when Nine tosses her aside (not totally unlike how Bakugou tossed Katsuma aside earlier.. hmm...). And Deku was the one who punched (kicked?) Nine at that moment instead (showing a little reversal of roles when it comes to saving and fighting). Seriously, Bakugou puts Mahoro down so gently on her feet too! It was so sweet! And then he proceeds to give her his whole “This is why I’m going to be the number one hero” spiel too. If my memory serves me correctly, I think Mahoro wasn’t even going to fall that far, and would have probably been fine if she just dropped to the ground, but Bakugou still went out of his way to catch her, which is great. But yeah, though obviously Bakugou is nowhere near as bad as Nine, I like how this was one of the moments which proved the difference between Bakugou and the villains, that his rescue demonstrates just the kind of hero Bakugou is eventually going to become.

Another moment like that, which I haven’t seen too many people talk about, is when Bakugou and Deku are immobilized by Nine’s 2 Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and Nine gives a speech on something along the lines of how power is great and he wants to create a world in which the strong rule over the weak, yada yada, total domination. Deku, of course, is infuriated by Nine’s evil plans, but I was also pleasantly surprised to see Bakugou tell him off too, telling him how he’s crazy for wanting to do something like that. Of course, it's been clear for a while that Bakugou is not necessarily the power-hungry, overlord type, but this moment really made a little more clear to me that Bakugou is more concerned with winning and the sense of self-fulfillment that comes with it, rather than ruling over others with his power (though I don’t doubt that Bakugou finds some enjoyment in being able to beat up villains. I mean, look at that feral smile).

Also, Bakugou melting a whole-ass mountain and hurling it at Nine. Freaking lava monster. That is all.

The Deku & Bakugou Dynamic:

Deku really wasn’t intimidated by Bakugou anymore in the film, so I appreciated those moments when Deku stood up to him and wouldn’t take his shit. One example was when Deku held Bakugou back from scolding the kids. Another moment I thought was great was when Mahoro called them about Nine’s arrival, and Bakugou answers the phone, thinking she’s crying wolf again, and starts to chew her out until Deku snatches the phone out of his hand. Bakugou just stares at him in shock, he looks so offended, haha! He can hardly get out a word of protest before just slumping in defeat, annoyed, but still letting Deku talk to Mahoro on the phone. Really like those moments where Deku takes charge like that.

Bakugou eavesdropping (as per his usual nosy self) on Katsuma and Deku’s conversation, in which Katsuma apologizes for their prank earlier, explains his story, and Deku talks about how saving and winning are both important (*hint hint, nudge nudge*). And Bakugou’s so engrossed that he doesn’t notice his popsicle melting until it drips onto the floor. And he just stares at it in vague bafflement. Yes. Good.

This was another really small moment, but it was cute, so I have to talk about it. Deku’s training outside and Bakugou runs into him on his patrol. They have their whole talk about how they’re going to surpass each other, and then, right at the end, Deku kinda just smiles at him. It’s such a fond smile, you can even hear him giving a small laugh along with it. And then Bakugou meets it with a determined stare, and he almost gives a gruff little “huh?”. It was just a funny little stare down they had there, except they’re coming at it with completely different expressions/sentiments. Bakugou almost seemed a bit confused by Deku’s happy smile; it reminded me of that moment during Deku vs. Kacchan 2, when Deku takes a moment to smile at Bakugou, impressed by his progress, and Bakugou gets pissed at him for looking so happy. Like, c’mon Bakugou, let the guy be proud of you! I think now, post-DvK2, Bakugou does understand Deku’s words/expressions a little better, but he still doesn’t seem to fully comprehend how much Deku respects and cares for him. Either that, or he doesn’t want to acknowledge it. Here’s to hoping Bakugou comes to realize it at some point. Bakugou-accept-compliments/affection challenge 2020.

I think everyone’s already said what there is to say about Deku’s decision to give OFA to Bakugou, and Bakugou’s reaction to it. Even so, I have a few things to add. One, I like how Bakugou’s grown to respect Deku as a rival/fellow hero in the movie, which is especially evident once Deku gives him OFA. Deku, of course, trusts Bakugou enough to give it to him, saying how it’s alright if it’s him, really hammering in that bond they have between them (that and well... he’s really the only other option here...). Two, Bakugou’s initial reaction after Deku implies that they need to share OFA, his expression right before he reaches out his hand to take it, has some people talking. I initially thought that the reason Bakugou looked so defeated/begrudging/upset, was because him having to accept OFA/help from Deku in order to win was a blow to his pride (kind of like in the Final Exam team-up). Or that it also means that Bakugou can no longer beat Deku at his strongest (Bakugou with OFA would become the better hero by default, kind of like how Endeavor rose to Number 1 after All Might’s retirement, instead of earning it through besting him fair and square). But I’ve also seen people say it was because Bakugou was reluctant to have to put an end to Deku’s dream (not unlike the way Bakugou put an end to All Might’s career?), since Deku was forfeiting OFA. Which I can kind of believe, but then again, this is why Bakugou is so hard to pin down: we rarely get his inner narrative, so his expressions are often multi-faceted/layered. So who knows what he was thinking? Granted, I tend to actually not give Bakugou the benefit of the doubt in these situations, but I do hope it was a mixture of all these things. But I think Bakugou really did feel bad about Deku’s hero career potentially being over: he even asks him if he was sure about his decision immediately after accepting OFA. Which is a huge 180 from the beginning of the series, when Bakugou WANTED to put an end to Deku’s dream. Now that’s growth.

This is going to delve more into just Bakugou himself, but I had additional thoughts about the whole OFA transfer thing, and how All Might (tentatively?) concludes that the predecessors returned OFA to Deku, even though, supposedly, it is non-returnable. The fact that Bakugou doesn’t remember the OFA transfer might be a better thing that I thought, since, if it really was the predecessors’ decision to give it back to Deku (and not just because he conked out before the transfer was done), then that just means that Deku is the one who is really worthy of OFA, and not him. At least, that’s one way of looking at it. Which might have crushed Bakugou, even though Bakugou likely doesn’t want OFA for himself. But I almost think that explains part of Bakugou’s reaction I mentioned in the previous point. Maybe, deep down, Bakugou doesn’t think he deserves OFA? Sure, Bakugou’s made it clear that he wants to become the best hero with his own power/Quirk, but it still hurt/confused him in DvK2 that All Might chose Deku. OFA itself choosing Deku and not him might as well just confirm that Deku is truly the better hero. Of course, we can’t really know for sure why the vestiges returned OFA to Deku. Personally, I would find it kinda funny/sad if OFA just thought Deku was better. Maybe it’s destiny? Maybe Deku’s journey is just not meant to be over yet? Or maybe, Bakugou, in the OFA mindscape, actually relinquished OFA to Deku of his own accord? Either way, as much as I love Bakugou, I think the vestiges were right in going back to Deku. Not even just for plot-reasons, but that OFA really is better suited for Deku. It’s a Quirk meant to be used for the sake of other people, and Bakugou simply isn’t of that mindset (yet?). I’m sorry Bakugou, but I’d choose Deku too.

Overall, I really feel like Deku and Bakugou’s teamwork was so natural and in-sync! They seem to act like one unit, not even having to talk to each other during the final Double OFA showdown, like they’re on the same wavelength or something. This film really made me believe that these two are going to become hero partners in the future or something, they’re too good together to be ultimately separated. Or maybe that’s just me being hopeful. We’ll see.

Meme Corner:

Bakugou after finding out that Mahoro was creating an illusion of a villain:

Bakugou: *winces from the pain of breaking his arm using OFA*

Deku, not even bothered, multiple-time champion of the arms-breaking club:

also:

Bakugou to the kids: “I’m gonna show you why I’m gonna be the number one hero!”

*proceeds to get the shit beat out of him by Nine* (cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme).

Wrap-Up/Conclusion:

There’s probably a lot more to discuss (that other people will likely touch on), but this is mainly what I cared about, so I’ll leave it at that. But just as a brief summary for everything else: LOV was good as usual, were mainly only at the beginning of the film; speaking of, that opening car chase sequence was pretty neat; the brief, Endeavor vs. Dabi was cool; Endeavor hugging Todoroki after they were rescued and Todoroki Not Having any of it was funny; Nine was alright as the main villain, could use some more depth, but I guess that’s what the short spin-off manga and bonus material are for. Hawks was great too. Even though I didn’t watch the English dub, I really liked the short clip I did see of him in English. His English VA suits him well (as does the Japanese)!

I don’t feel like going into critiques, even though there certainly are things to critique in the movie. I just enjoyed this film for the joyride that it is. Main nitpick: maybe NOT drop a bunch of high-schoolers on an island without a Pro-hero presence. Maybe NOT do that. But we got the Good ol’ Hero Commission going: “Oh boy, what could POSSIBLY go wrong??? 🤷🤷🤷”

Oh, and I do think that this film is safe for anime-onlies. The only thing is that people who haven’t read the manga will see things/characters they don’t really know about it and will, thus, be left wondering a little about them, but I don’t think it’s a huge deal.

If you took the time to get to the end of all my rambling, thank you and congrats! I didn’t include screen-caps for this post because the movie’s not on digital or DVD yet (and I don’t want to use other people’s camrips because Reasons), so I might do additional analyses once that happens.

---

Link to Unofficial Part 1 of My Thoughts on HR (based on leaks, before actually seeing the film; but I do go more into depth on other points of the film, such as OFA)

#bnha heroes rising spoilers #this post was basically me going 'how many other ways can i say the word heartwarming'#tl;dr: this film made me very happy

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hamliet · 6 years ago

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MDZS meets MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Personality type is older than the Enneagram, and consists of sixteen types based on four different pairs of personality traits: Introversion vs. Extroversion; Sensing vs. Intuition, Feeling vs. Thinking, and Perceiving vs. Judging. To be clear, none of these categories are black and white–for example, all Feelers are capable of using logic, and Thinkers have feelings and care about people–but it’s a cool way of understanding personalities.

I’m not going to do every character, but simply the characters I think are most important and the ones for whom I have the most information to analyze (some is def guesswork). :P Also, this is just my opinion and definitely open to debate! MBTI isn’t a science; it’s just something I do for fun.

Wei WuXian-->ENFP “The Campaigner”

Unlike many of the others, Wei WuXian’s type seems very, very obvious. He might be the most ENFP to ever ENFP.

The ENFP personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike Explorers, they are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate... if they’ve found a cause that sparks their imagination, ENFPs will bring an energy that oftentimes thrusts them into the spotlight, held up by their peers as a leader and a guru – but this isn’t always where independence-loving ENFPs want to be.

Lan WangJi-->ISTJ “The Logistician”

Why yes, Lan WangJi is the exact opposite of his beloved Wei WuXian. He’s another one that seems pretty obvious to me.

ISTJ personalities are no-nonsense... ISTJs have little tolerance for indecisiveness, but lose patience even more quickly if their chosen course is challenged with impractical theories, especially if they ignore key details...

ISTJ personalities adhere to established rules and guidelines regardless of cost, reporting their own mistakes and telling the truth even when the consequences for doing so could be disastrous. To ISTJs, honesty is far more important than emotional considerations, and their blunt approach leaves others with the false impression that ISTJs are cold, or even robotic. People with this type may struggle to express emotion or affection outwardly, but the suggestion that they don’t feel, or worse have no personality at all, is deeply hurtful.

Jiang Cheng-->ISTJ “The Logistician”

Yes, the same type as Lan WangJi, just a tad more bitter. Personality tests, even if two people seem to fit a type extremely well, can’t define someone, because people are just so infinitely more complex. The part about being taken advantage of reminds me here of how Jin GuangYao points out that people took advantage of Jiang Cheng’s need to prove himself to drive a wedge between him and Wei WuXian.

ISTJs’ dedication is an excellent quality, allowing them to accomplish much, but it is also a core weakness that less scrupulous individuals take advantage of. ISTJs seek stability and security, considering it their duty to maintain a smooth operation, and they may find that their coworkers and significant others shift their responsibilities onto them, knowing that they will always take up the slack. ISTJs tend to keep their opinions to themselves and let the facts do the talking, but it can be a long time before observable evidence tells the whole story.

Lan XiChen-->ENFJ “The Protagonist”

Sadly, this description is pretty accurate to Lan XiChen’s strengths and also his flaws--in particular in terms of his relationship with Jin GuangYao.

ENFJs radiate authenticity, concern and altruism, unafraid to stand up and speak when they feel something needs to be said. They find it natural and easy to communicate with others, especially in person, and their Intuitive (N) trait helps people with the ENFJ personality type to reach every mind, be it through facts and logic or raw emotion. ENFJs easily see people’s motivations and seemingly disconnected events, and are able to bring these ideas together and communicate them as a common goal with an eloquence that is nothing short of mesmerizing.

The interest ENFJs have in others is genuine, almost to a fault – when they believe in someone, they can become too involved in the other person’s problems, place too much trust in them.

Jin GuangYao-->ESFJ (?) “The Consul”

This one I’m less certain of--FJ seems certain to me, but I/E and N/S is a bit debatable. I think he best meets the description of “the Consul” though.

ESFJs are more concerned with fashion and their appearance, their social status and the standings of other people... ESFJs love to be of service, enjoying any role that allows them to participate in a meaningful way, so long as they know that they are valued and appreciated. Coming to terms with their sensitivity is ESFJs’ biggest challenge – people are going to disagree and they’re going to criticize, and while it hurts, it’s just a part of life.

Nie MingJue-->ESTJ “The Executive”

Less certain of E or I than for the other three, but the way he failed to overcome the challenge of how not everyone processes the same way seems very ESTJ to me.

ESTJs are representatives of tradition and order, utilizing their understanding of what is right, wrong and socially acceptable to bring families and communities together. Embracing the values of honesty, dedication and dignity, people with the ESTJ personality type are valued for their clear advice and guidance, and they happily lead the way on difficult paths.

ESTJs are aware of their surroundings and live in a world of clear, verifiable facts – the surety of their knowledge means that even against heavy resistance, they stick to their principles and push an unclouded vision of what is and is not acceptable... they expect their reliability and work ethic to be reciprocated – people with this personality type meet their promises, and if partners or subordinates jeopardize them through incompetence or laziness, or worse still, dishonesty, they do not hesitate to show their wrath...

The main challenge for ESTJs is to recognize that not everyone follows the same path or contributes in the same way.

Nie HuaiSang-->ISFP “The Adventurer”

Interesting name for a timid HuaiSang, but I really do think he is an ISFP. He is notably one of the few Nie Sect leaders who doesn’t seem at risk of dying from a qi deviation, and hence his less brutish way of ruling might actually, in the long run, be good for his sect. (NMJ would be proud... maybe.)

ISFP personality types are true artists, but not necessarily in the typical sense where they’re out painting happy little trees. Often enough though, they are perfectly capable of this. Rather, it’s that they use aesthetics, design and even their choices and actions to push the limits of social convention...

If these goals and principles are noble, ISFPs can act with amazing charity and selflessness – but it can also happen that people with the ISFP personality type establish a more self-centered identity, acting with selfishness, manipulation and egoism.

Wen Qing-->ENTJ “The Commander”

Another one I feel fairly confident in. Wen Qing is a boss queen who gives birth to one of the series’ most iconic lines: “thank you, and I’m sorry.” She’s able to win the respect of Wen RouHan and even some people who hate the Wens, and thinks outside the box, theorizing on core transfer but hesitant to actually try it when she isn’t fully confident.

ENTJs are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. But unlike their Feeling (F) counterpart, ENTJs are characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves.

Wen Ning-->INFP “The Mediator”

I was torn between S and N, but I went with INFP because he is more focused on thinking about possibilities--in fact his arc is about learning to be confident in his own possibilities and to explore them.

INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, INFPs have an inner flame and passion that can truly shine.

Jin ZiXuan--> ESTP, “The Entrepreneur”

Does he have enough of a personality for me to really analyze him? Maybe not but I like him a lot. He is motivated by what seems like pride at the beginning, but we later realize he cares deeply about the people around him and genuinely cared for Wei WuXian because his wife did.

Inspiring, convincing and colorful, they are natural group leaders, pulling everyone along the path less traveled, bringing life and excitement everywhere they go. Putting these qualities to a constructive and rewarding end is Entrepreneurs’ true challenge.

Jiang YanLi-->INFP “The Mediator”

Shijie was indeed the mediator between her two brothers, and it’s her legacy of love and kindness, of wanting Wei WuXian to live even at the expense of her own life no matter what he’d done, that makes a huge difference.

Luckily, like the flowers in spring, INFP’s affection, creativity, altruism and idealism will always come back, rewarding them and those they love perhaps not with logic and utility, but with a world view that inspires compassion, kindness and beauty wherever they go.

Jin Ling-->ESTP, “The Entrepreneur”

Jin Ling is the hardest one to pin down and I’m mad because he’s one of my favorites. He is highly emotional, but I think he’s an ESTP like his dad.

Entrepreneurs keep their conversation energetic, with a good dose of intelligence, but they like to talk about what is – or better yet, to just go out and do it. Entrepreneurs leap before they look, fixing their mistakes as they go, rather than sitting idle, preparing contingencies and escape clauses.

Lan SiZhui-->INFJ “The Advocate”

My type.

INFJs indeed share a unique combination of traits: though soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight tirelessly for an idea they believe in. They are decisive and strong-willed, but will rarely use that energy for personal gain – INFJs will act with creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity not to create advantage, but to create balance.

Lan JingYi-->ESFP “The Entertainer”

He’s pretty easy to figure out. I constantly wonder how he fares in the Gusu Lan Sect.

...they love putting on a show for their friends too, chatting with a unique and earthy wit, soaking up attention and making every outing feel a bit like a party. Utterly social, ESFPs enjoy the simplest things, and there’s no greater joy for them than just having fun with a good group of friends.

Xue Yang-->ESTP “The Entrepreneur”

ESTPs are the likeliest personality type to make a lifestyle of risky behavior. They live in the moment and dive into the action – they are the eye of the storm. People with the ESTP personality type enjoy drama, passion, and pleasure, not for emotional thrills, but because it’s so stimulating to their logical minds. They are forced to make critical decisions based on factual, immediate reality in a process of rapid-fire rational stimulus response.

A-Qing-->ESTP “The Entrepreneur”

Yes, I think A-Qing is the same type as Xue Yang, which doesn’t surprise me because they are actually extremely blatant foils in the story. It’s funny the description notes how observant ESTPs tend to be, because that’s something A-Qing absolutely is, noticing Xue Yang’s minuscule changes in expression and keeping her from trusting him, and Xue Yang is also incredibly observant of her words to realize she might just not be blind after all.

With perhaps the most perceptive, unfiltered view of any type, ESTPs have a unique skill in noticing small changes. Whether a shift in facial expression, a new clothing style, or a broken habit, people with this personality type pick up on hidden thoughts and motives where most types would be lucky to pick up anything specific at all. ESTPs use these observations immediately, calling out the change and asking questions, often with little regard for sensitivity. ESTPs should remember that not everyone wants their secrets and decisions broadcast.

Xiao XingChen-->ISFJ “The Defender”

The following description really reminds me of XXC especially after he hears the story about Xue Yang’s love of candy as a child, and every single day thereafter buys him and A-Qing a candy.

ISFJs take their responsibilities personally, consistently going above and beyond, doing everything they can to exceed expectations and delight others, at work and at home... Naturally social, an odd quality for Introverts, ISFJs utilize excellent memories not to retain data and trivia, but to remember people, and details about their lives. When it comes to gift-giving, ISFJs have no equal, using their imagination and natural sensitivity to express their generosity in ways that touch the hearts of their recipients

Song Lan-->INTJ “The Architect”

There’s not as much to go on for Song Lan, but what we do have seems to suggest INTJ to me, particularly in how someone who would spend years looking for a friend would refuse to consider that Xue Yang might have changed at all.

INTJs are simultaneously the most starry-eyed idealists and the bitterest of cynics, a seemingly impossible conflict.

Yu ZiYuan-->ESTJ “The Executive”

Welp. The Purple Spider is definitely an Executive.

#mdzs #mbti #mao dao zu shi

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thebeethathums · 6 years ago

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An Adventure - 15

Pairing: Bilbo Baggins x Reader

The mood on the road after that improved exponentially, with the chatter and laughter returning as you moved among dwarves happily. While you chatted with Bilbo as you did the others, after the events of the other night you made sure to sleep a good distance away from him. It wasn’t that you didn’t enjoy it, you did, it was that you needed to keep your focus on things other than your growing feelings for your hobbit friend. Gandalf had told you to keep an eye on the company in its entirety, not just Bilbo, and you were going to do so.

When you reached the cusp of the Misty Mountains, you pleaded with Thorin to wait for Gandalf, the mountain pass was treacherous and you had an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, but he insisted they continue. You exchanged wary looks with Balin, following the others forward as Thorin lead on. You were as alert as you could be, scanning the narrow path and your companions’ movements as well as allowing your ears to pick up even the slightest of noises. If someone slipped or the rock gave way you would be ready.

When it started to drizzle, your heart skipped a few beats and, when it started to pour and thunder rumbled through the sky, your stomach dropped to the floor. This was the worst possible scenario for your trek through the mountains as the likelihood of losing men shot up and every footfall could be your last. Your heart leapt to your throat when you saw Bilbo careen forward ahead of you but thankfully Dawlin and Bofur managed to tug him back.

You let out a slightly relieved huff, preparing to move on forward… until you saw the massive boulder headed in the company’s direction, your eyes going impossibly wide as Nori shoved you tightly against the mountain behind you with an outstretched arm. You looked up at the massive rock titian in awe before setting your jaw and yelling, “We need to keep moving! We’re right in their line of battle.”

Your cry fell on deaf ears as the ground beneath you shifted and, from the stone behind you, a third stone giant emerged, trapping you and your friends on its knees as it moved forward to join the rock throwing battle. All you could do was hang on and pray to all that is good and fair that they would either stop or that you all could get off before you fell or collided with some form of solid stone.

As if some sprite of mischief had heard your plea and let his lips turn to a wicked smirk, the side of the mountain came rushing towards you when your giant’s balance faltered. You crammed your eyes shut for the impact, sending apologies to Gandalf out into the air in front of you, but soon found yourself in a pile on top of Bofur, having been safely deposited on a fortunately placed ledge.

You let out a relieved laugh, rolling off of the dwarf to recoup on the wet stone next to him. It wasn’t until you heard someone cry for Bilbo that you shot up, your smile at being alive falling to a worried frown which turned panicked when he was found hanging off the nearby ledge. The dwarves quickly tried to heave him up but you could see they were going to need help. Hoping the tread on your boots would hold, you swung yourself down to a foothold in the cliff face so you could grab the back of his shirt. Aided by Thorin on the other side, who had had much the same thought as you, you tugged him up to safety.

When Bilbo was safely up, you thought it was over but Thorin's footing and balance were not as sound as yours and within seconds he was in the same situation as Bilbo had been. Dwalin was quick to grab him as you dangerously shifted over to catch his other arm and yank him up towards you, feeling the strain on your injured shoulder but focusing on not letting your grip on him slip. You let go when Dwalin put all his weight into it and together you managed to get him far up enough that the others could help in tugging him on to the ledge. Thorin quickly turned to extend a hand to you and you took it gratefully, letting him heft you up to the ledge easily as you were fairly lightweight.

Feeling the shock of the moment hit you head on, you just sort of sat on the ground, heaving air into your lungs, with Balin already pressing at your shoulder. You were positive it hurt but you were too numb from the adrenaline and the cold to feel anything.

Dwalin huffed, “I thought we’d lost our burglar,” and Thorin growled, “He’s been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us.”

You didn’t catch Thorin’s harsh words towards Bilbo as Fili pulled you up and ushered you towards the nearby cave, an arm wrapped tightly around your waist as your steps proved to be shaky and unsure. You plopped down on a rock as the dwarves searched the cave, pressing a hand to the wall nearby while you calmed your breathing.

Something about this cave didn’t feel right but you were getting nothing from the walls or anything else you touched. Pulling your pack around and into your lap, you began to mull over if you should pull off one of your rune covered wrist cuffs to try again at full force. Oin interrupted your thoughts as he dipped down to be eye level with you, “Balin says I should take a look at that shoulder, lass. Thorin’s weight will have set back its progress.”

You nodded, pulling off your cloak, and then realized you were going to have to take off your shirt as well, turning to Oin, “If you’d give me just a minute, I’d rather not be indecent in a cave full of men.”

He quickly turned away as you unfurled your blanket, wrapping it around yourself before pulling your shirt over your head and letting the blanket slide down so it covered your torso but your shoulders were bare.

“All right, Oin, you can look now,” you murmured and he moved to remove the bandage from your shoulder and fix the damage that had been done by the stunt on the cliff face. You were fortunate it seemed as it had been nearly healed and the change wasn’t that bad, so you chatted with Oin as he worked. Being the promiscuous dwarf that he was, Kili smirked as his eyes trailed over the skin of your exposed shoulders, nudging Fili, “It is so easy to forget she is a fair maid but at times like this it is never more obvious.”

His brother chuckled softly, looking you over as well before giving a nod in another direction so that Kili would look there, “It would seem you are not the only one who’s noticed.”

It was true, some of the other dwarves were stealing glances, but the most noticeable was Bilbo, who was openly staring. Kili exchanged a glance with his brother and the two of them swept up behind the hobbit, “Like what you see, Bilbo?”

He startled, “W-what? N-no. I mean yes but no- no but-“

The pair burst into muffled laughter, so as not to draw your attention and subsequent wrath, and Kili hummed, “Tsk tsk tsk. You two seemed so cozy the other night and now you deny your interest. It would seem Master Baggins is a changeable man. She will be disappointed.”

Bilbo floundered, opening and closing his mouth a few times before deciding there was no good way to answer them and just setting his face in a peeved frown as his cheeks went red. Your voice cut through the cave sharply, “Fili. Kili. Do we have to have another ‘talk’ about how much I dislike it when you tease?”

The two ducked their heads, not having anticipated being caught, and shook their heads, “No, (F/n), we were just having a harmless chat. Right, Bilbo?”

The hobbit just nodded and you responded, “Good. Keep it as such.”

Once you were clothed again, you went back to examining the cave, absentmindedly tugging at one of your cuffs as your subconscious tried to warn you away from it. You considered removing the sturdy leather again but, since you hardly ever did so, you dismissed the idea that you should- if the cave wouldn't speak to you now it probably won't give you anything then either. You did, however, voice your concerns to Thorin in hushed whispers, “Thorin, I know this cave seems good shelter from the cutting storm outside but I cannot help but feel uneasy. It’s odd that it is empty and that is troubling enough without my skin crawling. We shouldn’t camp here.”

Stubborn as always, he shook his head, “The company needs rest and you are well aware the path ahead is treacherous enough without the rain. We stay.”

You hung your head and moved to walk away before he added, “But I will keep sharp in light of your unease. Now rest.”

Nodding, you went to flop down in-between Fili and Kili for the night with a heavy sigh, fingering your cuff again as you drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

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byclaudiamoser · 5 years ago

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Life as We Now Know It

We’re about to wrap week six of “Life as We Now Know It.”

Six weeks ago, COVID 19 was upon us and now it has finally arrived.

What, from a distance, appeared to be someone else’s nightmare, was now standing on the doorstep of the United States and was knocking.

In various regions of the globe this pandemic was taking lives by the seconds. Very quickly, the United States found itself bracing for an unprecedented time. A public health crisis was here in our midst and it wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

Fear and uncertainty swept our nation.

At the command of the 45th President, all citizens were to immediately seize gathering in large groups of 10 or more and implement social distancing, which meant our country was now shut down, literally.

Overnight people were ordered to stay home and all non-essential businesses were to remain closed. Employers were losing revenue, employees were losing jobs, and students were required to no longer attend the classroom and quickly acclimate themselves to virtual distance learning.

As the disease spread rapidly and the number of cases doubled and tripled each day, fear, worry, and extreme anxiety started manifesting themselves in a number of forms and at various levels.

As nature would have it, each one of us was navigating uncertainty and with that, we’re bound to encounter fear.

What was going on?

Initially, the designated time frame for social distancing was eight weeks, with many unknowns. Since, it’s been extended and many are managing the drastic changes to everyday life.

Today, it’s common to see a number of headline updates on the coronavirus throughout the day. It seems everywhere you turn, there’s a new guidance or directive set out to assist the citizens with reducing the spread of this deadly virus and it’s our individual responsibility to adhere to the instructions of those in command, but how? Our country, its citizens, and this generation, has never faced something of its kind.

While navigating through new territory and seeking wisdom from the Lord, I couldn’t help but think of some of my favorite Bible heroes who faced many challenges with unwavering faith and steadfast commitment managed to emerge victorious: Moses, King David, and the Apostle Paul, just to name a few.

What intrigued me most about these heroes, was that in their fear and uncertainty, and without hesitation, they’d “let their request be known to God.” Philippians 4:6.

Jesus had a way of setting the story straight and be reassuring of the infinite hope and love others would find in Him. This did not preclude His faithful followers, His disciples.

While referencing scripture, I stumbled across the book of Luke and the 21st chapter, tells of a story when Jesus destroyed the temple and warns the disciples of the signs of the end times:

Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

“But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so, you will bear testimony to me.

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.

For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life.

“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.

From the disciples perspective, this had to bring about fear.

Naturally, they were fearful, but the disciples put their trust in Jesus, as should we.

The disciples had been walking with Jesus and were privy to His teachings and witnessed His miracles day in and day out. They were confident He would provide the tools necessary to conquer fear and deplete worry in times of uncertainty and distress.

The Father didn’t throw Jesus into the battle without equipping Him with the necessary tools He needed to win the battle. Neither did Jesus throw His disciples into the battle, without equipping them.

Within this passage, Jesus warns His disciple of the persecution and hardship they will suffer on His account and He knew there would be a time for His departure. Therefore, Jesus instructs the disciples,

“but make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.”

The disciples knew they would have to make a choice, “beforehand.” Beforehand implies before an action or event takes place or in advance of some occurrence.

Clearly and “beforehand”, a firm foundation in the Word of God and a belief in the supernatural strength of Jesus Christ, are essential to winning any battle.

The passage also commands,

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

“Make up your mind not to worry beforehand” and “lift up your head”, but what does this look like in a practical sense?

In my personal pursuit of getting rid of the worry, I’ve decided to get to know the God I so desperately love. I’ve learned to trust Him through the difficult times, stand on the promises of His word and look for ways to implement His peace in my day to day life. By practicing these principles, He becomes my central focus of my life, while all my worries slowly begin to diminish.

To get to know God, I have to carve out time in my day to give Him my undivided attention.

Typically, I spend the early morning hours of my day in prayer and devotion, coupled with scripture reading and biblical teachings. Spending time alone with God and in His word brings me closer to God and aligns my heart with His. The more time we spend with Him and the more I follow Him closely, the more I will be inclined to want to obey His commands and follow His lead throughout my day.

Trusting God when things are tough is not always easy.

I’ve learned to practice trusting Him with the small stuff on a routine basis and when the big stuff comes up, I resort right to the same method I’ve already rehearsed. If I encounter a problem, whether big or small, I surrender it to the Lord and immediately ask Him what He would like me to learn through this difficult time. Oftentimes, I will sense a direction to pursue, a scripture to press into, or a song that speaks to me, which will lead me to a resolution and if not a resolution, peace of mind or the courage to remain patient and still enough to hear His voice, once again. This becomes a cyclical pattern, proving itself time and time again.

An intentional quest for peace has become a daily practice.

Some of the ways I implement peace in my life are drawing the Lord into my situation. Simply saying His name, brings about peace. Other times, I will listen to praise and worship music, which inevitably draws my heart nearer toward Him and a sudden peace washing over me and reminds me, He is near. Another way I sense the Lord's peace is through creation. An anticipated trip to the beach, a long drive toward the sunset or a casual evening stroll through the park helps remind me of the sovereignty of God.

When we place God in the center of our lives, He is certain to make His presence known.

While fear and uncertainty continue to sweep our nation, trusting and leaning into God’s strength, will remind me, I don’t have to go this alone “...because God has said, never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

As difficult as it may seem sometimes, we must re-align our focus to rely on God instead of the ways of the world and continue to move forward one small scale action at a time. This only comes with the intent to consistently pursue Him in all we do, ask, or think. Your constant pursuit of the Father and commitment to keep Him at the forefront of your thoughts will yield lasting peace, and a renewed passion to pursue Him daily, which will inevitably give you an unexplainable Hope.

True fulfillment and peace of mind comes only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Well, you made it friend!

Glad you’re here and I hope you enjoyed this blog. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

If you’d like a little more encouragement, click the button below to sign up to receive my weekly encouragement email titled:

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In it, you’ll find weekly stories and scriptures to encourage you along your journey.

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buildarocketboys · 7 years ago

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Like Leaves on the Wind - Eleanor/Abigail

I realised there was no fic for this pairing, and I love them both, so I thought I’d write some/ Set during the events of 2x06 - Eleanor goes to rescue Abigail from the fort, and gets more feelings than she’s bargained for. Here on ao3

“But you seem a formidable woman, ma’am. Perhaps it was exposure to the challenges of this place that made you the person you are.”

The girl is sweet, Eleanor thinks, and in fact she reminds her a little of herself, when she first found herself here, alone, adrift.

She is brave, too, in a way that Eleanor has so far found only in other women: not in the heat battle or heroic sacrifices, but in the set of her jaw as she carries on, despite what she has been through, what has been done to her.

She’s a little naïve too – more so than Eleanor can ever remember being, although she wonders how much naivete can survive what Abigail has been through. A little, she thinks, looking at her face, pale, dirty and determined, but not a lot.

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” she says in response to Abigail’s unphrased question.

But it sets her to thinking – Abigail had said that her father had left her behind – not in burning, lawless Nassau, in civilized London, done in the name of her protection rather than his own cowardice – but all the same – the way they saw their fathers’ actions amounted to the same thing. They had both been left behind. And the way Abigail had asked her whether this place had made her who she was…didn’t that speak of a thirst to prove herself, against her father’s expectations, in places rough and coarse, as Nassau and Charlestown both were?

This what Eleanor thinks as she hands Abigail the torch and attempts to open the gate, to no avail.

They hear the footsteps and voices as Eleanor is telling Abigail how Charles’s men will search every inch of the fort till they find her.

She finds she has never been so scared – not just for herself, although she has rarely been so at risk before, never put herself in so vulnerable a position, for so weak a plan – but also for the girl who, Eleanor is sure, is the only reason the plan could possibly work. The girl who has placed her trust in her to get her out of here.

Fear makes her strong, and she pulls a metal bracket out of the wall, using it to lever the gate open. It sticks still, and Abigail rushes forward to help wrench it. Eleanor manages to rechain and lock it only when Charles arrives.

Eleanor knows Charles isn’t bluffing, when he says there’s no going back, when he says she’ll hear from him if she goes through with this. She also knows Abigail is shaking, wide-eyed and terrified behind her. In the end, it is an easy decision to make. She chooses the girl.

She takes Abigail’s hand and leads her down the tunnel. It’s small in hers, but grips tight. They make their way through the dark and out into the open air.

Abigail gasps, taking in great gulps of fresh air, looking wonderingly at the stars. Eleanor takes her in, gut churning painfully. She lets Abigail have her few moments to savour her newfound freedom, before placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, Abigail. We must go. Mrs Hamilton will be waiting for you.”

Abigail turns to her. “What you did in there-” She halts, looking up at Eleanor as she had gazed up at the stars a moment ago. It sets something ablaze within her, something she thought she had lost when she betrayed Max.

“I don’t regret it,” she says. It’s the truth, even though she knows Charles will make her pay, somehow, if he survives the wrath of his men. She cannot regret anything she has done tonight, no matter what it may cost her.

“Won’t he -?” Abigail swallows, either painfully unsure or painfully aware of the damage men like Charles Vane can inflict on women like Eleanor Guthrie, and Eleanor is not sure which is worse.

“There’ll be hell to pay, I’m sure,” she says, as if it doesn’t really bother her, as if she really is the formidable woman Abigail takes her for – as if she hadn’t been cowering as much as Abigail as they hurried through those dark tunnels. “But you are worth more than me.”

It is true on every level, thinks Eleanor, so she absolutely does not expect what happens next.

Abigail kisses her. It is innocent but passionate, and Eleanor looks at her with disbelief and wonder as Abigail draws back and strokes her face tenderly.

“You mustn’t say such things,” she says, eyes blazing. “It’s not true.”

Eleanor smiles tiredly, looks at the ground to avoid Abigail’s burning gaze. She squeezes her shoulder. “Come on, we ought to get going,” is all she says, and they continue down the hill to the tavern where Miranda Hamilton is waiting.

She rises early the next morning, before first light, in order to see them off. She can’t pretend that it’s partly to see Abigail again, one last time.

The girl smiles when she sees her, clean now, and well dressed and fed, and runs forward to grip her hands. She can feel the weight of Captain Flint’s gaze on her.

“Will I ever see you again?” Abigail asks.

Maybe, whispers Eleanor’s treacherous heart. If this succeeds, and Peter Ashe becomes a frequent visitor to Nassau, then, perhaps, his daughter will have cause to come here again.

She says none of this – it would not do to get the girl’s hopes up over something she should not want, let alone her own. “Probably not,” she says instead. “But it was a privilege to save your life,” she says flippantly, trying for some levity.

Abigail, however, is not fooled. “Thank you,” she says, tone grave. She kisses Eleanor’s cheek. “Look after yourself,” and Eleanor can only nod, and smile, and back away, as they board the boat that will take them out to the warship.

She waves them off, telling herself it is foolish to cry, but that does not prevent the tears from falling. She only hopes they are too far away to see them.

She can’t help thinking she’s let the best thing that has happened to her slip through her fingers, again.

#black sails #black sails fic #eleanor guthrie #abigail ashe #dad!flint knows what's up #and i now kind of want to write a sequel of sorts where james and abigail discuss thomas. and having crushes on their own gender #my writing #fanfic

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untitledcreativeproject · 8 years ago

Text

Day 17. [1627]

More fights? More fights.

The ominous clouds dissipated with the Saiyan's passing, returning the light from Namek's suns to its terrified populace. Gatas remained above the Namekian town for a time, waiting for some other disturbance to make its presence known. None came, and the locals below seemed unwilling to engage with the being who had apparently saved them. The mercenary decided that it was probably time to head back to the Red Ribbon base. She flew off in what she thought was the right direction. Roughly an hour later, a squad of Red Ribbon soldiers out on patrol waved Gatas down from the air and informed her that Colonel Mulberry had been waiting for her back at base. They gave Gatas some helpful directions and sent her back on her way. The Shikirian did some more aimless flying around before finally spotting the base. She heaved a sigh of relief and touched down at the entrance. Gatas had walked about halfway down the familiar hall leading to General Auburn's office before she heard someone behind her call her name. She spun to face her estranged Tuffle chaperone. "For Kami's sake, Gatas," the Colonel chided, "you could have at least told me what your plan of action was before you left me in the dust back there. Don't get me wrong, I mean, the way you charged in was nothing short of breathtaking to watch, but what in blazes was I supposed to be doing while you jumped into the fray on a suicide mission? I hightailed it out of there before the Namekians outside recovered from that blinding attack. Reports from the soldiers that made it back from that massacre state that you managed to take out the two Namekians believed to be the Guru's personal guard. Assassinating one would be a feat for anybody, but two?" Mulberry whistled. "You really are something else. And look at you? You don't even look like you're returning from battle, you look like someone who maybe took a hike that turned out to be longer than planned." Gatas waited for the Colonel to catch their breath, knowing that there was more to come. "Anyway, the General didn't seem too torn up about us not finding the Guru in that location, which means he'll most likely have another area designated for us to check out when we next report to him." Mulberry rubbed their chin thoughtfully, then snapped their fingers. "Oh! In other news, it seems like that local gang has disbanded. There haven't been any reports of vandalized equipment or buildings recently. Not since I got back to base, actually." Briefly, Gatas wondered how long she had been out without her chaperone. The neverending days on Namek made it hard to tell. Enough time had passed for there to be noticeable repercussions for some of the things she had done while unsupervised, clearly. The Guru was still out there somewhere. She had an open mission to complete. Colonel Mulberry nodded. "Judging by the set of your jaw, you've come to some sort of decision. I'd say it's about time we see the general. I know you don't like to be idle for long when there's work to do." Gatas was welcomed into Auburn's office with the usual level of enthusiasm. "Oh? Colonel, I see you got to her first. Well, don't just stand there, you may as well come in." The general waited until the door closed before continuing. "The final count on your latest excursion puts this mission at roughly 43 casualties already. That's forty-three of /our/ people, I should clarify. It's difficult to get an accurate number for the Namekians, given the carnage and their race's ability to regenerate." "One of the guys that made it back said it was probably for the best that the village wasn't on any maps we had," Mulberry added. "After what happened there, it saves us the trouble of having to remove it." "Colonel Mulberry," the general said, and paused. "I understand you want to remain involved, but... why are you here?" Gatas looked from the general to the colonel, confused. "Sir, I already gave you--" "I do remember telling you when you returned alone that your supervision of this mercenary would no longer be necessary." The man's tone was more weary than angry, as if this was either an expected conversation or a repeat one. "I still feel that I could be an asset in--" "So you said at the time. You were correct, at least, in assuming that Gatas would return to us relatively unharmed. You either have a very clear grasp of the scope of her abilities, or you have entirely too much faith in whatever you do know of them." Mulberry blushed at this, wisely keeping their mouth shut. "I will allow our guest the final say. Gatas," Auburn said, turning his attention to her, "You may well be one of the Red Ribbon Army's most valuable acquisitions in this war. You have proven to me that you can be trusted and that your loyalty, at least for the duration of your contract, lies firmly with our organization. Thus, you are no longer required to have a chaperone. Colonel Mulberry, despite their orders, has expressed a desire to remain partnered with you, at least for the duration of your current mission. If you have any objections to this arrangement, now would be the time to voice them." Gatas glanced between the two officers again. Mulberry had yet to prove personally useful in combat situations, but then again Gatas had spent a good portion of their time apart wondering just where the hell her Tuffle comrade had gone. Now that she had her answer, would she be glad to be rid of the chatterbox? They had been briefed on the mission together, after all. It seemed fair to finish in the same manner. Gatas shrugged and looked to Mulberry as she gave a nod. "Alright. With that settled, here are the details of the next location we'd like you to investigate. Try to be discreet about it this time." "Yes sir," Mulberry responded, too quickly. They stood up and saluted, eyes front. Gatas side-eyed them as they were dismissed. When they were safely out of earshot, Mulberry squealed. "Yes! Back at it again. I was worried you'd say no because I wasn't sure if you thought I abandoned you back at the village, but I knew you'd get overwhelmed if I didn't call for reinforcements." They flipped through the information they had been given. "This next location seems a bit less secluded, so I don't think we should try your opening tactic again. Any big commotion could alert the neighboring communities and draw unwanted attention." Gatas nodded. While she could brute force her way through a lot of things, trying to locate a target who was actively making himself scarce would require a bit more tact. Mulberry would see to the details, she was certain. The only thing left to do was to get there, which they would hopefully accomplish without incident. As luck would have it, they did not. Barely ten minutes out from the base and a beastly Namekian came charging out into the path of their vehicle, immediately followed by an old Makyan with a bottle in his hand. "Get back here! When I catch you you're gonna be in big trouble, mister!" The Makyan was clearly in no position to make threats, as he was struggling to even keep up with the bigger alien. Mulberry sped up and swerved, hitting the Namekian with the side of the jeep and effectively pinning him down. "What's going on here?" "No time to explain," the Makyan huffed. He handed his bottle off to them. "Take this, you'll need it to defeat him." With a roar, the Namekian heaved the car off of himself. Gatas unbuckled her seatbelt and ejected herself as the vehicle flipped in mid air. She landed lightly next to the Namekian and watched as the recently vacated jeep landed on an incline and rolled over onto its top. "A new dawn is breaking over Namek. Mark this day, peasants, for today is the day that Naraka, bringer of death and destruction, has once again been unleashed upon this doomed planet's unsuspecting people. Soon they will know what it truly means to suffer!" "Does... does dawn ever really happen on Namek?" Mulberry asked. "I mean, I've never seen all three of the suns go down at once. I suppose when one comes back up it could count, but with the sky as bright as it always is it's hard to notice." "Silence!" The Namekian turned his attention to the Colonel and spotted the bottle in their hand. "Foolish human, you think that trick will work on me a second time? Anyone who opposes my will shall be utterly devastated by my power." Gatas sighed. For a planet of quiet pacifists, Namek seemed to be a hotbed for violent would-be dictators. "I shall be the one to sentence you to the void this time," the Namekian growled. "This planet, these people... all shall face Naraka's wrath!" "If anyone's claiming this planet, it's Red Ribbon," Mulberry shot back. "Gatas, catch!" Gatas caught the small bottle and gave the colonel a questioning look. Didn't they have more pressing matters to attend to? She jerked her arm back as the Namekian lunged for the bottle. "Hand me that vial immediately, or I, Naraka, shall obliterate you!" Gatas's lip curled. There hadn't been a Namekian on the planet yet who could stand against her, and she was sure this one would be no different. Still, he irritated her. If it would get them back on their way, then she'd make quick work of him.

[Running Total: 17,212 words]

#Untitled writing project #year 2 #rp stuff #creative writing

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