#((Moved to beta editor!))

[lordlymaelstrom]

「 @blasterexceed 」 | continued from 「 X 」

Somehow he had found himself occupying a table with Sendou Aichi, despite not sharing any classes with him like Gaillard had. Leon, having been in enrolled for both Military History and Oceanography classes had him seeing the other side of Keter. But he was familiar enough with the Sendou, Gaillard talked about him often enough. From what Leon could gather; Sendou was committed to his education, and scored top marks among his peers(something that seemed to fire the previously mentioned Gaillard up whenever he mentioned as much.). But Leon also found him to be incredibly compassionate despite his studious nature. Why else would he share such a sentiment with someone he only met a handful of times prior?

Leon offers him a kind, albeit formal sort of smile in return. Ever proper in his ways, having been taught such manners from an early age, after all.

❝ While that is true, I only wish all my friends were. ❞

Gaillard and Mitsusada did well enough to fill the void left by Jillian and Sharlene’s absence, but he still finds himself missing them terribly. It was only natural, after having grown up with them his entire life. His moving to attend University was a big change for all of them, but it was also a chance Leon couldn’t pass up. The twins remained at the manor in the meantime, but he still made sure to keep in touch with them every day without fail. 

❝ I suppose I’m still getting used to it. Gaillard and Misusada have been great company since I’ve transferred though; as have you, of course. But you sound as if you’re speaking from experience. Do you by any chance have anyone that you too miss since moving from home for Keter University, Sendou Aichi? ❞

Call it a hunch, but Leon always found he could read others fairly well given the chance. Behind Aichi's kind and calm demeanor Leon could sense a sort of... emptiness? It was almost as if the wind would blow right through him, rather than around or against him. It was the type of void left when having to leave something or someone behind-- it was a scar upon one's heart that Leon knew too well now after having to do such a thing himself in order to pursue his goals for the betterment of his people.

The two had been little more than strangers, but Aichi spoke to him as though he understood him completely. Perhaps... Perhaps Leon wasn't the only one who could read the wind given off by others, see their colors, and hear it's whispers. -

[kurogane-redfox]

"I ain't even sure when I first started drawin' personally. I know it was after I joined Fairy Tail but other than that I ain't got a fuckin' clue,"

Gajeel had been in Phantom Lord for quite a number of years prior to it being disbanded and all that. Back then anything that was an outlet for emotions other than negative ones were frowned upon or outright banned by the Master. Jose had seemed to like making his wizards suffer, but most especially those who were ranked S-Class, such as the Element Four, and the Dragon Slayer himself. Most of the shit the Iron Dragon went through weren't known to anyone else, not even Panther Lily who knew most things about his Dragon Slayer partner.

"Ya could always take a small class for drawin' if ya want to draw, I mean. Obviously it ain't required or anythin' nonsense like that."

He happened to like being able to draw and sketch even though he felt that his art was severely lacking in both quality and appearance. He was likely wrong though, if Levy's comments were anything to go by.

@booklovingfairylevy

[extasiie]

@frxncaise // continued.

“I can imagine it. Well you simply must find a moment to see the sights on your own terms. It is not Paris, but it is charming in its own way,” he says, his eyes following the sweep of the dancers through the center of the room. “How long are you to stay with us in Moscow? I have the vague idea your father is in politics, isn’t that so? Well I don’t know a thing about all that and I don’t see much point in learning, but I do wonder what can he possibly be up to here, things being how they are with the war they tell us is still going on, somewhere.” Anatole Kuragin spoke of war as he might speak of the weather. How could he do otherwise, when it meant so little to him and his life here in the city? Truth be told, he never thought of it, and only did so now because he was confronted with the daughter of the French ambassador. If any of that nonsense with Napoleon were ever going to interest him, it would certainly be in proximity to a pretty, young French girl.

[standingxbear]

[ cont from here with @redheadrecon ]

"Because I do not normally shorten my words and speak in full sentences. Unlike most people out here..." He paused, "Also my parents made us read a lot of books as children. We had a good library."

The White Legs had burned it to the ground. There had been little left of his town when they finally reached it. It had taken weeks to dig graves and it had been too many years. Most bodies were unrecognizable apart from distinctive clothing or jewelry. Most weapons had been taken after the war, but he had managed to identify some of his father's remains, bones, by the ceremonial axe he had fought with. He knew one of his best friends by red swoosh Nikes, another by his leather jacket with lightening and T.C.B. embroidered into it.

The town was mostly left alone, a bit too far remote in Monument Valley for much of anyone to care about. Even the White Legs. Their intention was never to 'take over'... But his father's radio station had been raided. Dozens of holo tapes taken. Maybe a hundred, maybe more. Bear couldn't understand it and it made him far more angry than he could even admit.

His hometown was starting to look livable again. But it had been hard work. Eventually he stopped insisting on doing most of it on his own and let Eagle help him.

"Thank you. For everything."

[ghetsis-a]

@heroftruth cont.

Her stomach twists as Eelektross charges forward, electricity slamming its way into her partner quickly. The speed of it all leaves her Samurott no time to do anything other than brace. For a terrifying moment, it appears to Hilda that the move had knocked him unconscious and she finds herself taking a rushed step toward him. But her Samurott lifts its head and steadies its frame. The action is slow, and Hilda knows instantly that his health is low, another hit of that caliber will result in him fainting. She’s quick to withdraw Percy, the panic that has filled her since the initial sight of Ghetsis growing slightly. Her plan had simply been to look around Dragonspiral tower, not to end up fighting against the very man who haunted her nightmares. She wasn’t prepared for this. The entirety of the team she normally battled with was not on her, an Umbreon far too low-leveled and young for such a fight filling one of the spots. As strong as she and her pokemon have become, he’s caught her off guard. Unlike their last fight, she can’t see a way through this. The only hope she has is to take a defensive stance, to try and protect her pokemon the best she can.

   Stoutland is swiftly released, and Hilda forces herself to stand straighter despite the terror flooding her, determined to not let it show. “Go ahead, but then you will never find Reshiram. They aren’t on me.” She knows she’s playing a dangerous game by voicing this, that it’s only going to aggravate him further, but she does so regardless- hoping to find a way to get her pokemon out of this battle. “Kamali, Hyper Beam.”

Predictable of her to withdraw the Samurott rather than let him faint. Ghetsis withdrew his Eelektross in kind to avoid being outnumbered later. At the sight of her Stoutland, he released Bastiodon, a newer addition to his team. The steel type took the Hyperbeam in stride, its shield-like head protecting the rest of its body.

Ghetsis was taken aback by Hilda's claim that Reshiram wasn't with her. What kind of trainer wouldn't arm themselves with the most powerful pokemon available to them? Oh, right... The kind who saw pokemon as treasured friends with free agency and all that... He snarled in frustration before collecting himself.

"Is that so," he huffed. "Well, that certainly does put you at a disadvantage, doesn't it? As I recall, Reshiram's awakening was the only reason you and your pokemon walked away alive all those years ago. Do you remember that feeling of being so close to utter failure? I wonder if it's a familiar feeling now. How long until Reshiram senses the danger you're in and comes to the rescue? How long before you can no longer bear the suffering of your pokemon and call in your only hope of survival? I guess we'll see which comes first."

He pulled another pokeball from his coat and released Toxicorak alongside his Bastiodon. He was aware that the use of Hyperbeam left Hilda's Stoutland open to attack and now was not the time to play fair.

"Close Combat," he ordered and the Toxicroak charged forth in its assault.

[decadentias]

STORM GLANCED AT THE FAMILIAR blonde and observed her. He saw the brief look of surprise on her face, which mirrored his own. He quickly recovered, pretending as if this was his first meeting with a stranger. The truth was otherwise. He knew her very well. The memories of their night together still fresh in his mind. As she introduced herself, he smiled lopsidedly. "Nice to meet you, Johanna. The name's Storm," he said, taking her hand. Her teasing remark prompted him to chuckle. This wasn't necessary. With everything that happened last night, they were past the introduction and icebreakers. "You know how she is. She's Miss Friendship. She has too many friends. Can't keep track introducing every circle," he quipped. "Perhaps, I should get her alone and buy her a drink," he told their friend shamelessly as he met Johanna's gaze.

continued from here // @lostxones

[andessence]

@polarean // continued.

Moritz holds the bedpost fast in her clammy hands as she watches him think and make comforting overtures at her like one coos to a frightened, cornered animal. ‘It is not bad to be who you are.’ Her knuckles are white from her grip. Does he really believe that? Moritz has about a thousand reasons to hate who she is, all backed up by the ire of her schoolmasters, the disappointment of her parents, and the rejection of her home, and all of these without anyone ever having to know what she is now, dressing up like a girl alone in some boardinghouse room in the dead of night to admire her own reflection. The stupidity had been fault enough to make her see that being who she was could indeed be bad. ———— But no matter how resolutely she attempts to reconcile herself to this sour truth, a craving for acceptance keeps her hoping it could be otherwise. It makes her wish that, for all her protests, Sylvain won’t stop trying to comfort her.

Melchior had once made her see that this was the nature of girls — to fight off a good thing as long as they could, and eventually to be won over, in spite of themselves. That’s the best proof she has that she’s a girl, deep down; she can’t help fighting off the good things she most needs.

Sylvain is looking at her dress — (It was Mama’s dress, and heaven only knows what she thought when she noticed it was missing. Did she discover the theft right away, or only days, maybe weeks after her son flunked out of school and disappeared? Surely she would have been too embarrassed to mention it except to Moritz’s father ... if the two of them even spoke about Moritz anymore and had not disowned her, leaving her name a taboo in her childhood home.) — but Sylvain is looking at it and he is asking her something about it that she doesn’t understand. 

“How to...? Sorry.”

She does not step back out from behind the corner of the bed, but her weight shifts, and she leans out, the skirt rustling, as if she might come forward.

[more-than-a-princess]

Continued from here for @quickdeaths !

Sonia was pleased: they hadn't reacted poorly to her decline of their offer. In fact, they seemed optimistic that underneath all of the fine tweed and silk, there was an athlete buried there. They weren't wrong: she took to physical activity almost as well as she took to memorizing languages and an array of facts, useful or otherwise. "Thank you for your vote of confidence," She replied with a hopeful smile in return, "Though I think it'll be in the best interest of everyone if I attempt such acrobatic skills with the wheeled boards in more suitable attire: it wouldn't suit anyone if I became seriously injured."

Of course, that meant anything from breaking a bone to receiving the smallest scar. For all of her sporting events and military training, her tutors had been careful not to permanently mar the Princess of Novoselic's appearance, particularly anywhere that could be seen by the general public. She had an image to uphold, like everyone else in the House of Nevermind. But that didn't mean, for the present at least, she couldn't admire the skill this person had: Sonia accepted the board carefully with both hands, inspecting how it was all put together: with a rough surface on top, presumably to grip the person's shoes, but her eyes lit up as she turned it over to examine the design underneath.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. It was both dark and colorful at the same time, a look that matched its owner. "This is super-hip and cool! I would definitely guess that a cool teenager owned this, fo' sho'! It is a...skate-board! I see now, because it has wheels." She nodded and gave the owner their skateboard back, the amusement still flickering in her blue eyes. "I shall hold you to that offer," She chuckled, bringing a hand over her mouth to hide her teeth: it was polite to do so, after all. "End-user access! That is a new way of putting it. But yes, my family has many rules and is quite strict, though it is to be expected."

They had a unique way of phrasing things, but it wasn't the first time she'd made a friend with such eccentricities. It wasn't even, it seemed, the first time she'd make a friend with such a quality from Hope's Peak Academy. She'd been prepared to offer her own name in return, but instead Sonia nodded in recognition first. "Yes!" She confirmed cheerfully, "I am a student at Hope's Peak Academy. My name is Sonia Nevermind, it is wonderful to make your acquaintance today, Tsubasa-san."

She'd offered her hand for them to shake, but something else was far more pressing. At least by the electronic beeps that caught Tsubasa's attention. Sonia tilted her head for a better look, studying the small device in their hands. "Is Yotsubatchi a sort of game?" She inquired. It certainly looked a bit smaller than the consoles Chiaki Nanami used, but it could be a platform her friend did not play very often. "But you've mentioned feeding: perhaps a pet? One of my friends at school is most excellent with all sorts of animals: he brings many of them to the classroom, to the chagrin of some of my classmates."

Partly due to her natural curiosity and partly due to proper etiquette, to inquire after others instead of speaking about one's self at length, Sonia chose to keep their conversation going by peppering Tsubasa with various questions. But once she'd regained their attention, she shook her head with a smile. "Oh, simply me being interested in your friend," She nodded to the device before looking back at them. "But if you do not mind, I should like to watch you practice for a little while longer before returning to school. Your skating is very exciting, I should like to watch more of it: it looks quite complicated but you do it with such ease!"

[conquiistador]

The emotions in him were always so VIVID to Doflamingo. Like blood against marble. He ran hot, and he ran cold. Doflamingo was the opposite. A constant. He could not imagine what it was like to be so easily moved. The slam of the other's fist against the table, though light, did not escape his notice. Crocodile was already on edge to the point of needing to find an outlet for his emotions. A subtle tantrum. Amusing to Doflamingo.

❝ Fu fu fu fu. ~ In that case - I am here for pleasure. ❞ Crocodile really was making it almost TOO EASY for him. Doflamingo was inclined to believe the other was doing it on purpose. Crocodile's words were trecheriously leading him where he so desperately wished to go. Crocodile had said he WOULD not discuss pleasure with someone here on business? Doflamingo could oh so easily turn that around on him. Which he just had. ❝ Now, you must please me. Fu fu fu fu. ~ ❞ It was not a question, or a request. Crocodile had painted himself into a corner, and Doflamingo had trapped him like the animal he was.

The fact that Crocodile simply kept repeating that he wished him to leave was futile. Doflamingo completely ignored those words. They were a given, and spoken so often that their venom was simply an imitation. There was nothing but harmless water in them. In any case, Doflamingo truly HAD come here to be entertained. His purpose was always the same. He meant to bring Crocodile into his crew. Not because he valued him for his strength, his connection, his business mind. No. He wanted to collect him because he found him amusing. Like a shiny toy. Why did he not simply FORCE him? Doflamingo knew that if he did that, then he would immediately lose interest in him. It would expose Crocodile for the weak and pathetic creature he truly was. Doflamingo didn't wish to see that side of him, and he was happy to pretend it did not exist. For the sake of his own amusement. The world and all the people in it were ALWAYS disappointing. Reality was nothing like how Doflamingo wished it to be, since nobody could rise to the height where he, himself, existed. So he would pretend. Pretend and play and pull the string to watch them all dance for him. Crocodile included.

Now, what sort of amusement would the man bring him now? Doflamingo watched him, the ever-present smile gracing his lips. / @videcoeur .

[lightsiided]

cont. for @othunderous

a sense of peace settles over her, brought on by the press of each of his fingertips along her jaw, the brush of his lips on hers. it's been a long time since she's felt so content, and her smile stretches and stretches as the ACHE of wondering whether or not she'd ever see him again melts away. "yeah," she returns, in an answering whisper, "you, too." she can't stop herself from kissing thor again, quickly, drawn in by his laugh. "i missed you."

     eyebrows arch as her feet hit the floor. rey can feel that something is wrong before he opens his mouth again; there's a PAIN on his face, a crease of sadness across his forehead. "it was what?" her hands squeeze his tightly; she takes a step closer. she's as close as she can get without pressing herself into his arms again, though she wants to, if it'll pull that look from him.

time slows as she awaits his explanation. it's her nature to hope for the best and expect the WORST, so it's not precisely a shock when he confirms what she'd been dreading: that there was something bigger at work when her friends at camp had started to vanish, one after another. something unlike the troubles she's USED TO facing, extending beyond the reaches of her own galaxy.

but it is a SURPRISE to hear of the stones, given what thor's shared about them. their conversations had made their presence seem more abstract, somehow -- almost as though it'd be impossible for any one person to round up a full set. it nearly doesn't sink in, but the dip of his shoulders and the weighted tone of his voice makes the truth register, distantly, over the blood suddenly rushing in her ears.

general organa -- all the others -- half of all life in the universe. GONE, just like that. how will she break the news to those that remain? how can she prepare them for something like this?

rey's eyes gaze vacantly at the walls of the room for a moment as she works to process what he's said. part of her is grateful to have an answer for the anomalies that have made up this last confusing week. the rest of her knows what he's shared is only the BEGINNING.

with an exhale of breath, she snaps back to attention, her eyes locking back onto thor. "so -- what now?" rey asks quietly, "what's next, is there a plan to stop him? how can i help?"

[ghostsxagain]

continued from here with @reevezs

Piper appreciated that Zach was not only okay with her talking about work but that he also engaged the conversation the way he did. Clearly he was listening and though it was a simple courtesy, she was grateful nonetheless. "Hey, you never know! You might actually really love it there," she replied, before breaking into soft laughter. "Okay, okay, you'd actually probably despise it. All the energy radiating off the kids and sucking your battery dry, the unwanted touch as they latch onto you because of how cool your hair is... Doesn't scream 'Zach-friendly' to me. Though if you ever did want to tag along you're more than welcome. I'd love to have you." Piper laughed again at being referred to as a 'real-life princess.' It was one of those things that always made her smile. "Well now you can cross it off the bucket list. Are there any other ideas on there that I could help you with?"

[explodcor]

OOC: Due to legacy editor being deleted, any drafts I have left to do (which is A LOT) will be moved into the new editing format with a link back to previous replies. As much as I'd LOVE to keep all the threads on the same thread (so mutuals can re-read from one place), reblogging from those original legacy editor posts will break code in the new editor. It does a lot of stupid shit like double posts the same post twice or gives a pop-up each time I reblog.

[howthesleeplesswander]

@tenacquity continued from here!

Sharp eyes ignored the human as they walked. The call of his karma would alert Xiao to any nearby monsters long before they appeared within eyesight, yet his gaze still searched the elongated shadows cast by towering peaks and jagged slopes. Ever vigilant. Ever prepared to exterminate evil the moment it appeared.

Which meant that Xiao missed the human's bewildered scrutiny of their surroundings, but no matter—his tone spoke to being lost in more ways than one before his question made it obvious. Tch—no wonder he'd been wandering through Jueyun Karst so carelessly. Liyue's citizens knew better than to set foot in the realm of the adepti. Shouldn't they also teach outsiders where it was too dangerous for their own kind to tread? That responsibility should fall to the mortals themselves, not to those who were the danger that was best avoided.

"The adepti are illuminated beasts who were tasked with protecting Liyue by Rex Lapis eons ago," Xiao concurred. "Most keep their distance from humans and make their abodes here in these peaks. Mortals only dare set foot here out of greed or desperation." A pause, then a pointed look skewered the human sidelong. "The pointlessness of your presence here is the most foolish 'reason' of all."

Though the human kept pace, Xiao held his spear in the hand nearest to him: forcibly keeping distance between them. "Despite their vows of protection, the others do not hesitate to punish mortals who enter their domains. Had you stumbled upon Mountain Shaper's peak, for instance, you'd find yourself encased in amber for the rest of your pathetically short lifespan."

[sevnthhart-a]

heads up but i'm gonna be moving everything over to @meteodrives 👀 at a snail's pace though.

[radicalrascals]

@openedxdoors (cont. from here)

Not all alchemists liked sharing their knowledge. The one that James had come across was one of those greedy sorts. He was also on a list, for using human lives in his work. A list that had been given to Oliver, a hero who traveled the various worlds and realities that were connected through magical doorways.

A single shot rang out

The bullet ripped through the alchemists' brain, causing is head to jerk before he fell to the ground.

Normally Oliver would use is sword, Calibur. But given the subject of alchemy, he figured it best to keep the magical blade out of things.

He let his arm drop, and holstered the gun before kneeling down before James.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry that I used you for a distraction. Maybe I can buy you dinner to make it up to you?"

The old alchemist had lured James in with promises of knowledge and like little red riding hood fell for the wolf's disguise, the alchemist apprentice fell for their fake kindness and generosity. He should've stayed with his uncle, no matter how unkind and strict he was, he was a good teacher and he certainly never tried to make him an ingredient.

James was still stammering apologies when his assailant dropped to the ground and it took him a full second to fully grasp what just had happened.

"A distraction?!," he piped up, "No, I'm not okay. The old geezer tried to turn me into mince. I was about to become pie filling. Or worse a sausage roll. God, I hate sausage rolls." When in doubt: Ramble. Apparently James' motto.

But once he'd calmed down and was done venting his frustration, he got up and meekly offered: "No, but thank you. Dinner sounds nice, actually. I'm James by the way. Alchemist in training."

[dhampiravidi]

ronnie x jasmine/artemis/the traitor

continued from here (moved to comply w/Beta editor):

It was like a work conference for organized crime. There were maybe fifteen people inside the hotel's largest event room, all dressed in some kind of business casual or formal wear. They represented different "families", each characterized by their members' ethnicity and the territory they claimed within the United States. But Jas knew that they all had one thing in common: they were going to die in the next ten minutes, courtesy of her. She just needed her plan to go smoothly.

Common sense said she couldn't just walk in, pull out a semi, and start shooting--there were innocent waiters scattered about the room, offering amuse-bouches, petits fours, and generous flutes of champagne. Thankfully, she knew that the waiters would be shooed away at some point because she'd managed to get a program for the event. Apparently, the hotel had requested some kind of itinerary, presumably so they could give their guests all the necessary amenities, blah, blah, blah. Jasmine doubted the hotel would turn down the kind of money that the crime lords could pool together. People always turned a blind eye whenever money was involved. The only unknown was how much they felt their services were worth.

She was waiting a building over, sniper equipment ready. Close combat was more efficient in her opinion, since it almost guaranteed executions. The only challenging part of that scenario was getting away, and half the time that was made easy because she already had to carve a path to her target in the first place. But when it came to taking out multiple targets at long range, there was always the possibility that the enemy's entourage could and would trace her shots back to where she was set up. Once they did that, Jas only had about five minutes, tops, before she was caught. One step at a time. She'd been in worse situations and gotten out alive.

Half a second after the last waiter left the room, Jas swept the room using her laser sight, found her first target, and started shooting. The first shot narrowly missed, because the asshole had to bend over for something. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice. So she lined up the shot again and pulled the trigger. While her first target was staggering, about to fall over, Jasmine looked for the next face she'd memorized and took out two more scumbags before anyone at the little event even tried to take cover. Sometimes it was hard not to take a certain pleasure in what she did. Yes, she was doing the world a service, but her job wasn't something she'd encourage kids to do. She had dedicated her life to making the world a better place, the only way she knew how. There wasn't any going back, and there certainly wasn't a happy ending in store for her...

Four left.

She played Chicken (more like Idiot) with one target, finding the woman's head to line up the shot, then shooting far away from her so she'd think she was safe. Three left. Jas could do this. She could go back to her hidey-hole without a scratch. Maybe, depending on how much energy she had to put on a decent disguise (her sniping outfit didn't exactly scream "casual, typical young woman in her 30s"), Jas could even get Starbucks, or something interesting from one of the small places near the apartment she was squatting. She'd have to beware of the many CCTV cams in the area, but that was a given. In the modern day, anyone could be found. Even though she had been caught couple times, and tortured, she refused to give up. So she just had to be careful. Luck wasn't a thing when your parents had been killed in front of you.