#(also the bullshit about “you trained them”? most of them had the majority of their training elsewhere so fuck off)

[hidinginmyhands]

Yeah. So.

I was legitimately excited for Gotham War but everything I’ve seen about it is complete bullshit.

Hey, DC? It’s canon that at least a few of the Batkids can fight Bruce to a standstill and Cass can DEFINITELY beat him, so what the fuck is with him owning them all at once in an everyone-versus-him fight?

(Also stop minimizing the batkids’ abilities, for fuck’s sake, go read some comics.)

[foone]

Have you heard about the Polish Train company, Newag, and the bullshit it turns out they got up to?

So, the regional rail operator Koleje Dolnośląskie bought some Newag Impuls back in 2016 . In late 2021, some of them need to have major maintenance done, as they've been in service a while. So the company SPS (Serwis Pojazdów Szynowych) gets the contract to fix them. They basically take the train apart, replace a bunch of it, following all the rules in the documentation Newag gave them, and... it won't move. The train says everything is fine, the brakes are off, there's plenty of power, but you push the throttle up and it won't move.

SPS spends a while trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong, with no luck. So they hire some hackers from the Polish security group Dragon Sector. Dragon Sector figures out how to get into the code of the computer system that runs the train, and OH MY GOD.

So it turns out there's a secret train-lock system. If it's on, the train won't move. This will be triggered in some situations you might think are normal: the clocks are wrong, the serial numbers of the various parts have changed, and a firmware mismatch between the main computer and the power system. Now, the fact that it makes sense to not run the train in these situations until someone can check it? that doesn't extend to the fact the train uses a SECRET lock system, rather than just popping up an error message telling you what's wrong. There's also the problem that while these are all potential error problems, they can't be cleared by anyone with the technical manuals, which are supposed to cover everything about how to run these trains. Only Newag themselves can reset this system.

Which, you know, keeps SPS from properly fixing them. Only Newag can fix them now, but not because SPS lacks any technical ability, but because Newag sabotaged their own trains. But don't worry: it gets worse.

So now that Dragon Sector knows what's happening, they get to look at other trains. It turns out the trains aren't all running the same software, and there are other tricks in there.

One of them is a "how long has the train been stopped?" check. If the train hasn't hit 60 km/h in 10 days, the train locks itself and won't move until Newag can clear it. So, like, if a train is ever out of service, like it's going to a repair place... it'll break itself. Unless the repair place is owned by Newag.

But two of the trains go further: See, these trains have GPS built in, right? You may be able to guess where this is going...

THEY JUST MAKE THE TRAIN CHECK IF IT IS PARKED AT THEIR COMPETITORS' REPAIR YARD AND BREAK ITSELF IF IT WAS.

The sheer audacity of this move. This is frighteningly bullshit anti-competition self-sabotage.

This has, obviously, made some parts of the Polish government to start investigating this. Newag may be (and hopefully will be) in a lot of trouble.

For more info, there's a great video of a presentation by the three people from Dragon Sector who did the hacking, which was presented at the 37th Chaos Communication Congress in Germany.

Ars Technica also has an article on it, but it predates the presentation so it doesn't have some of the later details.

Anyway, the good news is that in the end the hackers at Dragon Sector were able to unlock most of the trains: A few had additional trickery that they didn't want to hack around, because it might break the train's certification. For the others, they discovered undocumented "cheat codes" in the software that they could use to bypass the secret lockouts... presumably the same ones that Newag would have used when they "repaired" trains.

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

Hii !! From the smut prompts (stop rolling your eyes, I know Im predicatable!) could I request "Accidentally Sending Nudes", "Sexting" and... a secret third thing (the choice is yours, go hogwild) for Jason x Fat Fem Reader? I'm leaning more towards sub!reader but shes def a little shit about it :3

Thank you in advance if you write it !! 🌼

See, this is why it pays to send in a request with me, because even if I don't answer it right away, I keep requests in my inbox for months and come back to them later!!! (This is from December 2023)

(Also this request is just plain fun) (because Star knows exactly what buttons to push to get me lmao)

DC Titans Requests - OPEN

How would Jason react to you accidentally sending him a nude?

(Jason Todd x Fem!Thick!Reader)

Warnings: set specifically in the Titans!verse - set during season 3/mentions of season 3 plot points; spoilers for major plot points of Titans (including character deaths on the show); this is kind of enemies to lovers? (enemies to fwb, I guess); the reader uses she/her pronouns and has a vagina; the reader is described as being fat/plus sized; passing mentions of Gar x reader (I couldn't help myself); dubious consent - because of the nature of the trope, Jason sees the reader naked without her explicit consent, and he decides to keep the picture without her consent - but it does spark a consensual sexual relationship between them; passing mention of using nudes for blackmail (that does not happen); this isn't really proofread; (generally, I consider this post to be a fucking mess because it was written in Tumblr but I was still trying to have fun with it lmao.)

...

Jason is minding his own business when it happens.

(For once in life, he is fully, completely, minding his own business.)

He's back in Gotham and he hasn't seen you in months - and if asked, he would say that he hasn't thought about you. He doesn't have time to think about you because he's been too busy with this therapy bullshit, training, trying to get back his title of Robin. Trying to get back in the cape. (And trying to get back in Bruce's good graces.)

But that's not exactly true. He's thought about you a lot.

(Most of those times have been with his hand around his cock, but again - he won't admit that.)

There is an occasional time that you cross his mind and it's because he's wondering genuinely how you're doing - wondering if you're well, how your training is going, wondering if you're doing okay under the Dickhead's reign. But he can't ever pluck up the courage to text you and simply ask. Because that would be admitting that he cares, and that would make him look like a weak little prick.

And that's why he's so damn surprised when you text him first.

He hasn't heard from you since he left the Tower (well, since he stormed away from Donna's funeral in what you called a 'toddler fit' - something that ended in a rather vicious text argument between the two of you). In fact, the last thing in the text history between the two of you is you calling him a 'giant, petty, whiny baby who can't deal with his own emotions'.

(You had no clue what had happened between him and Rose, so that did inform a lot of your opinion on the matter.) (And that was probably the reason why Rose still had all of her teeth after you had seen her at the funeral.)

But all of that was aside from the point.

The point being - Jason found himself smiling when your contact name popped up on his phone.

He has you in his phone as 'Pretty Girl' - along with a contact picture of you sticking your tongue out at him in response to having his phone shoved in your face with the knowledge that he was taking a picture of you. (That tongue always makes him think certain things, so even though you intended for it to be some rude thing to ruin the picture, it makes it so much better for him.)

(1) new photo

That instantly catches Jason's attention.

Perhaps you were sending him a picture just to flip him off, or sending him a picture of a dumpster to ask him if it reminded him of home - a common joke you used to make when he still lived at the Tower.

Jason grabbed his phone and opened the message, expecting another tired joke, and-

Holy fuck.

The last thing he was expecting - your naked body. Your gorgeous naked body.

(He likely would have expected a nuclear blast or for the Joker to clean up his act and actually become a decent, sane citizen before he expected this to happen.)

Jason brought his phone closer to his face, making the picture full screen in order to examine it better - he needed to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating, or that this wasn't some weird dream. But fuck, he definitely wouldn't be able to dream up this.

You were so perfect - so fucking perfect in a way that was so very real.

The picture was a fucking stunning side profile of your body - rolling curves, lacy underwear that could clearly barely contain your impressive hips with sweet little stretch marks jutting out from the fabric (jagged little marks across the softness of your skin that made Jason want to act up) - soft fat for him to grab onto, and the perfect teardrop shape of your breast, now bared to his eye in a way that he had only dreamt of before. Something that he had stared at through the oversized tee shirts you wore to bed without a bra, just wondering what you looked like underneath.

And fuck, this was so much better than anything he could have dreamt up.

Jason's cock began to harden almost instantly, and laying in bed, he reached over to his nightstand for some lube, ready to milk that picture for all it was worth, when-

His phone buzzed again.

Pretty Girl: 'Delete that.'

Jason hadn't even considered that you had sent it to him by mistake. He had been far too busy enjoying to even consider the intention or the psychology behind it.

So, he took his hand off the waistband of his sweats and texted back the first thing that came to mind.

'No.'

(He didn't hear your annoyed growl on the other end, frustrated at his downright typical Jason behaviour.)

'It's not my fault you made a dumbass mistake. Besides, it's the least I get after all the nagging from you.'

Then, something else came to mind as the bubbles popped up, meaning you were busy formulating a reply - an annoyed one, no doubt.

'Who did you mean to send it to anyway? Who are you fucking whose name starts with J that's not me?'

(You hesitated.)

Pretty Girl: 'I didn't type in J.'

'???'

Pretty Girl: 'I typed in G. And it turns out the first contact that popped up was Giant Baby. That's you.'

Jason felt annoyed and insulted on all levels. The fact that you were going to Tiger Boy for dick instead of him, and the fact that you had used such a mocking contact name for him. But when he realised that such a pathetic string of events had caused him to accidentally see you naked, he couldn't be too upset.

'I'm still keeping the picture 😈'

Pretty Girl: 'You're such an asshole' Pretty Girl: ... Pretty Girl: 'You owe me one'

'Fine, I'll owe you one'

Jason shrugged it off, thinking he had won, until -

Pretty Girl: 'No, you owe me a cock.'

This made Jason's stomach jump. You couldn't possibly mean-?

Pretty Girl: ... Pretty Girl: 'You owe me a picture of your dick. You know - an eye for an eye type stuff.'

Jason wanted to ask questions - what did you plan to do with the picture? Should he shave his balls first? Did you want more than one?

But his cock got even harder at you asking for a picture, at you demanding to see his cock, and he couldn't properly think - he couldn't even reason that you might later blackmail him with the picture.

No, instead, he found himself ripping down his pants and turning on the bedside lamp for good lighting, pumping himself up to peak rigid hardness and grasping the base of his cock in hand. And then, without hesitation, he snapped a picture for you. He made sure to get his abs in the photo - a collection of his best assets, with his pants pulled down to mid-thigh, showing off his tight stomach, the deep V leading down to his dick, and his thick seven inch cock in hand surrounded by some well-kept dark pubic hair.

(He was proud of it - and that ego was one of the things that annoyed you most about him.)

He sent it without hesitation and then you began typing several times and stopped once again. Jason's stomach churned with nerves until -

Pretty Girl: 'Fuck you' Pretty Girl: 'I thought it would be smaller'

Jason had no clue how to respond to that, and he was busy racking his brain for some clever reply, when -

Oh. Oh fuck.

(1) new photo

You had sent him another picture. And this time it was definitely on purpose.

It was a view between the plump, beautiful thickness of your thighs - your hand was inside the pretty lace of those panties, and your fingers were visible working on your clit while your needy hole dripped wetness onto the fabric.

So you had liked what you had seen.

Pretty Girl: 'What would you do if you were here right now?'

Jason's brain short-circuited then. He thought of so many things - eating your pussy until you screamed, flipping you onto your stomach and fucking you until you begged him to stop, gripping onto those gorgeous thighs, pinning them to your chest and pounding into your cunt until you finally surrendered and said that you had liked him all along, fucking your smart little mouth to finally shut you up-

Pretty Girl: 'Come on, Jay. Don't disappoint me.'

Oh, he won't.

(Another thing Jason won't admit - he came back to the Tower just for you.)

...

DC Titans Masterlist

[bananaactivity]

Kickin It AU + Evie sketch

So if you’ve been following me on tumblr you know I have an in depth Descendents AU and a MBAV AU that I love… And I just rewatched a fav show of mine and instantly had a new AU crafted from thin air AGAIN! Third time this year bro…

A Kickin it AU…. Yeah I went crazy with this one. I literally dug up the most obscure one off characters to make this new AU. I’m so sad that this fandom is basically dead but tumblr is the place to do bullshit for fun so I will be doing that.

The guy above is Kai Brewer and if my AU inspires you to rewatch Kickin it I’m just going to warn you that Kai is only in two episodes of four seasons. In fact the main villains of my AU are made up of one off guest stars. Just like the fandoms of olden days…

Here are some sketches I WILL be reworking of Jack Brewer and Milton Krupnick respectively:

My AU is aged up to 18 because I relate to that age group. Kickin it is a show about a friend group doin karate and that’s it. If you know about the fandom you’re probably thinking “what about the will they won’t they between Jack and Kim?? 🥺” Honestly that plot line is the same as the will they won’t they for Sam and Freddie. That is to say it’s clear that nobody except the fandom cares about that. The writers add tidbits during some episodes and backtrack to keep the fandom watching and then they break up kinda.

Honestly I just see them as freinds and I almost think of Jake as aromatic but I literally head cannon everybody that way probably because I’m projecting so I dunno fam.

As for the AU I find that the Black Dragons were underutilized as direct parreles to the Wasabi Warriors. So I seek to rectify that. The only reoccurring black dragons throughout the first three seasons are Ty the Sensei and Rudy’s past best friend and Frank. A pedophile. Yeah that bitch is 19 and he’s obsessed with 14 yr old Kim. For no reason… he didn’t have to be 19. So obviously I fixed that bullshit.

The BDs are in universe considered the more prestigious Dojo as well as the most evil. They fight dirty in every competition shown in the show which parrales the Wasabi code which is all about honesty and fairness. ( even tho half the plots are about the WWs doing the opposite of that sometimes with no consequences lmao)

Kai is Jacks cousin and the only guy who was able to beat him. That’s significant as Jack is literally the most op guy in the whole show. Bro can take out 10 grown men by himself at the age of 15 in five minutes at most. So in my AU those two are parreles to each other. Cousins who trained together and who fell out long ago over different views on what martial arts is for. Both student leaders of their Dojos while also being mirrors of their senseis relationship. Their Sensies Rudy (Jack) and Ty (Kai) which also trained together but fell out because of a fart. (Fr bro and I will not be changing that cse it’s hilarious)

The rest of the Evil team are banded together after Jack beats their asses in the cannon of the show and they all mysteriously get envites to join the Black Dragon Dojo. Brody Carlson ( played by Billy Unger) gets a major change to the og. He got redeemed cause he was a guest star from Lab Rats but in my AU he stays bad because now he’s reoccurring. Jack hands his ass to him and he’s mad. He’s a parallel to Jerry as the third best in the dojo. Carson Hunter ( played by Boo Boo Stewart ) was originally a parallel to Jack as the liar reveal plot line. He was also a special guest star like Unger. Here he’s Kim’s parrallel as second best of his Dojo and due to the fact that he was Kim’s Jack before Jack who turned out to be a cheater. The reason I made him 2nd instead of first is because Kai is way more evil then him and had a bigger impact on Jacks life. Hes the reason Jack stoped doing Martial Arts for two years. And after that he tried to kill his cousin twice just so he couldnt get a trophy. Once with gang activity actually. All Carson does is like take Jacks place in one competition and use a tiny sand bag in his hand wraps that Jack exploded instantly with a single punch. Frank Bickle is a parallel to Milton Krupnick more like a smart guy verses dumbass type thing. Frank was portrayed often in the og show so I don’t have to explain him. He’s a dumb ass bully brute who Jack manhandles every chance he gets. Arther Turner (played by Sterling Beaurmon) is a parallel to Eddy. Arther was a rich, rude, and petty guy and I think that Eddy is a pretty down to earth and sweet person. Both of them are shit at karate though and it would be brutally unfair to pit them against all the other more capable characters. Arther definitely throws money at his problems lowkey.

At first all the villain characters don’t get along together so they can’t beat the WW who have the power of friendship and Jack on their side but as they slowly become freinds they get more dangerous. Like most of these characters were black belts or on par with Jack and their position as one offs led to them being shafted for how they could challenge the Wasabi crew. Here I can write fun dynamics for them and give Jack a massive run for his money which I believe he really needed. Like bro was INVINCIBLE there are no stakes, if someone goes against Jack it doesn’t matter. If you’re young, old, or what Jack will handle your ass quickly and will not break a sweat. Like don’t cross him or your ass is DONE.

Imagining an equally powerful group with a close bond who directly oppose and parallel them is really intriguing. It’s also more down to earth then my Descendants AU. I don’t have to deal with a massive magical world with magical powers. It’s a small town called Seabrooke with some rival Dojos engaging in classic teen rivalry shenanigans. There is no massive goal here except proving who’s better by the end of senior year’s competition season.

Imma do more of this AU cause I love it and I can’t let it go.

Also here’s Evie in da dress.

DAMNNNNN 👅

Ask questions about any AUs if you’d like. I love questions 😝!

[sleepyfan-blog]

Introductions

Author’s Note: This is the next part of Cedric’s adventures in the Husbandry AU! A big thanks to @kit-williams for allowing me to borrow her ocs Arnault, Roland, Angela and Backerin! Masterlist here

Tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @i-am-a-dragon34 @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan

@c-u-c-koo-4-40k

Warnings: Mentions of Petras and his bullshit, please ask me to tag something if I missed it/somethign bothers you

Summary: Cedric introduces Pallius and Olivar to Roland, Arnault and their bonded humans. 

“Olivar, Pallius how are you doing today?” Cedri asked curiously as he watched how two still-healing Brothers carefully stretch and limber up for the low-intensity physical training class that they were going to be participating in later today.

“... Pretty good. Why? Are they going to torment us with some other kinds of boring, basic exercises while not letting us outside of the base?” Olivar grumbled, a surly frown appearing on his face as he slowly eased himself through the leg stretches that he’d been ordered to use. Why the micromanaging bastards thought all of this was necessary when he’d been left to tend punishment-inflicted wounds on his own before, and had managed well enough on his own, thank you very much… The young Black Templar did not know. On the other hand, Cedric did say that his wounds had killed him in M42. 

“Are they concerned that Ancient Terra is so perilous that we need to be at our absolute best, when outside of the base? I know the legends say that cruel and mad sorcerer-kings fought over dominion of HOly Terra for years uncounted before He smote them  and the false idols they worshipped as Gods… But I thought that had been during The Long Night… Has Humanity already scattered across the stars?” Pallius asked, his blue-brown eyes shining with curiosity and nervousness in equal measure.

Cedric hesitated before answering “THe chief apothecary is limiting your movements in order to ensure that you both are healing correctly. There… As for the dangers of Ancient Holy Terra… The most dangerous threat to us as Astartes are the similarly time-displaced renegade and Heretic Astartes. However their witch-bond connection to the Warp is significantly reduced, and using the Warp for unnatural acts is much harder. In part due to the fact that the Eye of Terror does not exist at this point in time. At this time, only Holy Terra holds Humanity.”

“.. Does that mean that there are only three major ruinous powers at the moment?” Olivar asked, straightening out of his stretch, a curious expression appearing on his face “Why do our hosts -who are allegedly loyalists too, suffer traitors and worse to live?  The heretics could corrupt the mortals of this time. Why would they allow-” Olivar stood up, agitated and worried, starting to pace around “Is that why you’re being so cautious in what you tell us, Cedric? What… what bargains have you made in order to ensure that the supplies and time we are luxuriating in using to heal?”

Cedric blinked, reaching out to try and placate his easily riled brother “There are maybe upwards of five-hundred thousand Astartes total on Ancient and Holy Terra. There are less than ten billion mortals total on Ancient  Terra. Luna and Mars have yet to be colonized… Much less the Jovian shipyards and supporting moon colonies to be built. I have been told that should an all-out war happen between the different Astartes factions, it would only devastate humanity in it’s infancy and sabotage everything we stand for and wish to protect.”

“And what about the heretics and their corrupting natures? Or have the firstborns who run things not told you?” Pallius chimed in, visibly concerned. He had also stopped stretching, the information his brother was telling them was too important not to give his full and undivided attention to.

Cedric sighed “I have been told that there is a treaty in place that goes over those questions and a great many other concerns. Chaos and Witchery in general is much more difficult to use and reach here and now. I’ve been told this repeatedly… And both Claude and Jophiel agree with that, that Witchery is much harder to use.”

“Who else is here, that we know?” Oliver asked curiously, mind racing. He wasn’t sure how much he trusted the information about Witchery, but he could tell that Cedric was telling him the truth as he knew it.

“Alive? Ramiel, Olly, and…” Cedric swallowed hard “Chaplain captain Petras. The Honorable Chaplain leads a small band of Firstborn Brothers and wanders as the God Emperor wills them to. Dead? Malachai and Lestras. THey also arrived on Ancient Terra Badly injured… Unfortunately, they were too injured to survive their wounds, despite best efforts to keep them alive.”

The three of them weren’t the only ones in this training room - there were about a dozen or so injured Firstborn Brother-Cousins in groups of three to six, being monitored by an apothecary or well-trained mortal as they stretched and went about their exercises. The chance that their conversation might be overheard was very high, so the young Apothecary was trying to hint to his fellow Primaris Brothers to choose their words carefully without saying or signing such outright, and potentially get more scrutiny placed on them. Cedric had already been dodging the questions about why and how so many of the primaris Black Templars were arriving on Ancient Terra with the same kinds of injuries and state of near-death.

“Ugh. Of course he is here. Is he as much of a heavy-handed bastard here as he is at home?” Olivar asked with the tact the God-Emperor gave a buzzfly. 

Cedric silently whispered a prayer of protection, grace and patience before answering with as much neutrality as he could conjure in his voice “Olivar… Your bluntness gets you into trouble… Please take care with how you speak.”

Pallisu whacked Olivar on the back of the head lightly at the same time “Olivar! You can’t say that out loud about a chaplain! You’re going to get all of us doing penitent punishment for weeks, if not longer.”

“I want my question answered!” Olivar pouted, glaring up at both of them “And you both know I”m right about him.”

“... I haven’t had the opportunity to interact with him directly yet. I haven’t been on Ancient Terra for very long, and he rarely visits this base.” Cedric hedged before changing the subject “However there are a couple of firstborn Brothers who live here in town. I like and respect them both quite a bit.”

“... Like you respect Apothecary Xonfreid… Or like us and Ramel?” Pallisu asked, covering his mouth with one hand as he asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper. Uncertain hope flickered across his face.

“Hrmph. Just who are these Older Brothers? Why do they stay in one place?” Olivar huffed, not wanting to get his hopes up.

“Battle Brother Roland Lichtner is bonded to Miss Becky, who is very nice. She makes baked goods for a living. Do you remember the brot that I shared with you two last week?” Cedric began, suppressing a mischievous grin with difficulty. 

“That was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. Of course I remember the bread.” Olivar answered, wistful “I want more…”

“Yeah, the taste! The texture! It was almost overwhelming in a good way. You called it sourdough?” Pallius answered, grinning.

“Miss Becky made that loaf of sourdough herself.” Cedric revealed. “As for the other Older Brother… He is bonded to Miss Angela. She’s a quiltmaker and I think a seamstress as well? Do you remember that weighted quilt that I brought over for us to huddle together under during the thunderstorm yesterday?”

“Yeah.” Pallius answered quietly.

Olivar nodded silently, shuddering a little at the memory of the horrible sounds that the thunder had made. “Wait… The renowned sniper, Roland Lichtner?”

Pallius’ eyes widened. He had been undergoing training in M42 as a Sniper -while Glorious Melee was best, he had a steady aim and a good eye - and besides. The Cowardly Xenos and bastard Heretics used long-range, and so a certain number of Brothers were chosen to learn to use similar but sanctified weapons in order to pick them off before they downed their melee brothers. “He… He lives here?” He saw the other as an exemplar of what it was to be a Black Templar Sniper. 

“He does! In the town, not specifically on base.” Cedric explained, a grin on his face, watching Pallius’ eyes light up with awe and delight.

“You mentioned a second Firstborn Brother? And his… Bonded? What do you mean by bonded?” Olivar asked curiously.

Cedric quickly explains what he understands of Bonding, before revealing “Miss Angela is bonded to Brother Arnault Wach. She’s the one who made that lovely quilt.”

“As… As in Emperor’s Champion Arnault Wach?” Olivar asked, his voice a startled squeak.

Cedric nodded, still grinning “Do you want to meet them? I’ve been given permission to take the two of you off base and to meet brothers Roland und Arnault and their bonded?”

“... Today? Now-ish?” Olivar asked, voice still shaky, eyes wide.

Cedric nodded “We’d have to walk over to where they are, but ja. I was thinking we’d go to the Bakery first, talk to bruder Roland und his Bonded, get something to eat - don’t worry, I have enough local currency for the three of us and then head over to Bruder Arnault’s und his Bonded’s home.” He looked them both other “Unless you’re not feeling up to it? They want to meet you. Oh! We’re not supposed to tell Brother Arnault he’s an Emperor’s Champion, as he was pulled from a time before he became one.”

“Oh… That makes sense.” Pallius hummed, nodding a little. “I’d like to shower first, and change into the nicer set of civilian clothes that were given to me, but otherwise I’m ready to meet them.”

Olivar nodded “I would like a bit of time to prepare, but I am ready to face - er. Meet them today as well.”

Cedric nodded, smiling a little. He’d asked Ramiel if he wanted to come on this trip too, but the young Judicar was busy with training today. “Alright. Meet you at the front desk in an hour?”

The other two Primaris Black Templars agreed, before heading off to their assigned rooms to get clean and changed.

~

It was a pleasantly sunny day, and Cedric was unsurprised to find that the bakery had a line of eager and hungry mortals waiting to purchase their baked goods that stretched out of the door. He gestured for Pallius and Olivar to join him at the back of the line, humming a little to himself.

Thankfully, despite the length of the line, it moved swiftly, and soon the three Primaris Marines found themselves within the charmingly decorated and mouth-wateringly delicious smelling shop. Many of the baked goods had been sold out, but what was remaining still looked and smelled amazing.

The mortal behind the payment counter spotted the three of them and briefly headed into the back of the shop, followed back into the main room by Roland, who smiled a little as he spotted Cedric, his gaze looking over the other two Pimaris Marines curiously. He walked over to the three of them and murmured “Hallo Cedric Are these two Olivar und Pallius?”

Cedric nodded, beaming as he gently laid a hand on the slightly shaking Pallius’ shoulder “Ja! This is Pallius.” he paused for a moment before nudging Olivar “Und this is Olivar.”

Neither one of his fellow Primaris Brothers spoke for several seconds, their eyes wide, their breathing fast and shallow. Cedric silently nudged both of them and Pallius spoke up first “It’s an honor to meet you, sir. Cedric had us try some of the sourdough that is made and sold here. It’s very good.”

Roland’s eyes lit up “A fellow bread lover! Ja, mein beloved’s broten has no equal in this or any other world! Come, follow me, the three of you. She has been just as curious about the two of you as I have been. She is busily working away, kneading.”

“Yessir.” Olivar and Pallius answered at the same time, dutifully following after the Older Brother. 

Cedric grinned as he followed them as well, calling out as soon as they were close “Hallo miss Becky!”

The short human woman set down the bag of flour that she’d been carrying and rushed over, hugging him as best as she could manage “Hello, Cedric! Are these your newly arrived brothers?”

Cedric nodded, beaming “Ja! This is Pallius und this is Olivar.” He explained, gesturing to his brothers in turn, gently hugging her back. 

She let him go and went up on her tiptoes, peering up at the two newcomers “You two certainly do look like Cedric’s brothers. Come closer, please. I promise not to bite.”

“Careful, my love. They are both injured from whatever they’d been up to before they arrived here on Terra. I believe that Pallius has fractured ribs, und the reason why Olivar is holding his left arm like that is because of broken bones as well.” Roland hummed, staring directly at Cedric as he said that.

Cedric could hear the silent question in the older Black Templar’s voice, but he needed to talk privately with his fellow Primaris marines before they decided what it was they were going to tell the others here. “They are well enough to take short trips out of the base, though.”

Olivar was the first to move closer to the mortal woman, both guarded and curious “Hallo miss Becky. Your sourdough is very tasty. What are those pale lumps of matter you were squishing when we came in?”

She gave him a quick side hug before taking a half-step back “That’s called a dough… Olivar, is it?” Miss Becky gives a quick explanation as to what dough is, and the process of turning dough into bread, a slight blush appearing on her face as she finished with a quiet “Ah… My apologies. You probably didn’t want that much information about such things…”

Pallius looked genuinely fascinated, and Olivar had drifted over to one of the lumps of dough, a focused expression on his face.

“Please don’t say that! I was finding your lecture to be both interesting and quite informative! We weren’t taught how to make food like this - basic foraging, yes. But nothing so technical.” Pallius answered, blue-brown eyes shining with fascination. 

“So you just.. Squish the bread? Und it makes it stronger and tastier?” Olivar clarified, looking very much like he was seconds away from poking one of the lumps of dough sitting out on the counter with a finger.

“If you want to help knead the dough, you must first wash your hands und ask.” Roland drawled, walking over and lightly nudging Olivar over to the sink “Would you mind if the ducklings helped us for a little while?”

“Not in the least! Their help would be quite timely, given the massive line of people we have out of the door, and the dough that requires kneading.” Miss Becky answers with a sigh “If you three are willing to help, of course. If you don’t want to, I won’t insist.”

“But we want to help.” Cedric, Pallius and Olivar answered at the same time, turning to peer hopefully down at the mortal baker. 

Cedric paused for a moment before saying “I can show them how to use not too much of their strength, and cause the dough to tear - und how to mold it into two pieces, if it does accidentally tear.”

Miss Becky beamed and nodded “Thanks, Cedric! You’re a lifesaver. Now I’ve got to get these croissants in the oven.” One of the timers went off, startling Olivar and Pallius with the loudness.

Roland went over to the oven and pulled out several very hot loaves of bread, setting them carefully on the cooling rack “I will help with that, mein schatz.” 

Cedric gestured for Pallius and Olviar to join him at the sink, showing them how to properly wash their hands in order to get ready for kneading the dough. He showed them the proper technique, letting them get a feel for the strength required for the repetitive task, and what they were looking for, for when the bread was ready to be baked.

Both Olivar and Pallius listened and watched carefully, doing their best to mimic what he was doing.

Miss Becky had been kind enough to give them a loaf of freshly cooled banana bread for the three of them to share, after the couple of hours they had spent kneading loaf after loaf of bread into being ready to be cooked, cooled and sold. 

Cedric had texted Arnault as the three of them were leaving the bakery on the communication device he’d been given [We are on our way. Do I need to to give you some more time?]

Cedric was well aware of the fact that Arnault loved his bonded very much, and enjoyed flirting with and touching her whenever he could get away with it. Sometimes that would escalate and Arnault would steal away his bonded to kiss and do… Things with her that the young Apothecary had only heard of in theory and did not want to think about in depth in conjunction with his honored elder brother, thank you very much. Also Arnault had asked him to text before hand for those kinds of reasons.

[Mein Engel and I are ready for guests. She is finishing up a project for a client, und I am helping her by holding up the last part of what needs sewing together. The front door is unlocked, just knock before coming in.] Arnault answered promptly.

Cedric nodded to himself on instinct as he sent back [Understood. We should be there in twenty minutes or so.]

~

Cedric led Olivar and Pallius to Arnault’s and Angela’s home, pausing at the front door, realizing that both of them were standing and staring at the house from the sidewalk. He sighed silently and walked back over to his brothers, voice gentle and coaxing “We’re nearly there. He’s a wonderful big brother, I promise.”

“He… He’s an Emperor’s Champion… Well, will be, from his standpoint. Are… Are we worthy to be in his presence?” Pallius asked, uncertainty causing his voice to shake a little.

Olivar shuffled alongside Pallius, unwilling to voice his own concerns, but nodding along to what Pallius said.

Cedric took in a deep breath and gently held one of Olivar’s and Pallius’ hands, squeezing gently, and answered “We are worthy. Each of us is as valuable as a firstborn brother of our rank and standing. He’s looking forward to meeting you, as is his bonded. I wouldn’t ask you to meet someone who I don’t trust while you’re still healing.”

“... Okay. Let’s do this, then.” Olivar answered, a determined expression appearing on his face as he took in a deep breath and did his best to center himself.

Pallius nodded, taking a couple of moments to center himself as well before saying “Okay… I’m ready. Let’s… Let’s go meet them, then.”

Cedric nodded, smiling encouragingly at his brothers as he led them over to the front door, knocking and then entering as he’d been asked. He informed the other two “It’s considered rude to walk around in their home walking in the shoes that we were walking around outside in. Outside shoes go in this bin over here, and there are guest slippers here, unless you want to walk around barefoot, or in your socks, both of which are acceptable as well.” he took off his own shoes and put them away properly, content to meander about the house in his socks.

Pallius and Olivar obediently took off their shoes and placed them in the correct bin. Neither elected to take a pair of the astartes-sized guest slippers and Olivar also took off his socks, pairing them and placing them in his shoes, so that they wouldn’t get lost. 

Cedric called out “We’re here!” loud enough so that his voice would carry throughout the house, while also not being too loud so as to accidentally cause alarm.

“Come on in!” Miss Angela called out, closer than he’d anticipated her voice to sound “Arnault and I are in the living room, finishing up a project. Please don’t step on the fabric, when you come into the room.”

“Yes ma’am.” Cedric responded, smiling a little as he carefully led his brothers into the living room, carefully picking his way over to where she was sitting and sewing - Arnault carefully holding onto the fabric she was stitching together in order to help keep it steady. “This is Pallius - he’s the one with the slightly darker eyes and hair - and this is Olivar. He’s shorter and -”

“I am less than five inches shorter than the both of you!” Olivar sulked, sending a grumpy pout Cedric’s way “I am well within standard parameters. The fact that I am more compact only means that I can move in more cramped areas better than you two.”

“- grumpy.” Cedric finished with a teasing grin on his face.

“I’d offer you boys some tea, but I’m a little busy at the moment, and so is Arni.” Angela responded, looking up from her work and looking at the three of them. “Goodness! Look how lovely you all are. And there’s no shame in being shorter than others, Olivar. Don’t let the talls bully you! You’re wonderful just the way you are.”

Olivar - who had started to wind up at Cedric’s gentle teasing - deflated a little, blinking in utter shock and mild surprise, struck silent by her words.

Pallius blinked twice and took a half-step forward to cover his Brother’s shock “I’m sure Vie will thank you for your words once he finds his tongue again. None of us have much experience interacting with baselines, and Olivar is not great at making first impressions.”

“Hey! I am… Adequate at socialization!” Olivar pouted, content to be half-hidden behind his larger brothers. He was trying not to be overwhelmed and mostly succeeding. 

“Ja, of course you are, Vie.” Cedric hummed, gently patting his grumpy brother a little, trying to suppress the grin that threatened to appear on his face. “I could start the electric kettle, if you wanted?” He offered.

“That would be lovely, thank you Cedric. It’s in it’s usual spot in the kitchen.” Miss Angela answered with a smile. She then looked to Olivar and Pallius “Please, come sit down, there are a couple of chairs not buried under fabric you can use.”

“Yes ma’am.” Pallius murmured, carefully moving so as to not disturb the fabric in the room.

Olivar fidgeted a little. One of his legs was still on the mend and he had a slim cast that fit under the clothes he was wearing. He wasn’t sure if he had the dexterity to make it across the room without stumbling over the fabric and didn’t want to get into trouble, so he stayed at the entrance of the room. He did lean against the door frame on his good leg. “If you don’t mind, ma’am, I’ll stay here.”

“If you’re sure… There are a couple of chairs free…” Miss Angela pointed out.

“I don’t mind standing, ma’am.” Olivar answered, which was a partial truth.

Arnault hummed a little “There is a sturdy enough folding chair in the closet in the hallway you walked through. Sit, lad. I can smell the pain you’re in from your broken leg.”

Angela gasped a little, a worried frown on her face “You walked all the way here on a broken leg without crutches? Honey, do we have any astartes-grade painkiller? You must be so sore, you poor dear. Hang on, let me move some of this fabric out of the way, so you can sit properly.”

“I… Uhm. I’ll be fine, ma’am. I don’t want to interrupt your work.” Olivar deflected awkwardly.

“Nonsense! It’s easier if the quilt is all laid out like this, but it isn’t strictly necessary. Arni, love, help me move things?” Angela tutted, shaking her head a little.

Arnault nodded, knowing how and where to move the fabric to, before giving Olivar a quick once over and a quiet order “Come here and sit down, Olivar.” He made sure that his voice was gentle, but firm, to brook no argument from foolish apprentices. 

“Yes sir.” Olivar responds, obediently reacting to the tone of command, doing his best to move as carefully as he could manage, sitting down on the far edge of the couch. Some of the pain leaving him, as he was able to get his weight off of his injured leg. “What is it that you are making?” Olivar asked, curiously as he looked at the fabric around him. It looked to be deliberately and expertly stitched together, some of it dyed different colors in a lovely pattern.

Miss Angela grinned as she briefly looked to Arnault before answering “I am making a weighted quilt. I recently finished making one, and this one should be finished by the end of the month. What do you two think of this one?”

Pallius answered first and earnestly “I think your client is very lucky to receive this uilt. I can tell this is expertly made, and the quality is so much better than the thin blankets we were allotted aboard The Sigismund.”

Olivar nodded in agreement “I can’t imagine the time and effect that you put into making this. It is a beautiful piece of art, ma’am.”

Miss Angela seemed to lose the ability to speak for several seconds, blinking rapidly before setting down the needle and finely spun thread and reached out to gently cup one of Olivar’s cheeks “That is such a sweet thing to say, both of you, thank you.”

“Yeah… Cedric’s so lucky to have one of these…” Pallius sighed “It was so comfortable to snuggle together, during the thunderstorm yesterday. Olivar and I were still pretty out of it and…”

“The thunder reminded us of artillery fire in the worst ways. Bad memories and heavy pain killers are an awful combination.” Olivar grumbled, pouting a little though he leaned into her gentle touch, trying to blink back treacherous tears that threatened to fall. He’d never been touched this gently by someone who wasn’t a Brother or a Cousin before and he had no idea how to react. He had no idea how much a quilt like the one Cedric had cost, but he planned on getting money and the supplies necessary to create such a thing and ask Miss Angela to make one for him. Cedric would probably know what to get and how much it cost. Ramiel too, as both of them had those wonderful quilts. He planned on asking for one for Pallius first, as a surprise gift for his only surviving squadmate. 

Cedric came back into the room with one mortal sized mug and four astartes sized mugs in his hands, along with several bright orange fruits that smelled sweet. “I’ve got drinks and a snack for everyone.” He passed both the fruits and the mugs around,c careful to avoid stepping on the fabric. 

Pallius curiously inspected the orange fruit that he’d been given. It had bright, smooth skin and smelled faintly sweet and floral. He didn’t recognize it at all “What is this?” He asked curiously as he brought the fruit up to his lips and carefully took a small bite.

“These are persimmons. They should taste sweet and have a slight drying effect on the tongue.” Arnault explained, an amused smirk appearing on the older Black Templar’s face as he took a bite of the fruit.

Olivar was put off by the slightly grainy texture of the flesh of the fruit, and the flavor was odd to him as well. But everyone else seemed to be enjoying their fruit and he wasn’t one to turn down food when it was offered to him freely, so he quickly ate the rest of the persimmon, washing down the taste and texture with the tannic-tasting tea. It was amazing to learn just how much variety of foods there was on ancient and holy Terra… And overwhelming to the young Astartes, who was used to the carefully created and bland tasting nutrient pastes, ration bars and similar such food-stuffs that were made to sustain the Adeptus Astartes. 

“Is the persimmon not to your liking, Olivar?” Miss angela asked, sounding concerned.

Olivar blanked in surprise. He’d tried to keep his mild distaste for the strange fruit from being obvious. “It’s… Very different from what I’m used to, ma’am. But I did finish it.” Olivar answered, resisting the temptation to fidget with the mug in his hands. 

“Persimmons can be an acquired taste. I was given these by a neighbor who has a persimmon tree that is fruiting heavily this year. I’ve also seen the start of the Zucchini Shenanigans season earlier this week.” Angela hummed, smiling a little.

“I will be on guard, to ensure that we are not ambushed by too many squash. THey are tasty, but too many at once to eat before they spoil is… Vexing.” Arnault rumbled shaking his head a little.

Pallius silently wondered what the two of them were referring to. He looked to Olivar silently, who shrugged, equally confused before they both silently looked to Cedric, in hopes that he would offer them some kind of explanation.

“Free, fresh vegetables are always welcome at the base, should you be gifted with more zucchini than you can eat before it goes bad.” The young apothecary offered “Also miss Becky recently taught me how to make zucchini bread, which I find to be quite tasty, though on the sweet side.”

“Was that the soft brown bread with the spices you fed us earlier this week?” Olivar asked curiously, eyes widening in recognition. “You made like… Ten loaves of the stuff and we had to hide them from nosy firstborn brothers while they cooled, so that they could be used in trade.”

“Those were indeed Zucchini bread.” Cedric confirmed with a small grin.

“What did you end up trading that Zucchini bread for, anyways?” Pallius asked curiously, head tilting a little at his apothecary Brother “You mentioned that you’d made them specifically to be used in trade, which is why we hid them from hungry Older Brothers.”

Cedric’s eyes shone brightly with a playful kind of mischief “Something that I wanted and knew I could get with the proper application of sweet tasting breads.”

“I suppose that’s Cedric for “I’m not gonna tell you” then?” Olivar grumbled, pouting a little “Is there a particular reason you won’t tell us? Or are you practicing Secret Keeping?”

Cedric chuckled, his eyes still shining brightly with playful mischief “I’m not telling~! If you need to find out, you will in time.”

“Fine.” Pallius sighed, pouting a little that Cedric wouldn’t tell them but not willing to try and push the issue… At least not in front of the firstborn and his bonded. 

“... Why would you need to practice keeping secrets?” Miss Angela asked curiously, as she had finished eating her persimmon and had gone back to stitching the quilt together.

All three young Astartes looked at one another uncertainly before looking to Brother Arnault. They weren’t quite sure what parts of astartes training they were allowed to speak of, and what was to be kept silent on. 

Arnault chuckled “Basic astartes training leaves many young ones to be quite blunt und direct with their words and methods of speaking. Some missions require a degree of… Hrm. Subtlety and discretion, so we have the young ones practice how to Keep Secrets with low-stakes items and information that they are told to hide for a certain length of time, so that they know how to do so when it matters.”

“Ah, I see. I suppose that makes sense…” Angela hummed, nodding a little. “How long have you two been on Earth?”

“... I’m not sure, ma’am. But not longer than a month or two at most? I was brought to the base pretty badly injured because of… Uhm. Reasons, and I’ve been in recovery after they stitched my wounds closed, ma’am.” Pallius answered, shifting a little “This is the first time I’ve left the base since arriving, actually.”

Olivar nodded “I think I've been here for about three weeks at most? Maybe a month, by the way you figure the days and nights.” It was by unspoken agreement that they were not going to explain precisely how and why they had acquire their grievous wounds - the firstborns had assumed that they’d been nearly killed by Chaos Astartes from the kinds of weapons their wounds had been inflicted by… Which while untrue, was close enough to the truth to be functional. “From what little I have seen of Ter-err Earth, it’s a beautiful world.”

“It can be a beautiful place to live… Though I can’t help but wonder what it’s like to wander the stars, as Arni has occasionally told me he’s done. What’s it like to explore other worlds?” Angela asked, a soft sigh leaving her.

The three Primaris marines glanced at each other before looking to Arnault, unsure how to answer her question, each shifting uncomfortably. While it was possible that some of the many worlds that they had visited during their tenure as Astartes had once been beautiful, most of that beauty had been blasted and perverted into misery and suffering by the enemy they had been sent to fight. 

“We’re not supposed to talk about what we did before we came to Earth, my love.” Arnault reminded her, voice gentle as he gave his Angela a kiss on the lips that caused all three of his baby brothers to fluster and turn away, to give them a bit of privacy, their ears burning bright red. 

Angela kissed him back, a soft hum in her voice “Very well then, I won’t ask more about it. I wouldn’t want to get any of you into trouble for prying into your mysterious pasts.” 

Cedric’s phone chimed, as a reminder went off. He looked at the notification and sighed “Vie, Palli, we need to get going back to base soon, or they’ll start sending out search parties for us and we’ll be grounded for wandering around too long without a check-in.”

Olivar grumbled “Can’t we check in via vox?”

Cedric shook his head “No, we need to check-in in-person, because you and Pallius are injured.”

Pallius sighed and nodded “Very well then. I suppose it makes sense…” He got up and saluted Arnault and Miss Angela on instinct “Thank you for your time, tea and the fruit.” He started to carefully make his way across the floor. 

Olivar also got up and saluted the two of them, hiding the pained wince as his weight was partially on his broken leg once again “Thank you sir, ma’am.” and hobbled out of the room as gracefully as he could manage.

“Alright, you boys stay safe, alright?” Miss Angela answered with a small smile and a nod, leaning a little into Brother Arnault as she spoke.

“Heal well, und try not to get into too much mischief. At least not without me or Roland present.” The Emperor’s Champion hummed, a small smile on his face as he held his Bonded lovingly. 

“Yes sir! We’ll try to stay out of trouble, sir!” Cedric chirped for his brothers, stepping so that he was helping Olivar and Pallius move without it being abundantly obvious. 

Arnault snorted a little “Uh-huh. No fist fighting Chaos Cowards out of armor, Cedric.” 

Cedric pouted a little as Olivar and Pallius looked at him curiously “That was one time, big bruder!”

“Ah-huh.” Arnault answered, still smirking a little as the three apprentices made their way out of his and his beloved’s home.

Cedric helped Pallius and Olivar get back to base, making sure to insist that they sit on  benches that were occasionally near the sidewalk, so that they could give their still-healing bodies a break. He also dutifully recounted his encounter with the Slaaneshi Bastard and his reasoning behind tackling the fucker and duct-taping empty glass jars to his poison-dripping fingertips.

[mychoombatheroomba]

Don't Let Go

Between the Bones (Leon x GN! Reader) - Chapter 36

You get some unexpected support, and you and Leon come to an understanding that neither of you likes.

(Cross-posted from Ao3)

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Chapter Index

They had the day off, but the first thing that everyone wanted was answers.

To his credit, Krauser took the time to answer them all as best he could. 

“Why didn’t you warn us?” 

“I didn’t know.”

“Do they have the authority to even do that?” 

“. . . Yes.” 

“What are they so afraid of us blabbing about?” 

“You’ll be learning that in the coming weeks.” 

“Are those assholes really going to be staying?” 

“Yes.”

Leon stood in the back as the rest of the squad learned what he already knew: what they’d suffered for. What some of them were being sent home for. No one was happy with the answers given, but most understood. Leon understood. The reasoning, at least. Not the practice. Not the torture. He would never understand that. 

Nor would he understand the answer to the question Valeria hissed out, one that had been eating away at Leon, too. The one thing he wasn’t reasonably sure of, on Krauser’s end regarding the whole experience. 

“They had our letters,” she said, her foot tapping against the floor beneath where she sat on her bunk. “From months back.” 

Leon watched shadow overtake Krauser’s eyes, that crease between his brows deepening. 

“Hadn’t heard from my mom. Is it because they held those letters from us?” 

Krauser nodded once, his gaze unwavering even if it was full of regret. “Yes.” 

“And you knew?” Valeria pressed, hurt evident in her features. 

Another pause, before Krauser nodded. “Yes. STRATCOM procedure. No communication with the world outside during training.” 

“So any letters we sent home . . .” 

“. . . Were never sent.”

Top-secret shit, even before the bioweapons were brought into play. 

Not that it made the pill any easier to swallow. 

Still, the Major didn’t try to shift the blame off of himself, even as Valeria fixed him in a scalding glare. If looks could kill, Jack Krauser would be a pile of ash on the ground. “That’s bullshit,” Valeria snapped. “Sir.” 

“Watch that tone, Soto,” Krauser met her, steel for steel. Leon had seen the man make soldiers give him fifty push-ups for mouthing off . . . but he’d also seen him allow Leon to speak his mind. He’d seen the Major listen to Leon’s own concerns, even if the Major seemed to like quite literally everyone else better than him. So, even if he barked at Valeria now, Leon wasn’t surprised when a moment later, the Major just gave her an apologetic look. There were a lot of those that he gave that morning, until there were no more questions. 

None that anyone was brave enough to ask, anyway. 

Their personal effects were passed back out to them - the ones that had been abandoned in the Humvees when Reed and Hellman had taken the squad. Three days ago. Three days and a lifetime, it felt like. 

Just like how Raccoon City felt like a lifetime in one night. 

Pain had a way of doing that, didn’t it? Warping the world. A day became forever, forever became attached to the idea of something terrible. A cage with no bars. He wondered how long he and the rest would be stuck in that cage? How long the bruises would take to heal, how often, like last night, someone would hear movement in the barracks and jolt awake, expecting a blow for having fallen asleep . . .

Everyone was still so quiet as they unloaded their freshly returned packs. Hard not to be when Andersen and the other three who had failed were there, not bothering to join in the unpacking. What was the point if they were going to be gone by tomorrow anyway?

As for the rest, the day was theirs to do with as they pleased, and no one had any idea how to spend that free time. 

Not until heavy footfalls against the floor made Leon and those around him - Alenko, Williams and Valeria - look up, and they found the Major standing there, his hands behind his back. He looked at each of them, gaze sweeping from right to left before landing on Leon and hardening. Sharpening. Leon was sure then that he was about to hear a speech about his failure. About how he’d broken and the only reason that he and Valeria were being allowed to stay were because of Krauser’s own intervention. Or maybe that this entire thing was because of a request that Leon made. He could think of no other reason for the loathing in that stare. 

Instead, the Major looked back at the group as a whole. “Heard you had some trouble back at Fort Benning,” he said, and Leon’s brow furrowed. So the conversation wasn’t going to be about the beatings taken in those cells, but rather the one that he and the others had taken in defense of one another. “Got a call from Commander Cortez a few days back. Said you got into a fight. That you put twelve of his men in the hospital. That true?” 

That, too, seemed like a lifetime ago. Alenko was the one to nod and answer Krauser’s question. “Yes, sir.” He frowned as he spoke, the expression tugging at the splotches of blue and purple on his face. 

Krauser nodded once, his face set in stone. 

“Good,” he finally said, and Leon recognized veiled pride in his eyes. “Make sure you don’t end up in the hospital too, next time.” 

It was one of the few orders that Major Krauser had given in his time here that Leon agreed with. 

Of course, when the Major unclasped his hands and tossed what he’d been holding onto the bunk nearest him, Leon felt an entirely different wave of emotion sweep through him. The little radio rolled onto its back as it landed amidst the scratchy blankets, leaving a flash of recognition to cross Williams’ and Alenko’s faces as they saw it. The same radio that had been in Cortez’s office. The same one you’d somehow stolen for them, that you’d all been listening to on the ride home before everything went wrong. 

Krauser was giving it back to them. 

“And don’t make a habit of stealing from your Commanding Officers.” 

Leon might have laughed, under different circumstances. 

Instead, he found himself even more surprised as Krauser went on, this time looking towards Valeria. “Your letters,” he began, “they were from your mother?” Hellman must have told him, then. Or maybe Krauser had read the letters himself, after the fact. Leon hoped that wasn’t the case. He hoped he hadn’t read through Sherry’s letters before Leon even had the chance to. Still, he knew enough about the contents to ask.

Valeria’s mouth twitched down, and she nodded once in response, stiff and all too plainly upset. 

Krauser nodded too, and again Leon saw conflict in the Major’s face. Whatever combat his thoughts were doing, though, it was over quickly. “I’ll do what I can to get you clearance to write home. All of you.” 

That was all Krauser said . . . but just before he turned away, his eyes found Leon again. Fixed on him like crosshairs. The words spoken were all that were said, but Leon could see that Krauser had more to say. Something lurking just beneath the surface, unformed but sharp. Leon only glimpsed it for a moment, but it was there all the same. Leon almost didn’t care if the Major was angry, now though. Because even if he didn’t have a home to write to, really, he could write to Sherry. 

He might be able to tell her he was sorry for not answering her letters. To tell her he was okay, to make sure that she was alright too. 

So, whatever was behind the sharp look that he received now, Leon just met that sharpness with gratitude. He didn’t get much but a moment of that gaze losing its edge. Just a second or two, and then the moment was gone, and so was Major Krauser, moving down the rows of bunks. He hesitated as he neared Andersen, the older soldier sitting on the edge of his bunk, looking shell-shocked. 

Krauser looked down at him, his jaw tensing as he reached out a hand, patting the other man on the shoulder. 

Then, lifting his chin, he left the barracks. 

More silence followed, until at last, Williams spoke up. “Looks like Sarge was right about him being proud,” she muttered, watching as he stepped through the door. 

There was no doubt in Leon’s mind. Jack Krauser was an asshole. He had a sadistic streak. He liked to push people and he would never apologize for doing it. All of that was still true. 

But maybe you’d been right about more than just Krauser being proud of you all. 

“Do you buy it?” Alenko asked, looking over at Leon. “That he didn’t know about Reed and Hellman?” He didn’t sound overly skeptical. Just like he wanted to be sure. That he needed that one last opinion that reinforced his own. 

You had faith in the Major. Leon had criticized you for that, once. 

Now he understood it better. 

“He’s telling the truth,” Leon nodded, and he could have sworn he felt hell freeze over because he was defending Krauser of all people. “You saw how he reacted to . . .” to your injury. Leon had seen it up close and personal. The shock that mutated into rage. Rage enough to make Krauser nearly do something stupid. 

“Yeah,” Alenko conceded, knowing well enough what Leon was referring to. They’d all seen the concern the Major had for you. The regret he’d hidden poorly as he answered the questions today. He had not meant you all to come to harm. Not like that. 

Didn’t change the fact that you were still going to be hospitalized for who-knew-how-long. 

“Never seen him worried like that,” Williams nodded, shaking her head. 

“Never seen Sarge hurting like that either,” Alenko said, and tensed when he felt Valeria’s gaze turn on him. She was still feeling guilty, Leon could see it. Alenko could too, shutting his mouth when he realized he’d just reminded Valeria of what she’d inadvertently caused. 

Because Reed and Hellman had asked about the two of you specifically. That’s what Valeria had said last night, and those words had Leon on edge. That’s what made him worry even now that there was danger, even now that they were all free of those cells. 

You’d told him last night that you couldn’t risk him being there, and you hadn’t known how right you’d been. 

The two of you had been obvious with your care for one another. So, even if she’d given up information about you two being close, Leon didn’t blame Valeria for what happened. Even if it was clear that she blamed herself. 

Maybe that was why, after a moment, she reached for the radio that Krauser had left on the cot in front of her, and stood. “Come on then,” she said to the group, and her voice had more resolve in it than Leon had heard in a long while. 

“Where are you-”

“We weren’t the ones that stole the radio, right? And Sarge is gonna get a lot more use out of it than we are.” 

It was a day for looking past old angers, Leon found. He hadn’t liked Valeria much before the trip to Fort Benning. That had changed steadily while there. Now, though, as she marched off in an effort to try and alleviate your loneliness, whether to lessen her guilt or because she genuinely cared for you, Leon didn’t care. What mattered was the effort. It mattered that someone besides him cared enough to think of that before he could even voice it. 

And Leon, for the first time in the last few days, smiled. He didn’t hesitate as he stood alongside her, following her as she moved towards the door. It didn’t take long before Williams and Alenko were following along, too. 

⧫⧫⧫

As soon as you heard the knock on the door, you steeled yourself. 

You weren’t sure how you were going to tell Leon. Distancing yourself had been the first instinct. You were good at that. It would be easy. Well, not easy, but doable. You’d done it once before, after all. 

It had left you feeling like shit, and it hadn’t solved anything. 

You’d both promised to talk about what you were feeling. It was a promise you regretted now that it made things more difficult, but you wanted to honor it. You owed him that much. So, you’d torn your mind apart all morning trying to put together the right words. 

Krauser knows-

Reed and Hellman will be watching-

We can’t-

All of them seemed like bullshit, even if the concerns Krauser had raised were valid. Real. Just as the happiness that Leon Kennedy brought you was real, too. The most real thing you’d felt in months, besides that old and aching pain that you could never be rid of. Pain that was dulled and, sometimes, forgotten around the man you’d come to care for so much. The man you’d watched grow into a stronger person, inside and out. The man you would take a thousand hits for. 

You couldn’t just let that go. 

So when you heard that knock, you weren’t sure what the hell you were supposed to do because Leon wouldn’t want to end this. Not now. And neither did you. 

The door opened and you found yourself speaking on instinct alone. “You shouldn’t be in here,” you repeated the words from the night before, not looking up from that spot on the floor you’d chosen as yours. 

And then you regretted not looking up as soon as you heard a smoky but strained voice reply. “Nice to see you too.” 

Your head snapped up and you pushed yourself up from bed, thanking the pain meds in your system for allowing the movement. Valeria didn’t wait to be invited in. Neither did any of the three people following her. Alenko and Williams gave you gentle, apologetic smiles as they followed the shorter woman in, and you felt your heart splinter because you’d thought to spend this day alone, like the last time. You thought you’d have to push Leon away the moment he stepped through the door, just for the sake of keeping up appearances. 

Instead, you found yourself looking at your squad mates with wide eyes. 

And when Leon did walk through the door, you felt that splintered heart break apart when he smiled at you. 

“Hey,” he greeted, and you knew this conversation was going to hurt. Both of you. 

But what conversation was it going to shape up to become? 

You didn’t know, and, as you looked at the four visitors in front of you, you decided that maybe you didn’t want to know, either. 

“Hey,” you said. “What are you all-”

“We got the day off,” Valeria answered. “Figured you could use the company.” 

“If you wanted it,” Leon added, giving you an understanding look. 

You’d been alone during your recovery from Finland. Krauser had checked in on you when he could, but he had a life and duties to attend to. The nurses that pitied you had made for shitty companions. Not that you’d wanted anyone, anyway. Solitude. That had been your companion and your shield. You’d thought just Leon had the ability to break down that barricade around you. 

You’d been wrong. 

It wasn’t quite a smile that you gave the group as you nodded, but it was close enough. “Okay.” 

That surprise and that slight smile only grew as Valeria held out her arm and presented you with none other than the little radio you’d stolen from Cortez’s office. “Think you’re missing this, too.” 

You weren’t sure what to think as you took the radio from her. Valeria seldom did anything without cause. What was her reasoning for this? For being, well, downright kind to you? You didn’t know, and, honestly? In that moment, when you had been so sure you’d been condemned to isolation in every possible way, you decided that you didn’t care, either. 

So, you settled the radio between your hands, fighting back the new kind of pain in your chest. One not born of your cracked ribs or the fear that Krauser’s words had instilled in you. 

This pain was sweeter. One you hadn’t felt in a long, long time. 

“Thank you,” you murmured, looking from Valeria, to Leon, and then the rest. 

Valeria just shrugged. “You’re no fun when you’re miserable. So pick a station and let’s fucking relax for once.” 

You couldn’t really argue with that, so you flipped switches and dials until you heard a synth beat and vocals you hadn’t heard in so long. A song from another life. 

“. . . there’s no turning back.”

“Even while we sleep . . .”

“Shit,” Alenko smiled wide as he took a seat a ways away from the bed you sat in. “I love this song!”

Williams just nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall. “Least it’s not the Spice Girls,” she mumbled over her split lip before she looked over at the rest of you who, back in the Humvee, had made her sit through one of their songs. It seemed her opinion of them hadn’t improved. “Respectfully, they’re shit.” The near-apology was delivered with a near-smile to match. 

“Well, Williams,” you found yourself saying, even if your words were muted by the ordeal you’d just been through. Still, there was something familiar there. Something you’d rediscovered at Fort Benning, and were glad to find at your fingertips now; humor. That was what ever-so-slightly colored your words as you told Williams, “ respectfully, go fuck yourself.” 

An Army brat like you, Williams just smirked right back. 

“Help me make the-”

“Most of freedom and of pleasure-”

“Nothing ever lasts forever . . .” 

It made it easier, having them there. There weren’t many words, but there didn’t need to be. You all just listened to the song as it played, finding a comfortable state of quiet between each other. Valeria moved to lean against the wall by Williams’ side. Leon . . . you could tell he wanted to move closer to you. You wanted that too. You wanted it to be just the two of you, like in the hospital in Fort Benning, but Krauser’s warning hung over your head. 

“There’s a room where the light won’t find you-”

“Holding hands as the walls come tumbling down-”

“When they do, I’ll be right behind you . . .”

Being alone with him was dangerous, more so now than it ever had been. That didn’t change simply because you wanted his presence or company. Your desire for him wouldn’t be pitied in a court martial. Not if Reed and Hellman were already looking at you like an infected limb that needed to be cut away.

You needed to heal, and Leon needed to finish this training. You both did. You’d just never thought it would be apart. 

“So glad we almost made it . . .”

So . . . you would be alone with him one more time. At least for a while. 

“So sad they had to fade it . . .”

You hoped he would understand that this was for the best, for now. 

The song eventually finished and you looked up to meet his eyes. You’d learned to speak without words to each other, now. So many stolen glances and nights spent side by side, in training or with him pressed up against the wall of the mess hall, you had a language all your own. Insight into each other’s thoughts. And as you looked into those ocean blues, you saw your own thoughts reflected back at you. 

There was a talk to be had, and both of you knew it. 

⧫⧫⧫

The day went on and eventually the others left. Alenko was first, saying he was going to go in search of food. Had to be desperate, to want what the mess hall served, but Leon didn’t begrudge him. The hunger of those three days had left them all empty just as much as the rest of the experience had. 

Williams went next, saying she needed to move, to make up for those days spent in captivity. Valeria didn’t take much convincing when asked to join her.

Leon almost told them to be careful. To not let the agents see them. 

To not end up in the predicament that the two of you were in. 

A situation that became clear and present, once the two of you were left alone, the radio playing on. 

“How are you feeling?” He knew what the answer would be, but he asked anyway.

“They gave me pain meds,” you shrugged as best you could, “so not that bad right now.” 

At least there was that. Even if you shouldn’t have had to be in the infirmary in the first place. “Have they told you how long you’ll be on bed rest?” Leon asked, because he didn’t want to have the other conversation. Not yet. 

The mirth that had been present on your face, however muted, faded. “It was a six week recovery last time. For the bones.” 

“Six?” The number sounded so much worse than what Leon had imagined. He remembered his own long recovery from the gunshot wound he’d suffered in Raccoon City. It had seemed long then, but he hadn’t been kept from anything. It hadn’t stopped him from living his life. Not that he’d done much living after that night anyway. Still, he couldn’t imagine what this was like to you, because it would be six weeks without physical training. Six weeks without sparring, without being able to clear your head in the way Leon knew you would need. Six weeks of what would be hell to you. 

And if you couldn’t train for combat like the rest of them . . . would you be able to graduate with the rest? With him? 

“You need to keep practicing,” you told him, and by the stiffness of your words, Leon could tell that you were thinking of exactly what he was thinking of. It sounded like you were telling him to go on without you. “Train with the others, but ask Krauser to spar too. He’s the best. He’ll kick your ass, but he’ll make you better.”

“You say that like you’re not gonna-”

“I’m not gonna be able to spar with you, Leon. Not for a while. I’m not gonna be there. You can’t let yourself fall behind with me.” 

The words, while well intentioned, were painful to hear aloud. True, but painful because after months of training with you, he couldn’t imagine not being by your side. He didn’t want to have to train for hell on earth and not know that you would be there to face it with him. 

But you were right. 

As unfair as it was, as completely and utterly shitty, you were right. 

“Okay,” he nodded. “But then when you’re better, we’ll catch you back up.” Because he knew you would need it. He knew you’d want it, too. That after so long letting your body heal, you would want nothing more than to throw yourself back into the swing of things. 

The trouble was-

“Leon . . .” you shook your head, and he knew that the conversation he’d dreaded was here. “Krauser knows.” 

Just like that, the color drained from his face. You’d never been one to beat around the bush, but those words were like being doused in ice water.

“About . . .”

“Us.” 

He felt a pit open up in his stomach that threatened to turn him inside-out, and all he could do was sit on the bed beside you. The jaws were closing in. Had that been the cause of that look from Krauser earlier? Had the Major been looking at him with such disdain because of that?

“. . . Fuck.” It was really all he could say. Why even warn you about Reed and Hellman if the game was already over . . .

“He’s not going to report it.” 

. . . or maybe not as over as Leon had thought. 

“What?” he blinked, turning to look at you without bothering to hide his confusion. Major Krauser hadn’t exactly been by the books, as far as Leon knew, but he’d been so adamant about respecting the order of things. This whole mess had happened because he’d not wanted to step outside the bounds of red tape. Why the hell hadn’t he reported fraternization? 

“Said he doesn’t care. But he also said that Reed and Hellman will.” 

Leon nodded, trying to reconcile all the mismatched thoughts and solutions buzzing around his mind. 

“So he’s saying he won’t stop us but if we get found out we’re fucked.” 

You just nodded, the air growing heavier and heavier with each moment. Because Leon knew where this was going, just as much as you did. 

Leon pursed his lips, looking down. “They asked about us during the interrogations,” he finally said. “Reed and Hellman. Valeria told me they were asking.” 

It was your turn to frown, he could see it out of the corner of his eyes. He wouldn’t rat Valeria out, but you deserved to know that the agents were onto you, even if Krauser wouldn’t be the one to confirm it.

Why wouldn’t he confirm it?

“Then they’ll be watching.” 

Leon nodded once, feeling emptiness beginning to set in. “So what do you want to do?” he asked, dreading the answer because he’d heard the distance in your voice last night, and he could hear it even then. He’d heard it once before, after you’d kissed him that first night and tried to convince yourself and him that it was a mistake. 

The difference was that, then, he’d seen that emptiness in your eyes, too. He’d seen you retreating into yourself. 

He knew you well enough now to know that the look that he saw in your eyes didn’t match the attempt at distance in your voice. Because, as you turned your gaze up towards him, Leon could see only conflict. Only you, a casualty of the crossfire between what your mind had to be telling you and what your heart wanted. When you answered, that conflict was all the more apparent. “You know what I want. But we have to be smart about this. Because if Krauser knows - and has for months now - then Reed and Hellman will pick up on it too, and they’re already gunning to cut me for this shit,” you gestured down to your ribs, and Leon swore he heard your voice waver.  

“They wanted me out, too,” Leon admitted, and he watched some fear seep into your expression. “Krauser convinced them to let me stay.” 

And again, Leon found himself wondering why?

“They wanted . . . why?” you asked. Why they’d wanted Leon gone - that’s what you were asking about. 

“Because I broke,” he admitted, his voice hushed. Not ashamed, but overwhelmed by other emotions. “When they were hurting you, I had to get them to stop. So I was going to tell them what they wanted to know. Right before Krauser got there.” 

You looked at him then, silent, your eyes piercing his own. Searching and seeing straight through him, just as you always had. 

You had suffered on account of him. It was the last thing he ever wanted for you, but you’d endured it. You’d taken pain for him, in fights and behind bars, and you’d been taking pain from him for far longer. With your company, with your touch. You’d helped each other learn to walk again. It was what had made him fall in love with you, even if it had been something that happened to him at the end of your knife. 

He loved you. So, he made a decision. 

“Look,” he went on, turning to face you more, feeling something in him building. A resolve or a desperate hope, he wasn’t sure. “I’ll focus on training. I’ll work with Krauser, I’ll . . . I’ll only visit you with the others, if you think it’ll be less suspicious. But I’m not leaving you here by yourself. I’m not letting go of this. I can’t do that. Not if you don’t want to let go, either.” 

He watched you, feeling emotion overtaking him. Bearing down on him, nearly making him shake because it had all been too much. Raccoon City. STRATCOM. All the hurts he’d suffered - that you’d suffered - and the best thing to come from it all had been this. You. 

So, his throat constricting, he hoped that you felt the same way. 

For a moment, he worried, because you were staring at him like he was something you could never have. He saw the regret in your eyes, the tension in your body, like you were bracing for some great pain. It all faded, though, and the corners of your mouth turned up just a bit. The dark of night graying as the sun tried to appear once more. 

It was all the warning he had before your lips were on his, and Leon felt the resolve he’d built up for months, the guard he’d put around himself in that prison, crumble. Emotion and relief flooded him, and his hand shook a bit as he lifted it to your face. It was different from the kisses the two of you had stolen in the shadows. Different than the sweet one he’d given you in the hospital at Fort Benning. This was all longing. Wordless in its declaration. He held you gently, no longer needing to memorize the feel of you but trying to hold on to every detail anyway. 

Because he didn’t know when he’d next get the chance to kiss you. Or hold you. Or be with you the way he wanted. 

But he wasn’t letting go. 

“I don’t want to let go, either,” you told him, your lips against his. “I don’t know when we’ll be able to-”

“Neither do I,” Leon admitted, as the words tore at him. “But . . . we’ll find a way.” 

He had to believe that. 

He had to believe that this wedge being driven between the two of you wouldn’t change what he felt. And to that end, he would watch. He would find moments of safety for the two of you, he would learn to play the spy game if it meant he could steal a few heartbeats with you. He’d wait for those moments, and he’d wait for you. 

However long it took. 

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Index

[barid-bel-medar]

How do you expel an entire class? Did Aizawa simply tell you’re all expelled, walks away and wait for another teacher to make damage control?

That movement must make him:

1 Disliked by other fellow teachers (minus his friends i guess).

2 A PR nightmare for Nedzu and UA. Since there’s at least two recommended students.

3. Widely hated or feared for an entire promotion.

4. What about 1-B. Did they just assume the worst of them is better than the best 1-A?

5. How does the rivalry with Vlad King surge? Since there’s no competition at all.

6. What’s the true lesson behind all that? That an entire class needs to improve? That the worst batch goes into 1-A? That Aizawa is the most strict teacher and therefore the best?

Looking at that from all angles and just doesn’t work. How does Aizawa keep his job for more than a year. Did someone immediately re-enrrol the kids, apologize and swears them to silence? And, did all that shit show happens more than once?

I’ll never get how the Dadzawa wave started since before the very retcon!

Yeah the expulsion stuff causes a huge amount of problems when you start thinking about it. There should have been at minimum a huge surge of controversy long ago that resulted in Aizawa getting fired especially with the sheer number of students he's apparently expelled.

The biggest problem comes down to something I've noted before that Hori very clearly decided to make a bunch of Kakashi references with Aizawa, but also as clearly missed major reasons of why Kakashi can pull the shit he did with Team Seven and his earlier teams (namely the 'fail them back to the Academy' thing).

For one thing, things like the bell test? Were something all the genin teachers did; we see Team Gai's version in a flashback at one point. It's referenced as a thing all versions of Team Seven have done, meaning Kakashi isn't even the one who originally came up with it or the point of the lesson it taught. For another, these kids are literally about to start an active career in a field that will easily kill them. If they aren't ready for it, they're going to die, full stop and do need the additional Academy time. The 1-A kids are just about to start training to get to their careers in heroics. The expulsion thing isn't something a single other teacher does. Another big issue with Aizawa?

He's not someone that the vast, vast majority would give two shits about being trained by.

At the end of the day, Aizawa is just some random underground hero. He's not a famous pro that the kids are super excited to be being taught by. He's basically just some guy who happens to have a hero license when it comes down to it. Izuku, noted hero fanboy, didn't recognize Aizawa even, just his Quirk. Like if he was someone that people badly wanted to be taught by or was widely admired as a hero, then you could get away with people being more willing to brush aside the expulsion shit, but he's not. Kakashi over in Naruto is one of the most elite ninja in the village. He's someone people would love to have teach them and pass on that level of skill. Eliteness is something that makes a lot of people much more willing to look away from your bullshit.

(As bad as All Might is at teaching, you're still going to want to be taught by him just to say you were)

Even if you want to make the argument of 'well UA would want to have Aizawa at UA because Erasure is helpful to have if a student's quirk gets out of control while training', that only works if he's one of the practical lesson teachers, not a homeroom teacher. We're given no sign he's even around while 1-A is having practical lessons, aka a very reasonable time for him to be around to prevent an accident from happening.

The expulsion thing I think was definitely one of the things Hori's referencing when he talks about how he wishes he had made different writing choices for some characters at the start of the series.

[onyxsboxes]

*comes crashing in through the window* I was going to wait to comment on ao3 but I just need to talk about Curt's absolute denial because it was hilarious 😂 He was so precious being angry on Gale's behalf and even using his first name 🥺 I love him calling Bucky out on his alleged bs 😂 And then him immediately wanting to be part of the chaotic propaganda of Bucky being the werewolf with Benny and Brady who are so suck of Clegan being the epitome of soulmate 🫠 Buck being an overgrown cat on Bucky's lap 😭 "MY LITTLE WOLF" I am in shambles.. I adore them with all my heart🥰 Also I had a question, chronologically wise, does Curt know before Ken ? Did they manage to keep it a secret through all of their training in 42? I have so much questions for this au but I don't want to overwhelm you so I'll come back later 🫡❤️

*Open the window for you* Nice to see you, come in, come in Thank you for the ask dear. It made me all happy.

Curt is a good friend of Bucky, not afraid to call him on his bullshit, and if he can get back at Bucky for everything he's put him through, even better. And he may or may not have a little crush on Buck.

Mr. “please let me take your place, i'll own you one” with a “let's add fire and fuel to the burning bulding” attitude Curtis Biddick was so mad that they didn't let him into it from the beginning. This club is what he lives for. After learning the truth, he's still one of the most involved in the “Why Major Egan is a Werewolf” meeting, but he's first and foremost a chaos agent for the “How to mess with the 100th” group. He lives his best life making up increasingly ridiculous stories (and everyone believes him).

It's more talk than actual annoyance. Brady and Benny were super happy for them, but after discovering that they're even more in their own bubble after they're officially together, they decided to act like this. Brady, Benny and Clegan (B4) have a sibling relationship and with that duty, Benny and Brady feel obligated to act like a sibling to them. They all have their differences, but are always very protective of each other -> “I'm the only one allowed to annoy you” between Brady and Bucky and "Let me help you" between Benny and Gale. Brady acts as Bucky's little brother and Benny as Gale's big brother.

I headcanon Buck as a cat-coded person (I use this hc more in the kitty gale series) so naturally wolf!buck will also have cat behavior. He already likes to be on top of things. And they're so fhruqfgq cute together🥰🤗, I get cavities just thinking about them (a bit of fluff in the midst of all the wonderful angst that exists in this fandom).

The fic is not in chronological order (I had planned to do this at the beginning but finally ....) So Ken doesn't learn before Curtis. That's kind of how it goes chronologically (other characters could be added of course 😉) :

The higher-ups know it from the start (instructors, ...)

Bucky

Brady and Benny

Red and Kidd when they become majors

Curtis

-> Departure for England

Meatball

Harding

Kenny

-> Stalag

Hambone

Alex

-> Back to England

Rosie and Crosby

Douglass

Does it remain a secret during their training years? Yes, and they don't even try to hide it. The only time Buck actively tries to hide it (for safety reasons) is during stalag. Otherwise, he doesn't talk about it because it's a childhood habit.

I think I don't forget anything 🤞. Hope this responds to your interrogations. And don't worry, send them in, I'll get through them when I can 🥰

[geekgirles]

Disclaimer: I am well aware of the content of the Bible Leaks. However, I will not be addressing them. If you are reading this and have read the leaks as well, please, refrain from pointing out any spoilers from them out of respect to fellow fans that chose not to spoil themselves.

With that out of the way...

Um...could we please take a moment to talk about what just happened, whatever the fuck that is, please?

If you've known me enough, then you must surely know I despise Lila Rossi. As a character, as a villain, if she were a real person I might literally bite her head off... I wholeheartedly believe she is the source of about 75% of the salt in this fandom, given most salt takes on other characters are a direct result of their actions whenever she's around.

Just her mere presence in an episode is enough to sour somewhat my viewing experience.

And even I think her character deserved better than the bullshit they're trying to pull.

Can we please agree that the whole Three Mothers and Three Identities thing is some major ass-pull????

Where the fuck does that even come from?!?!

It makes no sense, it comes completely out of the blue, and it all just comes off as some poorly woven plot to make a literal 14-year-old look worse than a grown ass abusive father terrorising a city and its inhabitants.

And you might say, "Well, Geeks. It doesn't come exactly out of the blue... There was the whole Other Mum from Risk and Different Room in Perfection thing. That's gotta count as foreshadowing."

And though I admire your efforts, I'm afraid I must insist that if that is supposed to be foreshadowing, then it's bad foreshadowing.

This doesn't feel like foreshadowing, but like some hastily added details they had to include like, "Oh, damn! That's right; we're supposed to be trying to go somewhere with this girl! I know, let's just give her a different mum and room in different episodes. That'll do it."

By the way, this also contradicts some key aspects which ultimately undermines the whole thing. Such as the fact that Lila Rossi is part of the Agreste Brand, so it makes absolutely no sense as to why someone who is clearly not Mrs. Rossi would take her to the train station. Because as evidenced by the Illusion father-teacher conference, Mrs. Rossi is indeed the woman that appeared in Heroes’ Day.

(Also, Lila was introduced as Gabriel's muse in Ladybug by Alec, though now I'm not sure if she's ever been addressed as Lila Rossi on public appearances such as Risk, but it still feels contradictory) (I don't know, maybe I'm being too nitpicky with this, but it' just feels so contradicting. I swear, I have a point and I will elaborate on it in the future)

But in the end, the reason why this fails to be proper foreshadowing is that Lila is too much of an absent character for it to properly work. Seeing as, out of 4 seasons before the current point in time, she's only really been in the spotlight/relevant in, what, 6 episodes????

It doesn't feel like a twist we should have seen coming, but as a rushed, groundless subplot that has nothing to do with her previous appearances nor does it tie itself with any of her previously shown traits other than her being a liar.

Which instead of expanding on her character, ultimately reduces it to one-dimensional levels.

I discussed this in a different post forever ago, but in my honest opinion, proper foreshadowing or, at least, character placement, would have been if Lila had shown signs of knowing Alya is Rena Rouge. Why? You may ask. 

Simple.

Because Lila has been shown in two different episodes, in different seasons, to have been paying attention closely and jealously to the things going on around her home. Namely, Ms Bustier’s class doing things together at the park which is right below her window while she was stuck at home because, for some reason, she refused to go back to school. 

As we all know, Alya first transformed into Rena Rouge in the park. It would have been the perfect explanation as to why Lila never once tried taking glory for Rena’s actions under the guise of being Ladybug’s best friend—because of course she would entrust her best friend with a miraculous! Just like it would have been the perfect chance for her to try to get closer to Adrien once more by claiming something along the lines of, “Though Ladybug overreacted, she has a tendency of doing that because we can’t forget the backhanded comments, we agreed to change my superhero identity into one that would be safer from Hawk Moth!”

Instead, by having Lila somehow pull off the triple identity con without a single warning in six years, what they are doing is robbing her of a believable reason for the way she acts!

Let’s take Chloé, for instance. 

Chloé’s actions are not excusable. Regardless of how terrible Audrey is, or how badly she neglected her before hopping on to the Enabling Train alongside André, that is never reason enough to be a bully and a total brat to absolutely everyone around you. 

However, Chloé’s reason for the way she acts makes perfect sense within context. She is not just your typical rich spoiled brat. She is a rich spoiled brat whose father is in a position of power and whom she has completely under her thumb, which results in André’s power over Paris becoming Chloé’s. And thus, whenever someone confronts her on her terrible behaviour, as long as they are not in equal footing with her (like Adrien or Kagami), she can just have her dad take care of the situation and potentially have that person or their parents/relatives’ lives ruined. 

Essentially, Chloé’s character amounts to a spoiled brat in a position of power who’s constantly throwing temper tantrums. And yet, this aspect of her personality has gradually been explored over the seasons. 

What’s scary about this is that this is a real-life issue. There are people all over the world getting away with their actions (regardless of how severe they are) because their families have money, power, connections...

Lila, par contrast, gets her character simplified each passing episode she’s featured in. 

We’ve gone from all the possibilities we were offered back in Volpina—Lila indeed just being a new girl trying to make friends but being afraid of rejection, her hating Ladybug while liking Marinette, a possible redemption, her becoming a legitimate villain in her own right rather than the narrative bending over backwards to try convince us she is not a threat even though she is barely featured at all...— to a character whose entire schtick is “Oh, look at me! I’m evil and a liar!”

As I said earlier, one-dimensional levels of character depth. 

The funny thing, though, is that Lila actually had a believable reason for the way she acted, and they are choosing to completely negate that and refuse to give their character any depth in favour of making her as malevolent as possible!

As I said with Chloé, please remember that reason does not mean excuse.

With that out of the way, let's remember how early seasons and especially Oni-Chan went out of their way to establish, or at the very least, hint at Lila being someone who most likely started lying to make herself feel special and make up for the lack of attention she was receiving at home. 

Unfortunately, as time went by, her desire to be the centre of attention and liked, never mind if she never actually put the effort to deserve any of that, far outweighed any original good will and desire for friendship and genuine connections. While the implications that her mother giving her everything she wanted in hopes of making up for her absence further soured her personality until she became the lying, petty, attention-seeking spoiled brat we know today. 

This, coupled with her desperation to be seemed and, more important, feel more special than she actually is gave us a legitimate reason as to why some petty liar would go as far as to ally herself with a terrorist.

Is it troubling behaviour? Undoubtedly. But Lila's never been shown to be a very stable individual. If the early running gag of her throwing things around when angered is any indication.

...

Um...

...esto...

...what exactly is she missing if she’s suddenly been conning three different, completely unrelated women into thinking she’s their daughter? A good psychiatrist?!?!

(I apologise for talking about a minor’s state of sanity, but you’ll have to agree with me that the writers are the first ones portraying kids as literal monsters here). 

And you might say, “You might be overthinking this, Geeks. After all, it’s a superhero show; you can’t expect it to be realistic.”

And once again you would raise a very valid point. Hell, God knows I wouldn’t watch half the things I do if they were realistic. However, it is imperative that we make a distinction: 

Fiction doesn’t have to be realistic, but it must be convincing.

And there is nothing convincing about a 14-year-old having three different identities because of how good a liar and manipulator she supposedly is. 

Marinette pulls off impressive, crazy feats every single day? That is convincing because we see repeatedly how Marinette has both a complexity addiction due to a need to control things to calm her anxiety, and the fact that what ultimately saves the day is her natural quick-thinking and creativity, not to mention the fact that she has superpowers.

Chloé gets to expel people just by threatening to call her dad, the Mayor? Again, it is convincing, and probably even realistic, because she is in a position of power and, unlike Lila, her actions are appropriate in the sense that they are outlandishly cartoonish.

Lila...she doesn’t have that. 

Maybe it's just me, but I just can't seem to buy the excuse that any responsible mother would be okay with their underaged daughter "going to Africa to deal with poachers" all by herself, especially in the middle of the school year. Just like I have the feeling many parents would at least be apprehensive at the idea of their teenage daughter becoming such a public figure as both a model and the face of the Alliance rings.

But hey, maybe those are just signs of me having the potential to become an overprotective mother in the future. Instead of, you know, one of the most atrocious cases of the Adults Are Useless trope I've ever seen.

Nevertheless, as of right now Lila doesn’t even have much depth. And I’m not saying she needs some sob story that will make us feel sorry for her, no. You don’t need to make a villain sympathetic for them to be a good villain. After all, Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame has no sympathetic traits nor does he have a sad backstory whatsoever and he is still one of the best Disney villlains ever. 

So what am I supposed to do with Lila? What, do I have to wait until season 6 comes around and retrospectively reveals she’s not a teenage girl at all but some sort of ancient witch who lures people in with her syren song and feeds off of their adoration for her?

At this point it just feels like the writers are so desperate for adding shock value, that they forget to add anything of value.

[minty-mumbles]

I am extremely interested in the sheikah!wild bullshit, do you have like a whole au fleshed out?

Hi, hello! Yeah I do! Thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble about it. Some of these headcanons are courtesy of @transzeldas

Buckle up because I have a lot of thoughts about this :) There's also a good heaping of headcanons about Sheikah culture in this as well.

Spark notes version:

Wild is half Sheikah and half Hylian. His mother was a Sheikah warrior, and his father was a Hylian knight.

He was raised in Kakariko by his mother, and his father wasn't really involved. His mom eventually married a Sheikah man and had his little sister

Like most Sheikah children, he was trained in the art of Sheikah fighting when he was young. He was very good at it, and liked fighting, and it was assumed that he would likely follow his mother's path and become a warrior. He earned his mastery in swordsmanship very young, which technically made him an adult in the eyes of his people.

Wild found the Master Sword when he was 12. The Elders of Kakariko decided to keep this hidden. He was considered too young to go serve the royal family. The Sheikah kept a sharp eye out for the return of Ganon, though. They thought he was too young, but they still expected him to do his duty as the hero when it came down to it.

The Sheikah have a tradition that teens go on a journey around the country before they're named full adults. Wild visits Castle town when he's 14 as part of this journey. He saves Zelda from the rouge guardian, which brings him to the attention of the King, who wants him to come serve as a guard at the castle.

After consulting with his mother and the Elders, Wild presents himself to the king as the hero soon after that, wielding the Master Sword. He's appointed Zelda's personal guard, and the rest of the story goes pretty much the same after that.

He forgets his culture when he comes out of the Shrine, and works to reconnect with it.

Dorian is actually his sister’s grandson, so that means he's related to Koko and Cottla.

The Yiga have major beef with Wild, even more than before, since not only is he the hero, but he's also Sheikah, and the Yiga and Sheikah have been at war for generations.

In-depth Version:

Wild's parents met when his mother was stationed as a guard in the Palace. They never married, and Wild's bio father was never super involved in Wild's life. He sent money, and was a little supportive, especially once Wild became a knight, but he was never interested in having children. On top of the fact that his father never wanted children, it was seen as a little shameful for Hylians to be involved with a Sheikah.

I've always really liked the idea that Sheikah were discriminated against by Hylians, based on the time when the monarchy commanded them to get rid of their technology. Some of the Sheikah resisted giving up their technology, and joined Ganon, and some yielded to the monarchy. Seems simple, right?

But history is never as simple as that. Ordering the Sheikah to give up such a huge part of their culture smells a lot like cultural genocide. The prophecy about Ganon's return may not have been the only thing that caused the monarchy to order the Sheikah to abandon their technology.

Anyways, I digress. The rest is under the cut because it's long af:

By the time Wild is born, the Sheikah mostly keep to themself in the secluded Kakariko village, (which used to be much bigger than it is in BotW.) However, many of their warriors go to serve the royal family.

This is nominally because of the Yiga. The Yiga and the Sheikah have been at war with each other for generations. Because the Yiga are technically a branch of the Sheikah, and are so dead set on killing the royal family, the monarchy demanded reparations in the form of protection. Hylian fighters have difficulty countering Sheikah fighting techniques, especially since the Sheikah, and the Yiga by extension, can do shadow magic. (Teleportation, invisibility, glamours, being able to float, etc. In rare cases, some can read minds/communicate telepathically)

Wild's mother was one of the Sheikah that served the monarchy. She moved back to Kakariko after she found out she was pregnant with Wild, and never really left after that. Sheikah are a matriarchal society, and since Wild's mother was Sheikah, both other Sheikah and Wild himself considered him to be fully Sheikah. Hylians, on the other hand, consider him to be both Hylian and Sheikah.

Wild's hair is technically blonde, but it's a far cry from the golden locks of his father, more wheat in color. His eyes are blue, and not the red of a Sheikah. If someone met him, they wouldn't say he has a Sheikah parent, but would probably guess at some Sheikah ancestry. Wild cannot do full shadow magic because of his Hylian blood, but his Sheikah blood does allow him to do some cool stuff. (Slow down time a little bit)

Wild had a pretty average childhood for a Sheikah child. When he was four, his mother married a Sheikah man, and when he was six, his younger sister was born.

The Sheikah are a warrior people. Most Sheikah children are trained in the basics of fighting. After that, at about the age of ten, they can choose to continue to train as a warrior, or become an apprentice in some other specialty. They earn their mastery in their chosen field, which signifies that they’ve mastered their profession and have become an adult.

Wild was no exception to the training. He starts when he’s eight, and it takes very little time for it to become apparent that he’s a prodigy. He’s very good at it, and he likes it. Most people assume that he’s going to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a warrior.

He does choose to continue his training, and earns his mastery at the age of 12, which is incredibly young. Most get their mastery at ages 15-18.

While this technically makes him an adult in the eyes of his people, he’s still mostly treated as a child, only with more freedom and respect. People now address him as “Master Link” (Side note: “Master” is a gender neutral form of respectful address for someone who has their mastery. Women are not called Mistresses, simply because I hate that)

Shortly afterwards, Wild feels a pull in the middle of the night. He leaves, and causes a great deal of panic in his family. His mother even ends up sending a message to Wild’s bio father to see if Wild went to him. A week and a half later, Wild shows back up, pretty beat up, with the master sword concealed on his back.

The Elders of Kakariko Village know that if it comes out that Wild is the hero, he would likely be conscripted into serving the crown, whether he wanted to or not, so they agree that they’ll keep it a secret for a few years. Even though he’s earned his mastery, he’s still considered too young to go to Castle Town and serve in the military. (The Sheikah start paying more attention to the signs of the Calamity resurrecting after that. They may not like the fact that Wild has the master sword, but if the hero is needed, they expect him to do his duty.)

Most Sheikah teenagers go on a trip around the country after they’ve earned their mastery, sort of like taking a gap year between high school and college to go see the world. Wild’s mother doesn’t allow him to go on one for a few years, because he's still too young, but when he’s 14, he finally goes. He stops in Castle Town to see his bio father for a day, and while there, he saves Zelda from the rouge guardian.

This brings him to the attention of the king, who sees potential in him, and wants him to become a knight. Wild is taken aback by this, as he always thought he was going to join the Sheikah section of the military, but even though he considers himself fully Sheikah, his father being Hylian means that Hylains consider him to not be fully Sheikah which allows him to become a knight.

The Elders and his mother agree that now would be the best time to present himself as the hero. He does so, and the king appoints him as Zelda’s personal guard and grants him a knighthood ship that same day.

The story plays out mostly the same as it does in the game from here on out. His heritage is known among the nobles of Hyrule, although not much talked about in “polite” company. Wild is quietly a little annoyed that Zelda doesn’t ask him for help with the Sheikah slate, both because it's meant for the hero in the first place, and because he is Sheikah.

When Wild gets out of the shrine, he remembers nothing of his family or culture, although he still instinctivly remembers some things, like how to meditate. His fighting is still obviously Sheikah in style, although it’s taken on a much more savage edge. Wild doesn’t care about honor or fighting dirty. He’ll do whatever it takes to win.

Impa’s the one to inform him that he’s Sheikah. He becomes determined to learn as much as he can about the culture. He wants any connection to his family he can get, and wants to feel like he belongs some where.

The Yiga are super invested in killing Wild, not only because he’s the hero, but also because he's Sheikah, and the Yiga and Sheikah are still at war. Yiga mostly leave Hylian travelers alone, but even though Wild is Hylian passing, everyone knows he’s Sheikah.

Dorian is actually the grandson of Wild’s sister. Dorian doesn’t tell Wild this for a while, but everyone else in Kakariko knows. Wild finds out that Dorian is giving information to the Yiga, and the trust between them is broken. Wild agrees not to tell anyone about Dorian’s betrayal, because Wild believes that he really won’t do it again, that he can deal with Dorian if he does do anything, and most importantly because Koko and Cottla need their Father.

Dorian doesn’t want to tell Wild they’re related and make him feel pressured into forgiving him. Impa eventually gets fed up with Dorian stalling and tells Wild herself. Wild, who doesn’t remember much about his family, is ecstatic to have that connection, although still wary of Dorian. Wild dotes on Koko and Cottla so much.

After the fall of the Hyrulian empire, many of the Sheikah traditions were widely adopted by the populace. Because most Sheikah children are trained in fighting, the average Sheikah was better equipped to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. The gossip journals that are in all the stables are actually a Sheikah tradition. (The gossip journal in the general store in Kakariko) Most of the sign posts that you can find in BotW are made by the Sheikah. The signs are written in Sheikah as well, which means most travelers know a little bit of the language nowadays.

Additional thoughts:

I am still on my Paya/Flora bs as well. Wild is a great wingman who tells Flora all about Sheikah courting traditions. (Also Wild/Flora QPR because I love that dynamic)

Wild’s Sheikah training didn’t wear off while he was in the Shrine. He’s the stealthiest one in the chain and the most flexible. He stretches every night and morning if he can

He likes to wear the Sheikah stealth clothing, or at least the mask a lot. Because he looks Hylian, this gets him some weird looks in other eras where people don’t know who he is.

Wild's bio father had a house in Hateno, which Wild visited a few times, although he never stayed long. This is the house that he eventually buys in BotW

Jojo said she considered giving Wild a Sheikah tattoo around his eye but didn't, as that would make his face too busy. I propose he has the tattoo somewhere else. Maybe his upper back? The Sheikah eye tattoo is another signifier that a warrior has earned their mastery and has become an adult. He losses the tattoo when he’s killed. (It’s blown off by Guardian lasers.) He gets another one done after he defeats the Calamity.

Wild knows how to speak, read/write, and sign in Sheikah. He can speak Hylian, but he doesn’t know how to read or sign. The other heroes think Wild is completely illiterate for a while, because of a misunderstanding when he told them he couldn't read Hylian.

Warriors knows a little bit of Sheikah. Not enough to be fluent, but enough to catch scraps of a conversation. He also knows some battle commands in Sheikah sign.

Wild re-learns how to cook traditional Sheikah dishes together with Koko

When Wild sits, he kneels instead of sitting criss-cross-applesauce as kneeling is considered more polite/mature

When you use the “Sit by the fire until…” option in game, Wild isn’t sleeping. He’s meditating with a Sheikah technique that allows him to get a little rest while still being aware. It’s not as good as sleeping, but it’s enough to get you by if you’re in a dangerous environment.

Wild loves to meditate, even when he doesn’t need to. It helps him clear his mind, and organize his thoughts. (Unrelated headcanon: because of his lack of memories, Wild is very susceptible to any kind of mind magic)

Please ask me questions about this AU if you have any, I’ve been thinking about this for ages.

[skjam]

Pulptober 2024 Day 11: Moon Knight/Feats of Courage, Feet of Clay

"Random bullshit, go!"

In his first appearance, Moon Knight was a villain. Or at least, playing the role of a villain. Jack Russell, reluctant star of Werewolf By Night, was being pursued by an evil cabal of rich people who wanted to harness lycanthropy to make themselves even more rich and powerful. According to the story Marc Spector tells in that first issue, he's a mercenary who was hired and given his costume and silver weaponry by the conspiracy for the purpose of hunting and capturing the werewolf.

Of course, he's telling this story to Jack shortly before the full moon rises and turns the protagonist into his monster form, which is kind of weird, And also after capturing Jack for the Committee, he's nagged by also captive women to not be so evil in a fashion that's a little too easy.

So it's not difficult to buy the retcon that he'd already been Moon Knight, and his friend Frenchie had infiltrated the Committee to trick them into making mercenary Marc Spector into Moon Knight with stuff Frenchie just happened to have lying around somehow.

The mercenary part turns out to be real, he's done some awful things for among other groups, the CIA, but a "religious experience" in an Egyptian tomb got him connected to the moon god Khonshu, and he chose to become a masked adventurer, fighting on the side of mostly good.

He borrowed the idea of multiple secret identities from the Shadow, with Steven Grant as his Lamont Cranston and Jake Locksley as his Moe Shrevnitz. These fellows eventually became full on alternate personalities as Moon Knight's mental instability was turned into a major theme.

Moon Knight's been up and down the power scale, from just a guy with special training in a fancy costume, to full on moon god avatar, depending on the writer. He generally means well, but has severe personal issues.

Here's a look at a magazine issue that has Moon Knight as a central character before a lot of his character development kicked in:

And a review of a book about the Red Jackal, a pastiche of Moon Knight if he were an actual pulp character:

[bonetrousled]

can you talk about why you disliked undertale yellow? never played it or watched a playthrough but i’m very curious!

PREFACING THIS WITH A DISCLAIMER i know it is a passion project and it makes me Feel Bad that my feelings on it r this negative. i do not mean to discredit the years of work anybody put into it and i am So Happy that the general consensus is that people really liked it! i'm glad the team's work paid off. i am also going to be SUPER opinionated. undertale is my biggest interest of all time it has been my special interest for going on Nine Years . i am Wired to have very strong feelings on it . please do NOT take my opinion as a message to Not enjoy it if you do! play it and form an opinion on ur own time

also SPOILERS for the game!

that being said

i will first state the things i Enjoyed

music was phenomenal! it was very fun and atmospheric

artwork was very good! it makes me a little sad that the canon characters we see didn't really get the tlc/polish that all of the original content did, but that's ok!

i like how smarmy flowey was in the no mercy run. it was a little ooc at times but i had a blast (which will sadly become a negative) partly bc of his attitude

i love mo as a character. im going to rescue him from this game i just know it

ok. things that frustrate me from least to most (i will try to keep this brief bc i WILL go on a tangent if left unrestrained)

i wish the main cast had more variety in monster types. body shape, proportions, colors, etc! with how wide the array of the cast is in ut, it's just a little sad that the main cast here all roughly have the same build, height, and aren't really "monstery". lots of the non-main characters (i am including the feisty five in here) have more diverse and visually interesting designs to me and i wish there was just a bit more variety

add-on to the previous point: something abt the fact that dalv just kind of looks like a human Guy who is Purple with Horns makes me irrationally irritated. they could have put a little more of a bat motif in there or Something because the first time i saw him i genuinely didn't think he was supposed to be a monster

some of the fights are NONSENSE BULLSHIT HARD for no reason. some of these have been fixed since release but there were multiple segments that weren't even like. main story character fights that made me want to rip my hair out. additionally the shops are FEW and FAR between. it was a STRUGGLE to get enough healing items 90% of the time and i had to ration them out constantly

i know most were patched out and this is kind of a nitpick but the complete ABUNDANCE of grammatical and spelling errors on release took me out of the flow of things SO much. places that desperately needed a comma that had none, words completely misspelled (outside of punchlines for jokes), things like that. it wouldn't have been such a problem but it happened SO much and really got into the way of making sure dialogue progressed as normal. speaking of

i'm so sorry. half of the dialogue and jokes make me want to shriek and scream in agony. maybe it's just not my cup of tea and nobody is forcing you to have completely toby-fox-accurate jokes in your game but the majority of the jokes made in the pacifist/neutral runs fall completely flat for me. the general dialogue is very fanfic-esque to me in a way ? i do Not know how to describe it. it's not Good. along w that i'm sorry but in my opinion the way they wrote asgore in there is COMPLETELY out of character. i'm going to be so so honest mr king "fuzzy pushover" fluffybuns isn't going to go GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND NEVER RETURN!!!!! the man got beat up by a child and took her in to train her. like yeah his garden is sentimental or whatever but like. he is such a Nice Guy. he would Not do that

the timeline does not make Any sense. if frisk is the first human to fall in YEARS to the point where everyone is losing hope of ever getting another soul for the barrier and most monsters don't recognize you as a human and let you interact w them freely why in the Fuck are undyne and alphys just like. alive and kicking here. why is alphys doing amalgamate shit already. what is going ON

and finally. the part that makes me the Most Irritated

i cannot fucking stand the story. I AM SORRY

i physically cannot expound on this as much as i want to bc the post is long enough as it is and i'll go on forever but generally speaking

i Do Not Like ceroba. i didn't really feel any connection or anything to any of the other characters in General but her entire deal and everything that surrounds it just makes me So Mad. like ok. i tried to get past the "oh my husband is a super important scientist (but not the royal scientist because that's alphys teehee but still REALLY important) and he's also secretly a boss monster (even though the only boss monsters we see are the Actual Fucking King and Queen of monsters and are the same monster subtype)" shit but like. THEN it's like. oh he's actually making a super secret magic serum that uses essence from a boss monster soul and a human soul (where did he get that. he made this after he was fired from his job. where did he get a human soul from) to give EVERY monster the power of a boss monster so that when we EVENTUALLY get enough souls to get to the surface (could literally be hundreds of years from now) we'll be strong enough to beat the humans (that's why asgore is collecting the souls in the first place. to shatter the barrier and become a god strong enough to beat the humans. that's the Point)

but WUH OH!!!! the serum is actually KILLING him!!!! and he never told his wife! so he leaves a series of tapes behind to tell her abt it after he dies and IN THESE TAPES he's like listen. here's this awesome potion im making. you need a BOSS MONSTER SOUL and a HUMAN SOUL to make it work. our daughter IS a boss monster. BUT. do NOT FUCKING use it on her. ok. DON'T. do that. ok love you (dies) AND FUCKING. her like 6 year old daughter walks in and speaks in a perfect eloquent sentence and says some shit like "we have to carry on daddy's legacy :(" and asks to be injected w the shit that we saw kill her dad SECONDS PRIOR and ceroba is virtually IMMEDIATELY like well ok if the kindergartner says it's fine. AND OF COURSE HER DAUGHTER IMMEDIATELY FALLS DOWN????

and when i tell u the like. WHOLE second half of the game is dedicated to this bullshit nonsense. ceroba has this whole thing where she's trying to kill you because you're pure of heart or whatever and it'll work for the serum or something and after a LONG ASS (stupid incredibly hard for no reason considering SHE IS NOT a boss monster) battle w her she's like ok i'm not gonna do that anymore i give up kill me etc. and in pacifist you're like nah i won't kill u i forgive you Hooray!

and so. right. youve been fighting the ENTIRE TIME. to find the missing kids. to get home. to leave the underground after figuring out what happened. there are only FIVE human souls at this point. having one more will NOT break the barrier. you've been fighting to LIVE this Entire Time. the story must end in clover's death SOMEHOW but literally the driving force here has been survival

clover is literally like ummmm ok well im gonna give up my soul right here right now to add it to the pile. *dies on rooftop ALONE* . the shriek i screamed when this happened was. Astronomical. like. oh yeah everybody let the 9 year old give their life for a civilization that has been trying to kill them this Entire Time. never mind the fact it makes all of the fighting and striving and grueling we did Worthless because clover decides to sacrifice themselves completely out of the player's control. this wouldn't make me AS mad if we had like. a choice like the forgive him/do not asriel thing where we could face asgore and be forced to lose OR sacrifice ourselves but even then it's just. SO silly to me.

i think i get the like. doomed parents sad child dreemurr parallels they were TRYING to go for but it is all so clunky and wonky and. just DOES not work narratively if you think about ANY aspect of it for too long

all of these factors combined made the game a complete and total Slog to get through . it is Not just me i streamed it to a few friends the whole time and the opinion was the Same

HOWEVER.

the no mercy run, completely against what it is MADE to do, was fucking awesome

the passive aggressive comments from flowey the entire time were hilarious. the power trip i got chasing axis was splendid. i didn't have to sit through pages of dialogue that made my eye twitch. i just got to Kill People.

i do Not like the fact that they seemed to think no mercy = Hard Bosses which. isn't really true for undertale ? out of the normal bosses only two are ramped up in difficulty and it thematically makes sense Why. in uty martlet gets multiple fights (including a Bullshit Insane Hard Final Fight), ceroba gets a Bullshit Insane Hard fight w a new mechanic that is introduced out of Nowhere and took me like 6 times to notice that it was even Implemented, and axis gets a tough fight. which is Fine but i do not think it really understood the message of like. the no mercy run is not supposed to be Fun. you are eviscerating this world and everything it has to offer. you're literally Killing the game. it's a tricky thing to balance but all in all No part of it made me feel bad. this could be due to me Already not really caring abt any of the characters but. sigh

also martlet gets really strong at the end bc she injects herself w dt but like. why does she know about that. she does guard stuff Near the Lab but why does she Know about the experiments. the whole point is that nobody Else Knows. where did she get that from. what the fuck

anyway. says that i won't go on for too long. proceeds to go on for too long like some kind of Liar

[cxskisser]

conquering the red sea

while on a dive, cheng xiaoshi experiences the horrors of having a period

Pairings: n/a

Word count: 781

Warnings for: uhhh mild discussion of periods and also general dumbassery. also you might get psychic damage from my pale attempts at humor.

[AO3 Link]

Cheng Xiaoshi’s first thought upon diving into the photo is nope. He doubles over, groaning. 

Lu Guang is quick to ask, What’s wrong?

It takes a few seconds, but Cheng Xiaoshi finally gathers himself enough to respond. “Is she dying? Is our client dying, Lu Guang? Holy shit, I’m about to throw up.”

She’s not— no, she’s not dying. Don’t throw up. You do not have the time to throw up.

“Lu Guang, I don’t think I can express how little of a fuck I give about major nodes right now.”

Go to the bathroom and open the medicine cabinet. Take a pain pill. She has to be on the subway in fifteen minutes. 

Right. The client had her makeup on and hair done and everything, in preparation for her job interview. How she had managed to think about anything other than the massive black hole of pain in her abdomen was beyond Cheng Xiaoshi, yet here she was. The most thought she’d put into the arrival of her period beyond the initial use of a diva cup was an extra emergency pad she had neatly slipped into her purse. She was a badass in a pantsuit, and Cheng Xiaoshi can not be the reason she doesn’t get this job. He clutches onto the doorframe, gingerly beginning the trek to the bathroom. 

Thirteen minutes, Cheng Xiaoshi. It’ll be a seven-minute walk to the station. 

He stops. There’s no way. “She walks?!” 

Yes, replied Lu Guang, as if he wasn’t telling Cheng Xiaoshi to do something totally fucking impossible. 

“No,” Cheng Xiaoshi says back, raising his hands. “Fuck this minecraft bullshit.”

…minecraft?

———

Qiao Ling crosses her arms. “Alright, talk. Why couldn’t you finish the task?”

Cheng Xiaoshi stoutly refuses to meet her eyes, so she turns instead to Lu Guang, sitting beside him. He glances at Cheng Xiaoshi before replying, “We ran into some unforeseen circumstances and were duly unprepared to deal with them.”

“Thanks, Lu Guang. A+ on the professionalism. Now, Cheng Xiaoshi, what actually happened?”

Turning pink, Cheng Xiaoshi huffs. “You… nobody told me that she was on her period.” 

Lu Guang closes his eyes, resigned. Qiao Ling’s lip twitches. 

“Don’t laugh.”

She grins. 

“Don’t.”

She cackles. Her voice sweetens, mocking him as she adds, “The ‘great Cheng Xiaoshi,’ defeated by menses. Amazing.” 

He sinks lower in his seat.

“Well!” Qiao Ling puts her hands on her hips. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Not everyone is cut out to continue to be as awesome and amazing and wonderful as people like me are when they’re on their periods.” Cheng Xiaoshi jerks like she’d just stabbed him. “Total L, by the way. Complete skill issue.” He winces again. “I’ll forgive the failure of a client’s mission just this once. Tell her you guys simply weren’t ‘equipped to handle it’ this time, or something.”

He shoots her a dark look as she exits the room, guffawing, then rapidly begins typing on his phone. 

“What are you doing now?” asks Lu Guang, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Gonna start training.”

Lu Guang looks at him. “What? What does that mean?”

Cheng Xiaoshi turns away from him, still typing on his phone. “You’ll see.”

———

When the package arrives, Cheng Xiaoshi opens it and shows him its contents with unbridled glee, but the only thought that Lu Guang can come up with is—

well.

“You used our money,” he says, slowly, voice hollow, “to buy a period pain simulator.”

“Yep!” Cheng Xiaoshi sounds way too proud of himself. 

“…may I remind you that we weren’t paid for that last job?”

He scowls, face darkening, no doubt, at the memory of Qiao Ling’s laughing exit from the other day. “I know. That’s why I got it.” He makes a fist. “I won’t be defeated again,” he says, which Lu Guang personally finds a little overdramatic, but he’s not going to say that. 

Instead, he blinks and says, “I know I usually tell you that you’re a dumbass, but I’m going to be really honest with you right now, this really takes the cake.”

Cheng Xiaoshi clicks his tongue, wrapping the device around his waist. “Silence, nonbeliever! I’m gonna test it out.” 

Lu Guang shakes his head, using his finger as a bookmark for the book he was reading as he heads for the stairs. “Just don’t come crying to me about it later.”

“Hey, you’re not staying to watch?”

“Watch you actively choose to be an idiot? No.”

Sure enough, when Cheng Xiaoshi begins groaning in pain a little later and the sound travels up all the way from downstairs, all Lu Guang does is put on a pair of headphones. Serves him right.

———

a/n: the tylenol i took has kicked in by now and i ate ramen and some shaved ice, so i’m feeling pretty baseline normal now (minus a headache + nausea), but god i was feeling so bad earlier. menses truly defeated me for like half a day there. OTL anyways if the pacing’s bad idk guess i’ll die then

[sapphire-weapon]

do you have any headcanons on what remake Krauser was like before he lost his arm and went crazy?

i've talked about this before scattered over a few different posts, but i think of him as being chris redfield with an edge LMAO

like you know that scene early in RE6 where chris goes running in after the giant snake boss and piers yells at him for being reckless and chris gets in his face and is like "these are my men. you follow my lead, or i'll find someone who will. fall in line, soldier"? like not that exactly -- because i think krauser was more disciplined than that and would've never pulled a stunt like that in order to cause piers to pop off in the first place -- but that kind of vibe of his response.

like, that's a pretty extreme moment for chris, who's shown to be very affable and uplifting around his men normally -- but that's not an extreme for krauser, that's just what he's like all the time LMAO just no-nonsense, no bullshit, my way or the highway, comes off like a complete dickhead but it comes from a place of genuine love and extreme protectiveness.

that isn't to say that i don't think krauser ever had his softer moments -- i think he absolutely did -- but that's just kind of his default.

and like. my thing with krauser is that he had to have been a very special kind of personality in order to be chosen to be leon's trainer. like, army majors don't train people, normally. i see a lot of metaltango fics where krauser's training his whole unit and leon happens to be a part of it -- but that's not the case. his unit's already long since been trained. leon is special. (like, he's special in general just due to the nature of the experimental program he's the sole participant in, but i mean he's also special in terms of krauser's agenda) and there must have been something in krauser's record that made him the single best candidate for the job.

like in addition to being one of the military's most skilled combatants, krauser must have also had the highest security clearance possible, which isn't given to just anyone. this is also someone who's extremely intelligent, extremely loyal, and extremely emotionally intelligent as well.

because you can't put someone through the kind of training that leon went through without having that person trust their trainer completely -- because the training won't stick. everything about the experiment that is leon kennedy hinged on krauser's ability to connect with him. krauser needed to convince leon that he had his best interests in mind and that he was genuinely there to help him -- and, outside of that, krauser also had to be emotionally intelligent enough to pinpoint exactly where leon's limits were so that he could push him right to them without going over. because part of leon's training involved actual literal torture. so krauser had to be able to torture him without breaking him -- which is really fucking hard to do because it's antithetical to the nature of torture LMAO

but krauser pulled it off. and we know he pulled it off not just because of how successful leon turned out as a combat unit, but because of how intensely leon loves him. even after kidnapping ashley and betraying the US and joining los illuminados and killing luis and all of the horrible shit that krauser did, leon still, in the middle of the final fight against him, was pleading with him "it's not too late [for me to help you]." and leon still cries over krauser's death. that's love, baby.

so i mean. we'll see what this upcoming operation javier game/dlc actually looks like, but i think of krauser as being a genuinely good dude who just kind of sucks LMAO

[lightlycareless]

Chapter 36 - thoughts.

Hello everyone!

Back at it again with chapter 36’s notes! Of course, if you want to avoid spoilers I recommend reading the chapter (found right over here) first. Also, I skipped chapter 35’s notes because I didn’t think there was much to say… or if there was, it would be too short for me to make a post. However, if there’s something you’d like for me to expand on that chapter I’ll gladly oblige! My ask box is always open ❤️

As always, major spoilers underneath the cut, as well as no proofreading, or very minimal. All candid you know lol.

Now, without further ado, here are the notes!

This chapter was meant to clarify or deepen the motivations behind some of the characters :> uncover the continuous mystery surrounding Minako’s and Tomoko’s absence, their relationship with their family, and one thing I’ve been wanting to explore about jujutsu (which I’m not done with hehe) however, I did face some difficulties, mainly because of the timeline and if the stories were tragic enough HAHAHA.

But anyways, let’s start with the hardships.

The timeline, a.k.a how old were Y/N and Naoya when their respective mothers died. Now, I don’t like setting down dates because I feel like once you take that commitment, there’s no going back 😂. And there’s too many things I want to explore to reduce them into dates, so I tend to leave them open-ended.

However, with Y/N I did have some guidelines. It was important for me to keep Minako’s death occurring after ’98, and all because I said she was very supporting of Ren when Ginger Spice left the Spice Girls 😭 not them influencing my fic once again 😂 that, and because I didn't envision her being present in the high school era of their kids.

Taking all of this into consideration, her death would've to occur inbetween 99-01. The latest would make Y/N roughly 10 years old, Hinata 12, Ren 14. Very young to lose a mother, indeed.

As for Naoya, I just needed him to be old enough to remember Tomoko, but not that old for Mariya and the gang to remember her. Out of the two, she would have to be the most mysterious one, considering nobody wants to talk about, (I wouldn't be surprised if the members of the estate didn't know when she was last seen) one could even say she’s more of a legend at this point, impossible to prove or disprove.

I think the one that knows/remembers most of her had to be Junko, considering how she was trained to be Ogi’s wife or whatever bullshit by her. Naobito can’t be bothered to remember his own wife, not even after the 6 kids she gave him, although he is the kind of person to compare “his ex” with his partners, saying how she was prettier or some other bs, or even look for said partners who kind of resemble her. At least her memories live on with him like that jfc what am I even saying.

Anywayssssss

I think that out of the two, Tomoko’s story was the most tragic. In the way that she was essentially doomed from the very moment Naobito set eyes on her. I don’t think she ever imagined the things she would have to go through. Maybe the kid part she had an idea, but the rest? Nah, no amount of indoctrination could ever prepare her for that.

The more depth I give her, the more realize how truly alone she is, like it physically pained me to have to write how Tomoko could only trust her children (and not even all of them); she probably couldn’t even rely on Junko for anything. Now that it’s been brought up, Tomoko probably asked Junko’s favorite flowers to be planted as a way to show sorority, reach out to her, but it flew past her. I don’t doubt she desperately tried to reach out to her family too, only to be told to “suck it up” and that this is the best thing to happen in their life, so she better not ruin it.

Once again, the Zen’in dynamic is heavily inspired by the Todoroki fam lol Tomoko must be Rei around the time she burnt Shoto. I’m glad to say that it didn’t go to those extremes but had Naoya not said anything… who knows what might’ve happened. Even as disgusting as he’d become, I’m glad his child-self didn’t get attacked like that.

Another point I wanted to explore about her was her dynamic with the rest of her kids. If I had to put like a list of her most to least liked kids, Naoaki would be the first, from there Naofumi, Naohiko, Naosuke, Naohito, and finally, Naoya.

Naoaki is mainly because he was her first child, back then when she was still… “ok”, and even with the environment she had to raise him, she still cared for him and was very involved in his upbringing, as much as she could anyways.

Because he was the oldest one, the most “mature one” thanks to his crude childhood, Tomoko felt she could confide in him, but that relationship didn’t flourish until he was replaced by Naoya.

I swear, Tomoko must’ve been the kind of mother that unintentionally pitted her children against each other and spoke badly of their father to them by saying things (mainly to Naoaki) like “I don’t know what your father is thinking about, you’re clearly much better than Naoya” and “You were never as impolite as him” and so on and so forth. She might’ve also been blunt about how Naobito doesn’t seem to like them, but that “didn't matter” because she does. (OK Tomoko, not sure they wanted to hear the first part but aight)

She tried being a good mother, she really did. But her environment, alongside the critical pregnancies she had finally took a toll on her mental health, and it led her to take it out on Naoya—I believe the best way to describe what she was feeling was postpartum depression, but considering how grave it was and the problems she had with her previous pregnancies, it was more likely postpartum psychosis.

The Zen’in strike me as the kind of family that doesn’t believe in mental health—less if it comes from women, I shouldn’t be surprised they thought Tomoko as simply “emotional” instead of having an actual condition that needed treatment. Oh no, the Zen’in shooting themselves on the foot once again? Who could've seen this coming?!

Naoya unfortunately became the outlet of Tomoko’s suffering, which started as soon as she gave birth to him and held him—she looked at that poor baby and something inside her snapped. Something like “you’re the child these bastards were looking for, you’re the reason why I had to suffer so much.”

Also, I don’t know if anyone remembers one post a long time ago, where I said I was watching the movie Hereditary and was like “Huh, inspiring.”

I meant this scene. Except that Tomoko (or at least that’s what I understood from the mom’s “disdain” for the kid—of course, that was just one issue of the many they had lol) didn’t feel sorry for Naoya and the life he was going to be put through, but rather all that she had to endure to conceive him. Can’t blame her, it was tough… I just wished none of them had to become her victims too.

That, and essentially Azula from Avatar, that one scene where she’s like “my own mother thought I was a monster” goddamn if that isn’t painful—it made you feel bad for her, even with her craziness, she just wanted a mother 😭 unnghhhh not me trying to redeem Naoya!!!! (more like make him… human)

Her absence was definitely the major point as to why Naoya turned out to be the way he did. With her gone, the last “happy” (let’s put it that way) thing inside the Zen’in was completely eradicated. Even if Naoya didn’t get to interact much with her, just by seeing her by afar he probably would’ve been like, wait…. What is… that—get a reference on how not to be an absolute, indisputable piece of shit.

He would’ve still turned to be a jackass, but maybe not that bad? Idk, people can have two parents and still turn batshit crazy.

Now, this also served to justify his womanizing ways lol. I don’t know why the fandom decided that was to be one of his traits (which I don’t mind I guess), considering he’s insufferable, but after watching one of my favorite youtuber’s expand on someone who behaved a similar way, I was like DAMN is that Naoya.

People tend to seek attention through various ways, and for Naoya that would be in countless women. It’s peak mommy issues, I know, but in his defense… don’t we all have parent issues 😭? Anyways, Naoya tried to search for that one person that would cherish/love him unconditionally, someone that made him truly special, saw for who he was and not for what he had… (can you believe I based that “you’re my favorite child because you’re the most talented one” line FROM A GODDAM DOUJINSHI? I won’t go into details, but it’s a certain obnoxious, irritating heir from a prestigious clan and his renegade cousin HAHAHAHAHH)

I mean, I get it, but what was Naoya expecting to find by flaunting his wealth in order to meet people? Not to say that everyone is like that but come on lol. And he wasn’t even selective about them either? He would just go with the one he considered attractive/convincing enough and hoped for the best, I guess? He became pickier further down the road (aw, Naoya eventually learned to be choosy lol) stopping only, of course, when he eventually met his beloved Y/N :> Just another tease for their first meeting (I feel like I’m hyping this too much, I hope it ain’t disappointing when it finally appears on the story)

Well, even if he cares for Y/N, he still takes a lot from Naobito. He’s lucky Y/N is essentially trapped with him because she would’ve left the moment she could—she’s not like Tomoko, she still has someone to support her so… the clock is ticking Naoya.

Now onto the other BS family, the L/N.

This is the part I liked the most, because it’s more inclined to the whole “expanding how jujutsu can be used” kind of thing.

I already knew that Minako was going to… die like that and was looking forward to expanding on it when it finally came to it. (I just know that Ren, Hinata, and Y/N would hate this one vine with a burning passion—Gojo is the one to show it to them and they will beat his ass) doubling down when the whole culling games arc thingy happened on the manga, I was like DAMN so that’s what Kenjaku was doing? What was going to happen with Tsumiki? oohoHOHOHO, although I don’t think both things could relate considering the timeline and the requirements to mark them… or who knows? I don’t remember if it was specified when Kenjaku started marking people, or if Tsumiki and the rest of the victims were the first ones. (there’s allot of things that don’t make sense to me 😭 and I haven’t kept up with the manga tbh)

Well, it didn’t stop me from going on with my plan, and thus I began to torture Y/N and her family.

The reason why Minako got cursed… was easy: because some sorcerers were jealous/desperate to get to her. After seeing how strong her kids were, they thought “well maybe we can kidnap her and use her” but after that proved to be a failure, they decided “if we can’t have her, no one can.”

It’s really sick to know that, but with a crazy-ass community as the one the jujutsu world has… I really couldn’t think of anything else. I mean, the Kamo’s…

Anyways, I always wondered what it meant to be haunted in this universe. Once again, I don’t remember if it was ever mentioned/shown (outside of haunting places) so I had to exploit that to my advantage.

I know curses are seen by sorcerers, but I like to think that those powerful enough, maybe having a set goal/victim/target manage to become invisible to everyone but them—either by sheer determination or something lol. No, but really, that must depend on the level/power/talent of the sorcerer that begins the haunting as well as the curse, and if they’re really powerful they might be able to zero-in on their victim completely untraceable, God help if the person isn’t a sorcerer. Like, no one will be able to feel a curse is nearby.

Because it takes great skill (to pass undetected), only a handful can perform the ritual it takes to haunt someone, making it a dangerous practice. I’d like to believe it was eventually forbidden at one point, thus destroying all records showing how to do so.

And because I want to, there are levels of haunts too hehehe, here are the ones I can think of right now:

Those to harass. Self-explanatory, they’re just there to bother, and depending on the intention, they might hurt too.

Those to influence. Do someone else’s bidding, an additional voice for your conscience. The victim might think it’s them thinking such thoughts and enact them on their own within time. They’re fully conscious of what’s happening, might question if they truly want to do that, but they go through with it anyways.

Those to control. Take full control of their body and conscience. It’s the harsher one of the three to do (as well as difficult to trace), because its success greatly depends on the will of the victim. If the victim is strong-willed the haunt might take some time to work, if at all, and depending on the curse, it might find ways to debilitate them to ease their entrance. Once controlled, the victim will not remember anything that happened until after, rarely are they conscious during the act.

Minako was affected by the last one—however, it didn’t go as successfully as the perpetrator wanted because I like to imagine that since the OG rituals were wiped out, the only thing that managed to survive (if anything) were pieces here and there of information, leaving the rest to the imagination haha.

It’s why Minako was still able to fight it off a bit, and remember some things. But yeah, someone was intending to take control of her—and she was fighting that person (as shown by those allegedly senseless conversations) to stay away from her, but in the end she succumbed.

Omg I just thought… what if Minako, upon noticing the curse user’s intentions, decided to sabotage her body??????????????? Stop eating so they wouldn’t control her? Omg………………………………………………………………………………………………

But of course, the notes are here to give closure on some things, so… even with Minakos’ strong will, the curse managed to inflict enough damage on her, the result of those actions being the marks on across her body, setting her up to be controlled.

I gotta say, even though the L/N are absolute, always-wrong, pieces of poop, they did the right thing by “killing” Minako during this stage, because the next thing would’ve been the curse controlling her.

The rumor of them being the ones responsible of her death is nasty. But not so crazy, considering the elders really did not like Minako for something that wasn’t even her responsibility, but try convincing these “old-style” bastards out of it…

Writing this made me think of a question idk if anyone wondered lol considering these rituals were “banned” it would make sense someone would try to report them to HQ right? or if it’s something new, never-seen before… right?

Well, Eiichi tried, but without solid evidence, it could easily just be a rumor—and a waste of time/money to pursue. He was very angry with that, believe me, and scolded the elders for wasting an opportunity to prevent another family from suffering the same.

However, if they had been responsible of that… they obviously wouldn’t rat out the person that helped them.

Omg…. What if in the au where Toji takes Naoaki’s role or so, he was taking jobs on the side, shady ones, and he was actually involved in Minako’s death (to not say he was the one responsible)?????????????????????????????????????????????????? that might be the point where she starts to look at Naoya under a different light lol.

But yeah, going back to the actual story, gee, what an entanglement, truly. F the jujutsu community.

The following point is the deepening of the relationship of the main branch, a.k.a Eiichi, Minako, and all them kids.

I always envisioned all of the kids being super close to Minako, and not because they disliked Eiichi (he was a good dad—just… awkward lol. Uncool, and just how Posh Spice would say... yeah, poor Eiichi 😂. He’s definitely an avid practitioner of dad-jokes) but because his duties often kept them apart; he tried his best to be present, but it’s hard sometimes.

They all loved them kids tho, but because of particular reasons I will disclose later, that being now, Y/N was the favorite one. After Hinata and Ren filled the L/N clan’s expectations, it essentially allowed Y/N to have allot of free time with her parents, so they were able to dote on her more frequently.

It just made me wonder how much Y/N had to train in order to keep up with them (specially Hinata) since she wasn’t a priority when it came to her jujutsu education—I’m sure they all did what they could so she wouldn’t be left behind, but more likely than not she did lots of self-learning.

I really liked the opportunity this chapter gave me to deepen Ren’s, Hinata’s, and Eiichi’s motivations. I swear to God their subconscious took Y/N’s abducting as “yet again, another sorcerer (clan) trying to hurt our family”

Of course this was enough for them to snap, but they all reacted differently.

Because Eiichi felt completely alone without Minako, it was easier for him to be manipulated by the Zen’in (allegedly AHAHAH) and because they were so aggressive about it, he genuinely thought Y/N would be much better with them than him continuing to resist, so there’s that—but if it’s worth anything, he’s deeply regretful for having succumbed and there’s not a day where he doesn’t believe Minako is cursing him from heaven. Of course, those thoughts come more to him while he’s drunk, another consequence of having lost her. He was an occasional drinker, mostly social, but his grief certainly took him to that point.

Ren was probably the most aware one when his mom got sick, and thus, the one that probably felt the most responsible. Going on and on about how he was supposed to be a sorcerer, just a few years away from entering jujutsu high, and yet didn’t figure out his mother was being haunted/cursed. The guilt inside him was so big, he had to get out of the house as quickly as possible—one of the many reasons why he decided to study in Kyoto at first, only coming back later when he grew disappointed by the environment there (which just made him remember of the elders of his clan he hates so much) and missed his family, so he eventually returned. It was kind of a “well, if I’m going to be angry all the time, I’d rather be angry with my family around.”

Hinata also felt very, very guilty for what happened to Minako, mainly because of her cursed technique. She went through a phase of constantly demeaning herself, calling herself “inept” or “stupid” because her technique is supposed to protect the user/target from those kinds of attacks—this led her to become far more… involved/creative with her technique, trying to exploit her limits as much as she could to prevent something like this ever escaping her attention.

Y/N felt the most isolated, because she heavily relied on being with someone, (thanks to the elders being nasty with her ugh) you know? Someone to support her. The rest tend to deal with their own things by themselves, and while they still supported each other, it wasn’t the same. I guess that’s the reason why she was so excited to attend jujutsu high, only to be left virtually alone when the whole crisis thing happened and no new students were enrolling, worsening when Naoya decided to further isolate her from the rest of the world when marrying her. Her getting heavily attached to Naoaki, Mariya and the gang, Mai and Maki, shouldn’t be a surprise at this point. Specially Naoaki nnnhhhhggghhhhhh.

I know there were different expectations for this chapter, mainly because we’ve been desperately hoping for the moment Naoya and Y/N will finally talk lol. And I gotta say I might’ve disappointed some by how she essentially ran away… but I promise it will be worth it in the end lol Y/N running out on him like that is good I believe, cause she’s shocked that Naoya is actually capable of feeling anything else, but you know, pure evil.

These two chapters were mostly intended to show the human side of Naoya, Y/N’s reaction to it and just how similar their backgrounds were when it came to their mother's.... but with outcomes so different.

To give him emotions (and show how he handles them—terribly. I mean, he got sick!! HAHAH it’s like that one episode in atla where Zuko is good for the first time in his life and gets sick) and maybe deepen their relationship. It helps that Y/N is very empathetic to those around her… but it’ll be up to her and how he decides to act during this time if something happens between the two.

I gotta say, if I play my cards right, I think we’re like 3 chapters away from that one chapter I’VE BEEN WAITING TO WRITE FOR FOREVER I SWEAR ALL THIS SLOW BURN WILL BE WORTH IT. :> But until then…

Thank you so much for coming for a new update!!!! I know I’ve been taking quite the hiatus here and there, but it does not mean I don’t find importance in this fic, and the support you’ve given me 🥺❤️ Thank you so much for being patient with me! Can’t wait to show what’s coming next!!

As always, these are just important parts I remember as highly influential for the chapter, but if there's something you'd like to know more about don't hesitate to let me know!! I'll do my best to respond ❤️

Now, take care, have a wonderful week, and hope to see all of you soon!!

[star-mum]

"comfort for what? HAVING A BODY" you continue to be fucking iconic. like that entire rant had me CLAPPING but that part in particular was just oOOOOMF. that was it so like.... Gar x fat reader where Gar hugs her and his instincts go feral because feeling someone with extra fat on their body ignites his breeding kink?? like his animal brain is like "this is a wife. this is a wife who will bear your children and do it well. this is a plump, healthy body for your children. you're gonna fuck her brains out" and he gets a raging boner in what is supposed to be an innocent hug and has to excuse himself and wants to die of embarrassment and the reader is like INTRIGUED by him from that moment on but then he keeps dodging her and avoiding her because of his personal embarrassment

(set during s2 with a reader who is physically affectionate for no reason and would just give him a random hug)

thoughts?

I had to actually take a break when the words “breeding kink” showed up— LIKE THE GENIUS OF THAT ??? AND ABSOLUTELY HE WOULD AAAAAAAAAAA

Me reading this:

So,,, uhm things got a bit out of hand skskks and I talked way to much as usual so,,,

OKAY— so yes to everything you just said !! I can just SEE everyone’s in one the common areas (maybe a post training snack or breakfast, let’s say breakfast 🥴) and Gar’s standing with his back to the door talking to the rest of the group as the coffee machine does it’s thing and reader just walks up to them, greets everyone good morning and hugs Gar from the back, maybe rests her head either on his arm/shoulder so she can join the conversation OR on his back cause she’s just so tired and he just MALFUNCTIONS !!!

Everyone is still in pijamas and she’s not really wearing a bra, so he can feel her chest pressed up against him and hOMEBOY’S DOING FUCKING BREATHING EXERCISES IN HIS HEAD TO CALM HIMSELF DOWN !!! Whoever he was talking to — probs Rachel — goes “you,,, okay dude ?? you look,,, very intense in the face” and he freaks out, not thinking on an excuse quick enough and just BOUNCES “what?! 😧 Uhh yeah yeah im good,,, i just have to,,, i have to go now”

Also not to, once again, pull up my brazilian card BUT we have a habit of greeting people with a hug and a kiss on the cheek — it can be a real like kiss on the cheek or that like fake one sksksk where you touch the side of their face with your face and make a kiss noise KSKSKS most common to do that actually — my friends and I see each other every night in college but we still greet each other like that every time and less cause it’s the “polite thing to do” and more cause its a way to show we like each other and we’re close

SO— in my head, reader — who’s me cause,,,, who the hell else would she be sksksks — does that every morning. It’s a habit !! And when she asked the team if it would make them uncomfortable, to greet them like that, they said no !! So everyone’s getting a hug when she sees them, specially like the ones who don’t live in the tower the whole time !

And that’s fun in TWO different ways CAUSE

1. Gar really likes it and gets all weird about it later, cause the more times he gets turned on by her touching, the more innocent touches start making it happen too

2. POSSESSIVE ANIMAL INSTINCT BABY !!!! I hate — not really — to bring them into this BUT i feel like the ones who’d make Gar the more jealous of are -> Jason and Hank (stop rolling your eyes I have a nom biased explanation KSKSKSKS)

Jason is more of a logical jealousy, he’s hot, he’s their age AND he’s a major flirt/fuck boy sksksk even if it’s in jest or a friendly flirting when Reader hugs him or touches him, he’s still gonna say some bullshit like “i know im hot babe, but you really gotta stop touching me like in front of everyone” or “can’t keep your hands off me huh?” I desire him carnally

Hank is more of a — Absolutely One Sided — physical/animal instinct thing for suuuure. Like out of all the guys, he’s definitely an the closest thing we have to a Natural Alpha, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s agressive and dominant (not sexually but how he holds himself around other ppl) and Gar would just FEEL some sort of anger and jealousy when he sees Reader giving Hank any type of attention, even tho he KNOWS nothing’s ever going to happen (cause 1. Hanks not a fucking predator and 2. He’s very clearly with Dawn) — it definitely would NOT help if Reader let slip something about finding Hank hot/attractive, during a forced teens game night maybe? KSSKKSKS

She’d know RIGHT AWAY something’s off with Gar — cause she swears she saw his eyes turn green after a particularly Fuck Boy-ish quip got Jason a little slap on his arm/chest — he’s both avoiding her like the plague but also ALWAYS standing very close to her in social situations — on the off chance she holds onto him — so she’d up the antee completely -> push him til he breaks

And oh boy does he ever 🥵 Breeding Kink Gar is just supreme, I am not sorry

like I have personally a very clear stance about not wanting kids AND not wanting to experience pregnancy BUT IN FICTION ????? GIVE ME THE BREEDING KINK !! GIVE ME THE GETTING MARRIED AND HAVING KIDS !! THERE IS NO CONSEQUENCES TO MY ACTIONS !!!! LETS FUCKING GOOOO