#And first they ruined dark phoenix

[xxplastic-cubexx]

you open my Super Important Documents and its just pictures of charles xavier

[megalony]

You Called My Wife?

This is a new Jake Seresin imagine, my first request for Jake and I hope you will all like it. Please let me know what you think.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @callsignwidow @winterreader-nowwriter @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro

Masterlist

Summary: The Dagger squad don't know much about Jake's personal life. And when he gets hurt during an exercise, they are surprised who comes to look after him.

Enjoy.

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Reaching into his back pocket, Jake pulled out the pair of sunglasses he had been carrying around with him for the last few weeks. The sun here back at home was intense and he couldn't stand the migraines it gave him. Even when he was up in the air, he often had his sunglasses on. He didn't care about the way the glasses pinched his ears or gave him splitting pains in the sides of his neck.

If Bob could wear his prescription glasses to see, then Jake could wear his sunglasses to stop him squinting so much and relieve the headaches he got that were becoming chronic.

His hands fell to his hips once his visors were perched on the bridge of his nose and he looked around.

It hadn't taken Jake nearly as long as he thought to complete his physical. They were doing physical assessments and training every other day to get them ready for their next assignment. They were going to be going against gravity, travelling up to G9 range and it would cause problems with breathing, taking in oxygen and could starve their brains for a few seconds, if not longer.

They all needed to be at their best physically and mentally to prepare for this and up to now, Jake was ready and rearing to go.

Today was training exercises on the ground rather than in the air. They were all doing different activities and now that Jake was rejoining the rest of the squad after his physical, he was supposed to be doing safety and maintenance checks.

He took a look around the open air field. Bradley was over to one side, looking like he was trying to do some physical exercises, but he kept stopping to quietly argue with Maverick who was following him around like a dark, looming shadow. Jake wasn't going to be going over there. He noticed Phoenix and Bob were at their aircraft in the middle of their maintenance. While Coyote was off to one side doing pushups; he had messed up somewhere if that was his punishment. And Jake had already passed Fanboy who was on his way for his own physical.

He busied himself finding one of the clipboards and he jogged over to his aircraft, smiling and patting his hand against the bulk like it was an old friend he was meeting up with.

He circled the aircraft like a vulture, checking the wings, the engines- which had had a run in with a flock of birds two days ago which Jake had been lucky hadn't completely ruined his left engine. He checked the wheels and made sure they were all clipped and chained down so the craft wasn't going anywhere without him.

Once all the outside checks were done, he climbed up the ladder and hopped inside.

It always felt weird to sit in the plane without his proper flight suit or his signature red helmet, but he wasn't going anywhere today. He was only turning the engine on to check everything was working and making sure he got all the right responses to show he would be ready for whatever training exercise he had to go out on next.

He slouched back in the seat, spreading his knees apart with the clipboard in front of him and the pen twisting between his fingers.

After ticking a few boxes, Jake tilted his head back and poised the pen behind his ear while his hand shifted to undo the first button on his uniform. He slid his hand beneath his shirt until his fingers found the familiar silver chain hanging around his neck.

He imbedded the ring into his palm that hung on the end of the chain, always tapping and jostling against his chest whenever he moved.

It felt safer to have his wedding ring on his chain rather than his finger. If he had any accidents and needed to be taken for a scan or for surgery, they would cut his ring off. Rings got in the way, jewellery got in the way and got lost but a chain around his neck was private and secure and more importantly, Jake had that ring as close to his heart as possible.

A soft look crossed his face as he brought his hand to his mouth and kissed the ring that had created a halo indent in the centre of his hand.

"I'll be home soon." He murmured against the ring as a picture of (Y/n) flashed before his eyes.

The last deployment Jake had been on had almost killed him. Three and a half months away from home. Three and a half months where he couldn't see, touch or feel his wife in his arms or have her lips against his or her body pressed up against his own. All he got were a few brief phone calls or five minutes of faceTime every other day, if he wasn't being shipped straight out from dawn until dusk.

He was much happier here where he could spend each night in his own bed, safe in his home with his wife. He didn't have to sleep alone or feel like he was going insane from having absolutely no physical touch or contact with (Y/n). Never before had Jake thought or believed in having withdrawal symptoms for another human being until he got married and had to face the prospect of leaving (Y/n) behind.

When he was done with his checks, Jake heaved himself up to his feet and climbed down back to level ground again.

He waved his clipboard up and down in front of his face like a fan, relishing the slight breeze it created to his melting skin. If he were back home in this heat his shirt would already be off and he would be lounging around in a pair of shorts. Or be would be on the beach in this weather. Either of those thoughts sounded very appealing right now.

He stood still for a few moments, taking in his surroundings and wondering what the next task would be, but his mind kept wandering off to the girl waiting at home for him. Exactly where he wanted to be right now.

"Bob, are you almost done?" Phoenix tilted her head back with an exasperated sigh, one hand clamped around her hip as she the other held onto the ladder Bob was perched on top of.

He was filling up their aircraft with fuel, they had half a tank but it was better to be safe than sorry because they didn't know how long they would be out on their next flight exercise. The last thing they needed was to be marked down and sent to do two hundred push ups because they thought half a tank would be sufficient.

"Almost." His voice was as passive as ever while he swiped his arm across his temple, wiping away the beads of sweat glistening in the afternoon sun.

"Bob, come on we've got other stuff to do."

He didn't know what happened.

One moment Bob was pushing his glasses further up his nose, rolling his eyes at his impatient partner calling up the orders below him. But the next, a shockwave was rattling up the ladder he was perched on and set him off balance.

His hands scrambled to steady himself before he fell off and he subsequently dropped the fuel line that had been in his right hand just as he unclipped it from the air craft that was now fuelled up. Bob scrambled for balance, bashing his legs into the side of the plane and earning a cut down his left forearm that scraped along a jagged edge on the ladder.

But it was the fuel line he was concerned with. It wasn't like filling up a car at the fuel station. The air crafts were large with tanks high up at the back. They had to use large funnel lines that looked like double sized garden hoses with a large round metal clip on the end the size of Bob's hand. That metal created a sizzling sound that sliced through the air when he dropped it.

The line swooped through the air like a bird trying to land but Bob could of cried when he heard a sickening crunch below him. He didn't want to imagine what it collided with- who, it collided with. His eyes snapped closed and he clung to the ladder, trying to gain his balance back so he didn't fall and break an arm or a leg.

The resounding crack echoed around the base and shuddered through everyone within close range. It was a sound no one expected to echo through the open air like that, it travelled far and wide and had everyone coiling in on the spot.

The metal end of the fuel line pelted down, gaining strength and speed as it swung past the ladder, lifted slightly into the air and smacked straight into the right side of Jake's head. Upon impact, his sunglasses snapped and flung off his nose and took flight on a course of their own, six feet across the base.

An awful crack shuddered through Jake's ears and rattled through his head as his eyes automatically snapped closed and his shoulders hunched up. Both arms recoiled into his chest as his clipboard slipped through his fingers that twitched and spasmed, unsure what to do as his body seemed to shutdown and recalibrate all at once.

The force sent his head snapping backwards until his neck got whiplash and his body followed his head's sense of direction, thrusting backwards until he landed harshly on the concrete floor.

Shockwaves rattled through his body causing his legs to shake and spasm out against the floor as if he was kicking and throwing a tantrum and all the air left his lungs when his back hit the floor. It took a few seconds for his diaphragm to loosen and allow his lungs to take in a deep breath, but when he did, a choked moan escaped his lips.

It felt like he'd been shot in the head.

He could feel his pulse throbbing through his temple and circulating all around the circumference of his head like someone pelting round a relay race. He could feel his veins throbbing and the blood steadily trickling down the right side of his face. The feeling of blood oozing down the bridge of his nose and around his eye socket made his nose scrunch up in disgust.

His hands curled and twisted against his chest, desperate to move but the sudden onset of trembling in his bones made it impossible for Jake to coordinate his body properly.

The trembling continued even as Jake suddenly realised he couldn't hear anything around him. He couldn't open his eyes. No sounds broke through the static barrier building up in his ears. He had no control over moving a single part of his body. It felt like his head had been severed from the rest of his body.

"Jesus Bob, what the Hell?!" Bradley spun on his heels and made into a sprint towards the three of them, Maverick hot on his heels.

The sight of Jake, laid out on his back, body overwrought with trembles and blood pooling steadily down one side of his face was a sickening sight none of them ever wanted to witness.

"I wasn't- didn't you see the ladder?" Bob hissed like a snake as he shakily slid down the ladder onto unsteady feet.

His hands began to rake up and down his thighs, wiping the sweat onto his trousers as his glasses started to fall down the bridge of his nose. He hadn't done that on purpose. He didn't just let go of the fuel line; Phoenix bashed into the ladder and knocked him off course. He would have fallen if he didn't scramble for his balance. It could just as easily have been Bob's head split open if he fell the other way or completely lost his footing on the ladder.

"I'm sorry-"

A groan spluttered past Jake's lips and stopped all their ramblings. He managed to curl his fingers around the middle of his shirt and he scrunched it up in his fists as tightly as possible. His legs continued to thrash against the floor but when he tried to open his eyes, he couldn't seem to do it.

"Oh God." He tried his best to reach his hand up towards his head but he could barely lift either arm from trembling against his chest.

Without his glasses that had been broken and flung off somewhere on the base, the sun was beating down on him with unwavering strength. His right eye was blinking furiously to try and stop the blood from getting into his eyes that were rolling to the back of his head that was pounding like a drum.

"Everyone shut up." Maverick's voice snapped through the air like a whip and stopped all their ramblings at once.

He crouched down beside Jake with Bradley on his other side with Bob and Phoenix hovering anxiously in the background and Coyote running over at the sound of commotion.

The wound looked bad. Maverick tilted Jake's head back and tried to touch his hairline to get a proper look. A large slash line went from his hairline towards his eyebrow and the skin had been split apart so neatly it looked like it had been cut with a sharp knife. Blood oozed out in every direction and splattered across Jake's temple and down his nose towards both his eyes like a jam donut had been tossed at his head.

He couldn't see his skull or any bone which was a good sign, but the blunt force could have been enough to crack his skull and give him a fracture. He most definitely had a concussion which meant he could have side effects.

He could start throwing up, he could black out or go fully unconscious, he could have a seizure if the impact was bad enough.

"Get him down to the medbay now." With a click of his hand over to the left, Coyote hurried forward and knelt down behind Jake while Bradley shuffled forward.

The pair of them carefully took one of Jake's arms each and looped them around the back of their necks.

"Alright, up. Let's get you up Hangman." Bradley looped his right arm around Jake's waist while his left hand gripped Jake's wrist. He held his breath and slowly pushed up onto his feet, slowly pulling Jake with him who looked very worse for wear.

Jake's head flopped forward as soon as he was sitting up. He groaned again, spluttering through a moan, spit forming on his lips and blood still trickling down his face. He could feel the shock setting in because even his neck was shaking now and once he was on his feet, his knees wavered and his legs felt oddly heavy and useless. He could barely stay upright and when his knees gave way, he slumped down like he was trying to sit on an imaginary chair.

His hands scrunched down around Coyote and Bradley's shoulders as each of them held his waist and kept him up on his feet.

Both Jake's feet bent awkwardly and the toes of his shoes scraped against the floor as the pair of them dragged him slowly towards the open hanger doors. He tried to move his legs and he did somewhat help them, but he relied on them to drag him along because he felt like collapsing to the floor and curling up into a ball.

He managed to find the will to open his eyes once they were inside, but the sight of the tiled floor disappearing and all the lines blurring before his eyes made his head swoon.

He found his eyes rolling around in his skull before he jolted forward with a croaky "Gonna puke."

True to his word, Jake tossed up his lunch the moment the boys paused in their quick shuffle towards the medbay. He felt a little better after that and he managed to lift his head once the three of them began their awkward tandem walk together.

By the time they were near the medic bay, Jake managed to place one foot in front of the other. He did an awkward walk and started to help them so they didn't have to heave him the whole way there.

"We've had an accident. The fuel line cracked Hangman straight in the temple and knocked him out. He threw up on the way down here." Bradley looked between the two medics idling around and waited for one of them to point towards the bed in the left corner of the large bunker space.

They trotted to the left and turned around, carefully easing Jake down until he was sat in the middle of the bed.

He felt more alive and a bit better once he was sat down. His head flopped back until the base of his head was touching the back of his shoulders and his shaking hands gripped the edge of the bed with intensity to keep himself sitting upright. It took all his effort to stop himself trembling and he tried to take deep breaths to ward off the sickness and the wave of dizziness that overwhelmed him.

"Okay Seresin, let's take a look."

Coyote and Bradley backed up until they were stood to one side. Neither of them fancied going back outside to finish off their exercises when Jake didn't look in his best shape. They would rather wait here to make sure he was alright and then head back to the rest of the team and tell them how he was fairing up. It was clear that Jake would be going home early today, he was lucky not to have been killed with that force, there was no way he was carrying on with any work today after this.

Jake begrudgingly lifted his head when one of the doctors stood in front of him. He let the man hold his chin and tilt his head from side to side to assess the damage and when he shone a pen light across his eyes, Jake winced.

A frightful yelp left his lips when the man tried to touch the wound and he reeled back with a groan.

"Afraid I'm gonna need an X-ray before I can stitch it. I'll clean the wound and get you some painkillers first." They were lucky the wound was on his head as they had a small, portable X-ray scanner in the back room they could use just to double check they didn't have to send him to hospital for urgent treatment. But if it looked okay, he could get some pain relief, be stitched up and sent home for the day.

"Great." Jake winced, trying to form a lopsided smile, but he couldn't quite manage it.

At least he would get to go home earlier than he thought.

***

"Hey," Bob groaned as sweat dripped off his body and onto a small puddle forming on the stone beneath him. His arms trembled as he tried to continue his push ups now that he was well into the hundreds. "Who's that?"

He nudged his nose against his shoulder to push the glasses further up his nose while he indicated his head to the left, signalling Phoenix's attention towards the person advancing across the base.

Maverick had told Bob and Phoenix to finish off Jake's safety checks, prep his fuel tank too and then do a set of two hundred push ups. They both knew they should have been more careful and they shouldn't have started squabbling like children when Jake was hauled off to the medic bay.

Phoenix lifted her head and glanced her eyes around, trying to find out who Bob was referring to. When her eyes set on a woman walking their way, her brows furrowed and she watched where she was walking.

She wasn't in uniform, whoever she was. She had on a baby blue tank top and a pair of denim shorts that stopped just before her knees. Her bag was hung on her shoulder, the strap clutched tightly in her hand and there was a nervous look plastered across her face.

The woman seemed to spare them a glance, noting that they were both sweating through their uniforms, before her eyes set on Maverick and she made a beeline for him.

"Mav, where is he?" (Y/n) bit her lower lip nervously when she reached Maverick who greeted her with a warm smile and a hand on her elbow.

"He's with a doctor, come with me."

(Y/n) nodded and let Maverick lead her inside the base. She couldn't quite believe how high up the ceilings were or how large the bay doors were, it was like everything was amplified as if giants worked and lived here. It felt strange to be walking round here with Maverick when Jake always said he would give her a tour round one day. Plans changed.

She had been expecting much worse when Maverick rang her and said Jake had had a 'minor accident' at the base, but knowing it was nothing to do with a crash or him being in a plane at all made (Y/n) feel better. It stopped her from having a breakdown or a panic attack as she drove down here, but she couldn't fathom what had happened. What kind of accident would her husband have when he was supposed to be safe here on the ground?

She glanced over her shoulder, noticing that the two others who had been doing press ups were now following after her and Maverick, presumably so they could see Jake too. They must be part of his team.

"What happened?"

"Phoenix and Bob, behind you," Maverick tossed a look over his shoulder and pointed his thumb in their direction. "Had a mishap when they fueled their plane. The pipeline dropped and caught Jake in the temple. I think he's got a mild concussion, but he'll be fine."

(Y/n) brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, hearing her shoes clicking loudly against the tiled floor as she followed Maverick around three corners and down a long corridor until they were in front of a medical wing.

That didn't sound too bad. That wasn't nearly as bad as she had been expecting, but it still wasn't good.

Her husband shouldn't be getting into accidents like this at work. He shouldn't be getting smashed in the head with their equipment. He was a pilot, an aviator. He was training every day to be in top physical performance and here he was with a concussion because his team had clearly lacked concentration.

It took all the effort (Y/n) had not to run ahead once they walked into a large open unit almost the same size as the open field outside. There was only one patient in here and (Y/n) set her sights on him immediately.

Jake was sat on the side of a bed, his legs swinging back and forth like a child at a doctor's appointment. His hands were clutching either side of the bed, his lips were set in a firm line and he kept squinting and closing his eyes as a doctor was stood in front of him, cleaning his wound.

Once they were close enough, (Y/n) hurried past Maverick and dropped her bag down by the foot of the bed. She didn't want to get in the way when the doctor was clearly trying to assess Jake and sort him out, but the moment Jake glanced to the left, his eyes widened and he jerked out of the doctor's grip.

"Baby." The surprise was evident in his voice and he let go of the bed to reach an arm out in (Y/n)'s direction. As soon as he started curling his fingers in a grabbing motion, (Y/n) smiled and moved forward.

Jake immediately coiled his arm around (Y/n)'s waist and reeled her closer until she had to plant her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. His fingers squeezed her hip tightly and he kissed the top of her chest before he glanced over her shoulder towards Maverick.

"You called my wife?"

The shock was evident in Jake's voice, but it was the looks of the rest of the team that made him wince. He hadn't mentioned to any of them that he happened to be married, that knowledge was on a need to know basis and as his superior, Maverick was the only one who needed to know. For emergency situations like this if Jake ever got hurt or shot down or sent to hospital.

There was no way they could let him drive home and since he had been injured, Maverick knew it was best to call (Y/n) and let her know so she could come and pick him up.

"You got concussed and you won't be able to drive home. Yes, I called your missus. You're welcome."

Maverick placed his hand on his hip and tilted his head to one side. Once Jake was silenced with that one look, Maverick nodded to himself and turned to leave. He knew none of them would be doing any more exercises today and he was okay with that, they would call it a day and start again tomorrow.

"You're married?"

"You never mentioned you're married to such a stunning girl."

(Y/n) tilted her head to the right, figuring the man that said that must be Bradley, the one Jake said was close to Maverick. He had a raised brow and his lips quirked into a smile beneath his moustache while both arms folded tightly over his chest.

She could feel the glares Jake was sending towards Bradley, squinting and glaring over in his direction before he looked back up at his wife.

With a quiet groan, Jake moved his hands from (Y/n)'s hips so he could bind his arms tightly around her waist. His hands feathered up and down her back and he pushed forward until his lips attached to her exposed chest just beneath her collar bone.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why did you need to know?" He countered, smirking tiredly against (Y/n)'s chest and he twisted his head so the left side of his face could press down against her skin. His cheek nuzled into her chest and he looked over at the team, watching the blush that rose to Bob's face that tilted down to look at his shoes and the way Phoenix rubbed the back of her neck bashfully.

He hadn't told them because it wasn't their business, they didn't need to know. He was in love, he was head over heels in love with his wife and in Jake's eyes, she was his little secret.

He didn't want the team teasing him or asking about her or trying to make jokes that he was tied down. He had dealt with that in the past with other people he worked with and he didn't like it. He smiled when people flirted with him in bars, but he kindly turned every one of them down and didn't let them get too close. (Y/n) was the reason why.

Sometimes it felt safer to keep (Y/n) as his little secret. What they did was dangerous, they had all lost friends in this job and it was hard to bring friends and family into this life. Jake didn't know if introducing (Y/n) to his team would be too much.

For him, it felt better to keep work and home life separate.

With a sigh, Jake lifted his cheek from (Y/n)'s chest, his lips forming a thin line as he stared up at her despite the headache that was swirling around behind his eyes. He scanned his eyes around the team who were all watching on eagerly like this was their favourite tv soap.

"Darlin', this is the dagger squad," Jake waved his hand around, muttering their call signs to which (Y/n) nodded earnestly. "Guys, this is my wife, (Y/n)."

"Nice to meet you all, even under strange circumstances," (Y/n) quirked a brow when Bob tipped his head down with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Clearly he felt guilty for the accident and (Y/n) was sure she heard him mutter a soft 'sorry again' clearly directed towards Jake.

He wasn't going to hold a grudge. It had been an accident and a few stitches was much better than some of the injuries he'd gotten on this job. But he would be holding this over them in the future and he knew he had earned himself a few free beers down at the Hard Deck for this.

"How bad is it then?"

Jake felt shockwaves coursing through his blood when (Y/n)'s hands moved from his shoulders to gently cup his face in her hands.

He loved the feeling of her thumbs brushing across his cheekbones just beneath his eyes and the way her fingertips tapped behind the tip of his jaw near his ears. His lips curved into a smile, despite the aching in his temple that had gone down a little when he took the aspirin and painkillers he was given.

His eyes squinted up at his wife whose lips curved into a pouting smile while her head tilted to the side, inspecting the wound on his temple.

All the blood had been cleaned from Jake's face and neck and his head had been X-rayed and dabbed with anticeptic, all he needed now was stitches.

"What am I gonna do with you?" (Y/n) murmured softly while she tilted Jake's head down in her hands so she could pepper kisses against the middle of his temple which no doubt would be aching. She didn't want to touch or go too near the wound, she knew even a light touch was going to hurt and she didn't want to hurt him. But he leaned into her touch and groaned, tightening his arms around her waist while his hands slid further down her back.

"I can think of a few things."

"I don't think I wanna see that." Coyote ran a hand down his face and patted Bradley's chest before he began to walk. He would see what Maverick wanted them to do, whether they were all getting the afternoon off or just Jake. He murmured a soft "Nice to meet you, Mrs Seresin." And laid a hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder as he passed her.

"Yeah, us neither. Sorry again, Hangman, we'll owe you a few rounds when your back in action." Phoenix waved her hand towards Jake and dipped her head before she headed out with Bob following in her wake.

He uttered a soft "Nice to see you, sorry Hangman." before he followed Phoenix, silently praying they wouldn't have to finish the last twenty six push ups they had skipped when they followed Maverick and (Y/n) down here to the medic bay.

"Well, you look like your in good hands, so I'll catch up with you later. Maybe we'll see you soon, Mrs Hangman."

Once Bradley disappeared, (Y/n) managed to untangle herself from her husband's arms, causing him to grunt and pout dramatically. His hands reached out for her but she didn't move far. She stepped out from between his legs and moved to stand on his left side near the end of the bed he was perched on. Her arm looped around his back and her hand gave his shoulder a squeeze while she kissed the good side of his temple.

"When can I take him home?"

"I'll just do the stitches and then he's all yours."

Jake couldn't hide the grimace that flooded his face when he saw the needle and thread. He didn't like the inconvenience of stitches. His eyes briefly glanced up at (Y/n) before he shimmied round on the seat so his back was towards her. And he slowly reclined his head until the back of his head was settled down on (Y/n)'s shoulder.

He did his best to keep his head steady and his eyes fell closed when he saw an injection needle coming close. The numbing agent to make the stitches more bearable.

A low whistle passed his lips and when (Y/n)'s free hand curled over his thigh, Jake reached down and curled his hand over hers. He squeezed tight and tried to take slow, deep breaths when the needle finally started puncturing through his skin. It didn't exactly hurt, but he felt a sharp sting and each time the thread was pulled tight, Jake could feel his brow lifting as the skin was dragged back together.

Six stitches later and (Y/n) could barely feel her hand from how tightly Jake was squeezing it. She leaned her head down and kissed the top of his head, nudging her nose against his soft wavy hair as Jake finally opened his eyes.

"You're good to go with a mild concussion, Seresin. No flying for twenty-four hours, and if you go any higher than G7, I'll need to see you back here for a check over."

"Copy that."

"Thank you for patching him up."

When Jake hopped up from the bed, (Y/n) moved her arm lower to secure around his waist and she pressed a quick kiss to the side of his jaw which caused his lips to pull into a wide grin. He draped his arm over her shoulders, feeling much better than he did earlier.

The last thing he wanted to do was lean on (Y/n) and have her dragging him out of here like the guys had heaved him in earlier. He could walk on his own two feet again.

"That's going to leave a scar." (Y/n) murmured softly, reaching her left hand up to graze her fingers over his brow just beneath the row of navy blue stitches on his temple. It wasn't going to leave a dent or a prominent, deep line, but it would leave a faint streak of white like a dash of paint across his skin.

She pressed another kiss to Jake's jaw until he tilted his head down and captured her lips in a soft, burning kiss instead. "I know," He muttered softly against her lips, kissing her again and again as they walked as slow as possible out of the base.

"But I know you love my war wounds."

[ot3]

Hi, I just finished the AA trilogy with my bf and we fell in love with it! I found your blog the other day, and it sometimes feels like you're the only one giving correct takes on these characters' writing and the minutiae of everyone's inner worlds (or the fumbling of, see Godot).

I just got here, but, something that's been bothering me about the fandom's approach to the sequel trilogy is like... the imperialist undertones are glossed over, or swept under the rug. Researching "The Dark Age of the Law" and beyond puts a sour taste in my mouth. And with Khura'in the country vs Kurain the village? It all feels racist at best (the concept of the Divination Seance gives me squick). If you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts about AA5 and AA6 in relation to the world of AA as a whole. Thanks again for all of your thoughtful and nuanced takes on this series!

so glad to hear you guys liked the games!! thank you for enjoying my posts, i always appreciate it.

the tl;dr of it is that i do think they are genuinely bad enough additions to the franchise that they have signed mainline ace attorney's death warrant. picking out the dark age of the law stuff and aa5 and the imperialism in aa6 you've pretty much honed right in on my two biggest critiques

however i do want to say that although they're being bundled and sold as a 'second trilogy' that's not quite accurate either experientially when playing the games or from a development perspective. aa4 had scenario design/creative direction by series creator shu takumi, with the art director being kazuya nuri (responsible for character design for rise from the ashes in the series previous to this); aa5+6 was spearheaded by takeshi yamazaki, who had been with the franchise since its first game, with the slightly less tenured takuro fuse on art direction/character design. yamazaki and fuse are not without skill, but i think they're both significantly less skilled than takumi and nuri respectively and. it really shows.

pair that with the fact that aa5 and 6 fundamentally do not follow up on any of ace attorney 4's established characters or plots more than superficially, i don't think it's particularly useful to critique 4-5-6 as if they're a single body of work in the same way the trilogy is. apollo justice isn't a perfect* ace attorney game but it's a good one.

anyway i think buying into the 'dark age of the law' stuff in ace attorney 5 necessitates cheapening all of the events preceding it. the implication that 1. the law wasn't that bad before but it Is Now and 2. a single case was the tipping point for whether or not the entire legal system would be bad just ruins the times when ace attorney has managed to acknowledge corrupt systems as a massive source of problem for the everyman in the past

i think this screenshot from the dark age of the law wiki page says a lot:

For starters, that phoenix quote. He would not fucking say that. I don't think there has ever been a point during or leading up to phoenix's career where he thought the legal system had 'glory' he would then want to restore it to. you seem to get it so im not gonna harp on this too much on this but. jesus christ

then, then there's fact that even by stating the most basic details about the franchise's events undermines the whole premise. like okay notice that the corruption that happens during the trilogy/investigations spinoffs is coming from all of the actual agencies that represent law and order/the system: the prosecutors, the police, and the prosecutorial investigation committee. however in aa5 the thing they choose to paint as responsible for supposedly unprecedented levels of corruption in the legal system is defense attorneys resorting to more drastic means, and the general public; aka not the people who are responsible for upholding the legal system but the people who are victimized by it and in opposition to it.

i don't think this was an intentional choice as much as it's just sloppy, inconsiderate, and contrived writing.

aa6 is just flat out racist. 'imperalist undertones' is i would say the gentlest way you could phrase it. like. japanese characters going to a made up south asian country that needs to be taught how to govern itself to quash its internal rebellion is like. so high on the yikes meter.

making a bunch of fake 'ethnic sounding' nonsense names filled with apostrophes to make them into silly sounding english phrasing was a disastrously tone deaf thing for the localization to do. they're really unforgivable. the worst of it all is probably "Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III" i'm unsure if the names are quite as offensive in the original japanese because i haven't looked too much into what they actually are and have a really limited knowledge of the language. but. this name in japanese is "インガ・カルクール・ククルーラ・ラルバン・ギジール・ホフダラン・マダラ・ヴィラ・ヤシマ・ジャクティエール・クライン３世" which is written in katakana. katakana is, in contrast to kanji and hiragana which are used for writing japanese, used to phoenetically transcribe foreign languages or to write loan words. so the foreign-ness of this character is being emphasized here in the original text as well.

the supposed cultural inferiority of the khurainese people is baked into the game at pretty much every level, down to the gags. khura'in has the 'plumed punisher' show, which is actively criticized by the characters in game for just being a cheap ripoff of the steel samurai. they don't even get to have their own tv.

i believe the reason the racism is pretty much glossed over a lot in the fandom is for several reasons. for starters, ace attorney fans overall tend to fall into three camps: 1. people like me who fucking hate these games, refuse to acknowledge them, and would retcon them out of existence if possible. 2. people who have found things they like about the game and have a Good Version of the characters and plots that they have constructed in their head and 3. people who view all of the hate on these games as completely overblown

the first camp Does talk about how the game is racist but we're all already in agreement about that so it's kind of preaching to the choir and a bit redundant to keep going on about. the second camp tends to acknowledge the stickier aspects of the game but focuses on making content around the elements they like rather than critique. the third camp is the type to throw the baby out with the bathwater re: critiquing a thing they like. it's all haterism to them. but either way i think its kind of fucked up how many people will be like 'aa6 isnt that bad you guys are just mean' without even acknowledging these complaints.

anyway the khura'in country vs kurain village thing is really weird to me it shows both a lack of imagination and a disregard for the series' own established lore. why would a girl from a village where almost everyone is a spirit medium need to go to a place where only, like, two people are mediums to train.

i will say though that the divination seance is kind of one of the only things i found about aa6 to be an interesting addition. for a franchise with ghost summoning and murder solving, the two have a kind of hilariously low amount of overlap so i found the idea of bringing ghost bullshit into court really fun. mechanically speaking, the divination seances also felt a LOT better to play than the mood matrix segments of aa5.

in general, i think the biggest weakness of the mainline franchise under takeshi yamazaki's stewardship is its misunderstanding of stakes. both aa5 and 6 prioritize more bombastic and impressive on paper material stakes. oh no! the ENTIRE JUSTICE SYSTEM BEING GOOD OR BAD depends on this one case! on no! we have to DEAL WITH REBEL INSURGENTS! complete horseshit when there is not competent and functional enough character writing to get us emotionally invested here. yamazaki seems to think bigger is better, and that just simply isnt true for something like ace attorney

i've pointed this out in the past when critiquing aa5 and 6 but if you look at the actual material stakes on the line in ace attorney, they're at their highest after rise from the ashes. ousting the corrupt chief of police is the most impressive and impactful thing phoenix does with his career (arguably until the jurist system, but definitely in the trilogy.) but that's not the big Finale case for his character arc. his finale case is defending his college girlfriend; a nun who lives in the mountains, whose conviction would have had zero implications on the larger fabric of ace attorney's legal system. because takumi's writing clearly shows that he understands what makes a plot impactful is the emotional stakes the characters have invested in the events.

before taking over the main franchise, takeshi yamazaki was responsible for the miles edgeworth investigations spinoffs. i do enjoy both of those games - aai2 in particular is really strong. yamazaki does a great job with edgeworth's character arc even if i have some specific gripes with the duologys writing. i think theyre solid additions to the franchise. but you can see traces of this sort of misalignment in narrative priorities here as well. for example, the last case in aai1 is notorious for still going on for, like, an entire hour or two past the time when the last remaining plot point we care about has been revealed. because yamazaki seemingly had no understanding that That was the thing the case should have been about, and that should have been the final mic drop of the game. it just keeps going! he didn't know the game was done and he added a bunch more bullshit busywork after it that no one likes!

so yeah. without going into anything even as specific as how individual plotlines or character arcs were mishandled in aa5/6 that's really my overview What Went Wrong of those games.

[coconut-dreamz]

you're losing me

'how long can we be a sad song' || tom blyth x reader

part two

a/n: i felt angsty and i love this song so i wanted to write something based off of it

you say, "i don't understand, " and i say, "i know you don't" we thought a cure would come through in time, now i fear it won't

the fights felt as if they were never ending lately. it hadn't always been this way, but that felt like a lifetime ago. the problems had started when tom began filming for tbosas but they had ceased when filming for it wrapped. but your relationship wasn't the same as it was before. now it was time for promotions and the fights had started up once again.

"i don't understand! why do we keep having to have this fight over and over again!" tom shouted. you scoff in disbelief at his outburst. he didn't know why you felt so insecure and jealous? it wasn't like you had told him at least a dozen times before.

"you know what, just go on your tour alone. i don't want to ruin it with our fighting." you resign, taking your already packed suitcase back into the apartment, away from the door. "you should go, the cab's waiting." you tell him quietly, unable to look up from the ground.

he just sighs, "alright, i'll see you in a few weeks." staring at you, waiting for you to look up at him. " have a safe flight," you look up at him, but refuse to meet his eyes. he just thanks you and heads out the door.

remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light now, I just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time do I throw out everything we built or keep it?

you sat in the dark room of your shared apartment with tom. you had picked it because of the view of the city lights, but now it just felt cold and desolate, like nobody lived here. in all honesty, it hadn't been lived in for awhile. with tom gone for movie promotions, you hadn't been able to be here alone, opting to stay with a friend instead.

you don't know where to go from here. should you salvage what remained of your relationship with tom? or should you scrap everything and start new?

the latter choice had been seeming more and more appealing as of late. you hadn't heard from tom in days. at first you chalked it up to him being busy and the time difference, but you saw he posted a new croissant review and realized he was ignoring you. where had it all gone wrong?

i'm getting tired even for a phoenix always risin' from the ashes mendin' all her gashes you might just have dealt the final blow

you had made the mistake of watching one of tom's latest interviews with his costar rachel. you watched it because you'd missed him, but now that you'd watched it, you wished you just stayed missing him. you didn't miss the way they looked at each other. it'd been so long since you'd looked at each other like that. your eyes were always filled with rage or tears whenever you saw him lately.

you were just so tired of it all. you contemplated texting him and breaking things off. it'd be a whole lot easier that way. maybe the weight on your chest would be lifted. but a part of you didn't want to let go of him. he'd been your everything once.

stop, you're losin' me i can't find a pulse my heart won't start anymore for you 'cause you're losin' me

"how are you baby?" tom asks, his voice cutting through the silence, breaking you out of your reverie. he managed to find some time to call you while on his press tour. "huh? oh, i'm fine. how are you? how's press tour going?" you ask absentmindedly, hearing you ask about tour sparked a light in tom's eyes. he started rambling about the antics he and his cast mates had been up to.

you smiled fondly hearing him talk, until he mentioned rachel. she'd been a sore spot in your relationship lately. the mere mention of her name left a sour taste in your mouth. the grin on your face immediately swept off.

"it's getting late, i think i'm gonna go to bed. i hope the rest of your tour goes well," you fake a smile, trying to hurry to end the facetime call. "oh, i guess it is late over there. i love you, sleep well.” he bids you a goodnight. "love you," you reply and end the call. you bury yourself in your blankets, tired of the emotional turmoil that was caused by your relationship lately.

every mornin', i glared at you with storms in my eyes how can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'? i sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick my face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick

you'd lost the glow your skin once had. it'd became increasingly noticeable to those around you. your makeup artist had to try harder to make it less noticeable on red carpets and photo shoots. but it was all in vain, everyone noticed how you'd looked sickly lately, everyone but tom.

or, if he did, he didn't mention anything about it. "you look great." he complimented as you two climbed into the car that was to take you to the premiere of his film. it had taken your makeup artist a lot longer than usual to do your makeup, having to cover up the blemishes and gray tone of your skin from the lack of care you'd given yourself lately. you’d been opting to lay around in bed, moping.

"thanks," you mutter as the car begins to move. you picked at your nails, something you'd picked up lately to help deal with your nerves. you no longer could have any type of nails, you'd bit them down to nubs lately. but tom didn't seem to have noticed. he didn't seem to notice anything about you lately.

and the air is thick with loss and indecision i know my pain is such an imposition now, you're runnin' down the hallway and you know what they all say you don't know what you got until it's gone

"stop! where are you going?" shit. you stop dead in your tracks, tom was home early for once. you'd thought he wouldn't back for another day or two. "did you hear me?" he makes his way in front of you. you try avoiding his gaze, but it was difficult when his icy blue eyes stared into your soul.

you tried to formulate the words to tell him it was over. "i'm leaving." you finally managed to say. his concerned eyes turn frantic at your words. "what?" he whispers out, grabbing your hand. "you're leaving? why?" you take a breath, you tried leaving when he was gone because you couldn't face him. "things haven't been the same lately. i think we need a break. i'm going to stay with a friend. i'll come back for the rest of my things later. i think it's best if we don't talk for awhile." you manage out, finally meeting his eyes.

what a mistake. his previously concerned eyes were now filled with sadness. you tried moving past him to your car. he grabs your hand one more time, "can you at least tell me what's wrong?" you sigh hearing this, "i think you know why, tom." is all you answer, dragging your suitcase behind you.

how long could we be a sad song 'til we were too far gone to bring back to life? i gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy and all i did was bleed as i tried to be the bravest soldier fighting in only your army frontlines , don't you ignore me

it'd been a few weeks since you'd moved out of your shared apartment with tom. you felt relieved when you had finally walked out of the apartment. it had been feeling less like a home and more like a prison lately. you felt stuck in time in there. everyone around you was moving forward their lives, your friends, family and especially tom, but there you were. stuck waiting around for tom to give you the time of day.

you'd spend too long waiting around for your relationship to go back to how it once was. you'd given that relationship your all but got the bare minimum back in return. you should've called time of death on it months ago, but a big part of you wasn't ready to let go. you had spent your best years with him after all.

and i wouldn't marry me either a pathological people pleaser who only wanted you to see her

you and tom used to talk about the future all the time. laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling and giggling about your thoughts on what the future had in store. you told him about your dream wedding and he told you about how he wanted a cozy home with a big yard for your future children.

but that seemed so far in the past. you suppose he changed his mind. who'd want to marry a person who'd give every piece of themselves for someone who won't even bat an eye at them? you'd given him your all in the last year of your relationship, but had gotten nothing in return. all in an attempt to bring back what you both once had.

and i'm fadin', thinkin' "do something, babe, say something" "lose something, babe, risk something" "choose something, babe, i got nothing to believe unless you're choosin' me"

you laid in the makeshift bed of your friend’s studio apartment waiting for tom to reach out. you were aware of what you had told him, but you wanted to see if he truly did care about your relationship.

it hurt to see him happy on set of billy the kid. you followed his castmates and it hurt to see the snippets of him on their stories. he looked so happy and carefree. the exact opposite of how you were feeling and probably looked.

you hoped he was just respecting your wishes of having no contact for a few weeks, but the small voice in the back of your mind was screaming that he didn't care. that he was happier without you, that he was better off now that you were gone.

you're losin' me stop, you're losin' me stop, you're losin' me i can't find a pulse my heart won't start anymore

a constant buzzing woke you up from your deep sleep. you blindly search for your phone. when you find it, the clock shows that it's exactly 12 in the morning. you hit answer without looking at the contact. "hello?" you answer, your voice raspy from lack of use.

"love? it's me, tom. it's been exactly 6 weeks like you said. can we finally talk?"

[hua-liansimp]

CW: spoiler for durge run

There's nothing I want more than a 126k word retelling of The Dark Urge's life from the moment he murdered his foster parents and realized he is a Chosen of Bhaal to the end of the game and beyond. From his bloody, cruel and unusual childhood where he learned nothing but all the different ways of killing anything and everything moving under the sky of Faerun, chasing after scraps of his dead father's approval, to him falling in love with the genius of Enver Gortash and finding a real companion for the first time in his life and discovering a wanting that is beyond his father and maker. To this love ruining him, undoing him, making him fall from his blood soaked throne.

To him waking up without his memories, feeling wrong, hating himself for the Urge, thinking himself a monster for his nature. Still he grows close to all these new people around him, and he experiences what it's like laughing around a fireplace sharing stories, cooking and sleeping together, looking out for people he cares more and more about as the weeks pass, and he's battling the Urge and he's winning with the help of his friends. He's stronger than this monster inside of him that he doesn't remember the name of yet.

And then they reach Baldur's Gate and it all comes crashing back down. He is the creator of the absolute plan. The monster was never inside of him, he had been the monster all along. And Enver Gortash, oh, Enver Gortash. /The man is overjoyed to see him, very much so, but he is also furious: the more he sees of The Dark Urge the more apparent it becomes how happier he is with his new companions. He'd never been this happy with him, no, they have been each other's undoing from the start, they weren't destined for peace. And Gortash wants power, his love for The Dark is not fulfilling enough for him. Or at least that is what he tells himself./

Still The Dark Urge wins against the Urge and he fights back against his father, and he is eventually freed, and maybe he spares Gortash' life but nothing is the same again. The Dark Urge is discovering a life for himself and the world opens itself up for him, like he is a phoenix shaking of the ashes of his previous carnation, but Gortash is defeated and unable to rise, he is not content back in the dirt from which he climbed out.

Maybe The Dark Urge chooses to be with one of his new companions, and moves past the previous era of his life— maybe fragments of The Dark Urge's memories come back and he seeks out Gortash again. Maybe Gortash and him discover an arrangement that suits their new lives, eventually; they forgive each other and live free, away from the grasping hands of tyrannical gods. They learn how to love each other. Happy ending for The Dark Urge.

[lulublack90]

Prompt 23 - Rescue

@wolfstarmicrofic July 23, word count 633

Part four of werewolf Sirius

Previous part First part

“Gather round children, gather round,” Fenrir called out to the camp the day after the full moon. “Has everyone recovered?” A murmuring of affirmatives passed over the gathered wolves. “Good, good. Well, my children, we have our orders for next month.” A small collection of the wolves cheered, but Sirius noticed that the majority seemed nervous and a few looked ill. “The Dark Lord, with the help of our own Lord Black,” Sirius froze. This was it, he was about to find out the real reason Voldemort didn’t kill him. “Lord Black will be leading us directly into the arms of Albus Dumbledore.” He turned to Sirius and Remus. “And if you don’t comply, we’ll kill your brother.” He bared his long teeth in a smile. Sirius gasped. Regulus was alive? But why was he imprisoned? 

Remus nudged him with his elbow and he snapped his head back up. He bared his teeth right back at Greyback and stormed off into the forest. 

“Wow, you’ve either got balls of steal or you’re dumber than you look,” Marcus cheered as he caught up with Sirius and Remus. 

“Definitely the latter,” Remus growled towards Sirius. “What were you thinking? If he has your brother, he’s fucked now!” Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“Can he be trusted?” He jabbed his thumb at Marcus. Remus looked the man up and down. 

“Well, can you?” Remus asked, his voice had turned gravelly. Sirius suddenly felt the need to do whatever Remus asked. 

“Yes,” Marcus bowed his head as he answered. 

“Good then, whatever is said here is kept between us,” Remus ordered him, Sirius realised. 

Remus took out a wand and cast a barrier around them, preventing eavesdroppers from listening in. 

“Right, Sirius, explain,” Remus said in a clipped tone.  

“If I agreed straight away they’d know something was up. It’s no secret that I was disowned and that Regulus and I had a strained relationship. If he really is alive, there must be a better way to save him.” He ran his hands roughly through his tangled hair, wincing when his finger got caught and tugged. “Let’s go for a walk, there’s someone I want you to meet who might be able to help,” Sirius said as he began to walk further into the forest until he was certain no one was following him. 

“Rorbey,” He called into the gloom. A loud crack alerted them to the house elf’s arrival. 

“Master Sirius!” The little elf threw himself at Sirius. Sirius bent down and hugged him properly. 

“Rorbey, I have a favour to ask you,” He said gently, glad to see the elf. 

“Anything, Master Sirius,” The elf agreed excitedly. 

“I’ve just been told that Regulus might be alive but being kept captive, possibly by the wolf pack here, possibly by someone involved with Voldemort. I need you to see if you can find him.” Sirius had a small ball of hope he was keeping wrapped up deep inside of him, that Fenrir had been telling the truth and Regulus was still out there somewhere. 

“Right away, Master Sirius,” Rorbey chirped before he hugged Sirius one last time and disapparated. Remus wrapped his arm around Sirius's shoulder. 

“Who the fuck was that?” Remus asked, staring at the spot Rorbey had just been. 

“That was my saviour,” Sirius said, spinning in Remus’s arms and pecking a kiss on his lips. 

“Does this mean I’m part of the Order of the Phoenix now?” Marcus asked, ruining their moment. 

“You’re such a dick,” Sirius huffed a laugh and, taking Remus’s hand, began to lead him back to the camp. 

“Seriously?!” Marcus called after them. 

“Yup!” Sirius popped the p and stuck his middle finger up behind him. The sound of Marcus’s laughter followed them through the trees and back into the sunlight. 

Next part

[the-bi-library]

Bisexual books coming out in 2024!

Let me know of the books I didn't include!

Here is the goodreads list link. You can add books to this too!

Books listed:

Dear Bi Men: A Black Man's Perspective on Power, Consent, Breaking Down Binaries, and Combating Erasure by J.R. Yussuf

Breaker of Fates by Vaela Denarr, Micah Iannandrea

Fake Dating a Witch: A Magical Summer Solstice Romance by Brigid Hunt

The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald

Rupture in Total Eclipse by Sem Thornwood

The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee

Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher

Better Left Buried by Mary E. Roach

Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar

The Afterdark by E. Latimer

Truthfully, Yours by Caden Armstrong

The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J. Brown Don't Be a Drag by Skye Quinlan

Digging for Destiny by Jenna Jarvis

Exes & Foes by Amanda Woody

Under All the Lights by Maya Ameyaw

Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni

Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco

The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford

Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham

The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin

Mewing by Chloe Spencer

London On My Mind by Clara Alves, Nina Perrotta

What Is Love? by Jen Comfort

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee

Rise by Freya Finch

The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

Honeybloods by I.S. Belle

The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe

Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba

The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales

One Killer Problem by Justine Pucella Winans

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors by Gail D. Villanueva

Redsight by Meredith Mooring

Finally Fitz by Marisa Kanter

The Last Love Song by Kalie Holford

Trouble by Lex Croucher

Playing For Keeps by Jennifer Dugan

Something To Be Proud Of by Anna Zoe Quirke

[rea-grimm]

Phoenix Ace - Looking through his eyes

You were sitting in a dark, gray, cold Marine base. You had the misfortune of being caught in a moment of weakness and carelessness. The seastone bars blocked your devil fruit abilities, and when you approached or touched them, they drained all the energy from you. 

Your abilities wouldn't help you escape, either. Your fruit gave you the ability to see through the eyes of your soulmate, when to your surprise it was your childhood friend that you met again aboard the Mobidick. 

It took you a while to figure out who the eyes belonged to, but eventually you figured it out. You knew from his eyes that they were Whitebeard pirates, but you had no idea exactly who. It wasn't until you joined them that you found out. 

But now you were sitting in a cell, unable to see what Ace was doing, where he was, or what he had just seen. Sometimes when you looked through his eyes you could see the sky and you thought you could feel the wind in your face.

Apparently, today was supposed to be the day of your execution. The Marines were trying to eliminate you as soon as possible, and in doing so, capture Whitebeard's other pirates, your friends. 

You sat on the concrete bed with your head on your knees, thinking about Ace. Of the warmth of his fire that you now missed as the cold of the cell made you shiver. 

Instead of the cell and listening to the execution platform being built outside, you closed your eyes and remembered your experiences with Ace. 

For example, you smiled at the memory of the first time he had asked you to a romantic candlelit dinner that nearly set the table on fire from how much he had gotten worked up. Thatch prepared you his best menu and Marco helped Ace with ideas.  

Ace tried to act like a gentleman and especially eat slowly and not stuff himself like normal. You could see in him how hard he tried and restrained himself. You wanted him to be himself and you saw how Ace was relieved and began to contentedly stuff himself to the point where his own mouth was small and his wings fluttered contentedly. 

"Thatch really did his best. You should taste it too. It's delicious..." he said as you noticed his eyelids droop and before you could do anything Ace fell asleep. With his fork still in his hand, his head fell into his plate and he snorted contentedly. Some might think he died, but he was just sleeping. 

You knew about his narcolepsy, but it almost always caught you off guard since you weren't expecting it. You picked yourself up and lifted his head off the plate, settling him down so he wouldn't fall again. After that, you wiped the remnants of food off his face.

You tried to shake him and wake him up, even slap him a little, but none of it worked. Just like it never did before. Instead, you let him sleep. You put your food away because you wanted to wait for him to wake up. 

When Ace finally woke up, he had no idea what had happened, and it took a moment for his brain to recover from its brief slumber. When he saw you with a cold plate, he immediately started apologizing. He thought he'd ruined your whole date. 

 You told him it wasn't his fault and that nothing happened. You just laughed it off, saying he could warn you sooner next time. You saw his face go all red and he mumbled something in response. 

Another memory you liked to recall was the moment you officially called him your boyfriend. 

You were just waiting for Ace at the docks where you were supposed to meet him when you got supplies. Everything was already loaded on the ship and you were just waiting for the phoenix. 

As you waited, a young man walked over to you and began to pay you one compliment after another. You politely refused him and tried to explain that you were waiting for someone, but he was insistent. He continued to shower you with compliments and even invited you to dinner. 

You were slowly running out of patience when Ace finally returned. He looked like he was in a hurry and when he finally saw you, he seemed relieved. 

"You're finally here," you smiled at him and kissed the edge of his mouth. As you did so, you saw the young man chuckle before walking away in defeat. 

"What was that for?" Ace asked, not understanding what was going on. Besides, after that kiss, his face was red as a crab and his wings were all aglow with excitement. 

"Just like that. Besides, what would I do without my boyfriend?" You smiled at him. 

"B-Boyfriend?" The phoenix stammered, completely taken aback, as if the word itself had given him pause. 

His reaction to that completely confused you, since you thought you'd been dating all this time. That is, ever since he asked you to dinner and where he first kissed you. 

"I thought we were dating..." you said weakly and uncomprehendingly. 

As soon as Ace heard your words, a proud smile spread across his face. He puffed out his wings, grabbed you around the waist and pulled you closer to him. 

"Of course we do. I'm glad you see it the same way," he smiled and nuzzled his nose against yours. 

The gesture touched you and you couldn't hold back and with the force of the moment you cupped his face and kissed him softly on the lips. 

When you pulled away, the phoenix had a dreamy look on his face, grinning from ear to ear, perhaps even redder than before and looking like it would make him completely melt like ice cream. 

You were cut out of your memories by the Marines who came to tell you that it was time for your execution. They put you in ordinary handcuffs and led you out. They claimed it was useless to put you in special restraints, since your ability could not endanger them or harm them or help you escape. 

You had to shade your eyes from the sun when they took you out into the courtyard. The fresh air was like a balm to your lungs and you would have preferred to sunbathe on the beach or sail on a boat. 

But that was just wishful thinking. The Marines pushed you to go forward to the execution. You stepped onto the platform and now you had to listen to the report and other necessary talk that you didn't think was important at all. Instead, you decided to take one last look through Ace's eyes. 

You closed your eyes and concentrated. When you opened them again, you could see the view of the sea from the air and a small island. You thought you could feel the wind in your cheeks because of it. 

Apparently it was heading towards the island in question, which was slowly approaching. As you focused more on the island, it seemed somehow familiar, but you couldn't remember why. 

Just as you realized why the island was familiar, you broke the connection and looked up to the sky, where you could see a glowing bird of some sort in the clouds that was rapidly approaching.

When you could clearly see that it was your Ace, you ducked as he was close enough to launch his fiery attack. Like a missile, he flew past you, creating a high wall of fire that now separated you from all enemies. 

"Ace!" You called out excitedly. You had no idea how he found you but you were grateful he was here. He landed next to you and simply burned away the handcuffs that held you. 

You had no idea how relieved you were to see him and to see you free. Or how hard you've been trying to be strong all this time. Before you could say anything, your knees buckled and Ace grabbed you to keep you from falling. It was only now that he noticed the bruises and wounds on your body from the torture, which was futile. You didn't tell them anything. 

Ace's face flickered with relief that he finally had you in his arms. Worrying about how your legs had buckled and how much you had to endure. Finally, anger appeared on his face. Anger at the Marines for hurting you. 

He almost set the whole island on fire out of anger. Or at least the entire Marine base. Nobody treats you like that. 

After that, he took you in his arms and flew you to his fleet, where you had your own ship. 

All the crew were thrilled to have you back among them. To have their captain back. But their excitement didn't last long as they noticed the state you were in. Instead, they tried to keep things running like clockwork and give you plenty of time to recover. 

Ace took you to your quarters to be treated. Being a Phoenix, it wasn't that hard. 

Once he made sure you didn't have a single scratch or bruise on you, anger appeared on his face. He was angry that he couldn't protect you better and prevent you from facing such torture in captivity. But you reassured him that it wasn't his fault and that he was the one who saved you.

Eventually, Ace allowed himself to be eased but you had to let him be at your every step now. He wasn't going to lose you again. 

After your imprisonment at the Marine base, you were tired and exhausted. And even though it was pleasantly warm outside, you had chills. Ace took you in his arms and covered you with his wings. He knew he'd keep you warm like this, and he wanted to hold you close as much as possible.  

He pulled you close and his wings acted as a nice warm blanket. You snuggled close to him and rested your head on his shoulder. You came in complete safety and within moments you fell asleep.

Ace Masterlist

[sculptorofcrimson]

Tyrant’s Lullaby

Once upon a time, there was a glorious, terrible man. He built horrors. He built wonders. He brought monsters up from the deep. He took a child from the arms of a horrified, weeping family, and raised him not as a boy but as a general. He took a child and ruined his future, He took a child and made him a king, a pet, a dog. He marched armies over the face of the ravaged earth, and trampled all that did not kneel before the weight of the storm. He burned tundras to ash and shook the mountains until they crumbled, He boiled the seas to mist and the skies to charcoal. And when the scouring was done, and the earth was entombed in ashes, He turned His dreaming, endless glare upon His own. 

He strangled the thunder that had bore Him a throne, He sent the golden, the children stolen from their cradles, to plunge down long knives into turned backs raised so fervently before His regard. With their blood they had built Him a kingdom, and with their bones He crowned Himself a throne. And when Terra knelt, cowed, battered, in awe and in fear, He turned His gaze skywards.

And the stars felt His benevolent wrath. 

He bore twenty sons, two of them sacrificed, and He unleashed them upon the earth, the skies, the stars. They hunted for Him, they loved Him, they adored Him, yet some had strayed too far from His light, some had gazed upon the man that would be a god with sullen, hungry eyes, doing His bidding, and knowing His wrath. They are those who were there when affection curdled to treachery.

There was no peace among the stars, no mercy, no rest, simply a slow, heartless drowning as the gold claimed them limb by limb, inch by inch, and swallowed them into the endless light. 

And then war. Treachery, when the stars themselves were swallowed. When brother turned against brother, and father against son. When the Phoenix cleaved the Gorgon’s head from his shoulders, and the Immortal bashed in the Haunter with a hammer, when the Angel fell to the Traitor and He stained the Palace’s stones red with His son’s blood. When Horus burned, when the Angel shed his wings and the golden were shattered upon the anvil of betrayal, the Father fell to His son. 

He was buried upon a rotting throne, screaming hollowly into the fading dark, the stars basking in His rage, His pity and His wrath. He was buried alive in a tomb made from gold, ashen bones ruling a decaying kingdom from the grave, dreaming forever of brighter days. Dreaming of His sons, and how He betrayed them first, how they betrayed Him, how they abandoned His bones. And finally could the golden rest, bathed in the heart of their greatest shame, enshrining the decaying dust of a master they had failed, in an empire He had forsaken. 

That man was the Emperor. That corpse is the Emperor, golden, glorious, and decaying just like the slaves.

Do not think your bones different from a slave's. When you rot, your corpse will be indistinguishable from those of your servants.

[gngkook]

phoenix | prologue

summary: it's the year 2025, and the world has been ravaged by a new disease. what was intended to be a cure for cancer has turned into a fatal, contagious virus that has wiped out over half of the world's population. with scarce resources and the world left devastated, the remaining survivors turn on each other in a desperate attempt to salvage what little is left.

genre: post-apocalyptic au, strangers to enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, smut

pairing: jungkook x reader

word count: 1.8k

warnings: mentions of death, implications of sexual assault, use of weapons (bow and arrow), description of dead bodies, mentions of hunting

note: so, this is the prologue! i haven't edited it that much i only read over it once, so i'm sorry for any mistakes! as always, if you have questions, feel free to send in an ask!

also, if you want to be in the taglist for the future chapters, please leave a comment, message me, or leave me an ask!

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prologue

You gradually rouse from your sleep, the sound of raindrops softly pattering against the leaves of the trees that encircle you. You blink a few times, clearing the sleep from your eyes, and stretch your neck before pushing yourself upright from the tree trunk you rested against. Tilting your face upward, you allow the rain to wash away the last remnants of drowsiness.

Night had passed, and a new day had begun. 

You had grown accustomed to the forest during your stay of the past few weeks. It was tranquil, with only the wildlife for company. You had no desire to go back to civilization, or at least what it used to be. It brought back too many painful memories and served as a pointless reminder of the past. However, you would make an exception and return when you needed to replenish your supplies.

Looks like today’s that day

You sigh as you hoist the bag of supplies over your shoulder, and pick up your trusty bow and arrow, which had become your sole means of defense in this new world. You slide the arrows down your back, securing them in place, and take a firm grip on the bow with your left hand before beginning your trek to the nearby town.

You stride through the dense forest, carefully retracing your steps where you marked the trees to ensure you won't get lost. The morning is eerily dark, with heavy clouds obscuring any light from penetrating the thick canopy. However, you pay it no heed, your thoughts consumed solely with surviving another day. Eventually, the path leads you out of the forest and into a vast meadow that overlooks ruined buildings and demolished roads.

The sight triggers painful memories of the tragic event that wiped out most of humanity. The disease had come suddenly, spreading rapidly all over the world, and there was no time to develop vaccines or a cure.

Your mind drifts back to your last day with your family. You had just returned home from your first semester in college, and your grandparents were home to greet you. You spent the day talking to them about your college experience and your upcoming 19th birthday that you would've celebrated with them. You hadn’t realized then that those were your last moments with them.

The virus took lives quickly and without mercy. One wouldn't have realized they were infected until the virus began to disrupt their bodily functions. The virus started with the limbs, paralyzing the entire body, followed by the brain, causing unconsciousness, and finally, the heart, ceasing the flow of blood and resulting in death. The aftermath was catastrophic with increased rates of car and airplane crashes, buildings collapsing on civilians, and roads being destroyed. The disaster wiped out most of the world's population, leaving only a handful of survivors.

Including you.

Being alive in this world is harder than being dead. It’d only been a few months since that day and most of your days now consisted of you stocking up on food, water, and other survival necessities. Sometimes, you practice hunting in the forest with your bow and arrow to prepare yourself in case you run into other humans.

You cannot rely or trust anyone anymore. The scarcity of resources has pitted the remaining survivors against each other, creating a dangerous environment for any encounter. You are aware that some have joined forces to increase their chances of survival, but you steer clear of them. Their sheer numbers and superior weaponry make it unlikely that you would come out unscathed. Nevertheless, at times, you yearn to be part of a group. Life would be more bearable if you had others to share your struggles with. However, fear and apprehension holds you back. You have no desire to discover what these individuals are like. They are not the same people from before the outbreak. They have changed since then, and you are not willing to risk staying around to find out.

You knew that going into town was a risky move as you were more likely to run into people there compared to the forest. However, you had always been good at staying hidden, and you planned to use that skill to your advantage.

You start steadily moving down the meadow towards the direction of the town. You’d been here several times before to replenish on supplies from the old convenience store near the edge of town. As you approach, you notice the telltale signs of decomposing bodies scattered about, and you quickly wrap a piece of cloth around your nose and mouth to filter out the putrid odor. You make a conscious effort to avoid looking at the bodies, not wanting to confront the gruesome reality of how devastating the disease had been. 

When you arrive at the front of the store, you pause and peer inside. The lack of electricity makes it dark, which also means that you would be vulnerable if you were to enter.

Just make it quick

Determined, you bolted into the dark store, scanning the first aisle as you reached for your bag hanging on your shoulder. Grasping multiple bottles of water with one hand and your bow with the other, you swiftly tossed them into your bag before moving to the next aisle in search of any edible food. Your breath became heavy from the adrenaline of sprinting as you gathered the supplies you needed. However, you couldn't forget about the medical supplies, so you hurried towards the pharmacy section of the store. In a rush, you grabbed anything and everything, not having the luxury of time to discern what was necessary. The eerie silence and darkness only added to your growing anxiety.

Once you were sure you had everything you needed, you quickly zipped up your bag and made your way towards the entrance to exit the store. As soon as you stepped out into the open, you let out a sigh of relief. You were not particularly scared of the dark, but being in the store made you feel more exposed than you would have liked.

Turning in the direction back towards the forest you came from, you start heading back up to the meadow. Your mind was still reeling from the anxiety that you hadn’t noticed the presence behind you until—

“Well, look what we have here,” 

His voice was raspy and gruff and his grip on you tightened as you struggled to break free from his grasp.

“Haven’t seen a woman in so long. Looks like I got lucky today,” He rasped. You couldn't ignore the sinister tone in his voice, and the implications of his words were not lost on you. You knew that if you didn't find a way to escape from him soon, the consequences could be dire.

The old man abruptly spun you around, exposing his rough and rugged face, but before he could do anything else, your instincts took over and you delivered a swift knee to his groin.

“Fuckin’ bitch!”

He groans and releases his grasp on your arm. 

You didn't have much time left, so you quickly readjusted your grip on the bow and reached for an arrow, taking careful aim at his heart while he was still recovering from your knee strike. You pulled the arrow back and released it, hitting your intended target with precision. Moving quickly, you retrieved the arrow from his chest, where it had not lodged too deeply, and thrust it back into your quiver with the rest of your arrows. You didn't care if there was still blood on the arrow; you would just have to clean it later.

Your immediate priority was to put distance between yourself and the danger you had just encountered. You didn't want to take any chances by running back in the direction you had come from, fearing that there might be more men like him waiting for you. So, you chose to run in the opposite direction, not caring if you were running out of breath or becoming dehydrated. Your sole focus was to put as much distance as possible between yourself and the danger that lurked behind.

After running for what felt like an uncertain amount of time, you eventually found yourself gasping for breath and in desperate need of water. You spotted a nearby tree and leaned against it for support, placing your bow beside you. You focused on slowing down your breathing, allowing it to gradually return to normal. Then, you rummaged through your supply bag until you found a bottle of water you had grabbed from the store earlier. You opened the cap and took several large gulps, feeling the cool liquid quench your thirst and relieve your dehydration.

You took a few moments to calm your racing heart before taking stock of your surroundings. You were in a part of the forest you had never been to before. The trees were tall and thick, and the foliage was dense, making it difficult to see too far ahead. You knew that you had to keep moving, but you also needed to rest a bit longer.

You sat down on the ground, leaning your back against the tree and closing your eyes for a moment. The events from earlier replayed in your mind, and you couldn't shake off the fear and adrenaline that still coursed through your body. But you knew that you couldn't afford to dwell on it for too long.

You toss the empty water bottle back into your bag and stand up, taking a few moments to collect yourself. As you go to pick up your bow from beside you, you freeze when you hear voices in the distance.

You strain your ears, trying to make out what the person is saying. You cautiously pick up your bow and adjust your grip on it, preparing an arrow in case you need it. As you move in the direction of the voice, you tread carefully, trying to remain silent. Your eyes scan the surroundings, searching for any sign of human presence.

You suddenly spot a flash of dark brown hair and your nerves start kicking in. You grip your bow tightly and point an arrow in that direction. But before you can shoot, a hand covers your mouth, muffling your screams. The distinct smell of chemicals instantly fill your nose but you don’t have time to react.

Your eyelids begin to feel heavy, and your fingers loosen their grip on your bow and arrow until they fall to the ground with a dull thud.

“Jungkook! No!”

You hear another voice faintly yelling in the distance before your vision fades to black and your senses go numb.

[obsidianpen]

i don't agree with the "i don't have nothing new to add to the dramione fanfics" i mean yeah you're the author and obviously you know better, but while anything to add to the fandom is precious imo, with your mind and writing? you'd literelly write the best dramione fanfic. that's just it. don't get me wrong, i don't just praise you, simply stating the facts. have a great day <3

aww ha well I'm glad you think so! I still don't know though. the only dramione fic idea I've had that interests me is, oddly enough, a werewolf Draco one... here it is here's the prompt/idea:

After learning of the destruction of his diary, the newly risen Dark Lord is a terror to behold. To punish Lucius for damaging something precious of his 'beyond magical repair', he decides to do the same with what he cares for most: his son. Draco Malfoy thinks he is being initiated into the Death Eaters at the young age of 15, only to learn that he's being tossed to none other than Fenrir Greyback instead.

Forced to leave his family home and serve under Fenrir, Draco thinks his life is worse than over... until he finds unlikely compassion and kindhisp in Remus Lupin. When faced with the offer to join their cause, to work as an undercover agent as a member of the Order of Phoenix and fight back against the Dark Lord who ruined his life, Draco--perhaps insanely--decides to do it. Anything to perhaps one day escape the hell that is working under Fenrir Greyback... a hell that would be infinitely worse for him if the Dark Lord gained power.

(and so Draco is there at the first OoTP meeting at the House of Black when Hermione Ron and Harry are already there, and isn't he surprised when he catches the scent of something he finds bizarrely and ungodly attractive, another obnoxious fucking werewolf thing, he thinks, and Lupin says that happens sometimes; and isn't he infinitely more surprised when the meeting is over to come face to face with the 'golden trio'--who are all aghast to see him--and to learn that the scent is coming from none other than Hermione fucking Granger).

anyway super random plot hahah but it would be fun to write werewolf politics, puppy wolfsbane Draco, Remus mentorship to the most arrogant little prat in the universe, and scary Fenrir greyback just generally being a horror in his werewolf camp where he reigns supreme

[science-lings]

Being annoying about each option under the cut

1- Ryunosuke has no other pictures of his bestie's face except for the one of his 'corpse' and that is Fucked Up, which is why I love it. this hc is based on the fact that during my playthrough I looked at the picture so many times bc I missed him immediately. Anyway 1-2 was the worst day of his life and the moment where he was given the photo for the first time really stuck with me.

2- They get to switch off being each other's judicial assistants and they both get to be different flavors of transmasc, I think it would be fun for them. Would they have to attend classes at Yumei to even be considered lawyers? who knows the point is they do it together and are like those cats that bond together and get sad when they get separated.

3- If they are in the same room together that sword is being switched back and forth several times, 'I think it matches your outfit today' or 'I'm on my period I shouldn't be in possession of a deadly weapon' or 'you said in the custody agreement that I get it on weekends' etc etc etc... Though it tends to go with Ryunosuke when they are separated for long periods of time. That sword is symbolic of so much gay shit in these games what's a little more.

4- my guy talks about 'the look' in Ryunosukes eyes so much during the last case, what are you looking into his eyes for? Heterosexual reasons? sure... (also 'fancy meeting you here' that is a pick-up line, you're in a prison, not a bar) Anyway his feelings towards Ryunosuke are complicated and he's so mad that at least one of the feelings in the emotional cocktail is something like attraction)

5- There's that disaster lesbian thing going on but also the situation was pretty stressful but one day she will wake up and it will hit her that her friend was still very interested in her even after she knew it was her in the disguise.

6- Sholmes keeps trying to refer to himself as 'the root of all evil' and how he's 'drawn to the darkness', he's trying so hard to be edgy but he's a six-foot-tall lanky blond man who is dramatic in the silly way and drapes himself over Ryunosuke at every opportunity. Either he's trying to build some kind of reputation or he wants to appeal to the local goth milf populace (Sithe and Tusspells) or even the reaper himself (there's some messy ex energy going on over there...)

7- I need Phoenix to inherit Karuma, he knows a bit about it but he doesn't make a big deal about it. He does have a few prosecutor friends who know the blade and are so annoyed that he's not super proud to own it. Also it's funny to me if the only family that Phoenix knows are a couple of victorian lawyers that haunt him. I think they should watch over him and be a little horrified. Ryunosuke was excited when he was intending to be a performing arts student as a fellow drama kid but it doesn't surprise him that he chose to become a lawyer. It's in his blood.

8- You cannot tell me Ryunosuke didn't want to fling himself off of that boat every night he was stuck in the room he thought Kazuma was killed in. He just didn't want to ruin Susatos trip to England by leaving her alone and he goes into a depression when she leaves for Japan, going so far as to avoid looking at the photo the 221b fam took before she left because it made him sad, which gets put up every time by Sholmes who Gets It. Meaning that he went up to the Naruhodo consulting agency regularly to check up on him. I like to think Sholmes was genuinely worried during the months he spent banned from the courtroom and without his weirdgirl who he bonded with through his best friends 'death'.

9- Wagahai is a good kitty, she can tell who the most depressed person in the building is and follows them around, sometimes Ryunosuke has a nightmare and wakes up with a cat right up by his face.

10- Ryunosuke starts the Naruhodo family tradition of not talking about their personal lives to people they care about and making their own little patchwork family for themselves. Practically all we know about his past is that he's afraid of doctors and studied English from a young age. And then like three months after going to a new country and meeting new people he's just like 'neat this is my family now :)' there is something going on there I swear. I have many conflicting ideas about what it could be specifically though.

[bohemianblasphemy]

request from @jdms-kus-babygirl i hope this is okay and that you enjoy✨

the tension in the air was palpable. sitting in a dingy bar in a small corner in the city were the Boys, a bottle of whiskey is being shared between them. the group was quiet, interrupted by the occasional cough or refill of a glass. mumbling conversations and a jukebox in the corner playing 80s rock dwindled in the background as you focused on Butcher, who was swirling the brown liquid in his glass, pondering near future conflict with the thorn in his side, Homelander.

you studied his features- admiring your partner. Butcher had been your rock since you joined the Boys. your bond was unbreakable and the love you shared only grew over the time you spent together. Billy looks back you from across the booth, smiling at you. he reaches for your hand “you alright love?” he asks you, noticing your worried look. your increased anxiety of facing homelander grew stronger by the minute. you shook your head, before speaking out for the group to hear, breaking the silence. “ we need to destroy him. he can’t continue to play games with us, with the entire country… soon the world.” billy speaks up “we are going to get that son of a cunt, he’s gonna get what’s comin’ to him and more.” his eyes flicked up to meet yours “i’m not letting you get hurt… not on my watch. we will right behind you the entire time my love.” you smiled glumly at him, knowing that the only way to be rid of Homelander forever would mean sacrifice.

the plan of attack was straightforward- distracting Homelander for a long enough time for the group to take him down. you volunteered to bait him, there was no other way of doing it despite major objections by Billy. the group knew about your past with him; you both used to be friends- almost like siblings, until Vought took him away and ruined what once was an innocent boy now the ruthless, evil monstrosity of Vought. these memories ran through your mind as you were travelling to the dank alleyway where you were to meet him, to trap him.

“Look who it is, my most dearest friend Y/N.” Homelander smirks at you, mocking you for contacting him to ‘talk’. “finally crawling back to the good side of society?” your heart was pounding, a bead of sweat racing down your forehead. “John.. please you cannot continue this destructive behaviour, you will lose everything…” you pleaded, earning a scowl, his smirk had faded realising that you weren’t alone- he could sense the rest of the group hiding amongst the rubbish and decay in the surrounding area. “it’s Homelander to you Y/N. who the fuck do you think you are bringing your scum of the earth friends-“

“look around you JOHN.” you interrupted, bringing the attention back to you. “you cannot be blind about the absolute annihilation that YOU have caused to this country, hell to the world! you will be the reason that this will all go to dust and all the shit the matters will no longer exist.” homelanders mouth twitches with anger, his eyes growing dark. “you have no idea what good i have brought to humanity, I have brought the world back from the ashes, like a phoenix. you don’t know what i have sacrificed for all of this,” he gestures around him. you took a deep breath and looked right into his eyes. “ i can tell you exactly what you sacrificed. your own humanity, just for cheap thrills.” you exhaled.

Homelander suddenly lunged at you, which caused Billy, Hughie, Annie, MM, Kimiko and Frenchie to emerge from the shadows of the alley, Billy shouted your name which triggered Homelander to turn towards the on coming group to charge at them, not before stepped in front of him, creating a barrier between him and the Boys. “stop.” you stood there, Homelander’s looming figure towering over your own. Billy’s heart dropped, terrified for your safety. “you’re not gonna touch a hair on any one of them, you’re gonna have to kill me first.” your breathing was erratic, tears forming in your eyes.

Homelander’s demenour changed, his eyes suddenly showing the ghost of the boy you once knew- a glimpse of the friend that you knew once before. you choked back tears until Billy ran forward towards you, his fear and fury taking over. “get the fuck away from her, you grimey cunt.” he shouts, snapping Homelander back into his hostile, rage fueled state. in a split second, he unleashes his power onto you sending your body flying into the air, crashing into a concrete slab across the way. your body lays limp on the ground, the pain that swept its way through your body was indescribable. in your last moments of consciousness before slipping into darkness, you could hear Billy screaming your name.

a few days had passed, you had woken up and were met with the sound of machines and the bright white lights of the hospital. your eyes shift around the hospital room and you were met with Billy’s tired eyes, as he realised that you were awake and alive. “Y/N…” his eyes well up in tears, overwhelmed with emotions as he holds your hand, gently pressing kisses to your bruised knuckles, leaning forward to give you a sweet kiss on the lips. “i thought i lost you…” he whispered, pressing his forehead against yours. your eyes caught the doorway as multiple bodies waltzed in- the rest of the group went wide eyed and surround your bed, spreading their relief towards you. you smiled weakly at them, eternally grateful for every one of them.

“w-what happened? is homelander… gone?” you questioned and the room fell silent, all eyes on you. billy cleared his throat “about that… we, need to talk to ya.” you sit up in your bed, giving your full attention to your partner but not before you’re interrupted by a brief knock at the door, and a soft “Y/N?” is heard. everyone’s heads turn towards the door and in the door way is Homelander in his disguise, which causes the group to jump in your defence. “ you’re alive… i thought i would’ve killed you.” his voice hinted at remorse, almost heartbroken. your heart rate started to rise, the heart monitor machine started to beep rapidly. “what the fuck do you think your doin’ waltzin’ in here?” Billy growls. “why don’t ya just fuck off and fly home like ya did on that day?” Homelander holds his hands up, his way of waving a white flag in surrender. “please, let me speak.”

“i… was wrong.” the words fell out of his mouth. “i was wrong about Vought, about all of this…” he paused for a moment. “when you hit that wall Y/N something in me switched and all that i knew had seemed to crack. all i can think of was us as kids and how it used to be. i don’t want this anymore.” he points to himself, voices cracking slightly. “i want to help.” his words created the feeling of disbelief amongst the group, hearing the words ‘I want to help’ from someone who’s goal was to destroy them was ludicrous, but something inside you believed him - his manner was very different to when you last met, his words seemed genuine and his humanity had appeared to flow through the cracks of his rough demeanour.

“help us then.” your voice broke in the room, billy’s eyes swing back around to you. “help us take down Vought. all of us can find a way to take them down. we would have an advantage… if you’re serious about this.” you were surprised that you considering this as he was the reason you were laying in that hospital bed. the murmur of astonishment. “Y/N, after what he did to you, why would we want to recruit him into the group? why should we trust him?” MM questions you. “i’m not saying that you should trust him, but if we are gonna take down Vought we need any and all help we can get.”

“i’m ready to break free from Vought. i’m done with being their mascot, i want to fight- fight with you, Y/N.” the room goes quiet once more, the group debating before Billy pipes up. “alright. we’ll do it. but one wrong fuckin’ move and he goes bye bye yeah? no fuckin’ games… i swear if he lays a fuckin’ hand on you-“ his words are interrupted by Homelander “i understand.” he nods over to butcher who stares him down, the trust in him not present as of yet. the boys eyed him down, skepticism plaguing them. you turn to billy, placing your palm against his cheek. “we can fight this, i swear we will.” he looks longingly at you, leaning into your touch.

The path ahead for the group was a dark one, with danger looming heavily over them. Although the rest of the Boys still questioned Homelander's reclaimed humanity, they were united in their determination to dismantle Vought and confront the corruption.

[linkspooky]

ON MADELYNE PRYOR

Shout out to all the comic book stans who follow my blog.

So X-Men 97 inspired me to do a re-read of X-Men from the beginning. My previous read of X-Men jumped all over the place, it was basically X-Men up to Dark Phoenix and then I jumped all the way to the 2000s to 2010s. In my current read I just got to Inferno and holy fuck mom, I never thought I'd like an X-Men arc more than Dark Phoenix but here we are.

This is an entirely personal opinion which I'm not as good at expressing because I prefer over-intellectualizing my feelings, but Inferno is the only other comic book arc to make me feel the way that Judas Cotract did in how tightly and perfectly written as a tragedy it is especially for the female at its center.

Are there any women in all of fiction more doomed by the narrative than Terra Markov and Madelyne Pryor?

I mean I've written about Judas Contract before but what makes that arc so special to me is how it's about a character, a victim, a girl named Terra who by all rights should have been saved by the heroes, but not only fails every step of the way but at every point in her life really. Terra is someone how manifests her victimhood in completely unsympathetic ways but the fact that she basically had no chance in life makes her sympathetic nonetheless.

This comes from the decision that Perez and Wolfram made right from the start to kill her off and never offer her any redemption, which while incredibly callous on the author's part just makes the tragedy even stronger. That's what tragedy is, it's meat to reflect the cruelty and unfairness of life, it's kind of like reality bleeding into fiction.

George’s strength was he also understood the characters 100 percent as I did so there was never any question. He knew. We had talked enough about the characters to know we were exactly on the same page with them. So I said, “Everyone keeps complaining that we’re like the X-Men” and the X-Men had just gotten Kitty Pryde. I said, “Why don’t we really screw around with them completely?” — this is the fans — “…and make them think we’re stealing Kitty Pryde only she’s gonna be bad from Day One.” You always had characters pop up, certainly at Marvel, who were bad that get redeemed. But this character would never get redeemed. She was insane. In fact, she was the catalyst for everything. She wasn’t working for Deathstroke. He was working for her in many ways and she was leading him because she’s crazy. She’s a total psychopath… and she’d be 15. 

Terra's a total psychopath and she's fifteen and that's the tragedy. Was there really any other way that Terra could have turned out? A girl who has been abandoned, who was given incredible powers but no love, support, or nurturing and clearly doesn't have a home or any stability in her life if she's working as a mercenary at that young. A girl who thinks herself a villain and a player in the game but is clearly being manipulated by a fifty plus year old man who is smarter, more mature, and a serial user and abuser of people.

Terra's not just the villain, she's the protagonist of the tragedy walking through the play unknowing that her every single decision will lead to her inevitable end.

Judas Cotract and Inferno are two arcs that most evoke the feel of the Tower in Tarot to me. The Tower is just, ruin and destruction, a complete loss of control, the realization that everything you thought was wrong and in fact the world doesn't care much about what you think. It's a reminder that life isn't even cruel, it's nothing, it's random.

However, first you have to build up the tower before you start pulling the jenga blocks out one by one. Terra spends several arcs with the Teen Titans showing disturbing unchildlike behavior, but one of the so-called Heroes even notice that there's something wrong. When she does get close to blowing her cover, a violent incident where she nearly badly hurts Beast Boy after he comes onto her way too hard which is an understandable reaction as a victim of SA that gets brushed under the rug too.

It makes the heroes look worse as well. If they were heroes dedicated to saving people at all costs shouldn't they have noticed the trouble of someone right next to them? Yet, they all kind of collectively remain oblivious the same way that most victims in real life especially of Terra's kind of trauma are left to suffer in silence. Not to say the Teen Titans are bad, they are kids, and therefore it makes sense they don't have the emotional maturity to notice - it just makes them look more human.

So to summarize my point above what makes Judas Contract is a good tragedy and why Inferno makes me feel the same way narrows down to two reasons.

Madelyne and Terra are both doomed by the narrative, there was no saving them right from the beginning.

However, the fact that the heroes failed to save them reflects poorly on them.

Finally, Madelyne Pryor.

Oh Madelyne the world did you so dirty. I'm partially to blame because I skipped right to the 2000s in my first read, but before this point I'd known nothing about Madelyne other than that she was a clone of Jean Grey who died.

My first impressions of her when she was introduced shortly after Dark Phoenix weren't all that great either. Chris Claremont writes good female characters, that's not really a hot take. I'm sure you've heard of Storm, Rogue, Mystique, Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost etc.

However, I've noticed there are like two tiers of female characters he tends to write. There are the first stringers which are your storms, your rogues, these are characters who are meant to be independent and have arcs. Then there are the second stringers who are just meat to serve a role in the story. This isn't a criticism on the way Claremont writes women, I mean all stories have major and minor characters.

Madelyne Pryor was never meant to be a main character. There wasn't anything about her character that I disliked per se, she is independent, she seemed to have a life outside of Cyclops, she tries really hard to separate herself from the image of Jean Grey. However, she was clearly written to give Cyclops a wife and child in the aftermath of Jean's death and a reason to retire.

While the editorial mandate that made Claremont pull Cyclops out of his happy ending so he could rejoin a team with the original five x-men for the sake of nostalgia sucks, it is also the best thing to happen to Madelyne's character.

Madelyne before that point was a perfectly functional character for her role but she wasn't all that dynamic, she liked planes, she didn't like Jean's ghost hanging over her, she's pretty spunky and headstrong but she was at most a good supporting character but that's all she was. Claremont just decided to double down on that, Scott actually treats his wife like she exists to do nothing but support him and his emotional issues. Madelyne gives all the support that she can give and then Scott just up and leaves anyway. The woman who only existed to be a love interest to give Scott a happy ending, now has no other reason to exist without the man she's supposed to love and her happy ending turns to ash in her mouth.

This is the same feeling I was talking about with Terra, this is a person who was basically failed at every step of the way. A person who has no family. no support, it's almost worse in this case because Madelyne thought she did only for that person to toss her aside.

There's no saving Madelyne, and the fact that Scott didn't save her, that he didn't both trying until he was too late makes him the villain.

If anything Inferno is better than Judas Contract at dragging the heroes down to their lowest points, because The Teen Titans failing to save Terra is understandable because of how young they are but there's no excusing Scott's actions. Madelyne may run around in a skimpy outfit calling herself the goblin queen but the villain of this story is named Scott Summers. He had a responsibility and obligation towards Madelyne to save her and he failed, and it makes him a bad hero and an even worse person.

One of the key components of a tragedy is also agency. Agency is basically the freedom a character has to choose and how much their choices matter in the grand scheme of things and impact their narratives.

Tragedies are often defined by how little agency the characters are shown to have, and how limited their range of choices are. One of the biggest themes of tragedy is fate and inevitability at all. For example one of my favorite tragedies antigone is about a girl with very little power in the ancient greek city of Thebes who still makes a choice to give her brother a proper burial even though she knows she'll be executed for it.

Dark Phoenix is all about agency. Jean Grey is dealing with three different forces trying to take her mind, her agency. There's the corrupting influence of Phoenix, there's the Hellfire Club who wants to make her into a puppet, and then there's Charles Xavier who wants to put a lid on her tremendous powers. Everyone trying to take agency away from Jean eventually leads her to snap and try to take all of that agency back by embracing godhood because who has more agency, more control than a god? Even Jean's act of killing herself at the end was reclaiming her agency, it's her choice to die as a human rather than be executed, or to lose herself to the phoenix.

What breaks Madelyne is not Scott leaving her. Which made me like her character a lot, like the moment Scott left Madelyne was shown just how stubborn and determined she was. Madelyne stood out as the only normal human amongst the x-men who still held her own like Moira did (i guess Moira is a mutant now but I'm still in the 80s so w/e).

What breaks her is the revelation that she never had any agency in her life to begin with. Scott was always meant to fall in love with her, he was always meant to leave her, because she was nothing more than a womb for Sinister's breeding project. Once again it's masterful how Scott looks equally as villainous as Sinister in this scenario in how neither of them regards Madelyne as a person, just an object to project their desires upon.

(Honestly Jean Grey doesn't come out looking all that great either considering how little sympathy she has for Madelyne because she just sees her as an obstacle to getting back together with Scott. If anyone Jean should sympathize with Madelyne the most because they've both been toyed with cosmic forces out of their control, but I guess it goes to show how selfish and destructive Jean and Scott's love for each can be).

Is there any sequence more tragic in all of comics than this series of panels?

The symbolism in these panels too and how it relates to the themes of agency with Madelyne's character. Madelyne was a free and self-driven woman (or at least she thought she was) living out her dream of being a pilot which to her the ability to fly her wings represents her freedom and indepedence. The only thing she thought that could make her happier was Scott, but in the end not only did Scott take her wings away, he took away her everything and gave it to someone else.

"Time to lose those wings, Maddie. You can't really fly, anyway. You're not special like us."

If there's any words to express the inherent tragedy of Maddie's character is this, she's a person who thought she was free to fly, that she was real, that her life mattered only to have all that taken away from her. Maddie like Terra thinks she has agency that she's making decisions but she had no real choices from the beginning.

That's also a good way to express what makes tragedies hit as hard as they do. Tragedies slap you with the realization that you're not special. The hero is not a hero, they don't have plot armor, they're not immune to consequences, they're human and just like all humans they fail.

Even the act that Madelyne thinks is reclaiming her agency by gaining power as the Goblin Queen is in fact, not her choice. She doesn't choose to sell her soul, she's tricked into doing it by a rebellious demon that wants to kick Illyana out and reclaim limbo for himself. In Madelyne's one act of trying to steal back her power and freedom she is still just a pawn in another person's scheme.

There's also Madelyne going through literal hell itself to reclaim her son, only to make the decision to sacrifice him along with several other infants which seems to make her usympathetic but ironically makes her more sympathetic to me.

There's the obvious reference to Medea there. If all the parallels aren't obvious enough already, Jason and the Argonauts gets namedropped during the arc.

One of my favorite things about Medea the tragedy by Euripedes is that Medea is not just a girlboss who gets revenge on Jason and then walks away. Straightforward revenge narratives are bad because revenge is... bad actually. The decision to inflict more pain and suffering in the world doesn't break the chain of suffering.

Medea kills her children to show that Jason is not entirely in the wrong, and Medea is not entirely in the right. They are two human beings who's relationship is blowing up in the worst way possible. I mean Jason himself does have some points in the play, he's making a political marriage to save both of them, the only reason he's exiling Medea is because Medea made loud death threats at Jason's new bride. It's not just the heartbreak of being abandoned that drives Medea, it's her pride, the whole play started because Medea didn't want to settle for being a side chick.

Medea wants revenge against Jason but she doesn't take her revenge on Jason, she takes revenge on everyone around him for the purpose of making him feel as alone and lost as he did her. She'll kill her own children, even if it kills her to do so, just to spite him a little more.

Which leads to one of my favorite scenes in all of fiction, Medea holding the knife over her own child's throat, bargaining with herself trying to convince herself to do something she objectively knows is wrong.

MEDEA I’ve made up my mind, my friends. I’ll do it—kill my children now, without delay, and flee this land. I must not hesitate. That would hand them over to someone else to be slaughtered by a hand less loving.                                  ��   No matter what, the children have to die. Since that’s the case, then I, who gave them life,                                will kill them. Arm yourself for this, my heart. Why do I put off doing this dreadful act, since it must be done? Come, pick up the sword, wretched hand of mine. Pick up the sword, move to where your life of misery begins. Don’t play the coward. Don’t remember now how much you love them, how you gave them life. For this short day forget they are your children                          and mourn them later. Although you kill them, still you loved them. As a woman, I’m so sad.     

Why would Madelyne after going through all that trouble to find her son, instead choose to give him to the fire? It's because for a person who was given so little choice over her own life, the choice to self-destruct is still a choice. The choice to destroy something with your own hands rather than let it be destroyed for someone else is still a choice.

That would hand them over to someone else to be slaughtered by a hand less loving.                                      No matter what, the children have to die. Since that’s the case, then I, who gave them life,                                will kill them.

I think I may like Madelyne more than Jean at this point?

The same way I like Terra more than Raven. They're very similiar characters, but it takes possession by Trigon to get Raven to attack the titans. Terra just tries to kill them by her own free will. She's willing to bury herself if it gives her one last chance at burying the titans to too. Madelyne on the other hand is willing to walk barefoot into hell, if it means she can drag Scott and the X-Men with her. Jean does things under the influence of the Phoenix, but she chose to die as a human being at the end of Dark Phoenix. Madelyne however made the opposite choice, throwing all her humanity away she gave herself wholly and unreservedly to the fire.

Also damn, x-men 97 did this arc so dirty by speedrunning through it in one episode. This is also one of the most well set-up arcs in the X-Men comics with so many threads like X-Factor, X-Men and New Mutants all coming together. It really deserved its own season not like 2 episodes, and then Madelyne dying halfway through this season.

[wolvbrattxx]

Family matters (part one)

Hi! My name is May and this is my first time writing something here, but I felt very inspired after seeing so many talented people posting their fics, so I wanted to give it a try as well! Just a fair warning: this story doesn't follow the storyline of the X-Men films. It's just a mixture of everything and surely imagination, but I guess that's why fanfictions are our spaces to experiment, right? The beautiful model is @/richonm on Instagram. Summary: After the awakening and the slumber of the Dark Phoenix, Logan begins to question his role and worth in life. His thoughts are shortly interrupted by the arrival of Ororo's twin sister Loren. Each form their first impressions of one another, but Loren's perspective is ruined by Scott's burst of anger at Logan. Will they make up for the awful introduction? Tags: angst, Hugh Jackman!Logan, poor self-worth, swearing, cheating, oc x canon. Word count: 4510 Next chapter

Logan opened his heavy eyes. His head was throbbing from the amount of sleep that he got this night, which was considered impressive, remembering that most of his nights were filled with nightmares and sleepless hours. He blinked at the celling for a few times and slowly sat up on the bed, feeling exhausted and refreshed at the same time.

Honestly, if anyone saw him at this very moment, they would think that Logan had a terrible night. Muscles felt sore all over as his hands held him up on the mattress, eye bags were dark and swollen, eyes bloodshot and the hair disheveled. He sighed, out of all times, in relief.

A low groan escaped his dry lips as the throb in his head hit a deep spot. His eyes looked out of the window; the day has already started. The students were chattering, playing outside in the early autumn. It seemed like nothing ever happened, as if everything was fine and that this school, where everyone like him lived, was ordinary. Except that it wasn't.

'The Xavier's School for the Gifted Youngsters' was home to many like Logan, but it had seen many problems. It seemed like an ordinary school for kids and home for many more; however, it usually fell into trouble, because it was actually a shelter for outcasts of the society - so called 'mutants'. The price for being different was too high: resulting in losing lives of your beloved ones or your own. Regardless, they all seemed to forget the traumas, tragedies and live on, because what else can you do? As danger becomes a part of your daily life, all you are left to do is to embrace it, try to get rid of it and enjoy everything else that you are left of.

Logan finally got up from bed and looked at the mirror, hanging on the wall that was about to break at any minute as many other things that he owned in this room. Constant nightmares and stress make him lose composure, that's why even walls were marked by his claws. He keeps fighting these lifeless objects as if they were enemies that appeared during the nights, wearing the faces and silhouettes of his past abusers, but today was different... Everything seemed fine; there was no need to clean up the room. It comforted him in a sense. As Logan stared into the mirror, he thought of how thankful he felt that everything went well yesterday. Even though some were harmed in the process, some may require healing, but it will turn out okay in the end. Even though he looks terrible right now and for all that has happened not so long ago he has to take the blame for, at least his friends were safe and sound for now.

The event that occurred until yesterday involved the awakening of the Dark Phoenix, though previously Jean Grey was presumed deceased. It turned out that Scott Summer's arrival at her deathplace triggered the revival of Dark Phoenix, but with the help of Charles Xavier, she was put under control. Although Scott was harmed during the incident, still he was alive and was healing slowly. However, Logan's sympathy for Jean's complicated situation (seeing her helpless, powerless, even if this state belonged to Dark Phoenix), regardless of the professor warning him countless times, made him awaken the shadow of his beloved one and all went downhill afterwards. Nevertheless, with the help of the remaining X-Men and the professor, the chaos, that could have ended in the world's destruction, was put under control and as per usual: the heroes saved the day.

Even though Scott was the first one to trigger the Dark Phoenix, but he did it without knowing, meanwhile Logan awakened her, fully acknowledging the problems she could cause to the entire world. He felt terrible, especially when Jean fell into coma after putting her shadow under deep slumber. It felt devastating to him, knowing that he brought trouble to his friends and beloved one, and wanted to eat himself up in guilt and shame. However, a tiny voice within said that it would be no help, so all he's left with is a feeling of gratitude that he managed to fix everything with his team.

Logan walked into the bathroom that was next to his room. He turned on the faucet, watching how the water flowed into the drains and washed his face with stinging cold water while trying to get rid of the soreness. For the first time cold water didn't bring up those horrible memories of the past and actually brought refreshment that was necessary at the moment. He looked up at the mirror again, that was now above the sink and checked out the situation of his sideburns and remaining beard. It was time to trim and shave, as he had to spend few days out of the mansion, forgetting to maintain his appearance. Logan curled fingers into a fist and felt how the blades escaped through knuckles. Sharp claws sprung in front of his face and he put them to action, carefully trimming his sideburns. Yet he still managed to cut himself in the process, though the result looked good enough.

The blood, gently dripping down his chin, made something turn inside his intestines. Maybe the burden of having those metal claws and seeing people die because of them or maybe the feeling of being a burden to those that he loved. Logan huffed, holding his head in those rough hands, slightly pulling at the roots of his hair. After such a long time he felt tired, tired of everything that has happened so far. He was afraid that his presence has put a heavy weight on those that he cared about.

As Logan cleaned the sink, his thoughts were disturbed by the sudden knock on his door. He still wasn't dressed, but it didn't matter. He walked up to the door to his room and opened the door slightly, only peeping his head out and hiding the rest of his body behind.

Logan's eyes met Ororo's. Her icy blue eyes felt like a ray of sunshine and it was surprising to see her in such joyful state, remembering the previous events. He smiled softly at her, ignoring that glimpse of strangeness in her gaze.

"The sun has already risen and you are still..." She didn't finish, crossing arms over her chest, cocking a brow at him.

"Mornin' to you too." Logan mumbled underneath his breath, with a tiny grin. "What brings you here?"

Ororo shook her head and chuckled at his stupid face. She clasped her hands together, finally showing the pure joy that she was trying to hide before.

"Get dressed; I want you to meet someone. Someone that is so dear to me and who will finally come back in few hours!"

"Excited over me meeting your lover?" Logan chuckled.

"Oh please... It's someone far more important that a lover. It's a part of my family and since you are a part of my family, you have to meet her."

Logan furrowed his brows and stared at Ororo with curiosity. Out of touch with the reality, he slightly leaned against the door, revealing his bare hip.

"Her? What do you mean her?"

Ororo's eyes widen as he almost revealed himself to the hallway. She looked around, to make sure that there were no students around and glared at him, shutting her lips tightly into a thin line.

Logan took the gesture and grasped the situation. He hid behind the door fully again, not losing the curiosity that caught him before.

Ororo sighed softly, shaking her head slowly with an amused smile on that bright face. She wanted to laugh at Logan, seeing how lost, confused and out of touch he was with all that surrounded him. She was sure that he had the best sleep: it was clear that events like the one that happened could make one so exhausted, that the night can pass with delightful dreams.

"It's my sister. I believe I have told you about her before?"

"Oh, not at all."

"Are you sure? Then there were too many things in my head, I'm surprised that I never told you anything about her. I remember when I first met the others I couldn't shut up about my sister, because she spend most of her time studying. Scott even asked me to stop, but... Who could ever stop the storm?" She winked at him after the remark. "If anyone could get an award for worshiping their sister, then I would be the first one to take it. Believe me, my sister means more than the whole world to me. I don't even want to imagine losing her, I believe that I wouldn't bear it... Anyway."

"That's family for you."

"I suppose so. Well then, get ready; I want you to make a good impression of yourself. I told her a lot of good things about you, so don't disappoint me. She can be... Judgmental sometimes. We are a little different after all." Ororo waved her hand as she walked into the hallway.

Logan stood there for few seconds. If Ororo wanted him to meet her sister that bad, then maybe it would be wise to follow her wishes.

He closed the door behind and stretched his sore body. As he done that, he opened the wardrobe and picked out his everyday clothing: plain flare jeans, white tank top, his favorite leather jacket, brown leather shoes. Even if Ororo wanted him to wear something different, he would find it difficult to do, since there weren't a lot of options for him. He clasped an old belt, as he pulled those old jeans up on his hips.

Logan walked up to the mirror on the wall once more and checked out his hair, which he brushed slightly, bringing it back to place. Luckily, he took care of his beard before so all he was left to do is leave the room and wait until Ororo will reach him again.

Logan walked from side to side, lost in thoughts of how his life was going. Greeting the students, having chats with some, small talks with others, but time passed surely slowly. He went outside for some time, walking from one oak tree to another, throwing rocks at the pond and kicking some that got in his way. Everyone that saw him thought that something bad happened to him, which isn't entirely a lie. He grieved at the thought that Jean has chosen another, but in a sense, he understood why. It's not even worth to compare himself to Scott. Scott was a great person, a great leader, a great group member and of course, a great lover. Loyal, smart, strong and ambitious, but Logan? Sure, he could be all of those things, but he tends to cause problems and slack off, even unwillingly. Leaving for a year or so, without any news of when he'll come back... That's not someone who Jean deserves. She deserves someone better, someone like Scott. Dang, if someone even deserved Logan then... That person definitely wouldn't have any self-respect. And that made him upset. Logan loved Jean, truly, such a smart, brave and outstanding woman that helped him to discover his past. He loved the way that she put words into a coherent sentence, the way she looked when she thought of something serious, the way that she laughed at his awful jokes and the way her eyes looked at him. However, if Jean would ever try to show the same affection to Logan as before, he would be the one to reject, because in no universe should Logan be with such an excellent woman as Jean. No, only Scott would make her happy and he was sure of it. He would make a good partner, a good husband, father and friend. Regardless of their previous conflicts, Logan always envied Scott's traits that seemed unachievable. He wished to be somewhat like Scott, but... He is just himself and that's not enough. Not enough to keep his beloved ones safe, that's why he felt doomed to be alone and forgotten, unloved for the rest of the eternity.

Logan sighed as these thoughts raced through his head and he didn't even realize that he was in the kitchen, rubbing his temples while trying to find alcohol. He was sure that it laid somewhere in the cupboards. And he struggled in front of Rogue and Remy, not even sensing their existence behind his back, even though they chatting loudly of something surely playful.

"Tough night, suga'?" Rogue paid attention to Logan's mood, as he was searching for his only comfort. She leaned against the counter while smirking at Remy.

"Ma cherie, he was awfully quiet this night, so maybe something happened during the day?" Gambit followed the man with his red eyes though his voice sounded serious.

Logan chuckled softly at both of them, maintaining a small smile and still facing his back at them.

"You two better tell me where is-"

"Gone. Your hidin' spots are getting worse, ya' know?" Rogue clicked her tongue as she raised an empty bottle and put it on the counter with a thud, making sure that Logan would turn his head.

And he did. And he was disappointed.

"Someone's gotta' pay for that."

"Calm down, all we wanted to do is to relax. I mean, we did help Jean and now we are awaiting for a good friend of our's after all, is that right, ma cherie?" Remy caressed Rogue's thigh softly, as she was ruffled her frizzy hair.

"Are y'all talking about Storm's sister?" Logan asked, gripping the counter, while his eyes observed the lovers.

"Course', she is a part of our one big ole' family after all. Our pretty gal' was studyin' for couple of years, tryin' to get a degree or somethin'." Rogue replied with a smirk on her face.

"Seems like her welcoming means a lot to everyone."

"Like Rogue said, she's a part of the family. Not to mention, gives a huge helping hand to the team though she may seem... Weak at first, but trust me... That's not the case. God, she can cause a bigger storm than her sister. She's the opposite of Ororo, but has the same passion and love. You'll get used to it." Gambit added while studying Logan's face.

This mysterious sister of Ororo peaked Logan's interest. He couldn't imagine how Storm could have a sister that was the antonym of her being, as he previously thought of this woman being somewhat similar to her sister.

Logan wandered around the mansion again, leaving the lovers to themselves. He didn't even realize how he suddenly stopped at Ororo's classroom, waiting when her class would end. Luckily it didn't last for long, because soon enough the door swung open and students ran out of the classroom, chattering loudly about they will do during their short break and what to prepare for the upcoming class.

Logan walked into Ororo's classroom and leaned against one of the desk, waiting for her to pack up and collect the students' papers before the next class. She lifted her eyes up and flinched suddenly, causing a thunder outside. She quickly grasped the situation and sighed in relief that it was only Logan. Her attention came back to her table as she shook off the tremble.

"You startled me, but I'm glad that you came in time."

Logan raised his hands up.

"I'm no threat."

"Oh I know that, but I'm already tensed up, I just can't wait to meet her again! Let's go, I'm afraid that she is already here and I'm not the first one to hug her!" Ororo clung onto Logan's arm and dragged him out in a hurry, even forgetting to close the door behind herself. That's how excited she was to finally reunite with her sister.

As they rushed to the main entrance, Logan seemed surprised to find most of the team members waiting for Ororo sister's arrival. Even Scott managed to get up from his bed with bandages, pillars on both sides of his body. The only person that was missing from the big picture was Jean.

Finally, the main doors pushed open.

Ororo's sister turned out to be her identical twin, but even physically, you couldn't count the differences on fingers. She was slimmer from her complexion, as Ororo was more muscular. The sister had the same blue eyes that were covered by glasses, but their gaze seemed cold as ice, analytical, critical. The pixie white hair contrasted with Ororo's long silky hair, but it matched her overall appearance: she wore a blue striped button-up shirt that made her breast pop-out; low-rise flare jeans; black heels with white socks; long golden earrings, an amber necklace, a watch, surprisingly long sharp nails. All seemed to fall into place with her dark skin which complimented her even more. She wore a cocky grin on her face as those icy eyes absorbed everything and everyone in front of her, but as soon as she spotted Ororo, that expression softened. She let go of all luggage that she was dragging and ran to Ororo, hugging her tightly in her embrace. You could even think that small tears formed in her eyes.

"Finally you came back, I missed you so much!" Ororo laughed, as the sister was pulling her into a tight hug, making her lightly gasp for air.

"You know that I wouldn't leave you forever." Her sister finally loosened her grip and held Ororo's cheeks instead, kissing each one of them.

Ororo laughed joyfully and pulled her sister away, turning her to greet all the others that were waiting for their turns.

She went round and round, trying to catch up with each one of them, giving out kisses and embraces. Out of all, she greeted Hank the friendliest. She pulled his shirt down to her level and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he was forced to lean down and hug her waist, planting kisses on his cheeks.

"Beloved! Missed me, haven't you? You'll have to show me what you've been up to lately; I'll have a hard time trying to catch up with your work."

He chuckled nervously, patting her back carefully with his large hands. "All is well, my dear. You'll be fine"

And finally she stood in front of Logan, reaching out a hand for him to grasp. Comparing her previous attitude, she seemed serious, but you could see the glimpse of interest in her eyes. He accepted her hand that was soft and warm. "You must be the new guy that Ororo told me about, Logan, right? I am Loren, Ororo's twin."

"I figured." Logan shook her hand lightly. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She let go of his hand. He felt a pang of disappointment in his chest as he imagined that this sister of Ororo's would at least try to make a short conversation. He shook off the feeling with a tiny hope that they would catch up later on, after all, she wants to greet everyone that she was close with and for now Logan was just a stranger.

Right now Loren approached Scott with slight worry. Scott tried to hug Loren, but hissed in the process and gave up quickly due to the pain defeating his intentions.

"What happened while I was gone? Where's Jean?" She asked, not trying to hide the concern.

"Too many things, but don't worry. We're all still here, glad to see you again." Scott smiled softly, trying to smoothen the mood.

Loren took a deep breath and looked at Ororo.

"I remained silent so you could finish your studies with ease. We'll tell you of all that has happened while you were gone, believe me. Let's give Jean a visit, what do you think?" Ororo took her hand and led her towards the school's infirmary.

Logan stalked behind both of them and Hank, as the trio seemed to have a nice conversation that he didn't wish to disturb. He curiously watched Loren laughing and talking loudly, trying to point out more differences that set the sisters apart.

Loren seemed like a strange person. Ororo couldn't hide her emotions well and her face, though tough like a stone, always featured the soft, gentle and motherly aspects of her soul. Loren, on the other hand, was the opposite of that. Sometimes she was serious and at another minute, a pure smile could wash her face. Her natural grim consisted of a stabbing glare, gently furrowed brows, slightly pressed lips, making it look like a natural resting bitch face. Anyone would think that she her face exclaims: "don't approach me or I'll cut you in pieces and destroy your life", not caring about anything else that isn't related to her. Logan doubted that he would ever approach women with such a look, but he saw that Loren is more than her face could portrait. She talks genuinely, placing her words with care, slowly and wisely. The way that she spoke to both Hank and Ororo showed her true nature, which still seemed quite mysterious to Logan.

He didn't even know why he was following them, but someone had to help Scott to go along so Logan gave him a helping hand. Even though it made Scott mumble a couple of insults underneath his breath, Logan didn't mind that at all.

As they finally reached the destination, Loren rushed to Jean's bed, carefully brushing the strands of hair in her face and tucking them behind the ear. Jean's face seemed pale, tired, the dark circles around her eyes made her look like a lying corpse, but the soft breathing proved wrong. Loren gently grasped her hand and caressed it, brushing her thumb against the light skin. "What happened to her?"

"We thought she died. For a long time. One day I came to visit the place where she... I... I don't know how it happened, but I triggered the awakening of the Dark Phoenix and... You can see the outcome of that." Scott spoke first with slight confusion and then glared at Logan. Even though his eyes were covered by glasses, but the daggers that were directed at Logan could be seen by anyone. "The others maintained her, but then this dumbass that you now know of as Logan decided that it would be a good idea to wake her up again, ignoring the warnings of our professor. Mind you, professor gave those warnings directly to you. But you always do what you want, do you? Thinking that you know better... Even though I was laying in bed barely alive, I was still conscious, I've heard everything and seen everything, you fucking bastard. And why did you think that it was a good idea, was it worth the few seconds of pleasure? So Jean would call you a savior or something? That she could climb onto your neck and kiss your lips with such passion as she did? Tell me, you f-"

But Scott couldn't finish the sentence as an ugly cough interrupted his lips and turned into a series of coughs. The anger that boiled inside of him from the moment that he witnessed his beloved one betraying him with Logan finally spilled out, making him suffer not only physically, but mentally as well. As the seizure stopped, he laughed lowly.

"And what did you was going to happen? So what, you two almost fucked right in front of my lifeless body, but in the end, who did she choose? Why did she stop? Oh I know why. I'm going to tell you that right in front of them. It's because she chose me, not you. Now you can fuck off and go where you came from. Piece of shit. If you were here only for her then make sure to note it in your head that she doesn't care about you anymore. She cares about me, so you can do what you want and leave us alone."

Ororo and Hank looked at Scott with horrified faces, making sure that heard everything correctly. Sure, what Logan did was awful, but this is not the place and definitely, not how such information should be presented. Especially to someone who hasn't been home for a while and if you want to make a first good impression of someone, they've never met before. However, Scott didn't care at all. It seemed like he didn't notice his surroundings, only with Logan and Jean present in his eyes. Sadly, Logan was taking up all of that space, the space that he wanted to leave for Jean.

Logan sighed, massaging his tensed forehead. This isn't something that he expected to happen, especially in this setting. However, he didn't fight the allegations thrown at him as he felt that it was necessary to hear them and feel the burden of his actions fall onto shoulders. He didn't want it to be like this, but it was very much needed and he knew it. It was upsetting, depressing sure, but he had to pay the consequences of his actions.

The only problem, that they weren't alone.

Loren's upper lip twitched as she heard the accusations and her brows furrowed deeper than before as Logan didn't deny them. She was purely disgusted to say the least, that look was written all over her face. She let go of Jean's hand, feeling disappointment in her and even more in Logan.

"So that's what kind of person are you, huh." Loren came in front of him blurring view, blocking Scott behind. She was too close to Logan, making a long pause while her eyes swore and yelled right into his face words that she didn't express. "You shameless brute." Then she turned her back at him, not facing any of her friends. "I don't want to hear any of you; none of you can explain what happened properly without your own versions. I'm going to talk with the professor. Excuse me."

That's all that Loren said to him that day. That's all of the direct contact they've had, but it sure looked awful. Logan felt a stab in his chest when she called him that. The way that her cold eyes pierced right into him made him shudder. He couldn't even hear what Hank was saying to both Scott and himself, it didn't matter at that moment. It felt terrible, knowing that you made a bad impression to someone that you've just met. He huffed, knowing that Scott's words were welldeserved, but to put them in this situation felt just brutal. And surely hurtful. But the look in her eyes... Even if Logan wanted to erase it, he felt as if it burned something deeply within him, leaving yet another scar.

It felt impossible to feel happy with yourself. Maybe it was better this way.

[cookieandbread]

OK, so this is kinda niche but hear me out

the X-men movies (the newer ones with Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy as Erik and Charles) and TUA kinda follow the same pattern.

They're both stories about a group of traumatized superpowered people, part or which struggle to accept/live with said powers, and who could be considered a dysfunctional (found) family.

The first opus (First Class & s1) is great, it introduces lots of characters, most or which we won't see again (Sean, Emma Forst, Azazel & Patch, Cha Cha, Hazel, Agnes), some of which are secondary but who we'll see again in the next two opus but not in the last (Alex, Moira & Grace, Pogo). it sets up the dynamics and the backgrounds of each characters, and kind

The second opus (DOFP & s2) is also great. it introduces a new important character (Peter & Lila) whose the child of one of the antagonists (Erik the young & The Handler). it delves further into the pre-established dynamics, explores new ones and pleases the fans with the comeback or cameos of beloved characters (most of X-men of the old movies & Dave, Hazel).

The third opus (Apocalypse & s3) is far from the other two. it's not bad, but the writting quality has clearly dropped. plot holes become more apparents and the newest characters are barely developped before being thrown away (Angel, Psylocke & most of the Sparrows). however, most of the characters stay true to themselves and this opus still feel like the other ones.

The fourth opus (Dark Phoenix & s4) is just bad. it ruins many characters, ignores the development of others and overal makes NO SENSE. one of the cutest couple ever gets a kind of happy ending tho (Charles and Erik & Hazel and Agnes).

idk maybe that's just me. haven't seen Dark Phoenix & TUA s1-3 in a while tho, so I might be missing or misremembering something