#I just took the time to hunt up some coverage

[sagevalleymusings]

Harris is actually a pretty decent candidate and here's why

I have seen a lot of the same talking points that lost us the 2016 election getting repeated - a lot of talking about the very worst parts of the Democratic candidate, mixed with a lot of "vote blue no matter who" nonsense and I just want to say... Harris actually is a pretty decent candidate and it completely kills me that NO ONE is talking about this. Is she perfect? No absolutely not. Are all American politics conservative compared to global politics? Well... they used to be. But lots of people have said that a rise of fascism here in the US have emboldened the right globally , so that's not great. In either case, yes they are conservatives. But their policies aren't completely terrible and in fact I agree with a decent amount of them. So here's the good things about the Harris campaign, and why you shouldn't just vote for her, but vote for her and feel good about it.

Economics

Harris has an 82 page PDF on her website with a plan to re-energize the middle class. It includes a ban on price gouging, a cap on insulin and investment in clean energy, among many other intersectional policies. It includes a bunch of affordable housing policies including banning large investor purchases. It simplifies taxes for small businesses. It would end unnecessary degree requirements on jobs. It's 82 pages densely packed with not just good policy but actionable policy, if I went through all of it, this post would just be nothing but the economic plan. The Harris economic plan is actually pretty good. Is it a socialist pipe dream? No of course not. I think it's better than that. It's progressive policy that benefits everyone in this country, which will make more progressive policies even more popular. This is the kind of economic plan that starts shifting you back to the left.

Race

Harris has made supporting Black men a priority for her campaign. This plan includes LEGALIZING MARIJUANA FEDERALLY in order to overturn unjust tough on crime convictions. Reading Harris' own campaign page for this post TODAY is when I learned Harris wants to legalize weed. The Opportunity Agenda which focuses on supporting Black men and the issues they told her they are facing also includes FEDERAL REGULATIONS ON CRYPTOCURRENCY. It includes 1 million loans for Black entrepreneurs (can't help but notice that one is carefully ungendered, Black women), invest in community violence intervention, launch a health equity initiative, and invest in combating discriminatory housing. Reading this policy on supporting Black men on Harris' own campaign page... this isn't just Democratic policy, this is legitimately left-leaning.

Queer Rights

One of the reasons I was pushed to write this up is that recently someone whose opinion I normally respect said that they didn't like Harris' answer that she would "follow the law" on providing trans care for inmates. A law her administration confirmed when they reissued the transgender offender manual, by the way. As far as I can tell Harris has a long and progressive history on queer rights, even with the nuance that she was legally obligated to defend the CA DoC when they sued over the matter in 2015. Harris treats trans healthcare as something obvious - a normal decision between a person and their doctor which should be protected like anything else while her administration also quietly enshrining access to health care into law. This is part of the problem. Biden has signed at least four separate executive orders about gender since he took office and no one talks about it. i think the conservative pushback on this topic has been so aggressive and widespread that it's been difficult to see what should have been the effects of Biden's progressive policy on LGBT issues.

Environment

Harris is very good on climate. I've already mentioned that it's worked into the economy stuff. She's got policy on reducing emissions, she investigated Exxon Mobil, and as a senator she co-sponsored the Green New Deal. She's waffled on fracking and seems to currently prefer making it economically nonviable as compared to clean energy, which isn't as good as a ban. But most of the policies she's supported aren't just "better than Trump" they're actually good.

Immigration

It would be dishonest of me to write all this up without getting into some of the things I dislike Harris on. I don't like Harris on immigration. No one does - she's either too lax or too strict. She wants to resurrect the bipartisan border security bill, which, although it does call to expedite asylum process, would also increase deportations and in my opinion makes too many concessions in the name of bipartisanship. Her stance has not been very vocal other than to say she supports this bill. But I've noticed that Biden's policies on immigration have often been softer than they appear, including caveats to keep families together and expand the possibility of legal immigration while controlling for illegal immigration. I'm not necessarily against that - a major source of illegal immigration is corporations trafficking workers across the border legally and then not helping them renew their work visas. That is something we need to crack down on at the corporation side in my opinion and I wish we could see a candidate who talked about that part of it as an immigration issues. This is something that I think Harris is too conservative on and I won't hide from that. I also don't think she's being given much of a choice. Conservatives are frothing at the mouth over immigration. It's really really scary. There are way too many people willing to take matters into their own hands on this one. I want something more progressive but I understand taking a stricter stance on this one as a form of harm reduction. If these people think the country is being "overrun," they'll just take the solution into their own hands. We don't want that.

Palestine

Yep, we had to get there. Look, no electable politician in the United States is going to give a good answer to Palestine. We are far too entrenched with Israel and imperialism and war profiteering for a leader to easily take the moral stance here - they would receive too much pushback from their peers. The bar is set really, really low here, and that isn't a good thing. I don't think Harris is going to call what's happening in Palestine a genocide while it's ongoing, and I don't actually think she'll withdraw military aid, though I am hopeful that she'll do what Biden has done before and restrict it. But I do know that Gazans say that Harris would be the better president and I do know that Arab Americans support Harris and I do know that Harris said Palestinians have a right to self-determination. I included this because it's an important issue for many voters and one of the biggest deal breakers for a lot of leftists in the US. I believe Harris will act in ways that make her complicit in genocide if she gets elected. And I believe she will try to limit that harm more than a lot of other politicians would. This is the one where I would say that in comparison the situation under her leadership would be much better than under Trump. Trump supports an Israeli victory, not a ceasefire. He's told Netanyahu to "finish the problem." In fact Trump has already contributed actively to the genocide in Palestine. He dropped the US commitment for a two-state solution in 2017 and declared Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the same year. He cut aid to Palestine and reversed US policy on the Golan Heights and the occupation of the West Bank. One of these candidates disapproves of what's happening, but might not have the backbone to stop it. One of these candidates will actively participate. And that's enough for my conscience to be clear.

In conclusion

Voting is about compromise and accountability. Who do I think will enact at least some policies I agree with, and how can I pressure them to enact even more? Elect Harris and then petition the White House to revoke military support of Israel and there is at least a chance they will listen. Elect Harris and we'll have at least a little longer to breathe clean air while fighting for a solution to all the other problems we have. Elect Harris and she'll LEGALIZE MARIJUANA WHY IS THIS THE FIRST TIME I'M HEARING ABOUT THIS.

[chin-chilla-7]

Getaway

Summary: Carlisle and Esme plan a trip for just the two of them. Word Count: 940 For @morgandrawssstuff as part of the @twilight-secret-gift-exchange

There was quiet in the Cullen residence. A state that didn’t often occur. Save for the soft ticking of a clock, some fumbling of papers, and hushed words shared, the Cullen’s house was currently a place of peace.

Carlisle and Esme took the day off, something they didn’t often indulge. But after a few too many times of coming home stressed, they both agreed that something must be done. And this was the first step to that something.

With the kids in school, Carlisle and Esme had used the solitude to gather their thoughts and plan something for themselves.

“What about Paris?” Esme asked from the kitchen counter, flipping through another travel book. The surface was covered in a variety of country information pamphlets, brochures, and books.

Carlisle hummed in response, sitting across from Esme, looking over his own stack of information pamphlets. “Paris?” he repeated, a smile on his lips, “Romantic.”

Esme returned his smile, a small chuckle on her lips. “And I’ve heard the night life is quite wonderful.”

Nodding along, Carlisle grabbed a book on France, quickly flipping through to find the page on fauna. “There isn’t much large game close to the city, is there?” he asked, eyes grazing over the words on a particular page.

Esme shrugged. “There’s most likely rats in the city.”

The response earned a disapproved hum from Carlisle. “I don’t think I could do rats again.”

“You did it on our trip to New York.”

“Exactly.”

Despite the fluttering disappointment in her heart, Esme still managed to laugh at Carlisle’s response. “I thought you enjoyed our New York trip.”

Carlisle looked to Esme, gaze soft. It seemed he could tell by her tone that she was disheartened. “I absolutely enjoyed the trip. It was the rats that I didn’t love.” Esme hummed, seemingly about to say something, but Carlisle continued before she could. “You can’t deny it, either. Remember how we both felt sluggish and stiff a week in from our change of diet.”

After a moment, Esme sighed and nodded. “You’re right… rat blood is not ideal…” She trailed off, tapping her finger against another brochure. Carlisle was the one to speak up next.

“Why not just spend the month at Isle Esme?”

This was often a recurring point of conversation in any travel planning they make. Esme looked up at Carlisle, giving him the look that made him know she meant business.

“I go there when I want to relax and unwind. Where I don’t have to worry about anything. And I love it. I love going there. But for  this trip I want an adventure. I want to do something. There’s only so much of Isle Esme to explore before you know everything about it. I want something new.”

Carlisle hummed, looking back down at the papers in front of him and nodding. “Okay, okay, I understand..” he said, half in his thoughts to come up with a better offer. “We could still go south? Explore the rainforest?”

Esme hummed, sitting up in her seat at the offer. “Oh, that could be wonderful!” she said, reaching over to grab a book on the Amazon. “Tree coverage means we won’t have to worry about time of day.”

Carlisle nodded along, a smile on his face as it seemed they were settling on something. “And it’s large enough that we might not even run into anyone there anyway.”

Despite the initial excitement, there was a moment Esme wavered. She set the book down to look at Carlisle. “I don’t know about hunting in such a preserved location.”

That point made Carlisle hum in consideration. “That is fair…” he thought, furrowing his brow. He wanted to make this work. “We could bring our own? Preserve it for the trip and.. eugh-” Carlisle cut himself off, disapproving of his own solution. He shook his head, leaning back. This trip was supposed to help them de-stress. Instead, it seemed to be causing more of it.

Esme reached over again, this time taking Carlisle’s hand in hers. “Hey,” she said softly, causing Carlisle to look at her. Immediately, he began to relax again, the tension falling from his shoulders. “We’ll figure it out, okay?” she assured, giving his hand a squeeze.

Carlisle managed a smile back, nodding. “Yeah, we’ll figure it out,” he repeated, sitting forward again to look over the options. A comfortable silence fell between the two of them for a few moments, both considering what to offer next. Then, Carlisle spoke again, though this time, hesitantly.

“You sure you don’t want to spend our time on Isle Esme?”

The question had Esme sighing, though there was a fond smile on her lips. She began to nod, quiet laughter leaving her lips. “You know what, yeah. I think Isle Esme might be the best option,” she agreed, pushing the brochures and pamphlets away. Even she had to admit that this planning was going nowhere.

Carlisle smiled, seemingly more at ease. “Oh, perfect. And we can still have our own little adventure on the Isle.”

That comment made Esme smile, looking to Carlisle. It felt as if a weight was  lifted now that they decided and agreed on a location to vacation. “I love you,” she said, hand still holding Carlisle’s.

Carlisle stood up from his seat, pulling Esme toward him for a kiss. When he broke away, he answered, “I love you too,” wrapping his arms around his wife to hold her. He swayed the two of them for a moment, looking down over the myriad of papers. “Now we just have to tell the kids.”

Esme hummed. “One thing at a time.”

[menstrualchocolatier]

do u have any ocs 👉👈 a moot of mine asked and now i wanna know if u have one!!!!!

THANK YOU FOR ASKING I HAVE SEVERAL

okok so the main ones areeeee probably broanch (and all the other characters in sywpq by extension) and donovan but ive got some others

donovan doesn't have much lore but shes pretty much just 15 year old art kid who likes bunnies and drawing anime gore she makes those stickman fight animations in her free time and probably is somewhat scene now that i think about it??? that girl is blasting millionaires in the back of the classroom loud enough for everyone to hear lmao

i had a dream where i was having a panic attack in class and she calmed me down and gave me her hat and was very niceys so i made her real because she was nice lol

donovan is also not her real name but she thinks her real name is stupid so she doesnt go by it and she took the name off a book or something

^^ she

and then i put the sywpq stuff under the cut cus its long lol

ok so SYWPQ

first off I CANT FIND MY GOOD DRAWINGS OF THEM :((((( BUT HERES THEIR GENERAL DESIGNS

fair warning i wrote most of the lore when i was like 11 so its a bit stupid but eh

broanch is this girl from an alien race (called steyaes) that split off of humans a really long time ago and has kind of just been hopping planets ever since

the patch of galaxy they ended up in was very barren of resources so this species kinda spent a lot of time just floating around in the void in a sorta hibernation like state or hopping between asteroids and small planets, whatever they could find, and using the limited resources before jumping off to look for another

theres also a thing that like. evolved?? or something??? in thats essentially jsut magic they have magic powers. imagine like a video game stamina bar that empties as the character uses it to manifest objects and attacks and yeah thats pretty much it (it takes a lot of energy to use so it's not used often for anything more major than like. controlling small objects, manifesting clouds {saoirse does that a lot}, electrical shocks, etc, but it can be used for larger things like combat)

(broanch's power stuff is more suited to combat while saoirse's and juneau's are more for controlling water and air)

she had a shitty childhood, parental neglect n all that, and spent a lot of time playing by herself and with this pair of sisters she befriended (saoirse and juneau), and pretending that she was in charge of various different things and this eventually manifested into her really wanting to host some type of tv show

when she was around 16 she ran off cus. shitty home life. and since steyaes are one of the relatively stronger human-adjacent species she ended up taking up various jobs bounty hunting or going off looking for rabid animals that were causing issues so she can kill them or whatever

she kinda just went around doing whatever for a couple years until eventually

one day she and saoirse were on this random planet they found that didnt really have much going for it but they were just kinda talking doing whatever, when humans found it

at this point in the universe humans do know theres other civilizations out there and have talked to them but they all kinda tend to keep to themselves so the humans on the ship are a lil surprised to find someone here

since this planet is otherwise entirely empty theyre like "ok cool this is ours" but broanch basically just goes "nuh uh i was here first" and starts fighting with nasa cus this planet is HERS actually ueah totally uh huh

....and then i dont exactly remember what happens at this part cus again i made most of this when i was 11. but. basically they dont really resolve the fight but because its happening there's loads of tv coverage and broanch is immediately like "WOW IM ON TV :DDDD" and decides that now is when she should finally bring her tv show host dreams to fruition

since she's only known for being on this planet she decides to use it as the prize for her new gameshow and then also decides (purely to piss off nasa) that the show is going to be run as a club at a random highschool cus why not lmao

the show is called "So Ya Want Planet Q?" and the contestants are all 16-18 year old students at a highschool in bumfuck nowhere america

she did not tell them going into this that is was a gameshow and advertised the club as an "afterschool hangout thing"

episodes are recorded live through saoirse running around with a camera and the show functions similar to something like total drama or bfdi (i made this entire thing in the trenches of my bfb hyperfixation lmfao) except instead of elimination by vote theres a point system, and the games change pretty much every episode, ranging from fairly normal stuff like trivia to a literal bomb defusing thing at one point

broanch is the main host and does all the talking and saoirse is the cohost and helps set up challenges and man cameras, and acts as the voice of reason to broanch's stupidity

saoirse's spent more time on earth and knows more about social norms and culture and shit so she's also the "resident human expert" because broanch has no fucking idea what shes doing

saoirse and juneau im still working on fleshing out but theyre pretty much just. normal. idk

saoirse's the cohost obviously and while juneau does help with the show occasionally she generally thinks its a bad idea so doesn't very often

i have a few other misc characters but those are the two i draw the most :D ive got another thingie called like plantii or somethign but again that was mostly made when i was 11 and also all the lore is on my laptop profile that im still locked out of :(( ill find it eventually though

[adultswim2021]

Assy McGee #20: “Squirrels” | July 07, 2008 - 12:30AM | S02E14

Assy ends tonight. In this one, Assy breaks up an underground Squirrel Fighting Ring after getting over his intense fear of squirrels. He in fact conquers his fears to such an extent that the climax of the episode (and the series, as it turns out) is him squaring off with a giant, genetically modified squirrel. 

On the way we get a hunting trip where Assy browbeats Sanchez into drinking duck piss, a shirtless chief, covered in tats, and a few things that actually made me laugh a little. Assy somberly telling Sanchez “I love killing birds,” the dumb exchange between Sanchez and the Chief after Sanchez sees a framed photo of him playing Twister with Gerald Ford: (Sanchez: “Is that you with President Ford?” Chief: “Yeah, that’s me!”), the part where Assy is so spooked at the sight of the squirrel carcasses in the flophouse that his buttcheeks begin quivering. It probably doesn’t sound incredible, but there’s more than usual to like in this episode. 

I did not watch Assy McGee season two at all when it premiered (I think; if I contradicted something I already said, go with the other thing). In 2008, I was probably still a touch adverse to comedy involving squirrels. There was a rotating list of nouns that whenever I heard them used in supposed-to-be-funny dialogue or visuals it would set me off. I called them “stock absurdities”, and they’d force me to sit on my hands and scowl in response. I probably arrogantly dressed down many children who were simply trying to have a fun time online.

Now that I’m a 40 year old man (in a few weeks, yikes), I can admit I was a bit of a handful who took his own posts way too seriously. I probably wasn't even all that funny. But at the time, maaaaybe I had a point? It seemed like people could very easily garner laughs by just mentioning monkeys, squirrels, cheese, pirates, ninjas, or robots. I’m sure I’ve harped on this already on this blog, so I’ll stop, abruptly. 

This concludes my coverage of Assy McGee, which should not have had 20 episodes. I did just do a quick-and-dirty list of my top ten. If you are good at math, you’ll realize that this is half of the series. Some of these aren’t that good, but had enough memorable jokes that they made the cut. I’m not sure how to rank these, but I’ll tell you the strongest episode on the list is “The Flirty Black Man”, and the weakest is “Irish Wake”: 

S01E01: Murder by the Docks

S01E02: The Flirty Black Man

S01E04: Busted

S01E06: Conviction

S02E02: Pharmassy

S02E03: Mile High Mayhem

S02E06: Irish Wake

S02E07: Vowel Play

S02E08: Hands Up

S02E14: Squirrels

As you can see, Assy joins Twin Peaks in the pantheon of shows where season two falls off dramatically, but comes back strong towards the end. "strong", I says. RIP Assy. For better or for worse, I was the only one who truly understood you.

MAIL BAG

Do you think you could beat a kangaroo in a fight should it come to that (your allowed to lie) also the kangaroo is dressed up as space ghost

I would have serious trouble fighting my hero Space Ghost Coast to Coast, but, no, those things are vicious and I am not strong at all and I'm also very scared all the time. It would be a little comforting if the kangaroo delivered the monologue from the end of "Banjo", but I just found out that kangaroos can't speak English, which is sobering to say the least.

EPHEMERA CORNER

[digitalsatyr23]

What the Fire Said

Setting: Arachnia Characters: Sonja and Vernar

Outside the cave, a terrible rainstorm was coming down. Harsh, suffocating winds, a downpour causing mudslides, and lightning that blackened long dead trees. It had been dry for a very long time in Besalbrie, but it was as if all the water the country had been denied up until then was coming down at once

Sonja had been separated from Vernar just as the storm was picking up. It all started when she and the masked assassin noticed dark clouds looming up above. They were both so used to the drought and dust storms that it seemed unthinkable that a rainstorm could be brewing. But then, creatures started falling from the clouds. Legless flying birds with four wings growing in an X-shape were descending upon the land, firing bolts of lightning from their mouths and scooping up any hapless animal small and slow enough to become their prey. Vernar called the creatures "arrowhawks", and when an especially large one took notice of the pair, it fired a bolt of lightning right at them. Vernar shoved Sonja out of the way, taking the blast right in the chest. Another bolt of lightning missed its mark, striking a nearby tree near the base of its trunk. The tree was consumed by fire as it fell, creating a natural barrier between Sonja and Vernar. What surprised Sonja the most, however, was that Vernar seemed unharmed by the lightning. While the assassin was scorched where they had been struck, their body seemed suffused with lightning, and their right arm had bulged with muscle. Vernar was tightening one of their leather straps wrapped around their bicep.

"Sonja... In case I lose control... Run!"

Those were the only words Sonja needed to hear. She got back on her feet and ran as fast as she could. That was when the rain started to fall. First in sprinkles, and then in torrents. The dry, crumbling dirt softened, turning to mud. Sonja's bare feet lost their grip on the ground, and the girl tripped, sliding across the muddy earth until she banged into a tree. Hardier, greener trees were growing at the base of a mountain, and they would provide good coverage from the rain. Only, another arrowhawk had spotted Sonja, and it was coming down fast.

The girl got back on her feet, using a branch from the tree to brace herself. The incoming bird would soon be upon her, and it flew too fast to strike with her claws. Instead, she held out her hands and focused, drawing upon the ether flowing through her body. Yes... Water was flowing freely over Besalbrie once again. Sonja may have grown wet from the rain, but the arrowhawk was drenched too. In front of Sonja, a small ball of ice was taking shape. No bigger than a man's eye, it grew and grew in size, swirling with greater and greater speed. The wind, the rain, and everything around Sonja seemed to intensify, and veins of ice were growing over her hands and forearms. Just when the arrowhawk was about to strike, Sonja fired her iceball, striking the arrowhawk right in its twin mouths. A thick sheet of ice formed over the bird in an instant, turning it into a statue. The monster slammed into the ground and shattered, bits of frozen blood pouring out like slush.

Sonja shook her hands and tried using the rainwater to rub the frost off of her. It was no good. She needed to find someplace warm and dry. She peered through the nearby forest, looking for the safest place within. By chance, it seemed that the forest was hiding the entrance to a cave. Sonja took the opportunity and ran; snatching stray twigs and leaves as she went. Once inside the cave, she looked around in the darkness, saw there were no threats, then made a fire. Vernar had taught her a great many things since they had first met. How to find food, how to hunt animals, how to build shelters out of natural materials, and of course, how to make a fire. First, she took the broadest stick she could find and carved a hole into it so she could place some tinder. Parts of the forest were so dense that the rainwater had yet to pierce the canopy, so she was lucky in that regard. With the tinder placed, it was simply a matter of spinning another stick (which she carved one end of to be rounder and blunt) with her hands. It took much longer than she would have liked, but friction gave way to heat, and heat turned to embers. She nourished those tiny embers with a few hot breaths and just like that, she had a small flame. From there, it was a simple matter of keeping the flame alive long enough to heat up her kindling and sticks. A sense of pride washed over Sonja as the fire grew before her. The young girl held her hands out to the fire. A tingly sensation came over her as her red, freezing fingers grew warm. Soon enough, she stopped her shivering, and she was finally able to dry herself. It was strange. She always thought she should fear fire for what it did to her feet, but instead of frightening her, it fascinated her. She loved watching the flames flicker, smoke dance, and burning wood crack as embers flew up into the sky. It was... Comforting. Perhaps she knew that fire would never hurt her. Fire was natural, it was free. If fire hurt you, it would only be accidental, or it was used against you as a weapon. She didn't blame the fire for what happened to her feet. She blamed the people who had lit the fire beneath her. Sonja's memory of what happened was... Fuzzy. Back then, she had known nothing but pain, hunger, and cruelty. She didn't even know how to speak, let alone defend herself. Even so, the sense of dread and despair her past gave her was something she'd never forget.

"I'm glad they're dead," she whispered to herself. "They all deserved to die..."

"I agree."

A voice called out, faint enough to match Sonja's whispers but clear enough that it couldn't have been her imagination. She looked around. Her eyes could discern the faintest movement in the dark, yet as far as she could tell, there was no one in the cave except her. Most sound was being drowned out by the storm outside, and the smoke and burning wood of the fire was obscuring most smells. Was it a hidden enemy? No... There wasn't anyone at all.

Sonja went back to looking at the fire. It was a relaxing sight. She wanted to know what happened to Vernar, but given the things they had been through together, Sonja was more than confident they would be okay. She would just have to be patient and hope Vernar noticed the light her fire was making. Sitting with her legs crossed near the flickering flames, Sonja's eyelids grew heavy. Though she could feel her stomach rumbling, begging for food, the pains of hunger were something she had long grown used to. For the moment, she was at peace. Peace... Safety... And quiet... Before she completely fell asleep, however, Sonja snapped to, sitting straight up. She could feel a tingle across her arms, like small bumps were forming. Something was nearby... Something dangerous. Looking down, she realized what it was. It was the fire, reaching out a grasping tendril of flame towards her spare twigs.

The girl froze in place. She had never seen fire do something so strange - and she had dealt with fey! A morbid curiosity befell her, and she picked up a stick, handing it to the fire. It gladly wrapped its tendril around the twig and drew it in, consuming it with the rest of the wood.

"Are you... Alive?" asked Sonja.

"That's a matter of perspective."

Sonja hopped back onto her feet, claws at the ready. A single eye formed in the center of her fire, staring at her. It had an eyelid too, and its expression could only be described as... Patient frustration.

"Who are you? Are you a spirit?!" Sonja shouted.

"I am... What you see." The voice she had heard twice before seemed to emanate from the fire itself. It continued, saying, "I am burning. I am hunger. I am death."

"Bold words for someone so small," Sonja raised an eyebrow. "Still, if you really are the fire, then I'll try and be respectful. Would you like more wood?"

"Yes, please."

Sonja helped feed the fire by placing more sticks inside of it. The fire grew in size, and its orange and yellow glow made Sonja's shadow dance upon the cavern walls.

"Is that better?" asked Sonja.

"Much better. Thank you," said the fire.

Sonja sat back down, crossing her legs on top of each other as she did before. She tilted her head back and forth, watching as the flame's eye followed her.

"What are you doing?" asked the fire.

"N-nothing. Say, are you the spirit of all fire, or are you just the spirit of THIS fire?"

"Burning and hunger is all I've ever known."

"Yeah? I see..."

Silence followed as Sonja basked in the renewed warmth of the flames. There was a kind of crispness to the heat that she could feel, like an invisible aura rubbing up against her.

"Thanks for drying me," Sonja finally said. "I don't know if you wanted to, but I appreciate it."

The fire's eye closed momentarily. "And thank you for breathing me into life."

"Oh, you're welcome. I... Needed to feel some heat. It got pretty bad outside."

"I can tell. Thunder, lightning, wind, and rain have all come out to play. What once was dry earth can now finally have its thirst quenched."

"Do you know them?" asked Sonja. "The wind and rain?"

"Yes and... No. I can sense faint echoes of understanding. I am... A piece of something greater. An extension. They, too, were once part of something greater."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to say. All I know is that this place, this world... Is broken. It has been for a very, very long time."

Sonja frowned at this statement. "You can say that again. No matter where I go, there always seems to be something wrong. I don't think the land is dying, though. Maybe withered? Do you know why?"

"Life."

"Life?"

"Yes. There has always been a balance in nature. Rabbits eat plants where there is food a plenty. Rabbits multiply. Wolves eat rabbits because there is now enough food for them. With the rabbits gone, the plants can regrow. With the rabbits gone, the wolves starve, and the rabbits can return. The world is a cycle of hunger, consumption, death, and revival. This is how it was always meant to be... But there are those who are too clever to be consumed, too clever to die off when food grows scarce. They have learned to cheat the cycle. They shape nature to their whims, create more than they would ever need, and strip the land of its life force... Do you know who I am referring to?"

Sonja thought about the fire's words for a time. There was only one answer, as far as she could tell. "People?"

"Precisely. People are a blight upon this beautiful, terrible world."

"Even me?"

The fire said nothing for a time, its eye closed once more. "Perhaps... Perhaps not. If a balance could be restored, then not everyone has to die. Simply enough for the world to... Recover."

Outside, the storm still raged on. The winds were harsher, the rains heavier, and both rocks and loose trees were giving way to the mudslides. Sonja took notice of this, feeling a shiver run up her spine.

"How do you know all this?" Sonja asked.

"The echoes. I can feel them. I am a piece of something much greater. Greater than what you see before you."

Sonja stared at the fire. She still liked the warmth and light it provided, but its words left her feeling troubled.

"But you'll never rejoin that part of you, huh?" said Sonja.

The fire grumbled at this and said, "No... I never will. I am nothing but an echo. Nothing but an ember. The rest of me is too far away. I cannot reach it."

"If you could, would you?"

"Yes."

"Even if that meant losing yourself in the greater whole?"

The fire hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's only natural to wish to be whole. Don't you feel the same way?"

"I can't say I know that feeling. I'm not a small piece of anything. I'm just me."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah?"

The fire leered at Sonja, or more... It felt as if it were looking at something behind Sonja. The girl glanced over her shoulder. Nothing was there.

"I see..." said the fire. "Perhaps one day you will understand. As for me, I shall continue to hunger. I shall continue to burn. There is nothing else for me in this life."

Sonja's eyelids felt heavy. She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. The fire had grown quiet. It said no more words. Its eye had also disappeared. All that was left was flame, slowly eating away at all the wood she had collected.

"Did I imagine that?" Sonja wondered. "I don't think I was asleep, but... I was feeling tired earlier..."

"Sonja," said a shadowy figure at the cave's entrance. "What are you talking about?"

It was Vernar. They had finally reached the cave, and their arm seemed fine as well. Sopping wet, the assassin stayed at the lip of the cave, doing their best to wring water out from their black clothes.

"It was... Nothing," said Sonja.

"I know that look. It certainly wasn't nothing. What happened while I was away?" asked Vernar.

Sonja sighed, taking a moment to organize her thoughts. She then explained everything that had transpired in the cave. The fire, the voice, its cryptic words... She spoke of every detail. While Sonja spoke, Vernar eventually took their place beside the fire, making use of its warmth to finish drying off. They even lifted their mask forward ever so slightly to let trace amounts of water trapped behind it leak out, but never enough to allow Sonja to see Vernar's face. When the girl was done, Vernar crossed their arms and hummed in thought.

"You're certain the fire told you all of this?"

Sonja nodded. "I almost fell asleep, but I'm certain it wasn't a dream."

"Is that so..." Vernar extended their clawed hands occluded in black over the flame. Small droplets of water fell away, sizzling on the glowing embers along the cracked wood. "You know, fire is spoken of in both magical and alchemical texts. In the world of magic, fire is the element of ambition. In the world of alchemy, fire is seen as the element of transformation. While they each share a different perspective, there is one thing they have in common. Fire is seen as change. It can cook your food. It can burn your house down. It can light your path. Fire can do a great many things. It doesn't surprise me that a flame spirit's personality would reflect this trait. As for what it said, I have my own opinions on the matter, but what do you think?"

Sonja groaned. "You know I don't have a head for these sorts of things..."

"Don't make excuses. Whether it was consciously or not, I'm certain you formed an opinion while listening to the fire. What is it?"

"Well... I think life is unfair."

"Oh?"

"You can't choose where you're born, what you're born as, or the state of the world you happen to be born into. The world is always changing. Sometimes you get lucky and are born into a situation that suits you. Other times you're born into a crazy cult that wants to sacrifice you and your kind to bring the rain." Sonja looked away from Vernar. "We can make the best of our circumstances, but we can't really change them. Not unless you're someone strong, like you."

The eye on Vernar's mask closed. "In other words, there's no point in complaining. The world will never be how you want it to be, so instead, try and put your energy towards something productive."

Sonja nodded at this, saying, "Exactly. I know it was saying that people ruined the world, but... Did we? I feel like it's closer to people changed the world."

"Indeed. The only world that was ruined was the one the spirit preferred. It is said that long ago, there were no people. The world was barren of all but the elements, wild and free. But then the gods took hold of that chaotic world and forged it into something new. The gods then made people, who in turn adapted the world to suit their own needs. Nothing lasts forever..." Vernar looked outside towards the rainstorm. "Not even drought. Perhaps there will come a time when even people are usurped and replaced."

Sonja leaned in towards Vernar saying, "Seriously?!"

"I can't say for certain, though. Best not to dwell on it, right?"

Sonja then leaned back again, grumbling. Vernar liked to pose philosophical questions, but Sonja couldn't help but wonder if Vernar used them to hide deeper truths. How dangerous was the world? What were its secrets? Perhaps it was better not to know. Stay ignorant. Stay happy.

"As if!" thought Sonja. "There's so much to learn about the world, so much to uncover and understand. Whether Vernar helps me or not, I'll find the answers someday."

"You seem excited for something," said Vernar.

"O-oh! It's uh... I was just thinking about what would be really tasty to eat!" said Sonja, rubbing her belly. Vernar narrowed their eye at her.

"Is that so?"

Sonja and Vernar still had a great deal of walking to do. For now, they would wait, and when the time was right, they would continue their journey. Though Sonja would get wrapped up in a great many events, she never forgot the day she spoke with fire. Its words stayed with her, forever echoing in her mind.

"Perhaps one day you will understand. As for me, I shall continue to hunger. I shall continue to burn. There is nothing else for me in this life."

[ballplayersxo]

Kobe Bryant and now his estate definitely shilled/ are shilling out the big bucks to make sure the general public isn’t aware of all the tea. A podcast called Hollywood Raw by 2 former TMZ employees confirmed that word always get around to the celeb before they publish anything and there have been many instances where the celeb paid them off or worked out some sort of deal to squash stories. If celebs pay to squash stories, they definitely pay to write stories in their favor. Daily Mail does an absolutely HORRIFIC job at hiding it. The two even went a bit in depth about the Kardashians having that practice down to a pat and are very shrewd in the process. A lot of the media coverage about him, his wife, and the daughters especially since his death sound so much like PR fluff pieces and I’m willing to bet 9 times out of 10 they are. His estate and the media have done an amazing job at spinning his and Gianna’s deaths *not the other 7 deaths* as some great American tragedy and paint his awful wife out to be a pillar of strength. It’s all a gross game being played to make every party involved more money. I too am just waiting for the house of cards to fall bc I’m really over the self-imposed aggrandizement of them.

Going on a little detour for all you Swifties and Harries in here if any, but they invited two prominent paps on to the pod and all 4 confirmed that Harry Styles and Taylor Swift were 100% PR. They sounded so annoyed talking about them bc everything with those 2 was so calculated but ppl ate it up. 1 of the paps spilled that he was sent on an assignment all the way to Las Vegas even though he’s stationed to work in LA to basically hunt down Kobe’s parents on the 1st anniversary of the crash just like what they did when news first broke of the crash and they took and published pics of his father crying. The media only ever post pap pics of Vanessa at Disney Land with the kids and I definitely believe it’s strategic. When Kobe was around, it was mainly fans taking pics and posting them on social not paps. I don’t listen to the pod often but I’m sure more insider info has been spilled and on everyone.

thank you for this anon 😭 i love when you guys spill stuff like this

[crystalelemental]

And that's Gen 8 down. That was the new second fastest clear, again only losing to Gen 1.

My team was Rillaboom, Thievul, Mr. Rime, Butterfree, Alcremie, and Dragapult.

I had intended to rotate around my team more, but tried that early on and felt like it was taking like...actual farming time. I did rotate in some options, like Carkoal crushing Kabu, and Perrserker facing off against Opal and Melony both. Then there were the attempts to use Hattrem and Cufant, but not loving the speed issues. So we had some alternation, but not much.

The team performed well. Rillaboom is...decisively pretty good, I found. +Spd nature probably helped that. Mr. Rime was also excellent, being fantastic on coverage and just fast enough to make the whole thing work. Thievul was great at times, thanks to Nasty Plot + Dark Pulse. It never really used its coverage moves. Alcremie and Dragapult may as well have not existed. No I'm serious. Dragapult didn't fully evolve until after we beat Leon.

The odd one out was Butterfree. See, I did not come into this anticipating Butterfree. I was honestly looking at like...Falinks or something that I haven't touched before. But while I was hunting for Mime Jr, a Pokemon that only appears during a Snowstorm (note: not Snowing, which is different for arbitrary reasons) in one area (Rolling Hills), I found a rare den one day that turned out to be a Naive G-Max Butterfree. I had to run it. So I did! And let me tell you, Sleep Powder + Quiver Dance remains as endlessly hilarious as ever. Sweeps basically every fight that doesn't wake up in one turn. Notably: fuck both Rose and Piers. Butterfree got decent play, but not as much play as I would've liked. Mr. Rime felt like MVP, it just took on the lion's share of random encounters, and swept a few boss fights like Marnie and Raihan.

That said, there's an odd sort of...detachment from this particular team that's fairly hard to identify. The run time was around the same as White, so shorter than average but a bit longer than Gen 1. It's not like I had too little time with the team, which was largely consistent through the run. But having no time with Dragapult at all and minimal time with Alcremie, left me feeling a bit more disconnected. I also barely ran Rillaboom, despite my intent to use it the whole way through. I mean, I did, but the other three were just far more effective overall. Like, I taught it Earthquake, and yet when we came in against Rose, it turned out Escavalier leads and just one-shots with Megahorn. Even Nessa had enough resistance against Grass that, while it did win, it wasn't as clean as I'd appreciate. I dunno.

I did want to give this game an earnest try again, and I think it's at least quick enough to be enjoyable. But I also have to concede that's because I'm on break from my job for a while, and have the time to marathon. The run time is, in some large part, the result of resetting days for Mime Jr, and running early-game dens for new Pokemon, and then late-game alternation for the TRs we're after. Not exactly the fun aspects of the game. In fact when it was just playing, I blitzed from the end of Kabu's fight to the end of Raihan's in about three hours. Then the next three hours were just the cutscene heavy boss rush in Windon, and finding TRs. So if you calc out the 14 hour total run time, 8 goddamn hours was just the first section of the game, dealing with Wild Area and finding what I wanted to run. I have a bit of a problem with that in a structural sense. I'll admit that my initial response to the games was harsher than is warranted, but this one's still low on the list.

[charlottemanningjourno]

Hello!

Here's a selection of some of my fave work I've done in recent years...

Profiles

Loreen: how a legacy of warrior women helped the star win Eurovision - [Rolling Stone UK]

Alex Scott: ‘No one knew that I was going to wear the armband in Qatar’ - [Attitude]

John Whaite on why memoir is a ‘love letter’ to fiancé Paul: ‘He’s my biggest cheerleader’ - [Attitude]

Features

These Tweets Show Britain's Classic Camp TV Moments - [VICE UK]

‘The Masked Singer got me my record deal’: How celebrities took over reality TV and won - [The Independent]

T-shirts, trivia and on-air proposals: why everything stops for Popmaster - [The Guardian]

A Day In The Life Of… Blind Date: ‘I was approached outside a nightclub in Watford - [Metro]

University Graduates Are Being Dropped from Jobs Before They Even Start - [VICE UK]

Pretty East London neighbourhood becoming a 'ghost town' as shopkeepers are being priced out - [MyLondon]

The Outnumbered kids celebrate 15 years of beloved BBC sitcom: ‘I was such a nightmare for the props department’ - [Metro]

TV/film/pop culture interviews

The Aces on ’emotional’ third LP and growing up in Mormon Utah: ‘Three out of four of us are gay’ [Attitude]

Bottoms creator Emma Seligman: ‘I want to see more flawed queer teens on-screen’ - [Attitude]

Mae Muller on ‘honest’ debut album, bouncing back after Eurovision and ‘p***ing off the right people’ - [Attitude]

Rita Ora on ‘personal’ new era: ‘I look at this as a reintroduction’ [Attitude]

Joe Lycett on bringing queer culture to Friday night live prime time: ‘It’s the stuff I’ve always wanted to do on telly’ - [Attitude]

Reviews

King Princess live in London: US star finds community at sold out KOKO show - [Rolling Stone UK]

Everything I Know About Love review: Move over Love Island, your nostalgia-fuelled summer romance is already here - [Metro]

Romy at All Points East review: Euphoric set proves there’s so much more fun still to come - [Attitude]

Mae Muller ‘Sorry I’m Late’ album review: A dazzling debut from London’s new pop princess - [Attitude]

Political interviews

Baroness Ruth Hunt on quitting Stonewall and being ‘way too young’ for House of Lords - [Attitude]

Green Party’s deputy leader Zack Polanski interview: ‘There’s no LGB without the T - [Attitude]

Layla Moran: ‘Being outed so publicly and prematurely has left some scars’ [Attitude]

Misc fun bits I enjoyed writing

5 times Chris Eubank delivered ‘fantabulous’ TV gold all in just one episode of Celebrity MasterChef - [Metro]

Three friends who quit their jobs to run a Walthamstow record shop out of a shipping container [MyLondon]

Londoners are sharing their icks about their own city and it’s gold - [Metro]

'My love of Lego started as a kid - now my designs have been worn by Will.I.Am and Pharrell' - [MyLondon]

Man installs fake timetable to propose at London bus stop where he met girlfriend - [Metro]

Taylor Swift drops 5 new dazzling vault tracks on 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – here’s the complete rundown - [Attitude]

Op-eds

I quit focusing on losing weight and now exercise helps me love myself - [Metro]

I Miss The Thrill Of One-Night Stands - [Huff Post]

Radio

Appeared on: BBC Radio 5 Live, all of BBC's regional news stations, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Scotland

Red carpet/live events coverage

TV BAFTAs 2022/23, Eurovision 2023, British Soap Awards, Attitude Awards, Commonwealth Games closing ceremony 2022, Radio 1's Big Weekend

[house-of-kolchek]

Read My Mind (Part Two)

Jason Kolchek x Reader

Hello!! God it has been a long time since I’ve posted a Jason fic, I’m sorry for the wait!! I hope you enjoy this part, I’ve got a few more fics coming soon!

Part One

Word Count: 2.3k

MASTERLIST

Tags!

@kilchek @yellowroseskolchek @shinydixon @meadows-of-light @cherrypop-xoxo @tangytastyflatboard @kawaiiwitch224 @thedreamingfish99 @boristhepineapple

=============================================================

Jason huffed, adjusting his grip on his rifle as he led the way through another tunnel. He was distracted. Really fuckin’ distracted. 

All he could think about was your smile, the sudden softness in your voice as you’d talked Merwin down. You’d put on a good front in front of the Corporal. But you were used to that, he supposed. 

Jason repositioned another camera, aiming it at yet another doorway, before a metallic glint caught his eye. The back of his mind flickered with recognition, as he focused on the grenade taped sloppily against the doorway.

“We should reset that tripwire,” he started, glancing back to Nick. “Give me a hand.” Nick kneeled next to the Lieutenant, huffing a breath through his nose as he carefully took hold of the wire.

“We’ve been in some fucked up situations before,” he mused. He wasn’t sure if it was nerves, or the sudden but clear realization that he likely wouldn’t make it to see the sun again, that had him blurting the first thing that came to mind.

“Never as fucked as this.”

“Well. If I gotta fight these things, there’s no one else I’d want by my side.”

Jason’s throat tightened, and he shook his head. Now was not the time to be getting emotional. He returned to his feet, passing the wire to Nick, fully prepared to lay on the hard truth: he couldn’t promise Nick anything. Friend or not.

You have people you’re close to. Don’t push them away.

There was that image again. Jason could see that defeat in your gaze, as you’d told him off. Before he could think, the words were spilling from his mouth.

“You know I’ve got your back, buddy. Come what may.”

He just barely caught the lift in Nick’s lips, and the slight drop of his shoulders as he stood. Jason felt a sudden swell of affection towards his friend, and he knew he’d made the right choice.

It felt good to be honest.

—

“Hold up. This looks like a good choke point. Any of those freaks comin’ up are bound to come through here.” 

Jason took a second glance at the room. It was a narrow hallway, with a set of doors on each end and a line of pillars on either end. With a room like this, it would be easy to…

“Set some charges?”

Jason glanced back at Nick, a small grin forming as the Sergeant all but read his mind. He nodded, gesturing to each of the pillars surrounding them.

“Yeah. Let’s rig these pillars up for maximum coverage.”

“They’re more likely to see the tripwires though… you think those things can tell the difference?” Nick asked, and Jason hesitated. It was a fair point. “If we mine up the sides, we’re more likely to catch ‘em out. A smaller spread, but better hidden. What do you think?”

Jason sucked in a breath, giving himself five seconds to think. Those creatures were smart, they knew how to hunt, so it wouldn’t be all that far fetched for them to recognize a trip wire. But they also seemed to be missing eyes, if that corpse was anything to go off of. Would they even see the wires in the first place?

“Let’s go for maximum coverage,” he decided. “I don’t think those things can see in the first place.”

Nick hummed his agreement, muttering something about a “Salim,” and “echolocation.”

“What’s that?” he probed, and Nick shook his head. 

“Nothing. I’m thinking the same thing.”

Silently agreeing to drop the subject, Jason moved to the nearest pillar, collecting an explosive from his bag and wiring it up to the faded stone. His mind flickered to you, and he wondered to himself if you were okay. Before he could picture all the gruesome ways you could have been killed, he turned to face Nick again, ready to spark up some idle conversation. His brows furrowed though, as he saw the distant look in his friends eyes.

“I can hear your brain ticking away,” he called, watching as Nick snapped out of his daze. “What’s going on?” He saw the heavy breath Nick took, and a new sense of dread began clawing up his spine.

Don’t…

“We should have given her a second warning.”

“Fuck man, I wish I hadn’t asked,” Jason sighed, throwing his head back and rolling his shoulders. This was the last thing he needed right now. To be thrown back into the cycle of guilt that had screamed through his mind since that day. “I’m through talking about this. That checkpoint was a prime target for suicide bombers. We had to act in the moment. We had to make a call!”

Jason was floundering, that he knew. He was making up a bullshit excuse on the spot, refusing to let the guilt he truly felt shine through. He was supposed to be the one that could read others, and put up a strong front as a leader. He couldn’t show that kind of weakness.

Maybe he was beginning to understand how you felt.

“It was the wrong call,” Nick spat, more to the ground than anything else.

Jason sighed, willing the lump in his throat to go away. He glanced over to his friend, who was still shaking his head. He rose to his feet, just in time for the Nick’s anger to snap.

“Why is it that no-one ever tells it straight!” he huffed, stepping up to Jason. “Everyone just makes up bullshit to get by!”

That one hit too close to home, and Jason swallowed another lump of frustration. He could feel his breaths grow short, as he tried to reign in his own frustrations. He had to be strong.

“Nick…”

“I mean, that’s why we’re in this sandbox in the first place, right?”

Jason gritted his teeth, staring daggers into the wall just over Nick’s shoulder.

“I need the truth, Jason. Shooting that woman messed with my head.”

Jason could still see the blood soaking through the sand, staining your hands as you pressed two fingers against the woman’s neck. He could see the defeat in your eyes, as you told him the bitter truth. He could see the desperation in your expression as you begged him not to follow in your footsteps, just like he was doing right then.

“Are you seriously going to tell me it didn’t mess with yours?”

“Fuck!” Jason cursed under his breath. He tilted his head back, sucking in a long breath before returning his gaze to Nick. He could see the frustration and pain behind his friend’s eyes, and the tension that rose in his shoulders at the small outburst.

“We fucked up,” Jason continued, his tone laced with defeat. “If we make it out of here, we’ll face up to that. If we die down here? Fuck, maybe it’s what we deserve.”

Nick was silent for a moment, taking everything in. He searched Jason’s eyes for a moment, before his shoulders fell again.

“Y’know, I was seeing Rachel.”

“Are you serious?” Jason asked. Nick nodded.

“Been three weeks.”

It had been three weeks since the checkpoint.

Jason wasn’t sure why you came to the front of his mind.

“It’s armed,” Nick sighed, brushing past Jason and heading towards the doorway.

—

You ran a hand through your hair, wincing as the strands tugged against your scalp. Merwin was sleeping restlessly across the room, mumbling under his breath and twitching every so often. He had been like that for the past hour, and while you checked his soaked bandages every few minutes, there was no way he was making it out. Not unless you got the proper equipment for stitching, and a hell of a lot of blood for a transfusion.

You let out a defeated sigh, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill. No matter how hard you tried to push people away, hide yourself from the pain that came with losing someone close to you, you could never seem to escape it.

“Fuck,” you sighed, pushing yourself up to your feet, and throwing one more look in the Corporal’s direction. Again, no change. With another sigh, you left the room, heading down the stairs towards the sound of Eric’s voice.

The Corporal was hovering over one of those monsters, analyzing its dead features with a disgusted curl of his lip. Your gaze slid over to the Iraqi soldier, his hands tied and his gaze hard on the two of you. As subtle as you could, you sent him a sympathetic stare.

“(Last Name), pass me the UV lamp please,” Eric ordered, his gaze glancing to you before he returned to muttering in his vocal recorder. You nodded, reaching for the item and handing it to the man. From the corner of your eye, you saw the soldier’s back stiffen, and he piped into the conversation.

“May I offer some advice?” he called, prompting Eric’s attention. The Colonel’s lips pulled back into a frown.

“You had your chance to talk,” he snapped, and you huffed a sigh. Men and their pride.

“Yes, but… the demon does not react very well to sunlight,” the man warned. Eric’s shoulders stiffened. “I would be very careful with that, if I were you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Eric snapped back, flicking the device on. You heard the man mutter under his breath, and a sudden sense of dread pooled in your stomach. You took a step back.

Eric sweeped the light over the monster’s form, nearly missing the sudden crackling sound that emitted from its skin. 

“Eric!” you cried, reaching out to yank back on his shirt. He stumbled back just in time to miss the burst of flames that erupted from the monster. His shirt was slightly singed, and the look of shock on his face was unmatched as he turned to look at you.

“Um, thanks,” he whispered. You were just about to respond, when a sudden, shadowy figure brushed past, sending a surge of goosebumps up your arms. You whirled around at about the same time as Eric, your hand hovering over the pistol strapped to your leg. Eric reached a hand out to stop you, stepping forward into the dark temple.

“Kolchek, is that you?” he called, craning his neck to look past the tent. You looked after him, cursing yourself for allowing a sense of hope to fill your chest. When he received no answer, Eric glanced back to you. “I’ll go check it out. Stay here.”

As Eric jogged out to follow that strange figure, you shut your eyes, just for a moment. Regaining your resolve, you sucked in a breath, turning on your heel.

Right into the now untied solider.

“Jesus Christ!” 

The man held a hand out to steady you, his eyes flashing with concern, which was quickly masked with panic. He stumbled back a step, bumping against the now charred table with his arms out in surrender.

“Please,” he begged. “I mean you no harm. I just want to get out, and get back to my son.” He searched your eyes, remaining perfectly still as you evaluated the situation. Though you knew it was against protocol, you felt a strong urge to let the man go free. You could see in his actions, his unwillingness to protest, and simply by the look in his eyes: he was telling the truth. 

Maybe Jason was starting to rub off on you.

“Go,” you hissed, pointing towards his confiscated stake. “Get out of here before the Colonel comes back. And watch for explosives!”

The man’s gaze softened, and he nodded. In a rush, he scooped up his makeshift weapon, turning back to glance at you one last time.

“Your name?”

“(Name) (Last Name),” you replied, without any hesitation. If you were being honest, it shocked you how willing you were to answer the man. 

“Salim Othman. Thank you, (Name). I won’t forget this.”

And with a final nod, Salim crept out of the tent, and into the shadows.

Just in time, of course, for Eric to return.

“I looked around, but I couldn’t see any- Where’s the Iraqi?” Eric nearly stumbled over his words, his face contorting with anger. You went rigid, your mind scrambling to find a believable excuse.

“I’m sorry, sir,” you started, knowing the respect for his rank would certainly be earning you at least one brownie point. “By the time I turned around he had freed himself and run off.”

Simply omitting a detail wasn’t technically lying, right?

“Are you serious?!” Eric cried, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “I left you for what - thirty seconds? - and you couldn’t even keep an eye on the one living prisoner we had?”

“Oh, sure, because leaving me with a flaming corpse and an armed man would naturally work out in my favour!” you snapped back, and Eric reared his head back. His expression held a strange mix of anger and shock, as he processed the words you’d just growled at him. 

Fuck, your emotions were getting the better of you.

Eric opened his mouth to reply, his lips pulled back into a snarl, only to be cut off by a piercing yell. The voice echoed through the temple, and straight into your heart.

And before you knew what you were doing, you were racing towards Jason’s scream.

[annaphoenix1994]

Masterlist!

October 7th - Michael Makes You a Festive and Spooky Dinner

Michael of your Choosing!

How you hated working a retail job, especially towards the end of the year when most of the festivities and holidays are closer together.

Some days, you got home right on time. And other days, you had to stay over for a half hour to provide coverage on a register while waiting on the next cashier to come in.

Due to this, you were unable to check your phone every time you felt it buzzing.

Whether it being Michael or one of your friends, you just couldn't do it.

When the store was slow, you took the opportunity to check your phone and open the text message Michael had sent you, which wasn't often as he truly hated a phone, but he liked to communicate with you and you figured giving him one of your older phones would help him as it took him forever to come out of his shell and actually speak to you.

He simply asked you when you were coming home and you could only reply with "I'm waiting on the next cashier to get here so I can leave. Probably another hour."

He hated when your job seemed to take advantage of you, but he desperately tried to understand.

Roughly an hour later, you were relieved to see the cashier come in to relieve you from the register. Clocking out in a rush, you were desperate to get home and start on dinner.

Once home, you immediately took note of a warm and nostalgic smell coming from inside as you opened the door. Michael was cooking?

"Michael? I'm home!" You announced, removing your shoes off of your feet at the door and setting down your purse.

He didn't reply to you, but you continued into the kitchen to see him stirring whatever it was he had put into the crock pot.

You smiled, leaning up against the doorframe to watch him. Whatever he was making looked and smelled very good, especially what was in the oven.

"Whatcha making?" You asked, surprised that you startled him.

He set the wooden spoon on the nearby napkin before coming over to greet you, kissing your temple before replying, "I went hunting."

You gasped, praying he was joking, pushing him away from you before he started laughing. "Relax, I'm just kidding. Vegetable soup."

"I don't know if I trust you now." You giggled before watching him go to the trash can to show you that he used cans of vegetables and a can of corned beef.

"I'd never do that," He shook his head. "Who do you think I am? Dahmer?"

"I'd sure hope not."

"I mean, I've done my fair share of bad things, but the things he did...wow. I remember reading about him when I was, you know, locked up."

"Whatcha got in the oven?"

"Cinamon streusel cake."

"Wow, you made that all yourself?" You asked, knowing you didn't have any cake mix of that stature in your pantry.

"Yeah... after I figured out how to use Google." He chuckled.

"I'm sure it'll be delicious."

"You got home just in time. It's almost done. Go get settled in and I'll have a bowl waiting on you. Figured we could watch a movie tonight if you wanted to."

"Of course, Michael."

Seriously, how was this man so perfect for you?

[teacup-crow]

Scar Tissue

Imagine losing Officer Eiffel. Imagine losing him slowly, by inches…

Even in full gravity, Renee still has Doug to worry about.

Whatever the opposite of a fix-it fic is. Post finale sadness (spoilers for all of Wolf 359). CW pulmonary fibrosis/sickness/hospitals. For the Nightmares prompt from @badthingshappenbingo

She sat in a too-small plastic hospital chair and pretended to read something on her laptop, some minor feel-good filler piece Dominick asked her to edit about a new tech startup helping disabled kids. He didn’t really need her help; most of his coverage was more significant these days, but she tended to steer clear of the front pages. All too often, her face was still on them, thin and bloodied and grimly set, Jacobi and Lovelace propelling her out of the pilot’s chair. It had been six months since they all gave their testimonies, but the Goddard Futuristics trials were expected to take years to conclude, and every new accusation or scrap of evidence, every new department head put in jail dredged the story up again. Jacobi had had the right idea; he’d vanished off the radar within seventy-two hours of touchdown. Lovelace, too, had gone travelling, to shake hands with an aging, widowed father somewhere in Brussels; a mother and sister in Liaoning Province; an ex-boyfriend in Melbourne. But Renee had Dominick to think of. Renee had Doug.

God, she craved a cigarette. The entire time in space and the decade before that, she hadn’t touched them or even considered them except to confiscate Eiffel’s out of thin air, yet now… It must be the smell of the hospital, she thought, the sound of footsteps squeaking along the floor, of wheeled gurneys and old men coughing and wheezing. Or perhaps it was the fact that she’d been here for twenty-nine hours, watching the brown haired man hooked up to the oxygen tank, watching his chest rise and fall.

There was something in him that remembered what he’d been through. It was torn from his mind by Pryce, scrubbed from his skin by the alien blood that had not only regrown his fingernails but fixed the broken bones from the final shuttle crash so perfectly the doctors here didn’t believe they’d ever shattered. Still, the trauma had a way of lingering in the subconscious: the body remembered what the brain did not. The scarring on his lungs also remained - the Dear Listeners had neglected to mend all the damage done before their arrival.

Doug’s eyes opened, unfocused. He tried to scream around the breathing tube, but it was a hopeless attempt, a scratchy and guttural dead end. Being in the hospital made the nightmares worse, she’d noticed. Too much like a laboratory. She took one of his curled hands in hers, and rubbed circles with her thumb, talking just to fill the silence. That was always his job, before.

“…you know, we watched the new Star Wars movie the other night at the theatre, Dominick and I. You’d like it, I think. I…”

The attempt to scream became more desperate, his hands scrabbling claws, and the nurse rushed in to sedate him further, then to falter backwards and stare at them both because how often did you get to see the famous fucked up astronauts? Renee had to bite back something sarcastic, words from Isabel and Daniel teetering on the tip of her tongue.

“Anyway, as I was telling you. Star Wars. The first thing we’re doing when you’re feeling a bit better is going out to see it.”

She wondered what part exactly he was dreaming about. He almost never recalled the nightmares when he awoke, and she was pretty grateful for that. There had been one time, before he got this sick, where he’d sat bolt upright and told her I was alone, wasn’t I? Alone and cold. She’d nodded, and he’d passed back out again, and to her own horror she’d found herself crying.

“C’mon, Officer Eiffel. Of all the things that nearly killed you, it’s going to be pneumonia back on Earth? Think of what Lovelace would say! She’ll never let it go.”

When the nurse next drew back the curtain to gawp, she found Renee asleep with her face smushed against the wall, and draped her in a blanket. Renee walked a pitch dark corridor, guided only by the voice of Hilbert’s ghost, never quite sure if he was leading her to safety or to suicide, if she were hunting something or playing the part of the hunted this time.

His hand twitched, and was suddenly gripping hers, blinking himself awake. She woke with a start. Doug’s face had a different quality to Eiffel’s - there was a softness, an openness there. She resented it for its wrongness, and hated herself for that.

“Doug? Are you okay?”

His eyes fluttered once. Yes. She missed the sound of his voice more than she could say

[hercleverboy]

the burden of the blame

spencer reid x reader 

based off of this request > the reader gets shot on a case while trying to protect a child. The reader gets pissed bc the child needs more help than she does and Spencer comes to her aid first. The kid dies and she thinks it’s her fault.

genre > angst/fluff

wc > 3.1k

after being shot and nearly killed on a case, the reader deals with spencers upset as well as the guilt she feels of not being able to save the victim.

Genre : Angst ending with fluff. 

Word Count : 3.1k

Based on this request from @thatsonezesty13​ : “Ok so the reader gets shot on a case while trying to protect a child. The reader gets pissed bc the child needs more help than she does and Spencer comes to her aid first. The kid dies and she thinks it’s her fault.”

A/N : I  changed the story a little from the original request, but it’s still pretty much what you asked for! I hope you like it!

The team had spent a week hunting down an unsub, who just seemed to keep slipping through their grasp. This unsub was killing young boys in horrifically gruesome ways. The team profiled that he wanted to be well known, this unsub wanted to go down in history as one of the greatest serial killers of all time. He was a narcissist, he thrived off the fact that he had successfully evaded the police, and now that the FBI couldn’t seem to get him either, it only further boosted his ego. Finally, after two more bodies of young boys turned up, they eventually got a name and an address. Y/N, Morgan and Reid were already nearer to the address, so they arrived there before the rest of the team. They pulled up outside the property, jumping out the car and making their way to the front of the house. Morgan turned to the couple, going over the plan. 

“We can’t afford to wait for the rest of the team, we’re going to have to go in, just us three.” 

Y/N nodded, grabbing her gun from her holder. Morgan and Reid were going to take the front of the house, and Y/N was going to take the back. Just before they began to get into their positions Spencer grabbed his wife by the waist and pulled her into a quick kiss. 

 “You come back to me, okay?” He murmured against her lips. 

Spencer and Y/N had been married for a year now and were even discussing having children together. He knew his wife was more than capable of protecting herself and was a downright badass in the field. However, this unsub was different. His actions were unpredictable, the profile couldn’t determine how he would react to them finding him. He couldn’t lose her. 

She gave him a small smile. “Always.” She promised, before stealthily moving behind the house with her gun drawn. 

She heard Derek break in the front door and at the same time she broke down the back door, moving quickly with her gun held up, surveying the rooms for any movement or clues as to where the unsub might be holding his most recent victim.  She heard a faint bump and moved toward the sound. She pushed open a creaky door, shining her flashlight down into what appeared to be a basement. 

 “Jack Richards? FBI!” She called as she began to descend the staircase. When she reached the bottom step, her eyes landed on the unsub, who stood with the small child he’d kidnapped, a gun pressed to the child’s forehead.

“Put the gun down, Jack.” Y/N tried, though she knew this unsub was already past being reasoned with. She knew she had to try, especially with a young boy’s life at stake. “Let’s work this out.”

“I don’t want to work this out, agent. You don’t get it, do you?” The unsub taunted her. Y/N looked the child in the eyes, giving him a reassuring nod, one that said ‘stay calm. It’ll be okay. I’ll protect you.”

“I get it. You want to be well known, right?” Y/N started. “You want kids in criminology classes learning about your cases, you want the towns children to fear your name like an overtold ghost story.”

The unsubs grip on the boy and the gun faltered as he gasped. “Yes! I want to be the one their afraid of! I want to be as well-known as Dahmer and Bundy, I want to be told in stories 50 years from now!” He exclaimed. 

“Haven’t you seen the news coverage, Jack? You’re famous.” She replied and the smile that covered the unsubs face made Y/N feel sick. But she had to keep the act up long enough to save this child.

“Why don’t you put the gun down and let the boy go, and you can go outside and see. The media are here, imagine all those cameras, all those news reporters. All calling your name, all wanting to hear your story.” Y/N emphasised, hopeful that her attempt to talk him down seemed to be getting somewhere. 

The unsub simply smiled, unnerving Y/N. “Agent, that sounds great. But wouldn’t it make for an even greater story for the press to hear that it ended in such tragedy? With the death of a child and a courageous FBI agent that got caught in the crossfire?”

Her eyes widened, and she realised all too late what his words meant. “Wait-“She shouted out as three gunshots pierced through the air.

She watched as the boy and the unsub dropped to the floor. She turned around slowly, and saw Spencer holding his gun at the bottom of the staircase. The unsub was dead, the bullet that Spencer fired had hit him square in the forehead.

Y/N didn’t even register the pain in her left side until she looked down, watching the blood that blossomed on her white shirt. She collapsed to the ground in agony, but her eyes remained on the small boy, who was laying there bleeding, barely breathing but alive.

She heard Spencer’s voice calling for medics, as he rushed to his wife’s side. She cried out in pain as she registered the feeling of his hands pressing to her side, desperately trying to slow the flow of blood leaving her body.

“S-Spencer.” She choked out, tears leaving her eyes and trembling down the side of her face. His face came into view then, and she saw that he was crying too.

“Hey baby. I’m here, you gotta stay awake for me, okay. Please, oh god, please.” Her blood caked his hands, staining his shirt as he desperately tried to slow the bleeding.

“Spencer, you have to- you have to go to him. Help him, please.” She looked over to the small boy, before looking back to her husband, pleading him with her eyes. 

“Y/N if I leave you you’re gonna bleed out, I can’t-“ He choked but she shook her head at him and let out a small whimper. 

“Spencer- Spence- please. Please help him, I’ll be fine, I can hold on.” She begged and he went to protest again but the look in his wife’s eyes made him crack. He nodded, scrambling over to the small boy and checking his pulse with his fingers. It was barley there, and Spencer knew he wouldn’t last until medics arrived. He looked towards Y/N and shook his head slowly, tears falling down his cheeks.

“Bring him here, he can’t- he can’t die alone.” She cried and Spencer lifted the small boy up, laying him down next to Y/N, who reached over with the last of her strength to grab the boys hand.

The boys drowsy eyes flicked to hers, and they were so full of fear. Y/N hissed as Spencer’s hands returned to place pressure on her wound.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I know it hurts. You can go, it’s okay.” She promised the young boy as she sobbed, her chest heaving, despite how it made her side burn. The boy took his last breath as the medics stormed the room, and Y/N let out a heart-wrenching cry.

They were seconds too late. 

 Spencer cried too, as he watched his wife slip from consciousness, her body going limp.

“Baby? Baby, please! Please.” He sobbed desperately trying to cling to his wife as he was pulled away by the medics.

Spencer watched helplessly as she was placed into the ambulance. She was still alive, by some miracle, she was fighting to live.

“Are you coming with us, Sir?” The medic asked, and Spencer nodded frantically, hopping in the back of the ambulance, the team promising to meet him in the hospital.

 He held Y/N’s hand tightly in his and begged, prayed to every god that she would be okay. Once they made it to the hospital, she was rushed into emergency surgery, and Spencer was left in the waiting room, her blood caking his hands as he collapsed in on himself, the sobs wracking through him. The team rounded the corner into the waiting room at that moment, and JJ immediately rushed to her best friends’ side, taking him in a hug as Spencer sobbed into her shoulder.

JJ attempted to reassure him, but what could she say to make this better?  Eventually they managed to convince Spencer to clean himself up in the hospital toilets, JJ having to go with him to help wash his wife’s blood from his trembling hands.

They sat in the waiting room for hours. The team had given up trying to get Spencer to eat or sleep, since he just snapped at them anytime they tried to ask him to take care of himself.

“Reid, Y/N would want you to take care of yourself, okay? You gotta eat something, man.” Derek tried, only to be met with Spencer’s harsh glare.

“I’m not doing anything until I know if my wife is alive.” He seethed, before turning his gaze back to the floor.

The team shared a look, but ultimately decided that Spencer wasn’t going to budge, so they stopped trying.

Hotch on the other hand was rather persistent. He sat next to the younger boy, who sighed and leaned back as his superior sat beside him.

“Hotch, I don’t wanna hear it-“ He started but Hotch cut him off.

“She will be just fine, you know that? Your wife is many things, a quitter is not one of them. You know how stubborn she is, she won’t go down without a fight.” Spencer almost smiled at the comment.

“I just keep thinking if I’d of gotten there sooner, maybe I could’ve stopped this, or even saved that boy I-“ Spencer couldn’t explain the guilt he’d felt as he watched the young boy die before him. He couldn’t help but feel as though he should’ve done more, but he was faced with an impossible choice; the love of his life or the life of a young innocent boy?

“Reid, there is nothing you could’ve done differently.”

“You know Y/N made me pick him up and bring him over to lie next to her so she could hold his hand? She didn’t want him to die alone.” Spencer choked out. His wife’s compassion was one of the things he’d fallen in love with. “I can’t lose her, Hotch.”

“You won’t.”

No one else spoke after that.

It was a long four hours of Spencer nervously pacing the waiting room, the team sat in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Finally a doctor walked down the hallway, calling Y/N’s name out. Spencer sprang up from his seat.

“Yes, is she okay?” He asked desperately, his breaths coming out in soft pants. The doctor gave a small smile.

“Dr Reid, your wife is quite the fighter. She flatlined twice during surgery but she pulled through, against all odds. She is incredibly strong, we expect her to make a full recovery.”

Spencer had never felt a relief so sweet.

“She’s resting now, but as you’re her husband you’re welcome to go and sit by her, she could wake up any minute now. The rest of you will be able to see her later.”

Spencer thanked the doctor profusely before turning to face his team. He gave them a relieved smile, and they all smiled back, encouraging him to go and see his wife. He thanked them too before following the doctor towards Y/N’s room.

He pulled up a chair next to Y/N’s bed, moving to take his hand in hers, his focus on the small sparkling wedding ring that sat on her ring finger. He pressed as kiss to her hand, his eyes filling with tears as she looked at her.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

Spencer recited her favourite books from memory and told her stories, anything to push away the thoughts that entered his head. 

what if she never wakes up?

It was in the middle of the night that Y/N finally twitched awake. Her eyes fluttered open, and she glanced around her, quickly registering where she was. She looked down to her left side, where her husband sat in a chair at her bedside. His hand held hers tightly, and he’d fallen asleep resting his hand on her stomach. She brought her other hand up and gently ran her hands through his hair, which woke Spencer from his slumber. She felt awful for waking him, the circles under his eyes that were darker than usual were an indication that he hadn’t had any sleep in a while. 

“Y/N?” He whispered, looking up at her with tears in his eyes. “You’re awake, you’re okay?” He was more asking himself than her, trying to assure himself that he wasn’t dreaming.

“I’m okay.” She assured him and he let a sob escape his lips as he gently brought her into a hug, being careful of her injury. He sobbed into her shoulder as she held him tightly, soothing him with gentle shushes and calming strokes on his back.

Once he’d calmed down he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “I almost lost you, baby.” He whimpered.

She shook her head. “It’ll take more than a bullet to separate me from you, Spencer Reid. I believe I promised you forever. I intend to keep that promise.” She gestured to their wedding bands and he smiled down at them. He placed his hands on either side of her face, bringing her into him for a gentle kiss, one that reassured him that she was here, alive, and that the nightmare he’d been living was over.

When they pulled back, he sighed and Y/N frowned. “Now that I know you’re okay, would you mind telling me what on earth you were thinking?” He questioned. 

Y/N wasn’t sure where this sudden change in mood had come from, and Spencer cut her off before she could answer him.

 “You’ve gotta stop being so reckless, Y/N. Morgan and I were there too, you should’ve called out to us for backup before you went down the staircase.” He sounded like he was telling her off and Y/N couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I’m serious, Y/N! Don’t you get it? You nearly died!”

“I told you to save him instead of me, Spence.” She spoke calmly. Her tone wasn’t accusatory, like she blamed him, nor was it cold or rude. She knew he was mad at her for putting herself in that position, but all she cared about at the time was saving that little boy. 

He looked up at her bewildered, getting up from his seat.  “Y/N, what was I supposed to do? Let you die?”

“Yes, Spencer. I would’ve happily given my life for that boy. Better me than him.” It was harsh and unfair to say, she knew that. But she was hurting and trying to make her husband understand the decisions she’d made.

Spencer’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare say that, Y/N. Please, don’t ever say that.” 

“This is my job, Spence. I made a promise that I would protect those who can’t protect themselves, and I need to keep that.” She explained.

Spencer scoffed. “What about the promises you made me, Y/N?” He asked, his voice getting louder, pointing to the golden wedding band that sat on his finger. 

She sighed. “Spence its not the same-” 

“Y/N Reid, you listen to me.” His voice was stern as he came to sit next to her again. “I will never, prioritise someone’s life over yours. I don’t care if it’s selfish, if its against the morals of my job. You’re my life, Y/N. I will not lose you. Do you understand?” His eyes searched hers, and she knew she better drop the subject, at least for now. She wasn’t going to win. 

She smiled at him, which made his stern demeanour falter. He could never stay made at her. 

He pulled her back into his embrace as the doctor came in, a smile on his face at the couple. 

“Ah! Mrs Reid! Lovely to see you awake. How’s the pain?”

Y/N took a deep breath, hissing at the pain in her side. “It’s bad. Hurts like a bitch.” She joked and the doctor chuckled a little. 

“We’ll get you something for that. I just came in to tell you that your vitals look good. You’re expected to make a full recovery and we can get you out of here by tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Spencer said and Y/N smiled gratefully as he walked away. Spencer opened his mouth to speak again, grasping Y/N’s hand in his, but was interrupted by the sound of voices coming down the hall. 

Just then, the team burst into the room, all smiling happily at the sight of the couple, but also happy that Y/N was alive. 

“There’s my beautiful best friend!” Garcia chirped at Y/N, as she placed a bouquet of flowers on the table next to her bed. She turned towards Spencer. “Move over, boy wonder. It’s my turn to get some of Y/N’s love.” She grinned, pulling Y/N into a tight embrace once Spencer had moved away with a chuckle. Spencer moved to stand at the back of the room next to Hotch, watching his wife laugh and joke with the people who’d become their family. 

Hotch turned to him, smirking slightly. “See? I told you she’d be fine.” 

Derek and Rossi moved to join the guys conversation, as JJ, Emily and Garcia all sat around Y/N’s bed, gossiping with her about something or other. 

Derek chuckled lightly. “What, you think a bullet could take down the great Y/N Reid? Think again.” 

“I heard that, Morgan. You know I could kick your ass if need be.” Y/N teased, which earned a laugh from the team. 

Derek just raised his arms in mock surrender. “I know you could, doll. I know better than to underestimate you.” He teased back. 

Rossi chimed in. “Damn right. She’s kinda scary when she’s mad, wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of her.” 

Spencer nodded in agreement with a laugh. “Its true. You should’ve seen her last week when I ate the rest of her crisps. She wasn’t happy.” 

Spencer looked around the room and let himself bask in the warmth and happiness that filled it. Over the years he’d learned to cherish the little moments like that, where everyone was healthy, happy and together. 

The fact that moments like that were so few and far between only made them more precious. 

It was in that moment that Spencer Reid knew what  true happiness felt like. 

[crimsonfluidessence]

Prompt 15: Thunderous

Despite the sword in his hand, raised and pointed at another, Esredes was quite calm in the present situation.

It was just a mere lone Dragoon, which was not exactly something to take as mere even alone, but Esredes wasn’t going to let the supposed danger get to him. He had the high ground in one way he could work with- the mind.

For the Dragoon was not taking seeing the dragon it had attempted to attack shifting down into a person and drawing its sword very well.

“You’re supposed to be gone,” the Dragoon said, taking a step back with his grip on the lance tightening further. “How the hell are you still a person, heretic?!” “Ease yourself,” Esredes commanded with simplicity, as if he had any authority to do so, and slowly circled the Dragoon while keeping his sword pointed at him. “If you try to strike me again, I can go between shapes and throw you distances you could leap. How about we slow down a moment and put aside the adrenaline rushes? You might have struck first, but I am not exactly looking to kill somebody today.” “What the hells,” the Dragoon said. He did not, in fact, do anything Esredes asked, and only followed him as he circled. “I’m not here to talk to heretics.” “I wasn’t exactly searching for conversation myself either, but you came into my domain without invitation. It’s rather unavoidable at that point,” Esredes retorted. “The blood does not consume me, if you must ask. I am perfectly able to bend it to my will. It’s possible if you don’t immediately go overboard on such an aetherically charged substance, you see.” “Why are you out here.” “Just hunting the day’s supply,” Esredes said. “And what about you? What brings you out here alone without any of your comrades to attack a dragon minding its own business in uncivilized territory?” “Why don’t you ask yourself the same question, heretic?!” Esredes paused at this, staring the man down before deciding his best reaction was to pull his sword back for a moment, just a moment, and shrug. “I wasn’t looking to attack anyone but some wild beast. I don’t see how it applies. I was minding my own business, yes?” He decided to bring his sword back in a more defensive position instead of pointing it right at him. “Some heretics are better at minding their own business than others, you’ll find out. Your kind doesn’t learn that in training.” “And you expect me to buy that for a second? That you took the blood just to hunt wild animals??” “I didn’t claim that much. That’s another subject entirely. It is a curse brought upon me I did not ask to receive.” “What the hell does that mean? You took it. You poured that vile substance down your throat in a desperate grab for power.” “I think you know what it means.” Esredes said, peering into that helmet as if he could see through it to the man’s eyes. “Haven’t you ever seen it happen for yourself? I’m simply one of the lucky ones, is all.” The Dragoon was silent to that, but from the way his body tensed up, Esredes could decipher his shot in the dark had landed. “I know,” he said in a softer voice. “I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, to go through that. Whoever it was, I can only hope you were able to slaughter those responsible.” “She was my wife,” the Dragoon said. “She was out on a caravan run, you bastards attacked her and forced it down her throat. By the time the knights came, there was nothing but a monster left… And yet you’re right here, as if you hadn’t just… Why a filthy bastard like you, and not her?!” Esredes lowered his sword completely to his side and frowned. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He said. “You’re right. I am certainly less worthy than your wife. Much as I try to see otherwise, the world’s natural justice is completely misguided like that. And so that’s it since, hmm? Even all your training and the memories you relive, over and over and over again, all the dragons you kill- none of it is enough to replace the hole she left in you. None of it will ever be enough.” That would have to be it, that would be the story. When one puzzle piece came to you, the rest fit so neatly. And the way the Dragoon’s grip only seemed to further lose stability was enough confirmation for Esredes he had guessed the mark correctly. “I can hear it,” he continued. “The screaming in your own mind. You are screaming very, very loudly, and no one around hears it but you. That must be painful to listen to after a while, hmm?”

“Shut up!” The Dragoon screamed, thrusting his lance forward towards Esredes, who quickly jumped back and away from it. “Shut the HELL up, you son of a bitch! You took her away from me!” He leapt at Esredes, and Esredes raised his hand up, firing a pink beam that hit right through the Dragoon’s helmet. The man screamed again and stumbled to his knees, planting his hands in the ground and just screaming a few more times. Esredes flinched at the noise. He backed further away from the Dragoon and waited until the noise calmed down to speak. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You came too close and I had to react. It’s harmless, now that it’s wore off you’re fine. Are you okay?” “No I’m not fucking okay!” The Dragoon pulled himself to his feet and picked up his spear in one hand, staring down Esredes. “Speak any more and I will rip out your tongue!” “Look, look.” Esredes said. “I did not turn your wife. And so you haven’t answered my question. Did the knights kill the one who did?” “No,” he replied. “Everyone was gone but her.” “Hmm, hmm.” Esredes raised an arm up by his cheek, resting its elbow on top of his other arm. “Then I understand why you want to blame me. You never got true justice for such a crime. But taking shots in the dark aren’t going to bring you any closer to finding it out, yes?” He took a few steps closer to the man. “I have a proposition for you, if you would be willing to hear it out. For better and worse, I know much of the sort of heresy that happens out here. Some of it harmless, some of it downright horrible. There are groups like the one you describe hiding in deep shadows everywhere, who kidnap civilians and military for the fun of watching them turn into monsters. I was a Temple Knight once myself, before my curse was laid upon me. Yet even as a mere knight of the wilderness, seeing to justice has not left me. I want to find them, and I want to kill them. So do you. Why don’t I help you figure out who it is, so you may capture them and do as you please with them? All I ask of you in turn is to not kill me.” There were faint tear streaks visible under the helmet’s coverage by this point. Esredes observed the Dragoon a long moment, then walked over and stood in front of him, holding a hand out. “You don’t have to suffer alone,” he said. “You deserve to have peace, and to be able to grieve with closure.” “I’m not touching your hand.” The Dragoon said. “Put it away. If you’re going to claim to know anything, then you better say it now or else, heretic. I want the truth and nothing else. I am not here to give into the lies of your kind.” “Very well.” Esredes put his hand behind his back. “Sheathe your weapon and I sheathe mine, all right?” The Dragoon did as requested, and Esredes put away his sword. Now both of his hands were clasped behind his back.

“Start from the beginning and tell me what you can of what happened. Any little piece of information could be a lead…”

[emile-hides]

My Hero Pokemon AU

Basic title because I cannot think but I’ve decided I’m just gonna go ahead and rewrite the entire plot of My Hero Academia (current anime) as if it was like... a spin off of the Pokemon Anime? Took place in Pokemon?

Pokemon AU but more than just what Pokemon everyone would have, it’s plot. I’m just not writing it.

This is going to get long and rambley and I have no cool art to pace it out I’m literally rewriting an entire anime plot, but if you’d be so kind as to stick with me that’d be super cool.

So basics are as basics do, Toshinori Yagi is the Pokemon Champion of this world. He’s like the Pokemon Master, he’s more than just a strong battler, he’s also helpful and spends his time growing the bonds between Pokemon and People, making Pokemon more common amongst a world where the idea of keeping a Pokemon for something other than battling was absurd.

There are three ways to get a Pokemon;

The most old fashioned being at 4-6 years old your parent or parental figure will give you an egg from one of their Pokemon, and it’s your job to care for it until it hatches. 

Likewise, a parent or parental figure can also simply pass down a Pokemon from their own team onto a child at age 4 or older. Typically the older Pokemon is more of a guardian for the young trainer than an actual partner

Finally, you can take a Pokemon Personality Test and be gifted a Pokemon by a local professor or even the champion if you reach the right requirements, and pay a kinda hefty fee.

The last option is what Katsuki Bakugou did on his 4th birthday. He was gifted a Cyndaquil. Unlike the usual timid behavior for it’s species, Katsuki’s Cyndaquil was constantly picking fights. The flames on it’s back were always full strength. The two were perfect.

Izuku’s parents were a little more old fashioned. His father is a traveling Pokemon Trainer who’s partner is a Flareon, while his mother’s partner is an Espeon. The two opted to pass an egg from their partners down to Izuku.

He was the only kid in his class who had an egg, and was bullied for it, as he was the only one who couldn’t battle. And of course, the greatest battler of his grade was Katsuki Bakugou, who’s Cyndaquil took out even hand-me down Pokemon.

Still, he believed in the greatness that would hatch from the egg, and cared for it diligently. When his Eevee hatched, the two already shared a closer bond than any other trainer at Izuku’s school.

Eevee, however, was not very strong. He didn’t win any battles at school, and Izuku tended to hesitate as a trainer. Despite his many notes on battling, he could never get the hang of telling Eevee what to do in time. Katsuki loked down at him because of this.

Here’s where I stop being a storyteller for a hot second; The log accident between Katsuki and Izuku is replaced by Katsuki’s Cyndaquil loosing a battle to a wild Pokemon and fainting for the first time. Katsuki wasn’t prepared for this, he didn’t have anything to make Cyndaquil better, and it was actually Izuku and his Eevee who chased off the wild Pokemon and found Oran berries to heal Cyndaquil.

Obviously, neither of them liked that. Because you know. Angy boy has to angy. So Katsuki and his Cyndaquil both hate Izuku and his Eevee for... helping them. Because they don’t need help. They’re strong all on their own. Fuck you Deku.

By middle school Bakugou is still the best battler in his grade and grades above, his Cyndaquil is now a Quilava, soon to be a Typhlosion, and he’s setting his sights on the elite Pokemon Trainers school; UA Highschool.

On the other hand, Midoriya’s Eevee has blatantly refused to evolve any time Midoriya brought it up, and is now more like a house pet than a partner Pokemon. Midoriya has also failed to catch any new Pokemon. He does, however, have notebooks on type advantages, teams, strategy, and move combos. Eevee and Midoriya spend hours researching the perfect next partner to match Eevee. They too want to go to UA.

But that’d be impossible for an unevolved Pokemon as weak as Eevee. And with no other partners to help out it seems like a pipe dream.

Enter All Might, Champion and Pokemon Master. Who’s secret star Pokemon is an unevolved Scorbunny.

In this AU it’s not the act of saving Bakugou from getting his Quilava stolen by a Team LOV Grunt that sparks Toshinori’s drive to train him; But instead, the sync he has with his Pokemon. Both he and Eevee ran into the battle, a loosing battle, against a trainer they could not beat, without saying a word to one another. They both HAD to help. They both HAD to battle.

The connection between Trainer and Pokemon is what really matters, especially when using One for All, which is like a Z-Crystal or Mega Stone. It acts a lot like the Sync moves from Pokemon Masters. The trust between Trainer and Pokemon is gathered and released in an all out attack. It comes with the backlash of draining a Pokemon and Trainer’s life force if used too much. Like a Life Orb in the games, but less number values.

Toshinori and his Scorbunny train Izuku and his Eevee to inherit this power. Any Pokemon can be strong, evolution or not. It’s all about trust and care. A true trainer wins with the Pokemon they like, as Toshinori’s master once taught him.

Okay this post is getting... ridiculously long and we’re barely though episode like 3 when I said I was rewriting the whole plot I meant it. Thankyou to all who have stuck with me thus far, I’ll speed run Class 1-A’s Partner Pokemon real quick for you.

Yuga Ayoama - Carbink he hatched from an egg, he hopes one day to see it evolve into a Diancie

Mina Ashido - Her first Pokemon is her Salazzle she got from a Personality test, but her always out of it’s Pokeball her partner is a Grimer she caught in middle school. She thinks she’s the cutest Pokemon in the world, and likes to dress her up. She also has a Sliggoo who loves hugs.

Tsuyu Asui - Her main Pokemon is her father’s Politoed, though she’s always surrounded by water types. She can be seen cradling Tympol and Poliwag like babies. She also has a Drizzile.

Tenya Iida - Current owner of the family’s Aegishlash after Tensei had the his team stolen and corrupted by Team LOV. Before then his number one Partner was a Shelmet, traded with his brother to evolve into an Accelgor just before the entrance exam for UA.

Ochaco Uraraka - Hatched a Ralts from her parents, upon entering UA it was still a Kirlia. After interning under the Ace Trainer Gunhead it evolved into a Gallade.

Mashirao Ojiro - Specializes in fighting types, his main Pokemon is a Mienshao, though he also has a Mankey and Monferno who are constantly fighting one another, Meinshao, being the oldest, is typically the one to break up these fights. The joke here is his Pokemon have more personality than he does.

Denki Kaminari - Pikachu from a personality test. It’ll evolve into an Alolan Raichu. He also has a Blitzle with Lighting Rod as it’s ability along a Tynamo and a Toxel (Amped) who are both still in training. Very baby.

Ejiro Kirishima - Wants to be a Dragon type gym leader. He has a Druddigon that hated him he caught in middle school, because that’s Crimson Riot’s ace Pokemon. His first Pokemon was his dad’s Gigalith who acts as a dad to his Druddigon.

Koji Koda - His first Pokemon was a Buneary he hatched. It hates him, to this day, it’s best move is Frustration. It wants to be a battler, they only went to UA because it signed up for this school behind his back. He wanted to be a Pokemon Breeder. He also has a Happiny and an Audino.

Rikido Sato - His mom gave him her Pikachu as a starter. It’s currently an Alolan Raichu from the amount of sweets he’s given it. He also has an Alcremie he nursed back to health when it was injured, and a Ribombee.

Mezo Shoji - Has his dad’s Cinccino, an Aipom, and a Grapplot. They’re all very calm and quiet Pokemon, usually just hanging off him in various ways. Cinccino will beat the ass of whoever didn’t clean their dishes in the dorms, though.

Kyoka Jiro - Toxtricity (Low Key) from her dad, and a Mime Jr. that’ll evolve into a Mr. Ryme. She wants to be a strong battler but she also wants to preform in Pokemon Musicals and Contests.

Hanta Sero - Bug type trainer, his two current out of the ball Pokemon are a Caterpie and Sewaddle that are always on his shoulders. His first Pokemon was a Grubbin, currently a Vikavolt. They all know string shot and like to cocoon him whenever possible. On the hunt for a Wurmple next.

Fumikage Tokoyami - His first Pokemon was an Inkay he befriended. Sense evolving into a Malamar it refuses to listen to him, tending to act on it’s own or even hypnotize him to keep him from getting in it’s way. He also seems to attract wild Murkrow whenever he’s outside.

Shoto Todoroki - His Pokemon will get full indepth looks later in the post just know his starter was a Tepig from an egg his dad gave him. The rest of his team are ice types like Weavile and Glalie. He also cares for his mom’s Frosslass and Frosmoth. His room is full of Snom.

Toru Hagakura - Has her mom’s Alolan Ninetails, along with a Kecleon that is almost always invisible. Her Kecleon and Tsyu’s Drizzle are best friends.

Katsuki Bakugo - Obviously his Typholsion which evolved during entrance exams. He also has a Magmortar, a Larvitar he’s training, and a Ferrothorn he has for type coverage.

Izuku Midoriya - We’ll go over the growth of his team in a second, just know for a very long time (around midway though where season 3 is) Eevee was his only Pokemon. Now he has a Breloom as well.

Minoru Mineta - Has a Crogunk from a personality test that poison jabs him everytime he says or does anything pervy like Brock from the Pokemon anime. He also has a Zygarde Core he claims is an extremely rare and very powerful Pokemon.

Momo Yaoyorozu - Magearna is her staple Pokemon, her father bought it for her when she was very little. She also has both a male and female Indeedee.

This is all current as of season 5 teams, so some backstory on where some Pokemon came from may happen later.

That took...longer than expected... Back to plot!

I can’t take too long to talk about the USJ Incident, because it’s not the biggest deal and I’d have to go into pro-hero ie Ace and Veteran Trainer’s Pokemon, along with League of Villain stuff so we’re gonna gloss over this for just a hot second.

Just know LOV is the evil team in this AU. They want to take down the Pokemon League, and AFO wants the OFA gem Toshinori passed down to Izuku.

Sports Festival aka Battle Tournament time:

This is mostly Shoto Todoroki growth and learning.

His father, Enji Todoroki, is an Elite Four member who wants to overthrow the Champion and take his throne. Of course, he never could, so he married rich, Rei Todoroki, and harshly trained his children to be Pokemon Champions.

Shoto’s Tepig, currently a Pignite, is a the direct offspring of Endevor’s Emboar, and he refuses to use it in fear it may evolve and become exactly like his father. Shoto only uses half his team, and distances himself from his one true partner to throw away his father’s legacy.

Pignite, however, demands to battle Izuku and it’s fullest, even when Shoto refuses to allow it.

Izuku is the one to convince him that it’s HIS partner! His FRIEND! That he can trust his Pignite and if he’s too scared to evolve it it doesn’t HAVE to evolve! It’s fine as a Pignite, it fights for YOU Shoto! Put your trust in your partner!

This pushes him to not only use Pignite, but the Pokemon his mother entrusted him with as well, such as her Froslass.

All the meanwhile, Iida discovers his brother, current leader of the Iida Gym, was attacked by Team LOV, his Pokemon were stolen, and he was gravely injured.

Team LOV uses Shadow Pokemon, Pokemon who have closed off their hearts to humans and attack without mercy. Battles end in death, for both the trainer and the Pokemon. Tensei is lucky to still be alive.

All that remains of his trusted team is the family’s Aegishlash, their Grandfather’s first partner, and a trusted Iida family member. Tensei, unable to fully battle without his full team, passes on the Iida family Pokemon to Tenya, along with the promise to one day guard the Gym’s name.

This arc is almost completely without Stain and I genuinely don’t know how to really... incorporate him correctly. His morals are kinda weird to me and getting that to work around Pokemon would be hard. So I’m just making him a Team LOV admin. Sorry Stain, I know you stand for better than this, but I just... Can’t work with it.

Queue Tenya Iida’s bad boy arc, as he goes hunting after Team LOV with plans to shut down the entire organization single-handedly.

Of course this doesn’t work out and he end up in a fight with Team LOV Admin, Stain, who proceeds to kick his teeth in using dirty tactics and shadow Pokemon. This is the most OOC thing that’ll be in this AU I swear I’m so sorry Stain...

During this fight Midoriya starts to really see the backlash of using OFA at it’s limit, as both he and Eevee end up passing out from exhaustion, allowing Stain to get away, landing them both in the hospital.

Grand Torino doesn’t have words to teach Midoriya how to use OFA correctly, he simply gives him an egg and is off on his way. He’ll figure it out, he’s a smart kid.

Izuku spends most of his summer training camp caring for this egg, while everyone else is testing battle match ups, double battles, rotation battles, along with facing against type disadvantages and, of course, catching new team members in the surrounding forest.

Which of course brings us to Team LOV’s attack on the Summer Training Camp, and I’m again going to try and speed run their Pokemon partners, and this time I will be sticking to the Pokemon they have as of the attack on the camp, rather than future teams. Meaning I’m skipping AFO entirely right now. Also Nomu are replaced entirely with Shadow Pokemon.

Tomura Shigaraki (Team Boss) - All of his Pokemon are acquired from AFO, including his main Pokemon, Giratina (Altered Form), Dusknoir, and Golurk. The only Pokemon he has of his own is Banette

Dabi (Team Admin)- His ace is a Charizard constantly in it’s Mega-X form. He also has a Shiny Ponyta, Lampent, and a Shadow Reshiram gifted to him by LOV

Toga (Team Admin)- Her ace is a Ditto that tries to transform into people rather than Pokemon. She treats it like a person and calls it her friend rather than her partner. She also controls shadow versions of The Lake Trio; Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit

Twice (Team Admin)- His ace is a Zweilous, the two heads are constantly fighting and he’s back and forth on stopping them. He’s not a very competent trainer and tends to give double commands. He’s in charge of a Shadow Kyurem.

Muscular (Team Admin)- Could care less about his bond with his Pokemon, they’re all shadow Pokemon. Machamp, Heracross, Hariyama, and Conkeldurr. He also has a Buzzwole, though it doesn’t seem to be a shadow Pokemon.

Spinner (Grunt)- Scyther, Escavalier, and Shedinja.

Magne (Grunt)- Plusle, Minun, and a Morpeko. Supports Spinner in Double Battles, she’s not a direct fighter.

Mr. Compress (Grunt)- Mr. Mime is is ace, he also as a Mr. Ryme and a Clefairy. They all know Metronome and use it even when he tells them not to.

Mustard (Grunt)- Wheezing, Dustox, Stunky, and Amoongus. Very defensive.

Moonfish (Grunt)- Has too many Unown. Are they even his Pokemon? They just kinda surround him and attack all at once. He does not give them any commands. Is he even alive? He doesn’t seem to move much.

Moonfish, Mustard, and Muscular all get captured, their Pokemon are moved into protective custody, Shadow Pokemon are treated and rehabilitated. And of course, Bakugo is kidnapped by the evil team.

During the raid on Team LOV’s hideout, Ace Trainers, Gym Leaders, and Elite Four members manage to contain all shadow Pokemon and transport them to safer facilities, though with plenty of struggle.

All for One fight happens, and true anime style, Toshinori’s ace, Scorbunny, manages to take down AFO’s Giritina (Origin Form), allowing for his capture. With the cost of revealing to the world the toll OFA has taken on both Toshinori and his partner.

I wish I could find some way to talk about the Dorm episode because it and the first episode of season 4 are easily my favorite episodes. They’re just so cute, and it’d only be cuter with partner Pokemon and growing bonds and all that. Please take this moment to appreciate those episodes.

Moving into the Dorms is about the right time for Izuku’s egg from Grand Tirino to hatch! Surprise! It’s a... Shroomish?? Granted he’s a bit confused at first, but Toshinori helps a bit. He won’t just give him the answer of course. What kind of teacher does that?

Izuku realizes he can’t put too much of OFA’s strain on just his Eevee, he need to lessen the weight on his partner. He talks to Shroomish about it, explain how it works and says if he doesn’t want to battle, he doesn’t have to.

But of course Shroomish wants to battle! It wants great power and to be best friends with Midoriya and Eevee!

Shroomish evolves during license training, which I’m not 100% positive how to translate into this AU... I’m so sorry to both the Provisional License (which has some of the best characters) and Stain for just completely glossing over whatever it is you all do but I just wanna keep going I’ve been writing for 8 hours straight now.

Internships time. I know there’s a lot of really REALLY good characters in this arc. Super cool, full of personality and the ability to go ham wild on their Pokemon teams is diving me wild rn but like the story of this arc is also super wild so I’ll spare y’all my ten page essay on Fatgum’s Pokemon, unless you wanna come into my ask box and ask for that spesifically, I will give it to you.

We’ll just do The big Three and move on:

Mirio Togata - His starter was defenetly a Ghastly, currently a Gengar full of love and laughs. He also has a Togekiss, Gliscor, and a Heracross. They’re all very happy, fun loving Pokemon, who trust eachother and Mirio very closely.

Neijire Hado - She started with a Mareep, now an Ampharos, she’s also currently caring for a Smoochum, and a Vibrava. Her Pokemon are constantly full of energy.

Tamaki Amajiki - He got a Smeargle from his Pokemon Personality test as a starter, much like him his Smeargle is very shy about it’s art, only showing it to Tamaki, Mirio, and Mirio’s Heracross. Her also has a Skrelp who doesn’t like to battle, and a Drifblim he hides behind.

Eri is a little girl currently plagued by Darkrai’s nightmares. Overhaul is using these nightmares to create the serum that turns Pokemon into Shadow Pokemon. His goal is to separate people and Pokemon permanently.

Because of her constant nightmares, Eri is terrified of Pokemon, and is always weary around them, especally if they are bigger than her.

Just like in the main story, Mirio and Izuku run into Eri while on patrol, and immedetly know something’s wrong, but can’t do anything, letting her slip back into the hands of Overhaul.

The Yakuza, in this AU, run the Pokemon Daycare as a front, thus they have a lotta eggs. During the raid of the base, Twice’s Zweilious, evolved into Hydreigeon, finds and gets attached to one such egg. He eventually gifts it to Toga.

During the battles of the raid, Overhaul turns quiet a few Pokemon into Shadow Pokemon, including Nighteyes’ ace, Xatu, who in the rage induced by becoming shadowed, attacks and gravely wounds Nighteye.

Mirio’s team does their best as well, but his team are also stripped of their hearts and bonds. Even so, he keeps fighting. He pushes them to please, keep going, for Eri! So she can know the joy of having her own Pokemon some day, and be free of all this pain!

He manages to keep them fighting until Izuku shows up, though by then he’s taken the brunt of quiet a few of his own Pokemon’s attacks and can no longer stand.

When the dust all settals, the Shadow Pokemon are gathered and slept for their own saftey. Eri’s grandfather, the Yakuza Boss, is still in a coma. In his room police find an egg, a gift meant for Eri, her first Pokemon.

But she’s still too scared of Pokemon to accept it.

School Festival time; Time to go after Jiro’s true passion: Pokemon Preformances!

I have a personal weakness for the Pokemon Musicals from Black and White, and it fits this little section here where they all put on a concert with singing and dancing and the whole idea of Jiro and Denki’s Toxtricitys jamming together on stage is making me soft so like

That’s what happens

And it helps Eri get over her fear of Pokemon. Not entrily all at once, but for a moment, just a moment, all these Pokemon having fun, dancing and singing, wearing cute little clothes just... Makes her so happy! 

So.

That’s the plot thus far, as of anime standards, that’s about where I am and it’s almost all my thoughts. I have a few miscellaneous things to clean up, sense I know quiet a few manga bits, so feel free to stop here if your an Anime causual like me.

Also! If I didn’t include someone’s team and you’d like to know, or you want to judge me on my reasons for giving certain people certain Pokemon, send me an ask. I’ll gladly explain. I have explinations. A lot of them.

OKAY MISCELLANEOUS TIME NOW:

Eri’s egg from her grandfather has a Celebi in it, the cure to Shadow Pokemon. I’m not sure when it’ll hatch, but she takes care of it every day.

Mirio actually still has his team! They’re just shadow Pokemon now, so they rarely listen to him and often attack him. He doesn’t particapate in real battles anymore, for fear his Pokemon will hurt someone else, but he still trains and plays with them the best he can! He’s constantly covered in scratches and bites.

Dabi’s charizard was given to him as a Charmander by his dad. His father claimed he wasn’t a good trainer because he cared and cried too much when his Pokemon got hurt, and took the Charmander from him. In this AU, Dabi isn’t believed dead, he just ran away from home after taking his Charmander back.

Team LOV actually made Charizard X, as theories say it’s a man-made mega evolution form and I think that’s cool, and Dabi forced it onto his partner. Charizard ended up nearly killing Dabi with it’s sudden strength.

Kurogiri is a Shadow Marshadow forcibly possessing Oboro Shirakumo, he has no Pokemon of his own, nor does he battle. Shirakumo isn’t dead in this AU, just possessed. Kinda in a coma?

After Twice dies, Toga takes care of his Hydreigeon. The egg he gave her hatches after he’s dead, and it’s a Zorua. She tells it all about Twice, refering to him as the Zorua’s daddy because I just think that’s cute leave me be. Hydreigeon is a VERY good parental Pokemon to Zorua.

With the loss of Muscular, Mr. Compress is promoted to admin and given a Hoopa, which he chooses to confine to it’s smaller, weaker form. It’s the only legendary Pokemon that Team LOV has that isn’t a Shadow Pokemon.

[secretficblog]

In another life - Chapter 1 - Poe Dameron x Reader

Summary:  Long before there were new Jedi, before the fight between the Resistance and the First Order came to an end, there was just a young man, skilled in flying anything he could get his hands on, with the urge to be something greater. Then there was you. You broke him 

Rating: M for smut in later chapters

Now on ao3, come say hi if you want to! 

Warnings: both of them are idiots, I feel like I only write idiots with zero communication skills, you’ll see; little angsty but not to much; you dumped him; 

no use of y/n 

Word count: 1,999 

chapter 2 here

Let me know if you’re enjoying this, I’m already 6k words in, I will be switching PoVs in between chapters. 

You blinked carefully, the ringing in your ears slowly subsiding. The explosion in front of your hiding spot had cost at least three of the people you were taking cover with their lives. You could hear the sound of X-Wings above you as the Resistance landed and pushed the First Order troopers further back from the spot you were seeking shelter in with a few of the village’s children. 

Years ago, when you had decided to stop mindlessly traveling through the galaxy, running away from problems and emotions long pushed aside now, and settled on the mostly empty swamp planet you had been glad for the peace and quiet the small village brought with it. The villagers had warmed up to you quickly after you had gotten a chance to prove that you were not a threat to their secluded life but an asset. 

Right now you were cursing the fact that this planet had been mostly untouched by the First Order. Due to the secluded lifestyle most of the inhabitants of the village were farmers and while they were very capable of hunting down the local wildlife they were not trained to evade blaster fire. Of course it was just your luck that the First Order had picked this planet to make their own. You supposed you were indeed slightly lucky because the Resistance was here too. The thought that they were here to protect the more helpless people in the galaxy was nice, but you knew better than that. They probably wanted the planet as a base for themselves. The pilots were pushing the troopers back further and you saw how a few of them broke away from the squad, trying to sneak behind the Resistance ships. 

“Not today, bucketbrains”, you muttered and made eye contact with the other two people left to protect the village’s children. “Stay.”, you commanded, “Do what you must to protect them.” You raised your blaster, a relic of a life left behind, and left your initial place of coverage. The time you had spent living here gave you a clear advantage and you snuck up on the first pair of troopers undetected, trees and greenery providing a perfect cover for your task, taking one out by quietly leaping at him from behind and breaking his neck. You had picked up his Z6 before the other one had a chance to turn around and you thrust the baton into the space between armor and helmet of the second trooper. “Kriffing riot control”, you muttered, stepping over the body. 

Baton in your dominant hand and blaster in the other you advanced, spotting two more troopers ready to aim at the Rebels from behind. Quickly you aimed your blaster at the one closer to you, aiming costing you slightly more concentration than it would with your other hand. He fell down with a thud but you decided to fire again for good measure. As the second trooper turned you took cover behind a tree, switching hands on your weapons. He looked around wildly and decided to turn back towards the Rebels, willing to take at least one of them with him if he had to die. “Pilots, watch out!”, you yelled stepping out from behind the tree and aiming at the trooper. He had already pulled the trigger by the time your shot made him drop down but your yell had made the pilots turn and lead to the shot that was aimed at one pilots heart going into their shoulder instead. The remaining troopers were boarding ship, leaving the planet’s surface. 

You stepped out of the woods and hollered “You okay?” into the direction of the X-Wings. Another pilot had climbed the X-Wing that belonged to the injured one and was helping them out of the cockpit. A third was approaching you. 

“Thanks to you we are. Jessika Pava the name.” You nodded politely, stating your name as she walked you towards the X-Wings. 

“Well hello, you really saved our asses just now!”, one of the pilots next to the X-Wings said.“ 

Pava heaved herself up, top half disappearing in her X-Wing. “Black Leader, this is Black Three, Black Leader, come in please.”, she spoke into her comms. 

They crackled to life as a distorted male voice replied “Black Three, this is Black Leader, you good?” 

“Wexley got hit but one of the villagers took down some troopers and basically saved his ass.”

“Wexley, Kun, Pava, you’re magical, well done. Black Leader landing.” 

“You’re not so bad yourself, Dameron.”, Pava laughed. 

Dameron. There was no kriffing way it was him. The were many people with that name in the galaxy. Didn’t mean he was your Dameron. Not that he was yours anyway, you both had clarified that. 

Memories you had worked so hard to suppress were forcefully pooling into your mind. The world around you was blurring, the air suddenly smelled suspiciously like a night in the streets of Kijimi. This couldn’t be. You saw another X-Wing approaching and your heart sped up. There was no way of telling that it was even him but your body still reacted to the idea of him being near you like it did all those years ago. You only noticed that you were holding your breath when you let it out in a big gush of air as the ship touched the ground. The cockpit opened up and a figure swung out, still hidden behind the body of the ship. 

“You know guys, I’m really freaking proud of you, showing those bucketbrains how it’s done. I think we deserve a go-”, his voice faltered as he rounded the ship, eyes landing on you. You wanted to snort at him using the exact same insult you had but all air left your lungs. He looked even better than the day you left, soft curls peaking out from underneath his helmet, clad in a worn bright orange flight suit. It was unmistakably him, Poe kriffing Dameron. 

Your eyes met his and the look of hurt that washed over his dark orbs and settled into them made your stomach churn. You wanted to say something, anything really, but you couldn’t form words. He seemed to be having the same problem, lips moving slightly without a sound coming out. The Black Squadron had noticed the tension and you could see them uneasily shifting and whispering the corner of your eye. When he finally settled on something to say it came out strangled. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Poe, I-”, you started. He huffed. “No, don’t bother. None of my business, eh?”, you had never heard his voice sound so bitter when he addressed you but you guessed you deserved it. 

“Did you save my squadron?”, he inquired. You shifted under his gaze, still trying to find the right words. The man, Wexley you remembered, chimed in.

 “Oh she absolutely did. Could be planning my funeral otherwise, Commander.”

Commander. The title suited him. You knew he was wearing it with pride. “Course you did”, Poe muttered, still looking at you. “Alright, Black Squadron with me, let’s check up on the people around here.” 

Wexley huffed out a big breath, trying – unsuccessfully – to comply to his commanders orders. Pava rushed to him, supporting his body weight. “No offense, Commander but I think we might need to let Wexley head home early.” Poe nodded in agreement. 

Wexley looked him in the eye and said “Maybe you should take her”, jerking his head at you, “she seems to know what she’s doing around here.” Resentment settled on Poe’s sharp features, eyes darting between his crew and you. Tiredness took over soon after and he sighed. 

Directly addressing you he said “You’re with Pava.” Nodding curtly, you turned around to the woman, who was stripping off her helmet, revealing beautifully sleek hair and a pretty facial structure. A pang of jealously bloomed in your chest, wondering if Poe had looked at her before and thought of her as beautiful too. You had no right to feel that way but that didn’t stop your insides from uncomfortably twisting at the thought. 

You motioned you fingers in the direction of the hideout and Pava followed you. As you approached you yelled “It’s me, don’t shoot!”. The fact that there was no reply made you grow antsy and you shared an uneasy look with Pava, who was about to say something as you raised a gloved finger to your lips. You held your other hand to your ear, motioning for her to listen quietly. Sneaking close to the entrance both of you could hear the strong electrical buzz of another shock baton. Your eyes widened looking over at Pava who had unmistakably heard the same thing. Kriff, kriff, kriff. 

“No other way in”, you mouthed. “Gotta overpower them, contact Poe” His given name slipped out of your mouth so easily, word caressing your tongue like a melting piece of chocolate. The familiarity that was still lingering after years made you shift with uneasiness. 

Pava clicked a button on the side of the comlink on her wrist and straightened her shoulders. “You go high, I go low”, you whispered. She nodded. The cave was filled with cowering children, one of the villagers you had left behind was on the floor, cold eyes staring up at the ceiling of the cave. The other was standing in front of the children, arms stretched out wide as to protect them. 

Two troopers were standing in the centre of the cave, one with his baton at ready, one pointing a blaster at the last remaining villager. Pava and you shared a quick look, your head jerked towards the Riot Trooper and then you pointed at yourself. Pava nodded, staying back, weapon trained on the other trooper. Stealthily you snuck up on the trooper, lifting the Z6 you were still carrying around and, without activating it, jammed the end of it under the front of the troopers helmet, pressing it against his neck. A grugling sound escaped his throat as you tightened your arms around the baton, pressing the trooper into your chest while he struggled, jamming his own baton into your arm several times. You couldn’t let go now and after a few seconds he finally went slack in your arms. 

The other trooper had been alarmed by the noises of his companion but Pava had reacted faster than he possibly could and shot him right trough the helmet. Both of you turned to each other and shared a slight grin, you thought that you might have been good friends in another life. One where you stuck around instead of breaking Poe’s heart maybe. 

As if on cue, Dameron stormed into the cave, blaster drawn and looking around frantically, the other pilot right on his heels. His wide eyes landed on you and some of the tension left his shoulders and his lips mouthed what could have been your name, your vision was becoming slightly blurry. Noticing his momentary slip up he straightened his back immediately. 

Not looking at you again he strode over to the village’s children and the last remaining grown villager around. “My name is Commander Poe Dameron, I’m with the Resistance. Let me help you.” The sound of his voice, so silky smooth yet official, made your knees weak. He had grown into his new position finely, authority making his chest puff slightly when he talked but not obnoxiously so. You felt the overwhelming urge to sit down and sank onto a nearby rock. 

Pava knelt down next to you, smiling. “We’re a pretty great team, don’t you think?”, she said. You nodded, room spinning slightly as you did. “You’re cool, Pava.”, you said. Her brows knitted together at the slight slurring in your voice. “Are you hurt?”, she asked and you lifted the arm the trooper had shocked very slightly, feeling the adrenaline rush leave your body. Pava gasped and the world around you went black.

[queen-scribbles]

Acceptable Risk

Art trade fic for the extremely patient @theheroofoakvale, exploring if Shepard’s recruiting Thane had gone a little.... differently.

-----

The door opened with a quiet hiss, and Shepard’s entry was greeted with the raised barrels of several assault rifles. The mercenaries, however, paused before opening fire, despite being confronted by three heavily armed individuals pointing guns back at them.

The asari in the middle of the cluster--clad for business rather than combat--spun to face them, her eyes widening. “Shepard?!”

Shepard smirked, centered his pistol on her. “Nassana.”

There was a muffled clatter in the ceiling that had the mercenaries’ attention swiveling upward. Her posture shifted defensive. “You’re dead.”

“I got better,” he retorted, and shot her in the throat.

Her bodyguards zeroed back in on him and his team, torn between them and the threat above, and that was their undoing. A dark figure dropped from one of the ceiling vents, and Shepard used that moment of distraction to take out two of them. When the remaining mercs focused in on him, the dark figure punched one in the throat and shot the other center mass. The few that were left went down quickly.

Massani and Vakarian kept their guns up, leveled at the late arrival, a drell, as he stood in the middle of the carnage, eyes fixed in an unblinking, regretful stare at Nassana Dantius’ body.

“Sorry if I stole your kill,” Shepard said after letting the silence go as long as he could tolerate. His pistol hung at his side in a loose grip, ready if he needed it. He didn’t think he would.

“I was not here for her, though the galaxy is no less for her removal,” the drell said softly, finally looking up from the dead woman and blinking just before he met Shepard’s gaze. “I am here for you.”

Behind him, Massani muttered a quiet curse and Vakarian tightened his grip on his gun, but Shepard didn’t even flinch. “I did wonder. Dantius hardly seems worth the time for someone of your... reputation.”

“And yet you still came,” the drell said, clasping his hands behind him and looking in no rush to kill anyone.

“She used me.” He let the barest edge of a snarl color the words. “I can go along with a likely trap if it gives me an excuse for payback. Also,” he took half a step forward, “seemed the best way to meet you, Krios. We need to talk.”

Thane Krios did not look at all perturbed that his target knew who he was. His expression remained impassive as he studied Shepard’s face. “Do we? What about?”

“I need your help on a mission. You can feel free to continue trying to kill me after we’re done.”

“Why?” Krios asked, still studying Shepard’s face.

“Why, what?”

“Why do you need me? Why should I help instead of killing you now?”

Shepard laughed darkly. “The fucking galaxy is at stake, I need the best of the best, even if they are out for my blood.” Another half step forward, Vakarian and Massani following this time until he waved them back. “As for the second question.... I know some things about you, Krios. I know you’re dying, and I know you have a son.” His pistol folded in on its clip as he crossed his arms and stared hard at the assassin. “And where he is. I imagine you’d hate for something to happen to him before you had a chance to mend fences.”

Three rapid blinks, a sharp breath, posture unchanged, but it was the most reaction Krios had shown in this conversation. “And would you make this...   something happen if I say no, Shepard?”

His calm was impressive. Shepard wondered if it was an easier illusion to maintain with eyes that had neither pupils nor iris to betray strong emotion. “If I have to. I need the best, Krios, which is you. Don’t really care how I get your cooperation.”

Krios was silent for a long moment. “This threat must be grave indeed for you to employ such measures.”

He was nigh impossible to read, but the slight shift of his clasped hands was hint enough. “I’m hunting an enemy who’s abducting human colonies and has ties to the Reapers, I’d call that pretty damn grave. Like I said, you can resume trying to kill me if we survive. What’s it gonna be?”

Another heavy pause, though shorter. “You have left me only one viable option if I care about my son.”

Shepard arched a brow.

“I will assist. Consider this a pause in the contract on your life.”

“Good enough for me.” Shepard cast a smug glance at Dantius’ corpse, then turned to exit the room. “We’re done here, so you can either come with us or meet us at the ship.”

“I will meet you shortly. I have a few personal effects to gather,” Krios said.

“Alright. We’re on a clock, so don’t dilly dally,” Shepard replied, and motioned their departure to Vakarian and Massani.

“What’s to stop him from shooting you on our way down?” Vakarian muttered as they headed for the elevator. “He’s already planning to kill you and you threatened his kid.”

Massani beat Shepard to the answer. “Doesn’t know if there’s a dead man’s switch on that something happenin’ to his boy if Shepard bites it.” He chuckled darkly and smirked at Shepard. “What the hell’d you do to earn a death mark, anyway?” 

Shepard shrugged, watching the blur of downward travel out the elevator’s glass-paned wall. “Hell if I know, Massani. Certainly pissed off enough people for there to be some options.”

The mercenary gave a rough laugh and slapped him on the shoulder. “Wear like a badge of fucking honor, kid. Means you got someone real riled up.”

---

Krios was, as promised, aboard the Normandy well within an hour. His personal effects he’d gone to collect were few enough to fit in a small shoulder satchel that he politely refused to let anyone inspect. (Lawson was not happy when Shepard told her to drop it, clearly suspicious of allowing an assassin on board without first vetting his gear.) He settled in life support at EDI’s suggestion, and ruffled no feathers with the rest of the crew, unless you counted Taylor’s mistrust of his career in general.

“What will be expected of me, Commander?” Krios asked, in that same modulated tone he’d used on Illium.

“No shipboard duties, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Shepard said. He leaned against the wall by the door and studied Krios. “You can do as you like here. When we have missions, I may want you to come watch my six, if your skillset seems a good fit.”

“I see.” He folded his hands, elbows braced against the small worktable at which he sat. There was a hesitation under the words that almost rang in the air.

“If there’s something else you wanna say, now’s the time,” Shepard prodded. He didn’t have time to be gentle prying out secrets or whatever.

“My son,” Krios said, words measured and careful. “You say you know where he is. Would you be willing to share that knowledge?”

Shepard mulled it over, weighing the value of his options. “In time,” he finally said. “We have a couple pressing assignments that are more important than family reunions. But if we hit a point with some free time I’ll let you know.”

Krios nodded, his expression unreadable as ever. “Very well, Shepard.”

“One thing I need to know from you,” Shepard began, pushing away from the wall, “is if whatever’s killing you will affect your abilities in a fight.”

“It shouldn’t, not yet.” He paused for the space of a few blinks. “I should have several months at least before the symptoms become noticeable even to myself. More than enough time to complete your mission, if it is as urgent as you make you sound.”

“Is that something you doubt, Krios?” 

“Not at all.” Krios pushed to his feet and crossed the room to examine a rack of spare rifle parts. “Even someone of your reputation would have to be on a mission of urgency to blackmail an assassin sent to kill you into helping your cause. I simply mean this threat seems the type where a decisive outcome will be reached swiftly; whether in victory or destruction. Well within the time I have before functionality is... affected.”

“Good.” Shepard nodded. “Not sure when I’ll need you, but I want to be sure you’ll be worth it when the times comes.” He left the room, noting Krios’ undertone murmur as he did, and from the cadence wondered what the assassin was praying for.

---

Shepard first tested him on something that seemed of no consequence; a mercenary base on a backwater planet trafficking stolen eezo. Thane did his job, no more no less, all the while making note of how the man fought. The risks he thought worth taking, the sacrifices that were acceptable cost, the balance of recklessness and cunning. It was not a complete picture, not off one mission, and Thane wouldn’t act on what he’d gleaned even if it were.

Not with the blade the commander had hung over Kolyat. Not with the hope of learning where his son might be. Patience was the hallmark of an assassin, after all; knowing when to strike as well as how. And Thane had been an assassin a very long time. He could wait.

Especially as conversations with others aboard the ship painted a clearer and clearer picture of the mission’s scope. A trip through the Omega 4 relay was very likely to be suicidal just on its own. Destroying whatever these Collectors used as a base doubly so. When Shepard made ‘if we survive’ comments, he wasn’t joking. Thane could wait. He could help with the mission--it was a worthy goal after all, one he would have assisted in accomplishing without the threats--and then resume his contract.

After the mercenary base was eliminated, and easily, Shepard made use of Thane’s skills a few more times. Usually on missions with plentiful shadow coverage and good sight lines.

“How’re you holding up?” Garrus asked on one such mission, the two of them picking off targets from a bit of a distance while Shepard made viciously short work of the battlefield.

“I’ve had worse assignments.” Thane’s rifle kicked against his shoulder and the krogan he’d been targeting dropped. He fired another shot, just to be safe, and watched the body jerk then lay still, before searching out another target. “What of you?”

Garrus snorted, took down his own target. “I’m  here because he’s my... friend” --there was a brief hesitation, as if the turian wasn’t completely sure that was the right word--”and I trust that whatever he’s doing is worth whatever it costs to accomplish.”

“You’ve fought alongside him before.”

“Against Sovereign, yeah.” Garrus’ mandible twitched as he focused on sighting in another shot. “This feels different.”

He didn’t elaborate, and it was only a few moments more for them the claim victory and press further on with their mission.

Thane watched Shepard, and wondered what had changed in the eyes of his friend.

---

It was after the derelict Reaper, after adding a geth to their mix, that Thane’s patience paid off. At least in part.

“Your kid’s on the Citadel,” Shepard informed him out of the blue. “Lucky for you, Vakarian has some unfinished business there as well, and the techs need some time to integrate the IFF to the Normandy’s systems. I can spare a side trip for personal issues while they get that squared away. Be ready to go in an hour.”

Thane didn’t protest. Didn’t question. He could ask for details on approach to the Citadel.

They set a cold knot in his gut when he learned them. “He’s here to kill someone,” Shepard said bluntly, and all Thane could think was Like father, like son. That was not a path he’d ever wanted for Kolyat. Shepard didn’t have a lot of details, just that Kolyat was there. Apparently even Cerberus’ resources had limits.

They spoke to a C-Sec officer, then to Mouse at his suggestion--Thane was surprised but pleased he was still alive--both conversations Shepard kept as short as possible. Clearly he was not in the mood to waste time. Thane wished that hadn’t involved the commander breaking Mouse’s nose, but couldn’t muster much sympathy when the same proved true of Kelham once they got his name and interrogated him.

“We have some time, not a lot of it,” Shepard growled. “And we still need to find Sidonis when we’re done with your shit, Krios.” He turned to Captain Bailey.  “What can you tell me about this Talid Kelham wants dead?”

The picture Bailey painted--up and coming turian politician, vocally anti-human and gaining support--made it obvious why Kelham would want Talid gone. He had to be very bad for business. He was also in a very vulnerable position currently; pressing flesh on a walk through the Wards with only one or two bodyguards along for protection.

Thane had to admit surprise when Shepard was alright with them splitting up to track Talid and (hopefully) find Kolyat.

“You can’t find him alone any more than I can,” Shepard commented with a sharp smile s he and Garrus headed for the catwalks. “Stay sharp, Krios.”

As if he would do otherwise. Still, he bowed his head and asked Amonkira for strength and guidance before he vanished into the shadows, hoping they weren’t too late to save his son from a very familiar dark path.

Are you really surprised? a voice inside him mocked as Thane picked his route along catwalks and ducts, through shadows and crowds. Even if he hates you, that’s the example you left.

He shook it off. He didn’t have the luxury of internal debate right now. He had to pick out his route on the fly, keep in touch with Shepard and Garrus, plot out several ways to handle the situation that all depended on Kolyat’s behavior. And he didn’t know his own son well enough to predict that, so his solutions were all loosely structured ideas at best. Some plan was better than none.

It was a close thing, despite their best efforts. Kolyat spooked, shot the bodyguards and dragged Talid into his apartment with a gun to his head.

Shepard was only a step behind once Kolyat broke cover and very quickly had a gun pointed at him.

Thane went very still, watching this standoff. He didn’t know Shepard well enough to know what the man would do, but he knew what C-Sec protocols would be, and he could hear their approach. Shepard had been very clear about the limited time they had for this side trip, the fastest resolution--which would also fulfill C-Sec’s mandate to keep Talid alive--would end with his son dead, and Shepard was not a patient man.

Kolyat’s anger blazed, even from across the room, and he was far from willing to cooperate, his pistol pressed to the back of Talid’s head.

The loud crack of a pistol shot nearly made Thane flinch, his chest squeezing in protest at the thought of his failure. Just this one thing, I wanted to fix just this.

But Shepard’s shot snapped Talid’s head back, not Kolyat’s. The turian collapsed in a spray of dark blood and Kolyat recoiled. In that moment of distraction, Thane surged forward and twisted the pistol out of Kolyat’s hands, unsure if the tremor was adrenaline or rage.

Shepard was talking to an incensed Bailey; “No one will miss a racist asshole, I did you a favor”, but Thane’s focus was all on his son. 

“This was not the best way,” he said softly.

“What do you know?” Kolyat hissed back, struggling against Thane’s unrelenting grip.

“More than you might think.”

Kolyat yanked away as if the contact had burned him. Fury simmered in his eyes, and resentment, but he was alive. C-Sec would still have to take him in for what he’d been ready to do(attempted murder? That would likely be the charge), there would be consequences for what he tried to do, and Thane didn’t know if they even could “mend fences” as Shepard had put it. But he was alive. And hopefully could be deterred from a path Thane wouldn’t wish anyone to tread.

“Krios,” Shepard barked and Thane pulled himself out of his reverie watching C-Sec lead Kolyat away. But rather than Time to go, the commander nodded after the arresting officers. “Massani can help with tracking down Fade. You have until we’re done. I wouldn’t count on more than an hour or two.”

Thane blinked, thrown off kilter by the gesture, but recovered quickly.  “Understood.” He’d taken three steps after the C-Sec officers before he stopped and turned. “...Thank you, Shepard.”

The man waved him off, already walking away with Garrus in his wake.

---

An hour and a half didn’t go very far working through a decade of distance, but it was a start.

“Why do you stay with him?” Kolyat asked when Thane’s comms crackled with a heads-up Shepard and the others were on their way back and he stood. “If... this” --a quick gesture, more a flick of the wrist than anything, between the two of them-- “is so important?”

For you. In more ways than one. “Shepard’s mission is... critical. And there is, unfortunately, a time limit on saving the galaxy.”

Kolyat snorted at his father’s dry humor. “Right.”

“I will keep in touch,” Thane promised. “Perhaps we can meet again once this is finished. If you would like.” If I survive.

“...We’ll see.” Kolyat was staring at the table rather than him, but Thane would take it.

He nodded and headed for the door. “Very well.”

“Does he have something on you?” Kolyat asked abruptly. “With the reputation Shepard’s made, he doesn’t seem the type honorable people would be following.”

“I have made no claims of honor,” Thane said quietly, hand on the door frame.  “And with  the stakes of mission, some sacrifices may prove necessary.”

“Sounds familiar,” Kolyat muttered.

Thane made no reply, and didn’t look back as he left the room with a cold weight in his chest.

---

It ha been the right call letting Krios reconnect with his son. He seemed more centered, more focused, for having dealt with his baggage. Probably that whole ‘something to live for’ schtick. Shepard only cared that Krios did his job and the mending bond made the kid an even more effective pressure point.

Not that Krios had ever protested. Ever balked. But everyone had their limit, and if he happened to find the assassin’s, it never hurt to have a brute force solution in your arsenal. Especially as they were very close to actually pursuing the Collectors through the Omega 4 relay.

“Just a few more tests,” Lawson assured him. They wanted it to work right, after all. It’d be a real short trip otherwise.

“So,” he asked Krios, “out of morbid curiosity, who wants me dead?” There were plenty of options, he wanted to know who wanted it badly enough to hire an assassin. And it wasn’t like he currently had anything better to do with his time. 

Krios cocked his head, a flicker of what might have been amusement crossing his face. “I cannot tell you, Shepard.”

Shepard snorted and arched a brow. “Client confidentiality?”

“Client anonymity,” the drell corrected.

“You let some faceless coward point you at a target with my body count?”

“As you know, I am dying,” Krios said in that implacable tone of his. “Odds of survival were... far from troubling, as a factor.”

“And odds of success?” Shepard retorted.

This time there was definitely a small smile before Krios schooled his expression neutral. Not mocking or cocky, just... amused. “There is a first time for everything.” The faint amusement was gone when he locked eyes with Shepard. “How will we handle this, commander? When we are finished our mission, assuming we both survive, and I resume my contract to kill you?”

“Feel like giving me a day’s lead?” Shepard grinned sardonically.

“I could be persuaded,” Krios said. He shifted in his chair. “Let us see how things progress, shall we?”

You’d never know to look at the man he’d been... convinced to help with this by threat of harm to his son. He seemed perfectly at home, posture easy. He didn’t talk to the crew much, Shepard knew from EDI, but it was hardly surprising an assassin was accustom to solitude.

As if summoned by his brief thought of her, a glowing sphere materialized on the AI kiosk. “Shepard, Miss Lawson wished you informed that the IFF installation is in its final stage. For the shakedown we will need complete access to the Normandy’s systems, so it is recommended you use the shuttle for whatever you plan to undertake next.”

“Got it,: Shepard tossed in vaguely the direction of the AI. “That’ll make things tight,” he muttered to himself. He had something in mind that would likely need the whole team. They’d fit in the shuttle, but it would be tight. Last thing he needed was Lawson and Jack killing each other before they even hit the Collector base.

Krios was eyeing him with curiosity. “Commander?”

“Gear up,” Shepard said, heading for the door. “Got a search and recover that might take all hands.”

The assassin nodded and pushed to his feet, heading for his locker. “Very well.”

---

Their mission went well. Things on the Normandy in their absence, not so much. Shepard left a fully-staffed state of the art warship an returned to a picked-clean husk manned only by his pilot and the now-unshackled AI.

The Collectors had bloodied his nose, cost him his crew. Again. He’d had it.  “Ship’s not getting any more ready than it is. Joker, head for the Omega 4 relay.”

“Aye, aye,” came the determined, hungry reply.The pilot was probably even more eager than Shepard to punch back at the bug-eyed bastards.

Unlike Joker--and probably the others--Shepard viewed getting the crew back as a secondary objective to taking out the Collectors. The threat they posed to humanity ended now.

Get us there was his order, and that didn’t change when they came out of the relay having to dodge starship wreckage, or when they were harried by drones, or even when a fucking occulus busted into the hold.

“Krios, Massani, with me!” he barked, rifle in hand, listening to the scrape and thud of wreckage and lasers ricocheting off the upgraded hull on the way to the bowels of the ship. By the time they had trashed the occulus, Joker had them past the debris field and the drones, and a new problem had arisen.

New, but familiar--the same Collector vessel that he had encountered numerous times before. But this time, the Normandy had sharper teeth. “Let ‘em have it!” he ordered, a command Joker follow with alacrity Darting, looping, dodging, the pilot had them dancing around the larger ship, deftly avoiding the beam that had been their destruction before.

The surge of satisfaction at destroying the vessel was short lived, as it erupted in a fireball more than large enough to knock the Normandy into a crazy, barely controlled descent that could more bluntly be called a crash.

“Everyone alive?” Shepard checked over comms. When that was affirmative, he followed with, “Assemble in the CIC.”

This was it. A quick rundown of schematics pulled from the vessel and what he expected to find inside, a victory whatever it takes reminder, and it was time to go.

---

Than prayed silently to Amonkira as they disembarked from the Normandy. Let our hands strike true, and victory be worth the cost. There would be a cost, of this he was sure. He was familiar enough with Shepard’s methods by now there was little room for doubt. If I am among that cost, please guide my son, that his steps may trace a better path.

He wondered, if he should fall, whether his client would hire someone else to complete the task of killing Shepard or if they would let it go. He hoped it wouldn’t come  to that. He wanted to survive, to speak more with Kolyat before the end, but it would be what it was.

They split into groups, Shepard leading Thane and Zaeed, Garrus the rest of them, to serve as distractions while Tali crawled through the vents to let them pass. It was a good call; the Collectors swarmed thick enough any other plan would likely have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. They were not given the luxury of time for sighting in targets, so Thane stuck with his pistol--and occasionally biotics--firing, reloading, firing, with the odd interruption to scrounge more thermal clips because he’d run out.

Shepard’s back and forth with Garrus and Tali was just background noise, like the beating wings of their foes, as Thane gave his focus to the task at hand.

Tali stumbled out of the vent just as they finally reached the heavy doors barring the end of the hall. She beelined for the access panel, teetered as a couple shots ricocheted off her shields.

“Get it open!” Shepard barked as the three of them wheeled to give her cover fire. “Vakarian, where the hell are you?!”

“Almost there, a group of the bastards ambushed us!”

A Collector dove toward Tali and Thane shot it--rushed, imperfect, but the grazing shot knocked it off course long enough for him to try again. This time, it fell and did not rise again.

---

The sense of urgency, pounding Hurry, hurry, hurry through Shepard’s veins thrummed louder as the door beeped and started to hiss open. A muffled burst of gunfire reached his ears a handful of seconds before Vakarian and the others came into view, hauling ass down the passageway toward them.

“Massani, Krios! Through the door!” He rattled off a stream of cover fire, driving the Collectors to hang back for a second. Just a second. But it was enough time for the second fire team to reach the end of the passage and dart through the door.

Krios and Massani maintained some cover fire from the far side of the door, buying breathing room for the others as one by one they darted through the door. Lawson brought up the rear, her barrier shimmering out as the doors groaned on closing.

“They’re stuck!” Tali bit out, shoving one door with scraping, grinding protest along its track. Shepard and Lawson ducked through the narrowing gap just as a final shot slammed into Lawson’s shoulder and sent her stumbling.

“I’m fine,” she ground out, slapping medigel on the injury as the group of them shook off the adrenaline to register what the room held.

The walls were lined with dozens, hundreds, thousands, of the Collectors’ pods. The dingy yellow glow throughout the room spoke to them all being occupied.

Movement caught Shepard’s eye and he swung his rifle toward the potential threat. it was just one of the nearby pods; the dark-skinned, dark-haired woman inside stirred, pounding against the transparent canopy in a futile attempt to escape. Even as Tali and Krios rushed forward to try and free her, the pod hummed and the woman only had time for a single terrified scream before she simply... liquefied into a sludgy brown paste which drained away almost before his crew had time to recoil in horror.

“Commander! Over here!” Taylor fumbled with a nearby pod until a very disoriented figure tumbled out. “It’s the crew!”

That broke the horror that had frozen them, and the group surged forward to free their comrades before the same fate could befall them.

Chambers. Daniels. Donnelly. Gardner. All of them were here, as Shepard ran a mental roster, but Chakwas was the one to explain. Near as she could tell, the humans in the pods were being reduced to genetic material and ...piped elsewhere in the base through tubes, though she wasn’t sure where or why. That sounded like where they needed to go.

“We need to get them out of here,” Taylor said, hovering near a few of the engineers as they stumbled to their feet.

We don’t have time for this. “You wanna take them back, be my guest,” Shepard returned brusquely. “We need to destroy this base, but we can mange without you if it’s that important to you.”

“It is.” Taylor’s voice was firm as he tugged Chambers’ arm around his shoulders and herded the crew back toward the Normandy. “See you on the other side, Commander.”

---

Thane almost offered to accompany them; it was a lot of people for one man to safeguard. But Shepard was already snapping orders for the next stage of their infiltration. He’d be taking Garrus and Zaeed, sheltered from the overabundance of Seeker swarms by Jack, down the shortest route that followed the tubes. “The rest of you follow Lawson on the other route EDI indicated, draw some of the flying bastards off.”

Forward, then. Thane checked his reserve of thermal clips, made sure his pistol was undamaged, and fell in with the others as the door hissed open and they pressed on.

They hadn’t advanced far when the first Collectors appeared, drones and a small number of husks that were easy enough tot pick off. Their numbers only increased as time wore on, but that was the point wasn’t it? Draw them here, so Shepard could get through. Thane stood shoulder to shoulder with Tali as their squad advanced, shared his thermal clips when hers ran out first, lent what strength he could to the biotic barrier Samara had summoned to protect their backs.

“There’s a lot of them, Shepard!” Miranda hollered into comms when they were forced to take cover from a particularly large group, dotted with abominations and led by a scion.

“Good!” his reply crackled back underscored by gunfire. “Keep them the hell off us! We’re almost there!”

She hissed a quiet curse, then, “Yes, Commander!” Her fist flared blue and a pair of husks flew off the edge of the path. “Samara, push them back on three!”

The justicar nodded and the rest of them by unspoken agreement turned their focus to give the women cover fire.

“One!”

Strafing fire raked Grunt’s armor and he bellowed a laugh as he shot back. Thane admired his defiance.

“Two!”

The barrier Samar had been maintaining shrank inward in preparation. Amonkira, guide their strength.

“Three!”

The combined power of two gifted biotics exploded outward in a wash over overwhelming ozone-scented blue. Just as it slammed into the descending Collector horde, a heavy, white hot pain tore into Thane’s arm and side. 

He was dimly aware of Miranda yelling for them to move, of a hand closing around his bicep to drag him with them, of his legs moving to keep up until the gave out and he was hauled over someone’s shoulder instead. There was  rushing sound in his ears and it wasn’t until it was it was punctuated by gunfire and Miranda hollering at Shepard they were under heavy attack Thane realized it was Collector wings and not the lure of unconsciousness.

“Give us a minute, Lawson!”

“We don’t have a minute!”

Shepard’s curse was broken by static. “Vakarian, get that door open! Now!”

Time was fuzzy with the pain that swirled fresh at each jolted step of whoever (probably Grunt) was carrying him, but it still seemed an eternity before, muffled, he could hear someone calling an encouragement.

He slammed against something and the pain flared so white, for a moment he saw Irikah’s face. There was a dull murmur of voices, then a spike of numb shot through the pain and spread, blanketing, pushing back until he was aware again.

Tali knelt beside him, her omnitool just closing down as he became conscious of her presence. “Good, you’re still with us.”

“Thanks to you,” Thane rasped. He passed one hand gingerly over his injured side. The healing wound was large, like from a plasma- or other energy-based weapon rather than bullets. He could cope much better with bullets.

“You are welcome,” Tali said, pushing to her feet and offering him a hand up.

Thane accepted, but leaned against a wall once he’d gained his feet. It would take a few minutes for the medigel to truly do its work. He cast a surveying glance about as he waited. Mordin was limping heavily, Grunt, Garrus, and Zaeed all had significant battle damage to their armor....

And Miranda lay still, half-slumped against a wall, pistol resting in her limp grasp. Shepard knelt next to her, blood streaked in his stark white hair, but stood even as Thane’s gaze landed on them. “She’s gone,” he confirmed, as if there was any doubt. He half-turned, hand rising to his ear, expression flint-hard. “Got it, Joker.”

Garrus’ mandibles clicked. “The crew?”

“They made it back.” Shepard shoved a new clip into his rifle. “Taylor died getting them there.”

Thane grimaced. He should have gone along. 

“It happens,” Shepard said, as if he’d caught the self-reproof without even looking. “According to EDI, this next room’s the core. Vakarian, Massani, you stick with me, the rest of you cover our asses.”

He didn’t wait for agreement or confirmation, just strode to the console for the necessary door and and punched in the command to open it. Garrus and Zaeed followed silently, the former briefly locking eyes with Tali before the three of them disappeared down the hallway.

---

The rest of them hastily arranged themselves in a defensive perimeter, gazes and weapons trained on the two doors that separated them from the Collector forces.

Thane said a rushed but heartfelt prayer to Kalahira for their fallen, working the fingers of his injured arm to test the medigel’s progress. It would do.

The sheer number of Collectors made the task a difficult one--more than once Thane feared running out of clips for his pistol until a brief pause between waves allowed them to scavenge and share from the fallen. This sort of sustained firefight was far from his normal milieu, but this close to the end he was still determined to do his best.

They held as battle chatter from Shepard’s squad broke through the static. They held even though Mordin fell and Legion fell and Jack nearly followed, snarling and spitting curses as she struggled back to her feet. They held until Shepard’s order came over comms, “Move if you don’t want to go up with this place!”

Then they ran, Samara and Jack shielding them from as much as they could, the rest picking off the bolder Collectors even as they ran. They reached the Normandy, adrenaline surging as they gave Shepard’s squad cover fire until they were aboard as well. Joker had them rocketing toward the relay before the doors had fully closed, and the whole ship seemed to hold its breath until they were safely through.

---

As the adrenaline wore off, all Shepard wanted to do was sleep. But he couldn’t. Not yet. There were things that needed to be settled first.

Krios was in the medbay, sitting serenely still as Dr. Chakwas more thoroughly treated the nasty, half-healed burns on his side and forearm. (In sharp contrast to Jack, who was glowering and cursing about both having to sit still to let her injuries heal and being around so many people.)

“Looks like we both survived,” Shepard said without preamble. Chakwas took the unspoken cue and moved off to see to Jack.

“Indeed.” Krios didn’t move, hands folded in his lap as he sat on the edge of a bed.

“You make up your mind about that head start?”

Krios chuckled. “I believe my recuperation will be a bit more than a day, Shepard. A good time for me to visit my son, I think, and a good head start for you as the contract resumes.” His lips twitched to a small smile. “Perhaps my client will reconsider in light of your actions.”

“Doubt it,” Shepard snorted. “I get the sense their beef with me is personal. Doesn’t lend itself to rational decision making. We’ll see, I guess.” Stranger things had happened, but he wouldn’t be holding his breath.”I’m not going anywhere near the Citadel, in case the Council gets any bright ideas about me or my ship, but we can drop you on Omega before we head off.”

Krios nodded solemnly. “A fair arrangement.”

A less intelligent person might have wondered--hoped--leaving him on Omega injured was as good as a death warrant, but Shepard had seen him fight. It would take more than a set of already-healing electrical burns to put Krios at a disadvantage against the thugs on Omega. (And if they did happen to prove too much for him, one thing less for Shepard to worry about.)

“We can have you there in an hour or so,” he said. “once the doc’s done with you go get your things together.”

Krios inclined his head. “I shall.”

---

It had been a while since he was last on Omega and Thane hadn’t missed it in the slightest. Fortunately he wouldn’t be here long. Passage elsewhere was easy enough to  procure, and from there he could work his way to the Citadel. He could take some time to mend more fences with Kolyat before he resumed his hunt.

That was one thing about Shepard; he was never a hard man to find.