#I also couldn't be bothered to look that up

[atomic-waste-of-time]

Daggers and Arrows

A story by me:3

Assailant: ha! I have you bested arrowless archer, with no ammunition, and in such short a distance, you shall surely fall to my bla-

The Assailants chin is held aloft by the archers Dagger, after the Archer used her Dagger to parry the short swords clumsy swing, knocking the blade from the untrained sword womans hands. The Archer smirks, leaning down to look the baffled woman in the eyes.

Archer: One, never monologue to someone within stabbing distance. Two, Never underestimate the Archers close range capabilities. And Three, Long distance units usually carry a form of small arms in case of extremely close quarters. Also, you should've worked a bit more with your blade instead of your tongue. Here's hoping you've learned your lesson. The Arrowless Archer winks, then turns and struts away, leaving the Assailant both confused and incredibly attracted to the strange Archer, and the witch hiding in a nearby bush, who had originally cursed the Archer, has drawn the entire scene, planning to sell it later as the first erotic depiction of a Dagger used in Foreplay. The witch was a genius, thinking that everyone would clumsily kill themselves while trying this new Technique.

Unfortunately for the witch, when she used her pocket mirror to ask the other witches in her coven via what we would call facetiming. Alas, to her dismay, the piece had no potential buyers in other towns, and if she showed the art in Daggersworth (the town in which the Arrowless Archer and the Assailant both live), they'd know who drew it for sure.. She decided to test her luck, and headed into town. She had a devilish idea indeed..

The Assailant (who I've decided is named Arma) was on her porch, she was recently broken up with, and thus used it as a business to cover the cost her gambling ex boyfriend left behind. It was a small smithy, dubbed "Arms and Armor" after her ex Aramor, who was clever with names, but not smart enough to realize dating every girl in town at once was a terrible idea on his part. "At least the hanging went smoothly" she thought to herself.

The Arrowless Archer approached the Smithy, it had been two days since the Assailant attacked, and the Archer knew Arma well enough to be the Assailant, but she was struggling, and the Archer (named Tinara, as I've now decided) was better than to hurt someone already hurting. They sighed, ringing the bell to let Arma know she was here, the girl was always so focused on her work, that she installed a small bell to ensure people could get her attention.

Tinara: Arma, I've an issue you're best at resolving!

Arma: Ah, hello Tinara!! Give me just a moment and I'll be with you!

Arma was, at present, fanning the small forge she used to heat the metals. (For the ones imagining the scene, and who'll know what I'm talking about, think of the blacksmith in Whiterun, except it looks better). She then approached Tinara, happy to see her as always.

Arma: So, what's the problem this time? Someone get too close and break your dagger?

Tinara: No, but a dagger is involved. Look at this.

Tinara held up a picture she had found on sale in the market by a young woman. It was signed with Armas signature, and it was of their brief encounter two days ago.

Arma: Wh.. where did you get this? That's my signature!

Tinara: I know, that's why I'm here. Did you draw these? I like them, but still, having these sold around.. I know times are tough for yo-

Arma: No, not in a hundred years could I draw that well, nor would I dare sell anything so provocative of myself.. Someone is setting the both of us up, but why?

Tinara: Well your ex is dead, so it can't be him. Any enemies aside from them?

Arma: Well, there was a witch, the one who turned all my Iron into Rabbits, ruined me that day because I couldn't be bothered to work the forge, as the same day my dog, Fido, had passed. I should've told her maybe, then she might have felt pity an-

Tinara: Shush, I've heard enough. You needn't belittle yourself for grieving, and it seems we have a common enemy. I propose we find them, and, seeing as the damage has already been done, end her life so she may no longer haunt our people.

Arma: Well, we could also just, I dunno, ask for money, she used our encounter for smut of all things, it's only fair we're paid for that.

Tinara: Hmm.. I suppose, she'll have made some good money from this I presume, we may be able to keep your shop open, hopefully befo-

???: Before I arrived, I presume?

Molly, the towns Debt Collector, had been standing there a while, her left arm under her breasts as she looked at her nails on her right hand. She was always one for dramatics, her parents owned the Theater in Swordston, the neighboring city. They made a lot of money, which was wasted on her drama classes, and very well spent in self defense and sword training, where she thrived. She was then elected the position of the towns Debt Collector after killing the first one in fair combat. Not a soul has beat her yet, and it's been about 7 years.

Molly: I was here to collect the debt your late ex boyfriend brought about with his drinking at the Ironhide Pub, and the property damage, and the-

Arma: Yes yes, get to the point, we've not the whole day to waste away.

Molly: Well, I heard something about Daggers, Smut, and a plan of some kind?~

Molly was also well known to be the towns connoisseur of all things lewd and tasteful, she works with the library to ensure the works of art she admires most remain preserved for all to learn from. Nobody saw any reason to make a fuss of it, and so it's been allowed to persist as one of Daggersworths many oddities.

Tinara: The witch that cursed me and Troubled Arma is the one making this smut all over town, signing it in Arma's signature to sully her na-

Molly: OOOH, Give!

Molly snatched up the piece before either could protest, and studied it close, putting on some small glasses to see more detail.

Arma: I'd would rather you'd ask first Molly, I understand your profession but this is a sensitive matter for I and Tinara.

Molly: That's because you're burdened by shame and such trivial things as the societal normalcy we've grown too accustomed to.

Tinara: Look, the matter is we've a witch to hunt, so w-

Molly: Oh, but look at her Anatomy! She caught both of your forms so well, and the way she made lighting in the scene with so little to work with, splendidly done indeed, I'll have to give this a special spot and ask for a properly signed one, truly a Queen of her craft. No wonder you're so concerned, These pieces are worth a fair bit! I'll have to come with the both of you.

Molly, looked up from the piece, to see a rather cross Arma tapping her foot impatiently.

Arma: If you're only coming for the Pornography, You may as well stay here. I highly doubt your expertise will be of use to us if we're ambushed by a member of their Coven.

Molly: Well, There's an official reason as well! I would be aiding in preserving history, and of course, ensuring you both have the payment by the end of the trip, so you can pay your debt. Plus I'm a great fighter, you know this firsthand Tinara~

Molly and Tinara spar on occasion, it helps them practice their aim, and the two enjoy each others company.

Tinara: Fine, you can come along, but if you so much as peak up a skirt I'll take your hammer and whack you upside the head.

Arma: I'll work on food, and close up the shop, Tinara can you bring some supplies? We'll need blankets and coats in case we encounter snow.

Molly: It's summer! How would it snow in the summer?

Arma: You never know, I try to be prepared. And besides, blankets are comfy, we should bring one each.

Molly: We could all share one?

Arma and Tinara in unison: No!

Molly: Alright alright.. I'll bring my extra large one just in case, and my Precious Biscotti, she'll alert us to danger, she's so talented.

Biscotti was a 6'5 Birch Wolf, a rare and powerful breed, they live in forests dense with birch, and have a similar pattern on their fur to that of a birch tree. They're one of many kinds of Woodland Wolves, a subspecies of wolves that disguise themselves as trees to better hunt skittish prey. Birch wolves are known for being incredibly alert creatures, and their heightened senses make them great guards. It's said that a well trained Birch Wolf can protect you from all harm, and sense the ill intent of others.

Biscotti can definitely sense ill intent in people, they were of old age, and had a lot of experience with bad people. Her previous owner gouged out her eyes, and as such her other senses were elevated, specifically her senses of touch and hearing. She often stamps the ground in order to get an idea of where she is. She also has a little pink bow, a gift from Molly.

Upon hearing her name, Biscotti emerged from behind Armas House, where they were basking in the sun. They nuzzled against Molly, emitting a low growl, a sign of affection.

Tinara: Well, I best get ready, I need to get some more ammunition for my slingshot.

Arma: I'll bring the food!

Molly: I'll bring the hitting sticks!!

The three nodded, and began quickly assembling gear together, in order to find the witch, and.. well, honestly not one of them was sure what they'd do exactly, but they'll come up with something on the road.

End of chapter one. Hope you enjoyed!!! idk where to put this but sometimes you see an idea and just go "yeah we rock with it." yknow?

As the kingdom’s best archer, you were cursed so your arrows would never hit again. But you just started shooting other things—rocks, sticks, shoes—and somehow, it works even better. Folks call you "The Arrowless Archer."

[drabbles-mc]

Invisible Silver Linings (1/7)

Robert 'Bob' Reynolds x F!Reader

Series Warnings: 18+, Thunderbolts* spoilers, language, angst, mentions of scars, mentions of self-harm/suicidal ideations

Summary: You signed on to become part of a study when you realized that you didn't have anything left to lose. What harm could it really do? How much worse could it really get? ... You didn't expect to get answers to those questions. You also didn't expect to meet Bob. You'd end up thankful for at least one of those things.

Chapter Index

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: i know i haven't written for Marvel in a while, but i started working on this lil series the second i left the theater on Thursday. it's so nice to see Lewis Pullman getting the creds he deserves. 🥰anyway!!!! I've finished this series and will be posting updates on a weekly or twice-weekly basis until it's all up here and good to go. please let me know what you think!

“They've been taking us in batches,” you told him. You hadn't even bothered to introduce yourself to him, but from the moment they brought him into the room with the rest of you, he'd been looking around, a little twitchy and on-edge. You supposed that you couldn't really blame him. It was a strange position that you were all finding yourselves in. Then again, you had all chosen to sign up for it.

He turned and looked at you, eyes wide and worried at the same time. “Wh-what?”

You nodded in the direction of the doors on the opposite end of the room, not the ones that he had just walked through or anyone else either. One set brought you in, another set brought you out. You had yet to see anyone come back into the room after they left, and while there were plenty of things that that could mean, you wondered if it was the worst case scenario that had crossed your mind before. Judging by the look on his face, it wasn't going to take him long to think of that worst case scenario either.

“The doctors. Scientists. Whatever you wanna call them,” you gave up on titles with a shrug, “have been taking people in batches.”

His mouth dipped into a frown as he took in what you said. He looked around the room that the two of you were in, looked at all of the other people who were in there with you. No one looked very happy to be there even though, if their situations were anything like yours, they had signed off on being here. Not that you looked ecstatic either, so maybe you shouldn't judge. You were just tired. And uncomfortable. All these people stuffed into this room and they couldn't find better seating arrangements? At least the clothes they were forcing you all to wear were comfortable, even if they weren't exactly fashionable. Sure, they kind of made you feel like you were in an asylum of some kind, but they were baggy and soft so it could’ve been worse. The new guy looked like he was close to swimming in his.

He looked around long enough to realize that most people were sitting. There were limited chairs and tables, but you clearly hadn't let that deter you as you found a pocket of space on the floor to sit on. Not quite in the corner but you were far enough off to keep an eye on most of the people in the room with you. The entry door was also close by, and while you didn't have any plans or desire to make a break for it just yet, you figured that it might end up being your best bet if it came down to it. Staring down at you, he watched as you rested your head back against the wall behind you. Your legs were bent at the knee, and your arms were draped over the top of them. Whatever it was that he saw in your facial expression must've been just safe and inviting enough for him to decide to sit down next to you.

It wasn’t a graceful descent on his part, but he didn't fall on top of you. He was closer to you than maybe a stranger should've been in a place like this, but he didn’t seem like he even noticed. He crossed his legs, hands resting in his lap as he looked back and forth between you and the room around you. Something about the way he was sitting, the look on his face, he looked a little bit like a boy stuck in a man's body. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who should be signing up for sketchy medical trials that bring you to undisclosed places.

You would've been content to sit there in silence until it was your turn to get called, but apparently you were alone in that sentiment. “I'm Bob, by the way,” he said, sounding more sure of himself than he had the first time he spoke to you.

When you turned to look him in the eye, you found him already waiting and watching, an expectant look on his face that only added to the little aura of innocence around him. You figured one good turn deserved another if the two of you were going to be stuck together for now, so you gave him your name in return. He smiled at the sound of it, giving a tiny nod of acknowledgment.

“I think you're the first person I've talked to since I got here,” you told him.

He tilted his head, brows furrowing in thought. “When did you get here?”

Looking up at the ceiling, you thought about it for a moment. Being in this strange, mostly empty room that had no windows for natural light had already messed up your sense of time even though you hadn't been there that long yet. “Day before last.”

His eyes widened again. “And they still haven't taken you?”

You chuckled. “You should've seen how many people were in here. I think that's why they're doing…whatever they're doing, in batches.”

“How are they choosing people?” he asked, looking now at the small clusters of people who were still waiting. Some people were keeping to themselves, much like you had been before Bob showed up and decided to switch things up on you.

Letting your eyes close while your head was rested back, you shook your head. “No clue. I don't work here.”

He let out a quiet laugh at that. “Right. Sorry.”

Even though you weren't looking at him, choosing instead to stare at the backs of your eyelids, you could still feel the nervous energy that was radiating off him. If he kept this up, he was going to tire himself out before he even got to the hard part. If he couldn’t handle waiting, there was no way that he was going to be cut out for whatever was waiting on the other side of the exit doors. You didn’t have any words of comfort to offer him, mostly because you had no idea what the hell was really going on yourself. Something told you, though, that it wouldn’t take very long for him to pick up another topic of conversation. Wouldn’t take long for him to start asking more questions that you wouldn’t have any answers to.

As if he could hear your thoughts, he said, “Anyone say what exactly it is that they're doing?”

You didn’t open your eyes. “Nope.”

When he spoke up again, his voice was softer, almost like he was afraid for anyone to hear what he was saying. “I hope it works.”

That got you to crack one eye open so you could give him a bit of a sideways glance. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, instead his stare was fixed on the hem of his pants. He'd found a loose thread and was starting to pick at it.

“What'd they tell you?” you asked.

You wondered briefly if his eyes would ever end up getting stuck wide like that. “What?”

Turning your head to face him in earnest once more, you elaborated. “What'd they tell you they were doing? What'd they offer you to do this?”

His expression dampened, and suddenly it was like he couldn’t meet your eyes. His focus shifted back to the thread. He was shaking his head, and something told you the action wasn't directed at you, but rather at himself. “They said that they could make me great. They…they could make me better.” He found it in himself to look at you, and it was then that you could see how glassy his eyes had gotten. “I really wanna be better.” He sniffed, blinking a few times to beat his tears back into submission. Giving his head and shoulders a small shake, he tried to get himself sounding normal again as he asked, “Wh-what'd they tell you?”

“Something similar.” The point of your elbows dug into the tops of your knees as you dropped your head into your hands. Raking your fingers back along your scalp, you rested with your head down for a moment before looking at Bob again. “I'm not really looking to be great. I just,” you shrugged, “it can't get much worse for me so I figured why not?”

The genuine sadness on his face shocked you. All those feelings for someone who was a complete stranger to him. “Oh. I'm sor—”

You waved him off before he could finish the apology. “Don't be. Not like any of it was your fault. Besides, we both still ended up here regardless,” you made a brief gesture to the room, “so what the fuck does it really matter?”

There was a thoughtful frown on his face as he considered your words. “Right.” Quiet filled the space between you again. You could only try to venture a guess at what Bob was thinking about. Probably everything that led him here—that's what you'd spent most of your time thinking about, anyway. Wondering if this was the right choice or not, not that there were many other choices at your disposal anyway. No use in regretting it. You were here in your pajama uniform with Bob and dozens of other people whose names you hadn't bothered to try and learn. This was what you had now. There was nothing more to it than that.

Marvel Taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added!): @garbinge @artemiseamoon @late-to-the-party-81 @blackhawkfanatic

[reidscherrygirl]

೯⁺ 𖥻 𝓨𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗜𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 ! ᰋ

ꨄ︎ 𝒫 airing : : 𝒮pencer reid x female!bau!nonverbal!reader

ꨄ︎ 𝒮 ynopsis : : being nonverbal has it's difficulties. you speak with your hands━━SPENCER REID learned them by heart.

ꨄ︎ 𝓒ontents : : nonverbal!reader. reader knows sign language. asl. spencer learns asl. fluff. mutual pining. rossi knows sign language. the reason why reader is nonverbal,, past trauma( the team knows but won't be talked about ). light smut. reader being the one rambling( using sign language ) and spencer focusing on you and your hands alone. teasing from the team. the team didn't know about your relationship for a while(aside from rossi). grammatical errors. ooc.

ꨄ︎ 𝓦ord count : : 1.7k

ꨄ︎ 𝓒ase file shelf.

ꨄ︎ 𝒲hispers of viana : : OKAY. i made this a week ago. also,, this idea popped up after reading,, this by @/mggslover !,, gained the motivation to write it because of a boy my age who is nonverbal !! met him at the hospital && he was sososo sweet. i couldn't understand what he was trying to tell me😭😭 i made him type on my notes,, he didn't seem bothered by it,, so it's okay... ishm I FORGOT TO ASK FOR HIS SOCIALS IM GONNA KMS. also! i mentioned i met the guy at the hospital ,, yeah,, still haven't recovered.. SO THIS WON'T BE GOOD-GOOD I'M SORRY💔 also i still don't know sign language so indented = sign language. i made rossi know asl,, bc yay why not,,, contains too many breaks because i acc do nawt know anything ab sign language but,, wanted to write thistgisthis. and for the last time . I AM MINORLYATFAULT DAMMIT

the first time SPENCER REID laid eyes on you, you were signing with rossi. it was quick, neat, rehearsed. the others were slightly confused, derek arching a brow, jj tilting her head, emily sort of just standing there with a strangely amused expression. but reid? reid was focused. like laser beam concentrated. he was already trying to recall what you had just signed.

rossi had patted your shoulder and left, but you remained standing in the center of the briefing room, notebook held in front of you like a shield.

"she's nonverbal," garcia had whispered afterward, when she added, "not mute, though. trauma-related, i believe. i overheard that from strauss once. she can talk, just. doesn't. or won't."

it didn't make him pity you. he just considered how you spoke. how calculated it was. how careful you had to be, how you hacked out understanding in silence. he thought that was sort of beautiful. he thought it was absolutely beautiful.

so naturally he began learning asl. and not the watered down kind. complete, perfect grammar, complete complications, practiced every night( he read eight different asl books and read each of them three times). he didn't want to ask you to adjust for him. he wanted to be able to meet you where you were.

he began small.

hi.

and your eyes had widened a bit, guarded. but you signed back,

hi, spencer.

and that was the start.

over time, your conversations increased. it became kinda a secret language between you two( if you take rossi out of the picture ). sometimes in the car on stakeouts, he'd ask you questions just to see the way you signed. like the way you'd talk about the stars or the way the wind blew that day. usually it's him who rambles. but he can't help it. and you'd always get a little smile when you saw him staring at your hands like they were the most fascinating thing in the universe.

the team saw something, but not everything. you always signed to them, usually to rossi, but gradually more and more to spencer. and yeah, reid signed back, but they just thought he was being nice. helpful. because he was like that. always happy to learn a new language. especially so he could converse with a friend. and don't take it the wrong way, they're learning. trying. but they aren't spencer reid who could finish reading 20,000 words per minute.

rossi was the one who glanced at you both with that knowing look.

"pretty sure he's in love with you, kid" he told you one morning, dryly, as he was making coffee. you blinked at him. signed,,

how do you know?

he smiled. "because he stares at you the same way emily stares at tequila."

... don't you mean you? you wanted to state, but restrained yourself.

the teasing came later.

morgan began it all. "pretty boy's got himself a signing buddy,"( more like you got yourself a signing buddy. ) he teased one morning. "y'all look like you're passing notes in class."

reid blushed so red it was really alarming.

you just rolled your eyes and waved your fingers:

jealous you can't keep up?

"i━━ okay, okay, she got me. i'm out."

everyone laughed( he couldn't even understand half of what you signed ). except rossi, who sipped his coffee like he was privy to some information they were not.

reid was quiet that entire day. and the next.

of course, he'd eventually snap.

he saw you in the break room, empty. where you typically retreated to escape the commotion. he seemed nervous. restless. hands quivering slightly as if he couldn't help but keep them moving.

can i talk to you?

you nodded, clearing a space beside you. he sat down across from you. deep breath.

i like you. i like you a lot. i think about you constantly and not just in a friendly way. in a.more-than-that way.

he winced a little, as if preparing himself for rejection.

you blinked. heart pounding. giddy. and then slowly, you signed,

me too. i like you, spencer. but. let's keep it private? work is still work.

his entire face beamed. "yes! yes, of course. absolutely. private. secret. top secret. agent-level secret."

you smiled. just a little gasp. no sound, but he could see it in your eyes.

he was already lovesick-looking.

oh, and dating spencer reid was like falling into poetry. he signed you good mornings, good afternoons, and good evenings. he annotated books for you with both little notes and signs he wanted to show you. he kissed your hands sometimes like they were the whole language he adored.

no one knew. or at least, they didn't know know. you were always signing regardless. sometimes you'd touch your fingers against his wrist and jj would just smile, thinking nothing of it. morgan was too busy making noise. hotch, well.. hotch. garcia kept shipping you with literally everyone( mostly spencer ).

the one and only rossi raised an eyebrow whenever reid would look at you for just a fraction too long.

"still think i was wrong?" he whispered one afternoon, walking past you in the corridor.

no. definitely not. but you didn't sign.

"so," rossi asked a week later at the round table, not even glancing up from his file. "you two finished sneaking around yet?"

you and spencer both stiffened.

morgan choked on his coffee. "wait, what?"

"they've been dating. for weeks now. maybe months. i don't know. you all are blind."

emily looked at you with big eyes. "what?"

you just signed,

hi.

spencer coughed. blushed. again.

"man," derek complained. "i knew something was up."

"no, you didn't," garcia chastised. "rossi knew. he always knows."

rossi just smiled, smug. "i read fast."

it was raining the night it happened. spencer had volunteered to drive you home from the jet. everyone else had already separated.

he came up with some reason to come in. books he borrowed? something along those lines( silly of him, you both just left the jet, what books ?).

the moment the door closed after him, he turned to you.

"can i kiss you?"

you nodded. a little too quickly. too eagerly.

and it was soft. soft. but also desperate. like he'd been waiting for years. your hands in his hair, and his arms tight around your waist like he couldn't believe you were real.

you took him to the couch. didn't need to utter a word. he trailed, kissing you once more like a habit. his fingers traced your jaw, your neck, down your back. your hands signed between kisses,

you're so warm.

he grinned against your mouth. "you're perfect."

it became hotter. clothes were not completely vanished but they were. relocated. his lips on your neck. your legs. your belly. and you ━━ you couldn't keep it in.

the moaned. escaped before you could shut them up. breathy, soft, but oh so there.

spencer stopped. eyes wide open. he stared up at you. you freaked out.

i'm sorry.

you signed, panicking.

"don't be," he breathed. "god, don't be. that was the most gorgeous sound i've ever heard."

and then he kissed you again, slow and once again, desperate.

you allowed him to hold you afterward. his hand beneath your shirt was warm but never inched any lower, as if he was scared of rushing you. and perhaps that's why your body trusted him.

perhaps that's why when he asked ━━ with a gentle brush of his lips against your jaw, eyes asking permission more than anything ━━ if he could kiss you again, you let him.

and it was messier this time. not the hesitant type, not the uncertain type. it was desperate, much longed for. his fingers buried in your hair, and yours gripping the nape of his neck, thumb tracing behind his ear. and the way he kissed, god, he kissed as if he was committing every curve your lips held to memory.

his glasses misted, but he didn't mind. you smiled during the kiss, teeth clashing once as he attempted to smile in return. you signed against his chest ━━ adorable. ( adorable. adorable. adorable. ) he only smiled harder.

"you're unfair," he whispered, thumb tracing the edge of your mouth. "you know what you do to me?"

tell me.

he leaned in to kiss you again. slower, softer.

"you ruin me."

in a good way?

"the best way."

somehow, you found yourself lying back on the couch. your fingers intertwined in his shirt and his weight resting carefully over you. you buried your face in his neck and kissed there. slow, soft.

he grunted ━━ not even ━━ but you felt it more than you heard it. you kissed beneath his jaw. again. again. again. you did not say a word but you were loud in other ways. he let you feel safe enough to be loud.

he whispered something akin to "jesus, you're perfect" against your cheek, and it curled your toes. his hand remained at your waist, and your leg touched his. you moved ━━ wanting more, not all, just more.

he drew back only to ask, "are you sure?"

you nodded. signed ,

yes. please.

his lips slammed against yours again.

it was still soft, but different now. a little deeper. teeth brushing, tongue dancing. he didn't force. he let you welcome him. and you did. you drew him in again and again. he kissed you like a man who'd waited months ━━ because he had.

he kissed you until your chest was heaving and your body was warmer than ever.

and when you moved again, thighs touching more, his hand crept up to cradle your cheek.

"we can stop whenever," he vowed. breathless. hopeful.

i don't want to.

he kissed your fingertips for that. soft, reverent. then your knuckles. your wrist. your pulse.

when he finally drew back, both of you were flushed and swollen-lipped. you let out a soft giggle.

so. dating?

he blinked. then laughed. his laugh is also adorable. head thrown back, nose scrunched.

"yes. very, very much dating."

cool.

you attempted to look and act cool, too, but your smile was way too wide.

"cool," he repeated.

the following week at the office, nothing changed ━━ to everyone else.

to rossi, you noticed the smirk you received from him across the conference room table.

to reid, you signed,

missed you.

while getting coffee.

he clenched his lip to keep from grinning. signed back,

me more.

morgan cocked an eyebrow from the hallway. "you two ever gonna share the inside joke or what?"

"nope," reid replied, taking a swallow and not looking at anyone.

never.

but when he strode past your desk, he touched your hand. and you looked at him like he hung the stars.

and yeah, you were still quiet.

but with him, you never had to be quiet.

© reidscherrygirl

[misstycloud]

Hello! What if yan! Playboy saw reader again but with another guy and they are acting lovey dovey how would he react?

Not proofread!

-----------

He would freak out. He'd think about all those nights he laid awake in bed, wondering where you were or if you were even alive. Yandere playboy couldn't bear it if something has happened to you.

However, he didn't expect to receive the answer to his questions by seeing you being all snuggly with someone who's not him.

His first thought would be that he's happy you're safe, then the rage would come. It would take over his entire mind and be the only thing he could think of.

How could you just leave him like that? especially after he poured his heart out to you; and you acted like it didn't matter. Despite the deep feelings he held for you, he couldn't pretend like what you put him through was okay.

"(Y/n)." he said in a stern voice after marching up to you and your date.

You froze and slowly turned to see your love-victim looking furiously at you. You had been careful to not actually divulge any details about your personal life-nothing that could give him a tip on where to find you. Yet, here he was in the flesh.

"who are you? cant you see we're on a date?" your new partner voices, irritated at the interruption.

"I wasn't talking to you." the playboy hissed. He absolutely hated the other mans existence. Of course, he was mad at you too but his presence reminded him that you could leave him for someone else; that there was a chance he wasn't enough to please you.

You sighed and said, "Go away. I'm busy." you also swatted in his direction, making your opinion clear.

"where were you? why did you stop responding to me? you have no idea how worried I was."

"I think being ghosted should send a pretty clear message, dude. I DON'T like you and I'm not interested in you anymore so leave me alone." you combed your fingers through your date's hair. "I have someone else now."

The playboy clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth. "You're coming with me." his tone indicated you had no day in the matter.

You couldn't believe it. Who did this guy think he was. Sure, you knew he fell for you(hard), which was the purpose, but that did not mean he could think he owned you.

"No, like hell i'm going anywhere with you."

"Yes. You are."

"Dude, she said no. Back the fuck up.'' your date tried to defend you. Too bad he wasn't someone of importance, otherwise he might;ve had a real chance of taking you from him.

He glanced him up and down, clearly unimpressed. He couldn't fathom how you left him for someone like...this. Seriously? Was this truly what you desired in a partner or was it possible I was all a test? Did you do this in hope of him proving his dedication to your relationship?

Well, if that was the case then he would gladly prove his loyalty to you. You were the one he wanted to make his life partner and there was nothing else that could measure up to the emotions YOU made him feel.

You saw your former fling walk up to your date and lean in close. He whispered something in his ear that you couldn't hear. Your date's eyes widened and he went pale. The longer the playboy spoke, the more fearful he became. You did have a clue what was said but it clearly freaked him out- enough for him to bail.

He quickly excused himself and ended it with, "Don't bother calling anymore, I'm not interested in some triangle bullshit." before rushing off in a random direction.

"Looks like he wasn't as interested as he claimed to be, no need to feel sad though, you have me now." he grinned and wrapped an arm around your waist.

You pried it off you. "What did you say to him?"

"nothing that would have bothered him if he was actually serious about you."

"Stay away from me. I left you and I will never go back to you- I never even liked you, it was all fake. Don't you get it. I just wanted to get back at you for all the shit you've put people through."

He went quiet at your words. You scoffed and decided to walk away. However, before you could get more than two meters from him, he gripped your arm. You winced as his nails dug into your skin.

"ow! what the-"

"Don't be so rude , (Y/n). I don't think you realise whose feelings you've played with. I love you and I don't plan on going home without you." he hugged you close to his body, ignoring your struggles. "I understand how all this is simply karma for how I used to behave and I accept that, but I won't let you carry out your punishment. You will let me marry you, is that understood? Don't forget who I am- what position I have in society."

You felt your blood run cold.

His smile didn't reach his eyes. "You started a game you have no way of finishing."

[pyrodolls]

MORTAL KOMBAT 1 BOYS JEALOUSY HCS

WARNINGS: almost every male character on the main mk1 roster is included, a little bit of angst here and there, established relationships, some mentions of harassment and assholes not taking no for an answer, gender neutral reader, lowercase intended, you can clearly tell havik is the author's favorite, reader condones havik's actions in his part but author doesn't it's just for story purposes, characters may be ooc idk, not proofread we die like sindel

A/N: i got this idea while i was in the shower this morning blasting what is love by twice cuz i finally got around to the khaos reigns dlc yesterday and my interest in mk1 has been revived. also this took me 10 hours to write for some odd reason. also i've never written this many characters before in one part... please like and reblog i really am proud of this and hope you guys like it too <3 also you can tell the more i was writing the longer the paragraphs were getting

doesn't get jealous (he trusts you):

LIU KANG has full faith in your loyalty. he doesn't take it personally when someone flirts with you. he'll gladly step in if the person flirting with you isn't taking a hint, but overall, he isn't bothered. in fact, he's more concerned about your well-being than his. he'll comfort you after the encounter and ask if there's anything he can do to put your mind at ease.

KUAI LIANG would silently watch the interaction from a distance, waiting for the person to leave you alone. similar to liu kang, he trusts you and gives you the chance to defend yourself before he does. he's confident that you wouldn't leave him, but he still stays nearby in case you need his help. in the event that you do need his assistance in getting rid of the person, he wouldn't hesitate to teach them a quick lesson then evacuate the scene with you.

GERAS couldn't care less. in fact, he isn't surprised you would be hit on. you're physically and socially attractive, it makes sense that other people would attempt to court you. he trusts that you won't let the interaction go any farther. if the person persists or is disrespectful, he'll walk up to you two and bluntly state that you're taken, then leave immediately. he won't waste his time with assholes and perverts.

RAIDEN would feel a little awkward. he trusts you, so it's not that he's unhappy with you, but he feels uncomfortable for you. he's a very calm and civil man, so he usually tries to avoid confrontation. but when it comes to you? especially when the person is making you uncomfortable? he has no problem politely telling that person off and walking away with you. he'll later reassure you by reminding you that assholes and creeps will always be around, but so will he.

doesn't get jealous (because he gives you scary dog privileges):

KENSHI TAKAHASHI wouldn't feel jealous at all if someone were to hit on you. he knows his partner is wonderful, so of course other people are going to approach you. besides, he knows he looks a bit intimidating with his tattoos, muscles, and confident aura. weirdos that flirt with you will back off when they see kenshi casually put his arm around you as you talk to the person, as if he's daring them to try something. his years involved with the yakuza have made him fearless. he has witnessed the wrath of man many times, so he has no issue teaching another one a lesson if he must.

BARAKA is like a guard dog. with his physique and face? yeah, nobody is messing with you or even approaching you. he usually feels very guilty about this, advising you to leave him due to the embarrassment of being associated with him. but sometimes, his curse can be a blessing to ward off perverts. it fills him with a very rare sense of pride, being able to protect you just by standing by you.

GENERAL SHAO definitely gives you scary dog privileges. he's well-respected in outworld, so everyone usually respects you, his partner, as well. this can be a double-edged sword, however. while outworlders often avoid you out of respect, it is also out of fear of the general's wrath. it's hard for you to walk around anywhere without stares or people trembling in fear, afraid to upset you. not because they're intimidated by you, but because the general has made it very clear that if anyone (especially his soldiers) were to treat you with anything but respect, they'll get an axe to the head.

he's instilled this fear into everyone's head, so you aren't harassed when you are alone. the general is often busy with his own endeavors, so he likely won't be there to defend you instantly. that's why he is very strict with his soldiers when it comes to you. you won't need his immediate protection as long as he makes sure everyone follows his rigid commands.

REIKO, similar to the general, has earned respect among outworlders for his strength and tenacity. while you aren't as feared as you would be with the general, reiko still has his ways of making sure you aren't bothered. because unlike the general, he has slightly more time on his hands to accompany you in your free time. when strolling around outworld, it is not uncommon to get a few stares, but reiko is brave enough to stare back at people with the fury of a true warrior. he has the scars on his back and calluses on his hands to prove his fighting spirit that nobody is reckless enough to challenge.

QUAN CHI is either hated, feared, or respected by everyone. nobody is going to mess with you as long as he is around. with his sorcery, he'll have no problem cleaning up the rodents that attempt to flirt with you. you won't even get the chance to reject anyone, since he's always ready to harm anyone that even dares to look at what is his.

BI-HAN, similar to the general, has already warned everyone in the lin kuei of the consequences that come with disrespecting you. he laid out many rules on how they should interact with you. if anyone among the clan dares to break these terms he drilled into their heads, they will be met with a harsh punishment. he won't tolerate rulebreakers.

and that's what he did on the day someone broke his rules and drunkenly flirted with you. the problem is, he would also be angry at you. bi-han firmly believes that you should be strong enough to protect yourself when he isn't there. if the person that was hitting on you starts to go a bit too far, and you are unable to stop them, bi-han ends up blaming you for their actions. despite having a myriad of punishment methods in his mind, he still wants you to fend for yourself anyway. he is upset for weeks after the incident. it is unclear whether bi-han is angry at himself and taking it out on you, or if he is truly delusional enough to blame you for an incident you never asked for.

gets jealous, but handles it rationally:

JOHNNY CAGE is used to people hitting on him. he's sexy, and an actor, which is a dangerous combo to date. he's made it very clear in private that he would never leave or cheat on you for someone else, and he ignores the numerous amounts of supermodels and fellow actors that attempt to date or sleep with him. you've gotten used to it overtime, as you already discussed your boundaries with him. but you two have never discussed what to do if you are the one being hit on.

if someone were to flirt with you in front of him, he'd butt into the conversation, putting his arm around you and saying: "yeah, my partner's smokin' hot, aren't they?"

he'd start to brag about you and the person would probably get annoyed and walk away. you can't tell if johnny was jealous and purposefully drove them away, or if he just wanted to use the opportunity to talk about you at length. perhaps it was both. you'll never know.

KUNG LAO is infamous for being cocky and prideful. some find his confidence charming, others dislike him and read his personality as arrogant rather than confident. so how could kung lao possibly be jealous? well, the answer is: he isn't. or at least that's how he appears.

he's the type of guy to love showing you off. he's protective, but proud. he'll walk around with his arm wrapped around your waist, with his head held high knowing you only belong to him and nobody else. which is why his ego is so hurt when someone has the audacity to hit on you. did they not clearly see that you're together? kung lao is more personally offended than possessive over you. he won't visibly get angry or anything, just mildly annoyed. he'll become touchier, giving you more kisses and compliments than usual. if you questioned his behavior, he'd respond with a playful: "what? am i not allowed to love my partner?" emphasizing the latter end of the sentence for everyone in the room to hear.

gets jealous, and does not handle it rationally:

SHANG TSUNG, similar to kung lao, is prideful enough to enjoy showing you off. but shang tsung tends to be sassier and hold grudges. while he lets you express yourself and wear/do whatever you want, he didn't expect it to backfire when someone ends up being attracted to you and attempting to court you. but he doesn't do anything about it. he stands from afar and waits for your conversation to be over.

you reject the person and go back to him, but shang tsung would spitefully ignore you. he even started responding to you with sassy quips after you were hit on. you could attempt to make amends with him by trying to initiate a conversation, until this little shit rolls his eyes and says something along the lines of: "why don't you go have fun with your partner?"

you'll never know if he's simply overdramatizing his jealousy to hide it, or if he's just being his usual petty self to get a reaction out of you.

TAKEDA TAKAHASHI is a young man focused on his endeavors. it's not that he doesn't care about you, but he (unfortunately) must keep his distance from you sometimes. your relationship is secret for the sake of your safety. nobody knows that you two are together, so it doesn't surprise him that you are flirted with every now and then. takeda does, in fact, feel jealous. he's not just jealous that they get to openly show their affection towards you, but he's also a bit insecure at times. he knows you won't leave him so easily, but there's still the nasty thought that creeps in the back of his head every now and then, telling him that you deserve better and he can't give you the love you deserve.

TOMAS VRBADA is usually a confident man. he may be kind and generous, but that doesn't make him weak. he's been a hardworking fighter since childhood. he's garnered an impressive amount of experience and intelligence regarding the battlefield over time. but romantically? he doesn't have as much experience. you're probably one of, if not the first relationship he's ever been in.

so, when you're hit on, he isn't quite sure what to do. he understands that the person flirting with you probably just doesn't know you're not single. tomas would speak up and calmly mention that you're already taken. the person that was flirting with you would scoff after seeing tomas, telling you something along the lines of: "him? really? you could do better." instead of causing a scene, tomas ignores the person and leaves with you.

but hours later, it still bothers him, even though he pretends it doesn't. he thinks about your relationship and wonders if you really could do better. he tries his best to be as loving as possible towards you, despite his inexperience in romantic relationships. but with his cluelessness, conflict with the lin kuei, and trying to build up the shirai ryu? he doesn't have a lot of time for you, so he understands if you wanted to leave him. it's a thought that will haunt him for days if you don't notice his behavior and ask him about it.

SYZOTH has always been secretly insecure during your relationship. he fears that you may leave him due to his zaterran blood. plus, after his family was killed by shang tsung, he has been afraid of losing you like he lost them. sometimes he fears he is too clingy, and other times he fears he isn't attentive enough. it makes him feel as if he isn't enough for you. these fears are only enabled by someone flirting with you. his mood would immediately turn sour after witnessing that interaction, until you reject that person and put them in their place. as appreciative as he is for your loyalty, (and flustered to hear how much you care about him) he still can't shake his anxieties away.

you'll likely have to comfort him and reassure him that you will always stay with him, not bothered by his struggles. you must be the one to bring it up though, because syzoth is too afraid to admit that he is jealous. he'll keep it bottled up until you notice his behavior.

ZEFFEERO's pride gets in the way of admitting his true feelings most of the time. you've helped make him more comfortable being vulnerable, but it's only natural that the high mage refuses to admit when he's jealous. it was hard enough to court you; even harder to watch as someone attempts to court you for themselves. it annoys him to watch someone think they can just flirt with you. it enrages him even more when they refuse to take no for an answer and persist in their catcalling. with his blood boiling, he struggles to contain his emotions and stop himself from resorting to violence.

after the incident is over and you dealt with it on your own, he refuses to leave your side in public ever again. whatever gathering or meeting you must attend, he'll be there too. that way, it'll ease his anxieties and make sure you are safe and comfortable. even though you've shown you're capable of taking care of yourself and staying loyal to him, his jealousy drives him to believe that you need him.

a secret fifth worse thing:

HAVIK... yeah you probably guessed he'd have an entire category to himself. it is very difficult to tell how havik feels when someone else flirts with you. is he angry at them for trying to take you? not quite. his beliefs are bent on freedom, so it isn't like you're tied down to him in any way. but at the same time, he can't help but feel a bit hurt, maybe even a bit betrayed at the thought of you leaving him. he doesn't have anyone else. he's been forced to fight for himself after a painful past in seido, then seeking retribution ever since. nobody has condoned his acts since drowning its capital. anyone that isn't on his side is considered his enemy. you're the last person he considers an ally.

you're also the only person that sees his vulnerable, traumatized side that he often disguises with anger. his wrath has tormented him for years, driving him to insanity and believing it is okay to kill anyone that opposes him. it was a miracle that you were able to see through his mask of anger and show love and support towards him, which are two things he isn't used to. that's why he can't help but feel irked by someone attempting to court you. you're the only person that has genuinely loved and cared for him, even after the things he has done. now that he's had a taste of what love and affection is like, he's not going to let you leave him that easily.

he tells himself that he doesn't need an ally, and he can help bless millions with anarchy and chaos by himself, but deep down, he still selfishly wants you for himself. he would feel more comfortable in his rebellion with you staying at his side rather than leaving him for someone else. so yes, he does feel jealousy, (and fear that you'll leave him) but he refuses to admit it and conjures up a lie that you need each other, convincing himself of a false idea rather than facing the truth that his strong desires of "freedom" magically go out the window when it comes to you.

[dzvelinaskebiyars]

Inspired by this song˙˚ʚ(´◡`)ɞ˚˙ tw: angst<3 tagging: @shintaru

Hajun:

You sat quietly on his apartment floor, the surface cold and hard against your skin. The absence of his little brothers and the joy that they always brought in the house was heavy, only defeating silence filled the dark room like a smoke curling in the air, heavy and choking. Lights were off, the only thing that saved the room from completely succumbing to darkness were windows and bright sun outside. And here you were, sitting on the floor in front of your boyfriend, bandaging his bruised fingers.

His eyes glued on your hands, observing how gently you treated his bruises. And yet, he looked like he was far deep in his thoughts, in his own world, completely detached from reality right now. He knew it was just another day for you, another day of taking care of him after his fights even when he told you that he could do it himself, and he hates it. He hates how it's becoming norm for you, how it's becoming daily task for you. You used to scold him for getting into so many fights, and he really tried to listen, but now you've come to accept it - that you couldn't keep him away from the danger that he, himself, was jumping into. So, you shut up about it too.

There was time when Hajun used to admire MMA fighters as a kid and had passion in boxing but now all those innocent times have passed. He doesn't even know why his heart keeps his old fixations when he already lost the spark for it. The moment it became his only weapon to survive, the moment it became something that got him involved in underground gambling and the moment he had to surrender himself to rich people and get locked up in cage - one he couldn't return from - his heart grew numb to something he had passion for.

That's when his world became grey, that's when he grew numb to most things in his life, that's when his lifestyle got dirty and his life messed up. But then there were you. You, who brought some colours back in his life. You, who made him feel something. You, who he felt more like human with, instead of a hound dog abandoned in the ring. But even so, he has already gone too far in something he couldn't come back from. And he could see that it also affected you.

"Done." You spoke out of nowhere, snapping him back to reality. When his eyes meet yours, you could tell that something was bothering him. His gaze looked so...lost. But he was looking at you.

"Thank you." He said, his voice rough from staying quiet for so long so he cleared his throat.

You observed him for a second before speaking again. "You don't have to feel guilty." Hearing that, he looked at you again with slightly wider eyes, caught off guard. "You said they attacked you first. Of course you'd have to protect yourself." You gave him dismissive shrug as an attempt to show that you don't blame him for getting into a fight.

"Yeah, I know..." Hajun answered, almost whispering. He looked like he had so much to say but didn't know how to, didn't have right words for it but still, you patiently waited for him to make up his mind. "But...I'm sorry." He finally added, his fingers tightened together in a firm fist.

"You don't have to apologi-"

"I do. I'm sorry that I've been worrying you all this time. And I shouldn't have accepted his request again, knowing what he'd want from me and rest of Sabbath..." He murmured loud enough for you to hear, but he sounded so tired that he could barely control his tone.

With a sigh, you reached to cup his cheeks with your hands. "You didn't have bad intentions though. And don't apologize to me. If you have anyone to apologize for the most - it's you." You explained while eyeing his bruises and wounds he got from his fight and that shut him up quickly.

You do understand that it's his job, that he's doing this for his brothers, that he gets into few street fights which isn't rare in Korea, but you dislike it. And what you dislike more than his violent environment is how he treats himself, how he doesn't care what happens to him as long as his brothers will be fine and well fed. It breaks your heart to see him acting like a vessel for his family.

Hajun remained quiet, he didn't have anything else to say. What you didn't expect him though, was him wrapping his arm around you and bringing close to his embrace. His silence only adding to the heavy situation. Then he rested his second hand on your waist and his chin on your shoulder. He didn't know what to say in that moment but he really, really wanted you to stay.

Vinny:

Today was the day half of Korea dreamed of, people were busy cheering for the winner of League of Streets, Jay Jo. But he wasn't the one you were looking at, looking for. Instead, it was the boy next to him with ruby red hair, his face down in shame, his hands trembling.

Vinny....

It's beyond the imagination of crowd how useless he feels right now. He sacrificed everything, he worked hard, yet why...why?! Why is it that he could never have the win? Why is that he's just never enough? Honestly, even you didn't know how to cheer him up anymore.

But still, you waited outside for him while he was getting tested for doping, putting your jacket back on due to cold weather that doesn't seem to be changing. While you were waiting, your thoughts were on Vinny. What were you supposed to say to him? What could you possibly do or say to cheer him up right now? Would he even accept it? Or would he push you away?

While these thoughts kept haunting you, Vinny came out of the staff room with gloomy face. Your attention immediately shifted to him and your heart ached at the sight of him. He looked so devastated but as always, trying to mask it up.

"Vinny!" You called out his name to grab his attention. He raised his head at the sound of your voice, turning around to face you with surprised expression. But his face turned gloomy again in matter of seconds.

You walked towards him, getting closer and closer with each step while nervously thinking about what to say. You'd congratulate him but what should you congratulate him for? If you ask him how he's doing though, that would make him feel even more pathetic, considering Vinny doesn't like getting pitied. Then maybe you should tell him that he tried his best, but even tha-

"What?" His voice snapped you back to reality, realising you're already standing close to him - too close. His heterochromic eyes rest on your face.

"I...Um...You were amazing out there." Your voice came out hesitant and you immediately cursed yourself for that. C'mon, you were supposed to say it confidently!!

Silence.

Neither of you said anything after that. The only thing you heard was the sound of his breathing and your heart that was going to burst out of your chest any time soon.

"Are you kidding me?" He snapped. Vinny's voice wasn't loud, he wasn't yelling - no. But his tone was sharper than any blade, enough to catch you by surprise.

"No? I'm not kidding. I think you were amaz-"

"What about me is amazing?" He asks, this time without any bite in his voice nor sarcasm. "No matter how hard I trained, I still couldn't win this competition. How is that amazing?" His eyes narrowed at you but not in distrust, but in desperation he tried so hard to hide.

"Vinny, no matter what you say, you were amazing today. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so--"

"Shut it."

"I'm proud of you-"

"I said stop."

His sharp voice kept cutting you off, leaving you no other choice than shutting up. With a soft sigh, you gave up. His eyes were now glued on the ground, lost in whatever he was thinking. After that, he turned around to walk away but your voice stopped him.

"I didn't say it out of pity. I truly am proud of you, Vinny."

Wooin:

The sound of water running filled the quiet bathroom, the unpleasant smell reached Wooin's nose, so he held his breath. He washed blood off of his hands, his knuckles were bruised, his lip cut open, blood making his lips sticky. He tried to clean himself up as fast as he could since his dad's guard was waiting for him. His dad...He would be so mad...

The sound of door opening caught his attention. Wooin thought it was probably his bodyguard checking if he was done, so he didn't look up, he didn't even want to see him. But then-

"Wooin?"

The familiar voice of female, that familiar voice he grew to love, reached his ears and he didn't hesitate to turn around, despite being surprised. "[Reader]? What are you doing here...in boys' bathroom?"

You stared at his cut lip, bruised knuckles, blood on his clothes, messy hair and exhausted eyes, like he just wanted to give up. Your heart ached at the sight of him. It's so unusual to see him looking so vulnerable. "I...heard that you got into fight so I was worried." You answered, hesitantly reaching out to touch his shoulder.

Wooin, however, didn't let you do that due to his shoulder already aching and shifted away instead. "I'm surprised my guard let you in."

"Oh I forced him and threatening that I would snitch on him about his relationship with our history teacher." You said in light-hearted tone to ease the tension and thankfully, his lips twitched into ghost smile, but it faded away too quickly.

"Anyway.... Do you need help in cleaning up?" You gently offered.

"Hm, maybe if I was four and still taking bubble baths." He sarcastically says and turns around to wash his knuckles again.

"Okey... Why did you get into fight though? You could get in trouble."

"I already am in trouble." He corrected. "Surprising, isn't it?" His tone drips in sarcasm again, habit he accidentally picked on since he was young.

"Answer my question." Now you demanded after noticing that he tried to avoid it. "Did they say something to you?"

Wooin sighs and mutters something under his nose but you couldn't catch it. Then he puts his hands in hand dryer, the machine immediately activates. "Just something stupid." He states dismissively.

Crossing your arms over your chest, you questioned him further. "You wouldn't act like this over something stupid."

You watched him take his hands out of the dryer, checking if his hands were still somehow wet - they weren't. "Does it matter? I've set an example of why they shouldn't get cocky with me. Doubt they'll do it again unless they want free tickets to hospital."

"Fear isn't solution, Wooin..." You spoke again, now concerned to how he started thinking. Like him. "Well-" you tried to change topic to don't sound accusing but he cut you off.

"If they refuse to show respect, making them scared will force them too." He says, not looking at you.

At that, your heart broke. He has changed so much after that accident, it's like he's completely different person. You know that he was defending himself, it's not like him to throw fists out of nowhere without being provoked to do so. But... "Is that whar your father taught you?" Before you could stop yourself, the question rolled off of your tongue on its own.

At that, he froze. Not visibly, but he still did. His eyes slowly moved up to your face and he opened his mouth to say something but the sudden knock on the room made you both go still.

"Sir, are you done? We should hurry." Wooin's so-called bodyguard - that was literally taking him to man he needed to be protected from - interrupted, calling for Wooin with urgency.

"Yeah, coming." Wooin answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away from you. Leaving you with thousands of thoughts and heavy heart but maybe you also left him with one.

[ilovereadingandstuff]

Never said that last thing you said.

I DO support the idea that bnha was not written correctly. I do see it flaws, of how Hori messed up in the story-telling throughout nearing the final arc.

I did focused on Izuku 'cuz 1. that was the thing that was disputed above before my intervention 2. Katsuki's character depends on him.

Here I say that I DO recognized that Katsuki ended up in a weird way 'cuz his character was reduced to his conection with Izuku. He is not an independent character in relation to the MC of the story, as his whole ordeal was rotated and centered towards Izuku and how their relationship affected him. Yes! he 100% had potential, he's an incredible complex character with an interesting background and innovating setting in the way he was gonna grow to be an adult and incredible hero, and I do believe we could see quite a lot of it, but yeah, he was ruined in that way on his relationship with Izuku, 'cuz, as much Izuku is such and important part for his growth, he ended up being the only cause of it.

I did read all what you wrote, so don't bother on it.

Also, doesn't it the whole 'i chase after you and now you chase after me' thingy was a way to express that Katsuki needed to mature in the way he view other people?? He has always been incredible in terms of heroism and power, but his quest thorught the manga was exactly the opposite: to learn to relay on people, to be kind, to be a good person and accept help, have compannion as he needed to learn to 'save' not only 'win'.

Everyone deserved recognition, 'cuz literally the whole students of UA were even more helpfull in the war than the adults. But Izuku carried the burden of way too many, as he also dealt with the most dangerous ones, that's why he also deserves that recognition.

Don't all class A and more achieved their dreams of being a hero? Ochako with his project, Katsuki started being in 4 place, Shoto 2nd, many of the characters with their own agencies, in romantic relationships, time to spare AND their solo/interns careers as heroes? that's why Izuku also deserved it, 'cuz he served just as the others did but without a quirk he couldn't become a hero on his own (with that, again, I am not that much of a supporter of this idea, but it is what we were given).

Your point is "Making Bakugo number 1 in the rankings was the least and the easiest thing Hori could do. And it could at least be a little bit satisfying for us who actually care about his character as an individual character."

and here i can say that Katsuki IS achieving in his own head and mind that number 1 spot: as he is rising from 15 to 4, the ranking system is a joke and competing with Izuku is a motivation for him to keep on aiming higher.

Katsuki was a manhandled character during the finalization of mha, and just as the whole manga, it ended poorly written, but with the best Hori could offer this final chapters, I think it's just enough what we were given.

We don't know the reasons of why the writting decrease quality so much, could it be Hori being sick, the inside pressure of the editorial, own personal reasons, his lack on interest, and so on, but with what we were given, Katsuki stands quite good of what he could have ended up.

At least we are not with him looking depressed and in the 15th spot, as chapter 431 left us with.

And for your information, I am both an Izuku and a Katsuki fan. And even thought I love bnha and will always be a fan, I do see through the errors that Hori have made and the way the story is not perfect, and totally treated many characters and story arcs quite bad towards the ending.

At this point, I'm almost agreeing with your point, 'cuz bnha pretty much can be said to have ended up in garbage, but Katsuki getting 1 place kinda loses the whole point of his character development: that he didn't need that external recognition, as he needed to value more his own (needed to see more highly to himself in terms of his previous insecurities [externalized in arrogance and angryness]) and his interaction with others.

I legitimately don't know who else to talk to so... I'm so tired of being a Bakugo fan who doesn't like Deku. It's like Horikoshi himself doesn't gaf about Bakugo and only wants Bakugo as a tool for hos precious little MC. Bakugo is so dehumanized in the series that no one cares about him outside of connecting him to Deku. He is not even allowed to be higher than Deku in a ranking where Deku is technically quirkless! Ngl, I feel like I want all the money I spent on MHA back but I don't know who to rant to or talk to. This ain't fair result for Bakugo at all

I understand you don't know who to talk to about this, but I'm honestly flabbergasted you came to me, one of the most openly critical people of the inclusion of those rankings in the first place. They mean nothing. They're honestly a joke. I can't imagine taking the fact that Katsuki is one rank below Izuku as anything serious and offensive because it's so meaningless. The *only* meaning you can ascribe to this situation is that Katsuki's heart truly wasn't in the competition at all until Izuku got back in the game. Now he's getting to do the exact thing he wanted to do so badly he cried openly about it to Izuku in the hospital--he's getting to chase after Izuku again. I can only assume that these rankings would just fluctuate all the time after this point. One of them will always be chasing the other, no matter who is "out in the lead."

And please be wary of using terms like "dehumanized" in reference to fictional characters. These aren't people. They literally are intangible objects. Katsuki literally is a literary tool to be used in a narrative. You're treating this mini-chapter as though it's depicting a static situation that will never change for the rest of their lives. But it's your job as a reader to infer the dynamism into the little details. Plenty of other characters care about Katsuki, and we've been shown that throughout the series. Plenty of fans care about Katsuki, and they have demonstrated that in their fan creations. Horikoshi himself even said in this fanbook that his favorite part of the story to write was the story between Izuku and Katsuki. It's not shocking in that case that he'd focus more of his attention on fleshing out the relationship between them than between Katsuki and anyone else. Nothing about that implies to me that Horikoshi doesn't care about Katsuki.

So if you want to vent to someone about your frustrations, maybe write a blog post or find someone who is upset about the same things as you. But if you want someone to counter your feelings and give you a reason to change your mind, this is about all I'm willing to provide. Good luck out there.

[silverofthunder]

☆ favor ☆

Copia & Papa V Perpetua

summary: the first meeting between Copia & Perpetua

content: 1k words, brotherly stuff, a lot of emotions i think?

i don't even know what this is. wanted to write something because i haven't written anything for a while. also i've been having a lot of Copia & Perpetua feelings so... yeah. enjoy! ♡

Copia barely registered the knock on the door but then the door was opened and he tore his gaze away from the computer screen.

It was him.

Papa V Perpetua.

Copia let out a sigh, a string of curses going through his mind as he stood up.

"Sorry, I thought..." Perpetua started, vaguely motioning to the door, a look of hesitance on his half-masked face.

"Just come in." The words came out a bit sharper than necessary but it didn't seem to bother Perpetua as he stepped inside and closed the door. He walked slowly closer to Copia's desk and Copia wasn't sure what else to do than stand behind it awkwardly.

This meeting was supposed to happen at some point but it still felt too soon. He wasn't ready.

Perpetua's gaze studied him, curious, and Copia shifted, squeezing the hem of his suit jacket between his fists, the leather of his gloves creaking.

"Nice to finally meet you."

Copia blinked, his mouth twitching. He didn’t know what to say so he just nodded instead and Perpertua seemed to be okay with that. He must have realized that Copia really wasn't prepared for the situation.

Copia watched as he moved, slowly, turning his gaze to take in the office. The bright light made Perpetua's mask glow and Copia was secretly glad he wasn't wearing the rhinestone one - that shit would have blinded him on the spot.

Perpetua stepped over the boxes but one somehow caught him and he tripped and before Copia knew, he was grabbing a hold of him to keep him from falling.

Perpetua let out a little laugh as he staightened himself up, and Copia flashed him a smile, though he wasn't sure if it came out more of a grimace.

"I've been meaning to move those but..." Copia sighed and Perpetua just brushed it off with a wave of a hand. He looked a bit embarrassed, though, lowering his gaze as he was standing securely again.

"So..." Copia said, wanting to start the conversation finally. "Tour is starting soon. How are you... feeling about it?"

Perpetua's eyes found him again, wide with surprise.

"A little nervous, I suppose," he answered. "Excited but also, uhm... like I shouldn't be doing it."

Oh.

Oh.

Copia couldn't deny that he was feeling the same but obviously he wasn't going to say it to Perpetua. He was still mourning the loss of the performing part, to be able to be on stage and give everything he had to the audience. It hurt to not be able to do it again. It hurt to be replaced by someone else, by his own twin, nonetheless.

"Ah, don't worry about it. You'll grow into the role eventually."

It might have been a weak attempt at encouragement but the way Perpetua's eyes lit up told Copia his words weren't a complete miss.

"Perhaps. I know I can never be like you, as great as you, but I'll do my best," Perpetua admitted and Copia felt a sting in his chest.

Damn.

Copia shifted, reaching out his hand and placing it on Perpetua's arm, giving it a slight squeeze. Perpetua's mouth opened and he looked like there was so much he wanted to say but not one word came out. Copia offered him a small smile.

"You don't have to be like me. People already love you from what I've read."

The look in Perpetua's eyes turned softer, almost shiny and a tiny bit in Copia's chest melted.

"Yet some still would rather have you on stage."

"You'll win them over, I'm sure of it," Copia said, not really knowing where all these words were coming from now.

"I don't know..." Perpetua said, his shoulders slugging, the self doubt seeming to get the better of him. Copia sighed, long and deep, knowing the feeling all too well.

He gave Perpetua's arm another squeeze, searching for the right words. Despite his mixed feelings about the man in front of him, he couldn't just ignore the request that lied behind the words.

"Eh, do you maybe need some guidance?"

Perpetua nodded slowly.

"If that's not too much to ask."

It wasn't, really. If Copia thought about it, helping Perpetua would at least give him a fraction of his old life back. Maybe not directly but to some extend anyway.

"Whatever you need," Copia said and the smile he got from Perpetua made his chest sting even more but also a slight ball of warmth blossomed there and it was something he couldn't just brush under the carpet.

"Thank you, brother," Perpetua said, putting more emphasis to the last word and Copia let out a slight, embarrassing noise.

"You know...?"

"Yes, I knew it before I came here."

"Oh..." was all Copia got out and earned a little laugh from Perpetua.

"All my life I've felt like something has been missing and now I know what it was. Who it was."

The words seemed to punch all the air out of Copia's lungs, all the emotions surging to the surface. A part of him wanted to punch a wall while another wanted to just wrap his arms around Perpetua. He did neither, instead standing frozen in place and staring at his brother, eyes burning from unshed tears.

Perpetua looked so genuine, almost child-like, with his soft smile and big, bright eyes, and if that hadn't melted Copia's heart, nothing probably would have. He used all his willpower not to hug Perpetua, patting then his arm before pulling away and turning to face his computer.

"Well, I guess we can continue later," he said, pointing at the screen. "I've got some work to do."

In truth he didn't have that much work, he just needed a moment to himself.

"Oh, of course," Perpetua said, making his way past the boxes on the floor, this time not tripping on any of them. He stopped by the door, hand on the handle.

"I'm looking forward your advice," he added and Copia just nodded, waving his hand. Then Perpetua opened the door and exited the office. As soon as the door closed, Copia sat on the couch and buried his face in his hands with a loud sigh.

The tears ran free soon after.

[andielle]

prologue|chpt. 1|chpt. 2|chpt. 3|masterlist

You and Bucky have shared this relationship for almost a year now. He sleeps with you to relieve stress, you sleep with him to free you from your slight crush on him. But what happens when Bucky breaks the rules of your relationship, and yearns for more?

MODERN! Office AU! Bucky x Reader

prologue | 1.0k words | warnings: implications of sex

You're slowly awakened by the beams of sunlight peaking through your binds. Still groggy, you opened your eyes to an empty bed. You still felt the warmth radiating from your side, while the memories of the night before flooded your brain. Kisses, warmth, skin on skin, metal on skin, you remembered how you and Bucky turned into mere creatures of flesh, indulging in each other. He used you, but that didn't matter because you used him too.

It all felt like a dream, but does it matter? Dream or not, you'd still wake up with an empty bed either way. You lay on your side for a bit, feeling your hand on the bedsheets where Bucky laid on. He must've left a few minutes ago, because his warmth and sultry scent still lingered heavily on your sheets — You were used to this even though you wish you weren't.

Couldn't he at least wake me up for work before leaving? You thought to yourself, finally sitting up to give yourself a good stretch before scrambling to get ready for work.

—

God, you already hate this day. Your eyelashes feel like there are weights attached to them, you're constantly having your back slumped, and it's only... You look at the clock... 8:43 am?! You sat drooped over your chair from the revelation, your eyes still groggy, and the cheerful sunshine coming from the windows certainly did not help with your predicament.

"Hey— Oh my God... Who did this to you?" a feminine voice calls out to you. You don't exactly see who it is, but from the corner of your vision, you can tell that the crimson coloured head of hair belonged to the one and only — Natasha Romanoff. Your eye twitched.

"Good morning to you too, I guess," you replied quietly, not even bothering to care about how you looked right now, or to look up. "Bad night huh?" Nat questions, but the answer was obvious enough. With a small tap, she places a cup of coffee on your desk.

"Nat..." you quickly took the cup and sipped, sweet and with a bitter aftertaste, you gulped, eyes closed. With a sigh of satisfaction, you thanked Nat; "Thank you so much... You're my saviour, really."

"'Must've been a long night for you — you know, going back to your place with B-" Nat was interrupted with your look of panic. Instead of finishing her sentence, she gave you mercy by smiling. With a click of her heels, she moved from the front of your desk to your side. She kneeled facing you, holding onto your desk for support. "Why do you still sleep with him? I mean— he's a total hunk! But, like, are you still sure about this?" She says in a hushed tone.

Oh Nat, she has always given you a piece of her mind, albeit a bit brutally sometimes, but she's always been there for you ever since your earlier days in the office.

She was like the older sister you've never had. She knew your ins and outs, and you both often shared secrets with each other that otherwise would not be shared with anybody else.

"Relax, I don't mind, you know how complicated it is," you smiled softly at your best friend, appreciating the concern. She raised a well-groomed eyebrow, scanning your face.

"I promise... I could leave anytime," you added. She didn't look persuaded though. Damn it, she could see right through you easily, which was one of the reasons why she knew about you and Bucky in the first place, a tiny falter in your expression gave it away.

"Well, I trust you, but that doesn't mean I won't care, okay?" she says before standing up and giving you a pat on the shoulder. She strutted back to her desk.

"Okay," you said, right before you were out of earshot.

Another sigh left your lips when you realize Nat has also left some blueprints on your desk when she gave you your coffee. Today is going to be a really long day. You read through the papers, reading all the numbers carefully while occasionally sipping your coffee here and there. You looked at the prototypes and added your own edits all the while doing calculations on your computer, everyday work stuff.

You stood up from your desk and walked to the elevator, hoping to talk to Tony about some adjustments you've made. With a ding, you picked your floor and the elevator doors closed up.

But, when the elevator door was about to completely close, a metal hand cut through, and it opened up again.

You were met with a set of blue-grey eyes. "Good morning," Bucky greeted you as he walked in. With your voice stuck in your throat, you managed to cough up an enthusiastic enough good morning! back. He looked significantly less shitty than you did, despite being in the same situation the night before.

He was wearing a plain black tee and jeans— a typical Bucky outfit. He didn't have to wear anything formal, like you did with your short-sleeved button up and slacks, lucky him. Your eyes wandered from his chest to his arms as he walked to stand next to you. Never mind, lucky you. You snapped your head forward before he noticed you staring.

This was a normal routine. Once a week, you both would spend the night together, and the next morning pretend like nothing happened. It was awkward for you still, but to him it's like it's nothing, well, what did you expect? The tension in the air was really evident, and you were itching to touch him again. But you remembered your agreement with him, so you couldn't act on your thoughts.

You tried your best to not turn your head to admire him again, his piercing eyes, his cute stubble, his dark hair, this man was truly the embodi-

Ding! the elevator made a sound that broke your train of thought.

Bucky moves from your side to exit the elevator, not saying a word. You felt disappointment replace your earlier emotions, wishing to be close to him a little bit more. You opened your mouth to say goodbye, "Have a nice da-" the elevator closed on you before you could even finish, leaving you standing there whilst it moved again.

Yeah, today is going to be a really really long day.

[clownistyping]

Classified Organization

Director Radcliffe comes to you with an alliance, one not by choice.

No warnings besides like mentioning of murder and fear of children being hurt. Oranges too, ik some people are allergic. Also like child on fire but he's fine i swear.

Before the GDA deemed you; the caretaker of underage enhanced humans. 

You were simply a GDA agent who happened to be genetically enhanced. Though enhanced is dramatic, you couldn't possibly do what the guardians are doing. 

In your file your ability is described as emotional manipulation. 

You've made sure that your file isn't accessible to other agents, once glance and they're twenty yards away from you. Isolation is one thing you're used to, in fact when you're in those large scale meetings it's almost unbearable. You can feel everyone narrowly avoiding you, their glances fleeting. Despite having no physical contact with any of them you understand exactly what they are feeling. 

The first mission you were sent on was filled with low spirits, an abandoned orphanage. 

You scoff at the sight of the dreary building, each step you and the other agents took made the structure groan. Warnings against unnecessary movements were mentioned in the briefing beforehand. You almost forgot why you were here in the first place until your eyes met those of a small child. Scared, whimpering in fear and trying to hide deeper into the corner of the room. 

His name fleeting your memory, but the fire that erupted from him scarred your arm still. You remember grabbing him, whispering soft words of comfort as his tears evaporated from the intense heat of his abilities. His hot tiny hands gripped your shirt, singeing holes into the fabric. Your heart couldn’t care of any pain that was coursing through you.  Your eyes closed as you held him, wondering why anyone would harm such an innocent child. His fear turns to ease. 

The softness of your touch hardened when you felt another set of hands try to take him from you. Looking up, your eyes meet the black panel of a GDA agent. Who locks an inhibitor collar around the child's throat. Smoke lifts from his skin, like his fire was just extinguished. 

The child's exhaustion gives way as he falls unconscious in your arms. The collar blinking it's green light, like it's mocking you. That your touch no longer works on this child. You're useless once again.  

Knowing that you never saw him again hurt more than the scars that cover your arms. 

A hand snaps it's fingers in front of you, causing you to blink back into reality. Looking up from the meager lunch you have, is Radcliffe. 

Your director, the man who's given you the worst assignments. Always with a smile. You never smile back at him. 

“Got time to talk?” He asks with a raised brow, his scar promintate. It wasn't really a question, but you stand and follow. Not bothering to clean up your mess, you'll be back. 

As you walk with him down the hall, your hands in your pockets. He's quiet in the start. 

“Stedman's getting released soon.” Radcliffe says, and you blink in confusion. 

“What? I thought he still had three more years.” You say in confusion, Cecil Stedman's arrest wasn't a secret. Everyone in every section knew of his arrest. 

You're still young compared to Cecil, though not once have you looked up to that man. When you heard of him killing Forcefist and Knucklebuster even after the duo was rehabilitated. You just couldn't imagine the man being free again. Maybe it's the fairness in you. How you want everyone to have a second chance, a third if they're nice. 

But murder? Was always a line you felt shouldn't be crossed. You know that man's crossed it plenty of times. 

“Pay attention, (L/N)” Radcliffe tsks at you and you swallow with a nod. 

“Yes sir, sorry” you divert back to Radcliffe 

“Your program is progressing at incredible rates. Honestly, (Y/N) I didn't expect it to.” He says as you both enter his office, you feel a nerve twitch in your brain at the backhanded compliment but understand where his heart is. Your mind brings back Stedman. 

“What does this have to do with Cecil, sir?” You asked with a raised brow, Radcliffe leans against his desk and shows a knowing smile to you. 

“He's going to be let out on good behavior, and has been excelling in leadership. Something you lack in, No offense” he adds on and you exhale. You look away, and then back at Radcliffe. He's not done. 

“And you'll be working with him” he adds, and it feels like a direct slap to the face. 

“Director, I don't think that's a good idea” your words were shot down by his hand rising. The energy sliced by his actions. 

“The boards already agreed on it, these kids can actually be of use to us. And the quicker we get them with Cecil, the less we have to worry about them throwing a hormone fueled tantrum and bombing the Pentagon.” he argues and you scoff. 

“They would never do that, you know that Radcliffe. You know them! Rex is already showing great self control. And the twins are working together like never before.” The last part was a lie. You both know that, if anything, those two are at each other's throats weekly. 

Your eyes fall to the photo Radcliffe has on the wall. One of you, him and the kids. A few GDA agents are in the back as protection. The first big outing you had permission to go. The kids were begging to see a movie, any movie. It was a unanimous vote on Madagascar. 

How could this man want to put these kids on a battlefield? You look back at Radcliffe, his eyes soften. 

“I'm sorry, (Y/N). But I didn't have a choice, it was either this or turn the kids over to testing.” he explains and you feel your throat bubble. 

“There was no other choice!?” You scoff out with a shaking tone. 

“Why couldn't they just go to school like regular kids? We see it first hand already. It's possible, Radcliffe. Please.” You step closer and the man's posture leans into himself. He crosses his arms. 

“It's already been decided.” He says, almost avoiding your gaze by looking behind you. You see his resolve trying not to break, and you know it won't. He's the director of the GDA, you pleading won't change the fact that papers have been signed. 

You swallow any words that want to come out. Lost and confused in a world that won't show any mercy. 

It's not fair. 

When you left his office, your throat was hot. Making your way back to your own office, forgoing the lunch you had in the canteen. It was just an old sandwich and oranges. Nothing to write home about. A part of you feels guilty for leaving it, but the thought of your kids being injured by some idiots in the field really makes tears escape you. 

Radcliffe has helped you raise those kids. He knows how isolated they really are. You thought he understood them. You truly did. 

But you really should've known better, especially from the fucking government. 

Your throat hardens and you swallow, wiping your face. You slam your hands onto your desk and turn on your computer. 

Cecil fucking Stedman, the man whose going to ruin the hard work you put into these kids. The man is going to turn them into soldiers. Your fingers work quickly, as quickly as the 2005 desktop will let you log into the secure programs and try to find that man's file. Anything about him that is private. Even public. You need to know.

God you hope you have time. 

[pushspacetocontinue]

Antonio took a moment to take a breath and blink a few times. His vision was finally coming back in its entirety. Ears twitched briefly, and his tail moved to match his thinking.

"Good shout," Antonio said then, when he saw that Erica had managed to find the silver bullets. That was one less danger, "Yes, we'll have to see whose been making them to hurt those like us. Good idea."

At the scoffing and the remark of not caring, Antonio was quick to summon a smaller limb of the mage beans he had been using for and moved so it could smack Crosshair in the face. But then he put on a feigned look of pity.

"What soul? I'm afraid you can't lose what you don't actually have, madam," Antonio said, "So candy will have to suffice. Thank you, Erica."

He took a couple of pieces from the little packet then. Of course, that was a lie, but Crosshair didn't need to know that.

"No problem," Simon said, before he then remembered that Crosshair had no idea of their communications, he briefly flipped the loudspeaker of the drone on, and turned towards Crosshair so it looked like he was looking at her directly, "Just call me Clank, Widowmaker."

He just had to make it known that he had been giving his support. Without waiting for another response from Crosshair, he then piloted the drone so he could join the rest of the ground team.

"But it would have been cool to see Five's hair just burst into flames like a candle," Bill said. He didn't seem too bothered by Frosty's appearance either.

He knew that they were supposed to mainly target Five, but if they could Frosty out of the way without harming him too much, that would be a bonus.

"And I see you're done painting the pavements with your blood," Bill said, "Too bad really. I like you better without it in your body, and this is certainly more fab than those things you call clothes."

Leofric also wasn't hesitating in swinging his own sword, but Five had clearly seen the attack coming, for he missed with his blade.

"You've been a scourge in this city for long enough," Leofric added to Veronica's comment.

But what he couldn't help but note was that Five seemed to know who Veronica was, especially with her statement about his family.

"Let's go after Frosty too," Russell said to Lucien, "We handle him first and that'll make it easier to handle Five after."

"Awww, aren't those butter knives cute?" Travis said, still putting on the 'scary thug' act, "I bet they won't stop your skull caving in."

He tapped the pipe against the open palm.

"You don't even have to fight us," Bill said, as he decided to send some shadowy tentacles after Frosty as well, "You've been keeping some really bad company, so you surrender now and let the grown ups handle this, and we can forget about you being Five's little lackey."

Russell looked over at Frosty, before he then dug another baseball from his pocket. He then threw it into the air, and batted Frosty's way with the crowbar. If it didn't hit Frosty, the movement would hopefully distract him, and sometimes a moment of that could be crucial.

Now that the fight was over, Erica decided to look around the nest to make sure there weren't other traps lying about. After a close inspection, she returned with a bag of candy in one hand and a box full of silver bullets in the other.

"Can you take this, Willow? It's making my hand all twitchy."

Willow was glad to relieve her of both items. "It might be worth looking into where these were made." she said, examining the bullets, "But most importantly, they won't be put to use anymore."

"Yep. It's really messed up shooting at people like this!" Erica said, nudging Crosshair with her foot.

Crosshair let out a grunt while she tried looking at the cut on her arm, "What can I say? I like shooting at things. It was going just fine too, but then Five started messing with you people."

"Who cares? Monsters have feelings too! What you're doing is wrong!"

"See if I care." Crosshair scoffed, before Erica tossed a roll of bandages at her face, "But I'm outta here. No trophy is worth losing my soul over."

"Nah, we already got your candy." Erica grinned, taking the bag to offer it to Antonio, "Right?"

"I don't think anyone would mind." Willow said, "Simon, you should join the others now. We can't possibly miss out on any highlights."

Crosshair looked around again, "Who the hell are you talking to?"

"I drew them out. That's alright." Rook said, clearly not minding Frosty's presence. While she wasn’t about fo dismiss a fellow magic user, she was confident enough in her experience to get the upper hand.

Besides, he was already clearly intimidated by the sight of Travis heading his way. Frosty summoned two large icicles that he held like a pair of daggers. The barrier was still holding up, which made him less concerned about Leofric approaching him. He remembered their last encounter, he wasn't afraid of him. Veronica impressed him even less. Bill even got a chuckle out of him.

"Oh, it's you again. I see you're done puking your guts out." Five replied with a smirk, "The outfit is trying a bit too hard, though."

"The lack of manners runs in the family, uh?" Veronica said, raising her stance, "Come on, dear. Let's get this party started."

"You got it, mum!"

"Mum?"

Five only had the time to utter that before Veronica and Rook charged at the barrier, their combined powers being enough to breach through Frosty's barrier. The matching explosions got the hunter's braincells to connect the dots for a moment, before he moved out of the way of Veronica's rapier.

"Come here, snake. You have a lot to answer for." the ghost lady said.

Rook in the meantime conjured a popsicle of her own. "Two can play this game. Now then, let's talk about what you did to my brother…"

Lucien, of course, stuck with Russell. "Lewis and I are right behind you."

He'd go where Russell would go, but he really hoped to get a chance to beat the poison out of Five too before this was over.

[kindaoptimisticsquirrel]

Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol2 Part 1

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

Trimax: Vol01 Part 1 Vol01 Part 2 | Vol02 Part 1 Vol02 Part 2

My thoughts on Trimax Vol02! Not so much deep art or thoughts analysis in this one :)

I wonder if the name has any meaning to it? As far as I understood this is the mansion where Legato and his henchmen are hiding, so I wonder if there’s anything to that name. Now what I found just now was that there is a musician by that name who apparently made two songs, one called “My Only True Love” and “I’m Coming Back from Viet Nam”, but no chance to listen to them. Interesting, I guess.

Joke: Midvalley must be playing really bad if that’s his audience’s reaction

It’s also cool to note that Gauntlet is trying to warn the men about Legato, that they should get away! He might hold no sympathy for them but he also doesn’t wish for their ugly demise that’s inevitable when Legato steps in.

Oh this whole chapter is SO yucky and bleugh and evil but the most evil thing is this panel right here. Sometimes the horrors that aren’t shown are the most horrifying ones.

Vaaash ♥ Every time our boy is remotely smiling I want to pet his head and boop his nose and hold him close.

Maybe I’ve overlooked smth during my first two reads or misunderstood smth but dear ma’am, who are you?? My only theory is probably nonsense. Or maybe it’s just some extra being controlled by Legato to help him move around?

I couldn’t resist. I need to make fun of Legato every time I see him.

Nick looks really cute with these glasses. Also good for you, Wolfie, getting to drive such a pretty boy in your sidecar!

The killing game? I thought they were only meant to bring Vash neverending und unbearable suffering? (Though Vash can’t know that)

Lovely use of the soundwords again!!

And this one! Also cool how the swoooshing of the blade is indicated with this white space. Black outlining and then a light shading...hmhm (taking notes)

Aah I love it when one part of the face is covered in darkness, showing mostly the eye. It’s so looming and effective. Actually, now I do wonder if this is something that’s still used in nowadays mangas or not? I don’t read lots of mangas atm and only one other shounen, so I’m pretty out of the loop how manga style has evolved (of course everybody has their own style but in general, I think you can often see if a series is older or newer. I NEED to analyise what specifics do give that away because that’s pretty interesting)

I think this is the first time it’s kinda directly stated that Vash is not human, isn’t it? Just smth interesting to note I think.

Ooh we all know you’re also thinking about you and your own sinful existence, Wolfie.

I really like this page and especially the left panel! The ground is so utterly devoid of any details, apart from the sand clouds and the lines that the roller blades have left. I really enjoy how Nightow keeps mostly to lineart without using lots of shading in the clothes, that’s a thing he does mostly in the faces the enhance expressions as far as I could tell.

Gotta agree with Wolfwood on this, Vash is being a bit naive. He makes it sound so easy, so much so that it could be understood as an insult to all the suffering that Rai-Dei had to endure, to the way that his life is now. I mean it’s not the case but it does sound like Vash doesn’t want to know or hear about Rai-Dei’s crimes, by saying it “doesn’t matter”. All in all it is understandable that it only fuels Rai-Dei’s anger.

I love pages where it’s no sound, only little snippets of action taking place, with different perspectives.

[kirrryash]

wet dog

[mazamba]

Blackarachnia couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

"Ummm..."

"SO!" Sari burst in, carrying even more food, "I got sliders, popcorn chicken, sushi, apple pies, churros, fish tacos, cotton candy, and jam-filled donuts."

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" asked Optimus, "You can't eat that much anymore."

"She can't?" The amount of food on the table suggested otherwise.

"No," she grumbled, "my stomach can't expand that much anymore. All my metal bits are in the way."

"There's also the fact that you need less food in general," pointed out Ratchet, "that's the big advantage of your physiology. You can run on half the food a human needs and less than a third the energon a cybertronian burns."

"That's... quite the efficiency upgrade," Blackarachnia admitted, "my spider form needed almost twice the organic and cybertronian fuels."

"Why?" Sari piped.

"My spider form wasn't this... elegant. I was two species in a single frame, each with their own immune systems. I needed a lot of fuel to keep them alive."

"Well, you won't have that problem anymore... wait, I forgot the drinks! Be right back!"

Once the younger technoorganic was out of the room, Blackarachnia could finally bring up something that had been bothering her.

"So... why are you letting her help me?"

Optimus gave her a look.

"I mean, we don't exactly have a great history."

"I know."

"Then... why?"

He sighed, venting air before taking a swig of his oil barrel.

"Because there's only two of you," he replied after a minute, "two members of an entire species, three as soon as we can find and convert Waspinator."

"Yeah, but I'm a Decepticon. I've almost killed your team more than once."

"I don't see a badge on you," he replied, "not yet anyways. Sari's not an Autobot either. It would be a shame if our war consumed the only two members of a new species."

"I'm not planning on keeping this form," she pointed out, "even if this is more stable, I will get my old body and my old life back eventually."

"Your old life?" Ratchet scoffed, "You gave up all rights to that the second you let Megatron brand you. If it were up to me, you'd be on your way to Trypticon!"

Blackarachnia glared at him, "Yeah? Then why aren't I!?"

"Sari insisted that you needed a chance," Optimus replied, "and I believe a fresh start might be just what you need. A life outside of the Autobots and Decepticons."

"What makes you think that's what I want? That I won't turn around if Shockwave figures out how to reformat me?"

The Prime didn't say anything, but simply tightened his grip on the empty oil can until he reduced it to crushed scrap metal.

Blackarachnia was suddenly all too aware that his hand was bigger than her whole body.

"For your own sake, I hope you see this as a new way forward," he warned her, "regardless of whether you keep this new body or not. My team is one thing, we're soldiers, we knew what we were signing up for. Sari though? If you do anything that puts her in danger, threaten her safety in any way, or even consider contacting the Decepticons... I am perfectly willing to do things I will regret. Are we clear?"

She gulped, another new sensation, and nodded quietly.

"You have a chance, Blackarachnia. Probably your last one. Do not waste it."

With that, he walked out of the living room, passing Sari on the way. She'd brought a selection of juices and sodas, as well as iced tea and coffee.

"All right, I'm back," she announced, "have you decided what you want to start with?"

"I... guess something with meat? I'm used to meat."

"Ok, so that's be the chicken or the sliders."

She had to admit the smell was unexpected. It was... tantalizing, which wasn't something she expected from organic fuel.

"What the frag!?" she cursed when her mouth was suddenly flooded with saliva, "What is this!? What's wrong with my venom glands!?"

"Um, you don't have venom glands," Sari pointed out, already chowing down on some sushi, "wait, you're still part spider. You might have venom glands."

"Ok, fine, whatever. What's wrong with my mouth!?"

"Nothing! It just means you're hungry and your body recognized the chicken as something tasty."

"Then... how do I inject it?"

"You're not a spider anymore. Just stick into your mouth and chew."

Ratchet had enough, "You eat it like energon crystals!"

"Oh... why didn't you say so?"

Sari's eye twitched.

Blackarachnia gave the chicken an apprehensive look, before finally sticking the glorified nugget into her mouth. Her eyes grew wide.

"...Um, are you okay? You need to chew that into a paste to swallow it or you'll choke."

Instead, she crammed another into her mouth and chewed quickly, followed by another.

"This is-! I just-! This is-!"

"Ok, ew. Close your mouth while you're chewing," gagged Sari, "I take it you approve?"

Blackarachnia tried to swallow, and immediately started choking.

"I told you to chew, dang it!" Sari gave her a soda, "Here, drink this!"

She took it and took a swig, allowing her to finally pass the food into her stomach, and flooding her mouth with cola.

"I've never had anything like this!" she declared, before taking another sip, "and this is delicious."

"It's called coke. Try a slider."

The tiny burger quickly joined the chicken into her stomach, followed by sushi, and a fish taco. She was trying to cram down an apple pie, but for some reason she was starting to feel queasy.

"Ugh, I think something was wrong with that taco."

Sari looked up from her cotton candy and narrowed her eyes. A scanning beam was emitted and aimed towards her stomach.

"Nah, you're just full. We don't eat that much. A human would eat around twice what we do."

"But there's still food left!"

"And we can eat it later. For now, it's going in the fridge. I'll teach you how to use the microwave later."

Blackarachnia had essentially eaten herself into a food coma, so Sari took it upon herself to put the leftovers in the fridge and wash the few dishes they'd used. As Ratchet had warned her, it really had been too much, so more than half of it was going in the fridge.

"So why are you helping me?"

Sari looked back to the couch, where Blackarachnia was nursing a stomachache.

"Dude, there's like, two of us. It'd be kinda sad if our entire species didn't get along."

"... That's the same thing Optimus said," she scoffed, "you do remember I tried to kill you and your friends, right?"

"Oh, believe me, I know."

"Then why...?"

"Optimus believes in you. And if he believes in you, so do I."

She scoffed again, "You're both incorrigible optimists."

"Wait, is that how he got his name? Optimus the optimist?"

"Yep. He annoyed the pit out of our Sergeant."

"Yeah, that sounds like him... And how did you get your old name?"

A part of Blackarachnia appreciated that Sari acknowledged that Elita-1 is her old name.

"I was ambitious, more than the others."

"And the number?"

"I was Science Guild, not Military like Optimus."

"...I don't get it."

"They didn't explain that to you?" that actually surprised her, "The Military, Science, and Civilian Guilds are separated into thirteen tiers. The top rank in the Military Guild is the Magnus, Civilians have the Alpha, and Science has the 13. Perceptor's full name is Perceptor-13."

"Huh... neat."

"More like pedantic, but I suppose."

"So... are you gonna keep Blackarachnia?"

"I'm not going back to Elita-1, if that's what you're asking."

"No, I mean... names are important to Cybertronians too, right?"

"What do they mean to humans?"

"It depends. Our parents give us names that link us to them. My dad is Isaac Sumdac, so I'm Sari Sumdac. At the same time, some people change them for various reasons. A big one is when they change their gender, and since you changed species..."

"I told you I'm not staying like this."

"Well, yeah... but like, maybe a nickname for now? I mean, you changed it to Blackarachnia, and you weren't keeping that one either... plus, Blackarachnia stands out on a human."

"Fine, give me a name then."

"Wait, me?"

"Yes, you obviously have opinions about this, so give me a name."

Sari looked her over. An European name would be best, since...

"How the heck are you white?"

She looked herself over, "It's more of a pale pink."

"No I mean- never mind. I'm Indian, so I don't get how you're Caucasian. I thought we'd look alike."

"I pick up DNA everywhere just by walking. Humans leave it all over the place."

"Yeah, that's probably it."

Blackarachnia's hair was particularly eye-catching, pitch black with gold highlights...

"Blake. Does that sound ok?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

They heard Ratchet and Optimus return before they saw them.

"Everything all right?" asked the Prime, "Blackarachnia? Sari?"

"It's Blake... for now."

Optimus raised an eyebrow, "You changed your name again?"

"Hey, you're the one that was going on and on about a fresh start, weren't you? New start, new name."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're taking this seriously."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not particularly, but you might as well make the best of it."

Blackarachnia Was Dead

No one was entirely certain how it had happened. After the mess with Waspinator, she'd somehow managed to sneak on enough cargo ships to make it back to Detroit.

By sheer cosmic coincidence, the first Autobots she encountered were the troublesome trio of Sari, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead.

In the ensuing battle, Blackarachinia had managed to grab onto Sari long enough to use her Download on her.

And then she dropped dead.

"...That's it?" asked Ratchet as Sari finished her report.

"Scout's honor!" she even put up the hand sign, though she did wrong as she'd never been a scout, "I felt like she zapped me and then she went down."

"Well, she didn't poison you at least," he grumbled, running yet another scan on her.

"How's the boss-bot taking it?" asked Bumblebee, rubbing the fresh weld on his forearm.

"Same as usual. Torturing himself."

Optimus was slumped next to Blackarachnia's gray shell, when the sound of the doors sliding open brought him out of his musing.

"Boss-Bot, you gotta stop doing this to yourself," sighed Bulkhead, "this wasn't on you."

"I know, it's just-," the Prime stopped, as if stalling for his own thoughts to catch up, "I guess some part of me was hoping I could get through to her... eventually. Now whatever chance she had, dies with her."

Bulkhead didn't really know what to say. Optimus' and Elita's relationship was complicated, to say the least. Nothing he had any sort of experience with. The best he could do was gently pat his shoulder and leave him to mourn.

At least he would have, if he hadn't spotted movement out of the corner of his optic.

"Um, guys?" he called out, "Something's moving here!"

Optimus jerked up, looking hopefully to Blackarachnia's corpse as Ratchet and Sari ran/flew in.

"No flying in the medbay!" he scolded as he snatched the littlest Autobot out of the air, "Now move out of the way!"

Ratchet took his probes and hooked them into the corpse's chest. It just confirmed what her paint already hinted at.

"Nothing. No spark pulse."

"Wait, organic tissues block energy signatures," recalled Optimus desperately, "maybe-."

"I know organic tissues block energy signatures," the medic cut him off before he could get his hopes up, "that's why these prods are in her chest and not on it. I'm sorry Prime. She's gone."

"Then what was the movement I saw?" asked Bulkhead.

"Well... organics decompose after death, right?" piped in Bumblebee, "Maybe it's gas? I saw that on TV once."

Sari wasn't so sure, "Hmmm, she hasn't been dead that long. She'd really stink if-. Wait, what was that?"

She suddenly pointed at Blackarachnia.

"Did you guys see that?"

She jumped off Ratchet's shoulder and landed next to her.

"Kid, what are you-?"

"Sh!"

She pointed at Blackarachnia's belly.

"...What are we waiting for?" Ratchet asked after a minute.

"Wait! Just-! I think I know what Bulkhead saw."

After another minute, they all saw what she had, when the tissue on her belly suddenly bulged out as if something were trying to push out.

"What in the name of Cybertron!?"

"Oh scrap, I've seen this movie!" Bumblebee yelled out, "Quick! Someone get a flamethrower!"

"Oh, mute it!" snapped Ratchet as he scanned the area, "By the Allspark. She has a reproductive component!"

"What, like the one you found in Sari?" asked Optimus.

"What!? When did you check me for... for THAT!?"

"When you upgraded yourself last year and knocked yourself out for most of the day. Now FOCUS! I need to cut her open to extract the offspring and I need you to get it out."

"Why me!?"

"Because I'm busy operating and the protoform looks human-sized! Now get ready! Bumblebee! I need a tub of warm water. Bulkhead! Clean towels, NOW!"

He whipped out a laser scalpel and made two precise cuts, following medical guides he'd downloaded in case Sari ever needed them.

"What I don't get is how she has that organ in the first place," pointed out Arcee, "I'm assuming spiders and humans don't reproduce the same way."

"If I were to guess, she must have created one when she used her Download on Sari," figured Optimus, "it mutated her the same way the spiders did back on Archa 7. Only this time the strain of Sari's upgrades was too much. It was a common problem she had back at the academy whenever she tried to load to many mods at once."

"Ok, ready," Ratchet announced as he pried open the chitinous shell, "I need you to use that scalpel I gave you to cut past the last tissue layer and pull her out."

"Oh, this is so gross," whined Sari as she did as he told her, "I'm not a doctor. I shouldn't be-."

A hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. It took her a full five seconds to process it, before she shrieked in terror and yanked her hand back.

"GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!"

In her struggles to free herself, Sari fell back between Blackarachnia's legs, dragging the owner of the hand with her. She suddenly found herself under the weight of a nude, pale woman with long black hair, soaking her clothes in amniotic fluid in the process.

"... I'm gonna puke."

The woman suddenly coughed out more fluid on her face, clearing out her lungs to take her first breath.

"... I'm actually gonna puke."

"Focus, Sari," Ratchet ordered, "and stay still. Bee! Water!"

Bumblebee reached out with the tub, making sure to stay as far away as robotically possible from the mess of organic liquids.

"I'm never having kids," Sari swore as she carried the woman into the water, "this is so fragging gross."

"Wait, why did Blackarachnia's offspring come out fully grown?" asked Optimus.

Ratchet took a narrow beam scanner and aimed it at the blue rhomboid crystal embedded in the woman's collarbone. Like Sari, it was the only place he could get an energy signature from her.

"Because that's not her offspring," he replied after reading the results, "that's Blackarachnia herself."

"Wait, what?" Sari dropped her in the water, "Oh, sorry."

She immediately pulled her back out and Blackarachnia took another breath before coughing out more fluid, now with a mouthful of water from the tub as an added bonus.

"What- what did you do to me!?" she stammered, shivering as her naked skin was covered in goosebumps.

"Me!? You're the one that thought scanning another technoorganic would be a good idea," Sari countered, "seriously, isn't that how you ended up in this situation in the first place?"

Blackarachnia snarled and leapt at Sari, who caught her by the wrists and quickly wrestled the newborn technoorganic into the water.

"Look, you're filthy, you just gave birth to yourself, and you're covered in goo. We're both covered in goo! So how about we get cleaned up, I can go throw up in that bush over there, and we can figure out what comes after. Kay?"

Unfortunately, Blackarachnia couldn't figure out an alternative, and settled to let Sari clean both of them off. Eventually, she was declared goo-free enough to use the normal shower with Sari's guidance.

Bulkhead chose then to summarize the situation, "So, uh, I guess there's two of them now."

An idea that's been rattling around in my head ever since I saw that drawing Wyatt made of the Decepticons' human forms. I don't have any ideas for an actual story, but I might do something with it later if I come up with something.

[isbergillustration]

DOWN

[mantafreaky]

chat I might be cooked this is meant to be goggles coroika