#I just gotta learn how to draw his hair… also his armor is really cool

[1driedpersimmon]

Scus the //blood I was having feeling and decided the best solution was to dump Sesame in blood

And also Hauchie sweeping him off his feet because oh no

(And Sesame charm for myself hehe, maybe)

[lloydskywalkers]

any port in a storm

Pixal and Lloyd and the evolving nature of friendship, as highlighted by the regular burning down of your city. 

(desperately trying to break through writer’s block and classes again, this was supposed to be under 2k and it is...very much not hdfjkgh but! i’ve been meaning to write for Pixal and Lloyd for a while so here are a whole bunch of feelings about the two of them and s8)

Pixal meets — truly meets — Lloyd Garmadon shortly after his brother’s been blown to pieces.

She says truly, because if you ask her, Pixal will tell you she met Lloyd Garmadon at exactly 8:48 in the evening outside his father’s monastery, moments before a horde of nindroids led there by Pixal herself descended upon them.

But Lloyd argues that since they said about two words total to each other, it doesn’t really count as meeting, and by the time Pixal’s spending the better part of her day with him running high and low around Ninjago City, she’s learned that it’s easier not to press the point.

Lloyd can be stubborn, like that.

She’d first learned that when she’d met him, just after they’d lost Zane. That loss hadn’t lasted long, especially for Pixal, but the immediate aftermath of it had been devastating. She’d watched with blank eyes as the team had fractured, splitting at the seams as they all fled their separate ways, too heartsore and dizzy with grief to do much otherwise.

All of them had fled, save Lloyd. She hadn’t paid him much attention before that point, the surprisingly small bearer of the Golden Power. Of course, he wasn’t the bearer of that power anymore, but his eyes alone had shown the experience of it. There’d been a brief, lost look that had crossed his face as the others had mentioned leaving, before it had been swept under a mask of stubborn, determined blankness. He wouldn’t be leaving. Someone had to stay behind and watch out for things, he’d claimed, even as the loss had bled through his voice.

Pixal hadn’t quite grasped the concept of empathy at that point, but she’d felt something dangerously close to it.

At any rate, the only interaction they’d had alone was brief. In fact, the only one Pixal can truly remember — and her memory never fails — is the quick exchange they’d had in the hospital lobby directly after the battle. The hospital was for Mr. Borg, and for the ninja’s minor injuries.

There was nothing any hospital on earth could do for Zane.

Pixal had found herself next to Lloyd in the waiting room, trying to distract herself from those thoughts while Lloyd stared at the stark white tiling with dull eyes.

“They never mentioned what your power was,” she’d asked him, almost absently. Collecting data, processing information — anything she could do to distract from the crushing grief.

“Oh.” Lloyd had blinked, startling back into awareness. He’d suddenly looked painfully young. “It’s, ah, I guess it’s just green, now.”

It had been Pixal’s turn to blink. “Green.”

“Yeah.” Lloyd had bit his lip, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, two habits he’ll never quite lose. “I mean — it’s more than that, but it’s like — energy, I guess, is the best way to put it?”

“Interesting,” Pixal had remarked.

“Yeah.”

They’d stared at each other in silence after that, before they’d both been called off to other errands — and then they were having Zane’s funeral and then Pixal was making realizations she never got to tell anyone, and that had been that in her early introductions to Lloyd Garmadon. Quiet, awkward, and possessing an incredible power he hardly even knew the name of.

Looking back, Pixal figures her introduction hadn’t gone much better.

They’d continued as passing acquaintances as time went on, separated by danger and the confines of Zane’s head, and Pixal had figured that’s all they’d ever be. But then their Sensei goes missing and, despite Pixal’s increasing disappearances on Zane as she rebuilds her own body, she’s been given the role of watching out for Ninjago city along with Lloyd.

She quickly learns that quiet is not a term fit for Lloyd Garmadon when you’re trapped alone with him.

************

“How is there not a single station playing actual music?” Lloyd seethes, flicking through the channels almost manically. “It’s two am, who’s gonna be listening to your stupid commercial for toothpaste now, are you kidding me?”

“Statistically speaking, this is the prime time for long-distance driving near Ninjago City,” Pixal supplies, her voice a hint scratchy where it comes through the his car’s radio speakers. “Or, if you factor in the construction in the east district, there could still be traffic from late-night bars.”

Lloyd groans, thunking his head against the steering wheel as another ad screeches through the small space. “Wonderful.”

“Your vocal tones suggest you find it otherwise.”

“Dont trust ‘em, my vocal tones are traitors.” As if to solidify his point, Lloyd’s voice cracks in the middle of his sentence, shooting up an octave higher. Lloyd goes bright red, and thunks his head against the steering wheel again.

Taking pity on him, Pixal aims for reassurance. “It is normal for your voice to break, Lloyd. It shouldn’t last too long.” She pauses, momentarily scanning through another article. “On second thought, this one suggests it could also take two to three years for your voice to stabilize.”

Lloyd gives a strangled moan. “End me.”

“Unfortunately, that would defeat the purpose of why I’m here in the first place.”

Lloyd tilts his head, cracking an eye open as he glances at the camera feed he knows she’s watching him from. “Unfortunately, huh,” he muses. “So you’re saying if Zane hadn’t made you promise to look out for me, you would end me?”

“That — no, that is not — of course I wouldn’t end you,” Pixal backtracks. An odd feeling flickers through her, almost as if she’s lost her place, floundering.

Or embarrassed might be more accurate, she thinks wryly. She briefly considers projecting a a glaring face at Lloyd from the monitor. This is his fault. She rarely stuttered before Lloyd started teasing her at all hours of the morning.

“I mean, you wouldn’t be the first,” Lloyd continues, conversationally. “And if we’re being honest, I’d definitely rather you be the one to off me, instead of like, random bad guy number eighty-five—”

“I know you think you are funny,��� Pixal cuts over him. “But casually planning for your death is something Kai listed I was not to let you do. Also, it is not nearly as funny as you think it is.”

“Ouch,” Lloyd mutters, though he looks chastised. “Never mind, you just took me out in one sentence.”

Chastised might be the wrong term.

Pixal studies him through the monitor, then sighs. “I am, however, honored you think highly enough of me to offer the right to murder you,” she gives in.

She’s rewarded as Lloyd breaks into a bright grin.

He still looks painfully young these days, but it’s less obvious. His voice is pitching lower and he wears his hair different, and he’s gained a whip-like tendency to quip at people, as Pixal’s experienced firsthand. Kai calls it sass in grumbling but fond tones, and Nya calls it snark somewhere between the fourth book series she’s sent for Pixal to try.

The ninja have been kind like that, sharing the interests they have in an attempt to make her feel…well, more human, she supposes. Less confined to a voice in a computer. Of course, Pixal isn’t confined to a voice in a computer anymore, but they don’t know that yet. She’ll tell them someday soon, she promises herself. Any day now.

In the meantime, it’s easy enough to keep up with Lloyd by lurking in his car radio, as he spends half his time in there anyways.

************

“You’d think we’d have found their hideout by now,” Lloyd notes, as they wait in a darkened alleyway again. It gives them an excellent view of the major highways, so if the rumored biker gang does show up, they won’t miss it.

If they show up being the key point.

“Whoever their leader is, they certainly know how to keep a low profile,” Pixal answers, closing out another dead end police report in frustration.

“It’s weird,” Lloyd says, propping the notebook he’s sketching in on his knee as he squints at the paper. “Normally the boss types aren’t this quiet. They like to show off, y’know? Make a big scene, dramatic speeches and all.”

“Are you referring to the villains, or yourselves?”

“Touché,” Lloyd snorts. “But still, you gotta admit it’s weird they haven’t even made any demands. What’s their end game here, elaborate advertising for motorcycle design?”

“I would hope not,” Pixal says. “Their color coordination is lacking.”

Lloyd fights back a smile, his pencil scratching as he shifts his notebook again. “I don’t know, I kinda like the punk look.”

“I noticed that, when you tried to redecorate the car.”

“Hey, skulls are cool.”

“They are also conspicuous, especially when they come in acid green colors.”

“Everyone’s a critic,” Lloyd sighs, making a face as he scrubs the eraser across the paper. Pixal tries to tilt the camera further, to see what he’s drawing tonight, but the angle he’s holding it at remains just out of sight.

She could probably guess what he’s drawing, if she tried. The notebook is one they’ve been steadily working their way through on these late-night patrols, the pages filled with little hangman games and Lloyd’s sketches of animals and his teammates. He’s drawn her a few times from memory, and she’s been tempted to ask him to draw her in the new Samurai X armor more than once.

Soon, she tells herself.

“What are you drawing?” she finally asks, curiosity getting the better of her.

Lloyd’s cheeks tinge pink, and he quickly plasters the notebook to his chest, hiding it entirely from view. “Nothing.”

Pixal waits, letting the silence fill with her judgement. “Lloyd, I have seen your drawings before.”

He doesn’t reply, and Pixal tries again. “It gets boring, being stuck with the car monitors for eyes.”

“I know you can hack other cameras,” Lloyd mutters, but he sighs, relenting as he turns the notebook over. Pixal’s eyes rake over the detailed sketch — it’s a comical little thing of her and Lloyd, jammed together on a tiny lifeboat in the middle of a darkening ocean. She can spot the smudges where he’s redrawn her head several times, and the numerous attempts he’s made at his own hair. Pixal studies Lloyd’s portrayal of himself, which is noticeably lacking in facial features. While Lloyd draws the others plenty, it’s a rare occasion that he draws himself, and she can’t help but be curious.

“I thought you were drawing the others again,” she admits.

“They’re on the ship,” Lloyd says, absently. “I’ll draw them when they remember to pull us back in.”

There’s nothing bitter in his tone to suggest it has any bearing on their actual lives, but the lost expressions Lloyd ends up giving their tiny caricatures feel familiar nonetheless.

“Zane has assured me they will be back as soon as they can,” Pixal speaks ups quietly.

Lloyd finally looks up fully, and flashes the monitor a smile. “I know,” he says. “So we better have this thing busted by the time they do, or they’ll never let us run a city on our own again.”

“If only we were truly running the city,” Pixal grumbles. “I could do a better job in two days than the current leaders could do in a year.”

“I’d vote for you,” Lloyd says, sincerely.

It’s a sweet gesture, but Pixal is unable to resist. “You don’t know how to vote.”

“Yes I do, it’s not hard!”

“Really? Then why are you not currently registered in the Ninjago voting system?”

Lloyd makes a strangled noise. “That’s a thing?”

She’s unable to keep the smugness from her voice. “I make my point.” Lloyd scowls, and scribbles a mustache on his drawing of her in revenge.

Pixal thinks it looks nice nonetheless.

************

She can’t really hold it against Lloyd for talking as much as he does, considering she does the same. It gets dull, sitting on patrol for hours on end, and there are only so many hours of light reading they can do before the silence begins to drive them both insane.

Pixal finds herself talking about more useless things with Lloyd than she has in her existence, pointless conversations in circles with each other. She also finds she doesn’t entirely mind. She’s become quite good at quipping back and forth with him, at least. It’s different than the kind of talk she has with Zane, lacking in the depth of feeling with the love they share. Her exchanges with Lloyd are lighter, though that’s not to say they’re less sincere.

For example, Zane hasn’t tried to teach her how to redesign a gi in poor lighting in the early hours of the morning because he’s bored out of his mind, that’s for sure.

“I’m teaching you how to sew,” Lloyd corrects, wincing as he accidentally stabs himself with the needle. “And I’m not redesigning the whole thing, I’m just adding some designs to spice it up.”

“I did not know you were allowed to wear colors other than green,” Pixal comments.

Lloyd pauses, squinting at the monitor. “You’re teasing me,” he finally says. “You’re making fun of how much green this gi has in it.”

“I would never,” Pixal replies, her tone flat and even. “The intricacies of your human humor evade me—”

“Human humor, nice—”

“—unlike the unusually bright shade of green you’ve chosen will fail to evade any eyes of your enemies.”

“I knew you were making fun of me!” Lloyd accuses, then flinches as he stabs his finger again trying to point at her. “And bright colors are our thing. Being subtle is, uh…not. Usually.”

Pixal is losing the battle to laugh at his expression by the minute. “I am shocked.”

Lloyd glares at the monitor, shifting his sewing to rest on his knees as he slouches in the car seat. “How’d you even get so good at sarcasm, anyways,” he mutters. “Zane still doesn’t get it half the time.”

“Perhaps it is part of my glowing personality,” Pixal says. Lloyd gives a huff of laughter, relenting.

“Fair enough,” he says, shifting in his seat again. “Fine, you win. The green is probably too bright, but that’s not the point. I’m gonna show you how to do a backstitch."

Pixal falls quiet, letting Lloyd gesture with the needle as he explains. There are a hundred, a thousand tutorials she could pull up online, digitized knowledge instantly learned on all the countless types of stitches she could use, sorted and categorized in neat columns of use and effectiveness. All of them more detailed, more easily understood than Lloyd’s absent rambling and unsteady hands as he struggles with the end of a knot.

Not one of them will care whether or not Pixal learns the odd way Zane likes to loop his stitches, or will quietly add which stitches knit skin back together quickest.

So Pixal ignores her programming, and does her best to follow Lloyd’s rambling instructions, watching as his scarred fingers tug another thread of dull gold through the green mess of fabric, the city quiet around them.

“You never did tell me where you learned how to sew,” Pixal says, as Lloyd starts up a new thread of black on the other side of the gi. “Was that something the others taught you in training?”

“They’d have to know how to be able to teach it,” Lloyd snickers. “And, uh, no. I taught myself to back at Darkley’s.”

“Oh,” Pixal falters. She’s heard about Darkley’s, both from Zane and the legal reports she’s read online. Neither gave a positive impression of the place. Her mind is suddenly filled with images of a younger Lloyd trying to give himself stitches, and her heart twists.

Lloyd starts, seemingly having picked up on her train of thought. “I mean, I did it for fun, mostly. I like sewing,” he explains. “It’s useful. You can pull things back together, and fix ‘em.”

Pixal is quiet, but she hopes Lloyd takes her silence as agreement with his motive. She likes to think he knows her well enough for that, by now.

************

Pixal finds, somewhere during their fourth month alone, that she’s glad the team elected to stick her and Lloyd together. Not because she doesn’t want to be with Zane — there’s never a moment she doesn’t miss him, and with every day that passes her resolve to keep her secret from him grows weaker, as the longing for actual connection grows stronger.

But there are conversations she can have with Lloyd that she can never have with Zane, and the dangerous thing about spending time with Lloyd, Pixal finds, is that they’re more similar than she’s realized.

“Sometimes I think I’m jealous,” Lloyd whispers to her one night. It’s one of the bad ones, the ones where their enemies struck too sudden to stop, and the mission ends in the hospital. “I think I’m jealous of Zane, and I hate myself for it.”

Pixal is quiet, trying to pick apart the tone of his voice in the words he’s just spoken, and factors in the victims they’ve just left behind at the hospital. She finds herself no closer to an answer.

“Is it the metal skin part?” she finally asks, though she knows that’s wrong. “The, what was it, technical immortality?”

“No,” Lloyd shakes his head. “I’m not afraid of dying,” he says emphatically, his fingers fluttering at over the steering wheel, tapping incessantly with unspent energy. “I don’t want to, but that’s — it’s not what I’m scared of. I’m more scared of how I go out.”

He swallows, and his fingers move to dance over the woven bracelet on his wrist instead, twisting at the tiny beads and tracing senseless designs in constant, steady movement. It’s a motion he does often, and it had puzzled Pixal at first. She’d decided to write it off as an odd tick, a way to spend excess energy.

Now, she recognizes the desperate kind of reassurance that movement gives. She understands too well the need to remind yourself that you can move — that your body will obey you and you alone.

Pixal thinks back to the other factors in tonight’s accident, of the way the drugged man’s eyes had cleared when they’d finally turned him over to the police, the way he’d sworn he’d never do such a thing in his right mind. She thinks of the way the first victim had thrown themselves over their companion.

That victim hadn’t made it to the hospital.

“Ah,” Pixal says, quietly.

She’s silent again, and she thinks back to when she’d met him, the very first time. She recalls the way her programming had rebelled against her in favor of the Overlord, corrupting her body and forcing it against her, twisting everything she was and wanted to be into something different.

She thinks back again, to the searing-hot anger, the terror, the despair as she was torn apart, piece by piece like a machine, burning out at the whims of another. Her end purposeless, her demise belonging to someone else, just like every other part of her.

She thinks of the last glimpse she’d caught of Zane, bright and beautiful as a supernova. Burning with the terrible brilliance of his own, determined choice. Terrible, because the death of something always is. Beautiful, because it was his own. Zane died, not a machine, not a weapon, not a tool of anyone or anything, but as himself. Zane died to save the ones he loves. Pixal could’ve died for spare parts.

Never again, she promises herself. If she goes out, she goes out on her own terms. This time, they choose the end of their own destiny themselves.

In hindsight, it’s the kind of promise they’re both too young to make, but neither of them have ever seen themselves as such, and promises like that are easy.

“Love can be terrible, sometimes,” Lloyd murmurs. Pixal watches him scrub at the blood on his uniform, and thinks how ironically well-timed it is that he finished the stitching on his new gi this morning. “Sometimes I forget how ugly it can be.”

************

The end of their nighttime stakeouts begins with a break-in at Mr. Borg’s tower. Lloyd argues that she should get to call it her father’s tower, if she wants, but the ninja aren’t the only ones Pixal’s hiding herself from.

And then Lloyd gets very tense at the thought of fathers very fast, and they never finish the conversation.

They stay at the edge of the bridge long after the parachute, emblazoned with the unmistakable visage of Lloyd’s father, disappears from sight. Pixal wonders if it’s burned into Lloyd’s eyes, like the way she’s read black spots linger in humans’ vision after they’ve looked at something too bright. The way Lloyd stares at the river, his shoulders tense and his teeth worrying at his lip, she thinks she might be right.

They’re waiting on the report from the commissioner —they’re waiting for anything, anyone who can offer them any explanation of what’s going on. Pixal’s reminded of how much she loathes this kind of waiting.

“It could be—” Lloyd begins, then breaks off, his voice wavering. He swallows, and Pixal can see the way his fists clench tightly from the cameras they’ve put in his car. There’s a fierce part of her that longs to reveal herself, to meet his eyes herself and offer some semblance of comfort. But there’s a time and place for things, and Pixal isn’t ready.

“It could be anything,” Lloyd finally continues, his voice small. “It could — it doesn’t mean anything. It could mean nothing, right?”

Pixal is silent, her mind racing. She’s run the calculations over and over in her head already, scouring the internet for anything related to the bikers. She’s been foolish, she realizes — they both have. Letting the gang go unnamed for so long, thinking nothing of it. Now, with the name flashing vibrant across Pixal’s vision, a part of her wants to let them go nameless just a bit longer.

Before she can answer, Lloyds phone goes off with a sharp ping, just as Pixal’s sensors alert her to the message from the commissioner. Lloyd snatches for his phone like it’s on fire, and Pixal’s already scanning the message frantically, as if she can salvage this if she’s fast enough, save Lloyd from this one pain.

Lloyd’s gotten much better at reading quickly though, these days.

She can pinpoint the moment he reaches the last paragraph, because his breath hitches. There’s a long, pressing pause of silence, Lloyd’s hands trembling as they clutch weakly at his phone. Then it’s punctured by a reedy, wheezing gasp, and Pixal’s suddenly wishing she’d revealed herself after all.

Instead, all she has is her voice as Lloyd crumples, crouching over in visible distress. Pixal’s mind races, recalling everything Zane’s ever told her about his team, the way their panic manifests in different shades. Lloyd’s is quiet but desperate, rapid breathes that stutter as his eyes slide more and more into a frightening kind of blankness.

“Lloyd, please, listen to my voice,” she begs, trying to reach him in the only way she can. “Please, you have to breathe—”

“He’s gone,” Lloyd rasps, unhearing of her words. “He’s s’posed to be gone, it’s supposed to be over, I’m supposed to be done—”

Pixal fights back the sense of overwhelming helplessness. She knows loss. She knows how to finish his sentence. He’s supposed to be done grieving, done mourning, done clinging to false scraps of hope that his father isn’t lost forever only to be met with heartbreak.

And now, to be met with the possibility of something so much worse.

“We’ll stop them,” she tells him, unflinching. “We won’t let it happen.”

Lloyd’s eyes are a vivid green where they stare at her through the monitor, almost ghostly in the misting light reflecting from the river.

He’s silent, but Pixal is, too.

Pixal remembers the way her head had spun when she’d first picked up the traces of Zane in the system, how the world had rushed then steadied, flooding with color as she’d realized he might not be lost after all. She remembers the surging, overwhelming flood of joy, that someone she’d thought she lost might live after all. She remembers being so happy, at even the smallest chance to get him back, because the voice was Zane’s, without a doubt.

She watches the color seep from Lloyd’s expression as his shoulders shudder, the words from the commissioner’s message almost echoing through the air. Watches the terror as the both of them fill the silence.

Will we?  

The radio scratches, as if echoing Pixal’s anxiety. Love can be terrible, sometimes. She’s underestimated how it also be so cruel.

************

She’s also, apparently, underestimated how the universe on the whole could be so cruel.

She should’ve revealed herself to them from day one. That way, when Harumi’s corrupted programming suddenly ravages through her like an electric shock, she could be reassured they’d at least be familiar with the person they were fighting.

Instead, she doesn’t even get to scream. Pixal’s only able to force out a desperate, broken warning before she’s lost again, drowning in her own body as she’s forced under. Furious panic grips her as she screams without lungs, bashing herself against the overwhelming helplessness that’s taken over her.

Not again, not again, not again—

Her limbs creak and jolt against her will, lashing out at the people she cares most about, and Pixal can’t even rage back in her own voice. She’s sworn, she’s promised herself she’d never let anyone do this to her again — she’s sworn she’d die before she let someone reach into her head and snatch control away, and yet here she is, frozen as her body’s used to target her friends.

If she could cry, she might.

There’s not much more to say than that. She breaks free, her body her own once again, but by then it’s too late.

************

If Pixal had the same gift of foresight that Zane did, maybe she would have seen it coming. Maybe she’d have remembered how similar her and Lloyd are, and that this kind of pained desperation always yields impulsiveness and mistakes.

She doesn’t, though. She barely even manages to do what she’s trying to, which is convincing Lloyd to join the others while they celebrate their victory. Their off-key singing is something he normally wouldn’t hesitate to join in on, she thinks, and she hates Harumi a little more.

Maybe she’ll try his mother next. The expression on Lloyd’s face screams unapproachable, and remains fixedly sullen.

Almost to her surprise, he meets her eyes as she draws near— it’s odd, being able to meet his back — and his own eyes are dark, from despair over Harumi or despair over his father, Pixal isn’t sure. She’s thinking it might be both, when his eyebrows crease, and a flicker of concern cuts through them instead.

“You good?”

It takes her a moment to realize why he’s asking, but the answer is obvious. Her head tilts downward, and she watches as her fingers curl and uncurl. Her movements, her choices. She lets out an even breath.

“As I can be,” she replies. Lloyd nods, and his eyes are understanding. His lips twist in a scowl.

“She shouldn’t have done that to you. That was a low blow.”

Pixal’s mouth curves into a humorless smile. “That it was. She’s rather good at those, isn’t she.”

Lloyd’s eyes shadow again, and he looks away, crossing his arms. “This isn’t supposed to be about me,” he mutters.

“Yes, it is,” Pixal counters. “It is why I came over here, in the first place. She hurt—”

“All of us, and who’s fault is that,” Lloyd snaps, his arms crossing tighter.

“I would hope you know it’s hers,” she says, holding firm.

Lloyd looks away again, biting his lip, and Pixal shifts anxiously, rolling her wrists. The sensation of control sliding away still haunts her, worse than it had the first time. She should be better than this, she tells herself hotly. She’s lived without a body long enough that losing it so briefly shouldn’t effect her this much.

Curse her programming, she thinks, tapping agitatedly at the banister. She knew she should have reinforce it sooner.

“Hey, um.” Lloyd is looking at her again, hesitant. He twists at his bracelet, and his eyes lose a fraction of that darkness. “Kai made this for me, after Morro,” he says. “I kept shredding the sleeves of my uniform, so he told me to mess with this instead, when I needed to remember that��that I was in control.”

He shrugs, hesitant. “We could make you one too, if you wanted. It helps, having something.”

Pixal lets out a steady breath, despite not actually needing to. The action is grounding, she’s found. “I would like that.”

Lloyd gives her a ghost of a smile in return. “Soon as this is over, then.”

There’s a heavy weight to his words, and Pixal’s eyes narrow.

“Lloyd,” she says. He looks at her, his eyes dark. “Don’t do anything foolish.”

He’s quiet, not meeting her eyes, and this is where Pixal should stop him. This is when she should see the end of the road they’ve been on since they started this, and force him to turn before it’s too late.

“I know what I’m doing.”

She doesn’t.

************

Lloyd is battered and bleeding by the time they drag him onto the ship, a gruesome portrait of cruelty. Pixal is frozen as she watches him writhe in Kai’s hold, his screams cracked and wet as he thrashes erratically like a broken thing.

Nya is already barking orders before they’ve even gotten Lloyd fully on the ship, and Zane is running scans with a horrified, wavering focus. Pixal follows Cole as he carries Lloyd to the medbay with a blank numbness, the rush of wind streaming past the Bounty sails thunderously loud in her ears.

This isn’t Lloyd, she thinks, staring at his crumpled form. Lloyd isn’t this battered, broken shell of a person. Lloyd isn’t hazy eyes that fail to recognize them and frantic murmuring through bloody lips. Lloyd is bright-eyed and gentle and would rather die before he screams the way he does when Cole moves him to the table.

Lloyd is her friend, and this is where that promise they made has led them. She knows why Lloyd set out for the prison, hot on the collapse of his own star. She also knows he wouldn’t have chosen to burn out like this.

Cole calls out for Zane, his voice ringing in panic as Lloyd screeches in pain again. Pixal thinks of quiet words in the safety of his car, and she feels sick. This is the ugliness of love, the terrible, hideous side of it.

And Lloyd would hate it, if he could see himself, if he were any semblance of lucid. He’d hate to know just how much better he was at breaking himself than Morro ever was.

Zane is gentle as he pushes past her, but Pixal can feel the tremble in his hands. He’s every bit as rattled as she is, if not more so — Zane’s heart is larger and softer than hers has ever been, and he cares about each and every one of them with a painful intensity. It’s a cruel thing, to have to pull those same people back together with your own hands.

Kai’s eyes are streaming as he clutches at Lloyd’s wrists, pinning him in place. Zane’s hands waver again over one of the jagged wounds near Lloyd’s ribcage, the green of his uniform already dyed dark in blood, soaking over the careful stitches Pixal watched him put in himself.

Pixal finally finds her footing, reminding herself of the solid wood beneath her feet. She recalls the steady, smooth stitch Lloyd’s scarred fingers traced out for her.

“Here.” She takes the needle from Zane’s hands, squeezing his briefly before letting go. “I can do it.”

She sets the needle against Lloyd’s skin and wonders what kind of stitch it’d take to pull your heart back together.  

************

Pixal cannot cry. It’s one of the features Mr. Borg spent hours debating, weighing the pros and cons of giving her the ability before he was truly sure how rust-proof she was. He’d never gotten the chance to, as the Overlord had interrupted him, then Pixal had lost any body to give the ability to cry to, which had eliminated the need entirely.

She cannot cry, but she can hurt, and the rain that streams through her hair, dripping down her forehead spotting raindrops on her cheeks, could be tears if she pretended.

She doesn’t, though, because tears are a waste of water and overall useless in the grand scheme of things. She doubts they’d have helped her fare any better in the battle with Colossi, either.

Tears won’t bring anyone back.

Lloyd cries anyways. She can’t see him, but she can hear it in his voice, the way it wavers and breaks over the radio, nasally tones pronounced.

He’s barely able to gasp a few coordinates to her before he cuts the radio off abruptly. Pixal’s spent enough time with him to envision his scarred fingers snapping it off with a particular desperation, green sparking from his hands in distress.

She reminds herself those sparks are gone, now, bled away into nothing like the vivid green of Lloyd’s eyes had. The thought makes her sadder than she’d expected. She had a joke, about his eyes, she had wanted to make. Now that she has a body, and her own set of glowing green eyes, she’d — there was something he would’ve laughed at, she thought —

It doesn’t matter, now. Neither of them are likely to laugh anytime soon.

The coordinates blink brightly in her vision, and she’s almost surprised she managed to key them in. She’s running on autopilot, she supposes. It could be ironic — she’s been so desperate for control, it’s been so important that she’s the one feeling. Now, she’d give anything not to feel at all.

She lets out a shaky breath, dispelling the mist in her vision left from the rain. She leans forward, just over the edge of the building she’s crouched on, and her loose hair falls forward, silvery and synthetic and horribly tangled. Irritated, she reaches for another hair tie, and her hands falter around her wrist.

Lloyd had promised her a bracelet there. But he’d promised Kai would make the bracelet, hadn’t he, and Kai couldn’t make the bracelet if he was dead, could he.

Pixal blinks, her breath hitching. She’s been so numb to the pain of Zane’s loss, it hasn’t yet occurred to her that she’s losing Kai, too. And Jay, and Cole, and—

She sucks in the same shuddery kind of breath she’s seen Lloyd do, and carefully fists her hand in the area of her uniform above her chest. Her fingers dig in tightly, clutching in a hopeless attempt to feel some sort of comfort she knows she’ll never find.

But perhaps, for these few seconds, she can pretend the action is holding her together.

************

“It was inevitable,” Pixal tells Lloyd blankly, as he rasps out his third apology in the dark cover of their small hideout. “That one of us would fall, eventually. It had nothing to do with you.”

Lloyd swallows thickly. “It could’ve — it should’ve been—”

He doesn’t finish, but he doesn’t need to. Pixal’s hand shoots out, clamping tightly around his wrist, and there’s a beat of gratitude that she doesn’t need to rely on her voice alone anymore.

“Don’t.” Her voice is strung tighter than the tension in their shoulders. “You cannot change anything. You can’t, Lloyd, and you should not wish to — to change it that way.”

Lloyd jerks his hand free, wiping miserably at his eyes. He sets it back down within her reach, though, and if Pixal were any different, she’d take it.

But Pixal isn’t that different from Lloyd at all in the end, and neither of them reach for the other’s hand, no matter how desperately they crave the contact. Fear is more familiar, and it’s easier to give into it than it is the clawing need for comfort in your chest, after all.

“Still,” Lloyd finally whispers. “Still.”

Pixal swallows. She doesn’t disagree. If one of them had to fall, she knows she gladly would have taken it upon herself. She knows the others care for her, certainly, but she also knows her place in the grand scheme of things. They were six before she came along, and even now she’s kept far too many secrets to be fully counted among them.

She listens to Lloyd’s quiet, cracked voice, and she wonders if he’s thinking that they were five before he came along, younger than Pixal got to know him as.

Now they’re three, hollow and heartbroken. Though counting herself as one whole feels like cheating, right now.

Pixal squeezes her eyes shut, and wonders what it’s like to cry. Perhaps it helps, though Lloyd doesn’t look any less miserable.

************

“I was thinking,” Lloyd tells her, during one of the precious few quiet moments they have while trying to overthrow Garmadon and Harumi. Pixal’s turning the tiny tea flower he’d given her over in her hands, a part of her mind already marking articles about flower-pressing, another part wondering if it’s already too late to save the blossom. “About that promise we made, before all this.”

Pixal finally tucks the flower into the pocket of her uniform, pressed close to her chest. If anything, it can be a reminder of the lives that are safe — the life that’s coming back to her, if she has to drag him back from another realm herself. “And?”

Lloyd’s hands twist together. “Maybe we should focus more on staying alive.”

Pixal coughs out a laugh, breathless and startled. Lloyd wrinkles his nose at her, but his eyes are amused, even with their light lost. “I mean, the emphasis would be on keeping everyone else alive, but it’s kinda hard to do that if we’re dead, so…yeah. Priorities.”

“Staying alive should always be a priority,” Pixal corrects him, but she tugs the edge of his armor out of place with a smile.

“Why didn’t you teach me how to graffiti?” she nods at the designs on the green leather. “Or was this another Darkley’s tradition.”

“This is a refined art, called whatever I had on me that showed up on dark green,” Lloyd grumbles, fixing his armor. “I’ll teach it to you when we get out of this.”

“Another reason why staying alive would be a more productive focus,” Pixal points out. “I’ve heard teaching is easier when you’re alive.”

“And I’ve heard you’re a real riot,” Lloyd mutters. “It’s a promise, okay? I promise to teach you how to do cool armor design if you promise not to disappear into another realm on me.”

Pixal nods, adjusting her own armor tighter as screams ring out from a street nearby. “A promise, then.”

She keeps both the promise and the flower, the tiny blossom dried and faded by the time she’s escaped from the prison, heart racing with leftover adrenaline as Zane sweeps her into his arms. She clutches back every bit as tight, listening to his breathless laughter as cheers rise from the streets behind them, the smoke drifting across the early morning sky above them pale against the lightening blue. Pixal buries her face in his shoulder and breathes, tucking the moment away in her heart where it won’t fade. There’s a future stretching out before her, and she’s got the limbs to walk her path on her own, but all she wants right now is the steady ground beneath her feet and the bright laughter of what she’s managed to keep.  

Lloyd meets them shortly after, his own promise kept as he tears his gaze from his father, handing him off to the authorities before sprinting for the others. Pixal barely snags a moment alone with him, and even then no one’s particularly keen on letting him out of their sights.

He meets her eyes as they pick their way through the wrecked streets, the city more alive around them than it’s been in weeks. In the dark of the early morning, Pixal’s eyes glow a bright green, reflecting oddly in the windows they pass. It’s always been her preferred color, in contrast to Zane’s bright blue. Lloyd glances at her, his own eerily green eyes glowing back. He bites his lip, but it’s to hold back real laughter this time.

“My eyes were green first,” she tells him.

“Sue me,” he shoots back, before Kai’s throwing an arm over his shoulders again, tucking Lloyd neatly in between him and Nya. Pixal smothers a laugh at the look on his face, and tightens her own arm further where it’s linked firmly in Zane’s.  

It’s going to be an easy promise to keep, she thinks.  

[concussed-to-pieces]

Stay Safe Part Four: Reaching Out

Fandom: The Mandalorian [Star Wars]

Pairing: Eventual Mandalorian [Din Djarin]/Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Welcome, welcome! I hope you're all having a good day, and that you're all staying hale and hearty. This chapter somehow got even longer than the last one, I do apologize once again. Enjoy!

Tag List: @wrestlingfae @toxiicpop @huliabitch @helplessly-nonstop @culturalrebel @literal-fand0m-trash @sinnamon-bunn @fioccodineveautunnale @hxldmxdxwn @lizajane3 @thewaythisis @nellyneko @absurdthirst

Part One [Should Have Known Better]

Part Two [Tranquil Turmoil]

Part Three [Vibroblade Mettle]

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains character death. Stay safe!]

"Hand over the child, Mando." The man's voice said cooly over the comms. "I might let you live."

You snarled under your breath in frustration and you heard the Mandalorian echo your sentiment. Ever since the two of you had departed Sorgan, your proverbial footsteps had been dogged by hunters. At least they had followed you instead of harassing the small village. You still had yet to learn why the child was being hunted, but you supposed that was a minor detail in light of your current predicament.

"I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold!" The hunter continued to taunt as another hit rocked the Crest. The left engine sputtered and whined, rattling audibly. 

"Alright, that's it." The Mandalorian bit out, flipping switches to cut power from the engine before it shredded itself. "You're up." He informed you, reaching for the thruster bar. "Be ready on the guns, we'll only get one shot at this. Take out that son of a bitch."

Your eyes were glued to the targeting screen, only barely noticing the choke of the thrust and subsequent drag of the Crest that threw you sideways against your seat harness. All you cared about was that blue ship indicator on the screen finally blinking red. 

Right before the Crest's artillery roared to life and reduced the bastard that had been tracking you to space debris, the Mandalorian growled, "that's my line."

You laughed in relief, slumping down in the seat. "We did it!" You cheered quietly, raising your fist to bump his own when he extended it back to you. 

Your celebration was short-lived, however, as sparks exploded across the panel in front of the armored man. He swore under his breath, quickly readjusting trajectory coordinates while the sextant holo reeled drunkenly. "Looks like the damage was already done. Sorry, stowaway. Unplanned pit stop." The Mandalorian grunted, actually managing to sound the tiniest bit contrite.

The ship shuddered and lurched, listing slightly while its main working engine struggled to maintain forward motion. "As long as we land safely, I can live with it." You assured him, eyeing the large, tan planet that loomed in the viewport. "Where to?"

"Tattooine. Closest port's Mos Eisley. Should be able to find a job so we can afford repairs." He flipped a switch overhead, then pressed his fingers to the side of his helmet. There was a shrill burst of feedback and he shook his head, grumbling and striking the control panel with a firm hand. Then, he tapped the side of his helmet again.

There was a brief pause. "Th-is is Mos Eisley Tower, we are tracking you. Head for bay three-five, o-ver." 

The voice was staticky, but still easily understood. "Copy that." The Mandalorian confirmed, toggling the overhead switch. "Locked in for three-five."

His fingers drummed on the control panel absently, then shifted around to check the levels as the Razor Crest began its approach.

…

The landing was, to quote a certain armored man...not spectacular. 

You could feel the Crest sliding to one side, the Mandalorian just barely missing the edge of the hangar bay. The landing gear whined loud when it extended and the whole ship settled onto the ground with a series of clatters and clanks that had you grimacing. You clearly had your work cut out for you.

"I'll get started." You sighed, undoing your harness. 

"No. Stay put." He answered sharply, already shuffling past you.

"What? But I'm...I can help!" You protested, pursuing him down the ladder. Was he really still in that mindset of not letting you do anything? Even after you had patched this junker up on Sorgan?! 

The boarding ramp lowered, steam billowing as the cool air inside the ship hit the blistering heat outside. Now this felt familiar. Sand, sun, grungy little droids…

You opened your mouth to greet the spindly pit bots and a blaster bolt kicked up a chunk of sand right in front of the closest droid. You whirled, snapping, "Hey! Do not shoot them! I was going to say hello!" 

The impassive man offered you a shrug, sliding his blaster back into its holster before droning, "No droids near my ship."

You threw your hands up and then jammed them in your coveralls, spotting a surly-looking woman heading your direction. "You can talk your own way out of this one, bucket boy." You muttered.

A stifled chuckle issued from the Mandalorian at your hissed words, the warm noise sliding down your spine to curl in your stomach. You blinked several times, a little confused at the violent reaction your body had to something as mundane as his laugh. 

The older woman (her jumpsuit name patch read PELI in faded blue lettering) did in fact proceed to verbally rip the Mandalorian limb from limb for "putting his bolts anywhere near her bots." She then started looking the Crest over, somehow simultaneously unimpressed with the state of it and impressed that he had managed to land it at all.

The Mandalorian bore the assault silently, but you could tell how irritated he was just from the set of his shoulders. You refused to pity him though, at least not outwardly. "I've got five hundred Imperial credits." He stated once she allowed him to get a word in edgewise.

"Five hundred and seven." You amended, shooting him a glare when he jerked his head to the side to look at you.

The woman snorted derisively, frizzy hair bouncing on her shoulders with the force of her head shake. "That'll cover the bay, but you want repairs done without droids. My time is valuable!"

"I'll get you your money." The armored man assured her tersely.

"I've heard that one before."

"I'm a former detailer." You spoke up, drawing her attention off of him. "I can follow directions and I'm familiar with this particular craft."

"Ah, that's why he's got you with him?" Peli mused sarcastically. "I figured it was for your stellar listening skills."

"I'm also a real crackerjack of a singer." You shot back, grinning. "I help keep the ship morale up."

"Oh I'll bet you do." She rolled her eyes and then jabbed a stern finger up at the Mandalorian. "Listen, I'll get started on it. But I'm making no promises and if you try to stiff me, I'm not giving you your junker back. Understand?"

He exhaled hard, nodding. 

Peli made a shooing motion. "Alright then, git! Go on. Off you go. Find a good bounty and don't you dare come back without the money!" The fact that she was ordering him around made your giggles incredibly difficult to stifle, but somehow you managed until he stalked off out of the hangar. "Mandos are always so self-important and broody." Peli informed you sagely over the sound of your sputtering laughter. "Gotta' take 'em down a peg or two whenever you can." 

A wail echoed from inside the ship and your cackling jerked to a halt. "Oh!" You exclaimed, bolting back up the ramp. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

The child, who had awoken alone and secured in the bunk, sniffled up at you when you hit the auto-roll for the shutter. They looked so incredibly distressed that you immediately felt guilty, scooping them up and moving back to the ramp. 

"I'm sorry, were you scared?" You asked the child as their eyes squinted in the brilliant desert sunlight. "It's okay, I'm right here with you."

Peli whistled. "Maker, that thing is ugly. But a cute kinda' ugly, I guess." The baby cooed, clawed fingers tangling into your tan cloak. "Oh, he's a little heartbreaker. Look at those eyes!" Peli appeared to be absolutely smitten, the older woman scooting in close to examine the child. "You'll need to be careful with his ears in this sunlight, he looks thin-skinned. Don't want him gettin' crispy, no we don't!" She continued in a singsong tone, tickling them under their chin. 

…

You were uncertain of when exactly the Mandalorian had returned from his job hunt, too preoccupied with the repair work. Up to your armpits in the left engine's ion acceleration chamber, to be precise. 

Your only warning was an abrupt shout of "hey!" and then the kid started bawling, which in turn sent you into fight or flight mode. You pulled free of the turbine and skittered down to the cockpit of the ship, hauling your wrench with you for protection. 

Your heart rate slowed once you realized he was just arguing with Peli, the older woman holding the child protectively to her chest.

"And you!" The Mandalorian yelled up at the ship, making you squirm guiltily. "Get down from there, I told you before that I don't want-"

"They're just helping me out!" Peli protested. "My joints are too rickety to be up on top of that death trap."

The Mandalorian glared at her, his shoulders heaving. You scrambled down the handholds alongside the cockpit and dropped to the ground from there, hesitantly coming alongside the seething bounty hunter. "I...I just wanted to help." You mumbled, fidgeting with the wrench and then tugging the repair manual Peli had given you out of your pocket. "I can-"

"Fine." The armor-clad man spat, the word jagged even through his modulator. "I've gotten a job. Shouldn't take too long." He was pointedly avoiding looking at you, all of his attention narrowed to Peli and the child in her arms. 

The noise of an engine outside the doorway had him jerking his head up, and with a final muttered expletive he stormed off. Peli followed after him, still berating him for his "rude language in front of the baby!", and you trailed along behind. You were admittedly curious about the job. What could he have found in this tiny little town? Did they even have a Guild outpost here?

Once you reached the outer doorway, you realized that he was apparently no longer working alone. There in front of you was a young man, dressed in entirely the wrong clothes for the climate. He was perched nonchalantly atop a speeder bike, a second one hovering alongside him. "Mando!" He greeted the armored man, gesturing at the bike. "What do you think? Not too shabby, eh?" 

The Mandalorian just grunted, beginning to circle around the bike. 

Your hands balled into fists and you huffed out an angry breath. Oh sure, he would work with some random stranger he dug up out of the sand! But the second you tried to be helpful, you got put in a glorified cupboard on baby duty! 

The young man leaned back, giving you a friendly look that went on for a bit too long. "Hey there. Name's Toro. Toro Calican." He introduced himself with a little bow, a smirk tugging at the side of his mouth. "I've been here a while but I haven't seen you before."

"Let's go." The Mandalorian demanded before you could say anything to Toro, impatiently revving the starter on his speeder bike.

"Stay safe!" You snapped. You might have said it more out of spite than good will, but the wish was no less potent for it.

The armored man tilted his head, giving the impression that he was surprised. "You...you as well." He replied begrudgingly, then opened the throttle.

"It was nice meeting you!" Toro called over the sound of the engine, throwing up a quick wave before he set off in pursuit of the other man.

"Well, that was interesting." Peli mused once the two hunters had vanished into the dust. She shot you a curious look. "Is your Mandalorian always so possessive?"

"He's not my Mandalorian!" You retorted hotly. "I have no idea why he's being so...so-"

"Pigheaded? Stubborn? Broody?" Peli suggested one word after another and you felt yourself smiling, even though you were still angry.

"Stupid." You corrected her. "He's stupid. And not mine. I take no ownership of that." You gestured out at the sand dunes. "If there's work that needs to be done, I'm not asking for permission."

"Well, we had better get to it then!" Peli said, strangely enthusiastic. "There's a hell of a fuel leak I'm going to need you for, as well as some kinks in the strut shocks. Never mind the engine, though I'm sure you're already halfway done with it."

You flipped to the first page in the repair manual, tapping your fingers down on the exploded view of the engine. "I did have a question about this section here. As you can see, this one has a weird shear point where one of the bolts should be removed. If I put the pins here instead, do you think it would hold better?"

…

The two of you worked long into the night. It seemed as soon as you fixed one thing, a new issue would arise. The Crest had been held together with nothing but spot-welding and a prayer! Your stomach flip-flopped at the realization that you had trusted that in deep space. Granted, you hadn't exactly picked the ship you were stranded on, but still-!

"You are a lucky, lucky thing." Peli called up the ladder, continuing to seat the refresher's new gasket snugly into its coupling. "If this seal had gone, your whole ship would be swamped with the grey tank backwash."

"Better the grey tank than the black tank." You replied, laughing when she made a gagging sound. You had taken a break from the engine to unbolt the cockpit shielding so you could scrape it, planning on putting down a fresh line of caulking around the edges of each pane. When you and the Mandalorian had returned to the Razor Crest after it had been parked on Sorgan, a small puddle had collected on the floor beside the pilot's chair. Whether from condensation or an actual leak you couldn't say, but everything on the ship seemed due for a replacement.

"Pass me the sealant when you're done with it." Peli requested loudly. "This gasket won't do you any good unless I patch these areas."

"Need the spanner too? I've got the fifths up here." You offered, hanging upside down through the ladder port to hand her the extra tube of caulking.

"Yeah--wait no, give me the flathead. Sealant and flathead so I can cinch this ring." Peli tweaked one of the child's ears fondly while you fumbled around in your tool belt. Sure, you could have sat upright and gotten it done much quicker, but hanging upside down was half the fun of even having a tween-decks ladder in the first place. "Does he usually just watch like this? He's being so quiet!" She remarked.

"Those eyes see everything." You replied wryly. "They're probably just glad something isn't exploding near them."

"Exploding?" Peli sputtered. "What have you two been up to?!"

You bit your lip, uncertain of how much you should actually say. "We had a few run-ins with some...less than friendly people. Raiders and stuff."

"And how did you end up around people like that?" Peli queried, her voice muffled as she ducked back into the fresher. 

You groaned, rolling over onto your back on the cockpit floor and staring up at the starry sky overhead. "A certain stupid armored individual with a gruff attitude and…" you paused as the gravity of what you were saying hit you. "...and...and a soft spot for helping people in trouble."

"Oho, so that's his story, huh?" Peli's tone was smug. "Should have figured. Not everyone reacts like a raging anooba when they see a stranger holding their baby." 

"Is that what he was angry about?"

"I'm pretty sure if I hadn't been holding this little nub the way I was, your Mandalorian would have put a hole in my chest." She didn't sound overly concerned.

"Not mine." You corrected her absently, getting back up and using the flat of your old knife to smooth out the bead line. "Never mine." You murmured quietly to yourself, barely resisting the urge to heave another sigh. Obviously the armored man's most prolific method of expression was rubbing off on you if even you were resorting to sighing. 

What were you thinking, letting yourself get all twisted up over someone like him? This was pointless. 

…

It was mid afternoon, nearly dusk the following day when you finally managed to finish repairing the engine. It had been a big job, the biggest one you'd ever tackled, but Peli looked it over several times and declared it fine work. 

"You did almost as good as my droids!" She exclaimed, one of the spindly bots beeping a loud complaint in reply. "I'd offer you a job if I thought you'd take it, but I know better than to trust your Mandalorian alone with this little angel."

You had given up on insisting he wasn't your Mandalorian, simply rolling your eyes instead of wasting your breath. "What does the rough estimate look like? I may have no choice but to work off the debt if he doesn't come back." After the playful words left your mouth, your brow furrowed. He had said it wouldn't take too long. What was his idea of not taking too long? A day? Three days?

Concern churned in your mind as the older woman laughed off your inquiry. You had no real frame of reference to work with, no clue how long a bounty hunt could actually go on for. What if something had happened to him? You swallowed hard. 

What if he and that young man he had joined forces with were stranded somewhere out in the dunes? Guilt elbowed in to war with the concern. If something had gone wrong, the last thing you said to him…

Stay safe, your memory reminded you, in a tone laden with spiteful sarcasm. 

You shook your head at your unusually-dire train of thought. That would do you no good! The Mandalorian would be back soon enough and then you would be on your way to wherever came next, is what you told yourself firmly. 

Fake it 'til you make it, right?

In the face of the encroaching twilight you sat cross-legged on the boarding ramp, slowly fishing tiny bits of pickled mudjumper out of one of the jars that Omera had sent with you. The child gurgled happily, little fingers clumsily shoving the meat into their mouth.

"Do I even want to know?" Peli inquired warily, gesturing at the jar.

"Mudjumpers." You replied, giving the brine a shake. "The kid loves 'em. They'd eat 'em whole."

The older woman pulled a face. "He's lucky he's cute. For anyone else, that'd be a dealbreaker."

The pit droids abruptly started to shriek and rattle, indicating that something had spooked them. You peered out into the darkness, squinting and then grinning with relief. "Mr. Calican!" You greeted the young man gladly, getting to your feet and wiping your hands off with a rag. "I take it you two finished the job?" You looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the large, beskar-clad form bringing up the rear. "Where's the Mandalorian?"

Toro seemed a bit preoccupied and didn't answer you immediately, his eyes darting to the baby who was still gnawing on a chunk of mudjumper. "Oh, yeah. Mando's uh...he'll be along. You guys have any water? I'm parched."

"Of course! I'll get you some, give me a second." You nodded, turning and rushing back into the Crest. As much as you had been fearing and anticipating the Mandalorian's return, it was still a relief to know that he was alright. 

Calican accepted the small canteen you gave him with a murmur of thanks. He had the kid on his knee, the small child too invested in their snack to pay him any mind. "He's a cute little guy. Where'd you pick him up?" Toro asked curiously. 

You shook your head. "I couldn't say. He was here before me. The tyke is a veteran shipmate." 

"Oh? Huh. Interesting." Toro took another long swig from the canteen. "You know, I heard something a while back."

You cocked your head, confused and a little uneasy at the way his expression had darkened. You abruptly wished that he wasn't holding the kid. "What...what did you hear?"

"Well, I mean, it's not that interesting. Still…I'm kinda' interested to figure out if it's true or not." He shifted to his feet and pressed his blaster to the side of the child's head. "Call it...morbid curiosity."

"W-What are you doing?" You asked, your voice shaking. "Calican, if this is a joke, it's not-"

"Keep back." He warned sharply. "I'm not looking to hurt any of you, but I will if I have to."

The blaster gave neither you nor Peli any room to argue, though the older woman still wanted to try. "You're gonna' be real sorry when their Mandalorian gets here!" She said angrily, her hands hoisted over her head.

Toro scoffed. "Their Mandalorian is a traitor who shot up the Bounty Hunter's Guild on Nevarro! I'm bringing him to justice." He announced, his voice dripping with self-importance while he prodded the baby with his blaster. His motions made your heart leap into your throat in terror, "and this little runt is stolen property, which needs to be returned to its rightful owner."

Your mind whirled. That couldn't be right. Nevarro--

What the armored man had admitted to you on Sorgan came rushing to the forefront of your memory, "I won't be able to bring you back to Nevarro. I can't...I can't go back there." 

Was it true? Is that what the child was? Is that why he couldn't return? He had stolen the child and shot up the Guild?

You took a step forward without conscious thought, reaching down to your boot for your vibroblade. "Let them go." 

Toro wasn't some hulking Klatoonian. He wasn't a veteran dropship trooper and he definitely wasn't a lightning-fast Mandalorian. As far as you could tell he was just like you, except he had a gun. Reducing him down to that made him much less terrifying.

The young man yelped, jamming the blaster against the child's head. "You do anything with that and I'm gonna' take this kid apart. All I want is the Mandalorian." He snapped.

"Unfortunately for you, all I want is the kid." You snarled.

He whipped his blaster around to your head, obviously shaken. "I'm not-"

"If you shoot me, you'd better kill me. Because if you hurt that child, I will kill you." You announced firmly, your trembling knees locked in place. He's just a human. He's young and dumb. "Let me hold the child and I'll get rid of my knife." You bargained, holding the weapon up. "I know how the kid operates. If you keep jostling them around like that, you're going to make them cry. They're loud, Toro. Someone will hear." You extended your hands. "I promise. All I want is the kid."

Toro appeared to mull it over, his eyes narrowed as he stared at you. "Drop the knife first." He demanded finally. "You drop that knife and...and you promise to keep this little bastard quiet."

You nodded. Your blade landed with a hollow clatter on the boarding ramp and Toro shoved the child into your waiting grasp. You didn't even have a second to breathe before the young man had your free arm wrenched behind your back, making you cry out in pain when he twisted your wrist. 

"Calican!"

You almost lost your grip on the child in relief when you spotted the Mandalorian standing at the end of the ramp, blaster in hand and somehow giving off the impression that he was fit to be tied. He had his shoulders squared, helmet tilted down and his feet spread like a raging mudhorn about to charge.

"Took you long enough, Mando." The young man drawled, his blaster thumping against your temple. "Looks like I'm calling the shots now, huh partner? Drop your blaster and raise 'em. And you," he jeered in your ear, "had better stay where you are if you know what's good for you."

The Mandalorian obeyed grudgingly, spitting, "Damn it stowaway, why-"

"Hey, it's not my fault that your hotshot pet bounty hunter skittered out from underneath your thumb!" You barked at him.

"I told you to stay safe!" He bellowed in reply.

"I told you first!" You screamed. 

"Will you shut the hell up?" Calican punctuated his request with a solid slam of the pistol grip into the side of your head, the blow sending stars across your vision. "Shut the hell up, the both of you. Now," He continued to Peli, tossing her a set of magnacuffs. "Cuff him."

The older woman slowly made her way down the ramp and Calican shifted his weight nervously, keeping you tight against his side as a human shield. "Fennec was right." He giddily declared to the Mandalorian. "Bringing you in won't just make me a member of the Guild, it'll make me legendary." 

The baby squirmed against your arm, obviously uncomfortable. "It's alright, sweetheart." You crooned, trying your hardest to keep your voice steady. "I'm right here with you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Yeah, except it's not really up to you anymore, is it?" Calican pointed out snidely. Peli raised the cuffs to snap them onto the Mandalorian's wrists and Toro's arm went tense, no doubt in preparation to squeeze the trigger. 

There was a strangely-muffled report and then blinding light seared your eyes, forcing you to slam them shut. Was that a flare? When you opened them again, the Mandalorian was gone. Toro swore, firing wildly at where the armored man had been standing. The kid started to sob pitifully and you struggled against Calican, simultaneously panicking and furious. "Let me go!" You yelled, straining to twist free.

The distinctive sound of the Mandalorian's heavy blaster firing from the side made your ears ring. Calican grunted and you felt his hold on you tighten, the young man toppling off the edge of the ramp. 

The baby!

You reeled, cupping the back of their head when Toro's limp weight knocked you over with him. You barely managed to roll in time, absorbing the brunt of the impact with your shoulder as you hit the ground still half on top of Calican. The sharp edges of his belt buckle drove into your hip for your trouble. 

You coughed out, keenly aware that the child was screaming. Maker, hopefully they were simply spooked by all the commotion. After all, if something happened to them the Mandalorian would absolutely slab you, or worse. 

"You're alright sweetheart." You assured them shakily. You settled onto your haunches as they continued to wail, keeping them tight to your body while you blinked away your reflex tears. "Shh, shh, you're alright. It was just noise and some bumps, love," you soothed, rocking them gently. "I've got you."

The Mandalorian skidded to his knees in front of you, gloved hands fumbling at the little one's limbs like he was checking for breaks. As the child's hysterics petered out into exhausted sniffling, the armored man slowed somewhat. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I-I shouldn't have-"

"Hey, hey. You got him." You interrupted, shaking your head. "I'm just glad you're such a good shot. I'm sure losing my cool didn't help your aim!"

"I d-didn't...know what to do." He admitted. "He was...I just couldn't think of anything else." His hand covered your own on the back of the child's head. "I'm sorry. For everything." He apologized sincerely. "For being so--for treating you like…" he trailed off, muttering something under his breath. His helmet pressed to your forehead and you cursed inwardly, positive he could feel you trembling. "You're not here because you chose to come along." He said finally.

"I did choose, but I get it." You said softly. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have been so reckless. Both when I was working on the ship and, uh, just now, I guess."

"No, you did well. You...you did very well." There was a smile in his voice when next he spoke, "You got him to hand over the kid so I could take a clear shot. You keep surprising me, stowaway."

"Alright, break it up!" Peli said loudly, getting between the two of you to extract the snuffling child. "Honestly, shameless." She chided and the Mandalorian sighed in exasperation, the familiar noise making you smile for a second. "Now, I'm going to assume you didn't get paid." 

The armored man turned and jerked a small pouch off of Toro's belt, then tipped the prolific contents into the older woman's hand. "That cover me?" He asked bluntly.

"Oh." Peli pursed her lips. "Yeah, yep. I'd say that'll just...well, you can have your five hundred seven deposit back." She amended after a moment of counting the various currencies in her palm.

The Mandalorian shook his head. "Keep it. We've put you through enough." He pulled you upright and as he moved to take the child back, you noticed the large impact mark on his breastplate for the first time.

"Hey, wait." You said, catching his arm. "What happened? Your chest…"

"Sniper bolt." He muttered to you. "Beskar took the brunt of it. Got a bruise and a headache from the impact."

"Excuse me, sniper?!" You squeaked. 

"The bounty. She's dead, thanks to a certain someone." The Mandalorian grumbled, none-too-subtly shoving the toe of his boot into Toro's ribs. A large hand palmed the side of your head and you winced, letting him check the area where Toro had struck you with his gun. "Doesn't look like he broke the skin, but you'll be sore."

"Yeah, and you mauling me like a wampa isn't exactly helping that." 

"Sorry. Forgot you're not used to the armor." He apologized again. Maker, you could endure him being apologetic! It made his voice all gentle, even through the modulator. He touched his forehead to the child's, running through a few gestures as their tiny hands clawed for purchase on his smooth helmet. "Let's get moving."

You caught his arm again when he went to turn away and you shifted up onto your tiptoes to press your forehead against his helmet. "Thank you." You said sincerely.

He was still for a moment, before he simply responded, "This is the Way."

"Alright pit droids, let's get this out of here!" Peli ordered, gesturing down at the former Calican as the Mandalorian headed into the Crest with you in tow.

…

You settled the child into their bassinet, running a hand over their tiny head. Those eyes watched you blearily, and a small hand clutched at your sleeve when you went to leave. "Okay love. Do you need a song?" You asked softly, smiling. "A little song so you can sleep?"

The child whimpered uncertainly, their body wriggling underneath their covers. 

You cleared your throat, crossing your arms and leaning on the edge of their bassinet. "Say 'nightie-night' and kiss me, just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me," you sang, stroking a gentle finger down the bridge of their petite nose. "While I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me…" You hummed a few bars, continuing to stroke downward on their face. Soon enough (sooner than you expected, truthfully), their heavy little eyelids slid shut. 

You rose from your spot beside their bassinet, stretching and then climbing the ladder to the cockpit.

"How is he?" The Mandalorian asked worriedly before you could even sit down. 

"Tired," was your honest answer. "I didn't even get through the full song before he was gone."

"At least he's sleeping." He sounded relieved. The Razor Crest cruised along sand dunes and broad, flat mesas bathed in the light of the stars and you moved up to the side of his chair, wanting to take in the sight before the ship broke the atmosphere. 

"Wow." You breathed. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him tilt his head to look up at you, but you didn't pay it any mind. "It looks so pretty from up here. Lonely, but..." 

"Beautiful." The Mandalorian finished quietly when you trailed off.

"Mm, yeah. Melancholy." You nodded, accidentally bumping his shoulder as you went to go back to your seat. He waved off your apology silently, already heavily involved in making the star map calculations. 

You just sat and looked on passively, swiveling the seat back and forth. He was entirely engrossed, fingers tracing diagonal lines as he plotted the course he intended to take. It was entrancing to watch him work, watch the calculations play out in real time at the flick of a switch or the pull of a lever. You were so used to astromech droids being readily available, you had never realized the amount of effort that went into something as 'everyday' as flying a ship.

"I'm going to clean myself up." He announced after the Crest punched through the atmosphere and shifted into hyperdrive. "I've got sand in places I didn't know existed."

"It was just like being back on Nevarro." You said with a smile. He unbuckled his harness and rose from his seat, squeezing past you in the tight space. He stank of speeder oil and dewback, so you were absolutely on board with him bathing. 

Before he swung down onto the ladder, though, you heard him grunt and his breath hitched.

"Are you alright?" The query came out louder than you had intended, making you cringe at your own volume. 

"The bitch shot the speeder out from beneath me before she tried to kill me." He shook his head. "I got thrown. Just a little banged up, that's all." 

"Do you…" You struggled to get the words out as he waited patiently at the top of the ladder. "Do you need help? I mean, I know you've probably dealt with way worse stuff than this. Alone, y'know."

You waited for the curt dismissal, or even worse, the heavy, wordless sigh. But instead, "That's very kind of you."

What?

He cocked his helmet, his visor just as unreadable as ever. "I'm sorry if I caused you concern." He said evenly. "I'm alright."

"Wh--Concerned? Me? Ha! I wouldn't...what, about you? It'd never happen!" You blustered. "I-I was just offering because I know you're--you don't have a great range of motion, that's all!"

He immediately bristled, "My range of motion is just fine-"

"Psh, you could barely get your hands up behind your helmet!" You teased, raising your own arms in mockery of his earlier motion.

"I'm stiff and sore. That's got nothing to-" The Mandalorian cut himself off with a growl, shaking his head again. "You're ridiculous."

"If you need help, I'm here." You sang.

"You certainly are, aren't you." And with that wry observation, he clunked heavily down the ladder.

You unbuckled your own harness once you were certain he was sequestered in the fresher, getting to your feet and pulling your tunic up over your head. Toro's belt buckle had left a healthy divot in your side just above where your pants sat; you winced in pain every time your waistband grazed the area. 

You reached for your toolbelt, abandoned on the floor hours earlier once you had finished your work on the engine, and rifled through the pouches for your jar of bacta salve. A staple of any self-proclaimed drifter, the thick cream was useful for everything from numbing to disinfecting an area. You scooped a healthy amount into your palm and then gingerly started smearing it on the angry reddish-purple mark, hissing in pain.

The sound of footsteps on the ladder took you by surprise and you froze as the Mandalorian hoisted himself back up into the cockpit, flight suit peeled down to his waist and sans-armor aside from his helmet. 

He also froze when he saw you all hunched over without your tunic on. Or at least, you thought he saw you. It was difficult to tell where he was looking sometimes. 

"Sorry." You apologized with a helpless little grimace after he just stood there for a minute. "I thought you'd, uh, take longer."

"When did that happen? Did he do that to you?" His voice was rough.

"Oh! It's...it's from when I fell." Why was breathing so difficult all of a sudden? "He had a really fancy buckle that made itself comfortable in my hip." The Mandalorian crouched beside you, his hand reaching out. "Wait!" You exclaimed, catching his wrist with two of your clean fingers. "If you get this salve on your gloves, it'll stain-"

"I don't care." He gritted out. Something in his tone caught you off-kilter, different from when he had been apologetic. His fingers pressed into the skin just above the bruise, holding the area taut. "Shit." He grunted, his thumb circling to rub some of the salve in. "You landed hard."

"Had to. It was either that or crush the baby, and I'm not looking to hurt the kid and get slabbed for my trouble." You mumbled. 

His head jerked up to look at you, beskar helmet barely missing your face. "What?" He asked. Why did he sound confused, of all things? He had been the one to threaten you with it!

"W-Well, when I first...when I came onboard, you told me you'd put me in carbonite. You know, if…if something happened to the kid?" You answered hesitantly.

He was silent for a long time, just continuing to work the salve into your skin while you sat panicking. "That was before," he finally replied quietly. "You were a variable. But after what happened on Sorgan, I..."

"Anyway, I'm not the one you should be worried about right now," you rushed on to point out. "You're the one who got thrown from a speeder bike and shot and whatever else you're not telling me. You're kind of the tactical priority in this outfit." 

His chuckle was rueful. "Just thrown and shot a few times, stowaway. I'm hungry, thirsty and sore, not dying."

"Want me to put together a snack for once you're done getting rinsed off? It's the least I can do for your help here." You offered, gesturing down at your side.

He shook his head. "No. I-I won't be able to eat with you."

"I didn't assume that you would." You startled yourself with your own reply. "I know that your helmet is...well, a fixture. I don't know a lot about the Mandaloria...Mandalorian culture, obviously, but I know enough not to expect any shared mealtimes."

"I'm sorry."

"Shush, look, I get it. It's a vital part of your people's way of life, right?" You waited for his nod while struggling back into your tunic. "So, stop apologizing. Lots of different people have lots of different cultures. You not taking your helmet off isn't offending me, it's what your people do. It's your reality, your day to day." You thumped your chest sternly, "This is the Way, right?"

He laughed quietly, mimicking your gesture. "This is the Way."

"So don't worry about it. I just feel bad that you probably only get a few minutes to eat." You continued, "If you want, you can just tell me when you want your, um, out of helmet time, and I can leave you alone until you say otherwise?" 

"I've survived this long." The Mandalorian hesitated, "That's kind of you to offer, though."

"I'm sure you're used to being alone and being able to take it off whenever." You theorized, a little sad that he had to stay in it all the time now just because you or the child were with him.

"I usually keep it on regardless." He shrugged. "Taking it off just means I have to put it back on. It's a necessity."

"Well yeah but...I'm sure you'd like to not have to inhale your food. Maybe wash your hair. Ooo, wait, do you not have any hair? Are you bald?" You gasped in mock-horror, clutching at your chest theatrically. "Maker, is that why you all keep your helmets on? You're as bald as the kid, aren't you?"

"I do groom myself, you know. Regularly." The Mandalorian retorted, the tilt of his head decidedly haughty. "And I'm not bald. Wish I was sometimes. The nape of my neck grows quickly and if I'm sweaty, I get knots."

"Sounds like something that a bald person would say if they're trying to hide it." You teased, grinning at him.

"M' not bald." He insisted after a second, sounding almost sulky. He yanked his threadbare liner shirt up, jabbing a finger at the thick trail of hair that began around his belly button. "I grow hair. I have hair." He continued indignantly.

"You have pubes." You corrected him automatically, your brain grinding to a halt afterwards. Maker, had you really just-?! 

"I've got body hair." He stressed firmly. "Hair on my body. Not just my pubic area."

Ignoring the incredibly alluring prospect of following that trail of body hair down past where his flight suit bunched up around the 'V' of his hips, you forced your eyes upwards when he dropped his shirt hem. "Stars, that looks like it hurts." You winced sympathetically, taking in the livid purple contusion that spread across his right pectoral. The fact that it was dark enough for you to see it clearly through his liner-

"I can live with it. If I hadn't had the beskar, it'd be hurting a lot less." Because I'd be dead hung unspoken in the air between the two of you. 

"I-I'm glad you have the beskar, then." You managed to say faintly. "I'd hate to have to explain to the kid if something...happened."

"Likewise." The Mandalorian responded, his own tone troubled. "He's...he's gotten used to having you around."

The both of you stood there awkwardly, the silence stretching long. "Did you need something?" You asked finally.

The Mandalorian jolted, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't be. "Uh, yes! Yes, I was going to ask if I could borrow your...salve. Used up the last of mine on Sorgan and I haven't been able to get more." He mumbled. 

"Absolutely, definitely!" You exclaimed, hurrying to screw the lid back onto the jar. "I'll just...yep, here you go. Bacta salve." You pressed it into his hands, unable to keep from anxiously fidgeting when he didn't immediately leave. He just stood there, staring down at you. "Was there...was there something else you needed?" You queried nervously.

"I'm not sure." He muttered cryptically, tilting his head to the side. "I...I mean, thank you. I'll bring this back." He quickly amended, tapping his fingers to his chin and then all but bolting for the ladder.

"Be careful, you'll break a leg!" You yelled after him, certain that you imagined the husky laughter you got in reply.

…

It was much, much later when you decided to move down the ladder and head for bed. 

You had stayed in the co-pilot chair for ages, slowly spinning back and forth while your mind replayed the way he had hauled his shirt up. It was so nonchalant, innocent. You had been under the impression that Mandalorians had strict rules about exposure, but maybe it only applied to revealing their face? 

You could always ask, but the idea of offending him was somehow even more repugnant now than it had been when he was threatening to give you the full carbonite treatment. 

You sighed and headed for the ladder, moving carefully when you realized the hold was pitch black. 

He must be asleep, you reasoned a split-second before the fresher door slid open and you were blinded by the brilliant light. Right as your eyes shut in reflexive response, they landed on a pile of beskar armor heaped on the floor. 

There was a very familiar helmet sitting on top of it, the visor glaring up at you mockingly.

You heard him curse and you immediately started apologizing, keeping your eyes shut and waving your hands wildly. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't see, I promise! The light-" 

This is it, you realized grimly. This was the end of you.

"I thought you were still up there. You startled me." He paused, yawning loudly and then continuing, "s'alright now, I turned off the light."

"You're...you're sure it's okay to open my eyes?" You asked cautiously. 

"Hmm? Yeah, it's fine." He mumbled, and you heard the sound of fabric rubbing rapidly back and forth. "Had to clean the armor first, n' then me." His voice was so clear without the helmet. You would be lying if you said you weren't entranced by the soft gravel of it.

You snuck a peek and were simultaneously relieved and disappointed to find that you were still blind. "Shit, I got all turned around." You swore, crouching slightly and feeling your way forward. "Don't want to trip on your knightly attire and wake up the kid." A large, warm hand caught your elbow and you almost shrieked. "Hey! Warn me next time. Maker, I lost years off my life from that!" You hissed, your panic intensified in no small amount by the fact that it was his actual skin touching you, not leather gloves. 

In that moment, you felt like you were somehow responsible for breaking seventeen different rules. And you weren't entirely certain whether you were particularly contrite about it.

"Mhm." He could apparently see fine in the darkness, or at least well enough to lead you across the hold to the space behind the pile of crates that you had claimed as your own. "This s'your stop, stowaway." He murmured sleepily. You froze when you felt his chin brush your forehead lightly, stubble rubbing against your skin and a set of lips pressed to your hairline as he breathed, "G'night."

You managed to pull yourself together long enough to squeak out a reply of, "sleep tight," and you proceeded to tunnel into your blankets once you were certain he had left. What was that?! you asked yourself frantically. 

That was...he was human underneath all that armor. You had known that. 

Technically. Logically. Your brain understood that even before he had decided to flash the great golden expanse of his abdomen at you. So what was the issue? 

Had he just kissed your forehead?! Did that even count as a kiss or was he just so tired that he had bumped into you accidentally? Nothing about it seemed accidental, but he was exhausted. It must have been a mistake, a clumsy little...accident. That's all it was. 

You were just reading too much into it.

Part Five

[purplerose244]

Thoughts journal Ninjago season 13!!! 🤩🤩 (3/4)

I am enjoying the season A LOT. The reveal has been thrown already, everything seems to be leading towards something special about Rock Mom and I couldn't hope for something better!! I know Lou will be back so I guess a flashback?... I'M SO EXCITED 💕💕

Alright, let's start!!

DUNGEON PARTY!

Side note, we're past the season and no Nexo Knights reference. Me sad, but me not quitting like ninja!! 💪💪

Korgran of METALONIA?!?! WHERE KARLOF COMES FROM!!! Oh you just love to feed me with good throwbacks, now do you Ninjago crew 😍

Plundar the thief, yeah, the attire gives it away although it is nice. And Fungus... huh... well that explains the mushrooms on the hat I guess 😅

Yep, there we go, a party of adventurers, the DnD situation promised 👈👈 He said loot, I saw a 20 faced dice, nice nice

In these recent seasons adventurers just won't like to do adventures for one reason or another, first uncle Powers, now these guys? I mean Ninjago is in danger every freaking time and you risk your life at every step and there's a new formidable villain every like five seconds but... huh... what was my point again?

THE ANIME STYLE IS BACK 😂😂 Oh boy I can tell we're in for a train to crazy town

I'm thinking this dude looks a lot like He-Man... of course he does, the HECK, am I noticing this just now? 😑

I do agree with mister Korgran's father reluctance about talking like that (I saw too many anime characters like that 😂), but Karlof uses the third person too. Either it's common in Metalonia, or there's a general lack of education there 😅 (I LOVE METAL BOY I MISS HIM 🖤🖤)

Talking axe that doesn't talk, nice 😂

Okay... okay, I need a moment

This is too cute. I know her head is a bit too big but LOOK AT THEM 💛🤍💛🤍 Has Chompy never grown?... wait he did got big that one time... okay... okay, never mind

Well that's a pretty nice party, you got your barbarian, your magic user and your rogue. Kinda misses a healer but still... tomorrow I'm doing a DnD session with my friends and I wanna sound like I know stuff 😂

I just noticed that I haven't seen hidden trap doors like that since Chen, the ABC of villains right there my friends 👆

So the King didn't become evil just because of the skull, he actually wished to obtain it and use the dark power. I get that he wants to defend the city but he is basically remorceless about everything else, so he is guilty. Also DRAGON ABUSER 😡

Poor Vania, but she overcame her Skylor situation very quickly. Proud 💛

There we go with the encouragement, you go Rocky!! We have a crazy Skull dude to turn into dust!! 👿👿

Wait, a promise he made a long time ago? Rock mom?

DUNGEON CRAWL!

ROCK MOM!!! YAAAASSS!!! FINALLY SHE'S HERE!!! 🖤🖤🖤

Oh holy FSM, my heart 💔

MY HEART HURTS SO MUCH. Cole as a kid, Lou is back, Rock Mom IS SICK AND WILL DIE, all the drawings, the picture of them together 😭😭

I cannot, freaking, this kid doesn't want his mom to be sick and he's gotten into troubles at school and she wants him to fight and be strong and right and SHE HAS HIS SAME EYEBROWS 😢😢😢😢😢😢

This scene was really heartbreaking, such a genuine situation with a kid that wants her mom to be fine and proud of him 🖤

Just looked at her VA and it's Erin Matthews 🤩 So first I'm counting it as a Nexo Knights reference just because MACY AND ROBIN ❤🖤❤🖤 Second, wasn't "the mom" going to be voiced by Jillian? Is it... is it Maya? Is she coming back? MAYBE NEXT SEASON??? NYA SEASON?!?!? 🤯🤯

Oh, we're moving on? So... so there's still the stuff about Rock Mom's past to uncover, still unsure if she was the one of the blades for the two tribes

PLUNDAR WE DO NOT DISRESPECT COLE INTO THIS HOUSE VANIA MY GIRL YOU ARE SPEAKING FOR ME TOO 💪💪

The connection between Cole and his mom is the earth itself, I'm loving this concept so much. It's true that he never found himself this deep into his element before, the Caves of Despair were mines but never this deep. This really is rock bottom... HECK YEAH

Well Cole...

Welcome to the colored eyes because of elemental power ninja team!! 💚❤🧡 (without counting the forbidden scroll moments) I LOVE WHEN IT HAPPENS!!! I'M GETTING SO PROUD AND EMOTIONAL!!! I'M PROUDOTIONAL!!! 🤯

Aww, Cole saving his son sensei, very nice. They did save each other a lot 🤷‍♀️

This place reminds me a lot of the Fire Temple where Kai got himself into trouble in season 1 but then saved Lloyd, one of my favorite and most memorable episode of the show... I'M TOO NOSTALGIC RIGHT NOW LET'S MOVE ON

NEVER MIND COLE IS TAKING CHARGE LIKE OLD TIMES HE IS FINALLY THE LEADER AGAIN I'M GONNA CRY ROCKY I'M SO HAPPY YOU DESERVE THIS 🖤

Wu's spinjitzu!! Always nice to see it 😊 And yes Adam is a good boy, and for my arachnophobia is a little freaky saying it 😅

Ah, good Plundar, Cole needs all the appreciation of the world because HE IS SUCH A GOOD PERSON AND AMAZING WARRIOR AND I LOVE HIM AAAAAA

This is probably my favorite episode for now, got Rock Mom, got elemental powers, got a lot of Cole in all of his glory: the leader with a clear smart mind able to lead even strangers, with big heart for what's important 👏👏

I feel like this season is giving him glory, I'm curious about how it will end!!

GRIEF-BRINGER

Okay I know it's the name of the dragon... and it gets me a little antsy 😅

Back to the munce! Still doing as good as ever I see! 😅 And lol, you can't blame Nya for not being nice Jay! Although she is kinda best friends with Ronin who double crossed her multiple times... okay, I see your reasoning Bluebell

There we go, Nya making them listen. I honestly could have seen her just grabbing one of them and make them fly through the the room, still cool though 😎

Back to the geckles! Also doing as good as ever! 😅 These little purple guys are so dang cute, seeing my flame babe trying to lead is so PRECIOUS, and even more PRECIOUS is Zane giving him support... and a rock in the face 🤍🤍

Gotta say

I'm more and more fascinated by their culture 😂😂

Aww little Gleck, everything had started with him after all... wait... HER NAME IS LILLY?!?! ROCK MOM HAS A NAME!!! AND SHE IS GILLIE/MILLIE!!! I KNEW IT!!! 🤩🤩

I think I saw the name somewhere, didn't think it was actually her. I always headcanoned her as Gaia, but Lilly is a very sweet name too 💕

It is pretty nice that even though we as viewers didn't know what happened to Lilly, the ninja knew. It's obvious, they've known each other for so long, but still. It feels nice to see this 😊

Oh-oh, Skull dude is up to something... and he said the title 👈👈

Zane keeps being the sweetest thing ever created, le cute dude 🤍🤍 Never thought I'd see Tin Can and Hothead discussing about lies while two slugs race each other...

I don't know if it's the new animation but the armored suits look CRAZY GOOD, the metal and the details are awesome!! I approve the suits of this season 👍

Pff, they are talking down his sister, if he knew they would be literally toasted 🔥

HUG HUG BEAUTIFUL LEGO HUG!!! And she lifts him up, omg the Smith siblings are back and they are so CUTE 😍

Yep, only he can talk down his sister... and possibly be annihilated right after 😅

Oh, the dragon that almost destroyed the two tribes... OH THE DRAGON THAT ALMOST DESTROYED THE TWO TRIBES!!! 😱😱

NO GUYS DON'T LEAVE LLOYD AND ZANE BEHIND, THEY ARE THE MOST PRONE TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES 😭😱😭😱😭😱

The cringe Kai, the cringe never leaves you alone you beautiful idiot ❤

I cannot believe the animators managed to make Lloyd's LEGO hair swoosh, I must applaude them 👏👏👏 Also POOR BABY ON THE GROUND GIVE HIM A VACATION FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

Well aren't things getting even more complicated 😅 Where is Cole? We need season superstar pronto!

MASTERS NEVER QUIT

Awww, major throwback to the show's most famous motto right in the title! NINJA NEVER QUIT!!! LET'S GO THEN!!! 🤩

The upply team! With the lava beast back... I could easily make comment about how it could be a representation of Cole's feelings since it's LAVA with EARTH and FIRE, and he is running from them... I'M JUST RAMBLING MOVING ON 🖤❤🖤❤

Cole misses the Caves of Despair maybe, he wants to have a round with the carts like in Possession 😂 Was that why he knew it was going to work eventually? That would be histerical, especially since back then they all almost fell into the lava 😅😅

The Heart of the Mountain? Secret temple of the masters of Earth? Possibly hidden in Shintaro? Spinjitzu Burst? Wu, let me ask you this... just in case... is there... perhaps...

IS THERE SOMETHING YOU SHOULD'VE TOLD US??? 😡😡

He is definitely and officially old, only reason why he keeps forgetting to warn people about stuff 😑 I mean, it's not major like with Morro or Aspheera, I guess it's an improvement?... kinda?

So you learn spinjitzu burst if you're surrounded by your element, that sounds pretty awesome! I wonder how it could be with all the others, this can open up kinda like a quest for the true potential but with different places and lots of OP powers and I'M INTO IT 🤩🤩🤩

Okay season, I get it

YOU WANNA MAKE ME CRY 😭😭 I love this aztec vibe, so cool and appropriate she looks STUN 🖤

I didn't expect this much introspection about Cole, I thought it was going to be kinda last minute like with Jay in Prime Empire. I'm so thankful it's not like that, freaking yes. YES. GO COLE BURST OUT!!

... okay, take your time sweetie, no rush. The other ninja are just going to be fried but eh, happens all the time 🤷‍♀️

VANIA MAH GIRL 💕 I understand Wu, I mean the guys kinda learned all they needed already back when they started to train Lloyd. Ever since then, they had been not master and students, but just family. And you always need family, no matter how far you go 🖤

Awwww, Wu! You got your own development too! 👍 So nice to hear "ninja never quit" again, can't be too sure but it's been a while 😍

Let's hope the guys are doing fine resisting while Team Cole arrives 😎😎

[lotusthekat]

Oh, take me back to the start

Fandom: Marvel (MCU)

Rating: T

Relationships: Peter & Tony, Peter & Ben & May

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark; MINOR ROLES - Ben Parker, May Parker

Summary: He looks… well, Peter doesn’t want to say old, because that wouldn’t be nice – and he knows that the media can be awfully deceiving most of the time, but… the hero still looks like he’s seen years of tragedy, and he stares at the Parker family as if they were all ghosts in front of him.

Given the loose hug, Peter leaves May’s and Ben’s arms and takes a few steps towards the hero. He can’t help feeling a little ache at the growing glassy light in his eyes.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter calls him. “Why are you crying?”

Word count: 2.167

AO3 / Fanfiction

A/N: So yeah, I ressurrected this concept from last year because I’m not over Irondad. ;-; I know this idea is far from new, but I couldn’t resist giving it a try. It’s suffered a lot of changes since then, so I hope this turned out okay.

Enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNINGS - implied character death and grief/mourning

--

At this point in his life, Peter should probably always prepare for the worst whenever he goes out. Today was supposed to be him, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben spending time together in Manhattan, but next thing he knew, a huge wormhole opened the sky, and thousands of aliens started attacking. All Peter would see then were explosions, dirt and people running for their lives.

He and his remaining family follow the panicking rest while aliens fly from above, blowing up buildings and cars and everything else in their way. Peter only runs, hand holding tightly onto May’s. The ten-year-old boy hasn’t seen this much chaos since the Stark Expo – and obviously this one wins in terms of disaster. He never thought he’d see an alien invasion so soon in his life.

Peter doesn’t know for how long he’s been running or where they’re running to. He, his aunt, and his uncle flee to the safest place they might find; they do change the route when they’re almost caught a couple times, but they never stop running, for anything at all.

The brown-haired boy finally looks back, blurring dirt taking over the city. There are way less people running along with them, and he can only hope that others found safe hiding spots. Yet suddenly, there are multiple explosions from the smog and Peter feels his hand releasing May’s – he distantly hears her yell his name, but there are countless laser shootings and Peter miraculously escapes and hides behind an alley.

His legs have given out, and he coughs as he’s breathed so much of the destruction. The invasion is far from ending, though it seems to grow distant from there. Panting, he waits for everything to quiet down so he can find May and Ben. He clutches his Iron Man t-shirt and shuts his teary eyes; he hopes, prays that they’re okay wherever they are. He can’t lose his family again.

After what feels like hours, Peter peeks outside the alley. He finds only a few people rushing away now, and not many aliens surround the area… until he sees a flying object that isn’t one of the invaders – and instead, his brown eyes are filled with hope upon finding the hero that is in his current t-shirt.

Iron Man faces the aliens and shoots them with powerful, blinding blasts. He takes maybe a dozen of them in seconds, Peter watching in complete awe. He almost loudly cheers on his hero, when he gasps at the sudden, painful blow Iron Man takes.

Two of the aliens have knocked him down with the thing they’re flying on, and before he can stand, another one on the ground starts shooting lasers at him. Three enemies surround him, and while Iron Man kills one of them, he takes another blow and remains on the ground.

No, no, no, get up! Peter wants to scream, as he sees the hero in danger. He- He needs help but there’s no one else to aid him. Iron Man is alone.

… but not if he can stop them!

He should maybe consider that that’s the opposite of what May and Ben have taught him; yet in the span of maybe five seconds, Peter has left the alley, grabbed the nearest rock he could find and quickly throws it at one of the aliens.

“Hey! Over here!!” The boy yells, waving his arms frenetically to draw their attention.

It’s at this moment that he realizes his mistake, because the aliens growl at him and run towards him with an outstanding speed.

“… Oh jeez.”

Peter wastes no time to turn around and dash the fastest he can, somehow dodging the lasers from behind him. He knows they’re getting closer and he’s definitely dead when a stronger shooting wave shakes the ground. Peter yelps as he trips, only able to brace himself for the incoming.

It then comes to him that he hears nothing from the aliens again. No, he takes notice of metallic footsteps rushing to him, and when Peter realizes, he’s helped to his feet by careful hands.

“Kid, you alright?” Iron Man asks, the boy almost squeaking at how close he is.

Peter blinks for a good couple of seconds before he lets out a dumbfounded, “Y-Yeah…”

Oh man, oh man… It’s Iron Man, and he’s so cool. His suit is as breathtaking as he’s always known. Except… it looks different from his last one? It doesn’t look like the same saturated heavy red and yellow gold metal, and the suit itself is more adjusted to the hero’s body – thus more efficient in battle and flight. It’s worth remembering that his weapons did seem flashier and more laser-like when he fought the aliens earlier… but hey, it’s Tony Stark, he could make flying cars a thing in the 2010s and Peter would believe it.

He’s never been this close to Iron Man; the time at the Stark Expo couldn’t possibly compete. It’s only Peter and his hero right now (… and the alien corpses on the ground, but they’re dead anyway).

Iron Man checks over him again and sighs in what sounds to be relief.

“Please, don’t ever buy fights with aliens after school,” The man scolds him. “Leave that to the pros, you got it?”

“O-Okay,” He replies. Though, he considers before defying, “B-But you were in trouble… I had to do something.”

As he can’t see the face behind the suit of armor, Peter does find it strange that Iron Man… doesn’t reply for the next minutes. Before anything is done, though, the hero scoffs lightheartedly.

“You’re crazy, kiddo.” He ruffles his hair. “But I'll give it, that was a nice shot.”

Peter beams. Nice work, kid.

Iron Man looks around. Thankfully, no other aliens on sight.

“Were you with someone?” The man inquires.

Peter’s red-and-gold-colored fantasy ends with a punch in the gut. How could he forget about his only family?

“Oh no! I-I’ve gotta find my—”

He shuts up when voices are heard somewhere.

“…eter?”

The boy turns around immediately, searching for it. He sees someone coming… he adjusts his glasses and realizes, it’s two people coming this way. Peter’s eyes widen as soon as he recognizes his aunt’s worried expression and his uncle’s running steps.

“Peter!” May’s and Ben’s faces light up. Despite the dirt and the tear stains, they’re not hurt.

“Aunt May! Uncle Ben!” Peter runs towards them.

“Oh, Peter, baby, are you hurt?” May checks over him, and once she finds no wounds, she crushes him in a hug and plants multiple kisses on his cheek and his hair. “Oh, thank goodness,” She whispers, crying tears of relief.

“We’re so glad you’re alright, Petey.” Ben hugs them both tightly.

“Of course I’m okay, Iron Man saved me!”

Peter snuggles against them, safe and relieved in their arms… but for some reason, they’ve grown very quiet. Once Peter looks up, they’re both startled by something; and when the boy follows their gaze, he’s also shocked by what he sees.

Iron Man’s faceplate is gone, and they see the man behind the suit. He looks… well, Peter doesn’t want to say old, because that wouldn’t be nice – and he knows that the media can be awfully deceiving most of the time, but… the hero still looks like he’s seen years of tragedy, and he stares at the Parker family as if they were all ghosts in front of him.

Given the loose hug, Peter leaves May’s and Ben’s arms and takes a few steps towards the hero. He can’t help feeling a little ache at the growing glassy light in his eyes.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter calls him. “Why are you crying?”

Almost as if turning a switch, Mr. Stark blinks and brings a hand to his face, only then realizing he’s actually crying.

“I—” He swallows. “I-I’m not crying, I just- caught something in my eye,” He tries- struggles to joke, yet more tears well up in his eyes and Mr. Stark’s voice breaks, and then he’s practically unable to hold them back.

Peter looks up at him, confused as to what brought this. He briefly glances at May and Ben, who are as lost as he is, and haven’t moved from where they stand. Looking back at the hero, he knows Mr. Stark is avoiding them.

Now that they’re closer, it’s clear how exhausted the man is. His dark eyes are mournful, guilty and really, really sad. Peter knows that look all too well, so he never expected to find it in Mr. Stark’s face.

Peter is young and he knows it. He’s nothing more than an almost eleven-year-old boy, yet he’s witnessed things many haven’t at his age. He’s learned so much and lost so much. He’s not quite sure what Mr. Stark could have lost – or maybe who he’s lost, but what he knows is that this pain is an old friend of his. Peter gets it.

Mr. Stark has covered his mouth to muffle his pained sounds, and he can’t bring himself to look at Peter. The boy has taken a few more brave steps, and he plans what he’ll do next; maybe already having something in mind. A part of him is telling him that he’s crazy, that he shouldn’t do this because it’s Tony Stark and sure, maybe he’s saved the boy’s life twice by now, but Peter is still a stranger, a weird kid from Queens. On the other hand, seeing Mr. Stark in such a state, so hopeless and hurt… it then comes to him that maybe he’s not that much of a mystery. Tony Stark isn’t a cold and indifferent entity. He’s a man inside a suit of armor. A human man that has done so much and has probably seen so much as a result. It’s… kind of crazy how often people forget that.

Still rather hesitantly (obviously), Peter wraps his arms around Mr. Stark’s waist and presses himself against the suit. It’s cold and polished on the outside, and the fanboy part of him is going wild. Thankfully, Peter puts it to rest for a bit because it’s no priority.

Mr. Stark has gone deadly silent and stiff, though he doesn’t reject the approach, so Peter hugs him a little tighter. It’s… surprisingly comfortable.

“It’s okay,” Peter whispers to him. “It’s gonna be okay, Mr. Stark.”

For once, the hero’s arms slowly rise, and they touch Peter like he’s made of glass at first. They’re shaking and they grow tighter within time. The boy feels the tears falling on his hair, as well as quiet sobs. Peter doesn’t look up at all and focuses on offering his presence.

Eventually, everything around them is quiet. So quiet, that Peter almost forgets that they’re in the middle of an alien invasion. When he lets go, Mr. Stark is already looking at him with an unreadable expression. Peter isn’t sure what to make of it, but he finds himself smiling sympathetically, nonetheless.

The hero opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. He looks away again, regretful. Hesitant.

“Hey, you don’t have to worry, Mr. Stark,” Peter reassures him. “You’ll know what to do, ‘cause you’re Iron Man, and you can do anything.”

The tables seem to have turned – Mr. Stark is the one whose eyes sparkle with hope. He makes a noise that sounds like a laugh, and the tears that roll down his face are now of joy.

“Thanks… Peter,” He says, quiet and grateful.

Peter’s grin widens. May and Ben walk up to them, and they’re smiling also.

“Thank you for saving our Peter,” Uncle Ben tells Mr. Stark, placing both hands on Peter’s shoulders. “We know you’re going to save us all.”

The kid realizes the look of surprise that Mr. Stark gives his uncle, though it’s quickly replaced by a kind smile and a nod.

“I will.”

Finally, his faceplate returns. Iron Man turns around and steps away so he will fly away from there. At the same time Peter doesn’t want him to leave, he knows what he must do.

“W-Well, uh, see you around, Mr. Stark!” Peter exclaims before he’s gone.

There’s a beat and then the hero is looking at him again. Peter doesn’t see his face, but he knows he’s smiling.

“See ya, kid,” Iron Man replies, and Peter might as well cry.

The man flies away, clearing up the dirt and revealing the sky. They watch him go and save the world.

“You really are amazing, Pete,” Uncle Ben says, patting his back. “You inspired your own hero to stand back up.”

Peter blinks in realization. Again, his fanboy side is going crazy (oh my god I really just hugged Iron Man and he listened to me and he smiled at me oh my god I have to tell Ned ), yet the boy can only grin at the sky with admiration, Iron Man gone to the battle.

“Yeah… I guess I did.”

[blacknovelist]

Half-Empty, Half-Full (FE3H Fic)

hey hi what’s up lads, so I like, 100% forgot I could post my piece for the @threehouseszine Beneath The Banner (also available on Twitter under the same name) and as such I’m like ten years late. :) But the zine has been sent out, and I finally noticed like the fool I am that others have posted their pieces, and thusly, I too will post mine! Because I can. And I want to.

My focus was on the Golden Deer post-skip, specifically in some nebulous point during the war. Being part of this zine was really, really cool -- I can’t wait for all the books and merch to arrive with everyone!

(will reblog with links because we all know tumblr likes to break things.)

A beat of something nice, amid the fragments of harder times.

In the spaces between war — between scattered supply checks and ration distribution, bandit skirmishes and long watch nights — Hilda finds the time she needs to breathe.

It came easier, back in the academy. She could simply step back and let the world move around her, steadfast in her belief that it would still be standing when she returned. Nowadays she steals the air in her lungs from glances at the sky and quick delivery walks, from the chip of chisel and steel against stone and wood, from the sensation of gems and petals inlaid on clothes, chains and hooks when she can afford to lay down her axe. Infrequency makes the beats between battles all the more precious.

With the professor around she can afford more pauses still, but Hilda watches herself. She knows, all too well, just how young she is. Claude lies at one year her junior and the professor, with their five year hiatus, sits at two. It wouldn't do for her stubborn leaders to find someone they can’t believe in among their ranks, now.

She’s on the run for errands when she spots a hint of not-plant green and wood not far off the beaten path, and she wastes no time following that tried and true Deer instinct to take a peek. Ignatz is there, as expected, easel propped on a patch of flat land, what she can see of the canvas a tasteful blend of browns and golds. He leans in, fingers dabbed in the same off-white his paintbrush dusts onto his scene. 

Now, Hilda doesn’t paint, but she does understand the stress and struggle of art, different forms aside. Which is why she waits until he leans back before she steps forward and taps his shoulder. 

“Hey, Ignatz.”

Ignatz yelps, almost drops his brush and earns himself a stripe on his palm for his troubles. “Hilda! Hi. I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you there.” 

“Don't worry about it.” She clasps her hands together. “What’re you painting?"

"I wanted to capture the cathedral, while it's still under repair." He gestures to his piece — the white forms the glint of sunlight off patches of rubble, steel and glass, along with the robes of monks and priests as they shift and sweep aside what debris they can. "A lot of artists depict places in their prime, or utterly destroyed, or after they've been restored to their former glory. I thought it would be nice to show the in-between for once. People from every background imaginable, coming together to rebuild for the future. A little different from what I usually paint, but sometimes a little variety is nice." 

"And you're doing it all the way out here because…"

"I didn't want to be in anyone's way, and I come out here a lot. I've got plenty of references with me, so it's not a problem." Ignatz shifts and Hilda catches sight of a stack of sketchbooks, some more worn than others, half-spilled from a bag. The top one gets plucked up and held between them as he flips from page to page. Statue busts, the altar and rows of pews among pillars rendered in charcoal and sleek pigment lines. Sometimes, she catches glimpses of green and blue and other colors, or shapes that don't quite match the church art he focuses on, but Ignatz flips too fast for her to see. 

Or, almost. "Go back two pages," Hilda says. A grin tugs at her lips. "Was that Claude?"

"Oh! Uh, yes." Though Ignatz learned to leave embarrassment and nerves about his art behind, something in his chest still squirms, just a bit. An image of their leader in the library, face cast in candlelight and more at peace than he ever is during daylight, stares up at the duo. "It's easier when I’m with a person, but sometimes I'll do studies on my own. Practice makes perfect, after all." 

"It's beautiful." She reaches out, pauses. "May I…?"

He passes it over. "Here. You can look at the others, too. I don't mind." Then he turns back to the easel and reaches for his paint. "Anyway, I thought this was as good a spot to work as any. There's a field down that way you can see best in the spring, and I like the view of everything from here."

"You'll have to show me when it's in season." 

Her eyes flicker over thick paper. Statues. Flowers, trees, forest paths. Distance shots of people, strolling towards town. Swirls of filigree and patterns fill whole pages in patches, tiny stylized animals and the occasional dragon tucked into the empty space. Silhouettes crowd around the pews, and even if she recognizes clothes, many of these smaller figures are faceless. 

But she finds a loose sketch, hair popping blond against black ink, of Raphael and a young girl with the same square jaw and broad shoulders. Claude himself appears once more, this time in wireframe form, ordinary steel bow drawn all the way back and arrow pointed to the left. When she plucks one of his other books from the stack it follows a similar trend — renderings of the cathedral, inside and out, stuck in among horse-drawn carriages and sunlit grass patches and clothes and people, both familiar and unfamiliar, faceless and defined. A few drawings are from the past few months: Sylvain in his armor, Baltie with his open-chested shirt, Leonie and her long hair, the monastery scaffolding. 

Most of his drawings are from the academy days. 

Lindhardt, leaned against a tree, the shadow of leaves mottled on his lap. Herself and Marianne seated in the dining hall. Lysithea, with a book in one hand and a swirl of magic in the other. Claude and Lorenz mid-argument. Felix as he trains blade blurred and bent as he lunges. Dimitri and Dedue bent over a table in their classroom. Edelgard as she strides across the courtyard, Hubert one step behind. Busts of the professor and Jeralt, side by side, the faintest quirk in their lips. 

Hilda looks up and pauses. Ignatz presses so close to the canvas he’s peering over the wire frames of his glasses rather than through, brow furrowed and jaw set. She shuts an eye as the sun slips out from behind what’s left of Garreg Mach’s spires. Greyscale flowers peer up from the pages, a reflection of the few asters scattered around their feet. Mountain monastery air goes down sweet and full in her lungs.

"I gotta say, Ignatz,” she says, the edge of her thumb smudged in stray charcoal. "These are amazing. How long have you been doing art?"

"Since I was little." He leans back, considers his work, then leans in again. "My parents are merchants, so we delivered paintings and statuettes to a lot of noble houses in the Alliance. One day I found some extra supplies lying around so I just… picked it up and gave it a shot."

"Well, I'm glad you did. Even these plain sketches look much nicer than anything I could do, and don't even get me started on painting. No offense, Ignatz, but no thank you. Definitely not my wheelhouse."

Ignatz pauses. "None taken, and thank you. You draw?”

"Not much." She waves a hand. "My talents lie in accessories. I like to plan before I start working, figure out how it should come together and doodle in the margins a little sometimes, that's all."

"You're always wearing beautiful jewelry, but I didn't realize you made them yourself." A smile breaks out across his face. "That's amazing, Hilda!"

A blush rolls across her cheeks and she can't stop the tug of her lips into a matching grin. "Oh, stop it. Really?"

"Of course! The colors and shapes you use match your hair, complexion, and the clothes you tend to wear quite beautifully." His brush plunges into a cup of water by the foot of his easel and faces her fully. "When did you start?"

"A long time ago, now – I'm not even sure exactly how long, anymore. I used to make flower crowns and necklaces with my big brother, and it just spun out from there." The book lies closed in her hands now. Her finger runs up and down the paper, feels the grooves between unaligned pages. "I could make them as pretty or ugly as I wanted, so long as I was happy in the end. No one ever expected anything more or less. Not that I ever made something ugly, mind you."

Ignatz hummed. "Have you ever considered selling them?"

"Not really.” Hilda tilts her head. “Do you think it'd be a good idea?"

"Absolutely! You should consider it, once the war is over. I bet people would love them."

She taps her chin. “I’ll give it some thought. What about you, Ignatz? What do you plan on doing once this whole mess is behind us?” 

“Well… Ideally, I’ll keep painting,” he says. “Even if I have to do it between my duties as a knight. It might make it hard to find a household to serve, but I don’t want to just stop.”

“Why are you aiming to be a knight? How come you’re not just going off to be an artist or something like you want to?”

“My parents sent me to the academy since my brother’s taking over the business. They didn’t really approve of the whole artist thing.” Ignatz shrugs. “I don’t really think I’m all that cut out for it, to be honest. Fighting’s never been my strong suit.” 

“Well that’s a shame,” Hilda says. “Have you ever spoken to them about it?”

He shook his head. "Not much recently, at least."

“You should. Maybe you can convince them, after all this. And if you can’t, then just come to House Goneril, okay? I’ll let you paint as much as you want.”

“That would be nice.” He smiles, then bends to reach for his bag. “Thank you, Hilda.” 

“Any time.” She holds the sketchbook out. Ignatz takes it, tucks it gently alongside the others. Before he can put his brush away, he pauses. 

“If you have time,” he starts. "Would you like to join me out here again tomorrow? We could work on our projects together, if you have any."

Hilda smiles. "I'd love to, but I'm on stock duty tomorrow. No shuffling off the responsibility for that."

"I see. That's too bad. Maybe next time?" 

"... Sure. I'd like that."

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

roddy plays fire emblem: three houses - prologue

all I know about this game I learned from twitter. I don’t know much of anything about this game. but I’ll tell you what I know about the characters anyway.

I’m only doing characters who I can distinctly recall off the top of my head. I’m not looking up anyone’s names because there are so many characters in this game.

Byleth - the player character. a teacher at this academy, despite not being much older than the oldest students here. game devs are cowards who couldn’t believe that lady Byleth could be Big Sexy in proper armor and instead they gave her fuckin....thigh-highs and lace and a titty window and a belly-button window ma’am your organs are there, you can’t expose that. my disdain for impractical lady armor is outweighed by my desire to play as the girl whenever possible, so like, I’ll play Lady Byleth, but I just won’t be happy about it. 

Jeralt - Byleth’s dad? I think it’s Jeralt? There’s some other guy who looks a lot like the guy who I think is Byleth’s dad so I can’t actually tell you if I got the name right. he’s a mercenary. I don’t know why he and his kid are hired at a fuckin....church academy? but they are. he raised Byleth basically as a feral child and he doesn’t even know how old they are? even though his wife died in childbirth and I think he talks about how long ago that was? or something? there’s something about him not knowing how old his own kid is. Dad what the hell.

Rhea - the lady pope of The Church, but not a cool ladypope like Leliana Dragon Age. I saw someone compare her outfit/hair to Ghetsis from Pokemon and I sent that meme to Wolf and Liam asking if they could confirm or deny and they told me that’s an insult to her but Ghetsis is slime of the earth so relatively, we still don’t know. I don’t trust her because I don’t trust quasi-historical-inspired-setting fantasy church leaders, except for Leliana/Vivienne/Cassandra.

Seteth - green hair? all the church people have green hair are they related? is it magic? I think it’s magic, Byleth’s hair is sometimes green. he’s like the Hot Dad but since he’s not your dad you can romance him. I don’t know if I trust his goatee but one of my friends retweets a lot of art of him and I trust her so maybe I trust him? he’s on thin ice.

Flayan? Flayn? Flyann? I’m calling her Flan like the custard but I know there’s a Y in there somewhere right? - more green hair, so a church person I guess. I have no idea how old she is because this is anime and she could be anywhere from 12 to an ancient dragon person because I know this series has some of those. maybe Seteth’s daughter?? I get that vibe??

Sothis - the ancient dragon person who looks like a 12 year old girl. more green hair. I couldn’t tell her and Flan apart for a while.

BLACK EAGLES

why aren’t they the Red Eagles? they’re red. the other two are blue and yellow. who named these guys. what the fuck.

Edelgard - every time I see the pokemon Eldegoss in SwSh I think of her. leader of the BE. controversial. very controversial. doesn’t like the Church. I can handle this, I romanced Anders in my first playthrough of DA2 which was my first time playing any Dragon Age game, controversial and Church-hating is like.... sometimes you just gotta blow up a fantasy church, you know? I get it. even if I don’t end up agreeing with her, like, I get it, I guess. she didn’t always have white hair but something happened. there sure is a lot of magic hair color shit in this game. I think Dmitri is her stepbrother.

Hubert - Edelgard’s right-hand man. vampire jokes for days. I’m gonna cut myself on that edge....the edge of his cheekbones they are Sharp. I don’t buy that this guy is a teenager. I don’t know whether he’s actually tall or people just play that up because it’s funny to draw him Tall and Looming behind Edelgard.

Ferdinand von Aegir - I AM FERDINAND VON AEGIR!!!!!!!!

Dorothea - she’s the opera singer one, right? if I got the name wrong, I’m talking about the pretty opera singer one with the hat that’s kinda like a beret. she’s my favorite because I’m gay and she’s very pretty and looks very sweet. she’s like the only one of the Eagles who’s a commoner I think? I don’t know why she’s here but okay. I like her. I would like to kiss her.

GOLDEN DEER

Claude - that’s not his real name. leader of the GD. he’s an archer and he has a big fuckoff dragon wyvern. his mother is from whatever country this game is set in but his dad isn’t and lots of people are rude and racist to him for it. he seems kinda chill but also suspicious of everyone which honestly I get it. also he might poison people? I trust him and I’m sure he has good reason to do it. I support him.

Hilda - Claude’s right-hand lady. pink hair anime girl with a giant fuckoff axe. I thought I knew more about her than that but nope that’s all I’ve got. has an older brother.

Lorenz - purple haired anime boy. look at his post-timeskip haircut this boy is Gay and there’s nothing anyone can tell me that would change my mind. needs to be smacked with some good ol’ Character Development to grow past being a pretentious noble prick but he’s pretty cool once that happens. one of the artists I follow who turned overnight into a FE3H twitter for like six months is a big Lorenz stan so I think I could be biased toward him already but that’s just How It Be when you’re coming into this via osmosis.

BLUE LIONS

Dmitri - leader of the Blue Lions but everyone calls him a boar. gets absolutely hammered by Bad Times in the timeskip and comes back with an eyepatch and absolutely feral and unhinged. murdered a bunch of people? Dimi You Can’t Just Go Around Murdering People. 30-50 feral hogs in a big fuzzy mantle. very unfortunate that he’s being forced to do Leader Shit and just wasn’t allowed to be chill and relax and get to work through his issues instead of getting more of them and going feral.

Dedue - you cannot convince me that this man is not a 30-year-old father of two. how is he a student. get out of here. you’re wrong and you’re lying. who did these character designs. I think out of almost everyone here, he is the guy who Does Not Deserve All Of This but fate has been a dick to him. everyone he loves got murdered by I think Dmitri’s countrymen but now Dedue is Dmitri’s right-hand-man which I do not understand. He deserves better both in-game and also from the writers because they just kind of write him out post-timeskip I hear. just free this man from whatever the fuck is going on in his life and the game. I still don’t believe you that he’s of any age to be a student.

Sylvain - the redhead. childhood friends with Dmitri and someone else but I don’t remember who. The Horny Guy. may just automatically be recruited by Lady Byleth to their class, betraying his country and his oldest friends because he saw a belly-button window. just y’know. sometimes it be like that. 

FELIX - he’s the other childhood friend. I don’t know shit about him.

OTHER STUDENTS WHOSE NAMES I CAN RECALL BUT I DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AND IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE YOU CAN RECRUIT ALMOST EVERYONE TO ANYWHERE ELSE

Caspar (artist?), Linhardt, Bernadetta (Bernie, my brain keeps just swapping her and Dorothea around because they both have these long regal names but I don’t think they’re actually anything at all alike), Petra, Leonie, Marianne,

ASHEN WOLVES

they’re not really a house they’re just a bunch of people who live in the fucking basement and I think it’s the church’s fault.

Yuri - the other purple-haired anime boy. got kicked out of war crimes academy somehow. declared himself the leader of the basement people and they were just like “hey sure cool I guess”. 

Someone who’s a friend of I think Hilda’s older brother - not even a student or someone who needs to be living in the basement, he’s just down here for tax fraud? debt evasion? again, it be like that.

THE PLOT

matchmaking simulator. Byleth plays matchmaker for all of their students by setting them up into the most healthy friendships/relationships that are as ambiguously gay as the COWARDS writing this game will allow. I know there are a few, but it’s mostly a few Byleth romances, so. that.

also Byleth makes the other professors’ jobs easier by poaching all their students so that they only have to teach like two people while Byleth has everyone in their class. recruit the students by giving them gifts and having tea with them. eat lunch like five times a day trying to hang out with everyone. go fishing. go fishing some more. the game limits your amount of bait per month because otherwise this will be a fishing simulator. I know this specifically because I asked Wolf and Liam if I could just fish infinitely forever and they told me no. I was upset. the day that the game starts is 4/20. I know this because Wolf made a meme about it and that’s what started our long conversation about the game that established nothing.

immediately after everyone graduates, Byleth goes into a fucking coma for five years and wakes up and the five-year reunion is interrupted by a war between the three houses. -rimshot- also there might be some greater threat called the Flame Emperor or some shit but I know fuckall about that. mostly I just know everyone’s despair as they are forced to kill their friends who they didn’t manage to recruit.

I’ve never played a Fire Emblem before and I’ve never known what a tactic is in any RPG I’ve ever played. this is going to be fantastic.

[superman86to99]

Superman #82 (October 1993)

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN! The climax of this 19-part storyline, the entire "Death and Return of Superman" saga, and seven years of long-ass plotlines. And it only took this blog a mere six years and six months to get here! PREVIOUSLY: After Superman’s death, five different Supermen popped up to reclaim the mantle, some more convincingly than others. The front-runner, the Cyborg Superman, kinda ruled himself out of the competition when he nuked out a whole city and replaced it with a giant engine. Now the other would-be Supermen converge in that place...

The Last Son of Krypton/Eradicator finally arrives on Engine City, having set off from the Fortress of Solitude two weeks ago. We noted back then that he suddenly looked like an old man, but he's back to Superman's age now. If this storyline had gone on any longer, he would ended up Benjamin Buttoning himself into a grumpy, ultra-violent baby.

Superboy also flies in from Metropolis. It's the fourth time he makes the Metropolis-Coast City trip in a few days (not counting the time he got a ride on a missile), so he's gotta be pretty bored of it by now.

Steel, last seen getting crushed by some giant cogs, emerges from the bowels of Engine City with his armor in tatters but his body intact. Dude’s a tough nut to crack.

Supergirl and the powerless Man in Black continue making their way through Engine City. Supergirl's like "Wanna step out and let those of us with powers handle this one, chief?" but the Man in Black ain't having it. Wow, that's pretty heroic. Maybe... maybe he's actually the real Superman?! Nah, that's crazy.

And Green Lantern Hal Jordan is also there, because this whole issue takes place on top of the ashes of his old city and childhood memories and all. We see the end of his fight with Mongul from Green Lantern #46.

The Cyborg watches as the Super-People invade his fortress from his control room, but he's a glass half full kind of guy, so he's choosing to focus on the fact that he (apparently) gets to kill Superman again.

After the Eradicator joins the party and the Cyborg reveals his true identity, the Man in Black finds himself in the awkward position of having to team up with one of Superman’s worst villains (the one who wanted to turn Earth into Krypton) to fight a good guy driven crazy by space travel (and who once looked like Johnny-5). It's only after the Eradicator goes on a two-page exposition dump about how he brought Superman back to life that the Man in Black goes "alright, guess you're cool".

The Man in Black and the Eradicator follow the Cyborg to the center of Engine City, where a giant chunk of kryptonite powers the entire fortress. The combined powers of the Eradicator's Eradicator-ness and the Man in Black's punching (OK, mostly the first thing) seem to be winning -- but then, in a desperate move, the Cyborg shoots a blast of concentrated kryptonite at the Man in Black. The Eradicator, however, heroically jumps in front of the blast...

...which has the unexpected side effect of restoring the Man in Black's Superman powers, allowing him to dispatch the Cyborg with a swift "broosh". What's a "broosh"? You know, a "broosh":

After Supergirl uses her convenient clothes-shifting powers on the Man in Black's costume, it only takes one second of him in the classic red and blue tights to convince everyone that HOLY CRAP HE'S THE REAL SUPERMAN AND HE'S BACK FROM THE DEAD! (Side note: I like how Green Lantern goes "We'll mop up here! Not like I have anything better to do, what with all my friends being dead and stuff. Haha. I-I’m okay, seriously.")

It's him! It really is him. I knew it all along. Never doubted it.

Character-Watch:

The Eradicator is this issue's real MVP. His whole arc has been about slowly turning him from an emotionless robot into a sentient being through his interactions with people (Lois, Steel, even Loose Cannon and Guy Gardner), and it pays off when he jumps in front of that kryptonite blast yelling "I WON'T LET YOU DIE [AGAIN]!".

Also, when he tells Superman "We have always been linked, you and I", that's true. While their psychic connection influenced Superman negatively for a while (the Day of the Krypton Man saga), it looks like it also worked in the other direction and some of Superman's goodness rubbed off on him. By the way, it might be a stretch but the climactic shot of the kryptonite blast always reminded me of the Day of the Krypton Man's climactic shot, with Superman finally overcoming the Eradicator’s influence with Pa Kent's help.

Anyway, sorry, Superboy and Steel. The Eradicator had the best sacrifice scene in this storyline, hands down. Of course, they eventually brought him back again and turned him into a lapdog for the Cyborg and then Zod, but let's enjoy his dignified retirement while it lasts.

Plotline-Watch:

I'm not kidding when I say that this issue represents the convergence of seven freaking years of storylines. Let's recap (strap on, this is gonna be long):

John Byrne's Man of Steel #1 (1986) introduced Superman's birth matrix, the flying artificial womb that took him from Krypton to Earth. When young Clark sees the matrix for the first time he feels weak, because there's some kryptonite lodged into it. In Superman #1, a few months later, we find out that a crazy scientist stole the matrix and used it to build Metallo, so Superman decides to leave it suspended in orbit to prevent it from being used against him again. Three years later, the distraught mind of a disembodied astronaut called Hank Henshaw jumped into the matrix, and he made himself a tiny little spaceship from its technology, then sped off into deep space. Eventually, he went mad, hooked up with Mongul, and used the DNA information he got from the birth matrix to make himself a half-Kryptonian body. Hence: the Cyborg Superman. (As for that kryptonite rock, it ended up in Lex Luthor's hands... soon to be "hand".)

Also during Byrne's run, Superman briefly visited a "pocket" universe inhabited by a Silver Age-type Superboy, who died by the end of that storyline. Months later, the pocket Earth had turned into a hellhole thanks to three Kryptonian criminals. They too died by the end of that storyline... by Superman's hand. Feeling guilty over killing those killers, Superman exiled himself in space, was captured by Mongul's Warworld, and found an ancient egg-shaped relic created by his ancestors: the Eradicator. Superman brought the Eradicator back to Earth and it built him a nice Fortress of Solitude, but it also took over his mind and turned him into the emotionless Krypton Man -- who became an entity of its own after Superman overcame it. After Superman's death, the Fortress' robots rebooted the Eradicator so he could follow his “preserve Kryptonian life” directive and restore Superman back to life, but he got a little confused and thought HE was Superman. Hence: the Last Son of Krypton.

Another concept introduced by Byrne was the idea that Kryptonian DNA is too complex to be duplicated by Earth scientists, which led to the creation of Bizarro. Byrne's World of Krypton miniseries also established that Kryptonians used clones as spare parts to extend their lifetimes, and the conflict over clone rights literally tore the planet apart. So when Superman learned of a cloning facility near Metropolis called Project Cadmus, he immediately felt uneasy about it. After his death, Cadmus got hold of his body so they could create a replacement, but, again, you can't clone a Kryptonian... so they simply created an approximation of Superman's powers and features using human DNA. Hence: Superboy.

As for Steel, he's just Steel. Hence: Steel. Incidentally, if you’re wondering why his armor has been reduced to just some metal shorts by the end of the issue, here’s the answer. Pretty self-explanatory.

The only major plotline left dangling after this issue (aside from Dr. Stratos, of course) is Lex's own death/return/cloning misadventure, but the Super-Squad will deal with that in a big way pretty soon. Oh, and then there's the mess they left for Green Lantern, but that's another creative team's problem. (SHAMELESS PLUG: Follow my new Green Lantern '94 to '04 blog to see how that mess turned out.)

Believe it or not, there's even MORE stuff to talk about in this issue, so don’t miss the great Don Sparrow's section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

In the first place I have to say that this issue is an all-time favourite of mine, probably in my top three of this era of comics we’ve been so dutifully covering.  The excitement at my local comic shop for this issue was incredible, and already being the Superman fan that I was, I felt like I was on the ground floor. [Max: I also remember the excitement when I first saw this issue in my cousin’s hands after he showed it to me the day he bought it... then didn’t let me touch it, so I read it years later.]

We start with the cover, and I got the deluxe edition, with the chromium cover.  Back when this issue came out, I had a love/hate relationship with Image comics.  I wasn’t interested in the dark & gritty characters like Spawn and the like, and generally thought the Image books favoured flash over substance and storytelling.  BUT, man, did the colouring and paper they used at Image ever look cool!  So I was a bit torn about DC using a “gimmicky” feature like this—it looked amazing, but I also felt it was leaning a little far in the direction of sizzle over steak.  But I didn’t mind that much, since this had been such a great story to this point.  Aside from the metallic 3D look of the cover, the drawing is great, too.  It was the first look at the returned Superman in the full suit, and also with the long hair present.  DC must have thought that the long hair was a gamble on some level (even though we’d seen it for months in the actual issues) because they hid it from the covers for so long. [Max: This was also the cover they used in both the Spanish and Mexican editions I have, so that’s what I went with for the top of this post. The “normal” cover looks like a historic oddity to me.]

Inside the issue, we jump in with another splash page—there are a lot of these, and it really calls back Superman #75, as most of the pages have one main image, with a few small panels laid overtop.   This one features another interpretation of the Eradicator, with short, non-spiky hair—it’s interesting to see these characters reinterpreted week to week.  This opening page also commits the unpardonable sin of demanding that we stop reading the issue until AFTER we read Green Lantern #46.  Being a naïve 13 year old when I read this issue, I of course complied with the demands of DC editorial, and read Green Lantern first, not realizing it has a near identical plot (albeit from a different point of view), right down to the “broosh” at the end, very much spoiling what is about to come in Superman #82.  I remember being pretty steamed that my first glimpse of a returned Superman didn’t come in a Superman book.  While I appreciate the coordination, I do find the caption misleading.

Also similar to Superman #75—it’s very hard for me not to talk about every panel or page, because this whole book is just gorgeous.  The badassery from the last issue continues into this one, as Superman with his tough-guy attitude and giant gun is pretty cool.  One quibble I have with this team is that when they bury Superman’s eye’s in shadow, it can have a sinister or tired look, which I don’t think is the intention.  Some panels it’s more prominent than others, but in one panel on page 6 where it makes Superman look pretty rough, and a lot less handsome.  We get more big gun Superman later when he starts taking it to Engine City in general, knowing it is connected to the Cyborg.

The Cyborg taking different shapes is done pretty effectively here, particularly when he forms himself out of what must be a lead-like metal to accuse Superman of a bunch of nutty stuff. The reveal of the Kryptonite heart of engine city is very well done, in part because of Eradicator’s bulging red eyes.  It is a bit weird to imagine a lipless robot saying “mmm, hmm” though.

We get another great full-page splash as the Eradicator goes all-out in his effort to defeat the Cyborg.  The captions here always confused me though, where it says “(The Eradicator)  was built to kill…the other (the rocket that brought Superman to Earth, which the Cyborg used to create his new body) to bear new life.  The victor would be obvious.”  But to me, it’s not obvious.  I would think that in a Superman comic, a vessel of LIFE would be the big winner over ancient weaponry, but I think the caption intends the inverse. I guess it’s saying a gun would beat a baby crib? It’s one of those passages that sounds cool, until you think about it.  Or think about it excessively, as I clearly have. [Max: To be fair, a gun WOULD beat a baby crib. It would kick that baby crib’s ass.]

Superman’s haymaker knocking off the Cyborg’s jaw is an incredible visual, and there’s a subtle set-up for the great cape visual call-back that comes later.

The entire sequence of the Eradicator taking the blast of Kryptonite is well done, in particular the panel when we see Superman through the vanishing Eradicator.  I’m a bit confused as to just how the Kryptonite suction thing works here—the Kryptonite meteor is shrinking and shrinking, but nothing is attached to it except for that one hose.  

Jurgens and Breeding do a great job of showing the physical cost of Green Lantern going toe to toe with Mongul.  It also sets up for my all-time favourite Superboy quote, one I think might be seen on this site from time to time in meme form, “Check it out! The Lantern looks so totaled it makes me want to hurl!”.  This entire saga has been worth it, to get to that line.  Just magnificent. [Max: I think Hal went evil because of that one comment.]

The glimpse of the burnt-out husk of the Eradicator is also incredibly well drawn—and painful looking—but even by the end of this story he seems a lot more recovered.

The scene of the returned-to-full-power Superman decking the Cyborg is a stand-up-and-cheer moment, and I love the detail that Superman is holding the cape for this whole scene. It’s interesting that as the Cyborg starts to get damaged in the fight, we see how little organic material there is. Metal seems to poke through the skin on his face, as if only a thin sheet were laid over the metal.  and when Superman punches right through him, there’s really no blood or anything, just a dry, cracked crater.  I had thought, up until this issue that the cybernetic parts were beside real skin and bones (as if to replace the damaged parts of Superman’s body from his fight with Doomsday), but this issue seems to posit that he’s all robot, with only a veneer of Kryptonian flesh overtop.  

The normally merciful Superman is pretty blood-thirsty here, vibrating his arm fully in the knowledge it might kill Henshaw (who helpfully reminds us, he’s survived before).  [Max: That moment kind of rubbed me the wrong way, and I think Jurgens himself felt uneasy with it too. One of the highlights of his recent “Rebirth” run was that Superman deliberately decides to jail Hank instead of killing him to at least give him a chance to be rehabilitated, which would be cool to see happen one day.] I love the little glimpse we get of the restored, and re-costumed Superman before the full reveal, and as a character moment, I love that he would think to show gratitude for the heroes who filled in when Superman was dead.

The next few pages are pure joy, as it’s such a treat to see our Superman soaring around in the sunshine, even with the new Tarzan haircut.  It’s such a show of restraint that they didn’t pack a reunion with Lois into this issue, instead allowing a different superteam to tell that story, which very much deserves its own issue.  Overall, though, I just remember feeling such a sense of joy, and relief that Superman was back, and back to full power. [Max: SPOILERS: And then some...]

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I do love this era of comics before swearing (or even censored swearing) was a thing, because they have the weirdest phrases. John Byrne would always have characters saying “blast” instead of “damn” to an absolutely ridiculous degree.  In this issue, I don’t know for sure if “crud” is a stand-in for another word, but it does strike me as downright odd for Green Lantern to use it as a noun against Mongul.  The concept of “a crud” just amuses me, though I suppose it could be meant in the same vein as “scum” or something.

Is it me, or does Jeb look like Ricardo Montalbon here? [Max: Oh crud, I forgot Jeb was in this issue! Jeb was in this issue, everyone.]

I love they don’t even give the Cyborg a moment to be cool.  Just as he’s about to reveal his true identity in a villainous speech he gets clocked by Superboy, in one of my favourite moments with the character (but not my very favourite, as we’ve seen.)  I also like the low-level burn that Henshaw assumes that Superman must already know who he is, but Superman’s like, nope.

I do like that this issue goes to great lengths to explain that Superman can’t just keep returning from the dead, even going so far as to say it would never work again.  My pet theory is that the Eradicator’s Resurrection Matrix only worked because Pa Kent’s spiritual journey in Adventures of Superman #500 really did happen. [Max: I might be misremembering, but I think the upcoming issue of Action pretty much confirms that.]

I’m glad to see him recovered, but I kinda think Eradicator spoiled the moment a little with his observation about Green Lantern.

[Max: Blast it, Sparrow! You’ve done it again!]

[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

Things get darker right before they get brighter in the end, something three plucky teens are about to learn. Sometimes you just want that darkness to have never had a reason to come for you in the first place. One has to be careful what they wish for, of course.

Welcome to the end, friends

Danny was on the ground, unmoving.

The ghost left with a cheerful wave, saying, “Tata!”  Like he hadn’t just ruined their lives worse than the first time Tucker had heard Danny’s screams at their loudest.  Like it was simply a wonderful day and they had engaged in the most wonderful of conversations, not a fight that ended with one of them-

Danny was in Tucker’s arms, unmoving and pale.

Tucker was trying everything he could think of, removing most of Tucker’s tops and trying to perform every life-saving action he knew off, pressing against his chest, trying to breathe more breath into his lungs, keeping pressure on the bleeding and burnt wound when he saw it.

Danny was in Tucker’s arms, unmoving, pale, and bleeding.

Tucker knew everything was blurry because tears were clouding his vision.  He knew he was crying. He knew he was shaking with the force of his sobs and for once in his life, he couldn’t bring himself to give half a damn about that because Danny-

Danny was in Tucker’s arms, unmoving, pale, bleeding, and his heart wasn’t beating no matter how long Tucker listened for it.

Sam was doing something, pulling out Danny’s weapons, and Tucker wanted to scream at her that she’d done enough with Fenton weapons already.  He wanted to scream and rage at her for what she had done so far with Fenton Tech. He wanted to go to the Fentons and rip them all a new one for making what they made.

Because Danny was dead in Tucker’s arms, and screaming and crying were the only things he could do about it.

But he didn’t scream at Sam, he just watched as she pulled out one of Danny’s paintbrushes and dipped it in the ectoplasm of the cartridge in one of his guns.  She started drawing on Danny’s face, his arms, his chest, and then pulled out another cartridge of charged ectoplasm in another gun and poured it in Danny’s mouth, tilted his head so that he would swallow.  “Chant with me. Chant with me Tucker, we have to fix this!”

Tucker didn’t know any Hebrew, decided he’d learn both because Sam was his friend and because apparently, she could do things that could save their lives with it.  Tucker didn’t need to know what he was saying to say it, and he did say it, over and over again for the next 10 minutes, until the drawings on Danny’s body lit up like fire and every ray of light rushed toward him and everything went dark.  Tucker could hear the song of the universe dimming in his ears and knew nearly for a fact that Danny was sucking the ectoplasmic energy into him along with every other flavor of power within blocks of him. Tucker would let the sun itself go black just to hear Danny’s laugh again.

The darkness faded, Danny’s body was outlined in light, the markings were gone, and Danny groaned.  His chest rose and dropped, his heart was beating, color was coming back to his skin, he was as warm as he’d been since the accident.  Danny was alive in Tucker’s arms, and Tucker wanted to cry even harder than he already had. Instead, the put Danny’s binder back on him, Sam grabbed his shirt and jacket, and Tucker carried Danny out to their hoverboards.  They flew to Sam’s house, Tucker staying as high and close to the sun as he could to let Danny soak in all the light he needed. When they got to Sam’s house, Tucker didn’t let Danny go until he was being set on a love seat on Sam’s balcony.

There were, of course, jokes to be made about the way Danny curled up in the fleeting October sunlight and how his fluffball curls and height combined with this to make him much like a kitten.  Jokes about him being a cross between Superman and the Martian Manhunter could’ve also been made. Danny was a white-haired anime boy, that could be remarked upon with laughs aplenty. Tucker made no such jokes.

Tucker put to use the information he’d gathered at his last LARPing session at furrycon after a shank attempt by a guy who’d wandered into the park where he’d been LARPing at that took their cosplay a bit too seriously.  That being that leather was wonderful armor, silk blocked stabs fantastically when a blade slid through said leather, and that one should always wear cotton under silk anything because sweating to death after a fight near to death wasn’t fun.  He’d smacked a crazy guy upside the head and gotten a useful lesson out of that. Tucker’s older cousin could supply the leather, Sam could order fine silk jackets and pants for all of them, Danny had cotton shirts already, and Sidney offered to use intangibility to fuse the two together.  Tucker commented that the leather would look fitting on Sam since she was more of a punk anyway. She called him a furry, he called her a weeb, and they both explained the concepts to Sydney.

That was all fine and dandy against most blunt force, stabbing and slashing that even a ghost could probably do, but against ghosts and their intangibility, there were few places to go.  Sam had her magick book but Tucker didn’t want to touch on anything supernatural for a while and unless she could prove that her wards were working, he wouldn’t exactly trust Danny’s life with them.  Convincing Jack Fenton that he needed some easily worn and hidden accessory to prevent possession was almost sadly easy, the only condition being that Tucker had to wear one of those horrible looking hazmat suits.  Tucker let it hang in his closet, as he had no intention of matching Jack Fenton’s fashion sense.

One might feel that Tucerk and his friends were being a bit excessive in their measures to keep Danny padded up against the world, but such an individual hadn’t seen their best friend since age 1 die in front of them by the same person’s hand twice so that particular person could kindly go shove their opinion where the sun don’t shine in Tucker’s very polite opinion.

Danny himself was groggy for most of his recovery time and had clearly caught on that they were being extra protective of him.  While Sam was introducing Sidney to anime and videogames and Tucker was showing him the best comics and music, Danny always had whoever wasn’t with the others within arm’s reach.  He was jumpy when it came to his ghost sense telling him that Sidney was there, had his hood up whenever they were outside, and even though they’d been near forcing Agatha’s cooking down his throat at every meal they could, Danny had yet to Go Ghost.  Sam brought up the idea of taking down the shapeshifter and Danny balked at the topic, bringing up the frogs, the latest anime that she had shown Sidney or really anything else when she did this. Tucker was more than fine with this since no ghost mode meant no seeking out danger which meant that the only fights they were dealing with included Dash, Kwan and Dale making fun of them for being a furry, a weeb and a Fenton.  Seeing Sam put her martial arts to use when Dash tried to stuff Danny in a locker was worth the detention he got for tripping Dale as he rushed in to help. He spent it with Sam anyway so that was fine. If wanting Danny safer than Amity was selfish then Tucker was as far from selfless as possible.

“Hey, Danny,” Tucker said while he worked on finishing up the Spector Deflector that Dr. Fenton had started for him in Danny’s workshop.  “There’s a swap meet coming up in Harrison Park this Saturday. Wanna come with? I’m gonna get a set of dice if I can and see if I can show Sidney DnD.  Maybe we all can play even.” He grinned. “We can get you a new bowling ball so you can destroy Sam in bowling.”

“Bro, you’ll be wrecked with her,’ Danny challenged from where he drew in his art book instead of doing his homework.  Tucker was procrastinating by making ghost hunting tech, he couldn’t blame Danny. “That sounds cool.”

“Awesome.”  Tucker set down his tools and pulled up his safety goggles.  “Can you come over and poke this? Very lightly and just a little in case I’m as done as I think I am.”  Danny obliged and there was a loud SNAP accompanied by a yelp and Tucker patted Danny’s shoulder.  “Looks like I’m done with the internals. Now all I gotta do is adjust it so that it can ignore your ectosignature, and Sidney’s and Agatha’s, and it’ll really be done.”

“Done for your armor idea, right?”  Danny scoffed, slugging Tucker in the shoulder while he looked for the blueprint he’d downloaded of the part that’d track ectosignatures in the Fenton Finder.  “Sidney told me about it while we were watching Star Wars. Or should I call it his guard duty shift? Cause I know what you guys are doing and while I appreciate your concern over my safety, I’m the one with powers here.”

“20 hours straight of unconsciousness and tears say that superpowers don’t mean you don’t need protection against people with the same superpowers.”  Tucker huffed. “If we’d been wearing some armor like we’re making then that fish thing probably wouldn’t have been able to bite through me like it did.  Silk and piercing ya know.” He bumped shoulders with Danny when he went quiet and forced his lips up into a smile. “And besides, your parents have literally no fashion sense.  A leather jacket lined with silk? Leather pants, probably with studs in it since Sam is involved? Dude, that’s cool as fuck looking. You’ll be the best-dressed ghost out there.”  Danny laughed and shook his head. Tucker got to work setting up the design for the Fenton Fabricator™ to make for the Spector Deflector. He also considered asking for a cut of the royalties when the belt inevitably became a Fenton Brand item, since he’d finished it.  “You think putting on clothes in ghost form will invert their colors like your suit?”

“Fuck you, Tuck, now I have to find out.”  Danny huffed and Tucker snickered. For a moment everything was quiet, and then arms were wrapping around his middle.  “Thanks, Tuck. For everything.” Tucker looped an arm around Danny and smushed him against his side.

“That’s what bros are for, man.”  The room was a comfortable quiet after that.  The Fabricator and the generator were humming softly at the edge of Tucker’s once again human limited hearing, the only other sound was their breathing and - Tucker could swear - their heartbeats.  The air was charged with something more than ectoplasm and electricity and Tucker wasn’t sure if Danny knew that as well, but he knew that he could hardly know anything else right then. So naturally, Tucker lowered his hand at Danny’s side and started tickling him.  Danny squeaked, squealed out some giggles, and phased out of his grip when wriggling didn’t work.

“You dick!  Get over here!”

Danny appreciated the effort Sam, Tucker and Sidney were putting in for him, he really honestly did.  Sidney still went to his therapy session with Jazz which Danny could tell were helping him by how bright his aura had gotten, and between him and Jazz at school there were at least a few bright auras to go around, but with how things were going, Danny felt at least a bit suffocated.

Half the auras at school - both student and teacher - were dim enough that Danny almost couldn’t see them.  Dash and company had been especially vicious as of late, calling them every name under the sun and getting into actual fights with him, Tucker and Sam.  Between the three of them they managed well enough - being dragged to martial arts lessons with Sam and fighting eldritch abominations from the afterlife did things for your confidence in facing up to bullies - but it hadn’t ever been this bad before.  And while Tucker and Sam both were clearly brighter than everyone else emotionally, they were skirting around things in the most unsubtle way imaginable and Danny wondered how they kept anything hidden. Sam tried to get him into ghost form to see how fast he could fly, Tucker changed the topic from anything ghostly to something nerdy and Sidney seemed to stare at him as much as he did the movies they were watching.  Sure, Sidney was keeping his eyes on the screen but Danny knew ghosts could see more than just with their eyes and the feeling of being constantly watched was getting more than unnerving.

Saturday was a breath of fresh air.  Sam was maybe coming down with something and Sidney was off exploring the city on his own, so it was just Danny and Tucker buying the stuff they’d come for and laughing their heads off at their dumb jokes.  It was sunny, the crowd was bright with positivity abound, and he was having fun with his best friend in the world. It was nice.

Of course, a ghost attack ruined it.

Cotton candy erupted and flooded the place, and Danny slid under a table while the crowds stampeded away, yanking Tucker under as well.  He reached inside, past the void of darkness into the soft and splintered light at his center. It exploded out to the surface and in a flash of silver glass, shimmering shadows wove his hazmat suit around him and unraveled gravity’s hold on his body.  He shuddered, glitching out of reality - or what he was so very hopeful and sure was reality anyway - and gave Tucker a smile. “Wish me luck.” He slid down into the ground and forward, rising out of a mound of cotton candy as big as himself. There was a woman with long black hair, dark green skin, and blue scarce clothing floating over the sweets and stretching her arms.  “I understand a sweet tooth and all that, but this is a bit dangerously Much.” Danny held out a hand with a smile when a sneer was turned his way. “I’m Danny Phantom, hopefully nice to meet you.”

“ I am Desiree,” she said in some accented blend of every language that Danny knew.  It was headache-inducing and he definitely didn’t like it. “ This confection explosion was hardly my intention boy, I am cursed to use my power to grant the wishes of all those who make them. ”

“What, like a jinni?  If I find and rub your lamp and say ‘I wish I had a dick’ do you complete my tra-”

“ So you have wished it, so shall it be. ”  Her hands went up, green smoke curled around him, through him, within him, caressed that inner light and warmth that was his human body, and Danny shuddered in the wake of power well beyond his ability to fully process.  Before the smoke even cleared, Danny could hear Desiree speaking through gritted teeth. “ Yes, boy I am a Jinni.  One of your kind cursed me, both to be trapped in that infernal bottle, but also to use my power for all who catch my ear. ”

Danny was reeling when the smoke cleared, giving himself a mental review of what he could feel on himself and gawked when he realized what had happened.  “Um. Wow.” Desiree was clearly unimpressed. “Uh, well, I know a way I can he-” a ball of ectoplasma, charged up with energy, raced into Desiree’s gut and knocked her back and Danny really wished that people would stop interrupting him.

“Stay away from him, damn it!  Can’t we have one nice day?” Tucker readied another shot and Danny waved his arms to tell him not to.  “I wish I had stopped you from going into that stupid fucking portal! Then we wouldn’t be in this mess!”  crud.

“ So you have wished it, so shall it be. ”  FUCK .  Green mist filled Danny’s vision, and everything went dark.

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 23

Last time: Ling debated leadership philosophies with Bradley, we got a flashback to Scar’s bro, and Winry was Good. Onwards!

Episode 23 - “Girl on the Battlefield” Run for it, Ling! Looking a little worse for wear, Ling’s booking it through the streets as some very confused civilians look on, and Bradley gripes that “that reckless fool” is beginning to annoy him. Uh, I assume that when you tell Gluttony to follow his scent that you aren’t going to travel together? Even the most basic NPC might be curious about seeing their Fuhrer run through the streets with a Goth. In the alley Ed’s still comforting Winry as some cops clean up the rubble, he hands off the pistol to one of them and asks for Winry (still wearing his coat, daw) to be taken somewhere safe, he’s gonna go help Al out with Scar and NOPE NOPE NOPE [Ed]: “I’m sorry… When this is over, I’ll explain everything.” NOPE NOPE NOPE Boy you just guaranteed something bad is gonna happen to one of you two, do you even realize you’re in an anime? What, are you gonna ask for a picture of her “for good luck”? For Leto’s sake, Winry’s lingering grasp on Ed’s arm as he walks away… you turn around right now, buster! Don’t you DARE let things end on this note! [Winry]: “Why… why is waiting the only thing I can do?” Ok, first of all you are FAR from the mere damsel in distress, Winry. Second of all, as much as it would cheapen the whole “Winry is the creator of the Blonde Trio” thing from last episode, I can’t help but think it would be SO COOL for Winry to use this incident as a drive to learn Alchemy, or build an Iron Woman suit to help out in battle/rescue. Roy and Riza are still fiddling with the radio as reports of Winry going to Central Command come through, Riza’s off to support them in the field. Roy takes a moment to say they’ll meet up at an abandoned house outside of town and give her the address- ha, yeah no. This is Colonel Mustang we’re talking about, as if it could be that simple. Calling it now, despite Riza insisting he stay out of the field, the “address” Roy just gave her is secret orders to do something or other, and of course she won’t read them until after everything’s over. Yeesh, Ling’s still running, with Gluttony keeping close tabs on him. Aaand either he or Lan Fan are bleeding a fair amount. Bradley’s keeping up with the red trail, at the sound of an explosion just gripes about “Scar, again” and tells Gluttony to go deal with it. Ok, so it’s Lan Fan’s who’s bleeding out, she’s trying to get Ling to drop her, arguing that as much as he holds to “A king needs his people” that they’d be just as lost without him. Their clan versus one injured bodyguard? To Lan Fan there’s no choice, for the greater good someone must be left beNONONONO. Young lady you put that shuriken down this instant! Ling, stop her!

Oh for Leto’s sake, now we’ve cut away from that awfulness to Scar vs Al, who is an absolute BEAST when it comes to combat now. Earthbending giant stone hands, all Scar can do is keep jumping back and pity Al for the harm Alchemy has caused him. But Al rejects his pity, argues that it was through Alchemy that Ed saved his life, and to reject his Alchemy-supported form (but isn’t rejecting it kinda the whole point of the show? Eh, whatever) would be to reject what saved his life and the efforts of Ed. Scar’s response is Sudden Steam Cloud and an attempted sneak attack, but Ed enters the fray. Alright, time to get this battle going in earnest! [Gluttony]: “Oooh! I found you!” Ok, still of two minds about Scar and what should happen to him, but damn me if this isn’t a perfect Enemy Mine scenario. Oh hey, is this the first time that the Elric Brothers have seen Gluttony? While they’re reacting to seeing yet another Goth, Scar lays the smackdown. Alright, let’s- Cut back to the Xing alleyway? Bradley still walking along the blood trail? But what about Lan Fan? Nevermind, back to the train depot where Scar’s Hand O’ Doom did some harm to Gluttony, but then Headbutt. And a shoulder charge right into a shipping crate, good Leto. Then back to Bradley with his now [hurried footsteps] Then Gluttony getting double-kicked by the Elric Brothers to Scar’s shock (Enemy Mine, Enemy Mine, Enemy Mine…) Then Bradley turning the corner and drawing his sword What Lan Fan’s blood-covered hand Bradley shocked What No Ling, why? Why didn’t you stop her? Wait what ok what the Leto is going on now? Shirtless!Ling has just jumped out of a storm drain and holy crap he’s all pirate badass now with scimitar in his teeth and a grenade shoved down Gluttony’s gullet. But, Lan Fan… Ok, have to set that aside for now, the grenade was brutally effective against Gluttony… for just a few seconds, his upper body’s already reforming. Ling shouts for some strong cable from the Brothers, not sure if tying him up is going to be all that effective. Actually, it’s very effective; Gluttony’s regeneration is trying to counteract the pressure of the cables, meaning unless he can break the metal (which is still a possibility) then Ling’s gone and caught himself! But he still had to leave- Oh. OH. Oh my Leto that is disturbing and genius at the same time. Also, that poor dog! Seriously, dogs have had a real hard time in this show, haven’t they? [Bradley]: “That was well played, girl.” Ok, so… Lan Fan is a badass. But maybe you should get that stump looked at? Please? Up top Scar’s shocked at the revelation of a Homunculus- right, sorry buddy, but you’re still a murderer, so Riza’s gonna kneecap you while driving up in the getaway vehicle. Gotta say Riza, the white coat, glasses, and hair down look is good on you! Ah right, their Conspiracy means they have to pretend not to know it’s Riza as the MPs run up, they need to trust Roy on letting this Mysterious Stranger get away with Ling and the captured Gluttony. In the meantime… Alright Scar, just stand down and what the oh my Leto NOT NOW! I wanted you to come back to the show, little girl, but this really isn’t the time! Ok ok, we can still salvage this, she’s come all this way to see Ed so… oh, no. She’s looking for a short Alchemist in a red coat! Winry! Winry, get over here! Well ok, she’s protecting her “savior’s servant” now, deems it time to retreat so she good Leto blows up two train cars in a matter of seconds with Alchemy. Note to self: do not make May mad. Damnit damnit damnit, things were going so well but now the music’s all oppressive, Scar’s gotten away again. Meanwhile Riza’s heading to the safehouse when Ling says they need to go back for Lan Fan, Riza says ok as long as it’s quick AAAAARGH welp we’re boned, Bradley saw them and through Riza’s disguise. So much for the Conspiracy. Bradley: “That woman driving… I’m sure she’s Mustang’s. I’m tired of playing games with that upstart.” AAAARGH oh my gosh how are we only halfway through the episode AAAAARGH daw that’s a cute picture of Lan Fan eating AAAAARGH oh wait she’s armless now so she can’t even do that AAAARGH oooh is she gonna get an automail arm? Away from the depot May is patching up Scar’s leg as he broods about Winry, how no matter what he does hatred keeps spreading. The MPs are searching, so they start sneaking away… but where’s Shao May? Pffft! Looks like Al picked her up from the battle, didn’t want to leave the poor thing in danger. Said poor little panda bear tries biting back, but Soul Armor, so no. You’ve got a new master now! The Elric Brothers have been brought to Central by the MPs, where Winry’s waiting… along with Bradley. Whuh oh. [Bradley]: “That’s a nice, honest friend you’ve got there. Make sure you both take good care of her.”

Wow. Subtle. Aaaand now it’s time to tell Winry everything. Yay. Aw, Winry. It’s not selfish to want your parents to have come back. And don’t beat yourself up over waiting. Aw! Ok, that is adorable, getting a call from Rush Valley about how everyone misses her (work). But horrid flashbacks to needy retail customers aside, this is just what the doctor ordered. [Winry]: “I’m sorry… I’ll be back home soon.” (Somewhere Pinako looks up sharply and snarls “Excuse me?!”) “Just hold on… I won’t be much longer. I’ll help everyone… Thank you all.” Sorry Ed, but you’ve gotta let your mechanic get back to work. And hey, her heading back to Rush Valley means being away from Bradley’s grasp! We’re giving goodbyes at the train station, promises to take care of their automail… come on boy, spit it out! Aw, don’t chicken out on me now Ed, you turn around and- [Ed]: “The next time I make you cry, I hope they’ll be tears of joy! And Al and I will be back in our normal bodies, and I’ll make you cry out of sheer happiness! That’s a promise!” Heh! So while Winry does have to see the backs of two people she loves again (Al bumping Ed with his elbow and Shorty yapping at him), it’s on a much better note. Maybe…? [Winry]: “All this time, have I been… falling for him?” YYYYYYAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS [So Tephi actually stopped by right when this scene happened, she’s cackling over my shoulder. I’m too giddy about this to complain, moving on.] Hey Roy! You gonna take the Elrics to the safehouse now? Oh hey Doc, what’s your role in the Conspiracy now? Ah right, Lan Fan and her missing arm. Yikes, no anesthesia? I know this isn’t a hospital but dang, Lan Fan I’m so sorry. So is Ed, but Ling shuts him down, saying he was the one who suggested this. Aw dude, please stop beating yourself up. Hey, she’s awake! And got the idea to use her arm as bait from when Ed did it fighting them, hah! Still, hard to be a bodyguard when missing a limb. Perhaps a certain mechanic could help you out? Come on Ling, get up and check on your lady friend! Or chat with Roy, that works for now. Alright, good to see everyone getting along. Now to deal with the Goth Ball you have in the side room- [Roy]: “He and his friends appear to have connections among some of the military’s senior staff.” [Ling]: “Just some, you say? It goes far deeper than that. Your Fuhrer, King Bradley…” *Open Eyes of Seriousness* [Ling]: “I believe it’s possible that he’s a Homunculus too.” Here we go, reveal time! Ling recounts how he saw an Uroboros tattoo under Bradley’s eyepatch, working with Gluttony against him and Lan Fan. But Ling doesn’t get the same “Goth-Sense” from Bradley that comes from Gluttony, and the others argue that Goths can’t reproduce and he has a son. But Doc says that the kid is adopted. No direct blood relation. Roy says regardless of him being monster or human, it just makes it easier to kick him out of the boss’ chair. For now, it’s time to interrogate Gluttony, then get his Stone to heal Havoc/be taken back to Xing/heal the Elric Brothers… aw man, it’s Ruby Madness.

Come on guys, it’s a Philosopher’s Stone! Horrific origins aside, it can work for all of you, just set up a schedule and- Uh oh. Gluttony just overheard “Colonel Mustang”, recognizes the name as the one that killed Lust. And he Bulks out and oh good Leto what’s wrong with your stomach buddy, eyes do not go there. Fellas? You may want to ru GAH what the Leto was that?!

[kpopersanonymous]

Love Shot - Mafia!Exo

Suho/Junmyeon: 

You had known from the start that being with a mob boss wasn’t an easy feat. It wasn’t all fancy parties and gorgeous attire paired with fine wines. It was also armed bodyguards, armored vehicles, the constant knowing that your life could easily be in imminent danger. But that didn’t stop you from loving Suho, you trusted him with your whole heart, soul and life. You knew he would never let anything happen to you, that he would destroy anyone who tried to harm you. Which is why it took you by surprise when a member of a rival gang kidnapped you on your way to your house, barreling through your bodyguards with unusual ease. 

Suho was furious when he heard the news of your kidnapping. They have lost their minds if they think they can take what’s mine and get away with it, he thought. He began tracing down the rival gang and have his own members search for possible spots they could be keeping you. A few days later he got a call from their leader, saying he would return you if Suho handed over his relations with some of the top politicians and businessmen of the area. He simply laughed and hung up. You meant the world to him but he wasn’t going to give away everything he worked for.

No. He had a different plan, a better way to get you back and destroy the enemy. And he called it “Operation: Love Shot”. What his rival didn’t know was that Suho had one of his own members in his hands, and his men had already been torturing information out of him. He knew which house they were in, he knew in which room you were being kept, he even knew how many men were watching over you. 

Suho had the element of surprise in his hands and he worked with it. He drummed up his best men and set out to save you and teach his rival a lesson. His snipers took out the main guards on the outside while his stealthers cut off all power to the house. Then Suho and his men entered the house, using the confusion of the others to their advantage. They worked in the dark, relying only on their ears and instinct. 

Suho strode with dedication straight to the room you were being kept in and broke down the door. One of his men shined a light into the room and Suho was amazed at what he saw. Only two bodyguards were left to watch you amongst the chaos and one was knocked clean out by a blunt object to the head. The other was kneeling on the floor, clutching a bleeding shoulder while you were holding a gun to his head. Blood was slowly dripping from your arm but you remained strong. The sight filled Suho with a sense of pride. 

He walked over to you and knocked out the other bodyguard. He took the gun out of your hands and threw it into a corner and started to inspect you for any more damage. Once he was satisfied to see that you were, apart from the bullet wound in your arm, otherwise intact, he took you in his arms and held your slightly trembling body close to his. 

“You broke free all on your own?” he muttered into your hair, amazement hinting in his voice. 

“Well... being with a mafia boss… you learn a few things about breaking out of bonds and ambushing people,” you smiled.

He put you at arms length, pointing at your wound. “I AM, however, going to have to give you a refresher course on how to handle guns,” he said, seriously. 

You chuckled and nodded in agreement as he led you out of the house and into the safety of his car.

Chanyeol:

“Let’s play a game,” Chanyeol whispered into your ear. He didn’t give you time to answer, leading you straight into one of the studies in his house. On the table you saw a revolver. You strode towards it, then turned around to look at Chanyeol.

“What is this?” you asked. “Are we gonna play Russian Roulette?” 

To say things with you and Chanyeol were tense would be an understatement. You knew that, he knew that, even his bodyguards knew that. Which probably explained why you felt like you were being watched at almost all hours of the day. You probably loved him at one point in your life, but now you would’ve given anything, done anything, to be rid of him. Even kill him, you admitted to yourself. 

“Something of the sorts,” Chanyeol smirked. “I like to call it ‘Love Shot’. You play it the same way though. Except there’s a blank in there instead of a bullet. I’m not an idiot, you know. It’ll hurt, maybe even draw blood if you aim it well enough, but it won’t kill me.“

“And what about me?” you asked, leaning up against the desk.

“Oh, I won’t be pointing the gun at you. You’ll be pointing it at me,” Chanyeol started. “You see, I know you don’t like it here. I know you pretty much hate my guts. And I get it: the mafia’s a tough job, I gotta be a tough guy and my methods of handling things are… pretty unorthodox.” You scoffed at that understatement but Chanyeol continued, ignoring your interruption. “I’m giving you a chance with this game: the chance to leave. If you shoot the revolver and the blank gets fired, I’ll let you go. I’ll see that as fate’s way of saying goodbye.”

“What if I shoot and there’s nothing? What will happen to me then?” you asked, dreading the answer.

“Then fate wants you to stay here. And I’ll be forced to take on... drastic measures to enhance your love and obedience towards me,” Chanyeol said coolly, a sadistic gleam in his eyes.

You felt goosebumps forming on your skin, but you forced yourself to stay strong and cool, turning whatever fear you have against that outcome into loathing. “You’re crazy if you think I’ll turn into one of the mindless zombies that the other members call their partners. You think I don’t know how Sehun or Baekhyun got their ‘lovers’? You think I don’t know what your men are creating? Because none of that even comes close to love. It’s all manipulation, Chanyeol.”

He stared at you for a few moments, taking in all of your passion, your hatred, everything. He loved all of it so much and it pained him a small bit to have to take it all away from you, but he knew there would only be benefits afterwards. “There’s really not much you can do here. You can either take the risk and win, or face the consequences of losing. What other options do you really have?”

You weighed the possibilities against each other. You hated the risk but the freedom was tempting. You took the gun in your hand. I’ll probably never get another chance like this again, you thought. You looked up at Chanyeol, aimed for his heart, and shot.

But nothing came out. You pulled the trigger again in disbelief and still nothing happened. Then Chanyeol grabbed the gun out of your hand before you could try a third time. He signaled for two bodyguards to come into the room as he stared down at you.

“You tried two times and still failed,” he growled. “I guess fate really wants you to stay with me.” You started to tremble as the bodyguards grabbed your arms, pleading wordlessly with him. “You had a third option you clearly disregarded: you could’ve refused to shoot me. Then I would’ve been much more lenient with you,” he gave a devilish smile.

You opened your mouth in response but no words could reach your lips as the bodyguards dragged you out of the room.

“Don’t worry!” he called out. “The treatment won’t hurt a bit and you’ll be feeling much better afterwards!”

Kai/Jongin:

Kai walked up to apartment #203, where one of his boss’ clients lived. The guy owed him a large sum of money and was overdue on his payment. Kai knew him pretty well: never pays on time but always says he’s good for it, huge gambling addiction, always trying to weasel himself out of debt. Kai was interested in seeing what kind of game he was going to play with him this time to buy himself some more time. Of course, his games never work but that doesn’t stop him from trying. 

Kai signaled to one of the bodyguards to bash down the door. He heard one voice scream in fright while another spewed out a string of curses. He stepped inside just in time to see his client jump out of a nearby window. Kai smirked as he strode deeper into the living room, towards a small bar table and poured himself a drink. He turned around toward a couch on which you were sitting on, shaking slightly but otherwise putting on a brave face. 

His heart skipped a beat when he saw you. He would often see you with his client, hearing him call you his “good luck charm” when he went out somewhere to gamble. Other times you would come visit Kai personally and pay some of his bills. He knew it was your own money and it pained him to see you being treated so poorly. He would always give you back $100, saying, “Go treat yourself to something nice. Preferably a new boyfriend.” Even though he tries to shrug it off, he can’t help but admit to favoring you. 

He sat down next to you and sipped on his drink, waiting for his bodyguards to drag his client back in. A couple of minutes later he heard pathetic cries getting louder and saw two of his bodyguards carry the man in by his arms, his feet flailing a foot above ground. He fell onto his knees in front of Kai and began to fidget around with his hands. Kai just stared at the man in disgust.

“Listen NiNi,” he began, calling Kai by the nickname he chose for him. “I know I’m a little late with the payment-” 

“It’s been three months. The boss has been more than patient with you. He wants his money back. ALL of it. 15 grand. Now,” Kai interrupted, still sipping his drink.

“15 grand?! How am I supposed to get that kind of money?” he asked.

“You’re the gambling expert,” Kai replied sarcastically, earning himself a small chuckle from you.

“How- how about a game? If I win, I get some more time to gather up the money,” he offered.

“And if I win?” Kai asked.

“I’ll uhh… I’ll give you Y/N,” he said, making you gasp in surprise.

“You’re betting me?!! For fucks sake, am I that disposable to you?” you asked, outraged.

Before he could reply, Kai said, “They’ll do. But I have another condition: if I win, you stop asking the boss for more money. I’m sick of having to deal with you and, quite frankly, so is he. Now, what’s the game?”

He scowled, but stood up, rubbing his hands together, and said “The game’s called ‘Love Shot’. Quite simple, really. It’s a knife-throwing game. Whoever manages to hit the center of this wooden heart the closest wins.”

He dug something out of the cupboard nearby and hung up an old wooden picture frame on the wall opposite Kai. It was without glass but it still contained an old picture of you and him in it. Kai stood up and took out a knife from one of his leg suspenders. He signaled for the client to go first. 

The client got out a knife of his own and went to you, who was glaring at him coldly. He ordered you to kiss the knife for good luck and after a few seconds of death glares and silence, you complied. The sight struck Kai’s heart but quickly shook it off. The client threw his knife and it just barely struck the outer ridges. He celebrated a bit too loudly and threw a look at Kai, as if to say “beat that”. 

Kai kept it short and sweet, he could throw knifes blindfolded, so this would be a breeze. He lined up his shot and sent his knife flying, hitting the heart dead center. Even the picture split in half, which Kai found oddly fitting. He turned to see the devastation in his client’s eyes and yours staring wide-eyed, unable to really process what just happened. 

“I think we’re done here,” he turned towards the door, signaling to his men to take you with them. He heard some pleas from his now ex-client but tuned them out, uninterested in what he had to say. He walked to his car, you following a few steps behind him. The two of you sat in silence for a few minutes before you asked, “So.. what are you going to do with me?”

Kai smiled at you and answered, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe from guys like him and treat you better than he ever did. I’m a pretty good guy once you get to know me. Just like the other members back home.” He winked at you and drove off into the night, content that he got the best prize imaginable. 

Xiumin/Minseok:

You and Minseok were both pointing guns at each other, just waiting for the other to shoot. Your eyes were cold and full of loathing towards him. All Minseok wanted to do was hold you tight and never let you go again. He never expected it to turn out like this. He didn’t want this to be the end. 

He thought he had lost you months ago. You had gone on a trip together, trying to get away from all the drama wrapped around the mafia business. It started out peaceful but took a very sour turn when members of his most hated rival attacked the two of you. You were kidnapped and Minseok was left badly injured. He had ordered his bodyguards to search for you while he recovered in the hospital, even though he would’ve rather done it himself. Weeks afterwards, once he had recovered, he found the trail to be cold. It was like you had disappeared into thin air.

In the back of his mind he feared you were dead. Doubt was nagging at him as he tried to pick up the trail. But he knew you couldn’t be dead, you had to be somewhere out there, he couldn’t just lose you like this. 

And now here you were, standing right in front of him. But at the same time, it wasn’t you. Being with his rival had changed you. Your eyes were duller and full of hate, the corners of your mouth were turned into a scowl, the positive energy you once radiated was all but gone. You were a shadow of your former self. 

Minseok had a hunch of what had happened to you, but he decided to ask you, in hopes of opening you up, getting you to talk to him and maybe figure out a way how to reverse it. 

“You don’t look so good, Y/N,” he tested the waters. “What did they do to you?”

“What did they do to me?” you sneered. “They opened my eyes and showed me the real you. The power-hungry mogul of the east, who has more blood on his hands than he does in his body. Do you know how many people you’ve terrorized, how many lives you’ve destroyed? Because I do, Minseok. That’s what they taught me.”

“The mafia’s not exactly a place where we all hold hands and sing songs about peace but...” he shook his head. “They’ve been feeding you lies, Y/N. I’m not perfect but I’m no monster. If anything, the people who brainwashed you are more sadistic than I am. And I know deep down inside you know that too.”

“How do I know you haven’t brainwashed me? Maybe this is the way I’ve always been and you led me to believe I was happily in love with you,” you retorted.

“If that’s the case, you would’ve shot me the second you saw me. But you didn’t and still haven’t. Which leads me to believe the real Y/N is still in there,” Minseok said, lowering his gun.

You fell silent, pondering his statement. For a second, Minseok saw a glimmer of your old self in your eyes and decided to press on. 

He threw his gun aside, causing you to cast your attention to him once again. “I’m not going to shoot you, Y/N. If I did, I wouldn't be able to live with myself anymore. I love you too much for that. If you’re going to kill me, then kill me, because I don’t want to live in a world where the person I fell in love with doesn’t exist anymore.”

You brought your gun up and aimed for his chest. For a second, Minseok thought he was going to die and he accepted his fate. But then, you started shaking and tears started trailing down your cheeks. Minseok took a few steps forward as you lowered your gun. He reached for the gun and took it out of your hands, you not putting up a fight.

“I....” you choked. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I-I can’t kill you, I don’t want to kill you. But I should, they told me I should. The thought of hurting you... hurts me. Why is this happening?!”

“That’s good, my love,” Minseok encouraged. “Fight against it.”

You looked up at him with bloodshot eyes, confusion and disarray clear on your face. “Minnie?” you breathed out your nickname for him. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home, our home.”

Minseok wrapped you in his arms, comforting your trembling body. He stroked your hair and whispered into your ear, “Don’t worry, my love. You don’t have to listen to them any longer. We’ll work against the brainwashing and get you back to normal in no time. I promise.”

He leaned back to look into your eyes and found himself looking at you, the you he fell in love with all those years ago, the you he thought he lost. It filled him with hope and strength to see you breaking through the shadows of his rival’s creations, all because of the deep love the two of you have for one another. 

Sehun:

Sehun stared at you from across the dimly lit bar. You had been racing through his mind for months, ever since he saw you in the back of some dealer’s car. You had a look of betrayal written all over your face, the kind that screamed “You promised me you wouldn’t do this anymore and yet you’re back on the same bs” while Sehun made deals with the lowlife you chose to hang out with. He knew at first glance that you were too good for any of this. He also knew that he had to have you. 

He handed the bartender a small vial and told him to make you a drink, nodding in your direction. Sehun knew you wouldn’t acknowledge him in any way, shape or form, so he had his research team concoct a love serum, guaranteed to make you putty in his hands. He smiled as he saw you look in his direction when the bartender gave you the drink. You stood up, drink in hand and walked over to him. 

“Don’t I know you from somewhere?” you ask, eyeing him up and down.

Sehun shrugged, “I’m constantly somewhere all the time, so you might have seen my face before.” He studied you carefully as you squinted your eyes at him, trying to remember where you had seen his face before.

“I see you got my drink,” he nodded, changing the subject. “It’s called the Love Shot. Legends say that if you drink this in the company of someone else, you fall madly in love with that person.” You chuckled at the thought, making Sehun grin. “It’s all folklore really, but it’s a pretty tasty drink,” he added. 

You eyed the drink once more before giving in and taking a sip, realizing that it was indeed a very delicious drink. You looked up at him and your eyes softened, seeing him now in a different light. 

Hours after you had finished the drink you found yourself walking home with Sehun, clinging onto him as if your life depended on it. Every touch sent a spark through your body, every glance made your heart leap. You had never felt such intense love and desire before, and Sehun made sure it stayed that way.

Lay/Yixing:

Lay was aware of your heart drifting away and finding a new lover. But he had tolerated it up until now. He knew he had been away for some time, working late and going away on “business trips”, as he so often called his assassination appointments. It’s not that he didn’t love you anymore, he just couldn’t be bothered to hunt down some plaything of yours, especially if you snuck out at night to see him. 

Finding the two of you in your shared bed together, however, made him see nothing but red. 

You gave a startled gasp as Lay turned on the lights to the bedroom, illuminating you and your lover tangled up in the sheets of your bed. You brought the covers closer to you, feeling a wave of shame hit you as you looked up at Lay’s face, a mixture of devastation and betrayal, of anger and disgust hinting beneath his cold exterior. For the first time since you started cheating on him, you started to question your motives. Yes, you were lonely and in need of attention, but was this toy worth losing someone you used to love unconditionally, someone you still love deep down inside? 

“Lay,” you whispered, “I’m so deeply sorry you had to see this. You were never supposed to-”

“So this is the idiot that doesn’t give you the time of day anymore huh?” your lover interrupted you. “He doesn’t look all that badass to me. I could take him out in one shot. You sure he’s in the mafia?”

Your mouth fell open in shock at the audacity of their words. Don’t they know who they’re speaking to?

Lay mirrored your expression as he turned his gaze to your lover and whispered, “I could kill you in a heartbeat.” His eyes lingered a few moments longer as his muscles twitched at the thought. Then with a wave of his hand he discarded the thought and directed his attention back to you.

“I don’t know what I’m more disgusted by: you in someone else’s arms in our bed, or your complete lack of taste in sexual partners. I would’ve expected someone with manners and common sense... or at least someone with half a brain.”

“Hey!” your lover shouted. “I’m great in bed, and a better partner than you will ever be-!” Lay pulled out a gun and pointed it at them, silencing them.

“Lay, please don’t do this!” you said, getting out of bed and pulling on your robe. “I know you’re hurt but they don’t deserve this! They mean nothing to me, I swear it. You’ll never see them here again, I promise.” You clutched at his arm like your life depended on it.

“I know I won’t,” he started. “Because you’ll be killing them.”

Your face blanched at that statement. “What??”

“If you truly mean what you say, if they mean nothing to you, then you will kill them for me. Prove to me that you love me,” Lay said low, his eyes dark.

“I-I-” you stuttered. “I can’t... you’re crazy. I’m not a killer.”

Lay brought his face close to yours, his forehead touching yours. “If you don’t do as I tell you to, I’ll make sure your life becomes a living hell. So much so that you’ll wish I’d have killed you as well.”

The thought sent shivers down your spine and you knew very well that he wasn’t kidding, so you complied to his sadistic task. You took his gun into your hands and stared your lover in the face, who was unable to move due to the shock. Lay steadied your shaking hands and told you to pull the trigger. You closed your eyes, knowing full well that Lay’s aim wouldn’t falter, and pulled the trigger. The sound filled the air and you didn’t dare open your eyes before Lay pulled you out of the room and placed a kiss on your cheek, words of praise coming from his lips. 

Baekhyun:

You’ve been with Baekhyun for as long as you could remember. Although that wasn’t saying very much, you couldn’t remember a majority of your life before him. Baekhyun said it was because of a bad car crash you were in years ago, resulting in brain trauma and amnesia. You couldn’t remember any crash but that wasn’t unusual for trauma patients, or so you’ve been told. You didn’t mind not really knowing your past most of the time, you lived a happy and content life with Baekhyun. Even though he was in the mafia, you lived a relatively normal life because he kept you sheltered from his business. 

He always made sure to leave the mafia behind him when he came home to you. You loved the little rituals you had together: he would pick you up and kiss you as soon as he came home, you would cook dinner together, have cute Sunday city dates together. He would even call or text you good morning and good night when he’s away on business and remind you to take your medication. That was the only time you ever really thought about the mafia, when he mentioned your medication. Baekhyun had told you that his friends in “high places” had created it for you so you could live a normal life. You took his word for it and you generally don’t question what’s in the medication or why you need it. You just trust him, even though you don’t know why. You’ve just... always trusted him. 

You felt different when you didn’t take your medication on time. You would get dizzy and lightheaded, sometimes even a bit nauseous. Once that first wave of dizziness subsided, you were able to think clearly and remember faces of your past, probably friends or family members. You enjoyed how deep your thought process could get when your medication started wearing off because you usually had trouble concentrating and your mind would drift often. Maybe that was why you sometimes tried to test your boundaries and purposely skip your meds.

Just like today.

Things were going smoothly, you were fighting off the nausea with some tea and you managed to hide the dizziness well. You were writing down all of your thoughts in a journal, hopeful that you would one day make sense of them. You wondered how long you would get away with it this time, how long it would take Baekhyun to notice before he forced you to take your medicine. Even though you were in a clearer state of mind, you felt wary, even paranoid around him. Sometimes it drove you to lash out at him if he came near you. You never could understand why you felt such rage and terror at the same time towards him, especially since he was always so nice and caring towards you. 

Suddenly, you heard a voice behind you say, “You didn’t come to greet me when I came home today, darling.” A cold shiver ran down your spine and your heart began to race with anxiety. Damn it, you thought, so much for keeping my cool.

You got up and turned around to face Baekhyun. “I’m so sorry my love. I must have lost track of time,” you flashed him a smile and stretched out your hand to invite him into your arms, all the while trying to steady your breath. He picked you up and spun you around as usual, giving you a sweet kiss before holding you tight. You started to slip out of the embrace but he just brought you in tighter and you felt panic build up inside you. He knows, a paranoid voice told you. You have to get out, you have to run. 

Right as you started searching around the room for a weapon, Baekhyun brought you at arms length, his eyes staring intently at you. “Is something wrong my dear?” he asked, tilting his head as you shook yours. “You forgot to take your medication again, didn’t you?” he whispered low. 

Before he could say anything else, you grabbed the nearest object, your journal, and slammed it into his head, knocking him onto the ground. You started to make a run for the door but Baekhyun tackled you, pinning you underneath him. You cried out and started hitting him, but he was unfazed as he pulled out a small case from his pocket and opened it up. He took out a filled syringe, saying “You know what happens when you get like this, dearest. I have to give you your love shot. Now hold still, it will all be over soon.” He inserted the needle into your neck and emptied out its contents into your bloodstream. Your cries became weaker as your head grew fuzzy, the panicked frenzy leaving your body and being replaced with a feeling of warmth. 

You felt Baekhyun’s hand caress your cheek and heard him say, “That’s much better, isn’t it? Rest up now my dear. I’ll be back with your favorite food once I deliver some important documents to the boys in the lab. Thanks so much for giving me your journal, by the way. It’s greatly appreciated.” 

You wanted to curse his name, but all you felt were butterflies when you thought of him as you curled yourself up into a ball and fell into a dreamless sleep. 

D.O./Kyungsoo:

Kyungsoo was afraid that this day might come. The day when you find someone new and leave him. He knew something was off, the way you would stay out all night “hanging out with your friends”, the increased number of text messages, the very faint smell of a cologne he didn’t own lingering on your skin. It was enough to make him aware of the imminent heartbreak that your sudden departure didn’t capture him by surprise.

It did, however, fuel his lust for revenge on the person who stole your heart. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out who you ran off with. Kyungsoo had known even before you turned cold that he was going to be trouble. He was a rich wannabe gangster who likes to drive fast cars, party hard and take recreational drugs on a daily. He was all fun and games with a hint of danger whereas Kyungsoo worked on hard operations in the mafia. You wanted to pick the fun route, so Kyungsoo decided to have some fun himself with a little game called “Operation: Love Shot”. 

He waited in a building across from your lover’s apartment, the window giving him perfect view of the living room. He had observed both of your patterns for the last few weeks, so he knew that it was soon time for his rival to pass through the living room to go make himself some coffee. He picked up his sniper and positioned himself. Around five minutes later, he saw your lover peek into view and fired without any hesitation or remorse.

After that, Kyungsoo packed everything up and prepared to meet you outside of the building of the apartment. He knew you wouldn’t call the cops, the sight of a dead body would be too much of a shock for you to handle. He smiled as he saw your silhouette getting closer, your clothes and hair disheveled while tears of fear streamed down your cheeks. You stopped in your tracks as you recognized Kyungsoo, his arms now outstretched, inviting you in for a hug. A wave of emotions ran through you: shock, confusion, happiness, understanding, horror, ending with acceptance. You closed the distance between the two of you and embraced him, new tears forming in your eyes while you promised him you’d never leave again. Kyungsoo locked his arms protectively around you, stroking your hair as he smiled in satisfaction.

Chen/Jongdae:

Jongdae loved you with all is heart, so much so that he would die for you. Another thought never occurred to him when he heard the news that you had been kidnapped. He was devastated and worked endlessly to track down your kidnappers. When he finally tracked his enemies down, he got a call from the leader, telling him to trade his life for you. 

It was like they had planned it: have him search for days, maybe even weeks for a sign of where you might be, make him exhausted, anxious, paranoid. All so that that phone-call would seem like a blessing and he would be more willing to accept the deal. 

His members, his brothers tried to talk him out of it. They said there had to be another way, and that they would figure something else out. But he tuned them all out, intent on saving the one person that meant the world to him. 

He went alone into the woods, to the destination point his enemy sent him. He was well-armed but only planned on using his weapons if they hurt you. Even though he was about to be giving his life away, he felt strangely calm. All he wanted to do was see you one last time, safe and out of harm’s way. 

He came up onto a clearing, where a jeep was parked behind his rival. They had agreed to meet in private, no over-excessive guards, no fighting, just a simple trade-off. 

“Where’s Y/N?” Jongdae asked, stopping about 10 meters in front of his rival. 

He snapped his fingers and two bodyguards came out from behind the jeep, dragging you along with them. You were scared and irritated but otherwise unharmed. Jongdae gave a sigh of relief. 

“Tell your men to release them. I will go with you as promised, but I want Y/N out of the way first,” he said.

“Jongdae you can’t possibly be serious! You can’t-” you cried out, a bodyguard knocking the wind out of you to silence you. Jongdae felt a flare of anger hit him and his fingers itched to grab his gun and shoot him. But he kept his cool, making a mental note to take care of him later. 

The rival gave a signal to the guards and they released you. You dropped down to the ground, seeming to catch your breath. Then, you jumped up and rammed one of the bodyguards into the ground with one swift, surprise kick. Jongdae reacted just as swiftly as you, pulling out his gun and shooting the bodyguard that punched you just as he was about to attack you. You pulled out a gun from the knocked-down bodyguard’s holder and aimed it at your enemy, who was standing in shock as he was trying to register the few seconds that were playing in front of him. Jongdae aimed his gun for the other bodyguard who was struggling to get up. The two of you fired at the same time, both perfectly taking down your opponents. 

The two of you stood in the middle of the scene, taking in the silence around you, letting everything sink in. Then, you dropped your gun and walked over to Jongdae, who was still staring at you in disbelief. You brought him in close for an embrace and he wrapped an arm around you.

Finally, Jongdae broke the silence. “Where did you learn that?”

“The fighting? I learned that from you, my love,” you said, putting a hand on his cheek.

“No, I mean.. I know that,” he started. “I meant, where did you learn to shoot?”

“Oh,” you trailed off, thinking about his question. “I didn’t... I guess it was just luck.” You shrugged your shoulders. 

Jongdae broke into a smile. “Or maybe it was a love shot,” he said, pressing a kiss onto your lips before leading you away from the scene and out of the woods. 

[kaiju-z]

FINALLY back on track, after a month and a half of stuff getting in our way, but here we are with session 20!!!

Seon Adventures Episode 20: Going Solo...

With the passing of the night, comes the light of day.

The trio of Belli, Luctan and Mournimar awake alongside Morgan and the elf baby with notably Amelia, Archie, Burk and Rimefang missing. Luctan does elaborate where Amelia had gone, though it gets missed in the confusion when everyone wonders what happened with Burk.

Thinking quickly on her feet, Belli sends a message to Burk to check where he is. But all he answers with is that  Rimefang’s fine, don’t know where Amelia is.”

As Luctan fixes the baby up for the day, packing him like a little baby burrito (a babitto, if you will), the remaining bunch go upstairs, while Belli gives a call to Amelia. Amelia, who had been having the most wonderful of sleeps she has had since a long while.

“No.”

Belli sends her a message again with a whistle.

“No. Just no.”

Luctan has to repeat himself on where Amelia actually is, much to the amusement of the adopted duo.

As they climb up the stairs, everything seems normal and as expected from the previous night, people coming and going, welcomed and- And the party for some reason get approached by a very confused human, wearing the robes of the temple of Keemis.

Brunette, with an undercut, in his 30′s, scars on his arms and face, the kind man delivers a letter to the bunch, asking if they’re the Cultbusters.

“Are you the Cultbusters?”

“Depends on who’s asking?”- Belli.

“3 of them!”- Mournimar.

After a brief sibling argument about just up and telling people their identities, the man elaborates that the letter is written by Burk. Or. Well, he helped Burk write that letter for the party.

Mournimar is the one to read it to everyone else. All lower case, a lot of the words are misspelled.

“ hi. this is from burk. i am leaving now. ive been thinking and i think i do not need to be here anymore. i found one of the guys i was looking for and it was really easy and no ofense but i was hoping for cold hard killers and u r not. but you were all realy nice to me, nicer than any one has before so i am going to miss all of u very much. rimefang is coming with me because hes too cool for u. also i think hes geting bigger cause he started sheding or some thing i dont know. i left some scales for u, and ur share of the gold. there is a lot of stuff i wana go do and i feel bad draging u guys with me so i gotta go do it my self. but i want u all to know im not just going to kill people for me. i am doing stuff for u. For amelia and luc i am going to come back and we are gona have the best fight ever and learn a lot. For beli i am going to steal the biggest shinyest kazoo i can find. For morni i will stop punching wolfs and also be nicer to weird animals i find in the forest. u were all very nice and good with peeple and not good at vilence, and thats a good thing. but i dont fit in. bye for a while

 burk “

The trio are devastated. Belli is the most vocal, with Mournimar having to calm her down, while Luctan stands stoically, with the baby in his arm.

Burk left.

It’s heart breaking.

It’s heart breaking and the cleric tries to cast Calm Emotions on the lot of them to try and soothe their woes. Mournimar fails his save, Luctan doesn’t even try and Belli tanks that and starts shouting at him for imposing his magic on them, without their consent.

“Don’t you fucking dare try and tell me what to fucking feel.” -  She is emotion personified.

When things calm down, Luctan apologizes and asks for the messenger’s name.

“ My name is Malak. I am a Devotee of Keemis. I’ve been living here in this temple for a few years.” He had heard of the Cultbusters’ reputation and found interest and want to join them on their questing, seeing as they’ve stirred some cults out of their comfort.

Thrown them out of their rhythm, if you will.

He is accepted, Belli referring to him as their “intern” for now and, with introductions made, and Malak gathering his equipment, the bunch of them take to the last tavern they had gone to for breakfast and meeting back up with Amelia.

Amelia waits for them there. Nel had spoken to her about how she managed to get her mother to agree on leaving town for a while with the help of a family friend. And she had made some sort of offer to Amelia.

The group are again together at the tavern and introduce Malak. Amelia and Malak shake hands as a distraught Belli pays the tavern keeper to go and work the kitchen for a while.

Amelia encourages her. “The fact he wrote us a letter means he cared about The Cultbusters.” She gently holds Belli’s arm, ‘cause Belli’s abandonment issues have kicked in hard.

There’s stress baking and then there’s stress cooking. And Belli does this handily. And she makes... so much food! 1st, second, third Breakfasts, if those were actual things, of course.

“It’ll be alright. He had to do what he had to do.”

As Belli comes and goes with increasingly more and more plates of food, we end up talking about the baby and his future. The little elven boy keeps tugging at Luctan’s hair, fussing at him and getting fussed at.

A few suggestions get made. From Malak’s suggestion to raise the child in the orphanage, to the talk with Nel the other day, involving handing him over to a rich family.

The decision is hard to make. Whether he likes it or not, Luctan’s attached himself to the little one, but he knows he can’t keep him with the party as dangers keep increasing on their journey. He had been having waking flashes back to every incident since the child was with them and how scared he was from the screams and roars and hurts and aches.

He couldn’t let the baby travel with them further. He knew what he was going to do, regardless of where the baby went, but still.

Amelia catches up with Malak on his Keemis Clergy work.

 He’s been at this for 5-6 years or so. He heard about the party after the CB helped arrest the local cultists. He’s fascinated by souls and how they transition, based on their alignment. He’s searching for an answer to this question. Basically, he’s looking for research.

Amelia asks where he’s from.

“I’m from Lian. It is not a good place to raise a kid and I left home, got a lot of people from my home town killed. We wanted to leave, thought we’d make our own band of soldiers to fight in the war and I’m the only one left. And so I try to find some meaning in the senseless death and resurrection and ended up meeting some Keemis priests. Fell in with them and came up here.”

The gang try to cheer him up about his backstory woes and some end up sharing their own troubles. Mournimar does so. Luctan gives away the shocker that his family owned slaves and that triggered his sense of aiding those in need, freeing the captive ones and fleeing via teleport scroll.  And lastly Belli tells the tragic story of her family.

Doting on the baby commences, while Mournimar gives Malak some pointers on the shenanigans he is up for with Belli, now that he is part of the group.

Following their hefty meal, Mournimar gets his new armor. Better fitted than his previous one. Since he found it in the barracks??? This one is more custom. Studded Leather, which raises his AC + 1

Going back on forth on where to go next, during this tragic shopping episode, Belli shares Burk’s treasures with the cleric, seeing as he had left them for the rest.

Before anything can be really bought, though, aside of the meals, we go for the payment on the Serial Kilelr job.

As the party draw closer to the dungeons, Mournimar suggests Belli let Luctan talk, which offends Belli, who gets encouragement from Luck and Malak that she’ll do great. Malak ingretiating himself by casting Guidance and Enhance Ability on the Half-Orc Bard, right before she approaches the receptionists, an older Half-Elf man and a yellow tiefling.

“Now is the time to prove them wrong.”

The conversation is quick and Belli shines during this process. We are thanked, the lot of us, for the work we did and are pointed to the office of the Captain in charge.

While walking, we get a few pointers on places to visit around town.

Generally South-West of the city is a good night’s time.” the HElf answers Amelia. Though, uh,  he wouldn’t know personally. Definitely.

We walk down to the office, knock on the door before walking in.

We are welcomed in by the Halfling woman inside. She’s dressed well for her job. Not exactly the outfit one would expect for prison duty, but then again, they didn’t have a good idea on that, themselves. Blue eyes observe us warmly and kindly, through a wavy bob haircut, while she fiddles with the cuff of one of her sleeves. Her office is bare, maybe she’s new, maybe it’s how she likes it.

She kind of looks everyone up and down. “I’m guessing you’re the folks we’ve been expecting, huh?”

The party apologize as they didn’t have a proper schedule in mind and the thought is shared vice-versa as it just... Really was like that sometimes? Often times?! A lot. It happened a lot.

For finding the hide out of the slayer of cityfolk, for convincing his husband to give himself up and testify about his beloved, the ‘busters gain a monetary reward. As she pulls out a big chest on the table, Belli tries to convince her to unionise. To some possible success? She certainly seems curious about the suggestion itself.

Ames kinda looks her up and down and gives a smol little thumbs up

She’s a valuable worker, she’s worth more.

On behalf of the city of Crystalgate, thank you for all of your efforst in intervening with the issue. The culprits have been dealt with.” Much to the four original members’ surprise, the husband has been released, having promissedto turn over a new leaf.

Luctan would later ask the captain, who introduced herself to the five as River Blackbrace (Just River), where he could find the husband and, after ensuring her that he planned no ill will towards the man, she guesses he’d be back in town or at one of the temples.

The woman feels like rewarding us with more, since this isn’t her gold, yeah? Lots of paperwork time prevented. The five are given suggestions on places to go and spend our money. Between " Neladrie's Rarities” and “Snipper’s Hall’, the clothing store of Grinella, they have some good options on their way.

Grinella is the best at her work, as far as River’s concerned.

Before they go, we mention to River that we plan on participating in the Spring Festival’s tournament.

River mentions that it was originally created as a celebration of the heroes Septum Sabata. It’s a series of trials re-creating what they went through to save everyone. Malak has watched it a few times and things happening around the arena a few good times. He’s the local CG expert.

And if they really feel down, there’s also a place... a-a-

Café where they summon fae animals.

And should they need a good book,  there’s a library in the north east. “The Lady Stormweaver National Library.” The conversation about books prompts Luctan to show off the “Handerstaad” he got from Sa Doma.

And River spills the tea that Kheyha is a local. And has spent some time in the dungeons for her alcoholism antics. (Never meet your heroes, kids.)

They are suggested to stay away from the Ebryosis followers. Best leave those kinky fellas to their own “dungeons”.

As they walk walk to the clothes and magical trinkets shops, Mournimar has a heart to heart with Belli, apologizing for his behavior. While Luctan checks the money with Malak. The sibs hug it out, while the money is counted and distributed amongst all of them, even as Malak protests some.

There’s a faint tingle of wind chimes as the five go to one of the most eclectic collections of goods of various kinds we’ve ever seen. Sort of an order to it, anyways. A rainbow pattern across the show. Vaguely arranged in no particular order. Pretty much everything’s in a different size and shape.

A high elven woman, Neladrie, sits in a tall stool behind a desk, very long hair. She glances vaguely at us and has a monocular on.

Good morning. Feel free to look around. Please be aware you’re being watched, so don’t get any funny ideas. And Welcome.”  She points at her watchful little pseudodragon, watching from the rafters.

Belli uses mage hand to pat the dragon.

She knows she’s a good gorl.

The search commences as each member of the party search foritems with some help of the shopkeeper.

Malak gains supplies for his Divination magic, including dragon bones.

Mournimar tries and fails to find anything that could enhance his wisdom.

Amelia gets her hands on some lovely sea shells.

Luctan gets helped with finding a focus for his recently developed magical abilities. A small purple crystal.

All the while Belli takes her pick, between some wild musical instruments.

There is an holy banjo with all the gods’ symbols.

There’s a great axe with a wider handle. A didgerydeath, if you will.

And also, what appears to be a kazoo 2. One sort of kazoo entrance and branches out into different sights. It’s like if a kazoo had different pitches.

There’s also a set of bagpipes.

And last, but not least, an ukulele of sorts. Upon testing it, the ukulute sounds like a spannish guitar, almost.

Ostentatious is her brand and after testing all the instruments, she agrees to buy the ukulute.

With purchases made, the gang take the next step of their journey, going to the “Snipper’s Hall”, where they meet the one and only  Grindelia Snipper. A Goblin Woman, standing atop a 7ft tall step ladder, measuring a tall model with her arm tattoo.

“OH! Welcome!” 

"Snipper’s Hall” is a long building, like a miniature Viking lounge house, with elements of stone to keep it stable. There is a wide variety of different sort of premade outfits, models of different heights going from 4.5 to 8ft tall... And. There’s a jewelry section.

After a greeting, the party make their requests and orders in a friendly sort of manner. Mournimar buys a jacket and a stag brooch, Belli gets herself a new, lovely outfit, a dress of blue and pink, as well as a canine bracelet. Malak’s fine as he is and Amelia is left uncertain with what to purchase.

Upon Luctan’s request... A custom outfit which’ll take a few days to put together, the poor secret Tieflingman gets handled with amazing strength and tenacity by the spunky and overly friendly goblin woman, who measures him nice and well with her arm and finger, taking his numbers with keen eyes, even with his armor still on.

He can’t be sure why, but the very suggestion she’s sent people to get treatment over the roughhousing sends a chill down his spine. The elf baby just has a blast during the entire developement.

Business transaction made, the next stop is “Peppery Pete’s Pile of Potions.”

Belli is still angry with the old gnome, over his potions involving Orcish strength, given the negative stereotype about Orcish intelligence lowering the user’s titular stat.

A stern talking to is to be had, before any dealings get made there.

Along the way to the shop, Luctan asks Malak if he knows anything about the tournament, beyond what the party had heard and he shares his knowledge with the gang:

“The Tournament is divided into three trials The Trial of the Elemental Lords, the Trial of the Beast and the Trial of the Betrayed.

The Trial of the Elemental Lords involves the blending of the elements being worked into a challenge that teams must overcome together.

The Trial of the Beast involves fighting a mighty beast that establishes victors as a cut above the rest.

The Trial of the Betrayed is the grand finale, the remaining 2 groups battle it out. But there are clerics on standby. You cannot aim to kill, just to knock unconscious. Any deliberate murder would be acted upon as such in a court of lawAfter the tournament, a party is held for all groups within the Echosmith Hall and the champions are presented with their rewards.”

Luctan’s mind wanders. Things to be re-worked in his goals.

The lot of them soon reach the shop and, upon summoning Pete inside, welcomes are had. Arguing commences between the Half-Orc and the Gnome as Pete ultimately admits that he stopped producing the particualr offending potion, much to the losses in his product.

Ideas are being thrown around on potions Pete could work on in turn, before any business could be had, involving the party’s wants and needs.

Aside from getting a Greater Health Potion and a new Potion of Wizard’s Folly (after giving his first one to Danton back in Sa Doma), the party have... particular requests.

Belli takes note of the “ Basilisk Tears “ potion. For 200 gold, she most definitely buys that and makes plans. Fast plans on the use.

On Luctan’s end, with the deal being made for Peter sponsoring the adventurers for the tournament to come, Luctan gives in to the support of the full party, now that they are all in the shop, as opposed to only half there. With the price for his sword’s modification being brought down to 1,000 gold and the helping hand of Mournimar, Amelia and Malak, who didn’t even want the share of money given to him, Luctan accets.

And hands his greatsword over to the gnome for the specific enchantments he requested.

Belli has that moment of realization, you know? The one, where you just know that you have to move, while the moving is available and contacts Ficus about the Potion of Basilisk Tears, a concoction that might JUST bring her family back to their old selves!

With the party’s blessings, she runs off towards the Crusty Challice, where Ficus will wait for her.

But she doesn’t go alone as Mournimar tails her, just to make sure she doesn’t get messed with, before getting to her older brother. All the while the rest of the group are welcomed to the back of the shop by Pete for training.

As the work out commences, Mournimar follows. And as he follows, he keeps an eye out for anyone shady that might be watching Belli on her way out of the walls of the city.

He doesn’t see anyone. But gets the feeling that he is watched. He investigates that feeling. He notices that someone in the crowd is watching him. Seems to be, looks like a bald older man, stocky built, little bit tall and for a second the tiefling swears there's the faint glimmer of horns in his shadow, but then they disappear. As does he as Mournimar tries to find him in the crowd. To no avail.

Regardless, he continues on the path to the tavern.

There’s a bit of a smog in the tavern as people’ve lit cigarettes and pipes. Belli and Ficus have a good long talk as she shows him the potion of Basilisk tears. They are shaken, misty eyed and anxious to see if it works. This horror that befell their family... It could end in the next couple of days!

By the time she hugs Ficus, Mournimar has entered the tavern and commenced watching over the shadyness that may be observed from the patrons.

Which is to say, he’s basically looking through a sea of shade.

He does notice, though, one of the bartenders has a sort of, finely shaped jaw and stood up black hair, a bit of stubble and seems to be watching Mournimar a bit more intently than normal.

Mournimar tries to stealth closer to the guy, even though he’s aware. He tries to figure out who the guy is, but he has no idea.

Eye contact is made between the two as the guy slides a glass with Brandy over to Mournimar and just continues with his work behind the bar.

Mourni has a leetl sip to make sure everything’s Gucci. Tastes like some of the brandy from around Bavorum. Nostalgic.

Through some small talk, Mournimar learns that the man’s name is “Joe”. Just a working Joe, you know?

It’s less of a talk and more of an interrogation as they don’t break eye contact.

“The brandy’s on the house, Mournimar.” the man answers with the name that the tiefling hadn’t given him. Like. At all.

No answer given on how he knows that.

He backs out the back door with a wink and Mournimar follows after her.

There’s no way the Half-Orcs don’t see this by now and they dash and jump on after the digitigrade ranger, who finds himself and Morgan out in the back alley, with no sign of the mystery man, named Joe.

He tries everything he can, from following tracks, to Hunter’s Mark, to Morgan’s snoofer, but nothing works. The man is just... gone.

With the Narahs catching up to him, he explains what happened and has to be talked down from pointlessly searching for a man, or whoever, who is just “GONE”.

It is then that Belli must explain to him that she has to leave Crystalgate with Ficus. To try the potion on her family. It’s hard on Mournimar, but the frazzled tiefling understands.

Belli hands him Orion and states that, if anything is to happen, she’ll call the others. They then agree to meet up with the others for a proper goodbye.

The others, by the way, doing pretty well for themselves in this new enviroment.

A deal has been made that every time Amelia does good in the training, Archie gets a treat.

Given that the chunky kitty is on his back, getting pats on his big belly from the baby, she’s killed this training.

The entire development has left the running quartet staggering back to the rest of the party. Mournimar doesn’t spot anything off on the way back. 

As everyone reconvenes, Mournimar gives them an update on the respective situations, giving in detail a description of this “Joe” character. He worries it could be related to Lazarus, his ex. Or Kahlia. Or Potencia herself. He gets calmed by Luctan’s wording on the subject.

“We’re a bunch of famous and attractive people. Let’s face it. we have fans.”

As the party splits up, with Belli making her goodbyes with the rest of the gang, Luctan Blesses her and Ficus, which catches Malak’s attention. Thinking about the type of magic being used, he can tell that, though holy, it is not one of the Five that has given Luctan his abilities.

With Belli and Ficus taking Kevin and Killer, the rest of the party opt to go to the circus on the outskirts of town.

“The Voluptani Mystique “, a big tent circus in the north-west part of town’s outskirts. It’s fabulous on the outside.

They pay and notice at the entrance, a red skinned tiefling woman with a long, ball gown dress, leaning against the booth she stood inside and she waves a hand over and leaves a small mark with Prestidigitation.

Lead inside,  it’s basically how you imagine a circus. An arena with seats around the circle. The four and their animal companions take a seat at the front as the Dancing Lights Cantrip flies around the tent, lighting and highlighting everything and everyone gathered, people of many walks of life. Just here for a little show to end the evening.

A cloud of smoke emits from the middle and the huge entrance of the tent swings shut.

Inside the cloud the lights start hovering, we can see the lights start changing color and go in different directions, erratic and suddenly there are hops from around the room where everyone’s sitting. And back in the middle, when they look, they see a high elf woman with pitch black hair falling long and wavy towards the bottom.

She stands with one hand in the air and one hand spread outwards towards the side. She pauses, looks around the audience and she whistles three high pitched notes. She snaps with her pointing up hand and the lights skatter, going right towards the audience. The cloud disappears and in the time it was there, the original woman is gone and there are two halflings, a man and a woman and they start doing all sorts of contortions. They entwine and roll in a ball. Throughout the whole show there is this almost hypnotic flute music. Pyrotechnic displays and after each one, there is a set of three elven dancer,s almost dangerously close as they maneuver around. Really fucking weird. A whole lot of illusion magic is happening here.

At one point the elven dancers starts flying around and Mallak, being a local, has seen this before.

After 3 hours of this weird bewhildering performance the entire room lights up and it’s completely clear and the original high elf woman, who’s actually an eladrin, is still in that same pose as when things started.

And she says “Thank you all once again, as always, please leave your tips with faith on the way out and thank you. She snaps with fingers and purple energy surrounds her as she leaves.

Bewhildered and amazed, Mournimar kinda wants to give this a go. Run away and joy the circus? Follow your dream, bud!

Having been in Crystalgate for a few years now, Malak had abided in a few viewings of the spectacle and, though it’s often with some modifications, it’s generlaly been the same good experience over time. He’s happy.

Amelia shares with the gang about the possibility of hanging out at Nel’s for a few days. As though there was any question on whether they would say “no” to such an offer.

 As the night covers the sky above Crystalgate, the party find themselves again at the rich sector of town, being watched by a guard.  Nel arrives at the gate, red faced after messaging Amelia. She forgot to give her a badge and was now paying the price with the run she had to make.

Sadly, though a talented bard,  Nel has the muscle content of a slug.

The party soon make it back to Shadowspire Manner, lead by Nel, after introducing Mal to the Half-Elven woman and sharing of Burk’s departure.

They are shown around. the rooms, the kitchen, everything they’d need, before she takes Amelia’s hand and leads her to her room. Nel’s room. She is the body guard and she must guard that body.

Mournimar and Malak opt to crash in Luctan’s room for the evening, deciding not to split the party any further than this.

Luctan watches out of a window for about an hour, while humming to the baby, before going to bed.

As Mournimar and Malak sleep, Mournimar has some kind of dream...

But Luctan doesn’t sleep.

No.

Instead, once he’s sure the others have fallen in rem sleep, he sneaks outside and goes for a short walk around the neighbourhood, doing whatever it is that he does at this time.

After coming back in, 5-10-20-to-30 minutes later, he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and notices a shadow close to Mournimar, with no one casting it.

Then it disappears.

After investigating out the window, Luctan goes to bed and meditates... on something else.....

Day 2 comes to an end.

Previous Episode / Halloween Episode / Next Episode

[wilderwestking]

Wings of Fire Chapter 7 Read On AO3|FF

Summary:  Plagued by dragons, Berk offers a sacrifice. Astrid swears she will end the feared Dragon Master’s life, but when the Dragon Master’s war becomes her own, Astrid must figure out whose side she’s really on.

Rating: M

This chapter has A LOT of whump in it and also feels. 

Astrid was accustomed to dragon fire.

Being at war with dragons her entire life, she had grown used to the smell of sulfur and burning wood. She had learned to ignore the smell of burning flesh and keep on fighting. Astrid knew the kinds of pain that only a dragon could bring.

But nothing could prepare her for the flames of the dragon queen.

Fire, hotter than anything she had ever experienced, washed over their ledge, encompassing every rock and dragon and…person in its path.

It didn’t seem real.

Hiccup had been standing there only moments before. Now…oh, Gods.

Hiccup.

Hiccup was in that fire.

Gods, she was going to be sick. Bile rose in her throat, thick and acidic.

Hiccup was dead .

Not even the Dragon Master could survive a fire like that.

Astrid wanted to scream. In fear. For help. She wanted to scream until her throat was raw and the warriors of Berk heard her pleas and boarded their longships to rescue her. She wanted to scream until the gods themselves took pity on her and sent aid.

She was screaming.

Loud and furious and sorrowful and feral and…not her.

It was Toothless’s roar that filled the cavern, silencing the dragon flock and extinguishing the queen’s flames. His roar echoed off the walls, shaking Astrid to her bones and reminding her why her people hid and prayed that Night Furies did not find them. Covering her ears, the realization hit her.

Toothless was challenging the queen.

Dropping down from his perch to stand over the body of his rider, Toothless stared down six, angry eyes.

Beneath him, Hiccup remained motionless. Then, as the last of the flames receded, he stirred. Rising like Surtr from the smoldering rubble, he took shelter behind his dragon. His chest heaved, taking in deep breaths of the sulfur-filled air.

Astrid was sure that he was as shocked as she was that he had lifted his head and found himself in the Red Death’s nest and not Helgafjell.

He checked his armor, looking for burns before remembering that Astrid too had suffered the dragon’s flames. Hiccup turned his head briskly, desperately scanning the rocks for her.

Locking eyes, Astrid saw the relief in his eyes and she hoped he saw the apology in hers.

Toothless warbled, drawing Hiccup’s attention away from Astrid and to the Red Death. Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless’s flank, a sign that he was there.

Then, Toothless’s eyes turned to slits and he fired three plasma blasts—not at the Red Death, but at the ledges above her head.

The force of the blasts brought the rocks tumbling down, striking the Red Death and raining down a cloud of dust. Blinded, the queen shook her head of the debris, snarling and snapping in fury as she attempted to clear her vision.

With the queen distracted, Hiccup wasted little time. Scrambling into the saddle, he held an arm out for Astrid, waving her over. “Let’s go, hurry!”

Toothless shot two more blasts, covering Astrid as she ran forward. Leaping into the saddle, she wrapped her arms around Hiccup’s middle. Forearms burning, she ripped her arms away from his scalding armor and clung to the saddle leathers as Toothless dropped from the ledge and rocketed skyward.

The queen screamed, ordering the mass of dragons to stop them from leaving. Obeying their queen, the dragons took from their perches, swirling around the Night Fury and blocking their path forward.

Hovering, Toothless threw his head to the left and right, looking for an opening.

“Bud, we gotta move!” Hiccup said urgently.

Below them, the queen rose up, attempting to snap them from the air. Toothless dodged her bite, hovering just above her reach. A Zippleback was not as lucky.

An opening appeared through the wall of wings and tails and fangs.

Astrid could see light flickering at the top of the cave. Toothless surged forward, maneuvering through the dragons.

They would make it .

A Skrill, nearly double the size of an average Skrill, slammed into Toothless.

Astrid was knocked from the saddle.

Hiccup, reacting in time, grabbed Astrid’s arm.

Dangling in the air, Astrid stared wide-eyed at the Titan-Wing. Lightning crackled dangerously from its wing tips as it snarled. Hair standing on end from the dragon’s static, Astrid kicked her legs uselessly.

“Hiccup, pull me up!” She shouted.

“I’m trying!” He shouted down at her, “You’re heavier than you look.”

She grabbed at Hiccup, finding purchase in the gap beneath his breastplate and under-armor. Ignoring the burning in her hands, she pulled herself back into the saddle.

“Get us out of here, bud!” Hiccup cried, urging Toothless forward.

Toothless growled at the Skrill, body twisting in the air as the two danced and maneuvered around the other. While Toothless had agility over the Skrill, the sheer size of the beast made it hard to move around. Especially when the circling wall of dragons was growing smaller and smaller by the second.

If they were not avoiding the Skrill they were avoiding the talons of dragons, giving them little time to focus on escape.

Astrid watched the Skrill, trying to find a weakness to use against it. The Skrill, hovering in the air, charged its next attack. Lightning sparked and jumped from scale-to-scale as the dragon flapped its wings.

“Your sword, Hiccup! Give me your sword!” Astrid yelled.

“Little busy!” Hiccup called to her, pulling on Toothless’s rig to avoid the dragon as it dove at them.

Astrid closed her eyes, clinging to the saddle as Toothless barrel-rolled to avoid the dive. Opening her eyes, she saw the dragon rounding on them, preparing for a second dive.

Taking the fight into her own hands, she reached forward, grabbing the sword from the holster on Hiccup’s thigh. Ignoring the sizzling of her flesh from the heated metal, she extended the blade and stood up in the saddle. Knees clinging to Tootthless, she braced herself.

Using the Skrill’s momentum against it, Astrid thrust the sword into the dragon’s underbelly, slicing it from tip to tail. Blood and viscera raining down on them, coating Hiccup and Astrid.

Wiping the dragon blood from her face, she turned her head to follow the Skrill as it fell, screaming in agony, to the rocks below. It careened to the ground, smashing into the rocks below. The last crackles of lightning sparked across its scales, but it moved no more.

In the mist, the queen stilled and around them, the wall of dragons dissipated.

Astrid slid down in the saddle, gasping for breath as the adrenaline wore off.

Using the hesitation of the queen, Toothless pushed past the remaining dragons, breaking out of the nest and into the sky.

Hiccup turned Toothless toward the maze of sea stacks, and the dragon dived into them, the tell-tale whistle of a Night Fury filling the air.

Darting and weaving through the rocks, Hiccup glanced back at Astrid. “Why would you do that?”

“It was going to kill us!” Astrid replied.

“Toothless and I had it.”

“It was going to kill us!” She repeated in exasperation. “You should be thanking me!”

Hiccup didn’t respond to her, but the way he jerked Toothless’s rig as they maneuvered between sea stacks told Astrid everything she needed to know.

But she didn’t regret killing the dragon.

She was a Viking and the dragon was an enemy.

Toothless banked hard to the right, causing Astrid to adjust her grip. Flying low over the water, Toothless’s downdrafts caused water to fly up to them.

After the fires of Helheim she had experienced inside the nest, she was grateful for the cooling drops. However, the steam that rose from Hiccup’s armor as the water evaporated left her with more questions than clarity.

How had he survived the queen’s fire? Was there something more to the ‘Dragon Master’ than Hiccup let on?

xXx

Breaking free of Helheim’s gate, Toothless flew hard and fast over open ocean, putting as much distance between them and the nest as possible.

Hours later, Hiccup deemed them safe. Slumping forward, he rested his weight on the dragon’s head.

Toothless, looking up at his rider, whined softly in concern.

Scratching the frills that lined the Night Fury’s jaw and whispering in draconic chitters, Hiccup comforted his dragon. Then, directing him toward a wayward sea stack, set the tail in the proper position to land.

As soon as black feet met rock, Hiccup tumbled from the saddle.

Landing on his back, he threw his helmet off, the piece clattering as it bounced precariously close to the sea stack’s edge.

Astrid jumped from the saddle and moved toward him, but Toothless blocked her path. From behind the dragon’s form, she could see Hiccup’s hair had been singed and his skin was covered in a ghastly rash.

Toothless hovered over him, licking at his face and whining pitifully.

Pushing her way under the dragon’s chin, she sat beside Hiccup.

Eyes shut tightly, Hiccup raised a shaking hand to his dragon’s snot. His chest rose and fell, heavy with exhaustion.

Toothless pressed into his hand, bringing a smile to Hiccup’s face.

Leaning up with a groan, he slid his hand down the dragon’s jaw to rest under his chin. He pressed his forehead against the Night Fury’s. “This armor really works, bud. I’m here. We’re good.”

The dragon crooned, pushing his head further into Hiccup’s chest and suddenly Astrid felt as though she was intruding on a moment that wasn’t meant for her eyes.

“We need to get your armor off,” Astrid said, breaking the moment. “It’s trapping the heat.”

Arms wrapped around the black dragon’s head, Hiccup glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He offered her a crooked, half-smile, “Trying to take advantage of me in my damaged state, M’lady?”

Rolling her eyes, she ignored him and began undoing the buckles on his breastplate. “The heat’s gone to your head.”

“And my hair and my skin and my clothes,” he said.

She pulled the heavy breastplate from his chest. Beneath the armor, his tunic was soaked through with sweat. The rash that obstructed his face extended down his neck and over his chest, blotting out the freckles that decorated the once-pale-now-pink skin. “How did you even survive?”

“Dragon scales,” Hiccup mumbled, closing his eyes. “They’re fireproof.”

“You’d be dead if not for them.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Without opening his eyes, he pointed toward Toothless. “In the saddle bag, there’s a vial of medicine. It helps with burns.”

Astrid shuffled around the dragon to get into the saddle bag. Retrieving the vial, she poured the liquid into her hands before rubbing it across his chest and face. Sticky and gel-like, the medicine was unlike anything Gothi used for burns. “What is this?”

“A mixture of desert plants and Night Fury saliva.”

“Gross.”

“Effective, though.”

Opening his eyes, he watched her as she massaged the medicine into his burned skin. Then, moving from her face to her hands, he noticed the blisters. Frowning, he reached for her arm. “You’re burnt.”

“It’s nothing,” She said, pulling away from him and moving to massage the skin on his cracked shoulders. Considering Hiccup’s state, minor burns were nothing to worry over. Besides, as a soldier of the dragon war, blisters and burns were nothing new. It was a familiar pain.

“How did it happen?”

“Your sword,” Astrid said. “It was too hot to grab.”

“You shouldn’t have killed that dragon,” Hiccup said taking Astrid’s wrists in his hands gently. Careful not to hurt her, he pushed the sleeves of her tunic up, examining the burns on her forearms. Angry, red blisters lined the skin from her fingertips to her elbows.

Dropping a few drops of the gel onto her arms, he gently worked the medicine into her skin.

Wincing past the pain, Astrid narrowed her eyes at him. “We’d be dead if I hadn’t.” She pulled her arm away and began rubbing the last of the gel into her arm. “It wasn’t a good dragon.”

“No, no, I understand that not all dragons are good.” He reached for her arm, carefully, as though she was a wild dragon to tame.

Slowly, she allowed him to resume, the gel cooling the heat that rose from her skin.

“I’m not angry because you killed a dragon, Astrid.” He turned his eyes on her. “I’m worried. You killed one of her generals. A Titan-wing! It’s likely served her since…since before we’ve been alive! Decades, probably. What if she wants revenge?”

“Then I suppose I’ll be keeping your sword.”

xXx

Unable to fly in his current state, Hiccup slept with Toothless curled protectively around him. Using a wing as a blanket, Hiccup fell in and out of fitful, heat-induced periods of sleep.

Knowing that they would be stuck until Hiccup was well enough to fly, Astrid spent her time dabbing his face with a cool, wet rag, hoping to bring the swelling and his rash down. By the time the sunk beneath the ocean, his swelling had gone down, but the angry red blisters still remained.

Sighing, Astrid kneeled down beside Toothless’s head. “Toothless?”

The dragon turned his eyes to her, peering curiously.

“You need to rest. I’ll stand watch.”

Toothless huffed in disagreement, turning his head back toward Helheim’s Gate. The dragon had kept watch since they had landed, growling at any dragon that neared their sanctuary.

“You’re useless to him if you are too tired to fly when he wakes up. We have to get him back to the island as soon as possible.”

He stared at her, round eyes blinking in the darkness in a way that made her hair stand on end. Then, huffing in acceptance, he closed his eyes and curled tighter around Hiccup.

Picking up Hiccup’s sword, Astrid sat on the edge of the sea stack. Her back to the open ocean, she stared in the direction of Helheim’s Gate.

The night was silent save for the crash of the ocean against the sea stack and the gentle snoring of the Night Fury. It gave her time to think on the horrible day she had experienced.

Had Hiccup died…

She would have certainly died as well. If not by the dragons then by starvation. Trapped on the island, she would have had no way to hunt or gather food…

She imagined Berk’s longships finally finding the long-saught-after nest and Stoick, leading Berk’s finest warriors across the beach, finding the corpse of a girl and never knowing that she had died alongside his only son.

She imagined what life would have been like if Hiccup had just told his father about the dragon nest. She shook the thought from her head. She knew now why Hiccup had never told his father about the nest.

Berk couldn’t kill the queen. Sending her tribe to the nest would be the same as sending them to their deaths. Hiccup had been right to keep his secret.

Staring down at the blisters on her palms, she sighed. While not as severe as Hiccup, the blisters bubbled, stretching the thin, top layer of skin.

They served as a reminder that she would have to find a way to kill the queen. Berk couldn’t live in peace until it was dead.

Hiccup’s sword was heavy in her hand as she thought on the ensuing battle.

As it stood, she had little chance of victory.

But as a shieldmaiden, she had sworn her life and her death to Berk.

Somehow, against all odds, she would find a way to slay the Red Death…and if she was to be consumed by fire in the process, then so be it.

Looking out to the ocean, Astrid noticed a blue speck on the horizon.

Growing larger with each flap of its wings, the dragon drew closer. Bracing for an attack, she tightened her grip on the sword and stood. Holding her post like Heimdall, she watched as the dragon approached.

Blue and gold with a miraculous crown of thorns,  Astrid recognized the dragon as the Deadly Nadder that had nearly gotten her killed.

The dragon didn’t attack. It didn’t even slow. Racing past the sea stack, it squawked as if to acknowledge her before continuing toward the horizon.

“You’re…uh…welcome,” Astrid said to herself before sitting back down.

The remainder of her watch was dull, but as all watches do, it finally came to an end.

Hiccup, dizzy and dehydrated, called to her from his place on the ground. “We need to get back to the sanctuary.”

Inspecting the roasted fishbone, Astrid nodded and began packing their impromptu camp and loading the supplies back onto Toothless.

Helping Hiccup into the saddle, she climbed in behind him. Wrapping her arms around him, she asked, “Can you handle it?”

“I’m fine.”

Hooking his prosthetic into the rig, he called for Toothless to spread his wings.

Great, leather wings overtook the sea stack and Astrid prepared for the stomach-rolling drop, but it never came.

Toothless jumped in the air and hovered for a moment before landing on the sea stack. He warbled at Hiccup in confusion.

Astrid leaned around, “What’s wrong?”

Hiccup didn’t answer, his focus on his prosthetic leg. Pushing the limb forward and back, he listened to the clicking gears.

After several moments and a few broken clicks, Hiccup sat back, looking frustrated and tired. “You’re going to have to fly him.”

Astrid’s eyes widened. “What, why?”

“My prosthetic is warped. I can’t get Toothless’s tailfin in the position needed to take off.”

He pulled his leg from the rig and held it up from her to see. At the end of the stump, the metal prosthetic was bent backward in an impossible position. Had it been bone, a second amputation would have been needed.

Glancing between the rigging and the leg, Astrid reluctantly agreed that his leg would not fit inside the pedal. The prosthetic had likely warped in the escape flight. Heated by the queen's flames, Hiccup's urgently flying had bent it out of shape.

“So, we’re stuck?” She asked.

“No, you’re going to fly him.” Hiccup said, dismounting to give Astrid the front of the saddle.

“But I can’t fly him. I don’t know how to fly a dragon!”

Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder, soothing her. “It’s easy, Astrid. I’ll teach you.”

Chapter One | Previous Chapter

[chemicalmagecraft]

The Gamer Hero, Deku Chapter 9

A/N: Okay, thanks to everyone who contributed to that explosion of suggestions. Was nice. A few things:

Remzal Von Enili: That is an interesting idea and I wish I could find a way to use it.

ImSoBored246: I don't think I'm going to go that extreme, but thanks for the suggestion.

Plasma Dragon 312: That's a cool skill. I already had an idea for PhysEnd's upgrade, so unfortunately that's probably not going to be it, but I appreciate you suggesting a skill and am going to try to find a way to include it somehow.

RavenJ: Thanks for telling me that. WAIT DANGIT! At the very least, you can't tell me his hair isn't antigravity...

To everyone who suggested a fire-type Pokémon for Izuku: Thank you! You all had great ideas and I honestly wish I could pick them all, buuuut there would be some logistic problems with that... The winning suggestion, however, goes to a guest because I liked the Pokémon and logic behind it used and then grew too attached to my design to change my mind. Not gonna say what it is here, though.

And considering how well that worked out, I'd also appreciate any title suggestions for as-of-yet untitled characters and also skill suggestions. Because I highly appreciate any time someone gives me an excuse to do less work, lol.

xoxoxo

Yuuei was... surprisingly mundane. I don't know what I was expecting, but after the rush of being taught by pro heroes wore off, it was actually boring. At least it was good for leveling Enlightenment. Though Enlightenment actually leveled rather slowly for a level one skill, probably because it was a prestige skill. I was really excited to see what getting that up would do.

Of course, there was one class that I didn't want to miss one second of. Hero Basic Training.

"I AM HERE!" All Might shouted as he burst through the door in his silver age costume, causing a wave of excitement to run through the class. "Today will be your first class with me, All Might! In this class, you will learn what you will need to defeat villains and save lives! But before we begin!" He pointed at some panels on the wall that Observe told me held our hero costumes behind them! On cue, they slowly came out from the wall. "I'm not the only one who's going to be in costume today! Suit up in your new outfits and meet me at training ground beta!

xoxoxo

All Might gave his trademark brilliant smile as he watched us slow-walk through the entrance to training ground beta, somehow in perfect sync. "They say clothes make the pros, class, and you are no exception!" Everyone looked so cool in their costumes!

"Hey, Deku!" Uraraka said as she walked over to me. She had a black-and-pink bodysuit that looked like a futuristic space suit. "I love your costume! It's supposed to be like an RPG character, right?"

"Yeah that was the idea," I said. At first, I'd wanted a jumpsuit with horns that looked like All Might's hair, but when I showed it to Kacchan he hit me so hard I leveled up Physical Endurance (though to be fair I was almost to the next level at the time) and told me that it would be too obvious and it'd make me look like a rabbit. 

Upon threat of further violence, I agreed to change my outfit to something a little more original, and decided to just go with the RPG theme that my Quirk gave me. I had a green waistcoat over a long-sleeved white shirt, dark green pants, my sweet red shoes, white gloves, a small utility belt that I suppose was superfluous with my inventory but still looked cool, and a green hooded cloak that I had include rabbit ears as a joke to Kacchan at first, then decided I liked it and kept it. It all had light armor that didn't mess with the look or harm my mobility but still added slightly to my defenses. The most surprising part, though, was that my request for a sword so I didn't have to waste mana on Bound Blade was accepted. Sure, I had spells that worked well with a sword, but I could also make swords and I didn't expect them to let me have a sword on my first year. "I think yours looks nice too." I also expected that without Gamer's Mind I would have been very flustered...

Ururaka sighed. "I wish I'd been more specific with my costume, this is a little embarrassing..."

"Look at it this way; at least you're not Ponytail or Invisible," Kacchan said with an amused grin. His costume was pretty cool, but I still think those gauntlets looked a little too bulky, even after he had them reduced a bit and include switchable sweat cartridges at my suggestion. I saw he also had the water bottle I'd suggested to keep hydrated so he could sweat more. "One of them's half naked and the other's only wearing gloves and shoes."

"In my defense, I need bare skin for my Quirk, Creation," Yaoyorozu stated.

"Dude, I'm naked, like, all the time when I'm at home," Hagakure told Kacchan. I noticed that her title was transparent. Not fully invisible, but harder to see than it used to be. I shrugged it off as my Quirk making it harder for me to see her title because she was supposed to be harder to see. "And I got points in the entrance exam by sneaking around buck naked and messing around with the robots' innards and stuff."

Mineta gave a thumbs-up. "Naked ladies..." He drooled... Ugh.

"Nobody asked you, Dick-for-brains!" Kacchan shouted at him.

"Now that you're all in costume, we're going to begin with combat training!" All Might told us. "Unlike the entrance exam, where you fought robots outside, today you'll all be fighting each other indoors! Now, can anyone tell me why it is important to know how to fight indoors?"

Almost immediately, Iida's hand shot up. "While it is true that most confrontations between heroes and villains happen outdoors, the vast majority of all fights between heroes and villains are in fact inside!" He was wearing really cool white armor that reminded me of Ingenium and my Observe told me was more to reduce wind resistance than defend from attacks.

"Exactly, young Iida! And so for your training exercise today, you will be divided into teams of two! Those teams will then be pitted against each other, one hero team against one villain team! The villains will be hiding a fake bomb somewhere in the building and it will be the heroes' job to find it! The heroes will win if they capture both villains or touch the bomb! On the other hand, the villains win if they capture the heroes or survive to the end of the time limit! And try not to hurt each other too hard!" Then he pulled out a cardboard box. "And the teams will be decided by drawing lots!"

"Why lots?" Iida asked.

"Pros can't always choose who they're working with, so maybe it's to represent that?" I offered.

"Exactly, young Midoriya! Now, let's see who the teams are!"

xoxoxo

In a freak twist of fate that further cemented my decision to no longer grind LUC because it's not that worth it, Uraraka and I, in team A, were put against Kacchan and Iida in team D. Kacchan and Iida as the villain team were given five minutes to get set up, and we were allowed to plan outside while they were in there. I sighed. "What's wrong, Midoriya?" Uraraka asked.

"I know that this might sound a little bit like bragging, but Kacchan's really the only person in the class that I know for sure could win in a fight against me. I think Todoroki might be able to put up a decent fight, but Kacchan knows what I can do the best and his Quirk and magic combined make him a definite threat. Plus, he's the only person who might be able to counter the plan I came up with."

Uraraka grinned. "Then we're just gonna have to do our best! What's the plan?"

I nodded. "First, I'm going to summon reinforcements. Don't freak out." I summoned all of my elementals, including my new fire elemental, Blaise. He wore a light brown long-sleeved shirt with thin black horizontal lines. His black pants, black shoes, and black gloves covered up the rest of his skin below his neck. He had a mane of wild white hair with five wavy red... ponytails(?) arranged in a way that made his head the center of a five-pointed star. He also had a neck warmer/mask in the same shade of white as his hair that was pulled up over his nose. What little skin on his face that was visible was pitch-black, and his scleraless eyes glowed bright blue. He was probably the least human-looking elemental I had.

"Wow, what kind of spell is this?" Uraraka asked as she crouched down a bit to look at Dune. Thankfully, I'd managed to get Dune to switch from a gun to some sort of military-type knife sheathed on her sleeve in public.

"Sup, I'm Dune," Dune introduced herself.

"Halitus," Halitus muttered.

Rayne gave her a wide, toothy grin and pulled out her sword. "I'm Rayne! Need something stabbed?"

"No, Rayne," Blaise sighed as he grabbed her hand and lowered the sword she was brandishing for her. "Name's Blaise."

Uraraka laughed, causing Rayne to give a toothy grin and blush a little. "These are my elementals," I said. "They're able to control the elements. My plan is to use a certain spell I have to sneak into the building." I bit my lip. "Unfortunately, the best way to use it is to have you act as a distraction... Is that okay?"

She nodded. "It's totally okay! I'm guessing there's technical stuff at work?"

"Yeah. The spell, Illusion Barrier, takes me and anything I include into a sort of pocket dimension, and while I know how to exclude my elementals, I don't think I can put you in and not me..."

"I said it's fine!" Uraraka beamed. "That's super cool though! So you can just disappear at will? That's gotta be so useful!"

"Start!" All Might's voice said from our earpieces.

"I'm pulling us in!" I warned. "Illusion Barrier!" Nothing seemed to change, but I knew it worked. "Right, we should probably split up so we can cover more ground. Objects, like the bomb, will still be where they were when I used the spell, but Kacchan and Iida aren't in the barrier. I saw them on my map in the northern part of the building, but the map doesn't show elevation, so we need to check each floor. Let's go!"

xoxoxo

Bakugou sighed. This was going to be a fucking nightmare. "I am loath to act on the side of the villains, even if it's just for practice, but if I must, then I shall," Ingenium Junior said.

"'Kay, first off, Glasses, you're gonna have to think like a villain sometimes if you wanna get the jump on the real villains," Bakugou said. "Second off, can you please let me think?"

"Ah, yes. Is Midoriya likely to give us trouble?"

Bakugou gave a deeper sigh. "More like he's gonna fucking appear out of thin air on top of the bomb if I don't figure out a counter to what I'm pretty sure is dimensional fuckery. Deku's got a spell called Illusion Barrier that lets him go to some other dimension of total bullshit or something where everything's the same but nobody's there."

Even through his helmet, Bakugou could see Glasses' wince. "That sounds like it'll be difficult to counter. I will defer to your lead."

"Right, first off, this." Bakugou made a fire ball, using it to summon Pyra. Like Deku's elementals, Pyra seemed to have ranked up, causing her to look older and gain a small bump on her forehead for some reason. "This is Pyra. She's made of fire. Deal with it."

"Hello," Pyra said with a small wave. "I am a fire elemental."

"If I know Deku like I know Deku, and I know Deku, then Round Face is gonna pop out of nowhere sometime soon with at least one of Deku's four elementals to distract us. By the way, Deku has four Pyras of various elements. Deal with it. While that happens, Deku'll make his way over to the bomb in his Bullshit Barrier and just pop back in on top of it. I want you and Pyra to hold off Round Face and the elementals while I try to enact Operation Punch Deku in the Fucking Face from Another Dimension, or OPDFFAD for short. That sound good?"

Glasses nodded. "It does, though I'd like to know what OPDFFAD entails, if you don't mind me asking."

"Step one is to make some kind of sensory spell that can hopefully be used to sense dimensional fuckery. I've already made a spell that I think can do that, but I have to concentrate on it and it's a bitch on my mana. Step two is to try using it on Deku while he's entering or exiting Bullshitland. Step three, try to use that data to sense where Deku is in Bullshitland and then cause my fist to enter Bullshitland with magic."

"There are a lot of ifs in that plan..." Glasses sounded a little doubtful.

Bakugou glared at him. "You got a better plan?"

"On the other hand, this is a training exercise. Why exactly do you think your spell will sense Midoriya's Illusion Barrier?"

"Because I used it on Round Face and felt something when she used her Quirk that wasn't magic, which I'm assuming was her gravity fuckery, which according to Einstein is a type of dimensional fuckery."

"I... do not believe those were his exact words, but that sounds about right."

"Then I got Deku to use his inventory and felt a similar but different feeling, which pretty much confirms it's Fuckery Detection."

"I literally cannot argue with that logic."

"Now shut up so I can detect fuckery." Bakugou leaned on the bomb so he could close his eyes and reach out with his Fuckery Detection. It needed him to spread out a thin layer of mana over the area he wanted to detect, which meant that he wouldn't be able to use it over too large of an area if he wanted to do it for a while. Thankfully, Pyra had given him the general direction of Deku's and Round Face's heat signatures, so he was able to find the two relatively easily, plus all four of Deku's elementals. 

Just a few fucking moments after he got set up, All Might announced that the heroes could start, causing Deku drag them all into Bullshitland. Bakugou definitely felt... something when they fucked off, but he felt like he'd need to feel an exit to get any concrete idea. Still, he definitely felt just the lightest bit of a person-shaped spatial disturbance or whatever the fuck where the heroes were. He was able to follow one of the signals that he thought might have been Round Face until it made its way to the room with the bomb, convening with some other, shorter, human-shaped disturbances.

"Get ready," Bakugou warned, then concentrated harder on the signal. He was just in time to catch Round Face and the elementals getting dumped out of Bullshitland, which gave Bakugou a surprising degree of insight on how Illusion Barrier worked. He felt Bullshitland change when Round Face was spat out, then felt it change back a few moments later when Deku presumably recast the spell. It seemed like there was some sort of dimensional barrier or whatever the fuck that was already there, and Deku called on a part of it to use his Illusion Barrier, which Bakugou figured made sense of what Deku was muttering about when he was talking about his spell. But with that knowledge, Bakugou figured he could maybe punch Deku. He grinned as he felt Deku's signature approaching, then Blast Rushed at it when it jumped toward the bomb. "DIEEEEEEE!"

xoxoxo

The plan seemed to be going off without a hitch. Uraraka found the bomb quickly enough and called me to bring my elementals over. As they got into position, I found a spot that was out of the way enough that the villain team wouldn't notice me blink into existence for a moment, but close enough that I could get over to the bomb quickly and not keep Uraraka waiting for too long. I undid the Illusion Barrier for a moment before pulling myself and only myself back in. I'd had a lot of practice with exiting and reentering Illusion Barrier whenever I was switching between empty and skeletons, so it took less than a second. I ran toward the bomb as fast as I could, using Air Aura and Speed Up to get there faster. Within a few seconds, I saw and jumped at the fake bomb, aiming to land on top of it so I could just appear there and win. It looked like I was about to win!

Then Kacchan faded into existence in front of me, screaming, "DIEEEEEEE!" He punched me on the jaw, throwing me back. I was stunned, but more from the shock of Kacchan appeaing out of nowhere in an area I never expected him to than from pain. "You thought you could escape fighting me by fucking off to Bullshitland, Deku?" Kacchan smirked at me. "Fuck that noise."

"How?" I asked. I noted that I could see Iida and Pyra fighting my team as I got up. "Did the skill fail?"

"Fuck yeah it did!" His grin widened and he pointed at himself. "And I was the one who made it fail!"

"I'm gonna stab you!" I heard Rayne say gleefully.

I immediately turned to see Rayne brandishing her sword at Iida. "No maiming, Rayne!" I shouted frantically.

"But he tried to kick the pretty lady!" she retorted.

"No!" I said like I was telling a little kid not to draw on the walls. I turned back to Kacchan. "Sorry, didn't want Rayne to kill Iida."

He shrugged. "That's fair. Now hit me with your bes-" He cut himself off by using his gauntlets to block the flat of my sword. Kacchan being Kacchan, this only served to make him look extremely happy. After a quick test showing that trying to recast Illusion Barrier was futile, I used Air Aura to strike at him with a quick flurry of blows. Even though he wasn't as fast as me, Kacchan was fast enough that he could use both gauntlets to block my strikes. Of course, my plan wasn't to hit him with a sword. Instead, I kept his attention on my sword as I got out the capture tape that All Might gave us. I managed to make a loop with the tape with my hand and then gave Kacchan a particularly hard swipe. When he blocked, I tried to catch his hands in the loop, which would have disqualified him. Unfortunately, he incinerated the tape before it even touched him and then backhanded me, knocking me back. 

I tried to jump over Kacchan, but he Blast Rushed up at me and punched at me again, though this time I Air Jumped away, landing on the side of a pillar. I pushed off of the pillar with eight percent One For All, aiming to get over Kacchan. Unfortunately, he just flew up to me, causing me to to jump up to the ceiling and kick off away from Kacchan. This time, I threw an Air Shot at him, blasting him back and me toward the bomb. For good measure, I threw a Bind at him, which I really should have done earlier. Without Kacchan to deal with, I realized that maybe I might be falling hard enough to damage the bomb, so I braked with air mana. While it didn't stop me completely, I slowed down enough that I touched down on the bomb relatively lightly. "HERO TEAM WINS!" All Might announced.

xoxoxo

After the battle ended, All Might had us meet up in the room where the rest of the class had watched our fight for a review of our fight. "Now," All Might said, "who can tell me who the MVP if this round was?"

Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "Surely it's Midoriya, right? He came up with the plan, and it would have gone without a hitch if the matchups had gone any differently."

I felt my cheeks heating up a bit. "N-no, surely the others deserve some of the credit too..."

Kacchan slapped me upside the head. "You won, idiot."

"Yeah, but you three and the elementals also..."

"I won't deny that everyone contributed, young Midoriya! However, you most certainly deserve the spot of MVP!"

My eyes watered a bit. "Thanks, everyone..."

"And unless there are any more questions, let us begin with the second match!" All Might loudly declared. I perked up at that. I was really excited to see everyone's Quirks in a fight.

xoxoxo

A/N: And now dimensional fuckery is an actual scientific term thanks to Kacchan. Because it made me laugh and that's about half of how my writing works.

And FYI, Deku's outfit is basically his outfit from the fantasy AU thing in that one outro, but with a cloak to make him more wizardy. Bakugou's outfit is mostly the same except for the changes noted. Everyone else is the same.

[lunarrpmemes]

Adventure Time: Elements Starters

Skyhooks

“That was definitely the longest adventure we’ve ever done.” “Let’s go take hot showers!” “Look at this fish. It’s... gummy?” “We’ve gotta get to the bottom of this hot shower.” “Home always looks different after a long trip.” “Everything being pink is probably not a big deal, and also I’m tired.” “Why do you worry so much, worry baby?” “Don’t worry, we’re only teasing you because you’re a baby.” “Hey! You look like me!” “Welcome, stranger! It’s so cool that you’re inside our house!” “We’ve obviously stumbled into an alternate dimension where everyone’s a different version of themselves. Yawn.” “I’m in control of my emotions.” “Drink up, babies!” “I used to have a LOT of fear and sadness - but now I’m FINE!” “No! That is body juice.” “What’s that? Do you spurn my fluids?” “Looks like someone’s feeling a little SOUR.” “Stop striding! It just keeps you agitated!” “Hey! You’re meat!” “They look so happy. Like dogs.” “Something smells nice. Nice and toasty.” “She’s everywhere.” “You fixed ‘em? But they’re your friends!”  “Goodbye, boys! It’s better this way!” “They’ll be back. They have nowhere else to go.” 

Bespoken For

“Why does it look like a four-way pizza?!” “Everyone is not dead. It’s much worse.” “What am I gonna do without my besties around?” “Bird watching sounds cool.” “I’m going out to get some magic ingredients.” “Cool. Bring me a snackie.” “You a toucan?” “I’ve tried so hard to help you.” “It’s saddening, it’s maddening, I’m rapping, and- and--” “No, I don’t remember who she is. But I know how to find out.” “It’s okay. I know you don’t remember me.” “Hey, wanna go on a date with me tonight?” “I think she might be an exotic bird.” “You need to get a nice bespoked suit.” “No, that’s just the muumuu, dawg. I’m jacked.” “Pretty fly for an ice guy.” “I’m really into skulls and old teeth in jars, too.” “Well, that was terrifying.” “Maybe you’re going after someone who doesn’t exist anymore.” “Why not take him as he is? After all, you’ve been through a lot of changes yourself.” “It sounds depressing when you say it that way. Think of a different way to say it.” “I don’t wanna be that guy who just hangs out with his girlfriend all the time and doesn’t see his friends... Man, I wanna be that guy so bad.” “These are some low-grade fairies.” “Where did the weird lady go?” “I wonder if my roomie has any more of these soothing donuts.” 

Winter Light

“We’ll enter via the sewer line.” “This is a place mat from a seafood restaurant - and this word search is way too hard!”” “I made these sweaters and ear muffs for you guys. They’re bespoke.” “It’s a lot colder now, too.” “Oh, I get it. The top one’s fake.” “This is crazy. It’s like being at the bottom of an ocean.” “Ice to meet you.” “You betta believe it, bucko.” “Do you wanna come with us? We’re on a secret mission.” “She’s, like, ruined the whole world and all our friends.” “Yes, I draw elves. It’s what I like to do!” “It’s not a sewer, but it’ll have to do.” “Oh no, you have an icicle. You look like your kids!” “Back in my old basement, where it all began.” “Cool boy say what?” “They denied their precious birthright.” “Instead of embracing their powers, they were overrun by them.” “Monstrous. Like life itself.” “If you’re so upset about this, you should fix it.” “The universe is an abyss of suffering.” “Best Friends Gang, retreat!” “Everyone leaves, except me. I remember Father made me stay at the table until all the eggs were eaten.” “Well, that sucks and I hate it.” “The goose... Is loose.” “My mystic soup is great for combating Ice Magic.” “I feel drained like a dirty bath tub.” “Ancient magic was actually my major.”

Cloudy

“Woah, neat-o.” “Graduate student? What the heck is that? You graduated, but you’re still a student? Doesn’t make any sense.” “Can the Dog do anything about this?” “What are you doing? Swaddling me?” “Look what happens when you go to sleep!” “Turn around! I can’t go when you’re looking at me.” “Yes sir. I sure like cuttin’ hair.” “All this stuff happened because I acted selfishly.” “I was talking about important stuff!” “I’ve been trying to distract you from all this, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy with the way things are going!” “You know what I’ve been thinking? What if we’re dead?” “I try to keep my worries hidden, but where does that send ‘em? To my kidneys? That can’t be good.” “I can get into that. Maybe when I’m thirty-five.” “I don’t care, don’t look in this direction. It makes me feel like you can hear my most private business.” “Since when is it such a hassle just to take a whiz?” “Are you being digested in there?” “Thanks for not digesting me.” “Nothing happened to us, so now we get to fix it.” 

Slime Central

“Here’s some trail mix for the road.”  “They’re two wack-a-doodle peas in a wack-a-doodle pod.”  “Something about it makes me feel weird in the ethics.” “You don’t wanna stare at happiness too hard, yaknow? Cuz it stares back, man...” “This smells like a locker room for a dead fish.”  “Okay, you look dope.”  “You guys on a team, yet?”  “No, you can’t be on my team!”  “You got something to say?”  “As always, the prize is absorption into the body of our bumpin’ leader.”  “Skate to assimilate!” “Isn’t assimilation amazing?”  “It might be comfy, like a hug that turns you into a hug.” “She can’t absorb us if we’re self-absorbed.” “You need a three person team to compete, and I’m taken.”  “But I’m the plucky underdog!”  “No, you’re just terrible.”  “No, wait! Discontinue the beat!” “They love me! I’m a true Cinderella story!”  “Today’s losers will now be punished with shameful absorption.”  “It’s like being in a warm bath full of snot.”  “It’ll work out somehow.”  “May as well give in to it...”  “This isn’t an uplifting underdog ending.”  “I’m not assimilating!”  “She’s gonna be rejecteeeed.”  “No, I totally faked it.”  “Even though I shoplifted this super cool outfit, I still didn’t fit in...”  “I guess I don’t fit in anywhere.”  “Whatever happened, he was always like... ‘it’ll work out.’“ “Stop being so selfish, I’m the one hurting here!” Happy Warrior“He’s probably having fun, and doing way better without you.”  “Your laugh is really annoying.” “Don’t talk that way about the skyhooks!” “Please keep your hands and bags away from the cloud’s edge.” “Don’t torture yourself! And don’t drop your phone into Fire Kingdom, dummy.” “If I don’t, you’ll die. Hah!”  “So... You guys wanna do something? Got any music?”  “You guys aren’t just, like, boring and old, right?”  “This doesn’t look so bad.”  “You see that bird? Gross.” “No, I’m just super cool.” “I got RAGE!”  “You cannot defeat me!” “Let’s take his armor.”  “I’m going, but I swear vengeance, okay?”  “Your cooking stinks!” “Man, this place used to be nice... er.” “I can’t, she’s like family!” “My flame shield protected me from the Change. The rest of the kingdom... Is lost.”  “She is spicy with anger.”  “We used to really bond over music, and.... Stuff.”  “This is as far as I go.”  “She said some... Hurtful things.”  “I’ll give her a good talking to. I’ll talk her into next week.”  “My wolf is also a loner.”  “When did he get cool? Everyone slept on that.”  “Die in a ditch!” “You used to be about the laughs!” “You can’t run the saw, then stay outta my woodshed.”  “The duck found a secret tunnel!”  “We’re just friends, and I’m proud of that friendship. Getting there took a lot of trust building and emotional growth.”  “... Do you do squats?”  “That big, gross dragon is your ex?!”  “This place is a toxic, aggro-macho-scape.” “That was messed up, and not who you really are!” “The only friend I have is violence, and the only thing we do when we hang is FIGHT!”  “I’m gonna ruin your universe.”  “Honestly, I could still see those two working out.”  “This is terrible, nobody’s paying attention to me!” “That’s a huge extrapolation from what I said.” “Surely, this is the end of all things.”

Hero Heart

“Is this about your ex?” “This is about the purity of battle.”  “Just listen to the beat of your hero heart!” “I only hear the drums of war.” “You’re hurting me physically and emotionally.” “Becoming a crazy, fiery bad boy has made you even more of a babe.”  “It’s a real magic flying carpet!”  “We lost him to the flames of war!” “You got any lotion? Your skin is so... Hydrated.”  “Aw man, I don’t think you should play this game ever again.”  “Look at all these thirsty customers!” “Ice cream pies for all our hot new friends.”  “Jeez, who sneezed in your cornflakes?”  “Look, weird lady - I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but we’re the only sane people left in this crazy, mixed-up world.” “Lets get in there and mash their potatoes!”  “My children have come home.”  “Oh, a dragon, how fun!” “I see you’ve been playing with matches.” “Fight me, nerd!”  “Ooh! Are we wrastlin’? Fun!”  “Everyone I know is spazzing out on each other.” “Is this the end? Will I be the last witness to the glory of this world that I chose above all others?” “I don’t think I can save the world on my own.”  “Curse these superior genes.”  “Your face tastes like my happy place.”  “My little Sugarplum - you’ve returned to accept your sweet fate!” “This charade has run it’s course.” “In your hearts, you are all sweet!”

Skyhooks II

“You left my friend down there.” “Don’t worry, I’ve got a new plan - a plan where nothing that happens here matters.” “He sees me like a handsome older brother.”  “Its me! I’m saving your tight butt!” “Maybe you’re not made of the same stuff as us.” “No more learning!” “Huh, musta dozed off. And bound myself.” “People say ‘you shouldn’t live in the past.’ But I say ‘why not?’“ “This book is strange, but when you puzzle it out, it’s mostly all charges and frequencies.” “My wonderful ___ will never become this sad, pathetic creature strewn before me.” “I thought I could do it, but I can’t. Being with you is like looking at my old life through a funhouse mirror.”  “I think you need to be the most ‘you’ that you’ve ever been.”  “I do believe in myself. I’m a blossoming debutante on the war path.” “Just relax, you’ll be obliterated soon.” “I - I guess I’m a special person, and I am worthy of respect!” “Can you turn this off and we can talk, maybe?”  “Boy, did I fail deep.” “Maybe I’ll try again in another thousand years.” “I’m not sticking around to see how this ends.” “I didn’t like being ditched earlier.” “I already saved your life, so quit telling me what to DO!”  “You mean these jewels love me more than they love those dum dums?”  “You bossed him back to normal!”  “The jelly is out of the tube!” “Oh, blessings. What a trip.” “Uh... Did you recently get a haircut?”  “Please be careful with yourself.” “I’m... A hero.”  “You really donked up.” “You and I can fix whatever this is, together. Whenever.”  “I was really scared when you left.” “I love you.”

[nsschaintale]

Link 4: Perseverance Draws The Line

CHAINTALE Extra

Chain Link: The Fallen Royal Scientist

Link 4: Perseverance Draws The Line

It had been years since the previous human fell, and things have settled down. There had been some monsters whose time had come for them to be Fallen, and there had been some funerals that were performed. Attempts were made to save some of the monsters, but there was nothing to be done. Nowadays, things have calmed down. By this time, Tether and Catena became old enough to do entry-level things related to what they wanted. Tether was still a bit of an errand boy, but is allowed in the restricted areas alone and learning how to help with low-level tasks around the laboratory. Catena also became an errand boy, but still not close enough to fully join the Royal Guard. Tether sometimes help the guards in the snowfields with deliveries when not at the lab. He was about to return to the lab when he heard something coming from the forest from the direction of the Ruins. He rushed to hide behind the sentry station and when he peeked over, he spotted a human. The human has shoulder-length light brown hair, hazel brown eyes, and wearing black fullframed glasses, a shortsleeved purple shirt layered over a white longsleeved button shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. The human was trudging their way in the snow and noticed the station. Curiously, they went to investigate it and when they got closer, Tether popped up to say hello, startling the bespectacled human. By the voice, Tether realized it was a boy.

Human: M-M-MONSTER!!

Tether: Yeah, I know I am. You a human?

Human: Y-Yeah. What's...your name..?

Tether: I'm Tether! Tether Gadwyn! You?

Human: I'm Percival, but you can call me Percy. You...won't hurt me, will you?

Tether: You didn't hurt anyone, did ya?

Percy (shakes his head): No.

Tether: Then I won't!

Percy: Hmn...Hm? (cleans his glasses and put them back on) Whoa, you're a walking skeleton?

Tether: Yeah. Why?

Percy: I've never seen one before. They're usually buried underground when someone dies. (opens a purple notebook and takes a black pen out; starts writing) Monster Type Number..... Living Skeleton...

Tether: Really...? (glances in the notebook) Whatcha writin' in there?

Percy: Oh.. would it be okay if I wrote about you?

Tether: About me? Sure! Oh, I gotta warn ya. The other monsters are really into catchin' humans, so ya better watch out.

Percy: Are you gonna catch me, too?

Tether: Not really, but you did catch my attention!

Percy: I did?

Tether: Yeah, because I didn't catch you, you caught me!

Percy: ….

Tether: Uuh...wait...Maybe it should be... (clears his throat) The only thing that is caught here..is my attention!

Percy: Um...

Tether: Nevermind, I'll..work on it.

Percy: Were you trying to make a joke?

Tether: Yah, but it didn't work. But I got a...skele-ton..of others to try!

Percy: Pft haha, there's one.

Tether (throws his fists up): Yes! I did it! Ah, but I gotta go. Catch ya later!

Percy: Bye, Tether! (watch him run off) He seems nice. I hope the other monsters are nice, too.

They weren't.

Like the humans before him, he was also chased by the monsters. But unlike them, Percy was getting some unexpected help. From snowballs mysteriously flying at the monsters to seeing them being directed away from him, he was grateful to his mystery helper. At times, he had ran into Tether in the snowfields and was often asked about what he writes in his notebook. Percy was willing to share his findings and observations with him when he's not trying to dodge monster attacks. While he was getting afraid of the monsters' actions, he's begun to trust Tether. Tether wanted to show Percy around Snowdin, but knowing that the monsters and the Royal Guard are actively hunting the human down, they didn't have much time to do so. Once they did manage to reach town, they had to sneak around to avoid the searching monsters. As they did, Percy tried to take as many notes as he could, causing Tether to question his insistence in writing as they hid behind a restaurant.

Tether: You're writin' again. Why do ya do that? Is that what humans do?

Percy: Not all of them, but it's what I do.

Tether: Really?

Percy: Yep! I love history, and I want to learn about everything that happened in the past and how it shaped our future.

Tether: But why did ya come down 'ere?

Percy: Because I wanted to see if there was any truth to the legends I've heard of, mainly the Monster-Human War. (frowns) But it looks like I won't be able to get any answers from everyone here since they're chasing me...

Tether: Hmm...Maybe ya should talk to m' Papa! He's old enough ta know stuff 'bout that!

Percy: He does?

Tether: Yeah! He's a scientist, so he's smart!

Percy: Good idea! I wanna meet him!

Tether: We betta go then!

Leaving their hiding spot, the duo snuck their way out towards the snowstorm out on the outskirts of Snowdin. Realizing it was time for him to go, Percy was about to leave Tether but not without giving him a gift.

Percy (hands Tether a blue covered notebook): Here.

Tether: A book?

Percy: A notebook! I wanted to thank you for helping me so far.

Tether: Err, welcome! Thanks fer the notebook! Oh, ya goin' through Waterfall, ya gotta watch fer the Head Guard!

Percy: The Head Guard?

Tether: Yeah, ya know those Royal Guard dogs? The leader is 'round Waterfall. He's a horse.

Percy: Okay, I'll watch for- a horse?

Tether: Of course.

Percy: Oh, that will be easy.

Tether: Huh?

Percy: I'll be able to hear him coming from a mile away. See you soon!

Tether: Eeer, okay. Bye.

Once they separated, Percy entered into Waterfall. This sent Percy into a writing frenzy as he documented everything he came across. The gem-encrusted walls, the flower bridge, even the waterfalls. As he traveled, he didn't realize he was being followed. He noticed a few stone panels on the wall and studied them. He noticed they had the story of the Monster-Human War engraved on them. From what he read, Percy begin to question the truth behind the legend and whether or not the monsters were even bad in the first place. As he was thinking, he was startled by a shout from nowhere, turning to see a horse-headed monster clad in black armor and cloth with chains. That was what Tether meant by the leader being “a horse”. Percy dodged the spear thrusted at him and took off running. Along the way, he had run into areas where there are stone panels on the walls. Whenever he felt safe enough, he would read them and get even more disturbed by the story. He realized they had notes of the legend he had heard of, but not in the way he was taught. Something about Souls and the way they're handled between monsters and humans. Percy was feeling like the war wasn't a war. Rather than the monsters attacking humans out of evil intentions, the humans were attacking the monsters out of fear of their power.

Percy: “Not a single Soul was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust...” It wasn't a war...it was a...what's that word....massacre..? No way..... (writes in his notebook) This isn't right... The legend was wrong...

Percy was bothered by this revelation during his walk. He definitely has to get this information out. Distracted, he found himself in a room full of blue flowers and Tether was standing among them.

Percy: Whoa, I've never seen flowers like these before..

Tether: I 'eard they're Echo Flowers. They can repeat anythin' ya say to 'em. We monsters use 'em to make wishes!

Percy: Ooh, I want to make a wish. (crouches by the closest one) I wish I can tell the truth of the monsters.

Tether: Eh? The truth of the monsters?

Percy: Yes. I found some wall panels and they told of what really happened to the monsters. I'm beginning to understand why you all are wanting to leave. I want to bring this truth out to people on the surface.

Tether: What if they don't believe you?

Percy: Then I'll find a way to make them believe it! That's a promise!

With that declaration, Percy made his goal: he will escape the Underground and bring the true story of the monsters to light. Percy decided to explore more of Waterfall and had discovered more stone plaques, found a cracked statue, dug around in the trash area (he realized a lot of it came from the surface and figured it was how the monsters got their things), played around with the mushrooms that lit up the ground, and escaped from more monsters. He even discovered a little village with little dog creatures that he found were called Temmies. He had a bit of a field day with that one, but was a little disappointed when trying to get the “rich history” from them. Most of the them were saying strange things or just “Hoi, I'm Temmie!” and the like. At least they were cute, if not for the strange feeling he got from them. Leaving the village happy yet confused, Percy pressed on. At one point, he ran into Tether again and they wandered through a rainy area. They chatted for a while before reaching an area where they can see a distant castle.

Tether: That's where the king lives.

Percy: A king? Really? Is he nice?

Tether: Real nice! Papa works for him as the..uh..the Royal Scientist, yeah!

Percy: So cool! You think he'll let me talk to him?

Tether: If ya can get past the guards, but I'm sure if ya can show 'im yer notes, he'll let ya through!

Percy: I hope so! Hey, maybe I can show you what the surface is like. You wanna come with me?

Tether (lowers his head): I can't..

Percy: Why not?

Tether: Papa says there's a barrier and no monster can leave through it. We're stuck 'ere...

Percy: Oh... I hope there's a way to get rid of it so you all can come out.

Tether (looks at Percy happily): Actually, Papa's workin' on somethin' like that! I don't know what or how, but I know he is!

Percy: Awesome! Can't wait to see it working!

Tether: Me too!

As this went on, in the laboratory, Aden was taking a break from studying the human Souls when he was hearing about a new human roaming around. He also heard some disturbing rumors about a monster helping the human.

Gadwyn: What utter nonsense. Who in their right mind would ever help a human? (looks at the clock) I suppose I should check on my boys, see if they're doing all right. Especially Catena, I worry that the Royal Guard might be a bit too much for him. Tether should have been back by now, unless the guard needed him for something, too.

Figuring his colleagues can carry on the tests without him should he fail to show up on time, Gadwyn left to go to Snowdin to check on Catena and Tether. He found Catena and Darius heading towards the station outside the Ruins with supplies. When he got close, he noticed Darius acting strange upon spotting him and Tether nowhere to be seen.

Gadwyn: Hello, Darius, Catena.

Catena: Hi, Daddy!

Darius (nervous): H-Hi, Dr. Gadwyn...

Gadwyn: Is something the matter?

Darius: No, sir! Everything's good..

Gadwyn: Right... (turns to Catena) Are you doing all right?

Catena: Yep, we're takin' supplies to the Ruin post!

Gadwyn: Is that right? Have you seen your brother? He was supposed to be back to the lab by now.

Catena: I dunno. I was with Mr. Darius. We were s'possed to meet him here when we came back.

Gadwyn: And he wasn't here...?

Darius: He was. I told him to wait, but maybe another guard called for him while we were gone?

Gadwyn: Hmm, I suppose if that's the case, I'll ask the sisters.

Darius: Okay..

Catena: Bye, Daddy!

Gadwyn: See you soon. (walks away) Something's off...

While Gadwyn searched for Tether, Percy was having problems of his own. When he found a series of panels describing how a monster's soul disappears after death, except for a Boss Monster Soul, and how a human can absorb that soul, Percy was startled by an echoing voice.

???: And another....

Percy: Ah!

???: Another Soul brought to us.... Yours is the fourth we need....

Percy: Wh-What?! (turns around to see the equine Royal Guard behind him) AAAHH!!

Keldin: You will not escape from me this time, human.

Percy: W-Wait! The fourth? What's that mean?!

Keldin (aims his spear at Percy): Three human Souls we have so far, you will give us yours.

Percy had heard of this. Three kids had disappeared into the mountain over the past several decades, never to be heard from again. And now, he was about to become the fourth child to disappear in the Monster World. He did not want that. He had a promise to keep. As he saw the monster prepare to pierce him with his spear, Percy felt something rise within him and he screamed.

Percy (eyes glowing purple): STOOOOOP!!

Keldin (freezes): Agh?! What...I can't move!

Percy: Huh..?

Keldin (struggling): What...did you do to me...you....damned...ergh!

Percy: I...It works on him, too? All right! All right, put away your spear!

Keldin (feels his body move and watches his spear vanish): H-How...you...!

Percy: Turn around.

Keldin (struggling but turns around): How are you doing this?!

Percy: Um...Go back to Snowdin!

Keldin (feels his body moving): What?! No...stop!

Percy: Faster!

Keldin (running): Gaaaah!!

Percy (watches him disappear further away): …..That was close... I better get out of here quick... But at least it still works!

With a newfound confidence, Percy kept going. He felt he was close to leaving when he found more panels. When he read them, he was becoming more fearful. The monsters had surrendered to the humans and were sealed underground by seven powerful magicians with a magic spell. That barrier Tether told him about kept them all here. The only way anyone can leave is with a powerful enough Soul and if seven of them comes together before the barrier, it will break.

Percy: ...No human could come here? ....Is this why the monsters were chasing me? ...Those kids disappeared...? Are they trapped here? This is.....What's going on..? No entrances or exits...but I came in through the ruins....Am I trapped here, too?

His confidence now turning into confusion, Percy wandered. He managed to write down the words, but the sentences were becoming even more unnerving. He trudged past the field of Echo flowers and spotted a single panel.

Percy: “But there is a prophecy.” A prophecy...? “The Angel...The One Who Has Seen The Surface....They will return. And the underground will go empty.” The Angel....am I...? (shakes his head) No...I don't think I am. I hope that empty part means everyone will escape here... Seven Souls...If I find the kids..err, maybe they're adults by now? Then maybe we can help the monsters go free!

Percy rushed across the bridge towards an opening and he can see a glowing red light up ahead. Once he passed through the path, he can feel the heat increasing as he entered a new area. He was shocked to see lava under the bridge ahead of him, but was also spotted by a guard manning the station by it.

Guard: A-A human! A human is here!

Percy: Uh oh! Uh, stop!

Guard (freezes): Guh, what?!

Percy: Run to Waterfall!

Guard (runs away): Huaa!

Percy: Gotta keep going!

Percy took off running across the bridge, spotting a large white building ahead. He had stopped but he felt something bad about the place and went north. He found an elevator and used to escape the now pursuing monsters. Once inside, he pressed the L3 button without questioning why it was labeled “Left Floor 3”, he didn't really care. He just had to get away. From a moment's peace to being determined to escape, Percy ran the moment the doors opened. He found himself running past an area where he spotted some cobwebs and into a large area where there are many arrow panels on several rocky platforms.

Percy: How do I get through here...? (steps on a panel, gets launched) WAAAAH!!! (lands on his side) Ooww... I guess...that's how...

Percy had to do this several times while noticing the monster guards standing nearby, watching him struggling with the puzzle. They commented on how he'll never get past the puzzle and that he might as well give up and surrender. Upon hearing this, Percy decided to prove them wrong. Once he calmed himself, he studied the areas and the arrows, planning out the course and adjusting as he went. To the amazement and horror of the monster guards, Percy made it through. He kept going as the cobwebs increased in number, until he reached a dark area where he noticed his movements were slowing down.

Percy: Ugh, why am I moving so slow...? (looks down, sees the floor covered in white threads) What is this stuff? (tries to lift his foot but it barely moves) I'm stuck? (hears sounds of skittering) What was that...?

(giggling is heard)

Percy: Laughing? From where...? (looks down again to see spiders crawling around) Gah! Spiders! No! (tries to kick them away) Go away!

???: There's no use struggling, dearie! You might as well relax while you're here~.

Percy: Who..?

Percy watched as a monster descended down on a silken thread. With an arachnid grace and polite poise, she curtsied before Percy.

???: My name is Kæde, the spider queen. I've heard of a human roaming around the Underground, but I never thought I'd get to meet one~.

Percy: Um, hi, I'm Percy, uh, can you let me go?

Kæde: Let you go? Ahuhuhu~! Why should I let you go?

Percy: Because I have to get to the surface! I have something to do!

Kæde: Aww, but why not stay a while and have some cider? You must be famished.

Percy: I am kinda thirsty...but I don't want anything right now, thank you. Just...let me go!

Kæde: Huhuhu... I'm finding it hard to let go of you, human.

Percy: It's not working..?(eyes glow) Let...me...go...

Kæde: Maybe I will. But let's have some fun, shall we? (snaps her fingers)

The area around them went dark, save for Percy's soul, which is of a purple hue. During the battle, Kæde sent spiders, various pastries, even a giant muffin monster tried to eat him. Percy had to study and dodge them all while running and climbing the spider webs that covered the battlefield. He also discovered why his power didn't work on her; her Soul was purple, too, although mostly white. His power may have been canceled out by hers. He was beginning to grow exhausted, but his desire to leave, the desire to accomplish his goal, kept him going. He had to escape, he just had to get his discoveries out there to the world, to tell the monsters' true story. Even as he was getting ensnared by the threads, nothing was going to stop him, nothing at all-

???: I see you've captured the human, Miss Kæde.

Kæde: Oh! Dr. Gadwyn? I wasn't expecting you to be here.

Gadwyn: Yes... (approaches Percy) So...this is the human that was causing trouble.

Percy: A skeleton monster..?

Gadwyn: Hmph, you don't look as tough as I had imagined. I was expecting something worse. Pathetic.

Percy: You're Tether's dad, are you?

Gadwyn (glares): I am.

Percy: I'm Percival. I'm trying to leave the place so I can-

Gadwyn: I do not care who you are or what you want to do. Your life ends here, human.

Percy: Wait! Why will my life end? What did I do wrong?!

Gadwyn: There are many things that you've done wrong. You exist. You tried to escape. You even went so far as to poison my son's mind with your words.

Percy: Poison his mind? I didn't-

Gadwyn: I had a feeling something strange was going on when Tether didn't come back to the laboratory today. I heard rumors of a human being helped by a monster. I thought it was just absurd. But then I talked to the Royal Guards and my other son, Catena. Then it hit me; Tether must be the one helping you. My own son, brainwashed into protecting you.

Percy: I didn't brainwash him! He wanted to be my friend- (gets choked) Aagh!

Gadwyn (choking Percy with one hand): You may have been able to do it with the other monsters, but I will not allow you to trick me with your poisonous words. There is no way a monster can ever become friends with a human. You are all heartless, lying, bloodthirsty betrayers, and I will not allow my sons to become tainted with your disgusting ways.

Percy: Aggh..b..but..I want...agh..to...I want to...tell the..truth...

Gadwyn: The truth? (loosens his grip) Ha! The last human who did that paid with her life after she took one of our own.

Percy: Wh-What..?

Gadwyn: She thought that telling the truth would let us spare her. It didn't work, so we took her Soul as I will do yours.

Percy: But...that means she's...

Gadwyn: Yes, she is dead.

Percy felt the dreadful weight of terror crash onto him. The previous humans who fell in the mountain were now likely dead in his mind. This threw him into a panic as he violently tried to break free of the spider web cocoon.

Percy: NO!! I can't die!! I don't wanna die!!

Gadwyn: Cease your screaming, no one will come to your rescue. I made sure of that.

Percy: Please!! I can't die yet! I promised I would leave to get the truth to the surface!

Gadwyn: You promised? Promised who?

Percy: Tether... I promised him that I.. (notices his notebook on the ground) ..I would take what I found here and tell everyone what really happened. I learned in school that you monsters terrorized humans to where you had to be sealed up in the mountain. But it's not true! It was us who hurt you! The humans must have started the war because they were scared of your power! If you can let me go, I can at least tell your story! Please, at least let me do that!

Gadwyn: Hmm...So he was telling the truth... You would do that much?

Percy: Yes! That's why- (felt the hand tighten around his neck) Guh! Wha-

Gadwyn: I can't say I believe you. You could be lying for all I know. And besides, your Soul is needed for the project, so it would be pointless to listen to your deceitful droning.

Percy: No...Pl-please...I can...help...free...

Gadwyn: Yes, you will. With your Soul. That way, you will never trick my son again.

Percy: Ugh...Te..ther...

Upon hearing his son's name, Gadwyn squeezed the boy's throat hard enough to audibly break his neck bones and cut off his air, choking him to death. Kæde watched this with fear as she hadn't realized how capable Gadwyn is in simply ending another person's life. She made a mental note to not get on his bad side whenever possible. Gadwyn drew out Percy's Soul and demanded the spider girl to release his body so he can take it to the laboratory. He also took the boy's notebook to read through it once he returned. Unbeknownst to him, the whole exchange between Gadwyn and Percy was seen by Tether. Before Gadwyn met Percy, Tether was found heading towards Hotland to meet the boy by his father and was taken back to the lab. They argued, Tether told him about how Percy was not as bad as Gadwyn made humans out to be, and Tether was locked up and guarded so he wouldn't escape. The scientist hadn't counted on his son learning how to teleport like him. Tether only managed to escape through the door, but it was enough for him to rush past the guard by his door and to the elevator. Once on the lobby level, he almost made it to the exit past the monitors when he saw Gadwyn with Percy. He watched as his father broke the boy's neck without hesitation after telling him to not trick his son again. Tether was unsure of what happened afterwards, but he could have sworn that everything went blurry and it all went to black.

Four Souls down, three to go.

TO BE CONTINUED