#Sam's Chats to the Void

[sam-the-friendly-ghost]

Sam's Chats to the Void: TMNT 2014

Welcome back to one of my chats with the void. This one has sat in my head as part of a larger chat, but it's such a big topic i thought I would post this by itself. This is a long one, and is practically an opinion piece. Feel free to have your own opinion, and tell me why I'm wrong. Also I liked the movie, i just feel like it could've been better. I'm being really harsh in this because i enjoyed it enough to care about it. anyways here's the chat.

I enjoyed the live action 2014 TMNT movie, but… What happened in it? I actually asked myself what happened when the credits rolled. It started really slowly like it was trying to hide the fact we were watching a TMNT movie, and then everything happened all at once.

April got fired for being into conspiracy theories, 3 of the turtles were taken, and drained of their blood, there was a chase scene, and then they fought the shredder, and saved New York.

I got so excited when Raph was the only one not taken, because that would mean the movie was Raph centric, but then nothing happens with Raph. I thought it would be cool if Raph had to find a way to keep his brothers safe, while saving New York. I thought he would go save his brothers, they would be weak from the blood loss (Maybe one of them can’t even stay awake), and Raph would be forced to navigate how to save New York without fighting, because he wouldn't be able to take the Shredder on by himself. It seemed to be more of a character driven story than a plot driven one. Alas I was wrong because some really bad movie medicine later and all of the turtles are fine, and they go beat the shredder.

(Also the turtles are called box turtles, but you can see before they mutated they were very clearly red eared sliders. Usually calling an animal by the wrong species name would be fine, but red eared sliders are very identifiable, and it felt like when you watch a movie and someone plays the piano obviously wrong. Like you don't have to know the piano to know that you have to press the keys to make a sound. Side rant over.)

I think it could've been a really good movie, but they spent their time muddling up their story. Was it about beating the shredder? Raph? April? I don’t know because they tried to tell every story.

If it was supposed to be an April story, April should've had more weight in the narrative. If it was a Raph story he should have learned something. If it was a beat the Shredder story they should've followed through on the idea of “If this tower goes down New York is screwed.” The tower fell, and that could've been when the plot really got started, but they ignored the reason why they didn't want the tower to fall.

Fixing 2014 TMNT:

I don't know if I’ll write this or not, but if I were to try, and fix this story, and tell every story it was trying to tell I would split it into parts.

Part 1: April O’neil. This mostly stays the same. April is looking for a big story, gets called crazy, gets fired from her job for getting into conspiracies etc. She gets proof of the turtles, and who they are, and tells a bad guy. Give her a reason to tell the evil scientist guy, like, she thinks the turtles need to be cured, something that puts her against the turtles (that comes from her not the bad guy). Evil guy tells her to carry a tracker on her, and the next time she sees the turtles she can alert them to her position. Kinda like Karai in 2012. She gets there, realises she messed up, and the lair is destroyed.

Part 2: Raph, and April. Some things change here, but not a lot. Raph is furious at April since she gave away their location, and is the reason his brothers got taken. He is right to be mad, but because he is mad he is blind to the fact he needs help to save his brothers. Raph starts tracking down his brothers alone, but because it’s winter he can't make the journey to the mansion. During this time April is trying to find out how she can fix this, and with some advice from the camera guy she decides to follow Raph. Camera offers his car, and they're off to the mansion where they pick up Raph on the way. Raph, when he’s found, knows he can't get there with the snow, and has cooled off enough to tentatively accept April’s help. When he arrives it again is mostly the same, but the adrenaline thing is gone. Instead he gets there, and his brothers are getting weaker, but currently okay, maybe Mikey isn't doing too well because he’s smaller. Upon his brother’s rescue they can fight, but they are running on their own adrenaline that wears off when they escape.

Part 3: Stop the Shredder. The chase scene is either extremely short, or scrapped completely, but on the way Raph sees his brother's conditions. While he has his brothers back, he still has to step up, and deal with the Shredder alone. This is where major changes would happen. Instead of a big battle between the shredder, and the turtles on the roof, Raph has to figure out how to save New York without confronting the shredder. At this point the audience has seen how Raph can be impulsive, so they will be curious how he will come out on top. The answer, get his brothers to a safe place, and using some phones he keeps them safe while being able to get help from them. He needs help figuring out how to get to the top, and Leo gives him a plan. He needs to disarm the bomb, and Donnie walks him through it. He can’t do it alone, he needs his brothers. April still gets to do the shoot off thing with the evil scientist guy. Raph manages to get the bomb disarmed, but that's when the Shredder finds him. The phone breaks, he loses the connection with his brothers, and it's time for the finale.

Part 4: The finale. The shredder's plan could still work if he takes down the tower with the poison container attached to the side. Raph fights as hard as he can, but he can't do it. He is losing, and after some cool battle choreography Raph is thrown off the building but caught by his brothers who were given just enough time to get to Raph after the call was dropped. Raph thinks he failed, and we watch the shredder take down the tower, and…. Nothing happens. April in the background of the Shredder vs Raph fight was climbing up the tower, and taking the poison off. She was able to do this, and sneak away without the shredder’s notice because Raph held on for so long. End film

Make 2 movies with 2 parts each, and you get a major battle to end each movie and a COHESIVE STORY. You can tell the first movie is about April, and Raph. The second one would be building off the first one, and be about Raph, and stopping the shredder. 

I didn't change a lot (except the end), I just made everything hold weight in the story.

Obviously it would be hard to sell a company on a movie that depends on another movie, and MANY things would have to change to make this story work. BUT it doesn't change my point.

A story get's muddled the more you try to do, and if you try to do too much nothing happens. This is part of a bigger conversation with the void about what makes a good story, and how I can apply it to my own story telling.

I've found I need a goal for my story. My goal can be to make someone think, or it can be to have fun writing it. I try to limit myself to 1 or 2 goals that are extrememly clear to ensure my story doesnt get muddled.

(Ex: My goals for 'The story of future boy' are to (spoilers) give a realistic depiction of toxic friend relationships, and show why a kid should never fear their life in a school. Both of these are heavily based on my own personal experiences. Meanwhile in 'Winter for Cold Blooded Turtles' my goal was to write something fluffy that I could make small character mistakes in, and not have them matter. This was because i had a massive migraine, and I didn't have the ability to think too hard, but i wanted to write.)

I'm cutting this off here since this is too big a topic for one post. Expect more about story telling as time goes on though, because I have so much to say on this.

[captain-noir]

found out both jacob and sam were where the wild things are truthers as kids and my brain short-circuited coz i kin them wtf

[boqvistsbabe]

.

[sam-the-friendly-ghost]

Sam's chats with the void: Rise isn't bad guys

This is why it bothers me when TMNT fans say that Rise is bad. It really isn't, it's just different. I like the Crow didn't like TMNT for a long time, but I saw a clip of the rise movie and decided to give the show a shot.

To my surprise I lived the show, and I kicked my family out of the living room so I could watch the movie on the TV. I cried my heart out when Leo sacrificed himself despite knowing it was a kids movie, and everything would turn out fine.

After that I started watching other TMNT iterations, and joined the fandom. My favourite show is 2003, and 2007 is the best movie of all time. IDW convinced me that non-fandom comics can be amazing, and this fandom has got me improving my creative skills everyday.

When I started watching 2003 I didn't like it, and I thought only Rise was good, but I stuck with it because it was TMNT. again 2003 is my favourite now, and I'm quickly running out of TMNT official content to consume.

Rise isn't bad, it's just different.

Because Rise is so different it's given the TMNT fandom a chance to grow at a rapid pace. But if Rise fans are told their show sucks they might not try any other TMNT. If the rise fans are pushed out the TMNT fandom is more likely to shrink in the future, than grow. We need things to change to attract new fans.

You are allowed to dislike parts of TMNT, you are allowed to dislike Rise. But understand that's your preference. Don't push away new fans because of your opinion.

If your new to the TMNT fandom, and have only watched rise, welcome. I encourage you to try other shows, movies, and comics. There isn't another part of TMNT like rise, but you'd be surprised what you might enjoy. Mutant mayhem is coming out soon, and it's more likely to be closer to other iterations than Rise, so warm up to them at idea now by looking at TMNT's history. If you just want to talk about Rise that's cool too, and I hope you enjoy your time here with us.

Why I like Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

(my part of the letter from my last reblog)

Up until about three months ago, I disliked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I saw the trailer for the Bayverse live-action TMNT and quickly decided I hated it. The live-action designs and the turtles’ attitude towards April felt gross, and I suppose that I, a young teenage girl at the time, felt like I didn’t fit in the target audience.

Flash forward to four months ago. I’m scrolling through my Tumblr feed – looking for Ninjago fanart and completely disregarding the target audience for lego ninja – when I see something under the “For you” tab.

It’s a Rise comic, but I don’ recognize it as TMNT yet. It’s a drawing of a scruffy-looking teenage boy, with long black hair and a hockey stick. He appears to be underground, looking a little lost. He turns, and before him sits a giant robot, deactivated and covered in moss. It’s a turtle, I realize, but I still haven’t realized that it’s a TMNT comic.

Then the boy calls his Uncle Donnie, who’s a turtle in purple. It’s then that I realize; I’ve been tricked. I’m reading a TMNT comic and genuinely enjoying it. I begrudgingly give the comic a like and go on with my day.

Over the next few weeks, I keep seeing more of the comic. To my horror, I’m actually enjoying reading it. One month after discovering the comic, I give in. I go to the first page of the comic and read from the beginning. 

It’s the story of a family trying to survive in a world overrun by invaders. Their family is made up of four color-coded turtles who make up the nebulous concept of uncle-dad, their entirely human older sister, and the scruffy-looking teenager they-re all trying to keep alive. This family dynamic is one I quickly grow to love, and the comix earns itself a place in my heart.

And then I watch the Rise movie.

Skip ahead to the present. I just watched the Rise movie two days ago (it had me in tears). As I write this, I’m also trying to figure out a plothole in the seventh chapter of the fanfiction I’m writing. Just yesterday, I finished designing the skeleton of my yokai character (because why not. I love speculative anatomy). I’m still reading the comic, which just updated yesterday. I’m happy with my new interest.

I love Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the family dynamic. I’ve always been a fan of unconventional families, and I’ve grown a liking for color-coded squads. I enjoy how April is more like a sister than a crush for the boys to fight over. I feel a certain kinship with Donnie, as an autistic-coded middle child who loves to learn. I absolutely adore Raph, the person who’s had to step up to care for their siblings and yet hasn’t quite grown out of the stage of life where he’s just a kid. Mikey is so silly and adorable, and he reminds me of my younger sister; the youngest and somehow the wisest at times. Leo feels just like a character from the first show I ever had such an interest in (Lance from Voltron: Legendary Defender) and I think he’s pretty awesome. 

I also enjoy the show’s unique takes on some things. I find it cool how the turtles are all different species. I love how this iteration’s version of Casey Jones is an energetic young woman from a rival clan. I find it interesting how Karai is a loving ancestor instead of an enemy. I love the artstyle of the show, where each turtle’s design is unique (compared to other shows where the only way I can tell them apart is by the color of their mask). I think it’s cool how the backstory is different from some of the other iterations, how the turtles were mutated on purpose and how Splinter used to be a famous actor. I think the yokai are awesome, how they’re like mutants but were there long before. I enjoy finding the little references, like the pictures of other TMNT shows on Donnie’s conspiracy board, or the fact that the source of yokai power is a Kraang. 

I have so many questions left unanswered about the show, and I’m sure others do as well. I would love to see the return of Rise. I have no doubt that it would be awesome.

#unpause rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles

– Crow

P.S. The comic I am referring to is by @somerandomdudelmao on Tumblr. I have no words to describe how much the comic means to me. Cass, if you’re reading this, thank you. 

[findmeinforks]

Stay - Paul Lahote X Fem!Reader

Happy 2024! I honestly didn't know what to call this, but I just kept writing and now I'll probably need a part 2 🙃 enjoy 💕 2.8K words

"You have no idea how excited I am. I mean just how long have I been begging you to come live with me?" Emily grinned into the phone that was tucked between her shoulder and ear. She paced the kitchen while whisking a bowl of brownie mix, mindlessly chatting away.

"I must warn you though that the house does get chaotic. But the boys are pretty good about keeping up after themselves," she said while swatting away Embry's hand that almost made a dip in the bowl. He put his hands up in self defense as she rolled her eyes.

"Sounds great. Sam will pick you up at the airport tomorrow at noon. Let me know if you need anything else, and have a safe flight. I love you!" She she set the bowl on the counter, hanging up the phone.

"Was that Y/N? She's moving in tomorrow?" Quil questioned from the table with a mouth full of chips.

"Yes, and I trust that you boys will be on your best behavior in welcoming her..." Emily raised her eyebrow as she pointed a dripping whisk of batter at all the men now surrounding the kitchen.

"Depends, is she hot?" Embry snickered as he sat down.

"Oh....she is." Quil emphasized with wide eyes.

"Get it Embry!" Paul snorted as he clapped him on the back, reaching over into Quil's bag of chips.

"They WILL be on their best behavior. And no one will be 'getting' shit." The booming voice of Sam emerged behind Emily, wrapping his arms around her torso.

He reached his head over her shoulder as she let him lick what was left on the whisk, earning a disgusted "Seriously?" from Quil.

"Hey, but what if she's my imprint??" Embry held his up his finger to argue.

"You know that would be a different story...but we know already she isn't Quil's" Sam smirked at the youngest pack members now disappointed face.

"You guys are kidding right? I've seen pictures. Shes insanely out of all your leagues." Jacob quipped as he strolled to the living room.

"Anything is better than my crushes newborn infant..." Embry muttered under his breath, making all the boys cower in laughter.

"Oh yeah? You wanna say that again?" Jacob challenged.

Sam walked around in between them, looking from side to side at them both.

"THIS is what Emily is talking about. Keep the fights outside boys. I mean it. Just because Y/N knows about the pack doesn't mean she won't get scared if you clowns nearly phase in the kitchen. Are we clear?"

The two reluctantly nodded, Jacob sulking away to the living room.

"But come on, that was kinda funny.." Embry whispered, making the other boys giggle.

Paul shook his head with a smile at his little brother, leaving the room to shower before dinner.

-

There was something about the conversation that stuck with Paul throughout the night. Since Sam had met Emily, all of his brothers wanted imprints. They all saw what it was like to have one up close, and craved it desperately. He grimaced at the thought. The idea of a "soulmate" sounded ridiculous to Paul.

The problem wasn't that he didn't believe in it. Anybody could see the intense love that imprints had for one another, their bond growing with them until old age.

But Paul was not familiar with the term love. He never did get to see the love between his father and mother. She had been his imprint, but passed long before Paul could remember much about her. He watched his father struggle emotionally, never being able to get through the grief of her loss. Sure, he raised Paul as best he could, but deep down it was his mother that would have filled the void in their quiet house.

Things did get a little brighter when Paul joined the pack. For the first time he truly felt like he was part of a real family. He came home to hot meals, genuine laughter, and lively conversation. Not only had he gained a group of brothers, but ones with unwavering loyalty. None of them ever strayed away when Paul lost control of his temper, and were the first ones to help him learn to control it.

Maybe that was the reason he never looked for anything serious when it came to women. What was the point? One little outburst and they were out the door quicker than they had come in. He didn't allow himself to feel anything for them, because they'd end up leaving, and he was saving himself the heart break anyways.

Paul lay awake that night certain about one thing, he didn't need an imprint.

-

You inhaled the crisp fall air. Smiling wide as you looked up the steps to the new home awaiting you, the patio adorned in different flowers and cutesy outdoor decor.

"Oh Em it's just how I remember. You always make it look so cozy," you said as you squeezed the arm of your cousin beside you.

She returned your same smile.

"You're too sweet. I just can't believe you're really here. Come on, I'll introduce you to the boys."

You followed her up the steps, walking through the door to the warm smell of baked goods, no doubt that Emily had been up all night. You chuckled to yourself as you remember how she would go overboard on food whenever she was excited about something and couldn't sleep.

What you weren't used to, however, was being greeted by the several shirtless men. All incredibly in shape with tattoos on their arms, you might have been intimidated if it weren't for their cheesy smiles.

Emily gestured to each of them,

"You remember Quil, and that's Embry, Jacob, Seth, andddd well," she looked around puzzled for a moment. "I guess I'll introduce you to Paul whenever he comes around."

You waved at Quil and shook the other's hands.

There must have been some sort of inside joke, because as you finished with introductions you saw Sam laugh while they collectively let out a small sigh.

You don't think you were meant to hear it, but you caught Sam whisper at Embry,

"Better luck next time kid."

Emily didn't make a big deal of whatever it was, guiding you to your room.

After you got settled in, you found yourself strolling the hallway, looking over all the framed pictures on the wall. You had been over the moon when Emily had found Sam. You've never seen her so happy before, and you could tell he looked at her in the exact same way.

Not paying attention when the bathroom door opened, you collided with a large bare chest that stepped into the hall.

You gasped as two strong arms to match caught you before you fell, luckily, and you embarrassingly faced the one man you of course had no former introduction with.

"I am so, so sorry. I-"

"No no it's fine, are you-"

Both of you started and stopped mid sentence. Your attention had been captured when you two locked eyes. It was like you had been anchored to the floor by them. This warm, fuzzy energy had your entire body buzzing. It was so silent that you could hear your own blood flow in your ears. You furrowed your eyebrows in the haze. What the hell...

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME??"

A loud voice cut through the trance and you flinched at the abrupt sound. The man held you slightly tighter for a moment, as if he was about to protect you from whatever had interrupted you both in this hypnotic state.

Turning around so you both could see that the voice had been Embry, the man looked back and quickly dropped his arms, as if he just realized he had been holding you that whole time.

An unfamiliar emptiness lingered when he let go. He quickly averted his gaze, mumbling another apology before brushing past you, into a room, shutting the door.

-

His imprint. Right there. In the hallway of his own home.

Paul couldn't breathe.

He sat on the edge of his bed, nervously running his hands through his hair in a panic.

You were beautiful.

Breathtaking.

Your smell was intoxicating and your skin was so, so very soft. Your voice sounded like an angel. Your hair-

No.

No, he couldn't let himself think like this. He didn't need an imprint. Didn't even want one in the first place.

Was this some kind of sick joke the universe was playing on him? This girl could have anyone she wants. Why him?

Emily's call for dinner had him taking deep breaths. He could do this. They could live amongst eachother and not have to talk. There's ton of people in this house, it would be rare that the two of them would ever be alone. Right? Right. He could do this.

He walked into the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face. Wake up. It's just some girl. No different than the many that he had been with. Hell, if he could have sex with someone and never think of them again, he could do it. They had barely exchanged a sentence. Barely touched. He would be fine.

-

You sat down at the table, trying to behave as normal as possible. What happened in the hall was nothing. Whiplash. Yes, it was probably the whiplash from running into him. The poor guy seemed shy, and he was most likely just as shook up as you. It was a small accident and nothing more. He certainly didn't seem angry or upset, just caught off guard.

But wow....was he handsome. Certainly more attractive than any lousy guy you'd ever been with. He had this aroma of sandalwood and forest that was enchanting.

Okay, slow down Y/N. Let's not walk in on the first day and jump on some guy. After all, you two are going to be living together. Maybe don't make him uncomfortable in his own home. You shook your head to yourself. Just forget about the whole thing and it will be fine.

Luckily, Emily had started conversations around the table, easily able to take your mind elsewhere.

That was, until he came in the room. There was a beat of silence when he entered, the other boys seeming to look at him like they were anticipating something. When he didn't make a sound or even look up to anyone, slumping at the table and taking a plate, the conversations arose again.

Dinner was excellent as usual for Emily's cooking, and besides your beating heart constantly begging you to look at the man near the end of the table, it was almost normal.

It was when Emily put delicious brownies on the table, that it took a turn for the worse.

"I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU AGAIN. SHUT THE FUCK ALONE ABOUT IT" Everyone's head turned to the angry voice. It was him. He was so visibly upset that he was shaking, staring daggers at Embry beside him. Slamming his fists on the table as he stood up, you let an audible gasp slip.

That's when he looked at you for the second time that night. It was a far reach, but somehow you saw his eyes soften. The crinkles of anger in his eyebrows vanished, and he swallowed, before bolting out the door. Sam immediately followed, and Emily sighed, reaching out to touch your arm.

"I'm sorry about Paul. He's very.....expressive sometimes."

Paul.

-

"Leave me alone Sam."

Paul sighed through the mind link, his large wolf racing through the trees.

He didn't mean it. He never means it. But Embry would simply not stop talking. First it was meaningless. He asked what imprinting felt like. Paul had shrugged it off as nothing crazy, hoping he'd drop it there. Then, he had asked him if he planned on pursuing the imprint. Of course he told him he wasn't. He didn't need a soulmate. No matter what his instincts told him. But then, Embry had smiled and thanked him, telling him that you were now "fair game".

That had been when he lost it.

He stopped on the edge of a cliff, breathing in the fresh water air. Sam slowly approached his side.

"Embry only said that to get a rise out of you, you know."

Paul scoffed.

"He can do whatever he wants. I don't care about her."

"Oh you don't?" Sam didn't sound so convinced.

"Even if I did, she wouldn't want me. Did you....did you see the look on her face when I yelled?" Paul replayed it over and over. You had looked absolutely frightened.

"There is a reason she was chosen to be your imprint Paul. You don't know Y/N. She is patient, and most of all understanding. If you talked to her-"

"I don't need to talk to her. I am perfectly fine alone. I don't need a woman, and I definitely don't need an imprint."

Sam sighed.

"Paul. You can do what you want. I'm not the type of alpha to force you to love someone. But believe me when I say that I had a dark past. I was also comfortable with being alone. Emily is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Having a conversation with her doesn't mean there will be wedding bells tomorrow. All I'm saying is you don't know unless you try."

Paul nodded, and Sam left him with his thoughts.

-

You stared at the numbers on your phone screen. 2:00am. You huffed in frustration. Your mind had been a constant replay of the events today, your mind spiraling. You had settled on the fact things around here were weird, when you had visited Emily and accidentally caught sight of Sam in wolf form. But this energy couldn't have anything to do with that. Could it?

You decided to make yourself some tea to try and relax. Knowing Emily you knew there had to be some in the kitchen. You tip toed in the dark, your body stiffening as you recognized a familiar muscular back that sat at the kitchen table in a dim light.

You were ready to retreat back to your room when he turned his head around to look at you.

Damn, wolves must have good hearing.

"I was just....going to make some tea.." you pointed to the cabinet awkwardly.

He nodded, looking back down at what appeared to be a cup of coffee.

He couldn't sleep either?

You mindlessly tapped your fingers against the counter as you awaited the kettle, praying that if you stared at it long enough, it would speed up the process.

-

Fuck, was this torture. You were like a goddess, standing there in your pajamas, hair astray and up in a haphazard bun. He imagined walking up behind you, wrapping his arms around you, soaking in your warmth while he pressed gentle kisses on your neck. He wondered what it sounded like to hear you laugh...

STOP STARING. Say something. Anything. Just. Try.

He cleared his throat. It must have startled you because you quickly turned to face him.

"I'm...sorry. About what you saw earlier. That's not like me. I-Embry, he can get under my skin sometimes," he rubbed the back of his head.

"But that's no excuse. I'm-um, Im Paul, by the way."

He lifted his hand up in an almost wave. Why was he so awkward? He was never this way with women.

You giggled, and suddenly, he felt like he was in heaven.

"Y/N. And no worries at all, Emily said you can be....'expressive' sometimes."

He chuckled.

"That's one word for it. But I just don't want to scare you off..."

"Well. I think if knowing that you can all turn into a large creatures who can rip me apart and that doesn't scare me away, I think you were okay." You smiled. He could look at that smile forever.

-

He was actually talking to you. Man, was his laugh so perfect. You could talk with him forever.

The kettle screeched, and you reluctantly made your tea.

"Well....I guess I'll see you around, Paul." You took your mug and headed for your room.

-

His name on her tongue. He wanted her to say it again.

"You can stay. If-if you want. I, uh, I don't...know much about you."

You smiled.

"I'd like that."

To be continued......

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hi there, i feel like our spouse doesn't react much to all the magical weirdness on our farm

Can i get some hc for Sdv+sve spouses one day waking up and being able to see an army of juminos recolting crops (farmer have like 4/6 juminos huts and lots of crops)

And the farmer just say "oh you can finally see them" while giving the juminos some raisins.

Heya 👋 Thank you for your ask, dear anon! (and I apologize for taking a little longer to answer 😅).

_________________________________________

SDV/SVE bachelors:

Alex can't believe his own ears! Spirits? For real? No way! The athlete dropped everything and quickly walked over to one of the Junimo and started poking at them, causing the little creature to squeak. "Alex, don't be rude. At least offer them raisins first." "Oh, sorry..." But he can't help himself because... a real spirits!

"Hey hon, I made you coffee-" Stepping out onto the front porch of the farm house, Shane found an army of apples with eyes and arms and legs following Farmer around like little chickens following mama hen. With a "fuck this shit, I'm out" face, he walked back home, thinking it was all from lack of sleep.

Sam's eyes nearly popped out of his orbits when he saw Farmer surrounded by apple-like creatures that were jumping and reaching for the raisins in Farmer's hands. The guitarist approached his spouse with an obvious question, but his stomach rumbled treacherously. "Do you have any raisins left for me?" Breakfast first, question later.

"Huh." That was all Sebastian expressed as he treated Junimo to some raisins. This creatures kinda cute, actually. "Sebby, dear, didn't it surprise you at all?" *Sebastian looks at the huge slime hutch, the coop with void chickens, the giant golden clock and the four tall warp obelisks* "Nah, not really, why?"

Not believing his own eyes, Harvey wiped his glasses and looked again, but what he saw before him had not changed. Farmer was still standing over the strange leaf house, and the apple-like creatures were still jumping around them. The doctor felt a little uneasy. He wants to ask. At the same time, he doesn't want to ask anything, lest he break his mind completely.

At first Elliott couldn't understand why there were different apples lying around his spouse. Red, yellow, green... blue and purple? Until those apples had eyes, arms and legs. "Good morning, Elliott, did you sleep well?" Apparently not, because the writer feels that sleep deprivation is making him see some... jumping apples.

Why would Magnus be surprised by the existence of Junimo? In fact, he's the one who introduced Farmer to these creatures. Interest in how his spouse had made friends quickly with the forest spirits, yes, but surprised? He is a wizard, he'd seen more stranger things than that in his life.

Well, that.... explains why Farmer refused Victor's advice to hire some helpers for the farm. Turns out his beloved spouse already has helpers... Little, apple-like helpers. Victor knows magic exists, but he didn't think he'd see something like this in real life. This is great, actually. Very interesting.

Does Lance see Junimo? *Chuckle* Of course, dear Farmer, and not only does he see them, but he even managed to ask the little forest spirits a few questions. For a good portion of raisins, because they love this treat so much. When else would the gallant adventurer have a chance to chat with Junimos, hm?

_________________________________________

SDV/SVE bachelorettes:

It had been about half a minute, and Maru couldn't let go of the idea that what she was seeing was the work of magic, and not Farmer's little robotic assistants. Magic, spirits... No, that somehow doesn't fit in her head. She's determined to study these 'Junimos' to see who or what they are. Erm, if the Farmer and the creatures themselves don't mind, of course.

You know that state when you have a lot of conflicting emotions bubbling up inside you, you don't know how to react to your own cognitive dissonance about the "magic" that is right in front of your eyes, but you try to stay positive for the sake of the person you love? That's what Penny was experiencing when her spouse was showing her forest spirits.

"Oh, so cute!" Abigail has a bit of magic in her, so of course she can see Junimo too. She's in awe of these forest creatures! And they are such wonderful helpers, harvesting the crops. "My spouse pays you well, yeah?" And the little Junimos jump around happily with tasty raisins in their little hands.

"Eeew! What is tha- Ah, okay, at least it's not rats." Apparently Haley can excuse cute magical forest spirits, but she draws the line when it comes to rats. Because she's terrified of those rodents, yuck. Junimos at least help her beloved Farmer with work, and they smell like forest freshness.

Merciful Yoba! Emily felt the presence of someone's unusual aura, but she couldn't explain who it was coming from. It turned out that all the time the little apple-shaped creatures had been at the farm and had helped her spouse! Kind spirits, how wonderful! And they like raisins? Oh, she sure has a treat for her new forest friends!

Huh, when Leah mentioned that Stardew Valley is "full of magic," she meant that it's full of inspiration for her future works, not literally... Oh, well. Yes, strange little creatures live with her and Farmer, so what? They're cute, kind, and hard-working. Great neighbours (not like she had when she lived in the Zuzu City).

Olivia thought all week that there were a bunch of mice running around the farm, stealing the ripe wheat. After expressing their fears to Farmer that their crops might be destroyed by pests, Farmer showed their wife that it wasn't mice, but little helpers, Junimos, who live there. ...She need a glass of wine. Maybe two.

"Oh, do you see them too, dear?" To be honest, Claire would rather not see them. Not that she minded the cute, erm, creatures, just... Eh, you know what? Why should she be surprised at all? There are so many unusual things and creatures (golden chickens, slimes) on her spouse's farm that there's no point in her being surprised.

Sophia was stuck somewhere between the "Adorable lil apples!" and "Eeeeep! What is that?!" when she saw her spouse surrounded by a dozen magical Junimos. The pink-haired girl floods Farmer with questions and tries to take pictures of the forest creatures on her phone, to show Scarlett (only they've scattered now, awww!)

_________________________________________

[orions-athenaeum]

From Your Smile to Your Soul

Bucky Barnes x F!Enchanced!reader

Synopsis: You don't want to go on this mission and Bucky doesn't want the girl whose smile brings him happiness getting hurt. But what can either of you do when your job is to heal others? If only you had told him that you weren't ok, if only he had made sure you were right behind him.

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings: angst, language, drinking, mentions of guns/injury/blood, hypothermia, asshole SHIELD agents, Bucky gets teary eyed, happy fluff-filled ending...

-I do not consent to having any of my writing, under the username Orions- Athenaeum, translated, posted or published on third party sites, apps or platforms-

Bucky didn’t think there was anything worth enjoying in his new life. Of course he appreciated Steve’s unwavering loyalty and the ease that he brought Bucky after he was freed from Hydra. There was also Sam’s annoying banter which usually gave Bucky something to smirk about, but he would never admit that to anyone. When Bucky didn’t understand what a text message was, Wanda and Natasha helped him adapt to the technological wonders of this modern time. He was even glad when Tony would crack an “old joke” just to get under his skin, because Bucky knew humor was Tony’s way of showing he cared. While Bucky was grateful for everything his teammates did for him, there was still a very obvious void, that felt almost like a ten ton weight sitting on his chest, trying to steal his breath from him. That feeling of immense pressure and simultaneous emptiness only began to lessen about four months ago, on a balmy summer evening when Steve dragged Bucky to one of Tony’s lavish galas.

Bucky didn’t know who or what the event was for, in all honesty he figured Tony was just looking for another excuse to throw a party. The former Winter Soldier had been a part of the team for a while now, but these types of social gatherings never failed to make him feel extremely unsettled. Maybe it was the way he felt people’s eyes lingered on him for too long, whether it was from fear or judgment. Or maybe it was that the suit Natasha had helped him pick out was nearly suffocating him. It could have also been the glass filled with some unknown booze that felt uncomfortably heavy in his vibranium hand. All this to say, Bucky was certain the tension in his shoulders was palpable as he checked his watch for the thirtieth time that evening; he was waiting for the hands to tell him he had waited a respectful amount of time before he could seek out the comfort of his own room. Bucky reluctantly pulled his eyes up from his watch and began to scan the room, hoping to find Steve and with him some sense of calmness. His search was cut short when his gaze landed on a girl chatting with Peter near the bar. She had short y/h/c hair that reminded him of a girl from his own time, messier and not as curled perhaps, but classic nonetheless. Her long, black, strapless dress and sleek platform heels reminded him of something Natasha might have worn. He wondered for a second if maybe Nat had helped her pick out an outfit too. Deciding that was an utterly ridiculous thought a second later, Bucky found himself enamored by her smile. It was all he could focus on: that beautiful, perfect smile. One corner of her mouth curved up more than the other and her full red painted lips made it impossible for Bucky to look away. Seconds felt like hours and as Bucky continued to look at her, he found a smile involuntarily tugging at his own lips. Amazingly enough, he didn’t feel so out of place anymore.

“It’s rude to stare.” Bucky quickly jerked his head towards Sam’s voice. His smile immediately faded as he glared at his friend. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Wilson.” Even Bucky didn’t believe his words and chances were Sam didn’t either. Despite being a pain in the ass, he was smarter and more observant than Bucky liked to give him credit for. Sam rolled his eyes and ignored Bucky’s hint to drop the topic. 

“Why don’t you go and ask her to dance?” Bucky couldn’t breathe. There was no way in hell he could do that. Standing across the room was the prettiest girl he’d seen and Sam thought it would be a good idea for him to ask her for a dance. 

“Yeah that will not be happening.” Bucky tossed back the rest of the liquid in his glass, knowing that the pleasant burn of the alcohol would not affect him in the slightest. He wished it would. Maybe a little liquid courage was the push he needed to go over and speak to her. 

“Look man, she’s gorgeous and really sweet, I met her this morning. All I’m saying is that she would totally say yes if you asked. She was staring at you too, by the way.” This morning. Bucky recalled Sam telling him he met a new member of the team earlier that morning. Maybe he would have the chance to see her again if she was the one Sam was referring to. Shaking his head to extinguish any false hope he had conjured up, Bucky realized that Sam was telling the truth; the girl was staring right back at him. After a few seconds, she raised her delicate fingers and sent a small wave. Bucky almost keeled over on the spot. Not knowing what else to do, he awkwardly raised his own hand back. She smiled. He smiled. And just like that Bucky knew he was a goner.  

Four months later…

“No.” Bucky refused to change his mind. Steve rolled his eyes at his friend, who currently stood across the room with his arms crossed over his chest with a look that said, this is your final warning. Steve knew better than to try and push his best friend around, but this really was a mission that required her skills. There were dozens of hostages, and they would need medical attention. Not from doctors, but from her. 

“Buck. You know I wouldn’t put Y/n in the field if I didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.” Bucky did not move. Steve sighed. And people call me stubborn. He thought to himself. 

“I understand that you want to protect her Bucky, I really do. But she is a part of this team. Y/n’s an Avenger and her role is to heal people. Now, there are people who need her help and she is going to go and help them. If you would prefer not to lead this mission than I can have someone else take-”

“No.” Bucky was quick to cut off Steve’s offer. His tone was firm, but just below the surface Bucky was panicking. He didn’t want his girl out in the field. But if Y/n had to go, he couldn’t stand the thought of not being out there with her. Steve raised a brow. 

“I’ll go. But you better make sure there is no way we’re gonna get ambushed. We’d better be prepared. I won’t hesitate to beat your ass if something happens to Y/n.” Bucky turned to leave the conference room as Steve muttered something under his breath. 

“What?” Bucky snapped. 

“I just said it seems like you care about Y/n an awful lot when she isn’t even your girlfriend.” Bucky knew Steve was trying to get him to admit that he was too scared to ask her out. But honestly, Bucky wasn’t in the mood for his best friend to play matchmaker. So, without a look back, he stormed out into the corridor towards the gym. He was set on taking his anger and fear out on some punching bags, but as he walked through the halls all he could think about was her smile. He needed that smile safe. If he could just wrap it in his arms and shield it from all the bad, he would be happy for the rest of his life. 

————————————————————————

You were certain there had to have been some kind of mistake. The thick Manila folder that sat on your desk marked “MISSION BRIEFING” had to have been delivered to the wrong room. Bucky was just across the hall, so maybe it was for him. That had to be it, because there was no way they were seriously considering putting you out in the field after only four months of being on the team. You weren’t even supposed to be a field agent. Nick Fury had recruited you because of your powers. Sure, you could mend a broken bone and fuse a gunshot wound close, but that did not mean you fought on the front lines. It meant you waited until your team was back to the safety of the compound to help them. Refusing to open the folder you picked it up and made your way to Bucky’s door. 

“Buck?” You called as you knocked on the cool wood. You gasped as it opened not a second later. Bucky was standing in front of you in all his post gym, sweaty, shirtless glory.

“Hey, doll. What’s up?” He asked with a smirk tugging at his lips. That damned smirk. You immediately drew your gaze away from his tight abs and pretty smile up to his eyes. Which, honestly, didn't help because you found yourself getting lost in a sea of  deep cerulean blue. It seemed that every aspect of Bucky had an overwhelming effect on you. Deciding it was best to stare at the carpet instead, you fumbled with the folder before showing it to him. 

“I think they gave this to me by accident, because I’m not usually in the field. Actually I’ve never been in the field and so it’s probably yours and I just wanted to give it to you.” Your words came out all in one breath and you kept your gaze focused on the floor at your feet. You felt Bucky gently take the folder from your grasp. You were ready to let out a sigh of relief when you felt his fingers thread through your own as he lightly pulled you into his room. As your heart beat began to quicken, the brief confusion you had felt quickly morphed into anxiety. Why didn’t he just take his mission briefing and send you on your merry way? He gestured for you to sit down on his bed as he sat next to you. 

“No, this is yours.” He finally said. The finality in his tone made you want to throw up. “Steve told me this morning. But I made him promise that there would be no combat, and I’ll be leading. There will be two other agents, so you’re not alone. The mission should be fairly quick, in and out and then we come home. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” His words were somewhat of a comfort. You also knew that the rest of the team was fairly confident in your abilities, since Nat, Sam and Steve had all trained extensively with you over the last four months. Bucky refused to spar with you but that's besides the point. Although, you weren’t really worried about not being able to defend yourself. You had been trained and ran through mission scenarios, but the weight of the briefing envelope in your hands was making this too real. It also didn’t help that every single agent wanted to rip you apart because you were given a spot on the Avengers without making it into SHIELD as an agent. You had tried to put yourself through training, but during your first field test, you instantly choked. All of the sudden the gun pointed at the enemy agent in front of you made your arms feel like lead. Your brain wouldn’t let you pull the trigger, so you stood there, frozen. You were positive you were going to be removed from the program, but when Nick Fury heard about your healing powers, you were suddenly offered a spot as an Avenger. So, to put it plainly, every single SHIELD agent hated you. They hated that you failed training and still got the most coveted title, they hated that you lived in Avengers Tower, they hated that you got everything they wanted. The real problem, which was much bigger than any jealous agent’s spiteful remarks, was that you could not stomach the idea of hurting someone. That was the reason why you failed your training in the first place, because bad guy or not, you were given the gift of healing. You were never supposed to cause pain and it seemed as if the concept of harming someone was against your very nature. Pulling the trigger on a paper silhouette was one thing. Aiming a gun at another human being was quite another. So while the training you had done prepared you for taking down enemies, you’re not entirely sure you could bring yourself to that. 

“Ok.” Was all you could manage. Some time during your internal spiral Bucky had begun rubbing soothing circles on your back. Bucky was another aspect of this assignment that you had to consider. You weren’t sure how to feel about him going on the mission with you. Your relationship was a little confusing at times to say the least. You knew that you cared about him more than a friend would and he often made it seem like he felt the same way. You had felt this way from the very first night you met him, when he caught you staring at him and you awkwardly waved (who the hell waves at a hot guy across the room?) Bucky was also the first one to make you feel like you were truly part of the team. He would bring your breakfast to the lab when you were working mornings and didn’t have time to eat, he would make sure you had a good spot on the couch for team movie nights (it was coincidentally always next to him) and then there were time like these where he would comfort you and do everything in his power to make you feel safe and cared for. Basically, in the four months that you had known him, you were falling in love with Bucky Barnes. 

“Ok, what, doll?” And those stupid pet names definitely weren’t helping you keep your feelings at bay. 

“Ok. Sounds good, I guess I’ll see you at the hangar in a few hours.” You replied, unwilling to meet his eyes, you slowly picked up the folder and walked towards his door. An unnerving feeling overcame you as you heard the heavy wood close behind you. 

————————————————————————

     You figured the mission would not be a walk in the park, and as you sat in the middle of Siberia, with two agents that hate you and hostages with far more injuries than Steve had anticipated, you knew this easily made your “Top Ten Worst Days list.” Of course you were more than happy to help every hostage, that was the only part you enjoyed. However, the  amount of energy it took to heal so many injuries resulted in black dots clouding your vision by the time you had helped the last hostage. The thing about your healing abilities was that you had to use your energy to heal others. Meaning healing their injuries literally exhausts you. And on top of the twenty broken bones, abrasions and burns you’ve healed, Megan and Nick had a few bumps and bruises from breaking down the door and restraining the guards that needed mending. According to Megan, Bucky told them to go to you since they need to be in top shape for the trek back to the safe house. While the safe house sounded pleasant, the fact that it was currently 40 below and that the shelter was three miles out in the middle of a forest, was not as pleasant. After you finished healing Megan’s bruised ankle, the dizziness that had settled in a few minutes prior was now overwhelming. If you could just sit down for a few minutes and maybe close your eyes, you would feel much better. 

“Get up. We need to meet Bucky in a few minutes. A storm is moving in so we can’t take the jet back until morning. Bucky secured the hostages in an exit raft and we need to find the safehouse soon.” Megan sneered as she pushed your hands away from her ankle. 

“Could I just have one minute? I’m not feeling-”

“You’re an Avenger, right? So get off your ass and start walking.” You hesitantly stood up, apparently too quickly because you began swaying and lurched forward, catching yourself against a tree. The frozen bark cut into your skin, slicing your palms. Willing your head to stop spinning you looked down at your bloodied hands. Another downside of your powers was that once your energy had been spent, it became nearly impossible for you to continue healing, which meant you could not help yourself or others when you were this exhausted. You heard Megan’s boots crunch in the snow as she began to walk, blatantly ignoring your compromised state. Since it appeared you had no other option, you began walking as well, but the edges of your vision were fuzzy and it felt like someone had thrown your head against a wall. If you could just get to Bucky maybe he would let you rest for a minute. No. You couldn’t ask him for that, Megan and Nick already thought you got special treatment for being an Avenger you didn’t need them to see parts of yours and Bucky’s friendship in the field. Plus, Bucky had been acting weird ever since you stepped foot on the quinjet. He called you by your last name and his usual soft eyes and teasing tone had left him completely. It made sense, you told yourself as you pushed forward, because this was his job, and he didn’t really care about you like that. The frigid chill had begun to seep through your suit, and though you had never been a huge fan of the cold, you were thankful for it now. It was keeping you awake and alert, the sting of the snow hitting your face gave you something to focus on so you wouldn’t pass out. Finally you reached the clearing where Bucky was waiting. You glanced up to find his concerned gaze looking you over. You used all your strength to muster up a smile and nodded your head to let him know you were ok. He seemed satisfied enough, and told the team to start walking.

How you managed to walk two miles you weren’t sure, but what you did know was that you were now falling behind the others. You were following Nick and Megan who had been keeping a fairly even pace with Bucky. But now, with the snow whipping all around you, you couldn’t see or hear any of them. Maybe this would be a good time to take a break. It would only be for a few minutes and nobody would notice that you had taken a breather. As the snow storm had progressed you had lost feeling in your fingers and toes, and it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. You thought you reached out to brace yourself on a tree but instead you felt like you were falling. It didn’t hurt when you hit the powdery snow, its cold embrace only called you to rest your eyes. You obeyed and felt your eyelids slowly blink shut. I’ll only rest for a minute, you told yourself. Just as you were about to let sleep pull you under, you heard shouting. The voice sounded familiar as it called your name over the howling of the wind. You knew you should answer but you simply didn’t have the energy. Then, you felt strong arms lift you up and a familiar fresh, piney scent filled your nose. This is what Bucky smells like, you thought to yourself. 

“Could you open those pretty eyes for me. Please, doll. I’m begging you, give me anything.” 

Bucky sounded like he was talking underwater. 

“You are not allowed to do this to me, I swear I’ll make it up to you but you gotta wake up so we can talk.” And why did he seem so worried? You wanted to tell him that you were fine but you couldn’t get the words out. 

“Why wouldn’t you say something?” Bucky’s muddled voice had more of an edge this time. His sharp tone made sense, he had every right to be mad at you, it was you who was slowing down the mission and now he had to pick up the slack. 

“I didn’t see her fall behind, she was fine a minute ago.” This time it was a woman who responded and somewhere in your mind you figured it was Megan. But you hadn’t been “fine a minute ago,” in fact you hadn’t felt ok for over an hour. 

“You’re supposed to watch out for your teammates, so I’m going to ask again, why the hell did you not say something?” In your dazed state you realized Bucky was directing his anger at Megan not at you and well you felt some reprieve from the fact that Bucky didn’t seem too disappointed in you, you were beginning to slip further and further into the shadows of sleep. You knew you needed to stay awake, but you couldn’t feel anything, not the snow hitting your cheeks, or Bucky’s frantic pace, and your entire body felt completely numb. Time began to pass strangely after that moment, you heard some more gargled shouting before you felt your body being laid down on something hard. You found some odd burst of energy and forced your eyelids to open, looking up to find Bucky’s worried eyes desperately trying to hold your gaze. His eyes seemed glossier and much more concerned than normal, but you couldn’t figure out why. “C’mon Y/n, I’ll get you warm and you’ll be alright. I’m gonna have to get your wet gear off first, but I promise I’ll make it all better ok, sweetheart? I love you too much to let go now.” Love? Why would Bucky be talking about love, he seemed so frustrated with you in the field. His face disappeared from view a moment later and you thought you heard the sound of fabric ripping. Bucky yelled for someone to get blankets and before you could tell him that all his shouting was confusing and much too loud, you surrendered yourself to the peaceful comfort of unconsciousness. 

You didn’t know when you became aware of your surroundings again, whether it had been minutes or weeks, you couldn’t tell. You could smell burning wood accompanied by a familiar piney scent that you soon identified as Bucky, but you couldn’t open your eyes to confirm your theory. When you heard a deep voice laced with a Brooklyn accent from somewhere around you, you didn’t have to look at Bucky to know whose arms were protecting you.

“...Remember when we were in Queens and you made me go inside that old book store with you? We stayed there until they closed and you kept handing me books that would, “change your life, I swear it, Bucky.” I didn’t like reading much in the forties but I woulda stayed there with you for weeks if it meant I got to see that smile of yours every time you read something funny. I’ll take you back there but you gotta wake up first, alright?” Bucky’s words were soothing, and his soft voice gently lulled you back to sleep before you could answer his request.   

Bucky was talking again when you tried to wake up for a second time, 

“...Everything about you is perfect, doll, like how you always scrunch your nose when Sam’s cooking looks awful, but you eat it anyway with a smile on your face because you’re just happy he cared enough to make you something.” You wanted to smile for Bucky, open your mouth, say anything. But your head was still too heavy and you couldn’t break through the cloud of sleep that kept dragging you back under.

This time you could feel warmth running up and down your arms, as if someone was trying to coax you from sleep with their caring touch. You waited for Bucky to talk to you again, you found yourself needing his words to anchor you to consciousness.

“...You should’ve told me sooner, sweetheart, I coulda carried you, given you a little break. You know I would do just about anything for you right? Hell, I think everyone on this damn team thinks I’m weak when it comes to you. But you don’t make me weak, Y/n, you give me a reason to smile, you make me feel better about the world and like I’m not too broken to be a part of it…” You wanted to take Bucky’s face in your hands and tell him that he was not broken, that he was worth more than your words would ever mean. But it still seemed like too much work to open your eyes, so you kept them shut and let your mind slip back into sleep for a little longer. 

————————————————————————

Your skin felt like it was on fire, that was the first thing you noticed when you fully regained consciousness. Something heavy was laying across your stomach and there was a solid presence holding you that seemed to radiate the same amount of heat as the crackling fire in front of you. 

“Y/n? Doll? Thank God you’re finally awake, how’re you feeling?

At the sound of his voice you slowly turned to face Bucky and were met with a look of adoration in those blue eyes, which made you feel even worse for making him take care of you. 

“I’m sorry I messed the mission up, Barnes.” Even though your sight was still a little blurry you could make out the confusion in his face. Pushing some hair out of your face he asked, 

“You never call me Barnes, what’s up with that Y/n/n? And what are goin’ on about, “messing up the mission,” you didn’t do a damn thing wrong. If Megan and Nick had done their jobs as teammates you wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s my fault too ya know, I should've checked you over before I made you walk three miles. You looked a little tired when I first saw you but I think I tricked myself into believing you were safe, all I ever want is for you to be safe, Y/n.” You weren’t quite sure how to answer him, your brain felt like quicksand, trapping your thoughts from becoming words.

“And you never answered my question, Y/n, you feelin’ better?” You nodded slowly, during the time you had been asleep your body had slowly heated up, you had regained feeling in your limbs and your mind was feeling less foggy by the minute.

“Thanks for getting me out of there, Bucky. I mean, it’s not like I needed your help, I just wanted to sleep for a few minutes.” You attempted to lighten the mood by pushing out a laugh that sounded more like a light exhale. 

“There she is, that’s the girl I love.” You whipped your head back with such force that Bucky had to place his hand on your neck to prevent you from giving yourself whiplash. You stared into his eyes, determined to find out if he was really speaking the truth. 

“I do love you Y/n, I have from the minute I caught you smiling at Tony’s stupid gala. You’re perfect to me, in every possible way, from your smile to your soul.” Of course you felt the same way for him. Bucky was your best friend, he made you laugh and his heart and the care that he gave out freely never ceased to amaze you. You watched his lips turn into the most perfect smile  and you found yourself smiling twice as big knowing that there was no moment in your life more wonderful than this one. Right before you could respond a shiver ran through you and Bucky turned you around so you were facing the fireplace again. 

“Hey, Bucky?” you received a low hum and a kiss behind your ear in response. “You should really shower, you smell like an old barn.” He chuckled and replied, “Jeez, doll, I save your life and tell you that I love you, and all you do is tell me that I smell?” You could tell that Bucky knew you were teasing, but you didn’t feel like letting him off the hook quite yet. 

“I guess I love you too.” You mumbled with an obvious grin in your voice. 

“I know you do doll, I only wish you had said something sooner, then I woulda had more opportunities to torture you for makin’ fun of me.” With that, Bucky began to tickle your stomach, while still being wary of your injuries, earning an eruption of giggles from your mouth. After a few seconds Bucky pulled you back against him and whispered a soft, “sleep, sweet girl, I’ve got you,” into your hair. Your eyes slowly fell shut and you felt completely content, knowing you were safe in the arms of the man who loved you, and who you loved right back. 

[kaledya]

You deserve everything. You. Not me. Your art is everything, I think everyone can agree !*give a bouquet of flowers* 🌸🌸🌸 _

Its great that you thoughts about Cain and Abel because I haven't think at all ! I think if I talk about them it will be in season 3 or 4 ? But its great another follower of yours is writing about them !

Not the twilight ptsd (I can't ahah)

I didn't see Supernatural (too many episodess), I'm more Vampire Diaries/Originals but...

Wait a minute. So Cain is the father of murder who written so... technically he is in Hell as Sinner ? In SSAU ? Just curious ! Where is he ? _

Very intelligent and nice character.. hum... I found one!! After some reflexion. Sam in Game of Thrones ? Does it works ? He is very intelligent in comparison of others!

Yeah the harem in my head is wild. But its fine. The boys are fine. And Jack is very clever in a... foxy way. I have James Bond too somewhere, I'm sure they get along. And Raphael will have very interesting chat !

Hannibal : Hello. *scylla song epic the musical begin* You : son ! Raphael ! Run(row) for your life ! Raphael : what– Me : don't worry you will regenerate! See you later ! Don't be traumatised please. Thanks.

This is chaos ahah.

_

The next gifts are sent !🌸 I kinda thinking making Verdelet in maid outfit for 200 kudos achieved ? Good idea ? I don't know. Is it a good gift for everyone ? Its funny !

Fun fact : i draw a first version of Hürrem late at night and when I woke up on the morning I was like "what is THIS ?!" so I draw her again.

Thank you for accepting Hürrem as partner with Giovanni !!

Have a nice day too, as always !

NOO!! (ಠ⁠ ⁠೧⁠ ⁠ಠ YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING TOO!!!

I love your writing and it's seriously one of the things that gives me the most morale during the days I'm having right now! seriously reading your ideas. And see your writing It makes meso happy. Even though when I'm unhappy, I'm become happier because I'm thinking Marquisev will published a new episode soon .Seriously, don't underestimate yourself, you deserve everything too.

Also, you draw beautifully too.If you do not have a tablet, I recommend IbisPaintX. You can take the drawings you have drawn on paper with your phone, convert them into lineart format and use them as digital drawings.You are seriously a very talented person, you really deserve everything.

And I really want to shower you with gifts, but I can't draw many art these days, and I would like to thank you very much for the drawing gifts you gave me. Every time ı see them ıll be like Do I really deserve these?

So in short, you are truly someone who deserves everything and thank you for everything!!!

🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂

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I don't think much of it, but after the fanfic written by Void-maker, I was inspired and started to think that the two of them would be interesting characters, especially Cain.

Yes, the best idea is to have them at 3 or 4. You already have a lot of characters that need to be processed!

Yes, the fanfic written by Void-maker is really fun to read and I love the dialogue writing!!

--

Yeah twilight PTSD *crying*Every time I see a half-naked werewolf, I say:

"Put a t-shirt on! your nipples are staring at my soul!!"

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Yes, it's long, but technically, if you watch up to 5 or 12, the rest is bad. A seriously entertaining series with lots of creatures, demons and angels. Also, the main characters are interesting types.

I watched the originals but then stopped, I don't remember exactly why?I was thinking of watching Vampire Diaries, do you rec that is it good?

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Cain is not a sinner. According to my research, God cursed him with immortality after he committed the first murder.In fact, I think it was mentioned as "the man who wants to die more than anything else and cannot die"He can go to hell if he wants, but he is not a sinner and has been wandering around the world for thousands of years.And I guess that makes him an interesting character because I don't think the human mind is designed to live that long.That's why Cain's experiences and personality are interesting.

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Sam can be considered I think ,he was both smart and cinnamon roll.

AND lmao the dialogues you wrote were great, probably dialogues will ne like This if we were there!

FANFIC LAST WHEN I LOOKED IT WAS 199 PLEASE DRAW HIM WİTH THAT

Öhm.. I mekan I think that's a very good idea my good Man*with british Accent* I'm quite sure The reader will Love to see him in that maid outfit.

WHAT??? The first version was great but you made her even more awesome!!! SHOW MEEEEEEEE!!!

Of course I will accept it, I really thank you for creating Hürrem!!!

I hope you have a good day, take care of yourself!!🫂🫂🫂

[orions-athenaeumficlibrary]

From Your Smile to Your Soul

Bucky Barnes x F!Enchanced!reader

Synopsis: You don't want to go on this mission and Bucky doesn't want the girl whose smile brings him happiness getting hurt. But what can either of you do when your job is to heal others? If only you had told him that you weren't ok, if only he had made sure you were right behind him.

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings: angst, language, drinking, mentions of guns/injury/blood, hypothermia, asshole SHIELD agents, Bucky gets teary eyed, happy fluff-filled ending...

-I do not consent to having any of my writing, under the username Orions- Athenaeum, translated, posted or published on third party sites, apps or platforms-

Bucky didn’t think there was anything worth enjoying in his new life. Of course he appreciated Steve’s unwavering loyalty and the ease that he brought Bucky after he was freed from Hydra. There also was Sam’s annoying banter which usually gave Bucky something to smirk about, but he would never admit that to anyone. When Bucky didn’t understand what a text message was, Wanda and Natasha helped him adapt to the technological “wonders” of this modern time. He was even glad when Tony would crack an “old joke” just to get under his skin, because Bucky knew humor was Tony’s way of showing he cared. While Bucky was grateful for everything his teammates did for him, there was still a very obvious void, that felt almost like a ten ton weight sitting on his chest, trying to steal his breath from him. That feeling of immense pressure and simultaneous emptiness only began to lessen about four months ago, on a balmy summer evening when Steve dragged Bucky to one of Tony’s lavish galas.

Bucky didn’t know who or what the event was for, in all honesty he figured Tony was just looking for another excuse to throw a party. The former Winter Soldier had been a part of the team for a while now, but these types of social gatherings never failed to make him feel extremely unsettled. Maybe it was the way he felt people’s eyes lingered on him for too long, whether it was from fear or judgment. Or maybe it was that the suit Natasha had helped him pick out was nearly suffocating him. It could have also been the glass filled with some unknown booze that felt uncomfortably heavy in his vibranium hand. All this to say, Bucky was certain the tension in his shoulders was palpable as he checked his watch for the thirtieth time that evening; he was waiting for the hands to tell him he had waited a respectful amount of time before he could seek out the comfort of his own room. Bucky reluctantly pulled his eyes up from his watch and began to scan the room, hoping to find Steve and with him some sense of calmness. His search was cut short when his gaze landed on a girl chatting with Peter near the bar. She had short y/h/c hair that reminded him of a girl from his own time, messier and not as curled perhaps, but classic nonetheless. Her long, black, strapless dress and sleek platform heels reminded him of something Natasha might have worn. He wondered for a second if maybe Nat had helped her pick out an outfit too. Deciding that was an utterly ridiculous thought a second later, Bucky found himself enamored by her smile. It was all he could focus on: that beautiful, perfect smile. One corner of her mouth curved up more than the other and her full red painted lips made it impossible for Bucky to look away. Seconds felt like hours and as Bucky continued to look at her, he found a smile involuntarily tugging at his own lips. Amazingly enough, he didn’t feel so out of place anymore.

“It’s rude to stare.” Bucky quickly jerked his head towards Sam’s voice. His smile immediately faded as he glared at his friend. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Wilson.” Even Bucky didn’t believe his words and chances were Sam didn’t either. Despite being a pain in the ass, he was smarter and more observant than Bucky liked to give him credit for. Sam rolled his eyes and ignored Bucky’s hint to drop the topic. 

“Why don’t you go and ask her to dance?” Bucky couldn’t breathe. There was no way in hell he could do that. Standing across the room was the prettiest girl he’d seen and Sam thought it would be a good idea for him to ask her for a dance. 

“Yeah that will not be happening.” Bucky tossed back the rest of the liquid in his glass, knowing that the pleasant burn of the alcohol would not affect him in the slightest. He wished it would. Maybe a little liquid courage was the push he needed to go over and speak to her. 

“Look man, she’s gorgeous and really sweet, I met her this morning. All I’m saying is that she would totally say yes if you asked. She was staring at you too, by the way.” This morning. Bucky recalled Sam telling him he met a new member of the team earlier that morning. Maybe he would have the chance to see her again if she was the one Sam was referring to. Shaking his head to extinguish any false hope he had conjured up, Bucky realized that Sam was telling the truth; the girl was staring right back at him. After a few seconds, she raised her delicate fingers and sent a small wave. Bucky almost keeled over on the spot. Not knowing what else to do, he awkwardly raised his own hand back. She smiled. He smiled. And just like that Bucky knew he was a goner.  

Four months later…

“No.” Bucky refused to change his mind. Steve rolled his eyes at his friend, who currently stood across the room with his arms crossed over his chest with a look that said, this is your final warning. Steve knew better than to try and push his best friend around, but this really was a mission that required her skills. There were dozens of hostages, and they would need medical attention. Not from doctors, but from her. 

“Buck. You know I wouldn’t put Y/n in the field if I didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.” Bucky did not move. Steve sighed. And people call me stubborn. He thought to himself. 

“I understand that you want to protect her Bucky, I really do. But she is a part of this team. Y/n’s an Avenger and her role is to heal people. Now, there are people who need her help and she is going to go and help them. If you would prefer not to lead this mission than I can have someone else take-”

“No.” Bucky was quick to cut off Steve’s offer. His tone was firm, but just below the surface Bucky was panicking. He didn’t want his girl out in the field. But if Y/n had to go, he couldn’t stand the thought of not being out there with her. Steve raised a brow. 

“I’ll go. But you better make sure there is no way we’re gonna get ambushed. We’d better be prepared. I won’t hesitate to beat your ass if something happens to Y/n.” Bucky turned to leave the conference room as Steve muttered something under his breath. 

“What?” Bucky snapped. 

“I just said it seems like you care about Y/n an awful lot when she isn’t even your girlfriend.” Bucky knew Steve was trying to get him to admit that he was too scared to ask her out. But honestly, Bucky wasn’t in the mood for his best friend to play matchmaker. So, without a look back, he stormed out into the corridor towards the gym. He was set on taking his anger and fear out on some punching bags, but as he walked through the halls all he could think about was her smile. He needed that smile safe. If he could just wrap it in his arms and shield it from all the bad, he would be happy for the rest of his life. 

————————————————————————

You were certain there had to have been some kind of mistake. The thick Manila folder that sat on your desk marked “MISSION BRIEFING” had to have been delivered to the wrong room. Bucky was just across the hall, so maybe it was for him. That had to be it, because there was no way they were seriously considering putting you out in the field after only four months of being on the team. You weren’t even supposed to be a field agent. Nick Fury had recruited you because of your powers. Sure, you could mend a broken bone and fuse a gunshot wound close, but that did not mean you fought on the front lines. It meant you waited until your team was back to the safety of the compound to help them. Refusing to open the folder you picked it up and made your way to Bucky’s door. 

“Buck?” You called as you knocked on the cool wood. You gasped as it opened not a second later. Bucky was standing in front of you in all his post gym, sweaty, shirtless glory.

“Hey, doll. What’s up?” He asked with a smirk tugging at his lips. That damned smirk. You immediately drew your gaze away from his tight abs and pretty smile up to his eyes. Which, honestly, didn't help because you found yourself getting lost in a sea of  deep cerulean blue. It seemed that every aspect of Bucky had an overwhelming effect on you. Deciding it was best to stare at the carpet instead, you fumbled with the folder before showing it to him. 

“I think they gave this to me by accident, because I’m not usually in the field. Actually I’ve never been in the field and so it’s probably yours and I just wanted to give it to you.” Your words came out all in one breath and you kept your gaze focused on the floor at your feet. You felt Bucky gently take the folder from your grasp. You were ready to let out a sigh of relief when you felt his fingers thread through your own as he lightly pulled you into his room. As your heart beat began to quicken, the brief confusion you had felt quickly morphed into anxiety. Why didn’t he just take his mission briefing and send you on your merry way? He gestured for you to sit down on his bed as he sat next to you. 

“No, this is yours.” He finally said. The finality in his tone made you want to throw up. “Steve told me this morning. But I made him promise that there would be no combat, and I’ll be leading. There will be two other agents, so you’re not alone. The mission should be fairly quick, in and out and then we come home. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” His words were somewhat of a comfort. You also knew that the rest of the team was fairly confident in your abilities, since Nat, Sam and Steve had all trained extensively with you over the last four months. Bucky refused to spar with you but that's besides the point. Although, you weren’t really worried about not being able to defend yourself. You had been trained and ran through mission scenarios, but the weight of the briefing envelope in your hands was making this too real. It also didn’t help that every single agent wanted to rip you apart because you were given a spot on the Avengers without making it into SHIELD as an agent. You had tried to put yourself through training, but during your first field test, you instantly choked. All of the sudden the gun pointed at the enemy agent in front of you made your arms feel like lead. Your brain wouldn’t let you pull the trigger, so you stood there, frozen. You were positive you were going to be removed from the program, but when Nick Fury heard about your healing powers, you were suddenly offered a spot as an Avenger. So, to put it plainly, every single SHIELD agent hated you. They hated that you failed training and still got the most coveted title, they hated that you lived in Avengers Tower, they hated that you got everything they wanted. The real problem, which was much bigger than any jealous agent’s spiteful remarks, was that you could not stomach the idea of hurting someone. That was the reason why you failed your training in the first place, because bad guy or not, you were given the gift of healing. You were never supposed to cause pain and it seemed as if the concept of harming someone was against your very nature. Pulling the trigger on a paper silhouette was one thing. Aiming a gun at another human being was quite another. So while the training you had done prepared you for taking down enemies, you’re not entirely sure you could bring yourself to that. 

“Ok.” Was all you could manage. Some time during your internal spiral Bucky had begun rubbing soothing circles on your back. Bucky was another aspect of this assignment that you had to consider. You weren’t sure how to feel about him going on the mission with you. Your relationship was a little confusing at times to say the least. You knew that you cared about him more than a friend would and he often made it seem like he felt the same way. You had felt this way from the very first night you met him, when he caught you staring at him and you awkwardly waved (who the hell waves at a hot guy across the room?) Bucky was also the first one to make you feel like you were truly part of the team. He would bring your breakfast to the lab when you were working mornings and didn’t have time to eat, he would make sure you had a good spot on the couch for team movie nights (it was coincidentally always next to him) and then there were time like these where he would comfort you and do everything in his power to make you feel safe and cared for. Basically, in the four months that you had known him, you were falling in love with Bucky Barnes. 

“Ok, what, doll?” And those stupid pet names definitely weren’t helping you keep your feelings at bay. 

“Ok. Sounds good, I guess I’ll see you at the hangar in a few hours.” You replied, unwilling to meet his eyes, you slowly picked up the folder and walked towards his door. An unnerving feeling overcame you as you heard the heavy wood close behind you. 

————————————————————————

     You figured the mission would not be a walk in the park, and as you sat in the middle of Siberia, with two agents that hate you and hostages with far more injuries than Steve had anticipated, you knew this easily made your “Top Ten Worst Days list.” Of course you were more than happy to help every hostage, that was the only part you enjoyed. However, the  amount of energy it took to heal so many injuries resulted in black dots clouding your vision by the time you had helped the last hostage. The thing about your healing abilities was that you had to use your energy to heal others. Meaning healing their injuries literally exhausts you. And on top of the twenty broken bones, abrasions and burns you’ve healed, Megan and Nick had a few bumps and bruises from breaking down the door and restraining the guards that needed mending. According to Megan, Bucky told them to go to you since they need to be in top shape for the trek back to the safe house. While the safe house sounded pleasant, the fact that it was currently 40 below and that the shelter was three miles out in the middle of a forest, was not as pleasant. After you finished healing Megan’s bruised ankle, the dizziness that had settled in a few minutes prior was now overwhelming. If you could just sit down for a few minutes and maybe close your eyes, you would feel much better. 

“Get up. We need to meet Bucky in a few minutes. A storm is moving in so we can’t take the jet back until morning. Bucky secured the hostages in an exit raft and we need to find the safehouse soon.” Megan sneered as she pushed your hands away from her ankle. 

“Could I just have one minute? I’m not feeling-”

“You’re an Avenger, right? So get off your ass and start walking.” You hesitantly stood up, apparently too quickly because you began swaying and lurched forward, catching yourself against a tree. The frozen bark cut into your skin, slicing your palms. Willing your head to stop spinning you looked down at your bloodied hands. Another downside of your powers was that once your energy had been spent, it became nearly impossible for you to continue healing, which meant you could not help yourself or others when you were this exhausted. You heard Megan’s boots crunch in the snow as she began to walk, blatantly ignoring your compromised state. Since it appeared you had no other option, you began walking as well, but the edges of your vision were fuzzy and it felt like someone had thrown your head against a wall. If you could just get to Bucky maybe he would let you rest for a minute. No. You couldn’t ask him for that, Megan and Nick already thought you got special treatment for being an Avenger you didn’t need them to see parts of yours and Bucky’s friendship in the field. Plus, Bucky had been acting weird ever since you stepped foot on the quinjet. He called you by your last name and his usual soft eyes and teasing tone had left him completely. It made sense, you told yourself as you pushed forward, because this was his job, and he didn’t really care about you like that. The frigid chill had begun to seep through your suit, and though you had never been a huge fan of the cold, you were thankful for it now. It was keeping you awake and alert, the sting of the snow hitting your face gave you something to focus on so you wouldn’t pass out. Finally you reached the clearing where Bucky was waiting. You glanced up to find his concerned gaze looking you over. You used all your strength to muster up a smile and nodded your head to let him know you were ok. He seemed satisfied enough, and told the team to start walking.

How you managed to walk two miles you weren’t sure, but what you did know was that you were now falling behind the others. You were following Nick and Megan who had been keeping a fairly even pace with Bucky. But now, with the snow whipping all around you, you couldn’t see or hear any of them. Maybe this would be a good time to take a break. It would only be for a few minutes and nobody would notice that you had taken a breather. As the snow storm had progressed you had lost feeling in your fingers and toes, and it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. You thought you reached out to brace yourself on a tree but instead you felt like you were falling. It didn’t hurt when you hit the powdery snow, its cold embrace only called you to rest your eyes. You obeyed and felt your eyelids slowly blink shut. I’ll only rest for a minute, you told yourself. Just as you were about to let sleep pull you under, you heard shouting. The voice sounded familiar as it called your name over the howling of the wind. You knew you should answer but you simply didn’t have the energy. Then, you felt strong arms lift you up and a familiar fresh, piney scent filled your nose. This is what Bucky smells like, you thought to yourself. 

“Could you open those pretty eyes for me. Please, doll. I’m begging you, give me anything.” 

Bucky sounded like he was talking underwater. 

“You are not allowed to do this to me, I swear I’ll make it up to you but you gotta wake up so we can talk.” And why did he seem so worried? You wanted to tell him that you were fine but you couldn’t get the words out. 

“Why wouldn’t you say something?” Bucky’s muddled voice had more of an edge this time. His sharp tone made sense, he had every right to be mad at you, it was you who was slowing down the mission and now he had to pick up the slack. 

“I didn’t see her fall behind, she was fine a minute ago.” This time it was a woman who responded and somewhere in your mind you figured it was Megan. But you hadn’t been “fine a minute ago,” in fact you hadn’t felt ok for over an hour. 

“You’re supposed to watch out for your teammates, so I’m going to ask again, why the hell did you not say something?” In your dazed state you realized Bucky was directing his anger at Megan not at you and well you felt some reprieve from the fact that Bucky didn’t seem too disappointed in you, you were beginning to slip further and further into the shadows of sleep. You knew you needed to stay awake, but you couldn’t feel anything, not the snow hitting your cheeks, or Bucky’s frantic pace, and your entire body felt completely numb. Time began to pass strangely after that moment, you heard some more gargled shouting before you felt your body being laid down on something hard. You found some odd burst of energy and forced your eyelids to open, looking up to find Bucky’s worried eyes desperately trying to hold your gaze. His eyes seemed glossier and much more concerned than normal, but you couldn’t figure out why. “C’mon Y/n, I’ll get you warm and you’ll be alright. I’m gonna have to get your wet gear off first, but I promise I’ll make it all better ok, sweetheart? I love you too much to let go now.” Love? Why would Bucky be talking about love, he seemed so frustrated with you in the field. His face disappeared from view a moment later and you thought you heard the sound of fabric ripping. Bucky yelled for someone to get blankets and before you could tell him that all his shouting was confusing and much too loud, you surrendered yourself to the peaceful comfort of unconsciousness. 

You didn’t know when you became aware of your surroundings again, whether it had been minutes or weeks, you couldn’t tell. You could smell burning wood accompanied by a familiar piney scent that you soon identified as Bucky, but you couldn’t open your eyes to confirm your theory. When you heard a deep voice laced with a Brooklyn accent from somewhere around you, you didn’t have to look at Bucky to know whose arms were protecting you.

“...Remember when we were in Queens and you made me go inside that old book store with you? We stayed there until they closed and you kept handing me books that would, “change your life, I swear it, Bucky.” I didn’t like reading much in the forties but I woulda stayed there with you for weeks if it meant I got to see that smile of yours every time you read something funny. I’ll take you back there but you gotta wake up first, alright?” Bucky’s words were soothing, and his soft voice gently lulled you back to sleep before you could answer his request.   

Bucky was talking again when you tried to wake up for a second time, 

“...Everything about you is perfect, doll, like how you always scrunch your nose when Sam’s cooking looks awful, but you eat it anyway with a smile on your face because you’re just happy he cared enough to make you something.” You wanted to smile for Bucky, open your mouth, say anything. But your head was still too heavy and you couldn’t break through the cloud of sleep that kept dragging you back under.

This time you could feel warmth running up and down your arms, as if someone was trying to coax you from sleep with their caring touch. You waited for Bucky to talk to you again, you found yourself needing his words to anchor you to consciousness.

“...You should’ve told me sooner, sweetheart, I coulda carried you, given you a little break. You know I would do just about anything for you right? Hell, I think everyone on this damn team thinks I’m weak when it comes to you. But you don’t make me weak, Y/n, you give me a reason to smile, you make me feel better about the world and like I’m not too broken to be a part of it…” You wanted to take Bucky’s face in your hands and tell him that he was not broken, that he was worth more than your words would ever mean. But it still seemed like too much work to open your eyes, so you kept them shut and let your mind slip back into sleep for a little longer. 

————————————————————————

Your skin felt like it was on fire, that was the first thing you noticed when you fully regained consciousness. Something heavy was laying across your stomach and there was a solid presence holding you that seemed to radiate the same amount of heat as the crackling fire in front of you. 

“Y/n? Doll? Thank God you’re finally awake, how’re you feeling?

At the sound of his voice you slowly turned to face Bucky and were met with a look of adoration in those blue eyes, which made you feel even worse for making him take care of you. 

“I’m sorry I messed the mission up, Barnes.” Even though your sight was still a little blurry you could make out the confusion in his face. Pushing some hair out of your face he asked, 

“You never call me Barnes, what’s up with that Y/n/n? And what are goin’ on about, “messing up the mission,” you didn’t do a damn thing wrong. If Megan and Nick had done their jobs as teammates you wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s my fault too ya know, I should've checked you over before I made you walk three miles. You looked a little tired when I first saw you but I think I tricked myself into believing you were safe, all I ever want is for you to be safe, Y/n.” You weren’t quite sure how to answer him, your brain felt like quicksand, trapping your thoughts from becoming words.

“And you never answered my question, Y/n, you feelin’ better?” You nodded slowly, during the time you had been asleep your body had slowly heated up, you had regained feeling in your limbs and your mind was feeling less foggy by the minute.

“Thanks for getting me out of there, Bucky. I mean, it’s not like I needed your help, I just wanted to sleep for a few minutes.” You attempted to lighten the mood by pushing out a laugh that sounded more like a light exhale. 

“There she is, that’s the girl I love.” You whipped your head back with such force that Bucky had to place his hand on your neck to prevent you from giving yourself whiplash. You stared into his eyes, determined to find out if he was really speaking the truth. 

“I do love you Y/n, I have from the minute I caught you smiling at Tony’s stupid gala. You’re perfect to me, in every possible way, from your smile to your soul.” Of course you felt the same way for him. Bucky was your best friend, he made you laugh and his heart and the care that he gave out freely never ceased to amaze you. You watched his lips turn into the most perfect smile  and you found yourself smiling twice as big knowing that there was no moment in your life more wonderful than this one. Right before you could respond a shiver ran through you and Bucky turned you around so you were facing the fireplace again. 

“Hey, Bucky?” you received a low hum and a kiss behind your ear in response. “You should really shower, you smell like an old barn.” He chuckled and replied, “Jeez, doll, I save your life and tell you that I love you, and all you do is tell me that I smell?” You could tell that Bucky knew you were teasing, but you didn’t feel like letting him off the hook quite yet. 

“I guess I love you too.” You mumbled with an obvious grin in your voice. 

“I know you do doll, I only wish you had said something sooner, then I woulda had more opportunities to torture you for makin’ fun of me.” With that, Bucky began to tickle your stomach, while still being wary of your injuries, earning an eruption of giggles from your mouth. After a few seconds Bucky pulled you back against him and whispered a soft, “sleep, sweet girl, I’ve got you,” into your hair. Your eyes slowly fell shut and you felt completely content, knowing you were safe in the arms of the man who loved you, and who you loved right back. 

[sam-the-friendly-ghost]

Sam's chats with the void: Petting people's dogs

I've been gaining the courage to ask if I can pay people's dogs every so often, and I wanted to share what has happened so far.

Before I get into this, I never approach someone to pet their service dog, a dog that appears to be getting trained (being handed treats on a semi regular basis), or a dog that appears to be reactive. Unless they have a sign saying they want help with training their dog, approaching these dogs can be harmful.

Into the more lighthearted stuff!

So far nobody has said no! One person said "someone should be meeting us here soon, and then we'll have to be on our way," but even that wasn't a no. (That dog was an old golden retriever btw. Super friendly and gentle. Loved getting some slow massage like pats.)

One time I asked someone in a park if I could pet their dog, and they said yes. The dog wasn't super interested in being pet, but was having a fun time sniffing around while the owner and I got talking. The owner had their phone ring, they said "oh I have to take this, could you entertain her for a minute?" And handed me a ball. That dog and I had so much fun for about 15 minutes while the owner took the call. After she thanked me, because her dog gets bored when they stay still for too long, and she has a hard time multi-tasking. I was just happy I got to bond with the dog in the way she enjoyed.

Sometimes I've been given instructions for how to interact with the dog to make sure I wouldn't mess up any training. Things like "If they jump up, stop all interacting with them, and turn around." Usually those dogs are puppies, and I'm happy to make sure they don't get confused in their training.

I really recommend asking to pet people's dogs.make sure to be polite, and be taking extra care to read the dog's body language. Let them sniff you before seeing if they want pets, and definitely do not chase them. Be kind to the dog and the owner. Talk to the owner, and talk about dogs or something.

And most important of all, if the owner says no, don't pet their dog. Also don't pet their dog before asking (even if the dog has greeted you). They may be busy, know something you don't know, or just not want to deal with a stranger, and that is perfectly okay.

But if the owner says yes...

DOG

[scythegameing]

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 6: Comfort and Chill Vibes

Word Count: 2247

It was the third day following the meeting. Scythe had woken up later on the same day of the meeting, about an hour after the others had gotten him back to his dorm room, but didn't talk much, just letting the others chat around him. Sam was coming over today though, so he at least had something to look forward to. He mostly just sat on the couch either watching tv or playing some games, but today he was too excited to see someone else to properly focus on anything on the tv. 

Thankfully, Scythe didn't have to wait all too much longer in his little pool of excitement before there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” Scythe yelled from where he sat. Ella was in class right now, and the door had been left unlocked for the past few days so friends could come check on him if they needed to, and he didn't mind one bit. Sam walked in, taking care not to knock anything over with his extra arms, they came with being a spider hybrid after all.

“Hey Scythe, How are you feeling today?” Sam asked with a wide smile. Sam goes to Cursia University as well as Ella and Scythe, and studies his major, Digital Game Design, as an off-campus student, traveling to go to his classes. He walked over to where Scythe was on the couch and sat down next to him.

“Way better honestly even though I still don't quite understand how I got so panicked so quickly. It is what it is I guess,” Scythe responded as he moved to the side a little to give Sam more sitting room. “I’m glad to have you here though it's been forever since we’ve been able to just hang out, chaos causing or not” 

Sam chuckled and agreed, “Yeah it really had, but with what's been going on I'm not really surprised we haven't been able to either.” The pair sat for a minute longer, simply enjoying each other's company. And then there was a knock on the door.

The door burst open, and before Scythe could turn to see who it was, he heard a familiar Australian accent. “What’s this then? A sad friend? Well that just won’t do!” That's when both Sam and Scythe found themselves with chocolates and chips being dropped on their heads.

Scythe chuckled and looked up where the friendly voice was coming from. “Hey Pearl!” Scythe said with a smile plastered across his face. “Did you really come all the way from Survas just to dump junk food on me? And you didn't have to open the door so fast either y'know.”

“Nonsense, of course I have to make an entrance! How else do you think I got my reputation as Scarlet Moon?” The tall moth hybrid replied with a smirk and a wink. She walked around and plopped down onto the floor in front of the two younger men, and looked expectantly at them. “Well, are you going to try anything or not? Cleo and Gem made those right there--” Pearl pointed to two pieces of tupperware, one circular and one square, that had landed between Scythe and Sam “-- and the two made sure that they were your favorite.”

Scythe looked at the circular tupperware, hardly hesitating before grabbing it and opening the lid. Almost instantly the smell of chorus fruit met his nose, the scent of pie coming only a moment later. He looked back at Pearl, still sitting on the ground, and said with a grin, “Please tell them I say thank you and that I love them. It has been far too long since I've had chorus pie and I know it'll be damn good if both of them had a hand in it.”

He took one more good sniff and put the lid back on to save for later. Reaching for the other, more square tupperware, Scythe opened it as well. “And fudge brownies?? Oh my void those two are saints I swear.” he said as soon as he saw what was inside of the container. Sam and Pearl burst into laughter, and it took a minute for Scythe to realize what they were laughing about before he started laughing too

“I don’t know if I would call those two saints but they sure are something.” Sam said in between laughs. “It definitely is nice of them to do that for you though.” The three finally stopped laughing as much, and Scythe found himself nodding in agreement.

“They may be chaotic but who’s to say you guys aren't either?” Pearl responded

“Yeah but you and Cleo are something else entirely” Scythe said back with a smirk.

“Hey you can’t say anything either, Scythe. Not with what you and Joel can get up to together.” Sam said, and Pearl stuck her tongue out at the Enderman hybrid in a mocking victory.

“Wooooow Sam. And I thought you loved me,” He said back playfully, holding his hand to Sam's face, blocking the view of the others' faces. The pair on the couch laughed, pearling chuckling along as well.

Scythe handed the other two a brownie after pulling one out for himself. “We all deserve a wonderful brownie if I do say so myself.” He said after taking a bite of his own piece, and the other two nodded in agreement while taking a bite.

The three just sat and talked for a few minutes longer, each enjoying the snacks Pearl had brought. They ended up splitting just about everything between themselves, Scythe making sure to grab a few that he knew Ella would like. He enjoyed having the company of others with him, but these were two of a select few people that he enjoyed talking to the most.

“Do you guys want to play some games?” Scythe asked eventually. “I’m not quite sure what we have that all 3 of us will want to play but we can always look”

“Sure! What kind of games ya got?” Pearl replied.

“I don’t even think he knows what he has himself” Sam chuckled and said, causing Scythe to stick his tongue out.

“I know most of the games I have, thank you very much! I just don’t know what we all want to play!” He pouted as he responded.

“Quit your bickering ya spoons,” Pearl said, standing up and gently hitting them both on the top of the head, effectively bonking the pair. “Let’s see what games you’ve got, eh Scythe?”

Scythe nearly jumped off the couch and to his shelf of video games, pulling around 15 off of it to show to the pair waiting behind him. He excitedly “ran” back to them, sitting on the ground and spreading them out in front of him. 

“This one--” he pointed to a game on the left side of the spread, “-- is more of a sandbox game. Its open-world type but still kind of has a goal but really we could all play and do whatever.” he pointed  to one a few to the right, “And this one is more a fighting type game, but not in like a 1v1 type style but more of like pve style and can have I think up to five players in a game.

This one over here is sort of a mix. It has the partial open world and sandbox type aspects, but it's also a lot about surviving and building a base from primitive tools to advanced machinery.” that time Scythe was pointing to a game on the far right side. He explained the rest in a similar way, then waited for Pearl and Sam’s responses.

After what felt like forever to Scythe, but was only probably a few more seconds, Sam spoke. “I think the mixed kind of one sounds cool. It could be a really fun challenge.” Pearl nodded in agreement, “it certainly does sound like a challenge, and a fun one at that!” She said with a smile.

And so Scythe booted up the game and they played. They played for what felt like hours. At some point, Ella has returned to the dorm after her classes for the day, hopped in a shower and had some snacks. She joined in as well, opting to be the farmer in the game, focused on getting food for them all. Pearl took the role of building the house up, Sam took to material gathering for just about everything, and Scythe took to taming the beasts that the in-game world had to offer.

They must have played though the entire night, as when they were finally starting to get tired the clock read 10:42pm. They all winced simultaneously at how late it was getting, and Pearl was the first to stand, followed by Sam.

“I should probably be getting home right about now lovelies, but thank you for letting me stay and play some games with ya!” she said, grabbing the few belongings she had brought along with her. The other three said goodbye, and Pearl left the dorm room and Scythe could’ve sworn he saw her flying through the window..

The three friends sat for a few minutes longer, but it wasn't too much longer until Sam grabbed their own items. “I should probably head home too. All of my stuff for my classes tomorrow are at home.” The spider hybrid said, double checking he did have all of his belongings.

“Alright, well get home safe Sam.” Ella said, helping him to get all of his surviving snacks in his multiple appendages and minimal bags. “Don’t do anything stupid on your way back.” She added with a small glare.

“Hey I’m not that dumb--” Sam's said, turning back to face Ella, stopping what he was saying at her stare. “-- ok maybe I can be but it's too late to do anything, plus I already said i have classes tomorrow I’m not going to do anything.” He conceded. 

“If I know you and Scythe, and I do--” Ella looked at Sam, then at Scythe, “-- you guys get up to stupid shit at stupid times. I know you likely won’t do anything stupid, but that doesn't mean you won’t at all.” She ended her sentence, making sure to enunciate each point of her mini-lecture.

Sam looked at Scythe for some support. “Come one Scythe help me out here man.” “I wish I could Sam but, well, she’s not wrong.” the Enderian replied, and Ella’s face turned into one of triumph.

“How could you betray me?” Sam said jokingly before the three laughed together a bit. “Alright , alright, I wont do anything too stupid. I promise.” He added as Ella looked at him once more with suspicion.

The trio said their goodbyes to each other, and when Ella had closed the door behind Sam, Scythe grabbed something. As she made it back to the couch where he was sitting, Scythe held out the circular tupperware from earlier in the day.

“What’s this?” Ella said, looking at the container Scythe handed her, trying to determine what it was before opening it. “Is it something that Pearl had brought?”

Scythe nodded, “Yeah! Cleo and Gem made it for me, but I thought we should share a slice or two given what it is.” Ella looked at him curiously. “Open it you dummy! Look at what it is!” he said in response to her curious glance.

She chuckled a little to herself and opened the container. The smell of the Chorus Pie once again hit Scythe’s nose, and he could tell that Ella was excited about the delicious treat as well. She looked back up at him, her eyes full of excitement. “Can we eat some now?” she asked, her multi-colored wings flapping a bit in her excitement..

Scythe laughed, “Yes, yes we can.” he grabbed the tupperware back from her and got up to go to the kitchen and cut a few slices. “You know, you can be really cute when you get all giddy and excited like that.” he said, smiling as he put each slice onto its own plate, grabbing a fork each. Ella’s cheeks turned a lighter, pinker hue, and her wings instinctively moved to cover her face. “The little wing movements make it even cuter.” Scythe added.

He chuckled as he walked back to the couch with the chorus pie slices, setting one next to a flustered and “hidden” Ella. Slowly, his winged partner  emerged from her feathered cocoon, mumbling small curses as she picked up her plate and took a bite of the pie. Almost as soon as she took the bite, her wings flapped a bit happily.

Scythe chuckled to himself once more, and Ella shot him a glare before taking another bite, and he put his hands up in defeat. Taking a bite of his own slice, Scythe appreciated Pearl's partners ever more for the pie, and how well they made it. From what he knew, chorus pie was pretty difficult to make, mainly because of the toughness and general difficulty to handle chorus fruit itself.

As the clock ticked ever closer to midnight, Scythe and Ella ate their slices of pie, chatted about some random stuff, and even played a few games, more chill in comparison to the one they were playing with Sam and Pearl. By the time the clock did hit midnight, the pair were already in bed, falling asleep and getting ready for another hopefully peaceful day.

<<<Previous Next>>>

[writernopal]

Heads Up, Seven Up/Last Line

Got tagged by the following peeps for this one in recent days, thank you all so much!💙

@writingamongther0ses, here

@mjparkerwriting, here

@talesofsorrowandofruin, here

@dogmomwrites, here

@scifimagpie, here

@mister-writes, here

Tagging (gently): @gummybugg @captain-kraken @sam-glade @tabswrites @squarebracket-trick @void-botanist

From AASOAF 3: wherein Egra and Axtapor chat about Mariel 🥺 also yes this is way more than 7 lines but i love this exchange so much

“You really do love her, then?” “She been my heart.” I said with a shrug. “There be nary a thin’ I would no do for her.” Another nod. “Is it strange?” “What?” “Being with a human.” I shook my head. “They been different, but I nay mind it.” “The scruff on their heads and bodies doesn’t…bother you?” “Nay. Been soft as mink.” “They remind me of those dumplings that go into Kava’s Day soup.” She said with a strange little frown and a wiggle of her fingers, “Soft and…watery.” I laughed. “Take one to bed and find out if’n that be true.” “X’fidi! ” She hit me on the arm. I laughed. “I have no interest in taking any lovers right now, thank you!” “Oh? Nary one been eye catchin’ to ye?” “No…” I might be stupid, but I knew when ‘no’ meant ‘yes’. “Aye then.” I replied with a barely concealed smile. She cleared her throat. “Is she nice?” “Aye. Very. Sweetest creature I ever did meet.” “Well.” She brushed her robes. “I can’t say I understand it, but if you love her, then…there’s nothing more to say. Promise me you’ll tell grandmama and the others soon. Even if they don’t forgive you, they might at least understand your reasoning.” I sighed. “Nay be sure ‘bout that. Grandmother ‘lieves Mariel been a poison and a danger.” “She’s hurt. Of course she’d believe that about her, but…she misses you dearly. And I don’t think she’s capable of ignoring you forever. She worries too much.” “‘Haps.” “Give her another chance. I’m sure she’ll come around.”

AASOAF 3 Taglist: @outpost51 @thelivingdeceased @faelanvance @captain-kraken @illjustpretend @elshells @full-on-sam @the-mindless @zestymimblo

Join/leave the taglist using this Google Form.

[krikeymate]

Double whammy of the Sam with a 10 year age difference having a conniption cause Tara is trying to go around sleeping with random guys

Sam was NOT prepared for handling a teenager, let alone a teenager with PTSD. She's barely feels like an adult herself, and only two years after finally getting her mother out of their lives, her little sister is nearly killed, all because of her.

Tara's 14 (&3/4) when Amber and Ritchie try to kill her in this AU, so let's not try and make that too 😬... hmm, got it.

In the aftermath, she does not cope well.

Tara's always had moments where she's chafed against Sam's authority, where she's been distant, especially since she became her legal guardian, but nothing like this. Sometimes it feels like Amber had managed to kill Tara after all, and she's left trying to care for a ghost. Sam wishes she could kill her all over again... and again, and again, for the rest of eternity, for the anguish she's caused her girl.

The attack at the hospital and again at Amber's only makes her injuries worse. In the end, it takes her leg 4 months to heal, and she was confined to the bed full-time for a month, with another month of being confined mostly to her bed. Needless to say, she doesn't cope well. Tara's not a baby anymore, and she can't stand to be coddled, can't stand the reminder that she isn't like the other girls in her class. She can't stand the fact she can't even dress and undress herself in this state. Can't stand to think of Amber.

And the pain, it's constant, it's everywhere, in her body, in her heart, in her head. The only time she's somewhat happy these days is under the influence of the painkillers that leave her floating between awake and asleep, where everything is fine and good. Sam can't bear to see her sister in this state, drugged up and absent. It's the only time she sees her sister smile anymore, and it hurts. But it's the only thing that keeps her going, and Tara's constantly in pain, so she keeps refilling the prescription. Later, she'll wish she was stronger, she'll wish she had listened to the part of her that said something was off. But Sam's never listening to herself, to anyone, over her sister.

Tara takes painkillers long after she needs them, and eventually, they stop providing the void she's always searching for. So she finds other options. Tara's newly 17 and lying beneath some guy, drugged out of her mind, in the basement of someone's house. They'd been making out for what felt like hours, when she felt his hand slip down her trousers, and then her sister had stormed into the room, throwing fists. What happens after that is as foggy as what came before that.

They move to New York.

Apparently, Sam is best friends with Gale fucking Weathers these days, because Sam gets a job with her, and that job apparently comes with an apartment. Tara finishes her school career online, in the corner of a studio or in a dressing room or the back of a news van, wherever Sam or Gale go, Tara is stuck being dragged around by them. She knows why. She's not stupid. She kind of hates Sam for it. She hates herself more for thinking such a thing, for being so weak.

She still has her vices, despite it all Sam never took her privacy from her. So Tara still has seedy chats and pictures and videos to distract herself with when she's feeling empty. It feels good to be loved, adored, for a little while. She can't bear to expose the emptiness inside of her to Sam, can't bring herself to talk about what happened to the therapists, to talk about Amber. Or the things she said, the things she did.

She's nearly 18 when they're attacked again. Ethan, Sam's clumsy assistant with the sweet smile and who always had a kind word for Tara, and their neighbour, Quinn, who liked variety in her men. Some of those men had little brothers she would introduce to Tara. They're Ritchie's family, and they want revenge.

Tara begins sleeping around as a coping mechanism after that. She won't go back to the drinking, and the drugs, she doesn't want to do that to Sam again. Her sister already has so much going on, she doesn't want to add to that. It doesn't even occur to her how much this would hurt her as well.

[mossy-mushrooms]

The dark harvest

Pt 13

Yuuki stared at the tree, holding up Ryu.

He was silent, and so was Santos.

Ryu hesitantly looked up at Yuuki, he didn't know what they were thinking, they're faces were void of any emotion.

"Uhm" Santos looked down at him as he heard Ryu. "So.. what do you think..?"

He mumbles as he looked back at the marked up tree. "I think we'll need some more wood for the fireplace" Yuuki simply said as he stared. He looked way to calm, it made Ryu uneasy.

"Why.. didn't the police say anything?" He choked out, almost scared to say that.

"They need something under wraps, at least it looks like it." Yuuki answered before picking up Ryu and carrying him back inside.

"Like what??" He prodded. "Ryu" Santos spoke up after being quiet for most of the time. "Just. Rest for now." He pursed his lips, Santos was never quiet like this. Or well–serious, he looked down and just stayed quiet as he got carried inside.

...

He was in his room now, Laying in his bed because he didn't have much to do. He looked over at his phone that was beside him, it let up every few seconds because of the group chat.

He sighed as he closed his eyes, mostly feeling numb from the meds. After the umpteenth of hearing his phone buzz he opened his eyes, staring up at the dark ceiling. Maybe he should put those glow in the dark stickers soon.

He grabbed his phone, squinting as he stares at the messages. Scoffing as he sees something about the groups questionable taste.

...

"Ryu" he looked up at Sam "hm?" Sam sat down in the bed, looking down at him, "how are you holding up?" He asked as he put his hand on the teens shoulder. "Fine.. I guess" he mumbles as he looks up at him. "It'll turn out fine okay?" Sam tried to comfort Ryu, and it meant a lot since he wasn't one for a lot of words.

Ryu slowly sits up as he groans, his lower back popping from the movement. "Yeah I know."  He slightly scratched at the tape the held the gauze on his cheek. "Don't do that" Sam pushed Ryu's hand away, the teen scoffed but complied.

"How about we go and get some fruit yogurt?" The older blond suggested. Ryu looked down at his ankle and then back up at Sam. "How would we go about that?"

"Well we just need to get you in the car, and helping you to the shop isn't that hard" he said Before going to Ryu's closet. "What do you want?" He asked as he opened the closet.

"I don't care, anything warm." He groaned, wrapping a blanket around himself, he looked like a cocoon.

"Eh, alright then" Sam sighed, looking for some clothes that Ryu would like, settling on an outfit that Ryu wore once before.

...

As the older man helped Ryu sit down he went and eat across him. Ryu was silent as he stared down at the table, his hands shoved in his pockets. Some people would think that the teen was being a brat but sam knew better as Ryu had a tendency to be cold, and it was harder for the boy to warm up.

"What'll you get?" Ryu looked up at Sam "probably peach.. or pineapple"  he mumbled, looking around the already familiar café.

"Any recommendations then?"

"Maybe blueberry? You like that right?" He said as he returned his gaze to Sam.

"Ryu" he heard behind him, it was Zane. As he turned to look at him he got hugged and then hit on the top of his head. "Ow!" He swatted at the brown haired boy.  "Why are you lurking like  a ghost in the chats?? It would be good to know you're alive!"

He hadn't heard Zane ever raise his voice until then. It suprised him, "sorry uh.. the brightness hurt my eyes and head.. so I didn't use it much."  He said still holding his head as the spot pulsated with a dull ache.

Zane just then saw Sam and he got suprised, "uh- sir-" Sam just snickered as he saw that. "I'm Sam"

"Are you his father?" He asks "do I look like his dad?"

"Bro imagine if looked half white" Ryu commented.

"And you are?" Sam asked as he leaned back.

"Uh Zane Monroe sir.." he mumbled as he broke eye contact.

"You can call me Sam"

"No.." Ryu snorted at the quick reply before patting the seat next to him.

"Hayes then"

"Okay" he simply replied. Just as the silence washed over them a waitress came by to take their orders.

"So what happened to you?" Zane asked as he zeroed in on ryu's gauze.

"I thought Mikey told you guys in school" as soon as Ryu said that Zane kissed his teeth while rolling his eyes. "He did but he has a tendency to exaggerate things like he said you jumped out the window. Like that's too much"

Ryu just stared at him, his lips pursed.

"о боже" it slipped out of his lips as he stared at ryu

"Ah?" He looked confused

"Shit sorry. Meant oh god." Zane mumbled.

"Ohhh" Ryu then shook Zane by the shoulders "I'm not the only mixed personnn"

Sam just ate his fruit yogurt letting the two kids talk. "I'm Russian and American"

"Bro I'm Korean an Japanese" Ryu immediately replied.

"Oh we're both closeee" the two teens talked while Sam just kinds tuned them out, texting the group chat without Ryu in it.

'have you guys found it?'  he waited for the text bubble pop up.

'not yet, though Santos did see some marks deeper in.' Yuuki answered and Sam quietly kissed his teeth at that.

'who's going to stay with Ryu?'

'I can, I'm not busy until tomorrow'

Santos came online in the chat.

Sam raised his eyebrows as he saw Santos actually go online.

'i also bought snacks and whatever so I think we'll be fine.'

Sam simply liked the message.

...

As they are back home Sam drops Ryu on that faded purple couch that the boy started to frequently lay at. He takes out a one of the fruit yogurts he bought for Ryu and drops it on his stomach, he lets out a little "oomf-" before taking it and pulling the lid open and grabbing the spoon the blond offered him.

Sam takes the plastic bag of yogurts and goes to put them in the fridge for Ryu later.

Just as he comes back to the living room Santos comes in through the front door.

He takes off his steel toe boots and ambling over to plop down at the fire place, dropping the bag of snacks on the coffee table along the way.

"Well it'll be us for tonight then." He said as he sat down on the floor and propped his back against the couch.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Ryu mumbles as he squinted at him.

"Why not"

After Sam left for work Santos went to lock the door. Ryu was still laying on the couch, his now finished fruit yogurt cup on the coffee table as he followed Santos with his eyes while he closed the curtains.

It was something they all started doing since the first incident.

Ryu still felt uneasy.

[froms8nsashes]

Different but Similar

Summary: the necronomicon sends Sam into a completely different universe, but the price was both Taurtis and Grian and everyone he knew from his universe. Instead of having his friends he instead has Coolment, but there's something familiar about a girl in his class.

T/w: derealization/depersonalization

"Okay, okay. I'll be showing you dweebs around the school for your first day or whatever." She stood a bit taller than both of them and had her arms crossed. "As much as I don't want to be doing this I have to admit getting paid is the only plus."

"That is... Awfully welcoming..." The boy with mint hair took a step back.

"It's the first day, it's not like we need someone to show us around." The boy with the bunny hat narrowed his eyes.

"What? No introduction? Not even going to tell me your names?" The pink haired girl tilted her head.

For a second Sam's head hurt. He felt like he was having a migraine. Grimacing and rubbing his temple he felt like he already knew her name, knew who she was, but her hair was brown before. Not pink.

"Fine. You can call me Ridley."

"I'm Sam, and this is Coolment!" He introduced the both of them.

"Not T̴̨͎̺̪̤͓̭͖̺̙͕̼̦͙̪͍̎̋̏̑̎̀͝a̸̧̨̬̥̤̟̻̍̽̃͂̆̓̆̓̈́̿́͘̚ù̵͚̬̟̦͈́̐̍̌̈́̃̏̎̅͗͑̓̈́̈́̂̓͠r̸̨̦̜͔̮̲̫̱̪̍̀̅̋̔́̀͝ṱ̴̨̧̨͙̝̖̲͖̼̖̫͉̤͉̈́͒̐̓̂͊̂̓̿͊̎̅͘͜͠͝į̶̡̣̘̠͉͈̲̫͕̟̖̰̳̮̜̏s̴̡̨̡̛̗̟̝̙͍̫̳̼͎͕̘̺͙̯̤̙͉̘̓̆̊̅̊̎̒̈́̓̍̈́̈́͜ͅ ̴̮̳̈͑̊̊̎̉͋̾͐̃̂̈́͘͠ỡ̴̯̾̅͌̈́̊́̑̓̐̏̍̄̑̄̌̽̾̍̐̚̚͝ŗ̸̡̡̻̩̰̗̮͇̳̤̝̘̰̥͍̺̮͖̙̘̦̱̪͔̩͓̫̲̓̅͛̎͊͂͜͠ ̶̢̫̺̫̜̬͓͚̦̙̬̳̝͌̋̿̄̿͛͌̉G̵̡̧̢̛̛̥͔̣͖̞̘̥̜̥̼̞̼͇̖̫͎͎̳̜̤͆̿͛͌̔̂͗́̂̆͆̀̾͂̓̍͊͐͌̚͠͝͝ͅr̷̛̖̗̲͈̠̃͑͊̏͆̔͐͝͝i̶̼͙̩͑̌̏͂̊͌̆͒͒͂̔̏͋̎̈́͆̅͂͊̀̾́̑̔͘͠͠ͅa̵̧̨̰̬̺̪̫̬̩͇͚̙̤̪̭̝̤̤̓̈̋̎͛̐̊̏̎̅̈́̂̏̚͝͝ń̶̡͇͇͔̙͙̮͚̗̼̟͍͚̫̹̹͜ ?"

"Huh?" Sam tilted his head."

"I didn't say anything." Ridley blinked twice. "Must be hearing things." She shrugged.

"We know where our classes are." Coolment chuckled.

It felt off. The current scene felt wrong. Sam turned and stared at Coolment. Did he even know who he was? Then he looked at Ridley. She felt so important, yet so unknown entirely. Sam shook his head to rid him of those thoughts, even though the hair on his arms stood on end.

He couldn't pay attention as Ridley and Coolment chatted, it was as if his ears were clogged with water. Sam just watched as their mouths moved. Were they always this cartoon like? He trailed behind, looking down at his schedule as if it weren't real in his hands to begin with. He reached up and felt at the hat on his head, they were real bunny ears weren't they?

The walls were closing in and suddenly he couldn't breathe. Not to panic or alert either Coolment or Ridley he cut into the bathroom and closed himself in a stall. It was all wrong. It felt wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

He was clutching at his chest, pulling at his tie. Trying to relieve the pressure that was crushing his lungs. He gasped for air that was empty and void. It was like something was swimming around in his head. Thumping against his skull.

"Isn't this the way it's supposed to be?"

His eyes widened when he saw a shadow at the bottom of the stall. Both Coolment and himself have already made a bunch of enemies as it is, there was no way someone was already trying to mess with him for no reason. When the stall opened he saw Coolment staring at him with this strange gaze, his eyes weren't yellow anymore. Sam pressed himself as far back as possible.

"Wha- Coolment what do you mean?"

"Isn't everything like how it was before? You have your house, your school, your girl."

"What is going on... "

"Sam, why are you hiding in the bathroom?" Coolment asked, his voice was back to normal and he has a smile on his face.

"I- Wha- How- " Sam stared at Coolment for a few moments and then he pushed past the cat-boy and splashed cold water on his face.

"C'mon! Class is about to start!" Coolment hooked his arm with Sam's and pulled him along to the room on their schedule.

"Wait- Where did- "

"This places looks so cool!" Coolment exclaimed, interrupting his friend.

The classroom looked like something right out of a Harry Potter book. Sam swallowed his words and tried to put whatever happened at the back of his mind. The last thing he needed was to freak out again.

Sam watched Ridley from across the cafeteria. Laughing and talking with her friends. Every once in a while he would glance at Coolment who looked very, very unfamiliar all of a sudden. It was weird to realize his friend who had always been by his side was someone he had never even seen before.

It had been a week since they started school and his feeling hadn't gone away. It had only gotten worse.

The world looked less and less real, and for a second Ridley looked like she had brown hair instead of pink hair. The beanie on her head looked like furry wolf ears. Blinking and rubbing his eyes he squinted and Ridley was just wearing a beanie.

"You're staring at her a lot, do you like her?" Coolment wiggled his eyebrows.

"What! No!" Sam's face turned red rather quickly.

"Are you sure?" Coolment teased.

"Yes! I don't even know her!"

"Then get to know her."

"What- "

"Go on, get your girl." Coolment lightly shoved Sam out of the bench.

Sam fell on his face and groaned. Ridley looked over and winced. Rubbing his nose he peeled himself off the floor and walked towards the girls table. Instead of feeling confident and self assured a wave of insecurity and embarrassment washed over him. It was strange how it sprawled outward along his body and seemed to wrap itself around his chest.

"I- uh- " For some reason he had a carrot in his pocket and the only thing he could think of was throwing it on the table and then he ran away.

"Wait- Sam!" Coolment started after him.

A wave of deja vu washed over him as he stood in the corner, hiding. His fingers tingled and one of the bunny ears twitched on his hat. He most certainly had done something like this before. Why was he doing it again?

"I thought you wanted to try again? At least it isn't Sookie, so you don't have to be rejected and torn apart."

Sam jumped when Coolment was standing behind him.

"What the fuck?!"

"What? I just asked if something happened." Coolment scratched his neck.

"Nothing happened. I just threw a carrot and then ran."

"Damn man, you really don't have skills with the ladies."

"It's not my fault!"

"No, really, it is your fault."

"Ridley, I need to talk to you. Without Coolment." Sam was looking at his feet.

"Yeah, sure! What's up!"

Coolment looked between them, a big smile on his face. Sam grabbed her by the arm and dragged her far away from the mint-haired cat-boy. His palms were sweaty but she didn't complain, and that's what made his suspicions worse.

"Ġ̴̨̡͙͖̺̞͔̟͍̹̣̪̫̥̙͓̳̝̝͕̄̆́̅̈́̈́̇͋͛̄́͐̕͜͜͠͝o̶̦̯͎͙̰̟̥̩̭̫̻̱̪͇̪̬͔̫̗͙͚̗̣̓̉̾̐̔͌͗͂͑̓̎̽̈̍̂͒̆͒͂̚͠d̸̟̠͓̗͕̦͈̱̱̭̖̖̥̫̩͙̀̾̄̈̓̈́,̷̧̧̧͈͈̯̟̏͐͌̆̓̐͝͝ͅ ̸̨̧͈̰̗̞͕̭̯̮̮͈̫̩͔̞̯͉̼͌̕͠ď̶̨̨̧̙̦̼͖̯̮̖̩̣̤̦̹̳̆́̏̑̀͑͒̓̃̑͛̌̿͘͠͝ǫ̸̯̺͇̹̘͈̰̟̜̤̰̱̟̻̘̜̥̍̈̊̈́̑͘n̵̺͕͙̲̗̗̤͔̣̄̇͒̂͛͘'̷̮̫̝̻̭̝̹͍̬̜̦̯̯̯͓͆̄̇͛͑̅̐͋̽̑͐͂̄̑̑̒̓͌̒̍͗̊͠t̶̛̝͇̬̙̲̳͚̮͎̙̐͒͒̏͒̔̑͊̓̀͌͝ ̷̛͚̹̻̻͎͍̐͊̏̏̀͋̀̌̌͒̈́̂͘̕͝y̵̢̭̮̪͇̯̞̦͒̔̑̂͘ͅo̷̧̮̟͇̦̩͍̒͐̂͐ų̷̨͉̼̠̯͈̙͙̣̦̭͎͖̗͙̞͓̬͈̼̃̄͗͐̔̐̾̓͐͗̾̓̑̂͘ ̵̛͚͇͉̺̖̙̳̦̘̪͋͐͊̅̅͆͐͒̋̌̿̌̾ͅę̷̧͖̥̙̙̮͕̲̟̬̩͇͖̺͉̩͚͎̟̓̈́͋̌̍͊́̅͜͜͜v̷̡̨̰̭̟̪̘̘̤̳̹̥͙̟́̑̈̉̆́̿̍̄͊̽͝ͅe̴̛̺̦̬͍̩͖̙̝͈͖͐̀̏̔̎̀̀̉̋̅̒̅́̎̊̚͘ř̵͙̪̥̻̥̓ ̵̟̯̅̆̉͊̈́̈́̎̌͛̽́̐̊̅̒͝͝s̴̛̫̖̗̳̝̝̲̠̮͚̞̰͕̜̽̽̐͋̑́̋̓̅̌͂̅̈́͌̀͊͘͠͠t̴͌��̡͍̘͋̈́̏͂̋̂͌̊̿̚ö̸̡̢̨̢̤͓̙͍̩͔͇̖̗̰̳̤̻̺̱̋̓̀͐̉̓̾̔̊͗̏̓̓̍̓̒͠ͅͅp̷̨̢̝̼͈͉̩̬̩̪̈́͑̏̎̄̎̔͌ ̴̛̠̺͕͔͓̗̳̮͓̀̃̾͑̂̏̈̏̆̈́́͜ş̵̛̪̖̱̣͚̏̾̈́͒͋͐͒̊̃̇̎̒̂̔́̐̅͑̇̈͠w̴̟̼͗̿̆͂͊͂̑͂̏͋̚̚̚͜͝͝ę̶̲͈͙̑̿ä̶̩̻̟̟͔̜̺̲̦͍̱̹͉͜t̸̡̡̡̠̦̤̻̪͎̬̰͎͕̥̯̹̙̼̥̠̬̮̂̉̿ỉ̵̢̧̢̧̛̫͈͉͍̮̩̥͙̥̮̞͉̻̩̥̃̑͒͛͒̄͊ņ̷̢̮̻̝̩̫͔̼̺̿̇̇̌̇̄̈̀͐̿̈́̌̊̌̐̍̕ǧ̵̛̛̲̙͍͙̪̅̓̀̈̾͛̂̿̉͋̕͜?̵̞̙̰̟̬̗̝͉̋͆͑̈́̌̆̄̆̆̉̒̆͛̐͒̐̅͛̽́"

"What?" Sam asked, staring at her with wide eyes. Bags had been forming under them. He looked exhausted.

"I didn't say anything." She smiled sweetly at him, batting her eyelashes.

"Have you- Have you been noticing weird things happening?"

"Y̷̨̡͎͓͈͓̹̩̳͕̣̻̩̻͇̅̍̉̐̐̽͜͝ê̷̡̧̨̦̜͙̙̟̈̃ą̴̹̣̲͔̪͔͇̥̺̹͎͎̯͑̂͑́̊̔͊̈́̚͝ͅȟ̵̨̹͓͙͕͈̬͔̺̣̞̺̩̯̳̇̐͊̓̿̍͋̊͆,̴̧̨̧̢̼̣͔̞̗̯̻̖͎͓̬͎̯̿̽̒͒̊͆̇́́̓̒̓͜͜͠ ̴̡̛͚̣͖͕̥̦̯́̀̀͑̊͗̄̐̓̂̒̀̂̕̕͝ỳ̶̡̞͍̜̯̻̂́̂͋̈́͘ͅo̶̧̡͈̩̳̫̪̝̻̦͈̥̭̲͎̪̫̞̻͌̈́̂̄͒̃̄͆͋̅̈̏͂͛̉ų̶̧̯̫̳̞̬͙̬̻̙͕͉̘̑͊̽̑̋̅̓͑̈́̋̓̒̊̑̐̃̇̚r̸̛̗̠͕͚̬͖̰̪̘͒̔̌̅͑̓͂̓̓̍̇̇̕͘ͅ ̸̟̙̦͍̯̖͖̜̫̞̻̭̲̆̆̓͛̃̈́̆̅̏͝͠f̸̢̪̥̠͕͉̖̹͇̝̈́̈́̈́̀̇̐̂̿́͝͝ǎ̴̹͖̭̓͐̂̿͑̋̅͘͠͝ć̴͇̙͕͈̻͒̎̍̚e̷̲̞̠͔̖̬̔͛͑̏͑̈́̔͋̍̑̎͌̂̍̐̽̈́ ̴̮͉͇̲͚̰͔̏͛̋͗̾̐̔̕͜i̵̱̬̙͈̐̀͌̿͐̄͌͒͘s̴̡̨̛̛̛͕̤͎̟͖͔̱͕͉̫̺̼̱̼̜͔̀́͗́̀͆̇̏̇̾͝͝͝ ̴̧̨̨̳͖̺̖̻͍͕̗̻͓̔̊̌̃͗̈́̑̽͗͒͒͘̕͝ŵ̶̱̰̺͇͚̞̤̃̉͌̇ͅͅe̵̡̡̮̝͍͎̩͔̠̤̺̘̅̄̇̚ĩ̸̢̺͇̞͍̲̝̻͉͖̣̯̺̗͎͕̓̏̈̓̿͆̀̒͒̕͘͝r̷̼͚͑̅̓̎̀͂̂̀͌̋͛͝͝d̸̡̧̨̢͎͕̥̝̣̹̜͙͇̩̻̮͙̯̃̌̊̕͘͜͝.̶̗̻͉̘̦̣͕̲͇̗̳̺͇̩͇͎͊̄́͗͐̇̆̀̊̕"

"What was that."

"Nothing." She giggled. "You know Sam, you're so funny!"

Sam's face paled.

"You wanted this Sam. You wanted another start without losing friends. How do you like your new reality?"

When he turned around Coolment was standing right behind him brandishing a knife. His eyes were read again and he had this off putting sharp toothed smile.

"You bargained everything for this. Don't turn back on me now,"

"I don't know what's going on! Why are you doing this? What happened to my buddy Coolment?" Sam stepped back, Ridley's hands gripping his shoulders and holding him in place.

"Coolment's just fine. He's your best friend forever! No more T̶̡̨̧͎̺̜̼͓͓̩̤́̒̈̿̽̾͐̚͝a̵̡͉̭͒̂̔̉͒͆̈̏̓̽̑̒̆̏̀̈́ṳ̴̝͙͆͗̋͐̔̚r̵̨̛̲͊̎̆̇̓͗̌̑̈́̿͌̈́̇͊̕͘͝ț̷̽̒̒͌͌̀̓̊̈͂ĭ̷̛̘̦͙͔̞̻̖͓̋̑́̓̈̊̌͑̄̌̔̓́̚̕͠s̷̛̗̘̺̦̗̜̥̜͐̿̍̿̎̿̂͋̍̊̈̚͠͠ ̷̛͍͕̳̻̘͎͎͈̰̊͑͛͂̈́͌͒̍͌̽̉̾̕͜a̴͙̜̦͎̤̞̪͌̎̈́̈̓̉̎͐̉́͑̈́͠ͅn̴̨̛͙̠̬̦̠͚̟̩̗͚̆̾̓̅̿͘d̶͈͇͎̏͂̀̐̅ͅ ̵̧̡̧̢̡̧̞̞̱̱̼͍̦̪͎̮̳̼͍̉̆͐̂G̶̡͍͖͈̾͂̔̏ṙ̶͖̘̤̰̻̙̹͈̩̭̤͓̘̤͈̗̖̋͑̉̾̽̑̔͐̃͋̚͜ì̵̲̹̫̀͂͛̅̀̎ą̶̨͈̞̼̤̜̼̤̠́͐͊́̾͆̒̆̓͛̓̉͂̃̉ṅ̶͇̼̝̘̖̗̜̣̣̹̹̯̆́̓̍̑̈́̈͘̚͜͠͠ͅ." She spoke into his ear.

[taughtdefense]

there’s a lot of things that you haven’t revealed about yourself to your friends... like the fact that you’re an eldritch being, or the fact that your humanity switch had been flipped for an entire day after you’d had a particularly nasty run-in with a horde of cobra kai students - excluding robby, thank fucking void - a few days ago. that’d been a 5v1, & some part of you just decided you were slightly done with pretending to be weak, at least for that singular, isolated interaction in particular. there hadn’t been a punch thrown, no kick blocked, just general taunts & sneers from kyler & his band of clowns. after they’d left, you flipped your emotions back on, & that had been hell, even if they’d only been suppressed for a total of six minutes... almost that entire solo interaction. your depressive episodes have been rapidly pendulum-swinging violently between making you feel too much & not enough since then. right now, you’re glad your emotions are off, because if you had to look at robby when he’s like this, a member of cobra kai despite ( because? ) of everything, you would have lost your fucking mind.

but that emptiness you’re feeling is better than feeling too much. it’s better than anger, better than sadness, better than guilt ( YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER TO STOP EVERY BAD THING FROM HAPPENING, ETHAN ! YOU’RE A FUCKING FAILURE ! ), better than the bone-deep, choking grief of losing your first love to monsters in the form of deranged, war-starving men. …it’s a little funny. you - the kidpool version of you - have killed people like that before, people who are so much worse than terry silver & john kreese, without so much as hesitating, or deliberating on the morality of anti-heroes. …or what your mom would say if she saw kidpool you surrounded, shoulder-deep, by corpses that were once clearly identifiable as human, ripped apart by stitched-together atoms in the form a little blond boy, small hands stained with enough wet grey matter for it to drip between your fingers. why you can’t raise a hand against your enemies in this universe is unknown, but that divine intervention is probably for the best of everyone around you.

you suppose your emotions being off again - dead & buried - is why you’re entertaining kyler & his stupid fucking antics, complete with the same gaggle of idiots. they’re back for round two. the only thing that’s different is that @vipersunion , scarlett & jaime are with them this time. why, you don’t know, nor do you really want to start chatting with them. that’s fine. you & talia are friends despite the karate war, & even though jaime is robby’s twin, you don’t really know her that well. same with scarlett. all you know is that scarlett is best friends with tory & that other girl, cosima. you’ve pretty much ignored the four of them, who are both standing off to the side with ciro while kyler recycles the same old taunts you’ve heard a thousand times.

it’s technically nine versus one; hardly fair odds given your inexperience in karate. but you’re not really counting on ciro & talia fighting you. jaime is a wildcard, but you already know that ciro’s going to stop her from fighting you if it comes down to it. it’s just kyler & four others taunting you.

you’re just standing in the middle of sam’s neighborhood, surrounded by cobra kai members who’d ran into you randomly. you’d walked from your apartment to the larusso house to clear your head, had dinner & hung out with sam, then started walking back to your apartment. they’d walked up to you. calling for back up is a little impossible right now.

you’re staring blankly at kyler & his four friends, your stance far too casual. the blank look on your face & the way you’re standing is not like you at all. it makes ciro slightly unnerved. as a result, he’s half-standing in front of talia & jaime, a warning to them ( & not to you ) is clear in his stance. ❝ don’t do anything, ❞ his body language screams. it’s not because he thinks they’re weak, but you’re the outlying factor here. you’re something he can’t predict, despite the literal millions of years of friendship between you. he doesn’t know what the fuck is going on with you lately, but the fact that it’s visibly unnerving him should be an indication to the two girls that you’re not… you, right now. ciro’s protection doesn’t extend to the other cobra kai members, which of course you’ve noticed.

GOOD. maybe you’ll get to blow off a little steam, witnesses be damned. you’ve been angry at the universe - at kreese & silver for manipulating robby - for far too long.

eventually, kyler gets annoyed at that fact that you’re not reacting to his taunts, & you simply roll your shoulders when he growls at you. you’re entirely unbothered, & a little bored, whereas kyler is growing increasingly aggravated. it’s something you’re counting on.

❝ you done? ❞ your tone is equal parts jarring to the others & robotic. it makes ciro have visceral reaction, goosebumps decorating his skin, physically scowling. he looks visibly unnerved. all of these emotions are unheard of for him. instinctively, he raises both arms up to gently push talia & jaime a step backwards. he’s treating you like a powder keg that’s about to explode, but his wariness isn’t unwarranted. something that you recognize.

you just… don’t fucking care about any of it anymore. the karate war, the crazed senseis, the drama between sam & tory. let robby do what he fucking wants. he’s a big boy, he doesn’t need you to look out for him anymore. he can ruin his own fucking life. you’re done caring.

( that’s what you think now, anyway. )

❝ no, wilson. i’m not. ❞ kyler responds coldly, all snark & no brains to the obvious change in you. you predict the first punch before his brain can tell his body what to do. he swings a punch up at your jaw easily, but you very smoothly react, grabbing his hand in your fist before the punch can connect, squeezing his hand so hard that you hear every single knuckle in his hand pop. it’s an impossibly fast, one that’s pure instinct. surprise flashes across kyler’s face, & the other cobra kai’s faces turn from taunting to surprised, alarmed or fearful. you can sense the fear coming off their entire bodies in waves. kyler is about to pull his hand back, but you hold fast. then, you sharply twist his hand without much force on your end at an awkward angle. the sound of a single but vital bone in his wrist dislocating echoes sharply across the dead empty street, & kyler screams in pain. ciro’s nose scrunches up for a half second. not at the scream, but at the sound of the bone being dislocated.

you drop his hand, then push him backwards, aiming a calculated spinning kick to the side of his head, long before kyler can even defend himself. the kick connects perfectly. kyler’s head snaps to the side, & he stumbles backwards, groaning. big red steps up to fight you next, but you simply punch him in the throat with a fraction of your true strength. the teen collapses onto the ground like a stone into water, gasping horribly for air he can’t get. his entire face goes as red as his hair in a matter of seconds. you didn’t break anything - you merely fractured something, probably important, based on the way he’s wheezing. when the third cobra kai member, alex, rushes forward to fight you, you quickly stop him in his tracks. you grab his arm, another hand reaching across his chest to force him to stop. he does, & you flip him onto his back, barely moving yourself. it’s one fluid motion, so fast that it makes ciro raise an eyebrow.

speaking of ciro, he takes more handfuls of steps backwards, instinctively pushing talia, scarlett & jaime back another step. he hasn’t said anything to you, & neither eldritch makes a move to fight their friend. ciro just quietly watches the fight, which isn’t much of one to begin with. you turn towards kyler & forcefully kick his leg out from under him, watching his knee drop to the ground to break his fall. before he can stand up, you quickly land another spinning kick on the other side of kyler’s head with your right leg. the mortal can’t block or deflect the hit in time, & he crashes to the ground, quickly using his uninjured hand to break his fall. he doesn’t get up again.

the fourth & final student, nick, puts up a smidge more of a fight, but you’re downright terrifying as you block, dodge & counter every hit he tries to throw at you, your miyagi-do training kicking in. a kick is blocked with your leg, a punch deflected with your elbow, causing him to gasp in pain. an attempt to grab you is made, but you side-step out of the way, using your new position to elbow him in the jaw - just to piss him off. he takes a step back to recollect himself, but you reach forward, speed & long limbs always an advantage in a fight like this. you grab the sides of his head before he can react or shake himself out of your grip, yanking his head down while simultaneously bringing your right knee up, kneeing him square in the face. nick collapses into a heap, a hand instinctively covering his nose, which gushes blood. based on the sickening crunch, you broke it. good. you don’t stop there. as nick stumbles back, gasping in pain, you land a single hard kick to his chest. the shorter teen drops to his knees, & you watch him collapse onto his side, clearly in pain.

alex tries to get up again, but a very light, by your standards punch to his torso makes him drop to the ground again. he looks up at you with shock in his eyes, clutching his chest & groaning. he curls up into a ball.

you’re eerily calm as you survey the damage done. you say nothing. only ciro, scarlett, talia & jaime are standing. the teens on the ground are still groaning in pain, clutching their various injuries. big red’s nose is still gushing blood, but your knuckles remain entirely unscathed. kyler tries to stand up, but you kick him once in the back, coldly telling him to stay the fuck away from you & your friends. he groans, weakly cradling his sprained wrist closer to his chest instinctively. his face is twisted in agony. you don’t know if he heard you, but you wouldn’t mind kicking his ass again some time in the future. he’s definitely going to need a hospital, like the others on the ground, but you have no intention to call anyone. he can do that with the good hand he still has.

pathetic.

❝ don’t worry, kyler, ❞ you begin calmly, voice going from dead empty to faux gentle, but you’re unable to hide the disdain you feel for him, the DISAPPOINTMENT for him not putting up more of a fight against you, ❝ you & your buddies will heal in time for the all valley in two months… probably, anyway. but… if you’re up for round fifteen or what-fucking-ever round in the meantime, name your time & place. i’ll be there. oh, & go ahead & tell your friends at cobra kai what i did, too, if you feel like it. but i doubt anyone would believe you. ❞ you add as an afterthought, tone bored.

the tense, shocked silence that falls over the group of teens means nothing to you. you’re not even winded. your heartbeat is steady, & your breathing is normal. it’s like you didn’t just beat up four cobra kai members in record time. as expected, you felt nothing the entire time. you still don’t now.

❝ this isn’t you. ❞ talia breathes. you look up at her, eyes flickering between talia, scarlett, jaime & ciro with complete disinterest. ciro instinctively tenses, but his face is set in a grimace. you shrug you shoulders.

❝ no, it’s not. ❞ you agree with her on that front. your tone remains flat. you push past the four cobra kai members without a second thought or a glance. ciro says nothing, but he’s clearly a little shocked. you raising a hand to harm mortals like this in front of him… it’s terrifying, even if it’s warranted, because kyler started picking on you. although, a thought hits you. your dark brown eyes flicker down towards jaime, holding her gaze unflinchingly. your eyes are startling. there’s nothing there. not an inkling of warmth, or who you were trying to be. the chaotic but good-natured boy is dead. the karate war wounded him, but robby picking cobra kai was the final nail in the coffin for you, it seems like. your eyes are entirely devoid of emotion.

❝ do me a favor, jaime. tell the mighty, untouchable king cobra that if he wants revenge for hospitalizing his new friends, he knows where to fucking find me. ❞ you tell her, the words coated in venom that’s very unlike you. ( the sarcastic bite, however, is. ) with that said, you shove both of your hands into the pockets of your sweatshirt, continuing to walk down the sidewalk, leaving the stunned cobra kai members in the street.