#Song is 'As we fall' by league of legends. yes its a league song just ignore that ok. league songs fuck hard

[storm-of-silver]

Tell me, where do I go?

Tell me, where do I take us?

Your heart is starting to slow

May the water be safer

As I dive in

@bonefall Anytime you mentioned this death scene, I keep associating it with this song since the lyrics are LITERALLY this entire scene. "Bloodstains washing underneath the waves"??? "I can't hold on much longer, we're drifting down to the other side"?????? It was fucking PLAGUING me and I had to just get this out.

Anyways ur AU fucks and since this is ur favorite death scene hopefully I did it justice :)

[eclipsewxtch]

NO SPOILERS BUT REACTIONS TO EPISODE 9 ARCANE S2 BUT IM LIVE TWEETING (TUMBLING):

• her hair is so fucking long like ik it was but jesus christ is it even possible for hair to get that long even when ur malnutrished n sorta kinda living in poverty? like don’t get me wrong silco was definitely well off compared to most zaunites but we have to be realistic that extra money wasn’t. that much. like it WAS to them but it wasn’t. i’m sure they had more basic necessities than most tho? maybe i can expand on that in the fic or something.

• she’s so pretty i missed her so bad

• he’s so sick of her shit😭 LMAO I LOVE THEM BADDD

• “always a dance w u” UR SO FREAKING CUTE UGH

• take a shot everytime a main character in arcane tries to kill themselves or others unsuccessfully.

• the intro eats every single time.

• i love lesbians. that’s unimportant but i do.

• why is this ominous music playing… what’s going on… OH WHAT THE FUCK OH WHAT THE FUCK OH MY GOD WHAT RHE FUCK

• why did they bring the fucking trypophobia nightmare fuel 😭 ew

• i hate this bitch so fucking much i hate her i hate her i hate her i hate her i HATE—

• HOLY SHIT NO NO

• AHAHAHAHAHA SHE DIED AHAHAHAHAHA

• “still a fox” bitch u raised her

• WOOOOO HI QUEEN HU MY GLORIOUS BEAUTY HEYY HEY HEY she is my pretty princess i fear.

• heyyyty😍 welcome back king i missed u

• okay so he has his ears pierced by there’s no gold earrings which makes sense but still. he EATS up the gold jewellery.

• i really want a jayce and vi team up they would accomplish absolutely nothing but it would be entertaining anyway

•okay so the trypophobia nightmare fuel is gone thank god but i fear its not over

• oh my gods he looks so cool??? so cool and so odd and unsettling and definitely a poster child for eugenics

• LMAO CAITLYN IM SO PROUD OF YOU THIS TEAMUP WAS A LITTLE UNEXPECTED BUT VERY NEEDED a direct opposite of vi/jayce n that’s funny

• me when for once all the characters are on the same page: 😍

why did it take us 18 episodes for y’all to get here like omfg??

• “people deserve to choose their own fates” god the fanfic material is never ending i am SCREAMING

• mel is so badass AND i just won my arcane bingo card

• ignoring ekko lowkey crazy like damn???

• okay this season has been a trypophobia nightmare so unfortunately i will not be rewatching this season for nostalgia.

• SHE CALLED HIM DAD I AM NOT WELL AT ALL I MISS THEM I MISS THEM I MISS—

• ekko disappearing is so.

•. JAYCE U R SO LOVED. THEY COULD NEVER MAKE ME HATE U KING!

• okay SERIOUSLY trypophobia nightmare; i am so so glad i stopped smoking bc i would have tweaked.

• “you were never broken… there is beauty in imperfections.” STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT DOOMED GAYS ARE SO SAD STOP JT

• lol my glorious king ekko!!!!

• god i hate the trypophobia nightmare fuel. it IS the worst. like so bad. so so bad. anyway thank u ekko

• MAKE THEM CANON LEAGUE OF LEGENDS DONT BE A PUSSY

• oh they’re so precious aw. i need them happy in my fanfic. it’s the only way to find peace.

• okay this score is beautiful

•this is beautiful. when this show isn’t giving me nightmare fuel it is beautiful.

• HOLY AHIT I THOUGHT SHE BROKE HER NECK FUCK OKAY THAT WAS SCARY

• okay everything is fine there’s ten minutes left what could happen?

• Alright😐 okay thank you for that immediate karmic retribution you heartless assholes.

• no see i use the death is like falling asleep line in every single one of my fics so this is ESPECIALLY sick and twisted, actually. this song is bullshit.

• WOOO ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAV CHARACTERS HELL YES!!!

• “our story isn’t over” well obviously this is a prequel to the games i didn’t rlly think it was over.

[sylvanas-girlkisser]

Arcane Background Lore/Easter Eggs (Episode 4)

I was half tempted to jump straight to EP 6 just to draw parallels between stuff in that episode and the teaser that came out earlier today. But nope, sticking to the script, you’ll just have to wait until Friday for that breakdown.

The hexgates are a new addition to League lore (they literally made their first appearance in the game this morning), however they are sorta similar to how Jayce’s “Acceleration Gate” ability works in-game.

Jinx calls these things “Flame Chompers” and one of her abilities in League is throwing them out like landmines. They even make the same tak-tak-tak sound.

Jinx pistol is clearly based on her shock blaster from League, though this one just fires bullets, whereas the shock blaster fires lightning using what appears to be a hex crystal. Maybe that’s how she ends up weaponizing it (probably not though).

Jinx’s minigun is called Pow-Pow (you know like the nickname Vi gave her… this is fine), and in the fight with the Firelights we actually see her use every single one of her in-game abilities, except for her ultimate, which is a really big rocket and what I’m actually guessing she’s gonna use the stable hex crystal for.

This little critter is called a Poro, and yes they have been turned into cheaply made official League of Legends©®™ merch.

Assuming you have watched the show’s intro, you probably already know that Vi is going to be picking up the Atlas gauntlets before the season is over. However, what you might not know is that the hex claw is Viktor’s signature weapon (along with the hex core) in league. Will be interesting to see if he ends up using it in the show some way 🤔

Yes it is kinda weird that Piltover beat cops wear frilly above-the-knee dresses on patrol but: 1) Their job is beating people up for being poor, you don’t need practical clothes for that and 2) it’s a tasteful-ish callback to Caitlyn’s original design where she strode into combat wearing a frilly micro dress, a push-up bra, a striped tophat and a double digit amount of belts. Old league designs are gloriously atrocious.

This mural appear to be portraying Taric, who tl:dr is a demi-god from the Targon region representing love, life, kindness and beauty. And honestly, I do think its kinda rad that they designed a muscular yet effeminate man to embody that role – seriously before I realized I was a woman I gendered so hard with Taric.

This is the logo of the League of Legends themed metal band “Pentakill”.

Jayce title/nickname as “man of progress” is different from his title in league, where he’s called “The Defender of Tomorrow”.

Based on the teaser for part 3, it’s not random that councillor what’s-his-face mention the Noxians as a reason they can’t shut down trade until the hex gem is recovered.

Noxus is hard to explain briefly, they are not purely evil, but they’re not exactly good guys either. For now, what matters is that Noxus has a very big army, they control most of the land surrounding Piltover, and the only reason they haven’t conquered Piltover yet, is because Piltover hasn’t made itself a target.

Delaying shipments to Noxus because of internal problems could absolutely be the kind of thing that made Noxus send in the legion to resolve the matter.

While experimenting with the hex gem, Jinx is listening to her own theme song from League (Get Jinxed).

This outfit is also a call back to Caitlyn’s original design. Ignoring the spaghetti straps, the purple negligee/top thingy covers all the same parts of Caitlyn’s body as her original dress did, and the fabric even falls in strange ways to mimic frills.

Vi punching a wall is not just a subtle expression of her incredible lesbianism! It also references how in Vi’s original backstory, Caitlyn caught her robbing a bank after she used the atlas gauntlets to punch her way into the vault (if you’ve ever wondered why one of Vi’s abilities is called “Vaultbreaker” that’s why).

Seeing as the theme for today has been “Noxians” and “poorly aged female character designs”; lets on me introducing Noxus very own questionably dressed noble woman with disapproving parents: Miss Katarina du Coteau (Riot please give her a personality beyond “I want to win my father’s approval, and I’m in aggresively heterosexual love with Garen Crownsguard” I’m begging you.)

If there’s anything I missed please let me know, I’m planning to do a breakdown like this for each episode.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

[transdarkwingduck]

della for the ask meme !

ty for the ask sofa! i love della sm character meme found here

a song that reminds me of them i have 2 'invincible' by aminé and 'delilah' f+tm

what they smell like just realized della would fuckin hate my deodorant its literally called "ocean elements" anyways bergamot, cedar, and a bit of jet fuel lmao

an otp dellumbra bc wow they are in love, invented it actually, followed by dellene in close second place bc i spent so much of season 1 thinking abt what their relationship must've been like for della to leave such a lasting impression on a immortal goddess like selene

a notp dellp/d. they are pilots falling in love with purple characters solidarity i dont care for her and kit either

favorite platonic/familial relationships oh my godddd this is such a hard question i love her dynamics with everyone sm. i think my favorite relationship is what she has with hdlw because i cant pick a favorite duck kid we see so many pieces of her in each of them and she's obviously such a caring mom trying her best its so fun seeing the kids mirror her enthusiasm (like dewey and her singing stand out or webby and della adventuring the popcorn ep.) what i wouldve given for just more episodes in general of della interacting with everybody..

a headcanon that's popular in the fandom that i disagree with i don't know where people get the idea that della is jealous of other adult figures in the triplets lives. in her moon video diaries she makes it so clear she's relieved that donald and scrooge are there to support and take care of them in her stead. like yes i get her resenting the situation that prevented her from being with her family and feeling insecure about her place in it, but i can rlly only see her redirecting these emotions inward at herself rather than any1 else and using it as a motivation to support her kids now more than ever.

the position they sleep in probably so chaotic honestly, like half hanging off the bed blankets knocked on the ground. i imagine she sleeps pretty fitfully after her tenure on the moon, also she kicks ppl. like a lot. sorry penumbra.

a crossover au i'd love to see them in i want della involved in like full blown tailspin adventures, like shere khan, air pirates, baloo (before going missing :| ), the works. one year in flight school she spends the summer in cape suzette with her best friends/classmates kit and molly to rack up flight training hours working part-time for their parents' air-shipping company higher for hire. nonsense ensues

my favorite outfit they've ever worn this or her league of legends quest avatar

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [888]

Mahanon is a ghostly silver over Ellana's shoulder. Evelyn would be lying if she said she was used to it. As a child, as a mage, she’s been taught to fear spirits and demons. Even though she’d only been in the Circle for a handful of years compared to what her fate would have been had Ellana not interceded, she’d already seen enough horror stories, heard enough, to be afraid.

Mahanon is no spirit. And he is no demon. But he’s something that isn’t quite blood and bone and whatever it is feels incongruous to the rest of the world around him. It is as though Mahanon’s mere presence makes the world flinch.

She doesn’t know fully what happened to him, and she doesn’t think she wants to know. Whatever it was performed some sort of alchemy upon his very spirit, and made him some chimera of impossible and frightful pieces. An aberration that defies the world that made it, and revels in its singular peculiarities.

Oh, he’s a good person. The lengths he went to to save his sister not just once, but twice, and his devotion to her speak volumes to his loyalty and devotion. And he’s been kind to both Evelyn and Max in extension of this powerful love. Evelyn finds herself falling into playful banter with him more often than not, and they share commiserating glances whenever Ellana and Maxwell get up to no good. Evelyn and Mahanon have stayed up long hours together talking about any matter of subject, giving each other advice and their opinions quite freely.

But he isn’t a good man. He isn’t a man at all. And even though Evelyn, on most days, would call Mahanon her one of her closest and most true of friends, the undeniable truth is that he is something beyond understanding. He is something dangerous.

Ellana had asked for Mahanon to remain invisible to all but herself, Evelyn, and Max.

Mahanon is a shimmering silver that resembles more bare branches that bend and flex in improbable ways than a person, disguised to the eye as he is.

He points over the next cresting ridge and Maxwell jogs up on ahead. Ellana beckons Evelyn closer and wraps part of her cloak over Evelyn’s shoulders. It is wonderfully warm underneath and Evelyn isn’t sure if that’s some kind of magic or if she was just that cold before.

Mahanon’s breath feels like a sword being drawn against Evelyn’s cheek as he puts his face between hers and Ellana’s and says, voice low and cracking like dry branches before a match.

“Listen well. Ahead is Skyhold, an ancient place of power.” Ellana and Evelyn both startle. “Yes. The same Skyhold in which Ellana’s Father was created. The same Skyhold in which Ellana, herself, was kept as she went through her cursed sleep. But not. Listen.”

Out of the corner of her eye Evelyn sees Mahanon’s silver finger pointing ahead.

“Fairy tales, bedtime stories, whispered legends and myths, songs and poems, plays and ballads, rumors in the night,” Mahanon continues, “Passed from mouth to mouth, century to century, transformed and yet containing the irritating grit of truth in the center of its lacquered pearl. This Skyhold sits above a place of power, a tangled knot of silver and gold root that runs through the world. Built by the hands of dreamers, who could not shake the ancestral ghosts of stories told to them and their blood for generations. Dreamers who closed their eyes and saw as their ancestors did. Conjure it now.”

In the back of Evelyn’s mind she sees the castle, the ending of a quest that changed her and Maxwell’s lives forever.

Towering stone covered in ivy so thick that the stone wasn’t even visible in most places. Thorns and brambles, a courtyard overrun in such a purposefully defiant way that it made Evelyn feel like the invader for stepping foot near it. Hallways with hanging tapestries that, despite their age and inanimate status, seemed more alive than she did. Windows of stained glass that seemed to writhe, blink, and shift focus, like eyes. Stairwells that squeezed and opened like lungs, bucking underneath her feet with every step creating a sense of vertigo that was nearly maddening. And a door that sighed underneath Evelyn’s palm as she pushed it open.

A beautiful woman straight out of Evelyn’s dreams finally before her in the flesh, black hair spread out over her pillows and woven with flowers, face serene in sleep, illuminated by a ceiling with gold and silver stars near painfully vivid against a pitch black and yawning black.

Max waves at them from on up ahead and they both pick up their pace as Mahanon continues to speak into their ears.

“The memory of Skyhold haunts the blood of the people who left the south and crossed the jungles and forests to settle here. They felt the similar, but not same, pulse of power through the stones and in their dreams remembered a place where terror and beauty showered like gold. And they built this monument, this hollow facsimile in a feeble attempt at appeasing that which leaked through time in their dreams. It is lacking, it is small and weak, it is watered down so as to be almost entirely nothing at all. But it is Skyhold, and through the veins of the earth, it would know the three of you. It remembers you sleeping in its heart, it remembers the touch of the magic of its original occupants, so many leagues away. As long as you are there, it shall not fall.”

They crest the next ridge and Evelyn has to shade her eyes as she looks down upon the sloping valley.

“It looks nothing like Skyhold,” Max says. Mahanon must have been carrying his words to him as well. “But — it feels it, doesn’t it?”

The first Skyhold was also in mountains, but not like this. And this one seems…smaller. As if comparing a small lap dog to a great wolf.

Evelyn turns to Ellana, “May we?”

Ellana’s eyes are closed as she tilts her head back towards the sun. She breathes out, a great exhale of mist.

“Yes,” Ellana says, and Evelyn swears she sees Skyhold reacting below, its main gates opening slowly but surely. “Welcome home, Inquisition. I invite you in. I open my door. I offer you my hearth. You are welcome here.”

[shabba-zams]

I'M NO MANIAC

Hold big regard for kinship, tradition and culture, I could give a lecture

I'm sky high - herbivore, like a turkey vulture I'm a carnivore

Canibal, I mean omnivore coz I love greens, like Popeye And Spinach, I lick bean

Flick flick, root Chakra, keep you grounded, kiss your forehead, illumination

Wham bam, burn incense this instant

Smoke in house, reminisce about my late aunt, Eugenia

Healing from a heartbreak of a love that never happened

Should never happen, wait what just happened?

You a bad bitch, downward doggy, hit it from the back, is that good B?

Meow-moo, look at that arch, Doja, Cat-Cow mi amor

Heart's aching, beneath I'm hurting although surface looks perfect

Instantly regretting the mistake I made, egghead getting laid

I was broke, couldn't think straight, Im still great, it's just that I hate

Constantly stressing, hope you not late, I'm Wylin, red fox

Sorry mate, don't put me on the spot unless we hot box

You a hot mess, you burn, guilt trip, in hell I burn, 12 stroke soul snatcher, soul searching,N2O, inhale, I burn, I'm trippin

My goodness, Zulu goddess, Tsonga royalty in her DNA, your highness hello, hi, my love I profess

Pussy power tricking, that tightness, finesse crazy like madness, she drippin

Her cookie jar I'm Double dippin, like yes ya, I praise ya, I'm smitten

You praise Ja, pet name for your small pussy... Poor lil kitten

Obsessed With fitness, admire her loyalty, I stay under her spell

First We gel, then repel, we then rebel, plz say you could not tell I fell for you girl!

I confess, your strange quirks remind me of my old ex

Guardian angel, I see your halo, okay bye! In darkness you my star

Naledi always shine bright, never dim light, eyes can adjust right?

No girl, tell me how could I not fall for you girl?

If I see you all day and night? Medicate then meditate

Last and first light I see you, it's hard to wake me up, ICU

Namaste, send u love and light. Hugging u gud nyt then imma go unless it's midnight, my pants is tight right and u hug me tight tight cutie, in my ear, QTip, u whisper get the light, deep throat  gimme the green light, tonight you looking so tasty

It's not right, lockdown got me all thirsty, see, I'm nasty

I'll eat you out, gimme a big tip, face chair, take a sit please

Gangsta champagne, notorious bubbles I sip sip, are you pleased?

You a tall glass of sexy B, I mean u sassy B, sexy beast I gotta drink, drunk

In love with your positive energy, you love the inner me and you know I'm not the enemy, I love you

Juju, like bad energy, shoo shoo, telling me to go, I don't go

Feeling ur feng shui imbalance, tryinna find balance, yoga

So much green in my blood stream, feelin like Hulk or Yoda

I'm 1 with the force, a gulf stream directing ur flow, go

Heavy flow that weigh a ton, period. I go deep, you flow deep like the Nile, you lovin it

Tid bit in denial, plz don't judge unless you take a 9 mile walk if the shoe fit

Wise mentor, needed to blow off steam, oh no you make me sing, I never meant to...

I'm spiritual, Ultralight beam, living the life of Pablo, green

I see no light, stuck in the dark, this don't feel right

Fight what I feel, fight! I know you like what I write, right? I'm still Steve like Biko, because I write what I like

You're spiritual, Ivy crown it'll be alright, fight!

Where you been? Spiritual journey, Wrote you a song of love, don't panic, it's platonic agape kind

You're kind, im sorry, please forgive me, God bless us

Never meant to sex ya, sext ya, yes ya I never meant to

Hurt ya, my day 1 let me be in your team, I'm your hype man and you my wing man, who knew, man?

I'm a new man, never wanna be in u ma'am, that's Truman, like Harry

Like Harriet, You talk truth ma'am, ur woke now, mental slavery chain breaker

Lead, take leash, give me my freedom, Tubman. Ass like Baartman, I'm joking, I'm through man!

Is it true man? You got a new man?

I'm glad you found uThando & Peace!

I see your glow in the dark , I watch you grow, from head to toe

Lock down, No sexercise, just exercise, oblique workout, body shaping up, you shake shit up

Look down, fvck shit up, I fantasize under the mistletoe, kiss kiss that phat pet peeve,

I mean the size of that cameltoe, kiss kiss like it's NYs Eve

Family Feud like Steve, We lip lock, she bad bad like Eve

Stuck with you like gridlock, bad bitch my ride or die!

The love you show, I dunno who to tell that u just ring my bell

Blue balls, plain torture, ungshaya ding dong, that just rings wrong

Playing mind games like ping pong, saw my dp then ask for my dick pic like "Big Z u got big dick print"

I tell her to quit playin and show her it's just resting, I'm a grower

Picture a Big black gun in your hand, click glock

Lick big black cock in my hand, and get a big tip

Love your big tats,small tits, nip slip, vrm vrm, you own me like pinkslip

4 play lick clit, that pink pink

Big lie like, just the tip, truth is I just wanted to hit twice, then dip twice like, dip dip

Double Pussy grip, like grip grip

Our late night tap dance routine like

Double tap like, tip-clit-grip-grip, skip, tip-clit-grip-grip

Sending mixed signals, wearing no bra, black tank top, Grey gym pants, exciting my BBC then saying NO BRA!

Apple bong is crack bong, big flop wearing your pink flip flops, I need a drink,J walk drunk, hit, bong, bang, drive, buy smoke, fly, sky, high five, YouTube The Fives, whats the matter? GBV

All lives including those you call low lives matter, no 1 deserves murder.

Deep chats kid, Katt Williams crack me up, have a break Kit Kat

I'm a lil sad but real glad u not mad at me brick brack, red fox

Need my quick fix, Red on Netflix like Raymond, cross you off my hitlist, at least at last, the blacklist, NBC

No chick flicks miss, unless you aiming to get this, BBC

I don't aim, shoot shot once and don't miss, easy, ABC

Cupid tryinna shoot me dead but misz, shit shot, no Mrs, thank God

Thot thought she a hot shot coz she smoke pot, no BS she not hot

Cold as horse shit that's not hot, bust a nut, I might not

I'm a lit lad who thinks they a big bad, Wolf, with a sick head

You heard? Sometimes it's hard when u in my bed, think with other head instead like getting head

Play dead after I beat meat, you knock-knock, I'm cumin, you come in, your bad timing is not charming

I see myself in you, pun intended, idea planted in my head

For real tho, I see your hoeish ways, long gone are my hoeish days

Sometimes I think u poison like Ivy, I'm batman, no avengers

Scavengers, a mad woman and a bad man, Savages in our own league

First punch throwers, they hate us, crack bong hitters, they not us, we avenge us,

You lead, I school ya, screw ya, liquids in ur insides like IV

Drip drip, said fuck it, big deal, do u even care how I feel? Bad state of mind, took shrumz, now I'm havin a bad trip

Craving a road trip, cruze down memory lane, replay bad clip, is it weird that I loved that silhouette video? Press play

Get liquid withit

Going toe-to-toe, I kill and bury Big Trill, made my 1st mil

Then blew it, dead lyricist, I'm just a ghost writer

I see changes, a stoner girl turn to a rave girl as the nyt ages

I once told her, trust the rock of ages like John

Serial killer with rage on Pages, I was angry at God like Sean

Now i'm easy like solving for X- Kid'o,

That's annoying, ward off tiny mosquito

Go against me, that's a non starter, kiss my ass lips

I talk shit, no stutter or slight lisp like L-Tido

In the city of gold its all or nothing, that's a no brainer

No brain huh? Black lip bastard, faith like mustard seed

Don't call me bastard, transform to Luke Cage then hit rib Cage like

Nicholas, can't stop me like an urban legend... Ghost rider

I sound fictitious like ghost busters, but I'm quite real like Klingon

I stick like glue, here's a clue:

Day of the week: Monday

Feeling: baby Blue and itchy

Scratch my balls I'm jiggy, sweet melanin black queen like B

Fluent in your love language B, catch 22, paradoxical

Hypocritical, stereotypical, philosophical.

[tigerkirby215]

5e Nunu and Willump, the Boy and his Yeti build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games)

You've got a friend in me; you've got a friend in me!

When the road looks rough ahead and you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed... You just remember what your old pal said:

Boy, you've got a friend in me. Yeah, you've got a friend in me!

GOALS

Every adventure is better with a friend! - Nunu is as much a boy as he is the friend of the Yeti.

It's a sword called Svellsongur! - The heart of a child can save the Frejlord, and in his heart is a song.

Gigantulossal snowball! - Ice can be nice, and it’s all in good fun to throw snowballs around!

RACE

Nunu’s a human... but he’s also a small child so we can instead make him a Halfling! As a Halfling your Dexterity score increases by 2. You have Halfling Nimbleness to move through the space of a creature that is bigger than you, and are Brave for advantage against being frightened. But most importantly you are Lucky: if you roll a 1 on a d20 you can reroll the dice! Consider it the yeti magic protecting your childlike innocence.

For subrace Lightfoot Halflings get a +1 increase to Charisma, and they are Naturally Stealthy and able to hide behind creatures that are one size larger than them. Want to play hide-and-seek with Willump? Hide behind him! He’ll never see you!

If you want a bit more magic in your life Lotusden Halflings from Wildemount get some innate (Wisdom-based) spellcasting. Most of it is nature based which isn’t too in-flavor for Nunu, but it’s fun!

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - You managed to tame the fearsome yeti with nothing but your young innocence!

14; CONSTITUTION - More of Willump’s Constitution than your own, but the two of you share a health bar after all.

13; WISDOM - Nunu learnt many a lesson about the Frejlord from his mother, and always knows deep down how people feel.

12; DEXTERITY - Along with our racial improvement this is more than enough DEX; you’ll be riding Willump anyways, and he’s kinda bulky.

10; INTELLIGENCE - You’re a kid with child-like naivety, even with your big best friend helping you.

8; STRENGTH - It’s on Willump to do the heavy lifting; not you.

BACKGROUND

Nunu travels around the Frejlord, helping people out and fighting monsters. That’s a Folk Hero if I’ve ever seen one! As a Folk Hero you have Animal Handling proficiency to help Willump, and he has Survival proficiency to help you! You also get proficiency with Land vehicles as well as a tool of your choice. (Any tool will do but maybe keep away from the Brewer’s Supplies? You’re underage!)

Your feature Rustic Hospitality is there for people to help a boy and his yeti. Commoners will always be willing to help you, as long as you aren’t mean and no one mean’s looking for you.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - BARD 1

Of course you’re a Bard! As a Bard you get proficiency with 3 musical instruments, as well as any three skills! A Flute is MANDATORY as Nunu, and I’d suggest the other two wind instruments (Pan Flute / Shawm) as well, but of course pick whatever instrument your mother would teach you. As for skills Persuasion comes naturally to a kind-hearted boy, and your mom taught your plenty of History. You can pick whatever you think will be useful for your third skill but I opted for some Arcana knowledge thanks to Willump.

The main feature of a Bard is Bardic Inspiration. If your friends need a little help you can encourage them with a song on your flute to give them a d6 to an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. You can inspire people a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and for now your inspiration comes back on a long rest.

But of course the other important part of being a Bard is spellcasting! You learn two cantrips from the Bard list: while it isn’t cold damage icy words from Vicious Mockery will let your enemies know that you’re here to defeat them with your big best friend! For some more fun magic Prestigitation will let you do all sorts of fun stuff! Fireworks! Cool pictures! Fire-wait fire? Regardless read the spell over to see all its effects.

For your leveled spells Animal Friendship is good to stop the big bad wolves from harming the townsfolk. Getting Willump to Detect Magic would be helpful, and while healing isn’t something you can normally do everyone appreciates a Healing Word! And for your final spell why not have a good laugh? Tasha’s Hideous Laughter forces an enemy to fall over laughing! All in good fun!

LEVEL 2 - BARD 2

Level 2 Bards get Jack of All Trades, letting you add half your proficiency bonus to any skill check you aren’t proficient in. You’re just a kid, so why not try EVERYTHING?

You also get Song of Rest. When taking a short rest you can play the flute to let anyone who’s recovering health with hit die recover an additional d6 of health. Nothing like stories by the fire.

You also get another spell at this level and there’s nothing like a bit of Heroism to keep fighting until the job’s done!

LEVEL 3 - BARD 3

Third level Bards get Expertise in two skills: Animal Handling will be the best to take care of Willump, and Persuasion will be the best way to unite the Frejlord!

You can also choose your Bard College at third level. Ugh; school? Regardless the College of Valor for a warrior who they sing songs about! As a Valor Bard you get proficiency with martial weapons, shields, and medium armor; that’s why I told you to keep your DEX at 14! Grab medium armor and a shield to keep yourself safe while Willump fights! You also get Combat Inspiration, letting your allies to add your Bardic Inspiration to their AC or their damage die with their weapons, which were basically the only two things you couldn’t add inspiration to before.

You can also now learn second level spells: freeze an enemy over with Hold Person to let your allies pelt ‘em with snowballs! ...Arrows work too...

LEVEL 4 - BARD 4

At fourth level you get an Ability Score Increase: naturally you should increase your Charisma for better Bard stuff! You could also learn another spell but for now I’m going to hold out until...

LEVEL 5 - BARD 5

At 5th level your Bardic Inspiration increases to a d8, which is great because you also get Font of Inspiration to get your inspiration dice back on a short rest!

And we’ve got a lotta magic to learn: one cantrip and two spells. For your cantrip have Willump make some Dancing Lights! For your leveled spells Leomund’s Tiny Hut is a good way to get a good night’s rest. (I feel like now would be a good time to mention that Bards can cast Ritual spells.) For a ranged Absolute Zero try Hypnotic Pattern to incapacitate everyone in a 30 foot cube.

LEVEL 6 - BARD 6

As a Valor Bard you get an Extra Attack at 6th level, allowing you to attack twice. Shame you won’t really be attacking much, but you can grab a sword if you want.

Back to magic! Enemies Abound will make an enemy think their friends are their enemies! I know it sounds confusing but basically they’ll hit anyone who’s close to them, so keep away!

Oh and right: you get Countercharm too. You can use your action to give an ally advantage against a charming or frightening effect. I suppose it’s helpful, and in-character.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 7 - BARD 7

7th level Bards can cast 4th level spells: why not make your own winter wonderland with Hallucinatory Terrain? You can make the terrain in a 150-foot cube in range look, sound, and even smell like some other sort of natural terrain. A snowy landscape is fun and all but this is a really crazy spell that you can do some awesome stuff with: make an enemy fall into a lake that they think isn’t actually there, or make them run around a lake that they think is there. All it takes is a little imagination!

LEVEL 8 - BARD 8

8th level Bards get an Ability Score Increase, so cap off your Charisma to be the best leader of the Frejlord a little boy can be!

You can also learn another spell and to create some more confusion how about the spell Confusion? Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you choose within range must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw when you cast this spell or be affected by it. When affected by confusion, they have to think really hard about what they’re doing! Roll a d10 to see what they do, and read the spell yourself to see what it can really do.

LEVEL 9 - BARD 9

9th level Bards see their Song of Rest increase to a d8. Does this ability scale really poorly? Yes!

You know what doesn’t scale poorly? Some 5th level spells! There’s a lot of great spells at 5th level but I’d like some more Absolute Zero. Synaptic Static is one of my favorite spells, doing a ton of psychic damage and also making it harder for enemies to fight!

LEVEL 10 - BARD 10

10th level Bards get a d10 Bardic Inspiration die, Expertise in 2 skills (honestly pick whatever since it’s unlikely you have many skills to choose from), and a new cantrip. (Mending would help if you accidentally break your flute.)

But most importantly: Magical Secrets! I’ve been mentioning Willump a lot but we’ve yet to get our furry friend. Well 10 levels later we can finally grab Find Greater Steed! You can summon any of the spirits listed to act as a mount: they have the statistics provided in the Monster Manual, though it is a celestial, fey, or a fiend instead of its normal creature type. (Fey would probably make the most sense for Willump?) If it has an Intelligence score of 5 or lower its Intelligence becomes 6, and it gains the ability to understand one language of your choice that you speak.

You control the mount in combat, and can communicate with it telepathically if it’s within 1 mile of you. While mounted you can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target the mount. The mount disappears temporarily when it drops to 0 hit points or when you dismiss it as an action, dropping any equipment it was wearing or carrying. Casting this spell again re-summons the bonded mount, with all its hit points restored and any conditions removed.

So... let’s talk Willump: if going by the officially listed creatures in Find Greater Steed’s description a Dire Wolf would probably be the best imitation of Willump, though a Saber-toothed Tiger or even Rhinoceros would also make sense. But if your DM is a cool DM ask them if you could actually summon a Yeti with some of its abilities nerfed.

The rules for mounted combat say that an intelligent creature (which Willump probably would be classified as) rolls for initiative as well, and acts independently. Find Greater Steed mounts will obey your commands thankfully, but if you don’t want to take your turn over two turns then just opt to have the mount move on your turn.

Now here’s where things get a little... Beastmaster Ranger. You know how I made it really hard for you to actually fight in melee range? Ask your DM if your mount can do the attack action instead of you. The way I see it this doesn’t really break anything, and this allows you to get value out of your extra attack at level 6. I really suggest talking about this spell with your DM before you take it as its one of the more overwhelming spells in D&D. But this is the only thing in this build that’s really going to ask a lot from your DM.

Now that everything’s been said about Willump: how about a more simple spell? Cone of Cold is half an Absolute Zero, letting you blast creatures in a 60 foot radius in front of you with ice and snow! It’s a nice, icy trick up your sleeve for a Bard who’s been mostly supportive so far. Yeah: could’ve taken Snilloc’s Snowball Swarm because it has “snowball” in the name, but Cone of Cold is like, a thousand times more awesome!

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 11 - BARD 11

11th level Bards can learn 6th level spells, so how about you take a page from Sona’s book with Otto's Irresistible Dance. Choose one creature to make them dance! Your friends have advantage to hit a dancing enemy, and they have disadvantage on dexterity saves. They can use their action to try to make another save against the effect, but it’s such a fun bard spell!

LEVEL 12 - BARD 12

12th level Bards get an Ability Score Improvement and since our Charisma is maxed out now would be a good time to finally grab the Inspiring Leader feat to help your friends charge into battle!

LEVEL 13 - BARD 13

At 13th level your Song of Rest increases to a d10, but more importantly you can now cast 7th level spells like Mirage Arcane, which is basically just a better version of Hallucinatory Terrain.

LEVEL 14 - BARD 14

14th level Valor Bards get Battle Magic, letting Willump attack as a bonus action after you cast a spell. But more importantly you get more Magical Secrets!

Investiture of Ice from the Elemental Evil Player's Companion is perfect for a boy from the Frejlord. You get immunity to cold damage and resistance to fire and the ability to move across snow and ice without extra movement. Your Frozen Heart makes the area within 10 feet of you difficult terrain for anyone other than you (and I’d argue it wouldn’t be hard for Willump either), and you can use your action to toss some snowballs! Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw or take 4d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. A creature that fails its save against this effect has its speed halved until the start of your next turn.

For a more controlling Absolute Zero that won’t munch on your spell slots Sleet Storm will summon a blizzard to heavily obscure an area and make it very hard for an enemy to walk through the area.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 15 - BARD 15

15th level Bards get the most inspiration possible with a d12 Bardic Inspiration die! You can also cast 8th level spells but the truth is that the high level Bard spells aren’t too impressive. Regardless Power Word Stun will finally let you, well, stun people!

LEVEL 16 - BARD 16

16th level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement but at this point you can probably invest in some more Feats. Lucky is always nice?

LEVEL 17 - BARD 17

17th level Bards finally see their Song of Rest increase to a d12... yeah this ability scales poorly...

But you get the ULTIMATE YETI POWER of a 9th level spell, and it’s about time for true Absolute Zero! Psychic Scream lets you force up to 10 targets to make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, a target takes 14d6 psychic damage and is stunned. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage and isn’t stunned. A stunned target can make an Intelligence saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, the stunning effect ends.

Oh and their heads explode if this kills them. Just... felt the need to point that out.

LEVEL 18 - BARD 18

18th level Bards get their last two Magical Secrets and I think it’s time for some fun stuff:

Illusory Dragon lets you summon a giant dragon! When the illusion appears, enemies that can see it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of it for 1 minute. If a frightened creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn’t have line of sight to the illusion, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.

As a bonus action you can move the illusion up to 60 feet. At any point during its movement, you can cause it to exhale a blast of energy in a 60-foot cone originating from its space. When you create the dragon, choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, or poison. Each creature in the cone must make an Intelligence saving throw, taking 7d6 damage of the chosen damage type on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The illusion is tangible but attacks miss it automatically, it succeeds on all saving throws, and it is immune to all damage and conditions. A creature that uses an action to examine the dragon can determine that it is an illusion by succeeding on an Investigation check against your spell save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, they can see through it and has advantage on saving throws against its breath.

And for your other Magical Secret... Wish. I think you know what Wish does, because it does anything you want! (Within reason.) My suggestion: Wish 1 get your mom back, Wish 2 make Willump your immortal best friend forever, Wish 3... ice cream!

LEVEL 19 - BARD 19

19th level Bards get their last Ability Score Improvement: again look into some good Feats you may want. My suggestion: give Willump some Toughness so you can have a total of 38 extra HP!

LEVEL 20 - WARLOCK 1

Ah I’m just screwing with you.

BARD 20

20th level Bards get Superior Inspiration, allowing them to regain one use of Bardic Inspiration as they roll initiative if they have none when combat starts. Is this a weak capstone? Yeah, but you also get more spells and stuff which is neat too.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Let's put the venture, in adventure! - For once this isn’t a multiclass nonsense build: just straightforward spellcaster levels. That means you get access to some of the strongest spells available, including Wish thanks to your Magical Secrets!

Battle is the song I came to sing! - You are the king of inspiration: a d12 that allies can add to ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, damage throws, and their AC! With a d12 of extra AC even the Wizard won’t be hit, and an extra d12 to damage is never a bad thing!

Everyone knows heroes are brave - You are skilled in literally everything thanks to Jack of All Trades, and there’s pretty much zero chance any of your Persuasion checks will fail.

CONS

A Frostguard walks into a mead hall and... - Who would’ve guessed a child isn’t the brightest bulb? The only stat you invested in is Charisma, and while Feats are cool and all your saving throws are rather subpar. Jack of All Trades will still help you with skills but a -1 to Strength saves isn’t great, and a mere +2 to Constitution saves means you’ll drop concentration a lot.

Make way for the yeti! - Some of your spells, especially your lower level ones are fun but very situational. By the time you’re facing some really big bads Heroism and Hideous Laughter will be rather subpar.

Willump's not a monster - Controlling two characters can be hard, and a DM may not be completely okay with it. Be sure to cover everything with them before you go in and summon your yeti pall to fight by your side.

But heroes can’t do everything. I mean they can, but they’ve gotta struggle a bit! Hero’s journey! But a hero is nothing without their mighty steed, their trusted squire... and their best friend.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

[ambitionsource]

wait i actually have more weirdly specific questions (if ur up to it) - how do the kids feel about poetry? do they follow any sports? what childhood tv shows were their favs? do they have celebrity crushes? fav coming of age movie? how are they doing in quarantine? what time in history were they obsessed w as a kid? have they ever been to summer camp? what type of candles do they like? what song do they cry to? how do they drink their coffee/tea sorry if u’ve answered already/too many questions

wooooo thank you for your patience iz!! we’re gonna go point by point

poetry?

charlie loves it genuinely and will read it for fun. riley likes it enough but doesn’t go out of her way to read it. farkle loves coming up with insane explanations for the metaphors and is smug about interpreting it in class. zay doesn’t care for it, neither does lucas. asher appreciates it but finds it boring; dylan likes it for the same reason farkle does, only not to look smart but to come up with something completely crackheaded to combat farkle’s interpretation (which he can’t then say isn’t correct, bc its poetry, so all interpretations are valid!). isa doesn’t like it because she doesn’t get the metaphors on paper the same way she can pick them up in film. maya hates it even though multiple people have pointed out that song lyrics are basically poetry -- she will tune you out.

sports?

sports aren’t Big at aaa (aside from dance), but there are remnants here and there. riley follows basketball of course -- even tho as demonstrated in 110, she cannot play it to save herself -- and she tried out for cheer in 9th grade at her old school but was rejected from the squad (another bad mark on a terrible year). farkle prefers wii sports over any actual sport, but will sometimes watch golf with stuart because it’s quality time with his very busy father. charlie did soccer when he was younger before it got phased out by dance and semi keeps up with it. dylan also “played” soccer, but this meant the other little league teammates getting pissed at him bc he never paid attention to the game and was just like “hey! hey, dennis, look at this!” and did like 3 cartwheels across the field. it was a smart move when randall pulled him from the team bc those intense soccer moms were gonna like beat them up fDJSKG. so now dylan is just an unofficial gymnast instead.

isa doesn’t like sports but played them a lot with foster siblings, and even though she sucks she gets very competitive. lucas liked baseball and was good at track in middle school, but he never thought about doing a sport for real because he knew he was going to quincy eventually where his dad is a coach... yeah. no. but he’s great at running fast from the police!

maya hates sports (aside from the art of dance). waste of time, waste of energy. asher has never done a sport nor ever contemplated a sport. the most Sport he’s endured is going with jade to support dave at his swim meets (where nigel also does swim) and suffice to say, asher wasn’t there to look at the swimming.

childhood tv?

dylan to this day is a spongebob squarepants STAN. legend, icon, scholar, best television show ever made, in his opinion. he also was well-versed in pokemon, adventure time, gravity falls, and phineas and ferb. asher and lucas both didn’t watch lots of tv growing up (if at all), so dylan considers it his job to give asher a thorough education in the quality tv he missed as a kid.

maya was all over hannah montana (miley is still a role model to this day for her), and she, zay, and charlie all remember the fever dream that was shake it up. zay especially loved it bc he was (is) obsessed with zendaya. zay and maya both also watched victorious. charlie was sharing a tv with four siblings so he just ended up watching whatever the dominant sister that day wanted to watch. riley was a disney channel girl, and farkle was a pbs scholar (arthur, cyber chase, fetch! with ruff ruff man... classics).

 celebrity crushes?

zay = zendaya (as previously mentioned). charlie = harry styles to a major degree, although his Cover Story would be zendaya if you asked (ironically). maya = britney spears (but in a I Want To Be Her way, major idolization rather than attraction) and technically the same for valerie de la cruz but like... rip to that lmao. isa = loki, yes we know, but sometimes it be that way (altho that does extend a little bit towards tom hiddleston in general). asher = logan lerman, aka the main valid white boy who dresses nice, is polite and soft-spoken, and minds his own business (not to mention he is the Same Type as dylan). dylan = had crushes more on like... personalities so like ash ketchum and percy jackson, and now its irrelevant bc he met asher and became obsessed and its like every other potential crush just flew out the window of his brain. it’s full asher territory in there nowadays.

riley doesn’t have a specific one, she thinks lots of people are Pretty but no one particularly strongly. farkle doesn’t have one because he’s insane and doesn’t have the mental capacity. lucas doesn’t have one because he’s demi and also hates most celebrities as people.

coming-of-age movie?

maya’s is mean girls. farkle’s is ladybird. zay’s is easy a. riley’s is bend it like beckham. isadora’s is eighth grade. charlie’s is dead poet’s society. asher’s is perks of being a wallflower. dylan’s is spiderman: into the spiderverse. lucas doesn’t know movies.

quarantine?

we’ve somewhat discussed this before, but ultimately es and i elected to let aaa remain in a nice, calm universe where they don’t have to endure covid. lucky them. blow a kiss to the ether for us, buds,

fave time in history?

riley is huge on ancient greece and greek mythology. maya loves the theatricality and Drama of the roaring 20s (a baby flapper at heart). zay vibes hard with the 80s. charlie likes the fashion and romanticism and music and art of the 70s (that sort of flowery positivity clashing with the rebelliousness of the movements of the 60s... yeah. that hits something in him). farkle’s is the great depression not only bc he’s an emo but also all the raw and desperate art that came out of it. isadora was a egyptian mythology kid. i know lucas sounds lame (he is), but i don’t think he cares about history -- but if pushed he’d probably say the 90s bc he dresses like he’s straight out of there, everyone was angry rocking, and he wasn’t born. asher likes the victorian era bc of the sheer elegance and Aesthetic to everything. dylan doesn’t have a favorite time period because due to being the subconscious multiverse conduit (i.e. the being that is somewhat connected to every other version of himself) sometimes he wakes up and for a minute he doesn’t even know what year it is 🤪anyway...

summer camp?

charlie has been to many a christian youth summer camp. zay went to the kossal program, but that was basically it. lucas no although he probably wished he could be anywhere else during the summer sometimes including a camp he would hate. riley went for a few years in elementary school. isa has gone to a couple of “foster kid” summer camp bonding things that she despised. farkle went to jewish summer camp One time and was like that was HORRIBLE, never make me spend a whole summer outside AGAIN. asher was more of a Enrichment courses at the rec center during the summer kid than a camper. dylan no because the orlandos couldn’t afford something like that. same for maya.

candles?

riley has a small variety of scented ones that are like... warm scents, like cinnamon and stuff. asher a couple that smell like clean linen but his fear of accidental fires keeps him from ever lighting them. maya has one and it smells like “star power,” a gift from her mom one christmas. isadora can’t have any because many of her foster homes don’t allow them. lucas legally shouldn’t be allowed anything that catches on fire. dylan doesn’t have one but similarly should not be given one. the minki have a whole collection for different things so farkle can just pluck one at any time if he needs one like for a super fancy bath or whatever the fuck rich people do.

mental breakdown song?

charlie’s are “falling” and “from the dining table” by harry styles.

riley’s is “manhattan” by sara bareilles and “rainbow” by kacey musgraves.

zay’s are “imagine” by ariana and “dear life” from the step up soundtrack (post zc breakup).

farkle’s are “vienna” by billy joel and “get it right” from glee.

asher’s is “don’t cry” by ruel.

isa’s is “you are my sunshine” because valerie used to sing it to her a lot when she was really little, so it will always make her a little emotional.

dylan’s (although rare) are “soon you’ll get better” by ts and “make you feel my love” by adele. the second one is because his mom loved adele when she was just starting out bc 19 was released the same year that she passed away so there’s a lot of like subconscious association there even if he doesn’t realize it.

maya doesn’t have one, and lucas also doesn’t have one because in the rare moments he does cry its in his closet in the dark silence alone bc he literally can’t stand the sentience of knowing he’s crying so. sensory blackout.

coffee / tea?

riley will add at least 3 sugars to anything, but she’s ultimately an iced tea gal. lucas drinks it black but only because it never occurred to him to add anything to it and so it’s a big wake up call when he realizes you can drink it and have it NOT be bitter and horrible and demoralizing ( “i thought we were all just suffering for the caffeine fix??” ). isa is a tea girl mostly, although she wishes she could drink black coffee for the aesthetic (and hates that lucas can... it’s like... he didn’t even Earn that aestheticism, smh). asher doesn’t drink caffeine bc it makes him Jittery (and he’s already jittery) so he’s like... the lemonade bitch at coffee shops which kin, and then dylan definitely drinks caffeine but not thru coffee, he’s more likely to get like a hot chocolate.

farkle lives on coffee but he can only drink it from home because they’re rich and can have like fresh ground good imported whatever the heck etc etc so he’s like spoiled about coffee. zay will hit up a starbucks now and then and will order coffee at a diner, but he’s not too attached either way. maya is a fun n free starbucks gal with her frappes and lattes and lots of cream (whipped or otherwise). charlie doesn’t drink coffee or tea bc hes hyper aware of his body and health (he doesn’t really have soda either) and it was frowned upon in his house.

[makeste]

a BnHA playlist/fanmix thing

@psqqa so I finally put together a list of some of my BnHA playlist tracks! this is by no means comprehensive because I have literally half a dozen different playlists with different themes (e.g. “instrumentals”, “BakuDeku”, “songs that either remind me of Kacchan or that he would work out to”, “angsty apocalyptic final battle”, and so forth) and omg it’s a lot. but this is my most inclusive playlist, which consists of general character theme songs for most of class 1-A, the League of Villains, and a few others. my taste in music generally leans towards alternative/indie/rock/grunge, but it can kind of go all over the place. so the genres may vary here and there, especially since I opted to go with whichever song I felt fit the character best regardless of how well the tracks all blended together musically.

also I have a bakudeku bias but THAT’S NOT EXACTLY BREAKING NEWS what can I say. and this is actually me holding back lol but oh well.

Deku - Rise (Katy Perry) - “makeste did you really just kick off your BnHA playlist with a Katy Perry song” yeah I did! because!! I won’t just survive/oh you will see me thrive/can’t write my story/I’m beyond the archetype. like, this song was made for anime protagonists. oh ye of little faith/don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it/victory is in my veins/I know it, I know it. this kid just doesn’t give up. this is no mistake, no accident/when you think the final nail is in, think again/don’t be surprised/I will still rise.

bonus: Blood (Archis) - this song is fucking gorgeous both musically and lyrically. don’t let them win/don’t let them get/under your skin, into your head/they’re full of it/you’re full of life/you’ll prove them right if you’re giving up/so let’s go for blood. it really is fucked up how dismissive BnHA society is of anyone who’s quirkless. it’s so stupid too, because the majority of quirks aren’t even all that great. “look at me I can make DSLR lenses pop out of my body!” lol fucking great. so obviously superior to normal people who have to take pictures with actual cameras like fucking scrubs. anyway, so Deku was written off from a young age as helpless, defective, and deficient, all because he lacked a quirk. so it’s been so fucking great to watch him finally prove them all wrong. (...by getting a quirk. lol. but STILL.) well it sure took a while to turn it around/but I never gave up on me.

Bakugou - We Will Rock You (VonLichten mix) (Queen) - I like this version of the song because it adds a bit of an extra oomph and it’s a little bit fiercer. anyways, this has been my Bakugou theme song since day one, and what I love about it is that each verse works for a different stage of his ~journey~. buddy you’re a boy/make a big noise/playing in the street/gonna be a big man someday -- this is Katsuki as a fearless young child, with hints at the growing chip on his shoulder (kicking your can all over the place). and then the second verse is him a little older, starting out at UA -- buddy you’re a young man/hard man/shouting in the street/gonna take on the world someday -- and proclaiming to the world that he’ll be number one. and lastly we have the final verse, with its line gonna make you some peace someday, which I know is meant in a make-peace-with-things-before-the-end kind of way, but in a BnHA context you can totally tweak it to be a reference to the man he’s aspiring to be. gonna make you some peace, because he’s gonna be greater than the Symbol of Peace himself someday.

bonus: Defy You (The Offspring) - the wind blows/I’ll lean into the wind/my anger grows/I’ll use it to win/the more you say/the more I defy you/so get out of my way. perfect song for a boy who cannot and will not be stopped. you cannot stop us/you cannot bring us down/never give up/we’ll go on and on. or, in his words: “I will win... that’s what heroes do.”

All Might - Legends Never Die (League of Legends OST) - listen I have never played League of Legends lol, but ever since I heard this song in a Marvel edit, this has been the All Might song for me. you could probably just watch the Kamino battle on mute with this song in the background and everything would fit. legends never die/when the world is calling you/can you hear them screaming out your name?/legends never die/they become a part of you/every time you bleed for reaching greatness/relentless, you survive. the lyrics basically speak for themselves. we stan a champion.

Aizawa - I’ll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan OST) - y’all I went through so many songs looking for something that summarized Aizawa’s tiredness/doneness-with-life while also alluding to his mentor side, and then suddenly BAM, it hit me. anyways so yeah. you’re the saddest bunch I ever met/but you can bet before we’re through/mister I’ll make a man out of you. also just try to listen to the “say goodbye to those who knew me/boy was I a fool in school for cutting gym/THIS GUY’S GOT ‘EM SCARED TO DEATH” part without picturing 1-A bitching about their scruffy teacher overlord whom they secretly love.

bonus: I’m So Tired (Fugazi) - if you’re looking for something more musically cohesive with the rest of this playlist in general, as opposed to SUDDEN DISNEY SONG OUT OF NOWHERE, this may be a bit more up your alley lol. I’m so tired sheep are counting me/no more struggle, no more energy/no more patience/and you can write that down/it’s all too crazy and I’m not sticking round. anyways Aizawa needs a nap.

Todoroki - Alive (Sia) - I grew up overnight/I played alone, I played on my own/I survived/I wanted everything I never had/like the love that comes with life/I wore envy and I hated it/but I survived. guys this little candy cane boy has been through some shit. but he hung in there and now he is thriving. I’m still breathing/I’m alive.

Ochako - You Gotta Be (Des’ree) - because she’s a badass. you gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser/you gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger/you gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together. anyways I sure would like Ochako to get the spotlight in an arc again one of these days. she’s the best.

Iida - Never Die (FNDTY) - it was actually pretty hard to find a song that fit Iida’s unique forty-year-old man personality since my musical tastes usually run towards moody shit and he’s pretty much the opposite of that lol. but I think the tempo of this song fits his quirk, at least, and it makes me smile, which he does also. you can run/you can fly/you can never die.

Kirishima - Guts Over Fear ft. Sia (Eminem)  - so this is a song all about overcoming your insecurities and finding the courage within yourself. I freaking love how the pre-chorus I was afraid to make a single sound/afraid I would never find a way out builds up and transitions into so here I am and I will not run/guts over fear. I’m so proud of Kiri you guys.

Momo - You Are Young (Keane) - another song about getting the better of your personal doubts and demons! hey now, don’t be scared, baby, don’t be scared at all/of all the things you don’t know/you’ve got time to realize. Momo has so much potential and she’s going to be such an incredible hero one day. now that she’s gaining more confidence the sky is pretty much the limit for her. you’ve got time/you’ve got to try/to bring some good into this world/cause you are young.

Mina - Safe and Sound (Capital Cities) - oh hey it’s the most upbeat song in the world, for the world’s most cheerful and optimistic and endlessly delightful person. I could fill your cup/you know my river won’t evaporate/this world we still appreciate/you could be my luck/even in a hurricane of frowns/I know that we’ll be safe and sound.

Kaminari - Thunderstruck (AC/DC) - okay yeah maybe I didn’t try too hard on this one lol. BUT IF THE SHOE FITS and honestly, it does. title aside, I think this song fits Kaminari musically too. it’s badass and it puts a smile on your face. went through to Texas/yeah Texas/and we had some fun/we met some girls/some dancers who gave a good time/broke all the rules/played all the fools. and then, of course, the chorus. you’ve been thunderstruck.

Jirou - Dream On (Aerosmith) - you know I had to go with a rock song for Jirou, so might as well go with a classic that’s all about (a) loving music (sing with me, sing for the year/sing for the laughter, sing for the tear) and (b) shooting for your dreams. dream on, dream on/dream until your dreams come true.

Tokoyami - Dark Necessities (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - I could have possibly gone with something a bit more goth for Toko as opposed to the Chilis, but the lyrics just fit so well though. you don’t know my mind/you don’t know my kind/dark necessities are part of my design/tell the world that I’m falling from the sky/dark necessities are part of my design/do you want this love of mine?/darkness helps us all to shine. Tokoyami doesn’t get enough respect for being a teenage edgelord without being a cringey mess. he’s setting such a good example for others.

so that’s pretty much it for my 1-A songs, but here are some bonus BakuDeku songs because I am obsessed

Muddy Waters (LP) - this is my theme for Deku VS Kacchan 2. goddamn Katsuki is such a hot fucking mess during this fight. and he’s hurting so much, and he’s reaching out to the only person he knows to reach out to in the only way he knows how. I will ask you for mercy/I will come to you blind/what you’ll see is the worst me/I’m not the last of my kind/in the muddy water we’re falling/in the muddy water we’re crawling. this song brings that good angst you guys. this is a relationship that has been through the wringer, and two boys who have basically no idea what they are doing, just kind of stumbling along. it is not clear why we choose the fire pathway/where we end is not the way that we had planned/all the spirits gathered round like it’s our last day/to get across you know we’ll have to raise the sand. anyways these kids chose the highest possible difficulty level for their path forward, but they’re doing it though. together, y’all.

Admiration (Incubus) - because Izuku is frankly infatuated and doesn’t even try to hide it. you’re an unfenced fire/over walls we’ve trampled/it’s you I admire/my living example. “an amazing person who was even closer to me than All Might.” he’s so open in his respect and awe for practically everything Kacchan does. just staring at him in starry-eyed wonder. and this part of their dynamic has always been so compelling to me -- how unconditional it is on Izuku’s part. that is some fiercely strong love there on his part that it can survive all the bullshit Kacchan heaps onto it, and all his best attempts to snuff it out. he just latched on and wouldn’t let go. anyways it resulted in something extremely unhealthy for quite a while, but it’s turning around now and being reciprocated, even if Kacchan’s version is prickly and tentative. don’t get ahead of me/could we just this once see eye to eye?

Ordinary Love (U2) - I can’t fight you anymore/it’s you I’m fighting for/the sea throws rocks together/but time leaves us polished stones. I fucking love that metaphor, though. yeah, just give them time. they’re gonna figure this all out one day.

and have a bonus theme song for class 1-A in general before we move on

Charlie Brown (Coldplay) - something about this song just embodies that restive, fidgety energy of youth to me. all the boys, all the girls/all that matters in the world/all the boys, all the girls/all the madness that occurs/all the highs, all the lows/as the room a-spinning goes/we’ll run riot/we’ll be glowing in the dark. there’s like a disorderly, disheveled beauty to this. say what you will about Coldplay, but some of their songs are like the musical equivalent of a rainbow.

anyways so now I’m gonna segue into some songs for a few of the season 4 characters. starting with...

Nighteye - While I’m Still Here (Nine Inch Nails) - ticking time is running out/yesterday I found out the world was ending. I still can’t get over how psychologically devastating Nighteye’s quirk is. it’s basically just Major Bummer: The Quirk. this season is really going to fuck me up emotionally isn’t it. a little more/every day/falls apart and/slips away/I don’t mind/I’m okay/wish it didn’t have to end this way. fucking hell. guess I better brace myself for some solid gut punches to the soul.

Eri - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Florence + the Machine) - nothing to see here, just a little girl being treated as nothing more than a human bloodbank, and told that her quirk is nothing but a curse even as her abuser hoards it and uses it to wage a war. this is a gift, it comes with a price/who is the lamb and who is the knife?/Midas is king and he holds me so tight/and turns me to gold in the sunlight. but I also picked this song for Eri because of the way the POV slowly gathers up their courage and tries to fight back. I wish that I could just be brave/I must become a lion-hearted girl/ready for a fight/before I make the final sacrifice. excuse me I need to go hug Eri.

Mirio - Carry On (fun.) - okay so it was kind of hard to pick a song for Mirio, I think maybe I was overthinking it. anyways I ended up going with something hopeful to try and embody his endless, determined optimism. this song has kind of a quiet courage that builds up as it goes on. my favorite part is the second bridge: cause we are/we are shining stars/we are invincible/we are who we are/on our darkest day/when we’re miles away/so we’ll come/we will find our way home.

bonus: Mirio and Tamaki - Kids (Acoustic) (OneRepublic) - back when we were kids/swore we would never die/you and me were kids/swear that we’ll never die. lol at least we have one healthy childhood friendship to stan in this series.

and now on to THE VILLAINS, yay. this is probably the most musically cohesive section of this playlist, since VILLAINS!! means I can go with an overall darker ambiance.

All for One - Sympathy for the Devil (Neptunes Remix) (Rolling Stones) - didn’t even have to think about this one. please allow me to introduce myself/I’m a man of wealth and taste/I’ve been around for a long, long year/stole many a man’s soul and faith. this is the gentleman villain song and a perfect fit IMO.

Tomura - Pet (A Perfect Circle) - or really, this is more “AFO and Tenko”, I guess. manipulating a traumatized child into hating the world and raising him to become a killer. pay no mind to what other voices say/they don’t care about you like I do/safe from pain and truth and choice and other poison devils/see, they don’t give a fuck about you like I do/just stay with me/safe and ignorant. this is one of those songs where literally the entire song fits both lyrically and musically. just perfect. I’ll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choices, son/they’re one and the same/I must isolate you/isolate and save you from yourself. like it’s a struggle here not to quote the entire song. ...eh, one more. swinging to the rhythm of the new world order and/counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums.

bonus: Flesh and Bone (Black Math) - Tenko angst. god that last arc was so fucking good. I walk alone, beside myself/nowhere to go/this bleeding heart that’s in my hands/I fell apart. stupid manga with its darkly compelling villain character arcs.

Dabi - Shadow on the Sun (Audioslave) - aaaangst lol. and I can tell you why/people go insane/I can show you how/you could do the same. p.s. Dabi you still owe me a flashback! also “shadow on the sun” is a pretty good metaphor for his relationship with Endeavor. fire quirks make for such great metaphor potential.

Toga - Bones (MS MR) - you know I really have no idea why this song pings me so hard for Toga lol. but whatever, it is what it is. marinate in misery/like a girl of only 17/man-made madness/and the romance of sadness.

Twice - Misfits (Third Eye Blind) - my people are the misfits/the ones that don’t fit in. this is another song that clicked pretty naturally without requiring much thought on my part. well those are the ones for me/yeah those are the ones for me/the misfits, the freaks, the enemy/you and me.

Spinner - Normal Person (Arcade Fire) - is anything as strange as a normal person?/is anyone as cruel as a normal person/waiting after school for you/they want to know if you/if you’re normal too/well are you? this song is such a burn on quirk society and all of its issues. I can’t tell if I’m a normal person, it’s true/I think I’m cool enough/but am I cruel enough? I especially love the ending -- if that’s what’s normal now/I don’t want to know.

and a bonus League of Villains song:

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears cover) (Lorde) - just change “rule” to “destroy” I guess lol. help me make the most of freedom/and of pleasure/nothing ever lasts forever/everybody wants to rule the world. god I love this cover. this is one of those songs I’ll play over and over again anyway so it’s nice to have a good excuse what with the direction this new arc appears to be headed in.

and lastly, a couple of Hawks and Endeavor songs because they don’t really fit in any other section and I didn’t really plan out this post!

Hawks - Weapon (Matthew Good) - just a really nice, angsty theme for the man who goes too fast, off on his spy mission of doom. careful, you be careful/this is where the world drops off. plus some bonus angst about how he’s trapped in this role that he never wanted to be in. and you give in/and you give out for it/ain’t it so weird/how it makes you a weapon.

Endeavor - Find My Way (Nine Inch Nails) - lord my path has gone astray/I’m just trying to find my way/wandered here from far away/I’m just trying to find my way/you were never meant to see/all those things inside of me/now that you have gone away/I’m just trying to find my way. I don’t really need to comment more on this, do I? also, the part where Trent Reznor’s voice drops to a whisper and says please/I never meant for this, though. omg. Endeavor you’re such a bitch and you had all of this coming, but even so. oof.

and that’s pretty much it! she said, like this post wasn’t long af as it is lol. anyway so there are... 34 songs here, lol. I should probably try and put it all into a youtube playlist or something for convenience. I’ll edit once I’ve done that.

edit: playlist!

[tragedybunny]

The Blade’s Edge - A League of Legends Fanfiction - Chapter 16

Hello Lovelies - I'm trying to stick with this despite everything. I'm considered essential industry so I'm still expected to report for work. It's a little scary at times. I would greatly appreciate any comments you have to let me know people are still enjoying this story.

Playlist Song:

John Mayer - Half of My Heart  

They had a simple arrangement. She was the weapon to be used on his enemies. Things get more complicated when emotions bleed into what should simple. Now the two of them find themselves on the precipice of something that was entirely unexpected.

“Jericho!” She turns and flings herself at me, arms constricting around my neck, face buried in my shoulder. Her obvious joy at my appearance throws me off guard and I don’t respond to her. “Oh, you’re mad at me aren’t you?” That joy dissipates into sullen sadness.

I wrap one arm around her and run my hand through her hair, willing her to remain calm. Most of the patrons have wisely elected to ignore me coming to collect my drunk bride to be. Still, it’s not unwelcome to have Darius looming about discouraging them. “Of course not. I just didn’t know where you’d been tonight.” I had, in fact, been furious when Darius’s messenger reached me and I’d had to traverse all the way down to the slums to get her. Saying that to her now would accomplish nothing but upsetting her further.

So I lead her outside to the waiting carriage, Darius accompanying us. As if on some celestial cue, rain starts to shower down, threatening to soak us on top of everything else. I turn to Darius. “Thank you for sending for me. And for taking care of her until I got here.” Kat pulls out of my grasp and starts slowly meandering toward the carriage.

“She’s…” He considers his words for a moment. “She’s a real mess right now.” He doesn’t need to give voice to his concern, it’s plainly evident.

“I’ll take care of her.” For once it’s a promise I mean in all sincerity. He nods and turns back toward the tavern, presumably on his way to handle Draven. He’s a better man than I, keeping watch over those important to him. Kat’s come to a stop outside the carriage and I go to her, putting my hands on her shoulders, intent on getting her inside out of the rain.

“I’m sorry to be so much trouble.” I freeze. I’ve never known her to sound like this, like a small child on the verge of tears.

Am I the cause of this? I coax her to turn and face me and pull her close. “No worries Kitten, let’s just get home.”

“But if I’m too much trouble you won’t want me around anymore.” Have I somehow given her this notion?

She sniffles and I fear she’ll burst into tears. For once I’m at a loss for a course of action, I want to stop it, but I know not how to soothe her feelings. “Why ever would you think that?”

She shrugs, her head now laying against my chest. She feels like ice against me and I wrap my coat around her as the rain continues to beat down on us. “It happens.”

Damn it, Soreana. I shouldn’t have sent her to deal with her mother. I thought perhaps it would have gone smoother without my involvement. I should have just forced her compliance and left Kat out of it. I stroke my hand along her back. “It is raining, it is late, and you are very drunk. You need to go home and get some sleep.” I kiss the top of her head, unsure if I’m doing the situation any good. “All else can wait until the morning.”

She doesn’t respond but she’s pliant as I lead her to the carriage and help her in. She immediately gets as far from me as possible, leaning against the far wall. As we lurch forward, she curls in on herself, still looking terribly despondent. “Is there something I can do?”

She pulls her hand through her hair, more violently than usual, and shakes her head. “No.”

“Let me try.” There has to be some way to reach her.

“Why? It’s not like you care!” Her head snaps toward me, eyes flashing, as she flings the words in my direction.

In that sudden transformation from sadness to fury, I’m taken unawares and react by instinct, her words cutting me as deep as one of her daggers. “Of course I do!” There it is, the forbidden thought, given voice and brought to life. It feels like something living, permeating the space between us. She at least yields and moves closer, leaning on me as I hold her. “I mean that, Kat.”

I told myself at the very beginning of all this that I would not become attached to Katarina. We would have a mutually beneficial arrangement and nothing more. That illusion was shattered that fateful night when I believed I had driven her away. I don’t even like to contemplate what it would have been like to go to her room and find she had actually gone. Somehow though, that was not the case, she had chosen to stay. Ever since then I’ve had to confront the truth, that I had failed to remain detached as I had so carefully planned.

That is really what brought on this whole marriage idea. She doesn’t need me, she never did, I deceived her into believing that. Once I leave to handle this rebellion, it is only a matter of time before she figures that out. If we are married though, she may be more inclined to stay. So I will do what I must. I can’t let go of her, and I know of no other way to keep her.

She makes a little contented noise and tightens her arms around me. If nothing else, the storm seems to have calmed and my little Kitten is happy for the moment. It doesn’t take long for her to find that place somewhere between sleeping and wakefulness. I fully expect there to be fall out from tonight, but at least we have this moment. Once we’re home, I tuck her into bed, letting her wrap herself around me once we’re both under the covers.

It’s barely past dawn when I have to leave her and I find myself regretting it. I had told myself that even though it was our wedding day, the Empire continued to need governance. In truth, I could have made arrangements that would have given us more time together. Deep down, I hadn’t wanted it to seem a thing of great import, particularly when I had downplayed it so heavily to her.

It’s frustrating to feel that I’ve botched this whole situation from the start. And so that evening, I find myself in the study, perched over the table for once clear of maps and battle plans, awaiting the Magistrate’s arrival with no small amount of dread. Kat is still upstairs, doing gods know what, so I’m left alone with my thoughts and more emotions than I particularly care for.

Feeling restless, I lift the cover of the little wooden box before me. Inside, on a velvet bed are two gold rings, each cast with my adopted house sigil of a raven in flight. They had been a last minute idea when she’d said yes, but it brought all of this into a concrete sense of reality. All things considered, they had turned out decent enough and I did hope she was pleased with the gesture. Where was she anyway? There are times I’m amazed she ever manages to assassinate any of her targets since she can seemingly never be on time.

There’s a light tapping at the door, which is of course not Kat. “Enter.” Face austere, eyes never locking with mine, Moira enters. “Yes.”

“Is there anything you require before the Magistrate’s arrival?” She maintains that neutral expression, even though her feelings on the matter at hand are known to be less than positive.

I’ve known Moira the majority of my life. She’s not much older than I am and she began her service here when she was just a girl. She’s been fiercely loyal to me and of all the household staff, she’s the one I trust. “Yes, could you please see what’s keeping Madame Katarina.” This has been the only issue between us in all these years. It is time for resolution.

Her expression darkens. “I will inquire but…” And it begins.

“But what?” I challenge her.

She stands fast instead of retreating. It would be admirable if it were not above her station to do so. “With all due respect Sir, you are familiar with her temperament. She will do what pleases her.”

I inhale a sharp breath, I had hoped it wouldn’t get this far. “It is not your place to have opinions on her behavior, Moira.” My tone’s harsh, it is time for her to accept Kat’s place here.

Instead of letting go, she goes even further beyond her place, pushing the boundaries of my patience. “She is a petulant child. She’s a scandal. She…”

“Moira!” I bark, cutting her off, that is more than enough. “She will be my wife before the sun sets. It is time she was given the respect due to her. I will tolerate nothing else. Is that understood?”

The choice is her’s to make. She gains control of herself, casting her gaze downward, returning to the dutiful servant. “Very well, Sir. I will go see to her.” She turns and leaves without another word. I am relieved she chose her position over her opinions. She’s been thorny about Kat from the start, but she does keep the household running smoothly, and it would be a tough task to replace her.

Kat burst through the door not long after she leaves, eyes telling me my message was relayed in a less than pleasant manner. She looks remarkably well given the events of last night. Does she remember what was said between us? “Satisfied? The Magistrate hasn’t arrived yet and you felt the need to send her to fetch me.” She doesn’t have her hair up and it’s become a messy scarlet halo around her, very fetching.

Ah, but now she’s mad at me. “I didn’t want us getting delayed. And please, learn to get along with Moira, you’ll need her when I’m gone.” I catch her hands just as she starts to make an angry gesture. “I know, I’ll speak with her before I leave.” I make note that she’s wearing an entirely new dress, emerald green trimmed in ebony. It exudes a sense of softness that’s out of the ordinary for her, an almost ethereal quality. Its meaning doesn’t escape me, it’s her wedding dress, she chose it specifically for today. Before now I could likely count on my one hand the number of times I have felt guilt for my actions, and now it threatens to devour me. None of this is properly done. “You look exquisite, it brings out your eyes.” I kiss her cheek, still holding her hands in mine.

I’ve stolen her momentum and I can watch as she gives up on her annoyance. “Thanks.” She smiles that slight, almost shy smile that tells me a compliment has truly pleased her. “Fine, I’ll try.” She concedes and returns my kiss.

“There’s something I wanted to show you before the Magistrate arrives.” She lets me lead her to the table where I pause for a moment, suddenly doubtful this idea will appeal to her. After a moment’s hesitation, I hand her the box, still unsure. “I thought they would make it a little more official.”

She lifts the lid and I await her judgment. “Really? You didn’t have to go through the trouble.” She sounds pleased and I can finally breathe. Excitedly she plucks hers out from the box and slips it onto her left finger. She stares at it for a moment before pulling it off to move to her right. “So we match.” My throat goes dry.

At last, the tapping at the door as the Magistrate announces himself relieves the situation. A slight little man, drowning in his robes of office, he shuffles in with no pomp about him. He’s almost a comical sight, but he’s known for his discretion. I am not strictly trying to keep this secret, but also I do not want my personal life to be a public spectacle. Not that we’ve ever managed to avoid that before now. He inclines his head toward me. “Good evening Grand General.” He turns to Kat, offering her the same respect. “Madame. I understand you wish for brevity, I will review your documents quickly and then we will begin.”

“You’ll find everything in order.” I gesture to the small pile that awaits him on the table; Soreana’s hard bought permission, a family lineage guaranteeing we are not too closely related, and our personal financial arrangement. He’s only been at it a minute or so before Kat is looking restless. I take my place next to her and wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “You will never learn patience, will you?” I lean down and whisper in her ear.

“It took you this long to realize that? So much for all that vision.” She nips my earlobe temptingly as she whispers back at me.

“Hmm, my vision is showing me having to teach my wife a little discipline later.” She bites her lip and shivers a bite. Let that thought sit with her.

“All seems to be adequately in order.” He lifts his gaze from the papers before him. “Shall we begin?”

“With all haste.” Kat and I turn to face one another and without thinking I reach to take her hands. Looking into her eyes, I’m unsettled all over again about this, but there’s no stopping what I’ve started.

“Absolutely. Do you, Jericho Swain, pledge your troth to Katarina and wherefore you shall bring her into your home as your true and only wife?”

“I so swear it.” I give her hands in mine a small squeeze. She does deserve more than this hurried, barely thought out, covert sham. How did it come to this? Again that guilt I cannot seem to shrug off, it could have been different.

“Do you, Katarina Du Couteau, pledge your troth to Jericho and wherefore you join yourself with him as your true and only husband?”

My breath holds still in the silence that follows. “I so swear it.”

He gestures at the box still open before us. “You may exchange rings if you wish.”

I gingerly take Kat’s from the box and place it on her proffered finger. The sleeve of her dress slides down her wrist and I’m confronted with that faded handprint that still mars her pale skin, a reminder of my other sins. I relive that night so often; that fear she tried to hide, but her eyes exposed. “You’re hurting me!” I shamefully lost control of the demon and worse could have happened. Have I kept my promise to do better?

Wordlessly she takes her turn, slipping my ring on and giving me a small smile. I should make this up to her, this whole stupid debacle. Mayhaps I should even let her go, at last, to give her the freedom I promised her. Once I’ve put down this rebellion and come home.

“I now declare you…” He’s cut off as Kat ambushes me with an eager kiss, teasing me with her tongue slipping into my mouth. He clears his throat. “Your signatures if you please.”

With ink applied to parchment, we’re officially wed, and it still does not sit right with me. The Magistrate briskly packs and with a final inclination of his head takes his leave. The door’s hardly shut behind him and Kat wraps herself around me. “We should go upstairs and celebrate, husband.”

I fear I will be undone by that word on her lips. I crush her against me and bury my face in her neck, digging my teeth into her skin to urge on those sweet little noises she makes. “If that is what my wife desires.”

I don’t give her time to answer but catch her up in my arms and sweep her off her feet, kissing her again. The sound of yet another tap at the door irritatingly interrupts us. “Yes.” I grind out, reluctantly setting Kat back down.

Moira at least has the decency to look apologetic. “I beg your pardon for the interruption, Sir, Madame, but there has been a delivery.” I gesture impatiently for her to be out with it. She hesitantly holds forth a note. “Madame Du Couteau has sent a wedding gift. You had best come and see.”

“What did she do?” Kat snaps, charging out of the room followed closely by Moira who valiantly tries to calm the storm. Dread filling me for whatever stunt Soreana has conjured up, I trail them.

Up ahead in the great hall, Kat lets out a yelp of surprise and that speeds me along. Coming out of the hallway I find her kneeling on the stone floor, Moira and another servant around her. “Aren’t you a sweet baby?” She coos to something in her arms that is hidden from me. I reach her side and, gods help me, it’s a drake hound pup. I despise drake hounds, they are noisy, ill-tempered, stubborn beasts.

The leathery skinned pup wriggles about even more at her words, black tongue lapping at her face. “You are precious.” Finally, she turns her gaze up to me as if just noticing my presence. “Look, Jericho, mother sent me one of her pups. It seems strangely kind of her.” Hardly, I’ve made no secret of disdain for them, Soreana likely knows of it. She stares down at the little fiend in her arms, enchanted.

“Kat, you know the amount of work that goes into the keeping a drake hound.” She needs to see sense on this matter.

“Obviously, I grew up with them.” She continues to blithely snuggle it.

“I don’t think…” How am I to put this to her?

The elation visibly drains from her. I am going to utterly ruin our wedding day all thanks to her miserable bitch of a mother. “I know, I can’t keep her. She’s too much work and she’ll make a mess of the house.” She pouts, not the dramatic playful pout I know so well, but with real dejection. “I just want your promise that she will be properly trained. If it would mean that much to you, you should keep her.” It very near causes me physical pain to say that.

Her mood brightens back up instantly. “You mean it?” I nod, fearing I won’t be able to make the words leave my mouth. She leaps to her feet, still cradling it. “Thank you.” I’m rewarded with a quick kiss and then the beast is abruptly thrust into my arms. “You two should get acquainted, scent is how they bond with their pack.”

Despite my instincts, I hold fast to prevent the squirming mass from dropping to the floor. “Just don’t let her chase Bea. She’ll have to adjust as is.” It continues to scrabble around, whimpering until Kat thankfully relieves me of it.

“Let’s get you settled in upstairs where I can keep an eye on you.” If I believed in gods I would tell you they had truly abandoned me. She heads for the stairs and turns back when she realizes I haven’t followed. “Are you coming? I still intend to have that celebration with you.”

“Right behind you.” I hurry behind her. I suppose if nothing else, I’ve done at least one thing today that made her happy.

[yopalonso]

Arle Nadja for Smash Bros. 4: We’re going for Spiritual Classics

Behold. Even when there’s chaos and disorder, we’re near the spooky day, and so, it’s time to talk about the Spirit Battles that I plan to bring into Smash Bros. Ultimate!

I did warn you last time we had this kerkuffle, that long texts awaited thee for this instance. You have been warned tremendously. Let us begin the last part!

Número 3: Spirit Battles!

Spirits are these jolly-good .png files that, when equipped, give you power, make you stronger, give you buffs, etc., etc. Puyo Puyo-based Spirits will consist of 11 of those little fellas, with 9 of those having a battle via the (hypothetical) DLC Spirit Board.

1. Carbuncle

Class: Advanced ☆☆

Type: (Support) Neutral

Power: 4200

Team Stock Battle

Vs. Bunny Kirby (Yellow) & Arle

Stage: Windy Hill Zone (Ω)

Music: Area A

Item: Superspicy Curry

Conditions:

Defeat the main fighter to win.

The enemy is easily distracted by items.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Ability: Mouthful of Curry

Cost: 2

He’s round, hard to hit, and loves curry! Carbuncle, obviously represented by a Bunny Hood-wearing Yellow Kirby. If you get him, you get the Mouthful of Curry ability, which grants you the effects of a Superspicy Curry at the beginning of the match.

2. Amitie

Class: Novice ☆

Type: (Primary) Attack

Power: 1700

Team Stock Battle

Vs. Zelda (Red) & Corrin (Male Light Blue) & Villager (Female Pink)

Stage: Peach’s Castle (Battlefield Form)

Music: Puyo Puyo FUNderworld!

Conditions:

The enemy's side special has increased power.

The enemy favors up specials.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Power: 960 [ATK 529 DEF 431]

Slots: 2

Can Be Enhanced at Lv. 99.

3. Red Amitie

Class: Ace ☆☆☆

Spirit Stats:

Power: 3158 [ATK 1928 DEF 1230]

Slots: 2

Fire Attack ↑

Amitie’s Spirit Battle has to take place at a magical place! Taking her spot is Zelda, who’s known for having Fire and Wind-based magic, much like our lovely protagonist herself. And joining her are Corrin and Villager mimicking Sig and Raffina! By leveling up, she turns into Red Amitie, but how exactly is a thing we don’t exactly know.

4. Ringo Ando

Class: Ace ☆☆☆

Type: (Support) Grab

Power: 9000

Team Stock Battle

Vs. Robin (Female Red) & Richter (Purple) & Banjo & Kazooie (Dark Brown / Purple) & Dark Samus

Stage: New Donk City

Music: The Puyo Puyo Song - In-Game Version

Conditions:

The enemy’s electric attacks have increased power.

The enemy favors neutral specials.

Reinforcements will appear during the battle.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Ability: Zap-Floor Immunity

Cost: 2

The red-haired student who’s in this to win. She comes packed with a powerful team in a battle taking place in the only city that resembles the “real world” where Ringo lives. Joining Robin with her thunder attacks is Richter, jumping in as Maguro, the bear himself, Banjo, as Risukuma, and a surprise guest: Ecolo, as Dark Samus! As a reward for such a scientific match, she’ll grant you Zap-Floor Immunity, to fight against electric floors and the like!

5. Ally

Class: Novice ☆

Type: (Support) Grab

Power: 1600

Team Stock Battle

Vs. Daisy (Green) & Arle & Zelda (Red) & Robin (Female Red)

Stage: Yoshi’s Island (Melee) (Battlefield Form)

Music: Ready for Fever Mode!

Conditions:

The enemy can heal by shielding attacks.

Reinforcements will appear during the battle.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Ability: Critical-Health Defense

Cost: 1

Ally! The lass in green from the mysterious lands brings a whole party of 4 to the fray. Although her battle isn’t that hard, it’s her skill that makes the difference: Critical-Health Defense, which will get you buffed in time when things get hectic!

6. Schezo Wegey

Class: Advanced ☆☆

Type: (Primary) Grab

Power: 4100

Stamina Battle

Vs. Robin (Male Blue)

Stage: Yggdrasil’s Altar

Music: Request from Puyo Puyo

Conditions:

The enemy starts the battle with a Black Hole.

The enemy’s melee weapons and electric attacks have increased power.

The enemy favors neutral specials.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Power: 1532 [ATK 998 DEF 534]

Slots: 3

Can Be Enhanced at Lv. 99.

7. Cool Schezo

Class: Ace ☆☆☆

Spirit Stats:

Power: 3041 [ATK 1761 DEF 1280]

Slots: 3

Sword Attack ↑

It’s the one who commands the dark magic, Schezo! Seemed kind of obvious for him to be portrayed by Robin himself, in a magical, distant land. His fight makes it seem like he’s hella powerful, so getting him AND getting his Spirit to become Cool Schezo feels even more rewarding. Just look at that pristine white cape of power, so cool!

8. Rulue

Class: Advanced ☆☆

Type: (Support) Grab

Power: 4300

Stamina Battle

Vs. Wii Fit Trainer

Stage: Tortimer Island (hazards off)

Music: NORMAL MODE

Conditions:

The enemy's physical attacks have increased power.

The enemy has increased defense.

The enemy favors grabs and throws.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Ability: Energy Shot Attack/Resistance ↑

Cost: 2

The lady who kicks into scene takes form into a Puyo SUN-inspired battle! At the shores of the beautiful Tortimer Island, Wii Fit Trainer posing as Rulue will take you on with powerful kicks and twists. The skill you get, which is Energy Shot Attack/Resistance, is a testament to her strength and training against magical arts.

9. Dark Prince

Class: Ace ☆☆☆

Type: (Primary) Shield

Power: 9300

Team Stock Battle

Vs. Ganondorf (Brown) & Bunny Kirby (Yellow)

Stage: Dark Prince Castle (hazards off)

Music: Final of Puyo Puyo

Hazard: Screen Flip

Conditions:

The screen will suddenly flip.

Defeat the main fighter to win.

The enemy starts the fight with a Black Hole.

The enemy favors special attacks.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Power: 3148 [ATK 1882 DEF 1266]

Slots: 3

The Dark Prince himself, mwah ha ha! To be quite fair, the only character who was able to fit this awesome robe was Ganondorf himself. I know there’s a joke there trying to have Joker take his place but, well, Voice Actor jokes only work when they’re, well... global? For this fight, it’s all about manipulation and trying to outdo your rival to get your hands on that powerhouse of his Spirit.

10. Puyo Puyo

Class: Novice ☆

Type: (Support) Neutral

Power: 1600

Team Stamina Battle

Vs. Team Kirby (Red ×4, Green ×4, Yellow ×4, Blue ×4, Purple ×4)

Stage: Distant Planet (Ω)

Music: Theme of Puyo Puyo

Conditions:

Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd.

The enemy falls slowly.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Ability: Instadrop

Cost: 2

Before we move onto the last Spirit, we have to do this... fun Puyo hell! It’s the Puyos, in their... most interesting form. Represented by colored Kirby fighters, these fall slowly into the field and have low energy. When you beat them, you earn the Instadrop ability, kinda like if they gave you the ability to Hard Drop.

11. Doppelganger Arle

Class: Legend ☆☆☆☆

Type: (Primary) Attack

Power: 13500

Stamina Battle

Vs. Arle (Dark Red)

Stage: Dracula’s Castle (Ω)

Music: Dark Arle’s Insanity

Conditions:

Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle.

Acquired Spirit Stats:

Power: 4842 [ATK 2659 DEF 2183]

Slots: 2

Magic Attack ↑

The final battle for all of us is supposed to be against ourselves. Same goes for Arle, who you get to battle into these Spirit Battles as her doppelganger! Or is it the other way around? Defeating this incredibly powerful Spirit will grant you a Spirit that’s either too powerful, or that’s way too powerful.

Número 4: Classic Mode!

Lastly! We journey through her Classic Mode run and all that implies! Discounting the Bonus Stage, this would be her journey through Classic Mode (as envisioned by yours truly)!

Puzzling Magic Fun!

Puzzling Magic Fun! ( パズルの楽しみ旅 , lit. “Puzzle Fun Trip”) is all about exploring the history of puzzle games that are currently represented in Smash Bros. in one way or another, and Arle having some crazy stock battles against all of their protagonists! All stages have music from the Puyo game closest to that release.

STAGE 1

Vs. Yoshi

Stage: Yoshi’s Island (Melee)

Music: Theme of Puyo Puyo

The first fight is against the least alike of the puzzle games: Yoshi’s Cookie, from 1992! Yoshi’s Cookie is a fun title with an interesting sliding mechanic, but it’s far from being similar to Puyo Puyo, yes.

STAGE 2

Vs. Mii Swordfighter

Stage: Super Happy Tree

Music: Area A

Our second fight is against Panel de Pon, from 1995, with Mii Swordfighter cosplaying as Lip! Panel de Pon, localized as Puzzle League, is an interesting match-3 puzzle game where you have all your pieces on the board at all times, and you line up your strategy to let gravity take its course and do crazy chains!

STAGE 3

Vs. Ryu & Ken

Stage: Suzaku Castle

Music: Request from Puyo Puyo

Wait, Ryu and Ken!? Well, wouldn’t you know, they starred in their own puzzle game, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. This 1996 puzzle game mimicked Puyo Puyo in that pieces fall in pairs and you line them up on your board, but you can’t erase your blocks without using colored Power Gems, which shakes things up plenty. This frantic puzzle game saw a soft re-release in 2017 for mobile devices, too, although it had a short run.

STAGE 4

Vs. Kirby & King Dedede

Stage: Dream Land GB (Ω)

Music: NORMAL MODE

KIRBY’S AVALANCHE WASN’T REAL AND IT NEVER EXISTED. Now that THAT is out of the way, Kirby and the Dream Land 2 crew starred in their own puzzle game in 1997 with Kirby’s Star Stacker. In this game, pieces fell in pairs, and you lined them up on your board to get Star Blocks in-between the same Animal Buddies to start a combo, which would make stars fall on the board and fill in the empty spaces. If you knew how to line stuff up on the board, you could rack up some insanely crazy combos!

STAGE 5

Vs. Pikachu & Jigglypuff & Pokémon Trainer

Stage: Pokémon Stadium

Music: Puyo Puyo FUNderworld!

Pokémon’s first original incursion in the puzzle game world was with 2005′s Pokémon Trozei! (or Pokémon Link! for the Eurobuddies) This game followed through with gameplay similar to that of Yoshi’s Cookie, but taking the advantage of both screens for some really fast gameplay. You also had to line them up in a straight line, but how you did it was up to you.

... wait a minute, don’t you think we’re forgetting something important?

STAGE 6

Vs. Dr. Mario & Peach (White)

Stage: 75m (Ω)

Music: The Puyo Puyo Song - In-Game Version

The original, colored reference for Puyo Puyo lies within Dr. Mario, of course! The NES 1990 classic which slowly evolved through time, and the one puzzle game that’s almost too similar to Puyo Puyo. You line up colors to form a straight line of four between viruses and pills, to erase those critters from your bottle. In VS mode, this actually means trouble for your foe, as randomly colored balls will fall on their field!

And, finally...

BOSS STAGE

Vs. Dracula

Music: Final of Puyo Puyo / Double Trouble Finale!

And for the last stage we beat Satan himself! Well, the one that was the closest, to be honest. We’re still fighting the final battle in a castle, against a devilish character with one cool cape with strong connections to Satan himself. And while Castlevania did have a puzzle game in the form of Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night in 2010 for mobile devices, I still believe that playing make-believe with Dracula portraying as the Dark Prince is a better way to go.

Número 5: Anything else I forgot across all entries?

Entrance animation: appearing from a light portal, similar to how she gets transported into Grimp in Puyo Puyo Chronicle.

Taunts:

Up Taunt: her victory pose from Madou: Saturn.

Side Taunt: a half-flip, ending with a V-sign, with Carbuncle bouncing.

Down Taunt: Carbuncle running around Arle with her following him as she spins.

Victory screen:

Theme: Final Results! (Story Clear) [Remix]

Carbuncle hops on Arle’s back as she does a V-sign, saying “We’re number one!”, recreating their victory pose from 15th Anniversary. This one also doubles as her Team Battle victory pose when she’s a team member.

Carbuncle bounces around Arle, up until she catches him mid-air as she says “We did it, Carby!”, mimicking their art from Puyo Puyo Quest’s Arle & Carbuncle card.

A dramatic zoom-in, as she enthusiastically raises her arm, vigorously, recreating her pose in the final screen of the original Puyo Puyo. Here, she can say either “Yes!” or “Big victory!”.

Mii Costumes:

Rulue’s Hat & Rulue’s Cape (Mii Brawler)

Schezo’s Hat & Schezo’s Outfit (Mii Swordfighter)

Puyo Hat

Sig’s Hat & Sig’s Outfit (Mii Gunner): The gun would be the red arm.

AND THUS I HAVE COMPLETED THE GLORY OF ARLE IN SMASH, how I think her content would be, which Spirits would be featured, which music would be included, and just how much content would be packed with her inclusion. I have to say, it feels incredible to finally have it all out of my chest, it feels hella relieving. If anyone wants to use this whole series as a basis for their own character requests, feel free to do so.

As of this post, this marks the last time, for real, that I’ll write about Arle in Smash Bros., because it has been a fun ride playing make-believe. But the truth is, she’s not in the game, thus the only thing we can do, is dream. And dream, I did. This is a testament of my love to the character herself, to the franchise, and to everyone who also wanted her in the game. If anyone involved in Smash Bros. reads this, know that while this is my utmost wish, I’d be happy with any representation of the Puyo series proper in Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Special thanks, once again, to everyone from the Puyo for Smash Discord, to my friends at the Edge of Forever, to everyone who read and shared this nonsense, and to everyone who helped with this massive creation by adding their own inputs from time to time.

And of course, to Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata, creators of Super Smash Bros., and to Mizuki Hosoyamada, current director of the Puyo Puyo franchise.

Making a little reference to SEGA themselves, if you count her, the Carby cameo in her taunts and victory screens, her stage, the tracks, and the Spirits from the Spirit Board, all of that adds up to 24! Don’t ask how, really.

©SEGA. 2019.

[rosywrites]

Silent Waves, Chapter 1

Title: Silent Waves (Siren Sona x Bounty Hunter/Pirate Jhin AU) Chapter 1: Drops of Blood Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

[AO3]

Word count: 3,930

Songs have power within their melodies. Some say it’s like magic, that it has the power to soothe the soul of its worries and troubles. Many would agree. While there is truth within those words, it is merely one side of the same coin.

“Out! All of you!” a voice calls out through the wooden hallway, each step heavy with panic. 

Songs have power within their melodies. 

“What?” Sailors perk up from their cots in a daze, not registering the frantic rocking of the ship. “W-what’s going on?”

But its power isn’t limited to soothing those who are troubled.

“We’re under attack!” another yells before the ship heaves onto its side, throwing panicked sailors overboard into whirlpools. Seawater begins to fill the ship as it sinks under the waves. The sailors fortunate enough to swim out lay their eyes upon the wreckage floating among the sharp rocks. 

Just what happened? There was no storm to cause this. Was it bad navigation?

Songs naturally have the power to attract anything with a heart.

“Hey, do you hear that?” a sailor asks in between coughs. “Music.”

Two sailors who had escaped alongside him exchange glances and listen. He was right. Though faint, they could hear music playing from a cave up ahead. It sounds like someone singing. The other survivors seem to hear it as well. They swim towards the cave, seeing a figure sitting on top of a rock lit by the sunlight above.

A woman. They don’t hesitate in getting closer, wondering if she was stranded. But one sailor, notably younger than the other two, doesn’t move from where he is. He feels something is wrong. He opens his mouth to warn the others, but his words are lost to the seawater that fills his lungs. 

Songs can lure unsuspecting prey by seeping into their hearts, their innermost desires and insecurities laid bare.

He struggles against something that’s pulling him under. It feels like a hand around his ankle. A cold, scaly hand. He sees colors of green, blue, purple and more glimmering under the water. For a moment, he thinks them beautiful. Then his vision fades to black as he runs out of air.

His hearing is the last to go before his imminent death. He hears a melody as clear as day. No words, no voice. Just a melody that puts him at ease as the sea welcomes another victim into its arms.

~.~.~.~

“Captain,” a voice gravely calls from behind a door. “They’re here.”

“Are they now?” In the far corner of the captain’s quarters by the window sits a man polishing an ivory white gun on his desk. One. Two. Three. Four. Four wipes, that’ll do the trick. “Stubborn bunch, aren’t they?”

“We’re holding them back as best as we can, but they’re being impatient.”

“Anyone dead?” the captain asks. 

“Not yet, sir.”

The captain clicks his tongue in disappointment. “Shame,” he responds as he stands up. “I suppose I’m ready to meet them. Tell them I’m on my way.” He hears the sailor run up the stairs after a curt salute. He folds up his sleeve into a neat roll and holsters his gun. Slipping on a leather mask that covers the lower half of his face, he squints with a glint in his eyes. “Time for a little show.”

  “Where is he?” a burly, bearded man barks at the men blocking the entrance of the ship.

“Sir, he’ll be right out.”

“You expect me to wait any longer when he’s the one who suggested this damn rendezvous? Near Demacia of all places?”

“Sir—”

The sound of clapping coming from the side catches their attention. “Gentleman, gentleman, no need to rush,” the captain says as he approaches the burly man. “Captain,” he greets, before the barrel of a gun is pointed at his head.

“Khada Jhin,” the man sneers. “Did you really think you can get away with the bounty all by yourself?” His eyes narrow as he gets closer to Jhin. “We made a deal, and you broke it.” He pulls back the hammer of his gun. “You wanna know what I do to traitors?”

Such a boorish man, Jhin muses. But he does not look fazed from the gun practically pressed against his forehead. He gazes into the other’s eyes throughout the exchange, a sinister spark in his own that unnerves the man. “Let’s not jump to conclusions so quickly, captain. It’s rather insulting—”

“No,” the captain interrupts. “I know the kind of bounty hunters you are. You spout some noble bullshit to let their guard down, and the moment they turn around, you shoot them. I ain’t gonna fall for that kind of trick, lad.”

At this, Jhin sighs with dramatic flair. “Is that so?” he asks. He looks back up into the captain’s eyes, that sinister look now fully evident on his face. “I’m glad to know this won’t last long, then.” In the blink of an eye, his gun is already in his hand with the hammer already cocked and ready to fire.

Before the man can pull his trigger, he falls by Jhin’s feet, dead. 

The gunshot echoes in the open sea for what seems like forever. 

A wisp of smoke rises from the barrel of Jhin’s gun. As the smoke blows past his face, his eyes scan the captain’s crew and his own. Three to his right. Two to his left. Six in the back. Four around his men. The moment the smoke disappears, he swings to his left and puts another bullet through another’s head. He ducks and rolls to the right, dodging three bullets shot into the door behind him.

His men take cover and shoot the six enemies behind them, as Jhin takes out two others. He reloads his gun and cocks the hammer. He inhales, smelling the aroma of gunpowder mixed with the scent of blood. How delightful, to be able to bask in this moment.

He shoots a man that was too distracted to check the barrels Jhin was hiding behind. One. Leaping over a downed enemy, he shoots another with the grace of a dancer. Two. With a twirl, he snipes one that’s trying to jump overboard. Three.

One more left.

Jhin spots the last remaining enemy, who drops his gun and makes a break for it. He takes a breath and holds his gun towards the back, where the heart is. He can just see the red petals bloom from the man’s chest, like a flower in the dawn.

But before he can pull the trigger, the last man falls from a gunshot to the head. Jhin’s chest tightens, as if he just suffered a great loss. His eyes widen and turn to the crewman who shot the last enemy dead. 

The crewman isn’t aware. He simply sighs in relief that this is all over.

But the other crewmen who understand that look in Jhin’s eyes exchange nervous glances. 

Jhin walks over to the crewman, looming over him eerily with his gun still in hand. The latter takes a noticeable gulp in fear. “So,” he starts, “do you think you can get away with what you just did?”

“Captain, I—”

“Shh, shh, shh, shh,” he hushes, holding his finger to his mask. “You must understand. No one deprives me of the fourth shot. It just isn’t acceptable.” Before his crewman can respond, he holds the barrel of his gun to his forehead. “I’m afraid I can’t have that happening again.”

“P, please spare me, Captain,” the crewman pleads, tears welling up in his eyes. “It won’t happen again, please. I beg of you.”

Jhin only tuts at his pleas. “You should smile. Everyone is watching,” he whispers before he shoots the fourth shot through the man’s head, sending him toppling overboard into the sea. He peers over the edge, watching the blood seep into the waves like ink on paper. Behind the mask, he smiles in bliss.

The others stand in dreaded silence. They were always careful to not take Jhin’s fourth shots, but there was always one that made a mistake once in a while. And all those who did would die. 

“Well, gentleman. That’s the end of that.” Jhin turns back to the crew, who straighten up immediately. “I’m sure you all remember your oath when you joined this crew. I have stated this as clear as day: Some of you may die, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

“Yes, captain!” his crew responds.

“Dismissed,” he says. “And clean up the deck. I’m sure the deep sea would appreciate the meal. Once you’re done, we set sail for Zaun.” He glances at the dead captain bleeding out by the door that leads inside the ship. “We have a bounty to collect.” He goes back into his quarters and closes the door behind him.

~.~.~.~

The sea seems troubled today. There’s a stir in the sounds of the waves. More than just a ship passing by. A battle, perhaps? Even the fish seem anxious. 

A hand brushes apart the kelp as a figure swims out towards the open sea. Aqua scales shimmer in the sunlight trickling through the surface of the sea, revealing the silhouette of a siren within the deep. Her hair blends with the deep blue sea, tips of green lit by the sunlight. The light reaches a small golden stringed instrument strapped to her hip, glinting dully in the water.

The siren remains still, listening to the sounds in the sea. Her face contorts in bewilderment at the faintest sounds she hears. It sounds like… 

“Blood.” 

The siren turns her head to the voice behind her. A fellow siren, who followed her out the kelp forest, flashes a toothy smile at her, her brows arched mischievously. The former’s brows furrow instead, averting her focus to her sense of smell. Ah, she smells the blood. Fresh blood of humans.

“Guess everyone might have a feast today,” the other comments once more before taking the siren’s hand. “Come on, Sona, we can’t stay out in the open sea for too long.”

Sona sighs, taking one last look towards the scent of blood, and follows the other back into the kelp forest. They swim through the thick stipes into an enclosed area on the sea floor. As they approach, markings on their skin glow a sea green in the dark, providing them light through the dark. Others slowly reveal themselves as they swim closer: her circle of sirens.

“So?” one asks Sona.

Waving her hand and arms around, she gestures the sounds of battle and the scent of blood. She points to the direction they come from. Though the scent of blood is fainter, the sounds still reach her ears. Whatever, or whoever, is throwing corpses into the sea had emerged victorious. 

“Should we check it out?”

“Maybe seduce them into the sea.”

“We haven’t had visitors in these parts in quite a long time, after all.”

Sona suddenly intervenes, waving her arms out to reject the idea. Something tells her the victor of that battle could easily kill them all. It sends shivers down her spine.

“But we don’t want to just sit here while they pass by us. That’s like letting easy prey escape.” The other sirens seem to agree. 

“Sona, if you’re worried, you can sit back for this one. We can bring back something for you.”

“It’d be a shame though. Sona’s music is foolproof in getting humans to fall for our trap.”

Foolproof, yes. But Sona can’t help but wonder if there even are fools on that ship. She chews her nails in thought, her sharp teeth almost biting into the skin. She looks up and starts to sign again, that she will scope the area to make sure it’s safe enough. A little test with her music wouldn’t hurt.

If her music works, then they feast.

But the thought of failure looms over Sona’s mind as she swims out to open sea, heading towards the direction of the ship. She remains cautious, as open waters tend to make it easy to be captured. She sticks closer to the bedrock and pokes her head out the corners.

The scent of blood is getting stronger. The sound of ships bobbing along the waves get louder as well. Sona stops under a rock arch, looking up at the hulls of the ships above. All around her are fresh corpses, all clearly dead. She examines one nearby and brushes aside the corpse’s hair to see a perfect hole in his forehead. A golden glint in the sea floor catches Sona’s eye.

Picking it up, she knows its shape immediately. A bullet. Many merfolks, including sirens, have fallen from these before. It’s another reason to never venture out into open waters alone. She’s heard plenty of nightmares from the few who survived, though they died shortly afterwards.

She traces her finger over the engraving on the metal, an organic design that she doesn’t seem to recognize. But it looks so… elegant. The sound of another body plunging into the ocean tears her eyes away, giving her enough room to evade the sinking corpse. Looking at all the other corpses, she sees most were shot dead by the same bullets. The others that weren’t aren’t shot as cleanly.

Maybe this is a bad idea.

Sona shakes her head and turns to swim back. 

But before she can escape the ship’s shadow, she finds herself tumbling through the sand, her vision spinning with red and white. She grips her shoulder in pain. Her nails dig into the skin, drawing more blood aside from the hole made by a bullet. Blood seeps out of her wound and dissipates above.

Suddenly, she hears people yelling from the ship, and the next thing she knows, she pinned down by a heavy net. Her eyes widen in horror when she sees the golden bullet roll in the sand. She scratches at the net desperately to cut it open but no no avail. 

Never stay in open waters for too long.  

The only rule among the merfolk to keep them safe.

Lest you become another tale of blood and foam.

The net wraps around her as it ascends, and she slams downward to force her way out. As the net breaks surface, Sona feels panic and dread pool in her stomach. She holds her instrument close to her chest and stays still as she’s carried onto the deck.

“A real mermaid…” a crewman whispers in awe when they see the face of a woman barely hidden by her hair and the fins of her tail. “Impossible.”

“The sea is full of surprises,” Jhin states. “The stories of merfolks had to come from somewhere.” He crouches to take a look at Sona more clearly. His eyes slightly squint in amusement at Sona’s expression of mixed horror and wariness. It was exactly the look of a cornered animal. “However, this is fascinating. I have never once thought I would one day capture a mermaid.”

Sona hisses at Jhin, managing to swipe at his face and tearing off his mask. The mask clatters across the wooden floor, the entire crew falling silent. A few hold their breath, never having seen Jhin’s mask forcibly ripped off his face before. Her eyes are fixated on the insidious smile on his face. 

“A good aim,” he responds with a raised eyebrow. “You’d certainly make me… quite a fortune, if I sell you.” He chuckles as he stands, but instead, he raises his gun at her. “But you would make such a fine masterpiece. I cannot pass this opportunity.”

No, she can’t die here. She takes a breath to gather her magic at her fingertips. Right as Jhin cocks the hammer and touches the trigger, she plucks the strings of her instrument. Her magic turns the sound into a sharp bolt that knocks the gun out of Jhin’s hands and even slashes the back of his hand. 

Jhin reels back with a hiss as he cradles his hand with the other. “You insolent…!”

Sona hisses again in smug defiance. Two men approach to restrain her, but she starts to play soft, quiet music that lulls them forward in a trance, allowing her to slash their exposed necks. They grip their wounds to stop the blood but end up choking on their own blood. Sona glares at the others, who refuse to come closer should they become the next victims. 

“Music?” Jhin mutters under his breath. Was it just his imagination, or did he hear music come from the mermaid? It takes him a moment, but he realizes this is not a mermaid. “A siren,” he concludes.

“Captain?”

“This one is not a mermaid,” he states louder, “She’s a siren. Get too close, and a single siren can lure sailors with their song to kill several.” At this, the crewmen backs away even farther from Sona, but Jhin approaches closer.

“W-what should we do then, sir? Can’t we just release her?”

Jhin shakes his head in fascination. “No. This one seems... special.” His eyes travel down from her gritted teeth to her neck, catching a glimpse of gold clutched in her hands. He watches her cradle it closer and hide it from his view. “An instrument-wielding siren. You don’t see that everyday.”

Sona breathes heavily, as the lack of water is beginning to take a toll on her body. Fish can’t usually survive out of water, but merfolks like her have a longer timespan to breathe air. But they can’t do it for long, or they too will end up like a fish out of water.

What’s more, she recognizes his language: Ionian. What would Ionians be doing so far out here in Demacia?

“Hghk,” Sona chokes, unable to breathe properly anymore. She starts wheezing, and she only just starts to feel the burning sun on her skin and scales. Her vision blurs and spins; she doesn’t have the strength to swipe at the hands that restrain her. It takes everything she has to keep her instrument in her grasp.

“I think,” Jhin muses out loud, “you would be an excellent addition to this ship.” He bends down to her eye level to show her the gash on the back of his hand. “Whether you like it or not.”

She glares at the man, but a smirk tugs at a corner of her lips, as if daring him to try to break her. It’s only before she falls unconscious that she sees a glimpse of the smile on Jhin’s face turn into an unsatisfied frown.

~.~.~.~

When Sona awakes, she finds herself in a dim corner of a wooden room. The water is tinted slightly orange from the sunset. She reaches out to touch a foreign object a few feet in front of her, only to be obstructed by an invisible barrier. Her brows furrow in panic as she starts reaching around. It’s all the same. Swimming above meets the same results as well. 

She’s trapped, just like the stories she’s heard of. This is a ‘tank’.

Her hands bang against the glass. Her nails scratch against it. But the glass is too thick, unbreakable, to make even a dent. She reels her arm back to make one last attempt to break it, but a white flash of pain stops her. Curling in with a hiss, she finds the shoulder she was shot at, bandaged. 

“I have to say, I didn’t think the movement in the water would end up being a siren. I thought that, somehow, one of them survived to tell the tale. Tried to survive, might I add.”

Her head jerks towards the direction of the muffled voice, immediately recognizing it to be the captain’s. Her eyes narrow at the figure that’s barely lit by the setting sun from the porthole.

Jhin sits on the corner of his table, his mask and a glass of wine by his side. His posture seems relaxed despite having his hand injured by her earlier. His gun is nowhere to be found. Seeing Sona’s wary eyes, Jhin chuckles. “My gun is in no condition to use, thanks to you,” he utters the last few words in spite. “Whatever you did, whatever magic you used, cut through the metal.” He clicks his tongue in further annoyance. “It would take days, perhaps even up to a week, to get replacement parts.”

Sona stares at him in deafening silence. There’s just something in the way her eyes seem to… bore a hole through him, like she’s staring deep down into his soul.

“I don’t suppose,” he pauses to reach behind him, “you’re looking for this.” He holds out the golden instrument she was holding prior. He watches her eyes widen in panic as her hands reach for her hip. “You really had an iron grip on this. It took my men forever to pry it out of your claws,” he continues. 

Bastard, Sona thinks. She curses herself for even getting caught in this mess. She was just supposed to scope the ship, but now she knows she stayed too long. This man was perceptive, and she should have left instead of investigating. And now she was stuck on a ship with no way to communicate to her circle. There aren’t any escapes either. She can only hope they don’t come after the ship to save her. Otherwise, they were just as dead as the other pirates that now slumber in the sea.

“Your little instrument is peculiar,” Jhin comments as he plucks a string, only silence following through. No matter how hard he strums, he hears nothing. “Not a single sound.”

Sona only blinks, making no indication of responding to him. She looks around the tank once last time before inaudibly sighing and perches herself on the uneven floor against the glass. She gazes out the porthole that’s placed near her tank. The sea glimmers orange and gold from the sunset as if it’s on fire.

“Giving the cold shoulder, are we?” Jhin asks without looking up, mesmerized by the instrument. “Can’t be that bad, being captured and all. It’s fortunate you’re not dead.”

She turns her head towards him with a mysterious look and turns back to the sea again.

Two can play at that game. Jhin knew it wasn’t going to be easy anyway. He knew plenty ways to get her to talk, even if it meant destroying the treasure he had just obtained. 

But first, his gun took priority. 

A bounty hunter can’t do their job without their tools, after all.

They would arrive at Zaun in 2 weeks. By the time they reach the gates, one of them will have surrendered. Both have no intention of giving in. 

Jhin takes a sip of his wine as he eyes Sona’s reflection in the glass of the porthole. She looks unamused with a hint of exasperation. To keep a siren in a tank in a dim room, he wonders what kind of results would occur. Insanity? Savagery? Agony? Despair? Desperation? The possibilities are endless. 

And he can’t wait to watch how she descends.

Sona’s lower lip slightly juts out in annoyance. At first, she panicked because of the stories she’s heard: merfolk eaten for longer lifespan or immortality, forced into entertainment for other humans, or tortured for their secrets. But seeing that she will be kept alive, she thinks of every plan possible to plot her escape. It seems the captain wants answers she can’t give. 

And she can’t wait to watch him break against her will.

[mrkjhnwht]

The Cruyff Turn 45 years on: a juxtaposition of genius and simplicity

It seems somewhat harsh to relegate any human being down to one moment: one particular time on one particular stage. Ultimately though, it's easier to remember someone with one shining image. Diego Maradona fist-pumping the heavens. Andrea Pirlo nonchalantly chipping a penalty. Zinedine Zidane's mad headbutt in the heat of a World Cup Final. Or Johan Cruyff bamboozling a defender in a single sleight of shin.

The Cruyff Turn is 45 years old this year. You've seen it a million times. Cruyff shapes up to pass the ball from just outside the box with his right foot. He instead tucks the ball behind his standing leg and switches direction by 180 degrees. He carries on with his dribble and gets the ball into the box.

The decibel level erupts. This is the first time that the Westfalenstadion crowd, or anyone watching from the comfort of their front room, had ever seen such a thing. Your dad is impressed. Your little brother can't believe it. The style, the audacity, the simplicity was breathtaking. For a split second, Johan Cruyff, with his chic slightly-longer-than-a-Beatle haircut and catwalk model frame is a magician, revealing to the audience that the card you chose from the deck was tucked away up his long, orange sleeve the whole time.

Perhaps though, the strangest thing about the Cruyff turn is that maybe, just maybe, it was nothing special. It's almost sacrilege to suggest out loud.

But Johan Cruyff temporarily leaving his marker in a heap was the only noteworthy event in a 0-0 group game: it's not as if it led to a goal or even a big moment in a decisive match. For years, you may have assumed that the defender was an Italian by the royal blue of his shirt. It wasn't. It was Swede Jan Olsson, in his country's change strip. Of course, this doesn't matter per se, but the unconscious assumption that Johan dumbfounded an Italian – a nation we have always associated with defensive rocks – certainly gives the moment more gravitas than hoodwinking a 32-year-old capped just 17 times in his entire career.

Yes, it was the first time that anyone had seen the Cruyff Turn, but let's play Alan Hansen on this moment. Should Olsson being doing better there? Arguably. He commits his body and suffers the consequences. It's hard to imagine a modern defender being quite so naïve and gangly. These were the days before players were labelled “frauds” by internet trolls, though.

Then there's the aesthetics of the shot. The 1974 edition was only the second ever FIFA World Cup broadcast in colour, and whoever shot the moment Cruyff turned, caught it at the optimum angle. It was perfectly framed, the camera focusing vertically to where Cruyff changes path. Zinedine Zidane was never so fortunate to get a perfect stage and camera angle when he pirouetted on the ball and made “the Marseille Turn” his own: not in the way that the stars aligned when he volleyed the iconic winner against Bayer Levekusen in the Champions League final. Pele was behind the rainbow flick, but in an age in which it didn't look as good on screen. Every time Mesut Ozil scores, it takes a slow-motion replay to reveal if he's applied his now-trademark cushioning of the ball against the ground.

It seems odd that the moment that followed Cruyff for the rest of his life was nowhere near the most amazing thing he did in his career.

This was a man that won three consecutive European Cups with Ajax, managed Barcelona to their first and whose name is splashed across almost everything he touched. The Cruyff Turn was a 24th minute whim in a group game. It's similar to how an artist as enduring and vocally talented as Michael Jackson became associated so strongly with the moonwalk. Did we really reduce such a visionary to a technically simple move?

That's exactly why the Cruyff Turn has stood such a considerable test of time, though.

You've probably seen the Cruyff Turn performed against better defenders; no doubt by considerably less talented footballers than Johan Cruyff. Marc Pugh was known for it at AFC Bournemouth, for example. It's something that most children learn when playing football in the street.

The Cruyff Turn is the most ordinary of all the extraordinary things you can do with a football. It doesn't require a deft touch or an eye for an angle. It just needs timing. The turn is an evasive football move: it gets the performer out of congestion and into space. It doesn't boast like a stepover does and it's not Ronaldinho-level in its wizardry. It's not like a rabona: you don't see it coming until the last second. One second you're about to pass: the next you're not. It's that basic.

Whilst most tricks in football rely on what you can do with your feet, the Cruyff turn is more about what you do with your body. The satisfaction of the Cruyff Turn is that it subverts your expectations. Cruyff offers you something with one hand before taking it away with the other in a smoother manner than Jay-Jay Okotcha or Cristiano Ronaldo has ever managed with their trademark turns and chops.

In this respect, perhaps only Cruyff could have invented the Cruyff Turn: or at least brought it to the masses. It seems like an urban myth waiting to be uncovered that a modest Eredivisie winger practised the move first, only for a more famous Dutchman to pilfer it, like a blues melody for a rock and roll song.

Johan Cruyff was a rockstar and a complex man at that. A legend whose name still reverberates around the Ajax academy, yet he left them in a fit of rage towards the end of his playing days for rivals Feyenoord. Cruyff was fiercely individual, idealistic and driven by the philosophy of freedom of expression, yet governed himself by the idea that the sum of a team was greater than his own ability. Cruyff was frequently labelled as hellishly arrogant, yet omitted his own name once when asked to comprise an eleven of the greatest footballers ever. He could have easily walked into the theoretical side, too.

The Dutchman assumed the classic squad number 14 by mistake and apparently stuck by it as an act of rebellion against the Netherlands' Football Association. He refused a move to Real Madrid on the basis of their association with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, and in defiance against Adidas – Cruyff had a deal with rivals Puma – would only wear a special orange jersey for the Netherlands that ripped one of the brand's legendary three stripes from the shoulders.

A rebel, often with an idyllic cause, the idea of him turning 180 degrees just to avoid doing the ordinary is idiosyncratically Cruyff. That he should do it so beguilingly, is fitting. Perhaps the greatest innovator in the history of the sport, it doesn't really matter whether it was Cruyff that invented his turn: he was the one that brought it to the spotlight.

Just as Total Football was based on mad, mad movement off the ball, the Cruyff Turn exploited space. It's apt that players all over the pitch, from ball-playing centre-backs to strikers in a tight spot, use the turn as a “Get out of jail free” card: in Total Football, Cruyff could've pulled out that trick anywhere on the pitch. Yes, the Cruyff Turn is simple, but it's quintessentially Cruyff. Not the greatest thing he ever did, but a single move that summed up the fire in him, the showman in him, the team player able to give the on-rushing men in the box a cross, even in a sticky situation.

And yes, Johan Cruyff's defining moment is one that we all learned before the age of ten. Not a Maradona-slalom of a run into the England penalty area or an Henry zig-zag through the beating heart of Real Madrid's imperious back four. But Cruyff made us fall in love with football in a different way to such physically gifted men. A boy from humble beginnings in Amsterdam, he showed the world a rich brand of the sport, not just through his ability, but his vision.

The Cruyff Turn makes children of all of us: sometimes world class defenders and seasoned analysts alike can't see it coming. Only Cruyff, the man with the greatest vision in football, could. And at its core, the Cruyff Turn is as complex as its master. Simple, unpredictable, rebellious, showing off and yet not showing off for the sake of it. In 45 long years, we've still not seen a trick like it.

[morenerdthanperson]

Get to know the writer tag

I’ve been tagged by @luckycatsidereus!

1. If you could spend the day with one of your OC’s who would it be and why?

Oh man, it depends on what sort of activity we’d be doing!

If we were just hanging out over a coffee, I’d want to meet my man Resdin, because he is the funniest character of mine that I know. (evidence)

If we were meeting at an art gallery or concert, or just doing something craftsy, I’d go with Anoosha, because she is super creative. (Another character of mine, a makeup artist named Liana, is also quite creative, however she’s very shy and I wouldn’t be able to get past her shell in a day!)

If somebody was teaching me how to survive on a battlefield, or use a sword, I would go with my protagonist Ahrin because she’s quite a patient and understanding teacher... and I love her so much x3

2. Which of your own worlds would you most/least like to live in?

Most: Um, all I’ve written so far are terribly dangerous dystopias and fantasy worlds so none??

Least: All of them; I literally wouldn’t survive *nervous laughing* 

3. What is your favourite trope to write?

The chosen one c; 

I just love the idea of someone being destined to do something because it raises so many questions: Do they actually have any control over their lives? Would they complete their destiny, even if they actively tried to avoid it? Do all of us have destinies, and therefore no control over our lives?

I also tend to write stories that either require protagonists that have immense political power (so kings, lords, politicians) so that they can literally change the world or that involve powers (usually inherited) that would destroy the world if they were spread amongst the general population, so I’m automatically forced to use the “chosen one” trope. I mean, really though, who can get enough of the last of a line of kings possessing immense power that gained them the throne in the first place and that could spell its end??? 

4. Do you have a favourite writing snack?

Anything that is salty + crunchy, combined with tea (even though the caffeine makes me go hyper/shaky xD)

5. Which of your OC’s is most like you?

While a lot of my OCs possess certain characteristics like mine, none of them are close to me in personality. For example, while Anoosha is quite creative and enjoys experimenting with visual art, music, and writing (as well as having an interest in hair, makeup, and clothes) like me, she is rebellious and a bit feisty where I am not (and actually bothers to learn about how to do hair, makeup, and dress well lmao). 

They’re all people very separate from me; I frequently wonder where they come from and whether I would get along with them at all xD

6. Follow up from 5: Does this make them easier or harder to write for you?

My characters show up when they want to and give me only just enough information about themselves for me to write them. In that way, I find it quite easy to connect with and write them because it feels like they act independently to whatever is going on in my head.

7. Describe yourself using only vine references

I don’t know my vines, sorry :’D

8. Which authors/artists/musicians/creators have inspired you?

Some favourite authors: Laura Gallego Garcia, Patrick Ness, Laini Taylor, Suzanne Collins, Madeline Miller, Garth Nix

Some favourite musicians: Steve Jablonsky, Michael Giacchino, John Powell, John Williams, Lorne Balfe, Marcin Przybylowicz, 2Cellos, The Piano Guys, Lindsey Stirling, Ruelle (*coughs* movie soundtracks)

It’s funny though, because most of my ideas come from the most random places and the inspiration from my favourites mostly has to do with world-building vibes!

9. Favourite song/album?

Blasphemy to make me choose!!!

I go through song/album obsessions every few weeks. Yes, there are some songs that have endured (Rey’s Theme from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Elementalist Lux login screen music by League of Legends, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt soundtrack) but for now my current favourite song is “Journey” from the Destiny 2 soundtrack.

Yeah, my family hates it when I get to put on a song in the car xD

10. What kind of pet do you most want?

Almost three years ago, I was able to get my two babies (cats), Jimi and Hermione. I couldn’t ask for anything more!

11. (Bonus Thing!) What is your favourite line from your current wip?

I don’t have a favourite line, but I love it when I can pack symbolism into a line. For example:

“For now, she would fall asleep in this pool of red. Maybe when she woke up, all the blood she had left would be blue.“

I won’t elaborate on what the symbolism is because of spoilers, but it is based on symbolism used in normal speech, so you could figure it out if you wanted to lmao

These are actually such great questions to get to know people, @luckycatsidereus is it okay if I just ask some other people to answer them instead of coming up with my own (boring) questions?? 

I don’t know many people so I’m going to tag some people from my dash and hope that’s okay (feel free to not participate in the tag!) @cjjameswriting @supersaiyansadie @scripturient-manipulator @nicholewrites ?? @sweetcatminteareblog I would always tag you but please don’t feel pressure to keep responding LMAO

[the-sexual-student]

Drangon Slayer

So @ink-splotch wrote a wonderful series and it did things to me and now I did this. here’s a League of Legends AU of what if Laney killed the dragon....

DRAGON SLAYER

When the dragon came to the desert Aisling Jones stood as tall as her body allowed and announced they would draw lots for the sacrifice. In the mountains or in the desert sands one life was always the price for twenty plus.

One life unwillingly given is never worth the sacrifice but Aisling Jones had peace to sow and tents to sew and one daughter left. One daughter out of twenty children. She didn’t believe Laney would draw the short straw.

When her tribe staked her out on the sand dune there was no blacksmith to press her a knife but not reasons. Laney did not scream and cry when she saw the red colored lot in her hand. She did not fight the men of the tribe as they brought her to the highest dune near the oasis. She was her mother's daughter and her mother’s daughter did not let her enemies see her cry. Laney Jones wasn’t born with steel in her spine but she watched her mother long enough to find it.

Her mother held her back own ramrod straight as she watched her daughter be led, not dragged, away. She walked back to her tent where Laney’s perfect stitches gleamed in the noon sun and broke.

Laney did not have a blacksmith to press her a knife, and she had not once in her life asked for reasons but she had a brother who could whistle the world on his voice and a  desire to be more than a failed peace maker. Laney had been pressing her hands against the walls of the universe for years and there was just enough wiggle in her hands to steal magic from the air.

Laney was 16 and already too big for the endless desert sky but didn’t know where else to go.

She began to weave a net out of stolen power. When it came time for the dragon to devour her she had a net, a back up and a prayer she’d never admit to whispering. When the gods abandon you to be devoured as a penance for a sin you haven’t even had the chance to commit you stop admitting to your faith in them. You start rebuilding your faith in yourself.

She threw the net over the dragon with every borrowed and stolen spell she knew. Her brother could have talked to him, her mother would have stood straight and stared her duty in the eye, her father would have fought with only the power he had been given. Laney walked back to the tribe and demanded her pistols. She walked back to the dune, her tribe behind her and shot the dragon through the eye.

She waited until she was several dunes away before she began to cry. Never let your enemies see you break.

Laney was never meant to build peace but she could build safety and she held onto that.

In her tent, tucked into her bedroll were applications to an Academy a lifetime away. In another life she went there and saved the world. In this life she began searching for the only person who it might be safe to break in front of. She still ended up in the Academy walls. She was always meant to save the world.

High in the mountains there were already whispers of the Pied Piper, the Giant Killer and the Slave Slayer. Hero’s always needed names in order for ballads to be sung. A desert man who whistled the world to his lips fell in love with a baker who was a general, who was a hero, who was someone who lost someone. A forest boy who wanted so badly to matter more than being the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son who was brave because the songs taught him how, because he wanted to save the world, because he wanted to matter. A girl who kept nothing from her village but her name after they sold an orphan mage to the slavers to survive a particularly cruel winter. She tracked them down and killed each one of them before they could reach the Seeress’s dungeons.

One unwilling life is never worth the twenty plus that are willing to sacrifice it.

One life is always worth twenty.

One life is never worth twenty.

Laney didn’t know who the Pied Piper was but she knew a boy who might be a man now who could whistle the world and a bakery is as good a home as any.

“What did you do when you killed the dragon?”

“I burned him.”

In the desert they filled the skies with their mourning. Laney didn’t know if she mourned for the dragon or the loss of her place in her own life. Either way she waited two sand dunes before she let the tears fall down her face. Either way she walked back to her tribe after shooting the dragon with spelled bullets and packed her things and left.

In Rivertown she met a woman who helped smuggle mages out of the mountains, who juggled fire in the town square, who wore bits of colored string around her belt.

“Jones?” Sez asked, “I think I’ve heard of a Jones in the mountains. Looking for your brother you say?”

“I’m looking for something.” Laney said in a moment of honesty. She watched a boy in an academy jacket stand just outside the light of Sez’s dancing torches. She saw the band around his arm that proclaimed Hero. She wondered if he saw her watching him. She wondered if she would have sent in her application if the dragon never came.

She wondered why she sent one in with a blank return address from the first town outside of the desert sands.

He did. Rupert Willington Jons Hammerfeld the Seventh paid attention. He saw the dark black girl with perfectly braided hair talk to his best friend. He waited until she was finished before approaching to find out where the latest monster that went bump in the night needed to be slayed.

He pretended not to notice the girl following him. After all it was just possible enough that they just happened to be traveling the same path.

Liam had always meant to come home, Laney had always been built for breaking. Both had their mother’s steel in their spines. Both refused to leave someone in trouble.

When the Thing in the Darkness almost had Rupert around the throat she stepped out of her own shadows and shot it three times with guns both spelled with stolen magic and blessed with dragon blood.

“Thank you.” Rupert said stiffly.

“Laney Jones,” he said after a few nights of hunting, “We received a mage application with no return address from a girl with that name. Where should we send the acceptance letter to?”

Laney thought of her tribe with her mother's steel spine, lots of straws with one tipped red, of one life for twenty plus, of the dragons blood staining the sand and burning it into glass. She thought of her brother leaving and her failure to be a peacemaker, she thought how the sand dunes seemed like another word for trapped. She thought of the dragons ash filling the sky. She thought about how sometimes the air tasted like smoke and ash and sand trapped in her lungs.

In the desert we fill the sky with our mourning.

“Nowhere. Here. Anywhere.” she replied.

Do you have a home when you burn it to the ground metaphorically instead of being burned yourself literally?

“Well we are only a week into the semester. It’s understandable how a mage could get lost traveling to school.” Rupert mentioned.

“Yes I suppose it is.”

Laney had meant to leave everything behind in the desert. She did not expect how much she would take. Jack wasn’t the only one who wanted to matter. Laney wanted to matter more than being a sacrifice. Killing the dragon was the most honest thing she’d ever done and she slotted that knowledge like she slotted her guns back into their holster. She wanted to matter and she was never built for sowing peace. She built and she broke.

Sometimes she woke tucked into her dorm with Gloria, the little sage who was too bright and too cheerful to startle awake at the sound of nightmares. Some nights Laney woke feeling the mix of sand and ash choke her lungs and leave her burned out and dry.

In the mountains sometimes George woke to the sound of a boar spear driving its way through flesh and the taste of blood drowning her lungs. In both worlds they carry the weight of their choices. In both worlds they would make the choices again. People are not meant to be unwilling sacrifices.

Some still choose to sacrifice everything but their lives.

Laney was not willing to die for her tribe but she was willing to fight for them and that mattered.

George would never be willing to let someone die for her and that mattered too.

Maybe in this reality Liam never died. George spent months tracking slavers, not dragons and she knows how human nightmares move. She sees the shadow and pushes Liam and the child out of the way.  A bullet breaks glass and there is no weeping widow. Maybe Jacks luck wraps itself around his friends, no one pushes the Pied Piper out of the way but a window still breaks and no widow weeps.

Maybe some events are fixed points in any universe. Maybe no matter what death or nightmare keeps you company there is always more death and more nightmares to come. Maybe a bullet makes the wet sound of piercing flesh, a widow weeps like broken glass and a child is saved but a husband is lost.

Maybe Jack still leaves, he always left until he learned how to stay. He travels to the Academy with the careful application Sarge helped him fill out, a green badge waiting to his shame. He sees his roommate wrapped in books and blankets to keep the rest of the world away. He sees the boy who toured him around the campus- a paper pusher and nothing else. Jack was still learning to pay attention. He hears of Laney Jones. The mage with the worst grip in her class.

He couldn’t see the ash staining her hands or the way she watched the room, back tucked carefully against a wall, because he was too busy drowning in his own grief. His own disappointments. One day he would learn to look.

Jack was still learning to pay attention- he sat across a young woman in a mountain inn and doesn’t think the boogeyman could look so pleasant. He gives her his name.

Cassandra Graves spent her childhood keeping one boy safe at the cost of hundred. If it was to be her life's work it would be her life's work. Her father made her say good bye to her nurse before the guards dragged her away. She heard the whispers of monster from her father's lips, from the guards, from the things she saw. But her father was a genius and people bought their product and even sold them their children. Her brother was her greatest sin and he was safe.

Hundreds of lives for one.

Hundreds of lives for warmth, for keeping the winter outside the door, for profit.

What does the monster under the bed fear? Bakers and Pipers and Slayers and Giantkillers? Boys with faith in their eyes who give their story along with their name? A brother who glows so bright it blinds her and father who hates so much it might as well be a black hole?

She cleaned the ash from the cages.  

She knew the name of every soul she sent to her father's dungeons and she told herself she always slept soundly at night. After all it was the only way.

In a forgotten room, in a forgotten lab, in a building that was bigger than remembered the word “childhood” tripped and died on Rupert's lips. A demon foraged in the loss of innocence is still a nightmare. A bullet still thudded through wet flesh and a widow still wept.

She said Laney Jones was the least sensitive person she’d seen- especially after her brothers light and gold stained whistle. She saw how much the Giantkiller loved this new army he created. She saw his burned away luck.

She saw the dragons ash on Laney’s skin.

She didn’t see stolen magic.

When Jack tripped into Rupert's private battle Laney was already there with freshly cleaned pistols.

“I told you he’d come after Sally-Ane’s.” Laney said easily hair still perfectly braided as she accepted the oversized helm from Rupert’s steady hands.

“I know, you pay attention.” Rupert said. They’d been monster hunting for almost a year together before this forest boy stumbled into their friendship. Rupert always guarded his left flank a little more than his right until a few weeks after Jack joined their quest.

He remembered which sword Jack liked best after the first fight.

Maybe in this world Rupert is a little less careful and Laney is a little more fragile. Maybe he sees her break six months into her first year, after they talk about dragons in Group Cohesion class. Maybe he sees her spine go rigid and follows her after class to the edge of campus, to the tallest tree that is still like a ladder compared to the palm trees of the desert she used to call home.

Falling is the bravest thing he knew Liam used to tell her.

He never dreamed she’d stop falling.

He had also always meant to come home to a desert, to a bakery, to a sister, to a wife, to a daughter.

Maybe in this world Rupert watches Laney break and shatter 20 feet above the ground in an old oak tree. Maybe she lets him sit beside her and help her hold all her pieces together. In any world Laney is the one who kisses him first. No matter how less careful Rupert can be he’s always a little too careful. He pays attention to everything but his own feelings. Those he carefully sorts and slots in to their labeled box in his mind. He never dreams Laney has a similar box labeled Rupert.

In this world Jack still fits into their group, they learn to watch their sides a little less and his a little more. They bandage themselves up in Jack’s room because he always has a few supplies from his afternoons with Nurse tucked away. Grey sits on his bed and whispers facts and figures before trailing along because he knows things and for once it might keep someone safe. Laney notices when his books shift to the things they fight in the darkness.

Laney knows what heartbreak and running away looks like in this world more intimately than she does in any other. She sees Grey wear the whispers of the mountains in his bones but she lets him keep his secrets. After all- she never told him about the dragon. Whispers of the Dragon Slayer are much quieter than the whispers of the Slave Slayer. One disappeared into a city and one stood tall in the mountains both fighting a war they never signed up for and never could walk away from.

No matter what world they become family, they climb a mountain, face a monster, lose a friend only to find him again.

The wet thud of a bullet, a widow weeping like broken glass. A hero who holds everyone together, a guide who’s a hero, a sage who’s a mage and a magicless mage. No matter what world their in they find each other.

[seriouslyhooked]

Scoring Your Love (Part 10/?)

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,Part Seven, Part Eight. Story also on FF here and AO3 here. Banner by the wonderful @timetravelandfairytales

Modern AU where Killian is a world famous soccer star who has hit rock bottom and been sentenced to the place where ‘football’ legends go to die – America. While here he crosses paths with Emma, an up and coming musician and film scorer who challenges everything he thought he knew and makes him want more than the game he’s always loved. Will be filled with fluff for days, and eventually rated M.

A/N: Hello again, friends! So as promised we finally get to the M rating in this chapter, but we also get another important check in before then. I mean come on, you didn’t think I was just going to forget about Liam, did you? Well he’ll make an appearance of sorts in this chapter, and though we’ll end in my usual fluffy place, we’re sowing some seeds of intrigue for later. Hope you all enjoy and thanks so much for reading!

In all his years playing in the professional leagues, Killian had managed the intensity and the strange schedules of a sportsman’s life better than most of his fellow teammates.

To be sure there were some more destructive habits he had formed, drinking a bit too much, surrounding himself with the kind of people who were interested just in the fame and the fortune, but on the whole he hadn’t fallen victim to the same bad moods that most other men did. Leaving home for so long and being apart from family took a toll on anybody, but Killian had never felt he was leaving too much behind. Since it was only ever Liam who he had as a given in his life, and since his brother was also his manager and as such was on the road with him more often than not, Killian didn’t feel the weight of separation.

Now, however, things were changing. One might argue it was because he was on the American circuit and his new games weren’t in enthralling places like Paris or Milan, but in small suburbs outside cities he’d never thought to see. Yet Killian knew that the real reason for the change was simpler than that. The problem was home – or rather Los Angeles – had a certain person in residence who did not get to come on these trips with him, and the more he got to know Emma Swan, the harder it was to take these jaunts out on the road for the sake of a game. It was likely crazy to feel this way, but Killian wouldn’t lie to himself. He missed Emma when he was gone, and finally he understood all that regret other more settled teammates had been feeling all these years.

It was of great comfort to him then that tonight he was back at his place in LA once more. Minutes ago he’d said goodbye to Tiny down stairs and now Killian was filled with anticipation and a need to get things going. He could do with a shower straight away, and food would probably be a good thing this time of night when he’d had none so far, but any unpacking could wait until morning. Right now Killian was hoping to speed things up as much as he could to get to Emma. He pulled out his phone and started to craft a text seeing if she was still up. It wasn’t too late yet, and he knew from their conversations this morning that she didn’t have any early morning commitments tomorrow, but he’d hate to call and disturb her if her plans had changed. Unfortunately just as he was about to press send on the text, a call came in disrupting him. A picture of his brother and Liam’s name appeared on the screen and Killian groaned at the interruption, but decided to answer in the hopes of conducting a speedy conversation.

“Liam, I’m sorry I haven’t checked in the past few days, but I’m actually just -,”

“You’re not seriously blowing me off are you, Killian?” his brother asked from where he was half a world away, and though to others it might sound a bit standoffish, Killian could sense his brother was actually in good humor. He could envision the smirk Liam had going there across the pond, and he was glad things had started to calm between them since Killian was first shipped off to the states. “It’s been a whole week at this point.”

“Aye, it’s bad form to be dodging my manager, I know,” Killian agreed.

“Ha! Your manager – I’m your brother first Killian, as you well know. Question is, what’s got you so busy. You’re ‘on a roll’ as they say over there. Stats are looking good and there’s still a buzz about you over here. But are the States so entirely exhausting that you can’t call your family?”

“Not quite,” Killian said with a smile of his own as he looked about his apartment figuring he could kill two birds with one stone. He could straighten up a bit on the off chance Emma could come here later and also touch base with his brother.

“So what is it then?” Liam asked and Killian hesitated, not because he had any shame over his relationship with Emma. On the contrary, he was thrilled that the two of them were progressing as they were. Instead his worry came from Liam’s potential reaction, and that worry was proved of merit when Liam spoke again. “Oh for fuck’s sake, tell me it’s not some woman.”

“Liam -,” Killian wanted to immediately correct his brother’s resentfulness and assure him Emma was different and unlike anyone he’d known before, but he didn’t have the chance with Liam fully blowing up at the realization.

“God, I knew this ‘new leaf’ was too good to be true! Here I am campaigning for you, working my arse off to get your image back where it needs to be for a proper team return, and you’re shagging some random American woman and throwing it all away!”

“I’m not throwing anything away. And she’s not just some woman,” Killian growled back, his hand balling into a fist and his body tightening in anger at his brother’s harsh iterations.

“Oh I bet. If you’ve glommed on to her she’s bound to be a total disaster,” Liam said haughtily. “Let me guess: she’s a great lay right? But with her sexual abilities there’s always some kind of rubbish. My bet its either a fully-stunted personality or some sort of fucked up gold-digging ambitions. Am I right?”

“No you aren’t bloody right, and I’m telling you Liam if you don’t stop talking about Emma that way you will regret it.”

“Oh Emma is it?”

“Aye, Emma,” Killian said, releasing a breath and trying to be the bigger person here. He could admit that he had made bad choices in the past, and the fall out of those choices had made Liam’s life and job no doubt more complicated. Rationally Killian knew that he was the one the burden fell on to be the bigger person, but it was difficult when his elder brother was giving in to such theatrics. They both knew Killian hadn’t been in the habit of sleeping with every eligible lady in the whole United Kingdom, that was all a part of his unearned reputation, but hashing that point out in this moment would do nothing. What needed to be said was of an entirely different nature. “I hadn’t planned to get into this just now, I was hoping to introduce the two of you when you came in a few months so you could see that she’s different. She’s everything.”

“Everything? Christ, Killian, she’s just a woman!”

“No, she’s the woman, brother,” Killian said aggressively, and then it dawned on him – this wasn’t worth his time. If Liam was coming at this with such combative, head-strong energy he was never going to listen. As such they were just moving towards a larger fight, a bigger blow out with more hurt along the way. It would be better to shut it down now and deal with the fall out later, at least that way the whole night might not be ruined and he might yet get to see Emma. “You know what, let’s just call and end to this. It’s been a long day, and I’m not interested in whatever judgment you’ve got rattling around in your brain right now. You don’t know Emma, Liam. You don’t know us together. Hell you don’t even really know me anymore. So let’s just say I’ll call you in a week, or better yet you can email me any business particulars and I’ll see you when I see you.”

Killian ended the call before Liam could respond and turned his phone on the ‘do not disturb’ setting. Was it rude? Yes, but it felt warranted under the circumstances. He didn’t need that kind of negativity in his life, and when his brother felt a little more compassionate and a little more interested in trusting Killian’s judgment they’d speak again. For now, Killian returned once more to the text he was about to send Emma only to hear a knock at the door. Now who could that be this time of night?

“Can I help you?” Killian asked as he opened the door to his apartment. A young man with a bike stood before him and the kid nodded, handing Killian a package and a tablet for a signature.

“Delivery for Jones.”

“Right. Thanks, mate,” Killian said as he accepted. He shut the door behind him and examined the parcel. He knew he hadn’t ordered anything but when he saw the return address he grinned. It was from Emma. But what could it be?

Opening it up Killian discovered it was of all things a cassette tape and an accompanying player. Thank God she’d thought to include that last part because he certainly didn’t have one, but before he could listen he had to search for a note. He found a short one attached and read it as quick as he could.

‘This song wouldn’t exist without us.’

Killian felt his pulse quickening as he maneuvered the tape out of its holder and into the player, his conversation with his brother all but forgotten. It was a Walkman style set up, something straight out of the 90s but the fun of the nostalgia was undeniable. He was already in the best mood possible by the time he had the headphones on, but then he pressed play on the tape and he was awed into something else. 

The music that came through the device and into his ears was unexpected but brilliant. It moved him in a way he truly hadn’t seen coming. This was no mixtape of throwback songs, this was something new, something bold, and something truly remarkable. Killian was certain it was one of Emma’s own compositions, and he stood there surrounded by the essence of her music trying to fathom how one person could have such talent. Too soon the song came to an end, but just as Killian was about to hit rewind to play it again Emma’s voice flittered through the air giving the name of the song, ‘Ready for You,’ and the intended scene it should go with on the series she was working on with Tiana.

Another realization dawned at that part, not just from the title, but from the purpose of the song as well. He’d been speaking with Emma on and off all week about the orchestrations she needed to work on, and one of them was the theme for one of the show’s heroines and her love interest. According to Emma the two characters (neither of which were played by Ruby) were ‘endgame,’ and he was now sworn to secrecy because no one knew of that except for Emma and Tiana. So to have Emma saying that it was their relationship that sparked this kind of music with this intended meaning… well it was just about the clearest way he could think for Emma to show him that she was in fact ready for the next step between them.

Understanding now what Emma’s intention must have been Killian moved swiftly, abandoning his original plans and throwing on his leather jacket once more. He grabbed his phone, debating as he walked to the doorway whether or not he should call Emma on the way. Such debate was not actually needed, however, because when he opened the door again he very nearly ran into the woman he was trying to get to in such a haste.

“Emma,” he declared, shocked that she would be here but so bloody grateful he couldn’t find the words.

“Hey. I was hoping you were back by now, and I got the delivery receipt for the package, but I didn’t think you would have plans already,” Emma said as she took in his appearance that was ready for departure. “I shouldn’t have assumed. I’ll just -,”

Not wanting Emma to doubt even for a moment that he was thrilled she had come, Killian pulled her to him and kissed her out there in the hallway. He felt her wariness slip away the instant their lips met and through some sort of coordination he couldn’t actively control he maneuvered them both inside of his apartment. Words weren’t needed as he got them inside and pushed Emma against the now closed door, his body fueled by the feel of hers beneath him and the way she held on to him like she loathed the very thought of being parted. There was no space between them, no end to the passion in sight, but Killian wanted one last affirmation before they took this final plunge.

“Stay with me tonight, love,” he whispered as his mouth remained just inches from hers. He watched her eyes open, the jade color now darkened from the exchange they’d just had but they lit with the smile she shared at his request.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

With her approval Killian locked the door and now the decision wasn’t one of how far to go but just exactly how to play it. He’d fantasized about this almost since their first meeting, concocted at least a hundred scenarios in his head and imagined each corner of this apartment as having some kind of potential, but the first time he was truly with Emma, Killian knew it had to be in bed. That wasn’t to say they were in any kind of rush though, and the build up, of which he was planning quite a lot, could happen anywhere she damn well pleased.

Emma, meanwhile, had no problem indicating what she wanted. She was unwilling to break away from him, kissing him surely as she had been, both of their hands roaming, leaving trails that inspired more hunger along the way. It was as if they were famished for the connection and too long denied the promise of this part of their chemistry. In no time at all Emma had managed to rid Killian of his jacket and most of the buttons on his shirt while also leading them to the living room. She was making good time, trying to tear away the layers that separated them until they were all gone, but it seemed it wasn’t fast enough, as Emma looked at him and let out a frustrated sigh of air.

“Something wrong, Swan?” Killian asked with a grin, knowing full well there was nothing the world over that could possibly be calculated as amiss when he and Emma were like this. No, her frustration was all of a sexual nature, and he watched as his words, rough from the need he had for her, washed over her skin and sent a shiver through her.

“This is taking too long,” she said with what might have been considered a pout and Killian chuckled as they moved in through the kitchen and come up against the counter. Then he surprised her by spinning her in his embrace and coming right up behind her, his hands clasped on her waist to pull her back. 

Killian pushed her blonde hair over her shoulder, his lips trailing down from her ear lobe and lower, finding a spot at her neck he’d noticed that she was sensitive at before. He took slow, torturous care of riling her up in a way that had her wanting all the more, his hands moving across the delicate dress that clung to her figure. He knew in his heart she’d worn this for him, in the hopes of pushing things further tonight, and he had no more ability to resist. This scrap of red silk was beautiful, but it couldn’t compare to the woman underneath and Killian was ready to reveal his prize. He unzipped it with just enough patience to tease them both and then he let the garment fall as he pushed the straps off her bared shoulders.

“We have all night, Emma,” he assured her as his fingertips traced her now mostly naked flesh. “And far longer too, as you well know.”

Killian watched the harsh swallow that came at his words, but Emma wasn’t running from his actions or his words. Instead she turned back around in his arms and took control back once more, pulling him in for another needy kiss that he caved into immediately. So much for slowing this down, Killian thought to himself. Now Emma was even more set on finding release, and he was right there with her. 

“I know we have time,” Emma said when they came up for air again and her eyes locked on his, her hand trailing down to the button of his slacks, grazing down his bare chest and abs in the process and making his already undeniable ache to have her grow. “And trust me, I’m happy for it. But we’ve already waited so long… I don’t think I can stand to wait anymore. I need you, Killian. I need you now.”

What more was there to say? When the woman he loved made her wants and wishes known it was Killian’s job to see to it that he did everything he could to procure them for her. It was in no way a hardship given how much he wanted her as well, and besides, they could have the slow and steady seduction he’d anticipated later. Far, far later after he’d wrung out every last drop of passion from her tonight.

They hurried back to his room, both of them of the same mind this time and now words weren’t needed any more. Their remaining clothes were stripped away, and by the time they’d hit the bed they were both beyond rational planning or design. This was pure instinct, and all Killian could think was that he had to make her come, had to satisfy every last desire his Swan could have. He knew he was on his way to accomplishing that as he moved above her, his lips tracing down her body past the tender peaks of her breasts, over the gentle swell of her stomach, and down to the space between her thighs that had been driving him mad for weeks.

“Killian.”

Emma said his name not in warning or in censure but as a sigh of need. His eyes flicked back up to hers and he saw the nearly wild appearance that had settled in them. Lust had consumed her, and Killian had known as much without even looking. Every sound, every movement that came from Emma told him exactly what she wanted, and he was nothing if not persistent when it came to reading the signs. Because of this he knew that even as she pleaded for him to sate her desire immediately, she actually wanted just a touch more anticipation. He bit lightly at her inner thigh, feeling her jump and then shake underneath the soothing of his tongue after. He did the same thing to the other side, moving closer to her sex, and only after a few more heartbeats did he give in, tasting her on his tongue as she let herself go to the sensations.

It was an out of body experience to know he was giving Emma so much all at once. Nothing could compare to it, and he didn’t even think to try and draw connections. This was already so much more than a simple shag; it was intimacy designed with meaning and with purpose. Every flick of his tongue, every suck, every kiss, was all done in the name of seeing Emma reach heaven itself, but when she finally fell into the ecstasy she was seeking it was Killian who was flush with fulfillment. It became clear that this was rapidly becoming an addiction, and as he kissed his way back up her body and came above her, looking at the pink that had crept into her cheeks and the satisfaction that swam about her gaze, Killian realized there would be no coming back from Emma Swan. This woman had run away with his heart completely and he was fundamentally changed from knowing and loving her.

Their tender moment was short lived however, for Emma had sacrificed none of her energy in finding her enjoyment. Indeed she surprised him, switching their positions and undertaking a perusal of her own that left him reeling. Damn she was a siren, a bloody minx who was hell bent on riling him to a state that would be unforgiveable, but how could he blamed when she had her mouth on him? It was sublime and indescribable, but when he was just at the edge of falling apart himself he stopped her and took back the reins once more. The time for waiting was over. All he could think about was filling her, sheathing himself inside her and never turning back.

“Fuck,” he grunted to himself as he paused just before taking what they both wanted.

“That’s kind of the idea,” Emma said with a laugh that turned into a slight moan from her still lingering desire. “What’s the hold up here, Jones?”

“I left the condoms on the counter. Just a minute, love.” He moved to get them but Emma held tighter and shook her head.

“You don’t have to. I’m on the pill.”

Holy shit, he didn’t know what to say to that and his hard length jerked at the words. The thought of being with Emma without a barrier was enough to drive him mad. If things were already blindingly glorious between them, what indescribable ecstasy would be procured from taking her bare?

“Are you sure, Emma? I’m clean of course. Just had my physicals with the new team doctors, and I’ve never actually gone without…”

“Me either,” Emma replied softly as her hand came to brush some of his hair from his forehead. “But I want to. With you.”

Since that want was of a fully mutual variety Killian offered no rebuttal, only giving in and taking what they both were craving so desperately. The moment he filled her was too fantastic to put to words, and he could have stayed there forever if Emma hadn’t begged him to move. The rhythm they set was perfection itself, crafted from a bond needed between two people that couldn’t ever be contrived. It made the claims of stories and fairytales, the ones about soul mates and perfect matches seem a little more realistic, for surely this could never be this way with another. This love he felt for Emma was cosmic, causing a shift Killian swore he could feel down to his bones, but when it came to an end and they both cried out in relief, it was the aftermath that truly took his breath away.

Holding onto Emma and having her in his arms cuddled beside him was a luxury he knew she rarely bestowed on others. Emma was guarded, cautious, and careful with her heart. She had been wary at the start, and with good reason, but as weeks went on Emma admitted that getting close to people always scared her. Truth be told Killian had often felt the same way. Love was a means of getting hurt, a fanciful notion that distracted from the game and never worked out in the end, but his old cynical notions of love no longer held water. For in this moment there was no way to deny what was between them. Tonight both Emma and Killian had shed the last pieces of doubt and of caution, and now they were truly in this together.

“So that was…” Emma paused as her fingers traced over his chest and a smile bloomed upon her lips. “Definitely worth waiting for.”

“On that we most certainly agree, love,” Killian said happily, seeing the call of sleep washing over Emma and feeling a similar tug into slumber himself.

“And I’m waking you up in a few hours for more,” she joked with a yawn. “You promised, no more waiting.”

“Aye, Swan. No more waiting. Not any more.”

He pressed a final kiss to the crown of her head, and a few moments later, as sleep finally claimed them both, Killian fell asleep smiling, knowing that life held so much promise now that he had Emma. And no matter what came next, and no matter where their paths might lead, Killian would do whatever it took to keep them like this – happy, connected, and together – for now and for always.

Post-Note: So there we have it. Another chapter come and gone and we find our couple just about in the happiest spot they can be. Rest assured this story, like all my stories so far, intends to give CS truly happy situations, and while there will be some bumps in the road ahead, it’s smooth sailing for the time being. Anyway I thank you all so much for reading, commenting, and messaging me! Your enthusiasm has been wonderful and I love hearing your thoughts. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend and thanks for being fabulous!