#a lot of them knew what i survived and defended him to my face

[exdivine]

i will always remember the people who defended johnny depp. i will always remember how proud they were to not believe a woman, and openly love her abuser.

[lavenderrmidnightss]

Safe and Sound - Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid (tom blyth) x fem!reader 

Summary: While walking home one evening from the inn, a man comes across you and attempts to attack you. You are saved by Billy and he begins to grow very protective over you, right from the start.

Warnings: Attempted SA (not successful), cursing

Word Count: 1.9k

PART 2 IS HERE

The walk home felt like a near impossible task despite the reality of it being less than a mile walk. Working at the local inn was not lightwork as some may think. Taking care of others can be exhausting when you have so little to pour out of your cup. The sky’s hues were transitioning from its cerulean blue into shades of purples and pinks. Your eyes were trained on the varying colors that dared to come out as the day shifted into evening. The sunset resembled a masterpiece brushed on a canvas by a renowned artist. With each step, your eyes never failed to tear away from the beauty above you. Each step you took filled the air with echoes of crunching due to the diminutive pieces of gravel hidden in the dirt. Hard to see, but easy to feel through the sole of your shoe. Your commute home seemed to be working as a medium of decompressing until sudden movement out of your peripheral vision stole your attention. You caught a glimpse of a man stumbling towards you. Your instinct to move quickly kicked in, but you knew better. Acting afraid would only entice the man more. ‘Just keep your eyes forward. Just make it home,’ you thought to yourself. 

“Where’s a pretty lady like yourself headed?” a coarse voice entered the atmosphere, demanding your focus. You looked over my shoulder, looking at him. Just a couple inches above your own height, he held a gaze on you to imply his superiority. 

“And that’s your business, how?” you inquire, daring to stop in your tracks and face him. His complexion smeared with ash and hair slicked with sweat, your wonderings of who he was and why he was approaching you intensified. 

The man’s eyebrow’s furrowed, accentuating dense lines and creases in his forehead. He made his way up to you, closing you in. “Well ya sure do got a lot of nerve, don’t ya?” He diabolically chuckled. You began to internally squirm as he noticeably began to eye you.

 “Look at you. Exhausted. Looks like you’ve been on your feet for quite some time, haven’t ya?” He interrogated, allowing himself to continue looking you over. You could only imagine what he was envisioning as his eyes fixated on your chest.

 “Look like a hardworkin’ woman. I admire that. Ya know, everybody has to earn their keep in these parts..” his voice trailed off just as his body began waltzing closer to yours, entrapping you. Your back soon crashed against a raggedy, abandoned building you weren’t even aware you were passing. It’s astonishing how much your mind evaporates when your main focus is survival. You knew where this was leading. You’ve seen so many women be taken, raped. Even some of your own friends. Men don’t view women as a treasure, but rather an accessory designed to bring them pleasure. It had become an intrusive thought; when would it happen to you? Looks like reality finally caught up with your nightmares.

His calloused hand toyed with the hem of your dress before slipping under. The rough texture of his skin clashed with the silkiness of your own. You were frozen in fear. His face now hovered in front of yours. “Bet you could be a real good worker for me, couldn’t ya?” A condescending smirk decorated his face. 

Your stomach churned. “Get off of me. Right now.” The short demands came out urgently. Your hands moved to defend yourself, preparing to shove his stocky body off yours. However, you underestimated his strength and build. He grabbed your wrists and shoved your arms above your head, pinning them there. 

“Fiesty too? They say that manifests well in the bed,” his growl echoed in your ear, his face grazing yours. “Mm, you’ll fit right in. Just be good for me, would ya? Listen to what I say and do as you're told, and you’ll be treated well.”

“Fuck off,” you spat in his face, jabbing your knee up to jolt his gut. He stumbled back, releasing you. You took the opportunity to sprint away. The world moved in slow motion. Your feet couldn’t carry you fast enough. Time resumed when you felt two hands snatching your waist, slamming you to the ground. The husky body which entrapped you before immediately went for it again, but this time, pinning you into the dirt and gravel mixture where your feet once stood. The pain you once felt radiating from the sole of your shoe, walking on the road, now pierced deeply into your back. You squirmed, trying to loosen yourself from him. It was no use. 

“Gonna be a bitch? Then I’ll take you right here for free, show you what you’re missing,” he grumbled, beginning to unbuckle his pants. Continuously trying to make your way out, no amount of thrashing would free you. Looking around you, you tried to decide if screaming for help was even worth it. Who would hear you? You were alone with this man. Your eyes darted up to the sky only to find the pastel colors which once delicately danced above you had descended into darkness. 

“P-Please, no, I’ll go with you. I’ll listen. Just, please don’t. Not here, I-” you were a stuttering mess, hoping your pleads would be enough to convince him to get off you. You squeezed your eyes shut. If you didn’t see it, maybe it would be quick and over with? Maybe it would sting less? As soon as your eyes shut, the weight of his body completely lifted off of you. You thought you were dreaming it, that it wasn’t reality. However, the sound of a heavy thud crashing to the ground, along with groaning and pounding, you were assured you were safe. 

You open your eyes to find a significantly taller man had swept in. His messy, brunette ringlets dangled in front of his sculpted face as his feet consistently and harshly came in contact with the enemy’s stomach. You weren’t one for violence, but you admitted that seeing this mystery lifesaver relentlessly pounding into this bastard was a joy. You sat up, finding a pair of sapphire eyes lighting the darkness, striking you. 

“What’re you waiting for? Go, run,” he called out to you, before putting all his attention back on the attacker. You stumbled to your feet, backing up to guard your body behind a railing. However, your eyes stayed on the match. Really, just the one who swept in to save the day. You studied him closely. 

The stocky man who had attempted to pull at the one hovering over him. You were taken aback when in quick response, zero wait time, blue eyes drew out a gun, aiming it at him. “Try that again, and it’ll be the last damn thing you do,” he growled, cocking the gun. The man on the ground shrunk by tenfold. You watched as fear washed over him, the metal rim dangling in his face. Holy shit. 

“Get up,” blue eyes demanded him, watching as he slowly stood. The demand in his voice was filled with such hatred. The man who was once so confident now trembled in fear for his life, his hands going in the air. Blue eyes kept his aim on the man before him. “Get out of this town. Far away. Let me so far as see a glimpse of you around these parts, and you’re a dead man. Got it?” The trembling man nodded shakily and quickly, sprinting off without another word.

 Suddenly, the world got quiet. Finally. You emerged from your temporary hiding place just as the man who saved your life turned to face you. “Thank you,” you managed to get out. “I-I don’t know what I would’ve done, what would’ve happened if-” A drawn out, thick accent cut you off. 

“I’m sure of what would’ve happened, and it would’ve been awful. What’re you doin’ anyway, walking around here this time of evenin’ all by yourself?” He secured his gun into its holster as he made his way over to me. His demeanor was entirely different. He radiated protection, genuinity. Minutes prior, you were trying to escape a nightmare. Now, you were being drawn in by a stranger’s kind act and handsome features. You felt safe. How refreshing. 

“I was just heading home from the inn. What’s your name?” you asked, desperate to know the name of the one who guarded you. 

“Name’s Billy. And you?” Billy. His name etched into your mind, knowing it would now hold a priority in the forefront of your thoughts. You told him your name, to which he nodded. “How about I get you home?”

With that, Billy guided you on the path back home. The gravel didn’t seem so daunting against your soles now. Under the pitch black sky adorned with stars, you had Billy to protect you. The walk to your place wasn’t filled with much conversation, but when it was, you were fascinated by his thoughts and the sound of his voice. 

Once he had successfully guided you to your destination, you noted that his eyes scanned over the place almost as if he were attempting to memorize its design and build. Billy didn’t want to leave you. He couldn’t invite himself in, couldn’t insist you to leave with him. Not after what he had just saved you from. He knew if there was a shot in hell he was going to gain your trust, he had to demonstrate he was worthy of it. 

“He didn’t hurt you, right, darlin’?” Billy’s tone was now hushed, almost as if it solidified his authenticity. Billy’s eyes were a shade you had never seen before, but a shade you would quickly find filling your dreams. Your heart admittedly flipped at the sound of the pet name rolling off his tongue so effortlessly. 

“No, he didn’t. You got there just in time. Thank you, Billy. Again. Don’t know how I could ever return the favor for what you’ve done for me.” Billy’s smile lit up the night sky, melting you from head to toe. He shook his head, shrugging. 

“No greater pleasure than protecting ya. Now, get in and get some rest.” Billy watched you disappear into your house, the screen door creaking behind you. It felt wrong to leave you so abruptly. Never before had he felt a desire to stay up long hours of the night getting to know another before, but for you, he ached to. Billy couldn’t leave you. As you went in and laid down, wondering where Billy was headed off to and if you would ever even see him again, Billy sat down on the steps of your porch. Adjusting himself, his back aligned with the post. Leaning his head back, he pushed the strands of hair out of his face. He basked in the breeze of the night, listening to the harmony of varying late night insects. He also intently listened for any potential danger, looking to protect you at all costs. Maybe it was the innocence in your voice that enticed him. Maybe it was the way your hair flowed down, the way you were unafraid to fight that enthralled him. Regardless of how it happened, Billy had an instantaneous desire to keep you out of harm’s way, no matter what it cost. As you laid in bed, you thought of Billy. As he leaned against your porch that night, he knew he was doing his job. He was keeping you safe and sound.

______________________________________________________________

[priksie]

KOBA X READER

Warnings : none

Words count : 1547

PRT 3

The third part of my fanfiction , like before please do not hesitate if you have any advice and more for me.

This is also a reminder that I am not following the movies! I will keep koba action and some other moment of the movies but that's about it.

☆Look at the end of this prt for a little bonus

A CHANGE IN YOUR PLAN.

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A few days later .

everything has calmed down, or at least on the surface.

you had managed to find refuge with a few colleagues who had survived and who had themselves gone to the surrounding soldiers to ask them for shelter. You weren't just an employee of a laboratory now but you were working with the people trying to defend humans from what they thought was danger.

No idea if it was good luck or horrible bad luck but you now had to work with them, to treat the wounds of the people collected in your shelter and to help keep some surveillance. But You couldn't fool anyone , you didn't want to help them more and your face told it to everyone around.

The way your face looked at them with disgust , telling them all that it was their fault. The way your eyes are only filled with pity when passing by any apes corpse.

Not a single words was coming out of your mouth that didn't seem full of resentment towards the soldiers , only for the random citizens who had never asked to be in all that mess. You couldn't be mad at them, they didn't do anything for most of them.

Even for your old colleagues since you didn't have any reason left to pretend to be on their side.

As much as you tried , you had never hidden your hatred for them. You couldn't , even If you had tried your face always ended up revealing how you felt, whether you liked them or despised them.

Once again, a man came by you asking for your help with his injured arm and you didn't bother asking him how he got wounded like that the teeth shaped marks was already giving you the answer.. not that you cared much anyways. You took his injured arm and placed it on your tight so you could have a better Access to it , starting to disinfect it and cleaned the blood off of it.

'' you should smile more princess. You look like an old lady like that '' he said , looking at you probably the same way he would look at a steak in his plate. His second hand reached for your face but before he could even got to your hair to move it to the side you purred a good quantity of alcohol on the wound , he yelled before holding his arms in surprise, that definitely burned.

'' YOU BITCH-''

The only thing coming out of your mouth after that was '' my apologies, I'm tired I didn't get to sleep a lot last night and it slipped out of my hand. '' it wasn't an accident and he knew it but what could he really do?

You Calmly wrapped his arm in some bandage before pushing it away and he didn't hesitate before he walked back to his occupation but not before glancing at you like you were a freak.

Sometimes you wanted to run back home, have your parents hugging you to sleep but the reality was hitting you fast when thinking about that, you couldn't do such a thing and not because they wouldn't do it but because they weren't here anymore.

But at the same time....wasn't it better ? With what was happening right now you wouldn't want your family to be around.

Thankfully you didn't have to be sitting there all day waiting to help with wounds, and at some points you just wanted to walk away from the safe zone they created all by yourself but it wasn't recommend a lot.

After all, no one knew when those animals could attack.

But she needed some space , she needed to walk a bit away she wouldn't be so far so nothing would be happening.

Those past days were only the start of there nightmare and you already couldn't do it anymore , you felt so weak because of that. You wanted to give up and just sleep without waking up the next morning. you took a jacket and a bag with you , and just in case

A gun too. they all had one even a small one for protection if they do see an Ape.

They had been ordered to kill it , which you absolutely wouldn't do but still you had continued to carry the weapon in case.

You had walked off , around 15-30 minutes before you decided to sit down next to a tree. No sign of any animal around so you convinced yourself that that it was completely safe.

For some time , you almost forgot that the world was collapsing. Taking fresh air without any noise around....nature all around you as you were sitting down with your eyes closed. That peace didn't last long , you heard leaves getting crushed under someone's feet and it took you back into reality , not wasting any second to take your gun out of the bag you carried with you and stood up.

Your eyebrows frowned in fear and confusion. Both eyes scanning the area to see someone... something...but you couldn't see anyone, but you could feel those eyes on you.

Why wasn't it attacking ? If it was only a human trying to find shelter they wouldn't be hiding, even then why would an ape hide from you like that? Was it observing you ?

'' show yourself! I'm not scared of you ! ''

you yelled , but no one was getting fooled. You would pee yourself if you didn't have the control of your body correctly. Shaking almost like the day everything started , even the way you were turning around to see if anyone was there was giving out the information that you weren't confident at all.

Not even 10 seconds had passed after yelling that something was behind you, you felt it.

It was breathing so close to you that you could feel the warm air on your neck.

Frozen in place , you didn't dare to move and turn around directly.

Please be him, I don't want to die in the hands of someone else. if I have to die I want it to be by your hands.

The gun still in your hand you turned around carefully and you had to look up because he was now taller than you.

'' kob-'' you started in Shock and also some relief, but you didn't get to finish , you wrist was grabbed and the weapon you were holding had been taken before it had been throw far away from you. You did moan in pain as your wrist was still crushed in the hand of this... animal. Luckily he didn't hold onto you for long before he made you fall to the ground.

Never before has he watched you with so much anger and sadness.

You shouldn't be here , I don't want to see you.

You started to growl further away from him and he didn't move, he was just looking at you creating that distance between the both of you.

His gaze went somewhere else , he made a slight movement of his head in the same direction he was looking, as if indicating something. as if he wanted to show you a direction, he does not seem to be accompanied and nor does he seem to have found a group to take refuge in himself and yet he seems to show you a path.

He didn't wait to see your reaction and ran off , he didn't except you to follow him now.

Do you want me to follow you? Do you feel as alone as me ?

This time you didn't wait and you took off , running back to the shelter you had with your colleagues and the soldiers. But you couldn't shake the thought of following koba out of your mind.

Just disappearing like that wasn't a possibility, you can't just take your stuff and go they will find it suspicious and maybe send someone to follow you.

☆

Hours passed , the sun was going down. You tried hard to stop thinking about it, maybe you should give up and go see for yourself. You didnt have anything to lose here, he could have killed you already and he didn't do it so maybe you should actually find him.

And that's what you did , you will find him again.

Getting the few stuff you had , a pocket knife and some stuff just in case you get hurt....another gun in case. This time you will keep it hidden you didn't need him to throw it away a second time.

You waited until no one was able to see you to run back out and go back into that forest , you were just happy you took a light with you otherwise you wouldn't have find the spot you had met him.

What was the direction again?

Thankfully it didn't took too much time before you figured it out , starting to walk in that direction as silently as possible.

You walked , and walked...maybe it wasn't the right direction or maybe you have already missed him and he was gone , and when you started thinking about going back...you saw it , it wasn't much but you could see light with a very small fire and what seemed to be a small hide with with branches and foliage was there...

'' koba ? '' you murmured , not loud enough to wake up what was hidden inside.Your feet stepped closer , trying to look who or what was sleeping there.

ITS HIM , he's there. Did he wait for you ? Or was this just his spot ?

A stick break under your foot , waking him up in a panic. He stood up and turned to you.

For a moment you though he was going to tear your face off. You stepped back FAST , the fear being obvious in your eyes as you dropped on the floor the light your were holding.

Thankfully , it probably just helped him realize it was only you. So he '' calmed '' down and went out of his little hut.

He wasn't looking at you like a friend , and was walking around you as he was trying to see if you were here against him or if you were now walking by his side.

Did you came with people ? Are they hiding somewhere ? He didn't trust you but wanted too so bad.

You showed your hands , to prove you weren't here as a threat. '' no one else is there , I came alone ''

Suddenly, you were pushed toward the hut.

'' rest , until sun is up '' he said , it took you off guard. Did he just talk ? But he didn't stay close to you , you were now in the hut but he was on the opposite of the fire far from you. Watching .

He wanted to be able to keep an eye on you. He wouldn't sleep next to you or before he is sure you are sleeping before he does close his eyes.

Why was he doing all that? Did he want you to stay with him? Maybe he actually was lonely and you were the only thing that didn't seem as dangerous as the rest?

He wanted something he was used to see , and something he new he had an advantage on.

Hours passed , the sun was starting to wake you up.

Before you could open your eyes correctly by yourself you were taken out of the hut and and tackle the ground outside of where you had slept.

The visibly angry bonobo went into your bag.

Why did you get yourself another gun? We're you planning on killing him? Are you going to hurt him? WHY DID YOU HAVE IT WITH YOU?

Hidden so well in your bag , were you going to use it against him?

'' TRAI-TOR '' he yelled in your face as your tried pushing him off , he was stopping your ability to breath with his hand.

'' C-can explain! Please stop- '' you said with difficulty before you saw the gun fly away the same way the first one had. He didn't want YOU, To have gun. He wasn't pleased.

He let you go, before walking off.

Another direction again but this time you HAD to follow him now , you stood back up tried to calm yourself down. you didn't realize it but tears were rolling down your face.

Thankfully he didn't chocke you long enough to actually harm you.

Taking back your bag , you followed him from a certain distance not knowing what will now happen.

You felt like a pet now , following him and you could only obey if he had something to say.

He didn't seem to want to talk to you tho , maybe you had pissed him off too much and he didn't want to look at you. Too hurt by the feeling of betray when he was trying to trust you.

----------------------

You can have Access to a spicy version of a scene from this part right here 😉

Please keep in mind that I never wrote anything in English before , and that I am not used to writing fanfiction in general.

( there is a little star in there to show you where the spicy will be starting on ao3 )

[nonexistent-introvert]

Lost

pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Word Count : 2.1k

content: Joel giving you life advice and assurance, him being your comfort.

A/N: It's been a hella long time, this may be a little too personal of a story but I have had a rough few months. And this was a little fic i wrote to comfort myself with my fav comfort character. Finally decided to post this in hopes that it may help someone ahaha.

 “Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Ellie grew up pre-outbreak?” Joel’s eyebrows raised in curiosity. “Why the sudden deep question?” He questioned you back as he sipped on the steaming hot cup of coffee in his hand. You shrug, “Just a thought.”  

   Joel and you sat on his front porch, just watching the sunset over the horizon, a beautiful backdrop for Jackson’s village. He ponders your question for a while before sitting up in his chair, “You mean if she didn’t grow up during the outbreak, but before, when we didn’t have to worry about the infected?” He clarifies. You nod as you stare off into the distance, watching the various villagers go about their days. “I mean, she’s 18 this year. If life was normal she would probably be going off for college this year. Not- not going out for patrols and helping out around town, or even fighting for her life every time she’s out of Jackson.” You continue adding on. Joel hums, “College huh?” He lets out a small laugh at the thought of an education system. It had been too long since he had last heard about any form of education. “Mmm, she would probably be going off for college, like every other teenager back then, where she would figure out her life from there.” Joel hums as he imagines what it would be like in an alternate universe. 

   “Do you think she would be happier than now? If let’s say she had the chance to go to a college instead of fighting for her life.” You ask again. Joel places his mug down on the table separating the both of you. “Probably, I mean I never went to college properly but it would probably be better than fighting for your life.” You look at him as he answers, “You really think so?” Joel’s eyes widened and he let out another laugh, “Come on, who in their right mind would prefer our life now to back then?” You simply smile and laugh a little. “We only think that way because we had them to compare to, Ellie only knows life throughout the outbreak, she’s been fighting since she’s young, learning how to defend herself and survive. Even now at 18, she’s been doing the same things as she did since young, it’s a form of normalcy for her.” Joel turns his body to face you, “What’s your point exactly?” He asked, not quite understanding where you’re coming from. You meet his eye for a few moments, trying to search for the right words to voice your opinions. 

    “Becoming 18 was the scariest part of my life, and arguably the hardest part of my life too. That’s saying a lot since I literally survived 20 years in a stupid zombie apocalypse.” You laugh, and Joel gives you a judgemental look, he can list down a list of worse periods of his life compared to turning 18. 

   “Becoming 18 brought about so many changes in my life, I had to prepare myself for college, choosing a major, being in a completely new environment, new friends. I just felt so pressured and overwhelmed with everything. However for Ellie, ironically enough, she’s in a more stable environment than she has ever been. Jackson is the safest it gets around here, she can live a semblance of a normal life here, hanging out with friends, indulging in her hobbies, and doing typical teenage things. For someone go fought for their survival everyday, Jackson is practically a safe haven. Personally, I know 18-year-old me would have done anything for some semblance of stability back then.” 

  Joel just stares at you for a moment, he clears his throat upon noticing that you seemed to be getting a little emotional just thinking about it. “My life changed when I was 20, 18 wasn’t bad for me, I knew I wanted to be a musician so a music degree was the way to go but I had to drop out when Sarah’s mum got pregnant with her. I worked tirelessly to afford a wedding and eventually, our life together with Sarah, balancing college on top of multiple jobs would have killed me.” He shares with you, looking away as he realizes you’re trying to subtly wipe the tears that are forming in your eyes. “One moment I was a college student and then suddenly I was thrown out to the adulting world without any prior warnings, forced to adapt and overcome. Plus the pressure from both sides of the family regarding the pregnancy, fuck I thought I was gonna lose my mind.” Joel continues. “As much as I say that, it taught me to appreciate the small things in life, sure i have my regrets but seeing Sarah.. having Sarah turned out to be the biggest blessing of my life. No matter how much life hated me, it was easier every day when I see Sarah, she was the light in my world. It made all the shittty things I went through worth it.” He says confidently, you can see the pride shining in his eyes at the thought of Sarah. Your hands reach over to give his hand a little encouraging squeeze. Joel used to have trouble even talking about Sarah, but he had came a long way since then.  

  “I’m sorry I went on about my grandfather's story, it’s your turn.”Joel chuckles, he picks up his mug to take another sip of his coffee, you had always been a cheerful person, he was curious about how your life was at 18 for you to tear up just thinking about it. 

  You sat there silently for a few moments, then you inhaled deeply, trying to muster the courage to tell Joel. You never had the opportunity to share what you went through prior to this conversation with Joel. 

   “I didn’t have life as tough as you but I don’t know, I just felt so lost you know? I didn’t know what to do with my life.” You started, your body tensing up just at the memory of it. “I was so afraid of suffering in my chosen major if I ended up not liking it. I didn’t want to waste my time studying something I didn’t like. Then I spiraled and thought that if I chose the wrong major I would be condemned to a job or industry I hated. I couldn’t bear spending my time on a job that I didn’t like. I just felt so doomed and trapped at that point in time, I was so lost, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.” Your words started to leave your lips at a faster pace, just the memory of it evoked some overwhelming emotions inside you. Joel moved the table separating the both of you immediately and shifted his seat right next to you. He revealed his bare palm to you, a soft invitation for comfort. You placed your hand in his immediately, letting out a sigh of relief when he held your hand tightly, giving your hand a few squeezes to ground you. “It’s okay, you’re fine now.” He murmurs softly. Silence fell over the two of you as you took a few steadying breaths and he patiently waited. 

  “You didn’t talk to anyone about this? About how lost you were?” Joel questioned, a worried look on his face. His hand still holding yours. You shook your head, “Not in detail anyway, I tried asking in general. My dad caught hints of how I felt, he just kept telling me about how it's normal to feel lost and that I’ll figure it out along the way, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety.” Joel’s eyebrows furrowed, this made him wonder if Ellie or Sarah had ever felt anxious before and he had just never caught on. “I started spacing out a lot, I couldn’t remain in silence because if there wasn’t something to occupy my mind, it would go back to overthinking about the future. I knew I wasn’t in a good place, but I felt my feelings were invalid since there were people out there in worse situations than me. So, I- I just smiled a little bigger and laughed a little louder, trying to mask how I felt inside.” Joel lets out a breath at that, “No one should ever feel like their feelings are valid. Just because you’re in a better situation doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve to feel that way. The feelings and pain you went through still affected you and hurt you, it was real.” Joel says firmly, a determined look in his eye. He firmly believed in that statement. You gave him a soft smile, “I just wished young me knew that, but knowing my stubborn ass, I would have continued to spiral anyways.” 

  Joel stretches his legs, letting out a grunt as he does so. “Have you ever thought of taking a gap year? To figure out what you wanted?” He suggested. “Thought about it, my dad didn’t like the idea of me wasting a year, he said the longer I waited the value of my grades loses and it would be even harder for me to get into college.” You answered. Joel let out a scoff, “It’s not a waste, it's better than you impulsively choosing a major and then regretting it for the rest of your life or even possibly destroying your mental health more trying to do well in something you found no joy in.” Yion shrugs, “At that point of time, I didn’t even want to commit myself to further studies, knowing me, I would have just settled for any job as long as it was stable even if it wasn’t the best choice financially for the long term.” 

   “There is no such thing as a stable job, every job has its own pros and cons. What matters is the fulfillment you get from it.” Joel answers. He would know, everyone around him didn’t like the idea of him becoming a musician because it took a stroke of luck to even do decently well and stand out in the industry but Joel knew for a fact that he wouldn’t enjoy anything else as much as he would being able to perform for people. It was the whole reason why he went ahead with his music degree. He would never know if it would turn out to be a choice he regretted since he had to drop out to support his family but until now, having the opportunity to study music was one of the best decisions he made. You sigh, “Well I felt like I had tunnel vision. I just saw myself on a path that led nowhere. Maybe I was in a bad place altogether too.” Joel hums in understanding. “You made it this far, even pulled through a whole apocalypse. Can’t say many people did the same. For someone who claimed they’re weak, you did make it 20 years in surviving an apocalypse. You laugh at the irony of it all, “Hm, turns out I did better when there weren’t many options. The only way to survive was to live, I didn’t have any other path to walk. The world narrowed it down for me.” Joel smirked, “Oh, how kind of them.” He replied sarcastically. 

   “So, do you think Ellie would be happier going off for college?” You asked again, linking back to the original question. Joel smiles, his eyes twinkling as the tangerine sunlight highlighted his features. “She would be happy as long as she finds the most suitable pacing for herself to move through life,” Joel concludes. “Life only seems fast-paced because everyone else moves at a fast pace but that doesn’t mean everyone can keep up. Determine your own pace and progress through at your own pace. It’s the only way you won’t feel stressed and pressured which tend to equate to you being content.” 

   Joel finishes his coffee. “Feeling lost is normal, it usually happens when you think you’re left behind and everyone is moving tenfolds faster than you. However, life was never meant to be some race to be the fastest, you could always set your own pace and continue moving forward. Being slower is better than pushing yourself past your limits and ruining yourself in the process.” 

   You look at him with admiration. Then you cleared your throat and laughed a little to lighten the tension. “Joel, that was really wise.” He looks over to you as he clears his throat too, trying to hide a small hint of a blush. “Heh, must be the old age catching up.” He murmurs. 

   You stare onward, looking at Joel and then to the various villagers of all ages living their lives in Jackson. You smile subconsciously. 

   Everything does work out in the end. 

[byeuijoo]

the wave and the boats 𐀔 byun euijoo

💬 in which ... you quit your job because of your boss's bad behavior, but his son won't let you go.

genre : angst, fluff ⋆ warnings : mistreatment at work, ej's dad & brother are such assholes, swearing, mention of drowning ⋆ word count : 1,5k ⋆ author's note : kinda obsessed with outer banks lately so i just.. had to write something inspired by it :D

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀part one | part two | part three

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ୨ ✩ ୧

for as long as you can remember, your peaceful little island has been divided into two camps : the rich in the north, the poor in the south. but despite the clear discrimination between the two social classes, we've always lived in harmony. or at least, through the eyes of naive adults who think that differences are non-existent. to help your brother pay the rent on the house left by your parents, as well as the groceries you need to survive, you've managed to find a job that's quite well paid by some rich people from the north — the byun family — which simply consists of cleaning and ensuring the smooth running of a luxury boat.

but if everything went perfectly well in the beginning, the family father's inappropriate behavior had caused you to lose your temper.

« what did he tell you, y/n? » asked your brother, his way of speaking as poisonous as snake venom. an umpteenth sigh left your lips, as you discarded your work sweater, tossing it into the garbage can, « does it really matter? i don't want to go there anymore anyway. » you explained, finally facing your brother and crossing your arms against your chest.

« of course it matters, » he declared, a bitter laugh leaving his lips as he raised his arm to point to the north of the island, « i'm not going to let those northern dogs mistreat my little sister. »

raising an eyebrow while scoffing, rolling your eyes, you laid a hand on nicholas' shoulder. « nico, this family is one of the most popular on the island, they know a lot of people. they'd make mincemeat of you, » a heavy sigh of frustration escaped your brother's lips, his jaw clenched as he cracked his knuckles in nervousness, « i've already lost dad, i can't risk losing you too. »

nicholas knew you were right, but he couldn't help feeling all that rage at the thought of dirty hands on you without your consent. he knew you didn't need any help defending yourself, and that you'd already reacted to this mistreatment, but he couldn't help wanting to beat the shit out of this pigs. « i'm fine, i swear. » you say, a smile finally appearing on your lips. but this one disappeared very quickly when you saw the expression on nicholas' face change completely, his eyes riveted outward, behind you.

« what's this asshole doing here? » he declared, jostling you as he rushed out the door, followed closely by you. stepping into the garden, you came face to face with nicholas, ready to punch one of byun's sons in the face. « you've got a lot of nerve showing your face here after what your father did to my sister.. » anyone would have panicked at nicholas' murderous stare, but euijoo simply raised his hands in the air, his gaze juggling between your face and that of your brother. « y/n i'm sorry, i just wanted to make sure you were okay. »

the softness of his voice made you smile, but nicholas' hand violently pushing the boy's shoulder made you roll your eyes again. « get lost byun, we don't want you here. » — jumping over the two or three steps to the porch of your house, you approached the two boys from behind, with your back to euijoo, facing nicholas, arms crossed against your chest and an authoritative look on your face. « yah, do i look like a damsel in distress? » you asked him, holding his gaze without difficulty. your older brother looked up at the boy behind you who was patiently waiting to be able to talk to you, before meeting your gaze again and sighing, « y/n, he's one of them. »

you nodded positively, understanding that he was simply trying to protect you and make sure you were safe. but you knew ej, and you knew for a fact that he was incapable of hurting you. « nico, i got this, i promise. » you end up assuring your big brother, who didn't miss the opportunity to send a death glare at the rich boy behind you, before walking back to your house without another word.

sighing with relief, having saved the other boy from a definite black eye, you swiveled around to face the brunet, who was looking at you with puppy-dog eyes. « what are you doing here, ej? » you asked, sliding your arms behind your back to maintain an upright position while fixing his eyes with yours. his pretty brown eyes. « i heard my father yelling at you, saw the whole scene and ran here right after you left, » he explained, his arms uncoiling along his torso, hesitating to touch your cheek with his fingertips, « i wanted to see how you were doing and apologize. »

« you don't have to apologize, it wasn't your fault. you didn't do anything wrong. » you explained, gently, tenderly, your gaze never leaving his. euijoo was undoubtedly the reason you lasted so long : he had always been kind, thoughtful and gentle towards you. he always wanted to take care of you, he often kept you company, and he even managed to get you a pay rise — but you guess the poor really aren't destined to mix with the rich. « that's not true, » he continued, his gaze changing, lowering his head and playing nervously with his long and pretty fingers, « i think my dad must have seen you coming out of my room when i asked you to come, » euijoo bit his lower lip as he spoke again, « he must have seen you and got upset, it's all my fault and i'm so fucking sorry.. »

« eh.. » you say softly, sliding one of your hands around his wrist so that your fingertips caress the inside of his hand, « what is done, is done, okay? » tilting your head to one side, you finally planted your eyes in his, with at your lips a smile that caused his heart to miss a beat, « plus, i came to your room of my own free will, it was my decision. »

euijoo has always had a crush on you, for as long as he can remember, there's always been something about your smile that made his heart skip a beat. you have a hard life, a lot of things to deal with that a person your age shouldn't have to worry about, but you always manage to keep a bright smile on your face and an unshakeable good mood. he fell in love with the twinkle in your eyes in the starlight and the softness of your hands clinging to his skin, he cherished every moment he spent on the boat with you, away from prying eyes and sharp tongues. until the day he finally dared to invite you up to his room to show you his treasures, which you were so curious to know more about. but it seems that every shard of happiness is always cracked by his family.

« ej, » you say suddenly, finally slipping your hand softly completely into his, « you are in no way responsible for the actions of your family, i assure you. »

he really didn't know how you could remain so calm and understanding after what his father and brother had tried to do to you. he was angry at the whole world for still trying to make you suffer like that, when all you do is help out and be nice to everyone. you deserved nothing more than absolute happiness and assured protection, and he swore to do everything in his power to offer you this. « i don't know what's keeping me from kissing you right now. » he declared boldly, eliciting a chuckle from you as you glanced towards your house, « my brother maybe? »

euijoo raised his eyes to look behind you, meeting the cold gaze of nicholas who continued to observe you both with a stern look. a sigh left your lips as you lowered your gaze, suddenly staring at your shoes. « you know.. your family is like a boat, and i'm the wave. and what do boats do to waves? » euijoo watched you silently, trying to predict your next words so as to know what to say next, but to no avail. so, noting his lack of reaction, you raised your head slowly, your pupils locked in his. his eyes seemed so sad — and you didn't like it.

« they break them. » you finally say, with a sigh, as if only he and the wind could understand your words. his hand tightened around yours, pulling slightly on your arm to bring you closer to him, his eyes fixed on yours as if he were trying to get into your mind. the sun behind him gave you the impression that euijoo was suddenly the solution to all your problems — whereas he was right in the middle of them. but when he spoke, letting those few words roll off his tongue and into your ears, you swore your heart dropped into your stomach, pounding as if you were swimming with dolphins, « and what if i was the lifebuoy that saved you from drowning? »

and you've never wanted to kiss him as much as you do now.

reblogs & feedbacks are highly appreciated !

taglist ౨ৎ @wtfhyuck @yuma-is-mine

[zombiee-reviews]

Rogio character discussion / breakdown.

• The coward • The asshole • The useless

If you can’t tell, I’m having fun with these lmao.

WARNING! THIS DOC CONTAINS LOTS OF INFORMATION AND WALL TEXT BECAUSE ROGIO IS REALLY THAT SHITTY LMAO.

So after doing a discussion with Ranach, my next victim is going to be Rogio.

Rogio is rather an easy character to breakdown, considering his actions is a huge contradiction to what Kique has his personality set too in the wiki.

-

What I will be going over:

• What we know of Rogio’s early life

• Why I feel he is just a shit character

• His friends with benefi- I mean, relationship with Roamer.

• How he is a huge self insert of Kique

• His weird on and off trauma(s)

• His wiki personality is one thing, but the comic shows another.

( Topics are in no particular order, my brain likes to splatter information everywhere lmao. )

-

So first, I am going to start with what we know of Rogio’s early life. Unfortunately, Rogio doesn’t really talk much about his early life, before MT. What we are told is he was once in a tribe named Snowcap Tribe and they once lived on the Meteor Summit. Rogio also mentions how someone angered a spirit up there and the spirit completely wiped out everyone. Obviously, later in the comic, his brother Iberon survived and was the cause of the spirit destroying the Tribe, but Rogio does not know this.

It is interesting to me how none of these comic characters talk about their backstory, but in Rogio’s case, he only brings up bad things in his backstory so everyone feels bad for him.

Why does Rogio never talk about his brother? His family? His traumatic experiences? You would think we would have some moments of Rogio confiding in Roamer and talking over the events that happened. It would have been good leverage to use his night beast form as past traumas he hasn’t gotten over. Personally, I feel like Kique didn’t come up with Rogio having a sibling that is alive until he made Ranach visit SS. Because this validates Ranach yoinking everyone in SS, because Iberon reminds him so much of Rogio. Ranach even puts two and two together that this COULD be Rogio’s brother. But as readers, we never see a scene where Rogio EVER talks about his sibling(s), or his past. And quite frankly it bothers me? The characters just feel like robots with no backstory, morals, or humanity / humility. They are just puppets to whatever Kique feels like having them do - in MT’s case, puppets to Rogio.

-

Let’s be honest, Rogio is by far the worst character in Home. Kique likes to label this guy as one of his best characters and will literally protect / defend him at all costs. WHY? I don’t know, maybe it’s because Rogio is a literal carbon copy of Kique in the comic.

It becomes obvious that Rogio is a self insert of Kique when Roamer and Rogio return to MT, after leaving Midnightgarde.

Roamer has a falling out with Kargo and we are shown nosy - ass Rogio listening in. We are then shown that Rogio is battling his own demons and pretty much forcing Roamer to cater to him because he wants to return to MT with Roamer. Kind of funny how Roamer doesn’t ask Rogio why tf he was listening to a private conversation… But anyway.

Even though Roamer and Kargo literally just broke up, Rogio thinks it’s a great idea to back stab his long time friend Kargo and sleep with his ex. How trustworthy Rogio is. I mean hell, Rogio makes the first move on Roamer. And then in a co-dependent manner, Rogio is suddenly healed from his demons, after sleeping with Roamer that night. Even Roamers face shows this “Oh god, Kique is going to use me as NSFW content with this dweeb in the future.” Lmao.

Also Rogio says he didn’t join the Tribe by choice, but he could have left by choice. Rogio had the luxury of leaving the walls when he wanted too, he could have easily just took off one day. He wasn’t that trapped. -_-

One thing I find funny on Rogio returning to MT, was he KNEW there was a possibility that Ranach was still there. So obviously, Kargo was right when he told Roamer that he returned to MT to sleep with Ranach once again. Of course, this is quickly covered up. But it’s obvious to me that Rogio was willing to see Ranach once more and then later in the comic acted like seeing Ranach again would be the end of his world. THEN WHY DID YOU RETURN TO MT IDIOT??

If Ranach terrified / traumatized you SO MUCH, why would you return to MT knowing there was a chance he’d be there, or knowing there was a chance Ranach would return? Didn’t factor that one in, huh buddy?

After reading the documents Staz put out on how Kique was in their relationship, Rogio describes Kique to a damn T. It would also make sense why all the main characters oogle over him, or ask for his advice even tho it’s out of place. Rogio IS Kique.

I mean hell, I absolutely HATE that the MT females don’t gut Rogio for not doing squat for them while he was in MT. When Rogio does return to MT I hate when I see Inna say “We’re glad to have you back Rogio!” GIRL WHAT. This pile of dog crap didn’t bother to save anybody, he had a chance to rebel with Kargo the first time and didn’t do anything! He was too busy banging Ranach and trying to raise his own position in MT as a Baron WITH Ranach. Realistically, NOBODY should be happy to see him!

Oh and let’s not forget Ronja giving him special privileges to call her by her actual name. And then suddenly making him Baron of MT, even though he hasn’t proved his skills to her. Ronjas stupid as well for just giving that much responsibility / status to someone SHE BARELY KNOWS. But it’s ✨ ROGIO ✨

Then came the time when Rogio was completely useless to his rank as a Baron. He’d let everyone go do the work for him when it came time to rid of Ranach and Avanti. He always used the excuse of not wanting to see Ranach, because Ranach was his “abuser”. The goofy thing about this is, Rogio was completely accepting of seeing Ranach again when he was coming back from Midnightgarde.. Also, why would you return to the very place your abuser lives? Why did you come back to MT knowing Ranach would still be around? It’s all dumb writing to me. I understand why Roamer returned, but Rogio could have very easily went his own way and start his own life.

Then another contradiction that Rogio creates for himself, is when he is in the healer hut saying “If anyone had a problem with it, they would have voiced their concern at the meeting.” But when Vigr asks Rogio to use himself to lure Ranach into a trap, Rogio suddenly throws a fit like a child and suffers from a “PTSD” attack. Again, idk why you would want to torment yourself so badly and come back to a place where your abuser is still around. Don’t make sense to me!!

But because Rogio was absolutely useless in the fight against Avanti and decided to not be apart of it, MT lost two members! Fuss and Jonna! Bro, you’re a Baron, a second in command, you don’t get to just kick your feet up. If you felt you weren’t ready to be a Baron, then why the hell did you accept it anyway? You could have easily told Ronja NO, I don’t want to be a Baron, I can’t handle that much responsibility right now. But because Rogio wasn’t there and his help could have potentially saved Fuss and Jonna, we lose them.

I mean shit, Fuss had more of a reason to stay behind, for his daughter! But he went anyway. Then we have lame ass Rogio who doesn’t want to sEe HiS aBuSeR. Even tho he has an entire tribe to protect him from Ranach!

Then came the time when Ranach was attacking the wall with Avanti. I just LOVE that Ronja says “You are the second strongest to Kargo go protect the cave entrance!” Basically saying “Just go run away and be useless!” If Rogio is the second strongest, why is he off diddling in a cave while everyone else has to go face Oreo dog? Oh that’s right! Plot armor! And Kiques way of further dragging the story of Ranach not knowing Rogio is alive yet! And yet furthering my reasons of why Rogio is fucking useless at everything. I mean he needed help from a pup to “kill” Avanti.

Then of course, when Rogio plays this game of ignoring Roamer and goes with Ronja to Tinget. What an asshole. I mean look at the face he is giving Roamer before he leaves??? Not only this, but Ronja ain’t the smartest of the bunch, because anyone can see that her tribe member is not himself, but sure buddy! Show me the way with just us two alone to Tinget! I mean hell, the comic doesn’t really show a relationship / friendship with Ronja or Rogio. Ronja is forced to like Rogio and act like she knows anything about him from Kique, because he is with her family member, Roamer. I mean she can at least see that Rogio is being a bit of a dick to Roamer, but she somehow doesn’t stand up against Rogio and defend her family member. She’s definitely got that minding her own business down lol.

Going to fast forward to the time when Ronja and Rogio are seen after Tinget. They are camping and Rogio miraculously knows that Fjall is spooking at something else other than a night beast. Rogio completely goes feral on this strange dog spying on them. But what would make me uncomfortable in Ronjas position is she had to really put some force in her voice to get Rogio to stop threatening him. Giiirl, that would make me nervous, because you’re alone with ROGIO lmao.

Later, Rogio and Ronja return to MT and Rogio attempts to run off, but cowers out. Heh, wuss. I don’t understand why he didn’t just do it while she was asleep, but to wait last minute while you’re on the border of MT. It just makes it easier for everyone to follow your scent?? IDK.

Once Rogio is in the void with Kargo after fighting his night beast form, the whole scene that follows once they leave is total bullshit. The whole “A punch long overdue.” From Kargo is so wrong in so many ways, if anything, ROGIO deserves that punch from Kargo. Rogio has been nothing but a dickwad to everyone since day one, he damn near isn’t redeemable either. But Kique thinks because Rogio saves Kargo and kills his night beast, it clears anything Rogio has done in the past.

When Kargo says “I have brought so much pain into his life” I think Kique meant for Rogio to say that. I mean Rogio was the biggest asshole to Roamer?? Only thing Kargo has done was just get upset with him over Ferah, and leave him, other than that I haven’t really seen Kargo be a dick to Roamer like Rogio. I mean hell, at least Kargo COMMUNICATES, even if it is when he gets angry.

And what follows after is just sad. I hate how out of character Kique writes Kargo just to benefit Rogio. But I am happy to see the lions wacking Rogio around lmao.

It wasn’t obvious in the beginning, but after finding out Rogio suggests a poly relationship to Roamer, it then becomes obvious Kique planned this shit. He planned a polyship and the three of them to have a child as well, which would be Diarko. Which is dumb as hell, considering his mother is actually alive. But Kique writes her as a mother lacking any maternity instincts, cause she just leaves him with MT? It becomes clear to me that the MT storyline is actually all about Rogio and whatever orbits around him.

Then as they return to MT, suddenly Kargo and Rogio become the best of friends. Okay I get it, Rogio saved him. But honestly, it looks like Kargo didn’t want to be saved. And besides that, Rogio and Kargo had no chemistry together. Just because Kargo dies and Rogio brings him back to life does not undo anything?? Kargo should really be like, okay thanks for bringing me back to life, buh bye dude.

Then Galti, Alva and Javo leave and they have this whole conversation that Ranach may return. Which he potentially could. Obviously brainless Rogio didn’t think this through. Sure bringing back Kargo is cool and all, but it ups the risks once more and puts MT in danger again. But Kique wants us to love Rogio because he brought Kargo back, not even factoring in the risks! What a smart guy!

-

Now I’ll be going over his weird / abusive af relationship that he has with Roamer.

When Roamer returns from Midnightgarde after giving Ferah and Kargo a thoughtful farewell. Roamer approaches Rogio and gives this whole speech about how the irbloss are the ones that wanted Roamer to see Rogio. WROOONG. Rogio was suppose to die that night, according to others who had script privileges, or heard it from word of mouth from Kique. Yes, that’s right people, Rogio was suppose to die after Ranach sacrificed him. But for some odd reason, Kique chose this wonderful dog to implement himself into. :-)

What also strikes me weird, is how Roamer was shy with Kargo but not with Rogio. Especially after their breakup. I perceived Roamer as shy with Kargo because a MxM relationship was brand new to him and he was figuring himself out. But when it came to Rogio, suddenly that shyness disappeared and he became the more “dominant” one, all in the course of a few days.

Then, Rogio gives this bullshit speech to Roamer about how he feels this relationship is right and he gets a sense of freedom being with him. I’m sorry, but seeing how Rogio treats Roamer in the future, I take this as love bombing and manipulation from Rogio.

Oh also, I hate how Roamer acts like he knows everything about Rogio when he confronts Kargo. “You have no right to talk like you know either of them.” Roamer???? Kargo literally spent years with Rogio in MT and you really want to tell him that?? You’ve only known Rogio for a few days?? Oh! That’s right. This scene is Kique trying to convince his audience that Kargo is the problem, not Rogio. But it’s absolutely hilarious how Roamer goes on the defensive with Kargo over Rogio, like he’s known Rogio his whole life. GET OUT OF HERE BOI.

I also hate how rushed their relationship is. Once Roamer returns from Midnightgarde, they have this forced chemistry about them. It’s almost like they’ve been together for quite a long time, but factoring the pacing, it’s only been a few days?? A week? I mean right from the get go, Rogio is already trying to bang Roamer, when he returns from saying goodbye to Ferah and Kargo.. And also when they wake up the next morning, this behavior is a damn red flag for me?

Also, why the hell did Roamer fail to tell Ronja he returned first? Oh yeah, cause poor Rogipoo needed Roamer to fend off his demons that he should PROBABLY deal with on his own. But Kique made Roamer the one that deals with all of Rogio’s problems.

Also Ronja acting like she knows Rogio, AT ALL. “And Rogio deserves someone like you, after everything he’s been through.” I mean all of chapter nine is pretty much about coddling up to Rogio, even tho Roamer and Ronja don’t know jack shit about him. UGH.

Then of course, Rogio keeping secrets. Roamer had to find out about Rogio and Ranachs relationship, instead of Rogio just telling him. Idk why it was an issue? But if Rogio felt such strong feelings for Roamer, why does he feel the need to not confide in him about something like that, but instead hide it. Then of course, more coddling Rogio over Ranach, even tho Ranach was never shown to abuse Rogio lmfao.

Also why tf was Rogio and Roamer making out like that in front of everyone when Kargo and Ferah are at the gate? There is a literal child right there you freaking creeps.

Then of course, poor Rogipoo couldn’t sleep when Kargo returned, so Roamer is like ITS OKAY BUDDY! I’ll do all of your chores! Go back to sleep!! Damn, I wish I could have someone do my chores because I couldn’t sleep lmfao. Bastard didn’t even say thank you to Roamer lol.

And of course Roamer trying to protect Rogio from Kargo once more. “Do you think he’s proud of the things he’s done?” Girl, I haven’t once seen Rogio take accountability or talk about past things, unless it involved pitying Rogio. It was always poor Rogio! Never, screw Rogio for leaving the MT females to be raped, while he was trying to raise his position in MT and didn’t seem BOTHERED about trying to change anything. Yeah, screw you man.

Then, my all time favorite scene with Kargo whooping Rogio’s ass, rightfully. Everything Kargo says is completely the truth about Rogio. But of course, Kique handles this as Kargo being the asshole and this is suppose to be some half ass redemption arc for Rogio and somehow we’re suppose to feel bad for him here. I mean cmon man, Kargo has the right to be pissed off at Rogio. He literally crept in and immediately started pulling moves on Roamer, DAYS after their break up!

And before Roamer even came into the picture, when Rogio and Kargo were in old MT together. It’s APPARENT that Rogio has backstabbed Kargo before and ( “You turned your back on me the day our bond mattered the most.” ) then did it again when Roamer left him. So why the fuck would any of us feel bad for Rogio here? I think I can speak for all of us logical readers here, we all side with Kargo, Kique.

I also hate that part when Rogio was telling Kargo “We needed each other.” NEEDED WHAT EXACTLY?! A bang buddy?!

And then Kargo asking Rogio if he loves Roamer. OF COURSE HE DOESNT! He is just using Roamer as a bang buddy! Bro literally couldn’t contain himself in front of a CHILD.

Aaaaah, now comes the juicy bits of their relationship. Rogio becomes the victim of his own self pity and decides to stone wall Roamer, because that’s TOTALLY something you should do in a healthy relationship. He does this QUITE a bit with Roamer, later in the comic.

But! You did hit the nail on the head by saying you can’t do anything as a Baron, so that’s why you’ve stepped down. Good job in that self reflection Rogio!

And of course the nightmares return and what does freaking Roamer do? Tries to bang him. Like??? Yall see this? It’s pretty sad that Roamer thinks sex is the way to comfort / get too Rogio. Because when it comes to touchy subjects like that, sex is the answer for him. Not talking it out, I guess. Because guess what! Rogio shoves Roamer off and ignores him! More stonewalling! Guess that didn’t work, Roamer!

Even when Rogio returns from the Tinget meeting, we have even more stonewalling! In typical Rogio fashion, he’s always giving them sad eyes and walking off. You’re pathetic man.

Then to nobodies surprise, chapter 12 begins with pathetic ass Rogio’s nightmares again. Of course, he walks out. Roamer attempts to comfort him and ask him to talk about what he dreamt about, nothing wrong here as Roamer is trying to support / comfort Rogio. But of course Rogio avoids anything Roamer tells him. I mean Roamer is in tears, pushing aside everything and asking him to love and touch him. But then AGAIN, Rogio walks tf out and leaves him alone to cry about it. Here’s a trophy for biggest asshole of this story, Rogio.

As the stonewalling progresses, it then manifests into Rogio trying to sneak out without telling anyone. At least be courteous and TELL SOMEONE. It’s really not that fucking hard to communicate to someone and say “Hey I need my space! So I am leaving for a little bit.” But of course Rogio wants to draw attention on himself and have the whole Tribe worry about him and possibly go search for him. This could have possibly caused more unnecessary deaths, but thankfully Roamer was able to stop him… With sex. Not sure how you can be in love with someone who just wants to bang you, stone wall you and be an absolute ass to you. Rogio is a walking red flag, Roamer lol.

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Now my final thing will be Rogio’s weird plot convenient traumas.

Obviously, we’re all aware of Rogio fighting his night beast form and once he comes across the spirit that sends him to the void to fight the night beast, we see more trauma in the sky above him. Except these aren’t any traumas, it’s kind of funny how it’s mostly about Kargo calling out Rogio’s shitty ass behavior, but apparently this is traumatic for Rogio. Well, don’t be an asshole???

And then came the time recently when Rogio suggested that MT can move to his old tribes territory. May I remind you that this is his family’s graveyard? And the territory had a spirit absolutely ravage the whole area, killing the tribe? One would think Rogio would be traumatized from this, but guess what? HE ISNT. Nope! The words of his old families territory rings nothing in Rogio’s empty head. But the poor sop can’t even face Ranach with a whole tribe standing behind him.

I think it’s another dick move for Rogio to not mention anything to Ronja or the tribe about what happened in his old territory. Kique, buddy, you try so hard to make this asshat look good, but end up short every time. You will never change my mind on how I feel about Rogio. SORRY CHUMP.

-

Also all of Rogio’s positive personality traits are all bullshit lol. That trustworthy, loyal and courageous one made me laugh LOUDLY.

-

Notes:

Tbh I had to cut some things out and focus mainly on Rogio’s behaviors, so I may have missed some things. The conclusion of this is to show people and potentially show die hard fans of Home that Rogio really isn’t that great. Kique tries to shine him under a bright light, but he just ends up making a fool out of Rogio.

Rogio should have died the night Kique said he would.

-

Also apologies for this taking so long! Rogio is the worst mess in this comic, as you read.

[finduilasclln]

lights will guide you home

Oh hey, I wrote a small 6.11 coda. \o/ I miraculously found some time to write right after seeing last night's episode this morning. This is quick and un-betad, and I'll try and tidy it up a bit before posting on AO3 but I wanted to post on Tumblr before I read any other 6.11 codas and decided this one couldn't hold a candle to those others, so... Title so very obviously taken from "Fix You" by Coldplay.

---

lights will guide you home

“A teacher, huh?” Eddie asks, bringing Buck a drink even though Buck insisted he could get it himself. But Eddie has this need to do things for Buck, even if it is just getting him a glass of water. He’s felt powerless for too long. Too long that Buck was in that coma. 

“Yeah,” Buck says, shaking his head slightly. “Not sure where that came from.” 

“It makes sense,” Eddie says as he sits down next to Buck at the dinner table instead of opposite him, needing to have Buck within arm’s reach. “You’re full of knowledge and you’re great with kids.” 

Buck preens a little at Eddie’s words. “Yeah?” 

“Stop fishing for compliments,” Eddie smiles softly because it’s easier than telling Buck all the ways in which he’s incredible. 

“I don’t know,” Buck grins, his fingers wrapped around the glass of water, leaving marks in the condensation. “Feels like maybe I earned a few after what I’ve been through the last few days?”

“Lying in a hospital bed, letting the machines do all the work for you?” Eddie teases, because Buck is fine. Buck is alive. Buck is back here with him. And if Eddie thinks too hard about it he’s going to crack and he doesn’t think Buck needs that right now. 

“Ouch,” Buck says, mock-offended. He brings his hand up to his chest, “Too soon.” 

Eddie reaches out and squeezes Buck’s arm reassuringly, desperate for that connection. 

“Besides,” Buck continues, “There was a hell of a lot more going on than me just lying there.” 

“Like being a teacher? Your brother being alive?” Eddie asks, going off of what Buck’s been saying. 

“Yeah…” Buck says, suddenly lost in thought. 

“Sounds nice though,” Eddie prods a little bit, studying Buck’s face. 

“I - ” Buck starts, then shakes his head. “It wasn’t right. Daniel - I. Yeah, I would have wanted - ” His fingers trace lines in the condensation on his glass. “But it wasn’t right. Maddie and Doug. Bobby. You.” 

“What about me?” Eddie asks carefully, because that’s the one thing Buck hasn’t quite elaborated on. It makes something inside of Eddie’s stomach twist. 

“You weren’t there,” Buck simply says, taking a sip of water. 

“I wasn’t?” Eddie asks, a sudden pang of disappointment going through him. Buck went through this life-altering thing where everything was meaningful and important and Eddie - wasn’t there? 

Buck shakes his head, pressing his lips together like there’s something he’s not quite saying. Eddie wants to push but at the same time he’s not sure he wants to know. 

“You weren’t,” Buck says, contemplative, “Everything was different and messed up. I mean, my parents were great. They were present, they cared, they - they loved me.” 

“Far be it for me to defend them,” Eddie says softly, because Buck needs to know, “But I think they do, Buck. However they choose to show it or fail to show it a lot of the time, they do love you.” 

“I know,” Buck says, nodding as he looks at Eddie. “It was just different in the dream. I thought it was what I wanted, that family, with Daniel. But - ” He takes a deep breath. “Everything else was just wrong. I knew I couldn’t stay there.” 

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Eddie whispers. He doesn’t know to what extent he believes Buck had a conscious choice in coming back to them, in surviving. But either way he’s glad Buck made it back to them. To him. 

“I didn’t have you,” Buck says with a shrug, like he’s aiming for nonchalant but he’s missing by a mile. 

“I’m not sure if I should be offended by that, by the way,” Eddie says in a manner that he hopes comes across as teasing, even though he knows there’s way too much truth in it. 

“No, but see, that’s the thing,” Buck says, his hand finding its way on top of Eddie’s on the table. “If nothing else, it wasn’t right because you weren’t there.” 

“Buck,” Eddie whispers, the warmth of Buck’s hand on his grounding him. 

“It could have been everything I wanted, and it still wouldn’t have been - ” Buck takes another deep breath. “Nothing’s right if you’re not in my life.” 

And Eddie knows how that feels, has spent days thinking about the possibility of Buck not making it out of his coma, of Buck not being in Eddie’s life anymore, and nothing about it was right. 

“I thought I lost you,” Eddie says under his breath, closing his eyes and focusing on the feeling of Buck’s skin against his. “I tried to get your heart beating again, I watched you lie there on a ventilator thinking it was all over. I snuck my son into the ICU because I knew we needed to be together, even if just for one last time, and - ” When he looks up again, Buck’s looking straight at him with wet blue eyes. 

“I came back to you,” Buck says, their hands now a tangled mess of fingers clinging to each other. 

“Thank you,” Eddie whispers, leaning his forehead against Buck’s. He can feel stray tears making their way down his cheek but he just lets them flow. It’s Buck, and he doesn’t need to hide. 

They stay like that for a while, leaning into and holding onto each other. Eddie doesn’t need to know anything else about Buck’s dream if Buck is not volunteering to share. He knows all he needs to know. Buck made it back to him, and all is right with the world again. 

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Bachelor/Clavell/Wan

caught in the act

Xander arrived at the bottom of the stairs…. and looked into the shocked face of Nick, who was carrying a heavy box out of the otherwise locked room. “C-Clavell, what are you doing here?“/”I could ask you the same thing… Wait a minute…” Xander looked over his shoulder. And the suspicions he'd had over the last few weeks were now confirmed “I don't believe it!”. He walked towards him with quick steps. “Clavell, wait, I…”

Xander pushed him aside, causing Nick to stagger a little and the box to fall out of his hands. Then he took a step into the room… “I knew it! I knew it, you've been fucking with us the whole time"/ ‘please, Clavell, I can explain…’ but Xander didn't let him get a word in edgewise…he was furious.

Xander turned around in a flash, pulled Nick to him and pushed him into the room, which he had been looking at almost in horror a few seconds before. “What is this, huh?” he grabbed Nick by the neck, making him gasp a little, ‘Let go of me…’ But Xander was still in a rage and Nick tried to defend himself.

He gave Nick a rather strong punch to his head, causing him to fall to the ground. “Now tell me, Alto! Have you set up a private supermarket here for you or what I can't believe it, while we're all trying to figure out how we'should to survive for the next few months, you're filling your belly!”

Nick was a little dazed from the blow Xander had dealt him. “Damn it, Clavell…"/ ‘Talk, or I'll hit you again’/ ‘but then I probably won't be able to tell you anything… So… Please, aah…’. Xander narrowed his eyes and put on a contrived look of pity. “You're not going to die from a little punch like that!"/ ”h-hh, I want to sit down first… Then i can tell, what's going on, you probably won't believe me anyway.”

Nick managed to sit down on the chair next to him, despite his slight stupor. “So? I'm all ears"/ ‘h-hh, shit, I… I wanted to talk to them all…’/ ”aha, is that so? And about what? That they're better off than us?"/ ‘No, about the fact that I'm being blackmailed and we'll probably all be fucked soon’.

Nick knew that there was no way out for him now. And Xander was someone he seemed to trust more than the others. Even though they only knew each other well because of work. Nevertheless, he told him everything he had already revealed to Morgana. “Really? Is everyone here supposed to suffer because of your pride?"/ ‘No… I explained it to you…’.

“Yes, you said that as soon as they have everything, they'll stop all deliveries and contact, so why are you saying no?"/ ‘because I'm trying to find a solution to this problem if nothing else comes here’/ ” and all this stuff here? Man, that's easily enough for a few more weeks to get through here. I don't want to be treated like a rat to be starved to death, and I'm sure others don't either”.

“It was never my intention to make people suffer here"/ ”pff, sure, tell that to the others. What are those sick minds on the other end?"/ ”I don't know. The voices are distorted every time I talk to them, but I have the feeling that one of them knows me pretty well…"/ ‘And who would that be?’/ ‘If I knew, I knew a lot of people who didn't like me very much’.

“and you can't think of anyone special?”. Nick raised an eyebrow “I've had a lot of contacts, good and bad. So no, it's difficult to single anyone out. The fact is, if they've got everything from me, we've got nothing but what's left. It was a shitty deal, yes, but it can't be changed.” Xander rubbed his face for a moment and took a deep breath. “Didn't you even try to call for help with that thing?"/ ”I tried, but all the other frequencies are dead.”.

Xander stood up, because the hard concrete floor was getting uncomfortable at some point and it was slowly getting colder down here. “I've got a lot of technical skills, but I'm not good with this kind of equipment. …"/ ‘and I could only do the bare minimum with it…’. Xander shook his head, a little stunned. “You do realize that if people find out about this room here, they'll definitely give you hell"/ ‘that's why I want to talk to them soon’/ ”do it as soon as possible…”

"When did the last shipment come?"/ "This afternoon. And I was just about to take some of it to the hospital when they stopped me here." Xander rolled his eyes a little. "What's in there?"/ "Medicines and other things that are needed there"/ "Wow, Mr. Alto is becoming a Samaritan"/ "Shut up, OK? If everything is stopped, I don't know how things are going to continue here"/ "Then use your brain."

Xander turned and walked slowly to the door. Then Nick got up and went after him. “Please, Clavell, do me a favor and don't beat me to it, I'll make everything clear…"/ ”Your problem is ours too. As if we didn't all have enough of them already. I'll take care of the box. Go home to your child, at least he knows who his father is.“.

Nick heard a little desperation in his voice and also some anger. But he didn't want to force him into another conversation unnecessarily. “Do something, Alto, or there might be a bloodbath here…”. Xander picked up the crate Nick had been carrying earlier and noticed that it was quite heavy. Then he made his way to the hospital and Nick locked the door this time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover

Poses by @tumblinrob , @yorithesims , @studiok2sims & others

[annaphoenix1994]

Black Powder Soul

Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter

»»-------¤-------««

"I'm surprised you're still in this shit hole town," Isaac Graves said to Malcolm, the brother of Phillip Graves and a retired Case Officer of the C.I.A. His grey eyes held a sharp stare as well as a malicious agenda - something both Malcolm and Isaac shared. "Although I can't say I'm quite surprised." 

"Why's that?" Malcolm questioned, pouring Isaac another round of bourbon. 

"You haven't heard?"

Malcolm shook his head in confusion. 

Isaac's face pulled into a grin, pulling out the file folder that was tucked between the fold of his laptop. "You're a wanted man now. Seems like our old friend had an investigation opened on you for apparent war crimes." 

That fucking bitch, Malcolm grimaced, pursing his lips and imagining the sadistic smirk that would plaster on Kiera's face. "There's no proof of that." 

"Perhaps, but there's still an investigation. Shepherd has been wanted, too."

"Is that why he sent you to me?" 

"Indeed," Isaac nodded. "I worked for Shepherd last year. Chief Laswell was my supervisor before I received my promotion. I was Shepherd's second-in-command up until he practically disappeared. Nobody knows where he is. All of his calls have come from an unidentifiable location." 

Right under your nose, Officer, Malcolm mused to himself, feeling like he had, already, a subtle power over the Case Officer before him. "Understood."

"We are on a high-value target now," Isaac said, leaning over the table, the smell of bourbon on his breath. "She is a threat to us. She killed my brother in cold blood when all he was doing was defending his own." 

"Do you know her?" Malcolm asked, a hint of anxiety coursing through him as he knew it wasn't going to be an easy fight.

"Know of her, not personally. She works for Laswell - was sent to ally with the Mexican Special Forces and 141 to help find Hassan. I was assigned to stay in D.C. with Shepherd and was deployed to Chicago after we received word that Hassan was there. My orders were to eliminate her. She was getting too close to Shepherd, and he wasn't having it, especially after she killed Graves." 

"Well, forgive me for sounding rude, but your plan didn't work, Officer. She survived the blast." 

"Oh, I'm aware. I should've stayed around to make sure she was dead, but I left before anybody saw me." 

"The report said that it was one of Hassan's men who shot the launcher?" 

"Inside job, son," Isaac chuckled. "You'll learn that there are many ways to skin a cat, my friend."

"Shepherd said we don't have much time-"

"We don't. We need to do something and fast. Have any ideas before I start stating my own?" 

"I already arranged the flight over the field for some of my men to drop clover bales. That's what started it, really, but aside from that, I haven't been able to compose anything else. I know the 141 is still at her ranch on vacation, but I'm not sure when they're supposed to be leaving."

"I can find that out easily," Isaac smirked. "Shepherd wants to send a message to have her stand down. If she doesn't, which is expected, he wants to have her meet a certain demise. Those British assholes, too." 

"How are they going to do that? I mean, I can come up with a lot of things, but unless we were to fly over and drop a nuke on that ranch, I don't think of anything else that could get the job done to terminate all of them." 

Malcolm watched Isaac smirk, the Case Officer removing another file from between his laptop, opening it to reveal a bundle of photos of each member of the 141 and Mexican Special Forces as well as Kiera, excluding a photo of Simon himself as that task was nearly impossible. "I did some necessary research on the last team and compiled a list. Colonel Vargas is the only one with a son. If he's at her ranch for this so-called vacation, we abduct his son-"

"Kidnapping? I'm all for taking someone hostage, but a child?" 

"The boy will be safe; I can assure you. I can have an arrangement made with the Wyoming Traffic Cartel on the state border. If they get too close, they'll ship him off to either Montana or North Dakota in one of their safehouses in the mountains. I've already discussed this with Shepherd, and he agrees. It'll get them angry - angry enough to be desperate to find him without assistance of the law and we can terminate them all in one spot." 

"Sounds practical. Aside from making the boy an orphan, of course." 

Isaac shrugged, "He'll eventually be directed back to his mother in Mexico, but I can arrange that after everything is done. We won't be seen as the bad guys anymore, Malcolm. We'll be heroes. Your name will be off the board, Shepherd's will be off the board, and I'll remain anonymous. The only one left to take care of will be Laswell if I can't "strongly suggest" she resigns with a written contract." 

Malcolm nodded, "What will I have to do now that I'm wanted?" 

"That's another reason why I'm here. I've made some arrangements. When this gets out, we both know your home will be raided with force. I have a safehouse just outside of Cody." 

"...But Cody is where she lives..." 

"Exactly," Isaac smirked. "Right under her nose. We'll be able to keep close eyes on the ranch and out of her reign of terror." 

"Sounds like a plan." 

"Now, let me make a few phone calls and pack your stuff. We'll be occupied for a while." 

»»-------¤-------««

"Wow." Fernando smiled, gripping onto the rails of the pen as he watched cowboys exercise their horses, warming them up before working a cow. A practice called "Working Cow Horse" was an art of the cowboy, showing immense communication and horsemanship between the horse and rider. 

The visit was rescheduled for another day to allow for tension to subside on the ranch after Malcolm's visit, deciding to go and participate two days later to allow Fernando to watch the horses he had been begging his father to go and see as well as Bud to allow himself for promising horse shopping. Not that he needs more horses, Kiera thought, tacking her own horse up as she wanted to participate as well as refresh herself on running a cow down the fence.

She smiled as she watched Fernando cling to the pen, watching with intent and bright eyes although he was unaware of how much money the horses were worth. They were prime athletes, earning at least ten grand every time they entered the showring. As for the cowboys themselves, most of their earnings racked up to the millions. Alejandro did the same as his son, watching the art before him, keeping his eyes on the red roan as it was one of the most beautiful horses he had ever seen. "How would I like riding that one?" He chuckled at his son. 

"I think I'd look better, dad." 

"You're probably right." 

"Can we buy him?" 

Alejandro scoffed, "And how are we going to get him back home? Do you have thirty-thousand dollars in your pocket that I don't know about?"

"KK can take him for us." Fernando said, still unable to pronounce Kiera's name fully. 

"He's just a boy with a plan, yeah?" Johnny chuckled as he and Teeter sat on the top of the rail, having the best view of the arena. 

"I don't know where he gets it from." Alejandro chuckled, shaking his head.

Simon couldn't keep his eyes off of Kiera, watching her mount her horse in slick dark leather shotgun chaps and a pink button-up shirt with a brown felt cowboy hat that accented her apparel. And I thought she couldn't get more attractive, Simon thought, his pupils dilating at how professional she looked. Like a million bucks.

Her palomino gelding communicated well with her, listening to her with soft eyes and relaxed ears. Although the horse kept his shaggy winter coat, his coat still shone with a gold tint and his mane and tail was a stark white, his mane braided from his poll to his withers. Simon couldn't help but smirk as he had just noticed that the horse's saddle pad matched Kiera's shirt.

She practiced her stops, backing up, and circles like she had been doing it her whole life. Perhaps she did, perhaps she didn't, but one thing was for certain: she had been around horses her entire life and it was clear that her palomino was meant to be her mount. "When are you going, señora?" Alejandro asked her after she was done warming up her horse. 

"Here in a minute, hopefully," she said, exhaling a breath of nervousness as she felt she was going into the AQHA World Show, sighing as Alejandro and Fernando gave her horse loving touches along the gelding's neck. "I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous." 

"Nothing to be nervous about." 

"Considering I haven't put him on a cow in so long like this and did sliding stops with him in forever and I feel like I'm competing against these million-dollar horses, it's something to be nervous about." 

"Relax, it's not a show. It's just showing off," Alejandro chuckled. "Just do what you know. That's all that matters." 

"He's right, love," Simon added, patting her leg as he stood next to her on the ground next to her horse. "Your father is horse shopping, and these guys are just here for a good time. You'll do fine." 

She smiled down at him, "Thank you, but I'm still nervous." 

"You know most of them, yeah?" Simon asked. 

"Yeah, the one on the roan horse over there has been friends with my dad since I was a baby. He watched me grow up. The one in the blue shirt is best friends with Frankie and you met him on Thanksgiving. The others are friends of them and wanted an excuse to ride today since it's in a covered arena and out of the weather." 

Simon nodded, patting her leg again as if he were telling her 'Good luck'.

"Kiera!" The man on the red roan said, riding up to the rail to greet her. "You wanna have a go?" 

"I guess I don't have a choice now, huh?" She chuckled, Simon watching her finger twitch as it was one of the many things she did when she was anxious. 

Frank smiled softly, "We're not paying up like last time. Just showing off for your dad." 

"Yeah? Well, the Lord knows we don't need more horses." 

"I know. He wanted to buy this one I'm on, but I told him I'm wanting to retire before I get too old. I don't have time to take another horse down the road anymore." 

Kiera nodded, watching Alejandro open the pen for her, patting her horse's hindquarter as the gelding passed by, both Alejandro and Simon watching as Frank was giving her advice as they rode alongside each other, seeming to give her tips on how to refresh with her horse what was called a "sliding stop." 

"Hey, Kiera!" Colby shouted from the side of the panel, a mischievous smile splaying on his face, eager to pick at her. "You're gonna ride that mule down the fence to work a cow?" He poked. 

Simon didn't like it, knowing that Colby was sure to make her more nervous than she already was. Instead of saying something like he wanted to or force him into a fetal position, he glared at him. 

"Shit," Kiera scoffed playfully. "I'll be showing him in Mule Days come spring." She poked back, causing both Colby and Frank to laugh. 

"Show us what that glue factory reject has got, then." Colby continued to poke. 

Again, Simon didn't like it, especially when it came to watching someone poke at something that meant the world to her. She breathed a chuckle, "You want me to do the whole thing? Circles and all?" 

Frank nodded, "If you want to, to refresh that yellow horse's memory, then after you're done with your sliding stops, you can run a cow down the fence, unless you'd just rather work a cow, just tell me."

"I think I want to try to do the whole thing," She replied, confidence engulfing her. She felt that her horse was perfectly able as he had done it before, she had just been doubting herself, growing more nervous that Simon and her father were watching her. "We haven't done the entire pattern since before I left on deployment."

"Alright, I'll get out of the arena so you can do your thing." Frank nodded, Colby opening the gate for his horse to exit. Simon leaned up against the panel next to Alejandro, who was now holding Fernando's legs as his son sat on his shoulders, excited to watch "KK" ride her horse as Fernando favored her horses over the rest because of his gold coat. Simon watched her exhale a deep breath, reaching down to pat her horse on the neck, appearing to whisper something to the animal before she rode towards the entrance of the arena, nudging him up to a trot as she rode along the rail, turning right to stop in the middle of the arena, adjusting her seat as she leant forward slightly, using her calf to nudge the horse into a slow lope (0:22) to perform circles - also known as "Figure Eights." 

The horse moved nicely, Kiera smirking as she heard Teeter shout encouragement to her from where she sat on the top rail of the arena, unaware that Johnny was watching her speak as if she were a precious gem. 

She cued for her horse to change leads (0:46) to the left, performing the same maneuver except she was going in the opposite direction, making two half-laps around the arena before cueing for the gelding to switch leads again (1:09) before taking a heavy breath, mentally preparing herself for what was called a "Run Down" - making the horse take off at a gallop before sitting deep in the saddle and saying woah! for the horse to make a hard stop, seeming to slide after halting its momentum.

Johnny's brows rose as the horse took off, afraid that he was going to jump the fence over him, immediately reaching his arm towards Teeter, "What's she doing?" 

"She's gonna stop that motherfucker hard and he's gonna slide, baby, watch!" Teeter said, her gaze fixated before she shouted excitedly as the horse did exactly as he was told, licking his lips as Kiera let him catch his breath (1:24). "That looked damn good, baby!" Teeter shouted to Kiera, watching her giggle as she looked down to her horse's neck, patting his neck to prepare him for the spin.

"Thank you." Kiera nodded, picking up her left rein and using her right calf to apply pressure to her horse's side, using her spur lightly to cue him into a spin, the horse doing it surprisingly nicely for being off for some time when it came to showing off (1:33). She stopped the cue once her horse's head was aligned with the opposite side of the arena, nudging him into a gallop again to perform the same cue just to spin to the right before lining him back up for a final run down, smiling as she had upmost confidence and respect for the animal below her, patting him on the neck after every gesture. 

She locked eyes briefly with her father, watching his face light up with pride as he watched his daughter before he leaned towards Alejandro and Simon, "That's a damn good horse. I wish she'd take him down the road. She can win so much money." 

"Something tells me she's a homebody, sir." Alejandro chuckled as Fernando kept his fingers tangled in his hair to keep himself stabilized. 

Bud sighed, "That she is. She's always loved showing, though. She's won some money on that horse after she trained him." 

"She trained him to do all of that?" Johnny questioned, his brows lifting in surprise. 

Bud nodded, "Took her a few years to do it. That son of a bitch bucked her off so many times," He chuckled. "She got him from a kill pen in Minnesota. I remember her cussing at him telling him that he was there for a reason, but you see how that worked out." 

"So that's why that boy called him a glue factory reject." Johnny guessed, putting the pieces together. 

Simon didn't participate in the conversation, even though it was about Kiera. He was too fascinated with watching her ride, watching her communicate with her horse as it was clear the gelding was nervous too, judging by how jumpy he got after hearing a gate rattle or spooking at some of the banners that clung to the inner panels of the arena. She rode so well, her hips matching the rhythm of the horse's stride, eliminating any chance of unbalance as she performed the final run down, stopping and backing the horse up to the middle of the arena, the gelding licking his lips and lowering his head on her cue as he did so (2:15). 

She reached down to pat the horse's neck again, the gelding licking his lips in relaxation as she turned him around after hearing Teeter yell, "Bring out the cow!" Kiera shook her head, giggling at Teeter's comedic relief as she heard the gate on the other side of the arena open, a black angus heifer coming out into the arena, spooked at the isolation. She trotted towards the cow (2:25), both hands on the reins as Simon could notice her posture stiffen. He then grew nervous for her. 

The heifer darted towards the right (2:52), her horse immediately going after it on Kiera's cue, cutting the cow off before it turned to the left, making a hard diagonal run towards the other side of the arena, causing Kiera's horse to react slowly and having to work harder to keep up with the cow, Kiera immediately stopping her horse after she jolted, hearing a whistle blow for her to stop, soon to hear another comment from Teeter on the other side of the arena. "That cow ain't shit! Put out another'n!" 

As soon as Kiera could realize what was going on, both Frank and Colby rode in on their horses, ropes out and swinging towards the heifer to guide her back to the chutes, leaving only Kiera and her horse in the arena before another cow was presented for her. 

She cued her horse to trot towards the new cow, confident that the cow was going to be less sloppy for her to work, although she could sense that this new heifer was just as spicy to work (3:55). 

She kept a good distance between her horse and the heifer, successfully letting her horse work by keeping the cow cut and going into the direction in where she wanted it to go - towards the left side of the arena for working it along the fence. (4:08) She kept the cow nearly pinned between her horse and the fence as she kept the pace with it, getting close to where both Teeter and Johnny were before cueing her horse to turn into the fence at the gallop, the horse using his hindquarters to stop and turn on nearly a dime, Kiera laughing as Johnny was prepared to jump down from his position to get away from the event as the sight of both a horse and cow running at him was intimidating. 

Johnny winced as a hard piece of arena footing hit his leg, Teeter laughing at him as she offered to "patch up his wound" after calling him a baby as Kiera continued to work the cow down the fence again, turning her horse to the right just how she did before (4:21). 

She worked the cow into two circles (4:30), keeping working advantage over the animal as she switched sides, appearing to guide the cow into a figure eight before a whistle was blown, informing her that her time was up. With a smile, she stopped her horse and began rubbing the gelding's neck, immensely proud of him for a job well done. 

Frank began to clap as she exited the arena, complimenting her horse as well as offering to buy him for futurity shows in the summer, but he knew Kiera would politely decline. 

"Best eight-hundred dollars I ever spent." She chuckled at Colby, who appeared to be at a loss for words after playfully teasing her before. 

"Still gonna show him in Mule Days?" Colby chuckled. 

"Nah, I may not even show him at all. I like him being a ranch horse. This is just showing off for fun." She shrugged, dismounting and loosening the cinch of the saddle before leading him towards where her party was, hanging her hat on the saddle horn as she couldn't help but blush at Simon's smile at her. 

"That was pretty to watch, love." He mused, leaning down to kiss her, although he wanted to refrain as he knew her father was watching, but he couldn't help himself. 

"Thank you," She blushed, watching Simon pat her horse's sweaty neck. "I didn't think he still had it in him." 

"Like riding a bicycle," Simon assured her. "Your father was just saying how he wishes you'd take him down the road and win some money." 

"He knows I don't want to do that. It's exhausting on not only him, but me," She sighed, referring to her horse. "There's a lot of money that goes into it when you're gambling on how much you can win. I wouldn't have a chance competing with these guys." 

"Well, if you ever wanted to, I'd gladly go with you," Simon grinned, looking down at her. "I got some good pictures, too." 

She blushed, "Oh, Lord. I'm afraid to see them." 

"Why? I can be a good photographer. I'll show you my favorite. He was making a funny face after that first stop you did, but I liked how you were smiling down at him." He explained, pulling out his phone to show her the photo. You got my good angle, babe, she giggled to herself as she looked at the photo, smiling at how her horse always seemed to "roll his eyes" every time he licked his lips - a quirk she grew to love the longer she had him. She was looking down at him in the photo, patting his neck as her smile was bright, the brim of her hat hiding her eyes slightly.

Aside from the photos she hated seeing of herself, she was glad that Simon saw the true connection between her and her horse that he was able to capture in a photo. "It's my wallpaper now." He admitted, taking a few seconds to set it as his wallpaper before showing her. 

She blushed, "I love that picture. Can you send it to me?" 

"Of course, love. I'll send you the video, too." 

"Nice horse." A man complimented, dressed in jeans and a pocket t-shirt. Kiera turned her head, looking his direction to thank him, partially expecting him to be someone she recognized, but it was just a nice stranger. 

"Thank you." Kiera smiled. 

"You ever want to sell him; I'll write you a check!" He chuckled. 

"Well, I hate to inform you that you're out of luck with that." She smiled. 

"I don't blame you," He nodded. "Have you seen Frank?" 

"Sure, he's over there." Kiera pointed, watching the stranger pat her horse before walking Frank's direction, pulling his phone from his pocket as it was ringing. 

Isaac smirked to himself that his plan was working, managing to eavesdrop on most of the conversation to target a specific name to keep suspicion off of him, knowing that Frank was a well-known name around the arena, knowing almost every visitor was looking for him to catch up, knowing that Kiera wouldn't suspect anything.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

You have opened the applications! I have saved my best ideas for you. I have one that comes and goes, it deals with the Charybdis saga so here it goes; Following the canon line where she is adopted by the valkyries and the human side + hercules, she lives with some gods and recognizes the presence of Poseidon, what if because of the commotion that was the ragnarok some norse god (I don't know much about that mythology) awakened Jörmundgander (which is the serpent that surrounds the world, here he is not the son of Loki, let's assume he is a separate deity) with the intention of ending humans, but he gets out of control and begins to attack everything in his path and to all.

Many gods and mortals fought but it's so big that they can't do much, so Charybdis decides to use her original form (with which she was locked in the sea) to try to stop the giant serpent. He stops the snake but it is badly injured and at one point it would seem that it died, which causes Poseidon to open his heart and speak to him sincerely, begging him for forgiveness and just a lot of anguish. In the end he survives and since he listened to everything, he decides that with the help of his family, he can try to live with him more.

I just want some angst, originally I thought I would die but it was too extreme haha. I hope you like my idea, I have another one that I hope to send soon, take care! (Here is a reference photo of the world serpent, it is from the game God of War)

-Poseidon could barely focus, the anguish rand rage blinding him. You, his daughter, entered his life again after so many years. He learned after he abandoned your mother, she abandoned you, a young child, to survive and in desperation for food, you stole a cow from Hercules and Zeus trapped you at the bottom of the sea, changing you into a horrific monster.

-He had no idea that you were trapped, being punished for merely being a hungry child, else he would have come to defend you.

-A little voice in the back of his mind had to ask him, ‘Would you have helped her? You abandoned her so long ago, so would you really have helped her?’ which only made his guilt worse.

-Kojiro could see that Poseidon was distracted, as the samurai knew about you, he knew about your past, and now that Poseidon was facing you, his consequences of his actions, as you were afraid of him and not willing to do anything with him, Poseidon couldn’t bear the heartbreak.

-A deep rumbling beneath them that only seemed to get louder and louder before the ground started to shake, a massive earthquake shaking the arena, the sea water draining through the cracks, people to free, and trapping the two warriors.

-An explosion seemed to stun everyone as a massive beast rose from beneath the arena, a massive serpent, Jormundgander, who hissed lowly, baring his fangs, eyes alight with rage.

-All of the noise from the battles and the crowd awoke the World Serpent, sending into a massive rage, now bent on destroying everything and everyone in its path, gods or humans.

-Odin rallied all of the warriors, humans and gods, telling them to work together or else there would be nothing left to fight for.

-You were watching from the safety, for the moment, of the stands, watching Hercules and the Valkyries charge in to attack this massive beast, only to be easily thrown back.

-A sharp gasp escaped your lips as you saw Kojiro, your newest friend and treated you so gently, like a grandpa, be blown back, heading to the wall if Hercules had not been there to catch him.

-Your eyes widened, watching Poseidon leap up to launch and attack, his eyes narrowed darkly, but he too was blown back, landing hard in the stands.

-Your hands clenched together tightly, almost to the point of pain, you couldn’t hear anything but your own heartbeat, your eyes wide in fear, tears streaming down your face. You felt so scared.

-Hercules got hit back, taking out some of the Valkyries and you felt what you could only describe as an explosion in your belly as you instantly roared loudly, morphing into your monster form, screeching out loudly as you crawled down the stands.

-Seeing a worthier opponent, the massive snake went on the attack, trying to stab his tail into your face, but you were quick to start rotating your rows of teeth, it looked like a blender, only with a lot more blades.

-Jormundgander screeched loudly in pain, trying to free himself while you tried to hold on. Hercules shouting out your name, worried about you before his eyes narrowed, “We need to get everyone out of this arena!” the Valkyries looked to the Grecian god and nodded.

-Poseidon was in shock, seeing your other form, but he was terrified seeing you fight, not wanting you to get hurt as the serpent flung you back into the stands.

-He noticed Kojiro helping guide people out of the stands before a pillar started to fall towards the samurai, his back to it, and without thinking anything other than that he knew Kojiro was important to you, Poseidon ran, grabbing Kojiro around his waist, holding him like a loaf of bread under his arm and leapt out of the way.

-Kojiro and other gods in the area were stunned, as they knew Poseidon hated humans, but to see him save one was absolutely shocking. However, to be fair, Poseidon immediately dropped Kojiro, who landed on his knees, but not hurt as Poseidon turned to face his child, “Eyes open human, you have someone who cares about you too much to die.”

-Kojiro softened, sensing that despite his icy façade, Poseidon was a nice person underneath.

-The fight was brutal, going back and forth, you had been heavily injured but in the end, it was you who was victorious! However, as the serpent fell, so did you, returning to your true, childlike form.

-Poseidon refused to leave, along with the other warriors, who felt so helpless, watching a child fight, and as he saw you falling, he didn’t know he was running until he caught you, being knocked down hard.

-He gasped, panicking as he quickly sat up, seeing your little body covered with wounds, bleeding out, you looked like you were dying.

-Poseidon panicked, feeling fear for the first time in his life, he felt like he couldn’t breathe as he laid you down, the Valkyries rushing to aid you, seeing the shape you were in.

-Brunnhilde told Poseidon to hold your head, to keep you still, while she and the nurses tried to stabilize you, and he did so, kneeling by your head, his hands on either side of your face, stroking your cheeks gently.

-The Valkyries remained silent, seeing Poseidon weeping, their focus was you as he spoke to you, “I wish I could take everything back, my daughter. Every terrible thing I did. You wouldn’t be in this state if I hadn’t been so selfish- so arrogant.” He poured his heart out to you, watching your glassy eyes fill with your own tears.

-Everything went dark and when you opened your eyes again, you were surprised to find yourself inside, in the infirmary, flowers and stuffed animals all around you.

-There was pressure on your left hand and you turned your head and your eyes instantly widened, seeing Poseidon holding your hand, fast asleep, kneeling beside you.

-There were dark circles around his eyes and his face was red, showing that he had been crying and crying hard, but you were so shocked he was there with you, holding your hand like he was comforting you.

-When you shifted he immediately jolted awake, looking around, a bit delirious before he saw that you were awake and the smile he gave you shocked you, it was so warm and bright as his hands quickly went to your face, holding you gently, asking if you were okay.

-You gave a small nod, confused as to what happened before Brunnhilde entered with Zeus, who she brought to force Poseidon out to at least bathe.

-Brunnhilde told you about the battle, how you won but were almost killed yourself, and that Poseidon had refused to leave your side, wanting you to wake up.

-You were stunned, holding onto her hand as she explained everything, you couldn’t believe that Poseidon was so worried about you, before you remembered, only faintly, hearing him cry, wanting you to wake up and how he wanted to take everything bad back that he did to you.

-When Poseidon came back, still soaking wet from his shower, something Hercules playfully scolded him for, giving him a towel while you were sitting in Hercules’ lap, you held out a hand towards your father, shocking both of them.

-Poseidon took your hand, a soft smile on his lips which you mirrored, “You said you were sorry, and I forgive you. But I might be shy for a while.” He understood your words, not at all bothered, giving you his own promise, “And I’ll do my best to be the father I should have been from the beginning.”

-Hercules smiled, ruffling your hair, congratulating you and Poseidon relaxed, a soft sigh leaving him, he knew he had a long road ahead of him, but now knowing you would welcome him at the end, made it all worth it.

[found-wings]

"I think we should poison him."

Technos head snaps to the smaller figure besides him. "Phil!"

"What?! C‘mon, he‘s suspicious as hell!" Phil attempts to combat, though he can‘t seem to fight against the small smile that‘s becoming visible by the moment.

Technos eyes then wander back over to the table in the nearby room, leaning against the doorframe as he watches Etoiles stare into the bowl of soup before taking a sip of it.

A huff coming from Phil makes him turn his attention back to the avian once more, raising a brow. "He is suspicious, but he hasn‘t attempted to attack us."

Phil hums for a few seconds before avoiding Technos gaze. "Even if so, I don‘t trust him," he responds, voice growing a little quieter as he continues on speaking, "this isn't the first time someones tried to kill you this way."

"He has your feather," Techno simply counters, making the avian eye the scythe from Etoiles.

Indeed there is a single black feather hanging from it, one closely resembling those of his own two wings. "That isn‘t mine."

"It is. I recognise your feathers. I just don‘t know how he got it."

Phils lips turn into a small thin line, contemplating those words before giving in. "..Fine. Maybe he‘s one of those Champions that met Her? I don‘t really pay much attention to them, they always have such a, I don’t know, saviour complex type shit going on."

Techno snorts at those words, "You are literally the Angel of Death."

"Well, I‘m not flaunting it everywhere, am I? Not my fault people only see me as the bringer of Death," Phil shoots back immediately, playfully pouting.

"True, fair, fair," Techno hums with a nod before settling his gaze back on Etoiles. "What was his name again?"

"Etoiles."

"Weird name."

"Okay, that‘s where I draw the line." Phil chuckles, using his tail to give a quick and playful little smack against Technos arm.

Techno huffs, raising a brow at Phil. "That‘s where you draw the line? Wanting to poison him is okay but me saying his name is weird is where you draw the line?"

"Yes! Because all names have meaning and honor, it means a lot in certain cultures, mate," the avian explains with a grin, making his way towards Etoiles‘ direction. His hand glides across the smooth wooden table and he spares a quick glance over to the scythe.

Techno follows with the roll of his eyes. "Alright, you win. I‘ll send out some groups to patrol the area and notify our allies about the sightings."

Etoiles glances up at the voices of the two approaching, watching as Phil settles to sit on the table right besides him. He pushes the now empty bowl of soup away and listens in as Phil continues his conversation with Techno. "Sounds good. Don‘t tell them about Etoiles yet, though."

He raises his brows, deciding to chime in now that he was brought up. "What about me?"

As soon as Phils eyes settle on Etoiles, the latter can‘t help but take in the small details now that he had a moment where he wasn‘t being almost murdered. "We‘re trying to keep your ass safe, mate." He recognises the same playful tone from his banter with his Phil - ignoring how wrong it felt to separate this and the Phil he knew - and yet it sounds.. a little different. It had a small, sharp edge to it in a way he couldn‘t explain.

Though he plays along with an offended gasp, leaning back in the chair. "Excuse me?! I can defend myself! I am very capable of keeping myself safe!"

Phil snorts in reply, tail swaying sharply around behind him. "Mate, I don‘t know where you come from, but this? This is our territory. You play by our rules if ya wanna survive."

Techno sighs at the ever so growing conversation, nudging Phils shoulder with his elbow before properly putting on his cape again. "Phil, please try not to kill our guest this time while I‘m away."

Etoiles falls quiet immediately at that for a brief moment, a slightly concerned expression painting his face as he looks between the two.

"What do you mean this time?" He attempts to ask, though his question is rather ignored by both in favour of Techno getting out of there as soon as possible.

Phil grins and waves as Techno makes his way to the door. "No promises, Tech. See ya later!"

Etoiles and Phil watch as Techno gives a quick wave back before opening the door. The piglin steps out rather quickly and shuts the door with a loud 'thunk!' behind him.

A couple of seconds later, Etoiles glances back at the avian. "So-"

Before Etoiles is even given the chance to start speaking, his scythe is kicked away within seconds by the feathery tail. He can‘t even blink before he feels the entire world slip underneath him, head forcefully pushed against the ground right besides the chair he had just been sitting on.

His wrists are secured behind his back with one of Phils holding them in place. Etoiles can vaguely see a couple of black feathers hang within his view, assumingly Phils wings spread out and ready for action.

"You‘re not one of Hers."

[blank-slate-jay]

first time doing this so yeah

sort of snowy vibe where reader manages to defend himself and kill a bear but not without getting injured

joel's out there for whatever reason you like and sees the whole thing, basically feels obligated to help this random stranger because it wouldn't sight right with him to leave them bleeding out in the snow? he like patches the wounds n stuff

loved the secret admirer one and i saw the post so i thought id give this a go! sorry if its weird

Heal My Wounds, Heal My Heart

Joel Miller x Male!Reader

Word Count:2.6k

Tags: Comfort, Injury, Blood, Soft!Joel, Nightmares, mention of alcohol, mention of death

A/N: Not weird at all Anonymous, thanks for the request! I actually learned more about bear behavior writing this funny enough. Glad you liked one of my previous fic, hope you take a liking to this one. Enjoy!

Shots rang out between your heavy grunts and the growls of the rageful mammal. You had stepped into its territory, not purposefully and completely unbeknownst to you. You were just trying to get by, just trying to find a safe place to rest before dark. Everything was peaceful up till that point until you were faced with a bear, a fairly aggressive one that charged at you. 

Seeing it afar, you were obligated to turn around and leave its sight. The moment it saw you, it was instantly startled by your presence, halting its interest in catching any food near the lake and standing on its hind legs.

It was likely scared, as the bear itself wasn’t very large, likely still in its earlier years. Maybe the young mammal was just gonna watch as you walked back into the woods, but no. It charged at you, either threatened by you or perhaps desperate for any source of meat. 

Intentions didn’t matter, the animal was charging you down and you took shots at it. They weren’t as effective as you thought, the small bullets looked as if they barely fazed it. What didn’t help was your shaking hands, after running out of bullets, you needed to reload. You groan, making a split second decision to just run. Fighting a bear head on, would make for a cool story if the odds weren’t stacked in your favor. Not to mention you needed to actually survive the encounter to tell the tale, which wouldn’t be likely if you tried being a badass. 

Your steps clashed with the snow below, attempting to run as fast as you could. The snow wasn’t deep, rather thin enough to see the grass still sticking out. Running proved to be effective, adrenaline kicking into high gear. You didn’t know how long you ran, just focusing on finding any way to ensure safety. In the back of your head, you knew it was just something to give you comfort in this hopeless situation, nothing was gonna save you from this other than your own wit or luck. 

Unfortunately your tactic wasn’t good enough cause you felt a sharp pair of claws strike your back. You scream out, falling into the harsh ground with a thud, the blades of the greenery engulfed your face. 

With your face in the ground, you knew this was it. Your end wasn’t going to be by a clicker, a horde or even a person; but an animal, definitely not something you expected would come to be. 

You groaned into the soil, anticipating its sharp teeth to sink in your skin. Even with the layer of clothes you had on, you were sure the bear would have no problem getting through. 

Everything felt like it was going in slow-motion, preparing for your last moments to be filled with growls from the beast. What came instead, was a gunshot. It sounded heavy, causing the bear to growl once more, turning its attention away from you. The heavy bullet pegged its neck before another hit its skull as it tried running. The mammal went down, collapsing a couple of feet away from your legs. 

Hearing nothing, other than your own quick breaths, had a sense of relief washing over you. You were saved from being mauled. But by who? The question repeats in your head becoming a lot more unsettling when realizing it was a person; a total stranger. Your condition only made you fearful as you pushed yourself onto your elbows. Looking up, you glance in the direction of the ever growing footsteps. A man, dressed in a thick brown coat, walked over to you with his weapon in hand. He stopped just beside you, making it hard to see his face. 

You mumble, “Help…please…”, seeing if the man was dangerous or not. Chances were he’d just put you out of your misery, after seeing what had transpired.  

He didn’t, the man pulls the strap of his weapon over his shoulder, and kneels down to you. The man looks you over, seeing the dark red slashes across your coated back. 

“Damn”, he murmured observing the long trail that went down your back. The beast got you good. He leans his hand into your shoulder, “Can you walk?”

“I think, yeah.” 

There was some doubt in your voice, but at least you were cohesive. The man would’ve taken any answer that implied you could function. “C’mon, you're not safe out here.” 

The man pulled you up until you were on your knees. He then gets in front of you, getting his hands under your arms, and yanking you to your feet. The whole process had you wincing. 

Finally standing you started to feel light-headed. You lean into the man, accidentally, feeling your balance becoming unsteady. You grapple onto his bicep to keep from falling. In turn the man grabs your sides, “Easy.”

It was difficult, with your head feeling like it was going to implode. The man then let out a whistle. You assumed it was for his horse, cause there was no way he was out walking aimlessly like you were. This man looked like he had himself situated compared to you. 

You waited, both hearing the sounds of the horses' hooves growing closer; along with a neigh. 

You looked back at the deceased bear, and then turned back to the man, who continued to hold you upright, “Thank you”. 

He nods. Although his face was mostly stone cold, there was a glint of concern behind his eyes. 

The horse had slowed its pace just outside the two’s reach. The man carefully walked you over, allowing you to lean your head into his shoulder. Strangely he didn’t seem to mind at all. He lets you take a second to put your weight into the horse, breathing out you try hoisting yourself up, failing with the pain. He had to help you onto the horse, before he himself got up into the front. 

Grabbing the reins, he looks over his shoulder, “Hold on, gonna be awhile.”

You do just that, wrapping your arms around his waist. He was off, taking you somewhere you weren’t sure of. Regardless of where, you were sure he had no bad intentions.

“What’s your name”, you asked.

He hesitates and doesn’t answer right away. You thought he might not have heard you, but he does indeed reply, “Joel.”

From there on you two remained silent throughout the ride, say for the occasional grunts that slipped out of you. You squeezed the man each time the sharpness increases, randomly. It made the ride agonizing to sit through, making the journey feel much longer.

The horse came to a slow stop near a small cabin. You don’t know where you were anymore, you’d had your eyes closed for most of the ride, and your mind was too focused on the pain. 

The man, Joel, got off the horse, helping you down and taking you into the house. He set you down onto the couch, careful not to touch your back. He steps away, removing both his jacket and going over to retrieve some supplies. 

Sitting on the couch you couldn’t help leaning forward as just across from you was a fire, a small one within the fireplace, it was enough heat to keep you from shivering.

Joel had returned with a bucket in hand, along with what looked to be a first aid kit. He sets the supplies down on the table just in front of the couch. "Arms up," he says.

You really didn't want to, but at the same time, you needed something to ease the pain. You lifted them up, gritting your teeth harshly. Joel had helped remove all your layers until you were completely shirtless. It felt strange being this exposed to someone you just met not even an hour ago.

His eyes lingered on you for a bit, observing features of you that weren't even freshly injured, He was supposed to be telling you to turn around, but it looked like he might've got distracted.

You reminded him of what he was about to do, by putting your back to him hoisting your one leg onto the couch while the other is placed on the floor. "How bad does it look?"

Your question got him back on track, causing him to furrow his brows at the sight. His hesitation to say was probably more telling than a response. The scratches were rather dark now, beginning to swell in some areas with strains of blood leaking down. "Pretty bad," he says, grabbing the rag from inside the bucket of water, "It looks like it might be getting infected."

"Oh great..." you comment, hearing the man squeeze the rag drag dry. His weight hit the couch behind you, causing you to shift while he scoots closer to you.

"Ready?"

You hummed, straightening up your posture. He didn't even give you another second after responding to prepare, the cold rag ran up one of the sharp trails, getting you to yelp. “Damn,” you whined, your fingers digging into the cushion.

“Thought you were ready,” the man says wiping away at all the red.

“And I’d thought you’d be more gentle.”

This got Joel to huff, amused by your retort. He ran another stroke across the next scratch. “Seems gentle ain’ suit you.” He noticed the other scars along your body, some overlapping the others. What stories were behind those, he wondered.

You raised your brow, gritting your teeth, “Why you say that?”.

He wanted to point out the old scars but refused, and that case he’d have to admit he was looking you over, “Not often you come across someone who travels alone. Usually people stick to groups. Seems odd you ain’ in one.”

“I get that a-lot, everybody I've run into thinks I'm a distraction. They believe I'm bait for a group, and that they'll jump out and kill them."

Joel knew that mentality well, after all he’s been on both sides of said scenario. It was haunting how many people he killed during those days, at least he now had a keen eye for when something like that was about to go down.

He hums. After rubbing off all the blood, he reaches over to the table again, pulling out a second rag, the used rag gets dumped into the bucket to rinse. Joel also opens up the first aid kit, pulling out a tiny container of alcohol. "I don't get that impression from you," the man assumes, poring a small bit of the liquor into the cloth.

"Really," you piped up carefully looking over your shoulder.

The man glares back at you. "Yeah, really."

The corner of your lips rose, at last someone wasn't accusing you of being a raider. From his relaxed voice, there wasn't much evidence to assume he was lying. The fact that he even thought about helping you should've been enough to disprove any suspicion. Although, saying your thoughts out loud would make you a hypocrite.

You couldn't trust everybody of course, but assuming everyone was untrustworthy wouldn't be of much advantage to you.

Joel finished patching you up, through applying alcohol, adding a couple of stitches, and bandaging the long scrapes; you could finally just relax. He had told you, you could stay and even offering to make a bed out of a couple of blankets. You thanked him and preferred to stay rested on the sofa where you had dosed off not long after.

You shook through the night, jerking and twitching each time you felt the cutting sensation run up your back. It made sleeping impossible, and the moment you did fall asleep, a nightmare was awaiting you inside your unconscious state. You dreamed of its claws, the jagged teeth, the crushing weight above you; playing the outcome of it tearing into you.

It felt real, too concrete, you could've swore the dream was reality, and you being saved was an outcome you made up in your head within the few seconds you had left to live.

You awoke to a slight brush run against your arm. You were still half seated in the sofa, only now leaning into the back cushion with one shoulder. You nearly jumped up at the sudden touch, thinking again you were still in the horrid dream. You couldn't be more relieved to see that it was just Joel, his figure looming in front of you.

"Hey," his voice comes out as a whisper.

For the first time you took a liking to the man's accent, the tenderness behind his vocals might just be the cure for your night terrors.

He continued to speak, "I heard you from the other room, sounded like a hustle out here," he explains, referring to your occasional grunts that rang out across the living room.

You realized what he was talking about, you flutter your eyes shut in humiliation, "Sorry," was all you could say. You felt obligated to explain yourself, to give him a good reason why you were causing a commotion. "Was having a bad dream. I'll try keeping it down, I-". It felt like a poor excuse but it was genuinely all you had to offer. Joel was understanding to your surprise.

"It's quite alright, I get those myself,” his face turning to a frown as he explained, with his thump stroking in rhythm on your skin.

The embarrassment, subsides, feeling a small connection with Joel. You didn’t expect someone, as gruff as he was to be disturbed by anything, let alone a passing dream. It didn’t make you doubt that his dreams were way worse then yours.

The older man breathes out, letting his hand slide off of your shoulder. No please, you thought, desiring his hands against your skin.

He opened his mouth, about to speak, but you grabbing his wrist cut him off. Both of you looked shocked, you more than him at your reflexes. You completely ignored the pain surging through your flesh, completely caught in a trans.

Your gazes tangled together, making your face feel flush. You look away and guide his hand towards your skin. His hands, massive in your grasp, fell once more into its previous position. Feelings of calmness and delight filled you again; just a strong as before.

It registers in Joel's mind, seeing how you reacted to him releasing his touch and the way your body relaxed reliving his warmth, that you enjoy it.

He decided to sit down next to you, this time in the direction you were facing, his touch never leaving your arm. The man wasn't tired anyway, lack of sleep just felt normal nowadays.

His fingers run long circles up and down your skin, getting a shaky breath out of you which managed to settle after a minute. No longer did your breath feel as if it was hitching your chest. His touch was sending small tingles all the way up your shoulder.

You started feeling your eyelids becoming heavy, becoming much harder to stay awake and savior how gentle the man was touching you. You could see through your blurred vision his head tilting in your direction from time to time, as he laid back into the cushion finding your skin comforting to caress.

You smirk thinking having some sort of company was his reason for rescuing you. With one eye peeled open you asked, "Did you save me just for this?" It was more of a drowsy joked than anything that slipped out.

He didn’t answer, he just kept his gaze focused on the wall ahead. Possibly even biting back the urge to smile. It was impossible to tell, with your ever darkening vision. You don’t know if you’ll get ab answer, most certainly not that night, and possibly never upfront. Still, the idea brought another smile to your face before drifting off into darkness.

[borrowedtimeandspace]

Of Borrowing and Cat Burglary

AU: The Donna Trilogy | If I Could Turn Back Time

Note: Checking back in with Doc...

~~~

San Helios, 2009 (in Earth terms)

“No, nonono, you're short on cash, you rob a bank.” The Doctor thoughtfully turned over the ancient, ornate gold cup in his hands. “Stealing this… That's a lifestyle.”

“I take it you disapprove?” said Lady Christina de Souza over the comm in his ear. Her tone carried not an ounce of care about his opinion.

“Absolutely,” he asserted. Brown eyes slid back toward the cup, gaze softening as his thoughts turned inward. “To this scale, at least…”

The Doctor felt his hold on the cup begin to slip as he lost focus, and he brought his attention back just enough to carefully return it to Christina’s bag. As he did, words came to his lips unprompted.

“Had a friend- another friend, not the one that called me ‘Spaceman’.” His hands folded together and he ran a thumb over the opposite palm, ignoring the curious chittering of the Tritovore keeping watch. “Had a similar way of life, I suppose. Only that was for survival, not a thrill. She took things she needed, things that no one would even notice were missing, that didn't have any real value. At least to the ones she took them from. Plenty valuable to her.”

“Sounds boring…”

“Not if you knew who she took things from.”

Despite jumping in to defend his friend in her absence, the Doctor realized right away that he probably shouldn't have said anything to begin with. Borrowers like Zepheera were meant to stay hidden and unknown by humans, who didn't often take too kindly to their things being nicked. Even little things. 

The Doctor had been around humanity for long enough to know that there were plenty of people on Earth who weren't monstrous enough to mistreat their inches-tall sister species. Then again, some were, and one could never be too careful. 

Zepheera knew that much firsthand.

“She had a lot more to worry about than jail time and fines, let's just say,” he concluded, trying to put the matter to rest.

Christina hummed thoughtfully. “I might've liked to meet her. I bet she's got quite the story.”

“Yeah.” The Doctor gave a sniff and glanced over his shoulder at Christina's descent rig. “She might've liked your winch.”

“Excellent taste, too!”

For the second time, the look in the Doctor's eyes grew distant. In a desperate grasp at something different to talk about, anything to derail from the painful topic he'd brought up himself, one thought bubbled up. It came forward softly, an admittance that he didn't realize Christina might like until after it was already on its way out.

“And you know… that little blue box… I stole it. From my own people.” 

“Good boy,” said Christina with an audible smile. “You were right. We make quite the team…”

~~~

“We're made for each other, you said so yourself! The perfect team.”

Back on Earth, the Doctor stood like a stone in front of his TARDIS, staring down at Lady Christina de Souza without seeing her. Her words, insistently advocating for her deserved spot aboard his ship, affected him as much as a breeze against an ancient tree. 

It was nothing he hadn't heard before. Words like hers might have moved him in the past, but he had to stand firm this time. He'd already given her his answer.

No.

Only two of Christina's words made it through the icy wall the Doctor had suddenly built between them.

“Why not?”

The Doctor could see the defeat in her eyes, asking him only for a reason that she was being left behind. Left to face the consequences of all her thievery, unavoidable now that the police had them surrounded. He couldn't give her what she wanted. She ought to know why.

“People have traveled with me, and I've lost them,” he stated bluntly. “Lost them all. Never again.”

He watched as she gave a surprised blink, but then her clever wheels turned. Behind those piercing blue eyes, she quickly began to piece together what little he'd opened up to her about. The friends he had that weren't around anymore. Probably guessing why that was, based on what she, the Doctor, and the other bus passengers had been through.

Lost in those thoughts, Christina was too distracted to resist her imminent arrest. The Doctor stepped back to lean against his TARDIS and out of the eager detective's way. 

Something about seeing Christina being led away in cuffs struck a chord with him.

Then Carmen, the woman from the bus with some sort of percipient tendencies, called out to wish him well. At first, he smiled and welcomed the distraction from the twist of discomfort inside him.

Until her well-wishes took a turn for the ominous, sounding an awful lot like a warning for his death and something dark on the horizon.

He will knock four times…

Suddenly the Doctor was in need of a distraction from his distraction. He chose the lesser of two discomforts and glanced around the corner of his box to watch Christina being led to the police car down the street. He could picture what came next. Christina would be jailed, perhaps put on trial, and likely end up in prison for all the things she stole. 

And before he could stop it, the mental image of Christina in a jail cell shifted in his mind’s eye. Thick walls of concrete and steel turned to sturdy acrylic, any humane amenities disappeared, and barred doors became solid and clear to fully display the woman in captivity.

Only it wasn't Christina anymore. This was the past, not the future, and yet it was all he could think of as he watched her being taken away.

Before he could think better of it, the Doctor fished his sonic out from his breast pocket and used it to undo the cuffs around Christina’s wrists. Nobody noticed but her, and they locked eyes and shared a knowing look.

It hadn't been very long since the Doctor freed a woman similar in spirit to Christina from captivity. Seeing her slip away and make a break for the flying bus loosened the cold grip of that terrible feeling. He let her run on by and ultimately fly off into the night sky, and he knew she would be okay in the end.

He only wished he could say the same for Zepheera.

[bodhranwriting]

So. One thing about my writing is I tend to include cool old men. I don’t know why (I do know why, I miss my grandpa a lot), but I’d just like to see which one is the coolest/most interesting.

I had several complaints about not putting the reading first so, apologies.

1. Gideon Laurence “Six” Sixsmith (The Arcane Skies trilogy)

“How could you have been so…”

Stupid wasn’t the right word. Sixsmith wasn’t stupid. He was – in Emmett’s opinion – quite clever, if not well-educated. It was the lack of long-term planning which infuriated him.

If they’d both been given a keg of explosives and told to blow up a bridge to stop an advancing army, Emmett would have spent an inordinate amount of time calculating the exact force about to be exerted, the reach of the shockwave, and what would happen to the remnants, until he got a bullet in his head when the army arrived. Sixsmith would have lit the fuse before the commander had finished speaking and probably still been standing on the bridge.

Emmett still remembered his friend’s completely bewildered reaction to his first grey hair – the man had no right to have survived to adulthood let alone old age.

2. Professor Theodore Vincent (Flies in Amber)

She remembered him as a distant speck behind a lectern: a stout man with owlish spectacles and a gruff, taut voice who very matter-of-factly had laid out the realities in becoming a necrotic archaeologist.

Those facts had included the assertion of why he was so admired. While none of his discoveries had individually been as earth-shattering as his contemporaries, he had been steady and consistent in uncovering the pertinent, careful minutiae of the past. And, unlike, his contemporaries, he was still alive and not being treated for ‘nerves’ or ‘alcoholism’.

Some of that lustre was shedding, however, the longer she watched the exchange. The youth – his assistant, Beckett assumed – looked on the verge of tears, scrambling to gather the manuscripts as Professor Vincent loomed over him.

3. Albany “Alby” Kingsfoil (Soul-Glass)

“Alby! It’s me!” I reached out and took his face in my hands, firmly forcing him to look at me. His beard was soft under my palms, his skin as weatherbeaten as my own. “Look, it’s just me, I’m sorry.”

He groaned softly and batted my hands away. “‘Lene, don’t -“ the sentence dissolved into a bout of coughing and he laid his head on the edge of the table.

I took a step closer and squeezed his shoulder. “You bastard,” I murmured, “you lied about feeling better.”

“I do -“ his voice was muffled - “but you caught me off-guard, that’s all.” He raised his head and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Besides, nobody looks the pinnacle of perfection and vitality when you petrify them near perdition.”

I opened my mouth to defend myself when I noticed the half smile hovering around the corner of his mouth.

I threw up my hands. “I’m looking up that sentence later, I don’t think those words mean what you think they do.”

But Alby smiled properly and that made the sun come out again.

4. Lord Felix Nereus Lucius Antonio Thorne (Captain Alaric’s Demise)

Thorne stopped.

Now the sensible thing to do on a night like this, with a winter storm starting to whip up the ocean outside, would be to explore further one of his partially mapped tunnels. He would be deeper in the caves, yes, but he knew, at least, what to expect. He could move more quickly and wasn’t likely to get… distracted. He wouldn’t have to worry as much about getting lost. He knew vaguely where the corridors narrowed and where the ocean seeped in and where the ceilings sloped.

It was the sensible option so therefore he ignored it.

The third tunnel was wide, the mouth black as tar.

Thorne took a breath and walked inside.

5. Sebastiaan “Bas” Hanse (Dmitry Donne, Detective for Fun)

“I’ve got a spare room,” he said finally. “And honestly, company might be nice. But you’re gonna have to pitch in for the rent.”

Bas looked up at him, wide-eyed. “Really?”

“Really.” Dmitry offered his hand. “C’mon. It’s getting cold.”

Levering the bigger man to his feet was harder than he’d thought and it turned out Bas’ bag had split at some point so it was another ten minutes before they bid farewell to Katerina and were walking towards the Silk District.

“You’re sure about this, Dmitry?”

Dmitry nodded. “I think so. Besides, can’t resist taking strays apparently.” He pursed his lips and added, “I could use your talents, actually. Being able to see the future would be very useful in my line of work.”

“I can’t see the future.”

“Of course you can.”

“Don’t be silly. I’ve just got good intuition.”

Dmitry eyed him.

“I think I’d know if I was a seer.”

“Yeah… silly of me. Your, uh, “intuition”, then.”

“You think so?”

Dmitry exhaled heavily.

“Pretty sure.”

“That’s… brilliant.” Bas beamed at him. “Sounds fun, actually, I enjoyed assisting. It’s almost as fun as acting. By the way, did I say thank you for saving my life?”

“Yes. Five times.”

“Make it six. Thanks.”

They walked on in silence. Gentle flakes started spiralling down.

“Do you cook?” Bas asked suddenly.

“Cook? Sort of. Why, do you?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll make dinner.”

“Brilliant.”

“Do you like fish?”

“Fish would be great.”

[owlseeyoulaterpal]

Like Real People Do, Chapter 5

Gale Dekarios x Named! Tav x Astarion Ancunín

Chapter Synopsis: Discussions of the past help Seraphina grow closer to Gale and Astarion.

Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Four and a Half.

Read on ao3.

Notes: This one came out kinda long! Guess I got too into it. Word Count: 3.3k

Learn more about my Tav, Seraphina.

Chapter 5: Fragments of the Past

After a raid of the jail at the goblin camp, the party returned to camp with three bottles of firewine to end their night, a deserved reprieve after learning that Halsin wouldn’t be able to remove their tadpoles and a nice, if not slightly unwise, prelude to defending the Grove the next day. 

Seraphina couldn’t tell anyone how much she was panicking. Everyone was looking to her for leadership and so far, she had only led them on a chase for a cure for the tadpole that just kept getting longer and longer all while everyone had their different requests for their party’s direction. She knew that Astarion and Shadowheart wanted to immediately start on the path to Moonrise, the location that Halsin had mentioned that the cultists were traveling to. Lae’zel wanted to get to the crèche. All three of them were upset that they were ‘wasting time’ at the Grove, but Seraphina wasn’t about to abandon her people, especially not tieflings from Elturel.

She had only spoken with Gale about her journey into Avernus and the group of heroes she traveled with to rescue Elturel. The nightmares of Avernus had become less frequent since the stress of the tadpole had taken over Seraphina’s psyche. However, she would never forget what that was like. She wasn’t going to turn her back on the innocent civilians who had survived that place, and she was grateful for Gale, Karlach, and Wyll’s support in staying to clear the road to Baldur’s Gate for the tieflings.

“Okay, okay. How about this one then?” Karlach bellowed. “Seraphina, my good luck charm, my friend,” she continued.

Seraphina turned away from her discussion with Gale on the last book he’d gifted her. She held up her goblet. “Go on, my friend,” she beamed. 

“Soldier, when was the last time you were in love?” Karlach asked. 

“This should be good,” Shadowheart teased.

Seraphina felt her chest get tighter. Everyone was looking at her and she felt like her skin was crawling. She looked at Astarion, who lifted his eyebrows and nodded for her to get on with it. It wasn’t until she looked at Gale, sitting right next to her, that she felt the confidence she needed to answer flow through her veins. His face looked so soft, so open, and intrigued. She held his gaze, letting it calm her, as she took a deep breath before she averted her gaze to look at the others.

“The last time was last summer,” Seraphina said wistfully. When she blinked, she was suddenly back in the temple, sobbing and tripping over her dress as she paced back-and-forth, staring at the clock as the minutes ticked by. She blinked again, suddenly back at the fire surrounded by her newfound friends, and she surprised herself when a laugh burst its way forward from deep in her belly. 

“I was supposed to get married, actually.”

Gasps and shocked shouts quickly followed.

“Married?” Gale balked.

“Who in the world managed to convince you that was a good idea?” Shadowheart asked.

“Tying yourself to another for life? Chk,” Lae’zel scoffed as she took a swig of her drink.

Seraphina giggled. It all seemed so ridiculous now. Or it could just be the wine.

“Well, go on. Tell all, darling,” Astarion said. “I’m sure this is a love story the bards of the Sword Coast will sing about for ages.”

Seraphina rolled her eyes.

“The abbreviated version of the story is that we met on a contract in Neverwinter two years ago in the summer. We were protecting some people and their cargo, and it was a long trek. We spent a lot of time together and, once the contract was done, we just kept traveling together,” she began. “He asked me to marry him on the winter solstice. We had to go our separate ways for a while, but we wrote each other letters constantly.”

She shifted slightly, trying to keep up her usual bright demeanor as she tried to wrap up the story as quickly as possible.

“Anyway, he came to stay with my family in Baldur’s Gate and we planned the wedding. The wedding day came that summer and he didn’t show up at the temple. He wrote me a letter apologizing, but I haven’t seen him since,” Seraphina finished, grabbing a bottle of firewine, and filling her goblet.

“Seraphina, I’m so sorry,” Gale said in a hushed tone. “Such heartbreak must’ve been…well, nothing short of devastating.” 

“That’s truly horrible, but it seems like he was a coward. He obviously wasn’t worth your time, though few long-term romances are,” Shadowheart said sympathetically.

“It is funny that you say that. He’s a Harper,” Seraphina added. The entire circle began to laugh. “Truly a vision of the bravery of those who’ve assigned themselves to defend the Realms.”

“Soldier, if we ever see his face, say the word and Mama K will take care of it,” Karlach said.

“Did you at least keep the ring?” Astarion joked.

“I sold it, and I gave the gold as an offering to Lady Luck. But enough about me. Wyll!” Seraphina shouted. “Tell us about the least threatening monster you’ve had to kill.”

As Wyll instantly began his tale and attention shifted, Seraphina stood, walking over to her tent, and gulping down her wine. Her thoughts started to swim with memories of all the times she thought she would die in Avernus and how her thoughts swam with visions of Vadan amongst all the flashes of the faces of her family.

“Seraphina,” Gale called out. She turned and he was rising from the campfire. As he walked up to her, she watched his features as they transitioned from being under the orange glow of the fire to the ethereal light from the moon. She felt her knees go weak. He was devastatingly handsome, and she thought she might whine from how desperate she was to kiss him. Maybe it would silence her churning thoughts.

She probably shouldn’t have refilled her goblet.

“Hello,” she murmured with a gentle smile and only a slight slur. She sat down on the rug outside her tent, and he joined her, grunting as he bent down.

“Hello,” Gale returned her smile. “We don’t have to dwell on it, but I just wanted to tell you that your former beloved sounds like he was nothing short of a fool.” 

“I don’t disagree.”

“The only thing he did right, clearly, was win over your affections. Though he obviously wasn’t deserving of them.” His intense gaze gave Seraphina butterflies.

“Thank you, Gale. I really appreciate that,” she elbowed him gently, and he smiled as he leaned into her, resting his arm against hers. 

“To have captured your heart so completely and then to hurt you in such a way. I could never imagine doing such a thing to you.”

Gale’s lips suddenly clapped shut. Seraphina watched pink flood across Gale’s nose and cheeks, and she couldn’t help but grin.

“I’ve clearly had too much wine. I beg you to forget I said that. My verbosity can make me blabber far too much. We don’t have to continue discussing him,” Gale murmured, turning to avoid looking at her.

“It’s okay, Gale. I honestly haven’t had or taken the time to talk about what happened between us and that’s been hard because I…I associate him with a lot, unfortunately. When we met, my trial from Tymora had just begun. I fumbled with a sword more than I used my magic because I was so scared. He –” Seraphina cut herself off to clear her throat.

“It’s alright,” Gale whispered, his hand reaching up and rubbing soothing circles on her arm.

“When I was too scared to use my magic, he taught me how to use a glaive. He eventually helped me stop being afraid of my magic and I never felt so alive as when I started practicing again with him by my side. He was so kind in the beginning that I never could’ve been prepared for how we ended.” 

“Take comfort in knowing you aren’t alone when it comes to having a former lover who struggled with tact,” he responded as he looked up at the moon.

It was only earlier that day that Gale had admitted the truth about the nature of the orb in his chest and his former relationship with Mystra. She couldn’t fathom defying her own goddess as he did, but Seraphina’s heart broke listening to his story and it broke again because of how long he had hidden this danger from her and their party.

“I care too much about you to abandon you now, Gale.” 

It slipped out in front of everyone and once she said it, she couldn’t take it back.

“May Tymora bless our futures with virtuous and tactful lovers,” Seraphina replied, raising her goblet. 

“May the Smiling Lady shine on us,” Gale laughed as he clinked his goblet with hers and they both finished their wine. He stood and Seraphina rose with him. She wasn’t even sure why she did that. She was drawn to him as if the damned wizard had charmed her. She awkwardly took a step back.

 “I see I was successful at putting you in a better mood before bed.” He pointed behind her and Seraphina became aware of how hard her tail was wagging back and forth. 

“Well, yes, you did do that,” Seraphina admitted sheepishly, her tail curling in to wrap around her leg. “Goodnight, Gale” she said as she opened her arms. He hesitated for a moment, and she considered curling into a ball and requesting Karlach to launch her into the river.

Her catastrophizing ended as Gale smiled and leaned closer to her, slightly bending down to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her in. She tilted her head to avoid her horns harming him, wrapping her arms around his neck. They stayed like that, swaying. She could feel his heartbeat hammering against her chest, the warmth of his arms and the strength in his grip as he pressed their bodies together, and his scent overwhelmed her senses. It was as if she was surrounded by Gale. 

He squeezed her and sighed happily as he pulled away, a dim purple glow peeking out from under the collar of his nightshirt.

“Goodnight, Seraphina,” He smiled one last time and turned to go his tent. As he walked away, Seraphina saw that everyone was also heading inside of their tent. 

She walked over to the sandy shore near the river and kneeled, clutching her Tymoran pendant in her hands as she bowed her head in prayer.

Lady Luck, I thank you for your guidance today. It was your light that helped us – 

“Can you make a request to your goddess for me, my dear?”

She snapped her head up to see that Astarion had silently approached and fully sat down next to her without her even hearing a thing.

“She listens to all who call out to her. I can pray with you if you wou –” 

“Oh, there’s no need for all that,” he waved his hand dismissively. “I prayed to every god in the pantheon while in Cazador’s kennels. None ever answered. I doubt they’ll do so now.”

“I’m so sorry, Astarion.”

“But at least one clearly listens to you. I just think it would be nice to stumble upon some good fortune and find someone who can read bloody infernal. I don’t understand how anyone reads that garbage,” Astarion said. “If Tymora can send anyone like that my way, I could consider viewing the Goddess of Luck in a different light.”

“For some people, infernal is in our blood. If…if you want to know what your scars say, I can tell you. I just thought you weren’t interested in knowing what the poem said,” Seraphina replied slowly, carefully choosing her words to avoid offending Astarion and sending him scurrying away, his mask and walls back up again. 

His eyes widened at first, his eyebrows lifting. He must’ve forgotten or didn’t know that tieflings could read infernal. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she could feel him observing her face closely. 

“Hmm. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” Astarion finally replied. He turned his back to her, and she swore she saw his fingers tremble as he removed his shirt with one hand in a singular fluid motion. 

Seraphina held back a gasp as she looked at the scars on his back. They looked even more grotesque from this closer view. She felt her skin crawl as she imagined how torturous it must’ve been to endure and she felt rage for his former master bubbling inside her. She scooted a little bit away from him and began to draw out the infernal in the sand.

“If you want to see it, here it is. But it’s all infernal legalese. It’s just a small part of a bigger text,” she explained as he turned around. His eyes widened again in horror.

“That bastard. What in the hells did he do to me? What was he up to?” Astarion shook his head in disbelief.

“You never saw him write in infernal before?”

“No. But…” he hesitated and, as he put his shirt back on, he looked at the drawing again before looking up to meet her gaze. “Thank you. This is…well…it’s something.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

“Aren’t you sweet?”

“I try to be.”

Astarion chuckled as he reached for her, gripping her waist and pushing her into the sand, forcing a giggle out of her. He hovered over her, caging her in with his arms before slotting his hips between her legs.

“You deserve a reward for being so kind,” he murmured, his words dripping with seduction as he leaned down and began to kiss along her jaw and neck. 

“You don’t have to reward me for being nice to you,” she gasped as he began to softly nip, never breaking her skin. 

His responding laugh rumbled through her body as he continued pressing wet kisses to her neck, his cold lips making her shiver.

“We both know you want something, so let me give it to you. Now, shall we go somewhere more private than this beach?”

“Maybe I just wanted to talk to you.”

Astarion laughed again, lifting his head to look at her. “You would rather talk?” All mirth left his face as his smile dropped. “Do you need to be enticed out to that clearing with me, darling? Surely, I haven’t fallen out of your favor.” His body stiffened. 

“No, you haven’t,” she hummed as she reached up and tucked a few stray white curls behind his ear. She let her fingers trail down his high cheekbones and down his jaw. He was still tense, and she cursed herself as she started to pull her hand away. If this was all just a fling, she was getting too affectionate.

“So why deprive me of the sweetness between your legs, lover?” Astarion asked, taking one of her fingers between his lips and gently sucking, his tongue flicking over the pad of her finger. She let out a breathy sigh, nearly a moan, as he slowly grinded his hips against hers.

Truthfully, a romp with him would distract her from her growing anxiety. However, she still needed energy for the morning.

“You have an infernal pact on your back that I think is more pressing to discuss,” she gasped as a fang nicked her finger. Astarion’s tongue swirled around her finger, sucking up the blood before he released it with an audible ‘pop.’ 

“That doesn’t concern you, you know,” he murmured. 

“I know. Now let’s try and figure this out.”

He sighed, moved off her, and sat up, looking towards the water. Seraphina moved into a seated position, her body humming from his touch, but she wasn’t going to let him use seduction to weasel his way out of this discussion.

Suddenly, Seraphina felt the skin on her neck quiver. At the same moment, she saw Astarion’s ears twitch, and his head quickly spun towards the forest. 

A beat of silence.

“Someone’s watching us,” she whispered.

“Stay here,” he commanded. He leapt to his feet and in a flash, he had disappeared into the trees. Seraphina slowly rose to her feet, straining her ears. She couldn’t see anything moving, even with her ability to see into darkness a great distance. ‘Ardere’ danced on the tip of her tongue as she prepared her hands to cast the spell, creeping closer and closer to the tree line.

As the minutes kept passing, she considered waking the others and going in after Astarion. She saw a shadow move and then, in a flash of white, Astarion leapt in front of her. She jumped and a small bolt of fire flew towards his feet. 

“Nothing,” Astarion said. 

“That…was strange,” Seraphina replied, her heart racing. “I know what I felt.”

“I heard something too. Go rest. I’ll keep watch,” Astarion said, looking over his shoulder into the woods once more.

“Let me stay with you for a little while,” Seraphina said, a little too quickly. “We aren’t done talking.”

Astarion scoffed. “Fine.”

He led her closer to the dying campfire and they sat facing the woods. Seraphina cleared her throat.

“So, what’s on your back is just one piece of a contract. Can you guess where the rest would be?” she asked.

“I wasn’t Cazador’s only spawn. He tortured all of us, so I don’t think it would be outrageous to assume that the rest are also carrying a piece of this…contract,” Astarion mused.

“How many others were there?”

“Six. He considered us ‘brothers and sisters.’”

“That’s a lot of text,” Seraphina sighed. “Alright. We’ll find someone who knows something. I swear that to you.”

“Maybe,” Astarion sighed. 

The silence hung in the air for a moment. Astarion was staring into the forest, his head slightly moving as he carefully analyzed the perimeter, his eyebrows furrowed. His fingers tapped the log they sat on. Seraphina hadn’t seen him so deep in thought before.

“Your… ‘brothers and sisters’…did you all act like siblings?”

“I don’t exactly know what that’s like, but I doubt it includes torturing each other.”

Seraphina winced.

“Did you have siblings before…”

“Before Cazador turned me?” Astarion let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Darling, I don’t even remember what color my eyes used to be before they turned red. If I had siblings, I don’t remember them.”

“It’s one of the most unique relationships you can have with someone, I think.”

“Ha! Well, we all certainly had a unique dynamic. I assume you have them?”

Seraphina grinned. “I have six siblings as well. I’m the youngest.”

“What are their names?”

“You first.”

Astarion hesitated.

“Aureila, Yousen, Violet, Leon, Dalyria, and Petras,” he said, the tension in his jaw slowly leaving. He nodded at her.

“There’s Draven, the twins Kyakos and Maven, Sylvera, Kalista, Malachor, and then me. Draven is the oldest and I’m not as close as him as I am with the others, but he went with me on my first adventure. He did that for all of us. It was kind of his ‘big brother duty,’” Seraphina started. “I’m closest with Malachor. I actually think you two would get along quite well.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“I could see you two getting up to mischief together. In fact, he taught me how to pick a lock.”

“Well, you’re not that good at it, so he probably needs some pointers. I have him to thank for how many tools you’ve broken trying to open chests and doors without me.”

“On second thought, maybe it would be a bad idea to put you two egotistical bastards in the same room.”

The sky turned from black to gentles hues of purple and orange as they talked. They didn’t hear anything else from the woods. Eventually, Astarion directed her to sleep, reminding her that she needed far more rest than he did. She didn’t want to tell him the truth that talking with him was a pleasant distraction from the terror that was starting to eat her alive. 

Tymora did not look highly upon cowardice. Fortune favors the bold.

She would show no fear.

[kadextra]

Pomme’s Diary - Day 1 : The Beginning

Full transcription under the cut!

~~~~~~~

Once again, I woke up in this gloomy place. The silence was deafening. I felt so weak, and I felt pain due to the hunger. I don't think I would have survived another day. As I felt myself slowly slipping into unconsciousness again, I could hear voices in the distance. I haven't heard voices for a long time.

Voices. I heard them sometimes. Generally, these voices were just passing through and did not linger long, passing on their way very quickly. I had already lost all hope that one of them would come to help me. I don't think they knew I was there.

But this time, the voices seemed to come closer. More and more. Painfully, I opened my eyes. Through a hazy veil that prevented me from seeing distinctly, I discerned faces. Lots of different people there in front of me. Their voices blended and echoed. Who were they?

Quickly, I felt a new sensation come over me. A mixture of fear and panic, which I now know to be adrenaline. Listening only to my instincts, I ran out of this prison to the outside, looking for a hiding place to escape all this noise and these people who terrified me.

They ran after me as well, shouting at me to watch out for mines. But what are mines?

I looked up and for the first time saw the sky. Sunlight, a gentle comforting and soothing warmth.

Gradually, I came to my senses and I was able to see again. The voices had quieted down, seeming to understand that I was scared.

"Hello Pomme, do you like this name?" said a soft, soothing voice. I looked up at them. It's a very pretty name, indeed. I immediately liked it.

Gradually, people moved away to chat among themselves and there was only me and Baghera left. She seemed so kind, and she seemed to immediately understand my fears and wanted to protect me. From that moment, I knew she would be my mom.

A few minutes later, we met BadBoyHalo and Dapper. I must admit that Dapper scared me quite a bit, because he had a big scythe that was three times his size, and he was walking me around with a lasso. Having no idea how to react, I hid behind my mom Baghera.

Very quickly, Forever had joined us to escort us to the Favelas. On the way, Richarlyson had offered me iron armor to be better protected, and asked me lots of questions to get to know me. I asked him his name, and he told me I could call him Richas!

Once we arrived at the Favela, everyone was together again and it was very noisy and exhausting for me. Richas noticed it and took me to a quieter corner, and kept me company until I felt better. I knew right away that he was going to be my best friend.

As the days went by, I got to know this world that was completely new to me.

I enjoyed the freedom of being able to walk, run, eat delicious meals. Those who became my parents very quickly took care of me, giving me armor and weapons to defend myself if necessary. They had built me a small house of reinforced stone, so that I would be safe. And very quickly, I also learned to paint, to photograph and to write.

I still look back regularly and fondly on that day. It was the start of a whole lot of things. And it's funny to see how they have evolved.

From now on, Baghera, Forever and BadBoyHalo form an inseparable trio. Just like Richas, Dapper and me!

Even better: Dapper has become my big brother, I love and admire him a lot. He probably doesn't know, but he's helping me so much to overcome my anxiety and fears.

I feel so grateful for everything. I'm happy to be alive, and to have such great family and friends. I cherish every moment and every memory, and I hope we can have many more happy moments. <3

-End-