#and I feel like the mission shorts encapsulate it perfectly

[reedeemable]

Yeah, bitch! I'm the fucking "chupra-ca-dupra" and I'm here to fuck you aaaall.

HELLUVA SHORTS 4 // MISSION: CHUPACABRAS

[withonly-sweetheart]

calm tf down with re4 (og) leon. wow haven't updated this in a while huh... inspired by this post that randomly showed up on my dash (i dont even play lads... anyways)

lowkey lost interest near the end if anyone has got ideas on how to make it better please lmk i hate the end.. unoriginal jj fr!!!

as always nsfw mentions ahead <3

<><><><>

you feel out of place in the environment. a red blot in what is supposed to seem like a vivid setting, yet the frills of your gown barely stretch past your knees, and you're struggling to hide your discomfort. you don't belong here and yet your boyfriend...

leon, charming as ever, is perfectly at ease, chatting with someone on the table adjacent to your shared one, as if he goes on meetings with the president's daughter in his free time. a spool of envy threads up your throat at his steady flow of conversation, how the woman he's speaking to seems to melt at his words.

he turns back to you, grinning madly, yet his expression softens at your own. "what's wrong?"

"nothing." you keep your reply short, bitter like the bile rising in your throat. the fabric around you seems to constrict your air, wrapping around you with a vise-like grip.

he watches you sputter. "are you sure?"

"yes." it'll take more than that to convince at first, your training officer; a man that's known you for more than a year, and your boyfriend, a man who knows you inside and out.

he tried his best to get you out of this, he really did. he told them to give it to officer redfield, but when valentine was a no-show, of course it was handed to the cop at the end of the line and his skitterish rookie.

leon doesn't blame you. hell, he was like this when he first started. he recalls his missions going to shit half the time, officers screaming in his face. he learned to adapt to that, that if you want to be the best, you have to make your voice heard. you struggle with that.

even now, you're struggling to tell him what's wrong. he should know his fucking girlfriend better than that, so he watches your face contort, flipping through emotions like you can't decide exactly how you feel, settling on a look of apprehension and disgust.

"what's the matter, don't like the dress?" he muses.

"it's fine," you mumble in response. "let's just get this over with."

you don't understand why he won't just drop it. you've said that you're okay multiple times, can't he just take the hint? some part of you realizes you're not being too subtle about your thoughts.

taming your expression, you force yourself to look away from the ruffles of your skirt, palming the fabric, the friction somewhat calming you as you stare at what is supposed to be a criminal.

a felon, convicted of murder and assaulting a fellow cop, and yet all you see is a father gazing with the utmost adoration at his daughter as she strolls up the stage, towards the back, to her waiting groom.

they unlink arms, and you force yourself to see the man with aged eyes, much like your own father's, dressed in an orange and black jumpsuit. never a tuxedo.

not like what leon's wearing, the same covered arm that you've watched twist hands behind backs and cuff them, same arm that rattles in preparation to fill out reports, only to shove them to you. leon's not a big fan of paperwork, that much is safe to say.

but you keep feeling eyes on you. you aren't the star of the show, that beautiful, perfect girl up there is, with her shining eyes and glowing skin, with lips that slowly encapsulate her husband, wedding rings exchanged in a ceremony that drags on longer than it should.

you don't scorn her for it. this is her big day, and you're glad she's getting the attention she deserves. everyone should be watching her, all eyes on the gorgeous bride.

so why do leon's eyes keep flitting back to you?

"what are you looking at?" you finally find the courage to spit it out right when the guests disperse to find family members, friends, and of course, congratulate the bride.

"you." you blink.

"no shit, but why?"

"you seem... off." leon tilts his head. "you seeing something i'm not?"

"well..." you trail off and don't finish your sentence, leaving him hanging by a thread you hope breaks soon.

soon enough, the father gathers everyone back to the stage, and you uncross your legs, tapping a frantic beat onto the floor. your heart jolts in your chest as the man tosses you a knowing look.

as if on instinct, you scoot your chair closer to leon's, and without batting an eye, his hand protectively curls around your arm. you wish you could break eye contact with the suspect to give him a questioning look, but his stance is unpredictable, and you'd be lying if the warmth from leon's hand doesn't seep through skin and calm your nerves a bit.

"i'd like to say... thank you," he says, thick accent coating his voice as he continues, "for coming to my little girl's wedding. this was such a special day to me, and i hope she enjoyed it just as much as i did."

he turns to welcome her rushing hug, trailed by her new husband and what you assume to be the rest of her family. you hope that all is as it seems, and that there is no threat.

leon doesn't seem to think the same, judging by his creeping hand towards your waist, lying on your thigh and slowly making its ascent upwards. he's searching for a gun.

and you grit your teeth. yet another mistake. "shit."

"what's wrong?" he asks, voice hushed.

"i forgot to bring one," you admit.

"one what?" he says, humming in response.

"a gun," you hiss quietly, trying to keep your voice low as to not attract any unwanted attention.

he turns his face, a smirk curving his lips.

"i'm not looking for one."

series masterlist

[casscainmainly]

Bruce Wayne & Cassandra Cain in Batgirl (2000)

My last post covered the top 10 moments overall, but I had to skip a lot of my favourite moments involving specifically Batman and Batgirl. So here's a non-comprehensive, chronological list of great Bruce & Cass moments!!

Who Does She Remind You Of?

One of the most interesting things about their relationship is that initially, Cass doesn't have a name and doesn't know Bruce's name; they are purely Batgirl and Batman. This lack of alter ego allows Bruce to identify very heavily with Cass, and sets up the foundation for why Bruce acts the way he does later. He views Cass as a mirror of himself, which has both positive and negative repercussions.

You Can't Understand A Word I'm Saying

EXTREMELY underrated Bruce and Cass moment from Issue #2. Though I believe they fundamentally understand each other, there's still a disconnect between them (a disconnect Cass shares with everyone). But this disconnect goes both ways - Bruce is the one having trouble communicating here, saying 'I don't know how to say this' and pausing frequently (this speech pattern is very reminiscent of Cass' inner monologue towards the end of this run!). A great example of how neither of them are fully able to express the depth of their feelings towards each other.

Denial

A pivotal moment in Bruce's conception of Cass. When confronted with evidence that she killed a man, Bruce goes into complete denial. She's 'gentle', fully understanding his rejection of murder; how can she be a murderer? It's indicative of just how much he's projecting onto Cass, but also how much he genuinely cares about her. The second panel is underrated too - like David Cain, Bruce sees Cass as 'perfect', a word that will haunt Cass for arcs to come. This is where we start to see how Bruce's belief in Cass' perfection and morals negatively impacts her self-conception (as a perfect tool/weapon).

Good Answer

An incredible moment that's classic for a reason. Perfectly encapsulates both Cass' instinctive desire to protect, and Bruce's recognition of how similar Cass is to him. Also how his belief in her, however unintentionally, feeds into her death wish.

Jason Todd

Another underrated moment!!! This is the first major instance of conflict between death-wish Cass and no-more-dead-kids Bruce, and it's delicious. Bruce willingly opens up to her about Jason's death, and moreover, by comparing Cass to Jason, positions her as his child as well. It's sweet and sad and explains some of Bruce's more overprotective moments.

Denial 2

Not really denial but thematically it fits. When Bruce is framed for murder, the Batfam try to figure out what really happened. Cass sees that Dick has doubts, and helps him re-enact the murder so that he can believe in Bruce again. Not only is it a super sweet Dick-Cass moment, but it also shows how Cass believes in Bruce just as much as Bruce believes in Cass.

Good

A short and sweet moment that showcases how similar these two are. Bruce isn't exactly being a good dad here, but Cass genuinely DIDN'T enjoy that vacation. They just get each other. This is one of many, many times that Cass answers one of Bruce's questions perfectly (and makes Bruce smile).

Overprotective Dad Mode

In the second part of Batgirl (2000), Cass begins to explore her sexuality. This leads to issues of varying quality, BUT we do get tons of overprotective Bruce. A nice showcase of Bruce doing typical dad stuff, and Superman looking SO done. Also Cass in that first panel is hilarious.

Realisation

After lots of (rightful) heckling from Babs, Bruce finally realises that the way he's been using and treating Cass isn't right. Though this speech is couched in a lot of dismissive language ('disobedient', 'she was loyal'), I think that's just Bruce's inability to communicate. He cannot admit how much he cares for her. So he decides to fire her and tells her she jeopardises the MISSION (which, obviously, makes Cass feel terrible). Even when he's trying to put her first, his lack of communication skills only hurts her.

He Never Let Me Touch Him

The Bruce and Cass scene to END all Bruce and Cass scenes. Each panel is loaded with meaning. The first shows that despite Bruce's similarities to Cain, he still IS different; he is willing to be vulnerable around her, and allows her to do the same around him. The third panel is particularly interesting. Underneath all the ideological sniping between him and Babs, Bruce is jealous - he wants to be the centre of Cass' life and loyalty. Cass, however, doesn't fall into the trap. By pointing to the Bat, she both affirms her loyalty to his mission but also refuses any box he can put her in. She is his daughter, but she is not only his daughter, and never will be.

Honourable mention: the only reason I didn't put the Father's Day panel here was because I've already written about it. Also the scene where they mutually touch each other's faces and turn away of course!

[360iris]

I don’t really write smut nowadays but fuck it— without further ado, here’s my nsfw moon knight system headcanons (plus scene blurbs)

Steven is considerate. You could use a myriad of words to describe how he is in bed in fact, like attentive, or accommodating and devoted to pleasing you.

The word that truly encapsulates the experience, that describes what mindset he so seamlessly slips into when his eyes darken and his objective becomes razor focused however, would be generous.

Because Steven, first and foremost, always aims to please when it comes to you. He wants to know that you’re throughly satiated and well aware of how desirable you are in his eyes.

A misconception you’d had early on in your relationship with him was that he’d be gentle, in a borderline overboard kind of way. Not that you would have minded much, but somewhere along the line you’d just convinced yourself that he’d be soft, meek and docile— looking to you for encouragement, or perhaps even instruction on more than one occasion.

You most certainly did not expect for Steven to be the type of man that uses you like he needs it.

Like nothing in the world could get between him and his objective to have your cum covering him, sliding down his fingers and dripping from his wrists. His nose, chin and throat wet from how ferociously he eats you out.

Steven fucks you dumb, making it his personal mission to have you cum so many times that you lose count, but don’t worry because he never does.

“The kitchen counter is cold, the metal handle to the cabinets that currently press into your shoulders even moreso, but you deem the momentary discomfort minuscule and insignificant to the sexual tension that surrounds you and your boyfriend.

The unadulterated want courses through you like electricity. It makes you jittery, causing your hands at your sides to clench at nothing, making futile clawing motions on the dark surface as your pupils dilate, swallowing your irises whole and perfectly mirroring his reflection back at him.

Maybe you should feel embarrassed by how intense and delicious a simple caress of the tips of his fingers against your covered bundle of nerves feels— because it’s a signifier of how desperate you are for him, but any inklings of potential shame are quickly smothered in a blinding instance when his hand slips past the band of your underwear.

The pads of two coarse fingers set into a rotating circular motion as his left hand palms and firmly squeezes at the exposed skin of your thigh, holding your legs open even as you twitch from pleasure.

His grip maintaining even as you begin flinching and jolting in small, sporadic bursts. Even as you helplessly grip at the material clothed on his broad shoulders, cry into his collar and cum so intensely the long sleeves of his shirt are wet to his forearms.

Steven is many things, can be described many ways but above all else, he is generous in his affection and in the way he makes love.”

Jake could be described as rough, unrelenting. Possessive even, in the way he commands so much of you, that he might as well be taking all you have to offer and what remains after that too.

He’s consuming, with a hungry, ravenous sort of appetite for you, you, you.

Jake’s guaranteed to take the cake for the messiest fucks you’ve ever had.

He wants you wanton and cock drunk. Demanding nothing short of your makeup ending the night smeared and unrecognizable to its initial form, with his spit on your face and his cum dripping out of your cunt.

In the way that Steven uses you like he needs the satisfaction of knowing your pleasure is a direct product of his labor— Jake uses you as though you were a sex doll, made for his pleasure, for his use.

Though it’s not to be mistaken that he doesn’t care for you, when on the contrary the man loves you like you were akin to a cherished stuffed animal.

He focuses in on you, making the act of fucking you his only priority and mission. And you can’t say he doesn’t play to his strengths, doing his job well.

“Perhaps not every woman, but as you imagined it, most women wanted to feel pampered and special during sex.

A nice dinner date beforehand, the end result happening somewhere comfortable and lush, like in a comfortable bed fitted with soft sheets, a plush duvet and fluffy pillows. The whole nine yards laid out essentially.

You wondered how many expected to end the night like you were, slouched in the fine leather seat of your partner’s limo? Your left leg extended and pressed against your chest, leaving your core as open as the space— and your current level of flexibility, would allow for.

But you were more than certain that not many could say they’d experienced Jake Lockley like this. His cap, gloves and outerwear long since discarded. His pupils blown as his hips surge forward, hips meeting your own in ferocious and sturdy thrusts that have you moaning unintelligibly.

“Keep your leg up.” He commands, growling into the juncture of your neck as he maintains such a relentless speed— the intensity making it increasingly difficult to hold your limb up without any additional assistance.

After a particularly penetrating slip of his cock, your grip falters for the umpteenth time and Jake’s retribution is swift and brutal but sweet as he finally takes charge of the one task you were currently fucked too dumb to do.

The trimmed nails of his left hand dip into your thigh, creating half moons in their wake as his other hand finds it’s way into your hair. Looping his fingers into the strands, he issues out a rather punishing tug.

Freeing his digits only to give your face a disciplinary slap that seems to offer less towards correcting your insubordination, and more towards encouraging it as you simply moan shamelessly in the wake of the sting.

The sharp impact easily overshadowed by the resounding sloshes that originate further bellow. Slick thoroughly coating your thighs, his cock and the snow white leather of the seats below you.”

Marc’s method is slow and purposeful. He prefers to take his time with you.

It’s always the little things with him. Like the way he makes a point of holding the back of your neck, his forehead resting against yours as he thrusts in such a deliberate and gradual manner— all just so he can make sure you feel every inch fill you up before hollowing you out again.

He’s needy, just as he wants you to be for him. He’s also firm in his grip on your body as he pleasures you. Marc always makes sure to hold you close to him, as though you’d slip out of his grasp like drifting sand.

This is also the reason he has a bit of a cum play kink? Though it’d have less to do about “breeding” and more to do with claiming you as his own.

Marc wants to leave you used simply because he quietly enjoys the sight of his cum leaking from you; and loves the act of slipping your underwear back over the mess to have you walk around with.

Orgasms are more impactful and earth-shattering focused with him because he wants you to be obsessed with how he makes you feel. He wants to leave you unwilling to ever settle for fucking anyone else again.

This guy has the most debilitating praise kink, and that means that simple phrases like ‘good boy’ don’t cut it! You have to get creative and personal!

He would absolutely dematerialize and reform into the most feral version of himself if you ever whispered, “Your cock is made for me, baby. I need you, Marc. I need you, honey.” —into the shell of his ear as he fucked you.

“Desire is generally a fickle concept. People’s feelings ever changing and fluctuating in the same way nature alternates between seasons.

What someone wants today, they scoff at tomorrow, rolling past wants off their plates like freezer burnt peas.

When it came to Marc, the things that he wanted seemed to stay the same. He was just a simple guy like that, in a sense. Old fashioned and committed once he had his mind set.

Marc makes how head over heels in love he is with you abundantly clear, every time he fucks you.

With the way he holds you in between his arms and against his chest like he never wants to let go. And the way he makes a mission out of kissing every inch of your face, no matter how sweaty you are.

He wants his love to forever be a part of you and he’ll get the job done, no matter how many kisses it takes.

Though you keep this tidbit to yourself, your favorite part of sex with Marc is when he cums.

He’s all tensing muscles, deep breathy moans and needy hands that grasp for you as he struggles to make his way back through the foggy veil of dopamine-induced euphoria.

The man having a habit of fighting through his pleasure like he’s being forced to wade through high levels of water. But you try to make it as calming as possible, mouthing at his Adam’s Apple with tentative nibbles and kissing into the curve of his jawline as he rides it through.”

a/n: just finished my final proof reading! this took me days to work on in short sections because I have work and stuff— but reading everything back has me so shdhdh lmao this is just so hornknee!!

this really isn’t something I do much of anymore because i find my old nsfw fics to be really cringe,, anyway I hope you guys enjoy it 🫣🫠😩😭

[hoppipolla]

"Cha Yeo Woon's life and my lousy life can find happiness too."

I was wrong. Tae Myung Ha’s behaviour didn’t change after learning that him failing his mission, that him failing to make Cha Yeo Woon happy, would cost his life. What does it mean really? What does his mission truly entail? Making sure his presence brings Yeo Woon happiness? And what about when he’s no longer around? How will Yeo Woon feel? What happens to him when he’s no longer there? What does it mean to make Yeo Woon happy if his happiness is as ephemeral as his presence in the same world as him?

Myung Ha is aware that the clock is ticking. Not just because of the time reminder that unexpectedly appears in front of him, he knows he was given a mission in this game in which he knows the main character more than himself.

Although the lines are becoming blurry between the real and the virtual world (him wondering who that “senior” is in ep 4 when he rereads his notes in his notebook hints at this blur) he remains aware of the short time frame he has to make that happiness – that vague idea as his senior describes it – real for Yeo Woon. But you know what? It’s never been about Yeo Woon’s happiness. Not really. As early as episode 1, Myung Ha makes a parallel between his life and Yeo Woon’s, saying that people who have led miserable lives can become happy. Myung Ha refuses to be defined by the life he has led until now. It kills him to know that his senior thinks someone like Yeo Woon is doomed to live a miserable life. That’s why one of the first things he does when his world collides with his is to look for the boundaries Yeo Woo has(n’t?) defined for his happiness: when did he ever feel remotely happy (“Cha Yeo Woon, have you really never felt happy while you run? Never. Really? You can be… dumb sometimes.” (ep 2)), Does he want to eat an ice cream? Does he want new shoes? What are you looking for Cha Yeo Woon? What makes you get up in the morning when the sun rays gently hit your face? How long have you been this lonely? How cold do you feel inside? Why do you feel like you don’t deserve my kindness? Why does your voice break when you talk about yourself? Why do I feel like your eyes hide a pain whose depths I can’t fathom? Why do you hate yourself the most? Why does it bother you when I hang out with Sang Won? You said I didn’t know anything, then tell me, what am I missing?

If happiness was something Myung Ha could give to Yeo Woon, he would give it to him, in an instant. But happiness is not something you can give to someone. It’s something you invite in and let the other decide if he’s willing to let it come in. But how can Myung Ha teach Yeo Woon to welcome happiness when he has never been able to do so himself?

Tae Myung Ha is the kind of person who forgets himself when he cares for someone. Although he knows his penalty is death, although the debuffs affect him physically, he brushes it off easily. Because his senior has given him the power to make his favourite person happy. However, it scares him to have such a power because it means that, ultimately, Yeo Woon’s happiness will rely on his presence by his side. When Kyung Hoon mentions how they’ll be drinking together in their twenties, Myung Ha is startled: what do you mean I’ll be part of your future? I mean, can I? Will I? This realisation shocks him. What do you do when you’re supposed to be the key to a locked door only for the door to change lock as soon as you open it? What is he supposed to do? Isn’t it cruel? Make Yeo Woon happy only to leave him behind? This matter of time frame is exactly why he easily shakes off the idea of dating him in ep 1 because he is convinced he won’t have time for it to happen. A relationship builds itself with time and time is what he doesn’t have, not really anyway.

I like how time is depicted in this drama, how it perfectly encapsulates how incomprehensible its cogs work. Myung Ha has only been around for less than two weeks and yet he’s already had a huge impact on the people around him: he became Kyung Hoon’s friend, Sang Won’s new obsession, Si A’s helper/part-timer, and Yeo Woon’s light. Everything is happening so fast and yet it all makes sense. It doesn’t feel rushed at all because it’s Myung Ha. Because he’s the kind of person you grow attached to quickly. Because once he enters your life, he rents a piece of your heart for an indefinite amount of time. His presence feels warm and his warmth feels so normal that you let it sink in, thinking it’ll forever be there to melt your inner winters.

I can’t wait to see how Yeo Woon will return his warmth, how he’ll make Myung Ha happy without him realising. I know the heartbreak will come but for now, I’m expecting some more sunny spells.

[byexbyez]

fomalhaut | leon kennedy x reader

PART I | PART II | PART III (finale)

pairing: re4r!leon kennedy x f!reader

summary:

And you can use my skin to bury secrets in

And I will settle you down

And at my own suggestion

I will ask no questions

While I do my thing in the background

or

It’s months later but Leon cannot forget what you’ve said to him and it haunts him.

word count: 2k (disappointing after pt 1, i know)

warnings: implied 18+, sad fluff, a smidge of jealous leon, marriage of convenience (because of pt 1), implied/referenced smut, no use of y/n

notes: happy early new year i guess. it's short because i originally wanted to put this pt 1 but it just didn't seem right. it takes place after the events of pt 1 but can be read seperately. sorry for the inaccurate astronomical information. also summary is from fiona apple's "i know" because it perfectly encapsulates the dynamic i think.

➵ read on ao3.

If it wasn’t for you, Leon would’ve never come to the New Year’s party. He was more than fine staying home, away from work for once, but no, Hunnigan had made it her cardinal mission to become friends with you and invite you to every damn occasion. Not that he was against her genuine friendship with you, but she always jabbed at him whenever possible. So, you’re gonna leave your wife alone on New Year’s?

Of course not.

The lights are too bright, making him squint while someone is talking to him about work. He wishes you were here to understand that he wants to be done with this conversation. You’d only need one bored look of his and grin, secretly enjoy his suffering. But you’d be kind enough to make up a small excuse, politely snatch him from the group he’s in.

Speaking of, he wonders where you are. Probably with Hunnigan, being introduced to a variety of people, he thinks. His eyes roam the enormous hall, hoping to find the color of your dress. There are several women wearing the same color, however they’re clearly not you. He can’t find Hunnigan either.

“Isn’t that your wife?” says the man in front of Leon, eyes past his shoulder.

Leon turns to look back and it is you, in that long evening dress, alone and eyes darting to places. You don’t seem lost, just curious with the corners of your lips slightly curled up. You wipe your hands on your silk dress, unaware of your husband’s eyes on you.

“Yes, she is,” answers Leon as a man approaches you. He can’t make out who the man is considering every man here tonight is wearing the similar black-tie attire. The man must have called your name because you look up and give him a surprised smile. He reaches for your waist to give you a side hug and your arm comes up to his shoulders to hug back and give a friendly rub. The man only takes a sliver of a step back and Leon can just see a temple of horn-rimmed glasses.

You apparently know the man, considering your hand slides down his arm to pat once, pull back slightly to take a good look at his face as you continue to speak with him.

Leon takes a sip from his flute glass. The champagne is okay, the man’s hand on your lower back is not. Your dress is cut low on the back, so Leon would like to think the man is being careful by not touching your bare skin. Such a gentleman. But did the gentleman also consider that his hand was resting way too low for Leon’s liking, nearly on your tailbone and ass? Did he?

You’d pull away if you were uncomfortable, right?

But you don’t.

You still don’t see your husband as you drop your chin to listen to what the horn-rimmed glasses is saying in your ear and let out a delightful chuckle, a girlish giggle almost.

Envy. That’s what Leon is feeling. He doesn’t remember the last time he was able to make you that happy, know how to make you hold back less, especially after what you’ve revealed to him in that moment of frantic worry.

I didn’t expect you to keep up the faithful husband act.

It sits heavy on his chest like a boulder. All he wants to do is carry it somewhere high and push it down, watch it disappear, yet he can’t find the strength to do so. He’s afraid he might find something else under it.

With the way you’re beaming and glowing under the bright lights, even Leon might mistake you for being with that man. The gold band shining on your finger which you chose with Leon might give anyone the impression that you two are married.

What even is this guy saying that is so funny?

“Gentleman, if you’ll excuse me.” Leon nods to his group, doesn’t waste a second to approach you.

He becomes more unsure with each step he takes. Would he spoil your fun by doing this?

Once he’s within earshot, he realizes he can’t turn back, you’re right in front of him. He can finally see the man’s face fully. The burn in Leon’s chest becomes unbearable with the fact that the man seems around your age and not like an older mentor.

“—know, got married."

“Ahh, knew I was too late!”

Leon’s eyes nearly roll back to his skull. The hand is still too low. Seeing the ring on your finger wasn’t enough and he had to flirt even after being told. The nerve of this guy…

“Don’t take it the wrong way, but I can’t imagine you married,” you say in a teasing manner.

The nerd is about to flirt again, Leon can just feel it. Luckily, you catch your husband’s eyes at last.

“Leon, hi!” Your higher-than-normal voice catches him off guard, quenches the wildfire in his chest in an instant, the radiant smile on your face aids it fondly. “This is Simon, he was in our IT team.”

Simon The IT Guy finally withdraws his hand, deliberately slow in your husband’s eyes.

“My pleasure,” Leon replies, sticking his hand out for a greeting with an unnecessarily smug expression. “I’m Leon, the husband.”

Your heels click on the marble floor as you stride towards him to fix the crooked collar of his shirt absentmindedly.

Simon is quieter than before when he greets Leon, his eyes taking you both in.

Leon’s hand slots itself easily on your back after retracting it from Simon, caressing softly as if to show off he’s the only one who is allowed to feel the bare skin there. He did the same motion earlier today, when you were both stark naked in his bed with you draped on his chest, contemplating whether to bother going to this party. He couldn’t bring himself to say no to you when you were tracing the lines of his lips with your finger and humming a soft tune he nearly fell asleep to. The only difference is the act now borders on being uncharacteristically possessive, surprising himself with it.

“Couldn’t find you for a while.”

“I don’t know how but I also lost Hunnigan,” you note. “Is the champagne any good?”

“You haven’t had any?” Leon hands over his glass to you without hesitation, watches you finish his drink for him. His fingers come up to tuck your hair behind your ear just so he can see your face turn sour more clearly and grins.  

You grimace, “Nice to know I wasn’t missing out.”

“Not your cup of tea?”

You shake your head no.

Simon decides to remind Leon that he is also there, “You two look good together.”

Leon feels the muscles on your back tense up, it takes him back to a few minutes before when he was watching you from afar. To that dreary feeling. You must think Simon’s only saying it out of courtesy, not that you two look like an actual couple.

With years of work under his belt, it’s Leon’s instinct to protect. The only thing he can’t protect you from is your mind, can’t take your hand and run off from it.

Your inexpectancy about the relationship you have with him is a deep-rooted insecurity in a desert deprived of certainty, vain effort it is, no matter how he tries to counteract it.

“Thanks, man. Also sorry for interrupting your conversation.”

“No worries, we were just catching up. You guys will be there for the countdown I assume?”

“We have time, right?” you ask meekly, more so directed at Leon. You fan yourself with your hand. “It’s a bit stuffy in here, I was thinking maybe we should get some air.”

“Yeah, definitely,” answers your husband, now aware of the little dampness of your skin. “We could go out on one of the balconies.”

“That’d be great. It was so nice to see you, Simon! Stop by the archives sometime, I missed talking to you.”

“I will, I will,” laughs Simon. “I’ll leave you two to it, don’t miss the countdown in the main hall!”

“I can go get your coat.”

It is winter, he knows you get cold easily.

“No, it’s okay.” You fidget with the strap of your dress. “Thank you, I don’t need it.”

It’s scary how it’s second nature to him now, the way he looks out for you in any way he can, wants you close, his hands seek you in moments of doubt, hoping for assurance.

Right now, he’s not sure whether you want to stay with him or not.

Usually no one in Leon’s life is permanent enough to stay, except the possibility of you.

It feels unfair, the way he wants you to assure him you’ll stay when nothing is holding you down. After what you’ve tearfully told him— “I’ll resign and move close to my sister.”— he doesn’t want that possibility to slip away from him. And it’s been so long since he last feared something this much.

“Are you tired?” he asks quietly.

You place your palms on the marble banister, lean forward to see what’s below. “A little, but I’m having fun.”

His hand clasps your elbow instantly. “Take a step back, please.”

“What? I’m not gonna fall over this giant railing.”

“I know, just— please, it’s dark.”

“Since you asked so nicely.”

It’s calm and quiet here, the complete opposite of before, with everyone being inside for the New Year’s countdown that’s going to start in a few minutes, and Leon thinks he might not even go inside for it.

“I can see a few stars.” You’re mumbling something about differently named stars but Leon is busy admiring how the moonlight illuminates your whole form.

You’re interrupted when his chest meets your back, arms wrap around your stomach to pull you flush against his body.

Your own arms rest upon his, fingers intertwine with his naturally. “Oh, hi there.”

“Hey.”

“What’s this for? Someone’s gonna see.”

“No, they’re not. I just don’t want you to catch a cold.”

A quirk of an eyebrow as you lean to the side in his arms to look up at him, “That’s the only reason?”

“Mhm,” he hums, head pokes out over your shoulder to level with your face. “What’s this one called?”

As he said it’s dark, you can’t see which star he’s referring to with him refusing to unwind his arms to point.

“Which one?”

“That one, the one away from everyone.”

“Yeah, that’s Fomalhaut. It’s very bright in autumn, one of the brightest in its constellation. And you’re right, it’s unusually distant from other bright stars, so they call it The Loneliest Star. It’s hard to see it in winter, though. How’d you see it?”

He gives you a firm squeeze. “I’ve got very sharp eyes.”

“Color me impressed.”

A screeching, agitating sound coming from a microphone. They must be setting it up.

“The countdown,” you say. “It’s starting.”

“Yeah, do you wanna go in?”

You shake your head. “No.”

His “Okay,” is drowned out by the loud “Ten! Nine! Eight!..” He finds it cute when you tag along with the people inside, counting down in a much quieter voice only he can hear, swaying your torso as well as Leon’s to each side with every number.

The first firework causes you to flinch, which in turn, causes Leon to squeeze you tighter. You reach up and place a kiss on Leon’s cheek, close to his jaw, as fireworks continue to blast in the night sky. He closes his eyes and rests his chin on your shoulder when your fingers dive into his hair.

He knows how this night will end. He’ll bend down and undo each strap of your heels once you’re both through the home door, his fingers will trail the way up your calves, lips will graze the side of your knee thanks to the slit of your dress, hands will peel the dress up, up, up—

“Happy New Year, Leon.”

For now, he’ll stay like this as long as you’ll allow. In each other’s arms.

So bright yet so lonely together.

[luvergirlsrambles]

Writing Prompt #5113

From an outsider, objective perspective, she’s cool. Undeniably so. She carries herself in a manner in which no one can perfect. Relaxed, yet aware. She’s aloof. She’s not easily impressed. She craves no one’s validation. Her voice is of a deeper tone. She does not care to raise her voice an octave in order to appear more “feminine.” That act alone proves to be more feminist than anything else. 

It doesn’t matter where in the world she may be, or what time of the day it is, she is listening to music, on a mission to find a sound which perfectly encapsulates the exact mood she’s been experiencing. If I picture her in my mind, I see her sitting on the floor with a perfectly blank expression, eyes closed, listening to a slow R&B song, swaying slightly. She doesn't take music lightly. But she also isn't pretentious about it. She won’t call the pop-filled songs I enjoy stupid or meaningless; she’ll nod her head to my songs and point out something she liked. If she doesn't like it, she’ll nod and say she can see why I like it. And it wouldn’t be an insult. 

She takes her time crafting an outfit for the day. She doesn’t like to layer, she told me once. But she’ll layer a long-sleeve with a short-sleeve and most likely won't wear a jacket unless it is very cold. She takes care of her shoes and her hair. But despite all of this, she hardly takes selfies. I am of the opinion she should take more. I think I might’ve told her this once. But I think she just shrugged. 

Her smile is simply radiant. It might be because we’re friends, or because most of our nights consist of sitting around my room, but I have had the pleasure of seeing her smile almost every day. It’s a toothy thing. It’s wide, and unshy. It’ll usually accompany her looking up and clutching her abdomen, laughing. Or it’ll be a quiet thing, where she’s curling in on herself, letting out a wheeze towards the end of her fit. 

That’s another thing - we’re friends. I’d hesitate to call her one of my best friends, for fear she doesn’t see me as one. But if she considered me one, there’d be no hesitation on my part.

Often, late at night, her, our other friend, and myself will ask each other questions about what we like, what we don’t, what makes us act the way we do, and what we wish we were. I pay a lot of attention to our other friend, but I reserve a spot in my mind for her. I have been unsure as to why this is the case. 

She fascinates me to no end. And although she is cool - there is no doubt about that -she isn’t just cool.  

She’s insecure about things, I’ve learned. She’s told me she doesn’t like how people categorize her as soon as they see her. They see her as cold, unfeeling, mean. She knows she has a mean-mug, she’s not stupid. But she can’t be bothered to change it. 

She used to be very expressive as a kid, she told me. She’d have powerful emotions that would take her away. She’d have explosive tantrums and sky-high joy. She was a child. 

And then she was told to stop being that way. To contain her emotions, to hold all of the feelings she feels and bottle them up. And now, she tells me, she feels emotionally stunted. 

But I don’t completely believe that. Conversations between the two of us reveal the aforementioned insecurities and complexities harbored within her. It’s probably one of my favorite things about her. 

There are days in which I wish she liked me more. I see how she is with our other friends. She is closer with one of my close friends. They have an easy comradery that I envy sometimes. I do believe that she has a crush on this friend. That doesn’t bother me much. I have my feelings, and she has hers. She wouldn’t be her without hers.

-vdr

[battlekidx2]

Amphibia - The Hardest Thing Thoughts

(art credit to @kayseix)

Ever since last Saturday I’ve been trying to write out my thoughts on The Hardest Thing and after four drafts and almost 10,000 words written and deleted I think I’ve finally figured out how to organize everything I have to say about this finale.

Series finales are the hardest thing to stick the landing on and in many ways they can make or break a series for many people. This episode managed to hit all its emotional beats home just like Amphibia has always done. I have a few issues but nothing that will keep me from revisiting this series in years to come. 

I know I’m not the first nor will I be the last to say this but The Hardest Thing is saying goodbye. The girls have to say goodbye to the friends and family they made in Amphibia and in a way all these goodbyes encapsulate and close out their individual arcs and the show’s themes.

Marcy’s goodbyes were bittersweet in a way that was different from Anne and Sasha’s goodbyes. Unlike theirs hers was sad because of what could have been. She didn’t get to know Olivia and Yunan as well as she could have and now she won’t be able to. She befriended them but because of her outlook when she came to Amphibia she didn’t get to find a new family in them like Anne with the Plantars or Sasha with Grime. And her goodbye with Andrias was short and full of pain because if it weren’t for the core they could have been family but they can’t turn back the clock. 

Andrias has broken free of the core but he can’t undo his betrayal of her. He can’t stop himself from stabbing her or letting the core possess her. He cared about her but when the moment of truth came he chose the core and his mission over her. 

Marcy has insight into how the core treated and manipulated Andrias which gives her new understanding of him but it doesn’t negate his actions. It also doesn’t negate the impact he had on her life. It is a weird mess of emotions and complicated feelings because she did care for him and vice versa but so much has happened that they can never have that bond that the others have. But they will both forever carry the impact they had on each other. 

Their story is tragic.

Marcy’s goodbyes are a new beginning. Her big moment in All In was the equivalent of Anne’s big moment in Reunion where she stands up to Sasha or Sasha’s big moment in Turning Point where she decides to do the right thing. These were beginnings where the girls made the decision to be better, become who they were meant to be, and work to reach their full potential. And their subsequent actions in those episodes solidified this change. These goodbyes were the solidification of Marcy’s decision to change.

In a way this isn’t the end of her story and arc that Amphibia brought about but the beginning and I think that works perfectly for Marcy.

Sasha and Grime’s goodbye was about more than one thing but it was most importantly a close to their emotional arcs. Both Grime and Sasha build walls around their hearts and put up a tough exterior to hide their genuine care for each other and others. Throughout the series we’ve seen time and time again that they have chosen each other above themselves. Sasha stuck with Grime after Reunion and protected him in Toadcatcher, Grime returned for Sasha in Turning Point, Grime sacrificed his arm to save Sasha’s life in All In, etc. They have had each other’s backs at every turn no matter how dire the situation. They may not say it aloud but they have become family.

Sasha and Grime have developed a father/daughter sort of bond through their adventures and seeing them finally let their walls fall and break down crying at their goodbye was emotional. Neither would have dared to show this type of emotion around others before this point in the series. Sasha was determined to hide her sadness and hurt behind confidence and anger and Grime would never show anything other than ruthlessness before Sasha. They bettered each other and broke down each other’s walls.

But Sasha’s goodbyes also play into the idea that you won’t always get closure for everything. Sasha gets to have this heartfelt goodbye with Grime but she never did get to see Percy and Braddock again. She never got to make things right. And that’s an important part of her arc.

Sasha for so long struggled to see the consequences of her actions and it caused her to lose Percy and Braddock and it almost cost her her friendship with Anne. She luckily got a chance to reconcile with Anne and build a stronger bond than ever because of it. But this isn’t the case with Percy and Braddock.

This adds extra weight to Barrel’s Warhammer. Sasha’s actions in that episode made it so that she didn’t get to ever see them again. Her actions had lasting consequences that she will never get to undo. 

Even though that’s the case Sasha doesn’t stop trying to better herself and that’s important. She was very self destructive at the start and actively put her life in danger multiple times but now she wants to get better, to be better, for those around her but also herself.

Anne’s goodbyes come full circle as well. This goodbye really shows Anne and the Plantars’ personal growth. In season 2 during the episode A Day at the Aquarium they couldn’t bring themselves to say goodbye or even think of the fact that they would have to say goodbye but now they are faced with the reality that they will have to let go. They didn’t want to be reminded of their adventures because they thought it was too painful but after all this they surround themselves with mementos of each other and the time they spent together.

Anne and the Plantars are family they have been and always will be no matter what. This doesn’t change that. It can’t. They have irrevocably changed each other. Her goodbye with Sprig was understandably the one that was the biggest tearjerker out of all the Plantars. 

The friendship between Sprig and Anne is what started this series. It’s what got Anne to grow and what motivated Anne to stand up for herself. It’s what gave Anne perspective on what a healthy friendship looks like. It is, in a way, the catalyst for much of the growth and change in the show for the characters and the world. If Sprig hadn’t become Anne’s “first non-toxic friend” (in the words of Matt Braly) then none of the girls would have grown into who they were meant to be.

Spranne against the world was a catchphrase they used that grew into something much more than what it was that first time they shouted it in early season one. Since then they’ve faced down tyrants, toad rebellions, the FBI, an immortal collection of Amphibia’s greatest minds, and the literal moon and have always had each other's backs.

Spranne kicked this adventure off and it’s their goodbye that closes it out.

It’s simple and beautiful and heartbreaking all at once.

Now to come back to the space battle and the moon. Sasha and Marcy’s calamity forms have been teased since Anne first accessed hers back in True Colors and we finally got to see them in action.

Amphibia didn’t hold back and gave us the most fun and colorful fight sequence in the whole show. I love how all of their calamity powers have to do with their activities from home that helped them most in Amphibia. Anne’s tennis skills and natural athleticism helped her fight even before her lessons from Tritonio which is most notable in Toad Tax. Sasha’s cheerleading helped her stay alive from the heron attack in prison break and feeds into her fighting ability. Marcy’s passion for fantasy and DnD plays into how she is able to do so well in Newtopia as mentioned in Marcy at the Gates. I love that this keeps coming back around in the story.

I love this frame of the girls grabbing onto each other and laughing while they spin in space. It just makes me really happy about how far they have come individually and as friends. The fact that they all grew so much and were able to come back together always hits me. It brings me back to that photo Matt Braly shared on twitter of the sketch of the three girls on the coach leaning into each other so with the caption “it’s complicated”. Through everything they all cared deeply about one another and managed to grow so they could get to this point.

Most importantly this part closes out the arc of the calamity trio as a whole. Anne started out this series as a follower. She did what Marcy and Sasha wanted and took the easy path but that’s not who she is anymore. She asks for their permission to take the lead and they allow her to.

She accepts her fate and makes the hard choice. In a way this is the hardest thing as well. Sasha and Marcy have to take a step back and give Anne their stones and their trust. Anne has to make this decision knowing that she will be giving up everything.

Anne has grown to be a light for so many people. She’s grown to love herself and through that has learned when to take the lead. She’s what Sprig dubbed her in the very first episode, a hero.

Anne makes the ultimate sacrifice and dies. The Anne we know does in fact die. A copy was made of her right before she expired; she is “for all intents and purposes the same Anne Boonchuy”. It’s been a week and I still don’t know how to tackle this subject but I do believe that this is Anne. I am happy that at least a part of Anne does in fact get to live her life. (To be honest I still don’t know if I’ve fully processes this part of the finale)

And we come to one of those things I’m conflicted about which is the creator of the stones. I’ve sat on this for a while now and I think I agree with this take right here. It would work better if there were any indication of there being a god outside of the line of foreshadowing within the episode Adventures in Catsitting and the photo on Anne’s bedroom wall. 

No one before this point has been concerned about where the stones came from and there’s also the fact that someone/something we’ve never seen before in the series is what saves Anne from death. I don’t think either of these things fit the series as well as they should (The link explains this a lot better than I can).

That being said it works very well within the context of Anne’s arc and the themes of the show. Anne is given the chance to become a god and she turns it down. She isn’t perfect and she’s constantly growing, learning, and changing. Things aren’t set in stone. 

Amphibia is centered around the theme of change. That nothing is permanent. And how that isn’t a bad thing. Bonds grow and change and sometimes you have to let them go but that doesn’t make their impact less meaningful. People change. They can seem set in their ways like Anne thought Sasha and Marcy were but they can surprise you and grow. 

Nothing is perfect but with that comes beauty. The creator of the stones can’t grasp this. There is an inherent disconnect between an immortal being and a mortal one when it comes to this. They see Anne make this grand sacrifice and jump at the chance to make her their replacement. They claim she is perfect but she knows this isn’t the case. Anne understands this part of life now in a way she couldn’t before her journey.

Her understanding gives the god a new perspective and they allow her to go back and continue her life. Anne gets to continue her journey of growth and change. While she has an understanding and perspective beyond her thirteen years she still has so much life left to live and she deserves the chance to live it.

The epilogue shows a better world for Amphibia and shows just how much the world and its inhabitants have changed due to the trio. Sprig, Polly, and Ivy are going to go on more adventures and carry on in Anne’s memory by exploring a new continent. Grime, Olivia, and Yunan work together to facilitate peace and exploration. Hop Pop gets to grow his avocados. And Anne has a statue built in her honor.

Andrias roams helping fix the world he tore apart by planting seeds while carrying around the legacy and memory of Leif, Barrel, and Marcy through his keepsakes from each of them. He will never get the closure of his friends having seen him change and work to make up for past mistakes but he carries them with him and the lessons he’s learned from each. This ending fits perfectly with Amphibia’s themes. 

I talked in depth about the earth epilogue here but to sum my thoughts up I think the dialogue doesn’t fully get across the intention behind it very well. It doesn’t get across that the girls did in fact keep in contact and that Marcy did visit after Amphibia but drifted apart due to time and differing life paths. I was genuinely disappointed in how the dialogue made the trio’s relationship after Amphibia sound but I love the idea and themes that it tries to get across.

I love the message that people do grow apart and that they can come back together again. I love how the trio meets up on Anne’s birthday, brings her presents, catches up, and takes a new photo. I love the idea that things aren’t permanent and that sometimes you will grow apart but that doesn’t make your experiences together and the love you share pointless, it just takes on a new meaning. I love that all these years later they could come back together and reconnect.

The final frame of the entire show is of the trio having taken a new photo. It’s a beautiful bookend to their story. The polaroid was such an important thing for every girl throughout the story but it grew and changed in significance with each of the girls. This new one symbolizes their new change in dynamic and friendship perfectly.

The fact that our first sighting of the group was this polaroid stuck in a tree in the rain during the opening and that this is the last sighting of the group right before “Complete” appears in Thai bringing the series to a close is so poetic. This series was about the friendship of these three girls falling apart and forcing them to grow separately as individuals before coming back together as true friends.

Amphibia is first and foremost a story about friendship and how each one can change you. How some while you may be separated the impact of that friendship will always remain. That sometimes you can reconnect with these old friendships even after all the time, space, and new experiences have changed you all. 

Part of the journey is the end. This wasn’t a perfect goodbye to the series but it was a beautiful one that will be remembered. I know I will never forget it.

Extra thoughts

I want to give TJ Hill kudos once again. I love the upbeat rendition of no big deal that plays in the background of the trio’s space battle and the end credits music.

I have to say my favorite calamity form is Sasha’s. It’s just so extra with the flaming hair and abundance of spikes and it says more about who she is and what she represents than Anne or Marcy’s. (I still love their calamity forms too. Sasha’s just says the most about her in my opinion while Anne and Marcy’s have a lot of similarities to each other comparatively)

I absolutely love the moment where Andrias stands up to the core. They even hammer home the parallels between Anne and Andrias as well as Sasha and the core by having the scene where Andrias stands up to the core share the exact same dialogue as the scene where Anne does the same in Reunion. It even shares the red lighting and background.

I love how Grime kept Sasha’s sword. I love their bond so much.

My full expanded thoughts on the girls’ future careers is right here. I love all the career paths they took and feel like they were all extremely fitting and showed the effect Amphibia had on each of them.

Sasha is bi and I love it.

Olivia and Yunan are canon which I also love.

While it doesn’t hurt the finale for me I wish that we saw Sasha and Marcy’s parents. It just feels strange to have them teased in Froggy Little Christmas with the letters and All In during the phone call at the end only to never see them.

I also don’t think Anne will accept the god’s deal even after the next 78 years. Anne doesn’t want that kind of power and her response within the episode sums up how I think she will still feel after all that time. There is also an inherent tragedy to a mortal becoming an immortal, all-powerful being that I wouldn’t wish on Anne.

I also feel like the pacing of the first half of the episode was too fast. The calamity forms of the three girls is something that has been built up to for quite a while now and they come and go way too quickly. The pacing issue is very noticeable. I enjoyed what we got but it is jarring every time I’ve seen it.

[shouldntcryoverit]

the art of discordance

captain rex x jedi!reader

warnings -> heavy illusions to sex, kithes

AH okay

taglist -> @pinkiemme

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Jaida was worried. The jedi had spent her day training, building up her strength once more after being bedbound for three days. It had been fun; a break from the torments of war and of her own mind - except she found her conscious repeatedly slipping back to that mission she was yet to hear news of. She had no reason to worry - a fact she tried to remind herself of often. He knew well enough to keep himself safe and he had been prepared well to do so, but she hated the fact that she couldn’t check that he was still beside her. She hated the fact that she missed him.

When she had returned to the war room, Obiwan’s projection talked of how much ground they had covered. It was a useful update, but silently Jaida begged for the news she actually wanted to hear.

“We have two squads searching the farmlands east of the crash site - Captain Rex took three of his troopers on speeders around an hour ago.” The older jedi’s voice crackled.

“and what of their search?” Jaida asked with furrowed brows.

“Nothing yet - they ran into a few commando droids and Rex took a hit to chest...”

Rex got hit. Rex got hit. The rest of Kenobi’s words fell on deaf ears; Jaida was far too distracted. The words repeated in her mind, in fact they still did even hours later.

“Thank you Master, keep us updated” she clicked of the hologram and breathed out a staggered breath, rubbing her face in tiredness and worry.

Jaida stewed over that beg in her mind throughout her tasks that day. When the 501st ship finally docked in the hanger, Jaida was reluctant to welcome them in. She knew the cause of her worry wasn’t anything good, and that by seeing the captain she was at risk of worsening it.

Nevertheless, Jaida stood at a short distance from where the ships and their soliders would be greeted, leaning with her arms crossed against the entrance. It was late on Coruscant. The usual light that streamed through the base windows was replaced with blinking street lights illuminating the small areas beside them, all busy and energised.

Rex walked out of the last ship to arrive, just a few steps behind Kix and Jesse, who were both grinning over something Hardcase had said. His armour was as perfectly recognisable as she expected it to be; scratched and dented in the same brash manner that he carried himself in. The familiar energy that pooled in her stomach whenever he was around returned almost instantly at the sight of his alluring grin. Jaida couldn’t even deny it anymore; she was encapsulated by the captain. Utterly and entirely.

But there was a bullet hole staring at Jaida through the pauldron on his shoulder. What excitement had been through seeing his face melted at her feet, and in it’s place, every clutch and exhort she’d refuted that day whisked her thoughts into juxtaposing romance.

She stood up fully with the intention to leave, but the movement had caused Rex’s searching eyes to meet with her figure. Jaida paused at the relief on his face, glad herself to be in his gaze again, but Rex saw through to her internal struggle and clenched his jaw.

He watched as she uncrossed her arms and walked away just as silent as their unspoken exchange had been.

Cody had seen the shift in Rex’s presence, observing from his datapad, and sent him a raised-eyebrow-look. He wasn’t stupid, he knew his brother well enough to read him. Rex ignored his brother’s warning with a apprehensive tilt of his head, and followed her path in quick succession. The commander rolled his eyes; his younger brother had always been dramatic, and this wouldn’t turn out well.

—————————————————-

“You’re avoiding me” Rex found her checking the storage cupboard in the middle of a hallway. He had learnt weeks ago that she busied herself with reports to calm her mind, so his guess was accurate.

Jaida kept at her task, exhaling an irritated sigh as she ignored the tone of his voice.

“I’m just busy”

“Busy with what? You’ve been off injured for two rotations” Rex crossed his arms. She turned around from her task, forgetting her initial plan.

“Well maybe I had nothing to say”

“You always have something to say” he quipped.

“Mockery? Hah, as if you don’t need me there to make sure you don’t get killed.” Jaida pushed past him down the corridor. She didn’t trust herself to keep her true reasoning hidden much longer.

“So that’s what this is about? Jaida your forgetting that you took this mission off after being shot” his words were sharp as he followed behind her. “Why’d you care so much anyway!?” Rex was more curious than angry now, but still his tone was accusatory.

She reached where her quarters were but turned back around, angered and exasperated.

“Why’d you think?!”

Jaida’s eyes flickered with vulnerability. Rex saw the emotion behind her eyes, and his heart rate quickened because of it. He understood.

“It’s like you have some sort of hold on me!” Her voice wasn’t as strong as she willed it to be, and her hands buffered around her head as she tired desperately to explain.

“It’s impossible- I.. the thought of you getting hurt it’s like- if I can’t make sure you’re there then- Rex I cant do that! I can’t feel how I feel - I don’t know what-“

Rex cut her ramblings short and in one swift movement, he brought her closer and pressed his lips against hers.

It took her a second to react to the movement; but as she did the shape of her mouth curved against his.

His lips were chapped, but not rough. They went so perfectly with the fullness of hers, and Jaida melted against his frame. She brought one hand to the nape of his neck and tilted herself up to his height. Her other hand was still frozen in it’s previous position, but she didn’t think to move it, in fact she didn’t think about anything except the light stubble that brushed against her chin each time Rex moved his face even slightly.

The anger still festering in their stomachs fed heat into the kiss, divine and intense as they fought against each other in fiery desire.

Jaida broke off with a shaky inhale, their faces still only centimetres apart. She swallowed, flustered, but never broke contact with his wide blown eyes.

She panted lightly. Rex’s hands still cupped her cheeks though his fingers were lost between strands of her thick hair. She could’ve laughed at the expression on his face; his mouth was agape and his eyebrows were knitting in shock of himself.

His breath was covered as Jaida brought her own lips against his. She grinned into the kiss and fumbled for the door behind her to open. It did with a click, and Rex dropped an arm to her waist and guided her through.

As the door swooshed closed, neither of them seemed to care for rules much longer.

[bbq-hawks-wings]

!!!Manga Chapter 192 SPOILERS!!!: If Hawks permanently lost his wings, does this mean he's free from the Hero Public Safety Commission? The reason that they took him in when he was child was because they wanted a hero whom they can control. And, Hawks being a young child who was gifted with incredible talent was a perfect candidate. But, now, if he lost his wings, he can't be a hero anymore, and the HPSC would no longer need him. Which means he would be free! And he would no longer feel (1)

burdened to be a hero anymore because he wouldn't be able to use his quirk. I read a post by makeste that said Hawks has a "With great power comes great responsibility" mindset. His powerful quirk and the training that he went through is the "great power" and the feeling of NEEDING to be a hero because he had these skills to save people is the "great responsibility". What are your thoughts? (2)

I do have thoughts, and perhaps the fastest way to sum them up is:

“I wish it were that easy.”

I do not see the Commission easing up on him if he can no longer perform hero work because Hawks is much more than his quirk - both as a person and as a public figure.

We saw the Commission make a big deal about Best Jeanist when he was out of action, and that resulted in him having a larger approval rating than Hawks himself. If they wanted to use him as PR I could easily see them going with one of two directions:

Pity PR - make his injuries into a tale about the bravery and sacrifice of heroes in hopes to salvage some sort of support from people after Shigaraki nuked at least half a town.

Scapegoat - Hawks is almost definitely not the one who planned the raid in this arc; but he was the one who collected information and that can be enough. If the Commission wanted to deflect blame for this disastrous outcome facts don’t matter - you can always spin a yarn. (This is a tactic that’s canon to the series since the battle between the LoV and MLA.)

There’s also the concern they have to weigh about leaving loose ends. Hawks may have had star potential as a child - able to be molded and shaped into whatever they wanted - but that’s not what they got. He’s rebellious, fast and loose with the orders they give him, and he has all but stated in so many words “If you did not hold power over me,” - and we don’t really know what exactly that means yet - “I would tell you to shove it where the sun don’t shine.” Did I mention this was also to the president's face?!

For all their efforts, he’s not a perfectly obedient or controllable person at all. In fact, he let slip that he knows about areas of their operation they didn’t know he was aware of. Even without his wings, he’s a clever, capable person able of discerning the identities of a cult whose numbers ran at least in the thousands in a few measly months, successfully sharing all of that info, and all while never getting caught - while bugged to the teeth to boot!

He’s dangerous to leave unchecked.

Even if the Commission as a whole is not particularly nefarious (though, buying a child from his family and attempting to erase his identity in the hopes of making the perfect puppet hero is pretty sus), they know he's capable of turning that same PR game on them, and he would have LOTS of ammo to work with. Frankly, we rarely give him due recognition for potentially being able tear down hero society as a whole with his own two hands. You can't just let someone like that go without insurance of some kind.

And then there's the hero work itself - specifically how he feels about it. "With great power" is almost a full encapsulation of his attitude towards being a hero, but I think it misses a small but crucial part we don't often get to see because of the emphasis on his mission:

He never said he doesn't want to be a hero - just to live in a world where he can slow down and take it easy. "I'm not in it for the fame or the money. I'd actually be more free further down the ranks, like somewhere in the 20's." But he can't stop himself from putting in 110%, and even when that 110% doesn't have the same pull without his wings, if the future he wants isn't a reality yet he's still going to put it in.

In short, losing his wings is likely going to be one of the WORST possible things to happen to him and will make it harder for him to live the life he wants. None of the pieces are in place to make the loss worth it.

He is still firmly in the hand of the Commission with whatever they're holding over his head to be used as they please, if he wasn't they aren't going to just let him get off easy, and being in a world that grows scarier by the day wishing to reach out to those crying for help but being unable to do anything - that would make his life an actual hell on earth.

[overwatch-does-stuff]

sigma for the ask meme

The ask thing!

First impression

Not going to lie, when I saw his origin trailer, I cried. I was going through some incredibly rough mental health stuff at the time. His origin short perfectly encapsulated that feeling of helplessness and fear that you feel when you no longer have control of your mind. The real kicker was the fact that he was so sympathetic. He was someone lost and hurting, just like me. That’s probably not the most accurate character take on him, but it resonated with me so strongly that I fixated on him for months. Impression now

So, now, I’ve made it through that rough time. I’m on medication which has allowed me to function and be happy again. I’ve found that he’s much less important to me now than he was before, which make sense. I still love his character, concept and all, to pieces though. I’m very excited to see what Overwatch 2 will do with him.

Favorite moment

Let’s be real, his origin trailer had all of us shook. Idea for a story

I’ve kinda lost my touch with writing him at the moment (and I haven’t been happy with anything I’ve written in some time) but I’ve had this epic story in my head for ages about a redeemed and Overwatch-aligned Sigma getting captured by Talon again, and how he escapes. Despite all of Talon’s manipulation, Sigma now knows that there’s better out there, and by holding onto the memory of his friends in Overwatch, he’s able to resist their brainwashing and escape while sent out on a mission. The second half of this tale would be documenting his journey all the way back to Watchpoint Gibraltar. He starts in the U.S. and has to stowaway on a ship back to Europe (that’s actually a dutch ship, so he finds a way to connect with the crew onboard when he is eventually discovered). He lands in the Netherlands and gets to reflect on his old life. Then he makes his way across Europe, with Talon forces at his heel (with an epic police/Talon chase in Paris where he gets to be a bit of a hero!) before he finally makes it back to Gibraltar and everyone lives happily ever after!

It pains me to say that I’m probably never going to write it now, but I was seriously considering it back in the day. I was (and still am) scared by its potential length. Maybe someday. . . Unpopular opinion

He’s not hot and I feel pretty embarrassed that some of my most popular stuff is Sigma x reader. Favorite relationship

Favorite for angst? Him and Moira. Favorite for shipping? No clue, don’t really ship him with anyone in particular. Favorite platonically? Him and Tracer. They’re foils for each other and I love exploring that. Favorite headcanon

It would be much faster to list the headcanon that isn’t my favorite. That headcanon is the idea that Sigma is actually evil and isn’t actually being taken advantage of and manipulated by Talon. Because hahaha comfort character and projection go brrrrrrr

Okay, but in all seriousness I’ll list a few of my favorites: - He is autistic/has autistic traits  - He was pretty sociable before the accident and not a loner - He made a documentary pre-accident that became a meme  - He drinks a lot of tea!

[faunusrights]

OFFAL HUNT REMASTERED LIVEBLOG // CHAPTER 18

IN THIS EPISODE OF ROBLOX OOF NOISE:

“Yes.” Glynda couldn’t hang up, not without: “I’m—I’m sorry. About what I—”

“It’s alright. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay—” The feed cut. Softly, Glynda said again, “Okay.”

GLYNDA DISCOVERS WHY BEING CINDER FALL SUCKS

do u know how hard it is to wake up and play animal crossing whilst knowing this chapter looms over yr shoulder,

OKAY HERE WE GO

She was fidgety; even Cinder mentioned her pacing, shooting a critical eye her way. Glynda sat, intent on stillness; moments later, Cinder mentioned her bouncing leg.

i LOVE it when a chapter calls me out just right out of the gate hahaha who gave u the right

"Really?" How long had they been doing that? How long ago had Cinder noticed? "Should I stay?"

cinder: maybe i should tell glynda abt that /see glynda pacing a dent into the floor cinder: ooooooor i could. NOT give her an excuse to bully them for something to do,

On her way down the street, Glynda couldn't help but stare at the car, its tinted windows revealing nothing within. As she passed it, she kept glancing over her shoulder, expecting an attack or something. But nothing came of it.

HJGDFSGSDFHKGHJDF GLYNDA,,,,,,,,,,, can u imagine being in the white fang, and sittin in yr fuckin. TINTED WINDOWED like BULLETPROOF CAR and yr sat on yr ass watching out for cinder “dumbass” fall and suddenly glynda goodwitch, The Top Bitch, comes out and starts GLARING YR CAR DOWN,,, like ah. i think she knows we’re here. hrm. hm.

i would just like. drive to mcdonalds and get some nuggies at that point.

She had a clutch of flash-images and a wash of emotions and impressions, the raw materials of memory, stored as-is without refining. She was quite used to that—most of her missions were hazy and rough in her memory, mere sketches of events.

i cant wait for glynda to become a vlogger if only so she can actually have physical proof of whatever the fuck happens whenever she goes out and about. get her a go-pro.

It told her: despite her restlessness, despite the arduous journey here, and despite the way Vale seemed to call for her from somewhere beyond the horizon, she felt quite content to be where she was.

the difference having a gf has huh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, u got a whole ass home (being cased by the fang) a real nice city to live in (its floating and atlas wants yr number) a bunch of unread msgs (from a [redacted] who [redacted]) and its a nice day!!! its all coming together. but probably not for very long,

(i got very distracted at this point making a line graph for the animal crossing stalk market so here we go, x2 edition,)

That meant the nightlife would soon begin. She had never liked crowds; too many people, too much input at once. It was hard to focus, to be comfortable.

/chefs kiss

autistic glynda did u kno: id die for u,

Since she’d blocked Ozpin’s number, there was no chance of receiving anything directly from him—but there was still a moment of pause each time she checked her Scroll, as if expecting his smiling face to appear somehow.

OH YEAH LMAO SHE DID THAT SHIT HUH,,,,,,,,,, i still cannot BELIEVE that happened. GOD. cant wait for this to bite her entire ass right off her body,

By the time she reached the top landing, Winter had replied: “I wasn’t aware that you had additional support on this mission, Professor. I will need their full name and Hunter’s license number.”

To answer Cinder Fall and she doesn’t have a license, but she does have several warrants for her arrest felt like inviting Winter to question not only her integrity, but her sanity as well.

SDHGJFKSKGHDJFGJHDKF i cant say what makes this funnier because 👈😎👈 but HOHOHOHOOOOO could u imagine the fallout if she did just, say that shit. if we just went and fuckin said it like it was no biggie--

Finally, Glynda let her shoulders relax, exhaling deeply, like she would before rushing a Grimm. She wrote it plainly: “The clearance is for Cinder Fall.”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

MA’AM WHAT THE F U C K

winter rn:

She’d just have to wriggle her way out of having to talk face-to-face, then return the game to a field she felt slightly more comfortable with: text.

okay this is so funny to me cause i just keep thinking of her sending ‘no reason’ to oz. a MASTER of textual conversion. un fucking PARALLELED in this field, UNRIVALLED,

Glynda tossed a look at the door as well, her mouth pulling into a line; what if Cinder came outside? What if—

Could Winter track her exact position using her Scroll signal? She minimized the projection of Winter’s face and hurried off in a random direction the instant she hit the bottom of the stairs.

i LOVE these two because this is the first time we’ve rly seen glynda like. Actively do smthng to defend cinder in this sort of way? she’s been pretty passivve abt letting cinder take the lead when theyre together but on her own shes thinking of all the contingencies to make sure winter cant find cinder and u know what. thats gay. what will u do for yr not-gf when yr talking to someone who would kick her ass in a hot second,

also im TAKING to grab choice lines here to comment upon but honestly this next section is SO GOOD that im rly struggling to find a line to encapsulate how much i am LOVING this convo. i cant say exactly WHY im loving it because again thats 👈😎👈 BUT KNOW THAT THIS IS VERY GOOD FOOD AND I AM ENJOYING IT. and im also enjoying this line a lot

Winter’s voice was decisive: “Professor, if you hang up on me, I am flying to your location—tonight.”

winter: if y’all dont shut the fuck up back there i am turning this car, city, and continent AROUND,

It was the same thing, over and over: people didn’t understand her and she didn’t understand them. It was an exercise in futility that only gave her grief. In the end, she gave up on trying to explain herself. She resigned to being wrong, to always being wrong, even when she knew she wasn’t.

OOF OKAY WHAT THE HELL IS UP W/ THIS FIC AND CALLOUTS. HUH??? ME BITCH!!! I FEEL THAT!! AND IT SUCKS,

/reads the next bit

oh are we donning our tinfoil hats? we’re donning our tinfoil hats.

It was so easy. Glynda didn’t stumble over her words even once; didn’t waver. She was built for doing harm. Her anger burned hot and clean; it excised all the hurt like a malignant tumor.

Maybe she really had learned something from Cinder—channeling her frustration, her guilt, her pain, all of it into anger like this was something Glynda was new to. But it felt good. She leaned into it, letting it take the reins; the distressing memories vanished like wisps of smoke, vaporized by the heat of her wrath.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS god this is. SO EXCITING. i also love it when ppl rub off one one another its my FAV thing in the WORLD and this anger is. WOO. this anger is. DANDY. its also a very short-term burst of pleasure glynda so enjoy that hollowed-out whoopsie feeling that i sure get when i Blow Up,

“She butchered my friend!” Winter snarled, the camera shaking as she slapped the desk. “She butchered my friend in the streets like he was cattle! And I have done everything in my power to help you! Everything! To keep her from doing the same to you, and you’ve blown me off or lied or—” Winter’s voice snagged. “And now you tell me—you accuse me—”

It was early evening in Umbraroot, but it must already be night in Atlas. The shadows revealed the unclean angles of Winter’s face: the bruises of exhaustion under her eyes, the lines of stress at the corners of her mouth.

im sorry im just copy-pasting wholesale at this point but OH this is GOOD. i cant rly explain. like. the difference-- because you’d think from the og version this is just a bit more flavouring right? its like getting a bit of hot sauce on yr chicken wings and yr like ‘okay it adds smthng but its not like a side meal’ BUT IT IS A SIDE MEAL this is like a whole basket of fuckin. cheese-baked fries. winter DESERVES this screentime she DESERVES to have presence in this fic and OH does she USE IT im LIVINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Glynda wanted anger. She wanted fire and brimstone. She wanted a fight.

What she got was the glisten of tears on pale lashes. A hand covering Winter’s trembling mouth.

The ashy taste of remorse in her throat.

THERES THAT HOLLOWED-OUT WHOOPSIE FEELING!!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE IT IS RIGHT ON TIME. its like CLOCKWORK,

She didn’t have anything. Nothing against that. The possibility that Winter might truly care what happened to her had been so insignificantly small and easy to trample. She had forgotten about the losses Winter shouldered the moment Cinder had whispered inheritance.

it’s just like clockwork,

also this chapter feels lengthy but maybe its just cause i got distracted with animal crossing so ill have to do a wordcount check at the end

/checks

no its lengthy this is a thicc one,

“I know,” Glynda said. “I know. I know how this sounds. But she’s the only person who makes me feel like—like I make sense.” In her mind, Glynda lay in the darkness of Cinder’s bedroom, watching the glaze of streetlights along her lips as she said you.

you,,,,,,,,, we,,,,,,,,,,,, our,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, its all that gay shit,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“If I’ve learned anything, it’s that Cinder Fall is a tremendous liar. She could convince you it is raining in Vacuo, given enough time. Two years ago, I was working on the Argus base, where I met her as a client; she told me she was a merchant seeking entrance into Atlas—she had all her documents in order, her entire persona set up, and she sold it perfectly. She was flawless—and all of it was fake. She gave me no reason to doubt her. She was—”

Winter cut herself off, abruptly. Then: “Once I was comfortable and safe, she burned down my office and murdered my friend.”

YES,,, SLOWLY THE LORE PIECES TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! winter is once bitten twice shy, but mayhaps we mean,,, once burnt,,,, twice shy,,,,,,,,,, hrmmmm,

Glynda told Winter everything.

OH MAN,,,, we’re really getting this messy fucking trio up in this bitch i am SO excited. i am THRILLED. here! we! go!!!!!!!!!! also i said it before but again im so glad winter gets to Be Here for this. sure this has nothing to do w/ her destiny or w/e but shes here now. shes in the uber. she waiting outside.

The dying potted plant Glynda had spotted last time on the back wall’s shelf had been replaced with a new one; this one’s leaves were beginning to shrivel at the ends.

dsfjhhkljsdf side note: is this like that scene in finding nemo where all the new fish see the niece and go ‘oh no we’re gonna die’ but instead its plants getting taken into winters office? they go ‘im sorry, mate, but once you go into her office, you come out TOTALLY dead,’

okay so this whole convo happened and if i try to pick one section ill end up picking it all AAAAAAAAAAAAAA im dying out here. WINTER BLEASE,,, BELIEVE THAT SOMETIMES CINDER CAN TELL A HALF-LIE. A SORTA-TRUTH. A SEMI-HEMI-DEMI HONESTY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

How different would that mission have gone? How different would her life have been?

She found herself saying, “He had so many chances to tell me. Instead, he let me think I was reckless. That I was a danger to other people. I stopped working in teams. I didn’t have many people in my life to begin with, but afterwards was worse. He saw to it that he was all I had, and he let me think it was my fault.”

ROBLOXOOFNOISEDISTORTEDWITHDELAY.MP4

OOF!!!!!!! O O F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! honestly OOF that shit HURTS BITCH!!!!!!! thats BANANAS. WILD. im also loving (hating???) the increase of painful glynda lore and honestly everyone feels like they have So Much More that builds them up and im THRIVING off it. im also suffering for it.

With the video feed closed, Glynda could see she had new notifications. Missed calls. From Cinder.

Glynda’s stomach lurched. She stowed her Scroll before she could think about them.

At the mouth of the alley, she could see the shape of Cinder’s apartment in the distance. She stood there for a long time, staring, uncertain what to do with her hands, unsure what to do with her heart. Her jaw flexed. She remembered the tears on Winter’s lashes. The friend she’d lost.

Glynda took her first step toward the apartment.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA and so the soft domestic shit ends. but nowhere near as explosively as id thought???????? HUH. H U H. must b because we’re gearing up for smthng honk honk honk

ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. this chap was SO good its astonishing (despite the [several] times i got distracted by animal crossing rip me). WINTER!!!!!!!! BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant believe this disaster trio is coming together. also cant wait for glynda to tell cinder the shit she just pulled. oh no,

(also the wordcount was 5,931. just in case u were curious)

[goddamnitdazai]

intersect. || TachiChuu

Rarepair week Day 3 - Carrying Home || Contains Manga Spoilers || canon typical violence ||  Death is a texture. Thick like sludge that clings to everything. Death is a consistency of cold, eerie thoughts that rupture in the forefront of a mind succumbing to pain. To sickness. Death is both stagnate and ever changing. It contorts itself in to the life of others who witness it while simultaneously diminishing the light of a soul once burning as forceful as the sun. Death is prudent and strong--but there are cracks and flaws. Immeasurable circumstances that can change with one movement, one different action where death is pushed off for a time being. Chuuya, for most of his life, has been the unstoppable force. Or at least has tried.

In the last year the movements he’d constructed within seconds have strung death up by its heels. It had been coming after those he cared for time and time again and it had the young man grinding his teeth in the throws of war. Endless, it seemed. The madness of it all drew heavy ink-hued bags beneath once bright azure and where he once saw home now laid a reminder of all those he lost. Five towers knocked down to three. Smoke and ash curling among ruins. Memories wrapped in crumpled steel and concrete. 

The Port Mafia and Yokohama were running short on time. People fled, as they did during the last great war, and people remained to fight off the ones who turned their city into a battle zone. Neighboring gangs teaming up under the leadership of one powerful, and rather obnoxious as Chuuya saw him, man with dark eyes and and even darker soul. There were days Chuuya did not rest more than an hour or two before being called on to team up with the city’s strongest ability users currently able to withstand the siege. The hunting dogs. Among their ranks, a man formerly part of what he considered his family and a man he respected, though their interaction remained in situational delegations. Now and again Chuuya had gone on shorter missions accompanied by Tachihara before he betrayed the Port Mafia. He was good with a gun, and Chuuya was good with his legs. Missions that required reconnaissance as much as brute power were done well by the two of them. At first the subordinate seemed nervous around Chuuya and he was unsure if it was his demeanor or his position. Both, Chuuya had assumed but with the events that had unfolded months ago it was heard to decipher what was true. At least that is what Chuuya told himself. Truthfully, he knew the kid wasn’t that great of an actor nor was he that cold. There was sincerity in who Tachihara was while hidden in the Black Lizard. He supposes it doesn’t matter at this point. Tachihara was doing his job to protect the city, and for the time being Chuuya could forget his transgressions for the sake of Yokohama. Hirtosu and Gin were breathing, and truth be told Chuuya related to both the feeling of betrayal and betraying what he could consider...family. A literal knife in Chuuya’s back based on fear and manipulation. Mirrored actions. Parallel paths intersecting on a different timeline. Chuuya huffs at the thought. Understanding Tachihara’s reasoning didn’t excuse his actions, but it made it more difficult at times to hold blame. Chuuya was angry; but could he be? A bullet whizzes past his head directing his attention to the forefront. He smirks. Twisting the bullet back to its original owner with a soft hum. Concrete falling to dust beneath this weighted footsteps red aura glowing through his body. Scent of blood thick in the air, but he’d been around it so long it’d become a familiar perfume. Gunshots ring out. His smirk rises knees bending to shoot him up on top of a pile of bricks next to a decaying parking garage. Bits of what used to be a bookstore and second floor coffee shop leaning down from bombs blowing out the walls. Glass shards rise up coated in fluid garnit piercing the air with a quick whistle that silences the gunfire. He was looking for the leader’s supply route, and from the look of all the semi trucks he’d found it. A second explosion rattles Chuuya’s skeleton before he jumps from rock to rock brought up by the gravitational pull at his fingertips. Avoiding the attempted assassination and only feeling faint warmth from the glowing fire until it buries itself in grey smoke. Chuuya smirks and waits for the second round of gunfire. Heart pumping blood quickly through his veins as bullets surround him, middle finger out and directing the now-ruby glowing bullets in a swirl just to send them right back. In his peripheral he notices metal beams moving quickly past the semi trucks that had been idling suspiciously quiet. Where were the drivers? Apparently, not the men he just killed with their own bullets. He could really use a fucking cigarette right now.

More metal rattles from a pile of wreckage flinging bits into dust covered shadows. Chuuya side steps one with a grunt hands shoved deep in his pockets as he walks towards the four trucks lined in a row trying to place what used to be here. He didn’t spend much time on this side of town unless he was driving by on his bike. A car dealership? Something useless to him. His eyes bounce around the environment taking in each strip of detail, where every particle of dust falls, and the faint sound of labored breathing. Chuuya stops mid-step peering down beneath his foot. Thick crimson pooling near a pile of sharpened metal fragments dug deep into a man’s body. Hunter green and pale blue--the color scheme was tacky and easy to spot. The enemy, despite their destruction, weren’t exactly in the business of protecting their own. Chuuya steps on the man’s chest ending it quickly. Traitor couldn’t even end a life before he moved on to the next, he thinks, jaw locking as he continues forward dust caking his shoe in mottled grey and brown. Mangled framework of a half-finished building peeks through the billowing smoke and dust. Night sky keeping a majority of the street clouded in deep navy, but the dark was nothing out of the ordinary for Chuuya. This much destruction in one swoop was something of a rare occasion and it left a sour taste in his mouth. He shakes the memory from his head; later. When he was alone with a bottle of wine and the job was completed. He could unravel for a moment before picking himself up again. His posture straightens as he kicks a boulder in to a hidden guard aiming for his head. “Oi, you fuckers going to play hide and seek all night or are we going to have a real fight?” He calls into the darkness, smirk rising higher than the sliver of moonlight above. More gunfire, scattered. Thin pops of gold against murky black encapsulating the broken down building making it easier for them to hide. Chuuya didn’t care. He was used to fighting in the dark. He follows the sound, humming. Bullets bouncing off him, cement cracking beneath his feet into a dozen sharp comets careening forward. Blood splatters. Metal shakes. A curled beam split in thin strips begins to vibrate at his ankle and shoots forward completing the end of a few stragglers his rocks didn’t take out completely. At least Tachihara was doing his fucking job. Chuuya ducks beneath one of the tilted beams leaning against a half-crumpled wall of bricks like the entrance to a tent. Smoke thick enough to make him pull his forearm up to block it from entering his lungs. Quietly he steps over rubble and glass shards, bullet casings rolling into the obscurity around him sound echoing louder the deeper he walks. Strips of moonlight casting white over bruised and battered bodies atop a pool of crimson painting the floor. Metal shards sticking out of a few further in. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up--something hits the floor near him hidden in the shadow barely caught by his quick-shifting gaze. Three seconds more and Chuuya would have kicked a crater in Tachihara’s head. “Oi, warn me next time you’re going to sneak up on me!” He grates out, pivoting with his hands shoved back down in his pockets. Blue eyes growing wide at the sight of his former subordinate. Tachihara looked a bit buffer, maybe from training again with the hunting dogs, maybe Chuuya never really paid attention. Blood had begun to streak down his side soaking the white t-shirt and familiar jacket. Strange how he’d changed from his outfit. Confuse the enemy, keep his secret identity hidden from foreign organizations..it didn’t matter. Chuuya’s jaw locks as he kneels down on the balls of his feet to asses. “You okay?” He asks voice a touch softer than before. Tachihara looks up at him blood caked on the right side of his head cascading down in thick dribbles over his cheek and chin. Shoulder speckled with the same deep red. “Yeah boss, asshole clipped my side and I fell.” He half-smiles and tries to push himself up to his knees only to fall again hand barely catching his weight. Chuuya’s brow arches. Boss? “Is Hirotsu okay?” Tachihara asks through gritted teeth. “Old man hasn’t been here all night. Shouldn’t he be helping or is it his bed time?” Despite the apparent pain Tachihara’s voice remains teasing, the way Chuuya remembered. Gruff, deep, a street tone Chuuya recognized in himself but airy in a way when he was around those he trusted. “Hirotsu…” shit, his head. Chuuya stares at him for a few moments running through different scenarios that could play out. Mori would want the information, but if he didn’t remember he was fucking useless as a captive. He wouldn’t even know he was captive. Chuuya rubs his palm down his face. “He’s fine. Hanging back letting us young ones do all the fuckin’ work.” Chuuya couldn’t let him die. For a myriad of reasons that would send the mafia in hot water, and..he couldn’t let him fucking die. Traitor or not. Traitor. That fucking word made Chuuya’s mouth feel dirty. And yet here they both were, perfectly described with that adjective. The only difference being time. Which meant what? It didn’t lessen the levels, the dishonesty and lies for personal gain. What happened because of his inability to lead. Tachihara showed himself as he was, there was little doubt in Chuuya’s mind the smoke and mirrors were just enough to infiltrate. Personal gain. Only reason to join a brigade like that; he wasn’t a mastermind like Jouno or a diehard believer...--but what drove him? Chuuya swears he feels something press into his back, the scar left long ago. Cold. His spine tingles. Tachihara’s face pales, sweat beginning to bead beneath his forehead and soak the front of his shirt. “C-c-chuuya-san...think..we can save the rest for the old man? Should pull his damn weight yeah?” That fucking half-smile, the one that tries to hide how deep his wounds were. His pain. “I suppose it’s only fair.” Chuuya states, extending his arms to scoop Tachihara up with ease. Kid was light as hell. “Oi, how do you weigh so little with all that muscle?” “I---you’re strong” He half bows to Chuuya in embarrassment, but the angle merely leads to Tachihara bumping the good side of his head against Chuuya’s chin. The older man grunts, eyes focused on what was in front of him. Feet moving fluidly through the wreckage; drop off point. The government had made one and he didn’t really give a fuck about being told to stay off the perimeter. Tachihara slumps against Chuuya’s chest causing Chuuya’s eyes to flit down in a panic that sends his heart to his throat. “Stay awake, Tachihara. It’s an order.” Chuuya commands in a tone the younger should recognize, and the reply of a simple nod is enough. The walk wouldn’t be too long, and from the quiet ahead there wouldn’t be much to stop them. Shadows pave their way winding through buildings and alleys. Yokohama drifting in to the one of the very few tranquil moments. Out of habit Chuuya begins to hum to himself. Filling the silence, and from what a few of them had said long ago… the reminder of someone else being there was comforting when everything else was uncertain and death loomed close. Chuuya tightens his grip on Tachihara, humming a bit louder as night begins to fall away to dawn.

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

Thoughts from my recent LOST re-watch

There is absolutely no coherence to this, so please forgive me. It’s just a very long list of all of the random thoughts I’ve had throughout my re-watch of LOST about my opinions on characters, ships, plot lines etc. and how they’ve changed or stayed the same. Feel free to send me an ask if you want me to expand on any of these points. 

Season 1 is perfection. Literal perfection. I can’t find a single criticism for it. The mystery, the suspense, the anticipation, the characterisation, the plot, the build-up. Just everything. It doesn’t matter how many times I watch it, it’s still so impactful and the pilot is one of the best pilots of any show I’ve ever seen

It’s still so funny that all of the characters so happen to have the perfect combination of skills to survive - Jack the Doctor, Locke the Hunter, Sayid the Soldier and Kate the Tracker

I always knew it anyway, but the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle really is awful. And the fact that they (attempted) to bring Ana Lucia into it and then actually did bring Juliet in to make it a love square is even worse. 

Jack and Juliet actually kind of make sense as a romantic pairing and have good chemistry (but Suliet still rule all) 

Kate is the worst character on the show. I’m sorry, I’ve tried to like her but I never have. She doesn’t undergo any development until around the time she gets Aaron in season 5 - she kills her father in cold blood and justifies it by saying he was a violent drunk (hello, there’s nothing that can justify murder with maybe the exception of self defence), she then goes on the run where she constantly lies, schemes and manipulates to get what she wants, which ultimately leads to her best friend getting killed in the crossfire. From the second she lands on the island she consistently plays Sawyer and Jack off one another by taking advantage of their feelings for her without any consideration to how that impacts them 

John Locke is an asshole a majority of the time and I really don’t like him (this doesn’t include pre-island and flash-sideways John, who’s a sweetheart) 

Charlie Pace is also an asshole and I don’t know how I didn’t see this sooner

I’ll never be over Boone’s death or the fact that he died for nothing because of Locke

Walt getting taken from the raft is still one of the most shocking and haunting moments of the series

Hugo Reyes is the definition of cinnamon roll, I love him with every fibre of my being and LOST wouldn’t be what is is without him

Kate treats Sawyer like shit from the beginning and he deserves so much better. I’m not gonna lie, I still don’t understand how or why Sawyer falls in love with her

Also what is that bullshit with them having sex in the cage? I know it’s supposed to be this hot-we-could-die-at-any-moment raw sex but it just comes across as very weird?? Even if they don’t know there’s cameras on them, they’re outside in the open where anybody could see them at any time

Shannon is a very misunderstood character who deserved better. So. much. better.

I still hate Ben, but he’s one of the best written villains in television I’ve ever seen

Charlie/Claire is the worst romance in the world. They have no chemistry, Charlie develops an obsession with her and practically stalks her, forces her to do what he wants her to do, constantly tries to take over with Aaron despite having absolutely no right to. There is just nothing even remotely redeeming about this ship and I still don’t get it

Locke’s musical theme makes me cry every single time 

And following on from that, as much as I dislike Locke, his flashbacks always make me cry. “Don’t tell me what I can’t do, ever!”, when he gets in the wheelchair in the hospital after his father has pushed him out of the window and when he cries in the car after his father tells him he’s not wanted. It’s heartbreaking 

I still can’t get over all the amazing character connections - Charlie saving Nadia, Sayid meeting Kate’s father and Kelvin during the war, Jack meeting Desmond before the island, Christian being Claire’s father, Christian and Ana Lucia going to Australia together, Sawyer meeting Christian in the bar etc. - it’s all so beautifully done in a way that feels authentic and links the characters (even the ones with more superficial ties) together so well

Michael is not a bad person and is unfairly hated. He’s just a father that did what any parent would do to keep their child safe 

Hurley and Libby are sweet but severely underdeveloped

I actually really dig the episode about Paulo and Nikki

Eko has such a touching and emotional arc, which although short, is very well rounded

The Other 48 Days is still one of the most chilling episodes of the series

It’s sad that the Tailies were all killed off so prematurely, I feel like they all had potential to be more

Jin’s development is so unappreciated. He’s probably the character that goes through the most amount of growth from the pilot to the finale

I know I should feel sorry for Claire (and part of me does), but I still find her too annoying to feel anything but dislike for her

Desmond and Penny’s love story is freakin’ beautiful and nothing can compare

Also how cute are Rose and Bernard? I’ve come to appreciate their relationship so much. They’re literally just two people who love each other in the purest way and want to be together. It’s so beautiful

Sayid is one of the best characters on the show and my love for him has been reaffirmed 

I understand the appeal of Sayid and Shannon but Nadia was Sayid’s soul mate and no one can tell me otherwise

Jack is probably the most unstable character on the show but it’s never acknowledged

Am I the only one that notices that Charlie flat-out lies about not being able to swim? In season 1 when Joanna is drowning Charlie tells Jack he can’t go in to help her because he can’t swim, but he consistently dreams about swimming to save Aaron, Desmond has a vision of him saving Claire from drowning and in season 2 he flat out tells everyone he’s swimming junior champion and swims down to the Looking Glass. Is this Charlie being a liar or simply a fault of the writers, I wonder? 

The episode where Sawyer, Jin and Hurley fix up the Dharma car still makes me so happy

Sun and Jin’s relationship is one of the best developed fictional ships I’ve ever seen. It’s so rare that we actually get to see a married couple who are on the verge of breaking up actually love each other enough to work their asses off to make it work and end up being happier and more in love with each other more than ever before

The Others are still absolutely terrifying in seasons 1 and 2 before we find out who they are

Charlie and Hurley’s friendship is overrated 

Adding to that some underrated dynamics are - Sayid and Desmond (in The Constant Sayid blindly does everything in his power to help Desmond despite not understanding what the hell is going on with him), Kate and Sayid, Hurley and Sayid, Michael, Sawyer and Jin, Shannon and Walt, Boone and Shannon, Eko and Ana.

Jack is by far the most flawed protagonist I’ve seen in any show

I’m intrigued to know what direction Ana Lucia’s character would’ve gone in if she’d survived

The musical themes are still the best of any show I’ve ever seen. I love that each character has their own theme which perfectly encapsulates them

The way that everyone just forgets about Claire after she goes missing and don’t even attempt to find her is so bad. Particularly when you consider the fact that whenever anyone else has gone missing or were kidnapped - Jack, Kate, Michael, Hurley - they’ve gone on a rescue mission immediately 

I’ve always been indifferent to Sun but I realise now that I don’t like her. She’s very hard to connect with and in the last seasons she becomes completely irrelevant and has no personality what-so-ever

Jack reacts so coldly to finding out that Claire is his sister. Like he finds out, he’s shocked, has tears in his eyes but nothing changes in how he behaves and thinks about Claire and Aaron, which makes no sense (but I’m glad we got to see this explored in the Flash Sideways)

Danielle and Alex Rousseau deserved better. So much better

All these people that accuse the show of having an abundance of plot-holes just aren’t paying attention or want everything to be spoon fed to them. There’s actually only about 1 or 2 inconsistencies big enough to be considered a plot-hole (the main one being that Danielle actually sees Ben face-to-face when he kidnaps Alex, but later on doesn’t recognise him when she captures him in a net) and everything is tied together perfectly

I didn’t realise before but season 5 is actually a pretty bad season. The most redeeming aspect is Suliet

Did anyone else notice that Naveen’s (Sayid) accent regresses into his own English accent in season 5 and 6? 

I actually hate the entire concept of Jacob and the MIB and what was done with them

Jack really does become Locke in seasons 5 and 6 

Following on from that, I really can’t blame Sawyer for wanting to murder Jack in season 5/6. He saunters back onto the island like he’s King of the Island thinking he’s some hero who’s going to save everyone he left behind whilst also fixing himself without any consideration to the repercussions. He completely destroys the life Sawyer and Juliet have spent 3 damn years building which results in a lot of people dying, including Juliet and he doesn’t even really seem that aware of how badly he’s fucked up 

We were robbed of a Frank Lapidus centric episode and flashbacks. Robbed, I tell you

I love Jack and Kate as a ship, but when they get back to the island in season 5 they’re very OOC (which is a writing problem imo). Kate wanders off and leaves Jack behind all the time and they don’t really stick together which is just not like Jack and Kate at all. No matter what they always stick together 

Sawyer’s character development is amazing. I love him so much 

The Temple is dumb. The concept of it, the people we’re introduced to - everything. It should’ve just been scrapped 

I also don’t understand what the hell happens to Sayid when he’s drowned in The Temple???? It’s so random and inconsistent, it makes no sense

I still love the concept of the Flash Sideways and don’t understand how people can hate on it or claim it doesn’t matter. It’s so important in so many ways 

But I still don’t quite understand why Jack and Juliet have a son in the Flash Sideways? I understand why Jack has a son, because it makes sense for him to work out his ‘daddy issues’, but I don’t understand why Juliet is the mother and what the significance is of that

We really should’ve got more Desmond centric episodes

The Constant is still one of the best episodes of television ever made

The older I get the more I understand and appreciate the religious and theological meanings of the show

I still don’t understand how or why Hurley starts being able to see ghosts. Like that ability just comes out of no where with little to no explanation 

It also gets very confusing trying to distinguish between literal ghosts and when the MIB has taken on a dead person’s form

I understand now that one of the many reasons LOST speaks to me on a personal level, and always has, is that I too have felt lost (both metaphorically and literally) throughout my life and I’m able to connect to every character on that basis regardless of whether I like them or not

The characterisation on this show is still second to none. The way each character has distinct lives that are fully fleshed out by flashbacks and that we get to understand every intimate detail about them - the worst thing they’ve ever done, their happiest moment, their greatest fear, the person they love most - I’m yet to find another show that writes its characters in such a complex and fulfilling way

I will always love the show and stand by it being one of the best shows ever, but as the seasons progress it does decline in quality, especially seasons 5 and 6 

The finale is still perfect though. I cry like a baby every single time - the church, the way Jack cries in his dad’s arms, it’s just too much

[avidbeader]

Finished “The Dragon Prince”.

Non-spoiler stuff: it’s cute. It kind of pushes my love for high fantasy. There’s impressive world-building happening. I appreciate what they’re going for in terms of weaving together a bunch of threads into a complex plot. I also appreciate the efforts to make as many characters as possible a bit nuanced and/or complicated, as well as the diversity of race and gender on display.

But it’s not grabbing me by the throat. I don’t feel compelled to read/write fic or seek art at this time. The designs really kiddify many of the characters for me and make them feel young teen instead of older/nearly adult (the first of only two comparisons to “Voltron” I’ll make), and because so much of the action is focused on our trio of kids, I did feel I was watching something not meant for me. I’m also not thrilled with the animation quality: yes, 100% computer animated means more characters and things move in the background compared to a mostly hand-drawn product, but it all felt like the frame rate was too slow and it took me ages to get into the story enough and stop noticing. And finally, a lot of the banter and humor in the dialogue isn’t to my taste, whether because I’m an older viewer or just because it’s my taste

With the character designs being so rounded and soft, they really do feel younger. I know there’s some chart out there listing the ages of the different characters going around and I don’t remember all of them. But it does give me the impression that a Callum or a Rayla is in the 13-15 range, where the more angular designs of characters like Pidge, Keith, and Lance in “Voltron” make me think 16-19.

So, in short, cute and if more seasons happen I might watch because I’m curious about a few things. I don’t have enough data points for a real comparison, but I’m thinking that much of what drew me in about “Voltron” was seeing just how amazingly Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery updated it all from the ashes of DotU. I don’t have that prior connection here.

Spoilery thoughts under the cut:

Callum is probably my favorite character, although the cringey moments do come on a regular basis. I like that he is smart and can figure things out, but I love most just how fiercely he defends others. One thing I would want strongly in future seasons is for the balance to shift so that the babbling/off on a tangent moments decrease in favor of leadership and stepping up. The protective-Callum moments were among my favorite bits of the entire season.

Ezran is a male counterpart to Lilo of “Lilo and Stitch” for me, which makes Bait a version of Stitch on permanent Xanax. That impression formed with the stealing-the-pastries scene and I could not shake it.

I have a hard time getting past Rayla’s accent - the voice is so very Merida from “Brave”. I do like that they addressed in both word and deed how conflicted she was when it came time to kill someone in cold blood. Ezran’s telling her it’s a good thing she’s an assassin who’s never killed anyone encapsulated that whole arc perfectly. I was also waiting to see how she was going to get the binding off her wrist and when (1) they didn’t go for Ezran not breathing after going into the river and (2) the sunforge blade failed, I expected that to go into the following season right up to the moment where the dragon bit it off.

I was super-impressed with King Harrow and how they showed a man whose outlook has evolved so much, recognizing both his own wrongs and the tangled mess that history created. The one thing I disliked was how quickly he seemed to accept what he saw as his fate, letting the need for atonement take precedence when he could have been trying to find solutions. I don’t know if he thought it would, but I certainly didn’t believe for a moment that Harrow’s death would have solved anything.

My husband (who only saw parts of the season, not the whole) thinks Viren did the body swap with the king. I think Viren trapped the king in his pet bird, and when the time comes Ezran will know because of his gift with animals. (In this, @radiofreekerberos and I thought alike.)

I struggle the most with Soren and Claudia. I think they are both very competent at what they do, given their ages, but that the writers chose to given them both their awful sense of humor so they wouldn’t seem too mature. It doesn’t work for me. They could have done more with them simply being uncertain about things - the scene where Soren asks Claudia if their dad gave her a secret mission too? That bit worked so well because it showed Soren as thinking, wrestling with a huge moral conflict beyond his current experience. I want more of that and less fart jokes.

Similarly, I didn’t like how Gren got reduced to comedic fodder after being taken prisoner. Again, assuming more seasons happen, I would hope Viren’s imprisoning of Runaan flips a switch in Gren so he can talk/fight/trick his way to freedom.

Overall I’m not really feeling any ships, but then I didn’t feel any ships at the end of the first season of “Voltron” other than a nostalgia-fueled tug for Kallura. The only thing that has even a spark of my interest is the possibility of Gren and Runaan: if Gren can free himself and then find a way to free Runaan who then leads their escape, it’s got that shared experience as prisoners and the “we saved each other” thing. Which is a thing I like.

Okay, maybe I could see myself doing a rare-pair fic for this franchise...

[dork-empress]

A Helping Hand

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandom: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)

Characters: Rayla (The Dragon Prince) Callum (The Dragon Prince) Ezran (The Dragon Prince) Ellis (The Dragon Prince) Lujanne (The Dragon Prince) Azymondias (The Dragon Prince)

Additional Tags: Severe Injury, Burns, loss of hand

Deciding she doesn't want to face the issues of slowly letting her hand fall off, Rayla takes matters into her own hands, well, hand, when she gets the Sunforged blade.

I LOVED the Dragon Prince, but thought they were so perfectly set up for this and then just didn't go there. The parallels, the blade, everything. And...the dragon biting if off kinda felt like a cop-out to me. But again, I loved the rest of the show.

Read on Ao3

“Did you find the knife guy? Did you get his knife?” Ezran asked as he and Callum ran towards the shivering pile under the cloak.

Except Rayla wasn’t shivering. She was shaking. There was a very subtle difference as she clutched her arm to herself, silently screaming in pain, but she wasn’t cold, not as her blood flowed through her, her heart beating fast with adrenaline and fear.

Rayla sniffed as they got close. “Rayla?” Callum asked, soft and kind.

She swallowed, “The bad news is that the sunforge blade didn’t work,” she said, voice shaking with her. “The--the good news is I did manage to get the binding off.”

“Really?” Ezran asked, excited, “How?!”

Rayla flinched, and pulled back the cloak. Callum and Ezra gasped at the sight, and she pulled it back close to her chest, regretting showing them at all. It was too late now. They saw the stump where her hand had been.

Callum sat next to her on the fountain, Ezran on her other side, stabilizing her. “What happened?”

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

“No! Nothing can cut this stupid binding! Ugh!” Rayla said, about ready to throw the dagger in anger. Her hand burned, she had sliced just a bit of her skin in the process. At least the damn thing cut something.

She watched her own skin sizzle for a moment. It didn’t bleed, but looked red and angry. Felt angry too. An idea floated into her head.

If she waited, the loss of her hand would be slow, agonizing even. She could lose more than just her hand, her whole arm could be forfeit. And the blood loss….and infection….she could die from it. Which of course, was the point, it wasn’t a true bind if it didn’t cost something.

She took a deep breath. “You,” She said to the dagger holder, “Gimme that sheath.”

“Sure, uh--” he stammered, fussing with taking the sheath off his belt. “Sure, take it! Take anything you want! Just don’t hurt me!”

Rayla rolled her eyes, “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said, “I’m...going to hurt me.” She lay her arm out on the stone and took a breath. She could do this. She could do this she could do this.

She put the sheath in her mouth and bit down as hard as she could. No way she could stop herself from screaming.

With a final gulp she raised the dagger and sliced.

********

“Rayla...I’m sorry,” Callum says, “Here, let me see.” Rayla clutched her stump closer to her chest. “The burn probably still needs to be treated. At least with some water or something.” Reluctantly, she held it out. He winced, but got up to fetch some water from the well. She yelped putting her arm in the bucket, but after a moment, it felt good.

“Tell me something good happened with the egg,” she said, fighting off tears.

“Yes and no,” Callum said, tearing off a ribbon of her cloak, “Well, no. Not yet. So, yes? In a way?” He started wrapping up her hand.

“Sounds like we’re averaging out to a maybe-minus,” she said, still wincing in pain.

“Yeah that sounds about right,” Callum slumped, finishing up the bandage.

“We learned about a miracle healer,” Ezran perked, “Someone who might be able to help the egg!” he jumped up beaming, “And maybe your hand, too!”

Rayla looked doubtfully at her hand. “Really?”

Callum shrugged, “She apparently re-grew a dog’s leg. A hand can’t be too much more complicated right?” He sighed, “The only catch is, the healer lives up there...the Cursed Caldera.”

Rayla gulped. “Please tell me it’s named that because it was discovered by the great explorer, Sir Phineas Cursed.”

“Actually, it’s called that because it’s infested with horrible monsters,” Callum said.

“Yeah...I know,” she sulked.

“There she is!” They were distracted by a voice behind them, “She’s an elf! She did dark blood magic right in front of me!”

Rayla flinched in pain again. “Oh, right. I forgot about the other bad news.”

They ran.

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

Rayla paced back and forth, uneasy. She had only barely been able to climb up the tree one-handed. It was hard to imagine that just a short while ago, she’d scaled up a cliffside and a castle. She was built for climbing, made for it. But now, her arm hurt so much she could barely think.

Ezran was sitting on the other end of the tree branch, Bait beside him, cradling the egg to his chest. “It seems to be hanging in there,” she said, positively, “Barely,” she added, more cynical.

Ezran hugged it tighter, “I’m so sorry I messed up the plan,” he said, bowing his head.

Rayla collapsed to sitting, feeling some of the despair and pain wash over her, “Ah, you should cut yourself a break,” she said, voice flat and miserable even when she was trying to be comforting, “Everyone messes up sometimes. Or in my case, all the times.”

“What are you talking about?” Ezran said, swiveling to her confused.

She scoffed. “Trust me, if the plan hadn’t gotten messed up when Bait flashed, I’m sure it would have flopped when it was my turn.”

“Are you kidding?” Ezran said, “From what I can tell, you’re awesome at everything.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at the compliment. “I WAS pretty awesome at everything,” she said, waving her stump as a reminder, “Right up until the moment when it really matters. And that’s when I just, poof. Screw things up.”

“What do you mean?”

She scoffed, “Look at me, Ezran. I lost my darn hand! I’m a one-handed assassin.” she sighs. “I hesitate. I think too much, get confused about the right thing to do. And the next thing I know, I failed,” She looks sadly at her hand.

She told him the story of letting the guard go, remembering everything about that night, the cold rain, the dark shadows, and worst of all the pain in the guard’s eyes. “Do you realize I’m an assassin who’s never killed anyone?”

“I think that’s a good thing,” he said, putting the egg away. He seemed distracted from his own mistake, at least. “Thanks for failing at your mission, by the way. I like being alive.”

“I’m glad you’re alive, Ezran,” she said, meaning it. She couldn’t imagine having extinguished the bright light that was the young prince. “Knowing you is definitely worth losing a hand for.”

“That is the weirdest nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he responded.

She chuckled again. “I just...I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now,” she said, “I want to get you and Callum and the egg to safety.”

“And don’t forget Bait!” Ezran pushed the glow-toad into her face.

She grimaced. “How could I?” she said flatly, then sighed. “But….we’re going to face more monsters on this journey, probably. More people who want to stop us for whatever reason. No offense, but you’re a kid. Callum is a twig who knows one and a half spells, and Bait is….Bait. I can’t even hold the egg anymore, let alone protect it. What...what am I going to do?”

Ezran scooted closer to her. “Well,” He said, “You can still do some things without your hand.”

“Oh?” she asked, and he lifted his arms, encasing her but not pushing on her. She sighed, and wrapped her arm around him, encapsulating him in a hug.

*********

“She’s a moon mage,” Rayla said, looking at the elf, her heart in her stomach, “An illusionist.”

Lujanne, the illusionist, went on to explain what she did, and what she had done for Ava. “She didn’t need that leg to be happy, no more than you need your hand.”

“But I do need my hand!” Rayla said, upset and raising her stump, “I’m a warrior! What am I going to do with just one hand?!”

“You’ve done pretty well so far,” the girl Ellis said, leaning against Ava, “Like Ava! You destroyed that leech one handed, saved everyone. You climbed the tree one-handed, defended us against the illusions…”

“That’s because that’s what they WERE,” Rayla argued, “In a real battle...I don’t know what I’ll do!” She held her head in her one remaining hand, clutching her stump to her chest. It still hurt.

“The monsters may have been fake, but your fight against them was real,” Lujanne argued, “It takes great courage and spirit to make it up this mountain and past my monsters. A courage I saw in Ellis and Ava,” she smiled at the wolf and the girl, “and a courage I see in you.”

Rayla shook her head, “I don’t know what you see,” she said, “but it’s not courage.”

“What are you talking about?” Callum said, “We never would have MADE it this far without you. You’ve saved all of us at one time or another, even Bait, and that was when you were terrified of the water.” Bait croaked in agreement.

“Yeah, you did everything with just your slish hand!” Ellis added, “Just like Ava did everything with just three legs.”

Lujanne chuckled, “There may be some things you can’t do anymore,” she said, “But if you’re worried about being there for your friends, I’d say you have everything you need.” She motioned to the others, all looking at Rayla with smiling faces.

Ezran’s face fell as he turned to Lujanne, “But...we have another problem. And this one’s REAL,” he said, taking the egg out of his bag.

Lujanne and the rest of them lamented as they realized there was nothing she could do. Rayla closed her eyes. All of this, all of this was for nothing. Saving the egg, all that she had done. It was for nothing.

And then Callum was gasping. He said, “I know what I have to do,” and took out his Stone.

Rayla only figured out what he was talking about a second before he smashed the orb onto the stone ground. The glass shattered and they were all blown back by the explosion of wind. In slow motion Rayla watched as the egg rolled along the rock face, directly toward the edge of the cliff.

For once, Rayla didn’t overthink, She hardly thought at all. Hand or not, that egg meant peace for the world, and more than that it was a child, a hurt child. No way was she letting a measly hand stop her.

She clutched the egg to her chest with both arms, hugging it to herself until the wind became too strong. She took out her sword, using her one good hand to stab into the rock face, keeping herself steady. The egg pressed on her stump, sending shocks of pain up her arm, but she didn’t dare let go, holding it in the crook of her elbow.

Finally the wind died away, and she looked around. They were in the eye of the storm, the center of calm surrounded by chaos.

She put the egg down and watched. The storm spiralled away, the energy released and dissipating into the sky.

The egg sat still and cold. Once again, Rayla felt a wave of failure flow through her. They had tried everything, absolutely everything, and still they failed.

Then, it cracked.

Rayla nearly squealed looking at the adorable baby dragon, as it cautiously stepped out, blinking up at Bait and Ezran. Ezran talked to it, like he might talk to a person, but Rayla hardly heard what he said, too distracted by ‘BABY DRAGON!!’

Ezran turned the dragon, Zym, saying “That’s Rayla. You almost blew off the mountain, but Rayla saved you!”

Rayla kneeled down as the baby dragon hopped toward her, sniffing at the bandage around her hand. He licked at it, causing it to sting. “Aww! It’s okay, little one,” she said, “The important thing is you. One miracle is enough for me today.”

Zym bit at the bandage, pulling at it. “Hey, stop that,” she said, trying to gently pull him away. He was insistent, stronger than she was expecting, and the bandage came loose. He licked eagerly at the exposed stump, and she flinched.

“Hey! Zym, don’t hurt her!” Ezran said, but Rayla held up her hand.

“It’s alright,” she said, letting the dragon lick her, “I...I feel something. I…” The bandage fell away and she looked at the arm. “The pain! It’s...it’s gone!” she said, looking at her hand, “It feels perfectly fine now!”

The others all beamed, and Zym yipped, proud of himself. She pet him with the stump. “Thank you,” she said.