#and a setup for next chapter

[riftwalker-limbro]

intermission - Resignation

masterpost

---

Your leg is the same, no?

The same as a warframe’s repaired-as-best-as-possible scars, that would never heal further, that would always cause him some level of pain.

It had been weighing heavily on Kelth’s mind, the past few days. They were pressed with their nose to the fact every morning since that first transference tryout, as they and Vince tried to figure out his abilities together. They didn’t practise proper transference - Kelth wasn’t going to try that again unless he specifically asked for it, and even then - but it was more like just hanging out together, seeing if they could spot the things he missed, to help prevent him from making mistakes. It wasn’t full transference, but it was still enough to make their knee sting in sympathy on his bad days.

Ordis had said he didn’t think Sufford would mind it if Kelth got a proper fitted cane - and when they’d asked Sufford to come along with them for this, he’d agreed enthusiastically. They couldn’t just go in Sufford for this, as on their more-limited-than-usual budget, it wouldn’t be wise to just eyeball any random cane. Kelth was nervous about going out as themself, not particularly used to it, but plenty of tenno walked around relays as they were, next to their warframes or without entirely. It would be fine.

The relay was busy, with many unfamiliar noises and faces, but Sufford stuck to them like glue, and once in the store, they forgot to be nervous - they’d had no ideas canes could look like that, or that, or have this-

The clerks were nice and helpful, and after what felt like barely ten minutes, they had found out what type of cane worked best for them. They paid for a basic model as they listened to knee brace recommendations and looked at the fancy ones from the corner of their eye. They’d have to be back once their wallet was looking better.

The current state of their funds didn’t stop them from trying to be thrifty and pulling Sufford along to the flea-market-y section of the relay, where they proceeded to dig through piles and piles of rubbish until Sufford poked them and pointed them at a pile of rocks which looked at first entirely ordinary. After one quick once-over with their focus abilities, they turned a wide-eyed look to Sufford, telling him all he needed to know to go bargain for them with the shopkeep. Afterwards, though they were vibrating with energy from all the excitement, Sufford managed to herd Kelth back to the Liset without any further incidents or purchases. 

—

Once back on the Orbiter, Ordis concluded that these were void relics, and they might contain treasures much greater than the price they’d paid for them - and they’d been seeing them laying around on missions, too. They’d have to pay attention and grab them next time they saw one. After a short hour of research, Kelth was much too full of energy to sit still anymore, and together with Sufford, they went out to see if they could crack one of these relics and see what was inside.

Right as they stepped out of the Liset, they could tell something was off - the air itself was crackling, felt ready to snap. Sufford was apprehensive about it, so Kelth forced themself to calm down and not rush him through this.

Slowly, they moved through the base, sniping enemy soldiers as they popped up. Sufford was uneasy about the difference in the air, so Kelth was on guard, as well. They’d read that the relic needed to be exposed to the void energy in the air here, but they weren’t entirely sure how to get it out-

A distance in front of them, a small hole in reality suddenly tore open. Sufford froze in surprise and nearly fumbled his next step, while Kelth was too awestruck to at first really pay attention to what it was doing to the void relic. Then, the enemies came through the tear.

Once they were dispatched, they inspected the dusty rock in Sufford’s belt-pocket, only to find that it was no longer dusty, and did in fact look like it had absorbed some of the energy from the fissure - it was humming softly, but not showing any signs of breaking open just yet.

“We’ve gotta find another,” Kelth said, excitedly. Sufford agreed, but he sounded short, pulling them out of it a little bit.

“What is it?” they asked, taken aback.

“We should finish this up quickly,” he said. “This is unpredictable matter.”

“You’re right,” they said. They’d celebrate their victory back on the Orbiter.

Two steps further, another fissure burst, this time right in front of them. Sufford’s shoulder flared up bright with pain - it felt as though it had burst apart along with the patch of reality in front of them, as though the Stalker’s blade had been driven through it anew. A quick check told Kelth he wasn’t bleeding - had he just been hit by some debris from that? There wasn’t-

Sufford staggered back, rifle falling to the ground as his right arm suddenly dropped to hang limply by his side. Enemies were coming through the fissure, but Sufford wasn’t ready. Halfway taking control, Kelth had him raise his pistol with his left hand and clear out the handful of hostiles, picking them off one by one, running between various crates to duck behind.

After the last one had fallen and they couldn’t detect any others coming to their location, he holstered the pistol and picked up the rifle again with his left hand. His right arm was still immobile, sending regular shocks of pain through his system, strong enough that Kelth could pick up on them. “To extraction?” he asked, strained. Kelth agreed. The relic wasn’t worth it.

—

The Helminth had scoffed at him when he had entered its room. No work to be done, it had said. No damage it hadn’t already fixed up earlier.

Sufford had admitted that the scarred-over injury was likely what had caused it - why exactly it had flared up so badly in proximity to void fissures, they could only guess. He also explained how it caused various other low-grade troubles for him, but none so bad that they’d ever impede the mission, so he hadn’t thought it very important to bring up. With a great and tired sense of déjà-vu, Kelth had scolded him for that one, and themself for not connecting the dots on this one earlier, too. It seems they’d been missing a lot of stuff, recently, and they were just going to give up on hoping they’d catch it all going forwards. It was important to remember that their best was all they could do.

The other important thing was that they were going to avoid void fissures like the plague. They might be able to strike up a deal with Kali about the ones they had gotten now and might find in the future, because they were still interested in the results from it, but they just wouldn’t be the ones cracking them open. That was alright by Kelth - not always being on the front lines suited them just fine.

Well, it was looking like they were a club of three now, together with Vince. A lot had changed in a short time, but they felt more settled now, more sure of themself and their team of two warframes.

Kelth couldn’t wait to see what was gonna mess it up next.

[bkdk-myrelationshipacademia]

Deku

For a moment he just looked at me. I like his eyes like this. He looked as if he was longing for an answer. An answer that I can’t give him. He stared a little longer into my eyes, and I wondered if I was as hard to read as he was. Suddenly I had an entirely new concern and I physically felt my face shift to something more opaque. Almost immediately a confused look appeared on his then he dropped my hand and slowly the anger in his eyes returned and he turned to walk away from me to the dorm. I wanted to tell him to wait. I wanted to tell him to stop. I wanted to tell him how I felt and what I wanted more than anything was for him to keep holding my hand. To keep looking into each other's eyes, but the moment was over maybe the only moment we would ever have. Was it enough for me to live with? The next three days will be unbearable. The next three days cleaning and cooking, no classes all alone. Well all alone except Kacchan who hates me. Or maybe I need to look at it differently. The next three days with Kacchan and a chance to get him to stop hating me. The next three days to get another moment with him, another chance to look into his eyes, to hold his hand, and maybe to get him to tell me how he feels before I embarrass myself telling him the answer to the question he asked me tonight. What I want.

~~~

Kacchan 

That damn nerd. Looking at me like that. Refusing to speak. He thinks I care. I refuse to be weak. I have trained hard to come this far and become this strong. I won't allow him to be another thing I worry about. Maybe I didn’t allow him enough time to speak… No that can’t be it his face completely shut down. I won’t allow him to get another chance at making me weak. At becoming my weakness. That's why I won’t look back. I don’t care if I know he is standing there looking like a pathetic weakling. If I look back now there is no telling what I would do. I’d probably start another fight, and then the next four days of house arrest would turn into seven. Ugh the next three days with that damn nerd. Damn it. I didn’t even think about how many opportunities he’d have to talk to me when we are alone, to try and make me weak. I’ll just have to avoid him. 

~~~

Deku

I woke up early to work out before I went to make breakfast for my classmates but when I got downstairs Kacchan had already finished preparing it. He had plated it up for everyone including me. He looked at me. For a moment it felt just like last night. It was soft and kind, then the anger appeared on his face as he quickly grabbed his plate and walked by me. I may be wrong but I think he slowed down as he passed. Maybe he wanted to say something. More likely he wanted to hit me. 

~~~

Kacchan

I woke up early so I wouldn’t have to see him. The plan was to be back upstairs before he was even out of bed. Subconsciously as I cooked I knew I was going too slow. I knew he was going to come down. I knew that I would see him. When he walked down I wasn’t shocked. I was relieved to see him one time, but after this no more. I grabbed my plate and began to walk back to my room. He just stared and as I got closer I thought of all the things I could say to him to extend this moment in time. To extend the amount of time I got to look at him. I had to remind myself that was the weakness in me trying to claw its way out. So instead I just said “Dinner is on you.” Then I walked up to my room. I started hearing everyone else get ready and go down to eat. A little while after classes had started I heard a knock at my door. I knew it had to be that damn nerd. 

~~~

Deku

It was easy to come up with a plan. The question then was would it be easy to execute. Could I lie to Kacchan? I mean it was easy enough to believe he probably wouldn’t question it, but he definitely would hate it. 

~~~

Kacchan

I didn’t want to answer, but I figured he was just going to divide up the work which is good because it means that I could strategically plan my day to avoid him. I opened the door and there he was looking like a puppy. Eyes wide and excited as if doing chores was better that training or going to class. Personally I can’t think of anything worse than falling behind the rest of our class granted I could probably miss a whole week and those idiots still couldn’t beat me. 

“Hi Kacchan! I figured we could get started working so that way we have enough time to do some private studying and training together.” Even the implication that we would work together made me sick to my stomach. 

“Who said anything about doing this together? Give me half the list and I’ll get my stuff done while you get your half of the list done. This is a divide and conquer situation.”

~~~

Deku

This is it. The only way I am going to get him to spend time with me.

“Well actually Aizawa stopped by while you were up here. He said in order to increase our teamwork and prevent us from fighting again we are supposed to complete every task together.” I almost immediately regretted saying that. The door slammed immediately. 

I waited there. All I wanted was to spend time with him so he’d forgive me for last night

~~~

Kacchan

Three days with Deku. Cleaning together. Training together. How am I supposed to look at him after last night? I all but told him how I felt, and in return he shut down. I don’t wanna be embarrassed. I don’t wanna look weak in front of him. I want to be strong for him. I can do this. I can make it through three days with him without becoming weak. Maybe it will make me stronger. I took a deep breath and reopened my door. Standing in front of me was Midoriaya looking like a broken toy. 

~~~

Deku

The door reopened. I looked up and I could have swore I saw a glimpse of sympathy on his face before it shifted to something a bit more resentful. He reached his arm up to scratch the back of his head. His arm was so well defined it was as if he was trying to tease me. Draw me in so he can dominate me emotionally as he did physically last night. Maybe I made a mistake. Was it too late to take it back and divide the list evenly?

“I say we train first that way whatever mess we make we can clean up afterwards. I’ll meet you downstairs in 5 minutes. Go change into something to work out in. You better be ready too. The next time we fight I want you to at least try and beat me.” He said. I felt a little anger and a little excitement build up in me. 

“I will beat you!” I practically screamed. 

“You better or I swear to god I’ll kill you.” He said as he closed his door. 

~~~

Kacchan

I think I found a solution for my problem. If I wanted to be able to tell that damn nerd how I felt without creating another weakness he needed to be strong enough to defeat anything that came at him. Including me. I am going to push him until he breaks.

I changed into some athletic shorts and a sleeveless shirt and headed downstairs. There he was waiting for me. To mats set up on the floor weights nearby. He was stretching his legs leaning back and forth. I just stood there and watched for a moment. I forget how efficient he is. He doesn’t like to waste time so he made sure to set everything up so we could have a good workout session. It seemed like his entire demeanor had changed; upstairs he was acting like a beaten dog now he seemed enthusiastic about training together. He had come so far from the weekling he was when we were younger. Yet he still had a type of childlike enthusiasm that I can’t help but notice. I just kind of continued to look at him until I noticed he was looking back. 

“How long have you been there? You said five minutes it’s been nearly fifteen. I would have figured you would have been on time considering your threat.”

“I-- I just got down here you damn idiot. It’s none of your business, but I figured I’d brush my teeth considering I just ate. Speaking of which, don't forget you are responsible for cooking dinner. I made breakfast so I will stand there and watch so that we are still ‘working together’” I retorted. 

I grabbed a weight and before I even began to curl it that idiot stopped me. 

“Aren’t you going to stretch first?” He asked. 

“Listen you damn nerd. In a real fight you won’t have time to stretch, that's a weak mentality to have.”

“Look, let me help you. I've already stretched so I can make sure you hit all the muscles we plan to work out today.” 

“Who said you're leading this work out? I’m In charge here. Obviously you're the one that needs help cause you don’t even have control over the full capacity of your power.” 

“If we are supposed to be increasing our teamwork, we should compromise. I’ll help you stretch--”

“I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP! I can stretch on my own then we can get started.”  He is so infuriating. That's when he took a step forward. 

“Fine, tell me what to do and I'll do whatever you say.” He said. I don’t know why, but that statement made me blush a little. Hopefully he interpreted it as rage rather than anything else. 

We finished stretching relatively quickly and can I just say that his range of motion is insane. I could practically fold him into any position I wanted.

“Ok. Let’s get started!” 

We did a couple simple workouts. That's when I got an idea. One that would give me an excuse to get close to him. If I was going to have to be around him for the next three days I might as well enjoy myself. I let him finish his rep then I threw a punch. It hit him right in the side. He turned to face me quickly. I could sense the power surging in him. I smiled. 

~~~

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[thesketchystar]

Wake Up Babes, New DCA x Reader Fic Just Dropped!

I come with a humble offering of my very-first-ever writing. Of course it is these goddamn jesters.

Here's the AO3 link

Summary:

"Waking up in a strange place with no memory of how you got there, you find yourself accompanied by friends you don't know and surrounded by animatronics reminiscent of a video game you're barely aware exists.

With nothing but a vague feeling of familiarity and your own intuition, you must navigate the complexities of your newfound life. Uncover its mysteries, evolve friendships with humans and animatronics alike, and grapple with growing affections and high tensions.

Just beware the dangers lurking within your new world."

I'll make some art for it soon, but hopefully someone enjoys the first chapter. ^^

[potatobugz]

Chapter 2 is out!

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread

To Shape A Dragon’s Breath

YA fantasy

a young Indigenous girl finds & bonds with a dragon hatchling - the first time in many generations for her people - and is required to go to the coloniser’s dragon academy in their mainland city, to learn how to raise her dragon and the science of its magic

historical inspired setting on the cusp of industrial revolution with steampunk vibes

bi polyamorous MC, Black lesbian SC, nonverbal autistic SC

[transrightsjimin]

i wish the venom #5 comic series was less depressive and overly complex and negative and time loop-heavy and removing all the character growth that was built up for 35 years (and removing the main characters themselves technically)

and instead more of this. himbo frankenstein

[wishjacked]

more recent cargo pages :-)

i really am just so glad about finishing volume one... it feels SO good to be starting on the next part of the story and i'm so happy to have gotten to this little milestone. it feels so special

[hawkeish]

have we reached the events of the game yet? no!

have we met Varric yet? no! (we will next chapter I swear)

am I having a good time writing? yes!

chapter 3 of romance sonámbulo - my (eventual) rookanis (very) slow-build longfic with lots of fun changes to canon and a Very Normal Mourn Watch Rook - is up

[ultimate-heartache]

i can’t believe it’s already been three weeks since the last update but don’t yall worry my doc is already at 10k lol

[shig-a-shig-ah]

Might have taken a month longer than I hoped but Addicted to Bad Ideas updates this weekend!

[doevademe]

I've been really busy these past few days with my writing...

Next chapter of Cycle of Death will be up within the next 24 hours.

[inthewaterifoundyou]

Chapter Six!

Title: And In the Water I Found You (Growing Like a Weed) Chapter Summary: "He could solve his problems without murder. His thoughts returned to the body his van—well, he amended, most of his problems.” Peter covers up a murder with varying levels of success, gets on a waitress's nerves, and makes a friend

[LINK]

[breitzbachbea]

I cannot wait to write tomorrow, i remembered yesterday HOW good the scene in IA is where Franci loses his shit and I just. I love writing so much!!! It sucks when the self-doubt is strong and it's hard and I have to spend so much energy on it, but I love writing and editing!!! I love telling a banger story, I love to let myself be taken on a journey and discover the best parts about a scene as I go!!!!!

[laventadorn]

i do have like 5k on a new chapter but it’s a huge mess sksjd

sort of like when you’re organizing your closet and in the middle stage it’s even worse than when you started

[barbreypilled]

*sighs loudly* new piss

[orcelito]

Ykno, I think this is my first ITNL reread since things got... really bad for me

I've gotten to the parts I was working on during All Of That, and it's kind of distracting... 10 through 13 especially was......... rough.

I'm always gonna be remembering what my life was when I read these chapters, huh? It's just never gonna go away.