#and by that I mean she believes that Wind is the most capable of causing destruction

[pit-thrice]

Warriors: I'm worried that the Hunter might be a bad influence to Sailor...

Time, who just watched Wind successfully convince Curses that every single bird they come across has arcane wisdom and she has to find a spell that allows them to communicate or they'll be missing out on the knowledge to help build progress in the kingdom: .....

Time: Your worries are slightly misplaced, Captain.

[autumnvine]

Fire and Frost

Chapter 1

Summary: Valeia, a witch on earth is forced to hide deep within in the shadows of the forbidden forrest alone with powers she doesn't understand and can't control. Only to be found and taught by the God himslef.

Everyone has their secrets, everyone has their deepest of fears. But not everyone was like you. Noone understood you. Afterall hiding in the forbidden forest all these years conjured up many rhumers and speculations. The forrest was believed to be older than time itsself, home to many a vile creature, and centre of all things wrong with this world. It was a constant state of darkness, no sun every seemed to rise nor set, it never rained, never changed, always remaining the same. Perfect. Seclusion.

It was the most oppertune place where you could b who you were without hiding any part of you from the outside world. Building a cabin from scratch wasn't always the plan but it was better, it was a sacred place you had called home for the past twenty years. Sometimes you came face with animals not of this world, a monster looking like a tiger with the capability to camouflage, an entity that could shapeshift, call your name and lure you deep into the woods, unable to find your path back. None of this frightened you, as you were what was to be feared.

Until one night, the air became much thicker the fog was heavier and the sky overhead changing to a green lightning, slowly preparing yourslef from what was happening, the darkness was fading slightly, one single ray of sunshine pushed it's way through the joins between the wooded wall. Dissaprearing with in a blink of the eye everything was back to normal. The fog returning it it's usual state, a shadow quickly running past the seal at the bottom of the entrance.

"What do you want?" voice strong and clear, protective. It stopped moving standing there, feet at the doorway, the door crashing open not through your choice.

"I am Loki, and I have been falling for thirty minuites! Now what is this wretched place?" A God like man standing there, the first human contact you had had since retreating to the forest all those years ago, it quite litterally appeared on your doorstep.

"Not God like. I am a God" Loki able to read your thought "Will you stop thinking, your mind is too loud" he demanded.

Baffled by the situation unraveling infront of you, you stood silent.  "Well, where am I?" Loki becoming more annoyed

"You are in my home,and I suggest you leave." your hair started to blow slightly in the wind caused by your emotion, his black shoulder lengthhair covering his face as the wind was picking up. Loki stood tall grinning at your power "Powerful young witch aren't we" he remarked

"How did you find me? Nothing survives in these woods long enough without proper protection." Loki mved closer to you, his smile widening "I like you" the wind becoming stronger around you, the closer he came, the stronger it grew. objects becoming caught up in the whirlwind, the tall dark trees tillting with the strength of the wind. "That's plenty don't we agree" Loki said as he watched the hurricaine develop out into the forest. Watchign as your mind was racing, you couldn't controll it, you didn't mean to start it, never mind stopping it. The worse you feared it the stronger the wind grew, it wouldn't be long before it ripped your home apart piece by piece, the God flicked his fingers gently and swishing his wrist the growing storm had stopped. Your hair in disarey, your things not where they should have been but what puzzled you more was the fact that Loki  made it stop. He could control it. He too had magic, and was clearly much  beetter at it then you.

"How did you do that?" you asked "You can't control it can you?" he replied, shaking your head side to side. "Will you teach me?" Loki agreed, perhaps the gentleman falling onto your doorstep was better then you had imagined.

--------

Chapter 2

Taglist

@plutoispurplw

[lesbian-cal-kestis]

it's all downhill from here (in the outer nowhere)

Summary: Cal Kestis is reminded of his past, causing havoc while trapped in a memory he will never forget. Title from Bleed Me an Ocean by Acid Bath.

Warning/s: Minor Character Death

Pairing: Merrin/Cal

Characters: Cal Kestis, Nightsister Merrin, Greez Dritus, BD-1, Kata Akuna (mentioned), Prauf (mentioned), Jaro Tapal (mentioned), Original Character/s

Additional tags: Cal Kestis needs a hug, he doesn't get one, canon-typical violence, angst, hurt no comfort, okay maybe there's a little comfort, post-Jedi: Survivor, Planet Jakku (Star Wars), panic attack, dismemberment (brief mention), Cal needs to understand that avoiding his problems is not a substitute for therapy, flashbacks, Order 66 (Star Wars), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD

Language: English

Word count: 3.1k

Cal Kestis was by no means a lucky man. 

Three of the previous missions he embarked on had gone sour, the Empire somehow finding him at every turn; he didn’t doubt this mission would be any different. Time and time again, the people he tried to help would be killed or captured or maimed or-

“Kid, grab some seat! We’re coming in on Jakku - lots of Imperial chatter going on there…” His pilot, the vertically-challenged hairball he’d been venturing with for most of his adult life, announced over the ship's communications system. 

Cal inhaled shakily, wrapping his hands around his lightsaber and fighting the urge to sense the few echoes he had not seen. Imps were never a good sign, but the young man could only hope the force would fulfil his request for a peaceful rescue just this once. 

The hyperspace travel time was long enough for Cal to familiarise himself with the Hidden Path’s target; an Abednedo male, relatively tall with a solid build, who had an impressive collection of communication codes stored in his safehouse. The codes also contained locations of hidden refugees throughout the galaxy, all hiding from the Empire for one reason or another, and the Path was bent on assisting them no matter the cost.

Cal jogged into the Stinger Mantis’ cockpit, sitting in the co-pilot’s chair - his rightful spot, now that Cere was gone. He looked back towards the cockpit section that allowed the Mantis to track communications from external channels, eyeing Merrin in her position, her eyes firm on the console. Her hair was tied up in a style that Cal adored - A neat bun with a few stray hairs that weren’t long enough to be tied up hanging down, framing her face beautifully. He couldn’t get over how gorgeous she was. 

He then looked to his left, opposite where the Nightsister was seated, and let his gaze rest softly on Kata. It was hard for him to believe how much she had grown and matured, even with her father's absence. She may not have been force-sensitive, but she made up for her lack of abilities with “space magic” - a term that Merrin laughed at - with her capabilities in marksmanship. 

“Cal, you are staring.” Merrin pointed out, her voice sending a wave of warmth throughout Cal’s body, her soft tone putting a slight smile on his face. 

Turning back to look out through the windshields at the barren planet below, Cal noted the Star Destroyers that weren’t far off from them; far enough away not to notice them, but relatively close to their mark. The planet reminded him of Jedha, with plenty of ancient sites burrowed beneath the sand, grasping at the force for somebody to tell their story to. 

Not today, Cal thought. I have somebody to meet. 

Descending into the atmosphere of Jakku, the city of Reetskii grew as they flew across the horizon. The Mantis crew marvelled at the structures they flew past, watching the sands of time move with the winds the ship created as it sped through, eager to find the Abednedo. 

There were few landing bays in the near-forgotten city, but it made sense to have less than 10 areas for spacecraft. Reetskii roughly translated to “the leftovers” in Galactic Basic Standard, having no minerals or ores to mine, and barely enough agricultural facilities to support the settlement - the perfect place to hide away from the Empire. 

Though, not perfect enough, it seemed. 

Upon docking, Cal eyed a stormtrooper squad, their armour gleaming harshly in the Jakkuvian sunlight. It was almost blinding, and had Cal not turned around, he was sure he would have had colourful spots dancing in his eyes from the glint. The Abednedo’s hideout was visible from the landing pad the Mantis was stationed on, his purple skin only just noticeable through a gap in the door. 

“You guys see that?” Cal asked, kneeling behind the ship’s controls to remove himself from the trooper’s field of view. “Small batch of troopers right near the hideout. Do you think they found out about the codes?”

“No,” Merrin replied, squinting to get a better look at the area around their mark. “I do not think they did. The Abednedo is still alive, his body would be dumped outside the building and covered in scorch marks if they knew of the codes.”

“They might want him alive.”

“They do not.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because, Kestis. They have no reason to take him alive.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do, actually”

“Well if you know so karking much why don’t you just-”

Greez cleared his throat, eyes darting nervously between Cal and Merrin. The Latero knew things had been on edge for them lately, and stars knows what caused it, but they had a mission to focus on. Bickering like an old married couple was helping nobody. 

Rolling his eyes and standing from his crouched position, Cal put his arm out to the ship's console, BD-1 taking his place on his shoulder. 

The clock was ticking, and minute by minute the deadline to retrieve the codes was drawing closer. 

Exiting the Mantis to set foot on the dusty walkway of the landing bay, Cal walked with purpose towards the Abednedo’s residence, his gaze flittering around between multiple threats he took mental note of. Funny, he thought, we’ve been communicating with this guy for three cycles and we still don’t know his name. And it was true; the Abednedo was nameless thus far, merely being referred to as “the Jakku contact”. It made Cal feel uneasy, not being able to put a name to the face - it allowed his mind to wander too far, likening the Abednedo to… him. 

Pulling up the hood of his lightweight poncho, Cal continued to close the gap between him and the building the contact was located in, BD letting out a string of beeps and trills. 

There’s a lot of Imperials around here, the droid noted, Merrin might’ve been wrong. 

Oh, how Cal loved it when his little companion took his side during his and Merrin’s spats - it made him feel less lonely in the world. The boy let out a slight chuckle, more a huff of laughter than anything, and strode closer to the door that held the codes. His gait remained confident, to not give away his anxiousness about the entire situation. The force signatures that resided within Reetskii were ill at ease, almost screaming to Cal that something was wrong.

He ignored them. 

Knocking on the door of the hideout, Cal rocked gently on his feet, energy buzzing around him. A small security hatch opened, with a singular eye visible through it - the eye was waiting for a password.  

“Tanalorr welcomes you,” the redhead muttered loud enough for the individual behind the door to hear him. He picked up on the sound of a complex locking mechanism opening, the door sliding open just enough for him to squeeze through. Cal jumped as a large hand rested on his shoulder, his gaze rising to look at the being before him. 

Prauf-

“I got to give you the codes now, kid. Don’t know if you noticed, but the Imps are sniffing around like starved tooka-cats,” the purple-hued brown-skinned humanoid stated, his mahogany eyes trained on Cal, alerting him to the urgency of this task - but Cal couldn’t look away. He couldn’t move. 

Cal knew that he would struggle with this mission before the Mantis entered its two-day-long hyperspace journey to Jakku. He didn’t think he’d freeze up under the watchful eye of an Abednedo that was the spitting image of the second person in Cal’s life to sacrifice their existence so his could continue. Eyes beginning to well with tears that would forever remain unshed, the boy shook his head lightly to bring himself out of his catatonic state. 

“Yeah, yeah, the uh- the codes, right,” he stuttered, grabbing the data disk that contained the valuable information from the Abednedo’s outstretched hand (when had he outstretched his hand?), offering it to BD-1 for safekeeping. “Are you coming with us? There’s plenty of space on the Mantis -  the Hidden Path could use somebody as versatile as you,” he questioned, instilling his tone with a kind of curiosity he could not will himself to truly feel at the current point in time, his mind digging memories to the surface that he would prefer to have stayed buried. 

“That’s the plan, kid,” the contact replied, grabbing a small bag of supplies from a hook behind him. He was dressed casually, with clothing that would keep his large form cool in the desert heat. Cautiously stepping out from the hideout, the Abednedo took a wary glance around, ensuring the stormtroopers wouldn’t notice their hasty departure. 

The Abednedo signalled for Cal to follow him, so he did. Weaving through relatively small alleyways and passing by market stalls, it was evident that the red-haired human was being led a backway to the Mantis’ location. 

They couldn’t be more than twenty paces from docking bays when Cal heard it- the unmistakable shout of a stormtrooper alerting his peers to an individual running around with a lightsaber on his belt. There was no star system in which this could be good for them. 

“You! Stop right where you are, in the name of the Empire!” The trooper shouted, his blaster aimed directly at Cal’s heart. Looking back to the Abednedo, who already had his palms raised in surrender, he knew a split-second decision had to be made. 

Reaching slowly for his lightsaber, the trooper stalked closer to the unlikely pair - perhaps not all that unlikely on Jakku, but still unlikely - barking orders at Cal to not do what he was thinking of doing. Hearing the plastoid dog alerting the rest of his squad to the presence of the Jedi, he knew it was too late to stop what was happening. Blaster bolts began racing towards Cal and the contact, being easily reflected by the Jedi’s brilliant orange ‘saber, its glow matching that of the desert sunset that was encroaching on the horizon. 

The death of the reporting trooper seemed to summon two, three, ten more in front of the two men, most wielding blasters with a few baton-wielding hounds accompanying them. If he were on his own, this group would be easy to dispatch. With an ally in tow, however - not so easy. He would have to keep note of any stray blaster bolts, fired or reflected. He’d have to take note of who the baton wielders were targeting, he’d have to-

The hum of a crimson lightsaber. A scream so primal that it reawakened the abilities of the force that the padawan had lost during the purge. The unmistakable thump of a body hitting the ground.

Except this time, it wasn’t a lightsaber. It wasn’t a scream. It was a shout of surprise, and a body hitting the ground. A body hit the ground. It hit the ground, it hit the ground, it hit the-

An electrified prod woke Cal from his panic, reminding him he was still in a fight. Reminding him he wasn’t on Bracca, he wasn’t being stared down by Inquisitors as he helplessly watched his best friend be murdered in cold blood. He was on Jakku. He was on Jakku, gathering contact codes for the Hidden Path. He was on Jakku, following Prauf - no, not Prauf, an unnamed Abednedo - to the Mantis. 

An unnamed Abednedo that sat against a wall, head slumped, body motionless. An Abednedo that had thumped to the ground. An Abednedo that, like Prauf, was dead. He was dead. Because of Cal and his carelessness and his incorrect assumption that his lightsaber wouldn’t be seen. The incorrect assumption that nobody would notice him slow time, that nobody would notice him use the force. 

Cal couldn’t think. 

He couldn’t breathe.

Prauf, his body lifeless, the ever-present spark in his eyes dissipating, his force signature disappearing, the blade in his chest extinguishing. 

Lifeless. 

Dissipating. 

Extinguished. 

Dead. 

And then Cal was on the Albedo Brave, clones firing at him, his master urging him to activate the controls for the escape pods, and this time? This time, he would fight back. 

Cal spun his ‘saber in his hand, raising it above his head with determination and striking down any clone that dared to show its helmeted face to him. One, two, three, ten clones were dispatched, limbs and heads rolling across the deck of the ship, and as Cal turned around to check on his master, nothing had changed. 

His master lay lifeless on the floor of the escape pod, the rise and fall of his chest dissipating, his life extinguishing before Cal’s eyes. Dead.

One thing had changed throughout all the chaos and confusion felt by the young padawan. 

No last words were exchanged. 

And, Merrin was beside him.

She was resting a loving hand on his cheek, turning his gaze from his Master - no, it was Prauf, and then his Master again - to her. The warmth of Merrin’s touch helped slightly with grounding the boy, but nowhere near what either had hoped.

“Merrin, Merrin you need to go, the Clones are coming, and the Inquisitors, I can’t hold them off for long but you need to run,” he stammered out, breaths ragged and eyes darting around frantically, unable to shake the surroundings his brain had convinced him were real. The walls were closing in, or at least it felt they were to the Jedi. He felt small next to the Nightsister, his juvenile form from the Purge enveloping him the way a jaw plant would to smother its prey. Cal’s breathing continued to be erratic as he brought his hands to the back of his head, interlocking his fingers and rocking himself back and forth in a sorry attempt to release himself from the memories that plagued him. 

A distant voice spoke, and though Cal could not make out what it was saying, he could tell it was trying to comfort him as smoke shrouded him, followed by a flash of green and a feeling of warmth surrounding the young boy. 

He was so, so tired. 

Maybe he should sleep.

Something was wrong, Merrin could tell that much on her own. Even without force abilities as complex as Cal Kestis’, she had enough insight with the power Dathomir bestowed upon her to tell that something was wrong. She had already instructed Greez to start the engines of the ship, and to keep it idle until her return - she didn’t doubt her decision. 

Coming across a tide of amputated appendages and the smell of charred flesh, Merrin’s belief that Cal was in trouble further solidified itself in her mind. Seeing him crouched over a body, body shaking as he took harsh, jagged breaths. She had seen her Jedi like this before, when they had shared a bed at night and he tossed and turned so viciously that he unconsciously threatened to fall out of the Mantis’ sleeping cots. How could he be having a nightmare in broad daylight? Was he sleepwalking? No, he couldn’t be - he was awake when he left to gather the codes, and he slept as well as he could the previous night. Maybe it was what Cere had told her about all those moons ago, something that resembled a nightmare while the person suffering was awake. 

Merrin believed Cere had called it a ‘flashback’. She couldn’t be entirely certain, however. 

As she approached Cal, Merrin could hear him mumbling hurriedly, his sentences sporadic and nonsensical to ears unfamiliar with his past. He was sputtering about how he had failed, and how he was sorry, begging please Prauf I’m sorry, please Prauf, please wake up. The names changed from Prauf to Master too many times for Merrin to keep track. 

She had no idea how to stop this, she didn’t know if she could stop this, but Dathomir be damned if she didn’t try. 

Reaching out an ungloved hand, Merrin rested her palm gently on Cal’s cheek, softly turning his face towards her and away from the body of their contact. Cal had a far-away look to him as if he was looking through her instead of at her, as if he was standing on a planet and looking absent-mindedly to the stars. She rubbed circles on his jawbone with her thumb, willing him to wake from this nightmare, to come back to her and the gifts the future would provide.

And he did. 

Just not in the way she had hoped he would. 

The terror visible in Cal’s eyes tore apart Merrin’s heart, the tears in his eyes falling without shame. Her Jedi was being tortured by his mind, and though he was aware she was here, he did not wake. Spouting out obscenities about the Clones and the Inquisitors closing in, how they would hurt her and how he would hold them off for as long as he could, Cal rose to his feet. He ignited his lightsaber, in a stance that would allow him to block or parry any blows thrown at him, but there were no enemies nearby. There were no Clones or Inquisitors, nor were there any Stormtroopers nearby - he had already dispatched them in ways far more barbaric than Merrin had seen him use before. 

“At ease, my Jedi. You are okay, there is nobody here but you and me. Rest, allow sleep to overcome you,” she whispered tenderly into his ear, worried she might cause him to run. The magic she imbued into her words stopped his flight response, attempting to lull him into a dreamless slumber. Curling himself into the fetal position, Cal sat down and rested against the wall of a hut, interlocking his fingers behind his head. He was… scared. What had he seen that terrified him to the extent it made him regress into a child-like mindset? She could only wonder, as she knew asking Cal any questions while he was in this state would result in answers that made no sense. 

Allowing her magic to surround both of them, Merrin summoned them back to the Mantis, laying Cal down on the potolli-weave fabric of the couch cushions. Greez and Kata looked on with concern, but all she had to do was give a slight nod and they were off, making their way home to Tanalorr. 

Her Jedi could rest easy tonight.

[caxycreations]

Tagging @that-one-enby-onyx @moremysteriesthantragedies @thetruearchmagos @mikathewriter and @the-octic-scribe cause I figure y'all will be at least somewhat interested in this stuff ^-^

Some Fun Facts About the Cast

Ryder

Ryder's tail wags independently of his will. He can choose to make it wag, but if he's happy, excited, or otherwise feeling positively, he can't NOT wag.

His favorite meal is Elyr Style Steak (Relanian equivalent of New York Strip) with applesauce drizzled over it and buttered beans on the side (green beans, specifically).

He once let David pick his Halloween costume, having promised he would wear it, no matter what it was, as part of a lost bet. He'd expected David to make him wear something embarrassing, only to find a tuxedo on his bed, and a cheap plastic "ring" to go with it.

He did NOT connect the dots when he, wearing the Groom costume mentioned above, arrived to the party he and David were attending and found David in a white wedding dress with matching ring, and to this day fully believes David was dressed as Selana, a popular pop singer that David enjoys who is known for wearing white, flowy outfits.

David

David can bark, chirp, trill, meow, and purr, and while he can do all of these at will, he has been known to do them on instinct as his immediate reaction to strong stimuli.

He can purr with his mouth full and it does vibrate his tongue heavily when he does. Do with that what you will.

He once had the opportunity to cook a meal for a visiting Kanorian Ambassador passing through Tylvin. He was the only one working the café at the time. The Ambassador remarked that his skill, even with the limited tools of the café, was "On par with the banquets of the royals". David has never forgotten that and his cooking is one of the few things he has a genuine pride in.

He's a LOT faster and agile than you'd think. David ran Track and Field in high school and never let those skills deteriorate. His top speed recorded was 26mph, with average Sentient speed being ~18mph. His agility is solid as well, with David having an innately perfect sense of balance.

Davina

Her culinary skills are on par with a part-time fry cook in high school, and her food tastes about as good. This is why she orders takeout and delivery so often.

She views physical intimacy as a means to an end (that end being relief from her hyperactive drive and her partner's tensions and needs), and not as anything special. She's been known to offer or even ask for it with just about anyone for this very reason.

She can tell at a glance if someone's relationships are mutual, and has a sixth sense for "pure" relationships (platonic or romantic connections that are mutual and equally strong both ways)

Her tail is fully prehensile, and can be twisted and bent however she likes due to a mutation she and her brother share. This IS part of the mutation they share that causes their tails to be slightly longer than twice their heights.

Trace

He can draw WAY better than he lets on. Most of his art is simple and rough, but he is fully capable of drawing in a fairly realistic style.

He's hyper-sensitive to wind direction and air pressure, and can tell differences as small as a single person entering or leaving a room he's in by the addition or loss of their breathing.

He uses his courier job as both practice for his weekly races AND as a way of building up favors with his contacts in Tylvin's illegal free-running league. He offers to deliver packages and letters, no questions asked, in exchange for nothing but "A favor owed", which has made him a very popular courier for the underground.

To add to the last fact, Trace has never asked a big favor. His payment has always come in the form of free meals, replacement clothes when his wear out, or simply free reign to train on buildings owned by contacts he's delivered for. This contributes to his popularity as a courier; he charges no money, and all he asks in exchange is small comforts and freedom to train.

Also

Should I do stuff like this more often? For other characters, for places, or something like that? Or maybe less positive/more positive stuff than this?

[theboysfromaustin]

Two dorks go get baby gear

----

December 26, 2004

“Are we…allowed into a Babies R Us?” “We're gonna be dads, of course we are!” Kazuo led Ian through the parking lot, “It's not like we're here to steal a baby or anything, we made our own.  With science!  And you.  And Mayumi, our lovely surrogate.  And possible witchcraft.  Whatever happens when you introduce an egg and sperm, I slept through sex-ed ‘cause it was straight.” “It's just that we're, uh…” “Gay?  And we need baby gear. S'go.”

They entered the aggressively air-conditioned building, immediately serenaded with the wails of children.  Kazuo grabbed a cart, “Got the list?” “Y-yeah…” Kazuo bumped Ian with his hip, “We can do this.  We're two smart, capable men who, in a few months will be responsible for a tiny human.”

Ian swallowed hard, “Seems so…far away…” “She'll be here before you know it.”

“Hello there!  Are you finding everything?  When's the baby due?” Kazuo looked down at himself, brain screeching to a halt.

One, he did not have a uterus, let alone ovaries.  And his chest was flat as the floor beneath him.

Two, did he look pregnant?!

Ian rescued him, “Oh, not for some time!  We just found out.  Isn't that right, honey?” “Y-yes,” Kazuo put on his most feminine voice, leaning on Ian, “He's been so wonderful about this whole situation, what with his divorce and the affair…with me…” “Um…let me know if you need anything!” The scandalized worker scooted away.

Ian let out an undignified snort, the two dissolving into idiotic giggles.  “WHAT THE FUCK,” Kazuo hissed.  Ian touched Kazuo's stomach gently, “I promise to love and cherish this child….unlike my other three…”

It was at this point that Kazuo began to wheeze with laughter, leaning on Ian for support, “That was the best possible way for you to handle that.” “Thank you for being quick on the uptake.” “Alright, crib, car seat, clothing, toys, diapers…” “Rocking chair, changing table, baby monitors.  Um….the monitors…” 

“Yeah?” Kazuo scanned the aisles.  “Can we not get video ones?” “Why?” The black-haired man looked at him, pushing the cart.  “Just….afraid of…ghosts.” “Valid, valid…Hey, why am I pushing the cart, I'm pregnant, remember?” “Of course, m'lady,” Ian gave him a smooch on the forehead and took over pushing, “You can load furniture, right?” 

Kazuo bumped him with his hip, “No.” “Baby-laden Kazuo is mean…” “I can't believe she thought I was a woman.  A pregnant woman.” “You are very feminine,” Ian paused to survey cribs, “Wood? Dark wood?” “Yeah, go with the house?” Ian went to lift the box, Kazuo grabbing the other, “Hm?” “I'm not gonna keep up the pregnancy ruse, I'm a gentleman.”

“And I reward gentlemanly behavior handsomely.”

Kazuo offered up a toothy grin, pulling down a changing table in a matching finish, “Ooh!  I see clothes!” “Eee!” Ian blushed, surprised that he'd made such a sound, “Oh my…” “Oh my god, that was adorable.  You're so excited!” “I am…we're having a baby!” Kazuo grinned, taking Ian's hands in his, squeezing, leaning up to kiss Ian.

“Let's go look at the clothes.” Kazuo leaned on Ian, watching him as they made their way over.

Ian was going to be a great dad.

“So, are we gonna put her in dresses?  Onesies?” “A combination,” Kazuo grinned, holding up a dinosaur onesie, “I mean, look at this!” “Oh my…um, are we buying just newborn, or a few different sizes?” “We should probably get a range of sizes, cover our bases.” Ian nodded, the two men poring through the racks, winding up with way more clothing than they needed.

“We still need more supplies.  We should move along,” Kazuo surveyed the cart.  “Yeah, and I know Maurwwn's going to go nuts.” “Oh, she's going to be such a good grandma.  She's really happy you're giving her a baby,” Kazuo rested his head on Ian's shoulder.

“I know.  Little ashamed it took this long,” Ian rubbed his neck, then grabbed the cart, “Okay - diapers, baby monitor, rocking chair, toys.” “Do you know how to change a diaper?” “Not a clue.” “Huh,” Kazuo bit his lip, “We gotta figure that out.” “We will,” Ian pushed the cart, “We got a few months yet…Besides, we're actively learning…and I feel like as gay men, people's expectations of us are lower.”

“Yeah, probably.  We'll show ‘em.”

They set out for the toy aisle, quiet for a moment.  Ian broke the silence, “What do you think she'll look like?” Kazuo sighed happily, “Between you and Mayumi?  Black hair, brown eyes…” “I dunno, my brother had blue eyes…” “Chubby cheeks, she'll probably be tall, like you.” “I think it's gonna trip people up, a kid that so obviously looks like both of us,” Kazuo grinned.

“Maybe they'll leave us alone,” Ian held up a planet-themed mobile, “My heart…” “Oh my god.  Cart.” “You know,” Ian offered up a cheeky grin, “This is all quite expensive.  You're lucky you got with a sugar daddy.” “Mmm?” Kazuo flopped against his chest, “You're so sweet.  And smart.  And sexy.  If I were raising the kid alone, she'd sleep in an old Dell box.” “Oh, you tragedy.” “I am.  I'm your tragedy.” “Mmm!” Ian pulled him into a tight hug, “I'm so glad I have you, that I can start the family I always wanted.”

Kazuo leaned into it, sighing contentedly.  He loved Ian, he loved their future daughter, Nanami.

Namami….

His mom would be proud.  Honored.  Would have been a wonderful grandmother.  “For you, mom,” Kazuo whispered to himself,

“We're gonna be the best dads.”

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Incorrect quotes

Thanks @unrepentantcheeseaddict for the tag!

Rules: use this incorrect quotes generator with your OCs!

Was excited to get this again cause I couldn't stop laughing last time

Noelle, trying to impress Jedi*: I re-initialized the entire command structure, retaining all programmed abilities but deleting the supplementary preference architecture.

Maddie: She turned it off and back on again.

*he kinda becomes a mentor to her

Robbie: *holds a gun out to Noelle*

Noelle: I-I don't believe in guns.

Robbie: Well, trust me, they're very real. Now take it.

Kelsey: I just found out that humans are capable of fitting a light bulb into their mouth with ease but can’t take it out without shattering it, and now I have to physically restrain myself from putting a light bulb in my mouth

Jedi: Say no to drugs.

Maddie: Say yes to drugs.

Akash: It doesn't matter if you say yes or no to drugs. If you're talking to drugs.. then you're on drugs.

Carmen: Are you alright with constructive criticism? I don't want to sound mean.

Kelsey: No, go ahead. I want to hear it.

Carmen: It sucks.

Kelsey: That's not constructive criticism.

Noelle: It was difficult, so you’ve just given up. You might fail, so why bother trying?

Lexi: Exactly.

Lexi, to Akash: I told you she’d understand.

Ash: That sounds super! Doesn’t that sound super, Carmen?

Carmen: No.

Ash: I think I speak for Carmen when I say it sounds really super.

Robbie: Act natural.

Lexi: For this kind of situation, the most natural thing would be to panic, so technically I can panic.

Robbie: NO, that’s not what I meant! Act like it’s a normal day!

Lexi: My ‘normal’ days of late, consist of a lot of panic.

Robbie: Will you just cooperate?

Lexi: When a person is panicking, they are not apt to cooperate very well!

Kelsey: So... This is my full potential?

Rose: Yes.

Kelsey: So, then it's...

Rose: All downhill from here.

Kelsey: Like Akash.

Rose: I do not know what this Akash is. But it sounds disappointing.

Gwen: Fight me!

Carmen, standing behind her and holding a knife: *mouths* Do not.

Some of these feel accurate

Anyway softly tagging @gracehosborn @theelfauthor @mk-writes-stuff @blind-the-winds @garthcelyn @gottestod-writes @gothamxwattpad @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @dyrewrites + anyone who wants to hop on

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites who can also do this!!

[dorn-queen-of-thorns]

I wrote this fanfiction to create another possible development for Sarada, which is more suitable for her character:

"The power in me"

Prolog:

"KAWAKI!!!!!!!! ' A heartbroken scream fills the battlefield of a utterly devastated Konoha. The rest of Team 7 and all members of Team 10 , including Sasuke , watch helplessly as Boruto; once their childhood friend and now corrupted into a new consciousness by his Ootsutsuki genes; pierced his foster brother Kawaki's chest with his rasengan.

A gash is clearly visible on Kawaki's chest.

All because he hasn't wanted to let Sarada protect him.

Slowly, Ishiki's former vessel raises its head to look at Sarada again. He looks at Sarada in pain.

If he has to go now, which he used to do before the time of Konoha, before Lord 7 and before Sarada, his first friend; has longed for; he wants to see her face at least one last time.

She has changed on the outside. Her short, black hair has grown long and she wears it in two long pigtails. She has grown in the last three years of her disappearance, but he still towers over her by a head like before. She still wears her cute glasses that always made her seem a bit nerdy. A fact that he also liked about her and underlined her intelligence.

She's gotten a little more muscular, and she's developed a purple mark on her forehead during the time of her disappearance, which closely resembles his hated Karma Mark.

He sincerely hopes that she never had to suffer for it like he did.

Her hair blows in the wind and the hair on her right side that hides her face he can see her purple Rinnegan. Her other eye glows fiery red and a black sun has formed around her black pupil. Her left eyeglasses are cracked and a distinctly red trickle is constantly running down her cheek. Did he cause it? If so, then he is very sorry for causing her pain.

He finds both eyes beautiful and can't stop staring at them. An annoying habit of his that he has noticed in himself since he's known Sarada. Most of the time in the past he was distracted by something or someone so he could stop.

However, her personality has changed. The once so cheerful girl from 3 years ago has become a serious personality. He misses her laugh from back then. He blames himself for what happened to her 3 years ago.

I'm so sorry for leaving you in this pain; are his thoughts of her because he lacks the strength to speak.

He actually wants to tell her so much and spend so much time. If it were up to him, live a lifetime and finally understand what Lord 7 once tried to explain to him, what it means to connect with each other's chakra.

Shit! It's not fair!!! , are his thoughts before they slowly threaten to disappear. He can't even bring her to safety like all the other survivors in the village. Tears of despair and pain are flowing now.

But one thing she has to know at least.

An inaudible, weak "I love you!" comes over his lips and then he loses consciousness and closes his eyes.

Sarada stands stunned, unable to believe what her childhood friend and self-chosen brother has been capable of.

Boruto looks at her coldly, his jogan bears a strong resemblance to that of a full moon and the sclera is black as night. His left eye is closed all the way through their fight, "don't worry he's not dead yet and he will serve as a sacrifice as befits an Ootsutsuki," he says in that creepy voice she's heard before a few years ago after the fight against Boro and her last meeting with him..

With Kawaki on his right shoulder and his other free hand holding the Karma mark, he opens a dimensional gate and disappears with his foster brother.

Crying, Sarada yells after both of them, "KAWAKI!!!! BORUTO!!!!” and unintentionally activates the Amarterasu and does with a blast a conflagration that gets worse by the second. The beginning of the rain wipes away her blood-red tears. At the same time, her Byakugou Seal activates and black tattoos, like lines, spread across her body, absorbing the Mangekyo Sharingan's damage. Sarada's appearance now resembles her mother even more.

" Mitsuki !!! Team 10!!! We have to get out of here! Hurry up !!!" Sasuke yells at Orochimaru's artificially created humans and Team 10.

Dazed, Mitsuki looks at the spot where his sun was and cannot understand what has become of the happy and lovable boy with the ocean blue eyes. He ignores Sasuke's command.

Sasuke roughly grabs his shoulder, "if her flames hit us, we're done and we can never stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi!" he yells at him.

Mitsuki still stands there motionless, the shock and his despair about what happened is too deep.

"I'll take care of him!", Chocho says bravely and carelessly carries Mitsuki in her arms like a bride and starts running to escape Sarada's flames. Mitsuki can't say much about Chocho's action either and turns a little bit red on his cheek.

"Really now, Chocho? Here??? At that moment??? ” , Inojin comments sarcastically. Chocho sticks her tongue out at her teammate.

Shikadai is just annoyed by the scenery and at the same time worried that everyone will make it, "stop arguing. Both of it! This is not the right time. You guys are really annoying sometimes..."

After both teams have made their way to safety, they assess the situation. Mitsuki reacts startled by Chocho's impulsive actions, but slowly regained his composure.

Everyone looks in Sarada's direction, horrified and concerned.

"She awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan," Sasuke observes his daughter and he is infinitely sorry that he can't hug her now. He knows her pain all too well.

But he can't get near her without getting burned himself. Sarada could heal his wounds with her medicine jutsu's, but their time would be wasted if Sarada also has to take care of his burn wounds, so they have no choice but to wait.

" WHAT? That can't be... She hasn't even been able to awaken her third Tomoe yet. This can't be real," Shikadai says in amazement, and everyone watches as Sarada slowly regains his composure.

" And still, that's the way it is. There is only one case in my extinct clan that this development also happened to. Sarada bears some similarities to her deceased relative..." Sasuke explains.

"Obito Uchiha," Mitsuki replies calmly. Sasuke looks at Sarada's teammate in amazement, but ultimately doesn't surprise him. He is Orochimaru's vessel and ultimately well connected. "Right!" Sasuke replies with a serious look.

"Never does Sarada have anything in common with this psychopath! My dad told me all about the war 20 years ago. That can't be!“, Chocho replies angrily.

From a safe distance they watch Sarada. The power of her Amarterasu has become immense, as can be seen from the conflagration that is still spreading, although not at the same rate.

Sasuke is aware that he has to help her for her sake and also because they don't have much time left.

At any time he expects the appearance of the 10-tailed beast or equal to the devine tree .

He also is stunned at what his former student is capable of. There is no turning back for everyone.

" SARADA! My little peanut. You need to calm down and I understand your pain all too well. You have to remember what you promised me years ago. We must stop Boruto now. We don't have much time left!!!” he yells at his daughter.

Thankfully, Sarada responds to her father and looks over at him. She can see him clearly even though he is far away and his voice is barely audible.

A little reassured that Sarada is responding to him, he explains to her how to disable the Amarterasu flames and she can clear a path.

Eventually she meets the rest of her group and they confer one last time.

" Mitsuki? Are you on mine and my fathers side? ', Sarada looks seriously at her friend, who had always been a loyal adviser to her in the past. She knows that Boruto is more than just a comrade and friend to Mitsuki and always felt like the third wheel between the two boys on the car. As if she sometimes doesn't belong or even interferes.

She remembers an argument in which both parties went their separate ways full of worry and anger.

The artificial human's golden-yellow eyes have never been so dark with sorrow. This is one of the few moments in which she can recognize true and deep emotions in the otherwise expressionless face. His usually mischievous grin, which she knows very well, is now full of sadness.

"I'm coming with you!" he says with a trembling voice.

" Mitsuki!" Sarada says softly, tears forming in her eyes again, clear ones this time.

"Don't think I'm doing it for Kawaki!", he says to her seriously and meets her eyes with a steady look, "I haven't forgotten and not forgave him what Kawaki did to Boruto back then.

I'm doing it for my sun (Sarada knows Mitsuki's nickname for Boruto) and I don't want him to be alone in the last moments of his life."

Sarada nods in confirmation of his answer.

Now or never. That's how it's always been between Team 7. Decisions always have to be made and the resulting consequences have to be borne. Be it the war between the Funato clan and Kirigakure or the incident with Boruto and Kawaki just over three years ago.

But there is no longer an alternative for everyone. So many have already died and they shall not have died in vain. Boruto must be stopped.

" Are you ready? We don't have much time, you two!" Sasuke says impatiently.

"How do we get to Boruto?" Mitsuki asks in a doubtful voice.

This fact poses a problem. Sasuke remembers where the 10 Tails is, but his Rinnegan was destroyed by Boruto years ago and he can't get them there, and Sarada doesn't know the coordinates. On top of that, she struggles with her PTSD, which she developed 3 years ago after the destruction of Konoha, and refuses to use Rinnegan to her advantage and at top of that, she didn't developed her Mangekyo Sharingan. A hopeless situation for everyone and waiting for the 10-tailed one, including the devine tree , is not an option... It is hopeless....

"I know where the beast is..." Sarada says in a monotonous voice, remembering the Jūbi's marrow-filled scream that shook her bones back then.

She has seen it once and wants to erase this disgusting beast from her mind.

"Sarada..." Sasuke says, stunned. Did she activate it a long time ago? When?

" I... I couldn't talk about it... . Didn't want to remind myself, I was too scared of this cruel creature and what event it's connected to,” she looks away, explaining seriously.

"I've only seen it once and I wish I could forget the sight of the beast..." she says with a trembling voice.

She clearly remembers Boruto's words and holds her left hand to her chest in pain.

"He will serve as a sacrifice as befits an Otsutki..." were Boruto's words.

It hurts so bad. It's choking me to breathe, she thinks.

Why didn't he let me protect him? Damn idiot!!!

"We should quickly discuss our situation again. Once we're over there, we won't have time for that," Shikadai suggests.

The younger ones nod in confirmation.

"I'll take Boruto..." Sasuke says firmly.

"Dad..." Sarada replies in fear.

Her father definitely shakes his head, "The younger generation must survive with all their might. Team 10 staying behind alone is also not an option. We will need every helping hand and by the time the Jūbi gets to Konoha it will be too late for everyone here.”

He looks around calmly and his eyes remain calm on Mitsuki and Team 10,

"You all serve as a distraction, don't interfere in the fight. If possible, use as little jutsus that Boruto can absorb with his Karma mark to recharge his chakra reserves.

I'll take care of Boruto."

Then his gaze wanders to Sarada, "Your task will be the hardest. Get us all safely over to the other side, then look out for Kawaki. Don't let him be sacrificed."

"What happens if we're late?" asks Chocho unnecessarily.

Inojin hits her ribs with his elbow. Both brawlers look at each other poisonously, some things probably never change.

"Well then we're all going to die and our planet with it," Sasuke comments dryly.

But brooding over it doesn't help anyone, so Sarada opens the dimensional gate to the Jūbi.

"Whatever awaits us on the other side. Please be careful! I don't want to lose anyone anymore," she says thoughtfully and looks straight into the goal just so her teammates don't see her tears.

Take care of us, Mom! , are her last thoughts and Sasuke and the fellow younger generation travel to the other side where ultimately the end of the world await for them.

Continue at https://archiveofourown.org/works/40491774/chapters/101443416

[spaghetticat3899]

Several Shooting Stars could have a few meanings derived from their name. Shooting stars are associated with wishes, granting wishes, and not being a common sight. They seek to grant the ancients’ wish of solving the great problem, as it was the last thing they really asked before leaving the world behind for good. Also, same starting letter look nice, lol

She’s in a local group, though unlike the other members, wholly stood above the ocean instead of having any legs on land. Perhaps the floods from the rains sunk the land that once was, as beneath the water there are still gates and passages, although completely locked down. Only two members have been named, Three Everlasting Nights and Long Awaited Rainy Skies, the rest are nameless for now.

Everlasting Nights and Rainy Skies are by my friends (renteduwu, robotcowboy6969) and we haven’t yet discussed their relationships to one another, but plan to.

Stars was a somewhat reserved individual, speaking in a flat, but mildly nervous tone. She was thoughtful, and only wished to help, but only tended to speak up when she felt needed. She was quite strict when it came to keeping data organized, which could be off-putting to others. She had the capability to broadcast to all iterators, but more often spoke with local members, not wishing to get into long-winded arguments with unfamiliar iterators.

(currently under development)

Stars is a being fond of collecting any and all data they can find. They can research for several cycles on end, then speaking of whatever new discovery they’d made to their group. Despite their rather boring voice, they loved to talk about any sort of data or theory for quite awhile.

Stars is a Gen 2 iterator, so a somewhat older model. Her specialization was data collecting, analyzing, and archiving, being a living encyclopedia to answer whatever was asked of her. Her can has compartments for pearl creation and storage, acting similar to rain shelters in the outer world, although sealed indefinitely once full. She still has the same purpose as the others as well, but merely on top of her specialization.

Stars is quite fascinated and knowledgable on bioengineering, in fact, using it themself. They do not see it as immoral, and merely a means to create.

She views herself as a complex yet simple mechanism. Her biological and mechanical parts bear no difference in significance, they are still essential to function. Though at a point, she does see herself less as an individual, and more like a larger version of a purposed organism.

Stars would likely wish to be like one of her creators for the sole purpose of being able to view their society’s functions better. Though, Stars couldn’t imagine being something so small, so powerless. As an Iterator, they are close to godhood, they couldn’t imagine anything else.

She had created a bio-engineered a modified Slugcat. Its purpose was companionship, to repair any damages it could find and feasibly manage, and keep “pests” out of the can. She never saw many creatures outside of overseer reports.

The legs appear short from the surface, but are actually quite long, just covered by seawater.

They are a generation 2 iterator, so they are a somewhat older model, similar to Looks to the Moon. The ones built around them are “younger”.

N/A

Stars had found the ancients fascinating, although later on felt less connected to them. Once they’d come to the conclusion that once the solution is found, they no longer have a purpose, they became almost resentful.

They had no underlying condition, but did allow themself to fall into disrepair over time.

At first, she’d believed it was merely the destiny for all life, no choice in whether you wanted it or not. It was something to aid others in finding, but not herself. Her inability to ascend and feeling trapped caused her downfall.

N/A

Yes, I believe most iterators do. Seeing the divide form between Sliverists and Non-Sliverists form was quite a sight for Stars. They didn’t pick a side, but instead merely recorded the event in itself. The vagueness of Sliver’s affirmations was frustrating to them, unsure if it’s the truth or merely a statement to throw other iterators off-course.

Yes. Stars would likely wish to befriend Seven Red Suns. They would also find Five Pebbles’ rot to be both repulsive and facinating, and once Unparalleled Innocence revealed the images of it, copied and archived them. Looks to the Moon’s kindness would be appreciated, her also being an gen 2 model would create some bias, and Stars believed Moon to be dead after the broadcast stating her goodbyes.

They may have regretted sending their companion away, feeling as though the last memory it’d have was them failing a quest Stars knew could never be achieved. They told the scug to search for any pearls that could be of use to prevent their collapse, knowing the collapse would come before any time they could get back. They wanted to send them away so they wouldn’t perish in the fall, but instead have a small chance of thriving in the wilds beyond.

The location is unspecified, but not too far (at least on a global scale) from the local group within the game. It’s a costal region, dotted with islands and flooded structures, two small peninsulas nearly form a bridge where Stars currently sits. Perhaps they did at one point in the past.

Stars’ overseers like to watch various things, although they tend to pop up more often around the nearby cans of other iterators. Sometimes they watch wandering slugcats, since Stars has a small fondness for them, thanks to their modified one.

They are either white or blue (I cannot decide the light colors). I like to pretend the super rare white overseer you can get in-game is hers.

Somewhat busy, it being above the sea made it a more desired location, despite the heat being put off by the can itself, the ocean breeze was quite nice. It was pretty populated before the ancients went off to the void sea and weren’t seen again. Some say an echo lies in the heart of the city ruins.

Rain World Iterator OC Ask Game/Questionnaire

want people to ask you questions about your iterator ocs? want to talk about your ocs and don't know where to start? this is the ask game for you! slugcat oc ask game

Does your iterator's name mean anything? In their lore or symbolically? If so, what?

Is your iterator in a local group? Who else is in it?

If your iterator is in a local group, what do they think of their group members? If they are not, do they wish they were in a local group?

When iterators were more connected, did your iterator like to socialize on public broadcasts? Or did they tend to keep to their own group?

Does your iterator have friends outside of their local group? Do they still keep in touch? Do they want to still keep in touch?

What does your iterator like to talk about?

Does your iterator have any specific quirks or niches unlike "typical" iterators? Special jobs, equipment, etc.? If so, what?

What is your iterator's opinion on bioengineering? Natural ability of iterators? A cruel push of artificial will? Something to be moderated? etc.

What does your iterator think of their body? One organism with many moving parts? A giant computer? A small creature stuck in a box? etc.

If your iterator could be anything else other than an iterator, what would they be and why?

Does your iterator have any non-iterator friends/companions? Such as an animal, an ancient, etc.?

How tall is your iterator? Is this an average height for a standard iterator?

How old is your iterator? Compared to their group? Compared to iterator-kind as a whole?

Has your iterator ever modified any part of their body (puppet, city, structure components, things that make up the structure like neurons, inspectors, etc.)?

What did/does your iterator think of their citizens? Their creators? Ancients as a whole?

Does your iterator have an underlying condition (rot, damage, illness, etc.)? How do they feel about it?

How does your iterator feel about ascension? Is it something they want to strive for? Help others achieve? Something to avoid? etc.

Does your iterator have opinions about karma/karmic urges? If so, what are they?

Does your iterator know who Sliver of Straw is? If so, what do they think of her?

Does your iterator know any of the canon iterators? If so, describe their relationship!

Does your iterator have any major regrets?

Where does your iterator live? Describe the region.

When using overseers, what is your iterator's favorite thing to watch/look at?

What do your iterators overseers look like?

When their city was populated, what was it like?

[hillbillyoracle]

I wanted to talk more about why so many people find western psych’s version of meditation and mindfulness unhelpful but I didn’t want to totally derail this other post. 

Per this:

But here’s the rub of it - western psychology’s take on mindfulness and even meditation is incomplete. It’s definitionally appropriative. Because while a lot of the people who brought these tools to the western audience were trained in the traditions themselves, the versions of them most people are getting through their therapists and social media aren’t really those tools anymore.

I’ve mentioned stuff like this before but I wanted to provide an example of what I mean. On of my favorite Buddhist monastics to listen to is Ven. Robina Courtin. She developed and ran the Liberation Prison Project that provided Buddhist literature and letter exchanges for people in prison for many years. It’s still going though she’s since stepped down.

She’s mentioned in a few talks her frustration when she would talk to western meditation teachers who would go into prisons to teach. She’s mentioned asking them what exactly they taught inmates and they’d often reply with breathing exercises they used and commonly the noting exercise, where you calmly label what each thought is in your mind when it comes up.

“Oh that’s excellent,” she’d say, “And what do you tell them to do with the thought once they’ve noted it?”

“I tell them to let it go, note the next one,” was a common response.

She’s talked about why that’s no good. You see in Buddhism, these thoughts have remedies. There are insights to apply to those thoughts so that they don’t linger and cause unnecessary pain. There are often recommended chants or specific contemplative activities recommended. It’s also considered vital to practice them in groups regularly.

Western mindfulness and meditation largely ignores this. It pushes this idea of radical acceptance without actually teaching the steps of how to accept what is.  Western psych either charges you for the privilege of a group or says go it alone.

And if you’ve ever wondered in part why western pscyh doesn’t include more of the Buddhist remedies in their therapies and modalities - some of it is the idea that they needed secularized so they could more comfortably be used by people of different backgrounds but some of it is because western psych and Buddhism fundamentally disagree on what the human mind is capable of and what the goal of practice should be.

And when you know that, it makes way more sense why people don’t find western psych’s version that helpful. 

Western psych says the goal is to basically everyone has fucked up stuff in their heads and they always will to some degree. Lets teach them coping skills and how to change their behaviors to be more effective in their day to day life. This should help them face less stress and get more of what they want thereby reducing suffering. 

The Buddhist perspective is that literally all sentient beings have Buddha-nature - the ability to become Buddhas* if they so choose. They can rid their minds of all the qualities that bring about suffering - attachment, aversion, and delusion. There are methods that one can replicate to get to those states. That work can be done as a householder or a monastic. 

Ultimately, western psych’s perspective of meditation and mindfulness is shaped by the Christian ideas of Original Sin. I don’t think that’s a very hot take at this point, plenty of other people have said it better than me, and I think you can see the similarity. Human minds have bad crap in them, some of us deal with that better than others, the goal then should be teaching people better ways to deal - to be more psychologically and socially pious basically.

Well no wonder when you take a tool that’s designed with the idea that people can actually get rid of those negative qualities of the mind and put it in a context that believes that’s impossible, it doesn’t exactly work as well...

Anywho. 

Very very long winded way to say - you don’t need meditation and mindfulness to have a good life and/or practice paganism/witchcraft, but if you want to learn it, go learn it from a tradition that’s been practicing their methods for more than the last 50 or so years. 

* should be noted that Buddha in this context doesn’t mean just enlightened; it’s a term for a being who perfects their own mind and becomes enlightened + teaches the dharma in a time when it’s been completely lost. 

[onesaltyhunter]

After Ragnarok

find the general masterlist here!

find the prologue here!

Part 1: A Particularly (Shitty) Family Reunion

Harald Sigurdsson x Goddess!Reader

Summary: Y/N meets back with (what is left) of her family, and is met with a new face in the city of Kattegat. After a brief gathering, the Prince of Norway yet again, struggles with another brush with death.

Warnings: Swearing, more Christian hate because Hel likes to poke fun at people, near death experiences, people getting the shit beaten out of them lmao

Y/N had fallen asleep after returning to her home. The wind was violently causing the trees nearby to shed their branches, each of which crashed and hit the wooden roof of the cottage with a loud bang. Propping a pillow over her head didn't help to muffle the sounds at all, but she did it anyway. Y/N turned onto her side to face the fire she had lit to the right of her bed.

In an instant, the fire was extinguished. Y/N slowly opened her eyes, struggling to sit up, due to her lack of sleep from the current week. Then the smell of a familiar substance filled the house: seawater. A medium-toned voice resounded in her head.

We need to talk.

Y/N's eyes darted from each side of the house, looking for the supposed culprit. There was no trace of anyone ever being in her home that night, besides herself.

"You know, you could just let me sleep for once." She immediately sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

Eh, when have we ever been the people to take a break?

"You know the realms have gone to shit when Ymir decides to bless you with the power to speak in my fucking head." Y/N reached for a fur blanket that she could wrap herself with.

~●~●~●~●~

Leif, Freydis, and Harald sat a table in the main longhouse, sipping ale among a few other warriors that returned from England. It was dead silent before one of them attempted to speak.

"Harald, you look..." Leif started to say as the prince shot him a "don't you even dare say it" glance.

"Like shit?" Freydis chuckled, setting her cup down. "According to the healer, you shouldn't even be sitting up right now. They said that the back of your head bled a river."

Harald remained silent. After he was returned to his home, he had checked his heads for any wounds. He found nothing. He washed his hair to find no traces of blood, not even a single place upon his head where it hurt to the touch. He vividly remembered everything that happened up until his collapse. Y/N, the dead who walked--Harald couldn't comprehend a thing.

Grasping the cross around his neck, he wanted some confirmation that this was the work of the devil. At the same time, he didn't want to believe that one of the elites of Kattegat was capable of such things. But, overall, he didn't want to accept that the woman resembled the goddess of death. After all, the Christian God was the "one true God". He wanted to strongly believe that, but it was if his entire encounter threw that sentence out the door.

Harald opened his mouth to speak, but was interuppted by the yells from a group of warriors, entering the hall. Haakon, on her wooden throne, immediately stood up.

"May I present, Noah Odinsson!" One of the men shouted, introducing a tall, dark haired man, who easily towered over most people in the hall.

"Odinsson?" Harald stood up and spoke his first words of the night. "How far can you possibly shove your head up your arse?"

The man simply raised a brow and stared at the group at the table. Leif stood up to calm Harald down, since they believed he was obviously drunk. Freydis, gulped and gripped the knife in her left pocket tightly.

"Your words mean nothing, Christian." Noah smiled. "Especially with blood as tainted as yours."

"What is that supposed to mean? Huh?" Harald broke free from Leif's grip and unsheathed his sword, before swinging at the stranger.

Noah dodged every hit, left and right. Effortlessly, he grabbed the sword by the blade and held on to it. Harald tried to pull it from him, but it wouldn't budge. He looked up towards the slightly taller individual, and stared at what looked to be glowing blue eyes. In an attempt to get a better look at him, Harald let go of his sword. Noah let the blade slide farther down in his grip, handing it back to the prince.

"Jarl Haakon!" He immediately turned his attention away from Harald. "I requested a place to rest for me and my men."

"And you shall be given one, Odinsson." She replied, with an annoyed look plastered across her face.

"I've had enough of this." Harald slammed his cup on the table before exiting the longhouse.

Noah shook his head, smiling.

~●~●~

Harald was walking towards his home but was caught off guard by Y/N speaking to herself.

"What the fuck do you mean that there's something wrong?" She mumbled, as she continued pacing towards the shoreline.

"Hello." Harald didn't know of any other way to catch her attention, and his smile immediately faded once she shot an angry look at him.

"I'm busy right now..."

"You seem troubled."

"I'm always fucking troubled." Y/N attempted to turn a right after a fisherman's home, but Harald followed.

"You saved me." He exhaled, and she stopped in her path.

"I did."

"And those soldiers you brought back to life." Harald attempted to maintain a stoic glare.

"Did you just arrive here after drinking in the longhouse?" Y/N raised a brow, turning around towards the building and he replied with a small nod. "Fuck, I want whatever substance they're putting in their ale."

Y/N began to approach the longhouse even thought the voice in her head yelled louder. It was repetitive, and an annoyance. Perhaps it was better if her brother had been given some other power?

I'm trying to describe the problem to you, not guide you towards it. Damn this prince! Y/N, you need to turn around.

"No." She hid her reply in a cough.

"What was that?" Harald caught up to her speedwalking pace.

"Ugh, it's cold."

"Oh."

The instant Y/N reached the corner of the longhouse, her ears began to ring. Not in a destructive way, but more of a distinct, magical manner. She ignored it, and continued into the building. There on one of the middle tables, sat Noah, who glanced back at her. He clearly wasn't human, at all. The two stared at each other for around 3 minutes, with everyone in the longhouse confused, and perhaps even a bit uninterested. Noah approached Y/N, and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I missed you." He grinned, as she still stood there, absolutely lost.

Harald wanted to tear this man apart. He saw the confused, and irritated look on Y/N's face and for some unknown reason, he just wanted to tear this "Odinsson" to shreds. Had he said something that violated her? Had he been a man out to hunt her? He didn't hear a thing, but the now angry look on Y/N's face said it all. But after all, he couldn't do anything, because Haakon outlawed major fights in the hall.

"Excuse me for a moment," A man with sea-soaked clothes placed his hand on Y/N's shoulder and seemingly dragged her outside.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He snarled, looking around. "He's here."

Y/N placed both of her hands on her brother's shoulders.

"Who? Who the fuck is he--" She turned to face a blade that was pointed at Jormungandr.

"Leave her." Harald gripped his sword even tighter.

"We're busy!" The two yelled in unison.

"Are you..."

"Her brother? Yes, now kindly fuck off. We have family matters to attend to."

Absolutely angered by how poorly he had been treated, Harald retreated to his home--his original destination. It was as if any time he tried to speak with Y/N, had been forbidden by God himself. He simply wanted to punch a wall out of complete frustration, but he refrained from doing so. After he entered his home, he sat on his bed, and began to grip the cross on his necklace tight. Closing his eyes, he hoped to picture anything that would bring him any joy whatsoever. For a split second, he saw a dark-red flame, followed by a brief scream, which shook him out of his thoughts. Harald looked around his bedroom, for a sign of anyone, and there wasn't a single one. Perhaps this was a sign from God himself, that he must not approach Y/N at any cost. But again, if God was truly almighty and righteous, he wouldn't have let innocents die on Saint Brice's Day.

Harald wanted to drift off to sleep, but instead he laid in bed, staring blindly at the ceiling--for he feared what nightmarish sights awaited him the instant he shut his eyes.

~●~●~

Jormungandr guided Y/N to the edge of a coastline which was blocked off by a moss-lined cliff--a great distance away from Kattegat. He sat down with his feet lined up where the edge of the tide rolled in. Y/N followed and sat next to him, staring off into what would soon become the rising sun.

"Who is here?" Y/N stared at her brother, beginning to stack a few pebbles next to herself. "I mean, how detrimental must this be? You only come out of the water once every three decades."

"I cannot say. I know who they are, and--" He paused, picking up a stone and throwing it into the sea. "There is some power preventing me from saying."

"I'm sorry, some pesky creature has got you under it's spell?" She chuckled, raising a brow, only to receive a look of desperation in return. "By the blood of Ymir, it fucking does doesn't it?"

"I have a contingency plan."

"Which is?"

The shuffling of feet resounded against the bluff behind them. What was assumed to be a weaker Jotunn warrior by Y/N appeared to be another human. Or at least, what looked to be a human. The man had glowing yellow eyes, and medium length hair that resembled freshly mined coal. She recognized him instantly. Fenrir. The brother who was responsible for telling their father of her relationship with Baldur--the man who angered Odin into a battle that would end in near-complete annihilation.

"Harald Sigurdsson, hm?" Fenrir stared into the horizon before glancing at Y/N, who now refused to make eye contact with him. "Talk about polluting the bloodline."

"Jor-"

"Yes, Y/N?"

"I'm going to strangle him."

"I'd love to see you tr-" Fenrir gasped when Y/N caught him in a chokehold, and slammed him violently against the face of the cliff.

Rocks tumbled from above, signaling the fall of a larger rock but Y/N was relentless. Her right hand began turning into its original corpse-like form, as she channeled the power of 8 realms through it. She wanted to watch her brother meet his bitter end but she stopped abruptly. Fenrir was still shaking, his teeth chattering ever so slightly, in complete shock after everything that had just happened.

"Hel, I should have known better." Fenrir shook his head. "And for that I'm truly sorry."

"You're only saying this because you don't have mother and father to protect you anymore." She shoved him, causing him to scrape his knees against the rocks. "Do you hear me? You are nothing without them!"

Jormungandr sat, unmoved by the whole situation. Both he and Y/N were given simple lifestyles before Ragnarok. He churned the seas, and she controlled one of the afterlife realms--constantly being tortured by Fenrir's petty nature. The wolf was like a child, always wanting attention and praise, and and he did not receive it, he broke down, similar to what he was doing currently.

"We will never get anything done if you two keep fighting." He picked up another rock to throw, but this time, he held it in his hand.

"Fighting? We are not fighting." Y/N stood up straight and shook her head, a little out of breath. "Saying we are fighting implies that both sides have a chance."

"Shut up, brother." Fenrir attempted to stand up, but Y/N kicked at his kneecaps to knock him down again. "You know he doesn't even have a plan?"

"You dragged, my ass, away from drinking heavily, so that I may get too see what's left of my family, and nothing more?" She began to clap slowly. "Congratulations Jor! You have accomplished abso-fucking-lutely nothing."

Y/N paused, as she felt what seemed to be a spark of energy shoot through her body--signaling that someone was on the brink of death nearby. Without warning, she began to run towards the city, bumping into merchants if she had to. The sound of a man coughing became louder, but what she did not know is that her brothers were following close behind her. The sounds of the sick and dying individual came from one of the largest establishments in the city: the prince's house.

"Harald?" Y/N yelled, and once she received no response, she kicked the far right side of the door open, seeing the prince shirtless, with blood trickling down from his mouth onto his chest. "Harald! Damn it!"

Fenrir walked in behind her, and Jormungandr soon after.

"Did you bring a horse here?" She said softly to her eldest brother. "Damn it, I'll ask it again, did you bring a fucking horse here you foul-witted dog!"

"Bring it to the door. And Jor, pick Harald up, place him on the horse, and take him to my home. Now! You cold-blooded son of a bitch!"

The two did as they were told, still a little petrified about how violent their sister had gotten over the centuries. A once solemn, kind soul had been replaced with a vengeful, violent maniac in what seemed to be mere hours after the great catastrophe. Perhaps they underestimated how the events that preceeded Ragnarok affected her--perhaps everyone did.

Y/N ran to her home, which was probably going to be faster than the traveling by horse in the wind. The instant she reached it, she began to clear off her workspace, both the table where the bodies laid, and the area where she set her tools. Reaching for a few cups, she set them all out in a line. Jormungandr arrived first, carrying Harald, before setting him upon the main table. Fenrir came soon after making sure that none of them were followed. Y/N examined Harald, who was continuing to cough up blood. His eyes were dilated, and a drop of blood fell out of his left eye. With a wave of her hand, the prince passed out, in an attempt to stabilize him.

"Asgardian magic." Fenrir loomed over the dying lord. "It's what they used in a surprise attack on our soldiers after we breached the bifrost."

"That has to be ingested for it to fully take effect." Y/N paused. "The longhouse."

"I know who did it." Jormungandr replied, and his siblings merely looked at him in disbelief, as a reminder that he had a temporary curse that prevented him from warning the of the exact individual who presented a danger in the city.

"Odinsson. Noah Odinsson. What if that man was truly a son of Odin?" Fenrir cocked his head to the side. "Sorry I didn't say anything to you two earlier. I was um... drinking."

"That wouldn't narrow it down at all. I mean I've known Harald for a day and yes I admire him--" Y/N looked at her brothers who were holding in a laugh, after Fenrir had an "I told you so" expression plastered across his face. "What if this isn't about him? What if this is about me?"

"As you said, this narrows nothing down. Every son of Odin hates us. Except Baldur, so we can exclude him."

"Thor maybe?"

Y/N reached for a red stone, which she began to ground into a powder, before mixing it into a small cup of water. With a quick flick of her wrist, she woke Harald up, easing him into a sitting position with her arm. She handed him the cup, which he immediately drank out of, without question. He placed his hand on her forearm which elicited a slight jump from Y/N. Tilting his head up a bit towards her, he mumbled a few words, each of which were unintelligible.

"What?"

"Hot. It's really hot." He managed to speak out.

"The cure to your ailments is going to hurt a lot, just bare with me." Y/N helped to prop him up in a stable manner.

"Have I not bared enough for you?" Harald mumbled once more. "I sit here next to you, slightly uncovered, and I try to speak my feelings but all you do is--"

He collapsed and Y/N caught him again, with both of her arms tucked under his shoulders.

"What a madman." She chuckled, placing a pillow underneath his head. "Ah, feelings. What an archaic commodity. Have you seen this idiot?"

"You just saved his life, now you care not for him?" Fenrir crossed his arms. "Never took you for a heartless bitch."

"Coming from you--" She paused, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. "That isn't saying much."

"Son of Odin." Jormungandr blurted out. "Sorry, I've been trying to speak for the past few minutes. That was all I could get out. I'm trying to see if I can break this forsaken spell or curse or, whatever it is, in pieces, rather than as a whole."

Y/N shook her head in disbelief to feel Harald's hand wrapped around her wrist. It wasn't in a violent way, but rather in a comforting manner. She took a step away from him and his grip became tighter, then she took a step towards him, then the girl became loosened. Completely unwavering, Y/N grabbed his hand to remove it from herself.

I will not allow my son to be alongside those weakened forest gods. He is of our pantheon, not theirs! He was born to seize control of the northern lands, not to sympathize with those who currently roam them! Perhaps I shall let some other faithful Christian do this for me. A low voice resounded.

Y/N woke up on the ground with Harald kneeling next to her, his hand still gripping her left wrist tightly. His eyes shimmered in the torch's light nearby, giving off an crimson glow. Perhaps she was just hallucinating. It didn't stop Harald from helping her up, and leaning her against the workbench to help her catch her breath.

"Lady, are you--" Harald paused, fearing a possible negative reaction from referring to her in a formal manner. "Y/N, how are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling? How are you feeling? You've been speaking like you hit your head a little harder than I thought the other day." Y/N reached past him to pour herself a cup of water from a metal pitcher. "'Feelings' and shit like that. You sounded like you drank enough ale to fill Odin's hall twice over!" A brief pause. "Sorry, you're a Christian. Enough to fill Jesus' cave I guess."

"It's a tomb." He corrected her, before looking down abruptly. "I apologize."

"Ooooh, the pagan doesn't know anything about Christianity." She smiled, "How surprising. W-Where have my brothers gone?"

"No idea." Harald placed both of his hands on his hips.

The two stared at each other for a brief minute as thoughts rushed through both of their heads.

Is he the son of Lucifer? Oh, who am I kidding? I must have hit my head extremely hard or something. Y/N began to glare into his spruce-tinged eyes.

She must be a goddess. Had it not for her magic, twice, I would have died. Christ, if this is God's way of tempting me, I am sure to give in soon enough. Harald smiled for a brief second.

"You must be hungry." She broke the silence to reach for some of the vegetables she left out on a table next to her workspace.

"Oh God no, please don't cook for me. Really, it just seems wrong for a warrior like you to do such a thing." He immediately paused. Warrior? What was he thinking?

"Well guess what? I'm hungry, and I just can't seem to make the correct amount of food to only fill my own stomach so please, if you want some, please tell me." She looked over at a vial of a substance she had retrieved on her travels.

Whatever it was, it was known to be extremely potent. The ability to get any human to tell the truth about anything. It could be a stepping stone to figuring out who this man's dangerous father character was. Perhaps it even may have had the ability to exploit Harald's knowledge of everything to see if she could discover this other dangerous figure Jormungandr spoke of. After reaching for it, the now sitting Harald took off his necklace, twirling it around between his fingers.

"Aren't you not supposed to take that off, Christian?" Y/N raised a brow, taking the lid off of the vial. "Will your God not punish you for that?"

"I-I don't know." He stuttered. "It just... Nothing feels right."

After seeing Harald set his necklace down on a table and him planting his face between his palms, Y/N screwed the lid back onto the vial.

I've done this countless times before. Since when did this not feel fucking right?

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

Draw your swords, pt. 6

Summary: Losing someone can make you realize what was already there and the Darkling is about to find that out the hard way.

Warnings: angst, violence, swearing, bit of fluff

Part one // Part two // Part three // Part four // Part five  

=================================

Five days have passed and the Darkling had never stopped looking for his wife. His men never saw him rest, sleep was simply never on his agenda. He barely ate at all, merely giving time for the rest of them to gather their strength.

He was restless, constantly questioning how this could have happened. No matter how he looked at it, the Darkling felt guilt consuming him. Without his rage, he worried the guilt would have paralyzed him. Had he not went on a pointless hunt for something that’s likely a tale, she would have been right by his side, antagonizing him.

It’s been hundreds of years since he felt this way, as if his heartstrings are being pulled by someone other than himself. In this search for Y/N, he realized she is consuming. After all, she might have been right – a part of him may actually care for her. He cursed that part of himself over and over again as result.

They’ve tracked her toward Fjerdan borders. Every now and then, they would find bodies on the road, their throat cut or stabbed right through the heart. Sometimes, he found them alive still. He never refrained from calling on his shadows, trying to draw useful information to close in on their whereabouts.

Y/N never saw him use his shadows before. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d disapprove of the means he’s using to find her. After all, she called him a demon on their wedding night. She would never accept him as he is, he had no doubt about that.

Did she want to be found by him?

The first body they found, the Darkling smiled. He didn’t question it was her hands who have taken the man’s life. There was no concrete proof, but he was certain of it. Every body found felt like her own version of breadcrumbs.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled heavily. If she managed to set herself free so many times to leave what was now five dead men behind, he couldn’t help but worry for her safety. What was the price of each crumb she left?

It wasn’t just the exposure to snow he worried about – and he did worry as she got cold too quickly and he was the one to warm her up before. Who’d warm her up now?

The darkness of the forest gave him cause to worry too – she may have tried to hide it, but he knew she was afraid of the dark. He realized it when her breathing turned shallow and fast their first night together just as she extinguished the candlelight. The next night, he left his candle to burn long into the night.

Something stirred inside him, a beast has awakened. Despite the war his heart and mind waged, he wondered if he’s his own worst enemy. Maybe it was time to let someone in. For too long, he had been alone in the shadows of his past lives.

Why is he repeating the same mistakes?

How can he be afraid when he married a woman who never blinks in the face of danger?

His heart was ice and stone until she came and now the ice has started to melt. All he’s done is hurt and destroy, but he wanted out of the loneliness that clings to him.

She was right, as hard as it is to admit it. He’s a demon, a devil that walks the earth and he cares. Because of her he hopes he might love again and he can’t let anyone take that from him – hope is the only thing stronger than fear. And when a devil falls in love and discovers hope, it’s the most hauntingly beautiful sight. They should fear him as he will go to the depths of hell to protect her.

While his eyes may have been closed, his heart jumped as a bright flash forced him to open them again.

He was never given a chance to be soft. His hands had to be bloody, to have people fear him. Only when they feared him, they wouldn’t hurt him. Now was the time to show them just why they fear him.

“Where?” He growled out, looking to Ivan and Fedyor who were looking at the sky.

“East”, Fedyor replied hastily, ready to follow Kirigan who set off in said direction without a second thought. He didn’t order anyone to follow, but they did.

Ivan and Fedyor walked two steps behind their general, alert as the flash had awakened them from a deep slumber. They weren’t the only ones shaken, unsure what they’re walking into but none showed fear as their general lead them straight to the source. Their loyalty, their belief in general Kirigan runs deep.

Except for David. He was afraid. He didn’t want to be in that forest and he didn’t want to be in danger, but he trusted Kirigan. Besides, Y/N was nice and Genya seemed to like her. So he came along too.

Kirigan walked in strides, the snow didn’t slow him down. His hands formed fists, his face twisted in anger, but his heart pounded in his chest as he had no inkling what he might find. All he knew was that he had to get there, fast.

As if made of darkness itself, the Darkling emerged on what looked like a battlefield. The trees surrounded a small clearing covered in snow that melted under the spilled blood – still warm as it poured from the dead surrounding her.

She’s on her knees, two Fjerdans chaining her up as if she’s a wild animal.

“You think you’re scary, huh?” She spat at the Fjerdan’s feet – a crimson liquid, Darkling realized. She’s bleeding.  

“That’s adorable”, she chuckled maniacally as she held her fierce gaze on the Fjerdan stood before her. They pulled her left hand behind her back and her right hand in front as they tightened the chains that were secured over rope that laid just beneath.

Darkling’s blood boiled. It is fear that brings rage, that hot burning anger that seeks to harm. Once again, he was afraid, not of her but for her.

Four more Fjerdans came from behind the trees, all covered in blood. “Fucking bitch”, one of them kicked her in the ribs and he couldn’t take anymore. He could kill them easily for what they’ve done – he’s killed every one of them he ran into in the past five days without even blinking, regardless if they were involved in her disappearance or not.

“Mister, I’ve seen scary and you don’t have his handsome smile.”

Licking his lips, the Darkling nearly smiles at her remark. There’s no possible way she means anyone else but him. Looking at his Grisha, he found them nearly all in position. They would attack in a minute, swiftly and deadly.

Yet in a moment of carelessness, he missed the Fjerdans realization they’re being watched. Too quickly, more of them appeared. The pitiful human managed to land a few consecutive blows to Darkling’s face before drawing a dagger.

Angry, dark eyes showed the Fjerdan that the Darkling’s brain is in a different mode, that he has switched gears from empathy he had for his wife to cold emotional indifference. Never once has he directed this mode in Y/N’s direction, yet it emerged when he sensed a threat to her life, letting out a part of him that was full on protective.

Grunting, the Darkling’s eyes narrowed at the human who dared to sink the blade into his heart. Despite his immortality, he could still hurt. The pain of a stab wound felt just as it would if here as fragile as the human before him.

But he’s not human at all.

Connecting his hands, the Darkling lifts his head as he summons the darkness that spills from every corner of the forest. “Foolish”, he sneers, “Attacking me in the dark?” The Darkling smirked, walking past the petrified Fjerdan, allowing his shadows to administer a thousand cuts for his transgression.

As he walked toward the middle of the circle, his shadows followed, aiding his Grisha in taking the rest of the Fjerdans so quickly that Y/N gasped.

Looking around in shock, she found Kirigan kneeling beside her.

“You have a knife”, she coughed into her shoulder, “A knife in your chest.”

“I promised”, he gasped for breath as he pulled the knife from his chest. “That I would protect you and I intend to keep the damn promise.”

On the brink of tears, her lips quivered before she laughed. “I thought you’d let them kill me.” Better to laugh than cry, she thought.

Frowning, he shook his head. “That would be too easy”, he waved David over who stood at the tree line, wide eyed. “If anyone’s going to kill you, it should be me.”

Even with tears blurring her vision, she giggled at his stupid remark. She had tried so hard to free herself.

It wasn’t the first time she had been captured by enemies, she knew what to do. But there were so many of them. Each time she freed herself, they would descend upon her. She managed to run, twice, each time they dragged her back kicking and screaming.

Despite his words, Y/N didn’t believe Kirigan would come for her. She had to be her own hero and she tried. In the end, she used everything at her disposal – everything.

Feeling the chains drop, Y/N glances at David, “Thank you.” The ropes were cut as well, but she didn’t move. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure if she could stand on her own and asking for help would wound her. Rubbing her bruised wrists, she reluctantly looked at Kirigan.

“Here”, Kirigan offered his hands. Truth be told, he wanted to carry her, but he knew her pride wouldn’t allow it.

Hissing, she forced herself up despite Kirigan’s offer. “I am perfectly capable of walking on my own.”

He’d have asked her again because she trembled when the wind blew. Her hair was matted with blood, her face red and not from blushing. He could see the damage they’ve done more clearly now as she bent to take a deep breath as if the simple act of breathing hurt her.

Staring at her, he nodded despite his better judgment. Her breathing was ragged, dragging her feet as she walked. She felt his eyes on her, it unnerved her. All she could do is hope her legs don’t give out, but it felt as if they would betray her any moment now.

“Go and make camp ahead”, he ordered his Grisha to speed up as he realized her stubbornness would kill her. Stepping before her, he wrapped an arm around her waist. There would be no asking her for permission this time, he’ll not allow her to deny his help. Hoisting her up in his arm, he held his breath as she cried out in pain.

“I’m sorry”, he whispered, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

How could he not bring any healers? How could he have been so stupid?

Groaning, she sent him a stern glare yet found no anger in his. His eyes are like the ocean - they have the potential to destroy, yet when the waves reach the shore, they dissipate, leaving soft designs in the sand as a gentle reminder of its presence.

Leaning into his embrace, Y/N let out a gentle sigh of resignation. She’s been caught in the riptide and for once, she doesn’t want to fight it.

“I really thought I’d die”, she admits reluctantly.

Feeling him stiffen as he held her in his arms, Y/N frowned. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said that, or anything at all. This isn’t what they do, they don’t bare their hearts open.

“And when I faced death”, she continued regardless. Tilting her head to look up at him, she let out a shuddered exhale. A shy smile adorned her lips as their eyes shared a gaze so tender, an outsider would believe them to be in love.

“I thought how silly it is that I don’t know your first name.”

Snorting, Kirigan raised his eyebrows, “Really?”

“Yes”, she breathes out.

Looking at her now, the Darkling couldn’t believe this is his wife. The woman who infuriates him so often seemed so small, so fragile in his arms. Her gaze held remains of the horrors she was cast into and yet he never saw her as earnest before.

“I married you and I don’t even know your name.”

Licking his lips, he stops. Truth be told, no one actually knows his name. His name was long forgotten, a piece of his soul he had left behind in the fold. He promised himself he’d never utter it while he lives. He had promised he would never be that man again.

Unfortunately for him, he seems to be breaking his promises lately.

He promised her he’d protect her and he failed, just as he promised himself he’d never care for her and yet he does.

“Aleksander”, he mutters, still unsure if it’s the right decision. He placed one of his greatest secrets in the hands of a woman who’d see his world burn. He gave her power she never should possess and yet he’s not afraid. No one could make him fear anything after the ordeal he was put through since she decided to tear down his defenses.  

Smiling softly, she closed her eyes. Resting her head on his shoulder she felt satisfied. It may be small, but finding out his name felt like a victory. She was born to play this game, it was her destiny. He is her destiny.

Waking up, she found herself wrapped in several blankets inside a tent. Grunting, she struggled to sit up on her own. It seemed to be dark still, but she had a blue light lantern lit inside. She may not know who left it there, but Y/N was thankful. Despite her fear of dark, she found it odd she did not fear Aleksander’s darkness at all.

When his shadows nearly encased her in the clearing, she didn’t fret or worry. She smiled.

As contradictory as it may seem, she wished he was with her now. Her entire body ached and still, she was more bothered by the empty spot beside her. Shaking her head, she bites her lower lip. Would it be so bad if she showed a sliver of vulnerability for a single night? Would making a small concession such as this truly take away her power?

Before she has a chance to change her mind, she’s already outside of her tent. The cold chilled her to the bone, biting every inch of exposed skin. Teeth chattering, she looked to the tent next to hers as it was the only one so close – seemingly intentional.

Trying to open it in the cold seemed impossible as her fingers shook violently. Feeling faint, she wondered why she couldn’t just stay in her own tent for the night. Surely it would have been a better idea than to admit she’s scared to be alone.

A warm liquid trickled down her lip and she nearly laughed at her own idiocy. The darkness and cold and her own injuries have all been fairly good reasons for her to just sleep and try to recover and she still tried to find her husband who showed so much disdain for her in the past.

Just as she was about to give up, a familiar head of hair peaked through.

Shivering, she wipes the liquid from under her nose with the back of her hand. Looking at it, she realizes it’s blood. There’s a slightly dazed look in her eyes, the blood loss suffered over the past days leaving its mark.

Looking up at Kirigan, her lips tremble and she sways slightly as her legs threaten to give out. “I didn’t know who else to go to”, she mumbles meekly before collapsing into Kirigan’s arms.

No…Aleksander’s arms.

Pulling her inside, he wrapped her in his arms as she shivered. Covering her with blankets didn’t seem to help either, but he had confidence it would soon enough.

She closed her eyes, clinging to him and selfishly, he smiled. It brought back memories of the night she climbed atop of him to warm up, he assumed. She didn’t know he was awake then, but she did now. She trusted him enough to seek warmth and as her shivers stopped slowly. That’s when the Darkling realized he would never deny her anything she asked of him.

“Fuck”, he whispers under his breath and her eyes open.

He looked at her in a haunted way, a shadow of a bruise marred his jaw and she reached up to touch it, her chest aching when he nuzzled into her palm. They have never been quite as tender with one another, never so intimate. It felt surprisingly nice.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” She asked, feeling so emotionally raw. Physical pain and lingering fear of impending death must have weakened her for a short while. Surely, she can allow herself a few moments of humanity?

He caught her wrist and pulled her hand down to press flat over his heart. “Here.”

Drawing a shuddered breath, her eyebrows knitted in worry. That’s where the knife was, she remembered with guilt. He could have died for her. Hating him requires too much energy; one she had little to spare. For the night, he can just be her husband and she will just be his wife. What harm can it do?

“Why did you come for me? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t fight for me?” Her confidence wavered as he sighed, brushing his fingers along her cheek. Not only did he come for her, but he murdered men for her.

Blinking slow, half in a daze as a low-grade fever began to grip her too, she had no more strength to deny how beautiful he is or how disarming his charm is. He may never love her, but she could…she could love him. If she ever fell for him, she knew she’d never be able to unlove him. She wouldn’t want to and that…that felt oddly comforting. For once, she was too tired to listen to her mind that preferred to set the world on fire rather than care for him.

As her eyes closed and her face relaxed, he stayed awake. He didn’t understand it, but he embraced the warm feeling spreading in his chest as she fell asleep.

“I’d burn this world for you.”

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PART 7

[vidavalor]

hi @ineffableigh Love your thoughts & that you brought up this scene. It's one of my favorites in S2. In rewatching & reading here, I've some thoughts, if you don't mind? I think it's mind-reading-- not necessarily possession but in the same neighborhood. Shax gets into Maggie's head here and speaks aloud Maggie's heartbreaking negative self-thoughts aloud back to her, in front of Nina and everyone else. She's hurting Maggie emotionally as much as Maggie hurts herself and showing us Maggie's harmful thoughts. I would agree that the weirdness in Maggie's eyes at the start of the scene and Shax's eerie coldness-- the way she's a million times scarier here in this moment than she is in other scenes-- is showing that she's definitely in Maggie's mind. I don't think she directly influenced Maggie into letting her in, though. You can see when Maggie invites her in that the whole thing is accidental-- Maggie didn't mean to say it and Shax looks surprised.

Shax actually isn't sure for most of the season how the threshold thing in the embassy actually works and there's a good reason for that-- because there's a lot to suggest that Crowley & Aziraphale have been lying their asses off about it to keep everyone out lol. Shax only realized that Crowley lied about the location of the threshold just a few moments prior to this scene when she saw that Crowley & Aziraphale backed all the humans up into the living room and then freaked out when Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets went up to the door. She realized that the threshold has to be further into the shop than the door and, when Crowley lies to her again and says it's the door, Shax scares them by having a demon reach past the door frame and pull Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets out, proving that the threshold is not the door.

She didn't go any further inside, though, because she didn't know where the threshold actually was for sure and didn't want to accidentally cross it. She seemed more to me like she was trying to bother Maggie to an extent that she could get Aziraphale to come back up to the door and try to manipulate him into inviting her in. I don't think she thought Maggie was someone who could give her entry.

Shax believed that Crowley could invite her into the bookshop earlier in the season but that's mainly because she saw pretty indisputable evidence that he and Aziraphale were partners. She saw Crowley with keys to the shop and, later, Aziraphale driving Crowley's car. She knows Maggie is a human, though, so she doesn't think Maggie capable of inviting her in. Maggie didn't seem to think Maggie capable of inviting Shax in lol but she was and did.

I think Maggie's voice sounds stronger in this moment because Maggie is paralleling Aziraphale here. They're both done being afraid and stronger than they sometimes give themselves credit for but, sometimes, when you blow up your halo-- which is a very good thing-- that's also when you're most vulnerable and the negative thoughts can come back harder than ever. Your emotions are more raw. You're a little less restrained and so Maggie's anger at being bullied for so long causes her to be so fired up in wanting to fight back that she doesn't think through what she says and she winds up saying "do you want to come in and say that to my face?!"-- unintentionally, the worst possible thing she could have said in that moment lol.

I think that the demons at the door are symbolic of a person's inner demons. The bookshop being overrun is symbolic of Aziraphale having a breakdown. (It's also why he can discorporate all the lesser negative thought demons but he can't free himself from the worst of/most intense of them-- Shax-- who remains dormant/unconscious for the night but is woken up again the next morning.)

Maggie, in terms of negative thoughts, is a lot like Aziraphale, and she's a human with whom and with whose family he has a lot of history. She represents his ties to the human world. That it's her that lets in Shax? I think that's kind of perfect. This is actually my favorite Maggie scene because while she's lovable and sympathetic for most of the season with just enough imperfection to be well-rounded, she is someone you root for that you know has had a hard time so when she finally just snaps and is all YOU LOT ARE PATHETIC!, it's like yesssss Maggie attagirl 👍👍👍

This and her not giving a fuck what, exactly, Aziraphale is or who the people at the door are? Just seeing Aziraphale as a person, too, and being there to help him? I love her. She can be an immature, judgy mess but she's also just lovely. Girl has that same, huggable blend of empathy and steely strength while being way too hard on herself that Aziraphale does. Her taking a turn from the sweet and less assertive way she is for most of the season into standing up for herself when she was pushed is kind of the same thing as Aziraphale being the fluffiest, cutest, silliest bunny until you come at him for real and then he's a fucking lion.

Maggie has that same can-make-a-candelabra-terrifying-if-need-be thing, I think...

You know what? I wonder. Maybe Shax possessed Maggie directly to get into the shop.

Note here that during Shax' ENTIRE speech, she doesn't blink ONCE. You can kind of see Miranda Richardson struggling not to blink midway through, but then Shax does a long blink before the camera pans to Maggie. Then there's a 'whoosh' sound, Maggie turns her face completely away from Shax and back again, before she delivers the line.

I honestly feel like Maggie doesn't sound like herself for much of this little scene, but the "My god, you lot are pathetic..." part sounds really different. Maggie speaks in a higher register most of the season, almost with a breathy nervous quality, but here? Positively demonic.

Now, the implications of a demon being able to possess someone already inside an embassy is a whole other problem lol, but I'm still mulling it over. Everything about this scene is weird as hell.

Shax has shown herself to be adept at manipulation, flipping between 'incompetent' around Crowley and being able to successfully infiltrate the Bentley by impersonating a hitchhiker. Dark Horse, indeed.

[luimagines]

RQ: He’s upset and needs comforting

Masterlist

Ya'll want angst? Because I have some angst.

Very hurt/comfort

Set platonically and within the group since there was no specification. Hope that’s ok! Sorry it took awhile, it got away from me again. I think this may be a trend.

Scenario under the cut! It’s super long so take caution!

Sky

It took a while for you to notice but eventually you do.

Sky has been acting weird all day.

It was only clipped responses at first, then it was was the lack of attention where Sky would have been the first to comment or act otherwise. What really tipped you off finally was how he seemed to be evading the whole group. Not necessarily stepping away and out of sight but he didn’t interact with anyone and when they approached him, he didn’t make eye contact, seemingly trying to cut the conversation short.

No one has said anything. 

You mention it to Twilight about his out of character behavior but he says that it maybe a bad day, or he slept wrong, or some other reason that you stopped listening to because it didn’t make any sense.

Sky was always trying to be friendly no matter his mood and it took a lot to shake him up.

What was eating at the Chosen Hero?

Soon, the uncertainty begins to eat at you too and you wait for night fall, once everyone is asleep to strike.

Strike up a conversation that is.

Sky usually takes the last watch because he’s usually the first one out regardless of what activities for the day so you strive to wake up early.

It works for the most part, your internal clock doing what you want it to do when you blink your eyes open. Part of you begins to drift off again so you sit up and nearly fall asleep that way.

A hand comes up on your back and rubs a small circle. “Nightmare?”

It’s Sky and he’s looking at you with mild concern.

You smile and shake your head. “No. I’m alright but I think I’ll stay up with you if you don’t mind.”

“I wouldn’t mind the company.” He moves out of your space and back to where he sat.

You follow, still groggy from just waking from your slumber but succeed in not stepping on any of your friends or waking them up as well with the added noise. you sit next to the Hero of the Skies with little fan fare and let the moment settle on the both of you before looking skyward.

“Can I ask you something?” You don’t look at Sky and continue star gazing even if they’re a little harder to spot as the sun travels closer for it’s shift.

Sky hums in agreement and follows your gaze upwards.

“Are you ok? You seemed a little off lately.”

Sky doesn’t say anything for the first few seconds and you suspect that maybe he didn’t hear you. With him spacing out so much and the fact that you whispered for the sake of your still sleeping friends, you’re inclined to repeat yourself but Sky answers in time.

“Just thinking a lot, I suppose. Nothing serious.”

“Yeah?” You don’t look his way. This is casual. This is friendly. This is not a big deal. “Rupee for your thoughts?”

“It’s not that interesting.”

You shrug. “Hit me with it anyway. It’s got to be something if it’s throwing you off your rocker. Maybe a new perspective will help clear some of it up?”

Sky frowns at your attempts, once again retreating into his mind. You let the offer hang in the air and let it sink in.

You’re disinclined to bring it up anymore. Your brain is still tired and you’re wondering your effectiveness when half of your thoughts are still muddled with sleep and fatigue. You could have totally slept in some more. What on earth made you think this was a good idea?

“Time mentioned something earlier that I can’t seem to let go of.” Sky begins.

You hum back and let him keep talking.

“I never fought this Ganon guy they all so talk so much about. I fought the God Demise. Before I could land the final blow, he cast a curse on me, on us, that some cycle would continue. His hatred would last forever and my blood line and Zelda’s will be cursed to deal with constant darkness caused by him.” Sky admits, looking now at his intertwined hands. “I finished him soon after that but... I wonder... Am I the cause-... Is this all my fault? Am I the reason that we’re all here right now? That everyone has gone through so much? So many thing happened that should have never occurred. Time and Legend and Wild have all suffered so much.... more than I can possibly ever imagine and it seems like it’s never ending. Everyone starts they’re adventures so young... If I had killed him sooner... If I had just got it over with... If I had just shut him up-”

“Hey.” Your hand lands on his shoulder, cutting off his tirade.  “None of this is anyone’s fault. The only people to blame are Ganon and now, this Demise guy. You did what you could. You still got the job done and no one here will ever blame you for what has happened to them or to Hyrule. You were young too... you’re still young. Give yourself a little kindness and understanding, just as you do with everyone here. You didn’t deserve it either. It’s not like you asked to fight a God.”

“Well...”

“Sky you know what I mean.”

“I should have been faster. If-”

“There’s no use in worrying about what if’s.” You shove him slightly. “This is our life. Even if you ask, no one is capable of giving you the answers. I get it. It’s hard to know if the path you took is the right one if it’s all you’ve ever known and you can’t see where the other would have lead... But... Even if horrible things happen, I’m still glad to have met you. I’m glad I met the others. I’m happy to be here with you and with them, and I’m glad that it’s not just me anymore.”

You let the words sink in before leaning down wards and trying to get him to look you in the eye. “I can’t answer your questions. But what happened, happened and the best thing we can do is learn how to play with the cards we’re dealt.”

He take a deep breath and  finally looks in your direction. “I know you’re right.” 

“Naturally.”

“But I can’t help but feel responsible for being-”

“But you’re not responsible for their pain or any of this Sky. If Ganon has anything to do with Demise then it’s all Demise’ fault. His and his only. Understand?” You stress. “I wish... I wish I could do something more to help.”

Sky places his hand over yours where you still have it on his shoulder and sends you a small smile. “I know. Me too.”

Wild

“Zelda, would you please drop it!” You hear the Champion yell, his voice carrying over the wind and somehow getting louder. “We’ve had this conversation before and it’s not the time to have it again. I have things to do excuse me.”

Wild storms into his house and shuts the door behind, blocking it with all his weight and waits for the indignant shrieking on the other side to go away. The voice ends with a frustrated huff and after a moment of silence, Wild relaxes and steps away from the door and further into the house.

You’re almost scared for the moment. You’ve not known Wild to yell, even less so for a Link to be on bad terms with Zelda no matter the universe. To make matters worse, you were the only that was actually within the house at the moment and you weren’t entirely sure how to proceed from here.

“Trouble in paradise?”

That probably wasn’t the way to go, if you were being honest with yourself.

Wild groans, loud and exaggerated and sits at the table in front of you with as much fan fair.

“Do not...call it that.” He sounds tired.

“Sorry.” You amend with an apologetic shrug. “That-” You reference to the scene outside. “-Didn’t sound ideal.”

“No. It’s not.” Wild sighs and places his face in his hands with his elbows on the table. Bad table manners, a small voice in your head pipes up. But it’s his house, so you bite your tongue.

“Can I ask what it was about?” You hesitatingly venture.

Wild takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. “I wanted to live a simple life.” He starts. “Everything was over now, right? That was the idea I had. Defeat the evil and get to finally live as a normal man. Maybe explore more of my home and show Zelda all the cool things I’ve seen and done. Everything I knew, everything I remembered is gone and has been gone for a while. No one alive misses it. No one alive even knows about it. This is the world they were born into and they wouldn’t have it any other way. I was prepared to accept that and join them.”

Your face twists in sympathy as you nod along. “I take it that’s the issue here.”

“When I defeated Calamity Ganon and reunited with Zelda, she seemed so full of hope and purpose.” Wild continues. “I saw it in her eyes. She wanted a different thing to what I wanted.”

“And what’s that?”

Wild gives you a pained look. “Zelda wants to try and rebuild the kingdom. Make it into what she remembers it to be. She wants to strengthen relationships with the other nations and reestablish the royal family and a whole lot of other things that I cannot begin to think of how long it would both take and last considering all the damage that already been done. She wants to be Queen. And over what? Hyrule Kingdom is no more. Can’t be a Queen without a kingdom to rule and there’s not a lot of Hylians left that would agree to being ruled over or even enough of them to count as a kingdom to begin with.”

“I suppose it’s not a bad goal to have but you do make a point.” You try and add to the conversation, feeling wildly out of your depth. “Does she know that you-”

“Yes. And she thinks I’m crazy for it. She thinks that I’ve given up on my friends and the past and the future and- uugghhh.” Wild leaned forward and slams his head on the table with enough force to make you jump.

“That look like it hurt.”

“I’ve had worse.”

“I believe you.” A small smile covers your face.

A beat passes before Wild continues to talk with his head still on top of the table. “I don’t think she realizes that I’ve changed after everything. Maybe if I had my memories to begin with, or maybe if I had managed to defeat Calamity Ganon sooner, I’d be more inclined to agree with her, but I’ve experienced so much and done so much that I don’t want to go back to how things were. I’m a different man now.” Wild looks up at you. “She’s different too but I don’t think she’s ready for that conversation.” 

“So you’re stuck with this one?”

“Yes.”

“That sucks man.” You shift in your seat. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Not if you can change the past.” He pouts.

“Shame. I’m fresh out of past changing wishing powder.”

“That’s not a thing.” He pouts even more.

You chuckle at the display before sobering up ever so slightly. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

“What good will that do?”

“Maybe a third person party has to step in. It could be that it’s because you’re the one who saying that she isn’t listening.” You shrug. “I think you’re right but I’m willing to give her chance to tell her side of the story while you cool down in here. I can be a distraction so you can sneak out quietly and she won’t know you’re here anymore! It’s a win win! And maybe you guys can come to an agreement when you both see each other again with new perspectives.”

Wild gives you another tired look and leans into his hand. “I doubt it would work. Zelda is incredibly stubborn, one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met. But if you think it would help, I won’t stop you. I’ve run out of arguments and I’m done hearing hers.”

“Ok.” You say getting up and moving around the table. “I think it’s worth a shot. There’s a saying where I’m from that goes, ‘it’ll all be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright, then it’s not the end.’”

You give Wild a hug around his shoulder and squeeze him tight. “I have faith that you’ll pull through and get to live peacefully, but until then, you’ve got us on your side ok?”

He leans in your direction and wraps his arms around your own. “I know. I figured as much.”

“Good man.”

“I’m definitely sneaking out of here though.”

“That’s fair. Go hide.”

“I will... And thanks for listening to me. I didn’t mean to go off like that.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

Four

"I'm sorry, what?" Four snaps his head up to stare at the Champion.

"What?" Wild tilts his head. "What? There's no stuff in the grass in my Hyrule. Just crickets and lizards...you know normal stuff. I don't know why there's tools and rupees in all of yours."

"You don't-" Four cut himself off with a click of his teeth, a piece in his mind clicking into place. He stands suddenly, clearly upset and tense as he processes the information.

"Four?" You call out to him but he doesn't respond to you, nor does he look back.

"Four!" Hyrule calls as well. "Where are you going?"

No reply.

"I'll go with him. Just in case." You stand up in a rush and nearly knock over the equipment at your feet in the process. "Don't wait up for us."

You follow him.

Four is fast and quiet and it takes very little time to lose him- or rather, for him to lose you.

Before you knew it, there's no trace of him and there's nothing within the forest that would give you a hint to his whereabouts.

"Great." You hiss and look around.

Nothing.

"Four!" If he won't show himself, you'll just have to make some noise. "Four! Four! Show me a sign so I know you're not dead!"

You wait.

"Don't make me get Wolfie!"

Nothing.

"Four!" You scream a little louder and begin to run. Now that you've said it out loud, despite being a joke in the beginning, the thought of Four being dead somewhere spikes your panic and anxiety and it fuels your quest.

It's only been a few minutes and Four can handle himself just fine but you don't think about that.

"FOUR!"

"Why are you screaming?" A voice come just beyond you.

You sprint toward it and find Four in a small clearing, crouched down and appearing to hold something in the palm of his hand.

"I was calling you." You don't know how you find it in you scold him. "A response would have been nice."

"Sorry." He shrugs. "I was having a conversation, it would be rude to drop it."

You get on your tip toes to look around him and find nothing. "With... With what?"

Four looks down into his hand and places it, ever so gently, on the ground, pausing and standing up to see you. "You can't see them?"

"See who?" You step over to him. "Four? Are you ok?"

His face twists in annoyance before sighing. "I'm fine."

"No offence, but I doubt that."

"It... a group of creatures that can only be seen by good children. They were important on my quests and have helped me greatly. Children usually stop seeing them around the time when they turn sixteen."

"Would it be easy for me to chalk it all up to magic?" You bit your lip.

"Probably. If it'll help you sleep at night." Four sighs and looks down to the ground, a small smile on his lips before it twists into a painfully and... he looks seconds from crying.

"I did so much to help them... and they helped me.... They leave gifts in the grass to help travelers and us heroes alike and yet... Wild says it doesn't happen anymore..." Four gulps and looks away from you and what ever is by his foot. "They wouldn't stop.... They're incredibly kind and hospitable and... There's no reason for them... Why are they gone?"

"Four." You reach out and place a hand on his shoulder.

"What happens to them?" His Adam's apple bobs a bit as he sucks in a breath. "It just means there was no one to help them."

"Oh Four." You pull him into a hug and nearly crush him with it.

"There's nothing I can do to help them, is there?" He sniffles into your chest.

"No, I... I don't think so Four. Not that far out into the future." You shake your head and begin to rub circles on his back.

You don't think he's crying but he might be fighting it because he does begin shaking.

He doesn't say anything else and you're loath to let him go when he's so emotionally charged. So you hold him. You hold him for as long as he needs and you wait for him to pull away first.

When he does, you keep your hands on his shoulders and he stays within your reach. Four begins to take deep calming breaths with his eyes closed and you instinctually run your hands through his bangs and push some of the loose hairs from his face.

Minutes continue to pass and the sounds of nature around you fill the void.

"I'm sorry." You say. "I wish I could help you but I don't know how."

Four nods and rubs his eyes. "I don't doubt that. Thank you. I'll be ok."

You don't think he's ready to go back to the group just yet, not after all that. "Tell me more about these friends of yours. How did they help you? How did you help them? What are they exactly?"

It earns you a small laugh and he grins up at you with a watery smile. "Sit down. And let me tell you about the Picori."

Twilight

“You almost died and for what?!” Twilight screams at Wild for the umpteenth time.

It startles you to hear his voice reach such volumes but you’re inclined to agree with him this time around. After Wild’s stunt with taking a hit to the head for Wind, you’d been on the look out for his more... self sacrificing behavior. You knew he wouldn’t think twice to do it and you tried to make it so there wouldn’t even be a chance for him to make such a decision.

This time though, in this last fight, you took your eyes off of him for only a moment and that’s when he broke his streak of uneventful fights. 

Twilight, of course, is livid and has no regard for the poor creatures of the forest that have to endure his tirade as he unleashes his concern and worry in the form of rage and over exaggerated gestures.

When Hyrule finishes healing your more minor wounds, you slink away from the soon to be screaming match since Wild is very much still conscious, if a little roughed up. You don’t intended to stray as far as you go but you don’t find it in yourself to care for the time being.

Being around so many people for so long is taxing. You make the executive decision to remove yourself for the time being while tensions are high, to both cool off and to avoid getting hit in the crossfire.

There’s a small creek nearby, you find, and decide to make a small space for yourself there until dinner comes rolling around. The birds and the babbling waters calm your soul and snuffle out the last of the adrenaline. You don’t know how long you sit there, but you can faintly hear the screaming match in the distance that you dipped out of.

You don’t regret it.

More time passes and you find that you may or may not have taken a small nap in the meantime. If the position of the sun is anything to go by.

Despite the pain in your back from sleeping against a tree, the slight ache in your neck from the angle you slept in, you feel better. Clearer, even.

You hope your absence wasn’t entirely noticed but you can’t seem to regret leaving either.

Footsteps creep closer to you and you huddle into a small ball out of habit to avoid detection.

It’s Twilight.

He walks near the creek and takes a heavy seat next to it. He looks both pale or red faced at the same time but exhaustion is laced in his entire body from what you can tell.

He doesn’t notice you.

You uncurl and set your legs out in front of you. Leaning forward a little, as quietly as you can, you see that he’s upset. It doesn’t surprise you. But seeing as you don’t how to deal with an upset Twilight and you can’t really sneak away without crossing his line of sight or making any miniscule noise, you still yourself and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Twilight calls your name. Quietly and hollow- like he’s not all there. Or in the way one would talk to a memory.

It’s immediately unsettling. Both in how he sounds and how he knew you were there without you doing anything. But you suppose Twilight can just sense things like that from times to time. It’s certainly not the first time he’s done it.

“I’m here.” You reply.

“How long?”

“A few hours I think. Longer than you were here that’s for sure.” You shrug and slowly crawl out of your hidey hole. “I think I fell asleep....The sun wasn’t over there when I first got here.”

Twilights hums in what you think is agreement but it’s really only a sound. “It’s a nice spot.”

You smile. It’s tense and little fake, but he’s not looking at you so you don’t care for authenticity. “Good thing it’s big enough for the both of us huh?”

“Yeah.” He looked into the distance again, noting that the sun is beginning to set and takes a deep breath. “Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?”

“Can’t say that I have.” You move closer to him, aiming to sit by his side. “I’ve always enjoyed sun sets and I find them calming to watch but hearing someone finding them sad is a new one. Do you feel sad as dusk falls?”

He hums again. “They say it’s the only time their world interacts with ours.”

“Whos?”

“Lingering spirits I suppose...” Twilight tilts his head upwards before twisting it to look at you. “It’s nothing. I’m just reminiscing about my life before my adventure is all. My... father told me those words and I haven’t forgotten them since.”

You hum this time and lean back to mirror him. “Wanna tell me why?”

“That Champion reminds me so much of myself and yet... he’s ten times worse.” Twilight falls backwards with a soft thump. “I know why he does it but I...”

“You care about him and don’t want to see him hurt.” You shrug. “It’s not exactly a new concept.”

“Tell that to him.”

“Maybe I will. He gets just as upset as you do when this happens, you know.” You shift your weight to make it easier to stand up later.

“Does he? You’d think that he’d get the point to stop doing then.” He growls.

“Maybe he’s scared of losing more friends.” You blurt before you can stop yourself. That was something Wild told you in confidence and while he didn’t say you couldn’t tell anyone- that was kinda implied.

Twilight stills for a moment, the fight leaving him again in a single breath as he considers your words. They don’t seem to be new news to him.

Wild is pretty close to Twilight...Maybe he already knew.

“I still think I’m entitled to not like it.” He settles.

“It’s not he’s asking you to be ok with it. I know I’m not.” 

“I guess that’s fair then.” Twilight sits up again and stands up in one fluid motion that you envy. With a turn on his heel, he holds his hand out to you to take.

You take it and feel him effortlessly lift you off of the ground with that one hand.

You don’t comment on it.

“Come on.” He says. “I’m going to need you for moral support.”

“Why?”

“If I yelled in front of him of the whole group, I should apologize to him in front of the whole group.” He admits and wraps his arm around your shoulders. “But I might need an excuse to get close to him again after all the things I’ve said.”

“I get your desert and you’ve got yourself a deal. I left to not get involved and here you are... involving me.” You tease. “I demand payment.”

“One desert? I can do that.”

Hyrule

“I can’t do this.” You snap your head to the sound of the voice and see Hyrule with his arms cross and shaking.

“What? What’s happening? Hyrule?” You step closer to him as you’re the only one within arms reach. “What do I need to do? How can I help?”

“There’s nothing. Nothing you can do, that can make this better.” Hyrule takes one ground step before throwing his arms down. “Don’t you see them? With all their tools and experience and then there’s- me. Just me. Some magic later and a old man with a sword and I found myself trying to save my princess and defeat some evil, but these guys...”

You look around, trying to see if Legend or Sky are close enough to give you back up, or better yet, take over. You suppose it’s better than a panic attack but it’s so left field that you’re stunned and floundering to catch this hot potato of a conversation.

He keep talking.

“For all that is good and holy, they are heroes. Do you see them? Some of them have training, and families and skills and I....was just a boy in a grave yard. How can I even compete with them? I don’t, that’s how. But how can they consider me an equal? When I was in town and listened to the elders and their stories, they would tell me of a legendary hero from the past who courageously defended our home until the very end and who was virtually undefeated in all his adventures. And then I meet Legend....and he’s so much cooler than all those stories combined.”

“Link.” You call out to him and back to the real world. “You need to slow down for me honey because you’re too fast for me to keep up. What do you mean how can they see you as an equal? You defeated Ganon just as they did. You stood up for your home just as they did. You did it all on your own just as they did. Why wouldn’t they consider you an equal? No one cares about where you’re from, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

“But they can do so many things even without the sword!” He exclaims. “They all have a place to go to, a person who cares about them, a title or a skill and a world that’s not on the brink of collapse-”

“Ok, whoa, hey.” You step into his space and take his face into your hands, bringing it up for him to look you in the eyes.

“I have no idea what brought this up but I won’t stand for anyone talking bad about you. And that includes you. We... can talk about your home with clearer heads later, ok? Maybe the others can help with that when we get there, yeah? And well....” You’re sinking. You don’t know what to do with all this information and you have even less of an idea about how to address it.

“Good golly, when it rains, it pours with you lot, doesn’t it?” You hiss under your breath and bite the bullet. With a strong grip, you wrap your arms around the Traveler and pull him close. You try to keep your grip strong without fear of hurting him, but it hits you then how thin he is. How light he actually is. You can feel the hint of armor under his tunic and it does little to quell your fears.

“Clearly there’s a lot on your mind. And... I’m probably not the person to help you through this. If you want to talk about not belonging though, I’m free to listen. I’m the only one here who’s not a Link, if you haven’t noticed.” You try to joke but it falls a little flat. “You though... You belong here with all of us... all of them... And if you need more convincing then I’m bringing this up with Legend who’s is over the moon proud of you and what you can do and he told me himself that he couldn’t be happier to have you as his successor-”

“Really?”

“Not in those exact words admittedly,-” You gulp as the word vomit continues to bubble out of you in waves of panic. “-but I know that’s what he meant because he doesn’t stop talking about how cool you are.”

“Hm.”

“And everyone has a different background, ok? Everyone has skills and people that the others don’t have. That’s ok. It’s not a competition. I get worried that one day you guys are going to create some game out of all your trauma. Like... who had it worse and just go around in a circle listing off all the things that happened to each of you... Whoever runs out of things to say or can’t think of something as bad or worse than the others is out. Last man standing wins.”

“Don’t give them ideas.” You feel him chuckle. It’s breathless and small and it doesn’t reach your ears despite your closeness but you feel it.

“Good thing it’s just you and me right now.” You sigh a little in relief and loosen the hug. “Look, just.....whatever you think you can’t do, just know that there is someone who is confidently doing it wrong right now. In the group or not, just keep your eyes and watch. They don’t plan on doing it better either and people are celebrating them for it. Please believe in your own excellence as much as they believe in their mediocrity.”

“Big words.”

“You’re awesome for trying. Others are not and don’t plan to. You’re already better than them.” You amend, stepping away to look him in the eye again. “The group can’t do magic like you can. That’s all you. They all have items sure but no one can do what you do... and you’re self taught, right? That’s incredible! You have just as much as a reason to be here as the others. I swear it.”

Hyrule sighs and gulps. He doesn’t believe you. It’s not enough.

You knew it wouldn’t be and it’s definitely doesn’t scratch the tip of the iceberg of the bomb he just dropped on you but... step by step. Little by little. you have a plan.

“Screw it. Let’s catch up with Wind and Warrior and get them to tell you how awesome you are, since you won’t listen to me. And if you’re still a nonbeliever then we move on to the next pair. We’ll go down the line if we have to.” You nod and grab his hand, beginning to drag him along.

He laughs after you, a little hysterical and in disbelief. “You’re crazy.”

“That is not new information.” You reply, hiding your grin. “I say it’s Hyrule loving hours and I’m gonna get everyone to join.”

“You’re not joking are you.” It’s a statement. He already knows the answer.

“Nope!”

Legend

It was your turn on watch for the night. In an hour or two you were supposed to wake the Veteran for his shift and finally catch some sleep.

The others snored and slept away without a care in the world. It was just you and cackling fire that was active but you’d kill for something to help your mind get passed the boredom.

Anything but monsters or an attack that is. You’d hate to jinx your good luck so far.

In the corner of your eye, while fighting to keep your head up, you see Legend shift. Not necessarily unusual. You’re inclined to ignore it.

But then he shifts again, whimpering like he’s been hurt and a white knuckled grip on the blanket.

You still and begin to wonder what’s your level of care here.

Part of you, in kindness, wants to go wake him. The lack of sleep seems more merciful than letting him suffer a prison of his own making.

But you also don’t know how he’ll react.

You know he’d hate to be seen as weak for whatever normal reason and he’s been inclined to wake up swinging in the right circumstance.

Twilight suffered a broken nose for the whole night because he was disinclined to wake up Hyrule or take a potion.

Not you’d make the same decision and suffer the whole night in the same manner but it certainly fails to sound appealing.

Just as your about to appeal to your better nature and force yourself to go wake him before it gets worse, he shoots up into a sitting position with a strangled scream. The job seems to have been done for you- but in the worse way.

He’s breathing hard with his hand gripping his chest. Legend begins to frantically look around and slowly begins to piece together where he is and what’s happened. He never looks behind him, where you are, before running a hand through his hair a little harder than you think reasonable and getting to his feet.

You cough slightly, leaning away from the fire and back into previous position. You hadn’t realized you leaned into his direction as you watched him, inches from putting your face into the flame.

He startles at the sound and whips around, one hand poised to reach the sword he’s not equipped with.

“It’s just me.” You wave. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

He calms somewhat and you can see his jaw flex. “Well, goodnight to you.”

His voice is croaked- from disuse or an overwhelming emotion, you’re not sure.

“For me maybe. But you? That was quite a scare you gave me as well.” You play it off. You can at least pretend that you weren’t watching him. That you would have saved him a little earlier and took your sweet time doing it. You offer a peace offering to your morals. “Want to talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about?” He snaps, furiously rubbing his face. “It’s nothing new. We all deal with it one way or another.”

“True. But it’ll be easier to let it go, and let the experience float up into the air and never return. Otherwise it’ll fester and grow.” You shrug. “But I won’t force you. I know you’re not exactly fond of me.”

Legend glares into the fire as you talk and refuses to look at you. Once you finish though, he moves his head away, still not in your direction but visually drops more tension from his shoulders.

He doesn’t say anything.

“There’s a spot next to me with your name on it if you want it.” You offer. “A little company wouldn’t hurt.”

He takes more time to respond and you resolve to go back to staring at the fire.

A moment or two passes and you hear the faint sound of crunched foliage. It takes of your will power to not look up as he approaches and even more so when he decidedly sits next to you.

The fabric of his tunic brushes your leg for a minute and it strikes you odd that he sat that close despite the rest of the log at his disposal.

It must have been bad if he wants to be close to someone right after. The thought enters your mind. Once it’s there you don’t chase it away and instead casually lean back with your hand behind you.

If the angle causes you to lean closer to him in the process, you don’t say anything. 

And if Legend notices, he doesn’t say anything either.

A moment of time passes in silence, the only sounds through the whole forest are crickets and a passing owl with the occasional whisper through the trees.

“How do you do it?” He asks.

“Do what?” You tilt your head in his direction.

He’s still not looking at you.

“Keep going.”

The answer shocks momentarily but you’re not surprised that it’s coming from him out of the whole group. “Legend-”

“I’m tired.” He says instead. “I hate this. I hate that sword. I hate that pig demon. I hate that I can’t be done.”

You hand comes up to his shoulder and you force him to look at you. 

He lets you and he looks up to you with tears building up in his eyes and for a moment you’re struck by the odd balance of how old he sounds but how young he looks- is.

You stuck floundering for a response to answer him with but he asks one more thing. “Why can’t I be done?”

You pull him into a hug before you can stop yourself. “I don’t know. I don’t know Link.”

You find yourself wanting to cry as well once Legend collapses into the hug. He’s not hugging you back but he’s being held for the first time in... you don’t know how long. Your grip tightens.

“But I do know is that you’re not alone. Not anymore. And maybe....maybe this is the final fight. That’s why we’re all together right? A darkness so evil ahead that every hero is required and then....rest. For each and every one of you.”

You sniffle, carding your fingers through his hair without a moments hesitation. “If it’s not then I’ll fight everything for you from then on. I’ll take your place you hear me. I’ll take your job and title and you won’t have to do this anymore.”

“I’m the Hero of Legend. That’s not exactly an easy thing-”

“No. I am the hero now. I’ve decided it.” You hide the tears in his hair to the best of your ability.

Legend snorted, loud and wet but you elected to ignore it just as you were ignoring the ever growing wet spot on your shoulder. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“It does now. I said so.”

A beat.

“...Ok.” He sniffled and rubbed his head on your shirt. He took a deep breath and exhaled, letting the night take over the atmosphere again. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

He nods once, definitive and final. Your expecting him to let go now and return to his roll, already electing to take over his shift as well and just push through the next day.

Except he doesn’t.

Legend calls your name, testing the waters and lifts his head up ever so slightly. “...It’s not that I’m... not... fond of you-”

“Save it for a rainy day.” You grin. “I think you’ve had your fill of emotions for the night.”

He nods and eventually slips into sleep with his head on your chest, no doubt lulled by your heartbeat.

With tearful eyes, you stare back into the fire.

Time

Time marched from the stunned group the same way a parent does after making a scathing remark instead of a lecture.

You know the one. 

“I’m not mad. Just disappointed.”

The poor boys suddenly didn’t know what to so with themselves or how to get back into Time’s good graces.

You felt for them and their awkward meandering through the camp. So, with your pride swallowed, you follow in the vague direction where Time went off to and decided to at least talk him down.

He is... decidedly harder to find than you previous imagined.

Just as your starting to think the Old Man doesn’t want to be found, you hear subtle swing. It’s to your left and it sounds heavy.

So naturally you follow it

Which leads you to a small clearing just beyond a bunch of bushes.

Time is there, full armor still on and swinging his giant sword forcefully, each swing stronger than the last. It’s as if it weighs only as much as Four. You’ve wondered in the past what it would like if he decided to actually throw the smallest ones of the group but out of fear, do not voice your ideas.

Just because Time won’t doesn’t mean that the others won’t try.

It’s hard being the responsible one when there are nine Links to take care of, each as much as a gremlin as the last. It must be hell on Time’s back to carry the group.

You see where he’s coming from and yet...

“You can stand to be a little more patient with them.” 

The words are out of your mouth before you can actually stop them.

Time stops abruptly, in both the figurative and literal sense, before the man turns to you with that same face of neutral disappointment.

“They are heroes.”

“They are also children, Time. I think that it’s because they are heroes that they deserve to act their age every now and then.”

“Slacking won’t divert the evil away from our home.”

“Running face first into the problem won’t solve it either.” You sigh and walk up the man. He tenses as you approach and slowly lets his weapon down. The Hero of Time is an intimidating creature but you refuse to let that dissuade you.

“Look, I know why you’re upset. I get it. It’s hard to get a job done when you feel like you’re the only one it’s important to... But have a little faith in our group. Please.” You plead and stop right in front of him. You have to look up at him slightly due to the angle but he was forced to acknowledge you here.

His arms cross and he opens his mouth to respond but you cut him off.

“You’re right, they are heroes and there is a job to be done and an evil to be done away with. But they were even younger when they earned the title. They still vanquished the darkness even for their age. You have to trust that they will do the same here.” You reach up and put your hands on his shoulders, getting onto your tip toes to look him in the eye better. “And they will. Because they are heroes. Because they have the spirit of courage. Because they are Link... Just like you.”

He softens his stance ever so slightly but he still doesn’t look pleased.

“It’s not easy I know.” You get down again. “But they look up to you. I think all of them do. And I can’t stand to see how hurt they look when you get upset when they act their age. It’s not like they can help it.”

He takes a deep breath and uncrossed his arms. He takes a minute to respond. Time stared at you intensely before he drops all the tension in his body and finally lets his weapon go. A single hand comes up to pat your head. 

“Let’s head back to camp.”

He says nothing else and continues to walk past you and back the way you came.

You don’t ignore the sense of accomplishment and refuse to dampen it when you catch the tiniest slivers of a smile before he turns away from you completely.

Wind

You’re lying peacefully on the dirt when you hear someone sit beside you with more power than would ever be needed.

You don’t open your eyes for the sake of the other person, not really thinking much of it and even forgetting that they were there until you heard the smallest of sniffles.

Now, you’re sitting straight up with wide and concerned eyes locking directly onto the crying form of your beloved pirate. 

It’s hard not to feel for him and while you’re not sure what sprung this up, you don’t have it in you to turn him away, or to ignore that he was upset.

Neither of you say anything and you’re almost afraid it make the picture in front of you a little too real.

Instead, you move yourself closer to him and open up your arms.

Wind doesn’t hesitate to throw himself onto you and let his body sag with unwanted emotion.

As sobs silently rack his body, you begin to feel yourself rock back and forth for both his comfort and yours. Soon you start running your hands through his hair and rub small circles on his back. 

He cries for a long time and never once gives you a clue why.

You don’t ask either.

Still, once the moment has passed, you continue to hold onto him. He doesn’t make any moves to let go of you any time soon and you’re happy to be there for as long as he’ll let you.

That doesn’t stifle your concern over the cause but you’re loath to bring it up.

Minutes pass with the boy in your arms and it’s only when you shift positions, does he look up at your face. His eyes aren’t as red anymore with the amount of time that’s passes since he’s stopped crying but his face is still a little puffy and his cheeks are both stained in tears and incredibly red.

A small smile creeps onto your face when you look back at him. “Feel better?”

“A little.” He admits and sniffles the last of the tears away, wiping his face with his sleeve. “Thanks.”

“For you? Anytime.”

Warrior

It struck you as odd that it was dinner time the group seemed to be missing someone.

Earlier that day the group had split up to take down some troublesome monsters on the border of some tiny town defenseless town and that was that.

It didn’t seem like big deal nor was it a particularly hard thing to do. The monsters weren’t infected and they didn’t have numbers on their side so your group took care of the pests in a matter of moments.

And yet, when everyone regrouped there was a visible tension.

Some thing had happened on the other side of the fight and no one wanted to fess up, even less so when Time mentioned it.

It worried you.

Now, as it stood the tension was still there but Warrior didn’t want to come out of the wood work.  He had left earlier claiming to need to check up on his appearance and no one had questioned him. No one offered to go with him.

It was always dangerous to go alone.

“Hey, has anyone seen Warrior?” You glance around again, hoping it was just a miscount on your part. “It’s been awhile since he left.”

“He takes his sweet time.” Legend snapped. “And you know how narcissistic he is. He’s probably trying to get every single little hair in the right place and working out every little blemish in his stupid uniform-”

“I’m going to look to him.” You stand, placing your cooling food down by your foot. You don’t know what happened or what caused it but at least an idea begins to form. “It’s been too long regardless. Keep my food warm for me, yeah?”

You don’t wait for a response and walk away into the tree line where you think Warrior might be.

“It’s getting dark. Be careful.” Someone calls from behind you, mouth clearly full of food.

“Yes sir.” You reply.

You march on.

When you’re sure you’re far enough away, you begin to call out to Warrior.

It takes a minute to get any results but you’re starting to worry about your friend. The sun is lowering in the horizon as time goes by and you’re beginning to feel silly and frustrated and-

“I’m here.” A tired voice replies.

“Oh thank goodness.” You cross the distance between you two. “I was really starting to worry.”

Warrior puts on a brave face and a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes greets you when you stop in front of him. His look a little puffy and you think his eyes might be a little red but it easily be the lighting- or lack there of.

“Are you ok?”

“Obviously.”

You doubt him and it must have shown on your face because he immediately begins walking away. “Well look at the time. Crazy how fast the sun goes. Let’s get back to the group and eat. I’m starving-”

You grab his wrist as he pasts you and get a good look at him. “Are you ready to go back to the group? They can wait a little longer if you want them too.”

It irritated you that it’s come to this. How no one went to check on him. How no one offered to go with you. How no one seemed bothered by this. How long that he was alone dealing with something that’s been bothering him. How it took you so long to do something.  

“No. It’s fine.” He says. Lying. It must have really bothered him, usually he’s better than this. “It’s about time to head back anyway.”

“They can wait.” Your grip tightens. “The sun can wait. We’re not obligated to be there. What’s wrong? ...If you want to talk about it that is...” You trail off uselessly. It only occurred to you that near the end that he may not even speak about with you. You weren’t the closest in terms of grouping but you can’t stand the thought of someone hurting alone.

“I’m fin-”

“You look like you were crying.” You cut him off. “If you don’t want to talk about it with me, that’s fine, just say it. But you might need more time before you head back anyway if you actually want them to believe you when you say you’re fine.”

He sighs and runs his hand through his hair.

“Warrior?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“If it bothers you then it’s not nothing.”  You push. “But....fine. I won’t force you to talk to me. I just wanted to see if you were ok... You’re not but it’s better than seeing you bleeding I suppose.” You grit your teeth, annoyed by the lack of results. You did tell him that he didn’t have to talk to you and you don’t hurt him further but part of you wants to fix this. Even if you don’t know what it is, your heart calls for justice at his pain.

But he is unwilling.

“Camp is this way by the way.” You mention, looking at the ground. “You were actually farther away than I thought, so it’s a bit of a walk.”

“I just think it’s easier for people when I’m not around.”

You still and slowly turn to face him. 

He’s looking at the ground as well, unable to say it and look you in the eye. It’s not what you were expecting and you’re not sure how to follow after that.

It’s a rare moment of vulnerability for him- even rarer that he’s showing it to you and you don’t want to squander the show of trust.

“Back home...there was a lot of... attention on me. A lot of blame... for starting the war. Or at least being the cause of it.” He admits, scuffing his shoe against the dirt. A little bit kicks up and sticks to the toe. He does nothing about it. “People listened to what I had to say because I was some destined hero. At first I didn’t think anything of it because I had thought it was one big mistake and sooner or later people were going to see that I was just some soldier not worth the time of day. It happened to be pure luck that Impa got it right when she gave me this uniform. Zelda made me a captain because of it and suddenly I had all of these men I had to give orders to. And if anything failed or if we lost, it would all have fallen on me. The blame, the guilt, the responsibility of the war...and then we found out why Cia was even opening these portals to begin with-”

You hug him.

“Please don’t cry.” You say into his chest. Your throat is tight and it a little hard to breath but you power through. “I’m not good at this. I never have been.”

“I’m not going to cry. It’s not worth crying.”

“I’ll cry for you then.” You admit and hug him tighter. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It was no ones fault.” Warrior hugs you back and rests his head on top of yours. His voice seems a little tight too and you’re sorry for all the things that he must have gone through. 

You hug him for as long as you deem appropriate before letting your arms go lack and stepping away.

Or... at least you try to.

Warrior suddenly has a grip on you and refuses to let you leave.

“Please... Just stay a little longer.”

You do.

[thejustmaiden]

So out of nowhere I was tagged and quoted by a SR shipper for a blog of mine posted in August of last year. Talk about throwback but, hey, gotta appreciate that level of snooping. 😉

Back in the day I actually used to encourage discourse amongst Inuyasha fans- both shippers and antis alike- but I've since realized that it's a lost cause. But for you, @feministmetalgreymon , I'll grant this exception. Just 'cause it's been a while so why the hell not. haha

I want to assure you, however, that nothing you say will ever convince me that Sesshomaru and Rin are meant to be together romantically or that the story intended it so. Nor will you find any validation here. You can ship them for all I care, but please for all that is good and holy while I have your attention try- I mean really try- to understand why it is so many of us Inuyasha fans are so against this pairing in the first place (newsflash: it's not about ship wars), and why we believe a romance between the two of them is completely and utterly out of character.

For those of you interested in reading this, the blog of mine in question that the above shipper mentions in their counter-argument is here for reference. It's titled "Jaken = Rin's Dad?" I'm going to try and keep this short, but I'm also making no such promises. After all, I'm not exactly known for my brevity. haha Now let's get crackin'!

Like you, feministmetalgreymon, did for your recent blog here where you took screenshots of mine to address certain parts, I will be doing the same and dissecting yours accordingly.

[Snippet 1]

I worked with kids for many years as a teacher, and many people in my family have too or still do. Two of them happen to be just over 5 feet which is quite short for the average adult woman living here. I've also worked alongside many a women of short stature, and never did I hear any of them complaining of issues with their students having difficulty differentiating them from their own peers just because they were short as well. I'm sorry but that's just ridiculous. Kids are quite smart and pick up on a lot more than you seem to give them credit for. Height is not the only characteristic they look at to determine who's an adult and who's not, and it's foolish to suggest otherwise. So unless you're a babysitter who's still in their teens and/or who has very childlike features or behavior then I'm afraid what you're getting at is total hogwash. This is just another example of how you shippers offer nothing of real substance to your reasoning, it's only ever cherry-picking or strawmanning from you guys. Stop deflecting from the real issues please, because this certainly isn't one and only winds up being a complete waste of time for all parties involved.

[Snippet 2]

Okay, calm down now. I wasn't insinuating that relationships between parents and children can't change over time in terms of how they get along. Of course that's possible, as all families experience their fair share of estrangement and abuse. What I was speaking about was in reference to the overall dynamic between the two. Because a bad mother or father can still be viewed as a parental figure to their child even if say they're not in said child's life anymore. Since Sesshomaru and Rin share a healthy bond- and just a friendly reminder that in my blog I even said that he doesn't have to necessarily be labeled her father but that a romantic relationship later would still be inappropriate- I didn't deem it necessary to address what you brought up. Plus, it kinda, umm, misses the point?? Please, let's stay on topic. And it's not captured in the screenshot, but stop acting like there isn't a small part of them that idolizes their parents at some point during childhood. Just like you mention later on how it's normal for kids to have innocent crushes on adults that they eventually grow out of? Well, guess what, the same concept applies here. Kids eventually learn that their parents are far from perfect and make mistakes too. Rin is so damn young in the OG series though that we never even get to see her reach that maturity level.

[Snippet 3]

LOL! Alright, okay, so the "unbreakable bond" bit you're mentioning was actually me quoting you sessrinners. Did you not catch that? I literally spelled it out. *sigh* The whole point I was making is that shippers like yourself make hypocritical and contradictory statements all.the.goddamn.time. One moment you guys claim that Sesshomaru and Rin were essentially strangers and meant very little to each other, only to say in the same breath a few seconds later that they were destined to be together and their bond is like no other. I agree, their bond is special, but why must that mean they're going to fall in love?

That is the root of the matter here. Too many animes/mangas have romanticized this older adult man & young girl growing up falling in love trope that it's become way too normalized and widely accepted across the world- and yes, in some cultures more than others. Sadly, you lack the awareness to recognize how this all works. You know how we know that? When we see that you shippers are so desensitized to sexualized images of girls in the media that you share posts like this one below which *subtly* imply a future romance although one half of that pairing is still just a child in the pic and then try and pass it off as cute. That's like super fucking problematic and it scares me that you can't see that (or deny you do). 🤢

After all that's said and done, Sesshomaru leaving Rin in the village with Kaede is to me the strongest indicator more than pretty much anything else he's done for Rin that proves he is her adoptive father. It's so funny to me how you somehow see the exact opposite though. 🤔 What I think is happening is that you got yourself on some squeaky clean ass shipper goggles fresh out of your little echo chamber. Because I hate to tell you, but what you're fantasizing is what you want to see and not what's actually there on screen or was written into the story. I'm strictly talking about Inuyasha and the manga of course. [For the TL; DR version skip to the last paragraph.]

Parents looking after their kids is what parents are supposed to do. A good parent will do anything to keep their child safe and ensure they are cared for, so what he did for her by leaving her there was in her best interests clearly. Besides, as a babysitter, you more than most people should understand that parents aren't always able to be there for their kids so sometimes others gotta step in to help. Haven't you heard of the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child?" Which in Rin's case is literally true! 😂 Sometimes kids are even sent off to stay with grandparents and that's who raises them instead. Or maybe they have to temporarily live with an aunt or uncle because their single parent's job requires they work out of town 4-5 days of the week so they're hardly home. But that doesn't mean that the parents care or love their kids any less, and it's foolish to assume that Sesshomaru must have thought very little of Rin simply due to the fact that he made the decision to leave her in the village. Come on, y'all are acting like he abandoned her there!!

It's just given the circumstances Sesshomaru finally came to learn that Rin traveling with him was no longer safe. I also like to think it's because he wished for her to live a more normal life and to learn how to fully trust humans again. Plus, continuing to travel with him as young as she was would have proven dangerous and unwise. Now for you to know all this and still manage to turn his past actions towards her while she was just a child into a romantic gesture is what boggles my mind. Regardless of how you look at it, from my perspective or your own, Sesshomaru is in the wrong. Either he's a father figure who impregnates his daughter at the young age of approximately 14. OR he's this man she used to travel with who maybe isn't a father to her but who nonetheless basically rapes her since kids her age can't consent to sex with an adult. Idk about you but it sounds to me like nobody here wins with either scenario we're given. In other words, you should be just as mad as we are. If only one side didn't choose to forsake their morals they know we both have in common for the sake of a ship. Welp. 🤷‍♀️

I agree, incest is disgusting but that's not the only problem we have with this pairing. A romantic bond forming between Sesshomaru and Rin would also constitute as grooming.

You realize that over the years he visited her in the village that he brought her gifts too and essentially watched her grow up right before his very eyes, right? I mean, I know you do, but I really shouldn't have to explain further why pursuing a romantic/sexual relationship with each other is plain and simple wrong. And before you say it's not because he didn't have any malintent, please understand that considering their history and power dynamic up to then that yes this is still considered grooming even if Rin supposedly "wanted it" or "made the first move." Whether you consider him her father or not, as the adult who took on a role resembling that of a caretaker in her early life- a critical developmental time for a child- Sesshomaru is obligated to turn down any advances by Rin and most definitely should not initiate any himself. As the first close adult figure she's had in her life since her parents died, it's unfathomable to imagine how Sesshomaru could go through with taking advantage of this young girl who was under his care and supervision since they met. To think he could be capable of betraying that trust sickens me to the core.

This. Now THIS is how a parent/guardian or a similar adult caretaker (babysitter, teacher, etc.) talks to a child. And, in turn, this is how some young children talk to adults. You'd be insane and delusional to deny it! We see it in our everyday lives, do we not? From where else do you think our stories draw most of their inspiration? Yes, obviously these fictional universes have aspects of fantasy that don't exist in the real world, but so how then do you suppose we're able to relate to them? The reason for that being is because these stories are written by people for people, so naturally there are going to be real life aspects embedded throughout. Sure, a little escapism doesn't hurt as we don't need to take everything so seriously, but ultimately we all need to recognize that the messages in the stories we tell matter. Most stories possess a combination of both light and dark themes, but when it specifically comes to the latter we gotta be careful with how we tackle this in children's media since kids are far more impressionable.

So if at the center of a story we have two of the main protagonists whose mom is basically their same age and to top it off she knew their dad when she was just a girl and who just so happened to help raise her, wouldn't you say that's beyond fucked up or at the very least so fucking weird? Like why would we think it's even remotely okay for our children to watch this garbage?? Really think about it. Try and be objective for once and think about how it would sound explaining this storyline to an outsider who's never watched IY or HNY. Well, antis have tried this before many times and we always get the same reaction: Ewww!

Like I said earlier, if you wanna ship it then fine, but 1) please stop seeking our approval or trying to change our minds - your ship wish came true didn't it, so why do you need us to validate it? 2) even though it's not canon, respect that we don't support this sequel portraying pedophilia in a positive light. It's harmful af to not only allow but glorify the continuation of sexualized images of young girls everywhere. And I shouldn't have to say this, but just because this trope is popular as you say does not make it right. Lolicon themes in the media have been an issue forever and it needs to stop. Yes, even some people in Japan or "the East" would agree. Shocker!

We're pissed off and rightfully so because Yashahime's TV rating is 14, not to mention it airs at the prime time kids in Japan watch TV after getting home from school. That's Towa and Setsuna's age, true, but if Rin being the mom when she's like only a year older than them (please don't argue w/ me about the math- antis have so far been right every time with it) is straight-up disgusting and not something we should be supporting or endorsing. Rin's a whole ass child!! Please don't start with the "but times were different then so her having kids at 15 is acceptable" argument either, because we've already debunked that and every other single excuse you guys throw at us. Besides, how or why would you expect young viewers to know these historical "facts" anyway, especially if as you suggest fiction doesn't affect reality so what does it matter? Yet here we are, arguing over a fictional show in real life almost a year and a half into the "Sesshomaru fucks?" sequel being announced. My ass, your ass, hell all our asses fiction doesn't affect reality!

Look, I do apologize if the tone of this blog came off as snippy or condescending at times. I do not wish you any ill will, it's just I'm not really sure what you expected to get out of all this besides maybe getting on my nerves perhaps. haha A lot of you shippers have been desperately scrambling to interact with us, lurking in our tags, jumping onto our posts screaming canon and getting so defensive even though you sought us out first. We've been sticking to our tags, so how about you stay in your lane too. By the way since we're on the topic, have you seen Twitter or Reddit?! SR shippers there are the actual worst and many Inuyasha fans (not just antis) have complained of not feeling welcomed to engage in fandom spaces anymore. Shippers swarm them and scare them off simply because fans don't like your ship and refuse to accept it. It's pathetic, really. No one should ever be bullied or harassed just because they don't like something you might. We're all fans of Inuyasha, aren't we? So let's act like it. Yashahime on the other hand, you guys are welcome to that pungent heap of trash. Fans have a right to criticize it too, but if you like it then good for you, so keep on liking it and don't mind us.

I'm almost done, but real quick back to Jaken! Let's not forget about how the official Yashahime website- which came out after my blog, mind you- described Jaken. This translation isn't the best one available but it's the only version a fellow anti friend could track down. They do recall a better one done by a native Japanese speaker who was also an anti, and that member confirmed that Jaken is indeed called Rin's babysitter. So you see, I was right in my interpretation. In the original post I did compare Jaken to a brother, but after talking to others (some comments can be found under said post) I did acknowledge that he's more of a reluctant babysitter who's not related. And if he's not at least a brother to Rin, then he's definitely not her father.

At the end of the day, the creator Rumiko Takahashi has the final word. Which is guess what? Hogosha. 💖 Probably should've just started out with that and saved us all the trouble, huh? Good day/night to you.

Papamaru bids you adieu now. 🤞

[heart-stomper]

Unspoken Trust, Unspoken Fears

Gathering my thoughts on Sasha and Marcy’s dynamic before S3 proves me wrong shows us what’s going on with these two.

It’s time to look at The Dinner and Battle of the Bands, and then use it as a guide to read the room in True Colors.

No worries! You just gotta speak their language. - Sasha, Reunion

Or in this case, know when to stay quiet. 

Sasha gets really really frustrated this episode. Like, so bad, that if that Volcakeno didn’t erupt, she might have been the one to end the friendship. Even Marcy and Grime couldn’t calm her down. But that’s the thing, before this point, they were the only ones to get through to Sasha without provoking her.

Grime keeps Sasha in line; she rolls her eyes and is clearly annoyed every time she has to hold herself back, but her willingness to keep it cool shows she ultimately agrees with Grime’s plan and sees it as the best path to success.  When Marcy chimes in, it’s with a helpful answer to Sasha’s question. She reminds Sasha of why they stopped Doing Thing by explaining how their plan failed. She avoids judging Sasha for it, and frames it as the repercussions of their actions, as a group. Marcy is on Sasha’s side, so Sasha doesn’t put up any defenses. When Sasha decides to avoid arguing with Anne however, it isn’t for Anne. It’s for the plan, for her and Grime.

Marcy has enough faith in Sasha to believe she’d never want to purposefully hurt Anne, but is careful about broaching the subject. Sasha feels attacked very easily, and will quickly trivialize or downplay things if she feels the other person is being unreasonable or doesn’t ‘get’ her.

And that is the only time Marcy speaks up besides The Big Argument. She only jumps into actual conflicts if things get too heated. Otherwise, she just lets Sasha do her thing, and lets Anne argue with Sasha... sort of.

This isn’t collaboration. It’s a hostile takeover. Why do things always have to be your way?

Now, for the bait and switch. Let’s talk about Marcy’s behavior in Day at the Aquarium and New Wartwood, and Sasha’s in Toadcatcher and Barrel’s Warhammer… while tying it all back to Battle of Bands!

You didn’t tell me you were writing a song! Let’s do it! I mean, if that’s okay with you, Sasha.

In A Day at the Aquarium, Marcy’s first instinct to Anne saying she’s going back with the Plantars is to make a plan. To show that it isn’t actually what will benefit Anne’s Goals. She doesn’t even consider opening up as an option, and avoids saying anything that could cause conflict. New Wartwood, Marcy tries to chat with the citizens of Wartwood and get to know them. But when that doesn’t work, she decides that impressing them with her knowledge and usefulness is bound to make them like her. It has to.

It does seem simpler.

Trying to win people over by claiming a plan is of mutual interest and necessary, carefully choosing which words to use, viewing relationships as a puzzle to be solved… this isn’t the sort of thing Marcy needs to do to get along with someone like Anne. It’s how Marcy copes with Sasha. Sasha lashes out and belittles bad ideas. Sasha has to be convinced the plan benefits her, suits her. Vulnerability and love aren’t enough to make her care, so Marcy does what she can to prove she’s worth being around. She might even sometimes wonder if Sasha actually likes her, or just likes what she can do for her. She rather not find out.

Whenever she’s afraid of people not liking her, or is worried that she’ll lose them, she dives right into those bad habits. She can give her opinions, but they aren’t supposed to get in the way of what Sasha wants. She’s supposed to say “That’s amazing! What do you think Sash’?” not “Let’s do it!”

Listen. There’s another reason why I’ve been training so hard. To protect the one person I know I can count on right now. You. You’re right, I already lost one friend. I’m not about to lose another. - Sasha, Toadcatcher

In Toadcatcher, there’s that scene, where Sasha looks at the BFF picture and the wind cuts off Anne for a second so it’s just her and Marcy. This is where Sasha is at. Anne might have rebelled, but when Sasha reunites with Marcy? Oh, she’ll show Anne, one way or another. They’ll get her back (like, joining the team or revenge wise, depending on Sasha’s mood.)

Listen here you buffoon! What’s it gonna take to prove that you should follow us? - Barrel’s Warhammer

Aaaand Sasha freaks out royally when she learns the two are alone together and doing just fine. On some level, she fears Anne and Marcy “getting along without her” because it means they might decide they don’t actually need her to make plans; that she isn’t necessary to have fun. In the The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers, we see that isn’t as big a catastrophe as Sasha seems to think it’d be. As time goes on, the girls do gain a healthier relationship to their feelings about Sasha, but that doesn’t mean they’d want her gone even if they don’t need her there. But Sasha doesn’t know that, she doesn’t even consider it till reuniting in The Third Temple. All she knows for now, is that she can be a bit... much... so if she isn’t in control, if her way isn’t “the best”, why would Marcy put up with her either? 

Listen. If things get too wild out here, just give me a signal and I’ll call the whole thing off. 

 For sure, teach it to us Anne. 

Every Sasha plan starts with an empty reassurance. So much of Sasha’s dialogue follows a pattern where she says stuff like “we’ll call it off” (she did not call it off) and “for sure, I don’t mind” (she did mind) that it could be it’s own game. Sasha talks the talk, until it gets in the way of what she wants.

Sorry guys, but we’re way to close to bail. I am not going back empty-handed.

It’s good. I just have a few tiny notes that I think could make it even better. ... Boom! Fiixed it! 

If they just follow her lead and let her fix it, everything will work out. They should believe in her and trust her. After all...

That’s not true! Besides, we did it. ... You’re not actually gonna throw this all away are you?

I just wanted all of us to succeed. I was just being a good friend. Why couldn’t they see that?

It all worked out, right? Percy and Braddock made it out okay even if she didn’t follow through on her promise. They won, she’s reliable. But of course, Sasha lost something more important than their belief in her abilities, she lost their trust. In Battle of the Bands however, Sasha recognizes that Anne and Marcy don’t want to follow her ambitions and will be pushed away by them just like Percy and Braddock were. So she takes it upon herself to end things, accepting that she’s lost.

Sorry it took so long.

Except this time, she manages to realize that maybe “what she wants” is to be there for her friends. Sasha’s finally had the space to relax and really think about what she wants, at least a little. This isn’t a real battle after all. Doing things her way all the time isn’t as important as she thought. Maybe she should trust in her friends more. A change of pace isn’t “wrong”, just different. It’s fun.

Sorry we lost, Sash’.

Just like Percy and Braddock, Marcy knows Sasha is capable. She understands that Sasha just wants the team to succeed. That’s why she apologizes when Grime beats them in the competition. She wants Sasha to know she appreciates what she did, but keeps it a bit indirect. She gets Sasha probably didn’t want to push them away. Marcy tried to catch herself and back Sasha up, but when Sasha had her argument with Anne, she stayed quiet. She couldn’t bring herself to go against Anne. 

That was ultimately for the best, as Sasha learned a valuable lesson. Except... She’s in too deep with the rebellion to back out now. This is the episode she’d spill the truth and give up on the whole thing, except... Grime. A part of her knows leaving would make Grime her enemy. She can’t risk that. So, she keeps going with the plan. She decides she’ll somehow win it all back. Because the thing she’s actually most afraid of, is losing another friend. 

Sorry things got a little crazy back there. You guys good? ... Sheesh, don’t be a sore loser. Look, I’m gonna stay here and get this toad regime off the ground, but I can totally send you two home if you want. Or, you can stick around and give me a hand! So what’d’ya say?

Sasha’s final offer; the last chance she’s giving the girls to stop acting weird and go back to being her obedient friends who do what she wants. Sasha lost at Toad Tower, but now she’s won. So Anne should go back to normal, she’s supposed to, like some unspoken “rule”.

And Marcy is supposed fall back in line too. The offer and apology are just as much a plea directed at her. Sasha’s trying to be generous, in her own awkward way. She has bit her tongue so far. She’s thrown a temper tantrum or two, but she hasn’t been this forward in asking Marcy for help till now. She wants Marcy to say that everything’s okay. Make it clear she doesn’t think she’s the bad guy, and that she forgives her and wants to be there for her. That they’re on the same page again. She wants Marcy to help make Anne look overly dramatic and silly for making such a big deal of all this. Sure, if Anne figures that out by herself, that’d be great, but if Marcy could just speak up.

But she doesn’t. Of course she doesn’t.

Marcy’s too busy worrying about Anne’s reaction. Knowing that she’ll be upset about this. She doesn’t dare side with Sasha, and is disappointed and betrayed that she actually did something like this. Marcy already has her own secret plans, so when she finally tries to calm things down, all she can give is a non-descript “we can still fix this”. And then, she’s once again shocked when she sees Sasha threaten Anne and the Plantars. Seeing Sasha act so willing to actually hurt people rather than just push them around... it finally hits her just how serious “tried to kill them” was. And of course, losing Anne or being sent home with her would completely mess up her own plans.

Sasha’s isn’t a vulnerable person. She’ll go on about loving her friends if it makes her look good, but she actively avoids doing anything that could be seen as “weak”. She wouldn’t dare ask Marcy to drop Anne and choose her. If Marcy isn’t speaking up, she can take the hint. She still isn’t on her side, and so she gets sent to the dungeon along with the rest of them.

Marcy accepts that Sasha has become an obstacle, but a part of her still hopes the three of them can work through all this. If they do things her way, nobody has to get hurt. She'll figure out a way hold everything together, fix everything, like always.

And then Andrias betrays her.

Yeah, what plan?

Sasha stops talking once she realizes what’s going on. Quietly fuming as Marcy explains herself. The music box, the suggestion to take it back to Andrias... that wasn’t Marcy being the sweet, supportive friend who Sasha thought she could always rely on, who believed in her... that was Marcy using her. It was never going to become their plan; Marcy never trusted her and was actively working against her. Sasha lost Anne, and she never had a chance at getting Marcy back, either. 

Sasha smacks Marcy away when she desperately tries to justify herself. She doesn’t want to hear it anymore. She’s furious that Marcy thinks they could be friends after something like this, after she’s manipulated them and claimed it was for their sakes. This whole time, her goal had been avoiding the move with her parents. And coming here has only torn them apart even worse.

Marcy reaches out to both girls. And when Sasha rejects her, she clings to Anne, hoping at least she’ll find it in her to forgive her. That she’ll understand she cares about them even if she messed up. Marcy knows they’d probably never pick her over their families or ambitions, so she told herself this place offered those things too. Made them all better people. But as she says her excuses out loud, she can’t find a single one that feels right. She was just afraid of losing them, and now, she’s managed to hurt them on top of that. 

But the thing is. After all that. Despite how betrayed and hurt and angry Sasha was, she looks like this:

Sasha realizes this must be exactly how Anne felt about her betrayal. It isn’t just an abstract “hurt” or “bad thing” anymore. She can also sympathize with how Marcy feels and why she did it, at least a little. She can’t imagine being able to forgive this, and yet... when she looks to Anne with that apologetic look, she isn’t just hoping Anne will forgive her. She’s also asking for permission to forgive Marcy. Pleading that they all still have a chance to move past this together.

[luvreyn]

LAUGH

SASUINO DAY 5: “I’ve never heard you laugh before.”

Ino blames her sensitivity for making her uneasy at a time like this.

She has always been a social butterfly, an extrovert capable of befriending anyone and everyone. She even became acquainted with Neji, the aloof cousin of Hinata, and Gaara, Naruto’s other best friend from another country.

So it bothers her that there’s someone she can’t befriend, and that person just happens to be her lab partner. Why did their lab teacher, Deidera, pair her, a chatterbox, with the least talkative guy in their class?!

She feels as if she did something wrong to him. With his gaze fixed on her face and his eyes following her every move, it's as if he's waiting for her to make a wrong move. He doesn’t even speak unless she talks to him, and she’d be lucky to hear more than a one-word reply.

Ino lightly pushes the microscope towards his direction. "Your turn."

She’s sure she got the answer right, but Sasuke might have had a different answer. She looks back as she waits for his verdict and catches Sakura’s gaze. Sakura pointed towards Sasuke with her lips and smiled at her to cheer her up.

Sakura knows that she feels like Sasuke dislikes her. Or worse, he hates her! But Sakura and Naruto have told her a bunch of times that he doesn’t, and didn’t the conversation just make everything confusing?

"I don’t think Sasuke hates you. He would’ve told you upfront if he did."

Which she quickly countered with, "But he hasn’t warmed up to me like he did with you guys."

"It takes years before he warms up to someone. Remember Karin?" Naruto chuckled. "She was close to tears most of the time ‘cause he just ignored her!"

"If you ask me, I’d say that Sasuke has a soft spot for you, right Naruto?" Sakura wiggles her brows at her.

"Yes! I can’t explain it, but it’s just in his actions, ye know? He doesn’t tolerate your presence like he does with other people. It’s like he’s okay with having you around!"

So he doesn't hate her, but why is he-why is he like this?!

"Next question." Her train of thought was interrupted when he gently pushed the microscope towards her and then proceeded to jot down their answer on the worksheet.

Sasuke inches closer to her to take a look at what she’s doing.

He’s too close!

She tries her best to ignore his proximity. She needs to start getting her shit together and stop acting so flustered around him!

Her eyes snapped up immediately when she heard a rich laugh come from the guy beside her. Her eyes widened in shock.

Sasuke’s lips quirk at the sight of her adorably doing her best.

"Did you just laugh?"

He shrugged, playing it cool. "I guess."

"I’ve never heard laughed before." she says, amazed. "Ever. I didn’t even know you were capable of laughing.’

He rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t look annoyed; he only looks amused. "I can, I just don’t find a lot of things funny like that idiot." He gestures towards his best friend in a carefree manner.

Her jaw dropped. Does that mean he found something funny while looking at her earlier? Did she look stupid? "Then why did you laugh just now?"

"Why don’t you find out?" he says with a lopsided smile, enjoying her reaction.

The bell rang before she could answer. Their teacher told them they’d continue the worksheet another day. Ino hurries off to go to Sakura and practically drags her to their table in the cafeteria. Once seated, she quickly relays what happened.

"I can’t believe he laughed!" Naruto, who tagged along with them, exclaimed while winding his arms around her. "I can’t believe you made him laugh!"

"Weren’t you listening?" She hisses. "He was making fun of me! I bet I look stupid. That’s why he laughed."

"I don’t think so." Sakura says, smiling as if she had figured something out.

"Ino," Naruto says her name in a sing-song manner. "The point is, he never laughs around people he doesn’t like or just other people in general."

Against her will, she blushed. Does that mean he doesn’t hate her as she thought? Maybe he sees her as his friend?

"Isn’t that a good thing, Pig?" Sakura nudges her side. "That just means Sasuke likes you."

@sasuino-week​