#and his friends/brothers are oppressed and there's nothing he can do to help them

[charlietheepicwriter7]

An idea -

Ody!Luke working with Kronos because he was holding Thalia hostage while, saying that he also knew where telemachus soul was and used those things to manipulate ody!Luke and then using the information of telem! Percy's identity as leverage

But Luke would immediately realize that Kronos was lying to him the moment Percy was revealed to be Poseidon's son. "Hero's soul cursed blade shall reap" is a pretty fatal sounding line, and at this point everyone thinks the "Halfblood of the eldest gods" and the "hero" are the same person.

Luke needs to stay with Kronos until at least the end of Titan's Curse. This whole thing hinges on Luke having an actual loyalty to Kronos. Or his cause.

...or his men.

Odysseus is loyal to his men, his solders who fought under him. Without Telemachus, with Pen Thalia "dead", all Luke would have left would be the people relying on him. All he can do is look for a way to ressurect Thalia (people turned into plants all the time in Odysseus' time, he can figure out who to suck up to to get her de-treeified.) and try to make things better for the demigods relying on him.

Luke tries to make things better for the Hermes cabin and the unclaimed, but the Gods block his every time. He's exhausted all his options when Hermes suggests going on a quest and asking for one of his boons as a reward (he's really keen about making sure there's room for everyone to have a bed in the Hermes cabin). Luke is sent off to gather a golden apple to prove how dedicated he was to his cause.

And Luke fails.

[dranosh-haran-of-paleoworld]

Okay, this is my first time doing this, but I need to say this, to the people who claim Sasuke's a bad clan leader, or that Fugaku and Mikoto would've accepted his relationship with Sakura had the clan survived, you're all idiots and I am not sorry for saying that.

I don't watch or read Boruto as I don't consider anything past chapter 695 as canon, but I'm still going to get this out of the way first. Sasuke never wanted to marry that bitch Sakura, he never wanted a kid with her or whatever. This man is the victim of a state-sanctioned genocide, torture, and humiliation at hands of his own brother whom he loved dearly and admired, and it was all done on orders of the state after decades of systemic segregation, oppression, prejudice, and discrimination. Sasuke was forced to relive the massacre over a million times in the Tsukuyomi and went through this twice once when he was 7 and again when he was 12 or 13, with the latter experience putting him in a coma following Itachi breaking his wrist and ribs, and this nearly killed him had Tsunade not helped him (literally the ONLY good thing she did in the series). If anyone here in the real world experienced this, they'd either be dead or in some kind of mental hospital. The point is that they would be mentally destroyed, and they'd barely be able to function in society. Regular depression already fucks people up as is, and Sasuke went something no one should ever have to go through and it's a miracle he's still able to function as is.

Sasuke also repeatedly to Sakura to fuck off and leave him alone. That bitch repeatedly pestered and harassed him for years, emotionally wearing him down until he agreed to hump and dump her ass once. This bitch emotionally abused this poor guy, so it's no surprise he not only didn't want shit to do with her or her sithspawn of a daughter. This guy wasn't emotionally or mentally stable after what Itachi did to him at 7, and he hasn't been since. Hell, it's said in one of the databooks that Sasuke originally wanted a normal life with family and friends, but Itachi ruined it with his torture sessions. Those of you shitting on Sasuke for not being a good clan leader for not communicating with Sakura or Sarada or something, don't use your heads, those two dumbasses aren't even Uchiha.

Now, onto the other part of my argument, neither Fugaku nor Mikoto would've accepted Sakura being in a potential partner for Sasuke had the Uchiha survived, however, before I start this portion let me admit that this will be hard for me to properly articulate and so I apologize in advance so with that said let's get into this.

Putting aside how shitty and lackluster of an individual Sakura herself is, she also offers or brings nothing to the table.

As other people have so beautifully said before, the Uchiha are one of the oldest and strongest clans in the series. Their lineage goes back thousands of years, dating back to the time of Hagoromo, who himself was considered a myth by the public in the present. Because of this, there's a great deal of prestige, honor, pride, and recognition that comes with their bloodlines' age. Not only that, but the Uchiha are more distinct and well-known than any other clan in the series. The Uchiha are the ONLY clan to possess distinctly potent and voluminous chakra, and because of this, they're only ones who possess and wield one of the most powerful and coveted kekkei genkai in the series the sharingan. This stems from them being the ONLY clan to have inherited the potent chakra and dojutsu of the Shinju.

The Uchiha have their own clan specific culture, mores, values, beliefs, and traditions strictly unique to themselves, for example, the clans' crest can only be worn by the members of the clan who've demonstrated mastery over their signature fireball katon jutsu and as Fugaku says to Sasuke it represents the will of those with fans who manipulate fire, use or mastery over this jutsu also makes that Uchiha a fully fledged member of the clan.

The Uchiha were known and feared throughout the world for their strength, prowess, and renown as a battle clan, so much so that other villages had rules when facing off against them. Every time someone saw or confronted Sasuke, they always brought up his lineage with reverence and fear. Two Kumo shinobi saw him and Taka carrying Bee away, and while they considered rescuing Bee, they immediately changed their minds upon seeing the Uchiha crest on Sasuke's back and instead reported to Ae about what happened. A whole crowd of wealthy patrons showed up at the Chunin Exams to see the last Uchiha battle it out, and that's why Sasuke wasn't disqualified for showing up late to his battle with Gaara during the Exams. During the Warring States Period, the Uchiha were virtually unstoppable with only the Senju due to their jutsu variety and their chieftain the freak Hashirama Senju rivaling them.

Taking all of this into account, there's no reason for a distinguished clan/bloodline like the Uchiha to take an outsider like Sakura into their midst and spoil the bloodline. Bloodline purity is a thing in the real world and persists to this very day. It's actually considered to be a huge transgression for members of distinguished clans, families, and lines to bring outsiders in and spoil their bloodlines by marrying them to the point that they're cast out and probably disowned to the highest caliber for doing it.

I wanna briefly talk about Sakura herself and explain why neither Fugaku, Mikoto, or the rest of the clan wouldn't have accepted her into their midst.

As a shinobi, Sakura is a complete nobody. She has no feats, strengths, capabilities, skills, or whatever that her remotely capable.

Her chakra reserves ridiculously tiny, she can't even handle a trickle of biju chakra. Her skillset is a complete copy pasta of Tsunade's, her skills as a medical nin are surpassed by those of Tsunade, Hashirama, Kabuto and even Sasuke during the time he had Orochimaru's white snake abilities in his system and even after he lost that, as Sasuke's self-taught himself to funnel raiton through his body to avoid mortal injury which he's done during his battles against Deidara, Bee, and Danzo. Sakura hasn't improved on, reinvented, or created her own jutsus. Her super strength is just an extension of her byakugo. She's got no talent for genjutsu or handling vast amounts of chakra. Her speed and agility feats are nonexistent, and her intelligence feats are lackluster too.

Sakura also doesn't come from a distinguished clan or bloodline. Neither she nor her parents are civilians. Let me take this time to clarify that the hidden villages house NO civilians within their midst, the hidden villages are MILITARY powers, everyone within them are soldiers, it would be antithetical for these villages to house civilian populations within them as the civilians contribute nothing to the overall prosperity and function of the village as again these are military powers within the countries. Sakura and her parents are from a smaller or minor clan within the series.

Sakura also doesn't train or take her training seriously. Sasuke points this out to her in canon during the earliest chapters of the Chunin Exams arc, and Sakura still did jackshit about it, only finally taking her training seriously after Sasuke left Konoha for good and defected to Orochimaru. And since the Uchiha again are a battle clan and the most elite clan in canon, someone like Sakura ain't being allowed within a hundred feet of them.

As an individual, Sakura, as I said above, is very lackluster and shitty. This girl has petty self-esteem issues. She knows she's lacking in various departments and tries to compensate for this by latching onto others like a leech and using them for her self-worth, Ino was originally this before Sasuke unwittingly came along. She's very shallow and vain, too.

She knows absolutely nothing about Sasuke from minor things like whether or not he wore glasses, to serious things like him being an orphan, which is ridiculous since everyone else at the academy knew these details before they were made genins. She doesn't question or try to understand Sasuke or his motivations.

She's an asshole to pretty much anyone and everyone around her whenever Sasuke's not around in canon, including other women.

She broke off her years' worth of friendship with Ino over a boy who didn't know she existed and wanted nothing to do with her. She's also made numerous attempts to downgrade and put Ino down, despite the fact that Ino was the first person to treat her with kindness, helped her with her bullies, and was the first person to validate her. Ino was also the one to try and mend and patch up their relationship. Hell, Sakura wanted Sai to call Ino ugly and was pissed when he didn't.

During the War Arc, she disrespected Tsunade, her own mentor who turned her from a nobody to a decently capable medical shinobi.

She taped a picture of her in her thirties over a picture of Karin with Sasuke and spreads rumors to Sarada about other women, like Ino trying to take Sasuke away from her.

She frequently insults and assaults Naruto, and it isn't comedy relief as she does this even after he saves her or treats her nicely. She assaulted Sai for calling her ugly despite the poor guy being a slave and Sakura name calling Naruto on a regular basis. She also attacked Konohamaru before calling her an ugly bitch (which was based on his part lol). She was also pissy about his and Naruto's sexy jutsus only to act like a fan girl when he showed her hot naked dudes, like Sasuke. So she's a hypocrite.

And she doesn't care about her own parents, and actually disrespected them, Naruto's parents, and Sasuke's as well. She tried in canon to invalidate the importance and love Sasuke had for his parents and clan, and that's tremendously disrespectful. Hell, in Boruto, she repeatedly chased after Sasuke despite being pregnant with Sarada putting her at risk, discarded the umbilical cord, which is a serious taboo, wrecked her house when Sarada asked her a simple question or two about her father, Karin frequently sends Sarada gifts instead of Sakura.

The Uchiha as a whole care deeply about one another and all within their clan, and someone like Sakura, who's again vain, shallow, petty, selfish, disrespectful, and ignorant would NEVER be considered fit to join them.

Let's play a little game of What if? Because this is something I've thought about for a while.

Following Sasuke's successful usage and mastery of the Uchiha fireball katon in front of Fugaku who himself chooses to make Sasuke his heir, Hiruzen decided to not only personally meet with and apologize to Fugaku and the Uchiha for the false accusations and punishment over the 9-Tails attack, but he also grants the clan the rights and positions of power that they deserved from the beginning, even stepping down as hokage and letting Fugaku become hokage then and there, but Fugaku maintains his decision on Sasuke being the next clan head. If this scenario took place, there's no way in Hell Sakura's going to be anywhere near Sasuke. He would've been even more untouchable for her than he already was in canon. Sasuke was already very clan oriented and duty bound in canon. He was fervently loyal and devoted to his clan and cared deeply about what they and his family thought of him, outsiders be damned. Fugaku isn't allowing any of his children, especially his heir, to marry an outsider like Sakura. The Uchiha clan in its entirety wouldn't have accepted this either. There's no way they would've accepted their future chieftain marrying a non-Uchiha, and if they did accept it, they would've accepted someone of equal standing or prestige as them. Fugaku and Mikoto would've arranged a marriage for Sasuke, and he wouldn't have objected to that. After all, Sasuke was pulling out all the stops in canon to make his father happy, and he was already extremely close with Mikoto and was well liked and respected by the rest of the clan so marrying someone his parents picked out for him is something Sasuke's definitely doing.

Let's also not forget that Sasuke's extraordinary on all fronts, in terms of beauty, skill, strength, talent, and prodigiousness, all of this, and his chakra volume and potency are through the fucking roof even the standards of his own clan. Sasuke's Sharingan is the most powerful and potent within the series since or after Indra’s which is insane as only Indra inherited his fathers chakra.

Orochimaru and Obito both knew and explicitly stated that Sasuke's Sharingan and chakra were more powerful than Itachi's. In canon, Sasuke was supposed to be THE vessel for Orochimaru, the last one he'd EVER need. Obito's entire Infinite Tsukuyomi plan hinged on utilizing Sasuke at EMS and connecting him to the Gedo Statue, something Nagato, Konan, Zetsu, and no doubt Kisame knew all to well. Kabuto knew this, too, and he himself had his own plans for Sasuke. He blackmailed and helped Obito fight a war for Sasuke, and that war was fought to see who between them could get to Sasuke first. Everyone wanted Sasuke for one reason or another, either for his looks (Sasuke's the most good-looking character in the series), his talents and skills, and abilities everything. Madara, Tobirama, Orochimaru, Obito, Zetsu, Gai, Jiraiya, Cee, Darui, Bee, Mei, Hagoromo, Kurama, Karin, Jugo, Suigetsu, Kabuto, Kakashi, Hiruzen, Neji, Tenten, Deidara, Nagato, Konan, Kisame, and Fugaku (when Sasuke performed their clans rite of passage jutsu at the age of 6 only a week after being shown it once) all of them to varying degrees were aware and dumbstruck by Sasuke's gifts and many of them wanted him.

Sasuke's skills with the sharingan, chakra, and Ninjutsu are beyond profound. He's genetically capable of awakening the EMS and the most unique rinnegan in Shinobi history.

In this alternate timeline, Sasuke's going to be trained to hell and back by not only Fugaku and everyone who he deems fit to train him. As he grows and matures Sasuke's parents and clan, ARE going to take notice of all of these aspects and gifts of his, and they're going to be especially picky about who his bride would be, as the next head of the Uchiha clan especially one like Sasuke with his looks, skills, talents, wealth, and prestige can't and won't marry just anyone especially without the consent of his parents and clan.

In this scenario, Sasuke's future wife would either be another Uchiha (the most logical conclusion) or someone else from another distinguished clan or bloodline. I see people mentioning Ino and Karin on this topic since their love for Sasuke while still being in part because of his beauty is still way more genuine than Sakura's. Karin was saved a few times by Sasuke, and he ultimately was the one who allowed to take control over her own future. She knew and understood Sasuke the most, and her relationship with Sasuke is the most erotic in canon.

Ino's love for Sasuke was described as tender by her father, and it was never about herself but how he brought her joy.

Frankly I don't object to either of them being with Sasuke, although I would like someone to help me understand how Ino from a bloodline perspective would be a good match for Sasuke as Karin is an Uzumaki and her clan has been around as long as the Uchiha so I can see why Fugaku and Mikoto would've accepted her as a future daughter-in-law, but Ino I feel like I'm missing something else or I'm just over thinking it in regards to her. Ino and Karin are also better individuals than Sakura and capable shinobi, their skills, abilities, and lives having nothing to do with Sasuke and instead being completely independent of him. Neither of them were pushy and respected Sasuke's boundaries to a better degree than Sakura.

This was a long-winded post, I know, but essentially, Sakura ain't ever hooking up with Sasuke at all, Fugaku and Mikoto ain't letting her anywhere near him.

Before I close this off, I want to ask anyone who reads this. Who else do you think Fugaku and Mikoto would've accepted as Sasuke's bride in the little what if I put above? Let me say I'm not a shipper, and like others, I find the Naruto fandom's obsession with shipping to be incredibly stupid and annoying. I am staunchly in the Pro Uchiha, Sasuke, Madara, Indra, Fugaku, and Mikoto camp, the Uchiha its members and lore, as well as the real world myths and lore used by Kishimoto to create them all capture me. But admittedly, I do agree with some people who agree that Karin and Ino would've been better partners, and that really had me thinking about who else Fugaku and the rest of the clan would've saw as fit to marry Sasuke and join the clan, so yeah I'm curious to know your thoughts and opinions on this topic as well, however, I do not agree with the Sasuke x Hinata ship, I want to shoot that down quickly, that shit ain't happening.

But again, this is a very long first post of mine on Tumblr, so yeah, thanks for reading.

[trenchcoat-turtle]

You Should Be Mine

“Hey, Leo, is it cool if I head out early today?” I asked him as he went about the dojo lighting incense.

“You don’t want to stay for meditation?” He asked, shaking the flame out of the incense stick.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but I-well…I have a date tonight.” I responded looking away from his lingering gaze.

“A date?” He spoke after a couple moments of silence.

“Yeah, I haven’t been on a date in so long and this guy has been asking me out for months now. He’s a regular at work.”

Leo didn’t look up at me as he sat down on the floor of the dojo to prepare for meditation.

“Will you be here tomorrow?” He asked, still not looking at me.

“Yes, I’m off tomorrow. Will you come to my apartment to get me around 2:00?”

He didn’t reply, but simply nodded yes. I took that as my queue to leave. As I made my way through the lair, I went over the brief interaction we had just shared in my head. He had felt so cold toward me after I had mentioned my date. Was he jealous? He’s always made it very clear to me that nothing could happen between the two of us because he must focus on his role of being the leader. He carries too much on his shoulders to be able to commit to a relationship.

Those were all the things he had expressed to me when I had confessed my feelings for him a couple months ago.

I can’t escape him though.

His brother, Raphael, is dating my best friend who is also my roommate. She stays at the lair most nights, so I join her. I’m also friends with all his brothers and I’m not going to let an awkward interaction and unrequited love keep me from growing my friendships with all of them. Leo always looked at me with guilt in his eyes. So, I forced myself to pretend that I’m over it and that the feelings I had confessed had been fleeting. Agreeing to continue my defense training with him was my way of saying, ‘Don’t you worry about me, I am most definitely not pining for you in such a way that my heart bleeds.”

I looked around the lair for anyone, as I can’t leave the sewer without the help of one of the turtles. No one was here. Where had everyone gone? Sighing I made my way back to the dojo. I’d have to ask Leo, and I really, really didn’t want to ask.

He was in the same spot he had been in when I walked out moments before. He looked to already be in a deep meditation. So, I cleared my throat.

He cracked one eye open in my direction.

“Uh, I need to get back up top and no one else is around. Would you mind taking me?”

“You want me to carry you above ground and pass you over to another guy?” A hint of anger was in his voice.

Taken aback I said, “What do you want from me, Leo? You made it very clear before that nothing could happen between us.”

“That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t burn me up inside to think about you with another guy when you should be mine.”

“Yours? Do you expect me to just sit and pine away for you?” I glared at him. “Because I’m not that kind of girl. If you want to focus on being a leader and only that, go right ahead. But don’t treat me differently because I crave romance.”

He stood and brushed past me and out of the room.

“Let’s go then. Wouldn’t want to keep prince charming waiting.” His voice oozed condescension.

I rolled my eyes at him and stomped after his retreating form. Our trek through the sewer was oppressively silent. Once I was deposited on the surface, he slid the manhole back in place without a word.

As I zipped up my little black dress, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Leonardo had acted tonight. If he had simply told me not to go. If he had pulled me into his chest and told me to stay there with him, I would have. I would give anything to hear those words.

I quickly shook the thoughts from my head. Here I am, getting ready for a date and all I can think about is that damned blue masked terrapin. I will not think of him for the rest of the night.

My date with Caleb had been horrendously boring. It’s not like hes a bad guy or anything, he is just dull, and we have nothing in common. We went to a diner to eat and after he had walked me to my apartment. I could tell he wanted me to invite him inside, but that was not going to happen. Our date had been over for at most thirty minutes, and he had already sent me multiple texts asking if we could have date number 2. I didn’t have the heart to tell him no just yet, so I left his messages on delivered.

As I was lying down in bed to sleep for the night, I heard a couple soft taps on my window. I approached the glass and saw his blue eyes and green scales shining in the pale moon glow and city lights. He was standing on my fire escape, a light mist of rain was sweeping against him. When I opened the window, he slid inside and wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me into him.

“L-Leo, what are you doing?” My voice was a tremble as he clung to me.

“I can’t stand the thought of you with someone else. It’s making me crazy to think about another man touching you. It has made me almost blind with rage.” He spoke against my neck.

“Where is this coming from? I thought you didn’t care for me like that.”

“Of course I do. I have wanted you for so long, but I thought that I didn’t deserve you. I can’t take you on dates, I can’t marry you if I want to…could never give you children. You deserve a guy that can give you everything.”

“I would rather have you. I don’t need all those other things. You are enough for me.” I spoke, my voice not much more than a whisper.

His pupils were blown wide as he bent and captured my mouth in a tender kiss. I melted into his embrace.

[cerastes]

I haven't played the game, can you tell us what Mudrock is like, like her personality and backstory?

The first impression you'll get from Mudrock based on her fanart, is that she's cute or attractive, and probably nothing else. I do enjoy Mudrock art a lot, but part of me feels like there's definitely a lot of potential for more serious art involving her (which exists, in minimal quantities). That's because she's a very solemn character. Mind you, she does have a silly side to her, but it lives alongside this solemn side I speak of. Let's talk about Mudrock.

Mudrock is a Sarkazian warrior that possesses great might and magic both, being a highly skilled spellblade, or, well, spellhammer, owing to her own expertise of Originium Arts (particularly those that manipulate ground and rock) as well as her time in the battlefield. She made her debut on the event Grani And The Knights' Treasure, the game's very first sidestory event, on a cutscene after the very last optional map, where she receives a letter from that story's main antagonist, Big Bob, her sworn brother, who informs her that he's doing alright after getting part of the treasure. It wouldn't be until Twilight of Wolumonde that she'd take to the stage again, where she is not playable and is, in fact, the main antagonist (though not the villain) of the story. Just like Big Bob, Mudrock is ex-Reunion (Reunion being the first part of the game's main antagonist), and she, alongside Big Bob and their respective squadrons, of which they were leaders, deserted Reunion after it rotted from the inside and strayed from its supposed objective to protect and fight for the Infected: They both realized that Reunion had become yet another pawn in the international war games between the bigger countries, and the Infected had become little more than cannon fodder and easily swayed soldiers to Reunion more than the people they sought to protect. Big Bob and Mudrock both are characterized by having a well-attuned moral compass, and this wasn't what they signed up for. They weren't simply lashing out at an uncaring world and letting their rage loose, they seriously were fighting for the freedom and well-being of the Infected. So they deserted... But they couldn't leave together.

Here's the first big important aspect of Mudrock: Big Bob invited her and her Mudrock Squad to come with him, since they were sworn siblings and their squads also got along really well. It seemed natural to walk the walk together, right? Big Bob's plans were to find the Knights' Treasure in the outskirts of Kazimierz, and use those riches to buy land in Columbia, where oppression against the Infected isn't as prevalent as in most other places, and money speaks louder (for context, the Infected are usually secluded into special Infected neighborhoods in other countries, or even executed outright, so while Columbia still oppresses them to some degree, it is leagues better than other places) and the Infected are allowed to own land and businesses, so long as they have the capital. Big Bob then intended to make a business with this money, and then be able to provide housing, employment and profits for his "family" (what he calls his squadmates and close friends), and for any other Infected that needed help.

However, Mudrock politely declined, because the Sarkaz in her squad simply couldn't live a life that wasn't one of blood and steel: Sarkaz from Kazdel are known to live short, fast mercenary lives, and those who see a longer life, can only live in the battlefield. It's all they know. Mudrock knew this, more so the older Sarkaz in her Mudrock Squad. To subject them to a civilian life would be to simply put them in a pressure cooker until they snapped, until PTSD or incompatibility with the lifestyle became too much, until their grave Oripathy claimed them anyway, and Kazdel Sarkaz tend to prefer a end in the field of battle. They needed a leader, and Mudrock was that leader. Not only that, Mudrock didn't want to leave any other Infected dry out there, a sentiment shared by her Sarkaz, who figured, hey, if we're going to keep fighting, we should do it to rescue as many Infected as we can.

So she traveled. Even though Reunion might as well be dead, rotten from the inside, Mudrock took matters into her hands. She knew her scope would never compare to that of an organized movement... But she had to do whatever she could, even if it was minimal in scale.

Twilight of Wolumonde is a whole can of worms and a half, so let me summarize it by saying this: Mudrock fought Rhodes Island entirely because she demanded there be justice for the Infected that were unjustly killed in Leithanien (or, well, that small corner of) in what basically was a mystery novel plot of whodunit. Once justice had been doled out and responsibility was taken, she took what oppressed Infected would be fine with leaving with her, and quietly left. Her stay was anything but quiet, however, as she summoned several Colossi of stone and soil in order to fight. At one point, she even summoned a particularly gigantic one, akin to a mountain, which she proceeded to transplant her consciousness into to 'pilot' it herself.

Afterwards, however, they were hounded by several Infected Hunters from Leithanien, who had the complete advantage in terms of terrain, who kept picking them off one by one, survivors and fighters both. As Mudrock and company finally arrived at the frontier with Kazdel, just one bridge away, she ordered all stragglers and survivors to cross the bridge, telling them that they could eke out a free, if hard-earned and arduous, living in the Kazdel outskirt towns. Mudrock and her Sarkaz warriors, however, would not accompany them, they would stand their ground by the bridge, to stop their pursuers. Mudrock was ready to die. She put it in no uncertain terms, if anyone wanted to leave with the survivors, they could, and those who stayed with her would die alongside her defending the survivors. Her men and women stayed with her. If it meant saving those, even though they weren't many, that was what counted, she'd seen her personal duty to the best of her abilities. She was fine dying in these terms.

Of course, she didn't die: Elite Rhodes Island Operator Logos had come across this little kerfuffle recently and tailed both groups, and then took action to support and rescue Mudrock and what remained of her squad. They fought. They won.

Mudrock and her crew went to Rhodes Island afterwards, where Human Resources struck a deal with her: If she worked as an Operator for them, they'd provide for her and her Squad, giving them jobs in the field as well as Oripathy treatment. Mudrock wasn't initially sure, but a chance encounter with Grani led to both of them conversing initially about Big Bob and then about other stories, and, plus encouragement and endorsement from Folinic and Suzuran (who knew Mudrock from the Wolumonde incident), Mudrock ended up accepting the deal.

Besides her very full, sincere intention to do anything she can for the Infected and her Sarkaz brethren, Mudrock is a bit... Weird. She'll usually go on bizarre tangents about the weirdest things, or simply say strange things with the utmost serious expression. Not random stuff, just actually letting her thoughts drift along with whatever thought comes to mind, in a contemplative manner. She also likes making little clay dolls of people and talking to them, but feels very embarrassed when seen doing this (though it is implied she actually can just talk to the earth). Mudrock is also popular among Rhodes Island logistics personnel (which includes plenty of Sarkaz from the Babel days, the precursor to Rhodes Island) because she'll offer to help them move heavy things whenever she sees them, given that she's both immensely strong physically as well as a powerful caster whose earth Arts make moving things around easy. She also very rarely isn't wearing full armor, meaning that while you likely usually see her like this in fanart:

She actually looks like this most of the time:

In fact, a lot of people in her very own squad didn't know what she looked like. There were rumors about an unknown Sarkaz girl that would wander around Mudrock's camp now and then. That was actually Mudrock in the rare occasions where she didn't wear her armor.

Two fun facts about Mudrock!

The first one is that her birthday is on the 21st of September, which is the International Day of Peace. It serves to reflect that ultimately, what she wants is peace for the Infected and Sarkaz, even if she has to fight for it.

The second one is that her hammer has an inscription if you look closely:

In the trailer for Roaring Flare, we get a good look at it:

"For evil men will be cut off". This is a short form of Psalm 37:9 from the Bible (King James edition): "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth."

All in all, Mudrock is bundle of love and kindess in an awkward package (awkward in terms of how she socializes, not in that she's shy or anything), but when an injustice is present, she will fight tooth and nail until justice is meted out (as she did in Wolumonde) and is willing to die for her ideals, if it'll save just a few people.

[that-random-outsider]

Glassheart Arcane Au Pt.1

Red and Chloe have lived on opposite sides of their worlds for as long as she'd known. Red grew up in Wonderland oppressed and trampled over her entire life by those in Auradon. She could never know the whites and golds of the people on the other side of the Rabbit whole , but she knew that she hated them. They looked down on her people, her home, as if they were nothing. And Red could not bare it. Even so, Red knew how to survive there, she had her mother, she had Maddox, she had enough. At least that was Until it was all taken from her.

One day when Red, Maddox, and Chester managed to sneak into Auradon for a job everything went wrong. Chester had always been smaller than Red, slim and lanky, his body not built for the speed and agility Red and Maddox were used to, but he wanted to help. He wanted to be there for his friend, for his sister. So they manage to barely sneak into their targeted estate. The three raid the place stunned by just how much one person could have. Envy and resentment clutching at their hearts as they realize just how much the people of Auradon have, any remorse for their deeds they could've harbored fading from their thoughts.

That's when Chester finds the hex tech stones. He tries to grab a few of them but Chad starts banging on the door trying to get in to his estate. The three panic as realization grabs hold of them they try to sneak out without making a sound but Chester's clumsy and starts drops one of the stones as he tries to stuff it in his pocket. Red manages to pull him out of the apartment just as it explodes leaving both Chloe and Chad in shock and confusion. Red and her friends escape into their side of the Rabbit hole with their loot in tow as enforcers try to chase them down while Chad is trying to plead his case with Merlin and his father at what hex tech can do.

When Red makes it back to Wonderland it doesn't take long for people to recognize a score when they see one. A group of people manage to get the jump on them, trying to take the loot for themselves, but Red hands the bag the Chester and tells him to run. Red tries to fend off their attackers, allowing Chester time to escape, Maddox attempting to help any way he can but Chester's gangly limbs only take him so far. He ends up coming across a dead end, cornered with no feasible escape in sight so he does all that he can do and tosses the loot to the side wasting everything they worked for.

Red tries to stay calm ofcourse but after everything she’s just exhausted. She doesn't yell or get angry or argue she just ignores him for the rest of the day. She knew he wasn't ready, this was just as much her fault as his but still... Chester apologizes at least a thousand times but Red doesn't want to hear it. "You had one job" she argues heated at the lack of results despite everything they went through getting that bag of trinkets they were going be set for months! But still he was like a brother to hee she’d get over it. And Maddox knew it too.

When they returned home the lecture they received from Bridget was long. "We stay out of topside affairs" Red’s mother chided but Red was tired of it. "Come on, no one on Auradon is going hungry any time soon" Red argued but Bridget didn’t have time for her childish arguing. Red didn’t understand what she’d set into motion that day, that she’d be the inciting incident that would set Wonderland ablaze.

Before long the Auradon enforcers came searching for their pound of flesh lead faithfully by Charming. Exploding the entire block wasn't something that could so easily be ignored, all they needed was a name. Bridget of course refused to give up her only daughter, trying to find any way they could find a peaceful solution, but no. Auradon would scower Wonderland for as long as it took until they found Red and her friends and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Red wanted to fight back, to do more than just lay low while enforcers tore her home to pieces but Bridget shut her down every time. There ware no winners in war she’d tell her, but Red didn’t listen. It isn't until she realizes that it truly is a losing battle that she gives up hope completely. So Red decides the best thing she could do for her home is to turn herself in.

She sends the note to Charming telling him that she’d come willingly so long as they stayed out of Wonderland and waited patiently for the inevitables. Except it isn't Charming who opens the door but instead Bridget planning to take her place. She tells Red that she’d done good, but that it was time she face the music not her. Red was a good person she’d some day do great thing, and as her mom she was meant to protect her until then so she takes Red’s spot and goes willingly with the enforcers only to realize that it was a trap set by Adam.

Wonderland was becoming too Bold, too independent it was the only way he could think of to get them to stand down. So ofcourse Adam intercepts her prison transfer planning to cover up Bridget’s execution as an accident without a leader giving the people on Wonderland something to believe in they’d fall apart completely and fall back in line. Red of course finds out and goes after her with Maddox telling Chester to stay home but he swears he can help. But Red can't take that risk with her mother’s life on the line so she leaves him there and goes with Maddox to save her mom. Chester can't take the not knowing, the anxiety the fear, it tears him apart until he can't take it anymore. He comes up with a plan he remembers the explosion from earlier and thinks that maybe if he could create a distraction large enough they'd be saved.

He gets to the wearhouse and everything goes exactly as planned, Adam and his crew don't make it out, Bridget and Maddox manage to safely escape for the most part but Red is lost in the fire. Presumed dead by Bridget she decides to raise hell upon anyone and everyone who dared to align their self with topside, and Chester, guilt ridden and destroyed at the loss of the closest thing he had to a sister makes that very same vow.

[merakiui]

I'm not sure if you know this but since Riddle's VA is a father of twin girls and is revealed to be a doting parent and he says that he enjoys being with the twins like coordinating their clothes something like tweedle dee and tweedle dum kind of thing, there's even a cute audio of him singing with his daughters too. >w<

How do you think riddle be like as a dad depending as a yandere or not.

Yes!!! I remember reading the announcement when he became a father a few years ago! It's really so sweet!! :D

As for Riddle as a father... He learns that the phrase "you're never ready" holds much truth. Ideally, he could prepare all he wants, read up on every parenting guide there is, scour credible blogs to learn more about mothers who have had children and what to expect when they're finally brought into the world, baby-proof the house so that everything is perfectly safe. He marks your estimated due date on the calendar and it eats away at him like a nervous parasite. He worries because it's in his nature to do so. Because this is the one time memorization or a perfect score won't help.

Of course he's also very excited, but the concerns and anxieties overshadow that. His greatest fear is becoming like his mother. Every time he does something that he thinks is similar to her, he's put in such a sad, miserable mood. That's why he's also so determined to do and be better. His near-constant hovering may seem oppressive, but Riddle just wants to make sure you're okay, that you're happy, that the baby's happy... You often soothe him when he gets like this, assuring him that all is well and that he ought to take a break from fretting over you.

Some days Riddle says he's ready. When friends ask him about you, he's immensely proud to inform them that you're doing very well and that, according to doctors, the baby is growing healthy. He may not seem nervous to acquaintances, but close friends like Trey can pick up on his anxiety right away. Sometimes Trey comes over to help Riddle learn more about cooking (and to brief him on the "coming from a big brother, believe me when I tell you children are noisy" talk). Riddle doesn't want you to overexert or hurt yourself in the kitchen. He knows you're more than capable, but he worries. He's always afraid that someone's going to take all the good things he's achieved in life away from him just because he "couldn't meet his mother's standards." But can anyone truly reach such high expectations?

Riddle knows he's going to worry all the way until the baby's welcomed into the world and even after that. He manages these worries so they won't consume him, and he has you to ground him when he starts to spiral off into what-if tangents. He's been fond of the baby ever since the test came back positive. He has so much love to give. It may be awkward at first because he isn't used to loving and being loved, especially in a healthy relationship and environment, but that is something he's ready for. Without a doubt. If nothing else, he's so very ready to shower the baby in all the love in the world and remind them constantly that he's proud of them and will always treasure them, even when things get difficult.

Riddle is never truly ready, but he looks forward to a bright future full of love and family.

[imagines--galore]

20 (reader being the one dying), loki laufeyson, sfw (smut/lemon/lime wise)

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission. So how had it all gone so wrong? Pairing: Loki x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+. Romance. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Mention of blood and near death so be warned folks. A/N: YAS! Finally! I Loki prompt! Thank you for sending it in! Also can someone say absolute devastation :3

"All clear on my end." You spoke into the comm as you gave one final cursory glance around the room before exiting. "All is well here." His voice sounded in your ear as well as from next to you. You looked up to where Loki was exited the room next to the one you had been checking. He fell into step beside you as you heard Natasha reply on the other end.

"Everything looks good from here." Natasha said from where she was monitoring from the jet. "Alright, you two head on back. I'll call Cap and tell him this mission was a bust. Probably a false lead." With that the comm went silent.

"So, how does it feel? Being in the field as an Avenger?" You asked your partner, prompting him to glance at you form the corner of his eyes, before turning his gaze to the front once more. "So long as I do not have to wear the symbol I shall be fine." He as talking about the Avengers Symbol you had very recently added to your uniform. You were proud of your status as an Avenger. It meant you were a symbol of hope for those who were oppressed or in danger.

You had explained the meaning of it to Loki ages ago.

Perhaps he thought he still did not deserve to be see as such. Not when he had wreaked havoc and disaster on Midgard a few years ago. Even though he had been under mind control, he still thought he was at fault. That he should have fought harder against the puppeteer.

You, however, begged to differ.

                                           ————————–

Ever since he had been banished to Midgard to atone for his sins by Odin, you had seen just how much he regretted the destruction he had caused.

Unintentionally but still people blamed him.

Odin had sent him here to help. To be a part of the Avengers like his brother and fight the good fight. Keep the people of Earth safe. Odin had put a damper on his abilities and while in essence he was an immortal, he could get hurt. The Avengers had not been happy about the situation. Somehow, Thor had been able to convince them that it would be helpful to have someone on their side who had intimate knowledge about the being behind the Chitauri.

And Tony, ever the person to one-up everyone around him, had stated that if they were going to allow Loki into the mix, then it would do the Avengers good to have some other members as well.

And so you had been initiated into the Avengers.

And since you had no prior history with Loki, you hadn't seen anything wrong with befriending him.

Or trying to.

At first Loki had been hell bent on being rude to everyone who spoke to him and generally being unpleasant to be around. However, you had persisted. And soon even his lonely self hadn't been able to fight off his desire to at least have someone he could call a friend on Earth.

That had been the first step, and slowly he had begun to form some form of acquaintanceship with the rest of the Avengers. There was certainly no deep conversations had between him and the rest of them, but at least the urge to kill had receded. Somewhat.

And during that time, you had been shocked to discover that you were falling for the Asgardian.

Then again, maybe the realization should've come sooner. Given how you would spend a lot of time together when neither of you had any other engagements, but when it came to your emotions concerning Loki?

They were a little difficult to categorize.

It had taken a little while before you realized the true extent of your feelings for him. And even though you knew you had them, there was nothing you could do about it.

He saw you as a friend. Nothing more.

Which sucked, but you weren't about to jeopardize your friendship with him for the sake of your feelings.

So you stayed silent.

                                           ————————–

You were on your first mission with him, and so far it had been going well.

Then again, maybe you shouldn't have even thought that.

Because at that very moment multiple figures appeared from various dark corners of the room you and Loki were going over. "We might be a little Nat. We got company." You spoke into the comm as your body dropped into a fighting stance. Beside you Loki stepped a little in front of you, as if intent on shielding you.

Of course, you could handle yourself.

But just knowing that he wanted to keep you out of harm's way was enough to make you roll your eyes at him in a fond manner.

"Lets see how many of them we can each take down." You challenged, prompting Loki to smirk as a pair of twin daggers appeared in his hands. "As you Midgardians say: Its on."

It was almost as if the both of you had rehearsed it. Every punch, dagger swipe, kick, dodge was in perfect synchronicity. You watched his back, while he kept yours safe. You were a team.

But more then that, you were protecting the man you loved. It didn't matter that those feelings were not reciprocated. You knew the truth of your feelings as well as the depth of them.

You threw a roundhouse kick, catching the last of your opponents in the jaw and sending him flying back. Landing on your feet your eyes found Loki. He was fighting off two assailants at once. And since that required his full attention, he did not see one of the already downed attackers pull out a dagger.

But you did. The weapon seemed to gleam in the dim light of the room. Your eyes widened in horror as the attacker pulled his arm back and-

"Loki watch out!"

You saw the dagger flying, saw it cutting through the air towards Loki's still turned back.

Thunk!

Loki pivoted on his feet, his eyes widening at the sight that greeted him.

You were there.

You were standing there.

You were standing where the dagger had been a mere second ago.

The dagger which was now embedded in the middle of your back.

His horrified eyes met your terrified eyes. A broken gasp fell from your trembling lips before your body shuddered. You jerked forward. His arms shot out to catch your limp body.

"Y/n!"

His voice sounded just as horrified as he looked. Pain radiated from your back spreading through your chest until every nerve in your body screamed with the pain. You felt Loki shift, which was followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. Apparently he had been taking care of his would be killer, who now lay dead with a dagger in his eye.

Loki's arms wrapped around your shoulders, keeping your body up to prevent the dagger from moving or causing any further harm.

A whimpering sob fell from your lips as you tried to keep the pain at bay. "Widow! We need evacuation immediately. Y/n's hurt!" You heard Loki all but scream at Nat on the other side of the comm. Nat's voice echoed in your ear but you couldn't really understand what she was saying.

A pitiful laugh fell from your trembling lips. "Does this mean I win?" You spoke in a hoarse voice, a weak smile playing on your lips as your eyes found Loki's.

"You stupid stupid fool! Why did you do that?" He sounded so afraid. And he looked it as well. You didn't like that look in his eyes.

Raising a trembling hand you laid it against the side of his face. "Because you're worth saving Loki." You wanted to think of anything but the pain. Anything but the darkness that now beckoned you.

And speaking to Loki kept it at bay.

"My life is not worth you giving up yours Y/n." He argued back, now sounding angry. A shudder ran through your body, prompting you to press yourself closer to Loki, as you fought through the pain. He held you tighter, his face burying in your hair as yours pressed in his chest.

"Since I'm dying, can I win this argument?" You asked your voice weak. He shook his head as he cupped your head to tilt it back, allowing your eyes to meet.

"You're not allowed to die Y/n. I forbid it." He growled at you, despite the tears shining in his eyes. You only smiled sadly. "I'm sorry we didn't have more time Loki. I'm sorry I won't be there to help you anymore."

Tears fell from his eyes as he shook his head. "No, Y/n, no don't say that." Your tears of pain turned to tears of sadness, hearing the absolute torment in his voice. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you Loki."

The darkness was starting to cloud your vision, and you could barely hold on to the light. "Tell me what?" His voice was almost desperate as he cradled you close.

"That I love you."

A final exhale of breath, before your world went dark, Loki's stricken face the last thing you saw.

And his howl of absolute anguish the final sound that echoed in your ears as you slipped into the welcoming darkness.

                                           ————————–

The first thing you became aware of was just how heavy your body felt. As someone who went on missions almost every other week, you made sure to stay in peak condition.

So why did your entire body felt like it had been run over by a truck?!

A soft moan fell from your lips as your eyes blinked open. The unfamiliar ceiling confused your already foggy mind. Where were you?

You turned your head to the side, bleary eyes hardly making out the heart monitor machine that stood at your bedside. The steady beeping sound made sense now. You shoulder felt the most stiff of all, prompting you to raise a hand to it and let out a small groan.

"Damn."

"She's awake! She's awake!"

The sound startled you to almost jump to your feet, but your body protested too much and you fell back again.

                                           ————————–

Later you learned it had been Thor who had cried out like that.

For the time being, you were surrounded by doctors and nurses, checking your vitals and explaining just how injured you were.

The dagger had managed to catch a few pivotal arteries and had nearly reached your heart.

Small miracles.

Though there had been significant blood loss, you were on the mend. It would take some time for you to recover completely, but at least there wasn't any permanent damage.

During your stay in the Hospital Wing of the Tower you hadn't been lonely for a second. Either the medical staff was around, or one of the Avengers.

All except Loki.

He hadn't been to visit you since you woke up and though Thor had told you how he hadn't left your side while you were in a medically induced coma, as soon as you had woken up he had disappeared.

At first you had been confused at his behavior, but as the memories of what you had thought to be your final moments started to come back, you began to feel a little queasy.

You had confessed to Loki.

You had told him you loved him while you bled out in his arms.

After saving his life.

What did it mean? Did his distance mean he did not feel the same way? Obviously he didn't feel the same way. But he could do the courtesy of coming to see you at the very least. You had saved his life.

So it was very quick that your sadness of not having him around turned to anger.

A week or so after you gained consciousness, you woke up in the middle of the night to feel a hand enveloping your own.

Normally you would have the person in a choke hold with a knife at their throat. But you recognized that silhouette, recognized the voice as it began to speak.

It was dark, so he didn't know you were awake as he spoke. "-fault that you're here. I should've been more aware of my surroundings." You had never heard him speak so softly before. "But when I'm with you, everything else simply fades into the background and all I am aware of is you."

You felt as if your heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was a good thing you weren't hooked to those monitors anymore. "It is absolutely ridiculous that I have become so dependent on you that I cannot imagine my life without you. Banishing me here was the single good thing my father has done by me." He admitted as you felt his other hand come up to brush a finger against your cheek.

It took every ounce of your strength to not shudder at the sensation.

"I hope one day I can accept your feelings for me Y/n. And I hope I can one day no longer be a coward and admit my feelings for you as well. You deserve so much better then me and I-

But you had heard enough.

Turning your palm over you grasped the hand that held yours and pulled yourself up in a sitting position. Only for you to throw the other arm out to catch s surprised Loki from the back of his head and pull him down to meet your lips.

There was initial shock on his part, but your lips were warm and insistent against his. It didn't take long for his lips to begin responding, albeit a lot more eagerly then your initial kiss. So much so that you were nearly laying on your bed once more while Loki hovered over you. One hand was still clasped within yours, fingers intertwined, while the other cupped your chin.

Finally, you both pulled away and your eyes met. You rather liked the dazed look he had as you smiled up at him. "Maybe you should leave it up to me to decide who I should love or not." You said firmly giving him one of your no nonsense expression.

He smiled in response, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear as he nodded.

"As the Lady commands."

Before fusing your lips once more in a loving embrace.

[respectthepetty]

give me your craziest, messiest only friends theories. pls i need it for science

Oh, Anon, I GOT wild ass theories for days but understand that Jojo's Dirty Laundry rewired my brain and made me even crazier.

It had this beautiful pastel color scheme that was in conflict with the show's theme of money laundering while also throwing the most unhinged characters at the audience each episode.

It was amazing!

So coming off of his 2022's offerings of Mama Gogo, The Warp Effect, Never Let Me Go, AND Dirty Laundry, which all had some level of crazy messiness, I was ready for Only Friends to give me everything then throw more on top of it!

I wanted Boston to be killed (Theory 1)

I wanted Top to be framed for it (Theory 2)

I wanted Mew to have actually killed him (Theory 3)

I wanted Ray to help Mew cover it up (Theory 4)

I wanted Nick to know the truth and help them get rid of evidence (Theory 5)

I wanted Sand to know nothing (Theory 6)

Then, Jojo said "NOBODY DIES!"

But I had other theories, so I pivoted because we still have the sex workers, right? Jojo always has sex workers.

I wanted Sand to be sex worker (Theory 7)

I wanted Top to be a sex worker (Theory 8)

I wanted Nick to be a sex worker (Theory 9)

Eff it! I WANTED THEM ALL BE SEX WORKERS!

But so far, none of the main characters are sex workers. They are just normal dudes doing normal dude stuff.

Jojo has given me a strip club trying to compete with a rival strip club. He has given me a high school student taking over his family's million dollar company with his bodyguard boyfriend when both of them didn't attend school for at least a semester. He has given me a virgin traveling to the future where he is a gynecologist who can't climax. He has given me poly killers on the run! HE GAVE ME JUDO!

Yet in Only Friends, he is giving me dudes being dudes.

So I guess the craziest and messiest theory I can come up with now is about the kid:

Theory 10 - The kindergartner?

Ya ready for my theory?

The kid is someone's brother, and he is picking him up from school.

The end.

I would love if one of these guys had a secret love child (Top, Sand, or Boeing). I would love if the boys got in trouble and were court-mandated to volunteer with kids (Ray). Hell, I would love if one of them had a little brother who he was trying to shield from the oppressive life his father has forced on him (Boston or Nick). I would love something wild! ANYTHING!

But Jojo is giving us regular 20-somethings being messy, so it's probably Mew going to read to the kids because he is a good guy.

I like it. I ain't mad at it.

But no dead bodies floating in a pool. No sex workers in crop tops. No Judo having sex in the front seat while the two people hiding from gangsters in the backseat have to witness it because the client likes an audience.

Basically, no Judo crazy.

So my craziest messiest Only Friends theory is . . .

this show is normal.

but I'm keeping an eye out for the crazy, just in case.

[nightswithkookmin]

Goldie, for God's sake, answer me just this once. Please, like I told you before, I'm not a shipper and i have a reason why but i can't descussion it here. I'm just Jimin Stan.And all I care about is the comfort of this boy who took my mind called Park Jimin. Just a question if Jikook is real. Why do I feel that Jimin is always unhappy? He complains about loneliness and not getting and making friends. Does one live in illusion only and imagines that he is happy while he is always insinuating and complaining about loneliness and gloom? Don't you understand his feelings through his album? Is it logical that this side appears when you are happy with the one you love, or does the one you love not treat you well?Please, I don't want to accuse anyone, but it seems that Jimin has changed a lot since before He became shrunken in himself and shy too much. Where is the bold and flirtatious Jimin? Something must have happened to him. Something last. Did you read the Weverse magazine article about him because it made me cry so much?

Sigh

Ever heard the saying the higher you go the lonelier you become? Dude literally released an album that addresses his struggles with fame and being in the spotlight- as big as Jungkook's dick is and as sharp as his thrusts are- big dick don't cure everything so let's not lay it on him okay?

I don't know if he's become shrunken in himself and shy when Jungkook has been saying for years Jimin is the most shy member of bts he knows. He is extroverted sure but he's quiet demure and graceful elegant and pretty too. Don't confuse is public persona for his actual persona. He's used to performing his extroversion and playing up his daring character for TV.

Jimin the artist is not the same as Park Jimin the brother, son, friend and human others know and that's what he's been saying for years. So if you ask what happened to the old Jimin I'd say FUCK IT HE'S FINALLY FREE BOTTOMS UP

Like he said, raise a glass to the old him- emphasizes on old. He keeps trying to break loose from old habits and behaviors that hold him back and don't serve him. I'd wager one of such habits was keeping up with his public imagine of constantly being a spectacle.

His duality is part of who he is. We should give him room to express and explore himself without attaching vehemently to our single lensed view of him. There's nothing wrong with him.

But I understand your concern. I used to be like this too. for years he had said bulking up and building his body wasn't his thing. I nearly- well who am I kidding, I had an actual melt down when he started working out and building his body again because I thought he was being coerced into doing it again- turns out he just wanted to look ripped in jeans🥴

Dude was tryna get laid and I was out here cussing hybe out for oppressing him💀

I don't know if he's always unhappy when he's only opening up about his struggles which I think is a good thing for him and his fans. For me it helps me understand him more, empathize with him more and grow more closer to him.

Jimin is not the melancholic type.

The shit he deals with is real. I've heard many western artists complain of similar struggles and some of them are happily married with kids. Relationships are not a magic cure for loneliness especially if the feeling of loneliness IS NOT STEMMING FROM LACK OF HUMAN CONNECTION.

Do you actually thing Park jimin is lonely because he lacks intimacy and human connection? Loneliness is a complex issue and many things can lead to a person feeling this way. For me, I think he's inability to be who he really is was his biggest emotional trigger. He lives in a conformist society surrounded by people who constantly expect maturity and discipline from him, with a fan base that will desert him and unstan him if he says the wrong thing, dates the wrong person or make the move. There's no room for mistakes and that can be pretty dehumanizing.

Social expectations can alienate people and I'm afraid jimin is no exception. And in case you aren't aware, life sucks and hits every body including Jimin.

I don't appreciate you demanding my attention in this way. It makes me feel I have to rush my response so if this feels rushed it's on you🙃

[true-intha-blu]

BIG PROJECT TIME!!!

Introducing!!!!

It is something I have been doing for quite some time now. Way before Tears of the Kingdom came out and playing the game pushed me to now finally work on it. It will be a fanfiction on Ao3 FEATURING!!!

Gerudo Link!!! I have always been fascinated as Link not born as a Hylian and acting as a foil to Ganondorf being a male Gerudo. But Link is not a king in this one. Far from it. Just a small time Scout for the tribe, he feels as though he is an outsider to his own people despite of his best efforts to protect and help others. Then suddenly through events is banished to the forbidden lands by breaching an ancient taboo in an act of selfless heroism. Becoming embroiled in a rebellion again the Hyrule Sovereignty.

The Gerudo people are not the people of the dessert, they had been banished from their homeland for centuries due to the actions of the last King of the Gerudo who brought nothing but pain and suffering. They instead are part of a Land with No Name, hearty nomads who treat their banishment with respect and adherence. While stable, it is no secret that Link's birth is viewed as an ill omen. At least his sister Aryll always has her big brother's back.

I want to go back to some classic roots for Zelda so this includes companions! Meet P.I.N! Personal Interface Navigator. A strange bracelet that transform into a psuedo fairy made of something called Sheikah tech? Apparently it is fairly new and still in development. But Pin is the most advanced thing they have so far and they are following Link because... well....

Link will meet many allies, including Sheik, the hot headed Sheikah warrior. He will be invaluable in aiding Link as he navigates through strange new lands and speaking through P.I.N. for advice or if Link is just lonely. He is a ruthless assassin who is eager to fight back against the oppressive Hyrule Sovereignty.

Along the way Link will meet many foes and friends across the forbidden lands known as Hyrule.

Hyrule is split into several actions and Link will come across the Hyrule Sovereignty that has employed advanced technology to server as their dominating military force that does not tolerate disruptions to their rule.

The royal family itself is a mysterious group, aided by 7 sages of technology. The prince being the face while the mysterious princess Zelda serving as the people's holiest figure.

Not all is at it seems. Beware of false confirmation and previous assumptions. Leave them at the door least you be stabbed in the back. In a world of Steam, Haze, metal and civil war, this is not the Hyrule you know. As I say this, I want to reflect and show my appreciation to the previous entries in Zelda, calling back from previous titles and themes, including musical instruments and stuff. I will be writing this fic as though I am making a game, with mechanics, dungeons, side quests and all the fixins with concept art and scenes drawn. It will take far before the first calamity mentioned in Breath of the Wild but takes place after all the other zelda games. After the somehow timeline merged. This is not going to be a dark fic. This fic will have as much charm and whimsy and weirdness as any other Zelda game if I can help it. There will be violence and rated M. So Stay tune for the first chapter of "The Legend of Zelda, Sanctum of Kings"

if somehow this becomes more popular.... I might consider, making it a comic or somethin.... I dunno. I am doing this mainly for myself really.

[erinelliotc]

Why is everyone talking about Eddy's haters when he doesn't have any? No one draws fanart for him where he is being killed, on all sorts of rating sites he always ranks high, but in antitopes he ranks low, everyone feels sorry for him.

Uh, well, I don't know if you saw this post. I recommend reading it so you can get clarification on your question.

I'm certainly not the best person to talk about this because I only started interacting with the fandom 5 months ago. I haven't been here very long, so I can't tell you from experience what things were like, what the fans were like. But it seems Eddy used to be hated a lot by fans while Double D was deified, and these days, fortunately more people are defending Eddy from this unfair treatment (at least here on Tumblr). Maybe you think he has no haters because this happened. Possibly things have changed and today Eddy receives more recognition and appreciation, and it's good that it changed! I suggest you talk to other people who have been in the fandom for longer, as they will be able to clarify this in more detail.

"No one draws fanart for him where he is being killed"

Uh, first of all, there are many different ways to show hatred towards someone or something, this is just a very... specific example you gave. Your way of thinking seems to follow the same logic as those people who try to minimize and belittle the oppression that some letters in the LGBTQ+ community go through, saying things like "No one gets killed for being (insert some letter here)", or "This? This is nothing. You don't know what real oppression", as if the oppression they suffer is "less significant" or that it isn't even "real" oppression just because it doesn't go that far. Anyway, let's get back to the main topic. We also can't say for sure if there hasn't been any fanart of him being killed, maybe there is, who knows? But that's not the point here.

"Everyone feels sorry for him"

From the way you talk, you give me the impression that you yourself are someone who doesn't like Eddy very much. If that's the case: The show screams right in our faces that Eddy was secretly crying for help. He was abused by his brother and developed an extremely unhealthy emotional dependency and a toxic and abusive relationship with him, thinking the bad things, the scams that he did were cool, and seeing his own abuser as his role model and the person he most admires in the world, which is why he acted like a jerk this whole time. It may be hard for you to empathize with him, and that's okay, honestly, not everyone is able to forgive what someone, real or fictional, has done, even if the person had reason to do it and is genuinely regretful for their actions. But people have every right to feel sorry for him because he is a pitiful character, and I don't say that in a pejorative way. He really has a very sad backstory and is deeply hurt, in pain, suffering all the time trying to act like a confident, strong, cool guy, using a disguise of false confidence and acting as if he doesn't care what others think, but actually having destroyed self-esteem and failing every day of his life, and not only that, but also seeing others acting like him and succeeding where he didn't and not being punished like him (you have to agree that the other kids also act like jerks, maybe not as much as he does, but often, and nothing happens to them. They always remain friends and hang out together, even though they act badly to each other), or even him doing nothing wrong and taking the blame too. Life tries to bring Eddy down in all the most absurd ways possible and laughs in his face, he sees himself as a big failure, and yet, the guy always has the energy and the guts to keep moving forward and ignore all this shit, hoping that someday things will work out for him as well as they do for others. Personally, I don't understand how not to feel sorry for him.

Anyway, as I said, you have the right not to like Eddy if that's the case, no one will try to convince you to change your opinion, but I think it's important for you to understand that the fandom didn't simply decide to invent Eddy haters who don't exist, and that Eddy isn't just a simple jerk everyone decided to feel sorry for for no reason and treat him like someone wronged when he isn't. He is, or at least was, wronged, both on the show and by the fandom, that's a fact. It's also important that you understand and respect other people's right to feel sorry for him and defend him :)

[my-maas-murdered-heart]

The Valley Vet

Azriel x Veterinarian!Reader 

Modern AU Fic

Part 2

Summary: A slow burn romance. The reader just moved to town and is starting a new job at a new veterinary clinic. Her little sister said there is a man there she’s going to love. Will that be the case?

Warnings: None for now. 

Word Count: 1,144

Notes: This is a fic that is close to my heart for many reasons. I am hoping it will be a slow burn series. 

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You grabbed the last box from your car to take into your new apartment. The heat in this town was sweltering and oppressive, making your skin feel singed. Blowing hair out of your eyes, you closed the trunk and went into the cool of the AC. The place was small, but cute with high ceilings, new carpet, and new appliances. The living room and kitchen were in one open space with the bar separating the two and one bedroom off to the side. It felt a bit dark with only one large window in the living room and one in the bedroom, but that was nothing cute lighting couldn’t fix. With a deep breath, you plopped onto the couch. Freyja, your large black brindle dog, hopped onto it next to you with a sigh. 

“I know girl. It’s quite a change.” You had only moved down to this town because your mom had convinced you it was wonderful. She tempted you with the beach, sea turtles, and good Mexican food, but you couldn’t help but miss Austin, Texas. It just was getting too crowded and too expensive and your schedule was so hectic it was hard to ever come down to visit. So here you were in a small obscure town in south Texas, right next to Mexico and the Gulf. It would be nice to be close to your parents and younger sister and brother. If you were honest, it was really just for your siblings. Your parents were too chaotic and hopefully you could watch out for them a lot easier being close by. Your phone dinged, rousing you from your thoughts. It was from Holly, your new manager. 

“Hello Y/N, would you like to swing by this afternoon? That way we can get you into the system and ready for tomorrow. Once you get here, come in through the side door and my office is right to the left. Ready to get you on board.”

This would be your second vet clinic after graduating vet school. You hadn’t really been sad to leave the first one in Austin. It was small, stuffy, and cramped. The head veterinarian had also been a bit of a bitch, though you loved all of the technicians and they had become your friends. The pay here wasn’t going to be much better, but they saw all animal types, not just dogs and cats. Your true passion in veterinary medicine was large animals like cattle and horses. Your sister, Annie, had actually been the one to hook you up with the job. The owner of the clinic, Dr. Gary Montague, had just fired a doctor and needed a new one pretty badly. Perfect timing. Annie thought Dr. Gary was pretty great. There was one other doctor too, Dr. Azriel Gonzalez. Annie swore up and down you’d like him. Just your type, dark hair, hazel eyes, and he liked to sing. She said his only downfall was that he was a drinker. You weren’t interested. Your last relationship had ended poorly; he was precious in every way but his alcoholism had gotten to be too much so you ended things. You did not want a repeat of that. All you had to do was resist his charms. How hard could it be?

“Great. I will be there in 15.” You sent the reply to Holly and grabbed your keys to head back into the sweltering August heat. 

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15 minutes later you pulled into the parking lot of your new job, Valley Vet Clinic. It was a large cream colored tin building with green trim and a gravel parking lot. Next door on the same lot was a similar building that housed a feed store. You parked and got out of the car, thankful beyond words for tee shirts and jean shorts in this heat. You walked to the side door Holly had indicated and into the cool air.

It had blue walls with gray tin trimming the lower half. It smelled faintly of cleaner and various animals smells. You went right, into the office which was piled with clutter of various papers, vials, and tools. You knocked lightly on the door.

“Holly?” A curvy woman turned in her office chair. She had olive skin and dark hair in a pony tail.

“Dr. Y/N Hi! Give me just a minute to finish up this test form. If you want to go out back, Dr. Gary should be out there and he can introduce you to everyone.”

“Yeah sure sounds good.” You smiled.

“Just go down to the right and then a left to the back treatment area. He’s out there with some horses.”

You walked out back where she had directed. There was a tall roof over a large concrete area with some kennels and two horse stocks. Dr. Gary, a thicker set bald man was floating a horse’s teeth while another man held its head. He had an electric grinder to file down sharp points in the horse’s teeth. You waited until Dr. Gary was finished and turned the tool off, it was way too loud to have said much before hand. You cleared your throat and walked over.

“Dr. Gary?” His eyes lit with surprise.

“Dr. Y/n hello! So glad you’re here. Are you ready to work?” He wiped his hands off on a rag and set the tool into a bucket of water.

“Yes sir. Although I didn’t come dressed today, Holly asked me to come to get my pin for the computers and fill out my paperwork.” You chuckled. Hoping he wasn’t going to make you take patients in shorts and a tee, but if he was insistent you probably would so as not to make a bad impression. “I will be ready bright and early tomorrow though.”

“Good, good. Dr. Y/n, have you met Dr. Azriel?”

Your breath caught. Your sisters description had not done him justice. He wore jeans and a simple black T shirt that stretched across his chest and around his arms that read “The Valley Vet” on the left side. His dark hazel eyes appraised you and he gave a slight smirk, still holding on to the horses halter.

“Well, I’ll leave y’all to get acquainted. I’m going to go check on rooms. Azriel, you got this covered?” He nodded and with that Dr. Gary walked back inside.

You moved to pet the sorrel horse on the muzzle. It was still groggy from the sedative. Azriel stepped back and crossed his arms.

“So you’re Y/n. Your sister told me about you. She said I was either going to love you or hate you.” His voice was deep and cool.

You have a snort. “Well I guess we will just have to see now, won’t we.”

“I guess we shall.” And with that he gathered the bucket of water, syringes, and tooth drill and walked inside.

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

  -->     Part 2.     <--

[davekat-sucks]

As a Homestuck fan, how would you like the relationship between Dave and Karkat to be written, especially at the end? (and I'm exclusively talking about a >non-romantic relationship<, like friends, acquaintances or rivals).

Have a nice day XD

Definitely more of a rivalry between them. Karkat having a difficult time getting Dave's reaction and Dave knows he can't cave in to it. Despite it, they are friends in that rivalry. Not like in a blackrom. Like this bastard sucks, but it would suck more if he was gone. The two at odds trying to get back at the other. I can see Dave criticizing more on the quadrants when Karkat tried to suggest the idea of sharing Terezi on the meteor. He probably would question troll culture, even as he knows his sister Rose was dating a troll. As Dave points out the flaws, it would get Karkat to realize the stuff about his home was not as great. Maybe bring up the fact that despite Karkat being a mutantblood and would technically be oppressed, why was Karkat determined to serve under his planet and become something like a Threscutioner? Question Karkat's current leadership just after he knows most of his friends are dead and he is doing nothing about it. Karkat in turn, would point out that Dave is no better that he hides his emotions and be a bit selfish if he thinks his brother abuse was the most horrible thing happened to him when someone like Jade had to grow up ALONE. As well as him not taking much action either despite his abilities after reaching godtier. Pointed out that Davesprite had done everything he could to help CURRENT Dave get to where he is and right now, said current Dave is not doing anything to help his friends or his sister Rose.

[greetingfromthedead]

C81: A Paradise for You and Me

For more information on the series (tags, CW, etc) click the banner!

Series Rating: 18+ / Explicit

Chapter: 81/84

Words: 1.8k

No particular warnings for this chapter.

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Vash can't turn back anymore, this is it, he's on the verge of determining his future. He is about to lay his life on the line to save his brother and keep him from destroying humanity. He has to make him see. He knows his twin, the views he has, the beliefs he holds. But he has to do this. There is no other option, he has to succeed.

With every step he takes, the distant echo of music becomes louder—the old and familiar melody, his own fingers remembering every keystroke to accompany him. The way they used to sit together by the piano and play—two halves of the same coin. Side by side. Back to back. Is there any hope of ever returning to that?

What does it mean to save his brother? Vash still doesn't have the answer, his time spent with Wolfwood made him see things in a strange light, the hopelessness of the situation seeping deeper into his bones. Still, he is grateful for the assassin sent to escort him to July, and while they had their differences, he started to consider the strange man a friend.

The melody, last heard in Jeneora Rock before the tragedy, sounds from behind the large metal door. So clear are the notes, and he can imagine the figure playing them all too well. Vash's loaded gun weighs heavily in its holster, his fingers are drawn to it, only to lightly touch the handle. He will not kill. Never again. But he might have to use it. Somehow, he has to make his brother listen and understand.

The doors open to the large hall, across from which sits Millions Knives. The room is filled with echoing music as the hooded figure doesn't react to his arrival. Vash steps closer, into the circle formed by the petrified figures of their sisters. With sadness stinging in his heart, he walks closer to his brother, halting in the middle of the room. The last note played lingers uncomfortably in the air as Knives stops and straightens up without turning to his brother. Vash's eyes travel up from the silvery hood onto the Plant standing above the piano. She is frozen in a moment of agony, the pain she felt as she screamed out for help, is preserved in that expression.

"She was killed in the early days. I keep her here as a reminder." Knives says sorrowfully.

"You've got to understand. The humans are not exploiting them because they want to," Vash tries to reason.

The other twin lets out a deep sigh. "What did you come here for?"

"I'm taking their Plant back from you," Vash thinks back to what happened in Jeneora Rock. "Not just that. All the robberies were you, weren't they? Admit it! It was you, Nai!"

"You'd dare accuse me? All I've done is rescue our brethren from the confines of mankind's oppression." Knives still hasn't turned around to even look at his brother.

"Nai, they're not evil!" Vash's voice gets more urgent with every step he takes closer to his brother. "We can coexist! I kno-"

"SILENCE!" Knives cuts him off with a roar. "Your stanching defense of humanity is no act of love. It's an attempt to make up for the crash that you caused all those years ago."

Vash is shaken, the breath catching in his throat. His eyes widen in recognition and in fear that his brother might be right.

"No matter how much good you try to atone, they'll never forgive you. No matter how much you fool yourself, in their eyes, you will always be a monster." His words continue to cut like blades into Vash's soul.

"I know humans make sacrifices in order to survive, but they're trying to move forward. I wanna believe in them." He does, even if for a part of him, Nai's words ring true, he desires nothing more than to support and help everyone, to see the planet thrive, both the humans and Plants.

"I pity you, brother. Your mind is not well." Knives' voice lowers, a sadness creeps into it, yet he still hasn't turned to look at his twin.

"Don't be sad." A different voice captures Vash's attention, his head whips over to the right, and from behind the base of one of the Plants, he catches a glimpse of white. But he doesn't have to see the figure, the voice is unmistakable. The words get stuck in him as he watches you step out into the open, yet you aren't looking at him. You are covered in a one piece layer, much like Knives; the Plant markings on the garment are blue, like the irises in Luida's biodome. Over it, you wear a sheer gown similar to a dress, it reaches the ground with slits on both sides up to your hips. Silvery sheaths decorate your thighs, and he is mesmerized.

Without a single glance towards Vash, you head to his bother and sit on the corner of the bench, your body facing the still frozen man in red. He watches your left arm reach over Knives' back as you lean closer and give him a form of hug. You lay your head on his shoulder.

"You only want what's best. No more violence, just peace. A wonderful world, a paradise." Your voice is so silky and smooth, a smile turning the corners of your lips upwards. Your embrace looks so tender, one he has felt many times before, yet it seems like a lifetime ago. Vash remains staring as you let go of his brother and finally turn your attention to him.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it is you, he has found you again. He's enchanted as his legs step forward while you stand up again to walk towards him, your hand reaching out, palm up, inviting him to take it.

"Don't you want it too? A world filled with love and peace. Don't you want to spend the rest of our lives there together? Wouldn't you want to live together with me in Eden? No more pain, no more violence. Just us." You sound so hopeful as you approach him. Your words cloud his mind, they shake his conviction. There is nothing he would like more than to spend eternity with you in Paradise, but he knows it can't be in a world of Knives' making. Still, his hand reaches for yours involuntarily, so close to touching your fingers with his. He looks into your eyes, and the fire is gone. The blaze that brought him warmth even during the frostiest of desert nights is missing. You look cold and empty, this isn't the real you. It might be your body, but your mind is somewhere else, much like when you were sick.

"My Iris..." he chokes back the pain. "What happened?"

"What do you mean, love?" Your voice still sounds kind, but now he can't unsee the lack of your passion and soul. "I chose a side. I am not human, they tortured me, they did horrible things to me, they cast me out. So I found my family in you. I choose you."

You stand before him, a hand caressing his cheek that has missed your touch for months. Every fiber of his being is drawn in. He wants to crash into you, hold you in his embrace, and never again let go. But his body is frozen, and his heart knows the truth.

"I desire no more violence. No more pain. Everyone deserves to live without fear. I choose to eliminate the monsters and live in a perfect little world of our own making. I need you. I want you. Choose us. Choose your family." Your lips have moved so close to his ear, they whisper the last plea against his skin. "Pick me over humanity."

"You wouldn't say that." He sighs, ripping himself from the beautiful dream. "This isn't you. It's a lie."

It has been months, and you might be different, but Vash recognizes the movement of your body instantly. He jumps backwards, just as your blades would have cut him. The jagged, silvery weapons look like the knives his brother conjures. They glint in your hands as you take your stance, the purpose of the slits in your dress is evident as soon as you attack him. Your movements are as fast as ever as you try to kick and slash at him. Vash deflects your limbs, barely keeping up. He has seen you fight enough times to recognize the patterns, and to his luck, he is just a touch faster and stronger.

"Iris! Wake up!" He calls out to you right after dodging your knife slashing past his face. "This isn't you! I am so sorry!"

Your face is cold and emotionless, there is neither love nor malice in it. You are simply a machine fulfilling its purpose.

"Iris! Come back! I am so so sorry!" He twirls away from you after getting hit in the side by your leg. "It's my fault! I should have found you quicker! I made a promise, and I failed you!"

He is reminded of Rollo, he too needed his help. Vash had made a promise and broken it.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lie!" He continues to plead as the fight slowly escapes his body, "I meant to protect you!"

Wolfwood's words echo in his mind. He really didn't mean to fail you or anyone else, he never makes empty promises. Just like you, he doesn't make promises he has no intention of keeping, but just like with the little boy, things he couldn't foresee took his opportunity to keep his word away from him. He can't fight you anymore, his limbs become heavy with his heart, yet you don't seem to relent at all.

You smack him in the face with your elbow, and he jumps back, only to stumble and fall. How can he get up again if it's you he is up against? His failure looking back at him. This is his fault—another boulder in his burden of guilt. You are here like this because of him. Not just because of whatever happened in Edwards, but because he loves you. If he hadn't found you in that coffin, if he had left you alone like you wanted in the first place, you probably wouldn't be here.

He looks up at you towering over him, your hands with the knives hanging to either side. It's not a stance to attack, but he knows that you will. His hands reach up to touch yours, and his blue eyes look like wells, pleading for you to see him.

"Iris... please..." He isn't even sure what he begs for. He can't ask you to forgive him, he doesn't deserve that. He can't ask you to return to him, he doesn't deserve that either. "Sweet Pea."

As he looks into your eyes, he notices the flicker of recognition, and he takes your forearms into his hands as he kneels before you, a smile appearing on his face as your gaze warms.

"Red..." your face softens, and he sees his Iris again. But this doesn't last, as his brother's blades obstruct his view. A splatter of blood hits his face as his eyes focus on the sight before him.

For more information and chapters, check out the MASTERLIST.

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[waltwhitmansbeard]

go on, claim my heart: chapter seventeen

see my masterpost for what came before this.

Cassandra de Rolo is alive. Keyleth's mind can hardly process the information, so stunning is it. She has known Percy since he was a boy, flinching and haunted, and even though, as they grew together, he would eventually come to tell her tidbits of what he remembered of his lost siblings, it was Cassandra he spoke of the least. Keyleth could tell she in particular was a sore spot for him, and while she used to believe this was due to the fact that she had been the youngest of all the children, she now knows it was Cassandra's dying in his arms that has led him to keep her locked away in his mind all these years.

Except Cassandra didn't die in his arms—or did she? They are dealing with a necromancer, after all; Keyleth would be foolish to dismiss the notion that the Briarwoods resurrected the child after slaughtering her in front of her brother. Either way, the Briarwoods have kept her alive for over a decade, but to what end? Why keep one de Rolo child after so cruelly dispatching with the rest? Could she play some part in their larger schemes? And how does Vilya factor into all of this?

She is so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly misses the door to the cellar reopening and Percy and Vex's descent. She searches her oldest friend's face, and all she sees there is stunned despair. She knows the feeling well. As the two rejoin the circle, Keyleth reaches out and grabs Percy's hand. He meets her eyes, his shining and wild, and she says nothing. There are no words to say.

Chancellor Desnay continues their previous conversation. "You've said that you did research before coming here. What have you learned that might be of use to our cause?"

Pike, who is sitting on Grog's shoulders, begins. "I spent most of my time researching necromancy as best I could with the resources available to us in Syngorn. These magics are dark and forbidden, so much of my reading covered the prosecution of such arcane practitioners and the extent of their crimes, and not as much the magics themselves. I know that in addition to the ability to create undead, Lady Briarwood's abilities can bring about death swiftly and effectively." She frowns sorrowfully in Percy's direction. "She is...quite the efficient killer."

"They both are," he replies tonelessly.

"I wanna know more about this vampire," Grog interjects. "As in, how do I go about killin' 'im?"

"I think you're going to be a key part of that strategy, Keyleth," Vex says.

Keyleth starts, surprised. "Me? Why?"

"One of a vampire's greatest weaknesses is sunlight. I can presume that getting him outside of that castle in the middle of the day is unlikely, so we'll need to bring the sunlight to him."

Grog's eyes go wide. "Can you do that?"

Keyleth shrinks in on herself a bit. She has only done what Vex is describing once, when Gaben Finefirn attacked her and Vax in the middle of the night. She was terrified and desperate when she did it, and though she feels much the same way now, she doesn't know if she'll be able to call the sunlight to her hands as she did back then. "I...I don't..."

Vax's arms slide around her chest and hold her tight. "It is an option," he says to the rest of them, his tone making it clear that he will brook no argument. "Let's explore others."

The group goes on to share what they learned in their research in Syngorn, adding to it whatever helpful tidbits Chancellor Desnay can share. Desnay tells them that the remaining population of Whitestone is desperate for change, for relief, and Keyleth, though single-minded in her goal of saving her daughter, is eager to give it to them. No one should have to live under the kinds of oppression that these townsfolk have for over a decade. Her heart breaks for Percy, who has walked through a shadow of his home's former glory, has seen the ghosts of what once was in each cracked brick and dead flower.

She knows she must figure out how to conjure the sunlight that she created all those months ago in her chambers. It is not an option, as Vax suggested, but a necessity, something she must do to aid her compatriots and bring her daughter home. She wishes she were better at this, her magic, more confident in her abilities. She watched Pike charge forth to face down all those mindless undead and wield Sarenrae's power without hesitation, and it was a sight to behold. So far, Keyleth has had little success in using her gifts when not prompted by intense fear or anger, with the exception of some gentle magical encouragement for the plants in her garden back in Zephrah.

Vax has made more of an effort in his studies with Pike. His magic is far closer to hers, also bestowed to him by a goddess, and he has had an easier time of following her direction. Keyleth tries not to feel jealous, but she does wish that she had the guiding hand of a god to direct her talents.

As she listens to her friends and colleagues outline the difficulties they face in their aims, she cannot slow the swirl of despair that chokes her heart. Her baby girl is lost in this storm of death and darkness, and who are they to help her—a sheltered princess, a court jester, a holy woman, a councilmember, and a couple of guards? Who are they in the face of those who would wield the undead, when they have no idea what they want, what they're planning, what they're capable of?

There is a pair of lips at her ear. "Hey." Vax's voice is so low that he doesn't interrupt whatever it is Desnay is saying. She turns her head just enough to indicate she's heard him. "Are you with me?"

He is solid and warm behind her, and for the briefest moment, when she closes her eyes, they could be back in Zephrah, resting against the trunk of her mother's cherry tree. She nods. "Always."

"I cannot do this without you."

Despite her despondency, she smiles. "You'll never have to." She sighs. "I just wish we knew more, more about what they were up to, what they wanted with Vilya. Oh, to be a little thing inside that castle, something they couldn't see, something that could fly up and hear all of their scheming! I'd fly right in and learn all of their plot and then—"

Keyleth's imaginings are cut off not by another speaker, but rather by the fact that she no longer has the ability to speak. Vax's arms are gone around her, and where her own arms used to be, now there are leathery, membranous wings, which are flapping wildly to keep her afloat. She looks to Vax, who is suddenly huge and rather blurry and looking at her with his jaw nearly on the floor, and she tries to speak, but what comes out instead of words is a sharp, high-pitched chirping.

"Um." Keyleth spins in the air to look at Scanlan, who, like the rest of the group, is just as visibly gobsmacked as Vax. "So...the princess is a bat now. She just...is a bat. That is a thing we all saw?"

Keyleth flies forward, ignoring the others' breathless gasps, and stares into the reflective sheen of Grog's battleax. Staring back at her is a bat, about the size of Pike's foot. Keyleth flaps her wings, and the bat's wings move accordingly.

Oh. Well.

"My wife is a bat." Vax sounds on the edge of hysteria. "I...my wife is a bat."

She flies back to Vax, who watches her approach warily, and settles on his knee. She attempts to speak again, but more chirps come out instead. Annoyed and very much not wanting to be a bat anymore, she flaps her wings aggressively, hoping to shake herself out of it, and after a few seconds, the world is shifting rapidly, and she collapses in a heap of arms and legs in Vax's lap. "Oh!"

Vax quickly helps her right herself while everyone starts talking at once.

"How did you do that?"

"Did you know that was something you could do?"

"Can you turn into something that isn't a bat?"

"Hey...where did the bat go?"

Keyleth frowns at Grog and ignores his question, but then says, "I...have no idea what that was. Certainly that was never anything I'd done before...Pike?" She calls for the Mistress of Divinity hopefully.

Pike throws her hands up. "Do not look at me, Your Highness. I have seen much in my time, but that...that was new."

Keyleth looks to Vax, hoping he'll have some kind of insight, but he seems just as lost as she is. "You were a bat," he says unhelpfully.

"Right." There's an air of awkwardness in the room now, as no one knows what to say to the sight of a princess magically transforming into a bat, and frankly, the princess doesn't know what to say to it, either. What she does know, however, is how useful this ability would be for the very thing she'd been speaking about when she transformed. If she were a bat, she could fly into the castle under the cover of darkness and listen for the Briarwoods' schemes—or even better, to find where they are keeping Vilya.

Keyleth smiles slow and wide as the plan coalesces in her mind. She laces her fingers with his and squeezes tight. "What is it?" he asks, confused by what must be quite the manic look on her face.

"I know what we ought to do next," she says, "but you're not going to like it."

.

"I hate this."

No one is listening to Vax as they scurry up the hill leading away from the town of Whitestone and toward the castle. It is dusk, with the proper darkness of night quickly approaching. They move as swiftly and silently as they can; it was easy enough to avoid the army of zombies with Desnay's expertise, and now they are being careful not to draw the attention of the guards posted closer to the castle itself. The grounds are ringed with evergreens, so the group easily finds a place to hide while still keeping the giant stone structure in sight.

"I hate this," Vax hisses, pulling Keyleth to his side. "This is wildly dangerous."

Keyleth presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I'll be fine. In and out."

"You've done this once, and you have no idea how long it lasts. What if you turn back while you're in there?"

"Twenty minutes," she promises, squeezing his hands in hers. "Surely it'll last at least that long. I will go in, learn what I can, and get out."

Vax's heart feels as though a fist the size of Grog's is crushing it. "If something happens to you in there..."

"It won't. It won't." They both know she can't know that, but he lets her say it anyway. She turns to the rest of the group. "You lot should spread out, stick to the shadows. I'll come back soon."

Vax presses a final kiss to her forehead, and then he lets go of her hands. Before she can do anything, Percy is there, pulling her into a hug. Vax can just barely hear him whisper to her, "If...if you see her..."

Keyleth smiles softly. "I'll let you know. I promise." She extracts herself from a hug, shrugs with a small laugh, and then, mystifyingly, his wife is a bat once more. She lets out a few squeaks so high-pitched they rattle his eardrums, flaps around his head—despite the unbearable horror of their situation, she seems to be having fun—and then takes off into the falling night, soon invisible against the blue-black of the sky.

Vax stares at the last place he saw her, not breathing. A hand slides into his and he jumps, glaring at his sister for scaring him. "She'll be alright," Vex assures him, and somehow, he's more inclined to believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"How do you know?"

Vex shrugs a shoulder. "She's a mother. She's not going to stop until her child is safe."

Vax's brow furrows. There's something Vex'ahlia isn't saying, he's sure of it, but one thing he learned ages ago was never push her to say something she was unwilling to divulge. He thinks of their mother, how glad she must have been in her final moments that they were far from Byroden, far from the flames and the screaming and the terror. "That is what worries me."

"It shouldn't. We'll need her, her magic and her strength and her leadership, if we are to bring Vilya home. Brother, she must be able to call the sunlight to her as you described her doing in her chambers that terrible night. We need her to weaken Lord Briarwood so that the rest of us stand a chance of killing him."

Vax sighs. "There is so much of her magic she has yet to understand." He gestures toward the direction she flew off in. "Every day it seems we learn something new."

"Then let tomorrow be this," Vex insists. "I know how much you wish to protect her, but you cannot protect her so much she is afraid of her own abilities. She needs your support, Vax, and so does your daughter."

There are few things in the world Vax hates more than when his sister is right. He squeezes her hand. "Alright, Stubby. Presuming she makes it back here alive, I'll...talk to her."

Vex checks her hip into his with a smile and then melts back into the forest, leaving him to return his gaze to the darkened sky where his wife disappeared.

[purgetrooperfox]

28 for the babygirls of your choice <3 -Lo

softer world prompt list

I miss doing nothing with you (I miss not having to pretend to like your family)

+ Nocte & Saleese (@babygirl-leon-kennedy) || Western AU

Cradled between Nocte’s hands, a mug of stale coffee goes cool despite the heat hanging heavy and oppressive in the air. Every summer, he hopes the ungodly temperatures of years past won’t return, and every summer, his hopes are dashed. The only mercy is that the sun has long since set and the cover of darkness promises a brief reprieve.

More oppressive than even the heat is the silence.

He volunteered for the night watch so he and Saleese could talk without her crew lingering uncomfortably close, but it’s proving difficult. Their split was on bad terms, all flaring tempers and hurt feelings. They both said things they didn’t mean, lashing out, and then life just carried on. The longer they went without talking or writing, the harder it got to break the quiet.

It’s more than a need to mend bridges, now. For Saleese to swallow her pride and contact him, not to catch up or reconnect but to ask for help… her situation would have to be bad. Life-threatening bad.

From his limited exposure to the gang she’s saddled herself with, he can’t say he’s surprised. Greed has a fire lit under them for the time being, but that won’t last, and when it dies, they’ll turn inward. Nocte would bet his life’s savings on it. Meager as those may be.

The pressure doesn’t make it any easier to say what’s needed. He needs to apologize. He needs to explain why he couldn’t, back then. He needs to offer and ask for forgiveness. He needs to make it clear that he’ll burn this entire camp to the ground if they hurt her.

But it all dies in his throat and turns to ash in his mouth.

Saleese’s focus is presumably on the block of wood she’s slowly whittling into a stake, likely more for the comfort of repetitive motion than any real need. She isn’t quite ignoring him, but she isn’t paying him any mind, either. It’s all a hair’s breadth from familiar.

“D’you remember when we were kids,” Nocte starts before he can think himself out of it, “and Old Man Abernathy’s hound got loose?”

Across the fire, Saleese snorts something that lands between a surprised exclamation and a laugh. “Which time?”

“The time he sent us looking for him and we got lost overnight."

"Oh, hell, and we spent an hour trying to start a fire with wet tinder?"

A smile pulls at Nocte's lips, despite everything. "You were convinced we'd never find our way back. I don't think I ever got all the sand and dirt washed out of my clothes."

They slept huddled together on the ground, tucked in behind a cropping of rocks and bushes. It wasn't late enough in the year for the night to be too cold, but they slept hungry and woke in foul moods. His brother used to spout nonsense phrases about being hungry enough to eat a horse and chase the jockey – Nocte found out what that meant, that morning.

All they had the energy to do was walk and bicker.

It's a small wonder they managed to make it back to town at all. Needless to say, their families were worried sick. He can't speak for Saleese, but once Nocte's brothers got over the shock, they firmly vowed never to let him live it down. They also taught him how to start a proper fire before letting him do so much as shower.

The cherry on top of the whole shit sundae was that it turned out, the damn dog was waiting at Abernathy's front door for breakfast first thing in the morning.

It was beyond ridiculous, start to finish. Abernathy was a mean old man with no fondness for children, probably looking more to get the pair of them out of the streets than to find his dog.

It was uncomfortable and disconcerting at best, to feel so lost in the dark.

And it was a bonding experience. He and Saleese don't talk about the fear or the way they clung to each other in their sleep, but it brought them closer. They were friends before, but there was trust afterward, and they only got closer over the years.

Until it fell apart.

Shaking his head, Nocte finally looks back up and sees the same wistful nostalgia he's feeling reflected on Saleese's face. The grief tangled in it doesn't make sense. So he doesn't dwell on it.

"I'm glad you got ahold of me," comes out before he can think twice. Honesty at its most raw bleeds into his voice, and he hears it, and he does nothing to cover it. "Not to say it outright, but I've, ah– well. I missed you."

To call Saleese soft in any capacity would firstly, piss her off, and secondly, be a gross misrepresentation. She's a great many things – and really, Nocte loves her like no other for it – but soft is not one of them. So, she doesn't soften for him, but she warms. It's in the smile that crinkles more around her eyes than her mouth and the way her posture relaxes.

A reception to vulnerability, maybe. More likely, a recognition of herself. It’s something they never really talk about – their history and those similarities. She's Nocte's closest friend, closer than family sometimes, and they don't talk about that either.

"I missed you, too," she says, despite it all. "It used to be so easy to just do nothing."

Nocte narrowly suppresses a scoff. "Back when our families played nice and we could just run wild."

"They were different times." The reflection of flame bounces off the depths of Saleese's eyes.

"They don’t have to be all that different," Nocte tries. Gods does he try, through the weight of decades past, conflicts deep, and old promises of forever. "I'll stay as long as you need me."

She hesitates, but Nocte can hardly blame her. He'd do the same. They're opposite sides of the same coin, after all.

"Alright," Saleese concedes, faster than she would for anyone else. "Stay, until you need to go."

Stay, because I need someone in my corner.

Stay, because I don't trust my inner circle.

Stay, because I miss you too and I know you'll do right by me.

Those words go unspoken, but Nocte hears them all the same.

This new gang of Saleese’s is a powder keg of ulterior motives and lies and deceit, liable to blow at any shadow of a spark. It looks on the surface like she’s wilfully overstaying her welcome when she should just cut and run – but then, few things as simple as that. He’ll stay until she’s safe, and they both know it.

That’s the promise they made as kids and it’s the one they’ll die before breaking.