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river--glass · 4 years

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Reylo Fic Recommendations: Monster Edition

In honor of Spooky Season, I wanted to make a list of fics in which one or both of them are more than human. Cryptids and creatures and monsters galore. (This one is for you, monsterfuckers.)

Demons

Count the Rings by Lachesisgrimm (olga_theodora). (E, Modern, 63K) When camping with her friends, Rey jokingly decides to marry a tree thats rumored to hold the spirit of a trapped man. Spoiler alert, the legends were true. Featuring accidental marriage, demon deals, and soft soft demon Ben. Sure there’s some angst and danger but this is mostly sweet and wonderful and Rey having dreams come true.

The Hand That Feeds by persimmone. (E, Victorian, 46K) Rey has managed to avoid unwanted male attention for thirty years, until the opening of a mysterious artifact burdens her with an accidental husband. Luckily, her new consort is not the average man. Or better, he's not... human. Featuring eldritch abomination Kylo who is so sweetly in awe and reverent of human Rey despite being powerful and older than the universe. And who also has... a tentacle form.

All The Ashes by neonheartbeat. (E, Modern, 37K) Rey, living in a terrible Brooklyn apartment and desperate to escape, posts a Craiglist ad as a half-joke seeking a marriage of convenience to just get the hell out of the country. It's unexpectedly answered by a mysterious Romanian count. Featuring soft monster Kylo, good friend Hux, and beauty and the beast elements. I loved this soft Kylo and thirsty Rey.

I Will Always Find You by kuresoto. (E, Modern, 24K) Featuring Lilith!Rey and Lucifer!Kylo. I love this. They fuck like monsters (and as monsters!) and Rey is the queen of hell and they're so viciously in love. Read It!!

Deliciously by @secretreylotrash. (E, Colonial, 18K) Puritan/Salem Witch Trials/The VVitch Inspired. Witches, demon Kylo, orgies, death... This was WILD.

The Devil’s Lucky Number by Avdal. (E, Modern, 10K) Pure smut. Demon Kylo shows up out of the blue for the sole purpose of making rey orgasm. It’s what she deserves.

The Devil You Know by KyloTrashForever. (E, Modern, 10K) In which Ben finds out the hard way that he shouldn’t play with old magic. AKA, lucky bastard dumb college student Ben accidentally summons himself a succubus girlfriend.

The Demon Within Me by Avdal. (E, Modern, 8K) Shameless demon Kylo smut.

Come To Me In The Clearing And There We Shall Dance by QueenOfCarrotFlowers @leofgyth . (E, 1600′s, 5K) She had been hoping he would find her - her only friend. Kylo. She supposes he’s a demon, or a devil, or one of the heathen gods, but she's never worked up the nerve to ask him and he has not volunteered that information.

Proposal by AKyloDarkly. (E, 4K) Lilith!Rey and Lucifer!Kylo.

Mercy by bunilicious. (E, Victorian, 3K) A Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/Demon AU. AKA, Rey is thirsty for her demon husband and refuses to wait any longer.

Mothman/Mothlo

For Love of a Flame by thewayofthetrashcompactor. (E, Fantasy, 8K) The shadowy Order has advanced across the forest, bringing darkness in their wake. Rey is hungry and desperate, willing to face the Order themselves to steal back what they've taken from the land. What she finds there is not what she expects. Fairies/mothpeople! Weird! I’m into it!

Drawn to the Light of Your Burning Sorrows by Kyriadamorte. (M, Modern, 7K) Mothman Ben! Curious outcast Rey! This was the first mothlo fic I ever saw. Me when I saw this fic: Mothlo? Mothman Reylo?? God and Ryan Johnson have truly abandoned this fandom. Me after this fic: Mothman Kylo is the best boy and bring on the cryptids.

Macrolepidoptera by ceciliasheplin. (E, Modern, 3K) Rey runs after her Mothman to show him how much she loves him. Nothing like a 3K word fic that hits you in the feels at the same time that it’s giving you mothman smut filth. This fandom is magical.

Nature Spirits

Oh Autumn, Oh Teakettle, Oh Grace by diasterisms. (E, Modern, 31K) Ben Solo didn’t believe in dryads, until one snagged his coats and freed herself. She’s pure bliss and magic and he is captivated. If she has to go 2000 miles back to her tree, he might as well drive her there. Dryad Rey/smitten human Ben road trip! What a lovely fic!

Looking For a Breath of Life by Fighter_for_Solo. (T, Fantasy, 18K) Featuring Elf Prince Ben and human hunter Rey! A really delightful story.

I met you once — ( In a dream ) by persopilliankore. (E, Fantasy, 10K). Where Ben and Rey are soulmates and Ben is more than meets the eye.

Fearless by KyloTrashForever. (E, Fantasy, 6K) Featuring tree Ent Kylo and the softest tentacle porn you’ll ever read.

Sea Creatures. Mermaids, Selkies, OctaKylo, oh my!

Beyond the Veil by dachenbritta. (M, Modern, 40K). Deep within the waters of the Oregon coast, a lone mermaid longs for the man she's watched for years. Her wish of joining him comes true but comes at a cost. This was hilarious and emotional and such a great read.

Sirens by SageMcMage. (E, Fantasy, 21K) In which Merman Ben tries to woo Mermaid Rey by little gifts on her doorstep. Adorable!

Yn Beisht Kione by Melusine11 @hellomelusine . (E, Modern, 5K) They say a beast roams the sea. Protecting a treasure long hidden in the Headland's caves. Some say it is the soul of a man killed by pirates to protect that treasure. Sailors have been known to throw casks of rum at the beast in the hopes of placating it, so they don't get eaten and can pass in peace. Most people though, don't believe he exists, and Rey is about to find out how wrong they all are.

I Found You by Kyoloren. (T, Fantasy, 5K) In which scavenger mermaid Rey finds a strange black T-shaped object in her waters on Kef Bir and is determined to return it to its owner. Mermaid Rey!Cute little fish people soulmates!

Octopussy by KyloTrashForever. (E, Modern, 5K) Three brothers at the beach plus one horny sea monster equals a lot of holes being filled. Smutty monster filth, no need to look for a deeper meaning than that. You like tentacle porn? Here ya go.

Live by the Sea, Love by the Tide by Twin_Kitten. (E, Fantasy, 4K) Rey and a few other mermaids escape the clutches of Unkar, and stumble into the territory of another pod of mermaids. Ben's pod. Soft caretaking mermaid Ben!

Where the Blue of the Sea Meets the Sky by HarpiaHarpyja @thisgarbagepicker . (T-E, Fantasy) A Short delightful little series featuring Selkie Ben and explorer Rey! I seriously cannot say enough good things about this author, do yourself a favor and go read EVERYTHING she’s ever written.

Tentacle Dick (that’s it that’s the plot)

Damnably Unbecoming by cuddlesome. (E, Canon-verse crack, 5K)

Froot (i've been saving all my summers for you) by kuresoto. (E, Canon-verse crack, 4K)

Vampires

In The Dark by KyloTrashForever. (E, Modern, 44K) A Dark Shadows AU!! It’s not “finished”, but it ends well where it is! Featuring vampire Ben who is very sorry about drinking blood and human Rey who is even thirstier than he is.

A Little Death (Goes a Long Way) by crossingwinter. (E, Modern, 23K) A Vampire & A/B/O AU. Weird and dark but I am here for it.

The Lioness by Lilia_ula. (E, Fantasy, 13K) Rey goes bravely to her death after being chosen as the village sacrifice, but upon meeting the beast things don’t go as planned. I love to see Reylo fics where they both revel in who they are and what they are together. Fascinating.

Beneath the Pale Moonlight by bunilicious. (E, Historical Recency, 15K) A fluffy fic about vampire Ben falling hard for Rey!

The Curious Case of the Aquarist and the Vanishing Walrus by radioactivesaltghoul. (T, Modern, 6K) Rey loves spending time in the walrus enclosure at the aquarium she works at.Ben is a vampire with an unusual ability. This is bizarre and wonderful and just such a fun read. I think about this fic daily.

Werewolves

we decided not to kill the wolves (we wanted to be wolves) by crossingwinter. (E, Fantasy, 32K) A pack of wolves lives in the woods to the north of Raddus and as winter looms, they have their eyes set on Leia Organa’s stronghold. Rey may be new to Raddus, but she’s not about to do nothing while it may be in danger. And besides, Poe must be exaggerating about wolves the size of bears. She’s not afraid of monsters.

Howl by monsterleadmehome. (E, modern, 2K) When Ben Solo is trying to earn Eagle Scout status, he spends a night alone in the woods. A chance encounter with a werewolf girl named Rey leaves an impression. Ten years later, he runs into her again and this time, they're all grown up.

#reylo #reylo fic rec #reylo fic recs #monster fucker #not even sorry #i use the term monsterfucker with nothing but love #we don't kink shame here #you want tentacles? I got tentacles #reylo monster fics

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alexboehm55144 · 3 years

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Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex , Chapter 36 - The Island

"One hostile spotted," Skye said, scanning the island shore with her scoped rifle. "He's alone."

"That's a long shot, though." Captain Boehm noted.

"I got it. Thankfully the water isn't too choppy."

The fox aimed down her scope, but she was not only looking at the target visually.

Skye squeezed the trigger, the projectile zipping across the water and hitting the head of a Chinese soldier, putting him down.

"That was really good," JayJay said, the boat the team was in continuing to advance towards the shore.

"Foxes can use the Earth's magnetic field to gauge distance and more accurately hit their targets."

"Oh yeah, I heard unevolved foxes use that to help with hunting."

"I guess that explains why there are so many fox sharpshooters," Alex said.

The boat reached the shore and the team disembarking onto a pavement tarmac with large fuel silos nearby.

"Isn't this where it all started?" JayJay asked. "This war?"

"Yep, this is where the Chinese fired on a US warship, sparking off this war," Alex said.

"Main building should be over there," Jack whispered, pointing past the silos to some structures on the other side of a runway.

"Alright, let's get in, get the data, and get out."

The four mammals slowly advanced through a maintenance area containing pumping equipment and storage crates. The whole team was dressed in jet black camouflage uniforms, complete with hoods and capes to further obscure their forms from detection. JayJay had even dyed her fur an ashen light gray for this mission, and the whole island was shrouded with overcast cloud formations. The entire area was dreary and gray in color, from the storm clouds overhead to the rough tarmac to the unassuming buildings made of standard concrete.

Skye pointed ahead towards a Chinese human soldier that blocked the team's path, the trooper's back to the Heroes. Captain Boehm moved forward, stowing his rifle on his back and drawing his carbon fiber knife. He snuck up behind the trooper and, in a flash, struck. The Heroes leader covered their mouth with his hand and plunged the blade into their neck.

The captain dragged the trooper back and tossed the body behind some small containers, and the team continued ahead.

"Look over there," Jack whispered, pointing out at the tarmac. "They must be doing maintenance on their planes."

Chinese fighter jets and bombers sat out in the open on the runway, surrounded by maintenance equipment and technical personnel.

"We can use that to cut across the runway," Skye noted.

"I'll take point," Alex said. "Follow my lead, and stay low. Skye and JayJay, keep your tails down and matted."

The four mammals slowly moved out onto the tarmac, taking cover behind a fuel truck. They could hear the technicians chatting and discussing their work.

As they paused for a moment, Skye stabbed the fuel tank with her knife, and there was a slight gurgling noise as a stream of fuel started to leak out. Every bit of gear destroyed now was one less thing the Chinese could use in combat.

The human captain peeked around the corner and took note of where the technical personnel were, before quickly moving under a parked jet, his team following suit.

Maintenance crews walked back and forth nearby, oblivious to the US soldiers sitting nearby. If someone turned in their direction and looked under the jet, they would be spotted.

Jack breathed rhythmically, calming his nerves. As a ZIA agent, this wasn't his first time in hostile territory on a stealth mission.

Once the coast was clear again, the team moved quickly. Going from under the jet to a ditch on the other side of the tarmac.

Skye pointed out two more guards standing near the door to a building.

"I've got the one on the left, on my shot," Alex whispered.

"I got the one on the right."

"3... 2... 1..."

Two silenced shots went out in unison, the guards dropping at the same time.

The team began to advance, but suddenly, alarm sirens went off, the high-pitched whine bringing everyone to alert.

"What? Is that us? But how?" JayJay asked.

"Ok, plan B." Alex said, "Jack, Skye, you take those 2 structures."

The human pointed to a pair of buildings a dozen or so meters away.

"I'll take that building."

He pointed to a military building that was closer to the group.

"JayJay, you take that building."

He pointed to a larger and unassuming building sitting near the tarmac.

"Once you find any reports or hard drives, call it in!"

"Will do, be safe, everyone!" Jack said, the 4 mammals splitting up and going in separate directions.

"Team B! Launch!" The captain said into his radio.

Offshore, another rubber boat began to move at top speed towards the shore, purposely trying not to be stealthy at all.

The boat hit the beach, and the 6 warriors inside, Eris, Laval, Kion, Jasiri, Nick, and Judy, all jumped out into battle. They were all dressed in the black special forces uniforms that team A was also wearing.

Team B immediately opened fire on the Chinese forces that had assembled near the tarmac, forcing the hostile troops to run for cover.

"Team B! Squad on your left!" Toothdee said through the radio.

Jasiri and Kion turned to their left to see more hostile troopers advancing. Still, knowing the hostile troops were coming, the pair swiftly struck them down with gunfire and sword strikes.

"Thanks Toothdee!" Kion said.

"No problem, I'll keep providing overwatch via satellites and drones."

The group continued advancing, gunning down and slicing through hostile soldiers in their path. The Chinese forces were no match for a group of experienced and prepared Heroes.

While most enemy troopers were becoming fodder for the reaper, a group of veteran troops had coalesced around the airplanes in the center of the tarmac, firing back with mounted machine guns.

The group of heroes took cover in ditches or behind structures, bullets whizzing by.

"Toothdee! Launch a cruise missile! Leave nothing but rubble and ash!" Eris said into her radio.

"Affirmative! Requesting targeting!" The Heroes commander aboard the typhoon said.

"Jasiri! You have the targeting laser! Mark a target for the missile!"

Jasiri tucked one of her pistols into its holster, reached into a pouch on her belt, and pulled out a large laser pointer. The activated the laser and pointed its sharp green beam towards the group of Chinese soldiers engaging the group.

"Target marked!" Jasiri said.

"Affirmative, coordinates received," Toothdee said, "launching missile."

A large missile blasted out of a compartment on the typhoon and shot into the sky, quickly nearing the Chinese-controlled island.

"We should get down," Eris said, crouching and using a wing to cover herself and another to cover Laval.

The deafening sound of a jet engine grew closer and closer before the missile turned sharply and dove toward the ground. It impacted the veteran Chinese formation in the center, obliterating soldiers and causing debris from equipment to fly into the air with a massive boom. A bright orange fireball lighting up the dark, gray world.

"Wow," Nick said, "that's an impressive firework."

While most of Heroes continued to battle against the Chinese forces on the island, JayJay had reached her assigned structure. She found a door for medium-sized mammals such as herself and tried to open it, but the door was locked, forcing the wolf to bust the barrier down with a powerful kick.

She entered the darkened building, peering through the shadowy veil with her night vision. It was a warehouse containing boxes of equipment and supplies, containers of oil, among other materials.

But before the wolf could continue to investigate, all of a sudden, she was struck from behind. Adrenaline and instinct kicked in as JayJay retaliated with an elbow jab and kick, leaping away from her attacker and spinning around to face them.

It was like looking into a mirror. The one who had attacked JayJay was her counterpart. Also sporting light gray fur and clad in an armored black outfit built for combat and tactical use.

But JayJay noticed something else her counterpart had and felt a lack of something around her waist.

"My belt!" JayJay said, looking down at her own waist and looking at the weapons and gear now in her counterpart's paws.

"It's mine now." Dark JayJay said, "Did you really think you and your friends could sneak onto this island undetected? I'm a wolf. I recognized your scent the minute you stepped on this island. After all, we have met before. I know your scent."

"You disgust me. I look at you and wonder what the hell happened to that version of me."

"You chose to bottle up your rage. I chose to embrace it. If you ask me, what your doing isn't very healthy at all. I wonder what your boyfriend will think when he finds out about this dark side."

"No! He accepts me, despite my flaws. He loves me."

"And he will never see you again!"

Dark JayJay raised her counterpart's SMG and opened fire. Still, JayJay dodged before the attack could hit and retreated into the depths of the warehouse.

"You won't hide from me!" Dark JayJay said as she kicked over a storage shelf next to the door. The object and its contents falling down in front of the exit.

"Alex!" JayJay whispered into her radio as she hid behind some oil drums and watched her counterpart prowl around the warehouse. "I'm in trouble! My counterpart is here! She stole my weapons!"

"What?! Ok, I'm coming. Just hang on till I get there."

"I'm trapped in here with her!"

"You're stronger than her. Evade her and strike if you can. Claws and paws are still dangerous tools."

JayJay disconnected the call and moved from where she was, just as her counterpart passed by.

"Come on, JayJay..." the wolf thought to herself. "Your ancestor fought in world war 1. You can do this!"

The young hero scurried under a storage shelf and got behind her counterpart. She grabbed her enemy and managed to land several good punches and kicks before her dark opposite opened fire again, forcing JayJay to retreat once again.

"You are no match for a hunter like me!" Dark JayJay yelled, firing and watching her counterpart run through the warehouse before eventually losing sight of her.

JayJay once again took cover and studied her counterpart's movements. Dark JayJay was now routinely checking behind her, watching out for any more surprise assaults. But while she was looking behind her, she wasn't looking down near her feet. Thinking quick, JayJay slid under a storage shelf with tools on it, grabbing a metal pressure gauge and tossing it nearby.

Dark JayJay heard the noise and moved to investigate, which is when JayJay made her move. The wolf grabbed her counterpart's legs and pulled, causing her enemy to fall to the ground. With her opponent stunned, the warrior jumped out from under the shelves, grabbed a wrench, and smacked her counterpart multiple times with it.

Red drops of blood flew through the air as JayJay managed to land some good strikes on her enemy. Still, the villainous wolf managed to kick her counterpart away and once again fired wildly, attempting to hit her attacker.

JayJay ran on all fours, shots whizzing nearby as she widened the gap between the two wolves.

Once she was safe again, the Heroes operative studied her opponent again, looking for an opening. Dark JayJay had wised up again. Now, in addition to looking behind her, she was keeping an eye on her feet. Wary of attacks from below. But not above.

JayJay began to climb up one of the shelves, this one holding heavy metal containers. Every step was tedious, going slow, so she didn't make any noise and alert her counterpart.

When her counterpart passed below, JayJay grabbed one of the containers and jumped down. She slammed the container into Dark JayJay's head, knocking her down to the ground, before pouncing on top of the wolf and slashing at her with a swarm of claw strikes.

JayJay was in a furious rage, determined to destroy her counterpart once and for all. And when her anger faded, it was done. Dark JayJay lay dead, covered in claw marks and staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression on her face.

The heroic wolf wondered how close she was to ending up in the same position, lying dead while her counterpart claimed victory.

Footsteps approached, and JayJay turned to see captain Boehm moving closer and closer, rifle at the ready, inspecting the two wolves.

But both mammals looked the same, which one was heroic and virtuous, and which one was cold and filled with malice.

The captain took one look at the victorious wolf and saw something in her eyes. He somehow knew that she was his, that this was the virtuous and sweet-hearted JayJay. But, also being a logical and cautious man, he spoke up.

"What did you do that prompted me to say 'ow' and wonder what you were doing?"

"I was nibbling on your ear! And I told you it was a wolf thing."

The captain immediately stowed his rifle on his back and reached down to help JayJay up.

"Are you ok?" The captain asked.

"I'm fine..." JayJay said, reclaiming her weapons, "... I did it."

"She was no a match for you. I knew you could do it..."

The captain put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's strange, though. She looks just like me. It's like seeing myself lying dead somewhere."

"I know. These counterparts are like a glimpse into some dark part of the soul. Sowing nothing but destruction and despair."

There was a pause, the pair reflecting on these counterparts and looking at the wolf lying dead on the floor.

"But if today is any proof...." Alex said, ".... good has triumphed over evil."

"Thank you."

The moment was interrupted when Jacks's voice came through the radio.

"Alex, I've recovered a set of documents marked with... what I think are classification markers? I can't tell. It's in another language."

Skye chimed in as well.

"I've found some documents and hard drives. I managed to bag them."

"Ok, in that case..." The captain said, opening the radio channel to all heroes, "both teams return to the boats. We have what we need."

000

A few days later, everyone was assembled in the briefing room on the typhoon.

"This is like a crowd of school kids," Toothdee said to Alex, looking out at their friends and comrades.

These mammals weren't exactly the most professional people in the world. Even though they were awaiting an essential official briefing, they weren't really paying attention.

Haida, Retsuko, and Judy were busy talking, JayJay was bushing her fur, and Nick was busy munching on some blueberries.

Meanwhile, Laval and Eris were hugging while Jasiri and Kion watched something on their phones.

Even Jack and Skye, who were trying to set up something on the presentation screen, were busy flirting and teasing each other as they worked.

"I kinda like it." Alex said, "it makes our little band of warriors feel more alive, and like actual people with lives, traits, and quirks."

"Heh, That we can agree on."

"Ok! The screen is working now." Skye said.

"Alright, EVERYONE! ATTENTION, PLEASE!" Toothdee said, and the room Immediately quieted down as everyone focused.

"Well, at least they are attentive when they need to be." Alex joked, getting a small chuckle out of Toothdee.

"As you know, we recovered documents and servers from the Chinese facility on the island we raided a few days ago. With the help of the ZIA, federal authorities have gone through the recovered data, and the necessary information is what you will see today. Remember, this island is where the war began, and what you're about to hear is radio traffic from that day."

Toothdee clicked a button on a remote. A portion of a radio call started to play, having been translated by the ZIA.

"Weapons locked on US warship. Preparing to fire."

"Hostile warship is readying its weapons."

"Dispatching interception team."

"Hostile warship is firing warning shots, returning fire."

"Direct hit on enemy vessel."

Murmurs went through the group of mammals in the briefing room. What they were hearing was the event that started this war—the first battle in this conflict.

"But there is more..." Toothdee continued, "according to reports we discovered, it is believed that our dark counterparts instigated this attack."

A gasp and another round of murmurs went through the group of mammals.

"We know more about the depth of our counterpart's involvement with the Chinese, but a lot remains hidden."

"Do we know where the counterparts come from?" Kion asked.

"Not yet, but there is only one counterpart left. We're on the cusp of eliminating this threat entirely."

Alex chimed in to make a vow, a guarantee to his friends, and maybe even the world that the threat posed by these dark doubles would be wiped away.

"I'll see to it personally that my counterpart is destroyed."

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lindsay-kate · 3 years

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Chapter One I'm Gonna Do It

"I'm gonna do it," Kion whispered. Nora gave him a strange look.

"Do what, exactly?"

"Run away. Like I've always talked about, you know. So I can find my mom." His voice was filled with excitement, even though he was actually extremely nervous just thinking about the idea.

"Oh, really? Didn't you say that a couple of weeks ago, and, I don't know, a million other times before?" She grinned. He frowned, growing a bit angry. She continued. "Just suck it up and accept that this is your life, and you can't change that." She turned back to the book she had been reading. He stuck his hands into his pockets and glanced around at the room he was standing in.

He had spent so much of his life in the library. When you lived in a stronghold in the middle of a war, there wasn't much to do, so reading was a good way to pass the time. Every person in every book did something great and wonderful. But he wasn't anything like them. All he wanted was to find his mother. He knew it was selfish, but he also knew she could stop the war. But that still had nothing to do with why he wanted her.

"Nora, I'm serious. I'm gonna do it."

She shut her book and sighed. "Kion, be reasonable, please. Just forget about the whole idea." It was the same refrain she had repeated all the other times he had said he was going to run away.

"You don't understand. I cannot just forget it." He answered, and Nora's eyes widened.

"Oh," she whispered, realization spreading across her face. "But, I mean- she could be- you might not even be able to find her."

"There is still a chance. If I don't try, I will never know." He glanced at her, looking away when he saw her worried expression.

"People have been trying to find them for years, Kion, and none of them have been able to. What makes you think your trip will be any different?"

"Well, for one" - he held up a finger - "none of them were the son of one a guardian. And number two, I have powers, dummy." He resisted the urge to reach out and flick her on the head.

"Well, what if they're dead? I mean, would the guardians really just sit around while a war is going on?" She made it sound like he had never thought of the possibility that his mother was dead. "And why are youso unhappy? I mean, you have an awesome dad." He could tell she was trying to make him feel guilty.

"I'm doing it, and you can't talk me out of it." He took a step back, hoping to bring this conversation to an end.

"I don't want to be your enemy, Kion." She paused and sighed. "I guess I'll help you find a way out of the stronghold." She glanced around the room and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "After dinner, I'll handle everything. All you have to do is find a way to get them to open the door."

He was about to thank her when something clattered behind him. He whirled around and realized that someone had knocked a stack of books off a desk. "Oops," a voice whispered, and Paisley's surprised face appeared behind the overturned books.

"Paisley, how long have you been hiding there?" Nora's voice was thunder.

"I dunno. A while? Mom is looking for me 'cause I broke something, and then Kion came in, and you guys started talking, and then I started listening, and then..." She trailed off, grinning mischievously. "You're gonna be in trouble when I tell mom."

"Pais, please don't tell," Kion pleaded.

"It's going to cost you," she said haughtily.

Nora bit her lip. "What do we have to do?"

"Tell mom that you're the one who broke the picture, and I won't tell," Paisley said a smug grin on her face.

"No way."

"Then I'm telling," she said and took a step towards the door.

"Fine, I'll do it," Nora panicked.

Paisley walked over and grabbed Nora's arm."Good. Now, let's go -- you have been a very bad girl."

Kion bit his lip and unsuccessfully attempted to cover up his laughter. He watched Paisley and Nora walk down the hall, and worry encompassed him once again. He spent most of that afternoon layingfacedown on his bed with the blankets wrapped around him, thinking. Well, to be more specific, dreading what he was about to do.

"What was I thinking." He whispered, though no one else was in the room. He knew if he backed out, Nora would never stop teasing him about it. That wasn't an option. He kept his eyes on the clock, waiting for the moment that he was going to go downstairs and eat dinner with his family for the last time. "I am stupid," he breathed, finally agreeing with Nora, though she would never know it.

"Kion." His dad knocked on the door. "Are you going to come downstairs for dinner?"

"Er, yes, I'm coming." He slowly sat up and looked at the clock. He walked over and took it off the wall. "Seriously, five minutes behind," he said to the clock, forgetting that his dad was at the door.

"Um, who are you talking to?"

Without thinking, he blurted, "Just my clock."

"Okay," his father said, obviously unsure. "I'll see you downstairs."

He waited until he was sure his dad was downstairs and then opened the door. He was sure he was going to puke while drudging downstairs and into the dining hall. The room was so dull the stone walls screamed in desperation for something to be hung on them, and the only thing in the entire room was a table. No rug, no nothing. He sat down and looked at his plate. Suddenly, he wasn't hungry.

"So did anything new happen today?" His father asked.

He slouched in his seat. "Umm, nope, not really." He prayed they would just sit there in silence and eat.

"Kion, you should really talk more clearly. And- dear, you're slouching." His Grandmother folded her napkin neatly into her lap, looking at him with a disappointed expression on her face.

He hadn't even noticed he had been slouching. He sat up, and she smiled approvingly. Why did she expect so much from him? He was never going to be perfect, but she didn't seem to acknowledge that.And she had never been as strict with Paisley and Nora as she was with him.

"Elenor, did anything new happen today for you?"

"I already apologized for the picture," Nora said, looking at her hands.

Paisley smiled "You shouldn't talk to people with such an attitude."

"Shut up!" Nora muttered, loud enough for Pais to hear.

"Make me," Paisley shot back.

"Elenor, Paisley," Grandmother and Aunt Summer both scolded them at the same time.

"May I be excused," Nora asked, glancing at Kion.

Anger swelled in Aunt Summer's voice. "Why are you looking at Kion? It isn't his decision whether or not you may be excused."

"Well, Mother, may I be excused?"

Aunt Summer hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. "You may."

When Nora was gone he started to ask if he could leave, and his father interrupted him.

"No, Kion, you may not be excused."

"Yes, sir," he whispered. He forced himself to take a few bites of his food then waited for a moment.

"You can leave," his father sighed.

He stood up and walked down the hallway, and just as he rounded the first corner, someone reached out and grabbed him.

"Ugh, took you long enough. Let's go," Nora whispered.

She took him by the wrist and tugged him to the front of the stronghold. While they were still out of earshot of the guard who was guarding the front door.

"Alright, first you have to find a way to get them to open the door. Then I'll distract him so you can slip out the door. Once you're outside, you're on your own."

It was at that moment that he realized it was too late to change his mind. He was actually doing this. He was running away.Kion shut his eyes and instantly could feel the thoughts of all the plants around him. Now, if he could concentrate he might be able to find one that was outside. And...there! He found a tree that had roots that were close to the door. He shut his eyes even tighter and thought desperately at the tree, Grow just a little bigger. After a moment, it did. Well, more than a little; it grew so much that it actually came through the floor of the stronghold. The guard jumped away from the door and slowly stepped back towards it. Then he opened it.

"Ahem, aren't you supposed to ask before you open the door?" Nora cleared her throat, approaching the guard. She was in front of him before he had time to shut it.

"Umm, I was just..."

"Just what?" Kion thought Nora was being a bit mean but what did he know?

He kinda felt sorry for the guard, he didn't know that Nora was deliberately giving a hard time, he was just doing his job. Nora had begun walking down the hall and telling the guard that she was gonna tell Grandfather what he had done. Nora looked in his direction and locked eyes with him. Her stare was like ice, and she nodded slightly towards the now unguarded door.

"You'll be in less trouble if you tell him yourself." She said to the guard and he hurried away. She walked over and grabbed his arm. Her ice look had faded, and now she just looked worried. She picked up a bag that he hadn't noticed before and handed it to him.

"You being a big dummy and all probably forgot to pack anything so I took the liberty and did it myself." She faltered, "Don't die."

"I'll try to avoid that."

She was practically pushing him towards the door, and then she stopped, "I didn't think you'd actually go through with it." Her voice cracked, "I thought you'd back out, but-but here we are."

She hugged him which was a total surprise considering she hadn't hugged him since they were really little. She pulled the door open, hetook a breath, and stepped out. The sudden chill of the air shocked him, slapping against his skin. He jumped when the door thudded shut behind him. He felt a sort of freedom he had never felt before. A huge part of him wanted to whirl around and bang on the door, but he didn't because an even bigger part of him wanted to find his mother.

He forced himself to tear his stare away from the door and gazed out at the forest. He hesitated for a brief moment before walking to the line of trees nearby the door and set about finding a place to sleep. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness of the forest, but when they did, he was shocked. There were so many plants. how had he never known that there was a forest this close to the stronghold? He could thank his father and grandparents for that. The only light that the forest had was the dim light that it got from the moon through the canopy. He had never realized how alive a forest could be, the sun was already down, but there was still so much going on. He could hear the crickets chirping. And the sound of the grass rustling as all the nocturnal animals awake from their daytime slumber seemed to have surrounded him. After he walked what he felt was a good distance away from the stronghold, he sat down next to a tree and gradually dozed off. He woke up when he felt something on his shoulder. He blinked open his eyes. He saw the figure of someone sat down beside him. He gave his eyes a moment to readjust to the light again, and when he realized who was beside him, he froze.

Please tell me what you think and be honest if there is something you don't like tell me.

#my writing #chapter #critique #beta reader

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essoreese · 5 years

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Silence Ritual Chapter 1 - A Deal With the Devil

(AN/ Heyo guys, Esso here and this is my first story; Silence Ritual. Now firt thing's first, although I already mentioned this in the description, this is a spinoff of Take A Stand: The Broken Mirror by Garouge Faux / @crewefox. It's also a direct sequel to that story so if you haven't read it, please do before reading this. This fic will be around 20 chapters and while it doesn't have a strict update schedule, I will try to update it at least twice a month. So without any further ado, let's begin the Silence Ritual.)

special thanks to @helthehatter for letting me use her OC, Kodi Jones.

here’s a link to the fic: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13396893/1/Silence-Ritual

and here’s a link to The Broken Mirror, in case you haven’t read it: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12973009/1/Take-A-Stand-The-Broken-Mirror

Chapter 1: A Deal With The Devil

It was almost 9:30am in Zootopia. Despite being late summer the weather was surprisingly cool. And while most mammals were out, enjoying the weather, a brown-furred bunny running like her life depended on it certainly did not fit in with the surrounding atmosphere. "Shit! I'm so damn late." she cursed under her breath as she made her way to the bank. She had just arrived at the front door of Zootopia first national bank but before she could enter, she was knocked back by three figures. By the time she got herself off the ground, the trio was already speeding away in a white van.

In said van a female hyena took off her mask, looked at duffle bags full of cash her and her partners were holding and cheered "Hell yeah! Hahahaha, that was awesome!"

"Shut up!" a male ram shouted at her. "How 'bout we lose the cops, then we can celebrate all we want." He then turned his attention to the driver. "They still followin' us?"

"Nope." The zebra behind the wheel returned. "Should be smooth sailing from he-"

***CRASH***

The van had somehow swerved off the road and hit a lamp post. The group of robbers got out with ease, none of them were injured.

"What the shit, dude?!" shouted the hyena before pushing the zebra driver "You could've killed us!"

"I didn't do shit! The van just swerved!" the zebra retaliated, clearly rattled by the crash.

"Screw that noise! The hell do you mean it just swerved?" the ram said while trying his best not to kick his accomplice's teeth in.

The trio kept arguing for a few more seconds until another mammal, a buff female leopard, stepped out of the vehicle.

"ENOUGH!" she screamed before adding "We got the money. Let's get out of here before the pigs arrive, and then you can beat up this idiot."

"I keep telling you, I didn't do this! I didn't crash the fu-" the zebra tried to explain, but was stopped mid-sentence when a small piece of metal hit him in the temple, knocking him out cold.

Before any of the other crooks could react, a dozen more metal plates began flying around them. First, two of them enveloped the ram's hands and effortlessly magnetized him onto the crashed van. Then one wrapped itself around the hyena's foot and dragged her across the street until it latched onto a lamppost, leaving her hanging upside down. The rest of the plates began spinning around the leopard. One by one, they began binding her hands, eventually sending her flying towards a sewer grate. Now that all of them were immobilized, an ocelot in his late teens came out from a nearby alley. He was dressed rather plainly, with a black hoodie and torn jeans and would seem completely normal if he didn't have several small pieces of metal levitating around his arms.

"C'mon, cut him some slack, I didn't even give him a chance to control the van" he taunted the leopard.

"Who the hell are you?" she spat while trying to remove her arms from the sewer grate they were stuck to.

"Look, I'ma make it real simple for you dum-dums," he snickered "you did crime, so I glued your asses for the cops to handle."

"What the hell?!" the hyena barked in rage "what did you do to me you freak!"

"You aren't very bright, are you?" the ocelot said condescendingly "let me give you the TLDR, name's Steelswarm, I control metal, I got a tip that you were robbing a bank so I decided to have some fun with you all."

"Like hell you got a tip, you're too young to be a cop! Cut the crap!" yelled the ram.

"I didn't say i was a cop, moron" Steelswarm sighed as he pulled a small star shaped badge from one of his pockets "I'm with Ceartais and you are sooooo fu-" he tried to taunt but was cut off by a thud to the back of his head. The zebra had woken up and had taken the opportunity to knock the gloating vigilante out.

When Steelswarm came to the four robbers we're standing over him, when he was knocked out he lost control of all the metal plates that were holding the crooks.

"Ya dun goofed, kid and now you're gonna pay for screwing around!" the hyena snickered before putting a paw to her face, which began to transform into that of a wolf with golden fur. She fished a pair of glasses out of her pocked and put them on before saying;

"OK, first of all you didn't call for backup once you got the tip."

"Sorry, Clara." the ocelot murmured, still in pain.

"You didn't even try to restrain me after knocking me out!" complained the zebra, as it's face morphed to that of a red fox.

"Sorry, Luna." Steelswarm groaned .

"And what's with all the gloating?" said the "ram" as his body transformed to that of a wolf with black and white fur. "Those restraints were weak, I could've knocked you out myself if you had come any closer."

"Sorry, Kodi" Steelswarm added, sinking further into the ground.

"Overall, that was pretty sloppy" said the fox/bunny hybrid that now stood in the leopard's place "but I'll give you points for the van crash. Also Steelswarm? Dope name."

"Sorr- I mean thanks Robyn." the ocelot stuttered out.

"OK, Bella, simulation over." said Kodi as the city around them began to dematerialize and they were left in a blank room.

Kodi helped the ocelot to his feet before saying, "OK, you have good control over your powers but your communication still needs work. Also you need to pay more attention during combat..."

"Yeah, figures..." groaned Steelswarm "so... same time next week?"

"Yup!" said Clara while looking at her tablet "Oh, but you'll be training with Regina and Hannah then."

"Sweet! See ya then, guys!" yipped the ocelot as he walked towards the elevator.

000

In the six months since Doom's defeat, the entire base had been revamped. The training area was now bigger and had simulations about dealing with situations regarding mammals with powers. A lot of them still had trouble controlling their new abilities and that was causing some issues around the city. Some of the mammals who had a better grasp on their powers chose to use them for crime, since neither the ZPD nor the MCB were properly prepared for dealing with them. A few others either wanted to join Ceartais or start their own vigilante teams. And while Ceartais usually wouldn't entertain the idea of letting anyone join in, but Olivia and Kion had left and Alice was on maternity leave, so the team was missing it's powerhouses. And despite Regina, Harper and Clara all joining the team, they were still rookies and needed supervision. So Kodi felt like had no choice but to start a training program for any empowered mammal willing to join them.

The four mammals sat in the main area of the bunker, almost ready to discuss their patrol positions for the night. They were soon joined by another hybrid, this one more closely resembling an arctic fox, bar the black stripes on her ears and tail.

"Hi, Hannah!" Robyn waved enthusiastically.

"Hi!" the hybrid responded as she made her way to the empty seat next to Clara.

"So we're waiting for Regina and Harper?" Kodi asked just as the elevator to the bunker opened.

Out of it walked a horse and a deer, holding hands. The mare was wearing a black summer dress while the buck wore a green polo shirt and torn jeans.

"Hey, sorry were late. Got held up at home." the deer, Harper, spoke.

"It's OK." Kodi said nonchalantly, before scanning the room.

"Everyone's here so," Kodi started, ready to give out the night's assignments "Me, Hannah and Regina will take Savannah Central and Downtown, there has been a string of robberies and witnesses claim that they were done by empowered mammals. "

"Robyn, you and Clara take Tundra Town. Harper and Luna you have the Rainforest District covered and Bella has Spitfire bots patrolling Sahara Square. Everyone OK with the positions?" the wolf asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Despite that, Clara seemed to be bothered by something and as soon as everyone went to gear up, she pulled Kodi aside.

"Hey, you got a sec?" the she-wolf asked quietly.

"Oh, I got more than a "sec"." Kodi said teasingly, as he pulled Clara closer.

"What?! No, not THAT kind of sec! Not at work!" Clara exclaimed "Also, Luna will find us... again."

"Awww... OK." Kodi pouted, feigning disappointment. "What is this about then?"

"Kodi, it's been six months. Why aren't you putting Robyn and Hannah on patrol together?" Clara asked.

"Well... because with you, Regina and Harper being new recruits I want an ori-" the wolf started talking but was interrupted by his girlfriend.

"Don't lie to me, Kodi. You suck at it." Clara huffed "What's really going on?"

"OK look..." Kodi sighed "the city's gone to shit again, there's empowered mammals everywhere, running the training program is stressful and honestly, Robbie and Hannah have been doing OK on their own."

"Who are you trying to fool?" the she-wolf said, somewhat agitated "They're growing apart. I haven't heard Hannah call Robyn "princess" in two weeks. They need to get through this Ronin thing."

"Yes I know... but I just don't want to bring it up. Robyn is still pissed at me for helping with the plan, and I don't think she could ever trust me or Hannah completely again. I can't risk another serious fight between the team. Not while the city needs us." Kodi tried defending himself.

"...You know that's gonna come back and bite you in the ass, right? Like, you're aware that if they find out you're keeping them apart intentionally they're gonna kill you?" Clara asked, knowing that she didn't have the time to argue with her mate.

"Probably..." Kodi returned, looking sullen.

"Look, I know this isn't easy. But you promised that you would mend the team's wounds and you aren't doing yourself any favours right now. It's way too late to change positions now but please at least consider giving them a few assignments together." Clara said before hugging her boyfriend.

"I will. I just don't wanna screw this up..." Kodi answered.

000

The Wave was without a doubt one of the biggest tragedies to hit Zootopia. Even six years later, a lot of the damage was still present. There were still parts of Sahara Square and Tundra Town that were uninhabitable, and there was barely anyone left to even live in Little Rodentia. There was one part of Zootopia that was largely unaffected by The Wave, however; Outback Island. Despite being relatively small, it still housed over 50,000 mammals and was home of the first functioning prison for empowered mammals. The facility could hold up to 500 inmates, and for the last six months, it was Esso Reese's home.

The lynx thought that The Cauldron was a hellhole, but this was worse. She could not use her powers, thanks to the modified shock collar that had been on her neck ever since she arrived there. Any of the activities that helped her deal with The Cauldron were useless here. She couldn't listen to music, her snarky attitude had put her in solitary more than once, and while she could still technically take bets on the other inmates... it was highly discouraged unless she wanted to find herself on the receiving end of a shank. The worst part, however, was the loneliness. None of the mammals she met on the Cauldron could visit her as they were witnesses in her case. And none of the imprisoned mammals wanted anything to do with her. She was laying in bed, just hoping for the sentencing piece to come as soon as possible so she could finally know how much longer did she have to endure this for, when one of the guards approached her cell.

"Reese, your lawyer is here." the rhino said in a stern tone.

The two headed to a small area, similar to an interrogation room. Her lawyer was a pig in a beige suit and he was already waiting for them. As soon as they entered, the rhino locked the door, in case the lynx wanted to try something stupid.

"Hello, Sabrina" the pig started, in his usual dull tone "how are you holding up?"

"Well other than the food and coffee being shit, the guards being abusive, everyone hating me and the crushing loneliness... ten outta ten. Also call me Esso." the lynx replied with what she wanted to be sarcasm but in the end it just came out flat and broken.

"Please, please, please tell me you got good news." she continued.

"Well, given the circumstances, I don't think the jury is in your favour." the pig returned.

"Sweet. Awesome. Love to hear it... how much am I looking at?" Esso barely managed to get out as she put her hear in her arms.

"Twenty five years minimum."

"Lovely..."

At this point Esso could not sink any lower. She just huddled in her chair and tried her best to hide her tears. "Just... absolutely lovely."

"There is another option. You could plead insanity." the lawyer tried to calm her down.

"What for? So they'll throw me in an mental asylum for the rest of my life instead of a prison?" the lynx snapped.

"Please, Sabrina, calm down." the pig tried to reason.

"Screw that!" Esso shouted, gaining the guard's attention. "I was kidnapped, almost killed several times and thrown in here for some bullshit that I didn't even know I did!"

"They have body cam footage, I can't jus-" her lawyer cut in.

"Now I'm either gonna be stuck here or in the looney bin until I croak, because I was forced into a cult six years ago! Also for the umpteenth time, call me Ess-" the lynx ranted until her shcok collar delivered a painful sting to her neck, which brought her to her knees.

"You know what?" Esso said through sobs "Just... do whatever... I don't give a shit. Guard, I'm done here."

The rhino guard guided Esso back to her cell. As soon as the door locked behind her, she collapsed into her bed started crying. She had no options left. It felt like hours before the same guard unlocked her cell.

"Reese, someone wants to see you." he said in his usual monotone.

"...what?" the lynx murmured as she got out of bed.

Esso walked the same path she just took. She was wondering who could possibly be visiting her. Her parents were dead, the other mammals from the Cauldron couldn't see her and she barely had any friends in Zootopia.

When she entered the small room, she was greeted by two mammals. One she already knew and hated. It was Skye Savage, the director of the MCB. The arctic fox sat uncomfortably in a one of the chairs and looked at Esso with disdain. The other was a maned wolf she had never seen before. He was wearing a burgundy suit with a matching tie.

"Skye..." Esso sneered at the fox "came to see your favourite little psycho?"

"Shut up and sit down!" Skye barked failing to contain her anger.

"Who's your boyfriend there?" Esso continued to prod. "You want an audience while you scream at me?"

"Now listen here you-" Skye said in a low growl before she was interrupted by the maned wolf clearing his throat.

"Please control yourself Mrs. Savage." the other mammal spoke calmly. "Now, Ms. Reese, or do you prefer Esso?"

"Esso is fine." the lynx replied, puzzled by the current situation.

"Noted." the maned wolf said as he pulled out a tablet from within his suit and started typing. "I have a proposition that you might be interested in."

"Ooooh, let me guess" Esso mocked "you wanna transfer me to an underground super prison, or some off the grid looney bin to lobotomize me?"

"Heh heh, I love your sense of humour." the maned wolf feigned a laugh. "No, I'm a representative of Ashe Incorporated, or Ashecorp. for short. We are an elite company that specializes in research into mammals with extraordinary abilities."

"Oh, so you don't wanna lobotomize me, just experiment on me. Dandy." Esso said sarcastically.

"Not the case at all Ms. Esso. We were made aware of your "outburst" six months ago." the wolf returned as calm as ever, "We want to harness your powers not only to better understand these new abilities mammals have gotten, but to also better the city of Zootopia and, potentially, the world."

"OK cut the crap, what kind of cult is this?" Esso snickered.

"We're not a cult Ms. Esso." the maned wolf answered "I understand why you would be wary of us, but given your current situation I don't think you have a better option. Especially since you haven't heard the benefits of joining us."

Esso looked at the maned wolf, now much more attentive.

"What benefits?"

The maned wolf had a small smile on his face now.

"Well for starters, you'll get full immunity."

"Bullshit." Esso said under her breath. "As if Resting Bitchface McGee over there would allow it."

"Oh, but she already did." the maned wolf produced a piece of paper and a ballpoint pen from his suit and gave it to the lynx. It appeared to be some sort of contract and while Esso couldn't recognize any of the signatures, the fact that Skye wasn't objecting to this made her believe that whoever that maned wolf was, he was being serious.

"You'll also get combat and self-defense training, paid accommodation in any hotel throughout Zootopia and access to any empowered mammal's data. All you have to do is sign the contract." the maned wolf continued, still calm but clearly more excited than usual.

"I... what's the catch?" Esso stammered.

"Well, in return, you'll have to help Ashecorp collect more data on empowered mammals." the maned wolf replied with his usual calmness. "Or you can choose not to sign and none of this would have happened and you would be back awaiting trial. So... what's it gonna be?"

Esso didn't know what to think. It was obvious to her that this offer was too good to be true, but what other choice did she have? The lynx knew that she had no chance of walking out innocent from the trial, and all of her other options involved some type of imprisonment. Maybe this one did to but right now it seemed like her only way out of this Hell.

Esso cursed under her breath as she grabbed the pen and signed her name on the contract, on what she thought was her deal with the Devil. "I want in."

(AN/ DUN DUN DUUUUUUN! (always wanted to do this) Ceartais has started a training program. Kodi is trying his best as team leader. And Esso accepts an... interesting deal. Did you like it, did you not? Either way, please review. If you have any suggestions on how I can improve the fic, please put them in the reviews as well. Next time on Silence Ritual; Esso learns what her deal is all about, Olivia tries to balance professional and personal life and Robyn and Hannah go on their first joint mission in months. See u soon folks.)

#zootopia #zootopia fanfiction #disney #fanfic #take a stand #take a stand tbm #disney fanfiction #zootropolis

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raemanzu · 4 years

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4, 16, 20, 28

4. A character you rarely talk about?Honestly any of my characters who aren’t Clone Wars OCs… I don’t talk about as much. But the rarest ones for me to talk about are probably my old fantasy online forum RPG characters… my favorite of whom was probably Kione the healer who has a Jaguar familiar whose name escapes me. Of my more familiar RP characters I talk about Hale the least probably… he’s a smol gay blonde with some very big issues that he’s very good at ignoring lol. Like… with most of my chars I can trace their behavior back to something rational, but I still don’t know exactly where his come from, other than extreme repression… maybe he’s one of those cases where he’s just particularly vulnerable to mental health problems and doesn’t even remember whatever early trauma might have affected him.

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)? Uhhhh… hmm… oh! Medic clone OC lol Leif… he’s somewhat flambouyant, merciless in lecturing, and everyone calls him “mom”. Also Sa Eno because she’s a Kaminoan who’s studied clone biology and cybernetics for her whole adult life.

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?

Well there’s Lt Singer (lol), a clone who has been obsessed with music since he was little. He doesn’t have any particular talent for it beyond what other clones would have, but he does it to self-soothe and express himself. He got the name early because he tended to always be singing or humming stuff absentmindedly to himself. Therefore, I tend to imagine his singing voice as being understated, soft and expressive for the most part, because he doesn’t have as much opportunity to really belt it out without getting in trouble. His range of music taste is pretty diverse, but he gets totally transfixed by stuff that is melodically, harmonically, or rhythmically complex.

28. Your most dangerous OC?

Depends on who’s asking lol. Most of them aren’t indiscriminately dangerous I think. Radar (Captain of the Coruscant guard) is pretty deadly in both close-up combat and as a sniper, so you really don’t want to be on his bad side. There’s TL-89 who is a self-upgraded independent tactical droid with almost zero morals. And then there’s Ilu Bai who is dangerous because he’s a petty racist Kaminoan who has thrown literal children into incinerators for failing to meet his standards. Of the 3 I guess as a regular organic human being I’d probably feel the most nervous around TL-89 because he doesn’t have anyone he’s clearly beholden to, to keep him in line. Everyone else has some kind of culture or organization or code they’re serving, even if it’s for selfish reasons, so they’re a bit more predictable.

#thanks for asking!#ask memes #rae writes clonefic #tearlessrain #my ocs

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pawpatrolair · 5 years

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Please Don’t Be Real (A Lion Guard Fanfic) --- I was inspired by the trailer for the Hour Long Season 3 opening and so this happened-Warning for blood, character death, and a few nasty violent scenes-

Kion stood there frozen in place. There was fire everywhere. The Pride and the Guard had no way of escaping and with the fire all over the place if Kion used his roar he'd risk hurting someone. Then familiar laughter filled the air. But not the good kind. Looking down from where the cub stood in the entrance of the Lion Guard lair he saw the Hyenas running towards his home.

How the hell were they going to get through the flames without dying? Kion's eyes winded when he saw them somehow jump over the fire with ease. Then half of the Hyenas raced up to Pride Rock while the others went for the lair. "Kion! Kion!" A voice called out.

Shaking his head, the lion cub saw Fuli looking at him. "Snap out of it! The Hyenas are attacking and the rest of Scar's army might be heading this way!" Fuli yelped.

"R-Right! Let's take care of the Hyenas coming this way first. Ono can you fly over Pride Rock and see if the Pride is alright?" Kion replied. "You know it!" Ono responded, as he flew off. "Okay everyone else with me!" Kion roared, as he and the others stood in a fighting stance while the Hyenas approached the entrance. "Hello there Lion Guard!" Janja said with an evil smile.

"You won't get away this, Janja!" Kion snarled. "Oh is that right?" Janja asked as a smirk spread across his face. Suddenly Kion heard a roar of pain echo from Pride Rock. And it wasn't just any roar either... It was Simba's.

"Did you really think we came alone? The Jackals, Crocs, Vultures, the rest of my clan and even Zira's pride are attacking your family, Kion! Also it's a shame you sent Ono up there!..."

Before Kion could say anything the hole in the Lion Guard lair's ceiling had something falling down it. Beshte screamed. Bunga gasped and covered his eyes. Fuli began to shake in place and Kion felt tears watering up in his eyes. There laid Ono with almost all of his feathers pulled out, he was torn open, his eyes had been torn out and he was bleeding from what looked to be bite marks.

The guard could not move... They all stood there as Janja and the hyenas he brought with him to the lair advanced on the Guard, while screams and roars of pain could be heard from the top of Pride Rock.

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

Kion jumped to his paws as his eyes opened quickly and his breathing was heavy. Looking around the cub saw that he was in the cave of Pride Rock and his family was fast asleep. Taking a few deep breaths, Kion then left the cave and went to get a drink from the watering hole. As the cub walked through the Pride Lands he felt his breathing return to normal. Once he reached his destination Kion leaned down and took a few cool sips of water.

"Kion?"

The cub almost jumped when he heard his name and looked to see Fuli standing behind him. "O-Oh. Hi Fuli." Kion replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sleeping by the watering hole for the night and I heard something so I woke up and saw it was you. Are you alright? You don't usually come out at night."

"No... I had a really bad nightmare... And then when I woke up I figured some fresh air and some water might help me calm down." Kion responded.

"I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?" Fuli asked, as she came up to Kion and nuzzled his neck. "Y-Yeah... So the outlanders were attacking Pride Rock and our lair. They started a fire to keep us from escaping and Ono died... I'm pretty sure my dad died too... I heard him roar in pain... You, me and the rest of the guard were trapped in the lair so we couldn't save them... Somehow Scar's army got through the fire they had already started and... It was horrible. Janja also told me that Zira and her Pride were attacking my pride and family along with the Jackals, Vultures, some of his clan, and the Crocs... What made it even worse was it was at night. They've never attacked us at night before..." Kion explained.

"Oh Kion... I'm so sorry." Fuli said in a soft voice. "But hey at least it wasn't real, right?"

"Yeah... But what if it will come true? What if this nightmare was a warning of sorts? That the outlanders ARE planning an attack like that..." Kion said.

Fuli sighed and for a moment said nothing. She had often wondered if Scar's army would try something at night too. Which was why she was always having trouble sleeping as of late. "If something like that does happen it won't turn out like it did, Kion. Because we won't let Scar win no matter what." Fuli replied. "I can't lie and tell you I don't fear them attacking at night too, because I do... However as long as we all stand together everything will turn out alright."

Kion simply nodded as he stared at the ground. "Want me to come back to Pride Rock tonight?" Fuli offered. "Yes please." Kion nodded.

Fuli smiled gently at the lion cub and then followed him back to Pride Rock where the other lions were sleeping peacefully. The two cubs found a corner in the cave and snuggled up together. "Thanks, Fuli." Kion said with a yawn, before he closed his eyes and fell asleep. "Anything for you." Fuli whispered, as she licked his cheek and fell asleep as well.

As the night went on everything quiet and peaceful in the Pride Lands.

#The Lion Guard fanfic #find it and others on my ao3 account PawPatrolAir

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phoenixgirlreviews-blog · 5 years

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A Blessing In Disguise (Days Of Our Lives/General Hospital Crossover AU)

Chapter 1 – Goodbye Salem, Hello Port Charles

SALEM, ILLINOIS

THERESA DONOVAN’S APARTMENT

SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2017

8 a.m.

The alarm rang and Theresa’s eyes shot up as she quickly rose out of bed, her blondish brown hair all messy and hanging in her face. She then went into the bathroom and got ready for the day – brushing her teeth, washing her face and even combing out all of the tangles from her hair.

Theresa groaned and screamed in frustration and agitation as she pulled and tugged with all her might to get a particularly huge knot out but to no avail.

“Ow, ow, ow, dammit!”

Then after several more minutes of messing and fighting with the knot and finally getting it under control, she heard a loud voice calling from the hallway.

“Mommy, hurry up! I wanna watch my favorite show!”

“In a minute, Tater Tot!” Theresa hollered as she gave a couple more strokes of her hair and then ran her hands through it slowly.

“Okay, that’s better.”

She then dug into her closet and got out a great outfit – a pretty purple floral blouse and a pair of navy blue dress jeans with dark black combat boots. After getting dressed, she then went over to the mirror to admire herself for a moment, fixing up her hair into a half-bun with a clip and a pick. Shortly thereafter, she turned towards the door and headed out of the room.

Several minutes later, Theresa walked downstairs with Tate in her arms and then went over to his high chair, where she placed him in securely. She then went over to the refrigerator and took out a couple of puree baby food jars, placing them on the counter.

Theresa picked up a banana flavored baby food jar and pulled out a drawer, whipping out a small metal spoon. She then opened up the jar and stuck the spoon in.

“Okay, Tate, here comes the choo-choo train!” Theresa announced as she brought over the jar of banana puree to her son and took out a spoonful, offering it to him.

Tate frowned and shook his head, grimacing and crossing his arms defiantly.

Theresa then licked her lips, circling the spoon in the air with one hand while making a rubbing motion on her belly with the other.

“Mmmm… Yummy banana! Come on, Tate! Don’t you want to grow up big and strong like Kion?”

Tate hesitated for a moment, considering her words. Then after a few short minutes, he opened his mouth and allowed his mother to feed him.

After Tate was done eating, Theresa cleaned him up and took him in her arms, heading upstairs.

“Come on, kiddo. We better get ready to go to your dad’s.”

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER

THE KIRIAKIS MANSION

The doorbell rang and Brady opened, revealing Theresa and Tate in the doorway.

“Hey, Theresa! Glad you can make it!” Brady smiled warmly as the two exes hugged.

Theresa stepped into the mansion with Tate and the baby supply bags in hand.

“Yeah, traffic was rough,” she griped as she entered the living room and sat down on the couch, exhaling sharply.

“How was work?” Brady asked as he sat down next to her.

“Pretty good. Our summer collection was a huge success and got a lot of great publicity. Everyone is still talking about it on social media,” Theresa answered with a small, satisfied smile on her face.

“That sounds amazing, Theresa. You should be really proud,” Brady complimented her.

“Aw, it was nothing,” Theresa blushed, feeling flattered. “Nicole, Kate and Anne deserve all the credit too just as much as I do.”

“Ah, so the wicked witch of the west finally showed up,” a gruff male voice intoned as Victor and Maggie walked into the living room.

Theresa glared with a scowl but fought to keep her tongue.

Tate then jumped out of her arms and rushed over to greet his great-grandparents.

“Grandpa Victor!” he shrieked excitedly as he embraced the old man joyfully. “You’re here!”

Victor chuckled, his face immediately brightening at the sight of the blonde haired child.

“Great to see you too, my boy.”

“Ready to have some fun today, my little one?” Maggie grinned brightly at him.

“Yeah, Grandma Maggie!” Tate exclaimed, doing a fist pump.

“Let’s all go into the garden then,” Maggie declared as she grabbed Tate’s hand and walked off, with Victor following them.

Melanie then came downstairs and met up with Brady and Theresa in the living room.

“Oh hey, Theresa. Wasn’t expecting you for another hour,” she grinned with an earnest and friendly expression.

“Yeah, just wanted to be here on time,” Theresa shrugged casually.

Melanie didn’t respond but acknowledged her with a silent nod.

Over the past couple of years, Melanie and Brady had become much more committed and devoted to each other as a couple, much to Theresa’s chagrin.

Even after Tate was discovered to be Theresa and Brady’s long lost son and was brought back home to Salem, she still desperately hung on to a tiny sliver of hope that somehow Brady would eventually see her in a brand new light upon realizing what a great mother and person she really was and take her back.

But as Brady and Melanie’s relationship continued to thrive and Theresa focused more on her new responsibilities as a first time mother and a newly successful fashion designer and savvy businesswoman, she slowly began to realize that she was wasting her time hoping and praying that she and Brady would miraculously get back together and it was high time she had to move on.

It was a cold and hard truth that at first Theresa wasn’t prepared or even willing to accept at first, but eventually she got to the point where she came to terms with it. And after a long while, Theresa slowly began to let go of her dreams of a future with Brady and worked harder at building a more prosperous future for herself.

And if she really had to be honest, she even admitted to herself that she would rather be happier as a single working mother than an unhappily married woman.

“Cool. Well, have a great day then, Theresa,” Melanie smiled with a wave.

“Thanks, Melanie,” Theresa nodded politely and she turned around to face Brady.

“Well, gotta go. I’ll stop by after work to pick him up.”

“Sounds great,” Brady replied with a nod.

“Okay, see ya,” Theresa waved goodbye and quickly headed out the door.

After another successful and hard day at D.W. Design, Nicole and Theresa went out to grab a bite to eat. They stopped at a local deli that had recently opened up and got some sandwiches.

Theresa took a huge bite out of her turkey and cheese sub and moaned in satisfaction with a huge smile on her face.

“Ugh, this is sooo good.”

“Yeah, now that is what I call a real sub,” Nicole declared as she also munched on her salami and ham sub and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“Yep,” Theresa nodded as she swallowed her food and took a sip out of her water bottle.

“So how are things with you and Eric?”

“We’re doing good,” Nicole replied after taking a moment to swallow her food. “Eric is really happy with the work that he’s doing and a lot of people on social media are singing him endless praises. I’m so stoked just mentioning it.”

“Yeah, it’s really nice for Eric to finally find a passion that allows him to do what he loves and still be with you,” Theresa quipped. “I always had a feeling that you two were meant to be together.”

“Oh, really?” Nicole smirked coyly with an inquisitive eyebrow. “Did you?”

“Well…” Theresa grinned sheepishly with a casual shrug. “He literally turns into a completely different person whenever he’s with you. At least you are able to get him to stop being such a grumpy sour puss all the time.”

“Well, he helps keep me sane and grounded. That’s why I love him,” Nicole replied.

“Yeah,” Theresa sighed deeply. “I kind of feel bad though that he had to give up the one thing that he devoted so much of his life to. I mean, I don’t personally care for religion or even church, but I know how much it meant to him.”

“Yeah, but just because Eric can’t be a priest anymore doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t still be a devoted, loving disciple of God,” Nicole rejoined.

“True,” Theresa nodded.

The two women then fell silent and continued to eat their meal. Theresa gazed down in deep thought as she nibbled on her sandwich periodically, looking very troubled. Nicole then noticed Theresa’s sudden change of mood and frowned anxiously.

“Hey, you okay, Jeannie T?”

“Yeah,” Theresa replied glumly, taking a long drink of her bottle. “You know, I was thinking about that offer we got a couple of weeks ago from Crimson to expand our brand out of state and establish a new office in New York.”

“And?” Nicole queried.

Theresa took a deep breath, exhaling sharply.

“I’m actually thinking of accepting it and moving to New York.”

“What?” Nicole started, nearly choking on her water and gawking in bewilderment.

“Theresa, are you nuts?! You have everything you could ever want here. You have a very successful fashion line, an adorable and sweet baby boy who loves you and a couple of really great and loyal friends. What more could you possibly want?”

Theresa frowned, averting her gaze and playing with her hair.

“I-I don’t know. I just feel like there is something missing in my life and I can’t figure out why. Like there’s this really weird funk I can’t seem to shake myself out of.”

“Like what?” Nicole inquired.

“Well…” Theresa trailed off, pondering. “For one thing, I haven’t dated anyone ever since Brady and I had called it quits and none of my other relationships have quite panned out so far.”

“I mean, everywhere I turn, everyone around me seems to have someone in their lives. You and Eric, Brady and Melanie, Chad and Abby, Will and Sonny and even J.J. and Gabi. Me? I have nobody. It’s like I’m literally the only single young woman in the whole town and no one wants to touch me with a ten foot pole.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Theresa,” Nicole reassured her with a gentle squeeze of the hand. “Trust me; you are going to find that special someone.”

“It’s only a matter of time before you are going to find that perfect guy who is going to love you for you. Believe me, if I would’ve realized that years ago, I could’ve saved myself a lot of heartache and drama.”

“True that,” Theresa laughed.

“So what is this Crimson company exactly?” Nicole asked.

“Well, it’s technically a subsidy of this multimedia company called Aurora and it’s run by an older blonde woman named Nina Reeves.”

“She had seen a whole bunch of articles and videos on our company and she was so impressed that she had decided to extend the offer to us. But if you don’t want to move our company to New York right now, that’s fine, Nicole. I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not comfortable doing.”

“Thanks, kiddo,” Nicole smiled, gazing at her intently. “I appreciate the sentiment. But are you sure you really want to go through with this?”

“I haven’t really decided yet,” Theresa mulled. “I still need to figure things out. I mean, I’m scared of leaving all of the things and people that I love behind, but at the same time I’m also not sure if I should really pass up this offer. I mean, who knows if I’m ever going to get an opportunity like this again?”

“That’s a good point,” Nicole retorted.

Theresa checked her phone and then picked up her paper wrapping and water bottle.

“I better go and get Tate from Brady’s. I also need to discuss this with him once I figured out what I really want to do.”

“Good luck then, Theresa,” Nicole hollered as Theresa dumped her garbage into the trash can and then started to walk back to her car. She glanced over at Nicole and gave her a small wave.

“So I’ll call you or text you later?”

“Sure,” Nicole replied. “See you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, bye,” Theresa hollered as she left the deli.

The following afternoon, a car pulled up in front of the local cemetery and Theresa stepped out of the vehicle, carrying a bouquet of roses, lavenders and daffodils.

She then walked past several long rows of graves as she slowly scanned the area in search of one particular resting place she wanted to visit.

Finally, she arrived at her destination and she knelt down on the soft grass, setting down the flowers beside her as she took out the ceramic vase from its hole.

The minute she laid her eyes on the engraved inscription on the grave marker before her, her eyes welled up and she fought back tears.

CAROLINE BRADY

BELOVED MOTHER, WIFE AND GRANDMOTHER

“Hey, Grandma,” Theresa murmured, her voice holding back a choked sob. “It’s me, Jeannie. I need to talk to you about something.”

She glanced up at the dark, cloudy sky and noticed the soft gusts of wind picking up. Theresa then turned her focus back to Caroline’s grave.

“I got this really great job offer to go to New York and expand my fashion line there. This Nina woman seems really excited to work with me and I also feel the same way.”

She then paused, feeling at a loss for words.

“But I…”

Theresa shook her head, chuckling wryly.

“I don’t want to leave everything that I know behind. I don’t want to leave behind my friends, my family, everything that I’ve ever known or loved…”

“But I also want a chance for my fashion brand to grow and thrive, and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself if I turn down this opportunity. I need to evolve and adapt as a businesswoman and entrepreneur – otherwise, what’s the point? Grandma, please give me a sign; show me that I’m going on the right path, that I’m making the right decision.”

Right as she said this, a cold burst of wind blew directly into her face, almost sending her tumbling into the ground.

Theresa landed on her hands and knees and looked up just in time to see a stream of dead and dried leaves dancing and circling in the wind. Just as she was getting up to her feet, she heard a soft voice that was so faint that she almost didn’t catch it at first, and yet it sounded so familiar and clear in her head.

Do it.

Theresa then stood up suddenly, looking up in confusion and bewilderment as the voice continued to ring in her ear.

Just do it.

“Grandma?” Theresa whispered, wide-eyed.

Do it.

The voice continued to whisper softly to her until it gradually faded away.

Finally Theresa let out a big sigh and relaxed, suddenly not feeling so scared and apprehensive anymore. She then looked over to her left and smiled tenderly upon noticing that there were some flowers left at her uncle Bo’s grave.

“I’m glad that Aunt Hope hasn’t completely forgotten about you, Uncle Bo, even if she is Aiden Jennings’s new wife now. I know that there’s a part of her that will always love you no matter what.”

She then said a few prayers before turning around and walking away, her resolve and determination strengthening with every step that she took.

“Wait, you’re leaving? But why?” Brady demanded in shock and horror upon learning what Theresa had just told him.

“It’s time to make a new change in my life, Brady,” Theresa informed him calmly. “I’ve been in this town long enough and I’ve done all that I could ever do here. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to make a living and be a good parent to our son. And now I have a chance to start over in a brand new town and have brand new adventures.”

Brady frowned, rubbing his chin with a puzzled look on his face.

“Okay… But can’t we at least talk about this before you run off to a whole other state?”

Theresa then burst out laughing hysterically, her eyes beaming.

“Why else would I be here, Brady? Trust me, I’m not that dumb.”

“What’s this I hear about someone moving?” Victor demanded as he stormed into the living room.

Theresa then turned to face Victor with a proud smirk.

“Well, I’ll have you know that I’m not going to be around here for much longer. I’m accepting that job offer from Crimson and I’m moving to upstate New York.”

“What did you say?” Victor gawked, his eyes bulging in disbelief and leaning in closely to make sure that he had heard correctly.

“She said that she’s moving to New York, Dad!” Brady bellowed in a loud voice.

“Really? Truly?” Victor reiterated incredulously as he was fighting to keep an increasingly widening grin from crossing his face.

Then after a few minutes of silence, Victor let out an excited holler as he jumped and yellowed for joy.

“I don’t believe this! It must be my lucky day! The wicked witch is finally leaving this ivory tower! Hallelujah!”

He continued to celebrate and rejoice in a boisterous and loud manner as Brady stood there with a slackjawed and mortified expression and Theresa covered her mouth and fought to keep herself from laughing.

“What on Earth is going on here?” Maggie demanded as she entered the living room with a suspicious look on her face.

Brady shrugged.

“Granddad is just excited that Theresa’s moving away to New York because she got a new job offer.”

“Oh, really? Well then, congratulations, Theresa. Brady and I wish you the absolute best of luck,” Maggie replied as she went over to Theresa and hugged her.

“I won’t!” Victor declared loudly as he continued to cheer and hoot in the background.

“Aw, thanks Maggie. That really means a lot coming from you,” Theresa blushed as she hugged her back.

“It’s no trouble, Theresa. You are Tate’s mother, and in my book that makes you family,” Maggie informed her earnestly.

“Yeah,” Theresa looked away with a guilty expression. “I know you had every right to hate me after all the crap I’ve pulled with Brady and Melanie…”

“Oh, hush now…” Maggie interjected, putting her hands on her shoulders and gazing into her eyes. “It’s all in the past. What matters now is the person you are now.”

“Thanks,” Theresa blushed sheepishly in a low voice.

“So I guess we’re going to court now to hash out the new living arrangements,” Brady sighed, dropping his shoulders and hanging his head.

“Yeah,” Theresa nodded, sharing his concerns. “I just need to figure out how I’m going to tell our own son that we’re about to rip him away from everything that he’s ever known and loved.”

After breaking the difficult news to their son Tate, Brady and Theresa headed back into court in order to update their current joint custody agreement.

“So it is agreed then that the new amended custody agreement is both to your liking?” the judge announced.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Brady answered.

The judge then turned to face Theresa with a neutral, emotionless expression.

“And what about you, Ms. Donovan? Do you also find this acceptable?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Theresa nodded.

The judge then turned his attention to the whole court, raising up his gauntlet.

“Then let it be on the record that both Ms. Donovan and Mr. Black are both in agreement that the minor child in question, Tate Donovan Black, will spend the large majority of the year with his mother in Port Chales and will then spend every summer and every other Thanksgiving and Christmas with his father in Salem. I hereby approve of this custody agreement until further notice. Dismissed.”

Theresa, Brady and their lawyers then parted ways and headed out of the courthouse but the two former spouses met up with each other halfway and gave each other one last embrace.

“Good luck, Theresa.”

“Same to you, Brady.”

A couple of weeks later, Theresa was already at the local airport and was waiting to board her flight with Tate and Anne.

Theresa glanced up at the flight information board every few minutes, waiting anxiously for her flight to be called.

“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Anne replied sadly, hanging her head. “I’m never going to see you again.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Anne; I’ll come by for a visit every now and then,” Theresa assured her.

Anne gave her a wistful and tender smile.

“You know, I can’t believe we’ve been friends for like what, 4 years? It feels like we’ve known each other for our whole lives and it also seems like yesterday that we first met and became best buddies.”

“Yeah, where did the time go?” Theresa chuckled, shaking her head. “And to think all I ever cared about then was worrying about getting the next high and not giving a damn what anyone else thought.”

“Funny how life can change so quickly in so little time. And now I have a prosperous career and a beautiful baby boy that I love and treasure more than anything in the whole world. All I need now is a good-looking Prince Charming and my life will be complete.”

“Well, maybe you’ll find him in New York,” Anne suggested.

“Yeah, maybe,” Theresa suggested.

Anne gave her a loving squeeze with a nuzzle.

“Promise you won’t forget me?”

“I’ll never forget you, Anne,” Theresa beamed as she pressed her head back against hers.

“Flight to Port Charles, New York now boarding,” a female voice intoned.

“Well, this is it,” Theresa sighed as she picked up Tate and her luggage. “I’ll miss you, Annie.”

“Good luck, Jeannie T,” Anne replied sadly as the two women shared one last tender embrace before Theresa turned and walked away, heading straight for the boarding gate.

Anne watched her best friend leave as she eventually disappeared into the thick crowd of people bustling and moving about. She then collapsed on her knees and broke down into inconsolable, hoarse sobs, the reality of the whole situation finally crashing down hard on her.

#alternate universe #general hospital #days of our lives #romance #drama #single motherhood

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2spry · 5 years

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Ozark Foothills 50k Race Recap

Oh man… so I don’t even know where to start. I guess at the beginning. This was my first race back since I broke my foot, 1 year to the day actually. I still can’t believe it worked out that way. I was looking at races that were easy to travel to, and that were loop courses. I wanted a looped course in case my foot said “nope” and I needed to hop off course easily. I signed up for this race only 5 weeks out! I had had a year of major ups and downs, with multiple attempts at upping mileage with no avail. Every time I tried to increase or even add in a little speed work or hill training, my foot would blow up. When I say blow up, the pain would be bad enough to cause me to limp. It wasn’t until really February where I was not having much pain anymore. I hit, on average, in the 60-70 mile range for Jan and Feb, with 116 miles total in March. I also had only 2 speed work sessions (they were easier ones). So I signed up with the goal of only using this as a training run, to make sure my foot could handle the distance. If it did, I was going to pick a longer race next and really train for it! I was extremely nervous because having your foot snap during a race is very scary and the pain is something you never forget. I have had to work hard on my mind this past year because the fear was really taking over. The mind is so powerful. Working hard on mental training has been a huge help for me. That is one of my weaknesses.

The day before the race was crazy!!! I thought I really had everything lined up, but so many things happened which led to getting off late. It worked out though! This was an Altra sponsored race so I was also going to the packet pickup to help out my local Altra rep Erica, and I was covering the race for Road Runner Sports on their Instagram account. Doing both of these things was incredibly fun for me! I love new experiences! Plus, it got me out of my head!!! They had a screening of The Double, and the speaker was Jeff Browning (aka @GoBroncoBilly). It was chalk full of awesome information. One of the main things I took away from his talk was to slay the negative thoughts of the mind. I know this, but to hear someone so accomplished say that they have to do this all the time, really brought it home to me. The mind is so powerful. Once that was over we headed to the hotel.

We got to the hotel around 8:45ish and headed to the room. So far everything had been rather uneventful. Then the room keys wouldn’t work and we got locked out! Phones were in the room (key worked at first and then just wouldn’t, no idea). Anyway, we finally got everything in and ate dinner around 9:30. While I was eating, I realized, oh my goodness, I forgot to get my race packet!!! LOL!!! I mean who does that!?!? Goes to the race packet pickup and forgets to pickup their race packet!?!? Me apparently. Thank goodness they had race day pickup! Then we realized we forgot the bottom to the electric kettle for coffee in the am. Oh well. The front desk was able to provide it. After all that, I finally headed to sleep close to midnight. And sleep I didn’t.

Up at 3:45 exhausted! However, I did not have a headache or migraine which was HUGE!!! I cannot remember a race where I didn’t have one of those the night before or the day of. (When I ran my 50 miler, I had a migraine from the night before and it didn’t abate for 7 hrs of the race!) Not having a headache gave me such a boost!!! We got there at around 6:15 and it was foggy and dark. I had thought for a moment that it wasn’t going to lift, making a note to bring my headlamp next time just in case. It did finally lift and turned into a gorgeous sunrise!

I was super nervous, freezing (yes me the cold weather runner was freezing lol!), and very thankful once she blew the horn to start. I kept reminding myself that this is a training run, no pressure! I started out very conservative. I was really watching my footing (I did the whole race) and just trying to ease into a steady easy pace. It did take me awhile to warm up, but once I got going I felt pretty good! I would say after the 5th mile I felt like I was getting in a groove, getting more comfortable with the terrain, but I could feel my lack of training then too. Just the amount of vert and all the rocks and roots that I am not used to. My quads and ankles let me know that really quick, but I told my mind to shut it, slayed those negative thoughts, and told myself to just enjoy this! (There was 3,800 ft of ascent so lots of hills) I started to look around at the beauty of where I was and just got really emotional. Here I was running, in a gorgeous area, on trails, in an ultra, healthy. What a blessing!!! That gave me a boost and I started to pick up the pace. I think this was around mile 10-12. I started to pass people, but I had no idea what race they were running. You are on the course with 25k, 50k, and 50 mile runners.

Coming through the half, I felt really good! I really was ultra conservative with my footing and therefore hadn’t fallen yet. My upper body felt really good, and I know a big part of this was because of my new race vest fitting seamlessly. Super important to find one that works for your body! I filled up my water bladder with Ultima Replenisher, and headed out! But then had to run back cuz I forgot my MUIR gels!!! LOL! Made a bathroom pitstop and finally headed out. I had no stomach issues with that combination, it worked well!

The hardest mile for me was 17. My hands started to swell like crazy! I was using salt, so I didn’t know why I was swelling so bad. Still unsure of the cause. They were so swollen that I actually thought I was going to have to cut off my ring. I was feeling a bit more tired, and just kind of worried. I started opening and closing my hands and telling myself it was going to be fine. Then, about a mile or two later, it started to go down a bit and relief washed over me. I began to think about all my friends that can’t run right now and began running miles for them, praying for them and for this race. I started to pick up the pace. Once I started running, I began to catch up to people. It was so spread out at this point that passing was pretty easy. I hit a string of two people and wanted to pass them but I kept thinking, no they are keeping you conservative, you don’t want to blow up you’ve come so far. I was kind of panicking. I felt so good I thought it was a fluke. So I stayed for too long. Finally I told myself what are you doing!?!? Get going! So I asked to pass and took off. I kept passing people. I had someone tell me hey you’re going really fast!!! Are you sure you're feeling ok? (It was getting really hot at this point, 70’s) I said yes I feel great! They cheered me on! Each aid station had amazing volunteers and I cannot tell you how much their cheers help! I continued to try and catch people. I started having water poured into my mouth (I didn’t have a cup) and ice in my fandana to help with the heat. Plain water was tasting so good at that point. I also began grabbing orange slices.

I hit the last aid station feeling great! So much so that I neglected to check my water bladder. It was empty. You might not think that is a big deal, but it really is. In that heat with miles to go, you need it. I let myself have an “uh oh” moment and then moved on. Those last few miles were tough. I felt pretty dehydrated and very nauseous, but I kept pushing. I fell twice because I got a bit sloppy at watching my footing, and then rolled my ankle pretty bad. I noticed that not one person was around me still. I ran alone for a lot of the race. After limping a bit I pressed on and started running, only to hear footsteps behind me coming fast, I moved over and it was Jeff Browning. LOL! He was cruising, but made sure to take the time to tell me to keep pushing! So I did! I ran all the way into the finish! I had no idea if I was even in the top 10, so when I crossed the line and Shalini the RD told me I was 3rd female I was in complete shock!!! It was like a dream.

From one year ago breaking my foot, to now taking 3rd was crazy. It was a huge confidence boost to know that my foot could handle the distance and that I was able to have a podium finish with as little training as I did. I felt so blessed and humbled. A new memory to replace the old. A realization that I can do this! A thankful heart to have been able to run this race and finish. A grateful heart for all of the support and new friends that I made at this event. Thankful to the Lord for the gift of running.

Now that I know I can handle distance again, I am going to find my next race and really train for it. I am so excited and hopeful for the future. I cannot wait to see what happens!!!

Huge thank you to all the volunteers, the RD Shalini, my mother, and all of you who commented and supported me through this journey. Big thank you also to Road Runner Sports, Altra Running, Jaybird Sport, OS1st, Yukon Charlies, and Momentum Jewelry for your awesome support and gear to get me through!

Gear: Altra Running King MT 1.5 and gaiters Road Runner Sports R-Gear Recharge Compression Capri Altra running performance tank Garmin Fenix 5 Os1st Arm Sleeves Injinji trail crew socks Ultimate Direction Race Vesta with bladder not front bottles

Fuel: MUIR energy gels Ultima electrolyte replenisher Salt stick KION essential amino acids

Balm: Squirrel’s Nut Butter

Pic Cred IG accounts: Trail @mile90photo, Finish @alex.fagin

#ultrarunning trailrunning ozarkfoothills50k altraredteam teamaltra teamos1st roadrunnersports laceupandexplore ultramarathon trail

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9lph9tr0n5s · 6 years

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rohan au Q & A: part 2

welcome to the second Q & A, this time there will be a new host since the last one got fired after asking about the wildesavage’s intimate life

before we start, this will be a private conversation, so very few mammals will know about this. the studio will send you the recording later. are you ok with that?

robyn- yes i am. what about you hannah?

hannah- uhm... yes. i don’t know how to feel. Wasn’t the last interview public?

It was, but it became private after that incident about your intimacy

Robyn- oh…

Q: anyway, let’s go with the first question: how did your families take your revelation to the public of your secret?

A: hannah- not very well: everyone was shocked, but the ones who took it pretty rough were robin sr and marian; they called us irresponsible and didn’t want to tell us a word. luckily luna, kodi and kion were supportive of us. olivia was neutral at the beginnig, but later she confessed me she was supportive of our public confession

robyn: really? then i must add her to the list of the ones who were good with this

which are?

robyn- my parents, lu, kodi, kion, jack and skye, alice... and i think that’s it. i don’t know how is everyone else

Q: what about your refound family members? how were they when they came back from the dead?

A: robyn- according to mom, ryan, ronan and reggie were on cloud nine when they had the chance to meet me, just like my grandparents... well before the confession

hannah- princess, don’t worry too much; i can say i was in tears when i met my grandma and luna’s mom: it was an hounor for me. i hope the decision to revive mr big and his bodyguard, though.

i think fru fru will be grateful for that

robyn: thanks for the support

Q: what about the “gem world”? i thought you mentioned something while you were live

A: robyn- that’s pretty weird, because apparently there is an alternate dimension where these “gem spirits” live. I think they represent something important for the universe…

Hannah- just to clarify: the fragments became gems after we first snapped. As for what the gems represent: they represent an essential part of the universe: power (materializes the red gem), time (materializes the orange gem), reality (materializes the yellow gem), soul (materializes the green gem), mind (materializes the blue gem) and space (materializes the purple gem). What you have in front of your eyes are the foundations of creation itself

Can i touch one?

Robyn- NO! If you touch one of these you’ll disintegrate. I tried handling all those at once aand i would have died if hannah hadn’t fused with me on the island.

Ok… got it

Q: hey, speaking of this, what happened to the drowned agent? He claimed to be the last agent of the drowned.

A: hannah- exactly, he CLAIMED. There are still other mammals who were brainwashed on the loose who don’t want to stand by the rules and fight for the wave. He was another with it’s mind torn and he was drugged to execute anyone of team ceartais.

Robyn- and for his damn luck, he found us first when we were at the airport for the canaries

Q: last question, it will be tricky though: do you think anyone will forgive you? I’m not saying this for critisising you, but because i care about you and i can’t stand your family being against you. If i were a superhero, i would have done the same thing you did five days ago

A: Hannah- oh, wow…. (starts quivering), that’s… very nice of…you

Robyn- (crying)thank youuuu!!!! (jumps onto the interviewer) i…i appreciate that. I hope someone will forgive us through the ones who didn’t. and i’m sad, because…

Because…

Robyn- BECAUSE MY DAD IS GIVING EVERYTHING FOR PROTECTING MEEEE! (sobs)… even when i beat him and mom down in anger he still loved me…

Hannah: robyn! when did that happen?

You WHAT!?

Robyn: it happened yesterday! i said they were responsible for everything that happened after the wave… i claimed that they didn’t want me to suffer because of their cowardice in not letting go of all the sadness and pain of my siblings dying… i EVEN SAID EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR THEM IF I WASN’T BOOORN! I can’t take back what i said, i don’t excpect forgiveness from anyone for that, but i do want to say to my folks: i’m sorry! I should have treated you better.

Well… i didn’t mention a thing

Hannah- what?

Judy, nick, come i. is that enough to make you see robyn apologized?

Judy- no… it’s not worth it

Robyn- huh?

Nick- you can’t apologize kiddo… we’re the one to apologize.

Robyn- dad, are you drunk…. I, i betrayed you, i had no respect for you, how can you forgive me?

Judy- because you were right(sobbing)… alla long. Nick and i would have never stepped iut of this vicious cycle of lies and paini f it wasn’t for you. Come here(hugs robyn) you deserve all the hugs in the world and more

Robyn- uhh…(hugs nick and judy) THANK YOUUU!!!

Nick: i’m sorry for being overprotective, and i wish you could forgive us

Robyn: i do! And i can do more…

Everyone: huh?

Robyn: look: with the power of the gems combined, i rejuvinate you( emits a raibow glow)

Judy- what the? (Looks in a mirror) oh, wow…. Nick, NICK, you need to look at this!

Nick- carrots, what are you talking about…. Oh, my god! I look as young as when we first met

Judy- me too, robyn… i don’t know what to say

Robyn- consider it a greeting for not giving up on me

Judy- and we never will (hugs robyn)

Nick- never. I promise to be better (joins the hug)

Robyn- i love you

Judy and nick- me too

---meanwhile---

Hannah: should i join in

(quivering) no, let them have thier moment. It’s too precious

Hannah- it’s still beautiful, but how come a simple Q & A inteview turn into a reunion

I don’t know, but i was lucky to convince robyn’s parents there was still good in robyn

Hannah- well, thank you. I’ll go pick my wife and my parents in law if you don’t mind

Nonono, absolutely not. Hey do you mind giving me your number?

Hannah: sure. (exchanges number) hey you can come with us if you want. What’s your name:

Vanessa, Vanessa LaTorr

Hannah: thank vanessa, bye. (outscreen) come on robbie, let’s go home

(later at home)

I just befriended two of zootopia’s best superheroes… my day couldn’t get better

so...yes: what should have been a Q & A turned out to be... this. i also want to introduce @esso-is ‘s zoona vanessa in this au, who was also the interviewer and semi-protagonist of this post. esso, i’m sorry i didn’t ask your permission but i found vanessa too adorable to not include in this au. i hope you understand.

anyway, thanks for staying tuned and not abandoning me. i had a creative block, thus i didn’t upload immediately this post. please stay tuned, like and reblog

see you soon, and next up: the final part of the backstory. after that i will post all the remaining old content, before posting new stuff

#Zootopia #zootropolis #au #robyn wilde #hannh #judy hopps #Nick Wilde #Judy and Nick #wildehopps #wildesavage #q & a #Vanessa LaTorr #take a stand #star of ceartais

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daetur · 7 years

Text

Making It Worse (Dyrihm Personal Event Log, Part 4)

Rey continues his charade as Solis’s new Forsaken contact “Kion,” but gets carried away as he joins the Knight to learn more about what exactly Solis does with the souls he harvests.

|| A letter awaits Rey in the mailbox outside Blackwell's home, written in blocky, hasty handwriting. "Kion! Excellent news. New shipment of souls from Icecrown came in today. Several constructs prepared for use, if you'd like to see the process! Also a good time to exchange news. You know where to find me. Solis"

Solis appears to be checking the contents of a smallish crate, bent over next to a long table where an abomination lies. He is muttering to himself.

Reyanel adjusts his scarf, making sure it properly cowled his face and hair…he should have just asked Nob for his cowl again. Making sure his Undercity tabard was tucked at his belt, in view but not on, Rey slowly approached, falling into the mock soldier's step.

[Reyanel]: Oi.

Reyanel greets coarsely.

Solis turns, immediately waving Rey closer. "Kion, hello! You got my letter, then, yes?"

Reyanel inwardly winces at the name. Fucking... "Yea, sure did. What ya cookin' up today?"

Solis lifts a vial out of the crate. Something dark, wispy, and familiar swirls inside. "Half a dozen in this week," he says. "Going to try a few experiments with this handsome fellow." He waves towards the abomination. "I've been having some trouble lately with resistance from the collected souls, you see. Need to work out the kinks." Solis smiles. "We can chat while I work? Or- we, if you'd like to assist, of course."

Reyanel almost wants to ask where in the void Solis managed to get six souls. But. He thinks for now he's just better of not knowing. "Me? Nah, I'll chip in 'elp if ya need it. Don't wanna mess up ya fine work when I don't know what ya workin' on exactly." A true enough statement. Rey might also just want to see what exactly he's dealing with here before showing off his own abilities.

Reyanel eyes the abomination.

Reyanel | What a disgusting thing. This is why he wasn't in charge of those unholy knights.

Solis nods, amenable. "Sensible, sensible. I'll let you know if I need, then. Now," he approaches the abomination, one vial in hand. "Getting this many in a shipment is unusual, so it's a perfect time to try a few things- I usually favor gargoyles, myself, but nothing beats an abomination for durability. The thought is, the more powerful body can curb the soul's lingering resistance." He cracks open the vial, and gently, almost lovingly, coaxes it free, into the core of the fleshy mound before him. "Takes a few for it to settle. Did you meet with my other contacts? Didn't give you any trouble, I hope," he continues, with absolutely no preamble.

Reyanel watches the process closely, interest sparking in his eyes and he takes a step forward without thinking much about it. "Didn't manage to see ya folks in person, thought I'd send a message first before just hittin' 'em up out o' the blue." He pauses, circling a bit to see the abomination better. "Did get someone to drop names of some Knights ya might be interested in. Alliance though but they're just as bad off as City Knights."

Solis raises an eyebrow. "Did you now? I can certainly use that- treason knows no faction, so to speak. And neither do raw materials." He chuckles at his own joke as the abomination begins to stir, at which point he immediately quiets, and takes on an intense focus. With the slow motion of a hand, he forces the creature to rise into a sitting position, awkwardly crunching its bloated belly. He makes a satisfied sound as it meekly turns its head to look at him. "So far so good."

Reyanel can't help a low snort. Raw materials indeed. But as the abomination sits up, Rey stares at it, watching its timid movements. "Won't be that good in battle, if it ain't stiff-spined."

Reyanel hates abominations so much. Getting strung through with its chain one too many times really sours a guy's opinion.

Solis tsks. "Not to fret," he says. "I simply don't want it swinging at me the moment it wakes, so I exert a bit more of my will than strictly necessary." He lowers the hand, and the abomination rolls off the table, guts squelching wetly. It growls, previously docile expression replaced very much with rage, but it does not move. Solis tsks again, this time a touch frustrated. "The problem with using souls harvested like this is their disagreeability," he comments, peering at the abomination. It stares back, but seems unable to move.

Reyanel watches the abomination just...roll off the table, refraining from sighing. "I don't suppose you have considered breaking the spirit in question before harvesting them?" He almost forgets his accent but he continues onward. "Stem out the disobedience before harvestin' so they're agreeable once taken."

Solis snorts. "Of course! That's always been tried and true, but the problem is, it's not been tried much with Knights before. We just don't respond to torture as well as I'd like, as a rule. There are exceptions, of course, but..." He waves a hand at the abomination. "This was probably a Knight or Scarlet. They're usually the problems."

[Solis]: My partners do try, of course.

Reyanel peers at the abomination. "The ones in Icecrown, yea? Ya mentioned 'em before."

Reyanel has a lot of ideas....about this soul manipulation.....

Solis nods. "Yes, they use the old Cathedrals up there for their work. Largely forgotten, after the Northrend campaign. Excellent locations, all around the Citadel." He sounds slightly distracted, as he begins to probe at the growling abomination with a shadowy hand.

Reyanel hums lowly, watching that shadow hand with a raised brow partially covered in his makeshift cowl. "Fuckin' surprised ya managed to get any Ebon up there workin'."

Solis appears to be testing the connection of the soul to the construct, feeling for its energy. "Oh," he says, still focusing on the task at hand, "They're not Ebon. Not in Icecrown- we only come and go from the Citadel, really, taking orders."

Reyanel 's brows are both raising So High at this information. "What, not Ebon? Who ya got takin' ya souls out for ya? Non-Blade or somethin'?" He doesn't even sound angry, can't even work up the energy for such a lame disguise of emotion.

Solis releases the abomination from his hold with a quick "Step back, please!" before replying. It makes a swing for him with a meaty fist, and he brings it crumpling to its knees by clenching his own with a sigh. "A strong construct isn't enough, it seems. Ah, well-" He turns back to face Rey. "Sorry, Kion, you were saying- ah, yes. It's not as though all of the servants of the former Lich King were wiped clean from Icecrown! The Cult of the Damned still holds hope, as I do, that this new one will soon help us reclaim glory."

Reyanel does step back at that swing, falling silent in the wake of that revelation. The Cult of the Damned. "Well, they're doin' a shitty job of breakin' spirits." Rey says hoarsely, thoughts whirling.

Solis sighs. "I can't disagree. Perhaps I should speak with them, get them to make a more concentrated effort. Perhaps more time is necessary before harvesting."

Reyanel bites at his lip behind his scarf, thinking intently. Void. "I think ya're onto somethin' there." More time before harvesting? More time in case the Worst Scenario happened. Void, void, void.

Reyanel | Besides. Honestly. Who the fuck harvested a soul before breaking its spirit first.

Reyanel did once. And look where that got him.

Solis nods. He doesn't seem terribly put out by having his practices questioned. "The consideration, of course, is that breaking does weaken a spirit- that is the point, naturally. I strive to find the fine line. Stronger spirits, stronger constructs."

[Reyanel]: ...Have ya considered a type of compulsion?

Reyanel gestures with his hands, "A subtle version, to the point where their doubt overwhelms their rationality."

Solis waves a hand, dismissive. "Ineffective on a large scale. If I were building a personal minion, then certainly, but an army-" he pauses, interested. "Go on."

Reyanel keeps going, thinking rapidly. "It starts as a seed, just a small seed at first until it grows and grows until they wouldn't even -want- to break free and instead only desire to help to the best of their abilities."

[Reyanel]: Seeds can be created in larger proportions because they're smaller, letting them grow at their own pace while infecting others.

Solis scratches his chin, keeping the abomination crumpled to the ground. He appears thoughtful. "Still difficult on a large scale, though, I'd think? Something like that would require some knowledge of what could be used to MAKE the soul doubt."

[Solis]: Their values, their fears.

Reyanel shakes his head. "But what do so many men fear when they are faced with their deaths? Even for a second. The unknown. It's a building of fear towards something they cannot possibly understand warping their perception of things they would normally value."

Reyanel has...maybe...tried this before.

Reyanel has done a lot of things, actually.

Solis eyes Rey curiously. "I admit, I would have... no idea how to accomplish such a thing. Or if my usual harvesters could. You have some experience?"

Reyanel hesitates a moment. "It was another time but yes." Wraith was more than a name, it was self, him, burning, cold, calling and icy fingers wrapped around other's thoughts. "I could attempt a demonstration, however, on this one." He points at the abomination.

Solis steps back, intrigued. "By all means, Kion!" He gestures encouragingly.

Reyanel, ignoring Reya's demands that he stop this nonsense, steps closer to the abomination, peering down at it critically. Through what he had seen of Solis' work earlier the connection was...ah yes right there. Sitting down with more grace than his disguise really should have allowed, Rey calls up a small, almost minuscule orb of shadow. Such a careful thing, pouring fear and doubt, taking on hints from -before-, the fear of his enemies and allies once a time ago and pouring them into the orb. Tying it all together, he rests a hand above the abomination, feeling at the soul connection, tracing its lines down and into the soul itself. There you are. Placing the orb amongst those unseen lines towards the soul was a delicate thing but quickly done with the hands of someone whose done it many times before. The orb sinks down and into the soul, so tiny but festering, shadowy fingers unfurling, unfurling, unfurling.

Reyanel stands up straight, eyeing the progress with a critical eye and forcing himself to stay within the bounds of his own mind. "Somethin' like that." He says blandly.

Solis leans in, eyes wide. "My word," he says. He sounds delighted. "Even I could feel the horror pouring off that thing- how is it made? Shadow, clearly, yes, but- where do you draw from? How do you imbue it so?"

Reyanel shakes his hands. Tingly. "Shadow, yes. Some knowledge of soul magic and spectral energy is required of course."

Reyanel pins a stare on Solis.

[Reyanel]: Ya are a Knight. Ya have felt the fear and anger of those who suffer at ya hands. Use it. Use that feeling and connect it to the shadow. It will listen. If you are strong enough.

Solis brightens. "Remarkable! Elegant. I will pass along the recommendation!" Meanwhile, the abomination shakes, and Solis once again loosens his hold. This time... the creature does not lash out.

Reyanel isn't even really thinking about the Consequences of all this, so caught up in the thrill of soul magic. Ah, he did miss that. "Don't forget to add purpose as well. Whether that's fighting a designated enemy, construction, or simply to serve."

Solis actually begins scrawling a few messy notes. "Yes, yes- fear, doubt, and purpose." He points to Rey with the butt end of his nubby pencil. "Now, what are your thoughts on combining this method with traditional tortures, like we've been using? To speed up the process, or amplify it?"

Reyanel feels almost like he's back in Icecrown, frankly. "I'd suggest to amplify. A bit in the beginning never hurts."

Solis nods, pleased. "Excellent! I imagined as much." He returns to his crate. "Now- while I have you here, I also wanted to try- more souls in one construct. Confusion, disorientation, but strengthened."

Reyanel is, frankly, somehow reminded of Nob.

Reyanel tilts his head. "Whole souls or fragments?"

[Solis]: Whole. Fragments tend to want to BE whole, which causes... other issues.

[Reyanel]: That is true.

Reyanel knows...all too well now.

Reyanel hums. "Well, that will be interesting to try, let's do it."

Solis nods, pulling three more vials from the crate. Without pause, he begins to feed it into the abomination. "Normally, this can heighten the construct's resistance, but perhaps- the addition of your splendid little orbs..."

Reyanel tilts his head, watching the construct for its initial reaction.

Solis smiles as the second soul slots in, and he neatly settles it in place with the gentle brush of a shadowy hand. The fleshy beast shudders. Solis waves a hand, and it takes a few obedient steps. "Wonderful!" he proclaims.

Reyanel looks over the construct with critical interest. Hm. "It will be quite chaotic in there, souls always do try to struggle. Two souls keeps the fighting relatively even. Add a third and they might team up on the new one or it will be a free for all."

Solis scratches his chin again. "Is there a way to sequester the souls somehow- to power the construct further, without allowing them to tear it apart.... Perhaps a more intense binding to localized areas of the body?"

Reyanel hums. "Souls are volatile, as you know. But they can certainly be bound to areas, yes. A body is different than a blade but the principle remains. It will need something to keep the souls working towards the same goal however."

[Solis]: With better preparation, then- direct the fear and pain of breaking the spirits at the same thing; add your seeds of doubt.

Reyanel nods, that is what he had been getting at, he's still good at this Cult business how nostalgic. Rey raises his hand, another seed materializing in his hand. Equal number of souls for seeds. He drops it into the second soul without much thought.

Solis 's abomination succumbs immediately to the second seed, quivering for a few moments before thumping off in the direction indicated by Solis's hand. He smiles. "Care to try a third, Kion?" The construct comes stumping back to them, jaw slack, eyes noticeably more hollow than usually seen in such a creature.

Reyanel stirs a bit at that reminder that he is, in fact, NOT Kion. Hahh... But Rey simply nods, spinning up a third seed and waits. "Let's."

Solis unstoppers another soul vial, and steers the contents into the abomination, looking rather disturbingly like a man playing fondly with a pet. He sends this one deep, father away from the first two, building distance.

Solis | The abomination rebels at the inclusion of the third soul, blank eyes flashing with rage as it strikes out for Solis.

Solis easily bats its meaty fist away, drawing the blade from his back, and sends the construct staggering with a controlling clench of his fist. "The seed! Now!"

Reyanel follows the traces of where Solis placed the soul, eyeing the proceedings rather detachedly. Even when the abomination strikes out, because it was not at him and thus he does not really care. But he works quickly, dropping the seed down, down, into the third soul. Be silent.

Solis curses as the abomination fights back, seed ineffective. "Apologies! Kion!" he yelps as he tries to get it back under control. "Stop it!" He swings his fist, trying to force his construct to its knees.

Solis | The abomination ignores his attempts, and punches Solis right in the damn face.

Reyanel | It's doing its job.

Reyanel dances around, light on his feet. Eyes flickering, he raises a hand and the seeds within attempt to blossom, shadows like a spider's web spreading out to silence that defiance.

Solis | The abomination is fortunately unarmed. Smart of Solis. It tries to kick Rey with its big, meaty foot. Thunk.

Reyanel is Kicked away, small death knight in the air and he stumbles to a landing. Well. An experiment always has its failures.

Solis slashes with his blade- not to cut, he's too far away for that, but as he does so, green runes flicker, and a searing line of boils erupts across the construct's flesh.

Solis | It shrugs it off.

[Solis]: Well... it's certainly strong, with the third soul!

Solis is trying to look On the Bright Side.

Reyanel snorts and shadows coil about his fingers in a rope and he whips it out to quite literally lasso the abomination.

Reyanel may not have lasso'ed many cows but he has seen Dyrihm do it enough times he guess.

Solis | The abomination bellows, enraged, as the shadows clench around it. It jerks its entire body, trying to yank Rey into Solis.

Reyanel is Too Strong.

Reyanel 's whip bites into the abomination as it tries to do so. You stop that.

Solis swings his sword back the OTHER way, more boils appearing. Does he only know the one trick?

Solis | It is still completely ignored. Solis makes a frustrated noise.

Reyanel wonders just how Good of a knight Solis is. Honestly.

Solis | The answer might be Not Very.

Reyanel keeps his whip up, tendrils of shadows snapping up from his feet to further bind the abomination. Best to entangle it before attempting a redo of the seed, Rey thinks to himself.

Solis | Why do you think he's gotten the job of getting information about traitors? That's not very fighty.

Reyanel | That is a very good point.

Solis | The abomination whirls on Solis, snapping some of the tendrils of shadow as it does so. It batters away the unholy Knight's runeblade and tries to punch him again.

Solis gets knocked on his ass, and his blade goes spinning away. "Damn!" He throws up an empty hand, and the ground beneath the construct begins to wither and list eerily, softening.

Solis | The abomination overbalances, and sinks into the festering ground. The smell is quite awful.

Reyanel watches his own footing, side-eyeing Solis and mentally noting the Knight's abilities. Hm. Looking back to the construct, Rey attempts another forceful intrusion of shadow energy into the creature's souls.

Reyanel clearly, just wants this thing to rampage, I guess.

Solis | The rampage continues.

Solis | The abomination grabs for some nearby deadwood, and hurls the branch at Rey.

Reyanel gets hit. He is not amused. He carefully adjusts his scarf back over his face as he gets up with a scowl.

Solis rights himself as well, a furious look darkening his face. "Intolerable!" He barks. "Behave!" The man clenches his fist, trying once again to rein in his creation.

Solis | The abomination shudders to a halt, limbs curling in on themselves. Solis sighs. "Once more, try the seed, Kion."

Reyanel tries not to start at the name. Fucking void. He nods and whirls up the orb, slightly bigger but still the same principle. Slowly, he lets it drift down and into the third soul again.

Solis relaxes as the abomination shudders once more, the haunted, dead look returning to its eyes. "My," he huffs. "Well. That was excellent data! It can be controlled with more than two souls, but with great difficulty. Will have to see if a new batch of souls tortured and harvested from the beginning in the way you suggest will dare better!"

Reyanel snorts dryly. "Do let me know how it goes." Dear void, that was even semi-exciting. Soul magic was so interesting, he didn't nearly get as much practice anymore.

Solis nods. "If my supplies can apply your technique successfully- I can get the souls shipped with the seeds packed with them, in their individual containers. Even more time for them to acclimate before being placed in a construct." He sounds so very excited.S "I will keep you informed of their progress!"

Reyanel | Reya is so so so very mad again.

Reyanel nods, "Oh and before I forget--" He digs into his belt to find a note. Rewritten from Maul's so it's in his own writing. "The names of the Alliance Knights that showed promise."

Reyanel | Promise for Death and Harvesting.

Solis smiles, reaching out to take the note. "Ah, yes, I was going to ask- thank you so much, Kion. Perhaps I can see about setting these aside for you, special, should I be able to acquire them."

Reyanel 's brows lift. "How thoughtful." He doesn't even bother to decline the potential offer. "You know how to contact me." He shrugs then taps the tabard at his waist. "I best get going back to that stupid city."

Solis nods. "Of course! So glad you could make it out for this, truly- seeds of fear and doubt, made of shadow, what a delightful idea." He returns to his notes, seeming as much a dismissal as his next words. "Do take care, and keep your ear to the ground!"

Reyanel simply waves. "Will do." He stalks right on off, slipping out of sight immediately.

#Dyrihm #RP logs #Discorpse #Charnel Corps

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alexboehm55144 · 3 years

Text

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 35 - Shore Leave

"How long will repairs to the typhoon take?" Toothdee asked Skye, the fox shoulder-deep into a small maintenance area inside the typhoon. The sounds of maintenance and machine tools were present throughout the whole ship.

"A few days at the least, likely longer." Skye said, exiting the maintenance area, "We sustained heavy damage in our battle with the Black Typhoon. I'm just glad we were able to get back to this US island."

"Same, luckily; we did get some technical teams sent out. So hopefully, we can get this ship fixed and rearmed fairly quickly."

"Skye," Retsuko said, coming up to the pair. "That armor panel you prioritized has been repaired, as has the damaged electrical components you prioritized. Oh, and Toothdee, we're 37% restocked when it comes to our bombs and missiles."

"Thank you, Retsuko."

The red panda left, looking over notes on a clipboard.

"I must say, Skye, your engineering skills really impress me."

"Thanks. I'm one of the most highly trained field agents in the ZIA. I've got Jack, myself, and other agents out of a jam more than once."

The fox grabbed some tools and went back into the maintenance area.

"I know we're on that list as well. Do you think I could convince you to stay on with Heroes after the war?"

"Hmmm... I'm not sure. I haven't thought about that much. I do like working for the ZIA, and they might have other missions for us after the war instead of working with you guys."

"Well, just know that there's always a place for you and Jack in Heroes."

"Thank you, I'm glad to hear it."

000

"Lion versus lion! Blade versus blade!" Laval said, taking up a defensive stance.

"This is where it all ends on this beach...." Kion said, readying his blade.

There was a pause, with only the feel of sand beneath the lion's feet, the gentle sound of the lapping of the waves on the shore, the occasional breezes blowing through their fur.

"YAAHHHHH!"

The lions roared and raced towards each other, blades colliding with a shower of sparks and the sound of metal clangs.

Blades clashed as the pair swung their blades and blocked incoming attacks. Both warriors were evenly matched and experts with their swords.

Laval kicked up some sand in Kion's face, blinding the young lion and placing him on the defensive as he rubbed his eyes.

Laval was quickly able to block his strikes with his enemy blinded and knock Kion on his back with a hard kick.

The downed lion looked up at his adversary, who was pointing a blade at his neck.

"I win! One point to me!" Laval said.

"Hey, using sand is cheating!" Kion said, getting up and washing his eyes with a bottle of water he set down on the sand.

"You have to be ready for anything!" Laval said, using his sword to cut a small tally mark in a palm tree nearby. He looked over the two sections of the chart cut into the tree, one side labeled L, the other labeled K. "We're even. You may be a little taller than me, but don't let that go to your head!"

"Point taken, say why are you and Eris roughly equivalent in height? I mean, wild lions and wild eagles aren't exactly the same in size."

"I mean, you could say the same thing for other species. Nick and Judy are roughly equivalent in height, much more so that their wild counterparts."

"Yeah... you've got a point..."

The pair of lions readied themselves for another battle, stretching and practicing their sword swings.

"We're also somewhat different in height, even though we're both adult lions."

"Yeah, maybe it's just natural differences since we're from different parts of the world. Chima has always been somewhat unique biology-wise."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not sure, it might have something to do with the chi, or maybe it's just natural circumstances. I'm not exactly a biologist, though."

"It kind of reminds me of how Komodo dragons are only found on one island in the world. I guess it's just a unique location that adds to the diversity mammals have."

"Sounds about right."

"Now then, where were we?" Kion said, taking up an offensive stance with his blade ready to strike.

"I was just about to beat you again!" Laval said, roaring a battle cry before charging forward.

000

"You know, I've said it before, but I'll repeat it. The food you have here is better than the food I had when I first moved to Zootopia!" Judy said, rummaging through the cabinets in the typhoon's kitchen. "Meat, veggies, snacks, sweets, this ship is so well stocked!"

"Well, a warrior needs essential vitamins and nutrients to keep themselves fit for combat," Alex said, sitting at a table and scrolling through something on his tablet. Nick sat across from him and enjoyed a Pawpsicle. "Not only that, but better quality food keeps morale up."

There was a ding, and Judy retrieved her "carrots for one" dish from the microwave before sitting down with Nick and Alex. She pulled the metal covering off the dish, revealing three plump and juicy carrots.

"Look at that! When I first came to Zootopia, I got one tiny shriveled-up carrot, not carrots that actually look like what's on the cover!"

The rabbit pointed to the picture on the dish's covering.

"Eh, I'm more of a burger kind of person," Nick said.

"You're always eating fast food like chips and take out. You really should eat better."

"Well, next time we can get takeout, I was thinking of... oh wait, Alex, we can still eat Chinese food, right?"

"Yeah, duh. In fact, the Chinese food you eat isn't even actual Chinese food. It's an American creation."

"Oh, totally fine to eat then."

"All this talk of food reminds me. JayJay told me that wolves actually need meat to survive. Some humans don't eat meat, but wolves can't do that."

"Ah, yeah, you're going to have to get used to some of the differences between species."

"Yeah," Judy said, her mouth full of carrot." For example, I didn't know that foxes bite to show affection, so it was a surprise when Nick first did that."

"And I didn't know that rabbits rub their chins on things to mark them, so I was rather confused when that first happened."

"Well... she did nibble on my ear," Alex said. "That definitely surprised me."

Nick and Judy chuckled a bit.

"Although... fair warning..." Judy said. "Not all mammals are very accepting of different species relationships."

"Yeah, I know. But do you think some jerks are going to scare me?"

The fox and bunny chuckled again.

"Nah, you two will be fine," Nick said.

000

"Our warship is gone!" Dark JayJay said. "We've lost. It's just the two of us now."

"I concur," Dark Alex replied as the pair walked down a dark hall in a Chinese facility.

"All we can do now is inflict as much damage as possible on our enemy." He said, "But I will be sending you to where this all started. One of the artificial islands in the South China Sea."

"We should never have set foot on that island. Look where we ended up. We should see about calling for aid."

"I agree, but we will make our enemies pay a hefty price in blood for all they have wrought on us. However, I need you to make sure the information about what we did at the start of this conflict stays secret."

"Ok, I can manage that."

"We have tried to keep this information hidden before. But now, you must dispose of anyone or anything that risks revealing the truth."

The dark wolf nodded and went to prepare.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

Dark JayJay paused for a moment and turned to her ally.

"Don't do anything rash unless you have to. Follow your objectives, but keep that data out of enemy hands, at all costs."

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alexboehm55144 · 4 years

Text

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 26 - Respite

Haida and Retsuko were on shore leave, holding paws and taking a stroll down one of the many coastal paths in Zootopia. The reminders of the war were still on their minds, the thoughts of a spy network in the city, and the fact that the wreckage of Chinese and American ships sat just off the coast.

But these thoughts were secondary, the pair were just having fun together, enjoying some ice cream they had bought from a shop.

Retsuko had gotten ice cream with liquor in it, saying she needed it to relieve some stress and unwind.

Haida had gotten coffee-flavored ice cream, and his red panda girlfriend chuckled when the hyena ordered it, citing that his favorite drink was canned coffee.

“What would you like to do?” Retsuko asked, “when this is all over?”

“Well, I think I’ll keep my current job. I assume we are still needed.”

“I agree. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. Of course in my last job, I met you.”

Haida blushes a bit & scratched the back of his head, which was something he did when embarrassed.

The pair found a bench to sit on and stared out at the harbor. Sea birds flew overhead and hunted fish in the water. Engineering crews worked on the wreckage of ships and aircraft in the bay, planning to tow them out to sea to become artificial reefs.

“What else?” Retsuko asked, “I know it might be hard to think about your whole life.”

The hyena was quiet for a moment, prompting Retsuko to speak.

“Don’t feel like you have to answer.”

The hyena’s mind raced. He didn’t know much about what he wanted to do in the far future of his life.

“Well... I don't know everything I'm going to do in my life....”

The hyena struggled with his words, but seeing the beautiful red panda in front of him, he was able to find what he wanted to say.

“....but I do know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

A slight gasp escaped Retsuko's lips, as Haida took Retsuko's paw in his own. It felt cold and slightly wet, as she had been holding the ice cream in that hand. But the hyena didn't care, he enjoyed the red panda's touch.

Retsuko looked at Haida's hand and thought to herself. She loved him, and every time the pair was together she was enjoying herself. If the hyena wanted to spend their lives together, then that meant every day of her life would be enjoyable and happy.

“I’d also like to spend the rest of my life with you.”

The red panda stood up on the bench to get closer to the hyena and gently put a kiss on his lips.

Haida blushed and was stunned for a moment. However, he had gotten more comfortable around Retsuko, & was able to regain his composure quickly.

“Come on, let’s go find a karaoke bar around here.”

The red panda smiled, her hyena knew what she liked.

000

ZIA HQ had been targeted by the Chinese during the first invasion, but since then it had been repaired. Bullet holes in concrete had been filled, and shattered glass panes had been replaced. Some ZIA personnel had gotten killed during both assaults on the city, but the agency had since been supplemented with recruits.

Jack and Skye were currently in their shared office, a rabbit & foxed size room with a window that faced out onto a stone pathway outside the building. 2 desks with computers were set up, along with some file cabinets and a few other random bits of furniture. On the wall sat a large conspiracy board with pictures, maps, and sticky notes. It did include the Dark Heroes, and information on the Chinese.

Skye was just returning from a lion run fast food restaurant named burger pride, while Jack had stayed in the office and worked on some things

“How was your training session earlier?” Skye asked, setting a brown paper bag & a drink down on her mate’s desk.

“It was good, although it would have been more fun if you were there.” Jack flirted.

“Ha! Although your accuracy would suffer since you’d just be staring at me all the time. I know you do that.”

“Is it that obvious?!”

Skye laughed, and opened the bag on her desk, taking out a burger covered in aluminum foil, and unwrapping it to reveal the delicious meal. Jack did the same, quickly biting into the burger.

“Is this plant-based?” The rabbit asked, seeing that the wrapping foil had a small green sticker with a plant on it.

Skye nodded.

“The menu said it was a plant-based substitute, perfect for prey creatures.” The fox paused to take another bite of her burger and chew. “Mine is real meat.”

She pointed to a small red sticker that showed an icon of a steak. The burger was made from unevolved cows and provided all the proteins that a carnivore needed in their diet.

Jack took a sip of the Pawpsi cola in his cup, & pondered what the real meat burger tasted like. He stood up from his desk and went over to Skye.

“Let me take a bite of yours.”

“What?”

“I want to see what yours tastes like.”

“Go away,” Skye said playfully, holding her burger up & out of reach.

But Jack just hopped up and swiped the food out of her paw before taking a large bite.

“Mmm... can’t taste the difference. The plant substitute is a very close approximation.”

“Well if you get to taste mine, then I get to taste yours.”

She plucked Jack’s burger from his paw and bit into it.

“Yeah your right, I can’t even tell it’s plant-based.”

“I still want it back.”

The pair playfully tried to reclaim their food from each other, eventually succeeding and laughing at their immaturity.

“I love you,” Skye said with a full mouth.

Her bunny responded, his mouth also full.

“I love you too.”

000

“We’re getting some weird looks,” Eris said, her and Laval walking down a street, through the meadowlands area of Zootopia.

“Toothdee told me this area was mostly inhabited by prey animals. I guess that could explain the weird looks.”

“Or they’ve just never seen an evolved eagle before,” Eris said.

“I don’t know, I’m getting some stares too.”

The pair had wanted to get out and explore more of Zootopia, and toothdee had recommended the meadowlands to them as somewhere to visit. Their current location was comprised of small stone buildings that were overgrown with plants. Not a result of neglect, but instead just attempts to incorporate civilization with nature. Prey animals such as goats walked the streets. While most were too busy to care about Laval and Eris, others found it appropriate to give them weird glances. Fortunately, the 2 would not have to be the subject of awkward looks for much longer, as they left the street and turned onto a trail through a grove of trees. The ground turned from pavement to dirt, and the leaves stretched overhead.

“You notice how lions here have a different style of mane than those in Chima?” Eris said.

“I have, I wonder if it’s a cultural thing or something. Just a different style of mane wearing.”

“Don’t forget Kion wears his in a mohawk.”

“Oh yeah, true. The lions here remind me of my dad. Maybe because his mane is kinda similar to theirs, in that it has more hair.”

Laval paused and then spoke again.

“I wonder what my dad is doing in Chima right now. I miss him.”

Seeing that Laval was feeling a bit sad, Eris reached down and gripped Laval’s hand with her own, making the lion brush a bit and causing a slight smile to cross his face.

“He’s proud of you.” The eagle said. “Think of all you’ve done for Chima and the world.”

There was another pause as Laval thought for a moment, and the smile stayed on his face.

“Thank you.”

The pair reached a large hill, next to a stone cliff, with a view looking out on rolling fields of grass and rivers that stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky was darkened by clouds from an approaching storm, and the wind blew through the grass, causing patterns that looked like waves.

Laval took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh and damp air. Eris stretched her wings, took a running start, and took into the sky. She soared high above the grass and rivers, gazing at the magnificence of nature. The eagle dove down and flew low above the river, looking at her reflection on the water. She reached her hand into the river and created a trail of water as she continued to fly along.

“I wish I had wings,” Laval said to himself, watching Eris dance across the sky.

The eagle soon returned after a few moments, landing next to her lion.

“Do you have to show off, wing girl?” Laval asked playfully.

The pair sat together, looking out at the rolling grass hills, the wavy rivers, and the turbulent sky. It wasn’t sunny or particularly colorful but was pretty in its own way.

“Ok, what’s a prettier view?” Eris asked “this or the view from Spiral mountain.”

“Hmmm... Spiral mountain,” Laval answered. “Of course, nothing is as pretty as you.”

The eagle blushed and covered her face with a wing.

“Do you miss home?” The lion asked, still thinking about his father.

“Yes, I do. But we’ve left our home behind before, to do some good somewhere else.”

“True, plus we have some of the best of friends with us, and plenty of battles to test our skills.”

“See, things aren’t so bad.”

There was a loud clap of thunder, causing both Laval and Eris to look up to the dark skies above.

Raindrops began to pelt down, making the pair groan as the raindrops started to hit. Eris brought her wings up as shields to cover the pair, protecting them from being drenched.

“Let’s get out of here,” Eris said, and the two retreated to the safety of a dry area.

000

“Sure, I got 4 tickets to the Gazelle concert tonight,” Nick said. “What’s it to you?”

He and JayJay were currently alone in a hallway on the typhoon, & Nick had 4 tickets sticking out of his back pocket.

“I want 2 of them,” JayJay said

“Why?” “I want to have a good time with Alex. That’s all you need to know.”

“I don’t know if a concert is his thing, he’s a real introvert.”

The wolf groaned and shook her head.

“Just, name your price for 2 tickets.”

“Well, do you have anything you think I could use?”

A smirk crossed JayJay’s face. She excused herself and told Nick to wait, before leaving him in the hallway. A few minutes later she returned with 2 quivers, one in each hand, each filled with arrows. The wolf proudly held them up, a smile on her muzzle.

“I already have one of those,” Nick said

JayJay rolled her eyes and tilted the quivers so Nick could see the projectiles inside. He took an arrow out of one of them & examined it. At the head, the arrow didn’t widen before tapering to a point. The diameter of the shaft tapered to a point that looked like the head of a bullet.

“Bullet point arrows,” Nick said. “Impressive.”

JayJay nodded towards the other quiver, and the fox put the bullet point arrow back in its quiver & turned to the second one. Removing an arrow from this quiver, he saw that it had a very wide head that was jagged, and designed to inflict as much damage as possible. The arrow itself was also finely crafted, and extremely sharp.

“Death arrows,” Nick said, examining the object. “Expensive, but very finely made.”

“You can have one quiver.” JayJay said, “in return for 2 of those gazelle tickets.”

The fox rubbed his chin & thought for a moment.

“Death arrows”

Nick reached into his back pocket and produced 2 of the tickets. He passed them to JayJay, took the quiver of death arrows, and slung it over his shoulder.

“Front row, Judy and I will be there as well.”

The wolf looked at the tickets to make sure they were genuine, before thanking her ally & walking away. She was giddy with joy and practically jumped in the air as she went down the hallway.

“A pleasure doing business with you.” The fox said, looking at the quiver of death arrows.

JayJay immediately searched for her mate and discovered him in Toothdee’s cabin, the two were playing some game on their computers.

The wolf knocked on the wall, alerting the 2 to her presence.

“Alex, could I see you for a moment.”

The Heroes captain joined the wolf outside in the hall, noting that JayJay had a large smile on her face & was radiating excitement.

“What is it?”

“I have 2 tickets for the gazelle concert tonight, and I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.”

“I don’t know, large crowds aren’t my thing.”

“Please, I’d like to do something special with you, and I’ve told you how much I love dancing.” The Heroes leader thought for a moment, looking at JayJay’s face. She was smiling widely and her eyes were bright. The captain sighed and gave in, he couldn’t resist that adorable look of excitement.

“Ok, fine. If it would make you happy.”

“Yes!” JayJay said, pumping her fist in the air, before giving the human the ticket. “Ok, it’s in a couple of hours, come get me an hour before the show.”

“Will do,” Alex said, looking over the ticket, and returning to Toothdee.

000

A few hours later, it was not Alex who went and got JayJay, but rather JayJay who went and got Alex. She was very excited, and couldn’t wait any longer.

The pair caught a train to the stadium where Gazelle was singing and made small talk as they navigated through the crowd of mammals headed into the building. Out of either affection or not wanting to get separated, the Heroes captain took his mate’s paw in his hand. The female wolf smiled and leaned against the human’s shoulder. As the pair made their way into the stadium, they heard a familiar sound from behind them.

“Well, look who it is.”

Alex and JayJay turned to see Nick and Judy, walking up in the line behind them. The 2 had arms around each other, and both were dressed in casual, light fitting clothes. Even Nick, who usually only wore Hawaiian shirts.

“Alex? Didn’t think you’d be here,” Judy said.

“Well, someone wanted to do something special and fun with me.”

JayJay smiled happily at the comment.

“Aww, is it ok if we join you?”

“By all means.”

The 2 pairs merged into 1 group, but both couples still held onto each other as they continued to walk.

“Thank you for doing this.” Captain Boehm said, turning to the wolf on his shoulder.

“It’s my pleasure,” JayJay responded.

“Say, where did you get the tickets?”

JayJay pointed to Nick, who smiled slyly and played it cool.

“Ah, there we go. That explains everything.”

The arena was circular, with a circular platform at the center that the performer stood on. The platform was surrounded by water, both as a decorative measure, and a security measure. On the walls of the arena were dozens of small open windows, either so people inside could see out, or just part of an interesting design.

The group of four mammals found their spaces, which were in a pit, slightly below the platform where the performer stood. There were many other mammals all around them, but the spots were premium seating, or rather, standing.

After a few minutes, the arena darkened, and everyone grew silent. Water fountains activated, and lights turned on, as the figure of a female Gazelle in a glittering red dress came on stage, lifted onto the central platform by a small elevator in the stage.

“Hello, Zootopia!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, as the pop star began her first song.

Soon the melody picked up, and the 4 young heroes started to happily dance along. Dancing was much like combat, a beautiful display of movement and actions, perfectly in sync.

Just like when they were walking into the building, Judy and Nick danced together, while JayJay and Alex did the same.

The blue wolf was totally in her element, spinning and moving rapidly. The color and speed impressing her 3 companions.

Judy also pushed Nick along, silently prompting him to dance. The fox obliged and smiled slyly whenever he was encouraged to dance.

The 2 boys were not really as into the dancing at the girls, but they were still having fun, which was the most important thing.

All of a sudden, the lovely sound of the music was overpowered by a much louder noise, one that was like gas and sound moving extremely fast. Even Gazelle stopped singing and looked up to the top of the stadium, to see a large ball of fire engulfing part of the arena.

000000000

Sorry it took a while to get this chapter out. Blame my college work. Though I hope everyone still enjoys reading this!

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