#and that when we are resurrected our bodies are made perfect so our bodies will match our gender! yay!

[mormonforgetmenot]

Transphobic members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints would cry and pee their pants if I told them that trans people made my testimony of the Family Proclamation stronger.

Nothing really sends the message that gender is eternal and an essential characteristic quite like someone who was born into a body of the wrong gender and still knowing who they are and willing to fight for it.

Most people don't actually understand how important gender is because they've never had to think about it. I don't feel God's love when people go on and on about how gender is important when they've never had to have it be important to them because they've never had it challenged and merely use it to drive trans people away from Christ. Which is not cool by the way! But I think that people who have had it challenged, who were told their whole lives that they were something that they knew very well they are not, had the threat of their rights taken away, for many the threat of losing family and friends, and yet still chose to live true to themselves is so meaningful and sends such a powerful message about how important gender is to our identities. How spiritual and godlike our genders can be. I think that is beautiful.

[ratindividual]

As someone with a mild disability to the knee and can't walk very long without feeling pain all through the leg and hip, people saying Viktor's own is a flaw and need to be cured asap because it's painful kinda misses the point of it all.

When Jayce said this:

He's not saying Viktor shouldn't have tried to find a cure to the pain or any ailment, he is saying Viktor was not flawed because he is disabled, which is what Viktor think.

"[...] what you thought were weaknesses." this is important to note, Jayce here doesn't share the same sentiment, he does not think it as a weakness, but part of a whole package that comes with someone (in that case, Viktor) Jayce took him like he was, and adored him.

A weakness is something you need to destroy before it gets to you, and sometimes, you will do unspeakable things to achieve it.

Viktor was never broken, imperfections make who he is, and by definition, makes every human.

Perfection does not exist, it is our emotions, our contradictions, our differences that make it incredible, human being are messy by design, we are a collectivity of incredibly diverse people and deserve respect!

It is not a flaw, it's a condition he lives with, which makes him singular, and that same disability constructed who he is, too: his drive, his mind, his resilience, his care and utter empathy for others, which are traits that Jayce admire most of it all!!! He says it himself:

It is his heart, his humanity, everything that Viktor think as a nuisance, that Jayce wants to preserve. He loves him for it, instead of despite it, and he finds him beautiful, both physically and mentally, it was never a question for him!

His unwavering compassion to push further, his ambitions, because he loves him. Jayce is an emotional, empathetic man, he values connection above all, and he understands.

He's saying Viktor has always been perfect to him because of it all. We humans are flawed, this is the inevitability of being conscious and alive.

Which is why this, this is very important:

Jayce knows Viktor, at this point, had lost his way. Empathy cannot work under the false prism of selflessness if it makes you believe that choice is an illusion, thus making it for others.

Jayce believes in choices, and knows that the people Viktor saves are, by proxy, unable to have any agency over their own fate, which is exactly the most important theme going on with Viktor throughout all two seasons. Viktor wants to take back control over his own self, while simultaneously pushing this on others who need help too.

I am convinced Jayce would have been more than fine with Viktor tweaking himself because he wants it, he was on board in season 1, he actually made the change himself in a misguided attempt to save the man he loves at the start of season 2. (which is very interesting, considering his feelings made him do something he himself sanctions such as resurrecting his soulmate, I love his contradictions so much)

He understands the desperation, the want to have a better life. But he doesn't want it to strip other's people individuality and Viktor's own sense of self, ripping his heart out for the sake of flawlessness.

He knows, too, the price of the perfect world Viktor wants to create. An endless loop of loneliness, mourning a man that is but a shell of himself, conscious through the hive but not him. His essence gone. A cross too heavy to bear.

And yet, Jayce never stopped loved him, never stopped fighting for him to understand how much he values him and respects him, worshiping the literal ground under his feet!!

Even in his godly form, he is head over heels for him!!! Look at how Viktor looks!! While talking face to face with this Eldritch incarnation, he remembers how Viktor used to look down memory lane, and it was still as majestic and grandiose, even!

It's why he confesses in the first place. He is in love with him through it all. His body changed, but it is still Viktor. He loves him wholly, every part of him! No matter where it takes them, no matter what he looks like.

Jayce loves Viktor with everything he has and no matter what comes their way. An unwavering, tangible loyalty.

[aentrilon]

An afternoon for the Holy Knights

...when you suddenly called me,

I thought you were trying to ask me out again, but...

You are actually just a selfish boy...

Despite being popular and strong...

I suppose it's because of your quality as a Great Holy Knight in the end...

Sorry, Guila.

There's no one I can trust more than you.

That's fine... I accept

the role.

Haah.

Haah.

Master Howzer!!!

Is it true that Donny left for Camelot again!?

It is.

Damn him!! After he told me to go on the search with him, he just...

It seems like

Percival of the Four Knights of the Apocalypse has resurrected.

The knight of prophecy did!?

Be careful out there, Howzer...

Hey you... why are you following me!?

Are you planning on going into Camelot!? Then please take me with you!!!

I'm sure that is...

my destiny.

Edlin... you've got that side of yours for so long...

Huh? What's it?

Nothing! Just don't regret it later, okay!?

I won't!!!

SFX: Clink clink clink clink clink

SFX: Kuh

SFX: Jump

I... I yield!!

SFX: Blow

Your fencing... did you learn it on your own?

Your swordsmanship is rough yet decent, Bors.

...my sister died in a fire while we were running for our lives away from the Demons in the Holy War. ...if only I had the strength to gight at the time... That thought pushed me to keep swinging the sword myself...

So you took up fencing to avenge your sister...?

I used to but not anymore!

I've now got a new reason to swing the sword.

I owe it to her for saving me from that ominous place...

That's why I want to be of help to her this time...!!

So you like tomboys like her?

Wh...

Please stop teasing me!!

Anyway, Pelliot! Let's go for another round...

Sorry but I've got to go.

I'm going to celebrate the full recovery of my master.

Do you want to come with me?

Your master, Pelliot...!?

Y... yes!!!

Kyu...

Piiiiiiiiiin.☆

This new part isn't too bad.

You're saying it isn't good either.

Come on, do not depreciate yourself like that.

You performed sufficiently well.

You made me realize how inadequate my own power is to the point that I hate it...!!

Producing a moving part with an appearance indistinguishable from living flesh with the maximim output of magic is next to impossible to achieve.

Both your creator and Merlin who restored you to your body to its perfect condition are quite incredible geniuses.

Really, magic is a deep and arduous road...

You understood that at just the age of 18. You just might surpass them sometime.

...quit joking.

I'm just a human, I don't plan on living a uselessly long life.

By the way, do you know where the Percival platoon is?

I put a mark on Percival when they went through the gate. I've got a grasp of their current position.

Are you really going there?

I can't guarantee your safe return, you know?

Heh...

An old soldier has their own mission...

So much noise! ...who is it!?

It seems like my fellow travellers have arrived...

[viridianstarlight]

Do you know who you are?

To the world these days, or at least my generation and younger, personal identity matters a whole lot to people.And to these same people, your identity can be whatever you want it to be.

You are identified by your gender, and they say your gender can be whatever you want on any day.

You are identified by your sexuality and relationship status.

You are identified by the colour of your skin.

You are identified by your job.

There’s more, but I think you get the idea.

So in the eyes of these people, I am male, straight and single, white, and a cafe worker. But I don’t really think that describes ‘Cory’.

But we Christians have a different view of identity. Here’s what the Bible says about who we are.

Psalm 139: 15-16 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

To start with, God knows exactly who you are. He knows everything there is to know about you. So if anyone can show you who you are, it is God.

1 John 3: 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

We are called God’s children. We are adopted in to the King’s family.

Romans 8:16-18 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

By being adopted in to the King’s family, we are made co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His sufferings and glory.

Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the Lord says— He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

We belong to God.

Romans 6:6 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Thanks to Christ’s death and resurrection, our faith in Him clothes us in His righteousness and redeems us of our sins. God looks upon us and sees the perfection of Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God is perfect, and so is everything He creates. God does not make mistakes. You are His masterpiece, the crowning reflection of His perfect creativity.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?

Your body is a holy space where God dwells.

Ephesians 1: 4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 

God created the world in the first chapter of Genesis, and even before then, He knew you perfectly and has loved you perfectly since then.

1 Corinthians 12: 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

You belong as part of something greater than yourself, and you cannot function to your greatest potential separate to the body.

You were created to do things that other parts of the body cannot do, and you were created to benefit the body just as other parts were created to benefit you.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

You are a royal priest of the King. In the old testament, only the high priests could enter the holy of holies within God’s temple. But we, belonging totally to God and being chosen by Him, can enter the presence of God at any time.

And this is all thanks to Christ leaving heaven to become a man, taking our sin to the cross and dying in our place, taking our judgement, and in return sharing His righteousness with us.

Do you know who you are? God does.

[del-thetiredwriter]

Ok but what if in the “do you love me” series, Aegon sought the help of a sorceress to “heal his wife?”

Read these before you read: Do you love me, say you love me

Firstly thank you for your request. Please feel free to write your opinions .I really enjoyed while writing it. İt isn’t exactly what you requested but I hope you like it. It’s about what happens after sorcerers “heals his wife”

Warning: disturbing themes, drugging etc. English is my second language

You woke up with the sunlight coming through the window. “Your husband Aegon” was hugging you tightly. You tried to wake him up but he playfully pulled you towards him and kissed you. After breakfast together, your husband reluctantly went to the small council meeting. You spent time in the library until tea time. Then dinner. Finally, a romantic hot night and the day is over again.

It was like this every day for about three weeks. Such a perfect life…it's like a dream.

Three weeks ago when you woke up you found yourself in an unfamiliar room with people you didn't know. Then a silver-haired man cheerfully hugged you. You couldn't understand what was going on. You pushed the man. You couldn't remember where you were, who this man was, who the people around you were, who you were... You couldn't remember anything. You were panicked, you were afraid.

But fortunately the silver-haired man who had been by your side ever since you awoke - your husband Aegon - explained you everything.

Your name was Y/n Velaryon. You were married to your husband, Aegon Targaryen, the king of Westeros. There was an accident a few months ago. Although he did not explain what the accident was and how it happened, you fell into a deep sleep after the accident and did not wake up in any way. But miraculously, you woke up.

You couldn't believe Aegon at first, and he might have taken advantage of your amnesia to lie to you but as the days passed, you began to trust him and believe him.

Your days were peaceful. You had a loving husband and he would do anything for you. However, while you were walking around the court , the gaze of the servants and guards bothered you. They looked as if they had seen the dead. Especially when was Queen Alicent starting to turn a blind eye to you and repent. According to Aegon you were a loved person why did they treat you that way?

Again after the usual breakfast, Aegon whined and forced his way to the small council meeting. You made your way to the library. While examining the books on the shelves,A book hidden behind other books caught your attention in the bottom corner of the shelf. The book was about Targaryen history. While turning the pages, a piece of paper fell off. You took the paper and began to read it. Something was written in Valyrian. You started reading the paper.

If the person reading this is Y/N Velaryon, read this carefully. This is written by me Y/N Velaryon. It is true that we/you are Aegon's spouse but everything you know now is a lie. I/you actually committed suicide, so I died, we died, you died. That's the reason for the scar on your neck. As for Aegon, I don't know how he did it, but he resurrected us. That's why everyone in the court looks at you as if they've seen you dead because you, me, we are dead. Also, this is not our first awakening since the so-called 'accident'. You just don't remember. The reason you lost your memory is because of the medicines given to you at tea time. Don't drink. No matter what run away to a place where we can't find Aegon's body.

You couldn't believe what you read. It was hastily written. You wanted to tear the paper but what if it's true then the way people look at you, that scar on your neck. Besides, Aegon never explained to you what the accident was. You placed the paper between the book and hid the book in to its old place.

It wouldn't hurt to try. You secretly stopped taking your meds. Your memory was slowly coming back. To escape, you had to play your cards well. You shouldn't have cracked anything.

You had a romantic dinner with Aegon the night you planned to escape. You got him really drunk and then one hot night. Aegon fell asleep from exhaustion. You took one last look at Aegon before leaving . And you left the room silently.

According to your plan, there was a small hole in one of the castle walls. A hole big enough for you to pass through. Just as you were about to run away, a hand touched your shoulder .

“What are you doing here."

You turned your back. You saw Aegon. No way he was supposed to be asleep.

"N-no you , it can't-"

“My sweet wife. Did you think I didn't notice? This time, I thought we could continue our perfect life as before, even though your memory came back, but you let me down.”

“Why did you resurrect me! If I wanted to live, I would live! What you have done is a great sin. Gods-"

Aegon forced you into his arms. You tried to resist, but he was stronger than you.

You went back to your room and Aegon threw you on the bed. He took a bottle from the drawer and then forced you to drink it.

"Open your mouth"

"What will you do to me! What's in this bottle?

Aegon looked at you and smiled.

“I will just make sure everything is as it should be”

And after swallowing the liquid in the bottle, everything went black.

You woke up. A silver-haired man hugged you.

"You're finally awake, my love."

“My love? Who are you?"

“I am your husband, Aegon."

[beevean]

It took me a lot of time to put into words that Isaac, simply, wants to feel important.

On one hand, there's his wanting to be the perfect weapon for Dracula. He is subservient to a T, he changes his body for him, he refuses to think about what they're doing, in pursue of surpassing Hector and becoming the Lord's favorite. He never accomplished that. It eats him up inside, and drives him to do illogical actions, like insisting on fighting Hector on fair terms to prove himself.

"I'm not as thoughtful as you, Hector... If you have a good weapon, you use it, don't you?"

"Good for you that you can judge our Lord’s deeds… It’s not bad for my position. But I will not tolerate any disservice and betrayal towards Him."

"I will not deny your loyalty..."

On the other, there's Hector. Isaac isn't going to submit to Hector, of course, not when Dracula indirectly forced him in that position already. At first, he wants to be at least his equal: he respects him but as I mentioned he wants to prove himself against him in a fight. Again, he doesn't accomplish that, and in fact Hector defeats him when wounded - and, in a last spit to his face, leaves him alive, unworthy of being finished off.

"Take a look at this pathetic sight, my Lord, my broken sword used as a cane. My body is the proof of Your expectations for him. Please ridicule me, scold me, next time I will do whatever it takes."

But then, he chooses another way. For three years, Hector dominates Isaac's every thought, as he rots away, hidden, a waste, a failure, while Hector gets everything he ever wanted.

"Mhh... You make that kind of face too… I've gotten a lot better too... How many times has the moon waxed and waned, I wonder?

"That’s a nice expression… I'm happy. Good pain is proof of life. I won't afford you the peace of death easily: live, spit blood, and then…"

He writes Hector's name under his boot, which can be interpreted in many ways, but I personally see it as a symbol of how thoroughly Hector owns him, like a toy.

So, then, Isaac flips the script on him.

I have spent words already on the significance of Isaac killing Rosaly. I also mentioned how repaying Hector with the same trauma he had inflicted on Isaac, albeit unwittingly, puts Hector in the position of the one being "owned" like a toy. Now it's Hector the one who is obsessed with Isaac, ruled by his anger and hatred. Isaac can play with him as he pleases. He can move him around like his puppet, and Hector will obey, not because he's stupid, but because Isaac has seized control of his emotions and thoughts. Isaac went from being dead in Hector's eyes to being his only reason left to live. At last, for a short while, Isaac was the most important person in Hector's life - and you bet he was relishing in that power, he who was made to feel worthless by the same man.

Hurts even more than even in his death, he was being as second best, as faulty material for his Lord's resurrection, his body left to be crushed under the castle.

It contrasts with Hector, who wants mostly to feel safe.

"The ability to rebel and blaspheme against the Divine Providence is accepted without blame. A place where we are allowed to exist."

When he talks in the MF manga that he sought power for the sake of remaining human, he was most likely referring to the power to live in peace, unthreatened, not feeling weak or vulnerable. He didn't care at all about being important to Dracula, something that Isaac envied instead.

It's yet another tragic parallel that Hector ended up being important to many people. To Dracula, as I said, as his best Devil Forgemaster. But to Rosaly as well, as someone she could live with and love, and to Julia, as someone who could help her and support her in her grief. Hector clings to people much like Isaac does, but not to the point of destruction, whether to himself or others.

[praisethegabs]

before sunrise

pairing: Leon Kennedy x reader

synopsis: he's alive and recovering. the sun is rising, it's time to start a new day and, possibly, a new chapter in your life.

warnings: mentions of injuries, being at hospital, deaths, and traumas. starts with angst, but has a happy ending like our boy deserves. fluff, leon being vulnerable and sensitive and the reader comforting him, references to id!leon and vendetta!leon. no use of y/n, second person (you)

author's note: the third and final part of before trilogy. this part took more time to write because i wanted a good ending. there's some quotes from infinite darkness and vendetta bc why not? i rly enjoyed writing this trilogy, and i'm sad that it ended. i hope you guys enjoyed it as much as i did writing this!

word count: 4243k (approximately, i've lost count)

before: part one | part two

There was a soft breeze coming through the window, announcing the sunrise.

Although it was a cold day, the sun was shining in the blue sky outside. For some reason, you always enjoyed this type of weather. It wasn't cold enough, but it wasn't warm, too. It was perfect, even though you had to be satisfied with the view.

The walls were white, and you were starting to hate that color. Everything, absolute everything, was white. You sighed again, feeling the pain in your lower lip due to the cut you had. At least, it was something real, and you could feel it, and deep down, you were glad to feel something instead of cold, tiredness, and hunger. Even though you were safe, you hated to wait. And you hated even being at the hospital, especially when you couldn't do anything to change that.

But, just for some release of conscience, you weren't the one that was in there. Of course, the circumstances were terrible, but at least he was safe. Your mission was a complete success, but you were so worried. Nothing could make you feel better, and you were starting to despise that feeling.

Sure, patience wasn't your best virtue, and despite everything you did, all that was left was to watch Leon while he slept, completely medicated and out of danger.

You managed to call for help, and you couldn't stop remembering the fact that he almost died due to high fever. When you found him inside that house, he wasn't breathing anymore, and things happened so quickly that you couldn't even process everything yet. In one minute, he was presumed dead, and in the next one, he was inside the helicopter and being medicated, being resurrected by someone way more qualified than you. You had your share of cuts, contusions, and wounds, but still, he was your priority, and you wouldn't allow yourself to rest until you had sure Leon was safe.

And you brought him home safe.

Now, you were in the hospital and waiting for him to wake up. You glanced at your arm with the clean bandage and then at your hands. You were shaking, and you couldn't tell why, or you were just lying to yourself again like you always did when you were under stress.

"Hey, you" you hear Leon say, his voice weaker and husky, but still your Leon. Your eyes meet with his and suddenly, there's only peace. "Where are we?"

"We're safe" you said to him, your voice full of concern. You were trying so hard to make things easier, even though he was indeed safe.

"What happened?" he asks again, closing his eyes due to his tiredness, his voice low and more husky.

"I contacted Hunnigan, and she sent the rescue team. The medical team brought you here a few days ago" you explained to him, careful enough to not let him worry.

"I was sleeping for days? I guess I needed to rest" he chuckled, and his comment made you smile, your body starting to relax. Yes, it was your Leon.

"You always look like you need to rest" you teased him, a slight smile appearing on your lips as you feel more relaxed around him. "I'm glad you survived. You scared the living shit out of me... again"

"Are we doing scores now?" Leon teased you, the same sentence you used when you were helping him years ago during the outbreak in Raccoon City.

"How do you even remember that?" you ask him, laughing out loud, completely caught off guard by his question.

"I have a good memory, and besides, I couldn't forget the night you saved my life... twice" he said, smiling, and he looked very lovingly saying that way. Your heart melted inside your chest. "I owe you three times"

"Well, you made a promise to Marvin that day. I can't let you die, right?" you smiled back, feeling your cheeks turning red. After all these years, Leon still had that effect on you. "Even after we turned special agents, I'm afraid you'll stick with me till the day I die... and I'm pretty sure you'll still haunt me in the afterlife"

"Well, I'm glad you know that. I can't just lose the love of my life like that" Leon said, now opening his eyes and looking directly at you. "I'm sorry I scared you... I know you wouldn't let me die in peace"

"You're an asshole, Kennedy" You called him by his surname, but you laughed after you finished the sentence. "By the way, how are you feeling?"

"I'm in pain. Thank you for remembering it. Now I can complain about your terrible stitch skills" he tried to laugh, but his expression changed quickly, and he groaned in pain.

But you just laughed at him. Besides the laughs and the terrible jokes, he was still your Leon. The same man you had fallen in love with, and the same man you had the luck to share your home with. And, at the end of the day, he would be there. Home.

Life was weird sometimes.

You knew one day he wouldn't come home. One day, he could die during one assignment and leave you on your own. And the thought of that made your body shiver because you weren't prepared to lose him. The same thought was running through his mind. Although Leon had difficulty sharing his feelings, you could see and feel everything through his eyes. Words were unnecessary at that point. You knew him, and he knows you. That's all that matters.

"You look so beautiful when you're thinking about something else" Leon said, whispering, his voice soft as he looked at you, his blue eyes shining.

"When I'm distracted?" you ask him, smiling. True, he always loved to watch you doing absolutely everything.

"Yeah, especially when you're distracted. I love you, do you know that?" he asks you, a slight smile appearing on his lips as he declares himself to you.

"I love you too" you smiled again, your heart full of joy at the moment. He always expressed himself through actions instead of words, so hearing him say that, well, it completely melted your heart.

But suddenly, you caught yourself thinking about everything, starting with Raccoon City and ending with your last assignment, the one that almost ended Leon's life. You felt fear, although you usually didn't have time to feel scared like that. He was safe, right? Then why couldn't you feel the same? Your mind was tricking you to think otherwise, and you were starting to hate this.

"Hey, I'm fine" Leon said to you like he could read your mind and like he knew what was going on with you. "I'm not gonna die, trust me"

"I'm scared, and I don't know why" you replied, looking straight at his blue eyes, seeking comfort. "All that happened... Jesus, I can't let go, you know? I can't stop seeing Raccoon City all over again... you almost died in there and almost died again in our last assignment... and I just don't know if I can do this anymore. I can't lose you"

"I'm not going anywhere without you, babe. I promise you" his voice is full of comfort and kindness, as he talks very smoothly and caring. Sometimes, you just forget how lovely he can be. "I'm here, aren't I? I'll never leave you because if I do, then who's gonna haunt you in the afterlife?"

And with that, he made you smile. Even in pain and tired to the bones, he still tries his best to comfort you. You kiss his forehead gently as he sighs to your touch. He loved being kissed and spoiled by you, even though he wouldn't admit that to anyone, not even you.

"Get some rest, I'll go see if I can find any snacks to eat" you said to him before leaving his room.

He then sighed again, feeling much more tired than before. At least, he wasn't lost and alone in the middle of nowhere, and even though he also hated being in the hospital, Leon was feeling much happier having you around him. He glanced outside the window and started to thank every possible God out there to let them know he was glad to be alive again. The sun was rising, and he had a new opportunity to make things right.

Slowly, he started to close his eyes, embracing the darkness and diving into a dream.

He was again in Raccoon City. Leon could feel the cold rain touching his skin. He could see the nightmare that place was. Worse, he could see the tyrant that was hunting you both that day. His heart started to race inside his chest. He was scared to be in there again, being obligated to see his worst nightmare again and feel that all over again.

But, this time, something changed.

He saw you running from the same tyrant, and this time, he wasn't able to help you. Leon had to watch you die. He screamed and cried, he tried to get rid of whatever was holding him against the floor until the dream started to repeat and he realized he had to watch you die over and over again, unable to save you.

"NO, PLEASE! STOP!" he screamed, waking up. His breath was heavier. He was shaking and sweating. When he realized it wasn't real, he started to look around desperate, trying to find you.

"Leon? What happened?" you ask him, entering his room. He was still breathing heavily and shaking.

"It's... it's nothing. I'm fine" he lied, but he knew you already had figured out what happened to him. He was a terrible liar. "Don't look at me like that"

"Did you have a nightmare?" you ask him, sitting on the edge of his bed, your hands caressing his leg above the blanket that covers him.

But he didn't give you an answer. Instead, he remained silent, trying to calm himself down. His hands were shaking, and for some reason, words were unnecessary. You just knew what he needed. So, without telling him anything or asking him for permission, you just embraced him with your open arms, as if you could protect him from everything in the world.

And, with that warm embrace, Leon started to cry.

It was unusual for him to be so vulnerable like that, but truth be told, he was so tired. Every night, he had the same nightmare, but he always thought he could deal with that. Until he saw you dying, and there was nothing he could do to keep you safe. He had to watch you die. He had to hear you scream and hear you blame him for everything bad that has ever happened. And this time, he couldn't take it. He was scared, truly scared.

"It's okay, it wasn't real, and you're safe" you whisper to him, your voice soft and caring enough to calm him down.

"I saw you" he sobs, covering his face on your chest so you can't see him cry. "I saw you die... and there was nothing I could do to save you"

You said nothing. Instead, your hands were running through his hair. You knew he always had a soft spot for that, and he always loved being touched by you. He was indeed touch starved, but he always worshiped you for touching him so softly, so kindly. Slowly, he started to calm down, although you could hear him sobbing.

"It wasn't real, Leon" you assured him, your voice calm and yet caring. He needed that. He needed to remain that he did all he could, and it wasn't his fault. "Nothing bad will ever happen to you again"

But he kept sobbing, his voice muffled by his face covered on your chest. And he cried and sobbed like that until he fell asleep again, tears falling through his face. You gently covered him with the blanket, and then you gave him another kiss on his forehead before you left his room again. You were tired as well. You missed your home, and you wanted so desperately to run away from the hospital. Your thoughts were interrupted by someone calling you, and when you saw 'Redfield' on the screen, you just sighed.

"Hey, you" Chris said when you picked up the phone.

"Hey, Redfield. What's up?" you ask him, walking around the entrance to the hospital, where you could hear the sound of the traffic and the city.

"How is he?" Chris's voice seems to be concerned, and you know he is worried about Leon. You glanced to the sky before thinking about everything that happened.

"He's fine... Leon woke up today, and to be fair, he's really tired" you tell Chris, still remembering everything that happened during your escape. Just the thought of Leon being so hurt like that made your stomach twist. "But I guess he'll be here for a couple of days"

"Yeah, I thought so" he said, and you could imagine him shaking his head, and you smiled. "Can you tell him I called?"

"Yeah, sure... I'll let him know," you said, nodding your head, although Chris wasn't there to see you. "How're you doing?"

"The same as always. I'm investigating a guy named Glenn Arias, and hopefully, I'll find him soon" Chris said, now sounding very excited. It was a surprise he had time to check on Leon. Sometimes, he was very busy at the BSAA. "But I need to get going, I just wanted to hear from you. Take care of yourself"

"Yeah, you too, asshole" you smirk slightly when you call him an asshole. Then, you heard him laugh as well before he ended the call. Your hands were shaking again, and you were starting to feel the consequences of what happened.

You weren't weak, but this time, you were feeling something different inside you.

Sure, seeing the love of your life almost die in front of your eyes while there was nothing you could do to stop that... You were tired and overwhelmed by something you had never felt before, and you hated it. You looked up again, observing the sky, trying to calm yourself and noticing the shapes of the clouds and the colors combined. It was beautiful.

You took a deep breath and then returned to his room. He was sleeping peacefully, although you could see his swollen eyes, the result of so many tears being released by his sudden breakdown. It was so unusual to see Leon vulnerable, but you knew that he was tired of saving everyone and having no one to save him or take care of him when he needed it. And you understood that you were the one to do that. You were his home and his safe place, the one he needed to assure him everything was fine.

Sometimes, he just needed you.

Saving the world was a tough job and took everything from him, except for you. Sometimes, he needed to feel your touch, feel your presence, and hear you tell him everything was fine the way they were. He wasn't the scared boy you met at Raccoon City. He was so different, and yet, he remained the same. His essence hasn't changed. Time couldn't break him, although it was rough.

He had to endure all over these years, but still, he was the same, Leon. His eyes only shine when you're around, and he can be very lovely and kind only with you, although he had a lot of trust issues you had to overcome with patience and love. Leon was your everything, and by now, you were seeing how close you were to losing him. And this memory was killing you inside, melting you like acid, poisoning your mind, and making you feel guilty.

"A penny for your thoughts" you hear his voice, even though he sounds husky for a moment. His eyes were swollen, but they were shining so beautifully.

"I thought you were sleeping" you smirk, sitting again on the edge of his bed, crossing your arms. "Chris called, just for you to know"

"He did?" Leon raised an eyebrow as he watched you nod your head. "Thanks, I'll talk to him when I leave"

"You should be sleeping" you said to him, sitting on the edge of his bed, making yourself comfortable.

"I can't sleep. I hate being in here, and I don't want to close my eyes..." he sighed heavily, avoiding looking at you. You knew what it was.

"It's okay to be afraid, you know?" you smiled gently, reaching for his hand. Your fingers tangled with his, as he slowly started to put his attention on you again. "We went through a lot, and we still have each other. This has to mean something, Leon"

"Do you think this will pass?" he asks you, and for a moment, you saw that he was truly scared. This was unusual, too, but you had to be there for him. He needed you.

"Yeah, I do. I have nightmares too, sometimes I'm afraid to sleep, I don't want them to scare me" you said to him, your voice full of empathy and kindness, as the comfort words were everything he needed at the moment. Leon seemed to be surprised, but he remained silent. "Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and look for you, to make sure you're here with me and safe... I know they twist your mind and make you feel worse, but they aren't real, and they can't hurt you. This is what I tell myself every night"

Leon nods his head as he silently asks for a hug. Your arms were around him in a warm hug, like you can protect him from everything else in the world. You both watched the sunrise outside. It was such a beautiful morning like it was telling you to start again. Like you both had a new chance to start a new chapter in your life.

"When you leave the hospital, we can start again, you know?" you ask him, your eyes still looking outside.

"What do you mean by that?" Leon glances at you, his eyes shining even more. They were like sapphires, and they had their glow. Such a beautiful pair.

"I won't risk losing you. I'm considering retirement... I've had my share of danger. And I'm done with it" you explained to him very calmly, but you were sure about your decision. The government could find someone else.

"Are you sure about that?" Leon asks you again, as he considers your words. You nodded again to him, and for some reason, you knew what he was thinking. "Maybe we can buy that house we've always wanted... travel the world like tourists and... grow old together"

"You don't have to retire just because I want to. I know you love your job and the adrenaline that comes with it... but I can't do this anymore" you tell him, trying to convince him to don't do anything he might regret later.

"Sweetheart, I know one day I won't be able to wake up again and see a sunrise like this. This time, I only escaped because you were there with me... but who knows what will happen next?" Leon said, his voice full of determination and certainty. He squeezed your hand to let you know he was convinced. "And if you won't be there with me, then I don't want to go alone"

You knew you couldn't change his mind. He was the type of person who once decided something, he wasn't going back. On the other hand, it was a tremendous surprise to see he was willing to retire just for you. He wanted so badly to have peace and a happy ending that he would do that.

"When I was a kid, I used to think about what kind of man I'd grow up to be. I never thought my life would turn out this way" Leon sighed heavily, avoiding looking at you while he was rethinking his entire life. It wasn't a secret to you that he was an orphan, that his parents were killed, and he was left alone, saved by a cop, which led him to become one of them. You just knew. "I keep fighting... and fighting and fighting. Instead of seeing an end to this shit, it just keeps getting worse. Is this what my life is supposed to be? Fighting the living dead and the bastards that make them? What's the point of it all? It feels like I'm stuck in a goddamn loop... how much longer can we keep going on like this?"

And there he was.

The broken man you loved and tried to heal over and over, the man you saved a thousand times. The same man that carried this trauma since the day you met, the same pain in those beautiful sapphire eyes. He was done. And you both knew that. He reaches for your hand, a desperate way to seek comfort, to know you both share the same thoughts and feelings. He needed to hear that. He needed to be sure you were on the same page.

"You never seemed so angry about something before..." you smirk, seeing his face relax for a moment. He hated talking about Raccoon City.

"I'm angry because the government wiped the city off the map and covered it all up, I'm angry because there were people alive in there. There were families alive in there. And they didn't even try to get them out. They also said it was a tough call" Leon sighed again, he never spoke like that before, it was like he was hiding it inside him, waiting for the perfect opportunity to let it all out. He needed to get out of that off his chest. "So, tough call my ass! You can not save a country if you don't give a damn about the people in it"

Then he sighed again. He was keeping it inside his chest for so long that he felt great to speak his mind without being concerned about the consequences. It felt so good to finally be able to say whatever he wanted because he knew you wouldn't complain or say otherwise to him.

"So, yeah, that's why I want to retire as well. I'm so done with this that I don't want to spend the rest of my life chasing freaks and preventing the end of the world. They can find someone as good as me" he finally looks at you, seeking some kind of approval, although he didn't need one.

For some reason, you didn't have an answer. Everything he needed at the moment was told through your eyes because you both shared a connection that sometimes, words were unnecessary. Leon felt relaxed when he noticed the way you were looking at him because you didn't have to say a word.

"I just don't want an end that means a coffin or wasting time with things that I don't like. I want to end my life living peaceful days without being scared and traumatized... I want to be happy" Leon finished his vent with a sigh of pure relief. He leaned back his head against the pillow, feeling a bit exhausted.

"Then I promise you, sweetie, we'll have the happy ending we both deserve." you smiled gently at him, finding the proper words to express yourself and to make sure he felt embraced. He just smiled at you, his eyes shining again. "You know, we create such unnecessary pain for ourselves"

"What do you mean by that?" Leon raises an eyebrow, his face slowly confused. He was so adorable when he was like that.

"Remember when we first met? You asked me about my perception of what happened in there, and I told you I was elaborating... I think now I have the answer" you said to him, smiling again. It was weird to think about that after so many years, but finally, it would have some conclusions.

"Yes, and what's your answer?"

"We think we're a failure because no one loves us. It's like we only exist if there's someone who sees us. Our life only has worth if we're living for someone else" you explained to him, your eyes looking outside the window, as you think about everything and everyone. "That restlessness we feel? It's our souls crying out to be set free from all the deceit we've been forced to believe"

"Your perception of the world always amuses me. I wish I could see things the way you see them" his voice is kind. He always loved to hear you, to listen to your voice as it helped him calm down during his dark days. You were light to his darkness.

Your face slightly turns red. It was weird. You always love to tease him and make him blush, but when he does the same to you, oh, dear God... you can't even react. He's the only one that has the power to make you speechless, the one that makes you blush harder and the same that makes your heart beat faster inside your chest. This man was Leon Scott Kennedy, and he would always have your heart.

"I love you" he said to you before starting to close his eyes.

"I know"

[fancyfanfiction]

A Semi-Perfect Halloween

Hey friends, new fic! I came across the show Ghosts this year and I really love it, so I had an idea.

Summary:

Isaac turned to Sam, “But, you’re saying that we could have at least a semi-return to life?” His curiosity turned to excitement, “You can give all of us a semi?!” "Maybe we can find a, um, different descriptor from that?" What happens when Sam finds a ritual on the internet that could potentially partially resurrect our favorite post-living housemates? Will it even work?

Cross posted to: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56327503/chapters/143111143

The crisp chill of autumn had settled over Woodstone Manor and the promise of Halloween grew with the orange and red carpet of fallen leaves that spread across the vast grounds of the estate. Sam sat by the library window scrolling on her phone, hoping that some time away from the laptop screen would help bust through her writer’s block. That afternoon saw the ghosts attending to their various hobbies, leaving Sam a rare moment of silence.

              “Hey Jay, listen to this:” She called out and thumbed back to the top of the page, “that website I got the séance instructions from, it looks like they have some sort of ritual they’re claiming can give a ghost its body back!”

              “You’re kidding. That would be so cool!” Jay rushed in, beaming. “I could finally get to hang out for real with my man Pete; shoot some hoops, play some D n’ D.” He peered over Sam’s shoulder at the phone browser. “I could teach the ghosts how to play x-box!” he said. “Do we need physical items that belonged to the ghosts or that they had with them when they died or anything?”

              “Nope. It looks like we just need whoever’s getting their body back to be a part of the circle. And y’know the candles and incense and stuff it lists here.” Sam showed him said list and crossed to the library door. “Guys come in here, I found something really exciting!”

              The eight ghost friends gathered quickly, each echoing their own variation of “what is it?”

              Sam repeated the discovery, finishing with, “And so the day before Halloween, we can do this ritual and you guys would get 3 whole days to be corporeal again.” 

              “Jiminy! That sounds almost too good to be true.” Pete ran a hand through his hair, mouth still agape.

              “Pete’s right,” Alberta nodded. “There’s gotta be a catch. One thing I learned working in showbiz is you don’t ever get something for nothing.” She put her hands on her hips.

              “And what I learned working in the stock market,” Trevor cut in, “is ‘no risk, no reward.’” He turned to the rest of the group. “Guys, we could be alive again!”

              “Well, sorta.” Sam hated to burst the bubble.

              “I knew it.” Alberta declared. Bending the rules of the universe couldn’t be as easy as all that.

              “It looks like there are some restrictions,” Sam continued, looking at each of her friends. “You still can’t leave the property, for one. And like I said, it lasts 3 days and that’s it. Probably some other stuff, too. The person who wrote this says they didn't want to test the limits."

              Hetty sunk down onto the sofa. “So then, how do we know that this will work?”

              “Well, the séance the other year did bring back Molly,” offered Sasappis as he took the seat next to her. “So, at least one of their things works.”

              “Thor like the idea. Even if only for short time. It will be good to eat cod again.”

              Jay made a mental note to stop by the fishmonger tomorrow.

              “How does this website holder person even know how to go about all these ghost things?” Hetty asked. The efficacy of the séance seemed more a fluke to her, dumb luck for some internet conman.

              “Maybe there’s someone like me out there who’s had more time to get used to their powers and learn about all the ghost lore.” Sam hoped there really was at least one other person out there who knew what it was like.

              “It sounds like a win-win situation to me” Flower perched herself on the arm of the couch. “If it does work, we get to be kinda-sorta human again for a little bit. And I can finally pet that butterfly!”

              “Flower, I don’t think that’s what a win-win situation is.” Albert said, placing her hand on the other ghost’s shoulder. “It’s more like just a single win. And besides, there will still be living things we can’t do.”

Isaac turned to Sam, “But, you’re saying that we could have at least a semi-return to life?” His curiosity melted to excitement, “You can give all of us a semi?”

Trevor hissed a stifled laugh and turned away.

 “Well…” Sam searched for a diplomatic way to address the new ghost term, “maybe we can find a, um, different descriptor than that.” She trailed off.

“Ooohhh! We could call them quasimorts like in The Chronicles of Riddick!” Jay interjected, proud of how his powers of inference had grown over the years of ghostly shenanigans.

“Eugh,” Isaac made a face, “’ half dead’ just sounds wrong.”

Sam looked blankly at her husband.

“Oh right, you fell asleep through that movie.” Jay shrugged. “Never mind.”

Sam returned her attention to the invisible group. “Obviously, none of you have to do this if you don’t want to. Like Hetty said, it may not even work, but if there’s a chance—”

“I’m in, Sam.” Sass stood.

“Yes, if we cannot be sucked off, at least we all can get a semi.” Hetty added.

The other ghosts nodded and voiced their agreement. If nothing else, it was something to do for a few hours in eternity.

The items for the ritual had been easy to source over the next few days thanks to the miracles of Deal Mart and Amazon Prime. Incense and tealights burned, the faint orange glow was the only light source across the whole manor. It reflected off the smoke that trailed around the room, carrying the light in an almost supernatural way. Sam and Jay had placed one of each just in front of where each ghost now stood in the circle and took care to cover any mirrors in the room just as the anonymous internet medium had instructed. In the center sat a pile of seemingly random junk, from candied orange peels to a VHS of the movie Ghost.

“Alexa,” Sam activated the device, “How long until moon rise?”

It dinged in recognition of the question, “The moon will rise at 8:42 pm.”

“Thank you, Alexa.” Sam replied and she rolled her shoulders for at least the fifth time in the past 15 minutes.

Jay raised an eyebrow, glancing at his wife.

“What?”

“Trying to appease our future robot overlords?” Jay joked. He knew how anxious Sam was for this to actually work.

She smiled and the tension in her shoulders dropped. Somehow Jay always knew what she needed in the moment. He really was the best husband she could ever ask for, even if he did polish off the brand-new party-sized bag of chips she’d just bought that morning.

“Now, we all join hands.” Sam took Jay’s hand and held out her other for Flower to hold to the best of her ability. “Repeat after me: “Spirts, spirts, welcome in.” The voices of her friends echoed around her. “May you be restored as the veil grows thin. May your bones and flesh return during this Halloween sojourn." She squeezed her eyes closed. Please, please let this work, she thought.

The ground rumbled as a gust whooshed through the room extinguishing all the candles and incense leaving them all bathed in darkness.

“So,” Flower dropped Sam’s hand, “Did it work?”

“Who said that?” Jay looked around hoping for some bit of moonlight peeking through a window, “Sam?”. There was no way.

“Jay, that was Flower!” Sam could’ve cried. “If Jay heard Flower, that means—"

Sam sprinted over to the light switch and gasped as her friends were illuminated. Something had changed about them. Even though she, obviously, could see them, the ghosts all seemed somehow more solid, now.

“Oh my God! It actually worked! Sam, I can see them too!” Joy lit Jay’s face as he ran over to hug Pete.

Trevor was doubled over, hands on his knees. “Holy shit. I feel like I just sprinted a mile.” Trevor choked out.

Sam’s eyes widened. She surveyed the other ghosts quickly. Most of them seemed fine, but others…

“Oh! Oh no!" Sam grabbed a small canister from her purse. "Here, Trevor, use my inhaler.” She shook it and handed it to the still pants-less, well he wasn’t really technically a ghost anymore. Who would’ve guessed that her asthma would ever come in handy?

Isaac rushed to the water closet behind the check-in desk.

“Make sure you wash your hands,” Sass called after him.

Jay added some Pepto-Bismol and Gatorade to his mental shopping list, too. “I guess you guys can still be effected by your cause of death.”

Alberta slumped onto the couch, a wave of exhaustion crashing over her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired.”

Hetty and Isaac took places on either side of her to at least try tend to their friend.

“It looks like the stuff that killed us just got, I dunno, dialed back, or something.” Flower touched her shoulder where the gashes from her bear attack still shimmered red but didn’t gush like they should’ve.

Sam didn’t think she’d ever seen Flower look this clear-eyed, even in her moments of lucidity.

 “Huh. It looks like those of us who died from external forces aren’t that effected.” Pete rubbed each side of his neck, only feeling small wounds on either side, “Guess that’s good for you, Big Guy.” He patted Thorfinn’s shoulder.

 “Yes. Thor very glad to not be hit by lightning again.” He crossed to a slightly askew painting hanging on the opposite wall and straightened it. “Been bothering me for years.” He explained “This is great! We should do every Halloween.”

“I think that’s a no-go, buddy. Full moons only happen on Halloween once every 20-ish years, or there about.” Pete gazed thoughtfully up at the aforementioned celestial body now peaking through the window, just above the tree line.

“Hey,” Trevor’s gasping for air had thankfully slowed to almost normal breathing, “Y’know, that inhaler thing could count as an indirect kiss.” Trevor offered a weak smile.

“Trevor!” Sam objected.

“Joking. Joking.”  He put up his hands in mock surrender.

“Man, what did you even take that would do that to you?” Jay crossed to them.

“Hell, if I know. That was supposed to be the fun part.”

“Well, how ‘bout we get you some pants, No-Pants.” Jay clapped a hand on Trevor’s shoulder. “You look like you’re about my size.”

 “Really?” Trevor was touched by the offer. “Thanks, man.” Jay may have been a nerd, but at least he was a cool nerd.

“I’ll even throw in some clean boxers.”

“You, Jay, are truly a bro.”

Isaac wandered in from his bathroom prison. "Could I trouble any of you for some water?"

"I've got ya, buddy." Pete dipped into the kitchen. His eyes welled as he appreciated the grain of the cabinet door against his fingers, the smoothness of the glass and its coolness as it filled with water. Touch was such an underrated sense. "Here you go." He handed to glass to Isaac, wiping away the tears that had threatened underneath his glasses.

"Thank you." Isaac downed the glass in nearly one gulp. The first thing he was able to ingest in centuries and water had never tasted so good. "Oh, Samantha, the water is very good here. You can't even taste any dirt," He declared.

"Water filtration is a great invention." Sass commented.

Hetty bustled over to Sam, satisfied that Alberta had regained some strength. “Samantha, if Trevor is getting to remedy his, shall we say, under-dressed state, may I too trouble you to borrow some less restrictive clothing?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, leaning close to Sam, "I have been in this corset for the past hundred and thirty years. You've talked about removing your brassiere after a long day. Can you possibly imagine keeping one on for over a century?”

 “Hetty? Are you saying you want to free the nipple?” Flower was amused and astonished.

“Oh heavens, no!” Disgust dripped from her voice at the very notion. I thought Samantha would have some sort of longer frock.” Hetty tried to illustrate a swooshing skirt with her hand. Though, she had to admit she hadn't considered how that undergarment situation would work.

 Sam looked up at Hetty, as it finally hit her: at least for 3 days she had all her best friends with her, in the flesh. Sam enveloped her great-great-great-grand aunt in the tightest hug she could muster. “You can borrow any clothes you want. All of you.”

 And for the first time in 130 years, Henrietta Woodstone was able to put her arms around a member of her family and return that gesture. The rest of the room joined, some voicing their thanks to Sam, others letting the hug do the talking.

[robertdowneyjjr]

hey, so. funny thing.

@whinysteve and i have been going insane for like two days because we couldn't find this one fic we really liked, and we both remembered reading it not so long ago but somehow neither of us could recall how it ended? and we kept saying that it's so GOOD and how the heck did it just disappear? well, after hours of losing my mind going through my ao3 history, the steve/tony tag with various keywords, the findingstony blog... it. it hit me that i can't find it because it doesn't exist. because it was the soulmates au idea you posted like two weeks ago where their words only show up after they've met their soulmate.

i thought you might find this amusing. 😩 (i do, but i also need to lie down for a bit because i will never know how steve fixed that mess)

hahahaha omg liv if this is your way of peer pressuring me into writing the whole fic i might actually do it??? because your ask has got me thinking about what would happen next.

that said, steve still hasn't figured out how to fix this mess. i'm very sorry about this.

(stonyclunks soulmates au part one here)

---

having been rescued by SHIELD, news of steve's recovery was immediately delivered to howard stark who, while not as involved with SHIELD as he used to be, still receives weekly reports as one of its co-founders.

he'd gone home that night and brought it up in the middle of cutting his steak. coincidentally, tony had been visiting that day and stayed for dinner, so he found out about captain america's miraculous resurrection before the general public did, and honestly, he had enough of hearing about how great this guy was growing up. he really didn't need to keep hearing about it as an adult after he'd finally worked through his issues with his dad and his obsession with a (not quite) dead war hero.

so after howard's announcement, tony politely requested howard refrain from talking about this guy with him.

"i know he's your friend, and you'll probably be spending a bit of time with him now that he's been found, and i'm really happy for you, but i think it would be better for our relationship if we could talk about literally anything but him," he'd said.

and, well. howard was trying. he knew he wasn't the best dad and he also wanted to do right by maria, who spent so many years torn between her son and her husband while trying to mend their relationship. they were finally in a relatively good place with each other which made maria happy. and to be frank, howard had actually come to really enjoy tony's company whenever he was home. he was quite happy too. so he agreed. they don't talk about steve and howard doesn't ask tony to meet steve.

that very night, tony made sure 'captain america' and 'steve rogers' were muted in all his news feeds and social channels.

he literally doesn't know a single thing about the man besides what he learned in his childhood, which he's blocked out. it's a peaceful two years of blissful ignorance.

fast forward to now, tony's packing up his suitcase and getting ready to check out of his hotel when he sees a text from his mom in their family group chat.

seems he's not quite the perfect role model you always made him out to be, howard 🤡, her message reads.

what follows is a link to an instagram post, and from the message preview he can see that it's steve rogers' profile, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't even bother clicking the link.

but 1) maria usually never brings up the man in tony's presence either, and 2) her comment made him laugh. so color tony intrigued.

he taps the link and sees the post. it's a picture of a coffee cup from the place he was at a week ago. the one where he got body slammed by his mysterious dick of a soulmate and unfairly yelled at for it.

he reads the caption and his legs give out under him.

i don't even know if you'll see this, but all i can do is hope. i'm sorry for the words that have made their mark on you. i know i don't deserve it, but i'm hoping you could give me a second chance. i won't yell at you this time, i promise. yours, a fucking asshole

one week ago, captain america was barely even a blip on tony's radar and that's how he preferred it. now, steve rogers is tony's mysterious dick of a soulmate.

what the fuck even is his life.

[amimuu]

Ok so after reading everything that is out for the Vow to Ash AU i have allot of thoughts and i don't think i can just sit on them and wait so here you go. -Firstly it's very interesting to see an AU that takes the sacrifice route and runs with it. There are plenty of COTL AUs that i love but not many put Narinder in the crowned position and its fascinating to see what happens then. -Secondly, The Lamb while taking a massive hit to there psyche with the betrayal and the dying and the revival has taken this as well as one could hope. They do seem tired and more angry but they also are mortal again with all the problems that entails so you know that's fair. -Thirdly, I'm not one for slow burns into oblivion, I may be guilty of reading one too many sub-par romance fics but unless the story shows me the characters care about each other in more ways then " oh these two are in love just watch" im not buying it. But here we see the Lamb and Narinder act like people, people who are hurt and in a kinda fucked up power dynamic but they find ways to show they care. Narinder giving the Lamb the space they need to after dropping the bomb of " turns out a godly plot of revenge has some long term consequences and your the only person i can trust so i broke our promise" i mean Narinder didn't say it in the best way but what the hell were they supposed to do. Then we have the Lamb knowing about Narinder's arm problem even back in their crusading days and seeing it hasn't gone away so they go off on there own freshly out of resurrection and finds medicine that will find him specifically, Yes your a god buddy but you have a mortal body again so maybe check if something is edible first before relying on it to help a long term injury. and most importantly for this point, they talk like two people who know each other far too well would, the bicker and tease and yell and worry and go out of there way to be close to one another, mutual pining with genuine care and respect for one another, perfect chef kiss Finally, you given us teases of things to come and while i love a fixed perspective of a person learning a growing, i love seeing how a group sees the same events very differently. from what i can tell from the snippets yous posted and some guess work Team Death God has two groups off on the hunt, The Lamb and Narinder dealing with their problems, Sylvie, Pamner, and Baal covering more ground on there own adventure, and then Aym and Dipal trying to figure out why this is happening and more about magic through searching through tomes and history. Then we have Leshy and Miyu, i'm assuming Leshy is found rather fast and that brings up the fact that the bishops are back thus putting a bigger clock on the crown hunt before something else breaks. we don't have allot of info on Miyu but it seems the two of them will be calming presences to each other which they both seem to need. It's good to see Kallimar off on a quest and being a more active player in a story, and a badass bodyguard go up against our protagonists, kinda hoping that those two get the upper hand on Narinder and the Lamb to show how important teamwork is in a hunt like this. Lastly there is the missing siblings Heket and Shamura who im assuming are together until we get more said about them, Heket i've always seen as having the closest bond with Narinder but she's much more brawn to his magic. Shamura is always a wild card in any story, with the domain of War and Wisdom once held i picture him switching from fragile old man to prophetic visions and the most terrifying thing to see on the battlefield. you've shown off the next owner of the Purple Crown but will they learn how to use it before others track them down and try to take it from them.

Needless to say i can't wait for more and sorry for the long post i just can't help myself when i get sucked into a story. hope to see more in the future and have fun writing

Buddy. I need you to know that this ask made me smile SO WIDE.

I love when ppl speculate abt my au...it makes me so happy!!! Im glad you are enjoying it this much :D love the analisis you did on Lamb and Nari's relationship so far!! I wanted to take an approach of "I'm very mad at you. But yes, I'd be there to hold you as you cry." because lets face it, you just dont let go of feelings so deep just like that, do you?

As for the rest of the siblings....Heket and Shamura havent come into frame tbh because im still figuring out how to draw them EWJROIEJRFEW BUT THEY ARE THERE. THEY WILL BE (I also agree on Heket being the closest to Narinder, it just makes sense!)

Ill eventually develop all these storylines, some in bigger ways than the others but i can assure that they all have a story to tell :) Until then!! Thank you!!

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for trying to get revenge on the people who ruined me?

…I used to be worth something. I wasn’t perfect— far from it… I know that now, but I… I was good. Even though I wasn’t easy on the eyes. Even though most people didn’t like me. Even though I was a tad selfish. At least I had a friend. At least I tried my best to be kind.

But they took all of that away from me. And for that, I’ll never forgive them.

You see, I was Queen once— of a country that hangs in the clouds. It wasn’t always easy… like I said: a lot of people didn’t like me, but at least I was someone. I was important. I did my job, just like I was supposed to.

It all changed one day when he got me a gift… my best friend that is. He didn’t know it at the time— neither of us did, but there was something dark and evil inside of that brilliant mirror, and it soon decided to use me.

Dark forces warped me from the inside out, slowly distorting my perception of reality and even my feelings. I began to become a caricature of myself— nothing more than a selfish monster. I became paranoid, then self obsessed. I killed the rest of the royal family, terrified they’d try to take what was mine. I began to terrorize my people, and even mistreat my best friend. I stole countless bodies, making them own in a desperation to become perfect somehow, all the while the forces in the mirror watched on and SMILED.

You see, I was a pawn. The goal was…- well, I think it was something like “if we can get a queen under our thumb, then we can use that to vie for control of her world.” That was power they wanted, and they were willing to throw me under the bus to attain it.

Eventually, I was beyond saving. They distorted me so well and truly that I was practically unrecognizable. Running on only blind instinct and egomania at that point, I had the ruler of a foreign country kidnapped, senselessly tried to kill the man who was once my best friend, and then attempted to murder everyone both in my country and the foreign country.

…Needless to say, they put me down. The ruler of that country, his companion and my friend, that is.

I should be gone. But I’m not, thanks to him. That… that foolish, naive idiot! I can’t believe what he did. Still refusing to give up on me, even after everything that happened, my friend sook Death out and found a way to resurrect me, insistent I still deserved a happy ending.

Death ensured I was in my right mind again, but there was only so much it could do to mend me overall. I was and am broken. I always will be after what happened, I think.

My friend explained what happened, reassured me it was all okay now, and took me home. He said I’d be alright— that none of what happened before was my fault, and now I could finally be free.

But that’s not true. That’s not true at all.

First and foremost, my body… it’s hideous. Always shifting, at any given time it’s something between my despicable ‘true form’ and my monstrous Frankenstein’s creation. If you saw me, you’d gag. I can’t stand to look at myself. No matter how I appear, I always see someone evil staring back at me in the mirror. Someone who’s as ugly on the outside as she is on the inside. I hate her.

A few of my friend’s companions— ones far better than me, hypothesized it’s because I don’t know who I am anymore. As such, my sickening, parasitic body doesn’t either, and merely improvises in a futile attempt to capture ‘me.’

And saying I no longer know who I am is correct. I’m not just a stranger in appearance. It feels as if the girl I used to be has long since died— replaced by a callous monster. I remember it. I remember everything. I’m still touched by it, even having been ‘made right.’

I recall killing my family. I recall subjugating my people. I recall abusing my best friend, and I recall just how much JOY I felt doing it. He says that I’m not respond for any of that— that I wasn’t in my right mind, but I know that was still me. My innermost, darkest, sick and twisted desires. I’ll never be able to wash the blood from my hands.

Constantly, it feels as if I’m followed by ghosts. My skin writhes— and I swear I can feel my victims tugging at my limbs, demanding I return what isn’t mine. These hands… I don’t recognize them. I don’t recognize anything about myself. When I think about it too much, I get sick.

I’m broken. I’m ugly. I’m evil. And the people who made me that way have names and faces.

My friend… had actually met one of them. Sickeningly, they shared a mutual friend. When he learned what this person did (long before I returned), he attempted to get revenge himself, but was stopped by the group and reprimanded. He was told that the person who destroyed me— the person I’ll call ‘D,’ could still become a better person, and that he deserved as much a chance as anyone to improve.

Ahahaha. AHAHAHAHAHA.

D wasn’t the mastermind, to be clear. His king, who I’ll refer to as ‘DM’ was. DM is the person who corrupted me. DM is the one who made it so I could no longer love. But D was still an accomplice.

He watched on. He watched on, and made sure I was spiraling properly. When his master ordered it, he’d whisper suggestions in my ear.

Having come to terms with how unsalvageable I am, I decided I needed to make them pay.

D occasionally leaves his domain in the Mirror World, while DM doesn’t, so I started with the former. I ambushed him, took him down and took him hostage, hoping to draw out his master by forcing it to come save him.

But it didn’t even do that. Of course it doesn’t. I was imbecilic to believe something like that could ever care about anyone. D was just a puppet, too… it didn’t care if I disposed of him. It would just find another.

I was devastated. All my work, and I couldn’t make DM suffer. The anger overwhelmed me. Someone had to pay. I decided if it wasn’t him, then D, as his accomplice, was the next best thing.

I viciously attacked D and fully intended to torture him, but was caught in the act. My friend’s companions became aware of what I was doing and stopped me by force. They told me I’d done something evil— that D didn’t deserve that, and was trying to do better, just like I was.

In what world!? HE made me this way! He and his worthless master are the reason why I’m broken now… why I’m evil! How can it be wrong to punch back?

They’re why I’ll never be good. They’re why I’ll never be happy. They’re why I’ll never be a good friend. They’re why I’ll never be beautiful.

I’LL NEVER BE BEAUTIFUL. I’LL NEVER BE BEAUTIFUL. NEVER! NEVER EVER! THAT PERSON KEEPS SAYING I AM, BUT I KNOW HE’S LYING TO ME. HE THINKS I’M DISGUSTING. HE THINKS I’M A MONSTER. HE’S AFRAID OF ME. EVERYONE IS!

I’m worthless. I’m worthless and I’m broken and I’m SICK.

…Was it really so wrong to try and break the people responsible for that in return?

[dannyknowscomics]

Bonus Theory #3: The One Where I’m Either Right or Crazy

Okay everyone this one is completely absolutely crazy but I think I’m right

Okay deep breaths and let’s get into it

I believe that Dokutaro

The evil peach Pokémon who apparently granted The Loyal Three there wishes of Strength/Wisdom/Beauty

Is based on something evil

Pennywise the clown from the Stephen King book

Now that sounds crazy right? Like totally and completely nutty

Buuuuuuuut in the book Pennywise has an arch nemesis a creator from the world he originally hailed from by the name of Maturin

The loser club in the book prayed to this creature for help and it gave them the power to stop Pennywise

Now wanna hear something crazy? Maturin was a turtle

And who else is a turtle? Terapagos

But that’s not my only reason for this connection, Kitakami is an odd place if ya think about it, the people seem…off in my opinion like the fact that only 3 people in the entire town ever questioned the story of the Lousy Three? Is odd very odd

That women Peachy who apparently just has a toy that looks like Dokutaro laying around her shop? It’s very odd especially when the TM for Amnesia is found right behind her shop.

So I got to thinking why are Kieran,Carmine and Their grandpa the only one who can see through the lies?

Well I think there’s a ferry good explanation for that

All starts with The Mask Maker, he had exposure to the Tera crystals when he made the mask, I believe the energy from Terapagos made him immune to Dokutaro’s manipulation

And throughout the years his descendants inherited this immunity 

That’s whyhe was the only one who could see the truth of Ogerpon’s battle with The Lousy Three

But the rest of Kitakami was under its spell, and honored them for their loyalty to Dokutaro

But due to whatever reason perhaps Ogerpon’s killing of them? Or perhaps an unseen battle left Dokutaro weakened and trapped in its useless body….

Until we arrive that is

Like I said Kieran inherited the immunity from The Mask Maker

But it’s not perfect, our betrayal left Kieran in a very vulnerable spot and Dokutaro was able to latch onto (within him)

It wants the mask do Kieran steals it but after we defeat him Dokutaro realizes Kieran is too weak to do what’s necessary

So when he punches the memorial, Dokutaro used the small bit of its remaining power to resurrect The Lousy Three

And they did what they were supposed to do and stole the masks form Ogerpon who at this point didn’t have the rage and sorrow it once did and was beaten by them

But think about it? It’s control has only grown these past 3 months, Dokutaro is in Kieran’s brain pumping toxic norepinephrine making him angrier and more easy to control

But once we get to area zero Dokutaro will have no problem absorbing the energy it needs to not only regain it’s strength but take its real prize Terapagos

[campgender]

My father comes home from work and he is exhausted. He winces as he walks on his knee replacements, he hunches under extra weight, feeling always the subterranean throb of his back, sometimes exhaling a distressing sound of pure suffering—never the word “God,” but close: gad. It was always this way. He came home and there was nothing left except a desire to be alone with himself, so he could regenerate the language he needed to speak universally. There is a certain fatigue that comes from always presiding over the baptisms, the weddings, and the burials—the three ceremonies where you are most certain to encounter poetry, even if it is present nowhere else in your life.

A truce, then, between me and my father’s house. I was not made in his likeness, but I have chosen something of his same extremity, his willingness to be available for the questions that knock on the door in the middle of the night. His voice inside the verses was so sweeping, his judgment from the pulpit so black-and-white, that it was hard not to inherit them. It was hard not to inherit the desire to stand over the deceased and say something, and it was impossible, finally, not to inherit his anger. As long as I lived under his roof, I told myself that I had no temper, that I would never speak that knot of heat I felt so often in my throat, forced down into my rib cage, sent flowing into my fingertips. But I belong to myself now, and I can admit it. When I sit down at the desk, the anger radiates out of me in great bronze spikes, like holiness in the old paintings, and a sermon rises up in me as if it had been waiting for breath, and puts itself together bone to bone.

I’m not interested in heaven unless my anger gets to go there too. I’m not interested in a happy eternity unless I get to spend an eternity on anger first. Let me speak for the meek and say that we don’t want the earth, if that’s where all the bodies are buried. If we are resurrected at the end of the world, I want us to assemble with a military click, I want us to come together as an army against what happened to us here. I want us to bring down the enemy of our suffering once and for all, and I want us to loot the pockets, and I want us to take baths in the blood.

What do I want? I want him to have a job, and be living in your house. I want us to stop selling heaven as the home we don’t get here. I want an afterlife for my anger; I want levitation, perfection, and white wings for it, and I want an afterlife for my question, which is an answer.

But for now the question just hangs in the middle of the air, halfway up the blue sky, the long unbroken mosquito whine of a why, and the only thing that answers is the voice of my father, saying what he always said, saying the same thing your father always said: “Life isn’t fair, nobody ever said it was going to be, who told you that.”

from Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

[bibleversegarden]

Jesus Christ, Our Great High Priest, Redeemer, Savior and Lord

Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, has atoned for our sins, once for all, and has reconciled us to God our Maker. 

God's perfect sacrificial Lamb without blemish, offered Himself for our redemption, and is the only Mediator between God and men.

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 10:1-7 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.

For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.' "

Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:19-23 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (See also Hebrews Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 in its entirety.)

Matthew 27:50-53 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Ephesians 2:13-18 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

(See Ephesians Chapter 2 in its entirety.) The good news of God's salvation is to be proclaimed in all the earth. Whosoever will may come, both Jew and Gentile; receive God's pardon and walk in newness of life. - A Walk In The Garden Devotions

[xwonderfuldeath]

.o| Bad Temptation : XXII |o.

Warnings : Violence, injury, graphic depictions, sex

Please, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi ! ♥

As in his dream, everything is perfectly in place. The white furniture, the gilding on the walls, the crystal chandeliers. The rich vampire's teams had done a titanic job. Everything was clean, which was no mean feat when he thought back to their first visits. Taehyung didn't know where to put his eyes, spinning around a little, he wanted to touch everything, to soak up this very special atmosphere. Something here made his whole being vibrate, it was electrifying. Like a child in search of treasure, Taehyung circled the building, touching every piece of furniture, breathing in every particle of air he could. He pushes open every door, under the amused gaze of his husband, who follows him like a shadow. At first, the vampire wasn't entirely sure about the white atmosphere, which contrasted particularly sharply with the usual dark atmosphere of his lodgings. But Taehyung had made his little face, the one Jungkook can never upset. He'd have to make do with all this immaculate white, which would be difficult to clean if anything were to happen to anyone. Preferably to one of Heisukei's men.

“- Are you listening to me?

- Of course my love, I find this idea particularly interesting, even.

- Oh really? I should call now then, I'm sure they'll be delighted to do so.

- Do what?

- Ah, you see you weren't listening! Who'd want a swimming pool as a home!”

Jungkook felt foolish, but he couldn't hold back his laughter at his husband's joy. Taehyung had regained his color; he was alive again and in perfect health. It was good to see him back to his normal self. Driven by the dark force that is love, he came to kiss her. His soft lips had the pleasant taste of wild strawberry, and Taehyung didn't take long to respond, wrapping his arms around the nape of his life partner's neck. Still, many questions had been piling up without any real answers for some time. Taehyung had been resurrected as a vampire normally, which meant he logically needed his partner's blood to survive. But for some reason, Taehyung neither wanted nor needed it. His teeth didn't look like bloodthirsty fangs, and he didn't have to wear any gadgets to go out in broad daylight. Grandma Ivanovich had said it was nothing, that they'd figure it all out in time. But Jungkook was still worried. He'd rather die than see his husband go back to the way he was before they got married. The two stay glued together, while Taehyung looks at the closed door of one of the many guest rooms.

“- This will be Jimin's room until we figure out what's going on with his identity papers.

- All right, then. Where will our room be then?”

Without thinking, Taehyung takes his hand, leading him into the secondary wing. The small castle fascinates the vampire, especially as her husband seems to find his way around easily. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel he'd been here before. The feeling of the familiar had enveloped him from the first day they'd visited, as if they'd lived in the building years before. Taehyung left his hand just long enough to push open the two doors leading to a huge bedroom, the black four-poster bed right in the middle standing out, but obviously Taehyung had heard his lament of a man living in the dark usually. It was luxurious. A large, rich and powerful family must have lived here, and Jungkook imagines how happy their lives must have been. Surely this was what drove him to come and cling to his husband, kissing his neck, his shoulders, running his hands against his body so intoxicating. When was the last time they'd done anything more sensual than watch each other change? No idea. But the idea of being alone in their new home gave the vampire wings, and it wasn't Taehyung who stopped him.

“- Luckily it's just us. What would people say if they saw you, Mr. Jeon?

- That my husband is a work of art and I want to take care of him. If others think otherwise, then they can burn in hell.

- Poor Monsieur Jung, only taking the souls you've fallen.

- I can't help it, I don't make the rules of hell.”

A yelp passes Taehyung's lips as he's thrown against the bed, but he doesn't complain, on the contrary. He participates in the undressing, lets himself go when Jungkook touches where he knows his husband is going to lose his mind. The exchange is initially tender, as they rediscover and tame each other, before it becomes animalistic. Their bodies interlock, slamming into each other in the violent purity of the moment, Taehyung's voice so husky it soars, and Jungkook's teeth marks make his head spin. The exchange is as languorous as it is short, leaving both men breathless as Jungkook rolls beside him. The particular warmth of Jungkook's fangs planted in his flesh makes him shiver, and he turns to the vampire, watching him.

“- We've lived here before.”

Jungkook opens his eyes again, curious and lost at what his husband is telling him, glaring at him to understand what he's telling him, while Taehyung puts his clothes back on a little hastily. This time, the vampire is worried. He clutched his husband's wrist, helping him to calm down over this new information, as delirious as it was impossible. Taehyung was a human, he hadn't been born like Jungkook, a hundred or two hundred years before, yet he seems convinced of this, his brain seems to be spinning at a pace even he can't keep up with.

“- What do you mean, we've lived here before?

- I've got to go and see Elyzabeth. I've got to talk to her.

- Talk to her about what? What's going on, Taehyung?

- I just figured out why I've been having all these strange dreams.”

He takes Jungkook's face in his hands, kissing him like he's never kissed before, all his feelings mixing in this exchange, making Jungkook weak. He grips his hips, deepening the kiss, which nevertheless remains all too light for his liking. Taehyung steps back, not wanting to waste any more time. He rubs his nose against Jungkook's, still lost, before slamming his lips against the vampire's again and disappearing without a trace other than his sweet perfume, which Jungkook inhales like a drug. His eyes gaze at the empty room.

“- What dream is he talking about?”

It's almost two o'clock when he enters the witch's store, taking inventory, as usual when someone comes in. However, it wasn't her laughing or even happy look that greeted Taehyung, and he wrinkled his nose. The young woman's belly had grown, made round as a balloon by pregnancy. It seemed to tire her, but not enough for her to make that sad, completely downcast face, as if her lover had let her down two weeks short of giving birth.

“- Lizzy, is something wrong?

- Hoseok is unreachable… He won't answer any of my calls.

- And you went to see him?

- That's the biggest problem! His house is gone.”

Taehyung remains shocked by the announcement, Elyzabeth looking like she's about to cry, and he frowns. Hoseok would never really have abandoned her two weeks before giving birth, without ever leaving any news. He hadn't known the demon long, but that didn't seem to be in his character. He pinched his lower lip, whatever he had to say could wait, his friend needed support. He joined her behind the counter to take her in his arms, trying to find comforting and reassuring words.

“- You don't have any news, do you? Jungkook hasn't mentioned it?

- No. He didn't tell me anything about Hoseok, nothing unusual anyway.

- Something must have happened… None of his establishments are staying either… What if he was…

- No. He's not dead.”

Two cries of terror pass their lips as Min Yoongi raises his eyes to the sky, clearly irritated that nobody ever pays attention to the presence of ghosts. But he keeps his unpleasant comment to himself, his beady eyes against the two bodies trying to regain their emotions. Taehyung is the first to speak.

“- Do you know that humans are easily cardiac? And pregnant women, easily surprised? What would you have done if I'd died and she was in labor?

- As far as I know, the wedding ceremony is here to turn you into a vampire. As for Elizabeth, all I'd have to do is call an ambulance. Or deliver her myself.”

The reality of the matter made Taehyung nod gently; he wasn't exactly wrong about the statement, but he couldn't quite agree with it either. After all, he was nothing like a vampire.

“- I thought you were away for several months?

- Something made me come back early. Jimin isn't at home, and his loan was canceled. I can't reach him.

- Jimin is safe with the Jeons for now. There's been… a problem.

- Problem? A catastrophe! I've been told I no longer have a secretary! And my business is in the hands of our new mayor!

- … New mayor?”

Everyone looked at each other, trying to understand what was happening, one point at a time. Taehyung and Elyzabeth knew about Jimin, since he had come to ring their doorbell after crying his eyes out, announcing that he had lost everything, right down to his furniture. But obviously, the announcement of the new mayor was a discovery for both of them, looking at each other, trying to figure out if Yoongi wasn't playing a bad joke.

“- Heisukei Damarro is our new mayor. It was on the news this morning.”

[shadyruinskryptonite]

Titan Bending Chapter 15 - Retaking Wall Maria Part 2

Warning: Violence consistent with cannon, NSFW so MDNI, language, major character death (both consistent with canon of both AOT and ATLA as well as diverging from canon), so much trauma literally everyone is so traumatized, very much slow burn, a little enemies to lovers, SO MUCH ANGST, hurt/comfort, hurt and delayed comfort, AFAB reader

Chapter Warnings: Part two of retaking Wall Maria so 🎶Second verse, same as the first! 🎶all of the same warnings apply to this chapter as last chapter.

Seriously though, if I ever put a trigger warning that you know or even think won’t sit right with you, please protect yourself. Message me and I’ll give a summary of the chapter without any of the triggers. I know that’s a goofier little trigger warning but I take my mental health very seriously and I want you all to do the same.

WC: 3981

Previous Chapter, Next Chapter

Masterlist

Tags: @mochminnie @sseleniaa @naruwitch

Whatever hit me is much softer than I was anticipating. When I open my eyes, I see Mikasa has body checked me out of the way. Before I can really register what happened, she pivots mid-air and is flying back at Batteringram. But he’s had enough of a chance to get up, and in the time it took Mikasa to rescue me he’s back on his feet.

Eren tries to push him back, but it might as well have been a spider ant facing off against a goat gorilla the way the Collasal kicked him onto the wall.

As everyone takes off to try to use their thunderspears, I call out, “Aim for his joints!” but it’s no use. Before any meaningful progress can be made he lets out steam that’s too hot for me to even bend easily.

When everyone touches down, I begin healing whomever I can as quickly as I can. Armin still doesn’t have a plan. It really feels like we’re doomed to die here.

As if on que, like something out of a nightmare, the Armored seems to resurrect.

In exasperation, Jean exclaims, “That bastard! What’ll it take to put him down for good? Why won’t he just…stay dead?!”

I was thinking the same thing right about now.

But Armin is in his own world. He’s noticed something.

“Armin, what is it?” I inquire.

“He’s…thinner.” Is all he responds. 

We all listen as he explains that the Collosal seems to lose mass every time he lets off steam. It’s clear that he’s come up with a plan but he doesn’t let us all in on it, just tells us to deal with Reiner because he and Eren will take care of the Collosal. I pat him on the shoulder before we all go our separate ways.

We try to engage Reiner but he ignores us. When we realize he’s focused on Eren, Jean calls to me. “Now feels like the perfect time for your earlier idea, y/n. Let’s surprise the hell out of him.”

I smile and call back, “Right!”

No more flying under the radar. Be as auspicious as you can!

I gather whatever water I can from the ground and ride it like a wave towards Reiner. I keep enough to keep moving in front of him but also freeze his feet so he topples to the ground. As he fights to get loose, I put on a bit of a display, spouting up in front of him.

“Y’all aren’t the only ones with secrets,” I call just as I release his feet to allow him to lunge at me. As he does, Mikasa hits the back of his knee sending him to the ground. I slice wherever I can find purchase but he doesn’t stay still long enough for me to make any meaningful hits.

As we try to ration our last thunderspears, the Collosal lights up and sends out a blinding wave of heat. Even from where we are we can feel a bit of it.

No time to think about that though. We jump into action trying to blast open Reiner’s mouth, but Sasha gets hurt in the process. I immediately drop with her and Connie to try to heal her.

Fuck, only one of the thunderspears hit.

I can tell Mikasa is contemplating attacking anyway, but while Connie tries to talk her out of it, Hange appears out of nowhere with a Hail Mary in the form of an extra thunderspear. Blowing his mouth open, Mikasa finally has the opening she needs.

Reiner is blown from his titan at the same time as Batteringram starts to fall. 

It worked…both sides won their segments of the battle.

Mikasa quickly chops of Reiner’s limbs and as soon as the dust settles we’re able to take stock of the situation. Hange lost her eye. Everyone has what seems to be some sort of injury. Despite continuing to move forward, my head throbs with every beat of my heart. 

I heal whomever I can to the best of my abilities and then we all work to bandage each other up. As soon as we get ourselves sorted, Hange begins to try to interrogate Reiner. The contents of the tin he was holding ended up being much more innocuous than we expected, just a letter from someone named Ymir for Krista.

It was so difficult to start calling her Historia and now look at me, I had to stop and think about who Krista even was.

When Hange moves to kill Reiner like I thought we all wanted to do, it’s actually Jean that stops her.

So Jean boy was just lashing out at Connie and Sasha earlier because he was feeling the same way they were.

After sending off Mikasa to find Levi, it’s clear that Jean is second guessing his own feelings, but Hange reassures him that what he said hadn’t been her deciding factor to wait to kill Reiner. Although, the way she said it and the way she’s acting is very odd. 

This has been rough for everyone but I think Hange’s been through a lot the last few hours. Where is the rest of her squad anyway?

Mikasa fires off a flare, signaling to kill Reiner. But before we have a chance, the most hideous thing on four legs comes out of nowhere, carrying another blond man with tell-tale titan markings under his eyes as well as some cargo. This ugly beast scoops up Reiner and takes off, leaving Jean to beat himself up some more.

This time, when Hange tells Jean he was only a factor in her decision, there’s a tinge of sympathy that leaks into her tone.

There she is.

When we go to meet up with the others, I get there first because everyone else’s gas has them moving slower than usual. The sight itself almost knocks me on my ass. A charred corpse is laying on the roof, and Eren and Mikasa are crying over it.

No…

I don’t want it to be who I think it is so I don’t let the thought cross my mind. It feels like everything is moving in slow motion in the process to administer the injection. Just as it’s about to be given to the body before us all, the annoying red-headed kid appears with Commander Erwin, who is in about an equal state.

God why…

It’s almost too much for me to bear. I want to look away, to run away, but I can’t bring myself to leave the roof. When Levi makes the call to save Erwin all hell breaks loose. Mikasa pulls her sword, Eren loses his mind and gets decked by Levi, who then in turn gets tackled by Mikasa. I try to pull her off of Levi amidst the ensuing argument about who will be saved, and with as tired as I am and as bad as…well… everything hurts, the best I can do is keep her from slicing clean through his throat.

I can’t bring myself to say a word.

As the red-headed kid, whom Eren called Flock, starts defending Erwin, I almost go to freeze his spit so that I don’t have to hear him anymore. In the split second I think about this, Mikasa breaks free and takes a pass at him and throws me to the side. Luckily, this is just as Hange and the others arrived and she was able to hold her back. I scramble to not fall off the roof and catch myself just before it gets to that point, getting pretty cut up on the shingles along the way.

By this point, Mikasa is sobbing and I can feel my heart breaking. I still can’t bring myself to say a word.

Luckily, Hange jumps in. “Listen, Mikasa. There’s people I wanna bring back, too. Hundreds at this point. Ever since I joined up with the Scouts, every day brought a new farewell. But, you need to understand, eventually you’ll have to let go of everyone you’ve ever met. I know that’s tough to accept, it’s tough for me too, it’s hard to stay sane living like that. It hurts, it really hurts. I know. But even so, all of us just have to push forward.” By the time she finishes speaking, her voice is just a whisper.

She’s a lot better at dealing hard pills to swallow than I am.

She continues to hold Mikasa as Eren makes one last plea with Levi.

I can’t imagine being in Levi’s shoes right now. 

He makes it clear that he’s choosing Erwin and banishes us all from the roof so that we don’t become collateral damage when his titan transforms. Once everyone else has flown away, I hang back for a moment.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get lost!” Levi barks at me.

I’m silent for another moment before I take a step closer.

“Oh, wanna get a final word in about who you want me to choose?” he says with sarcasm dripping from every word.

“No,” is my quick response. I don’t wait before I continue, “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry this has fallen on you. No one should have to play god like this. Sure, I have my own opinions about who I’d like to see saved and why, but you don’t need that right now. At the end of the day, you were selected for this shitty responsibility because it’s your decisions that Erwin trusts the most. Not Hange’s or Mikasa’s or Eren’s or Flock’s or mine. I guess I just wanted to let you know that no matter what anyone else thinks, and no matter who you choose, you can count on me to back you up.”

I can see the pain and weight of the decision in Levi’s eyes as I finish speaking, but I think I catch a hint of gratitude in them as well. I give him a sad smile and pat him on the shoulder before finally leaving the roof and watch on with the others, holding them as tears stream down their faces.

Not you, they need you to be strong.

When there’s a burst of light indicative of a transformation, the titan that emerges looks not like Erwin, but Armin. I allow my face to be riddled with shock, because that is the main emotion I’m experiencing alongside everyone else. But, deep down, I’m also relieved.

Losing him would’ve been tough.

As everyone else goes to peel Armin out of his pure titan, Hange and I along with Flock go over to Levi, who’s still with Erwin. 

He said it was time to let Erwin rest. I don’t know to what extent I believe that, but I think Erwin has done his time. Erwin was the past of the scouts. Armin is the future. 

Looking over, I see Armin emerge in a cloud of steam, still unconscious, but his hair flowing like it should and his skin its normal, healthy color.

I feel like I shouldn’t let on how happy I am with the choice Levi made, but I can’t wait to throw my arms around that kid in the biggest bear hug when he wakes up.

We get an unconscious Armin and Sasha set up on top of the wall, and when everyone else embarks to looks for any survivors, I get to work healing Sasha. It’s pretty quick work on the first heal. Even though it sounds counterproductive, the only thing I can do on more severe injuries is improve it little-by-little over time and through multiple healing sessions.

Eren insisted on staying back with Armin, so he’s with us as well. Just as I finish up and am about to take off to help search for survivors, he stops me.

“Hey y/n?” he says, his voice so timid he sounds like a small child.

“Yeah bud, what’s up?” I say as brightly as I can manage with a smile that I hope doesn’t look too forced.

“What was your opinion? Who did you want Levi to pick? I noticed you didn’t say anything the entire time we were on the roof.”

My face shifts and my smile turns sad as I answer. “I wanted him to pick Armin. And, just like you, my motivations were completely selfish.” I turn to look at the sleeping boy. “He was the first person that I had a real conversation with here. And there’s something inspiring by how much he seeks knowledge. But, I didn’t speak up because I figured you and Mikasa already had that pretty well covered. I also knew that my choice was one that would more overtly benefit me, versus Erwin who would be the clear option for humanity.” I shrug before turning back to Eren and saying, “but the funny thing is, the more I’ve thought about it the less I think that’s such a black and white answer. I think it was less of a choice between men and more of a choice between past and future.”

I leave him to think about what I said as I rejoin the others on the ground.

A few hours pass by with no luck. I help Hange search since her entire sense of vision has been altered and she doesn’t have her glasses. I also don’t want her to have to search the area where her squad died alone. 

I can tell she’s found someone based on how she stops in her tracks. I can tell it’s Moblit by how she sinks to the ground. 

I hold her as tightly as I can and let her cry. Not just for Moblit, but for Erwin and everyone else. It seems like she’s getting a decade’s worth of grief out. As I continue to hold her, I carefully reach down and put my fingers to his neck. I knew there wouldn’t be a pulse but I had to confirm. 

Once the sobs that were absolutely wracking her body subsided and she was left more or less just sniffling, I suggested we move on to a different area or even just go sit by the canal for a moment. She opted for the latter.

As we sit on the bank in silence, I bend a small amount of water into my hands to help get her cleaned up. At least get the blood and some of the grime off of her. 

Her complete and total silence leaves me at a loss for words.

Maybe it’s better to be quiet at a time like this. I don’t have to fill every painful silence with words attempting to be motivational.

I completely lose track of time as we sit there. We’re suddenly broken out of our trance by a flare going up.

Armin!

I jump up, forgetting to check my eagerness and immediately feeling guilty. Hange doesn’t say anything about it though, and we fly up to the top of the wall together.

By the time we’re there, Eren has informed Armin about everything that transpired and Armin quite clearly doesn’t know what to do with everything he’s just been told. The gravity of it all mixed with the fact that he had to eat Batteringram nearly makes him throw up before someone shoves a canteen in his face.

He keeps asking why him? Why not Erwin?

Hange answers, “You’re right Armin, I believe it should have been used on Erwin, too.”

Yikes Hange. That’s a bit much, doncha think?

“To be brutally honest,” I elbow her lightly in the ribs. “Nevermind, it’s a shame we had to choose in the first place.” She pauses before continuing, “It’s over now. Erwin told Levi to use the syringe as he thought best, and Levi chose to use it on you. What’s done is done. Erwin’s life and the power of a titan both rest on your shoulders. No matter what anyone says that’s the truth. It’s part of who you are now. Accept it.”

Wow, that was worse than when Levi tried to comfort them after they became murders.

Still in total shock, he says, “Wait…so does this mean…I need to become…Erwin’s replacement? There’s no way…I can’t!”

“Don’t misunderstand us, there’s no chance in hell that you could replace Erwin,” Levi responds.

Oh great, now we’ve got the two of them competing for who can be the least helpful when it comes to comforting them.

“That said, your self doubt aside, you have a strength within you that nobody else can claim. Don’t let any of us regret this. Not me, not either one of our mutineers here, nor anyone else,” he looks at Hange pointedly as he says the last part. “But especially don’t regret it yourself. Consider that your new mission.”

Wow that was actually really well said.

Luckily, even though she isn’t lucid, Sasha manages to break the tension by telling us all to shut the hell up.

Finally, it makes Hange chuckle, even if it’s only a little bit. She addresses Armin again and I brace for impact, but this time she has a much kinder tone. “You know, since Erwin chose me to succeed him as commander I’m more or less in the same boat as you. We’ll just have to grin and bear it while doing what we can.”

When Armin admits that he’ll try, Hange takes that as a positive sign and annonces that they’re going to the cellar and that Eren and Mikasa should guide she and Levi. 

Before they take off, as Eren and Mikasa stretch a little, Mikasa says, “Oh, y/n, how are you feeling? I’m kinda surprised you’re not just as laid up as Sasha honestly.”

The kids all look at me expectantly, but Hange and Levi snap their heads towards me, concern apparent.

I wave them off and dismissively say, “Oh I’m alright, thanks for checkin kiddo. I’ve been through one hell of a lot worse.”

The kids smile but there’s something akin to betrayal on Hange’s face and I can’t read Levi’s expression at all, as per usual.

“Y/n…”

“What happened?”

Hange and Levi speak at once, the former sounding like she was bordering on tears again and the latter sounding like I had committed high treason.

“Oh, seriously, it was really nothing. I just got knocked over in the Collasal’s transformation, that’s all,” I try to reassure them.

“Knocked over?” Eren says incredulously. “You got blown back so hard that your body left a hole in a house! You were unconscious for, like, five minutes!”

“Plus I saw how badly I flung you on the roof, you had to get at least some scrapes and bruises from that,” Mikasa adds.

I roll my eyes at them and try to dismiss everyone once again, but Levi stomps himself over and aggressively grabs my arm and rolls up my sleeve, jostling me in a way that does admittedly hurt. 

“Would you watch it you little shit?!” I say to him as I try to take my arm back.

But he doesn’t relent. “We’re not going anywhere until we give you a full once over.” As he’s checking my arms and anything exposed for injuries, he says over his shoulder “is anyone else playing tough and hiding something?”

Everyone shakes their heads no vigorously and I finally am able to wrench myself out of his hold. I look at everyone as I say, “Seriously, I’m fine. I jumped in the water right after and healed myself head to toe. Like Armin said at the time, I’ve got a concussion but it’s minor at that.” I look at Levi last and hold eyecontact for a moment longer than the rest, almost baiting him into not believing me.

With a huff, he takes Eren and Mikasa with him and Hange and they leave to find the cellar.

Once they were gone, I tell Connie and Jean to stay put and ask Armin if he’s up for a little walk on the walls with me. He agrees, and we walk all the way to the other side of Shiganshina in complete silence. When we get there, we sit down with our feet dangling over the edge.

“Armin?” I ask quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Can I give you a hug?”

He nods and just like I had promised to myself, I give him the biggest, tightest hug I can manage. This is the first point that I almost find myself emotional, but even so I’m able to keep it in check.

“I’m so, so glad you’re okay,” I whisper into his ear.

“Me too,” he says, but it comes out almost like a question.

I lean back so that I can look him in the eyes and when I speak, I speak gently. “Levi was right, you know? About how strong you are.”

His eyes widden and fill with tears as he looks away. He almost angrily says, “I’m not as strong as Erwin though! Why would he choose me, someone barely above being a cadet, over him, the literal leader of the Scouts?! I can’t even face anything without crying and shaking!”

“Well, first of all I think the fact that you’re willing to cry and shake and show your fear is exactly what makes you strong. I for one push any negative feeling so deep down to a place where I never have to deal with it and where they then build up and take over every fiber of my being. True strength involves understanding your emotions and knowing how to sit in them so you can let them go and move on. I look up to you a lot in that way, honestly. But, as far as why you were chosen over Erwin goes, what Levi said immediately after the fact was that it was time to let him rest. And I think that’s fair and there’s something to be said for that, especially because we don’t know what their conversations were like behind closed doors. But I think it has a lot to do with one of the arguments that was made in favor of choosing Erwin. Flock was saying that when he found the commander, he almost put him out of his misery then and there but that he was a devil because only a devil could’ve gotten us to that point and it takes a devil to lead in this kind of world and as a devil he should be forced to go on experiencing this world. I think that maybe there’s a chance that Levi agreed. Agreed that Erwin had turned into a devil, that is. But I also think it’s possible that he knew him before it had come to this, and that a devil isn’t who Erwin truly is. That he was forced to become one and that this was his much deserved reprieve after having to throw his own humanity away. I think, between your mind and your heart, Levi sees in you the humanity that Erwin had lost along the way. Eren asked me earlier who I had hoped Levi would pick, and my answer was easily that I had wanted it to be you and that my motivations were selfish. But what I specifically told him is that, to me at least, it was a choice between the past and the future. Erwin lead in a world where we don’t know anything. Hange will be perfect to lead a world where we’re learning. And, one day, you’ll be perfect to lead a world that looks completely different from the one we know today.”

He doesn’t say anything but I know he’s taking in every word I said. After a while I stand up and motion for him to join me, saying, “Come on, let’s head back and learn the secrets of the world.”