#and wouldn't be likely to do something of that nature himself

[simplykaren]

My brain keeps chewing on this idea. In a lot of crossovers, Danny reeks of death magic, a.k.a. ectoplasm and the Infinite Realms. So, if the portal didn't outright kill Danny and didn't make him a halfa, it could stand to reason that he still suddenly finds himself with a surplus of death magic. Maybe he even generates it himself now. How ironic would it be for a descendant of witch/ghost hunters to end up with magic related to ghosts? xD

The death magic is what makes Danny such a compatible/desirable host for a possession too. Ectoplasm is what ghosts run on, and they can tap into a host's reserves if they have any. Until Danny can actually figure out how-to-magic, letting all that energy just...build up with no outlet probably wouldn't be conducive to continued living either. So, they both benefit from the occasional team up.

On the Phantom side of things, I got to thinking about how in fanon certain entities just spawn (as Neverborn) in The Zone as the personification of concepts or to fill specific roles (i.e. Clockwork being the Master of Time, etc.). And how Phantom has a protection Obsession in most stories. And well...shouldn't something like permanent portals have a guardian, a gatekeeper, so to speak? Vlad built his own permanent portal at some point after getting out of the hospital. It had to have existed for years for Vlad to establish his connections and gather all the lore and knowledge he had by the time Danny meets him in canon.

So, a permanent tear in The Veil appears, and The Realms form a ghost to protect the balance and guard the boundary. Except Plasmius chases him off. That's his portal, thank you very much, and he installed security. He doesn't need a doorman. Vlad's older and stronger than the newly formed guardian spirit and drives him away.

Phantom manages to avoid Obsession starvation following the tugs on his core to natural portals as they form and protects them while they exist. "Keeping" malicious ghosts from going through. (With how short a time natural portals remain open, most malicious ghosts don't get to them in time, but that's for the best while Phantom is still growing into his core.) Letting any ghosts that do go through know when it's about to close so they don't get stranded on the wrong side of The Veil. Keeping mortals from accidentally stumbling through and well...okay, he doesn't know what that much ectoplasm would do to a person, but something in his core tells him it would be bad, let alone if they got stuck Realms-side when the portal closed!

When a new, second permanent portal stirs, Phantom can sense it like a siren's song. He'd never flown so fast to reach the weak point in The Veil he knows it will open. Except, when it does, there's a young mortal trapped in the tear, and he's in so much pain. Phantom doesn't even stop to think before shoving Danny out of the portal. The teen collapses once free of the portal and doesn't move or breathe. Shoot, how do you help a mortal who isn't functioning properly?! Would Frostbite be able to help? Phantom had taken ghosts that got hurt in closing portals to The Far Frozen before, but those were ghosts. And there was still the nagging sense he shouldn't take the boy to the other side of the portal, that it wasn't safe.

Oh, thank goodness, there are footsteps coming down the stairs. Someone else must have heard the boy screaming too. Mortals should know how to help their own, right? Phantom turns invisible just in time to avoid being seen.

Phantom's relieved when he senses the mortal near the portal again a few weeks later. But...is a mortal supposed to feel so much like Death? Maybe Phantom would keep an eye on the young living, just to be safe. Especially since the mortals that made this portal have next to no security measures on it.

At least Plasmius had understood the danger of a permanent portal: malevolent and malicious entities have all the time in The Realms to reach it and find a way through. Phantom was going to have his hands full very soon.

I don't remember which fic I read it in, but Tim had a theory that Danny was a medium and summoned Phantom to possess him and fight off ghosts whenever Amity Park was attacked. Something about ghosts normally not being able to interact with the material plane and possession being more energy efficient and their "powers" being additive if the possessee was willing/not fighting the possession. Would also explain how Phantom wound up with so much Fenton tech.

Kinda sad that ended up not being the case in the story. I'd really love to read an AU that explores that.

[captain-huggy-bear]

i read your thought about period sex (with quinn i think) and i can't get clayton out of my mind 😭 i just feel like he would be so into that

Okay but you're so right. 18+ MDNI under the cut: Period sex, possessive Clay, Clay is a feral gremlin of a man, breeding kink a lil Totally happy to take requests/ideas/prompts at the moment in my ask box :) Writing Masterlist

I think with Quinn it's a practical thing, right? Like he enjoys it but ultimately it's a way of helping you out, it's a case of him not being bothered by the blood and so if you both want to have sex then great. If it makes you feel better excellent. But, if you don't want to be touched for the entire time he's cool with that.

With Clayton? Oh...it's feral, it's anticipatory. He's got your cycle tracked on his phone because he wants to know when you're about to go on your period, when you're ovulating, what phase of your cycle you're in. It's a possessive sort of thing with him, that he's allowed to touch you like that and at that time, that when you'd be repulsed by anyone else you want him. It's the way being covered in your blood makes him feel like he's owned by you, completely yours and you're completely his. It's how wet and hot you are at that time of the month, how most of the time you're completely insatiable and waking him up for sex and going to sleep after sex and even if he's away you're phoning him to hear his voice talk dirty in your ear., fingers between your thighs as you show it to the camera on face time. For Clayton, it's a bonus that it helps relieve your aches and pains, but the main crux of it is that it's for him, it's what he wants to do. He'd be a whiny baby if you didn't want to have sex at that time (respectful and always willing to accept it, but do expect him to pout about it). I also think he goes a step further, it's not just a willingness to get his dick wet in your blood, but he's willing to eat you out on your period as well, more than happy to taste all of you and know he's the only one who gets to. Happy to be completely coated in you. I think for Clay it's the combination of possessiveness mixed with his natural desire to take care of you and give you whatever you need.

"Fuck, baby...look at you..." The way Clay looks at your cunt is downright ravenous, blue eyes almost unrecognisable in colour due to how blown out his pupils are. His eyes are the fixed on the blood leaking from your slit like it's the best thing he's ever seen and not something most men wouldn't go near with a barge pole. He can't help it...God, you're so hot all the time, but like this? At your most vulnerable, letting him see you, touch you? Trusting him? The only man you'd ever let do this? It's enough to make his head spin, a little groan falling from the back of his throat at the way you push your face into your pillow, embarrassed but not once closing your thighs, not once denying him access to your cunt. Trusting him with your body.

Clay strokes two fingers over your centre, around your slit, blood and slick viscous and clinging to his fingers in a way that makes him throb in his boxers because fuck...the way you wriggle your hips, the little whine you let out, always so sensitive at this time of the month...

His patience simply isn't there, can't help the way he's stripping himself of his boxers, hand, fingers still slick with blood and cum, wrapping around his cock to tug, once, twice. Coating himself in you until he's hard enough, ready. He can't help the way he lines up, purpling head of his cock catching on your slit as he rubs himself over you, over your clit, over your centre. You're writhing under his hands that press your hips into the towel beneath you, every sensation ten times more sensitive, ten times worse (or better), almost overwhelming as you whimper under him.

He can't take his eyes away from the mess between your legs. How his dick is coated in you, your cunt clenching around nothing as he rubs his hands over your thighs and pushes them wider, spreading you so wide you feel a burn in the crease where groin meets thigh.

"Shit, you're gorgeous, baby, so good...fuck...you gonna let me fuck you, sweet girl? Make you feel good?"

He's a little mean when you don't immediately answer, fingers reaching out to pinch your clit hard enough to make you jolt, to make you moan out a 'please' that makes that dominant, possessive part of him preen. You're his, totally, completely and he knows that he's the only man who you've ever let touch you like this on your period, always so adamant it's gross, until him, until Clay was unabashed in his desire for you, until Clay made it clear he wanted you perhaps even more during your period.

The head of cock pushes into you slowly, as much as he wants to bottom out in seconds, he knows better. You're tight, pussy clenching and pulsing around him, pulling him in. So sensitive that each drag of him on your walls has you moaning, eyes closed, head thrown back so far that your neck is a perfect canvas for his lips and teeth to mark up.

"God, your cunt was made for me, baby..." It's mumbled against your skin as he inches in, teeth biting at your neck, your shoulder, sucking marks that will purple and bruise. Marks that will last at least a week if he has it his way, so that every man around knows better, knows you're not for the taking because you're his.

When he bottoms out you swear you can feel him in your stomach where your cramps had been, now just the overwhelming feeling of fullness, of Clay rocking lightly against you, "Shit, Clay, so deep..."

"I know, sweet girl...fuck, gonna make you feel good, promise."

His eyes are fixed where you're joined, fixed on the way his cock moves in and out of you with each thrust, disappearing inside of you only to come back messy. Fixed on the way he's messy, coated in you, in your very essence because as much as you're his, he is undoubtedly yours. Marked in your blood in a way that no one else is.

As he rolls his hips into you he leans forward, chains dangerously close to your face until he takes them between his teeth, biting them to keep them out of your way. Clay's hair falls in sweaty strands into his eyes, across your skin, tickling you in a way that has you giggling even as he fucks you stupid.

"You already dumb from my cock, baby?" He laughs at you, releasing the chains for a moment, just long enough to speak. You respond in whimpers and moans, pussy pulsing around his cock, pulling him in with each thrust and resisting his every pull backwards.

You feel so fucking good, his hand coming between the two of you to circle your clit, lighter than normal because of how sensitive you are. Even then you practically jerk in his hold, body spasming at the sudden influx of pleasure, at the lightest of touches but he doesn't let him, not until you're cumming around his cock, clenching so tight he can barely move.

He follows after, unable to resist the wet, throbbing heat of you, of the way his cum mixes with your blood, with your slick until you're entirely coated in him and he's coated in you and while he knows it's ridiculous. Knows you're at your least fertile, he still can't help but feel that possessive want to see it take, see this be your last period for a while while you grow round with his baby.

Clay rests his forehead against your own, not withdrawing from your heat, just resting his cock in you while the two of you catch your breath. You look so good like that, hair plastered back with sweat, cheeks boiling with warmth, mouth parted as you pant. So good with his cum deep inside you, the possibility of it taking...of you being completely and totally his.

"Feel any better, baby?" His hand finds your stomach, soothing little circles rubbing there, hinting at the cramps you'd been complaining about earlier in the day.

"So much better...fuck, Clay..."

[beef-brisket]

✨️Save Them First✨️

@things-arent-what-they-seem66

Standing on the clouds of Heaven, the exorcist army was getting ready to charge into Hell once again. But this time, it felt different. The air was thick, and the girls had only revenge on their minds.

One of their own was killed. Beheaded. Nine of this was possible, but yet, here they were, missing one.

And now, there's word of the princess trying to get sinners into Heaven, trying to breach their gate with less than unworthy scum.

First, the queen tried to raise an army, and now her daughter was doing the same thing. It was only disguised as something harmless, something that could change their tainted souls.

As the bell tolled, the portal opened, creating a gash in the sky's of Heaven and Hell.

Adam watched as his girls flew down, ready to cause as much carnage and bloodshed as physically possible. This was the fight that would make or break Heaven.

Lute took to the skies and flew towards the portal, stopping just before the portal. Looking back at her commander, she wasn't confident about him coming.

It was pushing it last extermination, but only six months later? And her commander being eight months pregnant? She Hayes to think of the worst case scenario.

But, he was determined to fight this. To fight THEM.

He was trusted with protecting Heaven. He can't do that if he'll let something as simple as pregnancy stop him.

Lute: Sir...

Adam: Yeah, fuck. Coming.

This wasn't going to be easy. Lute was the only one he told about his condition. Everyone else believed that he was only putting on weight. Which wasn't a complete lie.

-

Everything was going better than great. Adam was able to flex his power a few times, breaking that weird portal like it was nothing, blowing up some snake guy, and not to mention humiliating some red bastard that was too prideful for his own good.

In fact, he reminded Adam of someone.

But, as much as he hates to admit it, that brat managed to get a good hit in. Stabbing him in the shoulder with her weapon, making him feel pain for the first time in thousands of years. It felt... almost addicting. And unluckily for Adam, he got his fair share of pain.

Holding the bitch up by her throat, Adam wished for nothing more than kill her. To snap her neck and throw her away like the trash she is.

But someone, somewhere fucked up. Really badly. The king himself turned up and joined the fight.

After a beat down that left Adam more disoriented and in so much pain, he felt like he was going to pass out. But he wouldn't show weakness. His girls were watching him, looking to him for strength and guidance. Even though he's more lost than any of them.

They should have retreated. Fled. Flew as quickly as they could back to Heaven. But so many were either injured or dead.

And Adam was no different.

Looking at those bastards who dared to look proud of themselves for fucking with the natural order through him off. But he wasn't surprised. This is one reason why they can't get into Heaven, why he has to protect those gates. Their sick. Each sinner is sick beyond comprehension. And they'd only spread their germs the moment they got up stairs.

They couldn't even let him finish talking because pulling a cowardly move. Stabbing him in the back over and over.

He felt his legs give way. Suddenly, all feeling in them were nothing but a static feeling. Adam tried to land differently. Really, he did. But he couldn't control it, and he landed on his stomach.

Where he felt someone stab over and over and over again, making the wounds in his back more of a mushy hole. Breathing and... literally everything was pretty much impossible.

He was beyond thankful when Lute rolled him over, resting a hand on his stomach.

Adam's eyes widened at her state. She was beyond bloody and mangled, obviously in pain, but she was doing everything she could to hide it.

She's always been strong. Incredibly so. She always amazed Adam. And scared him, but he won't say that out loud.

Adam could see her speaking, but eveything... distant.

Which made things feel so slow, like he was watching everything from a third person. Especially when his girls left him. Dying. In Hell.

He knew it was for the best, the light of Heaven's portal warming him up in a way that was so different than how Hell was.

But then it closed.

No one came. Or looked back.

He tensed and groaned when he felt a new rush of pain. It was something he's never experienced, but one he did recognise.

As his stomach and lower back cramped, Adam started to panic. He was dying. He could feel it, but his baby was so desperate to come out. To live. He had to do everything he could to make that happen.

He stared at the king of Hell, his expression tense and panicked. He hated him. So goddamn much. But he needed him. His baby needed him.

-

Once everyone walked into the new Hazbin Hotel, Lucifer looked up at the place with pride. His daughter needed him, and he helped her in record time.

The only issue was the still dying first man. What a waste. Lucifer didn't know how to feel towards him, especially after today, but seeing him wraith in pain felt... good. More than Lucifer would care to admit.

Maybe one last conversation to make it hurt.

Walking over, Lucifer smiled at the pained look on Adam's face. Looks like justice finds a way after all.

But what Lucifer didn't expect, but Adam trying to reach for him, wasn't it.

Adam: P-Plea-se.

[mama-qwerty]

Knuckles' True Strength

Have a bit of discord writing.

We were chatting about a body swap situation, and whomever swapped with Knux suddenly realized just how strong he was. How much he held back. And when they swapped back to their original bodies, it scared the crap out of them.

~~~

They stared at him, and he stared back. Tension was thick between them. He saw the look in their eyes. The surprise. The realization.

Part of him felt like he'd been dishonest. He'd never actually told them how strong he truly was. It didn't seem important. What was he supposed to say? "Hey guys, I just want you to know that I'm capable of literally leveling mountains if I really chose to. That's cool, right?"

He never said anything because it didn't matter. He didn't even know how strong he truly was. He'd never really used his full strength. Ever. He'd come close once when he was younger, and the entire island had shivered. It had scared him. Badly. And he'd never come close since.

The honest truth is, he'd never actually tapped into his full strength. He wasn't even sure if it had a limit. His strength came from the chaos energy that flowed within him, the link he shared with the Master Emerald. There was no limit to that, so it was possible there was no limit to his strength.

Which honestly terrified him.

They were still staring.

He cleared his throat, his violet eyes flicking away. He took a tip from Sonic, and tried to break the tension with some humor.

"Uh . . . good to be back in our own bodies, yeah?"

"You really hold yourself back, don't you?"

Amy's voice was soft, and Knuckles couldn't tell if it was admiration or fear at the edges.

He flicked his eyes back to her, and reached across himself to grip his upper arm.

"Yeah."

"Do you know how strong you actually are?"

Leave it to Tails to try and quantify things.

Knuckles shook his head. "No."

Sonic wasn't saying anything, which was odd for the hedgehog. Knuckles looked at him, before quickly moving his eyes away.

"I'm careful," he said. He felt as though he had to assure them he wasn't a danger to them. "I've had to be. I learned a long time ago how to keep it pulled back. It's second nature to me now."

Sonic still stared.

"Look, nothing's different. Tails is still Tails. Amy's still Amy. I'm still me. Nothing's different. You just . . . you know I'm a little stronger than you thought. It's no big deal."

"It's a big deal if you ever lost control of it." Sonic spoke up, his voice uncharacteristically somber. "If someone got control of you or something. If you were under some mind control or something. You could use your full strength. How would we stop you?"

Knuckles opened his mouth to counter, to tell him that wouldn't happen, but they all knew that was something they couldn't guarantee. Weird things happened all the time. Eggman or Starline or any other big bad could somehow get control of him and use him against his friends. Against the world.

". . . you couldn't."

That had been a few weeks ago. Since then, Knuckles had stayed away, remaining on Angel Island for not only his duty, but because things were different with his friends.

Because they knew now. They knew just how strong he was. How dangerous he could be.

And it ate at him. That his friends suddenly looked at him like he was an enemy in waiting. Like he was a hidden danger, a half-domesticated wild animal, just waiting for that moment to snap.

So Tails had tried to make something to help offer them peace of mind. Something similar to Shadow’s inhibitor rings.

And Knuckles had let him. Because he loved his friends, and he didn’t want them to be afraid of him. And if he had to wear some rings that would make him less of a threat, that would make his friends less scared of him, then he would.

The first attempt was bad. Really, really bad. Unlike Shadow’s rings, that kept his natural chaos energy contained, the rings Tails created for Knuckles had to keep chaos energy out, slowing the intake to a tiny pinprick.

That’s not what happened.

Instead of limiting the flow of chaos energy, it blocked it completely, causing Knuckles to very quickly fall ill. He gasped the moment Tails activated them, and fell to the ground, his color fading fast.

The chaos he carried wasn’t simply a special ability, like Sonic and the chaos emeralds. No, Knuckles needed chaos energy to live. Blocking it was like plugging someone's airway.

"Turn it off!" Sonic's voice cut through the air, and he rushed to the downed echidna's side.

"I'm trying!"

Tails wasn't ready for such an extreme reaction, and the amount of chaos still within Knuckles was overloading the inhibitors. His computer wasn't powerful enough to handle the input of information they were gathering, and he was having a hell of a time trying to get into the control panel and turn the inhibitors off.

If his computer crashed while the inhibitors were still functioning, he'd lose control of them.

Knuckles lay on the floor, gasping and wheezing, his body shaking as the inhibitors not only blocked incoming chaos, but drained the levels still within him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He felt as though he were underwater, and the life was draining from him with each passing second.

Just as he was about to pass out, a soft, urgent chime filled his mind. The Master Emerald had felt his distress, and reached out for him. He tried to refuse her, to block her so these inhibitors didn't affect her too, but he could barely think.

A sharp pain ripped through him, as the Master Emerald sent a strong, focused wave of chaos energy through him. It overloaded the inhibitors, and they shattered, releasing their stranglehold on his own levels of chaos, and allowing him to gasp in a long, loud breath of air.

Sonic's hands were on his shoulders.

"Knux? Can you hear me? Knuckles?"

"Guh . . . get away!"

Sonic released him immediately, stepping back as the echidna rolled the opposite direction to regain his strength.

His lip curled at that thought.

His strength. The reason they were doing this in the first place. The reason they were now scared of him. The reason they thought they needed this control, this limiter.

"Stay away," he said, and his voice wasn't as strong as he would have liked. "Just . . . stay away from me. If you can't trust me anymore, then . . . then I'll just stay on my island. Leave me be, and I'll leave you be. Everyone will be happy."

Amy stepped closer, reaching for him. "Knuckles, don't be like that. It's not that we don't trust you, it's just . . ."

She trailed off. Just what? It was exactly that they didn't trust him. Didn't trust that strength they now knew about. Didn't trust that he wouldn't use it against them if he got it into his head, either of his own will or by someone else's command.

His strength scared them.

Knuckles pushed himself to his feet. His chaos levels quickly returned to normal, and he felt himself once again.

The blood roared in his ears as he considered just how quickly his friendship had been tossed away. All because he was much stronger than they thought.

"Nevermind. Yes, I have great strength. More than you thought. I don't know how strong I am, I've never cared to measure it. It was there when I needed it, and I controlled it when I didn't. But that doesn't matter to you, does it? Now you see me as some wild animal, some brute who would turn on you without cause or mercy."

"Knux, no," Tails said, but was cut off when Knuckles held up a hand.

"Forget it. You've shown your true colors. I do not care to stay here with people who no longer trust me, and no longer see me as a friend who's stood by them for countless battles, and helped them defend the planet from many enemies. I know where I stand with you now. And I will not allow you to treat me as some monster who needs controlled."

"Knux, come on," Sonic called as Knuckles turned and walked away.

The echidna did not turn.

"Save your breath, hedgehog." He said the term with obvious disdain. "I am not your enemy. But you refuse to believe it. So I will take Angel Island and go where you will not find me again."

And without another word, Knuckles the Echidna walked out, and vanished in a flash of green light.

The others stood back, and exchanged guilty, uneasy glances.

[clarisse-owo]

so, me thinking about this post a bit.

i think that none of the examples above are bad writing, but I can't say much about piccolo cuz i never watched his part, but let's see...

darth vader was corrupted to the dark side, committed a massacre in a preschool of kids that admired him and then caused genocides in the whole universe. even if given the "he was groomed" card, i think he should not be forgiven. he is kinda similar to catra, but he changed when he was an adult, and even saying that the jedi also brainwashed him wouldn't have changed it. catra was groomed from a baby, she didn't knew any better and thought she was doing what was right. also blowing a whole planet is not okay. do you know how many habitable planets there are in the universe? not enough.

vegeta was born and raised as a prince of a super powered race that is known to engage in wars and stuff. he felt entitled to whatever he wanted and in the end, although I don't have the whole dbz in my head, he did change and became a good characters. yeah, he may have caused genocides, but he was also kinda groomed from birth like catra. and i like his character so he gets a pass

magneto may be a villain, but he fights for a good cause in the only way he thinks is viable. yeah, he may have caused a lot of deaths, but he saved a lot of other ones for sure. even if you don't think he deserve to be forgiven, he is just a symptom to inequality and how violence will only lead to violence and the only way that the abused minorities can get something is by taking action. yeah, he should probably not commit mass murder, but he is making more mutants know that they have a place in the world and they have to fight for it. also he killed hitler so it's ok. his character is nuanced and i love it. btw i heard he was inspired by Malcolm X and Xavier be Martin Luther king Jr on their ideologies which makes me like him just because of the whole peace vs revolution aspect of them. also i am not from the USA and i haven't studied a lot about them so i may be wrong or misinformed, so if i am, I'm up to learning and changing. no one is a monolith, we can grow and be better.

zuko was similar to catra too. he was basically groomed into a war he was never going to win, he thought he was doing what was right, but his uncle helped him see and he ended up breaking his need to please his father, turned to the hero's side and did redeem himself. also genocide in his belt. i see a pattern

venom is an alien form that consumes living things for survival. idk where to put him, but yes, genocide. i legit don't know a lot about him besides that and that he turn peter into a bully, but that's ok i guess

catra was groomed as a kid into a war she was never going to win. was abused and forced into submission against her nature. she feared for her life, but she thought she was doing the right thing. she saw her best friend betray the authoritarian regimen they both worked for and felt like it was personal. she needed to fight, but now she had no one else to turn to, she was alone. after a while she did see her ways and redeemed herself, but she suffered by doing so. zuko had his uncle, vegeta had nothing else to lose, but catra lost all the support she had. the friends she grew up with. yeah, i think she is not even close to what darth vader did, bit she had no iroh by her side and was blinded by her abusers. and even when she helped to save the world, seeing it as a realistic universe, she would still be frowned upon for years. she-ra went through it, and now she will go through it. she will not just be a friend of the whole city just because she helped to save the world. plus we don't know if the whole world is ok with queer relations, so she could still be a target for that. catra is really well written and do deserve forgiveness. also wlw, so she's good on my book.

remember kids, suffering goes past canon. it's not because they redeemed themselves that they stop suffering. catra will still deal with her actions and trauma for her whole life while the others are mostly ok from what i know. vegeta changed, got a family and never talked about the genocides, he look like he got over it very quick, zuko will still deal with all of that as he was a part of the whole fire nation shtick, but i think he was not that badly treated and even got the fire nation redeemed and even was aang's helper, so i think he had it well and maybe had an ending that would be similar to catra's in the end. darth vader was redeemed but dead in the end (unless retconned by disney) so he did not suffer as much, and well... venom is venom, idk...

Face it, Darth Vader, Zuko, Piccolo, Vegeta, Magneto, Loki and Venom did far worse, unforgivable things yet when they were redeemed to varying degrees, fandom gave them free passes. Yet when Catra ,a child soldier who was physically and mentally abused by her mentor, realizes how much she has hurt the people around her; strives to be a better person; saves her childhood best friend and the entire world with the literal power of love (in spite of the series being cut short), fandom screams for her blood, yelling that she was "the real villain" and "should've died".

I have nothing against either Vader, Zuko, Piccolo, Vegeta, Magneto, Loki or Venom. However, when fandom declares a queer catgirl to be "the face of unforgivable evil", that's when we need to call out the blatant sexist, and kind of queerphobic, double standards.

And no, don't even give me that "BuT BaD WrItInG" thought-terminating rubbish. Funny how everything seems to be "BaD WrItInG" only when it involves some form of media made by and/or starring women, queer people and other minorities. Don't you think?

[sunrisecaminus]

I literally love your writing!🤧🙏

Can I request tfp Dreadwing and a femme cybertronian autobot that’s so sweet, shy, and loves nature? They meet one time out in the open and it leads to them sitting down in a field of flowers cuddling!! SFW pls! And many soft kisses🩵🩵

Thank you so much! And thank you for feeding us with your beautiful work

Message - Dreadwing is such a lovely character, honestly one of my favorite side characters from TFP! Also thank you! I appreciate the compliment and I will continue to make this stuff!

Dreadwing x Autobot Reader SFW

Summary - Dreadwing is taken care of and snuggled by the sweet Cybertronian Autobot.

Warnings - None

Fanfic Type - Comfort/Fluff

The big blue Decepticon has not seen you for a long time. He knows who you are, he understands why you are in the opposite faction as him, but what he doesn't understand is how you show kindness to everyone. You are one of the sweetest Cybertronians Dreadwing has ever met, and can't seem to bring himself to kill you. There will be times during a battle where he sees you off in the distance, and he aims his gun at you. This would have been the perfect shot for him, but watching you fight made him realize that you never killed any of the Decepticon soldiers. you always found a way to hit them in areas that would make them pass out. You secretly patched a Decepticon flyer when they crashed…and he just couldn't pull the trigger. Dreadwing has never had such a hatred for someone yet also at the same time being soft. Megatron has once found out about Dreadwing's little pet, and once shot her down in a way to end her little schemes. What Megs didn't know was that was one of the days Dreadwing had to seriously control himself not to leave the faction. He thought you died that day, and never saw you again in battle. Sometimes he tries to tell himself it was for the better, as Dreadwing was always distracted by you and needed to get shit done, but it still hurts to know he could never see you again.

One day he went flying, scouting around when he found a lovely area not anywhere near Jasper. It was a giant field of Sagebrush, yellow flower bushes that were native to the Nevada state. Honestly Dreadwing needed a break, so he lands around the end of the field and started to walk around. He tries to take a breather, maybe he could forget about everything that this war has come to…maybe he could even forget about you. All of their battles, destructive paths, and destroyed planets; The war has turned his friends and family either to forget about what they were fighting for, or just made them into the dirt and ash they have left on Cybertron. Why did he keep going? His brother has been long gone and now the one thing that made him interested, was destroyed by the hands of his own leader. Dreadwing wanted to get to know you, maybe ask what he was doing wrong. Soldiers who were saved by you has said many things. "She was like an angel from Primus!", "She sounded like the mother I have always wanted.", "Her hands were so gentle"; All of these were said by people who got the luck to meet you, and he wondered what it would be like to be in their pedes. Soldiers would never come close to you, even in the heat of battle. They never wanted Megatron to find out about it, they also didn't ever want to hurt you. It became a huge debate with the lower ranks on how they should deal with you. The two main arguments was to trick you into joining as a medic, kidnap you and try to frame the Autobots has horrible people. Others just simply debated to just let it continue, for if they try to plan anything without Megatron knowing, they would be killed. One mech said something Dreadwing could never forget accidentally hearing.

"I wouldn't want to die, not because I am afraid of death, but because I don't want her hard work to all be in vain."

Everyone praised you, some called you Primus's Daughter. There were other nicknames like "The Angel", "The Enemies Light", and even "The Mother". Everything was positive, but it all had to end. When Megatron caught wind of this from Soundwave, he wanted to end this little Autobot to not risk his soldiers leaving the Decepticon Faction. Mid battle with Optimus, the moment he saw your figure far away in the corner of his optics, that was when he ignored Optimus and targeted you. The devastating blast that collided with you body, all soldiers stopped fighting just to watch in horror on what their Lord has done. It was one of the most tragic days of the war, with the soldiers not listening to their commanders anymore and retreating without Megatron's orders. Dreadwing has that day dated in his books, he wanted no one to forget the day the Decepticons lost 1/5 of their soldiers just from you alone.

He stared into the sky, watching as the sun raised up to make the flowers brightly show their colors. The light drapes over him, as he turns behind himself to watch the sunlight blanket itself around the entire field. That was when he held his breath. His optics widened from shock, his hands balled up. Dreadwing could see from half a mile away in the middle of the entire field, was you. The light went over your plating beautifully as you were standing there, watering some of the flowers next to you. There was different kinds of flowers that were all around your body. Was he looking at a ghost? Was he just seeing things? It was like he just found the last animal of an extinct species, the way he stepped back a bit in fear. Should he leave? Dreadwing thought he was ruining your flowers and made sure he wasn't stepping on any at the moment. When he looked back up, you are now staring at him. He froze, waiting for something to happen. Shit you might call the Autobots for help, one of the high soldiers in is a close vicinity of you. Your e/c (eye color) optics were going through him like they were staring into his soul, maybe you could see how pure his spark was. There was a bunch of rumors about you that he didn't believe, but seeing you finally alone for the first time kind of made him backtrack on what he believed or didn't believe. You close your eyes and give him the sweetest smile, waving your hand at him, motioning for him to come over. He straightened himself a bit and flew over, landing just a few yards from you. That was when he finally could hear the voice he dreamed of hearing. "Hello dear! I see you have found my garden."

The whiplash he got from hearing your angelic voice. It was soft, quiet, and motherly. "I-I'm sorry mam, I did not mean to intrude on your space." He bowed his head a little in a formal greeting. What in the Allspark was Dreadwing doing?! Yes maybe you were sweet, but you were also the enemy! How were you alive?! He perked up from hearing you giggle. "My what a lovely gentlemen you are! You may stay as long as you like. I wouldn't mind the company." Hearing you compliment him made him heat up, his cheeks getting a bit flushed. A compliment from someone like you was like getting your prayers answered from Primus. "Um thank you, though I am confused. Didn't Lord Megatron kill you? I saw the explosion." He watches as you slowly stopped smiling and it made him want to go back in time to never ask you a question like that again. He just met this kind individual and just asked something very personal. Dreadwing was going to apologize, but than you answered his question. "Optimus pushed Megatron before he shot so it missed me. It hit the wall behind me, so I was very damaged. Thankfully my fellow team helped to bring me back to health and I stepped down as a major soldiers. I apologize to give you the bad news like this." Dreadwing grew even more surprised and waves his servos in front of him. "No no! The soldiers were devastated to see you perish. It's good to know that you are alive. They could never stop talking about you."

He sees the smile grow back on your face as the laughter kicked back in. "Awe the little children still remember me! I am glad to know that they still care. I was wondering if I could visit, but Megatron was always a big hurdle. I wouldn't want to get my lovelies in trouble." You looked back to your flowers and kept watering them. It was quiet again for some time as you put the giant watering can down, putting your arms in the air to stretch. It was peaceful until you hear a small hiccup. You turn to see Dreadwing a bit teary eyed, his wings drooped down and his one of his servos trying to hide his optics. "Oh you poor thing what's the matter?" Dreadwing hears you walking closure to him, feeling your servos cup around his face with such a gentle touch. He couldn't take it anymore. The war, the blood, soldiers starving for more energon. The more you were kind to him, the more it made him wonder how many sweet and innocent lives have they caused to end after 4 million years. His hand lets go of his faceplate and you see the tears running down Dreadwing's cheeks. He didn't know what to say to you. His throat was like a knot, if he tried to even speak he knew it was make him cry hysterically. Finally he just couldn't take it and leaned into your touch a bit, bursting. "I don't want to be here anymore!" He couldn't say anything else. His throat hurts from him trying to fight off the tears. No one has seen him cry, no one would want to see one of their highest members of the Decepticons in tears. All the issues of the war has just been bundled inside him. He promised himself never to show any weakness to anybody…but now he felt safe in your arms, feeling like if he just told you what he wanted, you could grant him his wish. Dreadwing feels your digits wipe his tears away from his optics. He blinks to see your face, watching you smiling at him with caring eyes. "Oh honey, let it all out of your system. You have done nothing, but fight for what you were thinking is right. You care for the people around you and it shows. Your ancestors watch you from the Allspark with great joy, showing how proud they are of you. War started and no one knows how to end it, but you should never blame yourself for things that people around you chose for themselves. Things happen that we can't control or be able to stop, all we can do is wait for the right time. I know you feel powerless, but you have been as strong as you can be. For the time being, lets try to breath, ok?"

Dreadwing feels your servos grab his, bringing him along to sit on the top of the hill you guys are on. You sit him down, guiding his head to your chest and let him hear your spark. "Repeat the rhythm of my breathing." Dreadwing obeys, feeling himself trying to match his breath with yours. The spark beating made his body limp. His brain, which before was thinking about death and sorrow, was not thinking about the present and what is happening to him right now. His mind starts to clear and his focus goes to the flowers around himself, watching as your servo rubs against his helm. It doesn't take too long for him to feel better, though he was very tired from the breakdown he just went through. You lay down with him in the grass, feeling Dreadwing hug you as if you would blow away if he didn't hold on to you. He doesn't want to think about what would happen after, he doesn't want this moment to end. Dreadwing never thought he would love someone, but after what just happened…you made him feel like you were his everything. "Thank you for your hospitality...I will never forget what you did for me."

[jedipoodoo]

Home Sweet Home (Sergeant Hunter x Reader)

Notes: No warnings, fluff, established Hunter x Reader, Tech is a little shiz, Hunter is a homemaker. Literally.

Tech watched his brother with fascination. Hunter sat atop the wooden frame he'd put together all on his own within the last few hours, nailing the crossbeams together. His shirt was tied around his waist, the sweat dripping down his upper torso with his hair tied back. It wasn't an unusual sight, Hunter had been helping rebuild many of the houses on Pabu since their arrival and the subsequent tsunami, but this one was special.

Pabu didn't have much readily available wood, so it was only used to build a rough outline of a house, providing a support for the clay mixture that kept the homes of Pabu nice and cool beneath the beating sun.

"I believe it is the bowerbird of Naboo that creates elaborate and sometimes whimsical structures in order to find potential mates." he said nonchalantly.

Hunter wiped the sweat from his brow and took the nails from between his teeth, "Are you going to help me or are you just gonna watch all day?"

Tech took another sip of the fruit juice Phee gave him, "I am perfectly content to sit back and watch you perform such an elaborate courting ritual."

Hunter frowned, "You make it sound like I'm doing something wrong here," He glanced around at the framework. It was almost done, he just needed to finish the roof, and then he could start mixing the clay. He'd seen Shep and the others making it, but he hadn't quite put it to practice yet himself.

"Oh no, you're doing quite wonderfully." Tech said.

"That sounded sarcastic! " Hunter accused. Tech merely shrugged.

"Hunter?"

Hunter's heart soared when he heard your voice. He spotted you walking up the cobblestone path towards him, and leaped down from the roof, running towards you.

"Hello, Cyare!" he ran towards you, lifting you up into his arms and spinning around.

"Hello!" You laughed breathlessly. "Phee said you wanted to show me something you're working on?"

"Yes, come on!" Hunter took your hand and pulled you over to the house. You carefully stepped over the threshold into the framework.

"I needed to know what you think," Hunter gently took your shoulders, moving you to face one wall, "So, the sun comes up in the east, over on this side. And I'm trying to figure out if I should put the bedrooms here, or the common room."

"Hmmm, well, the light is nice to wake up with, but if the common room is where they'll spend the most time, and the natural light will be nice and inviting."

"Uh huh."

You bit your lip, "I dunno, I like the idea of the sitting room and kitchen having all that natural light, but then the bedroom will be all dim," You waved toward the other side of the house, which was up against a house that had been finished the other day. This house was at the edge of a hill, so there wouldn't be anything to block the view. You shook your head and looked up at him. "Have you asked the people who will be living here? What did they think?"

"I did." he said.

You waited for a beat. "And? What do they want?"

Hunter looked in your eyes, "What do you want?"

You blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah," Hunter nodded, "Us."

You took a deep breath and stumbled back a few steps, "Oh wow," You pressed your hands against your cheeks as they flushed. You spun around, taking in the framework. It wasn't anything egregioisly big, but it was far bigger than the Marauder was. It was far from finished, but there would be bedrooms, actual bedrooms, and a real kitchen, and space to sit.

"Cyare? You alright?" Hunter asked, holding out his hands to you.

"I'm good, I am so good," You gasped, throwing your arms around him.

"You're making this for us?"

"For you and me," He said quickly, "And Omega, if she wants it."

"What about the others?"

"Wrecker's working on his own right now. And as for Tech, I think he's got his own plans."

You stood up straighter, wiping an errant tear from your eye. You didn't know what had come over you. There was something so wonderful about the idea of having a home, someplace to call your own. And the idea of sharing such a home with Hunter was almost more than you could imagine.

"So, bedrooms or sitting room?"

"Sitting room. Absolutely." You giggled, and Hunter smiled at you. He cradled your cheeks in his hands and gently pressed a kiss to your forehead. His warmth enveloped you, smelling like the sun-baked mulch of a childhood playground on a hot summer day, and a wave of nostalgia washed over you.

"There's one more thing I need your help with before I keep building," Hunter brought you over to the lintel of the front door. On the inside, he'd carved his own name.

"I need you to carve your name in here too," He said, placing his knife in your hand

"But I can't- whoo!"Hunter had his arms around your waist and boosted you up onto his shoulder before you could finish your protest of how you couldn't reach comfortably. You fumbled with the knife for a moment, trying not to drop it.

"How did you reach this?" you asked, examining the distance from Hunter's head to the crossbeam he'd carved.

"Used a ladder." He shrugged.

"Couldn't I just use one too?" You asked.

"Sure you could, but then I wouldn't get a chance to hold ya now, would I?" He grinned up at you, and you couldn't hide the flush in your face.

You leaned forward, bracing your arms against the wood frame, and gently traced the letters that Hunter had carved. You weren't as skilled with a knife as he was, but Hunter knew that. If he was insisting, he probably didn't care.

With sharp, rigid lines, you painstakingly carved out your name, adding a little heart at the end for good measure. When you told him you were done, Hunter lowered you back to solid ground, raising one hand to admire your carvings next to his.

"Beautiful," He murmured.

You smiled shyly, bumping your hip against his, "You're corny."

"Gotta make up for lost time. Not much opportunity to court you properly and all when we were on the run from job to job."

"Sergeant Hunter," You folded your arms, "Is that what building this whole house is for? Just to court me?" You placed a hand over your heart and fluttered your eyelashes at him.

It was Hunter's turn to blush, unable to meet your gaze, "Well, Tech was telling me about all the different species of birds that build a nest to attract potential mates-"

You laughed out loud and threw your arms around his waist, "Well, it's working."

"Good," He kissed your forehead again, "I don't know what I'd do if it didn't."

[femalefemur]

Forgive Me Father For I Have Sinned.

warnings: weed, intox, smoking weed, religion, please let me know if I missed anything!

word count: 1.8k

A/N: i'm sorry i made it a little sad at the end, i don't know what came over me.

okay so i can't stop thinking about it apparently!!

being a nun came somewhat naturally to you, you wouldn't say it was something you always wanted to do but it was something that was always there. a little thought at the back of your mind that would sometimes grow so large you felt as though it was taking over your very being. you joined a few years into your 20s, you had gone to university, had a job for a while and then found that it really wasn't for you.

it held nothing, there was no peace and quiet, only festering at your soul which grew with each day; each bill, each payment of rent, each early morning squished on a bus as you made your way to your office and sat at your desk. often scrolling mindlessly on your phone for hours as your work for the day had been completed already.

it was then one late night that you had decided that maybe you should give it all up, nothing in your life seemed to fit right and click into place like you had been told it would. things only seemed to drone needlessly, an empty void deep within you that couldn't be filled no matter how hard you tried. so you left, told your loved ones goodbye and joined an order.

somehow in those early morning prayers, vows of chastity and sometimes silence, you found peace at last.

maybe it really was the life you were meant to lead, to be a nun in a time where it seemed ridiculous to even consider giving up your life for this. but it soothed that ache in you, the void inside you filling bit by bit with each prayer, each communion, each sip of wine that was taken as christ's blood.

it was a few years after you had taken your final vows that you had been sent to an order in italy, rome, your eyes drooping closed in your plane seat and you drifted off to sleep. when you landed you were greeted by your new sisters, taken in and shown to your room and left to unpack before joining them for lunch. it was that night at mass that you first met him. cardinal goffredo tedesco. this was his church, his flock, and he was here to greet the new lamb that had joined them.

you don't see much of him after that, busy as he is, though you do occasionally pass him in the halls when the abbess has need to seek his counsel. you don't think much of him, what can you think really of a man who still holds traditional values close to his heart despite the pope himself being progressive.

and then there was the vape, always in his hand or on his person, a billow of smoke following him around like he was a some sort of dragon. it at times made you miss smoking, not cigarettes as those were as readily available as prayers, even in the convent. but rather you missed weed, it was not something you often smoked but you missed the feeling of being high nonetheless.

the months passed, seasons changed, you gradually saw more of the cardinal as you went about your daily duties. sometimes you would be asked to take things to his office, those days were nice as you had the chance to wander through rome, see happy families, couples, watch little children laugh in glee as they ran about.

it warmed your heart, to see the good of humanity, the love that we all share and hold close to ourselves, something that makes the very fibres of our being.

it was those days that you often saw more than a fleeting glimpse or a foggy pass of tedesco, even if you were handing the papers to someone else who worked for him. you would often see him at his desk, glasses perched on his face as he read, a small glance spared your way as you handed over the papers, a polite smile on your face in return.

he was handsome you supposed even if his morals were off putting. the greying hair working in his favour, the sparkle in his eye still there as if he was nothing more than a mischievous boy who had been running amok in the yard. he did his job well though, you could not deny him that for all his flaws, he cared about the church and his flock, perhaps a little too much you thought.

the seasons kept changing until it was finally summer again, the warmth of the sun mingling with the chirp of insects and the cool afternoon breeze. it was then that a group of your sisters passed by, all giggles and hushed whispers as they hurried across the courtyard. what caught your attention though was the slightly dazed look in their eyes, you knew that look and you had no idea how they even managed to get some.

you followed after them in hurried steps, catching them just as they entered a room, your voice low and hushed as you asked where they got the weed. it startled them at first to be caught, begging you not to tell the abbess, though if you knew the abbess then she was already aware, nothing passed by that woman, not a single speck of dust made it by without her notice. after some reassurance though they calmed and told you, let you know they had a dealer, an older woman who grew it for some extra money on the side, and promised to get you some the next time.

it was a few weeks later when there was a knock at your door, at a time before bed and after nightly prayers. one of the sisters you had caught before standing there and pressing a small ziplock bag into your hands with a smile before she disappeared back down the hall. it was pre-rolled you realised as you stared down at the joints in the bag, thankful as you had nothing to grind with.

you slipped out later that night into the dark, passing through the sleeping quarters and out past the courtyard to a small secluded place in the far garden. lighting the joint and taking a hit.

you don't know how you didn't hear him, maybe you were too in your own world, happy to have this small moment or perhaps he was just light on his feet when he wanted to be, either way you were soon face to face with cardinal tedesco. both of you staring at each other as smoke left your mouths.

"i did not think anyone would be here" he mused as he stared at you, eyes flickering to the joint between your fingers.

"neither did i" you replied as you swallowed.

there was no point in trying to hide the joint, he had already seen it and if you were going to be punished for it then so be it. you don't know what compelled you, perhaps it was the fact that he hadn't immediately starting ranting at you, or perhaps it was the way his gaze lingered a beat too long on the joint, but you held it out to him. blinking up at the man who just raised a brow before slipping his vape into his pocket and gently taking the joint from you.

it became a semi-regular thing after that, once a month you and tedesco would meet in the garden, sit under the tree and share a joint. it wasn't until you had all been called to the vatican that the relationship between the two of you progressed any further.

the two of you smoked in silence, passing the joint back and forth between you as you stared up at the night sky, watching the few twinkling stars you could see and the planes that flew with their blinking lights. the occasional glance at the cardinal as you smoked.

perhaps he was more handsome than you realised.

it was nearing the beginning of winter, your sisters and you packed onto a bus, excited murmurs and giggles as you passed through rome and into the vatican. there was an important meeting for the cardinals and the nuns were required for help, setting the tables for meals, cooking, making sure everything ran smoothly in all honesty.

it was the fourth day into the week when you had enough time to slip away, everything being wrapped up earlier than the previous days, you finally had some time to yourself. you snuck out, exploring the apostolic palace before a hand encircled your wrist, gently tugging you back.

"sister, you are where you shouldn't be" tedesco's voice filled your ears as he grinned down at you.

"sorry, i must have gotten lost" you smiled innocently as he laughed at your answer, tugging you away to a secluded corner.

you lit the joint as you both huddled together, a new feeling of secrecy and excitement between you both from doing something you shouldn't be. you were almost pressed together as you smoked, your eyes looking up into his as he spoke, low and hushed, the two of you giggling over things the other cardinals had said and done over the days until the joint was finished.

you would blame the weed if caught, but really you wanted this, his lips pressed to yours as your fingers gripped his cassock, your head dizzy with excitement and need. the feeling of his tongue against yours as he licked over the roof of your mouth making your knees buckle, choking back a whine as you lapped into his mouth and pressed impossibly close to him, the two of you making out. his hands gripping your waist before sliding down to cup your arse, gently squeezing and letting out a soft groan into your mouth before parting.

"we shouldn't have-" you started talking as you stared up at him and swallowed, the taste of him in your mouth.

"what is one more sin?" he grinned before it became something softer, a look in his eyes that shouldn't be there and a softness in his touch as the back of his hand ran over your cheek, "god will forgive us" whispered as he pressed his lips back to yours, gentler this time.

the urgency was gone now, leaving something else in its place as he cupped your jaw and angled your head up, the kiss slow and gentle, loving. something that it shouldn't be, something that should never have happened. yet here you were in his arms, kissing him as if he was your husband not god, as if you both hadn't given your lives away to something greater, something that entangled you both and wouldn't let you leave.

you could both have this moment though, this little something that you shared in stolen moments while hidden away from the world. a small amount of time where it's just the two of you and you can be something close to lover, something even closer to a husband and wife, but also nothing at all.

because who were really? who was he? the two of you could never be, you were both taken, lives given to something else, married to the same man who watched over you now with nothing but love in his heart.

[fictionalcreator]

This whole thing has given me such a specific vision of a scene please bear with me

(haven't started part 2 yet so setting this in a vague time before Cale and the family pull off their daring stunt to trick the White Star into coming to the Lands of Death. They key part is that Cale has acquired information on another ancient power that may come in handy, but more importantly, they need to keep it out of the enemy's hands—if another arc works for that, we can easily use that as well)

(Also lovecherish you are so right Survival would see Ron as an inherent threat. It can tell. This is a man who's honed his whole body into a weapon, a knife in the dark. The blood of his past will never be fully washed from his hands. Blood that is mostly from his fellow man, unlike Choi Han and the rest. But, unlike the young master, who trusts and treasures him as a person both in spite of and because of this, Survival only sees a killer. A danger.)

Parts in [brackets] are just sections I would've expanded on more if I wasn't writing this as a first draft in a post, perhaps with some dialogue or something written more in the voice of a character

Edit: that was the initial intent of the brackets and it's still kind of there but it also evolved into something of an artistic choice over the course of writing this excerpt so...do with that information what you will

Fuck.

Cale cursed to himself as the rock and silt settled above him with a low rumble.

He'd come down alone to challenge the trial of another ancient power, one that had been recorded in Choi Jung Gun's records as a potential earth-attribute. It didn't seem to be very strong (White Star would definitely target the Blood-Stained Rock first), but so long as there was a chance that it was an earth-attribute that the White Star knew about, Cale couldn't just leave it be. Cale was never one for leaving hanging threads, after all, especially when those threads had the potential to become their noose.

If the damn White Star managed to complete his collection and balance his plate, everything would become that much harder.

So, Cale and his companions had tracked down the location, compiled some information, and agreed that Cale would go alone, having the most experience with ancient powers, while the others would wait at a nearby town for up to 6 days. Even if it really was an earth-attribute and Cale couldn't acquire it (lest he destabilize his own plate), he assured them he had a way of depriving the White Star of it.

Of course, the others wouldn't be completely idle in that time. The Mercenaries' Guild and the Molans were still fighting it out with Arm for control of the Eastern Continent's underworld. Choi Han, Eruhaben, and the children would be providing some backup without straying too far.

That was plan. That had been the plan. They had been so confident that no one had entered before them.

Motherfucking bastards.

Cale had entered the cave system and made it to the temple at the end without any particular troubles. The ancient power spoke to him, as per usual, and like the others, the power had a bit of a strange personality and forced Cale to complete some test. It was a bitch of a test, requiring him to use his other powers to a greater extent than he'd expected for a power Choi Jung Gun had described as "trivial," but still, not as bad as the Sky Devouring Water's trial.

That is, until someone interfered.

The temple collapsed in on itself, and the power flared in anger.

—Another has influenced the test. The contract is broken. I shall not be moved from here.

Fuck.

Cale felt the power retreating as the ceiling crumbled. It burrowed deep into the earth, far from his senses, escaping as Cale was forced to throw up his Indestructible Shield to protect himself. He tsked, feeling low burning anger at the now obvious fact that someone had gotten one up on them.

The power had clearly said that this was due to "another," not any natural phenomenon. Someone set this collapse off. Cale could only hope that it was larger than they were expecting and that the bastards got themselves caught in it as well.

[He had no recourse for this, and feels like such a fool for it. His plate is already taxed from the trial, he can't summon the strength to break out on his own. The most he can do is shield himself. Even if they're nearby, his companions should all be busy with their own tasks, and his ancient powers are still suppressed, unable to speak. He'll just have to wait. To endure. And trust that they'll find him.]

[Lucky for him, he has experience in sitting very still and doing nothing for hours on end. He carefully controls his breathing, bringing in the bare minimum amount of oxygen. He doesn't think that the collapsed building is airtight, but it's not anywhere near well-ventilated. He shrinks his shield until it's a more economical size, sits, and stops thinking.]

[Or at least, he tries. He tries to stop thinking. It used to be so easy. It should still be easy. But it's hard. For some reason it's gotten difficult not to think about anything. Not to think about their faces and voices, how worried they'll be, how much they'll scold him for getting hurt again (even though he's perfectly fine), and how angry they'll be at the people who did this. He can almost hear a little dragon going, 'I'll destroy them all!' and he can't quite help the smile it brings to his face, in spite of the viciousness of the words.]

Yes, he trusts them. It doesn't even cross his mind that they won't find him. They'd flip over the whole mountain if they had to.

And so he'll sit, and he'll wait, for as long as he has to until—

His hand trembles. A wave of exhaustion washes through him, far too slow and comforting for the situation. His vision blurs. He's lightheaded from the lack of air. The silver thread tying him to the shield wavers, and with a harrowing sound, the rock inches nearer.

Cale freezes. He has to forcibly remind himself to breathe. There's something there, in the depths of his chest. Something he hasn't felt in years. A sort of animal instinct. A deep, instinctual fear.

The fear of death.

Funny, he'd thought he'd gotten over that a long time ago. He had gotten over it. How else could he casually curse at the God of Death and feel nothing from that god's Divine Item?

So why were his hands so cold now?

Never mind. He doesn't need to waste precious energy on questioning that.

He tries not to think. [who knows how long he spends like this] Tries to summon his usual detachment that allows him to look at things objectively. He doesn't need to be afraid right now. That's a useless emotion which will do nothing for the situation.

He assures himself that he carefully cut away and boxed up and thrown out his fear a long, long time ago. He doesn't need it. He doesn't want it. It's not going to come back right now.

But then the rock slips by another inch and he flinches.

His hands are shaking and it spreads up his arms and he scolds himself for wasting energy on such a useless thing.

It'll be okay. They'll find him. He doesn't need to think right now. Doesn't need to feel. They'll find him. They'll find him. But will they find him in time—?

Cale feels a wave of nausea overtake him.

Stop. He doesn't need to think right now—will they find him in time? He doesn't need to th—in time. Stop it. He can't be doing something like this—in time. Will they be in time? Stop it stop it in time STOP—

———

—i don't want to die—

———

In the meantime, the lackeys who infiltrated the temple from another route and initiated the collapse are having a rough time.

[Indeed, they hadn't expected the results of their sabotage to be so effective. To the point that it collapsed not just the lower floors, but both of the passages out, as well, leaving just the central chamber intact. Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence. Perhaps this was their punishment for interfering with the test.]

[Judging by the sounds, the tunnels should have only collapsed halfway, leaving the entrances intact, but they were still unequipped for the mining it would take to get themselves out. They cursed their luck and fiddled with their spells and video communication equipment, trying to get in touch with their allies outside.]

[As they were doing that, they didn't notice one of the flagstones in the corner shift and get pushed aside. By the time they noticed, there was already a slender man who looked to be more dirt than human pulling himself up through the crack.]

[How Survival managed to eke out a path like that, who can say. It simply finds a way. That can be said to be its specialty.]

[The lackeys froze. They looked at Cale. Survival looked back at them. Overcoming their initial shock, they shouted, "Kill him! Quick!" and rushed forward, blades pointed at the stick of a man.]

Cold, dead eyes analyze their every movement. Taking in every step, every tense of fingers on the knives' grips, every breath. It took them all in and calculated, perfectly, the right time to step to the side, reach, strike a joint, and effortlessly disarm the first one to reach it.

[Weapon in hand, it again moves with surgical precision to deliver a fatal blow. Then another. Then another.]

[Before a full 10 minutes had passed, it is the only living thing left in the chamber. The blood of the dead lies splattered on the floor, staining its hands and flecking its clothes.]

[Survival looks around. This is a decently secure place, but lacking in resources. It takes the food and water from the fallen and calculates that it can survive for at least an additional 12 days. This is not good enough. It must find a way to leave.]

[It attempts to break through the rock blocking the entrance. However, this rock is in much larger pieces, and is overall much sturdier than what it managed to break through below. Its attempts end up damaging its hands.] Undesirable outcome.

[It can feel its energy dipping low.]

Rest is required.

[Survival backs away from the entryway, finds a small alcove, and curls up inside. It will rest for the minimum required time before attempting to find another path to escape.]

———

[In the meantime, the others have not heard anything about the small quake. It was so deep in the earth that even those skilled experts didn't feel anything. It is only when time is up and they attempt to go down into the temple that they realize that something is wrong.]

[The path is blocked. They move quickly to avoid having panic set in.]

[Raon, Choi Han, Rosalyn, and Eruhaben move together. Eruhaben is a last-minute addition to the party, who was not scheduled to be in the area, but with his dust attribute disintegrating the rocks before them, they have a much easier time of it.]

When he finally break down the last stone in their way, Eruhaben clears away the lingering white-gold dust and looks up, across the large stone chamber. His eyes immediately find the all-too frail form of their most treasured person, curled into an alcove in the opposite wall.

Eruhaben sighs dramatically. "You unlucky bastard—?"

Before he can finish the thought, he stops short.

"Cale-nim!"

"Human!"

Choi Han and Raon rush forward, pushing past Eruhaben. Or, at least, they try to.

"Wait." Eruhaben's voice is uncharacteristically cold and low.

It freezes the two in place, and they both realized something that was so unbelievable that they hadn't even noticed at first.

Cale is pointing a knife at them.

Cale was sitting in an alcove, knees pulled up to his chest, as if he'd been sleeping. He was staring at them with a level, even gaze, but his eyes were cold and cutting, even more so than usual. There's none of the typical clever glint. No subtle, hidden warmth. No spark of life. No recognition.

Just a cold, hard stare. Analyzing them. Calculating the potential threat.

It reminds Choi Han of some of the animals he faced in the Forest of Darkness, the ones that had enough intelligence to size him up before deciding whether or not to fight him. He doesn't like that comparison.

Quickly, they take in the rest of scene. The bodies on the floor, presumably humans, surrounded by pools of drying blood. The large magic circle around what should have been the path further down into the temple, now also collapsed. The blood stains on the knife in Cale's hand.

"Eruhaben-nim," Rosalyn joins them in the cavern, staring at the scene with carefully contained horror, "the ancient power...can you still feel it?"

Eruhaben takes a shaky breath. "Yes. It's faint, but it's still free."

Rosalyn bites her lip. "He failed the test."

"Because someone interfered." Eruhaben's voice darkens with anger. If these people had not already been dead, he would have destroyed them himself.

Choi Han is gripping his scabbard so tightly that his hand is shaking, and Raon is looking back and forth between them and the bodies and Cale. "But...what does that mean? What does that have to do with why the human is—why he's—!"

Cale has apparently finished his evaluation and deemed them not an immediate threat, and thus, slowly lowers the knife.

"Human!" Raon doesn't miss the opportunity to dart to his side, pelting him with questions like, "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Who did this to you! I will destroy them all!" with Choi Han following with swift steps.

However, neither of them get a response. Cale—or whatever this animal in Cale's body is—hardly even looks at them. It keeps its eyes trained on Eruhaben. Perhaps it can sense that the ancient dragon is the strongest thing in the room?

"Could it be...a kind of backlash?" Rosalyn hypothesizes, keeping herself calm by analyzing the available information.

Everything seems to be leading to the conclusion that these outsiders interfered with the test, causing something to happen that was making the young master Cale act like a cornered animal.

Eruhaben draws a deep breath. "Right now, there's no way to know for sure. All there is to say is that our young master isn't in his right mind at the moment."

Eruhaben glanced over the bodies on the floor.

Indeed, while Cale was capable of defending himself when push came to shove, he always preferred the path of the fewest fatalities. Not to mention, if he'd actually had all his wits about him, he would have certainly left one of the attackers alive so they could interrogate them for information.

With the attackers not wearing the Arm uniform, they could only guess at if they were hired separately by the White Star, or if they were truly unaffiliated and targeted this place for other reasons.

Unlucky bastard.

Eruhaben sighed again. "At any rate, let's not linger here. We'll show the uniform to the Molans and have them track down any information they can."

Rosalyn nodded and finished his thought, "And in the meantime, let's get the young master-nim to a safe place?"

Eruhaben managed a slight smile. "Yes, let's."

"Did you hear that? Come on, let's go, human!"

[Raon tugs at his sleeve but Cale, or the power called Survival, doesn't budge. It doesn't trust these overwhelmingly powerful people who appeared out of nowhere. They aren't hostile at the moment, but their potential threat is unimaginable.]

[It doesn't let Choi Han touch it. It shrinks away whenever the loyal knight's hand draws near, and that's enough to stop him.]

[The stalemate continues, more and more anger filling Eruhaben at the thought of what his dear child had to endure down here, until Raon pulls out an apple pie.]

[Survival looks at it. When Raon offers it, Survival accepts it readily.]

High-calorie food source. Should be consumed sparingly.

[It eats two bites before grabbing a relatively clean strip of cloth from its "nest" and wrapping the rest.]

[The others watch, dumbfounded. Raon tries to offer more apple pies, assuring the human that he doesn't need to worry about saving them, but the words don't register. Survival accepts the pies, then proceeds to similarly wrap them in cloth and stash them behind itself in the alcove. When it shifts to the side, the others can glimpse at what else it has back there; food and water, likely taken from the attackers' bodies.]

[This was all...oddly sophisticated for a mere animal instinct. There was more happening here. Perhaps the backlash of the test damaged his memory in some way?]

[At any rate, after several rounds of manifesting apple pies and cajoling and trying very hard to remove anything from their bodies that could be considered a threat, they finally get Survival to, very reluctantly, trail behind Raon.]

[Ron, Lock, and the kittens are waiting for them outside. Survival does not like this. The minute it sees the wide open skies with the bright afternoon sun and the 4 new people, each with an aura that's terrifying in it's own way, Survival wants to go back in the cave. The cave is secure. It's dark and quiet and now there's even a way out if it needs to get more food or water.]

[They don't want it to go back but it tries anyway. It doesn't point the knife at them because they're still not showing open hostility, but when Choi Han catches it by the arm, it struggles. Survival is shockingly strong, wringing far more strength from Cale's lanky frame than any of them would be able to guess, but it's still no match for a sword master.]

[That said, it struggles hard enough to leave bruises on the arm where it strained against Choi Han's hand. Choi Han despises this. Deeply.]

[To their collective dismay, when it becomes clear to Survival that it cannot overpower Choi Han and make its escape, it instead flips and becomes incredibly docile, letting itself get dragged along without a sound. They know, off of some baseless instinct, that short of killing it, it would quietly accept anything they did to it right now. It makes them sick.]

[Doing exactly as you're told, making as little noise and taking up as little space as possible so as to not upset the person who holds your life in their hands...that too is a kind of Survival.]

When Cale was Kim Rok Soo, back at the company, he never scared anyone. Sure, they worried for him, they feared his Records or they felt a subconscious chill when making eye contact but-

Rarely has he ever scared them.

Except the week he disappeared.

He got trapped underneath rubble, like his first meeting with Lee Soo Hyuk, but no one was there to save him this time. Three days, he was trapped; an uncanny parallel, maybe even more than a coincidence. But on the third day… something changed. He gained a new ability, something that snapped inside of him like a key that forgoes unlocking the mechanism entirely and breaks the lock itself.

He lifted a building off of its foundations.

The metal holding together the crevice he was huddled in snapped and groaned, while the rocks and concrete scratched and shattered like glass. He forced his way out and walked.

He walked away from the company.

If he had been within his mind, he would’ve gotten help, accepted food and water and healed his injuries.

He wasn’t. Within his mind, that is. He was strong, his senses had heightened to find food and all of his necessaries, but he couldn’t remember anything from his life as Kim Rok Soo.

Kim Rok Soo at this moment had fallen asleep, and Survival woke up. For 4 days, Survival walked, ate, drank, and breathed the life of Kim Rok Soo.

If you could call it living.

Eventually he was found, wandering and dirty, and seeing his team members let Rok Soo wake up, and Survival fell asleep.

Cale Henituse hasn’t had to do that. No, not yet, but time catches up eventually and Cale found himself in a perilous situation again.

Trapped inside of a collapsing building with no way to contact his friends who are expecting him to be back in 6 days. They were in a different world, so Cale only had a portion of his abilities, but it should've been enough. It hadn't.

4 days inside of the building, which shuddered and broke multiple times around him, finally, Survival opened its eyes.

It had taken longer because of Vitality of the Heart, but with all of his abilities weakened extensively, he had no options for escape.

Survival looks around dumbly. Within its own consciousness, it’s doing calculations. The structural integrity. The state of his body. The nearest food source.

Lifting the building off of its body is easy, but it takes several hours to progress its way out of the collapsing caverns. Survival breathes heavily, but doesn’t hesitate as it finally breaks through the side. The building tips over and crashes on the opposite side of where it is. Survival blinks from the impact, but only because of the dust.

It wanders for 3 days.

Finally, it gets found. By bandits.

It massacres them and steals their resources.

Soon after that, news breaks out about the supposed single-handed wipe out, and Raon finds him. Raon tries to speak to it, but after it deduced that Raon wasn’t a threat nor food, it walked away.

As a smart and clever dragon, Raon observed Cale before being so abruptly insulted. Multiple attempts to bring Cale back into those eyes, all failed attempts, Raon teleports the unwilling stranger back to the empire.

It doesn’t speak, it doesn’t respond to touch beyond a stern glance, and it only does the bare minimum to survive. It tried to store food under its bed after eating “enough”, and no amount of begging convinced it to not store the rations. It hasn’t bothered to use its powers either- like it doesn’t know it has them.

All attempts to speak are futile.

Choi Han even tried Korean, but it didn’t show any sign of understanding.

Rosalyn does research with Raon and Choi Han on what could have caused it.

Then they hear about the collapsed building. They hear about the bandits who had supposedly died a few days afterwards. Raon figures out that- yes- the stuff Cale had with him at the time used to belong to bandits.

A week after becoming Survival, days after being found, Cale opens his eyes on a bed.

“… They found me?” He muttered it so quietly, whisper soft, but Raon- apparently sleeping by his legs, jumps up with wide eyes.

“Human!”

Cale wants to sigh. How long was he asleep this time? By Raon’s expression, it must have beaten his previous records.

“Is it you? Is it really you? Say something! Say my name!”

Cale blinks in confusion. Two minutes ago he was dozing off inside of a dark hole that was close to collapsing, now— Raon wants to hear his name?

“… Raon Miru? Are you okay?” Cale sat up, ignoring his stiff body and pulling Raon into his lap. He seems to have lost a little weight?

“Human you must absolutely tell me everything you remember!”

While saying this, Raon was ordering everyone to stay out of Cale’s room with the exception of Choi Han and Rosalyn, as well as informing Beacrox to bring up food and to prepare tea.

Cale observes Raon, who is earnestly distressed for some reason, and concedes.

“The last thing I remember was falling asleep in a collapsing building.” Rosalyn gasps. She just entered the room with Choi Han, who is staring at Cale with a cold gaze.

“Why were you in there?” A chill runs down Cales spine at Choi Han’s voice.

“The conmen didn’t expect the building to collapse, they had likely planned something else. It just happened out of nowhere.” He doesn't say that he got lucky. He was next to one of the buildings main supports at the time, and the crumbling structure formed a bubble around him by chance.

Rosalyn goes pale.

Raon shouts, “I will destroy those bastards that made you go in there!”

“They’re already dead.” Cale shakes his head. Rosalyn covers her mouth. He hadn't said he got lucky, but it's obvious that he did. Did they almost lose Cale, and hadn't even known?

‘Three times…’ He’s been lucky with collapsing buildings three times now.

“Cale-nim…” Choi Han places a hand on his shoulder and Cale freezes in fear. “After the building collapsed, a bandit camp was destroyed, single handedly, a few days after. Raon found you wandering- with their stuff on you.”

Immediately, Cale figured it out. It must be an ability. He recalls the similar event that happened in the past and the dots are easy to connect.

But- he can’t say anything about that with Rosalyn in the room.

So all he says, is…

“I guess some part of me really wanted to live.”

[crumbleclub]

Mike trying to rationalize why Henry is okay with his dad hurting him, even when Michael isn't okay with him hurting his siblings. Even when nobody is okay with Michael hurting his siblings.

It wasn't as bad, right? He never laid a finger on them. They were only words.

Maybe it's because Mike is older. This bleeds into his protests, his haphazard attempts to protect. "Please, he's only six." Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him the way that you hurt me.

William finds this entertaining. He makes note of these things, wonders if he'd respond differently if William tried something else.

Maybe it's because William is an adult. He learns not to trust anyone older than him, but to let them do whatever they want. He learns to freeze; to shut down.

This makes him an easy target later on.

Is it because Michael deserves it? After Evan dies, he's sure that must be it. Willian knew what he was, and he only gave him what he already had coming. Michael was a murderer, after all. He deserved everything anyone might do to him.

It was his own fault.

[fisheito]

dante can swim, right? theres' no wauy the Royal Solarian Staff would let their king go his whole life not knowing such a lifesaving skill JUst cuz it's a desert doesn't mean there aren't pools!!! he has to know they HAD to have taught him there's no way he's stepping on a cruise ship surrounded by water while UNable to swim what if he falls in?!? he's not gonna float that's furr sure look at his muscle density and lack of fat the man's gonna sink like cement

[nomlioart]

i was supposed to do it earlier but i was really lazy lol, but here you go

my pepstavo hcs in a nutshell

a lil more in the tags 👁️ 

[psychopomp-namine]

.

[danieyells]

I feel like Haku would like to laugh during sex. Like he fully embraces that, if you think about it, what you're doing is weird and funny. Sex is full of funny sounds and feelings and smells and movements and it is not that serious and he can't take it that seriously.

On top of that he's happy to be there with you. Why wouldn't he smile and laugh about it?

Obviously he'd try and reel it in if it made you feel uncomfortable or worried that you were being insulted--or he would try and turn those feelings around. What do you think he's laughing at in a negative way? He'll start to praise that instead. He'll practically start to worship it. Try and make you feel appreciated instead.

[shadystranger]

I watched the man I love die

[macabre-cross]

after realizing his feelings towards ken are romantic+sexual the first thing farfarello would do is consider the pros and cons of committing murder-suicide so he wouldn't have to deal with all that