#but -- and this is important -- omni blade.

[thatwildwolfart]

🎃Happy Halloween!🎃

Shepard chose the costumes. Garrus doesn't know what he's dressed us, he's just happy he gets to carry a sniper rifle.

[gaydragontournament]

ROUND 1: PART 1

Propaganda under cut

Qibli

● Qibli is queer, due to the fact that he has a crush on a female dragon, Moonwatcher, and eventually becomes her Boyfriend, while also thinking that a male dragon, Winter, is ���handsome” and looks “gorgeous”, even joking about marrying Winter one day within his own book. The author, Tui., also stated that the love triangle between Qibli, Moonwatcher, and Winter could go either way, implying that Qibli is Queer and/or could possibly be Bi, Pan, Poly, or Omni.

Dan Heng/Dan Feng

● (Former)High Elder of a race of Dragon people. Closely associated with another man, sharing a pair of telepathic bracers with him, commiting a grave sin with his help, dreaming of him, being described as once being closest to him, destined for reunion with him, and both having inverted colour palettes. The original Chinese text has a 'typo' that hasn't been fixed implying they were engaged, and mentions Dan Feng fantasising about this other man sweating mid battle. Theres also something about them doing stuff in a boat I think. Dan Heng only has faint memories of their past, but seems to care for these memories, even going so far as to pull the classic 'what did you do to him' after finding he was hurt. Another character claims he stares longingly at the spear made for him by this man. Even if their relationship went to complete hell the game is pretty clear about them being important to each other.

Also the CPR scene at the start of the game., wherein Dan Heng attempts to give the player chatacter CPR incorrectly. I guess he heard kiss of life and didn't question it? He also has a Fan Club and many men find him beautiful.

●About how he's a dragon:

Imbibitor Lunae is the title used by the Vidyadhara High Elder, successor of the Azure Dragon (Vidyadhara are long-life humanoid species with draconic features)

About why he's gay/gay-coded:

In his past life as Dan Feng he would often drink together with Yingxing (now known as Blade) under the moon and they even shared a pair of matching bracers made from flowing coral gold and the leather of unknown beasts. The bracers are told to share a telepathic connection and be able to feel each other's warmth. The two have also been depicted (in official artworks) wearing these bracers many times along with a matching pair of red earrings on opposite ears and matching teal jade clasps that have been said in game texts to be given between lovers to find in their next lives.

Currently, the two are enemies. Blade used to chase Dan Heng across spaceships and annihilate each one he boards on, and each time they fought Dan Heng would stab Blade with the Cloud Piercer to kill him knowing he cannot die.

Even though Dan Heng wants nothing to do with his past self (Dan Feng), he still carries items that are associated with Blade (Yingxing) on him, such as the bracer, Cloud Piercer (the weapon Blade made for him), and his jade pendant.

[bonecarve]

the blade slips. it lands precisely where it means to. it carves a line, gaping eye to twisting tail, and the bone becomes a wolf. he keeps his eyes closed, feeling with marrow-slick fingers what truths cannot be seen. hours pass, or maybe more. the carver lays down the knife. he lays down the bone. today they shall sit together, and the wolf will tell him the story of its life.  tomorrow it will join the pile. months from the day, something shifts around him. the carver raises his head and sniffs the air. a storm on the horizon: earth mother’s breath catching in dark and tangled fur. gathering, releasing, then descending: the wolf has died, the wind weeps. the carver smiles queerly, tracing a familiar line through the sand –– gaping eye to twisting tail. yes, he says. but was it not a beautifully crafted death?

the carver is formless –– that is to say, he appears differently to every person. whosoever looks upon the carver will see something different, conjured into being by their own mind. his form is determined by the perceiver’s memories, fears, and desires, as well as their past, present, and future. as the bone carver possesses the ability of divination, he is able to assume forms that may seem unknown or unfamiliar to the perceiver in the present, but which the perceiver will come to know in the future. his appearance is essentially a projection of the onlooker’s subconscious. the carver is able to choose what part of the mind he manifests, and he is aware of the importance of that form to its onlooker. he can assume any gender, identity, or expression thereof; while he refers to himself with he/him pronouns, he will respond to any.

NAME. none. he lost his name when he gave up his physical form. KNOWN AS. the bone carver. SPECIES. death god. old god. STATUS. reanimated. original body destroyed by the cauldron.  AGE. immortal. well over a century old during the events of acotar. FAMILY. stryga, the weaver ( twin sister ), koschei, the deathless ( older brother )

the bone carver has forgotten his own form. his abilities also apply to himself; no regular mirror is capable of revealing his nature beneath the glamours, or perhaps he has no true nature after centuries of changing forms. this underpins his motivation to acquire the ouroboros mirror. after divining his own death in the near future, he wishes to see himself for what he truly is, one last time –– and not what his mind has conjured into being. not what his body has deemed to be the closest approximation of what he once was.

TRAITS. cunning, curious, rational, mischievous, sly, wise. MENTAL. after centuries in near-isolation, the carver displays some eccentricities akin to madness. MBTI. ISTJ, the logistician. MORAL ALIGNMENT. true neutral. 

the bone carver possesses near omnipotent knowledge; however, he will not part with it easily. for every question he is asked, he demands one truth in return. he may also be plied with gifts –– particularly bone offerings. however, he trades primarily in knowledge. an eye for an eye, a truth for a truth. an endless game of knowing and being known.

ABILITIES.

DIVINATION OF THE FUTURE. the carver is able to foresee death. he knows how every living creature will die, and he records these deaths by sculpting and engraving them into bone. the carvings –– the revelations of mortal fate that look like the fancies of a madman –– are discernible only to him.

DIVINATION OF THE PRESENT. the carver is omni-aware of what is happening in the world. his manner of present-divination relies on the wind, which allows him to see and hear events as they come to pass, regardless of where he is. he is even able to hear the cauldron –– though he cannot see it. 

SHAPE-SHIFTING. as described prior, the ability to manifest different forms depending on the perceiver’s subconscious.

DEATH. rarely used. he can reduce living creatures to ash with a single touch, absorbing their essence in the process.

VERSES

MAIN. encompasses the timeline of the books, as well as the years of imprisonment preceding the events of canon. 

PRE-CANON. in the lands that would eventually become prythian, three siblings from another realm ascend to godhood — deified by those who come to worship their powers over life and death itself. the triumvirate and their worshipers are known colloquially as the death court; they are widely feared by the ancient fae, and rightfully so. koschei, the head of the court, wields magic powerful enough to raze entire villages to dust; stryga feasts on the fae to maintain her youth; and the carver, all-knowing and all-seeing, seems to control fate itself. 

unlike his siblings, the bone carver does not bask in the fear and worship of the fae. he is no willing god. still, he spends centuries complicit in the death court’s tyranny, using his divination as a shield against resistance. he is the gate-keeper between the death gods and the fae –– until, of course, the bones reveal a future so bleak he sees no choice but to turn against his own.

POST-CANON. click here to be redirected to a post detailing this verse.

GENERAL CROSSOVER. the bone carver is a chthonic god and diviner known for his ability to read fates –– specifically, deaths. he is the youngest of three siblings, each of them death gods in their own right, and generally known in legend as a harbinger of doom. though not overtly malicious in nature, he is cunning and secretive. he will not help those who seek him out without first demanding something in return, and he does not tend to sympathize with those who might plead with him to prevent their fated deaths. the bone carver lives in isolation, self-imprisoned in a cave littered with bones of all shapes and sizes. those who seek answers from him must be ready to part with truths and knowledge they might not wish exposed, or even undertake a quest to procure impossible items of terrible power. those who do brave these trials, however, will be rewarded, for the carver does not betray a promise made.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF DETAILS, DIVERGENCIES, AND HEADCANONS.

unlike his siblings, the bone carver is willingly imprisoned.

his death magic is the weakest of the three siblings, but his divination the most powerful. he sees more than them. hears more. Knows more.

the fae warrior who defeated the siblings was the carver’s mate. he is the only living creature who remembers her name.

the carver helped the fae imprison his siblings after foreseeing the death of the world by their hands. after stryga and koschei are bound to their respective prisons, the bone carver allows his mate to bind him to his cell.

though it would eventually be used to harbour all manner of dangerous beings, the prison was originally built to contain the carver. he is its first and oldest inhabitant. 

the bone carver isn’t afraid of stryga and koschei because they will kill him; he’s afraid of them because he believes they will not kill him. he’s afraid of what they are capable of –– what koschei will use him for –– and what manner of deplorable wrath they will release upon him in lieu of death.

the carver feels guilt over the fate of his twin sister, but does not regret his decision to aid in her imprisonment. he loves stryga but loathes the weaver she has become.

a death god he may be, but the carver has no desire for the boundless destruction of an entire world. hence why he conspired against stryga and koschei by betraying their weaknesses to the fae.

the three siblings come from another realm. they slipped through a tear in the fabric of the universe before the creation of prythian and, due to their power, became revered as gods.

the carver was not born a paragon of death. in exchange for his soul and his body –– that is, his tangible, permanent form –– he acquired unmatched abilities of divination. koschei and stryga struck similar deals. in order to become omnipotent beings, the siblings exchanged their mortality for monstrosity. the bone carver was the most reluctant of the three, and only agreed in order to remain alongside his twin sister. because he retained the most humanity of the three, he gained the least power.

the carver traded his soul for knowledge. by the time he realized he chose wrong, it was too late. he got the knowledge he sought –– limitless, all-knowing –– but it cost him everything. if faced with the same choice again, he would not take it.

[strangelittlestories]

Now, when you’re one of the fair folk, your nature is at its core kinda changeable. So growing up, as I did, mostly around humans, my body kinda figured it should copy what they were doing.

Like, “Oh hey, it’s cool how that bit lump of muscle makes your circulatory system do its thing, mind if I get in on that action? Because up till now I’ve been getting by on osmosis and good vibes, and folks are starting to get freaked out by my *complete lack of breath and heartbeat*”.

Don’t get me wrong, it was really handy for blending in. I can only imagine how awful life would have been if the creepy goth kid dial hadn’t gotten turned down from eleven. (It hovered instead at a very respectable seven to eight.) But it did mean I had all these important squishy bits where someone could - oh, I don’t know - stick a sharp piece of metal.

So there I am, a hole gaping through my ribcage and heart, and my body’s all like “Welp, looks like closing time. Guess I’d better pour all this old blood down the drain and shut up shop. Good game, everyone, good game…”

And I’m like “Hey, physical form, no-one bloody well asked you for your opinion, did they? So for starters, you are going to put a pin in that bleeding thing right this gods-damned second. And while you’re cutting that nonsense out, I’m going to take a second to think about Next Steps.”

Maybe it was the massive blood loss, or the emotional trauma, or just the fact that everything I’d ever attempted had gone so colossally down the pan … but the more I thought about it, the less attached I was to this whole ‘human form��� thing anyway.

Yeah, maybe … maybe it would be nice to just, like, return to the earth? But not like, in a sad hippy ‘embrace my own oblivion’ way. More in a ‘behold my dread ascension as I shuck aside the flesh that once caged me’ way. Ooooh yes, I may be leaving the omni-shambles of flesh-and-blood behind (goodbye skin-sack full of meat and emotions and *hormones*), but damn it I was gonna hang on to my consciousness.

And that was gonna take a whole lot of power.

I started by eating my own body. Y’know one great thing about dirt? Given enough time it’ll chow down on basically *anything* organic. Yup, mother nature is hungry and her teeth are made of fungus and bacteria and decay.

I sped the process up as much as I could and before long, my former fleshsuit was so much mulch.

But that still wasn’t enough to fully shuck off my mortal prison. My spirit still clung stubbornly to my bones.

I needed more juice.

Luckily, I was in a field full of sadness and corpses and those are *both* great magic fuel.

Did I feel bad about eating the Knights of the Round Table (plus all of my knights, who just sat at normal tables, I guess)? Yes, I did. I felt like ass about it.

Did I do it anyway?

Oh you better believe it.

And before long, bingo bango, Gawain is your uncle … I was free.

For over a thousand years after that, I roamed and dreamed and slept in late amongst the bones and the detritus of yesteryear. I had a grand old time. I got my news from the roots of trees, and from the synapses of the recent dead, and eventually even from telephone wires.

Not that I really cared much what was going on up in the world of mortals. I’d left that behind and, from your perspective, what I was doing was probably more like lucid dreaming than anything you’d recognise as life.

But that all changed on one earth-shatteringly dreadful day when I woke up and opened my eyes and I knew immediately something had gone very wrong. For starters, I had eyes again.

And worse than that was what I saw with those eyes when I looked down, because in my hand was a sword and not just any sword! No, this particular woebegone streak of piss-tempered steel was the very blade that I had last seen sticking out of my own heart.

“Hi Mordred.” Excalibur said to me. “Been a while.”

When dad and me died*, his death resulted in a whole *production*; tears were shed, swords were thrown into rivers, and grandma hid him away in a custom-built tomb** so he could come back ‘when like, we really need him, y’know’?

(*Okay, fine, that’s maybe not the most honest phrasing. It’d probably have been more accurate to say “When I killed Dad and he killed me”. And it would have been most accurate to say “when I impaled Dad with a spear and the *absolute madman* clawed his way up the haft inch-by-painstaking-inch to stab me in the heart with his magic sword”.)

(**Like, seriously, did she just have a mystical suspended-animation tomb ready to go? That’s creepy. It’s not just me right, that’s a little weird?)

But me? I was just left to rot on Pelennor Fields with all the other riff-raff.

(Wait, SHIT - Pelennor Fields is the Tolkein one, isn’t it? The fields of *Camlan* are where I died. Sorry about that - in my defence, I died many centuries and several Lord of the Rings binges ago.)

I guess I should be grateful that they left me alone. It wasn’t so long ago (and not so long after) that traitors to the crown used to get their heads displayed on pikes or hung in gibbets. But folks were pretty busy with king dad’s big send-off and mourning the dream of chivalry (plus burying all the dead folks they actually liked), so no-one really bothered with tidying up the remains of the traitor prince. 

Plus, I think most of the knights and nobles had thought I was a bit of a weirdo and didn’t want any more to do with me in death than they did in life. Probably afraid that I’d reanimate and use my last foetid breaths to tell them about a cool mushroom I’d found. Then they wouldn’t know how to respond, and it’d just be *awkward*, y’know?

So anyway, there I was, lying there with my blood soaking the dirt and my vital organs getting decidedly less vital by the second. And all around me was a whole field of other dead people that I’d gotten killed and honestly I was feeling pretty shitty about the whole thing.

How was I dead and still feeling shitty you ask? Well, first of all: I am a multi-tasker. And second of all: I guess I wasn’t maybe *all-the-way* dead*.

(*Or rather: I was very much dead, but I was *also* very much in my body and doing a big old hecking panic about that, thank you very much.)

Something you should probably know about me: I was adopted. Yeah yeah, I know you’ve heard the propaganda, that my mum and dad were brother and sister and that’s where a lot of my *fundamental weirdness* comes from. And *yes*, they were siblings, but *no* it wasn’t like that. Dear old mum and dear dead dad *found me*. 

Specifically, they found me in a weird-ass cave spattered in the blood of a monster they’d just slain (it was A Whole Thing, I’ll tell you about it some other time).

They figured that the beast had stolen me after killing my family or something like that.

This was incorrect.

A certain bearded crap-o-mancer speculated that I was the *beastie’s* boy, but that’s wrong too.

The truth is weirder. You see … I was the cave’s kid.

Yup. Child of the earth, right here. Or to give a less flattering but more apt name … I was a dirtbag.

[thenamesblurrito]

Sorry if this is a dumb ask, but for SNAP, who do all of the Relics originally belong to? I know somw, like Requiem Blaster belonged to Megatronus, and Star Saber belonged to Prima, but I don't know all of them. I'd like to know you're full Thirteen/whatever amount there are.

this is the OPPOSITE of a dumb ask, this is a very good and important ask that i don't think i've gotten before! i've sort of mentally charted out the important stuff but never written it down so thanks for kicking me into gear on that. some of this info you can find here btw, as well as other info on how relics work

this is a long list of Primal relics and previously unmentioned historical figures so buckle up!

CURRENTLY IN USE (MULTIPLE WIELDERS): (note, an acolyte is a relic user who has been delegated power from the primary relic user and has essentially a copied piece of the relic)

Allspark: a source of life fragmented into many pieces. made by no one, with many previous users. bonded to the hero Hellscream. corrupted victims include Waspinator and Goldbug

Cyber Caliber: the sword of swords. made by Solus, Vector, and Nexus Primes, out of the Chaos Edge, the Energon Saber, the Omni Saber, Rhisling, and the Vorpal Saber. currently hidden within the Enigma of Combination

Enigma of Combination: a question of personhood and singularity given form, the Infinite Combinatoric. made from Nexus Prime, with few previous users. bonded to the heroes Elita 1 and acolytes Elitas 2, 3, 4, and 5. corrupted victims include Overlord, the Beast, Bruticus, Superion, Menasor, Megatronia, Devastator, Defensor, and Safeguard

Lenses: clarity and perception, a distillery of reality. made from Alchemist Prime, previously in the care of Maccadam. bonded to the hero Soundwave and acolytes Jaguar, Cobalt, Slazer, Buzzclaw, and Squawkbox. corrupted victims include Shockblast, Toxitron, and Tarn

Matrix of Leadership: the first and best Matrix. made from Prima, with multiple previous Prime users. bonded to the heroes Optimus Prime and acolyte Rodimus Prime. corrupted victims include Sentinel Zeta Prime, Thunderwing, and Shokaract

CURRENTLY IN USE (SINGLE WIELDERS):

Amalgamate Scythe: an anything blade. made from Amalgamous Prime, with many previous users. bonded to the hero Sixshot

Apex Armor: unstoppable force and immovable object. made by Solus Prime for Apex Ginrai, derived from Solduron, with few previous users. bonded to the hero Abominus

Blades of Time: a stitch in spacetime. made from Vector Prime with Mortilus’s help, with one previous user. bonded to the hero Cyclonus

Chimera Stone: enough energy to be anything. made from Micronus Prime, with multiple previous users. bonded to the hero Thunderblast

Creation Lathe: blueprints and creativity. originally part of the Forge, split by Solus Prime to gift to Pyra, with many previous users. bonded to the hero the Mistress of Flame

Emberstone: a wellspring of energy. made from Quintus Prime with Epistemus’s help, with few previous users. bonded to the hero Cheetor

Forge: to make anew. made from Solus Prime, with multiple previous users. bonded to the hero Scourge

Liegian Darts: tactical insults and stinging barbs. made from Liege Maximo, with few previous users. bonded to the hero Airachnid, with a secret inside

Magnus Hammer: all the authority of the heavens brought to bear. made for Magnum with Solomus’s help, with multiple previous Magnus users. bonded to the hero Ultra Magnus

Onyx Triptych: masks of Mournsong, Predator, and Farsight. made from Onyx Prime, with few previous users. bonded to the hero Triptych

Requiem Blaster: the ultimate eraser. made by Solus Prime from Megatronus Prime, with few previous users. bonded to the hero Galvatron

Star Saber: the sharpened edge of sunlight. made by Solus Prime from Prima, with many previous users. bonded to the hero Drift

Terminus Blade: entropy and fire with a bite. made from Megatronus Prime, with multiple previous users before being stolen by a great evil. permanently corrupted to produce Trypticon

ACTIVE AND AT LARGE:

Covenant: reality writ large. made by Alpha Prime. currently in safe hands

Cerebro Shell: a crown of cooperation, or of control. made by Solomus. briefly bonded to Meister/Soundblaster. corrupted victims include Bombshell, Minitron, Sunder, Mindwipe, and Trepan

Quill: an ink-wet lance into the pages of the universe. made from Alpha Prime. currently in safe hands

DORMANT:

Arsenal Force: all the potential methods of murder in one place. made by Adaptus. currently in safe hands

Creation Matrix: the solution to all problems. made by Primus. current location unknown

Pathblaster: where there’s a will, there’s a way. made by Epistemus. stolen by a great evil

Phase Shifter: a door in realspace. made by Mortilus from an instance of Physis. stolen by a great evil

Polarity Gauntlets: a helping hand of fundamental force. made by Solus Prime. currently in safe hands

Primax Blade: a very loyal sword. made by Prima for Delta Prime. current location unknown

Skyboom Shield: protection in a match set. made by Magnum for Pyra. currently in safe hands

Stormfall Sword: violence in a match set. made by Magnum for Pyra. currently in safe hands

Sword of Balance: twinned bodies, twinned blades. made for Sentius Nobilius. stolen by a great evil

Zeonomicon: a key, a diary, a puzzle. made by Solus and Vector Primes from Logos Prime. currently in safe hands

ACTIVE MINOR RELICS:

Chaos Edge: an impossibility sharpened to a point. made by Nexus Prime, put into the Cyber Caliber. bonded to the hero Elita 4

Energon Saber: deadly lifeblood. made by Necro, put into the Cyber Caliber. bonded to the hero Elita 2

Omni Saber: a blade of expanses. made by Nexus Prime, put into the Cyber Caliber. bonded to the hero Elita 5

Rhisling: a sharp singularity. made by Solus Prime from Logos Prime for Vector Prime. bonded to the hero Elita 1

Vorpal Saber: twisty turny stabby. made by Amalgamous Prime, put into the Cyber Caliber. bonded to the hero Elita 3

DORMANT MINOR RELICS:

Corona Glaive: heavy metal punishment. made by Ultra Mammoth. currently in safe hands

Cosmotector: the lifesaver’s tool. made by Flashpoint. current location unknown

Gaia Armor: a survivor’s gambit. made by Lio Prime. stolen by a great evil

Galaxy Launcher: bursting the sky open. made by Tamayatron. stolen by a great evil

Hydrafire Blaster: a double heaping of trouble. made by Heatwave for Snapdragon. stolen by a great evil

Immobilizer: caught in the moment. made for Infinitus. current location unknown

Infernum Blade: ancient fire and brimstone. made by Magmatron. stolen by a great evil

Legendiscs: a collection of powers. made by Dragotron. currently in safe hands

Matrix Blade: the traditional weapon of the Keeper. made by Lord High Protector Autonomous Maximus. current location unknown

Nemesis Shield: made to survive the end of days. made by Imperius Argus. current location unknown

Planet Bowgun: a world-breaker. made for Torox. stolen by a great evil

Rainbow Shield: a coat of many colors. made by Prima for Primon. stolen by a great evil

Resonance Blaster: the frequency of concussive force. made from Soundblaster with Logos Prime’s help. currently in safe hands

Talisman: a diviner, a databank, a patch. made for Dragonstorm. current location unknown

Transwarp Blaster: a quick getaway. made by Vector Prime for Scorpia. currently in safe hands

OTHER:

Heart of Cyberton: an Allspark regrown, the clotted hearts of Vector Sigma

Origin Matrix: not a relic at all. the arteries of Vector Sigma

Star Power: the warmth of the Warriors of the Seven Lights, hosted in Matrix vessels

[kisstheashes]

How to Write in 3rd Omniscient: From Someone Who Writes It

We've all heard it, right. 3rd Omniscient is the hardest point of view to write. When I was in high school my creative writing teacher said to not even think about doing 3rd omniscient because it's too difficult and too confusing. And this is a sentiment that I've seen alllll across this site as well.

It's a crock of shit.

I've been writing in 3rd omni since I was a little kid. I was six, I was eight, I was ten. It's always been my tried and true. So if a little kid can write a mostly coherent story in 3rd omni, why can't the rest of you do it? Why's it supposed to be so hard?

So let me break it down into a few easy steps for you.

1) Choose your maximum number of POVs.

Every time I've heard someone say that 3rd omni is too hard, they talk about how when you get into it, you're getting into the heads of every. Single. Character.

No, you're not.

You are getting into the heads of your main characters, the ones who are important. So let's say you have a setup where you have a protagonist, an antagonist, a sidekick for each of them, and the protagonist's best friend. That's all the POVs you need. You don't need to go into the heads of the shopkeepers, the other friends, the henchmen...none of that is needed. It's way too much to go into every character's head. That's where everyone gets in over their heads. It's not necessary. Stick to your main characters, and everyone else is written in limited 3rd.

A lot of people would say this is still too many POVs: that's 5 people you need to balance. Everyone needs their fair share of the spotlight, right? Well.....

2) Don't try to balance the POVs.

I'm serious. The antagonist's sidekick probably doesn't have as much going on as the antagonist- so like in every other story, you're going to write them less. They'll get their moments, but it won't be as many. But it's still an important POV. Let me expand:

The antagonist decides that a great way to defeat the protagonist is to manipulate them into being depressed: if they can't leave their room, they can't foil the antagonist! And then they share this plan with their sidekick, their best friend, in some aspects, and maybe the sidekick, loyal as ever, says nothing. But they remember how the antagonist pulled them out of their severe depression, and the plan leaves a sour taste in their mouth.

Now if you'd decided their POV wasn't necessary, the audience wouldn't know this information, until perhaps much later, where the timing may be off. Or not at all. But now you've opened up two characters to the audience, and shown them that antagonist isn't purely evil, while also letting everyone know why the sidekick is so loyal. With the placement being natural in the flow of the story.

Yes, this can be done quite well in other POVs, but I'm specifically talking about 3rd omniscient here. Here, let me give you an example:

Hollow growled from his control room, throwing his knife at the wall. The knife ricocheted off the brick, leaving a few nicks in the blade. His eyes turned completely black, electricity racing through his body. Hollow's lips curled into a snarl. "I won't let you try killing me again!" he shouted, sounding like a scratchy CD. He pressed farther into Marvin's head, nerves crackling when the magician did nothing more than grit his teeth.

Hollow glitched behind Marvin, putting an arm around his front and pulling him back to his chest. Marvin gasped and tried to fight Hollow's supernatural hold.

"You were always the toughest one," Anti whispered in his ear, "but I'm going to break you tonight." Marvin's skin crawled with Hollow so intimately close. Hollow's voice glitched with excitement, stuttering with a deep rumbling hum accompanying it. Marvin could feel Hollow's presence in his whole being- electricity snapping at his skin and static flowing through his veins. It made him feel physically sick. Hollow felt him squirm as he took the magician's wand, glitching into his control room after he had a hold of the object.

Now you've seen two different POVs that tell you a lot about this 50k monster from a small snippet. If I hadn't given you the antagonist's POV, you wouldn't know he's trying to keep himself from dying. It adds so much more depth.

And I know, I know, you're going to say "But Ash! You can't put two different POVs in the same chapter! That confuses people!" So let me move on and address that.

3) You can switch POVs whenever the hell you want.

....within reason. Don't switch POVs in the middle of a paragraph, or in the middle of a sentence. Treat POVs like you would dialogue. When you're hopping from the protagonist to their sidekick, make a new paragraph. And as an additional bar against confusion, very often I often start the paragraph with the name of the character whose POV it is. This isn't quite true for the above example, so let me show you another one: (TW for some blood and manipulation)

Marvin didn't respond. He hated the thought that Jacob was jealous, hurting, or feeling anything negative because of him. Even so far as...Marvin looked down. "What are you doing here? I thought you had business to take care of." His words came out quieter than he wanted.

Hollow smirked. How lovely it was to see his magician start breaking over a human bond. "I wanted to play with you. I missed the taste of your blood. Chase didn't taste as good as you," he cooed.

Marvin felt dread pit his stomach. "What did you do to Chase?" he murmured.

Hollow giggled. "Nothing I didn't take pleasure in." He smiled wide, sharp teeth showing. Hollow slid his knife across Marvin's right jawline, a line of blood following. With his hand in his hair, he forced Marvin to tilt his head and licked at the cut. It gave Hollow pause when he noticed how much more potent the blood was. He couldn't have that, could he?

Every. Single. Paragraph. Is a POV switch. Maybe when you're casually reading you wouldn't even notice it, which is kind of the point. You don't want your readers to be jarred by the POV switch, it should feel natural in the progression of the story. Which, perhaps, is easier said than done. "So, Ash, how do we keep it smooth?"

4) Make sure your characters have chemistry.

These rapid (or slow) POV switches are much easier to do when your characters have chemistry. Whether that chemistry is good or bad is up to you, but if they bounce off each other well, their POVs will come together like bread and butter. Take Marvin and Hollow up there: they have chemistry. There's a tension between the human embodiment of a resistance movement and a glitchy demon who would like to mind control him. They think about each other. They know each other. They, in a story-building sense, need each other.

In essence: Character A and Character B can handle the POV switches mid-scene, but Character A and Character X will not. Character A thinks about Character B and cares about their existence (good or bad), but they do not think about Character X except for maybe once a year. Character X may not have ever met Character A. Therefore having the two switch POVs back to back would be startling, and WOULD be confusing. Keep Character X as a way to bounce off Character Y and keep Character A bouncing off Character B. The only reason a reader should really notice a POV switch is when you're switching scenes and have a scene break, where you then switch your on-page ensemble.

I would recommend this even if your main characters are a friend group. This is going to get complicated but bear with me here. Think about it: In a group of say, 5 friends, you're not all equally close. Friend A really likes hanging out with Friend C the most, and B maybe has a crush on D but considers A to be their best friend. It's a more complicated balance, but you want to keep like with like. If friend E doesn't hang out with friend A alone, don't switch their POVs back to back. Keep E as a companion to their closest friend, D. And you want to keep D with E, and B. B can be matched with A and D, however, as that is who they're closest to. If this is your set up you might want a relationship chart to keep track of who can go where.

And finally:

5) Practice Practice Practice.

If this is new to you, you might not get it fully right the first time. And that's okay! While I would argue that 3rd omniscient isn't a roadblock, it can be a bit of a hassle when you're new to it. But a few extra little tips here at the end:

Don't think about it too much. Switch when your character is done with their turn. It might be one paragraph or three chapters. But don't rush shoving them out of the spotlight. If they need to stew for a bit, let them stew. Forcing a POV change is noticeable, and jarring.

Think about it in terms of a movie. Character A is the spotlight until the camera shifts, panning to Character B and asking for their input on whatever is happening.

Make sure to keep the POV named. I said this earlier but it's so so important I'm putting it twice. Name the character whose POV it is. Make sure to do so as early as possible, so your readers are caught up. It's the best way to keep anyone from being confused.

And hey, I told you it's pretty easy.

[swaps55]

WIP Wednesday

From the next chapter of Cantata, which takes place during Sam’s N7 test.

~

Based on Shepard’s current reserves and the likely targets within his reach, he has a choice to make for his next move. Use the rest of his fuel and take the chance he won’t find more when he gets to the next rock, or fire the maneuvering thrusters for a quick burn and ride the inertia, allowing the gravity of the asteroid he’s aiming for to pull him in. It’ll preserve fuel and give him greater room for error, at the cost of leaving him adrift and vulnerable to passing fighter patrols. Not to mention using up more oxygen during the longer transit.

Anderson squints at the suit cam feed, where Shepard’s omni-tool flares a bright gold. His fingers flash across the haptic panel, running calculations too fast for Anderson to follow. Trajectory. Plotting a flight path. Judging by the map and where he’s looking, his target is rock 4852-B. There’s a patrol on that one. If he can take down the patrol he’ll be rewarded with O2 scrubbers, and more important for Shepard, nutrient packs.

But it’s out of range of his fuel reserves, and the shortest flight path will take him right through one of the fighter patrol lanes.

Shepard turns his gaze to the ground. For the next twenty minutes, he sifts through loose rock on the asteroid, testing and scanning each one with his omni-tool, until he settles on one and shaves a portion of it off with a flash-fabricated blade.

“What the hell is he doing?” Anderson mutters.

Hackett tilts his head, eyes gleaming like he has an idea, but isn’t ready to show his cards yet.

Shepard hefts the rock, takes a step back, runs one more scan on his omni-tool, then looks out at the asteroid field. The screen flickers with static, distorting until it’s like looking at heatwaves rising off pavement. The rock in his hand seethes in a shroud of dark energy. Shepard pulls back, like a pitcher getting ready for a throw, and then hurls, flicking his wrist as he lets go. The rock shoots into space, locked in a spin.

“I’ll be damned,” Hackett says with a soft chuckle.

“What?” Anderson asks sharply.

“Watch.”

Shepard settles into a runner’s stance, eye on the rock rapidly shrinking in view. Seconds later he charges forward, running at a dead sprint, tendrils of corona flickering in and out of the camera feed.

“Whoa,” one of the techs monitoring the feeds says. “Shepard’s mass just changed.”

“Clever,” Hackett says under his breath. “He needs to be faster than the rock so he can catch up to it, which means he’s got to be lighter.”

Shepard leaps, maneuvering thrusters firing briefly, and then he’s sailing into the black with a trail like a comet that shines bright before dissipating.

“Where’s the nearest fighter?” Anderson barks. That much heat might as well be a solar flare.

“Far end of the patrol route,” the tech replies.

Of course, Anderson thinks. Shepard makes his own luck.

As Shepard draws near to the thrown rock, he fires his maneuvering thrusters once again to adjust his course. The moment they power down his corona lights back up like a torch, snaring the rock in blue flame.

“There’s a massive spike in gravity in Shepard’s vicinity,” the tech speaks up, in mild alarm. “That rock can’t possibly have that much density.”

“Son of a bitch,” Hackett says with an impressed shake of his head. “He increased its mass to use its gravity as a slingshot. See the spin he put on it?”

Anderson stares at the screen. Faced with the choice of being fast or saving fuel, he just chose to do both.

[fancy-plans]

Where are my Mass Effect fans at? These are my Turian!Hubert build thoughts:

-Infiltrator but with focus on biotics instead of tech -Sniper rifle and pistol with extra damage using omniblades -Skills/Powers: (1) Tactical Cloak (2) Shadow Strike (3) Pull (4) Warp Ammo Bonus Power (unlocked with Loyalty mission): Reave

I think it's important for Hubert to have biotics, because that's basically space magic. Turian biotics are rare too, so it sets him apart. But he also does well with stealth weapons (sniper), and uses omni-blades for stealth more than as a "melee" weapon.

(And yes, in my extremely-Ferdinand biased Mass Effect AU, Ferdinand is the Shepard lol. They are basically Shakarian, but with a Ferdibert flavor. So, they argue more than Shakarian and try to one up each other at times, but care deeply about each other and always have each other's backs. Like Garrus, Turian!Hubert can go down a dark path without Ferdinand to help reign him in a bit.)

I'm going to think more on Shepard!Ferdinand's build, but my thoughts are leaning toward Vanguard at the moment.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

without compromising the soul (a mass effect au)

@thisauthorisscreaming and i cooked this up approximately... well, we made it in february, and then i let it sit. and percolate. and now it’s d-december, so let’s get into it! some notes before we begin,

this au ignores canonical naming conventions, except in the case of Sorahiko’Torino vas Gran Torino.

turian!nana, quarian!sorahiko, human!toshinori, and though she doesn’t feature in this ~1.5k ficlet, asari!chiyo [holders 1-7 are not human, though]

all for one is the name for the reapers, collectively, but i haven’t solidified a plot.

do not think for a second that we forgot the importance of fleet and flotilla existing in the background of this f!turian/m!quarian romance

//

Nana pays the other half of her fare after she leaves her fellow turian’s ship without being shaken down for extra credits. She hopes he can feel the strength of her glare, but instead of looking appropriately ashamed for trying to scam a Spectre, he shrugs, as if to say, ‘What can you do?’

The captain’s first mate, another turian, nudges his elbow and indicates that company is coming.

“Damn,” says the captain. “I guess they’ll take what I didn’t.”

“They’ll try,” Nana mutters, and pivots to face a krogan twice her size, plus a couple of vorcha. The former looks her up and down, and cocks his shotgun as though it’s a meaningful threat. Evidently, taking the time to coat her armor with matte black paint has proven useless. She’s still being taken for easy pickings. “Can I help you?”

“You sure can,” the krogan drawls. “Don’t you know about docking fees? A… mercenary like you ought to be familiar with the price of forgetting those.”

“I’m broke.”

“With firepower like that?”

“Oh, this?” Nana activates her omni-blade and lifts her arm so the humming red blade crackles between them. The vorcha reflexively cringe back, but the krogan only narrows his eyes. “They come standard now. I gave the last of my credits to my ride, anyway.”

She wills for some turian solidarity to kick in; Nana closes her eyes and sighs when there is a tell-tale thump of boots hitting metal in a hasty retreat. Great. Now she’s broke and without comrades. That does tend to be the status quo for most Spectres, but Nana’s not here to play lone wolf.

“Some friends,” says the krogan, and he levels the shotgun up to chest-level. His henchmen rally at the preparation of unhinged violence, and quite frankly, Nana is about to drop a grenade and book it for a different district. The Terminus Systems is probably the one place that would take fighting a Spectre as a fun challenge.

“Are you part of some gang? Can I meet your leader?”

He snorts. “You’re small fry. Hardly important enough to see the Blood Pack’s leader—”

“BOSH’TET!” howls a small being with fluffy yellow hair (hair?) that first barrels onto the scene, and then drops a smoke bomb. The sheer audacity has Nana, the krogan, and the vorcha all stunned. This gives the small being enough time to grab Nana’s wrist and tug her away, just as the crack of a sniper rifle leads to the rest of the Blood Pack’s small fries scattering.

Nana lets herself be dragged, although she is bemused. Even if her savior will pickpocket her, which seems a given considering Omega’s population, at least she’ll have dispersed some of the blame for antagonizing the Blood Pack.

Past the tunnel into the first district: there’s no natural sunlight to be had on Omega. It’s a mining station built in and on itself, which means everything stinks of smoke and unmentionable fluids both industrial and organic. The fluffy-haired being leads Nana down one alley, then to a ladder. They nimbly scale the first few rusted steps, then pause and look at where Nana hasn’t moved.

“I don’t think they’re chasing us,” she politely informs them. Actually, this might be a human. Nana’s met her fair share, roaming the galaxy. This one is smaller, and they look softer too. Malnutrition? Youth?

“That’s what I used to think,” they say. “But then they get their dogs, or what I guess counts as their versions of dogs, and they track you.”

Nana considers this, and weighs her options. “Are you talking about their varren? That’s manageable. I’ve dealt with the Blood Pack before, y’know, and I think I’ll take my chances in a totally different district than with a stranger who hasn’t even introduced themselves.”

They hook a leg through the ladder and perch themselves on a rung, crossing their arms and narrowing their bright blue eyes into a scowl. The effect is somewhat ruined by the two long tendrils of hair falling forward, necessitating the human to blow them away.

“Who’s your back-up, anyway? The one with the sniper rifle?”

“He said you’d know.”

“Shimura—”

Nana blinks. There’s technically only one sentient on Omega that should know she’s here, and that’s—she turns around and scoops her best friend up into a tight hug, ignoring the affronted yelp. “Sorahiko! Thanks for the warm welcome!”

“Quiet down! And put me down, for good measure!” Sorahiko bonks her on top of her helmet using his fist, so Nana regretfully sets him on his feet and dusts off his shoulders. The yellow fabric of his cowl is a little more faded, and the green buttons on his bandolier have lost their shine, but overall? He looks fine. Through the purple tinted faceplate, bright eyes lock onto hers despite the helmet’s mirrored visor.

“It’s good to see you,” she says, containing her relief. It can wait until they’re in Sorahiko’s latest hidey-hole.

He softens; his shoulders slump, just a little, and he reaches forward to rap his knuckles against the high collar of her armor. “It’s good to see you too, Shimura. Made friends with Toshinori yet?”

“Is that their name?”

“Their?” parrots Sorahiko.

“I couldn’t place the gender,” Nana says defensively. “You know how the line blurs with humans!”

Sorahiko heaves a sigh and brushes past her. To Toshinori, he says in a pointed manner, “I told you to go straight back to the apartment, boy, not to grab the turian and take her with you. Do you have any idea how much easier it’d have been if Shimura and I cleaned house right then and there? And don’t think you’re getting away with curse words in quarian!”

“Her?” the boy parrots (sounding eerily like Sorahiko) before obeying the implicit order, scrambling to untangle himself from the ladder. “And it was just one swear! You say bosh’tet all the time!”

“That’s another chore,” Sorahiko warns. He scales the rickety ladder with apparent ease; Nana warily sets one armored foot on a rung and tests whether or not it’ll hold her weight. Turian armor is nothing to scoff at.

“Is there an elevator?”

“Yeah, but it takes years,” says Toshinori. “Mr. Torino says it’s a disincentive to scavengers.”

“I needed a defensible nest.”

Nana tips her head back to stare sightlessly at the ceiling, counting the winking red lights until the two of them are off the ladder. Better not to risk the breakable sentients, she thinks, and rolls her neck before climbing upwards. Fortunately, nothing crumbles to rusted particles.

Inside Sorahiko’s current home (where is the Gran Torino anyway?), Toshinori immediately bolts for the kitchen area and digs out a brightly-colored box. There’s a large label denoting it safe to eat for amino protein-based sentients.

Sorahiko clicks his tongue, calling for Nana’s attention. He gestures at her helmet. “Your weapons too. I’m trying to house-train the kid, Shimura.”

“Who doesn’t carry five different firearms on them at all times?” she jokes, but agreeably lines her weapons (safeties on) along a high shelf. For the sake of Sorahiko’s nerves, Nana removes the thermal clips and tucks them away. Then she finally unlatches her helmet for the first time since she boarded that turian freighter. There’s a hiss of air, and then, ah. She draws in a sharp breath the same time Sorahiko does.

The recycled cool air stings against the barely-healed scars.

“Shimura,” he says, and she’s tempted to butt her forehead against his faceplate and hug him again. “Shimura, what happened to you?”

“En has died,” Nana says first. She pushes past the grief and moves to the important part. “I need to find out why, and I can’t trust the Council or the other Spectres to be with me on this. It… it concerns the geth, and… something bigger.”

Sorahiko twitches at the mention of geth. “Bigger than geth?”

“Scarier, too.”

“What are geth?” Toshinori interjects, and both Nana and Sorahiko jerk their heads. Yikes. They’d forgotten about their little audience. The reminder that he brings, though, has Sorahiko visibly hesitating over agreeing to join Nana on a harebrained quest.

“Aren’t you teaching him your language?”

“We haven’t covered the big history lessons yet,” says Sorahiko. “Shimura, I’d help, I really would, but I promised myself that I’d get Toshinori up on his feet. Pilgrimage-ready. And he’s—not there yet.”

Toshinori puffs up. “I would be if you let me have a ship, Mr. Torino.”

“You’re not getting a ship.”

It sounds like a well-worn argument, so Nana, a tad desperate, says, “Okay, so don’t be mad, but I may have stranded myself on Omega without any solid funds. Did you lose the Gran Torino? Can I win it back for you? This isn’t a mission with a time limit, it’s just an active investigation. Toshinori would be perfectly safe. And trained! I’m a Spectre, you’re an independent quarian nomad, surely between the both of us—”

The kid gasps, but in complete and utter delight. “Ms. Shimura, you’re a Spectre? I knew it!”

[thatmultifandomdumbass]

I was reading up about some transformers lore and.. the Omni saber sounds a lot like the Darksaber.. me and my brain going immediately to the shitpost I made (then deleted) about a transformers and Star Wars crossover. MmMmMmM many crossover possibilities… some of the other artefacts could also have links to Star Wars mMmmMm many many possibilities.. mmMmMMmMm I’m gonna ramble about any other artefacts that could help support a crossover.

The Starsaber being found by ancient Jedi, studied, for decades as the only way for the ancient Jedi to understand how the blade worked was for someone to try and wield it. And the StarSaber only allows a prime or someone worth of being a prime to wield it, so they would have to wait till there was a Jedi that was worthy of wielding it so they could do research on it and try their own hand that making a similar sword with the materials they had- thus the iconic Jedi weapon, the lightsaber was born..

The Chimera stone being the reason Jedi have mental abilities. After being found by Jedi wondering the galaxy it was brought back to the temple where it spent years being studied and due to being in close proximity to the stone, the archivists and those around the stone would be affected by the stone and slowly develop mental abilities like being able to look/read someone’s mind.. Some of the Jedi who gained this ability eventually succumbed to the vast possibilities for power and that was when more Jedi started to Fall. (It also could be used in a way to say that instead of enhancing the chances for a Jedi to Fall, it was the thing that started the Falling process and the start of the Sith)

The Triptych Mask - the predator face- could be used as the artefact that allows Jedi to be able to communicate with creatures, some animals who inhabit the Jedi temple who have been around the mask could be able to communicate more fluently than most…

A way you could introduce the crossover is similar for the prequels and original trilogies;

Prequels - You could have either Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi stumble across the ruins of old temples that have been long abandoned and forgotten about. If you want it set during the clone wars you could either; have the Senate and Jedi council be made aware of reported high Separatist activity in the outer rim that is not near any places of importance, due to fears the Separatists are inventing or testing a new weapon you could have Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ashoka and your chosen clones be sent out to investigate. Or the more likely idea - Anakin, Ashoka and your chosen 501st clones ship crashes on the planet with the temple and Obi-Wan and the 212th are sent to pick them up. When the 212 arrives and tries to spot a place to land they could find the ruins while flying over and after regrouping with the 501st could explore the temple. Whether or not they contact the council first is also a question and can be used to further Anakin’s belief that the high council doesn’t trust him/obi-wan would tell the council of his relationship with Padme/That Obi-Wan would never disobey the council in anyway. (Which we know isn’t true I mean the lawless arc? Want he told not to go to mangalore and this boy went anyway?)

Original - Luke is exploring the galaxy and finds the ruins of old temples that have been long abandoned and forgotten about. He could then explore it and find old reports of the artefacts from those who studied the artefact and then healers - to show that the side effects of prolonged exposure to the artefacts where severe, or severe enough to have the ancient Jedi on edge and cautious.

That’s all I can think of for now but I might come back and curse you with my brains sleep deprived thoughts..

[toku-explained]

The Master Swordsman's End

SSSS.Dynazenon: Gagula continues to rampage while Kaiser GridKnight lies defeated. 2nd has no more Fixer Beams, but tries to ease Gauma's pain. As Kaiser GridKnight struggles to stand and fight, Koyomi is running. Juuga, Mujina and Onija are surprised there's another kaiju, and try to use Instance Domination only to realise it's Sizumu, and they call out, wanting to fight more, and Gagula consumes them, evolving. Gauma opens his eyes, but can tell he hasn't got long, he apologises to Yomogi and Yume for getting them involved in his Battle, Yomogi says it's only because of him they've made bonds, he thanks them and asks that they thank Koyomi too. Gagula breaks Kaiser GridKnight into constituent parts, Yomogi and Yume rush for DynaWing and DynaSoldier, Chise leaps off her train, DynaStriker lands in front of Koyomi. Gauma starts pulling himself up, intending to help finish Gagula to give his friends a future, and we see like Koyomi, Yomogi now has a scar similar to Gauma's. He thinks he's missed his chance with Yume, and leaps into DynaSoldier. As GridKnight struggles, DynaStriker rolls in, Mujina from inside angrily yells at Koyomi for touching her again. Yume falls, also getting a scar, and tells Kano she'll make it, DynaSoldier appearing to get her there. Chise sees Goldburn and calls out, he wakes up, and flies into shield mode to protect GridKnight, then DynaSoldier Wing Combine leaps in, and DynaDiver joins the fight Gauma piloting with help from 2nd. He apologises to the confused Koyomi, and tells Knight he'll help if he likes it or not. They form Kaiser GridKnight and fight. Onija declares his goal to destroy humanity, Yomogi rejects that, Juuga talks up how important Gauma is, which Gauma dismisses, Mujina claims Koyomi caused her to realise Kaiju was all she had, he can only apologise. Yomogi and Yune call out to Suzumu, but he refuses to respond. As Gagula overpowers them with a blast, Yomogi detaches Dynamic Cannon to try Instance Domination again as he flies DynaSoldier at Gagula. He gets a definite reaction, causing Gagula to point it Blast away from Kaiser GridKnight. They split, Dynazenon launching all it has at Gagula, followed by Goldburn attaching as wings to GridKnight, flying past Gaguka and wrecking the back, before riding DynaRex. Sizumu stays silent as Onija, Juuga and Mujina declares their hatred of the "false kaiju", attacking and met by the Grid Rex Roar, Gagula loses the clas and the heroes fly in to finish things. The Eugenecists die, Onija seemingly glad to die again, Mujina wondering if it's for the best, Juuga sure kaiju will have their day, Sizumu still silent. Gauma collapses, dying as he is sad he never met her, but glad he met his friends, understanding why he was entrusted Dynazenon. Chise watches everyone descend fro the remains of DynaRex, except Gauma.

3 months later, Yomogi and Yume walk together, meeting under the bridge Gauma lived with everyone, Koyomi has changed his look and is working, a healed Goldburn is waiting. Yomogi and Yume remember Gauma always said 3 things must be kept, Love and Promises, but don't know the third. Knight and 2nd prepare warp out of this world, taking Goldburn and the inert form of DynaRex with them, as the gang wave, Chise calls after the best friend she ever had, and the group vanish into Hyper World. Yomogi and Yume head to some planned meeting. Chise and Koyomi stand outside Chise's school, under repair, and it turns out Inamoto-san's husband got Koyomi his job, he insists she's not an ex but a friend, Chise now has her dragon tattoo uncovered. At the school festival Mei's photos include ones of Yume, who needs to do something. Yomogi tells his mother and Kamijo where to go, when his mother asks about Gauma he opts to explain he's banned from school grounds, before being dragged over to the waiting Awaki, Nazumi, Ranka and Kaneishi, telling him to find Yume while Mei just appears there. She's sat in a corner of the roof when he finds her, they're meant to be running the café now. Yume offers her hand and tells him to take her, and he hears Sizumu's voice from a Computer World environment, questioning why he "wasted" his potential to be a Kaiju User, arguing if he'd embraced kaiju and destruction he'd have experienced true freedom, questioning if he'll regret it. Yomogi isn't sure, but intends to live, and rejects Sizumu's philosophy that bonds are shackles, Sizumu doesn't get it. Yomigi comes back and helps Yume up, calling her by her first name for the first time at her prompting. They get to work at the café, hoping their scars stay with them. In Computer World, Knight looks at the seal from the statue, and DynaRex stands once more. Scarred Souls Shine like Stars.

Heroes' Odyssey: Zero looks at Belial's battle with the Ultras of the Land of Light, theft of the Plasma Spark, Zero training with Leo, Rei and the Ultras battle with Belial's army, and Zero's joining the battle to defeat him. He uses this to highlight another Ultra who struggled with his own darkness, showing the revival of Hudra, Darramb and Camaerra, and how Tiga Dark appeared to face the threat they unleashed.

Saber: Luna is lost, and Izaak is going full god complex, talking down at Storious, intending to eliminate the Swordsmen, he ambushes the Shindais and turns Durandal into a puppet, forcing him to attack Reika. Yuri hears from Tassel that Luna has appeared. Kento lends him Kurayami. Solomon uses his power to reach into Wonder World to seek Luna and attack Tassel, Sophia can sense his use of the Tome's power, as Sabela contacts Northern Base for help. Slash and Buster join Sabela as Durandal begs them to kill him. Touma, Mei, Rintaro and Kento reach Solomon. Saikou, in Wonder World, blocks the attempt to reach Luna and joins them, Solomon does something that causes him to vanish, and claims Kurayami and Saikou. Xross Saver Brave Dragon, Blades Tategami Hyoujuu Senki and Espada Golden Alangina face him. Tassel reaches Luna, introducing himself and promising to take her to Touna after she understands what she is. A Triple Rider Kick defeats Solomon, who attempts to use his spell to control Touma unsuccessfully, but uses it properly on Blades and Espada. Tassel explains to Luna that she is the embodiment of Wonder World, and her chosen one, Touma, will receive Wonder World's power and live their with her forever, she doesn't want to separate him from his friends though. Kento mocks Izaak for just manipulating people, and Runtaro notes his ambitions have caused him to lose all respect anyone ever held for him. He tries to drag them into darkness, but Yuri reawaken and brakes the attack and the spell, right before Durandal is made to kill Reika. Saber uses Lion Senki and Lamp do Alangina to form Special Edition. Combining their powers, they defeat Solomon, destroying Omni Force. At Southern Base, Ryoga collapses, to both siblings intense relief. Storious laughs. The injured Izaak crawls to a tunnel, where Omni Force reforms, but as he claims eternity, Storious appears, informing him his story is at an end, he reduces him to dust and claims Omni Force for himself, debuting a new outfit.

Zenkaiger: Boccowaus praises Gege, Barashitara grousing that he's treated better despite failing as well, Stacey is distracted by Yatsude reminding him of his mother, Boccowaus has Ijirude lend Gege another gear. Items are magnetised to everyone, thanks to Jishaku World, who disrupts the change by magnetising the Geartlingers, they do separate on changing, but attach to other things, and Jishaku World leaves them trapped until Zox arrives late. They get back to Colourful, there Stacey is having a snack, he gets them to pretend he's an acquaintance, Satoshi, not their enemy, but tension flares as soon as she leaves the room, but nothing happens before they realise the magnetic fields on the Kikainoids are getting stronger and making them flee the shop, Zox is waiting outside, as Magine is trapped Kaito and Secchan realises they need to stop Jishaku World fast. "Satoshi" helps Yatsude tidy up stuff that started moving, leaving but planning to come back, he runs into Kaito trying to get his help. Vroon is caught, and Gaon and Zyuran start pulling CrocoDaiOh, which only avoids crashing thanks to reverse thrusters. Zox argues to Stacey he should help Kaito since he's Yatsude's grandson. After Jishaku World reports to Gege, Stacey tells him the Zenkaigers might have found a way around his powers luring him to where Kaito and Zox are, they start fighting him as Flint keeps fighting to stop CrocoDaiOh hitting Zyuran and Gaon, who arrives at the battle running straight for Jishaku World, forcing him to reduce magnetism in the area so CrocoDaiOh doesn't hit him, and allowing everyone to move better. Zenkaiser uses Fiveman to access FiveRed's physics knowledge that lets him know heat will weaken Jishaku World. Shinken Form uses his fire abilities as Zyuran and Gaon join the fight, ZenkaiZyuran accessing his own fire and lending it to ZenkaiGaon, the 3 weakening him for Zenkaiser. Stacey leaves since he did as asked, Dai Jishaku World takes the field, separating Twokai-Oh, both ZenkaiOhs attempt to form, but are made the same poles. They use this to force Zyuran at Dai Jishaku World, so he pulls them in, only for them all to get stuck to him, but together they attack. Ijirude and Barashitara tell Gege he's not better than them, but he notes his involvement put Boccowaus in a better mood, so they'll now have more chances to try, and tells Stacey he knows what he did, but won't say for now. Yatsude asks Kaito about Satoshi, she could tell something was up when they met, Kaito admits they've fought, but makes clear he wants to be friends.

Dogengers Nice Buddy: Everyone returns to where they were before the distortion, the Dogengers are all asleep. Great Z uses an Affect System drones to warp them and Maid Shitsuji away. Tanaka wakes at home, Maid Shitsuji tells him he was dreaming. Yabai Kamen approaches Great Z, who acknowledges he hasn't been acting out of justice. Yabai Kamen goes to attack him, when Riku arrives in the stage suit to try and stop him, but it's clear Yabai Kamen has the advantagem winning as Riku yells his love for heroes and his father. Yabai Kamen steals one of the 2 remaining drones, and uses it to warp away. Riku and his father reconcile, Riku explaining he truly seeks to be a hero, after a talk, Riku puts his helmet on and Great Z transfers the suit to him, President Hanagata sees his son off. At breakfast, Yabai Kamen reveals he has the Affect System drones and declares they're enemies again and warps away, the rest of Aku no Himitsu Kessya say their goodbyes, thanking for the hospitality, and leave. At Fukuoka Dome Yabai Kamen is surrounded by the Dogengers immediately, and runs with 2 Karami, when the Dogenfers eventually corner him, Kitaqman Metal is thrown at the defeated pile he's making by the rest of Aku no Himitsu Kessya. A voice announces, as Yabai Kamen seems to have expected, the arrival of Great Z. Yabai Kanen crushes the drone using it to upgrade, in turn Gulf, Gallia, Uzagi and Nectaris unveil their own upgrades. Yabai Kamen mourns the loss of Shuraomaru, only for him to appear and unveil his new form.

[panbisolidarity]

Soooo I have a question for a little thing that I’m working on/trying out to see if anyone’s interested. It’s a response to Battleaxe Bis

I intend on making an anti-biphobia group dedicated to spreading education and awareness about Bisexuality and Bi+ orientations, as well as correcting biphobia within all LGBTQA groups and mainstream. However, a main thing about this group is that it is supportive of Pan, Omni, and Ply people and believe that acknowledging how these labels have affected bisexuality is important.

So, what are some possible names? Things with alliteration preferably.

A have a few so far, and I’ll add to the list as I get suggestions.

Blade Bi, Butterfly Bi(I like this one the most but I’m unsure if people are comfy with its feminine associations), Crystal Bi...

[lyrishadow]

N7 month prompt: Red 

“But he who dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose.” ― Anne Bronte [absolutely said I wasn’t going to be doing this, so not a promise for everyday work just when I feel like writing extra]

Red (Rose) or “How to get to N7″ Elysium was calm, beautiful, and peaceful. A rare rose in the edges of the terminus systems. Actually, roses grew there, all over the older buildings’ they were red but thorny. A message of strength in the frontier of the Systems Alliance. There was something about it that made her nervous, and she had packed her sniper rifle and sidearm just in case. Honestly, she never went far without a weapon of some kind, Omni blade, sidearm whatever she had she could use. She had no biotics of course but that was easily a thing she didn’t really miss - she had awe for them as most did at this point but her biotic room-mates had always been hungry, tired, and headachey so she wasn’t keen to press it. Besides that, she preferred to sit back and range down an enemy, through her scope than to be right on top of them. She was on Elysium to have a break, a holiday, her squad was content to remain on their ship but here Alisa Shepard was with a tourist handbook and her camera - and her weapons - exploring the colony.

Colony life was important for her, she had grown up on Mindoir, lost everything when raiders attacked and razed the entire place. That she had survived was a miracle in itself, and she still had PTSD from the events she witnessed, though it was not even noted in her file, and her superiors had just tutted over her and fussed a little - the only survivor who enlisted as early as possible to bring some safety and security to the colonies. The sound of a ship landing was the first clue she had to what was about to occur. Seeing that a Batarian slaver vessel was making its way to the planet surface Alisa thought as fast as she could. Yelling for people to take cover, getting her rifle ready, and picking off as many of the Batarians as she could before they had time to regroup. It was the beginning of a special kind of hell - the planet was under siege by pirates of all kinds. The bulk of those on the ground were Batarians and she had very few qualms about dealing with them. She managed to make it back to the town by ducking behind trees and such, to be faced with disarray and fear. She drew a deep breath and dove in. 

“Shepard” she introduced herself “I’m a soldier, anyone else here able to shoot?” The citizens all looked at her in amazement before some of them raised their hands “We can, we have guns too.” Nodding she directed them to set themselves up on a barricade. “Don’t go beyond this point, if you do the Batarians or other pirates will simply shoot you dead. Here you have cover, only shoot when it’s a clear shot and never leave cover.” she gestures to the people without guns who were not equipped for this fight. “Keep these men and women fed, keep your kids inside out of sight, and above all if I yell cover, stay inside the houses.”

“We have a central building with a kitchen, it’s a community house and…”

“Good. Go there. Take cover.” “Excuse me.” A voice, very young next to her said “I want to help.” The voice belonged to a kid, no more than her brother’s age when he Batarinas raided Mindoir; he was standing like a grown-up, and Alisa understood immediately he had decided he was a man of the house and had to protect his mum and sisters who stood with the others, heading to the community house.

“Good.” She said thinking fast, it would do no good having him on the front lines but she could put him in charge of the door to the house in the middle: if the barricades fell it would be too late anyhow. “I need you to be in charge of the door to the house. Let no-one in who doesn’t belong here. Not even people claiming to be soldiers.” She exhaled “I will come in three hours to talk to you again ok?” The boy nodded and she could see the relief on the mother’s face. War was serious but the kid had a good motive for wanting to help; she didn’t want to push him down for it. Once she had directed people, and the town was locked down she took position on the barricade. 

“Incoming!”  They had a forward scout, a drone set up to be operated by omnitool.

The fight was sharp and hideous. She shot five of the six Batarians square on, the last one hung back trying to get a shot off at the people on the barricade. She saw it coming. “Get down!” she threw herself on top of a man who was just slightly out of cover, she felt the sting as the projectile slammed into her armor on her side.

“No risks. Don’t even look the guy in the eyes.” She hissed as she took a shot at the Batarian in front of them.

Three hours later she headed to the house, let them know she had radioed for help but that the Alliance was trying to break the siege; they would have to hold out a bit longer. Three days. Four days. They held the barricade against any incoming; on four fronts. She managed to be at all of them as often as possible. Finally, Alliance troops hit the ground, and she realized how exhausted she was. She slept for 8hrs with no nightmares, for the first time sine she was sixteen; when she woke up, someone had left a large bunch of red roses from the colony’s garden for her, and a message: “Thank you for saving us.” Over the next week, her life took a drastic change as she was put forward for commendations and awards. She was called into Arcturus’ and informed she would be leaving to start the N7 program.

[cutepresea]

1-4 Titan Symphony: Stand Together

Again, apologies for the spam.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #titan symphony for just this event, or #xdu event scripts for all these posts in general.

Reminder that these are copied straight from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations, and/or mischaracterizations are not my doing.

Chris Yukine: "Let's head to the meeting point!"

Mikasa: "Understood."

Chris Yukine: "Of course a Titan would show its ugly face. Well, now we can test out Armin's new strategy! Are you ready?!" [1]

Mikasa: "Don't worry about me. I'll make sure to adapt to your projectiles' trajectories as necessary."

Chris Yukine: "Got it. All right, it's showtime!"

Chris Yukine: "You all set?"

Mikasa: "Take this!"

Chris Yukine: "Nicely done! We did great!"

Mikasa: "Yes."

Chris Yukine: "That was really cool. I can't slow down my missiles, so I was super worried you were going to fall off, but you were great!"

Mikasa: "Thanks."

Chris Yukine: "You’re, uh... You're welcome."

Mikasa: "... ..."

Chris Yukine: (...I guess she doesn't like to talk much... Man, this is super awkward...)

Chris Yukine: (Maybe we could talk about... Wait, why do I care?!)

Chris Yukine: (It's not like I'm desparate to make any new friends, anyway. I already ... Huh?)

Mikasa: "... ..."

Chris Yukine: "You keep touching your scarf. It must be pretty important to you, huh?"

Mikasa: "Eren gave it to me..."

Chris Yukine: "Oh, I see..."

Mikasa: "You see?"

Chris Yukine: "Ah, no, it's nothing. Make sure you don't lose it, then, since it's so special to you. [2] Mikasa: "Of course."

Chris Yukine: (She's been so robotic up  until now, I didn't think she would care about stuff like that.)

Chris Yukine: (Now that I think about it, she was desperate to save that guy when he got beat up by Titans, too.)

Chris Yukine: (So even Mikasa [3] has someone that she cares for... Now I know she has feelings, maye we'll get along better.)

Chris Yukine: "Okay, let's do this! Full speed ahead!"

Mikasa: "Hmm?"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "It seems like we managed to shake off most of the Titans." Levi: "Yeah. Splitting up like that helped scatter them."

Levi: "we should practice our strategy. I'm counting on you to get the timing right with those blades."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Understood!"

Levi: "Die!"

Levi: "...Looks like we're finished here."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "It would seem so. Were you able to use your omni-directional mobility gear without issue?"

Levi: "Yeah. You got skills. Looking at your room yesterday, I'd assumed you'd be just as disorganized in battle."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "H-Hey! I've just been really busy lately, okay?! It's normally much tidier than that!"

Levi: "You know, if you joined the Scouts, I'm sure you'd pick up my pre-battle cleaning techniques in no time."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "That's a very generous offer, but I must decline."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I have friends that I refuse to leave behind, you see."

Levi: "...Shame. That's what I thought you'd say."

Levi: "I understand, though. I have people waiting for me back home, too. That's why I can't afford to die here."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Don't worry. We'll definitely get you home."

Levi: "Of course. We should head back to the others now. Let's fight for our friends back home!"

Eren: "Looks like we've arrived at the plains already. And it looks like we've got company!"

Armin: "Let's put our plan into action!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "I got you!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Here we go!"

Eren: "What?! Sh-She really made a wall come out of the ground!"

Armin: "Now we can use our ODM gear!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Now it's time to thrash those Titans!"

Eren: "All right, now it's our turn. Let's make these guys regret the day they crossed us!"

Eren: "Take this!"

Armin: "The strategy was a success!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Great job, you guys!"

Armin: "That went better than expected. Let's keep moving."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Roger that!"

Eren: "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Sure. What's up?"

Eren: "Yesterday, you said that saving me was the natural thing to do, right?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Yeah."

Eren: "But that must have been the first time you'd seen someone turn into a Titan. Weren't you scared?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Why would I be scared?"

Eren: "Well, the first time I transformed, the people around me were terrified. Only Mikasa and Armin stood by me."

Eren: "So, when I heard that you charged in to rescue me after all that... I dunno, it just seemed kind of weird."

Hibiki Tachibana: "No, I get it."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Gungnir's power was never something I actually wanted. But then one day, it was just there."

Eren: "Just like me, huh..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "What was I meant to do with that power all of a sudden? I had no idea. It was a pretty tough time for me."

Hibiki Tachibana: "But now I know I can use my power to save people. I can now say that I'm glad to be a wielder."

Hibiki Tachibana: "So when I saw you using your Titan powers to save people, there was no reason for me to be scared of you!"

Eren: "Wow. You're really something..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh? Could that have been a compliment?"

Eren: "Don't get cocky, I didn't mean it like that! Although, uh... Thanks. You know, for saying that."

Hibiki Tachibana: "You're welcome. Okay! Let's take the fastest, shortest, and most direct route and race the others to the cliff!"

Notes:

[1] Chris actively avoids calling people by name, but as before, the English translation of XD Unlimited decided to insert names into the script. She used "aitsu" here. The only time she used a name in the Japanese script for this event was when she said "That Levi guy" ("ano Levi tte yatsu") before

[2] Another missing quotation mark 

[3] Another inserted name

[holylulusworld]

Absent father – Part 4

Summary: Reader and Dean have a friends with benefits agreement. When the reader gets pregnant Dean makes the mistake of his life…making her leave…

Pairing: former Dean x Reader, Sam, OMC Josephine (JoJo)

Warnings: language, sad reader, daddy!Dean, break-up

Absent father Masterlist

 Leaving the house Dean takes the lead, as always…

“Okay Sammy is going to drive your car while you and my daughter come with me.” Dean orders.

“I don’t think the baby seat will fit in the Impala.” You lie. “And we don’t have the time to…”

“Fine, Sam will drive the Impala and I’ll drive your ‘mommy’ car.” Dean says blowing his nose at the sight of your comfortable ‘soccer mom car’.

“Hey, it’s safe and has a lot of space.” You scold, trying to defend your car.

“Don’t care, it’s ugly as hell!” Dean insists.

“Well Jojo comes first so I needed a safe car, not a pretty one.” Tossing the bags in your trunk Dean looks at your angry face. Feeling guilty he dares not to say another word.

Holding your daughter tight you try to open the door of your car right when you see six of your neighbours surrounding you and the Winchesters.

“Boys…I don’t think they are here to say goodbye.” You whisper, pressing your daughter even closer to your body.

“Get in the car with Josephine and lock the doors.” Dean orders. Shaking your head you place your daughter in her baby seat. Closing the doors you lock the car.

“What did I tell you?” Dean yells.

“The car is warded, no entrance for demons. Six demons are a bit too much, even for two Winchesters.” You state.

“You’re out of business.” Sam says.

“Yes, but not out of training!” You grunt.

“Huh?” Dean wonders.

“I needed to defend my child, so I’m still in training!”

Tighten the grip around your angel blade you start drawing a salt circle.

“Keep them busy I’ll exorcise them.” You whisper.

Reading the exorcism you keep an eye on your daughter while Dean stands next to your car, making sure no demon comes close to it.

 Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,

omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii,

omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.

Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te.

Cessa decipere humanas creaturas

eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare.

Vade, Satana, inventor et magister

omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis.

Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge,

invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt.

Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine.

Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,

omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii,

omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.

Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te.

Cessa decipere humanas creaturas,

eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare.

Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias

libertate servire te rogamus, audi nos.

  Black smoke leaves your neighbours body’s while you run toward your car to check on your scared little daughter.

Crying she holds out her hands, taking her out of her baby seat your try to calm her down.

“Is she alright?” Dean asks concerned.

“No, of course not she’s four years old and saw things even an adult would not understand.” You whisper.

Looking at Dean Josephine holds her hands out sobbing. “Dadda, dadda.” She cries out.

Looking confused Dean doesn’t know what to do.

“She wants you to protect her. She saw you standing next to the door of my car to not let anyone get close to her.” You say.

“Oh, sure. Wait. Sammy take the angel blade.” Dean says before taking his daughter out of your hands. Trying to sooth her he hums an AC/DC song.

Sighing at the picture in front of you, you throw your other bags into Dean’s Impala. Realizing you forgot something important your run back into the house.

“What? Wait!” Sam calls after you. Grabbing your jacket and the photo albums along with some more toys tossed into a bag you emerge from your house.

“Forgot Jojo’s baby pictures.” You say putting the precious albums into the backseat of the Impala.

Smiling Sam takes the rest of your belongings out of your hands and nods at Dean.

Carefully placing his daughter in the baby seat Dean tries to close the 3-point belt and fails. Cursing he fumbles at it while Jojo is giggling.

“Let me do it Winchester.” You say softly shoving him aside. “Just like that.” You show Dean how to use the belt.

“Oh, looks so easy when you do it.” He stammers.

Taking a fluffy blanket you cover your daughter with it. Handling Jojo her favourite plush toy you gently stroke her cheek, kissing her forehead.

“So Josephine?” He asks.

“Ellen and Jo were close friends. Jo and I always stayed in contact until…”

“Sam and I got her killed…” Dean whispers.

“She and Ellen wanted to help to defeat Lucifer. Hunters die, that’s just like it is.”

“Can we go? Or do you need something else? We can’t come back for awhile.” Dean says.

“No the house was furnished all my belongings are in the bags. The rest is stuff I don’t need.”

Nodding Dean looks at the peacefully sleeping girl in the backseat.

“Oh wait! Almost forgot Mr + Mrs Fluffel!”

“Who?”

“Her guinea pigs.”

“You’ve got pigs?” Dean asks worried.

“Yeah, little guinea pigs. Just a minute.” Running into the house you get the animal cage to put the little pigs in. Throwing some veggies in too you run out of the house.

“You didn’t joke about little pigs.” Dean chuckles.

“Did you think I’ve got a real pig in my house or what?” You scold. Putting the animal cage in the backseat you realize there’s no space left for you. Using the seat belt you secure the cage on the backseat.

Sighing you silently close the door to the backseats. Opening the door Dean waits for you to take place in your former favourite seat. ‘Shotgun’ most of the time you wanted to ride shotgun.

Smiling Dean enters your car to start the engine. Giving you side-glances he hits the road.

“Fasten your seatbelt!” You scold.

“Huh?”

“Just do it! Now that Jojo knows you it would be hard for her to see you dying as you forgot to fasten your seatbelt.” You say not looking at him.

“Is that your mommy tone?” He asks.

“Why?”

“Kinda sounds sexy…” Dean rasps with a low voice. Ignoring the tingling in your body you look out of the window. Saying goodbye to the last four years of your life…

Part V

Forever Tags

@donnaintx​, @screechingartisancashbailiff, @fallen-wolf22 , @curly-haired-disaster, @sister-winchesters99​, @mogaruke, @the-is13, @helloitsmeamie203, @strayrosesbloom , @thewinchesterco , @hobby27, @kittycatlover18,  @hawaiianohana15, @gh0stgurl​, @marvelfansworld​

Absent father Tags

@massivecrusadepizza, @mirandaaustin93, @spnfamily-thewinchesters

Dean/Jensen Forever Tags 

@mirandaaustin93, @spnfamily-thewinchesters, @love-my-not-natural-babies​, @supernatural-bellawinchester​, @hawaiianohana15, @butifulsoul125

[killswitchwrites]

Take It All Back

Dean x Reader

Summary: Strength can look like a lot of things. Sometimes it’s being strong enough to walk away. Other times it means sticking it out. In Y/n’s case, it means a little of both. Sequel to One Last Moment.

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Canon level violence, blood, angst, and language.

Beta’d by: @pinknerdpanda & @trexrambling

A/N:  This was written for Ang’s “Fierce Females in FanFiction” Challenge. My prompt was, “you made your choice and I made mine. Just because you can’t live with yours doesn’t mean you can shame me for living with mine.” It’s bolded within the fic.  This is a continuation of my fic, One Last Moment.

Sorry it’s so close to the wire @atc74 , my muse has been an elusive bitch.

“Exorcizamus te omnis immu-”

“I’m really going to enjoy taking everything from you,” the demon snarls. The cheerful pastel of her outfit makes her threat seem absurd.

“Lucky for me, I don’t have anything to take. Not anymore.”

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You know, lying to a Sunday School teacher is extra bad,” she giggles.

A knot forms in my gut. She can’t possibly know about him. I’ve covered my tracks. I know I’ve covered them, but a small wisp of doubt creeps into the back of my mind. Maybe. Maybe someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.

“I can’t wait to wear his skin-” she gargles the blood in her mouth before spitting it at my feet- “so many perfect little freckles,” she finishes with a hiss and a maniacal smile.

When I found this demon, I had high hopes of sparing the possessed woman. His perfect face flashes into my memory. If I save the woman, I risk losing him forever.

I force myself to take an even breath before asking, “Who?”

“A lady never kisses and tells.”

“If you talk, I can make this quick for you.” Moonlight glints on the blade in my hand. “If you don’t…”

The demon squirms. “Where’d you get that?”

“I love thrift stores. You just never know what you’ll find.”

“You found an angel blade-” she shifts in her chair- “at a thrift store?”

“So what’ll it be, quick or slow?”

“I’ve always liked it slow,” she purrs.

___

Three times. That’s how many tries I make at unlocking my phone before I realize there’s too much blood on my hand for it to recognize my fingerprint.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Six years ago I turned my back on the only man I’d ever loved, the only man who had only ever loved me. I was done. I got out.

I finally get my phone unlocked and dial by memory. My heart beats faster with each ring. Just when I’m positive my heart will explode, Siobhan answers.

“Blessed b-”

“Cut the crap, Siobhan, it’s me.”

“Oh. What do you want? I’m a little busy.”

“Someone in your coven has a loose tongue, and I plan on cutting it out.”

“I’m positive you are mistaken. We’ve held up our end of the deal. It’s become apparent that you have not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Irene is dead. Her daughter made it back to tell us of her untimely demise before succumbing to her own wounds.”

“Did she know the doer?”

“No. She only said that they used witch killing bullets.”

“I’ll find who’s responsible and take care of it. In the meantime, up your warding around the house and keep an eye out.”

I don’t even need a full hand to count the number of hunters that know how to make witch killing bullets. One is me. The other two I had never planned on running into ever again.

___

“I’m telling ya, Sammy, I got her. It’s only a matter of time before she bleeds out.”

“That’s just perfect, Dean. If it weren’t for the fact that we needed her to find the coven.”

“Ok, fine, it’ll take a little longer than we planned. But hey, at least there’s free cable.”

Their bickering carries through the thin wood of the door. I kick back in my chair and prop my feet on the table, trying my best to sell the nonchalant vibe I am most certainly not feeling.

Dean shoulders through the motel door, freezing when he sees me.

Sam curses under his breath as he collides with his brother. “What the hell, Dean?”

A myriad of emotions rapidly shift Dean’s features before he settles on feigned indifference. “Get your dirty boots off the table, Y/n, people eat there.”

“Y/n?” Sam swipes the hair from his eyes and tucks it behind one ear. A face splitting grin amplifies his dimples. His smile quickly falters when I don’t return it.

I stay where I am. Feet propped up in defiance. “You guys need to leave town.”

Dean walks behind me on the way to the mini fridge, pulling on the back of my chair as he goes.

I pinwheel my arms and slam my feet to the floor in order to keep from falling over backward.

Sam nearly smirks, but manages to catch himself in the nick of time when I shoot him a glare. Dean, however, outright barks a laugh.

 “Listen here, you ass.” I feel my cheeks heat. “I’m not here to play games. You’re not welcome here and you need to leave. I’m not going to ask again.”

“Doesn’t really seem like you’re asking, Y/n.” Dean cracks open a beer and throws the cap in the direction of the sink. “Besides, we kind of like it here. Don’t we, Sammy? And leaving is more your sort of thing. If I’m not mistaken,” he adds with an icy glare.

Clenching my fists, I dig my nails into my palms and focus on the sharp sting so that I can keep my voice from wavering. “If you ever loved me, Dean, you’ll leave tonight and never come back.”

All of the color drains from Dean’s face.

“Are you in some sort of trouble, Y/n?” Sam asks, finally finding his voice.

“It’s trouble that I’m trying to avoid, Sam.” I head towards the door, pausing to rest a hand on Sam’s chest. “Please. Get him as far away from here as you can.”

I beeline for the door, hoping to make it back to my car before the tears burning my eyes fall. I make it exactly four steps across the parking lot when I hear the scuff of Dean’s stride behind me.  

“Tell me why.”

I freeze, midstep. “Because,” I weigh my next words carefully mustering as much venom as I’m capable of, “because everything you touch dies.”

I turn to face him, and his pained look is more than I can bear. But I press on, I have to. The stakes are too high for me to give in. I add the final nail to my coffin of lies.

“You’re a curse, Dean Winchester, and I wish I had never met you.”

I don’t stay to witness the fallout, but I imagine it looks the same as my shredded heart feels.

___

“It is done?” Siobhan drawls.

“I took care of the hunters. They’re not going to be a problem anymore. Do we still have a deal?”

“Your child will continue to receive the benefits of our protection. For as long as we have yours.”

I release a sigh. “How is he?”

“He grows in strength and beauty every day.”

“You know that’s not what I’m asking.”

“He remains unaware of his lineage.”

There are so many more questions I want to ask, but the less I know the better, the safer he is.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I answer it without checking the ID.

“Don’t hang up!” Sam blurts.

“Sam? How did you get this number?”

“That’s not really important right now. Have you seen Dean?”

“Not since this morning.”

“He went out to grab a drink, and he’s not picking up his phone. I’ve been to every dive bar in town. I can’t find him.”

“He’s probably just shacked up with some floozy for the night. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, Sam. He’ll probably roll in in the morning, no worse for the wear.”

“You don-” he sighs-”he’s not like that anymore. Not since you left. Please, Y/n, just help me find him and I’ll never bother you again.”

My heart twists. “Have you tried tracking his phone?”    

____

“You’re positive this is the place?” I take in the gothic architecture and broken stained glass. It’s not technically a church anymore, but it’s still the last place I’d expect to find Dean on a Saturday night.

“This is the only place near the tower his phone pinged from just before I lost the signal.”

“Maybe his phone just died. You know he forgets to put it on the charger.”

“It was off, and then it was on, and then it was off again. Something else is going on; I know you can sense it too.”

“I think you’ve watched Star Wars one too many times, Obi Wan, because I’m not sensing anything. Other than the extreme dissatisfaction that I haven’t been able to remove my bra for the night.”

Sam snorts a laugh. “One quick sweep of the place.” He checks the clip on his weapon and chambers a round. “And if I’m wrong, you’ll be home in your pajamas in no time.”

I double check my weapon before following after him with a grumble. With my luck, he’s probably right and this night is going to go tits up real fast.

Sam waits for me by the heavy wooden entry doors. All merriment has been stripped from his face and replaced with grim calculation. With a tip of his head he motions to the trail of blood that disappears under the door.  

Stepping over the gruesome trail, I pull open the door and pray it doesn’t creak and give us away. Sam slips through and I follow, nearly colliding with him.

I step around him and follow his line of sight. At the front of the church, behind the pulpit, where usually there’s a sculpture of Christ on the cross- there’s Dean. He’s been stripped of his shirt and suspended upside down. There’s a puddle under him, and fresh blood drips from the wounds on his chest to join it. He doesn’t appear to be conscious. He better not be dead. I’ll kill him for being so reckless.

Sam nudges me, and I split off to the right while he takes the left.

The only place for someone to hide is the confessionals, and I quickly clear them. Whoever did this is in the wind.    

“Dean?” Sam whispers, reaching his brother.

Dean responds with a low groan. The sound sends relief flooding through my system, and I rush forward to help Sam.

“Hold on, man, we’re gonna get you down.” Sam’s voice is tight with worry.

By the time we get him loaded into the car, we’re all covered in his blood.

“I’ll sit in the back with him,” I offer, sliding into the backseat and settling Dean’s head in my lap.   

Like it’s second nature, my fingers stroke through his hair to comfort him. “Just hang in there, Dean, we’ll get you patched up.”

Dean nuzzles into my touch and drifts off. I close my eyes, and I can almost pretend it’s just like old times. His pained grunt when Sam hits a pothole reminds me that it’s not. Everything’s different now. Everything’s wrong.

___

Sam and I get Dean on his bed back at the hotel where we silently work to piece him back together. Most of the cuts are superficial, intended to elicit pain, not death.

“Who would do this, Sam?” I ask while double checking the tape on the dressings.

“It’s not like we have a shortage of enemies-” he pauses- “though we did just take out a couple of witches. This could be retaliation.”

“It’s not them,” I mutter.

“Wait, you know the coven we’re tracking?”

“Huh?” Shit. I exhale. “They’re not bad people. I have a deal with them. I offer them protection and they do the same for me.”

Sam’s look is cold. “I never thought you’d be the type to work with witches, Y/n.”

“Well neither did I, Sam, but a lot of things have changed that I never thought would.”

“What else have you guys been hunting in the area?”

“Nothing. The coven is what brought us here. You?”

“I found a couple of low level demons sniffing around. I handled them.”

“By the looks of Dean it would seem that their buddies are a little pissed.”

Dean groans in his sleep and, instinctively, I reach to comfort him.

“Looks like not everything has changed,” Sam points out.

I withdraw my hand. “Some habits die hard.”

“Dean never told me why you left.”

I shrug. “I couldn’t do it anymore, Sam. The ones we couldn’t save kept piling up.”

“Yet, here you are.”

“Yeah. Here I am.”

Sam stifles a yawn.

“Why don’t you grab some sleep? I’ll sit with Dean.”

“Are you sure you wanna stay?”

“I need to. Just until I know he’s okay.”

“I’ll go grab something to eat. Dean’ll be hungry when he wakes up.”

Once Sam leaves I slip beside Dean, laying close enough to feel his body heat but not close enough to disturb him. The constellations of freckles on his shoulders and chest peek out from the edges of the bandages. I still remember the names I gave them the last time I laid in bed with him.

A tear rolls down the side of my nose and silently lands on the pillow. I scoot a little closer to him and rest my head on his chest, over his heart. I focus on the steady rhythm beneath my ear, and it quiets the chatter in my head. I’d almost forgotten how still my mind could be.

Dean nuzzles into my hair with a sigh and, for one split second, I wish with everything in my soul that I could take it all back. All the hurt. The pain. The fights. The lies.

Even though he remains still, I feel him wake up. “I’m so sorry, Dean,” I whisper.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I know you didn’t mean it. You’ve always been a crap liar.”

“Have not.” I sit up and discreetly dab my nose with my sleeve.

Dean chuckles and then quickly sucks in a breath with a grimace.

“Serves you right for teasing me.”

An uncomfortable silence fills the space between us. Dean is the one to break it.

“Mind telling me why the demons you pissed off came after me? And why they’d think I’m hiding someone for you.”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“I nearly lost my spleen. I think I deserve to know why, Y/n.”

Panic writhes like snakes in the pit of my stomach. “You’re right.”

I suck in a breath and move a little farther from him. “I need you to know I never meant for any of this to happen, and by the time I found out it was too late. I’d already left and it’s not like I could go back. I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“Spit it out.”

“It’s easier if I show you.” I dig my phone from my front pocket and swipe to the film reel before handing over the phone to Dean.

“His name is Thomas, and he’s almost six.”

Dean’s eyebrow knit together, and then his eyes blow wide. “What is this, Y/n?!” I scramble to move away from him, but he grips my wrist to keep me right where I am. “How could you?”

“I didn’t mean to,” my nose runs freely and I ignore it, “it just happened, and I’ve wanted to tell you so many times. But I just… couldn’t.”

“You had no right,” he growls.

“I had every right, Dean.” I wrench my arm from his grip and stand on wobbly legs. “I may have left, but you let me. You made your choice and I made mine. Just because you can’t live with yours doesn’t mean you can shame me for living with mine.”

“Choice?” he scoffs. “How could I possibly make a choice when I didn’t have all of the information?!”

Dean jumps from the bed, quickly doubling over.

“Just perfect. Now you’ve pulled your stitches! Get back in bed!”

I shove him towards the bed and he slaps away my hands.

“No! I want to see my son.”

I shove again and he collapses with a heavy thud. “You can’t see him. Not now. Not ever.”

“Bullshit. You don’t get to make that choice for me. Not anymore, Y/n.”

“He doesn’t even know you exist!”

Once again, Dean looks like I stabbed him directly in the heart- and twisted. “You didn’t even tell him about me? Where does he think his dad is?”

“You died in a car crash when he was just a baby… and so did I.”

“What?” he whispers, shocked. “You… abandoned him?”

“I didn’t abandon him, Dean. I gave him up to people that could protect him.”

“Where is he, Y/n?”

I suck in a breath and wrap my arms around my stomach. “He’s with the coven you and Sam are here hunting.”

“You gave our child to witches?!”

“I didn’t have a choice! From the moment he was born it was like he was a beacon to everything that went bump in the night! I couldn’t keep him safe. I wasn’t enough.”

“We could’ve kept him safe. Together.”

“Yeah, because you would’ve given up hunting, bought a house in suburbia and, what?  Punched a clock for the rest of your life?”

“I don’t know, okay! I don’t know what I would’ve done!” He runs his hands through his hair. “But I would’ve done something.”

“Well, I did do something. I found people strong enough to protect him. And as long as I protect the coven, they’ve agreed to shield his essence.”

“So we’re supposed to, what, forget about him?”

Hesitantly, I move forward and sit on the edge of the bed. “We do what our parents couldn’t do for us. We keep him as far from this life as we can.”  

“But,” tears spring into his eyes, “it’s not- it shouldn’t be like this.”

I take his hands in mine and twine our fingers. We sit in the painful silence surrounding us, both afraid to speak- afraid of the words we might say.

When I can take it no longer, I slip my hand from his. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Dean.”

He opens his mouth to speak, rethinks, and then closes it.

I jump to my feet and rush out of the door before he can say all the hateful things I know I deserve.

My stupid hands are shaking so badly by the time I get to my car that I can’t get the key in the door lock. “Dammit!” I punch the roof of the car, first in frustration, and then again because the pain it causes momentarily distracts me from the pain in my chest.

Warm arms that I immediately recognize as Dean’s encircle me, and I collapse into them with a sob.

Quickly, he spins me. Before I can register what’s happening his lips are pressed to mine. The salty taste of tears mixes with the taste of Dean, and I melt against his chest.

When he gives a pained grunt, I remember his injuries and pull away.

“Shit,” I gasp, checking his bandages. “Your stitches.”

“Screw my stitches,” he mumbles, pulling my hands back around his neck and pinning me against the car with his hips. “I’m not letting you leave, Y/n. Not again.”

“Bu-” I start to protest, and he silences me with another press of his lips.

Dean swipes his tongue along the seam of my lips and all thoughts of protesting flee my mind. I’m going to kiss him just like I’ve dreamed of kissing him every night since I left.

I don’t know what the future holds for us, perhaps no one does. But for tonight, at least, I’m going to pretend that we found a way to take it all back- and just maybe, if we’re really lucky,  move forward.

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