#for how vivid bad squad were in some ways what helped an along so she could be told what happened to nagi?

[slightlytoastedbagel]

ok yes haha funny that vbs started to rap battle against Taiga in lutf but listen. why do you think they did. why do you think they saw this man who just dropped the biggest bombshell imaginable on his niece and challenged them all to a singing battle and she wasn't able to do it herself so they started to sing for her. why do you think it was Toya specifically that started first. a lot of people were watching them. there was more pressure than just that current moment on them. in a story like vivid bad squad's - where singing is typically how emotion and power is shown - why do you think their show of support for An was in standing up to Taiga first, so she could get up too.

[ay0nha]

Lament of My Heart | Joel Miller

SUMMARY: “Tommy…”  Joel let out a breath of frustrated laughter. He disappointingly shook his head, leaning over you, “That boy doesn’t know what he’s lost.”

Set pre-episode four & post-episode five w/ moments of pre-outbreak

PAIRING: Joel Miller x femme!reader

WORD COUNT: 5.1K

WARNINGS: SMUT (hand job), mentions of blood, mutual pining/slow burnish, skinny dipping (of sorts), canon-typical things, mentions of Tommy x reader, etc.

A/N: Need to post this before it sits in the drafts to collect dust. Joel is just on my mind all the time, so this is the product of that. Thank you as always @from-the-clouds​ for listening to my blabbering and entertaining all my ideas! Much love.

“No more questions, Ellie,” You reprimanded her lightly, trying to cover the warmth she was discovering you felt. “Get some rest.”

Ellie was a hard-headed person with the responsibility of society on her shoulders. She carried the weight well, but she was still human, still young. But her questions revealed her growing creativity and sharp wit.

“Not tired.” She hated Joel’s coffee, but the stolen sips still coursed through her veins. You knew it was partly due to the anxiety ahead of them. They all felt it, that tense air of the unknown. “You two don’t seem to get along, though.”

Your eyes flashed to the rear view mirror on instinct. Settled on the truck’s dirty cushions and the supplies being used as a pillow, Joel was asleep. But you weren’t sure how long it would last.

“Ellie-

“It wasn’t a question!” She defended quickly, toying with the edge of her sleeve. She’d been dying to know just exactly why you got under Joel’s skin the way you did. “Tell me about Tommy, at least.”

“Ask Joel.” Your eyes were everywhere. You checked the mirror as if there was traffic, but it was the only thing that kept you occupied. She was making you squirm.

“C’mon, you know he won’t-” Ellie’s own frustrations were building up. In her shoes, you’d be just as curious. “Please.”

Through a thoughtful sigh, you resigned, “Before-We just- We’ve known each other for a long time.” You’d been intertwined with the Miller brothers since before everything. You rarely said it aloud, and now, you struggled to put all the history into something coherent. “I met Tommy when he returned from deployment-

“In Texas?” Ellie hung onto every word, mind spinning tales faster than you could keep up with. “Were you in the military too?”

“I said no questions.”

The comment made her smile. Ellie always appreciated a good game. Loopholes were her specialty.

“Fine, then.” She settled in the passenger seat, knees to her chest as she faced you, “You were discharged with Tommy with more medals than you could count!” Her posture then changed with inventive excitement, “Or maybe a bad-ass sniper with too many confirmed kills to count.” You wished your life was as exciting as she made it sound. “You’re going to have to stop me before I start thinking you led an elite hit squad.”

“Close.” You quipped, “I worked on the military base in town.” It was the first job that hired you and offered some stability for someone your age. “I’d help get soldiers back on their feet once they returned…”

“Then you became friends with Tommy,” Ellie encouraged you to continue. She couldn’t stand the lulls.

Too many years passed for you to remember clearly how you became close to Tommy, but at the time, he considered you his soulmate. Not that either of you really knew what that meant.

“Then I became friends with Tommy.” You nodded. You kept your eyes steady ahead, adding, “Joel, too.” Glancing at Ellie, you finished,  “Then we all just…stuck together.”

Separation wasn’t ever questioned, even on the eve of all the destruction. That memory was vivid; the way your bloodied body held onto Joel, dragging him away from it all, Tommy trailing behind, surveilling every move. It was how you moved together for years, protecting each other as much as possible.  

“He doesn’t talk about it; before,” Ellie commented lowly. You knew she wished for more from Joel. But she couldn’t see what you saw in the way he softened for her.

“That hasn’t changed with time.” Your words felt too bitter. This time you indulged in a glance at Joel. Still settled. “I’m surprised he’s even talking to me now.”

You always described the Miller brothers as a whirlwind. They may not have necessarily meant it, but they had a knack for sweeping you up and consuming you. When Joel came to you with Ellie, there was no question of whether you would help or not, just when and where you were needed.

He’d never leave without you.

“Tell me something about them...” Ellie pleaded. She was a clever girl who picked up on the weight of his misery. But it wasn’t yours to share. “Before they…before this.”

Your shoulders relaxed while your hands moved to the bottom of the steering wheel as you allowed yourself to filter through only the fond memories.

“Alright, well…” You hesitated with your words. Only because you knew, Joel would tell the story differently. “He and Tommy were wasted…I mean…Absolutely hammered that night.”

Your words had their desired effect, and Ellie’s giggles encouraged you to continue. But it felt strange to make Joel’s drinking habits sound so lighthearted when you know how the habit haunted him now.

“Tommy called me.” The phone in Joel’s kitchen woke you up that night well past the witching hour. “The brothers always got into all kinds of mischief, usually Tommy's fault.” You were typically by his side, provoking him. “Always Tommy’s fault.”

“He sounds fun.” Ellie joined in. You knew in another world, the two would get up to all kinds of mischief if they had the chance.

“He can be, when he wants.” You glanced at the map on your lap. With the sun getting low, it meant you needed to find a safe place to stop soon. “That night, though, the two of them had the bright idea to pretend to be bouncers, only to get into a fight with the actual ones.”

“I knew Joel wasn’t a total hard-ass.”

As you continued to retell the story, you hadn’t realized how much nostalgia you carried with you. Nor were you able to see how you talked so warmly of Joel. Ellie knew exactly what to say to get the information she wanted. But you waited a long time to reminisce freely.

“...When I finally got them home,” You blew a raspberry at the unforgettable effort it took. The stench of alcohol and smoke still made your nose scrunch. “Thank god Tommy had enough sense left to make it to the couch.”

Ellie loved how you teased Joel’s hiccuping that he blamed it on being over-served tequila. It was hard even to imagine he had any of that humor left in him. You embellished the story just enough to entertain yourself. But the story's core provided fertile ground for understanding that nothing you added was too far-fetched.

“They remembered nothing the next morning,” You said. “Tommy found all these numbers written on his arm, said he’d close his eyes and pick which to call.”

“....And Joel, he must have been so hungover…”

“You’d think…” You reflected flatly.  “He just got up and went to work.”

From your side, you knew Ellie could sense you holding back.  She’d gotten more than she asked for, so she left it. She could see how the echo of that night still felt fresh, doubting you provided her with the detailed ending you lived.

----

“You alright?” The question was slowly processed by Joel, who was trying to steady his breathing before the contents of his stomach came up.

“Yeah, yeah…” Joel held onto you every step, arm slung over your shoulders, making you sway with him with each step to his room.

He was mumbling while you settled him on the edge of his bed. You got every few words while focusing on preparing him for the next day. The brothers had work, and doing this would save you the headache of hearing their complaints.

“B-been thinkin’...” His Texan drawl was heightened as he slurred.

“That so?” You half-heartedly replied, rummaging through his medicine cabinet. You looked for something for the morning.

“Mhmm…”

You could hear him shuffling around in his room. Assuming he’d been pulling his boots off and discarding his jacket, you were surprised to find him leaning on the bathroom’s door frame.

“Then you’ve been hanging around Tommy too much.”

“Tommy…” Joel let out a breath of frustrated laughter. He disappointingly shook his head, leaning over you, “That boy doesn’t know what he’s lost.”

You still held love for Tommy, but you had mistaken it for something that it wasn’t. The two of you functioned better as friends; you were his confidant and partner in crime. Neither of you would change that for the world.

“And you do?”

Your relationship with Joel had a natural ebb and flow that could be but never got to the point of being volatile. But that didn't stop you from stepping on each other's toes, constantly being on the brink of an argument that neither of you knew the point of.

“Darlin’...” You melted his resolve, helping him the way you were. Joel’s eyes flickered down. Nothing about your outfit was seductive, but the way his eyes loitered told you maybe it had been. Covering his tracks seamlessly, Joel continued, “...The things you deserve.”

Your laugh bounced off the bathroom walls, resonating deep within Joel’s chest.

"What?" Joel asked lightly, his smile starting to mirror yours, but not understanding why, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

“Shit, Joel,” Your laughter lingered, “You must be really drunk.”

“C’mon now.” He tried to stop you. He wasn’t sure he could handle any level of ridicule from you.  

But you pushed passed him, drawing his sheets back for the night to be over, “Let’s just get you to bed.”

He stumbled to you willingly, but you could see his mind turning. There was something he wanted off his chest, but you knew you weren’t ready to hear it.

“Come on now, Miller,” You tried again. “We’ve both got work in the morning.”

“What is it you do again?” Joel’s words played with chords of tension. “Besides eat all my food and sleep on my couch.”

"Get by." You joked more for your sake than his.

Joel’s eyes shifted between your own, pupils entirely dilated.  Blaming it on the alcohol helped settle your stomach.

“I know y-you don’t stick around for my benefit.”

"God forbid we enjoy each other's company, Joel." Your eyes burned into his. You enjoyed your ability to make him bashful in his stupor. Just a look, and he was crumbling.

You saw it coming. You could have stopped it, but it wasn’t even the length of a decent kiss. It was soft and fleeting because you pulled back to never speak of it again. You doubted Joel remembered, but you could never be sure what he’d admit to.

----

“Did you ever-

“Ellie…” You said her name slowly in warning.

She retracted fast, “Joel and you-

“No.”

Your answer came off harshly. You knew where she wanted to go; she’d circled the topic for hours.

“Can I ask one question?”

“That was a question.” You looked at her again pointedly, “Shoot.”

“Why’d you stay in Boston?”

Sitting with the statement, you focused on the road. Most around you was barren and destroyed but offered an unconventional peacefulness. Sometimes you imagined if you’d be better off in isolation than in a QZ. But you could never bring yourself to just disappear like that.

“As hard as you might try,” You started, pulling the car to the side, “You can’t be alone in this world. With a purpose or not, it just doesn’t work.”

The sudden sway of the car disturbed the sleeping figure in the back. Joel attempted to hide his jolt as he sat up but was already looking out the window for trouble.

“We stoppin’?” Joel’s voice filled the car while the engine cooled.

Joel looked to you for reassurance. Ellie pointed that out to you, the way he valued you despite his resentment.

“We’ve gotten far enough today.” You tossed the keys back to him. “We need food and rest.”

“Alright.”

Your exchanges were clipped.

Yet, you valued the journey with Ellie. Selfishly, the task provided a reason to see Joel again. It had become easier to spend time apart. It became a habit. But even with a quiet meal shared and conversations led by Ellie, it felt good to be with him again.

The pressure shifted. No longer were ration cards on your mind, nor were the curfews you struggled to follow. Something about the night felt freeing despite the heavy responsibility that it meant. Maybe it was the privilege of feeling safe with Joel since he created a protective bubble, sacrificing his rest for yours.

You heard Joel get up when he thought yours and Ellie’s breathing steadied. You were going to leave it, but sleep was hard to come by with your mind racing.

Joel saw your shadow first. But the hand that brushed between his shoulder blades still made him flinch. He spoke in hushed tones, looking to ensure that Ellie was still asleep, “I hope you didn’t come over here to tell me we’re safe.”

“Didn’t say that.”  You frowned. He knew you well; you wore your concerns on your face. You just wished he didn’t hold such defiance for them.  “But we’ll be alright for the night-

“Don’t.”

Joel wanted to be in control of everything down to the smallest detail.

You knew it was a way of coping, his way, but it never sat right with you. Especially now, as you watched Joel scrutinize the area you chose, you could feel the criticism he was holding back from the moment you parked the car.

Did you even survey the terrain?

Too much open space. No clear route out.

You know better than this.  

“We’re the perfect targets.”

“Joel-

“We know how this works,” He voiced over you. Even with you there, his surveillance didn’t change as he remained on a swivel.  “It was exactly what we did.”

Joel’s emotions were catching up, but he still held onto a forced restraint. He was expecting resistance, an argument from you. But you heard what he said, how Ellie needed to hear it, to believe him.

No one’s gonna find us.

It was a promise. Something Joel was determined to control.

The wind was picking up the later the night became, and any rustle was faced with a gun barrel.  It caused chills to litter your arms out of apprehension. You tried to comfort yourself with your arms tucked to your chest, but it only shifted Joel’s attention.

If you tried hard enough, you could guess what he would say to you. We need to stay sharp. You could feel Joel’s hesitation, though. It happened every time he pushed you away.

There was merit to your diversion, but Joel only allowed it for so long.

“Get some rest.” He nodded toward his forgotten sleeping bag, “No good if both of us are tired.”

----

The car was gone. The brief companions too. Your heart felt permanently caught in your throat. Adrenaline replaced everything. But it was wearing you thin.

“Where are you going?” Respite clung to Joel’s question as his eyes followed your figure up from his crouched position.

Like a cat, you stretched until something deep within your spine popped. You moved towards the shore of the small body of water you all settled by.

Time was at the forefront of Joel’s mind. Time was no longer on your side, meaning the sooner, the better pressured every minute. Daylight became the most valuable thing. And by the looks of it, you were on your way to wasting it.

“We smell, Joel.” You state as you discard the knife strapped around your waist. You were meant to be cleaning them in the water, preparing them for the next fight the way he had.

But your body was sore. You could imagine the pain Joel felt was much worse, physical or not. He put his body first rather than having you or Ellie be the brunt of it all.

Mornings were sacred to you. It was when the birds sang at dawn because the crisp, moist air carried their songs and their meanings farther through the same air that filled your lungs in fluid refreshment.

 You pulled your shirt over your head and looped your thumbs in the waistband of your pants as you wiggled them over your thighs and down your legs.

For the moment, Joel’s eyes lingered. He looked for bites. He knew he wouldn’t find anything, but he had to be sure. Instead, Joel found deep hues of bruises still healing from Kansas City.

Almost wholly above the horizon, the sun highlighted the mist rising off the body of water. It veiled your body the closer you were to where the water and the rocks met. Yet, Joel watched on until your arms maneuvered behind your back, searching for the clasp of your bra.

As if the sun was directly in his eyes, Joel looked up, avoiding seeing something that wasn’t meant for him. Except, it didn’t stop him from passing along a warning, “Don’t go out far.”

The dirt from the past days felt like a second layer of skin had embedded into your own, suffocating you. You finally waded into the freezing water to rid yourself of it.

But not before throwing a comment over your shoulder, “Join me, then.”

Your words were like an idle threat that was only met with silence. You knew he was contemplating the offer. Always thinking.

The water was cold, goosebumps littering your skin within minutes and creating peaks where Joel refused to look. He scolded himself for the way his cock twitched at just the idea.

You leaned back so you were nearly floating on your back. Above, a bird glided hypnotically in a wide circle.  It seemed you weren’t the only one seeking to rid yourself of a sense of weariness. The cool water swallowed you whole, caressing your skin and relaxing your muscles.

“Someone’s gotta stay with Ellie.” Joel voiced his decision. It was an excuse, what he was supposed to say.

There was no point in fighting it. Instead, you submerged yourself completely; the water consumed you. The longer you stayed under, the closer Joel edged to the water, ensuring you’d come up for a breath.

When you finally reemerged, you held a wicked grin.

“Don’t do that.” Joel frowned at your teasing. His eyes remained downcast, avoiding your eye. The rocks seemed more fascinating than how you became more siren-like by the minute.  “I’m gonna find Ellie.”

“She deserves some privacy.” Despite her continuous puns, you were receptive to the fact that she was still impacted.

You all were.

Hyper vigilance became the enemy that threatened to consume Joel whole. Sleep was no longer negotiable. Every movement dragged worry, invited agitation, and controlled his violence. Joel’s chest was tight, and breathing felt hard to come by. He was moments away from unraveling.

“...There won’t be another invitation, Joel.”

Joel’s loaded gaze burned right through you as he took off his clothes. While he was busy shrugging out of his shirt, you took the opportunity to tread out further. Your back was to him, but you heard the swishing of disturbed water.

You reveled in the way your skin burned for him. He’d seen you naked years ago. But not like this, never like this.

----

Joel’s eyes followed the curve of your body. Your chest swayed as you moved around freely. His pounding heart clocked how too much time had passed for him to sneak out. He was frozen.

“You’re not Tommy.” You let out a breath of relief despite your surprise.

The lace rode high on your hips, accentuating your natural curve. Your chest was perked at the sudden attention of being caught so bare.   Regardless of the incessant ringing in your ears, you stayed stone still, giving him a chance to say something.

Yet, he shook his head, backing out the door he’d come through, mumbling expected apologies.  Joel used the key under the fern and let himself in.

For days he’d been asking Tommy for his tools back. And now, they were forgotten with each hurried step.

You threw on the closest shirt, chasing after him. “Wait!”

“I didn’t mean to-

“Joel, let me explain-

“No, I shouldn’t have-I-I’ll just-”

You found a way to stand before him, blocking his escape route perfectly. “Let’s just slow down…” Your hands were up in defense, mirroring his own. “It’s not what you think.”

Of all people, you wanted Joel to hear you. But the silence was heavy and lacked a proper explanation. You could see the flush that took over his coloring. It was sweet in a way, but you were too mortified to know what to make of it. It wasn’t exactly taught how to handle these sorts of things in school, so you stalled.

“Can I make you some coffee?” An invitation to linger.

Joel looked at you and saw your bare feet moving toward him with hope. He hadn’t meant to, but his eyes scanned your bare legs; the picture of the intricate fabric underneath the oversized shirt made his skin prick. It took him a moment to realize the shirt was his, one Tommy most likely nicked under his nose.

Doubting you knew what that did to him, Joel shook his head, “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“One cup.” You promised.

The air was tense when you made it to the kitchen. You insisted on a fresh pot, but the drops felt like they took ages to fill it enough for its purpose. The hem of the shirt skirted the boundary of indecency, but you thought nothing of it. Your focus was on the longing stare Joel was giving you.

“Tommy and I…” You started with a shaky breath. You were sure Joel knew all about the drifting relationship. “I thought maybe this would…” It felt strange explaining yourself the way you had. But you wanted it to be known that even to you, it felt out of character. “He doesn’t look at me the same anymore…”

Your words feigned a sense of yearning. But neither you nor Tommy could keep up the act. Your words seemed heavy, but it was so alleviating to say aloud. To be listened to.

But the smell of coffee pulled you back, reminding you to be a good host. Filling the mugs just below the brim, you broke the small barrier of the kitchen island. You held the mug close to your chest, the warmth working as emotional support while Joel toyed with the ceramic handle.

You lifted the mug to your lips, blowing lightly over the piping-hot coffee, “...But neither do I.”

“I can talk to Tommy if you…” No matter how much it made Joel regret the offer, Joel said the right thing. He couldn’t meddle where he didn’t belong. “I’m sure he’d understand.”

You laughed into your mug. “I’d rather this stay our thing.”

“You say that like this is going to happen again.”

“Joel Miller.” You said his name after a pause. He looked like a child in trouble. “Are you flirting with me?”

“No, no, I-

“Joking.” You cut in just as awkwardly as he flushed.

You wanted the mood to lighten, needed it to.

But there was clumsiness in every movement, between your ongoing jitteriness and Joel’s restless fidgeting.  So, you moved to the window. On the sill held your half-empty carton of cigarettes, the ones you were trying hard not to touch these days.

With a soft glance back to Joel, you asked, “Mind if I?”

Joel could spot the influences of Tommy in you. Or maybe you had passed along your habits. Either way, it was your home of sorts. Who was he to tell you no?

You had such dexterity with the process. It was like a ritual how you rolled the cigarette over your lips before lighting it. Then after a deep exhale, you utilized the perpetually open window to tap the beginnings of ash.  

“I don’t mean to drag you into all of this…”  You trailed off through an exhale of smoke through your nose. Joel could see the appeal now. “I just don’t-…Tommy’s my friend, and if I…I don’t know what’ll happen if we’re not…”

The end of something always hurt everyone around you. You all were just playing your roles in delaying the inescapable. But the questions of the future haunted you. You weren’t sure if you were ready to let it all go.

“I’ll let you leave…” You toyed with the lit cigarette that was on its last limb as you spoke. Joel’s silence was becoming deafening. “Promise I won’t hold you up any longer.”

You were sure he had more pressing matters than to comfort you through an inevitable breakup.

“Tommy’ll get over it.” Joel sat back with more relaxation now that he spoke his mind. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

----

Joel kept his distance deliberately. He made the venture into the water seem like another task. In and out.

“I don’t bite, you know.”

He knew you wouldn’t be able to stay quiet for too long. He knew what it meant to join you, but he made an effort to seem detached.

“Just giving you some privacy.” Joel echoed your words.

“Right.”  Your frustration was clear. You carried it with you for the handful of days that passed. Your frustrations didn’t lie with him like Joel chose to believe.

Instead, guilt filled Joel’s chest. It had been gnawing at him since he left Boston. He should have left you there if he were as reliable as everyone claimed he was. You’d be without bruises. You’d be without his burden. Leaving without you meant there would be no return.

But you knew Joel. You had to remind yourself.  You knew what he was thinking, what he wanted. That’s how you knew moving towards him would benefit the both of you.

You moved gradually, leading the interaction by brushing his hair behind his ears. The greys of his hair darkened with the water you carried on your fingertips.  He looked younger. He looked like your Joel.

You reached for him, pulling him through the cool water to you. Joel was stiff when your chest met his warmly. He thought of pulling away, but you felt so peaceful that it swallowed him. Your arms wrapped around him with comfort. Your body settled in front of his, gently pressing your hips against him, giving him only an ounce of pressure to entice him.

He noted every twitch. Shyness wasn’t questioned; that barrier was broken years ago. It enabled you to trace his face. Every detail was already committed to memory.

You imagined what he’d say to you all those years ago—anything to make a smile crack.

Careful, now.

All you’re gonna find is a whole lot of ugly.

The scar above his eyebrow marked when your feelings for Joel first latched on. You were blinded by anger then, but the blood scared you. He promised you it was a graze and that he still had his life. But that wasn’t enough proof for you.

When your thumb traced over the faint line, Joel finally found his voice again, “Your shooting’s still sloppy.”

The look Joel held was intimidating, scrutinizing, but you knew he was trying to be witty.  

“See now, when you say things like that…” You whispered softly due to the proximity, “I don’t regret shooting you.”

He hummed, appreciating your touch that ventured to his shoulders. You could feel under your hands the tension he held. You wanted nothing more than to provide relief.

“Joel.”

Just his name made your desire clear. He wanted to touch you all those years ago, but he’d never betray his brother like that. But now you invited him to you without any barriers. There was hesitancy in the hold Joel found on your hips. His mind wandered; wavered between the need and the want.

Starting at the swirl of hair on his chest, you followed the trail down until Joel’s breath hitched. Joel felt like he was about to lose it when your hand wrapped around him.

“This feel okay?” You moved your hand against him, slow and soft.

Water dripped from his nose to your shoulder as he nodded eagerly.  His groan rumbled deep in his chest, vibrating against your own. You tread in dangerous territory but recognized the privilege of his trust.

This was for Joel. You needed this just as much as he did. You didn’t worry if it functioned as a thank you for keeping you alive, an apology for the trouble you’d caused him, or a confession of your own.

It didn’t matter when you indulged in your own lust.

“Do you think of me when you’re on your own?” You asked, fingers wrapped around his shaft, squeezing him until you felt his pulse in your grip.

“Oh- Fuck-” He cut himself off before he let a pet name slip. Joel’s fingers dug into the soft flesh of your hips, imprinting his touch into your skin, burned to your very bone.

“Hmm?” You edged him further. Gently, you continued to pump him and move your thumb over his tip.

Joel’s ragged breath fell on your pulse point with each moan as you continued to pump him rhythmically. His hand came up to your throat in a tender hold. His lips hover over yours but refrained from connecting.

It would be too intimate if you had.

“Do you want me to?” The hold gave him dominance even as he shuddered under your touch. Always desiring control.

The water around you rippled with your continued movements. With his free hand, his thumb rubbed gently at the sensitive skin that was near the pebbles of your breast, but he made no effort to touch it just yet.  His words and touch were a deadly combination, the kind that made you ache.

“Would that be so bad?” You spoke on his lips, feeling the tickle of his mustache. The more you worked on his release the more you felt his warm pants turn into deep moans. “Come on now, Miller,” You coaxed softly, moving up and down his length with a lively pattern, teasingly and tauntingly. “Tell me.”

Joel’s words were caught in his throat as ecstasy flowed through his veins as the pleasure crashed. His hips jerked against you as his breathing became ragged and his moans became filthy.

He sighed with relief, abandoning himself. He groaned into you, nuzzling his nose in your neck as the aftershocks made him tremble. He could feel your hand threading in his hair, keeping him in your tight embrace.

“Yes.”

[goodlucktai]

Hi! I love your works! 71 + 72 for Luffy and Jinbei?

PROMPTS LIST

71. “I’m going to protect you.”

smile again

x

As a watchdog journalist, Jinbei's work takes him everywhere. He isn't always in the best position to receive phone calls. Sometimes, depending on what story his group decides to chase after and what far-flung corner of the world it leads them to, Jinbei goes weeks without internet access.

By the time he gets news of the accident, Luffy has been out of the hospital for a month and Ace has been dead just as long.

Jinbei has to go home.

His colleagues-- a group of solid, hard-working people he's known for going on twenty years, has worked with on the field and off, in smoke and fire and claustrophobic office spaces-- are entirely understanding.

Tiger drives him to a small airport, the truck bouncing along a bumpy gravel road. There's a single, hastily-packed duffel in the bed of the pickup. Jinbei isn't even sure what he shoved in there, having only made one mindless pass through his room. He would have left without his passport if Hatchan hadn't shoved it into his hands on his way out the door.

"It may be time for me to retire," Jinbei says aloud. His mind is ebbing and rising like a tide, a vast ocean of grief. Thoughts go bobbing away like loose buoys before he can get a grasp on them.

All he can think of is the last video-call he made home, over a month ago now. Ace and Luffy, pressed cheek-to-cheek so they'd both fit in-frame, competitive in all things and unwilling to take turns, even as Jinbei laughingly promised he had plenty of time to talk.

They made him promise to call again soon. He meant to.

"Don't worry about us over here," Tiger says. His eyes are on the road, hands tight around the steering wheel. He carries Jinbei's grief like it's his own. "Just worry about your boy."

His boy, Jinbei thinks. Not by blood or by law, certainly, but by something less quantifiable than that. Those scrappy kids that spilled into his yard one muggy summer evening, hiding in the hedges from their well-antagonized CPS caseworker and somehow claiming a piece of Jinbei's heart from the moment he first laid eyes on them.

Ace was so angry back then, and Luffy was so easily frightened, and they clung to each other in a practiced way, as if they were so used to the world trying to claw them apart that they didn't expect anything else, even from a perfect stranger. They didn't seem to know what to do with kindness. Ace watched Jinbei like a hawk for weeks, long after Luffy warmed up to him. His trust, when he finally gave it, felt like a prize.

Jinbei was working long, unpredictable hours, and knew it wouldn't be fair to drag two children into his household if he couldn't afford them the time and care they deserved-- but after school? Weekends? Holidays? Those he gave up freely.

His days gained some semblance of routine again, for the fist time since he finished college. His kitchenware came down from the cupboard, the pockmarked kitchen table was often set for three. He made dinner at home, more than he ate in the office with his colleagues.

Hell, his colleagues ate dinner with him at home more often, too. Within an hour of meeting the boys, each of Jinbei's friends, to a man, would have taken a bullet for either of them, no questions asked.

The sense of structure did wonders for the brothers. With a safe place to return to when they needed it, and someone to fall back on, Ace stopped looking at every potential foster home as if it was a threat. Luffy came out of his shell, bolder with each new day. He made a friend in the village, a boy with vivid green eyes, and they hardly spent a moment apart.

They were finally placed with a couple who lived nearby. Shanks was wry and good-natured, and Benn had the patience of a saint. After a few weeks, when Jinbei asked how they were settling in, his worries were soothed: Luffy clearly adored them, and even Ace grudgingly admitted they weren't so bad.

And when the time came, and Ace applied for emancipation as well as custody of his brother, he had a small army in his corner. A patchwork family collected in little bits and pieces, ready to support him through anything.

"I will always be here for you both," Jinbei had promised him, countless times. "You'll never be alone as long as I'm alive."

"Thank you," Ace said, a little bashful. But he was so pleased, and so full of hope for the future, and he said, "I'll feel better, knowing someone's around to look after Luffy if I can't."

He immediately got shouted down by his entire strange extended pseudo-family for daring to suggest they'd ever let anything happen to him, and it made him laugh so brightly, and now the memory sticks like needles in Jinbei's throat.

Tiger hugs him hard before Jinbei boards the plane. In the back of his mind, where there is a tiny corner free from drowning, Jinbei can't help but wonder when he'll see his friend again.

He keeps thinking of that last video call. He can't remember everything they talked about. He doesn't think he said enough. He almost certainly didn't tell Ace everything he deserved to hear. Foolishly, he assumed there would be another time.

He's learned from this. He won't take it for granted any more.

"Call me when you land," Tiger says. "Give the monkey our love."

"I will," Jinbei replies. His heart is so heavy he doesn't know how he manages the steps onto the plane. He doesn't know how the pilot manages to lift them up from the tarmac. It's a wonder they aren't sinking, straight through the earth.

Nami and Usopp are waiting for him at the airport, wide-awake even though it's well past two o'clock in the morning. They're familiar to Jinbei from the stories Luffy has told him, from the numerous video calls they've bullied their way into over the years, and the handful of birthdays and holidays Jinbei was able to make it home for.

"Luffy wanted to come with us to pick you up, but he fell asleep," Usopp says, apropos of nothing, as they're waiting for their Uber. "Sanji said it was a small miracle, and Zoro looked like he was going to hunt us for sport if we even thought about waking him up, so--"

"He hasn't been sleeping, then?" Jinbei asks quietly.

"After he came home, he was on some pretty heavy meds, and he slept a lot," Nami says. Her arms are folded tight against her chest in the nighttime chill, her eyes trained somewhere far away. "But he had bad dreams and he would wake up disoriented. Now he fights sleep tooth and nail."

"We've all sort of become the insomnia squad," Usopp pipes up. "Thank god I'm not taking any classes this summer."

"Sanji's gotten really good at making lattes," Nami adds with a small smile. "Wait till you see his shiny new espresso machine."

"I'm like eight-five percent sure he stole it from the Baratie."

Jinbei listens to their chatter, feeling at once anchored by them and adrift at sea. It makes sense that they would be ahead of him. They've been here all this time, practically from the moment of the accident, facing it with all the bravery and endurance of sailors in a typhoon. Jinbei, meanwhile, had been living in an unchanged world.

For the last month, Ace has been dead. How many times had Jinbei thought about him? Mentioned him to a friend? How many times had Jinbei wrongly said his name in the present-tense?

The house is warmly-lit when they arrive, but quiet. An old blue Irish wolfhound greets them at the door, wagging his tail. Robin looks up from the papers she has spread out on the coffee table and smiles. Chopper is fast asleep beside her, his head on her shoulder. Behind them, Jinbei can see Sanji at work in the kitchen, shaping dough. Something is baking that smells of cinnamon and apples.

They weren't kidding about their sleep schedules being a mess.

"Hello, Jinbei. It's good to see you," Robin says. Her voice is soft, in deference to the sleeping teenager. "Luffy is asleep, but you can see him if you like."

"Please," Jinbei replies hoarsely.

"I'll take him," Nami says. "Usopp, would you bring his bag to the guest bedroom?"

"'Course," Usopp replies, but he makes a detour into the kitchen first.

Nami takes Jinbei's hand and leads him toward the stairs. "I feel really stupid about this, but I was so angry at you," she admits as they make their way up. "It's hardly the first time we haven't been able to contact you, and I know why that is. But-- I don't know, I think I was going crazy. I wanted Luffy to have everything he wanted. I wanted everyone who loved him to be here every time he woke up. So I-- so there might be some angry emails waiting for you, but please don't hate me for it."

"I won't even read them," Jinbei promises gravely, his heart cleaved clean in two. "I can't imagine how-- how hard it must have been. I-- if I had gotten the messages sooner-- "

"I know," Nami assures him, pausing outside a closed bedroom door. "Franky spoke to you like six hours ago, and you're already here. You dropped everything to be here. We know the kind of person you are."

She stands up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, and Jinbei bends to accommodate her, the same way he does for Koala. Then Nami reaches out and pushes open the door.

Zoro is awake, sitting against the headboard with his phone in hand and earphones in, and his eyes are as bright and sharp now as they were when he was a child. He looks up when the door opens, and seems to relax when he sees Jinbei stepping in behind Nami.

"Go to sleep," Nami whispers, pointing at the second bed across the spacious room.

"Don't tell me what to do," Zoro replies, just as quiet, but he pulls his earphones out and extracts himself from the bed with all the exacting precision of a bomb disposal technician. Nami takes him by the arm, helping him get up so carefully that the mattress hardly moves. It's such a well-practiced maneuver that Jinbei thinks he honestly might cry.

"If one of you would stay for a bit, I'll grab a shower," Zoro says.

"Sure, stinky," Nami says, nudging him toward the door. "Jinbei?"

He nods, unsure of what he's agreeing to. Now that he's finally next to Luffy, nothing else seems to exist. He sinks into the chair beside the bed, only half-aware of Nami and Zoro leaving. Their murmured conversation is cut off by the closing door. The room is silent, save for the gentle, unobtrusive sound of Luffy's steady breathing.

He's lost weight since Jinbei saw him last. There are shadows on his face that don't belong there. He looks both older and younger than he has any right to, even now, when his face is untroubled and slack with sleep.

"Hello, little monkey," Jinbei says. His voice is quiet, but it still breaks. He's crying, he realizes, thick tears rolling down his face with abandon. "I'm sorry it took me so long."

He thinks of two little boys, spilling into his life on accident, taking up room in his home and his heart as if they always belonged there. They weren't his, not really, but he loved them anyway. Loves them still.

"I'm here now," he whispers. His hands are shaking. "I'm going to protect you, like I promised. I'm here, Ace. Please believe me, wherever you are. I won't fail you again."

[missjanjie]

Better Than Revenge | Chapter 3

Title: Better Than Revenge Summary: Karma Inc.’s business structure is simple - clients hire them when they’ve been grievously wronged and they send one of their revenge mercenaries to right them. As painstaking as their efforts to remain ethical may be, that may be tested when former detective, Rosé, enlists the squad to pick up where she couldn’t on a much higher scale, with potentially greater consequences. Word Count: ~2.7k (this chapter) | ~8k (total) Relationship(s): Rosnali (Rosé/Denali Foxx), Jankie (Jackie Cox/Jan Sport), Halldoll (Nicky Doll/Jaida Essence Hall), Gimone (Gigi Goode/Symone), Gottlux (Gottmik/Olivia Lux) Rating: T

Read on AO3 | Ko-Fi

Chapter Summary: Rosé learns Gigi, Symone, and Denali's revenge origin stories

-

Woodstock, IL — 2016

Gigi took a deep breath as she stared at herself in the mirror. She could do this, it was fine. Every time her suspicions or confusion would bubble up, she forced them back down. Hannah was nice, she was different from the other popular girls. She didn’t see the ‘weird art lesbian’ with the braces and thick-rimmed glasses, who rarely got pop culture references post-1989, at least, that’s how she made her feel.

“I’ll text you in the morning,” she assured her mother as she threw her bag over her shoulder. “It’ll be fine, I’m just hanging out with a friend.” She was out to her mom, of course, that was her biggest ally. But she wasn’t ready to tell her that the head cheerleader had taken an interest in her. Maybe when and if they became official. Until then, she shook off the last of her nerves and drove to her house, only pulled from her thoughts by the time she was sitting on Hannah’s bed.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” Hannah cooed, batting her lashes and resting her hand on Gigi’s thigh.

If Gigi hadn’t been so blinded by her crush, she might’ve thought Hannah was laying it on a little thick, but she couldn’t act like she didn’t enjoy the attention. “Me too, a-about you, I mean. Sorry, I’m just nervous…”

“How come? I didn’t come on too strong over text, did I?”

“No, no I liked it, it’s just… I’m a virgin, like, I’ve only ever kissed before,” she confessed, her cheeks flushing rosy pink. She had talked a big game over text, but being faced with the chance of starting a physical relationship brought her back to reality.

Hannah pouted, rubbing Gigi’s thigh as she thought, letting her hand inch higher. “Well, you’ve got fantasies, don’t you? I know you’ve masturbated before. What do you think about while you touch yourself?”

Gigi hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. The other girl wasn’t wrong, she did know what she liked, could conjure up vivid imagery to get herself aroused, but she had never said any of it out loud. “I like powerful, confident women. I guess that’s something that drew me to you,” she started, “I wanna just… give up control, be dominated.”

“Really? Tell me more,” Hannah prompted, kissing along her neck and jaw and slowly tugging Gigi’s shirt off in an attempt to coax her to continue.

When Hannah didn’t seem deterred by her confession, Gigi started to relax. “It’s just, I don’t know, I always feel the need to be in control of my life and with sex, I just wanna let go and give up that power.”

“So like, what would you want someone to do to you?” she asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

She bit down on her lip. “Um… tie me up, spank me, choke me, and I know it’s kind of intense but maybe something like cnc or—” the incessant buzzing of her phone distracted her and, concerned it might be an urgent call or text from home, she took her phone out. “Sorry, one sec.”

It wasn’t from home, she had two missed calls from her best friend, Crystal, followed by several texts.

Crystal: GIGI STOP Crystal: SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! Crystal: She’s broadcasting you on IG live! Crystal: We can see and hear everything…

Gigi’s face fell, her first instinct to pull her shirt back on. Then she slowly looked up and in front of her, that’s when she saw it, nestled between stuffed animals — Hannah’s phone with an instagram live going. She didn’t say anything, just ran out of the house as fast as her legs would take her and through her tears drove right to Crystal’s house. That was when the two of them formed their plot.

In and of itself, it was simple. Gigi waited one day until Hannah was away for a cheer competition and went to her house. “I’m so sorry to bother you, Mrs. Andrews, but I think I left some of my homework in Hannah’s room, she just said to let you know so I can run in and grab it.” Once inside, she found exactly what she was looking for, sliding Hannah’s diary into her backpack and went right back out.

“This feels very Mean Girls, I love it,” Crystal remarked as they taped page after page of the diary on lockers, walls, anywhere they could.

“Well, plan B was to go the Heathers route, so let’s just hope it works.”

And to say it worked was an understatement. As it turned out, Hannah had written things far more incriminating, and because it came from someone of her social ranking, it made everyone immediately lose interest in Gigi’s livestream scandal, and she graduated with the anonymity she needed for survival.

Present Day

“I’ll be honest with you,” Rosé remarked, “it’s kinda hard to picture you as an ugly duckling, especially the way you described it.” Gigi was too pretty, too perfect. Something didn’t add up.

Gigi got out her phone and scrolled through her photos until she found one from her senior year. “Believe it, doll,” she said as she held her phone up. She watched with an amused expression as Rosé looked from her phone, to her, and back with her eyes wide and mouth agape. “Braces off, lasik, learned a lot about how to dress while going to FIDM, which is where I met Symone, who helped fill in the blanks.”

“And made sure she got to do all them things she listed to that bitch without feeling ashamed about it,” Symone added with a smirk, draping her arm around Gigi and pulling her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Why don’t you tell her your story next, baby?” Gigi prompted.

Conway, AR — 2014

Symone watched her sister throw her bag over her shoulder and start to sneak out the window. “Look, I ain’t snitching or nothing, but I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

She and her sister, Lala, were close, sometimes referring to themselves as twins – they were only ten months apart, in the same grade at school. And until the summer after sophomore year, they had the same group of friends. But the crowd Lala ran with now just rubbed her the wrong way.

“You worry too much,” Lala brushed it off. “I’ll be fine, in bed by morning like nothing happened.”

But when Symone got a collect call two hours later, she found out things were far from fine. She drove down to the county jail as fast as she could without getting pulled over herself. Luckily bail was a mere fifty dollars, but once she got her sister back in the car, she looked at her incredulously. “What the fuck happened?”

“One of ‘em brought weed, another brought booze, but when the cops rolled up on us, they said it all was mine. And who was they gonna believe, me or three white kids?” Lala sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen to me,” she whispered.

“I don’t either,” Symone admitted quietly, frustrated at her inability to come up with an immediate solution. “But we’re gonna do our best to get you out of this, okay?”

The best they could do wasn’t easy. It involved a lot of legal maneuvering, meetings with one person in a suit after another. The end result wasn’t ideal, but it was far better than what could have been. Lala was fined three hundred dollars and put on thirty days of probation. In and of itself, it didn’t seem so bad, but the residual consequences took their toll.

“I lost my scholarship, ‘mone. That was my ticket into college,” Lala sighed. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know I’m getting off with a slap on the wrist, but I really ain’t thrilled about taking out student loans,” she sat down on the floor beside the bed, head leaning against it. “Or maybe I’ll start with community college, I dunno. It just fucking sucks that they all got off with warnings.”

Symone’s brows knitted together, her lips pressed into a fine line. “Don’t you worry baby,” she said after a moment, “they gon’ face consequences one way or another.”

It had taken most of spring break, but Symone finally had all of the pieces for her plan. “Not the most convoluted thing in the world, but it’ll get the job done,” she mused.

Lala looked at her sister, then at her desk and back. “Do I even wanna know where the hell you got coke from?”

“No, you do not.”

Getting the drugs was the hard part. Getting into school early to plant the drugs in the lockers of Lala’s former friends was far easier, as was leaving an ‘anonymous tip’ from a ‘concerned student’ on the principal’s desk.

“God, I wish I could’ve seen them get hauled off in cop cars,” Lala remarked as she and Symone drove home from school. The three students were quietly escorted out of class and arrested, the school wanting to bring as little attention as possible. “Shame that they rich daddies will still get them off lightly.”

Symone sighed and nodded. “Sure, but they’re still gonna get something, which is more than what they got when they threw you under the bus. Bet they’re gonna think twice before they let someone else take the fall for them.”

Her sister smiled softly and shook her head. “You really ain’t gotta do all that for me, you know?”

“I know,” she hummed, “not gonna stop me, though.”

Present Day

“Wow, that’s both selfless and hardcore,” Rosé remarked with an impressed nod. “Did she ever find out where you got the coke from?”

Symone laughed and shook her head. “Nah, that secret I’m taking to the grave.”

Rosé jokingly put her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, fair enough,” she chuckled. After a moment, she turned her attention to Denali. “That just leaves you, princess,” she remarked, a slight smirk tugging at her lips. “What’s your claim to infamy?”

Denali tossed her hair off her shoulder and grinned softly. “Who, me?” she cooed, fluttering her lashes. “Well, it is kind of an interesting story…”

Nicky rolled her eyes and tossed one of the couch pillows at her head. “Stop flirting and get on with it already.”

Fairbanks, AK — 2011

Denali groaned when the sound of loud footsteps racing up the stairs pulled her from her quasi-asleep state, then pulled a pillow over her head when the door swung open.

“What the hell are you still doing in bed when the qualifiers are in two hours?” her friend, Kahmora, asked with incredulous horror. She yanked the covers off of her, but stepped back in concern when she finally caught sight of Denali’s face. “Oh god, you look like shit.”

She frowned and rolled over to face away from her. “I feel like I died and was in the process of being reanimated, then killed again,” she lamented. “It’s probably food poisoning… or maybe swine flu came back, I dunno.”

“Did you eat anything unusual?”

Denali furrowed her brows as she wracked her brain. “I mean, Tara gave me those brownies and I had one, but when she said they were ‘special’, I just thought she meant they had weed in them, but that sure as hell isn’t it.” With as much energy as she could muster, she sat upright. “Oh my god, do you think she poisoned me?”

Kahmora arched her brow. “I think that’s a bit much, even for her. Do I think she put something like a laxative in there so it’d take you out long enough that you couldn’t beat her out in the international qualifiers? Yeah, probably. She’s a cunt.”

The skater scowled, her jaw clenched. “She’s a dead cunt,” she corrected, then suddenly shot out of bed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she muttered as she raced to the bathroom yet again.

There wasn’t an obvious revenge plan for Denali. She knew that nothing she did would get her spot in the competition, and she wondered if it was even worth it. But her pettiness and spite won out and she began planning out her course of action.

“Remember,” she was saying, “if all else fails, we go the Tonya Harding route.”

Kahmora sighed. “For the last time, you are not whacking Tara’s kneecaps, now let’s go.” Despite some pouting from Denali, they went to get the gears turning in their plan. They got to the ice rink and slipped into the locker room without being noticed by Tara, who was in the middle of practice.

Denali picked the lock and took out Tara’s change of clothes. Then she reached into her own bag and pulled on latex gloves and a plastic bag containing several leaves of poison ivy. She turned the shirt, pants, and socks inside out and firmly rubbed the leaves against the fabric, making sure she left as little fabric uncovered as possible. “She’s lucky I’m merciful or I’d rub it on her panties too,” she remarked offhandedly.

Kahmora tilted her head as she watched her. “Do you actually think it’ll take her out of the competition?” she asked as her friend put the leaves and gloves into the ziploc bag.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I mean, it’s possible, probable really, that the constant itching might make it too difficult for her to skate. But this is more about getting even with her. I might not ever get another chance to compete for internationals. She’s lucky the only retribution she’s getting is a few weeks of itchy blisters.”

“Otherwise you’d Tonya Harding her?”

Denali nodded brightly. “Exactly! Now come on, we have to get rid of the evidence.” And with that, they scurried out of the locker room as inconspicuously as they’d entered it and threw out the evidence in a trash can several blocks over.

When the news broke that Tara had withdrawn from the competition due to ‘unexpected physical problems’, Denali did her best to feign shock and didn’t celebrate until she and Kahmora were alone.

“So, what do you wanna do now?” Kahmora asked.

Denali tilted her head in thought, then smirked. “Let’s go get brownies.”

Present Day

“Personally, I still think you should’ve busted her knees,” Mik mused offhandedly. “Like, I bet you would’ve figured out a way to get away with it, you conniving bitch,” he teased.

Denali shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s not very original and it’d look a lot more suspicious on my end.”

“I think it was pretty badass,” Rosé offered, making the other woman smile which, in turn, made her heart flutter — something she chose to actively ignore. Instead, she let all of their stories sink in. None of their reasons for revenge were out of line, none of their victims undeserving. And none of the consequences were as severe as some of the things she had seen in her time. “You all really know what you’re doing, huh?”

“We wouldn’t have been able to keep this up for three years if we didn’t,” Jan replied. “We had all of the potential on our own, but we make a difference together, and then we added Jackie to tie up the loose ends. It’s been smooth sailing from there.”

“Yeah, and now Jackie ties you up instead,” Nicky teased, earning an eye roll in response.

Rosé watched the group interact with a fond smile. She had assumed they all got along to be working together for as long as they have been, but she hadn’t anticipated them truly behaving like a family. It was a stark contrast to the constant coldness and curtness she had grown accustomed to, both in her previous career and in the environment she grew up in. She only hoped it would make the tasks ahead that much easier for them.

[lo-55]

Playing With Fire Ch. 3

Ignition

@emrysaf

You’ve decided. You’re going to marry Maki. 

You’re going to marry her and adopt Sputter and Flare, and you’ll all live happily ever after in the cathedral and- 

You’re broken out of your thoughts when Maki smacks you so hard you literally see stars and throws you on the ground. 

“... owe.”

If everything else hadn’t cemented the fact that you were really living inside Fire Force, the pain of Maki’s fist and the hard concrete under your cheek sure would have. Holy hell, how was she so strong?

You roll over on your back to look up at her. 

“I bet,” you begin, “that you could bench press me if you really wanted to.”

Maki’s cheeks pink and she huffs down at you. “Why aren’t you using your pyrokinesis? Do you think I can’t handle it?”

I have no idea how to do that! 

“Nope, Nope! I’m sure you could wipe the floor with me, it’s not that miss!” You said quickly. “I was just in awe of you, sorry,” you salute quickly, and watch pink crawl across Maki’s face. 

So cute!! 

“H-honestly! At least use your spear!” 

You perk up. Spear? The Sun Spear? Is that what you have here? An answer! Finally! An answer! 

Maki takes your surprise for something else. “No one told you that they’d sent it over ahead of you? You should really keep better of your gear.” 

You dip your head quickly. “Yes, yes. Sorry. Can you show me where it is, please?” 

“Sure,” Maki smiles at you, “We’re about done for now, anyhow. Let’s go back inside and wash up. Sister Iris and Shinra should be waiting.” 

Maki takes you back into the cathedral, away from the training area on the roof. The cathedral really is pretty run down. The walls could use a good scrubbing, the floor boards either need to be replaced or are missing entirely, and there’s a lot of cracks in the tile and missing corners. The windows are fine, if not dusty, and the stained glass pieces are really beautiful. The whole place smells faintly of burnt wood and gun oil. It’s not bad, but its certainly unfamiliar. Everything is so vivid. The way it smells. The sound of the building settling, and the birds outside, and the voices of your new comrades. 

It’s amazing. 

Kinda terrifying, but crazy cool too. 

After a quick shower for each of you Maki shows you to the weapons room, where a long, thin case is rested against a wall between two racks of guns. Obi’s shield is propped up in one corner, along with a couple of his weird stabbing things that he puts infernals to rest with. You’ve been here two days now, and you’ve seen him use it twice.

You don’t know how, but you know instinctively that that case belongs to you. 

You go to it. There’s a strap along the back, like the kind on a violin case. You carefully set it on a table, mindful of the bullets stacked on top of it. With a few clicks you undo the buttons on either end and open up the case. Inside is a long staff, deep red in color and capped at the bottom with copper colored metal that curves into a diamond point. On the opposite end is a thin band of the same metal, that reveals the inside to be hollow. 

You pick it up carefully, testing its weight in your hands. It feels natural. Even though you’ve never actually fought with a spear before your body knows where to hold it, and how to spin it around elegantly until you’re facing Maki again. Your body knows how much space you’re taking up, and how not to hit the walls, while your brain geeks out over the fact that you’re actually holding the Sun Lance. 

So cool! 

Is it conceited to say that you’re super cool? Or that this was hella badass? 

You were almost bouncing on your toes you were so excited. 

“Wow, I didn’t know you missed your spear this much,” Maki smiled at you. “You look good with it.” 

“Aha, you think so? It’s just nice to have it I guess. This has been, I dunno. An adventure already. I’m in a strange place, with strange people, and I’m in an awfully dangerous situation. It’s been an adjustment, ya know?” 

You feel like a fool for rambling, but Maki smiles at you kindly. 

“I understand. Even though I was raised in a military family, it took me a while to get used to life as a fire soldier too. Don’t worry too much about it, and you know, we’re always here to help. It’s not like you have to go it alone.” 

You’re heart warms with her words. “Yeah. Thank you, Maki. You’re really a nice person.” 

Once the Sun Lance is safe in its case the two of you leave the armory, and make your way to the dorm rooms. 

Since the company is so small, each person gets their own room. In bigger companies you would be in actually dorms, or barracks, but the eighth only has Obi, Hinawa, Maki, Sister Iris, Shinra, and yourself. Arthur will be here soon too, and Tamaki. Your small company will grow soon. 

Your own room ended up being at the top of one of the towers on the west side of the cathedral, opposite of the garage. Which meant that last night, when the alarm had gone off, you’d been the last to arrive at the Matchbox. Near the garage are the locker rooms, and the communal showers, although there’s more bathrooms scattered through the base. 

In the center of the cathedral is the courtyard where Sister Iris purifies herself, and grows flowers. 

It’s really a nice place. 

“Thank you,” you say again, and Maki nods to you and leaves you to climb the steps on your own. You shut the door and lock it behind you. 

Your room is scant, all things considered. A bunk bed it pushed into each corner, with a desk underneath it. You’ve claimed the one nearest to the window. There’s a wardrobe on the opposite side, and a small, stocky book shelf. 

You need to hang up some pictures or get a rug or something. It’s entirely impersonal. 

You rest your Sun Lance up against the corner by the window and go to sit at the desk under your bed. You’ve already unpacked your few belongings into the wardrobe and the drawers of the desk, including the diary from ‘Fuyuki’. 

Your ‘sister’. The game honestly hadn’t told you a whole lot about her. Just that she disappeared, and what few flashbacks you would have now and again. Like the one you got when you touched your ring and the lighter.  

You open it up with careful hands. 

Inside the handwriting is familiar, even if the words aren’t. There’s no mistaking your hand writing. It looks like a serial killer in a movie has left a ransom note made out of letters cut out of magazines. 

I wonder if there’s cereal in the kitchen. 

You always think better when you’re snacking. 

To keep your thoughts in order, you scatterbrain.

<3 Fuyuki 

 The first entry is dated for 193 AC. After the Cataclysm. It’s 198 now, so this was given to MAIN (to you?) five years ago. That would have been right before she graduated the fire academy and joined her company. A year before she disappeared, around 194. 

It feels invasive to read the diary of the person whos life you’ve taken over, but you need answers and you don’t have a lot of options here. 

I can’t believe Fuyuki gave me a diary! That’s so lame, and super girly. I don’t really want to write in it, but she gave it to me so I guess I should? Even if I am kinda mad at her. She left to go to school years ago and she never comes home! She’s so mean but then she’s nice and its so frustrating! Not fair. Stupid sister. 

But i’ll try i guess. There’s not much else to do in the house. None of the other kids really wanna play with me, and the Yagi’s are busy watching the littler kids. And maybe i’ll have kids and their kids will have kids will have kids will have kids and i’ll be their super cool ancestor and they’ll read this for inspiration or something. 

Good god, how old were they when they started writing this? Twelve? How old even were you? 

Fuck it. 

You kept reading. They/you weren’t a regular writer, with long months going between entries. Some of them were sad, some of them were happy, most of them were angry. They had a lot of complicated feelings on the sister who had abandoned them to what was basically a group home outside Asakusa, and then bitterness at themselves for being so angry when she disappeared. But most of it wasn’t that useful. It was about grades and teachers, and grief. They got into a lot of fights, and they were something of a scrapper. They were briefly enrolled in martial arts classes, but they had to quit because they were too rough with the other kids. So they were a scrapper, but that wasn’t anything related to fire. 

You rubbed your temples and glared at the diary. How did it answer your questions but leave you with more? 

Why is this my life now? 

So much here didn’t make sense, nonetheleast the fact that you were here to begin with. Well. At least you finally knew what your pyrokinesis was right? Even if using it was nearly impossible, and you couldn’t make sense of everything. 

Of course, there were plenty of things in this world that didn’t make sense. Like how sound could turn fire into ice. 

Bringing back the dead made more sense than that! 

You cross your arms and glare at the diary. So far the only useful bit is the part where you’ve had some decent training. Everything else is just the most vague information about the investigation into her sister’s disappearance. That much you already knew, although you didn’t have time to read everything in it. There were big gaps that you just knew were holding important information! 

At a loss, you flipped to the very last written on page, halfway through, and froze. 

Staring back at you was your own face. A small picture. It was your resume for the squad assignments, with your own check boxes and preferences listed. Underneath it was the list you had written before, of Everything You Knew. It was short, with little screen caps here and there. You flipped the page and found it filling itself in with ink that didn’t come from a pen, finishing up what it started on the page before. 

A new page started, this one listed your stats. 

In game there were a hundred levels. You had gotten maybe halfway through? A third if you rounded down. And it listed your level at 40. Underneath had your attack power, defense, stamina, agility, and your special moves. 

You were weirdly well rounded. Three out of five bars for everything, except the SM, which only had one. 

But, you hadn’t put that there! 

You quickly flipped it back and forth before you went to the very, very last page in the diary. On the back cover the ink finally finished filling out. A progress bar. 

You stared at it for a long, long time, trying to work over everything was happening. 

So. 

Now you knew what you could do. Just not how to do it. 

You were out of options at this point. You were just going to have to suck it up. 

You were going to have to ask someone for help directly. 

 ~

Shinra looks up from his work when you plop into the seat across from him, your arms crossed across your chest. It would be a lie to say you’re not nervous. You’re not even totally sure how you’re supposed to ask these questions, but you don’t have any other way to go about this any more. 

You tried the diary. You’ve spent two and a half days trying to get your ignition ability to work without help. Admittedly, you hadn’t even know how your ability was meant to manifest at the time, but even now you can’t get it to work.  

“Oh, hey there,” Shinra offers you an awkward smile. You grin right back, trying to project as much happy-go-lucky-nothing-wrong-here-!-  as you can. It’s made easier by the fact that prior to a few days ago, no one here had known you as anything more than a passing acquaintance. 

“Hi Shinra. I’ve got a weird question for you,” you announce bluntly. 

Shinra looks a little more wary, and he’s starting to smile. 

“Oh yeah? What is it?” 

“Ah, it’s pretty simple actually. How do you activate your abilities?” 

“Huh?” 

“How do you-” 

“No, I heard you,” he holds up his hand to cup you off. “It’s just a weird question.” 

“Hey man, I told you it was gonna be one.” 

You stare at each other for a long minute before Shinra huffs and looks towards the ceiling. He might not be the best person to ask. Maybe you should ask Maki, but Shinra makes you feel secure and you trust him more than anyone else just yet. 

“How do I activate my abilities? I dunno. I guess for me it’s more like I have to turn it off.” 

You tilt your head, listening intently to Shinra. 

“When I was a kid… I had a hard time controlling my flames. They started up suddenly, and burned through my shoes and pants. I ended up wearing these extinguisher boots, and shorts, so I wouldn’t destroy everything around me. It took a long time to figure out what was going on, but someone finally explained it to me. For a lot of third generation pyrokinetics, the thing that triggers out ability is the memory of the first time they happened.” 

You falter. “But, wait. Didn’t yours activate when-” 

“Yeah,” he cuts in, shooting you a grin that’s anything but happy. Your heart clenches in your chest. 

“Oh god, Shinra…” That meant that every time he used his powers, he had to remember his mother’s ‘death’ and his brother's disappearance. He had to think of pain and fear and grief, and he used his flames so often-

“It’s okay,” he cuts in. You can’t imagine what kind of face you’re making. “It was painful at first, and it still is, but it’s a good reminder for what I’m fighting for, and why I’m working so hard towards that goal. I will find a way to stop human combustion. I will make sure no one else ever has to grieve the way I did.”  

“Shinra,” you say softly. “You really are something.” 

Shinra tries to shrug off your words, but his smile is a little more genuine. “I just wanna be a hero.” 

“You will be,” you promise him. It’s all you can do not to tell him the truth then and there. His mother is alive, and suffering. His brother is alive, and suffering. 

They need help. 

But you hold your tongue. You don’t have any way of proving it to him, and there’s already so many things that are different here than they were in the game, or the show. Your presence being one of them. 

You let out a breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up something so painful.” 

Shinra shakes his head. “What made you ask?” 

“Honestly?” you rubbed the back of your neck, “I’ve been having trouble using my abilities since we left the academy. I thought maybe if I asked you how you do it, I might be able to figure it out.” 

Shinra looks startled. “Really? I guess that explains why you haven’t used them in the last few days. You never really held back when we were training.” 

“Sorry to disappoint?” you offer lamely. “I just can’t figure it out.” 

“Well… Have you thought about when you first activated your powers?” 

“That’s just it,” you say sadly. “I don’t remember when it happened at all. So that’s not really an option for me.” 

“Oh.” 

You frown, and draw in on yourself. You can’t help it. You have no way to activate the powers you now know you have, and you’re in a bad place to be powerless in general. Not to mention these people are going to expect you to help, and you can’t help, and if you can’t help then- 

Shinra’s hands land on your shoulders, startling you. It’s a warm touch, one that sinks into you with comfort and kindness. Shinra looks seriously at you, his red eyes bright and intent. 

“Whatever happens, I know you’ll figure it out, and I’ll help you as much as I can. Even if I have to protect you in missions for now. So put your trust in me for now, okay?” 

Your heart thumps hard in your chest and heat spreads through your body. It grows hotter and hotter, centering somewhere in your chest and your back. 

Light blooms behind you and you barely turn your head to see a flicker of white fire over your shoulders, wings stretching over your back. They’re small, going no further down than you’re elbows and no further up than your jaw, pale and white and glowing. 

You recognize the feeling in your chest with a start. 

It’s care. Friendship. You want to help them. You want to fight for them and earn and keep their trust. The flickering embers of love bloom into a fire across your shoulders and flutter with undistinguished feather’s. 

~ ~

A/N So! Phoenix is my favorite power, but everyone else seemed inclined towards the Sun Lance, so I smashed them both together!

If you’re so inclined, let me know what you think :D

[carneaderunt]

𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙳𝚈 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝚂𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙾𝙽 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚅𝙰𝙼𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴 𝙳𝙸𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂.

𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴 𝚆𝙴 𝙶𝙾   (   𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙾𝚃   )   :   senior year for kennedy begins   ,   &   she’s her usual busy-body self   ———   track team captain   ,   mr. tanner’s student assistant for the junior history class   ,   library assistant at the town’s library   ,   volunteer at the hospital on saturdays   ,   &   children’s bible study teacher wednesday nights.   she has her first mysterious encounter with damon on her way to work.   he confuses her for eliza   ,   his childhood best friend   ,   in which she quickly corrects him on the fact before leaving.   oliver announces he is back together with vicki   ,  something that causes controversy between him   &   tyler   &   jeremy.   &   while everyone else is fawning over stefan   ,   kennedy is more concerned about oliver   &   vicki   ,   the latter of which is attacked at the back to the falls bash.

𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙵 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷   (   𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚃   )   :   a comet seems to elude to upcoming bad karma   &   death.   kennedy runs into damon again at the library   ,   &   vicki goes missing during the comet   ,   worry oliver   &   matt.   kennedy picks up a misplaced library book in the alley while looking for vicki.   damon moves onto a new target   ———   caroline.

𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙳𝙰𝚈 𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙱𝙸𝚃𝙴𝚂   :   stefan joins the football team   ,   &   kennedy learns damon is now dating caroline.   although not upset at the news   ,   kennedy is disappointed at this development after all her unusual encounters with him the past week.   caroline forces elena   &   kennedy to come to cheer practice   ,   even though kennedy insists she’s far too busy with her other extracurriculars to be on the squad.   damon   &   caroline crash elena   ,   stefan   ,   &   bonnie’s dinner at the gilbert house.   stefan informs bonnie her family is descended from the salem witches.   meanwhile   ,   bonnie has a premonition about the numbers    𝟾   ,   𝟷𝟺   ,   &   𝟸𝟸   ,   which reappear when coach tanner’s body is found in the parking lot during the game.

𝙵𝙰𝙼𝙸𝙻𝚈 𝚃𝙸𝙴𝚂   :   the founders’ ball is on its way   ,   &   kennedy is overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu   (   especially when her   &   damon dance   )   ,   as well as the strangest sense of foreboding.    unaware at the time of the ball   ,    these feelings are because every incarnation before her has died on the september 25 of their eighteenth year of life.   carol lockwood pressures elena into finding an old pocket watch   ,   &   jeremy gets upset because he was supposed to inherit it from their dad.  elena learns how badly damon is hurting caroline   ,   &   bonnie begins to believe she really does have magical powers.   while damon is distracted dancing with kennedy   ,   stefan poisons caroline’s drink with vervain   ,   allowing him to incapacitate damon later   &   chain him up in the cellar.   sheriff forbes   ,   logan fell   ,   mayor lockwood   ,   &   carol lockwood discuss the idea that vampires might be back in mystic falls.

𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝚃𝙾 𝙼𝙴   :   stefan has damon locked up in the cellar of the boarding house.   kennedy is no longer stuck with a sense of foreboding   ,   but replacing it is a disturbing reoccurring nightmare.   the school’s athletic department is having a car wash fundraiser   ,   &   kennedy has to help as a member of the track team.   damon tricks caroline into freeing him   &   then proceeds to kill zach.   bonnie experiments with her powers   ,   &   elena figures out stefan is a vampire.

𝙻𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙶𝙸𝚁𝙻𝚂   :   kennedy dreams get vivider   &   darker   ,   leaving her freaked out   &   on edge throughout the day.   she begins to notice similarities between certain characters in her dreams to people in her life   ———   elena   /   katherine   ,   damon   ,   stefan   ,   etc.   she chalks it up to them being dreams   &   her mind using her experiences   &   memories to create them.    stefan explains his past to elena.   damon keeps vicki at the boarding house with him.   vicki becomes a vampire   &   kills logan fell.   kennedy beings to think about her dream   &   the town events   &   begins to investigate at the library   ,   sneaking out late at night to do so.

𝙷𝙰𝚄𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙳   :   kennedy’s dreams become stronger   &   more prominent   ,   even violent   &   creepy.   during the day   ,   she keeps seeing bits of them.   bonnie    &   oliver get slightly worried but don’t know who to tell.   vicki adjusts to being a vampire   &  avoids oliver.   the high school’s halloween party is underway.   kennedy skips out   &   decides to go to the library instead.   stefan is forced to kill vicki   ,   &   damon compels jeremy’s pain away.   caroline gives bonnie the crystal.   when kennedy goes to the bed that night   ,   she wakes up screaming for the first time since her childhood   ,   having dreamt of eliza’s death.

𝟷𝟼𝟸 𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙻𝙴𝚂   :   stefan’s old friend lexi arrives in town for his birthday   ,   &   caroline decides to throw a party at the grill.   kennedy continues to have odd dreams   &   homes in on the numerous amount of animal attacks near mystic falls during her free time.   along with her weird dreams   ,   kennedy’s drawings begin showing signs of premonitions  &   past memories   ———   some of the things she draws include damon’s crow   ,   eliza’s meadow   ,   &   lexi’s face.   she bumps into damon at the party   &   also briefly ends up talking with lexi   ,   but when she brushes against lexi’s shoulder   ,   she again has this awful sense of foreboding.   when the police show up   &   guard the front door   ,   kennedy grows even more suspicious of the events occurring in her town   &   who all knows about it.

𝙷𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈 𝚁𝙴𝙿𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶   :   kennedy   &   the new history teacher alaric bump heads as she tries to maintain her student aid position.   the girls have a sleepover at elena’s   &   hold a séance   ,   where bonnie gets   “   possessed   ”   by emily bennett.   while caroline doesn’t buy into it   ,   kennedy is freaked out by hearing the ghost haunting bonnie is named emily   ,   someone who has been appearing in her dreams.   elena insists there is nothing wrong   &   runs off to find bonnie   ,   leaving kennedy to go home worried.

𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙽𝚃   :   logan fell returns to town in time for the career fair at the high school.   kennedy   ,   who still hasn’t figured out her odd dreams but is pretty convinced the salvatores are vampires from her research   (   but not convinced enough to confront them with this information yet   )   ,   only stays for about thirty minutes before changing into her track gear from her locker   &   going on a late night jog in the woods to clear her head.   logan attacks her on his way to meet damon.   some other vampire   ,   later discovered to be katherine   ,   saves her before the two of them run off.   alaric kills logan   ,   &   damon finds kennedy bleeding in the forest before getting a call from sheriff forbes that logan is dead.   damon heals her   ,   learns she has already discovered he   &   stefan were vampires   ,   &   decides to take her on his road trip to georgia.   on their way out of town   ,   the two find elena’s car crashed on the road.

𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴𝚂   :   kennedy   &   damon find elena’s car crashed on the road   &   a man in a hooded jacket running away from it.   damon helps elena our of the car   ,   &   the three begin their journey to atlanta   ,   with elena passed out in the backseat.   kennedy plays twenty questions with damon about vampires   &   the supernatural before elena wakes up   ,   confused   &   curious about how kennedy got involved in this.   they end up at a bar   ,   meeting a which named bree.   bree eyes kennedy curiously but doesn’t say anything to her.   kennedy hangs out with damon at the bar  but doesn’t drink because she doesn’t trust him yet.   when lexi’s boyfriend shows up   &   tries to kill damon   ,   elena   &   kennedy plead for his life.   on their way home   ,   kennedy asks damon if it’s possible to remember a life you’ve never had   ,   &   damon answers maybe.

𝚄𝙽𝙿𝙻𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙰𝙽𝚃𝚅𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙴   :   kennedy begins keeping secrets from her parents about where she is   &   who she’s hanging out with as she begins to spend more time with the salvatores.   damon enlists her help with finding his father’s journal   ,   &   elena gives her a vervain-filled bracelet for safety.   kennedy goes to the decades dance dressed as sandy from the end of 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎   &   dances with damon.   she makes small talk with alaric at the dance    &   tells damon that she thinks alaric seems like a regular guy.   damon scoffs    &   remarks   “   so does every other vampire   ”.

𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙻𝙳𝚁𝙴𝙽 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙰𝙼𝙽𝙴𝙳   :   the race for johnathan gilbert’s journal begins   ,   &   while stefan   &   elena are pretending to help find the journal for damon   ,   they decide to leave kennedy out of their scheme because of her new   “   friendship   ”   with damon.   kennedy looks in the library for the book because it has a small collection of founders’ journals.   there   ,   she stumbles upon her own face in eliza gilbert’s journal   &   goes to find answers from sheila bennett.   sheila explains reincarnation to her   &   her own friendship with evelyn warren   ,   kennedy’s previous incarnation.   she gives kennedy evelyn’s ring.   meanwhile   ,   damon catches elena   &   stefan in their lie   &   takes the journal but not before asking if kennedy knew what the duo had been up to.   anna kidnaps elena   &   bonnie.

𝙵𝙾𝙾𝙻 𝙼𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙲𝙴   :   elena   &   bonnie have been kidnapped by anna   &   ben.   kennedy   ,   who has been with sheila   ———   studying as much as she can about evelyn   &   eliza   (   &   avoiding damon   )   ,   &   sheila agree to help stefan find elena   &   bonnie.   bonnie   &   grams open the tomb.   while stefan goes to get his arsonist tools   ,   damon uses kennedy as leverage to get in the tomb.   ben threatens to harm jeremy   &   anna uses it as her opportunity to get her mother    ,   taking elena into the tomb with her.   bonnie asks why grams didn’t stop them   ,   &   she responds that no vampire is getting out of the tomb.   stefan comes back   &   hears that elena   &   kennedy are in there   &   rushes back to save them   ,   but sheila stops him.   pearl bites elena   ,   &   elena runs off.   damon learns katherine is no longer in the tomb.   stefan   &   kennedy convince him to get out   ,   &   everyone    (   elena   ,   kennedy   ,   damon   ,   stefan   ,   pearl   ,   &   anna   )   make it out of the tomb.   grams passes away.   another vampire from the tomb escapes.

𝙰 𝙵𝙴𝚆 𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙼𝙴𝙽   :   the group deals with the aftermath of opening the tomb.   the vampire who escaped the tomb   ,   later revealed to be harper   ,   attacks a hiker   &   steals their clothes.   elena learns more information about her birth mother   ,   &   jenna confronts alaric about the possibility his wife isobel   &   elena’s mother are the same person.   meanwhile   ,   damon deals with katherine’s betrayal by partying at the boarding house.   kennedy concerned about his behavior   &   takes a break from researching reincarnation to check on him.   sheriff forbes asks damon to participate in the bachelor auction   ,   &   damon asks her about alaric.   damon reveals he knew isobel during the auction.   kennedy stops by at the boarding house again that night to talk to damon about his behavior in the bar   ,   but alaric comes over   &   confronts damon.   damon kills alaric   ,   but he is magically revived somehow   ,   leaving damon   &   kennedy confused.   elena receives a warning from isobel   ———   𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚊��𝚊𝚢.

𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴 𝙶𝙾𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙽𝙴𝙸𝙶𝙷𝙱𝙾𝚁𝙷𝙾𝙾𝙳   :   when anna    &   pearl visit damon at the boarding house   ,   he learns that all of the tomb vampires have been released.   meanwhile   ,   kennedy   &   alaric debrief his altercation with damon   &   his knowledge over of the supernatural over history work   &   cheeseburgers at the grill.   also at the grill   ,   elena   ,   stefan   ,   caroline   ,   &   matt stumble through an awkward double date   ,   during which frederick   ,   a tomb vampire   ,   mistakes elena for katherine.   the four return to the boarding house   &   continue their date.  back at the grill   ,   damon   ,   kelly   ,   &   jenna enjoy drinks   ,   but jenna leaves when things heat up between damon   &   kelly.   kennedy watches damon with mild disgust   &   texts damon a reminder that kelly is matt’s mom   ,   to which he responds with a shrug in her direction.   jenna returns home in time to interrupt anna feeding from jeremy’s hand   ,   proving to the youngest gilbert that the girl is a vampire.   damon   &   kelly end up at the boarding house   &   begin making out   ,   but kelly leaves after seeing her son there.   matt leaves as well   ,   &   elena drives caroline home.   frederick    &   bethanne attack the salvatore brothers   ,   &   bethanne is killed.   alaric drops kennedy off at her house   ,   &   as kennedy checks the mail   ,   frederick is seen waking past her house   &   does a double-take upon seeing her   ,   confusing her for eliza gilbert.   kennedy goes inside when bryan calls her from the front porch.   frederick returns to miss gibbons’ house.

𝙻𝙴𝚃 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚁𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙸𝙽   :   to be added.

𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚂 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚂   :   to be added.

𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝚂   :   to be added.

𝙸𝚂𝙾𝙱𝙴𝙻   :   to be added.

𝙵𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁'𝚂 𝙳𝙰𝚈   :   to be added.

𝚂𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙾𝙽 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙲𝙸𝙵𝙸𝙲 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚂.

kennedy doesn’t have a car   &   often walks or rides with elena   &   bonnie.   when it’s raining   ,   she normally either takes the car   &   picks up oliver   ,   or carpools with her mother earlier in the morning.

kennedy meets damon on her way to work in 1.01   &   from then on has continuous encounters with him throughout the season   (   namely episodes 1-4   ,   episodes 7-10   ).   he seems familiar yet allusive   &   friendly.   kennedy’s unsure whether to trust him.   some of the encounters include damon looking for the vampire chronicles in the library   (   1.02   )   ,   kennedy   &   damon dancing together at the founders’ ball   (   1.04   )   ,   etc.

kennedy’s senior year is very busy.   she is the track team captain.   she is coach tanner’s student assistant   /   student aid   (   &   later alaric’s as well after heavy convincing   ).   she works at the library   ,   tutoring elementary   &   middle school students   &   working on the online catalogue.   she helps out at church.   she shadows her dad at the hospital.   caroline even forces her to try   &   join the cheer team   ,   even though kennedy insists she won’t.   basically   ,   despite kennedy noticing a lot of the oddities occurring in town   ,   she doesn’t piece them all together immediately because she’s so busy   &   preoccupied.

kennedy’s personality outside of school is full of bad puns   ,   enjoying parties   ,   etc.   she is both innocent while being a sneaky troublemaker.   she sneaks out on occasion   &   goes out with oliver   &   vicki to college parties   ,   but as far as her parents are aware   ,  she always follows the rules.   she is a perfectionist   ,   but she enjoys letting loose   &   having fun with her friends.   but because of her behavior at school over the past years   &   her usual nerdy   ,   goody-two shoes personality   ,   many people find her weird   &   annoying.

kennedy’s curfew is earlier than the rest of the gang   &   getting home on time seems to be very important to her father.   this becomes an increasing problem as kennedy becomes aware of the supernatural world around her   &   remains unaware of her own family’s supernatural secrets   ———   i.e. bryan being a witch.   bryan on his part does a good job pretending he has no idea what is going on in the town   &   merely appears to be overly protective.

damon was going to honor eliza’s death   (   1.04   ,   the day after the founders’ ball   )   by planting flowers in the meadow where they used to stargaze or escape giuseppe   &   johnathan   &   then go sit by the lake   &   just think   &   talk about his life to the air   ,   but he doesn’t get the chance to because stefan put vervain in caroline’s drink   ,   effectively poisoning damon so stefan can lock him up in the salvatore cellar.

stefan   &   kennedy’s interactions are very awkward in early season one because he keeps seeing eliza   ,   who was only a few months his elder back in the day   ,   instead of kennedy when they talk.   her mannerisms tend to mock eliza’s a lot.

sheila bennett constantly alludes to evelyn throughout her season one interactions with kennedy   ,   &   when kennedy finds out about sheila’s history with her previous reincarnation   ,   she wonders when sheila realized kennedy was evelyn.

from episodes 4-10   ,   kennedy begins to feel left out   &   even isolated as her dreams continue to bug her   &   her friends get absorbed in their own problems.

kennedy begins to have strange dreams about her past lives   ,   as well as dreams involving premonitions.   at first   ,   she dismisses the dreams as nightmares   &   trying to make sense of all the new things that have happened this school year   ,   but she begins to believe there might be something more to it.   the first time kennedy dreams of dying as eliza   ,   she wakes up screaming for the first time in years.

some of kennedy’s premonitions   &   memory recollections appear in her sketches.   she’s seen drawing damon’s crow at one point   ,   only with fangs.   she’s also seen drawing the meadow eliza   &   damon frequented.

again   ,   kennedy’s very on edge before being attacked by logan.   she feels like she is going to die very often because of her dreams.   it’s almost as if her body realizes she’s past her original death date   ,   having survived longer than any other incarnation after living past 1.04.

in 1.10   ,   kennedy gets attacked by logan fell   ,   &   unbeknownst to her   ,   she is saved by katherine pierce.   damon finds kennedy stumbling in the woods   ,   bleeding   &   heals her.   they are not far from the meadow in this scene.

kennedy   &   damon play twenty questions about vampires   &   the supernatural on their way to georgia.   on the way back to virginia   ,   kennedy asks about whether it’s possible to remember something she’s never lived through   ,   &   it gets awkwardly quiet after damon answers maybe.

bree had seen photos of evelyn from her mother.   bree’s mother knew evelyn   &   her aunt   &   had run into the younger witch on more than one occasion back when evelyn was vampire hunting.

“   𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚎-𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚒 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍.   ”

“   …   𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚎   ?   ”

in 1.12   ,   kennedy dances with damon at the 50s decades dance.   she is dressed up as sandy from 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎   ,   resembling a look evelyn wore while dancing with j.d. kennedy helps the gang with research on several occasions   ———   getting katherine out of the tomb   ,   isobel   ,   her own reincarnation mess   (   with help from bonnie   &   sheila   )   ,   johnathan gilbert   ,   among other things as the seasons go by. kennedy is damon’s leverage into the tomb.   kennedy agrees less reluctantly than one would imagine since she has started to see damon as more of a friend than a foe   ,   especially because at this point she has read eliza’s journals   &   knows how eliza felt about him back when he was still human.   when damon asks about the journals   ,   she leaves out eliza’s true feelings for him   &   merely informs him that eliza considered him her best friend.   sheila   &   bonnie are not okay with kennedy being used as leverage  ,   &   neither is elena or stefan   ,   but at this point   ,   stefan believes kennedy won’t be hurt by damon’s hands.

kennedy is captured by the tomb vampires with stefan because of her resemblance to eliza gilbert.   during this   ,   she has her first physical encounter with her own magic   ,   setting something on fire   ,   but dismisses it as a daydream because of her blood loss.

kennedy hides what she knows from her parents about the supernatural   ,   especially her father.   in doing so   ,   she begins seeking other adult figures for advice   (   such as sheila before her death   &   later alaric   ).   as kennedy   &   alaric begin to bond more   ,   she begins to see him as an uncle figure   /   older brother figure.

at the founders’ day parade   ,   kennedy is helping run the library’s booth   ,   promoting its founders’ archive   &   collection of civil war era novels.   damon pesters her as stefan tries to talk to him about elena.   elena arrives in costume   ,   &   the brothers do a double-take at her resemblance to katherine.   kennedy notices their staring   &   asks damon a moment later if that’s what katherine looked like back in 1864.   he nods before shrugging   ,   saying the dress reminded him more of eliza’s style   ,   but yes.

at the end of 1.22   ,   damon walks kennedy back to her house   ,   where she tells him she’s glad he’s okay   &   not dead.   he makes a quip back that technically he is dead   &   has been for 145 years.   kennedy just rolls her eyes   &   kisses his cheek.   she tells him goodnight before walking inside her house.   damon is left standing here momentarily stunned before he leaves to elena’s house where he has the talk with jeremy   &   encounter with katherine.

[xiaomomowrites]

Submission [Oneshot]

100 Prompts: Submission Attack on Titan | Eremika

Summary: Eren scowled. He would rather get eaten by a fat, ugly four meter class titan than have the entire 104th trainee squad know what was going on in his mind, and in his pants.

Find this story here on Fanfiction.net: {levi-nii-san}

--

Eren cursed a thousand times under his breath. Mikasa pushed him into submission for the third time this training session. She bent his arm over his head and rested her entire weight onto him, looking him dead in the eyes. She used every inch of her body from her head to her hips (or so, Eren claimed) to restrict any movement.

"Yield." she commanded. Her soft, yet husky voice sent chills down his spine as her hair tickled his face. Her face was merely centimeters from his, and her eyes were cold. She almost seemed bored with their little skirmish. But that was another story.

His eyes shifted to Armin, who's sympathetic countenance told Eren to just give up before he embarrassed himself even more. He looked at Levi who was seemingly indifferent and unsurprised that Jaeger was taken down by the top student from their group yet again. Jean had a disgusted look on his face, and he looked just about ready to jump in there and pull the girl off. To the right, Connie and Sasha were laughing at Eren's clearly distressed state. Really, he looked so anxious.

He wondered when she got this strong.

He always took pride in being the strong one to protect her. He would carry her across rivers to keep that pretty dress of hers dry and clean. He opened cans and bottles for her when she would help his mother cook. He gave her piggy back rides around town when the family would go out. Then, slowly, she became notably stronger than the average girl. She always brought home more wood than he did (much to his mother's delight). Those town bullies made sure to let the entire Shiganshina know Mikasa Ackerman was a beast inside a little girls' body. He wondered when she built the strength to take him down like this.

He wondered when she got this talented.

She always watched him go about doing chores for his mother. She would marvel with great interest about the things he could do that she couldn't. He always seemed to know what he was doing, and she would enjoy just watching him explore their small world. He wondered when she learned how to take an opponent down as easily as this.

He wondered when puberty decided to attack her next.

Last time Eren checked, Mikasa was that small, fragile girl he had rescued. Her long hair concealed some of her face. The dress and scarf she wore always kept her tiny body warm. He wondered when she grew these curves he could so easily feel through their clothing, and the firm layer of muscle that challenged his.

"Eren," her eyebrows met. His focused returned to the girl on top of him. She looked so determined, so focused. He wondered briefly if she was this dominant in bed.

He cursed again, audibly this time, as he felt a familiar throbbing sensation down past his abdomen.

He tried shifting his pelvis to the side, in fear of her finding out. He scowled. He would rather get eaten by a fat, ugly four meter class titan than have the entire 104th trainee squad know what was going on in his mind, and in his pants.

She scowled at his stubbornness.

Why couldn't he just submit?

"Eren." she scolded again sharply and swung her leg over him to hold him down.

"Mikasa, don't-"

As soon as she sat herself down and applied pressure with her hips her eyes widened and her face flushed red.

"Fuck."

In an instant, his eyebrows met and his teeth gritted. He shoved her off to the side and stood up hastily, too fast for Mikasa to react. Eren dusted himself off, eyes focused on the ground as he felt his cheeks get warmer by the second. He muttered a few curses under his breath as his feet began to take him back towards the barracks without permission.

"Jaeger, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Levi snapped. The boy ignored his captain's protests and crude threats, and continued walking towards the building.

Mikasa remained on the floor, not quite sure what just happened. She watched him storm off angrily, afraid to assume she knew exactly why he had lost his composure. Once Eren was out of sight, everyone's eyes turned to her, and she looked up at them, just as confused.

The young soldier cleared her throat and picked herself up off the floor gracefully, brushing the dirt off of her uniform. She kept her head down, her mouth tucked into her scarf. Her whole body felt warm, especially at her ears. She felt an unfamiliar tingling around her lower half, that shot up through her whole body at the thought of him underneath her.

She remembered his eyes boring intensely into hers as he wriggled from beneath her. Her ears only felt warmer at the thought.

The flustered girl shook her head, in hopes that the dirty thoughts would go away. The thought of him laying under her, arms pinned down, had crossed her mind once or twice before. Granted, they'd be under different circumstances, but she never actually anticipated that it would make her feel like that.

She briefly wondered why he had stormed off so angrily though. Was the thought of her in that way really that repulsive?

As Levi dismissed the soldiers for the day, he didn't forget to approach Mikasa, poker faced, and told her, "Tell your boyfriend to keep it in his pants during training."

Mikasa choked on her spit in response.

For the rest of the day, Eren's mind was plagued with images of his best friend in ways he had never imagined before. Mikasa's soft skin, her hot breath, the way her entire body was pressed up against his. Whenever he would close his eyes, he would just see her on top of him, her face so close to his.

He groaned as his pants began to feel a little tight again, unable to shove the thoughts out of his head.

So, of course, the Titan boy's solution was to avoid her for as long as he needed to stop thinking about her in such inappropriate ways. Fortunately, the avoiding her part was easy. But the more he tried to push away the dirty thoughts, the more they came back to hit him in the face like a loaded spring. In addition, the more vivid the images got and the more frequent they came.

It was irritating, how it slowed him down for the rest of the day, as Eren's mind would often wander during the tasks he tried to busy himself with.

He imagined her in the same position, hips straddled across him, arms pinning him down. He clearly pictured her eyes, half-lidded and clouded with lust. He fantasized Mikasa saying his name, breathy like she usually does, as she moves her hips against him.

"Fucking hell," Eren swears, unconcerned with who heard him grumbling to himself in the hallway.

Later at dinner, the atmosphere was full of tension. His fellow soldiers watched as he flinched when Mikasa sat beside him.

"Hey," she greeted quietly. He refused to make eye contact, for he was afraid that engaging in such an intimate act would just elicit those thoughts again.

"Mikasa," he returned the greeting, accepting that there was no way out of this one. If he just got up and left, it would raise suspicion and also probably make her feel like shit. Both of those things did not seem appealing at all.

In theory, dinner could have gone just fine, if she didn't reach across the table to hand Armin the salt, brushing her whole left side against him. Shortly after that, they had both reached for napkins at the same time. Her hand brushed his lightly, enough to send tingles up his arm. He withdrew his hand quickly and muttered a clumsy apology.

If that wasn't bad enough, as soon as Connie sat down to join the group, he decided to berate Eren for his display of weakness earlier today with a crass, "Oi, Eren, how's your ass feeling after getting kicked by Mikasa again?"

Eren growled under his breath at being reminded that everyone knew of the incident, as if it wasn't already plaguing his mind. Armin was studying his best friend, looking for a way to comfort him.

"It's not that bad, Eren," the third musketeer tried, "it was just a dumb sparring match."

When the person in question just nodded lamely, Armin turned to the third member of their trio. Normally she would be trying to comfort Eren as well, but for some reason she remained quiet. And was she…blushing?

"I guess we know who wears the pants," Sasha laughed, reaching up to give Connie a high-five with an obnoxious snigger.

At her comment, the last thread that was holding Eren's sanity together snapped. He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her outside.

"Oi, Jaeger, we were just joking…" they call out as they watch him leave with her.

His steps were quick, taking a few turns around some corridors. She fell behind a few steps as the angry titan shifter dragged her along, and when he finally stopped abruptly, Mikasa almost ran into him. He turned around and stepped dangerously close to her. She swallowed hard; she had never quite seen him this aggressive with her.

"You think it's funny?" he growls. "You laughing like everyone else?"

She wonders for a moment if he's referring to the fact that she did in fact hand him his ass today at training in front of all their friends, or the other unfortunate event that transpired shortly after. Then she remembered how he had never thrown a fit like this before just from losing to her in a sparring match, so it must be the other thing.

The young soldier cleared her throat, and when she met his piercing gaze, Eren's deepest fears from today came true: he was instantly lost in the sea of emotions that her eyes held, and suddenly his mind was off, yet again, imagining her in the most lewd, titillating ways.

"No, Eren." She states firmly, trying to keep her cool. "I wasn't laughing."

Eren took few steps towards her, and she realizes she was backed into a wall. He planted his hands on either side of her, as he felt the familiar sensation in his lower half again at the sight of her trapped between his firm body and the wall.

"Do you have any idea…" he trailed off, her scent making his mind go wild as he pressed closer. "You've been on my mind all damn day, Mikasa."

"Eren…" she managed to murmer, hot and breathy, driving him closer and closer to madness.

His hands closed into fists against the wall and he broke eye contact to bury his head into her neck, feeling her tense up immensely.

"Why don't you push me away?" He asks into her ear as he realizes he might have been overstepping hundreds of lines and boundaries at this point.

Instead , she gently snakes her hand around to the back of his neck, presses her hips against his own (oh, and she feels it again) and tells him, "I know why you were upset this morning."

Eren's eyes snapped back up to hers as his cheeks grew warm. "Are you serious?"

She swallowed a laugh. "Yeah."

This time it was her turn to yield. With a snarl, he closed the distance and kissed her with both passion and gentleness, speaking volumes of his embarrassment and his burning desire to be with her. Mikasa whimpered softly at his force and when she submits to him and circles her arms around his neck, he loses it.

[jamiekturner]

The animation movies you shouldn’t miss in your lifetime

Animation movies are not simply more sophisticated cartoons. Over the years, they’ve introduced us to some of the best cinema characters, involved us in memorable stories, and gathered millions of fans worldwide.

But which are the best animation movies to see? In fact, what makes an animation movie good? Which was the best animation movie ever?

Of course, everyone can answer these questions differently depending on what they like, but there are a few movies we can all agree were blockbusters. What makes an animation movie stand out are most of the time the characters, story, and animation style.

Here’s our collection of the 30 best animation movies of all times. Give this list a look, and you will certainly find a few of your personal favorites in there.

If not, it is time to explore the animation world and to find new horizons!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Disney’s production has more amazing cartoon movies than we can possibly gather here, but this is the story they’ll always be recognized for – the tale of the beautiful, wandering princess, the mean queen, the handsome savior, and the sidekick band of helpful and funny dwarfs.

The awesome fairytale written by the Grimm brothers was not only the kicker hand-drawn animation of Walt Disney, but also the first animation movie in the history of the moving pictures industry.

Time can do nothing against it – after almost a century, you shed some light over the old painting, and it springs to life!

Fantasia (1940)

This great animation film brings together the best of the Disney world, Tchaikovsky’s music, and magic. You will be delighted by the unique mixture of Western classical sounds and the visual game of Disney’s characters while Leopold Stokowski leads the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Dumbo (1941)

A filmmaker from Pixar shared an interesting story with us – his mother who could barely understand English, watched Dumbo and understood what his mom wanted as she interlocked trunks with him inside a circus cage. This is what makes this movie a proper animation hero – you understand it without words!

Bambi (1942)

Bambi marked some of the best moments in Disney’s history and top animated movies, such as its mother being shot by a hunter and leaving the tiny sweet fawn to fend. More than a cartoon, Bambi is a lyrical and beautiful affirmation of the miracle of life, and stands for values such as family, friends, and our glorious nature. The titular doe of this movie loses its innocence as it’s mother dies, but also grows up virtuously, gains knowledge, and becomes capable of depending itself.

Robin Hood (1973)

Robin Hood was the first animation movie to be released after Walt Disney died. At the time, it was considered to be an embarrassing, on-budget piece, but time reversed that to one of the best animation movies of all times.

We all know the story of Robin Hood – the hero of the little people who steals from the rich. He was animated several times, but none of his adaptations was as charming and memorable as the one made by Disney’s animators.

The concept was the same as in fairytales – whistling rooster narrators, a maid for Robin to fall in love with (Marian), and a furry squad of brave friends helping Robin recover what Prince John has stolen.

Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

What inspired Japanese director Eiichi Yamamoto to create this unbelievable psychosexual animation was Jules Michelet’s book on witchcraft and feminism called La Sorciere.

The beautiful yet disturbing piece was released in 1973, and the ones who saw it certainly remember how shocking it was for the standards of that time.

In 2016, there was a new Belladonna release in the U.S., and it had pretty much the same effect on people. Even modern society finds such animated fantasy traumatizing, and is not prepared to embrace how scandalous it is.

For instance, the heroine gets visually assaulted, and some viewers may find that disturbing.

In short, you may like or dislike the story behind it, but this animation is certainly a masterpiece. It was created in a unique and delicate manner, using a pleasing pastel palette of watercolors the human eye enjoys.

Street of Crocodiles (1986)

Movie production in the 80s was almost entirely digital, but that didn’t prevent visionaries Timothy and Stephen Quay from drawing one of world’s best stop-motion pieces. Their short animation features a hatched-faced puppet with a decaying body that navigates a bunch of dancing screws, and creates a feeling of being stuck in a vivid dream that won’t let you wake up.

The piece attracts interest even today, especially among surrealist and stop-motion artist. The Quays were actually inspired by Jan Svankmajer and the writer Bruno Schultz, two of Poland’s best known names in the surrealism world.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Two years after Street of Crocodiles, the world was introduced to an even better animated film -My Neighbor Totoro. It has been 30 years since, and this movie still lifts up the spirit of those watching it, as it features one of the most heart-warming stories.

The main characters are two adorable Japanese children leaving their home to find magic. Along the way, they discover a wondrous cat bus and a gentle giant named Totoro who helps them accomplish their mission.

This makes Totoro one of the best cartoon movies suitable for all ages: everyone could enjoy a supernatural, slightly uninhibited delight.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

Robert Zemeckis is the name behind this groundbreaking, hybrid crime/comedy movie. First of its kind, this movie treats the murder of a bunny, and features an iconic toon-loathing detective working on the case.

‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ broke all records of production expense. It cost more than any film produced during the 80s, and became the 2nd highest-grossing movie in 1988.

Akira (1988)

Kanye West appointed Akira as the leader among its favorite films, and many of us can agree with him. The incredibly detailed sci-fi movie doesn’t stay behind names such as Matrix or the Blade Runner, while its imaginative urban setting display makes it the finest Japanese animation ever created. In fact, Akira has become a cult with millions of followers worldwide.

The main protagonist is a Neo-Tokyo teen biker called Tetsuo. Tetsuo’s mission is to release the unlawfully imprisoned psychic Akira, and his way there features the best action scenes ever to be seen in the animation world.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

There’s almost no girl out there who didn’t dream of becoming a mermaid, and they own this to one of Disney’s most compelling stories. This romantic movie follows the life of beautiful mermaid Ariel whose dream was to have legs and to live on land.

It is with Ariel that Disney’s renaissance took off. We all associated the Faustian tale with making important choices in our life, such as the one Ariel made when giving up her voice to pursue being human.

Her love story with charming prince Eric provided us one of the most memorable movie soundtracks, and we learnt to love her despite of her stubbornness. This is why The Little Mermaid still counts as a favorite Disney movie.

Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)

Do you remember the love story of Bella and the Beast? Next to the inspiring story of Bella’s pure soul discovering the prince inside a buffalo, this movie caused a drastic change in the world of best animation, causing many people to take it seriously.

Looking at the magnificent ballroom sequence and the couple’s first dance, we found it hard to believe that the film was computer-generated. Actually, Beauty and the Beast was so good that it became the first animated movie to earn a Best Picture Nomination.

Aladdin (1992)

Yup, these were the golden years of the Disney production of animated films! Following the success of Ariel, Bella, and their prices, animators recreated another iconci character, and that was Aladdin.

Prior to this movie hitting screens, many people were unaware of the inspiring and romantic rags-to-riches story, despite of it being a classic 1001 Nights tale.

It follows the dreams of an open-vested, homeless, and hopelessly in love boy who’d set an eye on a rich and beautiful princess. As hard as his evil enemy Jafar tries to get her, she still falls for Aladdin, the boy with the magic carpet, Robin Williams-voiced genie, and enormous heart.

FernGully (1992)

FernGully is another classic in the animation world that treats the destruction of Earth and all creatures that live on it. It was created for children, and they loved how protagonist fairy Christa fought against the destruction of her Australian rainforest.

Her assistant was a boy named Zak, and her enemy was a logging company attempting to wreck her world. You may find it interesting to know that this movie inspired Avatar and the creation of princess Mononoke.

Porco Rosso (1992)

Ain’t this a weird film! And yet, a lovely one! Hayao Miyazaki presented us the story of an ex WWI fighter pilot from Italy, and that pilot happened to be a funny red pig. For protagonist Porco Rosso, being a pig is nothing bad – he still canoodles with beautiful ladies assisted by Fio, his mechanic protégée. This film is both engaging and historically rich, and is definitely worth watching!

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

As his projections show, Tim Burton comes up with the weirdest pairings ever – beetles and juice, hands and scissors, and this time even Hallowing and Christmas. In this movie, we get to meet the pumpkin king and his sudden Christmas joy. And right when you think it can’t get better, you hear Danny Elfman’s live performance of ‘What’s This’.

The Lion King (1994)

Here’s another of Disney’s major works with a Shakespearean background. Instead of Hamlet, we’re acquainted with a lion family and their friends from the jungle, and we get to see some of life’s most important values on screen.

The film also has iconic musical sequences – the renowned soundtrack, for instance, is many people’s association of a beautiful childhood.

The music was written by Hans Zimmer, a legend among composers who actually manages to turn emotions into sounds. As Simba and Nala tussle in the grass, their love warms our hearts, the same as Scar’s betrayal makes us angry and eager to help Simba discover that he has no fault for his father’s death.

As we watch on, we get to adore Simba’s little Hakuna Matata friend, or the buds Timon and Pumbaa as they help him become king of the jungle.

Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story is Pixar’s first and arguably ultimate achievement. It was such a success that it turned the company into a film franchise, and it set the standards of how a perfect movie should look.

We will remember it by the iconic ‘personalities’ of Woody, Hamm, Rex, and Buzz; and for its immense contribution to what toys meant in our lives. According to many viewers, Toy Story is the best animated movie ever!

Perfect Blue (1997)

Japanese director Satoshi Kon made a pretty successful animated prototype of legendary Black Swan. This movie is far from a pass-time show, and we wouldn’t recommend it for kids in any case. Its protagonist is pop star Mima who decides to try out acting.

Her fans are furious about it, in particular a creepy stalker that tries to invade her life in many different ways. That, however, is not the worst thing to happen to Mima – she starts tormenting herself with her alter ego – an imaginative ‘her’ that questions her decisions, and brings her in all sorts of compromising positions.

This movie is sexually explicit, compromising, and even haunting, and gives us a pretty good overview of celebrities’ troubles with media violence, exploitation, and lack of personal space.

Hercules (1997)

What better than an animation to make Greek mythology fun? The epic tale of demigod Hercules and his parents Zeus and Hera inspired many professionals in the movie business to bring these characters to life, including beautiful Megara Hercules saves from evil ex-boyfriend Hades.

Even after 20 years, this is a movie every kid should watch – the movie that teaches us that strength is only good when used for a good cause.

Mulan (1998)

Remember the cute Chinese heroine who joined the army to ensure her dad doesn’t have to go? Hardly did any of us forget her epic appearance on gender’s funeral to ask if there were Huns to fight!

Mulan was also the long-awaited Asian reappearance on screen, and a role model for young women who didn’t abide to sexist norms. She was noble, brave, and extremely fun to watch – just the way we’d all like to be! Along the way, she even fell in love with Captain Li Shang, and gave this amazing story the love crown it deserves.

What made the Mulan movie even more memorable were the voices of the protagonists – the mini dragon Mu Shu was voiced by amazing Eddie Murphy, while the voice behind Mulan’s beautiful interpretation of ‘Reflection’ was none other than Christina Aguilera. Could it get any better?

Princess Mononoke (1998)

Princess Mononoke is not a typical and soothing animation movie. The visceral and dark story is often considered as Miyazak’s best movie, and there are many reasons for that.

Following Ashitaka’s efforts to reintroduce peace between the generous gods and destructive humans, you are provided with a truly imaginative and epic visual experience. This is why Princess Mononoke became the 7th highest-grossing animation of all times.

The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant is a much underestimated animation movie, and we believe this is so because of it being misunderstood. Rather than attaching an ‘antiwar’ label on it, we should look deeper under the surface and understand that Brad Bird’s guns are not simply killing machines – he questions how it’d be if they had a soul. Interesting, isn’t it? Put it on your list!

Chicken Run (2000)

Chicken run is not just the funny story of a loud rooster and his fellow chickens escaping certain death – it is the stop-motion parable and homage of The Great Escape that shows us how the wreckage of capitalism looks like.

It is also a very well produced piece whose scrappy heroines are to be quoted and remembered, and it definitely deserves a look.

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

If you’re into animation, there’s no way you missed Monsters, Inc. Its memorable snappy interplay and dizzying action sequences guarantee some serious fun to the viewer, as protagonists Sulley and his single-eyed associate Mike scare children to help Monstropolis.

Ain’t it just great to see these beasts’ freaking out as fearless moppet Boo takes over their turf?

Shrek (2001)

What made Shrek so popular is without doubt his suitability for audiences of all ages. Children thought of it as a fantastic fairy tale of distressed damsels, dragons, castles, and a princess to be saved. Adults, on the other side, enjoyed the amazing pop culture references this animation had to offer, in particular the great soundtrack that pandered exactly to them.

This movie also has one of the best acting crews behind it – DreamWorks animation chose Cameron Diaz to voice Princess Fiona, Mike Myers to voice the titular ogre, and incredible Eddie Murphy to voice the faithful donkey steed. Could it possibly get better?

Spirited Away (2002)

Spirited Away was based on Alice in Wonderland, and it was so well execute that it won an Oscar. The legendary tale of a wondering little girl and her magical ride into the land of the Unknown never stopped fascinating people, an effect Joe Hisaishi ensured with his new ideas and great moving instrumentals.

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

‘The Triplets of Belleville’ is signed by ‘Illusionist’ producer Sylvain Chomet. It is a family movie of a concerned grandma looking for her grandson, and a piece aiming to warm everybody’s heart. It will impress you from the very first opening sequence, and you will definitely want to watch it again.

Finding Nemo (2003)

Inspired by the great success of under-the-sea animations, Pixar created what’s perhaps the most fascinating story of its kind – Finding Nemo. Protagonist Nemo is in fact a small clown fish that ventures through the scary sea to find its father, and whose journey is paired with the most exciting adventures.

Nemo meets surprisingly friendly sharks, cute turtles, and other sea creatures that need his help – the most memorable encounter, however, is the one with space cadet Dory, a character viewers loved so much that Pixar made a separate movie about it!

The Incredibles (2004)

Any animation expert out there can confirm that animation movies are not all about visual. A large portion of their success depends on the story they tell, and Incredibles is a movie that can prove that.

The great comic book inspired an even better movie, as it brought former superheroes Bob and Helen Paar and their family on our screens. We were simply thrilled by villain Syndrome’s crime-fighting revenge, and we can easily compare the action in this anime to any well-rated fighter movie.

RATATOUILLE (2007)

Here’s one more of Pixar’s masterpieces that combines great visuals, intriguing stories, and memorable characters. It treats the unusual alliance of rodent Remy and kitchen assistant Linguini, both working on Remy’s dream to become the chef of a great French Restaurant.

The best part of the story – their dishes manage to fascinate critic Anton Ego, just the way their personality fascinates the audiences!

WALL-E (2008)

The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is not the only great achievement of WALL-E. This movie was also recognized for acknowledging the dangers of pollution and human waste.

WALL-E is the main character in this animation – the Earth’s last robot that’s been alone for 700 years, and has thus developed a very curious ‘personality’. The loner is challenged by a newer robot model coming down to Earth, and the two of them create what’s today one of Disney’s most charming works.

Up (2009)

‘Up’ has just the right features to delight all audiences – funny characters and exciting chases to make kids laugh; and a precious adventurous experience for the parenting squad. Widower Carl and wilderness explorer and adventurist Carl take us on an unpredictable journey to South America, and lift our spirit up with every achievement. This is a movie you shouldn’t miss!

Coraline (2009)

Stop-motion animations company Laika picked an interesting book to adapt: Coraline by Neil Gaiman. As a result, they created a scary, yet very exciting movie, showing us how frustrated kid Coraline escapes from her parents and falls into trouble.

Coraline reaches a sinister and creepy world of Stepford-like replacements, including a terrorizing spider lady that follows her around. All she wants is to come back home, and viewers are there to join the journey. Certainly a piece of art!

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

The Princess and the Frog was created by John Musker and Ron Clements, a popular cinema duo we’d have to thank for masterpieces like Moana or The Little Mermaid.

Their latest hand-drawn fairytale takes place in the jazz age, and follows the story of a waitress who’s in love with an enchanted prince (frog), and becomes a frog herself. Give it a try!

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on Roald Dahl’s amazing fox story. Screenwriter Noah Baumbah teamed with popular filmmaker Wes Anderson to adapt this tale for our screens, and introduced us to the most popular movie fox ever.

This urban fox struggles to return to its natural wild habitat and save its community – a mission that may cause retaliation against other animal species, or facing one’s own mortality. Now there’s a movie packed with integrity and values that is suitable for all generations!

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

‘How To Train Your Dragon’ is one more of Roger Deakins’ cinematography legends – a thrilling and adventurous tale with beautiful painterly visuals, fully 3D enabled flying sequences, and a story to remember.

Instead of picking a celebrity crew to maintain the pop-culture gag, DreamWorks focused on the sequel and let the story lead the way, and that’s where the magic began. The central moment in this animation is the unique friendship of a Viking boy and a dragon, something that’ll remind us all of our beloved childhood pets.

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Watching the Under the Red Hood movie, you get a rare chance to experience the real Batman flick without the Joker taking over. In this occasion, Batman tries to defeat an evil vigilante who stops him from restoring order in Gotham City.

We warn you – the movie comes with some serious action and bloodshed, but it is a genuine delight for supporters of this genre.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013)

This is the tale of Mike Wazowski, a wannabe Scarer who enrolls at a University of Monsters. The movie follows his rivalry with natural-born Scarer Sulley, as a result of which they’re both kicked out of the program.

What they have to do to get reaccepted is to win the program’s Scare Games. The challenge is – they have to join the least respected fraternity on campus (Oozma Kappa), and they have to work at the same time.

Frozen (2013)

Frozen won multiple awards for being the best animation film, and owes it to a variety of factor. This tremendous piece warmed our hearts with wonderful characters, as well as a perfected storyline presented to us with amazing graphics.

For those who haven’t watched it, Frozen follows the epic journey of the fearless and positive Anna, as her faithful reindeer Sven and mountain man Kristoff help her find her sister Elsa.

They’re headed to the kingdom of eternal winter Arendelle where Elsa’s icy powers are trapped and endangered. To get there, Anna and Kristoff face a number of terrible obstacles, including snowmen and mystical trolls. Of course, they win in the end.

Ernest & Celestine (2014)

Ernest & Celestine is an engaging animation film that treats the topic of stereotypes and prejudice. It introduces us to the unusual friendship between street musician Ernest (a bear) and dentist Celestine (mouse) that doesn’t resemble any previous U.S. movie production.

World of Tomorrow (2015)

World of Tomorrow is one of the best short sci fi movies you’ll ever watch. You will need exactly 16 minutes to explore Don Hertzfeldt’s work of art where he showcases his deep admiration for the sci-fi genre.

The Netflix blockbuster explores a variety of popular topics. As sweet little Emily looks into the future, she meets her own grown-up clone, and joins a memorable, sentimental journey to learn more about her.

Basically, World of Tomorrow has two roles – entertaining toddlers who identify themselves with Emily, and taking adults on a futuristic trip where they question the ideas of cloning, virtual reality, and time travel.

Anomalisa (2015)

Anomalisa is a very romantic drama/comedy brought to us by director Duke Johnson and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. At first sight, it is an ordinary love story between a motivational speaker and an ordinary girl named Lisa. What makes it so popular then?

The team did an excellent job putting longing and anxiety on screen, and promoting this film as an accurate study of human character, an analysis of modern malaise, and, well…a parody. The takeaway message to remember this movie by is – Keep going, no matter what!

Ups, we almost forgot. This movie is hilarious!

Inside Out (2015)

You all remember Inside Out, the masterpiece of animation that won the ‘Best Animated Feature Film’ Academy Award. The leading character is Riley, a girl with personified emotions ready to convey a simple, but meaningful message: We are all human beings, and life doesn’t always treat us nice. This is why critics in Cannes went all crazy about it.

The Little Prince (2016)

Mark Osborne used Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic The Little Prince to create an exciting story about a girl looking for her childhood. The movie is respected for its excellent blend of computer-generated animations and paper cutouts.

Tower (2016)

Many Hollywood movies treat attacks and incidents in the U.S, but what is really special about Tower is that it does so using animation. The storyline goes back to the 1966 shootings at Texas University, and it blends in a unique way animated characters, genuine broadcasts, and personal testimonies.

The Red Turtle (2017)

Michaël Dudok de Wit, the Dutch animator to sign this piece, likes to refer to it as an original ode to nature. This hand-drawn miracle is nothing like the previous works of Studio Ghibli – it displays the love story between a mute castaway and a shape-shifting turtle, and it features no words at all.

COCO (2017)

COCO will be remembered for many things, but most of all for its heart-melting soundtrack ‘Remember me’. This was Pixar’s pioneer musical film, and a piece that won viewers’ hearts as soon as it appeared.

The layered and colorful story takes place in Mexico, where young Miguel Rivera fights to become a renowned musician. His family bans music for him, but he persists pursuing a career like the one of his idol Ernesto de la Cruz.

Doing so, Miguel discovers the secrets in his family’s history, and his charming friend Hector from the Land of the Dead helps him all along.

If you enjoyed reading this article about animation movies, you should read these as well:

The most popular DC animated movies to watch in a lifetime

48 Of The Best Short Animated Films (Oscar winners included)

34 Of The Best Motion Graphics Studios And Their Work

Amazing Adobe After Effects Tutorials You Need To Watch

The Best Animated Movies For Adults: The ones to put on your list

The post The animation movies you shouldn’t miss in your lifetime appeared first on Design your way.

from Web Development & Designing https://www.designyourway.net/blog/inspiration/motion-graphics/animation-movies/

[lcvedandlcst-a]

OKAY so this has been bouncing around my head for quite some time, and I finally decided to post a full meta on it. just be prepared, because this is hella long. It’s an explanation of what happened between them, along with small little clippets of writing.  Here we go!! 

THE OFFICIAL META FOR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ELPHIE & RICKY!!

( Tagging some people I think would like to see this: @bcckmarked , @humcne , @ofsweetsunshines )

It all started freshman year of college, right after first semester. She was on the verge of turning seventeen, he had just turned 19. Elphie was walking across campus, all packed up and ready to go home for Winter Break, when she was tackled by this GIANT ball of black fur. 

     “Mom, Momma I’ll be fine. It’s one plane trip, I’ll be home before you know it. And I mean, it’s better than driving the nine hours back home with all this snow. Yeah, I know, I know. I’ll see you soon, lo-” Elphie’s chatter was cut off as something hurtled into her side going full speed, knocking the wind out of her and sending her to the ground. Her phone skidded just out of reach, worried noises coming from the speaker. A paw, nails cutting into her parka, rested heavily on her chest. Some huge dog was on top of her, head bent and muzzle pressing into her neck.       The scream tore lose before she could stop herself and the dog jumped back. More hesitant, he padded over again, gently pressing his nose to her sleeve and as he whined. The initial panic subsided, and Elphie pushed herself up to sitting position as she really looked at him. He looked like some sort of mix, most likely some part Rottweiler. He was wearing a frayed collar, the tags shiny and new. Slowly, she reached for them. The dog sat patiently, stubby tail wagging wildly. 

As it would turn out, the dog’s name was Teddy. Figuring he was lost, Elphie put up a post on the school’s social networking site. Because if he was on campus he probably belonged to somebody. She sat on a nearby bench and waited, hand on the dog’s collar. Now imagine her surprise when the school’s infamous badboy heartthrob shows up. Richard White. He was known around school under various names, Ricky being the most widely used. 

From the moment they met, there was something in the air. There’s no other way to describe it. An instantaneous attraction, and that feeling that your entire world’s just changed. Elphie has never believed in fate or soulmates so she’s quick to shake it off, and hurried off to catch her flight. Ricky’s left holding Teddy as he watched her walk away, not sure what to say. 

Fast forward to the beginning of second semester. Despite trying to shake off their meeting, Elphie can’t seem to stop picturing a pair of vivid blue eyes and messy dark hair. She was so lost in her own head that she crashes into another student while walking into the biology classroom. And low & behold, there stand Ricky. He was looking at her in a way no one ever has before, and it made her heart beat faster. She mumbles and apology and goes and sits down. Ricky, determined to befriend her, follows her over to the corner table and plops down next to her. 

They spend most of the period joking around, because being around each other is so easy. There’s something undeniable between the two of them. After that class, they exchange numbers and are constantly texting one another. It’s hard for either of them to admit, but they’re falling fast. 

Elphie’s never been good at trusting people. It’s something she developed after years of teasing, backstabbing, and being ostracized by other students. She had her family and her small group of friends and that’s all she ever needed. After her relationship with Mark, she swore off love because it hurt too much to try again. And she figured all relationships would work out the same way. 

Ricky’s never had anyone stick around. His mother left when he was one and his father always had something more important than him. He was raised by a constant stream of rotating nannies, who didn’t love him in the least. His friendships had always been superficial at best. The one solid thing he had in his life? The parties where he could drink until he couldn’t think anymore. Couldn’t feel. The only thing keeping him in school was his father’s checkbook. 

But being around Elphie...it changed Ricky. He swore off parties and actively tried in school. Elphie tutored him to help him catch up.Three weeks in, he decided to finally do it. It was during one of these sessions that he finally asked her out. She was more than happy to accept. 

     His pencil tapped against his leg repeatedly as he listened to her speak. What she was saying he had absolutely no idea, but she looked so cute Ricky didn’t want to interrupt her. Elphie’s forehead had that cute little crinkle it did whenever she was passionate about what she was talking about, and he figured now was as good a time as any. “Fae?” She turned towards him, looking worried. “Yes?” “Do you, I dunno, want to go out sometime?” He held his breath, genuinely nervous. The school’s infamous bad boy, the guy that everybody wanted to ask out at some point, was nervous.       The look on her face was one he’d never forget. There was a moment of shock, before she split into the widest grin he’d ever seen her wear. “Yes, I’d like that very much.” The grin on his face mirrored hers, and he turned back to his textbook. 

Their relationship was amazing, if a little codependent, from that moment on. Where there was one, you were guaranteed to find the other. Ricky had his own apartment off campus, and the amount of times that Elphie slept over ( in the most innocent way possible, watching Disney movies until they fell asleep. with the age gap, both of them agreed that they wouldn’t do anything until she was legally able to give consent. ) couldn’t be counted. 

When she brought him home for the first time, her brought flowers for Carly and was on his absolutely best behavior. He was sweet as could be, and acted the same way around the Wicked squad. More than anything, they were happy around each other. Elphie’s eyes were always bright, lips curved into a new lopsided smile. ( that mimicked the smile that Ally used to have specially for Carly ) 

Everything was picture book perfect for about a year and 4 months. Then it happened. As happy as Ricky was, there as something pulling him back towards the way he used to live. He missed the parties, missed the drinking, missed the drugs. So, he figured why not combine them. If he could show Elphie how amazing it was to forget everything for long periods of time, then he could have his Fae and his parties. 

Elphie wouldn’t usually, but this was RICKY. She trusted him with her life. She tried to reason that lots of college kids went to parties, that it was nothing too terrible. So...she agreed. Knowing her meds wouldn’t mix well with alcohol, Ricky talked her into going off them for a while. 

The first party is a catalyst. Elphie finds out that when she’s drinking, her superhuman brain isn’t thinking. And she LOVES it. She LOVES everything about it. How she doesn’t feel like an outsider. How she feels totally normal. How Ricky’s lips feel against her jaw. All of it. There’s no coming back from that first party. 

Everything goes down the drain in the coming week. She stops returning calls and texts, and is more often drunk than not. As good as Ricky & Elphie had been building each other up, it seemed they were even better at tearing each other down.  Quickly, their relationship turned toxic. But Elphie was too drunk on him and on whatever was at the parties she went to to even care.

Fast forward a month. Ricky got into a nasty drunken brawl defending Elphie at the club they were at for their anniversary. He beats the guy into unconsciousness, and before he’s arrested he tells Elphie to run so she doesn’t get in trouble. She takes off, panicking. Then, she comes up with an idea. It’s rash and stupid, but she follows it anyways. She’ll break him out and then they lay low for a week or two. Wait for things to blow over. She leave Teddy & Mr. Pickles (The cat her & Ricky adopted together) with a close friend. After breaking Ricky out, she leaves her mom a quick voicemail saying not to worry and she’ll be home soon. 

What’s supposed to be a week turns into something bordering on two and a half months. By then, Elphie had slowed down enough to actually start thinking. And what she’s thinking is that she doesn’t like this life as much as she used to. She misses her family, misses her friends. Misses the old Ricky. But when she tries to tell Ricky all of that, he doesn’t exactly take it well. 

     His hand shot out, wrapping tightly around her wrist. He was squeezing hard enough that it HURT. Elphie tried to pull her hand free, eyes wide with disbelief. “Ricky, Ricky you're HURTING me.” At her words, he let go, stumbling back.      “You can't go, you can't just leave me, Fae. We promised we'd take care of each other, remember?” There was something oh so desperate in his eyes, but Elphie turned away and sighed. She'd made that promise a long time ago, to a boy who was long gone. It hurt to admit it, but the Ricky she'd known - the one she loved - wasn't there anymore. And the man who wore his face was dragging her down a path she didn't want to take.      But still, she had to try to save him. “Then come with me. We can't keep doing this Ricky. Living like this....it was cool at first but....i miss my family. I miss my momma, so much that it hurts. So let's get sober, together, and you cam make a home with me.” There was a last ember of hope in her voice, that he might take her offered hand and follow her to a new world. A better world.      Instead he turned away, running a hand through his hair. “I....I can't. You can't either. This is where we BELONG, Elphaba, why can't you see that?? Your family, your ma, I doubt they'll even take you back after this. You left them, abandoned them, made your choice. You chose me. You go back there, they'll turn you out on the street.”     The thought made her stomach turn nastily, her head swimming with visions from her worst nightmares. Her mind painted a picture of her mother, with the same thinly veiled cold disgust she'd seen Ricky's father give him. And it was almost enough to knock her down. But she shook those mental images away, remembering her momma. The same mom who'd always been there, through the good times and the bad. Who'd held her close and kissed her forehead when she was sick. Who'd fought with the principal tooth and nail when the kids had been bullying her. Her mother would never turn her away, no matter how badly she screwed up. No matter how badly she deserved it.       “I'm going home, Ricky.” He turned suddenly, beyond livid, and what happened next unrolled so fast Elphie didn't quite have the time to realize what was happening. One second she was talking to him, trying to say her goodbye, and the next she was on the ground, hand gingerly cupping her swelling cheek. She looked up at him, and even with her brilliant mind her blank stare was proof that she wasn't processing what happened. Ricky looks down at his own hand, shock and horror quickly taking over his features.      “Fae, Fae I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me, I didn't mean it, I'm so-” “DON'T.” Her voice was cold, detached, and she pushed herself to her feet. “Just don't, Richard. I'm done, I can't do this anymore. Maybe one day, when you realize that this life isn't for you and get sober we can talk. But until then, I never want to hear from you again.” The entire things sounds robotic to her ears, but perhaps that was just the fact that she couldn't deal with what was happening. Because while she HATED the fact that she'd followed him down this self destructive path, that she'd fallen for him, it didn't change the fact that a piece of her would always love him.      The connection between them, it was unbreakable. Loving someone as fiercely as they had loved each other, it created the kind of ties that could never truly be severed. And she HATED him even more for that.

Elphie goes to a program for two weeks, gets the worst of it out of her system. Getting sober is a long, difficult process and she fights for it every step of the way. Every time Ricky comes around, her hopes that he’s finally getting sober skyrocket. But every time, it’s just him telling her that they need to run away together. The reason she acts like she hates Ricky is because it’s easier that way. Easier than dealing with the pain of knowing she can’t save him. Of knowing even though he says he loves her, he’ll choose his vices over her again and again and again, without fail.

The truth is, if Ricky actually got sober and came back around? There’s no doubt in my mind Elphie would give him a second chance in a heartbeat. Because she LOVES him, she always has, and knowing that he’s trying would be enough for her. 

[nezzfiction]

ENMY Chapter 43 - Blood On The Dancefloor

Chapter Synopsis: The forces of Atlas and Mistral are set to begin their conquest of Vale. The Second Great War enters its next major stage. Meanwhile, Team ENMY are still outlaws on the run. A sudden turn of events will take them into a new swing of things.

Series Synopsis:

Team RWBY is disbanded, and Yang must find herself new allies. For her, that might very well be yesterday’s enemies. Joining up with the likes of Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, the four will comprise Team Enemy.

Links to read the series: Ao3 or FF.net

Or hit the jump below

Blood On The Dancefloor

.

My heart all full of pain.

I would dance and be merry,

Life would be a ding-a-derry,

.

.

Rows upon rows of airships amassed along the airfield. Many of which, in the process of being outfitted and readied for sortie.

It made for an extremely hectic scene with military personnel barking orders, shouting which supplies went where. The mechanics running redundant tests, ensuring the aircrafts operated at optimal for when the promised time came.

Meanwhile, away from the organized chaos, two figures watched the scene from the edge of the strip.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Adam referred to the platoons of White Fang ready for deployment. Fully-armed with the latest weapons. He took pride in the fact they were no longer the poor, guerilla warriors they once were.

“It is,” Blake agreed. Her focus on a Faunus worker dropping a supply container. A human saw what was happening, and helped him lift it from the other side. “Amazing,” she parroted. “But loud. It’s very loud.”

“This is war, Blake. War on a scale we could only fathom before.”

“The Third Crusade painted a vivid picture I never forgot.”

“This is far more than anything Temujin could have ever mustered!” he pumped his fist. “This here, THIS is what the White Fang should be! A strong people! A proud people! And soon, it won’t just be here. Our brethren in Vale and Atlas will also experience this glory.”

“Right… Well, I’m going into the city. Away from all the noise.”

“I can accompany you.”

“No, thank you, Adam. I’d rather be alone. Besides, Raven would want you to keep an eye on things.”

“Are you sure? At least, let me arrange an escort.”

“It’s fine, really,” she waved. “I just need some time to de-stress.”

Not wanting to hear anymore of Adam’s protests, Blake walked away.

When she neared another hangar on her way out, she paused at the peculiar sight. There were no vehicles or airships here, but something else entirely.

Filed into neat, square formations were individuals carrying swords. This by itself was nothing strange, but what made the picture alarming was who, or more accurately, what they were.

This was the newest Grimm Unit added to Mistral’s military arsenal. Dubbed the Kotengu, they were humanoid at the base. Dark, feathery wings stretched from their backs. Each possessed an angry white masks along with a long, protruding nose. Their blades appeared ceremonial, but no less deadly.

Walking back and forth in front of them, was Raven and another figure.

“Blake,” Raven spotted her. She turned to the Monkey Faunus beside her. “We will proceed as planned, General Saru. Do you have any more questions?”

“Just one, if I may.”

“Yes?”

He was a very hairy man with wild strands growing on all sides of his face. Saru was lanky, dressed in a pressed, military black uniform. His stature a touch on the small side, especially next to Raven, who he had to look up at.

“Why did you choose me? I was just a boot-cleaner before. The army didn’t even recognize me as a soldier in service.”

“Yet, you’ve proven to possess more strategic talents than our best generals. I don’t care what your position was before, or your origins. If you have the ability, I’ll put you where I need you. Now, has all the cleverness you’ve displayed so far just luck or something I can make an asset of?”

“I will serve to the best of my abilities.”

“I know you will,” Raven clapped his shoulder, and strode towards Blake. “I see you left the pup behind. Good. What can I do for you?”

“Nothing, Raven. I was just on my way out and saw…”

“Ah, our Talon Units.”

“It’s still so strange. Weeks ago, they wanted to kill us. And now…”

“So simple, it’s a bit unnerving, isn’t it?” Raven sympathized. “Feels as if they could turn on us at any second. But they’re the allies we need.”

Back when Raven, Adam, and Blake destroyed the Tower of Tamonten, they set free the Grimm that were sealed by the installation. And after besting Kurama, the leader of the flock, in a sword duel—the Grimm swore their obedience under Raven’s command. It was unbelievable, but the evidence was plain to see before them.

“What’s the status on your end?” Raven inquired.

“Our regiment is making final preparations. Adam’s overseeing it. We will be ready by tomorrow morning.”

“Good.”

“So, General Saru will be leading the other regiments? It’s impressive. A Faunus has never held a senior rank like his. Not in a human military, anyway.”

“Besides me?”

Blake blinked. “I mean, besides—”

“The old lady told you, huh? I can’t say I’m surprised. But you are correct. It is an outstanding accomplishment. He’s a little green, but I think I can leave the main units to him. Not bad for someone who used to polish people’s boots. I need to take charge of the Grimm, in any case.”

“I see…” Blake dropped her gaze.

“Having second thoughts about invading Vale?”

“A little.”

“Hmm. That’s what I like about you, Blake. But it’s also what I find most annoying.”

“You’re starting to sound more like Temujin every day.”

“I’ll remember that, Belladonna,” Raven said with a playful edge. “Why do you still wear that bow?”

“Oh, um…!”

Blake reflexively reached the top of her head. Her hands making sure her ears were tied and properly wrapped.

“You don’t have to hide who you are here, Blake. You never will again.”

“I know, I just—” A memory flashed of Yang tying the bow with care. “I keep it for personal reasons. It doesn’t have anything to do with being a Faunus.”

“Really?”

“…It’s not the only reason anyway.”

Raven sighed, but decided to leave the matter alone.

“You should relax more. Hypocritical coming from me, I’m aware. But if you don’t find the time to fit some R&R in, you’ll never last.”

“Funny how you mention that. I was actually on my way into the city. There’s a new book released, and I wanted to pick up a copy.”

“Hm. I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“If you were free, maybe…”

Raven smiled under her mask.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to take a raincheck. Perhaps, another time.”

“Okay,” Blake replied, slightly dejected.

As she was about to leave, Raven drew her sword, and sliced open a portal.

“Quicker than calling a ride. And if I’m not mistaken, that group of ominous soldiers is an escort Adam arranged for you.”

Blake whipped her neck back and saw a squad of White Fang members approaching.

“Eheh…” she chuckled awkwardly, before leaping through the pulsing gate.

…

In the next second, Blake materialized on the sidewalk of Mistral’s downtown area.

It was the middle of the day on a weekend, so all the shops were open and bustling with people. There was barely any room to maneuver herself through the packed streets. And for a moment, Blake entertained the idea of taking to the roofs, but thought it would be in poor taste.

That is, until she saw a number of Faunus parkouring the sides of buildings and along the rooftops. Their tails whipped about back and forth excitedly, while helping them maintain balance. Some executed a few aerial stunts for the fun of it.

The display was found to some’s chagrin, but mostly to other’s entertainment. The runners high-fived a number of passerbys. Humans recorded their feats on their scrolls.

Blake couldn’t help, but feel a little marveled by the scene. She had witnessed Faunus get arrested for such things, much less lauded. Not only that, but these people expressed themselves in a way that was so open and free, which used to be something exclusive to Vacuo. To say it was uplifting for her would be an understatement.

Blake continued to make her way through the crowd, until she came upon a quaint little bookstore that doubled as a café. Her nose perked at the smell of inked paper mixed with roasted coffee. It brought her biggest smile she in a long time.

Within the interior, constructed mostly of dark wood, Blake stepped towards the counter. A Fox Faunus was present to greet her. The girl’s type, she could tell by the ears on the worker’s head.

“Hi, I wanted to purchase a copy of Remnant Gods?”

“Oh, that’s a popular one. The story about ancient deities living in the modern era.” The bookseller plucked it off the shelf behind her, and set it on the counter. “They’re making a TV series of it, you know.”

“Uh, yes. I’ve heard.”

“Right? I’m sure they’ll make a decent adaptation out of it, but I’ll still like the book more, and…” The Fox Faunus’s gaze drifted to Blake’s bow. Then, a knowing smile that communicated something gentle appeared. “I…used to do that too. But I promise you can feel safe here. I mean, just take a look around.”

She led Blake’s sight to the other patrons sitting and reading books. Many of them obviously Faunus from a single glance. It was possible the atmosphere felt so natural, Blake failed to notice.

“One copy of Remnant Gods and a cup of House Coffee.”

“Huh? But I didn’t—”

“It’s on the house,” she winked.

“…Thank you.”

Blake paid for the book and scouted a nice table for herself. The only one available was a four-seater at the corner of the shop.

For a stretch of long, peaceful hours, Blake read her book, while sipping her beverage. The bookseller sometimes passed by to refill her cup. A sardine sandwich was devoured. It felt like heaven to her, and she thought…

Why not?

She unfurled the ribbon from her ears, wiggling and stretching them out. The bookseller was right. It was freeing and safe. And Blake took a deep breath. Her lungs expanded from an invisible grip, as did her heart.

She glanced to the human beside her, reading the same novel. He caught her staring at the cover.

“Good story,” he commented.

“Yes,” she said back. “It is.”

The two nodded to each other, and went back to their reading. A mutual understanding passed with a few simple words.

She realized that this was what she wished for, what she fought for. To simply be without having to fear for her life or discrimination. Such a small and ordinary thing, but so difficult to attain. Blake may not have liked what it took to get here, but she found it impossible to think it wasn’t worth it. She wanted with everything to share this slice of light with others. Human, Faunus, just everyone and anyone.

“Place is filled to the brim. I don’t think—well, lookie over there. Hey, pretty lady.”

Blake peeked her eyes over her book. A girl, possibly a year older waved to her, dragging a small boy behind.

“Um, hi?”

Déjà vu?

“Ya got a nice table all to yerself. Too big fer just you. Mind lettin’ us sit with ya?”

“Inna. Please defer from rude behavior. Person displays isolationist traits. Apology, required.”

“Aw, clam it, Bean. Not everybody’s as sensitive as yer scrawny ass. Plus, she don’t mind. Right?”

Watching the interaction between the cowgirl and the small intellectual brought a small giggle out of Blake. A nostalgic memory surfaced she wasn’t aware she missed.

Yang and Ruby reached out to her once. This time, she wanted it to be her.

“You can sit. I’d be glad if you did. My name is Blake Belladonna,” she introduced herself.

“See?” Inna slid into the chair opposite. “Inna Kao, sharpshooter extraordinaire,” she tipped her hat. “Pleasure is all mine.”

“Grateful. I am Bean,” Bean bowed politely. “Possible obligatory response… Do you truly, not mind company?”

“Not at all,” Blake smiled.

Not today, I don’t.

.

* * * * *

.

In a conference hall held in the highest floor of a secluded keep, the collective leadership of Vale convened about the threats facing their Kingdom.

Long, curved desks cascaded down the circular room. Each chairman had their own assigned seat and nameplate. A facilitator stood at the center podium, tasked with providing order during the meeting. A position that was irreverently proven useless.

“Order! ORDER!” the older gentlemen banged his gavel to no avail.

“We must divert the bulk of our army against Atlas! Diminish their forces before Mistral arrives!” one shouted.

“Ever since Atlas landed on our shores, they have shown minimum hostility towards us! An alliance is in the works. Mistral is where we should take the initiative!” another argued.

“An alliance with Atlas is impossible! We have better luck surrendering to Mistral instead!”

“We should invoke a joint-position of neutrality with Vacuo!”

“They would never believe such absurdity!”

“ORDER! WE WILL HAVE ORDER!”

Ugh… A lone woman groaned on the inside.

Her knuckles pressed against her temple, as she wore an expression of disinterest. Not that the plight the Kingdom faced bored her, but the government that run it were horribly conflicted.

What am I even doing here?

I should do something.

Say something.

But I doubt anyone could get a real word in edgewise, in this mess.

She removed her spectacles and pinched the bridge of her nose.

I wasn’t always like this.

I was a Huntress—am a Huntress.

I’ve fought Grimm the size of mountains. Monsters that could flatten the world!

Please, please let a Grimm attack right now…

For the love of—

“Would the Acting Headmistress of Beacon like to offer her word?” a man suddenly voiced.

Glynda slid her glasses back on and stared at the one who casted her into the spotlight.

He was a tall, skinny man. His wardrobe was of a formal renaissance style. A tailor-made waistcoat and long sleeves to match his extensive arms, with a bit of flourish at the end. His hair was blonde and stringy. And he wore a rather wide-brimmed hat, lending his appearance to a scarecrow.

“Straw,” Glynda muttered under her breath. Resigning herself to having to speak, she took a stand. “I have nothing to add to the current discussion.”

As she was about to sit back down,

“Surely, the Acting Headmistress of Vale’s most esteemed battle academy has something to contribute. A reasonable strategy that we could all agree on? Otherwise,” Straw gave a showman’s chuckle, “we’d all in good likelihood, defeat each other before Mistral or Vale have their chance. And you, so rarely, make an appearance at these meetings. We would be so grateful for any sort of counsel.”

Glynda threw the man a hateful glare, as her jaw tightened, and then loosened.

“We could arrange our armies in a position that force Atlas and Mistral’s armies to meet. The more instances we can create, the better our chances.”

Loud murmurs erupted between the chairs. Some of the voices wanted more elaboration, while others were appealed by the merits. Although, most were unwilling due to an obvious flaw in Glynda’s suggestion.

“You want us to withdraw from the northern front?! And we would have to retreat far southwest to put that plan into action! The lands we would be giving them for free! Part of the capital city would be surrendered for nothing!”

The one vehemently protesting was Cardin Winchester. When his father was abducted during a backchannel with Atlas, the boy replaced his father’s chair. He belonged to a faction that advocated a more aggressive defense.

“If you feel so disinclined towards my advice, I feel no real need that you should listen to it. You’ve never listened, when you attended my classes before. I only voiced my thoughts by request.”

“We don’t need any stall or wait-and-see tactics! Vale needs to strike decisive blows against its enemies!”

“No!” yelled another. “Because we have the home-field advantage, we should aim for a battle of attrition!”

Endless debate exploded once more, as Glynda took her seat.

After an hour passed, the meeting was called for a brief recess.

Glynda strolled to one of the keep’s balconies to get some fresh air. The view was nice, trees and woodlands as far as the eye could see. If she squinted, she could make out the faintest lines of Vale’s buildings.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to attend, Glynda,” a voice sauntered from behind.

“Oh, Straw. Why pretend I actually had a choice, when the Chairmen threatened to take Beacon’s seat away if a proxy didn’t show?”

“Now, now. I may have had to exercise some legal bureaucracy to get you here, but I truly value your opinion.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, it is. Have you listened to them? So fractured and divided. They needed to hear an impartial voice. A clever idea, by the way—to play Atlas and Mistral against each other.”

“As if you didn’t come up with something similar. Or have you forgotten so much after leaving the school?”

Straw chuckled with fake embarrassment.

“I was never a good teacher. Not like you, or Peter and Barty. The gift of passing wisdom eluded me, as well as utilizing it. Ozpin said as much.”

“Ozpin trusted you.”

“Heh, yes,” he rubbed his hands. “You still believe that, do you?”

“I don’t believe he trusts you anymore.”

“No, I meant, you still believe the man is capable of trust? Ozpin believes in no one, my dear Glynda. I may be a fool, but I’ve realized that much over the years—serving him, championing his cause. The Wizard lies.”

Glynda eyed him with scrutiny.

“Salem?”

“Oh! No, my dear! I may despise Ozpin, but I would never defect to the Witch’s side. Such an act of idiocy is a feat, even I would never flirt with. No, no. Rest assured, my allegiances are entirely my own.”

She eased, but only a little.

There was a time in their lives, when Straw worked as part of their inner circle. A trusted fellow guardian of Remnant. If Qrow was Ozpin’s second, Glynda and Straw were a close third. But that time had long passed. Back when the man was still a professor at Beacon. Not the pompous aristocrat he was now.

“Where is the bird, by the way? I neither detect the scent of stale whiskey or hear the steps of a bumbling inebriate, so I can only guess he is not here.”

“Maybe, you scared him off. You have a way of doing that.”

“A shame. I had prepared an honorary seat for him and everything. I suppose, I just look absolutely foolish now. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Not really. Qrow’s always been skilled at hiding from meetings. No matter how important they may be.”

“So, he evades even you?”

Glynda blinked.

She was reminded of how often Straw liked to play the fool, while masking his actual intelligence. He poked and prodded, shaking small hints and clues out of trees. It made it easy for him to learn what he needed. Exposure was often among people’s deepest fears.

“‘The left hand knows not what the right does’, indeed,” he joked. “Once more, I’d like to take this opportunity to express thanks for your attending. The chairs may have disagreed with your proposal, but the idea is planted. I shall make sure the seedling bears fruit. What would you say to a concaved formation? We could even leak the opposition’s positions to each other.”

“Was that your plan all along? To use me to push your agenda?”

“You give me far too much credit, Glynda. I merely thought it was an inspired idea.”

“…”

“Our armies could use a leader of your caliber. Would you not consider postponing the revitalization of the school in lieu of defending the nation it resides in?”

“I’m averse to war.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. Such a shame. The other professors have joined the effort. Teachers from Signal Academy, as well. Why, just last week, the previously timid lion and his daughter’s team answered the call, ready and willing.”

“…!”

“Ruby Rose,” Straw toyed with the name on the tip of his tongue. “Daughter of Qrow Branwen and Summer Rose. I’ve heard nothing but magnificent things about the girl, but she does require some further tutelage, does she not? Someone who knows the way to show her the way…”

“I respected you once,” Glynda said with disdain. “But now, you’re nothing but a conniving coward.”

“I say again, Glynda. You give me far too much credit. I only wish I was half as clever as you accuse me to be, truly I do.”

Straw started his way back to the conference room, a short spring in his step and a light song on his lips.

“If I only had a brain~♪”

.

* * * * *

.

At a certain dance club in Downtown Vale, the next band for the night was about to perform.

Crowds herded toward the stage. A lot of them drunk and, or otherwise. Most had come just to attend this specific live. The band was new, but the music they played made for a unique experience.

As they finished setting up, Junior whispered to the vocalist.

“Do you think you guys could maybe…tone it down a bit tonight?”

“…”

*Sigh* “Just something to consider…” the club owner groaned, as he began speaking into the mic. “Alright, guys! Our next band is the one you’ve all been waiting for! Give it up for E.N.M.—”

Mercury started the intro guitar riff, midway through Junior’s sentence. An act that got the audience cheering, and the club owner scrambling off stage. Him and many of his men created some distance between the crowd, careful of what might happen next.

For the first few seconds, there was nothing but the reverberation of guitar strings and some audience members whooping. Then, Emerald grasped the mic stand.

“Yeah, here we go for the hundredth time. Hand grenade pins in every line.

Throw ‘em up and let something shine. Going out of my fuckin’ mind!

Filthy mouth, no excuse! Find a new place to hang this noose.

String me up from atop these roofs! Knot it tight so I won’t get loose!”

As the song went on, Neo joined with the bass and Yang on percussion. And the more Emerald belted out lyrics, the more the demeanor changed in the audience.

They began moshing violently, with no sign of control. Fists were thrown into the air and into the person next to them. Beer bottles were shattered on people’s skulls. It wasn’t long until the dancefloor turned into a free-for-all slugfest. The madness increasing as the song played on.

Junior could only watch the spectacle in horror. His frail hope was there wouldn’t be too much damage to his establishment this time around…

…

…

After the concert finished, and the club was closing up, Yang planted herself in a stool by the bar.

“Hard strawberry sunrise,” she ordered.

The drink was set in front of her, like she usually had it.

Three weeks had passed, since Yang’s team left her home in Patch. As unlikely as residences came, Emerald managed to acquire a place to live above Junior’s dance club.

Their being there worked for a multitude of reasons. They bargained a good renting rate because they were “friends” with the landlord. No one asked too many questions about people in such an establishment. The place was a great hub for information gathering. And they could find under-the-table work whenever they needed to.

And rarely did they ever, because of the team’s new alternative occupation. Ironically, a way to hide in plain sight, came in the form of hiding in the limelight. Few suspected an international team of outlaws to be a rock band of the same name.

Yang emptied her glass.

“Another one.”

When the barkeep brought her the second, Emerald came and sat in the seat beside her.

“You’re drinking acid.”

Yang swirled the contents of the glass and took a sip.

“Mud.”

“…”

“Snake oil.”

“It’s not working, Em.”

“Damn it!” Emerald banged the table, swiveled, and leaned against it.

“Your Semblance just doesn’t work on people, who’ve been exposed to it enough. Why the obsession with improving it, anyway? You never cared much about it before.”

“It used to be the ace up my sleeve. Now, almost every hard-hitter we meet’s gonna know how I sharp my cards. Still a few tricks in the bag, should the worse ever happen, but it’s only a matter of time till, well…”

“Hm. I guess, but I never banked too much on your Semblance. If you ask me, I thought your shotcalling played the biggest for the team. We complain, but me and Merc don’t really mind doing the heavy lifting. And then there’s Neo to reinforce. Our current setup’s pretty solid.”

“’Why change what’s not broken?’” she grumbled, while resting her chin on the table. “But it’s also true we’ll be broken if we don’t change…”

Emerald stewed in her problem for a while. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was more than efficacy that drove her new desire for improvement. It was also a matter of pride.

The team leader hardly failed to notice the rest of her comrades growing stronger by the day. Yang had incurred a significant penalty, but attained an infinitely deadly Semblance in return. Combined with his new Talarion, Mercury became a small army unto himself. And there was little need to mention what Neo brought to the table.

Only she, Emerald felt, was falling behind. Not to mention, she was the leader of this band of uniquely powered individuals. As such, the urge to keep standard burned hot in her stomach.

She especially saw her shortcomings in the battle against RNJR. Towards the tail-end of the fight, her Semblance was producing diminishing returns. Emerald became an area of liability at one point. It also proved ineffective against Qrow, Ruby, and Ren from the outset. Of which, would hardly be the last opponents she would ever face with specially keen perception.

If things continued the way they were, she was afraid her Semblance would turn her into a one-trick-pony, if that at all.

So, she set herself to practice. Every concert was an opportunity to train effecting multiple targets, over a longer timeframe. She tweaked their nerves, sent them into an emotional euphoria. Removed any inhibitions they had, while dialing their hormones to a hundred.

The only problem was, she merely expanded on an “outdated” skill. The number, speed, and length were never the issue, but the potency. For all her efforts, she could not force hallucinations on a person, but suggest them. And they never worked well against those already adapted to it, or aware.

Emerald bit her thumbnail in vexation.

There has to be a way.

I just haven’t thought of it yet.

On Neo and Mercury’s approach, the barkeep prepared a root beer float and club soda.

“Criminals, Mercenaries, Soldiers, War Heroes, Criminals again, and now Musicians,” Mercury listed off. “Our resumes just keep getting longer and longer…”

“Personally, I liked it better when you were just criminals,” Junior parked beside them, and knocked back a shot. “At least then, you didn’t destroy my club almost every other night.”

“You make more lien back on the drinks alone.”

“I have to go out and buy brand new furniture and equipment—every time. It’s annoying.”

“Buy more durable furniture.”

“I. DID. Freakin’ maniacs still break everything. There’s a table stuck in the ceiling. The ceiling!”

They all looked up and saw a table dangling from the roof by its leg. A few of Junior’s thugs were trying to use ladders that were too short, while climbing on top of each other.

“It’s like, how did it even get up there? So, the durable furniture causes even more damage!”

“Buy cheaper furniture.”

“You’re just full of brilliant ideas up there, aren’t you?”

“It’s one of my charms,” Mercury toasted.

A voice came over from one of the thugs guarding the door.

“Hey, Junior. Someone’s here to see you.”

“Is it the interior designer?”

“No. Someone else.”

Junior groaned something incoherent, before knocking back another shot, and storming off.

As Mercury was taking a sip of his club soda, Emerald whispered in his ear.

“Fizzy piss water.”

“Gmph—!!” *Snort!*

“Yes! I did it! I freakin’ did it!” she claimed victoriously.

He coughed, trying to ease the liquid out of his nose.

“Em,” Yang caught her attention, while handing Mercury a napkin. “I think you just made him laugh. It wasn’t cause of your Semblance.”

“……Oh.” Emerald toned down. “Yeah, figures.”

“Look, if you really want to bring a bigger threat to the team, why don’t you put some more brawn on those brains? Or you could sharpen your shooting. It doesn’t have to be your Semblance.”

The other girl only groaned at the suggestion.

“Maybe I should go through a Semblance Trial too. Concentrated Dust and Bane can be expensive, but it’ll be worth it if I don’t die.”

You shouldn’t do Bane. Bane is bad.

“I know, Neo. But what choice do I have?”

You will die.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. What makes you so sure?”

You are weak.

“Thanks.”

Your will is strong.

“Thanks?”

But your body is very weak. So, you will die.

“Great.”

Black blood will sploosh everywhere. From your ears and eyeballs.

“I get the picture. Must be why you’re such a great artist,” Emerald sighed.

Neo handed her a quick doodle. The graphic nature of it killed any remainder of the idea. At the same time, Junior returned with serious intent.

“Just got word on the weapon tech you’ve been asking me to look into.”

“You found Masa?!” Yang almost jumped from her seat.

“Yeah, you know how the professors at Signal went to join the war?”

“Uh huh.”

“Apparently, Masa Moon was lying low in the academy’s basement, working as the school’s weapons tuner. Looks like it was kept pretty hush-hush, most of the staff didn’t even know. But when they left, she came up for air.”

“Awesome! We should leave when we can.”

“‘When you can’, better be right now. A few big players just put out a gag and bag contract.” Junior showed them a sheet of paper he was handed, detailing the bounty for Masa’s capture. “A lot of my ‘business rivals’ want to get their hands on her too.”

“That’s a lot of zeroes,” Emerald whistled. “The whole underground’s a nasty hive. I know you two are partial to Masa’s prosthetics, but is it really worth the trouble to go after her?”

“She’s worth it, Em. If anyone can help me build a weapon to overcome my handicap, it’s her. Plus, she should be able to help you too.”

“Yeah? How?”

“When I had my Semblance Trial, one of the…things—manifestations of my soul or whatever— They mentioned Masa. Said she did something with my Semblance? I can’t remember. The point is, I’m pretty sure she’s not just a really good weapons tech. There’s something about her.”

Masa is very smart.

Too smart.

““Neo?”” Emerald and Yang turned to the small girl.

I saw it.

Masa is special.

Shiny.

“O—kay. I guess that’s good enough for me,” Emerald pushed off the counter. “Junior, we’re borrowing the Malachites. If this is as hot as it sounds, we’re gonna need some extra wet hands.”

“Oh, alright. Sure you don’t want any more muscle?”

“What, like your thugs? They’d just get in the way. I’m not paying for them.”

At hearing the statement, every pair of red glasses turned, but had nothing to retort.

“No! Not them. I meant,” *Ahem* And Junior kind of postured himself.

“…? I’m waiting.”

Yang rolled her eyes.

“You mentioned some of your business rivals were going in on this. Think you could tag along, lend us a hand? If we get Masa, maybe she can craft your boys some new heat.”

“Hell, yeah! I mean—only cause you asked.

Just let me go grab my bat.”

.

.

.

NOTES

-Saru’s character is based off Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

-Straw’s character is based off the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. “If I only had a brain~♪”

-The crazy mosh thing is based off dance mania/hysteria, which was a psychogenic phenomenon. People danced until they starved or collapsed from exhaustion. And of course…mosh pits.

-The song ENMY intro in Junior’s club is Bleed It Out by Linkin Park. I’m partial to the song’s intro, sue me.

-People have been asking me about bumblebee for some reason? If it ever becomes canon, I’ll be happy. If it doesn’t, there are no expectations. Just cause this fic has YangxNeo doesn’t mean I dislike bumblebee.

I think that’s about it for everything relevant. It’s come to my attention (and my partner telling me) that I may have not explained some things. I’ll try to get to them. Message if you want to ask something, like usual.

As always, thank you for reading!

See you in the next chapters!