#he taught Branch self defense

[we-are-in-sync]

Those last lyrics from "Mocking Bird" by Eminem is definitely what Ablaze would sing to Branch

Ablaze is such a dad I swear snsnsnsnn

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

idk how I didn’t think of this sooner, but play fights with the other melusines!

They come at legacy with a buncha things that won’t even scratch his armor but he plays along, faking noises of pain and defeat as we’re snickering in the back.

If we join in the fun or defend our moth is up to you >:3

all the Melusine have to keep their fighting skills up to check!!

you're actually the one who initiates such activities- unintentionally, however- idly practicing your weapon stances with a stick against Foul Legacy's leg. he taught you them for self-defense, as only the Abyss knows the names of everyone who wants to harm you- one day he'll get a small sword made specifically for you. for now you just smack his armor with your stick, form almost perfect as he watches and purrs approvingly. a pair of eyes peeks around the corner, a sibling's antennae twitching curiously for a moment before they suddenly charge at your monstrous friend, a stick of their own held high above their head! they whack his knees fiercely- well, somewhat fiercely. they know you're just training. right on cue Foul Legacy yelps in mock-pain, claws clutching the spot they hit with an affronted gasp. you and your sibling cheer, and Legacy has to suppress a happy rumble

it becomes an ordinary occurrence, for him to be suddenly swarmed by little Melusine holding sticks and coral branches, a flower or two, Mamere with her paintbrush. more often than not you're somewhere in the crowd, your own stick dusted with gold pigment as you practice the sword forms he taught you and that you in turn taught a few of your siblings. Legacy lets out some playfully pained noises, dropping to his knees and pressing a hand to his forehead in defeat as the Melusine all clap and congratulate each other for felling an Abyssal beast. you crawl into Legacy's arms once they're all gone, looking up at him cheerfully, and he grumbles in contentment, brushing off the dusty marks left behind on his armor and lightly bonking his forehead against yours with a toothy, fanged grin

[mirrow-hamato]

In the brozone fell au is any of branches brothers worried that something is going to happen to branch in the future?(because in my understanding I’m this au branch is only 6 but I could be wrong)

Oh! It's so nice that you asked, mate!

Actually in first au idea Branch supposed to be 6 years old. But then i changed my mind and now their ages are different.

Like for example:

John Dory - 41

Bruce - 40

Clay - 33

Floyd - 27

And Branch is now 21/22.

About the question. Yes, his brothers really care about him (i would rather say, sometimes he's the only thing that sticks them together. He's their little sunshine.)

First time when Branch get out of the bunker he was 12. But he was accompanied by Floyd and they didn't get too much far away. Branch was "allowed" to walk around in village without being watched only at his 18. But he wasn't too much minding that.

Each of brother really cares about him and sometimes teaching him some stuff.

Like John - climbing/hunting.

Bruce - cooking and etc home work stuff. (After Branch first time told about Poppy he was the one who give him some advices )

Clay - taught him simple methods of self-defense, and he also taught him to read when he was a kid. They both are big fan of detectives and fantasy. (But Clay more enjoys suffering and bad endings meanwhile Branch trying to avoid the sad books)

And Floyd learn him being patient, careful and at same time not being scared of who he really is. Floyd is always the first brother who ready to listen all of his worries and problems. (Also the most overprotective one).

Hope it was interesting! (Have a lil spoiler for the drawing I'm making now.)

[harlequin-eldritchkin]

HAMMER HARLEEN AND THE FISTS OF CLOWNING (FREE FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION)

I have been looking for what martial arts Harley Quinn may have learned as she is seen going toe-to-toe with the likes of Catwoman, Nightwing, Batgirl, Lord Death Man, and Batman, to name a few. All that comes up is her backround in gymnastics and learning from the Bat Family, and her aggression and fearless approach of being a wild card. She is a scrapper, but Batman and Nightwing are too skilled to be beaten by a simple scrapper. So, what is her fighting secret?

Source: Pinterest. If you know the artist, please let me know and I will credit their work.

What I am about to present is not canon, and I do my best to stick to canon because this is about Harley Quinn and how she is presented in popular culture and not my fantasies, but martial arts was my first love ♡. I have spent over 30 years training and studying various forms of martial arts from books to learning under local masters, so I have more than a basic understanding of the Fist.

Source: Harley's hammer from a keychain I bought.

First, we all know she had a backround in gymnastics and was a criminal psychologist that worked in Gotham, where crime is the rule and not the exception. With that, before she was the Maiden of Mischief, she was just Dr. Harleen Quinzel, so it would be logical that she took self defense classes. She also grew up in New York and is Jewish, so Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense art inspired by Israeli military hand-to-hand combat, would make the most sense. Krav Maga is also one of the more popular and efficacious self defense systems in the United States.

Krav Maga uses open hand strikes, clinches, knees, elbows, weapons disarms, and evasion tactics. They also teach eye gouging, throat and groin strikes, as well as grappling defense. Being a military art, it is based on survival and not for sport or beauty like prize fighting or traditional martial arts.

Source: Harley VS. Apokolips

Although she was a gymnast, gymnastics does not teach fighting, but there are martial arts that combine gymnastics and fighting, the most famous being Wushu and Shaolin Kung Fu. There is an ancient kung fu method called Yi Jin Jing, or Muscle Tendon Change Classic, which is influenced by Yoga and combines a mix of flexibility and strength exercises.

Shaolin Kung Fu combines acrobatics, gymnastics, iron body, animal forms, weapons forms, meditation, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I wouldn't go as far as saying she trained in China, but New York has a large martial arts community and its own Shaolin Temple, so it is a possibility.

Source: Google. Young Sifu Shi Yan Ming training in Shaolin Temple. He runs the New York branch of Shaolin.

Another style that involves acrobatics and kung fu, which is one of my favorite styles, is Drunken Boxing.

It isn't a single style. It is taught to intermediate to advanced students once they have mastered the basics of their style. It has a mix of tumbling, jumping, spinning, flipping, and deceptive tactics and techniques based on the movements of a drunkard.

Sources: Jackie Chan, Drunken Master 2, Gordon Liu, Shaolin Drunken Monk.

Finally, we have her weapons. Her most notable being her bat and (oversized) mallot.

Source: Harley Quinn Animated Series

The Irish have a stick fighting style called "bataireacht" which uses a shillelagh, a hard wood (blackthorn) stick with a natural nob as a handle that is good for hooking and smashing, such as smashing a skull.

Source: irelandjournal.typepad.com

Of course, swinging a bat at someone is a very effective way to end almost any fight.

Source: Harley Screws Up the DCU

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Amanda Marcotte at Salon:

Even by the reality-TV chaos standards of our political moment, this one was a doozy: Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Defense, called out as an "abuser of women" by his own mother in the pages of the New York Times. To be fair, Penelope Hegseth's 2018 email excoriating her son, who was then a Fox News contributor, was not intended for public consumption. But the email, which seems to have been passed around Hegseth's social circle at the time, was leaked to the Times over the weekend. In it, Penelope Hegseth calls her son a man who "belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego." Pete Hegseth, then 37 years old, was in the midst of his second divorce.

While Penelope Hegseth has since disavowed her 2018 declaration, those accusations were backed up by a New Yorker investigation showcasing years of complaints from colleagues that Hegseth ran his veterans organization in "a hostile and intimidating working environment," where sexual harassment — and even attempted sexual assault — was blown off or blamed on victims. Hegseth himself was characterized as a heavy drinker who "treated the organization funds like they were a personal expense account — for partying, drinking, and using [the organization's] events as little more than opportunities to ‘hook up’ with women on the road." This follows reports that Hegseth was accused of rape in 2017. Criminal charges were not filed, but Hegseth reportedly reached a financial settlement with the alleged victim in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement. 

In the years since, Hegseth — now on his third marriage — has claimed that he rediscovered Christ, saying "faith became real" to him in 2018. He became deeply involved with the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS), moving to Tennessee to enroll his children in a branch of this fundamentalist organization. He also joined the associated denomination, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. Both are led by Doug Wilson, an untrained and self-proclaimed pastor who advocates for Christian nationalism and has become famous for his trollish promotion of his far-right political views. At the center of Wilson's philosophy is a misogyny so overt that it's sometimes hard to believe he's serious.  "Wilson holds the most extreme views of women’s submission found in any form of Christianity," Julie Ingersoll, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Florida, told Salon. "Women are taught that submission to their husbands (and other male authorities) is submission to God. Independence of any kind is cast as sin."

[...] While Wilson is focused on sex and discomforting descriptions of what he sees as women's sexual obligations to men, his demeaning attitudes about women expand beyond the bedroom. In a recent video titled "The Natural Use of the Woman," Wilson argues that God designed women "to make the sandwiches" and chastised women who believe "men have a responsibility" to care about the marriage the same way wives do. During the election season, he argued that women's suffrage was a mistake and part of "a long, sustained war on the family." He recommends that husbands who are dissatisfied with a wife's housework skills "call the elders of the church and ask them for a pastoral visit." Stankorb explained that this implies excommunication, "a serious threat for women who have no job or independent income."

Hegseth doesn't just attend a CREC church and send his kids to an ACCS school. He has associated publicly with Wilson's Christian nationalist teachings in multiple ways. Hegseth is a forceful advocate of the ACCS school system and championed Wilson's efforts to fight pandemic restrictions. After being nominated by Trump, Hegseth went on the "CrossPolitic" podcast, hosted by one of Wilson's pastors, and argued that ACCS schools allow Christian nationalists to "build [their] army underground" for an eventual takeover of American society. Hegseth has blamed sexual assault in the military on "equality," claiming that the issue was "exacerbated" by letting women enlist in the first place. This aligns with CREC teachings that male sexuality is ravenous and the tendency to blame victims for "immodesty" when sexual violence happens. If Hegseth is confirmed to lead the Pentagon, Bell predicted he "would not be worried about rape in military circles," because of these views. 

Pete Hegseth’s mother Penelope told him to get some help. Instead, he joined up with Douglas Wilson’s church that is grossly misogynistic and Christian Nationalist.

[cloudgremlin-creations]

Grafted Branches: Fight!

By this point maybe I should make a turtle blog. ANYWAYS

Because GB is a separated au, not all of the sibs grew up with Splinter. So their fighting styles and experiences are quite… mixed.

From oldest to youngest:

Dona has the most formal training, learning aikido and later ninjitsu from Oroku Saki. It was rocky going at first, but once Karai and Casey found out that Dona reacts faster to sounds than movements when fighting, the gang were able to design a system that prompts Dona with audio when fighting (different sounds are connected to different katas, and Don will instinctively do the kata Don has connected to that sound when it’s played). Because of this handicap and Dona’s inherent speed, Don has developed a fighting style that is vicious and fast- but very, very predictable. Don relies on surprise and speed, which does actually make Don a very good ninja!

Rafa was (partially) raised by Splinter and so has a spattering of aikido and ninjitsu training. Mainly, though, he uses kickboxing and wrestling techniques learned from Beebop and Rocksteady any time they weasel their way back into the Red Heart Sanctuary’s good graces. He will also just sit on you, my boy is 6 foot 1 of pure muscle, fat, tail, and shell. He’s definitely a contender on the battle field, but tends to focus on protection and de-escalation unless things get Really Bad, in which case. He has the strongest holding bite of the sibs (Dona might have the fastest and most force, but Don’s jaw is relatively weak and can be held open really easily if you jam it even slightly past Don’s release point).

Michael is a street brawler at heart, my lil terror <3. Sun begged saber training from sun’s uncle and learned keysi from sun’s dad (strictly for self defence! And to keep the terror from trashing the store with sun’s never-ending energy) but has also just picked up everything and anything sun thinks might be useful, which includes a lot of parkour. Michael fights dirty and will lead you on a merry chase around whatever area the fight is taking place in, utilizing the environment to deliver powerful blows from every direction. Anything to Michael is a weapon, and will be used accordingly! Just don’t let sun get close to water, sun is literally too dense to float TwT

Lee is an odd case. He’s extremely analytical and a perfectionist, but this doesn’t translate to “amazing fighter”. Although the way he fights is loose and flexible like Michael, he doesn’t have the same careless gusto to just try out new things. A lot of what he was taught was twofold: learning both how to be flashy and please the crowd while also viciously and discreetly taking the wind from your opponent’s sails. He relies a lot on intimidation and misdirection when fighting, and while his actual fighting skill is good, he doesn’t have the confidence to really push for the win, being a fairly defensive fighter instead. However, Lee is incredible at quickly analyzing the situation and pointing his sibs in the right directions, and often takes over from Dona once the action starts and there’s too much chaos and unpredictability for Don to handle (and if Karai isn’t there).

All in all, each of the sibs has a different way of contributing in fights- and in other types of confrontations. Want to make a business alliance with someone, get an accidentally inspiring speech, or plan an intricate heist? Dona. Wanna calm someone down, gain loyal allies, or fix a refrigerator? Rafa’s got it. Wanna confuse and embarrass the enemy, or maybe need some random super rare information? Send Michael! And for a special treat if you want to ruin someone psychologically, or if you need an on-the-fly plan that will Definitely Work, or if you need someone to become a meat puppet, Lee’s gotchu covered <3

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

Could it be possible that stars true form are similar to biblical accurate angels?

(This won't leave my head when you mentioned eyes at the back of Cephs head.)

Something incomprehensible to humans.

On a side note how well-learned is Asha about her world? Since her mom was a sailor I wondered what stories she would have told Asha about her time as a merchant. Does Asha have any cousins and how well is her relationship with her uncle?

Can she identify what a penguin is?Or animals not native to her home? If she were to travel to another kingdom for a possible vacation where would be her first choice?

What are her other interests other than astronomy,crocheting,science,inventing,sketching and surviving?

What are her current skill sets? Can she pick a lock? Because I don't believe Sabino would not teach her how to get out of a cage or such if she were to ever be kidnapped. Her paranoia must come from somewhere?

Sorry if these were all to much.

I enjoy and am very invested in your Asha,her story and your world building.

(Sorry Ceph but I just prefer Asha and world building more than you. PS.Cloaks and shawls are better capes)

Thank you! ❤️ I’m glad you like my Asha and my story/worldbuilding 🥹

((

Ceph: *starts choking*

Asha: are you okay?

Ceph; no! There’s so much audacity in this comment that I’m literally dying! You’re killing me north towards me- YOU ARE KILLING A STAR!

Magnifico: *elsewhere in a room full of confused advisors* why do I feel like I am being challenged?

Ceph: there’s absolutely no way you expect me or any other star to honestly answer that question after your little ‘shawl’ comment- no seriously! That’s just not right! This is crazy! And that’s something coming from me!

Asha: finally someone with good taste!

Ceph: and this is why none of you will know my birth name. Ever. ))

During her earlier years in her apprenticeship Asha ended up shadowing a lot of ministers when magnifico had basically turned his attention to the other apprentices. She spent a lot of time studying about other countries and their histories- Arendelle and Corona to name a few, and tends to socialize with their diplomats to learn more about their technology/science (so she can strengthen her argument on the science’s legitimacy!) so overall I think it’s a bit safe to say that Asha knows a lot more about the world beyond Rosa’s than your average Rosa’s native born (most don’t really plan to leave Rosa’s ya know? So they’ve never been too bothered about learning about distant countries in depth)

Sakina has told her a lot about her times sailing and the crazy adventure she did. She had a lot of dangerous run ins with supernatural creatures like Davy Jones and sirens. And also met Calypso (POTC Calypso) she got collections of picture books from her time abroad to show Asha the world beyond Rosa’s. So She can identify a lot of animals non-native to Rosas

Asha also has a few little cousins and her relationship with her uncle is very good (they built her sailboat together) and he always brings her gifts whenever he comes around, but he hasn’t been too big on visiting Rosas since Tomas passed. If she were to travel to another country I think she’d definitely want to visit Corona- so she can nerd out over Lord Demanatus’s work. In a perfect world she’d also love to visit Atlantis (maybe even moreso than Corona!) (She’s not too big on Arendelle and Scotland for their magic and bears and magical bears tbh 😬)

Asha: there’s more to life than survival? (Jk) she loves diplomacy and history. She does still love art here too but she draws less frequently due to being overworked. if her life had gone better she’d still be huge on musical theatre. She also likes wrestling/grappling too- the main branches of self defense her grandfather taught her that would be advantageous against bigger people due to her smaller size! Asha is also a firm believer in stress baking (don’t tell Sabino)

As for her current skill set Asha can definitely pick a lock (she’s so good at fixing them that there’s no way she doesn’t know how to break a few) and there’s also no way Sabino would teach some noble boy how to pick the lock but not his own granddaughter. Asha is also quite well trained for her circumstances unless magic comes in. Then she’s kinda toast.

[dysrope]

Each House is a Castle, and its Owner is King

[round 8: (0+3)+(6+2)=11]

[create race: 11-6=5]

In general, Erland was pleased with the Tiktik. Apart from some impetuousness, he could not find a fault in their energetic drive to live, nor their ambitious construction projects. Yet, he reflected on what the Chivik Queen had said to him, and took it too heart, and he reflected also on what her subjects had not dared say, and decided to make a third attempt. With the lessons learned from the Kautaila, and the Tiktik, Erland set about to create a being that would not be separated from the world and lonely, but also not short-lived and fearful.

And so Erland made the Págar. As with the Tiktik, he began with a crustacean base, a creature of the shallow seas between Morne and Incarien, with bright red shell and ten armored limbs. But where the Tiktik had been given a hardened protective exoskeleton, these new creatures were left relatively naked and vulnerable. When very young, they must scramble for shelter, living in any shell or rock that they may find or steal. This is a very dangerous time in their lives, as they are small, dumb, and weak, and generally left to fend for themselves, but those that survive grow larger and wiser. At a few years of age, they grow too large for any of the scavenged housings, and they must realize how to make a new one of their own design. For like the Kautaila, the Págar must remake their exteriors to reach full maturity, though they are born with an innate mastery of fire and earth, and need not be taught. The process is not easy however, and none will aid them, for it is only when a Págur has made its first house, that they can be counted as an adult, and welcomed into the society of the grown-ups.

Adult Págar tend to live on land, to show that they have mastered the arts of architecture, design, and plumbing necessary to construct a house capable of sustaining them out of the water. Their societies are loosely knit together, and non-hierarchical. While some individuals (especially elders, or particularly accomplished inventors, teachers, craftspeople, and artists) may hold great sway over the public, each Págur is recognized as an independent individual, and cannot be forced to go along with any decision. Since Págar carry their houses with them, they are functionally nomadic (at least if they so wish), and often go on long journeys of discovery. The only real buildings they construct are the amphitheatres and storage facilities of their Schools. These Schools are where they gather to teach and learn the intricacies of various branches of engineering, science, philosophy, and art, and they are the core institutions around which communities arise. The different Schools have different focuses, or theories of the world, and may be engaged in (more or less friendly) rivalries with one another. It is not common for Págar to visit and learn from several Schools before finding one that reflects their true interests, and settling permanently. Even then, going to visit another School to learn their speciality, and teach them something in turn, is not uncommon, and only the most bitter of enemies would completely refuse to share their knowledge.

Schools also act as places for discussions on political topics and matters which affect all members of the community. At times of serious disagreements a Págur may leave by choice, or even de facto be forced into exile, but none hold the authority to make them do anything they do not wish. The three fundamental rights underpinning Págur society are Self-Determination, Self-Expression, and Self-Defense, and anyone that violates the autonomy of another or commits an act of agression will quickly find themselves out-cast.

The house of a Págur, is something they always carry with them. It is filled with the salty water its inhabitant needs in order to breathe, which is compartmentalized, circulated, and cleaned, in order to allow for long stays on land without need to constantly refresh in the sea. While making your first house is an important rite of passage and signifier of independent ability, that particular construction is usually discarded or archived very quickly, as the new adult will find many elders more than happy to share tricks and designs, which enable them to improve the performance immensely. For while the construction of a home is a deeply personal affair, exchanging information, and helping progress the craft is highly encouraged, as it helps everyone - it is this, first and foremost, that the different Schools are meant to accomplish.

Though Págar could conceivably survive without their houses, if they staid in the water, a house is more than just a shell. It is what allows them to wander unconstrained, it allows them to rest unconcerned, it is a guarantee of their personal safety, and it protects all their important belongings. For a well-made house will be practically indestructible, and have space for all manner of cargo, and no well-prepared Págur would leave for a journey without a map, spare parts for the critical systems, tools for repair, a weapon or two, a week of provisions (at least), some manner of diversion (a book, game, or puzzle, perhaps), and any mementos they may have picked up over the years.

But more than anything else, a house is a reflection if its inhabitant, and the Págur will make sure it expresses their mastery of all manner of technical and aesthetic skills. Thus the houses of different Págar can vary wildly in shape, size, colours, materials, and features. Different Schools tend to have general trends and styles, but individuals always vary. Most commonly, houses are made out of a combination of different materials, corresponding to different functions. Typically some type of ceramic serves as base, although metal is not unheard of, and some risquée Págar have been known to make theirs entirely of transparent glass. Very rarely, a Págur may accept and use an inherited house, but more often than not, these are deposited in collections of the Schools, and the very finest of these are displayed for visitors to see. Págar typically only leave their houses to swim with their lovers in the sea and mate, which is obviously a show of great intimacy, vulnerability, and trust.

As a Págur ages, they grow ever more in size, and their bodies and houses become very cumbersome. At about a century and a half, they usually are around five meters in length (not counting the house, which at this point likely has grown even more in size and ostentation), and at this point it may be very difficult to move on land. So elderly Págar will make a new house, say farewell to all their friends and lovers, and return to the sea. There, they may wander around for years or decades more, exploring the seafloor and enjoying a solitary retirement. Eventually, however, even with the water easing the burden, they will grow slow and tired and find a place for their final rest.

It is said, however, that some find their way down into the deepest abyss, and in the darkest waters find a spark of light that guides them into the innards of the earth, where they may live eternal in Erlands halls. And it is known without doubt, that some simply refuse to stop, and continue on walking the seafloor for centuries upon end. Though their pace (and their thoughts) grow ever slower, they also reach such incredible sizes, that they can be mistaken for reefs or islands, slowly drifting along, when seen from above.

[command avatar (build city): 5-1=4]

As Chivik recovers from the devastating civil war, it claims control over ever more territory, and builds fortified outposts to block off passages and maintain paths through the wild and untrustworthy Underworld. Over time, one of these outposts in the east, granted to the Vennes clan, grows large enough to become a city in its own right. For the moment at least, the Vennesnes remain loyal sevants of the Fossil Queen and her Royal Council

[trashcankitty12]

I would love some touches on Salvador? Like hobbies and marriage and parenthood to Morgan. He is cool.

Salvador Sylvane:

(This is going to be long, so it's under a read more.)

Eldest of the Sylvane Siblings (By 2 Years)

His magic, like Griffin's comes from the energy of the world around him. Not like the elements or the animals, but the actual living auras around in the world they're on. However, Salvador is more into defense and healing magic, where Griffin was more the fighter.

(It's how it always was. Growing up as a dark realmer during the time of the Ancestral Witches' rule of Obsidian and the Councils massive hold on the Magical Dimension, it was hard.)

(He and everyone with dark magic were treated as less than, as corrupt or evil before even truly being understood.)

(So Salvador did what his mother did, try to assimilate. Be hidden and quiet. Don't make too much fuss. You don't want to make yourself a target. That makes things worse.)

(Griffin on the other hand, was like her father, and would openly defy and question the authorities. He's had to bail her out a few times before they ever joined the Coven. In fact, he joined the Coven to try and help her by, in his mind, finally being the supportive and protective brother she needed. And then he was called to bring her in and... Well that didn't quite go as planned.)

During his time with the Coven and the Company of Light, he became an excellent medic and healer. He also strengthened his potion-making abilities. Which also could be considered bomb-making in certain contexts...

He's a romantic at heart, always willing to play matchmaker. His primary victim is usually his sister, but he has helped others branch out. (Like with Saladin and the new library head in Magix City. Or the rekindling of Hagen and Faragonda's romance. Griselda and Zarathustra. And currently, he's working on Griffin again, and his new buddy and the new RF flight instructor: Spencer Novak.)

Salvador is almost as adept as Griffin when it comes to plotting and scheming, however he doesn't shy away from the flashy and loud methods like she tends to. Stealth isn't his favorite thing.

He's also the first one to scream out when something is a suicide mission. A good voice of reason... Usually. (Things get a little murky if family is involved however. Salvador is extremely protective.)

Not much of an astronomer like Griffin, or as into chess. Salvador is a bit more physical when it comes to his hobbies.

In the Coven:

He became friends with Valtor. Or at least, they were friendly. Salvador managed to keep Valtor out of trouble (to a degree) and Valtor found someone to assist in making trouble.

Valtor also is the one who taught Salvador to sword fight and helped him develop his more aggressive spells.

Salvador, in return, helped keep Valtor a fully-stocked potions pharmacy. (For his 'training sessions' with the Ancestresses. He did not envy his friend.)

Salvador also had a romantic interest in the Coven, Aro, a wizard with a penchant for causing absolute mayhem by hexing/cursing those around him with bad luck and misfortune. (This obviously didn't end on a good note when Salvador left with Griffin.)

In the Company:

Typically worked in the Med Bay and Infirmary with Ofelia and a few others.

Met and fell hard for Palladium, a woodland elf with attitude and a fascination with the dark realms.

Palladium taught him a few of the elven runes/spells, and Salvador helped him learn to tap into aspects of dark magic.

He tried to learn to pilot the crafts so he could be of more assistance, but it was quickly decided he shouldn't be a pilot. They had plenty anyway.

Salvador also quickly fell in love with his niece, making sure to spoil her when Griffin wasn't paying attention. (And promising to keep Griffin safe for the young girl.)

(Which isn't easy when his sister seems to have a death wish and a need for self-sacrifice.)

Palladium:

Palladium is his soulmate. The man who knows what Salvador has done, what Salvador is capable of, and still absolutely loves him.

(And also doesn't blame him for his poor choice in joining the Coven. Palla was well aware of the difficulties the dark-realmers had and why so many felt they had no choice but to turn to the Ancestral Witches. He understood.)

Of course, Palladium's family wasn't as thrilled. As an elf, he has a rather large family, as he's the middle of around 15 siblings. Some were happy for the couple, some were upset that Palladium fell for an outsider instead of another elf, some just didn't care so long as Salvador could endure a bit of elven hazing.

When Palladium was pregnant, he did everything he could to mitigate the discomfort and issues Palladium had. Thankfully, Morgan was rather peaceful... Though Palladium elven empathy was at an all-time high.

The two of them using convergence is powerful; pure dark energy and runic magic, it creates some interesting combinations of things. (Typically an overload to those around them, making friends and foes alike have issues keeping up with the fight as their magic drains faster. Sometimes it's an explosion that causes confusion and minor burns. And even more rarely, a vine trap will ensnare enemies. All depends on the runes used beforehand.)

During his final transformation, Salvador wasn't allowed to physically with Palladium due to the spiritual aspect (and the cultural one of Palladium having to be on his own in his own realm). It drove him crazy, which in turn meant he drove his sister and his daughter crazy.

(But when Palladium came back, he was so happy and did his best to come up with the best Welcoming Party he could muster.)

Morgan:

Finding out about Morgan was one of his happiest moments. He and Palladium came up with the name before finding out what they were having, deciding to wait until birth.

Her little pointed ears and little fingers and feet just melted him. And her eyes. Her Eyes. She had the elven pouty eyes!

Morgan, like Salvador, grew with a penchant for mischief. Always into something, typically their garden or books or paperwork or other things she shouldn't be into.

He could never stay upset with her though, often laughing off her antics. (Unless they got her hurt or into serious trouble. Morgan learned quickly what she could and couldn't get away with.)

Proud Papa. He'd take Morgan to RF and show her around whenever he could get away with it. Let her meet the dragons and other creatures in the stables. Allow some of the safer students to ride her on the levibikes. Let her 'help' with classes that involved magic.

(Palladium also took Morgan with him to Alfea at times. Showing her the greenhouse and his potions room. The Magical Reality Chamber.)

Family hikes are something the three often enjoy together, and Morgan thrives being in natural environments. (Her magic coming from both Elven and Energy based origins.)

Salvador often makes the dreaded "Dad Jokes", Morgan threatens to kill him at times because of how lame they are.

Salvador is also the one who, while not directly intimidating those interested in dating Morgan, will also openly remind those dates that he was once a magical terrorist and has no problems with holding back his morals.

(Morgan often reminds her father that she can very well take care of herself. And if need be, she has a cousin with the Dragon Fire who will happily roast anyone for her. Salvador still prefers his methods of making the poor date his potions tester.)

Of course, he breathes a sigh of relief when Morgan get serious with Helia. The boy, no, man, is soft-spoken and kindhearted, but not shy about doing what's needed and has always been there for Morgan. So, perfect.

(He is now in the stage where he's just waiting for Helia and Morgan to announce their engagement. It's not happened yet, but he won't be surprised when it does. He can just feel the love they share.)

This is about all I could think of in the moment. Sorry it took so long to answer!

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Chapter 1: Blossoms Fall

Narrated by Yexiao.

Narrator: That day, to drive me away, the villagers surrounded the yard.

Narrator: I lived there for almost ten years.

Narrator: It was a yard in the countryside, very similar to where I live now. They have the same fence and peach tree.

Narrator: There was a family of three who lived in that big yard.

Narrator: The peach tree in the yard bloomed year after year.

Narrator: In ten years, the little girl in that family became a teenager.

Narrator: She was pretty when she smiled, like a peach blossom in the yard.

Narrator: On that day, they surrounded me in the yard. I remember when a wind came, the peach blossom petals fell on the ground.

Choose “Why are they making you leave?”

You: Why did the villagers drive you away?

Narrator: They are afraid of me.

Narrator: I lived there for a long time, but my appearance didn’t change much.

Narrator: In the beginning, I just felt people talked about something behind my back.

Narrator: Later when I walked on the road, people would avoid me.

Narrator: But I didn’t think too much. Not until they surrounded the yard did I realize they wanted me to leave.

Narrator: Maybe driven by fear, a villager picked up a branch as if he was holding something for self-defense.

Narrator: At that time, a little girl stepped in front of me.

Choose either “Who is she?” or “Is she okay?”

If “who,” ...

You: Which girl? Who is she?

Narrator: She is the daughter of my neighbor, the family of three.

If “okay,” ...

You: Is she okay?

Narrator: Fortunately, the villager withheld his hand in time.

--

Narrator: The girl’s arm was hurt. I wondered whether it would leave a scar.

Narrator: I realized that I couldn’t live there anymore.

Narrator: Before I left, I looked back and saw the little girl. I waved goodbye to her.

Narrator: I remembered the days when I taught her how to paint. We had talked about painting the peach blossoms together next year.

Narrator: It seemed I couldn’t keep that promise.

Narrator: The autumn wind was blowing, the flowers were faded, and the wild geese were flying south.

Narrator: But I didn’t know where I was going.

Narrator: I started traveling around Miraland. But I never stayed in one place for more than five years.

Narrator: Every time I left, I would erase my memories.

Narrator: After all, I couldn’t remember too much, and I couldn’t travel with too many memories.

Narrator: After a long journey, I came to the yard where I live now and heard the first greeting from the old lady.

Old Lady: Where are you from? Who are your parents?

Narrator: I can’t remember how many times the old lady asked me such questions.

Narrator: She is old with good health and a bad memory.

Narrator: She has lived here in this yard all her life.

Narrator: The peach tree outside has lost its flowers and bloomed. When it blooms, I feel a sense of deja vu.

Narrator: On the branches of the peach tree, the winter snow, spring blossoms.

Narrator: And autumn leaves come one after another, painting a colored circle of the seasons.

Narrator: While human life is linear like the tree trunk, and there is no going back.

Narrator: My life is different from most humans, but it makes no difference whether the picture of my life is a circle or a point.

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

[vulpinera]

@erabundus: ❛ you don’t have to keep me company, i’m fine by myself. ❜ 

"   did   you   know   -   "

there   is   the   quaint   sound   of   feet   upon   damp   verdant,   boots   digging   plush   into   moist   earth   as   the   forest   watcher   moves   through   the   trees   with   his   ever   preternatural   swiftness.   "   that   during   the   rainy   season   -   "   as   if   to   punctuate   his   words,   there   is   a   rumble   of   thunder   in   the   distance,   the   noise   reflexively   forcing   large   ears   backwards   and   his   body   to   draw   taught   like   his   bow.   it's   best   not   to   think   of   the   connotation   thunderstorms   might   bring,   especially   when   in   pursuit   of   strange   men...   children?   teenagers?   within   his   forest.   

"   -   many   types   of   fungi   are   twice   as   likely   to   attack   on   sight?   and   by   attack   -   "   a   hand   upon   the   root   of   a   great   tree   finally   has   him   nimbly   drawing   upwards   into   a   branch,   so   that   he   might   seat   himself   next   to   the   wanderer   beneath   the   eaves   of   foliage   before   the   rain   starts   to   fall.   "   i   mean   spray   their   spores   in   your   face   in   both   self   defense   and   what   could   be   considered   their   version   of   copulation.   "

"   so   what   i'm   saying   is   -   maybe   you   shouldn't   go   traversing   about   avidya   forest   in   the   rain,   unless   you're   prepared   to   become   a   fungi...   carrier.   "   

[casspurrjoybell-27]

In a Heartbeat - Chapter 41 - Part 1

*Warning - Adult Content*

Simon

Michael insisted on teaching me self-defense, which in hindsight seemed ridiculous.

In a way, I was thankful for him looking out for me but at the same time, I didn't deem it necessary.

In wolf form, I was confident enough to defend myself or at least hightail out of a situation if needed but he wanted me to feel confident in my human form to handle someone like George.

Not that I couldn't or felt like I would need to but just in case, he had said.

A part of me wondered if he was worried I'd need to defend myself against Vince and I hate that I thought that might've been a possibility.

Michael had spent nearly two hours helping me learn basic blocking and types of punches and throws I should at least know.

He demonstrated different ways to sweep someone's leg out from under them and how to pin them down, along with other spots that can be easy targets to aim for.

At some point in our session, I was practicing how to aim for the ribs when Michael had placed his foot behind mine and the next thing I remember is laying on my back, the sudden twist and thud jarring me.

Rookie mistake, losing my balance while he used the same throwing technique he had literally just taught me.

Xavier hadn't been kidding about his siblings learning all sorts of skills to be an Alpha, it appeared Michael had a grasp about all forms of martial arts to some degree, even the more meditative ones.

"You alright?"

He was kneeling beside me but I hid my eyes with my forearm, completely embarrassed by how easily he took me down.

I peeked to see him look genuinely concerned and I couldn't help but laugh at the silly brow lines that had formed.

"Should I have put extra padding out?"

"I can't even throw a punch," I huffed, before grabbing his hand as he pulled me up into a sitting position.

He sighed in relief before replying...

"There wasn't anything wrong with the punch, you just gotta center yourself more. The easiest way is to bend the knees, remain lower."

"Easy for you to say," I mocked.

"You're built like a brick shit-house. I'm pretty sure if I did punch you, my hand would hurt more."

He smiled before stepping closer, pinching my cheek like a child.

"Or you could put some meat on those bones and fatten you up. You're light as a feather."

I scoffed, trying not to take offense to it.

When I was younger a lot of people called me a twig but it was a characteristic I got from my dad, who as a Delta needed to be agile and swift in chasing out prey.

So I teased Michael back...

"I bet I could beat you in a race though."

"Oh," he grinned, before whispering...

"Are you challenging your Alpha?"

I bit my lip before poking at his chest.

"Is it a challenge, if I know I'll win?"

"Oh, it's on."

"To the lake?" I suggested.

"I know the path like the back of my hand."

He poked my forehead back.

"So do I, dear."

We made fun of each other on our way to the border before shifting into our wolves.

It had been a while and it felt nice to let my wolf out and exercise.

His wolf was much larger but with how dense parts of the forest got, I was sure I'd be able to make my way there faster, maybe even take some shortcuts along the way.

Before long, we sprinted off, the wind and smells of the trees rushing past us.

I kept at his pace for a while, expertly dodging the trees and fallen branches.

After reaching the more treacherous areas where the land wasn't even, I picked up speed, taking a more hilly area with less foliage that I had trekked many times before on my way to the cave.

It wasn't long before I could see the expansive lake through the pine trees, the crisp air refreshing as it blew through my fur.

The sight of the lake nestled in the valley was always a breathtaking sight, the sheer feeling of peacefulness just felt like a breath of fresh air.

As I approached the water, dipping my front paws in, I soaked up in the smells and sounds of the place, missing the little oasis here.

I walked around, obviously had gotten here first, watching the tree line for signs of Michael.

Surely he couldn't have been that far behind.

I waited, pacing around when suddenly a mass had emerged from the bushes and before I could react, I was tackled to the ground again.

Assuming it was him, I turned to look at him when a set of teeth came clamping down on the scruff of my neck.

It didn't break skin but it wasn't a play kind-of bite, it was one that meant they'd kill if I moved.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell the wolf's fur was lighter than Michael's and was on the smaller side.

I gulped, wondering where the hell Michael was now and then wondering why I thought this was a brilliant idea.

Trekking a rogue infested forest on our own basically?

Even if most posed no problems, there were always vengeful and malicious wolves out for blood.

The wolf growled lowly, not saying anything as it kept a firm grip on the back of my neck.

I could've waited for Michael, assume that he'd be nearby, and help me out.

But if Michael was really that far behind, was it wise to have this rogue's teeth that close to my throat.

So I feigned submission, momentarily baring my neck as far as the wolf's hold would allow, letting out a soft whine.

I wasn't sure what to expect, as rogues this aggressive were always unpredictable but he loosened his grip just a tad and I saw my chance.

I kicked the leg that had pinned my shoulder out from under him, quickly shifting my head to reach for his neck as well.

I kept a firm grip, not intending to inflict harm, hoping he'd realize I didn't want to fight but he snarled and preened his head to try and grip my neck again.

I growled back but he was much stronger, as he took a sharp nip of my shoulder.

I loosened my grip and he was back grabbing a hold of my neck, thrashing about now.

I probably looked like a ragdoll as he thrashed his head side to side before tossing me to the ground.

The wounds were healing already but he was stalking forward, obviously not through with me yet.

Without Michael to back me up, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to incapacitate him enough for me to escape.

And if I did run, there was no guarantee I wouldn't lose him.

So I waited for him to make the first move, hoping whatever adrenaline I had would be enough.

The wolf bared his teeth at me, before charging forward.

I remained low, biding my time as he got closer until I reached underneath, gripping his throat as tightly as possible.

I tried not to think about the puncture wounds I was inflicting, hating the fact that I'd be causing harm but with how in-tentful he was about attacking, I held on for dear life.

His teeth would graze my skin every now and then as he thrashed about but luckily he couldn't reach my throat from this angle.

As he tried to buck me off, I could tell he was moving towards the tree line and I knew that was troublesome but I held on, digging my paws wherever it could reach to get him to stop and then with a sudden jerk, I had been flung into the tree trunk, successfully dislodging me from his throat with a groan.

His neck was bleeding but he still looked dead set on killing me as he walked over, almost unaware of the severity of his wounds.

The pain in my side made it difficult but I managed to stand back up, bracing myself against the rough bark.

I growled, hoping he'd change his mind when he charged again.

I didn't have it in me to dodge or even think of attacking back but I didn't have to.

A guttural snarl seemed to echo as Michael rushed him from the treeline in a blur, tackling the wolf to the ground.

His towering wolf easily pinning the injured wolf, his eyes a piercing gold as he bared his teeth.

I had thought that it was all over, that Michael would release him and the wolf would go on his merry way, until the wolf snarled back, challenging Michael, despite being half the size.

Of course, Michael's wolf did not like that, and faster than I could blink, Michael had gripped the wolf's neck in his maw, clamping down with so much force that some of his blood had gotten on Michael's fur.

I wanted to tell him to stop but everything had happened so fast and before long, the small wolf had thrashed, seizing before it had gone still.

Michael was still growling, as I stared in shock, Michael had... killed him, just like that.

I wasn't sure to feel grateful that it ended quickly or whether to be completely terrified but as Michael stepped away nonchalant, I was starting to feel the latter.

I mean I was glad it hadn't been me but it was a rogue.

He had insisted on helping them.

He blinked before approaching me, mind linking,

'Are you alright? I'm sorry I hadn't been here sooner, love. I took a wrong turn.

And just like that, he was back to normal, the kind, worried Michael I was used to.

Aside from the blood still on his muzzle, it seemed like nothing had happened.

'You k-killed him?'

'He was going to kill you,' he whined before repeating...

'Are you alright?

'I'm alright,' I responded, the wounds already healing themselves quickly.

'Just shaken up.'

'That's understandable. I'm sorry you had to witness that,' he replied.

'That rogue, he was too far gone.'

I hummed, before looking towards the lake, trying to avoid looking at the fallen wolf.

Michael stepped forward, brushing his head against my shoulder before adding...

'Your speed is impeccable, dear. You won fair and square. Let's head back.'

Our walk back had been silent, just the sound of our footsteps and the foliage swaying filled the air.

Even the birds and small creatures were fairly quiet.

I tried not to think about that rogue or how Michael reacted but it was hard to un-see but if Michael hadn't stepped in, he was right.

There was a good chance that the rogue wouldn't have stopped until I was dead.

We were about a quarter of the way back when Michael startled me by saying...

'I wish I had been there.'

I paused in my tracks, tilting my head before asking,

'What do you mean? '

He stopped walking before saying,

'I would've never let those things happen to you. To your family.'

You didn't owe me anything back then, nobody had known anyways and besides, you were dealing with David. That must've been devastating.

He turned to look at me, a sad look in his eyes as he responded,

'I couldn't save him either. I let him down the day they tore him apart. I feel the same way, I said softly. With my family.'

Michael walked closer, resting his head on top of mine before responding,

'We're the same. Two hurting people, wishing things had been different. But we've got each other.'

I hummed, letting us relax in each other's company for a bit longer.

Just as we reached the neutral territory that divided the forest and the pack line, Michael turned to grin at me.

'It's a shame we weren't meant to be.'

[aclslibrarian]

Lincoln's Last Trial

UnCovered Review by Frank Tomasello, ACLS Mays Landing Branch

Most Americans are aware that the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, was an attorney before becoming President. Basically self-taught, with a practice limited to the then frontier of Illinois, little is made of his remarkable legal career. One of the last cases Lincoln tried before moving on to running for President is the subject of this work, LINCOLN’S LAST TRIAL by Dan Abrams and David Fisher.

 By a fortunate twist of fate, a transcript of the 1859 murder trial of Quinn “Peachey” Harrison was found in the garage of one of his descendants in 1989. Transcripts were rare at that time. The book focuses extensively on the stenographer Robert Hitt who created the transcript. He had been a Chicago courtroom stenographer whom Lincoln befriended. Lincoln was so impressed with Hitt that he hired him to transcribe all of his now well-known debates with Stephen Douglass. It should be noted that the steno machine we associate with court trials was many years in the future, and transcripts were at that time done by hand. It was Lincoln himself who hired Hitt for this case, anticipating the possible need of an appeal.

Defendant Harrison was accused of murder after stabbing Greek Crafton (who ironically had been studying Law under Lincoln and his partner Herndon). Quinn had been heard to make insulting remarks about his brother-in-law, William Crafton, Greek’s brother. Greek Crafton had vowed to punish Harrison physically to uphold the Crafton family honor. Harrison, a much smaller and weaker person, made it known he did not wish to fight Greek and began carrying a knife for protection. Inevitably, a confrontation occurred, and Harrison stabbed Crafton, who lingered a short time until succumbing to the injury.

In defending Harrison, any lawyer would need the greatest of skill. The events all took place in a small town where everyone knew one another, and emotions were running high. Harrison’s fate would be decided by Lincoln’s skill in presenting a somewhat dubious claim of self-defense.

This book is a fascinating look at Abraham Lincoln the lawyer, as well as a riveting courtroom drama.

[todays-fixation-is-spite]

(ty for clarification in comments!)

Ok! So both my force-sensitive characters, who admittedly draw upon Legends lore for a lot of things anyway, predictably excel in Force powers from that bygone era.~

Maveth

Electric Judgement She was taught the technique from her former Master within the short branch of time before he facilitated her first slip toward the Dark Side, something those who would later be picking Maveth up off the ground found...curious. It could've been much worse and the fact he left her in a recoverable state puzzled multiple Masters. During her recovery, she honed the power as a means of processing and directing what happened to her, under the secret instruction of Master Plo Koon, channeling it through the skein of "justice". Her attitude in its use rarely comes from a place of personalized anger, it is always a response to another's to shut it down.

Battle Meditation Her lineage when it comes to tutelage goes back to Arca Jeth, and as such, she was taught Battle Meditation early, so that by the time she fledged, it would be a staple of her arsenal. For this talent, she was heavily encouraged (among the actual just...legally binding 'you're going to do this') to take part in the Clone War, the angle used being to preserve the protect the lives of her would-be soldiers. She still evaded that draft anyway... It does however, very much come in handy when fighting alongside those she comes to care for later.

Vitro

Force Stealth Taught because of a likelihood for being tracked for becoming a Shadow, and because her Master valued the ability to get away from -anyone-, not just potential Dark Side users, Vitro is incredibly slippery with this power. She is an exceptional "grey man". In -fic- (as she's an SW5E character mostly, and there's no canonical expression of the power's use on others outside of game mechanics), Vitro used this power to hide Fives from the eye of Jedi and Sith alike, successfully getting him off Coruscant with the aid of a smuggler crew of "privateers".

Cloud Mind This one I couldn't find an actual page for, I think it just falls under the umbrella of "Jedi mind trick"...? Apparently Qui-Gon used it on Jar-Jar in canon at some point? Idk anyway. Vitro got really good at this one on account of not having a constitution for -ending- life, even in cases of self defense, when she had the power to do anything else. That tendency -changes- by necessity as the Clone War goes on. She generally uses this to get away in the rare scenario she gets caught- such as, running frequently from the CG on Coruscant. She also comes to use it to help people sleep when they otherwise can't.

MUTUALS!! I POSE A QUESTION

Do any of your Jedi/sith/force sensitive OCs have any special force abilities?

The mutuals in question:

@furious-blueberry0 @clone-appreciator @zealfruity @vix8n @jazaesis @brainrotparsecsaway @kim-the-kryptid @thebrainofocto @sleepingjasminetea

[itstheghostofmypast]

Love is like Fire

Five x F.Reader (Pyrokinesis)

H.C - lowkey story like

Powers: Pyrokinesis

Codename: Arson

Summary: Love, a word that held little meaning for him, a word that would disgust him. Love, a word that would haunt her, remind her of the purity that was stolen from her, replaced by the of gift sent from Hell. Love, a word that had ignited a new flame within him. Love, a word that had her burning with passion at the thought of him. Love, that had taught both the meaning of 'forever', the fragility of morality and chaos.

Genre: Angst/Fluff

WARNINGS: Suicidal thoughts, mention of domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, self-hate, murder to some extent (yeah, i was on a roll)

Requested by: @madelynmulford (okay, so I know you gave a simple request, but I kinda went ahead and added a bit too much- I'm so sorry and I hope you like it (」ﾟﾛﾟ)｣ )

Love, what is love? Great minds from all over the world, for centuries, have pondered upon the true, exact meaning of this horrid abstract presence- one that can be considered as a feeling, a gesture, or even a physical act. More importantly, what is considered love? What is the most accurate and favored form of love? A mother's love, one that is deemed to be unconditional and eternal, or a father's love, is often categorized as tough love, one that raises his children as warriors. Or perhaps the love of a soul mate claimed to be as gentle as the morning breeze, soft as dandelions, and pure as an angel's kiss. To Five Hagreeves, all that was bullshit. A mother who sold him, a father that just trained him as a soldier, and no matter how much he claimed to love Delores, at the back of his mind, he knew she was only with him because he was the last man alive. So to him, love was a complicated subject, and all the branches attached to it.

Which is why, when he first met her, he had no clue as to why he felt like he was on fire- well, at that moment he was literally on fire as well. 

He wasn't supposed to be doing that alone tonight. This was a military base he was sent to and the 25-year-old was told by the Handler that he'd have assistance but at the moment, he was blinking around the base, avoiding as many bullets as he could, praying he didn't run out of juice. Unfortunately, blinking into a dead end was not how he thought he'd end up dying, frankly, he thought he'd go back in time, and f*** up the timeline a few times with his siblings- either dying in the process of actually living a decent life. 

"In my defense, I'm not really American." He said raising his hands, as all guns were aimed at him, "Ah shit-"

Several clicks were heard as they aimed, ready to fire, but as they were about to, the tips of their guns began to burn orange for a split second before melting. Confused, the guards exchanged a look before they heard someone scream, a guard had caught fire, followed by another, then another and in a matter of minutes, the entire fleet was on fire. Their horrifying screams echoed across the base. One of them pounced on Five as he blinked away, out of the building and into the parking lot, surrounded by tanks. 

"What the f***-"

"Your shoulder is on fire."

"What? SHIT" patting away the fire he stared at the burnt hole in his coat, examining the damage. 

"Wanna see something cool?"

He turned to finally look at the person, she was sitting on top of the tanks, staring at the buildings of the base with a look in her eyes- he'd seen that look before. A shiver ran down his spine as he blinked her in, a woman radiating an ethereal presence, one that poured out strength....and violence. She wasn't wearing the usual commission uniform either, no, in fact, she was dressed in all black. A stealth suit- who was this woman and why did she make his palms all sweaty? Suddenly a deafening screech rang across the field, causing him to cover his ears as one by one, each building exploded, the raging fire eating the concrete jungle before them. He heard her chuckle, eyes wide as he stared at the amusement in her eyes, she was enjoying this, the act of burning everything to ashes, the screams of pain and- MOTHER F***ER

"The FILE IS STILL INSIDE"

"WHAT." Her head whipped in his direction, another boom echoing in the back, "THE HELL WERE YOU DOING IN THEIR FOR THE PAST THREE HOURS''

"TRYING NOT TO DIE- YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR THREE HOURS AND DIDN'T COME INSIDE TO HELP ME???"

That is how the two first met, the first mission the two had together- screwing it up perfectly. Hence, the two stood in front of the Handler who sighed, staring at the two,

"I know her tendencies but you, Five, darling I thought you were better than this"

"She didn't show up on time- in fact, she almost killed me in the process too!!

"Is that right Arson?"

"N-ye-maybe"

Taking a deep breath, the blonde looked at the girl then at Five, "Tell you what, from now on, both of you will be partners. Learn each other's strengths and weaknesses and make it work. I have high expectations from both of you- do not let me down."

"But-"

"No buts Arson, your track record is declining and your previous partner left some complaint in HR- we need to fix that, understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good girl, now here's another file, I expect both of you to handle this one properly."

Therefore, Five decided to be civil, for two reasons, firstly because the Handler had demanded them to do so and he didn't want to ruin his end of the bargain and secondly, this tug deep within his shrunken, dried-out heart forced him to look past the recent catastrophic events of mass homicide- at least try to. 

"You can go through it first." he offers.

"I will." she muttered quickly skimming through the file and closing it, "Here." she offered it to him.

"Thanks", reaching for it, with a surprised expression, not expecting her to be so normal, his fingers were an inch away from the file before it caught fire. Hissing from the heat that barely scraped his fingertips he glared at her.

"oops~"

To say that the two got off on the right foot would be plain stupid. He didn't like her- no he loathed her, in fact, he believed (and told the Handler several times) that this little burnt-out lighter should be behind bars, or even better PUT OUT. He never understood why the Handler didn't do anything. This woman- or as everyone called her Arson was completely chaotic, destructive, and a sociopath. Not to mention she was OUT OF CONTROL. It was incredibly difficult to do anything with her, even a simple conversation would break into an argument. For example, when they exchanged immediate personal information, such as their names;

"Five Hargreeves"

"Arson."

"Is that actually your name?"

"No, but there is no need to tell disposable people my name."

"I'm sorry, but last I checked, all of us were disposable."

"Apology accepted, but you were wrong, though I wouldn't worry about it, you won't be staying too long anyway."

"Come again, flamethrower?"

"What.did.you.call.me?"

Let's be real, it's not like she wanted a partner it is very true that the night at the base, she was about to kill him too. She'd just say he turned into collateral damage and that was that, but she didn't know he could...blink. Was the Handler collecting beings like her now? Anyway, if this was their boss' pathetic attempt at taming her, she was a fool- she'd burn this dude to a crisp in a matter of days. Or so she thought she would.

Five was no idiot, he didn't like her, that much was evident, but he wasn't egotistical enough to call her useless. No, she was the exact opposite. She was a genius, she knew what she was doing and how to do it. The way her eyes would calculate the area and presence around them before battle, often mumbling about how the weather would affect her powers- the drier the weather the better it was for her. Often he would spot a book in her hand, literature of old age, literature of a variety of languages, which is why when she spoke in fluent Russian during a mission he wasn't surprised- especially when she looked at him with that shit-eating grin as if taunting it. He just shrugged in response though, he had long figured out she could speak more than one language. Unfortunately, all that brain was useless when it came down to the concept of 'morality and boundaries.' For even though she looked like an angel, the demon inside her burning soul spoke in volumes that could put hell to shame. It would haunt him, the killings, he'd get up at the dead of the night, drenched in a cold sweat, heart pounding against his rib cage but her, no, he'd never seen her flinch while she was awake, let alone have nightmares at night. He had seen her torture, purely for fun- especially men. Most of the time, their missions were simple in and out, but for some reason, as they would be leaving, the screams of men on fire would be bouncing around behind them.

He bothered her, he really did. She knew he'd complain to the Handler about her, but he'd never quit being her partner. It was aggravating. She had not been partnered up in so long, let alone FOR so long as well. It had been 2 years and he'd been putting up with her- what was more surprising though is that he never really 'insulted her . She knew she was a monster, one that was sent from hell itself, yet, there were the briefest moments where he'd say these things and just leave her with her thoughts- she would know that he was upset, but he wouldn't take it out on her. Just leave for a while, the next morning he'd get up as if nothing happened.

"Must you do that every time?"

"Do what?"

"Set people on fire? For God's sake Arson, that wasn't even needed."

"Why are your panties in a knot, you got feelings for them or something-"

"No. But I see no need for murdering people for fun."

"Who said it's fun?"

"Whatever it's worth Arson, I think you don't know why you do it too." with that he blinked out of the car, leaving her sitting alone with herself.

He was right. She didn't know. She was Arson, and setting things on fire was her job. Her powers, this curse, was all she had, all she was, and never in a million years have fire or anything related ever been described as anything but demonic or hell sent. This was who they wanted her to be, what they said she'd turn into, so why was this wrong? 

Love, disgusting thing ain't it? Hell, he still wasn't sure if it was love, but when he'd look at her, sitting in the car as he blinked out, he felt an unsettling mixture of emotions settle in the pit of his stomach. He knew he wasn't wrong, she was out of control. There is a difference between being chaotic-good and just plain messed up and right now, she was borderline messed up. What bothered him the most was the most important question, why did he care? Why did he care about her wellbeing, how she felt, how her choices reflected her- none of that was his business. Hell, he didn't even know her real name, yet, for some reason, for the past whole year, he had been trying to figure her out, to peel away the layers- he knew, his gut told him, there was more to what she was, more to all this fire and destruction. Maybe it was because of her powers, the fact that she had powers too, just like him, made him feel a bit better about himself, less lonely. She was the first person he had seen in years who didn't gawk at him in awe when he blinked, someone who wasn't scared of him either- she looked him dead in the eye. He wanted to talk to her, for some reason he felt like that may solve this a bit, but he was no conversationalist, nor was she- moreover, he was sure she couldn't care less about him. 

Well, at least that's what he thought- to some extent she thought the same, you know, not caring about him. Unfortunately, the little blue bird in her cage felt differently. One of the blessings of having her powers was that in winter- she was a human heater. The cold never bothered her, she'd rid of her stealth suit as well. Ironically, she'd switch to what Five later described as - the Deigo outfit-  a leather jacket, covering a basic white tank top, a pair of faded jeans, and combat boots. Now, to any sane person, she looked like a lunatic, especially when they were sent to Alaska, during the harsh winters. 

Five had seen the winter through the apocalypse, one of the worst kinds, but recently, he had decided that this was the worst kind of winter he had ever had the pleasure to deal with. Not only was it cold, but they got ambushed, the temperature had affected his ability to blink and they were lost in a blizzard. What was more surprising throughout the entire thing, she had stayed in control she was keeping her destruction in check ever since he confronted her in the car- almost two years ago. See, he knew there was a little morality within her. 

"I can see a building nearby."

"What if there are people there-"

"Five, that place is busted up and it's freezing here, I assure you, it's abandoned."

That is how the two ended up inside the abandoned building. She was searching for something to burn while he was looking for something to wrap himself up with, unfortunately, there was nothing there. The place was an abandoned lab, almost empty, minus a few tables and chairs- empty vials and shattered glass on the floor. He hissed as the freezing sensation begin to take over his body, at this point, he couldn't even feel his fingers anymore, the tips blue- shit. She came back into the room, closing the door behind her, holding a pile of papers she had found, they were wet, but she could easily burn them. Turning to look for him, she paused, until she noticed him on the floor, shivering in a fetal position. 

"Shit- FIVE" running to him, she placed the papers beside him, setting them on fire. She took off her jacket, placing it over his shoulders as he pushed it away, mumbling; "No...you'll get co-oh-old" he shivered. 

"Shut up man." she snapped back, her jacket was small for him, naturally. Nonetheless, she pulled it closer, rubbing her hands together, then taking a deep breath, "I have an idea...but...I...tell me if it gets too warm okay?" she muttered, dragging him to a corner as she sat him down first. He could only groan in response, too fazed out. She sat beside him, pulling him closer, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged him close. His face buried in her shoulder, she took a deep breath before closing her eyes, "Five...I need you to live through this okay? Just...just focus on my voice." When she got no response she shook him-violently- earning a, "yes... please you're warm." He snuggled closer to her, wrapping his arms around her frame, laying there, semi on top of her, as his cheek pressed against the exposed skin of her neck. He was almost asleep- his body going in and out of consciousness until he heard her, she was reciting a poem. He knew that poem;

"There's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too tough for him,

I say, stay in there, I'm not going to let anybody see you."

"Ch-Charles B-Bukowski" he whispered, earning a chuckle from her, it was beautiful. Not once in these years of knowing her, had he heard her. "Shhh...just don't fall asleep okay? I need to concentrate, otherwise, I may potentially burn you." 

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out

but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke

and the whores and the bartenders and the grocery clerks never know that

he's in there.

He could feel her body warm up, the numbness from his body slowly fading, allowing his mind to work in overdrive- the usual way it did. If he could warm up just a bit more, he could blink the two out of there, possibly to someplace warmer. He wanted to tell her this, but he wanted to listen to her as well, this was slowly starting to make sense to him.

There's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out

but I'm too tough for him, I say stay down, do you want to mess me up?

You want to screw up the works?

You want to blow my book sales in Europe?

She pulled him closer, honestly so lost in the moment that she didn't notice him looking up at her. How her breath was shaky and her lip was quivering. He had never seen her so vulnerable. There was much more to this woman and he knew it- and he was right to. 

There's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out

but I'm too clever, I only let him out at night sometimes when everybody's asleep. 

I say I know that you're there, so don't be sad.

Her breath hitched, eyes clenching harder as she let out a small whimper. Five slowly sat up, pulling her closer, in an actual embrace, his chin placed on top of her head, as she let out a muffled sob. He was glad how well she was controlling her powers because Handler had warned him about how she would lose control of them whenever she was emotional. He waited for a moment, to check if she would finish the poem, but her silent crying against his chest told him otherwise. He felt better now, warmer, enough to get them out of this shit hole. Taking a deep breath he whispered to her,

then I put him back, but he's singing a little

in there, I haven't quite let him die and we sleep together like that

with our secret pact and it's nice enough to make a man weep,

but I don't weep, do you?

With that, he blinked them out of there, into the last motel they had checked into. She had not realized they were in a different place, but then again she was drained, more importantly, she was staring up at him in awe. Watching how his lips would move, pouring out each word of Bukowski's BlueBird with such grace. It only occurred to her that they had blinked when the dim lights of the room illuminated his angular face, casting shadows to make him look even more handsome than he already was. That was it, with that she groaned, falling onto the bed, eyes slowly closing as he got off the bed- honestly, he hadn't thought of blinking right onto the bed, but maybe his tired brain had thought of it. He pulled her shoes off, tucking her in, only for her to whine in her sleep and toss the blankets off her, turning to the other side - the cooler side of the bed. That's when he noticed something on her back, her tank top, and rode up due to her movements, revealing a good portion of her back. He knew he wasn't supposed to, it was wrong and disrespectful, but the tattoo peeking out forced him- curiosity to get the better of him. Making sure to cover her front with the sheets, his fingers reached for the hem of the material, slowly pushing it upwards, exposing her back, his fingertips brushing against her warm skin. His breath hitched at the sight of what was tattooed between her shoulder blades, a fire poppy. With a heavy sigh, he adjusted her attire, fixing it properly and tucking her in once more- there was so much more to her, each piece he discovered would make him feel as if he was punched in the heart- was this....love? 

Naturally, the next morning he never brought up the tattoo, knowing she'd burn him to bits, especially when he realized she never mentioned the poem either- or the fact that she was crying the entire time. She was back to her a**hole routine, much to his displeasure. 

"Man, could you have brought us to a hotter place???"

"It's not that hot, Arson"

"Yeah, says the guy whose balls freeze at the slightest of breeze."

"Nice to see you're doing much better-"

"Mention last night again and I'll kill you."

"But I like Charles Bukowski too-"

"NEVER AGAIN."

So yes, Charles Bukowski, the Bluebird, or even the tattoo were never mentioned again. For a very, very long time. The only change that had occurred after that night was that she was slightly more open, when it came down to trivial conversation, while Five. Oh, well that man was in a pickle, for he had developed a new trait when he was around her- possessiveness. When they'd be on a mission, he'd be sending death glares to anyone looking at her, when she'd be in a fight, his attention would be on her, blinking around her, keeping enemies away from her- she didn't notice though. Or at least he thought she didn't. She did though. She noticed everything, how he would watch her every move, how he would be gentle with her. When he'd get himself a coffee in the morning, he'd get her something cool to drink, often a fresh juice, claiming it was healthy. He bought her a new leather jacket, even though she told him not to,

"No."

"I owe it to you."

"You can pay back by SHUTTING UP IM BUSY"

"Are you going to set something on fire?"

"Five, please, I haven't in so long and that man looks like a creep, look at how he's staring at those kids and I just-"

"You realise you can just go punch him."

"The smell of ashes is bette- and he just grabbed that kid great. THANKS, A LOT"

It's safe to say that Five managed to blink there, grab the kid and blink away before the man was mysteriously set on fire- a fire that could not be put out even by water.

"Feeling better?"

"Much...we should do this more often."

Things rolled like this for some time, usually, he'd be cleaning up her mess or at least making sure she didn't cross any boundaries, in return, she would only become 'destructive' when he would deem fit, not that she minded it- he was violent, she knew it, but then again, he was Five. The Handler's new favorite, the commission's best member. For her though, he was slowly becoming something very important, something she could cling on to, something permanent- someone permanent, someone who cares. Though she would remind herself, again and again, how that was what she WISHED he was, for just how everyone thought she was a monster, he did the same, only instead of being scared, he was trying to tame her. Or so she'd tell herself, the bluebird could stay in that cage of fire, or she'd burn it.

He began to make it difficult for her though, other than his usual protectiveness, he would sometimes just sit with her in silence, watching people go by. He'd play a tune, and lower the volume enough so it was only a faint whisper in their ears. On one particular occasion, 1st October, the most horrid day of her life- her birthday-, they were sitting in the car, they were done with their mission. So now, they were parked in a drive-in restaurant, waiting for whatever Five had ordered for them.

'Here, I got you something for your birthday" he spoke up out of the blue, handing her a wrapped object 

"Oh..." She looked at the rectangular object, wrapped in shiny...blue paper- it was the same color you'd see when he'd blink. Around the paper was a red ribbon, tied up into a pretty bow. "I...ehem.. thanks but I didn't get you anything."

He shrugged staring ahead at the waiters on roller skates, "don't need to..."

He watched her eagerly rip it open, fingers hapting as she whispered to herself, "no way..."

"Open it." He urged her, waiting for her to see what was inside.

Flipping open the book she read on the first page, it was a note, from Charles Bukowski addressed to her, "To dear Arson, interesting choice of name. May the fire within your keep you forever warm." Her fingers traced the ink, staring at the paper, not only did he get her an original "The Last Night Of The Earth Poems" but he got it signed too.

"Do you like it, Arson?' he whispered, leaning to look at her expressions as she turned away, facing the window. He heard her sniff as he chuckled, reaching for her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

Clearing her throat she wiped her eyes with her free hand, before facing him. "It's Y/N"

His grip tightened on her hand, moving closer as he stared at her, "What was that?"

"My name...it's Y/N".

"It's...beautiful..."

This was it, he was finally getting to know her, his heart was beating like crazy, her hand warm in his ears ringing as he admired her beauty, leaning closer to her. He didn't know what he was doing, but his body was reacting on its own, eyes closing, that is until she gasped, accidentally slapping him- "FOR GOD'S SAKE ARSON". Well, he misread the situation.

"I know what to give you as a gift."

"What?"

"I won't use my powers for three missions."

"....so no burning?"

"Well, I can see how you always almost piss yourself when I seem to be punishing evil people-"

"...because being the lawyer, judge and executioner is -"

"Yes, yes, wrong we've had this discussion before BUT ONLY 3."

"Who knows Arson- Y/N, you might even like it, hand to hand combat is much more cathartic."

He was right, it was tiring, but it felt so much better. The crunch of someone's bone under your knuckles felt good- though when she told Five this he responded with a chuckle and an "as long as its bad guys."

They made a routine out of this, she'd only use her powers when necessary, and he'd cover her when needed- which was apparently more than often. Yes, she did notice, but never said anything, for some reason, knowing someone cared about her made her feel a bit...less angry. She began to feel this way once she told him her name, it felt sweet and tingly, every time he'd use it when they were alone, even when he'd ask her the simplest of things, like what she wanted to eat. Five didn't mind the rate of this progress, he knew she was opening up to him, and frankly speaking, he was more concerned about her well-being most of the time to care about whether she loved him or not. Ironically, he was overprotective of her, the urge to be around her all the time was irritably strong. He wanted to go back to his family as well, but the math was still off and he wanted to know if he could take her- it's not like anyone appreciated her here. But would she want to or rather how long would it take her to let him in?

It was supposed to be a simple mission, go in, get a file and not kill anyone in the process- okay, so not killing anyone was difficult for both Y/N and Five. Though she had avoided burning anyone to death, they were outnumbered. Five had blinked ahead, while she was supposed to be the distraction. Five had made sure to hurry up, because as much as he trusted her ability to defend herself, the last thing he'd want is for her to get hurt because of him- especially when they weren't allowed to kill anyone here.

She was doing fine, in fact, she had managed to bust up more than a dozen men who had come at her, everything was fine until a familiar face caught her eye. She had seen that man before, who was running towards her with a bat. Frozen in place, her breath hitched, her brain switching off at the sight of the attacker. She had seen that necklace before, that face, she knew him- Five blinked back to where he had left her, file in hand, he was about to call her out when he heard a loud thump, only to see her falling to the ground, being tackled down by a man. He was about to blink to her before she reacted, her hand on fire, colliding with the man's face who hissed in pain. He fell backward, holding onto his face, staring at her as she stood up, slowly approaching him. 

"Shit." Five hissed, blinking to her only to blink away when her whole body lit up on fire. "ARSON SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"You filthy swine!" she hissed, "How much do you think I'm worth now?!" her hand extended forward, aiming for him as the man begged her for his life.

"NO!" Five blinked in front of him, staring at her, "Y/N listen to me, okay? Our instructions are clear-"

"MOVE OR DIE!"

"THEN DO IT!" he glared back at her, turning his head to stare at the man with now a burnt cheek, "Get out of here, NOW!" with a curse the man ran away leaving-

"NO!" she screeched aiming for him again but Five got in the way, shaking his head, "Y/N, please! Listen to me! This isn't right-"

"FIVE MOVE OR HE'LL DO IT AGAIN!"

"Whatever it is we can't mess with it!" he yelled back moving closer to her, hissing at the heat radiating off her ablaze body. He extended his hand, reaching for hers, "Don't be the monster they want you to be" he yelled before grabbing her hand, waiting for the burning sensation, but it never came. Her body was normal again, skin warm against his. sighing in relief he pulled her closer, hugging her as he kissed the top of her head, "Let's go - NO" he blinked away. It all happened in a split second, one moment he was holding her, and the next he was gone. She whipped around at the sound of a gunshot, he had blinked behind her, protecting her. Panicked she grabbed onto his falling form, looking at him as he hissed in pain,  eyes trailing down to the blood on his shirt, the stain growing larger by the second.

"Shit- f*** Five, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" she yelled at him before looking at the man who had fired the shot, "YOU-"

"Y/N" he coughed, gripping onto her arm, "I'm blinking us out of here." he groaned, not waiting for a response as he blinked them away, safe in their motel room. He blinked up at her slowly, eyes growing heavy as he chuckled, "Are you...crying?"

"Shut up" she hissed, pressing a hand to his wound, "I'll fix you up- I- don't die on me okay," she said trying to get up but he kept her still, hand on her arm, his breathing shallow. "Wait, Y/N, you need to know that I-I love you." he groaned before blacking out.

His eyes snapped at the loud boom, sitting up only to wince and fall back on the bed- oh shit, they were back at the motel, and- holy shit did he survive? Pulling up the blankets he saw that he was wrapped up, pretty professionally too. Glancing around the room his eyes landed on her sleeping form, seated in the chair beside him, brows furrowed. Slowly reaching for her hand, he winced when she slapped his hand, staring up at her he gulped, "Hey-"

"No. No hey, nothing. How dare you say something like that and almost die?"

"Actually, I thought I was dead, you patched me up well."

"I didn't have a partner for a long time, so I had to learn to do it."

"Y/N about what I said-"

"Forget it. I don't love you."

Her words stung, his heart felt like it was being squeezed tight, "You don't love me...or you don't want to admit it-"

"I am unworthy of such things. Are you blind?? Don't you see Five? I'm a monster! I'm not like you! I have no code of conduct, no morals- I almost killed you!" she cut him off, about to stand up only for him to grab her wrist and pull her back down.

"But you didn't! You aren't a monster Y/N! F*** I'd love you even if you were"

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT LOVE IS?"

He stared at her, grip tightening around her wrist, he knew she could tell he had no clue about it, hell, he didn't even know if what he felt was love, but he knew he wasn't letting her go.

"Five..." she whispered, leaning closer, her words soft, "Love...is for the pure, for the worthy, I am neither. If you knew anything about me, you'd kill me yourself-"

"Then tell me." he spat, pushing away the sheets, glaring at her, "I don't know a damn thing about you, yet, here I am all putty in your hands- You think I like feeling this weak, woman? I give you my all and you just push me away, what do you think I am?" he seethed through gritted teeth, inches away from her face, "Do you think I'm some kind of saint? I've done shit you can't even begin to imagine. I don't enjoy feeling this way Y/N, I don't have to protect you but I do because I want to... I don't know why, and just like why you don't know why you like burning people to death, you don't know why you shouldn't let me love you. You think you're filthy and a beast, well let me break it to you, you have no idea" he whispered, "what a monster is.`` With that he let go of her as soon as he noticed the fear in her eyes, "I-I'm sorry I just..." he trailed off staring at the wall behind her, maybe he was mad at her. For once, hearing her reject him so openly and bluntly was not something he expected or rather was not something he was ready for. 

"I'm...sorry," she whispered, his eyes darting to her face, her orbs fixated on her hands as she sat back down in the chair beside his bed. "I...I don't tell you anything because...I don't want you to leave." she whispered, biting her lip to hold back a sob. 

"You've tried to kill me several times, Y/N." he stated bluntly laying back down as he stared at the ceiling, "You don't have to talk about it, I understand you don't feel the same way-"

"That man, the one you saved..3 years from now, he's going to buy a little girl from a horrible excuse of a father and put her up for auction."

Head whipping in her direction, he stared at her wide-eyed, letting out a shaky, "W-what?"

"I...This girl was born on 1st October 1989, to a poor couple who could not conceive. With an abusive husband, the wife would often be the victim of his abuse, before their child's birth. Once, the child was born, things got worse between the two, neither could...have a child, yet, here she was, their baby girl. The wife thanked every entity possible for this miracle but the husband, no, he hated the birthed creature...called it...satan's unwanted child. He wasn't wrong though, they soon discovered the child had powers of the sort- a curse as the husband named it. Fire. She could set things on fire, her whole body could light up ablaze and she'd be alright. In winters, her body would grow warmer, but the wife didn't care, she l-loved her daughter. Like nothing she had loved before, she'd protect her child from everything, the world, the evil spirits, and her husband. Whenever he'd bea- punish his wife, she'd tell her daughter to cover her ears and close her eyes, count to 100 and it'll be okay. It would, every time she'd open her eyes after counting...things would be back to normal, she'd see her mother smile at her and the husband wouldn't be there anymore." She sighed, staring at her hands, ashamed to look at him, "One night though...she... she opened her eyes before she could reach a hundred and she saw what he was doing to her...she doesn't remember much after that, only the sound of her mother screaming in pain. She woke up to find the ashes of everything around her- her whole world lost...her mother, the only person to see him as a human, the only person to love her, her world, the only person fighting this war for her...lost. Next thing she knows, she is at an orphanage..." she stopped to look at him, wondering if he was still listening, meeting his emerald orbs, swirling with emotion. 

"Then?"

"The place was a front...it was a brothel or something run by the headmaster...the girl was different though, she was the headmaster's favorite." Five wasn't sure how or why, but once again he felt this fire ignite, reaching for her hand, gently clasping it in his as he looked at her to continue, "One day, there comes a man, I don- the girl didn't know what he wanted but she heard him argue with the headmaster, then he came in her room telling her how he owned her now. Next thing she knows she's in a cage, on a stage, surrounded by these people- monsters- they were yelling number and" her breath hitched, gipping his hand as her words caught her throat, clenching her eyes shut as she leaned forward, resting her forehead against the hand that was holding onto hers.

"Was it the same man as today?"

"Y-yes...she did it again though when he pulled her out of the cage she ...lost control, blacked out and woke up to a lady standing in front of her...offering her a job. She told her she'd give her a new life, a new identity and she took it."

There was silence after that, neither knew what to say for a while. He watched her silently weep, holding onto his hand, he wondered what it would've been like if his father had adopted her too. Maybe she'd be different, happier, safer, less broken- not saying that his childhood was any better, but compared to what she had just told him, it was a f***ing blessing. After almost an hour of crying she slowly sat up, staring at their hands, "Please...Five, I'm okay as Arson- a monster-, that's who I am and who I'll be forever."

"You're not, you're Y/N, the strongest person I have ever met. You're no monster, I've never seen you kill an innocent person in our time together- you may have a f***ed up sense of execution, but it isn't wrong...sometimes, it's okay to not see the grey between the black and white." He smiled at her, bringing her hand to his lips, kissing it gently, "I'm not asking you to love me, I just need you to know you're are worth so much more than you think- and I'll take a bullet for you over and over again-"

"Please don't do that again, if you hadn't blinked us out I'm pretty sure I would've burned everything to the ground, you included." 

"Understood...I have...one more question, what does the fire poppy represent, the one um.." averting his gaze he cleared his throat, "On your back."

"I won't ask how you know that, but my mother used to call me a fire poppy, and then...poppies represent remembrance...and she was my world."

"Oh." was all he said before sighing as he closed his eyes, "Y/N, I know you don't love me, but I think I'm f***ed."

"Why?" she asked, averting her gaze from her lap when she didn't get a response, only to find him asleep, still holding onto her hand. For the first time in a long while, she had felt something, she felt loved. Staring at their hands for a moment, she leaned closer to him, thinking for a moment before placing a soft kiss on his lips, whispering, "You never let me say I love you too." 

Naturally, the next morning when he woke up, he found her curled up next to him, holding onto him for her dear life. He wanted to wake her up, but stopped when her eyes met his, "Morning sleepy head, did you enjoy kissing me while I was asleep?" Instantly pulling away- falling off the bed with a loud thud- she stared up at him, face flushed, "y-you were awake??" The only response she received was the sound of his laughter, making her blush harder.

The two were considered a couple, not that anyone in the commission knew. No one in their right mind could imagine the horrid Arson to be so human and for Five to like someone like her. The Handler didn't care, she was getting results and her plan of taming Arson was going well, what she didn't know was the Five had no plans of letting anyone use or manipulate his little firecracker anymore. 

To say they were an ideal couple would be a bit far-fetched, most of the time, they'd be arguing- as usual. Though Five never cared about it, he enjoyed seeing her all angry, it made him feel like she cared- which she did, don't get him wrong, but the way she'd turn all red and whine when she was angry was adorable.

"Five."

"Yes?"

"Where's my cola?"

"Orange juice is better and healthier."

"But I DON'T WANT ORANGE JUICE"

Nonetheless, he would often be her moral compass as well, though she would claim to be his 'moral compass.' Usually, when they'd be on missions, he'd be stopping her from committing arson for fun- even if the base belonged to bad guys, and she'd be stopping him from becoming more violent when his overprotectiveness would kick in. He'd make it a habit to calculate whether it would be okay to kill certain people if they were irrelevant to the timeline but had managed to hurt her during a mission and then he'd go after them.

"Why are you covered in blood????"

"Don't worry, it's not mine."

"HOW IS THAT BETTER FIVE?"

"Remember that group of guys that got away when you got shot and I blinked us out?"

"yeah..."

"Well, I happened to bump into those a**holes and taught them a lesson."

"...Five you went out to get dinner."

"Shit."

When he told her about traveling back to stop the apocalypse she just shrugged, saying she'd be okay with whatever it was, as long as it was with him. Honestly, it wasn't any of her business, rules, codes, the math, all that shit didn't matter to her anyway, even before she had realized how she felt about him, and clearly, that wasn't going to change. All she needed was him, and everything would be okay. 

At forty, the two had decided to tie the knot in secret, she never wanted anything flashy- frankly, when he proposed to her she set the magazine she was holding on fire.

"I'll take that as a yes."

But when it came down to traveling back in time, he wasn't sure if he should take her anymore. Not because he didn't trust her, but over the years he had learned that deep inside she was nothing more than a fragile little girl, one that was naive enough to trust the world over and over again. More importantly, he was well aware of his impulsive and violent tendencies when his overprotectiveness would kick in like a bull all he'd see is red. It was destructive, to say the least. It's not like he didn't enjoy her company, he did, being together uncovered a whole new side of her, a side of Y/N, one that wasn't Arson. Sure, she was still snappy and an a**, but that came along with the package, a bundle, a girl who would stay up all night with him, while he'd be working on the math. Making him coffee out of the blue, he never asked her to, even when he was craving it, she just knew. Another thing about her that made his heart beat like crazy was her sudden impulsive streaks of affection, he'd be sitting and reading in silence only for her to slam open the door and run to him, smothering his face with kisses then walk away as nothing had happened. He'd be making breakfast only to feel her wrap her arms around his waist, pressing her face on his back, muttering nonsense about a weird dream. She was no saint, but she had become the warmth of his life, the kindling fire of his joy. For someone who could speak multiple languages and had command of most literature of the century, she had her...as he'd call it, Diego moments.

"I can fry an egg in my hand."

"...we could use the stove-"

"Nonsense, observe."

"...was burning it part of the process-"

"Shut up the egg was bad. Oh, I'll toast the toast-"

"Please stop acting like a kitchen appliance."

"Funny how you don't say that when I warm up your coffee or your di-"

"OKAY THEN."

Due to these very specific reasons, he made up his mind as he looked at his beautiful wife, who had aged gracefully, asleep on her side of the bed. He was not going to take her. He knew he had promised to stay with her but the risk of putting her in any kind of danger would kill him. This is why he left her a sweet note, thanking her for spending her life with him, for loving him back, and how he was not going to risk the love of his for personal reasons. He told her he'd come back for her- if he lived through this. So he took a deep breath and jumped into the portal.

"Shit" he looked at his hands at his siblings who were still looking up at the portal, wair what- he looked up to

*Thump* 

He opened his eyes to find her sitting on top of him, "I'LL COME BACK FOR YOU? SWEET LITTLE ANGEL?" Gripping him by the collar she glared down at him, "YOU THINK I NEED YOU TO SAVE MY A- " she paused, staring at his face then  quickly getting off him and looking at her own hands and legs- "WHAT THE F*** FIVE?"

In the kitchen, the siblings were more terrified than confused by the way the two children in front of them were communicating. He was slapping things onto the table arguing with her as she sat there cross-legged, arms folded over her chest snapping back.

"Why did you follow me?" He seethed.

"Because you're stupid."

"Woman. How do I keep you safe if YOU FOLLOWED ME"

"OH AND leaving me in Dallas was a great idea- " she stopped to grab the slices of bread, toasting them with her hands and putting them back on the plate where he was smothering them with peanut butter.

"Number Five-"

"Just a minute Luther, I have to deal with this one first." He snapped at him and then turned to glare at her, "Just because I chose to dive into a volcano doesn't mean you do too"

"BITCH I WOULD THRIVE IN LAVA!

"NUMBER 5"

"WHAT LUTHER?"

Needless to say during the entire exchange with his siblings, she chose to stay out of it, eating quietly and then looking around the place, nice place, a weird arrangement but pretty chill actually, it was cold, and she liked it. 

"And this is my wife. Arson."

"Is your name really Arson?" Diego asked from the back, only to get snubbed by Five.

"No, but you don't need to know her actual name."

"Hey, one more question for the senior citizens," Klaus raised his hand, "Did you just use your hands as a toaster?"

"Yeh- Fire powers, heat, flames, lava, anything related."

"Nice."

"Well, time to go." with that he grabbed her hand and blinked them to his room. Only to turn around and frown at her, "I was serious about not following me, this is dangerous Y/N and I'm not gonna risk losing you or letting you get hurt-"

"Five, you can't wrap me up in bubble wrap." she muttered sitting on the bed and looking around, "Man, what kind of nerd has chalkboards for walls?"

He turned around to look at her, smiling at him, swinging her legs off the bed, knowing full well he couldn't stay mad at her for too long. "Just don't do anything reckless."

"Please, I never have".

As the days went by the siblings were very much disturbed by the way the couple worked, most of the time they'd see their brother losing his mind while she'd be casually looking around. Naturally, they assumed it was him who loved her more than the other way around, especially when Luther and Diego fought, the others noticed how he pulled her back, protecting her with his body, and even when Klaus had put himself in front of Five. It wasn't until the lab explosion that they really caught up on what she was actually like, especially when she diverted the flames back into the building, protecting Five from the fire. Or when she came to Diego when she was looking for Five after that explosion, claiming the two had fought.

"What- how did you find me?" he looked down at her, only for her to shrug and point at Luther who was sitting inside, "Followed the big guy, anyway, I need your help, I lost Five."

"He sure runs away from you a lot huh?" he snapped back, being his usual brooding self.

"Well, he has his ways of being 'protective', now after the explosion, he yelled at me, something along the lines of, 'we're all doomed and you followed me bla bla bla- and I can't find him," she said entering the small area, looking around and frowning at the heat, she'd roast in here. 

"Arson, if you don't mind me asking, why did you follow him to 2019?" Luther asked, standing up as he was ready to look for their brother.

"Because I'd die for that moron and lose my mind without him." earning a look from the brothers.

That being said, after they found the drunk idiot in the library, Luther was carrying him as he tilted his head back, staring at Y/N, "You know, you're a cute kid."

"Thank you, I am aware."

"But jump in front of me to save me again and I'll kill ya myself." with that he puked, earning a groan from Luther as she burst out laughing.

Though things started to go down south real quick, especially when they were in Leonard Peabody's house, attic to be accurate, staring at the dead body wrapped in a rug. Five and Y/N had just come back from the commission, and on their way out, she had possibly gotten shot. Not that she had time for that, they finally had a lead and that was more important, plus it wasn't that bad. Or so she thought because as they were staring at it, she fell backward, only to be caught by Diego muttering, "Shit, FIVE she's bleeding." On the way to the manor, she lay in the backseat, with her head on his lap, breaths getting shallower as she looked up at him, his forest orbs staring back at her with guilt. 

"Why didn't you say anything?" He whispered, this was all his fault, he should've known something was wrong with her. She had asked for his blazer (since she wore the uniform without the blazer and the sweater) as soon as they came back from the commission, of course, he was confused, she never felt cold, but he had given it to her anyway. Now she lay there in his arms, a shivering mess. 

"More...important things to do." She shivered, pulling the coat blazer, "I f-feel cold." 

"Diego! Hurry up" he hissed, pressing his hand against the wound that was still bleeding, glancing at her face, "stay awake for me okay? Can you do that love?"

By the time they had reached his room she was a shivering mess, he barely gave Grace room to stitch her back up, feeling the need to be with her was eating him up. Fortunately, Grace gave him a small smile before placing her hand on his shoulder, "She'll be alright dear." Everyone had left the room but Diego.

"Let her rest, Five, we should go and deal with this."

"I should've been more attentive."

"It's not your fault Five, none of us noticed."

"You know, she hasn't been using her powers much...wants you guys to like her." He sighed, covering her up with a blanket as he turned to Diego.

"I don't know about anyone else buddy, but I liked her the moment she came out of the portal and almost socked you in the face."

"Thanks, Diego."

So, Five and the siblings took care of the rest while she was told not to move a muscle by Five. Instructed to rest, fortunately, she agreed, as her body not being used to the cold was going to cause a problem. Nonetheless, when Vanya escapes the basement again, ready to attack everyone, Five blinked her out without waking her up. Which is why when she opens her eyes to their destroyed house she's just, "Please tell me I didn't black out again and do this?"

"No, this one's on us." Diego groaned as Klaus held onto him.

Nonetheless, when the time came they traveled back to 1963- dispersing, much to Five's displeasure. So, when he landed in the alley without her, he was very close to losing his mind. 

Luckily, he found Eliot, unfortunately, he wanted to smack himself when he realised where she had ended up, rather with whom.

She fell out of the portal to land on something soft with a thud. Sitting up she looked around in the alleyway only to hear someone groan under her, "You got a thing for assaulting us?" 

"Oh sorry, Diego." Getting off him she helped him, up then looked around, "I don't...see Five anywhere." She mumbled to herself, though he caught on.

"Stay here kid, " he stopped her with his hand, "I'll do a round then come and get ya"

"I'm literally 58."

"Yes, and in a child's body with a wound from a gunshot. So let's keep you safe, shall we, cause if Five did show up and you were dead, he'd put me through hell before killing me."

This exact conversation led the two to the asylum. He had gone to "save Kennedy" and when he didn't show up back in the alley she went to look for him.

Hissing, he dropped the knife, turning around to look at her, "Did you do that without touching it?" He asked, referring to the burning hot metal.

"What the F*** are you doing!?"

"Saving Kennedy-"

"YOU IDIOT. U CAN'T SAVE HIM WHEN THERE'S NO THREAT AND STOP MESSING WITH THE TIMELINE."

"Listen Arson, I'm doing the world a favor-"

"Oh my God, I'm stuck with the lunatic with a hero complex."

So, naturally, the two fought, and she ended up using her powers, trapping him in a ring of fire, hot enough to keep him warm and toasty, but not burn him. Unfortunately, when the authorities arrived, she had planned on escaping but the gunshot wound had begun to bleed again, she didn't understand why it was taking so long to heal, usually, she'd heal up quicker. Maybe her body's age recession pulled her back to the time when her body was weaker as well. Nonetheless, the cops arrived to find a tied-up Cuban man and an unconscious girl in a school uniform bleeding beside him. 

Therefore, when Diego walked into the small room after 76 days of being stuck there, he was glad to see Five, who in return sighed in relief.

"Hey Five, how'd you find me?"

"This...thanks for getting my wife in here too." He whispered to him, leaning  closer to the table, "Where is she?"

"Well, she burnt my fingertips and fainted- by the way she's using an alias, a nice name actually, Y/N"

"That's her actual name, you idiot. Now, what is this about Kennedy?"

"Wait what??"

After that wonderful interaction and him telling the guards about Diego trying to escape, he requested to meet her. Though the guards looked at the boy with some kind of pity, 

"You know the kid too?" One of them asked

"I do, why?"

"Kid had a gunshot wound, bleeding pretty bad when we found her, looked battered up in general- has a tattoo-"

"Do you examine female patients?" He cut him off, glaring at him.

"The female staff told us."

When she comes in she rushes to him to hug him, feeling him wrap his arms around her. The guard clears his throat, "You can't do that here."

"Yeah?" He asks before pointing behind the man, "Look at that fly on the wall would ya?"

He blinks them out as soon as the man looks away, the only reason he had asked for Diego first and not her was so he could check if the room had cameras- it did not. He had blinked them to Eliot's, still holding onto her, breathing in her scent as he felt her warm body against his. 

"I'm sorry for leaving you."

"As long as it wasn't on purpose." She muttered pulling away and looking around to find Eliot hiding behind the couch.

"Who is this??" He asked, only for them to ignore him. 

"Did they hurt you?" 

"No, actually took pretty good care of me, see" lifting her shirt a bit she showed him the wound that was now just a scar, "Turns out age recession affected my overall performance too, I can't heal as quickly as I usually do either."

"You know." He said as he led her to sit on a chair, "You could have gone to a hospital," whispering he crouched down to her level, scanning her face then lower, clicking his tongue. "Need to get you clothes too- Eliot, I would like for you to get my companion a uniform, preferably with pants-"

"Skirt." She cut him off sheepishly, avoiding his gaze, mumbling, "Hormonal changes make everything hot."

"A u-uniform? Of which school?"

"Any."

"But why?"

Five gave him a stare only for him to nod and quickly leave. Turning around he looked at her and sighed, going to sit on the couch, groaning. "So tired." He muttered as he closed his eyes, only to snap open when he felt her by his side, arms wrapping around his torso as she buried her face in his neck. "I missed you." Placing an arm over her shoulder he hummed, "Lost my shit when I couldn't find you."

"Well, I thought of leaving a trail, but Diego's Kennedy obsession had me follow him there. Had to keep him under control- the man has no regard for rules of time traveling or anything-"

She was cut off by his laughter, utterly confused she pulled away glaring at him, "what's so funny?"

"Look at you, following the rules, cleaning up someone's mess." He said turning to look at her with a smirk, "Y/N, I'm so proud of you, acting like Diego's moral compass"

"Haha. Very funny. Oh, and he has this weird chic around him- totally using him for something if I wasn't so tired the time, would've burnt her to a crisp."

"And we're back." He chuckled, grabbing her face and pecking her forehead, "I'm glad you're okay, darlin."

Nonetheless, when Diego did show up with Lila, to say she got along with the older couple was an overstatement. Neither trusted her nor did they like working with her. Five particularly began to despise her when they went to look for their father but were greeted by the Swedes. 

Naturally, she went to help Five, using her powers to the minimum, to avoid any kind of fire accident. What was surprising was when Lila came upstairs she chose to help Five instead of Diego, running down when he blinked out even though Diego had called her.

"Shit." Y/N ran to save Diego, knocking the man off him, "Nice girlfriend, tell him your brother's taken." She snapped at him, too distracted to notice the incoming blow.

"FIVE STOP! It's not his fault I was distracted and-" She yelled pulling at him with one hand as he charged towards Deigo. She had snapped her wrist in the process and now at Eliot's place, Five was giving Diego a piece of his mind. The rest of the siblings had shown up as well- somewhat amused by the scenario.

"Y/N! This is between me and my brother", he turned to look at her, "so stay out of it please." He whispered before turning back to Diego, "you're unbelievable-" he stopped only when he saw Y/N run out of the building. He had assumed he had pissed her off, hence he followed her.

He had initially lost her, only to hear a loud explosion. Blinking to the abandoned factory he made his way through the smoke, only to Y/N standing face to face with the Handler. Behind the blonde was Lila, gripping onto her arm, which was possibly burnt due to the explosion.

"Ah, Arson, you never really were controllable".

"Lost my mojo for a while, but your copycat knock-off pissed me off enough to bring it back." 

"Oh? No wonder you weren't burning people to ashes in 2019-"

"Don't tempt me, I'll show you two a glimpse of hell right now."

"I'd love to see that but right now," the lady looked behind Y/N with a creepy smile, "and there he is, the star of the show."

When they were told to kill the board, both agreed since they were getting a briefcase in return. However, Five had asked her- forced her- to stay back while he would handle it, much to her displeasure.

"No."

"Please."

"But I got my powers back too- like fully I mean-"

"Listen to me. You came back because of me, got shot because of me, look at yourself now, it's because of me. I promised to give you a better life and keep you safe and so far, Y/N I haven't. Please, just, stay put- keep an eye on my siblings but just stay here okay?"

"You have given me all you promised...that's why I followed you in the first place."

So, when Five returned with the briefcase, all bloody and in a hurry, he was greeted by the absence of most of his siblings. Where he was busy with his monologue about how stupid all of them were, she thought for a moment before speaking up, "Well, we could always...you know...meet you."

"W-what?" he groaned before sighing, stomping inside the building as Y/N and Luther followed him, "What's he doing?" Luther asked as Five poured a bottle of baby powder down his shirt and then pants.

"Preventing Paradox Psychosis, that would explain why he's been extra jumpy, I thought it was because you met with your father, then I saw the date."

"Luther, I need ya to be my spotter."

Five did not expect to see his younger self sitting in front of him, let alone his wife, who too was a teenager now, sitting beside his other self. Other than the occasional farts being let out the two were staring at each other for a good fifteen minutes until the older-looking one spoke, 

"Arson, what happened to your arm?"

"You can call me by my name, Luther knows it, they all do- got it while fighting."

"I guess we had one job that we couldn't do."

"Guess we couldn't" the younger one snapped, "Now be a good husband and help your wife out, would ya."

"Why should I, you'd just hurt her more."

"You literally left your wife a note and dipped, you don't get to comment."

"Said wife sitting right here, a**hats."

He excused himself to go to the washroom, only for her to do the same after a few seconds. Though Five is too paranoid to care about that at the moment, he looks at Luther and tells him how he doesn't trust himself.

She came into the washroom when he was washing his hands, only to stop and glare at her, eyes softening at the sight of her sling, sighing, "You should've stayed."

"You knew I wouldn't, yet you wrote that sweet dumb note."

"You know what I'll have to do right?" He asked, standing up straighter as he looked at her in the eye, only to sense her body radiating heat at an abnormal rate, "You can't even control your powers in that body-"

"I can, you're just pissing me off."

"Why do you do it," he sighed, grabbing the briefcase, only for her to shrug calming down, "Guess I love ya."

"Isn't that music to my ears." with that he brushed past her and out of the toilet.

While they're on their way, Five screaming at every passing being, Luther looks at Y/N clearing his throat, "So, he uh, said he'd kill you two." Only for her to nod, "Well, he can kill himself easy, it'd be fun to see him try to kill me."

"Well, he did say you're an anomaly" Luther stated as a matter of fact.

"Son, I burnt down an entire battalion in front of your brother, and a year later he proposed to me- trust me, I am the bug that corrupted his morality." Luther stopped and stared at her, she was smiling back at him as innocently as possible, "Oh don't worry, I'm passed that phase, though I wouldn't test me." 

When the fight broke out between the Fives, Luther trying to stop them asked Y/N to help, who thought it would be really funny to stand between the two fives. Both stopped their hit mid-air, glaring at her, earning a look from both of them. "You thinking what I'm thinking." the younger one asked the older one who nodded, only for the younger five to grab her and blink her back to the bar and blink back to continue the fight.

"Now, where were we?"

Once the older one was pushed into the portal, the younger Five looked at Luther, about to speak, when something flew past him like a meteor- while Luther backed off, Five could swear that time slowed down and he stared at his older-looking wife for a good minute, both exchanging a confused look as she flew in the blue portal, closing in after she was gone. 

"What was that?" Luther asked only for Five to mutter out, "My wi-" a blurry figure knocking him down, "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YA TO NOT LEAVE ME BEHIND?" she asked, getting off of him.

"The real question is, how many ways can you shoot yourself like a rocket?" He asked as Luther helped him up.

"Several, why?"

"Did you throw yourself into the portal like the Human Torch back then?"

"Of course Five, I've told you multiple times, I'd set anything you love on fire."

"And that includes you?"

"Well, you do love me." She said kicking the vaporized briefcase, muttering a f*** under her breath, as she turned to look at him giving him that heart-stopping smile of hers, "Because I'll kill ya if you changed your mind."

"I assure you, sweetheart, that won't change even if you set the whole world on fire," was all he said as he grabbed her uninjured hand and began to walk away from the scene, they were officially f***ed but at least one thing was clear- he finally figured out what the hell love meant, 'the burning passion that makes one forget how everything's f***ed'.

Poor Luther, however, had no idea what the hell that exchange was, however, he was certain about one thing, Y/N wasn't insane alone, his brother was no better. Well, at least they were together, he thought to himself as he followed the couple holding hands, talking about how they'll probably be dead pretty soon. He was glad though, that Diego was right, once they had met in Dallas again, he had told him how Y/N would count down the days, convincing Diego that Five would come for them. Perhaps this was true love, not that he knew what love actually was- guess he was glad at least one of his siblings found one that lasts.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A/N: Yes, this was supposed to be a simple HC , but I kinda lost control okay- I wasn't in the best of moods lately and writing this just was an emotional roller coaster. I'm so sorry @madelynmulford , I really do hope you like it <3

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[justinspoliticalcorner]

Liz Dye at Public Notice:

One of the strangest aspects in living in a declining democracy is that everyone is forced to learn about arcane areas of the law … if only to see them trampled by the despot. The first Trump administration taught us about the Logan Act, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, and the Presidential Records Act. Those were all about the limits of the president’s authority. Could Trump dispatch Mike Flynn to secretly negotiate with the Russian ambassador before taking office? Could he simply stack federal agencies with his cronies serving in an acting capacity and avoid Senate confirmation? Could he steal or destroy government records?

The answer was an enthusiastic “yes,” thanks to the Supreme Court, with an assist from Judge Aileen Cannon. In the name of ensuring that he can act “boldly” and “without hesitation,” six conservative justices gave the president unlimited authority to commit crimes without fear of prosecution. The imperial presidency is upon us. But even that blank check isn’t enough for Trump and his enablers. To reshape society, they need the legislative and judicial branches to be more than supine. They need to steal Congress’s power, too. And so, while we’re learning about Trump’s plans to use recess appointments to sidestep the senate’s constitutionally mandated “advice and consent” role, we now have to learn about the Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

It all goes back to Nixon

The Constitution vests “the power of the purse” in Congress. Article I, Section 8, Clause 1, AKA the Spending Clause, specifies that “Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.” And Section 9 says that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Congress passes the budget and allocates government revenues as it sees fit — that’s just black-letter law. And so in 1972, Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, allocating $5 billion for 1973, $6 billion for 1974, and $7 billion for 1975 for municipal sewer updates. President Richard Nixon tried and failed to veto the law, and, after it was passed, he instructed EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus to allot "[n]o more than $2 billion of the amount authorized for the fiscal year 1973, and no more than $3 billion of the amount authorized for the fiscal year 1974.”

[...]

Impoundment Control Act

Under the ICA, the president must either spend the funds obligated by the legislature, or come to Congress with a “special message” and explain why not. Congress then has 45 days to vote for rescission, rescinding the original allocation. If Congress doesn’t agree, or simply ignores the message, the funds must be spent as originally ordained. (Here’s a handy ICA fact sheet from the Dems on the House Budget Committee.) Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who clearly don’t know or care about the separation of powers, are currently promising to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget and delete entire federal agencies through their fake DOGE committee. But even in his first administration, Trump violated the ICA by withholding the defense allocation for Ukraine in 2019. In his “perfect, perfect phone call,” Trump threatened to block funds needed to fend off Russian aggression unless President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to “do us a favor” and announce a bogus corruption investigation of Joe and Hunter Biden. [...]

Personnel is policy

Vought and Paoletta are deeply involved in conservative politics and have been for decades. Vought, a self-described Christian nationalist, served stints at the Heritage Foundation and the Republican Study Committee. And Paoletta has been around long enough that he not only shepherded Justice Clarence Thomas through his confirmation hearings, but he also represented Ginni Thomas before the January 6 Committee — all of which endeared him to both Leonard Leo and Harlan Crow. In short, these aren’t MAGA conservatives who spend all day online swapping Pepe memes; they’re movement conservatives, who seized on Trump as the vehicle to reshape American society.

In the Project 2025 manifesto, Vought wrote that the next OMB director (hint, hint) should wrest control of the federal budget away from nonpartisan bureaucrats and Congress. “No Director should be chosen who is unwilling to restore apportionment decision-making to the [president’s political appointees’] personal review, who is not aggressive in wielding the tool on behalf of the President’s agenda, or who is unable to defend the power against attacks from Congress,” he explained. “The Director must ensure the appointment of a General Counsel who is respected yet creative and fearless in his or her ability to challenge legal precedents that serve to protect the status quo.” If that language was too oblique, his “creative yet fearless” counsel was clearer in an opinion piece at The Hill.

[...]

Agenda 47

It’s a safe bet that Trump doesn’t know what the Impoundment Control Act is, but his campaign website promises to stick it to the deep state either by persuading Congress to repeal it by or simply ignoring it. (Here he is babbling some nonsense about it in a video on his campaign website, in which he incorrectly refers to it as the Congressional Budget Act.)

Donald Trump plans to sidestep Congressional power on budgetary issues by revoking the body’s “power of the purse” constitutional obligations.