#her to not set herself on fire? probably. its one of my few skills. ive been talking ppl down from suicide since i was twelve

[mouseratz]

James couldn't save maria. but I could. you know you're in hell when the only person who can help you is an insane cishet dude is the thing

[radiantmists]

more pjo/rqg crossover thoughts

so i can’t turn my brain off once it’s started and i realized thinking more about this that rqg has a very good mechanic for true crossovers in that it contains several characters getting yote by a planar shift, which... they could end up anywhere!

(fair warning: i havent read the apollo books, and ive only read the last couple seven-demigods books once, so i’m mostly basing this on the first PJO series bc i remember them)

so: sasha and grizzop emerge in the PJO universe, probably still in nero’s palace, which in our world has sunk into a hillside and from what i can tell is a) partially tourable, b) an active excavation site. and c) partially unsafe, which as far as I can  tell translates to it being infested with monsters in the PJO world. plus its in rome so like. very dangerous. 

this means they get into a fight fairly immediately, at which point a few issues rear their head:

the mist affects sasha. she’s probably more resistant to it than the average mortal, and can see things when theyre pointed out to her with enough insistence, but it is absolutely interfering with her perceptions.

the (ambient) mist does not affect grizzop. they dont realize this right away, but it’s because he pings it as a monster. 

sasha isn’t quite sure why he starts firing on the lost-looking people wandering around this weird buried palace; grizzop feels like at this point sasha ought to know a zombie when she sees one. she gets with the program when they start attacking and don’t go down with a stab to the kidneys, though.

one thing grizzop does realize fairly quickly, to some only marginally well-managed panic: artemis is weird here. probably he thinks at first that this is what azu and ed were talking about: he can feel something when he prays, she’s not gone and after a hot second of delay she does bless his aim, but he can’t channel positive energy to just blast the zombies, and his armor isn’t glowing. there’s something wrong. 

but they win the fight, barely; sasha’s not in good shape, and grizzop can’t heal her, which is becoming a pattern and he doesn’t care for this shit at all. 

they find their way out of the palace, and start to notice that (nearly) all of the people around are humans, but they don’t dwell on it, partly because theyre also in the future and partly because no one seems to be remarking at grizzop, which means there must be other goblins around and just not that many here right now. grizzop is especially willing to accept this because he sees a (fairly small) number of monsters around.

theyre much more concerned about the fact that theyre very much not in kansas anymore. theyre looking for a place to buy healing potions, at  which point some kind stranger approaches sasha and asks if she wants an ambulance/directions to a hospital. she reluctantly accepts directions; the aphrodite and artemis temple hospitals weren’t bad, but this is rome and she’s concerned. but it also becomes  clear that this person thinks that grizzop is her child. they’re mildly alarmed when he gets upset and cusses them out about this, but... clearly these tourists are going through it. is sasha sure she doesn’t want an ambulance? it’s a ways to walk, especially with a toddler to manage... (she’s sure)

there’s no magical healing at the hospital; sasha tells grizzop that magic just doesn’t seem to work in rome, but he points that the sun works wherever  they are, and most of it doesn’t seem that monster-infested, so... unclear.

they sneak out of the emergency room before sasha has to give any personal information, and wander around rome for at least a day, trying to figure out what’s going on. grizzop prays a lot, and he has a dream akin to percy’s more symbological ones: he encounters a beautiful doe that he knows is artemis in an unfamiliar forest, but she’s standoffish. he asks what he’s done wrong, but she doesn’t answer; she leads him to some wild place outside rome-- probably Lake Nemi, close to a temple of Diana-- where Grizzop sees some hunters from a distance, and then the dream ends.

so the next day grizzop drags them out there-- maybe someone points them there, it seems to be a tourist attraction of sorts and i just remembered that grizzop has pretty shit survival skills. and they go off into the woods and get a bit lost, and then theyre found by the hunters.

it turns out artemis has sent thalia a dream to come there, but was... light on information, so the hunters aren’t sure what to expect. i think probably sasha and grizzop are arguing when the hunters find them, and they see this situation and think: likely recruit is being harassed by monster, except when they go to ‘help,’ sasha takes grizzop’s side. 

i’m not sure how this would go on, or even when exactly pjo canon it would be set, but it would involve a lot of the hunters (and maybe artemis) wanting to recruit sasha, her being uncomfortable with this, but not wanting to leave grizzop. grizzop, meanwhile, is absolutely fascinated with this group of women who actually get to hunt with the goddess, and have immortality until they find something worth giving their life for, and yet they’re all suspicious of him-- which he’s used to from humans, but he’s rarely met something he wanted this much and being rejected hurts. artemis herself is probably a bit thrown at being worshipped again, because the hunters and demigods certainly revere her but i feel like it doesn’t have the same flavor of faith that grizzop would have? 

they also want to get back; maybe trying to figure out how to do this takes them to camp half-blood and the oracle, where they meet the core pjo cast? idk if they’d be able to get back, though, i can’t think of a mechanic for it in the pjo universe? much to think about...

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

The Intern | Part Nine

Series Summary: You move to New York to focus on your art but end up working as an intern at Stark Enterprises

Chapter Summary: you go back to your old apartment for the first time since the night of the attack

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader, Peter Parker x reader (platonic)

Word Count: 2527

Warnings: brief panic attack

A/N: this story does not follow the same timeline as the movies. Also, spelling and grammar is not my strongest skill so please be kind :) if you want to be added to the taglist please drop me a message in my ask box

Part Eight | Masterlist

- - - - -

“and where do you think you're going at this time in the morning?” Tony asks sleepily wrapping his arm around you, making you jump as you're trying to quietly sneak out of his bed. 

“I’m sorry, I have to go get ready for training. I was trying not to wake you” you reply, getting up and gathering your clothes from his bedroom floor. 

It had been a couple of weeks since you first spent the night together and since then you’d been in each others beds more times than you care to mention. It wasn’t just about sex though, most nights you just cuddled and talked, or watched a movie until you fell asleep. You loved staying in Tony’s room. His bed was so much more luxurious than yours and his room had the best views. Plus, being on the top floor meant his room was further away from everyone else so you didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone, or bumping into anyone on your morning walk back to your own room. It wasn’t that you wanted your new relationship to be a secret, you just wanted to enjoy being with Tony without wondering what the others would think. 

“you know, you could just move your stuff up here. You stay in my room enough it makes sense to have your things here” Tony says watching you as you stop racing around to look at him and take a breath. “or not, you don't have to if you don't want to”

“no, its not that I don't want to it just..” You sit down on the edge of the bed next to Tony “if I move into your room then the others are going to know about us and they’ll have questions and I just.. I don't think I’m ready for that. You know? I like that for now we can have this just for ourselves.”

“I suppose the late night sneaking around is kind of exciting” Tony winks at you and you giggle.

“besides, it’s not like I’ve really got anything to move up here anyway. Most of my stuff is still at my apartment. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the clothes you found for me but it would be nice to have some of my own things back” 

“I understand” Tony nods “well how about we go this afternoon and you can grab whatever you want to get then?”

“sure yeah! That would be brilliant, thank you Tony!” You smile and give him a quick kiss, but he grabs you and kisses you deeper. You relax into it slightly before pulling away quickly “right I really need to get going or I’ll be late for training and Nat will kick my ass even more than she already does” you get up and head to the door.

“have fun! And hey I want my shirt back later!” He shouts after you.

“what? sorry cant hear you!” You call back as you run out the door still wearing his Black Sabbath shirt. It was oversized on you and you loved how comfy it was. But most of all you loved that it smelt of Tony and made you feel close to him. There was no way you were giving him this shirt back. 

— — — — 

As you step out the lift and head down the corridor to your room you're surprised when you turn a corner and bump into someone.

“Peter?! What are you doing here so early?” You ask, checking the time on your watch.

“Mr Stark asked me to pick up some stuff from his lab to take to the office today” he glances at Tony’s shirt on you and you fold your arms trying to subtly cover it. He looks back at your face. “why are you up?” He asks.

“oh uh, I have training with Natasha today and for some reason that girl doesn’t know what a lie in is” you laugh nervously “speaking of, I better get going. But we need a catch up soon please, I miss my best friend!”

“I miss you too.” He says as he starts walking off, but stops and turns around “by the way, don't tell Mr Stark but… that shirt looks better on you that it does on him” he flashes a cheeky smile and you gasp which makes him laugh before he turns and runs off leaving you stood in disbelief. 

So much for having a secret only you and Tony knew about. At least you knew you could trust Peter not to tell anyone else.

— — — —

“good morning Nat” you say cheerfully as you walk into the training room.

She turns to look at you suspiciously and you smile.

“who are you and what have you done with y/n?” She asks, turning back to carry on setting things up for your session.

“what do you mean?” You laugh with confusion.

“the y/n I’ve been training for the past few weeks normally drags herself in her like a sleepwalking zombie. What’s got you so happy today?” She looks at you again.

“nothing! I just, I’ve been… sleeping really well lately” you reply and Natasha just raises an eyebrow at you. 

Before you can say anything else you hear another voice enter the room.

“ugh Nat, remind me again why you insist on getting up so damn early!” Clint groans as he comes to stand next to you. “I don't know how you do this every day y/n”

You flash him a smile and look back at Natasha waiting for her to explain why Clint is here.

“stop complaining Barton, we’ve got a job to do! Go set up the targets” she responds. 

Clint smirks and sarcastically raises his hand to salute as he walks past Nat, causing her to roll her eyes and smirk. 

“since you’ve been doing so well lately with your training I thought its time we introduced some weapons into our sessions”

“weapons?!” You gasp, eyes wide. 

You had just about got used to fighting with your hands, but the thought of fighting with weapons made you extremely anxious. What if you lose control, like you did in your first training session, and seriously injure someone? 

“hey don't worry, this is a safe space” Nat reassures as she puts a hand on your shoulder, clearly she noticed the small hint of panic in your eyes. “that’s why Clint is here, he’s the best shooter I know. If anyone can teach you to hit a target, it’s him. Just don't tell him I said that or we’ll never hear the end of it” she smirks and you do your best to hide your anxiety with a smile as you both walk over to join Clint at the shooting range. He hands you a bow and a couple of arrows.

“lets get this over with so I can go back to bed” he says firing an arrow straight to the centre of the target.

— — — — 

After your training session had finished you have a quick shower, change into clean clothes for the day and decide to take a walk around the grounds of the compound. You don't know if it was training, or something else but you couldn’t shake the anxious feeling and you hoped a walk in the fresh air might help. You walk through the fields, taking good deep breaths as the breeze drifts through your hair and the bright sun warms your skin. You keep walking til you reach the edge of the small woods that you can see from your bedroom window. You find a nice spot and sit under a tall tree, leaning against the trunk. You look up at the sky, watching a couple of birds flying happily, almost looking like they’re dancing. For a moment you get lost in watching them, completely distracted, until you hear a twig snap behind you. You quickly stand up, turning to look into the woods. You stare through the trees trying to spot what caused the sound. You feel a hand on your shoulder and spin around.

“y/n! Ive been looking for you!” Tony looks at you with concern when he sees the shock on your face “are you okay?” 

“I heard…” you stop yourself from finishing the sentence. It was probably just an animal anyway, theres no need to worry Tony about it. “yeah I’m fine. It’s really beautiful out here” 

“yeah its nice. Happy is waiting in the car to drive us to your apartment now if you're ready?”

You had completely forgotten that you were supposed to be going to collect your things.

“oh yeah, of course. Let’s go” you say and you both walk back toward the compound, taking a small glance back towards the woods and you for a moment swear you see a figure move amongst the trees. 

— — — — 

You pull up outside the building you hadn’t seen in weeks, your apartment block. You're surprised to see Peter waiting outside for you. 

“the kid has been asking about you constantly so I thought he could come lend a hand. Is that okay?” Tony says. You smile and nod before getting out of the car. 

Tony walks straight up to the front door of the building and goes inside. You go straight to Peter and throw your arms around him. 

“I don't see you for weeks and then I see you twice in one day!” 

“at least you're not wearing his clothes this time” Peter jokes as he nudges you and you playfully hit him on the arm. You both laugh and Tony pokes his head out from the door.

“children please, we have a job to do” he says seriously before going back inside. 

You and Peter exchange a look.

“is he just grumpy because you’ve been keeping him awake all night” Peter winks as he walks to the building and you gasp. You didn’t expect him to say that. 

“Peter! I have no idea what you're talking about” you laugh as you follow him. 

You climb the stairs till you reach your front door where Tony is waiting for you. You unlock the door and turn the handle to open it but before you can step inside Tony puts his arm out to stop you. He steps in front of you, walking in carefully on the lookout. You guess he’s checking none of the Professor’s men are there waiting. 

As you step through your front door your heart sinks at the sight of your apartment. You haven’t been back since the night of the attack so the place is still a mess. Peter walks past you and follows Tony into your bedroom, not noticing you’ve frozen to the spot. You stand still looking around your living room at the dust and debris scattered. The sofa cushions shredded and thrown to the floor. The coffee table upside down, the picture frames broken. Then you spot your art work, the one of the beach, lying on the floor. The canvas ripped through the middle.

You feel your chest tightening as your eyes fill up. You try to breathe normally but it’s almost like you’ve forgotten how. Your thoughts spin too fast around your head. Memories of the night you were held down on the sofa as the masked intruders injected you flash through your mind. 

“okay I found your suitcase do you want to start packing…” Tony’s voice stops as he notices notices the way you're breathing, and the look of panic in your wide eyes. Then he notices that you're staring at the sofa and realises what’s happening. He quickly walks over and puts his arm around you, leading you into the bedroom.

“Mr Stark?” Peter begins talking but with a wave of Tony’s hand he swiftly leaves the room. Tony sits you down on the side of the bed and crouches down in front of you so he’s at eye level. He takes your shoulders in his hands and looks right into your face.

“y/n. I need you to breathe with me now okay? Can you do that for me?” 

In your mind you flashback to that night, when Tony found you hiding in your closet and said those same words to you. Another wave of panic hits you. 

“y/n. Please honey” 

His desperate words bring you back into the present and you try to focus on him. On his kind eyes which right now are full of concern. He takes a deep breathe and you copy him, shakily.

After what feels like forever you finally feel yourself being able to breathe again.

“how are you feeling?” He asks, searching your eyes.

“I don't know.” You answer honestly “I don't know what just happened to me”

“you just had a panic attack. Which is a perfectly natural response after what you’ve been through”

Tony stands up and sits on the bed next to you, taking your hand in both of his. 

“I shouldn't have brought you back here.” His finger rubs the back of your hand “I’m so sorry y/n”

“no, I wanted to come here. This isn’t your fault Tony. None of it. The Professor did this to me, not you.”

“I will find him” Tony says and you nod, bringing your hand to his cheek. 

“I know you will” you smile and kiss him. When the kiss ends you look into his eyes. “how did you know what to do just then? I felt like I was spiralling but you pulled me out of it”

Tony sighs, looking away from you for a moment. He takes a breath. 

“After the battle of New York, I struggled to carry on. I started having anxiety attacks. I couldn’t breathe. I know what they’re like. And while I don't have a magic cure for them, I learnt how to breathe through them”

“Tony.” You put your hand on his knee and give him a gentle affectionate squeeze “I had no idea”

Tony looks at you. 

“not many people know about it. I kept it secret. I’m Iron Man, people rely on me to be this strong super hero guy. If they knew what I was like beneath the suit, they wouldn’t feel safe anymore”

“That's not true, Tony. To feel the way you’ve felt and still go out there and do the things you’ve done to protect everyone.. that’s a true hero. I may be slightly biased but, I think you're incredible.”

Tony just continues to look at you, like he’s searching your eyes for something. 

“what?” You say smiling, slightly embarrassed. 

“I love you” 

His words take you by surprise. It feels like a thousand tiny butterflies are fluttering through your body. 

“I’m sorry..” he begins to backtrack, worried that he’s freaked you out “that was probably the wrong time to say those words-”

He stops talking when you grab his face and kiss him suddenly. 

“I love you too, Tony Stark.”

“I knew it!” You hear Peter shout as you both turn around to see him stood in the doorway grinning happily. 

“not a word kid” Tony warns “remember, I could easily make you disappear”

Part Ten

Taglist: @sunflowers-and-snowdrops​ @brownbuble​ @shookie-shookie​ @thebuckysoldier​ @chai--chae​ @ilovespideyyy​ @rvgrsbrns​

[mousehole5000]

tgcf again chapters 174-191. im now midway through book 4. pain and suffering. and yet also.... this is really good.... but also.... pain...

okay cave of ten thousand gods everythings coming out into the light.... xie lian pretending not to hear fengqing drop their act im emotional..... fengqing silently working together to separate xie lian and hua cheng im emotional..... every word that comes out of mu qing’s mouth im emotional....

honestly reading the xianle trio discussing hua cheng.. its very hard for me NOT to project all the times ive been in a friendship trio and someone got a boyfriend the other two didnt like (which was every time. theres never been a bf everyone liked. sometimes i was the one who had the bf. there were no winners then and tbh i predict there will be no real winners here as far as this friendship goes but such is life)

mu qing is so smart he’s clever he’s tricksy i love it i love him ugh

“A pair of arms had circled around him from behind, and hugged him with force all of a sudden. Xie Lian had buried his face in his back, and also didn’t speak. Though nothing was said, it was enough.” okay i cant get into every different way im feeling about whats going down bc it would get Too Personal but this..... im emo. also xie lian saying “something like this has to be said clearly“ and then proceeding to not say a word just going in for a hug is a mood

“He heard Hua Cheng’s staggering voice coming from above. “...Your Highness. You really…will be the death of me.” - ok well DONT SAY THAT!! now im worried!!!

“Hua Cheng, however, only snorted, appearing as if his eyes could see through the thick rocky walls. He said darkly, “Don’t worry. If he kills one, I’ll make ten more. Fast and furious like the storms, I will never back down. Let’s see who’s the one left standing in the end.” Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat for some reason, and he mumbled inwardly, “... Oh no, this is bad.” Even though Hua Cheng’s expression was subconsciously displayed, Xie Lian really was quite weak to this aggressive and rebellious confidence of his.” - fjadskfajsl its okay xie lian honey you never know whats going to do it for you

okay so are the murals and statues are only from the xianle era? im hoping hua cheng didnt secretly follow xie lian during his time as a mortal during the entire 800 years and then pretend to a total stranger that would be too much imo lets see. i still really do get why feng xin and mu qing are like “...dude wtf lets get out of here stay away from that guy” (also tbh probably if theyd all managed to stay close... this probably wouldnt be happening which isnt a judgement im just saying bc thats definitely how ive felt about friendships) although this whole thing IS indeed tinged with homophobia which i still dont think makes sense in this setting but whatever i guess.

BOOK 4!!!! im scared

“A few days ago he nearly fainted, and it was only after that did he realize it was because he hadn’t had anything to eat for several days.” - unfortunately relatable but :(

“Ever since Xie Lian was young, he had never had to consider these kinds of affairs, and this was truly the first time in decades that this problem gripped him. However, if gods didn’t even know what starvation felt like, how could they possibly understand the feelings of a starving worshipper? How could they possibly empathize? At this point, he could only take this experience as a form of training.” - TRUE THO!!!!!!!! i like seeing this even tho the circumstances are sad

wait does xie lian get his bad cooking skills from him mom? im gonna cry...

“After returning to the city, Mu Qing’s stomach was still turning. He said as he stumbled, “I thought…that porridge, it smelled like bran water, but I hadn’t thought it’d taste like it too!” Feng Xin gritted his teeth. “Shut up! Don’t force people to remember that pot of stuff! The queen is…body of ten thousand gold after all…never cooked…this is already…UGH!…” Mu Qing humphed. “Did I say something wrong? If you didn’t think it was like bran water, why don’t you…go ask the queen to grant you another bowl! UGH!…” The two were heaving back and forth, and Xie Lian grabbed hold of the both of them, patting their backs.” - xianle trio.... including simply because it made me do the pleading emoji in real life..... also the way the queen wanted to feed all of them... weeping

i didnt realize that mu qing would still be around during this time.... god the fact that i know theyre all going to split......

“It’s precisely because it’s a time like this that money has to be brought up!” Mu Qing countered. “A time like this? What time is it? Time when we’re starving! It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to admit it, but nothing can be done without money! Can you both not just suck it up a little bit?” - mu qing i love you. god.... for real the fact that he comes from a completely different background than the other two is so important to his character and i think it shows so much in the way he continues to be in the present. he gives me the vibe of someone who is smart and hardworking but is bitter about it and tbh!!!! i get why he is!!! he’s very aware of these kinds of concerns bc he’s had to be, while the other two kind of think theyre above it and its a big difference between them. he’s still separated by the circumstances of his birth despite how much harder he’s worked to get to where he is.... ugh painful and delicious

i really am enjoying the xianle story tbh. xie lian going from his highness, favored by heaven, well-intentioned but lacking in experience and understanding to living in poverty and fighting with mortals who disrespect him. fucking delicious i mean this sincerely and respectfully im sad but i really like his character arc. and then to how he is in the present....

“Mu Qing looked at him, speaking not a word. Then he bowed deeply and really turned around to walk away.” - OH NO ITS HAPPENING AHHHHH ;_; honestly all of this hurts but it feels real like i think mu qing has every right to want to leave honestly and he DOES have other family and other ambitions outside of the trio... and i get why feng xin is mad about him wanting to leave when theyre suffering!! and i get why xie lian lets him go.... friendships are hard man and the pain of them splitting is rough!!!!

“Mu Qing’s departure had really shocked him to the core. First, he had never thought that someone so close would just up and leave. Second, Xie Lian had always believed in “forever”. For example, friends would always be friends forever; no betrayal, no deception, no breaking up. Perhaps there’d be times when they’d part, but it for sure wouldn’t be over reasons like “life is too horrible” - pain. just pain. same as above i get it but it hurts

“Xie Lian didn’t know too well just how much money would be considered normal when buying over ten lanterns, and he never looked at the price tag when he purchased things in the past.” - i feel bad kicking him while he’s down and he’s still trying to be kind even when it costs him but this is the first thing that came into my mind

but also oh?? spirits of soldiers from the battlefield you say?? hmmm i wonder... who.... could possibly be among them....

“If you remain forcibly, you won’t be able to rest in peace,” Xie Lian said. The nameless ghost didn’t seem to care. “I pray to never rest in peace.” -  i cant lie this legit gave me goosebumps lol

“Xie Lian himself was alright in suffering through it, since there were far too many other things to worry about. But his mother, who had lived a comfortable, luxurious life, when had she ever done such crude labour? But if the queen didn’t do this work herself, who else could take over?” - hmmmm!!! housekeeping!!!! it matters!!!! rich people dont appreciate how much until they have to do it themselves!!! but this still makes me sad

oh god THATS when they pawned hongjing?? with the king sick and mu qing leaving?? :(((( even more emotional about its appearances in the present day

“That passerby chuckled. “You don’t know? This is too exciting! The servant is beating the master!” - oh god the dramatic and ironic timing of it all

god..... this is just... a sad time....

“MU QING ISN’T LIKE YOU ALL. HE’S MY FRIEND, HE WOULD NEVER HELP YOU!!!” [cut to] “Those were the only words echoing in Xie Lian’s mind, but he couldn’t utter a single sound, and could only crazily grab at anything at his disposal to throw. He didn’t care who he was hurling at, either. Finally, Mu Qing couldn’t take this anymore, and he steeled his face as he swept his sleeves and left. Xie Lian panted harshly for a bit and fell back down, spacing out again.”- IM SAD!!!!!! tbh i wonder if on some level xie lian kind of felt like mu qing owed him? i know he said to forget about that stuff to both of them but its one thinig to say it and think you mean it and another to have to deal with it

white no-face what is your DEAL!! also all the little fire ghost bits im...

“After having exchanged so many words, Feng Xin finally got the gist of what had transpired. He widened his eyes and pointed at Mu Qing, unable to speak. A moment later, he bent down and grabbed a sack and flung it over, roaring. “SCRAM! SCRAM SCRAM SCRAM!” Mu Qing was hit in the face by the sacks of rice he brought and backed two steps away. All three of them in the house were panting harshly.” - this is it this is the part where i closed my laptop and said “noOOooOOOoooo” out loud to my room im so upset... and mu qing still tried to leave the rice even after the broom thing im ;_;

“Feng Xin was completely convinced that he would never do such a thing, but that was precisely why this had become the worst-case scenario!” - pain, suffering, dismay, etc

“Feng Xin continued, “If Your Highness thinks your life might be in danger, I can finish this for you, I won’t tell Her Majesty, haha.” - bless your heart for trying feng xin

“But it shouldn’t be like this. The Feng Xin of the past would have absolute faith in him no matter what! Even if there was only twenty percent doubt, it was still unbearable!” - AHHHHHHH okay idk if i really have much to say about their relationship other than im sad but IM SAD!!!!

the differences between feng xin and mu qing’s relationship with xie lian are so interesting. feng xin has clearly always idolized xie lian a lot while mu qing hasnt at least not in the same way and he seems like he has some resentment towards xie lian (thats how i read it anyway thats what i said about it at the beginning of book 2 and i think its understandable and can be a very real part of friendships) that feng xin doesnt and i just think thats neat!!

“He was firmly tied down upon the altar, that broken base of the statue under his body. There were many people squeezed below the altar, and pair after pair of round, unblinking eyes were watching him.” - hmmm dont think i like where this is going

“Yet, before he could finish, he realized that the white silk that he used to cover his face had been undone. In this moment, the thing that had him completely tied down was that exact white silk.” oh my god wait is this ruoye?? is ruoye that same ribbon???? ill cry

“The hand stained with blood, the one that ended a life, was immune to the Face Disease.” - ohhh shit okay. okay okay. okay. shit okay. i See now.... so if youre an innocent civilian the only way to escape this fate (and the faces are actually the souls of other innocent civilians) is to get rid of your innocence... and doesnt this disease not actually hurt its just horrific? god.............

“White No-Face pitied, “You think they don’t want to do it? Wrong, it’s not that they don’t want to, it’s solely because no one wants to be the first, that’s all.” - shut up!!! youre the one who created this situation dont fucking preach about the way you think the world is

“He forced down the mouthful of blood and hissed, “What are you laughing at? You think that you got what you wanted? This was all forced by you!” The ghost fire within the ghost’s hand flickered even more fiercely.” - yes exactly!!! you put people in extreme circumstances sometimes they do extreme things!! youve proved nothing!! god i do love when characters say exactly what im thinking. plus the first ones who caved were trying to save their child

“He felt that, if he was to let them do what they wanted, there was something in his heart that would never return to its original state.” - :( also i kind of feel that in my life sometimes and i just hope xie lian’s heart ends up in a state he’s happy with

“He didn’t dare to look at what had become of the person lying on the altar, because what laid there didn’t look human anymore.” AHHHHHH!!! :(((( i mean i get why this event is what made hc... level up??? thats not a good way to describe it fjasldkfjaslk but you know what i mean... that line about being powerless to help your beloved OOOOOOF

okay well finished that chapter im. pain. hmmm. pain. i dont know if i actually have any words rn lol but im gonna stop here for now

[is-that-another-soulmate-au]

Korrasami/Wuko/OC insert soulmate Au part 3?

@mypureessence 😌 it is finished

I really am trying not to have my OC overrun this but writing her out is a bit of self indulgent therapy for myself so I got carried away

Korra managed to convince Tenzin to let Asami stay at air temple island the night after the gala and Lin didnt let Lee out of her sight, still not convinced she could defend herself. Which royally pissed Lee off.

On air temple island Korra and Asami were clearing the table after breakfast when a knock came at the door. Asami huffed "I'll go get it, its probably my dad collecting me, he's weird about that" however behind the door was in fact not her dad, but Lin and Lee. "Chief Beifong, what a... pleasant surprise"

"Trust me, its not pleasant or surprising,"

"Hey!" Lin gave a scolding look to Lee who only grinned cheekily

"We just stopped by to see if you and Korra wanted to help me take some material from my warehouse out of the city and bring it... into the city"

"Id love to but I have meetings to go to with my dad today so I can't"

"I can!" Bolin called from behind the pair who turned to see him with Pabu on his shoulder "I'd love to see that warehouse of yours and help bring some explosives"

"Asami! Are you alright?" Korra called while walking up behind her "oh... Beifong" ah a nice grumpy glare"

"Korra" Lin responded

"Hi, I'm also here. Name's Lee... you might know me... yeah, just wanted to ask you to join me to my warehouse and help me bring stuff into the city"

"Oh.. uh.. sure, I can help"

"Great, lets hurry, we have to get a group training with Lee by noon today" and with that they loaded up in a truck with Lee driving and Lin holding onto the honorary oh shit handle that she had installed because, well.. 'oh shit this person drives like a lunatic'

Soon enough they pulled up to the warehouse and Lee grinned ear to ear "there she is, home sweet home"

"You.. live in your warehouse?" Bolin asked with a raised pitch of confusion in his voice while they walked towards the big building.

"What? No, the warehouse and storage vaults are connected to my house" Lee gave a laugh as she threw open the doors and went to take a step in, however when she took that first step she tugged at a wire and heard a click. Her eyes went wide at the realization. She had set off a three second tops explosion. She had now two seconds to fix this. Using second number two she lifted her hands and pushed Lin to the right while pushing Bolin and Korra to the left all the while screaming "get down"

"Hey!" Was all Lee managed to hear from Lin when she lit the blue flames in her hands and brought them infront of her just in time to block and deflect most of the explosion. The force sent her flying back ast a pair of trees and into the dirt behind it with a loud scream.

Hitting the ground she felt the air knock out of her. But heard the trio she came with running to her. The air managed to find its way back into her and she sprung to her feet "stay down! Someone broke in" she darted into the warehouse, but not without snatching the pair of cuffs off of Lin's hip, and lit a blue flame in her hand finding a man about to throw another bomb, though she was more prepared this time and made a spin kick to send it right back to him covering him in stinky sap. "Wrong bomb my good sir" she said and cuffed his hands together.

Tossing him out she told Lin to toss him in the back of the car with Bolin to watch him. "Lee, how did you not get hurt from that blast?" Korra asked with a very clearly confused look "and what was that blue glow?

"Oh, right, I forgot everyone assumed I was a nonbender, I'm a fireb-"

"Lee that was incredibly dangerous! What if you got hurt!"

"Shush Lin, I'm fine, I used my fire to deflect it, like I was trying to tell Korra, Im a firebender, I can deflect most explosions, and I use my warehouse to experiment and practice with bombs and the like... though, I do think I may have a few scrapes and bruises from that one, I wasn't as prepared and I didn't know what the timer was set to. I got lucky with a guess. Three seconds"

"Exactly! You. Got. Lucky. Dont do that again without telling me!"

"Lin if I didnt push you aside and control the blast we all would have been take out by it!" Lee jabbed a finger at Lin's chest "even if I did jump out of the way we would have been taken out. My deflecting doesn't just lessen the blow, it controls the blow and how much damage it causes!"

"Well, take a look at your warehouse! Not much danage control there huh?"

"Actually, there is! The entire building would barely be standing if I didnt deflect it! I'm not a helpless little mouse!"

"I know youre not but that was still very dangerous and stupid!"

"Lin. Just. Shut up, I did what I could in three seconds, help me open the vaults and get my materials or just leave and I'll clean up so I can stay" Lee turned back to her warehouse with a huff, the soot covered doors fell off their hinges as she walked in to search for anything outside the vaults that was salvageable.

Korra turned to Bolin and then the Lin "I've never seen anyone talk back to you like that before, Ive never even seen Lee mad before"

Bolin let out a wince at the memory of the small woman looking ready to kill Lin at a seconds notice "yeah, I think you struck a nerve"

Lin however had her arms crossed "what she did was incredibly dangerous"

"What she did saved all of out tails including hers, shes the explosives expert here, she knows what she's talking about"

They all turned their heads quick when they heard banging around on the othwr end of the warehouse paired with Lin yelling some obscenities. Making their way through the debri from the explosion they found Lee using a wrench half her size to hit at a vault valve handle "open up you stupid piece of metal! The explosion is over!" And with one last swing the valve spun and a loud click was hear "finally!"

It didn't take long to load up the different compounds and her personal belongings, given that she kept very little materials at a time and she didn't really have much in the way of material items. Sitting in the passenger seat with Korra and Bolin in the back on either side of the guy they caught, Lee snickered when she noticed the two covering their noses "hah, yeah, stinky sap, great when you want to get a hold on your opponent without hurting them but also want to make them hate their existence the entire time."

"This is the lamest type of bomb I've hear of" Bolin pouted

"I'll say" Korra agreed.

Once they were back in the city, Lin handed the guy off to her men before bringing the explosives materials to a secure storage facility and her belongings to Lin's apartment. By 30 til noon everything was done and Korra left with Bolin to head back to Air Temple Island.

"So.. uhm," Lin started "I wanted to apologize for how I reacted at your warehouse"

"Dont worry, I get it all the time, they see little ole me with my white hair, blue eyes and scars galore and think 'no way she's a bender!' Or 'no way she can defend herself' but Ive had my own back since I was 6" Lee shrugged "Im sorry for yelling at you... I normally don't flip out... its just different with you I guess"

"Yeah, dont mention it, we have to get to the station to set up the explosives division" and with that they were off.

Meanwhile on Air Temple Island Korra and Bolin were explaing what happened at the warehouse to a very disbelieving Asami and Tenzin.

"And she has blue fire!" Korra exclaimed with her hands in the air

"Blue fire? Now thats just ridiculous, the only person known to have blue fire was princess Azula and she was a prodigy" Tenzin argued

"Yeah, well, she used the fire to block the explosion, maybe she only focuses on heat deflection?" Bolin offered

Tenzin groaned "no matter how you try to spin it I'll have to see it to believe it, I mean come on, she doesn't have any feature a firebender normally has, most firebenders have gold, red, or brown eyes"

"Okay, look Korra, I belive you, but I really don't want to be talking about her without her here okay?" Asami said with a smile and took hold of Korra's hand "besides, you promised me you'd take me for a ride on Naga last night" Asami gave a small pout and Korra caved

"Fiiiine, but you should have been there, she yelled at Lin and Lin just took it"

"Woah, hold on, she did what? And she's still here to tell the tale?" Tenzin looked in disbelief "okay. Now I know your full of it, go have fun with Naga goodness, the things kids will make up these days" Tenzin huffed while walking back to where Pema and the kids were

The trio laughed while making their way to Naga, "youre serious aren't you? She has blue fire and yelled at Lin?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either but I saw it go down, Bolin and I both did

"Yeah, it was amazing, but. Hey, Korra, training tomorrow morning dont forget" Bolin made finger guns at Korra with a wink

"Yeah, will do, see you then Bolin" and with that Bolin made his way back to the arena while Korra and Asami rode around on Naga with and eventually settled down to have a picnic in the park.

Back at the station Lee managed to get into her uniform and was about to step into the room with her trainees. "Before we step in, whats my title? Officer Fox? Or?"

"Captain, you're leading the department so you have the title of Captain Fox" Lin said matter of factly "carry yourself like your leading an army into battle, you need to trust them and have them trust you. It won't be easy"

"You can say that twice" Lee rolled her eyes but Lin smirked

"It won't be easy"

"Oh my gods, shush it Lin" with a laugh she opened the door and schooled her expression while entering.

"Good afternoon officers" Lin started "as you know you're starting training to make up the new explosives division lead by Captain Fox. She will train each of you in the skills necessary. I'll let her take it from here"

Before Lee could speak an officer stifled laughter "I'm sorry Chief, I mean no disrespect, but do you really expect us to believe that little mousey here can teach us anything on explosives?"

Lin went to reprimand the officer but Lee held her hand up "no, Ive got this hun." She held her left hand behind her back and her right at her side when she walked taking a look at his badge she smiled when she read it "officer Tahn" looking up she smiled but had an irritated look in her eyes "it would serve you well not to underestimate little mousey. I've trained myself since I was seven to be a capable hand to hand fighter and bender. Not many have the ability with fire that I do, but most dont try to." She shifted her foot and created sparks "some have enough control to set a target" Taking a step closer to him he took a step back "i doubt you'd like to know if I can do that" she took the advantage of him being off balance to use a quick kick at his ankles to send him to the ground "and I would bet you'd like to know how to deflect and control blasts to lessen damage all around right?" She leaned down to him with a smirk

Tahn cleared his throat and gave a nod "yes ma'am"

"Good. Now, you'll notice I have you paired up in groups of two, one of you on each group is a firebender and the other is either a water, earth, or non bender. Both of you play an important role in bomb locating, identifying, diffusing, and deflecting." She walked along the middle flit of the ten groups. "While training with me I will teach you how to hear smell and feel the start of an explosion up to five seconds before it goes off. While with me I will teach you firebenders how to create blue fire to deflect and control the blast. And while with me everyone will learn how to dismantle a bomb thats been located and identified." Stopping at the end she turned to face the rooom of people staring at her "am I clear?"

When she received nothing but 'yes captain' in response she turned her focus to Lin who had what looked to be a proud smile, it was small, but if was there. "Alright, now, today I'll be demonstrating deflection five times in this room, you will all be outside to watch me. Chief Beifong will hold the remote and I will deflect minor explosions." She made her way to the front and helped Tahn up to his feet "Tomorrow and all of next week I will demonstrate and teach you how to create blue fire, am I understood?"

After they all cleared the room Lee shut off the lights in the room, taking her spot in the center while she waited for any signal. A nearly inaudible click sounded and she lit a small blue flame in each hand before bringing them together to deflect the explosion, the blue flames surrounded the explosion before taking it out and diminishing it to a meal singe on the ground. Extinguishing her flames she picked up on a the smell of rotten meat quickening lighting another flame and spinning on her heel she made a quick stance in time to stop the second explosion. The third she saw a small spark on the ceiling and deflected it with much more ease. The fourth and fifth were both clicks at the same time.

Once she finished deflecting the last two Lin swung the door open and clicked on the light. "So, any questions for today?" Lee asked while brushing a bit of dust off of her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah, how did nothing get destroyed? And how was this approved?" Tahn asked

"Simple answer for the first question, the heat from my fire is hotter than most explosions therefore it has the capability of extinguishing it when concentrated enough. As for the second question, ask your chief, I may be her soulmate but I do not speak for her, nor does she speak for me." Lee smiled "now, given that I had deflected a bigger explosion earlier today, I dont exactly have much energy left, so I'll leave you to your devices for the rest of the day."

"Can... can we try to deflect an explosion?" Tahn asked excitedly

"No." Lee said while fixing her posture "until you manage to create blue fire it is too dangerous for any of you to attempt what I did just now." Lee offered him a smile "I dont want you to get hurt because I didn't train you enough"

Tahn nodded "yes Captain"

"Thank you, now, Cheif Beifong will take over, I need to see a healer, my wrist got hurt on that last one" as she walked past Lin she bumped hips and whispered a "thank you" before heading out.

Back to the park Asami was ecstaticly explaining how the Satomobile worked to Korra who listened intently with a grin on her lips "wow, so, they use... what to power them?"

"Well the different models are powered by different things, some models are run by fire power and some by water power, but most are run by a little thing called Gasoline, its a liquid so Im sure you could bend it out of a car so it wouldn't even start up. But It helps run the motor" and Asami went on yet another rant about the mechanics involved with Korra watching with a bright smile. If this was who the universe chose for her then she was more than happy to accept.

[malewifehenrycooldown]

Pokemon Teams for my Parental F/O’s

i was in the mood to make some teams so I’ll do it by each f/o. Self inserts will have a dedicated post. This said I’m not a hardcore competitive player, I just make sets for fun in the games and on Showdown. So Smogon purists, please don’t smite me? Heads up I did not include Galar Pokemon as I am not familiar with them and nor do I have the games. If you think there’s one that fits with the characters please feel free to tell me and I’ll look into it!

With that said, let’s go my main Parental F/O’s; Motoko Kusanagi, Frank Castle & Thomas Shelby.

So here we go! (WARNING ANOTHER LONG ASS POST AHEAD)

Major Motoko Kusanagi’s Team

So Motoko is a skilled cyborg, and not only that she’s practically in sync with the internet. So it would be ideal to give her an Electric Type, and maybe even a Ghost Type (as in being on the joke if you will). She is also combat ready, so a Fighting Type pokemon can also work too. Despite being a cyborg there have been times in which her ‘shell’ can be broken / ripped apart (be it due to a foe or overexerting herself), so it would also make sense to put a ‘glass cannon’ pokemon on the team. By this I mean a pokemon that can hit hard with attack and special attacks, but with the drawback of being incredibly frail in its defenses.

So here’s the team:

Magnezone, the Magnet Area Pokemon.

Type: Steel / Electric

Type Weaknesses: Ground, Fire & Fighting

Magnezone is a good pokemon, not just for it’s special attack stat, but it also has a relatively outstanding physical defense stat. However Magnezone becomes vulnerable to Ground Types, and with the Analytic ability it wouldn’t survive an E-Quake unless HP and Defense are fully invested.If this happens it leaves Magnezone a wall, but without the firepower behind it. Giving it an assault vest ensures it can survive an Earth Power, and other powerful special attacks, to which it can eat up with a decent HP investment. Flash Cannon is for the Stab, Hidden Power is to get rid of pesky Ground Types, Discharge is another good STAB move and can result in Paralysis; and Tri Attack is a good option because it has a chance of causing burn, paralysis or freeze condition. The reason I chose Magnezone is that Ghost in the Shell has robots known as Tachikomas and there isn’t a pokemon similar to them in design but Magnezone is pretty close.

Magnezone @ Assault Vest   Ability: Analytic   EVs: 156 HP / 252 SpA / 100 Def   Modest Nature   IVs: 0 Atk   - Flash Cannon   - Hidden Power [Ice]   - Discharge   - Tri Attack

Lucario, the Aura Pokemon.

Type: Fighting / Steel

Type: Weaknesses: Ground, Fighting, Fire 

Ah Lucario, you can never really escape this pokemon in the competitive scene, with GOOD reason. It has a  good speed stat, and it can work as a  physical attacker, special attacker or even a mix of both. Double that with it’s wide move pool and items at it’s disposal, Lucario can be a BEAST on the battlefield. However Motoko won’t have Lucario as her Mega, but it does have a Z-Crystal / choice item. Choice Scarf doubles Lucario’s speed, at the cost of being locked into a move but it can help with out speeding Darkrai’s and other fast pokemon. This all said, Lucario can go down in a few hits, which does mean that it has to get some hits in before it faints. Aura Sphere, Bullet Punch and Close Combat prove some good damage all the while being a STAB move. Ice Punch allows Lucario to get rid of pesky Ground & Flying Types, while also having the probability to cause the opponent to be frozen. Steadfast works because if Lucario flinches, they can get an attack stat boost. 

Lucario is a good mixed attacker, and Motoko is a highly skilled fighter, so it would be appropriate to put the Aura pokemon on her team. Not to mention it’s a dual Fighting/Steel type. She’s a cyborg and she can kick-ass and take names too.

Lucario @ Fightinium Z  / Choice Scarf Ability: Steadfast   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe   Hasty Nature   - Aura Sphere   - Bullet Punch   - Close Combat   - Ice Punch

Gallade, the Blade Pokemon.

Type: Psychic / Fighting

Type Weaknesses: Flying, Ghost, Fairy

So the Mega on Motoko’s team is Gallade. Now Gallade is a physical attacker, and with it’s decent move pool it can cover a lot of pokemon types. Being a dual fighting/psychic type gives it the ability to be resistant/take normal damage from psychic types, but it is vulnerable to a lot of other types too. The investment in Speed gives Gallade the ability to be fast sweeper, and pair that with Jolly nature it should at least be able to get in a few hits. Ice Punch, Poison Jab cover it’s weaknesses with Fairy Types, Flying Types and in the meantime having a chance to inflict a status condition. Shadow Sneak gives Gallade top priority in a fight, as it will always move first, and covers it’s ghost type weakness; while also striking first to finish off an opponent on low HP. Psycho Cut is a STAB move and can get in Critical hits as well (Leaf Blade is also a good option but no STAB). Close Combat is a good move but at the cost of lowering it’s defensive stats (and we don’t want that). These move sets said you can always have Sword Dance, to boost it’s attack stat to hit harder, and pair that with it’s ability Steadfast, (as seen with Lucario), it can rise to a higher level. When Gallade Mega evolves, it gains the ability Justified; when hit by a dark type move, it will boost it’s attack stat. This all said Gallade is weak to a lot of things but it’s attack and speed should ensure that it gets in a few hits before it goes down. Mega’s should be use as a situational thing, but that purely depends on said situation.

Motoko is a fighter, and like with Gallade, she can deal a lot of damage if the situation is very dire.

Gallade @ Galladite   Ability: Steadfast (Justified after Mega Evolution)   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe   Jolly Nature   - Ice Punch  / Sword Dance - Psycho Cut   - Poison Jab  - Shadow Sneak

Gengar, the Shadow Pokemon

Type: Ghost / Poison

Type Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost, Psychic, Ground

It can’t be Ghost in the Shell without a literal Ghost Type. The OG Ghost Type Gengar is known to be a very mischievous and rage inducing in the competitive scene thanks to its really good special attack and speed (it’s mega evolution is a WHOLE can of worms). Gengar is a Ghost/Poison type so it grants it’s move pool to causing poisoned status condition. It gets access to Shadow Ball (a must run on Gengar + STAB), and Sludge Bomb (another must run + STAB). But it also gets access to Energy Ball to get rid of Ground Types and Dazzling Gleam to get rid of Dark Types. It also get’s Focus Miss (Focus Blast is infamous for it’s high power low accuracy unless you have No Guard). Thunderbolt is just a good high powered special attack in general. Giving Gengar Choice Specs is a good idea because it’s already a fast pokemon and making it hit harder makes it a scary threat already. 

Major isn’t really a troublemaker but she’s somewhat snarky when she needs to be and her smile is infectious (literally to the point Batou punched himself apparently) and so is Gengar’s too.

Gengar @ Choice Specs   Ability: Cursed Body   EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe   Timid Nature   IVs: 0 Atk   - Shadow Ball   - Thunderbolt / Focus Blast - Sludge Bomb   - Dazzling Gleam / Energy Ball

Pheromosa, the Lissome Pokemon

Type: Bug / Fighting

Type Weaknesses: Flying, Psychic, Fairy, Fire

Pokemon can be underestimated, and so can the Major. Pheromosa is a fragile glass cannon, good attack stats, abysmal defenses. Pheromosa gets a unique ability ‘Beast Boost’ as an Ultra Beast Pokemon. Basically with each knockout it makes it’s highest stat gets boosted. In this case Pheromosa is a Glass Special Attacking Cannon with Focus Sash to ensure it knocks out certain pokemon within the first few turns before going down. It’s move pool is also pretty okay, with powerful attacks like Ice Beam (for type coverage with Flying Types) and Focus Blast (with the bonus STAB). Bug Buzz is another good move to run on this pokemon while also providing a STAB bonus and the chance of lowering special defense. Quiver Dance is there as so it can hist harder with it’s special attacks, boost it’s speed stat and give it some special defense that can make it hopefully take a hit from special attacks.

Motoko isn’t invincible, and so running a glass cannon on the team reflects her occasional recklessness in dire situations that cause her shell to break / tear apart. 

Pheromosa @ Focus Sash   Ability: Beast Boost   EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe   Modest Nature   IVs: 0 Atk   - Quiver Dance   - Ice Beam   - Focus Blast   - Bug Buzz

So in summary Motoko’s team is composed of a team made for dealing damage fast:

Magnezone

Lucario

Gallade (Mega)

Gengar

Pheromosa

Now I’m not a professional competitive player nor is there a strategy but these pokemon felt like the most appropriate for her.

Next up Frank Castle

Frank Castle’s Team

Frank Castle... the Punisher. A Vigilante that needs no introduction as the name speaks for itself. A man, a marine and a father turned anti-hero. If there was anything that summarized Frank Castle’s life it would be violence. Pokemon is no stranger to violence (see manga), and their pokedex entries speak for themselves for the most part. But Frank Castle was a Marine during the War on Terror (because I like MCU! Frank), and in most tales of Marine soldiers, it is anything but nice. War is dirty no matter what you think, it’s a world in many shades of grey between black and white. Dark Types in Japan are known as ‘Evil’ Types (which is why you’ll never see a dark type gym until Aloha came around) and Frank Castle’s world is a vile one. Ground and Rock Types would also make sense on his team due to his experience as a soldier in the Middle East. Despite his dark world, Frank loves dogs. He has a companion dog in the comics and there have been many tales of heroic war dogs in the military; canine orientated pokemon would make sense as suitable team members.

So The Punisher’s Team goes as follows:

Nidoking, the Drill Pokemon

Type: Poison / Ground

Weaknesses: Grass, Psychic, Ice, Water

So the OG poison Pokemon is to put it truthfully a beast on the battlefield thanks to it’s INSANE move pool. Because of this Nidoking can work as a mixed attacker and can cover his weaknesses at the same time. Pesky Grass Types? Got you covered with Fire Type Moves and Ice Type Moves. Dragon Types? No Problems. Nidoking has decent defenses behind it so it can survive a few hits before it goes down. Sheer Force works as an ability as it substitutes status condition inflicting moves for more power, add this with a Life Orb - well it makes Nidoking a threat to opponents. E-Quake and Poison Jab are good STAB moves, and said STAB moves cover a wide range of Pokemon Types - Grass, Rock, Electric, Steel etc. Ice Beam / Blizzard can cover the Grass Types and Flying Types. Power-Up Punch provides a boost in its attack stat and it works against Ground Types, Steel Types and Normal Types.

Frank Castle is ruthless and Nidoking is not to be messed with on the Battlefield, not to mention they are intimidating opponents to go up against

Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb   Ability: Sheer Force   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe   Naive Nature   - Ice Beam / Blizzard / Thunderbolt - Power-Up Punch   - Earthquake   - Poison Jab

Arcanine, the Legendary Pokemon

Type: Fire

Type Weaknesses: Ground, Water, Rock

Arcanine’s Title as the ‘Legendary Pokemon’ is kind of an oxymoron. It has an evolution, but it does have a reasonably balanced stats and a fascinating move pool. This means that Arcanine can take on any role be it a wall, sweeper, wallbreaker etc. The set we are going with is a Physical Wallbreaker, while also ensuring Arcanine can stand on it’s own for a while. Will-o-Wisp is a good status move not only because it burns the opponent and makes them lose HP after each round, but it also halves the power of their physical attacks - which can be a pain for pokemon that rely on being a physical attacker. Flamethrower is a good STAB move with high power. Snarl is a Dark Type based move that can hit multiple pokemon on the field (double and triple battles) and also lowers the special attack stat by one stage. Protect is a useful move because if a pokemon has a strong move, Arcanine can protect itself from getting hit. This is useful when an ally has a move that could be super effective against Arcanine, blocking the move will prevent Arcanine from being hurt. 

Frank Castle has a liking to dogs, and Arcanine is the OG Dog pokemon. He’s big, he’s fluffy and he’s ready to protecc, attac and most importantly help Frank fight bacc.

Arcanine (M) @ Sitrus Berry   Ability: Intimidate   EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 64 SpA / 148 Spe   Modest Nature   - Flamethrower   - Snarl   - Will-O-Wisp   - Protect

Lycanroc, the Wolf Pokemon

Type: Rock

Type Weaknesses: Water, Grass, Fighting, Steel, Ground

Lycanroc is a fascinating rock type Pokemon, as usually rock types are physical attackers and physical walls that are slow. Lycanroc is the opposite, as it instead as a high attack stat and a high speed stat. It’s speed makes it optimal to run moves that hit fast and hard, thanks to it’s signature move Accelerock which always goes first and works as a STAB move. Stealth Rock is a quick set up move that will damage the opposing pokemon whenever a new monster is sent into battle. If you’re lucky and they send a Fire/Flying/Ice/Bug type, stealth rock will inflict more damage. Swords Dance works as to ensure that Lycanroc can hit hard as it’s attack stat is raised by two when the move is used. Stone Edge is a high powered Rock Type move that ensures STAB, but it has the drawback of missing thanks to it’s low accuracy. Lycaninum Z allows Lycanroc to use a much powerful attack known as a Z-move which can deal more damage on an opponent. 

Lycanroc is a fierce pokemon but is also relatively friendly too. That said much like a wolf it can be protective, and with Frank being a very protect person when it comes to the lives of the innocent it makes sense to place it on his team.

Lycanroc (M) @ Lycanium Z   Ability: Keen Eye   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe   Jolly Nature   - Stealth Rock   - Swords Dance   - Accelerock   - Stone Edge

Pangoro, the Daunting Pokemon

Type: Fighting / Dark

Type Weaknesses: Flying, Fighting, Fairy.

Pangoro is an angry panda bear, and it’s role as a physical attacker is NOT to be laughed at. It’s ability Iron Fist, makes it a danger as it powers up ‘punching moves’. Sure Pangoro is horribly weak to Fairy Types, but with Bullet Punch being a Steel Type move AND a Priority move - it can deal a lot of damage despite it’s base power. Add Choice band into the mix and Fairies that have low defenses are going to have a bad time. Power-Up Punch raises Pangoro’s attack stat by one stage each time it’s used - making it very dangerous - however being choice banded locks it into that move unless it is knocked off/stolen/pick pocketed/tricked etc. Superpower is a fighting type move with STAB and a base power of 120, yet at the cost of lowering Pangoro’s attack and defense by one stage. Poison Jab can also get rid of Fairy Types but it can be replaced with other moves like ice Punch to cover it’s Flying weakness.

Pangoro is a big scary panda when it wants to be, as is Frank. Frank can be gentle giant towards kids/innocent individuals. They also share the quality of intimidating their opponents. Not to mention Pangoro shares the same colouring as Frank’s iconic skull symbol.

Pangoro (M) @ Choice Band   Ability: Iron Fist   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe   Adamant Nature   - Bullet Punch   - Power-Up Punch   - Superpower   - Poison Jab / Ice Punch

Stoutland, the Big-Hearted Pokemon

Type: Normal

Type Weaknesses: Fighting

Stoutland is your basic normal type pokemon, but don’t be fooled by it’s appearance, it has a lot to offer thanks to its physical stats and surprising move pool. Intimidate is an ability that lowers the attack stat by one stage when sent into the field. This is helpful when going up against physical sweepers, and lowering their stats can actually make their attacks less powerful. Muscle Band works the same way as a Choice band, but it powers the moves a little less but doesn’t lock Stoutland into a move. Facade while initially a decent powered normal type move that provides STAB, doubles in power if affected by a status condition (poison, paralysis & burn). Return has a high base power based on the level of happiness between pokemon and trainer, if it’s a high friendship the more damage it will deal, double it with being a STAB move makes it even more effective on the field. Crunch helps Stoutland lay a hit on Ghost Types (which can’t touch him), and can lower the defense stage by one and  flinch them as well. Superpower is a powerful fighting type move with a base stat of 120 and has good accuracy; however it lowers the users attack and defense by one stage.

Stoutland is a relatively friendly pokemon and having canine-like qualities would make it a very good companion as it’s very easy to underestimate a man’s best friend. 

Stoutland (M) @ Muscle Band   Ability: Intimidate   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe   Jolly Nature   - Crunch   - Facade   - Return   - Superpower

In conclusion; Frank’s team consists of heavy hitters and sweepers, some that can deal damage and some that can soak up damage; and some that can do both.

Nidoking

Arcanine

Lycanroc

Pangoro

Stoutland

last but not least; Thomas Shelby

Thomas Shelby’s Team

Thomas Shelby is a very ruthless and dangerous man. He is known for his ‘I take no shits’ attitude towards allies, family members and enemies. He is not only in charge of Peaky Blinders, but he’s also the CEO of the Shelby Company Limited. He is a business man by all means, even if it isn’t legal (such as fixing horse races and of the similar kind). As I mentioned before Thomas Shelby is a dangerous man, and god help you if you rub him the wrong way. Because he is not afraid to use violence when needed. Thomas Shelby is also a decorated WWI veteran.

Despite some of his illegal dealings, he has standards, he doesn’t tolerate harming innocent people and would gladly protect a child at the cost of putting his own life on the line. Due to the nature of his character and ‘work’ I’ll be giving him a ‘mostly’ pure Dark Type team (at the exception of one pokemon). 

Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokemon

Type: Dark / Dragon

Type Weaknesses: Fairy, Dragon, Ice, Fighting

Hydreigon as a pokemon has a grisly reputation due to it’s violent attitude. It’s pokedex entry isn’t a nice one, and crossing  this Pokemon's path would be a death wish. Hydreigon is what’s known as a Pseudo-Legendary, as it has a base stat total of 600. because of this it becomes a threat on the field, as evident with it’s outstanding special attack stat wide move pool. We’re giving Hydreigon Choice Specs to boost it’s special attacks, at the cost of being locked in unless withdrawn from battle. 

Draco Meteor is a pure STAB move with high power, but it has a chance of missing; as well as lowering Hydreigon’s special attack stat by two stages. This move should be used sparingly. Flash Cannon is to get rid of pesky Fairy Types (since Hydreigon is 4x weak to them) and Ice Types - it’s also got a good chance at lowering the opponent’s special defense by one stage. Dark Pulse is another STAB move that also has a chance of flinching the opponent, meaning that they can’t attack Hydreigon that turn. Earth Power is a relatively strong move that can also deal with a wide variety of types. I chose Hydreigon because Thomas is a scary man if you cross him the wrong way, and giving him a pokemon that has a just as equally violent reputation, it makes sense putting Hydreigon on as a suitable team member.

Hydreigon (M) @ Choice Specs   Ability: Levitate   EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe   Timid Nature   IVs: 0 Atk   - Draco Meteor   - Flash Cannon   - Dark Pulse - Earth Power

Rapidash, the Fire Horse Pokemon

Type: Fire

Type Weaknesses: Water, Rock, Ground

Rapidash is another OG Fire Type, and while it’s not a competitive pokemon in the traditional sense, it offers some pretty interesting move set choices and team roles to play as an attacker. If there’s one thing about Rapidash that remains the same it’s that it’s got good speed; and it works well as a fast attacker. While the move pool is left to be desired, it has some pretty good physical attacking moves. Wild Charge is a high powered physical Electric type move - that can cover it’s water type weakness, at the cost of recoil damage. Hidden Power (Grass) is a strange move because it’s type depends on the Pokemon's IVs, but the Grass Typing of Hidden Power can cover it’s Water, Ground and Rock weaknesses. Flame Charge can boost Rapidash’s speed after each use, making it well a danger on the field if given the opportunity to attack first. Flare Blitz is also a good STAB move with a high base power of 120, but also creates recoil damage too. Air Balloon is to prevent Rapidash from being hurt from Ground Type moves (until another attacking move hits Rapidash, causing the balloon to ‘pop’).

It seems strange to put a non-dark type on an almost monotype team, but Thomas Shelby is known to be associated with horses (see pilot episode)  and that he started his business through fixing on Horse Races and later on in the series he ends up owning some of them on his own property. 

Rapidash (F) @ Air Balloon   Ability: Flash Fire   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe   Hasty Nature   - Wild Charge   - Flame Charge   - Flare Blitz   - Hidden Power [Grass]

Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon

Type: Fire / Dark

Type Weaknesses: Water, Rock, Fighting, Ground

Houndoom has always been a decent pokemon for its unique typing, and while it’s mega evolution has a lot left to be desired (Solar Power isn’t a great ability), it still works as a reliable mixed attacker. Dark Pulse and Sucker Punch are good STAB moves. Dark Pulse has the chance of flinching the opponent, while Sucker Punch is a good priority move (if the opponent has chosen an attacking move). Fire Blast is a good stab move that can cause burn and has a high base power. Nasty Plot is to be used to boost Houndoom’s already high special attack stat - meaning it will deal more damage next turn. 

Houndoom is a cool dark/fire type that has remained as a sort of poster boy for dark type pokemon. It’s fierce and dangerous, it’s pokedex entry even screams ‘don’t fuck with me’. As I reiterated with Hydreigon, Thomas Shelby is a dangerous man, even being compared to the devil himself. It would be wise to give him a pokemon that’s literally Satan's best friend, a hellhound.

Houndoom (M) @ Houndoominite   Ability: Flash Fire   EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe   Hasty Nature   - Dark Pulse   - Fire Blast   - Sucker Punch   - Nasty Plot

Bisharp, the Sword Blade Pokemon

Type: Dark / Steel

Type Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Fire

Bisharp is really good physical attacker with some really good physical defense stats, and it makes the perfect physical sweeper on a team. It has a wide move pool that can counter it’s weaknesses very well. Night Slash and Iron Head are good STAB moves that also have the chance of creating a critical hit on the opponent or flinching them. Double that with a choice band that boosts it’s physical attacking moves, Bisharp becomes a danger to pokemon with lower defenses and with a general weakness to dark/steel types. Sucker Punch gives Bisharp priority in case if it needs to land damage quickly or knock out a pokemon on low health. Stone Edge is a complete type coverage against Fire Types, and has a high based power of 120 and can land a critical hit. The only drawback is it’s low accuracy. 

Bisharp is a perfect suit for Thomas, because of it’s design; especially with the blade on it’s helmet. Fun fact about the Peaky Blinders, they got their name because they sown razors into their caps and in a fight they would fling the caps at their opponents in a fight causing them to lose sight because of the razors. 

Bisharp (M) @ Choice Band   Ability: Defiant   EVs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe   Adamant Nature   - Night Slash   - Iron Head   - Sucker Punch   - Stone Edge

Honchkrow, the Big Boss Pokemon.

Type: Dark / Flying

Type Weaknesses: Electric, Ice, Rock, Fairy

Honchkrow is an interesting Dark / Flying Type with a really good HP stat and attack stats. Defog works because it allows Honchkrow to get rid of any hazardous Toxic Spikes/Spikes/Sticky Web/Stealth Rock from the field. Roost is to keep it alive and going, as it restores a significant portion HP. Sucker Punch as gone  over before it s STAB priority move and Night Slash is another STAB move that can lay a critical hit. The purpose of Honchkrow is to stay alive and annoy the opposition. this is where moxie comes into play, which works when Honchkrow knocks out an opposing pokemon - which then raises it’s attack stat by one for each knockout it makes. If Honchkrow is paired with a pokemon that loves inflicting status moves that can damage the opponent, Honchkrow can snag a chance at knocking them out and gaining a stat boost.

Honchkrow is literally the Big Boss Pokemon, how can I not put that on Thomas’ team when it has such a title?

Honchkrow (M) @ Sitrus Berry   Ability: Moxie   EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD   Careful Nature   - Defog   - Roost   - Sucker Punch   - Night Slash

In conclusion; Thomas Shelby’s Team consists of landing brutal attacks on the opposition:

Hydreigon

Rapidash

Houndoom (Mega)

Bisharp

Honchkrow

oof this took forever to write out. but i had fun making sets and explaining my reasoning. It’s totally fine if it doesn’t make sense to you if you’re not in the loop of competitive / general Pokemon terms.

[jflashandclash]

Traitors of Olympus IV: Fall of the Sun

Thirty-Five: Maari

Stairs: The Real Villain in This Series

 Warning: Exposure to twelve-year-old psychopath and his antic imminent. Some mature themes.

           Merry learned a useful tip when hunting down wary Pax boys: follow the candy wrappers.

           She wondered if all Pax boys were as tidy as little Hurricane Katrinas. From what little she remembered of their house, she guessed each Pax room had its own private cleaning crew, and that certainly wasn’t to the benefit of the boys.

           Merry didn’t find the candy wrappers immediately. There was too much foot traffic around St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

           The white, gothic structure seemed designed to make Merry, who already felt pretty small, feel microscopic. With the sharpness of the cathedral’s many pinnacles, jutting to the sky like a knife rack, and the ominous, narrow windows, like those in a jail cell, Merry understood why cathedrals were often used in horror movies. If this thing were put on its side, it could be an intimidating battering ram.

           When Merry walked in, she was dizzied by the number of tourists, the brilliant lighting, and the gold and marble walls. One woman—a tour guide or an usher, Merry didn’t know—gave Merry a violently reproachful look, pointing to Merry’s jacket then making a cutting motion.

           Merry wasn’t sure what she meant, until she registered the lyrics,

           “And if you want a doctor,

           I’ll examine every inch of you.

           If you want a driver,

           Climb inside.

           Or, if you want to take me for a ride—“

           Merry sheepishly turned off her jacket’s music, guessing the Cathedral didn’t like to party Michael Buble style. She gave the woman a careless grin. 

          The times she’d spent the night at Kally’s house, Kally always offered to take Merry to service—or was it called Mass? The Kassands’ church met up in a local middle school’s cafeteria. Merry wondered how those humble parishioners would feel about this church’s hubris.

That was back when Merry was sad she could never tell Kally that Merry’s father was actually Dionysus. Merry frowned. Now, Kally was attending a party that someone else was throwing at Dionysus’ house, one Merry really hoped Kally would survive with little more than a sober hangover.

           My Teddy Bear and Kallybae will take care of each other, Merry assured herself. Kallybae can keep the Paxbaby in-line, and Calex can shoot Alabaster if anything bad happens.[1]

           Organ music replaced Merry’s jazz. People were filing into the massive doors and, she realized for a surreal moment that it was the weekend.

           Merry did everything she could to dodge around the uncomfortable holiness of the place, excusing herself and improvising several stories to dodge around Mass…. staff? Is that what they were called?

           One man, someone who crossed himself as he came into the Cathedral, gave her a compassionate smile and Merry realized that she probably looked like a homeless person with how dirty she was.

           Some confused wanderings, lots of blatant lies, and many Jesuses later, Merry found some back stairs that seemed off limits from the everyday chap.

           The real demigod killer: stairs.

           With a groan, Merry started up. No elevators in the house of God.[2]

           For the first half of the climb, Merry twitched to reactivate her jacket. Children of Dionysus: not designed for stealth missions. The glory of the church disappeared to dark walls. All she had for sound was the hallow echo of Mass happening a few floors below, and the reverberation of her footsteps.

           The second half started fun, (as much as climbing stairs could start fun) but made her choke up. There was graffiti all over the stairwells. Some of it was carved into the walls, some of it was painted. Much of it was dated to the 1920’s, with people claiming fame to graffiting a famous cathedral. One depicted two towers in white, one on fire, with the words, “2001” Bad Year. Never forget.

           Merry frowned and took a break at the next window. Below, she could see Atlas, holding the world up, at least a hundred or two hundred feet below.  He looked small.

           If viewed from the right angle, Merry theorized Atlas might look like he was challenging God with a capital G, saying he’d been here first, and no matter what the big man did, he’d preserver after. He might even heft his world at the Cathedral, just to see if he could topple it.

           Bells chimed, making the whole tower shudder.

           Merry covered her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. She knew the Cathedral’s bells went off at noon. She’d heard them in town before, but she’d never been so close.

           While the bells sang, someone seemed to pull a curtain over the window.

           At first, Merry thought there was a massive cloud, or maybe an airplane off course. But the darkness didn’t go away. Atlas had disappeared with the lack of street lamps on. Windows glowed ominously on the streets of New York. Some street lamps began to flicker.

           Merry’s stomach twisted.

           From what Percy said, Eris would come back “when the sun comes down.” Merry’s mind blazed through all the elements—of Hemera’s kidnapping, the reports of Nyx being upset, Eris wanting the Golden Net to capture a goddess.

           The attack must have started.

           As fast as she could, Merry ran up the stairs.

           By the time Merry found the trail of candy wrappers, dodged around some bell ringers, and made it to the landing where the candy wrappers lead (more stairs continued upward), she didn’t hop onto the landing with her shoulders confidently back, her hands on her hips, and a smile on her lips, like the Indian Wonder Woman she wanted to be.

           She almost collapsed on it.

           No amount of training could have prepared her for those stairs. She wished Dionysus had a bikini setting on her parka. Her sweat made her clothing cold and wet, and she knew—though on fire now—once her body temperature regulated, the world would be freezing.

           A child’s giggle made Merry choke back her gasps.

           She stumbled forward, unprepared to immediately confront Hiro and Percy’s little sister.

           The room was smaller and far more intimate than she’d been ready for. The jury-rigged baby roller coaster—a mash up of ropes strung across a buttress in the ceiling—dangled an empty crib out a shattered window.

           Merry frowned at the colorful glass still littering the floor. She wondered if Hiro had made one of his little talisman bubbles to contain the sound and if he was as skilled as his siblings with the Mist to conceal his hideout.

           There was a giant mirror against one wall. Well, Merry knew it wasn’t a mirror. It reflected an image of Camp Half-Blood, of Percy sitting on a throne with a light-up, neon sign above his head, grinding his nails into the chair’s armrests, moving his mouth in a noiseless scream at something happening beyond the mirror’s edge. His features looked ghastly in the queer mix of lighting.

           Merry forgot that they’d soundproofed Hiro’s mirror, so Hiro and Lapis couldn’t eavesdrop on their meeting. She almost wished they hadn’t, so she knew what was going on.

           Overall, she was happier they had.

           She needed to keep her mind on the task at hand.

           There was the twelve-year-old boy with Asiatic features, darted suspenders, a burgundy button down, long, flowing black hair, and a revolver wedged in either shoulder holster. He held both of the baby’s hands, keeping her upright as though the baby walked on her own. Hiro was slightly hunched as he inched their way across the room. The baby giggled with delight at the game.

           When he noticed Merry walk in, Hiro moved the baby’s hands in a wave. His smile twisted from one of wonder to one of devilish delight.    

           “You know, you don’t need to live this life of crime and kidnapping,” Merry reminded him between gasps. “You drop the threats, and you could make a great Hiro the Babysitting Hero, LLC.”

           She wanted to have more time to plan and collect herself. This would have been better if she seemed calm.

           Between the darkness outside, the camp’s timer being cut in a quarter, and the likelihood of peril for her friends there, she felt a tiny bit stressed.

           When Merry managed to stand up taller, putting her hands on her hips, she towered over Hiro. He would have looked like a cute Pax baby if she didn’t know that he was a tiny, evil thing.

           Hiro whisked the baby up. He danced her over to the crib, gently set her down, and rolled the crib a foot inside the window.

           The movement caught Percy’s attention. His mouth moved. Merry tried not to notice how the son of Poseidon was begging her to act. To remotely focus on the problem at hand, she’d have to convince herself Mr. Water Muffin wasn’t able to see them.

           When Merry tried to take another slow step forward, Hiro withdrew one pistol, aimed it at the baby, and held up a hand in a “stop” motion.

           Merry froze. “Sorry there, honey buns. I didn’t mean to give you the heebie jeebies. See? I’m little ol’ me. I’m not a rough and tough meanie. I’m a pacifist that doesn’t even kill mosquitoes. I bear no weapons.”

           Hiro’s eyes seemed to flash. His grin turned crooked and—for an instant—he looked like a younger version of Pax. Well, maybe the anime version.

           Hiro holstered his gun again. He pointed to her, then shook his vest with the other hand. He mimed removing his vest.

           “Oh, my parka?” Merry asked, innocently. Her ragged breath almost clogged in her throat. Her jacket was her one defense. She’d never looked at it as a weapon, but—if Hiro had and Lapis had been watching their movements, or seen the video of how she’d made the Heroic Handsomes of Olympus dance—he knew better.

           Merry gingerly took off her jacket, hoping he couldn’t see how much she was trembling. She had to look calm. Remembering all the times her adoptive father had lost it, she had to keep him calm until she was ready. She wasn’t ready yet.

           Merry tossed her parka into the hallway. She still wore an inverted SPQR shirt and a pair of jeans.

           When she tried to take another step forward, Hiro held his hand up again.

           Merry paused. She forced another careless smile. “What now, sugar plum?”

           Hiro reached up with one hand to pick up the corner of his button down shirt and shake it.

           Merry stared at him. There was a major flaw in her plan: the whole not speaking ASL. Maybe Hiro wouldn’t mind if they paused to phone a friend for translation.

           When Hiro made the same motion again, his expression impatient, Merry felt her mouth move to form the “oh” shape.

           Although she towered over Hiro by at least a foot, Merry felt as small as when she’d entered the church.

           He made another motion, putting one hand flat in front of him, and miming grabbing from it and throwing it away. He grabbed the collar of his shirt again, shaking it.

           Merry swallowed. “Well, don’t you demand a lot?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t shake and hoping she wasn’t about to look like a total moron due to misunderstanding him.          

           Slowly, Merry pulled her SPQR shirt up. She paused to make sure she understood Hiro’s command.

           His lips twitched. He redid the “toss away” motion.

           Merry took her shirt off the rest of the way and tossed it into the hall beside her parka. She forced herself not to cross her hands in front of herself or to cover her Lane Bryant bra. She immediately regretted wishing for a bikini version of her parka. Drafty bell towers in New York winter: not a warm place for an un-dress rehearsal.

           Hiro burst into giggles. He covered his mouth with one hand and slapped his knee with the other. His dark hair spilled forward. The locks covered the darts lining his suspenders and the guns, so Merry could pretend this was a horrible prank from one of Nikhil’s friends, not demands from a budding psychopath. She’d caught Nikhil’s friends watching her change once and then assured some nasty rumor warfare the next day to teach basic human decency. Merry assumed Nikhil found out as well, since those friends had some busted lips and black eyes.

           She felt nauseous to remember Hiro was even younger than Nikhil’s friends.

           “See? No place to hide weapons, sugar plum,” she hummed, trying to keep her smile.

           Hiro wiped tears from his eyes. When he looked up at her, those dark spheres glistened with playful glee. He put his hand flat against his legs, then moved them up to grip his belt. Then he made the same “toss away” motion.  

           Merry felt her chin jut to one side. This one was a little demon. “Alright. Full dis-clothes-sure. That’s it, though,” Merry said, her voice cracking against her will. “I’m not so clever as to hide weapons anywhere else.”

           She just hoped, in all the time that Hiro and Lapis had spent spying on their group, they never noticed she did, in fact, use her chest as a cell phone pocket, though it was currently in her back pocket.

           Merry tried to look calm as she unlaced her boots, set them to the side. Even the smiling Hello Kitties on her socks looked worried. She undid her jeans, shimmied out of them, and then tossed them with her parka and shirt.

           Her trembles became uncontrollable. From fear, humiliation, or the icy draft coming in the window, she wasn’t sure, but some nice internal heating or—again—a Leo Valdez or Calex to keep her warm—that’s what she would ask her Christian friends for Christmas this year. That and the whole world peace thing to actually happen.

           Yesterday, when they had to flip their SPQR shirts inside out to hide the logo from the monsters inhabiting club HMM, she was pleased to have on one of her flashy, jazzy bras. Calex had been carrying her and she knew it drove the poor Brit bonkers. Merry knew that she had made a son of Eros blush. That was one way she hoped she could convey the, I may not be ready for kissies and cuddles, but I do trust you more than the average homo sapien.

           Now, she wished she were wearing the set of underwear that she kept at her dad’s house, simple and conservative. Not that it ever made a difference, she thought. Her step father was never rainbows and kittens for Merry no matter what she wore.

           Hiro had burst into giggles again. He motioned her inside before skipping over to the mirror.

           Merry forgot Percy could see them.

           The son of Poseidon looked furious. His mouth moved to shout at Hiro. His eyes darted from them back to the camp.

           Hiro tapped the top of the mirror twice and the screen turned into a reflection, showing the twinkling eyes of a demented twelve-year-old and a sixteen-year-old Indian girl, mostly naked, shivering, whose smile was so stiff, it could have belonged to a Bharatanatyam doll.

           Judging by Hiro’s reactions, that’s what the child thought of her: he was allowed to play with the world for the first time without familial or adult intervention and wanted a new toy.

           To swallow her panic, Merry reviewed her plan. Step one: get the baby to the most remote, safest part of the room. Keep Hiro calm.

           “Hiro, can we keep the baby in the room while Auntie Merry is here? Wouldn’t want her catching a cold while we’re having all our fun, now would we?” she asked, trying to sound lackadaisical. She didn’t want Hiro to think she cared too much about Percy’s little sister. If Hiro was developing the acute narcissism that she suspected, then that would make him jealous. “And, so she doesn’t get in the way of any of our games? I want all my focus to be on you.”

           Hiro thought about this for a minute, then nodded his head vigorously. He wheeled the crib further into the room, to the end of its pulley, closer to the exit.

           Then, the younger boy skipped over to Merry’s side, grabbed her arm, and tugged her closer to the window, where he had a pizza box, baby food, puzzle, and some other games set on a spare altar.

           Good to be away from the baby. Bad to be closer to the window. Merry’s shivers became uncontrollable. Step two: try this the easy-peasy way.

           “Alrighty, tiny, fierce one,” she said. “I like your puzzle. You like, jaguars, eh?”

           The puzzle had a black jaguar depicted with its cub.

           Hiro nodded his head, putting another piece into the corner.

           Merry bobbed her head approvingly. Her mind filtered through jazz songs to keep calm. She ached for her parka or a boom[3] box. She’d even settle for elevator Muzak. Augh. “You know, it looks like you’ve made quite a pickle. You got the tiny Jackson all bundled up. It seems like you like her though, right? Or, at least playing with her?”

           Hiro nodded his head again. He fished inside the pizza box, revealing some pepperoni slices.

           “You wouldn’t want to hurt her though, would you?” she asked.

           Hiro shrugged, withdrawing two slices. Merry wished she knew ASL. Or telepathy. Though, really, telepathy might just disturb her right now.

           “What makes you want to do this then?” she asked gently. She struggled to remember what Lapis had called Pax and Axel. “Is it because of Ajaxapax and Tufted Ears? I heard you were pretty mad at your big brothers. They were meanies to leave you with your father, weren’t they?”

           Hiro slowed in his movements. His cheerful expression soured. He frowned up at her. In an uncertain motion, he nodded his head.

           Hiro offered her a slice of pepperoni pizza.

           “Thank you, sugar plum, but I only eat veggies. No meat for me. Though, that was considerate and lovely of you,” she said, trying to make her smile sweet.

           Hiro shrugged, putting one piece down. He munched the other, eyeing her suspiciously.

           “No one trusts a vegetarian,” she remembered her little brother teasing.

           Merry shook the memory off. This little one was nothing like her brother. “There are other ways to get their attention, you know. Lots of other alternatives and some fun ones—”

           There were lots of alternatives she’d brainstormed on the way over. She wanted to suggest some pranks—Paxes seemed to love pranks. Lots of ways to end this peacefully, so Hiro could skip out of here with her, she could convince Percy not to murder the twelve-year-old, they could send Hiro home to Grandma Chiich for some solid, Mayan scolding, and they could set Hiro up for some major rehabilitative therapy. They could piece the broken Pax family together into a ball of furry mischief.

           Merry never got to say any of her suggestions.

           Hiro withdrew his handgun and pistol-whipped her across the face.

 Thanks for reading!!! We have one more encounter with this psychotic little shit. Tune in next week for Merry’s chapter: Things are NOT Fun and Fancy Free.

[1] Yea, I super forgot that Merry doesn’t know that Calex isn’t with Kally anymore. She’ll definitely destroy him psychologically for that later.

[2] False. Lots of Cathedrals have elevators nowadays.

[3] First accidentally wrote, “Bomb box,” then “boob box,” and finally caught it correctly the third time. -.-

[lebannabell]

now for some dnd asks for you!!!! 5, 8, 11, 15

dnd ask meme!~send me qs!~

5. What is your best dice set? I love All My Dice but my first set (chessix blue-green gemini) are probably my most blessed set, they roll high (mostly [that one time i rolled a 3,2, then 3 to climb a tree is still frustrating]) but also they were my first set and a gift and they always remind me of my first character and when I first started playing - which was a really important thing to me because it was something that brought me a lot of joy in a time i was seriously lacking it;;; anygay this got sentimental but those r probably my Best set (but fr tho i love all my dice so much theyre all Significant to me)

8. What does your dream dice set look like? This is a super hard question bc i dont think theres really One Set that would be like my Ideal set? Theres so many options out there and im very weak for a lot of them ( but gods i wish i could get my hands on those kraken cotton candy dice [im gon buy some kraken dice soon but those were limited edition so i guess ill die]) 

11. Have you ever rolled a natural 1? What happened? i have rolled so many nat 1s……. the dice goes into dice jail and is shamed for its villiany.. i trip and shoot myself in the foot instead of the enemy;; Bad Things Happen

15. What is your characters background story? I have seven characters that I play/have played and i know imma write an wild amount so im gonna put this under a cut!

Wren, elf rogue - Mines of Phandelver Wren was raised a member of the high elf House of Naïlo, but as a young girl grew tired of trying to garner the attention of parents who simply didn’t care about their daughter except as a prop for conversation. At the equivalent human age of 15, she ran away from home and made a new life for herself on the streets of Neverwinter. Wren spent the next several decades making her name as a criminal, and honing her skills in thievery, until she picked up a job at the local tavern that led her to her Biggest Adventure(god im so sentimental abt wren she really derailed shit and was such a dick but she was so fun i love her)

Eldan Caridalas, half elf sorcerer - Storm About To BreakEldan grew up in a small village, and went by his child name of Taryn (meaning thunder, inspired by his Wild Magic). He lived a happy childhood, with admittedly, some strange moments brought on by his unpredictable magic, but he got through any difficulties with his best friend and essentially soulmate, Alcea (played by another player in the group! shoutout to ash for working w me to make these beautiful kids lmao). When Eldan was around 14, he had another surge of wild magic,  but this one was far worse than all the others had been (when i was workshopping this with ash and dint know what exactly it was going to be yet we called it “The Big Bad”) - He had been speaking with alceas mother when all of a sudden an intense bolt of fire sprung from him, melting the skin off his left arm, and fatally wounding alceas mother. Eldan, unable to cope with what his supposed gift had done, fled the village without a word to anyone, and spent the next 14 years travelling the land, searching for a way to try and control his magic, to avoid hurting anyone ever again. Eldan eventually found his way to the entrance to the unexplored east lands where he ran into his childhood friend once again(eldan was such a Good boy im still sad about what happened to him he deserved better give me #justice for my boy)Reckoning, tiefling monk - one shot run by my friend claudio b4 he moved interstateReckoning was abandoned on the steps of a temple as a baby once her parents saw the devilish heritage in her. She was raised by monks in a temple to The Raven Queen, and she was trained and charged to become an assassin that took down those who went against the natural order of death. She was on her way to one such mission when she ran into a group of strangers in the woods and after promptly finding out one of them was (supposedly) claiming to be a false god, and pushing them into the nearby well, was lassooed and pulled down there with them to deal with the Creature within(will i ever make a not extra character? no.)Ari, human druid, fighter, and rogue (i know) - one shot battle royaleI was originally just going to make a level 15 barbarian for this one shot (rip ragna one day u might get played) but then i was like;; i may as well make the messiest multiclass i can Ari grew up with his older brother as his guardian, but then his brother was killed in a gang accident, and ari had to learn to fend for himself on the street. After many years of struggle, and losing a younger boy he had begun to think of as family, ari sought shelter in the forests, and had just started to discover the magic held within, when he was conscripted into a battle royale for the amusement of The Council Of ChickensRisk, dragonborn barbarian - Uni one shots (lower levels)Risk is aptly named - she’s willing to do most things others would blanch at for the right reward, which is how she ended up in a mercenary business. This is straight up all the backstory i have for risk that ive nailed down ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ shes hard to really conceptualise a good backstory for, esp bc i didnt know the world that the uni DMs had createdTrix, aasimar rogue - Uni one shots (higher levels)Trix practically raised herself, and by the guidance of her angelic counterpart, she was often driven to do things that left no time for friendship. Tired of living a life that wasn’t fully her own, she struck out to the wealthy area of the city to join the Planeswalkers guild, and has since become an initiate with her own housing in their extra planar facility, and does takes the odd mercenary work that comes her way from her new homeZiarda Lionheart, aasimar bard - Storm About To Breakafter what happened with eldan, i wanted to make a lighter, happier character - with a lot less emotional baggage, and so Ziarda was born. Ziarda has always been driven to do the right thing, and not just by her own morals - but those of her angelic guide. Ziarda was raised by a single mother, who taught her not only the value of beauty and joy in making the world a greater place, but also the practical application of music - in fact ziardas flute used to be her mothers. Ziarda left home at 19 on the will of her heavenly advisor, and joined a travelling carnival, where she could spread joy through her performances. She travelled with them for a few years before the travelled to the east to do a show for the soldiers guarding the entrance to relatively unexplored lands, where she was guided to join a band of weary adventurers in their efforts to stop a widespread cult from destroying civilisation. A lot of my characters backstories get more fleshed out the more i play them and have a better idea of what things could have shaped them to be the people they become? but this is their current Pre Adventure Lore

Yeehaw congrats if you made it this far ur insane i wrote so much i love my kids a lot heres a reward for reading all that, or i suppose, for scrolling to the bottom

Anyway thank u anya for givin me the chance to ramble abt my OCs i love them sm and i love You so much and everyday im so grateful that you gave me the opportunity to play this incredible game and to do the dumb cult joining, plan breaking stunts i pull

[tillymint7]

Ines Danjak and John Barker 🙌

On 9th Oct 2019 we had the great pleasure of attending a lecture from international artist Ines Danjak and writer John Barker.

It was quite hard to hear due to mic problems, coughing from students dying from freshers flu combined with my hearing still recovering from freshers flu so don’t quote me on any of the following info because I probably got the facts and info completely wrong. 🤦🏻‍♀️🙃

Ines and John discussed their ongoing collaborations and their book ‘Loomshuttles, Warpaths’ Ines collected 48 Andrean textiles from across Latin America over a 35 years period. Ines did extensive research around Andrean culture and was fascinated by the sacredness, rituals and care taken with each textile. In comparison Ines is interest in how far removed Europe and the west is from their use of clothing. Western clothing is disposable only created for short lived fashion trends and for covering our bodies.

Ines’s and Johns work highlights the sacred links that the Andrean people have with each garment, but also highlights colonialism, the colonial gaze, the gender divide and how war, politics and capitalism of the western world has blood on its hands with regards to the treatment of these people. People are still suffering to this day at the hands of capitalism and the textiles industry.

In Andrean culture textiles are mainly traditionally produced by women. These women are deeply respected by their community. They even have their own social structures depending on their skill set each one considered an independent business women in their own right.

Over the centuries the west has ignorantly judged many cultures as primitive. The South American social structure show the Andrean people are far more progressive than most cultures.

Each Andean garment created is considered a vessel for the spirits of their ancestors. Each garment is valued and repaired, patterns is both sacred and practical, each pattern is linked to a particular family. Other garments or objects are used specifically for ritual celebrations. During carnival celebration social boundaries are set aside, both enemie and fore can come together in the beauty of celebration, tradition and culture.

This object below was passed around for us to touch and observe. The item was corse and deceptively heavy, it seemed to be made with a mixture of twine and wool, there is animal hair amougst the fibres and I’m not sure but it felt as though it was coated in some sort of substance, the item seemed quite strong and stiff. It looks like a cup or a vessel apparently it is something that is traditionally passed round during traditional celebrations.

One of the main dyes exported from South America is indigo. Indigo is a sacred dye only said to be able to be produced by women who weren’t pregnant, which the Andean believe allows the indigo to gain its deepest blue. In the past people caught producing and using indigo without permission were imprisoned, tortured or even killed.

(The image below shows when capitalism increased the production of indigo, menual labour was used to produce the dye the men were worked hard all day in these large vats. The substance was so toxic that the workers normally died within 7 years)

(The images above shows some of Ines and Johns Posters from their exhibition ’The Archives’)

The posters above linked to each of the 48 individual textiles stating the date they were made and showing political images of protest and riots as well as.historical events and the atrocities that these poor people suffered in the name of western capitalism. The posters to me also depict the people’s strength and resilience despite what they have been forced to endure.

Ines attended one of the traditional Andean carnivals. Dressed in a costume she designed thats was covered in eyes. It was a nude body suite with a hood and mask, which looked very bizare amoungst the traditional brightly coloured costumes. To me it stated she was a respectful observer but also depicted the colonial gaze. Ines said at first she felt strange, like she didn’t belong, she even questioned herself, but then she realised as the carnival carried on that people were smiling at her, they started talking to her. She felt as she was accepted and the people seemed to realise why she was there and what message she hoped to convey.

Sadly in 2017 the news broke that one of the largest factory fires on recorded had taken place in South America in the very place Ines and John had visited . Female workers were locked inside and left to burn alive. Completely saddened by this Ines and John decided they had to do something more to let the Andrean people know they cared as well as to let the west know what their mindless consumption and greed was doing to the people of South America.

Ines decided out of respect for the Andean people she would create an art video performance with native dancers, the costume she created for her initial performance art pieces as well as traditional carnival music. To me this video is vibrant and powerful it shows Ines’s love and respect for the Andean people.

In the west people through blinkered ignorance don’t want to think about how a product is produced so cheaply, or about why companies outsource to cut cost and what that actually means. Even in that statement it makes me feel sick to even say ‘product produced so cheaply’ the cost of human life is the highest immeasurable cost that should never be sacrificed for a cheap garment! This makes me so sad to think of these poor people are worked to death for our gain.

I believe as consumers we have a responsibility to make sure the produces we use are created with respect and are repaired rather than thrown away, but also the companies have to be held to account! Their products should not be allowed to be sold in unless they are produced safely by workers who are paid a fare wage. The workers should be able to live with the humanity, respect and the standards they deserve.

To me this are a very extreme example of the modern day slavery. I believe all the under paid poor working class unable to feed their family’s due to slave labour wages is something that is so familiar across the world today. Sadly even in Britain we have seen a rise of food banks and in work poverty, but for the poor people in Souths America forced to work such horrendous conditions in the desperation to provide food for their families is beyond comprehension.

I loved that Ines completely immersed herself in her work, the research is extensive and extremely respectful and thought provoking. I really respect their dedication to highlight such an important issue as well as their passion to envoke change through their work. It’s definitely something that speaks to me as an artist, a woman and a mother.

Ines has begun to produce her own clothing line called ‘Not Dressed for Conquering’. During her exhibitions viewers are encouraged to wear the garments and touch the artwork. The ability to be completely immerse yourself in artwork really speaks to me as an artist. It takes away the detachment. During the lecture Ines was wearing a suite made from the fabrics she designed after her experience at the carnival. I thought she looked so stylish. She brought in the camouflage print that was used on the war ships in World War 2. The camouflage to me seems to represent who the people in the carnival are disguised, they blend in with each other, no one stands out, they are all one, they are all equal.

I felt extremely honoured to of been able to meet Ines and John. The Q&A was wonderful so lovely to have a more intermate meeting with them both after the lecture. We discussed their working relationship, they did not know each other before this project, to me they seem like a very respectful married couple. You can see the closeness they are gained through working together, you can also see they both have very strong personalities and are not shy at sharing theirs views. We also discussed further about their book ‘Loomshuttle, Warpaths’ which I’m looking forward to reading.

Ines and John states there is always something to add and always more to create and highlight. We even had to chance to see some new textiles Ines had created. One textile showed dead flies on fly paper, which we thought she could relate to the tichie flies that consume the cattle as they are worked to death in the field. Ines did say she is still working on other projects outside of their collaboration, all of which have a beginning and an end which allows her space for her other ideas to grow.

I was thinking about what Ines said in relation to my own work. There always seems to be something else I want to add. It’s not about what the viewer thinks, it’s about what your draw to create as an artist, you have to allow yourself to be enveloped inside your own creativity. I’m really looking forward to seeing more from Ines and John in the future.

I’m relation to my own work I’m definitely draw to social and political issue, but like Ines it’s not something I have to create all the time but it is important to produce work around subjects and issues that you are really passionate about. Becoming an activist for such an important cause through art is a very honourable thing to do, but I believe artist should only do this if it’s something they want to do. I do think it will be something I will continue do within my work as I have created works with social and political threads before but being unknown they have a lot less impact. The exciting thing is once your work is notice even by a few people it can be a powerful tool to create awareness. Iv always been draw to highlighting injustice in one way or another but it’s more about sharing my fears and worries as a person and a mother, art for me is a more impactful and helpful way than just shouting and protesting.