#i guess i need to do the 5 fates for stones and then mostly just more prae to work on monk and machinist (low 60s)

[thingswhatareawesome]

starting the irregular moogle stones with a bang X|

took monk into alliance roulette to try to get the weekly syrcus and bc leveling monk (low 50s). was super drowsy through labrynth of the ancients, bc ofc that's the one i got, then same in syrcus when doing that after. then tried to do a prae run for the stones/xp but also for my wt journal, still drowsy.

fell hard asleep. like HARD asleep. somewhere in the cs prior to nero i think. woke up standing in ul'dah confused as fuck, scrolling up to see party chat discussing whether to kick me. i'm so fucking embarassed, like i just sat there for the longest time just wallowing in how embarassed i felt. even though those people are total strangers and i won't run into them again.

tried doing the msq roulette again (no problem queueing again, if there was a penalty i'd been out of it long enough to wait it out), got prae again, finished that time at least.

but jfc i still want to hide under my desk, bc what an idiot -__- at least i only need like 275ish tomestones this round.

[vinnie2757]

12 for cidshera and 5 for vincrecia!

12: Things you said when you thought I was asleep I'm here im here ive done it finally

‘Hey, you awake?’

Shera had been about to drift, in that in-between where there are no steady thoughts occupying her brain, but awareness lingers around the edges, keeps her tethered. She’s aware of the burble in the pipes, the sound of water, the soft wheeze of breath. He’s overdone it this week, desperate to prove himself, desperate to help. Too many people need help, and she can’t help but ache at their involvement. A city has been destroyed, people’s lives, literal and figurative, consumed by a single moment. Barret had talked of the plate dropping, of the devastation then, but to see the state of Midgar now, it’s a whole new ball game. There is empty space where there should be laughter, silence where there should be homes. He had not wanted her to come, had wanted her to stay in Rocket Town and manage things there, but she was never going to stay, not when there were jobs to do.

She didn’t spend years of her life losing her fingerprints to electric shocks to not help get lights back on. And she certainly didn’t spend years of her life listening to his gripes to not pull her weight when it was needed most. He’s been intolerable about it, for the most part, cursing and moaning about the way Reeve’s men go about the rebuild, about how they get in his way, about how they don’t just let her get in the gaps in the wall and yank the cables, about the way everything is so metallic. Understandable; every window of every building in Rocket Town opens to a green view, but Midgar, and now this new city springing up in its ashes, they’re stone and steel and grim. Midgar had always been grim, but this is something else.

So, no, she’s awake still. She could open her eyes, could ask him what he wants, but something steadies her, a hand on her arm, gentle pressure on her nape. Stay. Wait.

‘Huh,’ he breathes, the wheeze of an oncoming cough. Too much dust in the air, too many metal filings. ‘You know. I never did say thank you.’

For what, she wants to ask, but stays there, still, breathing in, and out. Trying to keep it steady, regular. He’s observant, too observant, but he doesn’t see a single thing half the time.

Warmth hovers about her arm for a moment; had he gone to reach for her? He’s getting better about touching her now, about being able to brush her hair back, stroke her arm, hold her hand, pull her in for a kiss that makes her toes curl.

‘I ain’t in for all that planet shit, ‘cept that she needed us. She was a sick child, and we had to cut the sickness out, and we did that. We did what we did, and I think she’s grateful for that. You’re here, that has to mean something.’

The back of his fingers settle on her arm then, just a moment, brush against a mostly-healed scrape, the blue of the bruise faint and mostly yellow.

‘I don’t believe in fate or none of that shite. There ain’t nothing controlling us ‘cept us. But. Sometimes, I look at you and think you were put in my way on purpose.’

She almost laughs, but manages to force it into a sigh, curls her spine so she sinks deeper into the cushions, hopes it looks like she’s settling into a deeper sleep. The air lingers, the silence hanging.

‘I should have told you I loved you sooner,’ he admits, quiet. ‘When I saw you that first time. I should have said. You deserved that. To know. Instead, I made you wait, and I treated you poorly for it. I was – I was – I was scared, I guess. You obviously knew who I was, and I – I know what I was then. I wasn’t that poster, I hadn’t ever been that poster. I guess – I disappointed Dad until the day he died, and I guess I didn’t want to disappoint you, too.’

Her tongue is heavy in her mouth, carrying the weight of words she wants to tell him, to blurt out at a volume indecent for the silence of the room. He’d dragged the couch their hotel room had provided, inexplicably, given that there was no table except the dresser, over to the balcony doors, so that they could look out over the stars without being in the rain that had threatened to break throughout the evening. It’s where they’d sat most of the evening after eating. She’d read a manual, he’d posted nonsense in the group chat on his PHS and then thrown it aside and ignored its repeated beeping, because Yuffie had broken her foot and the potion had made her violently sick, so she had nothing better to do. She’d been curled into one end, her feet in the middle, and he’d sat there staring at the sky, his hand warm on her ankle. Somewhere in the middle, he’d gotten up to smoke, and she’d begun to drift.

And it’s here he professes these things to her, this murmured desire to do right by her, by the planet, by the man he could never be.

‘Ah, whatever, it’s what it is. You’re still here, even though I’ve been a complete jackass, and I’m grateful for that. Looking at those poor fuckers out there, I guess I should be more grateful. We’ve got more than most people.’ He clucks his tongue. ‘I love you, you know. Even though I’m not the man I should have been then, I love you.’

He falls silent then, never has been good at the emotional stuff. For a minute, two, he just breathes, and she can feel the weight of his gaze. She fights the urge to yawn.

‘Fuck, guess I should put you to bed. You’ll only whinge about a sore neck in the morning, and I ain’t taking the blame.’

This is a lie; Shera does not, as a rule, complain, and he knows it.

A hand touches her knee, her shoulder, and then she’s weightless, cradled close in the tea-and-smoke smell of his t-shirt. There is no way to pretend to be asleep now, his grip too tight and too loose, and the movement too jerky, his own neck sore from lifting the sheet metal.

‘Love you,’ she murmurs, soft, to his pulse, hand against his collar, the brush of cotton and warmth of skin.

‘Go the fuck to sleep,’ he murmurs back, pressing a kiss to her crown.

[therenlover]

In Fleeting Touches & Airy Sighs Chapter One (A Three Chapter Helmut Zemo/Reader Fanfic)

(Thank you to the wonderful anon who requested angst and smut between Zemo and the reader because Zemo had to be away from her on the run!)

Synopsis: A year after working together with Zemo in the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam and Bucky seek him out once again in need of shelter from John Walker. Meanwhile, Zemo’s wife resents his absence and prepares for guests.

Tags: Flashbacks, Depression, Alcoholism, Separation Anxiety, Arguing, Struggling Marriage, Reunions

Rating: T (E in future chapters)

Warnings: Guns, Swearings, Reader shows signs of alcoholism/alcohol abuse, Reader uses a hot shower as a mild form of self harm

Word Count: 5000~

This fic has been crossposted under the same title to my AO3!

----------

Helmut Zemo was not often a man backed into a corner.

He was smart, resourceful, and had nothing left to lose. If it came down to the line, he would do whatever had to be done within his morals to achieve his goals, even if that goal was simply staying alive. The Baron bowed to no man, and made his enemies, no matter their size, fall to their knees with sheer wit instead of brute strength. That’s why, when he stood backed into an alley with the barrel of James Barnes’ gun to his forehead as the Falcon watched on, it was strange that he didn’t try to weasel his way out.

“We need answers,” Sam said, hands in the pockets of his dark hoodie. Bucky wore a similar one, only he wore a baseball cap instead of keeping his hood up. “How the hell did you break out of prison for a second time?”

Usually, Zemo would have replied with a clever quip. He had never been one to back down from a fight. This time, though, he looked almost frightened as he raised his arms in defeat. “I got in contact with friends on the outside during our short adventure together. They decided to help me out once I was re-incarcerated, willingly I might add. I had no part in the plan, but who would look a gift horse in the mouth?”

“And I guess I’m just supposed to assume you had no part in getting my pardon revoked?” Bucky spat.

“If you hadn’t noticed, James, I’ve left you alone,” A hint of his usual mockery slipped into Helmut’s tone, but he quickly pulled it back, “Believe what you want about me, but I’ve had some time since last year to… re-evaluate my feelings on the world. You had no choice but to do the things you did as the Winter Soldier, and as long as you pose no threat to society now I have no qualms with you,”

Despite the strangeness of Zemo’s response Bucky remained unphased. Sam, on the other hand, was less stoic.

“Man, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the government is looking for Bucky and I harder than they’re looking for you, and it’s kind of all your fault, so excuse me for not giving a shit about your supposed sudden change of heart!”

“Can we get to the point? I’m afraid my flight leaves in an hour and I would hate to be late,”

“Cut the bullshit!” There Bucky went, pushing the cold metal closer to Zemo’s furrowed forehead.

“Bucky...” Sam warned.

“No, Sam, I can do this. Did you or did you not actively attempt to get my pardon revoked when you took us to Madripoor? Because thanks to you, a worse symbol than Sam is now standing unchecked with the title of Captain America AND he has access to the last of the new super soldier serum AND he’s trying to get us killed so we can’t tell the world about the awful shit he does,”

“I-” Zemo went to speak and, for the first time since he had met him, Sam believed he was being genuine. There was a tremble that made its way through him, all the way to his raised hands and even his voice. It was enough that Bucky even lowered the gun minutely. “I understood that by following my lead, the both of you were risking a lot. I didn’t intend any specific malice with my actions though, no. If I may… the two of you have attracted a lot of attention here in the past few days. I assume Walker is very close to finding you?”

Sam and Bucky shared a look before Sam responded. “Maybe, why?”

“I have a safe house,” he continued, “I don’t stay there often so the location isn’t compromised, but it’s my next stop. Might I suggest we take this conversation on the road? I would hate to host your reunion with Mr. Walker in an alley over my corpse,”

There was a moment of complete stillness. Zemo remained, face dark with that strange deer-in-headlights look, a perfect statue, as the barrel of Bucky’s gun remained pointed firmly in his direction and Sam shared what seemed to be a completely silent conversation with Bucky. It was true that they had been burned before. Zemo was a man with his own agenda who did what it took to fulfill it. That being said, he had returned willingly with them back to prison before he was broken out, and without his help, the band of freshly minted super soldiers would still be running around Europe causing chaos. In the end, Bucky lowered his gun slowly before tucking it away into his boot holster.

Zemo grinned.

“Don’t think this means we trust you,” Sam groaned, pointing a finger at the man.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Now, gentlemen, I believe we have a plane to catch,”

As the trio began to make their way out of the alley Bucky and Sam fell to the flank of the group. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Bucky asked, eyes darting between his two companions. Sam shrugged.

“At this point, I’m doing whatever it takes to get home to my family in one piece. If that means I have to ride in Zemo’s stupid private jet again and lay low for a while, then that’s what I’m gonna do, because Sarah and those kids don’t deserve to lose me all over again,”

“But don’t you think he’s acting a little… weird?”

“Don’t worry, I have my eye on him. If he tries anything we can just throw him out front when Walker tries to shoot us,”

“You’re doing a very poor job of concealing your conversation,” Zemo shouted.

Bucky stormed ahead as Sam laughed.

“Oh, shut up!”

Surprisingly, the drive to the airstrip was mostly uneventful, as was the relatively short flight from Zurich to Avignon. There was, of course, the usual cutthroat banter and tension so thick you could feel it like a fog hanging over the group, but in an unusual twist of fate, the baron did very little to initiate. Of course, he wasn’t fully innocent though. He never was. That being said, even as his chauffeur carefully navigated the stone roads to the dropoff point he was strangely quiet. He had texted someone earlier to have the house prepared for their arrival but he kept looking down at the phone as if a response would come. It didn’t.

Sam appreciated the break from the noise. To him, it was a moment of peace after a few months of constant opposition. For the duration of the trip, he had chosen to shoot a few choice quips Bucky’s way before taking a long nap. Bucky, on the other hand, was only growing more suspicious of Zemo by the minute.

After his time with Hydra, Bucky had become intimately acquainted with the type of man that Zemo was. He was ruthless, driven by ideals that couldn’t be changed by any amount of debate or theory read inside a prison cell, and willing to do whatever it took to fulfill those ideals no matter the cost. There was remorse but no regret. A man like that doesn’t just stop believing in the thing that led him to kill dozens if not hundreds of people, because once the impetus is gone so is the only thing upholding their sense of self.

In basic terms, he was hiding something. Bucky was intent on finding out what that thing was, a thing important enough to make Zemo of all people shut the hell up and tell his enemies exactly where his safe house was, and he wasn’t going to rest until he did. The answer came easily enough in the end, but not before Sam and Bucky were forced face to face with the strangest thing they had ever seen, even when including aliens and wizards. That thing was Zemo buying flowers.

The trio had gotten out of the car somewhere around the center of the city and continued towards the safe house on foot. A few minutes after they started, though, Zemo had spoken.

“I apologize, but I’ll have to stop for a moment,” He said, holding up a hand to alert the two men trailing him to the fact that he was about to stop. Sam quirked up an eyebrow.

“At a flower shop?”

There, to the right of them, was a small fleuriste. The window was a burst of bright color. Pinks, reds, whites, purples; a certain bunch of spring blooms had caught Zemo’s eye. He shrugged. “It’s rude to arrive at someone’s house asking for a favor without a gift, Mr. Wilson. Excuse me,”

With a comfort that said he had been into the shop many times, Zemo walked through the door and began conversing with the shop owner in perfect French, even referring to her as tu instead of vous as he made his purchase.

“Did he just say someone’s house ?” Sam asked Bucky, eyes widening.

Bucky gritted his teeth. “Yeah, I think he did,”

“So, we’re just showing up at someone’s door,”

“Yup. Not to mention they’re someone who aligns themself with him,”

A groan escaped from Sam as he ran his hand down his face in disbelief. “I didn’t expect much from Zemo, but damn,”

“It’s your fault for expecting anything from Zemo in the first place,”

“For once, you’re right,”

They dawdled for a moment. As their conversation stilled, Zemo returned, now burdened by a sizable bouquet from the window. Around them, the city was starting to get off of work. Families walked together as businesses had their 5 o’clock shift change. Somehow as the world around them came to life it didn’t look at Sam and Bucky with anything more than a passing glance. They were tourists, nothing more. For a moment Sam understood why Zemo would go to a place like this for safety and anonymity.

Without ceremony, the trio began walking towards their destination once again.

“I apologize for the delay,” Zemo said, keeping his pace brisk and remaining about a foot ahead of his companions, “I suppose it’s become a bit of a habit that I buy Y/N flowers whenever I come back. We shouldn’t be long now, though, the house is just a few more blocks away, maybe 3 minutes by foot,”

“Y/N?” Bucky asked. The name felt heavy on his tongue, familiar. That had to be a coincidence though. Zemo would never align himself with anyone who had worked for Hydra, and there was no other place he could have heard that name and had it hold any significance. Right?

Zemo chuckled. “Y/N is our host. I’d appreciate it if you tried to maintain some semblance of respect when we arrive, she tends to have quite the temper and it would reflect badly on me if she believed I was asking her to indefinitely house two people who would happily send her to prison,”

“About that,” Sam chimed in, “Who the hell are we about to be staying with? It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t, and by extension, I also don’t tend to trust people who trust you,”

“I assure you, Sam, Y/N is more trustworthy to you than I will ever be,”

“That doesn’t answer my question, nor does it make me feel any better,”

“She’s American, and like you, she is seeking shelter from the government. Isn’t that enough for you?”

“Man, at this point I feel like you’re not telling us because she’s actually some sort of crazy Sokovian sleeper agent who’s gonna stab us in the back while we sleep. Am I crazy, Buck, or am I right?”

Bucky, who had been trying his best to stay out of the conversation, replied. “You are being unnecessarily evasive, Zemo, though that’s nothing new…”

“Right? Like, I’m really grateful that you’re lending us a hand, but I’ve gotta be honest, if I think for a second things are going south-”

Sam never got to finish his sentence.

Suddenly, Zemo stopped short, turning around and looking Bucky in the eye with a madness neither he nor Sam had ever seen before. His whole body was stiff, rigid. The hand that wasn’t cradling the flowers delicately was gripped in a fist at his side. He looked angry, but underneath the anger, he really just looked scared. “You will not touch her. Do you hear me? Do what you’d like with me, I have made choices worthy of punishment, but you will not touch Y/N. If you so much as think of it, all bets are off. Do you understand me?”

Bucky nodded, sharp. This was certainly interesting. Sam just smirked.

“Is there something else you want to tell us?”

Zemo walked up a small set of stairs towards a home to their right. “No, Mr. Wilson, I don’t believe so,”

The building was a nice one, all tan stone with dark wrought-iron fixtures on its many windows. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a normal midtown manor-house for some upper-class member of the community. The normalcy of it all hid its true purpose in plain sight. It was genius, really. Over a dividing wall made of the same yellowing stone, Sam could see a small sliver of vibrant green garden space and a pool at the side of the building.

With a steadying breath, Zemo knocked on the door.

“You have to knock on the door of your own safe house?” There was a hint of incredulity in Bucky’s voice as he crossed his arms. This was going to be a disaster. Why had they agreed to this again?

“A little etiquette goes a long way, James, especially when you’re already in the doghouse,” Then, the door opened.

Bucky froze. There, standing in the doorway with a pistol in her hand and a fire in her eyes, was a woman he thought long dead: you. This couldn’t be right! He had killed you back in ‘02 with the rest of the AAHR...

You quirked up an eyebrow at Zemo.

“Give me one reason I should let you in and not shoot you on the spot,”

They were so fucked.

________________

The day, on your end of the world, had gone by much slower.

It started off like any other, with the alarm on your bedside table blaring as you opened your eyes and your arms reached out into the emptiness in the sheets beside you. Sometimes, when Helmut’s flight got in late enough, you would wake up and reach to the side only to find that he had appeared beside you in the night. Those were the best kind of reunions. They were free of pretense, no bitterness or resentment clouded your sleep-heavy brain when you opened your eyes to his peaceful resting face, and you could simply fall into the comforting rhythm of husband and wife. If you reunited with a clear head things tended not to go as well.

You groaned. It wasn’t as if there was even a guarantee he would come back, especially not after the way you’d left things last time. The philosophy of attendre et espérer, waiting and hoping like an Edmond Dantés type, wouldn’t do you any good, at least not anymore.

Maybe it was time to start moving on…

Tomorrow. You could start thinking about the next steps tomorrow. For today you’d enjoy what you had.

Getting out of bed was difficult but you managed. The sun streamed through the curtains that billowed gently in the breeze near your balconette, brilliant gold beams illuminating the dust that danced in the air. The first thing you did was shuffle along to the corner and pour yourself two fingers of brandy from Helmut’s private collection. It was like a morning ritual these days, a numbing agent against the loneliness. Once the drink was downed you moved on to the closet to get dressed.

Dressing yourself wasn’t of much importance these days. You couldn’t exactly leave the house, and nobody was visiting, so more often than not, it was easier to just wear the same pajamas for a few days until you knew Oeznik would be around to drop off groceries. Today, though, you felt… filthy. Not dirty in a physical way, just sticky and filthy and unclean under your skin and in your very heart. Maybe a shower would help.

You looked around the closet with a clinical eye. It was difficult to be in there, surrounded by lavish dresses and expensive suits that you and your husband had worn arm in arm while plotting the downfall of the Avengers before your unsteady alliance had turned into so much more. Everything still smelled like his cologne. In the small, often-closed, walk-in closet, the scent had only intensified, covering every article of clothing with a fog of cedarwood and sage. It made you sick, choked the air from your lungs and left you gasping for even a single breath that didn’t sit heavy on your tongue with the bitter taste of that familiar musk.

The alcohol had helped. It always did. The remnants of its burn in your mouth formed a sort of guard against the scent of the closet as you searched through a pile of shirts for something soft and easy to wear. Your hands suddenly stilled.

“Zemo, I’m gonna be honest, this is the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen in my entire life,”

“I’m hurt! That’s one of my favorites,”

“Where did you even get it, a 90-year-old grandpa’s closet? Jesus Christ, it looks like something out of a shitty 70’s flick about family values,”

“I’ll have you know that I thrifted that sweater. It’s very eco-conscious you know,”

Your heart hurt. Well, no, your whole body hurt, but your heart ached a little more prominently as you carefully picked up the sweater and held it to your chest. It was terribly ugly, 4 sizes too big even on Helmut and covered in an olive and forest green argyle. Somehow he was always able to pull off the oversized thing no matter how ridiculous you had always insisted you found it. When was the last time he’d worn it again?

The memory evaded you.

Still, it was a happy relic, happier than most of the monuments to a failing marriage that lined the shelves of your beautiful personal prison. It wouldn’t hurt to hope that by wearing it, you might rub just a little bit of that lost happiness off onto your present-day, right? With one last forlorn glance around the closet, you gathered up the sweater and a pair of jeans before getting out as fast as you could. With the scent of cologne clinging to you, the shower wasn’t just a good idea now, it was necessary.

So, you showered. You took the stupid foot-long exfoliating brush Helmut loved so much and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed yourself under the near-boiling stream of water until your skin was pink and raw. Disappointingly, even the new skin felt filthy. It was better, though, less intense. With some lotion and a little bit of Neosporin on the fresh patches of blotchy red, you were able to feel okay. Not good. Not clean. Just… okay. At least you didn’t smell like him anymore. The clock read 12:14 when you finally made it out of the bathroom in search of some real food.

Lunch, if you could call it that, was a silent affair. The fridge was almost empty and the pantry was only a little less bare, so you threw together a cheese sandwich, not even bothering to waste butter and grill it. You ate it plain with another glass of brandy out on the pool deck. It was gone sooner than you hoped it would be.

Oh well.

You finished your brandy with a sigh. Only seven or eight more hours until you could finish your day with a few more drinks and pass out in bed until nine or ten once again. Ah, dreamless sleep. That sounded divine. Now if only you could fathom any non-depressing way to spend the time between sleeping and waking. Swimming was out, the chemicals would burn your freshly eviscerated skin. Playing solitaire for the fourth day in a row sounded like absolute hell on earth. Even watercolors, a usual calming respite from the torturous and neverending monotony of life trapped alone in a house you had no help in stocking, were off the table ever since you’d run out of paper.

Somewhere inside the house, your phone dinged.

The second the sound hit your ears you jumped, dropping your glass and letting it shatter into a thousand tiny shards on the stone of the patio.

Phones were a difficult thing to own for someone who was trying to stay out of the eyes of the government. They were too easy to track and could tip off enemies to your location with very little error needed on your part. Even searching the internet for innocent things was too risky. If your search history was too similar to that of the alias you had used before Helmut went to prison, it would have been easy for them to find a connection and send someone to track you down. Still, you kept a cell phone charged and ready on the kitchen counter despite the risk for one reason and one reason only: Emergency contact with your husband.

He never texted from the same number on more than one occasion, always switching from burner phone to burner phone as he flew across the country doing god knows what, but if he was ever in a situation where emergency contact with you was needed, he was able to reach you at your number immediately. It had only happened a couple of times, and each time he had been in a considerable amount of danger. So, when you suddenly heard the sound you dreaded more than anything else in the world, you were quick to rush inside, even ignoring the shattered glass at your feet as you shoved through the doors and found the phone.

The small, LED display was lit up with the notification. It made your heart both soar and sink.

Flying home with two guests. Prepare the two rooms for their stay. We will be there by 5 at the latest - B

You read over the message several times before letting the phone fall from your hand and back onto the counter with a dull thud.

That absolute asshole.

Three months. Three months you had spent sitting alone. Three months without a call, or a text, or a letter, or even a word of when he was coming back by way of Oeznik. Three months! And after three months of loneliness and sleepless nights and empty bottles on the drink cart he reaches out through an emergency line of contact that almost certainly means he might be dying only to tell you he’s bringing two strangers into your safe house, the place even he refuses to stay in too long in order to not give its location away. The scar on your spine was starting to burn as you leaned up against the counter and cried.

It was ridiculous to think you had ever believed him capable of more tact than that.

Really, it was your fault. From the beginning, you’d had too much faith in a man incapable of being trustworthy, even to those closest to him. You knew that, and yet you had married him. Maybe the soft touches and sweet lies he had spoon-fed you had made you weak. Maybe you always had been.

“I’m not a child, Helmut, I know what I’m doing!”

“I don’t think you do,” he shouted. He was a few drinks in now, you both were. The nights before his departures never tended to end well when you both drank. “Because no matter what I do to protect you, you have the need to disobey me! Have you considered that I do the things I do for your own good!”

“Oh! Oh yes, the things YOU do!” You slammed your glass down on the table as you stormed over to Helmut, “I sit here all day like a fucking dog in a cage while you fly to fucking Ibiza and flirt with supermodels, but YOUR story is just so fucking tragic! I’m your wife, Helmut! I’m not an animal or your property, I’m your goddamn wife! You can’t just order me to sit and stay like a dog,”

He glared down at you, eyes hawkish and glinting in the low lamplight. For the first time in years, he looked threatening, “You may not be a dog, or a child, or my property, but you are a weapon! It’s my job to keep you here, away from the-”

“Excuse me?” You interrupted. The two of you stood, inches away and yet miles apart. Slowly, the drive in Helmut’s eyes faltered. “Say that again. I dare you,”

“Schatz, I-”

“No, Helmut, you meant it so say it again. Call me that again. I fucking dare you,” Tears were streaming down your face now. He took a step towards you, hand extended to wipe them away, but you were quick to take a step back out of his reach.

“You misunderstood me,”

“I don’t think there was anything to misunderstand,”

You swept the shards of your glass tumbler into a dustpan, hands still shaking even ten minutes after you’d read Helmut’s message to you. As you worked, your last conversation before he’d left echoed in your mind.

How had it all devolved into that? It wasn’t hard to remember Helmut before prison, jaded and broken and lonely. He had been so much like you and yet so different. Each of you seemed to be the perfect balm for the others' wounds. In the end, despite all of his flaws, you had found yourself in love. Now that he was a different man, was that love gone? You couldn’t say. All you knew for sure was that you weren’t nearly drunk enough to be facing the confusing feelings in your brain. With the last of your energy, you emptied the dustpan of glass into the trash can and returned to the house, sweater itchy against your irritated skin, to ready the guest rooms.

The job wasn’t a long one. You had never used the guest rooms in all the time you’d spent at the Avignon property, so the sheets were already clean. There was just a thin layer of dust on the furniture that needed to be swept away as you checked to make sure the dressers were bare and the bathrooms were stocked with amenities. Then, when that was done, you were left to your thoughts as the hours ticked by.

Most of the time you spent sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing. It sounded terrible, and in all honesty it was, but what else could you do? The house was already spotless so cleaning wasn’t an option, and you didn’t quite feel like doing much of anything as you stared at the clock and tried to remember a time when your life was less of a disaster. As it got closer to five, though, you started to get antsy.

You had tried your best to not think about the obvious issue of the guests. Zemo was not the type to threaten his home, even if he wasn’t happy with you, so usually having anyone who wasn’t Oeznik or another paid lackey aware of the location of your safe house would be a big no in his book, but then you started thinking of the implications of him bringing people into your home. Your home, not his. Was he on his way to kill you? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Or maybe he was bringing your replacement.

Now that thought made anger bubble up in your throat. You were no stranger to the idea that when your husband was away, he could be doing anything. There was no guarantee when he slept in lavish hotels or drank the night away in elite lounges that he kept his wedding ring on. The fact that there were two guests meant it was unlikely he was bringing two mistresses, but never impossible. Nothing was impossible when it came to Helmut.

No, it was more likely he had finally decided it was time to end your suffering. The shouts and boisterous laughter that started to sound directly outside of the front room window only confirmed the for you. Slowly, you crept towards the door and grabbed a small pistol from its place in the umbrella stand. If he wanted you dead you weren’t going to go without a fight.

Through the curtains on the front door, you could just barely make out the trio. When you saw them your blood ran cold. It was one thing if he needed help to take you down, but getting the Winter Soldier on board? Your rage only grew by the minute.

Helmut said something, probably planning the best course of action to catch you off guard, and you sneered. Two could play at that game. When he knocked on the door you opened it calmly and held the gun with your finger just barely ghosting over the trigger.

Everyone froze.

“Give me one reason I should let you in and not shoot you on the spot,” you said, rage coursing through every nerve in your body. You may have been in retirement for quite a few years, but you still knew how to handle a gun. Everyone there, except maybe the Falcon, knew that. As Zemo went to open his mouth, you prepared for a firefight.

“Because I brought you flowers,”

-------------

a/n: Sorry that only one chapter is out! The fic is just getting very long and complicated and I wanted to make sure you got as much as possible before the next episode drops lol. I’ll be working pretty much nonstop from now until then, though, so the next parts should be out soon!

TAGLIST: @tatestripedsweater​ , @elaineygrace​, @multiyfandomgirl40​ ,  @lovelymischief​ , @rami-malek-trash​ , @dazzlingseb​, @avgravy​ , @sarahsilver , @wh0re-4-techno​ , @forcebros​ , @sugarsweetkiss​ , @grandmuffinsharkbailiff​ , @killsandthrills​ , @novasstudy​ , @thnksfr-ptrkstmp​ , @inmate-marmalade​, @alanathedeer​ , @mossybank​ , @simsiddy​ , @xxspqcebunsxx​ 

Please do not post my work on other sites, thank you!

[afandommultiverse]

Enemies - Zora Ideale

word count - 2.5k

request - Z3ll0us

warnings - uhh none really, language probably, just some fluff

a/n - ya'll, my bad, I'm not dead just not creative, I somehow came up with this in the matter of like 5 months, and it's still shit I'm sorry guys, but I hope you all enjoy! Btw I'm going to be trying my best to come back!💕

~~~

It seemed no matter where he went, no matter what job it was if they were there, there was no chance for him. How many bounties had he lost? How many relics had they stolen right from under him for contracts? Zora was sick of it and made it a rule to himself that he would drop everything and turn the other way when he saw them, but what was even the point? Because no matter where he went, they were always there.

Even now, a member of the Black Bulls, he was having a hard time holding back from releasing magic spells. He wanted them gone, at least that is what he thought. Why else would he get this burning feeling looking at them to speak to Magna like they have been friends for years? But, of course, Zora could never tell them. However, he wanted them to talk to him like that, not like he was just some scum on the bottom of their shoes, but it is not like all he has done has exactly helped his relationship with them, which brought him to his current predicament.

"With who?" Zora could not believe his luck. Of course, he was going to be with them. What else would the fates do but trick and play with him? His suffering must be amusing. Yami puffed on his cigarette as he handed Zora a pack of mission information.

"You are with Y/n. Now go find them and get on; I forgot about that one under some stacks of papers, due dates in 3 days." Yami kicked Zora out of his office and left him there to stare at the door as he thought about how fucked the next four days would be for him.

~~~

It was a cave expedition. Some wild animals had been going in there and coming out with big mana. It was beginning to make it dangerous for the surrounding villages who hunted wild game to put dinner on the table. But, thank the gods, Yami had cleaned off his desk; if not, who knows what kind of trouble the guild would have been in the next few days.

Walking to their room, Zora had heavy feet, which seemed only to get more weighted and weighted as he got closer to their door. Then he heard their laugh vibrating through the walls and ringing out to the hall where he could listen, halting his step and his heartbeat. Zora swallowed a knot before bringing his hand up to the door and knocking heavily. He heard their steps before the door opened, and they stared at him, sitting into their hip and glaring.

"What?" They seethed, narrowing their eyes as if looking for a trick. He sighed and handed them the folder, not even bothering to mess with them right now; they will prove him wrong later anyways.

"Be ready in thirty minutes." And then he walked away.

Y/n P.O.V

I watched Zora skulk away, a different air around him, almost defeated. I frowned before closing the door and turning back to the guest.

"Who was that?" A friend of mine from hell, a tiny demoness who specialized in brews and potions. Aliza was her name, and she was a stout little thing with filled-out curves and gorgeous maroon skin that glowed. Her nails were sharp and black, seeming to glitter in the light as she lifted her cup, which was much more prominent in her little red hands. Red swirly horns curled around her ears before pointing up in effortless black points that seemed to drip back down her horns like minor oil spills. Most enticing were her pink eyes, slit-like a cat and equally as sharp.

"Zora, a team member." I settled back down in my seat in front of her and sipped my tea. Her tail swished around her curiously as she stared at me pointedly. Since she was so short, she had to stand on the table to see eye to eye; she looked adorable under the flowers in the vase sitting at the center of the table.

"Just a team member?" Her pink eyes seemed to glint in knowing, knowing what? I did not know. I eyed her suspiciously as I finished up my meal.

"Yeah. Just a team member who, by the way, gets on my nerves sometimes and is a huge asshole." I took the final sip from my tea and gathered the dishes before throwing them through a portal to hell. Aliza looked unimpressed as she watched me close the said portal. "What?"

"You cannot keep expecting Helltower to keep doing your dishes." I grinned, dusting off my hands and moving to change.

"Of course I can! He loves me! Plus, I always repay him with little trinkets from the middle world." I mused, throwing on my guild cape and walking out of the room, Aliza following me. Her heels clicked on the stone hall as she followed me, surprisingly keeping up for being so small.

"Where are you going?" She continued to drink her tea, which she had reheated with a small flame in her hand.

"Some mission, talk shit later, okay?" She laughed before slipping through a small red vortex in front of her effortlessly, and I continued to meet Zora.

It has been silent ever since we started walking, stale moods rising from both of us. Yami had mentioned that the mission would be within walking distance. What he had failed to mention was that he thought thirty-five miles was within walking distance, which brought us here, stumbling on the only trail that would lead us to the village in need. Wind around us blew softly, whistling through the trees and making the leaves above our heads shutter and shake. Orange and yellow leaves were falling overhead to frame our little journey. Now and then, deer or a rabbit would hop across a few feet ahead of us, some even stopping to stare at us with their beady eyes before walking off.

As silent as it was between us, the forest made up plenty of sounds, birds chirping tiny tunes to each other from the high treetops. We had even heard the roars of hogs fighting by a pond over a mate. We stopped to watch them for a second but continued a little after. Eventually, Zora let out an irritated sigh and walked over to a tall, thick tree, probably hundreds of old- and kicked it so hard, the roots ripped out from the ground, well, mostly. Before any dirt or rocks could hit us, Zora quickly set up a magic circle and reflected it all. I watched in astonishment and confusion. What the hell was he doing? Then, as dozens of birds flew away from the scene, scared of such commotion, he spoke.

"Cut this for me, dear?" I scoffed at the nickname, trying to ignore the sweet pound of my heart that followed after his raspy voice wrapped around that word in an unreasonable amount of attractiveness. Then I thought of a particular pair of pink cat eyes glinting at me. So I shuffled forward, opting instead of asking questions to pull an ax out of a small portal. "I always forget your weapons are double the size of Cap'n Yami." He muttered off to the side, watching as I walked up to the top of the tree and measured up the ax to swing. As I swung down on the trunk, cutting it just as it began to branch out, I heard a low whistle, and secondly, his footsteps walking along the tree trunk back to me.

"Clean shot, doll." He grinned down at me, then looked back at the severed trunks. "We'll take the long one for the rest of the ride, whaddya say?" He asked, reaching down to pull me up. What the hell is going on? As I gripped his hand, I was almost in a trance, confused and running through millions of thoughts. Setting my body on auto-pilot as I tried to figure out why the hell he was so lovely. Which, in the end, was a bad idea, or maybe a good one.

My foot slipped, and just when I thought I was going to eat shit, a specific pair of hands gripped me, pulling me up fast. We fell back, landing against the wood hard; well, Zora did at least.

"Fuck." He groaned, rubbing his head before looking up at me, his mischievous eyes and smile gone, there laid concern. "Are you okay?" He moved me off of him gently, surprisingly not making any inappropriate comments on our position.

"You saved me," I spoke, still flabbergasted with what happened and the events leading up to it.

"Yeah, it didn't look like it was gonna be a soft fall, sweetheart." He stood up, convinced that I was all right, and gave me a hand again, this time watching me intensely as if I would misstep again. After I was up, he walked away, going to the head of the tree to fill it with mana. Slowly, the trunk began to rise, higher and higher, until we were above the surrounding trees. Green leaves blocking the view of the forest floor we once stood on, and a soft sunset began in front of us. The trunk began to move forward, slowly speeding up before staying steady. The wind whipped my hair around, along with a few of my things, making me hold on to them tightly after tying up what I could of my hair. I walked up to Zora again, coming to sit beside him. The trunk was thick enough for us to sit side by side, but it was a tight fit nonetheless. So as I settled beside him, he moved slightly for me, but our legs stayed glued to each other.

"If you could just do this the entire time, why didn't you just leave me back there?" I laughed it off, so used to him being a pain in the ass, and it is not like it would not be the first time he screwed me over in some way. Our relationship was not one of the niceties or cordial words. So often, you would find us fighting or screaming to see the other because of something they did, which eventually leads to a fight. Zora did not look at me for a bit, but when he did, I wished he had never turned his head. His eyes were sullen, sad, and overthinking, foggy with millions of thoughts that looked to be running through his head. The evident frown that towed down his face bothered me, so used to the shit-eating grin he pranked me or others, or when after putting someone in their place.

"I guess I can be really mean sometimes, huh?" I did not know his voice could be so soft. Honestly, I was surprised I heard him at all, but I did and could not stop thinking about it. I did not feel it necessary to talk after that, instead finally shutting my trap and moving on to watch the sunset. Colors blurred and blended across the sky, framing the mountains and trees rising to kiss the sky. It was quite the sight with bright pinks, oranges, and even some purple painted across the blue sky. When we reached the village, the sun was long gone, replaced by the moon, just as bright and beautiful with specks of stars across the sky. At some point, I remember getting bored and searching for the different zodiacs and patterns defined by the stars. As soon as I had found my sign, the tree trunk began to descend.

The trees we once flew over surrounded us and shut us off from the sky once again as we settled on the forest floor. The tiny little path we had been following earlier continued beside us, looking as it had when we left it hours ago. Up ahead, I could see the village glowing lively. Its name is written proudly on a wooden sign almost overcome at the bottom in ivy. However, before we got there, I opened my big mouth again.

"I don't blame you for being so mean; I mean, I would be mean too if my guild partner beat me at everything." That is not how it was supposed to come out, I mean, I was genuinely trying to be nice, but I did not filter the words that left my mouth before. Zora's head turned to me, eyes gaunt and eerie, his brilliant smile no longer on display.

"You wanna run that by me again, Doll?" The venom that surrounded the once cheery nickname made my stomach drop. I felt backed against a corner with miles surrounding me to run off. Quickly I tried to explain what I meant.

"Wait, Zora, that's not what I meant- not how I-"

"No, I think I got it doll, you just think you're that much better than me, huh? So what, you got to some quests before me, stolen relics under my nose, and joined my guild, passing me up in less than four months. I don't care, Honey, 'cause ain't nobody better than me- 'cause ain't no one like me! I don't care how much mana you have, how many spells you cast, how skilled you are, or how fucking perfect you are! None of that is gonna change no matter how gorgeous you are!" Zora's eyes widen, and he clenched his mouth shut, turning away with a growl and turning to walk off toward the village ahead of us.

"You think I'm perfect?" I called out, watching him stop and turn back to look at me. Zora's face was blank as he spoke.

"Are you telling me that out of ALL that, that is the only thing that stuck?" He scoffed, and his eyes narrowed slightly, sharp jaws sent in a deep frown. I walked up to him and stopped a step ahead of him. I held out my hand slowly, making sure I held eye contact with him.

"Truce?" Zora looked at my hand, astonished, which slowly melted away and revealed mixed relief and annoyance. Then, finally, he moved to grip my hand and shake it firmly.

"Truce. Whoa-" I yanked Zora forward, pulling him close, catching his surprised blue eyes before closing my own and going in for a kiss. Fortunately, Zora fell into it almost too easily, slipping his arms around me tight and returning the kiss with a bottled fever. However, after a few seconds, he pushed back, letting me go.

"W-What was that for?" I stared at him, lips still buzzing slightly from the contact.

"I don't know; it felt like the right thing to do. I think you're perfect, handsome too."

[mothmonologue]

I was told it helps to visualize what kind of life you want to live 2, 5, 10 years from now so you know what you want to work for. I don’t think I want to put a time limit on it. It just comes when it decides to. I arrive when I do.

In the future... I’m a practising therapist. I’m doing what I want to do the most: listen, and give people some level of understanding. If I can give someone even a small amount of comfort, or if I can change their life around like a full turn in heeled shoes, it’s going to be worth it. I want to give back what I was given. I want to help people so that they find something valuable in this stupid little world we live in.

I also never stop writing. I always find little cracks in my schedule, similar to the little patches of green in the concrete, where I can breathe out, slowly and full of words. I still write mostly about sad things, but that’s just how it is, I guess. I write about everything that is, in the present, full of fears and shades and nights and early mornings. I write to bring comfort and write to take it away so you dare to get up and go.

I live in an apartment. I live in a big city full of stories and fates and strangers and stones faded from the million shoes clanking on them. I take long walks, with a dog. A large and fluffy one. It is a necessity. Both the walks, and the dog.

I live with the people I love. They never leave. I might start a family, I might not, I might be a great mother or a downright terrible one, I don’t have clarity on it, and I don’t want to look back at my own mother to clean this mirror. But I live with people I love, and that is for sure.

In the future, I know, my anxiety won’t disappear for good. I got good in accepting that the attacks will always be a distant family member who’s just a phone call away and will always start with nagging questions like when-will-you-do-that’s and have-you-already-done-that’s. I got good in leaving the phone ringing, blaring its never ending alarm down a long, long, silent hallway. In the future, I don’t tune out and don’t try to drown it in a different noise. I just... let it speak. This is the only thing I do not listen to.

In the future, I’m happy. My hair is long and healthy, my skin is clear, my nose is just as crooked as ever. I might have some new tattoos. I might dress like my mother when she was as old as me in the 90s, working as a nurse, already preparing for motherhood. In some sense, I’m ready to live in her emotions. I find comfort in hospitals and the smell of sanitizer, the doctors’ piercing, knowing, restless gaze, the whites and the slowly, but steadily moving hearts, beating restlessly in a never-ending war; one I know she was fighting in; one I know I am fighting in. One I know, we are all invited to.

In the future, I’m alive.

That’s all I need to work towards.

[jewishraypalmer]

Ok so remember when I made this post about Ray well I’m going to make (a shorter one bc I’m actually quite tired) about Nora. And mostly I’m just here to say that while in theory I LOVE that Ray and Nora got married, I think it was a BAD idea to do that so soon. Also going to try @puppetavasharpe‘s bold thing because that is a V good idea. 

It was established in S3 that Nora never really had a childhood because... you know... demon cult... and as an adult you mostly see her be bad UNTIL the fateful “torture isn’t the answer” scene in No Country For Old Dads. So then you know at the end of S3 Ray is like I believe in you bby here take this stone so you can break out lol. So anyway S4 is mostly about her redeeming herself and first of all I want to say that they did a GOOD job with this. Like wowie wow wow love it chef’s kiss etc... Now Nora (as a series regular at this point) is only in about half the episodes of S4, at the time this season aired, I actually didn’t mind it but then again I also thought that they would get more time in S5 (LOLOLOLOLOL) so it seemed fine to me. I also thought that since they did such a good job with Ray and Nora’s slowburn that that would... you know... continue? (again LOLOL) 

The tl;dr of that last paragraph is: a lot of good things happened in S4. Nora got redeemed. She joined book club and made FRIENDS!! She became a time bureau agent. She kissed Ray. 

But then she became a fairy godmother. And now I say again, at the time, it didn’t bother me because I thought it was just for the episode and I didn’t realize it would be a WHOLE THING. So then... season 5 happens. 

Nora (still as a series regular at this point) is in 3.5 episodes of season 5. No I am not counting Marie Antoinette because she isn’t Nora in that episode. The .5 actually comes from that one scene where she is only on video and they say they love each other. Although she also was on video for the Marie Antoinette so we can round it up to 4 episodes I GUESS. 

After her getting all of that development, making friends!! Book club!! They just sort of erase all that. And I actually do like that she gets to help kids but having her be a fairy godmother isolated her from everything she had just gone through. And then she just like... gets married. We never even got to see Ray and Nora like go on a date?? What is this the NANNY? (Sorry I just binged the Nanny and also have strong feelings about that development) 

We never actually really get to see Ray and Nora have a relationship except for like in Slay Anything but to have that one episode and then they are just like ok marriage time bby!! I feel like it is a disservice to her character because I think she still needed time to find herself. Again, SHE NEVER GOT A CHILDHOOD. Let her just like live her life for a bit. Let her have her friends. Let her have cute boyfriend/girlfriend moments!!! 

Ok so the tl;dr of THIS is: The whole post got away from me so basically it was too soon for them to get married and I wanted Nora to have more time for herself and also to ACTUALLY.DATE.RAY. Thank you. 

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #16

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

[AO3]

~POV Sinbad~ Mori wasn't just a Prophet, she had immense knowledge of her own that was going to make Sindria untouchable. Sinbad was going to achieve his dream much sooner than he had ever imagined. Mori was special; intelligent, clever, capable, and she could read the waves of Fate. Was there any other woman as attractive? The unknown craving that had plagued him for the past week was placated. Delicious wine, beautiful women, delicious food -none of his normal pleasures had fulfilled whatever that feeling was, but for some reason this moment with the his Beautiful Prophet was. "And now you're *my* kind and generous King Sinbad, ... Right?" Mori's bashful confidence was always endearing, but hearing her call him 'my King' in person made something snap in him. They were in a corner and Mori is small; he could easily block view of her in case any of the magicians turned around. He wouldn't even have to lean that far to get a taste of her. "DO EITHER OF YOU Have an ounce of self awareness??” Ja'far popped the bubble that had formed around the two.

King Sinbad froze. Everyone in the room was watching them. Sinbad stood up straight. He shouldn't exactly continue his plans with an audience. He removed his hand from the window and crossed his arms. Yam was practically shaking the magician next to her. "I wasn't the only one to see it this time!” An older magician with a beard laughed and said something like 'to be young.' Another said something a long the lines of "So it's like that then." Ja'far was still grumbling about his King's behavior -he should know better by now, he promised he wouldn't, etc. but 1. Sinbad didn't do anything wrong, and 2. he said he knew what he was doing -he knew how to handle flirting with Mori; he never said anything about not flirting with her. "And you, Lady Prophet," Ja'far changed targets. 'Oh?' Sinbad didn't expect Mori to be reprimanded for his flirting -although, she did flirt back. Ja'far continued, "You said that you knew about Sin's habits so wouldn't fall for him or-" "AAAAAH" Yamuraiha yelled over the other General as she crossed the room as fast as she could, and clapped a hand over his mouth. She turned to the King and Prophet with wide eyes and a forced smile. "Your Majesty! Mori! Would you like to see the spell again with our new changes?!" She didn't let go of Ja'far. The group of magicians started supporting her suggestion with "Let us show you," "I'm sure we've got it this time," and reciting the changes to the formula. They were clearly trying to stop Ja'far from discouraging Mori. Sinbad had no idea why they suddenly decided to become his wingmen, but it was convenient for him since he planed to do more than flirt with her later. Mori walked up to the Generals, although she only addressed Yamuriaha. "Yes, please! Even if it's not perfect I'd like to see your progress!" She spoke with the same forced enthusiasm as Yam. Sinbad only got a glimpse before Mori's back was to him, but her face was definitely a brighter red than it had been a moment ago. She was getting better at flirting with him, but she couldn't hold her composure for long. The King laughed as the head magician practically body checked Ja'far out of her way and left him out of the group before they preformed the newly revised spell. This time it produced a mostly clear stone. It wasn't a high quality diamond, but they had done it. They would have to be careful with this though since it could lower the market value of whatever they make. As they figured out the specifics for every substance they needed, Sindria could become fully self sufficient -they would still deal in trade so as to not completely leave the rest of the world behind. It was amazing. His magicians were amazing for being able to figure this out in such a short time, and his Prophet was just as -if not even more- amazing for knowing all of this and being able to explain it to them. When the excitement around the magic spell died down they finally showed him the microscope. It was a prototype so they had to be gentle with it. Two pieces of glass with water squished between them were slid under and when Sinbad looked through the lenses he saw the strange small creatures that Mori had written about. Seeing them forced him to accept that what Mori wrote about 'germs' had to be true too -and those were even smaller than these things. Looking at those things squirming around and knowing they were everywhere made his skin crawl. The King stopped looking through the device. "They really are real." "Yup." Mori responded plainly. "And now that you all know and have proof. There's going to have to be a lot of changes. The way illnesses are handled is obvious, but there's going to have to be a lot more changes to how food and housing and things are handle to better maintain sanitary environments. I know a bunch of sanitation procedures so I can help there too." Ja'far was rubbing his temples. "This is going to be a logistical nightmare. Do you realize that we are going to have to fix all those things and get all Sindrians to understand without having it affect our production or

trade??" "It's not like we're doing this alone." Mori tried to comfort him. "We'll figure something out." The conversation moved to this new problem. His Beautiful Prophet really was something else. She had solutions to problems they didn't even know they had. Mori had a habit of using her hands whenever she talked -even more when she was excited. She was cute and deserved to know, but she was in the middle of helping his people so he would hold his tongue and just watch her. If Sinbad was honest, he had stopped listening to the conversation a while ago and was just looking for an opportunity to finally ask Mori -and Yam of course- if they would join him for dinner so he could get all of his Generals more aquatinted with her. Someone mentioned a specific scroll in one of the libraries. Before the whole group could drag Mori out of the room, King Sinbad raised a hand and got everyone's attention. "I know there's a lot to do, but I have some things to discuss with my Beautiful Prophet as well." Mori looked back at him. "What is it?” It seemed that nickname wasn't as affective as before -hopefully it was just the timing. "Is it something we can talk about here?” "I was thinking we could talk over dinner," Sinbad paused to see how she would respond to the implications. Mori's eyes widened and her shoulders tensed, and best of all that blush came back. "With all of my Generals, of course." Mori blushed harder realizing he was messing with her. Yam looked disappointed at first -his Generals cared way to much about him finding a wife- but then she looked content with being a part of the plan. "You might have met them, and know them from reading Fate but they still don't know you yet." He finished. Yam spoke first. "This is a great idea. Pisti was just telling me that she wanted to get to know Mori." Mori regained her composer. "I'd like to get to know everyone personally too, so I'm find with this." It was a roundabout way of saying 'yes.' Her blush was gone but she was still embarrassed. With that settled, Ja'far let Yam and Mori know when dinner would be ready. It was a little earlier than he normally ate but this would give them more time to mingle before they'd be completely out of sunlight. "Well then," the King turned to his Prophet, "since we have some time beforehand-" "OH no you don't!" Ja'far cut in. "You've already had a long enough break *and* you plan on ending early today? The least you can do is work your butt off until then." --- ~POV Mori~ The King was pushed out of the room by his right hand man. I had a mix of relief and longing watching him go. "You'll see his Majesty again soon." Yam had a sweet smile on her face, but I knew better than to trust it. All eyes were on me and they were no longer the eyes of academics; they were hungry for gossip. I was not ready to explain why shipping us was a bad idea. "So about that scroll you mentioned earlier..." I completely shifted conversation back to the eventual rebuilding effort and luckily one of them obliged me.

I was lead to one of the libraries and handed a few scrolls on the construction used in the country. I had read a little on ancient construction methods out of interest and some on modern methods since my uncle worked in the industry. I had a little bit of experience with construction when I worked at a community theater, but it wouldn't be anything the people here wouldn't know. That paired with these documents showing how magic was used in the process made what little I did know completely useless. 'Can't know everything I guess.' I turned my head up towards the ceiling. I wasn't sure how much time I had left and I decided to use it soaking up the ambience of the library. The smell of paper, the maze-esc layouts, the quiet feeling; it's like a gentle space separate from the rest of the world. The libraries of the Black Libra Tower also had huge windows to let in a ton of natural lighting. I was really going to enjoy working in this place. --- Yam and I ended up lost in conversation, so someone ended up being sent to bring us to the dinner. When we finally arrived and opened the doors to the dining hall my nose was filled with the smell of herbs and delicious food. This was my first meal that wasn't paired with bitter medicine. I might have been procrastinating subconsciously to avoid the medicine I was no longer taking. Everyone was already there chatting. The long table was covered with food, but I couldn't make out any of it from the door. King Sinbad was sitting at the head of the table at the other end of the room with a goblet in his hand. Yamuraiha started in ahead of me and called into the room. "I'm sorry we're so late! We were talking about magical proofs and," she rambled in her explanation. I heard a few comments of congrats for getting better and said "Thanks" reflexively more than consciously. As I got closer, I ignored the Generals at the table to look at the spread. There were a few different types of fish, meat of some kind, a bunch of vegetables, and bread. It brought tears to my eyes; It was so beautiful. The Imuchukk laughed at my obvious interest in the food. "What are you waiting for? There plenty for everyone." He was sitting closest to the door. I didn't look away from the food when I answered. "I'm small with a small stomach so I'm going to need to pace myself to be able to eat a little of everything. If I save the best for last like I normally do then I might not even get to eat it." That garnered laughs and comments. I ignored them; I was too busy weighing my options. As the guest of honor I was placed at the opposite end of the table from King Sinbad. Thank goodness, because I didn't think I could handle being super close to him all evening. Even with the direct line of sight, I had distance to protect me. Yam sat on the other side of Hina from me. Pisti was on my other side. Sharrkan was across from Yam. Spartos was between Yam and Ja'far. Drakon was across from Ja'far. And Masrur was between Drakon and Sharrkan.

I picked up my plate to get food. "Alright. I've decided to just grab my favorites. If I have room later then so be it!" I was used to being watched while I eat so their stares didn't bother me. I covered my plate in all of the types of fish and some vegetables. "I take it you like fish?" Sinbad asked while I was taking some of the fish that was on his end of the table. "It's my favorite!" I answered excitedly. I could tell as I placed the grilled fish on my plate that it was going to be heavenly. It was already flaking and letting the smell reach me faster. I couldn't wait to get back to my seat and took a bite of the fish. It melted in my mouth. I let out a squeak of approval as I grabbed another bite. After a moment Sinbad asked me another question. "What do you think of greasy foods?" It felt pointed. "I'll eat it if it's the only option, but I'm not a fan." The Generals made some comments that amounted to, "They have the same taste." I was too busy enjoying my food to think about what they were saying. Pisti asked me her own pointed question as I sat down. "Do you like alcohol?" They were comparing me to Sinbad. I suddenly remembered the Official Character Encyclopedia. According to it, Sinbad's favorite food was fish, his least favorite was greasy, and his favorite snacks were the types that paired well with alcohol. "I'm not a big drinker, but it's not like I dislike alcohol. I'm just allergic to sulfites." "Huh?" The group asked in unison. Time to explain one of my allergies again. "Sulfites are a very useful preservative so it was also added to a lot of foods back home including alcohol. All grape wines produce sulfites naturally. When I ingest about 2 shots of a drink that contains sulfites I will struggle to breathe for about an hour." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the goblet of wine I didn't realize was in front of me was grabbed by Hinahoho. They all looked panicked at each other like they had just dodged a bullet. In an attempt to relieve the tension, Sinbad asked Yam to catch everyone up on the meeting from earlier. Yam started ranting about the progress we had made with the alchemy magic. While they focused on reclaiming the mood, I focused on the delicious food. I tried a root vegetable on my plate. It was a little earthy with a subtle sweetness. The seasoning added to the sweet, but also had a little spice similar to cracked pepper. It had been streamed so it wasn't crunchy. I was asked to repeated what I told Sin and Ja'far earlier about the tech of home, Their questions had me explain more about my world and many of the things I had done: volunteer work to get scholarships, marketing for some networking organizations and some other companies, an assistant and teacher in out of school programs for 6 years while also working at a theater to pay for my own education. I only mentioned some of the places I had traveled to. I didn't even get to the things I did as hobbies or in working toward my dream of being a full time writer&artist. "I'm surprised by how much you say you've done." Drakon commented. I had heard similar before when talking about my past. "Is it really that shocking? Considering my age, I think it makes sense for me to have done a bit." It's more shocking that I was doing all that while getting so sick from my chronic illnesses that I would be fully bedridden and need a machine to breathe at least once a year until I turned 15. But I had also ate up inspiration porn as a child as a motivation to not let my body hold me back if I could. "Aren't we around the same age?" Yam asked me in response. I laughed. "Do I look 23 to you?" I've been mistaken for much younger than I actually was for as long as I could remember. It 1st became a problem when I turned 18 and got told I was clearly 12 with a fake ID when trying to buy an M rate game (Devil May Cry btw). "You're not?” ”Nope.” I rested my elbows on the table, interlocked my fingers, and I placed my chin on top with a smile, "But I'm curious how old you all think I am now." At 25 I was mistaken for a 14

year old. At least, a few months back someone thought I was legal (they guessed 19). Most realized I had to be older the more they talked to me, but their impressions never fully dissipated. As frustrating as it was, I found amusement in times like this by turning my age into a guessing game. Sharkkan had the face of someone fearing they had hit on someone too young. "You are at least 20, right?” They all suddenly looked worried. "I'm definitely older than 20." I answered. Pisti laughed. She was also short with a baby face; she knew my struggle. "Maybe she's older than Ja'far!” Of course she would make the closest guess. "There's no way she's older than me." Ja'far scoffed. "I am older than 25 though.” I could have teased him but I held my tongue since he already seemed annoyed with me. "How old are you then?” Hina asked. "I'm 29.” I smiled at everyone's surprise. I might only have surface levels similarities to Sinbad, but when you're a simp for a fictional character does that really matter? "I was born on April 7th so I should only be 5 days younger than King Sinbad since he was born on the 2nd. However, I don't know if there's a time dilation between my world and this one. The day we met was Oct 3rd for me back home. It wasn't the same date here, was it?" Sinbad is 29, Ja'far is 25, and Masrur is 20 during the Balbadd arc; their 2nd set of ages are 30, 26, and 21 respectfully. Ja'far's birthday is Aug 30th and Masrur's is Dec 27. Those 2nd ages listed can't be for right after the 6 month time skip because no matter how you calculate it the shortest distance between those 3 birthdays is 8 months. I was really interested in how the current arbiter of this world was going to figure this out. "It was Oct 3rd here too." "Oh. Well, that's convenient," was what I said while my thoughts were cursing the arbiter. 'That lazy son of a bitch synced the worlds so they wouldn't have to deal with a time dilation. I can feel it. Hold on... I arrived on Oct 3rd; the coup was 4 days later on the 7th. 6 months later would mean Sinbad arrives back in Sindria on my birthday. Did some 'real me' somewhere plan a b-day present for myself in some self-indulgent fanfiction??' ((Yes. Yes, I did UwU & I plan on making Mori panic then too.)) King Sinbad had that smile on his face that told me he was ready to flirt. "I didn't realize we were so close in age." No colors got in my way when he talked. That was good. I was desensitized again, and wouldn't have to deal with unnecessary distractions. I couldn't tease Ja'far, but I could tease his Majesty. "I know, right? It's amazing what the difference of 5 days can do for one's complexion." Sinbad froze and his expression went blank. Something that was probably wine sprayed across the table as Sharkkan had a spit take before erupting into laughter with Hinahoho and Pisti. "Oh my" Yam murmured with a hand over her mouth. Drakon , Spartos, and Ja'far stared at me in disbelief. Sinbad still wasn't responding... Maybe teasing him about his age was a bad idea. So far, unless it was something important I flirted with Sinbad since that was the best way to get on his good side; hearing something like this from me must have hurt a bit extra. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I forgot just how sensitive he was about his age. I ended up flailing my hands from nerves, and to get his attention. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that when I know how self conscious you are." He flinched. "I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but you won't look any older than you do now 5 years from now..." "I uh.. Is that so?" Sinbad asked as he started to regain himself. "It is. You'll be just as-” "If you're willing to talk about the future, does that mean you are finally ready to explain about those calamities you mentioned in Balbadd?" Ja'far cut in with a fierce look. He had been waiting for any mention of the future to bring this up. The King spoke with a gentle but stern tone. "I don't know if this is the time for that conversation. This is Mori's first meal with

everyone after all." "I'm fine. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. As long as everyone else is willing to talk seriously for a few mins, I don't see the problem." I had been avoiding this conversation for long enough. There were things I still planned to keep secret, but I couldn't avoid having this conversation forever. And besides, I could feel in the waves that Ja'far wasn't going to let this night end unless I explained some of it. ((I have the next 3 chapters written but it's going to take me a bit to draw all of illustrations & comics. Also, good luck to all the students reading this. I know classes are starting up again. Be safe out there.))

[duhragonball]

Battle Tendency Liveblog JJBA Ch.48-52

This is the “Joseph vs. Straizo” arc, so I’ll just lead off with one of my favorite moments from the entire JoJo franchise, when Joseph furiously declares war on Straizo with tears in his eyes.   In the anime, voice actor Tomokazu Sugita delivered this with such intensity that it actually overshadowed the machine gun.

None of the dubs or translations can do it justice, including this panel from the JoJo’s Colored Adventure scanlation project.   This is a faithful translation of Joseph’s line, as far as I can tell, except they always leave off the last part: “宣戦布告だぜ!!”  In romanji, that’s: “Sensen fukokuda ze!!”    And it means  “This is war!!”  

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Last time, we saw the Joestars treating their new friend Smokey Brown, to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant.   Some mafia jerk caused trouble, Joseph whooped his ass, and then a second mafia guy apologized and shared a rumor he recently heard: Robert Speedwagon was found dead in a Mexican riverbed, apparently killed by a Tibetan monk.  

From there, we see that Joseph immediately realizes that this must have been Straizo, and Erina suspects that it must have something to do with the Stone Masks and the battle with Dio fifty years ago.   Smokey warns Joseph to consider the source, but Joseph is pretty sure it’s credible information, since mafia guys are all about money.   I’m not sure what that has to do with whether he’s telling the truth, though.   Either way, Joseph slugs the guy for just blurting out such terrible news in front of Granny Erina.  

Now, at this point, Joseph and Erina are making all these Phantom Blood references, and Smokey has no idea what they’re talking about.   And I think seeing this panel helped me understand Smokey’s role as a viewpoint character.  When the Part began, it seemed like Smokey was sort of the narrator for the thing, which works because he’s a good viewpoint character, and he seemed to be settling in as a sidekick like Speedwagon and Poco in Part 1.   But shortly after this he just vanishes from Battle Tendency altogether, and then he shows up at the end like it’s no big deal.   I never quite understood that, and I think this is the sort of thing that fuels the “Araki forgot” memes, but it actually makes a lot of sense.  

See, Smokey’s primary function is to be the viewpoint character, specifically for the readers who missed out on Phantom Blood.    BT is a direct continuation of the previous part, in a way that none of the other JoJo parts are.   Most of the main BT cast was deeply affected by what happened in Part 1.   A few of them lived through it, and the ones that didn’t have personal connections to it.    So they constantly talk about Stone Masks and Dio without really stopping to explain any of it.   Well, if you don’t know what they’re talking about, you can take heart in the fact that Smokey doesn’t know either.   So as long as he can keep up with the story, so can the uninitiated readers.  For now, all that matters is that he’s impressed by the Joestars’ great kindness, and he’s intrigued and disturbed by these hints of a tragic past in their family.  

And eventually, Smokey learns just what happened to the Joestar Family, or at least everything that the reader needs to know to follow Part 2.   But that doesn’t happen until near the end, which is why he shows up to hear the secrets revealed.   But for most of the story, he steps aside, because that’s mostly about Joseph dealing with events in the here and now, so Joseph can act as his own viewpoint character.  

But is Speedwagon truly dead?   The story flashes back to the previous night, after Straizo killed his own disciples and clobbered Speedwagon.   They’re in this temple where Speedwagon discovered more Stone Masks, like the one Dio used, but Speedwagon also discovered an immortal man petrified in a stone column.    Straizo was enlisted to destroy this “Pillar Man” with his Hamon power, but instead he wants to use one of the Stone Masks to turn himself into a vampire.  

Before he does this, he reads Speedy’s translations of the writing on the walls of the temple.    The ancient Aztec cultists who built it said that the Pillar Man was immortal and had many powers, but he was vulnerable to the sun, just like the vampires from Part 1.   But the writings warn that the Pillar Man created the Stone Masks because of this weakness, and one day, “when he befriends the sun, the world will be his.”  That doesn’t seem to follow, since the only thing the Stone Masks seem to be able to do is make new vampires, who are just as vulnerable to sunlight as the Pillar Man.   

Anyway, Straizo doesn’t seem to care.   He just doesn’t want to die of old age, and he’s become disillusioned with the Hamon power he has, so he’s turning heel and going full goth on us.   To avoid Dio’s mistakes, he plans to eliminate any witnesses, including Joseph and Erina.  Then he’ll go into hiding and figure out a long term plan, with the rest of the world unaware of his existence. 

You know, now that I write that out, I’m amazed by how similar that plan is to what Dio ends up doing in Part 3.   In Part 1, he set about turning a whole town into zombies, and planning to unleash them on the world without any real agenda.    But in Part 3 he eventually holed up in a swank mansion in Cairo and took great pains to stay hidden while he acquired more power.   Parts 5 and 8 carry that same idea even further, with villains who go to great lengths to cover up their very existence.   

At any rate, we only see Speedwagon pass out in this scene, so it’s unclear whether he actually dies or not.   Really, using Speedwagon in this way is a pretty smart play.   He’s an old man, and he was never going to survive another 50-year time-skip into the next part, so it’s safe to assume that Part 2 is his swan song.   But how will he die, and when?   It could be at the very start, or maybe somewhere in the middle.  

Anyway, Straizo just walks up to a cafe in New York to confront Joseph, and Joseph whips out a machine gun and shoots his ass.   This whole time, Straizo had assumed that the untrained grandson of Jonathan Joestar would be easy pickings, but Joseph’s a lot more skilled with Hamon than he expected, and he’s tricky too. 

As Joseph fires on Straizo, he recalls how worried Erina was about all this.   The story kind of glosses over it, but Joseph seems to have worked out Straizo’s entire plan.   I guess that’s not much of a stretch.   He and Speedwagon were together with a temple full of Stone Masks, and then Straizo turned on Speedwagon.    Why else would he do that, unless he used the Stone Mask to turn into a vampire like Dio did?   And once you arrive at that conclusion, it isn’t hard to figure out what Straizo’s next move would be.    And that’s how Joseph was so prepared for this.    After the shooting stops, Smokey freaks out about Joseph murdering a dude, but Joseph was expecting a vampire the whole time. 

I also like Joseph’s line in the flashback.   Erina isn’t worried for herself, but for Joseph, because it looks like he’s being pulled into this same tragic fate as the rest of the family.   But Joseph resolves to face this head on.    “If this is my fate, then I accept it.”  Pretty sure Will Zeppeli said the same thing when he discovered that he would die saving Jonathan.  

There’s similar “call-to-adventure” moments in the other parts.   Jonathan has his when he accepts Zeppeli’s offer to train him to battle Dio again.  Jotaro has his when he defeats and saves Kakyoin, then learns what’ll happen to his mother if he doesn’t go.   Josuke has his when Angelo shows up and he has to avenge his grandfather.   Giorno kind of always had a hankering to take on Passione, but I think things got serious once he had a choice between killing or sparing Bruno.  There could be no turning back from that point.  For Jolyne, it was the moment she had a clear path to escape the prison but decided to go back in because that was where her enemy was.    For Johnny, it was that one battle where he chose to crawl towards the danger to save Gyro instead of withdrawing to safety.   For Gappy... I’d have to study that a bit.   

But for Joseph Joestar, it’s this moment.  Erina never sent Joseph to learn the Ripple from the Hamon monastary, and she seems to have taken great pains to keep him out of trouble, but now trouble has come to them, and Joseph isn’t about to back down.   

So yeah, bullets don’t actually kill vampires, but Joseph was hoping to destroy his head with some of those shots, or at least slow Straizo down long enough to finish him off.   Instead Straizo reveals that he has the power to shoot high pressure fluid from his eyes, the same move Dio used to kill Jonathan at the end of Part 1.   He calls this “Space Ripper Stingy Eyes” which is either stupid or brilliant depending on your mood, I guess.   He used it to protect his head from the machine gun fire, and then he uses it again to shoot Joseph... except he hits Joseph’s reflection in a nearby mirror, and I guess he didn’t notice the real thing standing behind him.

What makes this fight so awesome is that these two are determined to kill each other, and they each have extremely simple moves to defeat one another, but they have all these tricks and schemes to protect themselves.   Joseph manages to hit Straizo with Hamon, but it does nothing... because Straizo was a Hamon master before turning into a vampire.   He can’t use the Ripple without destroying himself now, but he still knows how to defend against it.   For instance, he’s got this scarf woven from dead bugs, because it conducts Hamon energy far more effectively than his own body.    So it just absorbs Joseph’s attacks and disperses the energy harmlessly away.   

Does it really have to be made of dead bugs?   I feel like Tonpetti just told him that as a prank.   “No, really (snort!) the only thing that works is dead bugs.  (tee-hee!)   It smells awful but you have to wear it (ha!).”

But Joseph has his own tricks, like... putting a dozen grenades on his opponent’s back when he isn’t looking!  Seriously, there was zero opportunity for him to do this.    One moment he steps over Straizo’s body to see if he’s still alive, and the next moment he supposedly planted all these things on his scarf.   I get that he could pull a string connected to the pin without being noticed, but that’s the only part that makes sense about this.   It’s still awesome, though.   If Jonathan had access to explosives, Part 1 would have been a lot shorter.  

I really think this was the battle that set the tone for Stand Battles in later Parts.   Araki loves these off-panel tricks in combat, and they’re a lot easier to explain when all of your characters have magic super powers.   If Joseph had Hermit Purple in this fight, there’d be no problem at all.   He could just use Hermit Purple to snake through the ventilation shafts and hook up all the grenades.   In fact, it’s tempting to suggest that Joseph was unconsciously using Hermit Purple throughout Part 2, but I don’t want to get into that right now.

Anyway, explosions don’t stop vampires any more than machine gun fire.   Straizo’s body is in pieces, but the pieces just slither back together and regenerate.   Wait, wouldn’t his head have been vaporized in that blast?   Also, Straizo spends the rest of this battle in the nude, so we know that stupid scarf is out of the equation.   Why didn’t Joseph just go back in the cafe and finish Straizo off while he was still in pieces?

Again, it’s easy to say “lol Araki forgot”, but I think it’s a lot more sensible to suggest that Joseph forgot.   As clever as he is, he went in with the Ripple, a machine gun, and a dozen grenades, and Straizo had an answer to all three.   He doesn’t want to press the attack because he’s out of tricks.   All he’s got left is another Hamon attack, which means Straizo will see it coming.   Or he’s still worried about the scarf, and hasn’t realized that it’s gone now.    In any event, he’s running away, creating some distance before Straizo can make his next move.

Also, there’s a lot of bystanders gathering around, so it makes sense to take the fight elsewhere.   Some guy named “Bruty” tries to stop Joseph to impress his girlfriend, but that backfires spectacularly.  Was Bruty in the anime?  I feel like he wasn’t, but I don’t want to check. 

The one I do remember is this girl photographer.   Spider-Man hadn’t been invented yet, so in those days photographers just sort of wandered around with their camera, waiting for Spidey to debut.   This exploding vampire diner is the best she could do in 1938.  

I just really like this lady.   There’s a spark in her eye and I just assumed she would end up being Joseph’s love interest by the end of the story.    Well, we’ll get to that.  

Instead, she’s a hostage.  Joseph and Smokey run to the Brooklyn Bridge?   I guess?   It’s a bridge, I’m sure of that much.   Anyway, Straizo catches this lady and takes her with him to intercept them.   He threatens to kill her unless Joseph faces him again.   But Straizo offers to spare Joseph and never trouble him again if Joseph runs away.   This is because Straizo figures that if Joseph chickens out now, then he’ll never be a threat to Straizo in the future, no matter how powerful his Hamon abilities become. 

Joseph tries to call his bluff, but then Straizo rips out one of the girl’s teeth to prove he means business, and Joseph gets furious all over again.  I don’t think he was ever planning to abandon this fight, but he was probably hoping to get Straizo to give up his hostage at least.   Now he’s just pissed, and Straizo is impressed.  Joseph tries to act cool, but he just can’t hide his passionate feelings.    This is in stark contrast to Jotaro, who wagered his own soul in a poker game and bluffed his way to victory. 

So Straizo tries again with the Space Ripper Stingy Eyes, but this time Joseph blocks it with two shot glasses charged with Hamon power, and then he lands the decisive blow.   But before Straizo dies, Joseph demands to know why Straizo dumped Speedwagon and the others in the river.   Not only does Joseph want to give him a proper burial, but he doesn’t understand why Straizo would have dumped them in the river, since that was how Joseph knew to expect him.  

Wait, I thought Straizo wanted Joseph to know he was coming.   Oh well.

Anyway, Straizo explains that he had to do it, because the Pillar Man was absorbing the blood from his victims.   Straizo was worried that the Pillar Man might awaken, so he put them in the river instead to be safe.    Nevertheless, he suspects that the Pillar Man will reawaken eventually anyway, and Straizo now realizes that it will be Joseph’s destiny to face him some day.    Then Straizo just uses the Ripple one last time, and self-destructs. 

It always seemed strange to me that Straizo saw the danger of the Pillar Man and just left things the way they were.   Maybe he planned to deal with him later, or maybe he just didn’t know or care about it until Joseph defeated him, and he felt a moral obligation to warn someone. 

I guess he could have destroyed the Pillar Man like Speedwagon wanted him to do in the first place, but it seems like Straizo didn’t realize that blood would wake him up until after he was already a vampire, and unable to use the Ripple.  For that matter, it remains to be seen if Hamon will work on Pillar Men.   

Anyway, what else is going on?   Oh, yeah, Europe is getting closer and closer to World War II.   The official start of the war is usually considered to be September 1, 1939, but Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, and Japan invaded China in 1937, and Germany annexed Austria and conquered Czechoslovakia in 1938, the year Battle Tendency is set.  So we’re in this weird time period where there’s Nazis in the story, and the British-American protagonist doesn’t care for them, but isn’t trying to kill them on sight.   I’ll be coming back to this topic later on. 

I think the main reason for including Nazi Germany in this story was to draw parallels between their goals and those of the fictional villains.    The Nazis believed themselves to be the “Master Race”, the most “evolved” people, and this made them worthy to rule the world.   Araki notes that they turned to all sorts of sci-fi/occult/fantasy stuff in their war.   Similarly, you have villains like Dio and Straizo turning to mysterious Stone Masks for spooky powers, and then you have the Pillar Man himself, who apparently sought the means to “befriend the sun” and rule over the world.    So the Nazis fit into this theme of trying to claim some sort of supremacy over other beings.  

But what’s their role in this story?   Well, the Germans have an “information base” in Mexico, run by a guy named Stroheim.   He makes pretty ladies shave him with a straight razor, and if he gets a nick he makes them lick the blood off, and then he threatens to cut off their tongues.   Also, he trained his dog to not eat treats until given permission. He’s a sick fuck, is my point. 

Wait, no, my point was that his staff discovered the bodies that Straizo dumped in the river, including Speedwagon, who’s still alive, somehow.      I guess Straizo was going to finish him off but he got in a hurry when he saw the Pillar Man absorbing the blood from the others.  Not sure how Speedwagon survived that ordeal, but Stroheim’s men have been taking care of him this whole time, and he was unconscious until recently, so it might have been touch-and-go for a while. 

            Back in New York, Joseph doesn’t know what this is all about, but he decides to go to Mexico himself to get to the bottom of it...

[4birds-of-a-feather]

Chapter 27 - Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight (when it’s exactly twelve o’clock that night) [part 5]

Birds Of a Feather

A bit late because we wanted to update on occasion of Jeff Ament’s birthday but it’s the thought that counts, right? ✨ Hope you’re gonna enjoy this, thanks for your patience!

(In the previous chapters: after Mike has made her reason, Layla has decided to finally do something about her crush on Eddie; Sara has been enjoying Demri’s company but her mood has been ruined by finding Jeff with another girl in what’s been her room for the last weeks; Stone has witnessed the entire scene and, after some failed attempts by Layla, is resolute to make Sara come out from the bathroom where she has locked herself up)

“There you are!” Eddie came up behind Layla’s back as she was chatting with a guy and a girl who told her they were going to be part of the band’s crew during their first actual tour. She had known for a while that the guys were about to leave to play some gigs outside Seattle but somehow she kept thinking about it as something happening in a much more distant future. Talking with the crew members she realized they were going to go to Canada in a little more than a week and, in less than a month, they’d be off to California. She was thinking about Eddie and the fact she’d be missing him and also that she and Sara would probably be back to their own apartment soon. When she heard him call her she got startled because it was like her thoughts materialized right there beside her. She turned around and saw him standing there, holding two glasses of what looked like red wine, lips curled up in a kind of goofy smile “Did I scare you?” “Hehe no, I just didn’t hear you coming” she awkwardly replied and took one of the glasses from his hands. <It’s a party, it’s loud, you’re not supposed to hear anything, you didn’t need to point that out> “Wine! Good idea! Hey Smitty, let’s go get some for the midnight toast as well” the girl told her friend as they exchanged an obvious look. “I’ve been doing toasts with Cready the whole evening, I can’t miss the big one. By the way, where is he?” “No idea, let’s go find him” she dragged him out of the way and left Eddie and Layla alone. “So…” Layla smiled at him and started to talk but didn’t know how to continue and hoped he would say something to fill the however pleasurable silence. “So… what about Sara? Where is she?” Eddie thought that if Layla wasn’t right outside that door anymore then things must have been settled. “Oh. She’s still in there, with Stone. He’s trying to talk her into starting the new year in a room that’s not the bathroom” she shrugged and took a sip. “Stone? And why did you leave it to Stone to solve the mystery?” the singer asked suspiciously, since he knew the two girls were inseparable and Layla sounded weirdly annoyed all of a sudden. For a fleeting moment he thought she could be jealous but immediately laughed at the idea. “He confessed he was the one who made her upset” “It’s Stone’s fault then? It’s always Stone’s fault”  “He told her Scorsese is overrated and you know she’s a little touchy on the movie department” “Ouch! Yeah, hehe, I guessed. So, she likes Coppola and Scorsese too” Eddie tilted his head like he was assigning new interesting information to his memory and drank some wine while the girl stopped right before drinking. “How do you know she likes Coppola?”  “Oh well, ehm, because… because she said it. Not like she told me directly but I think I heard her mentioning him a couple of times”  “I see…” “IT’S ALMOST MIDNIGHT, YOU FUCKERS! GO AND GET YOURSELF SOMEONE AND CHOOSE CAREFULLY WHO YOU WANT TO ENTER THE NEW YEAR WITH!” Cornell turned down the music for a second to yell his announcement, then turned it up straight away. Eddie and Layla turned their heads to watch Chris just like everybody else in the room and, when the music was back on and their eyes met, the awkward silence was back on. “Err, any particular New Year’s Eve’s tradition in France?” Eddie mentally kicked himself as he spoke.  <What the fuck did I just say??> “Oh, well, yeah, there are many traditions for nouvel an” she answered, taken aback by the question. “I’m all ears”  “Well, people usually go to the réveillon, that is the New Year’s Eve party, all dressed up for the special occasion” “And I see you respected the tradition perfectly” the guy was feeling he was making a fool of himself with Layla but couldn’t help it. “Thanks. Mmm and well, to ring in 1991 the French way the wine in our glasses should be sparkly but I prefer red so I can make an exception” “I prefer red too” Eddie was thinking less about the wine he was drinking and more about the color of Layla’s top.  “And, you know, at the stroke of midnight… everybody wish each other a happy new year and kiss” “Lovers kissing at midnight is a tradition that goes beyond borders, I guess” he watched as couples were starting to appear all around them and felt the urge to drink a little more. “But it’s not about lovers only, everybody kisses everybody”  “WHA-” “... On the cheeks” “Ah!” “Hehe, lovers usually s’embrassent sous le gui” Layla added giggling at Eddie’s funny face. “That is…? They kiss… like idiots?” “They kiss under the mistletoe” she explained. “Isn’t that on Christmas?” “In France it’s a New Year’s Eve thing” she drank up what was left of her glass of wine and realized she hadn’t thought about putting any mistletoe branch in the apartment.  <It wouldn’t have made any difference but…> “No mistletoe here though” Eddie said, almost mirroring her thoughts. “And no lovers either. At least, on my part” she sighed as she scanned the living room and noticed people already kissing without the need to wait for midnight or to have mistletoe hanging over their heads. “Same for me” their eyes met again and totally unexpectedly they both burst out laughing at the same time. “We’re such losers” Layla stated as she was catching her breath. “We can always enter the new year kissing each other’s cheek like the losers we are” “Agreed!” Layla and Eddie shook hands “But being losers, we also need more wine to enter 1991 properly” “Your wish is my command, Miss Boulais” he offered her his arm and she gladly took it as they made their way together to the drinks table.

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“You’ve been too harsh with Mike, Gossrad… I would have suggested my ex-apartment but the plumbing is fucked up, just like the electrical system and everything else” “No worries, I’m sure he has already charmed one of your neighbors – it’s a quality I envy him, to be honest” the guitarist sighed “C’mon, Sara, let me in” “I wanna be alone, is that such a hard concept to grasp? I hate New Year’s Eve, this is my normal mood for this day” “But you were totally fine before… has something happened to you?” “Well, I’m a great actress whose strongest suit is feigning happiness… now, seriously, nothing has happened: you must leave me alone, please”  He couldn’t see her but the way she had just said that last word struck something within him. “Scirea” “... what did you say?”   “I said Scirea, you fool!” “No, you mangled that word, you big fuckin’ idiot!” the girl almost growled “And that was a low blow, you shouldn’t have said it” “Desperate times call for desperate measures… C’mon, now you have to let me in, you can’t go back on your word” “I can’t believe you still remember it after all these years…” “I know, right? It’s just a code word that forces one of us to do whatever the other one wants, nothing remarkable”  “Just like your pronunciation, genius” she quickly retorted, making Stone snort. “So? What are you waiting for?” “You know you just blew the chance to use it for the rest of the year, right?” “Well, according to my watch I can survive this: it’s a quarter to midnight, after all” “Suit yourself,” Sara declared, finally peeping out from a crack in the door that she had just cautiously opened “but next year I’ll have two free passes to the word and it’s mandatory, ok?” “Deal” he smiled at her and followed her inside the room, then closed the door behind them. 

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“Hey, what time is it?” he heard the question as if it was coming from a distant voice but it actually came from the person right beside him. It was probably due to the loud music playing at the party but mostly to the fact that his mind was somewhere else, just like his eyes, which were searching through the crowd in the living room. At some point he looked further ahead through the foil curtain and noticed some kind of commotion near the bathroom. He clearly saw Eddie and Layla leave one after the other. Then the bathroom door opened once again and someone let Stone in. He didn’t see who was inside, but caught a glimpse of a blue silhouette and didn’t like it at all. “Jeff?? Are you deaf?” “Huh?” he immediately came back from his frozen zoned-out state and looked at the blonde right next to him, who was giving him both a perplexed and amused glance “... It’s almost 1991, I guess”

♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️

“You know he died, right?” “Who?” Stone shifted in his seat, turning to look at the girl. They were both sitting on the floor, with their backs leaning against the door. “Scirea… last year, in a car accident” “Oh, I didn’t know” “Yeah, you never were a big soccer fan” Sara hugged herself “It’s a pity, he surely deserved much more fame” She then kept on rambling about his fate, what had caused his death, what kind of a job he was doing for Juventus and God knows what else; Stone couldn’t care less about soccer, that was true, but he listened to every single word without interrupting her: if babbling about deceased soccer champions kept her from wallowing in her own misery, he wouldn’t mind spending the next hours listening to her. Not at all. 

♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️♣♦️

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me??” Steve shook his head as he watched Layla and Eddie laugh together straight in front of him; in the meantime, somebody else was sitting near him and singing to himself. “When I was young, I never needed anyone…” “I can’t believe she hasn’t been single in like forever and now that I gave up putting the moves on her she’s fuckin’ single, for fuck’s sake?!” “And making love was just for fun…” “Oh shut up Elias, you’re probably still a virgin!” someone shouted behind the guy, who kept getting more and more dramatic and louder in his solo performance. “Those days are gone…” “And she’s already hooking up with some other guy – I mean, so much for being a devoted girlfriend” “Living alone, I think of all the friends I’ve known…” Elias drunkenly went on and put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I’m not your friend, man” “But I’m everything you’ve got left so I wouldn’t be so rude, you know?” Elias retorted really quickly before singing again “When I dial the telephone, nobody’s home” “You don’t even have a phone anymore, Dave said you forgot to pay the bill!” Matt said passing him by.  The red haired guy just gave him the middle finger and screamed at the top of his lungs: “ALL BY MYSEEEEEELF” “Oh, Jesus Christ” Steve facepalmed while everybody in the room looked at Elias and laughed. “DON’T WANNA BE ALL BY MYSELF ANYMORE” “I can’t believe even Lukin scored someone and I’m stuck here with you” he pointed at the couch where his bandmate was busy tongue-wrestling a goth girl. “UH! I LOVE THIS SONG!” Layla yelled out of nowhere and for a second the guitarist thought she was referring to Elias’ rendition but then he realized she meant the song by The Church that had just come up from the big stereo in the living room. She was dragging Eddie towards the center of the room when Elias tapped Steve on his shoulder. “Shall we dance?” he asked with a hiccup. “... I need a fuckin’ drink”

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Sometimes, when this place gets kind of empty Sound of their breath fades with the light

“This song…” “It was Layla’s idea, she specifically requested it” “Typical El: she has good taste in music but lacks some ability in the mixtape department… I hope she hasn’t asked you to put on some Dylan or Cohen as well” “Hell, that would spoil the party” “Lambada, on the other hand… no contest, c’mon” Sara exclaimed in a theatrical way, making the guitarist sneer. “Admit it, I brightened your whole evening!” “More like ruined it, champ” “Don’t think you can fool me, missy; I saw you before, when you were rambling on some astrological bullshit with Demri: you were practically grinning from ear to ear” “I told you, I’m a fairly good actress”

I think about the loveless fascination

“Jeez, Sara, is it so hard for you to just admit you were perfectly fine before? And then something happened – and you don’t wanna tell me what it was exactly – and-” he gesticulated, pointing out the bathroom and her “and you ended up here, all alone during New Year’s Eve” “I told ya, this is normal for me… I don’t enjoy New Year’s Eve and hate parties, so put the two together and you end up with my archnemesis” she shrugged, but wasn’t able to meet his gaze. “You’re impossible! I saw you running in here, ok?! I saw you and I’m still doing it right now, when nobody else is giving a shit about you!” he blurted out, and she was taken aback. “What the fuck do you mean?? What, you saw me having a mental breakdown and want me to thank you because you ran here like a knight in shining armor?! Fuck off, Stone! Just what am I supposed to do to make y’all understand you have to leave me alone?! Tell me, what-” the girl stopped because she felt her voice already quivering. <Fuckin’ great, Fancini! Have yourself a good cry, given how it’s been hours since you last cried your eyes out! And do it in front of somebody who probably still appreciated you and now will lose all the respect he had for you! Great fuckin’ job, you outdid yourself> “Hey… hey, it’s ok” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, but she pulled back. “Nothing’s ok, understood? Nothing! And it’s all because he...” she finally sobbed, her eyes immediately watering like they had wanted to do ever since she had turned that goddamn light on.  <... ever since that July afternoon>

Under the Milky Way tonight

“Forget about him, ok? Let’s not talk about him” the guy kept on babbling. “How… how can you ask me to forget him?” she snapped out of it and recoiled, shooting him a glance full of both desperation and disgust for what he had just said. “Ok, then you don’t have to forget him,” he rolled his eyes, mustering all the patience he could “but we can talk about someone more important – you” “Me? More important? What’s that supposed to mean?”  “It means that you’ll stay silent and I’ll say every single thing that makes you awesome and hopefully you won’t feel like shit anymore” “Then you can cut it out already, there’s nothing you can say that can make me feel better” the girl hid her face between her knees, hugging her legs “And it would only be a waste of time, I haven’t done a single positive thing in years… I’m just tired, I wanna be alone”  

Lower the curtain down on Memphis Lower the curtain down, alright

“You’re so articulate and well-spoken it honestly puts to shame a lot of men who think you aren’t worthy of their time, and somebody should seriously tell ‘em it’s actually them who don’t deserve to waste your time” the guitarist cleared his throat, then resumed speaking without looking at her “The way your mind works… you can have a conversation about everything, there isn’t a single topic you can’t tackle – and yeah, I’m talking about science too: you may have been terrible at it in school, but outside? Whenever the newspaper had a story on the latest scientific discovery, you were always the first of us to know it” He heard her sniffle quietly and took her silence as a sign to keep on going.

I got no time for private consultation

“You’re always unapologetically yourself, for better or worse; you stand up for yourself and the ones you love, but also for people you don’t know at all – hell, you must be the bravest person I know” he heaved a sigh, his eyes never leaving the tile they had been staring at for the past five minutes “You’re a force to be reckoned with, truly you are… and I know you always carry some snacks in your backpack so you can feed stray cats – a shitty person doesn’t do that” At those words the girl raised her head immediately and looked at him with wide eyes: “How…?”

Under the Milky Way tonight

“Five years ago… every time a Queen song came on the radio, I used to think of you and what you might be doing in Florence: were you still attending gigs? Did you speak Italian with an American accent, just like you spoke English with an Italian accent? Did you still fly into a rage if anybody said that Hot Space was a shitty album?” he had ignored her previous question, but now finally found the courage to turn and look her in the eye “Did you still have that half dimple when you smiled all embarrassed? You know that kind of smile, the tight-lipped one”

Wish I knew what you were looking for

“Please, don’t look at me!” Sara immediately turned away, almost shrieking “I’m a monster: I have a runny nose and I’m sure my make-up is all smudged” The guitarist put his hands on her shoulders and made her face him again, then started to wipe her nose with some toilet paper. “... I look like a fucked-up panda, don’t I?” she muttered after a while, finally regaining her voice. “You just have a nose as cute as a button and as red as the one of a certain reindeer, the rest is just like it was before… oops, except for the eyes” “What? What is it?? They’re red, aren’t they?? Fuck, I’m not ready to say goodbye to my reputation as a badas-” “They’re shining, brat” he poked her nose with his index “Crying apparently suits you, but I’d appreciate it if in the future it’ll happen because you’re laughing too much” “Oh, shush” she pouted and shoved him, making him chuckle because avoiding her pushes was becoming increasingly harder but, most of all, because her half dimple had just appeared on the right corner of her mouth.  

Might have known what you would find

After a while Stone was finally able to stop her, taking her hands in his without looking away.  “Ever since I’ve known you, the ending of Chaplin’s City Lights has been able to move me, because before I didn’t understand it… I had never experienced what the Tramp goes through with the flower girl” he sighed and gave her a sad smile, slightly squeezing her hands “I don’t get tired of you the way I get tired of other people”

And it’s something quite peculiar Something shimmering and white

“Stone, what-what are you trying to tell me?” the girl looked quizzically at him but squeezed back his hands. “I don’t know,” he raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear “what do you think it is?” 

It leads you here, despite your destination

Neither of them could tell who had been the first one to move, but now Sara was straddling him and he was holding her face in his hands and they were kissing – heavily. She could still hear the song faintly playing in the background, but all she could focus on right now was how Stone had been looking at her, the feeling of his lips against her own and the way he was still holding her, like she was the most precious thing he had ever laid eyes on. She touched his cheek and felt it was smooth, almost boyish (not strong and stubbly as the one she would have liked to stroke), and the realization made her angry; she instinctively proceeded to run her fingers through his hair, eliciting a moan from him, and pictured a pair of hazel eyes behind her eyelids that turned immediately into green ones. She shut her eyes with all her might until all she could see were lazy stars, then dizzily abandoned herself to passion, as if she were living somebody else’s life. 

Under the Milky Way tonight

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #79: Paracelsus van Hohenheim

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re making the Father of Toxicology, Paracelsus van Hohenheim! Hohenheim is known for his skill in potion- and homunculi-making, as well as his mastery of the four (five) elements! Also his weird qualifications for what does or does not count as a “medicinal” plant, but we won’t be adding that to the build.

Check out the full breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: What we all need is something steam powered / What we all need is a - Steam Powered Giraffe!

Race and Background

No points for guessing, but Paracelsus is a Human, giving him +1 to all ability scores. He’s also a Cloistered Scholar, for History and Arcana proficiency. You’re not mixing chemicals at random here, this is science. And magic.

Stats

Your Intelligence should be as high as you can make it, both because you’re a smart guy and because that what all our features are based on. Second highest is your Wisdom- you’re good at being a doctor, but medicine’s a wisdom check so we’ll have to be smart here too. Third is Dexterity- you don’t really use that sword too often, but you have one. Also, you’re wearing leather armor at best, and you don’t get mage armor. Your Constitution’s okay-you’re not really tough, just lucky. Your Strength isn’t very high, you are a caster after all. Finally, you’re dumping Charisma. You don’t cause much of a splash in London, and the only person you need to be able to lie to is a literal child, so it’s not that big of an issue.

Class Levels

1. This may shock you, but the famous alchemist is secretly an Artificer. They’re just coming out of the woodwork in London. First level artificers get proficiency in Constitution and Intelligence saves, as well as Medicine and Nature. You can heal people, and your Arcana comes from Nature, so that all checks out fine.

When you take up the class you learn Magical Tinkering, letting you add various minor effects to tiny items. You also get Spells, that’s right, Spells, that you can cast with your mind thoughts. Use your Intelligence to prepare and figure out their save DCs.

For your cantrips, Frostbite gives you a bit of water for your attacks, and Magic Stone does the same of earth. For some good 1st level spells to prepare, check Absorb Elements to charge your attacks and protect yourself at the same time, Catapult to fill an object with enough magical energy you can fling it around at people, and Grease. I know it’s called grease, but make it some ice to fit the elemental aesthetic we’re going for.

2. Second level artificers can Infuse Items, making and altering up to two magical items at a time. You learn four infusions though, and can swap them out on long rests. Like all casters, there’s plenty of leeway with what you take for spells and infusions, but I’d suggest Enhanced Defense for extra not dying on your part, an Alchemy Jug for raw materials (sometimes you have a hankering for 2 gallons of mayo),  Sending Stones for more earth-themed magic (the next time we get something for Earth is level 13, so enjoy this), and/or an Enhanced Arcane Focus to empower your spells.

3. When you hit third level, you pick your specialty, and let’s be honest here- of course you’re an Alchemist. At third level, you can create an Experimental Elixir at the end of a long rest that lasts until the next rest. Upon creation, you find out what its effects will be based on a roll of a d6. An elixir can heal, increase the drinker’s speed, give an AC bonus, give an attack and save bonus, grant the power of flight, or cast Alter self on the drinker. All benefits (except healing) last a varying amount of time. You can also make extra elixirs by spending a spell slot for each one as an action. You can also just wait a couple levels to make more on long rests.

You also learn how to make The Right Tool for the Job. Assuming you have an hour of free time and tinker’s tools available, you can craft a free set of artisan’s tools.

Finally, your specialty spells, which don’t count towards the number you can prepare, are Healing Word and Ray of Sickness. Throw the former at your party and the latter at your enemies, and make sure you don’t mix them up.

4. Use your first Ability Score Improvement for more Intelligence. That will net you more spells prepared, stronger spells, and plenty of other benefits later on.

5. Fifth level Alchemists are Alchemical Savants, adding their Intelligence modifier to one instance of spells that Heal or deal Acid, Fire, Necrotic, or Poison damage. That means everybody gets the amount you rolled, but one lucky person gets 4 extra.

You also learn how to prepare second level spells. Your specialty spells are Flaming Sphere for a bit of fire, and Melf’s Acid Arrow for... I guess this is void? Sure, why not. For other spells, Continual Flame and Enhance Ability are generic alchemical solutions, Heat Metal gives you more fire power, and Skywrite is a practical application of your air mastery.

6. Sixth level artificers gain Tool Expertise, doubling your proficiency bonus for any check involving tools. You also make a second Experimental Elixir at the end of each long rest.

You also also gain two more Infusions, and can keep a third up concurrently. The Homunculus Servant in D&D isn’t quite as intimidating as the ones in FGO, but it can be useful to deliver touch spells. Radiant Weapon also doesn’t have much use for you specifically, but it makes the Azoth Sword look really cool.

7. At seventh level, you begin to experience Flashes of Genius. When a check or save is made within 30′ of you, you can react to add your intelligence modifier to the roll. You can do this a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier per long rest.

8. Use your next ASI to become a Magic Initiate for a smattering of Wizard spells. These will round out your elemental cantrips and give you added flexibility with Gust and Fire Bolt, as well as Chromatic Orb. The two cantrips mean the full array of elements are always at your disposal, and the latter lets you attack with a variety of damage types, flavoring the orb to your preferred element. All three use your Intelligence to cast like artificer spells, and you can cast Chromatic Orb once per day for free, or with spell slots like any other spell.

9. Ninth level Alchemists use Restorative Reagents in their potions, and also learn third level spells. Any creature that drinks one of your elixirs gains some extra temporary HP when they do so. You can also cast Lesser Restoration without using a spell slot by using alchemist’s supplies. You can do this a number of times per long rest equal to your intelligence modifier.

Your specialty spells are Gaseous Form for more wind abilities and Mass Healing Word for stronger cure-alls. For spells you’ll need to prepare, Water Breathing and Water Walk turns your elemental skill over water into something more useful than just throwing it at enemies’ faces.

10. You become a Magic Item Adept, allowing you to attune to more items at once, as well as craft magic items with much less time and material cost. On top of that, you learn to cast Prestidigitation for more minor magical effects.

Finally, you learn two more Infusions, and can use one more at the same time. Enhanced Weapon should really go to someone else, but Boots of the Winding Path can be useful for anyone, yourself included.

11. At eleventh level, you can create Spell Storing Items. Once per long rest and one at a time, you can put a 1st or 2nd level artificer spell into a weapon or arcane focus. Any creature holding the item can cast the spell, using your intelligence and their concentration. The spell can be cast from the item a number of times equal to twice your intelligence modifier. 

12. Use this ASI to bump up your Dexterity for better swordplay and better not-dying.

13. Thirteenth level artificers get fourth level spells- Blight lets you literally suck the life out of creatures and mostly plants, and Death Ward does the exact opposite, keeping a creature alive the first time they’d die while enchanted. Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound gives you a more attack-oriented servant, albeit one that’s invisible. Stone Shape and Stoneskin give you further control over the element of Earth. You can also pick up Elemental Bane to increase the power of several of your spells.

14. At this level, you become a Magic Item Savant, with the ability to attune a fifth magic item at once, and you can ignore all race, spell, class, and level requirements to use or attune to magic items.

You also get a new cantrip, as well as two new infusions learned and another concurrent infusion. Grab Create Bonfire for one last blast of fire, and then grab whatever two infusions you feel your party needs the most. Casters generally have a lot of leeway when it comes to building them, simply because of how varied “general magic specialty” can be.

15. Fifteenth level Alchemists can create a third free elixir, and learn Chemical Mastery. They resist acid and poison damage, and are immune to being poisoned. You can also cast Greater Restoration or Heal once per long rest for free, using your alchemist’s supplies.

16, Use this ASI to finally maximize your Intelligence for more and more powerful spells, stronger flashes of genius, and more free casts from Restorative Reagents.

17. With this level, you learn your highest level of artificer spells. You get Cloudkill as a specialty spell, helping you to create the Demonic Fog just a little bit easier. You can also Raise Dead as a specialty spell too; in Fate, death tends to be more permanent, but you could create zombies with pseudo-philosopher’s stones, so this is a straight upgrade for you.

For prepared spells, Animate Objects helps you bring larger homunculi and/or elementals to life, while Transmute Rock and Wall of Stone gives you more impressive earthbending powers. Finally, Creation will help you make items out of the void, lasting anywhere between 1 day and 1 minute. You can’t use this to create spell components though, so you’ll have to find the real philosopher’s stone the hard way.

18. You become a Magic Item Master, with the ability to attune six magic items at once. You also get one last round of infusions, bringing your total number of infusions learned to 12, and your total number available at one time to six. Again, take what you want at this point, you know what your party needs.

19. Use one last ASI to improve your Constitution and Wisdom for better health and medicine checks.

20. The artificer capstone is a Soul of Artifice. You gain +1 to all saves for each magic item you’re attuned to, and you can use a reaction when dropped to 0 hp to remain at 1 hp instead by ending one artificer infusion.

Pros

You’re a strong support caster, with healing, buffs, and magic items for the whole party. You still have plenty of ways to deal damage too, so you’re not doomed if the party splits up.

Soul of Artifice gives you extremely strong saves at level 20. Having a +5 on your worst save is still pretty good, especially since you’ll need good constitution saves for concentration spells.

You can deal a wide variety of damage through your spells. If an enemy resists one type of damage, that’s fine. Even ignoring Chromatic Orb, you’ve got poison, cold, fire, acid, necrotic, piercing, and bludgeoning damage to mix things up. And that’s not even going into what you can get done with Element Bane or elemental weaknesses.

Cons

Your AC is very low for someone with d8s for hit dice. Technically you can get away with medium armor, but the in-character choice would be leather, or even better, no armor at all. Try to stay out of the thick of things.

You also have very low charisma, so you might have trouble convincing people to take your medicine. You might also get shoved into another plane like you’re back in high school.

While you can deal a lot of different damage types, you mostly focus on Fire and Poison, two of the most resisted types in the game. You’ve got plenty of other options, but those are your specialties.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Bloodstone | Part 5

Summary: You knew all about the ring your grandmother had told you about and yet when the stone fell from it one fateful day, you weren’t truly prepared for its return, nor who it came back with.

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x reader

Genre: fantasy / romance

Warnings: none

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

“I don’t want to go,” Yoongi mentioned softly later in the day, a stack of books secured under his arm to take back to the store with him for further study. Your best friend glanced at Namjoon still brooding over the discovered journal and then sighed. “But I really need to go see if I can decipher more about these books so I can help further.”

“Go, I’ll be fine.”

“You ring me if anything goes awry.”

It was your turn to look in Namjoon’s direction, the divinity feeling your stare and turning to smile at you. Yoongi watched you both and sighed again. “You’ll be fine, I guess.”

“Of course. And thank you for bringing some spare clothes with you. I’m sure Namjoon will appreciate something else to change into later.”

“Yeah, right. I mean, best friend duty and all.” Rearranging the books, Yoongi leaned in to brush his lips over your forehead before departing out the front door.

Rocking on your heels and clapping your hands together, you returned to Namjoon’s side. “I think as much as we want to understand everything that’s going on between us and the past bloodstone love story, we should call it a day.”

“Call it a day? Will that end the sun?” Namjoon wondered innocently and you bit at your lip to suppress a giggle.

You still weren’t used to how strange he was.

“It’s a saying. It means to stop working on the task before you and relax. Actually, we should cook something for dinner. You could help me?”

Namjoon was up immediately, the journal now discarded. The one thing you had learned after lunch was that he could eat. He practically led the way to your kitchen area and stood there peering at the empty takeout containers you left on the bench from earlier.

Shaking your head at his eagerness, you turned to pantry and then grew embarrassed. To you, not having a lot of variety in food didn’t matter too much. You weren’t the most proficient in the kitchen but you got by – mostly with the help of pre-made meals. And you were in dire need of a grocery store trip as it was. Laughing awkwardly, you grabbed out two packets of ramen and held them up at Namjoon.

He inspected the bright packaging carefully. “How do we get the food out of them?”

“That’s easy, we open it.” Ripping the seam on the back apart, you then reached into another cupboard for a pot. Namjoon watched as you filled it with water and then turned to your stove top. You gestured for him to back up a little. “I need to ignite the element by pressing this button and that will boil the water.”

“You don’t need to build a fire first?” he asked, bending down to look for signs of an archaic way of cooking for this modern city life. You grinned when he gasped at the flame lapping up the underneath of the pot on the stovetop immediately. “You said you’re not magical but what just happened?!”

“Science,” you simply answered, and pointed to the dry noodle stacks. “When the water is ready, we’ll add all the ingredients.”

It wasn’t much of a meal when it was done, yet Namjoon looked at you as if you were a chef in a Michelin level restaurant. You knew it was down to easiness of your appliances but you couldn’t help but feel proud for some reason.

And after his first mouthful, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “This is flavoursome!”

“It’s basic food here. I admit it’s not much of a filling meal. But it will get us by until we go to the grocery store tomorrow.”

“We’re going where tomorrow?”

“A marketplace,” you attempted and Namjoon hummed in understanding.

You watched him enthusiastically eat another mouthful before joining in, sharing your first meal alone with your strange new roommate.

After dinner, you continued to amaze him with turning on the devices that had remained off throughout the day. You sat down and showed him what a television was, checked your emails on your laptop and then introduced him to the shower.

“The water stays very warm in this magical abode, Y/N,” Namjoon proclaimed after returning from the bathroom, now dressed in some of Yoongi’s pyjamas.

You giggled when you realised he had put the shirt on backwards. “I think you have a bit of a predicament with your top. The buttons go to the front, not the back.”

“Really? I thought it was rather peculiar. The texture and the fact that there’s only three buttons,” he murmured, yanking it off in front of you without much regard.

You felt all the air expel from within you as your eyes fixated on his torso. Was gemstone milling such a strenuous job? Perhaps since Namjoon had been looking for firewood under the element that he was used to doing a lot of manual labour to run his household. Whatever it was, his soft, dimpled cheeks had fooled you away from his muscular build underneath his clothes.

You chewed on your lip in a daze.

“Y/N? Do I have it on the right way now?” he asked, waving a hand in front of your glassed over eyes, snapping you out of your reverie. Fumbling with coherency, you nodded repeatedly.

“Yep, all good!” you hastily commented, smiling brightly. “I’ll uh, just go and get you a blanket to set up on the couch and then we’re good for bed, okay?”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s not a problem!” you shouted as you darted down the hallway, taking some time to gather your clarity. And once you had assured Namjoon was set for bed, you switched out the lights, headed down to your bedroom and slipped under the covers.

Except, you couldn’t sleep.

Rolling over in your bed, you groaned in annoyance. Of course, it would make sense that you were unable to drift off, given the intense experience today had offered.

However, you knew it wasn’t that.

Was the bloodstone at work here? You had struggled to sleep without the stone last night as well, given it was the first time in many years without it. And whilst Namjoon was only in the living room, the stone felt too far away, chilling you down to your bones.

“Seriously,” you mumbled out loud, shaking your head. “This is such a weird reaction.”

Getting up, you shifted down to the main area of your house as quietly as you could. You could see the glow from the doorway and smiled with relief.

It called you closer.

With the lights out, Namjoon felt an immense wave of concern. Just what could be done within this situation you and he had? He had barely been gone a day and this fantastical world amazed and equally frightened him. There was the incessant worry of his sister going without him as well.

Had she discovered he was gone by now? Who had she turned to for assistance? He knew Marian was much more practical than he was, and yet, after his father’s death, he had taken it upon himself to protect her as best as he could. Was she lonely now?

It bothered him that with all these pressing thoughts, you still overruled his mind. Little expressions lingered, subtle touches still felt upon his skin. He wanted to know more about you, out of the flashbacks the stone had offered him. Namjoon craved to understand how you felt about everything.

It was overwhelming to be this connected to someone who was once a mere stranger.

The stone is making me feel all this, he reminded himself, rolling over on the couch with some resentment. It irked him to wish that it wasn’t because of some stone that he was at your side right now. It was laughable and impractical and –

“Namjoon?” you quietly called out, making him sit up. You wrung the front of your nightgown within your hands and smiled weakly. “I uh, I can’t sleep.”

“Me either.”

“Too many worries?”

“Too much of you on my mind,” he admitted, which seemed to have an affect on you.

“Oh,” you breathed, nodding once. “I’m bothering you.”

“Somewhat.”

“I’ll go then.”

“No, I mean,” He paused to get up and approach you. “I am bothered. Mostly because the stone holds power over me. I don’t know what my real thoughts are and what comes with being linked to you like this.”

“It makes sense. I have felt that way a lot today too.”

“At least we’re not alone,” he whispered and you nodded in agreement. Reaching out tentatively, you placed your palm on his chest.

His skin tingled.

“I like being close to the stone,” you murmured, fixated on his chest. “It’s familiar.”

“I’m not,” he cautioned and you nodded again. “Does that bother you?”

“Maybe a little but I wonder how long it will take until you become too familiar to me?”

It was a good question, one in which Namjoon wanted an answer to as well. The stone suspended between you gave no concrete solution and you both sighed at the same time.

“Do you mind if I ask you to sleep in my room?”

“Would it help you?” Namjoon hesitantly asked, finding it more difficult to breathe after the proposal.

You, however, grew hopeful. “Very much so.”

“I’ll sleep on the floor beside you,” Namjoon offered, returning to the couch for his bedding and carried it down to your personal chambers. After a bit of fussing from you both over the setup, you eventually climbed back into your bed, rolling onto your side and dangled your arm down to where Namjoon laid.

He took your hand and it wasn’t long until your even breathing signalled you had comfortably fallen asleep.

However, his mind was plagued with how this would all play out.

You had no idea Yoongi was in love with you, and Namjoon didn’t want to believe he could fall for you as well.

Not yet, anyway.

_________________

Part 6

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[chilling-seavey]

Anything But Mine - Daniel’s Important Purchase

A/N Daniel had always second guessed almost everything in the past, but now, at only twenty-one years old, there’s nothing he’s more sure of than wanting to marry the love of his life.

Daniel stood in front of the glass case, biting nervously on his bottom lip as he scanned the sparkling contents, the small LED lights making each tiny stone glint and shimmer impressively. He tapped his fingers anxiously on the metal trim of the case and tried to find a price tag on any of the items.

“Can I help you find something?”

The voice startled Daniel a little and he looked up wide-eyed at the older lady behind the counter.

“Uhm,” he swallowed nervously, glancing back into the glass case, “Yes. Please. I’m…I’m looking for an engagement ring.”

“How lovely. Do you have a style in mind?”

“No…I don’t know.” Daniel shook his head.

“That’s alright. We can figure that out together. What about a budget?”

Daniel took a shaking breath and nodded, sliding his backpack off his shoulder and bent down to pull out his old music theory textbook from first year. He set it on the counter and opened the front to reveal a messy pile of bills. He had been saving for a few months, sneaking all his tips from work or stray bills from playing a few songs on city blocks into his old textbook in perfect secrecy. 

He wanted to propose in Vancouver so he only had a few months to save as much as he possibly could to buy the most perfect ring for her; the girl who was raised in the ultimate luxury and whom he thought deserved the absolute world. He had it all planned out too: he would drive her up to his favourite hiking spot in the city at sunset and take her down to the lookout where you felt like you were at the top of the world and he would ask her to marry him right there. In picture perfect romance. But December was approaching quickly and Daniel needed to turn in his savings for a ring as soon as possible otherwise he would need a whole new plan.

To say he was stressing himself to make this perfect was an understatement.

The lady at the jewelry store eyed his open textbook with raised eyebrows and she sent him the calmest smile she could muster. This was a first for her.

“Okay, how much is all of that?” she asked.

“$385.” Daniel mumbled.

“$385? Okay.”

“I don’t know how much they cost and…this is all I have. I’ve been saving since, like, April but I need to buy one today.”

“That’s okay. We have plenty of options in your price range. Follow me over here.”

Daniel shut the textbook, sandwiching the bills tightly away as he slid it back in his backpack and zipped it up before rushing after the lady to another glass case across the store. His hand held tightly onto the strap of his backpack as he watched her slide out the tray and set the array of rings on the top.

“All of these are our sterling silver engagement rings, mostly all under $300.”

Daniel skimmed the display, pursing his lips in thought and tapping his fingers against the edge of the velvet tray. There were a few larger ones but they looked cheap and clunky or had black diamonds which Daniel thought was incredibly weird. He shifted nervously under the expectant stare of the lady.

“We can keep looking.” she offered.

Daniel sighed in relief, “Yes, please.”

She set the tray back in the case and moved them over to the next one, “These are a bit pricier but have more carats on the sterling silver bands.”

Daniel scanned the options but his eye caught on something in the next case over like it was fate. He leaned over a little to get a better look out of the sparkling glare of the LEDs that reflected off it, being met with a small simple diamond ring.

“What about that one?” Daniel asked, pointing carefully to it, glancing up at the lady with nervousness all over his face.

“The small one there?” the lady pulled open the case and lifted off the individual velvet stand it was tucked onto.

“Yeah.” Daniel breathed, staring at it like it was just what he had pictured. He licked his lips nervously as he asked the question he was almost too scared to ask, “How much is it?”

“This one is .23 carat, the middle stone of the three being .15 carat alone, on a 10k white gold polished band. It’s $545.”

Daniel let out a deep sigh, hanging his head forward in disappointment as if the number physically hurt him. He pouted slightly, looking back up at it sitting in front of him on the glass countertop, sitting pretty on the black velvet stand. He could almost see it on her finger, feeling as if he could see it sparkle on her hand as she smiled.

“I need this one.” Daniel breathed. “Is it on sale? Or is there, like, a coupon?”

“I can check.”  the lady couldn’t help but smile to herself at the young man’s obvious determination to the woman he wanted to marry, and she turned to the computer near by to check for any promotions.

Daniel literally held his hands together and rested them against his face and prayed for it to be at least down to $400, swearing to God to never do anything wrong in his life ever again if he got this one thing the way he wanted it-

“It’s your lucky day. It’s on Christmas special. 30% for a total of $380.”

“$380?” Daniel gaped. “That’s less than…I have more saved than that.”

“You do.” the lady chuckled. “Is this the one you want then?”

“Oh my gosh.” Daniel whispered, biting back a grin, “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll get this one.”

“Alright! Do you have her ring size?”

“I brought another.” Daniel reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out one of Florence’s old rings that he snuck out of the back of her jewelry box.

The lady held out her hand for it and when he passed it to her she took a quick look, “About a 7. Give me one second.”

She handed him back the ring and then took the new one from the display to the back.

Daniel bit back his nervous but excited grin, pulling his phone from his pocket to see a few messages from Florence. He had told her he was working later at the studio so she wasn’t suspicious to where he was running off to after class, exam season approaching making his lie much more believable. He leaned against the case and opened her messages, finding a video of Penelope walking messily across the living room rug to Florence’s outstretched hand. The sixteen-month-old was a late bloomer so she was still wobbly on her feet but her cheesy grin brought a smile to Daniel’s face as he watched the video on low volume in the store. Penelope grabbed onto Florence’s hand to steady herself as she almost fell forward, earning plentiful praise from her mother. Daniel’s eyes lingered on Florence’s empty left hand that their daughter clung onto. He couldn’t wait to just put a ring on it already.

“Is she yours?”

The lady’s voice made him startle again and Daniel looked over at her as she was staring at the video on his phone screen, “Yeah.”

“She’s so cute.”

“Thanks.” Daniel grinned, taking one last look at the video before sliding his phone back in his pocket.

“So, we have it all here.” the lady opened the black velvet box to reveal the small diamond ring, the light from the store sparkling off the polished stones and shiny band.

“It’s perfect.” Daniel smiled and she rang it up into the cash register.

He paid for it with the messy stack of bills, with $5 left over to slide in his pocket, and he was passed over the small bag and his receipt.

“And you’re all set. No refunds after 30 days, only store credit, and if you fill out the survey on the back of the receipt you can be entered for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate.”

Daniel thanked her honestly before heading out of the store. He tried to ignore the nervousness that her statement about returns set on his conscience, suddenly wondering if Florence even wanted to marry him. He let his brain stew for the amount of time it took him to roll of the bag and slip it in to the bottom of his backpack before heading for the subway to go home, pushing any negative thoughts out of his mind.

He called Florence on his way to the station to say he was coming home, stopping in his tracks when he passed the florist. The dial tone rang steadily against his ear as he smiled to himself and went inside, quickly purchasing a single red rose with the remaining $5 in his pocket. He only smiled wider as Florence answered the phone.

“Hey, baby,” Daniel replied, rose in his free hand as he leaned back against the metal doors to step out of the mall and into the winter weather of the busy city, “Yeah, I’m coming home now. I bought you a little surprise…”

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Banner Ch 56: Worthy

Intro: A few weeks post the Time Heist the team are finally ready to reverse the snap. The only problem is, when you mess with time it tends to mess back…

Warnings: “Language!” 

Pairing:  Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

SSB Masterlist

October 2023

Katie walked over to the dresser in Nat’s room and smiled at the photos. There were a few shots, one of her with Clint, Laura and the Kids, one of her, Katie and Pepper at Tony’s wedding, but it was the biggest one that Katie reached out to pick up. It was a photo that Katie had taken in her and Steve’s back garden a few months before on Jamie’s third birthday. Nat had Jamie balanced on her hip and Emmy to her other side, hand round the teens shoulder. She was smiling, happily at the camera, almost like she had no care in the world.

“Hey.” a soft voice spoke behind her and she turned to look at Steve. He was already dressed in his Captain America suit. “I’m not even gonna ask how you got in here.” “I already had access.” Katie shrugged, replacing the photo “She had access to ours as well, although she never used it much, especially not after that time she walked in on us on the couch and got an eyeful of your ass going ten to the-“ “Yeah, yeah, I remember.” he snorted, leaning on the doorframe, the pink tinge spreading up his neck to his cheeks as he recalled the incident. There had been a lot of yelling, shrieks, giggles and one strategically placed throw cushion as he had stood up and reversed hastily to the bedroom out of view. “She told me she needed four bottles of bleach for her eyeballs.”

Katie sniggered before she sighed. “I miss her Steve.”

“I know..” he said gently, walking into the room and she melted into his arms. “I wish I could tell you it goes away but it doesn’t. You just learn to live with it. I promise it will get easier though.” Katie smiled at his words. She knew full well what living with grief was like, they’d done it enough over the past five years but he wasn’t trying to be patronising, merely trying to lend her some comfort and she loved him for that.

“Given that Halloween isn’t for another two weeks I take it you’re dressed in your Spangles for a reason?” she pulled back and he nodded.

“We’re ready.” he gave her a significant look.

Katie let out a breath. They’d been working on the gauntlet now for the past few weeks since their mission to get the stones had been successful. The team of Thor, Rocket, Tony and Banner all spending hours at a time in the lab. Given that the Time and Soul stones were the only ones they had in their true gem form that had been the first challenge. Some had been easy, all they had to do was smash open the various items they were contained within- namely the Tesseract, Sceptre and Orb. But even that had to be done in a controlled way so no stone was damaged or disturbed. Then, a slightly trickier task, they’d had to figure out how to solidify the Aether. Thor had been extremely nervous about this given his history with it and how it was able to “consume” people it decided to use as hosts. After days of brainstorming and various ideas they dismissed, Tony had come up with the idea of using the 3D printer to create a vessel, using a scan of one of the other stones. That had been what they were working on more recently, and had obviously been successful.

“So, err…it’s time?” Steve nodded “Everyone’s meeting in the lab.” he nodded to the photos on the side. “ Then we can make her sacrifice worthwhile.”

Katie followed his eye line and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go grab my suit.” He bent down to give her a soft peck on the lips and watched her go before he turned back to cast a cursory glance around the room. It was a little untidy, but that had been Nat all over. “Organised chaos” she had described her nature as.

“You weren’t wrong Widow.” Steve said gently, before he turned and shut the door behind him, striding back to the lab.

He arrived just in time to see Tony stood by the glass case housing the gauntlet, his hand carefully manipulating the machines to cautiously place all six stones in their respective places on the Gauntlet.

“Boom!” Rocket let out a yell and both Tony and Bruce jumped a little. Tony turned to glare at the animal who was sniggering at his joke.

Steve rolled his eyes, he still wasn’t sure about the animal but he couldn’t deny he’d been useful, his knowledge filling in a lot of gaps they had.

“Ass hole.” Tony grumbled as Steve crossed the room to pick up his helmet which was lying on a desk. Tony looked up at him. “You find Kiddo?” “Exactly where I thought she’d be.” he nodded “She’s gone to suit up.” It wasn’t long before she returned with Clint and Scott. Scott was already in his Ant-Man suit, Clint in his Hawkeye get up and Katie in her leathers, the bangle that contained her Supernova suit gleaming on her wrist. Steve’s eyes travelled over everyone as they checked their various bits of equipment, and he took a deep breath. He was nervous. Everything they had been through over the past 5 years and more recently the sacrifice their best friend had made all came down to this. A literal snap of the fingers.

Eventually a silence fell over the room as everyone crowded round the gauntlet. A quick headcount told Steve they were one short, and he didn’t mean Natasha either. Nebula was absent but he assumed she was elsewhere at the request of Tony for some reason, maybe doing some checks in other areas. He was about to ask when Rocket spoke up.

“All right. The glove’s ready.” his arms folded. “Question is, who’s gonna snap their freaking fingers?”

“I’ll do it.” Thor said immediately and they all turned to face him, Lang speaking the words that were on everyone’s minds.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s okay.” Thor nodded, heading towards the gauntlet where he was immediately met with a barrage of protests from around the room.

“ No, no, no, whoa.”

“ Stop. Stop.”

“ Wait a sec. Hey, hey..”

“Wait, wait, Thor, just wait.” Steve said gently, his arm reaching out and stopping the God before he put his arm in the glove “We haven’t decided who’s gonna put that on yet.”

“I’m sorry. What, we’re just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?” He bit back.

“We should at least discuss it.” Katie nodded, trying to appease him.

“No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back.” he looked at her, shaking his head “I’m the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It’s my duty.”

“It’s not about–“

“It’s not that– Stop it! Just let me!” Thor pleaded as he started to get teary eyed. Katie took a breath as she could almost feel the guilt that was radiating off him in waves. “Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right…”

“Look– It’s not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I’m telling you, you’re in no condition.” Tony shook his head.

“He’s right Thor.” Katie looked at him. “Let’s just think about it ok?”

“What do you–“ Thor shook his head as he looked from her back to Tony “What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?”

Katie took a deep breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking at Steve who mimicked her action subconsciously, shaking his head slightly.

“Cheez Whiz?” Rhodey supplied from the side of the room. Thor pointed at him, shooting him a glare but all Rhodey did was shrug.

“Lightning.” he replied.

“Yeah.” Tony placated him slightly, and Steve opened his mouth to tell Thor that regardless of what he wanted, they needed to think about this some more but it was Banner who spoke first.

“Lightning won’t help you, pal. It’s gotta be me.

Thor relaxed his grip on Tony and his arms dropped to his side as he glanced at Banner.

“You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive.” the green man spoke, his eyes focussed on the red gauntlet which sat in its case as he walked towards it.

“How do we know you will?” Steve questioned as Banner passed him by.

“We don’t. But the radiation’s mostly gamma,” he said, his eyes still on the gauntlet, as if he was contemplating something. Then, with a smile he turned to look at Katie, then Tony as he spoke again. “It’s like….uh…I was made for this.”

Katie looked at Tony, before they both glanced back at Banner who smiled at them again, the siblings instantly understanding what he was referring to. Katie was suddenly catapulted back to a Hellicarrier in 2012 when the Avengers had assembled for the first time…

“You know, I’ve got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart.” Tony said, pointing at the Arc-Reactor in his chest as he walked towards Bruce “But this- this stops it. This little circle of light”

“Because that’s the same…” Katie said sarcastically rolling my eyes.

“The point is it’s part of me now, not just armor.” Tony ignored her as he stood opposite Banner, looking at him through you clear screen as lines of data swam across it. “It’s a… terrible privilege.

“But you can control it.” Bruce pointed out.

“Because I learned how”

“It’s different.” Bruce returned back to the computer screen but Tony slid the data aside with his fingers so the two could see face-to-face without interruption.

“Hey, I’ve read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you.”

“That’s true…” Katie said, watching the exchange.

“So you’re saying that the Hulk…” he paused, smiling sadly as he correcting himself whilst Tony raised his eyebrows “The other guy saved my life?”

Katie looked at Tony. His eyes were flashing bright as Bruce looked back at him. Tony gave him a significant look.

“That’s nice, it’s a nice sentiment.” Bruce said as Tony moved back to his computer. “Saved it for what?”

Tony hesitated and looked up “I guess we’ll find out.

And it seemed they just had. Unlike Steve, Katie did believe in fate and destiny, certainly to an extent anyway. After everything she had seen and experienced over the past twelve years or so since first meeting Thor she couldn’t help but consider there was an element of truth in the fact that they were all pawns in a bigger game.

She glanced at Steve who was studying Banner, but made no move to stop him. He couldn’t argue with the man’s logic. Tony helped Bruce remove the gauntlet from the casing before he handed it to the Doctor.

“Good to go, yeah?” Tony asked.

Bruce nodded. “Let’s do it,”

“You remember. Everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bring them back to now.” Tony reminded Bruce “Don’t change anything from the last five years,”

Bruce nodded again “Got it.”

“Good luck,” Katie encouraged before she twisted the star on her bangle causing her suit to flow over her body, Tony doing the same with his chest piece whilst Steve gripped his shield on his arm. Katie’s own shield appeared in front of her and she looked at Steve where he stood next. He flashed her a small smile which she returned before her helmet slid round her head.

“FRIDAY do me a favour and activate Barn Door Protocol” Tony announced as he stepped in line with Clint, a shield springing from his suit. Thor stepped in front of Rocket whilst Rhodey and Scott also fully engaged their suits.

“Yes boss,” she replied and around them all the facility went into lock down as shutters closed over the doors, windows and roof. Katie she stood with her feet slightly apart, in an almost identical stance to Steve, their defences raised in front of them.

Bruce looked at the gauntlet in his hand for a second. “Everybody comes home,” and with that he slid his fingers into the glove which nanobotically expanded to fit his hand. As they watched the stones lit up in different colours, the lines spreading up Bruce’s arm as their power surged up towards his shoulder and neck. He cried out in pain, almost falling and Katie watched worriedly as the man continued to shout and groan, his teeth grit together.

“Bruce?” Katie asked as Steve shifted besides her, his legs apart ready to dive in if he had to. Bruce then knelt down, face contorted in pain.

“Take it off. Take it off!” Thor cried out, starting towards him.

“No, wait.” Steve urged, holding his hand up. They knew something like this was going to happen, they’d seen the mess left of Thanos’ arm. But they couldn’t quit, not now. “ Bruce, are you okay?“ 

“Talk to me, Banner,” Tony demanded.

“I’m okay, I’m okay” he repeated as Thor gave him two thumbs.

After what felt like hours, Bruce slowly raised his arm. With a final grit of his teeth, he moved his fingers and everyone braced themselves. Steve moved himself in front of his wife with his shield raised, even though she was probably more protected than he was, such was his force of habit. Bruce let out a yell and his fingers snapped. Everyone shielded their eyes from the blinding white light that filled the room but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

Steve had to admit he had expected more, but his concern at the moment was Bruce who collapsed backwards to the floor and the gauntlet slid off his hand dropping to the tiles with a clang.

“Bruce!” he called, kneeling down besides him. Clint booted the gauntlet across the room away from Banner as Tony dropped to his knee next to him.

“Don’t move him.” Tony instructed as Bruce gripped onto Steve’s arm with his left h, blinking in pain. Tony sprayed his right arm which had held the gauntlet with foam to cool him off.

“Did it work?” Bruce asked, his breathing deep.

Katie glanced around. They actually had no idea. They’d need to find out somehow. She spotted Scott walking towards the windows of the facility, the blinds sliding back as the lock down reversed.

“Worth a shot.” Thor said, clearly having already decided it hadn’t. He knelt down besides Banner “It’s okay…”

As Steve, Tony and Thor tended to Bruce, Katie stood up and watched Scott who stood by the window. She squinted and could just make out a few birds in the tree on the patio area. She swallowed slightly, whilst birds hadn’t been uncommon in the five years, they had certainly been down in numbers. It was unusual for four to be in a tree that small. She was then distracted by Clint who had given a sharp intake of breath and she spun to watch him as he picked up his phone with a shaking hand.

“Honey.” he croaked, and she watched as his face contorted into raw emotion as he struggled to speak from sheer happiness. “Honey?”

Katie took a deep breath, as her own tears threatened to overwhelm her. There was only one person that could be, and if it was her then…

“Guys, I think it worked,” Scott spoke from his spot and Katie looked at Steve who glanced up at her, his own eyes shining as he smiled.

“We did it.” Katie breathed out, looking round as she gave a watery laugh, wiping away her tears “Son of a bitch, we actually-“

But she didn’t get chance to finish her sentence as suddenly there was a huge explosion, and the ground was falling open beneath them all.

*****

Smoke. Fire. Ash. Gushing Water. That was all Katie could see, hear and feel. She was aware that FRIDAY was yelling in her ear, then she could hear Tony, and there was something crushing her into the ground further, something ridiculously heavy on her back. She tried to push herself up, but the weight was too much. 

And then it was gone as fast as it had registered in her mind, and a strong arm was hoisting her to her feet.

“Little Stark?” Thor asked as she gave a groan, retracting her helmet. “Are you ok?”

“No serious injuries detected.” FRIDAY spoke in her ear and she nodded to the God.

“I take it that wasn’t the snap.” Tony mumbled as he blasted away a piece of concrete that had been pinning him down on his back. The three took a moment to look around where they were stood in the ruins of the compound, before Thor gave a lowly growl and walked to the edge of the blown apart building, looking down into the huge crater.

“No, it was him.” he nodded. Katie and Tony both joined him and Katie gave a sharp gasp as she saw Thanos in a distance, sat on a rock.

“Where’s Steve?” Katie suddenly remembered him, glancing round furiously. She engaged her helmet again and FRIDAY scanned the piles of rubble but she needn’t have bothered, she spotted him almost immediately. Her and Tony moved towards him, Tony stooping to grab his shield as Katie gently dropped to Steve’s side where he lay unconscious.

“Stevie?” she said gently, “Come on honey, wake up.” Steve in haled sharply, his eyes flying open and Katie let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s my man,“ Tony smiled, leaning down towards Steve who glanced up, his breathing evening out as he realised where he was. “Loose this again,” Tony held out the shield, “I’m keeping it.”

Steve grimaced and turned to look at his wife. “You okay?” “Yeah.” she nodded “Tony’s suits are pretty good, who knew huh?” Tony scoffed as Steve blinked, getting his bearings, before he looked around, taking in the debris and rubble of the compound “What happened?” 

“You mess with time it tends to mess back,” Tony spoke gently, glancing at Katie who turned to look at Steve, her eyes wide with fear. “You’ll see.”

“Thonos?” Steve swallowed, and Katie nodded. Steve exhaled again as Tony helped him to his feet and the three of them walked over to Thor, who was stood observing Thanos from a distance.

“What’s he been doing?” Tony asked, standing to Thor’s left as Katie stood to the God’s right in between him and her husband as the four of them glanced down at the Titan.

“Absolutely nothing,” Thor’s voice was low.

Steve had no idea how the Titan was there, but he didn’t really give a shit either. There was one thing they had to do, and that was all that mattered.

“Where are the stones?” Steve asked.

“Somewhere under all this,” Katie gestured to pile of ruins under their feet. “All we know is that he doesn’t have them.”

“So we keep it that way,” Steve spoke simply, steely determination laced through his voice, his eyes not moving from the Titan.

“You know this is a trap, right?” Thor asked, his gaze also locked on the large warrior.

“Yeah. I don’t much, care,” Tony replied with a shrug.

“Good. Just as long as we’re all in agreement,” Thor nodded, and with that there was a large crack of Thunder and lightning began to surround the God as he stretched out both hands to summon Stormbreaker and Mjolnir. Katie couldn’t help but watch in awe as his casual clothes transformed into his armour and cape, with his beard flowing into a braid, giving him a distinctive Viking Warrior look.

“Good to have you back, Thunder God.” Katie smiled at him as he turned to give her a wink before he looked over her shoulder at Steve, who nodded at him.

“Let’s kill him properly this time,” Thor said.

Thor jumped off the edge of the ruins they were stood on, landing with a loud crash on the ground. Katie moved to one side of Steve, wrapping her arm around his as Tony did the same, the three of them flying forward and landing with a little more grace than Thor had done. The four of them started to walk, but Steve pulled on his wife’s arm.

“You need to promise me.” he looked at her as her helmet flew back “If this starts to go sideways…” “Bit past that.” she looked at him.

He sighed “Baby, the kids.” “Steve.” she sighed, taking a shaky breath “If we don’t get rid of him...”

She trailed off as Steve looked up at Tony and Thor who continued to advance ahead of them. He ran his hand down his face. She was right. He wanted her as far away as possible, with their kids, safe, but nothing was safe now. And if she left, and they failed she was as good as dead anyway, they all were.

“If we go, we go.” she looked at him, the tears in her eyes “We have to try or they don’t stand a chance. Whatever it takes.”

Steve couldn’t bring himself to reply. Instead he gave her a curt nod and the two of them strode forward to confront the man who had haunted their dreams for the past five years.

“You could not live with your own failure,” Thanos said as they drew closer. “Where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you’ve shown me that’s impossible.”

The four of them split up, as they began to surround Thanos, circling him, whilst he spoke.

“As long as there are those that remembered what was, there are always those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist.”

“Yeah, we’re all kinds of stubborn,” Tony continued his pacing to stand behind the Titan.

“I’m thankful, because now I know what I must do,” Thanos stood up. “I will shred this universe down to its last atom.” He reached for his helmet which had been propped up on the edge of his sword. “And then with the stones that you’ve collected for me,” he placed the helmet on top of his head, “I’ll create a new one, teeming with life,” he pulled his sword from the ground, “that knows not what is lost, only what has been given,”

There was a rush and a flash as the lighting flew round Thor’s axe and hammer, his eyes flashing as he stood to Thanos’ left as Katie placed herself to his right.

“A grateful universe,” Thanos concluded.

“Born out of blood,” Steve glared up at the man.

“They’ll never know it,” Thanos cocked his head to the right. “Because you won’t be alive to tell them.”

Thor gave out a loud cry as he surged forward, Tony and Katie both shooting into the air whilst Steve threw himself in, shield first, as the four of them worked in tandem.

It was brutal, hard, just as Steve had remembered from Wakanda only this time they were engaged directly with him, and it was fast becoming apparent that this Thanos was equally as vicious an opponent than his future self had been. 

“Okay, Thor. Hit me.” Tony’s voice rang over Steve’s comms as Katie flew up out of the way of the Titan’s sword as he swung it at her, deflecting the blow from her repulsors.

As Steve launched his shield again, Thor banged his axe and hammer together, shooting Tony’s suit with lightening. Tony then shot the extra energy out using his hands and body, Katie joining him. Thanos twirled his blade in front of him, diverting the energy and Steve gave a yell as it rebounded back to Katie, her suit taking a full shot causing her to fly off to the side, colliding harshly with a huge piece of the compound structure.

With a roar of rage, Thor grabbed Stormbreaker and used it to bat his hammer to hit Thanos, who used Tony as a shield, casting the man aside. He lay motionless on the ground.

Steve launched forward but was flung away, landing with a heavy thump to the head. Jesus, he was seeing stars, but he had to get up. He glanced around and saw Katie was pushing herself up on her hands, so she was on all fours. With the ringing still in his ears he saw Thanos pounding down on Thor, Tony motionless in the background. With a loud grunt and his teeth gritting together Steve reached out to push himself up, but he paused when a sudden shock of warmth vibrated up his arm. He instantly glanced down at his hand and realised he’d flattened his palm against Thor’s hammer, not the ground. He frowned for a moment, the last time he had tried to move it, it had given a little, but he hadn’t felt anything like that. With an automatic movement, one that seemed completely out of his control, he reached out and gripped the handle, and sucked in a breath as he pulled up, and the hammer came with him.

Katie got to her feet and spun round right in time to see Mjolnir flying towards Thanos who was currently trying to push Stombreaker through Thor’s chest. 

But if Thor was there then who…

The hammer whacked Thanos harshly in the side of the head, sending him flying away. It carried on for a while before it stopped, and boomeranged back right round and she followed it with her eyes as it flew into Steve’s waiting hand.

“Holy shit...” she spluttered at the same time as Thor breathed a little smugly into the comms.

“I knew it!”  

Steve was wielding the hammer. Steve Rogers, the kid from Brooklyn that was too dumb to run away from a fight was worthy. But then, as Katie watched him turn to look at Thanos, hammer in hand, that determined expression on his face as he sized up his opponent, she realised there was no one else more worthy than the man who had done nothing but continually put his life on the line for others.

Thanos kicked Thor harshly in the chest sending him straight through the rock he was up against and then Steve proceeded to charge at Thanos, swinging Mjolnir and hitting him in the face knocking him down.  Katie took off towards the two, as Steve launched his shield, but Thanos deflected it easily. Katie shot at him again as Steve threw the hammer into to his shield creating a shockwave and knocking Thanos back off his feet before the Captain went on the offensive, shield and hammer flying through the air again and again before he lined his arm back up and summonsed the lighting. Shooting a shock at Thanos he blasted the Titan off his feet before Katie landed in front of him giving a yell. Just as Thor had done before to Tony, he charged up her suit and she powered everything she had into the Titan as he lay on the floor.

Steve drew to her side as she unloaded but before she could say or do anything else Thanos’ sword flew back at her and she dodged out of the way, but wasn’t quite quick enough. It hit her hard in the chest and sent her skidding backwards against the floor where she collided with a metal piping, and everything went dark.

Thanos advanced on Steve, menacingly swinging his weapon and one on one, even with the hammer Steve was no match for him. He lost the hammer and after receiving a nasty stab to the leg, and gash to his arm, he could do nothing but hold his shield up to deflect the blow that was coming his way.

Only it didn’t. 

Thanos’ double edged weapon sank straight into the Vibranium. Steve looked at it in shock and horror, never once had anything ever penetrated the metal, but he didn’t have chance to think about it as the blows continued. Pieces of his shield were shearing away left right and centre and then Thanos tossed him aside like he was a rag doll.

He landed harshly a few feet away from Katie and rolled onto his back, his eyes closing and his chest heaving with exertion as he felt a desperation flood his system as the faces of his kids and his wife flashed through his mind.

Steve Rogers might be worthy, but he was beat.

Tags

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[wyrmmaster]

I started granblue recently on large part because of your posting about it. What happed with Yuel thata got you so upset?

Okay, I’m tempted to point you to some of my other posts but I’m not gonna do that and instead I’ll use this ask as a place to lay everything out, both for my sake and everyone else’s - sorry, this might get long.

Right, so. In the beginning you have Yuel. Unusually for an Erune, she has a massive tail on top of larger than average ears.

Yuel’s a bumpkin, a hyperactive goofball, and generally just all around a nice person. Yuel, bless her heart, is on a quest to discover artifacts that belong to the ancient royal family she serves to return it to glory but is a bit scatterbrained and can’t focus on one thing for too long so really she’s just On an Adventure™. You learn that beneath that ADD is an incredibly perceptive woman that can deduce the exact emotional state of everyone around her and cleverly cheer them up or offer them support without ever seeming to actually go out of her way to do it. She gets people to loosen up and enjoy themselves, even if they’’re miserable.

Later, you have Societte. Like, Yuel, she has a massive tail and larger than average ears.

Her introduction to you is freezing solid a small army of monsters that had you cornered. Societte is grace given physical form but, bless her heart, is shy to the point where even after that display of power she can’t actually talk to you. You guys just patiently interpret her mumbles and slight gestures until you get the gist. Turns out Societte’s the princess of that ancient royal family, and Yuel’s nominal master. You learn that the earlier freezing wasn’t a fluke: beneath that shyness is solid steel. Societte is powerful, brave, and fiercely protective even to her own detriment.

Through Societte, you learn that this ancient family ruled an empire lost to time under a benevolent nine-tailed fox goddess that gave them her power.

They meet in your crew, on your ship.

Yuel discovers that Societte is The Princess™ - this shocks her. She knew that Societte was Important, the local village ojou, but not the level of quasi-religious importance that she actually has. Yuel gets angry that she wasn’t told. They’re old friends, you see. More than that. Even this early on it doesn’t take much reading between the lines to assume they’re actually a romantic item. 

Societte starts sobbing because she wanted to tell Yuel everything, she wanted to go with her when she left the village. But the knowledge that she’s the princess is dangerous. There are a lot of murderous people that are after her, to try and get rich. Some of them murdered her parents while she watched.

Turns out the tails and bigger ears are signs of the lineage, and massive red targets. This has given Societte a complex about her ears and tail, and in some of her homescreen lines she outright asks if they bother you and says she’s doesn’t want them.

So, to protect Yuel, she doesn’t say anything and lets her go far away. Then she leaves the village, to try and find out why all this is happening and to protect them from any more roaming bandits that come after her.

The two reconnect and Yuel gets Societte to calm down and look at her journey through a different lens: Societte’s not guilty of anything, she’s not on her miserable quest out of penance or obligation, the cruel world that’s taken so much from her and made her so scared isn’t all bad. They’re together now, and they’re gonna get to the bottom of this - together, as it should’ve been.

Now, enter Yuel’s 5-star fates.

This story obviously focuses on Yuel, and how she feels about Societte and her own role in the grand scheme of this situation. Yuel loves Societte more than anything, but she’s a bit jealous. Societte as mentioned is grace given physical form. Societte is gorgeous, extremely powerful, and a flawless dancer with natural talent that Yuel will never compare to. 

However, we learn that Yuel is also a princess - and heavily implied to be the real heir over Societte. Remember: the ears and tail are signs of the heritage.

So, Yuel’s found some ancestral weapons of her own. They’re hers, and they give her memories of a dance, and she does it flawlessly - once. This unlocks her true power and massively boosts her magic.

But she can’t do that dance again. Just can’t. Societte tries to teach her, but again, Yuel does’t have her talent. She fails over and over again and gets angry.

That nine-tailed fox goddess doesn’t approve. Thinks Yuel’s a failure, and useless. Unworthy. So she turns that increased power back on Yuel and starts cooking her alive with her own fire.

This is alleviated when Yuel stops trying to follow an ancient dance and just does whatever comes to mind. Channel herself into the dance, yeah? And she ends up with something more special and beautiful than the traditional dance. Ninetails approves, and stops trying to kill her.

Moral: Yuel is special and talented in her own way; not lesser than Societte, if not exactly equal. They set out anew on the journey with the knowledge that both of them have much bigger roles in this than they assumed.

Then you have Societte’s fire version.

This story focuses on Societte’s trauma. She goes back to where her parents were murdered in an attempt to remember the dance they were doing there and do it herself to finish whatever they were trying to accomplish.

We learn that there’s more to this whole thing than there appeared to be - a fragment of Ninetails’ power is sealed in a stone, and it’s pumping out extremely dangerous poison gas. And it’s spreading more each day. This is not the only stone. And the gas will spread from all of them until the world dies.

Turns out Lady Ninetails ain’t so nice. They’re given visions their ancestors - Societte’s foremost among them - using the ritual dances in front of Ninetails, and channeling her power.

Here, Societte finds her true motivation and overcomes her grief. She will do what she must for the people she loves. She’s got to do what she needs to do, to save everyone. The journey continues on a very solemn but no less hopeful note.

Interlude: Summer Yuel.

We see how close the two are. Yuel follows a Societte who’s grown mostly out of her shyness and can apparently go out and meet people, sparking conversation herself. The change in behavior is so marked Yuel’s flabbergasted, and assumes she started dating someone.

 But no, Societte was just doing that to find out where the best vacation spots in the area are and to commission swimwear for the two of them. They enjoy a fun evening with each other and the crew.

The fate episode ends with what amounts to a love confession.

Now, where it could’ve been great but starts to fall apart.

Their first event, Forgiveness and Gratitude.

Enter Kou.

Through him, we learn there were nine royal families, ranked from first to ninth.

We learn that Societte is the scion of the First, and Yuel of the Third.

Turns out that the empire was built around these families sealing an evil Ninetails away and stealing her power to bring about a golden age.

Kou for his part is of the Ninth. This family was mistreated, and basically used as nigh worthless servants by the other eight. In a bid for power, the Ninth betrayed the other eight and sided with Ninetails. The legends about her being a benevolent goddess and the royal families having a shitload of treasure were fabricated by them in order to set bandits after the heirs of the other families as the empire eventually fell apart, so the Ninth would be the only ones left.

Kou was supposed to Ninetails’s vessel so she could return to the world and conquer it. 

But…. Now there’s two better candidates. One of them is super gullible and kind. 

He tricks Societte into throwing herself on the chopping block instead. 

This is important: Ninetails is ecstatic over this. Using Kou was like finding a broken, rusted sword. Getting Societte? The Scion of the First? Finding a fucking chaingun with fifty belts of rounds. She is by far the superior vessel, because again, Societte is just that talented and powerful.

This is solved by Yuel being Yuel, and using her bond with Societte to save her from the possession. Yuel, the freed Societte, and an apologetic Kou work together to defeat the apparition of Ninetails’s power.

That? That’s good. Don’t like how quickly Kou was forgiven, but it’s serviceable.

The bad part? The event is stuffed with onee-chan /ss/ jokes. And people ate it up.

So, we get the event that never should’ve happened.

We get Kou and The Hollow Existence. An event with a character’s name in the damn title.

This event, as you’d guess, focuses on Kou. Turns out the little dude’s actually the FInal Boss for Ninetails. He knows everything, and is inexplicably the most talented and powerful now. He’s the hero. Remember: he’s supposed to be the failure. The spare. The “I’ll take what I can get” for Ninetails. Not so anymore. With zero setup or explanation.

Then we get You. You is a cheap knockoff of Kou, but a Girl This Time, both in and out of story. It’s an actual plot point. You’s being tricked by Ninetails, who’s using her resentment to fuel a revenge streak. Ninetails is gonna use You as a vessel when she’s strong enough. Kou saves her from Ninetails and helps her out of her funk. By himself.

Yuel and Societte’s impact on this event is nonexistent. The major players and main characters don’t do shit but get jobbed and have extremely skeevy shotacon bait moments with Kou. There’s an entire scene dedicated to Yuel intentionally making him uncomfortable by trying to get him in a bath with the two of them.

Yuel goes from emotionally perceptive and kind to a near molester. Societte’s character development is scrapped entirely and it’s like she’s who she was in her first fate episode.

This event quite literally invalidated everything that came before it. Everything was scrapped to make Kou the hero and pander to shotacon fans.

That’s the end of their story.

It’s bullshit.

[grace-likes-things]

Chapter One - Something Different

Masterlist

A/N Hello! Fic #2 of my whole life and it is a friggin long one. But I felt inspired, and I’ve been letting the outline sit on my laptop for months so I though I had to get to writing it. Chapter one is bit longer than the next few, (I think it’s gonna be about 25 overall, yikes lol but I want some good plot practice) and it has some nice father daughter moments and sets up a lot of the context for the story. It’ll only take a few chapters to get real interesting, so stick with me! Enjoy <3

~~~~~~

“So… how much of a wreck was the world while I was gone?”

I sit with my father on the steps of his — our? — lake house. It’s the first time since my being brought back that we’ve had a moment of peace alone. My eyes scan him over for the millionth time; the new wrinkles, the greying hair, scars from the latest battle, his demeanor in general. He’s not exactly the old Tony Stark the world knew, the old dad that I knew. Not so high strung, not as in need of a project to keep his mind off of the latest trauma. He’s surprisingly peaceful, and although not a bad thing, it’s unfamiliar. I guess it’s just another one of the many strange things i’m going to have to get used to.

He doesn’t take too long to answer my question, “Oh, it was torn to shreds for a while. No one knew what to do with themself after finding out Y/N Stark was gone. Jeez, I mean, you shoulda seen the looks on people’s faces—“

“Dad,” I say with a pitiful laugh, “for real. How long did things take to get back to normal?”

“If I can tell you one thing it's that nothing ever got ‘normal’ again. Hell, to be honest with you I’m not so sure when the world started to recover. I was too busy being a wreck of my own. Came out here to hide in the woods with Pep. And then we found out about Morgan… it was all a lot in not so much time.”

“She’s adorable,” I mumble with a smile over my warm mug, “Can’t believe you managed to pull off another kid that cute.”

“Ha, yeah well I had help. Pep did all the hard work. I just freaked out most of the time.”

“God I wish I could’ve seen it —“

“Yeah, yeah, make fun of your dad,” he sends a sly smile my way, and raises a brow, “You know it’s not easy work preparing for a baby in the middle of an apocalypse.”

“Oh I bet…” I say, although it’s mostly to myself. I try to picture it. My dad and practically adoptive mother, living through the largest extinction event known to man, my dad having witnessed his child go…. and then finding out he’s soon going to have another to care for.

My dad suddenly speaks up, “It went through my head, so I know you probably thought it too. I want you to know we never intended on replacing you. That was never the goal. It was hard… to say the least, after losing you. And then she just surprised us and everything changed so quickly, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty — “

“You shouldn’t have.”

“I know, I know, but I did. And I just — it would be horrible if you thought that was what happened. So I want to make sure you know.”

“Yeah, of course.”

We share a beat of silence, sipping our coffee and enjoying the morning sounds of the lake. A question begs at my mind.

“Can I ask you,” I hesitate for a moment, “how did everything happen? You know, when we disappeared? I’m sorry, it’s just… no one talks about it, and I can hardly remember anything.”

I see the look on his face and I know it wasn’t a great idea to ask. From what I’ve gathered, for me it was a 5 minute nap, but for anyone else it was 5 years without their loved ones. And most watched them go. I know how bad this must have been for him, the man who has constant nightmares about being responsible for his loved ones’ deaths. But my father and I have an honesty policy - ever since I was old enough to understand what had happened in Afghanistan. So he takes a breath and informs me anyway.

“All we could do was wait. He had our stone, ran off for the rest. That’s when Mantis started fading, then the big guy, then Quill. The Doctor.” Tony pauses for a second, remembering.

“Dad?” Y/N stares up at him from across the clearing. Tony and Peter both watch, praying she isn’t going too. Praying she’s just afraid, but safe.

She stumbles forward, wanting desperately to reach her father before her arms no longer exist to latch on to him — but Tony finds his prayer’s haven’t been answered when her legs quietly turn to ash, the remnants of a reaching hand breeze past him, and a final cry is silenced when her lips fade into nonexistence.

“No,” he mumbles, refusing to comprehend the fate of his daughter, “no, no—“

“Mr. Stark?”

“Then you and Parker were gone…” he says, voice catching, and I watch my thumbs rub against the warm mug of coffee in my hands while he gathers his thoughts, “That was the only thing I could see for a while.”

“Well… sounds like I didn't miss anything fun, that’s for sure.” And he laughs weakly at my attempt to lighten the mood.

“no, no you really didn’t. Just worldwide mourning and me getting even less sleep than usual. God, but I wish you could’ve been here when Morgan was born. Although I guess you did get to skip the diaper phase, so that’s a win on your part. Oh, and me inventing time travel, but it’s no big de-“

“Dad,”

“Oh come on, it was iconic! History made, right in this house.”

“Alright, alright, i’ll give you that. I guess I have to thank you for that one.”

“Yeah, speaking of things you have to thank me for, have you checked out your room yet? I could tell Pepper was a little concerned for me when I started decorating it with your stuff. Rhodes called it coping. He thinks I thought that if I had a space dedicated to you, it wouldn’t feel like you were gone, but to be honest I don't really think I had any cohesive thoughts at that time. So I put the extra room in the floor plan, and threw all of your things together.”

“Yeah dad, it’s great. Thanks.” I say, trying to give him a smile despite picturing him working away in that room after I was gone. I wait a beat before saying “it is kind of weird, though, having a five year old sister all of a sudden.”

“it’s weird having my seventeen year old back all of a sudden, but what can you do? I guess it’s alright, you’re both cute.”

I laugh into the mug, thinking I haven't been cute since I was 8.

“You know, if you didn’t have these golden genes Underoos probably wouldn't be so into you,” he says, and he’s smirking teasingly.

“Where did that come from?” My eyes widen while his turn to the sky, feigning innocence, “Seriously? Come on dad, he was at the compound all the time, of course we’re gonna be friends.”

“Friends? Oh that’s all it is? Okay then, I’ll make sure to weave you both some nice matching bracelets. You didn’t happen to notice the way he had an eye on you at all times back on our space adventure, did you? Literally, not once did I see him look awa-“

“So he had my back! We were looking out for each other,”

“If you call constant heart eyes having your back, fine, okay,”

“Alright,” I pick my coffee up, turn toward the door, “we’re done here.”

But a smile hides itself behind my hair while I push open the screen door, my father following my lead into this new home.

We can all agree it’s nice to be back.

~~~~

There’s chapter one for you! I have the next few chapters written but I’m gonna try to space them out a little for sake of giving me time to stay caught up. I hope you enjoyed chapter one! If you want to read my only other work, you can find it below.

Labyrinth - my lovely angsty one shot

[bestworstcase]

i guess it’s still farran yells into the void about poetry hour because i’m still obsessing over the incantations except bitter snow this time. specifically the sun/moon incantations and the decay incantation, the healing incantation is the same.

(but farran, you ask, why would you change them? because LORE, that’s why)

(and also because i love to torture myself i guess)

incantations in general

the 5/5/5/6 trochaic pattern is a convention originating with the moonstone cult in aphelion. in the original aphelionese [which doesn’t really exist yet] they don’t rhyme; the ABCB rhyming scheme is something demanitus did when he translated them into his own language and then replicated when he began to create his own incantations.

there are other incantations from all over the world that follow different patterns. most of them relate to the moonstone, or more specifically to the black rocks, and in general incantations originate wherever a) black rocks break the surface and b) the people living there realize that they respond to song. sundrop incantations are much rarer, since there’s only one sundrop flower, and are mostly found in regions and cultures with a significant underground presence—i.e., where people are more likely to come into contact with the sundrop’s roots.

if i ever get so deep in this that i start writing other incantations please kill me  

the moonstone incantations

for the purposes of bitter snow these are the “original” incantations. i’m not sure they’re the oldest but they’re quite old and they have the distinction of being the only incantations crafted by people who had immediate, direct access to the power being invoked. most incantations, as i said, developed out of interaction between people and the roots of one of the drops, with only an indirect connection to the drops themselves; the aphelionese incantations, by contrast, developed out of the cult’s understanding of what the moonstone actually does, and directly invokes its power. so they’re much more potent.

anyway.

the decay incantation

opal in the dark grant the night to me let the shadows burn and set the spirit free

wither and decay end this destiny break these earthly chains and set the spirit free

in bitter snow lore, the purpose of the moonstone is to control the “shadows” of the sundrop’s power, which it accomplishes by transforming them into the black rocks. these shadows are the natural opposite of the sundrop, so they’re associated with darkness, destruction, corruption, and rot. 

so the literal function of this incantation is to release the sundrop’s shadows from the inert stone form and place them under the caster’s control. (as i’m sure you can imagine, this is catastrophic when it goes wrong.) if the first verse is recited by itself it invokes the sundrop instead—this is unintended and also catastrophic. in either case it’s volatile magic. 

the moon incantation

i outright rewrote this one for bitter snow, not because the original is bad, but because the original is very tailored to cassandra’s usage of it in cassandra’s revenge and i wanted something more in line with my lore. 

crescent high above watching from the skies set the stars ablaze and by your light i’ll rise

let me shake the seas wake me from my lies lend to me your wings and by your light i’ll rise

unlike the decay incantation, this one is calling upon the moonstone’s own power, which is associated with change, transformation, and movement. so it begins with an invocation to the moon and focuses on characteristics associated with the moon (the appearance of stars; the movement of tides; clarity of thought*, light, rising and flight).

(*this is an inversion of the irl folklore associating the moon with madness; in aphelion, with its cultural admiration of the moon, it makes sense to me that the moon would still have folkloric links to the mind but in a positive way. i think the underlying logic here is that it’s easiest to see clearly at night if the moon is full, therefore the association becomes moonlight = clarity.)

it’s also very much a prayer. in canon the sun/moon incantations grant whoever possesses the drops complete control over their power, but i don’t think that is remotely the intention for this incantation in the bitter snow ’verse; the people who crafted it were people who worshipped the moon and the moonstone, and the basic idea here is “loan me your power so i can edify you with it.” possession of the moonstone is irrelevant. even proximity to the moonstone is irrelevant as long as the caster has some preexisting connection to it i.e. the kind of link created by worshipping it. 

of course, for both of these incantations, the closer you are to the moonstone on a... spiritual? level, the more potent its effect will be. e.g., members of the brotherhood would get a much stronger kick from using the moon incantation than your average aphelionese farmer with no special connection to the moonstone, and for someone like cass—who becomes its avatar—the incantation is essentially god mode. likewise, the bigger the kick the harder the crash, so our farmer might feel a bit tired once it ebbs but the brotherhood member would be need a few days to recover and cass is just laid out after.

 the sundrop incantations

these incantations are the ones demanitus wrote for the sundrop based on his understanding of the aphelionese moonstone cult and their incantations. they’re modeled off the aphelionese incantations, but they lack the religious context because demanitus focused on the power of the drops and wasn’t especially interested in the worship aspect. 

the healing incantation

this is the only incantation in bitter snow that’s 100% untouched canon.

flower, gleam and glow let your power shine make the clock reverse bring back what once was mine

heal what has been hurt change the fates’ design save what has been lost bring back what once was mine

demanitus wrote this one first. i sort of imagine him attempting a direct, literal reverse of the decay incantation but eventually giving up in frustration because, unlike the decay incantation, he could never get it to work at range. 

the reason for this is that the decay incantation unleashes the shadows, which are everywhere—literally, they are at the core of the world, the black rocks spread across the whole globe, and the metaphorical “light” of the sundrop’s magic is always creating more—whereas the healing incantation calls on the sundrop’s magic directly and without any preexisting connection with the caster, its magic cannot be drawn from a distance. 

i think a devout priest of corona’s sun cult could have used this incantation at range before frederic uprooted the sundrop, but being eaten and then inhabiting rapunzel sort of... scrambled everything. however, i don’t think demanitus and the sun cult got on very well [because he didn’t care about the religious aspect at all] so he never shared his incantations with them.

gothel did use this incantation from a distance, because her familiarity with and regular use of the sundrop flower created that preexisting connection that is required. however, the effect is weaker from farther away—it’s like heat from a fire where closer = warmer—so in bitter snow, gothel’s regular use of the incantation at range was a matter of daily maintenance, preserving her health and allowing her to age normally, while she made trips to the flower itself to de-age herself every half a century or so.

in the bitter snow ’verse, the sundrop flower was found and uprooted a week before rapunzel’s birth, and then there’s a six month gap between her birth and gothel’s kidnapping. i think gothel goes about three months without realizing that her daily recitation isn’t... working anymore—i picture her cutting herself chopping vegetables or something and trying the incantation and then being like “...fuck” when it doesn’t heal—and then it takes her another three months to figure out what happened and plan her infiltration of the palace. 

in bitter snow, the sundrop being uprooted and then absorbed into baby rapunzel damaged it. to return to the light source metaphor: the magic of the intact sundrop is the light from an electric lamp—steady, bright, casting a regular and predictable shadow—but after the flower is uprooted, the sundrop’s roots stay in the ground while its magic ends up in rapunzel’s hair, and the magic channeled through her hair is more like the light of a candle flame—fragile, dim, casting a flickering and unpredictable shadow.

the sun incantation

the canonical sun incantation worked with the bitter snow lore better than the moon one did; however, since demanitus modeled his sun incantation on the aphelionese moonstone incantation, i wanted the sun incantation to more directly mirror my version of the moon incantation. so instead of rewriting it outright, i took the bits of the canon sun incantation that worked well for me and remixed them.

jewel of the sky blazing high and bright burn away the dark and let my hope ignite

purge my heart of fear restore my fading sight strengthen me with fire and let my hope ignite

for this one, i imagine demanitus attempting to replicate the aesthetic of the moon incantation without quite grasping its religious implications; he looks at the moon incantation and sees a poetic invocation of the moon followed by a request for power but misses how the moon incantation reflects back on and extols the moon itself, so demanitus’s sun version lacks that element of giving anything back. a command, rather than an exchange. 

this one, he considered a success, because he was able to make it work even without having found the sundrop flower itself. what he didn’t realize is that he was able to do so because of how extremely potent this incantation really is—so potent that even somebody like demanitus, who had never even seen the sundrop flower, was able to use it with noticeable effect. 

on a functional level, the purpose of the reflection back to the moon in the moon incantation is to create a whole circuit between the moon and the caster, so that all that power has somewhere to go after the incantation is finished. this sacrifices some power in exchange for making the incantation much safer to use, because the power flows through the caster. they can hold onto it for a while after completing the incantation, but it’s hard, and it requires considerable force of will to do so, because the magic wants to complete the circle by flowing out of the caster and back to the moon. 

demanitus’s sun incantation, by comparison, creates a straight line: power flows from the sun and into the caster, who then becomes a vessel for it. with this incantation, the magic gets dammed up inside the caster, which is what makes it so potent, but it also wants to stay there, and must be forcefully pushed back the way it came when the incantation is finished. and that’s dangerous, because it’s simply too much power for a human body to contain. this is why the sun incantation takes such a severe physical toll on its casters (unless they’re like demanitus, have no other link to the sundrop, and are getting only a tiny fraction of the potential output).