#if anything power of three has the perfect balance of showing and telling

[cozage]

Hi Coza. I sent a request in for a part 2 for a lifetime promise, but after reading what you said about writing second parts, I decided to change my request. Instead of writing a part 2 for a lifetime promise, could you do a Ace, Sabo x female reader headcanon where the reader is a water devil fruit user. Like how would a water user and fire user mix as a couple? Thank you. You work is amazing and always love to see what you do! 😊

This was really cute to write about! Thanks for the request!

Characters: female reader X Sabo, Ace Word Count: 600 CW: none :)

Ace

You are constantly putting out his fires, literally and figuratively. Ace loves to make a big show of his powers, but he isn’t always aware of his surroundings. 

The ship is of course always the biggest concern. But he’s also been known to accidentally burn down buildings and allegedly, a forest. His destruction rate has been 0 since you came around. You’re always right behind him, watching for stray fires he may not have noticed. It happens more frequently than you expected.

Whenever he says something ridiculous, you always spray him with a little bit of water and tell him “you need to cool off,” or “you’re getting too hot there.”

Water beats fire, of course, and you never let him forget it. He kind of likes that you keep him grounded. 

He feels a little bit more like a person and less like an element when he’s holding your hand. You have to admit you feel the same. You balance each other. 

People on the crew tease him relentlessly about how much he shows his love for you. In response, he’ll throw an arm around you and always say “She’s my weakness, what can I say?” You try not to let him see how much that silly statement makes you want to MELT into a puddle (sometimes literally you begin to melt. You can’t help it.)

After particularly spicy makeout sessions or…other things, the room is FILLED with steam. It’s basically a freaking sauna in there. Sometimes you can hardly see anything besides each other. And when you finally have to open the door and the steam spills out into the hallway, everyone on the floor knows what you guys were up to. No way to be sneaky about that, unfortunately. 

Sabo

Whenever Sabo comes up with some insanely exuberant plan, you always flick water in his face. “Don’t get cocky,” you warn. You had done it when he demanded to go to Dressrosa, but he had gone anyway. 

You’re delighted to discover your water flick still works on him (and is perhaps more effective) after he comes back from Dressrosa with a fire power. 

You find that since Dressrosa, Sabo has been kissing you a lot more frequently. Even his quick “see you at home” kisses turn into three or four. When you finally ask him about it, he just shrugs and says “I dunno how to describe it. It’s just so refreshing. You’re so refreshing.”

When he gets particularly frustrated in a meeting, he’ll look at you and say “cool me down, babe.” It makes everyone laugh as you pat his face with water, but you know he actually needs you to do it to stay calm. 

Sabo has always been a confident person who is independent and likes to take charge. After he comes back from Dressrosa, he’s still all of those things, but he likes being near you while he does them. You aren’t sure if it’s because of his fruit or if it’s because of whatever happened in Dressrosa, but you like him leaning on you a bit more. 

As he works to perfect his moves, he likes having you around. It takes him a while to get the right power level for the moves he has ideas for and he doesn’t want anything to burn down. Some days he even requests a little water barrier (think like The Birdcage, but with water and not malicious).

Now that Sabo has fire powers, sensations are definitely more heightened for both of you. Even when you all touch each other, the feeling is different compared to when he didn’t have a devil fruit. It definitely adds a new exciting and fun aspect to your relationship, one that both of you are extra eager to explore further.

[lolahauri]

: ̗̀➛ Ian Malcolm: Smut Alphabet 🔞

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

A gentleman, he already has a towel and bottle of water waiting on his nightstand for you.

Loves to cuddle, talk, and joke around with you after sex.

Falling asleep in his arms >

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Thighs and ass man for sure.

Playfully slaps your butt every time you walk past him.

Loves having your thighs wrapped around him when he goes down on you.

His favorite part of himself is his hands/arms.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Either inside you, or on your stomach. 

Loves watching his cum drip out of you.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Even though he tends to be the more dominant and teasing one, he LOVES it when you take charge and boss him around.

He finds it both cute, and really fucking sexy.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Very experienced. I mean, come on, he’s in his 40’s. He’s had his fair share of ex’s and casual flings.

And he knows exactly what he’s doing, both because he’s had a lot of practice, and he’s very observant. He’s learned just what it takes to turn you on or make you cum. 

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Doggy, he likes having a little power over you. And bending you over like that makes you totally helpless and weak.

He also likes to lean over and whisper in your ear and leave a trail of kisses over your shoulder and back during it.

Honorable mention: Cowgirl. Gives him a lovely view.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Perfect balance of funny and serious, i mean he’s not gonna act like a fucking clown, but i don’t think he takes anything too seriously. 

Not afraid to crack a couple jokes or tease you once in a while.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Long but trims it a bit so it’s not out of control. Super curly like his hair.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

He can be very romantic when the moment calls for it. 

Like if it’s a special occasion, like vday or your anniversary, he’s got the light down low, rose petals, champagne, soft music in the background, the works.

He’ll also be praising you, worshipping your body, and doing every thing you ask.

Certified lover boy.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Not often, once or twice a week maybe.

He thinks about you every time though.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Dirty talk. He fucking loooves dirty talk.

Tell him how good he feels or what you want him to do to you, and he'll be putty in your hands.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

His office, bed, and car are his top three choices.

Also likes the couch and shower

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Short skirts/dresses and booty shorts, shows off your butt and legs nicely.

You teasing him. For example: running your fingers up his leg under the table, bending over in front of him with a skirt on, unexpected dirty talk or sexts.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He’s kinda vanilla so i don’t think he’d be into any more risky kinks

Like bdsm, cnc, impact play, etc… 

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Leans towards giving, it boosts his ego soo much to see you tossing & turning and whining under his mouth.

But he does also love getting a blowjob under the desk from you.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He likes to start off slow and hard, making you desperate for more.

Eventually picks up the pace to give more quick, hard, and shallow thrusts

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He’s fine with them. He’d prefer to make-out and do a lot of foreplay first though.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Not big on experimenting, the most risk he’ll take is semi-public spaces.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He’s an old man, he’s only got one, MAYBE two rounds in him, but he’ll edge himself to last a little longer for you. 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Doesn’t have any and doesn’t plan to use any.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

The biggest tease ever, he loves to do little things that turn you on and then play dumb and leave you wanting more. 

He'll be getting you hot n bothered throughout the whole day, making you wait till you get home to give you some relief.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

A bit vocal but not super loud. Lots of groans, heavy breathing and grunting.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Definitely a manther

(male version of cougar)

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Big, but average girth. 

7 inches or close to it.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Average, wants to have sex once every day or two.

If you have a higher sex drive, he’ll happily try to accommodate that.

So if he didn't have the stamina to go again, expect a lot of oral and fingering.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Again, he’s an old man, he’ll get tired right afterwards. 

So hopefully your ready to cuddle and sleep :) 

[vsnotresponding]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Question about Púlsar... Can you tell us more about Ira and Ecco? :)

hi! thanks for the ask :]

sure i can! this got long too ups

as a little intro, ira is one of the three creators currently alive. creators are natives to the island of Ila that can harness her magic to make creations (small stones that give light and heat). she has had a rough life so far (witnessed the brutal murder of a caretaker, lived in poverty, starved but not quite enough to die, and suffered from carrying an unknown illness for her whole life). negligible compared to what awaits her once the story starts

what most defines her is her love for her family and her identity as a creator. she doesn't know what she would do with níniam and hamza, the other two creators. she would do anything to keep them safe, even giving up her own life without a thought. as for being a creator, and her faith, it was what her mentor drilled into her when she was a small child. it's also one thing she's proud about herself, as she's the best out of the three at it (hamza, the older one, is more precise but less powerful, and níniam, the youngest, is very powerful but has no control over it. ira, on the other hand, is the perfect balance in between the two).

she either actively hates you, barely just tolerates you, or she considers you her own and will then do anything for you. (it is, of course, very hard to get yourself into that last one category). this doesn't mean that she's insensitive to the suffering of others, she does care, and won't do anything to make it worse as long as it doesn't interfere with keeping her family safe.

to most people she comes off as mean, careless and harsh when she speaks (she's aware and doesn't care much), and creepy when she's quiet. she has no filter when talking and will tell you things as they are without sparing your feelings. she also hates when people try to spare her feelings too, at least. she's fine with people lying, or being selfish or self-serving as long as they own that they are those things.

telling things as they are also means she's honest with her feelings (and is very self aware of them). she will show when she's sad, or mad, or when she cares. at one point in the story it's required of her not to do this, and it completely wrecks her.

and it's here when the ecco makes its appearance.

more than an actual character, it's the representation of ira's mental space. it's left to interpretation whether it's actually there or if it's just an hallucination. the ecco is a dark density that stays around ira when she's convalescing after she's almost killed. it has no facial features but to ira it cruelly smiles down at her, and it whispers words she can't understand but that fill her with dread.

she gives it the name ecco for the servants of one of her gods, zaeaf. he's framed as a villain and the cause of everything that's wrong with the island. it is said that the ecco would come out of the sea to drag people into it and then drown them.

anyways i love her so much. if you wanna officially met her most of púlsar is currently uploaded on my blog :] (im currently revising)

here's an intro sheet i made for ace week last year for ira

and here she is at two points in the story too:

[floatingcatacombs]

GENSHIKEN POWER LEVELS

12 Days of Aniblogging 2023, Day 10

For no particular reason, all the members of the Genshiken have had their abilities translated into specific parameters. It’s pretty obvious that A would be the strongest, but you might be thinking to yourself, “What on earth is all this B+ and C+ nonsense!?” Well, don’t worry, because I’m not going to explain anything here. Just consult the Servant Parameter Rules.

Overall, the ratings represent ‘otaku power expressed as deviance, taking combat potential into account’.

Spotted Flower spoilers follow. (everyone is bisexual now).

Sasahara Kanji: C+, B

Condition: Green

An “average” otaku in nearly all respects, though he has good taste and the ability to distance himself and speak objectively, even when under attack by girls. Can appreciate yaoi in some situations. As a manga editor, of course, his power increases, and his devotion to his waifu is commendable. The Gunpla Quiz gave him the Ball as his favorite mobile suit, and he’s also a Patwaber fan!

Still… Ahhh! Men who get in the way of Yuri are unforgivable!

Kousaka Makoto A-

BAYOEN! BAYOEN! BAYOEN! BAYOEN! BAYOEN!

Extremely high base stats, a very scary offense and near-perfect defense, that pretty-boy face, perfect crossdressing, and the ability to make it all look effortless. Capable of going at it for half an hour while also watching anime! He can pull girls for threesomes whenever he wants! (not Saki though). He’s a master of the Great Tanaka Rensa technique! That kind of power is truly fearsome… However, a kiss on the cheek from Sasahara was super effective.

Harunobu Madarame. C++/--

Sou Uke

A lot of pros, a lot of cons. However, it all balances out to an average C. This guy is the very picture of a normal otaku… or at least, he tries to be. Low base stats, excellent coverage and decent utility, but he suffers from four moveslot syndrome. Capable of entering a gay relationship, and even bottoming, although the circumstances were not particularly praiseworthy. Easily punishable, due to his excessive recovery frames.

…I can’t decide if cheating on his wife on the night she gave birth to their child is something that raises or lowers his power level.

Mitsunori Kugayama C-

Level 27 Ranger

A pretty skilled artist, when he has to be. Usually he doesn’t have to be, so that’s fine. Manages to live a nice normal life without drama, and that counts for a lot – but he’s pretty conflict-averse.

Souichirou Tanaka. B

P-Bandai 1/100 MG Master Grade Ver. Ka

Capable of successfully synthesizing 2d and 3d by sewing cosplay, building gunpla, and even making custom figurines. Tanaka definitely understands the power of care and love. That’s not the kind of power you can take lightly.

The type to mostly just block attacks until he sees an opening.

Kasukabe Saki E

Blood Type: AB

An otaku-sounding name, but a low power level. Not actually very good at conflict, either. Still, she has been to Comiket Comifest! Don’t count her out.

Ohno Kanako D+, B

Wears a Three Star Uniform

Just wants to be a pretty cosplay mannequin with no internality – until Ogiue shows up, and then the gloves come off. You can really tell the devs put a lot of effort into that jiggling, huh. Don’t take her lightly though: she built seven Goufs.

Her victory line, “There’s no such thing as a girl who hates homos!!”, does feel really out of place after a round win against Hato though.

The Genshiken President ???

BLOOD TYPE: BLUE

A mystery to the last.

Angela Burton – C+

“Unlike your chest, mine gives people dreams and desires.”

You’d think that not being able to understand all those doujinshi she’s buying would make her a weak otaku – but in practice not speaking Japanese just makes her really good at dodging attacks. Extremely high attack power. Eventually becomes an enlightened being capable of appreciating both Yaoi and Yuri and, uh, demanding threesomes from her friends. Hm.

Suzanna Hopkins – B+

Pettan Pettan Tsurupettan

Today I’ll sneakily hide in the trees again and keep stalking Ogiue! I'll wait and steal the precious thing!  The little girl who speaks in nothing but references is actually really blushing?! She sticks out her arms when she runs; is she going for the cute look?

This fanservice joke girl (evil spirit begone!) /

born into the nation of America (probably plays puyo puyo)/

was actually, canonically, (Kadabra, Alakazam)/

bisexual??????? (Mada Mada Ra, Mada Mada Ra, Mada Mada Rame, yeah!)/

Manabu Kuchiki – E

Stand Parameter: Development Potential E

The other kind of joke character. Like Sue, he’s a grappler, but he just doesn’t have enough options or ability to adjust to matchups. Gets points for liking traps, but loses them for one-note misogyny; gets  points for kissing Madarame but loses them for being boring. Starts a lot of conflict but easy and uninteresting to deal with; he always goes for the super so you just have to bait it out and then smash attack him.

If that wasn’t enough, I personally hate this guy because if not for him Hato and Madarame totally would have done That!!!!!  

Ogiue Chika D+, A

Genshiken Brigade Chief and Ultra Fujoshi Director

Incredible otaku power – enough to draw doujinshi of people she knows in real life and easily grasp the truth of Kifujin Kaminaga’s “Hato x Brother” madness. She does constantly try to kill herself and deny her heart but once she stops doing that she’s capable of producing incredible amounts of manga. Ends up with a boyfriend and a girlfriend but complains that sexually satisfying them both takes away from her drawing time. She’s bad at dealing with conflict but her pure ‘level of ability as an otaku’ is close to the top of the rankings.

This ranking is curtain fire shooting game.

Girls do their best now and are preparing. Please watch warmly until it is ready.

The border land was wrapped in Scarlet Magic. Girls believe that you solve this Genshiken Nidaime.

Yoshitake Rika C+++

Nen Type: Manipulator (Pseudo-Coercive).

A demon of chaos. Her power as a fujoshi is fairly standard, but she devotes herself wholeheartedly to causing problems and drama – and in this capacity she’s powerful enough to approach Hato. All her moves have random components… in serious play nobody uses her but among casual players she’s often considered broken.

Yoshitake Risa D

Noble Phantasm Rank C

It’s all fictional anyway but girl. what is wrong with you. Fails to appreciate Hato, but does get Hato to wear fetish clothing, so that’s a bonus. The gap between her appearance and her personality is moe.

Mirei Yajima D+, A-

Self-Proclaimed Uncute Girl Doing Uncute Things

Toiling away in the shonen mines, convinced that someday Naruto and Sasuke will kiss for real no you just don’t understand the depths of their relationship. A terrible artist, and she knows it. Grouchy and grumbly and insecure about her gender presentation, especially with Hato around.

But she’s a good writer, and a good editor, and she knows what she wants (Hato) and how to get it. My second favorite character honestly; I really love the way her complexes towards and around Hato play out. “He needs to have sex with a guy so we can draw better manga, which is the only way to make sure he stays with me!” Yajimacchi are you okay? (no she is not. She has way too much internality).

Kenjirou Hato. A++

Super High School Level Homewrecker

What is Hato’s otaku level? Let’s review: Hato is a crossdresser with a foundational crush on his older brother’s EX-level fujoshi girlfriend, going so far as to dress up as her, copy her drawing style well enough to end up with a wall circle spot at Comifest, and blush when she tells him “Hey. I’m getting married to your brother soon. It’d be really hot if you dressed up as me and fucked my husband-to-be, your brother, as revenge on me for taking him away from you.”

Hato has a naked floating tulpa girl of his fujoshi self floating around behind him who does things like make him smell his senpai’s bedsheets and shower in his room, hoping Madarame will walk in on him. Once he's in deep enough with all of this, he gains a second naked floating tulpa girl of his fujoshi self who has the same eyes as his older brother's girlfriend and is Evil. Hato then integrates both of them and keeps crossdressing after a conversation with Ogiue about what he really wants to be and what he wants to draw.

Hato is out of his fucking mind. I love him.

Hato’s conflict potential is also extremely high. Not only was he a judoka (who spent time in the locker room looking at other boys’ bodies and thinking about yaoi) he expertly plays all kinds of “ohhhh you should just give up on me” women games with Madarame’s pure maidenly heart.

And then Spotted Flower happens. Spotted Flower is a moiling toxic sexual swamp of barely-holding-together relationships and threesomes where your good old favorite Genshiken buddies are now bi (Kousaka, Sasahara, Sue, Ogiue, Angela, and Yajima, in addition to original series bisexuals Madarame and Hato) and cheating on each other. Everybody hates Spotted Flower and they’re so wrong.

By the time of Spotted Flower, Hato is living as a woman full time, with silicone implants.

Regrettably, I have no choice but to stan.

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Duke Who Didn't. By Courtney Milan. 2020.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Wedgeford Trials #1

Summary: Miss Chloe Fong has plans for her life, lists for her days, and absolutely no time for nonsense. Three years ago, she told her childhood sweetheart that he could talk to her once he planned to be serious. He disappeared that very night.

Except now he’s back. Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing, has returned to the tiny village he once visited with the hope of wooing Chloe. In his defense, it took him years of attempting to be serious to realize that the endeavor was incompatible with his personality.

All he has to do is convince Chloe to make room for a mischievous trickster in her life, then disclose that in all the years they’ve known each other, he’s failed to mention his real name, his title… and the minor fact that he owns her entire village.

Only one thing can go wrong: Everything.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: graphic sexual content, microaggressions

OVERVIEW: I was so excited when I saw this book at my local bookstore. I love Courtney Milan's work, and I was excited to get my hands on a hard copy of The Duke Who Didn't. It was wonderful to read more from Milan - and even more wonderful to read a historical romance that centered East Asian (particularly Chinese) characters. While there are little things here and there that I could nitpick, I found this book to be overall very charming, so it gets 4.5 stars from me.

WRITING: I don't think I have anything to say about Milan's prose that I haven't already said before. I love the way Milan makes her writing seem so effortless; it's quick, it's descriptive, it's full of emotion, and it balances showing and telling well. It's also full of heartfelt speeches that I've come to associate with her stories, and it had a tendency to grip my heart at the most unexpected times.

PLOT: The plot of this book follows Chloe Fong, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant living in a small village in 19th century Kent, as she helps her father start a commercial business selling sauce. Chloe plans to sell jars of sauce during the Wedgeford Trials - an annual event that draws visitors from all over the UK. If everything goes according to plan, her father's sauce will become popular enough that they can have a more comfortable income. The trouble is that the sudden appearance of Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing after a 3 year absence threatens to throw a wrench in Chloe's plans, especially since the two have a powerful attraction to one another.

I really loved the story of Chloe and her father trying to get their sauce business off the ground. Not only did it show the two working together and butting heads in ways that clearly betrayed their affection for one another, but it also provided a nice commentary on what it meant to be "from" a place.

And perhaps this is an easy thing to like, but: I did appreciate the fact that this was a historical romance that focused on non-white characters. The genre is overrun with white characters, and though things are changing, I feel like anything I read by Milan (or various others like Beverly Jenkins or Alyssa Cole) is a breath of fresh air.

CHARACTERS: Chloe, our heroine, is easy to like and root for because of her dedication to her father and his business. Chloe is stubborn and determined but also over-works herself and refuses to accept help; these qualities make her relatable without making her perfect, and I liked that her arc involved learning to accept help.

Jeremy, our hero, is also easy to like because of his teasing and laid-back manner. I enjoyed the way he pestered Chloe without being mean-spirited and I liked that is arc involved not only learning to be "serious" ("earnest" might be more accurate?), but also accepting that maybe what's best for him can't be found in white British society.

Chloe's father is an effective supporting character in that he challenges both Chloe and Jeremy to grow. I liked that he and Chloe shared some of the same faults (overworking and refusing to accept help) while also having clear affection for one another. Descriptions of his cooking skills also made my mouth water on more than one occasion, and I laughed whenever he made his food overly spicy in order to mess with Jeremy.

Most other supporting characters are only minimally involved in the story, so a thorough analysis isn't really necessary. All of them served their purpose, so I didn't really feel like any were dead weight or distracted from the story.

TL;DR: The Duke Who Didn't is a delightful, heartfelt romance that really shines when showcasing the father-daughter relationship and the contrast between the two protagonists' personalities. If you're a fan of historical romance but are getting tired of Regencies about rich white people, you might want to give this one a try.

ROMANCE: Chloe and Jeremy's relationship was fun to read about in part because the character personalities contrasted nicely. Chloe is a planner and is always making to-do lists while Jeremy is more laid back and impulsive. Despite this difference, they played off each other well, and I liked that their disagreements were good-natured while also challenged each other to think and grow.

I also very much liked how their arc involved supporting one another. Jeremy fills an emotional need in Chloe's life by helping her learn to share her burdens, while Chloe helps Jeremy feel worthy after being rejected by a lot of people for being half Chinese. Their individual arcs and growth as a couple complemented each other well, so on the whole, the romance was very emotionally satisfying.

[artzychic27]

Miracleverse: Null’s Adventures: Chapter 2, part 2

Logan immediately got inside the bathroom, still trembling. He felt the urge to break something, but he kept holding himself back, to not cause a scene that could compromise his mission.

He went to one of the sinks and started splashing water on his face time and time again. It seemed like his rage only got worse.

“Mister Celsius, can you stop this tantrum?!” Axell asked on a reprimanding tone.

“I am not in the mood for a lecture, Axell” the brunette said, still in a trance. The kwami was not threatened, though.

“It’s a shame, because you are gonna get one if you keep acting like a child” the axolotl creature continued, keeping his stance.

The brunette boy sighed, knowing there was no way of winning against his kwami’s insistence. So, he just entered one stall to avoid the risk of being discovered by one of the students.

“What did I tell you?” Axell asked, as if he was a parent, ready to scold his child.

“To not judge this people by the mistakes they made in other worlds” Logan answered.

“And what did you do?” the kwami asked.

“I judged them by their mistakes on my dimension…” the brunette answered. He knew what would be said next, so, he put himself in the defensive.

“Is it my fault though? I doubt that if anyone else was in my place, they would have done anything differently!” Logan exclaimed, his eyes getting watery. The kwami was filled with empathy.

“Look… I went through hell and worse with those people for the last year. They humiliated me, attacked me, some even tried to kill me! More than once!” the brunette continued, starting to cry.

“Sorry if I can’t be a perfect Axolotl holder like your previous wielders… but, I can’t be here. I can’t be with those people anymore… I can’t… I can’t… I can’t” Logan spoke, hiding his face in his knees, as he tried to embrace himself to feel safe.

The amount of trauma this boy went through in the period of a year was too much for anyone to handle. Bullying in school, facing villains in his ‘free time’, and don’t forget, the old family drama, ever since he found out he had a father and who he was.

“Well… I suppose it’s better to just… transform and wait for them on the top of a building…” Axell said, understanding his holder’s pain…

“Thanks, Axell” the brunette said, while petting his kwami’s head in a way to show affection and gratitude.

“Colors shine” Logan said, activating his transformation. He was about to use his powers to run away discreetly, but, something stopped him.

And by something, I mean someone literally destroyed the bathroom’s door.

“Logan, where are you? It’s time for payback…” an eerie voice said from the outside of the stall.

This voice belonged to no one else then Monarch’s newest villain: Karma.

Karma was a boy that used a black suit, with some red glowing details. His hair looked just like in his regular form, but it was colored red. His eyes looked like the ones of a lizard. He had the symbol of the balance of justice on his chest.

(Imagine Ephemeral, but the balance replaces the ‘fast-forward’ option, the red replaces the purples, his hair is out, and he has a necklace).

He was holding a scythe (it looks like Spinel’s), and was walking into the direction of the stalls.

“It seems like I will have to force you out of hiding” he said angrily. With his scythe, he destroyed the three stalls… but, to his surprise, no one was there.

In anger, he burst out of the bathroom.

“Where did Logan Lazuli go?!” Karma screamed, frightening everyone who was around.

“Only a coward goes after someone who can’t defend himself” a voice said, coming from above.

Karma looked up, thinking that it was probably either Scarlet Beetle or Ikati Black. He was surprised to see it was none of them…

“Who… are… you?” Karma asked, not understanding this change in the formula.

The mysterious figure came down from the roof and faced the villain directly in the eyes.

“The name is Null… but, it’s not like you will need to remember it. I am only here to end this clownery” Null said, grabbing his keyblade.

Karma growled and jumped to attack this new opponent. Null smirked.

“Prisma Clones!” the axolotl said, activating one of his powers. He ended up covering himself in life and creating fake clones made of light. 6 were false and 1 was real.

Considering Karma was with a scythe, he used it to attack all 6 clones in front of him in a single swoop. All of them were fake, so disappeared.

When he turned around to attack the real Null, the axolotl was already there.

“Checkmate, sir” Null said, hitting him with keyblade, and sending him flying away. When the villain was out of view, he took the chance to grab the scythe in the ground.  

“Who could have guessed the moth could actually be used for evil?” he asked himself, remembering Miss Purple back on his Paris, and how she used her Charms to create Champions to fight the evil duo.

“But, in every dimension, their weakness is the same… breaking the object!” the axolotl said, breaking the scythe with his knee.

To his surprise, the scythe, instead of unleashing an akuma, dissipated into light.

“What?!” Null asked, worried about what that meant. A wicked laugh reached his ears.

“That was not the akuma, jerk” Karma said, returning to the roof. He looked a lot different than before. He was bigger, the reds were brighter, and now he had four arms.

“Karma isn’t like a menu where you get what you want… you get what you deserve!” the villain said, creating a bow out of nowhere with his powers.

“Hasta la vista!” Karma said, firing an energy arrow at the axolotl. The arrow exploded, and it was Null time to blast off.

__________________________________________

Meanwhile, Max had hidden himself in the Library, so that he could talk with his kwami.

“Plagg, what in the name of Einstein is going on?! Who is that holder?” the genius asked, extremely confused.

“Since he is pretty colorful… I guess it’s the holder of one of the axolotls across the multiverse” Plagg said, clearly not impressed by the recent turn of events.

“What are you talking about?” Max asked.

“Ok, kid, basically, those multiverse theories you nerds talk about so much are true” the kwami answered.

“I knew it!” the genius exclaimed, beaming with the joy of one of his conspiracy theories being official.

“Yeah, and the axolotl miraculous has the power of travelling between worlds” Plagg spoke.

“Oh, my neutrons, I have so many questions…” Max said, excited about all the research he could do with this new piece of information.

“Kid, I would love to explain it all to you, but I think you should focus on the akumatized villain” Plagg said. The genius sighed in disappointment.

“You are right… Plagg, claws out!”

__________________________________________

Kim, who was in the Gym, also had his own doubts about what was happening.

“So, is the emo guy good or bad?” the athlete said, referring to Null.

“Assuming from the energetic signature, I assume he is the holder of one of the axolotls miraculouses” Tikki answered.

Kim, however, seemed to be as confused as he was before.

“Well… there are multiple universes spread around the multiverse, and the axolotl miraculous has the power of allowing its holder to go from universe to universe.

The athlete was still confused though.

“So, let’s defeat the akuma and I will explain it to you carefully later, okay?” the kwami suggested.

Kim, who wasn’t really looking forward to one of these complex talks, eagerly accepted the suggestion.

“Tikki, spots on!”

__________________________________________

So, yep. I decided to send all parts here, and, if none of them have problems, I will stich them all together into one.

I have been… adding and editing Astro’s backstory. I might be posting a family tree to explain the mess. Now his name back on his home dimension is Astro Celsius, but he is Sphinx in some dimensions. Long story...

And, depending on my choices, next part, is when SB and IK Astro appear. And either he will use a miraculous I created, or the Eagle… still deciding.

Any problems with this chapter, I am open to critiques.  

[thewingedmuse]

(a) Danielle, or D.A

(b) She/they

(c) Romantic, as I've had abusive relationships and people cheating on me, so I want to have a glimpse of my love life :')

(d) I feel like love is just caring for someone to the point that you feel their pain, happiness, sadness, and anger, and find yourself resonating and compiling with it... someone who's there for the whole rollercoaster, whether its romantic, platonic, friendship, or any other type of love

ofc I'll give feedback, and have a wonderful day!

Hello! Thank you for joining Your Entwined Bonds! Hope you're well 🐚 ✨

Danielle, your soul is graceful and swan-like. She has soft brown skin, doe-like brown eyes, dark hair and very bright aura. She is ethereal. The brightness of her aura isn't blinding but soft, like how the morning sun could be seen in its full radiance from behind lace curtains. Her energy feels like clam shells and pearls, it also reminds me of fresh cream and lace with how soft, smooth and fragrant her energy is. She has a very soft and gentle voice with a melodious quality. She has elegant demeanor, and when speaking she would nod her head and smile softly.

I asked if I could tap into her essence in order to give you more knowledge about her. She agreed. She was originally a creature borne by the lake, like an elemental being. There were vibrant red and pink flowers growing by the lake which she very much enjoyed. With time she gained a sense of self from being by the lake absorbing its natural essence. This is the origin of how she came to be.

Your soul's message to you

"Tell her I said hello. Tell her the world outside is tough, and to trust herself. Trust in your abilities even if you doubt. Find your inner balance. If anything, you're capable enough."

After your soul has imparted her message, I asked if she could lead the way to your romantic soulmate who missed you the most. She agreed, and gestured forward.

I bowed to her in gratitude, and walked along the direction she showed me. I didn't know where I was going but before long I came across a guy.

He has dark brown skin. Seems a bit goofy with his mannerisms because he has very expressive body language that shows just what he's thinking. He has a patient, casual voice that relaxes you and makes you laugh. His build looks between athletic and average, he's quite tall with broad shoulders. He looked lost and confused lol. He stopped walking when he saw me.

"Uh do you know what you're doing here?" I asked him.

"Yeah I'm," he said while looking back at your soul's direction. "I'm called for an interview?"

"Yeah, you're Danielle's soulmate right?"

"Yeah that's right."

"Would you like to tell Danielle your name?"

He told his name which I'll send to you in private. Names hold power and it's best not to share it in public.

As this conversation progressed like an interview, my questions would be in highlight.

What do you think about the past lives you shared with Danielle?

"They were challenging but introspective, we learned things about each other that we otherwise wouldn't be able to. Multi-perspective."

What's your perfect day like?

"Out spending time with myself, kayaking, camping under the stars, just doing my own thing. Might bring my dog. Ask Danielle to join me, if she will," he said those last three words softly, tenderly.

What's your favourite memory in your past lives with Danielle?

"Making popcorn, I remember it popped so hard it got onto her," he laughed. "Watching TV, movie nights. Holding hands. Her walking in front of me, it's like I could see only her, man. It's like she's a whole new world opening up to me and I could barely take my eyes off her. She's that special. And her being herself, throwing some tantrums. My baby and I always make up the very next day. Couldn't keep our hearts apart. I guess that's what love makes you."

How long ago was the popcorn past life?

"Very long ago, when we used to cook popcorn, when TV wasn't even in colour."

What movies did you both enjoy?

"Shark movies. Ophelia, there was a while where she particularly enjoyed Hamlet too."

What are the memories you believe Danielle needs to remember about her past lives with you?

"Remember the lessons we learned from it so that it won't be repeated."

What lessons did you learn from your past lives with her?

"That it's OK to just be alone. It's OK to do your own thing and not mind what others say."

What lessons do you think Danielle learned from her past lives with you?

"Not blame herself. Not carry that self blame and self doubt, or self hatred in her heart. Sometimes she gave in too much. She gave too much of herself away."

What is the common theme in your past lives with Danielle?

"Sharing each other's burdens. Camaraderie. We get each other. We know each other. We are like that missing jigsaw puzzle. We support each other." There were some lives in which you were not a couple but very close friends and you shared this kind of dynamic too.

Will you be meeting Danielle as your present incarnation?

"I certainly hope so," he said. Though he fears there would be a problem with time, like right place wrong time kind of thing. He said things like this cannot be predicted or controlled, you just live with it.

What is your present incarnation like?

"Unique, struggling to either fit it or stand out because he's so different from the others, alienated, has issues about self presentation and he just needs to figure it out with time and maturity because maturity is gathered with experience and insight." He could have a future as a performer or artist, it's his talent. He struggles with his own gender though, curious about being more female-leaning.

What message do you have for Danielle?

"It's OK to be alone. Seek help if you need. Don't be like bottled up." He really wished that you would ask for help when you need and not be averse to approaching others too.

What do you wish you could have done or done more with Danielle in your past lives?

"Cook food, try out new recipes, experiment with wild things, just totally let ourselves go, chase dreams,go on a yacht ride, go crazy!"

What are your parting words with Danielle?

He would like to sing you a lullaby so you'd sleep and that's how he's gonna slip away while you're sleeping peacefully. He wants you to know that the next time you see stars notice how bright they are because that's how much love he has for you. "Goodbye," he said, waving gently.

That's it! I hope this reading gave you insight, warmth and many happy feelings. Please remember to give feedback! Take care! Have a lovely day and a restful night.

[passionforfic]

Harry Potter Saga: Reflections

It's been 21 years since I first read the first four books of the Harry Potter series. I have read the complete series a couple of times since then but I started rereading the seven original books in Thanksgiving and finished last Sunday. It never gets old, to tell you the truth. I laughd, let tears roll down my cheeks and went through the emotions along with the characters as if it were the first time. The truth is that this series will always hold a strong appeal to me even if I turn 100 because its characters are not black and white, they feel real because these characters evolve, they are not static and they change with their experiences. Another thing that makes this story so rich is that our perception of these characters change as we get to know them, we are fooled by what seems to be - just like Harry - and the twists are so intense, they leave me with mixed feelings and awe.

If my reader has only seen the movies, he/she won't understand, for the movies enclose the characters in stereotypes that never make justice to who they really are. Harry, Ron and Hermoine are a powerful trio. They share knowledge (Harry - street smarts, Ron - knowledge of the wizarding culture, and Hermoine - theory and the knowledge that comes from reading); they are brave and rely on each other when they are scared, giving each other the strength to get things done under a lot of stress and pressure; they balance each other, Harry is the leader, Hermoine is the one that makes sure they think things through before doing anything rash, Ron has no filter and says things as he sees them, siding with the one that seems to make more sense at the moment. These three are ready to sacrifice their own lives to make sure evil is eradicated, they fight for what they believe is right. They are not perfect and their relationship isn't either, but they grow as the years go by. . . All of this is kind of lost in the movies when they made Hermoine the clever and smart one, they turned Ron into a buffoon and Harry into a lucky and clueless boy.

And the same happened with Ginny. I love this character in the books! They killed her in the movies! Rereading the books made me realize just how much the movies take away from the books. The movies put words into the wrong character's mouth, they change events and don't give the continuation the books give in the interaction with secondary characters that show the development of the trio as they move through their teenage years. The interactions they have with Dobby, Winky and Kreacher are very important, for they show how kindness can change the lives of so many and how established traditions can oppress people. Even their interactions with Neville, Luna, George, Fred, and other classmates and friends are not fullly appreciated in the movies. I like it that in the books we keep seeing Dobby, Lupin, Sirius, Krum, Madame Maxine, Mad Eye Moody,. . . and even Professor Lockhart because these are real people in the wizarding world, they don't just exist for the sake of the particular book they first appeard in. This makes the wizarding world of this series feel real.

The Hogwarts professors are unforgettable, specially McGonagoll, Dumbledore and Snape, although I really love them all. Still, it is Dumbledore and Snape the ones that really ended up being more than what they had seemed to be. And we get to know these two characters better in the last book, contrasting Dumbledore and Snape and showing us at the end that Dumbledore was willing to sacrifice Harry for the "greater good" and Snape had been willing to sacrifice himself for the son of the woman he loved. Dumbledore might talk about love and its great power, but to me it is Snape the one that really felt and knew what love was because he lived it. Dumbledore might have cared about Harry, Hermoine and Ron, as he cared about his other students but there is something coldhearted in the way he placed them in gameboard of his making in such a calculating way. Snape had conflicting feelings for Harry, but they were understandable, and yet, he was always making sure Harry and his friends were not harmed and his other students too - like Draco. There is no question about it, Voldemourt didn't reach Dumbledore's nor Snapes' ankles, those two were the real powerful wizards, their talents and powers were greater than Voldemourt's because they were not closed minded like the Dark Lord; the duo was not perfect: Dumbledore - just like Snape - had been tempted by the dark ideals of pureblood and all of that, but they changed their ways after losing people that were special to them. Dumbledore was still allured by the Deathly Hallows - which in the end made him put on the ring he knew was cursed; and Snape couldn't see the many qualities Lilly had passed on her son just because he was James' son too.

These characters' prejudices and perceptions define the people they interact with and sometimes don't realize that they are wrong. But that's life and this series makes the reader reflect on that. . .

Another thing I like about this series is that Harry never sends a killing curse, not even to Voldemourt. He aimed to disarm and he is able to win because evil destroys itself through their selfish actions. . .

Rereading these books made me rediscover the story, fall in love with the characters again, reflect on the themes and messages we can take from the story. . . and I can't wait to reread it again!

[jbblackwell]

KISS - Music from Fridays 1982 (franKENstein Redux) from KENN NARDI on Vimeo.

I consider myself a "charter Elder fan", meaning I got the album on release day back in 1981 and loved it from the beginning. I had been a fan since 1977 and after I watched most of my friends jump ship after Dynasty (and the rest long gone by Unmasked) I felt like the only KISS fan left in the world.

I had seen photos of the band in 16 Magazines showing their new makeup and costumes and wondering what to expect. I went to the local Music Vision and got the new single "A World Without Heroes". For me, anything new from KISS was beyond exciting and I liked what I heard. Even better, the B-side was a new song by my hero Ace. This music was fresh to my ears and even though I was only 12-going-on-13 I personally liked this more "musical" version of the band. Eric's drumming was really cool on "Dark Light" and Ace's solo was great. I also liked Gene's "mellow" voice which reminded me of some of my favorite songs from his '78 solo album.

Shortly after that, the album was released. I remember going to the store 2 or 3 days in a row asking about it, but it seemed to be a couple days late in arriving. Finally, I got it and instantly fell in love with the music. Having discovered stuff like Pink Floyd's the Wall (still my favorite album of all time) I though it was great to hear something a bit "deeper" from the guys than "Shout It Out Loud". I had even formed my first band that same year which I called "ODYSSEY" because of the song. I should also mention I was one of those unfortunate fans who got the LP with the clear sleeve, but NO lyric sheet. I still didn't know some of the words until the Internet was born many years later.

I also can remember like it was yesterday watching Fridays when it aired and being beyond thrilled to see KISS on TV (not that common back then). Plus...three new songs played! The perfect "Elder sandwich" of the opener ("the Oath"), closer ("I") and the middle track "A World Without Heroes". I don't care what anyone says, I agree with the record label and the album MUST have the 1981 US running order. The "original" Japanese release is horrible. It sounds like climbing up a very long hill to find nothing at the top. As for the "story line", for me "The Oath" sets the stage and gives a great overview of what's to come (as told through the rest of the songs). The musical balance is perfect in that order. It flows great and begins and ends with a bang. I consider "The Oath" to be proto-power-metal with its riffing, drumming and lyrical content. Musically speaking, the album overall was incredibly influential on my own writing throughout the years.

So, here is my version of the Fridays appearance, upscaled to 1080p.

For the audio, I wanted to remix and recreate the sound for a stereo mix. To do this I had to borrow a bit of Paul's guitar from the album. Ace's guitar dominates the original mix, so it was isolated and used for his parts. Paul's rhythm parts on "The Oath" and "I" are taken from the album, but edited to match his playing as he does a few things differently live (mostly due to his over-the-top theatrics, ha). Ace was also badly out of tune (or bending the stings) on a lot of parts, so I did some cut-and-paste work replacing the rougher spots with better parts where the same things are played.

Gene's bass is 100% from the show as are Eric's drums, which I have augmented using kick, snare, tom and cymbal samples I created rather than using "modern" samples. These are blended with his original drums.

For "A World Without Heroes" a stereo guitar/keyboard mix was created using the parts from the show mixed with some from the album to get separation (the show actually did have keyboards). I tweaked Paul's solo slightly just to fix up a couple bum notes and also blended his album solo very low to give a bit of the same ambiance since his tone is very dry on the show.

Even in 1982, as I watched the show I could tell the singing was a bit "off" in places. Particularly Paul, who comes out of the gate hot, singing uncharacteristically sharp all over "The Oath" with Ace's very loud and out of tune guitar not helping. So, for this version, I borrowed a few words from the 3rd verse where he re-sings the same lyrics and blended it with the rest to make the first verse a little more on-key. Gene also gets the same treatment for his 2nd "and you don't know why you don't know". I also used very small bit the album vocal tracks for a few words that were missing or very low in the mix due to the guys not being on-mic at time. I also blended a VERY small bit of the background vocals from the album on "I" just to fill them out a bit.

As I always say, these videos are NOT for the purists. This performance is MOSTLY true to the original, but approached the same way KISS might approach an official release, with just a bit of "clean-up" for a more enjoyable experience. The original is readily available, so this in no way is intended to replace it or re-write "kisstory".

Enjoy!

[realityhelixcreates]

By Talos, This Can't be Happening ch. 11: Ruins of Empire

The past always leaves its mark, in some way or another.

@cardwrecks @captainbaddecisions @whocares-idont I just realized it's been some time.

?~?~?~?~?

They crept away from the farmhouse just before the break of dawn, having been awoken by odd sounds neither of them trusted. They gathered up their things very quickly, dousing the fire and gathering the chickens which had been smoking and drying all night, then began putting distance between the farmhouse and themselves.

“Could have just been a mountain lion.” Helix said.

“Y'get how that's also bad though.” he answered, and they lapsed into silence as the stars faded against the slowly rising sun.

Helix spotted a fallen tree and left the road to examine it while Swag kept a look out for...everything plus mountain lions apparently.

“Thoughts?” he called.

“Hickory. Not new enough to be green, not old enough to be rotting. It's perfect!”

She took her hatchet and began chopping merrily away at a long branch. Little wood chips flew everywhere; she would likely be brushing them out of her hair for hours. After a few minutes, she presented him with a length of solid wood roughly three feet long.

“Good weight?” she asked. “I can thin it out a bit, if you need.”

“No, it...” he hefted the branch, gave it an experimental twist, a spin, a swing. It was thicker, heavier towards one end, and the balance of that was familiar in his palm. “Yeah, I can work with this.”

“Great!” she chirped, then chopped up the rest of the branch into semi-even lengths, and tied them into a bundle which she slung over her back. “This will come in handy later tonight. I doubt we'll reach the city before tomorrow.”

They made their way back to the road, Swag picking the larger chips of wood out of her hair like a grooming monkey.

“So, can you tell me anything about Markarth?” he asked. “Since I'm supposed to be from there?”

“It's beautiful. I was only there once, but it left an impression. There were great spires of stone that the homes and shops were built into, so the city was mostly vertical. The palace was built into a cliff face. There was an attempted murder in the marketplace in broad daylight, the first day I was there.”

“Sounds like a party.”

“There was a lot going on. The Nords have left their mark on it, but it was originally a Dwemer city, and the architecture and metal works really showed it.”

“Now, what does that mean though? What is a Dwemer? I take it they're some kind of people?”

“Yeah...a kind of elf. But they don't exist anymore. If I've got it right, they went to war with the ancestors of the dark elves, like the ones at Azura's shrine, and they did something that made them all disappear overnight. Probably the biggest mystery in Tamriel.”

“Now when you say 'disappear'...”

“I mean gone.” she snapped her fingers. “Poof! No corpses, no clue where or how. Just gone. Left their cities still running, but empty. They used steam power thousands of years ago, had gas lights, created an alloy that still hasn't been reformulated, and built clockwork and machines out of it! They rejected the known gods and made a religion out of logic and philosophy, harnessed sound as magic, but...we know so little about them. Their language was unique, and no one speaks it anymore...but...if I could get my hands on one of the texts...”

“Do you think? They sound pretty neat. Clockwork, steam power, and machines? In this setting? If you could read the books, you might revolutionize this whole world!”

Something in her face fell.

“I'm...not sure I want to do that. It's just, this world seems quaint on its head, beautiful and fresh. Sure. But it's constantly at war. This is an empire. It has filled out to the edges of the continent, spreading its cultural influence like a suffocating blanket, just like we did, and the British before that, and the French before that, and the Spanish before that, and the Dutch-”

“Right.”

“And the point is, they would dearly love to reach past those edges, and so would every other empire on the planet. They're limited right now, in key ways. But a Tamrielic Age of Exploration-and everything that comes with it-is not something I want to be responsible for. And even if I didn't care about that, if I were to supply this knowledge, I'd never know another moment's peace. Everybody would want me, whether I wanted it or not. I do not belong to this world. I do not belong to any world. And though I might have to live within this empire right now, I won't be a slave to it, and I won't make it any easier for it to make slaves of anyone else.”

Naturally. The only chains on Helix were forged and placed by herself, and could just as easily be thrown off. She would never allow herself to be caged.

He eyed that ring on her hand once more. Only ever by her choice.

“That's a good point. This place feels so different from home, but it's still full of people, isn't it? And people are gonna people.”

“Even the Dwemer were known to be slavers. They destroyed an entire race of elves in that way. Their remnants still wander, down in the depths of their ruined cities. I've seen them.”

She shuddered.

“Those places were...disquieting. So perfect and precise, so united in their aesthetic. It made the parts that were broken almost more beautiful by comparison. Everything exactly as it had been left. Beds made. Plates on tables. Steam still hissing through the pipes, gears still spinning. The sounds of industry still groaning through an empty, otherwise silent city. It was...almost obscene. It wasn't even a tomb. Not even a memorial. It was a...a lie. 'Wait for us', it said. 'We've just popped out for a moment. We'll be back soon.' But no one's coming back. Their leavings should at least be allowed to return to the earth. It made me want to bring it all down.”

“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings?”

“Yes. That's how its supposed to be.” she replied to his poetic interjection. “I was in a terrible place when last here, and I never want to go back down into those empty lands.”

“If we see any, we don't have to go in. Maybe we can kick over a stone or two and then leave.”

It was kind of a shame to leave info on the table like that, but this world would develop at its own pace, and on its own cycles. Helix lived by cycles, and it wasn't his job to rain advancement upon these masses.

The morning fog burned away as the sun climbed higher, lighting up the crumbling tops of mostly toppled stone walls in the distance.

“Speaking of ruins...” he murmured.

“Looks Imperial from here. Another watchtower maybe? Wanna go look?”

“Looks like the road is taking us that direction anyway. If there's any more of that grainy hard cheese, I'm taking it all.”

Helix giggled.

“You're gonna miss it when we leave.”

“Nah, it's like a Grana Padano, I can get it back home. You ever tried it? I'll get you some, the really good stuff. We can feed each other little bits, figs and pomegranate seeds, finocchiona maybe, that apricot preserve you make. That one cocktail you like. That silk wrap dress of yours, the purple one that comes off easy if you pull the ties right. Make a night of it. Whatever avenues of hedonistic debauchery we decide to wander down.”

She smiled, favored him with that glance of hers that always felt like it was about to set his hair on fire.

“You spoil me.” she purred.

“You know I love it.”

“I do.”

She did. They knew each other's love languages to fluency. Give. Share. Touch. Adore.

Off the road, inside those crumbling walls, no one would be able to see them. He didn't particularly care if they were watched, but she did, and that was part of it.

That little flame tickled his blood, lightened his step, and she skipped along beside him, buoyed by that same anticipatory elation.

The ruins were larger than he'd thought; three towers at least, and a wall all the way around. Almost none of it remained, no roofs, and only portions of wall. But that was all they needed.

Maybe it had been an important place once, sacred ground or a military outpost. Now it was merely overgrown grasses, flowering bushes, and moss-covered stone, a place to back her up against a stable section of wall, to grasp at warm flesh beneath layers of cloth, to thrust tongue between yielding lips-

-To screech in surprise as a sword tore through his cloak and stuck between stone blocks, barely missing Helix's shoulder.

“Goddamn cockblockin, motherfucker-!” Swag snarled, rounding on their attacker, only to scream again and press Helix harder against the wall behind him.

Creaking and clacking, a fully de-fleshed human skeleton tugged uselessly at its trapped sword. Several others emerged from behind the flowering bushes, carrying weapons, but nothing to identify who they might have once been but rotting scraps of armor.

Terror washed through him. It was ridiculous. Skeletons were a joke. A cartoonish spooky-scary holiday decoration, or a goth kid's aesthetic. They weren't actually frightening.

Right up until they were right there, in all their radiant wrongness, advancing with weapons raised. Until they outnumbered you. And no amount of pedantic killjoy Twitter rationality made them disappear, no perfect understanding of how the lack of muscles, ligaments, and tendons should mean they shouldn't be able to move, they just did. They had no eyes to see him, and it didn't matter. They knew where he was. They had no brains for motor control, and it didn't matter. They held their swords anyway. Logic and reason were no longer a shield, and he was completely disarmed.

One of them dashed forward, sword swinging, and Swag took Helix to the ground with him as the ragged blade whistled through the air where they were previously standing. Helix screamed beneath him, a startling sound of hatred and fury. She whipped one hand out from under him, and unleashed a bolt of purple lightning that blasted the bones apart.

Helix wriggled free from his protective panic, and destroyed the stuck skeleton with a double handed swing of her hatchet, shattering its naked skull.

“Edward, your cane!” she hollered. “Fuck 'em up!”

That galvanized him, the weight of the branch in his hands dredging up years-old know how. Weaving between them-they were clumsy, erratic-dodging stabs and swings, bashing limbs and splintering bones with the heavy end of the cane. They were brittle things, vulnerable to a good smash, to Helix's crackling electricity, but they had numbers.

“Over here!” Helix demanded, backed up against a crumbling section of wall. “Bring them over here! Just do it!” she cried at his wordless protest.

He danced back over to her, several skeletons recklessly chasing him.

“What now?”

“Get ready to duck!”

Helix slapped her hands against the decaying wall, releasing a ball of lightning that demolished the blocks. The wall wobbled; Helix dragged Swag back down to the ground as the top several feet of stones toppled down onto the approaching skeletons.

The last of their bony foes continued to advance, whatever fell magic that animated it unable to return any brains to its weathered head. Swag kicked its legs out from under it, dashing its skull against the stones.

Helix dragged herself back to her feet and stalked the area with her hatchet, demolishing every skull she came across, loathing swirling around her face. Swag rested against the wall, just letting her do it. Maybe it kept them from getting back up again, like zombies.

Oh god, were there zombies too???

Shoulders heaving and hands trembling, she returned to lean against the remnants of the wall beside him, catching her breath.

“All okay?” he asked.

“Lucky.” she breathed. “They were poorly made. Old. Fragile. Ugh, I hate the undead. I hate the magic that makes them, and I hate the people who use that magic. Necromancers. I hate Necromancers.”

“I can...understand that.” he said, but he was thinking, thinking...

And she caught the thread of thought, wound it around her fingers.

“Narci is a wight.” she said simply. “A spirit. All worlds are full of spirits. They aren't like this. They typically have their own minds and wills. But these? These are just slaves. Dolls. Mockery and desecration. They need to be returned to the earth.”

“That was a fuckin' nightmare. Never thought I'd be scared of skeletons.” he said. “They were just so...wrong.”

“They are dead. And we have freed them forever. Now put me up against that wall and fuck me senseless.”

He raised an eyebrow, but his blood was still high.

“...As my queen commands.” he said, reaching for her shaking shoulders.

?~?~?~?~?

[why-does-this-happen-to-me]

Okay, gym leaders. I wanted to show the teams visually but I gave up because I didn't get it to look right and I want to explain why and how I decided everything. Also, these aren't final because after doing these I decided to change the typings (and, therefore, movesets) of some pokemon.

Also, long post. Like, really long post.

In this fangame you will be able to fight the gym leaders in any order, so they have 8 teams each. I also made it so the pokemon that you would have fought in one battle are in the next, so their moves and levels tell the story of how they've been trained. I must add that I don't know anything about pokemon battles other than clicking the strongest move and hoping I win, so I have either created terrible movesets or accidentally made something very good (I have tried to make it balanced, but I don't know enough to be sure).

We start with Brock, whose pokemon are:

Level 12 geodude with the ability sturdy and the moves Tackle, Rock Polish, Rollout and Bulldoze.

Level 14 bonsly with the ability rock head and the moves Copycat, Rock Tomb, Rock Throw and Block.

The geodude because that's always his first pokemon and bonsly because I feel like it's relatively weak, so perfect for the first gym. If you fight him as the second gym leader, he will have a super potion and his pokemon will have leveled up:

Level 18 geodude with the ability sturdy and the moves Smack Down, Rock Polish, Rollout and Bulldoze.

Level 21 sudowoodo with the ability rock head and the moves Mimic, Slam, Rock Tomb, Block.

In the next possible fight he has a full heal and a new pokemon:

Level 18 klawf with the ability anger shell and the moves Vise Grip, Rock Tomb, Harden, Metal Claw.

Level 21 sudowoodo with the ability rock head and the moves Mimic, Slam, Rock Tomb, Block.

Level 24 geodude with the ability sturdy and the moves Smack Down, Rock Polish, Rollout, Bulldoze.

Yeah, another pure rock type, it gets better in the second half of fights. In the next one he has a hyper potion and a full heal:

Level 24 klawf with the ability anger shell and the moves Vise Grip, Rock Tomb, Protect, Metal Claw.

Level 24 sudowoodo with the ability rock head and the moves Mimic, Slam, Rock Tomb, Tearful Look.

Level 29 graveler with the ability sturdy and the moves Smack Down, Rock Polish, Stealth Rock, Bulldoze.

Next one, he has a new pokemon and another hyper potion, those three items are the ones that all iterations going forward will have:

Level 37 minior with the ability shields down and the moves Confuse Ray, Ancient Power, Stealth Rock, Cosmic Power.

Level 37 klawf with the ability anger shell and the moves X-Scissor, Rock Tomb, Protect, Metal Claw.

Level 38 sudowoodo with the ability rock head and the moves Mimic, Low Kick, Rock Tomb, Tearful Look.

Level 43 graveler with the ability sturdy and the moves Smack Down, Rock Polish, Stealth Rock, Earthquake.

Minior may not be the most powerful pokemon, but it is just the first one on most of these battles and I think it has a good moveset. The next one is almost identical:

Level 37 minior with the ability shields down and the moves Confuse Ray, Ancient Power, Stealth Rock, Cosmic Power.

Level 37 klawf with the ability anger shell and the moves X-Scissor, Rock Tomb, Protect, Metal Claw.

Level 39 sudowoodo with the ability rock head and the moves Mimic, Low Kick, Rock Tomb, Tearful Look.

Level 43 graveler with the ability sturdy and the moves Smack Down, Rock Polish, Stealth Rock, Earthquake.

The seventh:

Level 40 minior with the ability shields down and the moves Confuse Ray, Power Gem, Stealth Rock, Cosmic Power.

Level 42 klawf with the ability anger shell and the moves X-Scissor, Rock Tomb, Protect, Metal Claw.

Level 42 sudowoodo with the ability rock head and the moves Mimic, Low Kick, Rock Tomb, Tearful Look.

Level 47 golem with the ability sturdy and the moves Smack Down, Rock Polish, Heavy Slam, Earthquake.

An the final one, with a pokemon that probably won't stay because I want to avoid giving the fossils the rock type unless it makes sense:

Level 42 bastiodon with the ability sturdy and the moves Take Down, Iron Defense, Swagger, Ancient Power.

Level 44 minior with the ability shields down and the moves Confuse Ray, Power Gem, Stealth Rock, Cosmic Power.

Level 44 klawf with the ability anger shell and the moves X-Scissor, Rock Tomb, Protect, Metal Claw.

Level 45 sudowoodo with the ability rock head and the moves Mimic, Low Kick, Rock Tomb, Tearful Look.

Level 50 golem with the ability sturdy and the moves Smack Down, Rock Polish, Heavy Slam, Earthquake.

I think the team develops nicely through the fights, even if only one would be seen in every run. I mean, there are two mono-type rocks, but I don't think that's such a problem. I gave Brock a fossil because I know he uses them in some games, but I also didn't want the full team to be to be fossils. The election of bastiodon is mainly because amaura and omanyte have types corresponding to a gym leader and an elite four member.

Now Misty, I won't repeat the items because they are the same:

Level 12 poliwag with the ability swift swim and the moves Water Gun, Hypnosis, Pound, Mud Shot.

Level 14 psyduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Fury Swipes, Tail Whip, Water Pulse, Confusion.

The poliwag because she had one in the manga, I think, and the psyduck because of the anime.

Level 18 poliwag with the ability swift swim and the moves Bubble Beam, Hypnosis, Pound, Mud Shot.

Level 21 psyduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Fury Swipes, Screech, Water Pulse, Zen Headbutt.

In the next possible fight she gets that omanyte I mentioned earlier:

Level 18 omanyte with the ability shell armor and the moves Bind, Water Gun, Rollout, Sand Attack.

Level 21 poliwag with the ability swift swim and the moves Bubble Beam, Hypnosis, Pound, Mud Shot.

Level 24 psyduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Fury Swipes, Screech, Water Pulse, Zen Headbutt.

I think she also had an omanyte in the manga, I'm not sure. It's probably a good time to mention that I haven't read it, I just remember part of what I read in bulbapedia when making custom pokedex entries for the Kanto pokemon (I'll do the others at some point).

Level 24 omanyte with the ability shell armor and the moves Bind, Water Gun, Rollout, Sand Attack.

Level 24 poliwag with the ability swift swim and the moves Bubble Beam, Hypnosis, Rain Dance, Mud Shot.

Level 29 psyduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Fury Swipes, Screech, Water Pulse, Zen Headbutt.

I know for a fact that she had a gyarados in the anime, so it was an obvious addition:

Level 37 gyarados with the intimidate down and the moves Dragon Dance, Waterfall, Ice Fang, Rain Dance.

Level 37 omanyte with the ability shell armor and the moves Ancient Power, Brine, Rollout, Mud Shot.

Level 38 poliwhirl with the ability swift swim and the moves Bubble Beam, Hypnosis, Rain Dance, Body Slam.

Level 43 golduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Fury Swipes, Psych Up, Hydro Pump, Zen Headbutt.

Not much to say between these:

Level 37 gyarados with the ability intimidate and the moves Dragon Dance, Waterfall, Ice Fang, Rain Dance.

Level 37 omanyte with the ability shell armor and the moves Ancient Power, Brine, Rollout, Mud Shot.

Level 39 poliwhirl with the ability swift swim and the moves Bubble Beam, Hypnosis, Rain Dance, Body Slam.

Level 43 golduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Fury Swipes, Psych Up, Hydro Pump, Zen Headbutt.

The seventh:

Level 40 gyarados with the ability intimidate and the moves Dragon Dance, Hydro Pump, Ice Fang, Rain Dance.

Level 42 omastar with the ability shell armor and the moves Ancient Power, Brine, Crunch, Protect.

Level 42 politoed with the ability drizzle and the moves Bubble Beam, Hypnosis, Bounce, Body Slam.

Level 47 golduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Wonder Room, Psych Up, Hydro Pump, Zen Headbutt.

And the final one, with a vaporeon because she also had one somewhere, nor sure where or when:

Level 42 vaporeon with the ability water absorb and the moves Charm, Muddy Water, Aqua ring, Aurora Beam.

Level 44 gyarados with the ability intimidate and the moves Dragon Dance, Hydro Pump, Hurricane, Rain Dance.

Level 44 omastar with the ability shell armor and the moves Ancient Power, Brine, Crunch, Protect.

Level 45 politoed with the ability drizzle and the moves Bubble Beam, Hypnosis, Bounce, Body Slam.

Level 50 golduck with the ability swift swim and the moves Wonder Room, Psych Up, Hydro Pump, Zen Headbutt.

In general pretty good, most of the pokemons were in one of her teams or another, so it makes sense to give them to her. Also, with the type changes omastar may have to go to Brock because I prefer to avoid giving the same pokemon to multiple gym leaders to increase the variety of threads to counter in the playthrough. It doesn’t matter, dondozo exist for a reason, and that reason is to be added to her team if necessary.

Next is Surge, the one that made me complain about jolteon’s lack of special moves (which I now realize I can fix because I can change the learnsets if I want to):

Level 12 mareep with the ability static and the moves Tackle, Growl, Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore.

Level 14 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Nuzzle, Tackle, Defense Curl, Charge.

No real reason for any of these, they just felt appropriate for a first gym.

Level 18 flaaffy with the ability static and the moves Tackle, Charge, Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore.

Level 21 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Nuzzle, Fell Stinger, Defense Curl, Charge.

Not a lot of changes, they don’t get that many moves in those levels.

Level 18 luxio with the ability intimidate and the moves Bite, Leer, Spark, Charge.

Level 21 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Nuzzle, Fell Stinger, Defense Curl, Charge.

Level 24 flaaffy with the ability static and the moves Take Down, Charge, Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore.

Luxio just feels like an obvious option for a gym leader. Also, this may be cliche, but I’m giving it the dark type when I change that, it’s too obvious to not do it.

Level 24 luxio with the ability intimidate and the moves Bite, Roar, Spark, Charge.

Level 24 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Nuzzle, Fell Stinger, Defense Curl, Charge.

Level 29 flaaffy with the ability static and the moves Take Down, Charge, Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore.

Not a lot to change, but soon he’ll have another mon, and it’s finally one he had in the games and/or manga (I don’t remember):

Level 37 jolteon with the quick feet down and the moves Covet, Swift, Thunder Shock, Thunder Fang.

Level 37 luxray with the ability intimidate and the moves Bite, Roar, Volt Switch, Charge.

Level 38 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Spark, Fell Stinger, Magnet Rise, Charge.

Level 43 ampharos with the ability static and the moves Power Gem, Charge, Thunder Punch, Cotton Spore.

Not much to say between these:

Level 37 jolteon with the quick feet down and the moves Covet, Swift, Thunder Shock, Thunder Fang.

Level 37 luxray with the ability intimidate and the moves Bite, Roar, Volt Switch, Charge.

Level 39 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Spark, Fell Stinger, Magnet Rise, Charge.

Level 43 ampharos with the ability static and the moves Power Gem, Charge, Thunder Punch, Cotton Spore.

The seventh:

Level 40 jolteon with the quick feet down and the moves Covet, Swift, Discharge, Thunder Fang.

Level 42 luxray with the ability intimidate and the moves Bite, Roar, Volt Switch, Charge.

Level 42 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Zing Zap, Fell Stinger, Magnet Rise, Charge.

Level 47 ampharos with the ability static and the moves Power Gem, Charge, Thunder Punch, Cotton Spore.

And finally a toxtricity for type diversification or whatever. Such a cool pokemon design, it had to be added to a gym and it didn’t fit he image of the poison gym in my head.

Level 42 toxtricity with the ability punk rock and the moves Shock Wave, Tearful Look, Spark, Toxic.

Level 44 jolteon with the quick feet down and the moves Covet, Swift, Discharge, Thunder Fang.

Level 44 luxray with the ability intimidate and the moves Bite, Roar, Volt Switch, Charge.

Level 45 togedemaru with the ability iron barbs and the moves Zing Zap, Fell Stinger, Magnet Rise, Charge

Level 50 ampharos with the ability static and the moves Power Gem, Charge, Thunder Punch, Cotton Spore.

I like how this team ended up, we have a pure electric type, sure, but also dark, steel, poison and maybe dragon if I give it to ampharos. Again, Surge didn’t have most of these pokemon, but I couldn’t give him any others that fit the gym’s type because they aren’t in the pokedex, so this is good enough.

Now Erika, who also didn’t have a lot of these pokemon but it is what it is:

Level 12 applin with the ability bulletproof and the moves Withdraw, Astonish, Pounce.

Level 14 cherubi with the ability chlorophyll and the moves Morning Sun, Tackle, Leafage, Growth.

No real reason for any of these, but this made me realize that applin can only know four moves and half of them are by TMs, which destroyed my plan of having it unevolved for more than a couple battles.

Level 18 applin with the ability bulletproof and the moves Withdraw, Astonish, Pounce, Tera Blast.

Level 21 cherubi with the ability chlorophyll and the moves Morning Sun, Tackle, Magical Leaf, Growth.

That’s it, that’s the entirety of applin’s movepool.

Level 18 cacnea with the ability sand veil and the moves Poison Sting, Bullet Seed, Leech Seed, Growth.

Level 21 cherubi with the ability chlorophyll and the moves Morning Sun, Tackle, Magical Leaf, Growth.

Level 24 appletun with the ability thick fat and the moves Bullet Seed, Protect, Headbutt, Tera Blast.

Okay, cacnea for more typings in the team and potentially a dangerous fight? Again, no idea of pokemon beyond picking high damage moves, but I feel like the combination of poison sting, leech seed and growth could be challenging. Also, appletun with protect, that’s probably annoying to fight.

Level 24 cacnea with the ability sand veil and the moves Poison Sting, Bullet Seed, Leech Seed, Growth.

Level 24 cherubi with the ability chlorophyll and the moves Morning Sun, Tackle, Magical Leaf, Growth.

Level 29 appletun with the ability thick fat and the moves Apple Acid, Protect, Headbutt, Tera Blast.

Okay, next up is the addition of breloom for the fighting type and a strong physical attacker (I think, it’s been a while since I looked at it):

Level 37 breloom with the ability effect spore down and the moves Mach Punch, Worry Seed, Toxic, Mega Drain.

Level 37 cacturne with the ability sand veil and the moves Sucker Punch, Bullet Seed, Leech Seed, Growth.

Level 38 cherrim with the ability flower gift and the moves Take Down, Sunny Day, Magical Leaf, Growth.

Level 43 appletun with the ability thick fat and the moves Apple Acid, Protect, Headbutt, Dragon Pulse.

Not much to say between these:

Level 37 breloom with the ability effect spore down and the moves Mach Punch, Worry Seed, Toxic, Mega Drain.

Level 37 cacturne with the ability sand veil and the moves Sucker Punch, Bullet Seed, Leech Seed, Growth.

Level 39 cherrim with the ability flower gift and the moves Take Down, Sunny Day, Magical Leaf, Growth.

Level 43 appletun with the ability thick fat and the moves Apple Acid, Protect, Headbutt, Dragon Pulse.

The seventh:

Level 40 breloom with the ability effect spore down and the moves Brick Break, Worry Seed, Toxic, Mega Drain.

Level 42 cacturne with the ability sand veil and the moves Sucker Punch, Pin Misile, Leech Seed, Growth.

Level 42 cherrim with the ability flower gift and the moves Take Down, Sunny Day, Petal Blizzard, Growth.

Level 47 appletun with the ability thick fat and the moves Energy Ball, Protect, Headbutt, Dragon Pulse.

And a leafeon because if there’s an eeveelution of that type I’m adding it.

Level 42 leafeon with the ability leaf guard and the moves Covet, Sunny Day, Synthesis, Magical Leaf.

Level 44 breloom with the ability effect spore down and the moves Brick Break, Worry Seed, Toxic, Seed Bomb.

Level 44 cacturne with the ability sand veil and the moves Sucker Punch, Energy Ball, Leech Seed, Growth.

Level 45 cherrim with the ability flower gift and the moves Take Down, Sunny Day, Petal Blizzard, Growth.

Level 50 appletun with the ability thick fat and the moves Energy Ball, Protect, Headbutt, Dragon Pulse.

I like this team, but I don’t really know what else to say about it. Next up is Koga, who kind of becomes a dude with a bunch of bugs, but that’s not that different from the original if you think about it.

Level 12 venipede with the ability swarm and the moves Poison Tail, Defense Curl, Rollout, Protect.

Level 14 gulpin with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Pound, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge.

I had to give him these for the first fight, they feel like first gym material and also, who wouldn’t want to see a scolipede in a gym?

Level 18 venipede with the ability swarm and the moves Poison Tail, Defense Curl, Rollout, Protect.

Level 21 gulpin with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Pound, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge.

Literally no changes, so…

Level 18 skorupi with the ability sniper and the moves Poison Fang, Toxic Spikes, Hone Claws, Fell Stinger.

Level 21 venipede with the ability swarm and the moves Poison Tail, Bug Bite, Rollout, Protect.

Level 24 gulpin with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Pound, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge.

Skorupi doesn’t add anything in terms of new types, but I like it.

Level 24 skorupi with the ability sniper and the moves Venoshock, Toxic Spikes, Hone Claws, Fell Stinger.

Level 24 whirlipede with the ability swarm and the moves Poison Tail, Bug Bite, Rollout, Protect.

Level 29 swalot with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Toxic, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge.

And now Venomoth! Finally a pokemon he had!

Level 37 venomoth with the ability tinted lens and the moves Quiver Dance, Psybeam, Air Slash, Bug Buzz.

Level 37 skorupi with the ability sniper and the moves Venoshock, Toxic, NIght Slash, Fell Stinger.

Level 38 scolipede with the ability swarm and the moves Venoshock, Bug Bite, Rollout, Protect.

Level 43 swalot with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Toxic, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge Bomb.

Not much to say between these:

Level 37 venomoth with the ability tinted lens and the moves Quiver Dance, Psybeam, Air Slash, Bug Buzz.

Level 37 skorupi with the ability sniper and the moves Venoshock, Toxic, NIght Slash, Fell Stinger.

Level 39 scolipede with the ability swarm and the moves Venoshock, Bug Bite, Rollout, Protect.

Level 43 swalot with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Toxic, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge Bomb.

The seventh:

Level 40 venomoth with the ability tinted lens and the moves Quiver Dance, Psybeam, Air Slash, Bug Buzz.

Level 42 drapion with the ability sniper and the moves Venoshock, Toxic, NIght Slash, Fell Stinger.

Level 42 scolipede with the ability swarm and the moves Venoshock, Bug Bite, Rollout, Protect.

Level 47 swalot with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Toxic, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge Bomb.

And a venusaur because why not? It’s poison type.

Level 42 venusaur with the ability overgrow and the moves Petal Dance, Leech Seed, Growth, Sleep Powder.

Level 44 venomoth with the ability tinted lens and the moves Quiver Dance, Psybeam, Air Slash, Bug Buzz.

Level 44 drapion with the ability sniper and the moves Venoshock, Toxic, NIght Slash, X-Scissor.

Level 45 scolipede with the ability swarm and the moves Venoshock, Bug Bite, Rollout, Protect.

Level 50 swalot with the ability liquid ooze and the moves Toxic, Yawn, Amnesia, Sludge Bomb.

Not the most varied gym leader in terms of typing, but I think it’s fine for what it has to do. Next up is Sabrina, who also doesn’t get too many pokemon she already had. Wait, no, it’s three I think.

Level 12 drowzee with the ability insomnia and the moves Pound, Hypnosis, Disable, Confusion.

Level 14 natu with the ability synchronize and the moves Peck, Leer, Stored Power, Teleport.

Not too bad, I think. I don’t think she had a natu anywhere, but there was a hypno in gen 5 so that’s something.

Level 18 drowzee with the ability insomnia and the moves Headbutt, Poison Gas, Disable, Confusion.

Level 21 natu with the ability synchronize and the moves Peck, Confuse Ray, Night Shade, Teleport.

I don’t think I mentioned this before (it’s taking me a while to write this, ok? I don’t remember what I previously wrote), but at some point I got really annoying with status effects, which I don’t think is a bad thing necessarily, and it may get better (or worse) when I update this with new types and movepools, but players could potentially really hate this.

Level 18 gothita with the ability competitive and the moves Pound, Confusion, Play NIce, Psybeam.

Level 21 drowzee with the ability insomnia and the moves Headbutt, Poison Gas, Disable, Psybeam.

Level 24 natu with the ability synchronize and the moves Peck, Confuse Ray, Night Shade, Teleport.

Gothita because, whether you like that pokemon or not, I had to add something to the team.

Level 24 gothita with the ability competitive and the moves Hypnosis, Confusion, Play NIce, Psybeam.

Level 24 drowzee with the ability insomnia and the moves Headbutt, Poison Gas, Disable, Psybeam.

Level 29 xatu with the ability synchronize and the moves Air Slash, Confuse Ray, Night Shade, Teleport.

Espeon! I had to add the eeveelution, and she had it in some teams so it perfect.

Level 37 espeon with the ability synchronize and the moves Swift, Bite, Psybeam, Charm.

Level 37 gothorita with the ability competitive and the moves Hypnosis, Confusion, Fake Tears, Psybeam.

Level 38 hypno with the ability insomnia and the moves Psychic, Poison Gas, Psych Up, Zen Headbutt.

Level 43 xatu with the ability synchronize and the moves Air Slash, Psychic, Power Swap, Teleport.

Not much to say between these:

Level 37 espeon with the ability synchronize and the moves Swift, Bite, Psybeam, Charm.

Level 37 gothorita with the ability competitive and the moves Hypnosis, Confusion, Fake Tears, Psybeam.

Level 39 hypno with the ability insomnia and the moves Psychic, Poison Gas, Psych Up, Zen Headbutt.

Level 43 xatu with the ability synchronize and the moves Air Slash, Psychic, Power Swap, Teleport.

The seventh:

Level 40 espeon with the ability synchronize and the moves Swift, Bite, Psychic, Charm.

Level 42 gothitelle with the ability competitive and the moves Hypnosis, Confusion, Fake Tears, Psybeam.

Level 42 hypno with the ability insomnia and the moves Psychic, Poison Gas, Psych Up, Zen Headbutt.

Level 47 xatu with the ability synchronize and the moves Air Slash, Psychic, Power Swap, Teleport.

And Mr. Mime, she had one of those too. I could have added it before honestly, another thing I might change later.

Level 42 mr. mime with the ability soundproof and the moves Psybeam, Light Screen, Mimic, Protect.

Level 44 espeon with the ability synchronize and the moves Swift, Bite, Psychic, Charm.

Level 44 gothitelle with the ability competitive and the moves Hypnosis, Confusion, Fake Tears, Psybeam.

Level 45 hypno with the ability insomnia and the moves Psychic, Poison Gas, Psych Up, Zen Headbutt.

Level 50 xatu with the ability synchronize and the moves Air Slash, Psychic, Power Swap, Teleport.

Pretty good. Maybe xatu isn’t the best option for the ace, which can be said about other gyms as well, but I think it’s fine. Now Blaine, with the first instance of a team needing a repeat pokemon to get to the desired number. It will happen again in the elite four.

Level 12 magby with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Leer, Ember, Smokescreen.

Level 14 scorbunny with the ability blaze and the moves Double Kick, Growl, Ember, Quick Attack.

If you don’t like gym leaders having starters, and I think I didn’t say this with venusaur, then deal with it. Maybe venusaur had alternatives, I don’t remember, but there was no option but to use scorbunny here.

Level 18 magby with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Leer, Flame Wheel, Smokescreen.

Level 21 raboot with the ability blaze and the moves Double Kick, Growl, Flame Charge, Quick Attack.

Not much to add about this, they just get better moves. Now we see the addition of flareon, of course.

Level 18 flareon with the ability flash fire and the moves Covet, Swift, Copycat, Ember.

Level 21 magby with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Confuse Ray, Flame Wheel, Smokescreen.

Level 24 raboot with the ability blaze and the moves Double Kick, Agility, Flame Charge, Quick Attack.

I don’t think I mentioned it, but the beginning of every eeveelution’s moveset becomes very similar at some point, which was definitely before this because this is the last one I’ve made so far (I have yet to start with the elite four’s movesets).

Level 24 flareon with the ability flash fire and the moves Covet, Swift, Copycat, Smog.

Level 24 magby with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Confuse Ray, Flame Wheel, Smokescreen.

Level 29 raboot with the ability blaze and the moves Double Kick, Agility, Flame Charge, Quick Attack.

And now simisear, who might be getting the fighting type in the future so this stops being a pure fire gym.

Level 37 simisear with the ability blaze and the moves Acrobatics, Play Nice, Fire Burst, Yawn.

Level 37 flareon with the ability flash fire and the moves Covet, Bite, Copycat, Fire Fang.

Level 38 magmar with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Confuse Ray, Lava Plume, Smokescreen.

Level 43 cinderace with the ability blaze and the moves Counter, Agility, Flame Charge, Headbutt.

Not much to say between these:

Level 37 simisear with the ability blaze and the moves Acrobatics, Play Nice, Fire Burst, Yawn.

Level 37 flareon with the ability flash fire and the moves Covet, Bite, Copycat, Fire Fang.

Level 39 magmar with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Confuse Ray, Lava Plume, Smokescreen.

Level 43 cinderace with the ability blaze and the moves Counter, Agility, Flame Charge, Headbutt.

The seventh:

Level 40 simisear with the ability blaze and the moves Acrobatics, Play Nice, Fire Burst, Yawn.

Level 42 flareon with the ability flash fire and the moves Covet, Bite, Copycat, Fire Fang.

Level 42 magmar with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Low Kick, Lava Plume, Smokescreen.

Level 47 cinderace with the ability blaze and the moves Bounce, Agility, Flame Charge, Headbutt.

And now another magmar while this one evolved into magmortar, because I don’t really have a choice here.

Level 42 magmar with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Low Kick, Lava Plume, Smokescreen.

Level 44 simisear with the ability blaze and the moves Acrobatics, Play Nice, Fire Burst, Yawn.

Level 44 flareon with the ability flash fire and the moves Covet, Bite, Copycat, Fire Fang.

Level 45 magmortar with the ability flame body and the moves Clear Smog, Low Kick, Lava Plume, Smokescreen.

Level 50 cinderace with the ability blaze and the moves Bounce, Agility, Flame Charge, Headbutt.

Other than giving simisear the fighting type, I’ll try to see if I can give other type to the others. Flareon obviously stays the same, but the others can and probably will change. And finally, and I know this will disappoint some people, is Bertha from gen IV. Look, making it non-linear means I have to sacrifice Giovanni being the twist last gym leader so he wouldn’t be in two places at the same time and, if I had to choose a substitute, I was going to pick someone with an existing sprite to make it easier for myself. Giovanni was kind of a normal type expert anyway.

Level 12 gligar with the ability hyper cutter and the moves Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off.

Level 14 rhyhorn with the ability rock head and the moves Tackle, Tail Whip, Smack Down, Bulldoze.

Pretty good, I think. Flying and rock types help with some weaknesses, I think (I don’t remember the entirety of the interactions, but I do know that flying helps against grass types).

Level 18 gligar with the ability hyper cutter and the moves Fury Cutter, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Knock Off.

Level 21 rhyhorn with the ability rock head and the moves Horn Attack, Tail Whip, Smack Down, Bulldoze.

Now sandshrew, which is probably made better by my addition of the steel type to it’s evolution to mimic the alolan form’s typing.

Level 18 sandshrew with the ability sand veil and the moves Rollout, Defense Curl, Rapid Spin, Bulldoze.

Level 21 gligar with the ability hyper cutter and the moves Poison Tail, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Knock Off.

Level 24 rhyhorn with the ability rock head and the moves Horn Attack, Tail Whip, Smack Down, Bulldoze.

Okay, I’m running out of things to say in between teams and I don’t even know her team so I can’t comment on pokemon she had in case it’s any of these.

Level 24 sandshrew with the ability sand veil and the moves Rollout, Defense Curl, Rapid Spin, Bulldoze.

Level 24 gligar with the ability hyper cutter and the moves Poison Tail, Acrobatics, Quick Attack, Knock Off.

Level 29 rhyhorn with the ability rock head and the moves Horn Attack, Stomp, Smack Down, Bulldoze.

And now whishcash. I’ve always liked this pokemon, probably because of mystery dungeon.

Level 37 whishcash with the ability oblivious and the moves Aqua Tail, Zen Headbutt, Thrash, Mud-Slap.

Level 37 sandslash with the ability sand veil and the moves Rollout, Defense Curl, Rapid Spin, Bulldoze.

Level 38 gliscor with the ability hyper cutter and the moves Poison Tail, Acrobatics, U-Turn, Night Slash.

Level 43 rhydon with the ability rock head and the moves Horn Attack, Hammer Arm, Smack Down, Bulldoze.

Not much to say between these:

Level 37 whishcash with the ability oblivious and the moves Aqua Tail, Zen Headbutt, Thrash, Mud-Slap.

Level 37 sandslash with the ability sand veil and the moves Rollout, Defense Curl, Rapid Spin, Bulldoze.

Level 39 gliscor with the ability hyper cutter and the moves Poison Tail, Acrobatics, U-Turn, Night Slash.

Level 43 rhydon with the ability rock head and the moves Horn Attack, Hammer Arm, Smack Down, Bulldoze.

The seventh:

Level 40 whishcash with the ability oblivious and the moves Aqua Tail, Zen Headbutt, Thrash, Earthquake.

Level 42 sandslash with the ability sand veil and the moves Rollout, Defense Curl, Rapid Spin, Dig.

Level 42 gliscor with the ability hyper cutter and the moves X-Scissor, Acrobatics, U-Turn, Night Slash.

Level 47 rhydon with the ability rock head and the moves Horn Attack, Hammer Arm, Smack Down, Earthquake.

And a nidoking, because you can’t have a ground type gym in Kanto without a nido.

Level 42 nidoking with the ability poison point and the moves Megahorn, Poison Jab, Double Kick, Toxic Spikes.

Level 44 whishcash with the ability oblivious and the moves Aqua Tail, Zen Headbutt, Thrash, Earthquake.

Level 44 sandslash with the ability sand veil and the moves Rollout, Defense Curl, Rapid Spin, Dig.

Level 45 gliscor with the ability hyper cutter and the moves Crabhammer, Acrobatics, U-Turn, Night Slash.

Level 50 rhyperior with the ability rock head and the moves Horn Attack, Hammer Arm, Smack Down, Earthquake.

I like the team, it has members of Giovanni’s teams, so it keeps the essence of what’s supposed to be. In fact, I think whishcash is the only one he haven’t had at some point (I’d have to check if he had a gliscor, I’m not sure).

Anyway, that’s all of the gym leaders. Giovanni, the elite four and the rival are not finished (the rival and Gio don’t have their pokemon planned yet). Blue will probably follow the standard pokemon playthrough and get his pokemon in that order, so I need to figure out where each one will be and whatnot. Also, Blue will be involved in the team rocket storyline like in the normal game, obviously. Giovanni, as I said, will be a normal type specialist, but I’m unsure about team rocket as a whole. I want to either make it so they stop specializing in types or make them specialize in more than two so there is some variety in their teams. If I somehow end up with too much time I’ll do both, probably. Ah, yes, because, if I forgot to mention it, every NPC will have eight teams as well so you can’t encounter underlevel or overlevel trainers. I know there is a plugin that allows NPCs levels to keep up with the player, but that won’t give the kid with two caterpies another pokemon as far as I know. I’ll still use it for wild pokemon because the alternative sounds worse.

[leagueofdccm]

🌸🌸. MY SMILE IS BEAMIN’, MY SKIN IS GLEAMIN’ 

One of the MANY bitches that run Riverdale high with head held high and her priorities straight. She’s not the friendliest of the bunch, though there’s heart if you can break down her walls. Don’t stand in her way, don’t look her way and don’t breathe towards her. It’s easy to ruin someone’s life in high school and guilt doesn’t run through her veins. She’s only one of the three who run the school. She runs it along with her two gal pals, Veronica Lodge, Cheryl Blossom. Dressed to perfection, nails manicured and hair curled. Always dressed and ready, always looking her best. Nothing out of place, never absent from school. Perfection. Perfection. Perfection. Being the ruler of the school, in charge of Riverdale’s very own Newspaper called the blue & gold, a cheerleader and everything underneath the sun. You name it. They do it. It’s a lot to balance for just a high schooler, but anything to get herself ready for the future ahead of her. Make mother and father proud. They’ve raised her to be this perfect little thing. Always having good grades and having to be better than everyone else. Brain & beauty. Her mother told her she couldn’t just have one. It’s not the way to life. She can’t have a brain without beauty, nor can she be beautiful without a brain.. or she’ll only be known as a dumb blonde. Her parents are strict, yet care very little for their daughter whereabouts. They know nothing of what’s going on in her life, nor do they care about hearing about it. As long as her grades don’t drop, as long as she stays a cheerleader and sticks with her diet. She can do as she pleases. Maybe she just needs someone to listen to her, to hear her out. Love isn’t given to her… not unless she does something outstanding, out of this world! Yet, nothing seems to cross that point. No matter the trophies for when she was in Volleyball. No matter how many successful charities she ran. It just doesn’t seem to be GOOD ENOUGH. Perhaps nothing will ever be good enough for her parents, but she does try… harder and harder. Pushing herself through the limit in hope to impress them, to have her parents tell her that they are proud of her. ANYTHING. But as time goes by, it comes to a point where she uses all that neglect from home to make kids at Riverdale high life HELLISH. To be in charge, to have people coward and obey you! To respect you. It feels good, it makes her feel powerful and it makes her forget the shitty life back home. A popular girl in every movie never SHATTERS… and never shows her weakness. Her chin is held high, and the visible crown at the top of her head stays straight. Her walls are built HIGH for no one to climb and take a peek. But once someone catches sight that Elizabeth Cooper isn’t some class asshole, that deep within she has a heart, she just needs someone to care, someone to see right through her. Someone to crack down this girl. Though it’s not easy, it’s rare for her to let just anyone in to see who she really is behind all the PERFECTION. Maybe she’s not some cruel human being looking out to crush the spirits of students. Or maybe she is. and it makes it ten times the better to CRACK THIS CODE and butt heads with her. Maybe she likes it when someone comes head to head. It’s always fun to have someone brave enough to stand up to the TRIO of the school.

NAME : Elizabeth Jane Cooper [ ONLY FRIENDS CALL HER BETTY ] FACE CLAIM : Lili Reinhart AGE : 18 ++ GENDER : Female HAIR : Blonde EYE COLOR : Green Occupation: Blue & Gold DATE OF BIRTH : Sep 6th HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDED : Riverdale High ACQUAINTANCES [ RELATIONSHIPS ] : [ DEPENDS ON PLOTTING WISE ]  & [ ANYONE ELSE WHO IS A SERPENT / NORTHSIDERS + OC CHARACTERS ]

🌸🌸. YOU LIKE MY HAIR? GEE, THANKS, JUST BOUGHT IT

NOTE .

She’s nothing like Canon Betty, least… not until you get to know her. So heads up, she ain’t nice. The Coopers are rich in this verse. She’s childhood besites with Veronica & Cheryl. They are Riverdale’s very own MEAN GIRLS. But far worst cause they really don’t play games. The Coopers. The Lodges. The Blossom’s are known as the FOUNDING FATHERS of Riverdale since generations. Their families are highly respected so the girls have a high reputation to keep. having friends who are ‘less’ than them is a big no-no. Because Alice would consider it stepping down their level, and they don’t do that. They have to stand above it. Neglect, emotional abuse. Not much parental figure going on. Troubled family, but living the high life means making sure no one sees past the white picket fence. Betty does love mystery and has thrills for the wild side. xoxo.Think of them as the human versions of the weird sister. Cheryl as Prudence. Veronica as Agatha and Betty as Dorcas. Which is why they are a bit YIKES but as human of course, and in Riverdale High’s wrath.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

So do you guys remember my post about Jedi meeting their birth families and being chill with it? 

I’ve been thinking a bit - a lot, for like a year - about all the headcanons around Jedi’s biological people, and there are really only two possible cases that seem to get explored: the pure of heart, flawed but loving, desperate parents who ‘had’ to give up their precious child to the Jedi and didn’t feel they had a choice (most commonly seen from the more Jedi critical parts of the fandom, but not always), and the horribly abusive no good parents at all who gladly dumped their baby onto the Order (which appears to be the way of some Jedi fans to ‘justify’ the adoption into the Order as legitimate, which really shouldn’t be the point because adoptions are just as legitimate without abuse factoring in).

What’s kinda sad is how little we’re willing to explore all the possibilities, maybe because we don’t want to be perceived as on the wrong side of the fandom by our own pals. We all deal with just so much bad faith discourse that we smooth out any sort of human drama and nuance to try and have clear cut narratives that are so black and white that they must prevent bad faith interpretations. Jedi have to be perfect pure angels that have never done anything wrong to be recognized as good, because we’re afraid that if we write them in an interesting way people will jump on the opportunity to accuse them of all sorts of stuff.

Well, I’m tired of vanilla fics and good guys vs bad guys when dealing with purely human everyday stuff. Bad guys are for the galactic battles, the epic clash of eternal forces. When dealing with how Jedi younglings come to the Order, we can have plenty of amazing, heart-wrenching drama and warm, happy moments where all sorts of good and regular people have different goals and meet and clash without anyone being at ‘fault’ or being to blame for it. I want to see (*sigh* to write) complex, difficult situations that can’t be perfectly resolved but where people do try and everyone feels like a *person*.

With that out of the way, what about:

- the unanimously proud communities, so honored that their daughter will represent their people and traditions among the Order, wear their clothing and bear their name

- the desperate mother with proud relatives, who doesn’t want to give away her child, but feels pressured into it by well-meaning relatives. The Master feels her reluctance and tries to reassure her, but she insists that it’s fine - and it is, she wants it to be, she wants to believe it’s for the best but it’s just so hard...

- Stass Allie’s parents, who saw their niece Adi GAllia go to the Order a few years prior. Their two families are influential on Coruscant, but with Adi already in the Order, do they need to send Stass too? Will people think they’re making a grab for power? Will Stass be better off over there, with her cousin? 

- Tiplar and Tiplee’s parents. How many children do they have, besides their twins? Is it easier to let your children go when you know they will be together? Did they make the Master promise they wouldn’t be separated no matter what? Did they dress them in matching outfits, or were the Jedi the ones to come up with that?

- the teenaged single mom who cries tears of relief when she realizes her baby will have a good life

- the single dad who can’t bring himself to let his daughter go, because she’s his whole world. The Master presses, not fully understanding, because she would would give up everything for the good of her Padawan, including her relationship with him if need be. The dad still says no.

- the struggling addict parent who is glad to dump that kid (but who still wakes up at night crying, cursing the Jedi, cursing themselves - who get their life back on track for their next kid, maybe? Who meets more Jedi and is thankful after all, or who never does and stays bitter, but better...)

- the family using the adoption for clout, and the consequences for the Order PR-wise, with the younger Jedi having to let go of the bitterness and the anger

- the communities with their own customs surrounding the Force that the young Knight or the wise Master’s inexperienced Padawan struggle to grasp and accept

- the happy parents who are mildly Force-sensitive themselves but didn’t know (or did know, and expected some of their children to be sensitive too), with the Master or the Knight pondering what their own life would look like as a civilian, maybe a parent themselves, maybe giving their own child to the Order like those are doing now. Would they do it? If they could met that hypothetical version of themselves, what would they say about the life they have? 

- the superstitious, incredulous or religious parents who are just glad to get a real explanation for the floating rocks, instead of all the theories and the judging and the gossip

- the ones who are desperately poor, and so very grateful, and the younger Jedi struggling with this, wondering if that’s why they were given to the Order as well. Struggling not to judge, because they wouldn’t be happy to give up their own younglings no matter what, right? Learning to be grateful, and understanding, and compassionate. 

- the parents who decide to give their child away against the community’s pressure, finding comfort in the Jedi’s genuine desire to support them

- the siblings struggling not to feel betrayed by their parents’ choice - and the jealous ones, the proud ones, the amazed ones, the ones who were just toddlers and spend their life holding onto faded memories

And on the flipside to all of that, what about:

- the Jedi who find a baby among dead bodies, like Mace and Depa, and are so thankful they could save this one tiny light

- the Knights filled to burst with warmth and pride as the three of them get this little toddler to giggle on the way home

- the baby who has been screaming in the Force for weeks, wanting to go home, and who finally gets to feel a presence caressing his mind gently, telling him someone is coming

- the Masters who hold the little ones at night, when those who miss their old home feel lonely or sad, rocking them and singing to them

- the Jedi who have their niece, nephew, cousin, or sibling arrive in the Creche, who call their birth family to reassure them that it’ll all be okay, and yes, ‘the child will know who I am, don’t worry, we keep our names. I’ll help them along the way, I’ll keep an eye on them.’

- the Knight who shows up somewhere and experience a supersonic boom because that’s the one, this little one will be his Padawan, he knows it

- the Knight awkwardly trying to comfort the parents, but she can see that they can see that the baby has already latched onto her, and she senses their turmoil

- the Master feeling that the child won’t be suited for the life of a Jedi, and saying that, even as it’s so hard to turn away from those sparkling baby eyes and that little mental tug 

- the Padawan balancing babbling triplets on his shoulders, because they’re from a species that makes a lot of babies

- the Master-Padawan pair visiting a child a lot during the transition period, and bonding with the other siblings as well

... Just... a mess of relationships and love on all parts, with understandings being reached, people finding peace and joy, and the opposite of all that, all acknowledging that there are no bad guys here, just complicated circumstances.

[bxcketbarnes]

Place in Me

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 6700+

Author's Note: So, this fic is extremely long. I apologize in advance. I also hope you guys enjoy it. I'm worried that it's not up to par but we'll see I guess 🥺🥰 It's loosely based on the song Place in Me by Luke Hemmings. Beautiful song. Uhm, slight enemies to lovers which is unusual for me. Let me know what you though!! xox

"Barnes and L/N, you'll be partnering up," Tony states, and your eyes widen a bit before glancing towards the ex-assassin.

You notice Bucky rolling his eyes while crossing his arms over his chest, leaning back in the chair he's sitting in. "Is that the best plan, Tony? We've never worked together," he questions the man.

"That's the whole point, Manchurian Candidate," Tony mumbles while wagging his finger between the two of you. "You two are the only ones who haven't been on a mission together, so."

You stay quiet as the older man sets the debriefing folder in front of you. Your eyes meet his and you notice a certain emotion swimming in Tony's eyes. He raises his eyebrows slightly and you nod your head.

"You two look those over and then get to the quinjet. It leaves in an hour and your asses better be on it," Tony mentions while walking away from the two of you.

Silence fills the room and you avoid looking at Bucky. Your heart pounds in your chest as a sigh leaves the man's lips. You instinctively lift your gaze towards him, seeing his blue eyes already on you.

Your breath hitches in your throat and you look away, clearing your throat. "So, uh, s-sorry you have to work with me," you mumble loud enough for him to hear.

Bucky tsks before standing up from his chair. Your chest clenches when he doesn't say anything to you, watching the super-soldier walk out of the room. A heavy sigh leaves your lips, glancing down at the files in front of you.

"He'll come around," Steve's voice fills the room and you jump slightly, turning in your chair to see the blonde leaning against the doorframe.

You shake your head at his words, tears pooling in your eyes. "I don't think he will, Steve. H-He'll talk to everyone else except for me? I… I don't even know what I did for him to hate me so much," you sigh, your fingers catching the tears that roll down your cheeks.

Steve walks further into the room and lays a hand on your shoulder. You chew on your bottom lip, breathing heavily through your nose to calm yourself. "He's jus- He's got a funny way of showing people he cares. I doubt he hates you, Y/N," the blonde reassures you, giving you a gentle squeeze.

"Coulda fooled me," you mumble before shrugging his hand off of you, standing up from your seat. "I have to go get ready."

You hold the files to your chest and walk out of the debriefing room, making your way to your quarters. Your lip trembles a bit as you continue to think about Bucky and his cold behavior towards you.

Once you're in the elevator, you let out a shaky breath before glancing at the ceiling. Tears continuously glide down your reddened cheeks and you try to shake the memories from your head.

"Let's just get this over with," you sigh to yourself as the doors open up. You pack all the essentials you'll need for the mission,  double-checking that you've got everything before making your way to the quinjet.

You notice Tony standing at the end of the ramp as Bucky walks into the jet, a bag hanging off of his shoulder. "If you truly need to get away from Barnes, let me know okay?" Tony mumbles and you give him a tight-lipped smile, nodding your head in response.

"I should be okay, Tony. Thank you though," you whisper to him before walking onto the ramp of the quinjet.

"You guys got this. I believe in you," Tony reassures the two of you and the ramp proceeds to shut.

You sit as far away from Bucky as you can, fiddling with your fingers for a few minutes before pulling out your headphones. You rest your head against the headrest and decide to rest your eyes.

Bucky looks over at you and wishes that you weren't coming along. In his mind, this mission is way too dangerous for you. You're not a super soldier like him or Steve. You don't have a suit of armor like Tony or Rhodes. You don't have powers like Wanda.

You got your training from Natasha, and sure, Natasha has incredible skills that she learned from the Red Room. But, you're still human. A sigh leaves his lips and tears his gaze from you, deciding to make sure you don't get hurt at all.

-

"Holy shit," you mumble in amazement, looking around the hotel suite that Tony booked for the two of you.

Bucky walks in behind you, not saying anything as he brushes past you. You bite your cheek, your eyes following his figure as the super-soldier makes his way towards the bedroom.

You let out a slight huff of breath, running a hand through your hair. "I thought Tony mentioned there being two beds?" Bucky asks and your eyebrows furrow.

"That's what he said," you mumble while heading towards where he is. "Is there only on-"

"One bed? Yeah," Bucky cuts you off and you gulp, taking a peek into the bedroom to see one bed in the middle of it.

"I-Great," you whisper as the brunette lets out a heavy sigh. "Sorry, Bucky, I didn't-"

Bucky grunts before making his way towards the living area. "I'll take the couch," he states and you slowly close your mouth, the words dying on your lips.

"O-Okay," you whisper loud enough for him to hear, walking into the room you'll be staying in.

You press your lips together before shutting the door, putting some space between you and Bucky. I should've backed out immediately. You think to yourself while setting your bag onto the edge of the bed.

After unpacking your bag, you organize your things so they're easily accessible. You open the file Tony gave you, looking over the schedule of your target. "Aha!" You softly whisper, pointing at the paper while reading how your target generally goes to the restaurant right about now. "I could eat."

You open the bedroom door and step out of the room, looking around for your six-foot-tall co-worker. You furrow your brows at the space, wondering if he's still here or actually left. He'd tell me if he left… right?

Bucky,

I left to go get some food and a little intel on our target. Schedule says he's in the restaurant around this time. See you later.

Y/N

You place the written note near his things so he'll see it before grabbing one of the hotel room keys. You exit the room and make your way to the elevator before pushing the button. The doors open immediately and you step inside, pushing the button to the lobby.

"Hold the door!" A voice shouts and you stick your hand out, stopping the door from closing. "Oh, thank you so much."

"You're welc-" you cut yourself off as you look up at the man, your heart dropping into your stomach.

The man standing in front of you is Gabriel Price, the target you're currently after. The doors to the elevator close once more as the air around you grows thick. "You okay?" He asks and you snap your head up, your eyes meeting his cold ones.

"Y-Yes, sorry. I was… I was stunned by your beauty," you laugh nervously and the man smirks while fixing his tie.

A chuckle leaves Gabriel's lips and he looks down at you. "Well, thank you, darling. You're a sight for sore eyes, yourself," he winks and you bite your lip.

"I-Thank you, sir," you blush, wishing that the elevator would open right about now.

"Please, call me Gabriel," he corrects you before sticking his hand out.

Your eyes glance from his face to his hand before shaking it. "Nice to meet you, Gabriel. I'm Sylvie," you come up with a fake name.

The doors to the elevator open up and you drop his hand before leaving the small space. "I hope to see you around, Sylvie," he grins before walking into the restaurant.

You can feel your hands shake a bit and you let out a deep breath before fishing your phone out of your pocket. You dial Bucky's number, pressing the device to your ear.

"Pick up, please," you beg, your eyes looking around the place to see if the super-soldier is nearby.

When your call goes to voice-mail, you roll your eyes, not even deciding to leave him a message. You slide your phone into your pocket before heading into the restaurant. You notice Gabriel sitting with three other guys at a table near the corner as you walk over to the bar area.

"Hey, can I get some food to go?" You ask the bartender and the woman nods her head before grabbing her pen.

"Of course, sweetie. What can I get ya?" She asks with a smile.

Your eyes roam over the menu and decide to get something small for you and Bucky. "Uhm, can I get the fish and chips and a bacon cheeseburger with fries," you tell her and you watch the woman write it down.

"Absolutely. Do you want to bill that to your room?" She questions and you nod your head in reply, telling her the room you're in. "I'll put it in for you. Should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Perfect thank you so much," you smile as she turns to head towards the kitchen.

-

After stealthily watching Gabriel while waiting for your food, you finally make it back to your room. You balance the to-go boxes against one hand while grabbing the room key with the other, unlocking your door.

"Bucky?" You call out after shutting the door with your foot, taking a glance around the room in front of you.

"Yeah?" He mumbles and pokes his head around the corner of the wall, noticing the styrofoam boxes in your hands. "What's that?"

You furrow your brows and quickly wet your lips. "Did you not get my note?" You wonder and Bucky shakes his head. A sigh leaves your lips and you mutter to yourself, "figures."

Bucky picks the note you wrote from the table in front of him as you set the food onto the counter in the kitchenette. "Wait, was he there? The target?" The super soldier asks while walking towards you.

"Yup," you mention and hand the man his food, not meeting his gaze. "Actually met him in the elevator, but you would've known that if you answered your phone."

You brush past him, your shoulder bumping into his as you head towards your room. You stop just before entering the space before turning to face him, feeling the anger flow through your veins. "You know… next time you should just ask for a new partner if you don't want to work with me. No need to be a fucking coward and ignore me. That's how people get hurt, Bucky."

His blue eyes glance towards you just as you slam the bedroom door shut, leaving Bucky to his own devices. The brunette opens the take-out container, seeing a cheeseburger and fries sitting in it.

Bucky's phone rings loudly, snapping him from his thoughts and he pushes himself off of the counter before grabbing the phone.

"Hey, Steve," he answers after checking who it is, pressing the device to his ear.

"Buck," the blonde greets, and Bucky can hear Sam yelling in the background. "How’re things going?"

A sigh leaves Bucky's lips and he scratches the back of his neck. "Uhm, alright, I guess. It's been pretty tense between Y/N and I," he informs his best friend while eating a couple of fries.

"Well, have you tried having a conversation with her?" Steve asks and Bucky furrows his brows.

"I- No?"

"You know, after you left her alone in the debriefing room I stopped by," Steve starts as Bucky sits down on one of the chairs, continuing to eat his food, "and she told me that she's got no clue as to why you hate her so much. So, Buck, what's the reason?"

The super soldier feels his stomach twist a bit, not knowing that's how you felt about his coldness towards you. "I… I'm not sure, Steve. I just- she- I don't know how to explain it," Bucky mumbles and runs his fingers through his hair.

"Figure it out then. You two need to be working together. The hostility between the two of you is going to get one of you hurt… or even killed," Steve reprimands the super soldier and Bucky finds himself nodding in response. "I have to go. Talk to you later."

Bucky sets his phone down on the table before glancing towards your bedroom door. He lets out a deep breath through his nose and continues to eat the food you got him.

You sit against the headboard with your knees tucked a bit, staring off into space. You look towards the alarm clock to see it's just past midnight and you press your lips together before leaning your chin on your knees. Your food grows cold as it sits on the nightstand, your appetite is forgotten after your altercation with Bucky.

Tears pool in your eyes as you run your fingers through your hair. "Why? Why? God, why?!" You cry to yourself and before you know it you chuck your phone across the room.

You hear the device smash as it collides with the wall and you see the screen all cracked. A sigh leaves your lips as you watch the lit-up screen turn black before cursing to yourself.

Bucky quickly sits up at the thumping sound echoing off of the walls, his blue eyes looking around the dark space. His eyebrows furrow as everything is in place and the super-soldier gets up from his spot on the couch.

A frown etched onto his lips when he walks closer to the bedroom door, hearing your cries coming from inside it. Bucky wets his lip and feels his chest clench a bit before he raises his fist to knock on your door.

"Fucking hell," he heard you mutter through the door and Bucky lowers his hand, deciding it’s best to leave you be so he doesn't make it worse.

He swallows the lump forming in his throat before making his way back towards the couch. Bucky lays down under the covers and stares up at the ceiling, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"Steve's right," he whispers to himself, "I have to fix this."

-

You put your hood up as you follow Gabriel's men down the busy street. You stay a good distance behind them as you can lightly hear their conversation.

Apologies leave your lips as you're weaving through the sea of people, bumping into some of their shoulders as you pass by them. You wince when a burly man bumps into you, your eyes gazing up at the man while pressing your hand to your side.

"Sorry, miss," he smirks and you furrow your brows, mumbling that it's alright.

You stumble around the corner as the pain in your side spreads, removing your hand from the wound to see blood staining your skin. "Shit," you mumble and glance back to see if you can find the man that bumped into you.

Suddenly, your mouth gets covered by someone and you let out a scream as they drag you into the ally beside you. They throw you on the ground before another starts to kick your stomach.

"Don't fuck with us," a man growls and grabs a fist full of your hair, lifting you before shoving you against the brick wall.

Heavy pants leave your lips as the man's fist connects with your face. Pain fills your body as you double over, a couple of gaps leaving your lips.

"P-Please," you beg as another man takes a swing at you, blood dripping from your lips.

Your head gets pushed back against the wall as the older gentleman leans close to you. "Should've thought about that before following us, sweetheart," he snickers before gripping your cheeks. "I'm sure someone will find you."

You don't get a chance to say anything before the man smashes your head against the building. Your eyes roll back into your head as you get punched once more. The man lets go of your body and you drop to the ground as you become unconscious from the beating.

"We'll find her later, let's go."

Bucky knocks on your door in the hotel room, eyebrows furrowed as he hasn't heard from you all day. "Y/N?" He calls out your name before opening the door, peeking his head into the room. He walks into the room and sees the place empty. "Shit."

He pulls his phone from his pocket and dials your number. Bucky presses the device to his ear before walking back out into the main room. C'mon, c'mon. He thinks to himself while pacing in front of the couch.

A sigh leaves his lips when the call goes to voice-mail, his vibranium hand rubbing through his hair. The next number he dials is Steve's, deciding to tell the blonde what happened.

"Hey, Buck, what's going on?" Steve answers the phone.

"Y/N's missing," Bucky states, feeling his body start to panic at the thought of what could've happened. "I-She was here in the middle of the night and she hasn't left her room all day, so when I went to go check, the room was empty."

The brunette sits down on the edge of the couch, leaning his elbow on his knees. "Okay calm down. Did you try calling her?" Steve asks and Bucky scoffs.

"Of course I tried calling her, Steve. I'm not a complete idiot," Bucky mumbles.

"Goddamnit, Bucky. None of us can head out there right now. So, you need to get out there and find her," Steve informs him and Bucky nods his head in response, standing up from the couch.

Bucky goes to speak when the door to the room opens and you stumble inside. "She's here. I-I gotta go," the super-soldier breathes, hanging up before Steve could say anything.

You wince while shutting the door, leaning on it for stability. "Bucky," you whimper as he rushes over to you. You fall into his arms, your hands gripping his shirt tightly.

"Hey, hey, what happened?" He mumbles softly while leaning down to pick you up bridal style.

Bucky gently kicks the bedroom door open before walking into the room, setting you down onto the bed. His eyes roam across your body, seeing the bruises and cuts on your face. The brunette notices dried blood on your hand and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Fuck," Bucky whispers after seeing blood on your shirt. He picks up your shirt to see a wound in your side, his fingers grazing over your skin.

He walks into the living space, grabbing everything he'll need to patch up your wound. Bucky feels his phone vibrating in his pocket as he wipes the alcoholic pad across your skin.

"Hey, Steve," the super-soldier answers his phone, putting it on speaker before setting it on the table beside him.

"She okay?" He asks immediately and Bucky swallows thickly.

"Uhm, not exactly. She looks like she got the shit beat out of her, and she got stabbed," he informs the blonde.

Bucky runs a hand over his face after patching up your stab wound, turning his attention to your face. "Shit, Bucky. Okay, I'll let Tony know and tell you what he says," Steve mumbles and Bucky nods his head in response.

The phone hangs up and Bucky shuffles towards your upper body, grabbing another alcohol wipe. "God, I'm so sorry, Y/N," he sighs while wiping the dried blood off of your face. "I'm gonna need you to pull through this, alright. I need you."

Bucky throws the bloodied wipes away before gently stroking your cheek. He pushes himself off of the floor and grabs a glass of water and some painkillers, setting them on the table beside your bed.

His fingers glide across your forehead, pushing some of your hair out of your face. "Please come back to me."

-

A groan leaves your lips as your eyes flutter open. Your vision clears and you see Bucky sleeping beside your bed, his arms crossed over his chest. A small smile comes to your lips as you attempt to sit up a bit, wincing slightly.

Bucky jumps awake at the sound of you, his blue eyes meeting yours. "Y/N, hey," he whispers, pulling the chair closer to you. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit with a truck," you chuckle while holding your side.

"Here," he mumbles and moves to grab the pills and water beside you, "take these." You mumble a quiet thank you before taking the medicine from him.

You notice his nervous behavior as Bucky sits back down in his chair. "Bucky, I'm fine," you tell him after swallowing the liquid, setting the glass down. "Nothing I haven't handled before."

A sigh leaves the brunette's lips and Bucky runs his fingers through his hair. "It doesn't matter if you've handled it before, Y/N. You went out- on your own- to follow a dangerous man and you could've been killed!" He exclaims with a huff of breath.

"Well, if you were capable of working with me, Bucky, then I wouldn't have to do it alone! Don't you see that I'm trying?! I'm trying so hard to be civil with you, but you don't budge. Probably would've been better if I died. Then I wouldn't have to subject myself to your coldness every fucking day," you practically scream, your chest heaving rapidly.

Bucky's eyes soften at your words, his heart hurting a bit when you said you'd rather be dead than deal with him. "I'm sorry," he whispers loud enough for you to hear and your head turns to look at him.

"You're sorry? For treating me as an outsider for over a year?"

"I… Look, Y/N, I don't have a good reason for my behavior. I wish I did, I really do, but can we start over?" Bucky stutters and hesitantly grabs your hand.

Your heart flutters in your chest as his flesh hand grabs yours, seeing the sincerity in his blue eyes. "Can you stay with me?" You mumble, your fingers interlacing with his.

Bucky smiles softly and nods his head. You smile at him, feeling him squeeze your hand. The sound of your hotel room door opening catches Bucky's attention and the super-soldier suddenly gets up from his chair.

"Buc-"

He covers your mouth with his hand while bringing a finger to his lips, silently telling you to stay quiet. Your eyes widen as talking from the other room finally hits your ears.

"Stay there," Bucky mouths to you and you nod your head, your hands gripping the covers.

Bucky stealthily walks towards the bedroom door, pressing his ear to the wooden structure. "The tracking device says she's here," a man states and Bucky furrows his brows. Tracking device? "Check the bedroom."

Footsteps grow louder and Bucky quickly makes his way back towards you before lifting you off of the bed. Your arms wrap around his neck as the brunette quietly hides the two of you in the closet.

Your fingers stroke the back of his neck soothingly, keeping your gaze on his face the whole time. You notice his jaw clenching as Bucky focuses on the sounds around you.

"She's not here. She must've found it and left it behind," a different voice proclaims, another agreeing with the statement. "Let's go. We'll let Gabriel know."

You swallow thickly as Bucky's eyes meet yours. You can feel his breath fan your face, realizing the distance between the two of you is closer than you thought.

"Is it clear?" You whisper and Bucky gently sets you onto your feet.

"Hold on, let me check," he mumbles while his hands grip your waist, making sure you're steady before releasing you. "You good?"

You nod your head in response and Bucky's hands slip off of your waist before slowly walking out of the closet. You run a hand through your hair as you wait for the super soldier to come back.

"It's clear, c'mon," Bucky tells you and holds his hand out for you to take.

You wince a bit while walking out of the closet, grabbing ahold of Bucky's hand as he leads you back towards the bed. "Did he say something about a tracking device?" You ask him and Bucky nods his head in reply.

You lower yourself onto the bed and think about the event of yesterday. Bucky's eyes meet yours, watching your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Can you think of when they might've placed a tracker on you?" He asks while crouching in front of you, resting his hands against your thighs.

"I…" a short gasp leaves your lips as you remember a guy smirking at you after stabbing your side. "No way…"

"What?"

You pull your shirt over your head and Bucky's eyes widen before looking away. "My stab wound," you whisper.

Bucky snaps his attention to you as you take the bandage off of your side, exposing the wound. "Shit," he mumbles and lifts himself off of the floor. "If you can grab a towel and lay on it. We have to get it out."

You nod your head as he leaves the room. Another wince leaves your lips as you walk into the bathroom, grabbing a fluffy towel from below the sink. When you enter the bedroom again, Bucky stands at the edge of the bed sorting through the different utensils.

"This is gonna hurt," he informs you as you lay back on the bed, one of your hands gripping the sheets.

"It's okay," you whisper while nodding your head.

Bucky gives you a small smile before kneeling beside the bed. Your chest heaves rapidly as the super-soldier re-opens your wound. His blue eyes flit up to your face as you stare at the ceiling, trying to keep your mind distracted.

"I'm going to dig around to try and find the device, alright?" He reassures you and you nod your head, swallowing the lump in your throat.

Bucky's flesh hand rests on your stomach, feeling his thumb gently stroke your skin. Two of his vibranium fingers dip into your stab wound, a hiss leaving your lips at the uncomfortable feeling. "B-Bucky-"

"I'm sorry," he apologizes as the metal fingers move around. "It'll be over soon."

You bring your bottom lip between your teeth, biting down harshly. A cry escapes your lips as Bucky's fingers travel deeper, tears pooling in your eyes. Sadness fills Bucky's eyes as you whither beneath his touch, wishing he could find the damn tracker faster.

Bucky's brows raise when his metal fingers graze against something cylindrical. "I got it, doll," the nickname slips out and your heart flutters in your chest, turning your head to face him.

His eyes are already on you, seeing the concerned look swimming in the baby blues. "Agh! Bucky-" you breathe out as the device scrapes along the inside of your skin.

"Sorry," he whispers and manages to pull the tracking device out without hurting you anymore, crushing the tiny object between his vibranium fingers.

You take deep breaths as the super-soldier quickly gets up so he can replace your bandage. You keep your gaze on Bucky the entire time as he tends to the wound. "You're pretty," you whisper, not being able to stop the words from leaving your lips.

Bucky looks up at you through his lashes as he releases a small laugh. Butterflies swarm around your stomach as the man leans forward to press a gentle kiss to the fresh bandage, your breath hitching in your throat.

"You're prettier. Let me get you some water," he mentions before leaving the room once more.

He thinks I'm pretty. You think to yourself as a smile comes to your lips, bringing your gaze back to the ceiling.

-

"Tony, you don't get it. They know someone's after them. I think we should hold off until they're less suspicious," you hear Bucky talking in the other room. A sigh leaves your lips, the argument continuing on as you inspect the bruises on your face in the en suite.

You wince at the tenderness, rubbing the arnica ointment around your left eye. "Look, Bucky, the best I can do is move you to a different room and extend the mission. We can pull out on this now. We're too close," Tony says before hanging up the phone.

"Fucking hell," Bucky mutters as you leave the bathroom. You walk into the living area to see Bucky throw his phone onto the table before plopping onto the couch. "He's not letting us leave."

"I heard," you sit beside him, tucking one of your legs under the other, "I mean he's right in a way. We're so close to capturing this guy. I should've been more careful, I'm sorry."

The blue-eyed man glances towards you, leaning against the furniture. "It's not your fault. You were just doing your job. It's my fault that I made you believe you had to do this yourself," he mentions and you press your lips together.

"Well, good thing we're starting over, yeah?" You ask and Bucky's eyes widen, his lips parting slightly. You chuckle softly at the shocked look on his face and gently press your fingers against his chin, shutting his mouth.

"Y-Yeah, yeah, sorry," Bucky whispers, running a hand through his hair.  You watch as he glides his tongue across his bottom lip, low-key wishing you could taste his lips. "So, we should probably figure out which room Tony moved us to."

You and Bucky proceed to make your way to the lobby and talk to the reception desk, hoping the billionaire already called to make the arrangements. You keep an eye out as Bucky talks to the woman, your fingers drumming along the mahogany desk.

"Ah, yes, I just got off the phone with Mr. Stark. Here are your new room keys," she says with a smile, and Bucky politely thanks her while taking the keycards into his hand.

"C'mon," he mumbles and hesitantly grabs your hand, his blue eyes looking around the place.

Your eyes widen upon seeing the elevator door opening, a few men you recognize standing inside of it and you push Bucky towards the wall.

"Y/N-"

"Kiss me," you whisper and his blue eyes widen as he looks down at you.

"W-What-"

"Public display of affection makes people uncomfortable," you state, remembering Natasha mentioning that if you were ever in a sticky situation.

Bucky wets his lips and nods his head in agreement. "Yes, they do…" he trails off and you let out a huff of breath.

You grab a hold of his shirt, pulling him closer to you as you lean on your toes. Bucky places his hand against the wall, stabilizing himself as your lips connect with his. His vibranium hand grips your hip, a short moan escaping his lips as your fingers card through his hair.

Your heart flutters in your chest at the feeling of his soft lips. It takes Bucky a few seconds before he starts moving his lips against yours, deepening the kiss. You hear the men muttering to themselves as they walk past the two of you.

"Fuckin' kids," one of them grunts.

Bucky leans forward, pressing your back against the wall as he pulls away slightly. You keep your eyes closed and you breathe heavily as his nose nudges yours lightly.

"Are they gone?" He whispers against your lips.

You flutter your eyes open and look over his shoulder, seeing them walking out the main doors of the hotel. "Y-Yeah," you mumble, causing the brunette to take a step back. "Sorry about that, I just… didn't know what else to do."

Bucky shakes his head, mumbling that it’s alright. He reaches for your hand again, leading you towards the elevator. You chew on your bottom lip as the two of you stand in the elevator in silence, feeling the tension between the two of you thickening.

“Why don’t you head to the new room and I’ll work on transferring our stuff?” Bucky mentions and you nod your head in response.

“Sure,” you mumble and grab one of the room keys from his hand, watching the muscly man step out of the elevator. “I’ll see you up there.”

After a short ride up a couple of more floors, you step out of the elevator before heading towards your new room. Maybe one with two beds this time. You think to yourself while placing the key into the lock. You step into the room and let out a gasp, seeing rose petals everywhere. “Oh, no,” you mumble and shut the door quickly, trying to gather as many petals as you can. “What in the actual fuck, Tony. I swear to God,” You mumble to yourself while rolling your eyes.

The door handle to the room begins to turn and you rush towards it, opening it just a smidge. Bucky glances down at you with a concerned look as you try to find the right words. “What’s going on?” He asks you and you press your lips together. “Y/N?”

“Just… don’t take it out on me, okay?” You whisper and Bucky furrows his brows as you fully open the hotel room door.

Bucky’s eyes widened after seeing rose petals everywhere, causing him to curse under his breath. “I’m going to kill him,” he states and a chuckle leaves your lips.

You grab your bag from the hallway before shutting the room’s door. You watch Bucky aggressively pick up flower petals from the floor and furniture. “Maybe this was the only room available,” you chuckle while heading towards the bedroom.

“I doubt it,” he mutters bitterly as you open the secondary door.

“Oh, come one,” you groan as you notice the large king-sized bed sitting in the middle of the room. “Bucky!”

“Yeah?” He calls out, hearing his footsteps grow closer to where you’re standing. You glance over your shoulder and see his lips part in disbelief. “You’re joking me,” Bucky sighs before rubbing his fingers against his forehead.

You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and wet your lips. “I’ll take the couch this time,” you tell him and Bucky glances down at you.

“Y-You have bruised ribs, Y/N. I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch,” he mentions and you shrug your shoulders in response.

A sigh leaves your lips as you slap your hands along your thighs, turning to face Bucky. “Well, if you’re willing to deal with me… you can sleep in the same bed. I don’t mind,” you shyly tell him, feeling your cheeks flush. You begin to panic when Bucky says nothing and you clear your throat, scratching the back of your neck. “O-Or you don’t have to. I just wanted you to be comfortable.”

Bucky’s blue eyes soften at your words as he watches you walk further into the room. The man wets his lips before running a hand through his hair. “We can share,” he mumbles loud enough for you to hear.

“A-Are you sure?” You stutter, your eyes meeting his and the brunette nods his head in response. Bucky gives you an awkward smile and you let out a tiny giggle, taking a step towards him.

“What are you laughing about?” He huffs and you bite your lip, bringing your hands to his face before lifting the sides of his lips. Bucky playfully rolls his eyes and swats your hands away from him.

A genuine smile graces his pink lips and your heart flutters at the sight. “There’s a real smile,” you tell him, both of your cheeks heating up. “Should do it more often, Bucky, it looks good on you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Bucky whispers before walking out of the room to gather his things.

-

“Okay, so, I managed to gather some more intel on Gabriel,” Bucky mentions while walking into the bedroom. The super-soldier grabs the laptop Tony supplied him before sitting down on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

You lift the ice pack from your ribs and glance down at the bruised skin. “As good as I can be, I guess. It still hurts to bend over a bit, but I manage,” you chuckle as Bucky glances over his shoulder, seeing the purplish skin. “What’d you find out?”

“That he’s got a business meeting in the restaurant later tonight. Turns out the man he’s meeting has ties to HYDRA,” Bucky informs you while typing out what he discovered.

Bucky closes the laptop after finishing the report, making sure it is sent to Tony before fully turning the device off. Your eyes watch him gracefully move throughout the room, feeling a bit useless after getting attacked over twenty-four hours ago. “Do you need help with the meeting?” You ask him and the super-soldier shakes his head. “Buck-”

“You still need to heal, Y/N. I got this,” he mentions, and you sigh, running a hand through your hair.

“Can I at least be on comms when you go? I'm tired of just sitting here and doing nothing," you bargain.

Bucky doesn't answer you while pulling his shirt over his head, tossing it on the chair that sits in the corner of the room. "Fine, you can be on comms," he mumbles and you grin as then throws the covers back before getting on the bed.

"Thank you, Bucky," you whisper as the super-soldier lays on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

He turns his head towards you, his eyes noticing the fading bruise under your eye. He shuffles so he's laying on his side before reaching his vibranium hand out. Bucky notices how you don't flinch, seeing the smile steady on your lips as his metal fingers glide across your under-eye.

"Does it hurt?" Bucky whispers and you shake your head.

His eyes flicker down to your lips for a hot second before meeting your eyes again. "Have you ever kissed anyone before me, Bucky?" You ask him as you shuffle a bit closer to him.

You notice his cheeks blush and you teasingly smile at him. "I- No," he confesses and you tuck your lip between your teeth.

"C-Can I ask you a serious question?" You whisper, feeling his breath fanning your face. Bucky nods his head against his pillow, feeling a bit nervous about what you're going to ask. "Why do you hate me?"

A sigh leaves his lips as his blue eyes flutter shut for a few moments. Bucky wets his lips before sitting up, leaning his back against the headboard. You sit up as well, keeping your eyes on him as you notice the gears turning in his head.

"I don't hate you, Y/N. I really don't. I just… I guess I was jealous of you. I mean," Bucky pauses and slaps his hands against his thighs, "I don't have a good reason for being cold to you. Steve's right, you know? I do have a hard time showing my feelings."

Bucky's hand gently grabs yours and strokes the back of your hand. "It took me getting hurt for you to realize," you mumble softly and Bucky's chest clenches.

"I'm sorry that I let you down. I was so apathetic and I know it's pathetic, but I'm going to be here for you here on out," he exclaims and the corner of your mouth lifts into a small smile.

"Promise me?" You whisper as Bucky brings his free hand to your face.

His blue eyes search yours for a few moments before gently kissing your lips. "I promise you."

You rest your forehead against his, a heavy sigh leaving your lips as your heart pounds wildly against your chest. Bucky's hand slides along the side of your throat before resting on the back of your neck. Your lips meet his again while running your hands along his torso.

The kiss didn't last long before the two of you lie back down, your head resting on his chest. "You'll always have a place in me."

-

Taglist: @wkemeup​ @jessalyn-jpeg​ @queen-of-mischief​ @metalbuckaroo​ @thewxntersoldier​ @bumblebet-20​

[redrobin-detective]

*crawls through you bedroom window* actually sorry I’m not done talking about the tragic, complicated clusterfuck which is Ben and Rook’s friendship/partnership. Because of how it was set up and their own personalities at the time, it was doomed to fail. I mentioned previously how neither got to know/understand the other and I retract that because it’s not entirely true. They did get to bond in a way that you almost have to when you’re in life or death situations together but they never talked about it and so each went on thinking they weren’t important to the other.

The whole nature of their partnership reeks of impermanence. Max obviously knew ahead of time that Gwen and Kevin were leaving for college and had time to prepare. Ben being on his own, reckless and stupid, was not an option. I wonder how many candidates they went through before they got to Rook. They chose someone who excelled at Plumber training, who knew the rules Ben never bothered to learn backwards and forwards. Someone who would balance out Ben and keep him reigned in. Someone who was obviously destined for higher management so why not give him the best field training possible? Rook, if not Ben, was certainly aware that it was a temporary thing. Ben was 16 going on 17, soon he wouldn’t need a partner anymore; this was the last attempt at training wheels. I imagine the partnership dissolved not long after Omniverse ends, when Rook becomes Magister and probably has new training and responsibilities. Ben, almost an adult by human standards and hopefully positively molded by Rook’s influence, is deemed ready to be on his own. 

So imagine you’re Rook, you’re a newly graduated Plumber who was ready to take on the universe. You’re informed you’re heading to Earth and you will be working one on one with your idol, the Ben 10, the one who inspired you to leave your traditional, isolated homeworld. You meet your hero and while he’s got the watch and the quips, he’s also a child in a culture you don’t understand. You’re disappointed that your hero isn’t as perfect as rumor and propaganda told you. You’re angry and frustrated and you don’t bother to hide it, Ben almost seems to retaliate by being more obnoxious. The more time you spend with Ben, you realize there’s a method to his madness. He wins more battles than he loses, what Rook at first took to be Ben’s flaws turn out to also be his strengths. Seeing Ben in action snarling and laughing in the face of certain destruction, he realizes that Ben is, at the same time, a stupid, idiot kid who barely has an idea of what he’s doing but also twice the hero Rook thought he was. Suddenly Ben 10 isn’t just a poster in his room or a radio show to listen to in the dark, he is a real person and that makes him even more worthy of admiration.

And Rook does admire him, quietly. Ben keeps up his walls and Rook lets him because who is he to try and really befriend Ben 10? Rook is just one of billions of Plumbers in the universe, Ben is the universe’s savior. I bet before Rook ever stepped foot on Earth it was drilled into him that Ben Tennyson was to be protected at all costs, that Rook’s life was nothing compared to Ben’s. Rook already comes from a very restrained and private culture, he won’t initiate anything beyond what is needed for to the mission and to save his partner. It is enough for him to be able to work alongside his hero (even if said hero is thoughtless and ridiculous and has no sense of self preservation and he drives Rook insane but by gum does he respect the hell out of Ben when he isn’t contemplating murdering him). When the time ultimately comes for Rook to depart, he will be sad but not mention it. Because he imagines he is only a blip on Ben’s radar, a temporary partner before Ben goes onto bigger and better things. He never tells Ben that his loyalty wasn’t to the Plumbers, to Ben 10 but to the scrawny, sleep deprived kid who always remembered Rook’s favorite smoothie flavor. 

Now imagine you’re Ben. You’ve saved the universe at the cost of your privacy, chance for a normal life, general sense of safety and sanity. You’re quickly losing track of what part is you and what part is the myth about you. Two of your three major support systems abandon you without notice. Over the years of AF/UAF, Gwen and Kevin saw all your brokenness, fears, vulnerabilities, watched you go from dumb kid to hero. You didn’t have to tell them these things, they saw them happen and just knew. And now they’re gone and you only have your grandpa who you love but is also sorta of your boss now. He tells you you’re being assigned a new partner, someone chosen without your consent, someone you’re expected to trust your life and secrets with. Fine, this Rook fellow will do. He can watch your back but he’s not having any pieces of your broken heart. 

You fight, both bad guys and each other. The two of you have such opposite styles that you clash. He may have training and discipline but you have experience and incredible power. You fumble and bicker and somewhere through it all find an understanding. Suddenly the rumble of his voice is familiar as Kevin’s once was, his logical approaches and teasing barbs slot in where Gwen’s used to be. It’s not bad, you tell yourself. You know this isn’t forever, that it’s not real, but it’s not bad. Because you know first and foremost that Rook is a Plumber and you are not. You also know he is a fan and you are acutely aware how short you fall from the perfect hero ideal. Ben laughs, clinging harder to the arrogant hero façade and pretends Rook’s disappointment doesn’t crush him. If someone who’s forced to work with him doesn’t like Ben, then how can he be the beloved savior everyone tells him he is even though he doesn’t quite know how he got there? He’s just a kid doing his best and soon buries himself in his perceived role.

Time passes, Ben and Rook have been through so much. Against your will, he’s seen some of your broken parts. He sees past your cracks, sees your guilt and grief and bone deep fear. But he doesn’t seem upset, even more disappointed by the failure hero. He is kind, friendly, understanding. Not enough that Ben feels comfortable to open up but he relaxes, just a bit. Rook isn’t just a forced upon partner, he’s now a friend. But he knows Rook is only here because he was ordered, he feels Rook’s annoyance with him and believes his kindness is only out of duty. It’s fine, he’s used to everyone around him bleeding him dry of everything he has and then some. Just another part of being a hero. He’s not Kevin or Gwen but he is Rook and he is grown on you because Ben is always an open soul, one who wants to receive some love he gives so freely. You finally feel steady, like you can stop pretending so much and try and find some peace and happiness in your dangerous, chaotic life.

Suddenly so fast, you’ve saved the universe once more and Rook is moving on. It’s like Gwen and Kevin leaving all over again. Rook himself seems excited to move up the ranks, to get more tassles on his uniform. He is a soldier at heart, you are not even if you play the part of one. You are a child only you’re not anymore, while you were busy saving everyone again and again your childhood was stolen from you. Now on the edge of adulthood, you’re told it’s time to take responsibility. You want to scream you’ve been doing that since you were 10 years old, that someone else can do  it for a change. You want to beg Rook to stay, to drag Gwen and Kevin home, to hide your loved ones away with you and not have to confront the big, bad universe alone. Instead, you do what you always do. You swallow all your fears, your wishes and hopes and shake his hand goodbye and wish him well. You don’t tell him you’ll miss him, neither does he. 

Rook and Ben part as the strangers they never stopped being even if both of them aches at the loss of the close proximity, of the friendship. Both are very much aware that the relationship was weak, transient, that it might have been something more if they gave it more attention. However, too many things were between them and both of them genuinely believed the other didn’t care as much. The rest of their lives they remain friendly, distant but polite. It’s not much different from when they fought side by side even if they wish it different.

[inazumaeveryday]

Day 7

Location: Kidou’s house

Kidou: Good morning, mar.

The regional qualifiers for the Football Frontier have finally started.

Our first match is in three days.

mar: (The regional qualifiers are finally here…)

Option 1

mar: Who are you going to play against in your first match?

Kidou: It’ll be either Ryuuguu or Kofun.

Option 2

mar: Who is Raimon going to play against in their first match?

Kidou: Oh, Raimon?

If I remember correctly, their first match is against Nose… Call it bad luck.

Nose is a pretty strong team. There’s a good chance Raimon will actually lose this one.

*

Kidou: Come to think of it, it’s already been a week since you came to my house. Only three more weeks…

The winner of the Football Frontier will already have been decided by the time you leave.

Heh… But of course, we already know it’ll be our Teikoku Gakuen.

*

Kidou: mar, your uniform is wrinkled.

You should ask Hakamada to iron it for you.

Morning practice

Kageyama: The regional qualifiers have begun.

But you all know that it is but a stepping stone to the national tournament. The winner of the Football Frontier will be our Teikoku Gakuen.

Kageyama: I want you to show me a perfect, absolute victory.

Team: Yes, sir!

Kidou: The commander’s words have a lot of power.

A “perfect victory,” an “absolute victory”...

By repeating these particular words over and over, he makes sure that we always have them in mind.

Location: classroom (social studies)

Kidou: The history of soccer is filled with legendary players.

…I wish I could face them in a match.

Location: hallway

Kidou: …Hm. A call.

It’s me.

…Yeah. So?

…As I thought.

Yeah, got it. I’ll call you back.

mar: (I wonder who called him…)

Was it one of your informants?

Kidou: Something like that. But eavesdropping on someone’s phone calls is a bad habit to have, you know?

Anyway, speaking of informants… Domon’s a Raimon student starting today.

I’m looking forward to his report.

*

Genda: Domon’s transferring today, right… Did you hear anything from him?

Kidou: No, nothing yet.

Genda: I see… He’s got a good sense of humor, so hopefully he’ll fit in well at Raimon…

Location: classroom (science class)

Kidou: The materials used to make soccer balls and shoes have been evolving alongside science.

...I can’t even begin to imagine what they’ll be like in a hundred years.

Location: hallway

Kidou: I’m honestly jealous of you, Oono. You’ve been blessed with a great body.

Oono: Really? I’m jealous of you, captain!

I’d love to be able to dribble as fast as the wind like you do.

Kidou: Haha! The grass is always greener on the other side, huh?

*

Henmi: Oh man… Just one more and…

Kidou: What’s wrong, Henmi? You don’t look so good.

Henmi: Um… So I was in class, and then I fell asleep…

And then they cut my ticket… [1]

Uugh… One more mess-up and I’ll get sent to the disciplinary room…[2]

Kidou: Hmm…

Sorry, I can’t really say I sympathize.

Location: shooting range (PE)

Kidou: Every sport has its own rules.

If you look more into it, you’ll find some really unexpected ones. It’s pretty interesting.

Location: cafeteria

Kidou:mar, do you just eat the foods you like?

You should eat a balanced diet.

Location: schoolyard

Kidou: I should probably read the rest of the report now. I need to figure out the info they sent me.

Location: classroom (Japanese)

Kidou: I couldn’t tell the difference between sonkeigo and kenjougo[3] when I was younger.

But not anymore. I’m able to naturally use them both now.

Location: hallway

Kidou: To solve a Japanese problem, you need to apply mathematical thinking to it…

And to solve a math problem, you need Japanese skills.

Heh, that means you need to work hard at both.

Location: classroom (math)

Kidou: I hear a lot of people struggle with calculus and trigonometric functions.

Well… It’s true that they never make use of it in their daily life, so I can understand why they’d have a hard time with it.

Location: hallway

Sakuma: Do you guys study together at home?

mar, you can tell me… Does Kidou have some kind of secret method that makes him so good at studying?

Kidou: We don’t study together. We’re advancing at different paces so there’s no point.

Sakuma: I-I see…

Location: classroom (music)

Kidou: I see. So abdominal breathing makes it easier for your voice to reach your teammates on the field…

Maybe we should get the team together and try singing as a chorus sometime.

After school

Location: clubroom

Kidou: mar, I’ll be leaving at 17:00 today. I’m going to Mikage Sennou with the commander.

He said you were free to tag along if you wanted.

Location: in the car

Mikage Sennou is also participating in the regional qualifiers.

I heard they have an unusual way to train their players.

Location: Mikage Sennou

Kageyama:Oh… This is Raimon’s data.

Toyama: Impressive, aren’t they, commander?

Our soccer players are fully managed by our school’s powerful computer system!

Kageyama: Interesting. It’s quite realistic for a computer program.

Toyama: These soccer cyborgs will show you a perfect victory in the real match against Raimon as well!

Kageyama: Victory?

Crushing Raimon isn’t victory, it’s mere pest extermination!

Toyama: Y-yes, of course, sir!

mar: (Crushing Raimon…?)

Option 1

mar:Um, what did he mean by “pest extermination”?

Kidou: …………

Option 1

mar: Commander Kageyama is really scary…!

Kidou: The depth of the commander’s desire to win is unfathomable. We can’t even begin to understand it.

mar, you should be more careful about what you say.

*

Kidou: Nose is a strong team, but we lack data on Raimon so their abilities are unknown…

The commander always has Teikoku’s triumph on his mind, so he’d want to be prepared for every possibility and eliminate any risks to our success.

Location: in the car

Kidou: It’s important to collect as much data as we can, but it is ultimately just plain information.

What’s important is what we do with it.

At home

Location: Kidou’s room

Kidou: Don’t think you know everything from just looking at part of the data.

That’s something I make sure to be careful about.

Location: bath

Kidou: Hahh… The hot water feels great.

I can’t describe this feeling with data…

Location: dining room

Kidou: mar, when you drop a spoon or fork at a restaurant, ask a waiter for a clean one instead of picking it up.

Well, it’s best if you don’t drop anything at all.

Location: Kidou’s room

Kidou is having one of his kingcraft lessons.

Kyougoku: A good leader is generally thought to possess charisma.

Whether or not one is considered charismatic, however, relies solely on the perception others have of them.

Kidou: So charisma is not something that one can simply acquire…

Kyougoku: Precisely! But you do not need to worry about acquiring it, Yuuto-san. You are already charismatic enough.

After the lesson

Kidou: The legendary Inazuma Eleven? Oh, so he’s their coach’s grandson…

Alright, keep me posted.

Oh, mar, you were there.

I just heard from Domon that Raimon is desperately trying to come up with a new special move to defeat Nose.

They even rented a ladder truck.

Haha… What a bunch of idiots.

Anyway… What did you think of Mikage Sennou?

mar: (Mikage Sennou…)

Option 1

mar:The simulation dome was amazing!

Kidou: I agree, it’s an interesting system. It might even be worth implementing at Teikoku.

Kidou:...If Mikage Sennou makes it to the finals, that is.

Option 2

mar: I was curious about those wires on the player’s head!

Kidou: They’re electrodes. They link the players to their coach so he can give them instructions.

They also scan the opposing players and display an analysis of that data.

*

Kidou:They seem to place a lot of importance on data… But data can only relay you information on the past.

I heard they’re considered to be as strong as our Teikoku, but if they’re satisfied with only beating past versions of their opponents, they’re no match for us.

From what I understand Teikoku has a ticket system where all students have a ticket that gets cut if they break the rules, and if they misbehave again they get sent to like extreme detention. I'm assuming they only have 1 chance before being punished because Teikoku has been said to be strict about rules + the fact that it's a "ticket" (same word you'd use for a 1-use ticket that gets cut when used)

Interestingly the word Henmi uses is actually "punishment room" and when I looked it up I mostly found results about something similar to solitary confinement in prison

2 different branches of polite speech