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novantinuum · 5 years ago

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Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Words: 3.6K~

Summary: She’s poofed, he repeats to himself like a dying man’s mantra. She’s poofed. She’s stuck in the rubble, but she’s only poofed. She’s fine, and I’m fine, a-and—

Above the scars of Steven's wreckage, thunder claps like mighty titans colliding in the heavens.

(Or: what happens in the moments after Steven and Jasper's rematch.)

Some canon compliant ooof set mid-Fragments.

If you enjoyed this, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos/comments on AO3 as well. Thank you! <3

Fight the Future

The impact shreds the landscape, gouging deep cracks that penetrate through to bedrock and felling nearly every tree in a good hundred-yard radius. Rubble is still settling, small fragments of bark and stone raining to the ground like scattered bomb shrapnel, but in the heat of the moment he genuinely can’t hear a thing through the blood that pounds in his ears like a war drum. There’s only ringing. Nothing but ringing...

Floating high above the scars of his wreckage, Steven Quartz Universe pants hard, exhausted and lightheaded from all the physical exertion and yet clutching to the tingling energy pulsing under his glowing pink skin with all the desperation of a lost child. This... the raw diamond power he’s been holding back on expressing all this time... surely this has to be what he’s been searching for. This has to be the piece to fill that growing emptiness he can’t seem to shake, right? Right?? Stars, he doesn’t want to let go of this feeling, this invigorating rush, not now, not yet. His fists tremble at his sides. H-he... he’s not ready to be anything else. Besides, the fight isn’t even over. His opponent hasn’t gotten up yet. She’s probably feigning defeat, hoping to catch him off guard. Hah, good ol’, typical Jasper!

With a huff of resolve, he wipes the sweat off his brow and wills himself to drift down to the shattered earth below. Sandaled feet meet the ground toes first. As he fully settles upon his soles, loosened soil shifts under his weight. He scans through the wreckage for the quartz Gem, the inanity of this whole harebrained situation drawing breathless laughter from between his lips. For a split second its darkened tone almost strikes him as alien, but he quickly shreds this thought. After all, everything’s fine! He’s fine. In fact, he’s more than fine. He’s nearly won.

“Please, I know you’re not finished yet,” he goads, an intoxicating dose of satisfaction (as for once in his life, he has full control of something and that thought feels so alluring it’s as if he’s finally greeting the sun) flooding his synapses. He cracks his knuckles hard enough that she’ll be sure to hear. “The fight’s barely started, get up!”

Nothing. No footsteps, no taunting, not even her usual groan of derision. Outwardly he turns his lip up in a sneer. Inside his chest however, a far different story plays out. His heart constricts like it’s being crushed by a vice, tinnitus acting up ever stronger as he tries with desperation not to let this deafening silence taint his apparent victory.

Something’s wrong, something has to be wrong, his mind screams underneath all the mock bravado holding him in one piece. In retrospect that should’ve been his first sign to disengage, the fact that even his body is viscerally reacting to the sight of his wreckage, but in the heat of the moment he stamps out this nettering worry like Jasper would a bug. No! He will not allow himself to crumple to fear again! He’s not afraid of this. That’s why he’s been training. He’s in control now. Not Jasper, not the Gems, not these emerging diamond powers, nor his ever-increasing list of anxieties. And it’s for that precise reason that in all the moments he bares his fists, drops on his haunches... whenever he consciously allows the full force of his ability to burst forth in a flash from the deep wells of his soul like lightning to a tree... he’s not just fighting to prove himself to someone.

He’s fighting the future itself.

He’s done being yanked around by tragedy, by genes, by all his family’s unfinished business. It can’t control him. He won’t let it, not anymore.

I’m in control.

And yet...

(A throat tearing scream, propelled by the creeping desire to fix, to refine, to control... and yet a crater of spiderwebbed cracks he never intended branching underfoot as his audience looks on in slack jawed horror—)

(A dome of his own subconscious creation, born of fear and anxiety and selfishness, unstoppable, pressing inwards, pressing all who dare touch him ever closer towards their ultimate fate—)

(A surge of strength, built from anger and betrayal and loss felt for the stable life he’d never have... the sickening realization that he’s helpless to swerve out of the way as he slams his foot down on the break—)

...if he’s in control, why hasn’t his opponent showed her face yet? Why can’t he force his tensed muscles to ease up, or will away that unbearably nauseous sensation growing ever more present in his gut?

“Jasper, come on! I didn’t hit you that hard.”

The waking world responds by confirming his solitude, the dust that‘s swirling around his legs finally beginning to settle as he takes five wide strides towards the center of the impact crater. The closer he approaches, the more he realizes that his view of the site from far above really didn’t succeed in illustrating just how radical his influence on the landscape was.

Sure, so maybe the monolithic hard light barrier he constructed by sheer force of will has long since dissipated, but its apocalyptic hand on the environment remains. A few concave indents (from the spikes) are scattered throughout the cracked, uneven earth where it is not otherwise fractured beyond all recognition. The tree trunks left standing are so harshly splintered that he’s sure the razor sharp edges of their bark could slice his fingers. Fallen branches, heavily segmented and warped, mix evenly between blocky chunks of stone and clay. Pine needles are scattered across the face of the ruins like confetti. With his overactive digits growing increasingly squirrelly at his side the longer he observes his handiwork, his gaze shies down.

Stop!!!

His sandaled foot hovers.

Ants. A vast colony of them, tiny and black and darting about all lost and confused. Normally one doesn’t see so many of them crowding at the surface, but all this destruction must have unearthed their intricate network of tunnels.

Steven stumbles back a few steps from the heart of the panicked, scurrying mass, knowing immediately by the sharp twist in his chest that he didn’t manage to miss all of them. H-he- stars, why does he even care so much? They’re just ants. It’s not like he’s never accidentally stepped on an ant before, yeah? And it’s certainly not like he, a self-proclaimed vegetarian, hasn’t spent the past three days surviving entirely off fish he personally caught, skewered, and broiled! It’s not like any of this is inherently wrong, it’s just... different. He’s different. He’s changing, transforming, just like this landscape changed. And that’s okay!

This is exactly what I wanted, he tells himself, a broken smile creeping across his face. I’m different, but I’m better. I am! I’m in control of myself now!

The teenager grips at his hair, fingers clutching tight around thick clumps of unwashed, overgrown curls, and yanks. (Needle pricks of pain shoot across his scalp like a metaphysical lattice. His choice. Somewhere, somehow, it’s probably deserved.) An almost tipsy peel of laughter surfaces from a place deep in his soul yet unbeknownst to him. His limbs tremble as he struggles to take a breath between it all.

“I’m in control,” he rasps, hands drifting to press at his temples. Nature responds with a startling thunderclap. He flinches on instinct, another laugh bubbling over the brim. “I am, I’m...”

Another roll of thunder. Slowly, steadily, he begins to feel cold raindrops sprinkle against his still-glowing skin as he inhales fast and shallow, standing at the center of the clearing. Almost everything outside the narrow radius of his light is dark and muted and painted in shades of brown and grey. There’s barely any green. With the intruding storm, no blue. And as for orange...

Suddenly feeling like nothing more than an insignificant speck upon this landscape, he cups his mouth and roars.

“Jasper!!”

For a moment nature seems to accept his cry, taking it up through her roots like a tree does nutrients from the soil, but it quickly becomes obvious that the nutrients he provides are nothing but toxic. Degenerating. Something to be rejected. The distant cliffs bounce his words back at him without thinking twice, naught a single response to be found on the wind. There’s only rain now.

Nothing but rain.

A harsh shudder runs through his body as the reality of his situation begins to set in. He stands motionless, feet chained into place, his clothes growing wetter and wetter as the thunderstorm’s strength picks up. In all this time, Jasper’s made no move to retaliate. She hasn’t even shown her face. So... This fight- is that it? Is their rematch over? D-did he...

His eyes widen so far in his dawning comprehension that they sting.

“Oh geeze, I poofed her, didn’t I?” he says out loud, bluntly answering his own question. “That’s why she’s not responding... I-I—“ his words are cut in the middle by a choked sob, a strange noise caught somewhere between the tides of pride and utter disbelief— “I actually poofed her!”

He quickly finds himself overrun with laughter once more, this latest batch rough and strained, a wordless plead for help. (But no worries, though, really! He can figure this out!) Desperate, wandering fingers tug across the coarse stubble dusting his cheeks. Dampened curls plaster against his forehead, his head almost feeling heavier for it. So yeah, maybe he poofed her. From all evidence, that seems to be the most likely scenario here. He, Steven Quartz Cutie-Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe, singlehandedly poofed a Gem. But it’s not like he‘s never done that before?? Bismuth? Spinel? This isn’t anything new. He’s not so innocent as he’d like to believe he is. And sure, so maybe he held the upper ground on his finishing blow, and maybe this entire fight wasn’t in self defense like the others to begin with, but that’s not a problem either! All this? Just a spar. It’s just training. In a moment he’ll find Jasper’s gem buried in the rubble, and when she reforms back at camp she’ll give him a rough clap on the back and admit something uncharacteristically touchy-feely about how she never imagined he actually had it in him, and everything will be fine. It will!

Inhaling deep through his nose, he drops to his knees at the center of the crater— pointedly ignoring the damp soaking through his jeans and the shiver dancing up his spine— and begins pulling aside thick slabs of stone. Another nearby lightning strike asserts its presence with a frightening clap, his limbs seizing up and his heart ramming double time on impulse. He grimaces, rainwater dripping off his nose and chin. Stars, it’s only thunder! He hasn’t been scared of thunder since he was a child, so what’s all this about? He’s stronger than this. He’s better than this. Stubbornly refusing to let nature’s force intimidate him, he pushes on. Another roll of thunder, another stone overturned. Not a glint of orange to be found here either.

It’s strange... he’s not even off the ground, but he feels like he’s falling, his body limp and helpless to break his descent, the ground rushing to swallow him whole faster than he can move to even protect his face. And like an ill-fated omen, a destiny he may ignore but never shake, this feeling clings to him like the inescapable stench of smoke on charred clothes. If anything else, he supposes it’s proof he faced the fires head on and survived.

He can’t say the same for Jasper.

Above, thunder claps like mighty titans colliding in the heavens.

(Boisterous, neigh-unrecognizable laughter, a sky walled off in panels of incandescent light… his opponent’s terror-stricken form shackled to the very Earth she detests as she awaits his next attack, finally powerless in the claws of the diamond once beaten and belittled by her might and doesn’t that just drip with irony, doesn’t not holding back for once against someone who hurt you feel great—)

Chunks of clay break apart in his hands as he angles to relocate them. No gemstone yet.

She’s poofed, he repeats to himself like a dying man’s mantra. She’s poofed. She’s stuck in the rubble, but she’s only poofed. She’s fine, and I’m fine, a-and—

His mind grows dizzier and fainter by the second as he searches for his reassurance, for some steady surface upon which he might gently end his descent. Falling… He’s still falling. But the problem now is that his heart is pounding so hard his chest feels like it's bruising from the inside out, and all the drab greys and browns of his surroundings have blurred together until he can barely distinguish the start and end of anything. Hands once steady and assured now repeatedly fumble over uneven chunks of wet stone, unable to grasp their edges solidly enough to turn them over. H-he… no matter how hard he fights, he still can’t—! The diamond huffs, smooth, blemishless fingers slamming into hardened fists. Frustration spilling out broken and raw like hunks of cotton from between his soul’s uneven seams, he stares into the face of the uncaring, stormy sky and screams.

Energy explodes outwards, momentarily tinting his world in pink. He screams until he’s hoarse, until his throat burns like an inferno and his innate healing factor has to once more clean up the damage he’s sewn. (Although today he almost wishes it wouldn’t.) Behind him, something cracks at his command. Still very much panting in light of such a bombastic release of power, he presses a weary hand to his forehead and turns to meet the sight head on.

Be it from exhaustion or clear-cut denial, it takes a while for him to fully comprehend what he’s looking at.

His screams have cleaved a flat slab of stone in half. Before, this slab seems to have been propped diagonal against a sturdy boulder in an almost tent-like fashion, shielding the rough soil below from the elements and any further defacement. Both the soil, and…

Oh.

His head fills with static. Glimmers of orange flood through his synapses as if he’s staring through the eyepiece of a kaleidoscope, and suddenly the whole world’s spinning and shifting and—

The next moment he’s aware, he’s on his hands and knees before the sight in question, those quivering, squirming fingers clawing into uneven earth as if it too may abandon him at a moment’s notice, having realized far too late how terrible a person he is, how he- NO! He heaves for breath as his herculean form pulses with light and shrinks down to his typical soft, stocky self, leaving not a trace of pink in its wake. The surrounding world is plunged into darkness. Choking back a sob, he yanks his hands out of the ground and desperately smooths over the divots he made as if this single act could in any way make up for the blunt reality that he’s a sha- NO! NO, NO NONONONONO- not real not real not real, NONE of this can be real, there’s no way, it’s not true, stars, h-he’s not—

His whole body trembling like a man angling to greet death, Steven reaches a hesitant finger towards one of the orange, glittering quartz shards littering the soil. This isn’t real. Those shards can’t be real, can’t really be lying amidst the rot and ruin in the rain, and he’ll prove it. H-he’s having a nightmare, he has to be. He has to! Because if he’s not, a-and he caused this, and Jasper, she- if she’s really—

Skin meets crystal, organic heat pooling against the cold, lifeless facet in a veritable explosion of sensation. The shard shifts under his touch and knocks against the other pieces of Jasper’s gem. Tangible, and very, very real. Gasping, he jerks back as if burned by ice, bile rising in his throat.

SHATTERER I’m a shatterer she’s shattered she’s dead she’s GONEGONEGONE shards broken, fractured, cold, there’s nocomingback youSHATTEREDher you’reamonst—

NO!

The last stitch holding his battered soul in one piece snaps. His chest heaving, strained, sloppy wails begin to rise into the air like the threads of thin morning mist, fading into obscurity under the thunderstorm’s might. A rush of wind bites against his face, the salt of his tears mixing with the steadily falling rain. Gently... reverently... (too late too late you’re too late) he gathers up all her shards in his palm.

Steven’s genuinely unsure how much time passes while he sobs there in the crater’s heart, the soil turning to mud under his knees. Each second is an eternity spent locked within the recesses of his own mind, screaming in denial at the wreck he’s become, the mess he’s made. Connie, his dad, the Gems, and now her—! In all paths of the known universe, how is it that— despite years of tireless effort to do the right thing— his life has fallen to this? What’s wrong with him??

He doesn’t notice he’s pink again until the glow’s already overtaken his body, entombing him like a second skin. Blood pumps wildly right alongside the dizzying rush of hard light through non-organic veins. The teen’s breath hastens, and he‘s powerless to stifle his cries as he begins to swell up, an ungodly sum of pressure threatening to burst out right then and there from the arc of his spine. On his own there’s nothing he can do but hunch over and ride the episode through, his head throbbing and mind shrouded in static. Arms tremble to support his upper body. His chest bows in and out in an unpredictable pattern, and yet no sum of air is enough to quell his panic. Grinding his eyes shut, he hunts for an anchor. Shirt... his shirt. It’s sopping wet now, sticking to his back. The scent of pine needles, mingling amongst the rain. Sandals on his feet. The thunder, still causing him to seize like a child with each startling clap.

The weight of her fragments in a shatterer’s his hands.

(For once, a title not even Mom could claim, hah! Imagine that...!)

It’s a slow path to victory, but eventually his anchors are successful. The swelling recedes. The stone and soil around him grows drab and neutral in color once more, the pink glow fading from his skin. His lungs ache from exertion as his breath evens out. Sitting back on his haunches, he lifts the remains of Jasper’s gem to eye level, watching as the sharp edged fragments knock against each other, waging battle even in death. Memories flicker through his mind like a roll of polaroids: the terror he experienced that night he met her on the beach; standing up to her as Stevonnie; the moment he realized with shame stewing in the pit of his heart just how insecure she really was, watching her all but corrupt herself; every day he tried to convince her with no success to reach out to Little Homeschool. Even if he didn’t... didn’t hurt her, would all this still be his fault? Could he have done more? Is this nightmare he’s trapped himself in a failure of aid as well as a failure of morality?

What happened to him, Steven Universe, savior of the galaxy? When did he stop being the boy who heals?

“What... am I doing...?” he pants, gripping the shards in closed fists. “I.... I have to fix this.” Blinking heavily against the rain, his emboldened words spill out into the observing wilderness. “There’s gotta be a way to fix this!”

With a stubbornness as hard as diamond stirring in his heart, he grinds his teeth together, opening his eyes so wide that they sting. His tears once brought Lars back to life. They outright resurrected the dead. So shouldn’t it stand to reason they should also weave shattered Gems back together?

“Come on,” he says pitifully, holding the glittering orange remains close to his face. “Please! Cry, Universe, cry! I just...!”

He feels his face screw up, powerless once more to hold the sobs back. They strip the layers of his soul to bedrock, each gasping cry more helpless and desperate than the last. Water carves a messy trail down his cheek, dripping off his chin and onto the slick shards. The droplets clinging to their surface area cause the ambient light to scatter at new and unpredictable angles. If not for the sobering context, he’d call it beautiful. But despite the tracks of his tears, the shards remain dim and cold.

Lifeless.

His shoulders shudder.

“I-I don’t want this,” he says, voice hitching, “I don’t want to hurt anyone! So why can’t I just—“

Wait, he realizes with the speed of a lightning strike to a tree.

“The diamond essences,” he whispers hoarsely, tasting each syllable on his tongue. “They- they can heal corrupted Gems, bring them back w-where I can’t alone. Is… is it possible they could also—?”

Steven shoots to his feet at the crater’s center, clutching onto the pieces of the quartz Gem like a lifeline. He- oh stars, he has to get back to the house, quick! There’s still time. There’s still a sliver of hope. He can still mend this mess he’s made. Turning on his heels, he begins to sprint back to camp with Jasper in tow, his flip flops noisily squelching in the mud.

The future won’t win, not here, not now. I won’t let it. I’m not a shatterer a healer! I’m Steven Universe. I'm in control.

I’m still in control.

#su #su future #steven universe #suf #su fanfiction #my writing stuff

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trensu · 5 years ago

Text

Episode 22: The One with ANOTHER Other Moonlit Rooftop Scene

WE’RE ON A ROOF, GREAT START!

THERE’S MOONLIGHT, GREAT START!

BC WE ALL KNOW THAT THE BEST THINGS HAPPEN ON MOONLIT ROOFTOPS (except for that one time that we’re not gonna talk about rn bc it’ll give me the Sads)

OUR BOYS ARE SITTING TOGETHER ON A ROOF IN QINGHE

TOGETHER!! ON A ROOF!! IN THE MOONLIGHT!!!

WE LOVE ROOFS AND MOONLIGHT IN THIS FANDOM

Wwx: does this seem familiar to you? Weren’t we chilling on a roof like this together back in the cloud recesses during Ancient Fantasy China summer school?

And lwj is like, no, we were fighting with swords and stuff

Wwx: right, right, you caught me breaking curfew!

HE LAUGHS, REMINISCING. HE LAUGHS!!

Wwx: too bad there’s no emperor’s smile

Get help wwx, problems are not solved with copious amounts of wine

Oh god, and he just slouches back on the roof, leaning on his elbows and SPREADING HIS LEGS LIKE A SCARLET WOMAN

WWX WHAT ARE YOU DOING

MAKING YOURSELF LOOK ALL ENTICING LIKE THAT

And lwj has an iron will apparently bc he’s still sitting upright in a meditation pose

Oooh, now they’re going to have a Serious conversation

Lwj: things change. How could it be the same as before?

And wwx gives him this sad little smile

Wwx: lan zhan, thank you

Lwj: for what?

Wwx: thank you for not telling shijie

And then HE SMILES AT LWJ

SINCERELY. THAT’S A SINCERE SMILE ON HIS FACE

Like, okay, it’s not as big and bright as his usual sunshine smile BUT IT’S STILL THE HAPPIEST SMILE HE’S DIRECTED AT LWJ SINCE THE BURIAL MOUNDS

Ofc lwj goes and ruins the mood (why does he keep doing this)

Lwj: these tricks harm your body and mind as well

Wwx: i know, but i’m not using wicked tricks, i learned CRAFTY tricks

Lwj: crafty tricks?

Lwj’s tone changes here! It has a hopeful edge to it rather than the solemn note it carried before. THINGS ARE LOOKING UP, GUYS

Wwx: that’s what i learned in that sunless dingy place for three months

ah, guess i spoke too soon...wwx gets this faraway look on his face like he’s back in that awful place anD IT MAKES ME SO SAD

Wwx: anyway, i have to thank you for Lan clan’s Temperament Technique bc my crafty tricks require

HE USED LAN CLAN TEACHINGS TO DEVELOP HIS NEW CULTIVATION

LAN CLAN!!

LAN!!!!

EVEN AT HIS LOWEST, HE STILL CLUNG TO LAN WANGJI. LAN WANGJI STILL WAS ABLE TO HELP HIM EVEN THO HE WASN’T THERE

AHHHHHHHHH

And lwj is just watching him here, yearningly like always

Wwx: with my bamboo flute, everything can be controlled~! *twirls the demon flute*

But lwj is not gonna be distracted by his fancy flute twirling here

Lwj: do crafty tricks rely on the spirit?

Wwx nods in response

~Their Song~ starts playing in the background (the flute version of it, even!!)

Lwj: mastering it by mind is like taking a grain of rice from a fire. If not done carefully you risk falling into demonic cultivation. The consequences will be unimaginable

Okay, 1) pretty sure that’s the longest string of sentences lwj has made in the entire show so far, so kudos to you lwj. You used your words!! I’m so proud!!

And 2) THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE UNIMAGINABLE?? LWJ DOES NOT WANT TO IMAGINE THOSE CONSEQUENCES FOR WEI YING. HE DOESN’T WANT TO THINK OF HIM SUFFERING THAT WAY. BC HE LOVES HIM

Wwx: i know. Lan zhan, i understand your concern.

OUR BOYS OUR COMMUNICATING.

LOOK AT THEM!!

COMMUNICATING ALL OVER EACH OTHER!!!!

THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER

And here wwx does HIS LITTLE SCOUT’S HONOR THING AND HIS VOICE PICKS UP A CHIPPER TONE AND IT’S SO CUTE AND SO REMINISCENT OF BEFORE

Wwx: i, wei ying, promise you that i will never degenerate into demonic cultivation

STOP MAKING PROMISES YOU WON’T KEEP WWX

Wwx: do you believe me?

Lwj nods

AND OH, THE SMILE WWX HAS IN RESPONSE

IT’S ALMOST LIKE BEFORE

ALL OF THIS IS ALMOST LIKE BEFORE

Now wwx does a little floaty jump thing off of the roof (it doesn’t look ridiculous for once!! It actually looks pretty neat here!!) and starts to walk away

Lwj elegantly stands up (still on the roof!!) and says “Let me help you.”

Wwx freezes in his steps for a moment, not quite turning back, and says “okay.”

He says that AND HE SMILES AGAIN

Lwj is left standing alone on the roof

ALL THIS AND WE’RE ONLY 5MIN INTO THE EPISODE

MY HEART, MY HEART

GOD I MISSED MY WANGXIANTICS.

IT’S BEEN SO LONG, MY LOVE, I’VE MISSED YOU SO!!

Oh, and now it’s daytime

Plot Things are happening

Nmj is giving a rousing speech to the troops, very imposing, very stern, very soldier-y

AND TOTALLY DOES NOT MATTER SO WE’RE MOVING ON

Everyone’s leaving Qinghe for plot reasons. Jc and jzx go ahead on their swords but lwj and wwx are traveling by horse

They’re on horses!! Idk why that makes me happy but it does!! I don’t even like horses that much???

Wwx is twirling his flute!!

Lwj: why didn’t you go ahead with them?

Wwx: i don’t want to join in the fun with jc and that colorful peacock

Lwj: aren’t you the one who prefers to join in the fun?

GUYS, GUYS LWJ SAYS THIS WITH A TEASING TONE (well, teasing for him; it’s a very subtle change BUT IT’S THERE, I SWEAR!!)

HE’S TRYING TO BE PLAYFUL WITH WWX!! IT’S SO CUTE!!

OMG, OMG we get a brief moment of Jealous!LWJ. Courtesy of NHS, of course.

Nhs is at the top of a tower in qinghe waving goodbye, right? (he’s adorable, i love him)

BUT HE CALLS SPECIFICALLY TO WWX

Nhs: wwx, wwx, take care!

and lwj lets his eyes drift a little towards the voice but HE DOESN’T EVEN DEIGN TO LOOK AT NHS DIRECTLY before his eyes flicker to face forward

it’s such a disdainful little movement; IT HAPPENS SO FAST

BUT THE JEALOUSY IS SO POTENT HERE, OMG OMG

chill out lwj, nhs is just a friend!!

Ugh, evil wen lair time

WE DON’T CARE ABOUT THE PLOT DEVICE OR WEN RUOHAN

Oh, now we’re in the middle of a battlefield but no lwj or wwx in sight, how boring

Battle battle battle

Fight fight fighting

Ooooh demon transformation. That was interesting for like, two seconds

Gotta say, the makeup/costuming they use for those demon things actually looks pretty decent, all things considered

Actually, most of their group fight scenes are pretty good

UGH MORE EVIL WEN LAIR TIME?? Plot plot Meng Yao is revealed to be a wen flunkie suddenly plot plot

Back with the good guys now! At soldier camp!! (or whatever those are called, listen, i’m not a war general, terms escape me)

Plot plot nmj, jzx, jc are inspecting puppets blah blah don’t care don’t care

OH WAIT, LWJ AND WWX SHOWED UP

THEY LOOK VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PUPPETS. I SUDDENLY CARE ABOUT THE PUPPETS

Nvm, we’re back at a boring strategy meeting blegh

Blah blah invinceable puppets blah blah kill wen ruohan blah blah

Nmj: I WILL SNEAK INTO NIGHTLESS CITY AND KILL WEN RUOHAN

I’m sorry nmj but you don’t have a sneaky bone in your entire body

That is a terrible plan. Jzx agrees with me.

Nmj: if i die, lxc can just take charge nbd

Suddenly lxc shows up with a Sneaky Map

Everybody’s excited about the Sneaky Map

I AM NOT

I AM NOT EXCITED ABOUT THE SNEAKY MAP

THIS IS BORING

LET’S MOVE ON NOW PLZ

Ah, we’re back with wwx and lwj who are inspecting the Suddenly Interesting Puppets

They’re being all clever together!! I love it

OH NO, SOME RANDO JUST INTERRUPTED SAYING JYL NEEDS HELP

WWX TAKES OFF IN A FLASH, OBVS

We’re at jzx’s tent!! WHERE JZX MADE HER CRY

I DEMAND BLOOD IN RECOMPENSE

Wwx: what happened? Don’t cry!

Wwx: was there someone who bullied you??

Omg his words are like, dripping with venom as he says this and turns to glare at jzx

POOR JYL IS SOBBING, OUTRIGHT SOBBING

Jyl: i’m fine! Let’s go, come on, come on

SHE SAYS THIS THROUGH HER TEARS. SHE’S HEARTBROKEN

I DEMAND BLOODSHED

Mianmian shows up to explain the situation

Details don’t matter

What matters is that we see Lwj about to join them in the tent

Like, he’s one step in and everything

But once mianmian starts talking, he steps back out? And just loiters in front of their tent thing?

HE DOESN’T WANT TO INTRUDE ON A FAMILY MATTER

BC LAST TIME HE DID, WWX SNAPPED AT HIM AND PUSHED HIM AWAY

AND THAT SHIT HURTED

WE DON’T WANT THAT AGAIN

We find out that jzx was a total utter DOUCHEBAG to jyl and HUMILIATED her in public BECAUSE HE’S A DICK AND DOESN’T DESERVE HER

YOU’RE LUCKY I’M NOT THERE RN JZX BC I’M READY TO MURDER

Oh look, wwx is ready to murder too

he punches jzx right in the chest AND SENDS HIM FLYING, HELL YEAH

then uses his demon flute TO SMACK DOWN THE JIN DISCIPLES with resentful energy

then goes and DECKS JZX RIGHT IN THE FACE

YESSS!!!!!!

HIT HIM HARDER WWX

But nooo, mianmian and jyl have to be decent people and try to hold wwx back

Lwj hears them cry out and rushes into the room!!

He grabs wwx’s arm, which was already poised for another punch

Lwj: wei ying, calm down

DON’T TELL HIM TO CALM DOWN LWJ

JZX DESERVES WHAT’S COMING TO HIM

DON’T YOU SEE YOUR SISTER IN LAW CRYING???

But it seems that lwj’s words cut through wwx’s rage (even tho he didn’t raise his voice at all!!) bc wwx lets his arm be lowered by lwj’s grip

He looks at lwj’s concerned face and turns to walk out of the tent

We cut to some Sect Leader Time featuring NMJ and LXC

Nmj: soooo, how’d you get the Sneaky Map

Lxc: ...I know a guy

Then they go on for awhile and i get the impression that they’re trying to Flirt but are doing it Badly

HA, losers! (they say, even tho their OTP consistently fails to communicate their Emotions well)

We’re on a battlefield again!

Kinda sucks how our guys get possessed and turned against us.

What a bummer

MORE BORING PLOT STUFF

Blah blah, nmj disappeared, blah blah our guys are forced into a trap blah blah

Oh wait, there’s a bit here

Wwx asks lxc who gave him the Sneaky Map and lxc is all “a good friend” and wwx is like oh okay and walks off

As he walks away, lwj turns to ~gaze longingly~ at him

It was kinda weird, bc contextually it doesn’t make sense for there to be a longing gaze here

BUT WHO CARES!

SINCE WHEN DO WE NEED A REASON FOR GAY YEARNING??

IT JUST IS, MY FRIENDS, AND WE LOVE IT

More evil wen lair time (at some point we watch nmj be a badass at this lair, but we’re not here for him. Sorry nmj, still love ya tho!)

MoVInG alONg

Battlefield has moved to the Nightless City

For real for real, these group battle scenes are pretty cool. I like them.

AHHHH!! AHHHHHHH!!! WWX NEARLY GETS A SWORD TO THE THROAT

BUT LWJ NOTICES IT AND IS BLOCKING THE HIT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

THE WAY IT’S FRAMED MAKES IT LOOK EVEN MORE AWESOME!!

Bc he just swooshes into the frame from the right, all fluid movement and elegance

BLOCKS THE HIT LIKE NOTHING

And ends up on the opposite side of the frame, not even looking at the baddie he just blocked; he’s all straight-backed and regal

I am Shocked wwx didn’t swoon right there and then

WWX AND LWJ ARE NOW BACK TO BACK

FIGHTING TOGETHER

I AM IN LOVE

Ugh, we’re back at the evil wen lair

Gross

Can we not? Nobody cares.

BACK ON THE BATTLEFIELD!!

Everything stops suddenly, and lwj and wwx are side by side

Bc ofc they are

They’re soulmates!!

Uh oh, some of their guys get Literally pulverized

Aaaaand, here come the massive amounts of puppets

Wen ruohan - creator of the world’s worst puppet show

Omg, we just keep getting shots of lwj and wwx standing next to each other, or standing back to back

They’re not even doing anything AND IT’S STILL AMAZING TO WATCH

UGH, JUST HAVING THEM BE NEAR EACH OTHER ON SCREEN MAKES ME SO HAPPY

Wwx: lan zhan, what method can we take now to escape?

Lwj: Fight.

Wwx: *smirk*

GOD I LOVE MY BOYS

And the cameras give us close-up shots of their faces in that exchange and it’s amazing

THE EXPRESSIONS, MAN

GRIM DETERMINATION

LIKE, WE’RE PROBABLY DEAD, MIGHT AS WELL GO DOWN FIGHTING

THAT’S WHAT THEIR FACES SAY

I! LOVE!! MY!!! BOYS!!!!

They just look so awesome fighting here!!

Lol wwx is just whacking people with his flute

Very intimidating, wwx, very scary

One of the demon things just tried attacking wwx aND GOT BICHEN THROUGH THE CHEST FOR THEIR TROUBLES

THAT’S WHAT YOU GET, DEMON THING!!

And then lwj goes and blocks another blow meant for wwx

Lwj is so awesome in battle??

I feel like shang from mulan trying to compliment lwj

“YOU...YOU FIGHT GOOD”

i mean, come on, he literally just now took out a demon thing with a BLAST from bichen

BICHEN DIDN’T EVEN TOUCH IT?

AND THE DEMON THING WAS COMING FROM BEHIND HIM??

HE DIDN’T EVEN TURN AROUND TO LOOK!!

HE JUST HAD BICHEN BLAST SOME SPIRITUAL ENERGY BEHIND HIM TO KNOCK OUT THE DEMON THING

WHAT A BAMF

Uh oh

Wwx just did his floaty jump thing and perched on a winged creature statue overlooking the battlefield

Lwj has his eyes on him

He’s watching him all worriedly

WWX STARTS TO PLAY HIS DEMON FLUTE

listen

i know the demon flute and resentful energy is bad for you or whatever

BUT HE LOOKS SO DAMN COOL HERE

ENSHROUDED IN BLACK SMOKE

HIS FACE A PICTURE OF CONCENTRATION

Meanwhile lwj is cutting down enemies left and right AND STILL MAKING TIME TO THROW WORRIED LOOKS AT WWX

WAIT A MINUTE, wwx has just TAKEN CONTROL of the demon things

Bc he’s BADASS

And the music gets INTENSE here

THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!!

LWJ still looks so concerned even tho the demon things start fighting for them rather than against them

Bc he doesn’t care about the demon things or the battle

He cares about how this will affect his wei ying!!

And the episode ends with wen ruohan throwing a hissy fit bc his demon things aren’t under his control anymore

WE DID IT GUYS, WE FINALLY MADE IT TO AN EPISODE WITH QUALITY NOT-COMPLETELY-HEARTBREAKING WANGXIANTICS

OUR BOYS WERE NICE TO EACH OTHER!!!

ON A MOONLIT ROOFTOP!!!

AND THEY FOUGHT SIDE BY SIDE!!

IT WAS ALL SO BEAUTIFUL

Return to Masterpost

#WangXiantics #wangxian #the untamed #cql

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yufigurines · 5 years ago

Text

Day one, atlas ball

It had been a while since she'd last seen Yang in a dress, the last time had been before... before Beacon fell. Well before their whole lives had been torn asunder, when Yang had convinced her to take it easy for even just a little bit.

The blonde had suprised her, there was more to her than met the eye. From the way she could speak with more depth than many a person Blake had met, to the way she wasn't afraid to dive into Blake's depths. Most people would have been repulsed by her rather quiet and stand-offish demeanor. Yang however kept plucking away at her, until she was ready to bare her core. Then the fall of Beacon commenced and she hurt the blonde beauty in more ways than she ought to have.

"Hey, Blake?" And she was pulled out of her thoughts, into the here and now, hands clasped together on her purple dress. "Yes Yang?" Every time her name left her lips it caused her voice to quiver, hoping the other wouldn't pick up on it she continued. "What's wrong?" An embarrassed sigh came from the other part of the room, "it seems like flimsy, pretty fabric isn't made for a prosthetic. I'm stuck, could you perhaps help get the fabric out of my arm please?" She said it so lightly, as if it didn't bother her, at most embarrassed her a little. "Can I turn around Yang?" Once again Blake struggled to keep her voice even. "I mean, I guess so, can't exactly dress myself any further with my arm stuck in my dress."

Right, that much should have been obvious to her. Then again, nothing concerning Yang was obvious anymore, not after all that had happened. The way her heart beat faster, yet was more at ease when Yang was around. The way her breath would catch when she watched the blonde fight causing her to get distracted. The way she felt both ever so at peace, yet had to fight to keep her breathing even when Yang had cut her hair. Nothing was simple anymore. Yes, her feelings were simple, she wasn't daft, nor was she stupid. However admitting to yourself that you're head over heels for someone, and confessing such a matter to said person, were two completely different things altogether.

As Blake turned around three reactions erupted, one of mirth and laughter at how silly and clumsy Yang looked, the other of blushing and staring, and the last of regret and hurt. The second one got through the most and the blonde had picked up on it. "Y'know, it isn't exactly good manners to stare at a lady." This got Blake out of her stupor, "h- here, let me help you."

After removing the offending piece of fabric she noticed Yang had yellow gloves at the ready, in theme with her belle-esque dress. "I never knew you were a long gloves type of girl." Yang glanced at the gloves and then at her prosthetic, Blake quickly picking up on why the gloves where even there at all swiftly picked up and removed said gloves. Head down the blonde spoke again, this time confidence being as far from her as possible. "Blake, I need those. Otherwise you'll see my prosthetic." Taking Yang's metal hand in hers Blake shakes her head, causing tears to fall. "No you don't Yang, your prosthetic is a part of you, of your, our story! You got it trying to protect me, there's no way I would want you to cover it up!" Overrun with emotions she throws herself into Yang's arms, who wobbles on her high heels for a bit but then wraps both arms around her, chin on Blake's head. Hot tears fallling on silky, furry ears. And they both stand there for what feels like an eternity.

Eventually Weiss comes to get them, and scolds them for ruining their makeup. The scolding isn't as harsh as would be expected since she's probably aware of the reason why the makeup had been ruined in the first place. Once they're done they head downstairs, into the rabble of people. And instantly the murmurs begin.

"Do you see that? One of those mutts, those degenerates!"

"Hey, hey, isn't that the girl who injured a helpless student during the vytal festival?!"

"How hideous! Isn't it supposed to be beauty and the beast, not beast and the beast!"

"Hey at least the blonde girl looks like she could've been pretty if not for the arm!"

A few months ago her ears would've folded in on her head, head tucked low to avoid suspicion. However she wasn't that person anymore, Adam was gone, her future lay open wide. The same couldn't be said for Yang however, who looked like she wanted nothing but to disappear. It didn't suit her, she was supposed to be bright like the sun, strength, a smile suited her best. Now, Blake like no other understood that even the sun needed to rest, that's where the moon came in. The moon shone because of the sun, and in turn granted respite to the sun.

Taking Yang's hand she pulled her to the middle of the dancefloor. Ignoring the gasps and mutters of spite surrounding them. Placing a hand on Yang's cheek, letting it slip behind her neck where it joined her other hand. Forcing Yang to look at her, she got the point, even if a bit belated. Feeling Yang's hands on her caused her to shiver, now positive Yang had noticed she looked up to notice a smile had formed. Slowly swaying to the music she put her head on the blondes shoulder, her heels making Yang even taller than she usually was.

They went from swaying to dancing, dresses fluttering while they each spinned each other round. After a bit the nasty comments started disappearing, and were instead replaced with disbelief.

"Can you believe they're dancing like that?"

"They look so good together, like they were meant to be!"

"As much as I loathe to admit it, they look good together."

This made Blake smirk as she put a little bit more force into spinning Yang around, dipping her low to place a chaste kiss on her mouth, before pulling her back up. Before she could worry about her spur of the moment decision, Yang threaded her hands through her short hair before kissing her. Blake felt her heart swell, her feelings were returned!

"I love you" was uttered, from which of the two? They didn't know, they were still in too much of a daze. They did however hear a not so silent cheer and an even less silent "finally!" Being uttered from the sidelines. Not that it mattered, because they kept dancing and swaying under the chandeliers 'till the end of the night.

#bumblebyweek #bumbleby #rwby bumbleby

40 notes · View notes

katastroficwriter · 6 years ago

Note

I have a headcanon that Kokichi loves baking gingerbread men and gingerbread houses on Christmas, and that Kiibo has never understood why. Later Kokichi reveals that the reason is because he used to make them with his older brother, who he doesn't get to see that much anymore, and it reminds him of the time when they were younger.

Humans are fond of asking strange questions in the hopes of getting a glimpse of how other humans view them. One such example would be, “If you were food, what would you be?”

“I think Ouma-kun would definitely be an eggplant,” Yumeno declares. “It’s purple, and its name is misleading–a lie! Eggs are not long and purple, yet it’s called an eggplant.”

Kiibo somehow found himself trapped in such a discussion. And since Ouma wasn’t around, they were the ones trying to find a fitting food that best describes the supreme leader.

“Actually Yumeno-san, it’s called an eggplant because in its earlier stages, the plant clearly resembles an egg before growing elongated and turning purple. That’s how it got its name,” everyone stared at the robot, who never spoke during the discussion until now. “Though I agree with you, it does resemble Ouma-kun to some extent. Like how it seems like it’s deceiving people, when in truth, it’s just hiding its honesty.”

“Honesty? Him? I seriously don’t understand how you could see something pure like that in a degenerate male like Ouma-kun,” Chabashira huffed. “I thought you of all people would know how terrible he is since he targets you the most.”

“I suppose that’s precisely why I can say that much about Ouma-kun since he hangs around me frequently,” Kiibo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. ‘You noticed such a detail yet you didn’t do anything to assist me.’

“What’s this, what’s this? Am I being summoned?” Ouma popped from behind the android, grinning when the latter almost fell off his seat from shock. “Man, you guys really can’t go one day without calling my name, huh~”

“Ugh…speak of the Devil…” groaned the magician.

“Don’t you dare pull any more of your nasty shit, twerp!” Iruma pointed an accusatory finger at the newcomer.

“Oh wooow, pot calling kettle black. At least my entire existence isn’t a crime against the universe like yours is!” Ouma sneered at the inventor with disgust.

“Y-you didn’t have to put it that waaaay–!!!” whined the blonde.

“Knock it off Ouma, you just got here and you’re already pissing everyone off!” Momota slammed his hands on the table.

Ouma tapped his chin, smiling such an innocent and sugary sweet smile that would no doubt trick anyone who didn’t know him. “How are you so sure that that’s what everyone else is feeling, Momota-chan? Stop assuming everyone shares the same opinion as you all the time!”

“Now, now, let’s not fight,” Akamatsu raised two placating hands. “It’s almost Christmas after all–”

“Pfft, Christmas? What are you acting all goody-goody for exactly, Akamatsu-chan?” Ouma tilted his head to the side playfully. “…Is it Santa? How embarrassing! You’re already a high schooler but you still believe in a big faker like Santa Claus?”

“N-no, that’s not–”

“Alright, that’s it! C’mere!” The astronaut got out of his seat and charged his way towards the supreme leader’s general direction.

“Uwaaah! Momota-chan’s turned into a BULL-Y!!!”

“Ghhrk! I’m not a bull OR a bully! I’m Momota Kaito, Luminary of the Stars!!!”

“So you keep saying ad nauseam. Don’t you have other voice lines? Then again, I guess I can’t expect too much from a side character! Nishishi~!”

“Who you calling side character?! I’m the hero!”

Kiibo observed his two classmates run around the limited space of the dining hall until Ouma eventually got bored of the chase and decided to run out the exit that led outside of the school building, leaving Momota tired and out of breath.

“Idiot,” Harukawa uttered under her breath before heading out the other door.

“Hey!” huffed the astronaut.

Once the commotion had settled, everyone left the dining hall one by one, unknowingly leaving behind their robotic classmate, not that the latter minded. Kiibo leaned against his seat, closing his eyes.

“If they asked me, I’d say that Ouma-kun resembled a gingerbread man more,” he murmured to himself. “…Small, fragile, yet proud and untouchable.”

– [Run, Run, Run, as fast as you can. You’ll never catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!] –

Usually, Kiibo spent nights cooped up in his room just reading the books he retrieved from the school library. His learning is composed of developing his social skills through his everyday interactions with his peers, and the other one pertains to diligent studying through research. However, he was feeling rather rebellious tonight, that’s why he decided to take a tour around the school instead. In the day, he frequently finds himself getting swept along his classmates’ pace, so he never really had the time to just roam around and observe the environment on his own. That’s one of the advantages of being incapable of sleep, he supposes.

He was blindly following the path that led to the dining hall after making his rounds in the courtyard.

“Hm?” He carefully climbed the steps and noticed that light was spilling from the cracks of the door. ‘Is someone in the dining hall? What could they possibly be doing up this late?’

The android silently pushed the door open so as not to alarm the room’s occupant, and was surprised to find no one in the room. He shut the door behind him just as silently as he had opened it and walked towards the middle of the room. That was when he heard the sound of metal against metal. Perhaps a whisk lightly scraping against a bowl?

‘In the kitchen, huh…’ Kiibo carefully made his way towards the kitchen. He opened the door just a crack, and was surprised to find the supreme leader whisking a white mixture with practiced ease.

His hair was pulled back in a small ponytail and his bangs were kept out of his face by a set of white barrettes. Instead of his usual tattered white gakuran or his pajamas, Ouma was wearing a plain white shirt, a pair of black basketball shorts, and a light blue apron to keep the mess off of his apparel as he whisked away.

“Get in and close the door, it’s bothering me,” Kiibo hit his face against the door from shock. He was being completely stealthy, yet somehow he got found out anyway.

“S-sorry…” murmured the android as he entered the kitchen. “How did you know I was here?”

“I felt like I was being watched,” Ouma made a show of tapping the white and fluffy mixture out of the whisk before continuing. “Also, I saw you walk out the dorms earlier. I knew you were the only one out there gallivanting around the campus while everyone’s asleep.”

“I wasn’t gallivanting, I was taking a stroll,” huffed Kiibo. “What are you doing in the kitchen this late at night? Preparing a late night snack?”

“I suppose you can call it that. It’s actually meant to be a surprise, but you ruined it the moment you entered the kitchen. Then again, you can’t exactly read the atmosphere since you’re just a robot. ” the supreme leader moved to pour the white mixture into separate and smaller bowls evenly. “Anyway, since you’re already here, you might as well give me a hand instead of standing around being all useless.”

“You didn’t have to be so rude about it,” Kiibo frowned, but made his way towards the shorter teen regardless of the other teen’s robophobic statement. “…What do you want me to do, exactly?”

“Print photos of our classmates.”

“What for?”

Ouma raised his head from his task of mixing purple food coloring in one of the small bowls and rolled his eyes. “Gee, Kiiboy, I wonder what? What could I possibly need our classmate’s ugly mugshots at 2 am, some bowls of thick icing and a bunch of food coloring for?”

Kiibo wanted to call him out for his rude behavior, but that was when he noticed that there was tray of faceless gingerbread men and women on Ouma’s left. “…Oh.”

The supreme leader snorted before covering the purple icing with plastic wrap and moved on to the next bowl. “Good to see that you’re not as dumb as you look.”

“I take offense to that!” Kiibo crossed his arms in indignation. “Anyway…I don’t need to print a photo of you, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Got it.”

Whirrrrrr.

Out comes a clear photo of Chabashira, Yumeno, and Yonaga meditating inside the aikido master’s dojo from the android’s lips. “Here. I thought it would be more efficient to take photos of my memory where more of our classmates would fit in the frame.”

Ouma let out a whistle, “So you really can be useful when you put your mind to it. Good job. Anyway, place it where I can see it so I can mix the colors right.”

Truth be told, the unexpected praise from the trouble making supreme leader took him off guard and made him feel rather conscious of himself. He looked away in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. “Alright.”

He moved to the other side of the counter and placed the photo right in front of his companion, but not too close to the bowls so as not to dirty it. He started printing more photos while watching Ouma mix more colors into the bowls he had laid out.

“You’re not going to just run out of batteries after printing everything, right?” Ouma lifted his eyes for a moment before going back to mix blue food coloring in the icing.

“Of course not. I have long since optimized my energy efficiency after I–”

“After your batteries died while climbing up the stairs?” Ouma snickered as he was reminded of the day where everyone found the robot passed out by the dormitory staircase while making a ridiculous yet inhumanly possible pose.

“…Yes. That. Let’s never speak of that again,” Kiibo shuddered at the shameful memory. “A-anyway, what I mean is, using my functions will no longer take up too much of my power like before.”

“Great! Then that means you can help me load these piping bags with these suckers,” Ouma grinned as he lifted a bowl of colored icing. “You gotta be quick though, this thing hardens like concrete.”

Kiibo wasn’t really well-versed with cooking or baking, so it took him a while to get a hang of filling the piping bags with icing without getting some on his fingers. He thought the supreme leader would mock him for his clumsiness, but it seems like Ouma was completely focused with the task. It didn’t take them too long to finish, thankfully.

“Gimme your hand.” Ouma beckoned the android with a hand.

“Huh?” Kiibo stared at him in confusion, his ahoge curling into a question mark to reflect his curiosity.

Ouma rolled his eyes before pulling the robot’s hand to his mouth and licked the icing off his fingers.

“I don’t like wasting ingredients.” Was what he said before directing his attention to the tray of gingerbread, not even giving the albino time to process what had happened.

‘W-what was that all about?!’ Kiibo inwardly screamed as he inspected his hand.

“Hey! Earth to Kiiboy, work’s not over!” Ouma easily dragged the android back to the present with his usual demanding tone. “I intend to work you down to your last percent for ruining the surprise.”

“Y-you’re saying that as if I did it on purpose,” Kiibo grumbled. “I didn’t even expect that you would be the one inside the kitchen. I wasn’t aware that you were skilled with baking either.”

“Mmmm… Not really,” Ouma hummed as he passed him a macaroon yellow piping bag. “I’m not good at baking in general. I only learned how to bake gingerbread because of family.”

Aquamarine lenses lit up with interest. “Family?”

“Nope. I’m not going to say anything more until you start decorating,” Ouma stuck out a tongue as he waved a white bag. “That said, you handle the girls, and I handle the guys.”

Kiibo stared down at the piping bag in his hand before nodding. “Fair enough.”

– [I ran from the baker and his wife too. You’ll never catch me, not any of you.] –

Decorating gingerbread men, or in his case, women, was surprisingly fun and fulfilling. With the photos as his guide, it was as if he were giving life to a coloring book. And seeing his classmate’s faces staring up at him with a pleasant smile somehow made him feel warm in its metaphorical sense.

“Mmm, that looks impressive coming from a newbie,” Kiibo met the other teen’s gaze, eyes wide from mild surprise. “Have you seen gingerbread men somewhere before? I thought that since you were a robot, you’d try to copy the photo exactly as you see it.”

“Oh, um…” the albino found himself looking at the tiny Akamatsu on the tray before responding. “Back when I was still in the developing stages–a child, so to speak, the Professor would leave the television on a kids’ channel for me to watch while he worked on his other projects. It just so happened that one of the songs that played for me was the Gingerbread Man.”

“Heeeh, is that so?” Ouma moved to grab a green piping bag. “So you learned things appropriate to your ‘age’ just like a human.”

“Yes. My development was purposefully modeled after a human child’s. Though the only difference is that I was able to walk as soon as I was active,” Kiibo smiled, pleased that he was finally able to have a decent conversation with the other boy. He set the piping bag on the counter since he was already finished with his own batch. “Hey, Ouma-kun.”

“Mmm? What is it?” the supreme leader still had his eyes on his handiwork, decorating the gingerbread men with utmost precision.

“…About your family…is it okay for me to ask about them?” Kiibo fidgeted, ahoge drooping nervously.

Ouma paused to glance at Kiibo’s tray before heaving out a resigned sigh. “Eh, you did your work. So I don’t see why not. What about them do you want to hear?”

“Umm…I hope I’m not being rude by saying this, but…” Kiibo averted his eyes before continuing. “I’ve actually heard from the others that you were actually orphaned, so…”

The android flinched when the shorter teen suddenly threw an empty piping bag against the counter. But despite this, his voice remained calm when he spoke. “You mean since I’m orphaned, I wouldn’t have a family to speak of right?”

“…Y-yes…” Kiibo found himself staring at the ground, wondering if he’d triggered a mine.

“Technically you’re right. But let me tell you something–family isn’t restricted to blood relations. You should know this by now, since you’re a robot,” Ouma puffed his chest. “Yeah. I'm an orphan. But everyone in the orphanage was my family. Just like how you and your Professor are family too.”

Kiibo’s eyes widened with awe. That’s right. He and Professor Iidabashi…they are family. He’s referred to him as his father from time to time, but called him by his title out of respect. Perhaps…he should start calling him as ‘father’ more frequently.

“…That being said, I really do have a family…now, at least,” Ouma turned his head to flash the android a rare sincere smile. “I got adopted by a baker. Their son–my older brother, I guess, taught me how to bake gingerbread houses and gingerbread men since that was the only thing he knew how to bake well at the time. It was his way of bonding with me I suppose.”

“Oh!” gasped the android. “How are they like? Your family?”

“They’re good people. I like them.” Ouma hummed, tapping a finger against his chin. “Big brother was kinda annoying though. Whenever it was Christmas, he would annoy me until I finally agreed to bake some gingerbread with him.”

“So it has become some sort of a family tradition,” Kiibo smiled. “…I’m glad that you were taken in by such a loving family, Ouma-kun.”

Ouma looked away in an attempt to hide his blushing face. “S-shut up. I wasn’t joking about big brother being annoying, you know! Always talking about baking and studying abroad to improve his skills…”

“Where is he right now?”

“…France,” Ouma set another piping bag on the counter, gently this time. “Would you believe that? He actually went abroad to study more baking techniques just like he wanted.”

…

….

The supreme leader suddenly grabbed the hem of his apron to hide his tears. “We…we haven’t baked together in a long time. It’s annoying. But I actually missed it. Those annoying days…”

Kiibo hastily searched for the roll of paper towel Ouma had prepared earlier and pulled two sheets from it, which he handed the supreme leader. “Ouma-kun, here…”

The raven-haired Ultimate simply nodded his thanks and dabbed his eyes with the paper towel. Kiibo wasn’t sure how to react in this situation, so all he could do was rub comforting circles on his classmate’s back as he cried. It took a couple of minutes for Ouma’s crying to die down. He left the android’s side in favor of washing his face by the sink in order to hide the evidence of his vulnerability.

“You saw nothing.”

Kiibo nodded. “I didn’t.”

Ouma flashed him an appreciative smile before re-tying his hair. “Anyway, enough of that sappy talk. We still have a house to assemble. Let’s get working!”

As he listened to the leader’s instructions, Kiibo couldn’t help but smile to himself. He’s gotten to understand more about him…their class’s very own gingerbread man.

– [They were all hungry and ready to eat, but the gingerbread man was quick on his feet.] –

“Huh? Isn’t this…me?” Akamatsu regarded the miniature version of herself, which was standing by the gingerbread house. “The attention to detail is amazing…!”

“Ah, Gonta’s here too!” the entomologist cheered.

“Ku ku ku…It seems everyone is here,” Shinguuji chuckled. “Wonderful, truly wonderful!”

When everyone entered the dining hall, they were surprised to find the gingerbread display on the table. They couldn’t help but crowd around it with wonder and amusement as they admired the accuracy of the gingerbread men and women’s designs.

“Did you prepare this, Toujou-san?” Amami turned to look at the maid, who was standing just behind him.

“That’s…”

“Uwaaah! What’s this? Gingerbread?!” Ouma boisterously barged into the room, eyes sparkling with delight. “Toujou-chan made this didn’t she? I don’t think anyone else here can cook besides her!”

Toujou regarded the supreme leader with a neutral look before bowing slightly. “…Yes. Since it is almost Christmas, I believed that preparing gingerbread for everyone would fulfill everyone’s wishes of having an enjoyable Christmas.”

“As expected of the Ultimate Maid! Only she’s capable of pulling this off!” Ouma praised.

His smile widened when Toujou offered him another bow. “It is my pleasure to serve.”

It was probably unhealthy, but they decided to just have gingerbread for breakfast and warm cocoa or milk to go with it. Kiibo, who was unable to eat, found himself staring back at his smaller, more edible version in interest.

“Toujou-chan’s really nice, huh! She even baked you one even though you can’t eat~” Ouma took a bite out of his gingerbread version’s leg as he sat himself beside the lone robot. “Or maybe that’s actually more cruel. Giving you something that’s meant to be eaten, yet you couldn’t eat.”

“I can at least enjoy its scent,” Kiibo huffed. “The smooth blend of spices and sweetness…it’s quite pleasant.”

Ouma shook his head, “Stop. You’re making me feel bad.”

“I didn’t mean to put it that way,” Kiibo rolled his eyes. “Though I would appreciate it if you could explain to me how eating this feels like.”

“Mmm…” Ouma mercilessly bit off his gingerbread counterpart’s head this time with a crunch. “Although it breaks off with a loud crunch, but it’s actually pretty chewy–melts in your mouth too. As soon as you open your mouth, you just get hit with the spices, and the more you chew the sweeter it gets. You can taste the spices but it’s not spicy at all.”

“Thank you for your input.” The android nodded, taking in the information. “Umm… why did you lie about it earlier?”

“Wow, I wasn’t aware that we were playing 20 questions, I’m leaving–”

“Ouma-kun.”

The supreme leader blinked once, twice, before heaving out an exasperated sigh.

“…I ordered Toujou-chan to help me hide the gingerbread dough while I had it cool overnight over the past few days before I was able to bake it last night,” Ouma popped the remaining body parts of his gingerbread self in his mouth. “No one would eat it if they found out I was the one who made it, after all.”

“Oh…”

“Mmhm! Besides, it’s more entertaining this way,” Ouma yawned. “And needless to say, if you dare speak a soul about this, I’ll have you assassinated by my men.”

“There’s no need to go to that extent,” frowned Kiibo. “If you wanted me to keep it as a secret, then all you have to do is ask.” He passed his gingerbread to the sleepy supreme leader to represent the metaphorical olive branch.

“You’re giving me your share?” Ouma regarded the android with amusement. “Not the others, but me?”

“You’re already here anyway. I don’t see the need to go anywhere else,” Kiibo shrugged. “And although I can’t eat this, I still appreciate that you took the time to make one for me.”

“Mmm, is that so?” Ouma nibbled on the cookie’s ahoge. “It’s actually quite rude to return gifts, you know. Well, since you’re a robot, I guess it can’t be helped. There’s one thing you can do to show me how grateful you are, though! I’ll let you guess what it is~” He completely bit off the ahoge, giving the android a mischievous smile.

“O-oh! Yes, you’re right,” Kiibo shifted into a more erect sitting position and gave a small bow, smiling as he said: “Thank you, Ouma-kun.”

– [And that was the end of the Gingerbread Man] –

Rrrrrring! Rrrrrrrrrriiiing!!

Click.

“Kiibo? Did you need something?”

Hearing the Professor’s voice on the line made his metaphorical heart swell with gratitude and adoration.

“F…father,” Kiibo’s grip on the phone tightened, willing his blush to go away lest he gets caught. “I’ve called to greet you a Merry Christmas.” His forehead creased with worry when the line went silent. “Father…?”

“…M-Merry Christmas, son.”

Kiibo stood in a more confident manner and wore a wide smile. He and his father ended up having a long conversation, with Kiibo just sharing his experiences the past few days with his only family. Iidabashi on the other line was resisting the urge to cry as he listened to his son speak with much excitement.

#ndrv3 #kiibouma #kiibo #ouma kokichi #katastrofic writing #katastrofic reply #crybabysapphire #winter kiibouma

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umikichi7 · 6 years ago

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Swept Away by Your Love(+18)

Name: Swept Away by Your Love

Word count: 3,227

Tags: Fluff and Smut, Futanari, Hugs, Established Relationship

Pairings: Kotoumi

Summary: It's around that time Kotori gets tired of overwork in her company and being caught in the rain doubles her misery. At least her lover is in the right place to relax her.

ao3 || ff.net

Warning: Sexual Content

The light rain shower and windy weather seemed to take over the whole city, whilst taking down every single umbrellas people were using, and Minami Kotori wasn’t an exception at this point. She could barely make her way to the place she newly began to call ‘home’, where she and her girlfriend have started to live together yet. As she opened the door with a force due to rushing to come home quickly, she let herself rest on the ground. The bags, the soaked clothes and the broken umbrella… it wasn’t a good sign at all. She could be sick anytime and more importantly… she could miss this free time to have some privacy with her girlfriend.

Kotori sighed as she felt degenerated as if it was the end of the world now. But her thoughts quickly disappeared once Umi came by her side in worry to check her.

‘’Kotori? What happened to you?’’ Umi asked as she offered her hand to lift her up from the ground.

Kotori’s face contorted into a smile when she met Umi’s concern-filled eyes. ‘’It’s raining a lot outside and I’m caught in the rain at that moment,’’ she said, then she wrung the hem of her skirt.

There was a few seconds of silence before Kotori noticed Umi wasn’t looking back at her anymore. Kotori pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest in discontentment.

‘’Umi-chan, are you listening to me?’’ Kotori looked Umi up and down, scrutinising her features to understand why she was acting so out of character.

She was blushing, trembling and she kept her gaze out of Kotori’s sight. Perhaps she was embarrassed?

It was seconds later it dawned on Kotori that she was seen half-naked, her bra was shown and her girlfriend was hardly ignoring that fact. Kotori wasn’t sure whether she could take a delight in seeing Umi’s shy side or not since she wasn’t in a good state either.

Kotori sneezed.

Umi walked towards the bathroom to take a towel for her. ‘’You… are going to freeze like that. Please change your clothes and I’ll make you some tea.’’ She said, her voice sounding rather strict. Compared to how messed up she was a few seconds ago, seeing Kotori in a weak situation changed everything in her. Umi handed out the towel as Kotori sneezed plenty of time more.

‘’I will, Umi-chan. Add two sugar to my tea please.’’

With that being said, Kotori left the living room to bounce towards her bedroom and grabbed her clothes. Umi on the other hand, began to prepare their tea by bringing water to a boil in the kettle.

‘’Umi-chan I’m going to take a bath!’’ Kotori shouted from the other room, confirming her presence to Umi and took all of her attention to herself. She plastered a smug smile on her face. ‘’Would you like to join?’’

Kotori’s voice was low, seductive and slightly serious. Once Umi heard she flinched where she was standing, and thankfully she wasn’t brewing the tea by now. Since she couldn’t have done it properly because of the thought of being naked with her in the bath, yet her body still didn’t seem to listen to her. With the tingling sensation building within her, everything seemed to get warmer, her face began to blush like crimson. But Umi didn’t forget she should control herself and not jump to the conclusion without her girlfriend’s permission.

‘’No!’’ She gave a flat rejection by crossing her arms with an X shape over her face, and all Kotori did was giving a soft giggle in return.

‘’Alright. Alright. I’m not going to tease you any longer since I need to clean up myself at first.’’ She beamed at her, then winked at her and made her way to the bathroom with only a towel.

In these rainy seasons, listening to the rain sound outside with the person she loved was a special time event for Kotori. After returning from a hectic day it would always double her joy. Cuddles and soft kisses under one blanket, homely warmth crawling upon their skins together. What else could she need?

She could already feel her limbs get free from ache, thanks to having a hot shower. However, it was not the only reason she, as well as her heart, began to feel warmer, and not to mention that her thoughts were getting cloudy and chalky.

After she closed the shower stall, the corner of her mouth quirked up and she walked out of the shower cabin. At this point, she already planned her next move eagerly to hunt down her pray into the blankets on her bed. That alone left her in excitement and impatience when she finally got out of the bathroom with the towel covering her whole body.

‘’Uuuumi-chan~~’’ She chanted in a hum. ‘’Whereee are youuu?’’ She asked, then she took a look at the kitchen, where Umi promised to make her relaxing tea. She surveyed every single room in their home until only one room was left to see. The bedroom.

‘’Umi-chan, are you playing a game with me?’’ Her voice finally lost the hope. From that moment on, the door creaked open and Umi came by her side with mugs in her hands. Kotori quickly gave a hug, as if nothing would stop her now.

‘’K-Kotori?! Wait, I’m holding hot tea!’’ Umi said in a hurry, trying her best to draw back but Kotori already snaked her arms around Umi’s neck in a moment so she gave a sigh.

Before Umi could complain further, she was welcomed with the scent of the lavender shampoo sprawled around her hair, somehow entrancing for her. She found the utter ecstasy once Kotori’s arms tightened the grip, and Kotori’s breasts pressed against her body roughly.

A flush crept up her face as Umi’s eyes looked downwards and saw Kotori’s cleavage on display, studying every curvy figure in one go. The porcelain skin lurked beneath that towel and the thought of taking advantage of this situation has given Umi quite uncomfortable times, and burnt inside. For the most part, her lower part never intended to go away, but her eyes were deep-set from Kotori’s body to her amber orbs.

‘’...S-Shameless…’’ Umi stuttered. She was trembling uncontrollably while holding the mugs.

When her eyes locked on Kotori’s like a magnet, she felt her heart thunder against her chest. Her crotch has tightened, wondering how she was going to deal with the wild thing in between her legs. Something was telling her that she could rip off that towel and began to play that ‘’real’’ game right now.

‘’Nee Umi-chan…’’ Kotori mumbled against her chest, and her voice sounding desperate and ready for amorous adventure.

Kotori’s eyes were shadowed as if now shielding her gaze at Umi to avoid. As expected, she took the mugs from her hands to put them on the cupboard. She chewed on her bottom lip, impatience seemed to have taken over her whole body and Umi couldn’t seem to interpret her movements in her own borderlines. ‘’Give me the green light please!’’ Umi gulped, she then slightly backed away, panic slurred over her face. The sweats running down on her face, she covered her bulge swiftly before Kotori could notice. Or not.

‘’K-K-Kotori, it’s not the time for t-t-that th-thing-’’

‘’What thing?’’

‘’That thin-’’

Without giving much thought Kotori slowly took off her towel and tossed it aside, leaving Umi speechless for several seconds until Kotori approached her closer and reached her hand over the protruding bulge.

When Kotori’s fingertips brushed against Umi’s pants, Umi gasped at the strange feeling. Her body found pleasure in craving for more soft touches and the breasts dangling upon her eyes. Trying her best to hold back the muffled sounds escaping from her mouth, she was pushed back on the bed in force and Kotori crawled up her to position herself on the entire shaft. She took off Umi’s top in the process, running her tongue over her lips. ‘’Bon appetit!’’

Umi covered her eyes with her hands in shame as she felt Kotori’s raw sex grind against her hard-on spot. Her expression hardened at the pressed contact, the feeling of the confined warmth driving her crazy already. She threw her head back in sheer pleasure and moaned loudly while Kotori’s hands were exploring and slightly teasing Umi’s nipples and her stiff packs with the flick of her finger.

‘’You’re so cute Umi-chan.’’ ‘’What happened to you?!’’ Umi gnarled, but that didn’t help her lower part calm down anyway. She moved her hips up to study Kotori’s reaction, but that didn’t seem help much either. ‘’It… It’s your win I guess…’’

‘’I love you,’’ Kotori whispered in her red ear, which made her tremble again. ‘’I love you so much that I need you right now.’’

‘’I love you too.’’ Kotori couldn’t help but unzip her pants in her weak statement, the desperation for freedom. She smirked and watched Umi’s soaked briefs ruined by her erratic moves around her shaft. She bent down and captured her lips in Umi’s in a passionate kiss. The kiss set fire to Umi’s lower region even more resulting in her length growing beyond its confinement. Umi kissed back with the same force and wrapped her arms around her body instantly. Kotori opened her mouth and brought her tongue for entrance.

When her penis came out, Umi realised that how horrible state she was in. Her penis was twitching violently, even the precum swarmed in the pink head much to her dismay. ‘’Already?’’ Kotori surprised to see the little umi freed and standing upright in front of her eyes. Seeing how big Umi became for her, she smiled and her blush grew even redder in excitement.

‘’I…I...m-’’

Kotori brought her hand on Umi’s length and began to stroke it fiercely, the friction pleasuring every fiber of her being. Umi involuntarily bucked her hips upwards, then a gasp escaped from Kotori’s mouth unexpectedly with the sudden move.

“Kotori… Pl-Please…”

Kotori giggled as she kept pumping her. Umi’s pants were growing louder and louder with each finger move.

“Kot- Ah!”

Umi saw Kotori’s lustful eyes before she shut her eyes. The unrestrained moans of passion filled the room, then she shot her load in Kotori’s hand.

‘’KOTORI!’’ Umi screamed in her hands, unable to look at her girlfriend at the moment.

Kotori looked down and flashed a sexy smile. ‘’Well I like this you when you look like that.’’

Kotori hovered beside Umi, finally no longer on the top. In that way, Umi could take a moment to look at her again even though her girlfriend was naked.

‘’And I don’t like this you when you look like that.’’ Umi pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m sorry, Umi-chan. It’s just, we have a pile of work waiting for us every time I go to my company since it’s around this seasonal change when our customers expect more than we anticipate.” Kotori said sadly, her finger playfully drawing circles around the corner of Umi’s shoulder. ‘’I can’t always find time for us and when I find, it just rains over my excitement.’’

Umi’s eyes drifted to Kotori’s sad face.

‘’It’s temporary… as long as you’re not going to date with someone else-’’

‘’Umi-chan!’’ Kotori complained loudly, making her hands into a fist to punch her in a joking way.

‘’Sorry, sorry heh~’’ Umi chuckled, enjoying Kotori’s pout way too much.

She gently threw her arm around Kotori’s shoulder to withdraw herself, then kissed her forehead. Kotori blushed in return, then she buried her face in Umi’s chest.

‘’How about we get excited over the rain this time? Because, Kotori...’’ Umi began to talk, her hand trailed down to Kotori’s thighs. ‘’I also need you, you know.’’

Umi bent down to Kotori’s inner thighs, smiling up to her this time. This time she plunged her tongue into her clit. Kotori moaned very loud in return.

Kotori put her hand roughly on the back of Umi’s head and rubbed it to encourage her to not stop and keep going. While Umi was sucking her by upping the scale of teasing, Kotori could feel her long-awaited orgasmic peak coming to her soon. She threw her head back, words unable to form in her mouth as her legs gave out.

Moans and only her name. That was all. ‘’Um… Umi-chan! I.. I’m coming!’’

Umi swirled her tongue into her in a circular way, and Kotori said her name for the last time when she came hard. The juices were all over Umi’s face and she licked every single sweet drop when she removed her head from her honey pot.

‘’T...Thank...you Umi-chan…’’ Kotori said in between pants, still hardly over at this small, sweet time. Kotori looked up to Umi and saw how messed up she was while having a huge boner again.

Umi threw her clothes to a side, then she gave a heart stopping smile at Kotori. ‘’Kotori… You shouldn't thank me because we're not done yet,’’ she said and leant over to Kotori. The pure lust in her eyes mesmerised Umi, but the heat emitting from their bodies was even more.

When they kissed, the fireworks in their heads went off swiftly, which led to another step. To their dazzling world.

Umi crushed her mouth against Kotori’s, as Kotori began to feel the raw, rising length directly on her wet spot. Umi used her hands to pin her against the bed, she then started to rock her hips to tease her swollen slit.

‘’Umi-chan… You’re so hard.’’ She whispered into her ear. ‘’Make me yours!’’

‘’Yes!’’ Umi sucked her bottom lip, her hands rested on Kotori’s breasts.

Kotori’s free hand quickly reached out to the nightstand. She grabbed a condom from the top drawer and slipped it on Umi’s erection. Her hands now wrapped up Umi’s both soft and well-muscled body. ‘’It’s not safe today,’’ she murmured.

Umi could feel she could combust at any time now. Both from embarrassment and her girlfriend’s teasing. Maybe Kotori would bring her to the brink of cumming, but she loved how they would make love then finish everything else. She wished she could have this private time to be forever.

‘’I love you,’’ Umi said sincerely. ‘’I… I’m going in.’’

With Kotori’s nod, she lined her dick to Kotori’s entrance and slowly sank in. This warmth was something beyond her reach, where Umi slowly basked in. She began to move in a steady pace, which was slowly building the new pleasure within her. Warm and steamy. She looked down to Kotori’s deep golden orbs, one of the most beautiful glistening pair of eyes she could ever see. She slowly picked up the pace by bucking her hips forward.

‘’Love you… but I’d be happier if I could... be pushed off the edge a little bit.’’

With that being said by Kotori as desperate as it was, something switched on Umi as she leant forward to push her dick into her further. She moved her hips faster and faster while Kotori’s moans had no restrictions anymore.

Kotori gripped Umi’s shoulders firmly as she tightened around her member. From this angle, it was much easier to see Umi’s blushing face and the way she rocked her hips against her sensitive spot. Umi’s member sent jolt through her lower body when she reached beneath and began to cup her breasts.

‘’Never ask... this kind of things…yet y-you are h-h-h-horny.’’ Umi could manage to say, lust and pleasure consuming her energy, but something warmth below made her suddenly jerk. She was thrusting her hips in and out of her, spreading her legs to insert even more until she was fully connected to Kotori. She grabbed the back of Kotori’s head and slammed her lips into her, now fighting for dominance as their tongues swirled inside together. And Umi won. Her lips trailed down to her neck, giving soft pink hickeys that would soon turn red.

Soft gasps and whines followed as Umi glued her body on Kotori and pressed her member into her girlfriend’s g-spot. Her hands travelled down to Kotori’s thighs as she lifted up her body and pinned her to the wall with rough and quick movements.

Penetrated so deeply, Kotori shut her eyes and tried her best to get used to feel Umi fully. She was covered with sweats, her body was pushed back and forward on the wall. She was happy that Umi stopped moving her body faster in a short time, then Umi muttered a quick apology, gently stroking Kotori’s hair while giving small pecks on her body at every second.

In much slower yet stronger pace, Umi slid in and out and Kotori hissed for every pull out.

‘’I’m… close, Umi-chan.’’ Kotori said meekly, feeling herself drawn into this newfound intoxication. Next time she knew, Umi’s thrusts grew even more aggressive and frantic, pumping into her without giving a thought. She screamed. Her vision seemed to get blur, and her legs wrapped up around Umi’s body to push Umi into her more.

‘’I-I’m coming Kotori!’’ Umi groaned as she shot her glob of white thick cum. The tightness around her shaft felt incredibly good as she exploded inside the condom.

Both were drained out of energy and breathless. Umi carefully pulled out and threw the much seed-filled condom into the trash. She then rested herself on the bed, still blushing madly. Kotori fell into Umi’s arms after she did, both smiled sweetly to each other.

After all this wild adventure, no one seemed to care about the rain outside when they stayed together on the bed, hugging and snuggling for a while. Earning an adorable smile, Umi covered themselves under one, big blanket.

‘’Nee Umi-chan.’’

‘’Yes?’’ ��

‘’We need to check up on Honoka-chan later since she was coming back from abroad today unluckily.’’

Umi knitted her eyebrows, completely fretting. ‘’She never told me though. We need to go! Who knows what happens if we never check. We will go to the airport with the car,’’ Umi said in a rush.

Kotori held her wrist to stop her going to dress up, not liking the idea of having to go out in this rain. ‘’Dear… Are you sure you want to go right now?’’

‘’Why not?’’ Umi looked back at her with a confused look, then she noticed Kotori looked down between her legs and her pulsing member.

‘’I guess I need to take care of that first,’’ Kotori said playfully, while rubbing the tip of her length. She quickly kissed it.

‘’K-K-Ko-Kotori, NO!’’

Kotori giggled.

The rain bore down mercilessly, the droplets splattering on the window in which Kotori was unable to see outside anymore. The unanticipated flashes of lightning and ominous thunder became more audible and palpable. Which gave Kotori a sign.

‘’Okay okay, maybe later sweetheart. We need to hurry up.’’

Umi nodded.

‘’The second round will be a fun night tonight!’’

Umi’s face quickly changed from a frown to a warm smile as she lifted her eyebrow. ‘’You never give up on teasing me right?’’

‘’Nope.’’ Kotori shrugged her shoulders, giving the most enthusiastic smile she could manage to. Umi could only smile back with equal sincerity.

‘’I love you.’’

‘’And I love you and your dorky ass~’’

#kotoumi #kotori minami #umi sonoda #myfic #love live #oops i wrote a thing #birb pushes her ocean to the edge :3c #fluff and smut

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canuterex · 4 years ago

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Concerning the Ruin of Britain (De Excidio Britanniae), Gildas Bandonicus. ~Chapter 25~

“Some, therefore, of the miserable remnant, being taken in the mountains, were murdered in great numbers; others, constrained by famine, came and yielded themselves to be slaves for ever to their foes, running the risk of being instantly slain, which truly was the greatest favour that could be offered them: some others passed beyond the seas with loud lamentations instead of the voice of exhortation.

"Thou hast given us as sheep to be slaughtered, and among the Gentiles hast thou dispersed us."

Others, committing the safeguard of their lives, which were in continual jeopardy, to the mountains, precipices, thickly wooded forests, and to the rocks of the seas (albeit with trembling hearts), remained still in their country.

But in the meanwhile, an opportunity happening, when these most cruel robbers were returned home, the poor remnants of our nation (to whom flocked from divers places round about our miserable countrymen as fast as bees to their hives, for fear of an ensuing storm), being strengthened by God, calling upon him with all their hearts, as the poet says,--

"With their unnumbered vows they burden heaven,"

that they might not be brought to utter destruction, took arms under the conduct of Ambrosius Aurelianus, a modest man, who of all the Roman nation was then alone in the confusion of this troubled period by chance left alive.

His parents, who for their merit were adorned with the purple, had been slain in these same broils, and now his progeny in these our days, although shamefully degenerated from the worthiness of their ancestors, provoke to battle their cruel conquerors, and by the goodness of our Lord obtain the victory.”

Link: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/gildas.asp

#Ambrosius Aurelianus #Gildas Bandonicus #Anglo-Saxons #there's something about King Arthur in here #primary sources #medieval England

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blood-starved-beast · 2 years ago

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Maybe it’s cause I despise MCU with a passion but I see Riven being characterized like that as an absolute 200% downgrade imho. It’s not the character I got invested in, and seeing her only contribution being an occasional funny self-degenerating joke or getting told to fuck off by Irelia is not exactly great contribution either. She had no actual genuine motivation to be in the Sentinels other than to totally-not-simp for Irelia being mean to her or whatever they had in mind for her in the event. At least with Karma, Irelia had the strongest reason to be a Sentinel out of everyone there excluding the Sentinel characters and Pyke (whose mischaracterization I take the most offense with in the VN given Ruined King game).

100% agree that the VN especially makes complete and utter light of of the situation. I do understand why certain characters like Senna (who has no bearing in the Ionia-Noxian conflict and is not only currently dealing with the worst global crisis in recent history, Riven was actually helpful in the prior chapter) would side with Riven in that case cause of that framing. I disagree that Riven didn’t say anything offensive, at least, not at the beginning. That entitlement after she ~ saved Irelia’s life ~ in the Ionia chapter I find rather vile in the context of her past history and how her lore time and time again emphasized that she was (and is) a very deadly soldier with a lot of blood on her hands. She appears in the Irelia at the Placidium memorial representing Noxus out of everyone involved in the conflict, even Swain. She’s got an ugly past and going up to Irelia like that feels like spitting in the face. Also that one line in the Targon chapter as well. I support Irelia clocking her in the face if only for those two things. Within the context of everything, she’s got full points to in my opinion.

I know people who hold grudges even long after their “time” have expired. I can see Irelia being that kind of person, especially in the context of a very high stress circumstance given Karma and what’s happened to her and the Ruination. The problem of course, is as you said that the VN and comics have no time (or more specifically chose to devote no time) to actually fleshing out how Riven and Irelia would start getting along. Every chapter in the VN they practically jump to the next stage, missing what should’ve been discussions of differences and the conflict that would arise between characters which such nasty history. Take that Ixtal chapter for example. Where we should’ve gotten a moment of epiphany between them and maybe some degree of agreement or something we’re just informed that they did ok and start talking (awkwardly) later on. A disgrace and slap to the narratives of both characters if you asked me.

And that’s the problem with the narrative of SOL as well. The Ruination wasn’t the place to discuss this dynamic at all, at least, maybe not in a VN with a ton of other characters they have to share the spotlight with. It needs its own novel, or maybe its own event or Arcane show or something that focuses on Ionia and Noxus and the conflict between them. Or, if it had to have been the Ruination (which, I could see from an authorial standpoint would be a good place to have them work together) it again should’ve been in a format where Irelia’s issues are given the same weight and time to understand her character, why she is Like That, and why Riven is so vile to her. And Riven should not reaffirm Irelia’s viewpoint of her and not make her clam back into her pride (it’s one of Irelia’s defenses).

Also the writing needs to give more context to Irelia and Karma’s whole thing (possibly relating it back to the whole thing with Riven too) to make those aforementioned details more salient. But that’s the issue too. Riot threw these characters into a team up Avengers Assemble style without previously developing them all that way. This is Irelia’s first time in a dynamic narrative since, well since her release, that isn’t a review of the past. We don’t know how she fits into the politics of Ionia other than what she did 10 years prior, what she was doing up to now, or what her connection to Karma is. Are they friends? More than friends? What is their history between them?

That should’ve been a larger narrative within the VN and since those details are lacking. Irelia’s characterization, which imho in the light of literal everything I don’t have an issue with, lacks teeth (err, has too much). If Riot had set up Irelia beforehand in that we had a better grasp of these details about Irelia so that when the story headed into this stage we’d know what we’re heading into, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad. Alternatively, this should’ve been a reoccurring narrative within SOL. But no they decided that 20+ minutes of Graves being a clown was absolutely necessary and more important than Irelia feeling the loss of Karma/the impact for her people while balancing having to deal with Riven’s whole existence because the Noxian is reasons beyond her is fixated on being with her constantly. That would’ve made Irelia’s pissy mood during the event a lot more understandable. Which fits her character cause all her lines imply a woman who depressed and angry and gets a bit of high defeating her enemies only for it to make her feel worse later like a bad hangover cause that’s not the person she once was/is. She’s an angry woman (and I personally think female characters should be allowed to be angry more often, but like anything in writing it has to be written well and not fall into trite stereotypes).

That “Noxian are people too 😔” narrative is stupid I completely agree as well. We already know that that’s the point of Riven’s redemption we don’t need to be hit over the head with that. What we need is sympathy for character (Irelia) whose culture and people weren’t given that sympathy and continue to not be and whose very person is not given a break. That was what they should’ve done other than *waves arm* whatever they actually did. But yeah as you said, between the Mage Rebellion and this we know Riot wants to ~ both sides ~ the situation when the situation isn’t actually meant to be both siding it at all.

The main problem with the way the Riven-Irelia relationship is written in SOL is the fact that Riven is written as a smug, cocky asshole there. Irelia for the most part is reacting quite appropriately given those parameters. Imagine having beef with an imperialist who killed a lot of your people only for them to show up again during a global crisis being smug and entitled. Yeah, I’d tell her to get lost too.

Riven’s normally in-lore a lot more humble. Heck, her whole deal was that she was once a proud Noxian warrior humbled by the betrayal of her people and had to atone for that in Ionia. Having her go up to Irelia, arguably the Hero of Ionia and that’s ignoring the possible personal past war history between them, with that attitude just isn’t in character at all. Especially where in the lore and even in Wild Rift SOL Riven is a lot more quiet and soft-spoken. Yes, she has her moments of cockiness (see: her fight with Draven) and likely was like that until her and her troops were exploded. But that was a Riven of the past. By SOL at the very least, that aspect of character would be toned down at lot. Especially towards someone who is a well respected figure of the culture she imperialized and spent time trying to atone for. Just, character assassination.

And here’s the thing. I get the impression that the reason they went this route (besides the “haha two people who hate each other forced to be friends through haha” joke trope they were aiming for) is that they were trying to force in the entirety of an “enemies-to-friends” dynamic for them. Literally one from the start to end. Which is where the problem belies.

Riven and Irelia up to SOL, hadn’t had any significant lore interaction. We didn’t learn of any possible history between them until Sentinels of Light. The OG Rivelia ship was built on the scaffolding of in-game meta fights and headcanons, up until the implication that Irelia, known anti-Noxian Ionian patriot, would consider teaming up with Riven when she was reworked back in 2018. For all the fandom knew, Riven and Irelia could existed on opposite sides of the conflict and known little about each other than what propaganda each side said about the other. Sentinels of Light tweaked that a bit with lines by Irelia talking about a bloody history between them and pulling out a war name used during the invasion and recognizing Riven On Sight etc. Either way, Riven and Irelia had limited history between them.

If Riot had built up that dynamic, set up that Riven was a smug asshole enemy Irelia had to face during the first Invasion of Ionia that now had come back to haunt her in this hour of crisis, Irelia’s attitude towards Riven would feel a lot better* written grounded. If Riven were in character during the event, being the Atoner that she is in the majority of her canon lore and no longer said cocky asshole from before, wanting to see that conflict resolved and wanting them to be friends would feel a lot more authentic. But as is, it feels like a joke the writers did not take seriously at all. And that sucks.

*I personally think Irelia’s attitude was justified, but for the majority of the audience who likely weren’t caught up in the lore, she might come off as cold or as a dick. And I saw this in some of the reactions fans had when SOL first came out and even later.

#Riven Konte #Xan Irelia #Karma Darha #League of Legends #my meta #fan meta #Sentinels of Light #I'm of the opinion #that anything in writing can be done #but it has to be done well #and given its proper due #Irelia being angry @ Riven's entire existence could be done #if given reason and weight as to why Irelia would do so #I'd say it's a flaw in the writing #that there aren't more characters who are angry with Riven #beyond the Noxians calling her a deserter

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asktheadeptus · 8 years ago

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Alpharius Omegon

"Before we go, let me say this: I understand the conflict in your hearts, how one may beat for duty while the other bleeds for your Legion brothers who will be sacrificed. But this is civil war. It is a time of confusion, and realigned loyalty. We have many heads but we act as one – one Legion with a single will. We are a union of the alike and the like-minded. We will not tolerate treachery. We will not allow our compact to fracture. We will not suffer the short-sightedness of our brother Legions, nor the averted gaze of the wider Imperium. We are Alpha Legion and we take the long view."— Omegon, twin-Primarch of the Alpha Legion

Alpharius Omegon (also known as the Aleph Null, The Hydra, the Threefold Serpent, The Final Configuration and the Last Primarch) was one of the twenty Primarchs created by the Emperor of Mankind in the earliest days of the Imperium of Man, just after the end of the Age of Strife in the 30th Millennium. In truth, Alpharius Omegon was actually a pair of identical twin brothers, one named Alpharius and the other Omegon. Of all the Primarchs of the Legiones Astartes, Alpharius was without a doubt the most steeped in mystery, legend, contradiction and deliberate falsification. The Primarch of the Alpha Legion shrouded himself in mystery, often moving unseen even amongst the ranks of his own Legion. However, when the time came to cast off the cloak of misdirection, Alpharius was as awe-inspiring a being as any of his other brother Primarchs. Clad in armour forged in the manner of some terrifying beast of ancient Terran myth and armed with a fearsome panoply of weapons of unknown provenance, Alpharius bestrode the battlefield like a figure from legend. Like the hydra he and his XXth Legion had taken as their symbol, Alpharius fought by repeated attacks from multiple and unexpected quarters. None could predict where or how the Primarch would strike, what weapons he would bring to bear or which of his many different forms would fight at his side. In many cases, the enemy were not even aware they were fighting the Alpha Legion until the very moment battle was joined, at which point they were already doomed to total and utter defeat at the hands of this most cunning, devious and duplicitous of all the Primarchs of the ancient Space Marine Legions.

Like the other Primarchs, Alpharius and his twin brother Omegon were transported from the Emperor's gene-lab beneath the Himalazian (Himalayan) Mountains of Terra through the Warp by the Chaos Gods and placed on a far-away world in an attempt to prevent the coming of the Age of the Imperium and the expansion of the ordered Imperium of Man across the Milky Way Galaxy. Alpharius Omegon was eventually rediscovered by the Primarch Horus and sent to meet his father the Emperor on Terra, who placed him (and secretly, his brother) in command of the XXth Legion, the so-called Alpha Legion, during the Great Crusade of the late 30th Millennium.

It should be noted that the Alpha Legion's trademark secrecy extends to the records of their Primarch. There is little recorded information on his biographical background or where his home world originates, and almost all of what is currently known by the Imperium about this enigmatic Primarch comes from the information provided by former Inquisitor Kravin of the Ordo Malleus. Inquisitor Kravin was subsequently believed to have been tainted by the Alpha Legion and his current whereabouts are unknown. Hence, much of the Imperial data concerning the Last Primarch could be considered suspect, and indeed there are some who believe the whole Kravin affair was an Alpha Legion plot to plant misinformation in Imperial records.

The greatest secret of the Alpha Legion's Primarch is apparently told to no one outside the XXth Legion, and has always been thus. For, unlike any of the other Primarchs, Alpharius actually has an identical twin: Omegon. It is unknown if the Emperor intended this when He created the Last Primarch, or was ever even aware that His final Primarch's engineered embryo had split into two identical fetuses during their gestation before they were stolen away by the Ruinous Powers. Alpharius and Omegon are both the co-equal Primarchs of the Alpha Legion, although "Alpharius" was the public face of the XXth Legion and appeared as the more senior of the two. Though as both Primarchs were physically identical it is possible for them to switch places and have "Omegon" play the public role of the Alpha Legion's Primarch. They have been described as "one soul in two bodies" and collectively have been referred to as simply "Alpharius Omegon". While the Astartes of the Alpha Legion made attempts to all look alike, both Alpharius and Omegon were still somewhat distinctive. Taller than the rest of the Legion, slightly copper-skinned, bald and possessed of a heavy brow, they somewhat resembled their brother Primarch Horus. Unlike him, Alpharius and Omegon had piercing eyes that seemed to glitter, appearing to shift colour from a cold arctic blue to a shimmering green. The overall impression given by Alpharius Omegon was one of nobility and intelligence. One way to tell the two twin Primarchs apart was when Omegon was serving as the commander of his Effrit Stealth Squad; large portions of his Power Armour and other gear were painted black and otherwise darkened. The armour worn by Alpharius was not particularly different from that of an ordinary Alpha Legionary. When such theatrics were required, both Alpharius and Omegon - or one of their surrogates - could appear as regally and stunning than any other Primarch.

History

The Hydra

Of the many mysteries that surround the Alpha Legion, the most fundamental and key enigma is the question of the Alpha Legion's Primarch, Alpharius. Of all of the Primarchs who remained to draw blood against each other in the Horus Heresy, of Alpharius the least is known for certain. Furthering this mystery and the outright deception perpetrated by Alpharius, many reliable accounts of his origins differ. One such account of the finding of Alpharius circulated secretly between the houses and factions of the Imperial Court on Terra, which states that his discovery was an accident of the Luna Wolves Legion prior to the end of the Great Crusade and the beginning of the 31st Millennium. By this, Alpharius was the leader of a confederation of human systems whose fleet of warships, no match in size or scale to Imperial vessels, managed through trickery and ambush to ingloriously lay low one of the outlying Luna Wolves battleships as it entered an unnamed star system. Responding to this unforgivable defeat, Horus himself and his fleet gave chase, only to find themselves mired in ambush after ambush, tricked into deadly traps and chasing shadows until Horus' own flagship, the mighty Vengeful Spirit, came under attack. In the ensuing confrontation, the Luna Wolves smashed the enemy fleet's desperate attack aside, but in the confusion a single assassin broke into the flagship, and through stealth and murder managed the impossible task of fighting his way clear to Horus' command chamber and slaughtered his Justaerin bodyguards before Horus himself was forced to confront him. But Horus did not slay the attacker but recognized him instead for a brother. He had found the last Primarch! The new arrival called himself Alpharius and claimed to have been travelling this region of space for many years. However, he remained tight-lipped as to where he had come from. Various worlds in that locale were subsequently brought into the Imperial fold, but Alpharius always denied that any of them were his home of origin. The conglomeration of planets he had been leading was persuaded to join the Imperium with little bloodshed.

Another account torn form the mind of an Alpha Legion Centurion captured by the Legio Custodes after the Fall of the Seraphin tells the story of the finding of Alpharius. It speaks of a nameless Dead World at the edge of the Mandragoran Stars whose civilization rose and was wiped out by bloody hands long before Mankind first walked on Terra. On this nameless orb, the nascent Primarch fell into the shattered ruins of a fallen city murdered long ages ago. Utterly alone, voiceless and without aid, he was forced to survive against the tortuous elements of the desolate world and the predations of the hungry ghosts of the charnel pit into which he had been consigned. His solitude was only broken after many long years by a new star falling from the heavens; a corsair ship of degenerate half-human renegades and alien mercenaries intent on plundering the dead ruins for whatever worth might remain amid the shatters. Instead they found only death at the young Primarch's hands, and Alpharius gained their weapons, their knowledge and their vessel as his own, and with it he set out in search of he who had made him.

Two other accounts, found encrypted within the pages of certain volumes of the suppressed work of memetic corrosion known as the Transit of the Human Soul through Strife, or the Codex Hydra as it is sometimes known, offer differing contentions. The first is that the lost Primarch was deposited on a thriving tech-oligarchy world known as Bar'Savor, but before his first decade of life there was done, the skies of Bar'Savor darkened as the nightmarish xenos worm-creatures known as the Slaugth descended to feed. Capturing the young Primarch, a being alone strong enough to resist them, the Slaugth kept Alpharius as a curiosity, twisting his mind with their horrors and enslaving him and tutoring him as a living weapon to sow strife and discord on their victim worlds before they fell upon them to feast.

It was the Emperor himself who at last liberated him, his gold Battle Barge ramming into the heart of the vast stone ship of the foul xenos to break it open, the Emperor's wrath like that of a vengeful god of legend in retribution for what had been done to his son. For long years after, Alpharius remained at his father's side as the Emperor undid what had been done to mar his creation. This account also offers a contradictory version of events, saying that Alpharius alone, unfinished in some way, had been spared or at least some part of him had remained behind though gravely injured when the rest of the Primarchs were scattered across the stars by unknown hands. Here, in the shadow of Terra, he grew and was nurtured alone of the Primarchs by the Emperor himself, his existence a jealously guarded secret even from those closest to the Emperor, lest the dark fates move against him. Upon his maturity he became the Emperor's own secret hand and his greatest shield, until he was at last parted from his father, his destiny to fulfill. It is unknown which one of these accounts are true and which are lies. The recorded facts suggest none of these accounts are real and they are but a few of the phantasms that purport to be the secret truth of Alpharius' past. Like the most potent of falsehoods, perhaps they contain a grain of truth within them, a hint at a greater secret yet.

The Emperor & Alpharius

Following his discovery, eventually Alpharius was taken back to the epicenter of the ever-expanding Imperium and reunited with his father, the Emperor. There was the usual rejoicing, pomp and circumstance, but records on Terra suggest that the two spent little time together. Alpharius was quickly sent to take command of his Legion, while the Emperor had many pressing affairs of state by this time. Alpharius and his twin-Primarch brother Omegon shared the same physical appearance and together served as joint-Primarch of the Alpha Legion. The Emperor was aware of Alpharius Omegon's secret; but whether the creation of the twin Primarchs was intentional or not remains a mystery. The two Primarchs supposedly shared one soul, with Omegon acting as Alpharius' second-in-command of the XXth Legion. The existence of the twin Primarchs of the Alpha Legion was known only to the members of the Legion itself, and was a well-kept secret even from the other Legions. The new Legionaries under their command were tall and strong, and were reminiscent of their Primarch, and possessed their gene-sire's cunning intelligence. When Alpharius Omegon took command of the XXth Legion, it was eager, zealous and completely committed to embracing the Primarch's command and combat philosophy. Alpharius led his Legion, created in his image, to the outer reaches of the Imperium and was eager to join battle and emulate the glories of the older Legions. In battle, this "youngest" Legion, driven by its mysterious and taciturn Primarch, became renowned quickly for its discipline and strict and impenetrable organisation and regime, which emphasized the unity of the Legion and its wider actions over the individual Astartes in every aspect. Its hallmark was a relentless application of force and a terrifying level of co-ordination between its warriors and war machines. This capacity for combined arms warfare, speed and surety of attack, were matched only by a mastery of the darker arts of war -- of sabotage and ambush, stealth tactics and assassination. Also evident was its desire for secrecy and talent for misdirection. It kept its distance from its fellow Legions, even when tasked to directly fight alongside them, and it is certain many fostered a sinister willfulness, and beneath the facade, the shadow of mockery.

The Great Crusade

Although its history as an active Legion is a short one compared to many -- at least under its own name -- the Alpha Legion proved quickly determined to match any of its brethren in glory -- or perhaps more accurately prove itself superior to them -- and its tally of victories mounted with surpassing speed. The Alpha Legion, ever watchful, was far from adverse from studying the strengths of their fellow Legions, and their weaknesses, and adapting the weapons and tactics of the other Legiones Astartes to their own ends. In this the Legion was not so different in strategic observances as the Ultramarines Legion and their master Roboute Guilliman, although it is doubtful that the Lord of Ultramar would have cared much for the comparison, even before the two Legions later came to bitter bloodshed. Such zealousness to prove themselves as part of the Great Crusade at any cost, and the often over-elaborate and needlessly complex and malign way in which the Alpha Legion chose to wage war, saw them quickly gain infamy more than fame. This, coupled with growing distrust due to their insular and deceptive nature, brought rivalry and acrimony between the Alpha Legion and much of the rest of the Legiones Astartes. As time passed, the relationship between the Alpha Legion and its peers soured further. The nature of the Alpha Legion's way of war and their lack of alliance to the commands of other Legions placed over them in the field brought Alpharius and his brothers Guilliman of the Ultramarines and Mortarion of the Death Guard into conflict on several separate occasions, with incidents notably occurring both in the aftermath of the Ullanor Crusade and a later campaign soon thereafter.

After Alpharius' disagreements with Roboute Guilliman over the supposed "dishonourable ways" of his Legion's chosen methods of warfare, the Alpha Legion threw themselves even further into their preferred method of operations, largely cutting themselves off from standard Imperial military practices and orchestrating greater and greater victorious examples of their approach to the Great Crusade, even when more conventional attacks would have been more efficient. The most notorious example of this took place on the world of Tesstra Prime, where the Alpha Legion, instead of taking the opportunity to capture the planetary capital city and thus force the world's surrender, allowed the enemy to dig in and defend it so that they could then expertly take the defending forces apart in a number of different ways. After a week of suffering seemingly random mishaps and deadly sabotage as well as brutal ambushes, the defenders were forced to capitulate, having taken 90% casualties. When asked why the XXth Legion had not taken the simpler strategy, Alpharius is reported to have replied that they avoided it as "it would have been too easy". This campaign brought Alpharius censure from almost all of his brother Primarchs. Guilliman in particular raged at Alpharius' conduct of the war, labeling the drawn-out operation as "a waste of the Emperor's bolt shells". Only the Warmaster Horus, always impressed by Alpharius and his work, praised the Alpha Legion's skill.

The Horus Heresy

It has long been supposed that since Alpharius was only familiar with one other Primarch, Horus, it was self-explanatory why he chose the side he did at the outset of the Horus Heresy. Indeed, the very plan at Istvaan V where Horus struck his first blow against the Loyalist Space Marine Legions by destroying most of the Iron Hands, Raven Guard and Salamanders Legions in a massive ambush, was very reminiscent of plans that Alpharius had created in the past. However, it is possible that there is another reason for Alpharius leading his Legion to the side of the Traitors, a secret known only inside the Legion. Approximately two years before the beginning of the Heresy, during the Compliance of Nurth, Alpharius Omegon was apparently contacted by members of a xenos organisation led by the Eldar but comprising an alliance of individuals drawn from a host of different intelligent species, called the Cabal, who brought to him visions of the impending civil war within the Imperium, and expanded knowledge of the nature and designs of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. It is believed that the Cabal convinced Alpharius Omegon that the only way to permanently defeat Chaos in the galaxy was to ensure that Horus was victorious in his rebellion against the Emperor. It is perhaps for this reason that Alpharius Omegon, secretly true to the Imperium and loyal to the Emperor, may have chosen to join the Traitors who swore their souls to Chaos.

The Cabal, through its only known human agent John Grammaticus, explained that they had foreseen two possible outcomes to the coming Heresy. The first vision had the Alpha Legion remaining loyal to the Emperor and fighting against Horus, ending in the Emperor's victory. However, the Emperor would be gravely wounded and entombed inside the cybernetic sarcophagus of the Golden Throne, neither alive nor dead and no longer able to actively guide humanity. Ten millennia would pass and the Imperium of Man would be fated to slowly decay, until ultimately Chaos would return resurgent and defeat mankind, condemning humanity to eventual extinction. The second outcome had the Alpha Legion joining forces with Horus and Chaos Undivided and fighting the Emperor. In this vision, Horus was victorious and slew the Emperor. The Traitor Legions would defeat the Loyalists and Terra would belong to Horus, now the greatest Daemon Prince of Chaos. The vision continued with Horus, after slaying his father, shocked into sanity by his conscience and violently freed from Chaos' corrupt hold over him. Disgusted with himself and loathing what he had done, Horus would seek to exterminate the Chaos-corrupted human race in a vast orgy of bloodshed which would consume the entire Imperium in a single century. Though humanity would become extinct, the Chaos Powers would also be destroyed by the destruction of mankind, since ultimately their existence largely depended upon the collective psychic emanations of humanity in the Warp.

The Cabal, an alliance of xenos Eldar and a somewhat unwilling human psyker named John Grammaticus, burdened the Alpha Legion with these two visions which they promised would come to pass. The Alpha Legion were told the fate of the entire galaxy rested upon their Legion's decision alone. The Cabal had no time to reach or to attempt to convince another of the Space Marine Legions of what was to come. Either the Alpha Legion ensured the human race died in a century of incredible violence, sparing the other races of the galaxy, present and future, from Chaos forever, or they ensured the human race and the Imperium lived on for ten thousand years of bloodshed and decay, dooming the entire galaxy to brutal war and the eventual triumph of Chaos.

The Alpha Legion decided to join Horus' rebellion and made the decision that they believed the Emperor would have chosen, to sacrifice humanity for the ultimate eradication of Chaos from the universe. Yet their sacrifice seems to have been made in vain, as Horus did not find victory and the Imperium persevered despite the Alpha Legion's decision to support Chaos. This can only lead one to wonder if the Cabal and their future predictions were wrong, if the Cabal secretly served the interests of Chaos and lied to Alpharius simply to corrupt yet another Astartes Legion or if something else occurred that has yet to be discovered. It is noteworthy to mention that John Grammaticus, the human agent who made first contact with the Alpha Legion on the Cabal's behalf, was a man very similar to the Emperor himself. John was a powerful mutant psyker (known as a Perpetual) who had been alive for thousands of years, and had even met the Emperor face to face once, before the Emperor had finished uniting the various factions of men on Terra during the Unification Wars of the 30th Millennium.

The actions of the twin Primarchs during the Heresy proper are more than vague. Like other Legions and especially the Word Bearers, the many encounters with the Alpha Legion across several Sectors and Segmenta revealed that the XXth Legion had secretly built up their strength and was acting on different levels and in different warzones. It would then be logical to assume that both Primarchs would increasingly operate separately.

Deliverance Uprising

Following the Dropsite Massacre on Istvaan V, the mysterious Cabal sought to utilise the Alpha Legion in order to ensure Horus a swift victory. Following the calamitous events of Istvaan V and the Raven Guard's flight to Terra to bring word of the disaster, the shattered XIXth Legion returned to their home world of Deliverance. Unknown to them, the insidious Alpha Legion had inserted several of their own Legionaries, surgically disguised as Raven Guard Legionaries who had died on the black sands of Istvaan V. Gathering intelligence on Primarch Corax' efforts to reconstitute his Legion utilizing a sample of pure Primarch DNA given to him by the Emperor Himself, the Alpha Legion operatives patiently waited until the Raven Guard had achieved a genetic breakthrough. In the meantime, they fomented rebellion amongst the old tech-guilds of Kiavahr, the Forge World that the moon of Deliverance circled, while assembling Alpha Legion forces nearby, for an unsuspected surgical strike. The Alpha Legion successfully tainted the Primarch DNA, which resulted in the disastrous mutation of newly inducted Raven Guard aspirants into hideously transformed creatures. At the same time, the Alpha Legion's plans reached their climax. The Kiavahr rebellion was well under way, supported by the newly arrived Alpha Legion forces, who were camouflaged as Raven Guard. The Loyalist Raven Guard successfully put down the rebellion and killed all the Alpha Legion operatives. In the aftermath of this successful operation, Alpharius was forced to oblige with handing over the obtained data research to the Emperor's Children's Chief Apothecary Fabius for further research. Unknown to Fabius though, was the data was practically useless and was incomplete at best. The Alpha Legion ensured they kept the integral data for themselves as well as the corrupted genome. Alpharius wished to utilize this valuable data to raise his Legion above all others. Following this action, Omegon met with the Cabal representative Athithirtir aboard his ship. After a terse exchange, the twin Primarch departed, informing the Cabal that the XXth Legion would fulfill its duties on its own without further external influence, interference or control.

Blockade at Chondax

Next, Alpharius later dispatched his forces in an attempt to blockade the White Scars from leaving the Chondax System and joining the Loyalist forces. The White Scars only became aware of the larger galaxy-wide conflict of the Horus Heresy, when Omegon initiated a mission to destroy Tenebrae 9-50, an asteroid facility that was being used as an Alpha Legion garrison. This Alpha Legion had been utilising a pylon array in order to jam any communications so that the White Scars would remain ignorant of the Warmaster's rebellion. Omegon despatched an Alpha Legion team led by Sheed Ranko on a one-way suicide mission to destroy the facility. It was later believed that the Alpha Legion possibly fabricated the claim that it was leaking information to their enemies and had therefore, become a liability. After the destruction of Tenebrae 9-50, the becalmed Warp become sedate, which allowed the White Scars to receive word of Horus's rebellion.

As the White Scars fleet made preparations to depart the Chondax System, they encountered a massive Alpha Legion flotilla. The Alpha Legion were an unknown quantity to the White Scars. They did not respond to communication requests and had hung back on the edge of the system, quietly accumulating more warships across a wide sweep of local space. There was no response from the XXth Legion's command despite all queries. All White Scars vessels were ordered not to escalate the situation and not to fire upon the interlopers unless fired upon. The warriors of the Vth Legion were to maintain perimeter integrity and not to permit Alpha Legion spacecraft to penetrate within range of the core White Scars fleet. Jaghatai ordered his fleet to prepare for immediate departure. As the White Scars' vessels began to move, the Alpha Legion reacted. They maintained the integrity of the cordon, warding the routes to the nearest suitable jump-points and keeping the White Scars corralled within the vicinity of Chondax. Utilizing their superior drives of their vessels, and in an instant, suddenly switched from an aimless drift-pattern into an arrowhead shock assault of astonishing precision. Though both sides engaged one another, the White Scars made good their escape and fled the Chondax System.

Battle of the Alaxxes Nebula

Following the debacle at Chondax, Alpharius ordered the remainder of his fleet to beset the Space Wolves Legion at the Alaxxes Nebula. Leman Russ had ordered his battered VIth Legion to muster there in order to lick its wound after their recent campaign at Prospero, following the razing of the planet after the Thousand Sons had willfully disobeyed the Emperor's Decree Absolute. Horus had deployed the XXth Legion to launch a massive assault on Russ' battered and outnumbered Space Wolves. The Alpha Legion and its twin Primarchs, Alpharius Omegon, had long harbored deep grudges against the Space Wolves, and Russ in particular, for his criticism of their reliance upon trickery, manipulation and subterfuge to win battles rather than engaging in what the Space Wolves Primarch saw as honourable, open combat. The Alpha Legion relished the chance to prove their superiority against the arrogant Wolves of Fenris by delaying them long enough to keep them from contributing to the Imperial defense of Terra. Russ sent a distress call to the nearby White Scars, requesting that his brother Primarch Jaghatai Khan send his forces in order to assist the VIth Legion against the traitorous Alpha Legion. Unsure as to which side the Space Wolves truly belonged, the Khagan sympathised with his brother Primarch's predicament, but refused to get involved until he was able to sort out the conflicting and often contradictory astropathic messages he had received. Until he knew, beyond a shadow of doubt, who was ally and who was an enemy, he refused to choose sides. Wishing his brother the best of luck, Jaghatai wished to seek his answers elsewhere.

Realizing that VIth Legion faced a hopeless situation, Russ was demoralized and isolated himself within his personal chambers, forcing his First Captain Gunnar Gunnhilt to assume command in his Primarch's absence. Harried at every turn, the Space Wolves' fleet faced imminent destruction by the larger Alpha Legion fleet, when suddenly, the Primarch reemerged from his chambers to lead his forces against the Traitor forces. During the height of the ensuing battle, a large contingent of elite Cataphractii Terminators of Laernaean teleported aboard the bridge Russ's flagship, Hrafnkel, where the Wolf King seemingly battled Alpharius disguised as one of his own Laernaean Terminators. As the Alpha Legion were on the verge of ultimate victory, help arrived from an unexpected quarter, in the form of a large Dark Angels fleet led by a mobile Ramilies-class Starfort, the Chimaera, who had heard the Space Wolves' distress signals and determined that the VIth Legion were in fact still loyal to the Emperor. With the assistance of their Ist Legion cousins, the Space Wolves were able to force the Alpha Legion to withdraw.

The Shattered Legions

Reliable testimonies of the Shattered Legions ship Sisypheum, most importantly the accounts of the Raven Guard specialist Nykona Sharrowkyn, place at least one of the Primarchs -- presumably Alpharius -- on a secret and hence unknown facility, designated as Lerna 2-12. In the disguise of the famed Iron Hands warleader Shadrak Meduson, Alpharius used the crew of the Sisypheum to assist in his hunt for Loyalist elements within the XXth Legion. His deception was only revealed towards the end of this affair, after the surviving members of the Shattered Legion force escaped with the knowledge that Alpharius had indeed been masquerading his Meduson.

The Solar Campaign

With its network of operatives and bondsmen, and women it is believed, that even in the state of civil war that the Imperium had fallen in, the Alpha Legion had the means and opportunities to transfer materiel and personnel between Sectors, including the Segmentum Solar and the strategically vital Sol System, whose defence had been entrusted to the Imperial Fists and their Primarch, Rogal Dorn, the newly proclaimed Praetorian of Terra. Under the tireless efforts of the Imperial Fists, the Sol System had become a fortress, each strata of the solar-system being turned into a perfectly organised defense zone to break the Warmaster's eventual assault. Given the Alpha Legion's tendency to prove its own superiority, it would not simply suffice to break open Terra's outer defenses, but to humiliate the VIIth Legion, they would have to infiltrate the most secure location of the entire galaxy -- the Imperial Palace.

Alpha Legion units placed into enemy territory were trained and conditioned to pursue broad mission objectives in whatever way they thought best. The scope of these objectives were called mission parameters. An Alpha Legion force or warrior might have been given a series of potential mission parameters before its infiltration, some of which might be radically different in shape: killing or protecting the same individual, for example. Each parameter would have a single activation word or phrase that would set an infiltrator off towards a set of objectives. A word spoken down a vox or scrawled on a slip of parchment was enough to change the direction of their action from one parameter to another. And it was not uncommon for members of the same force to be following different mission parameters.

Activating assets that had been dormant and hidden on Terra for several decades, the Alpha Legion would eventually succeed where all other had failed before, infiltrating several agents within the Imperial Palace and especially the Investiary, where great statues had been erected to commemorate the Great Crusade's greatest generals -- the Primarchs of the twenty Legions. Two plinths had stood empty for a long time, the statues adorning them destroyed when their respective owners were cast to oblivion and their history erased -- the Lost Primarchs, but the nine statues of those Primarchs having turned against the Emperor had merely been covered up. This was to be the Alpha Legion's target. Infiltrated Legionaries succeeded into penetrating into the Investiary and destroyed all the statues except two of them -- those of Alpharius and Rogal Dorn. Intended as both a challenge and a message, this feat was deliberately kept secret from the other organisations within the Imperial Palace, even the Regent of Terra, Malcador the Sigilite, and the Emperor's own bodyguards, the Legio Custodes, were forbidden to enter the Investiary and witness the shaming of the Imperial Fists. By what means the Sigilite still discovered the presence of the Alpha Legion on Terra remains a mystery, but Rogal Dorn was adamant that he would deal with the treacherous XXth Legion in due course. Shortly after this act of sabotage an Alpha Legion fleet, led by Harrowmaster Kel Silonius, attacked the Sol System's outermost defences, and managed to even capture several of Pluto's moons, which constituted the heart of the outermost defense perimeter. What truly occurred there remains a well-guarded secret, one only kept by Rogal Dorn himself and his Huscarl-bodyguard.

The Battle of Pluto

In order to prepare for Horus' advance towards Terra, the Alpha Legion was charged by the Warmaster to carry out vital acts of sabotage and preparation, which would plunge the Solar System into complete chaos. Though heavily defended by the Imperial Fists Legion, led by the Praetorian of Terra, Lord Dorn himself, the Primarch Alpharius, aboard his flagship Alpha, led his fleet towards the Sol System. He managed to successfully infiltrate the outer defenses of the system by putting himself, and the entirety of the personnel within his fleet, into stasis. Meanwhile, the Alpha Legion fleet approached at minimum speed and powered down to bare minimum, in order to reduce their overall heat signature. Thus it took an entire year for the Alpha Legion fleet to drift towards Sol and successfully reach the outskirts of Terra's defenses undetected, as Warp travel had been strictly forbidden.

Meanwhile Alpha Legion Sparatoi (augmented and highly adept human agents) as well as Alpha Legion operative teams activated throughout the Sol System. These 'sleeper' cells had been planted years earlier before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, and upon activation, performed their primary functions of sowing destruction and diversionary terrorist acts, causing panic and anarchy. Multiple acts of murder and sabotage were conducted on multiple planets to distract the beleaguered Imperial defenders from the Alpha Legion's true objective -- Pluto -- the lynchpin of the Loyalist's surveillance network within the Sol System. As Lord Dorn was distracted by this diversionary attacks across the system, Alpharius' fleet, comprised of over 200 vessels, led by the Alpha, struck Pluto and its moons Charon, Kerberos, Nix, Styx and finally Hydra. As the fleet arrived, further uprising, instigated by Alpha Legion teams, erupted across the Sol System.

The Alpha Legion's primary objective was Hydra, a fortress moon that orbited Pluto, that was a major Astropathic monitoring station. Alpharius himself, led a team of Alpha Legion warriors in the attack on the moon. Meanwhile, the Loyalist defenders, led by First Captain Sigismund, had just 30 ships to defend against the massive Alpha Legion fleet. Due to the unexpected and brutal assault, the severely outnumbered Loyalist fleet was badly mauled by Fire Ships hidden among the Alpha Legion fleet, to wreak havoc on the Imperial Fists defenders. The captured fortress moon of Kerberos rained down deadly fire upon Charon, Nix, and Styx with heavy fire. Despite facing overwhelming odds, the Imperial Fists resolutely stood their ground in the face of the Alpha Legion's overwhelming assault.

Death and Rebirth

Meanwhile, Archamus, Lord Dorn's Master of the Huscarls, was eventually able to deduce the Alpha Legion's true intentions -- to sabotage Hydra. During the fighting, Archamus led a Huscarl contingent in a daring assault upon the Alpha Legion force led by Primarch Alpharius himself. In the subsequent fighting, the Huscarls were killed and Archamus was left mortally wounded. All seemed lost, as the battle seemed to swing in favor of the Traitor forces. But miraculously, the Imperial Fists' mobile star-fortress Phalanx, led by Lord Dorn himself, arrived with a massive Imperial Fists fleet in tow. They were boasted with additional reinforcements from the Armada Imperialis. Utilising the competing gravity wells throughout the Solar System, the Imperial Fists fleet managed to arrive quickly by slingshotting itself towards Pluto. The Imperial Fists reinforcements immediately pacified the captured guns on Kerberos, as Lord Dorn led in Huscarls in an assault upon the astropathic chamber on Hydra.

Dorn and his remaining Huscarls teleported directly into the locked chamber, and soon joined battle against Alpharius and his elite Lernaean Terminators. Archamus looked on helplessly, as the two Primarchs fought one another in an epic life-or-death duel. When Alpharius was about to impale Dorn with his Pale Spear, the now-dying Archamus grabbed the hilt of the weapon and deflected it harmlessly into a non-vital area of Dorn's chest. This gave Lord Dorn the opening he needed, to grab the weapon's hilt, and using his deadly Chainsword, Storm's Teeth, he sliced through Alpharius' wrists, severing his hands from his arms, before slashing his former brother across his chest, and then impaling him with his own spear. Finally, Lord Dorn finished off Alpharius with a deadly chop of his mighty chainsword into the top of his skull. With the death of their Primarch, the Alpha Legion fleet withdrew and retreated from Pluto. At the moment of his twin-Primarch's death, Omegon sensed the death of his sibling and became distant. Shortly thereafter, he was notified that the Warmaster demanded that Alpharius speak with him so that he could know the status of the Alpha Legion's attack on the Solar System. Like he had done many times before, Omegon immediately took upon himself, his brother's name, and permanently assumed the mantle of Primarch of the XXth Legion.

During the remainder of the Heresy, the Alpha Legion split off from the main body of Horus' forces early and did not attack Terra with the majority of the Traitor Legions, instead embarking upon a series of delaying actions in an attempt to hold potential Imperial reinforcements for the defense of Terra in place. They also engaged in smaller actions, defeating a White Scars force on Tallarn and a Space Wolves unit at Yarant. Despite their contributions, however, Horus was ultimately defeated by the Emperor aboard his battle barge at the end of the Siege of the Imperial Palace on Terra.

Post-Heresy

During the Horus Heresy, Alpharius Omegon appeared more interested in proving his own Legion's worth by fighting, at every chance he got, the best of the Loyalist Legions. In the aftermath of the Horus Heresy, the Alpha Legion did not retreat to the Eye of Terror like the other Traitor Legions; instead they moved on into the galactic East, following new objectives of their own devising. Whether or not being brought to battle with the Ultramarines was one of these objectives is unknown, but it occurred all the same. It was on the world known as Eskrador that Alpharius and Roboute Guilliman would meet for the last time. Believing that Guilliman would adopt his standard deployment procedures as later outlined in the Codex Astartes, Alpharius was surprised by the Ultramarines, as a splinter force including their Primarch made a quick strike at the Alpha Legion's headquarters. Alpharius was reportedly happy with such a development, as it allowed him to demonstrate the superiority of his flexible, multitudinous and unexpected military strategies over the notoriously precise, methodical and perhaps even tactically moribund Ultramarines. Both Primarchs met in combat and Alpharius was killed. Believing the combat over, for what Astartes Legion could ever survive the loss of their Primarch in battle, the Ultramarines were taken by surprise by the remaining elements of the Alpha Legion, when they struck back a day later. The Ultramarines who had launched the attack on the Traitor Legion's headquarters were harried so mercilessly that by the time they had returned to the main body of the Ultramarine force their casualties were almost total. After a week of constant fighting and heavy losses, the Ultramarines' strike force managed to reunite with their main elements, and quickly evacuated the planet. Even though they had lost their Primarch, the Alpha Legion had soundly beaten the Ultramarines, who proceeded to bombard their foes' position from orbit. It should be noted, however, that Alpharius' death is still considered suspect even by the Ultramarines, and he may still be at large. On the other hand, it is possible that "Alpharius" did indeed die and his twin "Omegon" took sole command of the Alpha Legion.

Unlike the other Traitor Legions, most of the Alpha Legion does not reside in the Warp, but rather roams the galaxy in warbands of warriors, each of which is trained to act independently of each other in pursuit of their greater cause. In this way the Alpha Legion was by and large the only Traitor Legion not to succumb to the mutations of Chaos, an outcome that may also have been dictated by their continued secret loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind.

Following the Battle of Eskrador, the Alpha Legion fractured in order to hide from the Imperium. Small, autonomous warbands were left in Imperial space where they set up secret bases in asteroid fields, Space Hulks and barren, unpopulated worlds. These units launched frequent attacks against military targets that were weakened by the Heresy and even today still pose a threat to Imperial star ships, settlements and garrisons. The Alpha Legion's warbands further spread and coordinate Chaos Cults throughout the galaxy in order to instigate massive planetary revolts against Imperial rule. These insurrections are often used to lure Imperial forces away from worlds the Alpha Legion wants to attack, paving the way for large-scale assaults of Chaos Space Marines from the Eye of Terror.

The Alpha Legion's role in spreading heretical Chaos Cults across the Imperium has earned them the loathing of the Inquisition, whose Ordo Malleus and Ordo Hereticus have devoted considerable resources in finding and destroying their secret bases. The Alpha Legion has been declared wiped out by the High Lords of Terra no less than three times, in the 31st Millennium, the 32nd Millennium and the 39th Millennium. These claims have always been disproved by the continued assaults of the Legion. The Alpha Legion has suffered heavy casualties on many occasions since the end of the Heresy, yet its continued large numbers has led many Imperial observers to conclude that they are recruiting new members into the Legion and thus have managed to maintain a supply of untainted gene-seed, also a rarity for Chaos Space Marines.

Source: http://warhammer40k.wikia.com

#horus heresy #warhammer 40k #adeptus mechanicus #adeptus astartes #adeptus arbites #adeptus sororitas #adeptus custodes #astra militarum #Adeptus Astra Telepathica #officio assassinorum

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jiveammunition · 8 years ago

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Reaper76Week - Day 1 - Amid the Rubble (T)

Title: Amid the Rubble Pairing: Reaper76 Rating: Teen Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Sharing Body Heat Summary:

Reaper can't tell if it's sheer coincidence or dumb, bad utter fucking luck that he comes across Soldier: 76 atop one of the more remote and harsher mountains of the Swiss Alps. They're miles from Zürich, yet Reaper can tell without even asking the reason as to why he's here. Of course, even if Reaper were to ask, it isn't as if the Soldier is in any condition to answer him.

Day 1 of Reaper76Week - "What We Were"

Also on AO3 here: Amid the Rubble

He's folded over and seated against the sturdy trunk of a tree, and from the readouts Reaper’s own visor tells him — cleverly disguised and built-in his boney, barn owl mask — the Soldier is unconscious. The soldier’s breathing is both slow and shallow, temperature far lower than average, and Reaper knows from experience that a body’s shivering stops as hypothermia worsens. He would check for a pulse too, but there's no need; he already knows from the digital readout that it's slow. Not to mention, the last thing he wants to do is touch the Soldier's skin directly.

Logic tells him that he should leave the Soldier be, let him die to exposure, a slow death like he deserves.

Slow, but most definitely not painful. Not nearly enough.

Emotionally, Reaper’s own heart won't let him. The two of them have gone through too much — together and separately — for Reaper to allow himself to leave the Soldier to freeze to death.

His body moves without thinking when the Soldier’s pitches to one side, and before he falls over completely into the snow, Reaper catches him in his arms. The Soldier is far lighter than he had expected, and to Reaper’s surprise and displeasure, he can pretty much feel how thin he's become.

It's no wonder the Soldier is in this sorry state; in fact, Reaper would consider it a damn miracle he even made it this far up the mountain on foot if he didn't already know who was hiding beneath the mask.

“Morrison, you damn fool,” he spits.

Cursing himself and his own sentimentality — he lies to himself, saying it's only so that he can have the personal pleasure of ending the Soldier's life himself later on, after everything else has been settled — Reaper takes the Soldier into a fireman's carry, and, after discovering it buried in the snow nearby, he takes hold of the pack of provisions that the Soldier had brought with him.

It's only a few miles to Zürich, to the broken, crumbling remains of Overwatch’s former headquarters — where no doubt the Soldier had intended on going, as the path they both had been on was one of the only ways to get there on foot undetected — but Reaper knows the journey there shouldn't take more than but a second. Huffing an annoyed sigh through his nose, Reaper closes his eyes beneath his mask and focuses on the destination.

He lets his body go, and both he and the Soldier vanish in a plume of smoke.

Immediately, Reaper berates himself for letting his mind focus too much on his memories when he and the Soldier rematerialize seconds later at the Zürich base. They find themselves in one of the few intact parts of the base amongst the crumbling ruins, but it's the last place Reaper wanted to end up.

It's the former shared quarters of Blackwatch Commander Gabriel Reyes and Strike Commander Morrison. His old room. The Soldier's old room. Their old room. A room that holds far too many memories, many of which he can see partially buried beneath rubble and broken furniture, their picture frames shattered and splintered beyond repair.

Save for the structural damage from some parts of a collapsed ceiling — the residential part of the base remains protected from the elements by its surprisingly intact outer walls and roof — and the thick layer of dust that has settled over the room, it looks exactly like they he and Jack had left it so many years ago on that fateful morning. It's haunting, and every second he remains in the room, the greater the amount of bile and regret that builds up in his heart and throat.

The quiet, weakened groan against his back, muffled by a face mask and visor, snaps Gabriel out of his bitter memories and reminds him as to why he's here. He drops the sack of provisions into a nearby chair and yanks at the bedsheets, smoke pouring out of his arm as it sweeps across the bed and clearing off all the dust and debris. Without ceremony, he dumps the body off of his back onto the bed once he's satisfied that it's significantly cleared off, frowning when he realizes that the impact wasn't enough to jolt Jack out of his unconsciousness.

His state must be far worse than Gabriel first realized, and his suspicions are more or less confirmed when he removes Jack's visor and mask to see alarmingly clammy skin and lips so pale they're almost blue. He needs to act quickly, and before he even realizes it, Gabriel's body moves almost on autopilot.

He grabs as many blankets as possible from the linen closet, shaking out every bit of dust from them as possible before he goes back to the bed. Immediately, he sets to removing all of Jack's wet, sweat-and-snow-soaked clothing off of his body, leaving them all in a heap on the floor to take care of later. No doubt Jack would have strong words for him once he wakes up, but given how necessary it is to allow Gabriel's body heat — his constant state of simultaneous degeneration and regeneration turning his body into a furnace more or less — to penetrate into his cold skin, Gabriel can only think about how he won't even bothering listening to them unless they're expressions of gratitude.

Gabriel climbs into bed with Jack the second the last bit of clothing is taken off, and he berates himself at the way calm washes over him when he gathers Jack into his arms and holds him close. He tugs the blankets up over the both of them and feels nostalgia gnawing away at him from the inside like an unwelcome parasite.

He can't help but succumb to the thoughts of just how familiar this entire thing feels, how much he's missed holding Jack close like this, skin-against-skin and sharing body heat between them. Unconsciously, Jack shivers in his arms, and weakly huddles in even closer, uncaring that the body embracing him is nothing at all like the one that used to hold him so many years ago.

And while it should annoy and discomfort Gabriel that the body he's embracing is so different than the one he knew so well once upon a time — a body made of hard muscles and lingering bits of baby fat now long gone and replaced with a slightly emaciated one, thinner in all the wrong ways, ways that only come from being malnourished and homeless for god-knows-how-long — it doesn't.

Not at all.

Gabriel finds himself more concerned than anything, mind reeling and wandering in regards to what kind of life Jack's been leading these last six years to have eaten away at him like this. He has a vague idea, from his past encounters with him — few, but significant enough that they both discovered each other's identities beyond Reaper and Soldier: 76 — but it doesn't make him feel any happier to know.

He shouldn't care about Jack's well-being like this. Not after everything that's happened. Not after the events that caused the rubble surrounding them at this very moment. Not after…

Gabriel sighs.

He shouldn't, but he does.

Despite everything, he still cares about Jack Morrison. He can't not.

With a frown on his face, he closes his eyes and tightens his hold on Jack. The Reaper doesn't need sleep, not much, but Gabriel Reyes is tired, and before long, he finds himself asleep and dreaming.

He dreams of a mission set in the arctic tundra of Alaska. He dreams of Jack Morrison diving into a frozen lake after him,after the surface cracked and splintered beneath Gabriel's feet when he knocked an omnic out of the sky with a well-aimed shot with a grenade launcher. He dreams of being fished out of freezing waters and hypothermia slowly setting into his flesh and bones while the both of them waited for an extraction. He dreams of sharing body heat with Jack just like he is now, skin-against-skin and far more intimately than the two of them had ever been before.

He dreams of warm lips against his own, murmuring a confession of love that he had believed wasn't reciprocated for the longest time.

“I thought I lost you, Gabe… I thought I'd never be able to tell you how I felt about you. I love you. I wasn't ready to let you go yet.”

“I'm not going anywhere, Jackie. Not without you. You'd miss me too much… and I'd miss you too. I love you.”

Gabriel wakes up hours later to find himself wrapped around Jack just like he had been in his dream and before he fell asleep.

Blue eyes look up at him, weak but alert and cautious.

“What are you doing, Gabriel?” he asks, voice sounding even more wrecked than Gabriel can remember from their last encounter together. “Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance…?”

“Saving you,” he answers, “What kind of person would I be if I left my husband to die on our anniversary....?”

Jack says nothing, but the wary look on his face speaks enough about worries of betrayal that has Gabriel frowning.

“Go to sleep, Jack. We'll talk when you're better,” Gabriel sighs, pressing his forehead against Jack's own. To his surprise Jack listens, and the two of them drift back to sleep just like they had done back in Alaska, this time amid the rubble of what they once were.

#reaper76week #reaper76 #jack morrison #gabriel reyes #jive writes stuff #soldier 76 #reaper #overwatch #day 1

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awashsquid · 8 years ago

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FULL DISCLOSURE: I have not written in the Overwatch universe before. I have also not written male characters in about 15 years. And, finally, this is decidedly AU because I read it before I re-referenced the Old Soldiers comic. So, all things considered, please be kind to your local Squid,

“Shit,” Jack cursed under his breath. There had been five members of the Los Muertos gang, and one of them had been smart enough to split up and flank him from behind. His reflexes, he thought, grimacing as he attempted to stand, were not what they once were. Even all those chemicals could only do so much, and they damn sure didn’t help him deflect bullets.

He stood and inhaled deeply., feeling two cracked ribs on his left twinge with the gesture. He had managed to dodge the bullets, but had landed hard on the cobblestone street. The gang had run off, assuming that they killed him. A small mercy, perhaps. He wasn’t sure if he could have taken them all, not injured like this.

Not that he wouldn’t have gone down trying.

The whole endeavor had been stupid, really, he thought bitterly as he injected himself with biotic medicine, feeling the instant relief it provided to his aching ribs. Jack began to walk down the alley, pulse rifle still raised and ready to fire if the gang members decided to come back. He had just been passing through and saw them ransacking a store—none of his business—but he thought of a little girl who still called him a hero, and he thought of the old woman who owned the store and was barely making ends meet, and so he squared his shoulders and called out to the group.

“Gotta stop being so soft,” he growled out loud, automatically checking the corner and clearing it before turning right. It was well past nightfall now, and the narrow, zigzagging streets in El Dorado gave troublemakers plenty of places to hide. Never could be too careful.

But goddamn, how beautiful the barrios could be at night. A tiny smile pulled at the ruined corners of his mouth, hidden beneath his mask, as he looked at the stars. They were so much clearer here than in the big cities of the world, where light pollution all but killed any constellation-watching. He had grown up where you could find your way by the stars, could see the farthest galaxies without so much as a telescope as you strolled through the cornfields, and some sentimental part of him felt comforted by the familiar presences of Ursa Major, of Hercules, of Orion, all waiting in the sky. He passed the flower shop, smelling the sweet carnations even through his mask, set out for sale the next day.

The smell kept growing sweeter even as he kept walking, so he slowed his pace. Maybe something wrong with the damn filter again, Jack thought, scrunching his nose a little in distaste. But the aroma kept increasing in strength, and soon it was no longer the smell of flowers, but some other smell, some odor that had him on edge with its overpowering stench, and then it was so strong he could taste it—

The smell of rotting flesh.

Soldier 76 stopped, knees bent and still ready to run, and flicked on his visor. He could see the distant thermal outlines of people in the nearby houses, the small figure of a stray cat sniffling through garbage… He turned around, and suddenly the visor was completely engulfed in blue, seeing only the coldness of the thing in front of him.

“Hello, Jackie,” the Reaper growled, and he raised his rifle, but it was too late. He felt his legs crumple before he even registered the punch to his cracked ribs, making the pain flare up and spread, sudden and wild, as he felt at least two more fracture under the hit.

His visor flipped off automatically after the hit, designed to not impede close-combat fighting, and he looked up into the bone-white mask of the Reaper, watching the other man crack his knuckles and listening to the sickening pop of his bones. He didn’t hesitate before snapping up his rifle and firing his helix rockets directly into the abdomen of his opponent.

But no impact came. The Reaper had somehow dissolved, looking more like smoke than a human, and the rockets passed right through him, hitting the wall behind and shattering the brick.

“So quick to fight,” growled the voice, coming from all around him now as the black mist circled him, the smell of dead flesh so potent that he nearly gagged. “I just want to talk.” The remark was whispered in his ear from behind, and he spun around on his knees only to see the Reaper drift back about ten feet.

“Then talk,” Soldier retorted, getting to his feet again, ignoring the stabbing pain in his ribs. “But you’ve got the wrong man.”

His opponent reformed, the mist returning to a human shape, and his grip on his rifle tightened, waiting for Reaper to twitch towards his shotguns. But his arms remained crossed, even as his shoulders moved up and down, chuckling deeply. “Oh, no. I’ve been watching you for a while, Jackie,” he taunted, and the nickname turned Jack’s stomach, “and I’m sure I’ve got this right.” Reaper vanished suddenly, Jack jumping a little in alarm at the man’s quick disappearance.

“Don’t I, Morrison?” The kick to the back of his knees was hard and sent him to the ground, hands reaching out automatically to catch himself, the rifle slipping from his grip. He scrambled for it, but it was kicked away by black steel-toed boots just as his fingertips glanced it. “Play nice, Jackie,” the man admonished, and Jack swung at the man’s legs, only to have him turn into mist again, evading the blow. He felt a boot kick his left side, and he couldn’t help but cry out in pain, his entire ribcage now feeling broken and splintered as he fell onto his hands breathing heavily.

“I thought you just wanted to talk,” Jack spat, tasting blood in his mouth, mingling sickly with the taste of old flesh. He felt a clawed glove lift his chin almost tenderly, and he could see nothing behind the black eyes of the mask in front of him.

“I do.” The grip on his chin turned to a chokehold around his neck, and their heads clashed together hard, his visor shattering under the impact. Jack’s vision went black and he panicked, scrabbling at the mask to remove it even as the hand let go of his throat. The visor popped off easily, and he let the ruined equipment fall to the ground. His vision without it was poor, but still better than being trapped in utter blackness.

He saw the mask, still so close to him, the head cocked to the side curiously. “My, my, Morrison. Not such a pretty boy any more, huh?” A claw gently traced over one of the long scars that crossed his face, and Jack grimaced at the contact.

“What do you want, Reaper?” Jack snarled, feeling less like a trained super-soldier and more like a caged animal, lashing out wildly at his captor.

“I want to talk to Commander Morrison,” came the reply, the clawed hand pulling back for the elbow to rest on his knees, Reaper squatting casually before him.

Jack barked out a laugh. “That man died a long time ago.”

“Perhaps,” Reaper mused. “But so did I.” His arms raised, and Jack tightened his fist, ready to swing, but Reaper’s hands went to his own head. “You showed me yours. How about I return the favor?” The question went unanswered as he lifted off his mask.

Jack blinked several times, willing his vision to come into focus, seeing the man’s face shift—then he realized that it wasn’t his vision; that the face was actually moving and shifting constantly, healing and degenerating into pallid grey flesh, pieces of that falling off and turning into fine black vapor before the skin showed up anew and the process began all over. He was so focused on watching the right cheek disintegrate, seeing the teeth of the skull, pointier than they should be, showing through the missing tissue, that he didn’t look past that one element.

But then he did, and the cruel sneer in front of him was one that he had seen before, seen on a man with darker skin, decades ago, as he screamed and raged about the future.

Jack met the eyes, red with black irises and white pupils, and he felt all of the wind leave his lungs in a single breath, and on that breath he carried a name:

“Gabe?”

The eyes almost seemed to soften. “You remember after all. I’m touched.” He looked anything but. His lips began to peel away and reveal more of those sharp teeth, and a grey, pointed tongue flicked out and grabbed the skin before it fell.

Jack couldn’t help but feel disgusted, and he knew it must have shown on his face because Reaper—no, Gabriel—sneered at him. “Got a problem, Morrison?” he questioned, and Jack was struck with the memory that it was the first thing that Reyes had said to him, so long ago it felt like lifetimes had passed.

“No, sir,” came the automatic reply, and Jack found himself smiling. He knew it was lopsided, the right side of his mouth never having healed properly. For a brief moment, he could have sworn that he saw Gabriel smile, but it was hard to tell given that his mouth was still reforming. For a moment, he felt a surge of his old optimism return, and he wondered if they could make things work somehow. Ana would be sore, but she would accept Gabriel back, and maybe the three of them could continue playing dead but being alive, maybe they could be together again.

Reaper stood suddenly, and Jack felt his hope crash and shatter around him as a shotgun barrel leveled neatly between his eyes. He admonished himself for being so sentimental, so goddamn caught up in the future that he forgot all about the past.

“You and I,” Reaper rasped, the mask being placed back on with his left hand, “have some unfinished business to attend to.”

Jack heard the safety click, and he looked up at the stars. He would have preferred to go fighting, but there were worse ways to die than staring at Draco snaking across the night sky, he thought.

He heard the beeping of a telecom, and Reaper sighed. The barrel was removed as quickly as it had been placed there.

“Some other time. Until then, Morrison.”

And he was gone, only a wisp of black smoke remaining, and even that dissipated into the night sky. Jack slumped down, the adrenaline leaving him, only to be replaced with bone-deep exhaustion. He was getting too old for this, he thought, jamming two biotic injections into his thigh.

He stood then, grabbing his ruined visor and his rifle. He spared one more glance behind him before starting to move. “Till next time, Gabe.”

#overwatch #soldier 76 #reaper #body horror #violence #i may delete this tbh because it is just SO FAR from my comfort zone #BUT it broke my writing slump so THERE'S THAT i guess #my writing

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cheeseconsumer · 6 years ago

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I see well those are some very strong examples.

Thanks so much for replying! I’m going to work through those if you’ll bear with me.

So I would argue most of those aren’t really “lies” but either misdirections or things that he has to say because of the company. He’s always said he can misdirect folks. But let’s get to it, let’s investigate!

The book thing I did find hilarious. I mean it’s not as if he can’t turn round and say “it’s shit” but in all likelihood he probably was very familiar with the story even though he hadn’t read the actual book. So he probably likes the story but hasn’t got time (or would rather have his balls placed in a ghostly prison) to read it. And he likes things like the MCU, and thought Avengers Endgame was a brilliant movie so in all fairness he probably does think the WAR story is great.

The pridemate thing. It may be because he couldn’t spoil the fact the card was coming back to Standard, plus people may have been able to work out the theme of WAR. Same goes for the planeswalker rarity thing. For me this worked as the fact I assumed uncommon PWs would never happen kept me guessing as to what WAR would entail. So for that one I’m glad he did it although it’s probably his biggest most direct lie! Also, although this is clearly controversial, he has said they’d rather not do functional errata as opposed to that they absolutely won’t do it. And when he said it wouldn’t change paper magic (although I am highly dubious of this) I’d argue it hasn’t really so far as the pridemate change is so, so minor. But on this one it’s a little cheeky.

The Kaya thing. This made me laugh out loud (as did your response) as it is clearly utter nonsense. But give credit where it’s due: he said “What if I told you...”

So he was not directly stating a fact but more kind of playing around. Almost a joke but also I felt he was imagining a world where Kaya was in fact a very popular character, a world full of diversity, equality and magical frogs with funny hats. Kind of like he was saying where they’d like to get to.

On a small note given how impossible the task of diversification in the game/world really is, maybe it might be ok to lie a bit in order to achieve this goal. I can’t imagine that would be a popular opinion but if someone said to me, is it ok to make up a few facts if we achieve world peace at the end of it, I would probably say yes. If only so we could stop going on about it and get on with playing Magic.

So I think I agree with what he said here, although it was ridiculous.

Now, the Storm card, Thousand Year Storm I believe it’s called, well this comes down to interpretation. When he’s saying Storm will never return I feel it’s clear he’s saying “it won’t return as a main mechanic of a set” rather than “we will never print a card with storm.” By putting that card at 6 mana mythic rare it ensures there won’t be any truly degenerate bullshit and that the storm player will have to actually play magic to survive long enough to get stormy. I thought it was a really good way to keep the fans of storm happy while not ruining real magic for the rest of us. So I definitely didn’t feel this was a lie.

Ultimately it would come down to the intent of a lie. I would argue a lie is only a lie, or at least a bad thing, if it has malicious intent aimed to hurt or deceive someone to the point of doing them harm in some way. I would argue that not saying exactly what you mean to the absolute letter is acceptable in most casual walks of life. So it’s with this proviso I can’t really call Mark a “liar”.

However I would definitely understand that some of those things could be very frustrating for some people. I always remind myself, he is in the end always selling you something. He’s like the man in the record store or the indie game shop. He seems fun, but ultimately he wants your money. And he doesn’t owe anyone jack shit because ultimately, that’s something he’s always been clear on.

As for the artifact set it seems that artifact sets are something the company has been told to do as they are financially viable. I was more under the impression Mark was very down on Kaladesh and was essentially saying that artifact sets are popular but a fucking nightmare (and shouldn’t exist of course) although it sounds like energy and the Felidar Guardian were more responsible for the fuckups rather than the artifacts. But anyway he keeps banging on about coloured artifacts, so it seems he’s trying to solve a problem (being told he has to make an artifact set) rather than tell us how great they are.

I may not have this one quite right but that’s my understanding.

Now as to what constitutes a mythic these days, well now that’s a pile of hippo shit.

But anyway I hope you enjoyed these alternative points of view. Thank you very much for sharing yours. They were really interesting and will be extremely helpful in going forward as I continue to enjoy my favourite game. Which to me is all it’s ever been since 1994.

Do you ever try to predict what things in a new set enfranchised players on your social media will get inexplicably up in arms about?

It’s my job to try and predict what your responses will be.

I get some of it right. : )

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readbookywooks · 8 years ago

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"I now hasten to the more moving part of my story. I shall relate events that impressed me with feelings which, from what I had been, have made me what I am. "Spring advanced rapidly; the weather became fine and the skies cloudless. It surprised me that what before was desert and gloomy should now bloom with the most beautiful flowers and verdure. My senses were gratified and refreshed by a thousand scents of delight and a thousand sights of beauty. "It was on one of these days, when my cottagers periodically rested from labour - the old man played on his guitar, and the children listened to him - that I observed the countenance of Felix was melancholy beyond expression; he sighed frequently, and once his father paused in his music, and I conjectured by his manner that he inquired the cause of his son's sorrow. Felix replied in a cheerful accent, and the old man was recommencing his music when someone tapped at the door. "It was a lady on horseback, accompanied by a country-man as a guide. The lady was dressed in a dark suit and covered with a thick black veil. Agatha asked a question, to which the stranger only replied by pronouncing, in a sweet accent, the name of Felix. Her voice was musical but unlike that of either of my friends. On hearing this word, Felix came up hastily to the lady, who, when she saw him, threw up her veil, and I beheld a countenance of angelic beauty and expression. Her hair of a shining raven black, and curiously braided; her eyes were dark, but gentle, although animated; her features of a regular proportion, and her complexion wondrously fair, each cheek tinged with a lovely pink. "Felix seemed ravished with delight when he saw her, every trait of sorrow vanished from his face, and it instantly expressed a degree of ecstatic joy, of which I could hardly have believed it capable; his eyes sparkled, as his cheek flushed with pleasure; and at that moment I thought him as beautiful as the stranger. She appeared affected by different feelings; wiping a few tears from her lovely eyes, she held out her hand to Felix, who kissed it rapturously and called her, as well as I could distinguish, his sweet Arabian. She did not appear to understand him, but smiled. He assisted her to dismount, and dismissing her guide, conducted her into the cottage. Some conversation took place between him and his father, and the young stranger knelt at the old man's feet and would have kissed his hand, but he raised her and embraced her affectionately. "I soon perceived that although the stranger uttered articulate sounds and appeared to have a language of her own, she was neither understood by nor herself understood the cottagers. They made many signs which I did not comprehend, but I saw that her presence diffused gladness through the cottage, dispelling their sorrow as the sun dissipates the morning mists. Felix seemed peculiarly happy and with smiles of delight welcomed his Arabian. Agatha, the ever-gentle Agatha, kissed the hands of the lovely stranger, and pointing to her brother, made signs which appeared to me to mean that he had been sorrowful until she came. Some hours passed thus, while they, by their countenances, expressed joy, the cause of which I did not comprehend. Presently I found, by the frequent recurrence of some sound which the stranger repeated after them, that she was endeavouring to learn their language; and the idea instantly occurred to me that I should make use of the same instructions to the same end. The stranger learned about twenty words at the first lesson; most of them, indeed, were those which I had before understood, but I profited by the others. "As night came on, Agatha and the Arabian retired early. When they separated Felix kissed the hand of the stranger and said, `Good night sweet Safie.' He sat up much longer, conversing with his father, and by the frequent repetition of her name I conjectured that their lovely guest was the subject of their conversation. I ardently desired to understand them, and bent every faculty towards that purpose, but found it utterly impossible. "The next morning Felix went out to his work, and after the usual occupations of Agatha were finished, the Arabian sat at the feet of the old man, and taking his guitar, played some airs so entrancingly beautiful that they at once drew tears of sorrow and delight from my eyes. She sang, and her voice flowed in a rich cadence, swelling or dying away like a nightingale of the woods. "When she had finished, she gave the guitar to Agatha, who at first declined it. She played a simple air, and her voice accompanied it in sweet accents, but unlike the wondrous strain of the stranger. The old man appeared enraptured and said some words which Agatha endeavoured to explain to Safie, and by which he appeared to wish to express that she bestowed on him the greatest delight by her music. "The days now passed as peaceably as before, with the sole alteration that joy had taken place of sadness in the countenances of my friends. Safie was always gay and happy; she and I improved rapidly in the knowledge of language, so that in two months I began to comprehend most of the words uttered by my protectors. "In the meanwhile also the black ground was covered with herbage, and the green banks interspersed with innumerable flowers, sweet to the scent and the eyes, stars of pale radiance among the moonlight woods; the sun became warmer, the nights clear and balmy; and my nocturnal rambles were an extreme pleasure to me, although they were considerably shortened by the late setting and early rising of the sun, for I never ventured abroad during daylight, fearful of meeting with the same treatment I had formerly endured in the first village which I entered. "My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken. "While I improved in speech, I also learned the science of letters as it was taught to the stranger, and this opened before me a wide field for wonder and delight. "The book from which Felix instructed Safie was Volney's Ruins of Empires. I should not have understood the purport of this book had not Felix, in reading it, given very minute explanations. He had chosen this work, he said, because the declamatory style was framed in imitation of the Eastern authors. Through this work I obtained a cursory knowledge of history and a view of the several empires at present existing in the world; it gave me an insight into the manners, governments, and religions of the different nations of the earth. I heard of the slothful Asiatics, of the stupendous genius and mental activity of the Grecians, of the wars and wonderful virtue of the early Romans - of their subsequent degenerating - of the decline of that mighty empire, of chivalry, Christianity, and kings. I heard of the discovery of the American hemisphere and wept with Safie over the hapless fate of its original inhabitants. "These wonderful narrations inspired me with strange feelings. Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at one time a mere scion of the evil principle and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and godlike. To be a great and virtuous man appeared the highest honour that can befall a sensitive being; to be base and vicious, as many on record have been, appeared the lowest degradation, a condition more abject than that of the blind mole or harmless worm. For a long time I could not conceive how one man could go forth to murder his fellow, or even why there were laws and governments; but when I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased and I turned away with disgust and loathing. "Every conversation of the cottagers now opened new wonders to me. While I listened to the instructions which Felix bestowed upon the Arabian, the strange system of human society was explained to me. I heard of the division of property, of immense wealth and squalid poverty, of rank, descent, and noble blood. "The words induced me to turn towards myself. I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow creatures were high and unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with only one of these advantages, but without either he was considered, except in very rare instances, as a vagabond and a slave, doomed to waste his powers for the profits of the chosen few! And what was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? "I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge. Oh, that I had forever remained in my native wood, nor known nor felt beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat! "Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind when it has once seized on it like a lichen on the rock. I wished sometimes to shake off all thought and feeling, but I learned that there was but one means to overcome the sensation of pain, and that was death - a state which I feared yet did not understand. I admired virtue and good feelings and loved the gentle manners and amiable qualities of my cottagers, but I was shut out from intercourse with them, except through means which I obtained by stealth, when I was unseen and unknown, and which rather increased than satisfied the desire I had of becoming one among my fellows. The gentle words of Agatha and the animated smiles of the charming Arabian were not for me. The mild exhortations of the old man and the lively conversation of the loved Felix were not for me. Miserable, unhappy wretch! "Other lessons were impressed upon me even more deeply. I heard of the difference of sexes, and the birth and growth of children, how the father doted on the smiles of the infant, and the lively sallies of the older child, how all the life and cares of the mother were wrapped up in the precious charge, how the mind of youth expanded and gained knowledge, of brother, sister, and all the various relationships which bind one human being to another in mutual bonds. "But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses; or if they had, all my past life was now a blot, a blind vacancy in which I distinguished nothing. From my earliest remembrance I had been as I then was in height and proportion. I had never yet seen a being resembling me or who claimed any intercourse with me. What was I? The question again recurred, to be answered only with groans. "I will soon explain to what these feelings tended, but allow me now to return to the cottagers, whose story excited in me such various feelings of indignation, delight, and wonder, but which all terminated in additional love and reverence for my protectors (for so I loved, in an innocent, half-painful self-deceit, to call them)."

#Frankenstein

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