#just felt like filling this out for genesis for fun

[rottenpumpkin13]

I'm curious, what do you think was the WORST injury Zack had and SOMEHOW got away with it? You can go Hurt/No Comfort if you want we're all collective masochists in the end

Have it your way >:^) - also this took so long because I wrote a version that was not a fun read for the Zack enjoyers and had to tone it down asdfghjk

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He vaguely recalled reading an article about comatose patients: how their consciousness, though unresponsive, remained active—suspended in void between life and death, poised to be drawn toward one or the other. Comas were like waiting rooms, and he almost wished he had something to occupy his mind—a magazine, a comic book, even a crossword puzzle, despite his usual disdain for them; anything to drown out the voices that began at precisely 4 PM each day.

Angeal was always the first to arrive, the squeak of his boots unmistakable against the polished hospital floor. He would listen intently as the supervising nurse provided updates on the condition—“No significant changes in his neurological status, the expected timeframe for him regaining consciousness remains uncertain.” But Angeal's positivity never wavered. "He will," he would insist, bless his ignorance, "Zack's strong.. He'll pull through this, I know he will."

In the first week, Zack wanted to shout, “Hell yeah I am! Watch, Angeal, I’ll be out of here in no time!” By the third week, it was as if he’d lost his voice—both literally and metaphorically. Zack prided himself on his perseverance, as if he were born with sunny-tinted glasses that allowed him to pull through everything without a fight.

Scraped knees as a child became cool battle wounds in his childhood; timeouts transformed into prisons the warrior he pretended to be had to escape; and the vegetables his mother forced him to eat were poison he had to avoid at all costs. Naturally, the waiting room analogy was what he clung to in order to stay sane.

Next came Sephiroth, heralded by the unmistakable clatter of his shoulder guards—a sound Zack likened to a cat bell, one he’d be sure to tease Sephiroth about when he woke up. Sephiroth never asked the nurse for updates; Angeal must have already filled him in. Instead, he would walk silently over to the bed, place a hand gently on Zack’s forehead, and whisper softly: “I miss you. Get well soon,” before carefully adjusting his blankets, making sure Zack was comfortable.

Inside, Zack was desperately screaming, "I will, I promise!" but Sephiroth couldn't hear him. By the fourth week, the harder Zack tried to scream, the further he felt from reality.

Then came Genesis, his presence inundating the room. He spoke to Zack as if he were awake, greeting him with a cheerful, "Good evening, Puppy," and proudly asking, "What do you think of my new coat?" Zack wished he would never stop talking. Genesis would then sit beside him and read aloud from Loveless. Zack suspected it was Genesis’ version of a prayer, and for that, he didn't mind at all.

And then there was Cloud. Zack's longing to scream out surged whenever he caught the meek shuffle of Cloud's boots, followed by the faint squeak of him thanking the nurse before entering. Cloud would meticulously style Zack's hair, crafting his signature spikes with care, as if determined to preserve Zack's essence even in his incapacitated state. His touch was gentle as he spoke to Zack as though he were awake and listening intently. Cloud would vent about his rowdy squad mates, grumble about his stern commanding officer, and lament the monotony of patrol missions where he strived to do his best

And then came the most difficult confession.

"I'm gonna stop trying out for SOLDIER," Cloud admitted one day, his voice soft as he tended to the flowers by Zack's bedside. "Tryouts are approaching, but… it just wouldn't feel right without you. Not that I'm all that confident I'd make it anyway, but I can't bring myself to do it without you here."

If Cloud could glimpse inside Zack's mind, he'd hear him screaming.

He was so helpless, trapped inside that cage, that body that wouldn't just WAKE UP. He needed to get up, he needed to be there for Cloud, and for Angeal who wasted so much time training him, and for Genesis who was finally starting to warm up to him, and for Sephiroth, who’s friendship he valued so much.

But it was useless.

He wanted to give up.

So he did.

He caved, and let the darkness take him.

But it rejected Zack. As much as death teased and loved to embrace him, it eventually always spat him out again. And maybe that was Zack Fair’s curse, cemented when his eyes fluttered open one morning.

Hovering above him was the unmistakable silhouette of a SOLDIER. With great effort, he lifted his heavy eyelids, only to find Kunsel standing before him, his appearance clearly older than the last time he had seen him. Zack should have noticed the calendar hanging on the wall, its numbers spelling out the year "0007."

Yet, instead of acknowledging the date, Zack's trembling voice broke through the silence. He questioned Kunsel, struggling with each word. He asked about Angeal, Cloud, Sephiroth, and Genesis.

Kunsel looked grim before replying.

“There was a mass desertion at SOLDIER years ago.”

[yeahspider]

genesis 🫀

Ve's note - what started as a jisung drabble turned into a minsung x reader drabble bc idk im feeling them heavy at the moment . sfw kinda but there is mentions of weed . barely proofread bc im lazy . feel free to request a pt. 2 in my inbox if enough people want it ill publish it . anyways , enjoy my bees !! <3

stress was all that was on jisung's mind at the moment . midterms were coming up and he was not even close to being prepared . being a music major was all fun and games until it came to completing those genral ed classes . jisung was so not looking forward to the long walk from the campus library . well actually the walk wasnt what bothered him, it was his roommate , although he would never complain outloud he knew his roommate didnt appreciate his late night study sessions. jisung was never able to stay focused, instead opting out of stdying to draft out songs on his guitar into the early hours of the morning. he never felt like he was as loud as his roommate made him feel but he didn't necessarily feel like dealing with that tonight.so with a huff he decided to retreat to his safe haven , his friend minho's dorm .

Minho and Jisung met on the second day of freshman year, with minho being a dance major and jisung and jisung music they naturally fell into step with one another . Although jisung had distanced himself a bit as of late with the realization that not only did he have feelings for his minho, but also you, his best friend's girl . Jisung couldn't stand being around you both it always sent his heart into a stir. He was never good with feelings and now having ti deal with confusing emotions for not one but two people was just too much to think about .

Knocking on minho's door he said a silent prayer that you weren't there but quickly recanted it when he realized he really did miss you . Just ti his luck, or misfortune, he couldn't quite tell yet you opened the door with a smile so bright he felt his heart fall to the soles of his feet . you welcomed him ibto the room which jisung only now recognized was filled with smoke and a familiar scent that always clung to you and minho . a smell that brought jisung more comfort that he could ever come to understand.

sitting on the couch was a very silent minho , rolling up a joint in a pink wrap, your favorite. he barely glanced at jisung, opting to nodding in his direction in acknowledgement. jisung felt his heart sink for the second time tonight, minho was mad at him, he could tell . if you noticed the tense feelings between the two men you didnt mention it as you grabbed jisung and made him sit down beside minho as you sat on the floor in front of them.

'where have you been sungie ? we've missed you ." you said as you looked up at him eyes big in mock sadness, a playful pout on your lip. jisung almost flinched at the implication that you and minho missed him . fear shit through him at the thought of y'all finding out his feelings for the both of you. he mumbled out an excuse about midterms and how he he's been busy preparing, an excuse which you simply clicked your tongue at.

minho, who still hadnt said a word brought the blunt to his lips and licked it to seal it shut . jisung watched as his tongue glided across the wrapping. sending a spiral of thoughts into his head. Minho brought the blunt to his lips as you pulled a lighter out from your bra and lit the opposite end. holding eye contact with him until you broke it to look at jisung . who was frozen, feeling like he was watching an intimate moment he had no right to be a part of . meeting your eyes, he quickly shifted opting to look around the room instead . he was starting to regret coming over here, he wasn't nowhere near ready to face the two of you . minho took another drag, fixing his stare on jisung who squirmed under his gaze .

"youve been avoiding us . why?" a simple question that afforded a simple answer, an answer jisung did not have the spine to give . he watched as you climbed into minho's lap sideways, angling your body to face jisung . you took a hit of the blunt, blowing the smoke in his face with a playful giggle .

"you want us don't you sungie?" another simple question that floored jisung . minho pinched your thigh in warning, not wanting to overwhelm the boy nut also enjoying watching jisung's eyes go wide at the accusation. you ignored the warning from your boyfriend and made your way til your face was inches away from the frozen boy . "relax its okay" you said as you prompted him to open his mouth . jisung shot a look to minho who only nodded in approval, interested to see where this was going .

minho was already sure of his feelings for both of you having already thought of you two as his partners it never occured to him jisung would need any confirmation on his feelings until a conversation he had with you . you encouraged minho to talk with jisung but then jisung stopped answering his texts and avoiding the pair of you . minho was brought from his thoughts when a whine left your mouth .

'don't look at him , look at me ." you said with a pout . earning another pinch from minho, he would deal with your brattiness later but he wouldn't admit that it didn't stir something in him to see you take up a dominate role with jisung.

you tapped your finger against hi s cheek and he finally listened opening his mouth slightly as you took another drag and leaned in . jisung wasn't even sure if his heart was still workung as you exhaled the smoke past his lips . inhaling and exhaling as you rubbed your thumb on his cheek in a soothing matter. once the smoke dissipated you inched even closer to jisung .

"don't worry sungie we want you too " you whispered as you crashed your lips on his . for once in his life jisung didn't hesitate and immediately returned your kiss with more passion than he knew he was capable of. reaching his hands to tangle into your hair, neither you wanted to break for air only breaking apart when minho gripped your hips and pulled you back. jisung was a mess, lips swollen and pink he was dazed . you were in no better state, whining as your kiss had been interrupted .

"quit whining you've had your fun its my turn now." minho said as he swept in to capture the recovering boys lips . at this point jisung's brain was turned to mush. caught under the spell that was minho and you . jisung felt a hand creep up his throat as minho gently squeezed, causing a moan to slip from the younger boy. guiding him to lay no his back as you removed his books off the couch.

" you won't be needing these tonight." you said with a laugh as you tgged on minho's hair to bring him into a kiss . between the two of you jisung wasn't sure who was more trouble, but he was more than willing to find out .

[verilly]

Flowers of Insanity / LAS / EFoT ✶

Aqua Hoshino x Reader

This is PART TWO, check out the other parts below!

REQUIEM: Sixth New Genesis

What's to come: [Lovenow], [Aqua Hoshino x Reader], [Akane Kurokawa plot points], [Reader likes both genders], & [mentions of suicide (Akane)]

[Songs of the chapter: "Marshmary" by MIMI, "Nonbreath Oblige" by PinnocchioP, "I hope you can be an adult someday" by TUYU]

[5,937 words]

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All the time you spent with Eruru Osawa made her remind you more of Hanae, but soon you realized they were nothing alike. They were both kind to you, but that was pretty much it. You soon found out that her family business was one in the entertainment industry, if you squint. Her family owns a somewhat-famous original amusement park here in Japan. You'd really like to go there with her one day.

Aquamarine Hoshino on the other hand was a lot harder to grasp because unlike Eruru, he doesn't speak as much, and he doesn't say what's on his mind either. What you find special about him though are his eyes, it's one just like Ai's... he must be really special. You don't think you've ever gotten close to anyone like him before, so you don't know what to expect from him.

You heard that he's an actor, he appeared in a Drama, an adaptation for a hit manga. Not that you've read it before though, romance never tingled your brain as much as an action pact filled one did. However, you kept seeing horrible reviews about the Drama on social media, so you decided to give it a watch.

Yeah, it sucked ass. Though, the last episode really shot the ratings up. That was the episode Aqua was in, it was kind of hot. The girl was quite a good actor as well, you felt bad for her throughout the entire Drama because you felt like her talent was being wasted away. Come to think of it, you saw that girl talking to Aqua before, so she might also be attending this school, interesting.

No matter what happens though, whenever you see Aqua, or hear anyone mention him, images of Ai flash into your brain. You know it's not probable for him to be anywhat related to her, but it's fun to see that her life still lives on in your head years after she passed away. You did wish for her eyes after all.

This year, you've already made two whole friends, maybe you'd have more if you considered people your friends other than acquaintances more easily, not that that's ever going to happen.

You spend most of my time at school on your phone, which sounds bad and anti-social, and it is. Most of Eruru's time is spent socializing with every person imaginable, and if she's talking to everyone, she's talking to everyone but you. Aqua on the other hand barely shows up to class, you saw him hanging around a girl who looked exactly like him though. A sibling relationship in school, that's cute.

That's okay with you, you don't need friends to survive until March 9th or find Hanae— Well, maybe you do need connections to find her again, but you doubt anyone here would know her, but then...

That's when you met someone special!

Matsuyo Mochizuki. He has the same last name as Hanae, so you should get closer to him to get more information out of him. Then again, the surnames of this world don't mean that they are inherently related but... you could still try. After all, Hanae did live in Tokyo back then, and we're in Tokyo right now. Maybe Matusyo is her... cousin?

He's really quiet, he first entered Yoto High School a few weeks later than the average student, he skips school all the time, and when he does show up, he's never on time. His hair is dark and short, but at some points, it's long... how strange, almost like he cuts his own hair. His eyes were like the opposite of mine, dark and darker. Not a single shine of light was seen in them. Oh, and his teeth. They're quite special too, he had sharp teeth all over, not just his canines.

He's not ugly though, you could most definitely use him to find her. Your stars darkened as you hid your smile with your right hand, your eyes shut as you started planning. You could feel Aqua staring again. Awkward. You opened them soon after, giving the boy next to you a quick glance, you locked eyes. He looked away quickly, do you have that kind of power with these eyes now? Your smile widens as you quietly giggle to yourself.

*"★Hi there, my name is [name] [last-name]. What's yours?" You ask as you smile, giving him a hand. He didn't respond. "Hehe, that's okay. I'll just stay here until you talk to me!" The anxiety that usually grew in my stomach has gotten smaller and smaller throughout your experience in high school. You guess that Eruru is really starting to rub off on you.

"C'mon, Matsuyo Mochizuki, I totally just lied. I already know your name, just talk to me! You look lonely.★" I lean on my hand, "You can't be silent forever!~"

*Aqua's eyes widened, he's staring at you again. 'Have you always acted this way?' His eyes didn't make you feel uncomfortable this time, you kind of felt like a star, Matsuyo on the other hand still hasn't said anything to you.

"...What do you want from me?" Matsuyo sighed, his dark eyes glaring deep into your soul. You close your eyes to get away, but keep a smile on your face. He's going to be a hard one to crack.

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You really do want to sound cool and everything, but you don't really know what to expect from anyone. That's why you were a shut-in. So, when you were invited to do a reality TV show, you were shocked.

Why would they need a faceless internet celebrity? Then the thoughts connected. Ah yes, your follower count. That would boost their ratings, wouldn't it? However, this show doesn't suit you at all.

Lovenow?

Another romance show? What would you even gain from this other than maybe a slip of the unwanted reveal of your face? You went over it all with the managers you hired for yourself to discuss the pros and cons. They came to the conclusion of 'If you join, it may boost your views by growing connections with the other members and their fans.'

Therefore, you sent the producers a message that reads something along the lines of "I'll join your show if and only if you sign this contract stating that you will never release my true identity to the public and blur my face in all the scenes I'm in."

It took a while for them to read the full contract, but they allowed it, making himself and all the other workers sign as well. You were happy with the product, but took extra precautions by *wearing a mask at all times.

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Today is the first day of filming for 'Lovenow', you wouldn't have guessed who showed up on set, Aquamarine Hoshino. Of course he didn't know it was you behind this cute [animal] mask of yours, and there's no way he'd know it's you from your voice since you haven't spoken yet... you decided to change your voice and tone to how you usually do when you stream.

Not to mention that you came extra early on set for someone on the makeup team to style your hair in a way you could never do on your own, plus you requested they add colorful highlights to show off the person you are on the inside! You've never felt prettier. You gave yourself so much personality with the way you looked, even your mask had colorful stickers on it.

The school uniform you were wearing was a lot more dull than the ones they had you wear in Yoto High School, but it still looked quite cute on you. Your new coworkers are all really cute as well!

The hit internet celebrity Memcho, 18, the new star Yuki Sumi, 16, the special dancer Nobuyuki Kumano, 17, the guitarist of a band Kengo Morimoto, 17, Aqua Hoshino, 16, and this other really pretty girl... Akane Kurokawa, 17.

Out of everyone in the cast, Akane was the girl who caught your eye. She's beautiful. Her hair falls to her shoulders, you think that if you wanted to get a partner out of this show, you'd choose her. Your plan for this is that you'll play along with the rest of the cast for entertainment, and then sit on the sidelines when people start confessing their 'feelings' for one another.

You watch as the first scene starts playing out, people walk into an empty classroom and start introducing themselves to each other, but most importantly, they're introducing themselves to the cameras set all over the classroom. Aqua goes right before you, from the way you're seeing this, he's acting like a more piped up version of the one you interact with at school.

You took a deep breath as you walked into the classroom, all eyes were on you, including the crews. With a slightly higher tone than you usually speak in, words start to leave your mouth, *"✧Hi everyone, my name is [alias], it's a pleasure to meet you!" you clap your hands together as you smile behind your mask.

"Woah! [alias]? Really?" Memcho bursts out, "I didn't know you were a highschooler!" She grinned as she put a finger to her chin, "We should totally collab together on my channel sometime!"

"Hmm... I've heard of you before," The band member pulled his phone out, "W-Wait..! You have over a-"

"A million!?" Yoto screamed out, "What in the world?! That's so cool!! I can't believe that I'm sitting next to a real celebrity!"

"Woah, calm down! You all are celebrities too!✧" You laugh as you sit down in a chair next to the rest of them, I rest my head on my hand, "Well, I saw that you played someone in 'I'll have it Sweet Today', Aqua!"

"Yeah, I sure did. It was only for one episode though." Aqua stared straight into your masks eyes, you sweat, does he know that you're...??

"Well because of that one episode, you single handedly lifted up that show to success!" Nouyuki grinned, you could tell that he's going to be a popular fan choice.

-End of Flowers_of_Insanity

After a few weeks of filming, you noticed the cast's quirks. Akane spends more of her time with the crew than the actual people on the screen, and she always has a notepad with her. Yoto and Nouyuki are the actual romance in Lovenow, and it really looks like they have something going on together. You and Memcho are more of the comedy relief of the show, it must be something about hanging around on the internet for so long. Last but not least, Kengo and Aqua tend to hang out on their own. You felt bad that you didn't talk to Aqua more often since the two of you were friends in real life, but you suppose it's better to keep a low profile.

It's so nice to meet all these people. To your suprise, they're all genuine and kind, even if some of it's an act. Even though it's only been a month of recording, you feel that you've really grown to connect with these people. Each episode focuses on one person in particular, so when it landed on you for the second time, you dropped the mask for the first time in front of the cast and the cast only, but the camera didn't know that you were wearing another mask underneath.

The reactions from the cast were nothing to laugh at, compliments were thrown at you, words couldn't describe it other than a little phony, but in a good way. Honestly, you didn't feel much for it, but after that episode aired, the fans seemed to have loved it. Though, there were a lot of people on Twitter and a few blogs asking your co-stars to reveal your face to them, but they had nothing to say to those people, you felt really grateful for that.

There were a lot of events that happened during the show to keep things spicy, you think that the producers really want you to end up with someone here because they made you and Kengo play together for a mini concert. It was one of your original songs, but they still had to make a deal and pay you to use it, oh, and Kengo had to learn the music in very a short amount of time. It really made you look up to him, so whatever the producers are trying to do is working, but Akane still owns your heart.

Speaking of, you've been trying to talk to her, but she's been so focused on other things. Almost like she's been having a tough time, "Hey Akane, are you feeling alright?"

"Hm! Oh... [alias], I'm doing okay... I just..." Akane sighed, sitting down at the table next to her, "I need to stand out more, I've been on the sidelines for this entire show and... I think that people are starting to forget who I am." She hid her face in her arms.

"No way!! No one would forget a face as beautiful as yours!" You shout unexpectedly, a little too loud, cameras start rolling, "I- What I mean is... all you have to do is apply yourself some more, let loose!☆" You grab her hands and hold them warmly, "And whatever you do, I swear I'll follow."

"W-wha... [alias]..." Akane's face grew red, "t-thank you."

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Akane acted differently today while on set, she was putting herself out there more often, but it didn't really scream at her. It was an awful experience to watch, but you didn't want to pop her bubble by pushing yourself too far into her business.

She was trying to make a role for herself by trying to separate Yuki from Kengo and that dancer guy, but of course, Yuki was still fighting back.

"Oh? Looks like Akane's finally playing her cards!" Memcho said, leaning against the rooftops railing, "I saw her talking to you the other day, [alias], d'ya know anything about it?"

"Hm? Oh, well I did hear her talk about needing to stick out to the fans more, but I don't know if this is the best suit for her. I mean, maybe if she started a other side love story it'd be cute but...★" You mumble, you didn't know what you were really talking about. 'Side love story', what a joke! The only other people available were you and Aqua.

"Hmmm? What does that mean, [alias-nickname]?~ Do you like Akane Kurokawa?~" Memcho giggles, as she smirks and punches my arms gently, "What about you, Aqua, do you think that [alias] and Aka-nene would end up looking good together?"

"Ah well, I wouldn't say I'm against it in any way... I suppose the two of you would end up looking cute together." Aqua forced out a chuckle as you stare at the both of them, deadpanned, though they couldn't see it, "But if that did happen, there wouldn't be anyone left for me."

"Hey! I'm still here ya know!" Memcho screeched out, grabbing Aqua's shoulders in a playful manner, you point and laugh for the camera you just noticed.

"★Me and Akane..." you turn around to look at Akane talking to Kengo and sigh, "Well if she likes me then I guess I'll like her back." You turned back around to Memcho and Aqua, you don't think they actually listened to what you said, but you're sure that the camera did. "☆What about you, Aqua? Who do you like?"

"Oh." Memcho stops attacking Aqua to listen for his answer, Aqua looks around before opening his mouth again, "I guess you could say that I like..." Aqua looked at you before smiling again, "Nah, it's a secret."

"WHAAAT!!? No way! You can't just say that! You have to tell us!! Or at least, you should come and tell me! Whisper it into my ear!!" Memcho whined as she began pulling at Aqua's uniform begging him to spill his secret, "Please please please please! [alias] told us!"

"[alias] barely said anything, all you did was mention Akane. They didn't even say anything about liking her back" Aqua sighed, his hand on Memcho's face, trying his best to push her away, "Plus, you haven't told us who you like either."

"Well all of you are too young for me! I'm 18, and all you younglings are just too much like babies compared to me! Especially you two, y'all are 16 still, aren't you?" Memcho asked. You and Aqua agree simultaneously, "See! Ah, and if I were to get into a relationship, it would totally mess up my streams, I think."

"Well I'm with you there, being an internet celebrity does have its downsides." You laugh, "But Aqua, you should totally tell me who you like! Don't worry, ☆I'm great at keeping secrets~"

"No way." Aqua sighed, keeping both me and Memcho away from him simultaneously, I laughed some more. I guess Aqua can be more cute and chill when he's outside of school, though it's probably not genuine at all.

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Last night, Yuki did your nails. She made yours really pretty, they had two colors, [color] and black with these shiny gems or what not. While Yuki was working on your nails you had a talk with Akane. You gave her your suggestion of trying to make a side plot love story instead of trying to push herself into one that already existed. You tried my best to convince her, even Yuki chimed in at some point, but to no avail. She was dead set on doing it this way.

"Well, it's game on then." Yuki smiled, focusing her attention on Akane's nails this time, "Give it your all, Akane. 'Cuz I won't be holding back at all!"

"Yeah." Akane smiled back, "Let's make this fair."

Fair, what a fun word. The world is never fair, and it shows. You saw it with your very own two eyes, the scene was set, Akane didn't mean to hurt Yuki at all-

So why was this happening to her?

Akane accidentally scraped Yuki's cheek with the nails that Yuki made her the other night. The media started to swarm against her. You saw that too, you even got questions from strangers on the internet yelling at you, asking for more information on it, though as per contract, you weren't allowed to say anything. Not a word, not even in her defense.

Akane didn't show up for the next few days of filming, you couldn't feel anything but dread for the days she didn't talk to the group. Even during school, you couldn't focus on anything else. Aqua looked fine, you really hoped he didn't notice your paranoia.

Then the calendar marked a faithful day other than March 9th, the day when a hurricane warning popped up on everyone's screens. The day Akane sent a message for the first time in days in the Lovenow group chat.

'I'm going to go out to get a few snacks from the convenience store.'

Yuki: 'Right now?? Akane! Don't go!'

Memcho: 'Akane there's a hurricane coming out.'

Kengo: 'Akane pick up your phone'

Nobuyuki: 'Akane are you home?'

Aqua: 'Akane?'

You audibly wince as you grab a thin jacket from your closet and run out of your apartment. Even though Akane wasn't answering any text messages or calls, she still had her location finder on her phone. You followed it as fast and as accurately as you could. Luckily for you, it wasn't too far away from where your apartment was.

It led you to a bridge... a bridge?

Then you saw the figure, you weren't sure if it was Akane, all you knew was that they were standing on the ledge, arms spread. You couldn't think, you ran as fast as you could. It was later than what you would've wanted to though, the figure had already jumped. You grabbed them, their body was still in the air, a little heavier than what you'd normally be able to carry, but the thrill was driving you on.

"No! No! Let go of me, please, just let me die!" The voice screamed, squirming her body around to get away from my grasp. It was Akane. Your eyes widened as the rain continued to pour down on the two of you.

"Akane! Listen to me! It's me, it's me, [alias]!" You yell out, grabbing her tighter, trying your best to pull her back onto the bridge.

"[alias]..? Just listen to me, let go... save yourself. You don't want to be seen with someone like me." Akane sobs out some more, "Let go [alias]!"

"No! Akane, stop fighting me! J-Just let me pull you up!" You start to tear up as well, your grip loosens as you get pulled over the edge. The only thing holding you up was the ledge Akane had just recently just jumped off from and your horrible back strength which was slowly dying out.

Before you could fall, however, someone from behind pulled both you and Akane back. You winced, the force of your body falling onto the concrete floor with Akane on top of you filled your body with a sharp and stinging pain. Though, it probably didn't hurt as much as the pain as the person underneath the two of you felt.

Akane turned around into your chest, sobbing. You comfort her to the best of your ability but start sobbing with her at some point. You didn't bother to look at the person sitting next to you, from the slight tone of his huffs you could tell that it was Aqua. The fact that you weren't wearing your mask formed a bubble of worry in your head, yet you hoped it was too dark so that nobody could make out who you were. 

Your vision was blurry from the tears you were shedding. You stroke her head as you whisper to her about how everything'll be alright.

"...Who?" You were right, it was Aqua.

You try to cover your face with your hand as you quickly look away. Pulling the collar of your top over your nose, you then even tried to position Akane to cover yourself, even though you knew it was incredibly uncomfortable for the both of you

"[name], is that you?" Aqua repeats himself, this time, he gets closer.

"What? [name]? N-never heard of whoever that is before, nope! Not at all..." You stutter out, it's of no use anyway, he knew you were there. All you could hope was that no one else would find out.

"[alias], you got here before me?" Aqua asked.

"..." You couldn't say anything, not anything you'd admit to at least. Aqua should have never found out.

Another loud pair of footsteps ran over towards us, before they fully got to the three of you, Aqua covered you and Akane with his rain jacket. Your face grew red.

-End of Looking_All_Sad

It wasn't long before the rest of Lovenow's cast showed up, however, the first person to show up was Akane's mother. Aqua caught her all up on what happened as you sat back and watched as everything unfolded before you. The last people to show up was, who you guessed were, Aqua's mom and mother.

No one came for you though, not that you minded too much—

"Aqua! Isn't that your rain jacket?" A girl with sparkling red eyes asked as she pointed directly at you.

"Ah that's..."

"Is that the person you're going to end up with at the end of Lovenow?!" She giggled as she punched his arm, Aqua let out a disgruntled curse in response. You laugh at their antics.

Soon Akane left the room, walking out with her mother. She looked at you with her puffy eyes as she left the building. Not before Yuki ran her way towards Akane and slapped her directly across the face, you gasp and you clench your hands that lie on your lap. She was crying too, crying as she rested her head against Akane's shoulders sobbing as her yells turned into quiet murmurs.

The room fell silent when Akane officially left the building. Aqua's mom sighed and patted his back as she left with her daughter, telling him to "stay safe", how cute!

Right, Akane. This is a problem. You and the rest of the cast know that she really didn't mean any harm, however, people online don't. How could you fix this? A million thoughts ran around in your head. Aqua suggested that for Akane's safety she could leave Lovenow as a whole. Which is a viable option, but she shouldn't have to quit something she enjoys just because of strangers on the internet.

One by one, the people crowded in the hallway slipped out and went back home. Again, leaving only you and Aqua together. You thought about giving him his raincoat back, you wouldn't really need it anymore if he was the only one left. You were already found out. You bit your bottom lip before you spoke, but no words slipped past your lips.

"So you're [name]?" Aqua asked, turning back to look at your sweating figure, he didn't need to say your name out load again.

"Don't say it so loud! And... yeah. I am, uhm. Sorry you had to find out this way..?" You murmur, the hood was still covering your face, you liked that. It made you feel like you still had a barrier between your persona and the real you, even if you still felt phony

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Aqua slowly got closer to you. Weird.

"Why would I do that? It's totally unprofessional..! And... and...!" Why was he so close?? "You shouldn't even focus on this at all, what you— what we should be focusing on is to help Akane!"

"Right. Akane. The internet is horrible, not to mention that this show is just..." Aqua continued to mutter on and on about the recent news and the media's reactions. You zoned out for the most of it, "Reality TV... Ah, what about this?"

"Huh?"

"We're going to make a video to save her, real reality TV."

The media caught onto Akane's attempt at taking her life and went on a roll with it, word spread around like wildfire. Whether it be people talking about how this was just a sleazy attempt to get attention, people feeling sorry and making apologies, or what their opinions are about the situation. People just didn't shut up. Not to mention, Akane's taking a break from Lovenow until who knows when. There isn't anyone else to really look at other than her, Aqua's there but it's just uncomfortable now that he knows who you really are.

On the bright side, the video's production is going well. All of the cast members opted to help. For example: Memcho tried teaching Aqua more about Social Media and how to get people's attention quickly and Kengo offered background music with his guitar. You also offered music from a band you had connections with, 2You, and your voice as vocals. Aqua didn't mind, in fact, he appreciated it. To what you could tell at least.

The last, and more important, part of the plan is getting unused recordings from Lovenow's staff members. There wasn't anything you could do, it was all Aqua. He had the brains to figure something out, weasel his way to get the information out of the producer.

You kept trying to contact Akane, half of the time she didn't respond, she hasn't been going to school either. You threw your phone across the room and groaned into your bedsheets. All the pent up worry hasn't been doing too good for you, you barely show up to your classes either. Which as a consequence means your *relationship points with your classmates have slowly been decreasing ever so slightly, besides Aqua.

Eruru texts you ever so often about school events, you respond fairly quickly, but that's as far as it gets. You miss being around people again, not to mention you've been on hiatus for all streaming activities until you say otherwise. Matsuyo doesn't even try to reach out to you, which is a major bummer. You wonder how he's doing, you wonder how Hanae is doing. At this point, that's the only thing keeping you going besides Akane's well being.

Matsuyo Mochizuki, there's this slight chance that they could be related. You will stand strong and make sure you see her again in this life, even if you don't have much time left—

Beep!

"Hm...?" You wander to your phone, a new notification, this time it was from Aqua. You sigh as you open your phone. He's the only one who's actively talking to you. The other members in Lovenow didn't know you haven't been showing up to your classes, you're really grateful for that. Though whenever he does text you, it never brings you any joy. It's usually about something negative. Maybe it'll be different this time?

The text read: "Get ready and come to my place, everyone else is already here." You thought it was funny how Aqua talks all professionally even when it's through a text.

Quickly putting a hoodie on with sunglasses and a mask to hide your identity, you rush over to Aqua's place...

His place... where does he live again?

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

You rushed over to find that all the other cast members of Lovenow were huddled in front of a screen with, you can only assume, Aqua in the middle. They didn't notice your entrance so you carefully walked over to see what it was all about. The video. Right, that's what this was all about. Aqua looked as if he was on the verge of death as he compiled pictures and videos of all of Lovenow's time together. The video, so far, was very nice. Like eye candy!

"Hm? Oh! [name] is here!!" Memcho brightly said after turning around, "Your aura reminds me of Aqutan! Dead! What have you been up to?"

"Nothing other than worrying to death about Akane." You sigh, putting your hand to your face, "Why did you call me here, Aqua?"

"Because I'm worried about you too. Everyone else here can tell that you look horrible" Aqua murmured, not looking away from his screen. That pissed you off, how could he say you looked horrible if he hadn't even glanced in your direction?? Before you could verbally react, Yuki had already punched him in the back, causing Aqua to bite his tongue, "And the plan is almost done."

"What Aqua's trying to say is that he wants everyone from Lovenow to be here when the video is all done!" Memcho says, clasping her hands together and smiling. You smile back under your mask, Akane will finally be free!

"Well? When are you gonna be finished, Aqua?" One of the boys asked.

"I'll finish quicker if you guys stop bothering me." Aqua murmured, to giggle to yourself about Aqua's comment.

"Well you heard him! Get out.★" You took your sunglasses off and glared at them, "I know he wants you here when he's all done, but saving Akane faster means no distractions!" You placed your sunglasses in your pocket as you watched all four of them slowly leave the office. You turned your head to look at Aqua's screen. He's so close... just a little more and Akane will get to show her face to the public again.

Half an hour of silence and hard clicks on the mouse, Aqua was still glued onto the screen. A few more dragging from his mouth passed by before he opened his mouth again, "Bring the others in."

You ran over and hugged him tight, "Thank you so much for doing this for her." You let go just as quickly as you latched onto him and skipped out the the room to go and get the others back. As you re-opened the door, Yuki rushed in before you could say anything.

"So?! Are you ready to post it??" She asks impatiently, holding onto her sweater tight.

"It's prime time to post it right now actually, my data shows that tons of people are online right now!" Memcho chimes in, pointing to a poorly drawn graph on her phone.

"Mm, yeah." Aqua mutters, "This has to work..."

"It better!" You say, bouncing on the back of Aqua's chair, waiting for him to finally click the export button.

"C'mon man, don't keep us waiting!" One of the boys said, putting their hand on Yuki's shoulder. With an annoyed sigh, Aqua clicked the export button while you hovered over him. When the final pixel reached the end of the loading bar, Aqua switched tabs and opened a popular blog site.

"Let's go Aqua! When I said it was prime time, I meant it! It only lasts a little white, so post it already!!" Memcho shouted, hurling herself on top of you, which consequently meant she hurled herself on top of Aqua. With one glance towards your masked face, Aqua added the professionally made video with a caption and finally clicked post.

With impatient eyes, everyone stared at the screen before them, waiting for the numbers to roll in. Did it not work? Why isn't anything happening? Aqua worked so hard— before another cruel thought entered your head, Aqua refreshed and the likes and comments started to bombard his inbox.

A few minutes passed as the cast watched in shock as everyone's opinions started to morph something in the favor of Akane. You were ecstatic that it worked, rushing over to grab your phone off the desk to check the post itself and to message Akane about it. The girls started jumping around with joy, the boys joined them after some time for the celebration while Aqua's head hit his desk in exhaustion. You slowly put your phone back down and laid your jacket on Aqua just as he did for you. Crouching down to be at eye level with him, you tell him thank you right before you call it a night and go back home.

You slipped past the *crowd of people with a smile on your face and went down the stairwell, but before you could make it out, you saw the same girl as you did the other day. The one that looked exactly like Aqua, she seemed to be in her pajamas and was quite caught off guard when she saw you.

"Ah!! You! It's you! [alias]!" The blonde, in what seemed like a millisecond, ran towards you, her face barely an inch away from yours. *"Ohmigosh, what's it like in Lovenow?! What do you think of my brother? Are you guys going to become a couple?!! How is Akane!?"

"☆Oh, uhm... Akane is... she's going to be okay. And Aqua is a really nice guy! He's done a lot for Akane and I'm really grateful for that." The girl in front of you asked a few more questions before you got the chance to slip off and excuse yourself to go back home. 

-End of Eyes_Full_of_Tears

Check out the other chapters! {CLICK ME}

[salternateunreality2]

Preggoroth: Nesting

---------

Sephiroth: How can I help you, Genesis?

Genesis: *plunks down in chair, kicks feet up on Seph's desk, starts talking about his day*

One-Winged Angel: *starts playing*

Genesis: *jumps* What the fuck?

Sephiroth: You disturbed the nest. Prepare for war.

The single innocent paperclip that started all this by being moved 3cm to the left: 📎

---------

Poor Cloud Strife. He and Zack have been identified by Seph's lizard brain as "BABIES".

Kidnapping, surprise cuddling, feeding, swaddling, and lots and lots of proud staring and purring.

My babies. My perfect, beautiful babies.

---------

ALL THE SOFT THINGS.

Sephiroth's inner child is being HEALED through this process. He has built nests EVERYWHERE, from his office to Lazard's office to his apartment to Angeal's kitchen to Cloud's barracks to Genesis' closet -- any space that Sephiroth has ever felt a little bit safe or a little bit comfortable has at minimum a very soft blanket.

Zack is HERE for it, and has bought him ALL THE PLUSHIES. Not content with the Shinra SOLDIER propaganda plushies, homeboy found an entire zoo's worth of (hopefully) stuffed animals and even hand-made a few extra.

One of the homemade ones is an octopus/squid/tarantula/chameleon monstrosity that is Sephiroth's second favorite, after his lizard.

Zack created the chimera after years of listening to Sephiroth's voice warm slightly when talking about how a tentacle could hug you really well, that many eyes in weird places would be great for recon, and how he felt like he could never be his whole, true self, like a chameleon.

----------

Shinra Official Baby Shower

Boring AF, with lots of stupid gifts, schmoozing, and ceremony.

Scarlet gifted him a bunch of mechanical mobiles, which Genesis "accidentally" firagad later.

President Shinra gifted a (for him) measly check and publicly announced that the children will be "Sons of the Company" and offered "medical" treatment for life and an apartment closer to said "medical" treatment, and "nannies". Fortunately, the Turks jiggled some wires and oops the broadcast was fucked. President Shinra was uninformed about who the father is, but those in the know laughed at him behind his back for the "Sons of the Company" thing.

Heidegger had his people prepare a gift basket, but Cloud got a hold of the order and makes it secretly great, with boring stuff on top. Lots of tasty and helpful gifts for the expectant Sephiroth buried under bland diapers and onesies.

Reeve made some unhackable baby monitors to prevent Hojo's tampering or observations. He told Sephiroth about the unhackability in private, when he also gave him a mobile and a white noise machine, all also unhackable.

Hojo somehow came down with the flu and didn't make it, and his gift got accidentally incinerated. Oops.

Rufus gave Sephiroth the majority of the registry's big ticket items, like strollers, car seats, etc.

Palmer had his administrative assistant buy something off the registry, and Anne, a surprisingly insightful woman, got it in blue with a bunch of squirmy sea creatures on it. Sephiroth wrote a thank you note just to her.

Other employees brought generic cards and cheap registry items.

---------

Cadet Baby Shower

The cadets couldn't afford jack shit, but organized a diaper drive and it turned out to be one of the best and most needed gifts of all.

---------

SOLDIER and Turk Shower

This was actually more like a rager, with a ton of fun games and the rest of the registry getting filled out.

Many of the Turks and SOLDIERS gave miniature weapons of all sorts that Sephiroth was completely delighted with and squirreled away almost immediately. To this day, Lazard is still emptying tiny-weapons caches all over the Tower. The SOLDIER-Turk merch war was absurd as well.

His closest friends gave him a set of 150 bug-out bags hidden around the city and Gaia. Each bag contained cash, food, and clothes for him, a friend, and his babies, and...

His most treasured gift: a USB with a photo album plus a handful of physical pics, including 4 Lucrecia hard copies in each bag. All his friends and comrades were represented, and his closest friends had written letters to be stored on the USBs. AGSL had each hidden a quarter of them, and no one except Sephiroth himself knew the location of all of the bags.

Zack was not permitted to know the location of more than 3. It's not his fault his mouth is so fast! He's a speedy guy!

---------

Sephiroth, unable to sleep, has repainted the entire SOLDIER floor and all of his nest areas 300 times by now.

He has also done heavy and light construction work all over his and his friends' apartments.

He considered building a "baby gate" to Cloud's dorm, but stopped himself while carrying the lumber and a drill onto the elevator, realizing he didn't want to become his father. To be perfectly clear, it wasn't the "imprisoning an adult employee against his will", it was the "anti-Hojo sentiment" that stopped him.

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

"Sephiroth, darling, we need to talk about the 3am construction," said Lazard, holding Sephiroth's hand and looking him in the eye.

"Oh, yes, I can't sleep, so I prepare for the babies. They seem to enjoy it, as they stop kicking my bladder every 2 seconds while I'm up," Sephiroth replied, glaring gently at his belly. "In fact, they're getting excited now. It is the third time this hour!"

Lazard winced.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, that sounds awful. I'll let you go in just a second, but could you please give some thought to another hobby? Several of your colleagues and even myself are experiencing fatigue due to the construction noise. Perhaps knitting would help? I know you're preparing for the babies, and you're doing an excellent job."

"Oh! Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I forget sometimes that not everyone is used to sleep deprivation. I will certainly consider it. Now if you'll excuse me, the children are getting restless and I drank a gallon of water."

"Of course," said Lazard, and let him go, relieved at the easy acquiescence.

It wasn't until the next day when he woke up to newly knitted carpeting throughout the entire SOLDIER floor that he began to question his suggestion.

"It's better than the construction," he muttered under his breath...until he passed Cloud and Zack knitted into the wall.

Excess blankets/tiny socks/hats/etc. get donated and save some cold children's lives ❤️ Helpfulroth ❤️

@snowbanshee

[bonesandthebees]

7 & 26 for the three song ask game?

7. three songs you didn’t expect to like but eventually loved

I know the end - phoebe bridgers

I have a bit of an embarrassing story with this one. a friend of mine sent me a playlist she made for my birthday one year, and that morning I listened to it while i drove to get coffee and it had this song come on. I felt like I was ascending. it was the best song I'd heard in ages. I had a religious experience waiting at the light listening to phoebe bridgers scream.

later I texted my other friend how obsessed I was with this song now and she told me she played it once for me in the car and I said I liked it but didn't seem that enthusiastic. I had no memory of hearing the song before. apparently it wasn't that memorable to me the first time I heard it 😭

teardrop - massive attack

I mentioned this in an earlier ask but didn't link it bc I was on my phone and didn't feel like going to all that trouble. anyway, my mom played this a ton when I was growing up and I was never a huge fan of it. then one day recently something switched and now I'm obsessed with it

poplar st - glass animals

I've been listening to glass animals for a long time (since 2017) and while how to be a human being has always been my fav album, for some reason I didn't vibe with this song for the longest time. then one time I was at a photoshoot and someone had a pandora radio station going, and this song came on and I was like "wait that's glass animals" and idk what it was but suddenly I was like wait this song fucks. now there isn't a single song on how to be a human being that I don't like

26. three favourite non-English songs

OOOO A REALLY FUN ONE. ngl I could fill this entire one with japanese songs because I listen to a lot of japanese music (I know what you're thinking and no they're not all from anime I've seen) but I'm trying to have variety with my answers so I will limit it to one song per language

let me hear - fear, and loathing in las vegas (japanese)

while this isn't my absolute favorite japanese song these days, it's a long time favorite and a bit of variety genre wise. I didn't know this song was an anime opening, I only heard it because spotify recommended it to me one time and I was like damn this slaps. I love j-metal so much guys

decídete - sofia thompson (spanish)

just love the vibes of this song it's so fun and boppy

khan blues - otyken (chulym)

this song goes HARD guys. I love this band, their stuff is so distinctive and they make such fun dance music. they're a siberian indigenous group who incorporate a lot of traditional instruments and throat singing into their songs and it creates SUCH a cool sound. I rock out in the car so much to this one while I'm driving (I won't link it but genesis is another good one by them)

ask game!

[crisiscutie]

so I got this idea of Sephiroth and Darling having their first kiss under a mistletoe. Genesis had the idea to put one on the ceiling and Angeal tried (and failed) to stop him. Then when the four of them were celebrating Christmas together, Sephiroth and his Darling were standing underneath the mistletoe. Both didn't realize it until Genesis pointed it out. What is going to happen next and how would Sephiroth and Darling feel? -w-

Interesting prompt. I haven't done something where Sephiroth and Darling are not in a relationship yet, so let's do this!

Content Warnings: Nothing, surprisingly.

Sephiroth's body jerked in embarrassment as his face began to heat up, so he quickly averted his gaze. Damn Genesis for putting him on the spot like that. And damn Shinra for insisting on celebrating this foolish corporate holiday. He could hear Angeal sighing and mumbling to Genesis that there are better (and proper) places to placing mistletoes. Sephiroth didn't want to come to this place anyways or be around her. Yet, he has no ill feelings towards her; in fact, he holds her in the highest esteem. She stirs something inside of him he never knew existed until she came along. That is what he loathes. The sensation of the unknown, the lack of control.

The darling would feel quite nervous herself, as she always had feelings for Sephiroth, but they never came to the surface until now. He seemed so avoidant of her, and their recent conversations had been oddly brief. She may've stopped coming around him if it wasn't necessary for her duties... But now, he wouldn't even look her in the eye. She knows Angeal and Genesis tried their best to get them to come out and hang together, but perhaps coming here was a mistake after all.

"...so you two are dating!?" Everyone's heads shoot up towards the door, where a familiar spiky black-haired puppy is standing. Zack tilts his head at the two under the mistletoe, while Angeal sighs and Genesis lets out a huff of frustration.

The darling couldn't believe it. Of course, she missed the obvious ques of Sephiroth's odd behavior around her. It all makes sense now. She smiles, her cheeks are rosy as she lets out a warm, bubbly giggle when Sephiroth looks her way. Then she will give Sephiroth a sweet smile, eyes sparkling with devotion. The darling realized it was best for Sephiroth to come to terms with his emotions for her, and allow him to choose whether to act on them. But no matter what, she will be a reassuring presence at his side.

After a brief shock pass him, Sephiroth felt that same odd feeling within him. But this time it was accompanied by a confident warmth. His mako-filled eyes returned her gaze with adoration. Whatever Zack suggested, he might just be willing to try it out with his darling.

Meanwhile:

Genesis, *mean girls style*: WHY IS HE EVEN HERE!?

Angeal: Gen pls, he technically has the right to be here. I mean, this training room is free use for all SOLDIER and Shinra personnel.

Fun scenario turned into mini-story. I think Sephiroth would still somewhat be oblivious to his feelings about his darling as he isn't ready to confront them, but if his darling is close to him and reassures him, it'd definitely help blossom their relationship.

[prismaticpichu]

Happy Wednesday y’all!! We’re halfway there! (No, no I’m not say—) OOHHHH living on a prayer!

Anywho, school sucks and I wanna be writing more! For now, I chuck at you this WIP that’s been in the waiting room playing Where’s Waldo for a solid chunk of time now. I’m having fun with it, so why not?? Maybe you’ll too!

Takes place in the middle of the fic. A little puzzle piece :3c

Zack was completely powerless. He couldn't will words from his mouth, he couldn't run away, and he could do nothing as Seph's firm grip rolled up his sleeve.

So much flashed through the jade eyes in such a short, painful jolt of time. Widening and narrowing, freezing and thawing, an electric spectrum of emotion that filled his gape before that too vanished into a glassy, distant scowl.

And Zack had a front row seat to it all. Seeing every flicker. His heart constricted in his chest, racing in its twisted shape. "Seph... Seph I'm sorry. I didn't want you to--"

"How long has this been here?" Sephiroth glared, at both him and the red flaring on his shoulder. Demanding an answer. Professional.

"...Since yesterday," Zack admitted, his voice three-inches tall; he did everything in his power to ignore the additional centimeters Sephiroth's eyes narrowed then. He couldn't. They were riddled with so much... so much bitterness, and it was all directed at him. He could barely stand it. He would rather be eaten by the cold training room floor than stand at the receiving end of his best friend's anger.

Concerned, shock, fear... that's all Zack thought he would feel. It was what he had spent every second of the past twenty-four hours trying to avoid.

"You were not going to tell me?" Sephiroth snapped, pupils needled, irises aflame, and another piece of Zack's soul was hacked away

"I didn't want you to worry!" he tried to defend himself. "I... I thought..." His voice was suddenly trickling through his fingertips like water. All his paling arguments did. What did he think? That Seph would never find out? That it would all heal before he ever did? That it would magically go away like it exactly hadn't done for Genesis? Gaia it was just such a mess... such a mess... and he didn't even has his shelter to comfort him right now.

There was a beat of fuming silence before Sephiroth gripped his sleeve tighter. "And so your solution was to slowly rot?!"

Rot... the horrid imagery made Zack's entire body churn, a sickening amount of disgust drowning his organs in acid. It was horrible, awful, especially when he had such a clear image of what it meant to rot. Crystal clear. Thorns began to prick at his eyes, his voice shuddered.

"I'm sorry, Seph..."

He felt the weight lift from his sleeve--a confusing, cold motion that Zack didn't know whether he wanted back or was glad that it was relieved. Seph was still in front of him; he heard his jagged breath, trying to level himself. It was the only thing to stew with the silence.

"Do you know how many times I asked Genesis if he was alright?"

The response caught Zack's next snuffle in his throat. He dared to look up then, meeting with his friend's crackling gaze. And like a veil being lifted it hit him all at once.

Gaia... Seph had lived through all of this before. He had a friend who was wounded and refused to say anything until it he was. Someone he cared for who was hiding things, leaving him to rot alongside Genesis with no answers. He had been helpless. Gaia... no. He wasn't protecting Seph from feeling those horrible, empty things. He was repeating history.

He had betrayed him.

The realization brewed an entirely new disgust in him, and now he stood under what Zack knew to be ache in his friend's eyes.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Seph. I... thought it would take over or something--like, like how it did for them." Things were just bleeding from his mind now, shaking his head. He couldn't control it. "I didn't want you to have anything to do with it--not all over again. You didn't deserve it. I didn't mean to hide it... I'm--I'm so sorry, Seph. And now I'm scared and freaking out and I'm gonna hurt you and you're gonna have to stop me." Zack hiccuped on his breath, a teary choke breaking through cotton.

In between breaths, he felt Seph's hand return to his shoulder. Except it wasn't his crumpled sleeve that he was touching; it was his other shoulder, the unblemished one, where there was room to be squeezed. Misty eyes glanced up. Suddenly it didn't burn so much to stare at his friend.

"You're not going to hurt me," Sephiroth said, and his voice was quiet now, that single, delicate concern having smothered his gaze to embers. "I know you aren't."

"But... Genesis..." Zack bit his lips to keep them from trembling. "I don't..."

"What Genesis did--what Angeal did--it was on their own volition, Zack. Degradation did not help but they were driven by the anger and shame they couldn't handle anymore. Angeal," Sephiroth paused, but he willed himself onward, "he chose to fight you. Genesis did too. Your fear is enough to prove otherwise."

Zack tried to absorb everything his friend was saying. Angeal's name didn't even graze him; everything was too numb, too buried in the moment to be cut by the past. And still... still he wasn't assuaged. Not really.

"You're not afraid I'll hurt you...?" he asked hollowly.

Sephiroth shook his head, the movement so slight that only his bangs quivered. "No. I never will be."

Zack could only snuffle through the next swathe of silence. And this time, amid the revelation, under the layer of tension that had been lifted, staring into his best friend's kind eyes, all that was left was the severity of it all. And everything became very clear--right then. The path he was on. The control he didn't have. The ticking time bomb he couldn't stop.

"Seph," he squeaked. "I'm scared..."

He launched himself into the older man's coat, clutching with all the strength he had. All the strength that was eventually gonna bleed out. He clutched before his body withered and his eyes paled to nothingness, like he was gonna go blind and never see Seph again, like he would never recognize him, like he wouldn't remember he existed, like a giant wing was going to erupt from his shoulder and drag him into the sky.

Sephiroth wound his arms around the boy, in instinct, before the same reality crashed down on his shoulders. He was suddenly clutching Zack fiercely, his heartbeat having burst into thunder against his chest.

"I'm gonna degrade... oh man I'm gonna degrade..."

No. You're aren't. The same words echoed from before, but Sephiroth couldn't make them leave his lips. He... couldn't tell lies. He had seen what had become of Genesis and Angeal, how blanched and bloodless their skin was, how leeched of color their hair had become, how skeletal the disease had left their bodies. A wildfire ravaged through healthy, strong SOLDIER Firsts. And if the same was truly happening to Zack...

To Zack...

Sephiroth tightened his hold. Protective. Desperate. To even imagine Zack succumbing to the same fate... it was too much. As much as it undoubtedly, cruelly was to Zack.

"Buddy..." Zack sucked in his breath. "Oh Gaia... oh Gaia this can't be happening... No..."

Sephiroth rested his chin against his hair, the only trace of grey coming from his own hair twining around the spikes, weaving through the pure, righteous blackness like milky starlight.

"I know..." he murmured, even if he didn't. Is this an inevitable fate for all SOLDIERs? For anyone with Mako? Firsts? Was he next? He swallowed that bile as quickly as it rose, holding Zack closer. The only thing that mattered was Zack. The present. The future... but a future that wouldn't turn out as the others. It couldn't. They had already diverged, just now, when he had discovered Zack's wound. They were both aware.

He couldn't tell lies... but he could echo what Zack had told him so many times.

"You will not brace this alone." Sephiroth pulled away to meet with Zack's eyes, maneuvering his hand carefully around his shoulder as he held them. "You will not. I promise."

Zack found himself again staring at his friend, pearls of mist winking under the fluorescent lights of the training room. The words sank in much easier than before... like balm grazing him just enough to feel its warmth.

Sephiroth nodded, and watched a thin, lonely river trickle down Zack's cheeks. There was still more he needed to say; there were still concerns shrouding his friend's mind, even if Zack knew better than to voice them.

"You will always be Zack Fair. I don't care what happens to you, or what you may gain." He gazed into his friend's rippling eyes, watching his reflection in the currents. The catlike pupils drifting in the sea. Abnormally shaped. Inhuman. Accepted. Loved. "You will never be a monster. You are my friend... you always will be."

[saph-writes]

A New Normal

ao3 link:

Summary: The match between the Victories and Inferno is over, and Gwyn is left with a lot to think about.

Words: 1481

Gwyn opened the door to his room, and was greeted by the dim lights casting a faint glow across it. He squinted a bit. He’s more used to the lone blue screen being the only source of light, but that hasn’t been on for days. The match took much longer than expected. 

He looked around the room, and couldn’t help but feel something off about it, even though it had no noticeable changes. The dark shadows painted along the crevices and edges, the scribbles that littered the walls and floors, and the papers scattered all over. Nothing was new. It was all the same. But still, the feeling lingered. Was it always this quiet?

He flipped the on switch, allowing for the bright artificial lights to engulf the work area, before planting himself on a chair near the computer desk, the hard wood pressing on his arms. 

His fingers twitched slightly, and the off feeling was made even more present, digging itself in place. He glanced around the room. Perhaps he just needs to get back into the routine. Clearly everything felt different, so if he went back to something familiar, that could make the feeling go away. 

He eventually found a journal that sat on the table next to him, laying in front of the black monitor. The pen wasn’t too far off either. But as he tried to reach for it, something stopped his hands from moving. It was heavy, laid sticky in his arms and hands like glue and tape, and stubborn, refusing to move. And to be honest, he didn’t find himself resisting it. 

It doesn’t make sense in hindsight. If it were like any other day, he would have no problem reaching for the journal and writing down anything and everything. In fact, it would’ve been second-nature. Instinctual. Ingrained with every movement. He should be writing.

And yet, he didn’t. He just sat, and studied the room as if he was seeing it for the first time again. 

A faint glow began to radiate from his pocket. His hands moved its mold to the chair to the smooth lining of the pocket’s fabric. Static still buzzed in his head. 

~

Genesis looked down at him. He knew it was, even with his head was facing away from it. 

It stared at the top of his head, but stayed quiet. Both of them did, which only gave Gwyn more time to think. 

The stadium is cheering, the large platform and seats filled to the brim with crowds of people. Dragon and Genesis clash, blow after blow, sending waves across the two bladers. Gwyn looks up, and sees Dante smiling back. A rainbow glow shines around him. 

He looks to his right. Both Arman and Delta are on either side, giving him the same smile. 

“Not bad Gwyn. Nice job.”

“Not bad at all!”

Dante speaks. “It's fun, right? Giving it your all?!” His eyes shined as he did.

“…fun.” Gwyn whispered under his breath. Genesis peered at the young boy. 

“Is something still on your mind?” It had a firm, but gentle voice, one that wasn’t demanding, but held an air of strength around it as echoed around their chambers.

He didn’t respond at first, taking time for the word to bounce in his head before his mouth blurted out an answer. 

“No.” He said. He hesitated, but continued on. “My search is finished; I have the answer. I do not need to go any further.”

“And yet, you still question yourself,” it said.  Although the words were a statement, it felt more of a question. He tried to come up with an answer, but just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, it died and sunk back deep in his throat. Another stretch of silence followed. 

He couldn’t answer, could he? He had no solution.

He couldn’t calculate it. 

His thoughts steered back to the moment when that realization began to settle in, back to the very last battle of the match, and to the outburst that preceded it. 

Not because he was embarrassed of the breakdown. He wasn’t ashamed. No, what he couldn’t stop thinking about was what he had said, and how much he would give to take it back. 

And he did, once the battle ended, and while Dante had simply smiled and laughed, the words still stuck in his head, like dried glue to paper. 

I wish we never met.

“It’s different now,” Gwyn finally responded. His hair grazed his cheeks as it floated next to him, lightweight and unkept with every strand. It covered his face, if only barely, but had been parted slightly so that he could see the figure towering over him.

He knew avatars always had expressionless faces, from the research he has done, but it was still unnerving the way that Genesis could look deep into his eyes with nothing in its own. It would be terrifying if it wasn’t also comforting.

“What has changed?” 

He looked up, and thought. For once, his mind was completely silent. “I don’t know.” 

Another strand grazed his neck. Genesis stays quiet.

~

Gwyn had to blink a few times to adjust to the brightness of the room, but once he did, it couldn’t have been more unrecognizable and jarring. The off feeling has somehow turned into a blinding pulse that tugged every bit of his being to leave. To leave, and never come back.

His life was in this room, but now, he could barely stand to be in it. 

Gwyn stood up and buried Genesis back in his pocket. He walked over and grabbed a piece of chalk sitting on one of the tables, and went to turn off the light before closing the door behind him. 

~

As he step outside, the sun was already making its descent to the horizon, making everything glow with a yellow hue. To be frank, he didn’t have a destination. His feet took him to wherever it wanted to go, and he followed behind it. The utter silence in his head made the entire walk even more overwhelming. It was no longer filled with everything at once, or thoughts zipping past faster than it could be processed, or numbers upon numbers.  It was filled with nothing at all.

The parks that occupied the urban area always had people crowding around the stadiums stationed everywhere. But since it was late, they were empty.  

For the second time that day, everything was quiet.  

But even so, the walkways were far from dead. There was the chirping and rustling of birds in the nearby trees, the little that were in a city. There was a whistle and lapping in the soft breeze, and the rippling of calm waters by the riverbank. There was the light tapping of shoes at every step and if he listened closely, there was the distant laughing lingering at every corner.

As he walked further and further, a certain sound rung through the air. His feet slowed to a stop. 

“Come on Dragon! We got this, just break right through!” 

“Ashindra, counter it!”

They were distant, he thought to himself, but not too far away. He stood still, and listened.

“Aw man!”

“Ha! I win this one!”

“Come on, one more time!”

“Really? Haven’t you had about enough already?”

“I can’t just walk away with a loss! Come on Arman, one more battle!”

“Hey, you two, that’s it for today.”

“Aww, but I wanted to go another round!”

“We can continue tomorrow. In the meantime, get some rest. Remember, rest is part of training.”

“Alright… Hey Delta, did you see that super awesome move Dragon just pulled?!”

“Yeah, I did. Not bad.”

“I know right! Man, Dragon’s the best! Hey Delta, wanna battle more tomorrow?”

“Sure thing. Better watch out though, I’ll crush you.”

“Ha, we’ll just see about that!”

Gwyn’s fingers twitched around the chalk. A deep, heavy feeling filled his chest, and swirled into the pits of his stomach, a gnawing that rasped his hands and throat. He breathed in slightly, and his feet continued forward, allowing for the talking to grow more distant with every step.

It got quieter and quieter until there was nothing at all, and Gwyn finally saw where he was. In a grassy valley next to a river, in front of a small patch of soft dirt. In it, he could see the traces of old scribbles, bits of variables and numbers and expression, and two fresh sets of footprints on either side. 

This was where he first met him. 

The yellow sunset hue was no longer there, but rather replaced by a deep red that engulfed the soil. The sun was nearly down, disappearing by the second. 

Gwyn rubbed the chalk in his hand and tucked it away. 

He picked up a long stick that laid not too far. 

And he began writing.  

[taiblogcomics]

Pants To Be Darkened

Hey there, insurance fraud. Well, last issue sucked. Future issues will also suck! Like, trust me. That one stung just coz it felt so wasteful of two characters' deaths (Duela and the Jokester, I mean. I know using Duela's death for the Jokester's motivations is basically textbook fridging, but you already fridged her to start the series before you ever introduced the Jokester, so you might as well do something with it). There will be more unpleasantries later! Let's hope this issue is a bit of a breather.

Here's the cover:

Well, it looks fun, but it's Countdown, so we can't ever lower our guard. Anyways, Jimmy Olsen really needs to wash his socks. This is also, like, the second cover in a row with a weird foot focus. That's not just me, right? Like, you don't normally draw a sock that tight and with such definition visible through them. And yes, I do see the cool bug lady on the cover. We'll get to her in the story proper! Instead, I just want to mock pantsless Jimmy Olsen for a bit. I've joked about these covers being fetish bait before, but I don't think seeing Jimmy Olsen pantsless is drawing in the customers, especially after last issue.

Anydangways, the recap. Jimmy Olsen has been caught with his pants down after escaping Cadmus Labs. The Multiverse Crew (minus Jokester) escaped by the seat of their pants from a tie-in. Mary Marvel scares the pants off some Turkish villagers. Pied Piper and Trickster (plus Double Down)are still wetting their pants over having escaped Green Arrow's wedding. Holly Robinson and Harley Quinn have just swam their pants off to escape some eyeless fish and/or sharks. And Karate Kid and Una are having the pants bored off them listening to Brother Eye exposit. Keep your pants on, we're getting to the review~

Do you remember, like, twelve issues ago when some red-and-white figure lurked around on Apokalips trying to research Lightray's death before warping out? Let's finally follow up on that! This character boom-tubes in on a rooftop in Metropolis, and you get a lot of shots of close-ups on, like, their legs or arm moving through a frame, to build up to a full-page splash showing the whole character. You know, the one we already showed in full on the cover. A little redundant and pointless, but that's also Countdown's tagline~

Anyway, this spacesuited bug lady is Forager. She's been dispatched from New Genesis to look into the New Gods' deaths. We cut from her over to Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion, who thankfully have some spare clothes for Jimmy, since he just spent last issue traipsing around the sewer in his underdrawers. Before he can put his pants on, though, Forager bursts through the roof, grabs Jimmy by the collar, and flies away with him, to his shock. She tells him there's nothing to worry or threaten her about, she merely wants to have words with him. Can't do that on the ground while he gets dressed, I guess.

Over in that Rhode Island diner, Piper, Trickster, and Double Down are still discussing the villain roundup/purge going on. Piper and Trickster are the only ones DD's even heard of getting away, everyone else has never been seen since. He wants to know who's behind it, and they're about to get their answer when Trickster looks out the window and spots the Suicide Squad rushing towards the building. Rather than letting either of his compatriots know, he instead makes an excuse to use the bathroom, dragging Piper with him.

Rather than head to the bathroom, though, he punches out the old guy running the counter and ducks himself and Piper behind it, just as King Faraday and a few other Suicide Squad members enter. Faraday shows his federal ID badge, then flashbangs everyone who looks at it. That's a handy trick. All the normal patrons pass out, but Double Down attempt a break for it. He's blocked by Multiplex filling the doorway, and then Deadshot shoots him until all his magic playing cards fly out. Whlle Bronze Tiger plays 52 Pickup with Double Down's unconscious body, Deadshot slinks around to search for the other two…

…and he finds nothing. Trickster's pulled out another bag of tricks and has put himself and Piper under an invisibility cloak. "Like Harry Potter," Trickster adds. "Now that's gay," Piper (the gay man) replies. "Cringe", Piper, the word you're looking for is "cringe". Much like this dialogue! Deadshot figures they somehow slipped past them, and they decide to call their ride and split with the one guy they did get. Piper wants to split too while the getting's good, but Trickster thinks they should sneak aboard. If they find out where they're keeping everybody and free them, every villain will owe them one.

In the secret base where Brother Eye is being kept, the AI (A.Eye?) is keeping them trapped while shooting lasers at Karate Kid to test his reflexes. Una wonders why Buddy Blank ever built this thing, and he protests he didn't. He just made an AI for Waynetech, and someone's clearly pirated his designs. His grandson, however, thinks it's awesome he made something so huge and cool, and Brother Eye decided to start being cooperative because the child is showing him proper reverence. See, he didn't foolishly bring his grandchild into danger for no reason~

With Brother Eye's newfound cooperation, it analyses the disease Karate Kid is carrying, and determines it can neither identify nor cure it. However, there is a similar strain being held in a bunker in Bludhaven, so they have their next fetch-quest destination. Brother Eye releases the containment protocols and lets them go, while Grandson Boy waves goodbye and promises to come visit, also asking his grandpa if Brother Eye has a website or an email he can check out. Can you imagine the modern equivalent of this scene, where he asks for Brother Eye's Insta or TikTok~?

So what's Mary Marvel up to? Well, she's no longer flooding small villages in Turkey. Instead she's moved to other pursuits. Frankly, she's taken up the Spectre's usual shtick: punishment by cruel irony. She's shrinking poachers in Africa to way smaller than their targets. She finds some loggers in the Amazon rainforest and turns them into trees. She goes to a death row penintentary in Florida and speeds it up by torching all the inmates. I dunno if that one's particularly ironic, just cruel. All of this is being shown by Madame Xanadu to the only group she can find to help rein in this misuse of magic: the Shadowpact! I'll worry about introducing them when they actually make an impact in the story.

Back to our cover story, Forager does permit Jimmy Olsen to put his pants on. She explains she's looking into the assassination of the New Gods, same as him. He acknowledges he's been kind of stuck on leads, and asks if any new names are on the obituary list. She replies the most recent loss has been Big Barda, which totally sucks. Forager agrees, but more concerning than even the slaying is this detail: their bodies are dying, but their souls are unaccounted for. What's happened to them, and where are the souls? She's seeking Jimmy's help because he's had more contact with the New Gods than any other individual on Earth. He's completely dumbfounded.

All right, so last week when I said the Multiverse Crew warped out from Earth-8 and left Jokester's body behind? Yeah, apparently they didn't, because they're still here on Earth-8, talking to Monarch. I can't believe fucking Monarch has come back into this story again. Anyway, Monarch is proposing recruitment to Lord Havok and his so-called Extremists, but Lord Havok won't join up with anyone. Monarch blasts him, which prompts the Extremists to attack, which prompts Forerunner to attack in kind. Jason Todd decides they should duck out, which they clearly did last time, but whether the blame goes to writer disconnect or tie-in shenanigans, I don't know.

Either way, before they can escape, who should burst into the room but the Crime Syndicate guys. Now it's a huge three-way brawl between our Multiverse Pals, the Extremists, and the Crime Syndicate, and thankfully it's the end of the comic so we don't have to focus on this jumble of a fight scene. Indeed, the comic ends on another big splash panel (not quite full-page, but at least two-thirds) with Forerunner holding her claws to Donna Troy's throat, who is already unconscious somehow. She asks if they're ready for round two, and I know I'm not. Give me, let's say, a week to get back to you~

This issue isn't as bad as last time, but I won't humour you by going "but that's to be expected, how could it be?" I know Countdown, and there absolutely will be more issues as bad as last time. But not today's, which we should be grateful for. At least it's not two in a row! We've finally introduced Forager, who will be a recurring character for the rest of the book, and then nowhere else ever again. And Mary Marvel has finally started her downward spiral into a heel turn, which is certainly despicable. Not the singular worst part of this series, but not anything I'm happy about or enjoy, either~

[happyendingsong]

5star thots <3

i had sooo much fun with the quarter final night, every match was banger after banger after banger and the crowd was eating it up and i was so excited with the final four.

and unfortunately the finals didn't live up to it for me ! mayu vs maika felt like it ended just as it was getting going which was a bummer, and saya vs hanan was hard to really get into because obviously saya would be going over and we had just seen this match a few days ago.

i wish there was one more big match on the card and not just filling time with anna jay and xena, hashtag hater hashtag the hater's temperment.

the god's eye vs neo genesis match was fun (love the spot of all five members of neo genesis in like a starburst formation crashing into their opp sat at the ring post, so cute). i love getting to build neo genesis's identity as a unit, but i was a little disappointed with this being the next beat in syuri's story after such an on-the-warpath 5star. the promo package for the goddess league used a clip of syuri and saki teaming together and if we get them as a tag team all will be forgiven. <3

hanan looking on during rina and hina's match was sooooo :( <33333

looooved the natsupoi/thekla moments during the cosmic angels vs h.a.t.e. match, woof. a lot of what thekla is doing doesnt fully work for me (like part of her h.a.t.e. manifesto calling out girls holding starbucks coffee cups. boo corny stupid boring fart sfx toilet swirl sfx. call the audience perverts again.) but with everything with natsupoi she brings SUCH great character work.

looove the energy ruaka and yuna are bringing too and i loved yuna getting her licks in! i feel like there's such a disparity between the cosmic angels that means tam/natsupoi/saori (the cule) and the cosmic angels that means all the others, like it's hard imagining them all standing in the same room and having a conversation, let alone being in the same faction and working towards the same goals. (which speaks to what theyre doing with tam being a shit leader, like it does seem like a conscious choice but i wish it manifested in some more friction or smth.) it was v sweet getting some interactions between yuna and poi and saori here at least!

i was really looking forward to the tora vs tam match, especially after the tag team match on the quarterfinal night where tam clocks that tora's knee is also in bits. the second she started targeting the knee, tora just fell apart and tam mocks her for it after, very smugly "we're not so different huh." and tora lashes back like "do not fucking compare us, you havent been through a fraction of what ive endured, ill show you when i finally rip your leg off this weekend" etc.

i loooove that angle. tam wrote that thread about how this 5star was about overcoming the fear she's had with wrestling since coming back from injury at the start of the year. having her knee brutalised again and again and getting these losses made her face that fear head on, and she's finally ready to hit play since time stopped with her match with tora last year.

and it's clear that tora is SO consumed by that fear, like that acl injury took a year and some change off her career and every time she gets an inch she loses all momentum. she's trying to consume tam with it too, she wants to inflict the worse thing that ever happened to her onto tam because she needs to leave her broken. tora offers her the title match not to have a match but to land the finishing blow and kill her herself. idk it's fascinating!! girl the neuroses the paranoia the projecting!!

and we'll see how all this plays out obviously, maybe they're cooking, but i really wanted tora to go over here u_u. i really want tora to be a credible threat and i think there are so many directions to go with this big bad leader of hate compelled by this really deep seated fear and bitterness. i really wanted to give that more time to grow and fester and spill its way into every fracture of the roster so that it'd be way more satisying when love/frindship/whatever eventually wins out.

i wanted tam to get swallowed up by this manifestation of her fear, by someone who was swallowed up themselves. if we're doing tam at rock bottom, lets fucking do tam at rock bottom like ! like having her lose here and have her scratch and claw to earn another title shot at the end of the year or whatever wouldve been so satisfying.

i was really really into the match until the interference stuff. and i loooove shitheel interfernce stuff but h.a.t.e. are always booked to be such fucking morons, this is so humiliatinggggg...... like tora getting the steel chair and hitting tam in the head, HELLO? this whole thing started with her chairing tam's knee, the whole point of this match is meant to be tora getting tam in a confined space to finally saw off the piece of thread holding her ligaments together. why isn't she using the first instance of the ref getting distracted to drop any pretence of this being a sports match to put tam in a saw trap. what's happening.

and oh my god im so sick of h.a.t.e. being used as these bumbling fools what the fuck are we doing...... literally lining up to trip over their own banana peels one by one. like the spot of konami accidentally spraying tora in the face and flailing her arms, then ruaka accidentally crashing into tora and flailing her arms too, MORTIFYING. i wanna be on board with h.a.t.e. sooooo badddddd there's so much fun to be had there but this is such a fucking farce like. can tam even be proud of a win here, like it's such a lose lose for everyone involved. poor tora, jesus christ.

i was pretty sour going into maika vs saya as a result and it took me a while to get into it, but they did kill it and they ended the night on a high note for me! loooooved the spot of maika holding onto saya's wrist and not letting her go as she hits her with the lariat again and again, and then saya doing the same with her kicks. wah.

saya's acting at the end was crazyyyyy, the crybaby heel shit is really really fab as a nod to the "i wanted to see you cry" thing. soppingest wettest meow meow fr.

love u maika <3333333 so glad she got her win here, i was really on edge after tam's win that they'd be going with saya instead but i think maika is still the right call. tam had been saying before maika lost the belt, smth like "bc i had to drop the belt due to injury, maika never got to experience taking the belt out of someone's grasp, someone who poured everything they are into that belt. ill show her what it's like from the other side when i take this belt from her." so there's obviously a lot of ground to build this feud on and they're gonna kill it etc

this is a chapter they never got to have the first time, and im glad they're getting to have it now, but i REALLY wish we were getting it months from now. it's such a shame to treat tora as a footnote in all of this when there's soooo much to be tapped from that. she had a long fucking reign in her! what's the point in pretending h.a.t.e. are this big threat putting the entire company on notice, the successors/dismantlers of both queen's quest and oedo tai, if they're so easily thwarted and forgotten. they're bumbling!!!!!

and with maika and tam, they've already set that match to be a couple weeks from now BOOOOOOOO. why are they so eager to burn through everything so quickly, chew your fucking food!!!!! like there's such an easy and fun plot beat to have in everyone who beat tam in the 5star rocking up to the ring like hello where are our title shots. and tam wanting this gauntlet challenge over a few months overcoming all these past losses from this year, like tam eats that shit up!!!! and then have her vs maika at queendom at the end of the year so there's actual momentum and intrigue in it.

idk this breakneck pace they're doing with everything makes it hard to get my teeth into anything, like it's hard to feel like the investment is gonna be worth the payoff. which sucks that im feeling like this after ive been so into the rest of the 5star! like having tam completely and immediately wipe out was so exciting, and i love how open the field felt for everyone.

it's a shame to end the 5star on a sour note, and maybe it'll be clear in a few months that this was all part of a bigger better plan. one can hope

but jesus christ they need to book h.a.t.e. better. babygirl tora you will always be famous.

[rottenpumpkin13]

what if AGS visited a toy store?

• Sephiroth feels indifferent but intrigued as he looks at all the toys, wondering if the spark of excitement is what he would have felt if he had been a boy given gil to spend by his parents and allowed to play freely. He had toys as a child, but they were methodical, and his playtimes were observed purely for study. He never had toys meant for fun like board games, musical instruments, art supplies, action figures, or Lego sets. Genesis and Angeal encourage him to pick out something fun, but he doesn't know what to do. What’s fun for him? Being with his friends is fun, and coming to the toy store with them is more fun than anything else. So, he picks out a board game and a stuffed moogle—a nod to two things he never had: friends to play with and the ability to just be a kid.

• Angeal doesn't know how to act honestly; he's never been in a position where he's in a toy store with gil in his pocket to spend. That seemed like a luxury he grew up without knowing. That childlike excitement returns full force when he sees a remote control car. He remembers Genesis had one they played with, and the closest thing Angeal had was a wooden car his dad built for him, attached to a stick meant for running and racing. His dad promised they'd one day get a remote control car, but he died before he could fulfill that promise. Angeal keeps looking at the remote control car. He has the gil now, but a million thoughts race through his mind: he shouldn't waste it on things like this, he's older now. But then that Buster Sword weighs on his back, the one his father fought sweat and blood for, not taking a single gil to his grave. He knows it's a reckless decision, but he'll deal with the guilt later. Now, he just has the toy car and, in a funny way, a dream fulfilled on his father's behalf.

• Genesis only came because of Angeal and Sephiroth, his friends who never had the experience that was routine for him as a child: going to the fancy toy store in the city and picking out whatever he wanted with no limit on spending. He thinks he's grown past it and is happy browsing the shelves simply to judge whatever nonsense kids these days find fun. But then he sees it: one of those electronic sound boards meant for children 5 and under, colorful and flashy, filled with buttons that make loud sounds and play music. He finds himself drawn to it, fingers reaching out to the back of the box to see pictures of kids playing with it, having the time of their lives. 'Lucky kids,' he thinks. His parents may have gotten him anything he wanted, but they had a policy when it came to toys: nothing loud and disruptive. "Play quietly" and don’t disturb the ambiance. Something as loud and flashy as this would have been forbidden in his parents' house. But he's not at his parents' house anymore, and he can satisfy that inner child's desire to scream and be heard. So, he buys it.

[rharyx]

Follow up to this post, where I started cataloging my Final Fantasy journey.

Crisis Core I watched a playthrough back in high school cuz I thought Zack was cool as shit and I loved the theme music, but I never actually played it. But since I finally played 7, I knew I had to follow it up with this, and I went with the Reunion remake since I heard the combat is a lot better. Which I guess it is? I can't compare it to the original since I never played it, but the combat here was real fun and snappy -- I spent hours just doing side missions. And of course the story was as good as I remember it. Only downside is Zack's new actor is nowhere near as good as his original, and that really brings it down a tad. But it still doesn't kick Zack out of my "Top 5 FF characters" list. Also, I always liked Genesis, which I guess a lot of people don't? But I think he's just so funny. Like he actually stops his mission to kill Hojo or whatever to info-dump Loveless lore on everyone in the room. Dude's so weird, I hope he's in the remake trilogy. I think a 8/10 is fair.

Final Fantasy IV Took me a bit to finish this one since stuff got in the way. Not really much to say about this one, though, I guess. The story was good, and some areas and events were cool (like the giant robot thing), with lots of characters who show up and do their thing then leave. Cecil is pretty cool, Kain sure is a guy, and I like Rydia a decent amount. Love how that dude Edge is just straight up called Edge though lmao -- I imagined him having a sort of Johnny Bravo/Might Guy voice, which really elevated his character in my head. But otherwise, the whole game was a pretty standard affair. I kinda thought the vehicle stuff was pretty interesting -- like how you had to use the hoverboat, to get to the ship, to get to the better ship, etc. That was neat in its own way. Fuck the final boss, though, that shit felt unfair. 6/10, I guess? Definitely the mainline FF I've been least into so far, but it's still nowhere a "bad" game.

Final Fantasy XII I heard this was one divisive, but I don't see how? Like, this was really good. I did hear the original release was pretty bad compared to the Zodiac version I was playing, which made me think...... Between 12's initial release, 14's initial release, and 15's initial release...is 16 the first mainline game in over a decade that came out completely fine without needing an overhauled re-release or oodles of DLC to smooth things over in some way?? (I haven't played 13 yet, so that may have been fine upon release.) Anyway, to speak of the game itself, the License Board and Gambit System was really interesting and I kinda hope they bring it back in some way in the future, cuz I love tedious grindy stuff like that where you slowly fill up an ability grid (reminded me of the Sphere Grid, kinda). And the story -- while sometimes feeling really overwhelming with the amount of terms and names I had to memorize -- was well structured and I like how everyone's stories wrapped up by the end. Vaan is truly not a protagonist though, is he? lol. If anything, Ashe was the main character of this story, which I did kinda fuck with, even if she's not one of my favorite characters from the game. Also, I loved how many areas and differing locales we went to on the journey. I wasn't expecting such an array of distinct and visually engaging locations. One thing, though...why did half the voice over audio sound like it was being recorded through a soup can? It was so weirdly mixed. Like, you get used to it, but what happened?? Anyway, as a FF14 fan I though it was neat to see where all the Ivalice inspiration came from, and overall the game was really enjoyable to play. I've definitely not scratched the surface when it comes to the optional content, like Espers or whatever, but idk if I'll ever have the time to complete all that anyway. But for the main game itself, definitely a solid 8/10. Maybe even an 8.5.

Not sure what to do next, maybe try V once it goes on sale. Or probably just jump into Remake and Rebirth.

[themattress]

I have several properties' worth of such characters.

Pokémon: All the way back to Gen I, its wide cast of characters got me through the late 90s and early 2000s as things in my life were re-arranging, and the franchise still serves me well in that department to this day. And yes, I'm including humans and Pokémon alike here.

Digimon Adventure: The other "Mon" franchise from the late 90s and early 2000s, with the realisticness of its kid characters shining even through the often butchered dub scripts.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Yugi and his friends felt like MY friends in the early 2000s. The humor, teamwork and loyalty shared between them was inspiring - plus, it was a fun card game they played.

Kingdom Hearts: The games in this series released through the 2000s excelled with characters. Whether they be Disney, Final Fantasy, or KH-original, I fully believed in them and was invested in them. What largely became of them afterwards is a grave tragedy.

Final Fantasy VI-X: Kingdom Hearts led me to these games, which all hit it out of the freaking park when it comes to endearing casts of characters placed in interesting worlds.

Avatar: Both The Last Airbender in the 2000s and The Legend of Korra in the 2010s (although moreso the former) captivated me with its relatable, well-developed characters.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: This series was like therapy to me, and I will always loves its characters for their role in that. They're beautiful in how psychologically broken they are.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: For the Infinity Saga. Do I really need to explain this one?

Once Upon a Time: During the 2010s, for at least 5 seasons the majority of these characters felt like friends, enemies and personal acquaintances of mine. They felt...well, almost real.

When They Cry: Both Higurashi and Umineko. You get to know its casts of characters so well, through several loops filled with tragedy, making their happy endings all the sweeter.

Love Live Sunshine: In spite of its cartoony front, something about the characters of this particular Love Live feel especially real and relatable to me. I will never forget Aqours.

Danganronpa & Ace Attorney: For some reason or other, while I already knew of these, I delved deep into them just as 2020 hit. That, I feel, is what elevated their already fantastic cast of characters to being particularly dear to my heart. They made the year easier for me.

Fire Emblem - Three Houses: The 2020s are a chaotic time full of division and strife, and for some reason I feel like that's what makes it the ideal time for me to gravitate toward Fodlan and its characters. They all feel so believable, and if they can make it out the other end of their struggles toward a brighter future, then maybe we can too. (Golden Deer for life, btw!)

Merry Christmas! Consider this an Ask Meme! Reblog with your responses.

[noendnobeginning]

▌ 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 : Genesis Saito-Thomas Genesis

▌𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍 : Taken

▌𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒: Depends on the timeline. PMD 1 - No real special powers, just a headstrong Eevee. This is more or less the same in main games timelines too. PMD 2 - Dimensional Scream - When touching something, he may see and/or hear, visions of the past or future. It works when it wants to, he doesn’t really control it. PSMD - Given a special scarf by his partner that allows him to evolve into one of Eevee’s final evolutions. He has no control over which form it’s going to be, but it tends to lean towards forms he’s had in previous timelines.

▌𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 : Brown

▌𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 :  Brown and cream

▌𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 : Hinted to maybe have kids of his own with his partner sometimes in certain timelines, but adopted a Manaphy specifically in PMD 2.

▌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐒 : Absolutely not.

▌𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 : Being underestimated, being accused of things he didn’t do, Monster Houses, Dungeons that reduce his abilities to basically nothing, and traps.

▌𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒 / 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 : ...Adventuring? Treasure-hunting? Though for more mundane options: Reading and people-watching.

▌𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 :  Yes.

▌𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 : Yes.

▌ 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 : Fox?

▌𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒 : A bit too impulsive at times when he hears about new places to visit.

▌𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐒 : Rayquaza (probably all timelines), Alakazam (PMD 1), Wigglytuff to some extent (PMD 2), Ampharos and Mawile (PSMD) Leon? (Main games verses)

▌𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎�� : Gay

▌𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐆𝐄 / 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 : Doesn’t mind either way, it’d be nice but there’s a lot of other things he wants to do first before settling fully.

▌𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 : Wears bows for special occasions, but he’s partial to an assortment of colored scarves in all timelines.

▌𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 : Noe, Palin, and Abio. 

▌𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒 : Just be nice, and if you’re mad at him don’t come on too strong and hear him out. He’s been chased down for things one too many times in his life (or lives more like)

▌𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊 : Berry juice

▌𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐓 : His rescue team base

▌𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐌 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 : At least a lake he can probably swim in just fine, he needs assistance for an ocean.

▌𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄 : Kind, ambitious, adventurous, maybe a bit quirky.

▌𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐒 : Both.

Tagged by: No one I stole it from @spiky-thief​!

Tagging: @gardenofgods​ (Rayquaza? Or whoever you’d like!) @invictarre @xfaucheuse​ @unovasheroine​ @champgreen​ and anyone else who would like to do this!

[young-dumb-and-vaccinated]

The Sommelier (Hannigram x Female!Reader) pt. 25

Y/n puts an end to everything.

@dovahdokren @deadman-inc-bikeshop @lov3vivian @wisesandwichshark @scpdragon

⚠️HUGE⚠️ trigger warnings: rape, drugging, sex trafficking, VERY graphic descriptions of violence, physical violence (please let me know if I leave anything out)

Hannibal could walk through a valley of human suffering and not even flinch. You couldn't tell if that made him subhuman or superhuman. You, however, were just human.

You wanted to be a badass. You wanted to kick the door down and make a scene. But one woman was enough to break you.

She was wearing only a large t-shirt. A cloth bandage covered in blood covered her pubic area like a makeshift pair of underpants. She laid limply against a stone. Her arms were punctured where needles had been.

"I don't..." she mumbled, clearly intoxicated beyond function. "...don't make me..."

You knew you couldn't afford to stop. But compassion kept your feet firmly on the ground in front of her.

"What is Chase making you do?"

"I can't-" She said, pressing her forehead against the rock. "I can't be an unwoman-"

She began to slam her head against the rock with clear intent to take her own life. Without thinking, you grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her into the grass. She sobbed, a bloody, but thankfully, survivable, gash on her forehead.

"Tell me your name." You demanded, squeezing her shoulders.

"...Tiffany." She said with a sudden lucidity.

The name unlocked a memory in you. It was the still image of a sunny young girl, immortalized on a faded missing person's ad hung up at the grocery store. Tiffany Rose Pierce, it read.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, Tiffany." You whispered. "I'm gonna get all of you out of here."

"Vanguard won't like that." She said, slipping back into a state of minimal consciousness.

"Stay here." You instructed, pushing yourself back to your feet.

You readied your gun and slowly, carefully pushed the cabin door open. Suddenly, the stained glass window was the least of your worries.

The entire area was lined with cheaply-constructed bunk beds, like an overgrown henhouse. Women with distinctively long hair were shackled to the lower bunks. Their shaven counterparts, the unwomen, were forced to be the slavedrivers. They held the chained women down.

You heard the rattling of chains coming from the right. It was accompanied with screaming and wet slapping.

"Take daddy's cock you filthy fucking broodmare." A familiar voice grunted.

The only way you could look at him was behind the barrel of your gun. He was exactly how you pictured him while listening to his voice in the car. Unremarkable, middle-aged and serpentine.

"Pastor Armitage!" You yelled.

To hear someone call him by his title in the midst of violating a person was enough to send him into a panic. He sputtered and his entire face turned red.

He didn't suffer for long, though. A 12 gauge shell right through the face took care of that. Fragments of his head, his blood and brain matter splattered everywhere. His knees buckled and his limp body collapsed.

The room fell silent. Smoke trickled out of your barrel.

"Where's fucking Chase?" You asked the room.

Someone weakly pointed up the stairs. You met her eyes and nodded.

"Sorry about the mess."

Now you knew how Hannibal felt. Blowing someone's head off made you acutely aware of your own head on your shoulders. You held it higher. You felt no remorse as you ascended the staircase with your gun blazing.

You came across a room with some words etched in the door. 'Skin room'. You launched your foot squarely into the door, causing it to violently swing open. 

You examined the room from behind the gun. Chase had done a hell of a job dressing up this cheap cabin bedroom like a hotel suite, but the smell hit you before you could be fooled. A brick chimney, a wine cooler and a mahogany desk were positioned so the eye would gravitate towards the luxury while the nose picked up the brutality. The stained glass window was suspended in front of the real window, absorbing the mid-morning light and giving the room an eerie sepia tint. 

You cocked your gun to announce your presence. You heard the sound of running water, and then a side door swung open. 

“You’ll forgive me a couple minutes to freshen up.” Chase said, shaking his hands dry. “Cleanliness is close to godliness, after all.” 

You said nothing. You didn’t want to dignify him with a conversation. 

He bent over and pulled a bottle of wine from his cooler. He placed it squarely on the desk. You looked at it, then did a double take. He grinned sadistically. 

“Is that...” You leaned in to get a closer look. “1907 Heidsieck Monople Gout?” 

Chase shrugged. “You tell me. You’re the wine expert.” 

You’d heard many a conflicting story about the legendary 1907 Heidsieck. Some said as many as 2,000 bottles were pulled up from the depths of the freezing Baltic sea. Some said a single bottle could go for half a million dollars. With that kind of precedent, you never thought you’d ever have to worry about it. Yet, there it was. Right in front of you. 

“I’m saving it for a special occasion.” Chase said, suddenly reminding you where you were.

You returned to your gun. “For when you kill me?” 

“For when I save you.” Chase smiled, his unnaturally white teeth glistening in the sepia light. “See, Miss [F/N], you survived two of my attempts on your life. God has smiled down on you.” 

“Or, maybe,” You interrupted. “You’re just horrible at killing.” 

Chase raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"A knife through the hand hurts like a bitch, but it isn't fatal." You shrugged. "And you didn't do a good enough job beating the fear of death out of Catherine. Else she might have actually gone through with it. Maybe if you'd sent Tiffany-"

"God loves you." Chase interrupted before you could poke more holes in his attempts on your life. "Why you're still alive when so many less deserving of death have died is beyond me, but god works in mysterious ways, doesn't he?"

"She sure does." You smirked.

Chase cleared his throat. You'd pegged him as the type to get irrationally angry at the implication of god being a woman, so his reaction surprised you.

"Well, let's get down to business, shall we?" He gestured to a seat across from him.

You narrowed your eyes. "I don't think so."

"Pity." He pouted. "Not even for poor Mr. Graham?"

It dawned on you that he probably still thought he had Will, and you could use it to your advantage.

You held your gun at your side and hesitantly sat down in the seat. A gluttonous smile spread across Chase's face.

"So it wasn't wine after all." He said. "It wasn't even your own life. You're only willing to save your soul for the sake of your precious Will Graham."

"What do you care?" You growled through your teeth. "This is just a power grab for you. You wouldn't know what genuine empathy for another person feels like."

He grinned, as if someone had just flipped his 'on' switch. "Jesus does."

"Did Jesus use his influence to lure teenage girls into a sick breeding ring?" You sneered. "I don't remember that from VeggieTales."

"Genesis 1:28." Chase said. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply."

"I suppose you also don't eat shellfish or wear mixed fabrics." You rolled your eyes.

"It's always the same arguments from you atheists." Chase scoffed, adding a distinct bite to the last word. "When are you going to show some actual proof that the bible isn't an infallible model for human morality?"

"Maybe when you stop eating shellfish and wearing mixed fabrics." You repeated.

"They are minor sins at best." Chase grimaced. "I have gotten right with Jesus. You, on the other hand, oh, you. Your sins are weighty."

"I did just blast a rapist's head off." You admitted. "And it's going to be two very soon if this one doesn't get to the fucking point."

"I know about your exploits." He squinted. "With Mr. Graham and the man with the Nazi accent."

"He's actually from Lithuania, which, if you wanna be technical," you corrected, just for the sake of being annoying. "Is an ex-Soviet state, but whatever."

Chase tensed up at being corrected. "I know about your hedonistic sexual activities with two men, your exploration. But in the bible, Satan approaches these two people called Adam and Eve..."

"No he didn't." You shook your head. "It was a serpent. The devil wasn't a concept when Genesis was written."

Chase gritted his teeth. "God made one man and one woman. Each to fill each other's sexual desires, within the context of marriage, entirely-"

"But Adam had two spouses, didn't he?" You cocked your head and smiled. "Eve wasn't even the first woman in Adam's life. That was Lilith."

Chase heaved a frustrated sigh. "How do you know that?!"

"I was raised catholic." You said in the tonal equivalent of smacking him upside the head. "I was forced into religion at a young age and brainwashed to hate myself."

"See, that's where we agree." Chase tented his hands, thinking he found a genuine point of connection. "Organized religion is a cancer on society. Christianity is fundamentally about a relationship with god."

You laughed. It was the first real, good laugh you had in a while.

"Don't laugh." He scolded. "I am sorry that that was your experience with religion and that the Catholic church modeled a false teaching of who god is and what he wants. Not all christians-"

You wiped a tear from your eye. "Homie, you killed four people in front of me."

He placed his hand over his heart. "And christ forgave me. And he can forgive you too."

"Alright, this has been fun and everything," you said, standing up. You aimed your shotgun and cocked it. "But, I did come here to kill you, so, open wide."

Chase put his hand squarely over the barrel and pushed it out of the way. "You don’t have the guts to pull the trigger."

You pulled the trigger and blasted his hand clean off. Any hope of reattachment was shattered, as bits of his hand painted the walls and floor.

You opened the gun and let the two empty shells fall to the ground while Chase screamed in agony.

Instead of going through the motions of reloading, you smashed him over the head with the gun. He wrapped his good hand around the barrel and attempted to wrestle it away from you. You took this as an invitation to corner him against the wall with the still-hot barrel against his neck. He smashed his forehead into your nose, sending you tumbling backwards.

The shotgun fell to the ground. You pinched the bridge of your nose to control the blood flow. Chase wrapped a champagne towel around his stump and picked up a small revolver on his desk. He let off a shot, which lodged itself into your shoulder. By the time he let off the second shot, you were on the ground. The third shot didn't fire, just let out a flash and a bang.

"Goddamn blanks!" He cursed.

He tore open a drawer and rummaged around for bullets, giving you a window to come up from behind and gouge your fingers into his eyes. He screamed, dropping a handful of bullets. He flailed aimlessly, then charged backwards, slamming you into the cheap drywall.

He felt around for the bullets without the advent of eyesight. You knew you wouldn't be able to take aim with your shotgun with a bullet lodged in your shoulder, so you dove for the revolver.

Chase grabbed you by the ankle and dragged you down. You hit the floor with a thud, the collision making the bullets jump. Chase grinned, using the sound to place them. He turned around and reached for one, while you scooped up another that had rolled under the desk.

You scrambled to your feet. Chase's hand was just centimeters from the revolver. Thinking fast (but not so thoroughly), you grabbed for the revolver. You wrapped your hand around the barrel, putting yourself at a disadvantage if he fired off another blank.

Chase, however, wasn't that forward-thinking, and opted for a childish game of tug-of-war instead. Knowing he had the brute strength advantage, you waited for him to pull back and released your grip. Chase tumbled, cursing on his way down.

With no thought on your mind but ending this, you launched your foot into his sack, causing him to scream and drop the gun.

Just as you thought it was over, just when the gun was in arm's reach, he kicked your knees backwards and you fell. You swallowed the pain and army crawled for the revolver.

"I don't think so." Chase spat, smiling like a maniac. He grabbed your face with his good hand and his fingers slithered down your throat.

"Choke..." he demanded. "Choke, demoness."

Strengthened by animalistic instinct, you crushed his fingers under your teeth. The sound of snapping bone filled the inside of your head and a sudden rush of blood flooded into your mouth. He withdrew his hand, leaving a finger behind to limply fall down your throat.

You coughed and gagged while Chase screamed. A single bloody digit dislodged itself from your windpipe, flew across the room and landed on the desk.

Chase sputtered something resembling a laugh. "Maybe you're not such a dumb bitch after all."

You grabbed the gun and pushed yourself up with the help of the desk. The finger stared up at you as you loaded the single bullet.

You positioned the finger onto the trigger and guided it with your gloved hand. Then you aimed it at his forehead. Dead by his gun, by his trigger finger. Bleeding on the ground in his private bunker while the empire he built collapses around him. A coward's death. It was poetic enough an end as he deserved.

"You want to say a prayer before you meet god?" You offered.

"My soul is saved." Chase said through ragged breaths. "My place in heaven is secured."

Bang. One bullet, right between the eyes. A bloody fingerprint on the pistol. You dropped the revolver and collapsed. You just laid there, listening to your phone buzz.

[let-me-luve-you]

Winter Storm

Jared Padalecki x Reader

Summary: You play Cordell Walker’s daughter on the new show Walker. Jared takes you under his wing. What happens when a winter storm hits all of Texas.

Warnings: Mentions of a rough upbringing, Texas winter storm, power outage, water problems, some angst, scary weather, fluff, protective Jared, maybe a cuss word somewhere

A/N: As a Texan, this past week has been scary. I have been extremely blessed to not have the problems that a lot are. I was lucky and did not lose power and did not have any pipes burst. This idea came to me after seeing that Jared and Gen were helping others while dealing with their own problems at their house. 

HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO HELP OUT IF YOU ARE ABLE TO. 

KICK THE COLD - AUSTIN MUTUAL AID

GENESIS WOMEN’S SHELTER & SUPPORT

FEEDING TEXAS

LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS SEEKING DONATIONS IN DALLAS AREA

THE WAY HOME

You do not have to donate to any of these organizations, but if you feel the need to help, here are a few links. ^^^^ There are plenty more out there if you don’t want to donate to these links. 

MASTERLIST   BUY ME A COFFEE

Winter weather will be hitting Texas this weekend. You can expect lots of snow and ice. It is best to prepare for possible power outages and water being turned off. That is worst case scenario, but be prepared as Sunday will be a cold one.

You panicked. Growing up in North Texas you never had to deal with severe winter weather. You were used to dealing with tornados. But the way they were talking on the news, this weekend was going to be bad.

Thankfully you had the day off and were able to go to the store. You grabbed a case of water and food that you could prepare and food that didn’t have to be cooked to eat. You were still getting used to the adult life as an 18 year old, but since you had been taking care of yourself the last few years, you learned a thing or two in the kitchen. You made sure to grab some snacks as well since they didn’t have to be cooked or stored in the fridge either.

As you pulled up to your apartment building, you got a call from the lead and producer of the show you were on. You still weren’t sure how you managed to land the role of Stella in the new show Walker, but you were grateful. You put the car in park and grabbed your phone.

“Hey Jare.” You said. Jared was the older brother you always wanted, even though he plays your dad and he has moments where he acts like your dad. You didn’t have a great life growing up and to have a male figure in your life to help you in anyway, made you happy. Same thing with Gen.

“Hey Y/N/N. How’re you doing?” He asked.

“I’m doing good. Just got back from the store. Am I needed on set?” You asked in a panic thinking you missed something.

“No, no you’re not needed. Just wanted to call and tell you we are not filming Monday or Tuesday next week. And depending on the weather and roads, we may cancel Wednesday as well.” He informed you.

“Oh. Is it because of the storm?” You asked.

“Yeah. We aren’t sure how bad it’ll be, but we are hoping we are just being over cautious.” He said. “You said you went to the store?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to get something’s so I won’t have to get out. And I got some stuff. I won’t need to cook in case we lose power. Also filled up with gas in case I lose heat and need to warm up some.” You told him.

“Come stay with us. We have plenty of room and we have a fireplace. We just restocked our firewood supply. I don’t want to be worrying about you all weekend.” He said.

“I’ll be okay. Really. Thank you for the offer though.” You said nicely. You really did mean it. You were used to taking care of yourself that when people did want to help you, you appreciated them.

“Well. I have my truck if I need to come get you. If you change your mind, come over. The kids would love to see you.” He said. You heard Gen agree with him in the background. “And Gen would too.”

“Well after the storm, I’ll come over for dinner to see everyone. And I’ll even come another night to babysit so you and Gen can go on a date.” You said with a laugh once you heard Gen immediately laugh.

“Gen says you don’t have to, but I will take you up on both offers.” Jared told you. “Okay. Well stay in touch. They say it’ll start sometime tomorrow night.”

“Y’all stay safe and stay in touch too.” You said. “Bye Jare.”

“Bye Y/N/N.” He said before hanging up. You put your phone back into your pocket before lugging all of the groceries into your apartment. You put everything away before going to change out of your winter clothes.

After changing into some PJs to be comfortable. You decided to meal prep some so you wouldn’t have to worry about it later. And if the weather isn’t as bad as they think it’ll be, you can just eat them throughout the week.

Sunday morning, you woke up and looked outside. All you could see was white fluffiness. You smiled as the world looked at peace. You loved snow. You always thought it brought beauty to the world.

When you walked back to your phone where it laid on its charger, you saw a couple of texts from Jared and Gen. Both had sent you photos of Tom, Shep, and Odette playing the in the snow. Then you saw Jared’s text about possible rolling power outages.

You picked up the phone and called Jared and before he could even say hello, you asked, “What does that mean? Your text... I don’t understand it.”

“It means they’ll shut the power off for an hour to three hours to preserve energy.” Jared said.

“Oh.” You said.

“Yeah, so if the power goes out, don’t worry, it should come back on.” He reassured you.

“Okay. Thank you for letting me know.” You replied.

“Of course. How are you doing anyways?” He asked.

“Good. Just woke up. Felt good to sleep in. I’m probably about to start warming up my lunch.” You informed him. “How are y’all handling it over there? I saw the pics you and Gen sent. The kids look like they’re having a blast.”

“We’re doing good. The kids are definitely loving the snow. I did have to help Gen gather the chickens this morning which wasn’t fun.” He said with a laugh.

“Oh gosh. Yeah chasing chickens isn’t fun. Are they okay? I didn’t even think about y’all’s animals?”

“They’re all in the barn with heat lamps. Thankfully the barn is powered by solar so we don’t have to worry too much if the power goes out since we have a lot of energy stored up.” He said.

“Good that’s good. Well I’ll let you get back to doing whatever you were doing. Thanks again for letting me know.”

“Anytime. If you need something, holler. Okay?” He asked.

“I will. Bye.” You said. You heard his farewell as you went to hang up the phone. After preheating the oven, you took the lasagna and boxed garlic bread out of the freezer. You figured, while the power was still on, you could cook the one meal you prepped that couldn’t be eaten cold until you cooked it and it was leftovers.

An hour later, you sat at the counter charging your phone and iPad while you ate. When you went to take another bite, the power cut off.

“Great.” You whispered. You knew it was only going to be for a few hours, but you were a little aggravated by the inconvenience. You stood up and went and put on thicker sweatpants and your socks. When you made it back to your phone to text Jared that your power went out, you saw you barely had any service. That concerned you in case you needed to make a call for an emergency.

Power just went out. Hopefully y’all didn’t lose power. I’ll let you know when it’s back on. Sent 1:23 pm

You continued to eat as you awaited a response. Shrugging when you finished your meal and put the dirty dish in the sink, you moved to the living room to read a book you started the night before.

Hours later, you still had no power and you still hadn’t heard from Jared or Gen. You had checked social media, but neither had posted anything. You decided to scroll through Twitter and saw the horrors of people’s pipes bursting and roofs caving in flooding their homes.

Seeing people in Austin posting that, you decided to grab a tote to store your valuables in. Sadly, it wasn’t a lot, but the idea of losing what little you had that meant something to you scared you.

You needed to go to your car to charge your phone and warm up some, so you decided to store your valuables in the trunk. Thankfully you had a covered parking space that was right in front of your apartment. When you put the tote in the trunk, you checked to make sure the tail pipe was clear of snow before you started the car.

After spending an hour in the car, you decided it was time for bed. Grabbing every piece of blankets you had, you cuddled up in Jared’s hoody that you stole from him when you filmed episode 2 of Walker and all the blankets. You even had on two pairs of socks on since you got cold earlier.

The next morning, you checked to see your phone still had more than half its battery life left. But what shocked you was still no response from Jared. You got on Instagram and saw that Gen had posted a boomerang of him with his socks on as gloves, but neither had checked in with you.

You were kind of upset by this. You knew they didn’t owe you anything, but it still hurt. Going to the kitchen, you saw it was flooded.

“Oh no. Oh no. Nonononono.” You panicked. You ran to the bathroom and grabbed all the towels you owned and rushed back to the kitchen. You threw them down to try and absorb as much water as possible. You opened the cabinet and saw the pipe that had burst. You grabbed your phone and called the landlord.

“Hey Craig. I had a pipe burst this morning.” You said when he answered.

“Can’t do much with the weather like this.” He said not really caring.

“Can you turn the water off or something? Or tell me where it is and I’ll do it.” You said getting angry.

“Can’t do that either. If I do that, your neighbors lose their water too.” He said.

“Well what am I supposed to do. Just sit in water all day?” You asked with an annoyed tone.

“City’s running out of water anyway so they may shut it off. So won’t be long before it stops.” He said. You got so mad that you hung up. He was useless.

After 3 hours, all of your towels were soaked and you started using some of your clothes to help absorb what the towels couldn’t. You had tried calling Jared to see if he knew what to do but it went straight to voicemail. Same with Gen.

After using most of your clothes to stop the water, you decided to pack a bag in case you had to leave. Plus it would let you know what you could use to absorb the water that still remains. Thankfully your landlord had turned the water off after multiple people called about pipes bursting. All you had to do was finish cleaning up the mess.

Two days later, you were sitting in your car, about to go back into your apartment when you got a call from Gen.

“Y/N. Oh my gosh it’s so good to hear from you. We haven’t had service, plus we lost power and had a few pipes burst. Are you okay?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m okay. Sitting in my car right now so I could charge my phone and warm up a bit.” You told her.

“You don’t have power still?” She asked.

“Nope. And I also had a pipe burst. But I cleaned it up and nothing was damaged. Did you have any damage done? Is everyone okay?” You asked concerned.

“Yeah. We are fine. And just minimal floor damage.” She told you. “Jared is cleaning that mess up while I’m going to the store. Do you need anything? We have some of our neighbors over trying to stay warm and I’m grabbing them stuff too. So I don’t mind getting you anything.”

“I’m okay. I have plenty.” You said. You wanted heat. You wanted to sleep without having to wear five layers, but you refused to ask.

“Well if you do need something, text or call. Hopefully we get service back.” She said.

“I will. Thanks Gen.” you said as you hung up. Ten minutes later you got a call from Jared.

“Pack a bag and bring some blankets.” He said before you could even greet him.

“What?” You asked genuinely confused.

“I said, pack a bag and bring some blankets. Also if you want to bring any food you don’t want to go to waste or if you have water, bring that too. I’ll come in and help you carry.” He said.

“Wh-wait.. what is happening?” You asked.

“I’m coming to get you and you are going to stay with us for a couple of days. I just got off the phone with Gen and she said you had a pipe burst and you don’t have heat. So you are going to come stay with us until your power is back on and the pipe is fixed.” He said. “I’m pulling up. I’ll be inside in a second.” He hung up before you could say anything.

You went and unlocked the door before moving to your room. You grabbed your big suitcase and packed what few pair of pants you had, a weeks worth of underwear, two weeks worth of socks since you hated having cold feet, and the remaining three sweaters and seven shirts you had. It barely filled your suitcase so you decided to throw in a couple of hoodies as well.

“That all your packing?” Jared asked concerned. No one knew how long this was going to last.

“It’s all I got clean.” You answered honestly.

“No way.” He said in disbelief. You shrugged and told him to follow you as you walked into the kitchen. He saw the pile of clothes and towels on the ground. “Oh Y/N. I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“Happened to you too.” You said before moving back to your room. You grabbed a blanket and started to fold it, starting a pile you were taking with you to the Padalecki’s. Once you finished that, you grabbed your pillow too.

“Want any books or anything? You have room in your suitcase.” Jared said as he pointed to it. You shrugged and grabbed a few books you had been wanting to read. After throwing them into the suitcase, you ran to the living room to grab your iPad and chargers.

“We can charge them in the cars if we need to.” Jared said when you thought about not putting them in your bag. You nodded before throwing them in and zipping it up. “This ready to go to the truck?” You nodded once again before he grabbed the suitcase handle and stack of blankets and your pillow with ease. “Go figure out food and I’ll come back to help.”

Once in the kitchen, you grabbed the full water case you had bought a few days before and the almost empty one that you had already opened. You then moved to the fridge to grab the few casserole dishes you had left to eat. You grabbed your travel food carrier and put the casseroles in first before the almost empty case of water in after it. You saw Jared walking back in and asked,

“Is there any food of mine you want? I’ve got everything packed that will definitely go bad before I get back. The rest has already gone bad.” You said while looking at Jared who was looking through your cabinets. He found your snack one and grabbed a few things and shoved them in your carrier.

“That’s all I want.” He smirked. “Ready to go? We can come back in a couple of days if we need to.”

“Ready.” You walked to his truck and he helped you load the water and carrier. As you got into the passenger seat and started to buckle, you said, “thanks for coming to get me and letting me stay with you.”

“Anything for family.” He said smiling at you before driving carefully back to his house.

“But we aren’t family?” You said more as a question.

“You’re my tv daughter, so technically we are.” He said with a laugh. “But in all seriousness, I do see you as family. Me and you have gotten close over these past few months. I can see you as a daughter and I can see you as a little sister.” You could hear the sincerity in his voice.

“Really?” You asked. He nodded his head. “It means a lot to hear you say that. I see you as a big brother.”

“Good.” You saw him smile. “That means you can ask me for anything or do anything and I’ll be there for you. Sorry I didn’t come get you sooner. I thought about it.”

“It’s okay. I tried calling but could never get through. It happens. I’m just glad nothing more serious happened. I’m glad we are all safe.” You said honestly.

“And we are about to get you warm. We have the fire going in the living room and in mine and Gen’s room. Kids have been sleeping with us or on the floor in our room. You’re welcome to make a pallet in front of the fire and crash there.” He said as he pulled into his driveway.

“Sleeping in front of a warm fire sounds lovely right now. Thank you.” You leaned over and gave him a big hug. “I love you Jare.” You said before pulling back to kiss his cheek.

“Love you too y/n/n.” He smiled at you. “Now let’s go take all this in and get you warmed up.”

Tags: @deadcoldhearts​