#kirby's personal issues

[kirbythulhu]

Cringe forgive me, I be thinking about Sonic OCs of all things today

[dagrapesody]

I like the beetlejuice musical so this spawned on my canvas Idk

[paintpanic]

I ripped all the Dress-Up Mask SFX from Return to Dream Land Deluxe. Check it out here on Google Drive if you're interested. ✌

[veveisveryuncool]

been drawing a lot of adeleine, but here's tiny chihuahua pinksplosion ribbon too!!

i love feral ribbon a normal amount

[what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me]

Early sketches for a concept I plan to play around with

[kachikirby]

Kirby: Mysterious Incident on the Pupupu Train! - Chapter 1: The Railroad King Has Arrived!

One Day, Bandanna Waddle Dee rushed into King Dedede’s office (or what he called his nap room).

“Great King! Great King! You have a visitor!”

As he always did when he awakened, Dedede yawned as he spoke.

“A visitor? There aren’t any visitors scheduled for today. They’re awfully brazen to come here without an appointment. Kick ‘em out!”

“But they said they wanted to speak to your highness no matter what...”

“For the love of-! I don’t know who they are or where they’re from...”

“He said his name was the Railroad King. Apparently, he wants to speak to you about railroads.”

“...what? A king?”

Dedede was intrigued. The self-proclaimed ruler of Dream Land was weak to the word “king”.

“If a king says that they want to meet with me, then there’s no reason to send him away.”

“Yeah...”

“Let’s go meet them.”

Dedede eagerly put on a new gown and headed to the guest’s waiting room.

~~~~~~~~

It was an elegantly dressed gentleman who bowed his head graciously. He was small in stature, but rotund and had a fine mustache. His eyes looked gentle, but were also sharp.

“It’s an honor to meet you, King Dedede. My name is York.”

“There’s no need to be so formal! The both of us are kings! Don’t be so shy!”

Dedede said in high spirits. At this, York laughed.

“Oh, no. I might be called the Railroad King, but that is only a nickname. I’m not a real king, like your majesty.”

“...a nickname?”

“Correct. I was called that because I own railroads all across the galaxy.”

“...what?”

Now knowing that this wasn’t a real king, Dedede gained a bored expression.

“So? What does a fake king want with me?”

Despite being called fake, York did not become angry. On the contrary, he was smiling more and more.

“I have a request regarding a railroad.”

“A railroad...”

“Correct. I would like to ask for permission to construct a magnificent galactic railway, the Pupupu Train, to connect Dream Land to the resort planet, Baspa.”

“...Baspa?”

Dedede leaned forward.

“Do you know about it, your highness?”

“Of course! It’s that big-name planet with a ton of gorgeous hotels and restaurants with all of the best cooks, right?”

“That’s correct. But that’s not all. Baspa has many beautiful lakes, forests, seas, and spacious hot springs. It’s the best place you can go on vacation...”

“I don’t care about the lakes and forests! There are a lot of those in Dream Land, too! The most important thing is food! Gorgeous food is the only thing that’s befitting for me!”

“If that’s so, then I’m sure your highness will be satisfied.”

York narrowed his eyes.

“Baspa has Japanese food, western food, Chinese food, and desert, all made by top-notch chefs. Everyone will put their skills to great use to welcome your highness.”

“I see. It lives up to its reputation.”

King Dedede said with a face that seemed to melt away.

“I’ve always wanted to go there, but I gave up because it was too far away. If we have a railroad, it’ll be a straight line from Dream Land to Baspa!”

“Correct. The company train is equipped with a dining room, cozy bedrooms, and is gorgeous. It promises comfy travels befitting of your highness.”

“I love it! Start on construction right away!”

With that, Dedede and York firmly shook hands.

~~~~~~~~

After York left, Bandana Waddle Dee returned to Dedede’s side and spoke to him with worry.

“Your highness, that king of the railroad is...”

“Yup! He may not be a real king, but he sure does give you what you want. I think he really is gonna build a railroad connecting Dream Land to Baspa.”

“Yes, he explained it to us as well. It seems he didn’t just invite you, but us as well.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, I need someone to take care of me, you know!”

Dedede laughed in a carefree way, but Bandana had a sullen expression.

“Not only that, but it seems that a lot of the residents of Dream Land were invited for the commemorative opening of the Pupupu Train...”

“Hoho? That York guy’s really generous.”

“Isn’t that a bit too good...?”

Upon finally noticing Bandana’s expression, King Dedede asked.

“What do you mean? Why do you look so glum?”

“I’m worried. I heard that traveling by train is a very luxurious and difficult thing to do. And yet, a lot of residents were invited... doesn’t that mean that York is planning something?”

“Of course he has a plan! He’s eager to please my great self! The idea of entertaining me is all he can think about! Because of that, he wants to try that by inviting my subjects and the residents!”

“Is... that right...?”

Upon seeing how depressed Bandana looked, Dedede became sullen.

“What? You look bored even though you’re going on a wonderful vacation. If you don’t want to come, you can be the caretaker for the castle. I’ll take the other Waddle Dees with me!”

Bandana raised his face and replied with a panicked tone.

“N-no! I’m sorry, I’m going! I want to go!”

“Hmph. You should’ve said that from the beginning. Make sure to get ready for the trip. I’m gonna need a change of clothes, and a lot of ‘em. It’s a resort planet, so only the most gorgeous fashion is going to fit there! Since there’s hot springs, I’m gonna need a yukata, too. And of course I can’t forget my swimsuit, sunglasses, and swim ring!”

“Y-yes, your highness!”

Bandana bowed his head and rushed out of the room.

~~~~~~~~

The news of the Pupupu Train was a big fuss for the Waddle Dees.

“Hooray! We’re also invited!”

“I’m really happy! I’ve never been on a train before!”

“It’s my first time, too. I wonder what train travel is like.”

“I’m looking forward to it! That’s right! I’ll make a travel itinerary and decide on the plans in detail!”

When the excited Waddle Dees saw Bandana returning from the king’s room, they looked puzzled.

“Ah, Bandana-senpai...”

“Is something wrong? Why do you look so down...?”

The Waddle Dees started to look worried.

“Did something happen? By any chance, were you scolded by his highness...?”

“N-no! Not at all!”

Bandana raised his head with a bright smile.

“I can’t help but look forward to it. Now, let’s all start preparing for the trip!”

“Yes, sir!”

Bandana turned his back to everyone and thought.

The railroad king York looked like a calm and classy gentleman, but that doesn’t mean it was his true nature. He was concerned about the look in his eyes. It was the eyes of someone who was plotting something. To begin with, anyone who visited King Dedede often had a wicked scheme beneath their affable demeanor. They try to deceive and take advantage of the king or they try to invade Dream Land...

“His highness is kind, so he’s quick to believe in others. I have to be strong...”

Bandana uttered seemingly to himself while clenching his fist.

~~~~~~~~

The rumors about the Pupupu Train spread throughout Dream Land. The residents were, of course, delighted. No matter where anyone looked, it was the only thing being talked about. Even so, none of them has ever ridden a train before and that was why they let their imaginations run wild as they talked. Even today, some residents chatter wildly as they gathered in the plaza.

“So it’s a long thing you ride in, right? Then it’s gotta wriggle around like a snake!” Burning Leo said.

“How do you ride on top of a snake? Won’t you just fall off?” Chilly said worriedly.

Knuckle Joe laughed. “You don’t ride on top of it! You ride inside it like a car!”

“A long car that wriggles? What a strange vehicle!”

At that moment, Kirby and Waddle Dee appeared in the plaza. They were all standing in a line with long ropes in their hands. Kirby was in the front, and Bandana Waddle Dee was in the back.

“Choo choooooo! Next stop, the plaza!” Kirby shouted and their feet stopped moving.

“Please watch your step while getting off! We will be departing momentarily!” Bandana said.

“...what are you all doing?” Burning Leo called out, to which Kirby answered back.

“We’re playing train!”

“Huh...?”

“We’re practicing for when we ride the Pupupu Train.”

Burning Leo and the others looked at each other.

“Do you guys even know what a train looks like?” Knuckle Joe asked.

“I know! It’s a long car that runs on top of rails and has dining rooms and beds inside!”

“...huh!?”

Everyone was surprised by Kirby’s immediate answer.

“Why would you know something like that?!”

“No way! Kirby, have you ridden a train before?!”

“Nope! I haven’t! But Waddle Dee told me about it!”

“We’ve received pamphlets from the Railroad King York. It has a lot of information about the Pupupu Train that’s currently under construction.” Bandana said.

“Pamphlet?” Chilly asked.

“If you have something nice like that, then let us see it!”

“Of course. I’ll make copies to hand out to everyone. Gather everyone at Castle Dedede!”

“All right!” Burning Leo jumped up with all his might.

“We’ll let everyone know! I’m itching to know more about the Pupupu Train ASAP!” Knuckle Joe said with a smile.

Then he and the others ran off in whatever direction they pleased.

~~~~~~~~

The citizens of Dreamland rushed to Castle Dedede in excitement. There, the Waddle Dees copied the pamphlets and handed them out. Everyone was delighted to see the illustration of the train for the first time.

“Wow! The guest rooms have a big bed and sofa! It’s like a hotel!”

“It runs through the galaxy at tremendous speeds and can reach the planet Baspa in a week!”

In the group of gathered citizens, Chef Kawasaki was also there.

“Are you gonna ride the train, too?” Kirby asked.

“I’ve been specially invited to take care of the dining car.” Kawasaki said proudly.

“Huh!? Then I’ll be able to eat your cooking on the Pupupu Train?”

“Yes! I’ll be making breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and midnight snacks! I’ll be preparing many gorgeous menus, so look forward to it!”

“Uwaaaah! Hurray!”

Kirby was so happy that he somersaulted.

“Now that everyone is here, here, let's decide on the room assignments.” Bandana said.

“Room assignments?”

“There are several private rooms on the Pupupu Train. King Dedede will have his own room and the ten of us Waddle Dees will have our own room, but everyone else should decide who should room with who.” Everyone looked at each other. Then Chilly spoke. “I don’t want to be in a room with Burning Leo. He’ll make the room so hot that I’ll melt.”

“I don’t want to room with Chilly either.” Burning Leo responded. “If I do it, I’m gonna catch a cold! Hothead, wanna share a room with me?”

“Sounds good.” Hothead replied, blowing a small flame from his mouth with a “po”.

“It’ll be fun with Burning Leo. The two of us will make the “Hot-Blooded Fire Room”!”

“Then it’s been decided!”

Burning Leo and Hothead made a triumphant pose.

Then Pengi spoke. “I’ll stay with Chilly. Our room will be the “Freezing Ice Room”.”

“Waah! Sounds good! I’ll look forward to it, Pengi!” Chilly was also very happy by it.

“I’ll be fine staying in a room with Walky!” Kirby said happily.

“...huh?” Walky looked puzzled. “W-why? What are you planning, Kirby?”

“I’m not planning anything. I just think we both are similar to each other.”

“Like what?”

“We’re good at singing!” Kirby said confidently.  “Our room can be the “Captivating Singer Room”! Let’s sing lots of fun songs!”

“...HUH?!”

Walky recoiled.

Everyone around them was disturbed. They all deeply knew the destructive power of Kirby’s singing.

“Kirby says some scary things...”

“If he sings, the whole train will be destroyed!”

“We have to stop him...!”

While everyone else turned pale, Bonkers was the one who stepped forward. Rabble-rousing and quarrelsome, Bonkers is feared by the residents. Everyone held their breath wondering what he would say. He glared at Kirby and said “Oi, Kirby, stop it.”

“Huh?”

“Why don’t you... you...” Bonkers then said with a determined expression. “Room with me.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I want to share a room with you. You mind?”

“Is that so?” Embarrassed, Kirby then spun around on one leg. “I didn’t know you liked me so much!”

“Y-yeah.”

“If you say so, fine. I’ll room with you. Sorry, Walky, I know you’re disappointed...”

“N-no! Not at all! Don’t worry about it!” Walky replied in a loud voice.

Everyone around them gave appreciative glances towards Bonkers and whispered among each other.

“We’re saved!”

“Thank you, Bonkers! We owe you!”

“I thought he was a violent and scary guy, but when the time comes, we can count on him!”

The other citizens also smoothly decided on their room assignments.

With everyone's expectations rising, the construction of Pupu Train proceeded and the day of completion came on schedule.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Table of Contents

Next Chapter

[amikufanlol]

My currently undrawn Kirby OCs currently consist of…

A people pleaser who I will not currently mention the issues of

A literal ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ who, tbh, would prefer to be the sheep and is in a cult situation

Two porcupines twins. Older one has dittophobia (more like extreme hate ngl) and younger one has neophobia

oh yeah still considering turning AI-generated character someone made some time into an OC of mine. If I end up doing that I will probably give out some basic info.

[thedevotionaltour]

Daredevil #12 - "Sightless, in a Savage Land!" (November 1965)

Written by Stan Lee Art by Jack Kirby (pencils), John Romita Sr. (pencils, inks)

[bookishmeow]

I swear, all I am doing lately is defending the Lucanis romance. Listen: When Mary Kirby, his main writer, got fired, the game was in its beta testing. This means that the main written story was done. Beta phases are for making sure there are no graphical or gameplay issues. Not for writing issues. You're past that point. The argument I keep seeing is that they think the Lucanis romance was "unfinished" because of Kirby leaving. Also saying whoever filled in didn't like romances? No, that was Kirby who didn't like them, but she did still write this one.

Lucanis, and the crows, were also written by Courtney Woods. Courtney originally wrote Lucanis in the various shorts, including the ones in Tevinter Nights. She knows the character just as well. So if they needed any extra writing done for the character, Courtney, having been the original writer of him in all the other media he's in, would have easily been able to write anything that Kirby didn't want to. Courtney did also leave, though, before the layoffs. Regardless, writing at the beta phase state does not usually happen. Writing is finished.

The pacing seems off with him because he is one of the first companions you can get and so you can get some of his scenes very early on, before you even get the full roster. THEN he has some of his later scenes after the crows are addressed in the plot in Act 2. These come near last in the actual story plot, right before Act 3 and the point of no return. So it feels like there's a bigger gap in scenes than there is because of this. His romance scenes actually clock in at more time than Hardings. The romance scenes themselves aren't the issue, it is pacing in actual plot that is the issue. Him not being immediately flirty is his personality and him dealing with a lot. He does have flirty dialogue and does make comments on the two of you in banter and ambient dialogue if you go visit him. He's not completely devoid of it. He is not the "Dashing Hispanic" trope (even though antiva is supposed to be Italian adjacent) ala Zevran or his cousin Illario. He has some of the qualities, but is really bad in the flirting with ladies aspect of it. okay, sorry, it's been building. Thank you for reading my ranting.

[abyssembraced]

((Quick heads up that my portrayal of Ghost might seem a little inconsistent for a little bit. There are a couple things I'm not super satisfied with right now))

[kirbythulhu]

Human beings are by majority good actually

[featguler]

kylian relationship headcanon?

can i come over ? ────── just another episode of tenderness.

♡ ────── pairing : kylian mbappé x reader ♡ ────── tags : reader's gender, ethnicity, nationality, and appearance is not specified. ♡ ────── wordcount : 667 ♡ ────── notes : posting this one as a good luck token for the france vs netherlands game!! ily kylian. i try to not just write the happy parts of the relationship but also the hurdles you two might face? i might do more of these since i've got some ideas still :^) (quick disclaimer: since these are headcanons of real people, i'd like to emphasize that if you do not agree with any of the things i write, please kindly click off the post). title is from cool dry place by katy kirby ♡ masterlist.

Kylian Mbappé. Every single person on the Earth knows his name. But you especially—how could you not? When he doesn’t have his eyes on a football game, or his legs on a football field, he has them on you.

Hand on your knee at every single group dinner, behind your neck at every hangout with friends; his skin is always in contact with yours at every single second.

Touchy does not even begin to describe him.

If it were up to him, he would drag you to the changing room and have you sit between his legs—but no, it is not up to him.

Well, mostly because he doesn’t want to be the one that brings the elephant into the room, but also it is so bad that other people are beginning to think of you as a nuisance.

“Mbappé can’t keep his hands off his partner,” a tabloid once wrote, and it only took a few quote retweets from some Parc des Princes employees, heavily agreeing, for it to go viral.

“Sorry,” you once said to a manager, then to a janitor, then to a teammate, Kylian trailing quietly behind you, arms around your waist.

And he gets sooo whiny if you push him away—what’s worse than losing a match? His dramatic ass would say that it’s having you steer away from his touches!

“Kylian,” you whine on the couch, pushing his face away as he tries to kiss you for the hundredth time that hour. “Please, I’m trying to watch a film here.”

“Mhm,” He pouts, arms around your back, hoping that you’d look at him. He looks at you, his chin on your chest before sighing. “You hate me right? Be honest.”

“Please,” you say again, eyes never leaving the television, “you can kiss me all you want the moment the movie ends.”

He tends to avoid. You’ve known him for so long, and you are at the point where you would almost forgive him for the amount of issues that have simmered too long in both of your discontent.

But you don’t do that. No. You see forever with this man, right? So you sit him down and talk.

You’ve got to admit that Kylian has gotten so, so much better in recent years.

He used to flee at every problem—it’s not that he has trouble expressing his emotions, it’s that he has trouble being vulnerable.

“You’re doing this again,” you roll your eyes, arms crossed over your chest. Kylian won’t look you in the eyes. “I’m sick of this.”

“Come on,” Kylian tries reaching a hand over the table to you—well, if he’s going to ignore you, you sure as hell are going to ignore him too. “Look at me, we don’t have to talk about this right now.”

“Right,” you huff out, letting out a sarcastic laugh, “so when are we going to talk about this.”

Kylian stays quiet.

Kylian likes luxurious things; and he likes you. The same thing, really, in his eyes. A priceless watch and your priceless kiss—this is the kind of luxury a man like him can only dream of.

He goes all the way for his show of love, of course! He customises everything he owns with your initials.

Once, he somehow left his passport in the airport, and what got people into talking was not his passport, but your initials embroidered on its leather cover.

The strap of his duffel bag is changed into a shade of your favourite colour, your initials and his sewn together under it—it does not stop there! A gold plated lapel pin with your name on it becomes a staple on every single suit he wears; socks with your initials when cuffed; matching bracelets he only takes off before practice and matches.

He makes sure the camera flashing on his face gets it: he’d pose in a certain angle, throw his scarf over his shoulders in a certain way.

Even when you’re not there, he still loves showing you off!

[kara-zor-els]

I need Cassandra Cain fans who enjoy the current BoP run/Barda's and Cass's dynamic to read Big Barda comics if they haven't already. She's an amazing character on her own right too. Some recs:

Mister Miracle (1971) by Jack Kirby. Issues #1-#18 are the original run by Kirby. It's where Barda was introduced and developed as a character.

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu. Graphic Novel that came out this year about Barda's backstory in Apokolips. Not technically canon (since it's a graphic novel) but follows the canon events. Highly recommended, especially if you want something more recent.

Bonus:

Birds of Prey (1999) #100-#109. Barda's original time with the BoP. Putting it here since I have yet to read it, but it seems like it would be interesting for context purposes.

Mister Miracle (1989). I have also not read this yet but I've seen people recommend it before so I thought I'd mention it.

Mister Miracle (2019). This is the Tom King run. Upfront you have to know that it's essentially an elseworlds and that it butchers the character of Orion and Lightray, which is why most New Gods fans hate this run (even though I personally enjoyed it given the context of it not being canon). That being said I do think that it's an enjoyable book from a Scott and Barda prespective, and since that list is about her I thought I might as well include it. Also the art is great. Please look at the triggers thought.

[cadaveerie]

Why Lucanis is (probably) an abomination

DATV and general DA spoilers ahead!

As I pointed out earlier today, Lucanis has an ability called "Abominate", which I suggest could be a not very subtle indication that he is an abomination. This has been a theory for some time and I know people have pointed this out before, but I wanted to put together everything I can think of in relation to this and to give my own take as to why I believe that Lucanis is an abomination. Here are some of the indications that this could be the case:

1. He has "uncanny abilities" (and how he might have gotten them)

The fact that he both has spectral wings and that he can feel when someone does magic near him already sound very suspicious... but it becomes even more interesting when you look at this comment about the crows that Zevran does in DAO:

"I wonder... the Crows often made sacrifices of blood, and it game them uncanny abilities".

(thank you irabelas for this post! this is how i found out about this and it's a very good connection)

So one of the theories is that he could have gotten his "uncanny abilities" in that way. We know he was abused by his grandmother, like most crows get abused since they're children, and there's a chance that in order to become a better assassin he was forced to go through one of these rituals, that I suppose involve blood magic, as Zevran calls them "sacrifices of blood".

Another of the theories is that since he "died" in The Wake, he could have been in a situation like Wynne... but against that some people say that he probably just pretended he died, as in The Wigmaker Job he mentions that he'll grow a beard to hide from the people who want to kill him, so some people (and me too) think that perhaps he pretended to die to escape them.

And lastly, another somewhat common theory is that he got these powers at some point after The Wigmaker Job and the beginning of DATV, and that perhaps Zara Renata was the person who somehow made blood magic on him, as a form of revenge. It'd make sense since she's presented as a villain in The Wigmaker Job, and the chapter suggests that she'll go after him. One issue that I have with this, and that admittedly might not be super justified is that I think he could have had the wings before The Wigmaker Job started, as he had that weird itch behind his eyes at that point, and that's basically the reason why he is "the mage killer" in the first place. Basically, I associate the origin of his uncanny abilities, both the "itch" and the wings to the same event... But I'm not super confident about this, because he could have just developed the wings later. I suppose this remains to be seen.

2. He has pride-demon themed clothing and colors.

Lucanis seems to have eye patterns that resemble pride demon's eyes all over his clothing. And both pride demon's eyes and their nervous system-looking thing are purple, like his clothing and his wings.

Also, the fact that his writer, Mary Kirby, replied a black heart emoji to a post that pointed this out (and the original post also included an screenshot that mentions that Magisters refer to him as "the demon").

Which... Yeah, I think it's a weird choice to answer to something like this if it's not true? Either way I suppose it's a bit spoilery if this is the case but... I'm more inclined to believe she's teasing rather than that she would answer to something random if it were not the case.

Aside from this, people also point out the design of his tarot card.

The purple eye motif continues: in his own eyes (which could represent the fact that he gets that "itch" behind his eyes), the inside of his cape, the background (both in the bottom and behind him in those strange orbs), the little vials he has on his belt/harness, and the gems all over his outfit as well. Even some of the little pins in his belt kind of resemble purple eyes. Black is his main color, while purple is his accent color, not only in this art but it's consistent in everything we've seen of him.

His hood kind of looks like he has yet another Pride Demon-looking eye, and what I think could also be interpreted as little eyes to the sides.

The purple orbs around him could also be interpreted as eyes. Or as felassan pointed out on this post, the way they're drawn kind of make the background look like peacock's feathers. felassan also compares that part to Solas' eyes in the Dreadwolf form, which makes a lot of sense.

(first picture is from felassan's post, featuring the peacock feathers. I'm not sure where it's from, though)

I never thought of the peacock thing before, but I think most of us associate peacocks to pride, so it'd make a lot of sense. And the multiple eyes thing as well, it's something that's not only seen in Pride demons but in the Dreadwolf himself... and Solas is closely related to Wisdom spirits and Pride demons (which as he reveals in DAI, are two sides of the same coin: demons are "corrupted" spirits. And to be specific, wisdom spirits become pride demons when corrupted). This connection he has to these beings, aside from the fact that you can observe it in his writing, gets referenced by Cole directly. He calls Solas as both in multiple occasions (not "spirit" or "demon", but by the names Wisdom and Pride) in his vague monologues. And on top of that, at the beginning of DATV it seems like Solas has accidentally summoned a Pride demon, as Varric literally says:

"It is a pride demon! Damn thing probably sensed Solas' ego!"

And perhaps it's reaching, but this whole thing would make even more sense if the theory that elves were originally spirits is true... or at least if they had very strong connections to them, and that much seems to be real. Either way, I suppose that just because he's a mage he could still be close to both spirits and demons, as he talks about often, and at the same time he'd be vulnerable to being possessed by them. Also, even if it's not super notable in DAI, he has purple eyes in DATV, which could also be a connection to Pride. I think Trick implied that they were purple in DAI as well? But it's not as notable... I just wonder if this change only happened for artistic reasons, or if this change will be acknowledge in-game, because it happened in-universe as well. His eye color could be a coincidence I suppose... but it's interesting.

But anyway, this post is not about Solas! It was just a way to point out that Solas is very likely connected to Pride demons and Wisdom spirits, and perhaps Lucanis is as well, since the motifs seem to be so related.

3. He has a "demonic aura"

He is described in the character selector screen as a "Swift and precise assassin with a demonic aura". The demonic aura, paired up with everything else... adds to the suspicion, to say the least, lol. It's a very strange thing to say otherwise? It's one thing to call him a demon as a nickname, which could potentially be a way of insulting him, or reflecting how ruthless he is... But to say he has a "demonic aura" sounds oddly specific if he's not... literally possessed by a demon.

And finally, what made me be like "oh god this is so real", and made me decide to write this:

4. He has an ability called "Abominate"

"I saw my comrades fall, burned by the flaming sky or crushed by debris. The monstrous creature, looking as if a demon were wearing a man like a twisted suit of skin, spotted me and grinned. We had forced it to this, I realized; the mage had made this pact, given himself over to the demon to survive our assault."

- from Codex entry: Abomination.

"Rook is getting attacked on all sides, so you command Lucanis to use Abominate to knock enemies down".

And idk how to explain it, because there isn't a lot to talk about. The explanation is that "Abominate" sounds like it could come from "Abomination", and at the same time that could come from the fact that he is one.

Wynne and Anders were abominations, so it wouldn't be a new concept at all for a companion to be one. So if this is the case... this could just be so sad and tragic.

---

And as a bonus, maybe I'm looking too much into it, but this person played some of the game (since they were part of the Community Council), and they said this:

"would it be in bad taste to drop a Lucanis x Rook fic the day Veilguard releases" "There’s another angst pairing that’s fair game, too. Hmm"

And I think it implies that Rookaris will be an angst pairing, by talking about "another angst pairing". Obviously, this could have nothing to do with the Abomination / weird powers thing, I'm not trying to put words on their mouth. There could be many other aspects that make the ship angsty, or perhaps I'm interpreting this wrong and the ship is not angsty at all... So I'm not taking this seriously, I'm just reaching with this. BUT... imagine. The angst potential... I choose to believe lol.

Before ending this I want to give my take as to why a Pride demon, out of every other kind. I talked slightly about this before, but my preferred theory for how he acquired his powers is that his family made him get them forcefully, which I know doesn't make that much sense, given the fact that there's no mention of wings in the The Wigmaker Job. Perhaps he just didn't show them, perhaps he got them after The Wigmaker Job... but then where did he get his ability to sense magic like that? Could it be that he was born with it? I can't think of any case like this for other characters... it's almost as if he was a mage? But he doesn't seem to have other magic abilities besides that one... (I thought that perhaps all non-mage companions would get some form of magical abilities because everything got fucked up... But I haven't thought about it much so I won't write it here. And I suppose it wouldn't make a lot of sense since that seems like a Harding thing). Perhaps he had this natural sensitivities to the Veil and magic before, and so when everything went down that's when he became extra magical. Perhaps the gods escaping--and whatever happens afterwards--fucked everything up, and he got the wings at that moment, like Harding? Hers is probably Titan magic, but both could be as a result of the gods escaping and/or the Veil getting fucked up. Or something else we don't know yet.

Those are all possibilities, but coming back to my personal preferred theory: perhaps he got his powers through a blood-magic ritual performed by the Crows (whether only the magic-sensing ones or the wings too, I don't know). And to my main point: if that were the case, perhaps the pride is not exactly his, but from his grandmother, Caterina Dellamorte. It seems like his story will revolve around expectations from family vs. one's own desires and individuality, so my theory is that perhaps that's the origin of this "Pride". Lucanis is the heir to the Antivan Crows, so could it be the Pride that Caterina has for her preferred grandson and heir? The Pride of the Dellamortes? The Pride of Antiva? A lot of pressure, a lot of people to disappoint, and someone very important in his life to disappoint (and well, we should probably add Illario to the equation... But for an hypothetic Pride demon, I think Caterina is probably the proudest of all the Crows).

And if not that, even if this ritual didn't happen at all and the demon just happened to find him for some reason, perhaps the anxieties he feels about his family and making them proud was what attracted that spirit to him. Perhaps a demon managed to trick him, and the being possessed him. All options could be interesting, in my opinion.

But who knows. Perhaps it's nothing like this, perhaps he's not even an abomination at all! I just think there are a lot of indications of it, and it'd make a lot of sense. And I think my theories make some sense at least! :]

And that's all! Long-ass post. I don't know if I missed anything else, but this is why I believe that he is an abomination, and in particular he was possessed by a Pride demon. To be honest I wouldn't mind being wrong because... this would be so, so sad, and I don't know if I'm ready lol. But I'm excited at the possibility! No matter what I can't wait to meet and romance the hell out of him.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinions :D

Edit 1, Edit 2 (SPOILERS)

[rei-ismyname]

Is Magneto mistaken or am I taking this too literally?

Ambassador Magneto has a lot to say in House of X, especially to humans on the subject of violence.

All his dreams are coming true and he's not shy about expressing his feelings on the matter. At the Jerusalem habitat the other ambassadors (who are all intelligence plants) claim to be wary of military advantage Krakoa and the gates provide.

Let's fact check Magneto there. 'There has never been a mutant war.'

What's this then? It doesn't sound very good at first glance but can it be considered a mutant war? It's basically Magneto himself unleashing an EMP and making demands of the UN. A mutant sanctuary - one they gave him too - Genosha. Terrorist act? Yeah defs. War? I'd say no.

What else? Oh yeah, that time Magneto conquered Santo Marco, a fictional South American country. Spoilers for a comic from 1963.

Okay so shelling is bad, definitely a warlike action, though it's later said there were no casualties at all, mainly thanks to Mastermind's illusions. Still, really bad optics there dude. The fake soldiers are straight up goose-stepping. This is drawn by Jack Kirby too, who definitely had strong feelings about that kind of thing - not something he'd portray unintentionally.

You'll note Mags having pseudo telepathy at this point, mainly bc Stan Lee had no idea how magnetism works.

Let's be honest, there's a big Nazi vibe to this occupation. This is in X-Men #4 in 1963, over a decade before Mags was retconned into a Jewish holocaust survivor. I'm honestly not a big fan of the original X-Men run and I can see why it got cancelled. Magneto was their greatest foe, but he was a pretty one dimension Doctor DOOM expy with none of the pathos, willpower or consistent ideology Claremont would reinvigorate him with. Anyway, sensing defeat, Magneto arms a nuke to blow the whole country up. Yikes.

It's actually Quicksilver who solves that problem, deciding he's not okay with nuking a few million people. It's the start of his face turn proper, with only Wanda's 'debt' to Mags keeping her there, and therefore Quicksilver as well.

See? Not cool, Mags. Not cool. When it's all said and done though, his occupation of Santo Marco is very brief and news doesn't get out. I assume Chuck had something to do with that. Though the country refuses to accept Krakoa for 'ideological reasons' nearly 60 years later, so maybe not. I'm going to say it definitely counts as 'conquering their land and making slaves of their people ' though.

Honestly, Magneto has died a lot since then, had amnesia and barely aged in 70 years so maybe he doesn't remember. One could argue that the spirit of what he's saying is correct - Magneto the individual did a lot of supervillain shit but there hasn't been a unification of mutants who then warred upon humans. Indeed, the opposite is true. Most mutant conflicts that could be called a war were defensive after these events.

None of the 'ambassadors' took issue with past events or his record, instead focusing on future hypotheticals. Someone should tell them that if mutants united in world conquest they'd likely be very successful and humans wouldn't know until it was too late. Technically Magneto has been tried for his acts before an international court, and acquitted because he'd been turned into a baby and was considered a different person. Yes, really.

The conversation pivots to the emissaries being there in bad faith, with slick concealing a gun. (Not that it would be very useful.)

Magneto demonstrates why that's the case and doesn't budge on his position. I guess we could say Magneto was (technically) right, in this specific circumstance. A show of force is certainly needed to make them take Krakoa seriously. It's only fitting then that Mags acts as the stick to make the carrot more palatable. I've still got room for one more pic so here's the X-Men enjoying post-training birthday cake, cut by Cyclops and his POWER BEAM. The X-Men's first birthday as a group.

Note the contrast in vibes around the Brotherhood of EEEVIL Mutants' dinner table, with petty bickering, Mastermind being a creep (the X-Men have that too tho NGL,) and a very impressive tower of mashed potato. Good to know Toad has poor table manners and that Pietro is willing to punch on over it. Not to be mean, but Wanda's headgear looks super silly. Oh well, it was the sixties!

[cobaltperun]

Lost (28) - Bounce

Tara Carpenter x female Reader

Summary: To anyone on the outside, and to Tara’s friends, you were Tara’s fierce protector, the MMA fighter who’d take anyone on for Tara. The Guard Dog, as Amber called you. You had no idea you’d have to protect her from people who claimed they loved her. It didn’t matter. As long as you and Tara had one another there was nothing you wouldn’t be able to survive.

Story warnings: Scream violence, family issues, trauma, angst, certain sensitive topics

Word count: 4.5k

Story masterlist / First part / Previous part / Next part

-Kicked around, cut, stitched and scarred, I'll take the hit but not the fall, I know no fear, still standing tall-

She snuck through the shadows, careful to avoid being detected right away. If she remembered correctly Ghost-Lion was meant to patrol this corridor and then, just around the corner, she would reach the personal area Ghostface used as his meeting room and base of operation. Sure enough, she caught a glimpse of the robes and followed after the man. She needed to be careful not to cut his robes or damage the mask. After all, she needed them.

So, as he began climbing the stairs she ran up to him, put him in a chokehold you taught to her years ago and squeezed as hard as she could.

He grunted, turning and pushing back into the wall, making her almost let go of him, but she held on. She had to. For Tara. For Tara’s sake and safety Sam needed to be stronger than anyone, and so, in a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand when he began pulling her arms away from his neck, she leaned back and let both him and her tumble down the stairs.

~X~

Following Sam’s directions, you opened the doors and came face to face with a gun pointed at you.

“Shit, Y/N, it’s you,” Kirby sighed, lowering her gun.

Your eyes widened when you saw the state everyone was in. Anya was dead, Kirby had blood on her hands and was trying to help another woman out while Tara shakily walked over to you, and you automatically pulled her into your arms. “I’m here now,” you whispered softly, not entirely sure what happened here, but at least Tara was unharmed.

“Sam is trying to sacrifice herself,” Tara cried into your chest, and you had to pull away slightly.

“What?” you whispered, suddenly out of breath, but it made sense. The look on her face, her actions, she was tired of this and it wasn’t the first time she thought her death would solve everything.

But before you or anyone else could say anything you heard the sound of yacht sailing away, prompting you and Tara to run outside.

“Sam!” Tara cried out as the two of you saw the two figures through the windows, both wearing Ghostface masks and there was nothing, absolutely nothing you could do to reach the yacht in time.

“You’re the MMA fighter, right? I have the boat, I can get you on board of that yacht,” the wounded woman said as she stumbled to her feet. You guessed this was Kirby’s mole, as well as the one who got hurt by the Ghostface you and Sam just killed.

“I owe you one,” you nodded. There was no doubt in your heart. One of those two was Sam, and you were going to bring her self-sacrificing ass back to Tara.

“Y/N,” Tara grabbed your hand and you just leaned down to kiss her.

“I’ll be right back,” you said, unlike Sam you had no intention of dying, or leaving Tara to raise your children alone. You knelt in front of her and kissed her belly twice. “I promise.”

“You better,” Tara whispered, letting go of your hand. You could see it in her eyes, though she was afraid, though she was worried for your life, she still had faith in you, she still believed you’d come back safe and with Sam with you.

~X~

She was staring right at her goal, at the end of this curse. She’d end the cult, her own life, and no one would ever target Tara again. She would be free from Billy’s legacy.

The sprained ankle and a couple of cuts on her body she got from fighting Ghost-Lion would be a disadvantage, but she’d push through the pain and finish the man off as quickly as possible. That was, at the very least, what Sam planned to do.

“I didn’t think you’d be the last one standing,” Ghostface told her. “I guess that’s the king of animals for you,” he chuckled a bit.

“Something like that, I guess. What now?” Sam approached him slowly, ready to stab him in the back.

“I’ll just start over, after all, much like killers from the Stab movies, we, as well, are replaceable. Though, this time I’ll start with killing Samantha,” he paused for a moment, looking ahead toward the open sea. “No more dramatic final girls, I’ll just kill her.”

His voice was calm, but Sam could sense the tension in it. Maybe it was just the fact that his entire plan fell apart in one night, or a few days at best, it didn’t really matter. But then she saw the glint of the knife and her eyes widened. He knew.

“I guess loyalty really is dogs’ greatest trait, only you weren’t loyal to me, were you, Samantha Carpenter,” he slashed at her and she just barely dodged being cut open. Instead, the blade cut through the robes and left her with a small cut on her abdomen instead. “Ghost-Lion was taller,” he simply said, continuing his assault as Sam stumbled back, unable to properly regain her footing with her ankle.

She was supposed to catch him off guard, not the other way around, but she still managed to catch his wrist and twist it to get him to drop the knife.

But her sprained ankle and the pain from falling down the stairs proved to be almost insurmountable disadvantage as he managed to lift her up and slam her against the controls, pushing the lever and speeding the yacht up in the process.

Sam gasped as the mask fell off her head and nearly blacked out when he punched her in the face, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through the pain. She lifted her leg up and kicked him in the balls, making him stumble back and drop to his knees.

“It’s about time I see who you are,” she didn’t know what to expect. Would it be someone she knew, even just vaguely, or would it be a complete stranger. What she saw made her freeze. The man looked like he was desperately trying to copy Billy Loomis, and in her disoriented state of mind she clutched her head and saw her father instead.

“I gotta say, he sure captured my look,” the monster in her head laughed at the sight and Sam shut her eyes, desperately trying to block the hallucinations out.

That one moment of weakness was enough for Ghostface to grab her and throw her to the floor. Before she could react he grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the floor.

“I’m not going to stab you Samantha, I want to feel you die,” he said, an insane and sinister grin on his face told her everything. Her only hope was that the yacht would hit something and push him off her, but she still tried to pry his fingers from her throat.

~X~

The yacht was speeding up and you knew you’d only have one chance to do this.

“These aren’t good odds,” Kirby’s mole told you.

“Tell me about it,” you sighed and got ready to jump and grab onto the fence. “We don’t exactly have other options, go back to the harbor, get that wound properly treated, Sam and I got this!” you told the woman and jumped just barely reaching and clinging to the fence. “Oh, shit!” this definitely wasn’t as easy as regular pull ups, especially with your wounded palm, but you managed to climb over the fence. “All good! Now go!” you yelled and took off. Sam would likely be in the control room or however it was called.

You burst through what looked like important doors and saw Sam struggling to push the man off her as he tried to strangle her. He was no longer wearing his mask, but the robes made it clear he was the cult leader, the Ghostface. The sound of doors slamming against the wall made him look up and it gave Sam enough of an opportunity to push him off and roll away from him as you rushed in, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him up.

“Y/N!” Sam coughed, as she tried to regain her breath, but your entire attention was on the man as you slammed an uppercut into his jaw and followed it up by several hooks, each one gaining more momentum as you punched him from one side to another. Blood spilled from his mouth and nose and he stumbled back. You took a deep breath and pulled out a knife and before he could regain his composure you ended his life by slitting his throat.

You took a few deep breaths and turned to Sam. “You okay?” she wasn’t exactly okay, she had a few shallow cuts and her ankle was probably sprained, but she was alive.

Sam nodded, leaning back against the wall and tossing the knife aside. It was finally over. “On a scale from one to ten, how angry at me are you?”

“Nine point as long as Tara wants you in her life it doesn’t matter,” you were angry, but how you felt didn’t matter as much as Tara getting to keep her sister in her life. “But you better make it right for her, and Sam,” you paused, glaring at her. “She can never know you were the one who framed me,” you decided and went over to the levers and all the other things you have never seen in your life. “Right, let’s figure this shit out and just go home.”

Sam didn’t say a word, instead she just took what you said in and waited.

“As worthless as it is, I’m sorry I got you arrested,” she apologized, and you gritted your teeth.

“Just stop talking, Sam,” you really didn’t need reminders of that day.

~X~

Agent Woolf came back alone, without you or Sam, and barely clinging to consciousness as she stumbled out of the boat. Kirby quickly ran over to her and helped her over to where her and Tara were. Tara was happy the woman was still alive, and that she’d likely be fine, but she still worried. You and Sam were taking too long and the yacht was getting further away.

“They’ll be fine, Tara,” Kirby told her, but she was starting to lose hope.

“They better be,” she whispered, and then, just as she said that she saw the yacht turning in the distance and her heart soared. There could only be one reason for that!

A few long minutes later she saw you and Sam coming down from the yacht, and though Sam was limping she didn’t look like her life was in danger.

“Go,” Kirby pushed her lightly as she remained frozen just watching you and Sam coming closer to her. And as if broken out of her trance she just ran, jumping as she reached you and Sam and hugging both of you as tightly as she could.

“Thank goodness!” she cried out kissing you and then burying her face in Sam’s neck. “You asshole! Why would you do this to me?!” she felt her lungs burning as she sobbed.

“Tara I-“ Sam tried to speak.

“Not a word! You hear me! You don’t deserve to apologize, you just, you left me again!” she took a step back and nearly pushed Sam away, but then, through her tears, she took in Sam’s appearance. The sunken cheeks, the lost weight, the few cuts Sam received, as well as the way Sam was limping, and she just wailed and nearly dropped to her knees. She would have, if Sam didn’t reach her in time and pulled her into a hug.

“I missed you so much Tara, I don’t deserve to apologize, but I’m so, so sorry!” Sam was crying as well, clinging to Tara so hard it almost hurt.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to all the time she spent worrying for Sam, all the fear and despair and the need to have her sister back by her side. And she finally had Sam back in her life, and she didn’t ever want to let Sam stay away from her for this long again.

~X~

She didn’t deserve it, but around the beginning of May she walked out of the courtroom with essentially a slap on the wrist. Released on parole because of her efforts to bring the cult down and evidence she gave them that was putting people behind bars. She should have been in prison as well. She should have been punished, but she didn’t get that, she was almost rewarded instead.

Her impulses to kill, to hurt people were overlooked in favor of who she killed and what she brought. And Sam hated herself for that.

Could she ever truly forgive herself for everything that happened? For all the ways she put the people she loved in danger? For all the people she cared about that were dead?

She couldn’t know for sure, but she had her doubts as she approached the police car driven by the woman that was a mole in the cult. Tara would be pissed when she finds out Sam didn’t call her, but she wasn’t certain of the outcome of the trial, she didn’t even tell Tara when it would be. Just in case she was sentenced to years and years in prison, she didn’t want Tara to have to see her being taken away. She’d go and visit her baby sister, and you, though that would be a bit awkward, but she just needed to collect her thoughts. Thankfully, Kirby respected that.

“Congratulations on your freedom,” the woman said as Sam sat down next to her.

“Thanks. Not just for this, for everything you did,” Sam said, it was almost funny how she was yet to learn the woman’s name.

“No need to thank me, I was doing my job,” she replied and began driving Sam away from the court.

“Am I ever going to learn your name?” Sam asked out of the blue.

The woman grinned and turned to Sam when they reached the red light. She offered her hand to Sam and smiled softly. “I am Drew Woolf,” she said.

And so, Sam properly met the lady that was for some time her only ally in the cult.

~X~

It didn’t have anything to do with Ghostface showing up again, Tara and you had the conversation even before she got pregnant. You both wanted to let your kids grow away from the busy streets, to have clean air, or as clean as it could get, and lots of space to play around. No more apartments, no more busy streets. You wanted to settle down, to have complete control over your home. So, you went and purchased a fairly big empty patch of land in Colorado Springs, a short drive away from Pikes Peak and though it took some time, especially since Ghostface thing happened, the house was built and you were finally ready to move in in the middle of July.

You parked your car outside the house. A two-story tall building, fairly large and spacious, with a yet to be filled backyard. But that was a project for another day, or, well, a year, since a lot of your attention would be taken up by the kids that would be born by the end of September.

You got out of the car, smiling at Tara and winking, silently telling her to stay in her seat as you went around and opened the doors for her.

“My lady, your hand please,” you bowed slightly, offering Tara your hand, and she laughed, accepting your joking gesture.

“It looks good from the outside,” she said, the house looked secure, and, because you had to be careful, there were motion sensor cameras around the house already installed. “Secure,” she smiled as you hugged her from behind, your hands resting on her belly.

“We’ll be fine,” you whispered, kissing her cheek and smiling when you felt one of the twins kicking. They were active babies, and if anyone asked you Tara looked incredible.

“Mhm, let’s go inside,” she leaned back against you for a moment and then took your hand and pulled you along. The basement was elevated, and only four feet of it were beneath the ground, for one reason. The gym. You separated the basement into two parts, a garage for your car and an empty space if Tara ever decided she wanted one as well, and then there was a still empty separated part that was meant to be used as your gym. For the sake of convenience, the gym had a small bathroom, just in case you wanted to take a quick shower, or simply wash your hands before going upstairs. The gym was also connected to the first floor via indoor stairs. Tara led you up, to a spacious living room, that doubled as a mini library of books and movies and all the things you and Tara learnt to enjoy over the years, your gaming console included, a very nice kitchen and dining room. There was also the hall leading to the main entrance and the stairs that led to the second floor where you had five rooms, one of which was designated as home office for you and Tara.

Overall, it was a big house, maybe even a bit too big for your soon to be family of four, but you wanted a room for each of the kids, and your own room and a guestroom so, that was the logic behind the number of rooms on the second floor.

Tara kissed you on the lips when you finally sat down on your bed. “It’s perfect,” she whispered against your lips before she pushed you to lie down and straddled you, a mischievous smile on her face.

~X~

September was coming to a close, as was Tara’s pregnancy, and one slow night you were just lazing around in the living room, watching some TV show. Tara had to leave you for a few minutes, so you just scrolled trough the news until she came back.

“You know, this is at least partly your fault,” Tara groaned as she sat down next to you. She’d give birth any day now, so you were both extra careful and always ready to drive to the hospital if the kids decided to rush things.

You gently lifted her feet up to the sofa and took her socks off. Giving Tara a massage became a bit of a habit, and she repeatedly showed you how much she appreciated your efforts. “How so?” you humored her as you began rubbing her left foot. It became her go-to joke lately, a tiny tease and complain do to all the extra weight she was carrying around.

“How? You got me pregnant,” she nudged you jokingly with her right foot.

You grinned at that. “Mhm, my strap can do anything,” you chuckled when Tara jerked slightly. You accidentally tickled her, and her feet were ridiculously ticklish.

She sighed contently. “Wouldn’t that be nice, no medical procedures and all that,” she placed her hand on her belly. “I can’t wait to meet them,” she said, smiling widely all of a sudden. “They are kicking more often. Tiny MMA fighters,” she chuckled as you laughed.

You reached over, placing your hand next to hers. Soon, soon your children would be born and it would no longer be just you and Tara, it would be four of you.

“Y/N,” she spoke softly, almost timidly and you looked into her eyes.

“Yeah?” you instinctively moved to hold her hand.

“What if they end up having asthma?” she asked.

Your eyes softened. It wasn’t asthma itself Tara was worried about. She knew both of you would take care of your children and love them regardless of their health. It was the idea of the children, or even one of the kids inheriting something she had, in her eyes passing down her asthma felt like hurting them.

You opened your mouth but closed them in order to properly phrase your answer. “If they do, they’ll have us to teach them how to live without it affecting them too much,” you remembered sleepless nights with Tara when you were kids, you remembered how worried you were, how much she would struggle to breathe during the worst nights, no matter what you did. You remembered how weak and delirious from the sickness she would be, how she would end up being so exhausted she often wouldn’t remember everything.

~X~

One such time was shortly after Tara turned seventeen, a few days after Christmas. You came back from a fight to find her just about ready to pass out at your doorstep, she was just sitting in the hall, barely conscious when you climbed up the stairs of the apartment building.

“Shit! Tara!” you rushed to her side and picked her up off the floor. “You’re burning up, damn it why didn’t you call me?” you managed to unlock your doors and quickly put her in your bed, sitting her up and letting her lean against the propped-up pillow. You were gone for one day and this happened. You knew her mother wasn’t at home, the damn drunk, but Tara didn’t even tell you she was sick, and this wasn’t how she should be after only one day.

“Fight. You were busy,” she mumbled, pulling your blanket over her body.

You turned the heating on and poured water into the kettle. “You know I would have thrown the fight if I knew,” you would scold her later, once she recovered, for now you were looking for medicine that could help her. You had a bunch of medicine thanks to Tara’s frail health. “Right, temperature first,” you fussed over her like you usually did when she was sick. “I should really take you to the doctor,” but she wouldn’t listen to you.

“You’re all I need,” she muttered. Doctors were expensive and she made you swear you wouldn’t take her to the hospital and pay for the bills a long time ago because she knew you’d pay if you took her there. You did do that once, about two years ago, and Tara still complained about that every now and then. She tried to pay you back, but you wouldn’t budge.

“Tara,” you sighed, respecting her wishes for now, but if she didn’t get better by the morning you’d actually take her to the hospital, promises be damned.

“Just come here,” she sat up and you knew what she wanted, so you got behind her and reached out for the pillow, only for Tara to place her hand over yours. “Skip it, please,” she just lied down on your chest and, though she coughed afterwards, took a deep breath. “I love you, you know? I wanna spend the rest of my life with you,” she said in her exhaustion, and you just held her.

“I love you too, you dumbass,” you whispered, your heart breaking when she got hit with another coughing fit and all you could do was hold her and rub her back.

Tara was better tomorrow morning, her temperature dropped as the night went on and she woke up in the bed alone around noon. That’s how exhausted she was.

“Hey, sleepy head, how are you feeling?” you sat down on the bed with the glass of water and her medicine in hand.

Tara leaned her head back, groaning a bit. “I’m so sorry, Y/N,” she apologized and winced when the sudden movement made her dizzy.

“Apology accepted if you’re apologizing for not telling me you were sick,” you sighed, waiting for her to properly wake up.

“You know what I mean,” she mumbled, and you knew, unfortunately, you knew. She was apologizing for relying on you again. Finally, she accepted the medicine and leaned back once again, she was still a bit weak, so she needed to rest. “I hate being sick, I can’t separate what’s real and what’s a fever dream,” she complained as you got up to make her a breakfast. “Like, last night I dreamt you, you know what, never mind, it’s too embarrassing,” her face was red, and you assumed sickness was only partly to blame.

~X~

You never found out what her fever dreams were. It didn’t matter now. You moved from the end of the sofa and hugged Tara from behind. You kissed the top of her head and pulled her close to you. “Whatever happens, whether they are healthy or not, we’ll be there for them every step of the way,” you whispered, absolutely certain of your words.

“I know,” Tara nodded, turning her head to kiss you. “My Love,” she rested her head against your chest and listened to your heartbeat.

~X~

A few days later it was happening! It happened! It…

You were about to pass out, you weren’t ready for this! You held Tara through her labor as much as she held you and you nearly fainted when you heard the first baby, a boy, crying at exactly fourteen minutes after two a.m. only for the second one, this time a girl, to come out twenty-three minutes later.

“Congratulations! You got a boy and a girl!” the midwives brought the two babies and gave them to Tara as she was resting, and you couldn’t help but cry as you watched the two bundles of joy.

“You two really are tiny,” she whispered, bringing them closer and carefully hugging them.

Could you touch them? You were an MMA fighter, you were used to violence, not babies that were born less than an hour ago!

“Hey, come here,” Tara whispered, exhaustion vanished from her eyes the moment she got to hold them, and you swallowed the lump in your throat and reached over to touch them.

“I…” you couldn’t say anything, you were completely speechless.

“I know,” Tara smiled, she could feel the tremble of your hands on her own, as you chose to place them there just in case. “I thought of names.”

“I’m fine with any names you want,” you quickly told her, only now realizing you didn’t really have this conversation.

“How about Zack and Susan?”

You just froze and looked at Tara, honestly unable to process all the emotions you were feeling, so, instead, you just nodded, leaning over to quickly kiss her on the lips to hopefully convey even the smallest bit of what you were feeling.

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