#new save because my brother informed me you can get the flaming sword off the guy in the battle on the nautiloid and I was like WHAT

[elizabethrobertajones]

Withers picking thematically appropriate books to hide all over the crypt before the squad breaks in and steals them all: heeheehoohoo

[ohpollenpowder]

2024's faces! So let's take a closer look! As before, the name, race, and profession in the ALT descriptions.

Row 1, left to right: Niven the Anemone, a Sylvari Guardian, was made on the new year pretty much! He's attached to the RErolled universe as the former Commander who "died" trying to save Trahearne from Mordremoth's corruption. In reality... Trahearne died and left Niven in his body as Mordremoth severed the connection to his own as it died. So Niven became stuck as Marshal Trahearne and is now following his Dream Lady Love around as she takes over Commander. And no, he's not sure how to tell anyone this information. He has a suspicion that Aurene knows...

Mottut is an Asuran Engineer who is part of Five Commanders universe and takes the place as Oiba's older brother who went to the Inquest. He's still in the Inquest at this time. He's very good at pulling out information, through torture or other spy appropriate means. Infiltration is what he does best, his Engineering abilities help him get in to a lot of places. I think the eventual plan for him should be Scrapper at first for story's sake but once Kantha happens, he's gonna find a way to get a Mech for himself. Watch.

Ysvelta the Loved is our resident NPC Sylvari Mesmer love. I love her character design, honestly, which is why she's made her presence known for a third time in my line up. But honestly, she never really seems to stay long. I never reach for her...

Row 2, left to right: Diânthus is the typical Sylvari Necromancer who looks like a Mesmer. Other than that, we don't really have much of a story built up for her. I might try tossing her into another Universe, see how she'll stack up with them. Maybe hand her to Oighrig's Universe... She could be someone trying to wiggle her way into becoming his apprentice, could be someone trying to help him with Trahearne...

Godrig Ringedpyre is another Five Commanders insert! He's Tarsicia's father from Flame Legion who protected her from becoming a tool in their plans. I'm wondering when to put him back in story and have him meet her again. Maybe put him somewhere in Elona storyline, I'd say she meets him in the Mists in the "we're dead" scene after Balthazar but I think it's Emrys I have dying for that. But I think he'll meet them in Elona... Maybe actually Dragonfall!

Malena Shadowmaker is our lone Norn, she's a Mesmer who was born out of an older idea I had. Of a Mesmer powerful enough that she's created full-blown illusions that everyone can interact with and almost have a life of their own. No one questions them, no one knows if they're based off real people or just figments of her imagination born out of the trauma that triggered her magic. Again, past that I don't have much planned for her story...

Row 3, left to right: Crystaled Caladbolg, a Sylvari Revenant, is fashioned after the idea of Aurene influencing Caladbolg's reforging. I'm still not 100% happy with how they've turned out but given the skins I have available...this is the best I could come up with.

Monet di Rota, another loner, Human Necromancer, was put into the Konu universe where she's horribly fond of Shiori and loves to annoy the hell out of Ryon. You could probably almost equate it to—and part of me hates using this analogy because I hate the "type"-ing—playground flirting. I like you so Imma be mean to you kind of deal. But she's also a self-taught Necromancer who's an assassin by night and librarian by day.

Void Caladbolg is the last of the Swords for now, another Sylvari Revenant. Not 100% happy with their design either in the sense that the colors are hard to get the way that I want to mimic the Void weapons that we'd been given. But again, given what we have, I feel content that I've done the best I could.

Row 4, left to right: Whiltiernä is the last insert to the Five Commanders Universe (for now) and gives them their last "counterpart". Technically you could say the twins don't have one but they're also two people. So each race now has two! Anyway. Right now she's mostly tormenting Emrys because he can't tell if he's seeing things or not since no one else in the Guild has seen her. But I have a plan to have her introduce herself to them eventually in another outfit when we get to the Ward. And since he only has seen her with the hood/mask on, he doesn't really know what her face looks like.

Keeper Colwyn is a...reincarnation??? I guess one could say he's a uh...former version of himself? I can't recall if I ever chose a class that he had before he died and became a Revenant. Maybe he was a Ranger. But he's one now!

Out of last year's list, we lost: Fiszél, The Ever Given, and Edgelady Vineflower

[listentothelittlebird]

So I wrote Waterbender Jason Todd and that was a blast (the series is Gotham’s White Lotus!) but I went through a ton of drafts for how Jason got reintegrated into the Batfam - and here’s one of the drafts!

Word Count: 2760 words

I like this one because it’s dramatic :) Enjoy!

(This draft essentially diverges directly after Burning Iceberg - some of the diversions can be seen in the tags!)

An explosion, Oracle’s words quickly filtering into their comms.

“I have eyes on the combustion bender. Looks like he’s still looking to complete his contract.”

Batman’s voice came next, barking an order for Robin to return to the Batcave.

“But-”

“Little bird, you should probably listen to the B-man,” Red Hood jumped in, “Seriously. Lay off this one for all of us, alright?”

Robin huffed, but obeyed.

The explosions followed Robin’s movements until Batman was able to intercept the bender. Red Hood dropped down soon after. Batgirl had taken to accompanying Robin back to the Batcave. Nightwing informed them that he was on his way to Gotham, likely to check up on Robin for his own assurance.

The blasts caused Red Hood to dart to one side, Batman to the other. Before the smoke filling the empty warehouse could clear, a blade was pressed to Jason’s neck.

“Where is my son?” the voice hissed. The Pit was long gone, but that did nothing to quell the snarl that answered the question.

“Nice to see you too, Talia,” Jason spat out. He could guess why Talia had come to Gotham - investigating the new mask that held his build, as well as the absence of one eight-year-old after his most recent mission.

“Where-” the sword dug deeper, “-is. My. Son.”

“Where do you think?” Jason snarked, “C’mon, Tals, you can’t be that much of an idiot. Detective it out yourself.”

Talia growled. “You poisoned my child’s thoughts,” Talia murmured darkly, “If not for you, Damian would have completed his mission successfully, and been ever closer to becoming a satisfactory Heir. I should have recognised your meddling from the start.”

Jason chuckled. The smoke was clearing, now, and from the comms, it seemed that Batman was apprehending the combustion bender. He hoped Oracle could hear him and had alerted the others.

“You kept Damian from his father,” Jason stated evenly, “The least I could do was tell the kid about his Dad and his brothers. You know, the brothers you never told him about? Not to mention his sister, too.”

“He is the blood-son.”

“He is the youngest son, and you’re gonna have to get through me and the rest of us if you so much as think of hiding him away again.”

Batman dropped down in front of them. Talia’s sword was still dangerously close to his neck, digging in slightly, nearly drawing blood.

“Back away from the Hood, Talia,” Batman growled, “This is between you and me.”

Talia stilled.

“You haven’t told him,” Talia realised.

Shit.

The sword was humming, growing warmer. Jason could feel the heat on his skin.

“You told me you wanted revenge. You told me you wanted your replacement gone,” Talia was on a roll, now, grasping greedily for control, “You told me you wanted him to pay. For not avenging you. For leaving The Joker walking.”

Jason shuddered at the mention of the Rogue. He could feel Talia’s shark-like grin at his neck.

“A shame,” she tutted, “You realised, didn’t you? That he never cared for you. No wonder you have yet to tell him the truth.”

Batman took a stuttering step forward. Jason tried to control his breathing, the blade heating up enough to burn. She was trying to get under his skin. Trying to…

Jason made sure to inject rage and malice into his next words, “You’re not the only one with tricks up your sleeve, Talia.”

Underneath his jacket was a flask of water for emergencies.

“Oh?” Talia hummed menacingly, “And what may that be?”

Jason moved, breaking out of the hold. The sword flared into flames.

The jet of water knocked Talia back several paces, but not before she could take a slash at his helmet. The material melted into his lenses, and Jason cursed, ripping off the helmet just in time to block her blade with an ice-coated arm.

“The spirits. That was you.”

“Bingo. Looks like the Pit didn’t melt out your brains.”

Jason met the flurry of attacks steadily, bending the broken ice into water blasts and back to ice once more, dodging the flames and ignoring the singed marks on his clothes.

Another explosion. Jason’s gaze darted just enough to see that the combustion bender had returned, hands bound but still conscious.

“I should have never helped you,” Talia stated, a tone of finality, “It’s only right I bury you again.”

A bout of flames aimed for his face, forcing Jason to roll backwards, just out of reach. By the time he got back to his feet, Talia was standing beside the combustion bender, who was already in stance. Another explosion sounded, right above him.

Jason only had time to curl up and erect a crystal of ice around him before the warehouse roof fell.

He could taste the smoke on his lips, the dust of wood and cement. He waited one, two seconds, straining against the weight of the building against the ice, before digging into his jacket, pulling out a small comms unit and stuffing it into his ear.

“-you hear me? Hood!” Oracle was yelling.

“I’m under the warehouse,” Jason gasped out, coughing up the smoke and dirt and dust, “I’m- I’m underneath. I- please. Please get me out. Fuck.”

He was trembling. The ice creaked, painfully loud in the silence. 

“I can’t-” his lips moved without his permission, “-can’t do this again. Shit. I- don’t make me do this again.”

Distantly, he registered that his voice was no longer modulated, like it was in his helmet.

“I found him,” came Batman’s grunt, and if Jason had enough space within the ice, he would have keeled over in relief. The soil beneath him rumbled, but Jason had long come to associate this specific tremble with earthbending. The earth opened, and Jason gasped as he dropped into the ditch, which closed and engulfed him in darkness.

“B?” Jason whispered, the sound echoing. He was vaguely aware of someone approaching him as his breath quickened.

“It’s me, Hood,” Batman’s voice sounded, and Jason sobbed.

“I- shit. Shit.”

“It’s alright,” Batman soothed, “It’s-”

Batman cut himself off, coming to a stop just in front of where Jason was on his hands and knees, desperately trying to quell his panicked breathing.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him into an upright position on his knees. Jason flinched as a flashlight was shined on his face, then gulped audibly as Batman visibly jolted back in shock. The light stayed trained on his face, even as Batman reached out slowly, as if scared he would disappear. His hand first found Jason’s arm, then his neck, pressing to his pulse, and then reached to his face, peeling off the red domino mask with a fragile touch.

A beat passed, where Jason stared into Batman’s cowl, desperately waiting for a reaction.

“Batman, what’s Hood’s status?” came through the comms.

“Jason?” he whispered. He tugged off his cowl, and Bruce’s eyes shone with flickering hope and brokenness. 

Jason sucked in gulps of air in between his hitched breaths, enough for him to rasp out one word, “Dad.”

The light moved away from his face, a black gauntlet grasping tightly onto his arm, nearly bruising in its grip, pulling him roughly forward. Jason lost his balance, tipping straight into a tight hug that knocked the breath out of him, just as it knocked the first tears loose.

“Dad,” he whispered again, the grip around him tightening somehow, “Dad.”

“Jason,” Bruce returned just as reverently, “Oh, son, why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I’m-” Jason sobbed, gasping, “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t know… how… how to tell you. Didn’t know what to say. I-”

Bruce shushed him quietly, and Jason dissolved into tears in his father’s arms.

-

“Jason?” Bruce had whispered, and then the words through the comms were too muffled to make out.

“Batman? Batman, are you there?” Dick tried again, sharing another concerned look with Tim. Bruce had gone silent, save for words that were too hard for them to make out. Cass placed a steadying hand on Dick’s shoulder, a silent sign of support.

“Tune into Red Hood’s comms,” Oracle chimed abruptly. Dick frowned, but did as told. 

“-Dad,” the voice, unmodulated for the first time, cracked with emotion, and the two brothers froze. The voice bordered on familiarity, despite the lower tones and faint rasp. 

Damian, who had been inattentive to the audio up until that point, straightened abruptly from where he had been scrutinising a batarang. He was by their side in moments, focused intently on the blank screen of the Batcomputer as if it could provide him the answers of the universe. Cass looked on with narrowed eyes, picking up the tension in their stances, tension for different reasons.

“I’m sorry,” was heard, dissolving into incoherent phrases that were shushed by another voice. Bruce, Dick’s brain supplied. That was Bruce comforting Red Hood- comforting-

“I’m not hearing things, am I?” Dick’s voice trembled, humour falling flat. Tim’s face was pinched beside him, vaguely pale, likely mirroring his own. 

Beside them, Damian breathed deeply, in and out, and turned to them with a determined tilt to his frown.

“The brother I mentioned before,” Damian started, snapping Dick’s attention towards him, “The one who told me about the zoo, about hugs. He told me about you as well, Grayson.”

Damian met his eye with only a flicker of hesitation. “He told me you loved hugs, and other forms of physical affection. He told me you once ate a box of cereal and started doing cartwheels down the hallway. He said you taught him how to fly, and how to fall.”

“Prepare the medbay for smoke inhalation,” Batman’s voice intoned. Alfred had appeared on the steps to the Manor, already making his way towards the medical supplies. Tim and Cass shared a look, and followed.

“Jason Todd,” Dick blurted, Tim’s steps faltering, Cass freezing. Something clattered out of Alfred’s always-steady hands. “The brother you’re talking about. Is his name Jason Todd?”

Damian’s gaze, still wary and too-old from his childhood training, nodded with conviction.

-

Alfred paused at the bedside, taking a moment to stare at the absolute miracle in front of him, sleeping peacefully with the same expression he had once seen on a small malnourished boy. He had just managed to convince Master Bruce to wash up before staying vigil by Master Jason’s side, and Alfred was quietly glad for the moment to allow himself the time to take in Master Jason’s aged appearance.

Alfred rested a hand on Jason’s head, and allowed himself an indulgent brush through the young man’s hair, the tuft of white hair tangled into his raven hair. 

“My dear boy,” Alfred whispered, “Words cannot describe how glad I am, to see you alive.”

Master Jason twitched slightly, eyes flitting open just enough to take in Alfred’s face. A small smirk made its way to his lips, a greeting as much as it was a sign of his relief. Master Jason hummed out something intelligible, but Alfred shushed the boy, and his eyes easily slid shut once more.

-

Jason jolted awake with a gasp.

“Jay,” came a soft rumble, “Jaylad. You’re okay. It’s okay.”

Jason flitted his gaze over the room, cataloguing everything he could see in the dim lighting, before familiarity met him with sudden certainty. His gaze drifted over to the speaker.

“It’s okay,” Bruce repeated softly, guiding Jason back to lying against the pillow.

“B-” Jason grimaced at his dry throat, “Bruce?”

Bruce offered him a cup of water. Jason squinted at it and lifted his hand, but Bruce’s hand lowered it before the water could so much as ripple. “No bending in the Manor,” Bruce huffed, his lips twitching into a small smile, “Alfred would have your head in no time.” Jason huffed a laugh as the cup was pressed into his hand.

When the cup had been emptied, Jason cast another glance over the room. It was Bruce’s bedroom, Bruce on a chair beside the bed, Jason in the bed, now propped up against the headboard.

“The bender,” Jason started, turning to eye Bruce, subconsciously checking for injuries. He had a nasty-looking bruise on his arm, but otherwise looked alright. 

“He got away,” Bruce stated, “With Talia.” Bruce paused, visibly reigning himself in, settling for, “Jason… I have many questions.”

“I’m sure you do,” Jason agreed with a cringe, “There’s… a lot to cover.”

He blinked then, perking up once more, “Damian. Can I see Damian?”

“Talia let you meet him,” Bruce guessed. Jason nodded distractedly, shuffling himself out of the covers and inching towards the edge of the bed. He paused to sniff the baggy shirt he was wearing, and blinked at Bruce. “Am I wearing your clothes?”

“You are,” Bruce confirmed, lip ticked up in amusement. There was a concerned glint in his eyes as Jason stood up, swaying through a head-rush. Bruce’s hands stuttered towards him, but hesitated. Jason took the initiative and wrapped his arms tightly around Bruce, and Bruce hugged him back just as firmly.

“Damian’s having breakfast with the others,” Bruce spoke softly, “Are you… ready to see them? Or would you rather me bring Damian up alone?”

Jason hesitated. 

“I kind of owe them all answers, don’t I? Let’s just get it over and done with. Rip it off like a band-aid.”

Bruce hummed, lingering in the hug for a long moment before finally letting his arms go loose. Jason pulled away with a small smile, Bruce brushing a hand over his face with an overly tender expression.

There was vague scuffling coming from the kitchen.

“Quick, grab the coffee, Dami!” Dick hollered with a laugh, easily swiping Tim into the air and holding him over his shoulder. Tim twisted with a feral kick at Dick’s face, which he easily dodged by maneuvering until Tim’s arms were pinned and his legs stuck out too far to hit anything substantial. 

“Be careful, Masters,” Alfred called from where he was dealing with their pancakes, not once looking up to acknowledge the play-fighting.

Cassandra was watching from the side, the only one to acknowledge Bruce and Jason as they walked in, giving them a smile and a wave. She stepped towards Bruce first, pulling him into a short hug, and did the same for Jason. Jason froze unsurely, but Cassandra smiled into his collar and giggled. “Cass,” she murmured, pulling away to beam, “Hello, brother.”

Jason returned the smile tentatively. “Hello, sister,” he offered, Cass’ smile stretching wider. Bruce looked ready to burst with emotion.

Tim whined and slumped over in Dick’s grip as Damian, on Dick’s encouraging nod, poured away the coffee into the sink, “This is unfair! Absolutely unfair! It’s only been a week and I’m already suffering from middle-child syndrome. Unfair.”

Jason snuck up on Dick and pounced, tipping them both to the ground and grabbing Tim out of Dick’s hold. “Middle children have to stick together,” Jason nodded sagely, grinning widely as Tim stared down at him dazedly, from where he had ended up sprawled on top of him.

“Jay!” Dick chirped brightly, and Jason grunted as the older boy flopped on top of them both, “You’re awake!”

“Get off, Dickhead!” Jason managed to roll out from under him. One thing led to another, and suddenly Jason had himself wrapped in a Dick Grayson Hug that was definitely not stopping anytime soon. That was about the time he met Damian’s eye, and he gave the boy a warm smile.

“What did I tell you, Baby Bat?” he drawled, rolling his eyes and gesturing to Dick’s arms, “Dickie loves hugs. Can’t get away from him even if you tried.”

“Damn right,” Dick hummed happily, squeezing briefly, “You run now and I’ll hunt you down and hug you for even longer.”

Jason gave an answering pat to Dick’s shoulder in acknowledgement. To Damian, he shook his head in mock-annoyance. Damian stepped forward, then, and folded himself against Jason’s other side. Jason curled his arm around the boy, and Damian shoved himself more firmly against his side.

“Your eyes aren’t green,” Damian whispered. 

“No, they’re not,” Jason agreed, “I… it’s a long story, but I managed to get rid of the Pit rage, and got my bending back, while I was at it.”

“We have time,” Tim pointed out, settling himself on the ground in front of the small pile of pressed-together bodies, “I don’t think you’ll be extracting yourself from Dick anytime soon, either.”

Jason huffed, smiling softly. “I’ll start from the beginning, then.”

[ktheist]

saving grace | 3

muses. duke!yoongi x lady!reader

universe. arranged marriage / minor traces of magic in history

concept. driven into a corner with the new king, seokjin, offering to marry you off to a prince in a foreign land and a persistent mother who would seize the chance of a lucrative marriage for her daughter, you’re forced with the only other option to secure your freedom ‒ enter into a beneficial agreement with the man who reaped the seeds of war, the duke of cralon, yoongi min.

words. 5.3k

warnings. mentions of war, it’s cliche and cheesy all in one package

index. 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / finale

x

yoongi doesn’t explicitly say it - and you don’t dare inquire as to the reason he’s accepting the circumstances forced into his hands but the more you ponder on it, the more the plausible answer seems to be the cause of your palpitating heart.

“we’ll attend the party together,” his breath had felt warm against the back of your hand but its the callousness of his touch that rooted yourself to the ground.

yoongi is doing this because he can’t let you ruin yourself. call it the gentleman in him. nothing more. nothing less. and because of that, you couldn’t allow yourself to be the one to rope him into a loveless marriage  in the name of politics when it’s been clear that he wants no part in this game of chess.

“leslie,” you speak into the darkness, fingers pulling on the strings that tie the cloak together.

“yes, my lady.” a figure steps out of the shadow in your periphery.

“i need you to pay a visit to the other informant guilds and see if they have something on what the nobles that are to attend my party, have been doing in the last three months.”

not like they’d have anything you don’t but you can’t rule out the possibility that they’d have even the littlest detail that could be of great help.

“three months, my lady?” leslie quizzes, you can’t see her face in the dark but you can just picture her blinking and cocking her head to the side at your prescribed timeline.

three months is a gamble but enough to establish a routine. whether it’s walking by the park everyday and then stopping to chat with a man in black from head to toe once on every 25th. or whether it’s for attending gatherings, only to keep the 16th fully empty.

“yes and prepare a carriage to go to the royal palace today.” with that, the shadow shifts as though bowing.

“i shall let felix know promptly. since you’ve just returned, would you like to take a short nap first?”

your gaze slants to the slightest gap between the curtains that you just slipped through, amber light pouring in a sharp stripe over the floor, “no, i’d like to take a bath and prepare for the day - did anyone come to my room while i was gone?”

“the madam came last night,” the maid informs, hands folding the cloak that she helped took of your shoulders, “but i told her you were sick and wanted to rest.”

“did she believe you?” walking over table, you plop into the chair with a sigh.

“she left after i told her you were asleep.” she disappears into the closet after you wave a dismissive hand, possibly to store the cloak in the secret compartment within the innermost corner of the walls.

knowing your mother, she probably saw through leslie’s lies but it’s not as if it’s the first time nor will it be the last. as long as you made sure to hide your face and avoid any rumors of count ___’s daughter’s sightings in the middle of the night in the rougher part of town, it’s fine.

x

a panting and disheveled jungkook bursts through the towering doors engraved with intricate carvings of a roaring lion and a crown. his eyes widens when they met yours like they usually as though seeing a ghost. you thought his timid nature would go away over time but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“lady ___!” he calls in a hurry after you walked past him and down the familiar hallway lain with blazing red carpet, “h-his majesty is busy! you have to give the palace a month’s notice for an audience before-”

“jungkook.” the abrupt twirl almost sends the boy smashing into you but he manages to stop just inches away, sighing a sigh of relief that only lives for a split second at your words, “his majesty ordered for the rumors to be spread.”

when you take one step forward, he takes another backwards, “you’re his closest aide so he must’ve told you to do it and not some ordinary maid-”

“n-n-no! i-” he sputters, eyes glancing over his shoulders as though seeking for a knight to call for help but the goddess must be in your favor today because no other soul can be seen.

you’re not sure what kind of face you’re making but you doubt it’s a smile but the fact that all colors seem to drain when he looks at you again must mean something, “it was lady jung! his majesty called for lady jung and after that, the rumors started spreading!”

“krystal?”

a sigh escapes the black haired boy when your feet roots itself into the ground. the jung family had been part of the aristocratic faction who tried to push for their daughter and krystal’s eldest sister to marry the crown prince, seokjin’s brother and heir apparent.

but only those who secretly swear allegiance to seokjin could attain an exclusive invite to the palace and jungkook had explicitly mentioned that it was seokjin who called her over, not the other way around.

“lady ___! please!” jungkook’s cries echo somewhere behind you, almost drowned by the series of questions that begin to flood your head.

“your majesty!” your hands ache from having to push through the oak doors after jungkook orders the knights to stand down at your arrival, which meant they had no obligations to announce your presence nor push the doors open for you, “you’re throwing yoongi and i into a cage full of wolves!”

“oh you two are calling each other by first names now?” the way seokjin's eyes glazes over you does nothing but pour oil to the flames burning inside your stomach, “regardless, i thought we agreed to cease this act of prancing around in the palace like you own the place.”

a thud echoes off the walls as your barely recovering hand slams down on his desk, but judging from how the stack of papers stood still, you doubted it’d made the desirable impact, “if you knew i was lying, why didn’t you call me out?!”

“i can’t say i didn’t fall for it in the beginning but weren’t you the one who told me that information can be gathered and used like a sword?” seokjin’s steel gaze settles on you like a blanket of winter snow.

“that...” thrown off by the your own words used against you, a pause lapses before you manage to speak again, “i may have made a mistake by involving yoongi but this ends here. call off the party i- i’ll marry the 12th prince.”

a scoff.

“to think you swore to be the shield you’re now holding against me because of that brute cousin of mine.”

“my promise remains the same,” you stand straighter, hit by the reminder of your ordeal, “i'll support you for as long as you stay a just ruler but not if you start a war within cearis by this reckless action of yours.”

his eyes bore into you for the longest moment, searching for a hint of your faltered promise. 

there is none. 

to think it would come to this. when you agreed to help seokjin become the king, you knew you have vastly contrasting ideals but the end goal was the same. to bring peace over cearis and end the previous king’s tyrannic reign.

the previous king hadn’t directly committed murder but the increasing tax rate had slowly caused the economy to be sucked dry. the people couldn’t even afford basic necessity and the rich buying wheat and grains and storing them with the intention to resell them once the price sky-rocketed. up until last year, only nobles were able to still live comfortably.

the thought of the hollowed cheeks, tattered clothing and skin and bones of the people in the streets whenever your carriage passed to get to the tea parties and gathering, still sends your body shaking with rage.

and if a civil war broke out between the two factions, history might repeat itself.

“i’d wanted you to rule by my side as my queen.” seokjin’s blunt confession causes you to almost stumble backwards, as though hit by an invisible brick.

“what-”

“but that’s simply absurd.”

he gingerly chuckles at your apparent reaction, “at least pretend to be disappointed ___, i didn’t want it too- the thought repulses me but since we’ve always been so much alike, we could at least make a political marriage work, right? but when you rejected me so directly, i couldn’t help but want to push you a little. i wasn’t going to go through the marriage with the 12th prince.”

“so all that trouble to get the duke to become my fake fiance... was because your fragile ego couldn’t handle being rejected by a woman?”  you force through gritted teeth.

“i-i didn’t say such a thing,” the king’s eyebrows furrow in undue frustration, face reddening, “plus it’s you, we’re talking about. how could i be-”

“your majesty...” a hiss slips out of your mouth, causing the man to physically flinch at the realization of how dire the circumstances are for him. for one there are no windows to avoid assassination attempts but also means he can’t escape you through any other way but the door - assuming he could get past you at all, “you’ve caused duke min and i a great deal of hardships. it’s something money alone cannot fix, do you not think so?”

“c-calm down, ___,” he begins to sputter whilst the table begins to turn, gaze thrown over your shoulder - perhaps, he’s calculating his chances of survival if he made a beeline to the door,“jungkook! jungkook, let him in!”

almost as if on cue, the muted thud of footsteps fill the air before the door swings open. you have absolutely zero interest if it was an assassin he’d prepared beforehand, knowing that you’d barge your way to the palace. with this distance, even an assassin couldn’t get-

“the house of min greets the sun of the kingdom.”

your heels twirl on their own before you even manage to register the deep voice that echoes off the falls, eyes landing on the owner of the silver locks that begins to straighten up after a bow.

“yoongi.” the man’s name falls off your lips involuntarily as he spares you a chiding glance. almost as though he’s not pleased with your rash decisions of meeting with seokjin without consulting him.

yet despite that, he comes to stand next to you, his hand brushing the back of yours. and in his own way, it feels as though he’s saying i stand with you.

the sound of someone clearing his throat brings you back to the matter at hand. seokjin seems to have regained a semblance of his composure. though, he fails to hide the rise of his eyebrows for the briefest moment at the unusually close proximity for two people who claim to feign being lovers. “as you know, the the min lineage has extraordinary senses. i summoned yoongi over to wait for me in the next room but your crassness has delayed the duke’s audience. and since the walls are thin, i don’t know how much he’s heard.”

your lips twitch in contempt.

it doesn’t take long for you to piece two and two together. no noble family has expressly supported seokjin and with the two aristocratic and royal factions’ internal division, you suspect another faction would rise in support of seokjin, the son who the late king never even spared a glance at.

having aided seokjin in the shadows since his time as an outcast prince, you were never told of the other families that shared the same shoes and chose to support him until the time is right to step into the light. you swore to be his shield and the min family had always been known to be the crown’s loyal sword.

you catch yoongi’s deep eyes before meeting the king’s,“so the min family is one of the noble families who supported you as well.”

it isn’t a question but seokjin nods anyway, his eyes now hold a sort of burden that ages him ten years, “i know your reason for supporting me are too far glaring and what i’m asking you requires a great sacrifice that’ll affect your children, but can i count on the two of you for this?”

x

seokjin meant you might actually have to get married to yoongi legally. at the engagement party, you’ll be showing up as supporters of the king and shift the unending feud between and within the factions. those who have been supporting seokjin in the dark will be your allies while those neutral, like what your house had appeared to be, will not need much convincing to join the new faction - the king’s. though, those who are against his forceful succession won’t stand still.

“it’s getting late so we should stop here but i’ll be visiting soon to finish our little talk, your majesty,” you didn’t miss the king’s shoulder line jolting as you shot up, letting a few seconds stretch in suspense before dipping into a formal bow.

“um, that’s quite fine. you don’t have to-” the man’s mouth clamped shut at the glare you shot over your shoulder before trudging out of the room, the click clack click of your heels bouncing off the walls while you faintly caught seokjin stammering out a plea for help to the only other person left in the room and receiving a ‘you dug your own grave with this one, your majesty’.

yet you couldn’t deny the agreeable course of direction you should take to single out the wild flowers from mere weeds being through a garden party. that’s where politics takes place and where one would usually work out connections. halting in your steps, you found yourself letting out a sigh, the chin you’ve kept so high now lowered to the ground.

after this, there will no longer be an aristocratic and royalist factions - only those who opposes seokjin and those who supports him. the first bunch would no doubt go after you and your family since they can’t touch the duke, if you got divorced within five, no - ten, maybe even twenty years of your marriage. though there have been politically arranged marriages that lasts for a lifetime. while some of the couples seem civil to each other, there would always be speculations of their happiness lying in the arms of their lovers outside of their marriage.

your parents are no exception. though they never quite opened up to you about their past or even present. the only time you ever recall your mother’s heart breaking was when the bells of the palace rang across the capital, signaling the previous queen’s demise.

“how could i not have noticed which faction he’s in...” you trail off, staring into the darkened ceiling where the chandelier would have been and the paintings of a great tree that symbolizes the foundation of your house.

“my lady,” leslie’s fluttery voice chirps from somewhere next to you “get up! today is the day for the duke’s formal visit!”

it’s been a week since your visit to the palace and having been driven to a corner yet again by seokjin. for some reason it didn’t bother you as much as the revelation of that the house of min had always been by the king’s side as a loyal supporter.

yoongi had escorted you to the carriage silently. and you would have left without exchanging a word if not for he gloved hand that grasps onto you tightly and the eyes that bores into your soul. almost imploring you to please, say something.

“since we’re pressed for time, i’ll have the contract sent to you to be reviewed in three day’s time,” was all you said.

your ankles are shackled with invisible cuffs. it takes everything in you not to drag your feet as you strut down the hallway with your chin high and shoulder line dignified.

“right,” you murmur to yourself, pushing yourself up only to have your hand dragged by the maid all the way to the bathtub where warm water has already been filled and waiting for you.

the other maids are already waiting for you with dresses in their hands and jewel boxes littered on your otherwise neatly kept vanity, chattering to themselves about how exciting it is for the only and eldest daughter’s official engagement. granted, your mother has been bugging you about the lack of rock on your finger when every other noblewoman would be showing off their engagement ring as soon as the news breaks out in high society.

but when you step out of the room, donned in an extravagant but elegant dress, you did not expect the overflow of people you’ve never seen before walking towards the main parlor that’s much larger than your mother’s and reserved for entertaining guests. the servants who seem to be carrying boxes and wrapped dresses bow at the sight of you.

“leslie, what’s all this?” you quiz the ever smiling maid on your side even though you have a good hunch already.

“these are the duke’s gifts to you, my lady.” there’s a certain tilt in her voice - the closest indication you’d get of leslie being excited.

“gifts?” you echoe.

the plan was for you to review the other’s contract, make necessary amendments and exchange them in secret.

that is, until yoongi sent a letter to your father, to notify his visit and ‘entourage’. but then again, the duke has always had a knack for downplaying important matters. otherwise, you would have caught on to where his loyalty lies.

before the maid could elaborate further, you’re already in front of the parlor and whisked away by your mother as soon as she sees you.

“___!” she grasps your hands tightly, “how i was mistaken about the duke. his grace was waiting for the siren’s heart to arrive from raefetia!”

colored diamonds are especially hard to get due to the different component and temperature required for its formation. the siren’s heart is said to be a rare jewel that was lost after the siren’s lover was killed on land and the diamond that was with him got sold in the black market.

how yoongi got a hold of it, is not entirely a mystery but the impact of the entourage he brought to your manner and the two jewelers who confirmed it to be the real siren’s heart will, without a doubt, spread throughout the kingdom within a week.

“are these all bought by the duke?” you manage to pull one of the workers who you’d confirmed to be from whitlace, into a corner when your mother is busy salivating over one of the many boxes of jewels that seem to sparkle and call for her.

“th-the duke ask for the jewels to be sent to my lady’s manor and pick whichever my lady’s heart desires,” the slight tremble at the mention of yoongi shouldn’t have come as a surprise to you yet it does. he just hasn’t been looking at you with eyes that could kill.

“is your manager here?” you don’t plan to let the woman be ridden with worry any more than she already is.

as soon as she leads you to a tanned woman with an elegant air around her and the finest jewels adorning her ears and neck, you know that it isn’t just the manager but countess wyvner herself who’d come here.

“lady ___, it’s an honor to meet your acquaintance,” she smiles, her deep brown eyes gleaming with a sort of observance fitting for a woman who runs one of the most high end jewelry store in the kingdom alongside her husband.

“countess,” you say after bowing, “thank you for preparing this on such a short notice.”

a slot itself needs booking at least for one month prior, you can’t imagine how much trouble and setbacks in their schedule they’d have to suffer because of yoongi’s whims. you’d only come to a realization that you’d have to legally marry each other last week. let alone have enough time to prepare for such grand proposal.

“on behalf of my husband and i, it’s an honor to serve the duke and future duchess,” she has a sort of pleasant tone that makes the lady in you listen to anything and everything she says.

you let out a low chuckle, “my, that does put me in a difficult situation.”

the countess blinks in surprise, “how so, lady ___?”

“you see, countess, i specifically asked for the duke to not spend so extravagantly for me,” you lament, a sigh escaping your lips, “as the money could have gone to charity work and helping those in need.”

“ah yes, the house of ___ has been well-known for their generosity since your father’s time,” she agrees, as though recalling a long-lost memory.

it takes several more praises and teetering over the fine line of offensive and modest before you can finally convey your wishes for the jewels to be brought back and as a compromise, the countess will leave only the best, hand-picked diamonds for you to at least look at.

not even five minutes after your conversation with the countess ends, the butler approaches you, informing yoongi’s arrival.

“alright, thank you aiden,” you dismiss the butler, eye skimming the mannequins and dresses piled into the room. whichever store these are from, you’lll have to deal with them later, “bring him to mother’s parlor.”

x

“your grace, thank you for coming,” you greet the man with a bow, noting how his eyebrows threaten to pull together at the title yet only silence follows your greeting.

neither of you say anything as the maid sets down the baked goods you requested to be made for this meeting. the smell of lavender fills your senses as you pour the drink into the white teacup with deep violet flowers engraved around them.

“your grace,” that is possibly the last straw when you see the man’s heavy frown, as though the first time might have been a mistake, but the second time couldn’t have been, so you let out a soft sigh, “i shall address you formally for what i’m about to say involves the state of affair of the kingdom.”

when no word of protest seem to come from the duke, you continue, “i trust your grace has read the contract and made the desired amendments on your part?”

as though recalling the purpose of his visit, the man’s eyes flit away from you. it’s expected for him to behave so, especially when all you’d agreed on at the beginning was a simple hoax to trick the eyes of the beholders. 

out of the frying pan and into the fire.

“that... yes.” he mindlessly mumbles, pulling out the contract from the inside pocket of his jacket and placing it in front of you in a manner that told you he couldn’t be bothered with it for a minute longer.

yet if that was truly the case, he could have sent someone to deliver the contract after the review instead of a notice informing you of his visit. the letters on the contract almost seem to blur together as you mull over his reasons for sitting through a one hour ride just to get here until you catch the insignia of twin dragons and a shield.

“your grace,” your heart almost jumps in your throat when you look up from the paper only to meet a pair of crimson ones that seem to already be staring, “none of the content seem to be modified. is there nothing you wish to add?”

contracts are made to give both parties an equal standings. you’d only included your terms which you made sure weren’t excessive but not potentially harming to you in an event there would be a talk of divorce in the future.

“no, there isn’t.” he answers simply, eyes reverting to the brownish golden liquid before hey flutter close just as he nears the cup to his lips.

all of a sudden, you’re brought back to the sunlit office of his. your hands had trembled and your heart had felt like a dead weight was pulling at its strings until the duke pulled you out of that darkened crevice and kissed the back of your hand.

the act alone had been reserved for lovers who’d sworn their souls to the other. but it’d also been done by noblemen in respect for noblewomen of higher ranking. but the fact that you were a mere count’s daughter and he was a duke rendered the latter interpretation null.

yet he’s acting so indifferently to you now.

“your grace, i implore you to take this matter seriously as it concerns not just the ducal house and ___ house but also cearis.”

no matter how prepared you are, there’s no telling what would happen once seokjin’s plan is set in motion. but even if you’re both nothing but chess pieces, your lives worth something. perhaps, yoongi hasn’t much to lose - but you’ve held out this long to avoid being tangled in an arranged marriage. you need a guarantee for your future and if yoongi refuses to pay his due attention-

“___,” the familiarity of your name rolling off his tongue is unsettling yet comforting at the same time, “isn’t everything that caters to your needs and wishes all in there? why are you displeased?” though the color of his eyes reminds you of burning flames, his gaze sends icy shivers down your spine. as opposed to the way he used to search for the secrets beyond the windows of your soul, this time, he seems as though he’s studied every crevice of it.

it takes you a moment to register that he’d read every line of the terms. and it isn’t a question needing mulling over nor do the flood of memories from your first meeting up until now, is unforeseeable. and you couldn’t help the little prick of betrayal that buries itself to the hilt in your heart,“did you know?”

his stare doesn’t falter. almost like a culprit brought to trial and knows of his innocence even though others don’t, “no- you know how secretive the king is but with the way you’d been behaving at the mention of him... i thought you’d been lovers instead of just subject and monarch.”

in other words, if yoongi knew - which he did have his suspcicions, it was because you’d exposed yourself. the realization hits you like a brick as you recall the many times you almost called seokjin by his name and the one time you actually did.

you figured he’d believe you when you said it was because of your house’s just upbringing but suspicions couldn’t just be shrugged off just like that.

“we’re not.” is all you say, your shoulders threaten to sag with the lifted weight yet the noble blood in you forces you to keep your chin up. those deep eyes bore into you. it’s no secret that even the seemingly indifferent duke of cralon would be curious of how you came to be acquainted with the king when he was just a prince.

truth to be told, it isn’t so much as a mysterious tale as it seems to be. your family’s territory doesn’t harbor fertile lands nor is it strategically situated near the shores for a harbor to be built and attract merchants. it’s a bit far off from the capital but not entirely suitable for planting corps either. and because your family’s refusal to join the royalist faction, the previous king had cut off the supplies and funds for your family’s territory.

your father had to buy food from merchants at a high price while you were in charge of distributing  them all to representatives of each family. in the midst of it, at the age of 16, you’d met seokjin. every time you’d see him, he’d donned the same tattered clothes that didn’t seem to fit his smooth, honeyed skin and noble mannerism.

you didn’t question his motives for always being there to lend another hand to distribute whatever supplies your father could get and leaving without accepting so much as a slice of bread. it was some few years later, after you’ve talked to too many people and remember too little of their faces, did seokjin finally told you about his lowly maid mother and the parents she’d left in pursuit of a job in the capital. it took another year for you to realize his high official dad was the king and by then, you’d sputtered far too many insults at the second prince in your fits of rage.

but if you’re being honest, it possibly had something to do with your mother’s tens of hundreds of letters addressed to the palace, pleading for the king’s good graces. she’d attended social gatherings to obtain funds for charities that went to orphanages, managed to allocate budgets for the supplies and still maintain an appearance fitting for a noblewoman. you did help with pointing out which house had the disadvantage you could use and which could be recruited under your fold but it was mostly your mother - a useless information that yoongi didn’t need to know.

“we started getting more supplies and to shift the suspicion of our family’s support leaning towards the new crown, seokjin started distributing more supplies to noble families of neutral standings,” the thought alone warrants a well needed pause as you sip on cold tea, “after he proposed to me and promised to make me queen, i tried my best to avoid letting the two meet especially at banquets held in the palace.”

“that bastard...” a sharp cracking sound hits the air as you watch the tea ripple within the small confines of the now cracked teacup within the duke’s grasp, “...really had the nerve to propose to you, huh.”

“well,” you set the cup on the saucer gently before standing up and walking over the man who watches you with a mix of curiosity as to what you’re doing and subdued rage for the king.

sitting down, you place your hand on his gloved one. it takes a moment  for him to realize the damage he’d done before he releases the poor ceramic and allow you to twine your fingers together. when you meet his gaze, it’s already soften with something you can’t pinpoint as you suppress the rising heat on your cheeks, “i believe seokjin was telling the truth when he said he was doing it because he had to. at that time, he most likely didn’t know of any other young ladies around his age though there’s no telling for sure just who and how many people was already under his folds,” the hard crimson stare does little to unnerve you though they still make your heart restless for a completely different reason now.

yoongi laughs dryly, almost like a swords mater defeated in his own game, “so we’re merely tools for his disposal.”

that, you can’t deny but no matter how deep you’d pondered on the man’s actions and how much you’d have to sacrifice-

“yet we still trust him like blind fools.” you say.

“fools won’t know what they’re getting into before it’s too late,” he rasps.

words of protest bubbles in your throat as his hand falls away from you but the way he stands up only to fall on his knee, makes your breath hitch.

“we’re no fools, you and i,” his eyes that capture you in a garden of red are glaringly contrasting to his fair complexion and naturally soft features, “___, i do not wish to be married to you only on paper.”

x

note. that’s all for the third chapter, hope you guys enjoyed it!

taglist: @ayujmi​

[saskaykun]

Taka’s members’ bond with Sasuke. (For Taka team’s stans, this one’s for you.)

I don't think there's any point in introducing the Taka team again.

But as today's point is to prove the link as a point of complementarity with Sasuke. I'm going to take a look at the personal lives of each of them. 

Ps: sorry for the typos, english is not my mother tongue.

SUIGETSU:

We are going to start with Suigetsu, like Sasuke, Suigetsu had a big brother, pretty strong and skilled because Mangetsu was the only one of the 7 swordsmen of the mist to master the 7 swords of Kiri. Suigetsu's dream was to become as strong as his big brother to enter the 7 swordsmen assassins club, whom he admired a lot, but Mangetsu died rather prematurely while protecting his little brother Suigetsu. Suigetsu trained hard to barely match half of his big brother's sword skills. He also comes from a known clan from the village of Kiri, the clan Hozūki, and owns a Kekkei Genkai, which allows him to liquefy his body from flesh to water. Pretty handy for a swordsman, isn't it?  No blade can pierce his body. That's also why Orochimaru was interested in him and kept him prisoner in his laboratories for so many years. Doesn't that remind you of Sasuke? The story of the big brother to be surpassed in abilities, even though he was so admired by the little one? Sasuke had to kill Itachi because he had to avenge his clan, Suigetsu had to become much better than Mangetsu because he promised him before Mangetsu died, that he would take back the title of "Kijin no Sairai" - "the second coming of the demon" (as far as my translation is concerned), so he got it into his head to collect all the swords from Kiri village, in order to take back his brother's inheritance. It's rather cute when you think about it. Suigetsu, in spite of appearances, is not a deeply evil person even if he spent most of his life training to become an assassin. Of all the times he made fun of Karin for her feelings towards Sasuke and Karin hit him, he never twisted back once. Suigetsu doesn't have a family anymore, like Sasuke, he's the last survivor of his clan. Moreover, I wanted to add that Suigetsu, sometimes appears like a coward but is actually very competent, and he is certainly a better swordsman than Sasuke. At the same age, (at 16 years old) Suigetsu had already done 2 - D rank missions, 33 - C rank missions - 40 - B rank missions, 13 - A rank missions and finally 4 - S rank missions originally reserved for jônin, can he be considered as such?

KARIN:

What do we know about Karin?

At first, not much is said, except that she is a very competent sensory ninja, that Sasuke, with Suigetsu came personally to look for. He chose her, among many other competent ninjas. He acknowledged her as the best in her field. That's a canon fact. 

Another true thing, Sasuke, who came personally to pick her up, confessed that he needed her to reach his goal.

"I need you, Karin", really happened. 

He wasn't forced to do it, on the contrary, Suigetsu, who wasn't a big fan of Karin, spent his time dissuading Sasuke from going to pick her up and take her on the team, but Sasuke insisted.

They saved each other's lives several times. Karin healed him with her "Heal Bite" and he during their fight against Killer Bee, awakened a new power from his Mangekyō Sharingan: Kagutsuchi. He was able to extinguish the flames of the Amaterasu that had touched Karin. His face, scared of losing his teammate, proves how much Sasuke cares about his Taka teammates but especially about Karin. After I will not go on betting that he cares about her, romantically or just friendly because that's not the point and nothing in the manga proves that he did it romantically or kindly, I just want to emphasize this point: he was willing to die, and put Juugo's and Suigetsu's lives in danger in order to save Karin.

We learn a little more about Karin, during the Edotensei scene with Itachi and Sasuke against Kabuto. Kabuto then talks about Taka team members and reveals to Sasuke that Karin is indeed part of the Uzumaki clan, like Naruto, and that's why she has a huge chakra cluster. She regenerates quickly her own wounds but she can help others to regenerate and heal themselves by sharing her chakra, by biting her because it's the fastest way: in fact, the injured person drinks Karin's chakra and regenerates herself/himself in a few moments.

Besides the fact that Karin was used by Sasuke to locate Itachi through her powerful chakra and to warn him of his possible enemies, and of course to heal him in case he would be seriously wounded, she is not an exceptional ninja in combat, she must even very often be saved either by Sasuke or by Suigetsu. Sasuke knew that very well. He was never shocked that Karin might be a weight for them in their adventures. He chose her by himself, nobody forced Karin to be there and decided to protect her.

The scene where Sasuke "sacrifices" Karin to kill Danzō is totally a scene to be taken with extenuating circumstances. Sasuke finally being in front of the person who ruined his life, who ordered the massacre of the Uchiha clan, he couldn't do otherwise, he was forced by all means to kill him. Karin being in his field of action because she wanted to help him, was also pierced by Sasuke's chidori blade. Don't forget though, that he didn't really sacrifice her because she didn't die, since he didn't aim at Karin's vital points.

I still want to thank Sakura for helping Karin with her medical ninjutsu, she is still part of Karin's healing process, without Sakura's intervention, she might have had a hard time healing this time.

I also wanted to point out, on the scene following Karin's famous "sacrifice":

Karin thus finds herself on the ground, dying slowly, Obito then proposes to Sasuke to finish her off, properly because she knows too much about their plan. Sasuke doesn't even take the time to answer him. During this scene, Sasuke takes an exceptional time to load his chidori, giving Team 7 time to arrive on the scene, another proof that deep down he really didn't want to kill her. It is finally on Sakura that Sasuke decides to use his chidori, and not on Karin. Karin then dissuades him... but Sakura is really not far from being killed this time by Sasuke.

This scene is powerful, but it shows the total disinterest of Team 7 in the eyes of Sasuke, at least the disinterest he has in Sakura's life. Sakura being a burden, and considering her as the enemy, had to be eliminated as soon as possible. He was also never afraid to confront Kakashi. The only one for which he has doubts, a certain apprehension that he tries indirectly to hide, remains definitely for Naruto, but again, he does not hesitate to threaten him if Naruto still chases after him.

To finish with Karin, she is part of the Uzumaki clan, one of the oldest clans in the Shinobi world, and derived from the Senju clan, there are not many members of the clan left, at least to our knowledge except Karin, Naruto and Nagato. At the end of the war, only Karin and Naruto remain. She shares this fact with Sasuke. She also had lost her entire family during the previous war, her mother was used for medical purposes, literally having her chakra sucked until her death. She became an orphan at a very young age, left to live on her own, abused by others until she met Orochimaru. She has no one left.When she meets Sasuke, she falls in love with him for his beauty, he is pretty handsome, but as a sensory ninja, she found that he has a beautiful and attractive chakra, she realized right away that Sasuke is not as bad as he pretends to be. She took a close interest in him, and I think the interest was mutual.

JŪGO:

Jūgo, is certainly the only member where we are poorly with information about him.

Jūgo is a deeply kind and loving boy but is possessed by a heavy weight that overwhelms him: the cursed seal. He is the first holder of the cursed seal, it is with his DNA that Orochimaru started his experiments. The poor man, being unable to control his murderous impulses, preferred to die rather than to leave his cell when Sasuke, Suigetsu and Karin came to get him. Sasuke promised to hold him, Jūgo, usually not confident, agrees to come with them because Kimimaro had acknowledged Sasuke. Jūgo, in addition to his incredible physical strength when possessed by the cursed seal, is able to communicate with the birds. Sasuke uses Jūgo through this ability so that his birds can locate the Akatsukis' hideout and that he can create a map from the information transmitted by these birds. Also, Jūgo is an orphan, and since Kimimaro died, he was literally alone in the world. He has no known family, and his affiliation to a particular clan is unknown. Another peculiarity that Sasuke shares with his teammates.

I consider Jūgo as Sasuke/Suigetsu/Karin’s big brother. He took care of them. There also is a scene where he puts Sasuke in his futon after having treated him and bandaged him, because Sasuke had fallen asleep sitting, from exhaustion.

This boy is soooooo cute and gentle. His bipolar side contrasts enormously. His murderous personality with his soft and wise side.

                 Well, Sasuke's plan was perfect and well thought out.

 To answer the question I was asked, "What do they do as Team Taka, besides help Sasuke enter into darkness?"

I, for one, don't hold Team Taka members responsible for Sasuke's entry into the darkness. Far from it. Sasuke was motivated by his hatred for killing Itachi, and after the final battle with his brother, motivated by revenge for those who led to his downfall. Don't get me wrong, I always feel that when it comes to Sasuke, the people who interact with him are responsible for his actions. No, Sasuke most certainly suffers from PTSD, living in unresolved grief since the death of his family, in hatred and constant pain, doesn't need anyone to think for him. He's an intelligent boy, he knows his purpose, he knows he would sacrifice himself to restore honor to those he has lost. His goal was just that. I sincerely think that deep down Sasuke wanted to change the Shinobi world, build new foundations, and achieve peace, so that what he experienced would never happen again, but it was a kind of pipe dream because he really thought he would die in his next confrontation with Naruto. He expected no less.

It really pisses me off that people think that Sasuke is acting according to the actions of others. I don't remember hearing Suigetsu, Karin or Jugo suggest a plan of action to kill someone or do something. He was the leader of this team. The others were acting on his behalf and not the other way around. He was the one who came to find them, he was the one who surrounded himself with these shinobis to help him achieve his goal. You let yourself be influenced by Naruto “talk no jutsu” in Gaiden who dares to tell the Taka team to mind their own business when he himself spent years to mind Sasuke's business, without even understanding the reason for his actions.

Gaiden makes the Taka team look like the villains who helped Sasuke carry out the actions of his hatred, but look closer, they did nothing so exceptional except help him find Itachi and obey Akatsuki's orders to attack Killer B.

It even seems to me that the Taka team were, in the end, the only ones who listened sincerely to Sasuke, to meet his expectations, to try to understand him. 

A non-canon fact unfortunately, in a novel about Sasuke, after Itachi's death, Sasuke makes a kind of pilgrimage to learn more about his brother, during his Akatsuki period, and then meets two brothers, who were preparing drops for Itachi's eyes, and they make him think about him and Itachi when they were kids. ... I'm going to skip over the real story of this novel, although it's very well written for a non-canon novel, and we find Sasuke on his scene, by the sea, where he desperately lets go of all his pain in a torrent of tears, and decides to rename Hebi team into Taka team.

Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo were present during one of the worst moments of Sasuke's life: Itachi's death and thus the mourning of his older brother.

In spite of Itachi's terrible actions and choices to raise Sasuke's power, Sasuke still considers him as his beloved older brother who sacrificed himself for a village that never gave them the chance to live, properly...

Again, as I already said in another post, I truly think that all the people close to Sasuke tried to control his choices and his life, without asking his opinion.

Itachi made it clear that he tried to trace Sasuke's life from his childhood to what he became and finally disappointed to have failed... but what the hell did he expect?

Naruto, who absolutely wants Sasuke to go back to Konoha, but why? He knew very well that the people in Konoha would bully him for his actions, when he was already bullied enough to be an Uchiha in Konoha. So Naruto claims to know what's best for Sasuke. What?!

Sakura... is Sakura.

Kakashi and Jiraya tried to dissuade Sakura and Naruto from desperately pursuing a guy who clearly wanted to get the hell out of this village: Sasuke is not worth it.

Decidedly, Sasuke doesn't get much grace from people. Between those who think he's a sulky, who always makes moods because he has some problems in his life and those who judge him without knowing a second of his existence and his journey, he's really badly surrounded.

The Taka team is the only one that hasn't gone into the details and is following Sasuke, even before he decides to explain to them the reasons for this gathering.

I like their complicity. I like their dynamics. They help each other.

Team Taka is the one that Sasuke chose on his own, Team 7 is the one that was imposed on him. Don't forget that.

At least, I didn’t even use your post, but thank you again @justsasuke​ ! It was kind of you :)

                Ps: I found this pic very cute. They are all awesome. 

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Twenty: The Retrieval

Chapter Nineteen

Word Count 3k

Warnings: mentions of rape, blood, gore, little fluff

When night strikes Wessex, still no sign of Ivar or his brother's. You can feel yourself getting weaker and weaker as the hours go on. You know that they are searching for you, they just don't know where you are. Hopefully your best friend sent that letter to Kattegat and it gets to them by morning. If not, you have no idea if you will survive another day of torture. When the meeting with the people was over, your people were absolutely furious and did not approve of anything that is going on. King Harald was outraged, so he took all of his anger out on you. At this point, every inch of skin is either cut or bruised. You can barely breathe, barely even see. You just hold onto your stomach and weep. 

King Harald comes in a few hours later, you are not certain of the time. 

"P-please..n-no more."

Harald chuckles, "No more of what? Beatings or the sex?"

"Both." You stuttered. 

Harald "Okay, fine. I will make you a deal. No more sex, if you give me one of your dragon's." You chuckle so hard that blood comes up.

"Go to hell." You mumbled as you spit the blood out of your mouth. 

Harald "No? Are you sure you won't accept my offer?"

"They are m-mine. My babie-s. No, you cannot have one."

Harald tisks his tongue, "Such a shame. But at the same time, it is not. Because this means, I can still use you hmm?"

"Just leave me alone." 

Harald "Aw poor child-"

"I am not a child! I am a queen! I am Ivar's queen! Have you forgotten?!"

Harald "Oh of course not. Ivar and I are very close allies-"

"Well not," you gasp for breath, "anymore now that you have done all of this to me."

Harald gets into your face, "Do you really think that he loves you, Y/n? Do you really think that he cares about you or that child in your belly? He is just as wicked as I am." You let your head fall to the ground. You try not to listen to his words because in all honesty, they hurt. You love your husband, you miss him more than anything. But you can't stop replaying what his last words were to you. And those are what make you feel like King Harald is telling you the truth. 

"Even if he does not, I still have my child."

Harald "Ah yes, that little baby in your belly. You still think it is still ali-" you slap him across the face, hard enough for spit to fly out of his dirty mouth. He looks down at you and laughs in your face. "You still have fight in you. I like that!" He grabs you and rips the only piece of clothing that you have left on and takes you. You try to fight back but it is no use. He is much stronger than you now. You cry and cry as he takes you, screaming out in mercy. But he does not give it to you. When the time comes, if the time comes, he will not get mercy.

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

Morning arrives in Kattegat and the news carrier comes to Ivar immediately as he sits on his throne. Hvitserk sits beside Ubbe, hanging his head down. His hair is ragged and his eyes are bloodshot. Ubbe is staying strong, he needs to for his brother's. 

Ivar "What is it? Have you found her?!"

"My king? Oh no! I just have a letter for you, my king."

Ivar sighs, "Alright. Give it here." Hvitserk takes a huge gulp of ale and shakes away his nerves. He feels like every waking minute, could be another minute of your life withering away. 

Hvitserk "What does it say, Ivar." Ivar reads and does not say anything. His eyes just wilt with tears.

Ubbe "IVAR! What does the letter say!"

Ivar looks up at his two brother's standing in front of him, waiting for answers.

Ivar "She is in Wessex. It was her friend that we met when we got her dragon's back Hvitserk. She wrote in detail of her condition." Hvitserk rips the piece of parchment out of Ivar's hands and reads it for himself while Ubbe hovers behind him.

The letter:

"Hello King Ivar, my name is Thyra. I met you and Hvitserk when you came back to retrieve Y/n's dragon's back in Spring. I am her friend and as her friend, I am begging you to bring as many warriors and her dragon's to Wessex, England. King Harald Finnair and the King are torturing Y/n to get information about her dragon's. King Harald has beaten her to the point where she can hardly be recognized. Her skin is bruised, so badly that it is blackened. Her eyes are almost swollen shut and her clothes are ripped to shreds from being sexually assaulted by someone. In my opinion, it has to be King Harald. She told me that she is with child, but I fear that that is no longer the case by her current state. Please come as soon as possible. She does not have long."

~Thyra

Hvitserk fell to his knees and fainted. When he awoke, Ubbe is screaming at Ivar to get his act together and get his men to Wessex. 

Ubbe "What are you waiting for!? You know where she is! Let's go get her and bring her back home!"

Ivar "We are too short of men, Ubbe."

Ubbe "We will not fight today, but we need to save your wife!"

Ivar "Yes. I will go and ready our ships and soldiers. Wake him up." 

Hvitserk "I AM UP! YOU SERIOUSLY WERE CONSIDERING NOT GOING TO WESSEX?!"

Ivar "I am king. I have to look out for my men. I fear that many of them will lose their lives today if we fight to get Y/n back. And we are short on soldiers."

Hvitserk "You are not her husband. You sure as hell are not acting like it!"

Ivar "I am her husband!"

Hvitserk "THEN GO TO WESSEX AND SAVE YOUR BLOODY WIFE!"

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

The three dragon's fly above the ships as they set sail to Wessex, England. Hvitserk prays the whole time there that you are still with him. That his child is still with him. He has not heard from you today, which makes him very uneasy. 

Ubbe "Look ahead of you brother, she is not too far now."

Hvitserk "What if she-"

Ubbe "She's not. Don't think such a thing. You will see her soon." Ivar stands by himself and looks ahead of him. He is worried to see your state. He is worried that you won't be the same after he brings you home to Kattegat. He fears that you will not love him any more. Could he truly blame you?

…

Hvitserk walks over to his brother Ivar and sits down beside him. Ivar does not say a word. He does not feel like he has the right to do so. So Hvitserk takes that step.

Hvitserk "Why are you acting like this, Ivar? I thought that you have changed."

Ivar "I have changed. Y/n changed me for the better."

Hvitserk "Really? Because you have been acting like you old self for the past three days."

Ivar "That is because, when I am scared...I turn it into anger. And Hvitserk, I am terrified. I am terrified of seeing her like how Thyra described. I fear that I am going to break down when she needs me to be strong. I fear that we might be too late."

Hvitserk "As do I, brother. But we need to be strong for her okay?"

Ivar "Yes."

Ubbe "We are coming up to the castle. We are here brother's." When they look up and see the castle coming closer and closer into their view, they get their warrior faces on and get ready to get their girl back.

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

You pass out from all of the pain that you are in. King Harald ended up not leaving you alone until three rounds later. Even when you are still, your legs shake from overstimulation. The blood is just a reminder that it would take a miracle for your baby girl to still be alive. 

When the three brother's arrive at the gates of the kingdom, Ivar uses the dragon's flames to burn the gates down. Raising them since they were babies, has its perks. When the gates burn down, the people are frantic at the sight of them. The dragon's fly ahead and land on top of the castle, while Ivar and his army flood every inch of the kingdom. 

Ivar "I AM IVAR THE BONELESS! THESE ARE MY BROTHER'S! I AM YOUR PRINCESS'S HUSBAND AND KING, WE ARE HERE TO SET HER FREE. DO NOT FIGHT US!" The people calm down and almost turn to excitement. Ubbe runs to the doors, as well as Hvitserk with a few of their personal guard's. When they enter, they are confronted with the two men that are responsible for all of this. 

Harald "Ah, finally-"

Hvitserk "Where is she?!" 

Harald "Go find her for yourself. I must warn you though, dear Hvitserk...you might not recognize her." Ubbe looks at him.

Ubbe "Go get her, I'll take care of these two. Watch your back." Hvitserk nods and kills every man that comes his way. He is filled with such rage and hate that he has no empathy for anyone but you at this point. He climbs to the top but you are not there. So he ran back down, ending up in the darkest and coldest parts of the castle. He finds old bones on the stone floors and some animal corpses. He walks on and finds doors that only keys could open, but luckily for him, his sword is made from the strongest steel that could ever be made. When he broke down the first door, no one was in it. He broke down every door except the one that you were in. When he reaches the last door, he hesitates and tears start to fill in his eyes because he knows that you are in there. Hvitserk took a deep breath and broke the door down. When he stepped foot inside that cage, he sees you in the corner. There is so much blood surrounding you, that he can barely see the floor beneath you. He walks over to you, scared out of his mind because he feels like you should have woken up by the door being broken into. 

Hvitserk "Y/n? Baby?....sweetheart."

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

When you awake, you feel a pair of gentle hands on your shoulder. And then you hear the voice of a man that you have been needing for what feels like forever. You look up and see Hvitserk hovering over you. 

"..Hvitserk?"

Hvitserk chuckles through the tears, "Yeah, kitten. It's me, I am here. We are all here." You pull him into your arms and hold him as tight as you could and sobbed uncontrollably. 

Hvitserk "You're okay...you'll be okay."

"I...I can't..I can't get up..I can't move. He-"

Hvitserk "I know. I know, I'm going to carry you all the way back home, okay?"

"Hvitserk...the baby-"

Hvitserk "She is fine. You both are fine, let's get you home." He lifts you into his arm's. Once you get off of the floor, the pain is excruciating. You scream and cry from every inch of your body that is causing you this feeling. 

Hvitserk "I know..I know, we will heal you, I promise."

"I feel like every part of me is broken."

Hvitserk "You will be healed..I promise. We will get through this."

"M-my dragon's!"

Hvitserk "They are here. They are all here, Kitten." You sob into his chest from relief. It feels like a dream but it is, thankfully, your reality. The reality that you have been praying for for four days.

…

Harald "I am almost glad to see you, Ivar...old friend."

Ivar "I am not your friend."

Harald "Oh so harsh. I am surprised it took you this long to find her."

Ivar "It took us this long because we sent warriors to all of your kingdoms but couldn't find her there. But we did find a lot of your valuable warriors and killed them." Harald scowls. "So do not be surprised when you go home to Vestfold and Rogaland...there is a bloodbath waiting for your return." 

Harald "Well I have to admit, that saddens me. But then again, I have gotten so much use out of your wife that I cannot stay mad at you-" Ivar attempts to charge but Ubbe stops him with his arm.

Ubbe "Not today. Remember our mission of today. Bring her home. Get her healed. And then-"

Ivar "He will burn-" He stops what he was going to say when he sees his brother carrying his wife in his arms. It confirmed one of his worst fears: you being so badly beaten that you are almost unrecognizable. 

Ivar "Y/n?" You look over your shoulder and see your husband.

"I-...IVAR?!" Hvitserk puts you down right in front of him. You wrap your weak arms around his neck as he holds your frail body up in his arms. 

Ivar "I missed you so much...I-I am so so so sorry. Please forgive me!"

"I do. Just please take me h-home." He cups your cheeks and kisses your lips extra gentle. 

Ubbe "Hey.."

"Ubbe…" He walks over to you and hugs you gentle but with so much happiness and relief.

Hvitserk "Alright, let's get her out of here-"

Father "Y/n...can I have a word."

Ivar "NO! YOU HAVE SAID AND DONE ENOUGH!" 

Father "I want to apologize-"

"Apology not accepted. Hvitserk.." 

Hvitserk "Yeah, c'mere." He lifts you up and takes you out of the castle. When you are out, you see your dragon's flying ahead. 

"RYUU, ELDR, NEITH..!!" They hear you and land in front of you and Hvitserk. "Ahh my babies...oh I have missed you!"

Hvitserk "They have missed you, Y/n. They haven't eaten since you were taken...haven't slept."

"I am here now...everything will be okay now. Hvitserk...go get King Harald."

Hvitserk "Y/n?"

"...I want to see him burn." Hvitserk smirks and kisses your lips, then lifts you up so that you can lay down on Neith. 

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

Hvitserk returns and looks at Ubbe in a way that only Ubbe would know.

Ubbe "Hvitserk.."

Hvitserk "She wants him to burn for what he has done-"

Ubbe "Now is not the time."

Hvitserk "It is. Do you really think that we can all live in peace until this bastard is dead?!" Ubbe nods in agreement. 

Ivar "Now?"

Hvitserk "Now." 

Ivar walks ahead, "Well...it seems that my wife would like to see you one last time." Harald chuckles. 

Harald "I guess she just can't get enough of me!" Hvitserk wants to chop his head off with one clean slit to the neck but he knows that it will be more justified your way.

Harald stops right in front of Ivar and whispers, "Her pussy is just perfect. It is such a shame that you can't enjoy it yourself Ivar...I pity you." Ivar clenches his jaw and watches the man walk past him and out the door. 

Ubbe "Do not listen to him, Ivar. Do not let him win, hmm?" Ivar agrees and walks on.

…

You see the man walk in front of your boys, heading for you and your dragon's. 

Harald "Man...they are so much more incredible in person!"

"Yes they are...but they are not yours."

Harald "They will be one day, you'll see."

"...Ivar." Ivar takes out his dagger and puts it in Harald's throat. He began to gag and gasps for breath. He is choking on his own blood, as you have done for almost a week. Ivar and his brother's step back because they know what is coming next. Hvitserk gives you the 'now,' you look down at your dragon's and smirk.

"DRACARYS!" All three of your dragon's fire at King Harald and do not stop until they see the ashes fall to the ground. Ivar walks up and sees his wife on top of her dragon and smiles.

"Take me home."

Ivar "Gladly." Your father comes running up and startles Ivar and his men. They grab their weapons in preparation for an ambush.

Father "Y/n..please-"

"I will not forgive you-"

Father "I had no other choice! King Harald threatened my life... my kingdom."

"I am your daughter." He does not know what to say because he knows that you are right. Nothing else should come before you and your life. Even his kingdom. 

"I am leaving, and you will let me if you do not want your fate to end up like your friend over there." He looks down at the pile of ashes next to him, on the white snow. 

Father "I am sorry Y/n. For everything."

"No you are not. You are only sorry that I am going home, and leaving you with our angry people. So do not take me for a fool, father. Because I am no such thing." Ivar looks at you with admiration. Hvitserk does the same. Ubbe is observing with a clear mind and is ready to strike if your father attempts to cause you harm. Your father just stands there and takes your words. His eyes shedding crocodile tears. 

"I need to go home, before I don't make it home-"

Hvitserk "Y/n-?" He notices you starting to lean forward on Neith and grow even paler than before. He rushes to you and catches you when you fall off of her. Ubbe grabs your father and throws him on to the ground. 

Ubbe "Go back to your people, before I do not allow it!" Your father runs away as fast as he could. Ivar watches Hvitserk hold your body in his arm's, so weak and frail that you couldn't even hold up your own body anymore. 

Ivar "We need to get her home!" 

Hvitserk "I will put her in the boat! Hang in there, Y/n.. stay with me baby, come on. Stay with me." He said that all the way to the boat. He and Ivar held you in their arm's the whole way back to Kattegat, hoping and praying that you will pull through.

@hvitserkmarcosource @a-mess-of-fandoms @youbloodymadgenius @ivarsgoddess @jzr201 @conaionaru @ivarzeitgeist @herestherealproblem @heavenly1927 @saldelys

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

...& Steel for Humans (Geralt x fem!Witchress, Part 2.)

Series description: The Butcher of Blaviken has a long and famous past, thanks to his friend Jaskier. Yet, neither of those dies easily and it still lurks behind Geralt like a shadow after all those years. History, neither unfriendly relationships, doesn't die easily.

Part summary: After a talk with your old friend, there is one thing - a contract which is supposed to keep you rich for at least other ten years. But there are things you are not going to like about is. 

A/N: Honestly, Dijsktra is one of my favourite in-game characters and I sincerely hope that he will make an appearence in the Netflix series. That mf is so fun honestly.

Tagging: (tell me and I will add you :)) @osgon-azure​ @davnwillcome

Word count: 2.1 K

Master list: H E R E

To your good luck, Dijkstra was very clear with the place of his staying - that fat rat was hiding at the Novigradian Bathhouse. You never held anything against Dijkstra - he was being a dick? You told him. That man knew famous non-humans like Geralt and even legends upon men, like Vernon Roche or the Redenian King Radovid. And he didn't hesitate to shove those connections into other people's faces. And you were one of them at that point.

So naturally, it didn't mean anything good when Dijkstra not only contacted you but knew where you were staying at the time. Novigrad was just three days of a slow ride on your horse and you didn't have anywhere to rush. Dijkstra only informed you, very kindly you must've said, that he would like to speak to you once you reach the city walls. It was for an important matter of saving lives or what.

Yeah, you weren't over your heels because of his demand. But you stopped in front of the famous bathhouse two days after the whole werewolf situation with a cape in your face. It wouldn't be exactly clever to walk around one of the biggest cities of the Northern Kingdoms just showing your face to everyone around you. Novigrad was looking just as you remembered it - it was dirty, it stank, beggars were on every corner and elf prostitutes only. That was the thing you didn't like on Novigrad. You had to be either a demon of a shapeshifter to cover that you're a non-human or you had to be a prostitute to be a non-human living in this city.

The cult of Eternal Flame was going nuts there. One of the priests even noticed that cats were hissing at you and that dogs ran away when your warhorse was driving through the streets and tried to verbally insult you and on top of that, he was calling you a heretic and a sinner. Instead of pinning him to a wall with your sword as a warning, you scoffed at his words and continued to Passiflora where you turned left. Not too long after that, you were standing in front of the bathhouse.

A bald man took your house, saying his name is Happen, and lead it to the nearby stable so the people there would take care of the poor animal. It needed some proper rest and some clear water, you couldn't deny that you weren't able to give your horse this kind of comfort on your travels.

To be honest, from the first moment you stepped in, you knew that the bathhouse stank. You hated those lingering, sweet smells that usually settled on the tip of your nose. Bathhouses usually used these scents because the humans found it more relaxing. Yet it was like a catalyzer for your damn nose - that was maybe for the first time in the last years when you sneezed. And it was damn uncomfortable.

Finding Sigismund wasn't exactly challenging - that man couldn't be ignored with the bright colors he tended to wear and with the size of his body. One of his legs also wasn't exactly in the best shape, so the limbing was quite easy to recognize when he was on the moe. At least to witchress's ears, it was unique.

Once you entered his office, you could see him sitting behind a table, going through some papers. You were quiet, so it took him a while to notice a caped person standing in the corner of the room. His face lit up with a smile that wasn't soothing nor comforting; he looked like a dick if you had to be honest.

"It is always a pleasure to see old friends. Have a seat with me, come on." - He said when you took the hood off and your face and white hair could be finally seen. You snorted when you sat down, taking a few grapes without even asking Dijkstra a word. He was quickly pouring you some of the sweet wine he had on the table but both of you knew that your lips won't even touch the drink.

"We aren't friends, Dijkstra. And also, it is never a good sign when you can find me without too much of trying." - A short answer to his greeting could be heard while your eyes scanned the books in his bookcases. Law things, political archives, some of the Novigrad's biggest family chronicles, nothing too extraordinary or interesting. Yet the Gwent packs caught your eye, so you took the Northern Kingdoms deck and started to go through it, looking at the cards with interest.

"Well, it didn't take too much of an effort to figure out that a witcher is in the Mire West currently. People talk and news spread quickly, don't forget about that. Especially quickly when you know who to ask for details." - The man slowly leaned into the chair behind his back while you turned your attention back to him, eating the grapes slowly.

"You torture people, you don't ask for details, Sigismund, don't you try to make me laugh because I am not in the mood for jests. You're just as much of a bitch as I am." - You smiled ironically, being tired of his little welcoming games. - "What is it that you need? Don't tell me that I came all the fucking way to Novigrad from Mire West just to see your fucking handsome face. And lemme tell you, you are fucking ugly."

At that, Sigismund laughed and shook his head. You two couldn't be exactly considered friends since everybody knew that you don't like Sigismund one bit. That wasn't too hard to understand - Sigismund was a spy who couldn't be trusted. But you two couldn't be even called enemies, since most of the time, you both stood at one side of a case - if you ever decided to take a stand in anything political.

"I have a friend in need and I told her that I will try to ask you for a helping hand." - He looked you in the eyes. Sigismund had a job... For a witchress? With that, you rose your eyebrows and furrowed. - "She offers you a ridiculous amount of coin - for searching and killing the source. And also invites you for a damn dance and pays for your stay Novigrad, no matter which inn you'd name." - He told very seriously so you could understand that Dijkstra isn't in a mood for games either.

"Damn. That must be a real matter of life and death if they're putting so much coin into it. What is going on?" - You asked and stole another grape from the small silver plate, putting the deck back on its place. You liked the grapes, they were sweet. Dijkstra surely had to offer them in Passiflora, the whorehouse just a while from Saint Gregory's bridge.

"No-one knows. We only know that whatever the fuck it is, it breaks trees and rocks like small wooden sticks and that it cooks humans for dinner. We dunno much more than what I've told ya." - Dijkstra told you and your face got even sourer than before. This wasn't just some ordinary Vampire, nor a Fiend. - "It lives in the mountains east from Novigrad and the Vegelbuds are rather concerned with it. No matter what in the horse's ass it is, it already massacred two villages."

Again, you pushed yourself more into the plushy chair Dijkstra had offered you. This wasn't a matter you could laugh at. Whether you liked it or not, it was more than fucking serious. Women and children were killed, men could be eaten or stomped to death.

"Bullshit. There ain't no monster who can destroy a whole damn village just because it wants to in Redenia. There ain't one like that on the whole Continent. Before you jump in with Fiends, they are too lazy for any that." - You started slowly and put a strand of your hair behind your ears.

"Dijkstra, honestly, I ain't a dumb bitch. You're the mediator between me and the Veganbrods or what the fuck is their name and I know that you'll have a lot of money from this. But no witcher, squirrel, or human will take this fucking job. This ain't a job. This is suicide." - You said, looking him in the eyes.

"Oh, Y/N, I just love how honest you can be with me. This ain't a one-man job, of course. We already have some... Takers who are gladly willing to accompany you." - Dijkstra said in a solid-sure tone.

"If it's Letho of the Viper school, tell him to fuck off right away. I hope it's not a sorceress either, I can't stand these bitches either. Lambert would be a nice company, tho and I wouldn't mind me an Eskel either." - You said honestly with a small smile. Yeah. You knew how did your witcher brothers work on their contracts, you knew you would get along with them and if there would be anything that would go bad, they would have your back.

You liked Lambert the most of all the witchers you knew - it didn't matter if they were from your school or the Griffin school or the Vipers, you just liked Lambert the most. There were rumors that you and he had some kind of a relationship - whether it had ended up or was going on. And any of that wasn't confirmed either denied by any of you. When people asked you, you both just smiled and changed the subject.

"It's not Lambert, unfortunately, but it is someone you know, which is some good fucking news. And it is someone you don't like, I have to say - one of them sings all the fucking time and the other one is a grumpy moron who had fucked up my leg. But don't think about that. Business is business, darling, it's not about liking someone. It's about money and surviving the fucking trip to the mountains." - Dijkstra looked you right in the eyes. You sat there in silence, watching the man with a dead serious face.

Of course. Of fucking course. Your partner for the trip, who you had to believe with all your will power, the partner who was supposed to be someone you should be able to trust with whole life, that man was supposed to be the white-haired moron. And his possibly gay friend. You looked at Dijkstra, having that daring look on your face.

"I can still say no, you ugly bastard." - You said honestly. At that, the idiot sitting opposite of you started laughing.

"No-one denies your right to deny - only your financial state and the reputation you have around Novigrad and other big cities now. Tell me, Y/N, you and the other witchers have some kind of a competition which should determine who is the worst person of you all?" - Dijkstra asked, having you speechless for a moment. - "Because according to my people, you have the leading position now. The incident with Stjepan got pretty known here over the last few days. And I know you like to keep your honor clean."

"I had never hurt a woman or a child. And that's it." - Was the sentence you said coldly as ice.

"People heard otherwise. Almost dragging the children out of the bed, abducting them so you can bring them to your witcher school as payment and all of that came with your promise of the next generation of witchresses... Oh Y/N, you know that one small rumor can completely ruin your business, huh?" - He leaned in, closer to you, watching your reactions. You hated Sigismund but there was one thing that needed to be said - he was a damn good businessman.

Why did that hiding rat want you to take the contract? You had no idea. But even though you didn't want it for some reason, he knew how to make you take it.

So it was said and done - you were supposed to travel to the mountain alongside Geralt of Rivia and his small musician puppy Julian. But not before a grand ball held at the Vegelbud family residence three hours away from Novigrad. Which, on the other side, you were excited about.

[delicioussshame]

I promised myself that when I had finished the FFVII remake, I would write this. Total crack. Based on the original to limit spoilers.

Ning Yingying stands strong against Shen Qingqiu’s disapproval. “Liu-shimei is risking her future for this mission. How could this Ning Yingying do anything less?”

“I won’t let my disciple put herself in such a dangerous position. Do you know what will happen to you if he chooses you? I can’t allow it.”

“It will happen to Liu-shimei if we don’t support her.”

Shen Qingqiu is going to cry. Liu Mingyan, why are you this headstrong? Why inherit this of all things from your brother? We had other leads! There was no need for you to try and infiltrate Luo Binghe’s mansion that way! Now Shen Qingqiu has to come fetch you, and one cultivator and his disciple cannot face the might of the ruler of the underworld by themselves! “We can return to the sect and get reinforcement.”

“Shizun must forgive me, but he knows that by the time we return, it will be too late! Luo Binghe will have chosen Shimei as his newest bride! How could he not?”

How could he not indeed. Who could when faced with Liu Mingyan, veil removed and face painted with floral gold? Of course he will pick her, and she will be swiped away wherever Luo Binghe’s latest wives are, surely after having been deflowered.

Liu Qingge will kill him if Luo Binghe becomes his brother-in-law while his sister is under his watch.

Still, he can’t allow Ning Yingying to enter by herself. “Ning Yingying is usually aware of her limitations. What are you going to do when you’re with Luo Binghe? How are you going to save her from him? Even after having passed most of his underlings, he is more than you can handle.”

She falters, but only for a moment. “Shimei will support me.”

“Liu Mingyan is indeed an accomplished cultivator for her age, but she hasn’t reached the level of mastery necessary to defeat Luo Binghe. The two of you stand no chance.”

…From the way Ning Yingying lights up, Shen Qingqiu already knows he will hate whatever she just came up with. “Does Shizun trust me?”

Shen Qingqiu looks at his favorite disciple’s determined look and sighs. “What have you thought of?” He doesn’t let himself be fooled by her innocent appearance anymore. He has learnt his lessons. Ning Yingying grew up, and left behind her playful affectation for a surprising amount of cunning, when it suits her.

“It’s a secret, but I’m certain it will work! Shizun, have faith in this Ning Yingying!”

…He’s going to regret this, but as he doesn’t know how to save Liu Mingyan from her terrible fate at the hands of Luo Binghe, he has no choice but to submit. “Fine. This master will place his trust in you.”

Her smile is blinding.

Shen Qingqiu’s stomach drops.

____________________

After some very doubtful medicine deliveries, a visit to the kind of institution he wishes Ning Yingying didn’t know existed and a physical challenge that a cultivator of his rank shouldn’t have abased himself to, Shen Qingqiu finds himself in the company of a surprisingly eager tailor and with no dignity left. “Ning Yingying, no.”

The effects of Ning Yingying’s pleading eyes are only stronger when paired with the provocatively red dress she has decided to put on. “Shizun, you must! For Liu-shimei’s sake!”

That almost motivates him to reach for the clothing. Almost. “I can’t.”

“Liu-shimei will never tell! I won’t either! I will make sure Shizun is so beautiful no one will recognise him! Please!”

Shen Qingqiu has never, not even once, wanted to be “so beautiful no one will recognise him”. “Ning Yingying, haven’t I have been a decent teacher to you and your fellow disciples? What have I done to deserve this?”

 Ning Yingying withers like a fading lily. “Nothing. Shizun has always been good to this disciple. If he’s so against this, I will go by myself.”

Fuck, he can’t let Ning Yingying try to sell herself to Luo Binghe either, and now it’s too late to back down. “…Ning Yingying promises she won’t tell a soul?”

She perks up immediately. “I swear it on my life!”

“Fine. Do what you must.”

And that’s how Shen Qingqiu found himself struggling to stay calm as the strange tailor and Ning Yingying cajole him into putting on a ridiculous purple dress with pink bows, a wig, what seems like endless amount of makeup and perfume on top of it all.

He is going to burst in flame from the humiliation. Will they even manage to pass the gate to Luo Binghe’s mansion? Surely the guards aren’t stupid enough to believe their master would be interested in the mockery of femininity he’s masquerading at? “Ning Yingying, this will never work.”

“Nonsense! Shizun is stunning! Hasn’t he noticed the approving glances he’s been getting?”

“From drunks who wouldn’t recognise their own mother, surely.”

Her pretty makeup is distorted by a frown. Shen Qingqiu now feels guilt pool at the bottom of his stomach. All their effort can’t be wasted because he upset his disciple. “Of course not. Even Luo Binghe will be moved by Shizun’s elegance! Maybe you will be chosen to become his newest bride.”

Shen Qingqiu snorts. The fact that there’s no chance of that happening is the only upside to this whole affair.

____________________

Luo Binghe must have holes for eyes. Liu Mingyan was right there! Who would choose an old crossdresser over the world’s most famous beauty! They would have suited each other! Shen Qingqiu will only look more ridiculous by his side. And what right had someone as sleazy as Luo Binghe to be this attractive! Of course he holds auditions for the role of his wife! How else is he supposed to proceed?

He really needs to get better guards though. If they let Shen Qingqiu pass through when all the nearby women must throw themselves at him, they are fundamentally lacking.

…Wait, is that a bedroom!? Are they going into Luo Binghe’s bedroom!?! What is he supposed to do! He never even entertained the idea he would find himself in this position! Luo Binghe was supposed to choose Liu Mingyan and leave, after which he and Ning Yingying would have defeated the few guards keeping them captive without alerting the rest and swooped in to rescue Liu Mingyan before her purity was endangered. But if he’s here, with Luo Binghe, will his sect’s disciples manage to overwhelm their opponents without his help?

“You don’t have to be this tense. I know how to take care of my partner.”

That is not why Shen Qingqiu is tense, thank you!

…Well, it also kind of is. Should he fake wanting this? Should he just push his sword from his infinite spatial storage sleeve and try to run him through with it? Luo Binghe has been a thorn on all righteous cultivators’ sides since forever. If Shen Qingqiu took care of him here, it might make this whole mess worth it.

But it wouldn’t give them the information they came here for in the first place.

…Maybe if he went along with him just a little bit, he could get it out of Luo Binghe with minimal damage.

He still slaps his hand away when Luo Binghe touches him.

Not that it deters him. “Playing hard to get, I see. Well, that’s also fine.”

Before he knows it, his arms are trapped over his head by Luo Binghe’s powerful grip, Luo Binghe himself kneeling over him.

Shen Qingqiu’s pulse is racing and his blood is beating in his ears as Luo Binghe’s now unimpeded hand slides down his side and up his back to try and undo the dress’s buttons.

His face is getting closer. Is he going to kiss Shen Qingqiu? Is he really going to let this happen? He can’t, he mustn’t, he…

The door to the bedroom slams open. “SHIZUN! SHIMEI IS SAFE! ARE YOU… Shizun?”

Shen Qingqiu looks at Ning Yingying’s astonished expression and Liu Mingyan’s… incomprehensible stare.

Ning Yingying stares at her shizun being straddled by a known enemy, apparently without opposition.

Liu Mingyan is planning her new book. It’s going to feature a famously austere master of cultivation selling himself into sexual slavery to a gangster to save his disciple. It’s going to be her masterpiece, she just knows it.

Luo Binghe is wondering if he’s being offered a foursome. He could roll with it.

Sadly, the swords his rejected brides are welding are probably not a sexy roleplay prop.

The way his latest acquisition pushes him off to rejoin the interlopers only gives more credence to this conclusion.

“Shizun? Are you all right?”

“Don’t worry about me. Liu Mingyan is fine? Nothing has happened to her?” Please be fine or your brother really will kill me dead.

She nods.

“Good. Let’s go.” And he starts for the door.

“Shizun, the information! Let’s ask him? You, you better answer our question or, or we’ll rip it off!”

Luo Binghe stares at them, unimpressed. “I don’t think so.” What a waste. He didn’t even get to enjoy his new “bride”.

Too bad.

Before they have time to regroup, he presses a button, and the ground opens below them.

As he’s falling, Shen Qingqiu can’t help but hope this will be the last time he will have to meet Luo Binghe.

(The feeling isn’t exactly reciprocated.)

[dancingkirby]

Finally another Azula Chapter!

Yooooo, I’m all done with the first two acts of the story now!  (Except for editing and adding on any new ideas, that is.)  And, as promised, here is Azula’s second PoV chapter.

WARNING: Non-graphic incest in the first part.

PAST

Flush with the excitement of the rally and freshly scrubbed, Azula was preparing for the audience with Father that she knew was imminent.  It felt good to be back in her armor; the red and pink outfit had been both pretty and practical, but simply didn’t offer the same amount of protection. On the outside, she looked every bit the maiden warrior-princess.  However, her inner layers were not nearly as modest.

Shiza made her patented frown as Azula rejected her usual bindings in favor of Daddy’s favorite pair of lingerie.  Azula was fairly certain that Shiza had known about their secret relationship for some time; it would be hard for her not to since she was the one getting Azula ready most of the time.  However, they appeared to have reached a silent agreement that they would both pretend she didn’t know.

The knocks on the door came at the perfect time, just as Shiza was putting the makeup knife away. So it was Father who wanted to speak with her first, then.

“Are you…will you be all right?” Shiza asked tentatively as Azula turned towards the door. What an odd question.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she replied.  

The throne room was empty save for herself and the Fire Lord…just as it had been when he’d sent her on this mission over three months ago.  Azula stopped a respectful distance away, knelt, and pressed her forehead to the floor.  Even when she raised her head, she remained kneeling with her eyes downcast, only daring to look up when she heard him part the flames.  

“The conqueror of Ba Sing Se,” Father said.

Azula would have liked to bask in the praise, but knew exactly what she was expected to say. She made a noise of demurral before responding, “I would never have been able to do it if I hadn’t had such a wonderful teacher.”

“Indeed,” Father replied, slowly walking down the steps.  His nearness made Azula quake in her boots, and not entirely out of fear. But she couldn’t think about that now.

“And your brother slayed the Avatar,” he continued, tugging on his beard.  “I was surprised.  I didn’t think he had it in him.”

How was she going to make this story believable?

“I didn’t either,” she began, trying to stall for a few seconds to think up the details.  “I was busy fighting the waterbender.  But then the Avatar was preoccupied, and Zuko saw his chance and took it.”  Should she say he used lightning?  No, that would be stretching credulity a bit too much.  “Fire blast straight to the back.  It was so precise and powerful that the Avatar never even knew what hit him.  And if that didn’t kill him instantly, the long fall to the ground certainly did.”

There.  That seemed to be an acceptable enough fudging of the truth.  She didn’t mention that they still hadn’t got official confirmation that the Avatar was actually dead, which was making her a little nervous.

“Wonderful,” Father proclaimed.  The story appeared to have passed his muster, and Azula made an internal sigh of relief.

“I take it that you received my dispatches about the intelligence I gathered?” she inquired.  Father smirked.

“Yes.  They’re planning an invasion during the eclipse. How precious.”

Azula allowed her face to relax the tiniest bit, and said, “I have no doubt that they think they’re the first people to ever try such a thing.  The Earth King sang like a sparrowkeet about their super-secret plans without me even having to try. I wish you’d been there to see for yourself; you would have loved it.”  Those idiots. They would have had increased security measures that day regardless.  

Father gave a shout of laughter so loud and sudden that even Azula was startled.  

“So do I!” he exclaimed.  “But let us discuss that a little later, shall we?  There are other matters I would like to attend to first.”

And just like that, Father became Daddy, and Azula adapted accordingly.  She knew from years of experience how to change her entire demeanor in the blink of an eye.  As she tugged her hair out of its topknot and let it fall freely down her back, she allowed her expression to soften, looking up at Daddy through her eyelashes while biting her lip.  

“What a brilliant idea,” she said, voice changed from formal and measured to almost a purr.  This had exactly the effect on Daddy, who ran over, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder.

“Ohh,” she whispered into his ear.  “Unhand me, you brute.”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to find a replacement for you all those months?” Daddy growled as they left the throne room and began what seemed like an unbearably long trip to his rooms.

Azula really didn’t want to think about who might have been her replacement.  Instead, she giggled and said, “I can imagine.”

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

The first time did hurt, a little bit, but that was to be expected, and nothing that Azula couldn’t handle.  The second time, Daddy wasn’t in such of a big rush, so he could help make it feel good for her, too.  After he had been thoroughly satisfied–twice–he was ready to talk strategy again.  Azula always felt a little uneasy when he did this, because she wasn’t sure how to categorize this.  It was sort of in between Father and Daddy; he expected her to be all business when she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on.  

“The Avatar may be dead, but his friends will be out for revenge,” she told Daddy.  “They should not be taken lightly.  The waterbender has improved significantly even in the time I’ve fought against her, and rumor has it that the earthbender has somehow figured out how to bend metal.  If that is true, our bunker is no longer impervious.”

Daddy frowned. “That is unfortunate.  So you think that those two are our biggest threat? We will put the best of the Royal Guard at the main entrance, then, to neutralize them immediately.”

“Actually…no, I don’t think that,” Azula clarified.

“Then who is?”

Azula felt a smile tugging at her lips as she said, “The nonbender boy, believe it or not.  His name is Sokka.  He’s the brains of the group, and apparently the one who, um, figured out how to take down the drill.”  Maybe not the best idea to remind Daddy of that.  She rushed on, “Get into his head, knock him off-balance, and their entire plan will fail.”

“And you believe that you know how to do that?” Daddy asked.

Azula’s smile widened.

“I do,” she said simply.

PRESENT

She was prepared for every eventuality.

Well, maybe not every eventuality.  She supposed that perhaps they would figure out how to make a replica of her drill. Or…or maybe they’d make a giant walking suit of armor that shot energy beams so powerful that they could annihilate anything in their path.

Actually, that last one was an intriguing idea.  She’d have to remember to write that one down later.

But those were exceedingly unlikely scenarios, and she knew it.  Without the Earth Kingdom’s resources, there was no way that they would have the wherewithal to make such powerful weapons.  She was still prepared for every plausible eventuality.

Azula was quite confident that the Avatar and his friends would be heading this way.  War Minister Qin had been instructed to misdirect them, and that was a simple enough task that she thought even he couldn’t mess it up.  Everything was ready.  She had her Dai Li as backup, perched in the rafters. (Really, she wished she could have had Mai and Ty Lee with her as well, but they were sheltering in their own homes.) The past several weeks, Azula had been occupied with perfecting her nonbending fighting and evasion skills.  She’d had Ty Lee give her some pointers, and even considered getting her lover to chi-block her to mimic the effects of the eclipse (all her research indicated that said effects were not pleasant). However, she had ultimately decided against it. That might set an unfortunate precedent, after all.

Speaking of which, she thought that the effects were kicking in now.  It wasn’t so bad if one knew to expect them; mostly a sensation of cold and mild nausea.  Everything was muted this far underground, anyway.

Then…footsteps and shouting outside.  Qin had succeeded in his deception.  She adjusted her posture so she looked exactly the right combination of threatening and casual.  As the doors were blown open with a gust of wind, she smiled.  

“So, you are alive after all,” she said, just as she had rehearsed in the privacy of her bedroom countless times. “I had a hunch that you survived.  But it doesn’t matter.  I’ve known about the invasion for months.”

The look of shock on the trio’s faces (the waterbender girl wasn’t with them; too bad) was quite possibly the most gratifying thing that Azula had seen in her entire life. Did they perhaps think of her as some sort of supernatural entity with psychic powers?  She was happy to let them continue believing that.  The somewhat more mundane truth was, they hadn’t been quite as good as hiding as they thought they were, and she had received intelligence from multiple islands about a group matching their descriptions.

“Where is he? Where’s the Fire Lord?” the Avatar demanded.  Did he honestly think she was going to just tell him?

“Mm.  You mean I’m not good enough for you?  You’re hurting my feelings,” she said as she stood up, letting the barest hint of the voice she used for Daddy seep through.  She would do whatever it took to keep them distracted.

“Stop wasting our time and give use the information,” Sokka demanded, gesturing with his sword.  He’d caught on quickly, just as Azula had expected. “You’re powerless right now, so you’re in no position to refuse.”

Pfft. Look who’s talking.

The earthbender (her name was…Toph?) added, “And stick to the truth.   I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying.”

“Are you sure? I’m a pretty good liar,” Azula answered. Quickly casting around in her head for the most ridiculous statement possible, she said, “I am a four hundred-foot-tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings.”

It took no effort at all.  Every successful member of the Fire Nation royal family learned to lie almost as soon as they could talk.  When one was in such a high-stakes position, wearing one’s feelings on one’s sleeve could be deadly.  Zuzu had learned that the hard way.  

“…Okay, you’re good, I admit it,” Toph said.  Azula managed to not so much as even flinch as the earthbender trapped her in a column that went up to her chin.  “But you ought to consider telling the truth anyway!”

So far, everything was going exactly according to plan; it was almost too easy.  By Azula’s mental count, about two minutes had passed since the start of the eclipse.  All she had to do was to continue to occupy them for six more.  

Azula and the Dai Li had agreed that the latter would make their presence in the room known as soon as Toph tried earthbending for the first time.  Right on cue, the column binding Azula crumbled into nothing.  Her trio of adversaries looked flabbergasted again; Azula could almost hear them thinking, “Wait…she can earthbend?!”

“When I left Ba Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs…Dai Li agents!” she explained.

The fight that followed was more an amusement than anything else.  At last, Azula got to show off the results of her extensive practice. No matter what obstacle they might throw at her, she could leap, jump, or flip through it.  It was rather like what she’d always imagined that airbending would feel like; sometimes, she looked at Ty Lee’s gray eyes and wondered.

Finally, Sokka realized how much time had passed, and told the other two to stop attacking.

“She’s just playing with us.  She’s not even trying to win this fight!” he said, a note of panic creeping into his voice.

(If he thought Azula hadn’t noticed how his eyes raked over her body as she flew past him, he was deluding himself.)

“Not true!  I’m giving it my all,” Azula informed him.  Technically, this wasn’t even a lie, since she didn’t specify what “it” was.  They bickered a while longer, accusing her of wasting their time when they were doing a perfectly good job at it themselves.  Then Sokka got them back to their senses again, and the three of them turned and started walking away.

“It’s a trap.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Azula said.  There were only a couple of minutes left in the eclipse now; she doubted that they’d reach Father in time even if they did know the way.  And if they blundered their way into one of the rooms surrounding his…it would not be pleasant for them.

“Ignore!” Sokka urged them as they continued walking.

It was time.  She’d been looking forward to this moment for the whole fight.

“So, Sokka’s your name, right?” she began.  “My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time.”

He halted, turned his head back to look at her.  She had him.

Azula continued, “She was convinced you were going to come rescue her.  Of course, you never came, and she gave up on you!”  As his face crumpled, she felt a surge of triumph and…something else?

Had she thought that her trick with the dagger was going to work?  Not really.  Things would be more convenient for her that way, of course, but it would have put this part of her plan to a disappointingly premature end.  In any case, Toph disarmed her and threw her against the rough stone wall hard enough that Azula was certain it would leave a nasty bruise, and Sokka had her pinned before she could retaliate.  

“WHERE. IS.  SUKI?!” he snarled.  Oh, did he think that Azula had tortured his little girlfriend?  She was happy for him to continue thinking that.  Father would have used torture, yes, but Azula didn’t see the point of resorting to it when there were other, more subtle ways of getting what she wanted.

She continued to smile down at him, saying nothing, and couldn’t help but notice that his Fire Nation topknot suited him well.  So did that primitive…thing that passed for a military uniform with the Water Tribe barbarians.  That darker blue was definitely his color; he should wear it more often.  

“Where’s Suki?” Sokka repeated, interrupting her musings. “Answer me!”  The Avatar tried to get him to back off, but he didn’t listen. “Where are you keeping her?!”

Azula simply smiled even more.  Making him angry was so…so…wait.  Was that just her feeling the eclipse about to end, or was her body responding to him?  Daddy had had her against walls, many times, and often as enraged as Sokka was now.  That was all it was.  Still…if she managed to take Sokka prisoner as well, maybe she could…

No.  Daddy wouldn’t allow that.  And even if he did, it was a stupid idea.  Thankfully, before her hormones could come up with any further less-than-brilliant schemes, Azula was bailed out by the sound of a large explosion coming from the general direction of Father’s room.  She could feel her own power resurging as well.  

“Oh!  Sounds like the firebending’s back on!” she said in faux-surprise.  She had herself freed within a few seconds, and generously informed her opponents of her father’s location.

Azula felt elated as she ran out of the room.  Her plan had been a complete success; Father would be so happy when he heard.  She didn’t have any time to check in with him, though; she had to hurry onto an airship to make sure the Avatar and his friends got out and stayed out.

…Right after she found a bathroom.

[atamascolily]

Lily reads Star Wars: Red Harvest, part six

In which EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE (and no, I do not exaggerate). Eat your heart out--oh, wait, sorry, eat someone else’s heart out. My bad.

(If you’re just joining me, check out the “Red Harvest” tag on my blog for previous posts)

We left off with Darth Scabrous waiting for Zo in the library. There's the obligatory villain monologue with some much-needed backstory.

“This library,” he said, “is the oldest part of the academy, older even than the tower itself. It was constructed over a thousand years ago by a Sith Lord named Darth Drear. He founded the academy, back when the planet itself was young. The ancient writings tell about how he used his first students as laborers. For hundreds of years, the Masters at the academy believed that a good many of those students died down in these very chambers, using the Force to move hundreds of tons of snow and ice and dig out these corridors and chambers to house Drear’s vast collection of … specimens. It was thought that Drear worked the students until they died from exhaustion.”

Blah blah blah Sith holocron blah blah blah eternal life. The usual stuff.

“Before he died, Darth Drear wrote of the final stage of the process—the step that he himself was never able to achieve. He dispatched his sentries to a nearby planet to abduct a Jedi and bring him to the secret temple underneath the library. After ingesting the elixir, in the final hours before his body gave in completely, under exactly the right circumstances and conditions, Drear planned to use a ceremonial Sith sword to cut open the Jedi’s chest while he was still alive, and eat his heart. Only then, with that final infusion of midi-cholorians still warm from the Jedi’s blood, would the decay process be held back—granting the Sith Lord his ultimate immortality.”

I TOLD YOU THEY WENT THERE.

The plant!zombies show up again - turns out they weren't really dead! They carry Zo down to the Secret Sith Basement at Scabrous's command, where the sacrifice is to take place. But don’t worry, not!Qui-gon is in hot pursuit! The tree librarian grabs not!Qui-Gon and dangles him in the air. I am LIVING for this. “No need for your weapon here,” the voice said. “Not in this place of learning. We are both learned beings, are we not? Enlightened and informed by the written word. No need for the encumbrances of physical violence.” It uttered another bulky, dusty chuckle. “Look upon me, if you like. Seek my face.”

There's a bunch of book avalanches. not!Qui-Gon  goes into the tree!Librarian's head at his own urging and sees his memories

It was the librarian’s name, Trace realized, his patronymic, and somehow he knew that on his home planet it meant “lover of knowledge,” a perfect choice for—

HOW DID HE END UP ON A SITH PLANET AS THE SITH LIBRARIAN IF HE WASN'T ACTUALLY EVIL?? Sadly, we don't get answers.

Also, more relevant to the plot, not!Qui-Gon sees the secret Sith basement being built and gets caught up on all the backstory that Scabrous already revealed. Then everything catches on fire and not!Qui-Gon uses the Force to retrieve his lightsaber and create an air bubble to ward off the flames.

He looked at the lightsaber, laboring to evacuate every other thought from his mind. At the Jedi Temple, they had taught that it was never a matter of manipulating the object, but of eliminating the space that separated you from it. Yet at this moment, the object in question had never felt so far away....

The timing of what happened next was critical. Deactivating the bubble, he opened his hand, and the lightsaber flew into it. Its handle was almost too hot to hold, but the solidity of it had never felt better in his life.

I like this attention to detail in my Star Wars.

Not!Qui-gon gets pulled down to the basement via plant zombies for the final showdown as the library burns around him.Good-bye, Tree Librarian -- you may have been evil at the end, or perhaps this whole time, but you were fucking rad.

The mechanic is still alive and in hiding. He gets lured out by Kindra's pleading, only to reveal it was a trap by the zombies and she's a prisoner. The zombies rip her to pieces but the mechanic gets away. I’m so mad because even though I knew it was a trap, and I knew she was going to die, I hoped she got a more badass ending. Sigh.

Meanwhile, the bounty hunter and the newly liberated HK droid discover the zombies are hiding INSIDE the Tauntauns, a la Aliens and it's gross, and now we have zombie tauntauns, too. Turns out the HK droid hates the Sith too! But the bounty hunter got sprayed with tauntaun spit so now he's infected. Good thing droids can't get this... right?

Scabrous tries to kill Zo but not!Qui-gon makes a dramatic entrance and stops him. Not!Qui-gon gets murdered while Zo watches in horror and... I guess he really has more in common with Qui-Gon than I initially thought!

Scabrous transforms into his final form, but the orchid wakes up just in time, and Zo tells it to grow while she starts going to town on the Scabrous and slaughters him with his own sword. It doesn't take, so she switches to her brother's lightsaber, which does better, since it actually cauterizes.

She climbs out of the pit after Scabrous is dead, only to find the rest of the zombie horde waiting for her. The bounty hunter and droid rescue her, but they're attacked by the academy's perimeter cannons, so everthing gets worse fast. The droid jumps out and turns to the lasers on the tower, destroying everything - including the orchid if it's still alive? I'm a little fuzzy on the details here. Fortunately, the mechanic is flying the plane and he's okay.

Zo goes into the trophy room, only to find that the bounty hunter is now a zombie, but he locks himself in a cage before he turns and tells Zo to send him out the airlock, which she does--along with the entire grisly contents of the room, and a last zombie stowaway. FINAL GIRL VICTORY.

Zo returns to Jedi Greenhouse Planet, traumatized but alive. Turns out the guy who we thought was dead in the bounty hunter attack at the beginning of the book is actually alive, so that's good. There's a new orchid waiting for her:

You were with my seed-brother, the orchid said, arching toward her. Is that true?

Yes, I was, she told it, and thought about the voice of the first orchid, the one that she still heard in her mind. I still am, in a way. He saved my life.

Really?

Bennis smiled again, the indulgent smile of a proud parent, and gave the orchid a small pat.

D'awwww. Wait, so the original orchid isn’t really dead? She can still hear him even though it’s gone and they’re separated? Did I miss something in the tumult of the finale?? Or is Zo being metaphorical here?

Also, I’m so curious how the Jedi just... got another orchid so quickly. In our world, orchids can be clonally propagated in HUGE batches, so the AgriCorps could potentially be churning these things out at a massive rate. This raises WAY more world-building questions that this book is NOT going to answer, and it frustrates me, but I doubt the author knows much about actual orchids, so... *shrugs*

But cuteness aside, Zo decides she'd rather study on the Jedi Temple at Coruscant (the mechanic will take her) because she has too much PTSD. Also, this means that if anybody else tries to kidnap the new orchid, they won’t get Zo! I don’t know why the Jedi are even raising these orchids, given that they’re in demand on the Sith black market. Didn’t Zo explain they were the critical ingredient for an awful zombie plague?? DID NOBODY LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE??

This is supposed to be a happy/hopeful ending, and it kinda is, but Zo apparently doesn’t know / the author forgot that the Jedi Temple was destroyed when Corsucant got sacked eight years earlier (as Trace tells us in his introductory scene)... which means she's walking into ANOTHER haunted temple nightmare and doesn't realize it yet. We'll call it.. Red Harvest II: Coruscant Nights, or maybe just Blue Harvest. How about that??

Frode would be waiting for her with the ship, ready to take her back to Coruscant, and whatever might be waiting for her there. The mechanic would be good traveling company, she sensed—there was a low-key air about him that bespoke dozens of untold stories, events that had made up his life and taken him to the unlikely destination of Odacer-Faustin. She felt herself already beginning to trust him.

Wow, I was not expecting this dude to survive, but okay. Also, he got tagged in the beginning as kinda greedy (scuttling the engines of the other bounty hunters to sell) and kinda lazy/stupid/opportunistic/desperate (for ending up as the mechanic for Sith Hogwarts in the first place). But okay, whatever, I guess.

And the moral:

The future was scary, but you couldn’t avoid it, anymore than you could outrun the past.

OR  A MASSIVE ZOMBIE HORDE, AM I RIGHT??

Wow, that was a trip.

I feel like this was better than I had any right to expect from the premise, but still felt like a B-grade horror movie. I like the tantalizing hints of what world-building we do get, and I think this novel is excellent fodder for future horror/Halloween fics. Otherwise, I’d skip this unless you are a “must read everything in Legends” purist, enjoy Sith shit, enjoy watching Sith die in horrific ways, and/or a diehard plant nerd like me.

RANDOM TRIVIA: Wookiepeedia says the first draft had a character named  "Middish Sunblade, modeled after Holden Caulfield, but Sunblade was removed from the rewrite because he was whiny and nobody could stand him," which is just too true and too funny for words. Also, an actually-in-character Holden Caulfield expy would last approximately 30 seconds at Sith Hogwarts before being stabbed... I’m just saying.

[thebluelemontree]

what about sandor thinking to sold arya to her family? if sansa will ever meet him again, how do you think they would deal with this?

Let’s look at the passage and see what he’s really wanting to trade Arya for. Actually it’s more like using her to get his foot in the door with King Robb:

It's going to be me who hands you over to that mother of yours. Not the noble lightning lord or that flaming fraud of a priest, the monster." He grinned at the look on her face. "You think your outlaw friends are the only ones can smell a ransom? Dondarrion took my gold, so I took you. You're worth twice what they stole from me, I'd say. Maybe even more if I sold you back to the Lannisters like you fear, but I won't. Even a dog gets tired of being kicked. If this Young Wolf has the wits the gods gave a toad, he'll make me a lordling and beg me to enter his service. He needs me, though he may not know it yet. Maybe I'll even kill Gregor for him, he'd like that."

"He'll never take you," she spat back. "Not you."

"Then I'll take as much gold as I can carry, laugh in his face, and ride off. If he doesn't take me, he'd be wise to kill me, but he won't. Too much his father's son, from what I hear. Fine with me. Either way I win. And so do you, she-wolf. So stop whimpering and snapping at me, I'm sick of it. Keep your mouth shut and do as I tell you, and maybe we'll even be in time for your uncle's bloody wedding." -- Arya IX, ASOS.

He doesn’t want gold.  He wants to enter Robb’s service.  Give him Lannister intel.  Maybe even be rewarded with a lordship.  He wants to raise his social status, march on King’s Landing, and help Robb win this war.  Heck, the icing on the cake would be getting to kill Gregor too!  He says he’s willing to take gold as a consolation prize, but it’s not his motivation.  If it was, he’d sell her to the Lannisters, get an even bigger ransom, and have his desertion forgiven.   Keep this idea in mind.

The BwB was certainly planning on selling Arya back to her family to help fund their cause.  Dondarrion took Sandor’s gold, the gold he won at the Hand’s tourney for his heroic act in saving Loras Tyrell’s life.  Ned thinks in that moment it was probably the first time the Hound was loved by the people.  This was the very next day after Sansa touched his shoulder and told him his brother was “no true knight.”  At that tourney, Sandor got a taste of what it’s like to be a good guy and a hero in Sansa’s eyes.  Remember he tossed Renly’s solid gold antler that broke off in the tilt back into the crowd.  He dresses without adornments mostly.  He’s not a guy that is motivated by wealth.  It’s about what that gold meant to him and the reasons he won it.  When the BwB takes it, it’s like they’re robbing him of a moment where he felt like a knight from his childhood.    

And how did he end up in the Riverlands in the first place?  He screwed up royally when trying to rescue Sansa the night of the Blackwater.  He was drunk, having a PTSD meltdown, scared her rather than reassured her, and well, just realized he made a horrible mess of things and left in disgrace.  When the BwB captures him, he was found black out drunk in a warzone.  It’s almost like he wants to die.  Then he sees the little sister in that cave and BINGO, he’s got a second chance to do right by Sansa.  It’s really all about Sansa.  For the most part he sobers up and now he’s a focused man on a mission.

There’s no way in hell Robb or Catelyn would trust Sandor approaching them by himself.  The Hound is called the Hound for being the loyal Lannister dog.  Joffrey’s sworn sword.  One half of the dreaded Clegane brothers.  As if that’s not enough, word is getting around that Sandor turned craven.  Who would take him on or even just let him walk away alive?  Arya is the currency he needs to show good faith intentions to the Starks.  It makes a statement that Sandor could have easily given Arya to the Lannisters to get his cushy position back and an even greater payoff, but he chooses to return her to her family instead.  That forces honorable Robb to at least listen to what Sandor has to say, at least in theory.  That he can also offer them inside information on the Lannisters.  This is what Sandor is hoping will happen.  The lordship part and being offered a military position, well, that is kind of a stretch.  It’s a total longshot bet, but damnit, it’s his best and only shot and he’s taking it.  

Hoping for the lordship position is something very telling.  If Sandor wanted to raise his status, he could ask to be knighted easily, but he wouldn’t.  Heck, after so many years of service, Sandor could have probably asked for land and be granted it.  He’s not by nature an ambitious person.  He wants the lordship to make the social gap between him and Sansa more of a very large trench rather than a canyon.  And most importantly he wants to go back to King’s Landing to save her, properly this time, and make up for his massive failure.  He’s dreaming big crazy dreams, isn’t he?  Imagine that.

That all comes crashing down at the Red Wedding.  Remember Arya was running headlong into the Twins as the slaughter ensued.  It’s because Sandor hit her over the head and dragged her away that Arya lived.  He didn’t have to save her.  He could have cut his losses and ran if he didn’t care.  And then he continues to look out for her after all hope of delivering her to family runs out.  He could have also decided to turn her over to the Lannisters, but he doesn’t.  I would also say he has also identified with Arya as well, seeing the angry, scrappy kid that he was and still is.  He’s not interested in her monetary value.  What’s at the forefront of his mind is what Sansa would think about him.   

So when he says he’d be fine with Robb giving him gold, I don’t believe that for a second.  This is premium Sandorspeak right here.  I think if Robb did give him gold and sent him on his way, Sandor wouldn’t have taken it as “winning.”  I could see him riding off with his gold, cursing himself for dreaming like an idiot that Robb Stark would ever take him on, let alone grant him a lordship or allow him within a hundred feet of his sister.  He’d go off somewhere, wealthy as hell, but empty hearted and more cynical than ever.  All men are fools and knights where women are concerned.

How do I think Sansa would feel about all this?  I think she’d be overjoyed to have news of Arya, to have hope that her sister is still alive and out there somewhere.  I think she’d thank him for trying to return Arya to her family, but I think she’d be more grateful that Sandor saved Arya from dying at the Twins.  Sansa knows Sandor better than just about anyone.  If she learned that he wanted to enter Robb’s service as a reward for returning Arya, she’d be happy that he was serving a worthier cause and fighting against her abusers.  As long as he never tried to turn her over to her enemies, there’s nothing I can see she would hold against him or see as a negative.

[wayward-idiots]

The Apology of Gabriel, pt11

If you’re looking for remorse, look no further than literally anywhere but this. It’s not that kind of apology.

Characters: Sam, Castiel, Dean Pairings: Ambiguously Sam/Gabriel, Gen Summary: Castiel sees a change in Sam. Also, more Pratchett.

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"Sam," says Castiel, and Sam realizes he's been humming quietly as he reads. "No, don't stop on my account," Cass says. "If I were unable to tune out ambient noise I would go entirely insane. My hearing is far more acute than yours. However… you seem to be in a good mood."

"Ah," Sam says. His stomach sinks. Jack. Mom. Charlie.

"Not that that's a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination," Cass hastens to add. "Just incongruous."

"To the world ending."

"To your mood over the past… long while. I hadn't really paid much attention until it improved. But you've been unhappy for a while."

"We've been doing pretty badly around here," Sam points out.

"Hm," says Cass.

"I've just been sleeping better, I guess."

"Gabriel is visiting you in your sleep."

Sam blinks. His eyes narrow. "Have you been—" But at Castiel's face he goes quiet. "Sorry, sorry, I know you wouldn't."

Cass looks unimpressed for a minute. Then, "I used to visit Dean's sleep, just to make sure he didn't do too much damage to his brain with sleep deprivation. I did a lot of putting your brother's atoms and cells back together, over the years. I didn't want that work to go to waste because he refuses to attain a functional sleep schedule."

"He's got the memory foam now," Sam says weakly.

Cass's eyes get squinty. "I don't see why you think—never mind. You've been seeing Gabriel in secret?"

"Cass, uh. When you say it like that, it sounds like I'm sneaking out my bedroom window to meet Gabriel for moonlit walks, or something."

"Your bedroom has no windows. And I don't think – oh. Romance. No, I mean, you've been speaking to him?"

"As much as you can speak to Gabriel. You know how it is. He shows up, we talk for a bit, it devolves into arguing, neither of us win, and then we rehash it all later."

"I don't 'know how it is'," Cass says. "He's been gone for a very long time. You have spent more time with him in recent millennia than I have. Is he…"

"He hasn't changed his mind," Sam says.

Cass glares. "Is he recovering from his years of torture and captivity, Sam?"

"Oh," says Sam. "Yes. I think. Maybe? He's always eating or drinking something sugary, and stealing my Discworld books. Mostly Hogfather lately."

"What is Discworld? I have never heard of such a plane, and I don't recall seeing it in the Library."

"No, no, it's. It's fiction. Stuff I keep in my room. I don't even really read them anymore, but I liked them in college and I thought… I don't know, Dean was buying all these Vonnegut and Tolkien novels, I grabbed a few."

"Why would Gabriel be reading fiction?"

"He doesn't really read them, I think. He probably has, he seems like he'd like Pratchett's satire, but he mostly just uses them to avoid looking at me. Feigning disinterest, flipping through a few pages before I annoy him enough that he starts talking to me directly."

"What are these books about?" Cass asks, cocking his head to the side.

"Uh. Well, in Hogfather, this – he's basically Santa Claus, right? So Santa Claus goes missing and there's no one to bring presents to the children, so Death takes over, and he gets really into it. But he's actually kind of bad at it because he gives kids everything they want, and you have to show moderation. It's. Actually a weird book for Gabriel, he's not the moderation kind of guy."

"Giving children the things they want is bad?" Cass blinks. "Is that not one's purpose as a parent? To meet your child's emotional and biological needs?"

Sam tries to mentally skirt around the elephant in the room, of Gabriel and Cass's parent and his approach to parenting. "Well," he says. "Needs, but not their every whims, no. Like letting a kid eat so much candy they make themselves sick."

"Dean does that frequently," says Cass.

"That's because Dean is an unsupervised child," Sam informs him.

Cass frowns, but not in disagreement. "I see," he says.

"—so we're going," Dean finishes.

"No," says Cass.

Sam looks up from gathering his latest research materials.

Dean stares at Cass too. "What?"

"No," Cass repeats. "We're not going. I recognize that you want to keep busy, to avoid feeling like you're doing nothing of use, but we might as well get nothing done here, where there is relative safety and a robust library, than in Minnesota, where there are neither of those things."

"Excalibur—"

"Is not in a lake in Minnesota, and is not powerful enough to kill Michael. Not even if we, as you say, soak it in holy oil and make our own flaming sword."

"I want to check it out."

And Sam realizes with dawning horror where this is going.

"We can't indulge your every whim, Dean. You're gorging yourself on candy and making yourself sick, but the candy is long shots on a way to stop Michael, and the eating is actually just obsessive investigating, and you're actually making all three of us more susceptible to attack. It's an imperfect metaphor, but the point stands."

"Unlike candy, Cass, any one of these might be our one chance to take down Michael!"

Sam slips away before Cass can reveal that he's paraphrasing Sam. Dean never actually comes and yells at him, though, so maybe Cass plays it cool.

But in his bedroom, there's a line of books.

The Color of Magic, Hogfather, Reaper Man, Interesting Times, The Light Fantastic.

Sam cocks his head.

Two guys embroil themselves in a snowballing series of disasters, leading to them plunging off the edge of the world.

Death takes on a new mantle and enjoys it.

Death gets fired and a new Death takes his place.

A magician is trying to run away from danger but keeps accidentally winding up in more of it, and stays suspicious of every good thing because it always turns out bad, and the whole thing is a cosmic dice game with him as a player determining the outcome of an empire.

And the continuation of the first story, with even more missteps and miraculous saves.

Sam picks up Hogfather.

And then immediately drops it, because it's so sticky.

"I get it," he says to the ceiling, "you like being a pagan much better. You know Death goes home at the end, right?"

[first] [prev] [next]

[willandlyra]

nothings gonna change my world

in which will meets nico’s sisters

word count: 1764

read on ao3

::

It goes better than Will had planned.

Will, despite being fully informed of Hazel Levesque's sweet demeanour, had still been expecting a shovel talk. Especially after talking to Leo.

("You should have seen her after my visit to New Rome," he'd said, letting out a whistle. "Girl hits hard."

"Leo," Nico had cut in, boredly. "You faked your death for six months."

"I didn't mean to!)

Especially after knowing that for all of being thirteen and whisked into the century from another world altogether, she was one of The Seven, she'd taken down Gaea. She'd probably saved Percy Jackson's ass at least twice, and she could make sweet of animals who'd injure any pleasant enough veterinarian.

However, Hazel does not start by pinning him up against the wall (hey, Nico doesn't look that strong either, and he could hand Will's ass to him on a platter any day that he liked) and looking him in the eye with an icy glare, threatening his future children in more than one way.

Will is not greeted with shovel talks or glowers, or even an intimidating comment made when Nico isn't looking.

When Hazel Levesque sees Will Solace for the first time, fiddling with his thumbs behind his back while awkwardly shadowing her older brother, she hugs him. Literally, she runs across the grass and open space, nearly knocks over two or three Demeter campers who are just trying to water some plants, and entangles him in a bone-crushing hug before she even looks at Nico.

All the breath is knocked out of her lungs.

"Hazel," Nico says, and he doesn't sound remotely surprised.

Eventually, Hazel untangles herself from Will, steps back a little. She looks right at him, catches his gaze (even though she is significantly shorter - she and Nico have that in common) and beams.

"I've heard so much about you!" she gushes, and Nico groans.

"Hazel."

"Shh, Nico," Hazel says. And then, seemingly remembering that she hasn't seen her brother face to face in weeks, she flings herself into his arms and hugs him in a way that not even Jason Grace could get away with. "I've missed you so much!"

Nico laughs. "Yeah, yeah," he says. He sounds a little uncomfortable, but mostly he sounds happy and Will thinks that happy is a great look on him.

Nico catches Will's eye behind his sister's mass of curls.

"At least she hasn't got any baby photos," he sighs.

::

Reyna, in fact, does give Will a shovel talk.

At least, he thinks she did - the whole experience was kind of strange and rushed and over in a flash. Her and Nico have a weird seeming relationship, he supposes, but only on the surface.

Minutes later, she's barely conscious of his existence, because she's so caught up in the smile she's got aimed at Nico and the stories he's telling her.

Reyna had not greeted Will with a hug. She had, thankfully, greeted him alone and not with an army behind her or two terrifying and giant and glaring silver and gold dogs. Will's pretty sure he might have actually melted into a puddle of fear at that point. Not that Will had expected anything of the sort.

("Reyna's great," Nico had said, one evening in the Hades cabin, starlight streaming through the window.

Will had asked Nico about his family, and Nico liked being able to answer.

"She's not like Hazel," he'd continued. "She's very... closed. She's like me. She's a warrior but she's a sister, and she makes things make more sense."

He's liked her since then.)

But Reyna hadn't gone on the other side of Will's imaginary expectations, either - pinning him up against some cabin and prodding him with flaming torches while Nico rolled his eyes in the background.

It seemed, in hindsight, Will wasn't very good at envisioning hypothetical situations. That said, he was still refusing to go to dinner with Lord Hades and Persephone for fear of death.

("My father is way too busy to actually kill people," Nico scoffed. "He has other people to do that for him.)

"Solace, right?" is what Reyna says when she actually sets two dark eyes on the two of them, having firstly drawn Nico against her and given him a tight but brief hug.

Will shrugs off the urge to salute.

"Yep," he nods. "Uh, Will. Reyna. Preator."

"Reyna's fine," Reyna says, coolly. She reaches out her hand, and Will oblingly takes it in his own and shakes it. "I've heard... a fair bit about you."

"Reyna," Nico says, warningly.

Reyna smirks.

"Not much," she continues. "Nico's as closed off as he's ever been, but he's getting there. The amount I've heard your name in casual conversation when he doesn't realise he's rambling is a good sign in itself..."

Will grins. "Yeah?"

And Reyna smiles, kindly. Softer, like she's seen something she likes on his face or in his eyes. It wouldn't surprise him. Will reads like an open book and most of the words are like gold when it comes to Nico.

Most of them, at least. Shadow travelling not included.

"Yeah," she confirms. "So it's nice to meet you, I'm glad that he has you. Really. You two... look good together."

Nico is blushing a little and Will's smile is stretching out to the far corners of the universe, far surpassing the moon and all the planets and the sun. He breathes out a sigh of relief and it feels like releasing all the winds in the world.

"That said," Reyna's tone changes, dips a little. Not scary or threatening so much as authorative. Kind of like how Apollo sounds when he's telling everyone to quieten down so he can talk about himself. Actually... probably not that, not so much.

Will gulps.

Reyna does not pull out a sword or a javeline or a lightsaber to threaten Will's life. But the intention is there.

"Make my little brother sad and I will have to come at you with the full force of the Roman army, Solace."

Nico rolls his eyes.

"Reyna, seriously."

Reyna smiles again.

This time, Will is unable to stop himself from saluting.

"Noted," he says, and Reyna pats him on the shoulder. And when Will looks back, despite himself and his words and his manner, Nico can't stop smiling.

::

There's one sister he can't meet, not really.

Bianca is out there somewhere: soul basking in the light of the sun and the warm blue skies, wind breezing against her skin.

Every day she is relearning something that she loved about the world: moonlight and rainfall on a roof top, archery, girl power, girls like Thalia Grace. She must be a little kid now, at the point of discovering little songs and colourful things.

When Nico talks about it he sounds sad but there's something in his voice that's as though he's thinking, yeah, she'd really love that. He once said that Bianca loved every new part of the world that she got to see, and Will supposes in that case it's fitting that she'll get to see it all through two pairs of eyes, both big and beaming, like Nico's.

But one day, months and months and a year or so, they're wandering through the Camp Half-Blood grounds, exploring their way through wilderness and overgrowth and bright colours submerged in uncut grass. The sun is out and the two of them are drowning underneath white light and gold hues that make this place feel like home.

Nico will never be warm. He's a child of the Underworld. But lately, his hands haven't felt quite so cold when he's holding Will's.

"Where are we going?" Will asks, but Nico's pulling him through wildflowers, barely dodging stinging nettles and the odd thorn, and he doesn't really care.

He'd go anywhere with Nico.

Even the Underworld - yes, he did do that, he's a stupid kid for love, okay. He went to dinner with Lord Hades of all people and ate special food that didn't trap his soul or whatever, and Persephone made small talk while everyone looked incredibly awkward. Will hadn't known what to say - he couldn't exactly say "hey, nice place you got here," and asking Nico's father about his job was the last thing he wanted to do.

Will gulps. He pushes that particular experience out of his mind.

"You'll see," Nico says. He pauses but doesn't stop moving, still pulling Will further and further out into the wild. Hell, Will likes being outside and even he's probably never come this far out into the greenery.

And after stumbling down another hill, they're lead down into a clearing, one which lets light fall beneath the roof of trees. It's empty but for the vague pulse of magic that Will swears he can feel, the thump-thump of life.

The glowing gold light.

And a marker. Something that stands out in the centre, where the beams of light really meet. Not a headstone, exactly, not - but it's something and it stands proud and made of stone.

An engraving of a girl, stood in position with a bow, poised to shoot an arrow into the sky ready to rip apart the constellations. A girl who could do anything and a name that Will doesn't need to read to know.

"I found this place a few months after the war," Nico says, after clearing his throat and looking awkwardly around, eyes sweeping the trees and the memorial and the ground. "I made this... place for her. She's not - here, like, physically. It isn't a grave so much. But it feels like her, it's somewhere she'd like. So it's like a little bit of her is here."

Will squeezes Nico's hand, and feels a gentle pulse in return.

"I'm sorry if it's weird," Nico says, hesitant now. "I know you can't know her, not really, but I wanted you to - meet her, I guess."

"It's not weird," Will murmurs. He squeezes Nico's hand again, clasps their fingers closer together. "It's not weird, not at all. And I'm - I'm glad you brought me here," he says.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Will says. He steps forwards, urges Nico to do so too, still not letting go of the gentle grip on his hand.

The light falls down on them and Will knows what he means now: the way that this place feels, the sleepy magic, warm light. They make their way closer and fall against the soft ground and Nico lays his head against Will and he feels safe.

And Will says, "tell me about her," so Nico does.

[miximax-hell]

Hello, everyone! It hasn’t been long at all since my last post! ...For once!

While I looked for that Tetsukado sketch from last time, I happened to come across some (albeit by no means all, because there were many) of the sketches I made before I came up with HiroGeo’s final design. Given how different they are from each other and from the final design, I thought it might be interesting to bring those to my blog as well. I have no shame in showing how bad I am because it’s no secret, anyway.

As you can see, the first three sketches have been quickly lined in SAI. That’s because the paper sheets I originally drew on were SUPER dirty and it was tough to even distinguish actual lines from previously erased lines and whatnot. Truly a mess, but that’s why they’re doodles and not actual drawings, I guess.

Anyway, I love Hiroto and I felt he deserved some more love--especially because his miximax got many more notes than average, so people must’ve liked it... to an extent. Therefore, let’s talk a bit more about him!

As usual, you can find more information about HiroGeo under the cut.

Now that we’ve made it through the cut, uh, what’ve you guys been up to? After many, many years, I finally beat Final Fantasy VIII the other day. What an amazing game! It had the nostalgia factor going for it, since I first played it when I was rather young, but I never got past a certain point in the middle of disc 2, so it was still full of surprises. A very healthy combo. Kind of like Harry Potter 8, which I’m reading right now, btw.

And, since I was at it, I started playing EarthBound and Broken Sword 5 too. EarthBound hasn’t quite... picked up the pace yet, but I sure am enjoying BS5! It truly reminds me of the first and wonderful installments before Broken Sword 3 ruined everything. Oh well. We can consider that a bad nightmare, I suppose. A very bad one.

Oh, and since I mentioned it in my last update a few months ago, I got the True Pacifist Ending in Undertale. What an incredibly lovely game. I can’t bring myself to go for the killing spree necessary to get the other ending just yet. Incidentally, I completed Layton 2 and beat Tomb Raider, Pokémon Sun and Hatoful Boyfriend while I was still in America. I’m surprised I got so much done even though I was so busy...

Okay, moving on! Since I talked about HiroGeo’s design in depth last time, I can’t resort to the easy solution now. And, for the sake of being sincere, I’ll admit that HiroGeo isn’t a miximax I have thought much about beyond the designing process. Funny, because Hiroto and Geo are both very dear to me, but I guess the design was way too exhausting as it was and I didn’t feel like putting any more effort into it. Whoopsie. ww So, as of now, I only have some ideas regarding his Keshin and... that’s it. I don’t even know much about his powers at this point.

So you might be thinking, “Wait a minute, you stupid idiot!” Yes, you all insult me in my mind. I blame my well-disguised low self-esteem. “If you don’t even know what powers Hiroto would get from Geo, why the hell did you put them together?” Well, that’s exactly what I’ll try to explain today.

Even though 99% of my friends, acquaintances and relatives aren’t aware of this, before Inazuma sucked me into an obsessive vortex for years and years, I was actually a Mega Man Star Force nerd. It was (and is) one of my favourite games, and the one I was into at the time. In other words, it was my last obsession before Inazuma hit me in the face with a flaming ball. As such, I really, really wanted Star Force (from now on, SF) to be part of this project from the very beginning. I didn’t know whom I wanted, but I needed that franchise to be represented here somehow.

As such, much like I have done with other franchises (with more or less success), I started looking for a good aura and a good vessel. While I considered that little shit called Solo/Rogue, I’m not one of those people who enjoy that kind of “I’m evil, but everyone will be obsessed with me” trope. In fact, it usually irks me quiiite a bit. I’m not one to usually like evil guys, sadly. ww

So, really, my only good options were Geo/Mega Man or Sonia/Harp Note. And I’m sure those who’ve played SF will be pissed because I didn’t choose Harp Note and I went with the “easy” choice (and, in fact, it bothered me too, because she’s great), but stay with me, please. There is a bit more to it than meets the eye.

The reason why I chose Mega Man over Harp Note wasn’t a matter of whom I prefered or whom I thought would bring better/more useful powers to the mix. It was because I randomly saw how well Mega Man and Hiroto worked together. I simply didn’t find a match nearly as good for Harp Note.

Hiroto and Geo share a lot. The obvious link, which I have mentioned before, is that they share a theme, and that’s something I love. Both Hiroto and Geo are related/linked to space. Hiroto, being a fake alien and having meteorite-related hissatsus, has an obvious connection to it. Geo is constantly looking at the stars and has a passion for astronomy, goes to space in many occasions as Mega Man, the name of his series is Star Force and even his dad is an astronaut. Which, by the way, leads to the next link.

Even though they are very different, both Geo and Hiroto have *+*+*daddy issues*+*+*. We all know about Hiroto’s: he’s an orphan, his loving adoptive father turned into a monster that forced him to fight, said father ended up in jail... Quite the rollercoaster. Now, Geo has his fair share of those issues too. While not always a main theme in the series, Geo’s lurking objective is to bring his father back home, since he’s been stranded in space... if I remember correctly. Said father has been missing for a loong time, leaving Geo alone as he learnt of his new powers, causing him a heavy depression that kept him from going to school, etc.

They both know what it is to miss a father and to want to save him. They were both very affected when the close relationships they shared with their fathers suddenly changed, so I believe they’d have a lot in common and to talk about. And, well, I find it important to talk about uncomfortable subjects if you are trying to improve your relationship with someone. It brings you two closer, and that’s very important in a case like this.

If sharing a theme and daddy issues wasn’t enough, both Hiroto and Geo are shown to be rather intelligent and good with machines. They are both strong-willed and ready to fight for the “greater good” even when they don’t want to, and they both inherited something very important from their dads: Geo got some weird goggles and Hiroto got... a full successful company. (Hiroto wins this time, I’m afraid. Sorry, Geo bby.)

What makes this extra interesting, however, is how Geo evolves. Hiroto is shown to be mature, intelligent, cold and thoughtful. A reliable, serious person. Almost a big brother to those who know it. However, while Geo starts off cold and in a similar (although by no means same) vein, as he matures and manages to open up to others again, he actually becomes much more laid back, suddenly talking about food and naps and whatnot. Meanwhile, Hiroto’s premature maturity (no pun intended) takes him in the complete opposite direction. I think this is worth exploring as a concept. With Geo’s influence, Hiroto wouldn’t be reverting to a more childish version of himself, because Geo’s attitude doesn’t come from him being childish, but from maturing into a more relaxed and presumably happier person. Hiroto would simply have the opportunity to see life with those same mature eyes, but in a much calmer way. In a sense, it’d give him the chance to “take a break,” if you all know what I mean. To move on from the pain that, show it or not, he holds in his heart. In a franchise like Inazuma, where maturing has constantly meant becoming more serious and angry and powerful, maturing into someone happier would be a refreshing change, I think. Refreshing and much needed.

So, yeah. As I said, I really don’t know much about how Geo’s powers will affect Hiroto’s abilities, but I’ll figure something out. The reasons alone were so good and unavoidable that I’m sure pieces will fall into place on their own as soon as I start thinking about this subject properly. And, as the guy running this stupid blog, trust me when I say that that’s what really turns a normal miximax into a true perfect match.

A match made, rather than in heaven, in the stars.

[almostafantasia]

sail with me to someplace new

clexa pirate au | chapter 6/13

Summary: When Clarke learns that her father’s trading ship has been attacked by pirates, she sets out on a daring rescue mission. The only problems – Jake could be being held prisoner anywhere in the Caribbean and Clarke has never sailed a ship before. To help save her father’s life, Clarke attempts to enlist the help of the notorious Captain Lexa Woods, a fearsome pirate who is just as broody and mysterious as she is unwilling to offer her assistance.

Read on AO3.

Isla de los Tormentos looks just like any other small island in the Caribbean. A dense covering of trees shelters much of the island from view, with the exception of a sheer cliff face on the east side of the island, with a precarious overhang hundreds of feet above choppy water littered with deadly rocks that would sink any boat that gets caught on them.

Night falls shortly after they drop anchor not too far from the island, a thin white mist settling just above the surface of the ocean, not thick enough to obscure the island from view, but enough to create an eerie atmosphere that makes Clarke want to stay far away until the sun rises once more.

“Is that definitely Nia’s ship?”

With the shroud of mist hanging in the air, the ship anchored half behind the island is almost obscured from view, but that which is still visible is a fear inducing sight. The ship is monstrous in size, far bigger than anything Clarke has ever laid eyes on before, a hulking man-of-war with four bare masts that tower out of the mist and three rows of large cannons that jut out from small gaps in the side of the ship just visible through a looking glass.

“It has to be,” Clarke answers Octavia’s question.

She passes the telescope across to Lincoln, who raises it to his eye before confirming with a quick nod.

“I recognise the ship,” he tells them. “It’s her.”

Clarke shrugs simply.

“Then let’s go.”

After much deliberation back and forth between absolute stealth and taking a bit more manpower in case they encounter any problems, they eventually settle on a rescue party of just three. Clarke clambers into the tiny rowboat after Lincoln and Octavia, leaving Raven standing on the deck of their ship, peering wistfully over the railing.

“You can say it, you know,” Raven calls down to her as Lincoln picks up the pair of oars to balance the boat as Octavia and Clarke take their seats. “My leg will slow you down. I know that.”

“We need you here,” Clarke attempts to reason with her. “I don’t trust any of the others enough to keep the ship afloat while we’re gone.” Lincoln starts to paddle the boat away from the side of the ship with a few small strokes, turning the boat in the water so that they’re at the right angle to start rowing towards the island, and another thought crosses Clarke’s mind. Cupping her hands around her mouth to project her voice up to Raven as they start to drift away, she adds, “Leave if we’re not back in a couple of hours.”

“Clarke…” Raven groans, shaking her head slowly.

“I’m not getting you all killed,” Clarke protests. “Promise me that you’ll leave if it looks like we’re not coming back.”

After a few moments of deliberation, by which time Lincoln has start to paddle towards the island in earnest, Raven calls out after them, “I promise!”

They find a secluded section of beach to land their boat, jumping out of it the very second that they hit the sand and wordlessly hauling the rowboat between the three of them into the cover of bushes so that it won’t be found by any of Nia’s crew that might wander this way.

“Where are we going?” Clarke dares to whisper.

“Inland,” Lincoln replies immediately, drawing a small but deadly looking sword with a curved blade and a serrated edge from his belt, which he uses to point into the jungle. “It’s a small island, it shouldn’t be too hard to find them.”

They spread out to comb through the jungle, close enough to still be able to see each other through the trees but far enough away that if one of them gets caught, the other two should be able to remain unseen. Lincoln leads the way in the middle, cutting back bushes and thick vines with the blade in his hand, Clarke doing the same on his right and Octavia out of Clarke’s sight but no doubt doing the same on Lincoln’s left.

Just as Lincoln predicted, Nia’s camp isn’t hard to find. They spot the flickering of torches set high up on poles in the ground from quite a distance away, the orange glow of the flames visible even through the thick foliage a couple of minutes before they spot the first tent. Lincoln stops, beckoning for the two girls to come closer and join him, and the three of them crouch low in the bushes, assessing the situation before them.

Using the thick leaves around her as cover, Clarke lifts her head slightly to take in the small part of the camp she can see from here. She realises quickly that this rescue mission is going to be a lot harder than she initially thought; there are men everywhere, heavily armed with swords and pistols and rarely alone, collecting in groups of about two or three that will be extremely hard to overpower without alerting the whole camp to the presence of intruders, and the entire place is so well-lit with torches and campfires that it will be nearly impossible to sneak past without being noticed.

“We should scout around the perimeter,” Lincoln whispers. “Get our bearings, work out how many of them there are, see if we can spot your brother and father.”

Clarke nods obediently, leading the way through the bushes around the outskirts of the pirate camp, still crouched low and out of sight.

The camp is bigger than Clarke expected upon first seeing it, spread out across several clearings in the trees, though each is close enough that all it would take is a single cry out into the night for help and everybody on the island would be alerted to their presence. In the centre of the camp, just visible from the bushes on the north side, is a bigger tent heavily guarded by all of the most thuggish men.

Clarke pales when a single figure emerges from inside the tent, a woman with a scarred face and an ice cold gaze. The way she strides out towards the campfire, authority oozing from every step that she takes, means that Clarke would be able to recognise her as Nia from just a single glance even if she wasn’t wearing an extravagantly oversized captain’s hat on her head.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” Octavia says breathlessly, stopping right beside Clarke to peer through the shrubbery.

“I think so,” agrees Clarke. Slowly, so as to not cause enough movement to draw attention to herself, Clarke starts scanning the camp for her father, knowing that if Nia is here then he most likely can’t be too far away either.

Her visual search doesn’t get very far however, because after only a few second, fingers claps tightly around Clarke’s wrist like a pair of metal cuffs.

“It’s Bellamy!” Octavia hisses, pointing at a couple of pirates not too far away from the trio that crouch concealed in the bushes.

Without even thinking of the fact that it might blow their cover, Octavia moves as if to stand at her full height and leave the cover of the bushes, mind set on nothing but the fact that her brother is no more than about twenty feet away, sitting on a chunky log with one other pirate at a nearby campfire.

“Stop!” Lincoln warns her, dragging her back down into their leafy cover with a pair of strong arms, which Octavia struggles against for a few seconds, before falling still. “We need to figure out how to get to him without being seen.”

Clarke frowns at the man who must be Octavia’s brother; tall, dark-haired, and with a smattering of unshaven stubble covering his chin and upper neck. There’s no sign that he’s a prisoner of this camp, his clothing the same kind of tattered shirt and dark trousers that everybody else wears, no bounds keeping him in place, and a small knife clipped to his belt. In fact, it is almost as if he is one of the crew and not a hostage.

“Are you sure that’s him?” Clarke asks.

“Do you think I don’t know my own brother?” Octavia demands, a fierce expression on her face as she glares at Clarke, Lincoln’s arms still wrapped around her from behind to stop her from running off.

“Sorry,” Clarke lowers her eyes apologetically. “He’s not tied up, that’s all.”

“Nia will have given them all an ultimatum,” Lincoln explains. “Join her or die.”

From next to Clarke, Octavia mutters quietly under her breath, “I know which I’d choose.”

“Exactly,” Lincoln agrees. “Most of the pirates under Nia’s command are only there because they’re scared what will happen to them if they go against her.”

Clarke raises her eyebrows at this new piece of information and files it away safely in the back of her mind, just in case it comes in handy later on. It’s certainly interesting to find out that not all of the men here guarding the camp are here by choice, and certainly one that could play into their hands later if things start to go wrong.

“We need a plan,” Lincoln whispers, his eyebrows knit together in a tight frown as he considers their options. “You girls should stay here and keep an eye on Bellamy. I’ll finish scouting the perimeter to see how many more men Nia has got. Maybe there’s something in the camp we can use to help us, a weakness in their defences or perhaps a distraction.”

“I should come with you,” Clarke insists. “We still need to locate my father. I’m not leaving this island without him.”

Lincoln’s eyes flicker down to Octavia, who is still standing close to him, even though he has relinquished his hold on her. Clarke doesn’t need psychic powers to know what Lincoln is thinking – leaving Octavia on her own in such close proximity to her captured brother sounds like the most reliable way for Octavia to do something stupid to get herself apprehended and killed while they are gone.

Octavia releases a heavy sigh of impatience as she realises the silent conversation that Lincoln and Clarke are having through the meaningful eye contact that they share.

“You can leave me alone,” she tells them, her voice a loud whisper in her irritation at their wariness. “I’m not a child. I can be trusted not to get myself caught.”

His expression torn, Lincoln looks down at Octavia with mixed concern and trust. In a move that surprises Clarke completely, stunning her into stillness but for her mouth, which slowly drops open, Lincoln reaches tenderly to cup Octavia’s cheek in his giant hand.

Clarke has seen these two interact on the ship, but never like this. She knows that they are close but always just assumed that it was purely an extension of Octavia being grateful to Lincoln for saving her life on the beach back in Nassau. Clarke never would have guessed that there was something more going on. Clarke stares for a few seconds, shocked by what she sees, before she forces herself to pry her eyes away from the pair, feeling a little as though she is intruding on what is supposed to be a private moment.

In turning away from Lincoln and Octavia, Clarke’s eyes fall once more on Bellamy, whose grubby face and tousled hair is illuminated by the orange glow of the firelight. An idea pops into her mind so suddenly that she completely forgets that she is trying to let her two companions have a few seconds to themselves, tugging on Lincoln’s sleeve to silently get his attention.

“I have a plan,” Clarke hisses excitedly, and both pairs of eyes fall on her once more. Pointing over her shoulder with her thumb, she continues, “Bellamy is right over there. If we can get him over here without alerting any of the others to our presence, we can use him to find my father.”

Octavia’s eyes light up in enthusiasm.

“Yes, Clarke!” she nods rapidly in agreement. “Bellamy will know where your father is. We can send him back into camp to fetch him and nobody will have any idea that the three of us are here to help them escape. It’s perfect!”

“Now we just need to figure out how to get Bellamy to…”

Clarke is just mentally trying to devise the best plan to get Bellamy on his own, when by a stroke of pure luck that can only have come from some higher power trying to help them, Bellamy gets to his feet of his own accord, saying something unintelligible to the other pirate near him before traipsing off into the bushes not too far away from where the three of them hide in the dense undergrowth. It quickly becomes apparent why, when he comes to a halt next to a tree and stands with his back to the camp, urinating into the bushes.

“Bellamy!”

Octavia is off like a shot almost the very second that Bellamy is alone and out of sight of the rest of Nia’s camp, too fast for Lincoln to even attempt to hold her back, darting through the bushes with surprising agility and hissing her brother’s name through the darkness. He doesn’t hear her at first, too busy taking care of business, but when Octavia gets close enough for him to hear the rustling of leaves, he turns around in an instant, hastily tucking himself back into his trousers with one hand while the other goes for the knife at his belt.

“Bellamy, it’s me.”

Still crouching low in the bushes, Clarke watches from a few metres away as Bellamy’s face turns from one of a man who thinks he’s in immediate danger, to one of utter surprise as he sees his sister hurtling towards him through the jungle. Octavia reaches him before he even has a chance to fully register the sight before him, flinging her arms around his neck in an embrace so tight that it looks like she could choke him.

“What are you doing here?” Bellamy asks his sister, the expression on his face one of stunned surprise as he dazedly brings his arms up to return Octavia’s hug. “I thought you were dead.”

Taking a quick glance over her shoulder to check that they haven’t been seen, Clarke hurries over to the siblings as stealthily as possible with Lincoln at her heels, not wanting to interrupt their happy reunion but knowing that they don’t have much time to carry out the rest of this operation undetected.

“You can catch up with each other later,” Clarke tells them reluctantly, nodding her head in the direction of the campfire not too far away from where the three of them stand to remind them of where they are. “We still need to find my father.” Turning her attention to Bellamy, Clarke holds out a hand to introduce herself. “Hello, you must be Bellamy. My name is Clarke. Clarke Griffin.”

Bellamy’s eyes widen in recognition as Clarke tells him her full name, his face paling slightly and his mouth dropping open just a fraction.

“Jake’s daughter.”

It’s phrased as a statement and not a question, like Bellamy already knows the answer, but Clarke nods anyway, eager for his help locating and rescuing her father.

“Do you know where he is?” Clarke presses him, feeling the way that her heart suddenly picks up its pace in her chest, hammering against her ribcage as if it’s trying to burst right out of her chest to find her father itself.

“I’m so sorry.”

It’s like her heart stops beating the very second that the words spill from Bellamy’s chest, like an ice cold bucket of water has been poured over her head, trickling down her spine and numbing every sense in her body. She can’t focus on anything except for the way that Bellamy stares at her with an expression full of pity, not even the steady in and out of air into her lungs. Those three words tell her practically nothing and yet she still knows why they were said to her, she still knows what is coming next.

“Why?” she gasps out, though she doesn’t really know how her brain manages to function enough to tell her mouth to utter even that one word.

“Jake, he …” Bellamy pauses and shakes his head in a doleful apology, hanging his head to avoid having to look Clarke directly in the eyes. “He didn’t make it out of the ship alive.”

[dimension-heroes]

Synthetic Life Chapter 32

I apologize for messing up on my dates. Really need to step it up on what I do here. But for now, here’s a new chapter, a surprise will be up tomorrow, so I thank everyone for your patience and wish for you all to have a great day.

Credit goes to @lonemaximal for the inspiration for the story.

Sparks flew in the air; Wheeljack gripped a welder, placing the flames close to his ship. Faint battle marks on his armor. Bulkhead, Miko, and Smokescreen nearby. The Autobot rookie also bearing battle marks. “How's it coming Jackie?” Bulkhead asked. “Been getting there.” Wheeljack said. “Are you sure you should be doing this? Ratchet told us to rest after our fight with the Stunticons.” Smokescreen asked. “I've been through worse.” Wheeljack said. (He smirked, continuing to repair the Jackhammer) “So, when are you gonna tell me about the Stunticons and how you crushed them?” Miko asked. “Yeah, you told me that earlier, Wheeljack.” Smokescreen said. “That, well the story went like this.” Wheeljack started.

    (Two figures drove through a broken metallic landscape) “Are you sure were getting closer?” Bulkhead asked. “I'm getting a clear signal, Helios should be close by.” Wheeljack said. (Other vehicles appeared, driving close to the two Wreckers) “We're coming Wheeljack, need to find Helios and get him out of there!” Another Wrecker said. “I can see the city!” One Wrecker called. (A ruined city, falling to pieces. The faint roar of vehicles echoed in the distance) “Stunticons are pretty active.” Bulkhead said. “We'll keep the Stunticons busy, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, go find Helios.” A Wrecker said. “On it.” Wheeljack said. (He drove off; Bulkhead following)

    “Why are we rescuing him when he left the Wreckers without any word?” Bulkhead asked. “Said he has vital information in servo and needs to give it to us in person.” Wheeljack answered. “Of all things.” Bulkhead sighed. (Both stopped as the ground shook. A massive explosion roared behind the two. Wheeljack and Bulkhead stood close to a building, looking through its faded glass. Wreckers flew in the air, cars engines roared alongside a truck's horn. Glass shattered while Wheeljack and Bulkhead ran.

    Both reached a building bearing a large painted Decepticon symbol) “Must be the place.” Bulkhead guessed. (He ran in, Wheeljack following. Both finding energy bars and a figure taller than the two Wreckers)

    “So, you got my call.” The mech said. (Both Wreckers faced the bars. Wheeljack looked around, Bulkhead stared at the white armored mech) “Helios, why did you leave the Wreckers without a word?” Bulkhead asked. “I joined you because I thought I needed to avenge my Conjux Endura. Till she found me in the same city we separated because of this war. During my time as a Wrecker, she was with Sparklings. With them back, I didn't have an urge to fight. Except when I came across a functioning computer holding information about Combiners. About their weaknesses. That was when the Stunticons found me and here I am.” Helios answered.

    (The ground shook, explosions roared as gunfire echoed. Wheeljack pulled out his swords, slashing through cables. Electricity covering Helios' prison vanished) “Save the chat for later, we've got a Combiner to take down.” Wheeljack said. “I will assist you the best I can.” Helios said. “You don't have any weapons.” Bulkhead said. “I know where they are.” Helios replied.

    (He ran up to a nearby metal block, his servo covered in flames. With a roar, he punched the box, melting the metal. Revealing two weapons; a cannon and a sword. Helios pulled them up) “Come on then, we've got a Decepticon to take down!” Wheeljack said. (Both Bulkhead and Helios nodded, both running after Wheeljack.

    Buildings collapsed under a powerful force. Wreckers lay on the streets; some still fighting against the giant. The three mechs ran past all that fell, finding a few soldiers shooting at the giant. One bearing cars and a truck to form one; Menasor. He roared, sending forth shock waves from his sword. Gun blasting thick bullets, each shot causing a building to collapse. The three Wreckers stared at the Combiner.

    Menasor turned his helm to the sight of the Autobots and grinned. He pointed his gun at the three, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Helios fired at the Combiner. The energy shots failed to make marks, with Wreckers stepping back. Menasor stomped close to the three. They transformed, driving and flying while Menasor disconnected, chasing after them.

    The three Autobots transformed close to a building. Wheeljack entered into a building) “Distract him, I'll take him down.” Wheeljack said. (He revealed his sole grenade and grabbed it. Helios and Bulkhead nodded; watching the white armored Wrecker running up the building. The two looked as the roar of five vehicles rushed closer. Bulkhead and Helios transformed, driving and flying up to the gestalt team. They all transformed, the Stunticons combining into Menasor. Helios fired giant energy blasts from his cannon. Bulkhead looked up at the roof while shooting.

    Wheeljack stood on the roof, keeping a grip on his grenade) “Goodbye Menasor.” Wheeljack thought. (He ran, jumping onto the Combiner's back. Wheeljack jammed the grenade into a part of the mech's back. The white armored Autobot landed onto the ground, turning to fire at the sole grenade.

    Bulkhead and Helios stood back as en explosion shook the ground. Menasor crashed into the ground, separating into the Stunticons. Four of the members stood up, Motormaster yelled. The three Autobots started firing at the Decepticons. Motormaster transformed, rushing towards Bulkhead. Helios and Wheeljack stood nearby, watching as three other Stunticons glared at them. The three fired, Wheeljack slicing through their shots. He ran up to the three Stunticons; Helios standing nearby. The Sun Autobot looked at the corner of a nearby building, finding one Stunticon running away. The Autobot ran after him; flames growing in his arms.

    Wheeljack glared at the two Stunticons close by. Wildrider and Drag Strip cackled while firing at the white armored Wrecker) “Die Wheeljack, this isn't the playground!” Wildrider screamed. (The two started shooting at the Autobot. Wheeljack's blades gleamed in the sunlight. He yelled before jamming his blades into the Stunticons.

    The swords pierced both Wildrider and Drag Strip's Sparks, sending them to the ground. Dead End stepped back, watching as his brothers fell. Wheeljack aimed his swords at the Decepticon standing before him) “End it already.” Dead End growled. (He rose his gun; armor shining from the sun's light. Dead End fired, Wheeljack ran towards him, slashing through the bullets. Then, sharp steel cut through the Decepticon's neck, sending his frame falling. Helm still on Jackie's blades. Wheeljack sighed, turning his sword to let Dead End's helm hit the ground. He lifted his helm to the sight of Helios. Both turned to the sight of Motormaster hitting Bulkhead with his broken sword.

    Bulkhead snarled as Motormaster screamed. The broken sword kept hitting the thick green armor. Bright yellow optics glowed as he saw the corpses of his brothers. The Stunticon yelled, lifting up Bulkhead and throwing him towards Wheeljack and Helios. The two stepped back as Bulkhead formed a dent on the ground. Motormaster ran up to Bulkhead, raising his broken sword while screaming. Bulkhead stood up, slamming a wrecking ball onto Motormaster's face. The eldest Stunticon stepped back, rubbing his faceplates. His yellow optics glowed, glaring at the three Wreckers, all aiming their guns at him)

    “Is this payback for all I did back at school?” Motormaster chuckled. “Its for a lot more, Motormaster.” Bulkhead growled. (He punched Motormaster; swiping his fist at the Stunticon. Tearing through the armor on his chest.

    A part of his chest armor fell, revealing his Spark Chamber. Bulkhead grabbed Motormaster's Spark Chamber; ripping it out. The yellow and purple lights of the eldest Stunticon died. His frame turned grey, hitting the cold metal ground. Bulkhead stared at the Spark before dropping it. All three watched the last light of Motormaster shatter into many pieces. The life escaped from the main component of Menasor. He lay dead alongside others)

    “After the entire battle, we returned to where Autobots could recover Helios. That was where he reunited with his Conjux Endura, a femme whose name I forgot. Thanks to Helios, we were able to take down newer threats that the Decepticons could dish out. All thanks to that one mission.” Bulkhead ended. “That would've been awesome to see!” Miko cheered. “Sometimes I'm still amazed at how Bulk took down the Head Honcho.” Wheeljack complimented. (Bulkhead smirked) “So, what happened to Helios?” Smokescreen asked. “Not sure, we didn't see him again after that.” Wheeljack answered. “Breakdown was one of them, right?” Miko asked. “Stunticons, yes.” Bulkhead replied. “Then how come he remained alive even after Menasor perished?” Miko asked. “That, we never knew; I last saw Helios running after him. Didn't mention anything about killing Breakdown.” Wheeljack answered. (A door opened; everyone looked at the two figures in the doorway.

    Bumblebee entered; his blue optics focused on Bulkhead. His human companion close to Bumblebee's leg) “Its time to take the children home.” Bumblebee beeped. “Of all times.” Miko pouted. “Optimus' orders.” Raf replied. “Nice talking with you guys again, might need to stay for a while.” Wheeljack said. “Yes!” Miko cheered. “Now come on in, Jackie and I will tell a lot more tomorrow.” Bulkhead said. (Miko nodded, watching as the green mech transformed. One of his doors swung open, letting her climb in. Bumblebee followed Bulkhead's actions and he drove off. The two Autobots leaving the base alongside Arcee.

    Vehicons drove across the snow. Still nothing, darkness was coming. The sun started to set) “Are you sure its safe to continue this late?” Daffodil asked. “No, we must keep going.” Abby replied. “Guys, I hear something.” Badger said. (Everyone slowed down; something roared, then, a blizzard started. Four lights coming towards the Vehicons)

    “Are those other Vehicons?” Abby asked. “No.” Badger replied. (Beyond the blizzard, bright lights flew by. Some crashing into Vehicons, killing them. Abby, Daffodil, and Badger stopped. They transformed, looking at the road. The blasts stopped, transformation occurred to the two vehicles. Drag Strip and Wildrider. Both aimed their weapons at the surviving Vehicons) “Autobots!” Abby called. (He fired at the two. Drag Strip smirked as he vanished; the other Stunticon started shooting. Badger pushed Daffodil to the side; taking out her blaster and firing at Wildrider.

    Drag Strip reappeared behind Abby, firing at her. The Vehicon turned to the sight of blasts. She screamed as the blasts hit her armor. Daffodil shielded her optics as Abby fell. Badger glared at the two Stunticons; both aiming at the crying Daffodil. Badger started shooting at the two. They turned to dust) “Run!” Badger yelled. (The Vehicons transformed, driving past their fallen comrades. Both hear the yelling, both dare not to look back.

    Tim, the Femme, and a Vehicon nicknamed Giddy flew over dark skies. Trees, rocks, nothing out of the ordinary) “Are you sure we're going the right way?” Giddy asked. “Wait, I'm getting a signal!” Tim called. (He flew down to a path of rocks. The others behind.

    They transformed and ran; it started to rain. Tim stopped near a pile of rocks. Red visor glowed as he stepped back. A sword pointed at his helm. Giddy and the femme stopped. The three stared at the one gripping the blade. Dreadwing.

    Wheeljack stepped back from his finished work. It looked better, outside of all the big holes created by the crash. He placed a few tools onto a table before walking inside the ship.

    Wires disconnected, broken screens, and parts of the roof fallen. The worst state of which Wheeljack seen his ship. He walked up to a few cables, some missing their covering and exposing broken strands) “Its always something.” Wheeljack sighed. (He lifted his helm from a servoful of wires upon the sound of a door.

    Footsteps echoed into the room; each closer to the ship. Wheeljack stared at the entrance to his ship. Optimus entered, blue optics on the damage to the Jackhammer) “How are things on your ship?” Optimus asked. “A lot of work, except this hasn't been the worst this ship's endured.” Wheeljack replied. (Optimus nodded) “I've heard the story you've told about the Stunticons.” Optimus said. “Yeah, those Cons, I'm still amazed that their alive again, even after all we did.” Wheeljack said. “Knock Out might have the answer, although we must wait till he's able to recover.” Optimus said. (Wheeljack continued to work on his ship.

    Ratchet stood over Knock Out, still not moving. He sighed, so much trouble, all for one medic) “How is he?” Someone asked. (Ratchet turned, Optimus walked into the room. Blue optics focused on the medic) “Nothing new, he should be waking up soon.” Ratchet said. “Bulkhead and others have taken the children to their homes.” Optimus said. “Do you think Knock Out will try to harm us?” Ratchet asked. “No, he doesn't wish to be a Decepticon anymore. We must give him time to adjust when the time comes.” Optimus said. Ratchet nodded. Both Autobots left; the lights dimmed.

    A weak groan escaped from the red medic. Black and red cracked open.