#oh WOW that's so BRAVE and SELFLESS

[autistic-crypt1d]

My favorite SGA episodes:

S1 E10 & 11 - The Storm & The Eye

Bro this episode is so cool I cannot even begin to describe it anyway other than AJSNDJSKSKFJ. First of all THE DRAMA, I mean, the way they set the scenery up for these episodes is so good. The coming storm, the wind picking up, the crashing waves, empty city. The bacon conversation between the 2 guards right before the Genii come in is hilarious and I love it. The fact that Sheppard is left as the sole person who can retake Atlantis and save Rodney and Elizabeth is so intense. The way Rodney and him work so seamlessly even while entirely separated is just beautiful, I mean, he immediately knows he somehow has to warn Sheppard of what they're after. The way he slickly leans on the intercom knowing Sheppard will take care of it, AHHH. Not only is every single scene of Sheppard running around sabotaging shit and taking out the Genii who come after him absolutely enthralling, but the emotion he displays when Kolya tells him he's killed Elizabeth, the rage. I cannot get over him yelling over the walkie, completely ignoring the torrential amounts of rain and wind bombarding him. He is a badass and everyone knows it.

I'm just constantly in love with the moments where we're shown just how brave and selfless Rodney is capable of being, how he really is inside. I mean, dude stands between Kolya with his gun, a man he knows will kill, and Elizabeth, AHHH. Not to mention, he's always hilarious even in these situations I mean, "Oh would you look at this?! That is just never gonna be useful again!" (And Sheppard knowing that he was absolutely gonna whine about that). Rodney is a drama queen through and through but I love him.

I also thoroughly love the fact that Rodney put up that danger sign and Sheppard is just like "yup, that'll work".

Rodney's arrogance in the face of danger is always so entertaining, but what I love more is how his team members are always the ones trying desperately to get the person like 2 seconds away form murdering him, not to. Like the way Elizabeth, this tiny woman, grabs onto Kolya as he's about to throw McKay off the platform while he's continuing to sass him is so funny. Then it's immediately wholesome as she runs over to him after he's released.

Teyla, Carson (poor Carson), and Ford all meet up with Sheppard just in time for the last grounding rod to be separated and everyone on Atlantis realizing there's only one place to go and everyone, both sides are going to be there, THE INTENSITY DUDE.

I'm not a fan of Sora, but I have to say, the hallway scene when she confronts Teyla, WOW. I mean the intensity of emotion she displays, the blind anger??? That combined with the fact that Teyla doesn't blink an eye once. She knows she can take her down if she has to, but she doesn't and that is what is so badass. Her priority getting Carson to safety, she has nothing to prove to Sora.

And finally, the gate scene where the Genii evacuate and only Kolya is left standing in front of the portal, Dr. Weir held as a human shield. Kolya makes one fatal mistake, thinking that John Sheppard would miss. He takes him out (temporarily unfortunately), releasing Elizabeth, Teyla and Carson get to safety, and Rodney fuckin McKay saves the day in spectacular fashion as always. A beautiful, absolutely thrilling set of episodes.

S1 E19 & 20 / S2 E1 - Siege pt. 1, 2 & 3

Part one is heartbreaking, I mean we start off so hopeful with the discovery of the satellite. They've done the recon, they know what's coming and when and the satellite is in the perfect position and best of all, the wraith think it's still broken. Everything is coming together, right up until the point Peter gets stuck on the station, there's no time left and they all know it. Even in the way they say they'll see eachother afterwards, they know that's not true. Peter knows he is about to die and he goes to work anyway and he takes out a hive ship. This is a moment of pure joy and hope for everyone, they actually destroyed a hive ship. There's hope again, hope that they can actually win this fight, but it's short lived. The satellite malfunctions, the circuits overloaded and it can't fire again. Rodney tries to come back for him but it's too late, the hive ships know that he's there. It was always going to be too late but that doesn't ease the devastation of watching the satellite be destroyed. It doesn't ease the loss of their friend. Rodney relays this information to Atlantis and the loss of the satellite is devastating, but finding out Peter was aboard, that is what killed their hope. Not to mention that while all of this is happening, back on Atlantis Bates has been attacked and people suspect Teyla due to an earlier altercation. We find out that there's a Wraith in the city and he's been there since the dart incident episodes ago doing god knows what. They're about to be in an all out war and the enemy is already inside. The interrogation provides nothing, as we know of wraith, they fear nothing. Never in the history of this show do we see a wraith beg for their life, no, they smile. They smile because they have no doubt in their minds they will be avenged, that the people who killed them will be fed upon by their brethren soon enough.

Part 2 is in one word, intense. The hive ships are still on the way, slower, but none the less inevitable. They've lost their only weapon against the incoming armada and they're faced with the reality they have to evacuate the only place capable of returning them to the milkyway, and destroy centuries of data. Then, just as they're dialing the alpha site, they get an incoming wormhole. Earth has sent help. The colonel guy bugs the shit out of me but the plan is good. The daedalus is on it's way with a new ZPM, 4 days, that's how long they have to hold out. The way Sheppard stands up for Weir to the Colonel is beautiful, they have their moments butting heads but he respects her and he'll be damned if she gets cut out of this. Now, with military and volunteering personnel recalled back to Atlantis the preparation begins, the city and its citizens being decked out in artillery. Hope is once again starting to appear, but no one is sure how this will turn out, they know what's coming for them but every single person is ready to try. 4 days alone against the armada. They've deployed the mines and initialized the chair but my god does it ever go wrong. They find out there are only a few dozen drones left, presumably depleted from the original war on atlantis, and now the mines are in danger. The Wraith have sent asteroids hurtling towards the atmosphere, taking all of them out in one fail swoop. Not only have they lost their first line of defense, but the radiation is blocking their sensors, they're blind. Now if only someone suggested they keep some of the mines (oh wait SHEPPARD DID). Now it's revealed that Colonel Sumner was a friend of Colonel Everett's and he is pissed at Sheppard. We know, and Sheppard knows that he did the best he could that day. Killing Sumner was the most merciful thing he could've done in that's situation and as much as I dislike Everett, the way he finds out how true that is, is awful. The moment of truth arrives, a wave of darts in inbound and the great city of Atlantis goes dark. The only light being that of the moon and artillery from both sides. Amidst it all McKay and Sheppard are together as always, trying to get the chair online as darts make runs at the city. For the first time Everett starts to get a glimpse at what he's up against as an entire group of his soldiers are taken by a wraith beam, no way to fight back, just gone. The first wave of darts is defeated, they've survived the night but it is far from over. The hive ships are still on their way and there are wraith in the city. Both Athosian and Expedition members alike begin searching the city while Rodney and Zelenka attempt to retrofit the puddle jumpers to be driven by the chair. The only way for this plan to succeed is for Elizabeth to broker a deal with the Genii for a Nuke. She of course succeeds because she's a badass, and another plan is officially on its way, BUT, another problem, the devices are incomplete. The next wave of darts is here and the jumpers aren't ready. "So long Rodney" you could write this off as Rodney being the person who happened to be in the room when he decided to man the jumper manually, but I think we all know that's not the case. He's run off in silence without so much of a word to anyone more times than I can count, but Rodney, he has to say goodbye, even if it's a crappy one. Now we see Colonel Everett backed into the corner, alone with a Wraith. He shoots, but it doesn't stop, it keeps walking towards him and you can see the look on his face change as he fires round after round into it. He knows he's about to die, and he's terrified because he knows how it's going to happen. More and more wraith are entering the city in numbers they can't hope to defend against. "You let Sheppard fly that jumper?" God he is so heart broken in this moment, he never had the chance to stop him but Elizabeth, she had the opportunity and she didn't. I don't think he ever could've truly forgiven her for that if he'd died.

Part 3 is the culmination of everything so far, the wraith are not just at the doorstep they are inside the home, they have surrounded the house and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Everything they have tried has only prolonged their deaths and Sheppard is on his way to take a hive ship out with him. At the last second he's saved by the Daedalus, but Ford is not so lucky. His squad is cornered by wraith and with his final breath, one of the soldiers let's go of a grenade. Ford and the wraith that had latched on to feed are sent hurtling over the railing into the ocean below. The daedalus brings a moment of relief to the expedition as it prepares to join the fight. They take on the final hive ship as darts continue to bombard the city, this fight isn't over yet. We find out that Everett has been saved by one of his downed squad members, but he is not unscathed. The daedalus takes put the final hive ship with a beamed nuke, but they're not done yet. The darts get in formation and take a ballistic approach towards the city in a last ditch effort. Rodney and Teyla manage to get the ZPM safely to the gate room only for McKay to forget how they work and almost get them killed. Once all is said and done Atlantis survives another day and all that's left is to clear out the rest if the wraith in the city. Now is when we find out just how bad Everett's status is. He's aged significantly, leaving him bedbound and ill. His new understanding of what happened to Colonel Sumner leads him to apologize to Sheppard for his accusations. There is no break as we find the condition of Ford, a wraith attached to his chest, both having been floating in the cold ocean for hours. This has been days of constant activity and it's still not over. The cruisers that fled brought reinforcements, 12 hive ships headed straight for Atlantis and they'll be there in a little over a day. Sheppard decides they should go on the offensive, attack them before they get there and they do. They manage to nuke 2 ships but then we see a perfect example of the level of intelligence the wraith possess. They manage to enact counter measures in a matter of minutes to prevent them from beaming the nukes aboard. The daedalus has no choice, they have to retreat. Ford... his storyline makes me so sad, especially in this episode. The character we love so dearly, this boy who has seen war and conflict and violence and is still so full of joy and love loses himself before our very eyes. Before the eyes of his friends and there's nothing they can do to stop it. He attacks his friends, his fellow soldiers and he can't stop. He's lost all control over himself and it's heartbreaking. Amidst all of that, the hive ships have arrived and they've gathered in formation over Atlantis and have begun to fire. This is a horrifying glimpse into what the war 10,000 years ago must have been like. The amount of firepower being exerted on the shields will deplete the ZPM within days, the ancients had 3 but that's not much more time. Sheppard comes up with the idea to cloak the city and Rodney executes it perfectly, faking their deaths to the wraith and all others. Truly, truly an incredible series of episodes.

S2 E13 - Critical Mass

A Goa'uld infiltrates Atlantis planting a bomb somewhere in the city (or at least they think so). This episode gets so wild, interrogations, suspicion, fear, a race against the clock and the entire episode is just so enthralling. Plus we get a hint of how the Goa'uld fear the possibility of wraith getting to the milkyway (I'm going to do a post about the stack up between Wraith and Goa'uld in a fight here if you're curious as to my thoughts on that)

They manage to relay the message to the Daedalus and then to Atlantis in time but "there's a bomb in Atlantis that'll be triggered by dialing Earth" is not super helpful.

They remove the ZPM but once the virus program realizes the gate is no longer an option if forces their hand by calling the wraith. If they don't connect it again, the wraith will destroy them, if they do, the program will overload the ZPM and destroy them. The hunt for the spy in their ranks is so intense, Kavanagh is almost tortured, the city is about to be destroyed. This all culminates to them finally finding the spy, but it's not a human spy, there's a Goa'uld inside Caldwell! Ronon has to absolutely wail on him, then he gets tazed by Sheppard until the symbiote is hurt enough for Caldwell to break through and give them the code. It's so intense and I love it.

S3 E4 - Sateda

Now this episode is amazing, it's a combination of heartwrenching and completely badass. The team comes across a village Ronon stumbled across during his years as a Runner and as a result it was culled. The villagers recognize him and they're captured (Rodney escaping with an arrow in his ass). Ronon manages to bargain for Sheppard and Teyla's freedom, but they're unable to return fast enough to prevent the wraith from capturing him and wiping out the village.

The wraith makes Ronon a runner once again, but they take out the gate. They won't let him leave alive this time. Now Ronon is faced not only with the threat of basically endless waves of wraith coming to kill him, but also the memories of his home world where they've dropped him. For the first time we see glimpses of what Sateda used to be like, what his life here was like. It's such a heartwrenching experience to see him fighting for his life while remembering the destruction of his previous life at the hands of the very wraith who did it. I mean god, watching him come across the bodies of his fellow soldiers and be forced to strip them of their armour and weapons just to survive...

We never find out much about the other runners aside from Kiryk, but even then we don't find out much. I find it hard to imagine a runner surviving longer than Ronon had honestly, and I believe that's why the wraith that made him one wants him so badly. It's a point if pride at this point, he's evaded them for years slaughtering the wraith who've come after him.

Seeing Ronon try and fail to convince his wife to leave is devastating. She couldn't bear to leave the people who needed her behind even knowing none of them would survive. To make matters worse, we see him watch her die right in front of his eyes. The scenes where he's taking out the shrapnel and remembering her death brings me to tears every time.

The way Ronon immediately slumps down onto the ground once he realizes Sheppard and the team have come for him is just so AHH!

S4 E17 - Midway

This episode is so damn good, first off I mean, we get the absolute treat that is Teal'c and I'm THRILLED. Not to mention we get to see him AND Ronon together and that is just a trip. Teal'c matches his energy and holds his ground and I love him. Ronon is very off putting to pretty much anyone whose not his team or someone he isn't comfy with yet. This is very apparent many times and his meeting Teal'c is no exception. He's immediately threatening and guarded, but does this throw Teal'c off? Hell no!

These two have clashed the entire time so far and now it's time to go back to Earth. There's of course the 24 hour hold on the midway station, nothing too crazy right? WRONG, the wraith show up! Now all that's standing between Earth and a wraith take over is Ronon and Teal'c. These two are undeniable badasses and forces of nature and we get to see that front and center here and I love it. I mean, these two entirely on their own, take out all the wraith that stormed the SGC. That's a lot of wraith!! Not to mention they're awesome as hell while doing it. I just love this episode a lot and I love Teal'c and Ronon a lot. Also, the least irritaing/infuriating episode with Kavanagh in it.

S5 E10 & 11 - First Contact & The Lost Tribe

I love this episode so much. Right off the bat we get Daniel again. Love that mf. There are also 2 intense ass plotlines happening simultaneously here with Daniel and Rodney being kidnapped by rogue Asguard (like, holy shit), and then the activation of the Attero device causing Todd to panic and take over the Daedalus leaving Keller and Ronon to try and take it back!

Ok so we've got Daniel and Rodney discovering the ancient lab, being the hilarious duo that they are. Everything is fine until this strange ship shows up. Not only is this a ship that they've never seen before, but it completely bypasses Atlantis's shields. Then we see 3 suited up aliens leap from the ship onto the tower. Fall damage? Never heard of it. These things completely ignore the strike team Sheppard and Teyla lead, taking some sort of device straight through the floors of the tower while getting shot at. They head straight for Daniel and Rodney and there is no hesitation and no stopping them. One of them sacrifices itself to shield the other 2 while they get away with Rodney, Daniel, and the device and it's over before they even know what's happened.

Now we get Keller and Ronon alone on the Daedalus as Todd has knocked out the bridge crew. It's up to them now to regain control as wraith beam aboard.

Part 2 starts off wild with the Daedalus taken over and the stargate exploding in the control room with Sheppard and Radek inside. Now both groups have realized what this device is doing and are trying to fix it before millions die, problem is, Todd wants to destroy the facility with Daniel and Rodney still inside so Sheppard and Zelenka along with the Traveler ship are trying to beat them there! Meanwhile Daniel is discovering that they're being held captive by Asgard. This is mindblowing because so far we've seen zero evidence of them in the Pegasus galaxy and now we find out that they've been hiding out here for a long ass time. We also find out that they have been conducting experiments on humans like Loki did and have sorta stabilized their cloning defects.

The fact that they came to the Pegasus Galaxy and took advantage of the war in order to hide and experiment and did nothing to help the Ancients win makes me so mad. What if they could've won with their help?

My god the tension at the end portion of this episode is wild!!! The Daedalus has been retaken but it's on a collision course with the facility, Sheppard and the Traveler ship arrived but their drive is burned out, the Asgard have left the facility, but they took the control device with them leaving Daniel and Rodney with no way to shut it down. Rodney of course figures out another way, but that means going inside the chamber that is currently full of volatile lighting.

They of course succeed and in such a fantastical way with the Traveler ship opening a hyperspace window to travel through the planet with the Daedalus and Daniel almost dying while they shut off the device.

Overall, I love these episodes so much, the intensity, the sass between Daniel and Rodney, it's so good.

S5 E14 - The Prodigal

This episode is so intense and just awesome in general. Atlantis is under siege from Michael and his hybrids, Teyla and her baby have been taken captive, and everyone but Ronon and some gate room personnel are trapped outside this stun bubble thing. Sheppard, Rodney, and Zelenka immediately get to work and as soon as Ronon is awake he starts formulating a plan. The fight scene between Ronon and Michael is amazing as always, not to mention him yelling for Teyla to run and being the reason she's able to get her and her baby to safety before he gets hurled over the railing. That man can take a beating god damn. Sheppard and Rodney quickly get to work trying to shut down the stun bubble but Michael starts the self destruct timer, expediting their timeline. Teyla's escape is fantastic I mean the stress you can see on her face is so amazing, she's a fighter and always has been but she has to get her baby out of there, she has to leave Ronon to fight Michael by himself and it's killing her. Once they finally do shut it down (avoiding Sheppard's suicide run), they can finally storm the gate room. Michael makes a run for it but Sheppard is so not letting that happen, the jumper bay doors are closed, the gate room is retaken, there's nowhere for him to run anymore. They end up on this balcony and it's one of my favorite fight scenes of all time, the moonlight, the height, the batman like scenery, fists flying, it's so intense. We've been waiting for this moment for so long, the final confrontation and BOOM, Teyla enters. Her face is stoic, she is determined and no one will stop her, he will not get away this time. She lands every hit with no mercy and when he finally topples over the edge, gripping on only by his fingertips, she kicks him off. It's so intense and such a fitting end to his storyline in my opinion, for it to end in Atlantis where it started and to be ended by Teyla.

S5 E20 - Enemy at the Gate

Ah the finale of Stargate Atlantis. I'm really sad the show ended prematurely but this episode is still amazing. Not only has a hive ship started to successfully integrate a ZPM into it (a feat which if fully completed, would make it virtually impenetrable), but because of their new advanced sensors they've also picked up the signal with Earth's location from the alternate reality. Now there's an incredibly advanced hive ship on it's way to Atlantis and 2 ships have already failed to stop it. It's up to Atlantis to save Earth and the Milly way now. Sheppard is sent to Earth ahead to operate the chair in case they don't make it in time but that communique also contained the location of the chair and they immediately destroy it. Earth is defenseless so Sheppard takes a suicide run at the hive (again), only to be saved by Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, and Lorne gating aboard from a stalled Atlantis. They all make it out alive (although Ronon did briefly die and I cried), thanks to the spectacular arrival of Atlantis via the wormhole drive. They buy enough time in a fantastical battle above Earth for them to escape and the hive is destroyed. The scene of Atlantis on Earth is so beautiful and the whole main cast on the balcony, just fantastic.

If you can't tell, I love this show so much and if for some reason you're seeing this and haven't watched it yet, please do, it's amazing.

[ranger-rai]

Not sure if you're up for doing a whole team, but this is the team I've spent the most time with and I'm super attached to. We've been through a lot of adventures through Hoenn!

-Pikachu (impish), she's been with me since I was a kid

-Blaziken (lonely), first actual starter

-Breloom (bold)

-Mightyena (Brave)

-Gardevoir (Quirky)

-Gyarados (Relaxed)

Oh wow. A whole team.

Well I'll give quick overviews, because there's so much.

-Impish Pikachu isn't too uncommon. You might see them nibbling on wires and messing with electronics. People might label them pests. It's pretty resourceful in battle.

-Lonely Blaziken is interesting but this might just be due to it's upbringing, perhaps it was a runt or maybe it was raised non-traditionally, maybe bred, so it spent more time training and really pours into itself.

-Bold Breloom is pretty expected, as Breloom actually love fighting, and the most bold might be the leader of a troop os them.

-Brave Mightyena is a little unusual as they are more aggressive and protective of their own, but being brave natured might indicate some selflessness, I bet it could learn some unique moves.

-Quirky Gardevior is pretty fun, as they might have a very unusual battle style and use their powers in very different ways. Probably the life of your party.

-Relaxed Gyarados isn't as much of an oxymoron as you might think. In the wild, they might be more aggressive, but when they have enough space and are left to be, they are pretty calm. They seem to just be more aggressive with people, but yours must just be really calm, which is a lovely time. Have you tried surfing with it?

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 1

Episode 22: Captain Jerk

~Henry's house~

It was an interesting dinner that night at Henry's house, to say the least. Their food had consisted of pizza, but not any pizza you will have seen. The topping wasn't cheese, pepperoni, olives, or anything normal, it was sushi. The family had wanted to try something new, so here they were, struggling to get the pizza into their mouths with their chopsticks. 

"So, who likes my special pizza?" Mrs Hart asked her children, as they fumbled with their food.

"Uhhh, I don't think sushi really works as a pizza topping," Henry told his mom, hoping that if he was honest, it would mean that they wouldn't have to eat the combination again.

"Turn on the TV! Hurry! Turn on the TV!" Mr Hart rushed in from work, interrupting the family mealtime. He ran to the couch, switching the screen on as his wife and children abandoned their sushi pizza and scrambled to see what was happening.

"What's going on?" Mrs Hart asked, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"Today, after work, I stopped off at that massage place..." He started.

"Rub Me Do?" Henry butted in.

"Yeah. And on my way out, a news reporter asked me a question." Mr Hart said proudly, believing he had done something exceptional.

"Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you. I knew that one day--" Mrs Hart smiled, glad to support her husband for even the smallest thing, but she was interrupted as the news article came on.

"Shut up, it's on!" Mr Hart silenced any words on his family's lips, staring intently at the monitor.

"Sir, excuse me!" The female reporter grabbed his attention.

"Yes?" Mr Hart said, eyeing the camera in confusion.

"How do you feel about Swellview's ban on plastic bags?" She asked, holding the microphone to his body so she could get every last word.

"Oh, well, I personally believe that some US Americans out there in Swellview, don't use plastic bags, don't have plastic bags, and I believe that our education such as South Africa and the Iraq, everywhere, like, such as..." Mr Hart was clearly caught off guard by the camera crew and the resulting gobbledygook that poured out of his mouth confused both his family and Evelyn Velasco.

"Back to you, Trent." The reporter said, quickly moving on from her interviewee's odd response. 

"That was me!" Mr Hart clapped his hands together in excitement.

"Impressive." His wife complimented, not wanting to hurt her husband's feelings.

"Yeah, nailed it, Dad," Piper added sarcastically, cringing at her father's appearance on the TV.

"Wait, wait, wait, shhh, shhh." Henry turned up the volume on the TV as an interesting story came on about Captain Man. 

"And on a sad note today, Swellview's very own Captain Man went superhero to superjerko." Trent Overrunder announced, shocking Henry. 

"What?" He exclaimed, wondering what Ray had done.

"Warning, the clip we're about to show you is disturbing." Mary Gaperman said too, and the news played a clip of Captain Man walking up to a child's lemonade stand. 

"Hi, kids." He smiled at the children, who were blown away to see the cool superhero at their stall.

"Wow! You're Captain Man!" They gasped in awe.

"That's right. Hey, how much for a cup of lemonade?" Ray asked, wanting to brighten the kids' day.

"A dollar." The little girl replied, smiling at her idol. However, her smile soon disappeared when Captain Man gasped, ripped a mailbox from the ground and promptly whacked the lemonade stand until it was destroyed. The Hart family watched in horror as the children screamed and the superhero went beserk. 

"What a jerk." Trent hissed after the clip ended on Ray's snarling face. Henry switched off the TV, knowing that his boss was probably in the Man Cave, hiding from all the hate with (y/n). 

"I never thought Captain Man would do something like that." Mrs Hart commented dejectedly. She had always seen the hero as brave and selfless, not a mindless psychopath like in the video.

"Neither did I," Henry replied, he had to report to work as soon as possible. His watch began to beep and flash, and he knew that Ray had probably seen the news and needed to speak with him. 

"Now, I have to go!" The boy shot up from the couch, running away from his perplexed family so he could get to Junk-N-Stuff quickly.

~The Man Cave~

As soon as the news report had ended, Ray set Gooch, Schwoz and (y/n) to scanning various social media sights for the status of Captain Man's popularity. Gooch and Schwoz were sat down at the table, scrolling on their PearPad and PearBook, as (y/n) paced around with a very worried Ray. Her nerves were getting the better of her, making her hand quiver as she searched the web on her phone.

"Oh, here's a good one," Schwoz smirked, making Ray frown and cross his arms. His best friend hated how upset he was, so she put a supportive hand on his back, hoping it would convey her sympathy. 

"Captain Man, the only difference between you and a box of poop is the box." The genius read aloud, making (y/n) cringe. The comments were knocking chunks out of Ray's confidence and it was killing her to watch. She sighed and rubbed the skin under his shirt as the elevator dropped down and let Henry and Charlotte out of its doors.

"We're here!" Charlotte panted, the rush to the hideout stealing her breath.

"Did you guys see the news?" Henry asked, walking over to a moody Ray and his diligent workers.

"Yeah, we saw the news. Everyone hates me now." The large man scowled. He wasn't used to being unloved by the city.

"I don't hate you." (y/n) offered him with a gentle smile, and her attempt to cheer him up made Ray feel a little better. He always had her to brighten his darkest day.

"Well, why did you smash those kids' lemonade stand?" Charlotte queried.

"A dollar a cup is not that much," Henry added, thinking that Ray had overreacted extremely.

"I didn't smash their lemonade stand because of the price." Ray stood up for himself. He'd never want to destroy the hopes and dreams of the little kids that adored him.

"Then why'd you do it?" His sidekick asked further.

"Because after the little girl said, 'one dollar', I noticed a spider on the lemonade stand. A Red Jabber!" 

"A Red Jabber?" Henry repeated, flabbergasted that Ray saw one of the dangerous arachnids.

"Those are deadly," Charlotte said, highlighting her cleverness.

"I know! That's why I smashed it before it could hurt those kids." Ray exclaimed, causing everyone to nod in understanding.

"Aw, you're so sweet and considerate..." (y/n) cooed, pinching Ray's cheeks as she melted from how he saved the children. The man nearly fainted at her words, being praised by her was one thing, but being called 'sweet'? He loved it.

"Well, then I say, who cares? So what if everybody hates you?" Schwoz said, thinking that if Ray knew he did nothing wrong then everyone else's opinion didn't matter.

"I'm a superhero, I don't want to be hated by everybody," Ray replied. He had been working hard for 25 years to build up a positive relationship with the citizens of Swellview, what would he do if they all rejected him now?

"Well, you are." The small genius said, bluntly.

"Dah, what am I gonna do?" Ray growled, not knowing what to do since this had never happened before.

"First of all, you're not going to panic." (y/n) told him, and he put his arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. She always knew what to say when he was upset since she could read him like no one else.

"Why don't you just make a video apologising?" Charlotte suggested, breaking her boss's focus on his helper.

"Yeah, that's goooood. The public loves it when famous people beg for forgiveness." Henry agreed with his friend. The internet was full of apology videos, so Captain Man's would hopefully be well-received.

"No. No. I did nothing wrong. I don't care what people think of me." Ray crossed his arms in refusal. His friend sighed as he scowled at the thought of being soppy and remorseful in front of millions of people.

"We both know that isn't true." (y/n) said to him, giving him a knowing look.

"But I don't like begging for forgiveness on the internet." He whined at her, throwing a tantrum at having to admit that he did something wrong.

"You don't have to like it, you just have to do it." She replied in a firm voice, making Ray groan. He hated it when she used her motherly tone with him, mainly because it meant that she was right about something.

"Ughhhhhhh." He complained, frowning as Charlotte grabbed a camera.

"Blow a bubble and get grovelling." (y/n) smirked, watching him put on his uniform in a sulk.

~

"I'm Captain Man, and I care very much what you, the people, think of me. So, most of you have seen the viral video of me, in which I used a mailbox to demolish a lemonade stand run by two small children. Since then, I've read many of your comments, very hurtful comments, some suggesting that I should do things to myself, some of which of physically impossible. But that video didn't tell the real story. You see, I spotted a dangerous spider, and I used that mailbox to beat the spider to death. That's the truth. And if any of you were upset by the video, I am truly sorry." 

Everyone in Swellview had seen the apology video. Jasper, Henry's parents, Piper, a Beatles tribute band, pretty much every kid in Swellview High, the entire city, but none were more proud of it than Ray. He thought he'd done a pretty good job of sounding truly remorseful, and he hit his hands against the computer's control panel in happiness. Turning around to his friends, who had all gathered behind him to hear what he had said.

"Ahh?" He looked at them with an ecstatic expression.

"That was perfect," Henry told him, thinking that had done everything right.

"Yeah?" Ray was glad that they thought it would do the trick.

"You even got the 'sad apology video face' right." (y/n) smiled, and everyone agreed that he had done a great job.

"Thanks, guys. Hey, go online and check what people are saying about me now." The large man piped up, his fingers crossed that his popularity was rising. The group spread out so they could check their social media feeds, and Ray anxiously folded his arms as the comments rolled in. Their lack of response was troubling to him.

"Well? Henry? " he asked, their silence made him nervous.

"Uhhh, this one says 'Captain Man, you liar, I hate you." Henry read the first comment he saw on Twitflash.

"Well, that's a little negative," Ray said, quickly moving on to someone else.

"Charlotte?" He hoped that the girl could give him something better.

"This one says 'Oh, please. The only reason Captain Man apologised is to make us think he's sorry.'" She looked up at Ray sheepishly, scared of his reaction.

"Well, yeah. Gooch, read." The large man was starting to get annoyed, but he wanted to check every social media site.

"Yo, Captain Man, why don't you..." My religious beliefs prevent me from reading the rest out loud." The Indian man grew teary-eyed at what the hater had put, and he quickly left to go back up to Junk-N-Stuff.

"Schwoz?" Ray looked at the little guy on his PearBook.

"This guy just posted a picture of you, but he changed your head to something else," Schwoz said, making Ray and (y/n) walk over to see what it was.

"Changed my head? What did he change it to?" He asked, wondering how bad it was.

"Ohhhh! That's horrible. What is that?" Ray grimaced, seeing that the person had put a poop emoji over his face.

"That's poop," Henry said, peeping over the adults' shoulders.

"It means you're a shhhh....poop head." (y/n) changed her language at the last second, not wanting to influence the kids in the room more than she already did. Ray groaned at how everyone still hated him. This was going to be a tricky problem to solve.

~Later in Junk-N-Stuff~

The Man Cave crew had gone upstairs to Junk-N-Stuff, still hung up about how Swellview hated Captain Man. They were all munching on sweetcorn cobs as they pondered over what to do.

"Ooooh, I have an idea," Charlotte exclaimed, a thought popping into her head. Schwoz, Henry Ray and (y/n) looked at her eagerly, ready to hear what she had to say.

"Okay, what do people want to know most about Captain Man?" Charlotte started.

"What he wears under his man suit?" Schwoz joked, annoying everyone apart from (y/n), who just blushed at the thought.

"They wanna know where he lives and works." (y/n) said, knowing that before she met Ray, she was endlessly curious to know about the mysterious superhero.

"Right. So we have a contest." Charlotte nodded, her plan coming together in her head.

"We have a contest," Henry repeated, wanting to feel like he was contributing.

"And the winners get a private tour of the Man Cave," Charlotte explained.

"Of the Man Cave." Henry echoed again, which was really starting to annoy the dark-haired girl. 

"Wait, we can't reveal the secret location of the Man Cave," Ray said, the idea of criminals and fans alike rushing into his home freaking him out.

"Maybe we don't have to. Gooch can meet the winners somewhere else, put them in sacks..." (y/n) theorised. They'd done it before, surely they could do it again.

"And then he could bring them here and send them down in the tube." Henry finished, thinking the plan sounded pretty good.

"And send them down the tubes. Annoying, isn't it?" Charlotte gave Henry a playful glare, pointing out that his repetition got on her nerves.

"But everybody hates me. Why is a tour of the Man Cave going to make people like me again?" Ray threw his corn cob away and looked at the kids and his best friend.

"Because you know how people are. They get mad about stupid crap, but once something bigger comes along, they forget why they were mad and talk about the new thing." (y/n) explained, taking a few nibbles of her corn. 

"Okay, but what kind of contest to pick the winners?" Ray asked, getting on board with what they were saying.

"We put up a website so people can go online and try to guess some big number. The first three people who get it right, win." Charlotte explained simply, Schwoz nodding along from his seat in the window.

"And I know the perfect URL for the website. Guess-that-number-dot-com." Henry said as Ray chuckled at the idea.

"That's pretty clever," Charlotte said in a monotone voice, as she and (y/n) rolled their eyes at the males' dumbness. 

"Wait, so, we're going to have some random people in our living space?" (y/n) looked at Ray, her nerves starting to flutter in her stomach. She wasn't good with guests or new people, which was shown by the fact that she lived in the secret hideout of a mysterious superhero.

"Yeah, but don't worry, there'll be no trouble on Captain Man's watch," Ray told her with a gentle smile, calming her anxiety. He never wanted her to hate living with him, so he would make damn sure that this PR mission went smoothly for both of them.

~A few days later~

"Number guessing fever is taking Swellview by storm as people all over town tried to win a special VIP tour of Captain Man and Kid Danger's secret headquarters. So far two people have guessed the secret number, which leaves only one spot left. Here's Trent with more details." Mary Gaperman smiled into the camera.

It had been a hectic few days. Swellview had lapped up the chance at seeing the Man Cave, and soon, their hatred of Captain Man was forgotten. Even the newsreaders were too busy to do anything else but feverishly guess the numbers.

"Trent?" Mary looked at her colleague.

"Shhh! Don't bug me. I'm trying to guess the number." Trent snapped at her, rapidly entering digit after digit into the website. Mary looked at the camera again before grabbing her tablet and doing the same. Everyone in Swellview would give their right kidney to guess the lucky number.

~

"So then my uncle Rosco tells my aunt Susan, 'Oh no, baby, I didn't forget. Look, I made you a swimsuit calendar.'" Charlotte said to Henry, as the two walked to his porch. The 'Captain Man number fever' had swept over the city, and they were just riding the wave.

"Oh, were you talking?" Henry broke out of his daydream, realising that his friend had been talking to him.

"You didn't listen to one word I said." Charlotte pointed out. 

"Well, sorry. I'm just really worried that Jasper's gonna win the contest." Henry admitted. If Jasper won, how was Henry meant to be Kid Danger around him?

"He's not going to win the contest." The dark-haired girl reassured him.

"He's been sitting in his basement for the last four days trying to guess the number," Henry said, recalling how Jasper hadn't left the house or even slept properly for the last few days.

"Dude, everyone in Swellview's trying to guess that number," Charlotte replied, remembering how (y/n) picked one of the most obscure numbers she could think of for the competition. 

"Yeah, but if Jasper does win, he's going to be down in the Man Cave with me for, like, an hour." The blond kid told her.

"So?" Charlotte didn't see the issue he had.

"What if he figures out that--shhhhh. What if he figures out that I'm Kid Danger?" Henry stopped himself from shouting his secret identity to the entire city.

"The odds of Jasper winning are, like, 50 million to one." The girl eased his concern, knowing that it was highly unlikely that their friend would be the one to crack the code.

"All right." Henry sighed, letting go of his worry. The friends walked into the house and were confused to see Piper pacing up and down the couch area, drilling lots of kids on various devices.

"Yeah, let's keep up the pace." She snapped, strolling behind the couch so she could keep an eye on their progress.

"Come on, my grandma can type random numbers faster than that!" She hissed at a little boy on a laptop before returning to her own PearPad.

"Piper. What's going on?" Henry asked his sister, looking across his crowded house.

"I'm paying these kids to help me win the contest so I can go to Captain Man and Kid Danger's secret headquarters." She said, causing panic to take root in Henry's and Charlotte's stomachs. 

"Uh..." The boy didn't know how to respond, so he looked at Charlotte for help.

"There's almost no chance any of these kids are going to guess the right nu---" She shouldn't have jinxed it, because that's exactly what happened.

"I got it! I guessed the number!" A little boy said in delight, but Piper snatched his PearBook from his lap.

"I got it! I guessed the number!" The girl cried in happiness, taking the boy's victory. The two teens looked at her with horrified faces. 

"Yay..." Henry congratulated his sister slowly, even though he felt like dying on the inside.

"Can I have my laptop back?" The little boy asked Piper, who hugged the device to her chest protectively.

"No! Mine now!" She retaliated, running to her room so she could put it in a safe place. 

"I guess you guys can go home now." Herny addressed the kids, giving them two thumbs up.

No, we can't" The winning boy said in a cute voice. 

"Piper took our shoes." A blonde little girl said from the end of the couch and showed the teens her bare feet. How were they meant to deal with this?

~The Man Cave~

Ray, Schwoz and (y/n) were watching the news on the computer, looking at the pictures of the winners in the top left corner of the screen. 

"Well, three lucky winners will soon be VIP guests in the secret headquarters of Captain Man and Kid Danger." Trent Overrunder smiled, as he read out the latest news.

"You know, it's so great of Captain Man to do this." Mary Gaperman added, her positive reaction making (y/n) hug Ray's shoulders in joy. Ray looked at Schwoz happily and the small guy gave him a thumbs up, from both the girl on his shoulders and the good news.

"I wasn't done reading the story," Trent said, causing the female news reporter to bow her head in shame.

"Oh, sorry." The woman said sadly, making (y/n) feel sorry for her. Trent was always an absolute bastard with her.

"Are you? Because you do this all the time." The man hissed at her, causing anger to flare up in the young woman watching. No one deserved to be spoken to like that, especially on live television.

"Absolute dickhead." She mumbled as Ray slammed his hand against the off button and stood up.

"Bah. You hear that? They love me now." The large man smiled gleefully, walking away from the computer and kicking his leg out in celebration. He took (y/n)'s wrist and started to do a little dance with her, twirling around and everything. She laughed along with him, as Schwoz checked social media.

"Yeah, and they didn't even mention the horrible thing you did to those kids' lemonade stand." The little man commented, igniting more triumph in Ray.

"I know! Hyah!" Ray let go of one of (y/n)'s hands so he could do a little karate chop. Honestly, he was like a big kid on Christmas Day.

"And your Facepage has four thousand new thumbs upses," Schwoz said, noticing how Ray's popularity had shot up. Ray laughed again and picked his best friend up in celebration, throwing her over his shoulder and spinning around. 

"RAY, NO!" She squealed and kicked her legs as spun her around, him feeling so happy that he could share this glorious moment with her.

"Aw, this whole VIP tour thing was a great idea." Ray smiled at Schwoz, who raised his eyebrows at how his boss kept the young woman over his shoulder. Ray ignored the look, thinking that if he ignored how he felt, his fiery passion would eventually die down. The elevator dropped down suddenly and Henry and Charlotte came running out.

"We gotta cancel the VIP tour thing!" The boy said, eyeing (y/n)'s position with a funny look. The woman sighed, looking through her hair to see the kids upside down.

"Don't ask..." She told them, and Ray slid her off his shoulder so he could properly talk to the kids.

"What?" Schwoz asked. It was Henry and Charlotte that had wanted to do the tour in the first place, now they wanted to cancel it. Why?

"One of the winners is my little sister, Piper," Henry explained.

"Really?" Ray asked, his eyebrows shooting to his hairline. This was a problem.

"Of course, I thought I recognised the kid on the news!" (y/n) smacked her forehead, feeling like she had missed something really obvious. How had she not realised that girl was Henry's sister?

"Who's she going to bring as her guest? She gonna bring your mom?" Ray smirked at Henry and the young woman next to him swallowed at the thought. She hated when he brought girlfriends to the Man Cave and the thought of one of them being Henry's married mother made it seem even worse.

"Remember what happened with my mom last time you saw her? I don't know who she's bringing." Henry looked at him with a pointed stare, shutting Ray up. He definitely remembered the kind advice the woman had given him, advice that he still hadn't taken. 

"What happened last time?" (y/n) piped up. This was a story she wasn't sure she wanted to hear. However, her curiosity was too great and she wanted to know what had happened between the two, even if it broke her heart.

"Nothing!!" Ray said a little too quickly, the thought of telling the girl that Henry's mom advised that he should confess his love to her making his cheeks flush. (y/n) took his flustered appearance to mean that things had happened between them, and she promptly shut her mouth and bit her lip before a whimper could escape. 

'Another notch on his belt.' She thought bitterly, mentally swotting away all the vile images of her friend and Henry's mother in a passionate tangle from her mind.

"Henry's afraid that Piper's gonna recognise him." Charlotte's voice caught her back to reality. 

"Oh, no, she won't." Ray brushed off the comment, Schwoz being the only person who saw how (y/n) had to pull herself back together from her thoughts. He could see her inner battle and knew that every time Ray went off with another girl, she took a step back from confessing to him.

"You're going to be in your Kid Danger suit and mask." The little guy said, switching his focus from the young woman to Henry.

"Well, yeah, but she's going to be down here with us for, like, an hour," Henry exclaimed, the whole business stressing him out.

"All right, calm down your pants." (y/n) said to the boy, using her gentlest voice to calm him down.

"Schwoz can disguise your face," Ray told him, pointing to the genius who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I give you good face disguise." The little man explained. That was simple technical trickery to him.

"What about my voice?" Henry asked, knowing that Piper would instantly recognise him when he spoke to her.

"Can you disguise his voice, too?" Charlotte jumped in.

"Easy. Look." Schwoz took a small metal disk from his upper pocket and stuck it under his chin. 

"Excuse me. Henry, will you help me find my mommy?" Schwoz said, the voice filter making him sound like a creepy little kid. Everyone frowned in discomfort at how weird he sounded, (y/n) and Ray drifting into each other's arms like they did when they watched horror movies together.

"No, stoppppp. You're freaking me out." The young woman said, clutching the red material of Ray's shirt. 

"Will you buy me a pony?" Schwoz asked again in the creepy voice, stepping closer to Henry, Ray and (y/n). They all grimaced and groaned, (y/n) burying her face into Ray's pec from fear. He sounded like one of those creepy, stalker children in horror movies, the ones where the child always viciously murders everyone and she needed her superhero to protect her.

"Aahh! Stop that!" Henry yelled at Schwoz, as his boss backed him and (y/n) away from the genius. 

"You're scaring (y/n)! And me!" Ray shouted too, shivering at how Schwoz was looking at them. He held his best friend to his chest, feeling her press herself into his hard body. He tried to keep his mind off how she fitted against him so perfectly as she covered her ears. Charlotte smirked when she saw him cradle her head, knowing that he could deny it all he wanted to, but he couldn't get away from the fact that he was her protector and she was happy to bask in his safety.

~At Henry's house~

Jasper had rushed over to his best friend's house when he heard that Piper had won the Captain Man contest. He hoped he could convince her to take him as her guest, but with Piper, begging was difficult.

"Pleeeeease?" He pleaded with the little girl, but she didn't want to take her brother's oafish friend.

"No!" She replied harshly.

"But it's my dream to see Captain Man's headquarters. Please, let me be your guest." The curly-haired teen put his hands together, begging Piper.

"Will you wear whatever I tell you to wear?" She smirked. If she was going to take him, she was going to subject him to humiliation.

"I don't know... My mom usually picks my outfits." Jasper wasn't sure if he wanted to look like an idiot in front of his heroes.

"Will you wear whatever I tell you to wear?" Piper reiterated, confirming that she needed him to agree with this if she was going to take him.

"You have three seconds to answer. One..." The girl glared at him when he stumbled over his response. 

"Wait!" Jasper was freaked out by her counting.

"Two..." 

"Yes, I'll wear anything. I'll wear anything." The boy pleaded, falling to his knees, which greatly pleased Piper.

"Fine. You can be my guest." She agreed, excited to put him through misery. 

"Yes! All right! Whoo! Yeah!" Jasper ran around the living in excitement as Henry and Charlotte came in.

"Uhhh, what's going on here?" Henry asked, confused as to why Jasper was so happy in Piper's presence.

"I'm going to be Piper's guest when she goes to Captain Man's secret headquarters." The boy told his friends, causing Henry to shout in painful irritation. Of all people, why them?

"That's great, man. Gyahhhhhh!" He yelled again after congratulating his best friend. 

~Day of the Tour, in the Man Cave~

Charlotte had been assisting (y/n) in getting the Man Cave all spick and span for their imminent guests. They had cleaned, dusted, hung decorations and even prepared a buffet. Ray, all kitted out in his man suit, was checking all the machinery as Schwoz came out of the secret door, ready to show them Kid Danger's new look.

"Hey, look who's here." He gestured to Henry, who came out from the back room with a 'new face'. His nose was larger and his general appearance just didn't look like him, which shocked his friends.

"Whoa. Woooow." Charlotte gasped and prodded at his prosthetics.

How do I look?" The boy asked.

"Completely unrecognisable," Ray answered, thinking that his sidekick had nothing to worry about now.

"Yeah, you've done a great job, Schwoz." (y/n) complimented the little guy's skill, admiring how flawless the makeup was. It looked like real skin.

"Wait. What about his voice?" Ray looked at Schwoz, who took out a voice filter.

"Now, sing the Little Pea Pod song." The genius instructed Henry after fitting the small metal disk to his neck.

"I'm a little pea pod, green and flat, squeeze me in the middle and squirt out my beans." Henry sang in a very low, baritone voice that was completely unlike his own. Ray patted Schwoz on the back; no one would know who Henry was now.

"Oh, man, this is crazy." The boy said, putting a gloved hand on his throat.

"Henry, good luck. Charlotte, let's go." Schwoz put his hand on the girl's shoulder and guided her to the elevator. 

"Whoa, where are you taking Charlotte?" (y/n) asked, not knowing that they were going out during the tour.

"To pick up my sister from the airport," Schwoz replied.

"Your sister who looks like a horse?" Ray stated, remembering how ugly the guy's sister was.

"Yeah, that one." The man replied in a dejected voice.

"Come on, it's not nice to say that your own sister looks like a horse, right (y/n)?" Charlotte looked to the young woman, who usually agreed with her on things like this. Sadly though, the young woman had met Schwoz's sister and knew that she was literally like a horse.

"You haven't seen her. Show her a pic." (y/n) told Schwoz as she and Ray smirked at the thought of the funny looking woman. Schwoz pulled up a photo of his sister, who had bucked teeth, mane-like hair and other horse-like features.

"That is one crazy-looking lady," Henry said as he and Charlotte groaned at her image. 

"Her name is Winnie," Schwoz told them all, which made Ray, (y/n) and Henry burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, for real?" The young woman giggled as she laughed it up with the two males. The irony was hilarious to them, especially when Ray made the noise of a horse neighing. Schwoz and Charlotte watched with annoyed expressions. 

"Sorry, sorry. You guys need to go." (y/n) said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Yeah, we do. See you later." Schwoz said in an irritated voice and he and Charlotte left to go to the airport.

"Hey, you need to put on your disguise." Ray reminded her, and the woman snapped her fingers at his comment.

"Oh shoot, yeah." She said, quickly jogging up to the sprocket so she could grab her costume from her bedroom. It was silly, but it would hide her identity well enough.

"Disguise?" Henry asked Ray as the woman dashed off. 

"Yeah, you know, your sister and your friend know her and we can't let the other winners know who she really is, so...disguise!" Ray said in his usual chirpy tone.

"You just want to see her in a costume..." Henry smirked at him, watching his ears turn pink.

"Henry!" Ray exclaimed, hoping that (y/n) was far away enough to not hear what he had just said. If only he knew what she had picked out...

~15 minutes later~

"(y/n), come on! The winners are coming down!" Henry yelled through the sprocket, as he and Ray stood patiently in the middle of the Man Cave.

"All right, geez!" The woman's voice rang out from the hallway as she trotted down into the main room. Ray almost fainted at her disguise and how it stretched and smoothed over her curves perfectly, accentuating her figure.

"Catwoman?" Henry asked her as she walked towards them, the boy patting Ray on the arm so he'd put his tongue back in his mouth.

"Look, this one was the cheapest and I got free delivery for it. Even if it is itchy." (y/n) replied, scratching her arm when how the cheap material irritated her skin. Oh well, it would do for the tour.

"At least you can't tell who she is," Ray said, gulping as her hips swayed until she was next to him.

"Tonight, you can call me Selina Phalange." She smirked, using her favourite fake name. The three chatted for a few more minutes until the tube alarm sounded and two sacks came down.

"Okay, here we go." Ray squeezed her shoulder and helped the sacks shuffled to the side of the tube area. After two more two journeys, the superheroes soon had all of their guests in the Man Cave.

"Hey there. We got you. There you go, one foot in front of the other." Ray said to the final two sacks as they formed one big group in front of the elevator.

"Okay, contest winners and guests," Ray said, energetically retaking his place next to (y/n).

"Drop your sacks," Henry instructed them in his fake voice, and the people did as they were told. They squinted under the harsh glare of the lights but quickly looked around in awe as they took in the glorious sight of the Man Cave.

"Welcome to the Man Cave." (y/n) greeted them, her eyebrows knitted in confusion when she saw that the bucket kid was wearing booty shorts and a crop top.

"Wooooow. I'm Jasper, who are you?" He asked excitedly, jumping up and down in front of his idols.

"I'm Selina Phalange." She said in a more bold tone than she normally would use. Catwoman had confidence, so she would too.

"What's with the Catwoman costume?" Piper asked in a confused voice, recognising her outfit from a film her brother had watched.

"If you knew her real identity, we'd have to kill you." Captain Man joked, making the group laugh, even though if they did find out who she was, they'd definitely have their memories wiped.

"Captain Man, remember me?" Jasper asked the superhero excitedly, continuing his lively bouncing.

"Yeah," Ray said in a strained voice, remembering all of his fateful encounters with the bucket-loving boy.

"Why are you wearing...that?" (y/n) gestured to his outfit.

"Oh, she made me," Jasper replied, pointing at Piper who smiled and waved sweetly.

"Nice. Uh, can you step away from me?" Ray asked the boy, feeling uncomfortable that he could see his belly button.

"Oh yeah, sure." The curly-haired boy stepped back politely.

"Be nice." (y/n) hissed in Ray's ear, reminding him that this PR exercise was their attempt to boost Captain Man's reputation. Piper sensed that this was the girl Captain Man loved as she remembered the conversation her mother had had with the hero. She made a mental note to watch the two of them carefully. 

"Of course, you people have met...Selina Phalange and you all know my sidekick." Ray gestured to Henry as Piper ran up to him excitedly.

"Kid Danger!" She exclaimed, delighted to be in the boy's presence.

"That's right! We are really excited to show you the Man Cave." He smiled back at her, trusting that she couldn't see through his prosthetics. 

"What's wrong with your voice?" Piper frowned. He never sounded like that on TV.

"And your face?" Jasper leaned closer, making Henry gulp.

"I--uh...he..." Ray and Henry stuttered, trying to think of a response to the difficult questions.

"He went through puberty!" (y/n) cried the first thing that came to her. It explained the voice and the weird facial features, but it also embarrassed Henry.

"Selina Phalange!...is right!" Henry quickly agreed with her statement, nodding at the group who seemed to buy the explanation. 

"Now, you two, I've met before, but..." Ray pointed to Jasper and Piper, then looked at a dude in a yellow coat (without a guest) and an elderly Japanese couple.

"What are your names?" Henry asked them cheerfully, ready to get to know them all. The old couple just laughed at his question and walked over to the supercomputer, confusing the group.

"And you?" Ray asked the other guy, who looked around the group shiftily, focusing a little too much of his attention on (y/n). She inhaled slowly, feeling on edge by the dude's mysterious behaviour. 

"I'm Dennis. I collect celebrity socks." 'Dennis' told them, confirming that he was a bit of a weirdo. Ray gave Henry a knowing look and the two knew that they'd have to keep an eye on this one.

"Where's your guest?" (y/n) asked carefully, studying the man and his odd body language. Something about him wasn't right.

"I came alone. This sock belonged to Jennifer Lawrence." He replied, taking a grey, beach ball-print sock from his coat pocket. The superhero duo looked at each other as if to say 'he's crazy!'.

"Wow, that's cool. Not weird at all" Ray said slowly.

"That's really cool, man," Henry added too, not wanting to offend their guest.

"So, where do you guys keep your weapons?" Dennis asked, folding up his sock. (y/n) blanched at his question, her fight or flight instinct telling her to leg it.

"Uhhhh, we're gonna show you that later," Henry told the weirdo as Ray guided his best friend away from him so they could check on the Japanese couple.

"Heeeey! What you, what you doing there?" The large man greeted them, but all they seemed to be interested in was watching TV on the supercomputer. They squealed when they found a channel they liked, sitting down together so they could watch it.

"Uh, guys? We're about to start the tour and this isn't part---okay, they're not listening." (y/n) gave up trying to talk to them when they burst out laughing at an old sitcom. 

"Okay, the rest of you this way." Ray directed the group to their first point of interest, thinking it was best to just let them get on with it. Boy, this was going to be a long evening...

~Later~

The couple were dying with laughter at what was happening on the TV and the whole situation made (y/n) feel like she should've joined Schwoz and Charlotte in picking up Winnie the Horse Woman. At least then she wouldn't have to put up with Dennis giving her the side-eye all the time. Ray noticed his glances too and his self-control was hanging by a thread. No sock-sniffer weirdo would hurt his girl.

"Okay, Dennis, your turn." Henry gave the dude a red chair since it was his turn to break it over Captain Man's head. Everyone loved to see Ray's superpower in action, so he begrudgingly stood still for each guest to break something over his head. It had taken some pleading and eyelash-batting from (y/n), which greatly intrigued Piper, but he eventually conceded.

Dennis took the chair from Kid Danger and whacked it as hard as he could into Ray's back. The onlookers grimaced as the splinters flew everywhere, but Ray just grunted through the pain.

"I'm okay!" He exclaimed, using his catchphrase as everyone clapped at Captain Man's performance. The young woman next to Henry sighed in relief, these experiments always made her nervous despite her having nothing to worry about. She just blamed it on her love for him.

"Thank you, now you've all had a chance to break a chair on me, let's go check out---" Ray was interrupted by Dennis.

"Your weapons?!" He asked with a clenched fist. 

"Yeah, our weapons." Ray nodded, as (y/n) dashed over to him and leant up to his ear.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? This guy is crazy!" She hissed to him quietly, glancing at Dennis as he got excited about seeing their collections of guns and lasers and things.

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Ray whispered back with a brief side hug, but it didn't really calm her down. Dennis was up to no good, she just knew it.

Ray gestured for Piper and Charlotte to scooch back as he took out his remote. Even the Japanese couple were interested in this bit. Pressing a button on the remote, a display case lifted from the floor, containing some of Captain Man's dangerous, deadliest and also wackiest weapons. The people who hadn't seen it before gasped at how cool it was, well, the couple went back to watching TV, but everyone else looked at it with wide smiles.

"Now, these are some of our best weapons that Kid Danger and Captain Man use for crime-fighting." (y/n) explained, waving her hand over the various guns and grenades.

"What's that hotdog for?" Dennis pointed to the weirdest weapon they had.

"Ah. Looks like a hot dog, doesn't it? We call this the 'Covert Weiner'." Ray told them all as he delicately picked up the hotdog and showed it to them.

"Covert Weiner?" Jasper queried the funny name.

"Yes. Selina Phalange came up with it." Captain Man smiled at his helper, who blushed under his gaze. Piper was convinced, these two were totally in love.

"Kid Danger?" Ray passed it to Henry, who pretended to eat the hotdog as any normal person would.

"You see, he appears to be any normal citizen, just enjoying a hot dog." (y/n) said, as the sidekick gave them all a demonstration. No one noticed though, how intensely Dennis was staring back and forth at both her and the 'Covert Weiner'.

"Mmm, what a tasty hot dog," Henry stated, acting out his part.

"But watch this. Kid Danger, bad guy over there!" Ray suddenly yelled, opening the elevator doors to reveal a cardboard cut-out of a criminal.

"Freeze, sucker!" Henry quipped as he fired the hotdog's laser at the fake man, obliterating it in seconds.

"Whoa!" 

"Awesome!" Jasper and Piper exclaimed, loving their experience so far. This was unlike anything they could have imagined.

"Yessss!" Dennis added on the end, enjoying the demonstration a little too much.

"Yes, it's incredibly powerful. Any one person could use this weapon to defeat the entire army of a small country." Ray described the weapon, holding it up in his hand.

"Can I see it?" Dennis asked in a sinister voice that Ray didn't pick up on.

"Yeah, sure." The superhero passed it over to the guy. He held the hotdog in his hands and walked off a bit as he studied it and the rest of the group talked amongst themselves. Time for him to put his plan into action.

"OKAY, NOBODY MOVE!" He yelled, pointing the covert weiner at the other guests. What a mistake Ray had made. (y/n) moved in front of Jasper as the psychopath glared at them all. Ray moved Piper and Henry back as his focus switched between Dennis and the woman he loved, who just happened to be closest to the crazy dude.

"He's got the weiner!" Henry exclaimed as the Japanese couple just laughed in blissful ignorance, completely unaware of their surroundings. 

"Put the hotdog down, Dennis!" Ray said nervously, noticing that (y/n) was protecting Jasper bravely, but she had no way of protecting herself against any gunfire.

"NO!" Dennis shouted, not liking that Captain Man was trying to give him orders.

"You sick loner!" Piper said to him, as Ray pushed her away before she could aggravate the man anymore. 

"Don't do it!" Dennis pointed the Weiner at Henry as he tried to take a weapon from his utility belt. Deciding that he didn't have enough leverage, the criminal lunged past Kid Danger and roughly grabbed hold of (y/n), forcing his arm around her neck in a choking grip. She struggled against him, fear kicking her instincts into overdrive. 

"Now, anybody tries to stop me, this pretty girl gets it!" Dennis snarled, making Ray go pale as his biggest fear unfolded in front of him. To say she was on the brink of death, (y/n) was surprisingly keeping her nerves under control as she tried to think about the self-defence training Ray had taught her.

"All right, Dennis, just relax. Everything's fine." The superhero and his sidekick edged closer to the pair, both of their hearts hammering in their chests. If he lost her, Henry was sure Ray would never recover, so this was the tensest moment of his crime-fighting career.

"Don't talk to me in a calming voice!" The psycho shouted, putting the hot dog next to (y/n)'s head. Ray saw that her eyes were fixed on him and he felt helpless like he never had before. He was her protector, she was his light, his helper, his darling (y/n), and he had put her in this situation.

"Tell me the fastest way to get out of here!" Dennis breathed into her ear with a sickening smirk, enjoying the way his captive repulsed against the way his breath mingled on her neck. Ray's insides twisted as he watched the yellow-coated man fawn over her, his blood boiling when she grimaced in disgust.

"Go to hell, dickhead." She growled back. She wasn't going to let him get the better of her; even when she was vulnerable, she knew how to gain the upper hand. She had the knowledge, he didn't and that would keep her alive, she hoped.

"TELL ME!" He roared, tightening his arm around her throat and she gagged as her air supply was restricted.

"All right! Just step up there and a tube will come down over you." Ray gave in to his demands as he watched the young woman's hands scratch the yellow material around her neck. Dennis guided her up to the tube area, the hotdog pointed at Captain Man and Kid Danger.

"And then you just say, up the tube!" Henry instructed him, also not wanting (y/n) to get hurt any more than she already was. Dennis stood on the tube spot and shoved his hostage down the steps and into Ray's arms since he didn't need her anymore. Captain Man cradled her and let out a huge sigh of relief, overjoyed to have her back where he could keep her safe. Piper observed how they clung to each other, how she buried her face into his shoulder, how he held her like it was for the last time.

The tube came down around Dennis, who was ready to make his escape with the Covert Weiner. He shouted the correct phrase and shot off upwards and Ray and (y/n) parted, although their hands stayed in a tight hold.

"You let him get away!" Piper cried as they all reeled from the adrenaline, especially (y/n). It was surprising no one had fainted or gone into hysterics.

"Did he?" (y/n) smirked, her voice slightly raspy from the way she had been restrained.

"Override," Ray said into his remote and a loud, blaring alarm sounded in the Man Cave. 

"Reverse suckage," Henry stated as he and Ray walked over to the tube controls. (y/n) guided the kids away from the area where Dennis would reappear.

"Double power." The large man added, knowing they had to get the criminal back down quickly. He pushed down the lever and the tube came down, the reversing air forcing Dennis back into the Man Cave. He landed harshly, his legs taking most of the force, but Ray was all too happy to make him suffer.

"Up the tube!" 

"Down the tube!" The superhero duo watched as he groaned in pain, but they didn't care. This was payback for hurting their (y/n).

"Tube up!" Ray exclaimed, and the pipe retracted, leaving the winded Dennis to collapse on the floor.

"Right tube down!" He said into his remote again, smirking when the tube hit the man on the head. (y/n) watched with tinted cheeks as he took his time with his sweet revenge. Her cavewoman instincts, that niggling sense that was hardwired into her DNA was screaming at her, 'protector, provider.'

"Get the covert weiner!" Ray directed Henry as the kids laughed at the groaning man. Henry took the weapon back and brought it safely back to Ray's side.

"Nice going, Kid Danger." Ray complimented his sidekick, enjoying the way he was working with him.

"Just doing my job, brother." The boy joked, his deep voice making it even more comical.

"And now triple sequence. Tube up, tube down, tube up, tube down, tube up, tube down...Go!" Ray said into his remote as Dennis begged for mercy. However, he wasn't going to get any; he'd hurt the love of his life, and he was going to make him pay. The superheroes smirked as the criminal writhed in pain, but he deserved it, so they didn't feel bad. 

"Hey, remember when you smashed that lemonade stand and everybody was mad at you?" Henry brought up the 'incident' again.

"Yeah? That seems like a long time ago." Ray laughed as he remembered what had happened only last week.

"Right? Henry replied as the Japanese couple laughed at their sitcom again, confusing everyone around them. What were they watching that was so funny?

"Psssst, Selina Phalange!" Piper tapped (y/n)'s wrist to get her attention as Jasper went to talk with Captain Man and Kid Danger about how awesome their fight was.

"Yes...Piper?" The young woman replied, acting as though she had only known the girl for one day.

"How long have you been Captain Man's girlfriend?" She asked in an innocent voice, even though the mischievous glint in her eye would suggest otherwise.

"Wh—no, I'm not—how...why would you—?" (y/n) blanched at her words, her eyes bugging out at how eagle-eyed the girl was. Was she really that obvious?

"Why don't you just, y'know, tell him all that mushy stuff?" Piper said to her, her nose wrinkling at the mention of what boyfriends and girlfriends do together. (y/n) knew she had to tread carefully here, Ray was metres away and Piper could easily blab to him anything she confessed.

"I work for him. There's nothing between us." The woman replied in an unconvincing voice. Did she work for him? Living in the Man Cave hadn't felt like work for a long time now, more like living with the person she loved the most. Yes, he paid her a monthly wage, but she wasn't sure if she could leave now if he ever asked her. It would break her heart. 

"Lies! You love him..." Piper smirked and walked off to see what Jasper was saying to Captain Man. Hopefully nothing embarrassing. 

"Okay, kids, weird people over there, I think that our...eventful activities with Dennis, wraps up our tour, so please get back in your sacks," Ray announced to the group after he and Henry had blindfolded Dennis and sent him up to Gooch in Junk-N-Stuff so he could be handed over to the cops.

"Awwwwwww!" Jasper and Piper whined as (y/n) tried to push the Japanese couple away from the supercomputer. They were obsessed with the programme they were watching, refusing to move or even listen when the helper snapped her fingers in front of their eyes. In the end, she just got pissed off with the two, so she used the emergency shutoff button on the side of the monitor and turned the whole thing off. The couple gazed at her with heartbroken eyes, but she didn't care; the sooner they left, the sooner she could go to bed.

"Don't look at me like that. TV time is over, so go home!" She said, pointing her thumb at the tubes where Jasper and Piper were all sacked up and ready to go. Begrudgingly, the couple got up and shuffled to their sacks as the kids were sent up.

"Okay, I'll get these guys home and then I'm knocking off," Henry said to the adults in his deep voice, looking forward to taking all the fakery off.

"All right, kid," Ray replied as he took a seat on the couch.

"Stay safe!" (y/n) waved at him as Henry went up the tube after the Japanese people, which left her alone with her favourite superhero. He was uncharacteristically silent, and she didn't have to be a genius to realise that he was upset about what had happened to her.

She sat down next to him, removing the flimsy, plastic cat mask from her face. It was nice to get rid of it and she wanted to see Ray without his mask too, both physically and emotionally. Her hand lifted to his face to remove it, but he stopped her before her fingertips could even brush against it.

"What?" She asked in a surprised voice. Normally, he didn't mind if she took it off, but maybe for the first time since she had known him, she had crossed a line.

"You almost died tonight." He whispered, bringing her hand to his lips so he could press a kiss against the back of it. It was gentle, delicate, like if he used any more force, she would break.

"But I didn't." She said simply, letting his fingers find her pulse under the skin on her wrist. The tender thrumming there told him that she was here, still breathing, still living...still his.

"You could have, I let you get hurt." He replied, his heart clenching when he recalled how Dennis choked her and she looked at him with so much fear. She thought about his words for a minute. Yeah, going by the bruises that were darkening on her neck by the minute, she had nearly died. But she knew it wasn't his fault and she was going to make sure he knew that.

"You didn't let me. Dennis is a psycho, he's the only one to blame." (y/n) told him softly, feeling how his hand trembled in hers. 'Even Captain Man is allowed to get scared...' She remembered her words from months ago when Henry had first joined them. It seemed like a lifetime ago. 

"Maybe you should get out of the Man Cave for a while. You shouldn't be around all of...this." Ray mumbled, her eyes widening at the notion. She wasn't sure if he was talking about leaving him or the hideout, but she wasn't going to listen. Leave the Man Cave and therefore leave him? Not a chance.

"Absolutely not. Why would I ever leave?" She asked him in a shocked tone, her face expressing more hurt than she wanted. Did he want her to leave? Was she a liability?

"You almost died." He repeated, closing his eyes as if the statement caused him pain. It did, to be honest, in his chest. Like someone had a hold on his heart and was squeezing it harshly every time he thought about how he should have protected her.

"I know, but it was me or Jasper. If he had gotten hurt because l couldn't face that asshole, I don't know how I'd sleep at night." She confessed, remembering how she had instinctively pulled Jasper behind her. Ray sighed; she was an unlikely fighter, small but feisty, always taking her opponents by surprise. She didn't have the muscles or pure bulk to bully her way through a fight, but she had intelligence and that was how she triumphed.

"Brave girl." The large man breathed out and it was in that moment she realised, she desperately needed, no, craved his arms around her. Just to be wrapped in his safe embrace.

"Can I have a hug, please?" She said in a small voice, which broke his heart for the hundredth time that day. Ray pulled her into his lap and her arms went around his neck, his around her waist. Their innate position.

"I have to keep you safe. If anything ever happened to you, I'm not sure how I'd cope." 

'Protector, provider' Again with the voice inside her cried. She didn't really need saving, she wasn't a helpless princess waiting for her prince to save the day. But when the prince was willing to lay down his life for her, that's when she'd make an exception.

"I don't need saving. I just need you. So I'm never, ever leaving. " She told him, taking off the mask so he could look her in the eye. Ray took her promise as gospel. The only girl that didn't run a mile when his problems surfaced. The only girl who wanted Ray, not Captain Man. The only girl he wanted: (y/n) (y/l/n).

[greenelectricsky]

Rum Tum Tugger: You're great! So brave! So fast! You... Wow! You just scared those dogs like it was nothing! They almost get me and you...! Oh, fuck you were...! I have no words!

Munkustrap, flustered to no end by so much attention and praise: It... was nothing, really, just...

Rum Tum Tugger: Just the most brave and selfless action you could do! That was amazing! How can I repay you?

Munkustrap: You don't have to! It was... Everyone would do that! It's nothing!

Rum Tum Tugger: OK, so I think of myself! Be ready, it will be epic! Ta, ta!

Bombalurina, snickering: Now you have a problem! His repays are epic.

Munkustrap, hiding face in paws: I know!!!!! I panicked and I couldn't think of anything, OK?

Bombalurina, with a knowing smile: Let me guess, you wanted to ask for a kiss?

Munkustrap, his fur up from fluster: Y...yes...

<prev next>

[starrrberry]

hii ash what is the phantom of the opera? ive heard of it and it sounds so fucking badass and i am Curious

okay. gonna write a rambly type essay. SUMMARY: so poto is originally a novel written by gaston leroux in 1909 set in france, centering a mysterious masked man, erik (aka the phantom, the opera ghost, angel of music) and a naive, kind girl who's ridiculously brave and selfless called christine. from now on ill be talking about the musical version as i am yet to read the book ! also, the pair have INCREDIBLE music ability - christine has the voice of an angel, and the phantom is incredibly skilled at many instruments as well as have the kinda voice that probably wouldve awoken smth in me when i was ten. -christine is an orphan, her father died when she was.. eight? ish. and shes just very sad and lonely. -when her dad died, he said he'll send a angrl of music to her -erik is super super obsessed with christine and kinda stalks her. but -shes like kinda chill with it at the beginning and she even follows him into his lair? which like okay you go girl or smth. -but then she finds out oh shit !!! hes kinda freaky man. and she faints <3 -if erik had his way he'd probably just force her to marry him, but problem! -another man, raoul, who is christines childhood bestie, is here. and -hes in love with her! christines also in love with him, but imo its only because he reminds her of her father (woop woop daddy issues) -THINGS HAPPEN and i cried. just trust me on this idk how to do summaries. CHARACTERS: erik - MY BOY !!!!!! hes so traumatised and he was abused a lot because he was born with a facial deformity and nobody ever touched him ever. so he just grew into this really angry, resentful but also strangely hot dude. he gets a MILD mild redemption at the end of the movie/musical, and hes the most pathetic silliest sewer man in the world im so so obsessed with him. hes a really complex character and i could get into it but i wont because its 12am. christine - in the musical/kinda movie, shes portrayed as very meek and mild. however shes really brave and kind of a badass! like "this haunted face holds no horror for me now. its your soul in which the true distortion lies" um okay?? callout i love that. shes not wrong, his soul is fuuuucked. poor boy. her mother died in childbirth, her father died when she was young, shes alone in the world apart from a scarily hot stalker whos teaching her to sing, and shes a ballet rat in the opera populaire. ill delve more into different interpretations of her in different media. raoul - pretty rich boy. also christines childhood best friend and suitor. my boy has no thoughts in his head i was him for world book day.

meg giry - christines current best friend! shes so cool in the movie shes a side but shes loyal, brave, and probably a lesbian. also shes cares so sososo much for christine im just. ough. la carlotta - they hate to see a girlboss winning :( shes literally done nothing wrong ever i adore her shes so extra and such a bitch aa <3 there are more but the first three are the most important

DIFFERENT MEDIA: theres a movie (2004) which stars gerard butler as erik and emmy rossum as christine who are both SO OSOSOSOSOOSO PRETTY !!!!!

in the movies, erik is portrayed as quite suave and dramatic, as well as agressive and fiercely obsessive. basically, the same as how he's portrayed in the rest of the media. also ! his name isnt included in both the movies or the musical. its also very aesthetically pleasing speaking of ! theres also a musical which is pretty well known, written by andrew lloyd webber. i would say my favourite actors, but it may be a little doxxy, so i'll refrain. however, i will say that sierra boggess, one of favourite christines is WOW ! she's fiesty and seductive, not as mild as the other portrayals. thats why i love the musical version, one because it is MAGICAL to watch irl and two becuase you can play around witht the characters to fit your eye. theres a book, which gives more insight into erik's past, and also several adaptations of the novel, the most notable being susan kay;s "phantom" CONTROVERSY: i will say that the toxic relationship between christine and erik is heavily romanticised, christine experiences a lot of stockholm syndrome (shes also swedish!) and she just has a Bad Time. however. its fiction and my taste in men is fucked up beyond belief! but many people dont see it that way since erik is a kidnapper/murderer, people are NOT happy that he is shipped and loved by so many people. but like man we know ! if this happened in real life we'd be outta there like a shot, if this was a REAL PERSON we would NOT be doing this! its ridiculous to me that so many people cannot grasp that this is fiction, an escape from the rules of the real world. CONCLUSION: its more than just a romance, its a study of so many different things, like how trauma can affect different people, how growing up in certain types of environments can shape a persons life. its more of a tragedy really, not a romance as much, so if you like media which leaves a hole in you only fanfic can fix this is def for you. if you want to get into it, i recommend starting with the musical or movie, probably the musical. i didnt do it justice with this ramble, honestly its incredible and theres endless interpretations and endings (i havent even mentioned the book!)

also all the songs slap and theyre majority operatic but modern!!!!!!!

[suhnnyskiess]

hi bestieeeee!!!! love the feedback as usual 💛

and oh oof i honestly– did not think of that metaphor that way. i mean the ring scene for me was like… this symbol of how her engagement was literally physically hurting him, and she throws it away. you’ll see in the next chapter. but wow– that metaphor is actually so good. wish i thought about it. and you’re right! it does relate to a literal barrier.

and about y/n being a red flag 😂😂 it’s not exactly about how far she’ll go for people she cares about. you can see when she’s with chris she actually talks back to him a lot 😂 and she doesn’t give him too much of herself. she’s very guarded. which is funny bcs she loves him the most.

the thing with her parents is basically… a sign of abuse. this strong woman who’s broken off from her family and their money, who has dreams and aspirations, who literally is brave enough to deal with supernatural beings and actually help them instead of running away—she’s the one who folds when her parents cry and make her do things. it makes no sense. and that’s because she’s been so heavily abused by them. they manipulate her so easily and she has a hard time saying no to them.

like when she had to dance with alex. she could’ve stood her ground and refused but instead she agreed to dance with a) a man that makes her uncomfortable, and b) no experience in dancing whatsoever. i tap into that again when she’s sad about having to wear clothes she doesn’t want. like she had to literally be reminded that there was nothing her parents could do if she wore a different outfit because they don’t actually hold that much power on her.

so yknow… it’s not her being selfless. it’s her being emotionally abused and manipulated. it’s her feeling responsibility and obligation towards a family who never loved her because that’s what they fed into her head.

THANK YOU<3 pink is my fav color so im very pleased with how pink everything in my theme looks rn 🥺💗 i will see if i change themes again for Christmas bc I also love it <3

Now, onto the chapter:

Oh my this makes it even worse and sADDER THAN HOW IT WAS 😭😭😭😭

You are so right, i wasn't able to see beyond what meets the eye:( and it's so complicated from what i can tell from your explanation 😭 :((

Oh now we are going deep, bc I was about to say that I've never been in that position before but then i read again what you said and LMAO IT RINGS A BELL AND YOU ARE SO RIGHT 😭😭😭 i think i was trying to justify myself by thinking "oh, its good to be selfless" (is this gaslighting???) and not thinking "damm, their parents SUCK" because god you are so right i feel like I can't even properly explain what i feel but it just made so much sense.

I feel like reader may be feeling this complicated mix between what she has been told her whole life and also longing for that reward and affection that maybe her parents never gave her? While simultaneously knowing well its not fair for her and her life to give it up for people who never really took care of her but at the SAME TIME because she has been living in this manipulative relationship her parents can easily pull the "but we are family" card and how is she supposed to say no? Its hard to, bc emotionally then if you say no you are now the bad guy and oh no ti this is so complicated im hurting even more for reader now :(( genuinely hope things brighten up for her. And honestly for anyone going through something similar :(( its very hard to recognize an abusive relationship to begin with, even more so if you are dependent on them (like housing, food, studies, etc)

And idk if this will be too personal or maybe im just overthinking so feel free to ignore but :( idk if you are writing this story based on events familiar to you or someone you know, but if it's so im sending you a big hug i cant even phantom how complicated this situation may be 🥺<3

[hazel2468]

Okay- making a post of my own because I don’t want to derail and the original was specifically about autism BUT:

I get the whole “Oh wow, it’s so BRAVE and SELFLESS and SELF-SACRIFICING that you work with (insert ND/Disabled people or other group here) people!” a LOT. Whenever I tell people that I’m a Social Worker, and that I am currently working with a disability advocacy group, I hear that. And on the one hand, yes, let’s appreciate people who provide basic, necessary services and advocacy to underserved groups (and pay them more- pay teachers and aids and the like MORE).

But on the other hand... this shit is BASIC. I don’t think it’s some sort of massive sacrifice- I’m working to provide the MOST base-line things to the disabled community. Because the system is fucking built to keep them out. It’s a necessary social service, not martyrdom, and it is REALLY fucking gross that people act like I deserve some special praise for working with disabled and ND folks.

I myself am ND and disabled. I’m chronically and mentally ill. I have ADHD and probably some other shit going on. Of course, people assume otherwise, because I don’t fit their idea of what a disabled person looks like, and they also often assume that disabled people can’t do things like be Social Workers (which... yes we can and we do, we do a lot of shit). And when people try and act like I’m some kind of angel of hero for doing my job- my very, VERY basic job, it irritates me and pisses me off to no end.

I shouldn’t be getting praised for working with and around disabled and ND people because we’re just fucking people. I get treated like I’m doing some... Some horrible job that “must be so difficult” and “wow I bet that’s hard to manage” and “it’s so brave of you to do that”. Brave? I make data tables and phone calls and take satisfaction surveys from clients. But I get treated like some kind of saint because I’m working with people who, for some fucking reason, the general public has decided are massively non-compliant (a phrase I have issues with, but that’s another post), impossible to work with, and scary.

Look. If your reaction to hearing someone works with disabled people (or homeless people, or any other marginalized, underserved group) is “wow that’s so brave”... Why? Why is it brave? What makes it more brave than any other customer service? Why do you assume my job is difficult and taxing in the ways that you do? Why do you give me that look (and I bet a lot of y’all know that look I’m talking about, the “oh dear that must be so hard you’re so strong and brave but in a patronizing way” look)? WHY are you so shocken when I tell you that actually, I love my job, I love speaking to our clients over the phone, hearing what they have to say, I love learning more and more about what’s going on in the community- in MY community- right now?

Disabled and ND people are not “difficult”. We’re not some kind of unique burden. We’re people with different needs who exist in a world where those needs are not only not met more often than not, but are treated like something extra and annoying, no matter how basic they are. And folks who work with ND and disabled communities (and any other marginalized/underserved community) aren’t saints or angels on earth. We’re people doing a job, hopefully a job that we’re passionate about, hopefully a job we enjoy, but it’s a job. And we’re just working with people.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Grand Premier

Summary: Barely in Paris and Kagami is already expected to rub elbows with the local elites. Specifically, one Adrien Agreste. At least he dresses better than his father.

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

Kagami didn't want to be here.

"This is an important deal for our company's expansion into France, Kagami," Tomoe Tsurugi reminded her in Japanese. "Be polite with Adrien Agreste."

"Yes, Mother." Kagami would play her role to perfection. Even if it was at the premier of a mediocre movie.

"And if the young Agreste isn't polite I hear he fences at the same school we're enrolling you in."

Kagami didn't smile. No, not at all. And if she did there were no witnesses. "Yes, Mother."

Keeping her usual stoic expression as the parasites, pardon, the paparazzi used flash photography in her face Kagami walked down the red carpet. Arm extended for her Mother.

Gabriel was just as tedious as she imagined him and wearing the ugliest suit Kagami had ever seen. And she'd seen ugly yakuza suits in person. At least Adrien's all black suit was suitable for a family in the fashion industry.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsurugi Kagami," the blond boy greeted in heavily accented Japanese. A polite smile on his face as he bowed slightly. "Welcome to Paris. My name is Adorian Aguresuto."

Kagami raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound right.

Eyes widening as he realized his slip up and- Wow, those were expressive eyebrows. -hand going to rub the back of his head as a faint blush painted his cheeks. "I mean Aguresuto Adorian! I, yup..." Suddenly self-conscious Adrien jerked his hand down. Smile nervous but more honest.

Kagami decided to have mercy on him. "Your inflection needs work but the pronunciation is adequate."

His lips twitched. "Adequate?"

"Yes. That is the most accurate description," Kagami stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, then I guess I better ade-quit while I'm ahead," Adrien joked, switching to French.

She could pinpoint the second Adrien noticed what his mouth had said (seemingly without permission) by the way his rosy cheeks went into full bloom. Kagami was fairly certain she was interpreting that expression correctly. "I see why you learned, Japanese."

Apparently deciding her impression of him was already ruined, Adrien forged ahead. "Anime has some impressive puns. I couldn't resist."

Kagami's perfect posture straightened ever so slightly. "Oh? What kind of anime are you interested in?"

Adrien began listing several shonen. Which, honestly, Kagami should have seen coming. At least it included One Piece. Kagami resisted the urge to proclaim the merits of the completely arbitrary power ranking system unprompted. It just fit the story so well and- No! Focus! What was he saying?

"...but right now I'm reading Fruits Basket."

Ooh! Kagami's self control slipped just a little bit. Her eyes might've lit up even. "Yuki is my favorite character."

Adrien beamed at her. "He's amazing! Torhu's my favorite!"

Kagami glanced at a large poster of the movie. Chat Noir displayed prominently with Ladybug. Oh, right. That was a thing. "I would've thought it'd be Kyo"

"Not all catboys are created equal, Kagami," Adrien stated solemnly before breaking into a grin. "He's my second favorite. I just really like Torhu 'cause she's so kind and selfless and..." Adrien paused. Looking down as he fiddled with a silver ring on his finger. "And she's so brave. After losing her mom like that. I really admire her."

Kagami felt she was missing something. She usually felt that with strangers but it was on the tip of her tongue.

Before Kagami could pinpoint why Adrien's appreciation for Honda Tohru felt the way it did Adrien snapped out of whatever he was in. "Anyway, what about you?"

"I relate a lot to Saiki Kusuo. He has trouble understanding people despite being telepathic." Was that too much? It felt like too much.

Apparently not 'cause Adrien's smile was back. The honest one, not the polite one. "Yeah, it's hard to understand people when they don't say what they mean."

Oh, thank you! "What's worse is when they say things they don't mean. It's very confusing."

"Right!? It'd be so much simpler!"

"..." Kagami was supposed to respond here. She was positive that it was expected. But she didn't have anything she felt like adding at the moment. "... So have you read Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Kagami was positive Adrien was restraining himself from vibrating in excitement. She could tell because his eyes were huge and his grin unrestrained. His enthusiasm making her lips form their own smile. Kagami had never met someone her own age she could tolerate, let alone geek out about the differences between anime and manga adaptations.

Most of the other rich kids Kagami knew acted like that ponytailed girl who thought Kagami couldn't see her glaring from across the room. But she wasn't important.

... Actually, there was something Kagami wanted to know. "I hear you fence."

Suddenly shy again Adrien's hand went back to rubbing his neck. "Uh, yeah. Not to brag but I'm the best fencer on the team."

"Not for long."

"Huh?"

"I'll be coming for that top spot, Adrien," Kagami promised.

Adrien's eyes widened, then a competitive gleam sparked in his eyes. "Looking forward to it," he smirked.

In the end the movie was just as mediocre as Kagami thought it would be. Enjoyable sure, if you ignored all the cliches.

"It's even worse on screen!" Adrien proclaimed cheerfully.

Kagami eyed him as they filed out of the theater. "Aren't you the male lead?"

"Against my protests!" He grinned.

"A pleasure doing business with you Madame Tsurugi," Gabriel Agreste's grating voice said from his assistant's tablet. Kagami amused herself by imagining Gabriel was actually that small in person. "Come along now, Adrien."

"Yes, Father." The open expression was gone. Adrien's demeanor immediately subduing at Gabriel's call. Turning towards her, Adrien gave her a small smile- "I look forward to seeing you at school." -and winked with his whole head.

Kagami's cheeks heated up slightly as she returned his smile. "I won't go easy on you."

Adrien frowned. "Well, of course not. That would defeat the entire purpose of dueling."

Kagami's smile grew wider. "Yes. Yes, it would."

She stared at the passing city through the window as they made their way to their new home. Committing the unfamiliar skyline to memory.

"And how was the young Agreste, Kagami?" Tomoe asked. "Was your interaction fruitful?"

Kagami thought about Adrien's predilection for certain manga tropes, how he'd blundered effortlessly past her walls, the clear eagerness Adrien felt at talking to someone else who gets it. He was... endearing. And Kagami wouldn't mind his company again.

"Yes, Mother." Yes, it was.

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

Notes: Written for the Alternate First Meeting promt of Adrigami Week 2021.

[starsxinxthexbluexsky]

Xie Yun x ????

I'm doing this to appreciate Xie Yun (DD's costume character) and GG's many costume characters and then see who to ship him with. I did a lot of research on these characters, don't kill me if they are wrong...

Xie Yun or "Xiao Chuan". In appearance, he is cynical, arrogant, conceited, casual, coward, relaxed and talkative of nonsense. But, in reality, he has his own world and is wise, analytical, tolerant, brave, skillful and loyal. He is the prince of Duan of Nan Chao. Likes to drink alcohol. (he is an angel)

So, I don't know with who Xie Yun (Leyend of Fei) can married. 😂😂😂😂😂

Wei Wuxian is ruled out because he is Lan Wangji's husband and Xie Yun is the possible son of the couple. 😏😏😏

So, we have a list of the following suitors, their works and their personalities

Yang Bingyun (Joy of life) a determined, cold, serious and handsome man. Son of an established family, a powerful minister and a double agent. (Wow man)

Zhang Xiaofan (Jade Dynasty) is a cultivator. Is a determined, loyal, pure, simple, cute and brave man. He cooking and practice meditation. He was possessed for demoniac cultivation... (Poor thing)

Ji Chong or "Li Ju Yao" (The Wolf) before was a prince and a young general, now a bounty hunter. Is a sincere, loyal, rigtheous, brave, wise, flirtatious, teasing and sexy man. He likes drink alcohol (don't let it show that I have a crush with him)

Beitang Moran (Oh! My Emperor) has the power to predict the future. Is a calm, smooth, confident, loyal and pretty man. Play the Guqin (like LWJ). The keeper of constellation Aquarius.

Lin Xiuya (Fight Break Sphere) Leader of the "Wolf's Teeth" forces. He is an expert in hunting magical beasts. He is joy, kindness, respectful, hard working and handsome man. (I call him Rapunzel)

Tang San (Douluo Continent) is a Soul Master. Is very calm, witty, serene, kind, thoughtful, selfless and beautiful man. He always calculates everything before acting. (I love this character)

Shi Ying (Yu Gu Yao Novel ver.) The Grand Priest of Jiu Yi Shan, also the Prince, later Crown Prince then Lord of Kong Sang. He appears cold, he is decisive and cares a lot about his nation. He is very strong, the second strongest in the land of Yun Huang. A genius who invents many of his own spells. He had many painful moments in his life, from people around him. Had a one-sided love. He can read people's mind

[cunningambitousdetermined]

Moonlight Sonata (Pietro Maximoff x GN Reader)

title: moonlight sonata (i suck at titles sorry)

pairing: pietro maximoff x gender neutral reader

warnings: um my writing is weird and swearing 

summary: PIETRO JUST NEEDS SOME LOVE AND ITS FLUFF

requested by @iamninaanna: HEY TARA I need more of your beautiful writing so I'm here to request again hihi. Can I please get a fluffy blurb with prompts “I missed your arms around me so I came to cuddle.” and “Do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?” with Pietro Maximoff (if you write for him and if you don't, you can choose another character)If you don't feel comfortable writing this or you don't have inspiration you can totally ignore and delete this :)I LOVE YOUUU MWAH 😊

a/n: HI TAJA!! I LOVE YOU TOO! im so excited to write this, i love when you (anyone) requests things, it makes me so happy, like makes my month or year. its crazy, the sheer amount of joy it brings me. i tried to make this gender neutral but i can rewrite it  as a female reader if that’s what you wanted. ok anyway, here you go. as always, feel free to give feedback, i always enjoy it and hope you enjoy!! (ok also i really struggled to write this one, i don’t know why but i did and i don’t love how it turned out, im so sorry taja)

The soft notes of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata floated out of Pietro Maximoff’s room in the Avengers Compound. If someone looked in at the moment, the sight in the room was not nearly as peaceful as the melody that filled the room. Pietro was leaning, in what should have been a relaxed manner, against the headboard of the large bed in the middle of the room. And if someone wanted to take the time to look closer, you could see his hands shaking, vibrating in a blur. He sighed and ran his shaking hands through his hair, thumping his head against the hard back of the bed. 

Y/N slid down the hallway, their socks running softly across the hard floor. They were smiling, twirling like a ballerina, arms above their head. They were nearly to their room when they stopped. The floating waves of sound coming out of the door they’d stopped in front of. It was Pietro’s room, they realized. Tilting their head, they listened to the notes of the song, cradling her delicately in the sound. It took them back into memories, running through fields, hand in hand with Pietro, stopping to double over in laughter. Late nights, all three of them, looking at the stars. As they fell farther into the past, the memories were tinted blue. They hadn’t seen Pietro in a while, it almost seemed they were drifting apart. They missed him, the late nights on the rooftop, him telling them all his dreams, worries and fears. They missed their board game marathons and movie watch parties. They missed the kisses and the hugs, the first dates and the mornings next to him...

A frustrated groan through the bittersweet memories, Y/N’s head snapping up toward the door they stood in front of. After all the years of knowing him, that groan meant only one thing. He was stressed. Y/N felt the small tug of pettiness, telling them to ignore him as he was doing to them. But, their soft nature wouldn’t allow it and before they had actually thought the idea through, they rapped their knuckles on the door. 

Pietro stopped dead in his tracks, “Hello?”, he asked, accent coming on thick as it always did when he was stressed. 

“It’s me, Y/N,” the delicate voice came back, the doorknob starting to turn. 

“Oh, come in,” he called, tidying up any evidence of his shaking hands and body. He took a deep breath, bringing his hand vibration back to normal. 

Y/N slid the door open, a soft smile just bringing their cheeks up a little. They peeked in, sliding in like an eel and softly closing the door behind them. There was an awkward silence, one of the first the pair had ever experienced. 

“Um... what's up?” Pietro wrung his hands nervously, a smile coming on his face as he noticed their shy eyes trained upon his face. 

“I missed your arms around me so I came to cuddle” they said shyly, blushing.

And just like that, the tension was broken, like a knife through the awkwardness and they were together again. Pietro ran to open the blinds and grabbed all the blankets and pillows from around the room and was back in a flash. He leapt on to the bed and opened his arms for them motioning them to come over. They slowly slid their socked feet across the floor, but Pietro was having none of it. He never wasted a moment and grabbed Y/N, wind rushing in their face, before she could blink she was in his arms on the soft pillows of his bed. 

“Hi” Y/N breathed out, the air escaping them, settling into his arms.

“Hey..” he replied, just as breathless.

They were silent again but this silence was light and airy, not weighted by tension and nervousness. Pietro buried his face in Y/N’s hair, taking in the sweet smell that he knew as them. Y/N sighed happily, worries about drifting apart evaporated in the warm embrace of their boyfriend. 

The soft song the was playing started over again, the notes repeating themselves, ringing throughout the room. “Do you think Beethoven wrote Moonlight Sonata because of the moon?” Pietro asked, his voice muffled by Y/N’s hair. Y/N didn’t respond, lost in thought, trailing their hands over Pietro’s long fingers. “Baby?” he sighed, “Baby, I’m sorry that we haven’t talked in a while. I just- I was worried about you. Your so brave and so selfless and I just- I don’t to lose you.” His voice cracked, finishing in a whisper. He looked down at them, brow furrowed in worry. They slowly pulled their head up, gazing into his eyes, hands moving to caress his cheeks.

“Oh, my speedster, you’ll always have me. I love you, fast boy...” They smiled softly, and whispered sweet nothings as they kissed his cheeks, his nose, his jaw, his eyes, everywhere. He laughed and they rolled into a smothering cuddle. They both sighed, smiles wide enough to bring out the dimples in Y/N’s cheeks.  

“Do you think the moon is jealous of how stunning you are?” This admission came out of nowhere, Pietro carding his fingers through Y/N’s hair. They laughed, and shook their head like he was joking. He frowned and kissed their nose, “You’re perfect,” their cheeks, “Stunning”, their forehead, “Breathtaking” their neck, “and I’m so lucky that your mine”. They smiled then, wrapping their arms around their beautiful boyfriends neck and kissing him, soft and sweet. It wasn’t passionate or hot and heavy, just full of love and all the they didn’t say. It was perfect. And the moon might not be jealous of Y/N’s beauty but the moon was sure to be jealous of the love they shared. 

WOW THAT SUCKED THANKS FOR READING

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Yuffie: Why’d you save me, even after I tricked you and tried to steal from you? [Confidently] Its because I’m charming isn’t it, despite it all you can’t help but,like me? 

Tifa: Nope, that not it, I Do not like you at all.

Yuiffe: Oh… Then why? 

Cloud: It’s because Tifa is a hero.

Tifa: What?

Cloud: Tifa saves people. She’s brave. She does what’s right, even if it puts her own life in danger, and even when the odds seem impossible. Even when it costs her, her own happiness or causes people to turn against her. Tifa is selfless, strong and caring. [Tifa gazes at him, her mouth open,  dumbstruck by his praise] That’s what makes her a hero. That’s what makes her Tifa.

[Yuffie sees where this is going, shakes her shoulders and walks away] 

Cloud: You are so…

[Cloud kisses Tifa. She begins to kiss him back but just then he leans away and realizes what he just did] 

Cloud: Oh, no. I’m so… I’m sorry. I just got carried away. Next thing I knew my lips were getting way ahead of me, and…

Tifa: [rolls her eye’s] Shut up.

Cloud: What?

[Tifa catches Cloud’s shirt, pulls Cloud to herself, and kisses him] 

Cloud: Wow.

[Cloud and Tifa hold each other close smiing at each other for a moment then gently pull each other close to kiss again]

[theonewhoimagined]

EMPIRE OF STORMS

Warning: SPOILERS & a really, really long post full of asjdakdjalskjdk

Empire of Storms needed a separate post BECAUSE THIS FREAKING BOOK IS JUST oh gosh I can't even begin to describe it

MY GIRL, AELIN, THE BADDEST FIRE BREATHING BITCH QUEEN ALIVEEEE. I love her so much and I was in tears after that ending like GIRLLLLLLLL I CANNOT (but at the same time yaas we love the angst). She's been through so much and only, in the end, did people finally realize they've been treating her like shit when all she's been doing is selflessly thinking about ways to help them and not herself. Yes, I'm looking at you, Aedion.

My heart hurts for Aelin. She's brilliant, wickedly cunning, and above all, selfless. Can you imagine learning about your fate has been decided centuries before you and you've been played by everyone your whole life? But she rose above it and continued to fight. I just adore her brilliant mind and penchant for dramatic grand reveals. Sure, she has her flaws, but man if that happened to me, I would've been worse and left them all to ruin. 😆 I love how she's not some fragile damsel in distress chosen one, but she's a fighter with a smart mouth full of snarky comebacks and has an attitude. The way she carries herself is so authentic and just so brave. I mean give her a break. After everything she's been through, of course, she'll toughen up. Again, she’s not perfect and did bad things too, but wow the males around her like to push her around and blame her every time shit goes down. When in reality, she thinks ahead and does it alone so as not to disappoint the world that has put so much burden and pressure on her. She owed them all nothing. But no, people forget that she did not choose this life and the choices she had to made were the best at the time, despite how reckless they are. @ Chaol, Dorian, and Aedion

SHE MADE PLANS FOR EVERYONE, BUT HERSELF. IF THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU WEEP, THEN IDK ANYMORE.

Honestly, that was the best way to end a book. SO EPIC & DEVASTATING!!! Why is this not picked up by Netflix yet? This is LOTR x The Witcher combined (I wanna put GOT too, but I never watched it 😅)

ANYWAY!!!

First and foremost, the 2 most crucial parts of this book that would have ruined me after finding out, but unfortunately did not because my snooping around the internet led to my ultimate downfall which is accidentally reading spoilers about the mate thing and the iron mask.

Rowan, oh my sweet darling Rowan. I just love Aelin and Rowan's dynamics. They're so perfect for each other because not only are they each other's equals, but they keep each other in check. I don't understand the people who hate Rowan's evolution when his sweet and devoted side has always been there and just hidden beneath his darkness. And the way both of them brought each other out of the dark tunnel of grief and entered the path towards the light together? BEST COUPLE AWARD ME THINKS

If Rowan wasn't a warrior, then he could very damn well be a poet because he makes me melt every time he opens his mouth.

"If someone saw how thoroughly I plan to worship you." I MEAN?!

“I kept thinking about how you might never know that I missed you with only an ocean between us. But if it was death separating us … I would find you. I don’t care how many rules it would break. Even if I had to get all three keys myself and open a gate, I would find you again. Always.” This is from Heir of Fire, but if someone said that to me, I'd faint. ROWAN WHITETHORN, ILY TO WHATEVER END.

And after that ending, you mean to tell me I have to read 800 pages of Chaol really?! I read some pretty good reviews of Tower of Dawn, but I'm not in the mood for it now lol so I took it upon myself to skim over Kingdom of Ash because I am weak for Rowaelin and yes I accidentally read another spoiler, but no biggie pshhh

Also, I have to say Manon x Aelin is a pairing I never knew I needed. Just love how they banter and you know do QUEEN THINGS. But I'm not a fan of Manon x Dorian because it feels too forced and I think Dorian's character just lost its touch for me. I still do love Dorian, but like Chaol, I can’t believe the sense of entitlement of these Adarlanian men who like to fling insults at Aelin right where it hurts most when things don’t go their way or when they feel their male pride gets threatened by a female more powerful than them as if it wasn’t their fault that Aelin’s family got murdered and kingdom destroyed, and she was forced to live as Celaena by their own kingdom. 😤🙄 I swear that moment where Dorian had his head in his pants and was trying to force Aelin to let Manon walk freely in the ship had me seething. I mean Aelin is not a saint, but at least she doesn’t go below the belt and stoop so low to the people she considers her friends, unlike Dorian and Chaol.

I wasn't expecting to love Elide x Lorcan, but here we are! Also, Lysandra and Aedion are so cute together. Loved how the cadre became part of their group albeit unintentionally. <3

Omg this was way too long so brb I'll read The Assassin's Blade first before Tower of Dawn. My pace will be a lot slower now (as I'll take my time so the wait would be worth it lol) hahaha I practically devoured 2 books in just 5 days I think 😂

I haven't even finished this series, but the one thing I discovered is that mates! au is my weakness and mates to enemies to lovers au is the superior trope of all.

[alexboehm55144]

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 39 - Before The Storm

"So what did you guys get out of the stuff we pulled from that Chinese base? One that was apparently supposed to be impenetrable." Nick asked before muttering to himself. "Heh, they were no match for this sly fox."

"We went to hell and back to get that stuff," Judy said.

"Thing is… we don't know yet," Jack responded. "There was a lot of information on those maps and papers you guys pulled. It will take time for the eggheads to go through it all."

"I have to say I really respect the analysts," Skye noted. "I mean, how much stuff have they looked at from just Heroes alone?"

The four mammals were sitting in Jack and Skye's Aston Martin as they drove through the busy Zootopian streets. Nick and Judy were in the back seats while the two ZIA agents sat upfront. All around the car, mammals moved and went about their business as the city entered the evening. Most mammals were probably heading home as the sky began to dim. While others were getting ready for a night on the town.

"You guys over at Heroes have recovered a ton of intelligence throughout this war." Jack said, "Servers, documents, maps. Knowledge is power."

"Yeah, that is true," Judy responded. "I can't believe how much action we've seen. This is a lot more than a normal day at the ZPD."

"Hey, sometimes things are pretty action-packed at the ZPD," Nick said. "There's a lot of dangerous crooks and thieves out there. Though none of them as crafty and talented as this sly fox."

This got a chuckle out of Judy.

"And here we are!" Jack said.

The car pulled into a parking lot of a one-story building with Japanese architecture. The walls were made of white-colored stone with wooden support pillars, covered by a pagoda-style roof made of matte green tiles. Mounted on the front wall was a red and white light-up sign that said:

"Tanukchi, Japanese Grill."

"Well, we'll certainly be eating good tonight!" Nick said, the four mammals stepping out of the car.

"Isn't this place pretty high-end?" Skye asked. "How did you get a reservation?"

"Well… heh…" a slightly mischievous look crossed Judy's face. "I may have let it slip that we were brave ZPD officers, and you two were selfless ZIA agents."

"Clever bunny," Nick said.

"And… I may have also mentioned that we were war heroes."

Sky and Jack laughed.

"Well, at least you got us a nice dinner," Jack said before the group headed inside the restaurant.

Inside the building, the walls were made of wood and paper, resembling traditional Japanese walls. However, there were also support pillars made of marble-like, red-colored rock with messy streaks of white running through it. A short distance from the two glass doors was a desk made out of bamboo, behind which was a fish tank teeming with aquatic life. The entire restaurant was filled with the sounds of people chatting and the metal clang of cooking equipment being used.

"Reservation for Hopps," Judy said to the fox behind the desk, prompting the mammal to check her computer.

"Hopps…. Ah! Right, this way!" The fox said, grabbing four menus and leading the two couples into the dining area. There were 4 grills, 2 for smaller mammals, 2 for larger mammals, set up in the dining area, each surrounded by stained wooden chairs. Above each grill was a vent to the outside. On the walls of the room were paintings of trees and natural landscapes.

The waitress handed out menus as the group sat down at a grill for smaller mammals. "Would you like to order your drinks now?"

Nick got a soda while Jack went for an ice tea. Judy had carrot juice, and Skye got water. The fox waitress left to get their drinks and appetizers.

"You know, it kind of surprises me how quickly life has got back to normal here," Skye said. The fox looked around at the families and groups laughing and enjoying their meals. "You would never have thought that a short time ago, this city was under assault by the Chinese military."

"I know," Judy said. "It's almost like a distant memory to everyone. But I suppose they're just looking ahead towards a brighter future."

"And the future is bright," Jack said. "We're really pressing hard on the PLA now. But regarding what you said, there are plans to make a memorial to commemorate the Chinese attacks on the city. The full-scale assault, the airship strike, and the concert."

"Well, I hope that helps the citizens of Zootopia remember what happened. And that we must be vigilant against those who want to hurt us."

"Hmm… well, we should get some fried rice," Nick said, perusing over the menu.

"Heh, thinking with your stomach, I see." Judy chuckled.

"I agree," Jack responded. "let's get some fried rice."

The waitress returned with drinks, as well as salads and miso soups for everyone. She also took their orders for meals.

"A chef will be with you shortly."

The waitress left, and the group began to enjoy their appetizers.

"Wow, this is really good," Jack said, trying the salad.

"Hopps told me this place is highly rated," Nick said, sipping the soup. "You did a good job getting us this reservation."

"I agree." Skye said, "thank you, Judy."

Judy smiled "aww, guys are too sweet."

A few moments later, a tanuki wearing a traditional chef's uniform came over to the grill with a small cart of ingredients and tools.

"Hello! Welcome!" The chef said, going over the group's order. "Let's get started!"

The tanuki started up the grill and began to cook the various vegetables for the fried rice. Skye took out her phone and captured the exciting moment in a video while the chef performed tricks. He spun his spatula and tools around in his hand and juggled an egg for the rice.  

The chef then set up an onion volcano, filled it with edible oils, and lit it on fire. A tower of flame shot out of the small volcano, eliciting gasps from the officers and agents watching the show.

"Dinner and a show," Skye said.

The tanuki chef finished the fried rice, taking a small portion of the rice on his spatula and launching it in the air towards Jack. The rabbit opened his mouth to catch it, but it just bounced off his nose onto the floor.

The chef tried again, & this time Jack caught the portion of rice in his mouth. All the while, the other mammals laughed and watched the spectacle.

The tanuki then launched a portion of rice at Nick, who managed to catch it in his mouth on the first try.

Judy laughed clapped a little as Nick looked smug that he got it first try.

"We should hang out more often," Jack said as the chef began to serve the fried rice.

"I agree. It's just that we've been busy lately." Nick chimed in. "But when the four of us hang out, it's always fun."

000

"Come on, Toothdee, you'll enjoy it!" Laval said. "Arcades are fun. Although in Chima the arcades are usually less tech-savvy… but… same principles apply."

"I don't know…." Toothdee said, looking over some maps and papers in her room. "The end of this war is in sight, and I want to focus on my work so we can make the final decisive push to end this conflict once and for all."

"Hey, we've got them on the backfoot." Eris said, "besides, we're on shore leave right now. It's not the time to work. It's time to rest and recuperate."

"Yeah, you can't just keep fighting constantly. Evening though I do think that would be fun, you'll get worn out." Laval noted.

"Oh, alright, fine." The Heroes commander said, getting up from her desk and grabbing her phone and wallet. "Let's go."

"Great!" Eris said. "Laval spotted a place just down the road, within walking distance."

"Well, lead the way, Laval."

The trio left the typhoon and headed out of the guarded compound where the airship landed. The landing zone was in the city, giving Heroes good access to any part of Zootopia they needed to reach in the event of an emergency.

However it was not right in the center of the city, instead situated near the airport. This was to avoid buildings acting as flying obstructions and to cut down on noise pollution.

"You guys really love exploring Zootopia, don't you? Getting out and seeing the sights." Toothdee said as they walked.

"Totally!" Eris said. "It's a gorgeous city. I can see why Nick and Judy love it here."

"Yeah, I love exploring, so it's great to get a whole new city to explore!"

After a few minutes of walking, the group arrived at a building with big glass windows and a bright blue sign that said "arcade" on the front.

The inside of the building was dark, lit mainly through light from gaming machines. The air was filled with the sounds of said machines. Various boops and chimes were used to attract customer's attention. The floor was covered in a dark blue carpet, and a tired-looking mountain lion sat at a desk near the door.

The trio walked over to the desk, and the mountain lion didn't flinch upon seeing an evolved eagle.

"Hi, can we each get a card with $30 on it, please?" Toothdee said, "that seems reasonable, right?"

"Works for me," Eris said.

Each member of the group took out the required money and placed it on the counter. The cashier nodded and quickly transferred the money to 3 plastic cards that could be used to purchase games from the machines.

"Thank you," Laval said, the group heading towards the machines.

"What are you going to play first?" Toothdee asked.

"Uh… hm, well, I've seen this before," Laval said, walking over to a skeeball machine. "Now Chima does have games like this."

"I'll play against you!" Eris said, standing in front of a second Skee-ball device next to Laval.

"Alright! Your on!"

The couple slid their cards through readers on the machines, and balls were dispensed in return. As the two started rolling the hard plastic skeeballs down the length of the device, Toothdee went to examine some other games.

She spotted an arcade game with a large screen, and fake plastic guns hooked up to it. Across the top of the machine were the words "Terminator" along with a scary-looking robot head. Toothdee went over to the arcade machine and paid for a game before picking up one of the weapons. She could also keep her skills sharp while having fun.

The young warrior selected a level and began. Terminator robots appeared on screen and engaged. But toothdee fired the toy weapon at the screen, and the terminators in-game were struck down by gunfire.

As her character continued to move through the game world, gunning down robots, toothdee heard Laval and Eris behind her.

"Yes!" The eagle said. "I win! Don't worry, I know you let me win on purpose."

"I thought YOU were going to let ME win." Laval chuckled.

The pair came over to watch Toothdee, who continued to gun down terminators, even as her own player character took damage. Eventually, a game over screen appeared, and toothdee put the plastic toy gun back down on the machine.

"You know what's funny is most of the stuff here we can do for real," Laval said. "That motorcycle racing game over there? I can just hop on my speedor. That game you were playing where you shoot robots? You could just get a gun and charge into battle!"

"Heh, well, why don't you do that then?" Toothdee asked.

"Well, fighting can be fun. But it's nice just to do it… what's the word I'm looking for… Fictitiously! Without any worries, where you just have to get points."

"Alright, I can understand that. Now, what do you want to play next?" Toothdee said, turning towards the rows of game cabinets. "You guys were right. It is good to get out and relax once in a while."

000

Haida looked at a map on his phone and struggled to figure out where he was in relation to the roads and structures on the map.

"I'm telling you it's this way," Fabienne said, pointing down a roadway. "Trust me, I know this city."

"But it looks like it's this way on the map!" Haida said, pointing down a different street."

"It's not! Your just looking at it wrong!"

"Retsuko, what do you think?"

The red panda, who had been patiently watching the two argue, looked at Haida's phone. The hyena smirked, expecting his girlfriend to agree with him. Plus, he was pretty confident his examination of the map was correct.

"Hmmm…." Retsuko said, "I think Fabienne is right."

Haida's jaw dropped while Fabienne smirked.

"Alright then, this way."

The snow leopard started walking down the street, Haida and Retsuko in tow.

Haida looked a bit down that he was wrong, but Retsuko gave him a playful jab to cheer him up.

Eventually, the group arrived at a large stone building situated by the coast. The American flag was flying on a pole outside. There was a large wooden sign reading "Zootopia World War 2 Museum."

"Told you," Fabienne said.

The trio went inside, where a bunny attendant was waiting in a booth near the entrance.

"Hi! 3 please, general admission." Retsuko said.

The trio paid for their tickets and entered the museum, which was not very crowded. The rooms were filled with equipment, posters, flags, pictures, all from the Second World War.

Pictures of troopers in combat. Guns those soldiers would have used. Maps of the battle formations they would have been in.

Retsuko and Haida went over to a giant wall of black marble. Upon which were carved the names of soldiers from Zootopia who had distinguished themselves in combat during WW2. Above the wall was a black and white mural of US Soldiers of many different species.

Fabienne was busy looking at an exhibit about war correspondents during the Second World War. There was an old camera on display, articles published by war reporters, and photographs of correspondents. This sort of thing was right up her alley.

"It's amazing how much we've progressed," Fabienne said, looking at old photography equipment. She spotted an old camera that was a lot bigger than her phone and probably could only photograph in black and white.

The snow leopard moved on to a small exhibit that contained mannequins of different mammals in combat gear. There was a small video screen playing a video comparing the biological system of various mammals as soldiers.

"Humans make the best soldiers." Said a disembodied voice on the video, as the picture changed to show a human soldier on a long trek in the desert. "They have unmatched endurance and survival skills. Not to mention their skills in combat have been continuously refined and improved over millennia, in the many wars and battles fought by humans."

"Maybe that's why a human is the leader of Heroes," Fabienne asked herself.

"This does not mean other species are incapable of waging war. Many other types of mammals serve in specialist roles."

A picture of a Russian polar bear in arctic camouflage appeared on the screen as the announcer continued.

"Polar bears and other arctic mammals make good soldiers for sub-zero environments."

The screen changed again, showing a picture of a cheetah soldier.

"While cheetahs and Pronghorns make good couriers, depending on the distance being traveled."

The snow leopard found this fascinating. Every species was unique in some way.

The ZNN reporter moved to rejoin Haida and Retsuko. They were looking at an exhibit about imperial Japan and the war in the pacific.

"Wow, look at that," Retsuko said, examining a model of a US aircraft carrier.

Haida and Fabienne looked at a map of battle formations around an island, complete with pictures of soldiers.

One photo showed Japanese troops digging trenches around the island as defenses. Another picture showed US pilots getting into planes and preparing to launch from the deck of a carrier. A third picture showed US marines charging against stubborn and dug-in Japanese pillboxes on a hill, firing down at a beach.

"My God, it's so reminiscent of the current war," Fabienne noted, looking at another image of American and Japanese warships engaging each other as planes crisscrossed the sky.

"I know…" Retsuko said, "I mean, we're fighting in the pacific, with warships and planes. I guess history repeats itself."

"What I find amazing..." Haida said, "the US and Japan used to be such bitter enemies, and now they are great allies."

"Yep, it only goes to show you how things can change with time," Fabienne responded.

"Here we are, mammals from Japan, doing an important role in a US military organization," Retsuko said. "And there is no place I'd rather be."

The three mammals continued through the museum. Examining the past and how it could tell them about the present and future.

000

JayJay was in her cabin on the typhoon, putting away some clothes she had just washed. The wolf put a dress on a hanger, hanging it in the closet, before turning her attention to some stockings and a few shirts.

As the young hero finished putting her clothes away in a drawer, there was a knock at her door.

The wolf opened the door and smiled, seeing captain Boehm in front of her.

"Hey Jay, what are you doing?"

"Just putting away some clothes." The wolf said, quickly fixing her hair and making herself look presentable. "What brings you around?"

"Well… I was wondering if you would like to hang out?" The captain said, trying to speak confidentiality. "We could go somewhere. There's plenty of attractions around Zootopia. Or just stay here and watch a movie or something."

JayJay's tail started wagging.

"Oh! I'd love to take you out clubbing!" The wolf said.

"Clubbing? Eh… that's not exactly my thing…."

"Please!" JayJay said, giving Alex puppy dog eyes. "I'd love it if you came along!"

"Sigh, alright, fine."

"Yes! Trust me, you'll have fun! Let me just get my things and get ready to go."

"Ok, I'll go get my wallet. Meet you back here."

Both mammals used the bathroom, got their personal effects, and met back up outside JayJay's room before leaving the typhoon.

"I'm really excited," JayJay confessed. "You, my favorite person in the world, going clubbing and dancing with me, which is my favorite thing to do!"

"I mean, I'm not exactly big on that sort of thing… but I'll bite the bullet if it means spending time with you."

The wolf wagged her tail in excitement. The pair then came upon Kion and Jasiri, who walked down the hallway. Each had an arm around the other.

"What are you two up to?" Alex asked.

"We're just going out," Kion said.

"Oh! So are we!" JayJay responded. "I'm taking him to a club."

The wolf gestured at the human.

"Heh, didn't think that would be your kind of thing, Alex." Kion teased. "You are usually a very reserved person who tends to keep to himself."

"Your correct." The captain responded, "But I just like spending time with Jay."

"Well, I like spending time with Jasiri." The lion kissed the hyena on the cheek, making her blush. This prompted JayJay to turn to her companion. Giving a look that almost saying "What? Where's my kiss?"

"If you two are going out, what if we come with you? We could all hang out." Jasiri said.

"I'm fine with that," Boehm responded. "Jay?"

"I'm down! Let's go!"

The four left the typhoon and headed down the street, led by JayJay, who knew where all the excellent dance parties and nightclubs were.

"I am going to bring you out of your shell tonight." JayJay said to Alex, "you can't be so reserved all the time."

"I think you are the right person to do that." The human responded to the wolf. "You're so outgoing and social. I'm an introvert, your an extrovert."

"Opposites attract." Kion laughed.

After a few minutes of walking, the group reached a building with dozens of bright neon lights outside, shining in all colors.

"Hey! It's the party animal!" Said the bear bouncer, opening the door for the team to go inside.

More bright lights of all colors flashed above a dance floor made up of light-up squares, which also changed color frequently. Mammals packed the dance floor, moving and cheering as they enjoyed themselves.

A bar that glowed white from internal lights was stationed against one of the walls. Behind the bar were shelves of liquid backlit by blue light. Tables and chairs were set up around the main dance floor for mammals to chat and rest.

"Say what about loud noises?" Kion asked Alex. "I heard that introverts like things to be quiet."  

"Yes, but Kion, I'm a soldier. I've heard the blasts of artillery strikes and the engines of rockets and jet planes. I can take some loud music."

"Do you guys want to get something to drink first?" Jay asked as the group drifted over to a table. "We need to stay hydrated if we're going to be dancing."

"What time is it?" Alex asked, "ah, I'll just have lemonade or something."

"Coke, please," Kion said. "No ice."

"Water is fine for me," Jasiri said.

"Alright! You guys have to pay me back, though. Kion, could you give me a paw? I can't carry all the drinks."

The wolf and lion left, heading to the bar.

"Say do we have any Glocks onboard the ship?" Jasiri asked.

"Yeah?" The captain said.

"I think I'm gonna try those as my pistols. See how they do in battle."

"Well, if you're going to use them, akimbo, we have plenty of attachments you can use. Sights, flashlights and lasers, muzzle breaks, and suppressors…. Heroes is well supplied."

"I can tell. I suppose all the money spent is worth it, though. We get the job done."

"Maybe you should get yourself another weapon if you find the pistols aren't cutting it. Like an SMG. Maybe an MP5 or UMP."

The human and hyena continued to discuss their weapons of warfare until Kion and JayJay returned with four glasses containing the drinks. The two giving Alex and Jasiri their beverages. JayJay had apparently ordered a beer, as her glass contained a foaming brown liquid.

"Jasiri and I were just talking about our combat gear," Alex said, taking a sip of his lemonade.

"Yeah, he thinks I should get an SMG for when the pistols don't cut it."

"I recently changed my armament as well." Kion said, "I quite like the LMG I got my paws on."

"Well, as I told Jasiri…" Alex said, "we have plenty of attachments you can put on."

"Oh sweet! I'll have to check those out."

"Well, while your running into battle with a sword and a big gun, my own equipment is a bit smaller," JayJay said. "Just a simple pistol and a machine pistol for when the going gets tough."

"Yeah, Kion, you are like the tank. With an LMG, a powerful sword, and your own strength to punch right through enemies." Captain Boehm noted. "Jay is more focused on her agility and speed."

"I've been thinking of getting a sword more like what you and Laval use. Chima style!" Kion said. "Also, JayJay, isn't your pistol an older design? 1911?"

"Yep! And not just any 1911. That very pistol was wielded by my ancestor, Jim Burdel, during WW1!"

"Wow, That should be in a museum."

"Hey, I like to think I'm doing right by my ancestor by carrying his weapon into battle. Though I don't know if he would like the paint scheme I've given it, he's not here to complain."

Suddenly the loud dubstep music slowed down, and all the lights on the dance floor turned a light blue as their movement speed slowed down.

"It's time for a slow dance!" The DJ said, "Maybe grab that special someone and bring them out onto the floor!"

Jasiri smirked at Kion and jumped up, gesturing for Kion to follow her, which he did. They headed out onto the dance floor, joining in the crowd of mammals.

Jasiri playfully pushed Kion, trying to figure out how exactly he should dance with his hyena. Fumbling with his paws and where to put them in a way that was not lewd.

The lion's lover just hugged him close, prompting Kion to wrap his arms around her and slowly turn and dance.  

"Come on, Alex!" JayJay said, standing up, prompting the captain to do the same and follow her.

The two mammals reached the dance floor, surrounded by other mammals and couples, moving slowly to the music.

Under the blue light, the pair embraced, nuzzling against each other's fur and skin. Alex and JayJay closed their eyes, enjoying the moment with each other, along with the other couples on the dance floor, including Kion and Jasiri. But the human and wolf were just focusing on each other. Both of them were, to the other, the most important mammal in the world.

Moments like these were what they were fighting for. China was an autocratic nation, curtailing freedoms and liberties. But here, people could be free and enjoy themselves without fear of the government or military.

It was these moments of peace that made their battles worth it. Worth fighting for a million times over.

[zyxwvu28]

Hunter: So why did you save me? Even after I tricked you and betrayed you?... It's because *moves eyebrows up and down* I'm charming, right? Despite it all, you can't help but like me?

Luz: Nope, that's not it. I do not like you at all.

Hunter: Oh... Then why?

Amity: It's because Luz is a hero.

Luz: What?

Amity: Luz saves people. She's brave.

She does what's right, even if it puts her own life in danger.

And even when the odds seem impossible.

Even when it means her only way home is destroyed and she'll have to stay here in a foreign place, possibly for a very long time.

Luz is selfless, determined, and caring.

That's what makes her a hero

That's what makes her... Luz Noceda.

...

You are so...

Amity leans in and kisses Luz on the lips

Amity: Oh no, I'm so- I'm sorry. I just got carried away. I gotta go now!

Luz: Wait, Amity!

Luz grabs Amity, pulls her in and kisses her on the lips

Amity: Oh wow, Luz...

Luz and Amity face each other, lean in again for a third, warm and tender kiss on the lips

[raayllum]

It’s because Rayla is a hero. What? Rayla saves people. She’s brave. She does what’s right even if it puts her own life in danger, and even when the odds seem impossible. Even when it means her own people might misunderstand and turn against her. Rayla is selfless, strong, and caring. That’s what makes her a hero. That’s what makes her Rayla. You are so… Oh no, I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I-I just got carried away, next thing I knew my lips were getting way ahead of me, and—Shut up. What? Wow.

[multifandomfanfiction]

This is My Way

TITLE: ​ This is My Way PAIRING: Paz/OC RATING: T CHAPTER: One-shot SUMMARY: Devon is Din’s closest friend in the Covert, despite not having taken the Creed.

[A/N - So yes, I now write for this Big Blue guy. I will eventually manage to get a Din one-shot out lol.]

“Din!” Devon squealed upon seeing her friend.

Devon was the only one in the Covert who never took the Creed. She was a gentle soul and spent most of her time in the nursery with the foundlings. She was a foundling herself and grew very close to Din as they grew up.

Devon’s eyes widened upon seeing the container in Din’s hand. “Your hunt was good, I’m assuming?”

“Is the Armorer in?”

“Yeah.” Devon walked with Din to the forge.

Their fellow Mandalorians simply stared at them. Many didn’t believe that Devon should be welcome in the Covert, but the Armorer had spoken and she was allowed to stay (despite not having taken the Creed).

Din set the container in front of the Armorer and opened it.

It was filled with Beskar.

“Stars,” Devon breathed. She’d never seen so much Beskar in her life. “All this for one bounty?”

The Armorer pulled out a few bars, setting them aside. “This amount can be shaped many ways,” she said, as Mandalorians started to gather.

“My armor has lost its integrity. I may need to begin again,” Din told her.

“Indeed. I can form a full cuirass. This would be in order for your station.”

“That would be a great honor.”

“I must warn you. It will draw many eyes.”

Devon snorted in amusement. Din and their kind already drew attention to themselves wherever they went.

The Armorer’s helmet titled slightly in her direction.

“Sorry.” Devon groaned inwardly as Paz approached Din.

The two had had a rivalry ever since they were children. Paz was large and intimidating, whereas Din was on the smaller size. But Din made up for his size in cleverness and swiftness.

Paz picked up the brick of Beskar. “These were cast in an Imperial smelter. These are the spoils of the Great Purge. The reason that we live hidden like sand rats.” Paz tossed the Beskar on the table.

“And now it’s been returned to the Tribe,” Devon snapped, “That’s all that matters.”

“I don’t believe I asked you, aruetii (traitor).”

The Armorer calmly picked up the Beskar brick and placed it back on the pile. “Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength.”

“Our strength was once in our numbers.” Paz turned to Devon. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that. Now we live in the shadows and only come above ground one at a time. Our world was shattered by the Empire, with whom this coward shares tables.”

Devon pulled out her Beskar knife, the only bit of Beskar she had, ready to defend Din if he needed.

Paz grabbed Din’s helmet, causing Din to grab his arm. Devon sprang into action as Paz manhandled Din.

Din pulled out his own dagger and went for Paz’s throat, but his arm was too short.

Being the smallest in the group, Devon slithered between the two men.

Paz felt the tip of her blade at his throat.

“Pick on someone your own size, Paz,” Devon said sweetly.

The Armorer finally stood up. “The Empire is no longer. Devon is correct. The Beskar has returned. When one chooses to walk the Way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey. How can one be a coward if one chooses this way of life?”

“She is not Mandalore,” Paz spat.

“She is your fellow foundling and she has done much for those like her.”

The Armorer turned to Din. “Have you ever removed your helmet?”

“No.”

“Has it ever been removed by others?”

“Never.”

“This is the Way.”

“This is the Way,” the group echoed.

Din lowered his blade, but Devon still stood there.

Din put a hand on her arm and she stepped back from the Mandalorian that was twice her size.

“This is the Way,” Paz said.

“What caused this damage?” the Armorer asked, gesturing to Din’s chest plate.

“A Mudhorn,” he answered.

“Then you have earned the Mudhorn as your signet. I shall craft it.”

“I can’t accept. It wasn’t a noble kill. I was helped by an enemy.”

Devon felt her heart flutter in her chest. Din was one of the most noble men she knew. He could also be incredibly selfless when it came to the Tribe.

“Why would an enemy help you in battle?”

“It did not know it was my enemy.”

The Armorer titled her head. “Since you forgo a signet, I shall use the excess to forge whistling birds.”

“Whistling birds will do well. Reserve some for the foundlings.”

Devon put a hand on his shoulder as a silent thanks.

“As it should always be. The foundlings are the future. This is the Way.”

“This is the Way,” the group echoed.

“This is the Way,” Devon and Din said.

“Shouldn’t you be on your way back to the nursery?” Paz snapped at Devon.

“Come find me when you’re done,” Devon told Din.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Din found Devon in the nursery, clad in his shiny new Beskar.

She put the foundling down in its bed and approached her friend. “Wow. Look at you.”

“I wanted say thank you. For earlier.”

Devon rolled her eyes. “You really think I would let Paz beat the shit out of you?”

Din’s helmet tilted and she knew he was smiling underneath. Din cupped her face in his hands and gently bumped her forehead with his.

“Now go. Save the baby.”

Din’s helmet tilted again and Devon laughed.

“What? You don’t think I keep tabs on you? You clearly don’t remember me that well. I’ve got your back, remember?”

“This is our Way.” Devon smiled.

“This is our Way.”

Din and Devon were known to be the rulebreakers when they were younger, which is why they had come up with their own Creed to each other.

“Yell if you get into trouble.” She heard a crackling noise through his vocoder and she knew she’d managed to get a small laugh out of him.

About an hour later, Devon was walking through the village when she heard blaster fire.

Din was in trouble.

She sprinted down the stairs into the Covert. “Paz!” she yelled, running through the corridors. She finally found him and barreled into him. “Din…trouble…now…” she stuttered out, pulling on his large arm.

“Woah. Devon, slow down. Now what’s going on?”

“Din is in trouble. He needs our help. Now.”

Paz scoffed. “He can handle it himself. What with all that new Beskar.”

“He is your brother! And I don’t care how much you hate him! He needs our help! Now! This is the Way!”

Paz let out a heavy sigh and started gathering the Mandalorians. They walked out of the Covert and Paz put an arm around Devon’s waist.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

“Seeing as you’re the only one without a jetpack…”

Devon blushed and Paz thought it was adorable. “Oh. Uh, thanks.”

They took off and landed in the marketplace.

Devon ripped herself away from Paz and ran over to where Din was pinned down. “Din! Oh my god! Are you hurt! Is the baby hurt?”

“No and I don’t think so.”

Devon pulled out her blaster and started firing. “Go!” she yelled at him.

“Get out of here! We’ll hold them off!” Paz yelled, firing his blaster cannon.

“You’re going to have to relocate the covert,” Din told him.

“This is the Way.”

“This is the Way.” Din picked up the baby. “Come with me,” Din asked Devon.

“I…I can’t. I have to care for the foundlings. They don’t have anyone else. Someone needs to get them to safety. Please just go. We’ll see each other again.”

“This is our Way.”

Devon shook her head. “No. This is the Way.”

Din bumped her forehead with his and took off for his ship.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day, the Covert was in chaos but Devon felt hollow. She felt like a piece of her was missing now, not knowing when she’d see Din again now that he was an outlaw.

He broke the Guild Code and there would be a bounty on his head.

She’d lost the one thing that meant more to her than anything.

Paz found her in her room crying. “Devon, come on. We have to go. Devon?”

Devon was so upset, she didn’t even hear Paz’s voice.

The large Mandalorian approached her. “Cyar'ika (sweetheart)?” His hand on her head snapped her out of it and she looked up at him.

“It hurts.”

“I know it does and you will have time to mourn later. We need to go now. The foundlings need you to be brave.”

Devon nodded and stood up, wiping her face of her tears. She quickly gathered her things and followed Paz to the nursery. “Is this all that’s left?” Devon asked, looking at the small number of children.

Paz nodded. “Many of the others fled. Took off their helmets and armor and walked out. Many took a foundling with them.”

“What about you?”

Paz turned to her. “What do you want?”

Devon didn’t answer him, because she didn’t know what she wanted. There was a reason she’d never taken the Creed. She never felt connected to it. She believed that she could uphold the tenets of the Way without having to cover her face.

“All of them.”

Paz’s helmet tilted in confusion.

“How many can you fit on the ship?”

“It would be a tight fit, but we can take them all.”

Devon nodded. “Find us a planet.”

“The tribe?”

“For our clan.”

“You…you would take the marriage vows? With me?”

Devon had never imagined marrying someone within the Creed, but she knew Paz could provide for them. Foundlings were the future and she knew he’d do whatever it took to keep them safe. “These children need someone. If Din can take one, we can take them all.”

Paz nodded. “This is the Way.”

Devon shook her head and softly smiled. “No. This is my Way.”