#oh wait ive put arrows for no reason at all too

[daily-amber]

day 124: eepy................

[desired-victim]

Helloo! I wanted to request hisoka with corruption kink. Just write however you want to lolol i dont mind any freaky🏃

Ha *wipes sweat off forehead* I hope this hard work pays off. I put every ounce of effort in writing this 😮‍💨. I didn’t do any bullet points on this one but it does have about four thousand words! Please ignore the possible grammar mistakes, I do have trouble writing dialogue. I worked on yours all night long and I’m exhausted. My fingers sure are. I kept your request deeply in mind. You can see poor, little (Y/N)’s innocence melt right off her like ice cream ;). Anyway, here’s your request, my love 💕

I wanted to honor the divine feminine so you will see my appreciation for the female body below 👇

💕TW: The content below contains: degradation, domination kink, submission kink, dub con, threat of forced anal intercourse, pure smut, corruption kink, possible bad grammar, loss of virginity, dirty talk, cunnilingus, vaginal sex, corruption of innocence, Oh, and Hisoka is a TW itself.

Enjoy…

He’s tall.

God, he is so tall. Such long, strong legs - slender yet thick with muscle. Despite being erotically pleasant, his legs weren’t the best part of him. The best part of him was what your eyes followed. From his shins, to his knees, to his thighs, to his hips, to that beautifully sculpted torso of his, to his neck, and then you reached his eyes.

Those eyes. Those sharp, golden eyes of his.

His eyes unsettled most people. It was as though they could pierce your very soul, and see how weak and worthless you truly are. He's a predator - always keen, always aware, and always watching for a reason for you to be his next target.

Hisoka… how did you get those eyes?

She wondered how she caught his attention. He was the type of man to overlook girls like her. A blushing, doe eyed dolt, who could barely speak to strangers without stuttering a storm.

Why? Why would someone like Hisoka find her worthy of even being near him? Of being in his bed, of being by his side, of being between his legs. He is so very special, and I'm…

“My Little Slice, you look delightful when your down there~”

His voice shook her out of her thoughts. She looked at his teasing gaze and meekly lowered her sight to his lips. There, she saw them curl up into a grin. She tensed up and covered her naked chest with her arms. Just then, she realized how unbelievably exposed she was to his scrutiny.

“Oh, nervous now~,” he laughed out, sitting up from the headboard and closer to her face, “isn’t that sweet…”

More red than ever, she turned her face from Hisoka and leaned back. Instead of letting her move away, his hand wrapped around her wrist and thrusted her towards him. She yelped out as her cheek pressed against his hard chest, her face embarrassingly hotter than his cool skin. His chest rumbled as he let out a chuckle.

She put her hands against his chest and attempted to pull away, but his arm wrapped itself around her. She struggled to shove herself away and her efforts were all for nothing; he hadn’t moved an inch.

Perhaps it was foolish to pursue a 200th floor fighter. Where was her older brother to protect her now? He had lectured her beforehand about the dangerous people here and she laughed him off and teased him about being some sort of guard dog. Now, she needed him more than ever. She had never been in a situation like this before.

“No boys allowed, Y/N!” he usually shouted out, a vein practically popping out of his forehead. It almost seemed like he loved saying that as it was repeated over and over throughout her life.

All she wanted to do was explore a place she never ventured to. To seek the thrill that felt so curious and good, yet hidden like the inside of a flower that hasn't bloomed yet. A buzzing heartbeat that formed when she laid alone at night and gently ran her fingers up her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps and shivers.

Please help me, B/N…

Her struggles came to an end as she huffed, breathlessly. Hisoka’s hand trailed down her shoulders to her waist and to her hips. His hand was met with the pleasant plumpness of her bottom. She squeaked out in shock as his hand roughly squeezed her ass and kneaded it like dough. A loud crack reverated across the room as he slapped it, leaving a red blur behind. She gasped and her face converted into an embarrassed cringe. Frustrated tears pricked in her eyes as her fingernails dug deeply into his skin.

Once again, she attempted to wiggle away. Instead of his arm wrapping around her shoulders once again, she was swept over and under him. He was hovering over her and there was no way to escape. Her previous attempts at fighting back were a failure, and she no longer wanted to fight, only to flee.

Her eyes shot out towards Hisoka’s face only to find him smiling down at her. His warm breath fanning her face and his hips between her thighs.

The glint in his eyes shook her to the core. His facial expression was teasing and playful, but his eyes told a completely different story. She’s seen that look on his face before. The same expression on his face as he killed his opponents. He looked like an apex predator who was about to break the neck of his prey with his jaws.

“You’ve never been fucked before, haven’t you?” he asked, his finger trailing down her cheek, rubbing off a tear she hadn’t noticed fell.

Her face scrunched up at his vulgar language.

“No, I’ve never been f-“ she paused, hesitating before quickly spitting out, “no, ive never been f… fucked before.” Another tear came out of her eye. She never cursed - She wasn’t allowed to.

Hisoka giggled, his smile twisting even further. He looked down at her precious expression and felt his arousal rise.

“You're utterly adorable, you know that? I almost feel a little bad about this. Almost. But you wanted to play, and don’t be a spoiled brat when the other player is better at the game than you.” He mocked, his sardonic gaze on her. It made her want to shrink into the mattress and never come out.

“Now, now,” he said, sitting up, “I’ll make it as comfortable as I can.”

He spread her thighs and examined her high waisted shorts. He grabbed the zipper at the top and unzipped it. Down and down it went, until her underwear was revealed to him.

“After all, the first cut into the cake has to be perfect.”

Her shorts were suddenly off her and on the ground. She was only in her underwear now, more exposed than ever. Most naked she’d been since that time she went to the beach. She’d gotten sunburnt that day. At least then she had a top, now her whole body was on display to him.

Hisoka hummed as he tugged his own bottoms off, revealing the thick length of his cock. His cock looked magnificent combined with the rest of his body. That sexy v-cut of his looked like two arrows directing me to look at his big dick, so large it almost dangled under its own weight. It held its own though, refusing to droop over.

How is that thing going to fit inside of me? she thought.

He spread her legs wide open and examined the thin material of her underwear as the form of her vulva showed through. The flimsy material was practically invisible.

Hisoka’s big hands grabbed her behind her knees, pushing her legs up while also spreading them even further. The bed squeaked out as Hisoka crawled on his knees over to her, placing himself over her.

Hisoka’s claws clenched themselves around her legs, indenting the soft flesh, “You have such a soft, innocent face,” he said, his face hovering over menacingly. “But I know a hungry little whore lies beneath the surface… let me feed that little whore~❤️.”

Hisoka let go of one of her legs and let it fall against the bed. Her loose leg was between his two thighs and her other leg was still being held. The top half of her body was still on the bed. Hisoka’s strength was maintained as he carried half of her body weight into the air.

He’s so strong… of course he is, that’s to be expected of a top floor fighter.

The bed let out a groan as Hisoka pushed himself onto her covered cunt, rubbing his dick between her labia majora. His cock stroked the sensitive heat over and over again, he could feel her hotness tightening and then softening as her pussy throbbed to the beat of her heartbeat. The head of his cock stroked her hard clit over and over again, the little bump riddled with sensitive nerves. Her underwear was sopping as her pussy leaked out sweet nectar. The tip of Hisoka’s cock was also leaking with precum, mixing in with her own sweetness and creating an erotic cocktail.

“Yes, don’t stop,” she begged. “Please don’t stop - I want to cum so bad. Please let me cum, please!”

Hisoka let out a breathy laugh. “If you want to cum so bad, you need to beg for it. Only good girls get to cum. Are you a good girl~?”

“Yes! I’m a good girl! I’m your good girl, Hisoka!”

“Aw, you're so cute when you beg. But I don’t think you're a good girl. No, I think you're a naughty, little slut. Little sluts only get to cum when they're being fucked.”

The sensitive head of Hisoka’s cock pulsated with pleasure as he rubbed it against the soaked underwear. If he kept doing it, he was going to cum way too fast. He couldn’t let that happen. Not before he stretched her virgin pussy with his cock. He’d be damned if he let himself orgasm before biting into her innocence.

His nails dug into her thigh as he pushed himself further into her, making sure there wasn’t an inch of space between their heats. He was going to blow and If he didn’t stop, he wasn’t gonna see that shocked expression of hers when came in her for the first time. The longer he waited, the better.

(Y/N)’s pussy clenched and her breathing sped up. She was going to cum.

I’m going to cum, I’m going to cum, I’m going to cum, I’m going to-

Hisoka pulled back.

“No!” She yelled, kicking her leg in frustration. She let out another yell as her leg didn’t even move an inch in Hisoka’s grip. His grip was too strong. There was no way she could force her way to freedom.

“I was so close!” she shouted, a tear threatening to fall from her eyes. “Why did you stop! I felt so good!”

Hisoka threw his head back and let out a loud, sadistic laugh.

“Haha, you're so cute when you're feisty! I’m glad I’m the first who gets to fuck you.”

He let go of her leg after getting over his giggling attack. She found herself embarrassed as she blew out strings of her own hair out of her own mouth.

As she was pulling strings of hair out of her mouth, she was suddenly pulled back onto the bed by Hisoka’s hands around her hips. She gulped as she saw Hisoka’s face hovering over her crotch.

The part of her underwear that directly covered over her cunt was a darker shade than the rest of her underwear from when they grounded against each other like animals in heat.

She watched nervously as he adjusted his position. She let out a whole body shiver as both of his thumbs opened her lips like a little book.

Hisoka licked the side of her cunt - not directly stimulating her but gently teasing her. While not directly pleasuring her, the motion relaxed her from her last intense session. A little between-the-main-courses snack, if you will.

She sat up on her elbows and watched as Hisoka lapped at both sides of her lips. She felt a swell of affection begin to grow in her chest as she watched Hisoka’s cheek press itself onto the inside of her thigh. She realized how bold she’s gotten since they began to play with each other. In such a short while, Hisoka had corrupted her - denting that once-perfect surface with his perverted nature. To think ten minutes ago she was so shy she could barely even curse. In such a short time, she’d cursed more than she had in a year. A pang of guilt filled her as she thought about how her older brother would react. But he wasn’t here, and he never had to know.

In her own thoughts, she didn’t notice Hisoka’s face twist into a mischievous smile. Her eyes widened in terror as she felt his tongue on her covered asshole.

“Hisoka!” She shouted out.

How can someone be so vulgar?

“Oh, I’m sorry, my Little Slice~. I just love it when your sweet, angelic face turns into one of horror. It turn me on so badly~❤️”

Hisoka only smiled and slid his tongue upwards towards her pussy. He pushed the tip of his tongue against the entrance of her vagina and wiggled it there. If it wasn’t for her underwear, his tongue would have been inside her pussy.

The nerves around her hole were ablaze and her legs were shaking - with fear, excitement or pleasure? Perhaps all three, she did not know. All she wanted was to be pounded by him; she didn’t care how big and thick he was (from what she saw earlier, his cock had to be as thick as her forearm). Though she was unexperienced and naive to the acts of sex, this feeling was primal and indispensable. She needed it, she needed it like a runner needs water.

His tongue dragged itself from her entrance to her clit.

“Yes, yes,” she moaned out and spread her legs wider without an ounce of shame.

It was overwhelming in the best way possible. It was the most electrifying thing she’d ever experienced and she never wanted it to end. She wanted to be there forever - in that limbo of titillation and erotic reality that was unlike anything she could recreate with her imagination.

Hisoka rapidly moved his tongue against her clit. She squealed out loud and attempted to move her hips but his hands grabbed her hips and pushed them to the bed and continued to flick her covered clit with his tongue.

She lifted herself up to her elbows and looked down at him. A hint of fear aroused in her as she made direct eye contact with him. She was so caught up in her own pleasure she didn’t realize how deeply she was looking into his eyes.

As she continued to lock her eyes with his, her pussy began to relax, getting ready to tighten and cum on his tongue. Her heavy breathing paused and she caught that expression in her eyes.

Then her panties were ripped in half and her bare cunt was revealed to him. In a split second, his entire tongue was inside of her.

She screamed as her virgin cunny squeezed itself around his long, wicked tongue. Hisoka laughed out and wiggled his tongue - messaging and caressing her inner walls as she cummed.

The wetness of her aroused cunt seeped out and dripped down to her asshole, to which Hisoka slurped up and continued his assault on her cunny again. He did this over and over again until I couldn’t handle it anymore. My hands tried to push him away but he didn’t even budge. It wasn’t until my legs began to kick out in panic did he pull away.

“Ah, ah,” she panted, body completely limp. Hisoka observed her body. Her soft stomach was gleaming with sweat and the inside of her thighs were also gleaming.

“You might be the sweetest candy I’ve had since I first tried Bungee Gum all those years ago. I knew the moment I popped it into my mouth it would never leave me, marking me with its sweet syrupy taste just like a Scarlet Letter. Would it be a bold thing to say that you're just like Bungee Gum? You get so pink when you're played with. The pink on your cheeks is almost the same shade as my favorite snack.”

Hisoka let out a sudden dramatic sigh that startled (Y/N) for a second. “Unfortunately, the company who used to make Bungee Gum went bankrupt so now I have to search far and wide just to get a taste. Luckily for me, something similar is always nearby for me to stretch and pull at.”

He paused, looking directly into (Y/N)’s eyes with his own yellow ones. “You are, my sweet little slice~”

Hisoka grabbed her ankles and slapped her legs together. The loud smack of her thighs' sudden connection reverated across the room.

Hisoka wrapped his big hand over both of her ankles and grabbed his cock, stroking back the foreskin to reveal the pink, sensitive tip and a pearl of precum forming. He placed the tip of his cock on her clit, rubbing it in little circles before sliding it down her slit until it reached her entrance at the very bottom. He felt tempted to slip it into her ass before deciding it wasn’t worth the screeching. Even though he could easily cover her mouth and sodomize her tight little ass, he couldn’t just jump into completely breaking her; It would be a better idea to slowly lower her into the fire. A slow burn would be ten times more satisfying.

Putting both of my legs onto one side of his shoulders, he used his weight to push his entire cock into her pussy until his ballsack was resting against her ass.

She hissed through her teeth and threw her head back. She was filled with his cock. So full. So, so full.

She was bursting with new sensations. A new type of pain, a new type of pleasure. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt yet so primal and familiar. It was an instinct she never realized she had.

Bending over her with her legs still on her shoulder, Hisoka connected their lips for the first time that night. She could taste her own saltiness on his lips. It wasn’t the type of kiss she’d seen on romance shows (the ones her brother decided were appropriate enough to watch). No, this kiss was the complete opposite of those. This kiss was rough, unlike anything else.

She felt a burst of bravery as she slipped her tongue out and shyly lapped at his bottom lip. Hisoka let out a sardonic chuckle.

“Feeling brave now, are we?”

(Y/N) yelped as Hisoka slid his entire tongue inside her mouth, licking every corner of her mouth. Nothing was left untouched.

After completely violating her mouth with his tongue, Hisoka pulled away, smiling down at her.

“Are you ready?” He whispered. (Y/N) let out a shuddering breath and nodded. She braced herself by meekly grabbing onto the shoulder that didn’t have her legs with one hand, the other gripping onto the sheets.

Hisoka pulled back until only the tip of his cock remained in her, then he slammed into her with great strength. Her breath completely left her body with the slam of his hips. His hips smashing against her buttocks made a filthy sound that made her want to cum. The plop, plop sound that her pussy was also doing things to her.

Hisoka grunted with every hard thrust. She fit him just like a glove. It was almost like she was made for him. While the male penis did not have as many nerve endings as female genitals, a man can augment his sensations and cause it to heighten by being caressed just right. By holding her against himself, fucking her in a salacious dance, the more sensation builds up in his penis just like when a woman’s clitoris is tapped just so…

The friction of his cock pulling on her inner walls before being pushed inside once again left (Y/N) in a concoction of emotions. First, complete and utter pleasure. As he slammed his cock into her, dopamine bursted in her mind like an explosion of drugs. Second, regret. If her brother ever found out, how would he react to his own little sister getting fucked by the murderous Magician, Hisoka? She knew he’d feel like all his work to keep her safe were a waste of time and energy. Like all those years of pampering and protecting went right down the drain. She couldn’t let him find out. And thirdly, a rebellious energy. She was tired of being locked down by her own innocence. She wanted to explore the world. There had to be more to this world than just what she knew. There had to be.

From head to toe, she felt a symphony of pleasure as she came. Her toes clenched until they cramped. But she didn’t care, the pleasure outweighed the pain. Her fingers dug into his shoulder. She was sure there would be a five fingered mark there the next day. It would be a reminder of his clawed reach and her deflowering.

She screeched out as Hisoka went faster, overwhelming her. She hadn’t even gotten over her orgasm before he began to thrust into her twice as hard. She could feel his cock rub itself against the entrance of her womb.

It was primal to push into her beautiful, soft female body and pull back, only to push himself back. He could feel himself building up the height of his pleasure. The more he pumped, the higher the tower built, just ready to topple over and leave a big mess.

He looked at her closer than ever. Watching as her breast bounced and her lips glowed from their mixed saliva. He saw her eyes as she looked up at him, red from crying in complete pleasure. Her appearance increased his desire to come.

“Ahhhh,” he moaned out, feeling his orgasm in his very bones. It was a sensation he was familiar with. After defeating a powerful enemy, he sometimes glowed with the aftertaste of their fight and his victory. This was very similar - yet so different. More intimate, of course. His prey was still alive and he was still inside their body.

(Y/N) closed her eyes in bliss as Hisoka’s cum finally rested inside of her. Her breathing slowed down and the blush on her cheeks faded into softer shades of pink. The sun was coming down. Its orange tones highlighted her sweaty body like a canvas. It almost seemed like she was a freshly painted portrait. Divine Feminine tamed at last.

Both of them laid on their backs, observing the plain ceiling. It was relaxing to lay down after such an exhausting task. All she wanted to do was shut her eyes and rest.

Rest, rest, rest…

My brother! His fight is over!

(Y/N) shot up from the bed, practically tripping over herself as she gathered her things - putting them on. She didn’t even notice her bra was inside-out. More shockingly, she didn’t even notice cum was dripping down her legs.

Hisoka watched amusingly from the sidelines at her scattering around the room.

(Y/N) scanned the room for one final time. She groaned as she saw her wet panties on the bed, right next to Hisoka. She jumped onto the bed and reached for her underwear. As she pulled back, Hisoka grabbed her wrist.

“Tell me, (Y/N), how would your older brother react to hearing about how I ruined his little sister's innocence? How I fucked her and she enjoyed every second of it? I bet he’d try to kill me~.”

(Y/N)’s mouth opened and closed, not a single word leaving her starstruck mouth. Her body was paralyzed with fear. She forgot who she was dealing with in her panic.

“What's the matter? You want to keep our little secret just between us two? Fine. However, come to my room tomorrow at the same time you did today and we’ll have some more fun. If not…”

She didn’t need to ask - She knew. She imagined the consequences in her mind, thinking about the outcome of her moment of weakness.

Hisoka wasn’t done with her; this was just the appetizer.

—-

“Hey, (Y/N), where were you during my fight? I didn’t see you in the crowd at all.”

“Oh, I was just getting some snacks.”

“Ah, alright. Next time just tell me beforehand. I wouldn’t want a stranger taking advantage of my little sister. Right, sis?”

“Haha, yeah…”

[chaerincore]

things seo moon says that sweethearts can’t unhear: part i

Moon might have a strange sense of humor, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that some of her most outlandish comments have made her the funniest member of The Romantics! some of these can’t even be given context… but we tried 😳

ALTERNATE TITLE: when Aera doesn’t get paid enough for this 💘💞💗💞

warnings: light mentions of food, swearing, blood & arrows (nothing overly scary)

@skzfairies @m00niesk7

REPLY WITH “let’s fall in love!” TO JOIN THE TAGLIST!

i. "if i send you a video of a screaming parrot, it’s because it is putting so much passion into yelling that it is the equivalent to how much love i have for you. if you don’t get it, mind your business!"

ii. "if i randomly disappear from the group, it’s because i turned into a dog so i can have free food and endless attention."

iii. "every time i see changbin, i ask him how the weather is down there and he just walks away… short people, can you please grow? what is the reason? being closer to the center of the earth is a boring flex."

— despite being an inch taller than her younger brother, moon is relentless in teasing him for being short. being the tallest member in her group also boosts her ego, but she can’t tease her leader for being the shortest because moon knows better than to piss off aera 😀

iv. "yes i’m a rapper… no i cannot rap as fast my brother can… but i rapped with nicki minaj once so i’m already the reigning champion, next!"

— Woman Like Me was their first comeback of 2022 & also featured nicki minaj. moon rapping with her isn’t in the original studio version, but she does cover some of her parts in the live stages occasionally & got to do it in-person with nicki at the MTV EMA’s once… starstruck was just an understatement.

v. "you know how cupid shoots an arrow at you to make you fall in love? what if he misses your heart and gets your throat… are you just… bleeding in love? like, what happens then?"

— this was when The Romantics went live for valentine’s day in 2021, the girls were talking about falling in love & what they do on the special holiday and the topic of cupid ended up in the conversation.

vi. "sweethearts, can you tell stays to rick-roll chan for me when he goes live today? oh… what’s the occasion? it’s nothing special, my friend has been rick-rolling me too many times lately and i want revenge."

vii. "i just let aera do the talking, and if i’m feeling saucy, i’ll say a couple sentences."

viii. "swear words are just creative ways of me saying 'ow! i stubbed my toe!' let me say what i feel!"

ix. "who keeps letting all of the sexy people into our waiting room?!"

x. "if i had a dollar for every time aera talks about her crushes but never actually spoke to them, i wouldn’t need this job."

— 2021 valentine’s day live again… yeah.

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

The Intern | Part Nine

Series Summary: You move to New York to focus on your art but end up working as an intern at Stark Enterprises

Chapter Summary: you go back to your old apartment for the first time since the night of the attack

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader, Peter Parker x reader (platonic)

Word Count: 2527

Warnings: brief panic attack

A/N: this story does not follow the same timeline as the movies. Also, spelling and grammar is not my strongest skill so please be kind :) if you want to be added to the taglist please drop me a message in my ask box

Part Eight | Masterlist

- - - - -

“and where do you think you're going at this time in the morning?” Tony asks sleepily wrapping his arm around you, making you jump as you're trying to quietly sneak out of his bed. 

“I’m sorry, I have to go get ready for training. I was trying not to wake you” you reply, getting up and gathering your clothes from his bedroom floor. 

It had been a couple of weeks since you first spent the night together and since then you’d been in each others beds more times than you care to mention. It wasn’t just about sex though, most nights you just cuddled and talked, or watched a movie until you fell asleep. You loved staying in Tony’s room. His bed was so much more luxurious than yours and his room had the best views. Plus, being on the top floor meant his room was further away from everyone else so you didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone, or bumping into anyone on your morning walk back to your own room. It wasn’t that you wanted your new relationship to be a secret, you just wanted to enjoy being with Tony without wondering what the others would think. 

“you know, you could just move your stuff up here. You stay in my room enough it makes sense to have your things here” Tony says watching you as you stop racing around to look at him and take a breath. “or not, you don't have to if you don't want to”

“no, its not that I don't want to it just..” You sit down on the edge of the bed next to Tony “if I move into your room then the others are going to know about us and they’ll have questions and I just.. I don't think I’m ready for that. You know? I like that for now we can have this just for ourselves.”

“I suppose the late night sneaking around is kind of exciting” Tony winks at you and you giggle.

“besides, it’s not like I’ve really got anything to move up here anyway. Most of my stuff is still at my apartment. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the clothes you found for me but it would be nice to have some of my own things back” 

“I understand” Tony nods “well how about we go this afternoon and you can grab whatever you want to get then?”

“sure yeah! That would be brilliant, thank you Tony!” You smile and give him a quick kiss, but he grabs you and kisses you deeper. You relax into it slightly before pulling away quickly “right I really need to get going or I’ll be late for training and Nat will kick my ass even more than she already does” you get up and head to the door.

“have fun! And hey I want my shirt back later!” He shouts after you.

“what? sorry cant hear you!” You call back as you run out the door still wearing his Black Sabbath shirt. It was oversized on you and you loved how comfy it was. But most of all you loved that it smelt of Tony and made you feel close to him. There was no way you were giving him this shirt back. 

— — — — 

As you step out the lift and head down the corridor to your room you're surprised when you turn a corner and bump into someone.

“Peter?! What are you doing here so early?” You ask, checking the time on your watch.

“Mr Stark asked me to pick up some stuff from his lab to take to the office today” he glances at Tony’s shirt on you and you fold your arms trying to subtly cover it. He looks back at your face. “why are you up?” He asks.

“oh uh, I have training with Natasha today and for some reason that girl doesn’t know what a lie in is” you laugh nervously “speaking of, I better get going. But we need a catch up soon please, I miss my best friend!”

“I miss you too.” He says as he starts walking off, but stops and turns around “by the way, don't tell Mr Stark but… that shirt looks better on you that it does on him” he flashes a cheeky smile and you gasp which makes him laugh before he turns and runs off leaving you stood in disbelief. 

So much for having a secret only you and Tony knew about. At least you knew you could trust Peter not to tell anyone else.

— — — —

“good morning Nat” you say cheerfully as you walk into the training room.

She turns to look at you suspiciously and you smile.

“who are you and what have you done with y/n?” She asks, turning back to carry on setting things up for your session.

“what do you mean?” You laugh with confusion.

“the y/n I’ve been training for the past few weeks normally drags herself in her like a sleepwalking zombie. What’s got you so happy today?” She looks at you again.

“nothing! I just, I’ve been… sleeping really well lately” you reply and Natasha just raises an eyebrow at you. 

Before you can say anything else you hear another voice enter the room.

“ugh Nat, remind me again why you insist on getting up so damn early!” Clint groans as he comes to stand next to you. “I don't know how you do this every day y/n”

You flash him a smile and look back at Natasha waiting for her to explain why Clint is here.

“stop complaining Barton, we’ve got a job to do! Go set up the targets” she responds. 

Clint smirks and sarcastically raises his hand to salute as he walks past Nat, causing her to roll her eyes and smirk. 

“since you’ve been doing so well lately with your training I thought its time we introduced some weapons into our sessions”

“weapons?!” You gasp, eyes wide. 

You had just about got used to fighting with your hands, but the thought of fighting with weapons made you extremely anxious. What if you lose control, like you did in your first training session, and seriously injure someone? 

“hey don't worry, this is a safe space” Nat reassures as she puts a hand on your shoulder, clearly she noticed the small hint of panic in your eyes. “that’s why Clint is here, he’s the best shooter I know. If anyone can teach you to hit a target, it’s him. Just don't tell him I said that or we’ll never hear the end of it” she smirks and you do your best to hide your anxiety with a smile as you both walk over to join Clint at the shooting range. He hands you a bow and a couple of arrows.

“lets get this over with so I can go back to bed” he says firing an arrow straight to the centre of the target.

— — — — 

After your training session had finished you have a quick shower, change into clean clothes for the day and decide to take a walk around the grounds of the compound. You don't know if it was training, or something else but you couldn’t shake the anxious feeling and you hoped a walk in the fresh air might help. You walk through the fields, taking good deep breaths as the breeze drifts through your hair and the bright sun warms your skin. You keep walking til you reach the edge of the small woods that you can see from your bedroom window. You find a nice spot and sit under a tall tree, leaning against the trunk. You look up at the sky, watching a couple of birds flying happily, almost looking like they’re dancing. For a moment you get lost in watching them, completely distracted, until you hear a twig snap behind you. You quickly stand up, turning to look into the woods. You stare through the trees trying to spot what caused the sound. You feel a hand on your shoulder and spin around.

“y/n! Ive been looking for you!” Tony looks at you with concern when he sees the shock on your face “are you okay?” 

“I heard…” you stop yourself from finishing the sentence. It was probably just an animal anyway, theres no need to worry Tony about it. “yeah I’m fine. It’s really beautiful out here” 

“yeah its nice. Happy is waiting in the car to drive us to your apartment now if you're ready?”

You had completely forgotten that you were supposed to be going to collect your things.

“oh yeah, of course. Let’s go” you say and you both walk back toward the compound, taking a small glance back towards the woods and you for a moment swear you see a figure move amongst the trees. 

— — — — 

You pull up outside the building you hadn’t seen in weeks, your apartment block. You're surprised to see Peter waiting outside for you. 

“the kid has been asking about you constantly so I thought he could come lend a hand. Is that okay?” Tony says. You smile and nod before getting out of the car. 

Tony walks straight up to the front door of the building and goes inside. You go straight to Peter and throw your arms around him. 

“I don't see you for weeks and then I see you twice in one day!” 

“at least you're not wearing his clothes this time” Peter jokes as he nudges you and you playfully hit him on the arm. You both laugh and Tony pokes his head out from the door.

“children please, we have a job to do” he says seriously before going back inside. 

You and Peter exchange a look.

“is he just grumpy because you’ve been keeping him awake all night” Peter winks as he walks to the building and you gasp. You didn’t expect him to say that. 

“Peter! I have no idea what you're talking about” you laugh as you follow him. 

You climb the stairs till you reach your front door where Tony is waiting for you. You unlock the door and turn the handle to open it but before you can step inside Tony puts his arm out to stop you. He steps in front of you, walking in carefully on the lookout. You guess he’s checking none of the Professor’s men are there waiting. 

As you step through your front door your heart sinks at the sight of your apartment. You haven’t been back since the night of the attack so the place is still a mess. Peter walks past you and follows Tony into your bedroom, not noticing you’ve frozen to the spot. You stand still looking around your living room at the dust and debris scattered. The sofa cushions shredded and thrown to the floor. The coffee table upside down, the picture frames broken. Then you spot your art work, the one of the beach, lying on the floor. The canvas ripped through the middle.

You feel your chest tightening as your eyes fill up. You try to breathe normally but it’s almost like you’ve forgotten how. Your thoughts spin too fast around your head. Memories of the night you were held down on the sofa as the masked intruders injected you flash through your mind. 

“okay I found your suitcase do you want to start packing…” Tony’s voice stops as he notices notices the way you're breathing, and the look of panic in your wide eyes. Then he notices that you're staring at the sofa and realises what’s happening. He quickly walks over and puts his arm around you, leading you into the bedroom.

“Mr Stark?” Peter begins talking but with a wave of Tony’s hand he swiftly leaves the room. Tony sits you down on the side of the bed and crouches down in front of you so he’s at eye level. He takes your shoulders in his hands and looks right into your face.

“y/n. I need you to breathe with me now okay? Can you do that for me?” 

In your mind you flashback to that night, when Tony found you hiding in your closet and said those same words to you. Another wave of panic hits you. 

“y/n. Please honey” 

His desperate words bring you back into the present and you try to focus on him. On his kind eyes which right now are full of concern. He takes a deep breathe and you copy him, shakily.

After what feels like forever you finally feel yourself being able to breathe again.

“how are you feeling?” He asks, searching your eyes.

“I don't know.” You answer honestly “I don't know what just happened to me”

“you just had a panic attack. Which is a perfectly natural response after what you’ve been through”

Tony stands up and sits on the bed next to you, taking your hand in both of his. 

“I shouldn't have brought you back here.” His finger rubs the back of your hand “I’m so sorry y/n”

“no, I wanted to come here. This isn’t your fault Tony. None of it. The Professor did this to me, not you.”

“I will find him” Tony says and you nod, bringing your hand to his cheek. 

“I know you will” you smile and kiss him. When the kiss ends you look into his eyes. “how did you know what to do just then? I felt like I was spiralling but you pulled me out of it”

Tony sighs, looking away from you for a moment. He takes a breath. 

“After the battle of New York, I struggled to carry on. I started having anxiety attacks. I couldn’t breathe. I know what they’re like. And while I don't have a magic cure for them, I learnt how to breathe through them”

“Tony.” You put your hand on his knee and give him a gentle affectionate squeeze “I had no idea”

Tony looks at you. 

“not many people know about it. I kept it secret. I’m Iron Man, people rely on me to be this strong super hero guy. If they knew what I was like beneath the suit, they wouldn’t feel safe anymore”

“That's not true, Tony. To feel the way you’ve felt and still go out there and do the things you’ve done to protect everyone.. that’s a true hero. I may be slightly biased but, I think you're incredible.”

Tony just continues to look at you, like he’s searching your eyes for something. 

“what?” You say smiling, slightly embarrassed. 

“I love you” 

His words take you by surprise. It feels like a thousand tiny butterflies are fluttering through your body. 

“I’m sorry..” he begins to backtrack, worried that he’s freaked you out “that was probably the wrong time to say those words-”

He stops talking when you grab his face and kiss him suddenly. 

“I love you too, Tony Stark.”

“I knew it!” You hear Peter shout as you both turn around to see him stood in the doorway grinning happily. 

“not a word kid” Tony warns “remember, I could easily make you disappear”

Part Ten

Taglist: @sunflowers-and-snowdrops​ @brownbuble​ @shookie-shookie​ @thebuckysoldier​ @chai--chae​ @ilovespideyyy​ @rvgrsbrns​

[sleepypocketsock]

I woke up from my nap thinking about your omori haunted au

oh yeah!! ksgjjafg i forgot i havent posted concept sketches yet, hahahah

(careful! there are spoilers for omori here, so proceed with caution!)

for the people who dont know, i came up with an OMORI AU that takes place after the bad end.

its a little bit long, so ill put a keep reading here

I’ve called this the Haunted Concert AU, but if people want to give out more suggestions to the name, thats cool too

picture this:

Sunny and Mari’s ghosts rise from their respective graves, confused as hell, with little to no memories

All they both certainly know is that A. they died  B. they are siblings, they both know that much and C. They had friends that the NEED to say hi to again, they don’t know why, but they do

Neither of them know how they died, when they try to remember, it gets all fuzzy

When they first make eye contact, it was the equivalent of the spiderman pointing meme 

*pointing* “SUNNY????” “MARI????” “YOU DIED???” “I DID??”  “WE DIED” “WE DID???”

both are very Confused

after they talk shit out, they both realize they NEED to talk with the rest of their friends because it gives them some kind of closure

problem: they dont know where to start

“..where do we start?” “i dunno little brother, but i think we should go to our secret hiding place in the park! that should help us!” “huh?” “huh? how do i know that?”

they have memory problems and thats not very good

They somehow end up at Kel’s and Hero’s house, and Mari think that they should try to get their attention!

its very hard to do that in the middle of the night

luckily, Hero’s awake, yay!

unluckily, he’s having a Bad Time crying his eyes out, yay...

Mari, not knowing jack about her past, tries to cheer him up and does a friendly “hey there handsome :D”

it doesnt work, considering Mari, Hero’s girlfriend but not rly, has been dead for 4 years and suddenly appears behind hero

Hero, panicking, brushes it off and decides to go back to sleep bc what the fuck is god out to get him is this a sign hes dying fuck this

cue MANY shenanigans of Sunny & Mari desperately trying to get the gangs attention by doing Various Haunting shit 

Hero hears piano music every night and sees foggy writings of “we are here!” with arrows pointing to nothing

Kel hears Sunny’s violin playing sometimes, and when he’s playing video games to cope, he swears he can hear Sunny saying “...you’re doing really good” and hears light breathing beside him

Aubrey has seen Mari & Sunny trying to comfort her in what she believes to be her dreams (its not) and she swears to god, has seen Sunny’s refection in the dirty mirror at night, looking concerned for her saying “are you feeling alright?” in a wispy voice that gives her chills

aubreys house is more clean because sunny and mari do their best to clean it all up, despite being, yknow, ghosts 

Basil thinks he’s hallucinating whenever Mari or Sunny try to get his attention :( he blocks it all out

one time he’s crying at night, and then he feels cold all of a sudden and faintly hears “dont cry....”

its Sunny comforting him bc he suddenly feels guilty for something he’s not sure of, like he left something behind 

One day all of them decide to visit their old hangout spot for reasons im not sure yet on what

could be Kel deciding to meet all together bc holy shit do they need it rn

could all be a coincidence and they just. Awkwardly try to have a convo together

this is set at night because it fits

then all of a sudden, the wind starts to blow, and then they hear Sunny and Mari

“hey!!!!! helloooo!!!!!! can you guys PLEASE listen to us?” “..are you sure this will work?” “hopefully! Im really worried about Basil...”

They all turn to the dock thats in the pond, and there they are

“guys....am i seeing things......or is that...” “...someone fucking punch me, i refuse to believe this is real”

Sunny n Mari turn, and they get all excited because FINALLY!!!! they can talk to them!!! Mari starts rambling on how they've wanted to get them to listen to them for awhile because of reasons im still fleshing out

everyone is panicking

Aubrey wants to hug them both but is very sad n angry at the same time

Hero is staring at Mari, very close to crying because what the fuck, wait wh at th e f uck

Kel is crying because he wants to ask Sunny and Mari why they did it he also wants to hug his crush and tell him he loves him for the last time suntan shippers come get yalls angst

Basil is crying, staring at the siblings in disbelief. hes in extreme shock

anyway that was the original premise, there can be other ideas of it too, like what if they were long dead b4 they met the gang, and Basil, Hero, and Aubrey get two (2) ghost friends whom they love very much, but thats for another time

ive though about many variants of this AU, and i’ve only had so much time to create concept art fadhfjk

heres the sketches i have so far (theyre kinda old & i was experimenting w/ a brush, so i might switch things up)

thats all for now!

[madbucker]

Silhouettes | Daryl Dixon.

Eventual Daryl Dixon x female reader.

IV.

Season 1.

MASTERLIST.

Loosely based on the song We Will Become Silhouettes by The Postal Service.

Summary: Y/N follows Rick to Atlanta. They find a group willing to help them.

Warnings: language, gore stuff (twd style), mentions of death, mentions of domestic abuse. Will add more warnings depending on the chapter’s content. Let me know if you think it needs some other warning!

Word count: 3.6k.

Author’s note: First things first, I’m not a native English speaker, so bear with me! You can send me a message or an ask pointing out some mistakes so I can edit the post. Also, it will help me learn the language, so don’t hesitate! Had this in my drafts for a few days. I hope you like it! ♥

Gif’s not mine.

“Morgan…” You couldn’t find the right words to express how grateful you were. You looked at Morgan and Duane with conflict showing in your eyes: you were happy and hopeful that you were going to find your sister in Atlanta, but you couldn’t ignore the anguish, the heartbreak of leaving them. Every second counted, and waiting a few more days could lower your chances of finding her alive, but those two had saved your life. What if leaving them lowered their chances of making it to safety? Even if you weren’t suited for survival, having someone else around could make a difference.

“Go, this is your chance. We’ll meet again, soon.” Morgan took over as if he knew how much you were feeling at the moment, embracing you not only with his arms but with his words.

Yeah, we’ll meet again, you thought. Your mind softened for a couple of seconds when you felt another set of arms hugging you tight from your side. You had only known them for a couple of weeks, but that was a lot when the world was the way it was. Weeks felt like a lifetime for you, and so it did for the men that had taken you in.

Men, because Duane was far from being a boy. It was sad, he deserved to live the rest of his childhood like you did, or like his father did. He had to, forcefully, become brave, strong, and even cold sometimes.

“We’ll meet again in Atlanta, or somewhere else, I don’t know, but we will.” You said as they let go of you. All you could do after that was forcing yourself to smile reassuringly.

“Now go and help Rick find his family too.”

“You can't leave me here... Not like this. You can't, man. It's not human. Come on, don't do this!”

Merle’s voice was faint as you ran down the stairs with everyone else. Their names were blurry in your head, the adrenaline making you forget about everything but the fact that your life was hanging by a thread.

But Merle, oh, you would never forget his name.

He was the type of person you were afraid to run into, back when you were alone. You were glad Rick was there to put him in his place, even though that hadn’t shut him up. 

Finding other survivors had its downside, you guessed, but not all of it was bad.

They told you that they had a camp, that they had people. The blonde woman’s younger sister was one of them, and they said they had children, too. Maybe it was too good to be true, but since Atlanta was overrun by walkers, then that was the best you had.

Walkers, that’s what they’d named them: because that’s all they did, they were the empty carcasses of what used to be a beautifully complex human being. They just walked, and bit, and killed.

You feared your sister was one of those, roaming around the city. That thought hadn’t left your mind since you first realized how bad things had gotten there. What if she had gone to Atlanta, seeking shelter, but found her death instead? You knew you had to get out of the situation you were in before you made any decisions. The camp didn’t seem like a bad idea, you could stay there temporarily and visit the city a few more times until you found her. Maybe even bring back supplies to thank everyone for letting you stay. That was if you made it, survival was still something new, something you had to train for.

Safety in numbers felt like your best shot. 

You didn’t pay much attention to your surroundings until you got inside the loading dock, your eyes were fixed in what was in front of you. A walker could’ve gotten you from your sides and you wouldn’t have noticed until it was too late. You were lucky enough to get to safety.

So was T-Dog, who at last second caught up with you, right before you heard Rick banging on the door.

You sat next to the two women, hugging yourself with your trembling arms. You were agitated and couldn’t catch enough air to say what you knew everyone else wanted to say.

“Hey, T-Dog,” you moaned once you could stabilize your breath, “where’s Merle?” you almost barked the asshole’s name. He looked down to his knees.

“I dropped the damn key,” he growled, angry and ashamed.

“Well, shit.” You whispered, making sure nobody heard. Merle had it coming, that was clear, but T-Dog didn’t have to carry with the guilt of leaving a man to die just because he happened to be… the way he was.

“Best not to dwell on it. Merle got left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back... except, maybe, Daryl.” One of the men commented. You lifted your head and locked your eyes with his, your heart starting to beat faster once again. If for some reason Merle had someone who cared for him, then they had to love him. That was a difficult man, the one you had met back there… It must've taken a huge amount of patience and devotion to want him around for more than a few hours.

If he actually had someone who cared for him, you were completely fucked.

“Daryl?” you hesitated to ask, not sure if you wanted to hear the answer.

“His brother.”

The scenario was so beautiful it was truly unbelievable. You were stepping out of the dock when Rick’s drowned cry caught your attention. Looking forward, you saw a kid running to hug him, followed by a woman. You quickly figured out Rick had found his family, making your heart flutter. In the shithole you were in, you figured those things were a sight to be seen, something that didn’t happen every day, so you let yourself enjoy the view.

You knew Rick’s son was young, even younger than Duane, but seeing him there made you realize how fragile he was.

Innocent, scared, too little to live through those times. And for a second, you forgot that a few hours before you thought you had no purpose left. Not finding your sister, seeing how one of the biggest cities in the country had fallen… you had started to think that there was no use in trying so hard to survive when you had nobody left.

But there he was, Carl, and there were more kids in the camp. Maybe you could do more than just survive. Trying to help them live their lives with as little worry and concern as possible was better than giving up.

“Why on earth did you leave the apartment?!” A loud, high pitched scream echoed through the camp, and it didn’t take long for you to spot her, running to you.

Her. Mayra. Your sister.

When her body slammed into yours, you fell backward as you hugged her tight, trying not to let her go, as if she could slip away from your arms at any moment. You stayed on the ground trying to take in every detail you could. Her shaky breath, the way her hair felt on your skin, how her fingers were uncomfortably pressed between the ground and your shoulder blades. Her small cries as she tried to find the exact words to say.

“I was looking for you!”, at that point, you were sobbing, not even thinking about the people whose eyes wandered from Rick to you two.

“And I was about to go back home looking for you!” She cried, steadying her breath before standing back up. You followed her actions, your sight never leaving hers.

You weren’t sure how long it had been since it all started. Weeks, for sure. Months, too, although sometimes it felt like decades.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she scanned her surroundings, fear creeping in her. She put both of her hands on your shoulders and lightly shook her head, still searching for something, you couldn’t guess what.

“Did he die?” She questioned firmly. You didn’t answer, had someone else gone to Atlanta that hadn’t made it? Someone who died before you found the group? She couldn’t be talking about… 

The entire world fell on top of you. You had just discovered your sister was alive and had also just found out you left someone she cared about behind. “Did Merle fucking die?!”

The fire warmed your legs and the frog legs tasted so, so good. You hadn’t eaten anything freshly cooked in such a long time, it felt unreal. You were focused on your food and on Rick’s story, it was the first time you heard him talk in-depth about what had happened. He seemed happy, and the bags under his eyes were more subtle. His entire demeanor had changed.

“They found me…” your sister’s voice interrupted your trail of thoughts. You had a conversation pending; one that the both of you decided to ignore so you could enjoy the feeling of being back together, “... the Dixons, I mean. Merle didn’t want me around, Daryl didn’t either, but he was too kind to let it show. Thank God we found the group, like, a couple of days after I joined them.” Her eyes were lost in the flames as she spoke. She knew it hadn’t been your fault, there was no way you would leave him on purpose. “But I was about to die, Y/N. I felt the walker’s teeth on my skin, it tore the fabric on my shoulder. I just accepted it, didn’t fight back, didn’t try to escape.” She looked at you, and you realized that nothing meant shit anymore… life at that moment was constantly being on the verge of dying and knowing that the people you loved could die at any moment, too. Nothing could ever go back to what it used to be. “And, then, a freaking arrow went through the walker’s head. Clean, just like that, and it fell on top of me. I had never seen death in first person, you know. I had lost my friends after a dozen of those creeps came out of nowhere, but I didn’t see them die, I just heard the screams.”

She was your little sister, you hated to hear her that way, so hopeless and surrendering to death. 

“You’re safe now, these people know how to fight-” you stared, but she stopped you before you could finish.

“I know. But one of the men who saved my ass isn’t safe. Yes, he’s not the kindest, nicest, or most selfless man, but I owe him.” You knew that feeling too well. You owed Morgan and Duane, you owed Rick, and Glenn, and so many people. None of them had behaved the way Merle did, but not only Mayra owed him, you did too.

Nodding, you sighed and looked at her in the eyes, reassuring her you would do something to get him back, anything you could.

“Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?” Shane’s loud demand made you jump slightly. Your sister nudged you on your side with her elbow and signaled you to look at Ed. She had been suspicious about him and you both had talked about it a few hours back

“It’s cold, man.”

“Then join us or put it out, we don’t want to be seen…” you spoke, managing to sound as nice as you could. You didn’t want to start anything, but you knew how dangerous it could get. You had to avoid loud sounds and bright lights. But Ed, as expected, ignored you.

“Yeah, the cold doesn’t change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?” Shane continued.

“I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once.” Ed’s answer has was harsh, you could tell he would be hard to deal with, but not everything could be perfect in such a numerous and diverse group. Everyone had different stories to tell, some of them were more tragic than others.

Shane got up and walked steadfastly towards Ed and his family’s fire, “Hey, Ed... Are you sure you want to have this conversation, man?”

“Go on. Pull the damn thing out. Go on!” Ed bossed and his wife pulled the log out of the fire almost immediately, not questioning his husband’s command. It was sad and frustrating, but knowing that stepping in could cause the wife and the little girl to get hurt forced you to stay in your place. Shane seemed to be handling the situation. He was like some sort of leader in the camp, and he had been around those people for so much longer than you, he knew what to do. At least that’s what you told yourself in an attempt to find comfort.

You saw how Shane spoke to Ed’s wife and their daughter, but you couldn’t hear what he said as the group had started a conversation to fill in the silence.

“Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind.” The man -whose name you learned was Dale- questioned, deciding to talk about the elephant in the room. 

“I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me.” T-Dog’s shameful tone showed up once again.

“I cuffed him. That makes it mine.” Rick followed. It couldn’t turn into a competition of who was brave enough, who was the most selfless, or who was willing to sacrifice themselves.

“We were all there, it’s not a competition, any of us could’ve done something-” You intervened, hoping you could bring into the conversation the fact that you were planning on going back, but Glenn interrupted you:

“I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy.” You hated it, but if Daryl was as bigoted as his brother, then Glenn was right.

“I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him.” T-Dog stated, completely convinced of facing the consequences.

“And we keep on making a competition out of this. We all should be there and say whatever we have to say.” You said in a determined tone. You were all responsible, one way or another.

“Look, Y/N… maybe I can tell him?” Mayra whispered as the rest kept on debating who should speak up.

“I don’t know how it could help…” You said back. Yes, Mayra knew him better than you, but she hadn’t been involved, she didn’t have to.

She opened her mouth to protest, but T-Dog’s words captured your interest instantly:

“My point... Dixon's alive and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us.”

When the fire was out and everyone got into their tents, including your sister, you still sat on the same log as before. The scenario felt strange, almost unknown to you: outside at night, under the cloudy night sky, and still not unsafe. It had been so long since you felt immortal and undefeatable, just like any other girl your age felt... like nothing could happen to you, not ever. You missed it. But beautiful as that night was, the imminent danger thickened the air.

You felt your eyes growing heavier each second. You were ready to go to sleep, so you got up and started to walk to the tent you and Mayra would share, but the sight of someone on the roof of Dale’s RV made you stop on your tracks.

Shane was keeping watch, and you wondered if he did it each night, or how had they arranged the shifts. He looked tired and the look on his face was anything but friendly.

“Hey, want to switch?” You asked approaching the stairs and climbing up, not waiting for an answer. Once you got off the stairs, your eyes wandered through the trees and landed up in the sky. If he kept watch every night, then you knew why. The view wasn’t mesmerizing, you had seen more beautiful countless times before, but the air up there was lighter, and the breeze, soothing. 

“Sorry ‘bout Ed today.” Shane ignored your question. You sat down next to the chair he was sitting in.

“Don’t be, he’ll pay for what he’s doing to his family someday. Soon, I hope.” You looked up and realized his eyes were lost somewhere in the horizon. He looked tired, and if you read more into it: defeated. “Go to sleep, I’ll stay. I want to.”

It came as a surprise to you: that was all he needed to hear. He didn’t protest, he got up, handed you the shotgun and left. You didn’t know if he would be able to get some sleep, at least he could try to.

But what you did know was that you weren’t suddenly concerned about the sleeping schedule of a man you had just met. You were desperately in need of being alone. Being around so many people was something you had only dreamt about, at least for the last weeks, and although you felt the luckiest you had ever felt, the safety you had found allowed you to put your feet back on the ground.

Everything had happened so fast. You almost died, and more than once. You met people, they saved you, you left one of them to die, you found out Mayra was alive and safe, Rick’s family was with her… and you still had to figure out how to break the news to Merle’s brother. 

You were going back to the city, too, as if everything that had happened wasn’t enough. You’d do it for your sister, and for the men who saved her, as questionable as they were.

And suddenly, it clicked.

The bag. The guns.

You had to remind Rick. It could save the group from an attack from walkers, or from other people. That way you knew somebody else would go back with you and you would actually have a shot of coming back alive, even if they despised Merle.

“Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up.”

You had just finished hanging some of your clothes to dry when an unbothered and loud voice caught everyone’s attention. From their wide eyes, you could tell who had just gotten back. Merle’s brother, Daryl, sounded, moved, and acted just like him. It wasn’t just the accent, but his words, how his presence made everyone uncomfortable… you could tell they were expecting him to snap as soon as he found out. Behind him, Shane and Rick looked and nodded to each other. You approached them, determined to be a part of it even if hell broke loose.

“Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there.” Rick got to the point with no rambling.

“We locked the door, he’s safe from walkers.” You dared to look at him in the eyes, but regretting it as soon as he opened his mouth.

“Hold on. Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!”

“Yeah.” Rick stepped in front of you, and without skipping a beat, Daryl attacked Rick, who shoved him off. 

You took a few steps back and spotted your sister, who was just getting out of the RV. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open as soon as she realized what was happening: Daryl, Shane, T-Dog and Rick were yelling at each other. She stood in her place, everyone in the camp knew well not to intervene. Shane had Daryl on a chokehold as Rick explained to him that he wanted to have a calm discussion, which seemed to force Daryl to give in. Shane let go of him.

“What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others.” Rick kept going. At that point, you guessed nothing could actually calm Dixon, he was still breathing heavily.

“It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it.” T-Dog cut in.

“You couldn't pick it up?” Daryl snarled.

“Well, I dropped it in a drain.”

“If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't.” 

“Hey, I told you, the door’s chained with a padlock. There’s no way walkers could get to him.” You repeated, trying your best to be concise and get to the point: Merle was still out there. 

“And who the fuck are you?” Daryl took a few steps forward and stared at you in the eyes. You weren’t scared, but it did take you by surprise. You stumbled back and raised your hands, putting them in between you.

“She’s my sister, Daryl!” Mayra’s shaky voice made him turn around. You couldn’t see his face, but hers was filled with heartbreak. She felt she had failed him, as if she had broken an unspoken promise. Daryl faced you again.

“Funny, huh? How I saved your sister but you left my brother to rot.” He growled. His voice low and irritated.

Your eyes jumped from Mayra to him. You straightened your body and took a deep breath. He was right. You felt miserable, and you couldn’t imagine how hard it was for Mayra, you knew you would have to do something as soon as she told you her story.

“I know, that’s why I’m going back there. With or without you.”

[mousehole5000]

 this is it... the final post.... 226 through THE END!!!!!

this shit with mu qing and the river of lava is SOOOO dramatic im loving it

oh my god theyre on a FUCKING bridge of course they are okay let’s go boys

“You’re right. We’re alike. You think me odd, I think you to be rather weird too.” - so what im getting from this is that xie lian and mu qing are the only characters in this book with working gaydar okay yup got it this checks out

god... the fact that xie lian is ready to be like “look mu qing we can just forget about the past it doesnt matter we dont have to be friends i know you dont like me but im not gonna let you die over it” and then mu qing is like “.... god i really do admire you huh”

“You...certainly...are rather amazing. You’re...also...a better person...than me. Long story short, I...very much wanted...to become your f-f-friend.”  - going to think about this for the rest of all time im about to become utterly unintelligible im overcome with emotions

“And, at the end of the white silk band, Feng Xin was gripping Ruoye with one hand while the other was holding on to a steel-faced Mu Qing, and he shouted towards him.” - the fucking IMAGE of this im gonna cry this is everything i could have asked for im so happy also mu qing dangling there like “ welp. guess ill live“

“Feng Xin was almost burnt by that pillar of fire, and he shouted in outrage. “WHAT’S WITH THIS BAND OF DOG SHITS, ATTACKING PEOPLE WHILE THEY’RE DOWN, SO VILE! FUCK YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!” Xie Lian responded, “IF THEIR ENTIRE FAMILIES ALL LOOK LIKE THAT, YOU SURE YOU WANT TO FUCK THEM??” - theyre so funny!!! and theyre best friends!!! theyre joking together now in the middle of all this i could cry theyre back!!!

“Using sticks as arrows, he held the bow with one hand and used his teeth to bite back the bowstring.” - no clue how practical this is but okay archer boy. hot

i actually have so many little quips between the three of them highlighted but we’d be here all night if i included them all. im literally so delighted by this omg worth the wait

“Each sabre strike slashed to the bone. It wasn’t like Xie Lian had never seen Hua Cheng use the sabre before in the past, but his style had always been easy and leisurely, nonchalant and casual. Rather than say he was handling a weapon, it was more like he was toying with a small knife. Yet those blade marks were filled with killing intent. It was easy to imagine just how skilled the one exchanging blows with him was, and how perilous this battle.” you have no idea how mad i was when i read this and thought we missed witnessing the fight between hc and jw omg

“Behind him, Feng Xin muttered, “Dear fucking god, may all the gods and buddhas grant their blessings, that better absolutely be Crimson Rain Sought Flower, otherwise he’s gonna go mad!” “Stop your rubbish,” Mu Qing berated. “We’re all the gods and buddhas ourselves and we can’t grant shit, just keep up with him! Look at the stumbling way he’s running, he’s gonna trip and fall to his bloody death before he even sees the man!” - okay i know i said no more quips but this is literally too funny i just wanted to read it again

“ However, for whatever reason, that vicious ghost, in its muddled state, took that large group of live mortals under its wing and fled for many days. In the end, they were still surrounded by millions of ghosts, trapped in a dead end, and it was going to be eaten along with those humans.” [...] “That vicious ghost almost made a move against those humans, but for some reason, in the end, it didn’t. It instead used one of its own eyes as the price to forge a blood weapon. That vicious ghost was already forcibly hanging on with its last breath; after digging out its eye it should’ve broken apart completely. Yet somehow something had shocked it, and it instead woke to its senses completely. “ - THIS IS AMAZING ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? IS THIS ALL WE GET ABOUT HIS GHOSTLY LORE?????? HUA CHENGGGGGGGG

“What a terrible offence, his old habit had come out, and he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry! You don’t have to listen to me!” Hua Cheng, however, only smiled happily. “Everything gege tells me is the best advice, so why wouldn’t I listen?” - this isnt the fucking time afjdkfjsdkl they really never stop

“So you can hold the illusion of a perfect Crown Prince of Wuyong to face and dismiss the Jun Wu now. Isn’t that your objective? Did you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?” “THAT’S NOT IT!” Guoshi cried. “Stop getting tied up in right and wrong, victories and defeat, I’VE NEVER THOUGHT THAT WAY BEFORE!” - jun wu only being able to see xie lian as his successor and believing that thats all anyone else sees too... okay

honestly this whole final showdown was a blast i cant put everything in but it was so much fun to read. the DRAMA the LAVA the SHOUTING t

“Hua Cheng had poured too much spiritual power into him. There really was too much, so much that it was completely outside the amount the cursed shackle could withstand.” - okay.... okay... the love you give will set you free... okay....

“With Jun Wu in his grip, he carried both their bodies and forcefully slammed into the incomparably-solid rock wall! He used all of his power in this smash, and in the rumbling and crashing of rocks, he also heard the sound of something breaking.” [...] “A moment later, Jun Wu suddenly asked, “That move. What is it called?” “...” Xie Lian raised his sleeve and wiped away the blood on the side of his face. “Shattering boulders on the chest.” YES!!!!! YES!!!!! xie lian actually lived that life!!!!!! i loved this detail so much

“After a moment of silence, Xie Lian took off the bamboo hat carried on his back, took it in his hand, and covered it over Jun Wu’s face.” - xie lian... good... another detail i love. a hat that protects from the rain, given in a moment of need, even to someone who has caused you hardship... we do not forget the kindness granted to us

“There was gratefulness, there was shame, there was heartache, there was wild joy, but above all else, there was incurable love.” - :pleading: i wish it was just that easy tbh. “i have to tell you about the worst parts of myself” “ive already seen them and i dont care i still love you“ truly the dream

“ It’s been so long since anyone listened to me talk, won’t you stay? Don’t...actually do this. I won’t be able to take it. Twice, it’s been twice already! I really don’t want there to be a third time!!!” - the bit about just wanting someone to listen to him talk... xie lian... :(

emily corpse bride moment.... i knew it had to happen.... butterflies.... death and rebirth.... inevitable

xianle trio bickering about ruoye..... mu qing complaining but not letting anyone else fix it... im so happy

“The Rain Master sat down on the spot, looking like she was going to perform a passing service for her. After all, Xuan Ji was the only one left of the Kingdom of Yushi besides herself.”  - xuan ji you sure the hell were... a character. this little moment tho..... yushi huang... many thoughts

“ Who hasn’t made promises, or swore to the mountains and the seas when they were young? Talking of affection, of love, of forevers. But, the longer I hang around in the world, the more I understand, something like ‘forever’ is impossible. It’s never going to be possible. Having it once was already good enough. No one can truly achieve it. I don’t believe in it anymore.” - jian lan im happy for you bummer it didnt work out with feng xin but yeah that was looooong ago. also this quote me same mood kin but its chill. having it once was already good enough

although yeah tbh if theres anyone who can have a forever like that... it would be a ghost and a god

fasdfjadklfj GOD... pour one out for ling wen.. but is that not the truth of this world? the one can be pardoned for being good at paperwork that no one else wants to do? isnt that the plot of the shawshank redemption?

okay but the fact that all xie lian’s friends come to visit him while he waits for hua cheng is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.... fengqing coming together to try to get him out of the house but get scared off by his cooking... amazing

“Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other. This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.” - im completely unaffected by this. im not lying i swear (i am lying im very emotionally affected)

okay i love this final wrap up chapter party its so fun. mu qing moving on from the broom thing!!! good for him!! the beggars get their reward!!! the fun ghost city chefs!! SQX!!!! and he xuan is?? here too??? he’s hungry??? fjadlkfjsdl

“The grounds that Feng Xin and Mu Qing had just swept were once again filthy from that giant crowd of muddy feet. Mu Qing gripped his broom, looking like he felt someone had infected him with fleas, and his eyes were wide.” - me when my dad comes into the kitchen when ive just finished washing dishes i get it king

the little folklore bit... fun!!! oh my god its over..... :(

that was really fun i had a blast reading it and on the whole really liked it i WISH soo badly that hua cheng had gotten more outside of being cunty and devoted even tho those are both important i just wish there was more about like how he got by during those 800 years and like did he ever have doubts? what shaped his worldview was it all xie lian or was it his experience as a mortal as well? why is he so mean to e’ming? theres bits and pieces here and there and i know it was already SO long but that really would have been great if there was more about hc cuz tbh by the end, at least for me, the hualian relationship didnt actually feel as fleshed out as the xianle trio relationship like i still liked hualian’s dynamic and it was really sweet how much they clearly really liked each other and  everything but i kind of wish some of the other subplots had been dropped or diminished in favor of more hc development i think that would have been cool

but anyway thats some of my thoughts and i really did enjoy the hell out of book 5 that was a riot and uhhh thanks to everyone who read these or commented *lends you spiritual energy through a high five*

[punkscowardschampions]

Ronnie & Joe

Ronnie: [a phone number]

Ronnie: found you your own special plug

Joe: Can’t wait to get gang-raped by whoever this is

Joe: or maybe it’s a phishing scam, what route have you gone down 🤔

Ronnie: route of she can be your number 8 cos youre such a bike

Joe: it’s that kind of hook-up

Ronnie: pay for the gear if you cant get it up soft lad she looks fuck all like your ma

Ronnie: couldnt track down no more of her bastards for you soz

Joe: taking your role that seriously?

Joe: alright

Ronnie: getting out of it

Ronnie: she can babysit you

Joe: she probably lost custody of her own so

Joe: nice of you on all fronts

Ronnie: yeah

Joe: what, your dealer don’t like me or something

Ronnie: how the fuck would i know like

Ronnie: and how would he you legged it out of there soon as he showed

Joe: no shit I did

Ronnie: ordeals over now baby go cry to your new mammy about it

Joe: unlikely

Joe: but it ain’t my ordeal so

Ronnie: they ll swab & treat him he ll be sound

Joe: give a shit about him

Ronnie: if youve got something to say

Joe: I just said it

Joe: I don’t care about him

Ronnie: you dont care about me fuck off with your heroics

Joe: you didn’t want swooping up and saving, don’t mean I don’t give a fuck

Ronnie: your student loan aint gonna cover both our habits youd have me dopesick cause youre fucking jealous that means you dont

Joe: you’re jealous

Joe: and I said, didn’t stop you, didn’t say you had to

Joe: what’s fun about something oozing and itching in your pants, that’s all

Ronnie: of what

Joe: of every boring ex I have or will ever have

Ronnie: you wish

Ronnie: get em in a room together and they aint even jealous of each other

Joe: I know

Joe: x2

Ronnie: you dont know shit mckenna

Joe: so today I’m green

Joe: not the know-it-all smug college kid

Joe: nice to know how to play it

Ronnie: smug is right whenever i aint gonna suck your dick cause you can read music

Joe: that’s all that’s stopping you?

Ronnie: nah remember its the death wish attention whoring & mommy issues

Ronnie: cant both be functioning junkies youd have fuck all else to get a boner about

Joe: how long have you been doing heroin

Ronnie: youve got loads of catching up to do

Joe: yeah, so I don’t know why you’re acting like I’m being high and mighty

Joe: it’s literally been days

Ronnie: cause you are

Joe: no I’m not, just ‘cos I’d rather not suck dick when I have the funds

Joe: would you do it if you had the cash, that’s just stupid

Ronnie: youve been comparing me to any & every cunt since we met

Joe: like you don’t shit on me any and every chance you get

Joe: you were acting like them, the whole none of my shit is real because yours is SO real, that’s her whole bit

Ronnie: you cant stop fucking doing it even now fucks sake

Ronnie: i shit on you for you its not like i have any cunt to compare you to

Joe: alright, if you’re that sensitive about it

Joe: I’ll really stop

Joe: there 🤐

Ronnie: fuck you

Joe: nah, that was a dick move, alright

Joe: let me make it up to you

Ronnie: youre crying shes a patronising cunt guess what youre right there too

Joe: alright, I deserve that

Ronnie: drop dead

Ronnie: yeah its been days days of me giving you whatever the fuck you ask for

Joe: I know

Joe: so what do you want, seriously

Joe: I’ll do it, make it happen, whatever

Ronnie: like fuck can you make anything happen

Ronnie: youre like every other doss cunt i know theres your comparison

Joe: Probably am

Joe: but you’re the only person I’ve met who feels close to whatever the fuck I am

Joe: there’s the truth

Ronnie: whichever of your exes that worked on is more west than either of us

Joe: Oh I can easily be that dickhead and tell you how crazy they all were

Ronnie: go ed

Joe: the second to last one was the worst

Joe: full-on stalked and harassed the last one like, for no reason

Joe: she also messed with all my shit in a way she thought would send me into an OCD spiral because she didn’t get it

Joe: and when she started hooking up with some other kid she’d send me pics like I’d be 💔

Joe: that’s just after, that was all kind of amusing in a boring way, she was less amusing to be with but more mental

Ronnie: shouldve had some tips off her for the stalking bullshit its probably not too late to send her a dm

Ronnie: ones ive got from this is i dont have to bother learning the alphabet cos id be better off fucking with your record collection by smashing it up & child porn does fuck all for you

Joe: that is my thing, turning up uninvited to fuck everything up

Joe: she might go for it

Joe: exactly, both good to know, yeah 😏

Joe: all pretty basic and vanilla but still, annoying as shit

Ronnie: unless you can get me to do it for you yeah

Ronnie: dinners at what like 7

Joe: you’re gonna ruin my happy uni home?

Joe: oh no

Joe: be there be 7, eating at 8, apparently

Joe: time to ‘mingle’ as she put it which sounds suspicious af

Ronnie: fucking hell

Ronnie: thank christ i already hate you

Joe: saves times, energy less so

Joe: your mate is up for it, unless he’s a convincing liar, which I could see

Ronnie: what energy do you want name it theres gear thatll give us it

Ronnie: he is but i cant see the con shes got fuck all any cunt wants other than pasta shapes & mariahs likely on a diet

Joe: 🤤 and not over her appetizers, like

Joe: there’ll only be the 6 of us so we’ll need entertainment

Ronnie: lad flatmates bringing a bitch

Ronnie: shes gonna need something to get her through it or something she can use to end it

Joe: yeah he has a missus

Joe: even though him and Sophie belong together as the most average whitebread couple ever

Ronnie: make it happen then

Joe: where’s my bow and arrow

Joe: their 💘 ain’t my problem

Ronnie: you said you could do whatever and we needed entertainment

Ronnie: put all that money where your mouth is

Joe: you’re well sweet

Joe: you want her to be living her best life

Joe: dunno if I can hack being his shoulder to cry on in the interim

Ronnie: your teeth wont have time to rot before you choke on em talking to me like that

Joe: go on then

Ronnie: you owe me i dont owe you

Joe: I thought you’d ask for something better

Joe: but your loss

Ronnie: yours youre thinking about it

Joe: I get it, you want it to be hell living here

Ronnie: i dont wanna have to ask

Joe: for what

Ronnie: anything

Joe: why not

Ronnie: you think you can read my mind or some shit

Joe: I’d like to

Joe: and I think you get me, and yeah, I think I get you more than the bullshit mommy issues attention whore comment that was to get a reaction

Joe: I don’t think we’re twin flames just because we share some DNA, I’m not that kind of delusional, believe it or not

Ronnie: cause weve shared a needle though yeah

Joe: I get it, another kid with a habit, you’ve met hundreds

Joe: it is different though

Joe: tell me it isn’t

Ronnie: different cos its a habit you didnt have days ago

Joe: it’s not your fault

Joe: for good or bad

Joe: you didn’t spike me without asking

Ronnie: i didnt say that

Ronnie: i said thats why its different

Joe: yeah

Ronnie: nobody did any of this shit for me i dont know why im doing it for you

Joe: do you want to, or do you think you need to

Ronnie: what the fuck does it matter

Joe: you either fuck with me, you like fucking with me or you think you’ve got to protect me or some bollocks

Ronnie: protect you from the needle i stuck in your arm yeah that makes loads of sense

Joe: from getting a bad dose, being beat up by one of your dealers

Ronnie: i just wanted a front row seat

Ronnie: im not gonna get one when your family finds out

Joe: that’s fine by me

Joe: you reckon they’ll fly me home for an intervention then?

Joe: shouldn’t be surprising how oblivious they are

Ronnie: i dont care what they do to try & fix it youll be at rock bottom by then

Joe: they won’t try, they don’t

Joe: just because I weren’t shooting up doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing plenty other fucked shit for ages without it ever being a conversation

Joe: one of the kids that they took in, is a walking skeleton

Joe: can’t get her to eat, some reason don’t do anything but try to reason with her like she’s reasonable, never mind the rest

Ronnie: no shit they dont i was proof of it before you or her

Ronnie: in the same town with the same name she fucking gave me and still out of sight out of mind

Joe: precisely

Joe: so if you’re hoping fucking me up will get her to come about then you shouldn’t bother, honestly

Joe: save yourself that disappointment

Ronnie: it aint about her paying attention

Joe: good

Ronnie: you wanna know me i only want you to know what it feels like

Joe: then let’s do it

Ronnie: nah i was rem to reckon it was worth shit

Ronnie: it aint

Ronnie: you aint

Ronnie: youre never gonna have your head wrecked how mine is and i cant be arsed to put the time in fucking you up in the selfish special way i need when you keep pure loving it like

Joe: is that not indicative of how I’m already quite fucked enough

Joe: just because it’s not abandonment based

Joe: what normal cunt would love any of this, even contact you again after the first

Ronnie: fuck no

Ronnie: youre living your best life and it makes me wanna hang myself

Joe: Christ, you’re up yourself, aren’t you

Ronnie: &

Joe: you want me to roll my sleeves up again and show you the recent damage?

Ronnie: yeah

Joe: [pics]

Ronnie: [obvs gotta send him some back]

Joe: [a straight up new one like just did it]

Ronnie: [ofc she has to also like this is a competition]

Joe: [hope you started small so you have somewhere to go ‘cos the vibe]

Ronnie: [knowing y’all you didn’t but it won’t stop you and I will be forever on edge]

Joe: [so grim, don’t pass out]

Ronnie: [or end up needing stitches]

Joe: [probably do them yourselves, ick]

Joe: do you fucking get it yet

Ronnie: why do you care

Joe: why do you think

Ronnie: i keep telling you i dont

Joe: braindead sounds ideal

Ronnie: horse girl not about to suffocate you

Joe: she would if I let her, like

Joe: 🍈🍈

Ronnie: wait til theres a chance ill choke on my vomit next time christ

Joe: so lay back and I’ll tell you some more

Ronnie: ok go

Joe: [go on about Sophie in a way I shall not even bother but let us assume it is crude and rude af]

Ronnie: [we’re not into poor Soph but they clearly are]

Joe: [just fuck and get it out the way lads, so rude to everyone else rn]

Ronnie: [honestly, but hopefully at this dinner party because Jamie jealousy will be off the charts]

Joe: [Charlie gon have to keep quiet ‘til you home lmao]

Joe: Any luck?

Ronnie: got no pasta shapes in my system have i

Ronnie: but why the fuck are you not lurking to save me

Joe: you want me to swallow the bile for you then, okay

Joe: the last one looked deep

Ronnie: deep enough if you wanna pussy out and spit instead

Joe: I don’t

Joe: where are you

Ronnie: dorothys

Joe: he in?

Joe: if I have to show him it’s brotherly concern you’ll only die quicker

Ronnie: nosey cunt wouldve stopped me

Joe: Yeah

Joe: I can say sorry if you want or I can just come patch you up and not lie first

Ronnie: i dont need your help

Joe: I know

Joe: purely wanna save you for my own complex and to be loving life even harder

Ronnie: wank off about the sos from the other day thats it i cant top you carrying me out til the bleeding stops

Joe: I’m coming over

Joe: you’ve got time to lock the door if you really don’t want me to come in

Joe: can get my own shattered glass without breaking his windows

Ronnie: he must like you to have given you his address

Ronnie: but not enough to overshare the door dont lock cos i broke it 💔

Joe: or am I better stalker than you give credit

Joe: thanks for the tip, baby

Ronnie: youd have been waiting for me to get here not the other way round

Joe: You do want me to read your mind

Joe: maybe a lobotomy will help

Ronnie: hot

Ronnie: reading your mind you want me to pass out before you fuck me but its not that deep

Joe: the wound or the vIbEzzZ

Ronnie: this your coming out cos you sound like charlie

Joe: just trying to turn you off, don’t want blood to gush out

Ronnie: liar youd be made up to see that

Joe: not hiding in the bushes yet

Joe: slow down

Ronnie: youre used to being the big brother i get it

Joe: Something like that

Ronnie: i know how to ride a bike without stabilisers or whatever the fuck

Joe: and tie your shoes

Joe: it’s alright, we’ve established I’m not a paedo

Joe: what can’t you do then

Ronnie: err what a nonce would say

Ronnie: read music we also fucking established

Joe: you teach me how to shoot myself up, I’ll teach you how to

Ronnie: not a fair swap i dont need to learn how

Joe: You don’t wanna be a babysitter either, so you’ve said

Ronnie: you dont like me any more or what

Joe: Of course I do

Joe: You got me my own dealer first

Ronnie: you asked me to 1st

Joe: How did I?

Ronnie: what else is ? for a plug without giving a fuck if ive rattled myself into a ditch

Joe: If I talked to you as much as I felt like

Joe: You’d tell me to fuck off more than you already do

Joe: I’ve got no clue where the line is, how much you want me to care

Ronnie: what line

Ronnie: i dont want you to care

Joe: Tough shit

Joe: I didn’t ask you to get me a dealer

Ronnie: you fucking did

Joe: I just didn’t wanna see you suck dick on my behalf, alright, that’s all

Joe: what you do for yourself is your business

Ronnie: calm down nothing i do is for you

Joe: 👌

Ronnie: dont call her then

Joe: you on commission?

Ronnie: 🖕

Joe: If I do, you’ll still have to see me

Ronnie: youll see me bleed out on the kitchen floor 1st

Joe: You’re a pro, I know you’re being overly-dramatic

Ronnie: at opening as many veins as itll take to not have to see you again yeah

Joe: to make me hurry*

Joe: I’m on the tube

Joe: you have to live in the middle of nowhere

Ronnie: no fixed address i told you

Joe: ❗️

Joe: if there’s a break-up or a thruple, you can have the extra room

Joe: makes sense now

Ronnie: it dont make sense you reckon we can afford any extras however far out

Joe: like you said, she’ll get homesick and chuck it in even if Marc won’t dump his girlfriend

Ronnie: if she does youll be homeless too like unless his missus is gonna cover the costs of the en suite for you

Joe: you can have my room, it’s the smallest

Joe: they can have the en-suite palace and I’ll take theirs, which is not next to the others 👌

Ronnie: not that youve thought loads about it

Joe: if you heard her disney playlist everyday, you’d think about it as well

Ronnie: id think about killing her or myself not a cosy little bed swap

Ronnie: shed never hack living with me nor would you

Joe: well that thought is never far from the front of my mind

Joe: if you need the bed, you know it’s yours

Ronnie: get it through your head i need fuck all from you

Joe: yeah, yeah

Ronnie: theres this way of living when youre not inside your ma in every possible sense course you aint heard about it

Joe: you need to prove you’re self-sufficient ‘cos no one’s ever given a shit about you but Charlie and the other one

Joe: I’m aware you’ve made it to your old age without me, you’re alright

Ronnie: i need to be it the only proofs im not dead yet baby

Ronnie: you need me to be old cos im not in a fucking coma & you cant get it up else

Joe: I’d rather be in the coma myself but you can be too

Joe: not calling dibs

Ronnie: oldest gets 1st dibs

Joe: *until the youngest cries about it so much you get told to give in to shut ‘em up

Ronnie: try me

Joe: you know you can’t hack my crying

Joe: does your head in SO much

Ronnie: save it for when you need lube or horse girl is gonna be coming after you with the leftover glue so you can never fucking leave her

Joe: come at you with the needle and sew us together, babe

Joe: unlucky

Ronnie: more than unlucky if i cant bust a stitch open to be the dead girl you want

Joe: you’re the dead girl I want already come on

Ronnie: til i teach you how to 💉 yourself

Joe: nah

Ronnie: 💘

Joe: looking well deformed these days, my one

Ronnie: could cut it out know youd be made up for the matching needlework

Joe: you play mad professor I’ll play corpse

Ronnie: long as i dont have to play nice

Joe: know what you take me for, actually, but no

Joe: obviously not

Ronnie: cant take you anywhere even if i did wanna

Joe: god imagine the dent in your street cred, sis

Ronnie: if i could cry i obviously would

Joe: repression or fucked tear ducts from all the 😭 you been doing

Ronnie: what im that baby faced youre taking me for a newborn now

Joe: nah, mr i don’t fuck kids here, remember

Joe: plus kids are always calling 999 by mistake and they’d get there before me

Joe: maybe, depends how many people have stabbed other people today

Ronnie: id have got the numbers up but ive been busy like

Joe: gotta make time for you, babes

Joe: it’s called self-care

Ronnie: ask me what with

Ronnie: shittest stalker ever you are

Joe: go on

Joe: school us

Ronnie: cant cry cos when i was linking you with a plug you dont want i was getting myself linked with your meds

Ronnie: best guess as a better stalker than you & less basic white girl than your crazy ex

Joe: 💡 fairplay

Joe: won’t tell you any other side-affects, see if you can guess ‘em right

Ronnie: i wasnt gonna take em but you want me to get you so bad

Joe: yeah misunderstood white boy is selling less these days

Joe: help a brother out

Ronnie: fuck all has happened so i probably cant

Joe: 💔 oh well

Joe: they’re nothing exciting, even though I managed to get the highest dosage they’ll do

Ronnie: maybe mines off for not giving you the benefit of the doubt when i could continue reckoning youre such a pussy

Joe: you’ll forget by tomorrow, no problem

Ronnie: neither brother is gonna let me if they walk in on me microdosing theyll reckon its a getting well party and get the deccies out

Joe: only so many times you can just kidding that ‘fore it gets old

Joe: we’ll go out, when I get there

Ronnie: where you kidnapping me to baby

Joe: I know enough to know it’s all wrong turns and blindfolds, not giving you a map

Ronnie: if its a&e no cunts finding your body even with a map

Joe: piss off

Ronnie: give us a clue

Joe: I’ll mark it with an X if you do me

Ronnie: if you ever fucking get here

Joe: if we were sewn together this wouldn’t be a problem

Ronnie: wanting to look like twins so nobodyll give a shit that you wanna fuck me would be something youd think about on the tube mckenna

Joe: they run in my old man’s DNA so have to look for those bastards instead

Joe: all I know about hers is addiction

Ronnie: course he does fuck alls your own idea

Ronnie: if hes got a sister even a meff nancy drew like youll be able to find bastards they had together

Joe: loads, Catholic, remember

Joe: twins kid is black though so process of elimination

Ronnie: cute how that runs in your family too like

Joe: guess so

Joe: not like it’s that crazy a concept

Ronnie: not like youve ever met an irish catholic who werent a saint yeah

Joe: it’s a fucked place to live

Joe: really third world in that respect

Ronnie: your real da is who you wanna look for if hes got no bastards going about its cos he cant knock anyone up

Joe: that your all men are pigs stance

Joe: alright courtney calm down

Joe: I’m out now anyway, don’t need a real mum or dad to come rescue us from the priests and that

Ronnie: nah its a fact unless his twin kept going up the backstreet or he was only sticking it in her other 2 holes

Joe: they didn’t really grow up together

Joe: he left when he was 15

Joe: maybe she was a late bloomer, happy days

Ronnie: 💔 your ma wasn’t then i wouldnt be here

Joe: no dig about how you’re dying now anyway ‘cos I’m taking so long?

Joe: you must be fading fast and not just being a dramatic bitch

Joe: good thing I’m in [wherever we ended up locating y’all] now

Ronnie: shut up i said its not that deep

Ronnie: youre the dramatic bitch legging it here for a fucking scratch

Joe: you wanted me to

Ronnie: you want to i dont give a shit

Joe: right, that’s what I meant

Ronnie: you can stop with the gay shit i told you hes not here

Joe: gays don’t own sarcasm

Ronnie: they own getting attached to cunts fast who dont care

Joe: awh, you being replaced rn?

Ronnie: horse girl wishes

Joe: Can’t catch a break or a man that one

Ronnie: after a pity fuck with you who knows what shed catch

Joe: you wanna infect her by-proxy, you’re so blatant

Ronnie: i shouldve got you to bring her my bloods everywhere

Joe: adding her puke to the mix would make it interesting, sure

Joe: bet she knows first aid

Ronnie: if youre too pussy to break my ribs yourself get back on the tube

Joe: threaten me with a good time

Ronnie: i just did

Joe: without meaning it, yeah

Ronnie: try and hurt me i mean it

Joe: [why do y’all always set the tension so high lads lmao, we know but]

Ronnie: [me and my boo here like calm down you can’t hook up yet but they are both like !!!!]

Joe: [shouldn’t have let you get on that train sir but you would so]

Ronnie: [I shouldn’t let her open her mouth ever but here we are]

Joe: [forreal lmao]

Ronnie: [gotta draw an x on him in her blood when he shows up before we can do a more permanent one however we are either as a scar or tattoo so soz for increasing the tension even more lol]

Joe: [just got to stare at her for ages and then shove her away very dramatically ‘cos you can’t, head through to whichever room she was bleeding in to assess/gawp at]

Ronnie: [she’s gotta lol like well if that’s the best you can do at trying to hurt me I’m not worried]

Joe: [‘whaddya use?’ and just going through this flat as if you’ve been here before/were invited by anyone but Ronnie vaguely because manners can’t matter when we’ve gone this far already]

Ronnie: ['what, you didn't

touch yourself enough on the tube?' but we are obvs showing him whatever we did use because it's just another way to flirt and we can use it to make that x happen so]

Joe: [shakes head ‘spill too much and they emergency stop’ and a look like do I look like I wanna be on a psychward but in a 😏 don’t answer that way, doing our own tallies with it, of course]

Ronnie: ['we're walking then' like where are you taking me don't get comfy bitch]

Joe: [little disbelieving lol like excuse me princess ‘your carriage was unavailable’

Ronnie: ['no shit the horse is dead busy']

Joe: [‘I ain’t taking you to a stable’]

Ronnie: ['that's where we ain't going, now tell me where the fuck we are' because we're like an excited kid about this]

Joe: [it’s cute and we clearly think so even if we’re distracting ourselves with this self-harm so we don’t go too far, unrelated but I haven’t thought where yous are going lmao but I’m vibing something London but something she wouldn’t have done, something music related, also if it has like, kid vibes, bonus, I’ll have to look so just keeping tight-lipped to be annoying and surveying the bloody carnage he’s now added to ‘you want to clean up?’]

Ronnie: [it'd be cute if there was something like thinktank but for music instead of science but idk if that exists anyways in answer to that question she's just gonna remove her top or whatever like yeah it do have blood on even though we know that's not what he means because we're still in a flirty mood despite how annoying his non reply is]

Joe: [that’s what I’m vibing but likewise have no idea, I’m sure there is shit though and you could find it Joseph, anyway, truly the this is fine meme about that ‘cos you can’t turn away 😳 but also boy don’t, moving like you’re gonna come close to her though]

Ronnie: [soz Charlie cos she shamelessly threw her top on the floor and isn't gonna clean up any of this blood even on herself like I literally should say she goes to the sink and then to get clean clothes but instead we all know she's just gonna take Joe's jacket or whatever and put that on, thank god he's all about the layers]

Joe: [god bless the grunge

aesthetic, ‘do you do it in front of him?’ and touching the cuts that are still showing ‘cos you know there’s some still, and it is like when and where do you do this when you do not have a room lmao]

Ronnie: ['yeah' leaving it up to him whether he wants to think it's in an attention whore way cos we're still annoyed at that call out lol but realistically it's just because of how long they've known each other and how they be living, she's not actively trying to upset Charlie that much most of the time]

Joe: [‘does he do it?’ ‘cos we can’t imagine it from the little we know but also can’t imagine him just chilling if he isn’t as fucked as them]

Ronnie: [the facial expression equivalent of his amused lol earlier because no]

Joe: [dropping it even though you find this odd like don’t worry boy, the tea is he is getting over it and wanting her to stop, pulling the jacket sleeve to take her out the door like come on]

Ronnie: ['he knows what'll happen if he tries to stop me' cos you can't tell me that when they were younger he didn't do exactly that and she went ballistic but more importantly HOW DARE YOU BOO because that is 1000% a Fraze move and I'm dead]

Joe: [yes I thought it was legit for a parallel, enjoy the long trip back to central guys]

Ronnie: [idk how we are gonna stop you hooking up to fill the time other than the other people in close proximity lol]

Joe: [maybe a uni/work obligation can come in and he has to go like legit ‘cos that’d kill this off]

Ronnie: [personally devastated that means an iou for this cute date but I love how fuming she would be at never finding out where they were going]

Ronnie: [not to mention the not at all casual and public domestic they’d have would be such a fat mood and show she cares when she’s literally like umm what the fuck do you mean you’re leaving]

Joe: [love how blatant we both are individually]

Ronnie: [hard same]

Joe: They sprung that rehearsal on us last minute

Joe: I already said, I’d give you the funds and you could go do whatever

Ronnie: and i told you to go fuck yourself

Ronnie: or your cello

Joe: I wouldn’t have wasted my time let alone yours if I knew that was gonna happen

Joe: how would you go about fucking a cello, exactly

Ronnie: waste more of your own time figuring it out its your raging hard on for it

Joe: I can’t not go

Joe: they make you sign a bloodoath when you get in basically

Joe: no excuses

Ronnie: youd have found an excuse fast enough if id stuck a needle in your arm

Joe: no, I wouldn’t, ‘cos it wasn’t an option

Joe: there was already enough damage to hide

Ronnie: i dont give a shit what options youve got

Joe: right, tell it to the crowd that amassed, they might believe you a tiny bit more than I do

Joe: I’ll make it up to you, okay

Ronnie: thats what soft cunts wanna hear when you cant hide no more & since you reckon you wont be getting forced into treatment you get to keep your gob shut for all that being sorry bullshit

Joe: make it into something it ain’t ‘cos you can’t hack hearing it

Ronnie: i dont wanna hear from you end of

Joe: alright

Joe: see you around then

Ronnie: 🖕

[mcsmmafia]

MC:SM Mafia - Round IV 👻

THE 4TH ROUND OF MAFIA

The sun was already setting when a group of eleven wannabe-ghostbusters headed to a haunted woodland mansion they've heard of in a tale. The tale told a story about a cursed house, in which several people had died from murder. The ghost of those victims would still be wandering through the rooms, torturing any intruders in their dreams.

The curious group walked through a moldy, abandoned looking grave yard. They got goosebumps when they looked at the huge, cobweb-shrouded mansion which was behind...

But they did not slowed their step. The creepiness would not scare them off. They swallowed as they entered through. To their big surprise, the abandoned mansion was not abandoned – they were faintly greeted by a young lady, who was completely dressed in dark; only her red hair almost glowed in the dark. Suddenly, she raised her voice.

„Who dares entering my old, fancy mansion!?“, she spoke furiously, reminding them of an old witch. Although; witch do have red hair, don't they? Maybe she was about to cast spell on them!!

A thunder growled, as a calico cat jumped to her side.

The group did not know what to do, they were stunned from the happening; some managed to recollect themself and tried to run away, but a horde of zombies had scattered over the grave yard.

All at once, the red haired girl put herself a white carved pumpkin on and pulled a lever to her right. At a stroke, it was pitch-dark. The group could absolutely see nothing; but they suddenly felt a heavy block falling on their head, which very surprisingly smelled like pumpkin! Was that just weird fashion, or were they dressing up as ghosts now?? 

Anyhow, there was no time to do hide, nowhere to run, and danger at their feet.

Living beings, it is time.

To scream.

And HAUNT THE CASSIE!

🌑 Results of Night 1:

Isa did not dare to take one step further in this haunted place, but covered it up by admiring the front door the whole night.

Radar hid in the living room, as he totally couldn't die there! SO HE LIVED ON and went to sleep after writing in his journal.

Olivia went to the library to craft some arrows. Actually, spectral arrows would be great for ghost hunting...

Stampy wanted to sleep in the library, but paniced at the sight of Winslow. He tried to slyly make his way to the bed chamber by running in circles, but Winslow wouldn't let him escape.

CASSIE sneaked to the dining room, waited under the table, and grabbed Jack, gagged and fettered him, and put him to sleep in the cat-paradise of a basement. Satisfied with her work, she went to sleep.

Jack went back to the grave yard and slept a night with the zombies... Just kidding! He was in the dining room, planning to make Petra one of the dead! So he eased his way to the suspicious button at the table, ready to press it- but, wait- SOMETHING COVERED HIS MOUTH- it was a hand- someone was grabbing him from behind!! Jack tried to fight back, but lacked oxygen... he passed out... and dreamed of ONE AND A THOUSAND CATS! OHH, HERE COMES ANOTHER TRAUMA.

Lukas climbed up to the scariest place of them all - the attic! The thrills of the ghost was enough for him though, so he told Dewey to sit on Aiden while he sleeps, for safety reasons... and to not be interrupted while writing in his journal.

Aiden didn't really mind any place to sleep, so he just went to the attic and cuddled in the spider webs. They make a great blanket, duh.

Petra enjoyed a spooky feast with the ghosts in the dining room. But she was really curious about this button... so she pressed it. She heard a block moving, but nothing happened... wait, where has Jack gone?

Stella only wanted to have nightmares in the comfiest bed she could find. So she tried the bed chamber, but being alone was just... too fricking scary! So she grabbed her cozy llama and ran away to the attic.

Jack has gone crazy.

Isa’s pet Benedict laid a chicken egg.

Olivia crafted 4 arrows.

☀ Results of Day 2:

The living beings decided that it was too early to make any votes today, and happily played hide and seek with the ghosts instead.

The Last Night 🌒

On the evening to the second night, Petra, holding slight suspicions against CASSIE, followed her to the dining room to see what she was up to.

Of course this was a quite unusual place to be - unless she really wanted to have a feast with ghosts, but that would actually be even more fishy -, so Petra decided to press a rigged seeming button right under the table while CASSIE wasn't looking. She took the risk of killing Stampy, but for everyone's luck, the next second CASSIE fell - and got entwinded by the ground. Oh.

Uhm... oops. Welp, I'm sure nobody will notice-

To her surprise, a ton of calio-cats started creeping in from shelfes, doors, everywhere. They gathered around the exact spot where CASSIE was sitting one moment ago.

For at least a minute, they just... stood there. Watching. Griefing?

...

Suddenly, they turned round, and began gnarling at Stampy and Petra. They creepily sneaked closer and closer... the group was in danger of getting encircled, so they they made a quick getaway.

It wouldn't stop. The cats chased them through half of the mansion, eventually getting all the other guests involved in the chase too. They even grew more and more, more... it sure felt like the house was SPAWNING them everywhere!

Already out of breath, the survivors managed to make it to the front door. They HAD to get outta the mansion. But what about the zombies!? Or, even worse, THE GHOSTS!!!!

Well, they had scant time to make a decision. What they did not expect, was an enraged voice calling after them... The group fearfully turned around - and saw CASSIE's ghost, slowly floating towards them, a clean diamond axe in her hands.

WELP, WHAT'S A FEW ZOMBIES AGAINST A MURDEROUS GHOST WITH HER MILLION CATS, RIGHT!?!?

So they just ran!

And ran!

And... gasp... phew... oof... oh my gosh KEEP RUNNING!!

Did... did we made it? All the way through the grave yard? How even!??

...Eh, enough ghost hunting for today.

The guests have won the game! 👻

[ashsblurbs]

When you thought you found your happiness

*Not my gif*

“Not many people know or have seen Tony Stark in many years. The old playboy disappeared after his parents died from a car accident when he was only twenty-one. After that, he took over the family business and vanished. Rumors have it he ran off to Malibu and married one of his floozies. Others say he died with his parents and someone else has been covering as him. No one will ever know the truth. Not even the ones closest to him.”

After showing the most recent photo the world could fine of Tony Stark, the screen went black leaving Steve alone in a room full of silence. He and Tony weren’t so much different, he thought. Steve had disappeared without a trace nearly seventy years ago but that wasn’t his choice. Tony chose to run away. Steve had no right to judge Tony. He had never met him or knew him. He did know his father many years ago. All the information Steve had at the palm of his hands were the few videos and some files that director Fury had given to him once he woke up. The files told him nothing like usual. He was on his own in this new modern world. Steve looked over at the clock that was in his room and knew his keepers would come in shortly and bring him to meet his new teammates. Steve took a deep breath and sigh. He was happy to be alive. He really was but sometimes he just wished they would put him back in the ice.

“There was an idea to put together a team of special human beings to protect us against horrors we couldn’t imagine. This is why all of you are here.” Nick Fury walked out of the shadows. Steve remembered him since he was the first person he met once he woke up. He looked around the table trying to put names to faces that he recognized from his many files.

“This is Natasha Romanoff. She is a shield agent and ex-soviet spy. I wouldn’t mess with her if I was you. Next to her is Clint Barton. He is also an agent of shield and is skilled with a bow and arrow. Then we have Bruce Banner. He’s skilled in radiation and is also the Hulk. Lastly, we have Thor. The disgraced prince of Asgard.” Steve stared at the group feeling intimidated, feeling unworthy of being here. He might have super-soldier serum in him, but he was still just a kid from Brooklyn.

“Umm, you forgot two other members of your team.” Steve whipped his head around and found the lost man of the world standing in front of him. TONY STARK. He walked into the room with boldness around him. He commanded the room and all eyes were on him, especially Steve’s. Tony was gorgeous and the photos Steve were given couldn’t compare to what he was seeing right in front of him. He needed to talk to him. He wanted to know everything about him.

“It’s nice for you to join us, Stark.” Fury gestured for Tony to grab a seat but he stayed standing. Instead Tony moved over to one of the computers to analyze it.

“I thought you were dead,” Clint spoke up. This just made Tony laugh. “Nope, just been busy making the world a better place. If everyone here could pretend, I wasn’t here that would be great. I love the outlandish tale of me being missing.”

“Why are you here? You aren’t special.” Natasha said. Tony glared at her but turned back at the group where he finally laid his eyes on Steve’s beautiful blues. Tony sucked in a breath not wanting to lose his composure but the man that was looking back at him was his teenage dream. He was alive which Tony knew that. He was the one that pulled him out of the ice after all.

Steve notice Tony was staring at him. Steve stared back giving him a blank stare not wanting any more attention to be drawn on him. Tony gave him a half-smile and then turned back to look at the whole group. There was a flutter in his chest. For the first time since he woke up, he felt like everything would be okay and hadn’t had a clue why.

“You didn’t answer my question, Tony.” Tony shifted his focus towards Natasha.

“Well, I’m a billionaire so, I am going to fund this team. Welcome to the Avengers.” Tony turned around and left everyone awestruck. Steve jumped up after him wanting to get some answers to the many questions he had. Maybe he just wanted a chance to get up close and personal with the mystery of a man. It turned out Tony was faster than he ever thought.

“Hey, Mr. Stark, do you have some time to talk.” Tony whipped around and found Steve jogging towards him. Tony stopped in his tracks and took in the sights.

“Oh, don’t call me Mr. Stark that was my father which I heard you knew. Just call me Tony.” Tony flashed him a smile and took off his glasses. He doesn’t do this for many people, but Steve was different for some reason. Maybe it was because Steve was Captain America and Captain America was a symbol, he saw all throughout his life. He even had a poster on his wall of him. That made his cheeks turn slightly red. “What do you want to talk about, Cap? We can walk and talk.” Steve nodded and followed along. Tony must be a very busy man Steve thought.

“Where have you been all of these years?” Tony raised an eyebrow at him and pierced his lips.

“I should ask you the same thing, Cap.” Steve paused.

“I was taking a nap for several years but I’m back.” This just made Tony laughed.

“Well, you can say the same about me.” A comfortable silence fell over them as they continued to walk towards the exist. Steve had several more things he wanted to ask like why was he doing this and how was his dad? Before he could an alarm went off making both of them freeze.

“Hey, Captain, we need you on one of the planes now. We found a disturbance in south Germany. This is right up your ally.” Steve ran to join Natasha but paused to turn to Tony.

“Sorry, to cut this short. It was nice to meet you, Tony.”

“It was nice to meet you too Steve. Now go.” Steve ran to suit up and fight whatever threat they were about to run into. When he was suited up, he felt like he was somebody important and not the dead guy they found alive.

“You puny humans will always fail. I just think it's funny that seventy years ago at this exact spot a man stood over you demanding allegiance and now you have another one.” The red skull stood over the crowd.

“Hydra didn’t win the first time and we won’t let you now.” This made him laugh.

“Hydra will rule the world. Hail hydra!”

“Hail this” Steve dropped down from the aircraft leading a swift kick to the jaw of Red Skull.

“Captain America. I thought you died many years ago.”

“I could say the same about you.” Red skull blasted at Steve which he blocked with his shield.

They fought for several minutes each getting equal punches in until Red skull knocked his shield out of his hands leaving him defensive. The Red Skull wrapped an arm around his neck resulting in his airway to be cut off. Right when he was about to find a way to escape, Red skull was blasted releasing Steve. Steve looked up to find a red-figure flying above him. He really thought he had seen everything, but he guessed not. The red robot secured Red skull in cuffs and started to walk him towards the plane.

“Thank you, um.”

“Iron man. I am a friend of Tony Stark’s and is the last avenger. It is nice to meet you Captain America” As they kept walking up the ramp, someone fired a shot, hitting Steve in the back making him collapse on the ground leading him to fall paralyze. “Captain, are you okay.” Iron man released Red skull and bent down to carry Steve in and placed him down on the cot that Natasha pulled out.

“Ha,ha,ha! I will see you again Captain and we can finish this fight once and for all.”

Steve slowly opened his eyes to reveal a glaring light covering the room and a figure standing in the doorway. He blinked a couple more times and he noticed it was Tony. “What are you doing here?”

Tony shrugged and walked in farther into the room. “I heard from a friend of mine that you go hurt. Came to check on you.” Steve smiled weakly.

“Hey, tell your friend thank you. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would have been gone for real this time.” Tony stared at him. He looked so broken with bruises all over his face and IVs coming out of his left arm. He knew he would heal by tomorrow because of his super healing abilities but that didn’t make him not worry. Why did he care, he really didn’t know?

“I will when I see him. Now get better.” Tony turned around to walk away. There was no reason for him to still be there.

“Wait.” Tony stopped and turned around and saw Steve looking so small. “Will you stay? I don’t have anyone else.” Tony grabbed a chair and sat beside the bed.

“I don’t have anyone either. I will stay until you kick me out.” Steve rolled his head over very slowly and looked at Tony. He smiled and then closed his eyes where he fell asleep once again. Tony picked up Steve's hand. He ran his fingers along the bruises on his knuckles. Then he saw a scar that ran up his arm. It was not new because if it was it wouldn't be there. Steve would never have new scars because of the serum. He traced the scar till it disappeared into his sleeve. Who was Steve Rogers before Captain America, Tony thought?

Days and weeks went by. Steve and the rest of the Avengers went on missions fighting bad guys and trying to catch Red Skull after he got away the first time. He went underground and there wasn’t a trace of him since. While Captain America was fighting crime, Steve Rogers was finding a friend in Tony Stark. Every night they would get together and have dinner and maybe watch a movie. It was nice to finally find someone that didn’t look at him as this man out of time but just Steve.

Tony had asked the team to come to stay in his tower. It was supposed to be a base for the team but for Steve, it was a home. Steve was in his room currently drying off from showering. He looked around and found how it fit perfectly for him. It wasn’t too modernizing even though Tony wanted to. He had a photo of the last people that were in his life before he was frozen. One with the Hollowing Commandos, one with Peggy Carter and one with his best friend Bucky Barnes. He picked up the photo, staring at how happy Bucky looked instead of in his nightmares he heard Bucky’s screams. Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks missing his brother.

“Hey, Steve.” Steve turned around when he heard the knock on the door. He wiped his face quickly and opened the door to find Tony on the other side looking very, Tony. The real Tony with one of his band shirts on and his grease-stained jeans. Tony froze in the doorway seeing what was placed in front of him. “Is this how you answer the door for everyone?” Steve started to blush. He looked down and he realized he was just standing in his towel.

“Oh, I’m sorry let me just put something on really quick.” He closed the door slowly, but Tony stopped not wanting to lose the view. Tony reached out, placing a gentle hand on Steve’s chest.

“Wait, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go to a little diner in Brooklyn.” Steve’s voice was caught in his throat. All he could think about was the heat that was rolling off of Tony’s body and the light touch of his hand sending shivers through his body. Steve grabbed hold of Tony’s hand and pulled him in closer wrapping him into his embrace. Every bad thought went through his head and he wanted to do all of it. “Yeah, I would love too. Say I pick you up around eight.” Steve pushed Tony back out of the room without another word leaving Tony breathless.

Tony leaned against the wall trying to catch his breath. He was trying to be his cool self, his playboy self but Steve brought out something totally different out of him. Tony wanted to be a good guy. Tony wanted to be the man Steve needed and the person he always wanted to be. For the first time, he felt like he could be that guy. Tony turned back to the door to knock on it one more time when the villain alert went off. Steve swung the door open already dressed in his uniform and strapping his shield to his back.

“Oh, Tony, you’re still here?” Steve gave him a perplexed look. What was Tony doing?

“I was just leaving but good luck on your mission. Don’t die.” Tony chuckled but then awkwardness fell between the two. “I will try not to.” Steve ran ahead of him while he made his way down to his lab so he could suit up himself.

“Okay, Iron Man shoot that pipe over there and then I will deflect the water. Hopefully, this will put out the fire. While Thor and Hulk take down those aliens over on third and fourth street. Romanoff and Barton help get the civilians to safety.” Iron man did as told and this allowed them to save thousands of people.

“Nice job, Captain. We make a good team, you and I.” Steve stood next to Ironman taking in the scenery of what they did together. They really were a good team.

“Yeah, we do, but do you think you guys could clean up. I have a date in a few hours. Well it’s not actually a date because the person I’m meeting didn’t say it was a date, but they did say we were going to a diner in my hometown, so it is a date right.” Steve frantically looked around with nervousness boiling up. Oh God, did he just overthink what this night was supposed to be. Iron man clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“I have a feeling that this night might be pretty special. Just don’t overthink it and be yourself.” Steve smiled feeling a little bit better. “Thank you, I really needed that. Well, I got to bounce. Have a goodnight, Iron Man.”

Tony through every item of clothing he owned out onto his floor since he couldn’t find anything that would be worthy for Steve to see him in. Ever since he found out that he could be going on a date with Steve, he just wanted everything to be perfect.

Steve tightened his tie and brushed his bangs to the side. He sprayed some colon on his wrist and grabbed the roses he picked up from the shop across from the tower. His nervousness was making him vibrate with excitement. He hadn’t liked someone this much in a long time and no one had liked him either. Tony was such a wonderful man that made him laugh and understood what was going on in his life. It was hard to find someone that shared the same life experiences and surprisingly him and Tony had.

Tony stared at his reflection of a broken man. Was he really going to do this? He stood with the nicest but also not so fancy outfit he owned on. Just a plain long sleeve black shirt with dark pants but he was Tony Stark after all so he through on a bright red jacket with it. He erased all of the negative thoughts that were popping into his head and just thought about how nervous but excited Steve was when he told a friend of his about his date. Tony looked down and saw that it was ten minutes past eight. Steve was late but then there was a knock at the door. He opened up to find a very handsome looking Steve Rogers staring at him with roses.

“I’m sorry, I’m late. I was fussing with my hair and then I almost forgot mine,” Tony took the roses out of Steve’s hands and placed them on his dresser. He pulled Steve in by the base of his collar and closed the door. Tony pressed a hard kiss to his mouth. The diner could wait another night they had other plans. The two men furiously removed their jackets off of one of another. Steve ran his hands through Tony’s hair, down his shoulder blades, then to the hem of his shirt lifting it over his head and discarding it off to the side. Tony started working on Steve’s belt buckle while he loosened his tie, wrapping it around Tony’s wrist. He pulled them tighter together and walked Tony back where he fell back onto the bed. There was a burning desire flashing over Steve’s eyes and there was a burning desire between Tony’s thighs.

Steve ripped the rest of his own clothing off leaving only his underwear. Tony could see Steve growing harder and he would be lying to himself if he didn’t say he wasn’t either. Steve pulled Tony’s still bound wrist above his head and pulled himself on top of him. Steve slowly started placing gentle kisses along Tony's jaw and down his body until he stopped at the top of his pants. Slowly he undid the buttons which just made Tony want him more. He pulled his pants down gently placing soft kisses on the inside of his thighs until finally, they were both just in their underwear. Steve laced his fingers on the inside of his boxers getting ready to take away the last piece of clothing that would leave Tony not completely naked but then he stopped.

“Do you want this Tony? Because I do” Tony let out a soft moan.

“Do your worst to me, Captain.” That was when all bets were off. Steve ripped Tony’s very expensive boxers off. There was no salvaging them.

Steve pulled Tony in closer loving the feeling of how he fit perfectly in his arms. He looked down and found Tony had fallen asleep. He looked like an angel. Steve ran his fingers through his hair taking in the memories they just shared. He never wanted this to end.

“Hey, Tony, want to go to that diner another night.” Tony stirred in his arms and looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

“Yeah, but I’m still hungry. We could get carried out.” Steve placed a kiss to the top of his head and moved to put some clothes on. “No, come back. I need snuggles.” Steve chuckled and grabbed one of his old shirts, through it over to Tony, and a pair of his shorts.

“Here put these on and follow me. I’m going to cook for you. How does pancakes sound?” Tony jumped up and wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist leaning against him.

“With chocolate chips.” Steve spun him around giving him a kiss. “Yes, chocolate chips. Anything for my baby.”

“My baby?” Steve paused looking at Tony. He was worried he had said something wrong.

“Should I have not called you that.” Tony leaned in closer taking in the warmth and scent of Steve. Steve, the man he would allow to have his whole heart as no one else had ever had before.

“No, I love it. I love being yours. You are mine too.”

Tony was in his lab tinkering away on his new invention. Tony stopped and looked at his phone to see he had a message from Steve saying he would be late tonight, but he promised they could still watch the movie they had planned. Tony replied and the swiped away the notification to look at his screen saver. It was of Steve. He was smiling with ice-cream in hand. This was their fourth or fifth date Tony thought. He really didn’t know.

“You’re going to break his heart, Stark.” Tony looked up to spot Nick Fury standing in his doorway giving him a stern look.

“What are you talking about Nick?” Tony turned off his phone and turned his back away from him.

“You know what I’m talking about. You haven’t told him yet have you.”

“Told who what.”

Nick came closer and slammed his hands down onto his desk. “You know what I’m talking about! You haven’t told Steve you are Iron Man. What’s going to happen when he finds out or worst you die in battle in that suit.” Tony turned around with fiery in his eyes.

“You don’t know what you are talking about. Steve is safer knowing nothing and for your information, tomorrow’s mission will be Iron Man’s last anyways. Steve will never know and then we can start living a normal life.” Nick just laughed.

“For someone that is so smart. You really are stupid Stark.” Nick turn and walked out of the lab leaving Tony feeling hollow. He was doing the right thing. It would kill Steve if he knew the truth. He wouldn’t be focus on the battlefield but be focused on worrying about keeping Tony safe. He knew he was right because that was why tomorrow would be his last mission. It was easier not to be there when Steve took a shot every time or he went down and didn’t get back up right away. He clicked back on his phone to look at Steve’s face once again. It would kill him if he knew he did anything to dim his beautiful smile. Tony laid his head in his hands and let all of his emotions flow. Tears streamed down his face. He was finally happy and why did it feel like it was about to be ripped away from him.

Tony finished suiting up placing his helmet on for his last mission as Iron Man. The last time fighting alongside Captain America. After this, he will be able to come home and be with his Steve as Tony. His hands shook. He closed his eyes and just breathed in. His life was about to change.

The team walked off the plane looking around at the ruble of Sokovia that was leftover. The place was eerie quiet as if there was no one here.

“Iron Man can you do a scan to see if there is anyone here. It seems we might be in the wrong place.” Iron Man did as ask of him, but nothing was detected. “Sorry Captain but no one is here. It’s like everyone has vanished. We may be too late.” He may have spoken too soon when several hydra agents appeared out of thin air. They attacked the Avengers from all angles.

“Hey, Cap, you have incoming from the west. Three of them.” Steve turned around to see them coming to him. He through his shield knocking each one out.

“Captain America we meet again.” Steve whirled around to spot Red Skull holding a Hydra weapon pointing straight at him.

“You are going down this time. You will not succeed with your plan.” Red Skull shot at him and he deflected it which just made Red Skull laugh harder.

“Here’s the thing Captain. I already have. Do you see how this town is left in ruins? Well, I’m going to do the same for your precious home. New York will be laid in shambles and you can’t do anything about it. The bomb will be there in thirty minutes” Steve stood paralyzed by the Red Skull’s words.

“Cap, come in Captain.” Steve turn on the coms to answer Iron Man. “There is a bomb coming towards New York in thirty minutes. What are we going to do?”

“I got this. I will fly it back this way and into the sky. You take care of Red Skull.” Iron Man flew away like a rocket. Steve stared up at the sky watching him go.

“Iron Man that is a one-way ticket.” “I know.” Steve through his shield knocking Red Skull down. Then he kicked and punched with no control. He saw the blood run down his face with each hit. He raised his shield above his head to make the final blow when he heard crackling coming from his earpiece.

“Hey, Captain.” Steve stopped recognizing that voice.

“Tony! What are you doing?”

“Steve, just listen to me. I want to say you were the best thing in my life and you made my life complete. I could never imagine finding the one person that completed me. You make me so happy. From the moments the sun comes up to when the sun goes down. I was so alone for so many years not wanting the world to see the real me but then you came along and changed all of that. You are my one. My only one. I love you and I will always love you, Steve Rogers.” Steve’s heart was pounding in his chest. What was Tony talking about? What was he doing?

“Tony, sweetheart, I love you too but why now. What are you doing?” The comms went dead. “Tony! Tony, answer me!” Steve ripped off his cowl and turned to Red Skull with determination. “What did you do?”

“I did nothing to your precious Tony.”

“Liar!” Out of rage and anger, Steve slammed his shield into his chest causing Red Skull to sputter his breathing and blood leaked out of his mouth. His eyes went glassy. This was the last time they would have to ever deal with Red Skull.

Steve turned back around at the sky to see Iron Man fly the missile in the sky. He disappeared. Steve thought he was gone. Then he looked up and saw a red object falling fast. “Thor catch him. Now!”

Thor laid him down to the ground and Steve ran over to see the light on his chest flicker. It was dim. Steve ran his hand along his chest and then he ripped off the faceplate to find the one face he didn’t want to see.

“Tony” he whispered. Steve lean closer to find he wasn’t breathing. Steve pulled him into his arms rocking him back and forth. “No, Tony, it can’t be you.” Tears streamed down his cheeks. “Get this off of him now,” he screamed. Thor came over and pulled the armor off. Steve picked Tony up in his arms and carried him onto the plane never letting him go. Steve didn’t know the last time he would see Tony was this morning. The last time to talk to him was over the comms. He didn’t even get to say goodbye.

“Steve, you need to place Tony on the stretcher.” Steve held him tighter.

“No! I wasn’t there to protect him and now he is dead. Get away from us!”

Steve carried Tony’s casket slowly down the aisle. He slowly lowered it down in the ground. He through several photos of them along with it. “Goodbye, my sweetheart. Goodbye, my hero.” Steve blew a kiss and walked away.

“We have lost a hero and I lost the love of my life. Tony Stark was a very private man and didn’t share many things to the public eye but the one thing he did share was his courageousness. His bravery and his brains. Tony Stark was Iron Man. They were one and the same. So, please let us remember him of the man he was.”

Steve left the press conference and went to Tony’s gravestone to say his final goodbye. “Hello, darling. I miss you every day. I didn’t get to tell you goodbye. I didn’t get to tell you that you made me feel like me again. I found myself again in a world I wasn’t supposed to belong. You made me happy and you made me laugh. I wanted to live my life with you, and I might not get to, but I get to have the memories. I love you, Tony.” Steve leaned down and kissed the tombstone. Running his fingers along the engravings. He placed his shield in front of it showing Tony he would be there to protect him forever. “Rest in Peace, Iron Man. I will see you forever, Tony.”

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer IV: In the Light of a Blade

I lay in bed but I wasn’t asleep when Mingfei came in at 4 am, reeking of alcohol and soaking wet, like he’d been walking around in the drizzle.

I couldn’t even be angry. I was too worried about what was happening to one of the most important persons in my life. I sat him down on the bed and, as the leader of Club-S, told him to tell me what was going on with him.

Mingfei was blaming himself for everything that was happening. I couldn’t catch all of his reasoning because he was slurring his speech and barely staying awake.

One thing was clear to me: EVA had truly turned against us. She had been holding back video evidence of Mingfei and I in our draconized states. Everyone in the Secret Society with access to those records knew that we could break the blood threshold, coming close to pure blood dragons. We grew scales and wings and teeth befitting a top predator.

“What are we, Carli?” He asked, laying in bed in his clothes, staring at the ceiling. “I have to figure out what I am. If I really am a monster... shouldn’t I just turn myself in?”

I shook my head. “You defeated Herzog in that state. You’re a hero. The Academy just doesn’t understand that people like us can fight for what’s good and right. I think Anjou understood. That’s why he kept us secret for so long.”

He looked at me with sunken eyes and a distant gaze. “I felt like I should know Herzog. Like we had met before. Crow’s going to take me to a place I can get more information. If it’s too hard on you to do that, I understand.”

I lowered my eyes. No one on earth had hurt me as personally as Herzog had. When I lifted my eyes again, however, I’d made my decision. “Hey... you need people who understand you to stand beside you. I’m the only one with you in this crazy world right now.” 

I took his hand and squeezed it. “Consider this my duty as President of Club-S.”

The next day, Crow opened the heavy iron gate. “What Tachibana Masamune... or Herzog left behind is all here.”

Behind the gate was a huge warehouse.

The warehouse was hidden in an inconspicuous place in Tokyo. The warehouses behind this fence were all unmarked and looked the same. The fenced in area was at the end of a maze of gravel service roads. If you didn’t know exactly what you were looking for, there was no way you’d be able to find it without getting lost.

Ru’Yi was strapped to my back in a special carrier. Spider Fang and Tongzi hung at my hips. I stood next to Mingfei while Nono and Johann stood behind us. Crow undid the padlocked chain on the heavy door and held the door open for us.

The first thing we saw was a blood-stained black trench coat, lined with the Amaterasu painting of the famous cave scene. It hung on a headless model with a sword at its side.

As soon as we saw it, we stood in silence. I remember this coat flying like a battle flag, Chisei looking at me with golden eyes as he stood on the fire escape of Tokyo Tower. Then and now, I’d stood both in awe and fear of him, the emperor hybrid.

Mingfei likely thought of his relationship with Chisei as Akira Ryuu where he thought of Chisei as his precious Aniki and loved him dearly.

“Why are Chisei’s clothes here?” He asked, after our moments of silence.

“Only a few people know that Herzog is a demon that misled the Hydra clans. Among most of the ranks, he’s said to be the family ancestor who sacrificed himself to save us all at Tokyo Tower....” Crow said, his voice a monotone, his face schooled into a blank expression.

I let out a loud hiss and looked away. “Is that why you ignored Aoi Gen?”

Mingfei looked at me, confused. “Who’s Aoi Gen?”

Crow glanced down at me, smirking. “Now you’re thinking like a politician. If we acknowledged that Tachibana turned the Hydra Clans against her family and massacred the original Gen clan, well... we’d have to admit to everything... including his fake gravestone at the family site where you’ve been staying.”

“As sad as she is... she’s not worth that much drama.” 

I turned back to him, glaring fiercely. “So you’re going to continue to ignore her?”

“Officially? Yes.”

“Officially being the operative word?”

“Chisei can’t ignore something like that.” He looked back to the trench coat, changing the subject. “There are those who still come here to pay their respects. This warehouse is called the Teacher and Student Collection.”

I turned my eyes back to the coat. There were so many memories I had of it. Most of them were unpleasant and yet, the memory of him surfaced, of his hanging out of the helicopter hatch over the Red Well as we prepared to face death together. I couldn’t help but be moved.

Chisei and I were enemies for a long time. However, in the end, we shared certain intimacies with each other only and with no one else.

Crow chuckled. “Should we leave you two alone? It seems you have things that need to be said.”

My mood immediately dampened. “I’m not not sure what you mean?”

“There were certain rumors through the senior clan members that you two were more than just friends...”

“He tried to kill me!” I objected loudly.

Crow held his hands up in defense. “Don’t shoot the messenger!”

I crossed my arms and looked away. The memories of my baby dying in the Red Well came to mind and tears sparked my eyes.

Mingfei reached out to me. “If this is too much for you...”

“Look. I’m not leaving. Let’s just stay on topic.” I dismissed him with a wave.

Johann spoke up behind us. “You have the same swords?”

“Ah. A keen observer!” Crow exclaimed. “The swords on the dummy are replicas. Carli has the real thing.”

Crow turned to lead us inside.  “All of these things are in Herzog’s collection. And he’s quite the collector. He’s got everything from ancient buddha statues to classical paintings... there are 5,000 rare books, 6,000 vinyl records...”

Crow continued to go on as we walked through what was essentially the Museum of Herzog.

“What a pig.” Nono grumbled.

“I know right?” Crow said coldly, stopping next to a jeweled Fabergé egg.

“What’s this?” Mingfei pointed to a box on the table.

“Oh... don’t open that. That’s his hair collection.”

“Hair?” Mingfei asked, confused.

“Yeah some people have a bit of a fetish with it comes to women. They sleep with them and then take a lock of hair as a memento. Of course, Herzog was obsessed with keeping things secret so... his women didn’t survive the encounters. What’s in that box is all that’s left of them. We used it to identify them and inform their next of kin.”

"Christ...” I whispered, looking away in disgust. “You should bury that you know. Those are human remains.” 

I paused, nausea rising in my throat. “Mingfei, I think you were right. I shouldn’t have come here.” I spun on my heel, going back the way I came. “I’ll wait for you guys out front.”

Mingfei nodded, solemn.

“Go with her.” Nono said to Johann. “Don’t touch anything on the shelves.”

“Yes ma’am.” He murmurred

I looked at Johann reproachfully, once he was next to me. “Why do you say ‘yes ma’am’ like you’re twelve?”

Johann’s eyes shifted, bewildered.

I sighed. “Never mind.”

We made our way back to the front of the warehouse where Chisei’s trench coat hung. I stood in silence for a moment. I needed to do something to get rid of the emotions I was feeling. Johann Chu carefully avoided my gaze until I got his attention. “Hey.”

He raised his eyes to mine, hesitant to meet them. 

“You know how to swordfight, right? Here, take the replica sword and lets do Shohatto drills!” I said. It was both an invitation and a demand. I didn’t want to burst into tears again. I wanted to be done crying.

I remembered something Johann had told me while we were in China preparing for our second ‘official’ wedding to allow his mother to participate in a ceremony.

He told me he was looked down on in elementary school because his mother had taken custody of him in the divorce. Everyone in class knew his father wasn’t his real father. His real father was a lowly chauffeur. They said he only got to go to this private elementary school because his mother was pretty, that the only reason his mother was married to his stepdad was because she was pretty.

The ringleader of this group of bullies was a karate black belt, the youngest blackbelt in China. Because his dragonblood wasn’t awake yet, Chu Zihang couldn’t defeat him.

But Zihang went to the Children’s Palace to train and soon had a black belt himself. He did it in three years, but not because he was a genius. At that point he was still just an ordinary child. He was just incredibly driven to beat that bully before they graduated from elementary school.

Before the graduation ceremony, Zihang challenged him and completely tore him to pieces. He had studied the bully and deliberately trained to counteract his strengths. He’d rehearsed the fight, according to him, ten thousand times.

The bully was like a cobra meeting a mongoose. No matter what he did, it didn’t work on Zihang. But Zihang’s every strike landed with full force!

Now that I thought about it, Johann had changed very little when it came to his core personality. He was straight as an arrow and once locked onto his target he would never let go!

He walked over to the trench coat and I watched him carefully. He glanced up at the headless dummy as though he were asking permission. Then he took the sword, still sheathed, from the model

He nodded seriously to me and my heart lifted. When it came to training, this Johann and the Johann I loved had no differences between them.

Johann and I stood a distance from each other, side by side.

“Shohatto.” I said.

We bowed in unison and then drew the swords in unison.

Shohatto was the most basic samurai drill. These drills had all the essentials of fighting: a draw, a cut, and defensive positions, finalized by sheathing the sword and bowing after each series of actions. Each drill was made facing a different direction.

The goal was simplicity, efficiency, and precision in footwork and motion.

If you had put up a mirror, the reflection couldn’t have followed our movements closer than we followed each other’s. I watched him in my peripheral vision. He was no longer a phantom in my mind. This was the sword drill he’d learned when he was young. He’d passed it down to me and now I was performing it with his young self.

Once again, I felt a strange sense of privilege for the opportunity.

We went through all the standing drills and then transitioned to the kneeling drills. 

My voice murmured. “Shohatto.” 

This was a little bit trickier because it required balance and Ru’Yi was a large sleeping stone of a baby attached to my back, but with my core strength intact I was still able to stand from the kneeling position and kneel from a standing position despite the tension in my back and legs to keep balance.

Johann had the drills down to pinpoint accuracy. Of course, he trained every day, and maybe he had gotten to a very high level by fifteen. But he was no longer looking at me. His eyes were straight forward with a glazed over look.

He was performing from muscle memory. 

Like a person who daydreams while driving, he was performing these complicated motions, but his mind was elsewhere.

At the end of the final kneeling drill, we faced each other on our knees, our swords in front of us. I wasn’t sure who I was looking at, my Johann or the 15 year old Johann. 

I couldn’t ask him.

We placed our hands on the ground in front of us and bowed.

[kl4us4]

INSTANCES WHERE BELLAMY BLAKE WAS A NUISANCE (Bellamy Blake x Reader)

Request: Could I request a Bellamy Blake imagine with the lines, “Don’t you do it Y/N. Don’t you dare fall in love with me.”

masterlist

Okay, here’s the thing: You‘ve never thought someone was beautiful until you met Bellamy Blake. For a long time you - and all your friends - assumed you just weren’t interested in being with someone. Then, he happened. You had always heard stories about Bellamy being mutual friends but fate and the universe never let you come face to face with the unknown boy. All you knew about the boy was that he was daring, adventurous, and courageous; yet extraordinarily kind and caring. Then, you came to Earth.

INSTANCE NO. 1

“Someone’s about to open the doors.” Clarke clenches her jaw, eyes darting towards the front of the Dropship as she speeds to the door. You follow hot on her tail, your eyes just as wide as hers. “Stop!” She shouts, her tone frantic and chilling, “The air could kill us all.”

“If the airs toxic then we’re dead anyways.” The deep voice that replies to your friend almost makes you frown. He sounds kinda rude. Shifting beside Clarke, you furrow your eyebrows and are about to put your two cents in but then he looks at you.

It feels like a kind of pause, like a kind of recognition but not quite. At least not on your part. “Anything to add on, sweetheart?” He chastises you, his hand on the ship's entrance.

“I have a name.” You mutter, unable to drop your gaze from him. The freckled boy just smirks. His eyes remain on you as he opens the dropship door, and the place is flooded with fresh air and light. Pandemonium ensues as people rush out like a nest of crazed ants. You, being weak and distracted, get pushed around easily and almost no one seems to care.

“Woah, Woah, Woah,” You feel two hands on your shoulders pull you back slightly, away from the bustling crowd of teenagers who are finally free from their cage. “You should learn to be a little more careful.”

Facing the man behind you, you see the familiar face that enticed you not two seconds ago. “Thanks.” You mumble.

“It’s fine.” He replies, “Y/N.”

“You know me?” You wonder, eyebrows furrowed as you wait for his answer.

He hums, “I know of you. I’m Bellamy Blake.” He introduces himself, giving you a small smile.

You smile up at him, practically knowing him already. “Funnily enough, I know of you too.”

“I hope you’ve heard good things.”

“50/50.” You hum back, gesturing with your hand. He’s taller than you, and it makes your stomach turn when you look up to see him gently smiling down at you. “I’ve been wanting to put a face to the name for a while now.” You admit.

“Well?” He responds with a small smirk, “Do I live up to your standards?”

Your raise your eyebrows, almost letting out a laugh, “Nah,” you joke, “you’re shorter than I expected.”

He nods for a second, pursing his lips comically, “And you’re feistier then I expected.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, not at all.” He shakes his head, looking you up and down and nearly making your chest explode, “I only let strong women ruin my life.” His smirk seems infectious, and for some reason, it feels like the dropship keeps getting smaller and smaller. After all this time keeping you two apart it’s as though even fate and the universe can’t pull you two away now. There’s just this intense and magnetic force pushing you two together like compensation for such a long time as strangers.

“God, do you have to do this to all my friends?” Octavia announces, breaking you away from her brother. Bellamy just stares at you, letting out a sigh as he realised your attention on him has been interrupted.

You’re slightly angered at yourself. ‘All my friends’? Did you just nearly fall for a player? Oops.

“Only the pretty ones.” He sighs, looking towards the ground awkwardly.

“Well, have fun letting them ruin your life.” You smile back, bouncing away from him and towards Octavia who had come looking for you. You pass her and head outside so you don’t notice the annoyed look she gives her brother, who just gives her an exaggerated shrug. Bellamy leans against the wall, sighing at the loss of heat now that you’re not beside him.

INSTANCE NO. 2

You sit beside the wall, book in hand as the world passes by around you. Your muscles ache from working and you’re so tired you may just fall asleep right here and now. But your book keeps you up. You’ve read it maybe 40 times since you were 10 years old and you’re about to make it 41 until-

“Whatcha got there?”

“You’ve never seen a book?”

“I’ve never seen that book.”

“And you’re never going to. Run along.”

“Oh,” Bellamy breathes, inching closer to you, “But I’ve been such a good boy today, Y/N.” He banters... at least you think it’s banter.

“Unfortunately, I’ve run out of gold stars to hand out.” You muse, shaking your head as you set your book down in your lap.

Leaning his arms against your knees, he rests his head against his hands and looks up at you with his big brown eyes. You nearly melt. Your chest is tingling and all you can do to stop form smiling is to think about the serious chapter you’re up to in your book.

“I can think of other ways you can reward me.”

“Did that line work on many of Octavia’s other friends?” You wonder, pursing your lips slightly.

He sighs, letting his head fall onto your thigh in defeat. “She told you, huh?”

“Yep.” You nod, a smile pressed harshly against your lips.

“You know she‘s never had many friends, right?” Bellamy states, sitting up and looking intensely at you.

“After what you did, I’m sure she didn’t.” You laugh slightly. He notices, his smirk growing at the sight of you smiling.

“Did she at least leave much to the imagination?” He wonders, leaning back onto the green grass as he sets you up. His brown arms flex perfectly and your eyes just brush over them, not giving him the satisfaction of him knowing you think he’s attractive.

Shaking your head, you cross your arms. “Not really.” You lie, teasing him.

“Oh, so you’ve been imagining me then?”

You pause, seeing how he set you up for that. He looks at you smugly, raising his eyebrows as he waits for your reaction. “Okay, that was a good one.” You laugh, shaking your head at him.

Bellamy laughs too, his eyes squinting slightly as he marvels in his own greatness for a second. Somehow the conversation continues on, and you spend the next hour talking and teasing one another. You never got to finish reading your book for the 41st time like you had planned. You even let him borrow it.

INSTANCE NO. 3

You were handling it, really you were. But Big Macho Man Bellamy Blake had to get in the way and be the saviour, like always. “Aim higher and a little to the left, take the wind into account,” Bellamy mutters next to you, his eyes glued to your frame.

Glancing at him from the side of your bow, you nearly break your focus to shake your head at him or to tell him to shut up. But instead, you do what he says, rolling your eyes when you notice him nodding his head. Straight down the middle of your arrow stands a deer, unknowingly taking its last breaths of air.

“Easy now,” Bellamy whispers, leaning in so you can hear him. You feel his breath on your neck as he talks and talks and talks and you’re not taking in a single thing that he’s saying. “Okay?” He asks, turning to face you but he doesn’t move back. You swallow, your lips parting slightly to answer him but you weren’t listening at all.

“Uh, yeah sure.” You nod back, eyeing him once again before turning back to the deer who has disappeared.

“You didn’t hear a word of what I said did you?”

“Uh, no.” You admit, putting your bow and arrow down. Watching the distance as Bellamy blabbers on about focus and attention, you notice something swaying in the bushes where the deer was. At first, you think it’s the animal, but then you notice more and more bushes as you block out Bellamy’s droning on.

“You’re not even listening right now, wow.” He shrugs, shaking his head as if he’s a disappointed parent.

“Sh, Bell, hold on.” You press a hand to his chest and he nearly gulps, feeling his heart rate quicken at the fact that you’re touching him and you called him Bell. But when he looks at you, he notices the concern and immediately he’s switched on and 100% alert.

Following your gaze, he sees what you see and dread fills him. “We need to go. Now. It could be more Grounders.” He mutters to you, pulling you by the arm just as the sounds of Grounders shouting to one another make you jump into action.

You hear them behind you but it’s like you can’t see anything, everything’s a blur of green trees and Bellamy’s frantic gaze as he leads you back towards the camp. Wait, the camp. “Bellamy! We’re leading them right towards the others, we can’t!”

“There’s no other way, we’ll die!” He shouts back to you, his grip on your wrist harsh and painful.

You pull against him and he nearly stumbles over, he turns around to look at you with an incredulous expression. “What are you doing?!”

You line up your bow and arrow, “Taking a shot.”

“Y/N, you don’t know how many there are. This isn’t a fight we can win.” He shouts at you, frantic to get you to safety. “We’re so close to the camp, there’s safety in numbers.” You don’t listen, but when he places a hand on yours, you feel everything pause. “Please.” He begs.

You’ve never heard Bellamy beg before. To anyone. For anything. You lower your weapon and give him a slow nod, “Okay... okay, sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry just take my hand.”

You do so, running back towards the camp gates as fast as you possibly can. The sounds of Grounders chasing you is constant and terrifying and you’re at the closed gates screaming desperately for them to let you in when you hear the piercing sound of something flying through the air and landing right next to your head. The gates open, you’re not sure what’s going on but you’re being pulled inside as the noise continues then ceases all at once.

You open your eyes, looking up at Bellamy who looks just as stunned as you. Maybe even more. You’re confused when he places a hand to his upper arm, pulling it back to reveal his hand coated in blood. Then it all speeds back up again.

“Jesus!” Your eyes widen, looking at the large gash left by a spear or arrow of sorts.

“Actually my names Bellamy.” He chuckles, then winces at the pain. Now it’s time for you to pull him around, holding his hand as you yell for Clarke in the dropship. You tell her what’s wrong, and you ask for help but you were obvious to the other people just coming into the dropship who had worse injuries than Bellamy. One woman had an arrow to her leg, she was one of the people guarding and opening the gate for you and Bell.

“You’re going to have to handle it,” Clarke tells you, nodding to you as if to say you can do it.

“Hey,” Bellamy states, getting your attention as he can see how out of it you are. He holds his arm tightly, and you can help but look at all the blood that’s dripping down him. “Don’t look at that, look into my eyes.”

“Okay.” You mumble, looking into his familiar and calm brown eyes.

“You can do this, it’s not that difficult so maybe even you can get it right.” He tells you, the corners of his lips lifted into a small smirk. You don’t appreciate the jokes at the moment, in fact it nearly makes you burst out crying. “Woah, Woah, hey I’m kidding. Y/N, I’m just joking. It’s going to be fine! I’m right here.”

You just mutter okay and breathe, trying to snap yourself out of it. “Okay, okay, tell me what to do.”

“Help me take my shirt off.” He asks, not wanting to release full pressure off of his wound.

“What? How?” You furrow your eyebrows, unsure of yourself. Maybe you can’t do it. Maybe you can’t do anything.

“Y/N, I need you to put both your hands on the cut. Apply a lot of pressure while I remove it. Then we’ll go to the alcohol, okay?”

You nod, stepping forward and nearly gagging at the sight. But it’s Bellamy, and he really needs you. “O-Okay,” looking into his eyes, you both begin to count down together, “Three, T-Two... one!” You close your eyes, placing both your hands under his sleeve and onto the cut.

Bellamy grunts, gritting his teeth as he throws his shirt to the floor. “Sorry, sorry!” You mumble repeatedly, feeling your chest tighten with guilt.

“D-Don’t... Don’t apologise to me, you’re doing great.” Bellamy breathes, his shaking hands pointing to a metal box next to Clarke. He takes over applying pressure to his wound. Rushing to it, Clarke just gives you a nod telling you that you can take it. Bringing it back to Bellamy, you open it and try not to freeze to ice when you see it’s contents. Of course you’d have to stitch him up, it’s a deep graze. There’s not way it’ll close up by itself. Bellamy must think you’re insane mumbling ‘okay’ and ‘youre fine’ to yourself over and over again; as if the next ten times you say it it’ll be true. But it isn’t. And your hands are shaking. And you feel like you can’t even see the wire missing the needles hole each and every time you try. “Y/N, come on.” Bellamy encourages you gently, watching you with urgent and tired eyes.

“I’m trying.” You whisper, biting the side of your lip as you try and try again. The movement of your chest rising and falling erratically makes your hands move even more. Bellamy begins to feel himself losing too much blood, beginning to feel woozy.

“Come on...” He urges more frantically, his voice harsh, “Y/N, you need to hurry...”

Grunting in frustration, you feel as though you could lose your mind, break down, throw the whole metal box against the drop ship wall. “Come on!”

His loud voice makes you jump. You pull the wire through the needle and lean in towards his arm, brows furrowed as you take the alcohol and quickly pour some on his arm. He grunts loudly, squirming in pain. “Stay still.” You order him, your voice just as tense as his was. It all places like a blur, trying to ignore the pain in his voice and the blood on your hands as you stitch him up. It looks as good as it can possibly be, seeing as it’s been done by someone not experienced. Grabbing the bandage, you jump at the feeling of a hand on top of yours. “I can take it from here.” Clarke advises you, her eyes full of sorrow and compassion. Taken off guard, you nod at her. Somehow you’re unable to speak though your lips part.

You look down at your red hands. They’re still for once. You thought that the hardest part had finished but then you look up at Bellamy, who’s been watching you this whole time, focusing on you instead of the pain. Clarke begins to wrap the bandage around his arm, taking away the sight of his pain.

“Uh, I’m- I...” You fumble. Bellamy just looks away, nodding his head slightly. He doesn’t want to see you leave right now. So you don’t. “I’ll stay until you’re done.”

Bell looks up at you, mumbling a quiet, “Thank you.” to which you nod back. Sitting beside him, you let out a long breath. You haven’t breathed since you ran into the camp gates. It relaxes you.

When Clarke states she finishes and leaves, Bellamy turns to you to place a hand on yours. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

You shake your head, refusing to look at him. You just stare at your dirty hands, still in shock at what you just did. “No, no, don’t be.” You assure him, “I wouldn’t have been able to snap out of it. I don’t know what came over me.”

He squeezes your hand, causing you to turn to him. “I’m proud of you. Not everyone could’ve done what you did, especially when it’s someone you... you know. Don’t put yourself down for that, Y/N. You were incredible.”

Tears brim your eyes and you take another deep breath and look down before quietly stating, “Thank you.”

“Look at me,” he begs, leaning closer to you and it makes you gulp nervously. His eyes are pleading when you look up at him, “Y/N... will you stay with me tonight?”

You squeeze his hand back, mirroring what he did to you. “Anything you need, Bellamy.”

“Only on one condition though.” He adds, letting his eyes flick from yours to your lips.

“What condition?” You wonder, confused.

“Don’t fall in love with me.”

“What?” You muse, a smile beginning to form on your face. Bellamy revels in it, knowing he’s accomplished his goal of making you smile; especially after what you just went through.

Bellamy tried to hold a straight face as he continues, “Don’t you do it, Y/N. Don’t you dare fall in love with me.”

Shaking your head at him, you can’t help but smile at the boy, “you’re unbelievable.”

Like magnets meeting, the two of you lean together. You want to place your hands on his warm cheeks but you remember you can’t. So you sit there, eyes closed, feeling Bellamy’s lips press against yours. It feels electric. When you both pull away, you can hear your heart beating loudly.

“I think we might be in trouble.” You smile at him, pressing another kiss to his lips.

“I think we might be.” He agrees, the same smile on his features.

TAGLIST: relentlessgame captainlini @mesmericbell @cctaviasblake paul-steroline-lover @imaginexmeintheuniverse @bellamyblakemorley twisted-tasty14 mika-xxx @jodiereedus22 

[e8luhs]

CANCER.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY.

tracklist/annotations under the cut! and make sure you check out my other astro playilsts for your moon/rising if you like this one

I. FALL DOWN / CRUMB

running low on time let me loose, have a cry let me breathe, oh my, lalala lalala soaking up the sweat 'til i'm putting you to bed and you're sleeping like you're dead, lalala lalala

II. BABY HOTLINE / JACK STAUBER

i contend that your drinking eye has never opened i insist somebody will die, and i hate hoping wishing that the pills let you cry and i hate coping someday i will go back outside and see her okay

III. THIS IS HOME / CAVETOWN

are you tired of me yet? i'm a little sick right now, but i swear when i'm ready i will fly us out of here

IV. I’M JUST SNACKING / GUS DAPPERTON

he won't build in thrones of vermillion whose woes is filled with pseudo civilians, no she won't take up colorful patrons whose motif plays on false admiration, no

V. ON MELANCHOLY HILL / GORILLAZ

well you can't get what you want but you can get me so let's set out to sea 'cause you are my medicine when you're close to me, when you're close to me

VI. THE CON / TEGAN AND SARA

spelled out your name and lists the reasons, faint of heart don't call me back i imagine you when i was distant, non-insistent i follow suit and layed out on my back, imagine that a million hours left to think of you and think of that

VII. SOFT SHOCK / YEAH YEAH YEAHS

well it's a shock, shock to your soft side summer moon, catch your shut eyes in your room, in my room in your room in my room

VIII. BEDROOM / LITANY

if you wanna come to my place, then we can talk about the weather if you wanna come to my house, then you can meet my parents if you wanna come to my bedroom if you wanna come to my bedroom

IX. TODAY TODAY / JACK STAUBER

today, today is one of those days that carries you slowly into next time and as those walk by, you see with your eye part of me is repeatedly given

X. YOU ARE THE MOON / THE HUSH SOUND

i will bring a mirror, so silver, so exact so precise and so pristine, a perfect pane of glass i will set the mirror up to face the blackened sky so you can see your beauty every moment that you rise

XI. GHOST DUET / LOUIE ZONG

[instrumental]

XII. SOUL MEETS BODY / DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

i do believe it's true that there are roads left in both of our shoes but if the silence takes you, then i hope it takes me too so brown eyes, i'll hold you near 'cause you're the only song i want to hear a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

XIII. BUTTERCUP / JACK STAUBER

fine, electrify mine electrify my golden tooth can't look at those eyes without sparking some

XIV. I MUST CRY OUT LOUD / MOTHER MOTHER

here come my tears, like a dancer on a stage i got nothing to fear just a hurricane of feeling baby, come here show me how to shake i wanna move like the air, a pirouette of pain

XV. GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) / ABBA

gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight won't somebody help me chase the shadows away? gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight take me through the darkness to the break of the day

XVI. CUZ I LOVE YOU / LIZZO

got me standing in the rain, gotta get my hair pressed again i would do it for you all, my friend ready, baby? will you be my man? wanna put you on a plane, fly you out to wherever i am catch you on the low, i was ashamed now I'm crazy, 'bout to tat your name

XVII. KANSAS / GORILLAZ

am i incapable of healing? the memory of my fall from grace in your heart i'm on my journey home with no fuel, alone i think i'll coast a while

XVIII. IT’S ALRIGHT / MOTHER MOTHER

it's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay you're not a monster, just a human and you made a few mistakes it's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay you're not gruesome, just human and you made a few mistakes it's alright

XIX. THE SOUND OF SETTLING / DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

our youth is fleeting, old age is just around the bend and i can't wait to go gray and i'll sit and wonder of every love that could have been if i'd only thought of something charming to say

XX. ARROW / HALF ALIVE

the hardest place to be is right where you are in the space between the finish and the start it's the arrow in your heart the arrow in your heart

[the-foxes-fangs]

I Wish I Was the Moon Part IX

As always, tagging the wonderful @louveau​ and @you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age​ <3 extra tag for @otomediary who has been so patient <3

Part I//Part II//Part III/Part IV//Part V//Part VI//Part VII//Part VIII

Warnings: Angst, otherwise sfw

***

He had left her regretfully, slipping away in the dead stillness of the winter night, the cold stealing her warmth from him and leaving nothing but a dull tired ache behind. He wished that he could taste her, could know her scent, could burn it into his memory the way that the texture of her skin and the feeling of her hair slipping through his fingers stayed with him, and would for far longer than he wanted to admit to himself. 

Changing back into his usual clothing in the icy light of dawn made their time together feel even more like a fading dream, already receding into an unfathomable distance. There were moments, few, but vivid, that divided his life cleanly into what had been before, and what came after. He could feel the demarcation like a prison door slamming closed. He had only himself to blame for making it a ragged tear and not a clean cut. 

He found Kyubei waiting for him as agreed, and greeted him with a nod. 

“As you predicted, my lord, the former nun is one of Kennyo’s, but she was paid by someone else.” He said as they rode astride. 

“Those monks have just as much reason to hate me as Nobunaga, but I don’t see him having the patience for fighting by eliminating the Oda vassals one by one.” Mitsuhide answered, too tired to be indirect. 

It had been unlikely that the attempt on Nobunaga’s life had come from peasants plotting a rebellion but part of him had hoped that there was an outside chance that he could clean up the mess without blowing the embers of war into a conflagration. There were simple, straightforward reasons for a peasant rebellion-- concessions could be made, needs could be met.

But the tangled warp and weft of personal pride, loyalty, spite, ambition and vengefulness that drove those higher in the hierarchy was impossible to satisfy by its very nature. The ghosts of Mt. Hiei and Tanba castle wouldn’t be laid to rest so easily. 

The day was still and gloomy, the town barely stirring as he rode toward the castle to make his official return. A crust had frozen over the snow that creaked under the hooves of his horse, and made every pace sound more reluctant than the last. He caught a glimpse of someone in green beside the castle wall, before they vanished with a speed and skill that marked them as a spy. 

Guards greeted him ceremoniously, as did his retainers, lined up as neatly as archers on the battlefield, and like archers, it was impossible to tell just which one had an arrow nocked for him. 

He arranged for a council to be called by mid-day, and spent the rest of the morning examining intercepted correspondence and interrogating them in the guise of casual conversations. He relied on instinct as much as experience to keep from overplaying his hand, to keep his true loyalties a question that became a trap. The field narrowed itself as the day dragged on and he began to assemble the various bits of information into a cohate pattern. 

Staff filed in and out to answer the same handful of questions during the council-- questions whose answers were less relevant than the reaction they elicited from from those being asked and those watching. 

She finally filed in dutifully behind the other seamstresses, attempting with moderate success to stem her habit or boldly studying people. She was an object of curiosity in her own right by now, drawing gazes that ranged from lecherous to calculating as she approached the dais. 

“Since you’ve only recently joined us, I have no questions for you.” He said, feigning as much disinterest as was possible. 

She kept her face down, but he caught the most fleeting glimpse of amusement in her expression before she composed herself, bowing lower than she ever normally would’ve and addressing him with more formality than she had used since the night they had met. “Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord.” 

Perfectly polite to everyone watching them and outrageously mocking just for him. He kept his usual smile fixed on his face, but he was fighting laughter. It was hard to believe that she was the same wide-eyed, terrified woman that had emerged from the fire acting as if she had only just fallen to earth that same night. Whatever her unfamiliarity with the mores and customs of the upper class, only a fool would deny that she had more than enough grit to make up for it. 

By the time he made his way to her in the night he had a reasonable outline of the conspiracy and its participants, and had formulated a loose plan. She was asleep, and he sat down beside her, her face illuminated in a circle of winter moonlight, as soft and cold as the hand he laid upon her head. She stirred and blinked sleepily at him before she sat up with a yawn. 

“I had given up on seeing you tonight,” she said, her voice thick with sleep, yawning again and adding “my lord,” sardonically. 

“My but you’ve grown bold. Wherever has the little mouse who was afraid to look me in the eye gone?” He answered, as he felt along the floor for the hiding place he knew was there. 

“I wasn’t afraid of you, as much as I was afraid of your mind-reading abilities.” She said offhandedly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

He loosened the floorboard and left the letter detailing the names of the conspirators in the hole below. 

“Now I wonder why you’d be afraid of me reading your mind?” He asked, returning to sit next to her and smooth out her bedhead. 

“Not everyone wants their barely restrained lust to be an open book a few days into meeting someone, naturally.” She answered, leaning against his shoulder comfortably as he draped an arm over her. 

“Oh is that all? You did a wretched job of hiding it.” He replied, pulling her closer. 

“I have no regrets.” She said with a soft laugh. “Did you know that you always, always smell like gunpowder?” She asked as she leaned into his chest.

“I suppose I do.” He answered, flatly. “You’re taking too many pages from my book, my dear. A normal person would’ve asked me what I just hid away.” 

“I’ve never once claimed to be normal. But I do have enough pattern recognition to realize that you’ll tell me what you want, when you want, if you want. I’m not here to change you.” She answered, looking out the small window into the clear frozen sky. 

“How fortunate for us both, since I lack both the capacity and desire.” 

He looked down at her face, and tried to pick out the shadows there from the night. “If something should happen to me, find Kyubei and tell him that I left a letter for the Oda forces there. He’ll get you back to Azuchi.” 

“I guess we’re both a little unusual tonight. You’re being very direct.” 

“I’m just telling you what I want to, little mouse.” 

“I’m guessing that means that you’ve got an idea of who sent the haori?” 

“Your commitment to not asking questions faded fast.” He answered, looking into her searching eyes. 

“Curiosity killed the cat,” she said, quirking a brow up at him, and adding “but satisfaction brought it back to life.” 

He stretched languidly and slid down into the warmth of her bedding, head on her lap as if it belonged there. There was no calculation in her expression, only honest concern. “I have a good idea. Although I think I saw an Uesugi spy rather far from home this morning, so the ravens may truly be circling.” He said, as she ran her fingers rhythmically through his hair. 

“I had the impression that Kenshin Uesugi was too direct for an assassination attempt from sitting in on war councils.” She said, tracing the line of his jaw with a feather light touch, as if memorizing his face. 

“He keeps rather shifty company, I’m afraid.” He said, and reached up to fold her hand in his. 

“I don’t expect any details, Mitsuhide. But I hope that you aren’t planning anything reckless.” She said, concern on her face and in her tone.

“Have you confused me with Masamune?” He asked with a low laugh at her expense, a cheap cover for the way his heart lurched at the care on her face. Unearned, undeserved. 

“You’re too good at being yourself for me to confuse you with anyone else. But for all your planning, you don’t seem to care much about yourself. You don’t eat, you don’t sleep. That’s a kind of recklessness too.” 

“And here I thought you weren’t trying to change me.” He said, reaching up to twine a strand of her hair around his finger idly. 

“I’m not. Just making an observation. Even your plans can fail, good as they might be, and it frightens me to think that you come in last in all that calculation.” 

He dropped his hand and sighed. “What was it you said? Something to the effect that one person’s life can’t outweigh a hundred or a thousand others.” 

“I said it and I believe it, but you can’t live by that idea alone. It’s not always clear what the greater good is. Thinking that any one person can decide that on their own is what leads to massacres.”

He froze in place for a moment, stiffening under her hands, mind flooded with memories of smoke and gunfire and blood in the air. She was too far under his skin. Too close to the unforgivable truth. 

“No retort? Did you fall asleep in the middle of a conversation with me?” She asked, softly, nearly to herself. 

“Your childish philosophy is far too amusing to put me to sleep, little mouse.  What if I said that I had a massacre on my head? Would I not be serving the greater good to die for that?” He asked, fighting to keep his voice level. 

“Alright, I’ll play along.” She said, and brushed his hair out of his face. “I think I can safely presume that you had a plan that didn’t involve killing innocents.” 

“I’m not sure why the presumption matters-- what someone intends is far less important than the outcome they create.” He countered, bitterly. 

“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t follow that your death is a good outcome.” 

“Why it almost sounds as if you, earnest lover of peace and freedom, don’t believe in justice.” 

She looked down at him with sadness in her eyes that drove the knife he’d put between his own ribs deeper. 

“Of course I believe in justice. I just think...” she paused thoughtfully, and continued, “no matter what you’ve done, the only way to atone for it is to live and try to save as many people as you can. All of us will die some time, so why not live while you can and try to do what good you can?” 

“And if my idea of good just results in more bloodshed?” 

She cupped his cheek gently and laid her other hand over his heart, and he hoped she couldn’t feel it pitching in protest at the sensation of being wounded by her kindness. 

“You have an uncanny mind, Mitsuhide, but you’re not a god. Your best is good enough.” 

The moonlight was moving away from the window, leaving them in deeper darkness and a heavy silence that hung between them like a chasm. 

“We’re never going to agree, little seamstress.” He said, at last. 

“Even so--” she began, with a sigh, cut off as he sat up to kiss her tenderly. He pulled her into his lap, arms wrapped around her, his cheek pressed against her hair. 

“It will be over soon enough.” He murmured, and felt her shudder, reached up to feel the heat of a tear as it ran down her face. 

Her voice was raw and low as she recited-

“Winter has frozen its double-edged breath   and blows it down from the icy heavens,   like a dry fire coming apart in threads,   like a huge ruin that topples on soldiers.   Snow where horses have left their hoof-marks   is a solitude of grief that gallops on.   Snow like split fingernails, or claws badly worn,   like a malice out of heaven or a final contempt...   This violence that splits off from the core of winter,   raw hunger tired of being hungry and cold,   hangs over the naked with an eternal grudge   that is white, speechless, dark, starving, and fatal...    Soldiers are so much like rock crystals   that only fire, only flame shapes them,   and they fight with icy cheekbones, with their mouths,   and turn whatever they attack into memories of ash.”

He felt the sting of every word as if she had slapped him. Felt her grieving for the things she wanted from him that he did not have. 

“You were bound to hate me.” He whispered at last. 

“That’s the hell of it, Mitsuhide,” she answered, voice hoarse and heavy, “I don’t hate you. I never could. I love you so much it hurts. I know that it’s one sided, I know that I’m nothing but an amusement to you, and I don’t care about that.”

He closed his eyes against the razor edge of her words and felt her draw a ragged breath. 

“You treat yourself with such cold indifference. As if it doesn’t matter whether you live or die, whether you’re in pain, whether you’re lonely or sad. But until the day we part, and even after that, for the rest of my life-- I won’t think of you like that.” 

Her tears fell on to his sleeve and it would’ve been so much less painful if she were weeping for herself, if she didn’t see him through such clear bright eyes.

***

Oof sorry this took 20 years to update! I hope to get back to updating regularly <3 Thanks to all of you who are still reading this. 

This chapter’s poem is  “The Soldier and the Snow” by Spanish poet Miguel Hernandez

[therandombanjo]

Songs From 2019 (one per artist)

Another mixed bag of stuff i either enjoyed a lot, thought was excellent or interesting (regardless of taste… sort of), emerging artists to maybe look out for, and generally music that for whatever reason connected with me in some way, including the odd earworm i just couldn’t shake. Some artists are left off just to vary a little more from some other popular lists. Hope you enjoy some of this too and find something new to be taken by. Please do buy their music if you can and hopefully from a local independent record store if possible to support their work. There’s a spotify playlist (below) for easier listening but I’ve also posted a few links to extra things on some of them if you want to check them out.  Spotify:

(As ever…. as i don’t tumblr or blog or anything (besides this list), this won’t be seen by many (if any?) people so if you like it or think it’s of any worth in any way, please do share this along)

In Alphabetical order:

A.A. Bondy - Killers 3 Abdallah Oumbadougou - Thingalene Alasdair Roberts - Common Clay Alex Rex - Latest Regret Andy Shauf - Try Again Angel Bat Dawid - We Are Starzz Angel Olsen - All Mirrors        bonus. her collab with Mark Ronson “True Blue” Anne Müller - Solo? Repeat! Antoinette Konan - Kokoloko Tani Arthur Russell - Words Of Love Asmâa Hamzaoui and Bnat Timbouktou - Sandia Baby Rose - All To Myself BCI - Grateful Bedouine - When You’re Gone Benny The Butcher - Crowns For Kings      ft. Black Thought Ben Walker - Afon Better Oblivion Community Center - Chesapeake Beverly Glenn-Copeland - A Little Talk     (from a reissue of her 2004 record Primal Prayer) Bibio - Curls The Big Moon - It’s Easy Then Big Thief - a. Not    b. Cattails    (from 2 excellent albums released in the same year: “U.F.O.F” and “Two Hands”) Bill Callahan - a. What Comes After Certainty    b. The Ballad Of The Hulk Bill Fay - Filled With Wonder Once Again Bill Orcutt - Odds Against Tomorrow billy woods - a. Spongebob w/ Kenny Segal     b. Western Education Is Forbidden    ft. Fielded        (From 2 excellent records this year: “Hiding Places” with Kenny Segal, and “Terror Management”) Black Country, New Road - Sunglasses Blu & Oh No - The Lost Angels Anthem    ft. Kezia Bon Iver - Hey, Ma Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Beast For Thee Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman      (”supergroup” of the great Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D Johnson & Josh Kaufman) Brent Cobb & Jade Bird - Feet Off The Ground Brighde Chaimbeul -  O Chiadain an Lo Brigyn - Oer Brittany Howard - Stay High    (the video for this, with Terry Crews, is a delight) Bruce Hornsby - Voyager One    ft. yMusic Burd Ellen - Sweet Lemany Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Thomas Bartlett - Kestrel Caribou - You and I Caroline Polachek - Door Cate Le Bon - Daylight Matters Caterina Barbieri - Arrows Of Time Clairo - Bags Cochemea - Mitote comfort - Not Passing The Cool Greenhouse - Cardboard Man    (a pretty hilarious song about David Cameron) CRAC - You Can’t Turn Your Back On Me    (Unreleased old track from ‘76) Cross Record - PYSOL My Castle CZ Wang and Neo Image - Just Off Wave Damon Locks / Black Monument Ensemble - a. Rebuild a Nation   b. Power Daniel Norgren - The Flow Danny Brown - Dirty Laundry Daphni - Sizzling    ft. Paradise Daughter Of Swords - Fellows      (Mountain Man member Alexandra Sauser-Monnig’s 1st solo record) Dave - Psycho David Kilgour - Smoke You Right Out Of Here David Thomas Broughton - Ambiguity     (from the 15th anniversary reissue of his remarkable debut album, The Complete Guide To Insufficiency) Denzel Curry - RICKY Destroyer - Crimson Tide Dry Cleaning - Dog Proposal Dubi Dolczek - Do The Gloop Durand Jones & The Indications - Long Way Home Ela Orleans - The Season      (From 2012 but on a career retrospective, Movies For Ears, put out this year) Elkhorn - Song Of The Son Emile Mosseri - a. The Last Black Man In San Francisco b. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)    ft. Mike Marshall         (both from the wonderful score for the wonderful film The Last Black Man In San Francisco, the latter a cover of an old song sung here by the guy who sang “I Got 5 On It”!!) Erland Cooper - Haar Ernest Hood - Saturday Morning Doze        (from a re-issue of his “self-released proto-ambient masterpiece” in ‘75) Fat White Family - Feet Faye Webster - Room Temperature Fennesz - In My Room Fernando Falcão -  As 7 Filhas Da Rainha Sumaia     (reissue from ‘87) FKA twigs - cellophane Florist - Shadow Bloom Flowdan - Welcome To London Fontaines D.C. - Roy’s Tune Four Tet / KH - Only Human French Vanilla - All The Time Gang Starr - Family and Loyalty   ft. J. Cole Georgia - About Work The Dancefloor Girl Band - Shoulderblades The Good Ones - Will You Be My Protector?   (of Rwanda) Grand Veymont - Les Rapides Bleus       (of France) Gyedu-Blay Ambolley - Sunkwa     (of Ghana) Hailaker - Not Much HAIM - Summer GIrl Hana Vu - Actress Hand Habits - placeholder Hannah Cohen - Get In Line The Harlem Gospel Travellers - If You Can’t Make It Through A Storm Hayden Thorpe - Diviner     (Former Wild Beasts frontman’s debut solo record) Helado Negro - Running The Highwomen - Redesigning Women Hiss Golden Messenger - I Need A Teacher Holly Herndon - Frontier Homeboy Sandman - Far Out Hoops - They Say Hotel Neon & Blurstem - Language Of Loss House and Land - Rainbow ‘Mid Life’s Willows Ibibio Sound Machine - Wanna Come Down IDER - Saddest Generation The Innocence Mission - On Your Side International Teachers Of Pop - I Stole Yer Plimsoles    ft. Jason Williamson (of Sleaford Mods) Jacken Elswyth - The Banks Of Green Williow Jaimie Branch - nuevo roquero estéreo Jake Xerxes Fussell - The River St. Johns Jamila Woods - ZORA Jayda G - Leave Room 2 Breathe Jenny Hval - Ashes To Ashes       Jenny Lewis - Red Bull and Hennessy Jesca Hoop - Outside of Eden     ft. Kate Stables (of This Is The Kit) and Jesca’s 12 year-old nephew Justis. This live performance is so sweet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUPmE_hU7Ss Jessica Pratt - As The World Turns Joanna Sternberg - This Is Not Who I Want To Be Joan Shelley - Cycle John Blek - North Star Lady Jordan Rakei - Say Something        bonus. under his DJ pseudonym: Dan Kye - Focus Jo Schornikow - Incomplete Joseph Shabason - West of Heaven Julianna Barwick - evening Junius Paul - Baker’s Dozen Kali Malone - Spectacle Of Ritual Kate Teague - Sweetheart Kate Tempest - a. Firesmoke    b. People’s Faces Kelly Moran - Halogen (Una Corda)       (from a record full of all the bare piano parts she played for her prior record before all the editing and processing) Kim Gordon - Air BnB Kindness - Hard To Believe     ft. Jazmine Sullivan KOKOKO! - Buka Dansa     (Congolese collective upcycling discarded materials to make their instruments) Konradsen - Baby Hallelujah     (of Norway) Lambchop - Everything For You Laura Cannell - a. Sing As The Crow Flies     b. Flaxen Fields Laura Stevenson - Lay Back, Arms Out Le Groupe Obscur -  Planète Ténèbres Leonard Cohen - Happens To The Heart Leo Svirsky - River Without Banks Little Simz - 101 FM Lizzo - Tempo   ft. Missy Elliot Loren Conors & Daniel Carter - Departing Lou Roy - Bite Low Chord - Walkk Lower Dens - Galapagos Mahalia - What You Did    ft. Ella Mai Majja - Black James Dean Maria Somerville - This Way Maria Usbeck - Amor Anciano Mary Halvorson & John Dieterich - Vega’s Array      (Mary the recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant this year, because she is) Mary Lattimore & Mac McCaughan - IV Matana Roberts - As Far As The Eye Can See Meitei - Ike Melanie Charles - Trill Suite, No. 1 (Daydreaming/Skylark) The Menzingers - Anna Messiahs Of Glory - No Other Love      (from a collection of rare black gospel from the Midwest between ‘65-’78 put out on Tompkins Square) Mica Levi - a. Hosting     b. Lobo y Lady (from the excellent Colombian film Monos) Michael Abels - a. I Got 5 On It (Tethered Mix)    b. Pas De Deux (both from the terrific score to the excellent Jordan Peele film, Us) Michael Kiwanuka - Living In Denial Michael Nau - Poor Condition Mike Adams At His Honest Weight - Wonderful To Love Minor Pieces - Rothko      (duo of Ian William Craig & newcomer Missy Donaldson) Modern Nature - Footsteps Molly Sarlé - Twisted      (Mountain Man member’s 1st solo record) Moodymann - I’ll Provide Moon Duo - Stars Are The Light Moor Mother - After Images Moses Boyd - Stranger Than Fiction Moses Sumney - Polly Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron - Love Without Possession MSYLMA - Inqirad (Rihab-U Dhakir)     (Saudi Arabia) The Murder Capital - Don’t Cling To Life Nardeydey - Freefalling The National - Rylan   ft. Kate Stables (of This Is The Kit) The New Pornographers - Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - a. Waiting For You   b. Bright Horses   c. Night Raid Nivhek - After Its Own Death: Side A    (Liz Harris of Grouper) Noname - Song 32 Octo Octa - Move Your Body ODD OKODDO - Auma      (Kenyan/German duo) Øyvind Torvund - Starry Night      (Norwegian composer) Pet Shop Boys - Burning The Heather Petter Eldh - Fanfarum for Komarum II Porridge Radio - Give/Take PREGOBLIN - Combustion Purple Mountains - a. Snow Is Falling In Manhattan    b. All My Happiness Is Gone   c. That’s Just The Way That I Feel Quelle Chris - Obamacare Quinie - Whas At The Windy Rapsody - Ibtihaj   ft. D’Angelo & GZA Reb Fountain - Faster Rian Treanor - ATAXIA_A1 Richard Dawson - Two Halves Robert Stillman - All Are Welcome Róisín Murphy - Incapable Rosalía - Milionària Rosenau & Sanborn - Saturday Rozi Plain - Symmetrical Ruth Garbus - Strash Sam Lee - The Moon Shines Bright   ft. Elizabeth Fraser (of Cocteau Twins) Sam Wilkes - Run Sandro Perri - Soft Landing SAULT - Smile and Go Seabuckthorn - To Which The Rest Were Dreamt serpentwithfeet - Receipts    ft. Ty Dolla $ign Sessa - Flor do Real         (of Brazil) Sheer Mag - Hardly To Blame Shit and Shine - No No No No Sinead O Brien - A Thing You Call Joy Siobhan Wilson - Plastic Grave Six Organs Of Admittance - Two Forms Moving Sleaford Mods - Kebab Spider Slow Meadow - Artificial Algorithm Snowy - EFFED    ft. Jason Williamson (of Sleaford Mods) SOAK - Knock Me Off My Feet Solange - Binz Sophie Crawford - A Miner’s Life Squid - Houseplants         bonus. Their cover of Robert Wyatt’s  “PIgs..... In There at End of the Road Festival) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DktZtQbo-YU Stella Donnelly - Old Man SUSS - Ursa Major Swamp Dogg - Sleeping Without You Is A Dragg   ft. Justin Vernon & Jenny Lewis Tami T - Birthday  Tenesha The Wordsmith - Why White Folks Can’t Call Me Nigga Theon Cross - Activate     ft. Moses Boyd & Nubya Garcia Thom Yorke - Dawn Chorus Tierra Whack - Wasteland Tim Hecker - That World Tiny Leaves - Respair Toya Delazy - Funani         (of South Africa) Twain - Death (Or S.F.?) Twin Peaks - Dance Through It Tyler Childers - All Your’n Vagabon - Water Me Down Vampire Weekend - This Life Vanishing Twin - Magicians Success Velvet Negroni - Confetti Vendredi Sur Mer - Chewing-Gum      (of France) Victoria Monét - Ass Like That Vieo Abiungo - Cobble Together Visible Cloaks - Stratum      ft. Yoshio Ojima & Satsuki Shibano Warmduscher - Midnight Dipper Weyes Blood - Andromeda Wilco - Love Is Everywhere (Beware) William Tyler - Our Lady Of The Desert Willie Scott & The Birmingham Spirituals - Keep Your Faith To The Sky     (from a collection of obscure 70′s era gospel on Luaka Bop, “The Time For Peace Is Now - Gospel Music About Us”) Xylouris White - Tree Song Ye Vagabonds - The Foggy Dew Zsela - Noise

[moczothe1st]

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 30: Man, oh Man, oh Manfroy

Part 29

Welcome back to Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War.  Last week, we fought off like six armies all at once, and it was miserable, but on the plus side Hilda died. I think every game would be better if Hilda died.  This week, we finish taking her castle and… *sigh* And we regret it, probably.  This week, we start off mid-turn, so after moving most of my southern front up north toward the action, I end my turn and let the remainder of Hilda’s dorks take their shot.

… Why couldn’t they have gone down that easy last week, huh?!

Now, on our turn, the enemy is down to four dark mages with staves, and one dark bishop with a siege tome in the castle. I have Fee cut down one of the former…

And have Larcei and Seliph talk about love, because honestly I’m actually in no big hurry to finish this castle.

Larcei: I’m coming with you on this one!

Seliph: Of course you’re welcome to… but why?

Larcei: It’s odd… I’m actually a little scared…

Seliph: Odd indeed! If there’s one thing you’ve never been known for, it’s fear.

Larcei: It’s… I just…

Seliph: Shhh. I understand. Now come! After all, what could ever inspire courage quite like having you at my side.

(… Damn, Seliph, smooth like silk. You win a little more of my respect, bro.)

Larcei: Seliph…

This conversation gives Seliph +1 to his Strength; it was apparently supposed to be +3, but he was actually only one point away from his (oddly low) cap. Apparently Seliph only has a natural 25 strength cap! That seems weird considering his descent from Sigurd the Humungous.

And… sigh. Guess I should kill the stupid boss.

All right. Nothing left but sleep staves, and they can’t really hurt us. I have Fee and Altena purge them.

And now we have the problem dealt with. A little jumping around before I set off the next story segment; I have Finn zapped home, where he repairs and sells his Brave Lance. I’m going to have Fee buy it after we take Freege.  Sorry, Finn, but you’re kind of just not holding up; you lasted longer than I expected you too, but despite being decent on offense you’re just kind of fragile.  Oifey will also be benched here, I think, he can stay to defend Freege castle after we take it.  Thankfully…

… The game is polite enough to tell us where the next part of the chapter will be coming from. So I do spend a turn or two moving the kids up to this gate and ready to rock. Seliph?

Seliph: But I can’t help but wonder… are the children at Belhalla still unharmed? I pray they are…

Lewyn: Funny you should say that!

(That’s not really the appropriate response to dying children.)

Lewyn: We’ve got a visitor who’s got a bit of news on that front, Seliph.

(“I’ve seen… terrible things. Thank the gods I have no sister, for I fear I would never be able to look her in the eyes again.”)

Felipe: On secret orders from His Majesty, the abducted children were moved here to Freege for safe-keeping.

(Orders so secret that we never actually got to see Arvis give them in that whole scene where he was desperately trying to save all the children at Chalphy and failing, being immediately caught, and then getting cowed into submission by a man infinitely less powerful than himself. STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME FEEL BAD FOR ARVIS, GAME.)

Felipe: Rest easy, sire. They’re all hiding in the city’s abbey, and they’re all in good health.

Seliph: And all under Hilda’s nose, at that! That you’ve kept every last child safe in Hilda’s own city… color me impressed!

Felipe: Actually, sire… Princess Ishtar deserves your thanks. Without her generous aid given in secret, we could never have done this. No Imperial soldiers dared come even close to the abbey, on pain of the princess’s wrath.

Seliph: Princess Ishtar?! But why… why would she-

Felipe: Few people in this land are as kind and caring as Princess Ishtar.  

FEW PEOPLE IN THIS LAND ARE AS KIND AND CARING AS PRINCESS ISHTAR.

YEAH SHE’S A FUCKIN’ TREASURE.

Felipe: All along, the princess has toiled behind the scenes to aid our cause.  It was Princess Ishtar herself who ensured that every last child escaped from the bowels of Belhalla.

(“Then… how comes she’s… you know… literally banging the Devil?” “Technically he’s a ghost dragon.”)

Seliph: I see… at any rate, thank the gods for their safety. I’m certain everyone will be glad to know the children are in good hands. You have my deepest thanks, Lord Felipe.

Lewyn: Well, Seliph, that’s one job done. Good to see we’re finally getting results out of this mess.

(Hey, screw you man, I’ve conquered three quarters of the country.)

Seliph: And yet, Julia still eluds us… where could she possibly be?

Lewyn: The only options left now are Belhalla and Velthomer. It’s got to be one of those two.

Seliph: And Belhalla is where Julius awaits…

Lewyn: Yeah. We’ll need to find Julia first if we want to go anywhere near Belhalla. Without Julia’s power on our side, we won’t have a hope in hell against Julius.

(Again, not technically true, but you really should listen to him on this one.)

Seliph: But no matter what’s happened, Julius is still her brother. Will she even want to fight him…

Lewyn: … You’ll have to convince her.

(I mean, you’ve met Julius. It won’t be super hard.)

Ishtar: This will require that I leave your side, even for a while. I beg your forgiveness.

Julius: Feh.

Julius: Why the rush to get out there so suddenly, Ishtar? All the soldiers they could ever throw at us could never so much as scratch me. Why even bother with those maggots?

Ishtar: Yes, I know… but for me, there is no greater pride than being one of Freege’s great mages.

(“Saving all those children? Doesn’t even compare.”)

Ishtar: My parents and brother lie dead, and I cannot stand to leave their murderers to run amok… please. All I ask is a chance for vengeance.

Julius: It sounds as if what you really want is to following your family to death on a rebel’s blade! Are you so desperate to escape me, Ishtar?

Ishtar: No… nothing like that, Lord Julius. I love you. Nothing will ever change that.

Julius: Hmhmhmhmhm… I know.  

Julius: Very well! Fight if you must. I won’t stop you.

Ishtar: Thank you… now, I beg your pardon. Meng! Bleg! Mabel! We sortie at once.

(Oh god, we are really scraping the bottom of the name barrel this time. ‘Meng’?  ‘Bleg’?)

Julius: Now, then. I think it’s time we put an end to this sorry show. Deadlords, move out!  And order Arion’s unit to attack!

(… wait, what?)

So. You may recall I told you to remember this moment.

It was important for two reasons.

First: This is the moment the war becomes winnable. You see, Manfroy is not… really all that into Loptyr. Oh, he worships him, but it’s not really about loyalty so much as sadism. Manfroy hates the world, and every single human being in it. His overall goal in life is nothing more or less than to make humanity suffer as much as possible. But he’s generally pragmatic about it. He knew the best way to hurt humanity was to revive Loptyr, who possesses incredible powers and views humans as little better than food to eat and pets to abuse. This moment, right here, is the moment that Manfroy, flush with overconfidence in the presence of his god on earth and having enjoyed a long decade and a half tormenting the entire continent, finally makes a mistake. He lets his sadism overpower his common sense for the first time. And in so doing, he gives us a real shot.

Second: Because he’s still Manfroy, he’s a total fuckwad about it.  

Remember Ayra? Waaaaaaaaay back in Verdane, remember how we recruited Ayra. How we had to get to a castle to turn her non-hostile to us, only she was between the army and the castle and she was trying to kill us the whole time?

Yeah, that’s happening again. Only it’s Julia, our lil’ atomic vampire gatling gun trying to kill us. Of course she’s just as strong as she was when she was on our side, why would you even ask.  Oh, and just for fun…

Here’s the map of what we need to achieve.  The blue X is where we are. The red X is where we need to get to save Julia.  The ravenous piranha is Ishtar’s army, waiting to pounce upon us and tear us limb from bloody limb.  And to her right, marked by the douche, is Julius. You don’t have to fight him, and you in fact definitely should not because getting anywhere near him will also draw the Deadlords out to fight you, but of course has a siege tome now and will cheerfully wreck the shit of anyone who gets anywhere near him, therefore heavily limiting the space we have to move.

And of course, Julia will be trying to kill us the whole time, and we can’t fight back and risk killing her.

And hahaha, yeah, Arion will be showing up soon.  

This is not going to be any fun, is what I’m getting at here.

First thing’s first, let’s take a look at our piranha.  

Ishtar has taken yet another level in badass; her magic has gone up two points, skill by three, luck by 2, defense by eight, and resistance by one. And this time, she’s got an actual army with her instead of fighting us alone; three Snipers, three Heroes, three Sages, three High Priests with Fortify (of course) staves, and of course…. *snerk*…. Bleg, Meng, and Mabel.

They’re three identical Falcon Knights, both in picture and stats, so I’ll only be showing one of them. Despite the intensely crappy names, they honestly three ridiculously dangerous units. They all have Earth Swords, meaning any hit they land is going to heal them, and they’ll be hitting often what with that maxed-out Speed and solid 23 skill. And to make things worse, they all have the Nihil ability to prevent us from just shooting them down with arrows or relying on Astra to solve our problems.  

So! This is going to suck. A lot. But thanks to Ced being awesome, there’s an option I can take to make this a lot more manageable.  Lana sells her Silence staff, and he buys it…

And with his 35 fucking magic he can overpower Ishtar’s 32 Resistance to Silence her up to three times, basically removing Mjolnir from the equation for this battle. And Mjolnir is like… half of this battle’s equation.

I literally cannot believe I’ve never tried this before.  From here, the army moves forward, Seliph leading the way; he’ll be attacked by quite a lot of people here, but he’s a living iron wall of destruction, and the more of these people I can lure away from the main melee, the better.  So. End turn!

(*sigh* Must you, now?)

Arion: Chalphy’s fall to our blades shall be the first step to winning back our fatherland. Now, move in! Show these liberators one final defiance from the drackoknights of Thracia!

A solid enough start! We hurt one Falcon Knight, and didn’t take much damage in return.  And now that Ishtar is in range…  

Oh, that is delicious.  Now, my first goal here is to kill at least one of these three annoyingly fast pega-bitches, but I also have to get Altena (and yes it has to be her, of course it has to be her) down to the castle to intercept Arion.  I hate everything forever.

One down!  Let’s keep this train rolling and clear out some more jerks.

Two out of three ain’t bad!

Okay, I think that’s about all the damage I’m going to get done this turn.  And not bad at all, frankly, so I’m happy.  I have Lene dance Altena, and warp her home with Lana.

Ignore the pentagram. It’s a good pentagram. Down at the bottom, Altena equips Gae Bolg and flies to just outside Arion’s range. The rest of his buddies don’t matter at all, but I don’t want her to fight him. There’s a reason for this, of course. It’s unsatisfying, but it makes her happy.

The things I do for my kids, I swear.

End turn.  

… Huh. They don’t attack her? Or maybe they can’t damage her. I honestly am not sure.

*sniff*

I remember the last time I played this map.

I died five times on this battle alone.

And now it’s going better than the fight against the fucking Beige Knights.

I don’t understand what’s going on.

Altena: How could you be so craven?! How dare you place your vanity and pride over what truly matters!

(You tell him, honey!)

Arion: What do you want from me, then?

(God, don’t ask her that. This LP is not rated Adults Only.)

Altena: Take a good, hard look at Prince Seliph! Ask yourself, this: why is he still fighting? For whom is he out here day after day, setting his own suffering to the side?

Arion: So Seliph fights for justice, and I somehow do not? Is that what you’re trying to say?

(…. YES!)

Altena: Very well, Arion… if you won’t see reason, so be it. Come on. Kill me. End this. My… my life is in your hands. I die with no regrets.

Arion: A-Altena… very well. You can rest easy now. I get it. I was wrong… my mercenary days are at an end, and my final task is with Seliph. Wait… no. With you. I now fight for you, Altena.

Altena: Arion…

Yeah, it would have been neat if you’d done this a few maps ago, jackass, but Arion is on our side now. Or, well, sorta. He doesn’t join the army, but his unit becomes neutral and are programmed to stay close to Altena and be hostile to any Belhalla units that get near them. I know we all sort of wanted to kill him, but he still has Gungnir and I really just didn’t want to risk a screwup when things are going so well.  I mean, I’m not even gonna use him. At this point, letting him get near the enemy would likely result in him rushing Julius and dying, which sorta defeats the point. Let’s just end this; time to wipe out the remains of Ishtar’s unit.

And now, a special treat. Since Ishtar can’t fight, we get to see a conversation that even I have never actually seen.

(…. ‘Nothing but kind’.)

(Just sayin’.)

Ishtar: … I may be in the wrong. But I can’t turn back now. Forgive me, Tinni… please….

And thus passes Princess Ishtar of Freege. She died as she lived: getting nuked by her cousins. And without her leadership stars…

All right. Now, the rest of the army is going to stay right where they fucking are. Julia cannot be trusted to not kill herself, or more troublesome to not kill me.  The only people going forward are Seliph and Ares, who are going to go north across the forest, out of Julius’s range, and try to lure Julia into following them. Their resistance is tremendous, and they’re both on horses. Ideally she’ll try to kill them, fail, and be following them and unable to catch up until I can free her. This will take a few turns of nothing but movement because I will not be going anywhere near Julius.

Trust me.

She seeeeeeeeeees uuuuuuuuuuussssss…

Okay. There’s two things that could happen here. She’s either going to go east and cut us off, in which case we’ll be dodging vampire lasers the rest of the map, or she’s going to go north through the forest and we basically win the game.  Let’s see!

…. Bitch. Okay, straight west you guys! Hide on the healing church, you beautiful bastards. God, haven’t used one of those in awhile, with those fifty healers in the army lining up to zap everyone with staves.

Dammit, Loptyrians, I am trying to flee in terror from a small woman.

Okay. We can do this. Ares heals up, and all we have to do is clear out those priests and kill Manfroy. Go get ‘em, boys!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Are you fucking kidding me.  

Of all the.

That.

I.

I.

You.

HOW.

What the!

NO.

………………

Well. You know all those times when I was questioning my good fortune? The moments where I was like ‘oh, man, I don’t trust how generous the game is being, bet it’s gonna screw me later!’ Well, that just happened.

*sigh*

End turn. If I survive this, I will be genuinely stunned.

Oh hey it’s as though the Hel tome is really easy to dodge and you should have dodged it all along. But here we go…

(How do you know that’s Manfroy? You’ve never met him…)

Manfroy: So I did. And so long as I live, my puppet she shall remain! Hehehehehe!  She’s every bit as helpless before my magic as her mother was…

Seliph: I should have known. If not for you, Mother… Gah! All of this misery… all these agonizing years… It was all your doing from the outset!

Manfroy: Heh… of course. Everything I’ve done has led to this moment: the revival of my lord Loptyr. And at last, it is so! Loptyr’s advent in the form of Prince Julius is complete, and darkness shall soon engulf the world. You cannot prevent it. Nobody can…

Seliph: Manfroy, you… Father’s grief… Mother’s despair… if not for you and your foul ambitions, none of this would have ever happened… Damn you, Manfroy! I cannot allow you to win! I will not! You’ll NEVER know mercy for your crimes!

Yeah, not the dramatic win I was hoping for after that great speech. But I guess I saw that coming.  Reset! I start off a little differently; Seliph and Ares park themselves on trees. With the 20% dodge bonus, they should have no chance of being hit by Hel, and very little of being hit by Julia. We need to clear out these Dark Mages before we go for Manfroy.

Better! This repeats for all of them; one actually dies because they’re forced to attack at close-range thanks to being blocked off by their own buddies, which is great.

Yeah, yeah.

He only does one damage. Seliph could have survived him with no problem in any other situation. I hate this game sometimes. On our turn, I have Ares and Seliph each clear out a mage…

Then immediately go hide in the woods again. I am playing this as cautious as humanly possible, honestly. Better to spend three turns killing mages than let the reset counter jump up above the number of updates.

The enemy misses again on their turn, because they literally can’t not miss. Two more deaths…

All right! That’s that for dark mages. On the next turn, Ares is going to park his butt on the healing church forever, and Seliph goes to fight Manfroy.

You stay out of this.

Now then. It’s time. It’s time to face Manfroy himself.  In direct combat. The enemy behind it all! The dark schemer who has given over our kingdom to the dark god.  And he…

Is a loser.  I mean, he’s not the worst enemy in the game. He’s okay. But he’s definitely no match for Arvis, or Ishtar, or… anyone with a holy weapon, really.  Which fits, really; his danger is his skill and intellect, not his power.  But considering he’s basically the final boss, it’s a little sad, still.

Seliph. Teach him some manners, bro.

And with two shots, he’s down to six HP.  End turn.

I miss the days when I was the one with the Julia Beams.

*sniff*

God. That is just cathartic to do. Now. With Manfroy off to Hell, where I’m assuming he will meet Hilda and strike up a whirlwind love affair, Seliph can take the castle.

Lewyn: That’s right, isn’t it Felipe?

Felipe: My liege concealed the key within his most treasured memento…. The circlet once worn by Empress Deirdre.

(HURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRK!)

Felipe: If we can find that circlet, sir, the Book of Naga is yours.

Lewyn: Deirdre’s circlet…

And that’s that! Ares runs toward the castle, with intent to lure Julia toward us. Of course she’s still hostile, why are you even asking? She has to talk to Seliph to get back to our side. Tee-hee, Fire Emblem hates you.

God, you are just like your mother. Seliph, go fix this please.

Seliph: It was Manfroy’s dark arts. He brainwashed you into his service.

Julia: Manfroy… that’s right, he caught me…

Seliph: Thank goodness you’re safe.  

Julia: Lord Seliph, I…

Seliph: It’s fine, Julia. I know. Lewyn told me everything. I’m sorry… I failed to protect you.

Julia: No… it’s fine. Don’t worry, Seliph. I finally know why I’ve survived for all these years. I know my fate… I’m fated to fight. I’ll never run away again!

Seliph: You’re right… This is the will of fate, tragic as it is. None can afford to cower or flee now. Until the bitter end, we must march on.

And with that, Julia rejoins the team. She’s just as strong as ever, barring one fact; she’s picked up Deirdre’s circlet, adding Renewal and Miracle to her list of abilities, which is a heck of an upgrade.

But not as good as the one she gets from reaching Velthomer.

Lewyn: It worked… it really worked! And there it is, the Book of Naga! It’s yours for the taking, Julia!

Julia: … Oh! How strange… it feels so warm. It’s almost as if I’ve known this book all my life…

And now, the game is over. See, here’s the thing… Julius is just as dangerous as before, if not slightly moreso. His stats are slightly lower than his first appearance where you are very clearly not meant to fight him, but he still has Loptyr’s game-breaking effect, and his ability list is now Wrath, Pursuit, Nihil, and Accost. So he can double most of our army, null critical hits and combat abilities, and gets a huge critical boost when his health drops below half. And of course, he’s on a castle and gets the defense bonus and health regeneration that gives. Basically, he’s borderline invincible. The only real option if you lose Julia is to have Seliph fight him, and poor Seliph can only do about 15 damage per turn (if he hits) some of which will then be healed.  While getting blasted in the face repeatedly, so you’ll need to get someone in to heal him between rounds, and they’ll very probably die to having Meteors dropped on their head unless you’re very lucky. And then there’s the Deadlords, who are just a pain.  

But if you do have Julia…

Yeah.

YEEEEEEEEEAH.  

Naga is the best weapon in the game. +20 each to Skill, Speed, Defense, and Resistance, instantly turns Julia into a hyper-fast, hyper-accurate, hyper-durable killing machine. And as a light magic tome, it has no disadvantage to any kind of weapon. And, of course, it negates Loptyr’s half-damage effect.  Your reward for the most annoying recruitment in the game is the weapon that ends the game. Big time.

So.  

It’s time to lay back and let Big J play us out, I think. I have her do the Arena, just for old times sake. Nothing even touches her.

Julia: Seven wins, gained two levels. +2 HP, +1 Speed.

About as good as can be expected at this point, honestly. And it…. Doesn’t really matter, you know? She heads to Belhalla, and Julius has no chance to hit her with Meteor, so he doesn’t even try.  The Twelve Deadlords rush up to meet her, of course…

They’re going to regret this. The Deadlords are named for the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and each one has a different class and some very good weapons and abilities. They’re a dangerous group! Usually.  

One down, eleven to go. End turn.  

And then there were nine.

Sorry, seven.

Six of one, half-dozen of the other.

Fun fact, ‘Lepus’ means ‘Rabbit’. And ‘Dead’.

Well I’ll be! Someone landed a hit!  Too bad Julia did too. Four to go.  

I’m so bad at counting! It’s actually three. Congrats to Equus the Bishop on surviving a round with The Julinator.  But with that, none of the remaining Deadlords will actually take a shot at Julia anymore, so I’m just going to ignore them. It’s time for a family reunion.

(He isn’t wrong.)

Yes, that was a single round of combat. Julius procced his Accost skill and made the fight last an extra round. This… was not helpful to him.

Julius vanishes, the spirit of the dragon arising from the castle as the entire map shakes…

But it’s just bluster. Naga’s power has destroyed Loptyr’s vessel, and with its bloodline finally ended the dragon’s grip on this world is gone. Loptyr returns to whatever void it came from, and with the power that animated them gone, the few surviving Deadlords vanish.  

I’m going to cut out here, but no sense waiting a week, huh? So see you tomorrow for the epilogue, kids. I think we earned it.

Final Reset Total: 30.  Y... yay.

Epilogue