#or if you just want to know how sparring/training works in a teaching setting)

[lightning-chicken]

because i do martial arts and i’m curious:

if you do some form of martial arts, put it in the tags! (only if you’re comfortable of course)

please reblog for larger sample size!

[moon1833]

SEVEN METER -INUMAKI TOGE

“Inumaki Toge had given up on his dream of being able to verbally confess to the person he liked years ago.”

By the time Inumaki turned ten, he fully accepted the fact that he would live his life without anyone fully understanding what he wanted to say.

It was a bit lonely at first, to see everyone around him besides his family talk freely, but he had no other life to compare it to.

By the time he was seventeen, the dream had fell into the furthest corner in the back of his mind, hardly ever remembering it being a thought until you, the new second year student, revealed your technique to him during training.

“Freeze.” His command sounded different off his tongue, but he didn’t notice it right away.

When you kicked your legs out anyway, forcing him off balance and throwing him to the ground, then he realized something was off.

Inumaki’s cheek was in the grass, his arm pinned to his back as your legs stopped him from twisting. From the corner of his eye, he stared at you in confusion, and a bit of admiration.

“It’s my cursed technique.” You couldn’t help the grin on your face. “It stops all techniques in a seven meter radius.”

You step off of him, giving him your hand to help him get up. He takes it, his lips parted slightly in shock.

“I know, I’m sorry.” You help dust some dirt off his shoulder. “You could’ve spoken to me without having to limit your vocabulary when you first met me yesterday, but I wanted to surprise you.”

You wait as he takes the information in, his mind trailing with possibilities, trying to figure out what his first real words would be to you.

“It’s… okay.” He settles on, feeling as though he was attempting another language.

“Here, let’s go again.” You smile. “It’ll be fair this time.”

From that point on, Inumaki couldn’t deny he felt a slight attachment to you. After all, he could talk freely to you and not worry about hurting you.

It was an adjustment, to be sure. He wasn’t used to the sound of his own voice using so many words at a time, and that his throat didn’t hurt when he did.

At the same time, you found yourself at his side as well. He smiled more when you were in the room, and you believed it was because he had someone he could now actually talk to.

Everyone else, however, read into it a different way.

Gojo was convinced you two were both in love with each other, constantly setting you up together in sparring work and putting you on missions together. Maki, Panda, and even Yuuta teased him relentlessly, desperately trying to get the boy to admit he had a crush on you.

Sure, you might’ve been powerful, hard working, and one of the prettiest people Inumaki had ever had the pleasure of seeing, but that didn’t mean he had a crush on you.

Besides, even if Inumaki did, personal feelings was the last thing you wanted to get mixed up in. You had made that crystal clear on your very first day, practically skipping onto Jujitsu High, brimming with determination that rivaled Maki.

Your cursed technique was incredibly useful, but it was still messy. You were hoping to learn to control it better, as well as improve your combat skills. After all, you had people to save, and things like romance didn’t fare well with jujitsu sorcerers.

Even you couldn’t deny, though, there was definitely something going on between you and Inumaki.

You were always training, eating, or even sleeping together. In class, your seats were always together, and he’d whisper commentary about Gojo-Sensei’s weird teaching that would have you covering your mouth to conceal your laughter.

By the time you both had turned eighteen, your classmates had truly had enough.

“Can you two just kiss already?” Maki’s face twisted as she complained, eyeing her friends were practically on top of each other on the couch in the common room.

You removed your legs from Toge’s lap, immediately missing how he drew circles on your knees.

“Honestly, I think you two actually making out in front of us instead of the constant heart eyes would be less intimate.” Megumi suddenly joins the conversation, Itadori nodding in agreement beside him.

Your eyes slightly widen in surprise, and you don’t have to look at Toge to know he’s flushed red.

“Bonito flakes.” He pouts, crossing his arms and shrinking into his hoodie.

“Oh, come on.” Nobara groans, throwing her head against her armchair. “This is borderline annoying.”

“I’m loosing money, you know.” Maki’s grinning a bit now. “We should lock them in a closet or something.”

“No, no.” You say quickly. “You people are insane.”

“And you’re boring.” Nobara whines.

Itadori whispers something to Megumi, and he looks at him quizzically. Nobara must have overheard it, because she’s howling with laughter.

“What?” Maki pries.

“Yuuji thought they were already together.” She says in between gasps.

Toge fully hides his face in his hands, but you can see bits of reddened skin between his fingers.

Luckily, Panda comes back with a few snacks a few minutes later, and the topic changes. The group decides to watch a movie, and for the first time, you try your best to not fall asleep on Toge’s shoulder.

Still, it’s past midnight when the movies credits begin to roll, and your head feels heavy. Your blinks are longer, and you rest your face against the head of the loveseat.

Silently, Toge watches you carefully. You’re fighting (and failing) to stay awake, and your face is scrunched slightly.

The two of you are the only people still awake, Maki was using Panda as a pillow, and the three underclassmen were sleeping on top of each other.

Toge pokes your face, and you snap up. There’s a coy smile on his lips, and you can’t bring yourself to be mad at him.

“What?” You whisper.

He shrugs, a bit worried about speaking with so many people in the room.

“It’s okay, I’ve gotten good at it.” You reassure. You had mastered it last month, being able to target one individual and force them to not have any cursed techniques. Only downside was using it for an extended time would make you pass out.

He nods a bit shyly before swallowing. “That movie was ass.”

You laugh sharply, nodding in agreement. “I’m not sure why we let Itadori pick anymore.”

At his name, the boy in question let out a guttural snore, and you and Toge couldn’t contain your giggles.

“C’mon.” You push him up. “We’re going to wake them up.”

Still holding back your laughter, the two of you ran hand in hand down the hallway and up the stairs.

From the other side of the stairs, you could hear footsteps trotting closer to you. Before you heard his footsteps, you felt his cursed energy. Quickly, you enabled your own technique to hide your and Toge’s trails, holding onto his shoulder to stop his movements.

Realistically, Gojo probably wouldn’t give two shits that you were out past curfew, but on the off chance that he did, you didn’t want to serve detention with him again.

The last time, he had left you in the classroom overnight because he had locked the door and forgot you were there. You had to climb out of the window to get out.

You pulled Toge under the stairwell, unintentionally gripping onto him with both hands. His arms were comfortably wrapped around your waist, and he was grinning ear to ear.

Gojo started to whistle incredibly off key as he walked, and the you made the mistake of making eye contact with Toge as he did.

“Shh!” You covered his mouth with your hand, but you were still laughing. In response, he covers your mouth as well, and you still don’t realize you’re practically nose to nose.

The both of you are still giddy, shushing laughs that are a bit too loud for you to not get caught. You can’t pull away from his eyes, and your mouth parts slightly.

Before you can think about it, you press your lips to his, ceasing the rare opportunity of the boys chin above his jacket.

He giggles into the kiss, holding your face in his hands. You grin, and your teeth graze his lip. He gasps, and your hands grip onto his shirt.

Toge presses harder into you, and you stagger back into the wall. You’re suddenly familiar with how he tastes, and it’s an addiction you cannot want to be used to.

Inumaki Toge had given up on his dream of being able to verbally confess to the person he liked years ago. But, there you were, staring up at him with pretty eyes and a smile that knocked the wind out of him, and the words ‘I love you’ were so so simple to say.

[jnkgrnde]

— glossy kisses, clarisse la rue, pjo

summary — in which, clarisse is in love with the way your lipgloss sticks to her.

pairings — clarisse la rue x black!fem!reader (any descent)

content includes — fluff, soft/sorta needy clarisse, kissing

you sat at one of the makeup tables set up in your cabin, getting ready for the day. it wasn’t much, just some simple coverup and lip gloss.

clarisse’s favorite lip gloss.

your girlfriend hasn’t directly expressed that she loved when you wore lip gloss, but you knew she loved it. she showed it when you walked out of your cabin after finishing getting ready, and she had a smile on her face as soon as she saw you. she was happy to see you, of course, but she also saw you wearing lipgloss that day.

she knew she’d end the day with having multiple glossy lip marks on her face, and eventually one on her lips at the end of the day, when she walks you to and drops you off at your cabin.

the first one came when you met up with eachother at breakfast. today was your day to sit at the ares table. “hi, sweet girl.” she greeted. she wrapped her arm around your waist to bring you in for a kiss. you grinned when you kissed her, and she almost kept going before you pulled away. “patience, pretty.” you reminded her.

clarisse had a ‘bad’ habit of always wanting to have her lips on yours, and it only got worse when you wore the lipgloss. she looked at you with puppy eyes, all because she just wanted to kiss you so bad. “baby, jus’ wait.” you promised. she faked annoyance, “fineee.” she dragged out. you laughed at her antics before interlocking your fingers with hers and walking into the dining pavilion.

you two grabbed your plates and got the food you desired before scraping some of it into the fire. you sat down at one of the ends of the ares table, right across from each other, discussing your plans for the day. “are you gonna come help me teach the little kids how to spar, princess?” you winced at the mere thought of the activity.

“wish i could, but i have to pick strawberries from the fields today. i’ll wish you luck, though!” you grinned devilishly. clarisse fake glared at you in agitation. “you’re training them next time, you know that, right?” you shrugged. “don’t doubt my way to sweet talk people, la rue.”

it was after you two finished eating was when you separated to get your activities done. you usually kept your tube with you, so you reapplied before setting off to the sweet fields. “see you at dinner?” you knew the answer. you nodded, reaching up to grab her face and kiss her cheek. she had such a large grin on her face at the mere fact of knowing she had an imprint from you for the day.

you went your separate ways, clarisse staying to watch you before finally leaving. you ready the strawberry fields, the sun beaming down on your skin. the star was making the smell of the strawberries greater, and you yearned to have at least one before the day ended.

you picked up a sunhat, gloves, cutters, and a basket before setting off into the dirt and through the fields. you hummed softly to yourself while you worked, and before you knew it, it was the end of the day. you breathed out tiredly. the weight of the basket was starting to get to you. it was filled to the brim with the sugary berries.

you made your way back to the front of the entrance of the patch, setting down your basket for the others to collect, not before sneaking some into your fists. you munched on the delicious fruit, the taste exploding in your mouth. you’d always loved strawberries, and these ones only amplified the feeling.

by the time you reached the main campgrounds, clarisse was wrapping up lessons. she was tired and definitely had a few cuts from the kids with swords and spears. she was instructing them to put the weapons up carefully before leaving for the day. she saw you and broke into a tired smile.

you gave her one back before you took notice of the cuts she had. “that bad, huh?” she let out a sigh. “you have no idea.” she loved fighting, she really did, but teaching the younger, newer kids was a whole other level. she pecked your lips, pulling back before actually tasting you. “you taste so good.” she mumbled. you pulled away, “just had a couple strawberries after i finished. need to bring up to chiron that we should make some-“ she cut you off by smashing her lips to yours.

she was definitely addicted. it took some time, but you finally pulled away to get air. “baby, please,” she whined. “i haven’t seen you all day. let me have you.” you giggled at her desperateness. “well, can you at least wait till i’ve washed myself?” you told her. “just ten or fifteen minutes, baby.”

she stood like she was thinking it over before agreeing. she gave you one more peck before letting you go. “don’t be too long, pretty girl.”

you had finished getting dressed when the conch sounded for dinner. you walked happily along the ground, eager to meet clarisse. you two talked about your day and how one of the kids almost stabbed themselves in the eye, and then hers.

it was finally the end of the day. you were worn out and ready to go to bed, and you knew clarisse was too. she walked you to your cabin, hand in hand. you swung them back and forth as you walked, just listening to the campers get ready to go to bed, the fireflies in the air. the atmosphere was just comforting.

the lights at the cabins slowly started going out as some stragglers finally came in and turned out the lights. you and her were some of them. you walked up the steps to the doors, where clarisse turned. “you’ll come to me if anything happens, right?” “always.” you promised. “good. night, sweet girl.”

the night ended with a kiss on her cheek, the same place you kissed after breakfast. she kissed your lips before heading down the stairs with a smile. you went inside your cabin, and she watched for the light to go out. the flame extinguished, and she knew you were turning in.

she walked off to her cabin, her cheek tingling with your form of an imprint — a glossy kiss.

[ilguna]

Hey! I love your work so much. Can you do 4 with four (tobias) from divergent ?

☼ succeed (tobias eaton) ☼

warnings; swearing, fighting, blood mention.

wc; 2.4k

prompt; 4. "Why do you sacrifice so much for me?"

notes; tweaked canon, obviously. not really noticeable unless you’re a huge fan.

--

Dauntless initiation is—unsurprisingly—far from what you thought it would be. To be fair, you’re not entirely sure what exactly you were expecting in the first place. All you know was that you were going to be in for a ride when they made you jump on and off of a moving train directly after transferring. 

This gave you a clue of what was to come, of course, but you took it in a different direction. If they wanted to see how daring you could be by risking your lives, then maybe that meant you’d be doing dangerous tasks throughout the rest of the month. 

On the first day, you assumed that you’d be learning how to throw away your inhibitions and solely rely on your instincts. An idea that isn’t incredibly outlandish when it comes to Dauntless. After all, they’re the ones in charge of security and wall perimeter—the jobs that can end up being deadly.

This is why you didn’t have a significant reaction when you were informed by Four that they’d be introducing you to self-defense. They proceeded to hang you a gun, gave you a target, and told you to shoot until your bullets were gone. And after lunch, they brought you to a large room where you were taught how to properly fight an opponent.

This is when reality had begun to set in. They were not teaching you this in case the situation ever arose, but because they wanted you to use it in the coming week. You’re going to be forced to defend yourself, whether you like it or not. They were just being courteous enough to teach you how to, first.

You didn’t figure this out until yesterday when you saw the chalkboard. While it had previously been devoid of writing, it suddenly held a list of names side by side, pairing initiates up together. For the first few minutes, you were under the impression that it was for sparring.

When they sent Al and Will into the center circle together, instructed to fight one another, you looked at Four. You found his eyes already on you, arms crossed over his chest, face hard. In that moment, you remembered all of his warnings for you to pay close attention to the way he’d been throwing his kicks and punches.

It’s not like you were ignoring him, but you did continuously brush him off because he was being overbearing. He must’ve taken this as you just being a know-it-all Erudite, leaving you to figure it out on your own. You’d have to learn one way or another that your logic wouldn’t help.

When really, you hadn’t heard him when he said that you’d be fighting your fellow initiates. 

You were a deer in headlights when the rules were explained. In these fights, you are to keep going until one of you is unable to continue. And while you could concede, it won’t be done without going unpunished. In the old rules, a brave man can acknowledge the strength of others. In the new rules, made by the newest Dauntless leader, a brave man never surrenders.

You think Four may have recognized that a mistake was made. He was quick to come up with an escape, albeit at the cost of your pride. He called you out in the middle of Eric’s explanation, telling you not to be sick on the floor unless you wanted to clean it. All you had to say was that breakfast wasn’t settling well, and you were excused to go sit down with a trash can.

With there being ten initiates in your group, there should’ve been five fights. You sat out, making it four, but none of you made it past the second one. Will and Al fought just fine, Al even won. The next fight to happen was Christina and Molly, which was following the same pattern as the first fight, until Christina decided that she wanted to concede.

That’s when you were informed that a punishment would go along with it. Eric was pissed, dragging Christina all the way to the chasm in the Pit that hangs above the river, barking at the rest of you to follow. He then made her climb to the other side of the railing and forced her to hold on to the bridge by her hands until he was satisfied.

When she didn’t fall to her death, you were dismissed for the rest of the day. This destroyed your plan of analyzing the fighting techniques of the others to figure out what you’re supposed to do. To make up for it, you thought you could come practice in the middle of the night, but the doors were locked.

So, to put it lightly, you’re screwed. The only way to learn now is from the fights that will be taking place, and even then you’ll still be at a disadvantage no matter how you approach it.

As soon as you step foot into the training room, your eyes find the chalkboard, curious to who you’ve been paired up with today. Yesterday, it was supposed to be Tris, the Abnegation transfer. She would’ve been a good first fight to figure out how you want to be in the ring, but that opportunity has passed.

Today, you are given more of a challenging opponent—Peter.

“Oh no,” A voice says, you glance over your shoulder to see that Christina is limping her way over to Tris. Her face is fairly bruised from the beating she received from Molly yesterday. “At least you aren’t paired with Peter.”

Both of them look in your direction, and you accidentally lock eyes with Christina for a moment. You press your lips together in disgust and turn away, no longer interested in their conversation. You are not a member of Erudite anymore, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop seeing you that way. Not until you prove to them that you’re not snot-nosed. 

You turn your attention to Peter, who’s got a good few inches on you. Which wouldn’t be an issue, much less have you worried, if he didn’t have the muscle he does. This fight could easily go two ways, but you have a feeling it’s leaning in his favor more than yours. 

“Maybe she can just take a few hits and pretend to go unconscious.” Al suggests loud enough for you to hear. “No one would blame her.”

You grit your teeth at the idea of taking the cowards way out, something that you won’t be doing, no matter how tempting it is. Even if it does work out in your favor, there’s no telling what Eric will do to you when he figures out that you’d faked it. While he made Christina hang from the chasm by her hands, he’d tell you to do something much worse. Or kick you out of initiation altogether for not having the Dauntless heart.

Which isn’t true. You belong here.

Fortunately, you and Peter are not the first fight of the day, it’s Edward and Molly. You might as well be, though. The pair of you are listed directly underneath them. You think that you’d even prefer being the first to go. If you could get it out of the way, you would.

As you mindlessly watch Edward and Molly, you try to pick out some of their moves to remember with Peter. Four had taught the group of you the basics to get started, he never said that you couldn’t mix in what you know as well. Which is nothing, because you’ve never got into a fight before. There was never a need to.

The personalization works out in Edward’s favor. The technique that Molly had used yesterday on Christina is fairly predictable. On top of that, she’s not fast enough to keep up with Edward’s pace. It’s only a matter of minutes before she’s beaten near-unconscious. That’s when Drew and Peter work together to peel her off of the wooden floor and to the nearest wall to recover.

In the short time you have, you take a couple of deep breaths, shaking your hands to rid the anxious energy that’s fueling your body. You make eye contact with Four briefly, and in this time, he gives you a solid nod. He’s confident in your abilities, more so than you are. It’s a shame that you’re probably going to let him down.

Still, you walk your way to the white circle, standing at one end of it while you wait for Peter. When he finally turns his attention to you,. There’s a smile spread across his face, 

“You okay there, Blowhard?” Peter teases, you can almost feel your eyes bulge out of your head at the nickname. “You look like you’re about to cry. I might go easy on you if you cry.”

“Did you just call me a Blowhard?” You sputter out a laugh. “What does that make you, a Crybaby?”

You look past Peter, at Four, who’s standing side-by-side with Eric. His face is twisted, focused hard on the two of you in the ring. Eric, on the other hand, is tapping his foot quickly, impatience shining through.

Peter raises his hands by his face, elbows and knees bent as he begins to prepare for the fight. “Come on, (Y/n). Just one little tear. Maybe some begging.”

Without warning, you swing your leg at his side, intending to land a kick. He’s prepared for this, grabbing your ankle and yanking you forward, pulling you off balance. You land on your back, but quickly twist to get back to your feet, fists returning, readying yourself.

“Stop playing with her.” Eric suddenly snaps. “I don’t have all day.”

This is enough for Peter, as the amused look on his face disappears. His movement is one giant blur, but the pain in your jaw is sharp, as it continues to spread across your face. For a moment, bright white stars and a black void flow across your vision, taking your balance with it. 

You blink rapidly, backing away from Peter as you try to get the room to stop swaying. This lasts for a few seconds at most, because Peter is moving just as quickly as Edward had been. He appears in front of you, foot slamming into your stomach, stealing the air from your lungs. 

You clutch your ribs as you fight through the pain in your abdomen. Peter takes this as an invitation to come closer, but you’re expecting this. You catch his fist as you slide your foot between his legs, tripping him. Instead of falling forward, you throw him back, twisting his arm in the process.

You land on your knees hard. The dull pain is at the front of your thoughts for a second before you’ve got your first slamming into Peter’s nose. You get two hits in, then he takes a fistful of hair at the back of your head, yanking. He repays the favor by punching you in the nose.

It doesn’t matter how hard you kick or slap, because he’s got a tight grip. The next hit he lands is to your ribs, in the same place that you’d been holding onto moments prior. You open your mouth, letting out a strangled cry, and a metallic taste spreads over your tongue. One word comes to mind; blood.

He lets go of your hair, shoving you away. You land on your palms, gasping through your lips, eyes blurry with tears as you search the ground for the white paint. You begin to crawl away, wanting to put some distance between the two of you while you take a breath, but he grabs your ankle, dragging you back toward him.

He draws his foot back, and despite knowing what’s coming, you don’t move in time, letting the toe of his shoe sink into your skin. You cough, the next few seconds are agonizing as you forget how to breathe, like a fish out of water.

“That’s enough.” Four’s voice breaks through the silence. “Get her out.”

“She’s still moving.” Eric tells him. “She gets out when she can no longer go on.”

Your eyes roll to the back of your head when you move to roll over. You won’t play pretend, you refuse to take the easy way out. You are not an Erudite anymore, you won’t run. You’re going to fight.

Somehow you manage to get to your feet, fists raised, eyes barely focusing on Peter long enough to keep track of him. You gather the blood in your mouth, spitting it at his feet.

“Come at me, you little bitch.” You murmur.

Peter flies across the circle, fist coming at your face. You manage to catch it with one hand, and with the other, you slap him with an open palm. The sound of skin-on-skin fills the air, there’s a few audible gasps in the room.

It’s over, you think. Just before Peter knocks your lights out.

When you come back to Earth, you’re suspended in the air, swaying from side to side. You’ve never been motion sick before, but the dizziness is so hard to handle that this is enough to send you over the edge.

“‘M gonna be sick.” You mutter.

The world stops moving for a second, and then you’re placed on your feet. Your hands reach for something to hold on to as support. They come into contact with another hand, which you wrap your fingers around tightly as your breakfast comes back up as a liquid.

When you’re done, you turn to face the person who had just been holding you in their arms. You’re met with Four, who has his eyebrows raised, waiting for you to say something.

“Thank you.” You whisper.

“Why are you thanking me?”

“For putting me down.” You breathe, leaning over with your hands on your knees. “And for trying to get me out of there. And for delaying my fight yesterday.”

When you look at him again, there’s a softer look on his face, different from the scowl that you’re used to seeing. He reaches over, rubbing a hand over your back. “It’s okay, (Y/n).”

“You could’ve gotten in trouble with Eric.” You say, shaking your head as you move to stand straighter. “Why do you sacrifice so much for me?”

Four opens his mouth, and then closes it. It’s silent between the two of you for a minute as he decides how he wants to respond. Or maybe he’s thinking that you’ll change the subject. With your persistence, he sighs.

“Because you’re different.” 

--

this was part of my 3k celeberation!!

[ratsonastick]

You definitely don’t have to do this if you don’t want too! Clarisse x reader where the reader has always been naturally quiet and doesn’t think their good enough for Clarisse cause their total opposites

OF COURSE!!! I am not sure if this is the best, but I tried giving you the before and during the relationship

Requests are still open!

Clarisse La Rue x ShyFem!Reader

Let’s just say you are not one many people know about at camp. You can’t help it but you are honestly just very unsocial because putting yourself out there seems like a lot of work.

You have friends … let's make that clear, but it's not a lot. 

Ever since you have been at camp you've had a FAT crush on Clarisse, I mean who wouldn't? Well maybe a couple of kids because she is very aggressive, but you find it charming. 

But you would never have a chance with her. Because firstly, if you can't even ask the cabin counselor for some help then you most definitely won't be able to ask her on a date. And secondly, you are the complete opposites! You wouldn't last a week together. 

She is loud, not afraid to make her voice heard, and scares others. And you … well you just let things happen and hope for the best.

Not only that she's so athletic and fit. And it's not that you aren't unfit, it's just that you’d prefer sitting alone or with friends. 

Only one of your friends, Nicole, knew of this crush, and she supported it entirely. Every time you walked past Clarisse you'd keep your head down but Nicole would nudge your shoulder and let out a giggle. 

You avoided Clarisse as much as you could but it wasn't till one day when you were asked to bring supplies to the sword training field did you have to talk to her. 

You were SHY! Couldn't look that woman in the eyes as she questioned you. She thought it was cute, to say the least.

“Chiron wanted me to bring these here for you guys to try out,” you spoke softly, setting down a metal bin full of new weapons and other nonsense. Clarisse hummed in approval and picked up a new handle grip. 

Luke, one of the boys from the Hermes cabin walked over with a smile on his face “Finally he took our advice on what stuff we needed … Thanks for bringing them Y/n” he nudged your shoulder in a friendly manor. 

You were surprised he knew your name. You noticed Clarisse sending what looked like a glare in your direction and you took that as a hint to leave. 

“Y/n” her voice called out and you immediately turned to look at her “You good with a sword? I need a new sparring partner … one who I don't know every boring move they make.” She spoke in a harsh voice rolling her eyes in the direction of Luke who was twisting his sword around and making noises like it was a lightsaber. 

“I'm not good with swords, I'm more of an archery type of girlie.” You responded “Sorry” 

Your hands were sweating as you gazed down at the ground. “Then let me teach you … every demigod needs to know how to work every weapon.” she looked you up and down before stepping away, hinting you to follow. 

She picked up her sword and then a spare and handed it to you. You stood there like a dork, and she took a stance.

After what felt like hours she finally stopped, “You're not that bad.” 

“Thanks, you mumbled” trying to catch your breath as you handed back the sword to her. The sun was setting and you felt a rumble in your stomach. “Uhm I should probably get going … I promised my friend I’d get to dinner early for her.” 

Clarisse nodded her head eyeing you “Fine.” 

When you arrived at the dinner pavilion you took your spot at your cabin's table, your friend slapping your shoulder slightly in annoyance for your lateness. 

Eventually, Clarisse arrived sitting down at her cabin's table, and filling her plate with food, she noticed you sitting with your friends. How they all talked loudly and yet you just sat there quietly eating, once in a while smiling at what was being said. 

She thought it was … cute? But she didn't like the mysterious card you were trying to play. 

So the next time she saw you walking past the training field she called your name, with her hands on her hips and hair pulled back as she waited for you to come to her. “Yes?” 

She hinted to the sword on the ground and you picked it up. Luke and Chris had noticed her change of behavior, especially towards you. If that was Luke she called over and he was confused as to why, she would have called him an idiot and to go kill himself. 

But she didn’t tell you. 

After an hour of training, she tripped you and you fell, “Why don't you fight back … you need to slander me.” 

“I'm good” you mumbled standing back up and swinging back “Why are you so quiet? I've seen you yell before yet you won't now.” she taunted you … but hey at least she's noticed you before! 

“I'm just naturally quiet, I'm not big on yelling, it's a lot of work.” You spoke up, clashing the sword down onto hers, this made her smirk slightly. 

When you guys finished up and sat down on the grass she took a sip of water from your water bottle and then handed it to you.

“I want you to go out with me,” she said, looking out in the distance “You're strange,” she spoke up once more. 

“Oh?” 

“You don't have a choice, so don't act bitchy when I pick you up from your cabin. I want you pretty and sweet.” She added with a demanding tone. 

And that's what you did. 

After 2 weeks of dating? (Clarisse wouldn’t clarify, I think she just figured you knew you were because if you looked at anyone else she'd glare at you) you began to have doubts. 

What if your relationship wouldn't work out, you were so completely different it was almost awkward. 

Like for example, when you were told to sit with her at the Ares cabin table, they were all so rowdy and she just kept laughing, and you just sat there with a blank face. 

Or when you went on a library date, she figured that was code for making out, but it was actually just you wanting some company while you read. (She was a little disappointed she couldn't hold your hips)

And it wasn’t just you who thought the relationship was a bit weird, Nicole (that wench) also believed the relationship was … different? But she thought it was so cute how Clarisse was the voice that you didn't like to use. 

For example, when this kid kept talking and was so annoying at the campfire, you gave Clarisse a look that didn't really mean anything but also meant a lot and she shouted at the kid to shut up. 

All the differences outweighed the similarities and it only made you worry, which caused you to distance yourself. 

One thing you didn't realize though is how much Clarisse believed you to be adorable, and how she loved seeing a different side of you when you are alone. Even if it's only a little bit more talkative than usual. 

But she wouldn’t tell you that. Hell no. 

This worry drove you to a lot of self reflection, which took place in your bunk. A party was happening that night and you thought to yourself that maybe if you went and showed how you could act, Clarisse might think you are good enough and keep you around. 

So you found yourself getting dressed with a scowl, sliding a tank top over your head and putting on a skirt. It was a party at the Aphrodite's cabin, and you knew she'd be there for this. 

So when the time came you walked over, and just as you approached the cabin you heard a whistle, you turned and saw Luke and Chris walking a bit behind Clarisse and her siblings. Clarisse gave them a death stare and shouted 'shut up' and walked over to you, leaving her siblings. 

“What are you doing here baby? I thought you said you weren't gonna come.” She said in a soft voice, but in your head, she sounded disappointed, maybe she didn't want you there so she could hook up with some other girl. 

“I wanted to surprise you… I can leave if you want me to.” But Clarisse shook her head grabbing onto your waist “If you leave I'll only follow. I'm just surprised you came, I know this isn't your type of scene.” 

Which was true, you only go to parties with your friends. 

“I just wanted to show you that I can be sociable” you mumbled looking at her with soft eyes which caused her to smile “I know you are princess … but you don't have to go out of your way to change yourself just to prove you can be like me so we are more alike.''

She spoke gently, and she knew that if anyone heard her act this way she'd pause the conversation just to stab them. 

You felt embarrassed now, becoming very aware of how you looked. “You look hot though baby” She mumbled through a smile as she gently kissed you. “Wanna go back to your bunk?” she asked and you nodded your head with a smile.

[callsign-rogueone]

all the small things - g.t.

Garrick Tavis x gn!reader 💌: …would you consider writing something for Garrick that explores some of the little intimate, familiar, or caring details he would do for/with the person he’s in a relationship with? words: 1.1k 🏷: no book spoilers! NSFW at the end, because it’s Garrick and I had to. just some thoughts about Gare being soft and cute (and a little sexy) with his partner. I managed to make this gender neutral. I’m trying a list format this time bc that flows better than a dozen little scraps lol

I feel like Garrick is a quiet partner, that he shows his feelings for you in a lot of little ways that you might not even notice.

He’s just always there.

If you’re studying, he’s studying with you, or working on something else quietly, sharpening his knives, etc.

While you’re chatting with a friend, he’s sitting a foot or two away, slicing a clean dagger through an apple, cutting off a small piece and extending it to you silently.

He is absolutely not afraid to use his stature and his scary reputation to his advantage when it comes to protecting you. 

Some guy made you uncomfortable in the laundry room? Well, now every Thursday night is laundry night for both of you, and he’s gonna stand behind you the whole time, brooding at anyone in the room Xaden-style and making sure they leave you alone.

Your safety is his number one priority.

We all know Dain’s philosophy — I’m going to do everything I can to keep you out of harm’s way

Garrick’s is a bit more nuanced — Harm is going to come to you no matter what, because the world is cruel and we’re literally preparing for war. While I’ll still do everything I can to protect you, I’ll also do everything I can to teach you to protect yourself.

He’s strict about keeping your training routine, giving you extra practice sparring near-daily. He knows when you can handle it and when you can’t. On days when you’re truly exhausted, injured, or at your limit, or something really upset you etc, you’ll spend training time resting — cuddles!

I know this man is an amazing cuddler. All that soft, warm muscle… big hands… strong arms to wrap around you… there’s no escape. Not that you’d ever want to leave lol

… Where were we?

He takes responsibility for your safety (as much as he can in this very dangerous school) while still letting you handle yourself.

That said, he’ll take matters into his own hands for small situations. He will not hesitate to pull you out of the way if people run by and might bump into you, etc. (plus it’s an excuse for him to hug you in the middle of the day lol)

He grabbed you by the back of your shirt once to stop you from hitting the ground when you tripped over your own shoelace — he then proceeded to set you upright and kneel down to tie said shoelace for you. 

Xaden never lets him hear the end of that. (“How come you never tie my shoes for me, Gare?”)

Big acts of service guy.

He’ll fill your water bottle in the morning, and he expects it to be empty at the end of the day or he will make you chug it because hydration is important. He ignores any eye rolls or complaints — you both know that he does this because he loves you.

He makes sure you’re eating, knows your favorite and least favorite foods, and will wordlessly move things on / off of your plate at meals, because you’re sitting directly next to him, of course. You know he wants you close and that’s a way you show love back to him. You also give him your leftovers sometimes. The boy can eat; that's half of how he put on so much muscle.

If you have long hair, he’ll keep one of your hairbands or pins etc in his pocket for whenever the need arises. He likes helping you with your hair, too. He's not the best at braiding or doing other hairstyles, but he’s trying and he’s improving! He also absolutely loves it when you sit in front of him and let him brush your hair / detangle / condition it etc.

He will always take the opportunity to wash your hair. He's super thorough with it and it feels so nice and relaxing.

As Ilya Kaminsky wrote: “Soaping together / is sacred to us / Washing each other’s shoulders. / You can fuck / anyone— but with whom can you sit / in water?”

Garrick. Garrick is whom. he loves showering with you after a long day, washing your back or places you can’t reach, being super gentle with any injuries you have, kissing every bruise and scar.

aaand this is getting nsfw, because it’s Garrick;

Don’t get me wrong though — he loves showering with you for other reasons, too. He loves seeing you naked, obviously, loves gliding soapy hands over your skin, kneading the softest parts of you, massaging gently and getting you all pliant and relaxed for him…

He’ll never pass up an offer to press you against the tiled wall and fuck you until you need to take another shower.

Speaking of fucking… Garrick fucks. 

He took his sweet time with you in the beginning, when your relationship was just starting, because he wanted to make you feel loved and safe with him of course, but also because he was studying.

He’s learned almost everything about your body. He knows what feels good for you, and recognizes all the signs that you’re about to cum — the cute sounds and expressions you make, the way your breathing changes and you grip his hand a little tighter… 

King of praise btw. The boy cannot shut up between the sheets. always telling you how pretty you are, how well you’re taking it, that you deserve to feel so good, just relax and let it out…

But it isn’t all soft and sweet. He's strong, and you’ve put that strength to the test multiple times. He's more than able to pin you down, to keep your legs spread, to hold you in all sorts of positions while he does what he does best.

Being an executive officer comes with a lot of paperwork, and he often gets stuck doing Xaden’s too (they really need to stop using that as a betting chip), but if you sit on his bed all pretty and keep quiet while he works on it, he’ll make it up to you by bending you over the desk when he’s finished.

Remember what I said about keeping you out of danger? There's gonna be consequences if you do something reckless in training or out in the field… That’s all I’ll say on the subject for now 🤭 

I got a little carried away there… Can you tell I’m currently working on three different Garrick smuts? gonna be exploring some of those things in more detail ^^ 👀

all in all, Gare is an amazing boyfriend and he loves you so much 🥺 big strong boy is just so soft for you and only you, and wants to take care of you all the time and make you feel loved and protect you from the cruelty of the world. ❤️

[esamastation]

Part forty-six of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five

-

Observation log, 11th of October, 12:00

07:05 Sephiroth wakes up.

07:34 Sephiroth eats a breakfast of porridge, canned apples and orange juice. Meal detailed in attachment E.

07:57 Sephiroth begins preparing for Energy Alignment with warmups and stretches, detailed in full in attachment D.

08:15 Sephiroth begins sword practice.

08:42 Sephiroth begins Energy Alignment. Energy output matches previous sessions visually. Movements and forms same as ones detailed in attachment C.

20:15 Sephiroth finishes sword forms and moves onto meditation. Visual concentration of light and energy in his cupped palms, no indication as to its nature or purpose, but likely a progression of Energy Alignment.

22:32 Sephiroth finishes Energy Alignment and begins preparations for bed.

Observation notes: Sephiroth only ate one meal today, with nowhere near enough kilojoules to support the level of physical activity he is practising - nor is he drinking enough water. Sephiroth shows no visual sign of exhaustion, starvation, or dehydration. Will continue to observe.

Addendum to observation log for the 11th of October: checking perimeter showed no sign of local activity. Angeal Hewley ventured out at 11:27 to hunt monsters and returned at 15:56. Reno is getting agitated.

End log for the 11th of October.

Observation log, 12th of October, 12:00

07:20 Sephiroth wakes up.

07:51 Sephiroth eats breakfast of rice, eggs, canned apples and tea. Meal detailed in attachment E.

08:20 Sephiroth begins previously mentioned warmups and stretches. He is joined by Hewley. They move on to a session of Buster Sword Lessons, detailed in attachment F.

09:34 Sephiroth begins going through his usual sword forms. Angeal Hewley moves to train by himself in the inner yard.

10:12 Sephiroth enters the Energy Alignment phase of training. No visual change in forms or energy output. In fact, forms are starting to look like they come in an established pattern.

15:23 Sephiroth finishes sword forms (notably early) and moves onto meditation. No visual concentration of energy observed this time.

15:54 Sephiroth finishes meditation and goes looking for Angeal Hewley, who is, at the time, examining the Charcoal Burner's House's old vegetable garden.

16:00, est. Dialogue:

Sephiroth: "Hey, what are you up to?"

Angeal Hewley: "Just checking to see if there's anything edible here - canned food is going to get really tiresome in the long run. What's up, it's everything alright?"

Sephiroth: "No, no. I'm just - getting a bit lost in my own head."

Hewley: "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sephiroth: "No, I want a bit of - I need a distraction, for a bit."

Hewley: "... Okay? Do you want to go hunt monsters, do you want to spar, or…?"

Sephiroth: "I think if I spent another moment thinking about physical cultivation I might lose it. So. No. Something else."

Hewley: "Uh?"

Sephiroth: "You know when you work on something for so long that it starts losing all meaning? Like, a report, maybe? Stare at it long enough, and it turns into nonsense. I need, you know. A break."

Hewley: "Ah, yeah, okay, I get what you mean. Yeah, I can take a break with you. What do you want to do?"

Sephiroth: "I have no idea. Just something else."

Hewley: "I'm sure we can figure something out."

16:00-18:00 est. Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley proceed to explore the Charcoal Burner's House's abandoned stores and discover an old, broken set of something called Weiqi. Sephiroth proceeds to teach Angeal Hewley how it was played.

18:15 Dialogue

Hewley: "Now, I don't want to sound impatient, but, this energy alignment stuff. How long is it going to take?"

Sephiroth: "Normally decades."

Hewley: "Decades?!"

Sephiroth: "Most of it is just energy gathering, that usually takes most of the time. I don't exactly have that issue. If anything, I have too much."

Hewley: "Oh. Right. Um, then, how long do you think it will take for you to sort it out?"

Sephiroth: "I've gotten things moving. If my veins can take it… maybe another week?"

Hewley: "That's not too bad, though… what do you mean if your veins can take it?"

Sephiroth: "... Have you figured out whether MP resides in your body yet?"

Hewley: "Um, no? I mean, I know it's there and I can sort of feel it there, but it's not really in any specific location."

Sephiroth: "Hm. Keep trying."

Hewley: "Sure, I'll try. I'm not sure what you're after, though."

Sephiroth: "You'll know it when you feel it."

19:12 Sephiroth fills the tub in the back room and has a full bath. 

20:07 Sephiroth eats a dinner of pasta, canned pickles, canned peas, crackers and apple juice. Meal detailed in attachment E.

20:24 Sephiroth turns in early.

Observation notes: Sephiroth ate two full meals and seems to have taken in enough nutrients for his daily requirements. It should be noted, however, that his level of physical activity was greatly diminished today. It should also be noted that between the training session and the later board games he seemed rather distracted. He might be procrastinating on his progress, perhaps having some sort of block? If faster results are desired, it might be advisable to remove Hewley from the situation.

Addendum to observation log for the 12th of October: Reno reports signs of activity in the forest - a smoke trail approximately 15 kilometres away. It is possible that our occupation has been noticed by Wutai troops. We are increasing our level of alert and redoing our traps. Though with two SOLDIER First Class present we have little to fear from any kind of Wutai assault, a surprise attack at an inopportune moment might be disastrous. Reno will be heading out to investigate at first light tomorrow.

End log for the 12th of October.

Observation log, 13th of October, 12:00

07:11 Sephiroth wakes up.

07:36 Sephiroth eats breakfast.

08:02 Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley proceed to meditate together in the main room of the house. Sephiroth is talking through the entire process, guiding Hewley every step of the way. No visual energy fluctuations to observe.

09:12 Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley proceed with sword practice, with Sephiroth instructing. 

10:35 Sephiroth and Hewley separate and Sephiroth proceeds with his sword forms in the usual manner.

10:54 Sephiroth enters the Energy Alignment phase. The forms seem to have settled into an established pattern. No other changes to the overall practice to be observed.

11:30 Reno returns and confirms there's Wutai troops making their way towards our location. With Sephiroth in the Energy Alignment phase, it's deemed unsafe to disturb him with the news. Hewley offers to take care of the enemy troops.

11:43 Hewley sets out to meet the Wutai troops. I will check the perimeter while Reno keeps watch on Sephiroth.

12:11 Perimeter secure, traps primed. Should the worst come to pass and Sephiroth goes into misalignment, we will proceed according to plan.

12:15 Sending the WIP log to Tseng, just in case.

-

Rude's logs are very factual I feel while Reno adds the nuance.

[delicious-in-imagines]

combat training with laios and/or kabru? 🖤

(Back to answering stuff in order-) Of course!

Laios Touden

He's going to be a little hesitant, just because he doesn't want to potentially hurt you while training. It takes a run in with monsters to push him to go ahead and train you. You might think that he may take an unorthodox approach - but that comes later on! Initially, he's going to start you on the very same drills that he did when he initially joined the army.

You may notice that he sometimes drifts off when he watches you, before snapping out of it, giving you a slightly dampened smile. He wants to make sure that not only are you capable of defending yourself against monsters - but ones of the people variety too. Once you get past this phase, he quickly returns to the usual exuberant self!

He's going to teach you... everything. From the best way to combat a cockatrice, to the inverse scale on a dragon - while he hopes you'll never encounter the latter, he wants to share this knowledge, not only to just gush about the monsters, but to make sure that you know how to protect yourself when you go into the dungeon.

With each technique and style you master, he's going to sweet up you into one of his signature bear hugs, doting over you with his loud, excited tone. Especially when you manage to take down a creature using something that he taught you how to do!

Kabru of Utaya

While he isn't going to be nearly as harsh of a teacher as Milsiril, he is still going to drill you the entire time that he teaches you. (Not that drilling - you have to ask for a different set of headcanons for that.)

His observational skills are going to be invaluable to catch you when your movements or stance is incorrect, gently teaching you with his hands on your body to move your form to the proper way. If you get flustered during this, he'll give you that little wink before stepping away, teasing you if you continue to be flustered through the training.

While his monster knowledge can't hold a candle to Laios' obsession, he's still got plenty of experience under his belt, and he'll share what he can with you. It'll be up to the pair of you to discover what does and doesn't work for you, adapting it until it comes to you like second nature.

Those close, sweaty moments where the two of you finish sparring, or training, Kabru loves to poke and prod, teasing at you. It definitely helps to set the mood, though usually it's followed by sharing a nice warm bath, and a meal - maybe more!

[hollersparrow]

why the fuck was all might allowed to be a teacher. he's teaching at what is widely regarded as the best school in the country, particularly for heroes, but also just in general from what i understand. there is no way in HELL that a school like that would let a person who is uncertified and has no higher education to teach, regardless of how famous they are or how much pressure the hpsc put on the school or even how eclectic and eccentric the school/its teaching styles are. there is simply no fucking way.

at most he'd be allowed to be a guest in some of the hero classes to provide additional feedback, etc etc. he probably couldn't even do administrative work as that generally requires either ample teaching experience or some level of training/school to do as a job.

also, i don't care how much nedzu loves chaos, he also loves his job and wants to protect/care for his students. he would not just skip over all might's lack of ability for this, no way no how; he would expect him to follow the rules set up to ensure that the teachers are equipped to handle the position and to teach the students

semi-related to the above, it is a personal headcanon of mine that many of the UA teachers are not as popular or as widely regarded as other heroes BECAUSE THEY HAD TO GET A TEACHING DEGREE. many of them worked as heroes or sidekicks to gain field experience but did so while also attending university to get an undergraduate degree AT THE LEAST. then, depending on the person, they either went straight into a teaching assistantship or continued working as a hero for a few more years to get more experience. however, many of them weren't able to reach higher levels of notoriety simply because they didn't have the time or the energy to market themselves and they ALSO didn't have a need to, as they were working towards a different goal.

for some, especially those in the support course (i'm thinking powerloader but i'm sure there's others), i could see there being waivers like many schools offer for folks teaching a trade (at least in the US). if you've worked in a trade for long enough, you might only need to get your teaching license which is usually not as long as getting a degree since your work experience shows that you know what you're doing. so i could see some of the teachers for support courses or even business courses being hired through a similar process.

i also think that most of the teachers don't work as heroes during the school year. i think that they keep active hero licenses and are able to be called on at any time (i could also see staff wide training/sparring being a part of this), but that they generally are taken off the roster. there are definitely some exceptions to this, like aizawa who's quirk is super valuable and who is also insanely willing to sacrifice himself and his health to help others (he needs therapy and some sessions on how to set boundaries). i think yamada is also an outlier with his radio show, although i think that started while he was getting his teaching degree and was working for the university's radio channel and he just decided to keep up with it. however, everyone else just teaches and then picks up freelance work during the summers (also see them only being on 10 month contracts or an equivalent type of work schedule).

i also know next to nothing about the requirements for teaching in japan, so take most of this with a grain of salt. but, at the same time, i think bits and pieces of this are probably universal.

it should probably also be mentioned that i really like bnha for the potential and the amount of room left for fanfic and the fandom to play around in the sandbox that is the world that Horikoshi Kōhei has created but i literally can not finish the manga or the anime. i have tried. multiple times. and i can't get past the sports festival for either of them. so maybe this gets better explained or something or maybe my standpoints on the characters are a little off.

[oddduckthatgirl]

Title: Seconds Are Welcome

Pairings: Daemon Targaryen x Lannister!female

Warnings: period typical misogyny, arranged marriage, period typical gender roles

Summary: Everyone talks of girls coming of age. No one speaks of when the girl doesn’t desire to be less than who she is.

A/N: this is slightly AU-ish. For this story, Daemon was named heir, not Rhynera (not hate, just a plot). Changed some Lannister names. It’s just a story, let’s not dissect too much. This story will have multiple parts.

Casterly Rock was the ideal hold for any man to feel like a king in his own keep. Jason Lannister attended to his family home with all the devotion any lord would. He has four children. His two sons, James and Jonathon, are both married, each of them having apartments within the walls with their lady wives. Also within the walls are his two unmarried daughters, Jasline and Jaylon.

Jaylon Lannister wasn’t as she appeared. She looked every part a Lannister. Her eyes were such a light shade of blue that they appeared gray in a certain light. A long flowing mane of pale blonde hair. She had a very lean figure, but muscular. She had been tutored all the ways a proper lady should be. She also could read and write seven languages. She and her sister Jasline received the absolute finest instruction befitting their stations. While her sister had to work for every lesson, Jaylon found academics to be simple. As such she had time to learn other lessons.

She spent some afternoons learning about all things equestrian. After all, horses are what helped her family amass their fortune. She wanted to know everything. From an early age, her father Jason indulged her curiosity. He had even found it quite endearing. However, since she was now eight and ten years old and not married he seemed to be irritated by it.

What raised his ire more was her interest in sparring with her brothers. She often would sneak out with them in the evenings so they could instruct her. Until one evening they had been discovered by their father. He hauled her into his study and told her that was not her place as a future lady of a fine house.

“I’m your youngest child Father and your second daughter. I could only hope for a match so great.”

“You will still have a husband to protect you.”

“What happens if he is killed? Who protects me then? Or if he did save my life, now he’s owed a debt. A Lannister always pays their debts.”

Begrudgingly, he relented but insisted on having her train with her brothers. To give her the same teachings. In truth, she was a far more elegant fighter and understood how to use her femininity to her advantage.

Jasline was far more calm. The eldest daughter who had understood her role. She was the picture of a proper lady. Everything a lord could want in a wife. She didn’t argue, she kept her opinions to herself and she could smile all day while appearing to not have a thought in her head. With her temperament, one would wonder her connection to the Lannister name if not for the blonde hair. Most described her as quite pleasant company.

Dull. Jaylon thought of her sister.

She could never live that life.

Jasline had been married to a nice lord from House Blackwood. They had a longer courtship than usual due to some haggling over the dowry. During that time there had been a small uprising that was beginning to become serious. Eventually, it was decided that Jasline and her lord should be married quickly so he could set out with his lord Father to right their lands.

They were wed in a small ceremony. Jaylon was her attendant while he had his cousin. They didn’t even consummate the union before he had to set out.

Young Lord Blackwood never returned. Jasline was a widow before she even had lost her maidenhead.

It made it difficult to find a match for her. So many questions. During the months after, Jasline had occasion to make acquaintance with Thomas Baratheon. They appeared to have a genuine affection for each other, so Jaylon thought, however it would seem their Father didn’t think the young lord, a second son, worthy of his eldest daughter.

Jaylon almost wished her father had those thoughts for her. Once she came of age, her father had her see every eligible second or third son in all of Westeros. She would do her best to be a proper lady but then they would ask her opinion and she would always answer honestly.

“Jaylon, they are not interested in what a lady thinks.”

“Well Father, perhaps they should be.”

She would tell her father about these young lord’s opinions on battle or horses or wine.

“How am I, a Lannister, to sit there and listen to them be so mistaken? They would make a fool of me and by extension, you.”

Jason Lannister was a proud man. He knew his youngest was correct but he would never give her the satisfaction.

“Why must you insist on such obstinate behavior?”

“I believe it is inherent.”

This would most assuredly have her father avoiding her for days on end. Which was fine by Jaylon, more time to devote to sparring and to horses. More time to think of the many ways to make the next suitor for her recoil in disgust. If it wasn’t their misguided crowing about how honored she should be to be their wife and welp their children it was their leering. She even had the moment to strike a young lord who commented on how strong her thighs were from riding.

It was a quick reaction. Truth be told, it was probably the first broken bone the young lord had ever suffered. Judging by his lewdness, it wouldn’t be the last.

Every day is the same. Until it wasn’t.

There was a new tutor. Some Septa sent to them from King's Landing. He told Jasline and Jaylon they were to have lessons in High Valyrian. The girls exchanged a look and knew what that implied.

A Prince was interested in a Lannister wife.

Lucky for Jasline, even more lucky for Father, Jaylon mused. She was just enthusiastic about another language to learn. More than likely she needed to do her best to master it so she could help Jasline. It wouldn’t do her well to not understand it. Jasline focused all her attention on it, while Jaylon made sure to note her struggles.

Jaylon had heard the rumors as had her sister. She could even see the fear in Jasline’s face when people spoke of Prince Daemon. The girls spent hours at night discussing him, his temperament.

“I hear he’s roguishly handsome,” Jasline sighed.

“He’s a Targaryen. Of course he is. And a prince,” Jaylon collects herself, “I suppose if you’re attracted to that sort of person.”

Jasline smirks, “and he’s a wonderful fighter. Quite a quick wit as well.”

Jaylon nods, “much to the annoyance of the small council I hear.”

Jasline shifts to face her sister, “do you think the other whispers have merit?”

“Did you mean the piece about the street of silk or the piece about him murdering his lady wife?”

“Jaylon Lannister! That is treasonous,” Jasline’s face flush.

“Sweet sister. He is a prince. He does as he chooses. He was commanded into marriage, so the story goes. A young prince who didn’t want such a wife. So he did as he pleased. Perhaps he was simply bored.”

“Jaylon. I would bore him so,” she gasped, “you should put yourself in his way.”

Jaylon laughed loudly, “Father wouldn’t dream of that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not you, Jasline. I’m not the first born. I’m just the spare.”

Jasline sighed, “perhaps marriage to the Prince isn’t what I want.”

“Thomas.”

“I love him, sister.”

“I know you do. But we are just women in this world. We are at the whim of every man,” Jaylon reclines and gazes out the window, “and Father knows best for us.”

“That doesn’t sound like you,” Jasline settles herself in her bed, “I would suppose it’s easy to be so placid; the eyes of a dragon aren't fixed upon you. But they should be.”

“Oh Jasline, marriage is an arrangement. You smile, you nod, you bear his children. Everything else you will sort out.”

“I have sorted it. He needs to wed you. You are one of the greatest beauties in all of Westeros. You are intelligent, strong, cunning and most importantly you are not easily swayed by the opinions of others.”

Jaylon rolls her eyes, “sleep sister, you’ll need your strength.”

Jasline settles into bed, “yes I will. I need to convince His Highness of all your virtues.”

Jaylon leaves her sister to rest and makes her way to her room for the night. She laughs thinking over her sister’s suggestion that she be put in Prince Daemon’s way. Her father would never allow it. She imagines the look of rage that would take him over. How he would have to obey the command of his Prince, if he did want her instead. That would raise his ire even more.

She couldn’t help the smile at the thought. Fun but a fool’s wish.

She sat and brushed her hair, staring at her reflection. She wonders what it is about her that these lord’s find appealing. She’s just a young girl, who knows about horses and wine. That reads whatever she can so she wouldn’t be left behind in the conversation of men. Her understanding that information is the greatest and most valuable commodity.

This is how she gathered what she could on the Targaryen prince. She wanted her sister to have every advantage. She also didn’t want to displease the man herself and squander all the work that has gone into this endeavor.

Before she drifted to sleep, she imagined what a conversation with him would be like. Would he be intimidating? Would he be kind? She also hoped for the chance to see his dragon. That isn’t a sight she would soon forget.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Had a really fun episodic idea for Guardian Neos VS Lady Glasswing I thought you might like.

So Chloe's been Guardian for less than a week, but nothing much has happened... Yet, so she's hastily trying to get a handle on everything and one of these things is combat skill.

As Adrien knows she has issues (Her breakdown cver the phone when Fu died) knows how to fence and that she's the Guardian he is able to help somewhat, with nightly combat lessons.

Chloe knows the Guardian is meant to have a staff so she focusses on that and uses Second Chance to cram a lot of extra training in and to always end on a high note by memorizing Adrien's attack patterns.

This means she starts getting a little cocky and critical at school, enough that she ends up antagonizing some of the fencing team.

As this is happening Marinette's brainstorming with Noroo about whether choosing a champion with combat training would be better, but if she can trust them not to turn on her like Magistrix did.

CHloe makes a good and boastful showing of the fencing team, but Kagami being Kagami can see Chloe's skills are rooted in memorizing Adrien's attack patterns more than anything.

When Chloe challenges her, Kagami switches up fighting styles, leaving Chloe with a 404 error file not found failure on her hands & so angry she ignores Kagami's olive branch to prank her instead.

Kagami is Marinette's new test subject.

Chloe: Why does this keep happening to me!? The Kwami in her bag: (Staring at her like they are on the office) Chloe: ... Oh right... Consequences for the thing I did.

There's a battle, Chloe manages to win by creative use of Kwami swapping but ends up having to linger to save Kagami & catch the Butterfly.

She ends up giving the game away, almost, by being like "Weird to see you so worked up" before claiming Chloe told her that when being whisked to safety.

Kagami: Tsk, I shouldn't have bothered trying to help that girl. Neos: You were... Trying to help? Kagami: Se was relying on memorizing one persons attack patterns to win, it would never last her and after beating her to prove that I was offering to let her spar again, but she stormed off. Neos: Oh... Well, just keep an open mind, having been Akumatized I'm sure you see how easy it is for one's anger to run away with them, bye!

LATER

Chloe: I need to speak with you Tsurugi!! Kagami (Takes in a deep breath and turns) What. Chloe: ... I apologize, I apologize for pranking you. I started those duels, and even set the terms, pranking you for a loss was not a victory to me but... A sign I didn't think I could win fairly. That was far from exceptional of me.

Kagami: ... If you want to improve then you need to pit yourself against a variety of opponents, there weill be lost battles, but so long as you win the war, they will be worth the minor blows to your pride. Chloe: Uh, what do you mean? Kagami: If you want to improve, sign up to the fencing club, and we can spar again, good day Chloe.

Chloe stands stuff as a statue for nearly a solid minute before screaming into her hands and storming off, "Why couldn't she have stayed mad at me!?"

Sabrina trotted behind her, "Where are you going Chloe?"

Slapping her forehead in sheer vexation, Chloe only had one answer for her.

"To sign up for the fencing club apparently!"

IE, Chloe does think she broke her own standards by pranking Kagami & felt weird that Kagami was trying to help her, but also still expected her to be mad, which she could handle. She can handle people being angry at or hating her, actually reaching out leaves her floundering for what gear to get her mood in.

But that's how Chloe signs up for fencing classes, & Marinette gained some brand new Akuma data.

Okay but no this really highlights on how Chloé only /really/ learns via positive reinforcement.

Like. The Akuma thing is sort of teaching her some Cause and Effect, but not... not really. She's getting a message of 'when I do something mean, people will be upset. And then they come after me for retaliation'.

But that's a cause and effect she's already aware of. She knows that when someone sleights her, she retaliates. Ofc everyone else does it too, right? It's just that these people weren't able to usually and now they can via Magic Nonsense.

And this works here too. Chloé sees Kagami's actions as an attempt to humiliate her. Which.... it is. She may be trying to teach Chloé something, but she's doing it by 'putting her in her place' in front of an audience.

So she sees it as an insult rather than a lesson, and retaliates in turn. Then Kagami 'retaliates' via Akuma. So Chloé wouldn't have initially learned anything.

But Kagami /talking/ and /explaining/ to her what her genuine intentions were re: 'while you can beat one opponent, you need to have a more general study to adapt against anyone even a stranger' does actually get the lesson through to her!

[kankuroplease]

I've read a lot about the uchiha brothers and 'it's a bit early' but if you have some ideas for... what will Yaya, Mate, Gin, Wakaba ,+ Katsura ?be like as a mother.

The mamas! Under the cut because it’s kinda long

Katsura

She would seek advice immediately other women around her as she knows she’s in over her head

She will also gag while changing her first particularly stinky diaper

But she is a headstrong woman and would set her mind to doing this mothering thing

Once that kid is too big, they are not getting picked up anymore she’s very short, what would she look like carrying a child half her size 💀

Memorizes all their favorite foods and desserts to make them on special occasions

Uses everyday moments as teaching ones

She’s ready to fight the other mothers and their children for her child if need be

Would be the loudest mother cheering for their kid at the the exams

Teaches them about poisons and swordsmanship

She’s the mom that will keep her kid’s secrets. Even from her husband

Gin

She would be so awkward with a baby at first

How do you hold it? She’s supposed to just put it to her chest to feed it? Why does it sleep so much but not when it should?

Once she gets the basics down, she’ll be okay

But very protective of the baby. No you can’t hold them, they aren’t some pet to be passed around

Makes bone play structures for the kids and it would creep people out a bit

She would raise her child(ren) how her father raised her; strict but with love

She’s their first sparring partner and continue to push them to be stronger

Quitting isn’t acceptable. They don’t have to be a legendary warrior, but what ever they chose to do, they better give it their all

“You can date when you’re 27” - Gin. She doesn’t mean it, but she will still be shocked if her kids start dating in their teens.

When she was a teen she was on battle fields fight grown men, so this is better? She doesn’t know

Mate

Would introduce herself at the child’s birthday like “hi… I’m your mother 🥹🥲😭”

Honestly would wrap up her child and carry them everywhere with her

Doesn’t see the point in being overly strict as a child is only a child for so long

Very gentle and nurturing

Kisses scraped knees and elbows as well as gives raspberries

Knows all the remedies for tummy aches and colds

She will cry when her child reaches training age and leaves the house excitedly for the first time to join their father

Makes sure to drop their lunches off with them and that dinner is hearty and ready for them when they get home

Probably not the only mom that would ask their child(ren) if they want a sibling. It’s very important that they are okay with the idea of a larger family

Wakaba

She’s the mother that would get a nanny. Tenko can afford one easily and she likes her beauty sleep, so why not?

Insist on dressing up the baby in silks with pretty embroidery just because

Her maternal instincts need a bit of work, but she is playful with her children

Their tantrums would stress her out

Also would brag about their accomplishments, especially in fire jutsu

Definitely would spoil her children rotten because the deserve the best

Might regret how spoiled she raised them later

Yaya

She’s a natural at motherhood and really enjoys it

The kids are welcome to sleep next to her until their lure grown for all she cares (Inari would have to bribe the kid to sleep in their own room)

She’s the type to help them whenever they need it. Tough love? She doesn’t know her

If they have a problem, mama will help them the best she can

Loves all the kid gifts and would keep them in a chest for safe keeping and would probably pull them out to show them when they’re older

Neighborhood mom, she looks out for all the children and let’s them hang out at her place, although she would send for back up if too many showed up (most likely Ringo, Mate, or Gin)

Learned how to make dango just for the kids

Ringo

Expects her man to help raise HIS kids. Her father was ab active part of her life and wasn’t pig headed about it, so the bar is high

She gets her mom to move in for the first few months with her newborn because she wants her pro tips

Then would proceed to try to do her own thing and end up whining about becoming engorged because she let the baby sleep verses waking them up for a feeding

Probably leaves rouge stains on the babies face from kissing their cheeks too much and tries to get off

She is definitely the mother that can’t cook and everything taste like cardboard (send help)

But she is the fun mom!!

Loves all the funny toddler moments

[kendrene]

“I think you’re angry.”

Ava opens her eyes. Pushes up from where she’s lying, where Lilith left her, sprawled starfish-style on the training mats, clothes soaked through with sweat. She blinks.

“Pardon?”

“I think,” Mary’s foot taps against her side. “That you’re mad.”

“At Lilith?” Ava would wiggle away, but she’s too tired. “Nah.” As far as Ava understands it, Lilith was next in line to become Warrior Nun. After the last, the one they all talk of in hushed whispers when they think Ava’s not listening. When Mary isn’t around. Instead Lilith was passed over once and now Ava is here, and it doesn’t matter that she was a vacant body at the right time. To Lilith it doesn’t. “I’m not angry at her.” She’s had a lifetime worth of people punching down. It would be energy wasted. “I’m not mad at anybody. So.” Ava lifts a hand, makes a shooing gesture. Mary doesn’t move.

Annoying.

“Bullshit.” The toe of Mary’s boot is steel-clad, and when she digs in more roughly it actually begins to hurt. “I think you’re lying.”

“Whatever.” Mary draws her leg back, foot threatening more poking, and Ava rolls to her side. Pushes on all fours before it can connect. “Look, if you could go and do your thinking elsewhere—”

“Nope.” Ava expects more prodding, but Mary holds a hand down for her to take. Open. Beckoning. “Come on. I’ll show you something that’ll help.”

“I said I’m not mad!” Ava is starting to feel somewhat irritated. She just wants to flop back on the mats and close her eyes. Sleep, maybe. The halo burns, coal nestled in the cradle of her shoulder blades, a shower of embers down her spine. Every spot that Lilith hit during their sparring session — and she hit many — hurts. A nap sounds nice. Much better than this thing Mary insists she wants to show her. Nothing can be more important than sleep. If Ava could pick, she’d sleep for a week.

But she doesn’t have a choice, because Mary is dragging her to a corner of the training facility she’s never seen the other recruits use. There, a bag hangs from a hook, the kind Ava’s seen Sylvester Stallone work on in Rocky. She still remembers watching the movie with Diego late one night, the TV muted, fear of discovery far outpaced by the thrill of doing something that they shouldn’t. They’d devoured the whole saga over the course of a sticky hot summer, Diego shadowboxing in what little space they had, Ava coaching him from her sickbed in the corner.

“Here.” A tangle of wraps thwaps Ava in the chest, and as she catches them, instincts kicking in, she wonders what it is with these people. They’re always either hitting her, or throwing something at her.

“I don’t know how to put them on.” Mary heaves a sigh, steps in to help. It’s a few minutes of fighting, of colorful curses, and once Mary’s hands fall away Ava has no heart to tell her the cotton wound tight around her hands feels all wrong.

“Now gloves.” Mary fits the boxing gloves to her hands, ties the straps around her wrists, clicks her tongue and ties them tighter. “Okay.” She gives Ava a shove toward the heavy bag that’s probably meant to be encouraging. In her fatigued state it risks toppling her over. “You’re all set.”

Ava is tired. Ava’s exhausted, really, but Mary seems hellbent on teaching her to fight. In all fairness, she could use the help.

“Okay.” She squares off, facing the bag. One foot slightly offsetting the other, hands up in front of her face, mimicking a guard position she’s only seen in films. Elbows tucked in. “Now what?”

“Now you punch it.”

“Now I—” Ava lets her hands drop. Turns around, incredulous. “That’s it? I just punch it? Aren’t you going to give me tips about stance, or something? What if it’s all wrong?”

“How the hell should I know if it’s wrong?” Mary nods to the bag. “That’s not the point. The point is I want you to punch the bag.”

“This is stupid.” Ava attacks one of the straps with her teeth, trying to undo it. “Get these off. I’m going to go take a nap.”

“Will you punch it just once? Trust me,” Mary grabs her by an elbow, surprisingly gentle, and steers her back to the bag. “Once. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

“If I punch it once, will you leave me alone?”

“Yeah.”

“Deal.”

Ava closes her eyes. Draws in a breath, and when she opens them she’s Rocky in the ring. The last seconds of the last round against Apollo Creed. She lets fly a jab and the shock of the impact races up the length of her arm, numbing before sudden pain flares in her wrist.

“Again.” Mary says, and Ava pivots on the axis of her hip, bringing her other fist to bear. Left. Right. A strange feeling licks up from her gut, the taste of bile but more burning. Ava keeps punching.

“I think you’re angry at the hand you’ve been dealt.” Mary has moved behind her, is leaning in close to speak in her ear. “I think you’re mad that you died, that you had to leave your friend — Diego, is it? — behind.” A mean left hook has the bag swinging wildly. “And you’re angry because you’re alive, but you can’t live your life.” Mary lowers her voice, each word like salt on a wound Ava didn’t want to admit was still bleeding. “You were trying when we found you. You just wanna live, kid. Didn’t think your second chance would come with all these strings attached. Am I right?”

“Shut up.” Ava twists around, arm pulled back for a gut punch. If she weren’t crying, if she was a bit faster, if she actually knew what she’s doing, it might have a chance to connect. She has no clue. So it doesn’t. “Shut the fuck up.”

Ava throws herself forward blindly, seeking a clinch. Mary’s arms wrap around her, the fire winking out, and Ava crashes forward, face pressed to the crook of Mary’s neck.

“It’s okay.” Mary shushes, fingers splayed almost perfectly over the shape of the halo in Ava’s back. Like she’s done this before. Held another bearer just as close. “You’re okay, kid.”

“It’s not fair.” Ava wants to wrench herself away. She wants to never let go. “I didn’t want her to die.” The one she has no name for. The one who had died in the church, so that her friends could survive. So that Ava could live.

“I know.” Mary’s fingers twitch. Dig in. The halo grows hot. “Neither did I. But it is what it is, and it isn’t your fault.”

/

The gloves are old and well creased, inside padding so worn Ava’s knuckles still smart hours after she’s put them to use. Mary gave them to her. “She’d want you to have them” she’d said before leaving Ava at the door of her room.

She sits on the bed as the day outside dies, turning the right glove over and over. Follows the stitching with the tip of a finger, past the logo of a sports company that doesn’t exist anymore, to the inside of the glove’s strap where it’s attached at the wrist. To the set of initials hastily scribbled in black there, the ink mostly faded.

S

Mary had explained that, too. Who it stood for and what she had meant.

Ava clutches the glove to her chest. Curls over it, nose brushing warm leather. It smells of something sharp, something else a little woody.

She has a name now.

Her name was Shannon.

[icey--stars]

Stories To Be Told: PART 8

Series Index

A shadowsinger, a warrior, an Illyrian, that's what she was. Trained by one of the most formidable female warriors. Escaped the Illyrian camps and her clipping when she was barely sixteen and is now the holder of 6 siphons. What happens when she tries to sneak into the City of Starlight? And starts down a whole new road of chaos?

A/N: i was so excited for ya'll to read this part. enjoy lol

↢ 『 ☾ 』 ↣

The next morning, I felt even shittier than before. I almost took Azriel’s advice. Almost. But I was determined to stay strong.

One of the females from Azriel’s group waved at me when I landed. I grimaced slightly, but walked over.

“Hi,” I greeted, voice a bit raspy. “How are you?”

They smiled. “Good.” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. I smiled.

“I’ll train with you guys today,” I said. I didn’t say that it was because I wanted to avoid Nesta or Cassian who’d surely comment on my appearance. Azriel would too, but from last night, he’d backed off. Maybe I could just promise I’d skip work or something. Even if I wasn’t. My day off was tomorrow, so it’d be good to use the time, but then again, this wasn’t a severe sickness.

Azriel gave me a look when he saw me, but didn’t comment anything and instructed me to help where I wanted. The priestesses seemed happy I was there, which I was happy to notice.

They stretched and then grabbed some practice swords, doing the eight pointed star. I did it as well, using my own sword this time. The moves worked very well with it. Azriel then paired everyone up for some training. He paired me with him, unwilling to let one of the priestesses try against me, even if I would bring myself down to their level for their learning.

“Did your shivering actually stop or are you here against all advice?” Azriel asked as we faced each other down.

“I’m fine,” I replied. I began the fight, unwilling to deal with any more conversation. Azriel just barely won. He managed to turn my attempt to unhand him of his weapon against me. But even then, while the spar might’ve been done, I wouldn’t have lost that fight in one to the death. Even in my unfocused state. I sheathed my sword, watching as the other priestesses finished up their sparring.

I offered some pointers for a few of them, for their balance or just a tip that tended to help me. Tips I learned from Rainne, or from endless mistakes I’d made in a fight that almost cost me my life.

“You better not be going to work today,” Azriel drawled as he saw me stretching out my wings after training. “Or even flying. Are you sure you know how to take care of yourself?”

I shot a glare at him. “Just shut up. I’m off work tomorrow, so I can take a break then.”

Azriel seemed to sigh, exasperated. “Don’t push yourself too badly.”

I leaped off the mountain then, gliding towards the docks. My boss asked me to use my wings again, and I tried to ignore the cold that seemed to seep into my skin much too easily. I sniffled as I landed, finishing the work of loading a couple boxes.

“Good job Y/N,” my boss said before walking off.

I took a moment for a breather, then began more work.

I had a cough, sniffle and an even worse feeling of being cold when I got back to the House. I was fine, I insisted. I could take the afternoon off tomorrow.

-----

The fever didn’t break. In fact, I woke up even worse, despite the bath I took and the amount of blankets piled over me during the night.

I still strapped on my leathers.

But, as I landed on the training areas, I saw Azriel heading straight for me.

“Y/N, you should be in bed,” he observed, glaring at me.

“Fuck off,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “If you didn’t want me over with the other priestesses, you could have just said so.”

Azriel sighed. “No, it’s not that. I appreciated your assistance yesterday. It helped set a few of them straight, but I’m saying you have to take care of yourself. Didn’t Rainne teach you to take breaks?”

“There are no breaks in war,” I retorted.

“And there isn’t any war!” He replied, raising his voice slightly. I pulled myself back slightly. A cold mask sliding onto my face.

“I will do what I wish. If you have a problem, then find someone to pull rank. I don’t care, I'll leave. And don’t insult Rainne. She was the best person in my life. I won’t have anyone disgracing her name or teachings.”

Azriel sighed. “Goddamn it,” he said. “Look, I’m not trying to order you into doing anything. I’m just trying to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.”

“And why would you care? You don’t even know me,” I growled. “And don’t even think about bringing up my past,” I said as I saw him opening his mouth.

He didn’t reply to that. He just simply said, “Rhys is coming to check on the training tomorrow before I leave for a week long trip to Illyria. I sincerely hope to find you healed by then.”

I glared at him for a moment longer before storming off, sitting by the water station for a moment to clear my head.

“Azriel made you that mad huh?” Nedra’s voice said, chuckling.

I looked up to look at her.

“Oh damn, maybe he’s got a reason to say that,” Nesta said, scanning my face. “You do look sick.”

I got ready to start a whole other snarling match.

“Ah, ah, ah- I’m not saying anything. Just observing,” Nesta quickly said. “You have full reason to be mad at him for ordering you around like that.” She took a seat beside me. I saw Emerie and Gwyn also walking over. “If Cassian ordered me like that- I’d have ripped his face off.”

I let a little smile onto my face. “He just doesn’t understand.”

Nesta nodded in understanding. “Males tend to not. You want to prove to yourself you’re strong. Everyone does. Some do it in a good way, some in a bad. Doesn’t really matter as long as you live.”

Emerie spoke up. “To be honest, I find it a bit weird that Azriel is being like this. Normally he doesn’t dare to even talk to me or Gwyn like that. And I’ve been sick quite a few times.”

“Yeah, it is weird. Normally he’s quiet and to himself,” Gwyn agreed. “Weird.”

“If he talks to you like that again,” Nesta said with a grin. “I vote to hit him.”

I chuckled a little, breaking out in a bit of a cough.

“Yeah,” I said, voice raspy. “I like that idea.”

Nesta gave me an evil grin, then stood up and offered me a hand. I took it.

“Great. Now let’s train and ignore Azriel’s weirdness,” Nests said.

Cassian gave me worried glances throughout training, but I evened them with glares. Nesta, I noticed, joined me in this fact. She understood, I realized, the need to prove to myself, not to others, that I could indeed do this, even while sick, because I’d done it before right? Why take a break now?

Azriel came over to me after training. I glared at him, working to strap my sword’s belt on to head to lunch with the Valkyries.

“Get better,” he ordered.

“And you fuck off,” I retorted and then walked past him toward Nesta who was watching.

Azriel grabbed my shoulder. I whirled around, hitting his arm to remove his hand.

“Stop trying to act like you fucking know me,” I snarled. “I know what I’m doing, it’s time you learn I’m not some poor female who’s learning to fight to keep her mind at bay. No, I am a warrior, Azriel. I fight because I must. I fight because I want to. I fight because I WON’T BE WEAK!”

Azriel flinched away slightly, at my sudden raising of volume.

I took a breath. “I’m almost three hundred years old, Azriel. Stop acting like I’m a petulant child who won’t listen. I know how to survive. I know how to take care of myself. I did it after my escape and I’ve done it for the past century.”

Azriel just stared. I glared at him a moment longer before storming off toward Nesta who didn’t touch me, but led me down the stairs for lunch.

“Good job,” Gwyn said as soon as we made it to the warmth of the inside.

For some reason, that brought me no peace. But I also felt cold inside, and it wasn’t just my fever.

We didn’t speak about my outburst, opting to eat and speak upon rumors that Nesta had heard from Velaris. I offered what I heard at the docks as well.

-----

Rhysand appeared at training the next day, as promised. He stuck to the sidelines, but sparred with Azriel. He also kept glancing at me, oddly enough.

I made sure my mental shields were strong, knowing he was a daemati.

During a quick break after an intense round of cardio, the High Lord approached me. 

“You’re very well trained. The Raven did a good job, you’re comparable to Az and Cass,” Rhysand commented. “Have you found your stay at the House comfortable?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Nesta seems to like you,” he commented, glancing over at the female.

“We’re friends,” I stated, wincing at my short tone. I coughed on air then, wincing from my weirdly dry throat as I stood up straight.

“You alright?” Rhysand asked. “You look a bit… off.”

“I’m alright,” I replied. “Just a touch of a cough.”

He nodded. “Well I’m glad you’ve been doing well. I’ll leave you to train.” Silently, I was glad this male knew when to shut up.

I waved as he walked off, heading for the water station early before returning to Nesta who gave me a little grin.

I went to work after, coughing more and more as I continued. I tried to ignore the glances in my direction, and my boss’s attempt at telling me to leave. “You know you can take days off, right?”

“I know, I’m fine,” I said before lifting a heavy box and loading it onto the ship.

↢ 『 ☾ 』 ↣

TAGLIST: just comment to be added! in the future, i'll work on a taglist for all my works, but for now, its just this story

@mis-lil-red, @bunnymallowo, @judig92, @biblophilefox82, @azzydaddy, @thegirlintheshadows101

[sleepingdeath-light]

breakdancer s/o hcs ; hunter

requested by ; anonymous (17/03/22)

fandom(s) ; the owl house

fandom masterlist(s) ; part one | part two

character(s) ; hunter wittebane

outline ; “Hey, is it okay if I request a Hunter x [maybe human]reader?

I remember reading the martial artist!s/o post you did and that gave me a fun idea.. So let’s say in some scenario Hunter is sparring with them and is impressed at how they’re dodging his moves and such. He thinks they’re some expert fighter and expects that to be the answer when he asks how they were able to do all that. But, much to his surprise, they say “Oh no, I’m just a breakdancer.” And he’s kinda shocked by it [Either in confusion as to what the heck breakdancing is, or, if he does know, how just knowing how to dance makes them such a quick thinker/mover]

thought it would be a funny prompt. And no need to rush on this, take as much time and breaks as you need. <3”

warning(s) ; canon typical references to violence

when you begin sparring, hunter is insistent on going easy on you — you’re human and likely haven’t had much of any training in combat and the last thing he wants is to injure you

he can take his time to work you up to proper combat, he reasons, but for now he just needs to know where you’re at and how/where he can correct you

so imagine the complete shock and surprise when he finds himself matched at almost every step with seeming ease

your movements are fluid and quick and you fight better than he’d even seen luz accomplish

and you’re somehow keeping up with him for the most part as he ramps it up and starts actually fighting

he’s impressed — awe struck even — but he tries not to let it show until your sparring session is finished

and he wins, of course, but he’s still quite out of breath and approaches you with a grin and a question as to where you learned how to fight so well

“fight? nah, i just used to breakdance back home!”

… what?

now understand that breakdancing is a thing in the demon realm (granted the name is a bit different but the vibe is the same) — but hunter was incredibly sheltered

hunter didn’t have leisure time to explore the various forms of dance across the isles; hunter was a living weapon, he was always fighting

so his immediate response is silent bewilderment and to ask you if that’s some abstract fighting style or something

or maybe even self defence

and you laugh a little at his expense before grabbing your drink and sitting down next to him as you explain your hobby and that it’s really not what he thinks — you promise

he starts to understand after a while and, whilst still slightly confused as to how that made your reaction times so quick, he does get it for the most part as you go on

he makes a few comparisons to his training and the techniques he memorised and how some basic moves in your skill set match up pretty well with his own

how spontaneity and improvisation are crucial to both of your respective “arts” and you promise to teach him how to dance after the war is over

when the day of unity has been stopped and you’re all safe again

and maybe even introduce him to your fellow dancers back in the human realm if luz and eda ever manage to fix the portal back home

[thepeanutbutterwizard]

Venomous Teachings au: the Ninja

Alrighty, time to talk about what would happen if you crossed the Avengers with the Backstreet Boys and threw in some major codependency and emotional issues.

((Wu told them that the writing on their Gi’s are protective runes to shield them from any Dark Magic Garmadon might try to use on them. Really, they’re a part of a spell that Wu uses on them later, once they get ahold of all four Golden Weapons. In reality it just says ‘Master’ in Ninjargon, bc I didn’t want to use the actual protective kanji and couldn’t think of anything else. So just pretend they wouldn’t be able to read it))

The Ninja are an elite team, trained by the renowned Sensei Wu, son of the First Spinjitzu Master himself, and lead by his adopted son, Kai Wu, the Green Ninja of Legend, a boy whose parents disappeared and whose sister was tragically killed by the Skulkin, who turned out to be the one Destined to defeat the Dark Lord Garmadon and save Ninjago from falling under his tyranny.

That’s the image Wu has spent years cultivating.

Kai has been the Green Ninja longer than he’s had a team. He made his debut by single-handedly saving a small town from a Skulkin raid at the age of ten. Cole, Jay, and Zane joined him as Ninja three years later, and they’ve been a team for almost three years.

Thanks to this, there’s a bit of a disparity in their training; Wu started training Kai as soon as he took him in almost nine years prior, and he was intense. Compared to the three years Cole, Jay, and Zane have been training, Kai is miles ahead skill wise, able to consistently win in 3 v 1 spars.

While the team does go around Ninjago and stop Skulkin raids, most of their ‘Ninja work’ involves publicity things. Interviews, visiting sick kids in the hospital, making brand deals with companies like Dairy Dragon, Chens Noodles, and Borg Industries, etc; celebrity stuff.

Everything they do or say is strictly controlled by Wu; they aren’t just Ninja, they’re symbols of a better, brighter future for all of Ninjago, and they need to act like it. Hence, no hair gel for Kai.

When the team needs to dress-up for any formal event, they’re fairly coordinated, with Kai in a hanfu instead of a suit to help set him apart from the others, so no-one forgets he’s the Chosen One

They have a bit more say in what they wear casually, but there are still guidelines they must follow. And Kai thinks that what he’s wearing is casual.

While Wu is strict, he’s very good at painting his strict controlling as him being well-meaning. and is open to talking about any concerns his students may have over a nice cup of totally normal, not at all tampered with tea.

None of the Ninja have reached their True Potentials yet, despite being a team for three years, thanks to Wu encouraging some of their worst traits. Also, none of them know they’re Elemental Masters or that they have powers; Wu strategically withholds information to keep the Ninja from getting too independent.

That’s not the only thing Wu has done to keep the Ninja under his control. I’ll go one by one talking about how all the Ninja have been changed from cannon thanks to Wu being evil, and then I’ll talk about how their dynamics are different.

It was fairly easy for Wu to recruit them all. They all were aware of the Green Ninjas Prophecy, Wu made sure that was spread far and wide over Ninjago. And Wu was well known as the man teaching and raising the Legendary Hero. It was child's play to convince three lonely tweens who felt outcasted from almost everyone else that they were destined for greatness.

Cole

Cole was recruited a few months after leaving Marty Oppenhiemers School for Performing Arts. He was just getting started in free-climbing, and ran into Wu after scaling a cliff he’d had his eye on for a while. One he nearly fell off while climbing.

Wu was waiting for him, and gave him a speech about how he had been watching Cole for awhile now, and felt he was a part of the Green Ninja Prophecy, one of the Protectors who would wield one of the Golden Weapons to aid the Green Ninja in fulfilling his Destiny.

Cole accepts Wu’s offer to train him, while trying to keep his father thinking that he’s still at school. Until Cole appears on TV, which Lou sees. This leads to Lou going to find Cole, and things turn into a massive fight. The two haven’t spoken in years thanks to this, making it much more difficult for Cole to reconcile with Lou and reach his True Potential.

Cole’s tendency to take responsibility for things he shouldn’t has been exaggerated by Wu. He feels like he’s entirely responsible for Jay and Zane, and anything bad that might happen to or because of them. Because of this he’s more of a leader than Kai when it comes to the emotional needs of the team, though Kai is the leader in the field and on camera.

Zane

Zane was picked up walking along the side of a road, leaving the village he’d been staying in at the time. He had no family, no home, and no memories, so when Wu came to him with the offer of a purpose, a roof over his head, and a team, Zane gladly accepted.

He has no idea that he’s not human. Falcon is... indisposed at the moment; the avian android had been distracting Zane during lessons one day, and after reprimanding Zane, Wu...dealt with the bird, so it’s incapable of leading Zane to the Birchwood Forest. Wu does know that Zane is an android, but I haven’t decided if/how he uses that knowledge to his advantage.

Zane still used to get visions, but to him they were muddled and confusing, often having Wu be in place of Lord Garmadon as well as being their Sensei. When Zane came to Wu with concerns, worrying that his Sensei might be in danger, Wu starts giving Zane a special tea at the end of the day that will suppress his visons at night.

Wu has convinced Zane that, due to his odd quirks, the only place he will truly be loved and appreciated is on his team.

Jay

Jay was recruited in the Junkyard. Wu actually spoke to Ed and Edna, telling all three of the Walkers that Jay was part of the Prophecy. Jay eagerly accepted his offer, and Ed and Edna supported his decision.

Unfortunately, Wu’s emphasis on presenting an image of perfection has made Jay’s insecurities with himself and where he grew up grow exponentially. He doesn’t talk about his parents, hasn’t visited them in years, and Wu has encouraged this behaviour, even helping him come up with the story that his parents were rich inventors who liked their privacy, but sadly passed away not long before Wu started training him.

Ed and Edna are greatly hurt by this; they knew Jay had been bullied for being raised by them in a junkyard, but they never thought he was so ashamed of where he came from. So they give Jay the space he seems to have wanted for so long, and never try to visit him.

Kai

Kai’s parents disappeared when he was 5 and Nya was 3.

Two years later, their home was attacked by Skulkin. Wu showed up, fought off Samukai himself and getting injured in the process to save Kai, but was unable to keep Nya from being taken. He took Kai to the Monastery, and at the boys insistence went to look for Nya.

He came back with the devastating news that Nya had been killed. Kai was absolutely distraught, and once he had calmed down enough to ask Wu why this had happened to him and his sister, Wu told him that he had been searching for Kai for a long time.

Wu told Kai that he was the Green Ninja, and that Lord Garmadon had been trying to get at him and kill him while he was too young to be a threat, and that Nya was a casualty of his evil ambitions.

Since then, Wu raised Kai as his own, training him to be the Green Ninja he’s meant to be.

Kai fully trusts Wu, see’s him as his Father and his only family. But he’s been under immense pressure for almost his entire life. In the last few months before the plot started, Kai has started growing Dragon scales. He’s in such a bad state that his body is going through the same survival mode that Nya was forced into by living in the Underworld, a place which was would have killed her within a year without her Dragon heritage.

When the scales first started showing up, Kai tried pulling them out. Any scale he pulled out would cause a small patch of scales to take its place, so Kai quickly turned to long sleeves and even more makeup than normal (he’s been hiding massive eye-bags for years).

Cole, Jay, and Zane are fairly co-dependant, relying heavily on each other for support. And while Kai is sort-of friends with them, they’re more coworkers than anything to him, despite all living in the same penthouse for years.

The Green Ninja has no time for friends.

Once they get ahold of all four Golden Weapons, things change

((Lettering the Gi’s was a massive pain, I didn’t have the spoons to even try and trace the Golden Weapons into looking accurate, and I wanted to get this post done soon, so pretend that they’re holding show accurate GW))

Wu has studied magic and artifacts like the Golden Weapons for almost his whole life, and as soon as all four Golden Weapons were in the hands of his students, he used a spell he’d been working on for years to get the Ninja firmly under his control.

I have another post planned going into depth about how Wu was able to use the Weapons to control the Ninja, and what everyone is capable of in VT with their powers, so for now just trust me that this makes sense.

It isn’t outright mind control, but more like the spells you can use in Skyrim to make npc’s turn against their allies, or ally themselves with the player character. It reinforces the idea that Wu is the Good Guy, to the point that the Ninja will obey his orders without question, no matter what he asks, forcing them to cross lines they ordinarily wouldn’t have.

Even after the Mega Weapon is forged, this spell is in effect.

This post has gotten long enough I think; if anyone has any questions, my inbox is open!