#pain is a good motivator XD

[come-down-that-tree]

prologue previous

Come Down That Tree! (an aftermare story)

Chapter 14: Mä muxsa jaljaw sañ munäna ukampis kunatix uka waynax llijullijumpiw ch’allt’ata, ukatw mä juk’a amuyux mayjt’ayañajax wakisïna.

Nightmare slept fairly well, as he often did on such stormy nights. It was on these special nights he could almost feel the gentle touch of his mother.

He didn't know if it was because he slept squished against the bark and his brother, feeling thrumming energy coming from both or if it was the capricious screams of the sky somehow helping him ignore the rest of the world… therefore making focusing on the thin feeling easier.

Regardless of the raison, he relinquished the feeling. 

He knew he was safe and the tree was too. Nothing could pierce that warm bubble of safety.

He thought so at least.

Right in the middle of a peaceful lucid dream, the atmosphere changed.

He turns towards the dream version of the tree that stops its usual constant humming then, wordlessly asking what is the matter.

The only answer he has is a burst of wind that pushes him farther away rather suddenly. The light around dims and everything seems to try to make him leave. 

Why, he does not have a clue.

But after grumpily resisting for a while, he hears the tiniest sob he ever heard, right outside his safe space.

And once he spots the source...

A small and crumpled red figure, shaking on a burned flower patch.

He awoke instantly.

What greeted him was a world not yet fully awake, sun barely noticeable. Traces of the violent storm that must have lived through a good part of the night itched in the very earth.

He was truthfully soaked, cold water dripping from his clothes and from the branches above his head. The only warm source left being his twin, still huddled against his side and very much sound asleep.

Sleep was still slugging his thoughts but it did not stop Nightmare to notice something rather quickly.

Something woke him up.

And it was not a good kind of thing.

There was a strange "tower" slicing up his sight in two not that far from here.

There was a burned smell cloaking the air.

As calmly as a half awake mess could, he let his eyes follow the white-ish line pouring down the sky.

Until he reached the bottom.

Laying in a burned grass circle was something. 

Someone?

White and red.

Geno.

Time stopped and the daze vanished.

Nightmare sprang and ran to the other as fast as possible.

What happened? What happened? What happened ???

He skidded to a stop right next to the skeleton and confusedly stared at him.

The monster was unconscious, laying in a fetal position, all curled around his left arm. 

Arm that seemed… damaged.

His fingers were sprawled open, slightly shaking. The tips were blackened and rough. A red liquid seeping out of tiny cracks littering his fore-arm. 

What happened?

He carefully, oh so carefully, pushed him to rest on his back to assess the wounds better. 

Ice screamed along his back when he saw the cracks go up all the way to his chest.

Nightmare took a moment to steady his hands, which were shaking almost uncontrollably now, before pulling up the other's shirt.

He was greeted by the same mess as the last time he had bear sight of the ribcage. 

Looking at the holes made him feel near nauseous but he pushed past to observe if any new damage had been added when whatever happened happened.

The long crack line was barely here but it was here. Running along the thin ribs.

He quietly followed the path until it stopped right in the middle.

Nightmare sighed.

"It didn't reach his soul, that's good…"

His hands enclosed his skull for a second and a loud, loud, groan escaped him.

What exactly happened while he was sleeping…

A moment went by.

Full of hesitation and incertitude.

Until he decided against prodding Geno any further to try waking him up.

"Let's see how well it goes this time…"

He started by gently calling his name.

Then, when that didn't work, he carefully touched his good shoulder with the objective of shaking him awake, as gently as possible.

Now, that, that failed magistrally. 

But not in the way he thought it would. 

The grass was still wet and slippery.

And this whole situation made his movements a bit… hazardous.

His whole weight came to crush the poor injured man's rib cage, who, understandably, woke up screaming bloody murder.

Dream basically materialized right after, helping him sit back down on the ground and silently observing the situation.

They both stayed there, watching Geno curl up on himself and, for a lack of a better word, wimper. 

They wasted a minute to see if the other was conscious enough to not turn them into skewers.

He seemed so.

In fact, by the time the minute ended, the skeleton had calmed himself and was now sitting in front of them…calmly studying his damaged arm.

"Geno?"

He looked up, a lone eyelight, more red than he remembered, stared.

"Yes."

His voice was firm but weak.

Nightmare lost his words.

Dream chimed in for the first time of the day, shifting slightly closer.

"Can you move your arm?"

Nightmare watched with owlish eyes Geno raising his good arm to rub against the burned one.

He didn't answer besides a too large smile and a tilt of the head.

"Are you in pain?"

To that, he snorted.

"I'm in Spain."

"Meaning?"

"Super pain." 

The twins both winced before exchanging a glance.

"I know a guy downtown who could examine that if you would follow me there?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"It's noth' "

"Your arm is still shaking."

"Astute observer I see."

"Leaving it like that IS dangerous."

"I had worse and I'm still here."

"Do you actually have a good raison or are you going to continue wasting both of our time ?"

Even if the exchange had been full of calm and posed voices so far, Nightmare knew it wouldn't stay that way long with how it was going so he all but butted in rather ungracefully.

"Dream, brother, pal, do you remember that herb I chewed on that made me loopy for hours when we were kids?"

They had been exploring the neighboring forest at the wee age of 7 and found some "funny looking" herbs.

Nightmare decided it was his turn to taste test the new plant and he spent half a day feeling similar to the time he forgo sleeping for a week minus the tiredness and insensitive to most pains (they tested it).

Dream ignored him.

"I still remember where to find it and we both know our guest here won't go downtown without kicking, screaming and aggravating his wound."

If looks could kill…

His brother sighed before turning fully towards him.

"...fine. Go find some while I try to see what else we can do with what we have."

Nightmare glanced one time towards Geno, who showed no signs of interest in the current conversation and merely sat slumped on the ground, before breaking into a fast walk in the direction of the last known location of the loopy plant.

It didn't take him long to find some. 

The blue gray herbs that liked to grow under the berry bushes of the southern marsh.

Thoughts noisily attempted to scritch at the back of his mind but he skillfully tuned them and focused on the mindless task of tearing the herbs out of the ground, one by one.

Once the pile in his arms was big enough to last a few days if needed, he let his feet carry him back home.

The trip was over in a jiff.

Under the tree, rested Geno, his arm wrapped in clean white fabric. He had his eye squeezed shut, looking bothered.

Dream nodded once in his direction at his return and left without a word, to do who knows what downtown.

Nightmare didn't try to stop him and wondered if he would come back in a better mood.

"Geno, I'm back."

The monster nodded in his direction but stayed silent.

Nightmare held out his herbs and Geno looked at his hand warily.

"Eat, it will lessen the pain, I can at least promise that."

He watched the other's dubitative face but in the end, he shrugged and took the herbs.

The munching that followed was accompanied by such a grimace he couldn't help but chuckled.

"Come on, you drama queen, it's not that bad !"

"IT TASTES LIKE DIRT."

"Well…I mean… I didn't wash them so…"

Geno stared at him incredulously.

What. He gobbled so many down when he was a kid and he was fine. Others and their need for everything to be perfectly clean to be consumable. 

"You won't die from eating some dirt."

The injured guy just sighed and readjusted his position against the bark.

He sat beside him and let the other rest his head against his shoulder.

"It should start making effects fairly soon, bear with it for a moment.", he whispered.

A hum answered him but nothing more.

Geno was out like a light not even five minutes after.

end of chapter 14! Go to chapter 15?

@dragon-tamer-1 @shinechermont

Geno belongs to @/loverofpiggies Dreamtale, Dream and Nightmare belong to @/jokublog

[saxonilla]

slight spoiler for sans route in @ut-acttoflirt

*you probably have you’re reasoning to what you do.

[idonthaveacleverquip]

@sumselgruen is this GP? 😆

not a single reliable narrator in sight

[ryiju-muunie]

can i request a toji!bodyguard drabble w/ hate fucking and transactional sex since hez like broke? i really think hed do this bcz like hez super poor XD he needs the money

Cash Cow (drabble)

18+ viewer discretion is advised

fem!rich!reader/bodyguard!Toji Fushiguro Warnings: A little dub-con, degradation, lowkey hinted at your dad is a mob boss, railing, public sex, bathroom sex, overstimulation Word count: 803 DESC: You figure out the perfect way to get your bodyguard to fuck you

Hiiiiiii I'm super excited to be writing a whole lot today!

REQUESTS and ASKS open!

“Darling, meet Toji Zenin, your new bodyguard,” your father spoke to you delicately, motioning to the large man before you. Your eyes trailed over to the man before you, god he was hot. You’d never seen such a man before. He was tall and perfectly sculpted by god. You could just imagine his hands trailing over your body as he fucked you from behind. That was all you needed because you knew exactly what you were going to do: You were going to fuck your bodyguard. 

He was a rude and selfish man, calling you a brat and an annoying pain in his ass whenever you so much as spoke. But god you loved it. You wanted him to degrade you so badly. You wanted to hear his gruff voice slur all those degrading names into your ear as he pounded your abused little cunt. Toji was damn good at his job though. He followed you around like a little puppy, always at your side to scare off anyone whom your father wronged. You didn’t mind the extra muscle coming to your rescue when you needed it the most. And you didn’t mind the stares from other people when he did so.

“Zenin,” you spoke gently, looking over your shoulder to a very annoyed Toji, who held your shopping bags with one arm, “Do you want a raise?” You quirked an eyebrow as you spoke, smiling innocently. You knew the man was motivated purely by money. He’d do anything just to make an extra buck. So you knew he’d have to agree to whatever you cooked up.

“What is it, princess?” He asked, looking over at you with narrowed eyes. Fuck… you needed him to moan directly into your mouth as he fucked you raw. But patience is a virtue, and you’ll be getting it all soon. You turned on your heels, letting your skirt bounce up to reveal a bit of your legs as you did so. With two hands on your hips, you sized him up. You could take him. Even if he was incredibly bigger than you. 

“Fuck me,” you spoke, confidently. 

Toji’s eyebrow twitched and he stared at you blankly, “Cuse me?”

“Fuck … me,” you repeated, looking away with impatience rising in your voice. Was he really acting like this was the worst way to get a raise? It was simple transactional sex. He’d get to fuck your pretty pussy and you’d get filled up with his large cock. Who wouldn’t want that?

“I heard you,” he grumbled, walking forward and grabbing your arm with his free hand. You frowned and attempted to struggle out of his grasp but it was no use, he had you in a chokehold. And he had you in a choke hold when he pushed you up against the wall of the family bathroom, pulling down your skirt and panties with one movement. He wrapped his arm around you, elbow bent to arch your back against him as he slid himself inside you. You both were upright and you felt your insides stretch. A whine escaped your lips and he pressed you against him tighter. It was so uncomfortable but you loved it. 

“Shut the hell up,” he mumbled, thrusting his hips into. It wasn’t slow either. He started off strong just to get his check. And god that turned you on. He didn’t care about you and you didn’t care about him. All you wanted was to be fucked and then go back to shopping as one did. You nodded your head a few times and bit your lip to suppress more pathetic moans escaping. Toji didn’t make much noise as he fucked you. Maybe a groan here and there, but you could still tell he enjoyed it. As one arm held you in place by your neck, the other gripped your hip, smacking it a few times just to see you twitch. He laughed as you tensed and came for the first time on his cock, but he wasn’t done. You wanted to fuck him right? Well, then you should’ve realized Toji Zenin didn’t just fuck. He fucked. 

“T-Toji…” you gaped, trying to curl your body inwards but getting stopped when you felt your neck getting squeezed by his beefy arm. He slapped your hip again and you felt your clit ache with sensitivity. It was too much. It was way too much. But you relished in it like the whore you were. You were a slut for his cock, instantly becoming addicted to his sweet member. 

“Thousand dollars for this cock, kay?” He moaned into your ear, leaning forward to let his hot breath linger against your skin. You nodded again, dumbfounded by how good one singular cock could be. Trust me … you weren’t coming out of this unscathed. 

[serpenlupus]

On D-16, and how his refusal to grieve led him to becoming Megatron.

I have a longer post on the works about Orion Pax and his relationship to D-16/Megatron on the recent Transformers One movie, but I wanna say this real quick about D-16 because I feel like there's a lot of people completely misinterpreting him and his actions. And a girl has thoughts.

No, he is not in the right, his actions in the movie climax were wrong even if his feelings were justified. Orion was doing the right thing by trying to stop D-16 from murdering Sentinel on the spot. Not just because without the damning evidence, it would have been a random murdering the hero leader of a whole society, and it would have thrown it into chaos, or because Sentinel is defenseless at that moment, but also because killing Sentinel is not going to make D-16 feel better. And Orion knew this.

The movie itself confirms it, after Sentinel is dead Megatron doesn't stop, and lashes out against the city itself and anyone that's inside it. The reason is that D-16 is clinging to his anger, desperately so, because if he stops feeling angry then he has to face the loss of the entire life he has lived, the regret of all the choices he didn't make because of his societal cage, and abandon all the hopes and plans he had made for the future. He has also lost the sense of security he had when he existed within a structured life, it's why he expreses anger at Orion for uncovering the truth about the Prime's deaths, even though that was an indisputable good thing. That vulnerability is terrifying. So instead of letting himself feel that sadness, that fear, and properly processing it all, D-16 holds onto his anger and lets it motivate him forward into the movie.

When he shoots Orion, albeit by accident, he again doesn't let himself properly process the shorrow of having killed his best friend, so to avoid the pain, he latches onto the anger again, blaming Orion instead of realising were that fury is leading him.

And when he kills Sentinel, and there's no relief, the past hasn't changed, the years he lost haven't come back, and Orion is dead, Megatron once again clings to his anger and lashes out against the entire city, against any remnants of Sentinel, even if that hurts innocent bots. Because it's easier, safer, to feel that anger, than letting the grief overcome him if he lets himself think about it.

(No Megs, you could kill eveyone in the planet and wouldn't feel any better, please stop ;_;)

Don't misunderstand me, anger is a necessary emotion, it's as natural as any other, anger will motivate you to fight for yourself, however there's a danger to letting it blind you. Megatron had all the right to feel the way he did (although maybe he took it too personal, Sentinel lied in front of everyone's faces Dee, come on), but, that's ultimately the tragedy of the character in many a continuity; that he let his righteous anger turn into hatred and vitriol. And this led him into a path he couldn't come back from.

Anyway that's my two cents! Feel free to add to this or just tell me I'm wrong XD The movie was amazing and I may be feeling a little pasionate about people intentionally misinterpreting it (that guy on Tiktok that said this was the most shallow interpretation of Megatron? Pissed me off, have you even seen any other Transformers media?).

Also on a last note, I feel like Megatron's thoughts when he started shooting at the city were very close to Dracula's "there are no more innocents" sentiment (from Netflix's Castlevania).

It's understandable that he felt that way because Sentinel couldn't have worked entirely alone plus Airachnid, but that still doesn't make it right that his shots put random civilians in deathly danger.

Have a nice day!

[primojade]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.

“ may the day where we discard all lies for good come soon. ”

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 | romantic tropes that I think would fit them just right.

𝐂𝐖 / 𝐓𝐖 | gn!reader x albedo, wanderer, cyno and tighnari (separate); fluff, mild angst, pining, cursingcursing, kind of cheesy lmao; no proofread; let me know if I missed anything!

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 | This is a very self indulgent fic that I thought of while writing the next chapter of fallacies of love. And yes, I finished this first before that one 🤣 btw, this may or may not have part 2 but for different characters ueue. If I find the motivation to write a continuation, that is xD

masterlist |

second chances to love

Two old friends meet again wearin' older faces. And talk about the places they've been. Two old sweethearts who fell apart somewhere long ago. How are they to know, someday they'd meet again. And have a need for more than reminiscin'.

Can two people finally find their shared happiness the second time around? Is there really a way to fully mend a heart broken by the past? Are second chances really the answer to the heartache that one carried in the present times?

Your relationship with Albedo unfortunately did not work out as you want it to, and as he put it with the Traveller, once a relationship starts to drift away, it will become bothersome. 

But can you really be blamed for why you fell for him? Albedo is a charming man, intelligent to a fault, a gentleman at heart, and your greatest source of inspiration. That's why when he started to show signs of interest in you unlike any other, you wholly welcomed it, cherished it in your heart even. The more time you spend with him, he shows you the other side of himself that he refuses to show to anyone else. The sliver of attention and dare say, love, that he shows you was enough to make your heart race. 

But alas, love alone was not enough, and you both know it—his mere attention is not enough to call…whatever this is…as "love". For only when your heart began to feel weary of his constant busy schedule that you realised that some love was not meant to hold onto. Love that could become your sweetest poison to indulge, love that will surely drift no matter how hard you hold on. And there is that kind of love that cannot be yours no matter how besotted you are.

You were tired waiting for him to decide, to pull you close to him, but when he deemed you too close, he would shoved you away. You got tired waiting for his decision to make, and in the end, it was not you. So, you did what you knew was best for the both of you. To end everything before it becomes to the point of no return.

Still, the heart is a very fickle and turbulent thing, artificial as it may, and just as love could bring you to the highest summits of happiness, Albedo found out that it could also bring you to the lowest depths of despair. For only when you were gone to his life that he realised that the love he took for granted was the one who gave him the true meaning of this world.

Shaking to the very core of his being was the ache that no alchemy nor chemical experiments could soothe, Albedo tries his best to move on, to pretend that everything is alright, pretending that all things will go back to the way it was once, but…

Maybe this time, it'll be lovin' they'll find. Maybe now they can be more than just friends. They're back in his life, and it feels so right. Maybe this time, love won't end.

But alas, time doesn't help when moving on, it does not help him heal, it only teaches him to live with the pain. Settling himself to be your friend does not cool down his flame, and when Albedo sees you smiling at him again, laughing and waiting for him, that flame burns even brighter than ever before. And this time, if he tried his best again…maybe this time, this promised love will never end.

“Maybe…maybe this time? Are you…willing to try again?" He asked, hope blooming and his artificial heart beating so fast in his chest it might as well jump to your hands and never leave again. This time…he will make sure to do everything right, and give you everything he had, this time.

“Because the only way to love someone unconditionally is to realise that it may be lost.”

friends to lovers

Do you remember when I said I'd always be there? Ever since we were ten, baby. When we were out on the playground playing pretend. Didn't know it back then.

“[Name], let's make haste. The weather today is too perfect for our weekly surveillance, and I do not trust you to not wander in the forest and accidentally poison yourself. So, you are coming with me.” 

You immediately noticed the peculiar twinkle in his bicoloured eyes, the lightest tint of pink on his cheeks, the twitch of his ears and the slight wag of his tail. All of his mannerisms are so familiar to the point that you could hear the barely concealed excitement in his usually stern tone. 

Perhaps it's because you have known him since you were both still in diapers? Tighnari has always been someone passionate at what he does, talented and smart and reliable, he was always there to help you even before you asked of him, hell, sometimes, even before you knew you yourself needed some help. He was that perceptive when it comes to you.

Even during the times he was busy with his research papers in the Akademiya, Tighnari would not hesitate to discard whatever he was doing in favour of knowing what was happening to you. He was even fussier than a mother, and would scold you harder than a father would. But as much as his lectures become weary at times, you know that it all comes with good sentiment for your well being, and for his love for you.

Love…for being his very first friend, you supposed. The very first person who saw him through all his hardships, his achievements, seeing him at his lowest and highest. It was supposed to make you feel happy and proud that he still chose you even though it felt like he became someone so…unreachable now. Capable, reliable and an akademiya scholar. And nowadays, the word 'friend' has merely brought bittersweet feelings and nostalgia to your heart.

Love…is not something he would be thinking right now. He was busy enough taking care of the forest and the former sages as it is, and professing your long-term feelings for your childhood friend was not something you would call a wise decision. You were not ready to risk your decades of friendship for something as fickle as love…

Now I realize you were the only one. It's never too late to show it. Grow old together, have feelings we had before. Back when we were so innocent. I pray for all your love. Our love is so unreal. I just wanna reach and touch you, squeeze you, somebody pinch me. This is something like a movie. And I don't know how it ends. But I fell in love with my best friend.

But even though he was supposed to have his hands full, even though you knew the right and logical actions to never disrupt the fine line between friends and lovers, the heart is not something that was meant to be repressed. Ever. 

But what it felt like endless nights of pining, of hopeless hoping, of days of being a lovestruck fool had ended when Tighnari, finally, had enough of your indecision and tiptoeing with him. There were no grand confession like what those Inazuman novels wrote in exaggeration, nor any special place he took you aside from the secret base that you two found as children before. But it felt just as special as he kissed you without reckless abandon, having exchanged the closeness of being friends, to the intimacy of being lovers, at last. 

“...If, hypothetically speaking, would you still choose to return home when I tell you that I wanted to keep you for myself?”

(denial) enemies to lovers.

I never knew life could be like this. Never thought that I would be the one that you would kiss. I never knew love could be so rough. But now I found the real thing I can't get enough.

The first time you met the General Mahamatra, you already knew that you two wouldn't get along. It's not because of his steadfast sense of justice and persistence, or the way he apprehends scholars who broke the academic rules, no, but it's because of how he glared and scowled at you worse than the criminals he set his eyes on. 

It does scare you a bit, especially when you knew to yourself that you did not do anything that would warrant his attention. Tighnari said that your research topic is safe enough, so you don't understand why…why is he so adamant at menacingly tailing you as if you didn't know he was watching you like a hawk in the library? Does he not realise that despite his short stature, ability to sneak undetected and blend in the background, he was basically standing out? And no, it's not because your eyes literally gravitate towards him and would be the first thing that you zoomed into when you knew he was nearby. It's definitely not that.

Though when you decided to bravely confront Cyno about his suspicious behaviour around you, he merely gave you a hard stare boring into your soul, scowling, before saying it's none of your business and walking off. You have never guessed the General Mahamatra is just so rude!! 

Though when you tell this discovery to Tighnari, frowning and fuming, the fennec therianthrope hide a barely concealed amused grin with a shake of his head and told you that's just the way Cyno is when he was faced with something that he didn't know how to handle and deal with…namely, his emotions and the actions that come with it. 

You decided to ignore the sly implications your friend was conveying to you, because there's just…no way that would ever happen! Though the reddening of your ears and the loud thundering of your heart didn't escape the Forest Watcher's observant eyes.

The sweetest surprise caught me tonight, right there in your eyes while I was kissing you. So don't say that you don't love, everything you dreamed of could be here.

"It isn't like what you think!" You exclaimed, defensive, eyes filled with horror as Tighnari smugly smirked at you. "I don't like the guy! He's irritating! And bossy! He's always picking on me! The only reason why I'm thinking of him is because surely, you're a lot nicer than him, unless we talk about your sass."

"Keep your reasons, [Name]." The fennec hybrid snickered when you glared at him. "I personally think you would not feel the need to compare someone to anyone if they weren't important. Really, my parents started like that."

You felt your whole face flushed in embarrassment. "Shut up. It doesn't mean—"

"Deny it as much as you like, but there's a very thin line between love and hate, you know. All those bickering, those exchanges of offending commentaries, calling each other names…" His grin turned wicked, before his eyes darted behind you. "Who knows? Perhaps you and Cyno are merely harbouring what we like to call…hmm…yes, adoration."

"The audacity! How could I adore that guy? There's no way!!" 

Perhaps it may take time. But even though you both were in deep denial, even with the thunderous lies crossing your lips and the faux masks he wore, someday…somewhere, when the time is right and when you felt a little braver, you could finally admit that you loved him too, from the very beginning.

“When you believe me when I say I disliked you, why can't you believe me all the same when I say I love you, too?”

stuck together

…And I tried to find out if this one thing is true. That I'm nothing without you. I know better now and I've had a change of heart…

Sometimes, it does get hard taking care of him, there was no doubt about that. When you accepted the job offered to you by the Dendro Archon herself of taking care and basically being a prison warden of the "false god" that tried to take over her own country, you dreadedly knew that this was not something like a walk in the park, the one-of-a-kind job that you've never handled before. 

But for the sake of not disappointing the newly-freed Archon, you tried your best to get along with your ward. He never ever told you his name, saying a lowly mortal like you doesn't deserve to know, and the few conversations you had with him were just full of insults, cruel remarks and if he's being somber enough to ignore your presence entirely, only silence remains between you two.

This same scenario had stretched over for months, and at this point, you were certain that this boy was merely testing your patience, if that annoying,  arrogant and knowing smirk was anything to go by.

Though little by little, you noticed a bit of changes in his attitude towards you. It takes a shit ton amount of time till he stop with his cutting words, and instead of calling you a 'weak worm' just like what he loves calling your fellow human beings, he would settled with 'stupid mortal' for you instead. His condescending remarks would tone down a bit as well; and at times when he feels like it, he would even answer your questions and inquiries. His good moods were literally just him allowing only you to share under the warm shade of his hat during the rainy days or when the sun is too high.

I'd rather have bad times with you, than good times with someone else. I'd rather be beside you in a storm, than safe and warm by myself. I'd rather have hard times together, than to have it easy apart. I'd rather have the one who holds my heart.

Little by little, step by step that you barely noticed it, he would allow you to see a part of himself that he locked tightly centuries ago. During the restless nights when he was visited by nightmares he long to forget, he would wordlessly seek out your company, and you knew better than to ask him and pester him what was wrong. Deep inside, when this happened, he was grateful that you didn't pry any further. 

This was a routine that you both fell comfortably with, albeit started as a weird, and exasperating one. Cutting insults slowly turned into playful bickerings, his rude name calling became a little affectionate, and sometimes, just sometimes, he would begrudgingly allow you to hold him in an embrace to keep him grounded and sane. 

There was one time that he accidentally fell asleep on you in this position, while running your fingers through his surprisingly soft and silky hair, and the dumbfounded expression on his face when he woke up leaning on you was so worth the numbness of your body the whole night. He then proceeds to threaten you to never speak of this event ever again (especially to anyone or else!) his ears turning adorably red and his face flaming with embarrassment, to your amusement.

These moments are both precious and irreplaceable to both of you, and when the time comes that he could finally find it in himself to completely trust, to trust you fully, once again…maybe it would also be the time that he would trust you with his name, at long last.

“They're the person who held me at my weakest, their eyes saw me at my darkest, and after all of that, they're the one who continued to love me at my worst.” 

TAGLIST (let me know if you want to be added in my future works!): @samarill , @maehemthemisfit , @chocogi , @rvoulte ...

[moonspirit]

What do you think about Annie's father? Was he justified in what he did to Annie? And how did he feel afterward? I’d like a debate on this topic.

Hello again!

Straight up, I don't have a good opinion about Mr. Leonhardt xD To borrow a beautiful name coined by the Noragami fandom, he is simply a "trash dad" xD

I recommend a reading of this post by @distortedclouds, her take on Annie's father is very sensible and I agree with everything there; it also covers all your questions, honestly.

For me, I feel that no, he was not justified in what he did to Annie at all! That was a child he abused with his rigid principles and harsh training and terrible physical and mental stress. Annie's father, who well understood that he would be the only parent figure to a small child -- a blank canvas -- chose to be a source of pain and terror instead of being a loving father.

Sure, all the warrior-parents were terrible (with the exception of maybe Pieck's father, but then again we don't get much information about him; he seems nice based on the little we know though). We can say that pretty much all the Eldians in Liberio had their surroundings shape them into who they were. I won't argue with this, they were victims of propaganda and brainwashing and when you're so far removed from reality and fed only one type of story, you can become Karina Braun yourself. But here it's important to remember - Mr. Leonhardt was not someone who bought into any of that Marley Supremacy bullshit, Mr. Leonhardt was motivated by what he could get in terms of comfort and a good life in exchange for his daughter's life. When he adopted Annie, he saw her as an entry card, not as a child he would love.

As for what he felt afterward, I think Clouds explains it very well in her post, but I too am not inclined to feel like any of his apparent remorse was genuine. It's kind of like when an animal trainer who's been dealing harsh training to an animal over the years becomes accustomed to having it around, and when suddenly faced with the possibility of losing it, expresses some warmth. I'm not saying all of it was bullshit, but it certainly wasn't love. However that scrap of emotion was enough for Annie to latch on to and you can't blame her; starved for affection so long, it was the first bit of affection coming her way and she grabbed it.

I can't say for certain what kind of person he becomes post-rumbling. No human being is above good change, so it's possible he changes for the better. He might become a loving father, or he might not, but perhaps we should give him the benefit of doubt in either case.

That said my personal headcanon as to this is that parents who have never known the "good way" to raise a child do not become wonderful parents overnight. Sure, the Rumbling was a catastrophic event, the parents of the surviving warrior kids are no longer prideful about their status but simply hope for their children to return; would Annie's father finally realize the worth in her existence instead of the worth in her skills? Maybe. It's possible. Maybe he's a different man, after all these years. But again, personally, I like to imagine that even if he is a new person, there is still damage he deals to Annie, in different ways. Perhaps unwittingly. Unintentionally. Unconsciously. But he's never known Annie as a person, only as a tool, and then, it is damage, nonetheless.

[mislamicpearl]

Thoughts and favorite moments from LMK season 5, eps 8-10 (finale):

Spoilers galore below:

"Control yourself" OMGOOODDD JUST HOW COLD AND CALMLY NEZHA SAID THAT WAS SO COOL!!

Somehow Nezha calling MK a child is so cute X3

Glad his dad isn't a full on bad guy, though I think he turned around a little fast. Granted we don't want to waste too much time on this.

The Pigsy huggg!😭😭😭

And the mastermind is... a Serpentine! Seriously, my sisters and I made up whole (unserious) theories on the spot there about this guy either coming from or pre-dating Ninjago. My favorite is that the cave he was talking about was the one the Anacondrai were trapped in - he managed to escape to the Ninjago realm before Pythor cannibalized the whole tribe.😆

"Wow, I'm very used to all of our enemies just being like, recycled your old enemies?" "Or like your ex-best friend." Hahaha

Hmm so this guy knew Wukong before, interesting...I just find it kind of funny that this guy (sorry I just couldn't catch his name) that his whole evil motivation is that he wants to just.. eff off.😆

Macaque trying so hard to stop MK sacrificing himself, again I can't believe how far their relationship has come since his first appearance. 😭

"That power. Who gave that to you? Who'd you make a deal with?" "A deal..?" I'M FROTHING AT THE MOUTH, ARE WE ACTUALLY GOING TO GET MORE ABOUT MACAQUE'S POWERS IN THE FUTURE??

Mei trying to straight up bite the snake guy XD

Macaque looking back at Wukong for a moment and seeing how desperate he is to save the kid before breaking them out of their bonds again😫

What did he do to Serpentine guy though??? Seriously give us the Macaque lore already!!!

So usually I HATE the trope of the hero insisting that there's no other way to save the day except to sacrifice themselves and pushing away their friends' efforts to save them... but here I'm kind of on MK's side with this one. They didn't exactly have a lot of time to figure out another way to stop the world from literally breaking apart.

That whole MK and Wukong fight put me in mind of Clint and Natasha from Avengers End Game trying to stop each other from killing themselves, which unfortunately means it was a little comical on top of being emotional.

But let's talk about how Wukong loves MK so much that even though he's so scared of death, to the point of making himself immortal, he still decided to take his place instead.😭

OMG WHAAAT MK ACTIVATED THE PAIN CIRCLET!?

Man... Wukong's guttural screams... cartoons rarely let characters show this much raw primal emotion, probably so as not to upset kids too much, so whenever you do see it you know things have gotten serious.

The fact that Macaque said Wukong's name instead of MK's tells me that he KNEW he would sacrifice himself in MK's place😭

Speaking of raw emotion, man... MK choking up with relief that his friends would be okay was just heart breaking.

So, not that I would've WANTED the "cycle" to renew itself or whatever, but... and this is most definitely just the religious side of me speaking here, I don't know that anyone else will agree with me... but I'm getting a little tired of shows letting the main characters decide the fate of the world based on what THEY want. Like, messages about standing up for your freedom, that's all well and good when it's in terms of rebelling against corruption and oppression, things that humans do to each other. But defying the very way your world is made, messing with the natural order of things because you personally don't like it... that's just arrogant and selfish. People in reality already think they can push the boundary of life and nature however they like; if some things weren't literally impossible, like coming back from the dead, humans would definitely do everything and anything they wanted and excuse themselves on the basis of wanting absolute freedom. That's why there ARE limits, and personally, I'm not a fan of seeing them being challenged as a good thing so often in almost every modern story ever. Wanting things your own way no matter what rules you break is a villain mindset (pretty much what the Serpentine guy's motivation was). I can kind of excuse MK here for the fact that the cycle wasn't supposed to start this early and what he's doing is just putting things back on the right track... whatever, guess I just wanted to get that off my chest, rant over.

Back to fluffy wholesome moments - Wukong crying and saying "I got you" to MK after catching him!!😭😭😭

And more group hugs🥹 This is probably like the third or fourth of this season??

Toy Story 3 moment of everyone holding hands and accepting their fate...

AND WE FINALLY GET THE SCENE FROM THE TRAILER...WUKONG AND MACAQUE ABOUT TO FORGIVE EACH OTHER UGGHH! FART YOU SERPENTINE DUDE FOR INTERRUPTING THEM!!

Yes I DID pay attention to which stone lights went to which characters... and that Mei's went to Red Son, and Pigsy's went to Chang'e, AND WUKONG'S WENT TO MACAQUE!!

Oh yeah nope, we just CAN'T end the season without giving MK something to worry and feel guilty about for next time!

Wukong tearing up saying "I don't want to lose you" MY HEART😭

YO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MACAQUE'S SHADOW POWER??? AND IT'S ON MK'S STAFF!!! MACAQUE SPECIAL MACAQUE SPECIAL MACAQUE SPECIAL OH PLEEEEASE!!!

Bro, this show... every season has been peak so far.

[clever-fox-studios]

Did that Princess Mononoke thing as a riff off of something canon. The only reason he's saying that is because of brain damage, but don't worry he'll be fine (and pissed) later

This is technically canon, but only in spirit; at the point of this occurring, Black would never say/admit/think anything good about Jenn but for the sake of stupid AUs I gave him a concussion XD Of course, she wouldn't believe him anyway, but it would catch her off guard because it's so out of pocket; him not using it to get away would also be confusing. 

"Under the Knife" AU (it's not actually an AU) blurb:

In this AU snippet, this is his breaking point where he finally gives up, as he's given a moment of mental clarity and realizes it's not worth it. With everything that's happened, the foggy thought that this angry human covered in cuts and dirt, holding his own knife to his throat even though it wouldn't do anything to him, is so far disconnected from how he feels with his head not full of commands and prompts, he doesn't even register the threat. "It is what it is".

If they keep going, sure he'd probably work out a win purely because he outlasts and outclasses her in strength and stamina--but she's outsmarted him in every instance. This wouldn't be any different. He feels it. Knows it.

In this moment, through glitching HUD and cracked lenses, he can see her eyes. The desperation and rage so intense they seem to glow, filled with light and thunder that he put there. In another life, this would make him proud--smug even--to know this force of will behind her eyes was his doing. These feelings exist because of him. For him. He'd driven her to this point and come out on the other side at her feet.

He was a failure, but that mattered so much less than the light of her eyes in this moment. With nothing else to lose, nothing left ahead, he let himself have this one thought because it was his. Only his, with no malice or command behind it, no ulterior motive for it to exist. Under the ash and blood, beneath the bruises and cuts he himself inflicted in their repeated scuffles with each adding more fury to the brilliant blue irises that pinned him down more assuredly than the knife ever could, he found beauty.

By his own choice, he would say as much, even if she would never believe him. That wasn't the point, however, so it didn't matter if she accepted this truth as it tumbled from his tired mouth. At least he knew it was his choice to speak. To say what he could manage through the horrid pain in his head.

And yet a flicker changed in those raging blue eyes--confusion--as short lived as it was. She wouldn't believe him--she DIDN'T believe him.

But that wasn't the point.

He didn't care.

He was tired.

"Well?" he went on when she failed to act. "Just get it over with already."

[zarvasace]

So I know you stated you weren't going to share the writing for that darks verse au, but would you be willing to give a synopsis? (Perfectly fine either way, just have a special place in my heart where I cherish and LoZ darks verse style aus)

Was this more of 'they're all evil and the Links defeat them' or 'they all become some degree of friends in the end' kind of fic?

Yeah I can share a synopsis of what I had and what I planned! Part of why I dropped the project is that I hadn't decided whether to make the characters sympathetic or not, either, because they weren't meant to be, but..... I got, and am still, attached. XD I kind of want the darks to get little redemption arcs! Or at least not killed. Their version of happy endings maybe.

Anyway, of the two fics, one had Four's Shadow as immediately a good guy, and the other had his motives a little dubious at first. The following is the latter:

A portal jump dumps the entire Chain into Warriors's Hyrule, where they're ambushed by people with reddened eyes and little to no pain response. They quickly realize that these are civilians being possessed or something, and struggle in the fight to try to not hurt them. Due to portal shenanigans, Four is out of commission, and during the fight, he and Hyrule are picked up and kidnapped.

The two of them aren't given any explanations, just taken to a tunnel system and locked up in a dark cellar. They're left alone until one of the possessed civilians comes in to give them some food and water. Four gets a weird feeling about it. Then he and Hyrule officially meet the first dark: evil Hyrule, who proceeds to use weakened versions of Hyrule's spells to torment him, but doesnt touch Four.

After a while of this, one of the possessed people enters with a bit more animation than usual, and has a conversation with Four that leaves him moderately sure that Shadow is controlling these civilians somehow, and remembers him, but he isn't exactly sure that they're on the same side.

At some point, a new Dark (evil Sky) enters the picture, coming in to unlock Hyrule and take him just outside the cellar door. He heals someone out there, a little more than they wanted him to, and then Sky's dragged in. He was captured too, but on purpose, with garlic in his pocket. The Chain has been having a hard time finding out how to get into the tunnels, and this is their plan: get someone else captured and follow his scent.

Meanwhile, Shadow shows his hand and gives Four his sword back, so he splits and carries out a distraction plan as the Chain fights through monsters (Shadow is in fact controlling people but he keeps them away from the fight.) Some things go wrong, some things go right, Blue breaks his thumb to get out of shackles, Red goes tiny and drops pots on evil Sky's head, and eventually the two darks are brutally murdered and the three/six/seven heroes rescued.

Cue a bit of distrust of Shadow and the rumbling of a new plan: there are other darks out there in the dark world, waiting for their chance to come into the light and cause problems.

Dun dun dunnnnnnn

More installments would give them time to run into all the other darks, deal with some trials on Shadow's part, etc.

I have been spending some time doodling these darks and will write up a post later tonight (probably) about who they are and what decisions I made. :) I've changed some of the lore since this story, you'll probably notice it in Shadow the most.

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

First Ninja can easily defeat Chase during Heylin Eclipse. If he finds out about this phenomenon, will he take advantage of the opportunity?

Well, perhaps not easily, but his chances of winning certainly rocket from 15-25% to like, 75-85%!

The thing is, we do not know many details about Heylin Eclipse, the only sure thing is that Chase seems to be unable to use magic freely (but he still can participate in showdowns and use Wu, which imo require some?? sort of minimal magical capacity) and transform into his dragon/lizard form. It also seems that the same magic usually assists Chase in being/reacting faster, since he is easily caught by Wuya (but she is also weakened?? so). Does it just takes away that buff he acquired since becoming Heylin or is the Eclipse actively nerfing him (making him sluggish)?

However, just as Chase himself said, despite lack/suppression of Heylin magic, he is not helpless - he has strategy and experience on his side and not to mention probably 100 tricks up his sleeve AND its one of the rare instances his motto of 'using Wu as a crutch' is nowhere to be seen, because he literally had Serpent's Tail hidden in his gauntlet! (talk about aces in sleeves huh!)

(I kind of wish there was a bit more of that smart and experienced Chase in the episode, instead of what happened.)

So that's mostly the reason why I think First won't get a win too easily. But of course the main question is would he even use that opportunity? TBH I don't think he will go out of his way to do it.

(kinda radnom babbling on under cut, u can ignore it, the point of anwer was said xD)

In my mind, after First VS Chase event, First is too busy doing his stuff to actively worry about Chase. I mean, this guy still has a Sorcerer locked under his town attracting/causing chaos and monsters, and a Ninjanomicon to write and to prepare the future generations to keep Sorcerer locked and Norrisville safe, and probably other dozen things he has to worry about (and unlike Chase, First got only this mortal life and time to deal with it all, lol).

And while, sure, while Chase is a menace and a threat to any capable warrior, Chase also has been around for so long: he has clearly established his place in Hierarchy of Dark forces loooooong before Ninja came around. And yet while participating in wars and causing trouble, he is yet to be the supreme overlord of the world or whatever, so?? Chase kinda leads an existence of eternal evil final boss, doing his evil things and what not. Mostly he is too busy collecting cool warriors, like pokemons or trader cards or whatever.

I feel like in some sense First would understand the whole 'letting evil exist for the sake of the world balance' thing. Because like the XS last episodes established - Chase's existence is a sort of necessary evil that keeps balance from being upset too much on either side. Selfish and Cruel enough to be evil, but also Reasonable and Honorable enough to be sorta neutral good...-ish? I guess the right alignment would Lawful Evil? Though it doesnt really fit completely right, but it somewhere in that ballpark.

(On a side note, IMO about the Sorcerer - he is pretty much clear is not necessarily just Evil, he is more of Chaotic Evil. And Chaos is sort of also neutral, in a sense?? I mean Sorcerer was running around turning people into monsters, causing havoc across continents to gain power to... I dunno, be unstoppable? Cause more chaos and pain? Destroy everything?? Perhaps his goal was to make the World be like Chaos Realm/Land of Shadows? Who knows??? His motivation is as mysterious as his defeat in the finale, lol. But his deal feels more like those World-ending Spiders That Eat from XS, because it seems to me, he basically just gained more power for sake of more Chaos, not like... rule the world or something.)

Also while Chase is bugging First, he is kinda... not actively doing world-ending evil stuff to First's knowledge?

It's like... bothering First is distracting him from doing other evil stuff (he still probably has some schemes going on, but like in the background, not related to First), so First is like 'I could waste energy and effort to put an end to his reign of terror...but i guess i can let him bother me if it stops him from actively doing evil, just for a bit ' (but Chase is certainly doing evil, just nowhere First can see lol).

But, let's suppose First does figure out about Heylin Eclipse. For it to be of any use to First, it has to happen soon and in his lifetime, when he is still physically capable to take on Chase. He also got to plan out how he would defeat Chase (kill or capture him, how to do it and etc.). AND he also got to plan it around his duties to Norrisville. So like, if by incredible stroke of luck, all of it aligns? First might attempt it and most likely win!

But i feel if, it would take much longer (like say 30+ years) for Eclipse to arrive, First would not prioritize capturing Chase over his duties in Norrisville. This dude already wasted most of his life to defeat the Sorcerer (and like a bajillion creatures and monsters to do it), AND he is gonna waste his afterlife to keep him locked up too, just let the poor man rest! xD

(There is now an image in my head of First looking at Chase and going 'Not My Problem' and just peacing out of there.)

So, yeah, while I'm sure First can defeat Chase during Heylin Eclipse, Im not so sure he would actively dedicate himself to doing it.

On ANOTHER, much more shippy note (that u can ignore if its not ur thing), there is something very delicious in the idea that First, knowing such a blatant weakness of Chase's, and just doesn't do anything about it. Perhaps it's because, in some way, First prefers to fight Chase in full power, a much honorable battle no matter if it ends in defeat or victory. Or because it feels like such underhanded tactic of striking when his opponent is at their weakest. Maybe it feels this way because, they are enemies in name only because of their moral alignments, not because either of them actually hate each other (that much lol).

Ooooo just imagine, First and Chase confrontation during Eclipse, Chase fully expecting First to take the opportunity (because its what he will do), but First does the unexpected, and instead of ending the fight, he steps back and that stops Chase on his tracks. And somehow they end up waiting out the Eclipse together, First keeping an eye out for his weakened enemy, while Chase, despite all his previous flirting and needling, is geniuenly baffled by First's behaviour. He really did expect First to take the chance, after all the annoyance and bothering, and just generally First being exasparated with him. But here they are, with Chase at his weakest and First watching his back.... Trully strange.

*eyebrow wiggle*

but thats just silly shippy thoughts haha. I do feel like First will 100% use that opportunity to whoop Chase's ass just to vent all the frustrations about the trouble and annoyances Chase caused.

anyway ye sorry for rambling ;D

[mewtwoandme]

Alrighty! I've been slowly getting my motivation to draw back, hence the recent doodling here and there just to kinda test the waters lol and I think I'm in a good head pace to get back to working on comic stuff. ^^

I had a nice break. It was very refreshing not to have drawing as a main focus for a week lol. Though now, of course, with one problem solved, another begins...idk how I managed to do this, but apparently, I slept wrong last night and threw out BOTH my shoulders...yup both of them, don't ask, I really don't know how the hell I did it XD But I cannot raise my arms at all. Thankfully, that's the only time it's very painful, so if I just keep my arms low, I should be fine when drawing, 'just an annoying soreness.

Anyways, I think I'm almost back in business, so I'm gonna try to work on the name comic again. To be honest, I'm still somewhat unsure, so bear with me guys. I'm afraid if I jump on this feeling too soon it'll backfire and my motivation will plummet again. So I'm gonna be starting slow, but for now at least, I feel good enough to do some comic outlining ^^

[heronchildlove]

Hey! Can I request a fic where one of James and Matthew's friends walk in on them kissing/making out? I think it would simply be hilarious 😂 love your work ❤️

Hiii, I LOVED this idea! xD I loved it so much I couldn't decide which friend to use, so I decided to write my first "5+1" fic. Hope you like it!

~~**~~

In hindsight, their club room was probably not the best place for it, but with Thomas out on patrol and Kit glued to his main lab at the Consul's house, a sudden stretch of free time alone and a perfectly good bed in the adjoining room, they simply couldn't resist.

Matthew's coat and shirt were on the floor and he was halfway through the buttons on James's shirt when it happened. It was hard to hear anything else over the sounds of kisses and heavy breathing, but a sudden voice in the room was pretty hard to miss.

"Oh, apologies, I thought no one was here."

The sudden scare made they jump so high it was a wonder neither of them fell off the bed, but it did cause their teeth to clash and made them both groan in pain.

When Matthew caught his bearings, Kit was already kneeling on a corner of the room, rummaging through some boxes.

"Kit, what are you doing here?"

"Don't mind me, I ran out of willow sap and remembered I had some more here somewhere. I'll be gone in a jiffy."

"It's kinda hard not to mind you at the moment," James said, still covering his hurt mouth, but Kit either didn't hear him or paid him no mind.

"I swear it was somewhere around here."

James and Matthew shared a look and gave up in one deep sigh.

"What is it you are looking for, again?" Matthew asked, rolling out of bed. "We'll help you."

~**~ They hadn't meant to start anything in the training room, but, well, kisses were always a good way to motivate Matthew to actually finish the whole set of exercises; and when Matthew managed to cleverly pin James to the floor while they sparred, the only acceptable payback was for him to use his legs to pin Matthew even closer.

The light kisses among laughter grew deeper, hands tangling in clothes and hair. Matthew bit down on James's bottom lip and he gasped, both forgetting everything that weren't each other and that moment.

"Bloody hell!"

Their heads turned in sync to see Alastair covering his eyes and Thomas shaking his head at them from the training room entrance.

"Come on, guys, again?" He asked, almost drowned by Alastair bemoaning "My eyes! My eyes!"

Matthew waved his hand dismissively at him. "What's the problem? Have you never seen a kiss before? Tom, you should show him sometime."

Alastair glared daggers at him.

"Just because I don't want to see you sucking each other's faces off in the training room, doesn't mean I don't know how to kiss."

"Well, and I don't want to see y-" His retort was cut in half as James covered his mouth with his hand, trading looks with Thomas. They were always worried that Matthew and Alastair's newly-found friendly banter would revert to un-friendly banter if left unattended.

"Sorry, we got carried away. We'll be leaving now, there was a book I needed to check at the library anyway. Have a nice training."

He pulled Matthew to his feet and out of the training room before he could say anything else, but not before him and Alastair had a chance to stick their tongues out at each other one last time.

Some things never changed.

~**~

It was not surprising that it happened at the library; they spent a great deal of their time in the library, it was bound that on occasion that time was spent on things other than reading.

Besides, they were both still high on the feelings brought by their interrupted rendez-vous at the training room. So rather than searching for his intended book, James dragged Matthew all the way to one of the shelves on the deeper end of the library, pushed him against it, and kissed him again.

Matthew moaned, never one to complain about more kisses, and pulled James even closer, relishing in the heat and friction between their bodies. James' bottom lip was still red from the earlier bite so he took his payback by lowering his head and starting to bite and suck a pretty mark right over Matthew's shirt collar.

"Cahem." The sound of someone clearing their throats sent James back so fast he hit his back on the opposing shelf. He recognised that voice.

"Sorry to interrupt your... Joyous merry-making." Lucie sounded simultaneously extremely amused and not the least bit sorry. "But Matthew's left elbow is blocking precisely the way to the book I needed."

Matthew rushed out of the way, but James dusted himself, clutching at his dignity. "Aren't proper ladies supposed to not snoop and stare?"

Lucie lifted an eyebrow.

"Do you really want to lecture me over what's proper, Jamie? Besides, you should be thanking me. Mama wanted to come herself, but I offered to come get the book for her, as the dutiful daughter I am."

The mention of their mother and the close-call dampened any fighting spirit James still had.

"Well... Next time, just make up an excuse why you couldn't get the book," he said, already walking around her.

"Next time? How often do you and Matthew sneak around the library, anyway?"

He ignored her and hurried away to go find Matthew.

~**~

Even without drinking, Matthew still enjoyed visiting the Ruelle from time to time. He liked the freedom, the music and poetry, he liked meeting like-minded people and talking about his feelings with others that wouldn't judge or condemn.

He also greatly enjoyed that they had multiple, private rooms.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder seemed to also work with other things, desperation fuelling their movements until next thing Matthew knew he was sitting on a table with James between his legs and both their torsos bare. He could have wept with joy when he finally managed to unbuckle James' belt, but...

"Oh, bloody hell."

The expression and voice sent spidery goosebumps crawling up Matthew's back and he dropped his head to James' shoulder, mentally cursing Angel and Hell and Earth before looking up to glare daggers at his brother.

"Charles, what in the name of the bloody Angel are you even doing here?"

Charles puffed up, trying to look as authoritative as possible while looking at every corner of the room except the two of them.

"I have a diplomatic meeting with Hypatia Vex."

"Does this look like Hypatia's office to you?"

"I was directed here by one of the club members."

"Who were obviously trying to mess with both of us. What are you still doing there? Get out!"

"Actually, I am preferring to conduct my businesses from this room lately. It's less... restrictive." Hypatia's voice sounded from behind Charles. A folded fan over her lips did nothing to hide her amused smirk. "You two are welcome to stay and provide suitable ambient noise."

Matthew and Charles' equally disgruntled faces for once betrayed they were brothers.

The boys hurried to get out of the room, with Matthew only stopping briefly to gather their discarded clothes and make a slight bow to Hypatia before disappearing down the hallway.

~**~

Matthew's flat was such an obvious answer they could have kicked themselves for not thinking of it sooner, even if Matthew spent so little time there now it tended to slip even his mind most of the time.

Hardly had he turned the key on the lock when their lips met, legs tangling in an off-beat waltz that ended in an ungraceful fall to the fluffy and warm rug on Matthew's living room. James braced Matthew's fall, but, even out of breath, the last thing he would mind at the moment was the feeling of Matthew's full weight on top of him.

Hands roamed and caressed haphazardly. They had all the time in the world but no time at all. Perhaps later there would be subtleties and niceties, but for now...

"You know, you'll get carpet burn if you keep doing that there."

They should probably be used to it by now, but the idea of being interrupted even there was so improbable it made them jump again as if it was that first time back at the club. They rolled over in disbelief, no clothes even off yet, and stared in shock at Anna's face over the couch.

"How in Edom-" James started, at the same time Matthew asked:

"What are you doing here?"

Anna only raised an eyebrow at them.

"You gave me the spare key and asked me to come take Oscar out for his night walk because you would be out late and your neighbour was busy. Speaking of which."

She let go of Oscar's leash, and the golden retriever - having picked up on Matthew's scent - came running and jumped on top of his owner, wagging his tail and licking Matthew's and James' faces where he could reach them.

"We took quite a long walk, it's not my fault you boys have bad timing. Good night."

Task accomplished, she turned around and left, but with Oscar zooming around them, Matthew and James just exchanged a look and gave up.

~**~

"Come on, Jamie, it's almost time!"

"I'm right behind you."

They both emerged from the door on the roof of the Institute with plenty of time to spare, but it always made James chuckles to see how giddy Matthew got with these things.

Just as they had done on the night before their parabatai ceremony - and then countless nights after that - they laid together on the roof to watch the shooting stars.

The sky wasn't as clear as in Idris, but Matthew never minded it as long as there were no clouds and he had James with him. When the first line crossed the sky, he reached out and took James' hand.

"I'll never get tired of this."

"It's beautiful", James agreed, eyes fixed on Matthew.

"At least look at the sky before you say that, silly."

"You know your happy face is more beautiful to me than all the stars in the sky."

It wasn't always James got to render Matthew speechless, so he relished the small victory, firmly holding Matthew's hand when he tried to pull it away to cover his red face, but all it got was Matthew using his other hand for that.

"Ahh, now you ruined my view."

"I already told you to look at the stars for that."

"No, I don't think I will."

James rolled over until he was on top of Matthew, hovering over him until he lowered his hand.

"Someday it's going to get through your head that you are the most precious thing in the world to me."

"I'm... Working on it."

"Here, let me help."

They kissed until they were the only thing on each other's worlds, and that night - like many nights before - they made love under the stars.

~~**~~

Hope you guys liked it! And if you are wondering about Cordelia, you can consider this kiss drabble as your + 1 ending ;)

[popcornrya]

BadEndRemix Au chapter 2- Meeting pages 1-3 --------------------------------------

This is Canonically before the Kraang invasion, soon enough we'll see Iodine meet Mikey's brothers for the first time! Note: Sorry I was gone for so long I had a spell of just not being able to work on the comic from a motivation standpoint. in addition, I know Leo and Mikey look wonky XD. There have been some growing pains in drawing them but hopefully, it'll get better and more consistent with time :P (don't count on it though >:3) --------------------------- Previous Next

Okay so this is going to make VERY little sense if you haven't read the "cass apocalyptic series"

Cass apocalyptic series Masterpost

^ here ^

I couldn't help myself! the AU is too good! i just had to play with it XD Either way this is Fanfiction of fanfiction soo things might get messy but hey, it'll be what it'll be :3

hope you enjoy :D

[visage-of-hell]

Respond to the following prompts out of character, then tag others you'd like to get to know a little bit better.

Roleplayer name: Everyone calls me Yeen, cuz my online handle across a lotta places is usually "YeenQueen" or some variation of that, and my Twitch channel is called "YeenQueenGaming".

Roleplayer pronouns: She/Her

Muse name(s): Visage, but goes by "Vizzy" or "Viz" for short in most social situations.

Preferred communication: Discord, 100%. I literally LIVE on there when I'm not on here or in one of my games. Even take it on the go with the mobile app. I'm totally good with Tumblr IMs, though, don't get me wrong! My only beef with them is the fact that I often don't get notifications from it in real time. It either never pings at all or it makes the sound without the chat actually updating until I refresh the page. Fix your damn spaghetti code, Tumblr, for FUCK'S sake! XD

Experience: Honestly? I've been RPing in SOME form or another since my preteen years. Originally it was IRC chat rooms, then MUCKs (for those who remember those), forums, over email, online games (which I still do in WoW to this very day) ... and then it moved on to whichever instant messaging program was most popular at the time--ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Skype, and now Discord. I've been on and off with Tumblr across various fandoms for yeeeeeeears now. Since at LEAST 2014, as one of the earliest RP blogs I ever made was a Dhalish elf OC within the Dragon Age fandom.

Preferred roleplay type: Multi-para/novella style, 100%. I do NOT know when to stop, if a scene REALLY gets me going. I have hit the size limit on Tumblr posts on MULTIPLE occasions. I write third person perspective and that usually comes with a lot of inner dialogue and thoughts from the character's perspective in addition to reacting to whatever is happening in a given scene.

Pet peeves & dealbreakers: I always worry that I'm being elitist by saying this, but solid punctuation, spelling and grammar are all EXTREMELY important to me. I gravitate towards people with complimentary writing styles to my own for full RP immersion, so writing with people that deviate from that are just a no-go for me. I'm so sorry. >_< Also people who leave me to do most of the heavy lifting in terms of moving a scene forward. Gimme things to react to, to build upon, a sense of direction, y'know? If I'm constantly the one that has to keep the plot momentum going, I'm gonna burn out and lose interest FAST. Also people who use my characters like "props" rather than having real genuine interactions with them (be it as allies, enemies or something somewhere in between).

Best time to write: Late night, for sure. Not just because that's when all my creative juices flow the best but also because everyone's in bed for the night and I have zero RL interruptions to break my flow. If good ol' insomia has struck again, though, wee early hours of the morning are also probable writing times, cuz the same reasoning still applies!

Are you like your muse? I'd like to think I do a FAIRLY good job of keeping my OCs from coming off as self-inserts, BUT ... let's be honest--we all put at least a LITTLE of ourselves into our OCs, in SOME way/shape/form. I wish I had Vizzy's confrontational prowess and zero bullshit-taking attitude, and that I was anywhere NEAR as good in a fight and on the dance floor as she is, but there IS one thing she and I definitely have in common--the obsessive drive to escape. For me it's writing, gaming and crafting, but the motivation is much the same. It's always so much easier to just bury the pain and the bad under layers of good times and feel-good vibes than to actually CONFRONT that darkness head-on. Much like Vizzy, I try to but don't always succeed ... but I'd like to think that someday I'll have a much better success rate than she does. Eventually. XD

Tagged by: @doublejango

Tagging: @poisonedspider @cup-0fp0isonx @arachnoheaux @shattered-divinity @hcllsbigboss @radiomurdeer @voxuli & ANYONE else who wants to! <3

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1102 - Initial Thoughts

And we have returned

For more Emotional Devastation!

Bonney's cathartic freedom is still undermined by the reality of hindsight, and before we end the year Oda intends to make sure we leave in sadness and mourning.

One more time, for Kuma

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release

A Bonney-themed cover this time, eating hot dogs with some wolves

True to her word Bonney has set to sea to find her father, unleashing the Bonney Pirates onto any leads she can find

Typically, the government string up lies to vilify Bonney by saying she attacked villages of elderly and children

Kuma was indeed there, but to protect her and honor his arrangement he has to leave, surprised she became a pirate

Bonney's annoyed, but she is patient too, she also intends to find Nika as well, something to show off to him when they find him

This happens in parallel to Luffy getting his bounty, right after Arlong Park

Dragon decides to 'conveniently' head to Loguetown

Rare Smoker cameo, I miss that dude

Ace getting to show off in front of Jinbe, his brother did just beat his former subordinate after all

Kuma also seems to admire the irony of Luffy being a pirate given his parentage

Meanwhile, Bonney proves herself to still be a good person; only plunder from bad guys and only help people if they need it

The others also help her look older, giving her lipstick and the piercing so that Kuma would recognize her

Bonney also feels that if she becomes a big enough deal, she'll get her father's attention

Back with Kuma though the Pacifista are ready

It would be surreal to see a clone army of yourself in pods

This is around Enies Lobby time, as they mention that some 'rookies' declared war on the WG

Even Vegapunk didn't know about Dragon having a son, but since Vegapunk is gonna be going through Kuma's memories there's no point hiding it

Kuma has made the similarities between Luffy and Nika known too

Thriller Bark recap this time from Kuma's perspective

That Ursus Shock was still madness, I guess now we know how they all survived it though

And look at all this Nothing Happened about to happen

Even Kuma thinks this amount of pain could take him out, showing just how incredible a feat this was

Then we shift to Sabaody, Kuma's got his summons for the upcoming Paramount War

But Kuma is not at Sabaody for Luffy, he's come to get one last look at Bonney

A guy that size cannot sneak in a public place XD

But he's halted by another incident: the punching of a Celestial Dragon

'Who would dare do that?' I think you know bud

It's always good to see Charloss KO'd

And seeing that Luffy did it to protect a Fishman too compels him to make his move

The division is now shown through Kuma's monologue

A tragic monologue as Kuma apologizes to the Revolutionaries for leaving, how he wishes to put his faith into Bonney and Luffy as a legacy, and how he internally apologizes to Luffy, noting that they are not ready yet

'Don't go there yet, after all, you will someday save the world' - I might need a minute for this

And now the Gorosei are back to their fuckery

Kuma has a self-destruct mechanism!?

Vegapunk is again strongly against such a plan, but Saturn continues to gaslight and try to justify their immeasurable cruelty

Means that Kuma has a ticking bomb in him, could that have any key information to where he's going in present?

Vegapunk wants to try and sneak in a way to maintain some of Kuma's personality in exchange, but Saturn shuts him down quickly

'Any attempts to deceive me will fail' - yeah about that one?

The time has come to erase Bartholomew Kuma though, and despite Vegapunk's objections, Kuma feels at ease for how much he fought for him

We bring in the command for Kuma to protect the Sunny

'I'd like to be a stubborn guardian for their home' man...

With Luffy's poster in hand, Kuma notes how moved and motivated he's become by Luffy, how much like the legend of Nika he's become

He believes he'll be king as well

Kuma removes his memories too, not a full on procedure it's like a copy, but one which'll dissipate on touch

Vegapunk however has devised a way to view it without touching though to study it

Kuma gets to watch his life unfold, wondering how many were harmed or troubled by his actions

Panel by panel Kuma sees his life, his parents, Ivankov, Ginny, Dragon, the fishermen, Bonney, Vegapunk, each time running through that field a little older

Tears stream down Vegapunk's eyes at the precipice of the lever

'Your life hasn't caused anyone harm or trouble, but your death will pain everyone who loves you' - fucking god Oda

And before he goes, as all of Egghead mourn the loss of a true saint, he leaves one last message for Bonney, heard in present when she takes the bubble

'Please wish her a happy 10th birthday'

Bartholomew Kuma did not deserve any of this.

Bartholomew Kuma did not deserve any of this.

BARTHOLOMEW KUMA DID NOT DESERVE A FUCKING DAMN THING OF THIS!

Typical for Oda to end the year on a wave of emotions. But it was a spectacularly heart-wrenching chapter, Kuma once again seen through a new lens which elevates him to a top tier character.

There's not much else to say, nothing else really to intuit except whether present-Kuma knows the bomb is in him, and maybe if Vegapunk managed to keep a small piece of his ego within him to act this way. I think we all just need to have a small cry or something.

We'll have a break now so we'll only see a chapter in January, but we can live with that, we do need to recover.

Bartholomew Kuma did not deserve any of this, but he loved, he sacrificed, and his legacy will live on.