#please be nice i tried to draw the armor as well a i could
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selfshipping-haven · 6 months ago
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Okay fellas it's MY turn to smush his face
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blasphemousclaw · 3 months ago
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thank you for being so normal about the hornsent 🙏 Thank you cause jesus christ. anyways for the ask ermm The hornsent npc melina or messmer
you’re welcome I just got so attached to the hornsent while playing the dlc! after watching Belurat burn in the story trailer, going into the ruined city in the game and seeing all the graves and mourning spirits really affected me, and I’m honestly shocked that such a huge portion of the fanbase didn’t feel the same way. also they are literally so cool like look at their art and architecture. their armor sets. their divine beast dancing lion. if people can’t enjoy that because they’re “evil” well I have great news. they are not real
anyway here’s capital H Hornsent my best friend Hornsent
• favorite thing about them
how his quest ends with him attacking us no matter what we do. I know I know! it’s so frustrating that we can’t convince him we’re on his side! but the fact that he tries so hard to push us away just makes me love him more! he refuses our second offering of scorpion stew because he isn’t here to make friends, he’s here to win he’s given his life for his revenge... his line “I wish not to friendship kindle” drives me crazy because we have this moment of human connection with him, which he acknowledges, but he can’t let himself lose sight of his purpose! admit it Hornsent. you like me
also his character design and voice acting are fantastic
• least favorite thing about them
I already like how his character is handled but I think it would be even stronger if he or someone else dropped a few more details about life in Belurat before the crusade. he enacts his revenge not just in the name of his murdered family but his entire culture, and it would be nice to learn a few more hornsent cultural details through him!
• favorite line
“What’s this? Do you think me in need of alms? Ah… but this dish. Tis fare o’ the tower. I remember fondly this kin-clad scent. …Brings back memories I’d all but forgot. This, by my troth, is but a dismal copy. Indeed, I think it rather plain to see… things once broken can never be the same.”
I love the scorpion stew interaction so much! “things once broken can never be the same” hits so hard after exploring Belurat and seeing the city’s destruction, and pairing this dialogue with the scorpion stew description is even more tragic: “Traditional meal of the hornsent. Once made with love by a certain elderly woman for the family table.”
• brOTP ОТР whatever this is
Hornsent and Tarnished. what if I could fix him
• nОТР
I don’t think about this at all
• random headcanon
the marks on his face are burn scars from the fires… I think he had hair but it mostly burned off. maybe I’ll draw what I think his face looked like without the limitations of the npc character model sometime
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• unpopular opinion
I don’t think he was a greater potentate! I think it’s strongly implied that he lived in Belurat before the crusade, not Bonny Village. I think he sought out the potentates’ caterpillar mask because it’s used to enhance focus and banish feelings of doubt in one’s purpose, which makes perfect sense for his revenge quest
• song i associate with them
once again please leave any suggestions in the replies/tags!!
• favorite picture of them
not to boost my own content but this was hysterical
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spectrechosts · 2 months ago
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Necrosis - Chapter 3
More questions without answers, and one that maybe shouldn't have been asked.
Full Series
The six of them watched a lone zombie flail miserably in their direction, caught on a low-hanging tree branch and left behind by the mindless horde.
"Well?" Lagakh said, gesturing at it. "Go… detect magic."
"Um, no?" Lunaeris scoffed. "It'll bite me or scratch me or… something. Cut off its limbs first."
"Right, cuttin' his limbs off." Grunted Hrok as he hefted his axe.
"Please don't cut it's limbs off. This poor corpse has been desecrated enough." Said Sophia.
"Seconded. Sorry love." Agreed Kallixenia.
"Right, not cuttin' his limbs off."
"Okay, well, I don't want to get chomped, so…" Lunaeris shrugged.
Ryse silently drew her bow, and before anyone could ask what she was doing sank an arrow into both of the zombie's knees. She walked up to it as it collapsed and shot another two into its elbows, pinning it to the ground and severely limiting its movement.
"Good enough?" She asked.
Lunaeris grimaced. "I suppose. Let's see…"
She got to work examining the zombie, giving its head a wide berth.
"Okay, remember that this isn't my area of expertise." She said, poking at it with her faintly glowing staff. "But as far as I can tell it's just your bog standard raise zombie spell underneath the modifications. Well, the one modification. I don't see anything aside from what I assume is the recursive casting, no long range command, nothing. It's just a regular zombie."
"And the impossible recursive aspect?" Sophia said, crooking an eyebrow.
"Incomprehensible. An awful tangle of triggers, timers- I'm fairly certain attempting to cast this would instantly kill me, it would drain so much mana so quickly. I don't even think it's looking for bodies before it tries to raise them, it's just casting at nothing every few seconds. I'd have to see the original spell to be sure, which altogether brings us to the next point."
Lunaeris gestured in the direction they has been heading.
"It's tethered way off over there, drawing mana from something. They didn't even try to hide it." She said, frowning.
"What does that mean?" Lagakh asked.
"I don't know yet. Nothing good."
"A trap?"
"Maybe. I don't know, it-" Lunaeris furrowed her brow as she stepped away from the zombie. "It feels unfinished."
"What's it going to do when it's finished?" Sophia asked.
"I don't know."
"How close is it to being finished?" Asked Lagakh.
"I don't know!"
"What can-"
"She doesn't know." Rumbled the paladin, protective. "I suggest we keep moving, find the answers to all your questions at the other end of that tether."
"Ugh. Lagakh grunted, getting back on her horse. "Nothing's ever fucking simple, is it? Can't just be an impossible disaster, has to be one that's going to get worse."
"Oh, it might not. Maybe it's a really nice spell that's built on making unlimited zombies forever." Ryse said, leaping onto her own steed and stretching her arms above her head. "Wouldn't that be something?"
"Oh, sure." Sophia grumbled. "Maybe once the wizard has ransacked enough graves, all the zombies will do a fun little dance."
"See, that's the spirit."
~
The journey was unsettlingly uneventful, the nature of the horde leaving its trail devoid of life as it swept everything it encountered into its mass.
Still, as they set up camp after the day's travel, Lagakh assigned the night's watch. Getting complacent got you killed, better to lose some sleep over nothing than to lose your life. She would take second shift with the wizard, and Ryse and the paladin would take first. She settled in for a short rest, and fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.
She awoke to Ryse batting at her shoulder.
"Shift change." She said, and Lagakh grunted and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She donned her armor almost on autopilot, going through the motions with half-lidded eyes until she finally grabbed her sword and trudged out to the campfire, where Ryse was splayed out waiting.
"Alright, I'm up, you can wake the wizard and sleep." She yawned, and Ryse just rolled over and looked at her quizzically.
"I just got up? Lunaeris wanted to switch shifts, you're with me."
Lagakh exhaled slowly through her nose, and tossed a log on the dwindling fire.
"You know, I just may have put the two of them of separate watches for a reason." She said.
"You don't want to stay up with me?" Ryse asked coyly.
"I don't want to get ambushed because the married couple can't keep their eyes off eachother."
"Oh, please. The paladin? You're more likely to slack off." Ryse said, getting off the ground in a graceful cartwheel that saw her flop back down directly in Lagakh's lap. "Besides, we're alive, aren't we?"
Lagakh made a noncommittal grunt.
"You worry too much!" Ryse chided, stretching. Lagakh stole a glimpse of her exposed midriff before looking away as the cat continued. "All business all the time, it's like you never left the army. Learn to live a little, boss! Have some fun! Like me!"
Oh, were it that simple.
Lagakh would love to have fun, preferably with Ryse, but it was… difficult to know how serious the cat was, about anything she said or did. Everything was couched in layers of irony and deception.
Lagakh wasn't used to this level of confusion when dating. Back home these things were very simple, if you liked someone you killed a large boar and loudly offered to feast upon it with them and that was it.
She had the feeling Ryse would… not appreciate that.
"Ryse?" She asked, and the feline flicked her eyes to her with an interested mrrp? "Can we… talk plainly, with eachother, about something?"
Oh gods, she felt pathetic.
Ryse sat up, giving her her full attention. "Sure." She said, blinking slowly.
"It's just…"
Oh gods.
"I, I know that you, joke around, a lot, about things-"
She was sweating, and Ryse just watched her flounder through her words.
"It, uh, I like you, quite a lot, and you act sometimes as if you like me too and I was just wondering if you were serious about that or if it was just another one of those things you do to mess with people."
Nailed it.
Ryse's eyes widened, and she just stared at her silently, her expression unreadable. Seconds ticked by, and Lagakh's blood ran cold.
"I-"
"I should watch from a different vantage point, we'll cover more area." Ryse mumbled, and Lagakh felt like she could die.
"No, listen, forget it forget I said anything-" She sputtered, as Ryse swiftly darted into the shadows, her black fur melding seamlessly into cover of night.
"Gahh. Fuck." Lagakh swore, burying her face in her hands.
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neverchecking · 2 years ago
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Awww… thank you for the nice comments about my drawing… I do really think that I could have done better ;-; but I’m glad that you liked it. And thank you for the banana, since you were nice to give me a gift, I shall return the favor!
Mature Content Warning.
{ A bit of context: Ok so I ship my oc (her name is D.A. as a nickname) with Link (BOTW/TOTK) a lot… for many different reasons but all you need to know that D.A. is a Tall Queen and Link is her Short King. But that will be another story for another time, so this will be about the Reader of any gender, and the Chain. }
The chain and the reader are just hanging around at a campsite, doing their own thing. Unfortunately it is very hot outside and Wild is not having it at all. So after lunch is over, he chills next to reader under a tree and tries to take a nap. While he sleeps, he began to have a bit of a fun dream. He sees himself at the bottom of the hill, (in the Barbarian Armor cuz I’m that type of person) and on the top of this hill, he sees his flower, but he has to climb to get to them. So he climbs and climbs and climbs, ironically enough, the higher he goes, the hotter the atmosphere is around him. Wild starts to sweat and sweat, but he doesn’t stop, he wants his lover so badly. It’s only at the top, he realizes that his sweetie is a giant now, and unfortunately they can’t hear him from way down there. So he gently climbs onto the hot smooth skin of this beautiful being in front of him. He continues to climb, up their body, all soft and warm, and Wild is starting to become crazy, just aching for relief from this mayor yet. Finally, he makes he way face to face with his lover, with him standing on their chest. And an reward for climbing all the way to the top, Wild is given a kiss from this beautiful beautiful being (kinda like how those huge fairies kiss him when he upgrades or something? I haven’t played the game .3.) When the kiss is done, suddenly there is this waterfall above Wild, giving him the cooling relief he craved so bad as he wails out in satisfaction. Once the ordeal is over, Wild opens his eyes and is meet with a bunch of eyes on him. The Reader and the chain just look at him.
Reader is confused and concerned.
Wind doesn’t even has a clue what is going on as his eyes are being covered by Legend, Hyrule was attempting to cover Wind’s eyes but failed miserably.
Twilight and Sky both have second had embarrassment.
Calamity refuses to acknowledge what the hell just happened for his own mental sanity.
Warriors just has a smirk on his face.
Sage is just disgusted….. DISGUSTING!
And any other Link that I missed, their just have the confusion of da highest orda.
As for Wild… he feels like he is on top of something… so he slowing looks down, face is totally painted the bright shade of red by the way, and below him is an unfortunate (chulu? I honestly don’t know, it’s the blue thing with the eyes) jelly. The jelly seems like it has seem better days, and it wants to be out of its memory. Luckily it’s wish is granted, Wild pulls out his sword and pops it instantly. Eventually everyone continues to go about their day, refusing to mention anything that happened… all but one person that is…
Sage: Y’all get mad at me for how I act, but HE gets a PASS!? …. F all of y’all, all of y’all can go suck a caterpillar di-
Then the Reader just pulls Sage away to give him a stern lectures on how to treat people, but he’ll never listen…
So yeah… I know I draw but I seriously need to start writing all my random ideas and put them on this app… I named myself “mrswritter” damnit!! I’ll work on this one day… but I hope you enjoyed this! Please take your time as you relax from the requests, you’ve feed us so well, now we shall pay the bill. This story was my payment, and as a tip, here’s an apple, a red one this time! 🍎
BRO THE MEAL YOU JUST FED ME I AM LICKING MY FINGERS
Legend is offended on your behalf. Like he is acting like a wounded mother who had someone swear in front of her kid. Hyrule is like, hand to the mouth, shocked.
Twilight is just defeated bc that was who he was mentoring and he doesn't know if he failed wild or Wild failed him. Sky doesn't know where the timeline went wrong.
Time is wondering if it's too late to go back and eradicate the timeline. Wars for sure is smirking because now he gets to hold this over Wild's head forever.
And Cal and Sage? They are by far the most insulted. Cal is downright disgusted since he's more duty bound than the other two, so he's a little more...sophisticated in a way. Sage is furious. He kisses you one time and they separate the two of you for two hours. But Wild can do this and just...get away with it?!
Fucking Double Standard. He is ranting and raving about this constantly. He even gets Cal on his side.
Reader has to prolly scold them both lmao.
I enjoyed it very much! Honestly, it was a struggle to start consistently writing for me lmao. I require no payment, but tidbits like this are always appreciated! Since you've switched it up, I shall too! 🍋 Have a lemon!
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flaylore · 7 months ago
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DIRECTORY (2023)
MAJOR: Jan 7, 2023, 【DEBUT STREAM】Get in the Robot? Okay :) #Flayon_Debut #holoTEMPUS
This is Flayon’s debut stream, please read the summary for more detailed information.
MINOR: Feb 5, 2023, MEMBERSHIP CELEBRATION】Voice Requests! #Machibo | MACHINA X FLAYON
Right as Flayon’s about to end stream, X makes his first appearance ,please watch the full clip for proper experience.
Feb 5, 2023
‘He was on stream, but here he is again! 
My own mascot from the HOLOSTARS English Team 🪫
Looks very familiar, huh...What's his name?’
Feb 19, 2023
‘😈 CHIBITRUS 😈 
(He's wearing Armor...! ) His actual body actually looks like [REDACTED]’
Mar 1, 2023
‘machiroon fuel for the R-TRUS never forget😊🪫🔋’
Mar 27, 2023
‘whho thehell arey ou’
Apr 7, 2023, 【100K CELEBRATION】MachiMaid & ...THAT VERY NICE BOARD!!
As Flayon maniacally laughs over Machiroons getting baked alive, the screen transitions to a static image of X, where he comes to the conclusion to be worthy of love, he has to become special.
May 19, 2023, Pocket Mirror GoldenerTraum! // THE REMAKE IS HERE! w/ [NIJISANJI EN DOPPIO] & [HOLOSTARS FLAYON]
Doppio, through typing text displayed on the intro card, questions if the viewers know what, ‘Osananajimi’, which is a romaji of the phrase, ‘childhood friend’.
May 19, 2023, Pocket Mirror GoldenerTraum! // THE REMAKE IS HERE! w/ [NIJISANJI EN DOPPIO] & [HOLOSTARS FLAYON]
During their childhood years together, Doppio calls Flayon by his middle name, X.
May 19, 2023, Pocket Mirror GoldenerTraum! // THE REMAKE IS HERE! w/ [NIJISANJI EN DOPPIO] & [HOLOSTARS FLAYON]
Doppio questioned Flay's red hair.
May 24, 2023, 【 CHATTING 】So much rust. Rusty.
Flayon is unsure of the R-TRUS exact height, with the only frame of reference is him being the size of his foot, where his height stops.
Jul 16, 2023, 【SUPERCHAT READING】You think you can give me gifts and get away with it? *THROWS U*
Machiroons’ tail can regrow.
Jun 2, 2023 
‘18433’
MAJOR: June 5, 2023, X
This is Flayon’s birthday lore stream, it’s also the link to a visual novel under the same title was made public. Please read the summary for more detailed information.
June 5, 2023 (This is a deleted tweet)
‘i remember now
[screenshot of Flayon’s first post-birthday tweet, except it’s all scribbled out]
i’ll have to fix you again.’
Jul 19, 2023, In The Hole With Machina X Flayon Extended Cut - Talk Show With Koefficient
Flayon spills the entire premise of his whole lore.
Aug 10, 2023,【MACHI Q&A】You Ask Me Questions, I Give You Nothing
To pilot the R-TRUS, Flayon has to stick his tail, the ignition key, into one of the shields, and transmit himself via electromagnetic waves, as the interior is all digital data. It’s meant for a single user, but the others can be projected as well. 
Flayon and the R-TRUS share a symbiotic relationship, it’s why he’s the only one who is good at it. However, the Elysium government also considers this as a threat, since if he loses his temper and goes rogue, they can’t do anything. Despite needing help from him, they distrust him, which is what Flayon would say, ‘they fear what they can’t get it’. This relationship has been going on since he was young.
Aug 10, 2023,【MACHI Q&A】You Ask Me Questions, I Give You Nothing
Due to his strength, Altare asked him to join the guild and help fight for Elysium, but tried turning down multiple times, as he had other things to do. He only met the R-TRUS after joining and received his current pilot outfit.
Aug 18, 2023, 【DRAWING w/ MACHIROONS】Machisona + Meet & Greet
A viewer asked if they could pull Flayon's tail, but he denies it, saying that it's lewd since it's directly attached to his nervous system, due to it being lodged to his spine. The dopamine is too much for him.
Aug 26, 2023, 【HIGURASHI: WHEN THEY CRY HOU】#3 | All Good Things Eventually…
The R-TRUS runs out of power if he dies.
MAJOR: Sept 11, 2023, canis minor
This is an unlisted stream that introduced a new figure, a hooded figure in a mysterious train. Read the summary for more information.
MINOR: Sept 11, 2023 (This is a deleted tweet)
We’ll meet again soon
[screenshot from the stream, that only finished streaming moments before]
MINOR: Sept 12, 2023, POST TEMPUS WEEK: I'm tired, everyone is tired!
This is a teaser of the canis minor stream, where the hooded figure appeared. Please watch the longer clip for the full experience that leads up to that part. The short clip skips to his appearance. (short / long)
Sept 19, 2023, 【LIES OF P】#3 Hi, I'm #machinaxflayon and you're watching my Flop Arc 【Spoiler Warning】
Flayon said he was always good with machinery and piloting things but The R-TRUS is the first mech he piloted. No one knows why the R-TRUS was found there, and what they can do with it, but he’s the only one who can use it. The others somewhat can, but not as well as him. He also expressed interest in piloting other things.
Oct 15, 2023, 【SENTIMENTAL DEATH LOOP】#2 GIRL LOVE 【Spoiler Warning】
Flayon experiences an out-of-body experience whenever he goes in and out of the R-TRUS.
Oct 15, 2023, 【SENTIMENTAL DEATH LOOP】#2 GIRL LOVE 【Spoiler Warning】
Flayon plugs his tail into the panels and transports into the R-TRUS by dematerializing via electromagnetic waves. 
Oct 16, 2023, 【RESIDENT EVIL 4】Starting From The Beginning! One More Time.
Flayon uses an interesting example to describe how he and the R-TRUS are one of the same.
MINOR: Oct 28, 2023, 【Your Turn To Die / キミガシネ】I've Been Waiting Forever To Play, NO LONGER
A stream of strange messages from Flayon appears in the chat, begging him to return the Machiroons to him. Eventually he noticed them, got confused and reassured him that he was fine- only for the screen to have a gray filter, and the BGM stopped, as he disappeared. 
However, a more close up Flayon appeared in the middle of the screen, harshly telling the other person in the chat they, the Machiroons, are all his. Everything returned to normal, and he continued to play the game as usual.
Nov 14, 2023, 【FASHION DREAMER】Fashion is life, are you alive?
Flayon’s body suit opens up from the tail back.
Nov 15, 2023
‘R-TRUS doesn’t feel like moving We can just let them be, right? I mean does anyone actually know what happens when these “beasts” get you? What’s wrong with a little corruption?
The Guild is always so busy too.. I can only use the R-TRUS when it’s deemed “necessary” But how many times do we have to play by the rules? I’ve lost count on how many people I could have helped if they trusted me Fine, let the corruption spread I’ll just stick with the Roons
And if they don’t want me Then I really shouldn’t abide by the rules of this world, yeah? I’ll make it suit my needs What’s yours is mine
MINOR: Nov 16, 2023, 【RUNE FACTORY 3】I've Heard This One Is A Fan Fav! [Spoiler Alert]
Flayon dismisses ARMIS’ debut, saying how he’ll use any dirty trick necessary to get the corruption spreading. He puts TEMPUS’ reliability under question and reassures viewers to not worry about the outside world and continue to stay and watch him.
Nov 16, 2023
‘Hmm..’
‘So those are the beasts?’
‘Feels familiar…’
Nov 17, 2023, 【ARMIS DEBUT WATCHALONG】FRIENDS OR FOES? WE WILL FIND OUT! 【DAY 1】
Flayon proclaimed that if he were to go rogue, Shinri would be the one to kill him. He also introduced himself as the R-TRUS’ pilot, but unable to use it as much as the Elysium government deemed it as a war weapon. He confirmed that in order for another person to use the R-TRUS, they’d have to rip the tail out of his spine.
Nov 19, 2023
[schedule post with an illustration of flayon and corruption]
Nov 19, 2023
‘I Don't Know Who I Am’
Nov 19, 2023
‘He's Not Working Right Lately’
Nov 19, 2023
[a foggy image that alludes to the Church of Rune stream]
MINOR: Nov 23, 2023, 【Refind Self: The Personality Test Game】Who Am I? Who Are You
This is a preview of the Church of Rune stream, please watch for the full experience.
MINOR: Nov 23, 2023, Unlisted Waiting Room
A few hours after the Church of Rune teaser stream, he uploaded a mysterious waiting room a week before the actual stream. However, it was eventually deleted. The thumbnails have changed several times, from a glitchy grayed out image to a picture of a drawing in front of a stained glass wall.
[image of glitchy waiting room]
[image of stained glass waiting room]
The title of the waiting room was changed several times, to ‘connection lost’, ‘a’, ‘.’ and ‘you do know, don’t you?’.
[image of the title, ‘connection lost’]
[image of the title, ‘a’, ‘.’, ‘you do know, don’t you?’]
Nov 24, 2023, Graphics Changes
Flayon’s twitter PFP twitter banner, YT PFP and YT banner change. It is the same as before, except with black & white glitching.
[flayon’s partially glitched out Youtube header]
[flayon’s glitched out youtube icon]
[flayon’s glitched out twitter/X icon]
MAJOR: Dec 1, 2023, 【CHURCH OF RUNE】
This stream introduced a new figure called Father Machina, a priest that takes in people who are lost. Please read the summary for more information. 
Dec 1, 2023
🪫🔋
'My beloved "roons" If I have somehow gotten to you. Even if you believe otherwise. Thank you for your support to spread corruption. Truly, the world may be saved if put your faith in me. Love me alone. You will be saved, surely. Both runes and roons, I will protect you.'
Dec 1, 2023
For those of you devoted to me, have any nay-sayers who would dare remove "corruption" from this world.. Give them a taste of our truth.
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
🪫🔋https://www.youtube.com/live/Hh7UYiJ0T7M🪫🔋
Dec 1, 2023
I can assure you that the monastery was not built in one day, I have these amazing benefactors to thank. 
Rune Robe + Sacred Stained Glass: Aquatail
x.com/aquatail35 @aquatail35
Church of Rune Tailor: Mofu
@mofu_asb
Dec 2, 2023, 【MEMBERSHIP】Watching Heathers For The First Time!
In the description box of the membership Heathers watchalong, the stream proceeding Church of Rune, ‘TEMPUS’ is crossed out in the ad link for the new Christmas ornament acrylics. This ad doesn’t appear in any other stream’s descriptions.
Dec 7, 2023, 【DRAWING】I Try To Make A Machiroon Emote..?!
Flayon showcased the updated Machiroon 3-way reference sheet. He describes the their texture as goopy and wispy. They’re see-through, but it’s influenced by their emotional state. For example, if they’re scared, they become harder to see, and if they’re more grounded, they look more solid. Machiroons look cute because he believes it is fitting of his fans. If someone were to eat one, it will bond to you on a cellular level.
Dec 12, 2023, Playing Gartic Phone w/ rhe Machiroons (Cutest Blorb) in 2K BITRATE HELP
Machiroon’s eyes become more swirly the more emotional they are.
Dec 12, 2023, Playing Gartic Phone w/ rhe Machiroons (Cutest Blorb) in 2K BITRATE HELP
The red clips on Machiroons ears are tracking chips.
Dec 4, 2023
🪫Official MACHIROON Reference Sheet🪫
➡️Say hello to my lovely supporters or else
���️- Main Form, Goo-like, capable of bonding w/ host
🔴- Armor Form, customizable armor/hat
⬇️features original sketch reference sheet by me
[official reference sheets of machiroons, followed by the concept sketch version drawn by flayon]
Dec 4, 2023
⚫️Roon Taste: Depends on the food they eat, if they eat lots of strawberries they will taste like that
⚫️Roon in Water: They will float, but if stressed enough they will sink
⚫️Stronger Than They Think And Deserve Love
🔴Armor: Serves as comfort zone + personal expression
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scrumpledorph-writes · 11 months ago
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Koben’s Requisition (Shopping Trip)
I
My wounds have had long enough to heal. Left arm is still a little tender, but I don’t think I can bear sitting around doing nothing all day again. Already deviated from my sleeping schedule by fifteen minutes last night. I should go scope out the landscape around here, pick up a few essentials while I do it: a change of clothes, a spare blaster, maybe some thermal weave if I can manage that discreetly. Date night tomorrow too; so I should get a second change of clothes. A nice one.
No getting around wearing the armor into town again. As much as it draws attention, it at least gives people the proper impression. Not much difference between a body glove and a cat suit to a civilian eye, and just the thought of being propositioned has me recalling all the practice I had on how to snap a wrist. I don’t think the blood would wash out if someone tried to perform an unannounced physical inspection. The blaster rifle should probably stay home though.
Only twenty minutes across the flats to town, this speeder performs exceptionally far above the standard set by all the taxi speeders I’ve been calling. Could be made with illegal parts, or stolen Imperial tech. If that’s the case, somebody will come looking for it. They likely wouldn’t be expecting anyone to put up a fight, and their body wouldn’t last more than a few days on the sands – scouring winds for the flesh, scavengers for the bones, but that would leave a loose thread for whoever sent them. They’d send a bigger force to follow up, one of them might report back, and I’d be left looking for another little nothing planet to start all over on, alone.
I should have this thing inspected. Brayli’s a speeder mechanic, but I don’t know if it would offend her to blend her work and private life, even if I offer to pay. She probably wants to get away from work when we’re together. I could find another mechanic, but then she’d wonder why I didn’t bring it to her; if I don’t think she’s a good enough mechanic to do the job. Maybe I should bring it in now, while we’re not on a date and she’s a speeder mechanic first. Just bring in the speeder I stole off a bounty target, I’m sure that won’t cause any problems. Stupid; bad idea.
Think about it later, stick to the plan for the day so I can at least get something important done. Blaster first, it’s the easiest to carry around. Should just assume anything I can find around here is illegal, so who looks like the most credible illegal dealer? Is that a squadron of Jawas running a stall out of a speeder truck? Never seen that before. They at least probably stole it first hand, so I’d be getting it second hand, which beats third or fourth from any of the rest of these shops. They’re looking at me expectantly—too bad I don’t speak Jawa.
‘Hey miss! You in the suit! Were you hoping to do business with my fine companions?’ Long loose coat, loping posture, smile too wide for his head, voice like a tread on gravel. Shifty, probably a conman. Unfortunately my best bet. ‘I was.’ ‘Ah, but you don’t speak Jawa do you?’ ‘No.’ ‘Ah that’s alright my friend, few people do.’ He’s trying to put his arm around me. Too friendly. Firm hand on the wrist, firmer shake of the head. ‘Ah, straight to business with you, I can respect that.’ He’d better. ‘So, what is it you’re in the market for?’
‘Blaster pistol. Highest power you have. Discretion is no concern.’ ‘Highest power you say? I hope you have your papers.’ He’s laughing, slapping two of his four spindly hands against two of his twig like knees. Trying to draw me in, establish a connection he can exploit. ‘I don’t.’
He’s standing up straight now, but with how crooked everything else about him is it makes him look off balance. ‘Ah ha, well, that’s no matter. Only a joke. Please, feel free to browse. We keep the batteries stored separately, so by all means inspect the merchandise, give the triggers a test squeeze or two.’
Surplus, worn out, stripped, knockoff. I should have expected none of these would meet any official standards. Good thing I carry a pocket tool. There might be one good blaster spread across this entire inventory. ‘Hey hey, whoa lady, what do you think you’re doing?!’ He’s spineless, maybe literally; push a little harder and he’ll fold.
‘You claim to sell blasters. These aren’t blasters, they’re piles of scrap. Most of your customers won’t know the difference until it kills them, but if you cared about that you wouldn’t be selling them.’ Guilt. Not the guilt of knowing his shoddy goods have killed his customers, but of knowing he’s been caught. ‘Let me pull a few of these apart, put together a complete, functional blaster, pay you for the parts since I’ll be handling all the work – then you can put the rest back together and get back to scamming people.’ His face looks more red than an imperial saber and pressurized as a grenade.
‘Two thousand credits for the privilege of picking and choosing.’ ‘A good heavy blaster is worth seven hundred new; five hundred and fifty for your secondhand wares.’ ‘That’s in the core worlds where you can get one made easily, fifteen hundred for the import fee.’ ‘Your Jawa partners stole these off corpses, I can see the kill tallies carved into some of them. Seven hundred and fifty.’ ‘And they risked their lives getting to them before the Tuscan raiders! Twelve fifty.’ ‘Nine hundred and I’ll put the ones I have to take apart back together myself.’ ‘One thousand for insulting the quality of my wares!’ ‘Done.’ Emperor that was exhausting. Used to be able to just serve up a writ of requisition to commandeer things like this. Or arrest the vendor.
I can’t believe it took two hours of sifting through and comparing their whole stock, but I finally have an acceptable blaster. Thick grip, long barrel, wide firing chambers, compact sight. Imperial steel through and through, none of those ornamental engraved wood or softer metal inlays that are popular with civilians. Just a needless point of failure. Reminds me of my academy days, stripping and reassembling a blaster over and over until I could do it with my eyes closed and an alarm siren wailing. Now I just need a holster and some practice shots to get used to the weight.
‘Finished. I’ll take five batteries for it. I’m done haggling for the day, and I know how much a battery costs. Twenty five credits per unit.’ He seems as fed up with me as I am with him, he’s not even feeding me excuses any more.
‘Say, not bad work you did putting these back together. One connoisseur of fine weapons to another, perhaps my wares may not be of the highest quality on the maintenance side of things. That’s why I have to sell them on the street. How would you be interested in a business proposition?’ Oh, he stopped haggling so he could get on my good side. How shrewd. Still, bounty work is inconsistent even under the best conditions. A fallback option wouldn’t hurt.
‘I have other avenues of employment, and I only work freelance. Whatever you’re suggesting would likely be bottom priority. If you’re still interested, keep talking.’ ‘I’m sure you noticed a lot of the problem with these blasters is wear and tear. Jawas are great at finding things and taking them apart, but not quite so good at putting them back together in good working order. How would you like to be my refurbishing specialist? Your blaster’s looking great, and all you had was a pocket tool and a folding table on the street. With a proper workbench and suite of tools, like the ones I’ve got at my workshop, you could probably get these good enough for the Troops!’ Delusions of grandeur. I don’t have time to get wrapped up in some small time scheme.
‘So you can peddle them to passersby? Sounds like wasted effort. The Empire has industrial grade contracts.’ ‘Ah that may be true my friend-’ ‘We aren’t friends.’ ‘-My potential business partner; but the local gangs are always looking to expand, and that means they always need new blasters.’ High quality blasters in the hands of the local gangs means higher quality blasters being pointed at me on the job.
‘Do you think I wear this armor because it’s comfortable?-’ It actually is, the body glove was vacuum contoured perfectly to my body, with all the plates machined to match. I used to sleep in it on long operations, just to be safe. But that would undermine my argument. ‘-My primary earner is bounty work. Being shot at by military grade blasters already sounds like a losing proposition, knowing I’m the reason they have them would just be insulting.’ ‘Mm. I understand. Take my comm number. If you ever change your mind, let me know.’ Doubt I’d ever make enough off of this to be able to stop doing bounty work, but fine.
II
That ate up too much of the morning. I was hoping to take a shuttle to the system capital early so I could beat the commute, no way I’d find anything approaching fancy on this planet, but at this time of morning there might as well be a blockade on intra-system traffic. Guess I can pick up those civilian clothes now.
I’m a little surprised to see she has an actual building to operate out of, but the desert winds aren’t kind to lighter fabrics so she must get a lot of repeat customers. Half filled racks of disparate pieces of clothing. A lot more variety than I’m used to. Could branch out from imperial black on imperial black. Not a lot in my size though.
That coat looks reliable, nerf leather lasts almost as long as plastoid. Still has most of its color, looks about my size. ‘Do you have anywhere I could try things on?’ A single disinterested finger from the other side of a holovid. Fine by me, I’ve been marketed to enough today. Over the shoulder and keep looking. Slim pickings for pants, and cloaks aren’t much my thing. Always get worried that there’s nothing under them whenever I see someone wearing one, or worse: that they’re hiding a lightsaber.
One pair of denym pants that looks like it could fit around my thighs. Another durable bit of civilian wear – no reason to compromise on that principle just because I’m stepping out of my armor. A shame it looks like it just came in from a few years sitting out in the suns, but it should do.
Those are some nice boots. Sturdy, reinforced worker’s wear. Maybe I can keep a little black in my wardrobe. The Empire puts everyone in it for a reason, right? Slimming, obscures your silhouette, muffles features. They have a nice clack when I tap the toes, could probably stop a blade if it really came down to it. Vibro-blade would probably still go through them like paper, but normal people take that risk every day and most of them make it out okay.
A nice looking holster. It looks new—brand new; too new. Imperial black, with a belt loop to fit any size and shape of blaster pistol. This is an officer’s holster. What would an officer be doing this far out? Hopefully not looking for me, and if so, hopefully this was picked off their corpse. Doubt the girl behind the counter verifies her sources. I’d have no choice but to buy it just to destroy it; the fact that it fits my blaster well is just a bonus.
This shirt might have been imperial black at some point; another casualty of the triplicate suns. Really need to consider moving to a system with fewer of those. A softer retirement than most imperial uniforms get though; no cuts or burns. It’s also the only shirt here that can fit over my shoulders, so I don’t have a choice.
I’m not sure I like civilian clothes. Even in the regular Storm Corps the glove was vacuum fitted despite the plates being mass produced, but after ten years of custom machined Purge Corps plates contoured to my musculature, these generically cut fabrics feel like they’re strangling me. I can feel the stitches on the jacket strain if I deviate too far from rest, not to mention the cuffs hanging up on my elbows. The pants would probably rip wide open if I had to sprint or lunge at something, even a crouch feels like I’m pushing my luck. The shirt has the opposite problem – loose fitted to the point of bunching and folding under the jacket so badly I’m constantly pulling on the collar to keep it facing straight. Boots and holster fit well though.
Fifty credits for it all, not a single word from the shopkeeper. One of the better interactions I’ve ever had with one. Easier to carry it around than my armor, so I guess I’ll have to head back home and change into it before I head off world. Less likely to get stolen if I leave it in my speeder too. Surely the people around here aren’t that desperate.
I doubt the morning rush has finished yet. The less time I can spend on a crowded ship the better. Maybe I can ask Vranki to order me in that sheet of thermal weave, a crime boss is sure to understand the value of discretion. If she’s halfway competent it should be no problem to source, and if not I should probably start looking for another employer.
‘Hey Trooper. Wish you chose a different code name, kind of confusing when I have to call out regular troopers.’ Good to see he remembers me, I think it’s a faux pas to disarm someone two times. ‘I’ve spent so long being called that I couldn’t think of anything else.’ Not a lot behind the eyes in that nod he’s giving me. ‘Nice blaster by the way! Where’d you get it—I’ve been thinking of upgrading. Just in case a fire fight ever breaks out, y’know? Can barely hit a bottle past ten feet with this thing.’
‘I had to splice together six blasters to make this one.’ ‘Oh no way, that’s crazy. Could you take a look at mine? Maybe it’s just rusty or something.’ Hard to picture this guy ever being a serious threat no matter how good a blaster he has. No rattling, no visible wear and tear. Likely doesn’t get fired often enough for that. Even a pretty good scope, but it’s completely warped. ‘Everything’s fine but the sight, what happened? Did it get run over, dropped off a roof?’ ‘That’s the bit I use to crack open beers when a shift is dragging on.’ Glad I’m wearing my helmet so the disgust on my face can’t sour our working relationship. ‘Don’t do that.’
Nothing seems to change much around here. Still dark, loud, and smoky: all problems my helmet solves. Surprised Vranki has time to see me, I figured there would be a lot more overhead on running a gang. A lot of it must handle itself now that I give it a second thought though: addicts just need some space to dissociate, and I’ve never seen someone paying for sex unhappily. The problem solving flow chart is probably a lot more linear without having to worry about court reprimands or public scandals—just use violence until the problem is gone.
‘Ah, Trooper! Glad to see you up back up and walking without that nasty limp. You here for work, or did you need a little help unwinding?’ ‘Neither ma’am. I would like to make use of your front companies if possible.’ ‘This isn’t Coruscant, why would I need to bother with those? Everybody in town knows who I am and what I do, and the only people who’ve given me trouble over it so far are people trying to compete.’ That’s a worryingly lax attitude, but the sooner I restore my armor’s integrity the better.
‘I need a sheet of thermal weave, but I don’t want my name on the purchase. Could I proxy it through you?’ ‘Of course! Normally that sort of business would start running into exorbitant fees, extortion if I’m being honest with you—woman to woman; but since we’re professional associates I’ll let you off with just a ten percent surcharge. I’m still running a business after all.’ ‘Fine. Give me the price as soon as you have it. If it’s too much, give me a target to make up the difference.’ ‘Oh don’t worry, I have no shortage of work for you if it comes to that. I should have a quote for you by the end of the day, not like it’s illegal or anything. Has anyone ever told you you’re paranoid, dear?’ I doubt it would be worth explaining how criminal activity looks from the enforcing side of the law. The Empire has a loose grip out here, but it tightens every day.
Suns are out in earnest now, traffic should have broken up. Just need to stow the armor at home and head to the spaceport. Things have been happening fast enough lately that I’ll likely be home by the time I’ve parsed them all in a sitrep. Vranki raises a lot of red flags – she makes half the rookie mistakes I spent seven years busting people on, and seems proud of it. She’s only gotten big because there’s no law out here to crack down on her, but once there is her operation is done. I need to not be a part of it by then. There’s no such thing as an honorable discharge from a crime boss’ service, so I might need to ingratiate myself to someone else more discreet and help with a hostile takeover. Should take my next contract from someone else too, better not to establish a pattern before breaking it.
Situation at home is appreciably unchanged. Looks like the wind rustled the shutters though, wish those stayed shut. Better not to invite any prying eyes or opportunistic scavengers in, even this far from town. Armor’s safely tucked in the alcove, casual clothes are on, time to go.
III
Honestly glad there’s no good tailors on Doobinth, I could use an afternoon away from this planet. Waterproofing is easy, but sand infiltrates every crevice in a piece of gear better than any assassin I’ve ever worked with. Maybe I can take Brayli off world for a date some time. I hear the capital is interesting. Not nice, considering it’s a hyper dense ball of iron that cooks you alive if you leave the arcologies—with rivers of mercury flowing across a lot of the surface, but apparently there are some breath taking views. I can’t even imagine how it got chosen to be the capital though.
Hang on a second: why does it smell like exhaust inside the ship, and why does it make me feel...nice? Better look around, just to be sure there’s no leak. It seems to be coming from that woman over there. That Nautolan with pink skin and tight coveralls who needs two seats. What’s Brayli doing on this shuttle? Should I talk to her? If she sees me I have to, it’s not nearly loud enough to pretend I didn’t notice her. We aren’t scheduled for a date until tomorrow though, she probably wants to be alone. Likely left the planet to get a break from me, I shouldn’t be too pushy. Just leave her alone.
‘Hey Koben, is that you?’ Oh, okay, never mind, impromptu short date. Public transportation through the void of space is romantic, right? It doesn’t matter, you need to get up and use your legs to walk over to her so you aren’t shouting across the cabin. ‘Oh, hey Brayli, it’s good to see you! I just happened to be heading to Saraz myself for some-’ Don’t ruin the surprise by telling her you’re going to spend a sizable chunk of your blood money on a dress from a tailor you’ve only heard about on the HoloNet; that would look stupid for two reasons. ‘-sightseeing.’ ‘Lucky you. Some oil baron who only drops by for the winter wants me to supe up his speeder so he can blast across the dunes, and the folks who make the parts for it don’t deliver. Just my luck, huh sugar?’
A pet name. A friendly elbow. That soft, warm laugh she does. How do I respond. Do I put my arm around her? Kiss her? Not in public, surely that’s too far too fast. I’ve been in situations like this before. This is a tightrope, she’s testing you. Fall and it all ends once we land. I recognized it, that’s the first part of the test, now all I have to do is figure out the answer.
‘You alright? You look a little pale, the shuttle making you sick?’ ‘No! I’m fine! I’m sorry. You’re very unlucky. I hope those parts are easy to transport.’ Feels like I just got hit by a speeder. ‘It’s just a few little nuts and bolts. The kind that are just a tiny bit off from industry standard so they can sell you replacements.’ A second part of the test, breadth of knowledge review, I can handle this.
‘Oh! I know what you mean, blasters have that problem all the time. The Empire published standard dimensions for chamber dimensions, seal sizes, firing power outputs, every characteristic that could possibly be regulated, because practically every culture had their own informal standards. Steep fines for intentional propagation of non-regulation part dimensions. The reason they do it is because they need to be able to requisition replacement parts from as many potential sources as possible, for when troopers are on long field operations and left cut off from official support lines. Of course, with how many blasters are rarely used, and passed down from father to son for generations in particularly egregious cases, there’s still quite a sizable market for unlicensed blaster parts. This one here I actually spent an hour just this morning putting together because of how many parts felt like they fit, but started to squeak or jostle upon further inspection. A lot of people think that they can get by with a fit that’s close enough, but with how much stress is placed on a blaster during use, the best result is that your blaster falls apart on you, and the worst is that it explodes in your hand.’ That should be sufficient.
She’s laughing again, and now our thighs are touching. There’s ample space for them not to be if she wanted, which must mean I passed. No other place for it now, so it’s safe to put my arm around her. This is nice. I hope the transport stalls out.
‘Wow, and here I thought troopers just fired blasters. I’m starting to think you’re secretly an engineer just trying to impress me with all that trooper talk.’ Teasing. Lighthearted teasing, I remember this from my academy days. ‘How do you think I got the armor?’ ‘Made it yourself in a workshop. It only looks real; the plates are rusty sheet metal you pulled off a speeder and painted up pretty. I could probably snap chunks off of ‘em!’ She’s grinning, and so am I. I hadn’t realized.
‘No way to prove that now, since I left the suit at home. Can’t risk depressurization with some sharpshooting, and there’s no floor space to spar a few rounds.’ She’s trying to lean in close, but her head barely reaches up past my chest. ‘Oh don’t worry, I’ve got the perfect spot to spar a few rounds at home.’ Now would be a good time to cross my legs, just to be safe while that image runs through my head. ‘Haha, yeah, well—I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it until we get around to that.’
Transport just arrived. I don’t want to get up yet, and neither does she. ‘See you tomorrow night?’ ‘Of course. Oh, nice new duds by the way – I’d been meaning to say. You finally get tired of catching heat stroke in that suit?’ No time to explain how sophisticated the temperature regulation is, only time to smile and laugh. All the time in the galaxy for that. ‘I got tired of having to wipe the sand out of the cracks every night.’ ‘Maybe you’ll get used to desert living yet. Shuttle’s just about empty, should probably head out, catch a taxi before they’re all snapped up. Bye sugar.’
IV
Hard to believe this place is in the same system as Doobinth. Everything’s bright, clean, crowded, and loud. It has its charms, but I’ve been out of big cities long enough I think I’m starting to prefer wide open stretches of nothing. This place looks surprisingly barren for a clothing shop. Figured there would be a lot more on display, but all they have is fabric samples. ‘Good afternoon madame, welcome to my humble boutique. How can I assist you on this fine day?’ His voice is coming out fast and nasal, wonder if it has to do with how much neck it has to traverse. Not used to looking up at people.
‘I have a date tomorrow and need a nice dress.’ ‘But of course, a trifling matter.’ ‘I don’t see any to try on.’ ‘Oh no my dear, you do not -try on- art! Everything we Kaminoans create is art, and art must be made bespoke, one of a kind, by and for those whose ambition wills it into being. Please remove your jacket; my droids will take your measurements and then we may begin holo-projecting potential designs over you.’
All of these designs look awful. My shoulders keep jutting out, my waist is a straight vertical line, and all these silky smooth fabrics just draw attention to how cracked and worn my skin is. I’m stupid, this is stupid. Dresses are for women with the luxury of sitting in a temperature controlled office all shift and taking monthly salon trips. Ones who’ve never had to practice knife fighting or crawl through suppressive fire. Real women.
I’m crying. Haven’t cried once since the Empire took me in, and now I’m crying because I don’t look good in a dress I could never have imagined affording until now anyway. What a joke. ‘Oh please do not cry madame. What troubles you?’ ‘I don’t think a dress is for me. I’ll be on my way.’ I guess she’ll have to be satisfied with these clothes.
‘Oh you must not go! In all my years I have never had the pleasure of working with one such as yourself!’ ‘Someone built like a slab of wrought iron?’ He looks offended. Don’t know how he has the gall to be the one offended here, but that’s self proclaimed “artists” I suppose. ‘That is how you think of yourself madame? Do not say such things!’ I’ve spent the better part of my life taking orders, but a scrawny seamster is a step too far.
‘And why shouldn’t I?! I could go to Coruscant with more credits than I’ll ever see and still not find a tailor who can make me look pretty!’ ‘You would not, that is true, but that is because you would be looking on Coruscant. That is a planet of high society, a world where there is no need for one to hone one’s body. Within those confines of course there would be nobody who would know what to do with a specimen of your caliber.’ That makes a nonzero amount of sense.
‘What is my caliber then, how would you dress me?’ ‘Dry your tears madame—whilst I tell you all I could see from the moment you walked into my shop. Your physique is sublime: a sculpted, chiselled testament to the endurance of the natural form. This could be the result of costly bodily sculpting technology, that is perhaps true, but such technology is unheard of by anyone living this far from the core worlds. An employer of such methods would have no reason to visit my establishment, and thus you must possess a physically demanding employment to maintain it naturally.’ I never figured it was that noticeable. It must be easier to make out through normal clothes than under armor.
‘Compounding this, your posture: the proud and yet restrained bearing of a soldier! Your eyes scanned uniformly across my shop, shoulders level, gait even. Such is not the behavior of a mere athlete or physical laborer. Even in so safe an environment as a shopping district you stay alert – vigilant for threats. Had I a blaster pistol in my hand when you walked in, no doubt you would have taken it from me.’ That is a difficult habit to unlearn.
‘You sound like a detective, but none of that makes me look any prettier in a dress.’ ‘Of course; nothing would make you look pretty in a dress. I knew that from the moment I saw you.’ ‘Then why put me through that?’ ‘Though I gleaned much from your bearing, I am no Jedi: I had no way to see inside your mind.’ Really need to learn not to tense up just from hearing that word some day. ‘I apologize for the distress, but more important than showing you what would work was showing you what would not. Now that you’ve realized a dress does not suit you, I would be happy to tell you what will.’ ‘Go on then.’
‘To accentuate and flatter your powerful form is the purview of a suit, madame.’ Oh, he’s right, these look amazing! ‘From your smile I see you begin to understand, but I will elucidate: there are as many forms of beauty as there are cultures in this galaxy. While you are a human, you are also a soldier – you come from a culture of power, strength, discipline; it would be foolish to force the beauty standards of the cosmopolitan worlds upon you.’
High shouldered, sleek limbed, and just a little imperial black for the under layer. I can see why this place has such a high recommendation, if the real thing looks half as good as this holo-projection it should be the second fanciest set of clothing I ever wear. ‘It’s perfect. I never knew how good red looked on me. I have one request though.’ ‘But of course, it is only fair that the canvas be comfortable with the art placed upon it.’ ‘Do you have any blaster resistant materials?’
That laugh is a lot deeper than his usual speaking voice. Hearty, makes him sound strong. ‘Oh, a daunting task, but you are in luck. Many of the people who care to buy tailored clothing in this system are members of the less savory side of society, and as such would prefer not having to compromise protection for style. I cannot guarantee it will prove immune to high power weaponry, but most common blaster pistols should take no fewer than two shots to damage this mesh. If you find yourself utilizing this property, fear not, because all my works come with a lifetime warranty.’
‘You’ve really surpassed all my expectations, I have to say. When will it be ready, and how much will it cost?’ ‘No more than two hours, and five thousand credits will suffice.’ The credits are easy, but I have no idea how to spend the next two hours. I never appreciated the utility of long patrols until now.
‘Can I ask you a non-work related question?’ ‘But of course madame.’ ‘I don’t know a good way to pass two hours around here. Do you have any recommendations?’ ‘Oh it would be my pleasure. If you are in such a mood as to spend more credits, I would recommend that you purchase a pair of boots to match the suit. Yours are passable, but red leather would certainly complete the ensemble. As for yourself, and please do not misunderstand me – the rugged, down to earth look has a charm all its own – you may want to seek out a salon, if for no more than a manicure.’
‘A salon? That sounds like an excessive measure.’ ‘Consider it a part of the ensemble. Just as one would not expect to see a full face of makeup underneath a trooper’s helmet, so too does one expect not to see a woman in a five thousand credit suit have dirt under her nails.’ For how much he talks, I have to give him credit: it makes a lot of sense. Definitely not just talking to hear the sound of his own voice. ‘I failed to consider that before, thank you.’
V
The boots were easy, managed to find the exact same shade as the suit to avoid any dissonance. Not usually impressed by civilian craftsmanship, but these are almost as comfortable as my old ones. Good flex, breathable, spacious. I’ve never owned clothes that weren’t made for fighting in before; I feel protective of them already.
I’ve never been to a salon before. No that’s not true, I raided an illegal one once, but I’ve never been a customer. ‘Hi there, welcome, can I get your name?’ Oh hell, should probably not leave too much of a paper trail. Been getting too comfortable lately, think of a fake name. Nothing’s coming to mind. Just Hers. Can I use it? It’s not like she’s around to be upset, and it’s the least she can do to make up for everything else. ‘Tessa Revilane.’
‘Well Mrs. Revilane, I don’t see you on the list, but you’re in luck: we just had a cancellation so I can squeeze you in.’ Her smile is fake, but polite. Wouldn’t look out of place placating an officer. ‘What was it you were looking for today?’ ‘I have a date tomorrow and I want to look pretty.’
Just relax. It’s okay to close my eyes around these unfamiliar women with scissors. They’re just civilians, if they were Imperial assassins I would have recognized their body language. The chair is adjusted for my height, and I’m being washed with water instead of sonic vibrations for the first time in years. I should enjoy it.
‘Goodness, you really needed this cleanup. How do you even get your fingernails into this state?’ ‘I wear gloves most of the day. Trim them with a knife when they get too long.’ Wow. These women must take this deathly seriously, I’ve never heard such an affronted gasp from so many people at once. ‘Well, you’ve come to the right place dear. I’ll have them fixed up for you in no time at all.’
The warm water is nice, but being detailed like this by three different people makes me feel like a droid in a repair bay. ‘Not often I work with hair this tangled. This might take a few brushes, and there’s a strong possibility of pulling, is that alright? I can skip it if it would be too painful.’ ‘That sounds fine.’ I’ve taken serrated vibro-blades between the ribs, I’m sure this will be triv-ow. Easy to forget how sensitive the scalp is wearing a helmet all the time.
‘Please don’t be offended by my saying this ma’am, but these callouses are so thick I don’t think a foot soak will be sufficient. We have a micro-vibrational cleaner that detects changes in tissue density in order-’ ‘Will it make them pretty?’ ‘Yes ma’am, very pretty.’ ‘Go ahead.’ Never worn an open toed shoe in my life, but I’m here, no use taking a half measure. It tickles. That feels nice.
I’m starting to see why the officers made such a big deal about their grooming, it’s really relaxing once you get used to being touched. The prices weren’t that steep either, for a bounty killing salary. Maybe I should make this a regular routine. Come here once a month, get to know them by name, make small talk. Then they all recognize me when an imperial detachment comes looking. Better keep it to just this once, and put effort into savoring it.
‘Well, we’ve done all we can out here, and if I may say so myself we’ve done quite a great deal. There is an optional full body massage we can have done for you in the back, a masseuse droid handles it to reduce any feelings of awkwardness. If not, we can get to painting your nails and styling your hair and you can be on your way.’ A massage. Never had one of those either, usually just been injected with a relaxant whenever a medical droid’s scalpel was having trouble penetrating. Why not? ‘I’ll take the massage.’
Now this is luxury. Most luxuries serve a practical purpose: they’re a status symbol to separate the wealthy from their servants at a glance. Investments in psychological domination. Jewellery, clothes, fancy speeders, large apartments; things to be seen, not enjoyed. This is different. Nobody will ever notice this but me. I have so many credits I can afford to throw them away just for my own pleasure.
Each manipulator digit feels like it’s giving me a stim injection. I never realized how much tension impairs physical capacity. My physical conditioning regimen has largely compensated for it and kept me effective, but right now I feel like I could do a standing jump over a speeder. The oil feels nice too. Like the cool tingle of hypoxia settling in, but I can lie here and enjoy it without dying. It might not be a good idea to come to this salon again, but surely the Empire would never track someone buying a masseuse bot, right?
Even my clothes feel different putting them back on, everything is so sensitive and providing me so much feedback. I thought with bacta eliminating scarring that there would be no difference, but this must be how molting species’ feel.
‘That was amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it.’ ‘That’s great to hear! Just sit back down and we can handle your hair and nail polish.’ A holodisplay of potential colors, but I don’t need to look. ‘Imperial black please.’ Applied in under a minute. They look pretty. My fingers look...pretty. I look pretty.
‘Is everything alright miss? Are you allergic to the nail polish?’ Crying again. A different sort of crying, not one I’m familiar with. ‘No ma’am. I’m not sure why I’m crying. Just ignore it, and give me the same hairstyle I came in with please. I’m happy with it.’ Not much room for a fashionable haircut under a helmet. Even in the same style, it looks completely different now.
VI
Six thousand credits. Four month’s salary for a set of clothes and a deep clean. I’d have scoffed at that last week, but thinking of how Brayli’s going to react when she sees it is invigorating. It’s going to be great. ‘Hey lady, hand over your credstick!’
Wow, I even look rich enough to get mugged. A back alley is a back alley no matter what planet you’re on I suppose. It only ever makes the situation worse, but I can’t stop myself from laughing at this guy. I’ve had some desperate people rush me with a knife, but this is just ridiculous: he’s grip is loose, his stance is terrible, and that blade looks like it would struggle to cut bread, never mind skin. Oh well, what can you do?
Grab his wrist, angle the blade away, pull him in, punch him in the throat, let him down gently so he doesn’t get concussed by the ground. Over and done, simple as that. Nails are intact, suit is still clean. He’s reeling pretty hard, I should call him an ambulance. Done. What a way to cap off my trip.
I could go for a walk back to the spaceport. Get used to the way these new clothes fit, break in the boots. How to pass the time? Already got everything done today, no topics for a mental evaluation. Maybe a marching tune. It must have been ten years since I’ve whistled one of those. The imperial March is always a classic.
VII
Back home. Probably shouldn’t wear this suit out too much, I can leave it off for the night. It’s still a bit too early to go to bed though. Maybe I can get my workout in early, then spend the rest of the evening practicing with this new pistol. That sounds like a good way to cap off the day. I can’t wait for tomorrow.
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freyayuki · 2 years ago
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Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Dimensions’ End Transcendence Tier 14
The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 Lufenia (level 200) and Shinryu (level 300) quests just started in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game.
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If you bring a char equipped with a Burst or BT weapon to a Transcendence battle, the entire party’s stats will be enhanced.
Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 Banner 1
The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 banner 1 features the following chars and their weapons:
Kurasame Susaya from Final Fantasy Type-0 - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, Burst or BT, and Force or FR
Cid Raines from Final Fantasy XIII (#ad) - Force only
Queen from Final Fantasy Type-0 - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD
Thancred Waters from Final Fantasy XIV - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD
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Have everything on this banner except for Kurasame’s BT and FR and Thancred’s LD.
Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 Banner 1 Free Multi-Draw Tickets Results
Have 3 multi-draw tickets that can be used on either of the Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 banners. Decided to use all 3 of these tickets on banner 1.
The first ticket gave me a Force orb.
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Was really pleased to see this but tried not to get my hopes up too much. After all, Raines’s FR is also on this banner, and I already have said weapon fully MLB.
Sure enough, it was Cid Raines’s FR that showed up. But before I could feel too disappointed and annoyed, another weapon appeared right after Raines’s FR.
This turned out to be -
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My very first copy of Kurasame’s Force weapon!
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Hell, yes! Super pleased to see this. Aside from the 2 FRs, also got a dupe of Thancred’s 35cp from this pull.
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My second ticket gave me a Force orb again. Ended up with dupes of Queen’s 15cp, Kurasame’s LD, and Kurasame’s FR. The Kurasame FR dupe is definitely welcome for limit breaking purposes.
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My third ticket gave me a gold orb which turned into dupes of Kurasame’s Ex and Thancred’s Ex.
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This pull also gave me my very first copy of Thancred’s LD. Nice.
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Spent the High Power Stones needed to fully MLB Kurasame’s Force weapon since I plan to use him here on Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14.
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Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 Banner 1 Tickets Pulls Results
Tossed a few tickets on the Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 banner 1 in the hopes of getting Kurasame’s Burst weapon and even a few more dupes of his FR and Thancred’s LD but no dice.
Just got the usual bronze and silver trash as well as a few useless dupes. Well, at least I was also able to get 1 or 2 dupes of Queen’s Ex. This one gives a D Sphere that raises the party’s ATK and MAX BRV by 5%.
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Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 14, Crucible 1 Lufenia Quest
The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 14, Crucible 1 Lufenia quest has 1 wave with 2 enemies, the Lunatic Devil Hornets.
As part of the mission requirements, you need to win within 50 turns and you need to have a Red Crystal char in your party.
The Lufenia orbs will show up when the HP of the enemies falls below 80% and then 30%. It will be cancelled when the enemies drop below 50% HP.
The Lufenia orb will be paused when the enemies take ice elemental BRV damage.
The count will be decreased by 1 every time a char moves. It will be decreased by 2 every time the enemies move.
Decided to duo this fight with Yuna from Final Fantasy X and Kurasame. Brought Pandemonium as my summon. My Calls were Cid Raines’s and Seymour Guado’s from Final Fantasy X.
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Raines’s Calls will launch an enemy and manipulate the turns of the party. His LD Call will enable its user to initiate launches for 2 turns.
Seymour’s Calls will debuff the enemies. His LD Call will delay all the enemies by 2 turns while also removing all of their buffs.
Have Yuna’s 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, BT, and FR fully MLB. Her Ex has been Purpled. Her Burst has been Greened. She has her High Armor, and it’s been Blued.
She has her Bloom Stone. All of her Summon Boards, Character Enhancement Boards, and Force Enhancements have been completed. She has triple perfect Artifacts and triple real Spheres.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t have access to her Force Boards and Force Echoes yet. Yuna is currently equipped with my Level 0 of 5 Staff or Rod Ultima Weapon.
Yuna is a really good support slash healer slash buffer. She can battery the party and remove all of their debuffs. She has instant turn rate moves which can quickly charge the force gauge. She can deal pretty good damage too.
Have Kurasame’s 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, and FR fully MLB. His Ex has been Purpled. He has his High Armor. Missing his BT.
He has his Bloom Stone. All of his Summon Boards have been completed. The Character Enhancement Boards for his 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD have been completed. He doesn’t have any of his Force Enhancements.
Unlocked parts of his Force Boards, particularly the tiles that would give me access to his Force Echoes.
Kurasame has triple perfect Artifacts and triple RF Spheres. He is a support who can imperil enemies and enchant the party with the ice element.
Kurasame is a Red Crystal char. He’s currently equipped with my Level 5 of 5 Sword Ultima Weapon.
The main reason why I brought Kurasame to this fight was because there’s a time-limited mission that wants players to clear the Reckoning stage of Dimensions’ End: Transcendence Tier 14 with Kurasame in the party.
Need to bring Kurasame to one of the Crucibles in Tier 14 so I can bring him to the Reckoning stage.
Since this was only a Lufenia quest and any char with a BT is considered boosted here, got to start this fight with my force gauge already at 80%.
Kurasame got the first turn. Had him use Seymour’s LD Call to delay the enemies. Then used his Additional Ability followed by his LD.
On Yuna’s turn, had her finish fully charging the force gauge by spamming her instant turn rate moves.
Once my force gauge was fully charged, had Yuna activate her FR, Banishing Stroke. She got another turn after that, so had her use her BT+ finisher, The Sending.
Then it was Kurasame’s turn again. By now the enemies were already down to 69% and 68% HP. Had Kurasame use one of his Force Echoes, Dead End. 
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Now it was Yuna’s turn. Was gonna have her use Raines’s LD Call but since the enemies were now down to 48% and 54% HP, decided to just go straight into her Burst+ phase already. Have 9 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 212%
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By the time Yuna was about to cast The Sending, her finishing Burst+ move, have 3 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 642%. One of the Lunatic Devil Hornets was already dead. The remaining one was down to 1% HP and was basically dead already as well.
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So right after Yuna’s Burst+ mode ended, was soon being greeted by the victory screen. The battle ended on turn 5.
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Got the score and all the other mission requirements which also got me the Perfect. This fight was really easy.
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Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 14, Crucible 2 Lufenia Quest
The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 14, Crucible 2 Lufenia quest has 1 wave with 2 enemies, the Lunatic Biosouls.
As part of the mission requirements, you need to win within 60 turns and you need to have a Green Crystal char in your party.
The Lufenia orb will show up on battle start and it cannot be cancelled. The count will be increased by 3 whenever the enemy takes magic BRV damage. The count is maxed at 15.
The count will be decreased by 1 every time a char moves. It will be decreased by 2 every time the enemy moves.
Decided to solo this fight with Cid Raines. Brought Pandemonium as my summon. My Call was Rydia’s from Final Fantasy IV.
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Have Raines’s 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, BT, and FR fully MLB. His Ex has been Purpled. His Burst has been Greened. He has his High Armor, and it’s been Blued.
He has his Bloom Stone. All of his Summon Boards, Character Enhancement Boards (including his Force Boards), and Force Enhancements have been completed. He has triple perfect Artifacts and triple real Spheres.
Cid is currently equipped with my Level 5 of 5 Fist Ultima Weapon. He is a really good magical DPS who can initiate launches with every one of his moves. His Crystal Color is Green so don’t need to bring anyone else to clear all the missions of this fight.
Rydia’s regular Call will imperil enemies and enchant the party with the water element. Her LD Call will give the party a buff that will allow them to evade 3 attacks. This buff has no turn duration and will only disappear once a char has successfully evaded 3 attacks.
Since this was only a Lufenia quest and any char with a BT is considered boosted here, got to start this fight with my force gauge already at 60%.
Had Raines use Rydia’s Calls then just used his LD ability and his Ruinga Storm skill. Also used his Additional Ability. Basically, was just waiting for my force gauge to be fully charged so I can use Cid’s FR.
The enemies got to move 4 times in a row but the buff from Rydia’s LD Call kept Raines safe for the first 3 attacks. Was worried about the 4th attack but, luckily, this one also missed. Evasion passives from the Summon Boards FTW! LOL.
Anyway, by the time Raines got to move again, my force gauge was already at 89.3%.
Had Raines use Ruinga Storm again. This broke both enemies so Cid got to move again. IIRC, had him use his HP Attack (Heavenly Fist) special HP move which deals damage and delays all the enemies.
By now, my force gauge was finally fully charged to 100%. So had Raines activate his FR already. Thanks to HP Attack (Heavenly Fist) delaying the enemies, Raines got to move again.
So just went straight into his Burst+ phase already. By now the enemies were down to 75% and 75% HP. Have 10 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 125%.
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By the time Raines was about to cast Opposing Destiny, his finishing Burst+ move, have 4 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 470%. One of the Lunatic Biosouls was already dead. The remaining one was down to 1% HP and was basically dead already as well.
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So right after Raines’s Burst+ mode ended, was soon being greeted by the victory screen. The battle ended on turn 6.
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Got the score and all the other mission requirements which also got me the Perfect. This fight was really easy.
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Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 14 Reckoning Shinryu Quest
The Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 14, Reckoning Shinryu quest has 1 wave with 2 enemies, the Lunatic Dissolve Drakes. They have 170 million HP each.
For this fight, my team was Cid Raines, Kurasame, and Yuna with Bahamut as my summon. My Calls were Seymour’s, Raijin’s from Final Fantasy VIII, and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret’s from Final Fantasy XV.
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The Lunatic Dissolve Drakes have +70% BRV damage resistance to all elements except for fire and ice so I brought Bahamut instead of Pandemonium as my summon.
When summoned, one of the things that Pandemonium does is enchant the party with the wind element. On the other hand, Bahamut doesn’t enchant the party with any element.
The enemies here will automatically debuff the party upon reaching certain HP percentage thresholds. Brought Raijin’s Call to deal with this.
Raijin’s regular Call buffs the party’s physical attack. Only Kurasame can benefit from this because Raines and Yuna both deal magical damage.
Raijin’s LD Call will inflict enemies with a debuff that will negate all HP damage dealt for 2 turns. It will also prevent the enemies from debuffing the party.
This fight also requires that the enemies be inflicted with a debuff that has at least 5 stacks. Kurasame can inflict enemies with a debuff that can go up to 5 stacks.
Lunafreya’s regular Call can heal the party. Her LD Call will enable its user to move 3 times in a row.
This fight started with my force gauge already at 50%.
Raines got the first turn. Had him use his Ruinga Storm skill which deals AoE damage.
Kurasame got the second turn. Had him use Seymour’s regular Call to debuff the enemies. Then I used his LD to inflict his debuff on the enemies.
It was now Yuna’s turn. Had her use Raijin’s LD Call then spammed her instant turn rate skills for a bit to speed up the charging of my force gauge. When my force gauge was at around 80%+ already, had Yuna use her LD ability to end her turn.
Then it was Raines’s turn again. Had him use his Additional Ability and then his LD. This pulled the turns of his allies forward so they got to move again right after him.
Had Yuna use her BT+ finisher, The Sending. Had Kurasame use Seymour’s LD Call to delay the enemies (they were about to move after him). Then I used his Additional Ability and then his LD again.
By the time Raines got to move again, my force gauge was fully charged to 100%. Had him use Lunafreya’s LD Call and then activated his FR already.
Doing that moved the turns of his allies so once again, they got to move after him. Had Yuna use her Ex ability, Energy Blast. This initiated a launch thanks to Raines’s FR.
Had Kurasame use one of his Force Echoes, Dead End. This also initiated a launch although only Raines got to participate.
Now it was Raines’s turn again. Had him use his BT+ finisher, Opposing Destiny. Then I went straight into his Burst+ phase already.
By then the enemies were down to 88% and 87% HP. Have 8 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 257%.
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By the time Cid Raines was about to cast Opposing Destiny, his finishing Burst+ move, the enemies were down to 41% and 44% HP. Have 2 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 837%.
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Cid was able to deal 174721315 total HP damage during his Burst+ phase.
Raines’s attack took the enemies down to 35% and 38% HP. Now only have 1 turn of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 842%.
Summoned Bahamut already. Bahamut’s on-entry attack took the enemies down to 30% and 33% HP.
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It was Yuna’s turn. Wish it was Kurasame’s or even Raines’s instead so I could have used their Force Echoes. It’s really too bad that Yuna didn’t get her Force Boards yet so she doesn’t have access to her Force Echoes.
Should have used all my Force Echoes earlier. Decided to try this fight again to do just that. Wanted to see if it was possible to beat this fight with only 1 force time.
So just tried to do nearly the same things as I did earlier except I made sure to use all of my Force Echoes first before going into Raines’s Burst+ phase.
This time, when I went into Raines’s Burst+ mode, the enemies were down to 74% and 70% HP. Have 7 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 519%.
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Was able to get the HP damage bonus to 999% before Raines’s BT+ phase ended. One turn before Cid was set to cast his BT+ finisher, one of the Lunatic Dissolve Drakes croaked it already.
So by the time Raines was about to cast Opposing Destiny, the last remaining Drake was down to 9% HP. Only have 1 turn of force time left and, as aforementioned, the HP damage bonus was at 999%.
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Cid Raines was able to deal 243693120 total HP damage during his Burst+ mode.
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His attack brought the remaining boss down to 2% HP. Too bad he wasn’t able to finish off the last enemy already.
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It was Yuna’s turn. Had her summon Bahamut. I thought for sure that Bahamut’s on-entry attack would finish off the Drake already but nope. He just got brought down to 1% HP.
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Had Yuna use her LD ability. I thought that plus the launch that followed would finally be enough to finish off the boss. Too bad that wasn’t the case at all. The Drake was still left with 1% HP. Welp, the enemies here are so tanky.
It was now Kurasame’s turn. Had him use his LD again. Thankfully, that was enough to finally finish off the boss already, ending the battle on turn 13.
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Got the score and all the other mission requirements which also got me the Perfect. This fight wasn’t that hard at all. It helped that the enemies didn’t get to move or use their force attack and go into their force time. They couldn’t even debuff my chars thanks to Raijin’s LD Call.
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Yuna, Cid Raines, and Kurasame did really well. Raines dealt lots of damage while Yuna and Kurasame supported him.
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Conclusion
So, how ‘bout you? Which characters did you use to clear Dimensions’ End: Transcendence, Tier 14? What do you think about the Lufenia and Shinryu quests in this Tier? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging this post.
Notes:
screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account
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clone-whore-99 · 3 years ago
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Troublemaker
Chapter 9: The Fight
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The Bad Batch x Reader
Warnings: I don't even know how much angst this contains but let's just keep the tag for safety, denial of mental health issues, Crosshair being slightly scary, The Batch being overprotective, Tech being a sweetheart, fighting LMK if I missed some
Authors Note: Would you believe me, if I told you Crosshair was in fact my least favorite Batcher? This chapter took longer to write than usual, mainly due to health issues, visiting mom and the internet yeeting itself out of this atmosphere. But here it is, hope you like it. I proof read it in a very tired state btw
If you like it, please do let me know by liking and commenting and maybe even reblogging, it would mean a lot to me 🥺👉👈
Arriving at Kamino
Work, Armor and... Clones?
Let it out
You shouldn't have done that
Talk about it
The 20 Questions Game
Crosshair
Echoes of the past
-
A Nice Change of Air
Sore Muscles
Heavy Rain Weights the Mind
Waste of Time
Tumblr really made an update so I have to change how I link the previous chapters ok
Tech had no idea what he was talking about. He may be a genius, but he was an idiot. You didn't panic - you had no reason to panic! No, what had happened, it was... It had to be something else. Something in the air that made it hard to breathe or maybe you were just so tired that the room began spinning. It wasn't a panic attack. You never panicked.
In a rather fluid motion, an arm made its way around you and pulled you tightly into its owner. Before you could yelp at the sudden contact, a hand appeared over your mouth to catch any sound that might've tried to escape.
"You really need to stop reacting like that." A voice growled into your ear, too low for anybody else to hear, but loud enough for you to tell he was annoyed.
You pushed the hand away from your mouth. "It's your own fault for always sneaking up on me." Your own voice was barely a whisper, scared that you might wake Hunter from his much needed sleep if you made too much noise.
"I don't sneak up on you," What a liar. "You just need to be more aware of your surroundings."
You just huffed out your nose in response, before cuddling in close to the man behind you.
Crosshairs heart beat slowly and calm against your back, encouraging your own heart to do the same. It worked surprisingly well, as the anger that was about to build up in you quickly went away with each beat.
"Why are you awake?" You started drawing random patterns in the palm of his hand.
"Because of your constant squirming and grunting." Crosshair answered, his head resting right above yours. You couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.
You were just about to protest, but as always Crosshair was faster than you, when his hand found purpose over your lips. "You gotta be quiet or you'll wake up the others." He whispered, the humor now clear in his voice.
"I don't do that." You protested in a small, defeated voice, after having pushed the hand away from your mouth again.
"No, not when I'm holding you like this." Crosshair pulled you impossible closer to him, leaving no air between the two of you. You bit back the sound that wanted to escape your throat, knowing that he would only cover your mouth again if you didn't.
"Now, sleep." He commanded.
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Though the ever occurring sound of rain tapping against the window was still present, the light of day still managed to shine through and wake you up.
Crosshair was still holding you tightly against him and his light snoring told you that you somehow had managed to wake up before him.
You tried to sit up, to see if any of the other men were awake, but Crosshairs grip on you tightened and he snuggled in closer to you. What a secret softie.
Still, you couldn't possibly have woken up before any of the men, right? Weren't soldier notorious for getting up really early?
For a while, you accepted this new fate of yours. Forever trapped in the arms of an annoyance, encaptured by his sleep. However, after a couple of minutes you got bored and decided to make it his problem.
You managed to wiggle out enough space for you to turn around and face Crosshair. His eyebrows were furrowed in irritation, though his continued snoring indicated that he was still asleep.
His broad shoulders were blocking most of your view, but you did manage to see Echos empty hammock. Okay, so you weren't the only person awake.
With a feather like touch, you let the tip of your fingers run across Crosshairs toned chest, feeling the muscles move along with his breathing. His armor really did him no justice, hiding those defined muscles.
Your attention went up to his face. To his brows, still knitted together in an annoyed expression. Did he ever relax his eyebrows? You moved your hands up to his face and gently started massaging the edge of his brows and the crease between them, trying to get him to ease up. You didn't actually care if he woke up, then at least he could either let you go or entertain your boredom.
What started out as you trying to ease some tension, quickly became a test to see how much you could get away with, before Crosshair woke up.
You repeatedly tapped your finger along the lines of his tattoo all the way to the eyelid. You would poke him in random places, seeing how he reacted to it. Same with blowing air in his face.
But, when you cupped his face in your hands and let the thumb of each hand slide down to the edge of his mouth, trying to pull it into a smile, - you were suddenly pinned to the bed, a tight grip on both of your wrists and an angry Crosshair looming over you.
The turn happened so fast, neither of you could stop the surprised shriek that emitted from you. Instantly you could hear rustling from the other beds. Whether or not they were asleep before, they definitely were up now.
"You done, dollface?" Crosshair sneered, ignoring the look his brothers gave him.
"Sorry..." You whispered, slowly nodding your head with your eyes wide open in fear.
With how they treated you, it was easy to forget that these men were bigger, taller and stronger than you and could easily overpower you and hurt you if they wanted.
"Crosshair!" Hunter shouted, his voice harsh and as usual filled with authority when he needed his brothers to listen.
It took a second before Crosshair pushed himself off of you. He threw his long, slender legs over the edge of the bed and reached down for a toothpick to chew on. "Relax, I wasn't going to do anything."
"It wasn't his fault!" The words slipped out of your mouth before you could do anything to stop them. The thought of him getting scolded again because of you filled you with guilt and you just had to step in before it could happen. "I was annoying him, bothering him in his sleep. Crosshair was just setting boundaries and telling me off."
You placed a reassuring hand on Crosshairs shoulder, but it was quickly pushed away in a swift motion.
"I don't need you defending me." He grumbled, while giving you a dirty look through the side of his eyes.
For some unknown reason, that hurt more than if he had just slapped you across the face. And suddenly, you needed nothing more than to distance yourself as much as possible.
Fortunately, you had slept clothed throughout the night. Partially because you had been to exhausted to get undressed, partially because you wanted to keep the evidence of your shower hidden. At least that made your exit from the bed and you slowly backing away a bit less awkward.
A hand found its place on your shoulder, stopping you in your tracks of backing away. "Don't mind him, ad'ika. Crosshair has never been much of a morning person." Techs light voice came from behind you.
You smiled weakly at Tech before turning your gaze towards your feet. He might be right, but you still felt like you had overstepped a boundary with Crosshair.
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"So, what's on you guys' plan for today?" You asked, while warming yourself on the cup of caf Echo had brought to you from the cafeteria.
You were sitting on the table, legs dangling in the air with the knees pointed towards Techs bunk.
Tech paused the process of putting his armor on, straightened up with a finger to his chin and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not certain. It appears our schedule for today is unencumbered."
"So you don't have any plans..." You said with a raised eyebrow. "You know, you don't have to use big words for everything."
Rather than responding, Tech glanced at you with an annoyed expression, before continuing putting on his armor.
You took another sip of your caf and thought for a moment. "If you don't have any plans, then why are you putting your armor on? From what I've experienced in the workshop, it's pretty heavy, so wouldn't you be more comfortable wearing something else?"
"It only appears uncomfortable to you, because you're not accustomed to wearing it. To us, wearing the armor is no different than wearing civvies is for you. Except ours has more protection ofcourse."
"And you don't have any other kind of clothing to wear?"
"Well, obviously we have our body gloves, though walking around in those would be equivalent to you wearing nothing but, erm... Let's say lingerie, -"
"Not that we'd complain if you did!" Wrecker quickly interrupted, which caused a sudden surge of heat to spread through your stomach and into your cheeks.
How bizarre, your cup of caf suddenly became the most interesting thing in the room to look at. "I think you mean underwear, Tech. Not lingerie."
You could hear Tech shuffle in place a bit. "There's a difference?" He asked, with what must be the first time you've heard genuine confusion in his voice.
You couldn't stop the low laugh at this, it was just so nice to hear him being confused for once.
"Yes, there is a difference." You replied through a smile and looked towards the genius. "Lingerie tends to be pretty fancy and expensive and not necessarily very comfortable, since it's mainly used for special occasions where it might not stay on for too long... Underwear is more everyday, comfortable use."
Now it was Techs turn to have heat rise to his cheeks. "Huh. Guess I didn't know that."
Your face lit up like the lights on life day. "Wait, you're telling me that I, a mere, ordinary citizen from Coruscant, knew something that the brilliant minded, super genius Tech didn't? By the force, I must be dreaming!" you said in an overdramatic way. How often did you get the chance to say you knew something Tech didn't?
Wrecker burst out laughing at your mocking tone towards Tech, a sound that never failed to fill your heart with pride. It's not like it was hard to make the big guy laugh, but it was always so genuine and there was never any doubt whether or not he actually meant it.
Tech let out a loud, annoyed and - if you were not mistaken - defeated sigh, before stepping into the open V your dangling legs were making.
"Dearest darling, I'm certain there's a plethora of things you know that I don't. Fortunately, I'm always down for learning new things." Tech said with the most charming smile you had ever seen and a hand on your cheek, which grew hotter by the second.
It suddenly dawned on you the compromising position the two of you were in, how close Tech actually was to you and what beautiful eyes he had behind those goggles. A new surge of heat spread through your body and nearly made your breath get caught in your throat.
"How charming." Crosshair scoffed from his bunk.
That quickly brought you back to reality. Back to the fact, that you and Tech were not alone but surrounded by Techs brothers. Including Hunter and his enhanced senses.
Wow, this cup of caf kept getting more and more interesting.
As you looked down at the cup again, your forehead collided with Techs chestplate and made a low 'bonk' sound. Neither of you made an attempt to create more space or check if you were hurt though.
Instead, the hand on your cheek moved to the back of your head in a comforting matter, while his other hand rested on your knee. Something, that did not help the heat spreading in your body.
"Eh, sod it Cross. You're just mad because your grumpiness finally drove Y/N away!" Wrecker berated Crosshair. You really wished he didn't though, you hated the thought of the brothers fighting because of you.
Crosshair huffed in response. You could physically feel the way his eyes bore into your back, observing you as always.
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Why couldn't you ever just let things go? Why did you always have to defend yourself, even in the most stupid situations? If you could, you wouldn't currently be dragged through the halls of Tipoca City by the 5 troopers you had become so fond of.
-
You had found out, the reason why Tech and Echo wasn't going to your dads workshop as usual, was because a large order of jetpacks had come in. Since the jetpacks were technically an extension to the armor, your dad had to supervise it. And since your dad was gone all day, Hunter couldn't report back to him about how you were doing. Even though Hunter kept denying it.
Your fatal mistake had been at lunch. One of the newly graduated cadets had felt the need to show his buddies how much of a man he was. Idiot. He squeezed in between you and Echo, leaned on the table and got way to close for your comfort to say: "Hey babes, how 'bout you ditch these defects and lemme show you what a real man can do."
"Sure," You had replied with a poisonous smile. "Why don't you comm me, if you see one?" The trooper you had affectionately named Idiot clearly did not find your response as funny as his mates did. He called you something so degrading it does not bear repeating, before walking away. His friend tapped your shoulder and apologized on Idiots behalf, then followed along with his group.
You hadn't had the time to notice, that Wrecker and Crosshair were already ready to pick a fight with the trooper. You were seeing red and rushed up so you could properly deck him one for even thinking it was okay to call you such a thing.
You never got that far though. Hunter had grabbed you by the waist and pulled you back to your seat, before you could cause anything to go down. Wrecker on the other hand, had already grabbed Idiot by the neck and thrown him across the room while yelling something about showing respect.
From one second to the other, a whole brawl had taken place in the mess hall. Hunter had ordered Echo to get you back to their barracks, so you couldn't get caught up in it. Something you loudly protested against.
-
"Here we are." Stated Tech, stopping in front of a large, closed door. "We should be undisturbed in here."
"Getting cold feet?" Crosshair snuck up behind you for the gazillionth time and whispered right into your ear, just to laugh at your startled reaction.
Which you never failed to provide him with, no matter how hard you tried. As usual, you gave him an angry glance to show how much you disapproved of his form of entertainment.
"No." Yes.
The room you entered was some kind of training/workout facility. It didn't have weights or the usual equipment that a regular gym would have. The floors were padded; soft under your feet while still firm enough to maintain proper balance on them. Along one of the walls, hung a bunch of sticks and padded gadgets that seemed to be for training close range combat.
"You ready?" Hunter tapped your shoulder, pulling your attention back to him.
Eyes wandering over his form, you raised an eyebrow when they met his face, silently asking why he had stripped most of his armor. All but his codpiece, you noticed.
"Wouldn't want to risk you getting hurt," He explained.
A cocky smile spread across your face. "The only one here getting hurt, is you."
"Alright, proof it." Hunter challenged, taking a few steps back and opened his arms in an inviting way. "Proof that you can fight."
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Dividers by: @djarrex
Taglist: @zoeykallus @rain-on-kamino @thebadbatchscyare @thebahdbitch @salaminus @mybigfatspoonielife @tararosebloodthorn @chxpsi @coffeeandclaws @timothyshousefire @tazmbc1 @nunanuggets @rexandechosandwich @the-good-shittt @showerthoughtsonly
Please tell me if you want to be added to the taglist, it's really no problem ❤
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daryl-dixon-daydreams · 4 years ago
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Words: 3,778 Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader Reader pronouns: she/her Era: Alexandria Warnings: None really! A/N: This is the final part of a miniseries! Find the previous part on the Masterlist!
Your name: submit What is this?
The next morning, Daryl was still sitting watch outside the barn as he had promised you when some movement up at the farmhouse caught his eye. He straightened up when he saw it was you stepping onto the porch. He immediately started heading over and met you at the steps. The bruising on your arm from your boyfriend’s hand and fingers and on your face from where he had hit you had darkened overnight and his stomach twisted and clenched with anger. The split in your bottom lip glared out against the delicate pink around it, a dark crimson slice.
“Hey. Are ya alright?” His blue eyes were narrowed in concern.
You nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay.” You glanced over at the makeshift campsite. It was quiet and still. “Everyone still sleeping?” you asked.
“Mhm,” he hummed. “Ya sure ya should be up and about? Ya got a concussion.”
“I’m okay.” You gave him a long look and Daryl waited. He could sense you were on the edge of saying something. You tried to gulp down the nerves. “Would you—will you take me to go talk to him?”
Daryl’s brow furrowed more deeply. “Ya dun owe him anythin’,” he drawled. The gravel was heavier in his voice than usual.
Daryl nudged his nose up at you in a nod. He turned to lead the way but you called him back.
“Daryl—” There was worry and anxiety etched in your brow and somehow the archer knew what you were trying to ask.
“I won’t leave ya alone with him. Don’t worry.”
You gulped, grateful that he understood implicitly, immediately. You went down the steps and fell into stride beside him.
“How’d ya sleep? Ya get some rest?” he asked, casting a sideways glance in your direction. It almost physically hurt him when his eyes hitched on your injuries.
You nodded. “A little. Except Hershel had someone coming in to wake me up every hour or so… I guess that’s to make sure I wasn’t going into a coma after the—the concussion…”
Daryl felt that familiar burn of rage in his chest. “Is it that serious?” he asked, stopping dead. “Maybe ya really shouldn’t be up. We should get ya—”
“I’m fine. I think he was just being cautious,” you countered.
Daryl gulped under the fixed gaze of your eyes but ultimately nodded and started toward the barn again.
“Did you get any sleep?” you asked kindly, concern in your tone.
Daryl shrugged vaguely. “Nah. But s’alright. Wanted to make sure he was locked up and couldn’t get to ya. Once the others are up, I’ll catch a few hours.”
You gave him a grateful smile, feeling your cheeks warm a little with a blush. “Thanks for that.” He only nodded.
Finally, you both arrived at the barn and Daryl unlocked the door and paused with his hand on the latch. “Ya sure?” You looked a little afraid, but you nodded. He swung the door open and followed you inside. He passed in front of you as you crossed the space to a huddled figure leaning partially up against the opposite wall, half-slumped over toward the dirt floor. Daryl rushed up to him and kicked the bottom of his boot hard. “Wake up, dumbass!” he growled.
He stirred and lifted his head. You could see that his face was bloody and bruised, with one eye completely swollen shut, the result of Daryl’s fists the day before. You felt sick when he noticed you were there, his whole body language changed. His whole demeanor changed, but you knew it was just all an act.
“Oh, baby. Babe, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you! I just got so jealous. Please, I just—I love you so much!” He was immediately pleading. Your heart started to race and the sick feeling in your stomach only increased.
Daryl was immediately on him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and thrusting him hard against the wall. “Shut the fuck up! I don’t wanna hear another goddamn word out of ya. Ya ain’t even deserve to look at her, but she’s got some things she wants to say, and you’re gonna listen. Got it?” Your boyfriend averted his eyes and said nothing, and Daryl released his hold on him. Your ex-boyfriend’s eyes drifted back to you. They were cold, hard.
Daryl stood just behind you, watching the scene carefully for anything going the slightest millimeter wrong.
“They asked me what to do with you. You’re gonna be gone, but whether that’s away from here or dead is mostly up to me.” You paused and gulped again at the tightness in your throat. “But I think a quick and easy death is just too good for you. Besides, I don’t want anyone’s blood on my hands, even yours. So, I’m gonna tell Rick to take you way out, alone, into the middle of nowhere and just leave you. So maybe you’ll feel a modicum of the fear you put me through every day. You’ll experience how alone I felt, how isolated. How helpless. How robbed of every part of me that mattered. And then the walkers can have you. Or maybe you’ll meet someone just like yourself and get a taste of your own medicine.” Your bottom lip was quivering a little but you were determined to get through this. “And there’s something else you should know. Right now, this is the last time I will ever think about you. But you? You’ll think about me every day. You’ll think about what you did. But I don’t care about you anymore. It’ll be like you never existed.”
You stared at him once more for a long moment and then turned to look at Daryl. He nudged his nose up at you in a nod and you headed for the door, leaving behind the man you had once loved who you now didn’t recognize. Daryl latched and locked up the barn and you waited for him, your arms across yourself again, subconscious armor. He was anxiously chewing his bottom lip when he turned around and caught your striking eyes. “Ya did good in there. Ya feel better? After havin’ your say?”
Your expression turned a little sad. “Maybe a tiny bit. But mostly no. Besides, it was a lie. He’ll haunt me for a while. But it’ll be different. He won’t have control over me anymore. And I won’t live every day like I’m walking on eggshells.” You studied Daryl’s face for a moment and felt a warmth growing in your chest. “Thank you, Daryl. For everything.”
He shook his head. “S’nothin’.”
Your lips curved in a small smile and Daryl watched with surprise as you came close to him and stretched yourself up on your toes to place a kiss on his cheek. Setting your heels back down, your eyes flickered between his, memorizing the shades of blue in them. His expression was a little impassive, but you didn’t mind. You smiled up at him again. “Get some sleep,” you said, gently touching his arm, before turning and heading away back up to the farmhouse. The trail of warmth and slight tingling, like the remnants of a static charge, were still strong on his skin even as your figure faded away.
Daryl’s heart was hammering in his chest still as he laid down on his cot in his tent, chasing sleep.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Two Months Later “Hey!” Daryl jumped up from the log he was seated on beside his small fire circle as he saw you starting to cross the green space toward the tree line. You paused and turned at the sound of his voice and the smile you gave him sent a rush of heat to his chest which quickly poured into his face. You just brightened when you smiled and he found it damn near irresistible. “Where the hell ya think you’re going?” he said, jest plain in his voice as he jogged over to you.
You adjusted the strap of your pack on your shoulder and rested the other hand on the hilt of your knife, which was sheathed at your hip. “Gonna go see what I can forage. If I have to listen to Rick and Shane bickering anymore today, I’m going to lose my mind,” you joked.
“Yer just gonna go off out there? By yerself?” he asked you, his brow drawing down low over his blue eyes. “Real nice. Where the hell is my invite?”
You laughed jovially, and Daryl felt another jolt to his heart, causing it to skip a beat. He loved the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed, and how now you gave into it with your whole being. You were just like that, despite everything you had been through and despite the state of the world, you just gave into it. It gave Daryl hope. You straightened up and gave him a half-smile. “Well, where’s your crossbow? Come on. How are you gonna keep me safe from walkers without it?”
Daryl smiled back at you, just a small one like he always did, but it still filled you up every time you saw it. He lifted his chin in a nod. “Be right back,” he drawled. You were happy to wait for him while he grabbed his gear and returned to your side.
You fell into stride beside each other at an easy pace and headed toward the tree line. “So, Rick and Shane were goin’ at it again, huh?” Daryl asked. “What was it this time?”
You rolled your eyes and sighed. “Nothing. That’s the thing… Shane is just—I don’t know. He takes any excuse he can to pick an argument with Rick. He’s just—I don’t know…” you trailed off. “He makes me uncomfortable,” you said.
Daryl glanced over at you, his face darkening with a shadow of concern. “He do somethin’?” He felt a swell of protective fire in his chest.
You met his blue eyes and shook your head. “No. No, nothing. I just mean he seems… unstable,” you said. You had reached the edge of the woods now and you pulled a small bag out of the side pocket of your pack and unsnapped the loop over your knife hilt. You scanned the ground for edible plants and mushrooms.
“Ya, cuz he is,” Daryl agreed, glancing around to check for any sign of walkers. “I’ve known plenty of assholes like him before… He just seems to be better at foolin’ people about what he really is. At least he was. Promise me somethin’, though?” You looked up at the archer with a quizzical expression. “If he does anything to ya, tries anything ya don’t like—Hell, him or anyone else, ya tell me, alright?”
You suddenly lost your courage to hold his eyes in the wake of his protectiveness and you felt your cheeks burn a little with a blush. You averted your eyes back toward the ground but nodded. “What would I do without you, Daryl?”
He shrugged and hummed a vague and somewhat dismissive noise, even while he felt that fluttering between his lungs he always associated only with you.
You passed the time easily beside Daryl, and managed to find some wild mushrooms and berries that would add some much-needed variety and nutrition to everyone’s diet. You had just been thinking that it was probably time to head back when Daryl suddenly straightened up and looked skyward.
“We better get goin’,” he said. “S’gonna storm.”
No sooner had he spoken those words than the light seemed to shift and darken. You nodded. “Yeah. Those clouds don’t exactly look friendly.” You shoved the bag you had been collecting berries in back into your pack. “Let’s go.”
Daryl led the way quickly through the underbrush as thunder rolled in the distance. You both emerged from the tree line into the pasture just as lightening cracked and the sky opened up and unleashed a torrent of rain. You were both soaked in an instant and you let out a gasp of surprise at the coldness of the rain. Glancing over at Daryl, who was squinting at you through the downpour, you couldn’t help laughing at the situation as you tried to fend off shivers as the freezing rainwater rolled down your skin.
“C’mon! My tent is closest!” he yelled over the rain. You nodded and took off with him through the grey veil, running with abandon the way you had when you were a child trying to get home before dark. Your socks squished inside your inundated boots as they pounded the saturated ground. Your jeans were heavy with moisture and you felt your clothing and hair clinging to you as you moved.
When you arrived at Daryl’s campsite, he hastily unzipped his tent and held the cloth door open for you to pass inside first. You rushed in but tried to corral yourself in the middle of the tent so you wouldn’t shed rainwater all over his space. “Oh my God,” you said with a laugh, looking over at him as he zipped the door closed. “Soaked through and through.” He set his crossbow down at the edge of the tent and you gulped as you watched water droplets roll down from his wet hair and descend over his collarbone and strong arms. You tried your hardest to prevent a shiver from wracking through you, but to no avail. You were soaked and the autumn rain had been stinging with cold.
Daryl was trying his hardest to avoid looking at how your wet clothes were clinging to the curves and angles of your body and he was grateful for a distraction when he saw you shiver. He went to his duffel bag and pulled out a clean towel.
“Thanks,” you said, accepting it gratefully and trying to wring the water from your hair with it before wrapping it around your shoulders. “Not sure how much good it will do,” you said, laughing as you looked down at your sodden clothing and boots.
“Guess I shoulda pulled us outta there a little sooner,” he drawled, still avoiding looking at you because every time he did he felt like his brain started to go fuzzy and the warmth kindling in his chest was almost overwhelming.
It suddenly struck you how familiar this felt, but at the same time how different. “Not the first time I’ve hidden from the rain in here,” you said suddenly, not even really meaning to speak the thought aloud.
Daryl’s eyes snapped up to your face. That night had been on his mind since the moment the first raindrop hit him. He anxiously chewed his bottom lip and nodded.
The atmosphere between you in the small space, with the rain hammering on the outside of the tent, was sudden charged and heavy.
“But it feels different this time,” you said softly. “Nothing to hide from. Nowhere I’m supposed to be.”
Daryl’s blue eyes flickered between yours. “I shoulda known,” he said regretfully. “I shoulda done somethin’ about him sooner.”
You gave him a sad smile and shook your head. “That’s not on you. Any of it. You did enough.” You took a somewhat hesitant step toward him and Daryl watched as the towel slipped from around your shoulders and fell to the floor in a soft pile, forgotten in the intensity of the moment. “You do more than enough.” You studied his face, each fleck of blue in his eyes, the angles of his jaw. His shirt was clinging to his strong chest and you wanted more than anything at that moment to reach out and touch him, press your hands gently to him in the way he too deserved to be touched.
Daryl couldn’t look away from you. Your gaze, you were magnetic and he felt like he was being drawn in, pulled in. He was seconds away from tumbling into something he would be only too happy to get lost in.
But you suddenly turned and Daryl watched, puzzled, as you went to the upended box that served as a table beside his cot. You carefully moved aside a stray crossbow bolt and a wrinkled paperback and found what you were looking for; the pressed honeysuckle you had found that night, months ago, picked even longer ago before that. You laid the delicate, papery flower out on your palm before turning back to the archer.
He shifted a little anxiously as he saw what you had in your hand.
“You kept it. This whole time,” you said, glancing from the crimson bloom back up to meet his eyes, which were narrowed slightly at you as he waited to see where this was going, nervous but reeling with hopeful anticipation. “Why?” you asked simply. You were merely half a foot apart now, your palm held up flat between the two of you revealing the muted shades of green and red.
Daryl gulped down his nerves and shifted in a shrug. “Ya know why,” he said simply, his deep voice almost feeling like it was wrapping around you.
You stared back down at the flower in your hand. “It’s just a flower. It’s not—” But whatever you had been about to say was stopped by Daryl’s lips on yours. He clasped your face delicately in his hands and kissed you with an urgency that wouldn’t be ignored, couldn’t be.
At first you let out a soft noise of surprise, but Daryl’s nerves vanished as your lips gave softly beneath his and suddenly you were kissing him back eagerly. Your hands were on his sides, feeling the tensed muscles beneath his wet shirt and neither of you noticed the honeysuckle bloom floating gently to the floor as you sank into one another. You arched up onto your toes and looped your arms around his neck, pulling into him more deeply. Daryl’s hands lightly found your waist, your hips, one finally settling in the small of your back keeping you against him with gentle pressure. The world outside seemed to fall away and vanish and it was just you and him and the sound of the storm. The kiss was hungry and fervent but eventually softened and Daryl watched with disbelief as you pulled slightly away and your eyes opened, eyelashes fluttering, revealing the striking color of your irises which he was finally able to study as closely as he wanted, memorizing each hue, fleck, and ring of color. Your lips curved in a smile as you looked up at him and you were sure your cheeks were flushed, because wow. God you had wanted to do that for a long time, longer than you had admitted to yourself.
You clasped his face gently and ran your thumb along his strong jaw, subconsciously biting your bottom lip.
You felt one of his fingers lightly moving on your lower back, like he needed to feel you, really feel you to know this was real.
“Can we, uhh, do that again?” you said with a smile.
Daryl’s mouth twitched up on one side in a smile and he nudged his nose up at you. Before he could even lean in you had arched up on your toes again and pressed your lips to his. This kiss was soft and wanting and sent bolts of electricity through both of you, sending goosebumps rising on your skin that weren’t at all related to your soaked clothes.
You finally broke apart, breathless, and loved that Daryl’s arms were still around you. He seemed unwilling to let you go, and you hoped he never would. You were both all shy smiles for a moment until another shiver ran through you and Daryl felt it beneath his hands. One of his eyebrows immediately quirked down and he broke with you only long enough to collect the towel from the floor and wrap it around you again. His fingers then gently plucked the pressed honeysuckle from the canvas floor and he reached around you to replace it on his improvised nightstand. “Ya should go get some dry clothes on. Can’t have ya getting’ sick.”
Your eyes were still connected with his and you nodded vaguely. “Yeah. But I don’t want to leave,” you said quietly. Daryl chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully.
“Ya ain’t gotta. I got plenty of dry clothes in here. C’mon,” he said, gently tapping his fingers where they were resting on your lower back. “We can both change. I’ll face this way. I won’t look. Promise.”
You smiled widely at his sweetness and nodded in agreement. The idea of cozying up in Daryl’s clothes sounded like the best thing you could imagine at that moment, wrapped in his smell, and safe and warm with him close by.
Soon you were both in dry clothes. Daryl’s eyes drank in the sight of you in his oversized shirt and gulped at the rush of heat pouring outward from his chest. He’d wanted this for so long and now that it was happening it still didn’t feel real. You went and sank down on Daryl’s cot, moving toward the back edge to make room for him, giving him an irresistible and expectant look. The archer sank down beside you, gently putting one of his arms underneath your head and draping the other over your waist, his fingertips lightly tickling your back. You both just couldn’t stop looking at the other, and the sound of the storm outside was the perfect backdrop.
You reached out and rested your palm lightly against his chest, feeling the expansion of his lungs and the steady cadence of his heartbeat. “I’m sorry it too me so long to figure this out,” you said softly.
Daryl only looked back at you with a soft expression. “Don’t be. I woulda waited as long as I had to. You’re worth it.”
You gave him a smile and a look of wonder before kissing him softly again. “So are you.”
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pha5ed · 4 years ago
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Can I request SBI headcanons where they find out you got hurt and they help fix ur wounds? Platonic or romantic is fine with me
Fixing Wounds || SBI Headcanons
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cw :: blood
note :: all are their smp character!
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Techno
You were trying to hide it from him but he already knew
He didn't want to bring it up, he knew how embarrassing being hurt could be
But when you almost fell and passed out thats when he couldn't hold it back anymore
“Can you please just ask for help already?”
You were shocked but couldn't say no, you were too weak to say anything
He sat you on on the counter and healed your wounds
He threw some rubbing alcohol on your entire arm, from your hand to your shoulder
When you hissed out in pain and cussed at him he froze
“Sorry... I forgot you weren't me”
“Are you trying to flex your pain tolerance?”
He laughs a little at your joke and tries his best to be gentle
He's so used to being in pain that he forgets that some people aren't like that
Once you're all wrapped up and recovering he tries to make up for accidentally hurting you
He gives you some spare armor to protect you
Wilbur
The minute he saw you even slightly limp he ran to you
“Whats wrong? Did someone hurt you?”
He's so overprotective about you
Instantly makes you sit down so he can help you
Wounds are his specialty after taking care of Techno and Tommy for so long
Very gentle with all of his touched
Washes away any blood and gently wraps a bandage around your arm
He starts looks for other wounds as well
He's on a healing spree, fixing any small bruiser cut you have
At the end you're all bandaged up and can barely move
“Im fine now Will,”
“Just one more wrap!”
He's only doing this because he hasn't wrapped Techno or Tommy in so long
Once he's all finished he asks if you wanna watch a movie and relax
Tommy
He laughs at you at first when he sees you limping
But once he sees the damage that you've dealt with he stops instantly
He screams out as he rushes too you
“Quick!!! You're going to die!”
He literally drags you to the bathroom and throws water at your wound
There's water everywhere and he's barely even hitting your wound
Once it's all clean he slaps on some medicine
You wince in pain, slapping him away to do it yourself
“Ow!!! You should be grateful I'm helping you!”
When it's time to bandage your arm he's so excited
He's never bandaged someone else before, only doing it to himself
At first it's too tight and then too loose
You end up showing him how to do it
Once he knows, he's perfect at it
When he's all done he draws in your bandage, probably messing up a few of the strands
Definitely draws himself on your new cast
Philza
Can tell INSTANTLY
Just sighs and calls for you to come over to him
He's so used to it that hes on autopilot the whole time
At first he thought it was a normal arrow wound or zombie bite
But when you show up with a whole sword slash on your back he slightly panicked
“Jesus Christ,” you heard him whisper under his breath in disbelief “Tell me if it hurts”
Is constantly asking you questions
You thought it was annoying at first but when you realize he only asked so that you would focus on him instead of the pain, you felt thankful
Once you're all patches up he cooks you a nice meal
Some nice mushroom stew, all the mushrooms were handpicked
He even added some nice leaves for decoration
He starts ranting about his battles back then, telling you 50 stories
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bokettochild · 3 years ago
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Touch and Go
Whumptober Day 6: Touch-Starved
Is this late? yes.
Is this proofread? No.
But I had Feelings about this one, so please excuse the shameless hurt/comfort and Legend fluff at the end, and let me project my lonely ass onto my favorite character again.
I hope y'all enjoy! Consider this a break from the unresolved whump of the last few prompts.
There are days when Legend really hates being alive.
Today's one of those days. Today's one of those horrid days when everything is cold and everything is bitter and all he can do is snap when Wind chatters at his side. All he can do is bark out something harsh and cruel that makes the sailor avert dark eyes and slowly move away from him.
The kid has spirit, he'll say that at least. Wind doesn't blubber up and cry about it, just looks hurt and walks away, shoulder's stiffening as the kid wanders over to stand next to Warriors instead, thin arms wrapping tight around the sailor's chest as the kid hugs himself, only relaxing slightly when Wars buries his hand in the kid's hair and gives the golden locks a gentle tussle. The kid's lips twitch as he stares up at Wars with his big dark eyes, rain pattering over his face as the captain throws the end of his scarf over the kid's head.
Legend pulls his own cloak closer and purposefully ignores the exchange as he continues to slosh through the mud.
They've come to Sky's world and while the area isn't one that the Chosen Hero recognizes immediately, Wild had climbed a tree a while back (regardless of the clouds that threaten lightning or the rain that makes the bark slippery) and called out the direction of what he was certain was a village. At any other time, Wind would climb up after the champion with his telescope to confirm, but Time isn't willing to take that risk and instead called Wild down back to them.
The champion trudges on ahead, laughing light and free as rain soaks through log golden hair and Twilight fusses and scolds like a worried mother cuckoo, trying to make the champion pull up the hood of his cloak while the rancher's own furry hood bobs low enough to cover his eyes, making Wild only laugh harder. The hood has ears, he notes with a scoff, and Twilight doesn't even have the decency to look embarrassed at that, instead punching Warriors' shoulder when the man points it out, a toothy grin on the rancher's face while the captain shoots him a hurt look, rubbing his bruised shoulder with something like a pout.
Time's own soft chuckles mix with the light patter of rain, and Legend takes a moment to consider why the man isn't earing a cloak, only to realize that Hyrule isn't either, and that his protege is darting about in the rain with a bright smile that stretches all the way to his slowly flapping ears, the kid practically flittering about Time and giggling as the cold and wet rain dribbles through his curls and sings against their leader's armor.
Legend huffs, wrapping his own cloak tight about himself. Fine, let the other's catch cold for their foolishness. Let Time be sneezing his obnoxiously loud sneezes and Hyrule low himself back with the force of his own. Let Wild be red in the face and nasally for the next week, it's their own fault for being such blasted idiots! He'll just wear his wool cloak, thank you very much! He'll tuck it close and wrap it around and around and-
Another cold breeze makes Wind giggle as it swipes through the sailor's curls and send Warriors huffing out complaints. Wild laughs louder as Twilight's hood is pushed back, dampening the rancher's dark hair as the man sighs in defeat. Four giggles from where they're hiding with Sky under the sailcloth, the fabric held over their heads like an umbrella as they walk, both red in the face from the cold but dry save for the feet that squelch through the mud.
Legend only shivers and pulls his cape closer. How is this funny to them? How is rain nice enough to play in or laugh or try and sing, like Time is doing? Rain is cold and miserable and wet, and he's shivering as he pulls on his hood with a firm tug. It's too cold, and too wet and the only thing he really wants is to find somewhere where he can just collapse into the corner and sit. He's not asking for one of Uncle's old oversized tunics, or a warm fire, or even a mug of Ravio's cocoa, all he wants is to sit down and just... be.
It's dark out here and it's dark inside and it's dark everywhere and all he wants is to sit in the darkness and let himself flop against whatever happens to be available and just sit, mind blank, body still, nothing and no one needing him and nothing and no one to disturb him.
"Lights ahead!" Four calls back to them with a bright grin, red cheeks nearly glowing as their eyes sparkle the same color, and beside the smithy Sky perks up, ears twitching slightly as a grin break across his face. "It's the village!"
In seconds Sky has scooped Four up and started jogging towards the lighted houses before them, ignoring as the smithy laughs out warnings about asthma and slippery paths, and Legend can only shake his head slowly with a sigh as the others follow suit, even Time. Honestly, where are they getting this much energy?
When they reach the settlement it's to find Sky and Four both covered in mud and Sun and Sky's big red-head friend waiting at the door of the common house with towels and hearty laughter.
there's still a lot to be done here to make a proper village, but for the time being those who are constructing it have settled in a large common house that Sky's told them will one day be a festival and meeting hall. "Maybe even a school," the Chosen Hero had grinned. There are mostly only a few villagers who rotate out to help with construction in turns, but on the rare visit the heroes have had here, Sun and- Goose? Gross? Whatever the heck the man's name was- are always there to greet them with wide smiles and exuberant displays of affection for their best friend.
Even now, Sky is tucked under the red-heads arm, playfully protesting the fist that rubs over the knight's head, even as Four sits atop the big man's other shoulder, laughing and swinging their feet gently at the sight of their predecessor getting a noogie.
Legend sweeps past the chaos with a sigh, briefly accepting the towel Sun offer to him with a tender smile. He doesn't even bother shedding his boots, no matter how touchy his is about it in his own home, and instead flops down in the only place that doesn't seem to be occupied and gives his hair and face a quick rub with the towel before laying it aside and leaning back against the wall.
Cheery voces and laughter sound around him, but it's like a dark cloud hangs over him as he wraps his arms tight around his chest and curls up.
Even next to the roaring fire, he's cold. It's like his bones are cold, even as sweat starts to bead at his brow, and a shiver still manages to travel through him as one of the former Skyloftians stokes the roaring flames.
He's not sick, he's been wrapped to tight in warm clothes recently to have gotten a cold or something, and anything contagious hasn't been run into as they dart across worlds after the shadow. Still, he's cold, and almost hollow feeling as he presses his hands to his ears to try and block out Wind's laughter. The sound hurts, even though he doesn’t know why. His head isn’t pounding but his chest aches and throbs around nothing at the sound. His throat is tight and his bones continue to ache miserably as he finally pulls his discarded towel over his head and ears in a last-ditch attempt to stop all the noise coming over to him.
Once, he’d worried about this sort of thing. He’d panicked when he stopped being able to feel properly warm and when his bones never quite settled. Now, sitting beside the biggest freaking fire he’s ever seen outside of a festival, he accepts the chill in his bones with an exhaustion that settled in ages ago.
Violet eyes flitter shut slowly as he tries to focus on the crackle of flames, a sound he can always rely on to help him settle himself. He has to drop the towel, but the others have dulled their chatter to a quiet murmur as something clatters and sheet shuffle over the fresh wooden floor. There's the occasional laugh from one of the others, but it’s nothing he can’t handle as he wraps his damp cloak closer around him.
He could ignore it. He could get up and join the others and just ignore the cold empty hollow inside of him, but today he just wants to be. He doesn’t want to fight it, and he doesn’t want to bother using energy to ignore it. The cold cave in his chest is there and it’s not going away so he may as well accept it and t himself just drift along in the amid the cheer of the evening.
The others seem keen on leaving him alone, letting him brood in silence as Wild darts over briefly with a warm smile and an even warmer bowl of seasoned rice. The kid called this stuff pudding, but there’s nothing smooth and creamy about it. It’s good though, and he accepts the bowl with his usual nod of thanks before Wild is darting back to the others where they sit around a rough wooden long table. His brothers are all laughing and chatting with the big Goose man, and only Sun spares him a curious glance before her attention is swept up by Hyrule, who presents her with something that makes the woman blush and beam as she wraps the traveler in a warm hug.
Pain pangs through his chest as the vet lowers his bowl. He’s not... he’s not hungry he finds, staring down at the sweet and seasoned rice with apathy. He’s not really upset about not being hungry, not surprised either, just... it is what it is.
Gnarled fingers reach up and he twines a lock of pink hair through his fingers, violet gaze darting up to the table across the room as the others continue their ceaseless chatter. No one looks at him, and it draws a sigh of relief from him as he loosens up a bit.
He’s not proud of how he handles the cold, not of how he fills the emptiness enough that it stops aching. It’s embarrassing really, but he’d rather handle it himself than have to get attached to having someone else ease the ache for him.
Long ears droop slightly as he runs his nails over their shells, rubbing behind his own ears like a goddess darned weirdo and letting his other hand brush through his hair again. It’s grown some, catching on his shoulders when he turns his head and he debates letting it grow out long again for a moment. It would be more convenient when switching with Fable to not have to put on a wig, but he’s not overly keen on having to take care of the long tresses again and long hair does get so easily tangled.
There’s a burst of laughter from the table again, and while he glances up quickly, hands drawing away for a moment he finds relief in the fact that the others are all too busy teasing the captain for one thing or another to bother looking over at him. Relief blossoms in his chest as he rubs his own ears again.
It’s stupid, he knows it, but being touched, being close to someone is the only way to make this never-ending emptiness fill for a little bit, and if he just ignores it, it gets more and more unbearable. Once, Fable had thought he’d been cursed, he’d been so stiff and shivery, and it didn’t help that the bags under his eyes had grown dark enough that he looked like he’d been in a brawl. He’d explained he was just tired, restless after returning from the sea and unable to sleep properly without fear of dreaming. But sleep was the only relief from being utterly and completely empty, so he was caught in flux, perpetually tired and cold and both wishing for sleep and doing all in his power to avoid it.
Fable had dragged him up to her room and nestled them both into her big bed, her favorite fuzzy pink blanket tucked up so tightly around him that he couldn’t even squirm free as she’d wrapped him a hug and started to try and sing. It was horrible, and he’d very nearly cried at his sister’s off-key screeching right in his ear, but she’d promised to be quiet, grinning like a gremlin, if only he would lay still. He had, and the next thing he knew it was lunchtime the next day and Fable was laughing her ass off because he apparently both drooled and talked in his sleep.
He wishes Fable was here now. She’s the only one Hylia can’t rip away from him, because she's the freaking princess and needs to rule Hyrule one day. She’s safe, she won’t disappear or die before her time or leave like everyone else. She’s the only constant he can rely on, and more than anything he wants to feel small beside her as she teases him and plays with his pink hair and jokes about bunnies and cherries and Ravio and a dozen other things that make him scowl usually but only provide a constant stream of chatter when he’s too tired to care anymore.
Come to think of it, he doesn’t remember the last time he slept properly, and as he tugs the tip of his own ear he briefly wonders, entirely too spent to care how pathetic it sounds, if the others have even noticed.
As laughter bubbles up across the room from him he lets self-pity take over as wonders if they even miss him right now, so happy and warm and content together. War’s is dozing, propped up on his fist and instants away from either landing in Twilight’s food or on his shoulder, and the rancher doesn’t look like he knows which would be worse. Sky is already conked out against the Goose man, snoring softly and drooling on his friend’s arm while the others continue their yammering, Time’s hand is buried idly in Four’s hair and Hyrule and Wild are both leaning back in their seats with easy smiles that whisper warnings that the two might topple over at any minute. Only the rancher and Wind seem to be keeping awake enough to talk to Sun and the other settlers, Goose long since having left the discussion to set his big boots on the table and listen in, only throwing out the occasional comment that has Sun blowing out her cheeks and rolling her eyes as they glitter with stifled laughter.
It’s downright homey.
Legend curls up tighter. Call him a crybaby, but he wants to go home.
It’s over sooner than later, but not soon enough, and as Time and Goose exchange snarky quips, both dragging their friends and brothers over to some of the spare beds, Legend has given up self-soothing to curl in on himself. He’s still wet, still cold, and by now the damp on his face isn’t from the rain they came in from a couple hours ago. He’s exhausted and he really wants to pass out, but he’s too sore and distracted and that itself is enough to make his eyes water in frustration as his ringer fingers dig into his arms hard enough to leave bruises.
He hardly registers when something brushes against his boot, but then something warm is pressed to his cheek and the vet darts back in surprise and fear at the sudden sensation eyes wide as they stare up to meet twinkling blue.
Sun is as warm as her name and her eyes twinkle like the night sky itself, full of light and life and hope that Legend hasn’t seen on the face of any living being ever. “Hey,” the goddess incarnate hums softly, like she’s approaching a particularly skittish remit, head cocked and hand extended cautiously, “You okay there, little hero?” Her voice is warm, rich and deep in a way he hadn’t expected but that somehow suits her better than the voice he’d imagined his comrade’s fiancé to have.
He blinks up at her, startled, mind empty as Hylia herself stands over him with concern in her blue eyes.
This... is weird.
The goddess tilts her head softly, golden hair brushing over her rosy cheeks charmingly as thin brows pull together in a light frown that makes him feel guilty for being its cause. “Are you alright?”
The hand reaches out again, and he has to try hard not to shiver as it presses against his brow again, impossibly warm and gentle and...
“You don’t seem to have a fever.” Hylia herself hums softly, scooching closer with worry glimmering in her gaze, hand pulling back at his continued grimace. “Hey.” His ears flicker slightly at the call as the woman before his ducks her head to be closer to his eye level. “Is something wrong? Are you-” royal blue widens as the woman reaches out yet again, stopping herself inches away as he flinches back. “Are those tears?” She whispers softly, but the question isn’t directed at him, so he avoids her gaze and shuffles in on himself again.
He expects that Hylia- Sun? - will back away, will wander back to her bed with furrowed brows and a shaking head as she dismisses the sorry bundle of self-pity sitting in the corner from her mind. He’s expecting a heavy sigh and the rustling of fabric as she pushes up and away. He’s expecting the chill that travels down his spine at the thought of sitting alone while the others curl up in their shared beds. He doesn’t expect the warm hands that settle on his back as toned arms wrap loosely around him, golden hair drifting into his vision as warmth spread through at every place that the goddess incarnate’s skin pressed against him.
He doesn’t expect the sob that rises in his throat either, or the desperate clutch onto the woman’s blouse as he silently begs her not to let go.
“You’ve been sad for a long time, haven’t you?” Rich tones whisper softly into his ears as one hand rubs up and down his back. “I’m sorry.”
Tears prick at his eyes again and when the woman pulls him forwards, he doesn’t resist as he’s pulled up into her lap, strong arms wrapping tight around him as a golden-head rests against his own. He hardly knows Sun, but he hardly cares right now as warmth surges through him from where he’s tucked in her arms, and even if his back is cramping up and his fingers are sore from how tight they’re holding her blouse, even if he’s flushed and embarrassed and blubbering, he doesn’t care, because the empty cold inside of him isn’t as heavy, and the heavy weight on his chest has lifted enough for him to breathe.
“Hush,” The goddess breathes against his ears. “Let it all out, little chick.”
Sobs stutter in his throat as long fingers rub against his back, a light hum filling the silence between gasping sobs as the goddess's own ballad drifts through the air, the notes of Zelda’s lullaby lilting through the melody as Sun rocks gently in place, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of his head as he continues to soak her in rainwater and tears.
They stay like that he doesn’t know how long, long enough that he’s sore and his eyes are puffy and his throat aches and everything is sore and darkness tints his vision as he sags in the arms that hold him. The Goose man’s voice rumbles something nearby, and Sun whispers something back, hands buried in his hair and brushing through it with delicious care as he lets the world fade from his mind. Briefly, he registers being shifted, lifted maybe as Sun continues to sway and sing. Numbly, he recognizes something warm being pressed to his lips and something warm and soothing trickling down his raw throat as he nuzzled closer to the damp fabric of Sun blouse. He’s past shame now, too tired to care how childish or ridiculous he may look as he revels in the touch, the gentle, goddess blessed touch of warmth that presses in around him and smothers the cold in his bones. Th empty cave in his chest is glowing softly with light, even as darkness washes over him and his eyes fall shut.
The goddess’s ballad- lullaby? - is the last thing he registers before the world fades.
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fernweh-writes · 4 years ago
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Hi dear, I hope you are doing well ♥ Could you please write headcanon how would slashers react to their s/o having a panic fear of spiders? Like she always freezes or scream when she sees even a really small spider.
(today I freaked out, when I saw the eight-legged monster above my bed and wish I had some big stabby men here, who would save me :) )
Spiders simply have to many legs and to many eyes
-Fern🌿
Slashers X S/O With Arachnophobia
Michael Myers
He simply cannot understand why you’re afraid of spiders. You’re not afraid of a giant man who murders people, but you’re scared of a tiny insect with eight legs? Yeah, okay, makes sense.
The first time he sees you screaming and freaking out over a spider, he thinks that it’s hilarious. Michael has never seen you so scared of anything before. Not even he managed to get that kind of reaction from you when he was considering killing you. It amuses him that you’re so afraid of a bug.
When you scream for him it never fails to freak him out. He thinks that you’re in danger. So when he just sees you pointing at the spider he considers letting you suffer and deal with it on your own.
Once he’s done watching you have your bug breakdown he will kill it for you. It is his job to protect you after all and while he does occasionally enjoy seeing the fear in your eyes, he would much rather you fear him. That small bug is stealing his thunder, so it has got to go.
Bo Sinclair
There is most definitely plenty of spiders in Ambrose. Majority of the places are run down on the inside, which makes them a safe haven for creepy crawlies. So unfortunately for you, there will be plenty of encounters with the eight legged horrors that are spiders.
The first time Bo hears you scream he panics, thinking that you’re in danger. So when he finds you pointing at a spider, it’s safe to say that he is a little bit upset.
At the same time he also finds it endearing and loves that you come running to him to save you. It shows that you trust him to protect you, even from little nuisances.
But still, even though he does think you’re being dramatic he’s quick to squash them. Bo knows that there’s plenty of spiders in Louisiana that could be dangerous and land you in the ER so he’s more than happy to handle them for you.
Be prepared for Bo to give you hell about your fear though. “What are you so scared for darlin’? The thing ain’t but the size of a dime, if that.”
Vincent Sinclair
He spends most of his time in dark, cool tunnels underground. There’s spiders absolutely everywhere in his workshop, Vincent is just used to them at this point.
Vincent does his best to keep you up in the house after the first time a spider crawls over your leg and you loose your mind. That effort lasted about all of one day considering he hates working alone now and misses your presence. Knowing that you want to be with him also doesn’t help his resolve any.
Used to try and save the spiders but eventually gave up. There’s simply to many of them in Ambrose, so saving them just doesn’t do any good.
Luckily, Vincent takes your fear of spiders very seriously. So anytime you call upon him to save you from the eight legged nuisances he is always quick to oblige.
If you interrupt his work though it may annoy him a little bit but he’ll never let you know that. He knows that you can’t help your phobia, but don’t expect him to stick around after he finishes the job. May also get a little bit of an attitude afterwards as well but always ends up apologizing.
Brahms Heelshire
Spiders don’t phase Brahms. He lives in the walls with plenty of them and has more than likely come to appreciate them. Which is very surprising for Brahms. So sometimes he tries to save the spiders and move them outside. Unless he’s been bitten by one.
If Brahms has been bitten by a spider before then it just turns into the two of you freaking out and arguing over who has to kill the spider.
“Be a gentleman, Brahms! You kill the spider.” “No! You kill it, you’re the one being paid!”
If you don’t want to deal with the spiders, all it takes is Malcolm stepping on one for you one time when you started freaking out. Brahms saw you thank him for it and got jealous. Now Brahms is your official protector from creepy crawlies, not Malcolm.
Thomas Hewitt
You’re going to have to get over your fear of spiders if you want to live in the Hewitt house. The old place does a terrible job of keeping the bugs outside so you’ll see them scurrying across the floor pretty frequently.
You know what they say, everything is bigger in Texas. Turns out, the spiders are no exception, so good luck.
Thomas is very busy and handles most of the chores for the family. He doesn’t have the time to run to your rescue every time you see a spider.
When he is with you he won’t hesitate to kill them for you though. Thomas isn’t afraid of people with weapons, why should he be afraid of a small critter with eight legs?
Luda Mae would honestly just look at you like your stupid if you tell her about your fear. Nonetheless any spider she sees it quickly whacked with an old newspaper before you even have a chance to see it.
Billy Loomis
“How come you never scream for me like that, babe?”
Billy thinks it’s absolutely hilarious that you’re afraid of something so small. You can date a murderer but an eight legged bug is where you draw the line?
While he loves to tease you about it, he will still save you from the spiders. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn’t? “Ask nicely and I might kill it for you.” “You’ll kill people but not the spider?” “You know what, just for that you can kill it yourself. Have fun!” Or maybe not…
Walks away but circles right back around when he hears you freaking out again. Then he gets dramatic about everything and starts huffing and rolling his eyes at you.
Stu Macher
Much like Billy, Stu teases you but in a less condescending way. Stu keeps his teasing more lighthearted, he just has a tendency to go to far with it from time to time.
Is also very dramatic and makes a whole scene out of killing the spider for you. Acts like he’s your knight in shining armor.
On the bright side, him being a complete dork distracts you from the spider. Unlike some people *cough cough Billy* he doesn’t delay the part where he kills the spider.
However, he does expect payment for saving you and protecting you from the big bad arachnid. It’s okay he accepts cuddles and kisses as a form of payment.
Jesse Cromeans
He has spent to much time on his murder sprees in the Deep South to be scared of spiders. Everyone knows that the south has plenty of deadly spiders and Jesse sin;t fazed by any of them so you can count on him to keep you safe.
There aren’t any spiders in his house either. Jesse has to much money to allow any sort of bugs get anywhere close to his house. Any time you see a spider within the house it’s most likely already dead anyways.
Jesse finds your fear of the bugs cute. It makes you seem so innocent. His sweet kitten isn’t afraid of him or what he does but they’re afraid of a tiny little spider.
Asa Emory
Asa doesn’t fear spiders, the spiders fear him.
Unlike the other slashers, Asa doesn’t tolerate bug homicide. Any time you find a spider in the house you better let him know so that he can safely get rid of it.
Some times he’ll keep the spiders that find their way into the house. Spiders are his favorite after all and native species are important for the environment.
Sadly, he would use your fear against you if he deems it necessary. As long as you listen to him though, there won’t be any issue.
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lesbobiwan · 3 years ago
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Could I request 25 with Jesse for the 501st special 👀
#25: "Be a good girl and spread your legs." + Jesse
501st follower special
Jesse’s armor digs into your skin uncomfortably and the wall behind you is too rough to be pinned against properly.
Still, your body is alight with euphoria as Jesse trails hot, open mouthed kisses down your neck.
“Fuck, I missed you so much sweet thing,” Jesse breathes into your skin. His hands grope along your body, squeezing and pulling you somehow even closer to him as if to make up for lost time.
He still smells like sweat, as if he didn’t shower before the 501st came back from wherever the hell they were stationed.
Your head falls back, hitting against the wall with a dull thud that you know will piss off your neighbors. “I missed you too,” you gasp, tightening your legs around his armored hips.
Goosebumps flare up on your skin as Jesse drags blunt teeth against the length of your neck, following the trail of kisses he left behind.
“Wanna taste you,” Jesse mumbles, grinding his cod piece against your aching cunt. He’s sounding more desperate by the second, like if he doesn’t get his mouth on you — his tongue in you —, he’ll spontaneously combust.
You writhe against him, arching furiously into him to get more friction on your clit as he continues to drag his cod piece against you in barely-controlled movements.
You want his mouth on you. Bad. Fuck, the amount of times you held your vibrator against your clit and fucked yourself with your fingers until you cried, all the while thinking about Jesse. It’s unreal how much you missed the man in front of you.
“So taste me.”
Jesse groans into your skin, fingers tightening on your hips before he hikes you up, pressing more of your weight against him, and deposits you on your back on the cheap rug in front of your couch.
“Jesse, the bedroom —“
“I can’t wait that long,” Jesse grunts, settling between your thighs as he stares down at you. “Fuck, i’ve been thinking about this since the moment I left,”
His hands drag your pants and panties down in one swipe, shifting his body away from you to get your clothes all the way off.
The cold temperature of your room has you jerking your legs closed. You whimper as your newly exposed pussy meets your air conditioning, feeling yourself clench around nothing.
Jesse tsks, hands wrapping around the backs of your knees to slide you closer. “C’mon baby,” he soothes, thumbs rubbing circles into your skin, “be a good girl and spread your legs.”
He presses you thighs apart, revealing your dripping pussy, and his groan reverberates through the room.
“Shit, well ain’t that the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen,” Jesse leans forward to press one filthy kiss to your lips before he slides down your body, hooking his arms around your thighs, and burying his face into your cunt.
The first contact of his tongue against your clit has you squealing and trying to jerk against his grip, but Jesse just holds you tighter and sucks viciously against your bundle of nerves.
Jesse groans into your cunt as if he’s the one getting head. His eyes, basically the only thing you can see of his face since he’s trying his best to drown himself in your slick, flutter shut.
“J-Jesse,” you gasp, hands flying down to push his head exactly where you need it.
He groans again, and this time the vibrations shoot right through your clit.
You shriek and your legs try their best to close around his head, but his iron grip around your thighs keep you firmly splayed out.
It’s obscene, the sounds that Jesse makes, and just looking at him brings you closer and closer to your peak.
One of Jesse’s arms unwrap from your thighs, and before you can try to take advantage of it, two fingers slide inside your cunt and crook perfectly to find your g-spot.
“Oh, fuck!” you cry out, jerk hard against his face. Your thighs begin to tremble around his head, and you can feel the ensuing grin against your clit.
“You taste so good baby,” Jesse pants, pulling away from you clit as he keeps dragging his fingers against the spongy spot inside of you. “You gonna cum for me? Huh? You gonna let me suck on your clit until you cum in my mouth, sweet thing?”
Your back arches with his words, sobbing wordlessly at the ceiling. One of your hands tries to pull Jesse back down to clit because you’re so close, all you need is a little push but Jesse doesn’t let you.
“Nuh-uh, baby,” he twists his fingers again and you feel yourself coming apart at the seams. “You know you have to ask nicely if you want me to suck your clit,”
“Please!” you cry our, canting your hips towards his mouth as much as you can, “please make me cum in your mouth, Jesse!” Tears begins to track down your cheeks, sliding down until they soak into the carpet. “I missed you so much, please, I wanna cum! Pleasepleaseplease—“
“Good girl.”
It only takes three seconds of Jesse’s lips around your cunt, sucking with the most obscene noises, for you to shatter to pieces around his fingers.
Your wail pierces through the room, high and sharp, and Jesse strokes you through the aftershocks, only easing his fingers out when your thighs stop twitching around him.
He pulls himself up, and you can see how the lower half of his face is drenched in you. Jesse’s eyes look half wild, like he’s barely restraining himself from diving in again.
Your cunt flutters at the thought.
Jesse smashes his lips against yours, and you taste yourself on his tongue like the most taboo of alcohols.
“Baby,” Jesse murmurs against your lips, drawing back the least amount of distance he can, “baby, I think my cock is gonna break through my armor.”
You laugh and, sure enough, you can feel his straining cod piece grind against your bare cunt.
“You gonna fuck me, trooper?” you ask, hooking a weak leg around his hip.
Jesse grins, one hand already inching down to unhook the offending piece of armor, “Is that an order?”
“You bet your ass it is.”
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master-sass-blast · 3 years ago
Text
Care and Trust: Chapter Two.
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five -Chapter One
Summary: “--and he says to me ‘my birthday’s every year, dude,’” the shorter one --he’s got gentle green eyes and dark, wavy hair--laughs. “Like, if the bushel of lilyweed I caught him with wasn’t evidence enough--” He pauses when he sees you and Lin waiting, takes one look at your bag and table, then tries to book it. “Nope!”
The taller one grabs him by the shoulders. “Bolin, come on! It’ll be okay!”“Nope! I’m totally fi --agh!”
You wince sympathetically when the younger one cringes and jerks in pain, then step forward so you can get one arm behind him, then introduce yourself as you usher him into Lin’s office. “It’s nice to meet you, Bolin. Why not sit down for a minute, okay? Take a load off? Maybe” --you glance at Ryu-- “we could have a cup of tea?”
AKA you learn why you got called to Lin's office.
Pairing(s): Lin Beifong x Reader
Rating: T.
Word Count: 4.2k.
Also, a huge thank you to @chromecutie for beta reading this fic in addition to all the others in this series! I would not have had the confidence to post any of HTH if she hadn’t assured me that I was doing the characters justice.
Lin’s office is a real, proper office; go figure, she’s the Chief of Republic City’s entire police force. It’d be weird if she didn’t have a proper office.
It’s an expansive, long room, with wrought iron support beams and a dark, wood panelled ceiling. A desk sits in the center of the room, right across from double doors. There’s a leather chair that looks like it’s worth more than your apartment behind the desk, as well as one to the side of the desk (presumably for visitors or reporting officers).
There’s a small sitting area to the left of the doors. Two couches are positioned across from each other, with a metal coffee table in between. On the opposite wall is a wardrobe --you’re putting money on a second set of armor and some clean casual clothes, given the horror stories Lin’s told you about messy crime scenes.
Aside from a third couch tucked into the corner of the room --it looks luxuriously padded, and you’re also putting money on Lin sleeping on that couch during long haul shifts--and a vase to the right of the double doors, the rest of the room is entirely utilitarian. Filing cabinets, bookshelves, a few boxes with active case files in them.
It’s Lin to a tee. Thoroughly practical, borderline spartan, but what is there is more than you could afford in a lifetime.
You politely turn down Ryu’s offer of tea or coffee, then set your massage table and bag on the floor. You pace a short circuit back and forth, mentally filing through what you know about Lin and how her body bears out physical stress. Any injury is liable to have aggravated her hip, given the body’s tendency to compensate to avoid pain. Combine that with her scars and her left side’s propensity to knot up… she’ll probably need some stretching and healing work before I could even try to adjust her--
The doors open again --and in walks Lin Beifong.
You cross your arms over your chest and cock your head back. “Let me guess --you didn’t have time to see a healer earlier, and now it’s biting you in the ass.”
Lin’s eyebrows spike to her hairline. She blinks, then holds up her hand. “Whoa, no. I’m fine.”
“Cut the hippobullshit, Lin. Your personal secretary called me here--”
“It’s not for me,” Lin interjects. She glances behind her, then closes the doors before continuing. “It’s… for one of the younger officers. Something of a situation.”
Your brows draw together as you frown. “If they’re seriously injured, they should go to the hospital--”
“No, no, it’s not like that. He was…” Lin grimaces as her voice trails off, “...advised to see someone like you after getting injured during the dock explosion debacle, but he’s… not comfortable with the thought of getting adjusted.”
“Oh.” You blink, wind going out of your sails as the panic ebbs. “And… your assistant called me…”
“I asked her to,” Lin clarifies. “I know I can trust you to handle this right.”
Something warm and heavy settles in your chest at the thought that Lin trusts you, especially with the well-being of someone that’s clearly important to her. You gulp hard and ignore the way your eyes are starting to sting. “Oh. Thanks.” 
The sound of footsteps and chatter outside Lin’s office draws both your attention.
Ryu opens the doors and lets two young men in --one shorter and stocky, the other taller, leaner.
“--and he says to me ‘my birthday’s every year, dude,’” the shorter one --he’s got gentle green eyes and dark, wavy hair--laughs. “Like, if the bushel of lilyweed I caught him with wasn’t evidence enough--” He pauses when he sees you and Lin waiting, takes one look at your bag and table, then tries to book it. “Nope!”
The taller one grabs him by the shoulders. “Bolin, come on! It’ll be okay!”
“Nope! I’m totally fi --agh!”
You wince sympathetically when the younger one cringes and jerks in pain, then step forward so you can get one arm behind him, then introduce yourself as you usher him into Lin’s office. “It’s nice to meet you, Bolin. Why not sit down for a minute, okay? Take a load off? Maybe” --you glance at Ryu-- “we could have a cup of tea?”
The assistant smiles knowingly, nods, then slips out of the room.
“Okay, sure,” Bolin concedes, still wincing. “But I promise, I’m totally fine.”
You hold up your hands and take a seat on the other side of the coffee table. “Understood.” You staunchly ignore the way your pulse spikes when Lin sits next to you --Spirits, the effect this woman has on you--and turn your attention to the other man. You introduce yourself and extend your hand.
He takes it --firm grip, but not painful. “I’m Mako.” He nods to the younger man. “I’m his brother.”
“Ah, wonderful.” You smile warmly at the brothers. “How long have you two been on the force?” 
***
It’s easy to get the boys talking --or, rather, it’s easy to get Bolin talking.
Mako’s a harder platypusbear egg to crack, but there are small things to pick up on; the way he frowns whenever Bolin winces in pain, for instance, tells you he’s genuinely concerned about his brother. He sits a little straighter whenever he looks over at Lin, but he’s not sweating or cowering in front of her, which you take to mean that he wants to impress her, to earn her approval.
He’s also watching you closely --which is fair, considering you likely scare his brother.
You meet his scrutiny with a relaxed, polite smile and do your best to convey ‘I’m here to help, please trust me,’ through your eyes and posture.
Bolin’s far more relaxed around Lin --almost remarkably so. He leans back against the couch as much as he comfortably can, and actually jokes with her (or tries to, but he doesn’t seem deterred whenever Lin doesn’t respond with more than a twitch of an eyebrow).
You also catch him looking towards Lin whenever he talks about an aspect of his job, a hopeful smile on his face, which then broadens every time she nods or confirms whatever he’s saying.
Honestly, it’s adorable.
(Lin’s also an interesting one to watch in all of this. She’s still as stoic as ever, but she doesn’t roll her eyes at Bolin’s lame jokes or talk down to Mako despite him being miles lower in rank than her. If anything, the air you’re getting from her is… warm. Almost maternal.
It’s wonderful to see.)
“I’ve been studying for the detective’s exam, though,” Bolin chirps with a bright smile. “Mako says I’m doing pretty good.”
You grin, then shoot a playful glance at Lin. “And your thoughts, Chief?”
Lin smirks and crosses her arms over her chest. “They’re both green --but, with time and training, they’ll be excellent members of the police force.”
There’s no missing the way both boys glow under Lin’s praise; Bolin outright beams, and while Mako’s more subtle, you still catch the small, pleased smile that flickers across his features.
You smile.
There’s a brief pause in the conversation when Ryu walks in with a tea set. She sets it on the coffee table between the two benches, then leaves with a nod when Lin waves her off.
You murmur a quiet “Thank you” when Lin fills your cup, then turn your attention back to Bolin. Time to try and make forward progress. “So, what happened to your neck?”
Bolin turns his head to look at you --and promptly winces. “What? What do you mean? How did you know?”
“You’re not the only detective,” you say with a wink. You smile when he chuckles, then gestures to his neck and head. “You’re compensating. You’re tilting your head to one side to avoid using the injured muscles. You probably didn’t even realize it.”
Bolin’s eyes widen. “Wait, seriously?” He tries to straighten his neck, then grimaces and lets out a yelp. “Ow!”
“Just leave it be for now,” you interject, holding one hand out to stop him. “You won’t be able to force it to straighten out on your own. Best leave it to the professionals.”
He offers you a weak smile. “And that’s you?”
You smile and nod. “That’s me. I’m a chiropractor and massage therapist; I specialize in scar tissue treatment and injury rehabilitation. Started my degree at Atege Medical University in the Northern Water Tribe, then finished it here at Republic City Medical University, and then I did my training here in Republic City at Kyoshi Rehabilitation Center. About… oh, five years ago, I moved to the Northern Moon Physical Therapy Facility.”
Mako raises one thick eyebrow in assessment. “So that’s… what, seven years?”
You snort. “Flattering, but no. Try closer to twelve. Medical school and residency takes a long time for chiropractors, too.” You spare a moment to watch Bolin --he’s paled since you’ve started talking about being a chiropractor, and the rest of his body’s gone tense--then try getting to the point once more. “What happened to your neck?”
He grimaces and rubs the side of his neck. “I was at the docks when the explosion went off. I didn’t get hit by the debris or anything, but the shockwave knocked a lot of us over.”
You nod along. “That makes sense. Considering how close you were, the shockwave might’ve been enough to throw something out of alignment.”
Bolin grimaces. He hesitates, then offers you a nervous smile. “Look, I appreciate you coming all the way out here, but I’m fine. I promise! I’ve had tons of injuries before --used to do competitive pro-bending, all that jazz. I know how to handle these kinds of things: a little heat, some stretching, and everything will clear up before too long.”
“Street beat’s a physically demanding job,” Lin interjects. She arches an eyebrow when Bolin opens his mouth, then continues when he closes it. “I can’t have you on the duty roster if you’re hobbled.”
“Not to mention that if something’s out of alignment, you could make it worse by stretching,” you add with a concerned frown. “And things are likely to get worse without treatment, too. I know this isn’t your favorite idea,” you say with a sympathetic smile, “but it really is best to handle things early before they become bigger problems down the road.”
“It’ll be okay,” Mako assures his younger brother. He puts one arm around Bolin’s shoulders. “Chief’s the one who called her in; she wouldn’t ask some quack.”
The corner of your mouth turns up at the commendation, but your mirth fades when you watch Bolin cover his face with shaking hands. You cock your head to the side, listening, then purse your lips when you hear a quiet sniffle. “What is it about adjustment that scares you so much?”
Bolin shrugs (and winces), then waves his hand dismissively with an unsteady smile. “Eh, it’s nothing. No big deal to let someone jerk around your neck like crazy; not like it’s gonna break or anything.” He grimaces, then ducks his head to hide the tears forming in his eyes. “That’d just be stupid.”
“It’s not stupid,” you assure him. You duck your head so you can catch his gaze, then smile understandingly when he looks at you. “It’s not. Self-preservation is one of our most natural, baseline instincts. Besides, you’re hardly the first client to be scared of getting adjusted.”
Bolin straightens gingerly. “I’m not?”
You shake your head. “Not at all. I work with a lot of trauma patients; several of them have anxiety over being touched and adjusted. And I’ve had a lot of people ask me about snapping necks, believe it or not.”
Bolin turns his head to one side and assesses you warily. “And… what do you tell them?”
“The truth: I don’t use remotely enough force to snap a neck,” you say, “nor am I working at the right angles to cause a break. It’s not as easy as all the pulp fiction novels make it seem.” When Bolin doesn’t relax completely, you start mulling over other ideas to help convince him. Chances are he’s never been adjusted before, given how nervous he is, meaning he doesn’t have any previous experience to apply to what I’m saying. Short of letting him watch an adjustment-- You snap your fingers when a lightbulb turns on in your mind. “What if… what if you could watch me adjust someone else? That way, you’d be able to see that it’s perfectly safe.”
Bolin quirks his mouth to the side. “...I guess. It couldn’t hurt.”
You nod, then turn to Lin. “Would you be willing to let me adjust you, since you’ve already been through it all before?”
Lin nods without hesitation, then smirks. “I’m guessing I’ll need to take my armor off.”
“Well, since I’d rather adjust your back than crush my hand, yes,” you quip back. You shoot a reassuring smile at Bolin, then stand. “Let me set up my table.”
...
Bolin, for all his warmth and magnanimity, doesn’t coax along easily. It takes adjusting both Lin and Mako before he agrees to it (who has scarring in his left arm from a lightning injury that he got, according to him, while taking down Kuvira’s giant mechadroid less than half a year ago, and if you get a little too caught up in analyzing his injury and talking about treatment plans and Lin has to remind you --albeit subtly--that this is her office and she has work to do, well, it’s only a tribute to your commitment to your career.
Anyway.)
Between the three of you, though, you manage to get Bolin onto your massage table so you can start working on him.
He grunts as you dig into the muscles that run along his neck. “I know what you said about not using enough force, but it sounds like you’re breaking something.”
“I get it,” you laugh. “What you’re hearing, though, is the release of gas that builds up in the joints and tissue, plus the joints and ligaments being adjusted back into place.” You let up for a moment so you can reposition your thumbs, then press down again.  “Okay, deep breath in… and out… good; just like that.”
Some light examination and prodding with your waterbender had revealed the culprits: stuck rib heads in the upper back, a few misaligned vertebrae in the neck, and some very irritated and inflamed muscles. Painful, but easy to fix with the right treatment.
You curl your fingers, using your waterbending to knead the muscles in Bolin’s right shoulder. “Oh, come on… I know you’re not happy, but if you could please relax for me…”
Bolin groans when the muscle finally unkinks. “Oh, yeah, that’s the spot.”
“I bet,” you laugh. You bend the rest of the water back into your skein, then put some oil on his skin and start working the spot with your hands.
“Is it hard to work around injuries?” he asks, voice slightly muffled by the massage table’s headrest.
You make the grunt equivalent of a shrug. “It depends on the location and what state of healing it’s in. Sometimes, it means I can’t do a normal adjustment --or do one at all, really; some injuries or scars mean that moving the joints and ligaments around would cause further damage to the site. Other times, it’s a matter of waiting until everything’s healed, and then I can do normal adjustments again.”
“How can you tell which to do --oooh, right there.”
Your lips turn up in a small smile, and you keep working a tense, knotted muscle in his upper back. “The patient’s medical history tells me a lot. X-Ray imaging helps, too, if there is any --and I can usually get a good feel for what’s wrong with my waterbending.” You keep going until the muscle releases, then pat Bolin’s shoulder. “Okay, I think you’re ready for adjustment.”
As expected, he tenses. His neck works as he gulps, and when he speaks again, his voice comes out high-pitched and thready. “Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t try if I didn’t think you’d adjust properly.” When Bolin doesn’t respond --or move--you kneel down so you can see his face through the hole in the head of the massage table. “Hey. It’s going to be okay. We’ll take this nice and slow, alright? I’ll tell you everything I’m going to do before I do it.”
Bolin nods, gulps again, then flips onto his back.
“I need you to sit up so I can put the adjustment board under your back.” You slip the board into place, then put a pillow under his head before having him shift lower on the table. “Okay, good. I’ll adjust your middle and upper back first, like I did on Lin. You might feel some discomfort in your upper back because of how the rib heads are stuck, alright?”
Bolin nods, then offers you a feeble smile. “You’re sure I’m not too heavy for you?”
You wink. “I’m stronger than I look. Whenever you’re ready, cross your arms over your chest.” Once he does what you ask, you adjust his arms so they’re in the right position. “Okay, curl your chin down against your chest… good. Alright, it’s gonna be just like how you saw on Lin. I’m gonna help lift you up, I’ll put my hand under your back, and then I’ll lay you down so I can adjust your back. Sound good?”
Bolin clenches his jaw, but meets your gaze and nods minutely.
“Alright. You ready?” When he nods again, you do exactly as you said you would --help Bolin curl upwards, put your hand under his back, against the board, then adjust the position of your arm around his shoulders. “Alright, deep breath in… and out.”
The series of adjustments up his spine go without a hitch. You grin down at Bolin after the last adjustment and congratulate him for doing so well. “You took that like a champ!”
Bolin blinks, startled, then smiles. “Eh, I’ve been told I’m a quick learner.”
“Oh, you’re an absolute natural.” You grin when he chuckles, then step towards the head of the table. “I’ll give you a minute before I do anything else, but is it okay if I feel around your neck to see where the tension is?”
Bolin pales. His eyes go misty, but he nods regardless.
You murmur a quiet “thank you,” then put one hand on each side of his neck and start prodding at the muscles. “Well, it’s better after the massage work and the adjustment.” You rub your thumb against his trapezius muscle, then grimace when it refuses to relax for you. “Actually…” You take your hands off his neck and rifle through your bag. “I think I’m going to use an activator on your neck, if you’re comfortable with that.”
“What’s that?” Bolin asks, voice fraught with panic.
You hold the device up for him to see. “I use it to tap the side of your neck; it helps loosen up your joints so that when I adjust you, we get you back to your full range of motion.” You fire the device so he can see, and your stomach sinks when you see tears well up in his eyes. “I can use it on your forearm, if you want, soyou can feel how hard it’s going to be.”
Bolin swallows hard, then nods. He holds his arm up --then blinks when you press the tip of the activator against his arm and fire it. “Oh. I thought it’d be a lot stronger than that.”
“Tui and La, no,” you say with a laugh. “The neck’s a delicate instrument; I’m not trying to make things worse for you.”
Bolin smiles shakily, but it slips back to a frown after a few seconds. “Is… Will it hurt?”
“I’ve never had a patient complain before,” you say, sincere. “I’d be stunned if you felt any pain whatsoever from this.” You smile reassuringly when he gives you a questioning look, then place the tip of the activator against his neck when he nods. “Alright. I’m going to tap you a few times on each side of the neck, then I’ll take another feel at what your joints and muscles are doing. Okay?”
“Can you… give me a minute?”
“Of course.” You pull the activator away from his neck, then place a hand on his shoulder when he inhales shakily. “Hey, deep breaths. You’re gonna be fine. I promise.” After a moment he nods again, and you press the activator back against his neck and fire it.
“...It kind of tickles.”
You let out a huff of laughter. “That’s a new one.” You finish working on both sides of his neck, then tuck the device back in your bag before putting your hands on his neck once more. “Alright, right now I’m just going to stretch your muscles some more and get your head into position, okay?”
Bolin clenches his fists at his side. “Could you --do you think you could give me a countdown before you, y’know, do it?”
“Uh…” You purse your lips, then shake your head. “I don’t think so, no. I don’t want you tensing right as I try to adjust you; you’re liable to get hurt that way.”
“It’ll be okay, kid,” Lin says when Bolin lets out a shaky breath. “I wouldn’t have called her if she wasn’t the best.”
You duck your head to hide a shy smile, then try to focus past the warm glow spreading through your chest. “Okay, Bolin. Deep breath; in through the nose, out through the mouth… good, just like that.” You slowly turn his neck, angling his head until you feel the right resistance. “Tilt your chin up; I’m gonna stretch your neck a little.” You tug gently until the muscles loosen, then surreptitiously keep working him to the proper angle. “Good… just stretching… feeling everything out…” You adjust the position of your hands on his neck. “Another deep breath in, then let it all out.” You wait for him to exhale --for his shoulders to relax--then jerk his head to the side.
Bolin grunts, then shoots you a wide eyed look. “You said you were just stretching me?”
You smile apologetically. “I needed to make sure you were relaxed. Makes things better for both you and me. Did you feel any pain?”
“No,” Bolin says after a moment of consideration. “It felt… pretty good, actually.”
“Good!” You start massaging the other side of his neck. “You think you’re still alive?”
He chuckles. “Pretty sure I’m still breathing, yeah.”
“Good stuff,” you joke right back. “Means less malpractice suits for me.” You grin when he laughs, then start stretching the other side of his neck. “Let’s do this side, and then I’ll do your lower back and get you back to work.”
***
“Sorry that took so long.”
Lin waves a hand at your apology. “It’s fine. I figured the kid would take a while to calm down enough for an adjustment.” She offers you a small smile. “Thanks for making the trip up here.”
“Of course.” You resume packing up your things, then let out a quiet laugh. “Honestly, I’m just glad it wasn’t you that needed an adjustment. I damn near had a heart attack when the receptionist told me your assistant called.”
“I told you I was fine.”
You shoot Lin a flat, unimpressed stare. “Right, because you’re the type to always consider the limits and needs of your physical well being.” You roll your eyes when she merely arches an eyebrow at you, then zip the carrying case for your collapsible table shut. “How does the department handle billing?”
“Send the bill to my assistant,” Lin answers, writing down the proper mailing address on a slip of paper before handing it over to you. “She’ll file it with the department’s insurance company. The department will pay out the rest.”
You nod and reach out to take the paper--
Lin holds it back. “Write the bill for all three adjustments. Clear?”
You smirk and pluck the paper out of her fingers. “Pay me more. Fine by me.” You grin when she rolls her eyes, then cast your gaze down to her desk.
It’s a nice desk. Solid, polished wood, with engravings and etchings of Earth Kingdom style patterns.
Unbidden, images of Lin fucking you on her desk --bending you over it, laying you out on your back, sitting in her chair while you bury your face between her legs--flood your name.
Lin either picks up on the spike in your pulse, or maybe she knows your facial expressions well enough to know when you’re horny. Either way, she smirks up at you. “Problem?”
“No…” You absently trace your fingers along the edge of her desk, then shoot her an impish smile before grabbing your things. “Call me when you have a free night.”
You can hear Lin chuckle behind you as you walk out of her office.
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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years ago
Text
Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 25, part one
(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)
Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!
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Holy crap, Episode 25! We’re halfway through! *Cue Bon Jovi*
Hunt Invitation
After taking a nice long break to watch Word of Honor pick lotus pods, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli return to stressing over the shitshow that is the post-Sunshot cultivation world. Jin Zixuan has come to invite them to the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, with a special invitation from his mother to Jiang Yanli. Jiang Cheng reacts to this in a mature and reasonable manner, while Wei Wuxian...doesn't.
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On the surface, Jiang Cheng has matured in recent months; much more than Wei Wuxian, with his secret burdens, has. But it's only on the surface, as we'll see later in the episode, when Jiang Cheng's insecurity will take the reins.
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Jin Zixuan is adorably pleased by Jiang Yanli's acceptance of the invitation. Wei Wuxian is less pleased, but sort of tries to suck it up. 
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Jin Zixuan kind of undercuts the romance of his errand by asking Wei Wuxian for the Yin tiger amulet as soon as Jiang Yanli is out of earshot. 
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As always, Jin Zixuan makes an impression by being the best Jin currently in existence, but the Jins are terrible. JZX is working to advance his dad's ambitions, and as such he is currently Wei Wuxian's enemy.  
(more after the cut)
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Opening Ceremonies
There's a bunch of cultivators arranged for the opening ceremony. Later someone will say that this is more than 5 thousand people. Ok, sure.
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As I've said before, it's best to think of it like a theatre production and assume the other 4,900 people are offstage or, you know, painted on the backdrop.  
The young lead cultivators from the four main clans are standing together. Nie Huaisang is trying out some new body armor.
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The clan leaders are seated up on the stage, along with Jin Furen and Jiang Yanli. Unfortunately Jin Furen doesn't seem to have a personal name that I can discover. Her title Fūrén ( 夫人)  means she's the primary wife of the head of the family, according to this excellent meta. 
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So “Madame Jin” is a decent translation...if you're French?  I feel like instead of English subtitles including borrowed words from French (”Marquis” in NIH), Greek (”Water of Lethe” in WOH), and other European languages, we could try borrowing Chinese words instead. Jin Zixuan's mom is titled, not named, Jin Furen. Since we don’t know her actual name, I'll call her that and abbreviate it JFR.
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Wei Wuxian's childishness continues at the opening of the hunt, as does Jiang Yanli's encouragement of his childishness. I know she's had a rough couple of years, and it's understandable to want to baby her little brother out of a sense of nostalgia. But it's not good for him, and she shouldn't do it; she should encourage him to be more mature, just as she does with Jiang Cheng.
War Crimes Contest
Jin Guangyao says they're going to have an archery competition, and they're going to liven it up by endangering some prisoners. These prisoners are Wens in Wen cultivator uniforms, meaning they're not the noncombatants that were being hunted down earlier. But they’re still helpless people in chains. 
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There are three different reactions when the Wen prisoners are brought out.  All the Jins are pleased, or neutral. All of the Jiangs, including Wei Wuxian, are upset.
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The Nies and the Lans, what we see of them, are a little shocked, but not obviously upset. Based on those reactions, it seems like this is a maneuver that in-world is considered shocking and cruel, but not necessarily unethical or immoral.  Shocking, cruel displays of power are pretty normal in this world; remember when Wen Chao lit a Lan cultivator on fire just to say hello, and nobody complained? 
This whole scenario, of course, has been designed to provoke Wei Wuxian. One major goal of this event, and the whole reason for wanting Wei Wuxian to come,  is to get the Yin Tiger amulet.  Making him lose his shit in front of 100 5000 cultivators is a good step toward compelling him to hand the amulet over.  
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We see Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli both signaling Wei Wuxian to keep it together, and he takes a step back and tries to chill.  
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Meanwhile, Jin Zixuan seems annoyed by all this, and goes to take a shot at it, making it clear from his demeanor that this is easy and JGY is making a show of nothing. 
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He hovers in the air and makes a perfect shot, pleasing most of the crowd and impressing Jiang Yanli. 
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Then his cousin Jin Zixun taunts the crowd, challenging anyone to do better.  This presents a bit of a problem for Wei Wuxian. For the sake of the Wen prisoners, Wei Wuxian should just take this taunting and let the contest end, if no-one else is willing to take a shot. But for the sake of the Jiang Clan’s status, and his continued control of the Yin Tiger amulet, he needs to put the Jins in their place.  
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Every Day is Blindfold Day
This moral dilemma is resolved with an abrupt tonal shift, where the humanitarian concerns of all parties seem to vanish. Wei Wuxian flirts embarrassingly with Lan Wangji and then goes as far over the top in besting Jin Zixuan as it's possible to go.
The flirting hits differently, incidentally, when you edit Jiang Cheng's annoyed reaction out of it: 
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Lan Wangji doesn't seem embarrassed by Wei Wuxian's request, despite it happening in front of 100 5000 of their fellow cultivators. He looks Wei Wuxian straight in the eye for longer than necessary before turning away; it’s not exactly stern disapproval. We’ll get very used to this look, in Wei Wuxian’s second life. 
Fortunately, Wei Wuxian carries a blindfold with him wherever he goes, (gifset here), and he is such a good cultivator he can hit 5 parallel targets simultaneously without even holding his bow straight or tightening the string.
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(OP fixed the angle of the bow for this gif, which is why everyone is standing on a hill in the background).
Everyone is pleased by this shot except Jins Guangyao and Zixun; even the Jin cultivators are clapping, and Madame Jin is presumably this happy any time Jin Guangyao’s plans go wrong.
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With that they start the hunt. Jin Zixun challenges Wei Wuxian to do the whole hunt blindfolded. Wei Wuxian agrees, but the censorship committee said no, apparently, so we don’t get to see that.
Flute Hunting
We do get to see Wei Wuxian luring monsters into his nets by being too sexy for his robe, too sexy for his robe, and playing the flute.  
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We also get to see Jiang cultivators looking puzzled while random monster roars happen in the woods around them. We do not get to see any monsters, which is probably just as well.
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Jiang Cheng is annoyed and concerned, muttering "I told you not to overdo it" which means he didn't, you know, tell Wei Wuxian NOT to do this, just not to do it quite so well. Jiang Cheng knows what Wei Wuxian’s abilities are and he is making use of him, as he should, but he doesn’t have the courage of his convictions. 
Tree Confession
Wei Wuxian sees Lan Wangji and starts to say hi, but then he has a desaturated flashback to Lan Xichen telling him to back off, so he stops himself.  But then Lan Wangji comes over to talk to him.
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Lan Wangji starts off talking to him about his latest anti-resentment musical discoveries, and Wei Wuxian pushes back, even calling him Lan Wangji, but gently.  Wei Wuxian asks "who am I to you?" and Lan Wangji turns the question right back at him, then waits a looooooong time, eyes downcast, while Wei Wuxian thinks of a serious answer.
Wei Wuxian says "I used to treat you as my zhījǐ" --which, as we’ve discussed before, is variously translated soulmate, confidant, intimate friend--with a strong meaning of "the person who truly knows me." Lan Wangji says "I still am." Coming from Lan Wangji, who NEVER says how he feels about Wei Wuxian or about anything, really, this sounds a lot like a confession of love. 
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It definitely takes the form, visually, of a love confession, as Lan Wangji speaks, then gazes at Wei Wuxian while he waits for a reply.  Wei Wuxian's reply is this:
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I don't think Wei Wuxian is oblivious (I'm speaking strictly of CQL, not MZDS, as always with these posts; they are different works). I think he loves Lan Wangji back, and knows it. But Chenqing and everything it represents are between them.
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Lan Wangji is quite literally NOT his zhījǐ any more, because he doesn't truly know Wei Wuxian right now. He loves him desperately, but he doesn't know about his core, and hasn't accepted his cultivation method.  So Wei Wuxian answers his confession by showing him Chenqing, effectively declining to accept his still-conditional love.
Snake Measuring
Next we get terrible hetero courtship in the form of Jin Zixuan finding snake discharge on the ground and talking to Jiang Yanli about comparative snake measuring. Seriously: that is the actual conversation that they are having.
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Jin Zixuan boasts for a bit, and then awkwardly tries to ask Jiang Yanli on a date. When she turns him down he gets mad, because he's a typical heterosexual dude even though he's secretly a delightful person...very, very secretly. Jiang Yanli, for her part, can't string a fucking sentence together to save her life whenever he's around, so she's not helping their mutual understanding. 
Lan Wangji attempts to hold Wei Wuxian back from beating Jin Zixuan’s ass yet again, but eventually JYL wants to leave, JZX tells her to wait, and WWX intervenes. Why doesn't Jiang Yanli have a maid or Jiang cultivator with her while she's on a date, incidentally? These kids are confused about whether they're doing feudal patriarchy or whether they're doing modern social life.
Jin vs. Jiang
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Wei Wuxian jumps in between Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, which JZX objects to. Jin Zixuan has no fucking business objecting and Wei Wuxian is 100% right, at this point. As soon as WWX shows up JZX should hand her off to her Shidi, bow, and leave her the fuck alone. Instead, he draws his sword on Wei Wuxian, and kind of on Jiang Yanli since she's right behind Wei Wuxian.  Fortunately, Lan Wangji blocks him. 
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This instantly blows up into a Jiang-Jin Clan conflict, with Jiang Cheng unfortunately absent since he let his unmarried sister go off in the woods alone with the son of the Cultivaton world's most famous lecher. It looks like it’s a personal conflict, but since Jin Zixuan already told Wei Wuxian directly that Jin Guangshan wants his amulet, any arguments between them are part of a larger power struggle. 
Cousin Jin Zixun comes running up to start shit. Wei Wuxian pretends--I am SURE he's pretending--not to know who he is. The dude hassles Wei Wuxian every time he sees him; Wei Wuxian is a troll, and right now CJXZ is butting in to something that doesn't concern him. Rather than argue, Wei Wuxian insults him by telling him he’s not memorable.
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Jin Furen shows up with several maids and cultivator dudes in tow, which is the proper way for a highborn woman to wander around in the woods. She also brings Clan Leader Yao, because if it's Wei Wuxian Blaming Hours, Yao is going to be there.  
I initially found the deep friendship between superhot Yi Zuyuan and dumpy Jin Furen implausible, but then I remembered that my lifelong bestie is a smokin' hot redhead with impeccable fashion sense, while I am a roly-poly nerd.  Friends don’t always match. Also, Jin Furen's actress, Hu Xiaoting, looks like this: 
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...so she is actually hot in real life. Not as hot as Zhang Jingtong (who plays Yu Ziyuan) but literally nobody is as hot as Zhang Jingtong. Don't @ me, you know I'm right.
This is a heck of a long scene, so we’ll pick it up in part two! 
Soundtrack: Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi
Writing prompt: Newly-divorced, cold-hearted CEO Yu Ziyuan buys an apartment next door to newly-divorced, warm-hearted pastry chef ...uhh let's call her Jin Dàngāo (蛋糕), sure. She can name her business after herself. 
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They discover their daughter & son are in the same college class, and so they meet up over coffee....several times...trying to matchmake their hopeless, hapless kids, while bonding over their own terrible (former) taste in husbands. Who will Cupid strike first, the kids or the moms?
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secretlysheikah · 4 years ago
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Discovering Hyrule
So just what was Hyrule like when the chain stumbled upon him in his natural habitat? Well read and find out. Did someone ask for bad ass Hyrule? No? Well too bad you’re getting it today. 
I like to dedicate this to the lovely @vengeful-sock for always being there for me and always being willing to listen to my rambles.  
Don’t wanna read it here? OKAY! Check it out here on Ao3 Please enjoy my take on our most precious of beans:
Start Here: They stuck out like a sore thumb, Link thought to himself as he watched the three men walk through town. They were dressed strangely and they were all together too clean, making them completely at odds with the town they strolled through. One was tall with odd markings on his face and wore very nice and shiny armor. The other who was slightly shorter sported what looked like a rather nice animal pelt around his shoulders. The last, well that white cape would have drawn anyone’s eye but the large gem that clasped the cape around his neck certainly wasn’t helping. 
They were already drawing the eyes of the hardened townsfolk and Link could see the avarice that burned like coals deep in their eyes. The three men didn’t seem to notice however and simply continued to go about their day. They simply talked amongst themselves in hushed tones and went about buying potions and other supplies that hinted at adventure, completely oblivious or maybe indifferent to the various gazes that clung to their backs. Link kept his eye on the group too, though it was more out of curiosity and concern rather than greed. They were certainly odd characters to be sure. His guess was that they were some kind of nobility playing at being adventurers, though he had never seen them whenever he would visit Zelda. He supposed it wasn’t out of the question that they came from a neighboring Kingdom but he had his doubts.    
Link tugged the hood of his cloak over his face and sipped at a bowl of thin broth and half wilted vegetables he cradled in his hands as they passed by. They were muttering something about finding the hero of this land and he smirked. He must be quite popular if nobles from other Kingdoms were looking for him. He took another long sip from his bowl, too bad they wouldn’t find him. He was quite adept at avoiding unwanted attention especially from a group of odd men looking to find him. If he could hide from monsters that called for his blood, and the various thugs that wanted his head as a trophy these guys were shit out of luck. He felt a twinge of apprehension pinch at his gut at the idea of just avoiding the group all together however. The whole situation was odd and he didn’t care for it one bit, but he had to admit he was curious.
He blinked away the steam from his eyes and slurped the rest of the thin soup down before he stowed the bowl away in his pack and dropped a few rupees on the merchant’s cart. Then he was away, following the three hopeless men at a distance. As much as he wanted to leave them to their own devices, he knew he would feel terrible if he heard that anything happened to them. He didn’t know why, it wasn’t like they were his responsibility but still the feeling clung to him. 
‘What if they need my help?’ He thought to himself as he kept his eyes down as he walked. He slowed his pace just a smidge, making sure he blended in with the half starved and filthy townsfolk that bustled about their day, unwilling to call attention to himself just yet. Even though he had just got into town he was already ready to leave, in fact he was on his way out of town when he had spotted the strange men walking down the lane. He had to admit that when he saw them his curiosity had been peaked, and it appeared he hadn’t been the only one. As he meandered along he noticed that it wasn’t just him that was following the group. A quick glance to the side granted him the sight of one of Brutus’s boys following at a pace on the other side of the lane. He looked casual enough, but Link could tell what he was up to. 
He tugged on the edge of his hood, making sure it was well and truly covering his face as he quickened his steps. The group was still dawdling around the different street vendors and he noted how they seemed to have bottomless rupee bags. He grimaced at them, were they just clueless or were they stupid? Could they not notice the eyes on them?
“Stupid nobles,” Link grumbled to himself, they were going to get themselves mugged at this rate and he severely doubted they knew how to even use those swords they had strapped to their backs. 
Link watched as they were in the process of putting away some fresh bread they had just bought when he spotted the rest of the local thugs. Just ahead of the group there were two other men, both with their heads down and hulking and all together not the people he wanted to see. They were a part of Brutus’s crew alright, if the dull red cloaks they wore were any indication of their alliance.
The way they were standing shoulder to shoulder, blocking the way of the odd group only meant one thing. Any doubt he might have had about what the men had planned was erased when out of the corner of his eye he watched as the other man quickly crossed the lane and grabbed the man in with the white cape. In a blink all three men were bundled into the alley way just past a clothing stall. Link let out a small curse and jogged forwards to the mouth of the alley way with renewed urgency. 
“What is this all about?” Link heard the man with the fancy armor ask as he rounded the opening of the alleyway. The tone of voice commanded respect, though it didn’t seem to faze the three brutes. Still Link was taken aback. The voice hadn’t been haughty, but instead firm and rough like he was used to ordering around a band of rowdy soldiers. The command hung in his chest like a weight and it wasn’t even leveled at him. He blinked in surprise, he had not expected that sort of militaristic tone to come from a noble, so maybe this ‘noble’ was in fact a soldier? A warrior perhaps? Either way it was clear he was clueless of the situation he found himself in. 
Link was about to call out when one of the more burly of the muggers laughed and drew a blade. Before any of them could react he slammed the man in the fur pelt against the wall of the alley and pressed the edge of the knife into the soft flesh of his throat. Blood trickled ever so slightly from the place where the knife sat and it felt like the world was holding its breath. This was not good. 
“That’s a nice fur you got there, I think it would suit me nicely,” The brute said blatantly ignoring the other man’s question as he eyed the pelt on the man’s back. The man in question bared his teeth like a beast but the hulking thug just smiled and dug the knife just a touch deeper into his throat.
“None of you move or I’ll have Garret here slice his throat,” the cloaked figure that grasped the man in the white cape said and Link could tell he was grinning under the hood. The other two travelers nodded quickly and raised their hands so they were in plain view. 
“So what, you just want our stuff?” The man pressed against the wall asked with an incredulous laugh and Link noticed the way all three of the odd travelers looked at each other. They seemed confused, and maybe a bit relieved? But that didn’t make any sense. Link felt his confusion building to a fevered pitch and before he could stop himself he found himself responding to the man’s question himself. 
“I thought that was fairly obvious,” Link said quietly and was rewarded with six sets of eyes looking at him. He shifted uncomfortably under the weight of their stares and grasped the handle of his sword just a bit tighter. He let out a light cough and straightened before he addressed the group at large.
“Hello there, I’ll give you a few seconds to get that knife away from his throat. If you’re quick about it I may even let you keep your dignity,” Link said cheerily from beneath his hood, shifting slightly so that his smile flashed from it’s depths. There was a pause, where no one seemed to know what to do and Link waited. He watched as it seemed his words finally broke through the surprise of the pseudo leader of the muggers as he finally turned to face him fully.
“Oh, it’s you,” The man sneered and Link offered him a small wave. 
“You are correct, now, please let them be on their way,” He said and frowned when the three men began to laugh loudly. Link pursed his lips and nodded, letting his hand fall away from his sword and joining in with the laughter. He quickly scanned the faces of the three travelers, letting his eyes meet with the taller traveler before he gave a curt nod. 
“And what makes you think we have to do a damn thing you say? Now get out of here now and maybe we won’t tell Brutus that you snuck back into town,” He said and Link felt his heart race in anticipation. He watched as the taller man shifted ever so slightly so he was closer to the knife wielding mugger. 
“So does this mean you’re not going to let them go?” He asked and was answered by more derisive laughter. 
“So be it,” Link muttered and in one smooth motion he dashed forwards quicker than blinking and reached up, grabbing the man’s wrist who was holding the knife and twisted. The knife fell to the ground with a clatter and the brute let out a yelp of pain, then all Hell broke loose. 
As soon as the knife had been dropped, the man who had been pinned to the wall lunged forwards like a wild animal and tackled the person holding on to the man in the white cape. Link felt an arm snake around his neck and he was hauled backwards off his feet. His hands flew up to the arm that was now choking off his airway and he grunted. He tried to bring up his legs and kick off the wall but the thug must have stepped back because he felt nothing but air.  
The man holding him only managed a couple steps backwards when he was stopped by the taller man with the shiny armor. Link watched out of the corner of his eye as the traveler grabbed the arm that was compressing his airway and pulled it away causing him to drop to the ground. Link sucked in a grateful breath before he got swiftly to his feet again and scanned the alley for the last man but he was nowhere to be seen. That would be a problem. He didn’t dwell on it too long before he spun around hands raised and magic flaring to face the others and saw that the remaining men had already been taken care of. The scuffle had barely lasted a minute, which he had to admit was impressive. He had not expected them to hold their own so well. He blinked, letting his hands fall to his sides as he looked at each of the odd travelers in turn. They all looked okay for the most part besides some bruises and the one slice on the feral man’s throat. 
“Who are you people? There’s no way you’re from around here and I doubt you’re nobility from a surrounding Kingdom,” He asked quickly as he moved forwards and began unclasping the cloaks from around the unconscious men on the ground. 
“Nobility?” The one with the fur pelt choked out and Link watched as he smacked the man with the armor on the arm. The man with the armor let out a deep laugh of his own and Link felt like he was being made fun of. He pointedly ignored them and turned back to the task at hand. 
He had a hard time getting the cloak off one of the downed men and he shot a look up to the man with the white cape and gestured for him to help. He seemed to know what Link wanted and he hurried forward and helped pull the cloaks free from both of the unconscious thugs.
“Uh we are, well it’s sort of a long story,” The man in the white cape said and offered him a small smile. Link eyed him up and down and threw the cloak at him.
“Put this on,” he said quickly before he turned to the other man with the fancy armor and repeated the action. 
“You too, you guys stick out like a sore thumb.” He said as he dusted the dirt off his pants and eyed the last man. Blood was collecting around his collar, and he seemed a bit pale around the eyes, though he was putting in a good effort at hiding his discomfort. Link moved forward and grabbed at his water skin and handed it over to him. 
“Are you alright? You look a little pale,” Link asked as he moved a bit closer to get a better look at the cut on his throat. 
“I’ll be alright, thank you for the assist,” He said in between gulps of water. Link nodded towards him and turned to face the others. 
“Quickly now, explain,” He snapped and waited impatiently for the answer. 
“Quick answer is that we are the Heroes of Hyrule from the past and future on a mission from Hylia. We don’t know exactly what the mission is yet but we assume, at this moment we are looking for the hero of this era, or at least that is what the sword on Sky’s back says.” The man with the odd markings said quickly as he pulled the hood over his head and crossed his arms. Link didn’t know what to say to that information, and honestly he was not expecting that whopper of a tale. 
They were looking for the hero, to join a quest that they didn’t even know all the details for? Why? His mind was filled with a whirlwind of questions and he didn’t even know where to start. One thing was for sure though, this whole thing reeked of a trap in the making and he wasn’t  liking the idea of joining. Not without more information first and even then that was still debatable. He opened and closed his mouth for a moment as he tried to figure out just what he wanted to ask first. 
“Who is Sky?” Link shook his head, out of all the questions that was the one he asked first? The three other’s blinked and looked at each other. Clearly they hadn’t been thinking about that question either. 
“Oh, uh, well my name is Sky“ The one with the white cape answered. Then he pointed to the armored man, “his name is Time and that,” He said with a quick gesture to the man with the pelt, “...Is Twilight.” He finished and each of them gave him a nod as confirmation. 
“Those are strange names, but we really don’t have time for that now. We have to get out of here. You guys have drawn way too much attention to yourselves,” Link said curtly as he jogged to the opening of the alley and peered around the corner. He didn’t see anyone actively looking for them but he was sure that wouldn’t last long. 
He eyed the cart of cloaks next to the alley way and snagged a dark green cloak from the rack. He paused and dug through his meager rupee pouch and tossed what he hoped would be enough on the counter top. He was loathed to steal anything from the townsfolk. They were all struggling and he rather himself missed a few meals than have the shop keep suffering for his selfish choice.
He jogged back to the group and tossed the newly dubbed Twilight the cloak. He put it on without any prompting and drew the hood up around his head. Deeming them good enough to sneak out he gestured for them to follow and they made their way back to the lane. 
“Slouch your shoulders and stop looking around so much,” Link hissed to them as they hurried their way to the town’s gate. Even with the cloaks it still appeared that they stuck out. They stood too tall, walked with a gate that spoke of authority and were all together too curious. 
“Honestly you’re supposed to be heroes. Didn’t you have to, I don’t know, blend in? Sneak around? At least be the slightest bit aware of your surroundings?” Link grumbled as he physically grabbed Sky’s hood and forced him to look down. 
“Who are you? Why are you so keen to help us?” Twilight grumbled from behind them and Link spared him a look. 
“Just a hermit, a traveler if you will. I just… Don’t like the idea that Brutus’s goons were going after more people is all,” It wasn’t completely a lie, he reasoned as he bowed his head a bit lower. He could feel the stares on him and it made him nervous. He didn’t like all the attention on him. Tugging his cloak tighter around him he stepped up his pace and didn’t look back. 
Finally the town gate was in sight and Link could have skipped with joy. They were nearly there, just a few more yards and they could put the town behind them and then he could slip away and be done with this mess. 
“Oh HERO, where do you think you’re going?” A heavy voice called after him and Link stiffened before slowing to a stop. He bent his head forward as he heard the rag tag group stop as well, and turned to look at him. He closed his eyes for a moment before he straightened and turned to face the much larger man. 
“Brutus,” He said in a clipped tone, pointedly ignoring the stares of the others that were now boring into him. So much for keeping who he was a secret. Brutus sauntered towards him and Link took a slow step back, making sure to give himself enough room to work. Brutus, unlike the thin and hard eyed townsfolk, was a burly man. He was clearly well fed and used to getting what he wanted and it stuck in Link’s craw. He had risen to infamy in the town about a year ago after he managed to usurp the other more prominent gang that had once called this little town their own. Ever since then he had made it a point to show off at any chance he got. He would strut around in blood red cloaks and demand the merchants give him whatever he wanted. The few that had fought back were found dead in their beds the next day. 
Link had kept his eye on him since then, and had only allowed Brutus to remain when the townsfolk practically begged him to stay out of the situation. It had bothered him greatly but no matter how much he tried to change their minds he was always told to stay out of it. So he had respected their wishes, but had made it a point that whenever he was in town he would pay more rupees for goods as well as cause trouble to the thugs when he saw them bullying the merchants. Naturally this had garnered Brutus’s attention and they had their fair share of scuffles and earned a bounty on his head. 
“Did you ever find that tooth of yours?” Link asked casually and was graced with a sneer. Even from this distance he could see the black hole where one of Brutus’s front teeth had once been. Link felt a smile creep unbidden across his face. He remembered the scuffle fondly, even though he got a knife to the ribs he had still gotten his fair share of hits in. 
“I still owe you for that. I think your head would be a fair trade off,” Brutus said and Link let out a belly laugh. 
“I would love to see you try,” He scoffed, pleased at the red flush that colored the larger man’s cheeks. He really shouldn’t be snarking off at the brute, but he found he couldn’t help it. The man annoyed him and he could do with a knocking down of a few pegs.         
“Sadly today is not the day Brutus, I have things to attend to,” Link dismissed and turned to usher the others who were staring at him wide eyed. He offered them a nod and began to stride away when he heard footsteps running up behind him. Sensing danger, Link ducked and felt the wind of a sword swipe over top of his head. Before he could turn around he heard the screech of metal screeching against metal and he turned around to see a green cloak blocking his view of the larger man. He stood quickly and looked on in amazement as the feral man, Twilight snarled and pushed back against Brutus’s sword with his own. 
“How dare you, attacking when your opponent's back is turned,” Twilight snarled and forced the man back a few steps before breaking his sword away from where it was locked with Brutus’s. 
“What is the runt to you? Some sort of bastard child of yours?” Brutus snarled and Link could see the way Twilight bristled at the insult. 
“He is the hero of Hyrule, show some respect,” Twilight growled and Brutus squinted his eyes. 
“Respect for that pitiful waste? He should feel honored to be in my presence!” Brutus said as he brandished his sword once again. Twilight readied his own blade, ready to go on the attack once more but this time Link was the faster one. He stepped smoothly in front of Twilight and with power booming through his veins summoned one of his more powerful spells. There were bursts of white hot light and the smell of fresh ozone as the bolts of lightning thundered around the brute effectively breaking up the scuffle. Link grit his teeth and continued the barrage until Brutus made a hasty retreat as the bolts continued to strike the browned earth around him. 
“Enough!” Link shouted as he let the magic go, satisfied with the distance he created between Brutus and the others. He straightened and let his hand fall. He could taste the copper tang of electricity that still hung in the air around him. He felt slightly breathless at the display he had just released and he worked on steadying his breaths. He could feel a tremor starting to build in his muscles and he clutched his hands in order to slow the trembling that was building in his arms before he addressed the other man. It wouldn’t do to show weakness now, not with so many eyes on him.
“Please, Brutus, I don’t wish to harm you, but I will if I must. Go now and leave us be,” Link called out to the hulking brute and threw a gesture out to the group behind him, signaling them to continue on. Link placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and squeezed until the other hero sheathed his sword and stalked away to follow the others. He held Brutus’s wide eyed, terrified gaze and couldn’t stop the pang of guilt that zinged through his heart. He didn’t care for the man but that didn’t mean he wanted the other dead, even if the feeling wasn’t shared. He let his eyes fall away from him and turned to follow the others out of town. He could hear stuttered insults and threats coming from behind him but he paid them no mind. 
Link worked at keeping his gait steady as he made to catch up with the three others. He had really used too much magic just then but he didn’t want to show it. He could feel the tell tale ache in his muscles that spoke of the strain he just put on his magic stores and he hoped that it wasn’t too obvious. As it was, Link barely noticed that the others had slowed to a stop to wait for him until he almost ran into them. He could feel their eyes on him and he struggled not to look away.  
“Were you really going to strike that man with lightning?” The man named Time asked him incredulously as he pulled his hood down. Link grimaced and shook his head slowly, inwardly wincing at the poor impression he must have given them. 
“And waste my magic on a thug like Brutus? It’s not worth my time. Now put your hood back on and let’s get out of here. There are too many eyes watching us still and they will follow. We have to lose them.” Link said as he tried his best to play off the question and keep the others moving. He didn’t look behind him to check if they were following, choosing to trust that they would. 
They walked for a little while until Link found a cave that he deemed hidden enough to make sure no one from the small town would find them and made a small fire to rest by. Link watched as the other three men removed their cloaks and settled down for the night. He still hadn’t removed his own, not wanted to get too comfortable in case this all turned out to be an elaborate trick.
“So I suppose you have questions, where would you like to start?” Link asked after everyone had sat for a little while. He looked at them all in turn and waited for someone to ask the question he was sure to be coming. 
“The man from the town said you were the hero, is this true?” Time asked as he held Link’s gaze. 
“That is correct, I am the hero,” Link answered in the affirmative and waited. 
“Well that makes things easier,” Sky said happily as he pulled the bread he had bought from the merchant in town. Link felt his stomach twist painfully at the scent and he prayed that his stomach wouldn’t growl. He watched as the other man ripped off a large piece and offered it to him. Link blinked in surprise, no one had ever tried to share food with him. 
“But that’s, no I couldn’t,” Link stammered out quickly even as his stomach growled angrily at his own refusal of the proffered meal. Sky offered him a warm smile and only continued to hold the bread out to him. 
“Don’t be silly! There is more than enough to go around, and after you helped us out in that alley it is the least we can do,” He said and to Link’s surprise the other two nodded before offering him provisions from their own packs. Link could feel his mouth water at the promise of more food and he could feel the tremors from over exertion beginning to ramp up. He forced himself to breathe and shuffled back a little. 
“Honestly, I’m fine,” He said stubbornly, still refusing the food that he was offered. He couldn’t trust it, he had learned long ago to never accept gifts from strangers and as much as he wanted to he had to be strong now. 
“Please, continue with your questions,” He said pointedly and watched as they slowly put their food away. 
“Alright, please let me know if this is rude but I must know, what happened to the land? It looks rather…” Sky trailed off and Link nodded, there it was. He knew it would come up eventually. He could guess by their full cheeks and general healthy appearance that they probably didn’t have to go many days without a meal. 
“This land, these people, have been through a lot as you might have guessed. We are still trying to get back on our feet so to speak. Gannon and his followers have not been kind.” Link said slowly and found that he had a hard time lifting his eyes away from his hands that were knitted tightly in his lap. He didn’t want to see the looks on their faces. If what they said was true, and they were heroes from Hyrule at different points in time they must be ashamed of what had been done to this land. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and raised his eyes to meet theirs. 
“We are a strong people, we will be okay and the land will heal.” He said firmly, lifting his head in defiance. He was startled at the sudden wave of anger that was washing through him. He could only imagine what they were thinking. Disappointment, disgust maybe even shame for what he had allowed to happen to their home. Well they could think what they will, he loved this land he called home, no matter it’s flaws and scars. There was still beauty to be found here, tucked away in corners and hiding in plain sight, all you had to do was look. Even now Link could see the land healing, growing and thriving despite the harm done to it. 
“I have no doubt in your abilities and the strength of these people to grow and thrive. The strength and resolve in your voice is conviction enough and I know you will succeed.” Time said from his place by the fire and was joined by proud smiles and nods from the other two. Link felt a smile creep onto his face, he felt honored in a way. Even if this proved to be some elaborate trap in the making he was willing to accept their compliments. 
“I am curious, you say you are heroes from other eras. Tell me how did you get here?” Link asked, crossing his arms over his chest and waited. 
“A portal brought us here,” Sky answered and continued quickly, apparently knowing what Link was about to ask next. “And no, we don’t truly know why we are here besides knowing that we needed to find the hero of this time. Though we have noticed one common factor.” He said, glancing at the two men he sat beside.
“That being?” Link prompted, and watched as the three of them shared a brief nod. 
“That being a rise in monster activity,” Sky said slowly and Link felt his eyebrow beginning to rise despite himself. 
“That’s it? That’s all you have?” He asked incredulously and was graced with shrugs and half hearted ‘yeahs’. 
“There has to be more than that,” He said and was once again met with more shrugs.
“Unfortunately that’s all we have,” Twilight said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Link couldn’t help it, he let out a disbelieving snort before he could stop himself.  
“And you want me to join? You guys can see how suspicious this sounds right? What makes you think I’m going to join this, whatever this is just because there’s slightly more monsters about?” Link asked and this time was met with a rueful smile spreading across Sky’s face. 
“I don’t think you’ll have a choice in that matter. I saw that portal for a week straight and refused to go through it until finally, kind of just… Pulled me in,” Sky said and Link felt himself slump against the wall of the cave suddenly very tired. He pressed his fingers against his temples and squeezed his eyes shut. This whole situation made him want to sleep for the next century, though he couldn’t deny he was the least bit curious to see what new places he would discover. After a moment he let out a sigh and opened his eyes.
“Alright, I guess I’ll need a name. I assume Link won’t cut it considering you all have nicknames,” Link said and judging on the looks he was getting he knew he was right. He watched as Sky leaned back and tilted his head to the side as if he were listening to something. After a second he gave a nod and smiled warmly at him. 
“Looks like your name is Hyrule. Welcome to the fold.” Sky said with a chuckle and stretched his hand out for him to shake. He eyed the hand thoughtfully before taking it and felt a tingle of magic flood through the contact. He pulled his hand away quickly and stared at his palm expecting to see a mark left behind on his hand but saw nothing. He wiped the feeling away on his tunic and nodded slowly. 
“Now that that is out of the way, I think we need to get something out of the way,” Twilight said and Link offered him a quizzical stare. Twilight dug through his pack and once again offered him some of his food.
“Eat, I know you’re hungry. Don’t try to deny it.” He said sternly and this time Hyrule accepted the offer, though he didn’t take a bite until Twilight gave him a knowing look and took a bite of his own food. The others were quick to pull out their own meals then and they all tucked into their dinner in silence, all of them lost in thought. He chewed the bread and didn’t miss how both Time and Sky were quick to share their own meals with him. This time he accepted the offers gratefully, he didn’t want to admit it to the others but he was starving. They ate in peace for a while and even though he knew he probably wasn’t going to sleep tonight he had to admit it was nice to share a meal with others for once.
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