#rogue on the other hand is wary of everyone

[luminatricky]

Vampire? In Gotham! (part 2)

Summary: Danny arrives, sees something Concerning, meets Batman, tries not to fight Batman. Nope not going to rogue it up here, no thank you.

Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Danny Fenton, John Constantine & Danny Fenton

for context, phenes are letters in Ghostwriting, and you can do necromantic magic with them if you know how

As soon as he's within a five mile vicinity of Gotham, Danny has to stop and deeply consider his afterlife decisions.

PhantomMenace: what the FUCK is wrong with this place.

PhantomMenace: John.

PhantomMenace: I know you know how many generational curses are set in the very foundations. And not the abusive cycle kind.

PhantomMenace: who had the goddamn PATIENCE for this

PhantomMenace: who carves THIS MANY phenes into THAT MUCH wet concrete??

PhantomMenace: we'd have to blow up the whole city to unfuck this!!

PhantomMenace: when I find whoever did this I don't know if I'm going to kill them a second time, or make out with them immediately

PhantomMenace: they've clearly ascended to levels of spite I can only dream of, I've to at least respect that

God's Favorite Whore: For my sake I hope you kill them. Gross.

PhantomMenace: 💚

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Night time in Gotham is beautiful, even without the view of the stars.

Danny finds himself exploring from the rooftops. Old Gothic architecture spins for miles; spidering out from the tallest buildings are gargoyles reminiscent of what he knows of cathedrals. Below him, the city comes alive in a flurry of motion.

The cars slow to a trickle, but foot traffic picks up. Well-dressed people in their 20s hit the bars, swaying and laughing with their friends. Danny takes note with a smile that they're all armed, and at least one person in each group seems to be as sober as a stone. Keeping safe and having fun.

The night workers hit the streets, and little skinny kids of all ages weave in between bodies like leaves in flowing water. Handing off things Danny can't see to the people on the street corners, laughing and joking and pushing each other, never straying too far to allies or the side of the road. Not ever being without at least one other. It's sad to see they have to protect each other like that, but that's life, and it seems they're living it.

Blob ghosts make unseen mischief. There's a second layer of traffic - blobs spinning a foot in the air above everyone else, catching stray emotions and fat and happy off the ambient ectoplasm. Danny's never seen any blob in a color other than radioactive green, but the ones in Gotham are all different shades of red. He wonders if the curses here might be a factor. And if his condenser will be stained red from now on.

Danny spots something strange the longer he looks. He slips off the edge of the building, walking down its side to the alley below. He slips into partial invisibility to not startle anyone not already looking for him, and peaks out the mouth of the alley.

Shades walk down the streets side by side with the human Gothamites. They give the human-looking ghosts a wide berth, but otherwise no one acknowledges them. He tracks the figures with his eyes, hating the blank look in each of them. He's sure that they're not even properly looking at anything. They go through anyone and everything in their paths intangibly. He sees several people shiver and look around confused, before walking off, visibly more tired looking than before.

Danny unclips his condenser from his belt to check if his dinner's ready. He startles a bit at the unfamiliar red, but shrugs. He's hungry. The blobs are having a blast despite how evil the air is. He should be fiiiine.

Taking a deep gulp, Danny returns his attention to the Shades, wary of what this new behavior means. He quickly does a rough count of humans, and then the strange Neverborns in the street. And oh boy. He does not like how the math is mathing.

In a normal, healthy population, there should only be one Shade per fifty humans. In Gotham? It's nearly one to one. He's never seen or heard of this. Danny wonders exactly how many people get mysteriously sick, or die of "natural causes" here.

Once he gets settled in, he'll have to go looking for the cause. Even in a crime ridden big city this isn't normal.

Danny takes another sip as he tears himself away from the mouth of the alley. He becomes fully visible as he steps into the shadows. He means to float up to the rooftops again, but a dull thump behind him has him zipping around on instinct.

Between him and the exit, a broad shouldered man rises from his feet. At first Danny thinks he's covered in shadows, but as his eyes quickly readjust to the level of light, he realizes that the man is just wearing a long dark cloak with a cowl. It covers his head and half his face, with two white beams of light staring impassively at him. It hurts to look at to be honest.

Danny tenses like a springtrap. John never gave him descriptions of any of the rogues, OR the bats. He doesn't know what he's dealing with right now, and he'd really rather not get into a brawl tonight. Humans don't do that to be friendly.

"Where did you get the blood?" The man demands. His voice is obviously modified to be deeper, but Danny thinks it might be naturally growly and inflectionless, as the man's body language or expression doesn't change.

He doesn't really think before he responds. The question throws him, okay? "Uh? Synthesizer?" Danny shakes his condenser some. It's only half full, so it only sloshes thickly against the sides instead of spilling. Suddenly feeling self-conscious about it, Danny caps it and reclips it to his belt.

He extends a hand to shake. "Name's Dante Nightingale. But people call me Danny."

The incredibly rude man doesn't shake his hand, OR introduce himself. All he gets in response is a minute head tilt that in other circumstances he would find adorable.

He rolls his eyes. "This is the part where you introduce yourself. Like a human."

The man grunts in acknowledgement. After an awkward moment, the man extends a (clawed!) hand from under his cape and grips Danny's own. "Batman."

Danny relaxes a smidge. "Nice. Cool. Heard about you and your Fraid. I'm told you're good people. thank you for not being a sentient shadow here to rob me." He lets go of the man's warm glove.

"Fraid?" Batman parrots, vaguely suspicious. Or curious. He's not sure.

"Um. It's like. Well, found family is the default in my culture, so we got a whole word for it. I didn't want to assume blood relations." Danny explains. "You've got a strong grip. Are the claws part of your suit or?" Danny flashes his own claws playfully.

"The suit." Batman says simply. "Why were you watching people from the alley?"

Danny leans back on his heels, clasping his hands behind his back, swaying back and forth. "Just flew in to town, I don't really know my way around yet. So I've been exploring on the rooftops so no one has the bright idea to mug the newbie." Danny stops swaying and folds his arms over his chest with a frown. "Then I noticed something wasn't right. Well. Other than how cursed you guys are. Actually? Might be related."

Batman's headlights narrow in a very convincing glare, so Danny tries to elaborate. "Shades really shouldn't be literally crawling through the streets. The non-physical, non-sentient psychic vampires? Yeah. I don't know if you can see this, but they're walking around in groups besides and through people. Which. They don't group up, and they don't typically go for crowded places. Shades thrive in privacy. They mimic whatever person accidentally made them, and lure loved ones alone. This whole thing is weird and probably not good."

Batman grunts again, head tilting slightly the opposite way. The little bit of silence lets Danny briefly contemplate if Batman is neurodivergent and not actually trying to be a brooding asshole. The older man's tone and facial expressions are flat, he doesn't seem to pick up on social cues, and he favors nonverbal communication. Danny makes a mental note to figure that out later if they ever meet again.

"What can we do?" Batman asks. Danny shrugs. Technically, it's not his problem unless they can't handle it themselves. "Justice League Dark this, I guess. Find me if they can't help. I'll give it the old college try if you ask."

Batman taps the side of his mask where the ear would be underneath. A quiet sound of static fills the alleyway. Batman full-body flinches at the sudden loud sound in his ear. The older man whirls to glare at Danny. The Halfa nearly chokes under the creepy, suddenly hostile gaze of the pinpricks of light.

"What did you do to my coms?" The man full on growls. The cloak is brushed aside as Batman takes out two throwing blades from his (bright yellow?) belt.

Danny's heartbeat races at the prospect of a brawl. Green light fills his vision and starts to cast a strange glow across the alley. His biology reacts, but his mind is screaming at him to put on the brakes. Do not fight the vigilantes! He's not being friendly! Do not the rogue!!

So he puts his hands up in surrender. "Woah woah woah! I can't control this, electronics just fritz around me! Hold on, just, I'll leave and they should be fine? I need to get back to my hotel anyways. Nice meeting you!"

Without waiting for a response Danny turns ghost tail. Which is to say, he turns invisible and flies through the building in the vague direction of said hotel. He flings himself into the soft, soft pillows, and tries to calm his ass down. No. No fighting. He does not need to be put in Arkham on his first day, or whatever.

Elsewhere, the coms crackle back to life.

"-atman?!"

"Oracle." He confirms.

"What happened? The boys are on their way, what's the sitch?"

"There's a vampire in Gotham."

[ryanguzmanscowlick]

The thing is, Tommy’s worried about Evan coming over to his house for the first time. He’s seen Evan’s loft. It’s all clean lines, modern appliances and details. What little sentimental odds and ends he owns are tucked away or so subtle than Tommy didn’t spot them the first couple of times he came over.

Tommy’s house, by contrast, is filled with the detritus one accumulates when they’ve gone no contact with everyone related to them and they’re trying to create a homey, family atmosphere out of thrift stores and the Pottery Barn catalogue instead of friends and family.

He’s a knick-knacker, an antique furniture collector, a throw pillow and afghan fanatic.

He doesn’t have much in the way of books, but he has shelves and shelves of notebooks, some full, some half-used, some untouched. It’s a habit he picked up when his first ever therapist (after he left the 118) coaxed him into writing everything down to make a little sense of the mess of contradictions, phobias, old prejudices, prejudices still clinging on and traumas that made it feel impossible to figure out what to talk about first when he sat down in that office.

There’s a small, awkward section of wall in his kitchen created when a previous owner of the house decided to add a laundry room (embarrassingly, his favorite room in the house for it’s sheer utility) and that’s where Tommy hangs his collection of coffee mugs. Some of them are Goodwill finds, some souvenirs, some band merch or creations by local artists he picked up at some market or other.

There’s five different varieties of protein powder constantly cluttering his kitchen counter because he ran out of room in the small pantry. His pots and pans hang over the tiny, rolling kitchen island, which is itself nearly taken over by a serving tray that holds his water filter, a candle, a decorative planter filled with his cooking utensils, a plastic case of toothpicks.

He still has a dvd collection, for heaven’s sake, and it takes up most of his sagging entertainment center. He should replace it, but it’s the first piece of furniture he ever restored and he’s having trouble letting go. Speaking of letting go, there’s a dog bed in the corner for a dog that passed away nearly ten months ago. He probably will at least hide that in a closet before Evan gets here.

Because he is coming over. No matter how nervous Tommy is, he’s not gonna come up with another excuse for why they have to postpone or meet at Evan’s instead. He gets the feeling he’s already made Evan a little wary, and with Evan’s relationship history and his fear of being too much, not enough, just left, Tommy will eat his own foot before he purposely exacerbates Evan’s fears.

If Evan looks around and decides Tommy is a hoarder or a slob or a million other nasty epithets Tommy’s brain is offering up like some cruel, self-sabotaging buffet- Well, they’ll talk about it. They’ll learn and adjust. Evan has never, ever been cruel to Tommy and it’s quite frankly laughable that he would start now.

That’s what Tommy tells the rogue half of his brain trying to rain on their parade. Another thing he picked up from his therapist - name the part of you that spews negative self-talk and talk back to it. Predictably, Tommy named his Vince. Shut the fuck up, Vince.

Evan’s shift ended twenty minutes ago and Tommy has chili on the stove keeping warm. Between showering and the drive over, Evan should be due at his door in another twenty-five or so. Tommy hides the dog bed, lights the kitchen candle, tries to find things to do with his hands so he doesn't watch the time like a hawk. They’ve had conflicting shifts for almost two weeks with only stolen moments and half-asleep kisses in between. Tommy misses his boyfriend. But a watched clock never ticks, or whatever.

His strategy works, because Evan’s knock on the front door actually startles him a little from the stack of unopened mail he’s sorting through. So many flyers for what feels like every home decor and craft store in the state.

Evan’s eyes are gentle and joyful when Tommy answers the door. “Hey.” He leans in to squeeze Tommy’s bicep and press a kiss to the wing of his cheek. Tommy can feel Evan’s mouth stretch into a smile against his skin.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Tommy wiggles his fingers under the strap of Evan’s duffel to take it from him and steps aside to let him into the house. His heart thuds in his chest.

Evan surrenders his bag and steps into Tommy’s home for the first time. If he notices Tommy holding his breath, he doesn’t comment yet.

He takes a look around while Tommy tries to look anywhere but his face. He doesn’t want to let on that he’s being a complete lunatic about this, that he let his anxiety take over for the better part of the day.

When Evan turns around to face Tommy again and slides his hands over Tommy’s waist, presses his fingers into Tommy’s back, nudging them closer together, his smile has split into a full grin. Tommy can’t help reflexively smiling in return. He can feel his cheeks flooding with warmth. It should be embarrassing that Evan still makes Tommy blush at the drop of a hat even all these months later, but if it helps Evan know deep in his bones that Tommy is gone for him, Tommy wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“It looks like you.” Evan draws his hands up and down Tommy’s torso in gentle strokes. “Cozy. Warm. Like…” He trails off and bites his lip, drops his eyes to Tommy’s chest.

Tommy hooks his fingers under Buck’s chin and lifts his gaze back up until their eyes meet in a move that’s become so routine it’s pretty much an inside joke between them. “Like what? Don’t leave me hanging.”

It’s Evan turn to flush a deep pink. He takes an unsteady breath in. “L-like home.”

An immense weight lifts off Tommy’s chest so quickly it almost steals his breath, but Evan has tensed up just a fraction, so Tommy hums softly, spreads his big hands over Buck’s wide shoulders and digs his fingers in to massage the tension back out. He slides deeper into Evan’s space to take his mouth in a chaste, lingering kiss, and he murmurs against his lips. “Glad to hear it.”

[bonefall]

For everyone hearing about StormClan and doesn't mind Ivypool's Heart spoilers, here's the details I've heard so far;

(Remember to take this with a grain of salt, as always, because this is third hand information I've collected from various spoiler threads)

This is not a major plot thread in Ivypool's Heart. It's actually quite secondary.

StormClan was created at some point after DOTC, when Galestar of WindClan and Stripestar of ThunderClan fell in love.

They combined their Clans into one and left the territory.

At some point, Galestar, Whitebreeze, Rosebush (or Shadebush) and some other guy betrayed Stripestar.

Some cats came back to reform ThunderClan and WindClan.

But not all of them came back; these remnants stayed as StormClan.

Ngl StormClan's traditions are UNIRONICALLY very cool. Instead of contacting a centric StarClan, each one has a "Spirit Guide" (a lot like my Patrons and Demons, but more personal!)

Spirit Guides give their chosen disciple a full name, and can be channeled directly when needed. VERY cool.

Sisters are a breakaway group from StormClan. Less cool, imo, I wanted them to be closer to the Tribe.

StormClan cats also tend to be aggressive, and have actually been several of the unnamed rogues across the series.

Ivypool is going to have several flashes to the StormClan founding drama, or spiritual visions, or something. Basically she's going to give us a window into the history of StormClan.

We get confirmation that fading is connected to forgetting, BUT a faded spirit can be brought back if they're remembered.

There's a big soul river thing that connects all the afterlives.

So, overall, imo this seems fun. I'm actually glad that the Erins are being a bit more creative with the afterlife systems, and this is a nice way to riff on the structure of Clans. While I am still (rightly, imo) wary of the team's ability to juggle all of these new groups, I think StormClan is an interesting addition to canon.

[thorias]

A few months ago, I tried breaking down the episodes for season 2 using all the spoilery bits we'd learned so far as well as popular theories to see how the season might potentially look. But we've learned a bunch of new things since then, (Polaris appearing, two new X-teams, 9 eps instead of 10, etc) so I figured I'd take another stab at it.

I'm just making educated guesses here, but this is my (updated) take on X-MEN '97 season 2...

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-2x01- Ancient Egypt - We see En Sabah Nur's origin. The X-men are surprised to learn that Apocalypse started out as a less malevolent figure, a downtrodden revolutionary, persecuted for being the only one who could potentially challenge the tyrannical Rama Tut. A conflict between them seems inevitable.

The team debates what to do. They could stay out of it and let events play out as they were meant to or they could aid En Sabah Nur against this madman, but by doing so, they risk causing the rise of an even worse villain. They don't know what consequences their actions will have and can't be sure if what they do here will lead to ESN becoming Apocalypse or not. Complicating the matter is that they suspect Rama Tut may be holding Storm, Morph and Wolverine prisoner. The team is split on what to do, with Rogue coming down on the side of helping ESN.

Meanwhile, things between the X-men and Magneto are tense. Xavier supports him, but the others are very wary; Rogue remains silent on the matter.

Magneto talks to Rogue privately. He wants to know if she's still on his side (politically) with the not-so-subtle implication that he's testing the waters to see if he has a shot with her now with Gambit dead.

Rogue shoots him down on both fronts. She's back with the X-men and she chose Gambit, period, full stop. She says she bought into his ideology for a minute because she was so angry, but she saw the real Magneto up on Asteroid M when he tried to destroy the world, kill all the mutants, ripped out Logan's adamantium, etc. She accuses him of not really caring about mutants and instead just wanting to lash out at everyone who's ever wronged him, not caring who gets hurt in the process, and she wants no part of that. Magneto doesn't press the issue, but his pride is wounded.

Rogue goes to ESN, telling him that she'll help him defeat Rama Tut, but if she does, there's something she wants from him in return; someone she lost that she wants back and ESN can help make that happen. Unbeknownst to Rogue, Magneto overhears her making this Faustian deal.

Magneto reveals Rogue's plan in front of the whole team, calling her out. Rogue claims she's doing this to save their friends, which is true enough, but that's not her only reason. Magneto's argument is that they can't trust ESN or they risk causing the rise of Apocalypse, but it's clear that a big part of this is his ego being bruised by her rejection. The idea that Rogue is doing this to try to get Gambit back has brought out Magneto's petty side and he'd be perfectly fine with Remy staying dead.

Rogue becomes angry at this and a fight breaks out. Magneto is shocked by how furious she is at him trying to stop her. Ultimately, Rogue leaves to meet with ESN and the two of them infiltrate Rama Tut's palace.

With their hand forced, the rest of the team make a plan to go in as well. Rogue and ESN rescue Storm, Morph and Wolverine, who Rama Tut has been conducting some kind of strange experiment on, which remains unfinished, while the others discover futuristic technology in the palace, with Beast surmising that Rama Tut is the one who brought them to this time period in the first place, though the why of it is a mystery.

With Beast working on a way to get them home, the others converge on Rama Tut. Following a massive battle, Rogue is about to take Rama Tut down, but Magneto stops her right before Beast gets the tech to work and they all get sucked back to the present. Rogue is crushed, thinking her part of the deal with ESN had been left incomplete, her chance to bring Remy back now gone.

-----

-2x02- The future - Scott and Jean spend some time raising child Nathan with the Askani. We see shades of AoA with the future being a bleak, war-torn place. At some point in the past, Apocalypse won, he took over and the world went to hell. Scott and Jean learn what's at stake should Apocalypse ever rise to power and that whatever happened to shape those events happens soon in their time unless something changes.

Future-Apocalypse, who is even more nightmarish than the one we know, has been experimenting with time travel tech, which has drawn the unwanted attention of Kang. We learn that their rivalry actually goes back thousands of years, all the way to Ancient Egypt where ESN first rose up against Rama Tut, who is revealed to be a time-displaced version of Kang. Apparently, ESN was able to dethrone Rama Tut by himself after the X-men returned to the present. But Rogue still played a role in that, so her part of the deal was fulfilled after all, though the details are kept vague.

Additionally, one of their temporal clashes was the cause of Bishop and baby Nathan getting separated in season 1, with Kang bringing Nathan to this time because he had seen future events and knew Nathan would grow up to challenge his enemy, Apocalypse. The episode culminates with a huge battle between Apocalypse and Kang with the Askani caught in the middle.

The good guys manage to escape, but Mother Askani is mortally wounded, revealing to Scott and Jean that she's their future daughter Rachel just before she dies.

Bishop shows up at the end to bring Scott and Jean home. They want to take Nathan with them, but he chooses to stay and continue the fight. The X-men return to the present, promising to do everything in their power to ensure this horrible future never comes to pass.

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-2x03- Present day - Through a series of flashbacks, we see what's been happening in the months since the X-men disappeared. Anti-mutant hysteria is at an all-time high since the EMP, which Graydon Creed capitalizes on, announcing his presidential campaign. To combat this, Forge puts a new X-Factor team together made up of candidates from that peg board in his workshop that we saw in the s1 finale, Archangel being one of them. Meanwhile, Cable has struck out on his own and formed X-Force.

Bishop returns with Scott and Jean at the end.

-----

-2x04- Beast not having a total grasp on Rama Tut's tech results in the X-men winding up in the correct time period, but in Santo Marco (mentioned on the news in the s1 finale). It's here where they're reunited with Jubilee, who was in the area with Sunspot because of all the noise being made by a rising mutant extremist, who the locals have been calling "the second coming of Magneto." This turns out to be a traumatized Polaris, who's become unhinged since surviving the Genosha attack in Remember It.

Magneto takes this opportunity to try to mend his relationship with Lorna, but is surprised to learn that she hates him now. His EMP threw the entire world into chaos, leaving millions of innocent people dead. In the aftermath, any good will or sympathy mutants had built up with the public throughout s1 was gone. Things are worse than ever for mutants now and it's all because of him.

The already volatile situation is exacerbated when X-Force arrives, having been contacted by Sunspot. Roberto is revealed to have been in touch with Cable, having come to agree with his more forceful take on the mutant cause since the events of Tolerance Is Extinction. Roberto never told Jubilee about this, fearing that she wouldn't understand; she's upset to learn that he kept it from her.

With tensions boiling over, Polaris goes berserk. Another fight breaks out with Lorna's powers proving to be a match for her father's. Magneto is shocked at his daughter's rage, beginning to realize the consequences his actions have wrought.

The battle is finally quelled when Forge, Scott, Jean and X-Factor arrive with authorities from the UN close behind, but nothing is resolved.

Magneto refuses to be taken - he tried things Xavier's way and it lead to disaster - so he attempts to flee, but is stopped by Rogue. Rogue hates Magneto now, blaming him for stopping her from completing her deal with ESN (as far as she knows) and hands him over to the UN. To twist the knife that much more, Mags' own son Quicksilver is the one who slaps the cuffs on him as Pietro hates him now too for the same reasons Lorna does.

Everybody goes home, but Sunspot chooses to leave with Cable, joining X-Force officially. He wants Jubilee to come with him, but she instead parts with Roberto and returns to the X-men, thus ending their relationship.

In the chaos, Polaris disappears before the X-men can plead with her to come with them. Later, alone and at her lowest point, she's visited by a mysterious shadowy figure with glowing red eyes.

Some time later, Magneto stands before a UN judge. Because of the extenuating circumstances, (the Prime Sentinels) the death penalty is off the table, but Magneto is found guilty of mass murder and crimes against humanity, and is thrown in a plastic prison, a la X2. Only Xavier is there to support him as he gets locked away.

As Xavier makes his way out of the prison, alarms suddenly go off and we hear the sound of explosions nearby. He races back to Magneto's cell and finds it destroyed... but from the outside. Magneto didn't break out, someone broke in, and Magneto is gone.

-----

-2x05- Using Cerebro, Xavier locates Magneto in the ruins of Genosha where we see Mags helpless, tied up and wearing an inhibitor collar. His captor is shockingly revealed to be Marrow; she was seemingly killed during the Sentinel attack in Remember It, so Magneto knows there's something very wrong going on here.

Marrow throws Magneto's actions back in his face, hating him after everything that's happened. He says he gave everything he had to protect Genosha from the Sentinels, but she's not even talking about that, she's talking about the EMP.

The Genoshan survivors had already been struggling just to stay alive after the Sentinels attacked and the world abandoned them, but Mags' EMP crippled any infrastructure Genosha had left and caused even more of them to die, and everyone would have died had his genocide plan not been stopped. Now the few who are left are hated and feared more than ever by the entire world because of him. And all this after they had lifted Magneto up as some kind of hero, as the leader of mutantkind. The man they believed would be the savior of mutants instead nearly caused their extinction.

But that's all over, Marrow continues. Because mutantkind has a real savior now. There's only one person who ever really cared about the Genoshans, who freed them, protected them from the humans, and it sure as hell isn't Magneto.

The light bulb switches on and Magneto tells her that the man she's talking about doesn't exist anymore... but he's wrong. He sees something we don't and screams, horrified, as we cut away.

The X-men arrive in Genosha and split up to canvas the area. One-by-one, they're jumped by shadowy figures they can't detect until only Xavier and Rogue are left.

Xavier telepathically zeroes in on Magneto's location, also sensing a strange, familiar presence that he can't identify. The two of them find Magneto in a bombed out building, beaten half to death. On the walls, someone has written the words "HIS NAME WAS GAMBIT."

Deathbit emerges from the shadows as Rogue watches with a mixture of shock, joy and horror. "Long time no see, mon amie," Says Deathbit sinisterly. "Missed you at the funeral."

Deathbit says that he could have killed Magneto, but selfishly kept the old man alive so he could see the look on Rogue's face when he did it. He has a job to do, but this is personal. Rogue attempts to get through to him, thinking Remy is still in there somewhere. She tries to express her feelings, but can't quite get the words out. A desperate Magneto even manages to swallow his pride, confirming that Rogue had indeed rejected him in favor of Gambit.

Deathbit laughs this off, not buying it for a second. He's fueled by anger and resentment about so many things; not feeling valued by the X-men, still believing that Rogue had chosen Magneto, fighting for Xavier's dream only to die for it, etc. And all this has been twisted into a dark rage by Apocalypse that he spits back at all of them. Then he attacks.

Meanwhile, the shadowy assailants dealing with the rest of the team are revealed to be the Genoshan survivors. They're all on Deathbit's side, having taken up 'His name was Gambit' as a sort of mantra or rallying cry. It's the 'Magneto was right' of season 2 basically. Deathbit seems to have some sort of strange influence over them and they've latched onto him almost like a cult leader. It's hinted that Apocalypse may have enhanced Remy's charm ability for just such a purpose.

The two battles converge. The X-men are losing, not really wanting to hurt their attackers. Also, Deathbit's kinetic powers have been evolved, with none of them really able to counter him; he cuts through the X-men like it's easy. The fight seemingly ends with Magneto helpless and Deathbit going in for the kill as Xavier looks on.

In a last ditch effort, Magneto tries to make his case. Impressing on Deathbit that he only wants Mags, so let the X-men go free. Again, Deathbit laughs, revealing that he never wanted Magneto at all. Mags wasn't the target, he was the bait.

Deathbit fires a card at his real target, Xavier. At the last second, Rogue jumps in to shield Charles, tanking the shot. She leaps at Deathbit, trying to absorb the Death persona out of him like she once did for Archangel... but nothing happens. Apocalypse has accounted for her powers this time. With no other choice, Rogue is forced to fight him. Deathbit's enhanced powers prove to be too much for her, though when he has a chance to finish Rogue off, he hesitates.

This distraction gives Charles enough time to help get Magneto's inhibitor collar off. This is enough of a difference-maker that the fight is more even, giving the X-men a chance to make a tactical retreat. They escape the battle, but there's no denying that they got their asses kicked. Magneto chooses not to come with them, going off on his own with none of them in a position to stop him.

Rogue is heartbroken and confused, now understanding that Remy died thinking she had chosen Magneto and not knowing how to bring the real Remy back.

Later, Marrow meets with Deathbit, asking if she'd done a good job like he'd asked. Deathbit is pleased with her performance; Xavier survived, but their mission still succeeded. Apparently, Marrow's task was to bring the Genoshan survivors to their side, using her resurrection as a sort of hope offering to draw them in. The next time they face the X-men, they'll have an army because the surviving Genoshans are their followers now. Marrow did her job, so she gets her reward.

Apocalypse emerges, flanked by Pestilence/Polaris and War/Sebastian Shaw, and welcomes Marrow into their ranks, anointing her as Famine.

[FTR, Shaw is just a place-holder. This could just as easily be Banshee, Dazzler, Sunfire or someone else. I just wanted the resurrected Genoshan victims to make up the other three Horsemen and thought Shaw made sense for War. Marrow could be anyone else too, but I used her because of her connection to Gambit in the comics.]

Episode ends with Apocalypse and his new Four Horsemen being cheered by a crowd of Genoshan mutants who have all been drafted into Apocalypse's crusade.

-----

-2x06- Logan travels to Japan. He's felt useless since losing his adamantium and is searching for a way to get it back. It's a difficult pill to swallow, but he feels that he can't help the X-men as he is. And given that they're facing Apocalypse again, he knows the team needs him at his best.

He seeks out Lady Deathstrike, whose father created the adamantium bonding process, running afoul of Sabretooth, who's there for the same reason. Deathstrike plays them against each other, making them fight for the adamantium. Logan proves to be no match for his old foe in his current state and his loss seems like a foregone conclusion.

In a cunning ploy, Sabretooth double crosses Deathstrike, revealing a trap he'd laid out to ensure he'd get the prize regardless of the outcome. This puts Deathstrike in danger and she has to put aside her hatred of Logan, so they can work together to escape and defeat Sabretooth.

Having reached an understanding with Logan, Yuriko is able to, if not forgive him for what happened to her father, then at least not want him dead anymore. She offers him the adamantium, which he accepts. He never wanted it, but at least this time becoming the Wolverine will be his choice.

In the B-plot, Cyclops tries to coordinate with Forge and Cable, trying to strategize, so their teams will be able to work together when the time comes, but they can't seem to get on the same page as each of them has different ideas about how to do this.

Meanwhile, Beast goes over the results of the tests he's been performing on Storm, Morph and Wolverine. He's trying to determine exactly what Rama Tut was doing to them, but can't figure it out.

-----

-2x07- Rogue and Deathbit separately reflect on their rocky relationship, which is shown via flashbacks, and we see how various roadblocks like Rogue's powers, Gambit's trust issues, their inability to be honest with each other, etc, always got in their way.

Most notably, we see their conversation that was mentioned in Remember It wherein Rogue said she didn't want them to be an official couple. Best guess is this happened after the s2 finale of XTAS where Gambit told Rogue he loved her only for it to never be spoken of again afterward.

In said convo, Rogue tries to express how she feels about Remy, but again, can't find the right words or is just too afraid to say them, causing Remy to misinterpret the whole thing. He tries to play it cool, like it's not a big deal, but walks away saddened, thinking she didn't care, while Rogue was secretly heartbroken that she had to reject him, but thought it was for his own good because she was scared of hurting him with her powers and also didn't want Remy to be unhappy in a relationship with someone he couldn't touch. Neither of them were aware of how hurt the other was by this.

In other flashbacks, we see Remy's own heartbreak after watching Rogue dance with Magneto at the gala, him getting resurrected by Apocalypse and learning that the X-men disappeared 6 months ago in an another incident involving Magneto, and are thought to be dead. It's revealed that Gambit wasn't made a Horseman against his will. In his despair, he chose to become Death because he was so grief-stricken, believing that Rogue and the X-men were gone.

For a moment, these memories stir something in Deathbit, a spec of the humanity he thought he'd snuffed out, but he pushes it back down.

In the B-plot, we see the final presidential debate between Robert Kelly and Graydon Creed. Kelly makes his argument for finding a peaceful solution to the mutant issue, but Creed's anti-mutant message is resonating with voters post-EMP, especially with Magneto - who Creed has branded the face of mutant terrorism - now free.

Archangel arrives at the mansion, having been called in by Xavier to help them find a way to turn Remy back.

Elsewhere, Apocalypse prepares his army for war.

-----

-2x08 & 2x09- Archangel advises Rogue on Deathbit, reflecting on his own time as a Horseman. He remembers feeling utter despair that was so overpowering until the part of him that was a good man surrendered to it. He tells her that Remy may still be in there, but she needs to give him something to fight for, something to live for.

Listening to Warren discuss Apocalypse makes some of the jumbled pieces in Beast's head fall into place. He realizes something and races to finish it before it's too late.

On the eve of the election, Apocalypse and his followers attack a political rally where Robert Kelly was to give his final address of the campaign in front of thousands of people. The X-men arrive to stop him.

There's a massive city-wide battle on the streets of Washington DC with the combined forces of the X-men, X-Factor and X-Force vs Apocalypse, the 4 Horsemen and the Genoshan mutants.

Pestilence/Polaris proves to be a powerhouse during the battle, but Magneto arrives to even the odds against her, wanting to, if not redeem himself to his daughter, then at least try to help her. Quicksilver, putting aside his enmity toward his father, joins him, and they work together to subdue her.

The battle approaches its conclusion and the good guys are losing. With their hope of pulling out a win dwindling, Archangel faces off against Deathbit, occupying him, giving Xavier the chance to use Cerebro to take Rogue inside Deathbit's mind where he recreates the gala scene from Remember It and Rogue fixes her mistake by dancing with Remy this time and confessing her true feelings, finally telling him that she loves him.

Meanwhile, Beast finally puts all the puzzle pieces together, discovering Rama Tut's true machinations as Storm, Morph and Wolverine are revealed to have been implanted with Life Seeds by the Celestial tech Rama Tut had co-opted before ESN overthrew him. His plan being to use them as Horsemen deterrents in a future encounter with Apocalypse.

Beast and Forge work some techno wizardry to activate the dormant Life Seeds, empowering the three X-men to change War, Famine and Pestilence back to their normal selves. Rogue breaks through to Remy, who fights off the Death persona, reverting to his old self as well. Deathbit's hold over the Genoshan mutants is broken, everyone is returned to normal and faces off against the real bad guy. Cue the 'Avengers Assemble' moment as Apocalypse realizes that he's now all alone and completely f*cked.

Final fight. Apocalypse is defeated.

Post-battle, Gambit is happily reunited with the X-men and with Rogue. Pietro is reunited with his sister Lorna as well. Magneto watches this for a moment, then quietly leaves.

Afterward, Beast runs tests on Remy. Physically, he's fine, his powers having returned to normal, but he's been left psychologically scarred by everything he's been through. Rogue talks to Remy, tearfully apologizing for all the mistakes she made and he does the same. With all their cards on the table, they understand and forgive each other. Their feelings now finally out in the open, they decide to try being an official couple going forward. Rogue promises to help Remy as he recovers, though questions linger as to how badly traumatized he is.

The next day, by a razor thin margin, Creed edges out Kelly to win the presidential election, setting up the conflict for season 3.

In the post-credit stinger, Magneto arrives at a small village in Wundagore, meeting with a woman who has been caring for a mentally ill and comatose Wanda Maximoff.

-----

Whew...

Okay... I'm not a professional TV writer or anything, but for an afternoon of brainstorming, I think this is a pretty efficient way of addressing most of the dangling plot threads from season 1, or at least the stuff we know about right now. It wouldn't please everybody, (Storm really needs a bigger role and the pacing is still an issue) but with only 9 episodes to cram everything in, I had to make some sacrifices.

[sonofsaviors]

@ourdyingwords

Enid sucks her teeth with her mouth still closed, looking off to the side and glaring at a wall to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him. If it was as simple as that she would agree with him. But it wasn't that simple. It wasn't like they did it for the hell of it. They were trying to help the people the Saviors were hurting.

"At least they actually had the nerves to get their hands dirty," she says. It's a good thing Jesus or Gregory or Maggie aren't close enough to hear her running her mouth since they'd give her Hell with a side of a lecture for it later.

"Might not have been you, but it was one of your guys. Unless suddenly Walkers know how to open the gate and rip open the weak spot in the walls. Either someone in your camp is going rogue, or they left you out of the fun." She juts her lip out in an exaggerated look of sarcastic pity.

Logan continued to stare Enid down, hardly blinking, standing stock still. He is naturally suspicious and wary of the other communities; the only people he really trusts are his, everywhere else it is everyone for themselves. He's seen personally how brutal people can be, and why you have to be the top dog in any situation.

The results of not doing so were nasty.

"They can smash through windows and weak points though." The Savior pointed out, tilting his head."Unless you live in some fantasy land where you close your eyes and fuckin' pretend they don't?"

The last comment made Logan roll his eyes, immdetiately deciding that the girl was just a little smartass that liked to pretend she was an adult.

"Killing people ain't supposed to be fuckin' fun. No wonder Dad thinks you fuckos need a boot on your neck.

[ramspatula]

Part 7 | Lloyd Garmadon x fem!reader | Part 7

I was getting so tired…

Previous part, Master list, Next part

Dr Julien was- nice. Strange. But nice. I suppose I couldn’t judge him too much as he had been trapped in this lighthouse place for almost two decades. However, I was surprised at the lack of wariness from the ninja who entered the place the man lived in with no hesitation. Zane, I could understand. I just had to trust that the ninja, Lloyd specifically, trusted Zane enough to trust that he trusted his father enough to know we were not in immediate danger of the man. That was a sentence I hoped never to repeat in my head again or out loud.

“-and what is your element, dearie?” The man asked from where he sat at the table. The table that had appeared out of nowhere that also had a little robot that poured us tea. I smiled sheepishly and shook my head.

“I don’t have an element.” I clarified and he ah’ed but Jay frowned immediately.

“Then how did do you do that thing?!” Jay asked and my eyes darted around the table to see everyone’s focus on me yet no one came to my defence. “Surely you need to have an elemental power to do that?” He added and I felt my words start to get stuck in my throat.

“What thing?” Dr Julien asked and I looked at Lloyd nervously who didn’t meet my eyes, I swallowed nervously.

“I- uhm… I glitch.” I said and his eyes widened in intrigue.

“Glitch?!” He exclaimed. “How so? Can you show us?!” The man asked and I felt so out of place, even when surrounded by those who also had abilities- mine just weren’t from the same origin.

“Oh, Uhm… I don’t think there’s such a thing as the elemental power of glitch so I don’t really control it…“ I answered. “It’s just glitching, it doesn’t really do anything big-“ I added but was cut off by Kai laughter.

“Nothing big?! She’s being modest. You should’ve seen her at the museum! She took down the biggest stone warrior by glitching him into the floor without even thinking about it!” Kai exclaimed and the air suddenly felt heavier.

“Not to mention that if she hears her actual name- glitches! It’s w-“ What I assume Cole was about to say was that it was weird but he was cut off by the table itself glitching and all of our cups falling through the table.

“Oh my goodness! Extraordinary!” Dr Julien said and I just stared wide eyed with my hands up and away from the table. “Is it a thought or does it just happens?” He asked and I forced myself to swallow down my growing agitation. It didn’t work very well.

“I just- glitch! Things, myself, other people- excuse me.” I told them and jumped up before rushing away and back down the stairs I had come from.

I didn’t leave but I stopped before the door and stood against the cold wall. Why did it feel all of a sudden hard to breathe? Why did it always feel like I was never meant to talk about this? Why couldn’t I talk about this stupid power without feeling like something is pressing against my lungs and stopping me from breathing? It was ridiculous. What form of denial was this? It’s pathetic, really. Making a whole table glitch because Zane’s father was innocently asking me about my power and then Cole and Kai jumping in I just- maybe I was wrong to come. If I couldn’t handle my own power how I could I handle helping Lloyd with fulfilling his prophecy? Maybe I was just useless. Maybe I shouldn’t be here…

“Peaches?” That was Lloyd’s voice and it sounded so soft, so worried and I didnt dare open my mouth to respond as I knew a sob would probably fall out my mouth or a noise just as pathetic. “Are you down here?” Lloyd asked and I faced away from him as he made his way down the stairs, his footsteps not making a noise. The old staircase was the only thing alerting me of his moments with its creaks under his weight. “What’s wrong?” He asked, and I felt a hand gently cradle my arm as he looked over my shoulder at me. I shook my head.

“I’m just- ugh.” I wiped a rogue tear as soon as it left my water line and closed my eyes to stop my eyes from watering any more.

“I didn’t think anything was bad or- did I miss something?” Lloyd asked and I shook my head.

“No, I’m just- I’m just being ridiculous.” I told him and turned to face him. His face held a disbelieving expression.

“If there’s things you don’t want to talk about just let me know and I’ll make sure no one else will bring it up.” Lloyd told me and I looked up at him.

“No it’s not that and it shouldn’t be like that. I shouldn’t be as weird as I am.” I told him and he, to my surprise, scoffed.

“Y/n.” He said and my eyes shot up to meet his.

“Lloyd.” I replied and he dead panned.

“So it was Cole-“ Lloyd said and I shook my head.

“It was no one!” I told him. “Except me.” I clarified and he didn’t seem to believe me.

“What was it that upset you then?” Lloyd asked and I looked away.

“I’m not upset.” I said and he sent me a stern look.

“Oh really? This, right now, is not you upset? What? You came downstairs just to take a breath?” Lloyd asked and I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t do that.” I told him and he crossed his arms. “And I’m not upset- I’m not!” I repeated as he rolled his eyes. “It’s- hard to explain.” I said and he sent me a look.

“Try me.” Lloyd said and his tone frustrated me to no end.

“Talking about my… glitches, feels wrong and it’s just something that happens. Why focus on it?” I said and he frowned, eyebrows creasing in confusion.

“You talk to me about them.” He said and I closed my eyes in frustration.

“Yes but that’s you. You say my name and I don’t glitch!” I told him and Lloyd nodded but his expression didn’t fall.

“Why does it feel wrong?” He asked and I shook my head, my brain scrambling for any explanation and coming up with none.

“I don’t know! I don’t know anything about this! It’s not an element, I don’t just control it.” I told him and Lloyd looked down before smiling, a small one but still a smile. “What?” I asked and he chuckled.

“You really don’t know.” He said and I looked at him blankly.

“And that’s funny?” I asked and he shook his head before taking my hands.

“Do you think I discovered my powers and just knew how to control them?” Lloyd asked and I faltered. “It took months before I could even create the smallest burst of energy, let alone make the smallest flame.” Lloyd told me and I stared up at him, almost confused.

“But I’m not an elemental.” I told him and he nodded.

“I know, but a power is a power, no matter its origin. You are the vessel of that power for a reason.” Lloyd told me and I frowned.

“I don’t want to be.” I told him and he smiled before kissing my forehead.

“And that’s your problem, sweetheart.” He told me. “You think it’s this separate thing- it’s part of you.” Lloyd said and I sighed.

“So what was all that up there about then?” I asked and Lloyd chuckled.

“I never said there weren’t different rules… it’s just the premise that’s the same.” He told me and I said him an unimpressed look to try and hide my amusement. “If it helps, I didn’t want my powers either.” Lloyd told me, bringing me into a hug that I accepted.

“Your team must think I’m such a drama queen.” I said, tears still falling down my face.

“They’ve all been much worse, believe me! One time, Kai-“ Lloyd started telling me with an amused grin only to be cut off by a sudden yell from none other than Dr Julien.

“Hide! Away from the windows! Now!”

Dr Julien’s voice echoed down the stairs and Lloyd hauled me underneath the stairs and against his chest as we kneeled on the floor. My heart pounded in my chest as I held onto Lloyd tightly. He had his head pointed out the underneath of the stairs and I watched as his eyes hardened as he focused. It took me a moment to realise he was trying to hear or possibly catch sight of whatever we were hiding from. I laid my head gently on his collarbone and he moved a hand up to gently hold my head where it was. It was a small gesture to acknowledge that he was also looking out for me. I closed my eyes and his thumb began to caress the back of my neck, lightly grazing the hair at the back of my neck.

God it was not getting easier to get used to these dangerous things happening at any and all times.

After a moment, Lloyd looked down at me and smiled. I sent him a confused look and he continued to hold my head with an adoring stare. I mouthed a ‘what?!’ to him and he only chuckled silently before dipping his head down and connecting his lips to mine. I let him steal a kiss before he pulled away and I looked up at him with wide eyes.

“We’re safe.” Lloyd told me and I frowned.

“But no one- how do you know?!” I asked, in whisper and he smiled.

“My hearing is… enhanced, per se.” Lloyd said and I deadpanned.

“Per se?” I questioned and he grinned.

“You’re so cute.” He told me and I frowned. I wasn’t really following or even understanding the moment we were apparently having under these stairs.

“I appreciate the compliment but what the hell is going on?!” I questioned and Lloyd smiled.

“Sorry, I just realised how much you actually trust me.” He told me and I raised a brow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I eyes him suspiciously and he chuckled again.

“It means that you continue to amaze me, Peaches.” Lloyd complimented again and I frowned.

“Once again- what the hell is going on?!” I asked and he only forced us to stand before taking my hand and leading me back up the stairs.

The others were slowly emerging from their hiding spots when we made it to the top of the stairs and I caught Wu readjusting his straw hat. I had begun to think it was glued to his head. Nya was helping Jay back to his feet and Kai was stretching, probably from being in an uncomfortable hiding spot. Cole was the last to emerge and I seriously wondered where a guy of his stature would hide? He wasn’t exactly getting into an empty cupboard. Dr Julien was still at the table with Misako holding a comforting hand on his shoulder as he regained his breath. Zane was next to the man too and helping his father to breathe properly.

“What was that thing?!” Jay questioned and I clung to Lloyd’s hand as he stood tall and confidently in front of me.

“Is that why you can’t leave, father?” Zane asked and I felt a pang of sympathy for the man and his nindroid son.

“Yes… but I understand that you need to.” Dr Julien said and my heart ached more for the man. I looked up at Lloyd with a sad look and he met my eyes with his own disheartened one before his face turned serious again. I imagine he was thinking about his own father-son relationship than the old man’s inability to escape this little island. I rubbed his arm comfortingly but Nya only smirked.

“You think you could help us out?” She asked and the man grinned.

“Of course! What do you need?” Dr Julien asked.

“How good at you at repairing thrusters on a ship?” Nya asked and gestured out the window. Dr Julien looked out the window and gasped.

“That ship has thrusters on?!” He asked and a shared amusement was felt in the room at the man’s amazement.

“She’s not the best she’s ever looked but I reckon you could help her out… what do you say, Doc?” Kai asked and Dr Julien grinned widely.

“I say… what are we waiting for?!” The man exclaimed before practically racing towards the stairs. I sent Lloyd an exasperated look.

We shared a brief moment of joint bliss before it was ruined by Kai slapping his hand on Lloyd’s shoulder and leaning over Lloyd’s shoulder and looking between us.

“You guys were gone for a long time… did you have some fun?” He asked and I cringed and Lloyd frowned.

“You thought that was a long time?” Lloyd asked and Kai’s eyes widened. “I feel bad for Pearl.” Lloyd told me and I rolled my eyes. Whilst Lloyd was enjoying his smug moment, I decided to tug on his hand to signal him to follow the old man and to hopefully not have our sex life put on blast any more. Lloyd chuckled before following me out.

“She’s never had any complaints before!” I heard Kai yell and I shook my head at the statement.

“Just let it go, bro. You don’t look good either way here.” Cole told Kai who could be heard sighing.

🪺. *. ⋆

The three days it took to fix the ship again felt like an eternity. Between sleeping on the floor of the lighthouse because sleeping on the Bounty was too risky to becoming a manual labourer to having to continually tie and adjust Nya’s clothes because I had none of my own. I was exhausted. I wasn’t a ninja. I didn’t have any training. I was a student who had to steal in order to be able to afford to eat. I didn’t have time to workout or worry about my health enough to maintain it. So yes, my blue friend with super strength did need to help me with things. And no I was not as strong as Nya despite also being a girl because Nya was a ninja with a lot more muscle than me. I was also annoyed because I felt like the but of the joke for the ninja as I didn’t get their inside jokes or could keep up with them.

“Is there anything else I could help with? I think I’m holding us back a little bit with the wiring right now?” I asked Dr Julien who was sat next to me and he gave me a concerned look before frowning. I noticed Zane share a concerned look with him too.

“I disagree, I think you’re doing a great job! You really picked this up quickly!” Dr Julien told me and I smiled.

“Are you sure? Because I know I’m no good out there with them but- I don’t know. I just feel a little like a burden.” I said and Dr Julien shook his head.

“Nonsense!” He exclaimed and Zane nodded. “Zane? Do you think Peach here is a burden?”

“On the contrary, I think you’ve been increasingly useful.” Zane said and I couldn’t help the thankful smile I gave him. “As ninja we forget that our view of the world is different to the view of others, that means we have lost some of our ‘common’ sense as our viewpoints are no longer common. You have been able to remind us of easier and quicker solutions.” Zane justified and I smiled.

“Thank you and sorry. I guess I just haven’t been feeling like myself over the past few days, maybe Im just feeling a little insecure.” I told them and Zane sent me a reassuring smile.

“A week ago you found out your partner was the green ninja, your home was destroyed, city was invaded, forced to evacuate and you are now helping to repair a flying ship in order to help your partner defeat his evil father in a prophesied final battle. I believe what you are feeling as of now is the feeling of being overwhelmed.” Zane told me and I nodded.

“I think you may be right.” I told them. “Thank you… I’m going to go make tea. Who wants one?” I asked and both men agreed.

It was only luck that on my way out I almost crash into my boyfriend.

“Oh! Careful, Peaches.” He lightly scolded me, hands on my hips to keep me steady. “Don’t need you hurting yourself.” Lloyd told me and I felt my eyes water but I nodded and rushed away from him, ignoring his frown. “Peaches?” He asked but I ignored him.

Lloyd turned back to Dr Julien and Zane who gave him a sympathetic look.

“Is she okay?” Lloyd asked and Dr Julien smiled at him.

“I believe that is what you should go find out.” Dr Julien advised and Lloyd’s eyes widened as he raced off in the direction he saw his girlfriend go.

I felt more stupid than ever. More pathetic than ever. And my headache grew as the tea pot whistled a higher note. I was glad we at least had gas again now. I was tired of having to ask Lloyd to light the stove and Kai making some snarky remark about just using a match. I was tired in general.

“Hey, Peaches.” I heard from the doorway and turned to see Lloyd, I offered him a small smile.

“Hey, Greenie.” I greeted back before going back to putting the right tea bag in each mug. “You want one?” I asked and he shrugged.

“Depends, will you stay and drink it with me? Talk to me a little?” Lloyd asked and I politely smiled.

“I wouldn’t want to be the reason we fall behind schedule.” I told him and he rolled his eyes.

“You wouldn’t be.” He assured before coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. He placed his head against the back of my shoulder and sighed. “C’mon Y/n, I’m staring to miss you.” Lloyd said and I grinned at his dramatics.

“Lloyd.” I dragged as he began to kiss up my neck gently. “I can’t. Kai and Jay already think I drag out my tea breaks so I don’t have to do as much work. What will they say if I drag out this one to kiss my-“ I didn’t even get to finish my sentence as Lloyd’s head shot up from my neck as his grip around my waist loosened enough for me to turn around to look at him. I gave him a confused look and in turn he kept his eyebrows creased in a frown.

“They said what?” Lloyd asked and I shook my head.

“It’s all in jest and I do probably take a while compared to-“ I tried to justify but Lloyd shook his head.

“Compared to what? Cole has already had to yell at the both of them to get back 4 times this morning.” Lloyd said and I smiled. “And I don’t believe you think it’s all in jest.”

“I’m just not used to it all.” I told him and he frowned harder.

“Don’t make excuses for them, Y/n.” Lloyd told me and I felt my eyes begin to water. “If you’re upset then it doesn’t matter what intent they had.” He added and I felt my heart tighten at his caring words.

“It’s not just them- I’m just overwhelmed. I mean, I’ve lost everything.” I confessed and he nodded and as the kettle’s whistling became quieter my voice became more hushed. Like I only wanted him to hear these words because he was the only one I had left to open up to. “My home is gone. My possessions are gone- I don’t even own any clothes anymore! My shoes are ripping and I’m so fucking tired.” I whispered, tears began to slip from my eyes and Lloyd sighed, bringing me into his arms and my head came to hide in his chest. “I don’t even know what’s going to happen after we get home, if we do. I’m so lost.”

Lloyd fell quiet as quiet sobs began to leave my mouth and he only held me tighter when my body began to shake. After a little while when my thoughts continued to darken and remind me of every little inconvenience, Lloyd hoisted me up, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist. He moved us to what I assumed was the corner of the room and sat against the wall. It was kind of ironic, a week ago we were sat in this position except it was me comforting him instead. His head came down to rest against the side of mine and began to whisper sweet nothings in my ear that only managed to make me quieten more tears to fall at his kindness and the genuine affection he was showing me.

“I’m sorry.” I heard Lloyd whisper and I froze. “I’ve been so focused on what’s about to happen to me that I’ve forgotten everything that’s just happened to you.” Lloyd told me and I shook my head.

“No, you don’t need to be sorry, Lloyd.” I told him, wiping my tears and nose with the back of my hand. “You didn’t do any of this to me, none of you did… you invited me into your home and your family. You’ve clothed me. You’re all I have right now. And I’ve never been so thankful.” I told him and he smiled.

“Do you think there’s any world out there where I be there when you most need me?” Lloyd asked and I sniffed.

“We’ve barely even been together a month. How can you promise such a thing?” I asked and Lloyd just stared at me for a moment before smiling again.

“I don’t know, I just know I don’t ever want to be away from you. I physically can’t ever be away from you. I mean- I couldn’t even think about staying away from you. You literally called me your personal stalker, Y/n.” Lloyd told me and I frowned.

“Is that a bad thing? Because I don’t see it as one. Should I?” I asked and Lloyd shrugged.

“I don’t know.” Lloyd admitted and I kissed his cheek.

“Maybe I don’t want to be away from you either.” I told him before resting my head against his shoulder. “I don’t feel safe anymore. I feel like I’m in constant danger and you’re the only thing that can protect me. I feel as if I can’t defend myself and I’m just dragging everyone around me down because I don’t understand anything. I feel like I’m dragging you down because I can’t be away from you and now you can’t be away from me!” I exclaimed, seemingly working us both back up.

“What are we going to do?” Lloyd asked and I shrugged, for the first time he actually sounded afraid.

“I don’t know.” I whispered before repeating it again as he held onto me tighter.

“Maybe we should meditate?” Lloyd questioned and I frowned.

“Meditate? I don’t know how-“ I went to say but Lloyd shook his head.

“Here, it’s easy.” He told me, placing my hand against his chest. “Get comfortable and just- just close your eyes. That’ll make it easier to focus.” Lloyd guided and I readjusted my position on him, until my whole body was lax against him. I closed my eyes and I felt him kiss my head. “Okay, now focus on your breathing and try to even it out.” Lloyd said and I frowned.

“All I can focus on is you.” I confessed and I felt Lloyd nod.

“No that’s good, that’s good.” Lloyd reassured. “Can you hear my heartbeat?” He asked and I chuckled.

“I can’t hear it but I can feel it.” I said and I almost felt Lloyd smile.

“Okay, close enough. Count my heartbeats.” He told me.

“Until when?”

“Until you feel calm.”

Just count… just count.

*thump*……..*thump*……*thump*

One…

Two…

Three…

Is Lloyd getting up? He’s picking me up? He’s carrying my somewhere?

Four…

Im so tired. I don’t want to open my eyes.

Five…

I’m so exhausted… maybe I don’t need to open my eyes.

Six…

Lloyd sighed as he laid the girl down on the bed they had previously shared on the bounty. He would have to move her later when she woke up again but for now, he knew she needed the sleep. He knew she needed him. He knew that this messed up need for dependency was mutual and he wasn’t sure he was happy about it. He always saw Peach as so stable. Well for the month he’d been with her, he thought so. She spoke so maturely, she communicated her thoughts well and she was very emotionally available to him. She hadn’t shunned him yet for all his baggage and fucked up decisions he made along the way. She forgave him for deceiving her and heard him out. So to know she was struggling so much the past week and he had been so focused on himself… it was selfish. He was selfish and narrow-minded. She had just lost everything and still threw all her energy into helping him and he had foolishly thought that she was over everything that just happened? That none of it was still raw for her. It happened less than a week ago for fucks sake! Maybe this fast paced relationship was ruining his own perception of time. Maybe all of this wasn’t meant to be so fast and they had both rushed into this head over heels and thought that simple communication could do more than time to actually build a foundation. Or maybe this was their own fucked up way of building a foundation? And fuck, shouldn’t that bite mark be less prominent as a scar? She never said it hurt her but I was as clear as day still.

What was Lloyd doing? Thinking even?! How could he put the right amount of time into her and their relationship if all he could do at the moment was focus on the final battle? It wasn’t all about him and this prophecy!

Lloyd wiped the tear that dared to fall down his face as soon as it left his waterline and with a sniff, he leant down and kissed Y/n’s hairline. He moved some hair out her face and behind her ear before leaning his head against hers.

“I’m sorry, baby.” He whispered. “I’m sorry. You needed me. And I didn’t realise. I do now and I’m sorry. You’re not just my anchor, I’m yours too. And from now on, I’ll hold up my end of that.” Lloyd promised with a kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to find a way to help you, actually. You’ll feel safe again. I’ll make sure of it.” Lloyd declared, still in a whisper before leaving the room.

The tea was long forgotten in the kitchen and Lloyd boiled the kettle again. He needed a drink, something to sooth the tightening of his throat. And of course, where there was tea brewing. Wu wasn’t too far away. So it was unsurprising to see Wu enter the room, Kai not too far behind him.

“One for me Pea- Lloyd! Sorry, thought it was Peach’s job to make tea. I always find her in here so-“ Lloyd knew Kai’s words had no actual intent behind them but they angered him nonetheless. The aftermath of their conversation and her distress left his feelings of protectiveness and guilt in not defending her sooner to flare up at the actual harmless jest.

“Get out, I need to speak to Sensei.” Lloyd told him and the fire ninja raised his hands in faux surrender.

“Jeez, didn’t mean to catch you at a bad time.” Kai said, leaving the room with a calm expression on his face.

“I assume the harsh demand to your brother has some sort of purpose behind it.” Wu told him and Lloyd sighed. “You seem distracted, dear nephew. Care to tell me what troubles you?”

“Y/- Peach… she’s struggling and I didn’t even notice until she told me earlier.” Lloyd told his uncle who nodded. “She doesn’t feel safe and- and I want her to feel safe- I do! She doesn’t want to ever leave me and I can’t even think about leaving her without…. I just want to make her feel like she’s safe again, like she’s secure. I want her to know I can provide that and that she can depend on me as Lloyd. Not just depend on me protecting her as the green ninja.” Lloyd finished and his uncle nodded, looking a little taken aback.

“That’s a lot of pressure for a relationship that’s only been active for such a short period.” Wu told him and he nodded.

“I know, I’m just looking for advice or to rant- I don’t know. I tried mediating with Peach but it just sent her to sleep… she’s that tired.” Lloyd added and Wu nodded.

“You want her to feel emotionally secure with Lloyd, not just physically safe?” Wu asked and Lloyd nodded.

“I think that’s what I’m saying.” Lloyd agreed and Wu stroked his beard.

“Well, can you think of a time that she fully trusted you before she knew of your gi? A time where she put all her faith into you, to guide her and to keep her safe. An intimate moment, that perhaps she had only shared with you.” Wu asked and Lloyd paused, racking his brain for a moment.

“I just felt vulnerable, I felt safe. I haven’t felt like that since I can remember.”

“Yes.” Lloyd told his uncle who smiled back at him.

“Then you know what you must do to make her feel content again.” Wu told his nephew.

“You make me feel safe, content even. I’ve never had that before.”

Lloyd didn’t know much, but he had an idea. And it involved kicking every one of his teammates and elders off this ship.

🪺. *. ⋆

🔞 mature and sexual themes ahead. Please skip to the next part if you don’t want to read this, none of the storyline will be missed.

When I woke up again, it was dark and I sat up quickly. What was I thinking?! I needed to get back to the lighthouse as quickly as possible! It was too dangerous to be alone on this ship in the dark with that thing out here! I needed to find someone else as quick as possible and tell them we needed to leave- I-

“Easy, baby.” I heard a familiar voice from the foot of the doorway and turned to see Lloyd. I sighed in relief, and swung my legs over the bedside.

“What’s going on? Shouldn’t we be in the lighthouse?” I asked and he chucked before moving over towards me.

“No, everyone else is up there but we’re going to stay here tonight.” Lloyd told me and I frowned.

“Isn’t that too dange-“ I got cut off by Lloyd gently resting a hand against my check and softly grazing his thumb over my skin.

“We’re okay.” He assured, leaning down until he was eye level with me. “You’re okay.” He reassured and I nodded. It felt unusually warm between us. And intimate.

“So we’re all alone? The whole ship just do ourselves?” I asked and Lloyd nodded with a smile. “What are we gonna do?” I asked, teasingly and Lloyd smirked before pressing a small kiss to my lips leaving my cheeks to warm. He took a moment to look over me with such an adoring look in his eyes it made me smile.

“You’re so beautiful, Peaches.” He told me and I giggled.

“Seriously, Lloyd.” I said, my unfaltering grin not helping to showcase my said seriousness. “What are we doing?” I asked and he put his other hand on my other cheek so he was holding my face. He let a thumb drift down and light pull my bottom lip down.

Oh.

Now I got what we were going to do.

“First I’m going to show you how much you fucking mean to me, Y/n.” Lloyd declared with such a fire in his eyes. “Then I’m going to take control- just how you like.” Lloyd fold me and I felt myself begin to heat up immediately.

“Really?” I asked and Lloyd nodded.

“If that’s what you want?” He asked and I nodded.

“Yes. I want that. I want you.” I told him and he smirked. “But, are you okay with that?” I asked and he gave me a weird look. “I know you feel like you’re going to hurt me whenever we do this and I- I don’t want you to-“ he cut me off by lightly shushing me.

“Don’t worry about me, baby.” He told me, his voice lowering to a whisper. “This is all about you… I’m going to make you feel safe again.” Lloyd told me and I smiled.

“You don’t have to do this.” I told him and he smiled.

“Of course I do. I want to.” He said and I felt my heart warm.

“And it’s just us?” I questioned and he nodded. “Come here then.” I told him and I tried to pull his face towards me but he backed off. I frowned but he only winked. I watched as Lloyd stood with a confused expression but he only smirked.

“You’re going to take my gi off first.” He told me and my eyebrows raised in surprise.

His gi was an intricate piece of fabric. It had so many buckles and belts and things that overlapped that the new given task actually seemed a little daunting. Even so I rose from the bed and slowly made my way over, I looked up at him when I got close enough and he grinned once again.

“I’ll give you a hint.” Lloyd said taking my hand and putting on the main belt of his gi. “You start here.” He told me and I smiled.

The belt came off easily. The other buckles needed loosening and altogether it came off a lot easier than it looked. I was thankful for that at least. Lloyd kicked the gi off to the side and ripped his undershirt off quickly before leaning down to kiss and suck on my neck, particularly around the bite that was still awfully sensitive at times.

“Try not to leave too many marks.” I told him. “I don’t want your team to have more to say than they already-“ My sentence was cut off by my own gasp as I was hoisted up, forcing my legs to wrap around his waist.

“Let them talk.” Lloyd told me. “We’re different to them. We don’t just fuck for pleasure. It’s so much more.” Lloyd told me and I nodded before letting him connect our lips together in a way that really showed the passion we held for each other.

“I need you, Lloyd.” I confessed. “I actually need you. Not just to get me off but as a whole. You’re right, what we feel for each other is not just want. It’s a need.” I told him and that seemed to ignite something inside him as he suddenly dropped me on the bed.

“Strip.” He told me. “All the way. I want to be able to love every part of you.” Lloyd told me and if he wasn’t so distracted getting his own boxers off he would’ve seen the way I paused at that word.

Love?

My thoughts were cut short by my own trousers getting pulled off with such a force it made my whole body get dragged down the bed and I surprised laugh to leave my mouth.

“Not quick enough, Peaches.” Lloyd told me and I laughed.

“Okay, okay!” I laughed before unclipping my bra and throwing it at him as he laughed and caught it. “You hurry up! I’m getting cold!” I told him and he raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve still got something on.” He told me, referring to my underwear.

“I thought you would want to take those off.” I told him and he chuckled.

Lloyd’s infatuation with eating me out wasn’t an unwelcome kink but he sure was getting better at it each time. It seemed each time he got me to cum quicker and quicker and he wasn’t afraid to lick, smell, taste all of it. I’m sure there was more salvia over my bare clit than anything I naturally released. I was sure he had some sort of oral fixation, not that I minded. I’m sure I did too with how I begged to suck him off not even moments later.

“I’m going to give you a choice. You can only pick one.” Lloyd told me and I frowned up at him from my place in between his legs, I let my face rest on his thigh as he stroked my hair. I looked up to meet his eyes and he smiled down at me. I hummed in acknowledgement and he continued. “You can either suck me off and stay there or you can come back up here and once we’re done, you can keep me in.”

Lloyd was letting me cockwarm him either with my mouth or my legs.

“Can’t I do both?” I asked and he chuckled.

“No, baby.” He told me and I closed my eyes for a moment.

“Will you bite me again?” I asked and he frowned.

“Did you like it?” He asked and I nodded. “I won’t bite you how I did before but I can still bite if you want.” Lloyd said and I went back to thinking. My mind went all jumbled whenever I was in this position.

“What do you want?” I asked and he shook his head.

“It’s your decision.” He told me and I stared at the cock right by my face. It was going in me either way, it was just which entrance did I want it in.

I licked a stripe up the base quickly and he groaned before I started kissing and sucking all the way up. It wasn’t until I felt my own teeth lightly graze his skin did I feel Lloyd’s hand grip my hair tightly and I wasn’t ashamed to admit the moan I let out.

“Teeth, Y/n.” He told me. “I won’t warn you again, baby.” Lloyd told me and I nodded and he loosened his grip slightly to let me move more.

I didn’t take him in my mouth though, I just watched as he became harder and harder until I backed up. He gave me a stern look when I did so which made me heat up more than before.

I didn’t even utter a word as I clambered up on his lap, his eyes followed mine the whole time. I lifted my hips a little higher and he seemed to get the memo. He pushed two fingers in at once and I hissed a little before he shushed me quietly and began to work on loosening me up once again as he had done so with his tongue not long before. When I felt my knees slowly staring to give out, that when I felt his fingers be removed and instead his tip was pushing into me, slowly and it felt so much more intimate than usual. I love this. I love-

I love….

Love.

“Lloyd.” I breathed out as he lifted us up and placed me down on my back. I couldn’t believe it. Love. That’s such a strong word. Love.

When was the last time I had said I loved someone?! Or someone had told me it?! And- and I hadn’t even known Lloyd for two months. How could I love someone this soon? How did I give myself to someone I had only been dating for two weeks? How could I rush so easily to get on a flying ship and embark on a mission to fulfil a prophecy for someone I had known less than 2 months and- and…

Lloyd leaned down to press his lips to my forehead and my thoughts seemed to stop. Whatever whirlwind my mind was currently stuck in seemed to dissipate. Lloyd wasn’t just anyone. We weren’t normal teenagers adjusting to our first real relationship. Lloyd was right. We are different.

Lloyd was the Green Ninja. Fate had carved his path long before he was born.

I wasn’t normal either. Fate wouldn’t dare disclose my path to me but I knew it wouldn’t let me live a normal life.

With a new surge of passion I pushed myself up and crashed my lips against him in a messy kiss. Lloyd pushed me back down and continued the kiss whilst still thrusting his hips into mine wildly.

“I need you. I need you so badly.” Maybe need was just a replacement for the other word I really wanted to say. Maybe.

And with both of us spent and the oh so familiar warmth locked deep inside me by Lloyd’s unmoving figure. I felt safe. I felt secure and I felt as if I had everything even in the time when I had lost everyone. Because I had him. So I played with Lloyd’s blonde loose curls until I heard little snores against my bare chest.

This was where I was supposed to be. And where I would stay.

[balanceoflightanddark]

Monsters We Create Chapter 20 Update

Apologies for the delay. Again. I...broke my foot and it took me a while to get myself together. That and I'm going on vacation to Alaska next weekend so...yeah.

But I do have Chapter 20, which is roughly about 50% done. Maybe. So to hold everyone in the meantime, here's a little snippet of the chapter as a sort of appetizer. Forgive me if it's a little rough.

They walked a good distance away from the war tent. Yet not once did Kori let her guard down. Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee. Three names she had a lot of good reason to be wary of. One was the Fire Lord, obviously. It wasn’t too long ago when he nearly got Yu Dao destroyed out of his own stupidity. The other two? She could understand Azula being difficult, yet to turn their backs so suddenly and completely was beyond her.

When they came to an abandoned training ground, Zuko turned around. “Alright. We’re here.”

“If you think you can get me to stab a knife in Azula’s back-”

“Listen! I’m not here to talk about Azula. At all. I meant it when I said she’s going around unbound. It’s just…well, you know how she is! I can’t trust her with all these rogue armies running around. Somebody’s got to keep tabs on her,” Zuko explained.

“Besides, we’ve got Mai here if Azula needs some knives thrown at - OW!” Ty Lee rubbed her arm after Mai gave her a swift and rather hard elbow.

Zuko simply sighed from their little spat. “The point is, if you can keep Azula in check, that’s great. I only have the guards there so it can keep those generals off my back. And hers. They wanted her thrown back into that asylum.”

“You could’ve just told her that, but whatever,” Kori muttered. It amazed her. He says that he wants to do good, but then has some secret or leaves some lasting remark that invalidates it. No wonder he and Azula were so dysfunctional. Seemed like the only way they could even interact was through backstabbing, betrayals, and fighting. If this was what they were like when they were allies, she didn’t want to see how they were when the pleasantries failed and fire was being thrown.

Agni help her no fire was thrown today yet. She certainly didn’t see it in the Fire Lord’s eyes right now. They were…well, dull. His shoulders were a bit slumped. It was as if he aged a few years in the span of a few days.

“Can we forget Azula for a few minutes? It’s not why I called you out here.” Zuko swallowed as he collected himself. “I know you’re part of that movement the assassination attempt came from. Your father talked quite a bit about what you’ve been up to.”

“I assure you, our movement was to protest and prevent innocents from being harassed by Fire Nation guards! None of us had any intention of murdering anybody!” Kori still couldn’t believe it. Who’d be stupid enough to make an attempt on the Fire Lord’s life? She wasn’t a fan of his either, but nothing he did indicated he was personally overseeing what was going on in Yu Dao. A bit ignorant and heavy handed, but not responsible. It’s one thing if he stepped in personally and started threatening people.

Yet an attempt at his life without any solid reason for? That was inviting for the army to come in and stomp on their movement. Who knew how many civilians would be caught in such an escalation?

“I know. It’s why I want you to look into it.”

Kori, out of surprise or bafflement, let Zuko continue. “I get it. The Fire Nation hasn’t done Yu Dao much good. I’d even wager you and your people have done more for the benefit of this city in a few months than my country has for over a hundred years.” His eyes went downward for a moment, as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

Yet it only lasted for a moment before he took another breath. “Figure out what’s going on and who sent that kill order. I’ll do things on my end with the assassin. Maybe together we can bring whoever did this to justice.”

The rebel wasn’t sure what to say. It sounded too good to be true. Indeed, after running his proposal through her head, she saw the problem. “I appreciate the offer, Fire Lord. But as long as that captain and his thugs roam the streets, there’s only going to be more violence. Whoever’s doing this wouldn’t be able to get away with it if the guards didn’t build this pyre of theirs.”

“They will be brought to justice,” Zuko responded. “I’m going to try and override this curfew and get a tighter leash on the officers. If you can work on your end and help me bring this mastermind down, that’ll give them less incentive to crack down on your people.”

When he ended, he once again remained silent and waited for her response. Mai and Ty Lee stood on the sidelines watching the whole thing, giving Kori more eyes that were on her. Truth be told, she still couldn’t trust him. Who could? Everyone said he had the hallmarks of his father right down to how he ascended to the throne. And who could say they bring peace when they wear a crown drenched in blood.

Yet he didn’t wear the crown now. No grandeur. Nothing. He was baring his true intentions out to her. If nothing else, she could trust that. “Alright. All I can say is there might be some Fiery Raptors within their ranks.”

Ty Lee snorted. “Of course, Azula would pull something like that.”

“It’s not what you think,” Kori interrupted, making sure they all had her attention. “I wanted some people to back us up in the protests in case things got violent. She offered to have some of her men to back us up and I said yes.”

“Can’t say I blame you there. You go up against soldiers, you’re going to need some muscle.”

“Who’s side are you on?!” Ty Lee yelled at Mai, her frustration with her reaching a boiling point.

The emotionless girl just gave a noncommittal shrug. “I’m just saying it as it is. From what I’ve heard, the Mayor hasn’t exactly done a good job of keeping the peace on his end. Can’t blame Azula for taking advantage of something that was already there. We certainly did.” Ty Lee promptly shut up from Mai’s assessment, looking a bit downcast herself.

Kori also had a harsh truth slapped in her face. Her father. Mayor Morishita, the one most responsible for Yu Dao’s woes. He’s the one who ultimately had control of the garrison and determined who was in charge. If it weren’t for him, that captain and his goons probably wouldn’t be able to run rampant and bully the citizens into submission.

Still, it was a hard truth to swallow. Needless to say, his actions were part of the reason her mother left a long time ago. True, she made her peace with it when she saw what her father’s cronies were willing to do. Yet it still hurt too much to ignore.

Something that Zuko noticed. “You know your father’s going to have to go on trial for what he’s done. Right?”

Forcing down her queasiness, Kori crossed her arms and tried not to look like she was hugging herself. “I understand.”

“Good.” Then, the Fire Lord did something rather unexpected. He walked up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. It was…surprisingly warm. Kori wasn’t sure what to make of it before she saw the scar on his face. Seemed as though she wasn’t the only one who had issues with her parents.

A similar story was told with Mai and Ty Lee, who gazed at her with soft eyes. Kori wondered: what was it about the Fire Nation that equaled parental issues? She had her father. The girls had their parents. Agni help Azula and Zuko for getting stuck with Ozai as a father.

Azula.

“Before I agree to this, there’s something you need to promise me,” Kori declared.

Zuko looked a bit surprised but then gave an uneasy nod. Having got his attention, the rebel dropped the ultimatum. “Give Azula a chance. Stop treating her like she’s the worst thing in the world. And stop treating her like a bomb about to go off.”

“...you know I can’t do that,” he admitted with pain in his voice.

Yet Kori stood her ground. “Nobody’s asking you to forget. I’m simply stating that if you want this thing to work out, you need to uphold your end. That means no threats. No harassments. No lies. And no dangling her over a cliff. Got it?”

He shuddered when she threw out that last demand, but that didn’t soften her glare. Especially when she saw Mai and Ty Lee paralyzed in shock. Oh yeah. Azula told her about his little stunt that almost got him killed. She didn’t care if it was a low blow or not. If it meant he wouldn’t pull the same garbage twice, then so much is the better.

As for Zuko, he didn’t say anything for white seemed like an eternity. Then he gave a defeated nod and said, “Alright. As long as she isn’t a problem.”

Satisfied, Kori turned to rejoin her friends. Since that’s what friends do after all. Though not before she said one last thing. “I do mean it. You try anything without any incentive…just remember what happened with Godzilla. It won’t end well.”

And so she left, leaving the trio behind. Truth be told, she didn’t enjoy having to lay out the cold truth. Yet Zuko struck her as somebody who needed to be slapped in the face and have a rock hammering into his skull in order to get the point across. Agni knows how many of those blockheads she had to put up with growing up.

Mentally she kicked herself for having to go from one blockhead to ANOTHER blockhead. If there was one thing Azula and her brother had in common, it was digging in and covering their ears when they didn’t want whatever ideas they had in their head to be challenged. Sort of made things a bit depressing that it took a kaiju of all things to get them to cooperate.

Let’s just hope they haven’t killed each other by the end of this, Kori prayed.

[partnersincrimesuau]

PARTNERS IN CRIME - Stevinel SU Fan Comic Chapter 2: Rogues Like Me Page No. 45

Ch.1 Start Ch.2 Start Previous Next

(Genuinely one of my favourite pages… my photography and creative arts classes paid off and I feel like I nailed the leading lines in this page XD)

Condor leads Spinel into the Workshop, where Spinel gets her first real look around the place. Still very wary, she puts her hand over her gem… where it will stay for a few pages. Condor may be on her side, and currently very relaxed, but Spinel cannot be too careful.

Condor gives us a little bit of exposition about the Workshop; it’s existed for quite a while indeed! Era 2, of course, began when Pink was shattered, which means that the Crystal Gem uprising began sometime before that. Somewhere around that time, Condor and some other gems began to start their own secret Crystal Gem operation in Pink Diamond’s court, building up the workshop and everything in it. While a lot of weapons were shown on the previous page, this one shows a few more… including a line of very familiar weapons that Spinel has her eyes on.

And we get the first namedrop for our new main character!!! Yes, 83 is the name of the bismuth ^^ (Once more there will be more exposition for her on the next page hehe)

I have a bit of a headcanon that Bismuths nickname everyone they meet (Bismuth in the show calls Amethyst ‘Deep Cut’, Steven ‘Meatball’, Peridot ‘Tiny’, etc), so our new PIC Bismuth, 83, will be the coiner of Spinel’s nickname at the end of Chapter 3!!!

(Definitely one of my favourite drawings of Condor I’ve done so far… also look how short Spinel is standing next to her XD)

(Oh by the way!!! I was supposed to upload this last night but I was too tired... because it was my birthday!!! Thanks to everyone on the discord server for the birthday wishes ^^☆ﾟ･:*:･｡★)

Info and FAQ about PIC here. Join the official PIC discord server!

(Made in FireAlpaca) Steven Universe is owned by Rebecca Sugar

[nayci]

Tagged by the lovely @keldae. (I didn't forget about this I swear…)

Thing of note, I am an unashamed Canon x OC/Reader fan soooo take that for what you will. lol

3 Ships

Joshua Rosfield/Suraya Murdoch (Final Fantasy 16) These two have lived rent-free in my head and my soul since Final Fantasy 16 game out. Still waiting for it to come to PC so I can actually play it but I digress. Hasn't stopped my brain from coming up with something. Somehow their story ended up being childhood friends to lovers to boot. Normally I go for an older man, younger woman vibe. But for these two? It's reversed and it's wild and I adore it. Joshua being the inheritor of the Rosarian Duchy and Suraya being the adopted daughter of Rodney and Hanna Murdoch. So, the two of them inadvertently got pushed together during the early years since her father wanted her to get the most out of her upbringing, self-defense being a top priority along with her studies. Suraya was and still is incredibly protective of Joshua's happiness and hated his mother with a burning passion for how she treated all of them, even to her own detriment. That said, Joshua formed feelings first when they were children, but never had a chance to speak of them before the fall of Phoenix Gate. So it was years before anything could happen. Suraya on the other hand, never had a chance to even think about it until they were reunited, and she had to come to terms with the fact that her ten-year-old friend was no longer a boy, but was actually a young man determined to bring her the happiness and joy she gave him, should she wish it.

Vergil/Alya (Devil May Cry) These two shitheads have also been living rent-free in my head since 2019 and have given me at least five different massive fanfic reworks since then. And it continues to morph and change so I just keep flipping my desk over at this point. Anyway, for these two it was never an overt thing. They pretty much fell together without ever explicitly talking about it as neither was looking for a relationship. Behind the scenes Dante was over Vergil's bullshit, Trish and Lady were over Alya's bullshit, and Nero was like: fuck that I'm not getting involved, and watched from the sidelines with Nico who had a betting pool that everyone was in on much to the pair's annoyance after the fact. Either way, Alya wanted answers after her father was murdered and Devil May Cry is who ended up coming to her aid. To that end, it opens up a massive can of demons and angels. But those angels aren't your traditional light and loving kind. Having the upbringing Vergil had, or lack thereof after his mother's death, he was always wary about opening up again, and in many ways still is, but Alya takes it in stride. And for that, Vergil is silently grateful. In turn, he is her protector and rock, and a good listening ear. What he can't say in verbal words, he will say in written poetry. This is more of my status quo, older man, younger woman vibe, but with the added bonus of magic, demons, and a slow-burn romance.

Graha Tia/Khulan Noykin (Final Fantasy 14) Listen, when I got into Final Fantasy 14 back during ARR, me and my Warrior of Light didn't think too much of the Allagan cat boy. He was a friend, nothing more to her at the time, and while she did mourn for him when he locked himself in the Crystal Tower, she also understood. Plus, she was dealing with her own feelings for a certain rogue bard soon-to-be gunbreaker. It wasn't until Shadowbringers that Graha Tia came in dropkicking Khulan in the face, and Thancred being a complete ass didn't help. Khulan during this time saw much of herself in Graha Tia's willingness to die for a cause and hated it. Not him of course, but seeing a mirror of some of your faults is never a fun thing. As their friendship developed after defeating Emet Selch, it eventually became a dance around the subject of feelings. Graha never feeling like he was good enough for her and Khulan feeling the exact same way but of herself towards him. Everyone else saw it as it was blatantly obvious, but the events of Endwalker came before anything could become of it. Khulan ends up in a dark place during this time, almost robotic like her ARR self, but a lot more deadly than her early days of being just an arcanist. It's when she begins losing her friends that the walls around her heart begin to break, and Graha's sacrifice was the breaking point. When all of it was over and they were back home, the two of them start to explore something more as Khulan recovered from her fight with Zenos. Now, going into the events of Dawntrail, me nor Khulan know where this is going to go. But hey! it's a new adventure!

First Ship

We're going back to when I was but a small eight/nine year old child and loved Ash and Misty as a pairing. During this time I didn't know what fandom was or that people wrote fanfic and created art. So it was mostly me creating terrible drawings. Did I self insert into pokemon as well? Of course I did! lol

Last Song

"The Phoenix" from Fall Out Boy. I just discovered it after find a GMV for Final Fantasy 16. It was so good I had to find it in my Apple Music and is now on repeat. I regret nothing regarding my hyperfixation.

Currently Reading

"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas. Yes I'm late to the game, but hey! I made it! Am I only on chapter 3? Also yes, but hey, I'll get throgh it eventually.

Last Film

I think it was Mission Impossible 3? It was on at work so it was just background noise.

Currently Craving

A vacation. A true, real, good vacation. Tagging anyone who wants to do it

[hirazuki]

For Now [Chapter 23 snippet]

Sasori/Haruno Sakura, Sasori & Haruno Sakura | T | Blank Period | canon divergent | angst, hurt/comfort, enemies to friends | ongoing [AO3]

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Long-standing Konoha Eleven tradition has it that, upon the successful completion of a mission, whoever is available goes out to celebrate. 

There are no longer the eleven of them, and it’s rare for more than one or two to be assigned to the same mission anymore, and this was actually not even a proper mission to begin with. But, Sakura dutifully reports to Kakashi-sensei about running into the rogue shinobi group and hands over the body scroll; he does not ask what she was doing in the Land of Rivers, and she does not offer that information. Kakashi-sensei calls in Shikamaru, who is with Chōji, to take the scroll to T&I, and Chōji later meets up with Naruto and Kiba. Ino, who is working at T&I that day and receives the scroll and contacts ANBU for backup, who sends Sai, has lunch plans with Tenten and Hinata, who are then joining Lee-san for some training. 

It is unsurprising, then, that dinnertime finds her at a bar with all of them instead of the quiet meal she had been planning at home, and that Shino is there too, despite everyone having forgotten to tell him about it. For all that things change, some never do. 

She supposes, at this point, that it’s also unsurprising that Sasori joins as well. He eats a full meal, plus seconds, and though he complains a good deal of the time, none of it is about the food.

Sakura burns off most of the alcohol with her medical jutsu, as she usually does, leaving only the slightest buzz. She debates about doing the same for Sasori, as they enter her apartment, but he’s so relaxed and languid where normally he’s taut, almost entirely losing his wariness for once, that she decides against it, thinking that this is actually good for him.

It’s not until they’re going to bed and he falls back on the mattress and pulls her down over him using his chakra threads and holds her close, wrapping all his limbs around her, cocooning her, that she reconsiders. 

She tenses as she feels him nuzzling her hair, breathing her in. 

Sasori rarely initiates physical contact; he tolerates it even less. 

She should remove herself. 

It doesn’t matter that he’s so much older than her – he was a child in wartime, and then a puppet for most of his life; he likely has very little experience, if any at all, with drinking. She should have stopped Naruto from goading him into a contest – Sasori clearly doesn’t even enjoy alcohol, but there’s that damn competitive streak of his – and she should have cleared away the fog for him when they left the bar.

And now she should get up.  

He’s going to be so upset in the morning, she tells herself, willing her body to move away from him.

As she tries to push off, he holds onto her even more firmly and half-whines into her ear.

Sakura has never thought of Sasori as a physical person; honestly, despite their healing sessions, it’s been difficult not to automatically think of him in terms of puppetry anymore. It’s why it never really struck her as inappropriate or awkward that he’s been sharing her living space, the way it might with any other guy – she doesn’t hide her bedhead or shy away from changing clothes in his presence or think twice about going into the bathroom while he’s behind the shower curtain, like she normally would; if he minds, he has not said, and she’s certain he would say something about it. She still gives him his privacy, of course, but she’s realized that she’s comfortable with him in ways that are unexpected and unavailable to everyone else – and it strikes her now, for the first time, how much he might be craving physical comfort, and hiding it; he is, after all, perhaps the loneliest person she knows.

She sighs and gives in, relaxing all of her muscles and dropping her full weight on him, and smiles against his chest at the contented sound that he makes in response.

Well, she thinks sleepily, it’ll hardly be the first time he’s upset with me.

[ternfic]

The Atlantis Expedition

Chapter Eight: High C’s

Sirius was admittedly impressed with the level of automation on the Sea Cow; there was really very little for Metalbeard’s new “crew” to do to help. He wondered, briefly, why the pirate captain hadn’t hired a new crew after his ill-fated attack on Octan Tower. Because he was too loyal to his old crew to replace them like that, he realized. Or felt too guilty for leading them to their doom. Or both. Which was kind of heartbreaking to think about, when he’d overheard some of Metalbeard’s old crew cursing him for getting them all caught, never mind that their fearless leader nearly lost his life, let alone his freedom.

He paused in his admiration of the pirate’s ingenuity when he caught sight of Bad Cop speaking with Benny, Emmet and Lucy. “Bad Cop-!”

“Let’s get one thing straight,” Bad Cop cut him off, and loomed. Even the others looked wary at his sudden change in stance. “The only reason I am even remotely okay with being in such a confined space with you is because you promised to make yourself useful. So unless it has to do with the mission on hand, I don’t want you to speak to me, I don’t even want you anywhere near me. Got that?”

In their past life, Sirius would have never tolerated such blatant disrespect, and even now he wanted to demand an apology for such rudeness. But the warning looks Benny and Lucy were giving him had him swallowing down his words hard and giving a single nod before abruptly turning and marching away. “Wow, Bad Cop, that was harsh,” he overheard Emmet admonish.

“Do I look like I care, Brickowski?”

“Apparently not,” the construction worker muttered sourly before trotting after the former President. “Look, Sirius, I’m sorry-”

“You don’t have to apologize on his behalf, Emmet,” he sighed. “It’s like you and Benny said; I screwed up and people have a right to be angry with me. Him especially.”

“But I know you’re trying…”

“And the only thing I can do is keep trying and hope it convinces him I really am sincere. Look Emmet, I appreciate that you’re trying to help, I really do, but this is one thing you can’t fix. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some studying to do.” Emmet sighed, shoulders slumping as he watched Business retreat to the captain’s cabin.

The next four days passed rather uneventfully, and Business continued to make himself scarce (how he managed to keep it up for so long was baffling, he wasn’t exactly the type that enjoyed solitude). It was shortly before lunch time on the fourth day that they heard it- a rumble of engines, the thunder of propellers. Metalbeard adopted a sour look, much like the one he’d worn in the conference room, and Benny was quick to take note. “It’s them, isn’t it?”

“It’s them,” the captain grumbled back. Then there was the sound of another engine starting, and everyone’s attention turned to see Bad Cop’s car transforming and lifting off the deck.

“Oh no!” Benny yelped, scrambling after him.

“Where is he going?!” Lucy demanded, sprinting alongside the astronaut.

“The idiot’s gonna try to take them on himself!” He leapt into the cockpit of his ship, starting the engine. Lucy climbed in on the other side, strapping herself in. Benny barely spared her a glance, simply accepting she was coming along.

“Benny, wait for us-!” Unikitty cried, but to no avail. Benny was already taking off after his friend.

Business wandered out from his self-imposed exile to see what all the noise was about. “Well,” he stated, and Unikitty turned wide eyes to him. “They won’t know what hit them.” She let out a hysterical giggle and stared at the ship floating above the horizon.

Flea kept the Sky Rogue on course, only halfway paying attention to his captain pacing the deck behind him. He chuckled softly to himself as she rambled; she was excited. The fact that they were so close- he could even see the island now!- only further brightened her mood. “Why don’t you give it a rest, Ames, you’re about to wear a hole right through the deck.”

“Are you seriously telling me to chill? Now, when we’re so close?”

“Uh, yeah. Save your energy, Cap’, you might need it.”

“Captain!” the lookout shouted, and Airheart turned her attention up to him.

“Yes, Roberts?”

“Sails to the stern, Captain! It looks like the Sea Cow!”

Airheart frowned at that. “That can’t be right,” she muttered, taking out her spyglass. “There’s no way he could have figured out Caesar’s nonsense before we got hold of those notes.” She joined Roberts to take a look for herself, just in time to see something black lift off the Sea Cow’s deck and head in their direction. That didn’t make any sense- nothing aboard Metalbeard’s ship hinted at the sea captain having anything high tech. Certainly nothing that should be flying. Flea came up behind her, looking utterly baffled. “Is that- is that a flying car??”

Before she knew it, the flying car had come to a screeching halt on the deck of her ship, a tall figure launching himself out, rolling office chair in hand. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!” Flea complained as he ran off to join the fight. Airheart could only stare stunned as the strange man made a beeline for her, taking out every crewman between them with that chair. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it-

A small spaceship landed moments later, and out leapt a young woman in black, who immediately joined the fighting, and a strange short man in blue, who was cackling excitedly and screaming “airship!!” He zipped through the chaos, feet never seeming to touch the deck, and he disappeared surprisingly quickly for wearing such bright colors. Flea took a chair leg to the head and went down with a crash, and Airheart finally shook herself from her stupor, drawing her pistol and aiming it at the man before her.

Though she couldn’t see his eyes behind his reflective sunglasses, she could still make out a look of intent, and he didn’t even hesitate at having a gun trained at his face, drawing his own only a split second later. The two of them stared each other down as the young woman in black continued to wipe out the remaining members of Airheart’s crew.

“You’re right between me and what I want,” the man growled, and she went cold. She knew that voice from somewhere, where did she know it-?! “MOVE.”

Man Upstairs, it was Bad Cop, she finally realized. “You know, for being a man of the law, you make a darn good pirate,” Airheart remarked, not moving a muscle and hoping her terror didn’t show.

“Lady-” he started to snarl, but then the ship gave a lurch and started to lose altitude. Smirking, he took advantage of her moment of shock, and shot her. She dropped like a sack of rocks, losing all feeling in her limbs, watching as he stalked right past her into the captain’s cabin. It took only a matter of seconds to find the crumpled papers that held the precious clues he needed and pocket them.

“Are you quite done showing off?” Lucy called out in irritation as she climbed back into the spaceship, and he nodded back to her. He was soon rejoined on the deck by a far too gleeful Benny.

“You look quite pleased with yourself.”

“So do you.” Benny grinned, and raced for his spaceship. Bad Cop chuckled and followed him, the trio returning to the Sea Cow together. Behind them, the Sky Rogue hit the water with a great splash.

Airheart laid there immobile for a few minutes, before her limbs finally stopped feeling like jello. She pushed herself upright, and glowered after the Sea Cow, vowing vengeance. “If that’s how you want to play, Metalbeard…” But first, she needed to make some repairs.

Airheart stumbled her way toward her crew, checking on them first. Some of them took some pretty serious blows, but no one seemed they would be suffering permanent damage; in fact, a few were returning to the land of the conscious already. She sighed when she came upon her first mate; the rusty, four-armed bot was twitching and sparking. “Lovely,” she muttered, hooking her arms under his and dragging him down to her workshop to make repairs. It didn’t take long to get him back in working order. “Flea, you dead?”

“Yeah… Ow…” the robot complained, blinking at her as his optics refocused. “That guy has quite a swing!”

“Tell me about it. His buddy did a real number on the engines too, think you’re up for helping me get everything put back together?” In answer, he grabbed up her toolbox.

Airheart made her way below deck and took in the damage the strange man had caused. Well, she certainly wouldn’t be underestimating him again, that was for sure- it would be a while before she had the engines fixed, even with help. As she took notes on the damage before beginning repairs, she idly wondered what other surprises the cyborg captain had in store for her.

“That didn’t take long,” Metalbeard remarked upon their return.

Lucy shrugged. “Well, between me and Bad Cop kicking butt and Benny wrecking their engines, they really didn’t stand much of a chance.”

“Told you,” Business told Unikitty, looking smug.

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Metalbeard, it was amazing!” Benny babbled. “It’s remarkable how they designed their engines to combat gravity without needing to maintain velocity!”

“Yer not thinkin’ of experimentin’ on me ship now, are ye?” the captain asked warily. Benny waved off his concern.

“Nah, she’s your ship, if you don’t want me to I won’t.”

“So did you get the notes?” Unikitty asked.

“Of course we did,” Bad Cop answered, retrieving the papers from his pocket.

“Hurray!” Unikitty cheered.

“Let’s have a look!” Business added eagerly. They convened in the cabin, where Emmet had just finished setting up lunch. “Oh good, can’t think on an empty stomach.”

“Looks good as always, babe,” Lucy complimented, and pecked Emmet’s cheek.

“You got the notes back?” he asked.

“Right here.” Bad Cop spread them out on the table as everyone sat down. The notes were studied and passed around in silence as they ate.

“Almost looks like some sort of plumbing diagram,” Emmet remarked after they made the rounds.

“Aye, there were a lot of pipes there.” Emmet gestured for the papers to be passed back to him, and spread them out on the table.

“It looks like he gave us the solution to part of it already,” he remarked, arranging the three sheets so the sketches on them lined up. “I’m just guessing, but it looks like we’ll have to find the ‘source’, get it running, and then direct the power to some point in the temple.”

“I recognize some of these symbols too,” Unikitty said. “Those are some of the oldest symbols in arcane theory, so whatever this source is, it must power something of magical nature.” Her eyes went wide, and she bounced in excitement. “Guys!! Do you have any idea what this might mean?! There’s only one ancient culture that excelled in both technology and magic! This might very well lead us to Atlantis!”

“Them sky pirates seemed pretty convinced of it,” Metalbeard confirmed. “I didn’t want to put any stock in that belief til I had a second opinion.”

“Well it is my expert opinion that that’s exactly what this is!”

“You’re really, absolutely sure?” Business asked, starting to get just as excited as the princess. When she gave a wide grin and a nod, he nearly leapt out of his seat, unable to contain himself. “As long as I’ve been hunting down relics, I never thought I’d actually get to be part of an expedition that would discover the greatest lost civilization ever!”

“Let’s just not forget what our actual goal is,” Bad Cop reminded him, and he hunched, shoulders almost to his ears.

“Right.” Business abruptly stood, excusing himself and leaving the cabin. Emmet resisted the urge to heave a sigh and drag his hands over his face in frustration.

“I still think you’re being unreasonably harsh.”

“And I still don’t care.”

“We all got over what you did to us!”

Bad Cop glowered at him. “Hunting down Master Builders was just our job, Emmet. What Business did to us was personal.”

Emmet frowned back at him. “I dunno, you trying to kill me felt pretty personal too.” Lucy pressed a hand to her mouth, holding back a snort. Bad Cop snarled and stormed out of the cabin, and Unikitty started giggling.

“Oh snap, Emmet grew a backbone!”

Lucy felt him trembling next to her, and kissed his cheek. “He’s just sore cause you made a point he couldn’t argue with, babe, he’ll get over it.” As the others snickered, Benny remained silent, staring thoughtfully at the door.

Emmet did have an excellent point.

[solacesolarium]

Can you do Max griffin x female reader please?🖤💓

You Should've Known Better

Paring: Max Griffin x reader

Warnings: not proof read, a little bit of angst, mentions of death, mentions of murder

Summary: After Max Griffin's alliance with the Elf King and rampage on Cielis, Y/n, a rogue stone keeper had fled to a small town. She lived peacefully amongst other humans in exchange for small favours, but when Max hears whispers of a stray stone keeper, he makes it his mission to recruit you in order to get to the Mother Stone. Maybe fate had other plans for the two of you.

ABBR: Y/n (your name), Y/l/n (your last name)

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A/N: Hi hi! I’m so sorry I didn’t see this sooner! I didn’t know if you wanted anything in particular so I just winged it,,, ALSO I was in hysterics reading your url LMAOHDGF

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As you make rounds around the small town, you carry a small basket full of fresh fruit. Going from stall to stall, you examine the produce.

Feeling a gentle tap on your shoulder, you pull down the hood of your cloak. You put down the fruit you were holding, turning to face the person.

"Miss Y/l/n, could you help me with my cargo? I fear that my bad back makes it difficult to lift heavy items nowadays," said an old man.

You perk up and smile gently at the old man.

"Ah, Mr. Cane, it's so good to see you! I'll be happy to help," you say politely.

As you walk with him to his store, you watch the kids play cheerfully in the town square. Snapping your fingers, a soft blue glow emanates around the kids. An impressive dragon swirls around them, weaving between the kids, finally erupting into fireworks. Their giggles and squeals make you chuckle.

Mr. Cane laughs at your little display, turning to you.

"Just those crates over there dear, thank you for your help," he says gratefully.

You nod as your amulet glows, the soft blue returning from earlier. You use this added strength to easily carry stacks of crates into the modest store.

Dusting your hands, you grin. "All done here Mr. Cane! Anything else?"

He shakes his head as he places a small pouch of coins into your hands.

Your eyes widened in surprise, "Oh no, please I could never! Everyone has been more than generous helping me get settled, I couldn't accept this," you say quickly.

He clasps your hands in his, tucking the coins into the basket hooked around your arm.

"It's the least I can do for all your hard work, consider it a token of my appreciation," he says warmly.

You smile at him, thanking him one last time before returning home. Watching the sun start to set, you make your way back.

"Goodnight big sister Y/n!!" said the group of kids from earlier.

You wave warmly to them, watching as their parents usher them home for dinner.

Out of sight, you feel your smile drop. You sigh, your heart feeling heavy.

On one hand, your new life here was wonderful, and everyone was extremely kind; but on the other, you could only feel empty.

Your parents, your friends, you neighbours- gone.

You felt anger bubble inside you, breathing in deeply to quell the tears threatening to spill.

You recall how your father didn't come home from work that day. Your mind flashes to the image of their lifeless bodies littering the streets.

Shaking your head, you unlock the door to your small home. Dropping your basket onto the counter of your kitchen, you toss your cloak to the couch.

The townsfolk had helped you get settled in. You recall how wary they were of you when you first stumbled across their town. After lending a hand here and there, they quickly warmed up to you, offering to each chip in to help you purchase this home.

You flop onto your bed, letting sleep take over every inch of your body. The smell of fresh sheets fills your senses as your eyes shut.

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

You were rudely awoken by a commotion outside. It was the middle of the night, the moon was still high in the sky. You slip your shoes on, hurriedly grabbing your cloak. You wrap it around your shoulders, letting the fabric engulf you.

Dashing out into the street, you notice a stall knocked over and an older woman chastising a boy around your age. Combing a hand through his spiky hair, he rudely rolls his eyes and begins to interrupt her, his own anger apparent on his face.

You dash to the scene, extending your arms protectively.

"Hey, hey-! Guys, it's okay, I'll see what I can do about the stall, let's get to picking up all this fruit first," you say quickly intercepting the two.

Bending down to pick up a few apples, your amulet hangs from your neck, slipping out from behind your cloak.

The boy's eyes widen as he grips you by the wrist, pulling you up to examine your face.

"Hey what the h-!" you yelp in protest, dropping an apple.

"Are you from Cielis?" he asks, cutting you off.

You flinch at his words. How would he know where you were from? Even the townspeople didn't know of your origins, respecting your need for privacy.

You yank your wrist out of his grasp, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Who... are you?" you whisper.

Your hair sways wildly in the wind, you grip your amulet protectively. The stall was being tended to by your neighbours. Standing eerily still, you stood there separating this intruder from the people behind you.

He breathes in sharply.

"I'm Max, and I need your help,"

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

Your mind was racing, you couldn't believe what you were doing.

You had the Max Griffin seated on your couch as you tended to his wounds.

After apologizing to your neighbour for all the damage Max had caused, you promised her a favour for her forgiveness.

Dragging Max away from the innocent people, you got him settled in your living room.

Sighing, you grab a peach from your basket from the previous day. Washing it, you slice it into pieces and place it onto a plate.

Bringing the plate over to Max, you sit on an armchair across from him. Crossing your arms over your chest, you eye him down suspiciously.

He was in rough shape. You had bandaged his wrist and forearm, presumably the remnants from a battle with some creature. You watch as he brings a peach slice to his lips, savouring the taste of fresh fruit.

You were the first to speak, "So, what do you want from me?" you ask curtly.

He meets your gaze, wiping his hand on his pants. "The motherstone- it's in danger," he says quietly.

If only you knew better. He was lying through his teeth.

You furrow your brows, frowning at him. "What're you talking about? You destroyed the goddamn city! Why would you possibly care?" you grit.

He lets his gaze fall to the ground. "I know what I did was unforgivable," he whispers. "-but truly, I need your help. You would know better than anyone Y/n," he says, eyeing your amulet.

You flinch at the mention of your name, taking a step back, you raise your fists. He stands up, putting his hands in the air in surrender.

"How do you know my name?" you demand.

"My amulet told me I needed to find you," he says slowly revealing his amulet from under his own cloak.

"I was wrong for what I did, I was angry- the system was unjust and my judgement was clouded," he says gingerly.

You feel your guard falter for a moment.

He continues, "-but I'm doing whatever I can to make up for it. The city is back, Y/n, I can bring the people back,"

"I just need the help of another stonekeeper to bring the mother stone back to its former power- please Y/n come back to Cielis with me," he pleads with you.

Your arms drop to your sides as your lips part in shock. All you could imagine was bringing your parents back. You clench your fists momentarily, slowly releasing the tension as you sigh.

"...fine" you mumble.

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Getting him settled on the couch, you grab a lit candle. Watching his features relax, your grip the candle holder tightly. You could have your revenge right now.

He was so vulnerable, so unguarded, so alive.

Snapping out of it, you sigh, blowing out the candle softly and heading to bed.

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

Throughout the next few days, you helped Max rebuild his ship that he crash landed a couple days prior in the woods. You wince as he tells you about the monster he fought off.

He smiles proudly as he finishes his story, pointing at a scar.

You catch yourself laughing at his antics, despite harbouring hate towards him. After helping Max haul a few wood planks, you make sure to stop by a few vendors, buying some candied fruit for the two of you. A group of kids swarmed the stall, waving to you happily.

You smile as you talk to the little ones. Unbeknownst to you, Max's cheery personality drops the moments you turn away from him. He watches as you reach over to help a small child out with holding his candied snack. The way your hair frames your face as you reach over with a genuinely kind smile catches his eye.

He feels something unpleasant in the pit of his stomach, brushing the strange feeling off as his distaste for other humans.

You whip around to face him, he catches your gaze, flinching as you hold out two sticks with strawberries on them. You hand him one, despite his reluctance.

"These are delicious, you should try one," you usher, joining his side.

"I'll take your word for it," he says as he hesitantly bites into the snack.

His eyes light up as he finishes the treat quickly. You sigh, giggling.

He watches the way your eyes squint when you smile.

Was this feeling pity? Perhaps his lying nature had finally started to catch up to him.

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

Saying your teary goodbyes, you part ways with your neighbours. Giving your final hugs, you make sure to take all your important belongings with you. Boarding Max's ship, you look at him, nodding once. Nodding back, you two took off.

Making yourself at home, you unpacked in a cabin. Heading up to the deck of the ship, your gaze lands on Max. He's leaning on a railing, looking down at the small town.

Approaching him, you hesitate. You lift your hand to his shoulder mumbling to yourself.

"Woah," you gasp out, gazing down at the forests below.

He's surprised at the contact. Watching the way your hair sways in the wind, he relaxes.

"The first time I was on ship, I had to hide away in the cabins the entire time," you laugh bitterly.

Recalling how you had to smuggle yourself onto a ship from Cielis, you quickly remove your hand from Max's shoulder.

His gaze droops a little, missing your brief contact.

The two of you gaze out at the forests below in silence.

He freezes.

He misses your warmth?

"Y/n- I'm-," he says trying to comfort you.

"Just- stop Max," you say with hurt on your face.

He watches you as he feels a pang in his chest. Surprised at his own actions, he reaches up to wipe a stray tear from you cheek.

You pull away from him, mumbling a quick string of apologies as you dash off to your cabin.

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

As you lay curled up in bed, you sniffle softly.

Knock, knock, knock.

You perk up at the door.

"Y/n?"

You take in a sharp gasp of air.

Treading over to the door, you open it slightly.

"Y/n- I'm sorry," he says.

You meet his gaze as you open the door wider, silently inviting him inside.

Sitting on your bed, you feel it dip to one side as he sits beside you. You don't miss the tenderness in his voice. The way he tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear. How he holds you like your the most delicate thing on the planet.

You should've known better.

Maybe you did know better.

But just for today, you'll open your heart up to him.

[augment-techs]

I know it’s no Oc,,,, but

🌾🌹

+ Spike Skullovitch

🌾 What would they be like if they were evil. Or if they’re already evil what would they be like as the good guy?

🌹 Do they have any scars? How and when did they get them?

Well, keeping to at least some semblance of the rules, let us go along with Putty!Spike, so we can have some fun~

🌾=

If he were evil, it would be in large part because of either forced indoctrination by Master Xandred messing with his genetic makeup or some part of his clay from Finster corrupting him that came completely out of left field.

I would like to think that the human part of him would not allow him to be completely demonic and cruel as any other demon and monster out in the world. True, he would be able to send down the wrath of gods because of his being probably the most supreme version of a putty that has ever been or would ever be--like, seriously, boy could turn into a monster from the darkest wilds and slaughter a city if goaded into it--but there is just something about having been around the Power so long amongst his family that would make him incredibly wary about engaging with the Rangers for longer than needs must.

Also, he is bound by the form he inhabits, and every monster has some soft, weak spot, somewhere. A cat playing with a mouse before swallowing it can still be poisoned by any pellets the mouse ate filled with cyanide; or drown crossing a river. For Spike, he'd be INCREDIBLY susceptible to fights with a Purple or Blue Ranger. Which means if he did go rogue, his Uncle Bulk or Samurai Ranger Kevin would have to take him out. Which for Kevin would hurt; he did get to know the guy in their teens when he and Lauren were in ice skating and swimming competitions--and also while Spike was spying on the Samurai team for Lauren without walking about in human form. But for Bulk...he would try his best only to hurt the young man as needs must, but it would be tantamount to cutting himself with a scalpel each time.

🌹=

When he was born through an act of the most revolting cruelty inflicted on Skull on the moon, Finster made his disapproval plain by poking the infant with his sharp fingernail until blood was drawn along his left side and Spike made his discomfort known--by which point, Finster got his leg broken basically in half and his face bashed to a bloody pulp for his trouble. When he was not even two weeks old, his grandmother finally decided to pay Skull and the infant a visit where they were recuperating at Angel Grove's Promethea. She already had an incredibly low threshold of empathy and affection for Eugene, so it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that she despised the infant on sight. Since Spike still had a bandage wrapped around his middle from the cut Finster inflicted, Madame Skullovitch could not resist pressing into the bandage until the cut reopened--and then deepened it until she almost grazed into newly formed bones. Right before Grace Sterling sucker punched the bitch and Terona snatched Spike up to stop the bleeding and sooth him as best he could.

At fifteen, there was an out of control teen that came into Angel Grove High to air past grievances with an automatic weapon. While everything and everyone was going into lockdown, there were a couple of freshmen that got caught out in the halls that made easy targets for the shooter's rage--but Spike had gotten a pretty good handle on his shifting abilities. The gun fired one round, but Spike had already gotten between the freshmen and the shooter as a bull moose that took up most of the hallway. He took the one bullet to the right side along the thickest rib, and it hurt like a bitch; but by that point he'd already turned his head to ram his not inconsiderably sized antlers directly into the shooter--which knocked the gun out of hand, the shooter to the floor, and gave Spike the opening to slam his massive hoof down on the asshole's belly. (Fortunately, nobody saw him transform, so after the freshmen ran out of the front doors to get the cops, Spike stomped the shooter once more in the belly, broke their ankle so they couldn't run away, kicked the gun over towards the doors where he could hear feet running towards them, then turned into blue-gold bushtit to fly out into the parking lot and wait for his dads. Of course Billy and Matt were freaking the hell out over the blood that was gushing from his side, but Eugene was mostly just incredibly proud while wrapping his son's ribs so they could go home and take out the bullet.)

When he was eighteen and still keeping his identity confined to various animals to guide and spy on the Samurai rangers in Lauren's stead, they came up against a demon that forced them into the ocean, had them pinned, would have ripped apart their megazord so the lot of them would drown, Spike intervened in the form of a Shishigami-Deidarabotchi mix (very fluid, face without features like a mannequin, branching antlers forming all along his long, fuzzy neck like stalagmites, legs like an upright walking hare, and arms so long ending in sharp points he was both beautiful and terrifying) and held off the demon until Lauren could make her grand entrance in her fox folding zord. The demon managed to tear into both of the scars along his sides, because the bastard fought dirty and mentioned something about "making them symmetrical" so they were deeper than ever, split off into three points at his hips, and made Spike scream even without a proper mouth--but he did not let go until Lauren was on the scene to help the Rangers and kick ass. He had to flee back to Shiba House property as a coyote, then a rabbit, then a tiny corn snake that barely made it under the porch, where Lauren found him bleeding and in agony. She brought him into the kitchen to set him into a large bowl, setting another bowl of milk mixed with her blood off to the side for him to drink, and made a call to Bulk and Kim at their shared dojo/youth center in Panorama City. (If Kevin had been freaking out that his best friend was actually the Shiba Heir and the first Black Samurai Ranger in history, he almost lost his mind when the tiny corn snake transformed into a slightly worse for wear Spike Skullovitch once Bulk showed up with food for the Rangers and clothes for his nephew.)

@skyland2703

[loonymarshian]

Private Lessons, Pt. 1

Day 6 of #BG3FicFeb - "Teaching each other how to do something" Tragedy asks Astarion for help with her mending again, but this time, he's not doing it for free This one has turned out to be pretty long, and I'm still working on the second part, but I figured there was no harm in sharing the first part before I head to bed!

Tragedy’s dress needed mending again. It had only been two days since the last time she’d attempted to mend her clothing, with horrendous results. This time, the necromancer had no intentions of trying to mend the garment by herself. She volunteered herself for first watch, and when everyone else had fallen asleep, she made her way to Astarion’s tent to ask for help.

“Astarion?” Tragedy called in a low whisper as she pushed the fabric of the rogue’s tent aside. Unsurprisingly, he was still awake, reading a book by soft candlelight. Being an elf, he only needed four hours of meditation to be fully rested, so he was often up late. The only reason he wasn’t keeping watch right now was because Tragedy had volunteered.

The elf’s eyebrows raised in query as the tiefling entered his tent, lifting his gaze from his book to meet her eyes. Tragedy’s fingers wound around each other nervously, and she averted her gaze as she asked her question.

“Um… My dress was torn again at the village today. Could you… teach me how to mend it?” Her eyes flicked back to Astarion’s face as she finished speaking, hopeful.

A little smirk had fixed itself upon the elf’s features as he put his book aside and stood up, stretching. He seemed to have been expecting this. “Sure, why not? But I won’t do it for free this time.”

Tragedy started, not having anticipated him asking for anything in return after the last time he’d helped her. She kicked herself mentally for that though. She’d been shocked by his kindness that first time, she should have expected that it wouldn’t be a regular occurrence. Her cheeks went red as she chided herself, embarrassed by her own naivete.

Amusement sparkled in Astarion’s eyes at her redness. “Ah, but what to ask for, hmm? Gold would be pointless out in this wilderness. And you don’t have any magical items that would be of much use to me.” Astarion tapped his finger on his chin, an exaggerated thoughtful expression on his face. “Oh, I know.”

Tragedy swallowed, nervous. They’d been travelling together for a few days now, but she still had no idea what went on in Astarion’s mind. He could be about to ask for anything.

The elf leaned in to Tragedy’s ear, and her blush deepened, her heart racing at his closeness. “How about you teach me some magic?” 

That had been just about the last thing Tragedy had expected. She pulled away so she could look Astarion in the eyes, her own eyes sparkling with wary excitement at the prospect.

Astarion continued in his usual playful tone, clarifying his request. “I’ll bet you have some fun spells I could find useful, and better to learn from you than… Gale.” He punctuated the final word with a dismissive wave in the direction of Gale’s tent.

Oh, Tragedy definitely had some spells for him. The necromancer was practically vibrating with excitement as she made a mental list of spells and cantrips the rogue might find useful. Minor Illusion would allow him to create better distractions, making it easier for him to sneak about. Charm Person would aid him in talking his way out if he ever got caught. She could even teach him Shield, one of her personal favourite spells, which made it much more difficult for enemies to land a hit on her. Between Astarion’s agility and the Shield spell, he’d be practically untouchable. Oh, and Mage Hand! Mage Hand would be perfect for a rogue - she’d heard of a trick to make it invisible, but she didn’t tend to utilise that particular cantrip so she’d never had a chance to try it herself.

Tragedy was snapped back to reality when she felt Astarion’s hands come to rest on her shoulders. She could feel the low vibrations of his chuckle through his arms as he amused himself with her excitement.

“Alright little wizard, calm down. Seems I’ll be in good hands. But first things first - let’s get that dress of yours fixed, hmm?”

That was all it took for Tragedy to deflate. In all her brainstorming she’d forgotten her initial reason for coming to Astarion’s tent so late at night - sewing lessons. Embarrassed once more, the tiefling nodded at her elven companion, and returned to her bedroll by the fire where her torn dress lay waiting. She plopped herself down cross-legged, and gathered the damaged garment into her lap. A few moments later, Astarion appeared beside her, a worn velvet pouch in hand. Contained within were a small pair of scissors, half a dozen spools of thread in different colours, a little metal box, and two tiny cups made of hammered steel that Tragedy recognised to be thimbles. As the necromancer watched on, Astarion extracted the scissors, the box, the spool of black thread, and one of the thimbles, placing them carefully on the bedroll between them. He then opened the little box to reveal three sewing needles, and added one to his little pile of supplies before returning the box to the pouch and putting it aside.

“You already know how to thread the needle, yes?” Astarion’s voice wasn’t exactly gentle, imbued with his usual sass, but it didn’t have the same edge of impatience that Tragedy had come to expect from the rogue.

Eager to get this over with, (and not embarrass herself in front of Astarion), Tragedy nodded, cutting a length of thread from the spool and carefully threading it through the eye of the needle. When she was done, she looked up at Astarion to get her next instruction, and found his eyes already trained on her face. She quickly returned her eyes to the needle in her hand, the heat on her face spreading to the tips of her pointed ears.

Astarion seemed unphased by Tragedy’s reaction, and continued his instruction. “Now, unfortunately, for the most part sewing is one of those skills that only really improves with practice. For simple mending, there’s not much I can teach you beyond ‘always wear a thimble.’” 

To emphasise his point, the elf picked up the thimble from Tragedy’s bedroll and took her left hand, placing the thimble on her middle finger. “This will make sure you don’t stab yourself a dozen times like you did the other night.”

“Hey, it was only ten times!” Tragedy exclaimed, mildly offended. She should have expected Astarion wouldn’t be a gentle teacher, but despite his ribbing she couldn’t help but feel appreciative that he was still helping her, despite his usual disposition.

The elf shifted closer to Tragedy then, his shoulder pressing against hers as he held out his hand for the needle. The necromancer obliged, placing the needle and thread in his waiting palm. She ignored the thoughts that flooded her mind saying that she could get used to being this close to Astarion, and tried to pay attention to his lesson.

Needle in hand, Astarion lifted the dress from Tragedy’s lap and located the tear in the sleeve. “For mending tears like this, you’ll usually want to use a simple whip stitch.” As he spoke, Astarion demonstrated the stitch, poking the needle through both sides of the tear and pulling through, then plunging the needle in again from the same side he began on, creating small diagonal lines of thread that joined the previously separated sections of fabric.

Tragedy watched in silence as his nimble hands worked, confronted with the juxtaposition between how delicately he handled the needle and thread, and the brutality those same hands were capable of on the battlefield. It was reassuring, knowing there was more to Astarion than the flirtatious sass and violence.

“Here, your turn.” Astarion handed the mending project back to Tragedy, the tear half-closed already by Astarion’s neat whip stitch. The tiefling doubted she would be able to keep her stitches as small and evenly spaced as his, but she was going to try her best.

Thimble still secure on her finger, Tragedy got to work finishing what Astarion had started. As she worked, she was acutely aware of the elf’s shoulder, still touching her own as he kept a watchful eye over the fabric in her hands. With the aid of the thimble, Tragedy was able to sew the rest of the tear closed without stabbing herself even once. Her stitches were definitely not as nice as Astarion’s - they were larger, and unevenly spaced, but they were functional, and she hadn’t injured herself, so that was a win in her book. She stabbed the needle through the fabric one last time so that the remaining length of thread was on the inside of the garment, tied a small knot, and used the tiny scissors to cut off the excess thread.

“Well done.” Astarion’s voice cut through the comfortable silence that had formed as Tragedy worked. “You’re a fast learner. Let me know if you ever pop a seam, maybe I’ll teach you a new stitch to deal with those.” 

Satisfied that his lesson had been a success, the elf gathered his supplies back into the velvet pouch and stood up from the bedroll where they’d been sitting for a good half-hour. Tragedy scrambled to stand as well before he left again.

“Thank you, Astarion. Seriously. I really appreciate this.”

Astarion waved off the thanks with a flippant laugh. “Oh please, this wasn’t free, remember. You’d best get planning, Miss Quron. I’ll be expecting a magic lesson tomorrow night.”

With that, the pale elf disappeared back into his tent, and Tragedy was left to complete her part of the watch alone, her mind swimming with ideas for what she could teach Astarion the next day.

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 3: The Sunken Tomb

Oh, you can hear and feel the floor clinging to your shoes as you try to find your seats. Don't get stuck, you want to sit down, because you don't want to miss the end of this one.

The Good.

Even though it doesn't give her any good news, it makes sense that Pike would be checking up on Emon. And it's a smart way to let us see what's going on there.

~~~

Like Matt Mercer, I also appreciate Vax's background Rogue shit.

Magic

Again, I have to praise the diversity of the magic. Undoubtedly, one reason they've trimmed down the number of spells everyone can use from the stream is because it makes it easier to give each caster or caster type a unique aesthetic. As noted, Keyleth's healing looks very different from Pike's, Scanlan's offensive magic looks different from Keyleth's, and so on.

Here, Zahra and Kash get to join the club. Zahra, as the first and only warlock this team will most likely encounter, shows off an almost bloody red power that's inexplicitly ominous; Kash's golden spears are reminiscent of Pike's holy weapon abilities, fitting for another cleric.

~~~

I was sure they wouldn't keep the Kash/Keyleth kiss, but I like that they replaced it with light-hearted flirting.

~~~

Yay, Grog's beard's finally here. And, of course, the episode wouldn't have been complete without the cast ragging on Matt's choice of names. And if you keep an eye on Percy while Zahra's giving Vex shit, you can see he's not happy. Love the little subtle things. Zahra's eye twitch, in particular, made me grin. 

~~~

The idea to flashback to the twins' childhoods, specifically here, was brilliant if sadistic. Since I knew how this episode was ending, I knew the flashbacks were there to twist that knife even after titmouse had already stabbed us with it. The transitions from past to present are very smooth and make it very clear that all of this is on both twins' minds as they traverse the Sunken Tomb.

~~~

The allusions to the Calamity on the walls...oh, that's the good stuff.

~~~

The jokes aren't bad in this episode. Maybe I'm just a sucker for this kind of setup. Vax warning everyone to be wary of traps, only for Grog to immediately set one off, plus Vax's face afterward, hits my sweet spot. 

Grog and Pike

I like the little things that come up here and there that remind you that the gnomes can sometimes have trouble where the others wouldn't. Pike getting in almost over her head before her best buddies helped her out was a neat little example: and her adorably hyping up Grog's new beard while everyone else was looking around was the cherry on top of their interaction. 

God, I love having Ashley and Pike there all the time. Pike and Grog were always a fantastic duo when she could be there, and we get to see more of that in the series.

For example, adding in that of all people, Pike specifically notices something's off about Grog while he's wielding Craven Edge. Even though the sword did end up drawing her blood in the stream, Ashley wasn't around enough for Pike to notice on her own. So this change up, alongside Pike and Grog's more frequent shenanigans, fits in well.

And it serves as suitable foreshadowing.

The Fight

The altercation with the Adaro is a good one. Titmouse knows how to keep the fight scenes from getting stale, so we get in some good brawling (with the Adaro dragging our heroes underwater, adding to the danger) and then an impressive display of water magic. Also, yay for Trinket! He gets to be badass here. 

Zahra and Vex's belligerent saving of each other is a treat. And, of course, that's the music that plays when Scanlan's surfing with everybody on the hand. Of course, it is.

~~~

I like to think that one of the statues in the Tomb is of the Champion whose death started the Clay, Dust, and Stone families.

Kasha and Zahra

Will Friedle is still throwing out the funny lines. 

One thing that warms my heart is that I noticed this version of Kash is more upbeat than when we first met him in the original. I figured it was just a blending of how his personality developed later in the stream equivalent of this episode until I realized the common factor is Zahra. Kash is more upbeat in the stream's Sunken Tomb and this episode because he's been traveling with Zahra. 

I was even surprised when I noticed he still had the scars on his arms from Kash's original backstory. I wasn't happy to see them (because fuck Vesh) but I did appreciate the incorporation of the detail.

The Twins

There really isn't enough I can say about Laura and Liam's acting here. They pull off the younger twins with competence, and Vex's audible reaction to being hit by the Matron's trap sounds weirdly perfect. It's not easy to sound like your sentence got cut off after you were lifted off your feet by an arrow of pure death magic to the chest, but Laura manages it very well.

And, of course, Liam O'Brien. Liam O'Brien, goddamn you, why must you break my heart into such tiny pieces on the regular? Those last seconds of the episode hurt, even though I knew what was coming! That unreserved broken weeping after the sound cuts back in, right before the credits....ugh. 

I hadn't even noticed until the Q&A that this whole episode was without ambient music until that last moment, and when I realized that, I was impressed, and those final few moments hit even harder in hindsight. 

The Bad (or at least not great)

Nitpicks

When Percy suggests Keyleth turn into a bird to save Scanlan, she exclaims "A bird? How does that help!?"

I don't know, Kiki. But you thought it was a pretty useful form just an episode ago, without anybody having to suggest it. And you turned out to be right, so you'd think it'd be something you'd consider worth using again.

They could've had her yell to Scanlan from off screen that she was going to do that and was going to save him, only for Kash and Zahra to beat her to the punch. Or have Percy suggest a creature she didn't just use so she could refuse it for a reason that made more sense. Just some ideas.

~~~

I feel like there was a missed opportunity for a comeback in Vex and Zahra's snark-off.

Zahra: Ooh, a broom. Marvelous. Oh, you have such a keen eye for value.

Vex: Well that's why I used to work with you, Zahra dear.

Just saying.

~~~

We didn't need Zahra and Kash to verbally spell out their plan to let Vox Machina trigger the traps instead of them. Just have them hang back and give the other adventurers a "Oh no, after you." only for Grog to trigger the traps that he does. Maybe have a shot of Zahra and Kash looking smug and conspiratorial right afterwards.

~~~

I think instead of this:

Vex (saving Zahra from an Adaro): That was a close one, darling.

(some fighting)

Zahra (saving Vex from an Adaro) Wasn't that close.

This would be a little better:

Vex (saving Zahra from an Adaro): That was a close one, darling.

(some fighting)

Zahra (saving Vex from an Adaro) Not as close as that was.

~~~

It's not a hundred percent clear to me whether the incident with the tiara is the straw that broke the camel's back that made the twins leave Syngorn for good or not. The next episode suggests this is the case; future episodes could clear it up further.

I would've preferred us not to see the final straw, though. It leaves us wondering how bad that could've been if Syldor's treatment in the flashback wasn't enough to make the twins flee for the Material Plane. 

~~~

Maybe this is morbid, but I think we could've had a few more seconds of Vax shaking Vex's body before we get the shot of his tears hitting her face. I just think it would either take him a little longer to realize what had happened to her, or it would take him a little longer to accept what had.

The Younger Twins

While flashbacks to the twins' childhood were an inspired choice, the execution could have been better.

The intended idea seems to be that Vax remained in the same spot where he and Vex separated, while Vex spent enough time in the woods alone to field dress, skin, butcher, and cook the meat of the deer she killed, as well as witness the natural light change at least once.

However, there are some issues with how this plays out.

Firstly, although the spot where they separate appears similar to where Vex finds Vax later, no unique landmark unambiguously denotes it as the same one.

Secondly, if Vax had stayed in that place for more than a day or multiple days, it would've been natural for Vex to have been shocked and commented on it aloud. This would have made it explicit to the audience what Vax had been doing. Or rather not doing.

As things stand, the intended idea is muddled.

One thing they could have done was establish that the twins had previously built a tree stand or treehouse in the forest. Vex is a hunter, so that would track....if you'll pardon the pun. This structure would mark Vax's lack of movement, but it could give us more than that. Before Vex blows up and leaves him, we could've had Vax explore it and reminisce about things they brought up there or did there before. This would show the audience that the kids run out into the woods rather frequently, and that, by extension, Syldor pulls this kind of dickery rather frequently too.

Then when Vex comes back to the tree stand/house and sees Vax still there under it, she can say something like "Have you not moved from that spot since last I saw you!? It's been days!!" only for him to run up and hug her, leading into "Do not go far from me."

This one was a doozy, next one we deal with the aftermath. Make sure you get to the next theater on time. You won't want to miss what happens next.

[abominationvault]

Session 62: Sat 1 Feb 2025

Late start, video game chat. Fussy babies! And a trumpet. Let’s try and do more than one room tonight, yeah? Jorg’ath has been with us for a year now (out of game), and we’ve done maybe three levels of this dungeon with him.

Right let’s go!

Jorg’ath and Skabb do a quick recap - there was a pyramid and Grabby got frozen, and there were some will’o’wisps.

Forgotten cell, dust and cobwebs. Nothing interesting. Augustus thinks it might make a safe if cramped resting place if we need it.

Jorg’ath listens at a door in the corridor to see if that is where the whimpering is coming from. We send Sprocket forward as he’s the most charismatic and can best deal with people. Nadia opens the door for him while Hartvif sings - in Latin this time.

Sprocket sees the cell is poorly-kept, but dangling from the ceiling by her ankles and whimpering is a tiefling. “Did you get stuck in your sex swing?” Hartvig asks. Sprocket does an ocular pat-down and a medicine check.

“Did you do this to yourself?”

The tiefling can barely speak; she is on the verge of death. Sprocket: “I will stab her back to life.” Everyone, immediately: “No!”

Hartvig does a level 1 Heal while Nadia tries to get her down. 14 HP back, and the colour starts to return to her face. The manacles fall open easily, and Augustus supports her weight. We all get a Hero Point for not killing her! Skabb gives her some rations (not slug-based). She still seems wary of us. Nadia asks her what she’s doing here; she doesn’t answer. Nadia casts Charm and tries again. “What you doin’ here babygirl?” The tiefling succeeds on her save and is not Charmed.

How did we get here? Through the doors, mostly. She seems impressed when she realises we mostly killed our way here. She would be grateful if we could help her get out. Hartvig uses a feat and can tell she’s being evasive. She’s definitely hiding something, but is not lying outright.

Who put her in the shackles? Was it a sex game gone wrong? She was dragged here by an Arannis. A huh? We all make Religion checks, but none of us know what that is. Hartvig Hero Points his check: 24. She’s talking about a Fury Devil. Most are either aligned with fire or ice, this one is fiery. And female, and they exact vengeance and justice for real or perceived crimes. They look a bit like fallen angels and wield flaming longswords, and are resistant to fire and physical damage. Erinyes, not Arannis. (RIP floppy hat bitch.)

Does she want to join a ragtag group of individuals trying to kill a dream man, and get out of here? No, she just wants to leave. We could send her through one of the awakened teleportation circles. Does she mean harm to Otari?

Our clever little rogue recognises this face from a Wanted poster - she’s wanted in Absalom. Only she remembers this, so it’s up to her if she mentions it or not. There might be gold in it if she hands her over to the authorities. “I ain’t no snitch,” Luna announces.

Luna tells Sprocket in a whisper what she knows, in hopes he will intimidate her. He can be bad cop. He slaps the tiefling with the wizened elf hand he has on a chain around his neck. “Tell us what you know!”

Nadia interjects. “I think you’re all being really racist! Just because she’s got horns! Not all tieflings are bad people!”

Sprocket goes for Diplomacy instead, and rolls a 30. If she tells us, will we give her our word we’ll get her out of here? Nadia’s, yes. Some of the others agree too.

She is a bounty hunter, hunting Urevian, the tiefling tells us. He has a contract for a lot of money for some backwater villager. She failed to complete her contract on time and was dragged here by the Erinyes. Way back when the town was founded, Urevian was after someone? (The contract devil?) He had a contract with Velcro, which was annulled when she died but is back on because she’s back. All this girl wants is to get out of here.

How would she feel about living in a basement with a ghoul at our house, Jorg'ath asks. Not mad keen.

Also, did we know Velcro was back-back?

All the tiefling can tell us is that the devils in this place are talking and say she (Velcro) is back. Urevian delighted because now his contract is fulfillable and if he can complete it, he won’t be stuck here any more.

We teleport her back to the surface, and she thanks us. If we can catch Carmen (sp?), there’s almost nothing Urevian won’t give us in exchange for him. Carmen is the blacksmith? He’s the one Nadia discovered her Southern charm on. The original contract was for Carman’s ancestor, Velcro wanted his soul to sell to the devils, and agreed to help Urevian get it. Yeah, I don't think any of us are in any hurry to help Urevian.

We say goodbye to the tiefling and move on, finding steps that lead back up to the floor above, and then as we’re exploring the DM yells “STOP!”, and the turn order appears, oh no! We are not to roll just yet because something gets a free round on us… Skabb has walked back through the trap room to find an ambush waiting for us. We weren’t especially quiet dealing with that trap, and it seems something heard us.

Mulventoks and Dreshkans, two of each at least. The mulventok throws a chakram in poor Skabb's face. 24 hits her for 12 slashing and 2 mental damage due to the pain. Yikes. Another goes to Grabster and does her 16 damage, and then the other mulventok does the same - 31 hits for 18 damage total.

“There’s cunts in here!” Skabb shouts to us.

Fortunately 19 misses her. And there’s more little guys??? Oh, the dreshkans. Skabb is still up at the end of it all, but only just. The last mulventok readies an attack for whoever pokes their head around the door frame first, and waits.

Initiative…

Dreshkans are constructs and aberrations, the DM reminds us, we’ve seen them before. Some constructs only receive half the benefit of healing. They go first in the order and throw more chakrams, taking Skabb and Grabby out, and then it’s Luna’s go. Shit.

Luna makes her way forward but can’t see anything, so uses another action to keep going. She can position herself so she can lean out from behind a corner and shoot at them, so she does. She’s pre-hidden because she always is, so she takes aim from stealth - 35 hits, and it’s a crit! 25 total damage including her crit and sneak attack damage. Nice.

Nadia rushes up, sees too late that she’s gone too far and they use the readied attack on her but it misses. She ducks back around the corner and readies her own attack for anything that pops around the corner that she doesn’t like.

Jorg’ath uses his Lightning Tongue to get Skabb out of the room, and resuscitates her for 14 hit points. He then slings a javelin at the one on the left just inside the door - 23 hits for 2 damage. And it’s Skabb’s turn!

She wants to Blazing Dive into the middle of the baddies, but knows it’s a bad idea. It also a very Skabb thing to do, so she has a think and does some measuring. She boshes a healing potion and goes for it, aiming herself so that she will flank them with whoever’s coming in next. A save and a fail from her targets! 15 damage to one, and 8 to the other. And she gets a Hero Point for being ballsy.

Sprocket next, and he uses all his movement and actions to get there. The baddies go to stride forward but change their minds. A template appears, a cone-shaped one, emanating from the room - Augustus is in cover, but Jorg’ath and Sprocket are not. The second one takes aim, but Augustus has full cover from there.

Needle Spray. “Get the fuck off my needles! I’m the needle guy,” Hartvig complains. Reflex saves, and Luna Matrix-walks up the wall to get out of the way. 10 damage from one attack and 14 from the other, but none to Luna obviously. Jorg’ath takes full damage, and Sprocket and Augustus take 10.

Hartvig brings up the rear, and trots on up to join the rest of us. “I… raise my shield.” He goes too far like Nadia did, retcons his move and then raises his shield.

“These guys mean business, man,” Sprocket tells him.

One of the monsters directs one of the others to move back and take cover. Another moves, then throws a chakram at Sprocket, and then another at Hartvig’s raised shield.

Luna next, and she will hide and shoot the guy who (inadvisedly) stepped out into the space, and hits for 9 piercing and 10 sneak. Second attack misses and she Hero Points it for another miss. Wait no, a hit! For 9 damage!

Nadia leans out, lobs a Greater Redpitch bomb and does some fire damage, 3d4 persistent damage, and splash damage.

Jorg’ath goes for a tackle, gets some extremely unfortunate rolls, and gets himself back out of the room - but not before giving one of them a damn good bonkin’. Secondary bonkin' for 18 more damage on top of the previous 17! “That was all the bonkin' I have in me.”

Skabb conjures up an ice storm around the baddies - 20ft should cover all of them? She hopes? It will affect her chums, she is warned. “Well… I did tell Jorg’ath.” She changes her mind and does Lightning Bolt instead; unfortunately the dreshkans are immune. The others aren’t - reflex saves, two fails!

Sprocket casts Ooze Form at level 4, and moves. The two closest to him are now inside his form. Gross.

One of them hauls itself out of Sprocket and rakes its claws on Nadia’s head - wait, I was in a cupboard! The DM mistook a wall for a door and retcons so it attacks Jorg’ath instead, and then Sprocket’s gelatinous form.

Hartvig hits one in the face with Spiritual Armament, and would get the howdy doodis, but it has an Ability and goes to 1HP instead. So he hits it again and crits! “And stay down!”

The next one also tries to escape Sprocket’s Ooze form (“... But I’m giving him a free chemical peel.”) and moves to flank the lizard. It donkey punches him for good measure. “Fuckin rude. Ow!” It crits, doing 50-something damage. It does it again. “I wish he wouldn’t.”

Its buddy is the other side of Jorgy, and donkey punches him in the back of the head. “He donkey-punched my head off!” The barbrian is down…

The creature turns to Skabbins while he’s here, rude not to. Hit and a miss, but she’s still on her feet.

Luna will hide please, and makes her attack. 17 misses, Hero Point, (it’s the lucky one) and crits! It really was lucky. “Did he feel that one?” He hated it. She hits again for 4 more damage.

Nadia pops around the corner, sees Jorg’ath on the floor and beans a healing grenade at his head, bringing him back up for 4 hp and healing Sprocket by the same amount. Then she skewers the monster next to her with her bayonet, killing it. DM: “Nice job, Southern-tits.”

Jorg’ath gets up and hits one monster with his club, taking it out, and it explodes, doing damage to everyone around it. Wait no, that was retconned, and the turn has moved on so we retcon it back. The next one will explode, so no moving out of the way, the DM warns.

“Bonk,” says Jorg’ath and howdy doodis’s the next one, which does explode. Reflex saves, Skabb fails and goes down. She fails a death save and is Dying 1...

Sprocket turns from green to red in his fury at failing his Reflex save. He crits his bodyslam though, with a very complicated result, and stuns the dreshkan. 1d6+5 acid - 10 total, doubled for the crit. Wait - yes! 20 damage. Nice. He goes for another cube-headbutt, and hits again for 8 more damage. Howdy doodis! The last hit draws him into the cube form, and he is dissolved in under a minute. All we see is a screaming skeleton; we all have some brand new nightmare fuel.

Jorg’ath drags Skabb into Nadia’s healing mist and brings her back for 8hp over 2 rounds; she is now Wounded 1. We barricade ourselves into a quiet room to have a rest, and Hartvig and Skabb blow their remaining spell slots on healing us.