#slash at enemies weak point

[lady-bog]

I absolutely love that Zelda doesn't have a sword in Echoes of Wisdom, since ot would ignore her personality just to make her a reskin of Link

[lamb-teaa]

` Choose Us, Choose Me

` pairing: colonel!Caleb x mechanic!reader

` tags: canon divergence!! strictly doesn't follow canon timeline!! but might seem similar?? idk tbh. anyway ANGST. full hurt no comfort. vague plot. vague relationship. vague mentions of betrayal and double agents. vvvery short scenario.

` teaa's note: having to wait for 22 Jan for Caleb's full lore to drop, imma indulge in my personal headcanon for this ficlet instead - a special (&painful) treat for all the Caleb girlies (and me ehe!) (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

Your silence is the cruelest punishment he had ever endured.

Yet Caleb too remained silent as he watched you meticulously work on repairing his damaged bionic arm, not once had you uttered a single word since his impromptu arrival at your workshop stationed within the massive spaceship.

You merely glanced at him, your tired gaze instantly flickering towards his shortcircuiting arm before letting out a small huff of annoyance as you slammed the coffee mug on the messy table. Like a routine checkup, you wordlessly pointed towards the empty seat and began working on fixing his bionic arm back to good as new.

All the while the tense atmosphere remained palpable within the workshop. Even your trusty little invention-slash-companion robot, Brownie had jumped over the table, holding out all the necessary tools for you to fix Caleb up, yet the presence of the adorable little brown robot cat wasn't enough to shimmer down the tension in the air.

Your expression remained aloof yet the look in your eyes held a strong suppressed rage. Caleb winced when you purposely handled his arm a tad bit too roughly, shooting a side eyed glare at Brownie snickering at him, a clear message of 'you deserve it!' written all over your little companion's face.

Caleb was tempted to send the smug rascal flying across the room using his Evol.

...But he wouldn't want to risk facing your wrath, not when you're still mad pissed at him right now.

"...You know I had to do it." Caleb decided to break the silence first, his eyes locked onto your face, hoping to ease down your anger even just a little bit. "I was following orders."

You stayed silent, nonchalantly avoiding his gaze as your attention was solely on the holographic screen displaying the restoration process.

Caleb gritted his teeth, growing agitated by your lack of response. Why were you so stubborn? Why couldn't you understand him? Why do you have to subject him to this stupid silent treatment of yours?

Why can't you see he's doing all this for your sake?

"It's done." You finally spoke after a long tense silence, your voice cold and detached as you did the final adjustments on his bionic arm. His piercing stare was suffocating you and you wanted nothing more than to be out of his sight. "Now get out."

You had only turned around for a brief millisecond before his hand suddenly snatched your wrist, pulling you close to him. His taller frame towering over you, his face confronted in a mixture of anguish and pain - a sight that made your heart ache, but you refuse to show any weakness, not in front of him, especially not in front of a cruel man like him.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Caleb spoke lowly, struggling to suppress his own anger. "Aren't you tired of these charades of yours?"

You glared up at him defiantly, despite the slight tremble from his iron grip. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me." He scowled, his grip on your wrist tightened slightly. "How long are you going to play both sides? Do you think they're going to let you off easily once they find out you've been secretly colluding with the enemy?"

His heart sank in dread at your unfazed reaction, as if you've been expecting this to happen sooner or later, that the consequences be damned if it meant fulfilling your own secret mission no matter the cost.

Even at the expense of your own wellbeing.

"..Choose us." Choose me. Caleb shut his eyes briefly before letting go of your wrist, his voice strained with a soft plea as his hands gently cupped your cheeks, forcing you to look up at him. "I can guarantee your safety if you choose our side, please Princess. You'll die if you keep this up."

He sees the flicker of hesitation in your eyes, the conflict swimming in those alluring gaze that never fail to make his heart stutter. But as soon as that raising hope for you turn to his side came, it vanished in an instant when you slapped his hands away.

"I'd rather much die." You spat, your fist clutched the collar of his shirt as you glared up at him, the hatred and disgust written all over your face as your final words shattered his heart into pieces.

"Than to serve the likes of abominations like you.”

[allfearstofallto]

Being Kenma's girlfriend isn't for the faint of heart. Kenma is sweet, caring, strangely physically affectionate, and most importantly generous, but even he has his flaws. A few things that grind your gears or even upsets you to the point of anger. Specifically, the lack of attention he gives you.

You know it's his job, his streaming and gaming, but even you find yourself longing for his attention. He always seems elsewhere, his mind wandering to what he's going to play next or who his next collab will be with. In the end, you always feel second in his life. Second to his games and consoles and career.

You're used to going to bed alone with him in the other room, only to feel him climbing in beside you at close to two in the morning. His arm will be draped around you and you'll be pulled into his chest, followed by the sound of his soft snoring.

“The character creation in the newest game I'm playing is incredible,” Kenma said in his typical monotone voice while you sat his breakfast down in front of him. He spoke slowly and quietly all the time, but you who'd been his girl for years already knew how to recognize his excitement.

“Is it?” You questioned. Kenma played a lot of games. A lot. More games than you'd seen or heard of. Some were games he was just curious about, some were review copies that he had to play, but he had a lot of experience under his belt. So when Kenma said anything was good in a game, it meant it was probably outstanding, considering how high his expectations were.

He stuffed some food into his mouth and began chewing, swallowing the food down a little too quick before talking again, “The face modeling is super realistic, but not uncanny at all. The devs really put a lot of work into it. Watch me play later tonight.”

You giggled at his enthusiasm, but agreed nonetheless. It always made you shy to watch your boyfriend stream. The amount of comments flowing in asking for his opinion and telling him how cool he was did something for your confidence. They admired him, but you truly knew him. You know his flaws and weaknesses, his favorite and least favorite foods. You knew how many times it took for him to beat that particular souls like game, the one that frustrated him enough to quit for weeks. So tuning into his stream that night was no issue.

You watched a few minutes of the game, a JRPG type hack and slash fighter. The game did look incredible with beautiful landscapes and oddly fun enemy designs. Kenma played perfectly, only stopping to pause for a second to show off his in-game character. You tried to look extra hard at her face, that being one of the things that Kenma enjoyed most about the game.

With a soft smile and a blush, you giggled shyly. His character looked just like you.

[saphronethaleph]

Negotiate Early, Negotiate Often

The unknown Sith lit his lightsaber, one end, then both, revealing it to be a saberstaff.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan activated their own lightsabers, then Obi-Wan frowned slightly.

“Just curious,” he said. “But what’s your name? I just realized I’m only thinking of you as ‘the Sith’.”

“My name is Maul,” the Zabrak replied. “Darth Maul. I am your end, Jedi.”

“Hmm, debatable,” Obi-Wan replied. “We don’t actually know yet and that’s the point of this lightsaber battle. As soon as we get around to starting it, anyway.”

He shrugged, twirling his blue saber blade around his hand. “But I’m curious, that’s all. Why now? After hiding for a thousand years, Maul… why now?”

“Now is the time to reveal ourselves to the Jedi,” Maul declared. “To take our revenge.”

“Right, there’s two Sith at any one time,” Obi-Wan agreed.

“...Padawan?” Qui-Gon asked.

“I’m negotiating,” Obi-Wan replied. “It’s sort of experimental. I’ll see how it works.”

He returned his attention to Maul. “But – well. There’s two Sith at any one time. There’s currently… what, ten thousand Jedi Knights, and about the same number of trainees and padawans? It’s a lot, is what I’m saying. And now we know you exist.”

Maul’s mouth had fallen open slightly, and he shut it with a scowl.

“You’re lying,” he said, shaking his head. “There can’t be ten thousand of you.”

“There very much can,” Obi-Wan answered. “Though I’m not a knight. I’m a Padawan. Qui-Gon is a Master, but he is also a knight.”

He reached into a pocket. “I’ve not got the names of all ten thousand, but my comlink has a few hundred comcodes programmed into it-”

Maul snarled, reaching out with his hand, and threw a piece of detritus at Obi-Wan with the Force. Obi-Wan immediately put his comlink back in his pocket, spun his saber, and sliced the object in half.

That seemed to get the battle going more generally.

“Is this how weak the Jedi are?” Maul asked, grinning, as they locked blades in front of one of the power cores.

“I’ll be honest,” Obi-Wan replied. “I’m not sure you thought through that whole bit about how we haven’t known you existed for a thousand years.”

Qui-Gon advanced, and Maul twisted to block both attacks at once. That turned into a slash aimed at removing Qui-Gon’s head, and Obi-Wan deflected the slash away with a swipe of his own blade.

“You see,” Obi-Wan went on, as the battle ebbed and flowed. “We haven’t had much in the way of enemies with lightsabers for a thousand years. Most of our work has been dealing with enemies who, at the most, have blasters – and generally speaking we aim to disable, not kill, unless killing is the only remaining option.”

“A sign of the weakness of the Jedi!” Maul laughed.

Obi-Wan blocked all three of Maul’s next attacks, flowing through the forms of Soresu with an easy grace. “Perhaps,” he said. “Or perhaps it’s a sign of strength. To kill someone when there’s an alternative is to take the easy way out – finding a solution that doesn’t require killing everyone who disagrees with you is harder, but more rewarding.”

Qui-Gon just sort of stood back, watching his Padawan and trying to look for an opening where he could help without promptly getting decapitated.

“Are you the Master or the Apprentice?” Obi-Wan asked. “Because if you’re the Master, then – I’ll be quite honest, I do question why you didn’t reveal yourself years ago, and why you’re acting largely as hired muscle.”

He shrugged, working it into his bladework as he deflected one attack after another. “And if you’re the Apprentice, then… again, why do you reveal yourself now? If you didn’t know there were that many Jedi, what’s your Master’s motive?”

“Stop! Using! Soresu!” Maul snarled, trying to force an attack through Obi-Wan’s defences.

“I’d rather not,” Obi-Wan told him. “We’re talking, aren’t we? I’d rather have the time for a discussion. But please, do think through what I’m saying. Why Naboo?”

“My Master handles politics,” Maul said, then scowled.

“Ah, so you’re the Apprentice,” Obi-Wan declared. “In that case, allow me to compliment you on your excellent skill with Juyo. If I weren’t using a purely defensive Soresu style I’d probably have been filleted by this point-”

Maul punched him in the face with the hilt of his saberstaff, and Qui-Gon stepped in with his green blade flashing to save Obi-Wan from a fatal blow.

“If you could stop annoying the Sith, Padawan?” he suggested.

“Negotiations are often fraught, Master,” Obi-Wan replied, picking himself up again and working in tandem with his Master. “You need to know about the other person before you can reach an acceptable compromise.”

“So, your Master handles politics?” Obi-Wan asked, through the glowing energy doors. “And he sent you here.”

“I don’t want to talk to you any more,” Maul said. “I’m going to kill you both.”

“And then what?” Obi-Wan replied. “Your Master tells you well done, and you go back into hiding, while the next time you face the Jedi Order we’ll have been preparing for it? What about this is worth it?”

“Revenge!” Maul snarled. “At last, we will get revenge on the Jedi!”

“Revenge for something a thousand years ago?” Obi-Wan asked. “...even Master Yoda isn’t that old.”

He shrugged. “What I’m trying to say is that – are you really getting what you want? Or are you following the orders of your Master?”

“I am trying to meditate, here,” Qui-Gon said, kneeling between two of the force fields.

“It’s still a legitimate question,” Obi-Wan replied. “If at least one of us three does have to die, then don’t we at least all want to know why? Maul’s Master sent him here for something, but we don’t know what. Does Maul know? Or is he just going where he’s sent, into deadly peril, where his Master hasn’t even told him how many Jedi there are?”

He lifted his gaze, to catch Maul’s eye. “Has he been told as little as possible, to make him a weapon instead of a person?”

Maul snarled, then the energy gates began to deactivate.

Maul and Qui-Gon immediately engaged in a duel, and as soon as the gates in front of Obi-Wan deactivated he sprinted forwards.

The last one activated just before he reached it, and he stabbed his lightsaber into the projection systems. The whole laser gate shorted out, and Obi-Wan followed through to join his Master in an attack on Maul – then reached out his hand, suddenly yanking on Maul’s saberstaff with the Force.

That threw the Sith off, and Obi-Wan destroyed the staff in a single blow.

“Sorry,” he said. “That was very Niman of me.”

Maul stared at the two glowing lightsabers pointed at him.

“...Jedi don’t kill prisoners, right?” he asked.

“If you’ve committed any crimes, then that might eventually happen,” Obi-Wan said. “But that would be up to a trial. I don’t actually think you’ve done any crimes except trying to run over Anakin with a swoop bike and one count of assault… so that probably wouldn’t happen, no.”

He glanced at Qui-Gon. “Does that sound right?”

“I’m not even going to interfere here, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon replied. “You’re clearly better at defensive negotiations than me.”

“Defensive negotiations?” Maul asked.

“Negotiations involving Soresu,” Qui-Gon explained.

“In that case…” Maul said, then paused. “I have a new person I want to get revenge on. He’s called Darth Sidious, and he did want a benefit from attacking this wretched place.”

He grinned. “He wanted to be elected Chancellor, using the sympathy for his own planet.”

Obi-Wan made an interested noise.

“Well,” he said. “That’s a very impressive revenge, achieved quickly. My compliments!”

[nuggetpool-hi]

Guess who watched X-Men origins again

OK SO I got THOUGHTS of this movie but specially Wade's fight style because it's really similar to our current Deadpool's fighting style... so yeah I wanna yap about that hi

WELL FIRST OF wanna talk a lil about Victor, Logan and Wade's different styles... from a mortal's view point I am no expert on this just insane about these movies and I need to write my thoughts or i'll explode

Starting with Victor!! the ultimate kittycat girlypop

I love his kitty self I'm sorry ANYWAY EXAMPLES

OKAY SO VICTOR. Victor's style is obviously very animalistic but also stylized, he makes the fight a show for himself! He likes to hunt and he tries to always give chase or play around a bit before the kill, just like a cat playing with his food!

AND IF you pay attention to the start of the movie, this game he's got with his target isn't initially how he fought, he kinda developed it as the years went by and the eviler he got the more he played with his food. The first few wars he goes to he's fighting like a human soldier, then you can see him slip up some animal jumps and uses his claws more until at the end he's full on predator chasing his prey (just like when he captures Scott, my god I love that scene he's terryfing)

AND A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIM AND LOGAN (that I will also talk about later I guess) is that with this play thing Victor has going on it SHOWS that he THINKS about the stragety when fighting, he's aware of his surroundings and his target's strenghs and weaknesses, he's good at coming up with solutions on the spot (see his fight with John, he can predict where he's going to teleport and catch him) and how to give a good chase without losing WHILE LOGAN WELL, at least in this movie he seems very lost when fighting?? he mostly just launches at his target and attacks, if the target runs away he chases, very animalistic but in a feral-based on instincts way... prolly why he coulnt win agaisnt Victor at first, because he was being blinded by his rage while Victor was quite literally playing with him lmao

ANYWAY LOGAN our favorite traumatized babygirl

and boy does he suffer in this one aughh EXAMPLES

Now you must be wondering why did I put the bathroom scene, well I feel like it represents Logan's general situation pretty well! (and its silly let me be), hes confused destroying everything and just keeps making it worse every time he tries to fix it.

The thing about Logan in this movie is that he's honestly just- confused and angry from the moment he killed his father, he runs away over and over again from EVERYTHING and he's constantly being manipulated BY EVERYONE!! Poor man has no idea what to do with himself of who he can actually trust but damn he tries, his enviroment is contantly changing and he's trying his best to adapt but he does it in a messy way.

The way he fights and acts in general is animalistic, yes, but more of the "scared dog attacks" kind of way, he's always acting on his instinct that it's mostly led by anger. When he fights he just throws himself and tries to slash whatever he can, he runs he hides and then when he gets the chance to he attacks again.

He constantly has little to no control of the situtation WHICH IS SPECIALLY SEEN pre-adamantium where he keeps losing to Victor because unlike him- he has no plan, he's being manipulated and kept blind of everything ON PURPOUSE which obviouly puts him in a disadvantage so yeah.

AFTER he gets the adamantium you can see his skills strengen with his knowledge, the more he lears about his situation the more focused he is and his fighting it's cleaner, he still moslty just launches himself head first into fights BUT he's not running away, he's able to evaluate his situation and adapt (See his fight with Gambit, he looks at him when running away and then destroys the stair so Gambit can't run away OR with Deadpool where he decides to gain height as a way to create the space needed to evaluate his enemy?? that one might be a lil bit of a stretch tho)

WADE WILSON THE ULTIMATE CUTIE PRINCESS

let's ignore how dirty they did him ok...

OKAY SO SADLY- The bullet scene is pretty much the only scene where we see him fight and it's honestly not enough to tell how his normal style is BUT I WILL SAY his general style is fancy to look at and scarily effective (which is mostly seen with our current Wade but you can see a bit in origins deadpool) he makes a show for everyone to see, which is also his stragedy to make himself even better at combat! He uses a lot of fancy movements and acrobatics that help him AND takes his enemies off-guard, confusing them as where they should attack or what he's going to hit?? anyway-

Comparison time yippieee THIS IS WHAT THIS POST IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT LMAO

I did not get side tracked idk what you mean.... and now seeing it over and over I'm realizing not that noticeable.... so it's just not that much to talk about oops

LOOK AT THIS WADE, LOOK AT THE MOVEMENTS HE DOES WITH HIS LEGS!! HIS HANDS??? THIS MAN IS SHOWING OFF he's using all kinds of acrobatics and fancy movements while fighting, he attacks with his hands and dodges using mostly his legs, he's using all he has!! and it's making Logan lose BECAUSE LOGAN CAN'T FOCUS!! specially since he's so "target locked will attack", Wade makes it SO HARD for him to focus on a pose long enough to actually stab him also Logan ain't too good at dodging, I'm guessing it could be because he heals? dunno

now what inmediately came to my mind upon rewatch was THIS scene (maybe because I saw it recently who knows)

THE SETTING IS SO SIMILAR!! Wade is using a lot of fancy movements to get up, dodge and attack all way too fast for Logan to process, once again Logan is looking everywhere confused about where to aim bc this silly red guy it's dancing on his face and he's struggling to keep up JUST LIKE IN ORIGINS except well he IS able to get a hit bahah

Dodges like crazy, jumps over Logan (he did in origins too) just moves a lot between every attack

Actually now that I think about it Wade feels a bit less effective in the car, like yes sure he's putting up a good fight but Logan still feels like he's leading it BECAUSE WADE IS MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN HE HAS MORE SPACE!! he likes to be able to move around and do gimnastics while Logan it's a lot better the closer he gets to his target so omg yeah... ALSO LIKE WADE STILL TRIES TO MOVE AROUND he shoves Logan away from him, he gets out of the car choking logan with a seatbelt and gets to the back, he tries to create space because that's where his speciality WHILE LOGAN keeps trying to get closer to have him in his power, which he gets to do since the car isn't allowing Wade to move as freely as he would want to...

AND YOU CAN SEE HIS FANCY MOVEMENTS WITH FRANCIS TOO he's constantly circuling him, dodging and spinning while Francis is just trying to get a hit, Wade keeps his enemies chasing him when he fight THAT'S the way he controls it and gets it wherever he wants aughh

ANYWAY YEAH I think that's it, don't really know how much sense any of this does since I've been writing it on-and off the whole day lmao it's so messy but yeah feel free to add onto it I'd love to see opinions on this wahoo

Might keep talking about stuff I find interesting in the movies bahah this has been funn

[moonselune]

Heyyy, if you're cool with it, could you write how the ladies would actually if Tav took a pretty severe slash/blow for them in battle? Like they're distracted by something else and Tav rushes over, ignoring everything else, and takes the hit for them AND finishes off the enemy to protect the ladies? Bonus points if tav is all bloodied up afterwards and asks the ladies "are you ok? You're not too hurt, are you?" While they're just stood on the verge of passing out lol

ahaha I love this, I may have also slipped in a variation of 'ahahaha ur so pretty don't kys" into it

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Minthara:

The chaos of battle raged around you, the sounds of clashing steel and magical incantations filling the air. Minthara was in the thick of it, her sharp eyes focused on a particularly tough enemy. She didn't see the second attacker closing in from her blind spot, but you did.

Without a second thought, you surged forward, pushing through the pain and exhaustion that already weighed on you. Just as the enemy’s blade swung down, you put yourself between it and Minthara, taking the brutal slash across your chest. Pain flared through your body, but you gritted your teeth and finished off the attacker with a swift, decisive strike.

Minthara turned, her eyes widening as she saw you standing there, bloodied and panting. "Are you okay? You're not too hurt, are you?" you asked, your voice strained but full of concern.

Minthara's usual composed demeanor shattered. Her eyes, wide with shock and fear, darted over your injuries. "Foolish! Why did you do that?" she hissed, her voice trembling. She stepped closer, her hands hovering over your wounds as if she wanted to help but didn't know where to start.

You managed a weak smile, trying to reassure her. "Couldn't let anything happen to you," you said softly.

Her face softened, and she let out a shaky breath. "You… you risked your life for me," she whispered, her voice filled with a mix of awe and frustration. "Stay with me. Don't you dare close your eyes."

Despite the pain, you reached out and took her hand. "I'm not going anywhere," you promised.

Minthara's grip tightened, her fierce determination returning. "Good. Now, let's get you patched up," she said, her voice regaining its strength. She supported you, her touch both gentle and firm, guiding you to safety.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Karlach:

The battlefield was a blur of chaos and bloodshed, and Karlach was in her element, blazing bright as she tore through enemy lines. But in her fervor, she didn't notice the enemy sneaking up behind her with a deadly intent.

You saw the danger and didn't hesitate. Ignoring the pain and exhaustion already gnawing at you, you sprinted towards her, throwing yourself between Karlach and the enemy. The blow hit you hard, a searing pain spreading through your body as you took the brunt of the attack. But you managed to turn the tables and finish off the enemy with a final, desperate strike.

Karlach spun around, her eyes widening in horror as she saw you crumple to the ground, blood pouring from your wounds.

"Are you okay? You're not too hurt, are you?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper as you struggled to stay conscious.

Karlach dropped to her knees beside you, her face a mask of anguish and fury. "Soldier what the hell were you thinking?" she cried, her voice choked with emotion. "You could have been killed!"

You tried to smile, though it came out as a grimace. "Couldn't let anything happen to you," you managed to say, your voice weak but sincere.

Tears welled up in Karlach's eyes, and she cupped your face in her hands, her touch surprisingly gentle despite her strength. "You idiot," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don't you dare die on me."

Despite the pain, you reached up and squeezed her hand. "I'm tougher than I look, babe" you joked, though the effort made your vision swim.

Karlach let out a shaky laugh, brushing a tear from her cheek. "Yeah, you are," she said, her voice softening. "But you're not invincible. Now, let's get you some help." She lifted you with ease, her arms strong and secure around you as she carried you to safety. "Hang in there, love," she murmured, her voice filled with determination. "I've got you. You're going to be okay."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Lae'zel

The battlefield was a chaotic mess of clashing swords and roaring enemies. Lae'zel was fiercely engaged with a formidable foe, her movements a blur of lethal precision. However, she didn’t see the enemy creeping up behind her, poised to strike.

You though noticed the danger and rushed towards her, your instincts overriding any concern for your own safety. You threw yourself in front of Lae'zel, taking the full brunt of the enemy’s slash. Pain exploded through your body, but you gritted your teeth and pushed forward, using the momentum to drive your weapon into the enemy, finishing them off.

As the enemy fell, you staggered, blood pouring from the deep wound in your side. Lae'zel turned, her eyes wide with shock and fury as she realized what had happened. She caught you before you could collapse, her strong arms cradling you gently despite the ferocity of the battle around you.

"Are you ok? You're not too hurt, are you?" you asked, your voice strained with pain.

Lae'zel’s face was a mix of rage and something softer, something she rarely showed. Her hands, usually so strong and commanding, trembled slightly as she held you. "You foolish, brave creature," she growled, her voice thick with emotion. "Why did you do that?"

You managed a weak smile. "I couldn’t let anything happen to you."

Lae'zel's eyes blazed with a mix of pride and frustration. "You are a warrior, and yet you risk yourself for me. Do not do this again." Her voice softened. "Let us get you healed."

With a surprising tenderness, she lifted you up, her usual harsh demeanor replaced by a protective fierceness as she carried you to safety.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Shadowheart:

The battle raged on around you, with Shadowheart casting spells to protect your group and fend off attackers. In the midst of the chaos, an enemy slipped through, raising a weapon to strike her down. She was too focused on her spellcasting to notice the imminent danger.

Without thinking, you threw yourself between Shadowheart and the attacker, the enemy's weapon slicing deep into your flesh. You felt the blinding pain but pushed through, using your remaining strength to dispatch the attacker with a swift, decisive blow.

As the enemy fell, you turned to Shadowheart, blood pouring from your wound. "Are you ok? Please tell me you are not hurt." you asked, your voice weak but laced with concern.

Shadowheart's eyes widened in horror as she took in the sight of your injury. Her usually composed demeanor shattered, replaced by sheer panic and worry. "Oh, gods, what have you done?" she whispered, rushing to your side.

You could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she pressed her hands to your wound, her healing magic flowing into you with an urgency you’d never felt before. "Why did you do that? You should have let me handle it," she said, her voice breaking.

You reached up, cupping her cheek with a trembling hand. "I couldn’t let you get hurt. You're too pretty."

Shadowheart’s tears spilled over and a bitter laugh left her lips as she continued to pour her healing magic into you, refusing to let you go. "You idiot," she murmured, her voice filled with a mix of anger and love. "Don’t you ever do that again."

As the pain began to recede under her healing touch, you gave her a faint smile. "I’ll try not to," you said softly, your eyes never leaving hers.

Shadowheart leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. "I love you,"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Hope you all enjoyed this- let me know what you think - Seluney xoxo

[fangirlstorycreator]

Alastor X Reader

Context: Alastor saves you, and you both, surprisingly grow closer. When you defend him from an old aquatence of his, Alastor's fondness for you grows. But when you find yourself in danger, Alastor will stop at nothing to get you back, especially when your in the hands of one of his enemies...

Contains: Asexual Alastor, Asexual Reader, but romance is involved, swearing, mentions of injury, kidnap, attempted sexual assult, hypnosis, Not for minors

P.S. Anytime you see writing in red, that is when Alastor is speaking with his static demonic radio voice

Part 4/4

"God fucking damn it!! How the fuck did you get past security?!"

"It would appear your attempt to isolate me from Y/N was as weak as you are Vox"

"What happened to my guys? I should have heard gun shots! Why the fuck didn't they kill you?!"

"Your pathetic excuse for security were no match for me and my determination. You have crossed the line Vox. You have taken it upon yourself to do the most unspeakable torture to my darling Y/N, and I will not be leaving this building without her! Now...if you value your existence, you will untie her"

"(Chuckle) Or....."

Vox's eyes flash, and his hand balls into a fist, which makes the cables around you tighten. You wimper in pain, the tighter it gets, the harder it is to breath.

"Maybe, I can kill you now....while Val.....takes his time with her...."

"Untie her now! And if you, Valentino, lay one hand on my lady, I shall see to it, that you will suffer the same fate as Vox!"

"Pfft! I'd like to see you try, bitch!.....Vox.....I wanna play now...."

"Fine, Alastor's MINE!"

Vox charges at Alastor, both turning into their demonic forms before you. Alastor maneuvers around Vox, with the help of his large black tentacles, whipping and slashing at Vox, but he's giving as good as he's getting. It clear they're both just as strong as eachother in this rage filled battle, everything was so fast, you couldn't really tell who was winning, all you could see was blurred colours, and monstrous noises. Even if you wanted to get up, you couldn't. Pain consumed you, and Vox still had power over your binds. But that was the least of your problems, because now Val wanted you. Grabbing you by the throat, he picked you up, holding you close to his face, smiling cruelly.

"My turn now...(chuckles) Oh...the things I'm gunna do to you...."

"I'll never stop fighting back Valentino!"

"......Oh.....I think you will...."

Alastor was pinned up against the wall by Vox, the very same second he witnessed Val forcing his lips onto yours, with his pink saliva.

"NOOO!!"

Alastor pushed Vox back with such ferocity, but Vox wasn't giving up, they continued to fight eachother, but you on the other hand, were in graver danger. Val's saliva had somehow put you into a state of hypnosis. Your mind was blank, you couldn't speak, you were just frozen, unable to move, unable to blink, to do anything.

"That's a good girl.....now...."

He stands, putting you onto your knees before him. Slowly, he unzipped his trousers, staring right into your hypnotized eyes.

"It's time for me to play with you.....and there will be...no...fighting back...."

Again, Alastor caught sight of Val, about to assult you under hypnosis, and that was the final straw. He screeched in his wendigo form at the top of his lungs, black power surged through his body. He pointed his arms towards Vox who was advancing on him, but Alastor's power threw him into the wall, one of his tentacles keeping him there. His other tentacle shot to Val, grabbing him and pulling his away, mere seconds before he was about to assult you. He ties them up, throwing both against the walls, again and again, not stopping until they were both as broken as you were. Panting, and still angry, he drops them both on the floor, grabs unused TV cables, and binds them together to within an inch of their life. Even butter couldn't slip these two out of this tight hold. They were unconscious for now, which meant, finally, Alastor could go to you. His demonic form disappearing the second his hand touched you, you still on your knees, hypnotized.

"Y/N! Y/N! Can you hear me?! Please! Speak to me! Wake up! Come on, come on!"

Still you don't move, frozen like a statue. With Vox now unconscious, his binds on your weren't as tight, and Alastor tore them from your body, allowing you to be free.

"My darling?! Please speak to me!"

Val's saliva was strong stuff, what could get you out of this? Alastor does the first thing that comes to his mind, holds your face tenderly and kisses you. In hopes that it may wake you. And thank god, it did. The second his lips touched yours, you gasp for air! Crying and collapsing in pain in Alastor's arms. He holds you close, delicately turning you so your now lying in his arms, hand gently resting against your face as he looks down on you.

"Oh my darling! I am so so sorry! I came hear as fast as I could! This is all my fault! I promise that noone will ever harm you again! Oh my poor sweet Y/N, your hurt all over. I'm going to keep you safe, I promise. I'm taking you home"

You were in so much pain that even being held so gently in his arms was making you wince. You couldn't control the tears that came, pain in your voice when you spoke to him.

"Alastor, ever-everything hurts! Oh god-it hurts so much Al. Please, please I'm begging you, make it stop, please"

His own eyes watered up, seeing you struggle and begging for help. He gently stroked your cheek, warm eyes looking at yours, trying his best to calm you.

"Shhh shh shh..its alright. Just look into my eyes my darling. I will send you into a sleep, deep enough to temporarily take away this pain. Just look into my eyes...."

Hypnosis must be something most overlords can do, Val did it, Vox did it to Angel, but they did it for bad reasons. Alastor was gently and tenderly looking into your eyes, making you feel like you were floating, the pain slowly drifting away, before passing out against Alastor's chest. He exhaled in relief, thankful you were now safe, and back with him once again. His only priority now, was to get you home and help you heal from all you've suffered. He was very gentle in picking you up, holding you in his arms bridal style, he couldn't keep his eyes off you, resting soundly in his embrace. He was just walking towards the door, when he stopped, hearing Vox coming around.

"Nngghhh? The fuck? Hey, HEY! Where do you think your going asshole?!"

"I am taking my darling lady home. After the torment you inflicted on her, she needs medical attention and emotional support. Your lucky to be alive, she is my priority, if she wasn't, you'd be dead already"

"Like fuck I would be! I'm-fuck! Did you tie me to Val? Let me out and fight me like a man! You fucking coward!"

"You want me to fight like a man? But I am doing what a real man would do. Protecting my lady......and if you ever.....come near her again Vox.......I will see to it that all of pentagram city will witness your agonisingly and very much deserved demise! You can count on that!"

Turning his back on Vox, Alastor walks out of there with you, ignoring anything Vox is saying to get him to come back.

"Your just a stupid hazbin Alastor! I'm stronger and better than you in every way!! I know I am! Get back hear you dick!!"

"Uuhh...my head"

"Val, your awake, good! Get us out of this!"

"Huh? Why have I got to get us out? They're TV cables"

"Yeh, but their broken! I can't use them without a connection. Now come on! Do something!"

"Oh do it yourself you asshole"

"What?!"

"Your the one who got us into this shit show-"

"No! You needed to help me fight Alastor-"

"Don't give me that bullshit!"

They both argue continuously, their voices were still heard at the entrance of the building by Alastor, who simply shrugs, carrying on towards the hotel. Once he arrives, he kicks the door open, carrying you inside. That's when Charlie, Angel and Husk all rush towards him, worried about what has happened.

"Oh god! Alastor! What did they do to her?"

"I'm afraid Charlie, they tortured her beyond comprehension"

Angel tries to apologise again, seeing the state you were in.

"Fuck fuck fuck, she looks so bad! Al I'm so sorry! Please, is there anythin I can do?"

"You can stay out of my way Angel. Last thing I need is you being a danger to her again"

"Alastor, that's not fair! Angel was hypnotised! It's not his fault"

"He failed to protect her Charlie"

"Come on man! Charlie's right I didn't know what I was doin! I tried to help her when I came out of it. Please Al, she's my friend, I wanna help"

"You can help by staying out of my way! Now Charlie, I need to know where the medical supplies are. Y/N is in desperate need"

"Of course, you take her upstairs and me and Husk will bring it up. But Alastor, Angel IS going to help"

"But Charlie, I-"

"He's helping, and that's final!"

It was strange for Alastor to see Charlie be firm, but she was the princess of hell after all. He huffed, not wanting Angel to come, but now he had no choice. Angel followed him to your room, closing the door as Alastor lead you down on your bed.

"Ok Al, what can I do?"

"I suppose, seeing as I'm stuck with you.....Y/N will need ice packs"

"Ok! I've got loads of those in my room, I'll be right back"

Angel's out of there in a flash, he had a little smile on his face too, knowing he can help you. Alastor on the other hand, sat on the bed beside you, resting his hand against your cheek, filled with worry for you. He'd never seen anyone hurt this badly, and the fact that it was you, was far more painful. He hurriedly wiped his tear away when Charlie and Husk came in, bag of supplies in hand.

"A'right. This is all we got. Look, I ain't got no experience with this shit"

"Worry not Husk, I'm sure me and Charlie can take it from hear"

"A'right. Il be downstairs if anyone needs me"

"Thank you Husk!"

Charlie shouts when he leaves. She carries the first aid bags over to the bed, then her and Alastor start to unpack and see what they can use. As they were doing that, Angel comes back with ice packs.

"I got 'um!"

"Splendid. Now leave them hear and get out"

"Alastor..."

Charlie says in a mother like tone.

"Fine. If you could wipe the blood from her face, and apply the ice pack to her black eyes, that should be helpful"

"Ok"

Angel is very delicate when he wipes your face, being careful not to add too much pressure to your swollen eyes. He does that as Alastor and Charlie bandage up and clean the rest of your wounds on your arms, legs, chest and neck area. With their combined team work, you were bandaged up and resting on your bed in a short amount of time. Alastor still never left your side.

"Alright Angel, we've done all we can for now. It's late, we should all get some sleep. Come on, I'm sure Alastor's planning on staying with her tonight"

"That is correct my dear. I will stay until she awakens. And...thank you for your help"

"It's no problem. Goodnight"

They both leave, allowing Alastor to keep an eye on you. Even if he wanted to sleep, he wouldn't be able too. He couldn't stop looking at you, still hurt, but at least you were being cared for now. He closed the curtains, climbed into bed and lead beside you. He knew not to hold you, there were too many injuries you sustained, it would hurt you if he did that. Instead, he gently held your hand, stroking his thumb over your soft skin, not letting you out of his sight. Like hell was anyone going to lay a finger on you again. He stayed like that the whole night and you didn't move a muscle. His hypnosis was gentle compared to Val's, and he did it a certain way to allow you to rest off the pain. So, only when your body started to heal, and the pain had subsided by a large amount, would be when you would start coming out of it. It could be hours, days, even a week. The next day, you and Alastor were still in bed, but you hadn't woken up. Poor Alastor's pillow was wet from his tears, desperately wanting you to open your eyes. He hadn't realised what time it was when a knock came to the door, he was instantly defensive, in his protective mode.

"Who goes there?!"

The door slowly opens, and a flash of pink hair pops in through the doorway.

"It's a'right Al, it's just me. Damn, your demon voice is creepy as fuck"

"Oh.....Angel...."

Angel enters, holding a small trey of breakfast for you and him. Still a little weary of Alastor, he slowly puts the trey on the bedroom table.

"Charlie and Husk made this. Didn't know if you'se was gunna be awake, but they still made it anyway"

"Mm.....tell them I am grateful for their efforts"

"Will do. So uh, how's she doin? Has she woken up at all?"

"No she hasn't. Her body will only awaken when her pain has died down. So I am unsure as to when she will"

"Oh shit, that must be hard for yah. Is there anythin I can do? You want me to watch her so you can have a nap or somethin?"

"You are not watching her. You couldn't protect her from Val and Vox!"

"Oh for fuck sake, this again! I don't know how many times I gotta say I'm sorry! A'right! I feel guilty about that moment everytime I close my eyes!"

"As you should. (Gets up and walks to the balcony, looking out at the city) Y/N is fragile right now, and this wouldn't have happened if not for you"

"You think I don't know that?! (Storms over to Alastor) I hate every second that I work in that god damn studio, every fuckin second! When I get back hear, I feel safe for a short amount of time, it's not a lot, but it's there! And the main reason I feel that may is because of Y/N! Look, I know there's something goin on between you two, and I get that your protective of her. But so am I! You love her as your girlfriend, I love her like a bestfriend! And it kills me knowing that because of me, she's lying there in pain, and possibly traumatized by everything the V's did to her! You can say everything you want to me Al! But no matter what insults or comments you make, nothing even touches the surface compared to the guilt I feel everytime I look at her!"

Alastor is completely silent, never uttered a word when Angel was arguing, and his smile, was small, his eyes were softer. Exhaling, Alastor held onto the balcony rail.

"Your right Angel"

"And another thing! I-w-wait what?"

"Angel....I apologise. I...have been so focused on the situation, that I didn't understand what you had been feeling. I am angry at you, yes. But.....I think that's because I am also......angry at myself"

"Huh? Why?"

"Angel, I was dismissing your feelings about Y/N, upset that you didn't protect her when she needed it, because.........that's exactly what I did..."

"What'cha talkin about Al? You literally barged into the V's tower, beat the shit outta Vox and Val, and brought her home"

"But I did not protect her when they took her. I believe that is why I was being harsh to you. I saw myself in you. I was not there to prevent this, I was not there to stop her being kidnapped. I was projecting onto you, when I was the one who deserved to be punished. You did the same thing as me, and yet you were the one who tried. You tried to stop them at the time........and I wasn't even there......I wasn't there...."

Alastor hid his face in his hand, desperately trying to hide his sadness from Angel, but Angel understood. He knew Alastor wasn't a fan of being touched, but it seemd like he needed some kind of comfort. Reaching his hand over, he just rested it on Alastor's shoulder, no tapping, no rubbing, just kept it there. And Alastor didn't move it, he looked at it touching him, but he didn't move it.

"I get it Al. Both of us made mistakes. But we both did the right thing in the end. I told you and Charlie the truth, and you put yourself in danger to get her back. We've done all we can to help. And if your still angry with me, don't think I won't get away without being punished for it. I know once Val gets me back too the studio, I'll be in for a world of pain"

"Well, it won't be for a while. They're both tied up in that cable pretty tight"

In that moment of silence, they both hear movement from behind them, and it's at that point, when your eyes start to open, coming out of your hypnosis.

"Al! Look!"

"(Gasp!) Oh! Y/N!"

They were both by your side in a heartbeat, Alastor gently helping you to sit up on the bed, one hand resting on your back incase you weren't strong enough.

"Nngguuhh....I don't feel very well....."

"That's normal my dear. You had been hypnotized by two separate beings, that kind of thing can make anyone's body and mind feel strange"

"How uh.....how long was I out?"

"Since yesterday afternoon toots. But it's a'right, your safe back in the hotel now"

"A-Angel? Oh my god, are you ok? I remember what happened when Vox and Val-"

"Hey hey, it's a'right baby, trust me. I just got knocked out that's all. I've been knocked out hundreds of times before. But listen, I am so so sorry I couldn't help yah when all that shit went down. Val wouldn't listen to me"

"It's ok Angel, I understand"

"But it ain't ok babe! I should've-"

"Angel, I remember you begging Val. I remember you saying you'd do anything, and considering the things you've told me that Val does to you, that was an incredibly brave thing to do for me"

"Babe, can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course I do Angel, your my bestfriend"

"I love yah babes"

Angel couldn't help but hug you in appreciation. But, what he didn't realise was that he needed to be gentle with you.

"Hhss! Ouch, careful Angel"

"Oh! Shit! My bad, my bad. Sorry toots"

"It's fine, don't worry. Oh, I will say this though, I feel better than I did before you hypnotized me Alastor"

"I am very glad it worked my dear. The pure distress you were in was impossibly difficult to witness. But, I am very glad you are starting to heal"

You hold his cheek, stroking your thumb over his soft skin, it makes his radio static noise buzz with his beaming smile.

"A'right, I'm gunna leave you guys to it. And I'll let Charlie and the others know your awake. Plus, it'll be fun to tell Pentious and Nifty"

"Why?"

"Cuz they placed bets on when you'd wake up, and it seems Nifty's just lost herself 50 bucks! Aha! I'll see you'se lata'h"

Angel was just about to exit through the door, when Alastor said.

"Oh! Angel, before you leave?"

"Yeh? What's up?"

"This evening I shall be returning to the V's tower, I trust you can stay with Y/N while I'm there?"

"Of course. But, why're yah goin back?"

"Well, I have to make sure Val isn't going to cause you anymore distress when your in his studios. I'll....gently warn him that if you are to come to any harm in his studio, I shall be back for round two"

"Al that's...you ain't gotta do that yah know"

"I know. But you can think of that as my way of apologising to you for my behaviour"

"....Thank you Al.....I really mean it"

"Your welcome"

You were confused when he said that, and the moment Angel left, you questioned Alastor.

"What was that about?"

"Hm? Oh! Yes, I did not inform you of what happened in your absence. (Collects the food trey and places it between you on the bed) You see my dear, when I heard the very unpleasant news of your situation, I found myself in a state of rage. I was furious at Vox and Val taking you, and unfortunately, I let my anger out on Angel. But, as you were resting, we both had a discussion about the event's that took place (hands you a plate of toast) and now we are both comfortable with one another. And as my way of making up for my actions, I will be making sure that no harm comes to Angel at the hands of Valentino"

"Oh god, Val! But Alastor, how are you going to stop Val from hurting Angel? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would listen to a threat"

"Not to worry my dear. Valentino now has first hand experience of what I am capable of. He would be incredibly stupid not to head my warning. I can assure you, Angel will be quite safe now that he has the radio demon looking out for him. So this evening, I will be journeying to their tower, but Angel will be keeping you company. But for now, you have me"

You and Alastor happily ate the breakfast made for you both, feeling safe being back with him and the hotel. After a while, you felt a little tired, and felt the need to lie down.

"Alastor?"

"Yes my darling?"

"I don't suppose...I could ask a favour?"

"Why of course my dear! Anything in hell you want, I can provide"

"Could you.....just hold me for a while? I feel a little tired and....I just want to be in your arms"

"Awww, my sweet darling Y/N. I will hold you till the ends of time if you asked me too"

He kissed you on your forhead as he chuckled, he completely adored you, and your little request was very cute in his eyes. He climbed onto the bed with you and lead down. He gave you plenty of space and time to manoeuvre yourself into his touch, you knew your painful areas, not him. Carefully, you lay your head and hand on his chest, allowing him to put his arm around your back, holding you gently against him.

"Are you comfortable by dear?"

"Yes, thank you"

"You are welcome. Oh, do excuse me, there is something in my pocket that is causing me some discomfort"

Reaching into his trouser pocket, he pulls out the pieces of your radio trinket. You were shocked to see it like that, and wondered what had happened.

"Alastor? What happened to it? Why was it smashed up like that?"

"I am afraid, my dear, that Vox broke it, along with many other things in my room. I believe it was his way of making me angry. But the state of my room was a merely a thought at the back of my mind. Him taking you was the real source of my rage. But you are safe now"

"So your rooms all smashed up? Oh god, that's awful"

"Worry not my darling. Nifty is in there as we speak, working her little magic hands amongst the rubble. And as for this"

Alastor uses his powers to levitate the pieces out of his hand, calling on dark power to swirl around it. It was as if a little green and black tornado was in the palm of his hand. Seconds after these flashes of colour, there, floating above his palm, was the now fixed radio trinket.

"Wow Alastor! I didn't know you could do that"

"Aha, as you well know my dear, I have many abilities. I say? Was that a yawn I just heard? And your poor eyes can barely stay open"

"I'm just a little tired. I have no idea why, I was hypnotised for so long"

"Ah, but hypnosis to help with your wounds is different to getting a restful sleep. You see, your whole body was mending itself, that is what I did when I put you under. But I think you definitely need a real sleep. Would you like me to leave you alone to get some rest"

"No, please don't go"

"Then I shall not. I will hold you as you sleep, and I will not allow anything to harm or disturb you"

"Thank you Alastor"

With a simple snap of his fingers, some peaceful jazz music started to play in the background, it was so soothing. And with the warmth of Alastor's body, the music and him running his fingers through your hair, you fell asleep within minutes. He happily watched over you as you slept so soundly in his arms, still stroking your hair and humming to the music. But what you didn't feel, was him planting a sweet kiss to your forhead.

"Sweet dreams my beautiful darling.................I love you........"

Link to part 1

[mm-lurking]

MAY I REQUEST FOR ANGST POOKS 😘😝 MYBE ABT BRINGING UP THEIR DEAD EX BY ACCIDENT DURING AN ARGUEMENT? THERES RARELY ANY ANGST IM GETTING MAD 👹

I saw your ask at 11 pm and something about the way you wrote your request made me giggle so hard idk why 🤣 Since you demand angst I shall give it to you. You’re my first ask btw so thank you very much! 

I’m not sure which character you wanted me to write for so I’m going to go for Blade and Aventurine. Though feel free to send me specific characters through the ask again!

Warnings: no fluff at all, pure angst, fem! reader and ex, reader has no chill running her mouth, Aventurine’s kinda feels ooc sorry about that WC: 1881

Blade

You were a hair’s breadth away from being gravely injured. If it weren’t for Blade’s interruption you would have been Antimatter Legion dinner tonight. In your eyes you weren’t in that much danger, you knew you could handle it on your own but in Blade’s eyes, it was just another flashback to how he lost her. It felt frustrating to watch him downplay your capabilities, it's not like you were some weak damsel in distress. There was a reason your relations with the Stellaron Hunters had lasted as far as it had; you were good at wielding your weapon and making good use of the enemy’s weaknesses. Sure there were moments when you were in trouble but you never really got to live the thrill of it because Blade would always step in to help you even when you didn’t ask for it. 

You loved him dearly and appreciated his assistance but just for this instance, you wanted to deal with things by yourself. Ultimately your agitation got the best of you and so now here you were with your arms crossed, glaring at Blade after the enemy was taken care of.

“Have you always been this foolish?”

You stare at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, questioning his audacity of insulting you like this.

“Excuse me?”

“You could have gotten hurt.”

He says matter-of-factly and you feel your jaws clench at the way he speaks to you.

“Blade I am fully capable of looking after myself! I need you to stop interrupting my fights!”

“If I didn’t that Antimatter Legion pawn would have sliced your head off your shoulders.”

“And how the hell do you know that was going to happen?! I could have fought it easily if it weren’t for you!”

He turns around and looks at you with cold eyes which make you flinch momentarily.

“You overestimate yourself.”

“I do not! I have worked relentlessly on my skills! I know what I can handle or what I can’t! You just never allow me to prove it!”

“You are a fool. I do not need to see you pushed to your limits to acknowledge your skills.”

“Then why the hell won’t you let me do what I want?!”

You both argue back and forth with neither of you backing down. Blade speaks calmly, just as he always has but with slight frustration whereas you on the other hand are full-on yelling and boiling over to the point of rage. He takes a deep breath and continues.

“I am just looking out for you-”

“I am not weak like Chun. Stop treating me like I am.”

You almost immediately regret it the moment those words leave your mouth. Your words are sharp and bitter, and pierce his heart like a blade slashing through flesh. His eyes are ablaze with fury and pain and the way his jaw clenches is enough to let you know you have overstepped your boundary.

Chun was his first love. She was a good woman with a kind heart, and despite how odd she looked amongst the Stellaron Hunters, they welcomed her as long as it made Blade happy. But in a world full of evil, being kind is a weakness and ultimately she met her end in the hands of an enemy during heated negotiations. For the one whose life was already cursed by immortality, he took her death hard and swore never to love again, for he couldn’t bear to witness yet another loved one depart for the nth time in his long life. His already broken heart took ages to heal and by the time you crossed paths with him, he was still grieving over her. You knew this very well because it was you who assured him that history wouldn’t repeat itself with you. It was you who helped him heal further and gave him the confidence to open his heart up once more to you. You knew what she meant to him because he had been honest with you about his past yet-

“Blade I-”

-here you were driving the very knife you had taken out of him so lovingly back into his heart in full force. He looks at you with so much despise and agony that your heart hurts knowing you are the cause for it. A blade being stabbed over and over into his body hurt, but those wounds always healed after a while. Yet the wound your words had caused was one that no medication could fix. Your throat tightens and you want to reach out to him and hold him but you stay glued to your feet.

“We don’t need to be around each other anymore.”

Despite the torment he feels, he looks straight into your eyes and monotonously speaks. There is not even a single moment spared for you to reply as he walks out of the room and slams the door shut, indicating he is done with you. The door closing was not just the end of the argument you both were having, it was also the end of what you were to each other. You stand there rooted to the ground as tears sting your eyes. Why did you have to be like this?

Aventurine

“Aventurine I swear to god I am not playing your petty games again.”

You angrily huff as you cross your arms and glare at Aventurine with disapproval. The audacity of this man was truly something, especially at a time like this. You both were stuck in an interesting situation, where Aventurine had made a gamble with an enemy territory and he wanted you to be part of it. More precisely, he wanted to turn you into his bargaining chip for a while. There was one tiny problem. He wasn’t asking for your approval, he had already made the deal.

“The table has already been set, friend. You just have to play your role real well.”

Your jaw hangs low when you realise what he has done. 

“Aventurine don’t tell me….”

“They have decided to ask for you in exchange of information. Do not worry, I will find a way to-“

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence as a loud slap resonates across the room. You stare at him in disbelief with tears welling your eyes, unable to process what he has done. A shaky sigh leaves his mouth and he stares at you, bewildered by your behaviour.

“It hasn’t even been a full week since we finished another deal and you want me to jump head-on into another one?!”

“Was there a need to slap me like this? If you’re forgetting, friend, you agreed to help me out on these deals regardless of the risk. Or should I have the doctor examine your memory?”

“Aventurine I agreed to help you out, not be used however you please! You could have at least asked me first before making the deal!”

You rub your temples and rethink the entire situation through. Your relationship with Aventurine was compatible due to one simple fact: you both loved taking risks. The thrill of the gamble and the adrenaline of waiting for the results kept you both alive. It was the drug you both needed in this cruel unjust world.

But this, this was different. This wasn’t just any gamble and it wasn’t a small one either. Being traded off to the enemy territory for a few weeks was no easy task and you have no idea what the hell Aventurine was thinking. In your last deal, you barely made it out alive as the tables turned against your favour. It was a miracle your assets weren’t taken and that you weren’t killed in the process.

“…I promise you will be fine, friend.”

Tears sting your eyes and you try to take a deep breath. 

“How can you be so sure?”

“The gaiaithra triclops blesses me abundantly. We will not lose.”

“Is that what you said to Lilac as well before her demise?”

You hear how his breath hitches in his throat at the mention of Lilac. He coughs a little and then stares at you with a look you cannot decipher.

“Do not bring her up.”

His voice is a mere whisper and you know you’re crossing some lines already. Yet you don’t stop there. You jab your right index finger into his chest with every word you speak.

“I don’t know what’s worse, being a gambling chip on purpose or being a gambling chip unknowingly, like she was.”

He grips the hand you have on his chest tightly. You can’t help but wince a little at how he’s looking at you with red eyes filled with regret and anger. He tries to speak but you cut him off.

“Was losing her not enough to learn your lesson? Or do you turn everyone you love into pawns of your game?”

“You’re crossing the line now.”

He warns and you shake your head.

“You treat everyone like an asset, even the ones who truly love you without any hidden agenda. No wonder you couldn’t save Lilac-“

“Enough!”

Before you can process what is going on Aventurine pulls out a gun from his inner coat pocket and shoots a random vase on the table behind you. The bang of the gun and the loud shattering of the ceramic into pieces makes you jump and shake a little. He then shifts his gaze on you and lets your hand go before issuing his warning.

“…you need to leave. Leave before I accidentally hurt you.”

“I-“

“I said leave!”

He points the gun at you. His hand is shaking in a manner you have never seen before and you can tell he doesn’t want to do this but you’re giving him no choice. You stare at him for a moment and nod your head before scurrying away.

Once you’re out of his sight he plops onto the nearest sofa and drops his gun. It lands with a loud thud as he puts his head into his hands and shakes visibly. Flashbacks of that dreaded day start to play over and over in his head and he clenches his teeth as a tear rolls down his eye.

Lilac was a woman he met during one of his travels as an IPC stoneheart. They got along pretty well and eventually fell in love. A few years ago, Aventurine asked her for help during a deal he made and she agreed only for the other party to target her as leverage against Aventurine. He still remembers the pain in her eyes as she looked at him, confused and hurt from how she became the target. He remembers holding her in his arms apologising over and over for his lack of foresight, unable to figure out where he went wrong.

It was the first and last deal he ever lost. And now you, his new partner after several hard years of grief, were bringing up old wounds that never healed. Gaps of his heart that nothing would ever fill. Another tear rolls down his eye as he grits his teeth further. Had he known you would bring her up like this, he would have never told you about her. It’s always the closest ones that hurt you the most. ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ©mm-lurking 2024 do not copy, steal or reuse my work.

[tojisprettylittlething]

Chapter Five: A Gun Between Us (barely)

Pairing: Assassin!Toji Fushiguro x Assassin!Reader

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Fighting, Guns, Knives, Blood, Choking, Sexual Tension, Enemies-to-something-worse, Energy, Power Struggles, Psychological Warfare, Power Struggles, Weak Spot Exploitation

Masterlist

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

chpt. one - chpt. two - chpt. three - chpt. four - chpt. five - chpt. six - chpt. seven - chpt. eight - chpt. nine - chpt. ten - chpt. eleven - chpt. twelve - chpt. thirteen - chpt. fourteen - chpt. fifteen

You knew he saw you.

You felt it—a shift in the air, a pull against the back of your spine like a thread being tugged too hard.

Toji Fushiguro was watching.

Even as you slipped through the crowd, weaving between glittering dresses and expensive suits, you knew. Even as you dipped into the shadows, disappearing into the night like a ghost, you knew.

And yet, you still weren’t fast enough.

The moment your heels hit the alleyway pavement, you felt it—danger curling around your throat like a noose.

Then—

A hand, rough and fast, snatched you by the wrist.

Your back slammed against the brick wall.

Hard.

Air shot from your lungs, sharp and burning, but you had no time to recover because there he was.

Towering. Dark. Eyes cutting through the night like a blade.

Toji.

His hand was still wrapped around your wrist, pressing it against the brick. His other hand, warm and unforgiving, landed on your throat.

He didn’t squeeze.

Not yet.

But the message was clear.

"You shouldn’t have done that," he murmured, voice low, nearly drowned out by the city hum.

You tilted your chin, barely winded. "Done what?"

His grip tightened—not enough to choke, just enough to warn.

Your lips curled. "What’s wrong, Toji? Didn’t like the show?"

His jaw twitched. "Didn’t like the mess."

You laughed. Even with your back against the wall, even with his palm pressing against your throat, you laughed.

"You didn’t like the mess?" you mocked, voice dripping in amusement. "Now that’s funny. You don’t seem like the type to care about a little blood—even though there wasn't any..."

Toji exhaled sharply through his nose. "Depends on whose hands it’s on."

Something flickered in his gaze, something deep and unreadable.

You ignored it.

"You’re not a cop," you murmured. "And you’re sure as hell not a hero." Your lips barely moved. "So tell me, Toji—why do you care?"

Silence.

A charged, razor-sharp silence.

Then—

He slammed you against the brick again.

Once.

Twice.

As if to make a point.

Your head snapped back, pain sparking through your skull, but you still chuckled, breathless, eyes half-lidded.

"You’re pretty when you’re angry," you whispered.

And that was it.

His grip on your throat flexed, his knuckles white. Your lungs burned, but the fire in your veins roared hotter.

So you moved.

Fast.

Your knee shot up—aiming for his ribs. He dodged, but it was enough for you to shove against his chest, slipping from his grip.

You didn’t run.

You fought.

Toji barely had time to recover before you were on him.

A punch—he blocked.

A kick—he caught.

And then—

You pulled your knife.

The silver glinted under the dim alley lights, deadly and beautiful.

Toji’s smirk widened. "Now we’re talking."

Then he moved.

Faster than you expected.

You slashed—he dodged. You struck—he countered.

A game of speed.

A game of skill.

And god, it was a dance—one neither of you wanted to lose.

Then, suddenly—

His hand wrapped around your wrist again.

A twist.

A pull.

The knife clattered against the pavement.

Before you could react, he had you again—this time, spun around, chest pressed against your back.

His breath was hot against your ear. "You’re good."

You smirked. "I’m better."

Then—

You threw your head back, slamming it into his nose.

Toji grunted—a deep, sharp sound of pain—but his grip didn’t loosen.

So you spun again.

This time, your fist landed clean against his jaw.

His head snapped to the side, but instead of anger—

He laughed.

A dark, knowing laugh.

"You’re crazy," he muttered, running his tongue over his teeth.

You grinned. "And you like it."

Another pause.

Another silence.

But this one—

This one was different.

Because in the middle of a dark alley, with adrenaline in your veins and blood on your hands, you realized something.

The gun between you wasn’t the most dangerous thing here.

It was the way he looked at you.

Like he knew you.

Like he wanted you.

Like maybe—just maybe—he wouldn’t mind losing.

But...

The fight should’ve ended by now.

Any other opponent, any other place, and you would’ve already walked away—victorious, alive, and with no loose ends.

But Toji wasn’t just any opponent.

And he sure as hell wasn’t a loose end.

No, he was a problem. A massive, smug, frustrating problem.

Your breathing was heavier now, not out of exhaustion but out of something worse—agitation. He was quick. Too quick. Strong, experienced, impossible to shake.

But so were you.

That was the problem.

Two immovable forces.

Two people who didn’t know how to back down.

Except—

Toji was about to prove otherwise.

He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders like this was a fucking warm-up. Blood dripped from his lip where you’d split it, but he just wiped it away with the back of his hand, grinning.

"You getting tired, sweetheart?" he taunted, voice dark and amused.

"Not a chance," you spat.

His smirk widened. "Good."

Then he lunged.

Faster than you expected.

Your body barely reacted in time—ducking, dodging, countering. You threw a punch—he caught your wrist. You twisted—he anticipated it.

The momentum shifted.

Suddenly, he wasn’t just fighting.

He was hunting.

You barely had time to think before he struck.

A brutal, devastating hit—aimed not at your body, not at your strength, but at something much worse.

Your weak spot.

And the bastard knew exactly where it was.

Your ribs.

Old injury. Years ago. A mission gone wrong—one that left a fracture that never quite healed right.

You covered it well. Trained harder, masked the discomfort, made sure no one would ever know.

But Toji?

He knew.

You didn’t know how, you didn’t know when he figured it out—but the moment his fist drove into your side, precise and merciless, you realized something terrible.

Toji had been playing with you.

The pain was immediate. Sharp, sickening, paralyzing. Your vision flickered white for half a second, breath ripping from your lungs in a choked gasp.

And he saw it.

Felt it.

Exploited it.

The next thing you knew, your back hit the pavement. Hard.

Toji was above you before you could react, knee pressing into your side—right where he struck.

You bit back a cry.

But he saw that, too.

A low chuckle left his lips, dark and triumphant. "There it is," he murmured.

You hated him.

You hated him because he wasn’t just stronger—he was smarter. Calculated. Vicious in a way that made you want to claw his throat out.

His face hovered inches from yours, breath fanning over your lips. "Go on," he taunted, voice low. "Get up."

You tried.

God, you tried.

But the pain anchored you down, and Toji just watched—like a cat playing with its prey.

"See, sweetheart," he murmured, pressing down just a little harder—just enough to make your nails dig into the pavement. "You might be good."

His lips brushed the shell of your ear.

"But I’m better."

And you—

You knew it.

For the first time, you knew it.

Because Toji Fushiguro had just done the one thing no one had ever done before.

He made you give up.

You weren’t used to this feeling.

This helpless, breathless, burning rage in your chest.

It was humiliating.

You had fought men twice your size. You had taken down warlords, corrupt officials, rival assassins with reputations that made grown men cower. You had survived gunfire, knife wounds, explosions—things that should’ve killed you.

But here you were.

On your back.

Toji fucking Fushiguro above you.

Your ribs screamed under the weight of his knee, every breath an agony you refused to show.

He knew he had you.

And worse—he was enjoying it.

"Nothing to say now?" His voice was all smug amusement, as if he was waiting for you to crack, to finally admit what he already knew.

That he won.

You clenched your jaw so tightly your teeth ached. Every part of you screamed to keep fighting, to shove him off, to rip his fucking throat out with your bare hands.

But you couldn’t.

Not now.

Not like this.

He had you exactly where he wanted, and you fucking hated him for it.

"You’re quiet," he mused, pressing down just a little more—just enough to make your breath stutter. "That’s not like you, sweetheart."

Your nails dug into the pavement, rage simmering, burning, scorching.

And then—

He moved.

Just like that.

The weight lifted.

The pressure eased.

He was getting up.

Sparing you.

You wanted to lunge for him the moment he stepped back, but your ribs screamed in protest, your body betraying you.

Toji towered over you, green eyes gleaming in the dim light, the ghost of a smirk still playing at his lips.

He had you beat.

And now, he was walking away.

Like it was nothing.

Like you were nothing.

"Next time," he said, voice lazy and amused, "try not to be so predictable."

You swallowed every insult, every curse, every furious, hate-filled word that threatened to spill out.

You refused to give him the satisfaction.

Instead, you stayed there, seething, burning, watching as he turned, hands stuffed in his pockets, sauntering off like this was just another night for him.

Like you weren’t even worth finishing off.

It was worse than defeat.

It was dismissal.

It was indifference.

And you—

You fucking hated him.

My lil taglist ₍₍ ◝(　ﾟ∀ ﾟ )◟ ⁾⁾ : @t4naiis - @crimsonxm00n -

[blingblong55]

Perception- 141 x M!Reader

Based on a request

M!Reader, angst, mentions of blood,

The Gulag was the government agency in charge of the Soviet network of forced labour camps 

You are a well known member of Task Force 141. Although on field you are known for being the violent and viscous way you fight enemy soldiers, many on base don't really mind calling you names. In a way, you have become the freak of base. Ghost himself fears you at times, mainly because he has see you kill men with your bare hands and act as if it was nothing. He has seen the blood of the enemy dripping from your body and how you act as if it was normal. The team has so much respect for you though, they understand you are there for the mission, that you'd kill if it means to reach the goal.

Nothing really stands in your way when it comes to combat. But before you had become the man you are known as today, you were normal. A man of honour, never wanting to hurt anybody, no matter the circumstances.

----

What changed you, was 12 years ago, you were 2 years into your service when in a mission you were captured. Although the Soviet Union had fallen, Russia still held prisoners in infamous Gulag. You and a few of the other men who were also captured were tortured. Day and night was a living hell. The conditions were always horrible, men dying ever other hour due top weather and physical strength.

One night, you and three other men tried to escape, but because of a guard dog, you all failed. You fought back though, kicking, scratching and punching the guards. When one of the men saw you fight, he knew where they'd send you to next.

"глупый гребаный человек, думает, что может убежать от нас." a soldier spoke, some laughed as the other beat you senseless. They had broken your old self to the point that you just didn't care how you survived. For three hours straight every soldier that wanted to, would go and kick you, punch or even throw rocks at you.

Sometimes at night when you feel your most vulnerable, you feel for the cigar burns they left around your body. At times, you look in the mirror when you are shirtless, the deep scars that were scattered all over your body. Each touch took you back to the three years you were held in.

The winters were unbearable, at times, some of the men that would sustain injuries would die or have body parts be amputated. Others also died from hyperthermia, and somehow you survived the easy deaths.

On the night they sent you to a new part of the camp, they made sure to tattoo a symbol on your chest. A large skull a sword that pierced the top of it. All the prisoners were in cages, it ranged from the smallest of men to the biggest of all. You were well in your early 20's, so your shape was not so bad, even after all the days you spent without eating.

Once they clothed you properly, they threw you and a few other men into the fighting area/stage. Rich people watched from the stands as you all looked at them, you were all new. No one knew what the hell you were thrown in for.

Until you spotted the tools for fighting. And eerie sound came from speakers, the crowd clapped and cheered as soon as the prisoners started to fight each other. You, with some luck held a small dagger, a man much smaller than you sprinted to you, a sword on his hand.

If this was the way of getting out might as well fucking fight, you thought. You quickly dodged the man and soon stood behind him, you slashed his throat and took the sword from him. For hours on end, the smallest and even biggest of men fell to their demise. Blood was soaking the floor beneath you. Only 10 men survived from 50. You being lucky number 3.

And for many nights the routine was the same. Get beaten to sleep, trapped into a cage and wake up early, eat little to nothing and by sundown fight for your life.

In your time of fighting, you learned a few tricks, go for both weak and big. You did things you aren't proud to ever admit. You killed more men than any of the task force ever dared to do.

One night as you slept another prisoner escaped his cage, you woke up to being held by a knife at your throat.

"ты убил моего гребаного брата" the man spoke. (Translation: you killed my fucking brother)

"этот слабый ублюдок на это наткнулся" you answered coldly. (Translation: this weak bastard stumbled upon it)

"Я убью тебя" (Translation: I'll kill you)

"Нет, если я убью тебя первым" and thats when you grabbed the knife from him, stabbing him in the eye and then his throat. Before the guards came, you threw the night far from your cage and pretended to sleep. (Translation: Not if I kill you first)

----

You still have nightmares about it, but they aren't ever too bad. This mission that you were on though was a hard one. You and the rest of your team were captured. Price took the situation under control, trying to make negotiations with the enemy. In your years since being freed from the gulag, you hadn't spoke Russian or even heard it until tonight.

"Говорю тебе, сегодня вечером мы договоримся об этом, а завтра они проснутся мертвыми." the soldier said from the other room. (Translation: I'm telling you, we'll settle this tonight, and tomorrow they'll wake up dead.)

Your blood ran cold. Your breathing started to get out of control, you looked around the room, none of the other men knew what they had said. Gaz was the one who noticed your shift in behaviour, "Mate, whats wrong?" he whispered which caused all the other to look at you.

"I won't die, not by fucking Russians." your hands slowly shaking, you tried to steady your breathing, and thats when you realised you were back in a cage. You knew you were trapped, but it was as if you were young again, fighting every night for a spot to live.

"What does that mean?" Soap asked.

"Nothin'" you answered. You have to escape, you can't live like that anymore. You looked around the room and saw a poster, the same kind that was at every fight. You started to feel dizzy, and thats when Ghost noticed it, you were having a panic attack.

"Price, we have to get him out, now."

One look at Price understood why, Ghost shifted closer to you, he positioned himself in a way that would help him rub your back.

"s'alright mate, I won't let that shit happen twice." Ghost knew about what happened to you years ago, he accidentally found the files Laswell and you worked hard to bury. But not once did he push to know more, at times when you felt comfortable, you would open up, and he'd listen to the stories of those days.

But you couldn't listen, you didn't really understand the words that came out of his mouth when he tried to reassure you. Your hands digging at your skin, trying to feel your skin brought some good.

"Gaz, you untie me, and I'll untie you." Price ordered, soon the two men were up. They untied Soap, who untied Ghost. And he knew you best, so he opted to untie you once the Russians were taken down.

And once your eyes met Price, Ghost and Gaz untied you, Soap holding close as they all comforted you. Your breathing was starting to go back to normal. But still, the memories and the horror that place brought you were no fun.

The constant nights where you wished to just end your life, that maybe I'd be best if you die by your own hands and not by someone else's, especially not in front of the all the wealthy people who would watch the fight as if it was a sport.

The memories will forever stick to you and the regret you carry is who makes you the soldier you are today.

-----

A/N: I wanted this to be longer, but my ideas ran out, sorry

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Tags: @xweirdo101x

[obscured-everything]

​​OBSCURA trailer analysis & theories

The OBSCURA trailer is very pretty (watch it if you haven’t already <3) and is also full of interesting symbolism and snippets of Latin. In this post I’m going to be manually translating and providing notes on the Latin, as well as discussing what the numbers mean and giving my own plot speculations. SPOILERS for OBSCURA’s Chapter 1 with every love interest. 

I’m going to be working with the theory that the numbers correspond to the Major Arcana in a Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck. I’ll be pulling tarot card information from A.E. Waite’s 1910 book ‘The Pictorial Key to the Tarot’, where he discusses the symbolism of the images in the cards and provides divinatory meanings. 

Shoutout to @/starlitmanta and @/mostlygayrage for posting their own analyses before me! I got inspired by both of them to both write down my thoughts and then actually finish the post after leaving it for months lol. @/mostlygayrage has some interesting stuff on the imagery and also delved into the Latin! Although he took it as one sentence which I won’t be doing – I’m going to take the double forward slashes as an indication of a break. 

Disclaimer that I haven’t formally studied Latin in years so if there are any errors feel free to point it out in the notes! 

Cirrus

18. Presbyter // Ecclesiae lunaris XVII: The Moon. Priest // Lunar churches 

18. Obsequium // ducit ad caelum Obedience // he leads to heaven TL notes N/A Tarot meaning To quote Waite, “The moon is increasing on what is called the side of mercy… the path between the towers is the issue into the unknown. The dog and wolf are the fears of the natural mind in the presence of that place of exit, when there is only reflected light to guide it…the message is: Peace, be still; and it may be that there shall come a calm upon the animal nature...” 

Upright: Hidden enemies, danger, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error. Reversed: Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error. Speculation I think we can all agree that Cirrus is not trustworthy, hence danger, deception, occult forces etc. Nevertheless, Vesper (if you’ve got a good ending, at least) puts great degrees of trust in him. ‘A calm upon the animal nature’ calls to mind his odd ability to influence Vesper’s choices and force them into saying ‘yes’, but I also thought it might reference something about Vesper putting aside their instinctive reservations about Cirrus’ suspicious character to follow him into an unknown future. 

Leading to heaven is, to me, a bit double-edged; it could mean death or paradise. Very fitting, I think. 

Keir

20. Keir // Cavillatur fur XX: Judgement. Keir // Mocking thief 

20. Fatum // vestrum vel extraneus [Destiny / (calamitous) death] // yours or a stranger TL notes I’m inclined to believe that Keir’s name being his plain name rather than an epithet is probably just part of his blunt kind of character, and ‘mocking thief’ is probably related to his personality too. Also, there is another piece of Latin on that first screen – ‘cultellus’, which means ‘dagger’ and points downwards towards where his dagger is held. Also, ‘fatum’ is a very interesting word in that it carries an intriguing potential double meaning. Tarot meaning Upright: Change of position, renewal, outcome. Reversed: Weakness, pusillanimity, simplicity; also deliberation, decision, sentence. Speculation Waite’s initial discussion of Judgement is very Biblical which I doubt has much to do with OBSCURA’s use of it. I do think the divinatory meanings are very interesting – I think that at a good/best end of Keir’s route, he’ll be able to come out on top and secure a good and/or stable future for himself and/or Mouse Hole. 

My current theory is that, since we have had mentions of Keir and Oleander in each others’ routes, that they have direct effects on each others’ fates. This fits with ‘yours or a stranger’ of course, but also the double-edged ‘destiny or (calamitous) death’ – I’ll speculate more in Oleander’s route, but I think he and potentially most of Mouse Hole will not fare well if Vesper picks Oleander. 

I’m interested in why his dagger was explicitly pointed out and labelled. I’m kind of shooting in the dark here but I think it’ll be significant in the future – either as a symbol of his history (specifically with Oleander, perhaps?) or as a plot device of some sort. 

Oleander

11. Nerii // Periculosum scurra XI: Justice. Of oleander // Dangerous clown 

11. Patiuntur // sicut habes They are suffering // just like you are TL notes More technically, ‘nerii’ is the genitive of ‘nerium’, which means oleander. This makes sense to me when I think about how he’s had a history of changing names – he’s moreso embodying the qualities of oleander (a pretty but dangerous plant) rather than taking it as a definitive name. 

‘Patiuntur’ is in the plural, and suffering might be a strong word depending on how you look at it – the original word is like enduring through something difficult or unpleasant. Tarot meaning Waite basically says that the card has ‘obvious meanings’ so I don’t think I need to look too closely into it. 

Upright: Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph of the deserving side in law. Reversed: Law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity Speculation The second half of the second piece of Latin, ‘sicut habes’, is in the second-person and I’m assuming that this is meant to address Vesper/MC. Maybe Oleander is also looking for something that he can’t find or afford, although the plural throws me off a bit if that’s the case. Maybe it’s referencing Oleander’s previous Vigils (since Vesper is currently holding that position, ‘just like’ they have) or something…? 

Now, here is my plot theory which may or may not be insane. We know that Oleander has committed murder, and was very blasé about it; presumably he’s done this sort of thing before. We know that in his route, Keir has been alluded to, Griff has shown up and Keir is presumably going to show up at some point. I think that Oleander’s involvement with Keir is going to end very poorly for Keir, even leading to the calamity insinuated in Judgement. Specifically, I think that Oleander and Keir are going to be caught up in a serious crime and Keir is going to take the fall, leading to a permanent end for him (death, probably) and the following collapse of Mouse Hole. Oleander will get off lightly or scot-free (Justice’s ‘triumph of the deserving side in law’, ‘deserving’ as opposed to Keir who is indisputably a criminal and receives ‘excessive severity’). 

This could be from Keir and his group failing the burglary since Vesper isn’t there to cover for the injured lookout, or it could be something else that brings in the dagger which was pointed out in Keir's portion of the trailer. I’m thinking murder, honestly. 

Francesco

10. Franciscum // innocentes nobiles X: Wheel of Fortune. Francisco // innocent nobles 

10. Tempus // decurrit Time // runs out TL notes Grammatically, ‘Franciscum’ is in the accusative (the case used to mark the ‘object’ on which a verb acts). This could be a stylistic thing or it could allude to how he’s being ‘acted upon’ by whatever power/influence his family have. 

‘Decurrit’ is literally ‘runs down’ which fits with the hourglass imagery, but I imagine that the spirit of the phrase is ‘runs out’ especially since his route already alludes to that. Tarot meaning To quote Waite, “the symbolic picture stands for the perpetual motion of a fluidic universe and for the flux of human life … the essential idea of stability amidst movement. Behind the general notion expressed in the symbol there lies the denial of chance and the fatality which is implied therein.” 

Upright: destiny, fortune, elevation, luck, felicity. Reversed: increase, abundance, superfluity. Speculation I think that at some point within Francesco’s route, his family is going to be further involved. I assume that these are the ‘innocent nobles’, which makes me think that whatever state or situation that they find Francesco in won’t be very innocent at all. Alternatively, it could be that his family is more innocent/harmless than they present themselves as – depending on circumstance, this could be a big win for Vesper or a big loss because they don’t have the family backing that they thought they did. 

The Wheel of Fortune carries connotations of luck and change in fortune. I assume that Vesper provides Francesco with some degree of ‘stability amidst movement’ and that any ‘denial of chance’ involves Francesco leaving the marketplace and returning to the very clearly mapped out future that his family has for him, thus leading to a bad end. ——————————

Thanks for reading to the end!

[imaginedanvrs]

i've been thinking about lovers to enemies with natasha so... enjoy??

warnings: smoking, extreme mental health issues, violence, murder, reader is not okay, implied major character death

“You’re smoking again.” Her voice always had a way of piercing through the background, unable to ever be overshadowed by the endless hustle of the city. You barely spare her a glance as you take another drag, but you know that she’s reluctant to take her observing eyes off of you and onto the collection of bodies across the alley. You’re too far past the point of predictability for her to be sure she won’t join them. 

  She’s more skilled than you, but you always had an edge that was left unchecked and has now become something she never believed it could. She underestimated you and you can’t blame her. Your old self would have been horrified to witness the ceremonious snap of your sanity. 

  “Backups on the way,” she informs as she approaches. She keeps her distance, but she wants to see you. The orange glow of your cigarette does nothing to illuminate your features. It’s difficult when the city casts enough shadows to protect you, however it can’t prevent the life that infests it from interfering. 

  A taxi speeds past the alleyway too suddenly to shine a light on most. Natasha only sees it because you were momentarily looking her way, though it's enough. Enough for her to catch your grey eye, drained of its colour and life since that night you were slashed across the face. You had told her once that it allowed you to see the world more distinctly than ever. That was the first time you turned the blade on your lover, adamant that you were saving her. 

  “Let me help you,” she offers, cursing herself for being too struck on your face that she hadn’t used the second of light to identify your weapon of the night. 

  “You don’t know how,” you tell her. Your voice has changed over the years. Maybe it’s the smoke you inflate your lungs with. Or maybe you really are a different person. “Only I know how to help,” you correct her, crushing the cigarette beneath your boot and taking the slim knife from your belt. 

  “You’re not well, y/n.” This angers you, greatly. 

  You lunge at her, blade gleaming with the blood of those that now serve as obstacles that lie in the way of doing what you have to. It’s for her own good. “I want to save you,” you tell her as she blocks your repeated strikes but never offers her own. You’ve improved since you used to train together. The ruthlessness you possess makes her anxious that she won’t be able to handle you before the agents arrive. They’ll handle you in the way she can’t bear to. Unfortunately, you don’t make it easy for her. 

 You dance in a sinister ballet for some time before you take the final leap of the grande show and slam Natasha to the floor. You beam as she struggles beneath you because you’re just so happy to finally be able to do this for her. You can give her the ultimate display of love - setting her soul free. 

  “Don’t do this,” she pleads with you but your mind has been set for years. 

  “I love you.” You're pressing the blade into her neck, only restricted by all of the strength Natasha is using to suppress your own. “I’ll see you wherever we end up next. It will be so much nicer,” she recognises this voice. It’s the one that used to come over you when you would hold each other during those unforgiving winters. It’s a voice that promises protection, but the person it embodies doesn’t understand that concept anymore. 

  You never get to deliver your final act of service to the love of your life. You're interrupted by a blazing heat erupting in your chest and a kind of weakness you haven’t felt in a long time. Instead of throwing you off of her, she coaxes you onto your back and offers words of comfort to your confused features. 

  You don’t know what’s happening, but you think there’s a chance you’re about to experience what you wanted to provide the redhead your heart had always yearned for. Perhaps it made sense that it would cease for her too.

[theleechyskrunkly]

An Unbecoming Friendship

I recommend listening to Ma Meilleure Ennemie!! Since this friendship was thought of while listening to that very song!

Adding on to some more Álvaro lore from the Discord server, because almost all of my OC lore is in there 😭

* During a mutual retreat from both the fae and the humans, Meleanor had given Álvaro an order along the lines of “Loosen up, we’re on timeout now. Go wander around or something.” And so Álvaro did… except he wandered a little too far.

* He ended up encountering the Dawn Knight during this walk, but since neither of them was geared up for battle, Álvaro assumed him to be a regular human.

* The Dawn Knight was the one to strike up conversation between the two, and he ended up enjoying Álvaro’s presence a ton because Álvaro didn’t seem to have expectations or demand anything of him like the humans around him usually did.

* Álvaro found the Dawn Knight odd, as he didn’t seem to cower in fear of him like others did. He also thought him foolish for striking conversation with someone who was clearly not human, and therefore likely an enemy fae, in the middle of a war. But he couldn’t deny that having a casual conversation with someone other than Meleanor and Raverne.

* At the Dawn Knight’s request, the two continued to meet each other during the ceasefire, sometimes they would just sit and talk in some isolated area in a forest, sometimes they’d walk along a river while the Dawn Knight did most of the talking, and sometimes they’d just… sit in silence staring at one another, figuring each other out.

* By the time the ceasefire was called off and the war resumed, the Dawn Knight had already figured that Álvaro was not a living being.

* His last words to Álvaro before returning to war were as follows: “Thank you for keeping me company, our time together was most certainly enjoyable, Álvaro. The next time we meet, I pray it will be back in this clearing, and not on the battlefield.”

* As you can guess, that didn’t go as planned. The two had stricken up a fragile friendship, so easily broken at the drop of a pin, but so cherished by the Dawn Knight… and perhaps, maybe even Álvaro, though he couldn’t tell.

* When Meleanor was killed, the Dawn Knight still had some life force left in him. He could still survive. Well, until Álvaro came along, feeling as Meleanor’s life force left her body.

* At the sight of each other, the Dawn Knight felt a calm sense of dread wash over him. Álvaro with a calm sense of rage.

* Álvaro approached slowly, stopping right before the Dawn Knight’s weakened form. He pressed a single pointed nail to the latter’s throat, and the Dawn Knight immediately understood who Álvaro truly was. The “One Slice” warrior. He was notorious for killing his enemies with a single slash of his pointed nails.

* With a weak, sorrowful smile, the Dawn Knight accepted his fate. His last words? “Hmm… seems like my prayers did not come true. How unfortunate, isn’t it friend?” Slash

* Álvaro spared him no words, not even a glance as his friend dropped to the ground with a metallic thud.

Yum delicious angst 😋😋😋

Tag list (ask to be added or removed): @thehollowwriter @tixdixl @cyanide-latte @distant-velleity @elenauaurs @lumdays @twistedwonderlandshenanigans

[nerdfins]

Transformers One AU Snippet

(Transformers One Starscream getting to know Transformers One Ricochet, long before the betrayal of the Primes.)

"Tell me, Starscream, what do you know about Gladiator matches?" Ricochet asked with a conspiratorial grin.

"I know they are brutal fights to the death. Highly illegal." Starscream continued playing a little dumb. "You watched them?"

"No. I participated."

Looking back at what Starscream witnessed of Ricochet's fighting style, it all made sense. She never held back when confronting an enemy, except to watch how they moved. She'd let them take a shot or strike at her to see how they worked and where their weak points were. When Ricochet struck, she struck hard and would go for the kill. A normal soldier when killing an enemy combatant would do so out of duty or self-preservation. Most were done at a distance with blasters. Starscream had seen plenty with haunted looks in the optics of soldiers when remembering the moments they snuffed the life out of another being. Quintession or not, death was not easy to mete out.

Ricochet was no ordinary soldier. When Ricochet fought, she did it up close and personal. There were rare times she'd use a rifle, and Starscream wasn't sure if she even had any internal blast weaponry. When not helping Megatronus Prime guide troops, Ricochet would be out in the skirmish. Megatronus used to be heard bellowing for her to get back to his side, but eventually that lessened to a shake of his head as the Captain would take off again. When Ricochet fought, it was a sight to see.

Starscream had seen her rip apart Quintession troops with her bare hands. Seen her covered in their blood, the green against the grey and purple of her paint. Heard her roar as she slashed with her dual-ended sword or the blades hidden in her arms. And, most chillingly, witnessed her grinning as she looked down at her kill. Ricochet would sometimes be laughing in an adrenaline-fueled rush before turning and going after the next opponent.

He never saw the hollow-eyed stare from her.

Ricochet was a killing machine.

"You're judging me, I can tell," Ricochet said.

"Does it bother you?"

Ricochet responded with a shrug. "Meh, not really. I've always been judged in some way for being a Gladiator. Sometimes with awe, sometimes with disgust. Which one are you?"

[whumpees]

My dearest (2023) whump list

Synopsis: Yu Gil Chae is a pretty, bubbly, and a bit spoiled young lady who's called the 99 tailed fox of Neunggun-ri. She is also a bit of an outcast because other young ladies are jealous of her. They seem to think she's too straightforward and her behavior is inappropriate for a young lady, while young noblemen think highly of her. Gil Chae knows how to get men to fall for her but fails to capture the heart of the person she likes. Lee Jang Hyun is a mysterious man who suddenly appears in the Neunggun-ri social scene. Nobody really knows anything about him. Young nobles don't like him, but the elderly are wrapped around his finger. He's been dating around a lot, but he becomes curious about a certain 99 tailed fox, and one day, the said fox quite literally crash lands into his arms. Once war is brewing, the pair finds themselves separated before they could even start to make sense of their feelings.

Whumpee: Lee Jang Hyun played by Namkoong Min

Episodes: 21 (divided into two parts: 10 for the first, 11 for the second)

Very whumpy show damn

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Contains spoilers

Ep1: flash forward: the show starts out with the male lead on the shore covered in blood and panting holding his sword and an army of people waiting to charge at him :: slashed in the arm, somebody wraps his wound

Ep5: everyone paying attention to their injuried love interest and rushing to help him but the male lead is standing there watching them with blood dripping from his arm but no one is paying attention to him (my baby boy 😭) :: Later female lead is arguing and screaming at him and he just leaves her but then she notices the blood on his hand and commands he sits down and wraps his wound and says it's severe and not gonna heal easily so he needs to rest for a month :: Blood through his bandage :: Someone throws something at his face & the cut drips blood on the ground

Ep6: contracts a disease but is unaware, later while waking he puts his hand on his head and sways (dizzy or a headache), coughs up blood, fighting with the enemies, slashed in the side, "from this point, nobody is getting past me" (HE'S FIGHTING WHILE SICK to protect fl), fought dozens of soldiers and when there's just one remaining he's finally getting weak and has blurry vision and gets slashed in the back

Ep7: his enemy pushed him and he falls down in pain, laying on the ground, somebody kills the enemy for him, the fl is near him but she doesn't see him!!! Fuck. he cries then passes out on the ground alone in the forest, wakes up on the ground, panting and trying to get up and is weak, walking unsteadily, waving to his friends that he's there then passes out and falls down, unconscious in bed and being tended to, woke up

Ep8: having a conversation with fl and he was reaaaally hurt by her words he started tearing up and was about to cry :: In a prison cell

Ep10: crying and hurt (he acts hurt so well)

Ep11: rememberd fl and cried (seriously i love it when this actor cries he depicts so much emotion in his face and this scene was adorable)

Ep12: sword pointed at his neck leaving a cut :: Tearing up while telling a personal story to someone

Ep13: crying in shock and absolutely heartbroken (I'm a sucker for this man's tears)

Ep14: hit on the head and knocked down, tries to move but ends up passing out, woke up startled, gets up immediately and kinda unsteady :: Tearing up :: Crying again :: On his knees begging to be punished instead of fl and saying he's ready to do anything or even be a servant for the rest of his life to let her go (bear in mind this is not like him 😳 so it means it shook his core to see fl humiliated like that) :: Shot in the back by an arrow to protect fl, passes out on top of her, unconscious in bed, tended to by his friend and fl, wakes up

Ep15: wakes up and caresses female lead's face then passes out again and his hand drops, wakes up, lifts his head and smiles and it causes him pain :: Pretends to still be passed out so fl doesn't leave :: Fl takes care of him while he's still pretending to be unconscious and she sees his scars :: Pretends to limp & collapse & be in pain :: His friend tells him to not pretend to be in pain but this time he actually is in pain

Ep16: unwrapping his bandages :: Wants to cry :: Teary eyes :: Teary eyes again

Ep17: teary eyes

Ep18: crying :: Hit over the head and collapses unconscious and his friend catches him but he also gets hit and they both fall to the ground :: Walking blindfolded and swaying (hasn't recovered from the blow to his head), in a prison cell hands tied and blood on his face :: Interrogated and kinda dazed while answering and looks weak, beaten :: Blood A LOT of blood dripping from his face, more beating, collapses, passes out :: On the ground bloody and helpless trying to reach out to the ring the fl gave him :: Put on a cart while blindfolded and unconscious and drops the ring (gosh i love when their hands are extended out when their unconscious it showed in multiple scenes in this ep), carried out of the cart and put among a pile of the dead, fl finds him and lifts the blindfold and ooff he's SOAKED in blood it looks so good, shakes him to wake up but he doesn't, half opens his eyes and reaches out to grab her clothes but doesn't have the strength to

Ep19: she helps him to walk by supporting him by his arm but is basically dragging him cuz he's unconscious, 2 ppl holding him by the arms, put to bed in fl's house, half awake briefly and back to unconscious, doc checks his pulse and gestures that he's in hopeless situation, coughs while unconscious, trying to get him out of the house cuz soldiers are looking for him and again grabbed by the arm to walk and is unconscious, ryang eum takes him on a horse and runs away, unconscious in bed, nursed, having a traumatic flashback and fighting in his sleep, woke up and doesn't remember anyone (for fuck's sake this is so unnecessary), pulse checked while asleep :: Awake and ok, fl feeds him, head pain :: Again having flashbacks in his sleep :: More flashbacks and head pain, fl feeds him (he's baffled bc of the attention he's getting from her cuz he still doesn't remember 😂) :: Fl tends his injuries, has a lot of big bruises (also he's now very shy when she touches him he screamed at her to stop 😂) :: Starts getting his memories back and flashbacks from when he was beaten and his head hurts, rememberd fl

Ep20: crying out of happiness (it's a beautiful scene) :: Knife pointed at his neck

Ep21: emotional confrontation with his dad and cries :: Cries again :: Finally back to the very first scene in ep 1 where dozens of people are trying to kill him, crying, getting up with difficulty, unsteady, blood dripping from him, collapses on one leg, status unknown but someone he's probably dead cuz he was bleeding a lot :: Flashback: It's night time and he's still walking on the beach while injured, staggering, passes out and falls on the ground, found by an old man, lost his memories again (is the author actually insane?), crying :: Crying reaally hard at the end

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Extra: not whump but the relationship between Jang Hyun and Ryang Eum is adorable 😭 In ep 9 jang hyun says that he doesn't belong on anyone's side, then ryang eum says to him while he's sleeping: "you don't belong to anyone, but i belong to you" and moves jang hyun's arm to sleep on it 😭😭😭 and in ep 11 ryang eum watches a slave being punished and looks at jang hyun with a horrified and pleading expression and without having to say a word jang hyun immediately stops them from punishing the slave just cuz his friend was hurt by it even tho he normally wouldn't give a shit 😭😭😭 that scene was so freaking adorable 😭 he always cares if the people he loves care. And in episode 15 he was crying his eyes out bc jang hyun got injured and was fighting with fl to nurse him 😂😂😂

(Ok i had my suspicions especially after ep 14 where the old man told ryang eum that jang hyun only considers him as a younger brother and "not to be greedy" but after ep 15 I'm now pretty positive it's not platonic anymore dude has feelings 😂 his jealousy was annoying it got in the way صورم انا اول مرة اشوف راجل بصورم 😒)

[abysswalkersknight]

Another late night drabble! I kept seeing all these wonderful fics and headcannons of Lilia interacting with his younger self so I thought to contribute something. Eventually I hope to be able to 'get the point across' in my fics or try to make more sense of them but right now I hope you like this piece.

.............

It was a horrible sight. Terrifying. Sickening! Never had Vanrouge ever imagined he would see himself cosying up to the humans of this dreadful school, let alone the offspring of their enemy, even going as far as to raise it. At least with Mallenoa’s son he could understand, he’d been entrusted with the egg’s care and all. But he could never wrap his head after the fact that his older self willingly chose to let the human live and care for it as well as embracing that cuteness that is utterly childish and unworthy of someone like Lilia. It was maddening even to see Malleus doting on the boy or that Baul’s child decided to marry a human of all things, the world has become madness itself. He couldn’t understand, looking at that face… All he could see was the killer of their princess what had changed in all those years for his older self to see something past that, to let that cold heart of his to melt into sludge for a mere human, a mere child! It was terrifying to see someone with his face and calibre act so carefree and loving with this child, to see that even someone like him could live a life of such tranquillity despite all that was lost. Of course he’s felt fear before, when your on the battlefield fear is bound to pierce even the most hardened of souls, and it was this same fear he felt as he watches his future self, this insatiable beast, whose very name strikes fear into the hearts of both man and fae, grow ever so daft, so soft. It was like watching a wolf become some house mutt, a blade with no edge, is this what I’ll become?!

An old thing of a fool doused in hot pink, weak and growing weaker by the minute, staring lovingly at the enemy’s spawn with the prince. He can only laugh, Vanrouge had thought this was a showcase of his downfall, a punishment for allowing his friends and family to die. 

Until that night.

As he had been stewing in similar thoughts, his future self’s human (he refused to say son) must have sensed his melancholy because he sat up from where he rested his head next Lilia’s shoulder watching him play a game on his phone, Malleus and Sebek were elsewhere, and suddenly he was in front of Vanrouge reaching out with a concerned expression, he didn’t know what was happening, he didn’t realise that Silver only meant to check on his well being, all he saw was the knight of dawn reaching out with hands stained with blood. Everything was blank until a cry of pain echoed in his ears, red filled his vision and a volley of black and pink suddenly descended upon him before the phone had touched the ground. 

‘Don’t you dare touch him!’ Lilia shrieked, gripping the general around the throat before dragging him away from the boy clutching the side of his bleeding face. Admittedly he’d been on edge ever since his boys insisted on housing the general in a secluded area of Diasomnia, he knew what he was like in his youth and he’d rather not have his son around such hostility only to be proven correct when Silver fell back and blood dripped between his gloved fingers. All that pent up anxiety burst into unrivalled rage which he regrettably unleashed upon the source of all his fears, slashing and striking without pause barely giving his younger self any room to retaliate. As they both scrapped Silver did his best to try to separate the two but with the flaring pain next to his eye he was merely shoved out of the way, eventually they stopped when it took both Malleus and Sebek to wretch them apart, Lilia with only a few scratches here and there while Vanrouge was thoroughly beaten, cuts and bruises everywhere and he had a slight limp when he shook off Malleus. No words were spoken until Lilia snarled at him ‘I don’t care if you're me or anything else, mark my words if you lay another finger on my son I’ll make sure they’ll never find your body.’ With that his features softened and he turned around to tend to Silver.

The boy hissed as Lilia gently pried his fingers away ‘alright let's get a good look at that’ he murmurs taking a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully cleaned around the wounded area with some water that was conveniently around ‘oh dear, well at least it’s not as bad as it looks’ he says. Two decently deep scratches marred Silver’s cheek, Lilia worried over the one closest to his eye, had Vanrouge moved just slightly it was sure to had struck the eye itself ‘hold still now’ diving into the his drying reservoirs of magic he drew a tender finger across the scratches and under his thumb the skin knitted itself back together until it was as if nothing had struck it at all ‘there good as new!’

As lilia cleaned the rest of the boy’s bloodied cheek, Vanrouge tended to his own injuries. Lilia had not been kind in his onslaught, each blow harder than the last, fierce rage burning in his gaze, yet he watches as Lilia oh so tenderly fusses over his child over such tiny scratches, he can’t help but take back his words. His older self may be stupid and soft, but he was not weak, in fact Vanrouge recalled a time when Malenoa told him about a parent’s abominable strength when it came to protecting their child, I suppose you may be right, princess.

Yet how could it be that I turn out just like that.