#so i'd like to think he'd at least have the means to trade for his key pieces within blackout

[carnelianwings]

I don’t usually do this but I have to say - Yu-yu’s new hybrid overDress/X-overDress deck at the start of this season is ... not that great. By which I mean “Kid’s deck is starting to look like a YGO protag’s, and I’m not sure I like that for what’s supposed to be the flagship deck of Standard”. (And I’m aware that I’m saying this as someone who’s also a fan of YGO Duel Monsters lol.)

The thing is this - Vanguard doesn’t usually make a deck too high roll-y and relies on a lot of 1-ofs in the deck to make combos work. Aichi’s deck in the original S1 suffered from this somewhat with all the seemingly 1-of G3s he ran in addition to the ever permanent 1-of G2 Blaster Blade, but even then his deck consistency improved over the seasons ... aside from the unspoken rule of 2011 Sendou Aichi Can Only Ever Run One G2 Blaster Blade. It’s arguably the one thing I consider an improvement for the 2018 reboot, in that he’s finally allowed to run Blaster Blade as a 4-of, like anyone would do for a card that’s a core component of his combo.

Which brings me back to Yu-yu’s deck for this new season of willDress.

(Putting the rest behind a cut because it’s going into spoilers of S2E1)

Following the basic deck building rules, we know for sure 16 cards out of Yu-yu’s deck of 50 cards must be his triggers, and 4 cards are for his Ride deck, leaving us with 30 remaining. Of those 30, if we were to assume “typical” deck building, that would mean 3 copies of Nirvana Jheva for Persona Ride, 4 copies of his Perfect Guard, and 4 copies of Trickstar, leaving us with 19 unknown cards. Here’s what’s shown on screen of those remaining 19:

Bilskil, Vils Vairina, Clad in Prayer (all in his opening hand - he runs at least 2 copies of Clad in Prayer as the second copy gets damage checked for Danji’s Turn 4 attack)

Bramahda (damage checked when he took Danji’s Turn 2 attack)

Galondight (played from hand on Yu-yu’s Turn 2)

Bram Vairina (discarded from hand for Ride on Turn 1/2, retrieved from Drop via Vils Vairina’s skill)

Vairina Arcs (damaged checked when he took Danji’s Turn 3 attack)

Stragallio (he runs at least 2 copies - 1 is searched out on Yu-yu’s Turn 3 when he Rides Nirvana Jheva over Reiyu, and a 2nd one gets damage checked for Danji’s Turn 4 attack)

Vairina Valiente (searched out via Stragallio’s skill)

Vairina (drive checked on Yu-yu’s Turn 3 attack)

Garou Vairina (used to guard Danji’s Turn 4 attack for a 1 to pass)

This puts us at another 13 cards known, leaving us with 6 unknown cards in his deck. Now you could argue that maybe he runs less copies of Jheva in the main deck, or that he doesn’t run 4 PGs (he runs at least 2 because he damage checks 2 of them) or that he only runs 2 Trickstars (but the deck would hard brick so badly without it) so he has more space but that doesn’t really make it better, as you’d be hampering the deck out of defensives and win cons just to make it work as a hybrid.

You’re probably thinking “Okay fine so Yu-yu probably runs a lot of one-ofs. That’s not a big deal”, and arguably, it isn’t, because the scriptwriters can do whatever they want to get his deck to pop off and get the desired result as the plot requires. As long as it’s a non-zero chance of it happening, the deck can work as scripted. And that’s true. It’s just I’ve always liked that the anime decks mostly worked irl as shown, and that each character’s deck didn’t feel like a case of 50 card highlander roulette (aside from them always getting their signature units), with the most egregious exception being 2011 Aichi as I mentioned in the beginning. That said, if we had an on screen character play Bermuda highlander, they’d get a pass from me, because that’s how the deck is designed to be played. Not so here with poor Yu-yu’s deck. If anything, I wonder how he managed to win with that deck at all, and his mental “Here it is!” when he uses Nirvana Jheva’s skill almost makes more sense in context now because, hey, he finally got his deck to pop off! ^^;;

I will give the scriptwriters/game designers this - conceptually, the deck is pretty cool. It’s got that same idea behind it as Aichi’s Majesty Lord Blaster deck, in that thematically, it’s a summary of Yu-yu’s growth as a character throughout the previous seasons. And that’s great; I love that they did that for him, as one of the other main “catchphrases” in Vanguard is that a cardfighter’s deck is a reflection of them. And to that end, the deck succeeds.

I just wish it didn’t make me want to grab Yu-yu by the shoulders and tell him to consult Tohya and Raika on how to build a more consistent deck. XD

[sillygoofyqueer]

Even more thoughts, for you to post if you so choose!

I do love the idea of Shen Yuan having a fancy hair piece with a pin that doubles as a weapon! Just because demon crows don’t have access to spiritual swords doesn’t mean he can’t stab the hell out of you.

For his main weapon, I’m thinking crow demons that can take human form tend to use bows, with the feathers shed by their clan as fletching. (Perhaps demon feathers also grant abilities of some sort to the arrows?)

Looking at the iridescence of crow feathers reminds me of the Chinese tradition of making jewelry with kingfisher feathers. Now I think it would be lovely if the crow demons also had a tradition of fashioning similar jewelry with their own feathers, perhaps treated with solutions and lacquered in a way that brings out even more of their color.

Speaking of colors, while crows aren’t among those birds able to see significant ultraviolet, they are tetrachromats, and thus are able to distinguish colors to a far greater extent than humans. I’m sure his sudden ability to see way more colors than he could in his last life is very perplexing to poor Shen Yuan!

The regular crows acting as an alarm system by cursing and saying spooky nonsense at all unknown visitors is an absolute delight!

I vote that Shen Yuan intentionally never gives them whatever signal that would mark Airplane as a friend, just so they continue to harass the guy every time he comes to visit. 😂

(I’m thinking poor Airplane is trying to set up trade routes for demons, and struggling with the general hostility different types of demons have for one another. Killing interlopers and/or raiding other demons for their stuff is not conductive to trade! It’s no wonder demons lack the arts. Nobody shares anything with anyone, except when giving demon nobles tribute. 😭)

You know, with all the feathers and bird-folks about, the transmigrators probably figure out quill pens. Not sure how big of an improvement they’d be compared to brushes, but they’re at least more like what the transmigrators are used to.

It’d also be funny if all the demon crows and villagers were learning to write simplified Chinese from Shen Yuan, instead of traditional, leading visitors to wonder what the hell is up with this one location’s weird writing system, where half the characters are inexplicably different.

(He probably teaches them traditional too, if only for the sake of reading imported books and things, but simplified is probably faster for personal notes and bookkeeping or the like).

I've always loved when people have weapons in discreet places, so it seemed necessary to dump that onto Shen Yuan because he's the most iconic character ever. Especially CrowYuan as well, it seems like something he'd do just to be safe when it comes to these things - after everything he's read, it's hard not to always be prepared. (Also, a more cheeky reason if I may, imagine Shen Yuan in a sticky situation and he pulls the hair pin out of his hair, now holding a weapon and looking AWESOME as he does it) Also, main weapon as a bow IS MAKING ME LOOOSE MY MIND. Ever since I was little, I've been obsessed with people who use bows (Legolas, Robin Hood, Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, various book characters) and the idea of giving Shen Yuan a bow?? I am dropping to my knees and shaking my fists at the sky. HUZZAAAHH!!! Feathers as fletching is a great idea, almost like a calling card of sorts, as well as a warning. Demon feathers giving certain abilities to arrows is a brilliant idea, such as resilience, poison, increased speeds (useful for high pressure situations where someone has to die before they can be alerted). I'd find it interesting if different demon feathers grant different abilities, and it's almost a norm for these demons to trade feathers! The jewellery idea is absolutely gorgeous and adorable! I was thinking that it could mainly be a crow demon thing, and to have one made for you if you aren't a crow demon is a sign of great trust within the community, a decision that has to be agreed to by at least half of the community! Also, itty bitty angst idea, this jewellery could also be highly sought out because it's gorgeous and its making is entirely a clan secret that is only taught to those within it - so, it's often seen as a spoil of war, a way to brag about a crow demon's death is to wear the jewellery "won" from "battle". Shen Yuan would most definitely be thrown off guard by this wider arrange of colours, often found in the wildest areas of the forest and just staring at everything. At first, he wonders if it's because he's a demon now, but more research (aka, bullying a demon chicken Airplane for answers) shows that it is fact not because he's a demon, but instead because he's a crow. He is both excited that he can see all these colours and fiercely delighted that Airplane can't, because he's a spiteful little shit and I love him. If Airplane comes to visit, he's grown adept to immediately submitting to the harassment of the crows because they soon grow bored of him if they don't get any reaction other than pitiful screaming. (He would highly suffer from trying to set up trade routes as well, lmaooo) OH MY GOD, if Mobei Jun ever comes to visit Bing-ge, he would also be immediately attacked by crows and that is funnier than anything else right now in my mind. His stern face immediately becomes one of absolute outrage, but it quickly becomes confusion when Bing-ge says he can't attack them back because "Shen Yuan would never forgive me" On the idea of feathers as quill pens, that would end up being incredibly useful for them! Perhaps the use of certain demon feathers would be better than others if we go by different demon feathers holding different abilities - for instance, let's say crow feathers hold increased speed, that would be helpful for writing because one would merely need to guide the quill and let it do the rest. However, a demon feather that created a poison effect, let's say chicken feathers, would not be the best for writing, which makes certain feathers more valuable than others for different things! Shen Yuan would be a great teacher, because he knows the traditional Chinese - which is useful for things you previously mentioned - but then he would be able to introduce a whole new writing system that makes it easier to write. This would be especially useful for those who may struggle with the traditional Chinese, because then they would still be able to access writing!! {part seven! part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, and part six!}

[whumpshaped]

What if Helle found Beck after a night of drinking and didn’t know how to act when Beck is overly comfortable with seeing them? Sorry if ooc for Beck

i didnt know whether itd be ooc so i just started writing and let it take me wherever it wanted to lol i hope u enjoy!!!

masterlist

tw vampire whumper, intimate whumper, alcohol and drinking and being drunk, dubcon kissy on cheek

He deserved this. He had been living in terror for the past month, and all he wanted was a bit of fun. Spending time with his friends. Normalcy.

Beck downed his third shot way too quickly, eager to forget about the fact that he was a vampire chewtoy now, and it was likely only a matter of time before Helle decided to escalate. This could've been his last free night! So why not make it a stupidly drunk one?

"I've never seen you drink like that," Sofie said with equal parts awe and worry in her voice. "Is this still about that bite scare?"

"I just wanna have fun," he whined. "Can't I? I'm fine."

"I'd never dream of prohibiting that." She still looked nervous, making Beck groan.

"I haven't been out at night for weeks. I just wanna... relax. I just wanna feel normal for a second." He briefly thought about switching his and Noah's shot glasses while he was in the bathroom and drinking his share too, but he wasn't drunk enough yet to trade mouth germs. "Is that such a crime? I won't, like, drink myself into oblivion."

"You're right," she conceded. "I'm not your mother or anything. I'm sure you can look after yourself."

"Thank you. I'll be responsible."

He ended up being less than responsible, buying and consuming at least three more shots. There was no stopping the constant whirling and swirling of the bar anymore, and he barely had the strength to keep his eyes open — but the spinning got so much worse whenever he closed them.

He somehow managed to pay for everything before sliding off the bar stool and heading towards the exit, never considering that it was well past midnight and the crowd outside was thinning. Thoughts of vampires were drowned out by a sudden desire for some pizza, and he decided to try to get to a restaurant he'd been to exactly one time before and gotten lost on the way. He had even been sober, then.

"Oh, goddammit... It should be right here," he muttered, staring at the closed clothing store. "Would it even be open at this hour..?"

"Beck?"

The vampire's voice cut through the drunken haze like a dagger, and he spun around to face them with such momentum that he almost lost his balance entirely. "Helle!" His back hit the locked glass doors of the shop behind him, and he was grateful for the added support. "I'm– I'm looking for the pizza place. You wouldn't happen to know where that is, huh?"

Helle tilted their head at him in curiosity, and he really wished he could've waved a magic wand and sobered up instantly. They had already fed for the night. They were supposed to leave him alone for the rest of it. "Do you drink often?" they asked, completely disregarding his question.

He couldn't help it when he just... laughed. It was an involuntary reaction, a result of his anxiety and the absurdity of the situation. "I don't think that's any of your business!" He flinched back immediately after saying it, cursing himself internally. "Well, I mean, it's not like– y'know, I'm just saying..."

"It is definitely my business. Do you even know how bitter alcohol makes the blood?" They stalked closer, and Beck quickly tried to slip away and continue walking down the street.

"Nope! And you absolutely don't have to put yourself through that!" He almost cursed out loud this time when Helle caught up to him, casual as ever. "Really, I'm just gonna– you know what? I really don't want pizza anymore. I'm gonna– I'm gonna head home. It was great seeing you–"

He did a swift 180, swift enough to stumble and trip over his own feet again, for real this time. Helle was quicker, catching him by the arm before he even realised he was falling. "Humans baffle me sometimes," they murmured. "Your solution to being pursued by a dangerous predator is to make yourself even more vulnerable?"

"No, no, I drank all that alcohol so you'd hate the taste of my blood. I totally knew about the bitterness. This is like– this is advanced, I wouldn't expect you to understand." He pulled on his arm weakly, not even surprised when it did nothing to make Helle release him. "Sorry, I'm just saying anything at this point," he added with a nervous little laugh. "I always do that. I shouldn't be allowed to drink. Hey, how about– what if you let go of me, and then, then I went home, and we just forgot about this?"

"I wish I could." They pulled him even closer, their amused smile greatly undermining their semi-serious tone. "But you are just adorable when you cannot shut up. Not to mention how warm you are right now... flushed... I think you should drink more, actually."

Beck could feel his face getting even warmer at the closeness. A misguided, touch-starved part of him recognised Helle's words as almost flattery, and desperately wanted to just lean into it. The other, rational, sober part of him wanted to run — but it was difficult with his limbs not complying. "You d-don't actually think that," he stammered, still making futile attempts at pushing the vampire away. "I get so annoying."

They must've realised how much he wanted them to deny that, because their smile widened, red eyes gleaming with mischief. "I do think that," they purred. "I always think you are cutest when you tell the truth. When you let that blatant need for praise shine right through."

"I don't– I don't... huh?" He was properly flustered now, so much so that he forgot he was supposed to be struggling. "Stop mocking me," he said without any conviction, so quiet that it could've easily gotten lost in the noise of the street. He knew they heard it, though. A perk of talking to vampires.

God, what was he thinking?

"I would never dream of mocking you. Not when you look so pretty and desperate." His breath hitched when they leaned in, pulling him closer by his shirt to press a kiss to his cheek. "Unless you asked me to, of course. But I thought you were trying to get away," they whispered. "Why are you clinging now?"

Beck had no idea when his fingers had gotten tangled up in the fabric of Helle's sweater, and he pushed them away instantly, thoroughly embarrassed and confused. "I'm g-going home," he exclaimed, waiting for Helle to stop him, or say something that would've made him change his mind, or... something. But they didn't. They just stood there, smiling, letting Beck look like a complete idiot.

"Do you secretly live here?" they teased. "Or would you like to spend some more time with me?"

"Absolutely not. I'm– I'm going. Bye." He turned to leave, getting out of there as fast as he could. He rubbed his cheek absentmindedly with the sleeve of his hoodie the entire way to the bus station, trying to get rid of the feeling of soft lips against his skin.

He really, truly shouldn't have been allowed to drink.

~

taglist: @whumpsday @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @delicateprincepaper @whumppmuhw @florissimps @nicolepascaline @oliversrarebooks @the-cyrulik @pirefyrelight @there-will-always-be-blood @pigeonwhumps @echo-goes-mmm @whumpycries @morning-star-whump @d-cs

[fluideli123]

No thoughts, just the next part of my fic I just can't stop thinking about because I think about Amy and Sonic's friendship so aggressively:

Sonic hated having to attend these gatherings, events that did nothing but suffocate him, like the tie around his throat and the pats on his back in congratulations. The music was too slow, loud, and mellow, grating on his ears and clawing down his back in all the ways that felt like it was shredding his senses. Mouths and bodies moved, and cameras flashed on all sides, photographing and recording this moment repeatedly as microphones were set in front of him, pleading for him to say something new, something meaningful, something they wanted to hear. These things always claimed to be in his honor, for all he's done over the years. But it wasn't for him in any way. If it were, he wouldn't even be here. He'd be at home with his friends, wearing nothing but his bandana and worn-down shoes. He'd be sent letters, cards, videos, and broadcasts about people's experiences with him and what he's done. He'd be in mom-and-pop shops, helping them defeat their competitors. He'd be outside with a bunch of ankle biters, ensuring they had fun and were treated fairly as they played together. Chaos, there would be actual good food he could stuff his mouth with. Music to go to the dance floor with, know the lyrics, and have it mean something. But no, this was for the press, the people who valued their status over actual people, to show off, following some tradition of acknowledgment for members of society. It made him sick to sit through every time. Yet here he was out of obligation. Again. At least he wasn't here alone. Gloved hands take his elbow, stealing him from the sight of an approaching woman in a dazzling dress, losing her in the passing crowd. Sonic can't help but grin, a relieved excitement echoing up and out of his throat with a chuckle as he turns to a beaming Amy. "You always know how to get me out of trouble, huh?" Amy rolls her eyes affectionately, hooking their arms together as they slow their pace, finally out of reach of pressing eyes and hands. "I've been getting you out of the worst situations since we were kids, Sonic. By this point, I think I'm the only one who knows how to." Sonic laughs, hugging Amy closer, bumping them together lovingly. "What would I do without you here to save me from these things?" "You'll probably run away and leave a trail of upset people who'll spread rumors about you just to be petty," Amy remarks. The clicking of her heels is a soothing noise against Sonic's overly sensitive ears, the familiar sound relaxing his perked quills and irritated mind. A hand grabs Sonic's, squeezing reassuringly as Amy's head tilts. "What were they doing with you for so long, anyway? I've been looking for you since the first interview ended. If I'd known a bunch of other media vultures were going to spring at you, I would have beat them back with my hammer and gotten your ass out." Warmth pulses, warming him from the inside out as Amy punches her fist into the palm of her other hand with a huff at the thought, arm still hooked with Sonic's. He adored her fierce protectiveness, especially toward himself. She and Sonic have endured more together than Tails and Knuckles combined, at least when it comes to the public's challenges. No one could ever see them innocently, even as kids. They had to fiend off gross remarks and expectations that messed with their friendship more than once, especially when Amy was raised in a heavily amatonormative town. But Sonic wouldn't trade her for the world; Amy was a firm, steady presence in his ever-changing life. He needed someone like her, but most importantly, he wanted not just anyone like her but Amy herself. Her charming, heart-wrenching smile, honest outlook, and natural knack for responsibility made life so much better. No one else in Sonic's life held such a large part of his heart so effortlessly with her endless understanding and kindness, the drive to help when needed, and endless backup when push came to shove in battle or just in life. Sonic loved her, just not in any of the ways people wanted.

[kitkatt0430]

For the headcanons, how about an AU where Julian is there from s1, employed by CCPD after their other CSI got struck by lightning and comatosed for 9 months and definitely wasn't coming in to do his job

Ooooh, I like this idea a lot. :D They really did need another CSI. I mean, presumably there are others, I dunno what was up with the backlog at the start of S4 other than maybe David Singh screwing with Barry a little bit (it was funny), but there have gotta be more CSIs stationed off site. Presumably though they've always got at least one on site CSI who can explain stuff to detectives or lawyers while still keeping up with their own work.

So I think here Julian would not have changed his last name. So he's still Julian Desmond and not Julian Albert. (He did change his name in the show, though it's not clear how much of that is to distance himself from the snafu at the dig site in India and how much was to distance himself from his family after his sister's death.)

In turn, his sister is alive here and so while his relationship with his parents is troubled, he's not estranged from them.

If Julian was already employed by the city and just picked to take over as the on site CSI in Barry's absence, then he'd be a meta in S1. I think it'd make an interesting storyline to have him be kind of a jerk about metas as he was in S3, but then really explore what it means for him to find out that he's a 'dangerous meta' too. He wouldn't be a bad guy, just kind of a low level antagonist who peaks when his powers emerge, but winds up an ally of Team Flash when they help him get his powers under control.

Julian and Barry would absolutely have friction at first. Barry doesn't like how his lab has changed while he was away and expects that Julian will go back to the offsite labs now that he's back. Julian isn't about to let go of the on site lab, he likes it there and it's his now. They eventually work things out, but it takes a while.

Comics Albert Desmond had dissociative identity disorder which is where his iteration of Alchemy came from, but neither the comics nor the show treated that disorder well so I'd want to leave that out for Julian, but he could still have powers similar to what the philosopher's stone gave him. Specifically the 'transmutation' that allowed him to trigger potential metas to gain powers caterpillar style. So maybe his powers activating accidentally creates the main antagonist of an episode at least once and he, rather understandably, freaks out over it.

Eobard would absolutely be fascinated by Julian's powers. If he can create metas, could he also take away meta powers too? EoWells wants to know the answer.

I think Julian wouldn't be main Team Flash. He helps out where he can, but he doesn't have to be a genius of all trades to give him something to do every episode the way S3 decided to go. He'd be ideal for giving Barry alibis when he has to run off during work hours to be the Flash.

No Julian/Caitlin. I wasn't interested in it when the ship was danced around during S3, so I wouldn't want to see it happen in an alt S1. Besides, Caitlin is pretty tied up in the Ronnie Lives/FIRESTORM plotline, so she still has her fiance around and wouldn't be interested in a complication anyway.

[moodymisty]

okay so my original second idea before the Sevatar one came out more a word vomit than a request so just take this as me sharing an idea I've had in my head and I have no Warhammer buddies to share it with lol

this is a premise inspired by a oneshot I feel like I read at some point but I can't remember where. a human from the distant past, before ai tried to kill everyone and people still looked out at the galaxy with hopeful naivety, getting shot into the far future after their exploratory science vessel gets caught up in some warp storm. our scientist/explorer was in cryo sleep or something so is completely unaware anything went wrong. anywho, but who should pick up on the strange little blip of their ancient yet new vessel?

BOOM it's Trazyn lol. so he squirrels the whole kit and kaboodle to solemnace and ends up waking our mc up. maybe they initially think Trazyn is some form of advanced AI and after some surprise are pretty chill with him. maybe Trazyn plays along for a time, asks them questions about themselves and things from their time. shows them around some exhibits and such. our mc slowly coming to realize something is terribly wrong during their time on solemnace. Trazyn growing surprisingly attached to them, it's nice having someone to talk and teach things to and theyre so eager and inquisitive.

okay I'm rambling so anyway his lil human's life is so frail and short, not even a blip on the proverbial radar of his existence and he very much doesn't want to lose them so soon so he feeds the ctan shard he's got locked in the basement in trade for the knowledge on how to perform biotransference on them. Trazyn rationalizes that it's for the best, it's only temporary, the necrons of course will eventually figure out how to reverse their condition and everything will be fine. mc may or may not consent to the procedure.

I feel you on the having the no Warhammer friends to share with lol. Only just recently have I actually had people to talk about it to.

But man, Trayzn is such a funny dude lol. I haven't read The Infinite and the Divine yet (it's in the postage still it'll get here one day) but I love how despite how absolutely not human he is, he one of the more human characters in 40k. I mean he's just a hobby collector with a bit of a morose spin.

I imagine he's one of the few characters who'd despite being 'above' humanity in terms of pretty much anything, he'd probably be willing to kinda show off in a way. Tour his collection, chat about all the things he's seen. I mean if I was about to be frozen, I'd love to at least take a gander at the 40k British museum first.

Talk about a wide ride though, I mean thinking he's an AI would make the most sense because that would be a trip having to learn what a Necron actually is. Poor human has been thrown around enough.

But awwwww, Trazyn and his little out of time human <3 All things considered it's kinda cute.

Also thanks for sending in requests for not only letting me go apeshit about Blood Angels but ALSO Sevatar??? My crops are green and lush.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #186

I am a bit of a zombie today. Though I slept next to J and Br, I didn't sleep especially well. It was abnormally hot, and my rib was really acting up, so between the heat and the pain, I got maybe only a couple hours of sleep, all told.

But that's all right. I'm managing, somehow. And I've got some pretty big news.

I had the good privilege of speaking to a certain Jay Goede today. If you don't know who that is, he is the English-language actor who brought Mewtwo's voice to life in Pokémon: The First Movie. And just like you, Mewtwo's story played a huge role in keeping me alive when I was a child. As written in my 150th letter to you, his story is remarkably similar to yours in a variety of very important respects.

I discovered during the interaction that he is a very patient and kind man who takes a genuine interest in meeting and trying to understand his fans. I feel incredibly privileged to have met him, and for the opportunity to thank him for how extraordinarily well he played his role.

I'm not especially good at the talking. So rather than the standard "I bring some physical object for him to sign" type of interaction, instead I brought a printed letter that I wrote to him ahead of time, as well as an edited, printed copy of my 150th letter to you. My only regret is that I didn't have enough time between hearing about the event and the event actually taking place to have been able to weave him a wire tree or make him a music box…

As for the letter… I thanked him for everything it took for him to become someone who could fill such a pivotal role as Mewtwo. I explained a little about my circumstances. I explained a little about your circumstances. And I asked him if he might put his "autograph" on a non-physical object - the petition that I wrote that begs the void for your safety.

He said to me that what I had written was beautiful. And, while genuinely understanding and supporting the meaning behind it, he, without hesitation, put his name on my petition for you.

…I hope something good happens. I really hope something good happens. I would give anything that is mine to give, and do anything that is in my power to do, in order to see you be safe. If I could trade in my life in exchange for yours, I would; yours is worth more and can do more in my world than mine can. My voice doesn't matter in this world, but yours does; yours carries more weight in this place than you can possibly imagine.

Doing the thing was very scary. This human is very famous, and I'm just some socially awkward dweeb. Lots of famous people aren't very nice to "peasants" like me. I had no way of knowing whether he'd roll his eyes at me and tell me to go away, or hurry me along, or say that he would sign the thing later, and then not actually do it, or maybe even get frustrated and yell at me.

I can only assume that the pressure that comes from being a famous person requires some degree of insincerity, otherwise it's impossible to survive. I don't think I'd ever be able to handle that kind of social pressure. The idea of ever becoming famous seems terrifying to me. I don't really know how other people do it, but more power to them.

With everything in me, I hope that this lovely gentleman understands the immense weight his voice carries in this world. I hope he understands the power that comes with being in a role that has the capacity to influence millions and millions of lives. I hope that he never feels insignificant in this world. I hope that being directly told that he has indirectly saved at least one life in this place is a powerful reminder of how much he matters in this world. I'll hope for his continued peace, safety, and prosperity. I hope he will keep using his power and influence to touch the lives of other people for the better.

I decided that since I did the scary thing, I got to have treats. But I am very underslept, and it is getting very late, and my brain is once again made of very fuzzy soup. So I'm not going to show you what I got today. I will show you tomorrow instead.

I can show you the bubble tea I got today, though. This is a matcha latte with lavender syrup, tea jelly, and cream cheese foam. I wish I could share it with you; it was very delicious:

...I will end today's letter here.

I love you very much - enough to try to be brave on your behalf, albeit clumsily. Do you see the strength and courage that your existence gives to me? Do you see that you are and always have been a good thing?

I'll write again tomorrow. Please stay safe out there, okay? Please come back to us in one piece.

Your friend, Lumine

[matrixxsystem]

Terrapin Soup Part 13

It was cold. Freezing even. Colder than that if possible. And fuck the lights were bright. It was like the sun itself was visiting him in this personal hell. Leo tried to move but struggled to do even that, something tight was wrapped around his limbs, making it so fucking hard to move. Whatever they used to knock him out was wearing off but he still felt so heavy, so weak.. What the fuck was going on, he'd never been caught, not once- Who were these people exactly?

"You're awake a bit sooner then expected, no matter, we can get started right away then." There was a voice, then a stinging pain in his wrist. A burning line up his arm that made his heart feel like it was about to pull itself from his chest and call it a day. Someone gave him an extra dose of whatever it was he was on, and it hurt like hell. It felt like his heart was going twice as fast,  weather it was from the drugs or anxiety he couldn't really tell. He let out a painted gasp and pulled him arms against what he now realized we're a pair of restraints on the metal table he was laid on. "Attempting communication." The voice spoke again before getting closer, the sound of a door shutting behind him made him realize he was alone with whoever was speaking now. "What is your name?" There was a moment of silence. "..How are you called?" More silence, as if Leo was going to get catty with his captors. "Do you understand me?"

"Fuck you." Leo spat, his eyes finally adjusting to the lights. The person, some woman in a lab coat with hair pulled into such a tight bun that it looked fake stood beside him. And she had dark sunglasses to cover her eyes, rude. "Where are you from?" She asked after a moment. "We're literally in New York where do you think? You want me to say space don't you? I'm from Vacation Planet out in sector sixty nine-" He rolled his eyes and pulled against the restraints again, if he wasn't so damn tired.. Or hungry... He probably could've broken them by now. She stood there silent with an unamused expression, not expecting such endearing sarcasm probably. Then she shook her head a bit, "And assuming I believe you. How did you come to be?"

"Well ya see, when a mommy turtle and a daddy turtle love each other very much-"

"You know what I mean."

"Oh the mutation? That ol' thing?"

"..Yes."

"It's like, top secret.. Yeah. Not that you could replicate or undo it. I mean it's probably the least interesting thing about me really. Ask a better question, like my favorite food. Spoiler, it's pizza. Or my favorite movie maybe, can I play instruments with my lack of fingers, is a peace sign and a high five the same thing for me? I mean don't you have any fun questions?"

"Why were you trying to steal the GX-27?" Leo groaned and rolled his eyes, "Oh my god you are boring- Is that what it's called?? That's such a boring name, I was just calling it the big battery thing, I never would've guessed that-"

"Why do you want it"

"Is it being shiny and glowy not enough? Its pretty~"

"...It's a top secret project no one knows about, yet you did. How?"

"Ooh, yeah see that's also kind of not something I can say.. I mean, I guess I could, but considering how you have me tied up in this freezing and sad lab.. It's not making me feel very chatty, and I am a turtle so, not a big fan of the cold. But you have a doctor coat so I'd hope you know what you're doing.."

"I might feel like rewarding you with something if you tell me. Maybe I'll let you keep all your organs, how's that?"

"Booo. Bad trade, no deal. How about instead, I tell you about the time I got my head stuck in a fish bowl and you have one of the staff go get me a latte."

"First tell me what this is." She grabbed his wrist cuff from Donnie off another table, glancing to it and trying to tap it a few times. "Who made this? What's it for?" Leo craned his head to see the device. "Honestly? It's mostly for Flappy Bird when I get bored." She huffed and slammed the piece down, grabbing a scalpel and pressing it against his plastron. "You will give me a real answer one way or another. Pray you do not anger me any further." Leo rolled his eyes and sighed, "God you are absolutely no fun. What are you, a Gemini? No, Aries?" She raised the scalpel again slowly pressing into his right shoulder, blood rushed to the surface of the cut dripping down to the floor the deeper she went. He hissed and strained, then chuckled a little, "Don't suppose you cleaned that before using it did you? Eh forget I asked, it's too late now-"

"You are trying my patience. Something which I did not have much to start with." She pulled the scalpel out stabbing it back into his arm a bit lower, "You have one last chance to speak truth before I break out the rest of my tools." Leo slowly turned to look at her, making a scared expression before laughing, he couldn't take this situation seriously in the slightest, "Oh my God... You're a Taurus aren't you?" If this was a cartoon smoke would be rising from her head right about now. She took a breath taking her scalpel back and walking over to one of the tables lining the wall. "Hey do I get a phone call or something? I know this isn't prison but I'm pretty sure I get one right?"

"No."

"What about a meal? It's seriously been like, 18 hours since I last ate and not gonna lie I could really use a pick me up. Are you suuure you don't have coffee here? I mean you can't expect to get any results from a body that's too weak to give anything right?" The was a few moments of silence before she came back with a syringe. Half filled with a near pastel orange liquid. "Oh uh, no thanks, I already take vitamins, and I've got all my shots. And I eat with my mouth so I wont be needed an IV or anything.."

"This isn't a flu shot. It's a truth serum we've been developing to use on spies who sneak into our facilities. This latest batch hasn't been tested yet, you'll be our first subject. Since you love to run your mouth so much, lets see what you know." Leo froze for a moment, he was only worried for a second before letting out a little chuckle. Out of his brothers he was one of the dumbest, he didn't know anything worth while or anything that could help them. This would be fun. The woman injected the liquid with a little smirk, watching as he started reacting to the chemicals. "Let's start again. No jokes, no quips, no antics. What is your name?"

"Bruce Wayne- No- Goddamn it- Its Leo- Leonardo.. H-Hey what's this stuff made of? Can I get your recipe? It's for a friend- That's a lie. It's for me-"

"Leonardo? Interesting. Are you alone here?"

"Is that seriously what you wanna know when you have cameras? Yes. I'm alone."

"Why do you want the GX-27?"

"I need a power source big enough for five cool looking pins- It's for an art project you could say."

"How'd you find out about it?"

"My stupid genius brother found it years ago and kept it on file in case it became useful, he has a bunch of shit like that on file. He built his own computer when he was like 13 out of random junk, he's kind of amazing."

"Years.. Hm. How were you mutated?"

"Mad scientist in a lab used my dad's human DNA and put it in regular turtles, I don't know the specifics, dad never talked about it which I guess cause it was traumatic or whatever-"

"So how many of you are there?"

"That's a really vague question. Are you hearing yourself? How many what? Mutants, teenagers, incredibly handsome ninjas?"

"How many mutants are there?"

"I can't answer that, I have a hard enough time keeping track of all my socks you think I'm actually gonna know the exact number of mutants in the whole world-?"

"You said you have a brother, and father. How many are in.. Your family."

"That depends on what you count as family- Cause I have three brothers, and dad, and the who created us which my one brother counts as a dad so I kind of have two dads? I also have an adopted sister, and an honorary sister who's not related we just hang out a lot, and I have a boyfriend that I'd definitely consider family and he has a father figure but I don't think I wanna count him yet-"

"Fine, Ill just note eight including you. Are they, dangerous?"

"You mean the four ninjas raised by a master ninja and my bounty hunter boyfriend? Noooo, not at all.." She was probably rolling her eyes behind those shades, "If I were to let you go, take off the restraints I mean, what would you do?"

"Easy." Leo smiled, tilting his head to look over at the woman. "I'd kill you, take the battery, and all my stuff, then go home for a good night's sleep. You're exhausting."

"...And how would you kill me hm? the swords you had are being held all the way on the first floor."

"I'm going to tear out your throat with my teeth, and I'm going to eat you." His stomach rumbled at the mention which surprised both of them with the sudden noise. "Are.. You all violent people eaters?" He tried to shrug, "Not usually. No one else I know would ever do something like that, but see I'm a little fucked up. And that, plus being starving, is just asking for trouble. You think you're safe because I'm strapped down, but the second I get an ounce of strength I'm going to break everything in the room starting with you. The thing about our family you really should remember is that we don't stop till we get what we want. And if I have to go through you with nothing but my bare hands I will." The woman sat there for a moment processing the information, then stood up and walked over to on of the cabinets lining the wall, "Well then, Leonardo. Let's ensure you have no chance of that, I'm very excited for this next test. And once we have everything I bet I'll be able to find that family of yours and see how well they hold up in my lab." She smiled a bit to herself as she was looking for something specific, "It's all about endurance, stamina, and pain tolerance." She walked back over to the table with an eerie grin.

"Let's get started shall we?"

-_-_-_- (This indicated a time skip btw, or a switch in perspectives, its a time skip this time. just a few hours in this case) -_-_-_-

There was the harsh sound of metal hitting the floor that rang in the hallway followed by a scream of pain. The top three floors of the building, which held only four stories, had been fully evacuated save for the room Leo was being held in on the top floor. A quick glance into the room and you'd see Leo, laying where he'd been, still strapped to the table with the mystery woman picking up the hammer shed dropped a moment ago. She let out a little laugh as she inspected the tool, "Well would you look at that, no blood. I did hear a crunch that time though, are you bones finally bending?" She laughed again raising the hammer for the fifth time, very intent on finding out how many it would take to break the skin. "Green skin turns such a nice color when blood comes to the surface, don't you think?" There was another loud crack as the hammer came down against his arm that had already been torn into several times by now. Only a few hours had passed but it felt like an eternity on that table. "Ah, here he comes." There was a pause, the faint sound of footsteps getting closer till they suddenly stopped. Then there was a soft knock. "Enter." She called. "Dr. Folter, what did you need?"

"I accidentally crushed his wrist a little much. It happens I suppose when you get carried away, anyway, I would like you to tighten his restraints and keep watch while I go get the vials to collect samples. I won't be long."

"But he's- I mean this thing is-"

"Oh please, he's weak and broken, he knows what waits for him if he tries to escape~" The man huffed and nodded, "Alright, alright fine. Five minutes."

"And no less." She said as she left, the clacking of those stupid heels trailing off down the hall till he couldn't hear a thing. "Does it even speak..?" The man said to himself, slowly taking steps towards the table. Leo glanced at him for a moment then turned away, aside from the blood running down his arm, and the forearm that had been crushed to nothing he looked pretty okay physically.. The man took a deep breath and gently touched the cuff on his intact wrist, nothing happened.. So far it looked safe. Another breath and he tugged on it a little making sure it was tight enough and not cutting off circulation. Seemed okay.. He looked at Leo's face, he looked so tired.. So defeated.. Perfect.

The man rolled his eyes after seeing him in such a harmless state, he felt like he was scared for nothing now. He reached over across the table to the other cuffs on his arm, there were two, one around his wrist and one just below his shoulder. He started to unbuckle the top one to tighten it again. But the moment Leo felt the warmth radiate across his plastron his eyes shot open and he craned his neck as far forward as it would go. Teeth sinking into the humans bicep and forcing their way into skin. The scream sounded almost like a door squeaking, loud and high pitched. It hurt to listen to but he only bit harder till he could feel the muscles separating between his teeth. The man finally managed to pull back, falling to the floor and desperately trying to grab his arm hard enough to stop the bleeding, "W-What the fuck!!? What is wrong with you?!?" Leo chewed for a moment, then swallowed. He licked the blood from his beak with a little smirk, tilting his head enough to see the man scramble away hitting his back against the wall, "I win~" He said softly, starting to chuckle. There was more warmth from the blood that splattered onto Leos chest, not his preferred way of warming up but it'd have to do for now. Leo tilted his head to meet the mans horrified stare, he'd never seen someone look at him that way before... The man pulled himself up with his good arm and with his back to the wall started to limp towards the door. Leo took a deep breath then started pulling against the restraints again. This time the chains holding the straps in place snapped like they were made from sewing strings. The cuffs broke apart as he sat up, and his good hand pulled the ones around his legs off just as easily.

The man was against the door, swiping his card against the reader frantically, but there was a smudge of blood against the barcode. He was muttering and cursing to himself as he kept trying. He desperately tried to wipe it off after noticing the blood, one last swipe and the light above the scanner turned green, he managed a shaky smile and reached for the handle. But froze when a shadow fell over him, he didn't want to turn around, he knew what was waiting.

He turned to look anyway.

From the hallway there was a flash of red that obscured all view into the room, dripping down the doors window and slowly leaking into the hallway. After a few minutes of silence there was another beep of the keycard running through the scanner, then the door opened. Leo stepped out, drenched in red. He looked both ways down the hall and decided the elevator was the best option, he felt bad for not eating all he could, considering he was still pretty hungry.. But he was pretty set on making that Folter lady regret hurting him and threatening the safety of his family. The only real task now was finding her, his swords were on the first floor. He couldn't even hold the second one with his messed up hand.. Now wasn't the time to think about it though, he would just use one for fighting for now, that'd be fine... Maybe along the way he'd be able to find some kind of pain killer or something? Now that was more motivating. He started towards the elevator when he saw the light indicating what floor it was on start moving up, fuck fuck fuck, she was coming back. He took a deep breath, calming his nerves, normally, he really didn't want to kill anyone, even bad people.. But this... It was different wasn't it? She knew about them now, she.. She couldn't be allowed to escape and hurt anyone else.. He had to, it was the only way to keep them all safe. And besides.. His stomach was growling, practically screaming that he needed more, and there was really only one thing that would satisfy that. He knew that, before anything else he knew that.

So why was there still a part of him deep down that felt bad?

Part 14 Part 1

TS Master Post

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @willtheweaver and @mk-writes-stuff!

OC Questionaire

My questions:

1. Did you have any formal education? If so, what was it like?

2. What is your stance on friends and friendship?

3. How would you describe your relationship with your family?

4. If you could have one wish granted, what would it be? (No wishing for more wishes)

5. What’s your favourite music?

6. What’s your number one warning sign that it is not going to be a good day?

I'll answer the first three for Izjik and the last three for Sepo :)

.

1. Did you have any formal education? If so, what was it like?

"Hah, hell no! Or, at least not the kind you're thinking of. In Edeme’eneha, a kid gets apprenticed out at ten years old to learn a trade. Given my level of energy and general enthusiasm for violence, I was sent to train under a hunter named Dzako. He was a gruff sort of fellow and never let me take the easy way out. He was a good man, Dzako was, and he did a good job with me, though spirits only knew I must've tried his patience something fierce. At least being out in the reeds was better than sitting at some cramped desk like they have the human kids do. Literacy is overrated."

2. What is your stance on friends and friendship?

"My friends are everything to me. On up the surface, everyone makes a big fuss about who you're related to, but it isn't like that where I'm from. Family is the people you surround yourself with."

3. How would you describe your relationship with your family?

"...nonexistent? Like I said, blood bonds don't really mean anything to halawemavar. I was raised in a communal nursery till I was ten, and then I lived with Dzako and his partners till... everything went screwy. I knew who my parents were and they knew who I was, it just wasn't that big a deal. They made me - so what? Everything made in the enclave is for the entire enclave, including children."

4. If you could have one wish granted, what would it be? (No wishing for more wishes)

"Ugh, wishes. I've never heard a good story about a wish. I'd wish for my brother to live again, but he'd probably come back as a seagull or something fucked up like that. Maybe I could wish for Izjik to be free of End? Mmm, but that might kill her.... You know what? I wish for one of those newfangled runic air cooling units, the ones that make your whole house cold. Final answer. I don't fuck with fate."

5. What’s your favourite music?

"Something I haven't heard yet, but I'll know it when it hits me. I'll write it myself if I have to."

6. What’s your number one warning sign that it is not going to be a good day?

"If I see Djek before I've had my coffee, it's an ill omen if ever there was one."

.

I'll tag @televisionjester @heywriters @xenascribbles @cartoonghosts and open tag :)

Your questions:

Are you a sound sleeper?

Have you ever owned a pet? If you haven't, what would you get as a pet if you could?

What do you think is your problem?

[goose-duck]

Mandela catalog texting 🍜

~~~~~~

✨Jonah and Adam✨

~~~~~~

💜Adam: u dyed ur hair again?

💙Jonah: yes

💜Adam: looks ugly

💙Jonah: ur face

💜Adam: what.

💙Jonah: is surprisingly pretty

💜Adam: why'd you compliment me, I just insulted you, are you stupid?

💙Jonah: keep going, I'm enjoying this

💜Adam: freak

~~~~~~

💜Adam: wanna ask if we can go to the library?

💙Jonah: u can ask, u gotta bring ur paper up anyway

💜Adam: Nah

💜Adam: just stay here

💜Adam: what's wrong

💜Adam: did you want something from the service trade people

💜Adam: I have money

💜Adam: I kinda owe you anyway

~~~~~~

💙Jonah: I'm sorry 😭

💙Jonah: I hate to leave man

💙Jonah: *picture didn't send*

💙Jonah: what a bitch

💜Adam: I can't see the picture you sent me

💜Adam: I learned a new spell in DND and fucked shit up

💙Jonah: oh sorry

💙Jonah: that's cool :)

💜Adam: It was fun, I accidentally almost killed Evelin and the guy that sits beside Evelin bc I didn't know how big the attack was and blew up a room

💙Jonah: Jesus

~~~~~~

💙Jonah: hi

💜Adam: hello

💙Jonah: hiiiiiii

💙Jonah: So what all did we have to do in English

💜Adam: Read the thingy online then pick a few questions and answer them, write a paragraph for each question you picked and you need at least 300 words

💙Jonah: oh okay

💜Adam: Should be called "my father tried to kill me with a crocodile" or alligator, I don't know my reptiles

💙Jonah: ok

💙Jonah: I got it

~~~~~~

✨Evelin and Sarah✨

~~~~~~

🌷Evelin: I broke up with him, but we agreed to still be friends bc he does great as a friend just not as a boyfriend

🌺Sarah: Fr?

🌺Sarah: like, you actually ended it?

🌷Evelin: Yeah, let me quote myself, "I wanna be ur friend, not ur girlfriend"

🌷Evelin: And he was like "okay, I think that'll be a bit awkward, but we can do that"

🌺Sarah: u guys might get back together tho

🌺Sarah: i think just a break

🌷Evelin: Nevermind, he doesn't even wanna be friends

🌺Sarah: talking stage

🌺Sarah: type of thing

🌺Sarah: well

🌺Sarah: you still have me and Dave

🌷Evelin: He told me not to talk to him and I told him I'll give him his sweater on Monday and I won't talk to him anymore

🌷Evelin: drama queen much

🌷Evelin: is that mean?

🌺Sarah: wtf

🌷Evelin: maybe

🌺Sarah: nah

🌷Evelin: he can just sit with other Adam

🌷Evelin: they're friends

🌺Sarah: yeah

🌺Sarah: or with Jonah

🌺Sarah: I like my answer better

🌷Evelin: he'd die if he had to sit with Jonah

🌷Evelin: it'd be kinda funny

🌺Sarah: exactly

🌷Evelin: I can't believe he said "don't talk to me" as if he listens to me when I talk to him anyway lol

🌺Sarah: Bro 💀

🌷Evelin: And now he's begging me for a second chance 😭

🌺Sarah: wow

🌺Sarah: that would be more awkward

🌷Evelin: he's just very interesting

🌺Sarah: ur gonna get back with him

🌺Sarah: just give it a week

🌷Evelin: no we are not

🌺Sarah: ok

🌷Evelin: with the way he's being rn I'd rather just not talk to him

🌺Sarah: yeah

🌺Sarah: me too

🌷Evelin: My mother's like "aw why, he wanted to have a job that made a lot of money" and it was funny

🌺Sarah: wow

🌺Sarah: lol

🌷Evelin: I swear she only likes the ppl I'm with if they have money or plan to do something that will make a lot of money 😭

🌷Evelin: She's shallow, she married dad bc he was making a bunch of money at the time lol

🌺Sarah: honestly I don't blame her

🌺Sarah: I would too

🌷Evelin: I agree with her, but, like, damn

🌺Sarah: easy way of living life

🌷Evelin: true

🌷Evelin: He's still going so I was like "but being friends is :("And he was like "and dating me wasn't fun"And I was like "no"

🌺Sarah: damn

🌺Sarah: bold

🌺Sarah: ur right tho

🌺Sarah: He never acted like a boyfriend in front of others therefore that's why Jonah thought me and you were dating

🌺Sarah: little does he know I'm dating someone else

🌷Evelin: ahahahha

🌺Sarah: you should tell him that

🌷Evelin: he just doesn't boyfriend the way you do

~~~~~~

✨Jonah and Adam ✨

~~~~~~

💙Jonah: my mother is arguing with me abt school

💙Jonah: so mean

💜Adam: why

💙Jonah: bc she's mean

💙Jonah: I dunno

💙Jonah: I think she just wants to argue

💙Jonah: such are mothers

💜Adam: makes sense

~~~~~~

💙Jonah: you been talking to Eve?

💜Adam: yeah

💙Jonah: what happened?

💜Adam: I still don't know what she's got going on

💜Adam: kinda just ignoring her rn

💙Jonah: ohh ok

~~~~~~

✨Ruth and Thatcher✨

~~~~~~

🤍Thatcher: I'm thinking abt dying my hair fr, so, I'm taking suggestions for what colour/colours

🤍Thatcher: Like, I'm gonna probably do it later tonight or tmr

🌻Ruth: dark blue

🤍Thatcher: okay :]

🌻Ruth: half blue half black

🌻Ruth: or purple and black

🌻Ruth: blue and purple

🌻Ruth: something with blue or purple

🤍Thatcher: those are Dave's favorite colours :0

🤍Thatcher: haha

🌻Ruth: actually? Never knew that

🤍Thatcher: I have blue, I'd just have to buy purple

~~~~~~

✨Mark and Cesar✨

~~~~~~

🍓Mark: *picture of their mark on their final project (team project)*

🍄Cesar: woohoo

🍄Cesar: 95%

🍓Mark: yeah

🍄Cesar: we're awesome

🍓Mark: I thought the interview was alright though, probably my fault

🍓Mark: you are

🍓Mark: I sucked ass

🍄Cesar: U were fine, but u could tell u weren't completely sure what u were talking about sometimes

🍓Mark: Exactly

🍄Cesar: <3

🍓Mark: you probably still would have maybe not me

🍓Mark: but I'm proud of you

🍓Mark: I wasn't sure abt anything I'm gonna be honest

🍄Cesar: Well, it was more fun bc we worked together, it wouldn't have been the same without u :]

🍓Mark: thank u

🍓Mark: I feel special for once

🍄Cesar: No need to thank me, it's just how I feel :>U pretty much motivated me to get shit done with it hence why I'd get so pissy when things weren't getting done, bc I don't care for my own grades but knowing ur grade could have been bad bc of me it made me actually want to work on it

🍄Cesar: Also, give urself some credit, u did ask Mrs. Buckle the questions, I probably wouldn't have bothered

🍓Mark: I have an 83 in that class, I wasn't worrying much about it, just wanted to get a decent mark out of it. I care about your marks because you're my friend and I wanna graduate all together

🍓Mark: I have patience with you, I don't with most people. Sometimes I lose it but at times I can't take it yk

🍓Mark: I could've worked on it sooner instead of last minute though

🍓Mark: But thank you for doing it for me, you did it for yourself.

🍄Cesar: <3

🍓Mark: love youuu

🍄Cesar: love u toooo

~~~~~~

✨Adam and Sarah✨

~~~~~~

💜Adam: fuck you

🌺Sarah: I though u were being the bigger person and ending the conversation

~~~~~~

💜Adam: I can do the showcase tomorrow btw, unless you're still mad and don't want me there. Then ig you can do it

🌺Sarah: I'm not doing it alone, u better be there

🌺Sarah: My throat hurts to much to speak so if u can be there that'd be great

💜Adam: I'll be there. Are you and eve still mad

🌺Sarah: If ur over it we're over it

💜Adam: I'm over it, I should apologize to Evelin. Im sorry for Thursday with the Jonah thing and for the dance. I just needed Eve at the time and I'm sorry

🌺Sarah: whatever you say.

~~~~~~

✨Adam and Jonah ✨

~~~~~~

💜Adam: hey

💜Adam: you there

💙Jonah: hi

💙Jonah: bus

💙Jonah: on it

💙Jonah: soon

💙Jonah: getting on it

💜Adam: ok

💜Adam: I have a lock with a

💜Adam: key

💙Jonah: okay.

~~~~~~

[reidslovely]

I have no idea if 'asks' have a character limit so if I get cut off there's potential for more...

I'd like to begin at the beginning because the mob!peter world has several stories and w/o knowing exactly when/how it all came to be or if they're related etc, here goes, starting with 'Flirting':

What are the particulars concerning this business gala at which Peter and Reader meet?

Peter seems to operate in a murky area of legitimate and quasi-legal operations, so in what capacity is he attending? Any rivals also present (guy hitting on Reader notwithstanding)

Why is Reader there?

What was Reader's drink that Peter so thoughtfully refilled? How long was he stalking her attentive he was to notice her glass was empty among other things...

What was Reader wearing and in what way did she and Peter 'match'? You're the writer, but I confess that mob!peter in a suit makes me think things that would make Ed Sheeran blush like a tomato.

What play did they see?

From your excellent series That's The Price & the other piece, Nothing Good Ever Happens:

Is the Peter in these works the same as the Peter above? (the hydrangeas were not a coincidence in other words)

If so, what is the timeline with respect to the business gala, the wedding and the engagement ring being stolen?

What did Reader and Peter talk about during their unchaperoned park 'date'?

What type of wedding band do they each wear?

What is the name of Gwen and Harry's newborn? I can't recall it being mentioned.

Is Felicia single? Do any of the other women run a business (arising from Peter's view on gender roles and curious as to whether that plays out across the other characters)

Questions regarding the honeymoon, etc (I know how the birds and bees work):

Any idea in mind where in Italy? Near the coast (surfing) I assume, perhaps Amalfi? Side note: Still giggling over "Italy makes you mean, dove."

What was her fruity drink?

Did Reader have a boy or a girl?

Am I correct in thinking that When My Time Comes and the loose followup are a different mob!peter verse so to speak? It's all good, I'm mostly making certain if they are distinct that I place the characters in the proper world. I love getting into the weeds with stories that writers create; thank you for indulging me!

Whew that was long! Have a Campari and orange on me!

AHHHH I LOVE THESE QUESTIONS!!!!!

Following your lead and starting with Flirting

In my idea it was that the business gala was being held by the Osborn's. Both families being invalid in the mafia use it as a chance to mingle, make business deals. However, being the dickhead Norman Osborn is he fronts it as a Osborn charity and just funnels the money into his and his business partners money...one of them being Peter Parker.

Peter has his hands in a lot of different businesses in his area. However, he like any good mafia man got his start drug trades specifically getting pharmaceuticals into the hands of dealers which low-key helps people who can't afford prescriptions. But as he grew and his money grew that just became one way profit came in. He's done arms dealings, which by that he found himself pretty interested in being a hitman. But now he just gets to play boss and that's the big reason he's there. Looking out at his competition, seeing who he need to befriend (or take out) and making his presence known...basically marking his territory in the most nonchalant way. And yes rivals are present which is why he has to let everyone know he's there.

Reader is a friend of the Osborns. She also comes from a family who's dealt in and with the mob. Her father ran circles with Osborn for years and it's just the culture she grew up in.

Peter noticed Reader from the moment she stepped in on Gwen's arm. He was lurking behind or at least near her half the night trying to figure out how to approach her. Then he noticed her glass had been empty for about 20 minutes, and he'd learned throughout the night she never changed her drink: which was a very simple Long Island iced tea made with a cherry coke.

So we know this iconic suit. Reader was wearing something similar to this in my mind but more to the purple tone of his coat and a nice slit in the leg.

They go and see the phantom of the opera. Peter came into tickets from a friend and he'd never seen it and reader loved every moment of it cause she'd never been to a play/musical before.

That's the Price and Nothing Good Ever Happens

The Peter from these piece could be the Peter from Flirting. But to me they are two different versions of Peter. Also hydrangeas are never coincidental- because they're my favorite flower thus they are readers also. But if you do read flirting as a part of the That's the Price/Nothing Good Ever Happens universe it would fit in right before Peter agrees to the marriage and the dates become chaperoned and reader finds her self upset at Peter for arranging a marriage and barely even knowing her.

I'm not sure how the timeline would work since in my head they aren't a big fic. I would guess it would be: the gala a couple weeks later Peter and Tony (readers father) agree to a marriage, Reader becomes upset with Peter but moves into the house, married they do trade bands but send it out to get engraved cause that's a Parker tradition. The engagement ring gets stolen two weeks post honeymoon.

Now this is having Flirting not at all apart of this canon. At first they talk about their future together. What they'll do, how much of the business Reader will participate in because what is Peter's is hers and vice versa. But it goes into the more dreamy things. Asking Peter what he'd do if he got to have a normal life (he says he'd be a scientist or a science teacher and reader says she'd be hair stylist or a painter) What they'll name their kids, and what they're dream house looks like.

Peter splurged on the engagement ring and its matching band. green diamond with a solid gold band to match. Reader struggled to pick out Peter's because why are mens wedding bands so boring? So she got one she thought matched hers.

Gwen and Harry have a little girl named Daphne

Yes Felicia is very single and she plans on staying that way. Felicia basically is Peter's business partner no matter what Harry says and he basically runs everything through her as well. Peter will work with Silver Sable on occasion who is obvious a trained mercenary but also a great arms dealer.

Honeymoon Edition

I pictured Capo Mannu which I believe is in Sardinia. It's very pretty and apparently great for surfing from what I read. (Italy makes you mean, dove - the best line I've ever written.)

Reader's favorite fruity drink is a daiquiri. I myself am a strawberry daiquiri girl if I want a fruity drink but I see her as being a pineapple or peach girl.

OHHHHH I love this. So they have twins! A boy named Benjamin that they nick name Benji and then they have a girl name Estella or Stella for short.

When My Time Comes is basically my mob!Peter rebirth. So most, if said otherwise, my mob!Peter stuff will follow that continuity now. So married straight out of high school both still young in their late twenties. Peter in this timeline wasn't born into the mob he was kind thrown into it when he realized Spider-Man wasn't going to solve the problem from the outside and then he got in and realized that not only could he support himself doing this he could get to the bad guys easier.

See you asked another set of question. I'm gonna eat my parmesan crusted chicken and then get to those because this is literally my favorite thing. I love talking about this stuff.

[shadowmaat]

Mischief and Misinformation, part 1

Obi-Wan was sitting in the living area enjoying a cup of tea when Anakin's presence slammed into him with the force of a hurricane. Only judicious use of the Force kept him from bobbling his cup. He'd managed to set the cup back on its saucer and turned to the door as the boy himself entered.

"Master!" Anakin's face was drawn into a stormy scowl. "You never said you was a slave like me!"

"Were," Obi-Wan corrected automatically, before the words caught up with him. "Wait, I beg your pardon? I was a what?"

Anakin stomped across the room and flung himself into the other chair.

"You were a slave! I was in the Archives working on that dumb grammar thing and I overheard a couple of padawans talking and they were saying how you were passed over and sent away to the Aggor- Agurri-"

"Agri-Corp?" Obi-Wan ventured, non-plussed.

"Yeah! That! You were sent there and got stolen into slavery and Mister Qui-Gon came along an' saved you an' took pity on you an' made you his padawan!"

Obi-Wan used the excuse of sipping his tea to try and gather his thoughts.

"I'm not sure what you thought you heard-"

"I'm not lying!"

Dishes rattled nearby. He frowned down at Anakin, who ducked his head and muttered an apology.

"I'm not saying you did," Obi-Wan said. "However, those padawans must have been telling tales because I can assure you that I was never sent away to the Agri-Corp." He straightened a bit, unable to resist the chance to lecture on one of the Temple's common myths.

"Initiates aren't sent away to the service corps as some kind of punishment, Ani; it's a choice, it's always a choice. What good would a gardener or a healer or what have you if they had no interest or aptitude for the work?"

"But-"

"It's just a scare tale shared among the crechelings and initiates; that if you don't do well enough you'll be sent away from the Order."

Obi-Wan huffed a chuckle. "The Order does everything it can to protect its children. If there's someone who finds they aren't suited to the path of a Knight then there are several councils in place to help them find their way, whether it's to return home, continue a more normal course of schoolwork elsewhere on Coruscant, or to be apprenticed to a trade, the Order will never abandon one of its own."

"Even if someone thinks communication & grammar is a bunch of poodoo?" Anakin muttered into his lap.

He laughed. "Even then."

He reached out, offering, and Anakin slid off his chair and crawled into Obi-Wan's lap.

"I don't know what to tell you about the rest of that story those padawans were telling." He wrapped his arms around his own padawan. "I'm sorry you were the one to hear it and that it caused more upset, but I promise I've never been a slave and that Qui-Gon sought me out right here in the Temple to ask me to be his padawan; there was no pity or coercion about it."

"Oh."

The word was muffled by the folds of Obi-Wan's robes. He patted Anakin's back.

"In the future, I'd advise you to have a little more care in choosing who and what you believe. Padawans aren't always the most reliable source of information, you know."

He jostled his leg, earning a grumble.

"Now, why don't we head down to the cafeteria and see if we can sweet talk one of the servers into giving us some spice rolls?"

He pulled his arms back just in time.

"YEAH!" Anakin leapt out of his lap, punched the air, and headed for the door. "C'mon, Master! Stop being so slow!"

Grinning, Obi-Wan stood and stretched. "I'll try to keep up, Ani, but have pity on an old man."

"Just means more spice rolls for me!"

Anakin was out the door and running. Obi-Wan gave chase.

He didn't think much more about the story Anakin had overheard. At least not until the next one cropped up.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Greetings, Your Grace. Welcome to the Royal Estate of King Charles Toyonaga I of Strangetown."

Leo Toyonaga and his little sister, Venisha Toyonaga, greeted the visitors to their uncle's estate with rigid formality.

"Hey, Leo! I brought that game over you wanted to borrow. Edana's doing witch stuff, so I can hang out with you until I have to pick up the kids."

Duke Ewan Goldman forgot to bow to his half-brother and instead greeted him with the casual gesture well known in the islands. His wife just sighed. Ewan was never one for formality, especially when it concerned his family, and it drove Edana up the wall. Formality had been drilled into her by her parents and her old coven until it was second nature. Her brother in law was never upset if Ewan was relaxed around him, but Edana knew that Leo knew the formalities Ewan was ignoring.

"Awesome! Josh is taking the younger kids to magic lessons later, so we have all afternoon," Leo exclaimed, returning his sibling's gesture. "Venisha was just leaving, I was going to see her out. Gee is meeting her boyfriend for the first time."

Ewan chuckled at the thought of that poor kid.

"Does he know that his future father in law is the Grim Reaper, or is that going to be a surprise?"

"I told him," Venisha huffed. "Daddy promised to be nice. He loves everyone who is madly in love."

Even Edana had to raise a disbelieving eyebrow at this.

"Does he feel that way about the person you're sleeping with, or just generally people in love?" she laughed. "Has he met Lukas yet, or God forbid, your grandfather? I think he might have a change of heart if both the Grim Reaper and Death itself came over for family dinner."

"Hey, Lukas is fine, once you get to know them," Leo protested. "I gotta defend my boss here. I'd be more afraid of what my dad thinks of him. Josh is still terrified of my dad and we've been married over a decade now. Either way, Gee's expecting her, so let's get a move on."

Ewan and Leo made their way to the living room, while Edana set about her own agenda.

Leo smiled as he passed a familiar picture in the hall. All this talk about the Grim Reaper and Death reminded him of his half-sister Anna. He'd grown up resenting the infant sister who had died and broken their shared father in a way he was only now starting to heal from. It wasn't Anna's fault their father, Vrai, had been an absent, resentful father to Leo growing up, but he'd still spent years blaming her all the same. Ever since she suddenly appeared to them as a reaper, Vrai smiled more, and being a father now himself, Leo understood. It was no excuse for Vrai to parent him like he had, but it was an explanation at least.

Leo and Anna had bonded the instant they met. They shared many traits regarding their spouses, their parenting styles and their opinion on their parents. He and Josh frequently met up with the Goldmans for dinner or games. Their family was a complicated one, but Leo wouldn't trade it for the world.

"So, how are things?" Ewan asked, opening a beer and handing one to his brother. "Josh is doing okay? I heard he had some coven meeting with the Maricourts. Edana wasn't thrilled with how it went."

"It is what it is," Leo replied. "Edana and Josh are never going to be friends. She was the worst bully to a man just trying to overcome a magical learning disability while supporting his pregnant husband. He tried to hide how he was feeling from me, but he can't. I know the things she said to him. Her brother too. I'm not sure who was meaner."

Ewan shrugged.

"She's changed alot over the years," he replied, immediately defensive of his wife. "When I met her, she was a different person. I was a different person. I mean, I used to be-"

"An entitled deadbeat dick?" Leo laughed. "Yeah, I remember. I wish I had recorded you demanding Dad hand over his title to you while he was still alive so you could seduce more people."

"Well, I do have the footage of you running out of your expensive arranged marriage with your fiancée's best man, almost making Vrai miscarry Venisha with a broken spell," Ewan teased, illiciting a laugh from his brother.

"Oh god, last year was the first year that Dad actually let me mention Josh and my's anniversary on Venisha's birthday," Leo groaned. "I wasn't allowed to talk about it still, but I think I might be making some progress with him. I hope. The man knows how to hold a grudge."

"Tristianne was the best of us," Ewan said solemnly, bowing his head. "If she was still here, she'd have our parents eating out of her hand. Even when she fucked up, she was still better than us."

Leo nodded sadly, raising his beer to the memory of his late sister.

"To Tristianne," he declared. "May we live lives worthy enough for her not to kick our asses when we die."

"And may Medora give you enough of her mother's attitude now that she's a teen," Ewan laughed, clinking their bottles together.

"Don't remind me. It seems like she's always up to something these days. She has a new boyfriend and Josh has been obsessed with making sure he's worthy of her. The poor kid's probably going to be scared away at this point."

"How's our favourite deity doing by the way? Things have been quiet in royal court meetings. Maura’s collection of tiaras hasn't been raided in months, or so the security report stated."

"Well, Lukas is obviously busy somewhere," Leo sighed. "They're always busy with some scheme. Varia and I haven't heard a peep in weeks. Just because we're the newest members of their chosen heritary line of champions, doesn't mean that I get reports from them. Even the reapers get status reports and compensation from Gee. Working for Life can be a pain in the ass."

Leo looked over his shoulder at the portrait of three of the deities worshipped by Strangetown. He'd tried to explain to his uncle that Lukas was the only valid deity in that picture, and that the demigods the Toyonagas had descended from weren't around to hear their descendants' prayers. According to both Lukas and Gee, the Toyonaga ancestors had vanished without a trace centuries ago. Still, the king didn't try to force his beliefs on Leo, so Leo extended the same courtesy to him.

"Ah, man, you know it's going to be epic whenever they do surface," Ewan teased. "Stolen jewelry, fire raining from the sky...I'm glad 'destiny' never chose me for anything more complicated than staying awake when Maura launches into one of her speeches."

"The Ocean will reign them in," Leo replied, earning an eye roll from his sibling. "There is always balance."

"Are you sure that you're not in a cult?" Ewan asked, only partially joking. "You, Vrai, and Varia all talk like you're in a cult passed down from parent to oldest child. You would tell me if Lukas ever asked you to drink the kool-aid, right? I don't want to lose another sibling to something stupid."

"I'll be sure to let you know the instant they ask. Didn't you say you brought that game over? Why are we wasting time when we could be playing? We only have a few hours before Josh is expecting me."

"Your Majesty."

Edana sank into a curtsy before the king. Charley only laughed in reply.

"Get up, you know that you bow or curtsy to no one here," he insisted. "You're like a daughter to me, an unofficial princess in my eyes."

Edana could feel her face flush despite her best efforts. It was true that he told her the same thing every time she bowed in his presence, but it still felt wrong to her. The Darktides were an ancient family, but one descended from piracy and dark magic. They held no land or titles; their name was all they had. Everything she had, she worked for. She didn't need anything material from the king, only his friendship. She and Ewan had everything they needed in each other and their kids.

"What brings you by? Not that I mind, of course. You haven't stopped in for awhile now. How are the kids?"

"Oh, up to their usual antics," Edana sighed. "Adam has a boyfriend that he's convinced that he's going to marry, and Remy is poorly trying to pretend she doesn't have a girlfriend. Elowen's report card was fairly good though. As long as they're not all failing or pregnant, I guess. Ewan says I'm too hard on them, but my dad was hard on me and I turned out fine."

"You should bring them next time," Charley insisted. "Leo's kids get bored easily and they could always use new friends."

Edana smiled. Leo and his husband Josh lived in the Strangetown castle by invitation of the king. The king himself had three children, Nick, who died years ago, Arthur, who had moved to Arkhelios with his wife Alicia to help the coven and Anneken, the heir to the throne. After losing so many people from his family, the king seemed desperate to keep his castle filled with guests and extended quarters to his nephew, Leo, and even to Edana herself. Everyone secretly wondered what Edana had done to earn her suite in the castle and truthfully, she had no idea. The king was lonely and she was alone, the last of the Darktides. The monarch had seen a trembling, pregnant young adult, holding the body of her dead brother and taken her in as a surrogate daughter. There were times that she caught him watching her with a sad expression, likely remembering the son and daughter in law he had lost, just as she did when she caught a glimpse of her parents reflected in her children.

Anneken had been overjoyed to have a sister figure and Leo was happy to see his grieving uncle make an attachment to someone again. Josh still held her at bay because of their...complicated college years, but even he was cordial whenever she came over.

"I came to ask a favour," Edana replied. "I...I want to visit my brother. If you allow it that is."

"Your brother? You don't need to ask my permission to visit the royal cemetery, you've always had it," Charley said. "It's not open to the public, Edana, and you are not the public. You can go there anytime you wish."

Edana's eyes fell to the floor as she thought about how to phrase her request.

"I know, I just...just thought that maybe, someone would have to accompany me. As part of protocol. So I wouldn't be alone."

Charley nodded, finally understanding her request.

"Well, I could send a guard with you, but you know what? I haven't paid my respects to my mothers or Nick in a few months. I'll come with you and visit them while you visit your family. I would rather not go there alone either."

Edana flushed with gratitude, smiling at the king.

"Thank you. I asked if Ewan wanted to come visit his sister in her tomb, but he declined."

"Well, we all grieve differently," Charley said softly. "My brother would go every month to visit his daughter's grave like clockwork, but now that she has returned to us as a reaper, the cemetery is far too quiet. We need to lead Strangetown by example and visit our ancestors and lost ones regularly while also leaving offerings to the gods."

Edana nodded enthusiastically, but said nothing in reply. He was right, she didn't do nearly as much as she should for the gods and rarely thought of her ancestors outside of her immediate family. The only family she ever thought about was her husband, her kids, and her brother. Maybe that was the reason for the dreams she'd been having. The ones where Adam screamed her name over and over until she woke up drenched with terror. It was probably nothing, but the intensity of the dreams frightened her. It never hurt to double-check that nothing was wrong.

[vyuntspakhkite-l-darling]

Writing share tag

Thanks for the tag, @cowboybrunch ! Convenient timing with this one, because I worked on my first draft for the first time in a while last night. And well, it is a first draft, but I do think what I wrote is helping make Virava a more distinct character.

When the group returned to camp, Liena greeted them immediately. They gave her the rundown. At least half of the talking was done by Arsioly. Virava almost expected him to whip out his little trophy, even though it'd probably get him an earful from Liena at best. That was the sort of thing the Emperor's Divine Army did when they managed to kill rebel soldiers, it was a shock that he'd done it. "Our cover was broken earlier than we expected," Arsioly said, referencing Tavery, who had been taken to the large- well, large for the RA's standards- medical tent. "But we handled it well. And if the cleanup team does their job, they'll bring us back a gun." Liena hummed and nodded, and then decided she'd heard enough. She dismissed the group, though most didn't leave the clearing, heading straight for the fire to receive their meals. Virava did so as well, and as she crouched down to eat and warm up by the fire, Liena walked over with her hands on her hips. "How was it?" the camp leader asked, squatting next to Virava, her pinecone-colored ponytail bobbing with the movement. The light caught on the silver strands that were starting to creep through the brown, like ivy overtaking a wall. Virava smiled, and it didn't reach her eyes. "Well… it was fine. Process was different than I remembered, but not in a bad way. We've gotten more careful." Liena hummed but didn't speak, probably trying to prompt a less impersonal answer. "Sibatol gave me a scare. He got lost between buildings, there was a moment where we couldn't find him." Liena seemed skeptical, and Virava couldn't say that, after thinking about it more, she quite believes he'd gotten lost in that little village either. "Ah… him. How did he do?" "About like I expected. He was real anxious going in," Virava sighed. "But I didn't really see him in action. I'll admit, I wasn't paying much attention to anything, the adrenaline had me. But he came out without a scratch, so I assume he did well." Liena nodded and moved to sit down on her hip. "That's good. I was worried about him." Virava made a noise that said the feeling was mutual. She'd been more than worried about Sibatol, especially in those moments where she didn't know where he was. She might have had a heart attack if something had happened to him. She couldn't handle another loss. Deciding to change the subject before the got too into her own head, she asked, "How are the other camp leaders doing?" "They're doing alright. Zhaik and Eila's camps have missions planned that will connect their territories, which is huge. We've decided we're going to focus on that- connecting camps, I mean. We want to close the gaps so that we can block off trade from Conalis to Kristalya, at least over land. Not much we can do about boats." "Smart. But I figure if I was Conalis and I suddenly had a group of ruffians blocking trade and losing me money, I'd be pretty pissed. Let's make sure to redirect traders to places where their merchandise will still be bought. We don't need more enemies, especially not ones that will leave us trapped between them." "We've already thought of that, yes, but thank you," Liena said, her eyes squinting with a bit of humor. Virava chuckled. "Just making sure." They were quiet then, each lost in their respective thoughts. Then Liena spoke again. "You know, that's the kind of thinking we look for in camp leaders." Virava rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time Liena had propositioned her to try and get her to become a camp leader. Virava knew why, of course. She'd been with the rebellion since just after it started picking up a traction and becoming a real threat to the empire. She'd been here longer than most soldiers in the camp, and she had the skills to prove it. But that kind of responsibility just wasn't something Virava wanted. Her mistakes had gotten people hurt too many times to be interested in that. "Maybe it is." Liena understood that as a rejection of the idea and didn't speak on it further.

Tagging @mk-writes-stuff, @written-among-stars, and @abbyzwrites

[pure-garbage]

Secret Arsenal! Prepare For The Worst

The straw hat's shipwright was never hard to find. Franky's workshop was consistently the noisiest place aboard the Thousand Sunny. Lana approached it with trepidation. Lately, she'd been thinking a lot about the ply of the trade she was notorious for. Lockbreaking had become a mantle synonymous with the rest of her name, and after the mess she'd been a part of at Enies Lobby, her bounty was steadily rising.

The entire world knew Lana as a woman who carried lockpicking pins on her person, and the fact that this was so well known was starting to make her a touch paranoid. She had an idea that save her from ever having all her pins confiscated again if anyone managed to capture her. The seed had been planted at the marine base G-8, but for a long time, she'd assumed her ambition was unattainable.

At least, she had asssumed so until she met cyborg Franky.

A knock wouldn't cut it. The din coming from inside Franky's workshop would drown it out completely.

"Shipwright!"

Lana announced herself with a shout as she pushed the door open, but the banging, grinding and clanging were too overwhelming for her to make herself heard. She huffed in annoyance and clasped her hands.

"Calm-calm library Feng-sui!"

The room went completely silent, only Franky's humming remaining. He stopped, confused until he noticed Lana.

"Hey! Quiet lady! I see you're not shy about letting yourself in," he grinned. "Not that I mind, visitors are always super! What brings you down here?"

"I have a project I was hoping you could help me with," Lana informed him, cutting right to the chase.

"Neat-o! If you can dream it, I can build it! You came to the right guy. So, you draw up any blueprints yet?"

"Not exactly. It's not really something I need built... more like an augmentation I'd like you to make," Lana explained. "If you can, of course."

"If I can? Sister, you must not know who you're talking to," Franky grinned, pushing his glasses up. "Tell me about your idea and I'll get to work."

"Alright. So what I'm thinking is this..."

_______________________________________

Zoro was puzzled when he saw the bandages covering Lana's left arm.

"Cut yourself training?" he asked. It wasn't like her to be so careless.

"Nah, I had some work done!" Lana grinned enthusiastically. Zoro's hackles were immediately raised.

"Work? What the hell does that mean?" he demanded.

"You'll see when it heals," she promised with a coy smile.

It took a week for Lana to remove the bandages. A few times, Zoro was tempted to sneak a peek while she was asleep, but with absolutely no idea what he might see, he decided to play it safe so as not to disrupt whatever healing process was playing out beneath the gauze.

"You ready to see?" Lana teased when the day came at last.

He looked up from the task at hand, the careful cleaning of the black blade he'd acquired on Thriller Bark.

"Oh boy," he sighed. "Alright, lay it on me."

"Here goes... ta-da!"

Lana let the wrappings fall away, revealing...

"Oh. It's... a tattoo?" Zoro realized, cocking his head to the side. The choice was baffling to him on so many levels. The design was simple, a black dagger, the blade of which pointed to her wrist.

'She never mentioned wanting a tattoo. Why a knife? She doesn't feel that strongly about them, does she? Why all the suspense? Did she think I would be excited over this? Oh no, should I be acting excited? Did I already blow this big reveal by not acting excited? I don't want to get into another fight with her.'

"The tattoo is just camouflage," Lana explained. "Hiding... this!"

She curled her fingers, pressing her index and middle to the base of her palm. Zoro's jaw dropped and his eyes popped out of his skull as the blade of the knife tattoo flipped open, revealing a slim compartment hidden within the flesh of Lana's arm. Inside, an assortment of lockpicking pins lay in wait.

"My secret lock breaking arsenal! It's important that you keep it a secret though... you, me and Franky are the only ones who know about it and it needs to stay that way. If the world finds out about it, it won't be of any use to me."

Zoro gaped as Lana spoke, fighting to restrain his horror at the development. The change struck him as drastic and invasive, but even so...

"So? Whaddya think?"

Lana's smile was filled with bright expectations.

'She's mine, but that does't make it my place to dictate how she shapes herself,' Zoro thought, beginning to recover from his shock. 'I own her heart, not her flesh.'

If Lana could accept him, scars, rough edges and all, he owed her the same in return. Zoro fixed on a smile for her sake.

"If you're happy with it, it's incredible," he sighed. He reached out and closed the compartment gently, running his fingers over the tattoo, feeling for seams on her skin.

"It's completely imperceptible," Lana assured him. "Franky did a really excellent job."

"Does it hurt?"

"Nah."

"Was it really painful? While he was working on it."

"He put me under. I didn't feel a thing 'til I came to."

"Can you... feel me? Touching you."

"Sort of. I feel pressure."

"Huh. You got... any more work you want him to do?" Zoro asked, carefully restraining the resentment threatening to seep into his tone.

"Nah, this is the end of my creativity," Lana admitted.

Zoro couldn't hold back a sigh of relief.

____________________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[lucigoo]

Bagginshield-tober: Day 2 - Garden

Im a little behind, but nevermind, enjoy my Bagginsheild story based on the prompt Garden.

It is also avaliable on A03 here

Bilbo was fed up with his husband. Yes he understood his concerns, yes, he knew Thorin didn't like it when he was too far from the Mountain, yes, he would take his bodyguards Nockic and Avrala with him. No, he was not staying more than two nights and “Yes, will you back off Thorin as i am going to Dale! I'm going to check the harvest and make sure it's growing right. And I sure as Yavanna do not need permission thank you very much” Bilbo finally snapped. Feeling guilty when he saw the sheepish expression on Thorin’s face. Bilbo took a few deep breaths, walked closer so he could cup Thorin's cheeks in his small and nimble hands. “Thorin, love, I'm going to Dale, with two bodyguards, Ori, Dori and Bofur. I have to check the harvest Thorin or we will all go hungry. Besides, we talked about this. I'm a hobbit, there is nowhere green in the mountains. I need air and grass and living things. I love it here, i love you, but i am still a hobbit ok?” he asked genty. Thorin just let out a sigh, “Yes aznan, I understand. I didn't mean to make you feel like you can't go, i just …” Thorin trailed off, not looking Bilbo in the eyes, how did he explain what he was feeling. 

He didn't have to, his clever, loving hobbit did it for him. “You just don't like me far away, and I appreciate it. I don't like to be too far away either, but it will be winter soon, and I need to get as much sunlight as possible whilst I can Thorin. Maybe in a few years when things have settled we can make a garden in the Mountain, there must be somewhere.” Bilbo finished on a wistful sigh. 

Thorin said nothing and just pulled Bilbo into his arms and held him tight, relishing in the feel of him before he disappeared down to Dale for two long, lonely nights. 

~~~~<>~~~~

Bilbo sat on his pony, listening to Ori and Bofur talk about the new trade agreements as he watched the Lonely Mountain get closer and closer.. He was ready to be home, to have his dwarven heater cuddled up behind him as the nights got colder, to just breathe in all of Thorin. Bilbo hated how he had to do these trips every other month or so at least, but as a hobbit he couldn't survive in just stone the way his dwarves did. As it was he was already dreading the upcoming winter where the doors got shut and only opened for extreme circumstances. 

Bilbo thankfully had convinced Thorin to move into a room at the top of the Mountain with him, one of the very few with a window and a connected balcony. Not that the baloney had been very good or safe when he had last checked a few months ago. Hopefully, one day soon he could convince Thorin to allow him to turn it into something he could use to grow, no matter how small. 

Bilbo found himself whipped away as soon as he got into the Mountain, Thorin was nowhere in sight, and Balin had basically grabbed him, and marched him to his rooms. Bilbo looked at his travelling companions who looked as bemused as him but followed along behind him dutifully. 

Bilbo just scuttled along, almost running to keep up with Balin, who hasn't released his arm. Balin didn't slow until he reached Bilbo’s own chambers. 

As soon as he was free he stood as tall as possible and glared at his friend “WHat in Arda Balin? I know where my rooms are, did my idiot husband think 3 days out of the mountain and I'd forget, honestly” he ended with a tut. He'd barely made it into the mountain and he was already fed up with dwarves. His dwarves specifically.

“And you three, next time you need me to get you out of a pickle don't expect me to aid you” He added with a huff, glaring at them all. He pulled his waistcoat into position again, smoothed his cloak and opened his door Calling back “Where is my stonehead husband anyway? If he thought I was going to get lost he could have come for me himself.” he said, still annoyed. 

Bilbo stopped still when he heardThorin’s unamused cough. He turned his head  back around and smiled sheepishly at his dwarf King, standing there in nothing but a short sleeved tunic that really showed off those strong forearms. 

Bilbo realised he had been staring a little too much when Bofur “accidentally” nudged him in the back. “Ahem, yes, hello” he said, face bright red as he ignored the reason why the rest of The Company were in his rooms during his homecoming. 

He walked straight to Thorin and allowed himself to be wrapped up in those strong, safe arms. INhaling the scent of fire, iron and stone. A scent that would be strange for a hobbit to enjoy, but for Bilbo it was just pure Thorin and he had missed him so. 

“And i you ghivashel” he felt more than heard rumble under his ear, reeling he had said it out loud. 

Nilbo soon realised he would get no peace to snuggle his dwarf as the rest of their friends were whispering, loudly. Bilbo’s ears suddenly perked up as he pulled back from Thorin’s solid chest. “Garden, what garden?” he asked curiously. 

Thorin turned his glare at his friends before turning to bilbo with a besotted smile. “Close you eyes my huzn, I have a surprise. We have been working on it slowly for months in secret, but now it is complete, come.” he said, grasping Bilbo’s hand tight on his own as Kili covered Bilbo’s eyes as he “did not trust their burglar not to peep”.

Bilbo spluttered and made noise just to indulge him, It didn't hurt to indulge one of the lads every now and again, He allowed himself to be ushered outside into the fresh mountain air. He took a few deep breaths before suddenly stilling. His nose twitched. “Wait, Thorin, what can I smell, it's never smelt like this before. “ he said in shock.

Thorin chuckled in his ear and said “open your eyes mine huzn, look at your present.” 

Bilbo did and gasped, hands covering his mouth as his eyes involuntarily watered. It wasn't very big, most of the beds were not filled, but the ones that were. Bilbo couldn't believe it. 

He turned, throwing himself at Thorin and laughing as he kissed his whole face, revelling in the way Thorin held his hips tight in those bug road hands that could cut down orcs, create amazing weapons and apparently make a hobbit out of the Shire there very one garden on the side of a mountain Bilbo couldn't stop the tears as he nuzzled into Thorin who happily embraced him back. 

Bilbo had a sudden thought and pulled back, “Thorin, do you, I mean are you aware ….” he trailed off, unsure how to ask his question.

Thorin gave a small laugh. “Yes my beloved, I know the flowers have meanings, these were the only ones we could find that would grow that we could identify. I had no wish to say the wrong thing.” he said a little bashfully. 

Bilbo looked around and noticed that their friend had left at some point when he had been enfolded in Thorin’s arms. “You are aware that this is a giant declaration of love, yes?” he all but purred as he pressed closer to his husband. 

“I hope so, tell me if i'm wrong but the aster’s, bleeding hearts and lilac are declarations of love, the mountain pansy is a reflection of a humble hobbit being brave enough to follow an old dwarf across the world and become his consort, the sedum, phlox, columbine and begonia are all variations of unity, partnership and togetherness ans this one…” he trailed off as he moved further along into the garden, towing Bilbo behind him. 

“This one”  he said as he picked a small flower that had bloomed and placed it behind Bilbo’s ears, wiping the tears that were falling as he did so. “This yarrow stands for everlasting love, the way my heart is everlasting yours, until the end of Arda and the world is remade for the final battle and beyond that, my love for you will never waver.”

A sob left Bilbo’s throat as he lunged at Thorin grabbing him by his braids. Having their first passionate kiss under the soft mountain sunlight in his garden, a garden made with love like his father had made his mother. Bilbo had never been so sure he was where he was supposed to be more than in this moment. Wrapped up in his dwarf surrounded by a loud and brash declaration of everlasting fealty in hobbit custom. 

“I love you” he whispered into Thorin's mouth quietly, enjoying the thorough ravishing he received in return as his return declaration.