#sticks and coins are getting stuck in the body

[gossippool]

I've fallen hard for poolverine and I've read and loved your fic, do you have any fic recs you can share pretty please?

hi anon i do indeed!! i've been meaning to do a rec list eventually so thank u for asking. here are some fics out of the 14 i have bookmarked

twice upon an odyssey by lkst (E, 6k)

It would be tempting to say the propensity for physical violence in their relationship is gone, but nothing is created or destroyed, it would seem. While the urge to kill each other has faded it’s translated into tension between them hot and wet enough to grow orchids, and it’s taken the willpower of gods to keep them from fucking nasty about it. They're managing. The thing is, Wade doesn’t want to manage anymore. Wade drags Logan out on a little heist hoping to finally get him to make a move.

one of my favourites!! this is mostly smut but also some of the best characterisation of wade i've ever read and SO FUNNY. i giggled through the whole thing. sometimes humour in fics falls flat but not this time

deadpool/wolverine series by farmhandler (11k + 46k+)

i feel like recommending this series is a must tbh. only two fics in here so far and the second one is still updating but both are just. SO good. the first one is more wade-and-his-issues-centric and the second is more logan

tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by signifier (E, 10k)

The one where Wade gets stuck in a time loop, and he's determined to get Logan out of it alive.

time loop fics are so hard to execute well and this was just perfect. typical emotional toll of being stuck in a time loop is taken on wade so there's Angst

movin' out (deadpool's song) by jenniferlawrencelover (E, 36k)

Wade wasn't fond of change. Both in the life sense as well as the coin sense. So they might have to move houses? Okay. Sure, his tummy hurt a little more than usual when he thought too hard about it, but he could move past that. Would move past that. Eventually. Probably. Most likely not. Probably not at all. Wade didn't do change.

GODDDD i love this fic. it is so gorgeously written i think i have some parts screenshotted which is how you know it's good. brilliant exploration of both wade and logan

where soul meets body by edgebug (E, 34k)

In which something very interesting happens underneath the Time Ripper, and Wade and Logan deal with the aftermath.

no idea how to explain this but their minds kind of get intertwined??? ish?? and it's so fucking good the writing is just impeccable. angst and smut galore

guess by handfulofteeth (E, 16k)

Logan stops talking. He’s mid-chide, tossing his soiled paper towel onto the counter and about to reach for another one when his eyes land on Wade. He’s got his pajamas halfway down his thighs, clearly trying to avoid sticking his fingers all over the gooey fabric, and whatever, that on its own isn’t a big deal...What is a big deal, a huge, massive fucking deal, is what Wade’s wearing underneath his pajamas. Panties.

now this may seem like it's mostly smut and you would be right. but it is goddamn good smut (with a dash of angst) and just such an alluring read. their other fics are also just as good

[bleedingichorhearts]

𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 & 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐧 (𝐏𝐭. 2/3)

𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗: Something short for my feathered boi: Zedikel in “𝐄𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐲 & 𝐈𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐲”

𝕾𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: A little raven finds a mourning swan and well… attempts to court them. (He’s got the spirit at least.)

𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖉: @kit-williams, @egrets-not-regrets, @bispecsual, @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan, @sleepyfan-blog.

+@c-u-c-koo-4-40k.

TW // None.

|°ᴛᴀɢ ʟɪꜱᴛ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ°| |°ɪᴄʜᴏʀ’ꜱ ᴀᴏ3°| |°𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕃𝕚𝕤𝕥°| • {Pt. 1} • {Pt. 3}

The little raven flys long and far to find what he think is the best for the mourning swan. His wings beating against the harsh winds of the snow the longer he is out. His feathered being packed with snow.

He’s very admeant about his task that he has set before him. Going through the coldest weathers, and even the toughest territory’s to try and find what is worth the swans eye. He has even traded a few items to present to the swan. Doing everything within his power to capture the swans broken love.

He presents her the most shiniest things like: coins of new, glinting buttons and caps, shimmering metal things the female humans wear on their heads, just below their hair. He, of course, didn’t just bring her shiny things, but he also gave her things he saw she had an interest in before. He seen her pull at certain sticks, and tear into some fish and berries. How else is he to become a potential partner if he doesn’t notice these things?

The first thing he presented her however, is the silver coins. His wings flapping down as he lands onto the top of the snow; near by where the swan would lay, piled in snow. His little talons hopping throw the snow, creating marks as he gets confidently closer to the snow-covered swan.

Setting down the coin on top of the snow from his beak. He try’s to gently caw at the swan first to get her attention. Wanting to see her beautiful, wilted feathers rise up to his appearance. Yet, it doesn’t work. So, he try’s again, a bit more louder. His head tilting in all directions, and his body hopping around the mound in the snow to try and figure out how to get her attention.

He feels a bit… dejected at her unresponsive behavior, and perhaps worried. He has never quite see another mourn so much as a swan. Sure, he was a bird of mourning and death himself, but a swans was different. She didn’t move nor go out to satisfy herself to make sure she lives. She didn’t provide for herself like she once has. She simply took the event head on.

He try’s to caw for her again, daring to get anymore closer. Hopping around, hoping for any movement from the bigger bird of white, and he’s lucky on his third attempt when the mound of snow begins to break up. His little form hopping back to give the swan her space. His eyes going back to watch the snow fall of the swan once more.

The swan trills at him, wondering why he would disturb her peace. He wings extending slightly to overshadow him from the blinding white of the snow and cloud-covered sun. Her head coming slightly down to observe the tiny raptor that interrupted her sleep.

In quick movement, he takes a hop back and plucks the silver coin back into his beak and precents the coin to the swan. His form a little low to show he doesn’t mean any harm. He just wishes to present his first gift.

He coos lowly as the swan lowers herself, her beak next to his. Her eyes looking into his own. Grief, mourning, saddens and even… curiosity glinting in them. Such a beautiful sight to see the little raven thinks.

Too couped up to notice how the swan doesn’t accept his gift nor pushes him away. He just watches the swan like he’s star stuck while she moves her head back; away from him. Then, he gives out another caw at the realization.

He however, is not swayed by her rejection, he takes it as a win of sorts. She leaned down to check what he had presented, she didn’t accept it, but she didn’t chase him off either. Oh, that’s definitely a win in his feathery books.

So, he tries again. This time with the shiny caps of glass bottles and glinting buttons. He surrounds the still swan in them (much to her bemusement.) Hopping all around her, and making sure to position them the perfect distance away from another and the swan herself. His mind set on trying to get her to notice anyone of them while she would rise up against and shake the snow off her feathers to look at what he presents.

He coos and caws gently at her, moving his beak upwards towards her, trying to get her reaction; to urge her. Trying to get a word or a sound out of her, whether it would be a form of appreciation or not. He will continue either way.

This continues for quite a while. Risking himself to the blizzards to gather anything that might appease the swan. Never stopping for a rest until he has everything he wants to present to the swan.

Until his wings and talons start to freeze.

His form shivers as he has a hard time trying to fold his wings against his body. His feathers all ruffled and have patches of clumped snow in them. Although, he still has some energy to give a limp hop back when the swan rises once again to acknowledge what he has tried to gift to night.

However, the swan never acknowledges his gifts at all this time. Instead, she acknowledges him, looking him over. Noticing how frail he was looking, but he was still willing to push through and gift her things…

Silently, she extends one of her wings and drapes it over the frosted raven. Pulling him closer to her feathered body. His nearly solid body practically rolling into her form while she slowly lays down into her spot she rises from. Folding her wings around him, and willing to warm up the little raven at his impressive efforts.

She can feel as the little raven nuzzles into her warmth, reminding her of her past lover… The swan shakes her head, but doesn’t move the raven at the thought. She’ll let the raven rest within her feathers until he is ready to fly again.

[xcerizex]

"Charles"

"Yesterday will slowly fade away, so why not smile today one more time?"

I want to say;

"It's okay."

(awakening!Lars, lars x little painter, mild angst, 600+ words)

Lars breathes an internal sigh of relief as the last of the extraterrestrial creatures dissipate into the darkness. There are no more of them to be found, so he switches the mech back into neutral mode and leans back in his chair.

Breathe in, and breathe out.

The battle has taken a toll on his body, and he feels his mind strain against the psychological damage dealt to him.

"Assessing physiological stats, determining countermeasure..."

Her voice chimes through the mech and Lars smiles.

Tilting his head upwards, he sees the endless void of space. The sight of it makes him feel claustrophobic, and reminds him of the time he hid in a closet afraid of the monsters in the night. Back then, he had a toy lion someone gave to him on his birthday for company.

Now, he has an avatar resembling her to accompany him instead.

"Return route has been decided, initiating transportation..."

Lars feels the Paradise system take over his mind, making him feel drowsy. He hates it, but no matter how hard he tries to fight against it, his eyes flutter shut like a butterfly's wings.

"Please rest well, Captain."

The last thing he does is remind himself that person is not her.

Before, Lars would occasionally take her out on spontaneous trips to the beach at midnight. He'd prepare something new everytime; a blanket covered in lions, a portable disco ball, and pink potty for Beanie whenever he tagged along.

He almost lost his eyes for that, but it was worth it.

She would grumble most of the time, complaining while rubbing her eyes sleepily whenever he showed up at her doorstep. But she still went along with whatever he presented to her.

He once convinced her to lie on the sand with him to gaze at the stars, the both of them laughing together as the sand got into their hair. Not giving a damn even as they talked all night till the morning came at dawn.

She always stayed with him no matter what.

"So if she left me, she must have had a good reason right?"

Lars faces the Navigator looking up at him mutely. Even with her monotonous expression, he can still see the pity in her eyes.

...She resembles her too much. He thinks he might go insane.

The Navigator shakes her head.

"I cannot assume the reason for her departure, in case I am wrong. Even with the records I've looked through and the data you've provided me, it is difficult to determine if it was an abduction, or if she left of her own free will."

The both of them sit down on the boat as it flows through the canals on its own. He knows better, he knows that it's all fake and the pufferfish he sees swimming off at the distance could very well just be more extraterrestrials hiding, waiting to tear him apart.

He doesn't mind them for now, and takes his coin out of the lapels of his pocket. If he flips it and gets heads, it's an alien. Tails, it's not an alien. Maybe it could be her.

He flips once, heads.

He flips it twice, heads again.

He flips it for the third time but the boat suddenly jolts to the side out of nowhere and it falls into an odd sort of position. It sticks out between the seams of the wooden boards upright, being neither heads or tails.

"Forgive me Captain, but the return route has been recalculated to ensure your safety."

He doesn't hear the Navigator and stares at the coin stuck in the floor. Sighing, he picks the coin back up.

Lars wonders, today and tomorrow, how many more times must he flip the coin to see her again.

He misses her.

[small-sinclair]

Can you do more slasher band au headcanons for bug infested bodies???

PSA: Never watched the movies or know who they are, but looked and fanart and fics to get personality.

Au by: @arkunder

Jesse Cromeans and Asa Emory as “Bug Infested Bodies”.

Jesse doesn’t drink water. No one knows why. Asa has to force him to drink water.

Asa has a collection of ski masks that are all different. One has a lot of eyes, one looks like a disco ball, and another is white.

Asa’s fans like to give him crow gifts. Buttons, pins, coins, acorns, leaves… it’s kinda out of control.

Whenever Asa is stuck on a question, he likes to rub Jesse’s head, saying, “Magic 8 Ball, Magic 8 Ball. What should I do?” Then Jesse would answer, “Whatever and whoever the hell you want.”

Asa has a PhD in bugs and science. He could be a professor if he wanted but he likes writing music more.

The band was made by accident. Jesse was playing music one day in a bar and Asa told him he sucks. So, Asa got on stage with him and did a song together.

Asa and Jesse have a bro-mance. They’ll fight and throw hands one moment then hug it out the next.

Jesse has a photo of him at the beach with his adopted daughter and son in his wallet and back pocket when he performs. (Yeah, he has a family)

Jesse loves making the music videos and Asa makes the props.

Asa’s dogs do come on stage from time to time and the crowd goes nuts. They have merch and a fan base around them. They’re also featured on some songs, too, like barking, howling, and panting.

Asa is good friends with Lester Sinclair. Jonesy and Asa’s dogs have play dates on the road while the Sinclairs, Asa, and Jesse do a LIVE Jam on social media while raising money for an animal shelter.

They like to do backflips on stage.

Due to Asa’s resting bitch face, it’s hard to show his emotions. When he does smile and show joy, he brightens up the room.

If Jesse has his black jacket off and his back turned, you can see where he got stabbed on his shoulder.

Jesse likes to collect new skull masks from fans. His favorite one he gotten was from a little kid; it has a unicorn and some butterfly sticks.

There’s a segment in the show called “Bug Facts with The Collector”. During this time, a bug comes out and Asa gives a little science lesson about the bug and what it does.

Side note: There was a Boy Scout troop and he invited them on stage so they could get their Bug badge.

They like to perform near museums because they visit the day before the show. They meet fans, take photos, do autographs while looking at historical stuff and the big bug displays.

Jesse has been arrested for public intoxication and assault.

Asa sleep walks.

Jesse screams in his sleep.

Both go to therapy.

When they are on break, Asa likes to guest speak at schools about bugs and shows off his collection. Jesse goes home to his kids and partner; he takes this time to be a father and go to important events like ballet and games.

[withonly-sweetheart]

The Floor is Lava

Leon signs up for the Netflix competition, "The Floor is Lava," dragging you along with him.

a/n: unoriginal asf title ik 😔 but i watched tfil and saw this gorgeous king and thought "leon kennedy" so u get this.

tw: dirty talk (if u can call it that nun too serious) suggestive content and cutie pie cringe leon 🤧

wc: 2.9k

part two???? if this gets attention 🥰

<><><><><>

You desperately cling to the rope, watching your knuckles turn white against the scratchy material. When you had jumped, you had expected a gentle swaying as you elegantly traversed the course, easily landing on the toy block.

But with neon orange slime spurting everywhere, covering you in the sticky substance and causing you to lose your footing, such grace was something you couldn’t afford. You gingerly place your foot on the block, your unset destination, immediately slipping away as another tawny bubble bursts to the left, startling you.

Holding on for dear life (and $10,000), you shift your wary gaze to Leon. He’s not too far away, a sheen of sweat beading down the side of his face as he makes the jump to a yellow bed, landing on shaky legs but miraculously not falling off.

He turns to you, grim determination set in the lines of his face, the planes of his cheekbones lifting in what seems to be an encouraging smile.

Leon didn’t tell you when he signed you both up for The Floor is Lava, to be recorded on camera as you made an absolute fool of yourself trying to complete an obstacle course with him. When the acceptance came in the mail, he looked so confident that you could win that it was hard to say no.

What really enticed you was the cash prize, a sum of ten thousand dollars. And you figured, why not try? It was free to join and aside from being publicly humiliated, there was nothing to lose.

Since they were done with trios, the director wanted to film couples, so your introduction was mainly just Leon talking about you two while you fiddled with your fingers, sitting with your knee dug into his, avoiding the camera crew’s intense stare.

And now, you finally find the courage to step onto the block, stumbling forward, finding purchase on the very edge. You slowly exhale, brushing away the strands of hair framing your face. Guess you’re not looking your best either.

Leon easily leaps from each obstacle, barely looking exhausted, quickly grabbing his exit pass and swinging over to you. You can see him through the Connect-4 board, one of your favorite board games, although not at the time.

“Uh, what do I need to do?” he calls out to you, stretching his arms. The graphic tee he’s wearing has ridden up his body, exposing the low ridge of his abdomen. The cameras are drinking it up, taking one too many close up shots for your liking.

You huff under your breath and shout back, “Knock out that piece at the bottom so I can climb up!”

“What piece?” You watch him look around on the platform he’s standing on. The toy blocks stacked in a neat pattern around him catch your eye.

“Push the blocks!” He nudges a block with his boot, confusion contouring his expression for a moment before it clicks and he kicks the tower. It collapses quickly under his force, revealing a spare weight.

The only problem is it looks an awful lot like something you’d put on a dumbbell, and you’ve never seen Leon go to the gym. You know that his job requires combat training and a whole lot of strength, but you’re unsure if he can lift something that heavy. He inspects it carefully, a frown creasing the space between his eyebrows.

“Can you lift-” He crouches and lifts the weight like it’s nothing. You stare, speechless, as he slots it into place right above the coin.

“Hurry up, sweetheart,” he urges with a subtle wink.

You use the pieces like stairs, reaching for the exit pass stuck at the top. Once your fingers are clutched around it, you immediately stick it onto the velcro on your shirt, fearing losing it.

“Got it,” you confirm, dangling your legs off the top of the board. Leon waits at the bottom, arms outstretched, fingers slightly curled as if you’re already in his grasp. You giggle at the thought and give him a lazy smile before leaping down, landing right in front of him.

“I’m no damsel in distress,” you tease, using the edge of the platform to somewhat scrape the saffron slime off the bottom of your sneakers. It was good that you picked an old pair that was already coming apart for this.

Leon fakes a pouty look, narrowing his eyes and jutting out his bottom lip. He crosses his hands over his chest, over his heart, and leans back dramatically.

“Oh, dear heavens, save me from this goddess of a woman, who brings woe is me!” he blabbers, trying to come across as somewhat comprehensible.

“Woe is not you,” you scoff. “Besides, you wouldn’t have been able to catch me anyways.”

His expression dims. If anything, he was most disappointed when you assumed that he couldn’t do things for you. “Wasn’t that far, love,” he mumbles.

“You’re already sore,” you tease, “you old man.”

“I’m not that old,” he protests but a steady grin spreads across his face. Usually his age would’ve hit a sore spot and stayed but he seems like he’s in a good mood today.

“Thirty seconds,” the commentator calls out, sounding quite bored. You feel bad for the man, usually he’s always rushing to add a snarky comment, like you expected after watching the previous three seasons of the show. But he’s been silent, so you assume that the target was to focus on the couples and romance and stuff.

You prefer snark.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t play at the flirty card.

You throw an arm around Leon’s neck leisurely, pushing the warning of thirty seconds to the back of your mind. You press a kiss to his lips, fast but as deep as you can make it without wasting too much time.

You step away with a sneaky grin lingering on your face at Leon’s dazed expression. He snaps out of it and meets your eyes with the same mischievousness. Despite dating for over two years and knowing each other for even longer, it feels like you’re discovering something new about him every day.

You both rush through the last obstacle, a five foot jump, the tension ringing in your ears. Leon cheers for you as you prepare to cover the distance, slightly worried about losing your footing.

“You’re on fire, hot stuff!” he hollers, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Just keep burning rubber ‘till the bike's wheels fall off!”

“In what world do I ride a motorbike?” You roll your eyes (expecting Leon’s cringe lines) and the buzzer sounds just as you spread out on the finishing mat, collapsing beside him, panting heavily. He presses a soft peck to the curve of your neck, lying there as a jaunty theme plays and the commentator nearly jumps up from his seat to express his true feelings about the runthrough.

“And they’ve made it to the volcano!” he exclaims, jumping from behind the railing. The cameras zoom in on you two, and you make an effort to crane your neck and offer a weak smile before flopping back down, letting yourself relax.

“So, angel,” he whispers. “Anything else you wanna ride?”

<><><><>

You keep the words of courage (not that last bit) in your mind as you grip his hand, scaling up the giant mountain spewing golden goop everywhere. When they said volcano, they weren’t joking.

“You can do this,” he says assuringly.

“We can do this,” you correct with a sly smirk, noting the other couple glaring daggers at you, entwined in each other's arms.

But the cameras are off, which gives them free will to do as they wish. As if on cue, the man approaches. "That was some stunt back there. Guess Leon couldn't keep his hands off his girlfriend for five minutes, could he?"

His partner snickers cruelly. "Please, like they have any chance of winning. Let's be real, she's holding him back."

You step forward angrily but Leon's arm bars your waist. "We don't have time for their games, love. Save your energy for what matters." He locks eyes with them in a challenging stare.

“I've seen the way you look at her," the guy sneers at Leon. "It's pathetic. You're too distracted to focus on winning."

“Is he asking for it?” Leon cranes his neck to absently glance at something behind you, using the chance to mutter that into your ear.

Hands on your hips, you narrowed your eyes. "Jealous that we have what you never will? Real love and trust, not just desperation?"

The woman scoffs. "Please. Love is for the weak. This competition is about skill, and you two are lacking."

“Lacking?” You fight for a sweet smile. “The only thing lacking here is your ability to disguise that you’re desperate enough to say this to our faces.”

The guy flushes and the girl scowls, but they put on their camera smiles as the director calls out to you all. Through the course of your time here, you had watched them climb their way up the rankings and anticipated facing off against them, and however much you disliked them and however much you doubted your chances of winning, you fought to put effort into it, wanting to win to wipe those smug expressions off their faces.

“First ones to get their rocks set in place wins!” the commentator says brightly, flashing you a smile. You can’t tell if it’s genuine or forced but you don’t let it bother you, squeezing Leon’s hand tightly.

He squeezes back, looking at you with a certain kind of confidence, one that overflows from him to you. You look back at the mountain, renewing your idea of it.

The commentator counts down, thrusting his hand in time to the numbers, fingers retracting slowly before he pumps his fist in the air and you sprint off the platform. You swing your way across the bars and carefully push off from the chimney-styled column to land on the sticky surface near the base of the volcano.

The area wavers, like a raft on the ocean during a storm, making it hard to stand on your feet. Leon’s weight on the already unstable surface topples you over and you crawl to your knees in front of him, grumbling in dissent.

Leon’s low chuckle reaches you as he pulls you up and towards him, leaning down to whisper in your ear, “On your knees for me? In public?”

You push away from him, spotting your competition catching up. Grasping the ridges of the slope, you struggle to find purchase on the slippery surface. Sending a silent prayer of thanks to your parents for your long arms, you pull yourself up onto the ledge, panting heavily from the effort. Your muscles burn and you feel the stretch in your hamstrings, but you manage to uncoil the rope and toss it down to Leon.

He’s up in no time, coaxing you back up the mountain. His little words of praise and the thought of beating those cocky bastards spur you up to the top. When you reach the peak, you inhale slowly and push your rock.

It doesn’t budge. On the small ledge Leon and you are standing on, his body is pressed right against yours. The room suddenly feels much hotter, the temperature now fitting your surroundings. You hear him let out a shaky exhale, breath fanning the shell of your ear.

“Need some help, darling?” he coos quietly, too quiet for the microphones to pick up. “Is that what you need?”

You narrow your eyes, knowing that he knows what he’s doing to you, and it’s not really helping your concentration. You swat his hand away, the one you feel creeping from your waist, to a lower area.

“Just move the rock,” you hiss through gritted teeth, leaning over the edge of the volcano to try and get a better grip. Leon steps closer, pushing you against the surface, pinning you down so you can feel him, what you’re doing to him. “The rock!”

“You didn’t say which one,” he chastises breathily. “You didn’t say which.”

“Stupid, there’s only one-” You go silent, cheeks flushing at the realization of his words as you lean back involuntarily, straining from the effort of stretching. A strangled groan passes his lips and he lifts you back, hands settling on the dip of your hips.

“Just move,” he growls and there’s a more primal tone to his words now, and you get the feeling he’s not just talking about the rock. An urgent tone, like he’s suddenly impatient. A smile flutters across your face and you use his leverage to push yourself up, now splayed on the lower half of the volcano’s peak.

With a glance to the other couple, who’s fully given up on the challenge itself and are making out furiously against the walls, you slot your rock into place. Guess you were right about desperation.

A buzzer sounds and through the sloppy moans of the competition, you hear your commentator shout words of approval as he speaks to the camera before it cuts to you both. You turn and smile, Leon still standing behind you, arms wrapped firmly around your waist as he peppers messy kisses to your neck.

“Leon,” you say shyly, fully feeling the cameras on the both of you.

“Relax,” he murmurs against your skin. “They want a show. Let’s give them one.”

You don’t understand what he means until you stand beside him, fingers entwined, one of your hands holding the lava lamp that comes as a trophy. You’re more excited about the cash sum, mind already racing towards the thought of happily living together in your own house. Married.

You won’t deny yourself, you’ve been waiting for him to propose for god knows how long. Every time you think it might be the right time, nothing happens and your hopes slightly dim. While the cameras pan in on his smile, you use the time to sneak glances towards him.

When he looks back, adoration swims in his baby blue eyes as he turns to you, letting your hand fall out of his. “And… my inspiration is you. It’s always been you.”

You beam. I guess it’s always been something you’ve known, given the way he treats you, but hearing him say it out loud? For so many people to see? It feels like an accomplishment, a declaration of your love.

“Well, Leon- can I call you that? - I must say, I’m not one for romance, but you two have truly moved me tonight.” The commentator, Benny, you think, shakes his head. “Y'all deserve this. How’d you know that you would be there for each other?”

You nod. “I guess it’s the trust you have in your partner, the feeling of knowing even if you fall, they’ll be there.”

“But not to catch you, because the floor is…” Benny looks at us, expectant.

You and Leon share a glance before grinning madly and screaming, “Lava!”

The lights flash and Benny turns to the camera, previewing next week’s episode as Leon turns to you, the soft blue light washing over his face, highlighting the sharp contours of his gentle expression.

“What’s wrong?” You ask, resting a hand on his arm.

“I think you know what’s wrong,” he replies, leaning back to stand on his heels. You figure he might need some distance after… that, but he crouches down on one knee, looking up at you, eyes conveying nervousness.

You stare blankly, for some reason unable to react because after waiting for so long, it feels like you don’t know the correct expression to display on your face. You break out into a smile that hurts your cheeks when he starts talking, voice soft so he doesn’t interrupt Benny’s faint chatter.

“Darling, you already know how much I love you, so we’ll skip the formalities.” He clears his throat, pulling a box from seemingly nowhere and opening it, revealing a simple ring with a sparkling diamond inside. “Will you make me the goddamn happiest man alive and marry me?”

“Leon, of course, yes, yes!” Your mind starts to spin as he stands up, reaching out to put the ring on you, but you rush into his arms, numb with happiness, clutching the fabric of his shirt, sobs escaping you.

He pats your back, slightly shifting your position to put the ring on you. Trying your best to calm down, you admire the loose band around your finger, spotting letters engraved on the inside. Curious, you check the message. It reads, "Property of Kennedy.”

“Does yours say that too?” You snicker, wiping at your eyes frantically.

“‘Course, baby,” he says, voice low, “you'll always be mine and I'll always be yours.”

You realize the room has gone silent. Benny's twisting over his shoulder to stare at you, unashamed, but the entire studio's doing the same thing. Hell, the director's even pointing at you two, waving his arms wildly as the cameraman squints into his little box.

“And there we have it, folks,” Benny rushes to finish, “our sweet love story just keeps getting better! We hope to see you in next week’s episode!”

“Told you we'd win,” he finally boasts, wrapping a firm arm around your shoulders.

“Oh, shut up,” you say, slightly amused. “It’s a miracle I didn’t fall in.”

Leon chuckles. “Then we both got lucky, hm?”

[sol-shines]

@ your tags PLEASE talk abt your parker designs!!!

this is for you and @dreaming-of-stories-and-stars THANK YOU for enabling me :3 sorry this took a little bit

if you don't know what this is about i drew my takes on the parkers here !

rambles under the cut:

SO what i sorta wanted to do was make. each parker flow into the next while subtly changing in between ,,, something something losing yourself to the game, becoming unrecognizable. so let's cover it parker by parker:

prime: i personally Love the hc that the coin is parker's mom. so prime is a lil ancient roman coded guy. he's SOOOO eldest sibling coded help. like he and his mom have a very strained relationship but also he thinks that if he just does whatever she wants she'll finally be proud of him :P whoops! and yeah v explosive anger (firewalker reference!), leading to ego, leading to. You Know. anyway. oh ALSO the parkers get younger as we progress so :))) they all STARTED at 19 but have varying degrees of age. so prime is in his mid-thirties.

parker ii: AH the most elusive of the parkers. SO: in my personal lore interp, parker ii was created when prime starting to push back against the coin more and more to the point where it was becoming a problem. and prime of course is very destructive and makes a mess when he's angry. so ii came about from me going "...what if parker just. said fuck it and left. didn't give a shit about ego just didn't wanna play the game anymore and found a way out." and that's exactly what my ii did. absolutely fucking vanished and quit the game for good. somehow. which uhhh MIGHT have been what caused prime to go apeshit ("why does ii get to leave and i'm stuck here?") and end prehistory. whoops. so i wanted to make them look very vagabond-y. somehow got even edgier than prime (impressive). also they're abt 30-ish. and have crazy gender stuff going on. possibly transfem. "but how is that possible if you hc the parkers as transmasc-" shhh. i don't know <3

park3r: GOD i loved doing this one. this parker is such a bitch and i love him. the first commissioner parker, created bc "OKAY so we gotta make him more young and impressionable and less unstable AND take him out of this game bc very clearly Bad Things will happen if he stays" so they made. a chronically online teenager and made them commissioner AMDNFM. god yeah i love this design he's sooo. just a 19-year-old trying to fill an impossible role and putting on a cool face about it. tragic, yes. but they're gonna complain the whole time and make everyone else miserable too. fully believe he was just scared and out of his depth the whole trial :( oops why are parkers iii and iiii so sad. i drew him closer to mid-20s here but honestly he could easily be younger

p4rker: LOVE this guy's lore so my hc is that after the trial that killed park3r it was like "uhhhh FUCK we need a new one of those. stat." so. they just. took park3r's incin'd body (ik it's not really Canon that park3r was incin'd he just Died but. let me have this) and like. stitched it back together. so p4rker is covered in burns and stitched together like frankenstein all over, and they just threw a mask on them like "see!!! new guy!!" the result of this being they didn't have. a whole ton of time to add shit like Personality, so p4rker is the outlier in that they're very naive and even polite? they don't understand what all the fuss is about them and just wants to be. nice? shame he didn't stick around long :/ the drippy bits are a little percolation nod! in this particular drawing he's like 20 :(

pvrker is. obviously the least human. park3r was more of a prototype of a commissioner, p4rker was a temporary placeholder at best, pvrker... was well and truly made For The Game. and his appearance reflects that. kinda a combination of iii's bluntness and 4's naivety. in-universe some people think he's the most sinister or whatever bc he's so directly Controlled By ILB Shit and that's not NOT true but like. give him a break guys he's like 6 days old he's new at this :(

ANYWAY that's so long holy shit. here are my rambles i hope u like them. im So Bad at blaseball lore so someone yell at me if something i put in there isn't accurate but. yeag :)

[queer-irritator]

A New Neighbor | Kratos x GN! Reader | Chapter 15

⚠️ MINORS DNI ⚠️

Content Warnings: Adult language, masturbation, partial and full nudity described.

Word Count: 1,065

Chapter 14, Chapter 16

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

The three of you had settled in different corners of the room and began searching through the endless sea of gold. 

“Are we sure the ring is even here?” Atreus questioned Mimir, tossing items outside of the room as he inspected each ring he came across. 

“I think so.” Mimir replied.

“If the ring was gone, everything else would be gone as well. People are greedy.” Kratos explained to his son. 

“Yeah… that makes sense.” Atreus agreed. 

“So, we’re taking some of the money in here, right?” You said, glancing at Kratos.

“Yes… But not too much, it is heavy.” Kratos answered honestly. 

You nodded and slipped anything you really liked into your pockets.

The four of you passed the time telling stories. You and Mimir shared stories about when you were kids. Atreus shared stories about himself and his dad. Kratos would occasionally jump in to set some facts straight, mostly about things he thought Atreus was exaggerating about concerning his own stubbornness. 

Atreus was chuckling, explaining the time Kratos thought a squeaky ball was some type of explosive when he had suddenly stopped and carefully inspected a ring he had in his hand. 

“I think this is it!” Atreus exclaimed as he stood up, walking over to Mimir to show him the ring.

“Aye! Ye did it lad!” Mimir congratulated him. 

You breathed out in relief; your back was sore and you haven’t stopped sweating. You stood up and wiped sweat off your face. 

“I can’t wait to take a bath.” You muttered to yourself.

You could feel some coins sticking to the back of your legs, you reached a hand behind you and tried to brush off all the coins. But it felt like something was stuck to you that you couldn’t quite reach, which made you groan in frustration. 

“Kratos?” You looked toward him. He had also stood up and was attaching Mimir to his belt. 

“Mh?” He gave his signature grunt.

“Uh, could you see if there’s something stuck to me?” You asked him as you turned around for him to check your backside. 

Kratos walked towards you and looked at your butt and thighs. Your already tight shorts were clinging to your skin and your thighs had a sheen over them. He was telling himself that he was just helping you, nothing more. But his dick was telling him otherwise. He noticed a necklace that had managed to stick to your upper thigh and just under your ass.

“There is… something.” He told you.

“Can you get it?” You asked, starting to feel yourself become agitated with the feeling of sweat, heat, and hard metal clinging to your body. 

Kratos took a few steps closer to you, he could feel like blood rushing to his cock the closer he got to you. He reached out his hand, unsure of how to go about getting it off of you without also violating you. 

“Kratos…” you groaned, annoyed he was taking so long. 

You were desperate to get at lest one sensory nightmare taken care of. He basically cupped your ass for half a second to get the necklace off of you. 

“There.” He stated, taking a few steps back from you. 

He glanced down to see if his erection would be noticeable through all the layers of fabric he had on. And, of course, it was. 

He quickly tucked his dick up in the waistband of his pants to conceal it before you could turn around. 

Your face had flushed completely red over the feeling his large hand that covered almost half of your backside. 

“Thank you…” You turned around to give him a small smile. You were hoping your face was already red from the heat so that your flush of arousal wasn’t prominent. 

Kratos gave you a slight nod, his mind filling about what you would look like naked, lying beneath him. 

He quickly untied Mimir from his side and handed him to you. “You and Atreus should look for a gateway.” He instructed you. 

“Okay…” You took Mimir, a little suspicious of him. “You’re just gonna stand in here alone?” You questioned. 

“No… there is something I need to do.” He stated. 

“Alright…” You headed outside with Atreus and went searching for a mystic gateway.

Kratos had watched you leave, mostly staring at your butt. But once you were both out of sight he leaned against the wall and undid his belt and pushed down his pants just enough for his dick to be free. He looked down at himself as he tried to recall the last time he even thought about sex, or even had an erection he couldn’t ignore. Of course he had occasional morning wood and random boners, but they always went away on their own. It had been longer than Kratos could remember since the sight of someone had aroused him.

He started to stroke himself and swiped some pre cum that was leaking out of his tip over the rest of him for some lubricant. He stroked himself faster, applying some more pressure to the head of his cock than the rest of his length. He was thinking about what you would feel like around his dick. Kratos groaned softly at the thought, he pressed his head against the wall and closed his eyes as he felt his orgasm creeping up. The image of your ass, slick with sweat was vivid in his mind, as was the feeling of his hand cupping your flesh. He was bucking his hips into his hand and pumping himself even faster. He recalled how you looked earlier in the day, bent over with the slight imprint of your crotch pressing tight against those fucking shorts. That imagine in his mind is what lead him to moan quietly as he climaxed, cum shooting out of his dick, painting some gold coins white. He slowed his hand as the wave of pleasure washed over him.

He took a moment to collect himself before pulling his pants back up and clasping his belt closed. He looked down at his pants and shoes to ensure that there weren’t any cum stains. He walked out of the treasury room and saw you and Atreus heading back his way. 

“I couldn’t find anything.” Atreus explained to his father.

“We will climb then.” He stated, like he didn’t just jack off to the thought of you.

[defiedlife]

HC: AVENTURINE ; BEGINNINGS OF A STONEHEART.

Alright, buckle up. This is a post I've been meaning to make for the last several days; alluded to here and here.

"I came from the wastelands of Sigonia. For just sixty red copper coins, people paid to brand me, put me in chains, place me in the gallows, and bury me in the golden sands... But the sun could not kill me, and the quicksand sent me back to the embrace of the Guild and IPC. Bear in mind, my victory wasn't just a stroke of luck — I've never been defeated."

As much as I deeply adore Aventurine's little monologue just prior to his boss fight, that part in particular has stuck out to me because truly, even with his ridiculous level of luck, it baffles me that he was fully hung and buried and yet somehow still lived to tell the tale. Then, while I was rewatching his scenes yet again (don't ask how many times I've done so), I got to his trial scene, and Jade's phrasing here struck a chord with me:

"Kakavasha... A good name, but unfortunately destined to be buried in the dirt. You though, you deserve to live, to create even more wealth for us."

At the point in time of his trial, the IPC had taken him prisoner because he orchestrated a massive case of fraud to get their attention. He did his homework; he knew there was at least one department that would likely take him in, but he had to prove his capabilities first. And so he did, fooling multiple departments and the Intelligensia Guild too, incurring massive losses across the board. As usual for him, it was an extremely high-stakes gamble—would they simply arrest and jail or kill him for his crimes, or would a certain someone high enough up the chain of command see value in him beyond the losses he caused?

As his luck would have it, he made just enough noise in the Strategic Investment Department's direction that specifically Diamond took custody of him while he was a prisoner.

What followed was his trial before Jade, and although it wasn't explicitly stated, it would be awfully odd for there to be a trial, yet no sentence other than freedom and a new identity after all the crimes he'd committed at that point. He'd already made the news at the time of his capture. The IPC couldn't just casually let him off the hook and merely reward him for pulling the wool over their eyes. Multiple departments were bereft of resources and demanding reparations, the scholars of the Guild made to look like utter fools—he had to pay, and no doubt many of them wanted him to pay in blood.

And so he did.

The sentence was passed down, and thus the stage was oh so carefully set soon after. Another announcement was made over the IPC's Broadcasting Network, and within days, he was sent directly to the gallows, a show of an execution for all who wished to see. To the untrained eye, it was a textbook spectacle of death; a prisoner led to the gallows, a loop of rope placed around his neck with the sun high in the sky, and the trapdoor beneath his feet opened soon after.

Except although his neck ached and he strained to breathe, he did not die. The drop lacked the proper force to kill him, and his feet just barely came to rest on the edge of a board sticking out at the right height to allow him shallow breaths. In this way, he remained there for an uncertain amount of time, clinging to life by a thread—minutes, hours? To this day, he can't say.

Eventually, he was pronounced dead and cut down, his body falling convincingly limp with ease after the struggle to keep himself alive. It was at this point that he wavered in and out of consciousness, and he owed it to his uncanny luck that when his body was tossed into a grave, a shield of glimmering gold manifested to create a pocket of air around him and prevent the sand which filled his grave from crushing him.

When he next opened his eyes in an IPC infirmary with Jade proudly watching nearby, as far as most of the universe knew, "Kakavasha" was dead and buried. Only elites within the Corporation would ever know otherwise.

[mikaela-granger]

The Long Wait Chapter 23

Woman in Black Part 2 (Sean’s and Lorelei’s POV)

Fandom: Grimm

Pairing: Sean Renard/OFC

The Long Wait Masterlist

A/N: This is the last chapter of Part 1, or as I have taken to calling it Season 1. I have already started working on Season 2. First chapter of that will be uploaded tomorrow or even sometime today. Thank you to those of you who have stuck with it so far. Season 2 will see a shift in Sean and Lorelei’s relationship, especially as Lorelei and Nick find out about Sean’s true nature. What Grimm season 2 moments do you want to see included? Let me know in the comments.

***Sean’s POV***

It was a rare day when Sean was able to head home early. Although there were active cases, he knew he could trust his people to work without him hovering. As he headed to his car, he pulled out his phone, deciding to invite Lorelei over for dinner. He hadn’t seen her much lately, despite living in the same building. They were both busy people. He had seen her in the elevator several times, getting the chance to meet her new dog, Molly. However, no prolonged one on one time. It was annoying him, being so close yet so far. By the time he reached his car, Lorelei had responded affirmatively. A smile crossed his face as he climbed in. He knew his housekeeper would have just restocked the kitchen; he would surprise his soulmate with a home-cooked meal.

To his surprise, he ran into his soulmate leaving the parking garage in their apartment building. “Hey, fancy running into you here.” She joked, a big smile on her face as she approached him.

Sean smiled at her, feeling his heart warm at the sight of her. “Indeed.”

“I’m just going to take Molly for a walk, have a shower, and then I’ll be right up. Should I bring anything?”

Sean shook his head. “Take your time. And just your charming personality.”

Lorelei laughed as they stepped into the elevator. “I don’t think Nick would agree with you about that.” She commented.

“Yes, well, you are his annoying younger sister.” He joked, pressing the buttons for both their floors.

They went their separate ways and Sean continued to his apartment, still contemplating what to cook. He should have the ingredients for spaghetti. His plans were changed when he entered his apartment to see it had been trashed. Quickly, he withdrew his gun and slowly entered, sweeping the area quickly. He placed his phone down on the side table and entered the living area. Sean spun around to face the kitchen and paused as he saw a pair of feet sticking out from behind the kitchen island. Dread filled his gut, as he cautiously moved forward. He stared in surprise as he recognised the person. He knelt beside the body. It was his housekeeper. “Oh no, Patty.”

Just then his phone started ringing. He looked towards it, as someone stepped in his line of sight. He heard a roar, before he was attacked and knocked out. His last thought was hoping Lorelei took Molly for an extra-long walk.

When he came to, the sun had set. Sean was in pain and had a hard time focusing. Sean shifted slightly and realised his hands were bound. He became aware of someone in front of him. They seemed to be asking him something, however he couldn’t hear properly or move. It didn’t take long for Sean’s vision and hearing to clear up. There was a man standing in front of him. Asian, Sean wasn’t one percent sure which part. And he was asking him where the coins were. The man continued beating him, even after Sean gave in and told him he longer had them. Apparently, Farley Kolt didn’t have the coins either. The man grabbed a large knife from Sean’s kitchen and walked towards him, asking him again where the coins were. Just as he went to slit Sean’s throat, there was a knock at his front door. For a moment, Sean felt his stomach drop, praying it wasn’t Lorelei. Immediately, he felt relief when he heard it was Sergeant Wu. The man went and peered out through the peephole. Sean couldn’t quite make out what was happening outside the door; the man returned to his side mentioning something about it being his lucky day and then everything went black.

When he came to, Burkhardt and Griffin were there. He was seen to by medical personal and his apartment was filled with police. Once he felt well enough, he started to fill them in on what had happened.

“He wanted the coins that were stolen from the jeweller.” He was explaining to Nick. “I told him that Farley Kolt had them and he said that he found Kolt in Los Angeles, spent three days with him, and was sure he didn’t.” Sean paused to press an ice pack to his cheek. “You might want to check with LAPD if Kolt’s body has been found. I doubt he left him alive. If he didn’t end up with the coins, who did?”

“Maybe he got rid of them before this guy caught up with him.” Burkhardt suggested.

Griffin piped in. “I don’t think this guy thought so, that’s why he’s here in Portland. He had photos of all of us. Me, Nick, you Captain, and even Nick’s sister.”

Sean froze slightly and glanced at Burkhardt, who had tensed up at the mention of his sister. “He had photos of Lorelei as well?”

Burkhardt nodded and Griffin continued. “They were taken by a private investigator from New York. His body was found this morning at a downtown hotel.”

“Yeah, and we found a camera in the trunk of a rental car, downloaded the photos. That’s why we came after you.” Burkhardt explained.

“Lucky for me. He had no intention of leaving me alive.” Sean said, glancing at Burkhardt. “Is Lorelei, ok? He didn’t visit her first?”

Burkhardt shook his head. “No, she’s at her place. Officer DeMarco is with her. Wu says they met her at the elevator as she was heading out.”

Sean felt relieved. She was safe. He was grateful Wu had arrived before Lorelei made her way up. He had no doubt that if Lorelei was on his list, this man would have grabbed her had she shown up at his door.

“You get a good look at him?” Griffin asked.

“Yeah. Asian, mid-forties.” Sean told him before looking toward Burkhardt. “He had a tattoo on the side of his head.” Sean gestured to his temple.

Burkhardt glanced up at Griffin. “Sounds like the picture of the guy up in New York.” Griffin said.

“What picture?” Sean asked in confusion.

“Akira Kimura.” Burkhardt answered.

“Who is he?”

Before Burkhardt or Griffin could answer, Wu approached them. “Uh, Baby Burkhardt is on her way up. DeMarco tried to hold her off as long as he could, but…she wants to know what is going on and to check on the Captain.”

Sean felt a warm feeling fill his chest; his soulmate was concerned about him. Burkhardt, however, sighed in exasperation and stood up. “I’ll get rid of her Cap.”

“No, its fine. Let her in. She’s just being a good neighbour. And she also may still be a target.” Sean assured him, even though he wasn’t fond of the idea of his soulmate seeing him in such a state. However, he needed to see with his own eyes that she was ok. Furthermore, there may still be a chance that this Kimura could still go after her.

Burkhardt nodded before walking toward the door. “Hey, what the hell is going on?” Sean heard Lorelei say.

“Well, you’d know if you answered your damn phone.” Was Burkhardt’s reply.

“I left it at home charging when I took Molly for a walk.”

And there she was, Sean’s soulmate. He had to work hard to keep the smile off his face, the one that was meant only for her. She looked beautiful, although her face was filled with concern. Her long dark hair was tied in a low bun, and she was wearing a light blue sundress. He hadn’t seen her in a dress before. Had she dressed up for him? For their dinner? He internally cursed this Kimura. Tonight, may have been a turning point in his relationship with Lorelei and it had been ruined. Not only had he ruined their date and threatened Sean, but he was also a threat to Lorelei. He was going to kill him.

Lorelei’s gaze fell on Sean and her eyes widened as she took in his appearance. “Oh my god, are you ok Captain Renard?” she asked, taking a step closer to him. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but it seemed like Lorelei was trying to stop herself from running to him.

Sean offered her a smile, not his usual, he did have an image to maintain. “I’ve been better, but I am ok. Thank you for your concern, Lorelei.”

Biting her lip, she turned to her brother for answers. He and Griffin began filling her in on what had happened, the threat Kimura posed to all of them, including her. “But why me? I don’t know anything about these coins.”

“He might try to get to me through you.” Burkhardt told her. “It might be a good idea for you to stay somewhere else tonight.”

“This place is crawling with cops. Do you really think he’ll come back? Besides, where would I stay? If he does come after me, whoever I’m with is at risk. He killed Captain Renard’s housekeeper and attacked two police officers.” Lorelei pointed out. “I’ll just stay at home. You were going to have officers watching me anyway.”

It was decided Lorelei would stay in her own home with two officers. Officer DeMarco and Officer Chen escorted Lorelei back downstairs and would be staying with her overnight. With his soulmate safe for now, Sean cleaned himself up and got changed, heading back to the station with Griffin and Burkhardt. He was determined to catch this guy.

“Yeah. That’s the same guy.” Sean said, looking at the picture provided by Burkhardt. “Akira Kimura.”

“He was somehow connected to my case at Roth and Flynn.” Hank told him.

“The guys who came for the coins.” Sean stated and Burkhardt confirmed. “God knows those coins aren’t healthy to be around.”

They entered his office. “We did a little more digging and found out Kimura is tied to a secret organisation called the Dragon’s Tongue. It was founded in 1901, connected to the Japanese Imperial Army.” Burkhardt explained.

“It went underground after the Japanese defeat in World War Two.” Griffin continued.

“But it appears the organisation has resurfaced with ties to the Yakuza.” Burkhardt added.

“We got a report that Kimura was identified by state police in Hamburg, Germany three months ago. Now he’s here.” Griffin finished up.

“I want you to tear this town apart and find this son of a bitch.” He told the pair. They both nodded and left his office. Sean looked down into the face of the man who had attacked him, who was a threat to his soulmate. The only person Sean cared for, apart from his mother.

***Lorelei’s POV***

When Lorelei returned to her apartment, escorts in tow she decided to order a couple of pizzas, figuring she might as well feed her guests. Ben and Lucy, she had gotten their given names from them because she wasn’t going to keep calling them Officers DeMarco and Chen, had tried to tell her not to worry, but she insisted. Once the three had eaten, Lorelei decided to retreat to her room for the night but told her guests to make themselves at home. Molly followed her in; however, Daisy had decided that Lucy’s lap was the best spot for a nap.

Lorelei moved around her room, changing into something more comfortable before settling on her bed, Molly curled up next to her. She had her laptop playing a documentary in the background. If she was honest with herself, the whole situation had her worried. This guy had broken into a police captain’s home, killed his housekeeper, beaten him, and knocked out a cop. When Lorelei had first seen Sean, it had taken everything in her not to run to him and take him in her arms. Seeing him looking so vulnerable…it did something to her. She wanted to be out there, tracking this guy down. Not only had he hurt someone she cared for deeply, but he may have been involved in the death of her parents. However, she couldn’t do anything, not with her protectors outside. There was no way to sneak out. And she had no doubt her brother would want her to sit this one out.

Lorelei sighed, absent mindedly running her hand up and down Molly’s furry back. She heard the chime of her phone, indicating she had received a message. It was Monroe, checking in on her. Nick had filled him in, and they were currently looking for a way to apprehend Kimura. Nick wanted to question Kimura about their parents. After replying, Lorelei decided to message Sean and check in on him. He confirmed he was alright and still at the precinct. Putting her phone down, Lorelei laid down and tried to focus on the documentary. There wasn’t much she could do right now. Hopefully tomorrow she could move around without her guards. She made note to contact her supervisor in the morning; she didn’t think she would be able to focus on work.

Lorelei jumped as her phone went off. She sat up, feeling groggy. She must have fallen asleep. Glancing at her beside clock she saw it was just after midnight. With a slight groan, she reached over and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. It was Monroe. She answered it, and Monroe started talking straight away. His words were a bit jumbled. Something about Juliette, hospital, a cat, Adalind Schade, and the spice shop. After getting him to slow down, she finally understood that Juliette was unconscious in the hospital. Apparently, she got scratched by a cat that Adalind had brought it. He and Nick had the cat in question and were on their way to the spice shop to figure out what Adalind had done to Juliette. Lorelei told Monroe that she would meet them at the spice shop.

She got up and quickly got dressed. Molly was dead to the world, dreaming about whatever it was that dogs dreamt about. Lorelei slipped her phone into her pocket as she walked to the door. Then froze. There was no way she was getting out of this apartment without the police officers in her living room finding out. She groaned in frustration debating what to do. Lorelei couldn’t exactly stroll out her front door. Moving quickly and quietly, she tiptoed out toward her living room. The TV was on. Lucy was where Lorelei had left her, Daisy still in her lap and Ben was watching the TV, clearly trying to stay awake. No way to slip by without him noticing. She went back to her room, trying to come up with another solution. Climbing out the window was not an option. There was a vent, but she wasn’t sure where it came out. She suddenly remembered something she had bought from the spice shop. A powder that according to Rosalee acted as a powerful sedative. Lorelei thought it might come in handy one day. She quickly checked her bag and yep, there it was. Digging it out, she kept it in her hand as she made her way back toward the living room. She dug a handful out of the pouch and approach the resting officers. Ben glanced up; however, she quickly blew the powder in his direction. She watched as it settled over the pair. It worked fast, Ben was out before he knew what hit him.

After checking their pulses, and Daisy’s as well, Lorelei left.

Lorelei arrived at the spice shop, both surprised and a little grateful that Nick had already left. She wasn’t sure how he would feel if he knew that not only did, she slip protective custody but also drugged his fellow officers. Rosalee was mixing up something, hoping to knock the aggressive cat out. It was currently in a carrier on a bench in the side room.

“How’d you get out?” Monroe asked. “I thought you had two cops hanging out at your place.”

Lorelei bit her lip and glanced sheepishly at the floor. “I may have…sort of…drugged them.”

Monroe and Rosalee looked at her in surprise. “With what?”

She looked at Rosalee. “You know that powerful sedative I bought from here?”

A look of understanding crossed Rosalee’s face as she continued mixing the ingredients she needed. “They should be fine. They’ll be awake in a couple of hours.” She said, referring to the officers.

Lorelei walked over and peered into the carrier, jumping back when the cat screeched and threw itself against the carrier door. “Wow, that is one angry kitty.”

Monroe chuckled. “It certainly is. Although we aren’t sure if it’s the effects of whatever Adalind did to it or, you know, how the cat is.”

“You’re sure this is going to knock that feline out?” Monroe asked, returning to the side room, a steaming pot in hand.

Rosalee followed him in. “It won’t knock it out, it will paralyse it for about 30 minutes. That should give us enough to check its claws and saliva.” She answered, placing the mortar and pestle down on the table. Lorelei joined them. “Ok, lift the cover.” She said, referring to the cover they had placed over the carrier. Monroe did so, while Rosalee added the final ingredients to the steaming pot before sliding it to sit beside the carrier. They quickly dropped the cover, allowing the steam from the pot to do its work.

THE END OF SEASON 1 – STAY TUNED FOR SEASON 2 – CHAPTER 1 NOW AVAILABLE

Next Part

Taglist: @zoexme

Banner by @cafekitsune

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

If we were to pretend that Sooga is alive and kicking in tears of the kingdom, what would Sooga and Kohgas reunion be like after Sooga thought he was dead for probably a long time?

Sure, I can do that!

*please note, might contain some TOTK spoilers, but also, haven't finished the game, so. Literally making shit up as I go.

He knew he was next in line to be the leader. He hated it, but knew it was his responsibility. The clan needed a leader, someone to guide and protect them. Ever since Kohga...left, he had taken the reigns. It was simple at first, providing food and resources for his clan was easy.

Then IT happened.

"Master Sooga?"

He hated that title. He didn't move from his spot on the floor, as mediation was one of the things that kept him sane nowadays.

"Yes, Von?"

"You remember that big ass hole in the ground? The uh, place where he used to take naps in?"

People tended to avoid using his name in his presence. It was hard to lose someone you loved, they all respected that he was still in mourning, and he would be until the day he died. Kohga was not someone you can move on from.

"Yes?"

"There's...stuff coming out of it."

"Elaborate, Von."

"It's...like malice. But different."

That was odd. Malice was damn near a rarity ever since that foul swordsman ruined his entire life. He stood up, nodding at him.

"Show me."

Von guided him down the hallways, to the outside. A crowd had formed, peering at the wisps coming out of the hole. Sooga immediately put his hands to the ground, forcing everyone back with his barrier. They knew it was him, and they turned to look at him. Sooga was not comfortable being a leader, but for the clan, for the legacy, he managed.

"Master Sooga! There's something-"

"I'm aware. All of you, stay back. Me and Von will investigate. Cil is in charge until we get back. Von, bring your weapons."

He looked in Cil's direction. Both he and Sooga took this loss the hardest. He respected the structure of the clan, but he held no respect for Sooga. Von came back with his bow and arrows, nodding.

"Ready. Coin flip for who goes first?"

"I go first. Await my signal."

Sooga jumped in. The light gave way to darkness as he plummeted deeper and deeper. He landed on his feet (yiga perfected the art of landing from incredible heights safely), taking a look around. Darkness, save for the sounds of liquid dropping down the stalactites up above. Sooga stuck his fingers into his mouth, and whistled. He heard the 'thud' of Von's feet hit the ground soon after.

"Woah. Dark in here."

"I'm aware. Did you bring a torch?"

They both turned as a light formed next to them. A sort of...plant. it shone brightly, as small as it was. Then another, and another, till there was a trail of the plants, leading up a hill. With the light they could see, Sooga noticed malice like substance scattered across the ground.

"Suppose we don't need it. Stay on your guard."

They walked on. Sooga took notice of the surroundings. There was a whole ecosystem down here, all too familiar monsters back and full at force. Their bodies littered in the substance, they looked in their direction, but they seemed to be against being near the buds, as if they weren't used to them.

"Sooga?"

"Yes?"

"You think all these flowers, in the line like this is. Intentional?"

"Absolutely. But, these creatures seem uncertain by these plants, and I like to avoid confrontation where I can. Though, they're odd. Never seen them before, and I like to think I'm familiar with plants and fauna."

"...think I could eat-"

"How are you still alive, genuinely?"

Von shrugged. They followed still, before standing before what looked to be a building of some kind. Von motioned down a hallway. One of those plants were on the ceiling.

"Someone wants us to be here. Stick close to me, it could be a trap."

He was so unused to people protecting him like this. They walked in, past the steps. Sooga was attracted to the small bit of light in the distance. Lava. He was waiting for it to spread, maybe they discovered a volcano or something of the sort. But it seemed pooled together in a confined area.

"What is that?..."

He flinched slightly upon one of the plants appearing by his side. Von grinned.

"These things got seeds- you throw them and they just. Light wherever they land! What'd you find?"

Sooga inspected it.

"It's...a forge. I've seen something like this with the gorons. Odd, why would it be down here?"

The building suddenly sprang to life, lights appearing this way and that. No longer the flowers, but actual lights, from the building. This wasn't a small building. This was an entire factory, with halls and floors and statues. These weren't Yiga nor Sheikah. What were these? Von armed himself, keeping an eye out for any enemies.

"Lord Sooga, stay behind me. I don't know what this is, but-"

"This, gentlemen, is innovation!"

That voice. No. No no, he was dreaming it. Sooga brought out his blades, ready for a battle.

"Come out, whoever you are!"

With a poof of smoke, he appeared before them. Kohga.

"That anyway to talk to the top banana?!"

Von stopped in his tracks. He was like a deer in headlights.

"K. Kohga? Oh my god, Kohga-"

Sooga stopped him, stepping in between them. He too, was hopeful, but they were in unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar creatures.

"This could be a trap. Tell us something only our Master would know."

The man scoffed, putting his hands on his hips.

"You're not being a very good boy, Sooga."

It wasn't his words that sold him. It was how it was said. Not totally flirty, it held anger and assertiveness. It made a tingle run up his spine, in a way he hadn't experienced in a long, long time. Ever since he left.

"Master...Kohga. You're alive. H-how-"

"Link sent me down here, you remember that whole situation. I couldn't get back up, but I did find something. This is the forge! A building that made all sorts of cool thingamajigs, with those Zonai using their magic and crap. The upheaval unearthed this, as well as the gloom, and-"

Von interrupted, clearly confused.

"Wait wait WAIT. Rewind. Still processing that you didn't die."

Kohga looked at them, before laughing like a madman.

"What? Kill ME? I'm Master Kohga! I'm too great and sexy to die! I've just been...studying, let's say. Now, Von, get back up there, bring the clan back here. We got lots to learn, lots to do, and REVENGE to have! Oh, and bring bananas! Been living off brightcaps for fucks sakes!"

Von nodded in absolute joy.

"Yes, Master Kohga!"

He disappeared in a second, and Sooga was left alone with him. Kohga was amused for a moment, before his disposition fell.

"Sooga? You're shaking."

"I. Thought I lost you, a-and you're here, and I missed you, a-and-"

He couldn't breathe for a minute, until Kohga grabbed his hand. He pushed it past his mask, to feel at his face. So warm, so silky soft still, especially as his lips pressed against it.

"Hey. You're stuck with me. You took care of everyone for me, right?"

"Yes. I did. Everything you treasured, I kept safe. Including my love for you. God, Master Kohga, my life felt so meaningless without you!"

Kohga laughed, taking a step towards him, till his belly pressed against him. He pushed his mask to the side, just to expose his lips.

"Why don't you show me just how much you missed me?~"

He obeyed. He knew a command when he heard one. He knelt down to kiss him, and relished in the taste. The warmth, the softness. He was as delicious as ever. He hated that he had to pull away, he wished he didn't need air.

"And that, is only a fraction of how much I missed you."

Kohga licked his lips before putting his mask back down with a chuckle.

"You'll have to show me ALL of it tonight. Kept my room clean, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Imma give you a reason to wash those sheets~"

"MASTER KOHGA!!"

The yiga arrived, and everyone was losing their minds. They were calling out, rejoicing, celebrating in the return of their master. Kohga laughed, raising his hands up to let everyone praise him.

"There's MY clan! You all missed your leader? Your top banana? Your head honcho?!"

Their cries practically shook the building they were standing in. Kohga relished in it, gestured to their surroundings.

"Good! Because I'm back, and I got something for ya! Witness, the foundation that'll bring us to fruition! You guys are gonna be up to your fuckin NECKS in revenge, Link, the princess, and Hyrule, WON'T know what hit 'em!"

Kohga was relishing in his applause, as he should. This world was his. And Sooga would see to it that the world would know it.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Title fic:The wind that shakes the Barley.

 Here’s the thing about memories. They don’t make you older. They’re just there. They’re feelings and thoughts and can fade over time, disappearing into the ever never to see again.

 However, sometimes they don’t always fade. They linger in your mind, playing over and over again. Sometimes they stick in your brain, making you unable to forget. Ever.

 Sometimes, you die and wake up again, remembering a life long past. And sometimes that changes things.

---

 A small bang echoed through the apartment, Midoriya Inko barely looking up from her book as she sat on the couch.

 “Any injuries?” she called out, turning a page. 

 “No!”

 “Anything damaged?”

 “No!”

 “Alright,” Inko said, picking up her cup of tea to sip. Elsewhere in the apartment, a young boy named Midoriya Izuku sighed as he turned to his notebook, crossing off a line.

 “The addition of vodka to the mixture did not cause a significant change in freeze point. Rather it exploded.” Izuku muttered as he wrote down his words. “Possibly add antifreeze? Mom said she’d only allow it if I can prove I won’t be harmed by it. Do more research.” Izuku closed the notebook with a sigh, turning back to his experiment. Recreating the Flask of Frost from his old life was more challenging then he’d hoped. The Flask of Fire had been pretty simple, as had remaking the flame proof liquid to treat his clothing and body with. But he found himself stuck with Frost. 

 The boy quickly began cleaning up the mess created. He tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of it’s bun behind his ear with a shoulder, juggling his mess. He missed Kihm and Sera. Those two would have delighted in helping him figure this out. Honestly the two would have had a blast in this world, the science so far ahead of everything. Izuku certainly enjoyed it.

 He dumped the items in his arms into the box in his room, meaning for disposing of his creations before he removed his soot-covered apron and goggles, dropping them into the hamper. Leaving his room, Izuku passed by his mother who simply glanced up to make sure he was okay before going back to his book. 

 “I’m going out tonight,” Izuku told her as he went to the kitchen for some water.

 “You have school tomorrow.”

 “Ha.” Izuku snorted. “School.”

 “Izuku,” Inko said mildly. Izuku groaned, rolling his eyes and dramatically flopping onto a kitchen counter.

 “It’s so duuuuuumb. And the teachers are assholes.”

 “Language.”

 “Mother I have heard you during poker night.”

 “Trying to be a good parent.” Inko said quietly. It made Izuku get off the counter to walk over to where she sat. He hefted himself over the back of the couch so he could lean into her, arms wrapping around her.

 “You’re a great parent. Fuck anyone else saying otherwise.” Izuku kissed her head, Inko putting the book down to hug her son’s arm.

 It really was true for Izuku. He wouldn’t call Inko perfect; he’d never believed anyone could be perfect. But she was a great parent. Better then his old life where his parents were criminals who only had him to continue the Cadash family. He’d loved them distantly but man they’d been terrible parents. Inko though? Inko was great. She took every bit of his wildly scattered personality he’d had to rebuild in stride and loved him more then anything. He’d heard her threaten Hisashi within an inch of the bastard’s life. That meant a lot.

 “I love you baby,” Inko said, squeezing his arm. “School is still mandatory.”

 “Uuuuuuugh,” Izuku groaned. “Fine I’ll only hunt for a few hours and come back before midnight.”

 “Good.” Inko patted his arm as he let go. “Now go and clean your room.”

 “Fine.” Izuku shook his head with a laugh as he got up. He loved his mom.

-0-

 Izuku used to be known as Malika Cadash. He’d been a she then, a criminal who was told to go spy on the Conclave to see how things would work out. Back to buisness or would they need a new way to make coin. She’d ended up surviving an explosion and somehow found herself leading an entire organization where people claimed she was the face of a human god. Funny given she was a dwarf and the Chant said she was less then any human in the world.

 It hadn’t been all bad, Izuku knew through the shattered dreams and memories. Malika found friends, love and even became a hero. All with just a pair of daggers and some science knowledge. 

 Frankly she’d also sucked at daggers and took to the more sinister side of rogue work easily. So it really was a surprise to Izuku to remember that. 

 It was what inspired him to try and recreate his old tools, learn his old tricks. He would be a hero again. Even if he was Quirkless. 

 Sitting on a building’s roof edge, Izuku peered down at the fight going on below. Amplifier was fighting a pair of villains with what looked like the same Quirk but… it felt off. Izuku squinted, seeing one of the men fighting spit and the other… oh eww.

 “He just swallowed the spit,” Izuku said in disgust. He wrote that down in his notebook anyway. “He probably has a Copy Quirk. Works with spit the guy swallows…  ewww.”

 “Good to know,” a voice said from behind Izuku. He didn’t flinch.

 “Hi Eraser!” Izuku said as the erasure hero settled beside him for the briefest of seconds before dropping down into the fray. He watched as the two heroes worked together to take the villains down. When they finished, Eraserhead spoke with Amplifier, motioning up to the roof. Izuku waved as the heroine looked up. She shook her head, probably amused. 

 Eraserhead used his scarf to scale the building after they secured the villains, Amplifier obviously calling for some police. Izuku waited patiently.

 “It’s late kid.” Eraser grunted.

 “I’m aware. I’m going home soon.” Izuku groaned. “I hate school but mom can’t get me into online stuff.” Izuku would think the woman hadn’t even tried if he didn’t know her so well. She had, multiple times tried. But nothing worked. 

 “School is important.” Eraser said.

 “Well duh.” Izuku snorted. He went back to writing down his analysis of the fight he’d seen. “But between the Quirkist teachers, the bullying and the fact it’s a very low ranking school it’s not worth it. Particularly with Bakugou around.”

 “Bakugou?” Eraserhead asked. Izuku hummed. He’d known the hero for a while, hunting heroes at night tended to do that. While at first the guy used to try to make Izuku go home it evolved into him just nagging about the time and chasing him around when Izuku decided to mess with him. Most of the other underground heroes were the same.

 “Guy whose been told for his entire life he’s got a perfect Quirk. Never faces any consequences for bullying or using it either.” Izuku shrugged. “System worked against him but he’s also been always a bit of an angry brat. Knew him since we were born. Very vivid memory of before age four the kid giving me a nickname to mean useless.”

 “Personality disorder?” Eraserhead asked.

 “Possibly. Or could just be an angry child who never got taught consequences are things that can happen.” Izuku shrugged. “Honeslty he’s really not creative with his bullying either. Typical smart jock who is the apple of the teacher’s eyes. Loud bragging, some Quirk use on other kids. Not as much as when we were little but like…” Izuku shrugged.

 “So a budding villain,” Eraserhead said.

 “Oh no. Well maybe not. A budding Endeavour yeah. He’s got skill and drive but needs a cold hard reality check more then anything.” Izuku said in disagreement. “I hope he does get into UA cause I think having super strong people from all around the country be in his class might shake him from his big fish mentality.” Izuku shrugged. It wasn’t like Bakugou bothered him. Not really. The bullying was boring frankly after years of being poisoned by his trainers to build up an immunity coupled with the backstabbing the Carta had in its ranks. Oooh I’m going to hurt you with my Quirk. Izuku started dumping his fireproofing on himself in their third year of elementary school. Oh I’m going to beat you up. Izuku could climb and hide better then the other kid. Izuku did step in when Bakugou bothered other kids, but that was about the extent of his involvement. More so when Bakugou realized he couldn’t hurt other children like he could try to hurt Izuku in school.

 Systematic bullying and abuse was awful. Izuku though could withstand it.

 “Well you are tweleve. That gives you time,” Eraserhead said.

 “Ha! I knew you knew who I am!” Izuku grinned. “Yeah, it does. Hoping for a different middle school honestly. Aldera suuuuuuuucks.” Izuku rolled his eyes. “Maybe look for an analyst specialized school.” 

 “Smart.” Eraser hummed. “And of course I know who you are you problem child. The only reason I don’t do anything is I’ve seen you use that chain of yours.” Izuku grinned. He closed his notebook with a sigh.

 “Alright I’m going home.” Izuku announced. He stood up to stretch before reaching under his hoodie to pull his chain out from where it was wrapped around his hips. “See you Aizawa.” With a hard snap, Izuku used the chain as a whip, wrapping it around a fire escape on another building before jumping off the one he stood on. A nice trick he’d picked up from Aizawa actually. He used to use chains to wrap around enemies and launch himself forward to them, and this new trick wasn’t much harder.

 “Wait you know-“ Eraserhead said before his voice was lost in the wind. Izuku just laughed. Hacking was easy, and his new worlds form of lock picking. It wasn’t hard to figure out who Eraserhead was with that. 

-0-

 Izuku tapped his fingers on the desk, staring at the screen in front of him. He’d been randomly wandering social media when he saw it. A post from a random account on Tumblr. Not something he’d pay attention to normally. If it wasn’t for two things.

 One, the name of the blog was IronFuckingBull. A phrase the Iron Bull, his husband, used in Izuku’s past life. 

 Two, the post had the same message written out in Qunlat, Tevinter, Elvish, Dwarven and Inquisiton code.  A code Izuku helped his spymaster develop his past life. 

 There were others like him out there. And… a very strong possibility Bull was one of them.

Notes: Ran out of steam, this is one I DO want to do. Basically it would be following Izuku as he and his friends adjust to their new lives. Some other notes: Nezu is Solas who died at the hands of the DA4 protag. Izuku had been with them and sat with him while he died.

Iron Bull is Tetsutetsu. Krem is Awase.

Momo is Varric while Hawke is Kaminari.

Fuyumi is Vivienne and has already exposed her father and entered politics with her husband Hawks (Duke Bastian reborn to)

Others would come.

Pairings: Izuku/Tetsutetsu, Momo/Kaminari, Fuyumi/Hawks. Others TBD

[penandswords]

Rima Origins | Part 3

(I'm sticking this under a read more because Rima's story is GETTING a wee bit Dark, but I promise i'm working towards the thing the Poll is for)

(But also this is getting long and I do not want to flood the dash)

Sooo Warning: This section contains DEATH, Lightning, and just plain old Elitisms. (Is that the right word for it? JUST know Rima's family are not 'nice' people) Rima's Age: 15

“You are the HEIR to this family.” Her fathers voice dripped with fury, while he spoke on her mothers behalf. Rima sat on her knees, the hardwood floor digging into her knees. It was the same speech as always. Except laced with more venom between each word. She could feel the judgment from other family members as they watched in the dimly lit room. Observing the lecture from a safe and respectable distance.

Her mothers figure was barely visible behind a thick paper screen. That was normal. The woman rarely ever showed her face, and her VOICE was rarely heard. Even now Rima never understood WHY.

“I understand mother…” It was all Rima could say. Anything to keep the woman's mood from getting worse.

“Then explain to me WHY I've gotten word from your AUNT about involving yourself with a Quirkless girl?”

Rima pressed her lips together, her heart sinking low into her stomach. OF course HER aunt would tell. She was the principle of the school. She knew EVERYTHING. Rima didn't have a reason. She didn’t think she NEEDED a reason.

“She’s only a classmate… It’s nothing more.” A lie… One her father caught, by the way his eyebrow raised.

“That’s a lie, and you know it… I've seen you with that girl several times.” Her younger brother spoke. Rima couldn’t tell which corner of the room it belonged to, and she didn’t have the confidence to look for him.

“WHY is it an issue? I’v kept my grades up, she hasn’t distracted me from any of my duties. She hasn’t done anything to-”

“Quiet!” This time it was her mothers voice that spoke. Gasps rippled through the room, followed by whispers.

“It is MY job as a leader. To ensure my lambs do not stray.” 

“And YOU little lamb, have strayed for far too long. But don’t you WORRY. I am here now to ensure this little act of yours Ends.”

There was a sting in the air from her mothers words. It took only 3 heart beats for her body to tremble and shake. What did she mean by that? What was she going to do? Breaths caught in her throat, and she looked to her father who stood with his stone cold expression.

He looked away, dragging her anxiety down with his avoidance.

“I WILL stop talking to her, I WILL do anything you ask. Just DON’T hurt her.” Rima begged, bowing on her knees. 

“It’s too late for that… the command has ALREADY been given, and I do NOT go back on my orders. Let this be a lesson of what happens when you stray TO far from me. Daughter.” 

The anxiety held Rima down as she considered her options. She could NOT let this happen. It wouldn’t be happening if she had just stayed away from Alicia in the first place.

Which meant THIS was her FAULT. 

And she couldn’t sit by and let it happen.

So she stood without getting dismissed, and ran out of the room. She didn’t stop for shoes when she stormed out, and only skidded to a stop outside of the gate to gather her thoughts.

Which way? Had Alicia ever told her WHAT house they lived in? The shop they’d often visit came to her mind, and before she knew it her legs were moving.

She ran through the burning in her calves, and the aching of her feet. By the time she reached the shop her breath was strained, and labored.

The shopkeeper jumped back from the dispenser, his hand now placed on his chest from the scare Rima had given him.

“Oh GOODNESS child you almost gave this old man a heart attack.” He smiled at her once he calmed down to think straight.

“OHHH you’re the friend of that nice blond girl!” He dug a plastic capsule out of the machine and offered it to her.

“Her coin got stuck in the machine earlier, and she went home. Perhaps you can give this to her? I presume you’re on the way to see her?”

Rima accepted the capsule, and hurriedly touched his shoulder. “Which way?”

“Pardon?”

“Which way did she GO!”

“Ohh, I believe she went that way.” He pointed in a direction. Rima didn’t wait for his response. She let his shoulder go, and took off as fast as she could. The fatigue could NOT slow her down. She had to get to her goal.

As she rounded the corner, a BRIGHT blue thunderbolt went off in the distance. A light so bright that it temporarily blinded her despite being all the way at the END of the street.

“NO!”

[semperintrepida]

spartanrenegade on AO3 asked an intriguing question regarding the events in chapter 13 of The Breaking. To paraphrase:

What if Kyra's arrow actually killed Deimos during her demonstration of loyalty? What would Kyra do then?

It's an AU of my AU! And after I got done cackling over the mental image of Deimos being brought to such an abrupt end, I started giving it some thought.

What follows is a rough narrative summary of how this story would go if Kyra killed Deimos right then and there. (Writing a narrative summary, aka narrative outline or plot treatment, lets you sketch out ideas without fully committing to them. It's also helpful when you're stuck in a narrative and need to explore ways to get un-stuck!)

~~

Deimos is dead. The reality of it takes a while to set in, shock giving way to a creeping sense of elation. "Some god you turned out to be." Deimos is dead, but Kyra doesn't want to stick around for the aftermath. Rejoicing can wait.

Kyra relieves dearly departed Deimos of her coin purse and belt-knife, gathers the bow and the quivers of arrows, and returns to Epiphron. Kyra knows little of this part of Attika, but she knows which way is Athens, and once her gear is secured to Epiphron's saddle, she rides away from the city, further into the hills.

She spends the next several days hidden high among the scrub oaks, hunting for food, a huntress in her element. Far below, she can see a major road, and she spends plenty of time watching squads of soldiers come and go. Deimos's disappearance has been noticed.

Kyra herself notices a number of travel-worn pilgrims journeying on the road. There's a sanctuary nearby, and that gives her a course of action. She continues following the road from above, and when she comes across an estate with a farm and olive grove, she trades Epiphron and her cloak for drachmae and a new himation. Time to play a new role.

Falling in with a group of well-dressed pilgrims, Kyra spins a tale of a runaway horse and being separated from her party. Thanks to her time in Athens, she makes a convincing highborn woman—even when the group of pilgrims encounters a troop of soldiers asking questions.

The sanctuary up ahead is Elusis: home of the great Mysteries. (Lots of opportunity for resonance here: the Elusinian cult is one of Persephone and Demeter.) Upon arriving, Kyra becomes an initiate, and is now safe as long as she remains on the sanctuary grounds. However, there's a complication: those with blood-guilt are forbidden from becoming initiates, and now Kyra finds herself having to live another lie, this time before the gods themselves.

The climax of this sequence is Kyra's participation in the Mystery's rituals, when she must face her guilt head-on. (For such a small body, she holds a lot of guilt, so, so much guilt.)

She leaves the sanctuary. She travels to the port city of Nisaia in Megaris, where she sells the adamantine necklace for a small fortune in drachmae. And with that fortune, she buys passage on a merchant ship headed for Mykonos, and home, and a chance to rebuild her life...

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 235

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 Go Go! 37 - “Danger! Five de Chance! (Part 2)” Date watched: 18 March 2023 Original air date: 26 October 2008 Screenshots Precure Metamorphose Gallery | Sky Rose Translate Gallery Project info and master list of posts

It’s the final countdown!

When last we saw the girls, they were trapped in a devious game show concocted by Mucardia. They have to win ONE of the challenges presented to them, and it’s down to Urara and Karen. Can they beat the game and return to their daily lives, or will they lose the Rose Pact and be stuck in this dimension forever? LET’S DIG IN!

The Plot

The cold open is a recap of the last episode and rolls right into the opening theme.

Coco, Nuts, and Syrup have been watching the game on a monitor and try to break into the set, but are unsuccessful.

Urara volunteers to go next in the game. She admits to Karen that she really wants the trophy with everyone's names on it. This is the first time Karen has heard about the trophy. Mr. Magic simply scoffs at this.

Urara's challenge is to play Whack-A-Mole to the beat of her single Twintail Magic (hey kids, buy the CD). If she misses even one mole, she loses. Halfway through, one of the moles catches the mallet, then they all pop out at once and she loses. The moles then grow giant and give way to a Hoshiina, so Urara transforms. She tries to fight off the moles, but a hole opens up beneath her and she's captured.

Naturally, last up is Karen. Karen's challenge is a coin toss (of course). She is nervous because she knows she's bad at this, but accepts on the condition that she performs the toss and uses her own coin. Mr. Magic adds another condition that if she loses, he gets the Rose Pact. The others object to this, but Karen reluctantly agrees.

Karen tosses the coin, it flips for an eternity in slow motion, and everyone watches in suspense. In the split second before Karen covers it with her hand, Mr. Magic sees that the coin landed on tails. She takes a long time to decide what to call, so he suggests that he will call heads. Karen flashes back to the cheating in all the other games and decides to call heads for herself. This would be her loss, if not for what comes next.

Karen is afraid to uncover the coin, and stands there for a long time deliberating. Mr. Magic is annoyed and tries to pressure her into showing it. Eventually he grabs her hand and pulls it up, but the coin sticks to her palm. It then falls on the ground and spins on its edge for a moment before finally falling on Heads.

Mr. Magic tries to call for a redo, but Karen regains her composure and points out that nobody said the coin had to be read from her hand, just when it fell.

Since the villain has lost, the stage cracks and shatters. The captured Cures are freed, the fairies all break through the door to enter the world, and then Karen and Kurumi transform.

Everyone fights all the Hoshiina from the game for a while, until Mr. Magic causes them all to combine into a giant composite Hoshiina.

Nuts and Rose perform Milky Rose Metal Blizzard, dispensing of the Hoshiina.

Coco helps the Cures perform Rainbow Rose Explosion. Mr. Magic tries to block it with a wall made of the audience Hoshiinas, but it crushes them, and he teleports away before he can be destroyed himself.

The girls reappear in the main studio, and Karen says it was all their feelings together that let them win. A PA says that all contestants need to gather at the studio and they head towards it, with Karen asking not to do the coin toss.

Fast forward some time and the girls are watching the episode at Karen's house, showing that they won. It's revealed to be a recording and that they've watched it dozens of times now. Nozomi wants to see the trophy, Rin remarks it should be arriving soon.

Kurumi is shown chowing down on their year’s supply of chocolate, and she remarks to Syrup that she's fine with not having her name on the trophy, but her body language belies that she is sad. The trophy arrives and Karen ushers her over to reveal that they got Kurumi's name added as well. Jiiya says he pulled some strings, and the episode closes on a slow dolly out of everyone admiring the trophy.

The Analysis

What I LIked

Maeda Ai gives a particularly strong performance as Karen in this episode, especially during her inner monologue. She goes through epic highs and lows and you can really feel the weight of her decision.

Urara finally tells Karen out loud what they’re really competing for: the trophy, not just chocolate, and this is when it clicks for her why everyone is so dead-set on this game.

To spice things up a little, the way the games are twisted in this episode is different from the last one. Before, the cheating became apparent fairly immediately, but when Urara is playing whack-a-mole, it seems to be a regular game for just long enough to lull her and the audience into a sense of security. Then the mole grabs her mallet.

Mucardia’s attempt to psych Karen out in the coin toss was well done. He spoon feeds her the correct answer, knowing that she will think he’s cheating, and thereby tricks her into changing her bet to the wrong answer. She then agonizes over her choice for long enough, and Mucuardia’s impatience becomes his undoing when the coin lands on the ground, now on heads instead of tails.

The absolute irony of Mucardia calling Karen’s victory unfair is hilarious, as if he hasn’t rigged every single game to prevent the girls from having any chance at winning. Honor is not his strong point.

During the fight scene, each of the Cures is briefly ambushed by the Hoshiina that took them down, before another Cure saves them. It’s a great visual manifestation of the central theme of the show, being stronger together than alone, and making up for each other’s shortcomings.

Karen is at her peak in these two episodes. Sure, it’s not about her aspiring medical career, but rather it’s about her root character trait that’s been present since her first appearance: her desire to help her friends and those she cares about. When the weight of the world falls on her shoulders, she finds the strength to rise to the challenge. She finally understands what’s at stake in the real game of Five de Chance, and why everyone wants to compete on it with her, so more than protecting the Rose Pact and the Cure Rose Garden, now she’s competing for the sake of her actual friendship.

Kurumi, and previously Milk, has always stood out from the other members of the team. She’s friends with them, she fights with them, but she isn’t strictly speaking a part of Precure, and she doesn’t have the same relationship they have with each other. Giving up her spot to Karen represents this, and it’s reflected again in her attitude at the end. She lowkey wishes it were her name on the trophy, but she recognizes that the other five have a closer bond than they do with her. To turn that around and find out that they actually value her enough that they got her name on the trophy ANYWAY speaks to the closeness of their relationship after all.

What I Didn’t Like

Again, only the smallest of notes, but the fake out ending when everyone is running to the real set of Five de Chance after escaping Mucardia’s dimension is odd. There’s a freeze frame and I wrote in my notes that it was the end, and then the episode keeps going with the scene set in Karen’s house.

I also wish we’d seen a little bit of the actual Five de Chance competition.

Unlike the previous episode, there are no dramatic mural still shots before Urara, Karen, or Kurumi transform.

Miscellaneous

It’s not entirely clear what kind of cheat Mucardia was planning to do with Karen. He offered up his own coin, which was a Hoshiina, so perhaps it would have fallen the way he wanted, or jumped around and reversed itself if it landed on the wrong side.

Ordinarily in a coin toss you’d place your bet before the coin gets thrown, but here they wait until it’s landed and Karen covers it to make their calls, which is how Mucardia is able to influence the bet.

Much like Bunbee in episode 35, Mucardia directly calls out the start of the commercial break. It’s a bit less fourth wall breaking than when Bunbee did it, because they’re on a game show.

Apparently Mucardia isn’t in complete control of the world, because if he was then I can’t imagine why he’d just let it crumble around him after losing.

Since it’s a direct continuation of the previous episode, it’s naturally the second episode in a row where Milk appears in her fairy form.

As in episode 35, both Milky Rose Metal Blizzard and Rainbow Rose Explosion are used in this episode.

Once again, to pad time, Urara, Karen, and Kurumi’s full transformations are played, and the team finally gets their full role call.

Conclusion

Much like the previous episode, it’s great from start to finish. There are fewer gags, because there’s more tension, but the drama and emotion are at their peak. Karen’s anguish is beautifully realized with some dramatic lighting and an internal monologue. The villain seems to have won. And then….. It turns around, and the audience is rewarded with the culmination of everything that happened in the two-parter. It’s the perfect tribute to the girls’ friendship and a reminder of what’s at stake on the human level. Mucardia also showed what he’s really capable of, and what his major pitfall is: he gets caught up in presentation and loses sight of achieving the goal. Now that his veneer of confidence is cracked, it will be fun to see what he tries next. We’re moving into the show’s endgame, so every episode counts, and these last two were some of the best the series has to offer.

Next time on Precure Daily, it’s a double whammy! The girls go to a concert and find themselves face to face with their fellow Precures, and then in the main event they have to find out why the monarchy is acting strange in the Land of Sweets. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 kettei

[mikodrawnnarratives]

Now that I've released the fic, I figured might as well post this little snippet of me blurping out some writing to figure out how I was going to write Nova and Evie's dynamic and where they'd be similar and different

It's heavily my headcanons and my interpretations of the text we've been given of Maggie and how the two of them interact in canon vs how they eventually interacted in my fic

Was trying to figure out mainly how to get Nova from point A to point B in terms of sympathizing with Maggie, while keeping Maggie as best in character as I could while simultaneously adding characterization I felt would fit

I'll stress that these are BLURBS and since I haven't edited this, it isn't always adjectives and descriptors I'd say fit the best. Lots of keeping things black and white rather than morally gray. Not necessarily because their situation is black and white, but more I was jotting my thoughts down and how I'd make things work

Not everything perfectly aligns with the end fic, but might be interesting addition to read for anyone interested

ig character study? But not polished and edited cleanly:

Nova wanted what she thought was best but stayed on the wrong side

She always thought it was the good side

Evie focused on herself, sticking to the side of good

She always thought the renegades were flawed

Nova defended her close ones till the end. Had a hard time accepting new friends

Evie brushed everyone away. And when the only one that mattered died, she crumpled.

Evie stuck to the side of good since there was some inspiration to do some good. Full in the gaps of her past, pretending to be selfless. Callum was the true selfless one. He saw how Evie was tired of having hope that she'll connect back to her roots.

He encouraged a new purpose for her and she ignored it

And now she can only do what she thinks is best. Stop pretending.

Nova and Evie lost the person that knew them best

Both were on the wrong side.

Both have been hurting

Nova felt like her past actions were a permanent mark on the renegades if she joined.

She wanted to leave but keep in touch. Do good but isolate herself

After all she's done for the person that ruined her life.

But that person also saved her life and knew her best

She could have been to her family's funeral if she hadn't gone with Ace. Made sure her sister's body was found and given a proper send off

She should have noticed the intentions of other anarchists and prevented bloodshed

She should fully pay for her actions. She's failed to avenge her family

But people wanted Nova around. They loved her.

Nova's heart was in the right place and now she can make a change with the support she needs

Evie has been "selfish" in order to survive. She's been alone. She had to give up hope for someone else to come in and name her

Joining the Renegades could have been the Anarchists without Callum who saw her potential

She thought she could try history/artifacts. Look for herself to fix herself

She didn't focus on others

Callum knew her more than anyone. He was selfless. She was not.

Now he's dead. Evie doesn't believe she can be selfless, so may as well fit into the category she belongs. 

And at the very least she can uphold her choice with the realization that the renegades are more corrupt than she thought. No one was as selfless as Callum. They should admit it like she did.

She's been making an effort to isolate herself for so long to protect herself

She's only eleven [Edit: This changed when I figured out timeline stuff. She turns thirteen in the fic]. She hasn't healed. She hasn't had a real family. Ironically something Nova had with the Anarchists

Nova and Evie are two sides of the same coin. Noble intentions on the side of evil and Selfish intentions on the side of good

The bad died for Nova to realize to join the "good"

The good died for Evie to split to the "bad"

Evie hates herself

Nova hates herself

Evie is thirteen years old

Nova's eighteen 

Nova can't fully relate to Evie. But she does see herself in Evie when she talks about the hypocrisy in the renegades. Feeling hurt

But when Evie talks about aligning herself to the side she fits. Nova remembers her discussion with Leroy.

With support, Evie could reach out again. Callum saw potential in Evie. Evie wants to connect again. 

With support, Nova got friends. On a path to actual happiness and resolution to avenging her family.

Nova sees a hurting girl, mad at the world for what it's done.  

Maggie doesn't believe she [Nova] gets it. She had family in the anarchists

Nova talks about the disconnect she felt too. Even now she can't get everything back, her sister's corpse never found

Maggie listens for once

Nova continues about how she's been selfish in her deceit, not so different from Maggie except Maggie's only cunning was her sticky fingers. Maggie was clear she didn't want people to get close while Nova manipulated the situation

[decadentpandawasteland]

Hello! Today marks Day 2 of my self-imposed writing challenge. While I may only be on the second day, it's been really fun to actually share my little creations of things and getting out of my comfort zone.

Today's post is about character creation. This character was inspired by one of my favorite web serials, Worm. If you haven't read Worm, the story is set in a world where superpowers and superheroes, referred to as capes, exist. It does a wonderful job going into the nuances of good and evil. I highly recommend it.

Feedback is always welcome, I greatly appreciate it! :)

Edit: This is still a WIP, which is why it feels unfinished.

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Prompt: Create Character and explain their style

Sera ‘Pocket’ Blossom

Backstory

She lives in a world of heroes and villains, where superpowers and magic are one and the same. Sera Blossom, 17 years old, having grown up in the streets of the city. Her parents died in a villain attack, leaving just Sera. Even in a world of powers, people can still fall through the cracks, Paul and Sasha being two of them. This left a distaste in heroes and villains with Sera. The villains created the world she now finds herself stuck in and the heroes did little to nothing to help. It irked her, growing into a full hatred of both sides of the coin.

Description

Sera is short for her age at about 5’ even. She has a slight frame, usually covered in baggy clothes of some kind. Blonde hair that goes about to her shoulder blades, but generally kept up in a ponytail. She has green eyes. Under the baggy clothes, usually a hoodie or sweater, her body is deeply scarred. Burn marks run up and down her forearms, while one very nasty one runs from her right shoulder to her left hip. Sera mostly is quiet sound new people, but very loud and full of energy towards friends.

Power

Sera does have a power. She can create a small, extra dimensional space, about the same size and shape as a backpack. This nifty little trick is what had helped her survive the past 5 years on her own. The space is physically limited by the amount and size of what is stored in it. Bigger items take up more room. If she wanted to steal a cooked turkey, she could, but it would require her to empty out everything else in the storage space. She cannot store living things within the space. If she attempted to store more than what was physically allowed, it would create a backlash, causing Sera pain. The attempted-to-be-stored item will be thrown in whatever direction Sera is facing.

Pocket

Her vigilante persona goes by the codename Pocket. Pocket's weapon of choice is an extendable baton kept in her dimensional space. When out in jobs, Pocket is dressed in dark clothes, usually a long sleeved shirt, dark slacks, ponytail sticking out the back of a ball cap, darkened goggles, and gloves. Under the glove of her right hand she keeps big things on each finger and taped down, creating a makeshift brass knuckle. Her left hand is always ready to pull mace out of her dimensional space at any time, mainly to catch enemies off guard.

Style

Both Sera and Pocket are two sides of the same coin to create Sera Blossom. Sera is more level headed, nose to the grindstone when going about her daily life. She wants to be a more avid reader, something her mother would do a lot with her. She prefers to not really be seen and blend in into the background if at all possible.

This, however, is in stark contrast to Pocket. Her vigilante persona doesn't mind being loud and creating a scene, knowing that any possible distraction she can make might help aid her in escaping a job. Pocket works for a group of loose knit vigilantes called Phantom, led by a man with ghost-like powers called Caesar's Ghost or CG.